Epilogue
Serena spent several days in the hospital in a coma. The stress of the final climactic battle with the resurrected Queen Beryl had severely drained her body of energy, almost to the point of death. Fortunately, the damage was not so great the world was robbed of such a courageous warrior. She recovered after about five days. Andrew accounted the illness to a dormant virus that had apparently been given to her by one of her friends, and that also caused the comas that the others suffered from as well. Although fellow doctor Darien knew better, he agreed with Andrew's diagnosis to preserve their secrets.
She eventually awoke from her sound slumber, with all of her friends around her. She had to spend several more days in the hospital, however, for her body was still in a weakened condition.
But this didn't bother her that much; in fact, she welcomed the chance to get some well-deserved peace and quiet, while she made the most of her time alone. And when he could, Darien stayed with her and kept her company.
"So how are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better than ever," she said. "I still don't feel quite up to speed yet, but Andrew says I'll be out of here by Wednesday, tops."
Darien smiled, while she slipped her hand over his.
"Thank you for staying with me, Darien," she said. "I don't think the stay here would be quite as pleasant without you."
"Hey, I do what I can," he replied. He then took a quick glance at his watch. "Visiting hours are almost over; I should be going. I wouldn't want to Andrew to have to throw me out. I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"
He reached over and kissed her on the cheek, then turned and started for the door, but then stopped again.
"Ooh, I almost forgot," he said. "Your parents asked me to drop this off for them; they would have given it to you themselves, but your mother figured you could do without more of your dad badgering me about our relationship again. A pretty good call on her part, if I do say so myself."
He handed her a small paper bag that he had set on the table earlier. Inside was a stationary pad and several pre-sharpened pencils.
"Just in case you have some thoughts that you need to show when no one's around," he explained. "Wish I'd thought of it."
"Tell them I said thanks the next time you see them," she said.
"I've got to go. I'll be back," he said. Then he left.
Serena put the stationary and pencils on the table, then lay back in her bed and rest her head on the pillow, and tried to go to sleep. But she couldn't sleep; she had too much on her mind to even think about sleep now. She just stared up at the tiles on the ceiling, and for several minutes tried counting the holes in them. Giving up on that from the utter boredom caused by it, she sat up in bed, and just thought to herself.
"I can't help but think…" she said, to what seemed like no one in particular. "Was it really possible that Beryl planned out everything in advance like she said she did?"
"Beryl was always one with a plan," a voice answered. "I'm not surprised if she really did plan it all out."
Suddenly, a strange mist seeped in from under the bed, and floated up, forming a large purple cloud on the other side of the room. As it flowed around, it started taking a shape, until it formed a tall, uniform-clad male form.
When the transformation was complete, the spirit of Nephlite had appeared.
"Jedite, on the other hand," he continued, "was most likely one to hold a grudge for some two thousand years or so, and he'd do anything to carry out his revenge, with or without a plan to get there. The fact that he formulated how to attack you and your friends in the realm of the subconscious forced me and the others to consider just what was really going on."
"The others?" she asked.
"Yes," Nephlite answered. "Zoycite, Malachite, and myself… all wallowing in our miserable eternal fates, forcing to look over our wasted lives… or lack thereof. We simply roam around Purgatory all together nowadays, having actually become friends after all this time. Never thought I'd see THAT happen. I hated Zoycite and Malachite like a pestilence. But these days, we've put aside our past differences and learned to live with each other. That is our curse; so why not make the best of it?"
"So it was you along?" Serena asked. "Inside Jedite's head, driving him insane while we fought him?"
"We weren't trying to drive him insane," he said. "We were to save him; just like you tried to save me once. We all knew how he could repent, give up the live of death and destruction and simply lead a normal life. We figured getting him to recant his evil ways might just be our path to redemption. Unfortunately, he refused to listen; Beryl's influence was simply too much… but, yes, it was us inside his mind when he apparently went insane. And trust me, we didn't have to push him that far."
Serena smiled. She found it interesting how after all that had happened, a man like Nephlite could keep a sense of humor.
"Out of humble curiosity," he said, "just how have you known that we were there all along?"
"Kind of a sixth sense, I guess," she said, "brought on by the power of the Lunar Diamond. I felt some extra presence there when I fought Jedite in the DreamScape, and I kept feeling it again and again afterwards. And when Jedite just started yelling out at no one, I knew there was something else; some other influence on Jedite's mind that the others Sailors couldn't… but I sensed it. Sound strange to you?"
"I am two thousand and five hundred years old, Serena," he said. "I've seen plenty a stranger thing."
"So what will happen to Jedite's spirit now?"
