A/N Whew…I can't believe I'm already posting Chapter 14. It seems like I just started this story on a crazy whim. I never expected it to actually do any good, much less have so many wonderful people leave their reviews and messages telling me that they enjoyed it. It gives me the warm fuzzies to know that other people are living this adventure right along with me, and we're not done yet! BIG HUGS to everyone who reads this and very special thanks to:
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ange de l'aube
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You guys are the best! If it wasn't for you, I don't know if this story would have lived as long as it has. Now here we go!
ENJOY!!!
The Lunar Princess of the Earth
Chapter 14
Destiny Comes Knocking
"Moon, get down!" a voice called out in the middle of the chaos.
Sailor Moon ducked as Jupiter sent several bolts of lightning shooting over her head, knocking a youma to the ground.
"Thanks" she said with a quick grin to her friend.
"No problem." Jupiter shrugged, returning the grin. "I just wish we could find a way to finish them off. This is getting a little old."
Sailor Moon nodded in agreement. It had been a month since the confrontation with Talon at the park. No sign of him had been seen since. But armies of his youmas were attacking several times a week.
Today it was in an amusement park. There was a group of ten youmas, terrorizing the patrons and wrecking havoc. Thrown food and discarded stuffed animals littered the ground where panicked people had dropped them in their hurry to find an escape.
Unlike the youmas they had faced in the past that were slower moving, energy-stealing types, these youmas were fast. Their purpose seemed to be to cause as much damage as they could in as short of time as possible.
Their speed was a definite disadvantage to the sailor scouts and their team. Usually one of the others could immobilize the creature to give Sailor Moon long enough to dust it, but these monsters were able to dodge attacks with no problem. Every now and then, they might be able to take one by surprise, but the battles usually ended up with more of the youmas getting away than were destroyed.
Sailor Moon twirled her moon tier. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss" the youma on the ground turned to dust.
"Well, at least that's one down." Moon wryly.
Mars gave a harsh laugh as she ran by. "Yeah, only about nine more to go."
A blast of orange light came from the direction of the Ferris Wheel where Venus and Kunzite had been battling one of the monsters. The youma flew backwards and landed in a crouch.
Sailor Moon quickly took aim and fired an attack at it. The humanoid looking creature saw it coming, and quickly jumped out of the way.
"Damn it" she growled. "Would it be too much to ask for one of them to stand still for just five seconds?"
She swayed a little on her feet, and her vision blurred for a moment. Having to fire so many attacks was seriously draining her energy. Unlike the other scouts, whose power was elemental, hers came directly from the Silver Crystal. The crystal's power fed from her life force, so using it so much was rapidly depleting her.
Venus saw this and ran to her side. She put a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Hey, save your energy. Don't take a shot unless you know it's a certain hit."
Sailor Moon snorted. "Yeah, but there never seems to be a certain hit with these guys."
Venus gave a short laugh. "True. But still, try not to waste any more energy than you have to."
"I'll try." she promised as Venus turned and ran back into the middle of the disaster zone to see what she could do to help the others. The youmas had spread out over the entire park, so their team had been broken up as well to try to deal with them.
She leaned up against a concession stand for a moment and took several deep breaths to try to clear her head. After a few moments, she felt better and began running toward the sounds of ongoing battles.
She entered the large open midway area and stopped to take in the scene. It seemed that most of the youma had been corralled into the same place. Seven of the tall, red eyed creatures were in the center of the space, surrounded by the scouts and generals who were firing random attacks to try to keep them contained.
She made her way over to Venus. "Is this all of them?" she asked.
Venus shook her head. "I don't know. I think this is the majority of them though. You got enough juice to take them out?"
Sailor Moon gripped her tier tightly. "I think so, as long as none of them move. I've got a good blast or two left in me."
"Okay, give us a minute to make sure none of them can give us the slip. Wait for my signal." Venus told her.
Moon nodded, "Okay"
Venus relayed the message around to the others, and they began to pool their powers to try to keep the monsters from getting away.
