Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or her characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.
Unexpected Restart
Chapter Eight: Recovering Jedite
In a dark cavernous room a woman with incredibly long wavy red hair in a snug fitting deep purple dress sat in a black evil looking throne-like chair thinking of the lack of energy that had been collected since they focused their efforts in the city of Tokyo.
In the beginning they had been successful; getting good large amounts of energy, but then Sailor Moon showed up. She stopped and killed her minions. Then more sailor scouts started to appear. Sailor Mercury followed by Sailor Mars, and let's not forget that masked tuxedo wearing man.
Since then they had only been getting a trickle of energy here and there, and that only because the Scouts had yet to know about the minion doing the collecting!
Something needed to be done! Something had to happen to fix this! At present her general Jedite was in charge of operations toward collecting energy, and he had been failing because of a few little girls! This was unacceptable!
Jedite! Attend me! She mentally summoned the general, and watched as he appeared, teleporting in in the blink of an eye, and bowed to her.
"You called my Queen." Jedite said before he stood up straight, looking at her and her dark crystal ball.
"I am very disappointed in you; you and your lack of progress in collecting large amounts of energy. Not to mention not being able to eliminate the Sailor Scouts." She said in a cold form tone. "What do you have to say for yourself?" She asked.
Jedite took a slow deep breath and let it out.
"Every minion I sent out to gather energy succeeded and did well until they were found by one or more of the Sailor Scouts, and that masked man seemed to always show up to help. And they never stuck around after they killed the minion." He explained.
Queen Beryl stared at him stonily.
"This is your last chance. Either collect a sizable portion of energy or deal with those Scouts for good. If you do not do either then you are done, and I will deal with you when you return." She said coldly.
Jedite closed his eyes and swallowed nervously before nodding.
"It will be done my Queen." He said before he teleported away, needing to plan his next move since it was clear his life depended on it.
~~uUuUu~~
Early Sunday morning Serena, Raye, and Amy met up at the isolated park they had been using since starting their group training as usual. They were dressed in comfortable clothes they were just as comfortable working out in.
The three young women greeted each other quietly, and talked lightly of their morning and journey there as they walked further into the park before their talk turned more serious.
"Do any of you think it's frustrating that Luna doesn't really remember anything that can help us, and that she's expecting so much of us?" Raye asked suddenly. "She expects us to find the remaining scouts, find the Moon Princess, and find the silver crystal, and yet she doesn't remember what any of them look like or how many scouts there are."
Amy nodded. "I've been trying not to think about it, but I've noticed it and it's frustrating when we ask her something and all she can say is that she doesn't remember." She said.
"I've noticed it all as well, and I find it just as frustrating. Especially since she seems determined to think the worst of Tuxedo Mask when all he's done is help us." Serena said as she looked to them.
"Although I do understand Luna's point of view. He's an unknown, a mystery, and he's mentioned the silver crystal. That could make him look like an enemy." She admitted. "But just because he knew about it doesn't mean he's an enemy."
"We have no idea how widely known the crystal was in the past. Everyone could have known about it. Or he could have been close to the princess and learned of it that way and remembered it in this time. We just can't know. Not to mention I don't think it's fair to label him an enemy since he could have done the same to us and chose not to help us." She explained.
Amy and Raye nodded in agreement.
"Since you mentioned that at the last meeting I've been wanting to question him to see what he knows; especially in light of Luna's lack of memory. He could have answers to our questions." Amy admitted.
"Since he's helping us I wonder if he remembers working with us in the past or if he doesn't remember and is simply going off of instinct." Raye said, and Amy hummed thoughtfully.
"If he doesn't remember then he won't be able to answer a lot of the questions I have." She said.
"That's possible, but even if he doesn't remember he might not know he knows anything until he's asked directly. You can never know." Serena said, and Amy nodded.
Serena sighed. "I just find Luna frustrating in general. I don't like that she gives out information in vague pieces instead of giving clear explanations. It's as if she wants us to ask questions just so she can give another piece of information." She said as she stepped around a bush.
"And I've always found it strange how she found me." She added with a frown, and she really did. She hadn't had a planetary symbol blazing on her forehead for Luna to see, so how had she been identified as having any power in order to be a scout?
"What do you mean?" Raye asked before Amy could.
"Luna said each scout would be marked by their planetary symbol, but she never mentioned seeing a crescent moon on my forehead, so how did she find me? How did she know I was a scout?" Serena said.
"That is strange." Amy said as she looked down thoughtfully at the grass. "I wonder if instead of seeing the symbol she sensed the power inside you."
Serena shrugged lightly. "I also don't particularly like that sometimes Luna sounds like she's trying to be my parent." She added.
"How so?" Amy asked.
"When I first met my boyfriend I left with him to go talk so we could get to know each other, but I left Luna behind since I knew she was following me. When I got home she demanded to know where I had been and why I had gone off with him and left her behind." Serena said. "That I shouldn't have left her behind, because if she wasn't there she couldn't look after me; likely to protect me."
Raye's eyebrows shot up at that last bit, and she couldn't help wondering what Luna could have possibly done to protect her.
"Then there's the fact that Luna seems to sometimes act as if she doesn't want me to have a life outside of going to school and being a scout. Every time she knows I'm going out with my boyfriend she'll question me on if I really needed to go, if I really thought I had time for a boyfriend, and what I would do if there's an attack." She explained.
"I don't think there's anything wrong with me dating someone, and I think I'm doing well managing all my responsibilities without a problem." Serena added.
Amy nodded, knowing Serena had a lot going on. School, which included homework, her after school classes, daily training, their weekend group training, a boyfriend, Scout meetings, and participating in fights when their enemy attacked.
Of course she and Raye were dealing with almost the same amount of responsibilities, but Luna wasn't speaking to them about any of it. She also found it slightly suspicious that according to Serena the only thing Luna talked about was her boyfriend, and not any of the other things she was doing outside of being a scout.
Raye just shook her head. She didn't blame Serena for her frustration with Luna, and was surprised that she liked the feline at all. Of course, it was entirely possible that she didn't like her, and just hadn't said so for her own reason.
She knew she wouldn't like someone who wasn't a parent or guardian, and lived with her, trying to act like they were. What gave Luna the right to think she could do that? She was a guide, an advisor, in terms of their positions as scouts; nothing more.
"It sounds like Luna needs to mind her own business outside of what we do as scouts." Raye said with a frown.
"I completely agree." Amy said as she nodded.
"Yes, and even then she needs to be in the background." Serena said. "It's like you said Raye, Luna's an advisor, a guide, and that's what she should stick to. She isn't out here fighting with us, and can't help even if she was."
"That's one of the reasons why I insisted on Luna not being here during our training. We need to function without her watching and commenting, because in reality she isn't going to be there." She explained.
"She's actually only been to the first fight I had after becoming Sailor Moon, and she was useless besides stating things that were of no help to me when I had a monster attacking me." She continued.
"I also insisted she not be here for our training so we could speak openly as we are now instead of keeping it all in, wondering if the others thought the same or were noticing the same things they were." She finished, and Raye nodded her understanding.
"I appreciate that. It would be awkward to know that Luna was off to the side watching and judging us. Plus, I noticed that Luna herself has never mentioned training and exercising." Raye said.
"I'd noticed that as well." Amy said as she nodded.
"That's because she hasn't. I decided after my first fight that it was necessary." Serena said. "When I asked Luna what to do when the monster was attacking me she told me to use my power, and when I asked how all she said was to use my instincts."
"I thought that was ridiculous. I was busy dodging and worried about my safety, and no weapon or instinctive power had come to me in that time. Later on in that same fight after I had managed to gain a few moments to breath without getting attacked Luna finally told me to use my tiara." She continued.
"I decided after that I wouldn't rely on Luna again, and would take matters into my own hands." She explained.
Amy and Raye listened carefully. These were details Serena hadn't mentioned about her first fight before; likely because Luna had been there for each retelling.
Hearing those details and imagining what it must have been like left them feeling like it had to have been frightening and frustrating. They were grateful that their first fight hadn't been that way.
For Amy it had been scary and she had been unprepared, but thankfully her fighting instincts from her previous life had come through. Then she had been provided training very soon after.
For Raye she had thankfully gotten training before her first fight, so although she had been scared she had been prepared; and she was even more grateful that the training continued after that.
Both young women were sure the next scout found would get the same treatment. Training right after they learned they were a scout, and hopefully before their first fight.
After the young women were sure they couldn't be seen the three secret scouts sat in the grass and began to stretch their arms and legs. Once they finished they started doing their exercises, sit ups and pushups, each of them starting with the exercise they felt comfortable with. When they each finished they started jogging laps around the area that gradually shifted into running.
As they finished running their laps they did a final lap jogging to cool down before they once again set about stretching to prevent cramps until each of them was done running and fully stretched out.
Serena stood up and Amy and Raye shared a curious questioning look before Raye shrugged and stood up, deciding she would spar with Serena first.
Amy moved back out of the way and Raye faced Serena, and immediately threw her arm up in a block as Serena swung a punch directly toward her face. She kicked out at her and Serena hopped back out of the way before she stepped forward and swung a side kick toward her right side.
Raye stepped forward, closer to Serena, avoiding the kick and swung her elbow at her face. Serena let herself fall to her side, away from the blow that was sure to loosen her teeth and rolled back to her feet.
They went at it, punching and kicking, blocking and dodging, for a few minutes straight. Suddenly Serena's hand shot forward and grabbed the end of some of Raye's hair and pulled sharply.
Raye cried out loudly in pain. "What the heck?!" She cried.
"This could happen during a fight." Serena pointed out as she let go of her hair. "We can never know what the monsters will do."
Amy watched wide eyed and was suddenly glad for her short hair.
"Your short hair won't save you!" Serena called out like she could hear her thoughts. "Me, and therefore a monster, can grab a fist full if you get too close."
Raye and Serena continued their spar, moving around the area as they dodged this way and that way, and Serena made sure to protect her hair from being pulled now that she had put the idea in their heads.
She didn't mind though since it was good practice to avoid getting her hair caught. A monster could do much more than simply pulling it and causing pain.
A few more minutes passed and they stopped, having gotten a few hits each. They stretched and rested a bit before Serena stood up and looked to Amy as she unconsciously stood in a ready position she normally took for her martial arts classes.
Amy stepped forward and stood slightly across from her in a position that would allow her to move in any direction quickly. They stared at each other as Raye sat in the grass out of range and watched, and suddenly Amy shot forward and snapped a front kick at Serena unexpectedly.
Serena responded by kicking her foot sideways inward to block Amy's kick and knock her off balance, then she twisted and planted her foot and spun a back kick at her side.
Amy blocked with her forearm and stepped forward and threw a punch toward her face. Instead of blocking Serena ducked under it and thrust both her fists against her chest just under her collarbones.
Amy stepped back and Serena swung another sideways kick that caught her in the side this time, and Amy let herself fall to the side and into a cartwheel before she was back on her feet and ready for whatever was next.
Serena ran at her and they immediately started throwing and blocking punches, and blocking and dodging kicks for a few long minutes before Serena called a stop.
They both instantly dropped themselves to the ground resting a bit before they slowly started to stretch their arms, legs, and back, and massaging and rubbing the bits that stung and ached from taking and blocking hits.
After a few quiet restful minutes Amy got to her feet and looked to Raye. Raye got up and moved toward her as Serena got up and took Raye's spot in the grass at a distance to watch them.
She watched as they easily began to fight, one punching and the other kicking. They were trading blows as fiercely as they had with her, but she noticed that Amy was blocking and dodging more than she was hitting. However, she was still hitting and hitting hard, so Serena was willing to ignore it since it appeared to be part of her fighting style.
Beyond that they were doing well to her slightly trained eye, and according to how she wanted her Scouts to be. Raye and Amy were working well together, and all three of them were working well together and getting along.
She thought they were all closer than they had been the first time as well; as scouts and as friends, and she was confident that when Lita joined the group that would not change and she would easily assimilate into the group.
After nearly ten minutes Amy and Raye stopped sparing, and once they finished resting and stretching Serena stood up.
"We should transform and work with our powers." She said, and Amy and Raye nodded as they got back to their feet.
Raye and Amy pulled out their transformation pens from their subspace pocket while Serena pulled out her brooch from her subspace pocket.
"Moon Prism Power!" Serena said firmly.
"Mars Power!" Raye said strongly.
"Mercury Power!" Amy said calmly.
They were all briefly surrounded in pink, red, and blue light before it cleared leaving them standing as Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Mercury. They nodded to each other and separated.
Raye stepped off to the side, away from the others to put space between them, and stood facing some trees. She lifted her hands and focused on her power; feeling the now familiar warmth.
Mars Fire Ignite. She called in her mind, and watched as a ball of fire flew out of her fingertips and smashed against a tree.
She launched it again immediately after, and narrowed her eyes as she silently commanded the burning ball to move to her left. She watched it swerve gracefully and further commanded it around the tree it was now headed for and watched as it did just that.
She nodded to herself and continued to guide the ball of fire around before she crashed it into the ground.
Raye then decided to work on making her fireballs hotter and lowering their heat. It was something she had managed during one of her solo training sessions and she wanted to work on it further.
Amy stepped back away from the others as she turned around to face away from them, and focused on her power as she lifted her hands.
Mercury Bubbles Blast. She said internally, and blue clear bubbles spewed from her hands until a large area around her was surrounded in fog.
She immediately focused on the cool feel and began to gradually lessen it until it was gone. She repeated the defense over and over lifting the fog faster and faster each time. She then focused on making her fog denser.
Mercury Bubbles Blast. She said once again, and her bubbles streamed out and quickly produced a fog, but as she was doing that she focused on adding more power and wanting her fog to be thicker.
She watched in satisfaction as her fog grew denser to the point where the grass and trees around her were no longer visible. She nodded to herself and began to lift the fog so she could do it all over again.
Serena moved away from the others after she had watched Amy and Raye move off to their own sides. As she pulled off her tiara she considered working a little with her crystal, but decided against it in case the girls could sense it with them being close by.
So instead of doing that she charged up her tiara and decided to practice her healing dust since she actually hadn't practiced it at all, being more focused on the weapon aspect of her tiara.
Moon Tiara Stardust. She said internally, and focused on guiding it in a circle around a tree and watched the sparkling dust fall. Her tiara came back to her and she caught it and launched it again saying Moon Tiara Stardust in her mind, and this time guided it around multiple trees as if she was following something as the sparkling dust fell.
She returned it to her after a few moments and decided to work on her Moon Tiara Action attack and once again controlling its movements.
The three young women continued to work on their individual abilities, trying to perfect their use, before they moved on to work on combining their powers; something they had recently begun working on.
Amy combined her bubble fog with Serena's healing dust to avoid the dust being seen, and Serena combined her tiara attack with Raye's fireball to make a fiery tiara that could do some serious damage.
They practiced the combinations while standing next to each other then began to move away from each other, so they would get used to doing the combinations from a distance and while separated.