"Well, if he isn't condemned to rotting in hell forever and ever, he'll most likely end up with us," he said. "He'll learn all the same things we have, and then we'll have the privilege of chewing him out for the rest of eternity, however long that may be."
"At least for you, time isn't an object anymore," she said. "What may have seemed like two weeks ago for me had to have been more like two seconds for you."
"Time is irrelevant when you're dead," he replied. "That's the most important thing I've learned; and I've known it ever since my own death." He turned towards Serena, walked up to the side of her bed, and looked her straight in the eyes. "Can I offer a small piece of advice, Serena?"
She nodded yes.
"Cherish your time on earth," he said. "Never waste a single moment of when you're alive and free. Because if you do, before you know it, it will be gone, and you'll never again have a chance to relive it. There will be others like it, I'm sure… but they just aren't the same. When you see an opportunity for true happiness in your life, you reach out, and for God's sake, grab it before it has a chance to get away…"
She considered his words. They made perfect sense.
"Ask yourself, Serena," he continued, "ask yourself what the one important thing that's missing from your life is, and when you see the first good chance of getting it, you remember what I've said, and you take it."
She smiled. "I promise," she said, "I will remember."
Nephlite sort of cracked a smile, then left the side of the bed.
"Where did you learn that from?" she asked.
"Who do you think?" he answered. "The one person who could have possibly saved me from my dismal existence… It was because of her that I almost left Queen Beryl and started my own life again."
Serena looked back on the past, and remembered the tortured scream of a close friend as Nephlite died that sorrow-filled night. She would never forget the pain and the anguish that poor girl went through. It was easy to say that Molly was never quite the same after that night.
"How is she these days?" asked Nephlite.
"She's fine," Serena said. "She's never forgotten you. She still has that bandage that she made for you that night when your arm got cut. She keeps it for good luck, because she knows you're out there somewhere, keeping an eye on her. You have been doing that, right?"
"Oh yes," he said. "Yes, I've been keeping in touch."
"She's, uh…" she tried to say, "she's… found someone else… since you… You know that… right?"
"Yes, I know," he replied. "And it's all for the better. I mean, why waste the rest of your life, mourning over one lost soul?"
He then turned and headed for the door "I should leave you be, now," he said. "You'll probably want to get some rest." He was about to walk through the door, when he turned one last time and said, "Serena…"
She looked up and turned to him.
"Do my one last favor," he said. "If, in the passing time, you ever see Molly again… tell her… I send my love…"
She smiled again. "I will."
He smiled, then turned and vanished.
Serena turned towards the ceiling, and again stared at the holes in the tiles. Giving up from boredom again, she turned toward the table, then took the paper pad and one of the pencils.
"Just in case you have some thoughts that you need to show when no one's around," Darien had said.
"Well, no one's around right now," she thought. "I suppose now's a perfect time."
She removed the plastic wrap from the paper, flipped to the first page, and started writing:
FROM THE MIND OF SERENA TSUKINO
The past several weeks have been pretty hellish. I know I've experienced some pretty strange things in my twenty-four years of existence, but some things just majorly cross that line of normalcy. In my case, I suppose it's just to say that some things never change. But hey, even I have my limits. First an enemy I thought was dead comes back to haunt me, then an enemy I knew for sure was dead manages to resurrect herself and puts the perfect end to one hell of a day. All this, and I haven't been to work in days. My superiors are gonna kill me.
And the experience hasn't just taken its toll on me; all my friends have been affected by it to. Heck, they were on the front lines with me when all of it went down; why shouldn't there have been some lasting effect? I know MY life will never be the same ever again. Almost nine years thinking that it's over and then something like this comes along. Seems like now I'll be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. But what fun would that be? Fear is no way to live one's life. I've learned that the hard way. And boy, did it hurt!
It's strange… the entire world was saved that night, and all but six people and two talking cats know not a thing about it. So much for gratitude. Oh well; saving a planet will just have to be good enough.
Everyone's been affected. That enough is certain to me. They may not show it at first, but I know deep in my heart that they'll never forget a moment of this.
Mina's started into this "do it before it's too late" phase, and in the midst of it, she got the idea to do what she's been wanting to do for some time now; book a concert right here in Tokyo. She even chose specific songs to sing when she performs; some old favorites of ours like "Power of Love", "Carry On", and a few other good ones. She even begged Raye for permission to use "Oh Starry Night". Raye said as long as the others got some decent front-row seats, and that she was given credit for the song, Mina could use it. Mina was more than happy to reserve the seats.