Sailor Moon glanced around, searching the dark shadows that were cast by the attractions of the amusement park. She wondered briefly if Sailor Shadow was there somewhere, watching to see if she was needed. She had shown up several times during the battles over the last month, always sitting on the sidelines, but stepping in as soon as someone seemed to be in danger.
None of them had been able to get a good look at her yet, she always seemed to stay in a dark enough area to keep them from seeing her features clearly. But none of them complained since she had helped them out in a couple of sticky situations.
Looking around at her friends, Sailor Moon realized that someone was missing from the group. Tuxedo Mask was nowhere to be seen.
Opening her mind and reaching out with her bond with him, she felt that he was perfectly fine. And somewhere close by as well. Relieved, she turned her attention back to the matter at hand.
The scouts and generals had succeeded at combining their energies into a wall that contained the youmas. The multicolored swirl of light surrounded the youmas as it snapped and crackled with power.
"Now Sailor Moon!" Venus called out.
Sailor Moon whirled her tier into place and the called out her attack. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss"
Three of the youmas exploded into dust immediately, two others flickered for several seconds before crumbling also. The last two seemed to be more difficult as she poured more power into the attack.
They finally burst into a cloud of dust as Sailor Moon sank to her knees, totally exhausted. She sat there for a moment, taking deep breaths, waiting for the dizziness to pass. That had taken more power than she thought it would.
She heard the others coming toward her and forced herself to get to her feet. Her head spun and her legs were shaky, but she refused to show them how drained she was.
She felt an arm wrap and her shoulders, then Mars's voice. "Damn it, Serena. Sit down before you fall down."
"I'm okay." she responded faintly.
"Like hell you are." came Jupiter's voice from her other side as another arm wrapped around her waist to hold her steady. "You look like you could drop any second."
Unable to hide the fact that she was swaying on her feet, she allowed herself to lean against Jupiter's taller frame. Luckily, her vision was beginning to clear, so she looked around at her friends. Mentally doing a head count, she realized that Tuxedo Mask was still missing from the group.
That was odd. Usually during a fight, he didn't wander far from her side. But today's battle had been so chaotic, they had been separated Suddenly, Serena felt a rush of feeling that wasn't hers flood her body.
"Darien" she whispered. At that same moment, there was a flash of golden light about fifty yards away. A large banner like sign was blown away by the blast, revealing Tuxedo Mask battling one of the youma.
Since regaining Endymion's memories, Darien had been learning how to control his Golden Crystal again. It had been a slow process, requiring many hours of practice, but he was gradually beginning to get the hang of it.
Serena took in the sight of him, standing tall and proud, as he faced off against the creature in front of him. It made her think of a conversation they had had a few weeks before.
Flashback
They were in Elysian. Helios had a great knowledge of the power of the Golden Crystal, and had offered to help Darien regain his control of it.
Serena had been sitting one of the wide terraces of the palace enjoying the scenery and some refreshments, the book she had been reading lay neglected on the table. It was at quiet moments like these that she liked to go through all the memories in her head, separating hers from Serenity's, and then examine them for similarities and differences.
It was times like these when she realized that she and Serenity were more alike than she originally thought. Like now, she was looking out over the landscape, thinking about how pure and peaceful it was here. Right alongside that thought was a memory of Serenity sitting in almost this same spot, thinking the same thing.
She was glad her fears of turning more like Serenity once she got the memories back hadn't come true. Instead, she had discovered that Serenity had been a part of who she was all along. True, it could still be overwhelming at times, and some of the memories were so unpleasant that she wished she could block them out, but at least now they had a clear picture of what they were dealing with.
The glass door leading out to the terrace opened, and Darien came walking out. He looked tired and drained, and a light sheen of sweat covered his face. He made his way slowly over to a chair and sank gratefully down onto it.
Serena poured him a glass of the ice-cold lemonade that she had been enjoying and handed it to him. He took it with a small smile and downed half of it in one gulp.
