Chapter 12: Until We Meet Again
"Serena?"
"Mphh…" She opened her eyes, to see five girls surrounding her.
"I can't believe you got caught in that fire. Good thing the girls came out looking for you." Tess said, wide eyed."I'll go get you some soup, you're probably famished."
"But…it wasn't you guys…Darien saved me." Serena said almost dazed.
"Serena…it was Tuxedo Mask who rescued you." Rei stifled to her under her breath, annoyed by her confusion.
"But…"
"Yea you went right in there. What is so important about that locket anyway?" Lita asked. "I mean I get Tuxedo Mask gave it to you, but to dive into smoke and fire?"
"Lita's right, you could have gotten killed." Ami nodded.
"Plus why didn't you use your communicator to let us know you were in a fight with Zoicite?" Mina asked.
Serena thought for a moment in silence. Darien gave her the locket…Darien is Tuxedo Mask…he also saved her for the third time and she really felt her debt was becoming beyond repay. Beyond that, the scouts were so oblivious…and her head felt like a haze of ideas, thoughts and recollections.
"Serena?" Mina asked, they all waited for her explanation.
"Darien did save me. Where is he?" She said confidently and slightly agitated.
"He went for a walk but we're sure it was Tuxedo…" Rei started, but Serena left the room in a rush to soon for her to finish. They were all left dumbfounded.
Darien was swallowing everything that had happened. Serena was Sailor Moon, and extremely more brave then he'd ever credited to her. She also cherished that locket…did she have the same notion about it that it belonged somewhere in the past…and what was stranger was the fact that he'd always had a thing for Sailor Moon…now he wondered if he'd feel the same? He made his way back to the beach in front of the cabin, and he saw someone sitting out by the water.
"Hey are you sure you should be out of bed already?"
Serena turned around to see Darien walking up behind her.
"I'm feeling better now…thanks for saving me."
"It's kind of my job you know…" Darien put his hand behind his head.
"I know." She said. She felt so open and meek. I mean Darien was her dream hunk Tuxedo Mask, and what was worse…she kept putting him in danger. "I'm sorry for being so reckless…I just didn't want to loose something so beautiful…its almost as if…"
"Its from another world, another time…yea I get that with it too. It was one of my few belongings I had after my parents died in an accident when I was a kid. For a long time I assumed it was my mothers, but when I realized I was Tuxedo Mask I also knew it wasn't. It had some other meaning; maybe a link to the moon princess."
He sat down beside her. The moonlight danced off of her profile, and the evening wind brushed her odangos, pulling her long ponytail's back. He could see it; the tiara, the Sailor Moon ensemble on her if only for a moment, like a mirage. And even for a moment he blinked and the way she looked so hopelessly up at the moon, he was reminded of the princess in his dreams. He shook his head.
"You know, I keep putting you in danger. You really shouldn't do that…put yourself at risk for me." Serena said. "And just so you know, we're looking for the moon princess too."
This took him off guard for a moment. "Why?"
"The sailor scouts used to protect her in the past according to Luna…oh and by the way Luna can talk…" She fidgeted her hands at that awkward piece of information. "She's the key to destroying Queen Beryl and reuniting peace with the Earth."
"Then why does she ask for my help?" He murmured to himself.
"Maybe for the same reason that you help the scouts…because you're just nice like that…ahem…I mean you did say it was your job."
He laughed at the inadvertent compliment he'd gotten from her. "You know, it's just you that causes my change to Tuxedo Mask. Whenever you're in trouble. I sensed it too when you almost drowned but I figured it was just the heroics kicking in."
"Why me?" She asked.
"I don't know to be honest…so the other girls are the rest of the sailor scouts?"
"Yea, Lita is Sailor Jupiter, Mina is Venus, Ami is Mercury and oh Rei is Sailor Mars."
"I actually figured that last one out."
"How?"
"When you and Sailor Mars argued a bit during the battle." He held back a laugh.
"Oh."
"Are you sure you're okay, you got a lot of smoke Meatball head?"
"Can you not call me Meatball head anymore? Its not funny…"
"Fine I wont call you meatball head…only because you have the same hair-do as Sailor Moon…" He added sarcastically.
She flashed a smile his way. "Exactly."
"You didn't have to stand up for me infront of Zoicite, you should have gotten out of there…"
"How could i? You were out cold, and I was just going to let you get killed? She would have gladly…"
"Hahaha…" He smirked.
"What?"
"You really are Sailor Moon, the champion of justice."
"So?" She raised her chin slightly offended.
"Hey, I'm only joking Mea…"
She raised her eyebrow at him.
"Sorry… Serena." He finished.
"Good." She went back to smiling. Then her gaze caught the moon again. "You know, when you gave me that star locket, you told me to keep it because you said you'd loose it anyway…"
Darien thought back…he did say that. She remembered?
"But I lost it three times almost…and know its probably gone…"
He reached into his back pocket, and grabbed it.
"I found it by you when I got you out of the fire. I think it means more to you then it does to me…you know, that's also half the reason why I had a…what did you call it… "a cow" at Peggy Jones' house…that painting was an awful lot like it… to be honest, it struck some kind of chord in me." He held it out and it opened, playing the song as he looked to the moon too.
Her eyes opened. It was like that locket…the "Until we Meet again" locket…she felt her hand going out to touch the locket.
He felt her hand graze his as she took it from his palm. He shivered. Maybe he was just cold.
"Maybe Peggy Jones was right…maybe this did have to do with something from the past…she did call the painting "Until We Meet Again."
Darien looked at Serena wide eyed. She was right. Her paintings illustrated things that felt distant and familiar at the same time. But who? Who would meet again? Could it be the princess? Or maybe…
He looked over to her again, her eyes were lightly closed, as she enjoyed the sound of the music, and the small light enlightened her face.
"Well it caused us to meet…I mean in the sense that we both found out who we really were."
"Right…like Tuxedo Mask finally met the real Sailor Moon…" She nodded.
"And vise versa…"
"Maybe that's what it's for then. Reuniting people."