The concert is scheduled for next week. Good thing I'll be out of here by then. And it's a good thing we already have seats too; Raye was there when the ticket line… oh, I'm sorry, the ticket mob grabbed every seat available to them. She said she hadn't seen a ticket rush that large and anxious since the opening of Star Wars: Episode One! Makes sense to me. Mina seems to be the biggest thing these days since the invention of karaoke.
~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~
The auditorium was packed, and all eyes were on Mina as she stood upon the stage, the spotlights lighting up her beautiful frame. She stood looking out upon the cheering crowd, microphone in hand, smiling as one of her greatest dreams came true right before her very eyes.
Meanwhile, on the side of the stage, her boyfriend, a handsome young man by the name of Richard, the one who was to star with her in her next Sailor V movie, stood behind the curtain, watching with joy as the crowd cheered out the name of her lover. And down in the crowd, in the very front row, there sat Serena, Darien, Amy, Raye, and Lita, along with Luna and Artemis hidden on a box, enjoying the show.
The night had been a total success. Mina sang several choice songs, and the crowd loved each one. And the way she sang them was simply fantastic, even for a live performance. Every song was accompanied by waves of deafening applause.
They finally calmed themselves down, and Mina was able to speak.
"Thank you all coming tonight," she said to all the screaming fans. "This night would not have been possible without all of you hear to enjoy it with me."
"She is so digging this!" Serena whispered to Darien.
"And why shouldn't she?" he replied. "This is probably going to be the greatest night of her life."
"My final song of the evening is most likely my all-time favorite," Mina said, "because it typically illustrates my life story. Friends are everything to me. My friends, who are in the audience with you as I speak, have always been there for me, through thick and thin, good and bad, and simply whenever I need them. Friends are what makes even the worst life the best it can be. Friends are what everybody needs; to help them through a bad experience, to cheer you up when you're down… or simply when you need someone on a rainy day."
The crowd started cheering once again, getting the hint. Mina's final song would be "Rainy Day Man".
The opening music started in the background, as Mina prepared to sing. Then, as the final notes were being played, Mina took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Then, she poured out her very spirit into the crowd as she sang the words, with the backup singers echoing behind her…
~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~
All the power to her. I know the concert is gonna rock!
Lita has taken a different approach. She of course doesn't have a singing career, even though she can sing a few good notes if she tries. But she does have something else to work on though; yes, you guessed it… the restaurant. With her cellular phone in hand, she's been talking for hours at a time trying to get the international deal to work. If she succeeds, her restaurant's name will be seen in every major city on the planet, and she can earn enough money to move back to Tokyo like she's always wanted. I'm glad she's got so much initiative in this. I just wish she'd use it to find herself a decent man. Every jerk she tries to date just ends up leaving, and she almost sends them to the emergency room. And no, that's not an exaggeration.
There is, on the other hand, this old crush on Andrew she has, even though he officially has a girlfriend… but on the other hand, there are things about Andrew that would lead me to believe otherwise…
~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~
People were constantly turning their heads as Lita walked down the street, phone in hand, yelling into the receiver.
"I don't think you're listening to me, Jack!" she snapped. "I don't care how much it's going to cost to put one in Las Vegas! If we get in New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, half of Africa, Sydney, and Tokyo, then why not in the Neon Jungle?… Hey, don't you try and lay that on me! I know how your tiny little mind works, so don't you be trying to fool me here!… Don't think! Just pick up your checkbook and make it happen!"
She snapped the phone shut, and leaned up against a brick wall, and sighed discontently.
"Sweet mother of God, what a moron…" she said to herself.
"Trouble with the underlings?" a voice suddenly asked.
Lita tilted her head up and saw a tall, blonde-haired man standing in front of her, leaned up against a wall of another building, right next to a window. He wore blue jeans, a light blue shirt, and an apron over it. It was Andrew.
"Andrew!" Lita cried. Almost falling on her butt from surprise. When she finally caught her balance. She grinned sheepishly and walked up to him.
"How are you, Lita?" he asked.
"Oh, uh, fine… yeah, yeah, everything's fine…" she said, somewhat at a loss for words.
"Didn't quite sound like it," he said. "At least not from the way your were pouring your guts out to that poor man over the phone just now."
"Oh, that!" she said nervously. "I'm, uh, just having a little trouble with this international thing my restaurant is dealing with. If I can get it to work the way I want it to, I can get restaurants all over the planet, and I can finally move back into Tokyo. I've even got my old apartment reserved for me all these years."
"Glad to hear you're going okay," Andrew said. "I would hope the deal goes through, what with the way you're shouting your demands over the phone. That way, they'll have to give you what you want, otherwise you can threaten to come there personally!"