"Oh man, that tastes good." he said on a sigh. "I swear, I don't remember it being this hard in the past to use that crystal."
Serena nodded. "I know what you mean. It's always been hard for me to channel the Silver Crystal's power, but Serenity seemed to have it pretty much mastered."
Darien leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Poor thing, he was trying so hard.
"You know, Darien," Serena said softly. "You don't have to push yourself so hard. I'm sure that it will get easier with time."
"Time may be something we don't have." he grumbled with his eyes still closed. After a few moments, he opened them to look at her. "You don't understand how frustrating it's always been for me to watch you put your life in danger all these years. I always felt so helpless."
Serena was shocked at the bitter sounding words coming from his mouth. "How could you say that?" she asked him. "You've never been helpless. You were always there to rescue me when I screwed up."
He let out a harsh bark of laughter. "Yeah, I'd show up, throw a few roses, and get you out of the line of fire, only to have to sit back and let you do all the hard work. I want to help you for once. The Golden Crystal is supposed to be as powerful as the Silver Crystal. I want to be able to fight at your side, both of us, together."
Serena's eyes were shining with unshed tears as she returned his gaze. "I know you do. Trust me, I wouldn't mind the help." She gave a forced giggle. "I wouldn't mind splitting the workload with you. I just don't want you pushing yourself too hard."
Darien blew out a breath. "I know, but I've got to keep trying."
End Flashback
He had kept training with the crystal. Every chance he could, he was practicing with it. He was often tired and cranky from his energy being low, but Serena had stayed supportive of him.
As she watched him fighting against the youma, she thought that maybe this would be his time to shine. Darien always succeeded in everything he did, and he had come a long way in learning how to use his crystal.
He distracted the youma with a rose he threw at it. It barely missed the creature and it turned to watch the flower as it sailed by.
With the monster's attention elsewhere, Serena saw Darien's hands begin to glow with a golden light as he called on his crystal's power. He shot an attack at the youma's back, it looked like a direct hit.
'That's it, take it out.' Serena thought to herself as she watched intently. Everything then seemed to happen in slow motion.
The youma turned and saw the attack heading for it. It leapt quickly out of the way before charging at Tuxedo Mask and knocking him back several feet where he hit the ground hard. The youma began moving in for an attack.
Sailor Moon fell to her knees as Mars and Jupiter let her go to spring forward along with Mercury, Venus, and the generals to aid the fallen prince. She gauged the distance between them and knew that they would never make it to him in time. She knelt on the ground, clutching her tier tightly, drawing on all the energy she could muster and called out, "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss."
A weak beam of energy was all that would come from it, and sputtered and died within seconds. She fell forward onto her hands and knees and stared at the ground through the tears that were building in her eyes. Images of Endymion's dead body were flashing through her mind.
'No…No…Not again!' she screamed silently to herself. She couldn't bear to watch him die yet again.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a bright flash of gold. She jerked her head up just in time to see the youma burst into dust. The scouts and generals all ground to a halt at this, still several yards away from Tuxedo Mask.
When the light faded, he was lying weakly on the ground. The others quickly regained their thoughts and ran the rest of the way to him. Serena could see them all talking to him, and then Kunzite held out his hand and helped him slowly to his feet.
He swayed for a second, and then seemed to regain a little of his balance. He looked around quickly, and then spotted her. He brushed off the others and began walking unsteadily toward her. The rest of them, sensing that they needed a moment alone together, stayed where they were.
It took him a few minutes to make his way to her. She was still on her hands and knees, staring at him through a blur of tears. When he reached her, he sank to his knees in front of her.
"I'm sorry Sere." he whispered. "I didn't mean to worry you."
Not knowing where she found the strength, she flung herself at him, sending them both falling over to the ground. Through her sobs, she smacked his shoulder lightly a few times.
"Don't you ever do that to me again." she wailed, sounding a lot like the Serena from a few years ago. She buried her head in his chest and proceeded to wet his shirt with her tears.