After Serena and Raye performed one more fiery tiara combination Serena called Raye and Amy over to her.
"I want to work on our dodging; considering our powers I think we could use my tiara and Raye's fireball with both attacks on low power." She said as she looked from one to the other, and Amy and Raye agreed.
"I'll use my tiara first. If you get tagged then you'll know you need to work on your dodging." She added.
Amy and Raye shared a look, and Amy shrugged lightly.
"Here's to not getting hit." Raye said before she turned and began to move away a short distance.
Serena removed her tiara and easily charged it as she watched Amy begin to move away. She blinked and launched her tiara at her back; already feeling her connection to it and ready to direct its movements.
"Look out!" Raye called out to Amy, and the blue scout darted off to her side and searched for the glowing disk so she knew where to move next.
The tiara turned sharply and followed her, and Amy quickly began to dodge as the disk followed her; diving and zooming toward her. Suddenly the glowing disk turned sharply and headed for Raye. She sucked in a sharp breath and immediately began to run, looking over her shoulder to see where the weapon was.
She moved around trees but the tiara still kept on her trail. As she moved back into the clearing she ran in a zigzag pattern, and looked over her shoulder only to suddenly drop to the ground as she saw the tiara headed for her face. She looked back up and saw it was now headed for Amy.
This went on for a few minutes before Serena stopped.
"It's your turn Raye; proceed however you want." She called.
Raye and Serena switched places and Raye briefly focused on her power and making sure her fire would come out low powered before she quickly launched a fireball directly at Amy and then another at Serena.
She decided she would just shoot out her fireballs instead of guiding them around; especially since she didn't have to worry about anything catching fire.
Fireballs were flying everywhere and Serena and Amy were dodging like crazy and getting a workout at the same time. They were even pushing and pulling each other out of the way to avoid being even slightly touched by the fire.
As far as Serena was concerned this was much more affective then her tiara since there were multiple fireballs coming at them. She could guide her tiara after them, but she had to focus on one of them at a time which meant one of them would be on the sidelines watching.
After ten straight minutes of this they stopped and decided to switch things up for their remaining time. Amy began to use her bubble fog to block visibility while Serena and Raye took turns attacking each other with their low powered attacks while they tried to dodge.
~~uUuUu~~
Molly sat in a booth next to the window at the Crown arcade as she waited for Serena so they could hangout this afternoon. It was turning into a nice day and she considered what they could do with their time, but her thoughts strayed to her friendship in general with her absent friend.
Over the last few months she could confidently say that their friendship had gotten stronger despite her best friend gaining new friends.
She appreciated that; that their friendship didn't fade into the background. She did not want to lose her best friend to new comers no matter how much she got along with Amy. She had Melvin and the other girls as friends, but Serena was her best friend. They had more in common and just clicked well together.
She and Serena always made time to spend together. Hanging out during the weekends, like they planned to do that very day, and sometimes after Serena's after school classes. They would occasionally window shop, hangout at the arcade, or mostly go somewhere and study and do their homework.
Still, with all the time they spent together it was not hard to notice the differences in her best friend and the strange occurrences.
The differences were nothing unusual. To her it was just her best friend doing better in school and having a more accomplished life. She was arriving to school on time, participating in class, doing well on tests, she was doing her homework, taking after school classes, and had gotten herself a slightly older boyfriend.
The strange occurrences, however, were another matter entirely. There was nothing strange about Serena wanting to learn gymnastics, but she was also taking two martial arts classes.
She didn't think there was anything wrong with wanting to try something new and different, but suddenly wanting to learn how to defend herself was unexpected considering she had never mentioned it in all the time they had known each other.
Then there was that time some of their fellow classmates brought their pet gerbils to school. That wasn't Serena's fault and she herself didn't have one, but unlike everyone else, Molly included, she hadn't been at all interested or tempted to go see or get one. She had been the only one to question why the animals had been brought to school, which had snapped herself out of the lure of the animals at the slightly disturbing answer she got.
Then there was the time everyone in the city seemed to become impatient and want to do everything quick and in a hurry, and if they couldn't then it was an argument and fight that they were also upset about because it was taking away from what they wanted to do and wasting more time.
Molly remembered it starting and the hours she spent feeling the same, but she also remembered that Serena, and Amy now that she thought about it, hadn't been affected that way at all.
There was also her seemingly sudden friendship with a girl named Raye. If she remembered right she was the girl who sold them amulets the first time they had all gone to the temple together. It wasn't strange to make new friends, but the way it happened was strange to her. At the temple Serena had shown no interest in the girl and then suddenly she was hearing about her.
When did she even have time to meet the girl let alone spend time with her to become a good friend? It was just so strange and almost unexplainable.
Aside from those instances she had also seen how Serena and Amy were concerned when they began to hear how people were disappearing from an amusement park.
Molly would be the first to admit that there was nothing wrong with being concerned, but the snippets she had overheard left her feeling like her best friend and friend were trying to investigate it themselves; as if they were the police and could solve the mystery.
She hadn't been able to understand that. What could they have possibly done? Were they being serious or was it only a game to them; something interesting to help pass the time? She didn't think so, but what other explanation could there have been?
"Molly!" She heard a voice call, and blinked out of her thoughts and turned away from the window to see Serena smiling and walking toward her.
Molly smiled in return. "Hi." She said as she waved.
She decided that while she had noticed all those things she would put them in the back of her mind. She was not about to ask her friend about them, and if an explanation came someday then she would understand.
If it didn't then she would ignore it all until it couldn't be ignored anymore.
~~uUuUu~~
Serena stood out on Darien's living room balcony with him that evening after having parted ways with Molly earlier in the day. She'd had a good time with Molly, but she had been happy to spend time with her prince afterward.
Now as they looked out over the city she stood leaning back against him as he stood with his arms wrapped around her talking and enjoying their time together since they knew she was going to have to leave soon. It had just gotten dark out half an hour before, and it was getting late; at least late in terms of what her parents would think.
"What do you want to do after our martial arts classes tomorrow?" Darien asked.
"I want to stay with you instead of going home." Serena answered easily. "Perhaps we can come back here, and do our homework together until I have to be home."
"I have no problem with that." He said as he squeezed her slightly. "Do you want to eat with me as well?"
"Sure. I can even call and let my parents know I'm eating with a friend, and will come home after that." She said.
"And if they ask what friend?" He said.
Instead of answering Serena's eyes widened and she gasped at what she was seeing. There, suddenly appearing large in the sky, was Jedite; all they could see was his head and shoulders, but it was definitely him. She knew it wasn't her imagination because Darien was tense and his arms had tightened around her.
"Sailor Moon. Sailor Mercury. Sailor Mars. You will come to Haneda Airport tomorrow night for a duel" Jedite demanded, his voice booming out over the city for all to hear. "or I will burn Tokyo to the ground!"
To emphasize his point, and show what he would do if they denied him, dark red orange flames appeared over the city, over the buildings, as if it was actually on fire. They heard screams, but neither Serena nor Darien reacted since it was obvious the flames weren't real.
Jedite's face smirked down at the city. "I'll be waiting Sailor Scouts." He said before he and the fire disappeared, his image dissolving, leaving a calm night sky as if it had never been there.
Serena heard her communicator going off and she pulled it out as they moved back inside the apartment.
"Serena here." She said after she pressed the button as she sat on the couch.
"Raye here." She heard her friend answer a moment later.
"Did you guys see what just happened?" Amy asked.
"Yes." Serena answered. "I had a perfect view."
"I was able to see it clearly from my bedroom window." Raye said.
"I analyzed the image on my minicomputer, and confirmed it was nothing but an illusion." Amy said.
"But it was real." Raye said.
"And obviously a trap." Serena added.
"Yes." Both Amy and Raye said, easily acknowledging that it was a trap.
"Even so we need to go and deal with Jedite because his threat could be very real considering what we've seen the monsters do so far." Serena said.
As she spoke she looked to Darien, who was standing across from her in front of his coffee table, and he nodded seriously. This was their chance to start retrieving his Guardian Generals.
"What exactly are we going to do?" Amy asked.
"We need some kind of plan." Raye said.
"True." Serena agreed. "His message said tomorrow night, so we'll still be able to go to school. I assume when he said night he meant sometime after it gets dark, so should we go at this time of night or later? Actually, will we have to wait for later, is the question we need to answer, because of our guardians."
"My mother will likely be at work still, but I'm not sure." Amy said.
"My grandfather will notice if I'm not here for dinner." Raye said.
"My parents will notice as well; they'll also notice if I'm not there when they go to bed, so I at least will have to wait for my parents to go to sleep before I can leave." Serena said with a light sigh.
"It's going to be late night then; likely right before or after midnight." Amy said.
"That's probably a good thing since there'll be less people or more likely no people. It's a busy airport but he'll probably do something to make sure no one can interfere." Raye said.
"That's true." Serena agreed, remembering the quiet deserted airport. Looking back that had been unnatural since she knew flights were going in and out day and night every day.
"How about we meet up at the bottom of the stairs leading to Raye's home, at say midnight. If I can't make that time I'll contact you on our communicators." She said, and Raye and Amy agreed.
"We can travel to the subway closest to the airport to conserve energy for whatever comes afterward." Amy said.
"We should definitely be transformed." Raye added.
"Yes." Serena agreed wholeheartedly.
She recalled that they hadn't transformed until after they reached the airport. Jedite had likely seen and knew who they were. It was just lucky he hadn't told or been given the opportunity to tell anyone before whatever happened to him after that fight.
"Alright. So we meet up, transform, head to the subway station closest to the airport and take it there, and deal with whatever Jedite has planned." She recapped. "We can't plan for more until we're actually there and see what he'll do."
"Right." Raye said in an agreeing tone.
"What does Luna think?" Amy asked.
"I don't know. I'm not at home right now, so I'll find out when I get there." Serena said. "Although it doesn't matter. Our plans are made, and I've already decided Luna isn't coming with us. She isn't needed there, and will just distract us." She added.
"True." Raye agreed.
"Alright." Amy said.
"So we're set. We know what we're doing." Serena said.
"Yes." Amy and Raye confirmed.
"Okay." She said. "Amy I'll see you at school in the morning; Raye tomorrow night unless something comes up before then."
"Okay." Amy said.
"Yeah." Raye said.
"Serena out." She said, and ended the connection.
Serena sighed heavily as she put her communicator away, and watched as Darien came around the table and sat down next to her.
"What do you think of the plan?" She asked.
"It's sound. You're right that you can't make a plan of attack until you get there, and I also like that you're leaving Luna behind. She really would be a distraction and would certainly interfere where she isn't wanted." Darien said, and she nodded.
"Now it's time to make our own plans." He said, and she nodded again. "I remember my fight with Jedite. He got the drop on me because I didn't really know how to fight physically up close. This time that won't happen not only because of all our training together, but because I recall my past training."
"True." Serena agreed. "It's the same for me. I remember the fake police that attacked us and how I didn't know what to do. Now I'll be able to fight and handle them easily." She said, and he nodded in agreement.
"Jedite didn't attack us directly. He used those massive airplanes. I remember he used two, and I'm thinking we can have Amy and Raye handle them while I aide you with Jedite. After all, he'll be fighting to kill, and we'll be fighting to capture. We're the ones that have to be careful." She added.
"True, and I agree with your thoughts." Darien said. "It will take Amy and Raye away from our fight, so they won't see what's happening, which is exactly what we need to pull this off."
"How are you going to get there?" Serena asked, and he frowned.
"Last time I was there ahead of time because of the message, and then followed my senses to you once you transformed. This time I'll use my crystal to get there, like I used to do in the past, so Amy, Raye, and Jedite won't see me. I'll go when I sense your transformation and wait out by the planes; hidden of course." He said.
Serena nodded. It was a good idea as far as she was concerned.
"I think we should change up our routine for tomorrow." He said thoughtfully.
"How so?" She asked.
"Instead of training as we usually do we should just get in our workout and then do our homework before our classes. That way we'll conserve energy that we're going to need later." He answered.
"Okay." She agreed.
"Considering what you told the girls do you still want to continue with the plans we made for after our classes?" He asked, and she nodded.
"Yes. We can eat and rest, and finish whatever homework we haven't from earlier before I go home." Serena said.
"Okay then. We'll meet up after school as usual, workout, do our homework, and then go to our martial arts classes. After that we'll come back here, eat, and rest until it's time to take you home." Darien said, and she nodded.
"We can order something so you won't have to cook." She added.
He nodded in agreement, and they spent the rest of their time putting out food ideas and what they thought they might want to eat.
~~uUuUu~~
Monday morning arrived bright and early, especially for Serena since Luna had kept her up late talking about the illusion Jedite had displayed in the sky.
Luna wanted to try and chastised her for taking the call while she was with her boyfriend; telling her that he could have heard and become suspicious and figured out who she really was.
Then she wanted to discuss what was to be done, and once she realized they had already made plans go over them to make sure they were sound, and then be upset and complain when she learned that she wasn't going with them.
Luna had spent nearly an hour trying to convince her that she should come. That she needed to come to give them advice, and to watch their backs for attacks they might not see. And what if Tuxedo Mask showed up and joined in on the general's side?!
Serena sighed as she made it to school. She had not gotten nearly as much rest as she had anticipated getting when Darien brought her home, and was glad she would be able to rest later that evening.
She walked into the main building and up to her classroom where she greeted Amy, Molly, and the rest of her friends.
"How are you doing this morning?" Molly asked.
"I'm okay, but I'm tired. I was kept up late by my cat." Serena said. She glanced to Amy meaningfully, and Amy nodded in understanding. "How are you two doing? How long have you been here?"
"I only got here a few minutes before you, and thankfully I slept well despite the excitement of that message in the sky." Molly said.
"I slept well too. Although I fell asleep watching the news about the message, and I got here about twenty minutes ago." Amy replied.
Serena nodded and looked over as she began to hear what her classmates were talking about. They wanted to go to the airport and see what would happen if anything even though they believed the message had to be some kind of elaborate prank.
She shared an upset look with Amy and looked to Molly.
"What do you think about what they're saying?" She asked her, and watched as she frowned.
"I think they're being foolish to want to go out there. I don't believe the message is a prank at all, but the real deal." Molly said.
She took the call out she had heard and the following threat to the city seriously; remembering the attack she had suffered through a few months ago. That had been a very real and scary experience.
"I agree." Serena said as she nodded seriously. Although, that's a difference from before. She thought as she looked at her. She remembered Molly being one of the ones talking about going out to the airport.
Molly had been attacked in her mother's jewelry store in both timelines so that couldn't be it. The only difference she could see was the difference in their friendship. The first time around Luna had started in on her about distancing herself from Molly around this time and Amy and Raye had joined in soon after.
This time around she had made sure that wouldn't happen. She had made sure that Amy and Molly knew each other and got along well, Raye knew of her from her and Amy but had yet to meet her, and she had shut down Luna when she first met her with her questions, behavior, and attitude so she wouldn't even think such a thing.