Lita laughed. It was kind of an insult to her negotiation tactics, but a genuinely funny one.
"So how is everything else?" he asked. "Job status, home life… boyfriend, maybe?"
"Boyfriend? Oh heck no!" she said. "I couldn't keep a boyfriend to save my sorry hide. Every time I find someone I think looks good, it just gets blown off, and for all the wrong reasons too. And in most cases, they started off for the wrong reasons… fortunately, those are the ones that don't even last the first date."
Andrew laughed under his breath.
"So what about you, Blondie?" she said. "How has Rita been doing all this time? You hardly ever mention her to anyone. How has her entomology thing gone?"
The smile on Andrew's face suddenly faded. He tried to find some words to say to answer her question, but couldn't think of any. His only hope was to change the subject.
"Well… uh…" he stuttered. "I don't really like talking about that… kind of thing… What do you think of the arcade? You probably didn't even see it on your way here, did you? Most people don't."
Lita couldn't help but notice the blatant attempt to switch things around.
"Andrew is something wrong?" she asked. "Is something going on between you and Rita that we don't know about?"
His attempt failed. Now he was in trouble. Thinking of nothing useful to say, he sighed with discontent and sat down on the ground with his back against the wall, burying his head in hands as if he was ashamed of something.
"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting down next to him. "Was it something I said?"
"Uuhh…" he groaned. "I just can't keep lying like this anymore… especially not to you, Lita…"
"Andrew what's going on? For the love of God, tell me and I might be able to help!"
He finally uncovered his face and looked at her.
"Rita and I broke up."
"I'm so sorry…" she said, genuinely saying so. "When?"
"A couple years ago," he answered.
Now she was surprised. He broke up with his girlfriend of years past and he hadn't told anyone of it for the last several years? Bizarre. "How did it happen?" she asked. "Big fight or something?"
"We tried to do the whole 'long-distance relationship' thing as best we could," he explained. "But she finally got fed up with it, called me on the phone, and said, 'Sorry, Andy, it just isn't working for me. It was fun while it lasted, but now it's just too much a hassle for us.' The minute we hung up, a filled up a box with everything of hers that was in my house, and sent it to Africa, with a note to her saying I never wanted to hear from her again. I haven't heard from her since."
"Whoa…" said Lita, trying to to comprehend everything. "What a way to go. I mean, you two were such an item!"
"I know, I know…" he said. "And I just can't stop feeling so guilty about it."
"Guilty?" she asked. "Why guilty?"
"Rita was the best thing to ever happen to me in my entire life," he said. "I mean, we tried our hardest to make things work between us, and for a while they were… then, just a few not-so-pleasant words, and I say I never want to see her again. How mature a thing is that to do?"
"Andrew, to just cast someone out of your life like that… I'll admit, it's not the smartest thing to do…" Lita said. "But if things were that hard to keep together, then maybe breaking it up was the best thing you could have done."
"That's what I try to tell myself, but it just isn't working for me," he said. "Face it… I screwed up royally."
"No, you didn't!" she said. "A breakup always happens because of a problem with both the boyfriend and girlfriend. And if things were so bad that SHE broke up with you, then apparently, the problem was more with her than you. So don't go blaming yourself for what you aren't responsible for." She put a hand over his shoulder, and her turned and saw her friendly face. "You're a great guy, Andrew, and you deserve someone just as great. And it just looks like Rita wasn't the one."
Andrew had to admit she had a point.
"Maybe you two could have patched things up, and maybe not," she continued. "But what's done is done. And now's your chance to start out with someone else; someone even better. And who knows, this could even be the one you're really looking for."
Thinking of nothing else to say, she got up and looked at her watch. "I should get going now… I wouldn't want to keep you from your job…"
"Thanks, Lita," said Andrew, getting up from the ground. "I needed to hear that."
"Hey, you know I'm here for you," she said with a smile. "I'll, uh… I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
As Lita began to walk away, her mind was screaming at her, "You idiot! That was your chance! He's single now! He's available! What better reason do you need to go for it than that?!" But then her sense of better judgment kicked in. "But what kind of a person would that make me? Not a very good one."
And as Andrew watched her walk away, his mind started talking to him as well.
"Almost any other woman would have instantly tried to ask me out," he said. "But not her. She actually sat down and told me how much of an idiot I was being, and told me there were bigger and better things out there for me… I guess that's just Lita for you… no wonder her friends love her so much. And why not? She's smart, strong, not to mention beautiful… I wonder why I never noticed how great a person she is before…"
Then, all of a sudden, something snapped in his mind, and his eyes shot wide open.
"Uh oh."