He held her tightly as she cried. After a long moment, he chuckled. "Now you know how I felt all those times you were in danger."
She pulled back to glare at him through red, swollen eyes. "That is so not funny right now, you jerk. You almost gave me a heart attack. I tried to blast the damn thing, but I didn't have the energy."
He pulled her head back down to his chest. "That's okay. For once, I can say I dusted one."
She sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't know about you, but I feel like I could sleep for a week."
"Definitely" he agreed. "Maybe we'll just stay here. I don't think I can move."
Just a few seconds later, he found out he could move. There was a loud crash as the game booth they were laying in front of came crashing down. He grabbed her around the waist and rolled both of them out of the way. When they came to a stop, they both looked over to see one last straggling youma lumbering into view.
They heard the faint cries of, "Sailor Moon…Tuxedo Mask" but knew their friends were too far away to be of any help.
Sailor Moon sat up, still clutching her tier. "I hope this works." she muttered. She called out her attack, but got the same results as before.
Tuxedo Mask's hands glowed a faint gold for a moment before it too disappeared. The youma was advancing on them swiftly, and they braced themselves for the worst.
There was a blur of movement, and then a figure was in front of them. In a blast of blue light, the youma exploded.
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask stared in shock at the girl in front of them.. All they could see was her back. She was dressed in a fuku that was a solid navy blue, her hair was a medium nut-brown shade and was in a ponytail that fell straight to the middle of her back.
When she finally turned around, they could see that she had warm, chocolate brown eyes. She seemed to be about seventeen years old. She gave them a mischievous grin. "And here I thought I was getting off easy today. I guess you needed my help after all."
"Sailor Shadow?" they both gasped together.
She gave a little bow. "The one and only. I guess I don't seem too shadowy right now, being out in the light and all. But, it was bound to happen sooner or later."
The others had reached them by now, and they were all staring in shock at the arrival of the mystery scout.
Sailor Shadow was beginning to look uncomfortable being the object of such scrutiny. Suddenly a beeping sound came from her wrist.
"Excuse me a moment.," she said, flipping open what seemed to be a communicator on her arm.
"Where the hell have you been?" a voice screeched, making everyone jump. "I've been trying to contact you for the last several minutes."
"Chill out." Shadow said exasperatedly. "I was kinda busy. If you're calling to tell me about the youma attack at the amusement park, I'm way ahead of you. It's taken care of."
"Oh" the voice stammered. "Good. Now what happened?"
"I'll tell you about it later." she sighed. "I'm not exactly alone right now."
There was a moment of silence. Then a shrill yelp. "What?! You let them see you? Oh for the love of…"
"I said we'll talk later." Shadow rebuked, cutting off the voice. She clicked the communicator shut and turned back to the others.
"Sorry about that." she said. "My guardian can get a little psycho sometimes. I think the fact that she's a talking cat has seriously loosened some of her screws."
"Talking cat?" Moon and Venus said together, thinking of Luna and Artemis
Sailor Shadow laughed. "Yeah, it's weird. One day, everything's normal. The next, a talking cat comes out of nowhere and tells you that you're a sailor scout with a mission to fulfill. I seriously thought I had lost my mind"
"Tell me about it." Moon and Venus echoed each other again before breaking out into giggles.
Sailor Shadow laughed as well. "Well, I guess I better go before she has a coronary. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again."
Before anyone could say anything, she had sprinted into the shadows of the funhouse and had disappeared.
"Well, that was interesting." Mars finally drawled.
"Yes, it was." Sailor Moon whispered. Their mysterious ally had finally shown herself to them. She had a feeling the girl wouldn't be hiding in the shadows as much anymore.
Jupiter shook her head. "She sure packs a punch. She took that youma down in two seconds flat."
There was a sound of sirens in the distance. Kunzite spoke up, "I think it's for the best if we all detransform and get out of here."
They all agreed. Serena and Darien were both helped to their feet. They all went behind one of the attractions and let go of their transformations. Then, looking like ordinary civilians, they began walking through the damaged park.