Though that's likely because this time around Luna's focused on the fact that I have a boyfriend and my life doesn't revolve around being a scout. Apparently that's more important than getting me to pull away from my best friend. She thought as she refrained from rolling her eyes.
Still, the difference in their friendship was the only reason she could see, and it was eye opening what a difference it made. That being closer, friendlier, and more inclusive with Molly made her take such things seriously or at least for her not to pretend to be like everyone else.
Their teacher came in just then and everyone moved to their desks, but they were all still talking about the message in the sky and wanting to go to the airport.
Serena and Amy were more than a bit distracted by it the rest of the school day understandably.
Molly, glancing to them from her seat, couldn't help noticing their distraction, and wondered about it. Why were they so worried?
That night just after 11:30 Serena looked around her darkened bedroom, ignoring Luna, and got up from her bed and headed for her balcony doors. She opened one and stepped out, shivering in her thin pajamas as she left the door partially open, before she put on some sturdy strappy sandals.
She looked around to make sure no one was looking out their window, and leapt over the railing and landed lightly on the ground then took off running.
She was cold and seriously wished she had been able to wear something else besides her pajamas, but she had to look like she was going to bed when she wished her parents goodnight.
On top of that she couldn't change because then if they somehow saw her coming back they would wonder where she went. At least in her pjs she could say she hadn't gone far, and just wanted some air.
Serena ran down sidewalk after sidewalk, turning corners, and cutting through shortcut paths before she got to the area where Raye's home and family temple was. After running a couple of more blocks she finally saw the stairs she was headed for.
She slowed as she saw Raye sitting at the bottom of the stairs and Amy standing near her. Amy wore a dark blue hooded sweater, matching sweat pants, and black shoes, and Raye wore a pair of light gray sweats, a red long sleeve shirt, and tennis shoes.
"Hey." She greeted them quietly as she reached them. "Did either of you have trouble getting away?" She asked.
"Nope." Raye said.
"Not at all." Amy replied, and Serena nodded.
"I didn't either except for Luna's glaring." She said, shaking her head as she refrained from rolling her eyes.
True to Serena's word, Luna wasn't there with them, and hadn't been pleased to be barred from going and left behind. Serena hadn't cared. They knew what they needed to do, more importantly she knew what she needed to do, and Luna being there would be a distraction and an impediment.
Raye shook her head as well, and Amy just pressed her lips together.
"So let's transform." Serena said, and they nodded.
Raye stood and pulled out her transformation pen along with Amy, and Serena pulled out her transformation brooch.
"Mars Power!" Raye said.
"Mercury Power!" Amy said.
"Moon Prism Power." Serena said.
The girls were surrounded by pink, red, and blue light before it cleared to reveal the Sailor Scouts. Sailor Moon nodded to her fellow scouts before they all turned and began to run from the area.
They streaked down sidewalks before they managed to find a roof to get to. After climbing up to it they continued on their way, leaping and jumping rooftops further into the downtown business area and eventually to the edge of it to the subway station that they had agreed to use.
They walked down the stairs into the subway and found it completely deserted, and yet there was a train sitting there with the doors wide open.
The three scouts shared a look before they began to look around, and found to their unease that the place really was truly deserted. There was no one even operating the train.
Sailor Moon remembered this from before and though she had been uneasy she hadn't thought to really question it. Now however she was questioning it. How did Jedite know they were going to come to that particular station or were all the stations with trains that led to the airport deserted with an empty train waiting?
She didn't know and she had no way to find out, so there was nothing to do but go along with it.
"I have no doubt that as soon as we get on that train Jedite will know we are coming." Sailor Moon said.
"True, but he's going to find out when we get there anyway." Sailor Mars said.
"The train itself can be a trap. We could get on and the doors can close, trapping us inside, and speed out of control." Sailor Mercury said.
Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars grimaced at the mental image that produced.
"I'm positive we have enough skill to escape if our ride turns out to be heading in that direction." Sailor Moon said.
She then turned and stepped into the train and looked at the others. Mercury and Mars shared a look before Mars shrugged and they walked forward into the train.
The doors instantly closed once they were all on it and started moving. They grabbed on to poles and hand holds and settled in for the ride; waiting to either reach the airport or for a trap with the train to be sprung.
Thankfully the potential trap of the train speeding out of control and killing them never came, and ten minutes later they reached the airport station. They got off the train as soon as the doors opened and saw that it, and the airport itself in the slight distance, was just as deserted as the station they had used to board the train.
There was a bit of distance between them and the actual main building of the Haneda Airport, and there was no shuttle bus waiting for them so they decided to just run it. Idly commenting that even if there was a shuttle bus they likely would have run the rest of the way anyway.
A few quick minutes later and they were entering the building at the closest entrance. All was unnaturally quiet and dark considering what the usual activity would be. They also saw pretty quickly that there was a heavy police presence but they were all unconscious.
Their steps were loud as they moved through the building, Sailor Moon keeping a wary eye on the unconscious bodies, when suddenly the police began to wake up. Mercury made a sound of surprise and immediately activated her goggles as the three of them circled up loosely with their backs facing each other.
Within moments the police officers were attacking them, and the girls were kicking and punching them to get them off them.
"They aren't real people!" Mercury informed them after a few fraught minutes. "They're made out of clay, so they're likely under Jedite's control!" She called.
With that assurance Mars began to burn them, and Sailor Moon used her tiara to slice through them one after another.
When they finished there were no more unconscious bodies or fake police around them, and they hurried through the area and pass it deciding to get out of the building, so they would have more room to fight; whether they came across more fake police or the general himself.
Sailor Moon led the way out of the building and out onto the tarmac where they would be able to see anyone coming. It was the closest exit from where they were in the building, and she knew out on the runways was where the action would take place anyway.
They looked around as they walked, moving further away from the building, trying to spot the fake police in their dark uniforms in the night and the blond hair of the general that had demanded they come.
Instead of people they almost immediately found themselves confronted with two large white commercial airplanes. They had of course seen the planes parked and unmoving and had ignored them, but now here they were moving rapidly toward them with barely a sound.
The Scouts took off running, trying to stay ahead of the large planes and not let the wheels get to them. None of them wanted to experience being run over by an airplane.
"There he is!" Sailor Moon said, pointing up toward a slight wall in the distance, and Mars and Mercury looked as they ran and spotted the general standing on the wall laughing at them.
Something that abruptly stopped as Tuxedo Mask's figure appeared, leaping up behind him and tackling him causing the both of them to fall to the ground.
The airplanes thankfully stopped and they stopped running as well, and huffed slightly as they tried to catch their breath. Sailor Moon looked at the planes and then toward the two recovering guys.
"I'm going to go help make sure Jedite is stopped, and therefore the planes stopped, and the two of you are going to deal with a plane each." She said quickly to her fellow scouts.
Before either Mars or Mercury could mention the planes weren't moving they began to do just that, speeding toward them again. They all nodded at each other and ran in separate directions. A plane following Mars and one following Mercury, and Moon hurrying to join Tuxedo Mask as his fight moved further down the runway.
She was sure their fight wouldn't be seen by her fellow scouts since they were headed down different runways and had large airplanes blocking their view if they did happen to look.
~~uUu~~
Sailor Mars ran as fast as her high heels would allow her, and was incredibly glad she had practiced doing just that during their group training and on her own. She had even taken to walking around her home during the evenings wearing high heels, much to her grandfather's bewilderment.
She glanced back and grimaced slightly as she saw that the plane was still very much speeding after her. How could she stop it? How could she stop an airplane that large? Was her fireball enough? She knew she would only be able to get one shot off before the plane was on her and she would have to dodge the front wheel at least.
Will my fire damage the plane permanently? She wondered briefly, but decided in the next moment that it didn't matter. It was either her or the plane, and she was all about staying alive and preferably injury free.
But my fire! Is it enough? Is it enough to stop this plane?! She quickly thought back to all the training she had done since she had become a scout, thought of Serena and all her words of encouragement, and thought of the faith she had in her.
Serena, Sailor Moon, thought she could do it, knew she could, and was counting on her. It was one thing to say she could do it as a friend during training, but another thing altogether to trust she could do it as a scout during a dangerous situation. That made all the difference. She had been given a task, and damn it she was going to complete it! Her fire would work!
Mars picked up her speed, trying to gain some more distance, before she paused and turned around. Determination filled her entire being, comforting warmth followed, and the words came to her mind.
"Mars Flame Sniper!" She said, and watched as a red bow of fire appeared in her hands.
She pulled back on the fiery string and an arrow of fire appeared. She aimed as quickly as she could and released the arrow before she dashed off to the side, trying to avoid being sucked into the engine connected to the wing.
When she was clear of the wing she looked back and saw the front wheel on fire. The plane was still moving but it hadn't turned and followed her. She looked to the back wheels and quickly used her new attack to set them on fire as well.
She watched the wheels melt and the plane skid, sparks flying, on the asphalt, and after long moments the plane finally stopped. She waited breathlessly for a full minute to make sure it wasn't going to move again. When it didn't she turned and ran toward Mercury to see if she needed any help.
~~uUu~~
Sailor Mercury's breath puffed out as she ran, her boots clapping against the ground, trying to figure out what she could do to stop the plane. All she had was her bubble fog and she knew that would do nothing against the large plane let alone stop it.
She had her goggles and her minicomputer, but even if she could stop and analyze the plane it would still do her no good. It was a plane under enemy control. That's it. She already knew that she needed to stop it, but the problem was, how was she going to do that?
Her power was not for attacks, not for injuring and hurting, it was for concealing and hiding. It was a defensive power, and she had actually not had a problem with that until this very moment.
She didn't need to be defensive right now! She needed to be offensive, needed to attack! She had a task to do. A task that had been given to her quickly, but with confidence and not an ounce of hesitation. Sailor Moon was counting on her!
Mercury thought back to her second fight as a scout and the mistake she had made in running off after the enemy into a strange distorted area without backup or even saying anything.
Sailor Moon, Serena, had never called her out on it even if she herself had acknowledged the mistake she made. She had never treated her differently after that. She was still friendly, approachable, and kind.
Serena had still had confidence in her and didn't hesitate to continue their training and being her partner as a scout. And she wasn't going to let her down now! Not when the stakes were so high.
She needed to do what was expected of her; needed to have confidence that she could do it even if she seemingly didn't have a means to. If she didn't how could she be a partner to her fellow scouts? How could she help protect the Moon Princess when she was found?
Mercury frowned in determination and glanced back to determine the distance between herself and the plane and, seeing that it was adequate, stopped and turned to face the oncoming vehicle.
A cool moist feeling filled her body, and words drifted through her mind as she raised her hands.
"Shine Snow Illusion!" She called, and threw her hands forward and watched as a small snow storm rushed forward and blasted against the front of the airplane.
She quickly ran off to the side, ducking under the wing and attached engine, and continued a little further before she stopped and looked back.
Ice and frost covered the nose and front wheel of the plane causing the wheel to lock up. She quickly repeated the attack, freezing both of the back wheels, and watched them lock up and cause the plane to skid further along the runway before it finally slowed to a stop.
She watched it for a few more minutes to be sure it wouldn't start moving again, and nodded to herself before she turned and began to run back toward where she had last seen Sailor Moon and Mars.
~~uUu~~
"Damn!" Jedite cursed as he blocked an elbow to the neck with his arm from the masked man that had been helping to make his life a misery.
He and those three scouts had been keeping him from getting energy for his Queen and she was extremely upset with him and his failure, and it was all the masked man and those scouts fault!
And now he was on his last chance. He had no idea what exactly would happen if he failed this time, but he sensed that it would not be good at all; life threatening in fact. He had to get rid of those girls and this man. His Queen hadn't said to get rid of the man, but he knew it would be a bonus if he succeeded. He had to succeed!
Even with that determination Jedite was finding it hard to do. He had never faced the man in a physical or power fight, and he was having a hard time of it. He was holding his own so far, but he could barely get any breathing room they were trading blows so fast.
He didn't have any power attacks he could use to end this fight. He could make fighters out of clay that he could control to do his bidding, but he didn't have any clay to use. He couldn't just produce clay out of nothing. What could he do?!
Tuxedo Mask breathed as calmly as he could while fighting as he was. He was completely focused, had to be focused to make sure this went off the way it was supposed to. He couldn't get seriously injured or so hurt that he couldn't leave with his general, and he couldn't seriously injure or hurt him too much or he would have to deal with healing him on top of freeing him from the Negaverse.
Of course he was also worried about his princess, but he knew she could take care of herself and would join him soon. Until then he would do his best to wear Jedite down and keep him from leaving.
He swung a kick at Jedite's side, which was avoided and he tried a spinning back kick which caught the general in his stomach. He moved forward and swung a punch that struck him on the side of his face.
Jedite's head snapped to the side as he grunted in pain, and he tried to backhand the mysterious man but it was blocked. He frowned and swung his whole body into him, putting all his weight into it, and knocked the man off balance.
He then punched him straight in the face, hitting his nose, feeling the crunch of it breaking, and knocked him further back and followed that up with a hard kick to the side.
He watched in satisfaction as the mystery man stumbled and dropped to one knee, but before he could move to add another blow and possibly finish it he was kicked in the side of his head.
Jedite cried out and stumbled to the side and felt himself being kicked in the side, which caused him to lean over and attempt to keep himself from falling to the ground by planting his palms on the ground.
The next thing he knew he was being kicked in the stomach and he cried out as he fell over onto his back. He finally saw that his attacker was Sailor Moon, and he groaned and wondered what happened to the other scouts if she was here with him. He hoped they were busy with his planes and wouldn't be joining his fight.
Sailor Moon's eyes flickered between the downed general and her prince getting back to his feet. It looked like she had arrived just in time to provide some distracting help.
She stood on one side of Jedite's downed form and Tuxedo on the other side, and they both watched him get back to his feet. She could tell that he wasn't worn down nearly enough to be too distracted, exhausted, or pained to not put up a fight when they set about capturing him.
She took a quick breath and quickly stepped forward to make the first move, and swung her fist only to hit an invisible barrier.
"What?!" She said in shock, and was distracted enough to take a hard swift kick in the stomach. She grunted and stumbled back so quickly that she was unable to remain on her feet, and fell backward onto the ground.
Jedite quickly swung a backhand at Tuxedo as he caught him coming toward him out of the corner of his eye, and was blocked by an arm and he quickly tried to follow up with a punch but that was blocked as well.
Sailor Moon got back to her feet, grimacing at the pain in her stomach, and looked to the fighting pair. She moved forward, trying to stay out of Jedite's line of sight so he couldn't block her again, and kicked at the side of his leg.
He cried out in pain and she threw her body against his to make him move closer to Tuxedo. She caught herself from falling and watched her prince knee him in the face as the general fell. She grimaced but stepped forward and swung a side kick to his head knocking him to the side.
She and Tuxedo moved forward but were suddenly stopped by a barrier and blown backward. They both landed hard on their backs, but quickly got to their feet just as Jedite did the same.