He turned toward the window, and saw one of his co-workers standing there. He peeked his head in the door and called to him, "Hey, Jimmy! Watch my spot for a second, will ya?"
The black-haired teenaged boy walked out and stood in Andrew's spot, while Andrew raced down the street after Lita, who by now was about a half a mile from the arcade entrance.
When he made his way within hearing distance, he yelled out, "Hey Lita!"
She stopped and turned, and watched as Andrew came running up behind. When he finally made it to her position, he stood hunched over, trying to catch his breath. He finally got back to a normal breathing rate, then stood up and looked at her.
"Did I forget something?" she asked.
"Uh…" he said, trying to find the right words. "Lita, uh… how much longer are you going to be in town before you've got to go back to New Orleans?"
Surprised at the sudden inquiry, she casually responded, "Another couple of days… Why do you ask?"
"Well, uh…" he said. "There's that uh, that new restaurant that opened across town two weeks ago; I've been hearing a lot of good things about it… I was just thinking that… maybe if you're not too busy… that sometime before you have to leave… maybe you'd… like to have dinner with me?"
Lita's eyes shot wide open. This was certainly a surprise. But she managed to keep herself from jumping around half of Tokyo, screaming with joy. She simply smiled at him, and answered, "I'd love to."
"Well, that's great!" Andrew cried. "Well, I mean, that's good. Uuuum… How does tomorrow night sound to you?"
"How does tonight sound to you?" she replied.
"That… uh…" he said, getting a handle of things as they came along. "That'd be great… I was planning no working tonight, but hey… I manage the place… it's my call now whether or not to work."
"Good," she said. "I'll see you there."
"I very much look forward to it," he said.
Then, they both casually walked away from each other, wildly cheering with joy inside their heads.
~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~
I could personally see those two as a great couple. And it could work even more if Lita gets to move back home. In the meantime, I'll lay off being Serena, the all-knowing matchmaker, just this once.
Speaking of which, Raye's been in kind of a conundrum lately. She finally confessed to me the other day that yes, she does have some feelings for Chad. That's never really been a secret to me, but the fact the finally says so, and even more, she confesses it to me of all people is a step in the right direction. Looks like all these years of Chad wooing her have finally paid off. Go Chad!
Unfortunately, Raye's still being her old stubborn self about it, because she still refuses to tell Chad. The guy's worked so hard to make his feelings clear to her; the least he deserves is confirmation that it hasn't been all for nothing. I made that as clear to Raye as I could, but she still just doesn't feel she can do it. If you ask me, the first thing she should do when she gets home is grab him and kiss him. But that's just not her style.
Well, anyway, I realize it's just not my place to put those two together. If she wants to be lonely all her life, fine by me. And if she finally decides to tell him the truth about the way she feels, all the power to her.
I'll just have to sit back and see what happens.
~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~SM~
Raye couldn't sleep that night. She had been tossing and turning for hours since she crawled in, and even though her eyes remained closed, she never got any actual sleep. She finally sat up and leaned forward, frustrated. She was sweating a little, and she wiped it off with her hand. She took a look at her nightstand to get a glance at her clock. It was 12:08 a.m. What a time to be awake.
"Why can't I get to sleep?" she asked herself. "One would think I could sleep easier knowing Jedite and Queen Beryl were both dead. But something's still keeping me awake… but what?"
As she thought to herself, she remained quiet on the outside, and so things were rather silent. However, a few minutes later, she suddenly heard what sounded a lot like the soft strumming of a guitar… it wasn't coming from inside the house, but it was still rather close. The notes played were arranged in a way that was music to her ears, but that wasn't what caught her attention; it was the fact that it sounded so close.
"Is that coming from the rooftop?" she asked.
She pulled herself out of bed and put on a robe, then went outside. She climbed up a ladder next to one of the walls, and climbed up it until she was on the roof. She walked around it for a while, until she needed what she needed to see.
Sitting almost directly over Raye's bedroom, guitar in hand, feet dangling over the edge of the roof, was Chad. It was he strumming the guitar, and therefore the source of the music that brought Raye up there.
"Chad?"
The long-haired help turned and saw Raye standing behind him. "Oh, hey, Raye," he said. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up or something?"
"Oh, no, no, no, no," she said. "No, I couldn't sleep to begin with, but then I heard this sweet music coming from up here, I go and see what it is and, boom, here you are. What are you doing up here anyway? It's past midnight!"
"You didn't know?" he asked. "I've always been coming here at night, ever since I first came here. I'd just sit on the rooftop, practicing songs that I've been working on in my head, y'know. Would you believe there are still a few of them I just can't get right?"