Once they had reached the exit and left the destruction behind, they grouped together for a chat.
"Where were the Outers?" Lita growled to Serena. "I can't believe they didn't show."
Serena was leaning against Darien, who was leaning against her, trying to hold each other up. Her cheeks flushed at the question. "I didn't call them." she stated simply.
"What?!" was the unified response.
She took a breath. "Rini is with them right now. Talon seems so intrigued by her that I didn't want to take the chance of him showing up while she's around."
They all shook their heads at Serena's maternal instincts. Jadeite then asked, "Now what?"
"Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to the arcade for a burger and a shake." Serena replied. "Then I'm going to go find a bed and pass out for the next week."
"I've got one you can use." Darien whispered in her ear. "If you don't mind sharing."
Serena blushed and pushed his shoulder lightly. "That would be counterproductive. I know exactly how much sleep I would get in bed with you."
His eyes gleamed wickedly as he put an arm around her waist. "I promise I'll let you rest. I could use it myself, I'm not exactly in top form either. But later…" he trailed off suggestively.
Serena never had been able to deny him anything when he turned the power of his hypnotic eyes on her. "Fine" she sighed. "But I'm warning you, I'm tired and cranky. If you don't let me sleep, I'm going home."
"I promise." he said happily. "Now let's go get that burger and shake."
They said goodbye to the others, and then began walking slowly down the sidewalk, still leaning against each other for support.
The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the city. This was a good camouflage to help hide the sight of a girl leaping from the top of a tall building to a second floor balcony on the apartment complex next door.
She slid the glass door open and stepped inside. Once inside the bedroom, she let her transformation go. Quickly changing clothes, she grabbed a bag and headed out the door. Walking down a hallway, she then entered a spacious living room. Seeing nobody else around, she headed for the front door.
She had reached the door and had a hand on the knob, when she heard the sound of two throats being cleared behind her. Turning around, she was confronted with the sight of a woman and a cat standing in the kitchen doorway, looking at her expectantly.
"Uh…Hi" she stammered. "I would love to stay and chat, but I've really gotta run right now. See ya later."
She was turning the door knob when a voice rang out, "Hold it right there, young lady."
The girl sighed, so much for making a clean getaway. "Look, I know you want to know about what happened this afternoon, but I'm in a hurry."
The ginger colored cat walked toward her. "No, we will talk now." the cat demanded in a no nonsense tone. "How is it that you revealed yourself in front of the others?"
The girl turned to look at the feline. "I couldn't help it. The prince and princess were completely wiped out. They were about to be flattened like pancakes and the scouts and generals were too far away to help. I couldn't get a clear shot from where I was hiding, so I jumped in and blasted the sucker. End of story."
Now the woman came forward. "No it's not end of story. You were supposed to stay on the sidelines. Finding out what we can about Talon so that he can be defeated is your mission, not jumping into the middle of a youma fight."
The girl turned angry eyes on them both. "So I'm just supposed to sit there and watch them get slaughtered, is that it? I'm tired of not being involved. This sneaking around is accomplishing nothing. I have the power to help them, and that's what I'm going to do."
The cat growled. "Your duty is to the princess. Protecting her and the crystal is your top priority. Not getting involved in a thousand year old vendetta."
"They're fighting for her too." she argued. "I'm sorry, Nebula. But I'm going active in this fight. Maybe that will draw Talon out from whatever rock he's been hiding under. And then maybe, I can figure out how to take him out. That's what you have been training me for the last four years for, isn't it? That will remove the threat to your precious princess, and I can get my life back."
The cat and the woman stared in shock at the vehement words coming from the young girl's mouth. They wanted this fight done and over with as much as she did. They had always known that the girl in front of them would be the one to end it, but it was all happening so fast.
"I'm outta here for a while." the girl said, taking advantage of their silence. She opened the door and quickly left, closing it behind her.
The cat sighed. "Well I guess this is the beginning of the end."