They all rushed toward each other and Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask threw punches and kicks as Jedite blocked as quickly as he could to avoid getting hit. Their actions and movements had them moving in circles, backward, forward, and close to the edge where each of them had at one point nearly fallen off into the ocean.
Each time they recovered and continued to fight. All of them landing hits and ending up bruised and bloodied.
Sailor Moon was feeling in turns tired, exhilarated, and paranoid. She was crazily enjoying the fight, but knew it was just because she had gotten used to training with the girls, her prince, and the martial arts classes she was taking. Jedite had a different fighting style than she was used to, and she liked going up against it despite the situation.
But she was getting tired and worried that their fight was going on longer than it should, which wouldn't have been a problem if Mercury and Mars weren't in the area. They hadn't been interrupted so it was safe to say that they hadn't been seen, but that could change if they didn't hurry.
Suddenly she cried out as she took a booted foot to the face, and stumbled back as her hands flew up to cover her face, her nose pulsing in agony.
She cursed mentally at getting distracted by her thoughts, no matter how relevant, and decided this needed to end. If she was getting distracted and tired then Jedite had to be somewhere near that level as well.
But how can I capture him in a way that he won't see coming? She asked herself.
Sailor Moon lowered her hands from her face and looked to her prince trading blows with his general. She wondered what she could do to stop this so he could get Jedite out of there before the girls came or he somehow got away from them.
She felt a comforting warmth pulse through her and suddenly she knew what to do. She touched her tiara and she felt it come off her forehead and land on her hand as a glowing circle boomerang.
"Moon Tiara Boomerang!" She said, knowing it would grab both guys attention, and distract Jedite while giving Tuxedo the time to move away.
She threw her tiara, her mind focused on capturing Jedite, and watched as it sped toward him and enlarged before it slipped over him and shrunk down into a solid glowing band.
Sailor Moon hurried over, her eyes beginning to glow white, as she pulled power to her hands. Jedite's eyes were wide as he struggled, but she gently put her hands on the side of his head and focused on wanting him to sleep; to sleep until she woke him.
The white light sank through his skin and into his head, and within moments his eyes closed and he began to collapse. Tuxedo caught him, and she released her power and removed her tiara from the general. It stopped glowing and shrunk back down to the tiara she was used to and she put it back on.
"I'm going to take him directly to my apartment." Tuxedo said as he lifted the general into his arms, and Sailor Moon nodded.
"I'll meet you there after I reassure the girls that he's been dealt with." She said as she looked to Jedite.
"Okay. I'll heal you when you arrive." He promised.
"After we take care of Jedite." She said even as she nodded.
Tuxedo Mask shrugged and gathered his power, and focused on the living room of his apartment. He then looked to her and nodded, and she watched him disappear with Jedite in a brief golden flash.
~~uUu~~
Sailor Moon sighed as she turned and ran in the direction she had last seen the girls, moaning lightly at her aching body.
At least I have evidence of the fight and that Jedite didn't go quietly. She thought as she ran.
She saw Mars and Mercury running toward her and she slowed to a stop and continued walking until they reached her.
"Are you okay?" Mercury asked quickly, seeing blood coming from her nose and the side of her mouth.
"I'm fine; just a bit banged up." She said wearily.
"You look more than a bit banged up." Mars said bluntly.
"True, but I'll be better after a night of rest." She assured them. "And I'm not the only one. Tuxedo Mask looks just as bad as I feel."
Mercury's eyes widened at the reminder. "What happened to the general?" She asked.
"He's been taken care of. We won't have to worry about him ever again." Sailor Moon said.
Mars and Mercury breathed a sigh of relief, and Sailor Moon did as well. She had been careful with what she said so later on when the truth came out she could say that she had never said Jedite was dead.
"We should get out of here before people start appearing, and the airport starts working properly again." She said as she looked around.
Mercury and Mars agreed and they began to run back to the building, so they could quickly move through it, and away from the airport.
~~uUuUu~~
Tuxedo Mask appeared in the living room of his apartment in front of the closed curtains of his balcony. He adjusted his hold on Jedite and began to walk toward and down his hallway and into the guest bedroom.
He placed him on the bed and adjusted his head and limbs so he at least looked comfortable, and then looked around the room and back to his unconscious general.
I should add a bit of security just in case Jedite can be summoned away while unconscious. He thought with a slight nod before he focused on his golden crystal. Secure the room so Jedite cannot leave in any way, and so his presence cannot be sensed. I want it to appear as if he is not even here to the senses. He told his crystal.
Instantly his eyes glowed a rich gold, his body following, before golden light poured out of him and bathed the room from floor to ceiling. No corner or edge was left untouched as the light filled the room to fulfill his request.
A few minutes passed before the light dimmed and drew back into his body, leaving the walls glowing before they slowly faded. The gold faded from his eyes and he took a deep breath before he released his transformation, leaving him in a t-shirt and sweat pants.
Darien looked back to Jedite before he left the room and returned with a chair from his kitchen table. He placed it next to the side of the bed right next to the nightstand and turned on the lamp as he sat down facing the bed with a clear view of Jedite.
He sighed lightly as he looked at his general. It was slightly surreal that they had managed it. He and his princess had retrieved one of his guardian generals. It had been a hard and exhausting fight, but it had been a success.
The room was secure from Jedite being able to leave should he wake up, though he doubted it with his princess' crystal's power at work, or be remotely summoned, and now he just had to wait for Serena to arrive and they could finish what they had started.
In the meantime he needed something to do to keep himself awake. His injuries had already healed, his crystal having automatically taken care of that while it was busy securing the room, so he decided to get started on something he had been thinking about in his free time.
Serena's Scouts had communicators and transformation pens, and he thought in this modern time his Generals would need such things as well. He had decided on, and designed, bracelets for them to use to transform and rings for communication. Items that were subtle and could be seen as nothing out of the ordinary.
Darien called on the power of his crystal and began to make the rings first since he would be including one for himself. He pictured what he wanted them to look like down to the last detail from the shape, to the size, the color, and the things that would individualize each one.
He cupped his hands in front of him as if he was trying to hold something and watched as a golden light sparked to life between his hands and grew to the size of a coin. The light shun and sparkled for over three minutes before it stopped and a warm ring dropped into his palms.
He picked up the ring and held it under the light of the lamp as he twisted and turned it to make sure it was what he wanted.
It was a thick rounded ring of dark silver with four round evenly spaced gems in red, green, blue, and gray on the front of the ring; each representing the color of each of his generals. One gem was framed by a triangle, one a circle, another in an x-shape, and the last a square; each shape indented into the silver.
Darien nodded in satisfaction and placed the ring, his ring, on the nightstand and once again cupped his hands in front of him and called on the power of his crystal and focused on what he wanted.
One after another he produced four rings, one for each of his generals, nearly identical to his. The same thickness, the same dark silver, and the same amount of evenly spaced round gems on the front framed by an indented shape. However, only three of the gems represented a general each, and the fourth was a gold one to represent him as their prince.
Satisfied with each ring he gathered all of them in the palms of his hands, called on his crystal's power, and focused on connecting them together and exactly how he wanted them to function.
Golden light bathed the jewelry as he made it so a call could be initiated by touching the gem representing the desired person. The rings would vibrate when they were being contacted, and the gem of the one contacting them would glow. The call would be answered by touching the glowing gem, and once the call was answered they would be able to communicate by voice only.
When his crystal's light faded away he picked up his ring and slipped it onto his left middle finger. It fit perfectly and he enjoyed the way it looked on his finger.
Time to test it. He thought as he picked up the ring intended for Jedite, and touched the gold gem.
Immediately he felt his ring vibrate strongly yet silently, and watched as the blue gem began to glow subtly yet bright enough for him to notice and understand. He pressed the gem to 'answer' the call, causing it to stop glowing, and then pressed it again to end the call. Then he pressed the gold gem on Jedite's ring again to end it on that end as well.
Darien nodded to himself, satisfied that the rings worked, and placed Jedite's ring on the nightstand and placed the rest in his subspace pocket.
He looked to Jedite, seeing that he was still unconscious, and got to work on the bracelets his generals would use to transform. He called on his crystal's power once again and focused his mind on what he wanted as he held his hands in front of him yet slightly apart, as if he was measuring something for size, and watched golden light appear and shine.
A little over a minute passed before the light faded and floating between his hands was a dark gray braided leather bracelet, in a triple wrap braid, with a silver earth symbol- a circle with a cross inside, secured in the middle of the center braid.
He secured it around his wrist to see how it would look, and nodded slightly in satisfaction at his work and the fact that it looked exactly as he had imagined it to look on a wrist.
Darien put the bracelet on his lap and proceeded to make three more; one in dark red, one in dark green, and the last in dark blue. He put them all on his lap before he picked up and held Jedite's masculine looking dark blue bracelet as he inspected it and nodded in satisfaction at his work.
He then focused once again and called on his crystal's power and imbued the bracelet with the power to bring out the general in its wearer. Gold light surrounded the bracelet and sank into it causing it to glow briefly before it faded.
He took a deep breath and let it out as he looked at the bracelet; positive it would work just as he wanted it to. Then he placed it aside with Jedite's ring, and repeated the process with each of the bracelets before he gathered them up and put them safely away in his subspace pocket.
Now he was back to needing something to do to keep himself from going to sleep since making those items had taken less than twenty minutes.
~~uUu~~
Sailor Moon ran along a few streets and sidewalks after parting from Mercury and Mars before she managed to make her way up to a rooftop. She ran along and leapt to the next roof and the next for a block.
She paused and looked back and sighed in relief as she saw no sight of her friends and fellow scouts. She had run along so far in the direction of her home to make sure they wouldn't see that she wasn't actually going home.
She needed to get to her prince and get Jedite healed and completely free of the Negaverse, so she could rest and get healed herself.
So she called on her silver crystal and focused on Darien's apartment, appearing inside in front of the apartment door, and disappeared from the cool rooftop and reappeared inside a warm quiet little hallway.
She ignored her aches and pains and began to walk toward the hallway leading to the rest of the apartment since no one was in the living room or kitchen. She instantly saw light coming from the guest bedroom and walked toward it. Looking inside she saw her prince sitting in a chair next to the bed and Jedite lying on the bed.
"Hey." She said, announcing herself, and he looked over with a smile that immediately shifted into a grimace.
"Yeah I've seen myself and I'm hurting, but I want to get things finished with Jedite before you help me." She said as she stepped into the room.
Darien frowned. "Then let's get started." He said as he stood up.
Pink light suddenly surrounded her and he squinted his eyes before it cleared leaving his princess wearing a purple two piece pajama set with little red flowers on it.
He moved away from the chair and stood in front of the middle of the bed, and Serena stepped around to the opposite side of the bed and stood across from him. They looked to each other and then summoned out their crystals, Serena's still attached to her Crescent Moon Wand, and began to work on the final pieces of freeing the general Jedite.
Their eyes closed and white and gold light filled the room. Serena first focused on cutting the connection between Jedite and Beryl. She knew one was there because there was some instances that she remembered of the generals seemingly responding to orders and summons she couldn't hear.
In her mind her crystal showed her the connection, which looked almost like a dark chain wrapped around his entire being but centered around his head. She guided her power to sever the chain, cutting here and there, until it began to fall away and then eradicated it so no trace remained.
Darien focused on visualizing the evil taint in his general's body, remembering the look and feel of the dark energy that had been used on his body before he'd been brought to that time, and guided his power to remove it and heal Jedite's body.
A few minutes later he sensed Serena's power join his in the task of removing the evil taint and healing. They both sensed the taint strongly around Jedite's mind, and suspected he had been brainwashed.
They continued on, flooding Jedite's body with their power, working in concert to eradicate every last particle of the evil taint. They were unaware of how little or how much time was passing they were so focused on their task. But finally they got to a point where there was no more evil taint in the entirety of his body.
With that being done Darien turned his attention toward unlocking his general's memories of the past, because he needed Jedite to remember just as he did. He needed him to remember who he, Jedite, truly was. Remember who his fellow generals truly were, and how important Serenity was to his prince.
With his thoughts focused Darien simply let his crystal do the work of finding and freeing up those memories.
Serena pulled her power back and returned her crystal and wand to her subspace pocket, and watched her prince continue on with his gold light surrounding him and Jedite. Her prince looked amazing and she sighed lightly at the sight before she grimaced as she was reminded of her aching body.
She moved backward away from the bed and eased herself onto the floor so she was leaning against the wall. She wrapped her arms gently around her stomach and waited for her prince to finish.
Once Darien was sure Jedite's memories were accessible to the general he pulled his power back, and put his crystal safely away back inside him. He looked to Jedite and then toward Serena only to find her sitting on the floor leaning against the wall.
He hurried around the bed and knelt next to her, and his hands were immediately coated with the golden healing light of his crystal.
"Are you done with Jedite?" Serena asked softly as he placed his hands on her and felt the warmth of his power.
"Yes. He's completely free of the Negaverse, and will remember the past." He answered as he focused on healing her.
Serena nodded and pulled her wand back out and aimed it at the unconscious man, and focused on waking him up from the sleep she had put him in. White light shot out of the crystal like a beam and gently hit his head for a few moments before it stopped.
She sighed and put her wand away, and closed her eyes as she relaxed in the warmth of her prince's power.
A pair of eyelids flickered before they opened to reveal gray eyes. They closed and blinked open again before they stared at the ceiling then shifted to look at the light to their right and back up at the ceiling.
Confusion and disorientation reigned as they tried to understand what was going on.
The first thought that came to mind was: where am I? And then: why am I here? He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he tried to remember the last thing he did before waking up in this place.
A fight scene began to drift through his mind. A dark haired man in a tuxedo wearing a white mask that framed his deep blue eyes, a young woman with long golden blonde hair in an unusual style dressed in a skimpy sailor outfit, and him fighting them in what was clearly a two on one fight.
The clear memory continued on eventually showing him being trapped in some kind of glowing circle band, the young woman touching him with glowing white hands as her eyes glowed the same color, and then nothing.
Then the memories began to flash through his mind rapidly showing him living and working among a dark society bent on world domination, gathering human energy through the aid of creatures he drafted to work for him, competing against three men dressed the same as him, answering to a woman he called Queen.
Watching the man in a tuxedo and the young woman in the sailor outfit fighting and destroying the creatures, drafting creature after creature and watching them be destroyed by the fighters, and seeing two more young women in skimpy sailor outfits.
The memories stopped and he unconsciously placed names to the faces he saw. Malachite, Neflite, Zoycite, Queen Beryl, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Mercury. The names flowing through his mind triggered more memories; different separate memories.
Living in a palace, training and socializing with three men dressed like him, pledging to protect and serve his prince and future king, socializing with those three men and a dark haired man with deep blue eyes dressed in a uniform and armor, subtly following at a distance as the dark haired man walked with a woman wearing a white dress with incredibly long hair done up in an unusual style.
More and more memories came, and the more that came the more he began to understand. He began to understand, to remember, who he was.