"So all this time you've been coming up here in the middle of the night just to practice your guitar?"
"Actually, I used to sit over there," he said, pointing to the other side of the roof. "Y'know, over by your grandfather's old bedroom. Whenever he heard me playing at night, he'd go out of his way to come up here and chase me away!"
Raye giggled. Just the thought of her grandfather chasing poor Chad around the temple was a delight.
"But after he died, it just wasn't the same anymore," he said, suddenly becoming a little more serious. "I still played up there from time to time, almost expecting him to come up and clock me one… but it just didn't happen. And I have to admit, my music wasn't quite the same either once he was gone."
She walked up beside him and sat down. "His death meant that much to you?"
"Sure it did!" he said. "He may have been your grandfather, but he was my friend too. I mean, the guy was like a second dad to me. I mean, think about it a second. Why do you think I was just some struggling musician when my parents were loaded?"
Raye had never looked at it like that before. He had a point.
"So then… are you going to chase me down too?" he asked.
"Well, actually…" she said. "I was hoping I could just… join you up here, and listen to you play."
Chad didn't know what to say at first, but finally managed to get out the words, "Uuuuuh… sure."
He turned back to his guitar and started playing again. It was a soft, slow melody, much like a love song, but with a certain twist Chad gave to it that made it unique. Raye listened intently. She never admitted it to anyone, but from time to time, she actually enjoyed his music… even when he was singing. And while she listening, she stared out into the starlit sky, moved in a little closer, and leaned her head on Chad's shoulder affectionately.
"He's such a great guy…" she thought. "So why can't I just tell him how I feel?"
The song eventually ended with a graceful strum of all the strings.
"That was beautiful," she said.
Chad didn't answer at first. He tilted his head downward, like he was ashamed of something. He looked away from Raye, and let out a silent discontented breath.
"I love you, Raye."
Her eyes shot wide open at the sound of it.
"I know that's never really been a secret," he said, "but there isn't any other way of saying it. And I just had to say it you in person before I went insane. I love you, Raye. You're everything in a girl that I've ever wanted or needed. And I've known that all along. Ever since I first came here to the temple, I've known that you were the one I wanted to be with more than anyone else."
Raye's expression of shock fell away, and she gave off a sweet smile, realizing just how much like her he was sounding right now.
"I just had to say it," he said. "And… and I know you don't feel the same way, but…"
She could wait any longer. She grabbed him by the head, stopping his little speech, then turned it so that she could look him straight in the eyes.
"Chad…" she said, "not… another… word."
They simply stared at each other for quite a while, then they started moving in closer together, as they eyelids slowly slipped downward. Closer still, as their lips made ready to make contact. Closer still, they both could feel each other's hearts beating faster and faster.
Then finally, their lips touched, and they kissed for the very first time.
And it was worth the wait.
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Should I try to get them together? It's been a challenge of a lifetime so far… nah. I'll just see if she can do it on her own.
Amy seems to be the least affected by the experience. She's always been the cool, calculating one of the group, so I'm really not surprised that she would show the least change from the whole Jedite/Beryl mess. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I'm not too sure. Better not try too hard to figure it out; I might fry my brain.
On the other hand though, she has been talking an awful lot lately about the situation with her and Greg. She wants to marry that man more than anything. Lucky guy. But the fact that it's been a whole year since he proposed and they still haven't gone through with it has got her worried. She keeps asking herself if Greg really wants to marry her. As much as I've tried to reassure her that he does, she still has her doubts.
Can't say I blame her. I don't know… maybe Greg has something special in mind planned for her…
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It was about two weeks later that Amy had to return home. She got up nice and early to get something to eat, get all her things together, pack her bags, all that fun stuff. To her surprise, Serena was already up so that they could at least talk a while before she had to get to the airport. Amy had already called a taxi, but Serena forbid it and drove her to the airport herself.
She saw Amy off as she boarded her plane, but had to leave as soon as she was on board. She said she had something important to do.
The flight was satisfactory. Amy had a first class seat; she was served breakfast in the middle of the trip, and the in-flight movie was… well, let's get into unimportant details. She landed about two hours later at Hong Kong International, and called a cab to drive her home.
Once at home, she just put the keys in the lock and opened the door to her house.
Inside, everything was dark. The windows were closed and the lights were turned off. Things were silent, and very still. It gave things a mysterious feel.
"Greg?" she called. "Greg, I'm home!"
She reached for a light switch, but suddenly:
"Don't turn on the lights!" Greg's voice suddenly called out.
"Greg?" she said. "Where are you?"
"I'm in here…" he said.