"We always knew it was coming." the woman replied. "I just hope she can handle it. This has all the feelings of a suicide mission."
They both fell silent as they thought of their young charge, praying that she would have the strength to face the powerful sorcerer, and survive.
The glass doors of the arcade slid open, admitting a weary, slow moving pair. They wandered over to the counter and took a seat on a couple of stools. The guy behind the counter looked up at them with a grin. That grin faded however as he took in their tired looking faces.
"Uh oh, now what?" Andrew inquired.
Darien answered quietly. "Youma attack at the amusement park. It was brutal."
Andrew winced. "Ouch. Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah, but some of us almost weren't." Serena said with a glare in Darien's direction.
Darien rolled his eyes at her. "Don't start. Andrew, could I get a cup of coffee?"
"Yeah, sure. What about you, Serena?" he replied.
She thought for a moment. "I was going to have a shake, but I think I'll take one of my specials instead. I need a caffeine and sugar rush."
Andrew shook his head. "Coming right up."
He got them both their drinks and placed their food orders with the kitchen before walking over to make a round of the tables. He came back and joined them on the front side of the counter. He had his back to the door as they talked and didn't realize a new arrival had come in until a pair of hands came from behind and covered his eyes.
"Guess who." a soft, musical voice breathed into his ear.
"Hmm…" he mused for a second. "Let me see. Could it be my wayward girlfriend finally decided to show up for her shift fifteen minutes late?"
The hands were removed and a small fist playfully punched him in his shoulder. With a laugh, he turned to face the pouting dark blonde haired girl.
"I called and told you that my class ran late." she said in a mock hurt tone.
Andrew pulled the girl into a quick hug. "I'm just picking on you. I'm glad they finally let you out of there."
Jess let out a huge sigh. "Not as glad as I am. I don't understand why I have to take that stupid English class anyway. I lived in California most of my life. I speak perfect English thank you very much. Hell, I speak it better than that so called professor who's supposed to be teaching us."
Andrew, Serena, and Darien all chuckled at her little tirade. She stuck her tongue out at all of them before breaking into giggles herself.
"Well I guess you would like me to get to work." Jess said as she reluctantly pulled herself out of Andrew's arms. Turning, she picked up her ever-present beat up backpack from where she had sat it on a stool and headed behind the counter toward the staff room.
"Order up" came the call from the window leading into the kitchen.
"I bet that's your burgers." Andrew said as he walked behind the counter to get the plates sitting on the ledge. He deposited the food in front of the ravenous couple before being called away to wait on a customer that approached the counter.
Serena and Darien tore hungrily into their food. They had planned to get lunch earlier, but were side tracked by the youma attack. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes.
"Hey guys." Lizzy said, walking up to them. "Did you happen to see which way Drew went? I've got an order for one of the tables in the back."
Serena shook her head. "He was here a minute ago, but I didn't see where he disappeared to."
Lizzy blew out a breath. "No telling with him. I'll just get it myself."
She went to the soda fountain and began getting drinks together for her customers. One of the glasses overflowed and she looked around for a towel to mop up the mess.
"There's never a towel around when I need one." She grumbled, walking toward the staffroom. She opened the door and walked in. A few seconds later there was a loud "Eep!"
She came stomping out of the room with a furious look on her face. A few seconds later, Andrew followed her out. His hair was a little disheveled and his face was flushed.
"Aw, come on Lizzy. Don't be mad." Andrew said in a cajoling voice.
She snatched a towel from where it was looped through the ties of his apron and began cleaning up the spill. A few moments later she spun back toward him, fire snapping in her eyes
"You know, Drew" she ground out in a murderous voice. "I'm glad you finally got a girlfriend and all, but could you please keep the make out sessions away from here. Seeing my brother with his tongue halfway down a girl's throat is a surefire way to give me nightmares for the next twenty years."
Andrew groaned. "I'm sorry, okay. Now what do you need for your order?"
"Never mind, I already got it." Lizzy snapped as she picked up the glasses and stomped off toward the back of the arcade.