His eyes snapped open and he gasped. He was Jedite, guardian general to Prince Endymion, and he had somehow betrayed him in the past and before he had even met him in the present.
Jedite sat up and looked around what was a small bedroom, and saw a young woman sitting on the floor leaning against the wall with her eyes closed as a young man knelt at her side with his glowing hands moving over her.
Who are they? Was his first thought, but then her eyes opened and she looked directly at him. Her blue eyes were gentle yet intense, add in her hair style, and he realized he was staring at not only Princess Serenity but Sailor Moon as well.
"How are you feeling?" He heard her soft voice ask, breaking through his realization, and he blinked.
"Confused; horrified; free." He answered idly, and then paused. Free. The word repeated through his mind and his eyes widened as he understood that he had been brainwashed. That was how he had betrayed his prince in the past, and in the present for that matter.
"Good." Serena said. "It took quite the fight and a lot of energy to free you from the Negaverse."
Jedite focused back on her and once again saw the glowing hands, the gold light, moving over her, and realized she was being healed. Healed from the injuries he had caused.
I hurt my prince's princess to such an extent that she needs to be healed. He thought in a pained tone. Then he looked to the dark haired young man. He's the masked man. He thought.
In the next moment he remembered the deep blue eyes, and realized there was Prince Endymion; his prince. He had been fighting against his prince and his prince's princess.
And then it all registered. What he remembered, what he was seeing, and what the princess had said. They had freed him, rescued him, from the Negaverse.
He blinked and looked back and forth between the pair on the floor.
"Thank you." Jedite said gratefully as he turned to face them, his legs hanging off the side of the bed.
"You're welcome." Darien said as he finished healing his princess. "It's good to have you back." He added as he turned to look at Jedite as he sat next to her. "Do you remember how you came to be with the Negaverse?" He asked, and listened as the general sighed heavily.
"In this life or the last?" Jedite asked.
"Both, but perhaps you should start with the last so we can understand why everything ended the way it did." Darien answered, and he nodded.
"I was obviously brainwashed because the last thing I remember, before my thoughts suddenly changed, was talking to Malachite about the behavior of a sorceress, who I now know is called Beryl, who had been commissioned to occasionally come to the palace and provide entertainment." Jedite began.
"I noticed that she was at the palace more and more, and disturbingly lurking around your rooms, obviously in a part of the palace she didn't belong. I didn't know if she was trying to get into your rooms when you weren't there or waiting for you to return so she could see or talk to you, because I knew for a fact you were never there any of those times." He continued.
"I drove her away after catching her at it and listening to her nonsense excuses, and finally went to Malachite about it because it occurred to me to wonder what was happening the times I wasn't there to see her. Was she getting into your rooms? Was it not just during the day that she was lurking or at night as well?" He explained as she shook his head.
"I caught up to Malachite one evening in his bedroom. Next thing I knew I was thinking the Moon Kingdom was trying to gain control over the people of the Earth, and that you were already under their control by way of their princess." He said with an apologetic grimace.
"Orders had been to take down the Moon Kingdom before they could gain control of the Earth." He added with a sigh at the memory before he shook his head.
"In the present I was taken from my life when I was fifteen." Jedite continued on. "My home was suddenly invaded by monsters, and my entire family was killed. I was knocked unconscious, after watching my family die, and when I woke I was in a completely different place and believed I had been with the people responsible my whole life."
"I didn't remember my family's death or that I'd even had a family. As far as I was concerned I had been born and raised in the Negaverse." He said before he went quiet. After a few moments he shook his head to try and clear that disturbing fact away.
"I don't know how the Negaverse was able to change my thoughts and memories like that; in either time." He admitted in confusion.
Darien blinked and pressed his lips together. He thought he knew how. He was sure he had seen the process when he had been in their hands before he'd been brought back to this time.
"I'm sorry that happened to you. To you and the others." Serena said. She figured the others had likely lost their family the same way he did, and had been brainwashed in the past as well only in different ways.
"What was your present name?" She asked. "Or is if you still want to go by it."
"My name was Julius, and I do want to continue using it since it's all I have left of my family." Jedite answered.
"Which name do you prefer? Jedite or Julius?" She asked, and he shrugged.
"They're both my names, and I'll answer to both of them." He said. "What about you two? What are your names, and which do you prefer?"
"My name is Serena, and I answer to both Serena and Serenity, but only my prince refers to me as Serenity since nobody else knows I'm the Moon Princess." She said.
"Your Scouts don't know?" Jedite said in surprise.
"They don't. I remembered before I became a scout and awakened them, but I'm not ready for them to know yet." Serena said.
Jedite nodded and looked to his prince.
"My name is Darien, and I answer to both Darien and Endymion as well, but I think you should address me by my present name unless we're in private or you can't be heard." Darien said.
"You might as well do the same for me." Serena added, and he nodded.
"In that case the same should go for me as well. I'll go by Julius in public and Jedite in private." He said, and Serena and Darien nodded.
"So...what now?" He asked, and watched as his prince gestured with his head in his direction.
"Look on the nightstand. Those items are for you; assuming you still want to be one of my generals." Darien said.
"Of course I do." Jedite said as he turned and looked toward the nightstand then reached over and grabbed the ring and bracelet before facing them again. "What are these for exactly?" He asked.
"The ring is for communication with me and the others, should they choose to be my generals again." Darien said. "I'm already wearing mine." He added as he lifted his left hand, showing it, and explained about the gems and how it worked.
Serena grabbed his hand and looked at his ring as he spoke, knowing he hadn't been wearing it earlier in the day, and was impressed with what she saw. It was certainly much better than the pink calculator she had to use with the girls.
Could I change our communicators to something better? She wondered idly, but then she knew if she did it would have to wait until she revealed her true self.
"The bracelet is to bring out the general in you; the one that the evil taint Beryl put you under never touched. All you have to do is put it on and want to be that man again." Darien explained.
Jedite put the ring on his right hand and immediately slipped the bracelet onto his left wrist. He watched as the bracelet automatically shifted until it fit securely around his wrist.
"Here goes." He said as he stood up, and lifted his wrist slightly as if he was checking the time on a watch.
He focused on his past; on wanting to once again be a guardian general to his prince, so he could protect Endymion and prove his loyalty to him.
The earth symbol on the bracelet began to glow, and in a moment blue light began to surround him; swirling around his body until he was forced to close his eyes.
Darien and Serena squinted their eyes as Jedite's body was blocked from view and then blinked as it suddenly disappeared. They blinked their eyes open wider as they saw he was dressed completely different then he had been.
He now wore a light blue long sleeve top with dark turquoise lining that was cinched at the waist with a thin black leather belt, white pants, and tall black armored boots with an added front length to protect his knees.
To complete the look a white cape with a red inner lining hung from his shoulders secured by gray and turquoise fastenings, and a dark brown leather crisscross sword belt hung around his lower waist and hips securely holding a sword resting in its black sheath on his right side.
Jedite blinked as he looked down at himself, idly noticing that he still wore his communication ring, and took in the uniform he wore. It was a uniform he had not worn since before he was brainwashed in the past.
He gently touched the sleeves, grasped the fabric of his cape, and lightly touched the hilt of his sword.
He breathed deeply and blinked back tears. He had no idea how much he would be affected by being in his uniform once again; no idea that he had missed it so much, and be grateful and honored that he was being given the chance to wear it again; to show that he was worthy of it.
Jedite shook his head and took a step, and knelt on the floor before his prince; his arm coming up across his chest.
"I Jedite, present day Julius, Knight of patience and harmony, swear on my honor to once again serve and protect you and those you hold dear to the best of my ability and with my life." He said seriously as he looked to his prince.
Serena smiled and wondered if she would get similar vows from her Scouts once they knew who she was or rather once they remembered their past.
Darien smiled gently and instinctively called on the power of his golden crystal, his eyes instantly glowing gold, and reached forward and placed his hand on top of the one on Jedite's chest.
"I accept and welcome you." He said. As soon as the words left his mouth his hand glowed gold, and the light spread from his hand to Jedite's before sinking into his skin.
Darien knew in the next moment that it was his crystal acting on its own to assure his general could not be influenced again as he had been.
He then sat back next to Serena and returned the smile she gifted him; sharing her satisfaction that one of his generals was well and truly back and on his side.
Jedite shifted his position until he was sitting on the floor and with a sigh he instinctively released his transformation; frowning slightly as he recalled the days when it hadn't been a transformation but his everyday clothing.
"I'm free of the Negaverse and back in human civilization." He said as he leaned back against the bed. "Now what am I supposed to do? Who am I supposed to be, and where am I supposed to live?" He asked.
"You're going to need a new identity, which means you need a past and history so you can not only find a place to live, but get a job or go to school or both." Darien said.
"We can more than likely use our crystals to provide him with a past and history." Serena said to Darien before she looked to Jedite.
"That would be great." Jedite said. "I think it would be good for me and the others, when they're free, to live in the same building, house or apartment, if we can manage it." He added.
Darien and Serena nodded, silently agreeing that it would be good for them to live close together considering the generals had been gone from human civilization, as Jedite had put it, and been through similar experiences. It would be better for them to be close if they needed each other quickly.
"I wonder if there are any available apartments in this building." Serena said thoughtfully.
"I don't know, but I'll look into it and find out." Darien said before he looked back to Jedite. "For now you'll be living here, but regardless of where you and the others live later I'll pay for it until you all are on your feet so you won't have to worry about it."
"Thanks, and thanks in advance for wherever we end up living later." Jedite said, and Darien simply nodded with a slight smile.
Serena sighed and began to get up.
"Well, I'll leave you two to talk about everything Julius will need to know about what's been happening so far in terms of the Scouts, and everyone's training cause I need to get home since Luna's waiting for me." She said while the guys started getting to their feet.
"As soon as we have some free time together we can get started on creating that past and history." She added as she looked to Darien.
"Of course." He said with a nod before he wrapped his arms around her in a hug and kissed her, uncaring of Jedite's presence. "I'll see you tomorrow; well later today." He said, remembering that it was early morning.
"I already can't wait." Serena said before she pulled him down for another kiss, and hugged him before she caressed his face and stepped out of his arms.
"Bye you guys." She said with a wave before she focused on a location that was secluded yet in her neighborhood, and called on her silver crystal and disappeared from the room.
Darien sighed and gestured toward the bed. As they both sat on the mattress he began telling Julius, deciding to start using the name since they both needed to get use to it, about who exactly Luna was and her finding Serena and making her a scout, and him becoming Tuxedo Mask as a result.
He told of their first fight and how Serena ditched Luna to come after him, and reveal herself to him and help him remember who he was.
Then of Serena finding Sailor Mercury and then Sailor Mars, and after recognizing Jedite putting out the idea that he should get his generals back since she would have her Scouts, and how that night was the first opportunity they had to get at him.
He explained how since they were keeping their true identities from Luna and her Scouts they would also be keeping knowledge of his and the other general's rescue and presence a secret as well. At least until the time was right.
After that Darien continued on and explained pretty much everything else except the fact that he and his princess had time traveled before they both turned in for the night.
~~uUuUu~~
Beryl sat in her throne like chair waiting for word or an appearance from Jedite to find out if he had succeeded in obtaining energy or getting rid of those little girls.
Those little girls that were thorns in her sides. She wanted them gone; dead; not existing in the world she would soon be ruling.
And she didn't want any more of them appearing either! And if they did she wanted them just as dead as the other three. She wanted no more interference in her plans. That included that masked man that was also interfering.
She narrowed her eyes and held in an irritated huff. If Jedite failed her she was done with him. She would not tolerate failure. She would not even wish to see him again.
And I don't have to. I will send him away, banish him, but first I'll put him into an eternal sleep. Then there'll be no chance of him ever... Beryl's thought suddenly cut off, and her eyes widened in shocked surprise as she sensed her connection to Jedite abruptly cut off.
There's only one thing that can cause that, which means Jedite's dead. She thought and narrowed her eyes. Which means he failed. He allowed the Sailor Scouts, those little girls, to kill him. It's a good thing he's dead or he'd be facing eternal sleep right now!
Beryl was angry at the failure and unhappy at the loss of one of her generals, and not even getting any energy in compensation for her loss.
No dead scouts, no dead mystery man, no energy, and no general. It's a good thing I have more where he came from. She thought. Neflite! Attend me! She called, and watched him teleport in moments later and bow.
"My Queen." Neflite greeted. "You called."
"Yes." Beryl said as she stared at him. "Jedite is dead. He failed to gather enough energy, and kill the Sailor Scouts. You are now in charge of operations to collect energy, and you had better do a better job than your comrade did."
"Jedite was a fool; leave matters to me." Neflite said.
~~uUuUu~~
Late Tuesday afternoon, the day after Jedite had been freed, Serena sighed as she closed the door to her bedroom and dropped her clothes on the floor in a pile at the end of her bed.
It had been a half an hour since Darien had dropped her off after her gymnastics class, and she had just finished showering and blow drying her hair and was ready to get dressed for the night to come.
Her prince was taking her out on a date.
It wasn't her first date with him. They had been out to eat, to the movies, had picnics, but this would not only be her first with him since he had arrived in the past but the first time he would be picking her up in a clear show that they were going out on a date.
She dropped the towel wrapped around her and took a few minutes to lather herself in lotion then put on the clean underwear she had laid out on her bed. She was glad Luna was elsewhere in the house since she wouldn't have felt comfortable getting dressed as she was in front of her.
That was something that had developed since she had been back in this time, and she suspected it was the modest royal in her not wanting to be seen in such an undressed state.
She didn't mind that, especially since she had been uncomfortable with Luna's attitude almost since they had met in this time. She was perfectly happy not having an audience while she dressed; at least until it was time for her prince to see her that way.
Serena shook her head slightly, clearing it of her wandering thoughts, and picked up the dress she had found recently on an outing with Molly. It was a long black silk qipao cheongsam dress with a scattering of gold roses, three quarter long sleeves, and a high split on both sides.
She stepped into the dressed and pulled it up, over her arms, and onto her body. She straightened it out and then reached with some difficulty to pull the zipper up her back. After a couple of strenuous minutes she succeeded and looked at herself in her vanity mirror.
She was pleased with how she looked, and she thought Darien would enjoy her appearance as well. After all, she was wearing his colors.
She sat down at her vanity and began to brush out her hair and twist and pin it up in her usual style. After a few minutes she was satisfied with the placement of the buns on her head, and put on a pair of dangling earrings, rose gold lined black roses, and some lip-gloss.
Okay. My brooch, lip-gloss, keys, and a little money. She listed as she made sure everything she would need was in her subspace pocket since she didn't really want to bring a purse.
She then picked up the clothes she dropped on the floor and put them in her little hamper, knowing she needed to wash them either when she got back or the next day so they would be clean for her class on Thursday. Then she took the towel she had been wearing and left her room and dropped the towel in the bathroom hamper.
Serena returned to her room and checked the time, and realized she had some minutes left since they had agreed he would pick her up in an hour. After all, they wouldn't be out long since they both had school in the morning.