The voice undoubtedly coming from the kitchen.
"What's going on?" she asked. "Why are all the lights off?"
"I need to talk to you, Amy," Greg answered, sounding somewhat ominous.
Amy put down her suitcases and walked through the living room and into the kitchen, and just caught sight of the door to the backyard closing. Greg had obviously slipped out the door just before Amy walked in.
"Greg, what is going on here?" she asked. "What's with all the secrecy?"
"Just come out here a second and you'll see, Amy," he said.
Amy simply shrugged and decided to go on. She slowly approached the door, and before she opened it, she put her ear to surface of it, as if trying to hear what was going on on the other side. She heard nothing.
"Is this something I'm going to like?" she asked.
"You'll see…"
She could stand the suspense any longer. She opened the door, and gasped.
"Surprise!" a hundred voices said at once.
A party was going on in the backyard. People were dressed in beautiful dresses and tuxedos. A path was leading from the door to the other end of the yard, where a wooden archway was constructed and decorated all around with flowers of all different colors. And standing in front of it was a priest, dressed in a white robe and carrying a bible in his hand.
Amy couldn't believe her eyes. Was this… a wedding?
If it was, it was everything she had ever imagined and much, much more. Darien was on one side of the priest, standing as the best man. On the other, there stood Serena as the maid of honor, and Raye, Lita, and Mina as the bride's maids. Suddenly, Luna and Artemis walked under her legs, spreading a trail of flower petals as they walked down the aisle.
Then, Greg walked in front of her, wearing a dashing tuxedo, with a white flower pinned to the pocket.
"Greg?" Amy asked, almost in a daze. "What… what is all this?"
"I'm tired of waiting, Amy," he said with a smile. "I love you. And I want to marry you."
"But… how did everyone get here?! Were they all in on this?"
"I called everyone a couple days before you had to come home, and I had them all flown here. And while you were on your way here, I rented the company jet and flew Serena over before you landed."
"But… why?"
"Like I said, Amy, I'm sick and tired of waiting for the right time," he explained. "I want to marry you more than anything in the world. And I want to do it now, before it's too late for us."
"I… I…" she said, almost unable to speak. "I… oooh…"
She fainted.
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Amy's lucky. Greg's a great guy. I hope once they're married that they live happily ever after… just like in the storybooks.
And talk about storybook romances… I find it so relieving thatafter all that's happened, I still have Darien here with me. Twice before I thought he'd been taken from me, but then at the end he's all right. I love that man with all my heart. And I know he loves me. I just wish he didn't complain about past mistakes so much. But I guess he just does that because he really is sorry about them. But it's all for nothing We've been through worse before; in fact the past several weeks are proof of that!
I wonder what will happen in the future for us… Will we have the same kind of storybook ending we've hoped for? Only time will tell…
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Two months passed since then. Darien had finished his job in New York City, and had officially moved back to Tokyo. However, the landlord of his apartment building had sold the empty apartment by then, so he was temporarily without shelter. Enter Serena to come to his rescue for once. Because her apartment was so big, it seemed only right that Darien move in with her. He was more than willing to take her up on the offer.
A perfect arrangement… at least that's how Serena's mother saw it. Her father, on the other hand, just saw it as a way of getting out of keeping Darien in his house while he hunts for an apartment. Sammy was neutral either way, but that was just because he and Mika had already found a place and moved in together. Luna was glad that Darien would be moving in, however, she didn't like that fact that her bed would have to be moved outside Serena's bedroom, where it had been located ever since they moved in.
So Darien now lived with Serena. And it really was a perfect arrangement. It brought them closer to each other than ever before.
In the meantime, it seemed Darien had finally stopped brooding over past mistakes in their relationship. Serena was finally glad to hear him stop, but she was somewhat concerned with his recent habits. While he usually got off of work at the hospital at 5:30 P.M., however, he was now and then coming home hours later. She knew he wasn't just getting used to the city surroundings, and if he had plans with friends he would have told her in advance.
She had a feeling he was up to something.
Then, one day a few weeks later, he left a note on her nightstand, saying:
"MEET ME IN THE USUAL PLACE."
The "usual place", it seemed, was that one section of the park that was surrounded by the beautiful gardens; the same place where they spent so many romantic moments together before. And from the familiar mysteriousness of the note, it seemed this would be no different. But from the note alone, she could tell there would be something special about this one. It was special anytime they were together like that, but something about this stood out… and you'll see why.
She arrived in the "usual place" on time, wearing a white tanktop, covered by a transparent white overshirt, complemented with skin-tight white pants and white slip on shoes. She also wore a pair of diamond-studded white earrings and a diamond necklace; a set Darien had given her as a birthday present several years earlier.
She was there alone at first, waiting for Darien to arrive. She turned her back for a moment when she heard something behind her, and felt a cool breeze brush past her when she did. She turned around, and sitting on the nearby bench was a beautiful bouquet of roses, and standing several feet behind it was, of course, Darien.
"Always one to make a big entrance, aren't you?" she asked with a smile.
"I decided to tone it down a little this time," he said. "Besides, my throwing arm's been kind of stiff lately."
The two of them then wrapped their arms around each other and kissed.
"So what's with the old 'meet me here' rigmarole," she asked. "You were kind of slacking off for a while."
"Well, I've been so busy lately that I haven't been able to see you at home that much," he said. "So, I figured the best way to correct that is to meet you outside the home; somewhere familiar to us, y'know?"
"And just why, dear sir, have you been so busy?"
"That, my dear, will have to wait until later," he said. "Right now, Serena, we need to talk."
"Oh no…" she groaned. "If you're going to start complaining again, I'm gonna have to move out of my own apartment!"
"No!" he said. "No, I've got nothing more to complain about… thanks to you. I'm not making any more mistakes. And that, my love, is a personal promise. But there are more important things we need to talk about."
"Like what?"
"Well, for one thing, that apartment of yours needs a dishwasher!" he said. "I mean, give me a break! You buy a place like that and it doesn't already come with one?!"
"Moving on!…" she said impatiently.
"Moving on," said he, "I also came here so I could thank you."
"Thank me?" she asked. "Thank me for what?"
"For everything," he said. "Serena, you're the most incredible thing that's ever happened to me in my entire life. You've given me your company, you've given me your guidance, your wisdom, your friendship, your tolerance of my constant complaining… but most of all, Serena, after all this time you've given me your love. And that means more to me than anything else on this planet. I want you to know, Serena, I love you… with my very heart and soul, and I will continue to do so for the rest of time…"
She was truly touched by his words. He rarely said anything that poetic.
"Just you being here for me," he continued, "has made me happier than I've ever been before… I have to confess… even before I remembered who I really was… whenever I saw you, I had this feeling… that you were the one I would end up with."
Serena found this hard to believe at first, then realized how cute she thought he was when they first met.
"Sure, I teased, I taunted, I annoyed you to the brink of insanity, but… but all that means nothing anymore. What matters is, we're together now."
Serena's eyes shifted downward as she saw his hand suddenly reached toward him pocket.
"And I plan to do everything I can," he said, "to make true of us for a long, long time… Serena… it would do me the greatest honor in heaven and earth…"
He eventually grabbed a small object out of his pocket, concealed it in his hand, then got down on one knee and looked up at her, while she looked down with bewildered eyes.
"if you would be my wife."
She looked down at her left hand, and saw as Darien slipped a beautiful golden ring onto her finger; one decorated with exquisite craftsmanship, all the way from the sparkling band, to the diamond on top of it, that was carved and arranged in a way that formed a magnificent crescent moon shape. Not even the real thing could rival its beauty.
"Serena," he finished, as he rose to his feet. "Will you marry me?"
She was aghast. She didn't know whether to jump for joy or start crying. A she stared don at the ring on her finger, her eyes filled with watery tears. Meanwhile, Darien rose to his feet again, as he waited for her answer.
"And if you ask me," he said, "not asking you years ago was my biggest mistake."
"Oh, Darien…" she choked. "It… i-it's beautiful…" She then looked back up into Darien's eyes, and she made her choice, while remembering the words of a friendly spirit.
"Ask yourself what the one important thing that's missing from your life is," the words were, "and when you see the first good chance of getting it, you remember what I've said, and you take it."
She turned back to matter at hand, finally gave her answer:
"Yes… yes, of course I'll marry you!"
Darien smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."
With a cheer of pure joy, Serena jumped into Darien's arms, and they spun around together, holding one another. He finally set her down on her feet, then they looked each other in the eyes, then moved in and kissed passionately; but this was not just any kiss; a kiss like this one had been waiting for centuries to be made; made between two devoted lovers, destined to be together since before the beginning of time as we know it.
And as they held each other now, expressing their love for one another, if one looked closely on top of the Tower of Tokyo that very night, one could see the two warriors of justice, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, standing together on the very tip of tower, holding each other affectionately throughout the course of the long, beautiful, romantic night, like a pair of angels speaking out in the name of lovers all over the world.
And now, their fate was sealed; they would be together until the end of time as well. And as far as they were concerned, nothing was going to alter that fate.
But of course, as we have to have learned by now… some things never change.