She looked to her empty wrists and sat at her vanity table, and began to look through her bracelets to see if she had one that went with her outfit.
"Where are you going?" She suddenly heard Luna's surprised voice ask, and she looked up into her mirror to see Luna standing near her bed and her door closed.
"I'm going on a date." Serena said in a tone that said it should be obvious as she went back to her search.
Luna blinked as she sat down. It had been surprising to enter the room to see Serena dressed up. She'd had no idea Serena had plans to go anywhere after returning home from her gymnastics class.
She shouldn't be going out on a date. What if there was an attack? How was she going to get away from wherever she was going to go fight? What would she tell her date? What of her homework? Was she going to be able to get it done when she returned before she went to sleep? Or was she going to stay up hours to do it and be tired the next day?
There were so many questions. Had Serena even thought of any of them?
"I assume your date is your boyfriend or is it someone else?" She said.
Serena blinked and frowned in irritation at the insinuation, but didn't stop what she was doing.
"Of course it's my boyfriend; who else would I go with?" She said.
"I don't know. That's why I asked." Luna said.
Serena sighed slowly but didn't say anything. Clearly Luna had a problem with her going out with her boyfriend, and appeared to think little of her if she thought she would have a boyfriend and go on a date with someone else altogether.
Had Luna been this way before, the first time around, as well? She'd been judgmental about her grades, about her study habits, about her eating habits, and sometimes it seemed her personality in general.
Now with all those things she could have complained about taken out of the picture it seemed she was finding other ways to complain and judge. It was something to keep in mind for later when her true identity was revealed.
"You shouldn't be going on this date, let alone on a school night." Luna said. "What if there's an attack? How are you going to get away from your date? What if he tries to follow you?"
"I'll be able to get away easily. I've done it before, and it will be easier if I need to tonight." Serena said as she put on her black medium heel shoes having decided against wearing a bracelet.
"What of your homework? When are you coming back? Will you have time to do it or do you plan to stay up all night?" Luna asked rapid fire.
Serena took a deep calming breath as she finished buckling the strap on her shoes, and looked up as she heard the doorbell.
"Don't worry about it Luna." She said as she stood up and stepped toward her door knowing that was Darien. "Enjoy your evening. If you don't want to be alone you can go visit Amy or Raye." She added before she left her room.
Serena and Darien walked up to the doors to Suntory Hall where the performance they had come to see was being held along with other nicely dressed people. It had only been twenty five minutes or so since Darien had picked up Serena from her house.
He had brought her a bouquet of fresh fragrant red roses, which she decided to keep with her until she returned home, looking extremely handsome. He wore black dress pants with a matching blazer and a long sleeve navy blue turtleneck with black dress shoes. The look emphasizing his dark hair and bringing out his deep blue eyes.
Serena smiled softly, remembering the look her prince had given her, as they entered the building and he led the way to their seats. It had been a look that clearly said she was beautiful and wanted to, at the very least, kiss her senseless.
They entered the large hall that was well lit and sat in comfortable cushioned seats in the front row of a balcony section looking down on the orchestra.
"Thank you for bringing me here." Serena said, looking to her prince as others around them began to take their seats, and smiled.
"You're welcome." Darien said and grasped and kissed her hand. "I hope you're able to enjoy yourself and relax."
"I'm sure I will. I hope you will as well." She replied.
"I will, and I'll definitely enjoy myself as well. I'm with you after all, and I'll consider this a quiet celebration for our success with Julius." He said.
Serena smiled and nodded, noting that it was good that he used that name since they needed to get used to Jedite's modern name.
"Luna didn't like that I was going out with you tonight." She said, changing the subject.
"What did she say?" He asked as he looked to her.
"At first she asked if I was going out with you or someone else, as if I would have a boyfriend and choose to go on a date with another guy." Serena said with an irritated huff.
Darien frowned incredulously, but said nothing.
"She told me I shouldn't be going on my date, and asked multiple questions. What if there was an attack? How would I get away from you? What if you tried to follow me? When was I going to get back? What about my homework? Would I have time to do it or did I plan to stay up all night?" She continued quietly.
"I kept my calm, and simply told her that I could leave if need be and to not worry about the rest." Serena said.
"What's her problem? It seems like from what you told me of her attitude from before that she's worse this time around." He said, and she sighed.
"I've noticed as well." She said.
"Why is she like that? She shouldn't be. If anything she should be calmer and possibly more relaxed since you're taking charge, training, and are a better fighter. Not only that but you're doing better in school and being more productive in general." Darien said, not understanding what was going on with the feline.
"To me it seems like since I'm doing better all around this time Luna doesn't have the things she complained about before, so she's finding new things to complain about." Serena explained. "I'm doing my best to remain calm, but I've decided to wait until after my true identity is revealed to do something about it."
Darien nodded and decided to keep informed about the cat's behavior toward his princess. She didn't need to put up with Luna even if the cat had made her a scout, and if she didn't change her attitude he was going to strongly suggest she be removed from influencing Serena's Scouts.
The lights suddenly dimmed around them until it was dark everywhere except the stage where the symphony orchestra they had come to see sat.
Over the next hour and a half they listened to a number of classical songs that were performed with violins, cellos, flutes, and a piano. It was so relaxing and soothing, and reminded them of musical concerts they had listened to in the past.
Once the performance was over they left and went to an Italian restaurant that offered takeout. Something they preferred as they didn't want to sit in the restaurant since they wanted to be able to talk openly and not be overheard.
They ordered and waited nearly twenty minutes before the bags with their food arrived. After Darien paid they returned to his car and headed for his apartment building.
When they arrived they took off their shoes and settled in the kitchen. They noted that Jedite was there, closed up in the guest bedroom, but ignored it knowing he would leave them alone. Serena sat at the table and pulled out the containers while Darien grabbed plates and utensils for them.
He joined her at the table and they began filling their plates with food. Within minutes they were eating and talking about the music they had heard, which then led them to reminisce about the performances they had attended in the past. Especially the ones they had attended at the same time; even if they hadn't been able to sit together.
When they finished the dishes were placed in the sink and the empty containers were thrown in the trash. Then they walked back to his bedroom and closed the door, and relaxed together on his bed so they could talk without Jedite overhearing them.
"What's wrong?" Darien asked quietly. He had been watching her since he picked her up for their date. He knew she had enjoyed herself, but there was clearly something on her mind, and it had been there throughout most of their time together.
Serena sighed lightly and snuggled against his chest.
"I feel guilty that I'm more open and comfortable with you then I was with the other Darien." She admitted. "It's something I noticed not long after you arrived in this time."
"You shouldn't feel guilty. I understand and believe the other Darien did as well, and that's why he used his crystal to try and gain my memories." He said as he looked to her. "When you came back here you knew he would be Tuxedo Mask when you became Sailor Moon, that he was the prince you loved in the past, and that you had come back to have another chance with him."
"But that doesn't change the fact that you had no recent history with him, so in a sense you both had been trying to force a relationship without building one first." He explained.
"Something similar would have happened with us had circumstances been different. We knew each other before the secrets came out, but we still would have had to date and really get to know each other." He added.
"Now since me and the other Darien have merged it's like we've done exactly that. He started the relationship and got to know you, but I have the history with you to make you truly comfortable with me." He concluded.
Serena listened carefully to her prince's explanation and blinked in surprise. She hadn't thought about the fact that she and the other Darien had basically been forcing a relationship.
They both remembered the past and the way they felt for each other, but the present time was where the complication lay. As far as the other Darien had been concerned he'd known her only a day before they were in a relationship.
With her she hadn't known him specifically, but remembered the him she'd left in the recent past. She was trying to treat them as the same person, as if no time had passed, thinking that as long as they both remembered the past it would be okay.
That hadn't exactly been the case. Both Darien's had different experiences starting with the day he became Tuxedo Mask, and that was her fault. She had not wanted to wait and try and follow what had happened before.
Serena pushed the guilt that tried to trickle up at that fact away. Her Darien had already said how proud he was that she had not waited to approach him, and the other Darien had been pleased to be with her.
The point was the different sequence of experiences made them behave and react, possibly even think, differently. The other Darien was hesitant, passive, and slightly tractable. Her Darien was bolder, firmer, and simply more intense.
Her Darien was clearly not afraid or hesitant to take her out on an evening date. The other Darien had no problem dropping her off after class, but had never even hinted at coming to pick her up at her house at any time. Neither of them had a problem showing her affection, but her Darien had an intensity to him that she realized was completely on par with his past self.
"I understand completely, and I'll try to push my guilt away until it's gone." She said, and watched as he rolled them slightly until he was hovering over her.
"Don't try; just do it. No more referring to or thinking of us as me and the other Darien. We are one; we are simply Darien. Just as me and Endymion are one. Okay?" He said.
Serena nodded as she looked up to him, knowing he was right.
"Good. Now no more thinking about it. We're on a date, and I want it to end on a happy note." Darien said before he leaned down and kissed her, pressing his lips firmly to hers, before his tongue silently begged to enter her mouth.
Serena hummed and wrapped her arms around his neck as she parted her lips for him. His tongue slipped into her mouth and moved around as if he was trying to memorize the shape before he turned his attention to her tongue.
She had no problem sliding and twisting her tongue around his since she was eager for the passion he was showing her. He'd been showing it to her since he let her know he was in that time with her. They had in fact made out a couple of times since then, but this was the first time they had been lying down and on his bed at that.
This make out session brought up memories of the past; of nights in their bedrooms, hers on the Moon and his on the Earth, full of passion and desire.
Will this lead to more? She wondered. She'd felt trickles of desire during their previous make out sessions, but none of those times had the potential to lead to more as this night did.
Darien moved one of his hands from where it rested on the bed to her side, deciding to take this to another level and thoroughly enjoy the beautiful dress she was wearing.
He slid his hand up and down her side, brushing up the side of her breast and gliding down over her hip before he slipped his hand into the split her dress provided and stroked her warm thigh.
He listened to her moan softly and deepened their kiss as he rested his weight on her, trapping her leg between his and placing his leg between hers as he continued to stroke along her free leg.
Serena bent her free leg and pressed it against his, needing to do something at the feel of his hand moving along her leg. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, loving the feel of it and idly enjoying making it look messy since she liked the messy look of his hair.
She felt him sit up slightly and slide his hand up her side, and the next thing she knew his hand was resting heavily on her breast. He caressed her through her dress and she hummed into his mouth in pleasure.
Within the next moment he was gently squeezing her as his tongue slid against hers and she arched slightly against him, pushing her breast up into his hand.
Darien pressed his lips to his princess' once more before he kissed along her cheek and back to her neck as he squeezed her breast slightly harder. He loved the feel of her and very much wished her dress wasn't in the way.
He knew he could easily get her out of it, but he had no plans to that night. She was his princess and he loved her, wanted to experience her, but he wanted their present relationship to be stronger before they took that step.
He wanted her to stop thinking of him and the Darien of this time as separate men, wanted her to know that he loved her, and that she was as precious to him now as she had been in their past.
He didn't know how long or short that wait would be, he was sure he would know when the time was right, but that didn't mean they couldn't have some pleasure in the meantime. It just wouldn't be as intense as it could be.
Serena turned her head to give Darien better access to her neck and moaned softly at the feel of his hand squeezing her. The combination of his kisses, his touches, and the weight of his body on her was having a noticeable familiar effect on her.
Desire was moving through her body, raising her body heat, and making her wish for more. More of her prince's touch, more kisses, more pleasure.
She unconsciously lifted her hips and gasped at the pressure of his leg pressed between her legs. Pleasure surged sharply before fading slightly, and she couldn't help repeating the action; wanting the pleasure to return.
It did and thankfully he added to that by pushing his hips down against hers, pressing his leg harder against her with a moan that made her realize her leg between his was having the same effect as it was on her.
Darien gently suckled her neck, not wanting to leave a mark he would have to heal, as he caressed and squeezed her breast. All the while his hips moved, rocking rhythmically against hers, building and prolonging their pleasure.
He listened to her quick breaths as they moved against each other and soon felt her hand slide down his arm until it rested on the hand on her breast. She stroked his hand before she squeezed. His fingers tightened around her breast in response and listened as she moaned.
The sound was music to his ears and seemed to control the movement of his hips as he found himself thrusting harder against her leg, which in turn made her do the same to keep their rhythm. He pressed a kiss to her neck once more before he moved his lips back to hers in an open mouthed kiss.
The seconds and minutes passed with them thrusting and grinding their hips against each other in a steady rhythm, heedless of the clothing separating them, and kissing and panting as they stroked their hands along each other's body.
Gradually their desire grew and they moved their hips faster, their kisses coming quicker, as they worked furiously to increase their pleasure.
Soon the kissing stopped, neither able to focus on it, as they held each other and focused almost mindlessly on the pressure between their legs; on the building pleasure until first Serena and moments later Darien moaned and groaned in bliss as their release exploded through them.
They lay panting as they caught their breath before Darien lifted himself slightly and they looked at each other silently. There was no need for words. They had experienced passion and pleasure, thoroughly enjoyed it, and knew they could again any time they wanted.
Darien smiled and Serena returned it. As far as he was concerned their date was definitely ending on a happy note.
He glanced to his clock and noticed it was getting late and he would have to take her home soon.
But not just yet. He thought before he leaned down and kissed her.
~~uUuUu~~
Wednesday thankfully started normally in Serena and Darien's opinion. They were both feeling happy and content after their date the previous night, and it made the day seem brighter.
They both went to school and had a normal day of lectures, note taking, and tests. After school they met up at the large park with the recreational center for their usual workout and training.
Although before transforming and training with their powers they took some time to use their crystals to provide Jedite a paper past and history, so he could get a job or go to school or whatever else he might need to do to go about his life normally.
Once they had finished that, and Darien had put the documents safely away, they transformed and spared, continuing to hone their physical fighting skills, and worked on their dodging.
Serena also practiced her new ability to use her tiara as a means to trap and prevent movement. Her prince was kind enough to be her test subject so she could practice it on someone who was motionless and someone who was running around.
When they finished Darien drove them to the dojo where their martial arts classes were held and began to get ready for their Taekwondo class.
Now they had just finished their class and had been given a break before their Karate class started. Serena was in the bathroom, having just finished washing her hands and was in the process of drying them, when she heard her communicator going off.
She frowned and quickly finished drying her hands before gesturing with her hand for the pink calculator like object, thankful it was a single stall restroom.
"Serena here." She answered.
"There's a monster attack at a tennis court park." She heard Amy's voice come through. "Mars and I are here, and the monster doesn't seem to be attacking multiple people."
"What is it doing?" She asked calmly, as the mention of a tennis court had already clued her in to which monster it was and that it meant the next general, Neflite, was active.
"It somehow attacked and drained a single girl of all her energy, and it seems to not be interested in getting more from anyone else." Amy explained. "We're currently trying to keep it from getting away, but it's a bit more powerful than the previous monsters."
"What's the exact location?" She asked, even though she already knew where it was. "Alright. I'm on my way. Serena out." She said as soon as she had it.
She put her communicator away and hurried out of the bathroom, and toward the large room where their classes were held and went directly to Darien.
"We need to go." She said quickly. "The attack at the tennis court is happening."
Darien's eyes widened slightly and he got up quickly, remembering that monster because of what it had done to Serena, and knowing this was Neflite's first move after taking over from Jedite.
They grabbed their bags with their clothes in it and hurried out of the room and the dojo altogether before racing to find a secluded place to transform. They found an alleyway and quickly put their bags in their subspace pocket and transformed quickly.
In the next moment they leapt up to one of the rooftops and began to leap from roof to roof toward their destination.
Once they reached the park they ran until they reached the tennis courts, and stopped in the trees out of sight of everyone in the fenced in tennis court. What they saw was surprising and yet not considering what they remembered of that same fight the first time around.
Standing on one side of the tennis net was the monster. It was tall and female in appearance with pale paper white skin, short straight hair shaped upward in a triangle, large pointed ears, and solid lime green eyes. It wore a black bodysuit with an attached pointy red shoulder piece, red dangling earrings, and gold wrist bands.
Mercury was standing back, on the other side of the tennis net, with her goggles activated and looking as if she was ready to dodge at the slightest move from the monster.
Mars on the other hand must not have been able to dodge or at least not quick enough, because she was off to the side and only her head including her hair, arms, and legs were visible outside of the massive green tennis ball that was around her upper body.
Sailor Moon smiled lightly and huffed slightly in amusement as she remembered being in that same predicament and Mars giving her grief about it later after she found out what happened to her.
Karma. She thought before she shook her head and focused on the monster, and saw that she held a tennis racket that looked like it was made of fire.
Tuxedo Mask took in the scene including the downed girl off to the side of the monster. He knew she would be fine as soon as the monster was defeated. What he was looking for didn't seem to be visible or rather didn't seem to be there at all; Neflite. He hadn't seen the man on their way there through the park, and didn't see him anywhere near the tennis court.
Clearly there would be no rescuing him this day.
"Obviously there's no going back to class after this, so I'll see you tomorrow." Sailor Moon said.
"Of course." Tuxedo Mask said as he nodded. "Call me later in the evening. I still have to go back to get my car, and I don't think I'm going to feel up to dealing with your father if he answered the phone if I called."
"Okay. I'm going in." She said, and he nodded.
She took off running toward the fence enclosing the court where her fellow scouts were. She jumped the fence and landed lightly on the ground in between Mars and Mercury.
"What did I miss?" She asked as she glanced from one to the other before she returned her eyes to the monster.
"It has the ability to turn us into tennis balls, so avoid the energy it shoots out of its fire racket." Sailor Mars informed her.
"It can shoot out fireballs from that racket as well. From small to large to massive." Sailor Mercury added.
Sailor Moon nodded but before she could say anything else the monster swung its racket and a tennis sized fireball came flying at her.
She dodged but it didn't stop there. The fireballs kept coming, rapid fire at all of them, so they were forced to continue to dodge and run to keep from being hit; especially as the fireballs were gradually increasing in size.
Tuxedo Mask watched the scene as he moved around the court unnoticed until he was behind the monster. This could not continue or one of them would get burned, and he hated the thought that it might be his princess.
He leapt up onto the top of the fence, and balanced as he carefully pulled out a rose and threw it at the monsters back. It pierced into its back and it screamed but more importantly it stopped launching fireballs at the Scouts.
It turned and looked up at him angrily before it swung its racket and launched a fireball at him. He ran along the fence and launched a rose at the ball of fire, and another just as quickly at the monster's face.
The rose and fireball exploded in the air, which caused the rose to be knocked around so the blossom smashed into the monster's face instead of piercing it.
Sailor Moon immediately turned toward Mars, now that the monster was distracted, and pulled off her tiara, charged it up, and launched it toward Mars; the words 'Moon Tiara Stardust' flowing through her mind.
The glowing tiara flew through the air and circled above Mars, raining down glittery dust until the tennis ball around her faded away.
"Thanks!" Mars said.
"No problem." She said as she caught her tiara as it returned to her.
Shine Snow Illusion. Mercury thought as she threw her hands forward, and watched as a small snow storm spewed out straight at the monster.
The monster wiped its face and looked behind itself just in time to avoid the cold attack headed its way, and then had to dodge again to avoid getting a flaming arrow in the side.
Mercury Bubbles Blast. Mercury thought as she focused on spreading a thick fog around the entire court so the monster couldn't see them or the attacks they launched its way.
Tuxedo took advantage of the fog to run back the way he had come along the fence before jumping down into the court. He landed next to the unconscious girl and quickly picked her up and jumped over the fence to get her out of the way so she wouldn't become collateral damage.
Sailor Moon huffed in annoyance and slight frustration. Mercury's fog was helpful in hiding them and what they were doing from the monster, but Mercury was the only one that could see what she was doing with her goggles.
I have got to speak to her about this during our next training session. She thought, giving herself the reminder before she pushed her feelings aside and pulled off her tiara.
She charged it quickly and squinted into the fog, trying to see the monster, and frowned when she couldn't. She looked to her side and could just see Mars, but when she looked to her other side she couldn't see Mercury.
She hesitated, not wanting to throw her tiara at the last location she had seen the monster in case it had moved, which is what she would do.
In the next moment she realized she should have already done that, but before she could do just that a fireball came streaking at her through the fog. Her eyes widened and she grabbed her tiara and began to dodge, but it was a fairly large fireball and she knew she wasn't going to make it.
Sailor Mars frowned as she stared into the fog. She wanted to launch her attack, but she wasn't sure if it would affect the fog in clearing it away. Then again she wasn't sure the monster was still where she had last seen it.
Suddenly she heard a piercing scream off to her right, and recognized it immediately as Sailor Moon's voice.
Tuxedo put the girl down in some grass near a tree and immediately ran back and jumped up over the fence. Before he even hit the ground he saw a flare of fire and to his horror the unmistakable sound of his princess screaming.
He raced toward her, the fog not at all impeding his senses, and slid to a stop on the ground next to her.
"Oh Serenity." He breathed out as he saw the side of her right arm burned from just above her elbow to nearly her wrist. Her skin was red, inflamed, and a little bubbly. The only part of her glove to survive was on the far side of her arm and from the wrist down.
"I'll do what I can while we're still hidden by the fog." He said as he listened to her moan in pain.
She nodded as she gritted her teeth, and he placed his gloved hands in the air just over her elbow and focused on his golden crystal. Instantly his hands were glowing gold and healing the burn even as a part of him was listening to the sounds around him.
He had run by Mercury so he knew she was behind him and wouldn't see his glowing hands, but he knew Mars was in front of him and he needed to make sure she didn't see if she was able to make her way through the fog.
Quick footsteps sounded and he immediately released the healing light, the golden glow disappearing in an instant, and he instead began to help his princess sit up just as Mars appeared through the fog.
"Are you okay?" Mars asked as she knelt down next to her.
"I'm in pain, but I can manage." Sailor Moon said. Although I'm grateful my prince was able to do what he could. She thought. He'd managed to lessen the pain and partially heal the burn around her elbow before Mars arrived.
"What happened?" Mercury asked as she made it to them and knelt next to Tuxedo.
"I saw a large fireball coming too late, and wasn't able to completely dodge it." She answered.
Everyone grimaced at that and they all looked at the fog toward the net where the monster had been.
"This fog has to go. I had no idea where the monster was, and couldn't attack because of it. Not only that but we can't see it attacking us." She said.
Mercury grimaced again; this time in guilt. She heard what wasn't being said. It was her fog that made it so Moon couldn't see the fireball coming soon enough.
"Right." She said with a nod before she got to her feet.
Tuxedo helped Moon to her feet and then picked up her tiara and handed it to her. Moon grabbed it in her left hand as she moved her right arm experimentally. It hurt, fiercely, but she could still use it to throw her tiara.
At least I know now that I need to practice throwing my tiara with my left hand in case I'm unable to use my right hand. She thought with a pained grimace.
Sailor Moon charged up her tiara until it was a glowing white disk floating above her fingertips and nodded at everyone. Mercury and Mars returned her nod and moved away, so they would have room to attack and dodge.
Tuxedo on the other hand stayed put. He had seen her grimace as she stood, and wasn't blind to the fact that she had yet to move even an inch from where he had stood her up.
He looked down her legs to her feet and saw that she wasn't putting weight on her left foot. If it was broken then she would have been in even more pain and unable to hide it, so he guessed it was either sprained, severely or otherwise, or severely bruised.
He held in a frown and took up a defensive position slightly in front of her but off to the side so as not to hinder her ability to launch her attack, pulling out a handful of roses in the process. He hated that he couldn't heal her right then, especially now that he knew she had another injury. Then he did frown as he realized even after the fight he wouldn't be able to heal her.
It was going to have to wait until she was away from the girls, and Luna for that matter. He would have to pay her a night time visit. As the fog began to fade he turned his head toward her.
"I'll come heal you tonight, but you're going to have to make sure Luna isn't around." He said quietly, and she nodded.
"I'll give you a time to come when I call you later." Sailor Moon said quietly.
He nodded and they both focused on the fading fog.
As the fog completely cleared they saw the monster standing there as if it didn't have a care, but then she shifted and swung her racket, fireballs flying at everyone.
Mars Flame Sniper. Mars thought as she immediately produced her flaming bow, and sent a flaming arrow at the first fireball headed toward her. Then continued to shoot arrows at each fireball that came after it causing mini explosions in the air.
Once they stopped coming in her direction she shot her arrows at the monster intent on ending its existence.
Sailor Moon stayed where she stood as the balls of fire sped toward her and her disguised prince, but she trusted him to stop the attacks and keep her safe.
She watched as he quickly threw a rose at each fireball, causing mini explosions, before she shifted her eyes back to the monster, and waited for an opportunity to launch her tiara where she was positive it would connect with the monster.
Mercury dodged this way and that way as she avoided fireballs the size of basket balls. As soon as there was a break in the flaming balls headed her way she began to launch her attack at the monster.
Shine Snow Illusion. She thought and watched as snow shot out of her hands before she repeated her attack.
Unfortunately it kept avoiding her attacks so it kept slamming into the fence and freezing portions here and there. She changed her focus and decided to target the monster's lower legs and feet, hoping to freeze it in place so Mars and Moon's attacks could hit it.
However, to her frustration it was still able to dodge even as it dodged out of the way of Mars' fire arrows.
She looked over to Moon and Tuxedo and saw that he was protecting her from the attacks, but more importantly that she wasn't moving even though she was focused on the monster. Considering the situation it was obvious that she was more hurt than just the burn on her arm, and she felt even guiltier than she already did.
Mercury looked back to the monster and tried to think of another solution to stop the monster, because this needed to end and end quickly so Sailor Moon could get home and deal with her injuries.
The monster was too fast to get caught up in their attacks, and had control and focus to be able to still launch attacks.
She dodged a fireball and then another before she decided if she couldn't land a hit on the monster perhaps she should stop trying and instead try distracting it. She looked to the ground and then the ice on the fence and back to the ground before she nodded to herself.
Shine Snow Illusion. She thought, launching her attack once more, but this time she aimed it at the ground beneath and around the monster's feet.
The ground under the monster's feet began to grow slick looking and shiny, to the point that she could see the reflection of the fire attacks, before it spread outward.
The monster launched another fireball from its racket, but slipped and looked down to see ice all over the ground.
Sailor Moon noticed the monster's distraction and instantly threw her glowing tiara at it before it recovered its focus. Mars also noticed and, taking advantage of the monster's distraction, launched another flaming arrow at the monster.
The arrow and tiara reached the monster at the same time and hit it causing it to scream. It screamed loudly before it abruptly stopped and began to crumble and disintegrate.
As soon as the remains of the monster was gone, and her tiara was back in her possession, Sailor Moon looked to Mercury.
"Check on the girl." She told her.
"I left her over there." Tuxedo added, gesturing toward the trees where the young girl lay.
They both watched as she began to run and jump over the fence.
"Go. Before they can say something to you. I'll call you later." Sailor Moon said as she looked to him.
Tuxedo nodded and stepped away from her before he followed Mercury over the fence and quickly ran off and disappeared into the park.
She closed her eyes with a grimace, and focused on her silver crystal. Please, please numb my pain so I can travel home quickly and safely. She asked.
There was a warm comforting pulse through her body, and she held in a sigh of relief as her pulsing stinging pain disappeared from one moment to the next.
"Are you holding up okay?" Mars asked as she moved to Moon's side.
"Mm-hmm." She hummed positively as she nodded and opened her eyes.
I need to continue holding my arm carefully to make it seem like I'm still feeling pain. She reminded herself as she looked around. She saw the door in the fence, and began to limp subtly toward it since her staying still would have been noticed by at least Mercury.
"We should get going." She said to Mars as she walked.
~~uUuUu~~
Ikuko Tsukino stood in her kitchen at her stove Thursday morning finishing up her husband's breakfast and lost in thought about her daughter.
She had finally decided to speak to Serena after seeing her injured the evening before. Limping as if it hurt to take a step and favoring her right arm like moving it was painful. She had been shocked as it had been worse than the few injuries she had seen before.
Now this was different. Enough was enough. She needed answers.
She removed the food from the stovetop and carefully put it on the plate so not a single piece fell off. She moved around grabbing toast and pouring orange juice then wiped her hands, and grabbed the plate and cup and carried them into the dining room and placed them in front of her husband.
"Thank you." He said before he kissed her cheek.
Ikuko simply kissed his cheek in return before leaving the room in search of her daughter. She knew she was normally already up at this time, and wanted to catch her before she left.
As she reached the top of the stairs she was just in time to see her daughter step out of the bathroom in her school uniform with her pajamas slung over her arm. To her surprise there was no sign of injury or that she was in any kind of pain. It was as if she had healed overnight.
"Good morning." Serena said, and Ikuko thought she even sounded fine, and not at all like she was hiding any pain.
"Good morning." She said in return. "I want to speak with you when you get home from your gymnastics class. It's important."
"No problem." Serena said as she nodded. "I'll come straight home."
"Thank you." Ikuko said before she began to walk back down the stairs, letting her daughter get back to getting ready for school.
Serena smiled softly as she waved to Darien before she turned from the car and walked toward her front door. She pulled out her keys and readjusted the strap of her duffle bag on her shoulder as she reached the door.
Within moments the door was open and she was through it and closing it. She looked into the living room and saw her mom sitting on the couch.
"Hi. I'm going to put my bags in my room, and then I'll be right back down for our talk." She said, and her mother nodded, seeing that she was still wearing her gymnastics clothes.
"Okay." She said, and Serena turned and walked up the stairs and into her room.
"Hey Luna." She said to the cat lying on her bed, and dropped her duffle bag next to her closet. She stepped over to her floor desk and placed her school bag on it before she left the room before Luna could even return her greeting. Then walked down the stairs, and into the living room.
Serena couldn't help wondering what her mom wanted to talk about. She had speculated on it all day and even asked Darien if he had any ideas. He was just as clueless as she was, and simply said she would find out when she spoke to her.
"Is dad home yet?" She asked as she sat on the couch.
"No. He called earlier and said he needed to stay at work late. He likely won't be back until after dinner." Her mother said.
Which is a good thing since I don't want him here for this conversation. I want to hear her answers and explanations before I say anything to him. Ikuko thought, and then sighed heavily.
"I've been noticing many new things about you that are concerning me. I've seen a marked change in your behavior from one day to the next. There's nothing bad about it, but it's unusual and different from how you've been behaving over the past years." She said.
"Then there are the classes you're taking after school and how serious you're taking them. That in itself isn't bad or wrong but it leads into what's really concerning me, which is the fact that you've been coming home with injuries of various degrees." She continued.
"Yesterday was the worse I've seen, and I don't understand how you can get so injured in those classes. I actually don't even think you're getting them from your classes. You never mention the injuries, and act like they don't exist or even matter!" Ikuko said.
"Then there's the unknown older-looking guy you're obviously spending time with, with him dropping you off all the time and going out with him a few days ago. I don't think he's your age with a car like the one I've seen a number of times now." Her mother said.
"I'm also concerned about the brooch you're always wearing. It's beautiful but it looks extremely expensive, and I wonder where it suddenly came from." She finished as she looked at her daughter.
Serena listened carefully to her mother and grew more and more dismayed the longer she spoke. When she had first gotten back and decided to change her attitude and behavior as a result of remembering her past she had only thought of how it would affect her scout life. She had wanted Luna and the girls to respect her from the start, and be a better fighter.
The classes were for her to become a better fighter, and with her prince taking them as well it was a bonus. His guidance would help increase her skill, and she would get to spend time with him without anyone they knew interrupting them.
And she hadn't thought anyone would think anything of him dropping her off; maybe they would think he was a friend and that was it. She had only thought that would change a few days ago when he picked her up for their date.
And the injuries. She thought with an internal sigh. She knew some of them had been worse than others, but she hadn't thought anything of it. It was an occupational hazard of being a scout, and one she accepted to be able to fight and relate with her prince and Scouts.
Looking back now with her mother's concerns in her ears she realized she had been hurt more this time around than she had been before, and that was due to the fact that this time she was fighting more because she was training and developing the skill to do so.
Serena guessed the changes in her attitude and behavior, and the other things caused her mom to notice her brooch this time around. She really didn't have to keep it on her school uniform like she did, but she was used to keeping it there and it was a very pretty brooch.
"Does dad have the same concerns?" She asked.
"He doesn't." Ikuko answered; though she refrained from saying he hadn't even noticed.
Serena nodded. "My behavior changed simply because I decided it was time for a change. I wanted to do better in school, be a better friend, and I wanted to be a more well-rounded person." She said.
"You know I'm taking my classes because I want to better myself and have something to do besides shopping and playing games, and on top of that I wanted to learn how to defend myself in the case of my martial arts classes." She explained, and watched her mother nod.
"What about the older guy? He isn't hurting you is he? Since he's the only other explanation for the injuries you still haven't explained." Her mother said.
"Hurting me?" Serena repeated incredulously. She was shocked and outraged. Her prince would never hurt her. He would rather die than see her hurt. He had died rather than see her hurt!
This was completely beyond the pale. Her mother could think what she wanted of her, but she could not and would not allow her to think her prince was abusing her.
She frowned and looked away as she realized quickly that she had no other explanation for her injuries other than the truth. And she would rather tell it then have anyone think poorly of her prince.
Me either I suppose. She thought, her frown still on her face. She had done nothing wrong. She thought she was a better person this time around, and was doing well when it came to school, her friends, and life as a scout.
Can she handle the truth? She wondered as she looked back to her mom and saw the concern and worry in her eyes, and decided that she could handle it. Plus, if her father didn't have the same concerns as her then that meant she obviously hadn't mentioned it. Beyond that she also had no other explanation for her brooch.
So the truth it is, but precautions need to be taken. She thought before she stood up.
"Can we finish this conversation in your room? I'll explain once we're there." Serena said.
After all, Luna was there in the house, and she didn't want her to know she was telling her mother. She didn't plan on telling her mother everything though. She didn't need to know that she was from the recent future.
Ikuko pursed her lips but said nothing as she stood up, and began to lead the way up to her bedroom. Once inside she turned to her daughter and raised an eyebrow as she watched her close the door. Then she blinked her eyes wide as she watched a soft white light form around her daughter's hand and spread around the door before fading away.
"For privacy." Serena said as she turned to her mother, because she really didn't want Luna hearing any of what was going to be said soon.
"What was that? And what do you mean privacy? Your brother is staying over at a friend's tonight, and you know your father isn't home." Her mother said, and she smiled lightly.
"You'll understand once I start explaining." She said as she stepped toward her. She guided her to sit on the bed and sat next to her, and turned to face her, resting her leg on the bed.
"I heard and understand your worries and concerns, but I have an explanation since they all link together." Serena said. "What I'm going to say is going to sound unbelievable, but it's true and I can and will prove it."
Ikuko frowned but nodded hesitantly as she waited to hear what her daughter would say; how she could possibly explain away all her concerns with a single explanation.
"A few months ago, around the time Luna came to us, I learned something about myself. Soon after that I became Sailor Moon." Serena said outright, seeing no reason to hesitate or beat around the bush.
Ikuko's eyes widened.
"Luna showed up in my room one evening and told me that she had been looking for me, and that it was my job to fight and stop the monsters attacking people; and more importantly to find and protect the princess of the Moon. That I was one of her Guardian Scouts." She continued.
"I didn't believe her, and told her to prove it; and she did by producing my brooch and telling me the words to make me transform into the warrior she claimed I was." She explained.
Ikuko stared at her daughter in stunned surprise. This was not what she expected at all when her daughter said she could explain what was going on with her.
That her pet cat, that could apparently talk, told her she was a sailor scout that was supposed to fight monsters and protect some kind of princess. And she said it in a tone that was quiet but completely serious.
It was ridiculous and unbelievable and she was almost angry that her daughter would lie to her like that, but she reminded herself that her daughter had said it would sound unbelievable but that it was true and she could prove it.
"Prove it." She said in a controlled voice after taking a deep breath.
Serena smiled softly and gestured slightly with her hand, and Ikuko watched wide eyed as the golden brooch that had become familiar on her daughters school uniform fell into her hand out of nowhere.
Serena stood up and looked at her brooch and opened her mouth, but paused as it occurred to her that she needed to let Darien know what was going on so he wouldn't think there was a fight and come to her. Not that she would mind, it was just it couldn't happen with Luna there.
"Here have a look. I need to make a call." She said as she handed her mom her brooch.
"What?!" Her mother said.
"It's something else you'll understand once I've proved myself and we talk more." Serena said.
With that she stepped toward the door and opened and closed it behind her, unhindered by the protection she put up. Then she headed downstairs and grabbed the phone, and quickly started to dial her prince's number.
But then stopped mid dial as she realized he wouldn't be home yet. She and her mom had only been talking for a few minutes. He would still be in the general area. She put the phone back down with a sigh and silently apologized for whatever tension, stress, or panic he would feel at her transformation happening just after he left her.
She hurried back upstairs and opened the door to her parent's room and closed it once she stepped inside.
"That was quick." Ikuko said as she looked up from the surprisingly heavy brooch in her hands.
"I didn't make it since I realized the person isn't home, but I'll still explain it to you." Serena said. I'll have to if Tuxedo Mask suddenly shows up. She thought as she took her brooch from her mom.
"Moon Prism Power." She said, and was instantly surrounded in warm pink light.
Ikuko couldn't help but squint her eyes at the bright light even as she attempted to watch every moment of this unexpected phenomenon. She wouldn't believe this was happening if she wasn't seeing it with her own eyes.
When the light finally cleared she blinked to clear her vision and gasped, her eyes widening, as she looked at the warrior her daughter had become.
Only recently had there been photos and videos of the mysterious warriors that had begun to appear and fight the monsters attacking people. Nothing of the actual fights yet, but of them in the middle of what looked like them running.
She recognized the white body suit, the incredibly short blue skirt, the red bows, the blue sailor collar, white long gloves, and red knee high boots. And the hair style! How had she not seen it before?! It was the same style she had worn since she was a little girl!
"You really are Sailor Moon." Ikuko whispered, and she nodded.
"Yes. As you see." Serena said as she lightly gestured to herself.
"And there are more of you, more scouts. I remember seeing vague photos of two more." She said.
"Sailor Mars and Sailor Mercury." Serena said, not bothering to even bring up Sailor V. "You've actually met them." She added. Her mother's eyes widened, but she continued before she could say anything. "Sailor Mercury is Amy and Sailor Mars is Raye."
"Oh wow." Ikuko said. That's unexpected even though it probably shouldn't be. It makes sense that she knows who the other scouts are. She thought before she sighed.
"This is the cause of all the changes in your behavior." She said in a slightly questioning tone.
"It's part of the reason." Serena said. "If you recall I started by saying I learned something about myself and then I became Sailor Moon. What I learned, or rather remembered, is that I'm the princess of the Moon."
Ikuko's eyes widened as she recalled her saying that it was the duty of the Guardian Scouts to find and protect the princess.
"If you're the princess of the Moon how can you be a guardian scout? Did Luna not realize you were the princess she told you you were supposed to find and protect?" She asked.
"Luna did not know; she didn't remember what the princess looked like, and I didn't tell her I remembered when she came to me." Serena explained. "I figure she sensed my inner power, possibly that it was connected to the Moon, and simply assumed I was the scout of the Moon. Mind you, if she remembered more of the past she would have known that there had been no Sailor Moon in the past."
Ikuko simply looked at her in a sort of stunned surprise.
"That's the reason for the privacy." She added. "For one, I don't want Luna knowing that I'm revealing my secret life to you, and two, I don't want Luna knowing that I'm the Moon Princess or that I remember who I truly am."
"Why? Why don't you want her knowing that you're the princess she's looking for, and that you remember?" Her mother asked.
"Because I want to be a scout and I don't want to deal with Luna trying to tell me that I shouldn't be or, outrageously, that I can't be one. I want to be able to protect myself and relate to my Scouts." Serena said.
"Beyond that I want my Scouts to be the best they can be, and that can't happen the way I want it to unless I take charge of them myself, which is exactly what I did." She added.
"I train with Amy and Raye on the weekends and have them train on their own during their free time during the week. I myself do the same thing, which is the reason for my after school classes." She explained.
Ikuko's eyes widened in understanding, and everything really started clicking. Serena was taking those classes to be the best warrior she could be and to train her Scouts to be the best as well. She was coming home hurt because she was out fighting those monsters.
And the other changes in her behavior. Are those because she remembers she's a princess? She wondered as she frowned.
"Are you really this princess of the Moon? Are you sure?" She asked.
Serena nodded and focused on her royal self. Within moments she was surrounded in a soft white light, warmth enveloping her comfortingly, before it flashed brightly leaving her in her royal form.
Ikuko gasped at the sight that met her blinking eyes once she could see again. Her daughter no longer stood as an intimidating warrior, but as an elegant young woman.
She wore a white sleeveless floor length dress, that looked like it was made of something much more fine than silk, with an elaborate bodice decorated with white pearls, a large nearly transparent bow on her lower back, and off the shoulder accenting cuffs.
She had a delicate looking string of pearls around her wrist, three earrings in each ear- two white pearls and a dangling gold swirl, triple pearl barrettes in her hair just behind her bangs, and a golden crescent moon in the center of her forehead perfectly framed by her bangs.
"Wow." Was all Ikuko could say. Her daughter actually looked like a princess; her daughter really was the princess she said she was; princess of the Moon. "Do you remember that life? Your past?" She finally asked.
"Every bit of it, which brings me to one of the concerns you expressed. About the 'older guy' I've been spending time with." Serena said.
Her mother blinked, clearly wondering what he had to do with it.
"His name is Darien Shields and he's only seventeen. He's also someone whose been aiding the Scouts, and protecting me, since the day I became Sailor Moon; he goes by the name Tuxedo Mask." She revealed.
"Beyond that he's also someone who was present in the past, someone very important and dear to me, the prince of the Earth; the man I loved very much. Like me he remembers his past, and we're together in this life as well. He's my boyfriend." She continued.
"He's also taking the martial arts classes with me, and we train together during the week after school before our after school classes, because he wants to help me be the best I can be and is well aware that I was no warrior in the past." She explained.
Ikuko listened to her daughter carefully and was surprised at what she was hearing. The older guy she had been concerned about was only seventeen, not the twenty something she had thought, and was actually part of her daughter's secret life. Was actually someone who helped her when she was out fighting those monsters, and who was a prince that she loved in the past.
"That piece of information is another reason for the privacy. I don't want Luna knowing about him being Tuxedo Mask or my prince considering she has made absolutely no mention of there even being a prince in the past." She continued.
"She obviously doesn't remember, just like she doesn't remember anyone else from the past, and I don't want that to change until me and my prince are ready. Especially since she seems to think he's an enemy because he works separately from us and doesn't stick around to talk after the fighting is over." Serena stated.
Ikuko blinked at that and frowned lightly as she wondered what exactly Luna knew since it sounded almost as if she didn't really know anything important.
Then she pushed the thought aside and considered everything she had just learned as she watched her daughter begin to glow white.
Once the light cleared the princess was gone and the warrior remained, but in the next moment she glowed again, this time pink, and when the light faded only her daughter remained in her gymnastics clothes.
Her worries were gone since all her concerns had been explained away by the revelation that her daughter was Sailor Moon, and apparently a reincarnated princess from the Moon.
The changed behavior was simply because she remembered her past as that princess and it had likely shifted her personality. The classes she was taking so seriously after school was to help her be a better fighter because she hadn't been a scout in the past.
And the older guy she had been so concerned that she was spending time with was actually a teenager, and also a warrior and reincarnated prince that had been connected to her daughter romantically in the past.
The injuries that had been increasingly worrying her were a result of fighting the monsters that were attacking people.
The only thing that confused her was the aborted phone call. What had that been about?
"What about the call? Who were you calling, and why did you feel the need to?" Ikuko asked.
Serena sighed lightly and sat back on the bed next to her mom.
"I was going to call Darien to let him know what was going on." She revealed. "He can sense when I transform and that lets him know that there's a fight, and that I need his aid so he will come to me. He always comes to me unless he knows ahead of time that I'm only going to be training."
"I wanted to let him know so he wouldn't come, but I realized that he had just dropped me off and wouldn't even be close to home yet." She explained.
"How can he sense when you transform?" Her mother asked.
"I don't know. I guess that we have some kind of link connecting us that must have started in the past." Serena said.
Ikuko looked at her in surprise, but before she could say anything the doorbell rang.
"That's Darien." Serena said as she got up. "I'll be right back." She said as she headed for the door.