Andrew turned toward the pair who had been watching this whole exchange. Serena and Darien both had wide grins on their faces, which they were trying desperately to hide.
"Not a word out of either one of you." Andrew demanded. "I seem to remember a time when I was constantly nauseous from having to endure the sight of the two of you all over each other."
Serena held her hands up in surrender. "I wasn't going to say anything."
Darien just smirked. "You mean like this?" He pulled Serena off of her stool and onto his lap before giving her a deep kiss that was just short of being indecent in a public place.
Andrew snorted. "Yeah, that's it. At least I take my fun behind closed doors."
At that moment, a head poked around the edge of the doorframe.
"Is she gone?" Jess asked in an exaggerated whisper.
Andrew chuckled. "Yeah, she's gone. It's safe to come out now."
Jess came out of the staffroom, tucking a few wayward strands of wavy hair that had escaped from her braid behind her ears. "I thought I was dead. If looks could kill, I would have been toast."
Andrew pulled his embarrassed girlfriend into his arms. "Don't let Lizzy scare you. She's just upset because none of her relationships ever seem to work out. I actually feel for her. All the guys she dates end up being bums."
"She'll find the right one someday." Jess declared with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Then you can give her a hard time."
Andrew threw back his head and laughed. "You're probably right. You man the counter for a minute. I'll go make a sweep of the tables." He was actually making an excuse. Darien had given him a look and had cocked his head to indicate that he wanted to have a private word with him.
Jess waved him away as she tied her apron around her waist. Andrew made a quick run through the few patrons at the tables before heading for a back exit that led to an alley. The light haired man slipped through the door and waited. A few moments later, the door cracked open again, revealing his dark haired friend.
"What's up?" Andrew asked.
"I need a favor from you." Darien told him. "Serena's birthday is this Friday, and I was wondering if you would let us have the arcade after hours for a party. The girl's corralled me yesterday and made me promise I would ask you."
Andrew hesitated for a second. "I don't know, man. They can get kind of wild."
"I already spoke to them about that." Darien reassured him. "They promised not to destroy the place. The rest of the guys and I will be there to keep things under control. They did pretty good at the graduation party."
Andrew relented. "Okay. I'm assuming since you're having this party at my place, I'm invited."
Darien grinned. "Of course. You and Jess are both invited. It wouldn't be a party without you."
The two couples had gone out together a few times over the last weeks. Andrew, Darien, and Serena had been a close group of friends for years, and Jess just seemed to fit right in. Much more than Rita ever had the few times they had all gone out together when Andrew was seeing her.
"Don't say anything to Serena though." Darien cautioned. "We want it to be a surprise."
Andrew nodded his head. "My lips are sealed."
That settled, they both slipped back inside the arcade. Walking back to the counter, they heard the peal of giggles before the two girls came into sight. When they finally came into view, Jess was wiping tears of laughter from her eyes as Serena leaned across the counter, talking animatedly between giggles.
"So Mina gets to close to the edge," she was saying. "she falls in with a spectacular splash. She surfaces a few seconds later, screaming bloody murder for Kunzite to come help her out. Well he sat there pretending like he didn't know her, so Lita walked over to pull her out. I don't know how it happened, but she managed to pull Lita in with her. So that was how my eighteenth birthday party ended."
"Talking birthday parties are we?" Darien asked as he slipped up next to Serena and snaked an arm around her waist.
Serena nodded. "Yeah, I mentioned that my birthday was at the end of the week, so we got to swapping stories."
Darien shared a look with Andrew. "Oh, well maybe this year you can have a quieter birthday. No Mina's falling in the lake or anything."
Serena cut a look at him. "You have something in mind?"
He shook his head. "No, not really. But I've got all week. I'll think of something."
She gave him a small smile, and he could see the extreme weariness that was hiding behind her cheerful façade. He felt the same way. Even though the coffee and food had helped boost him a little, he was still longing for a nice long rest.
"Let's get out of here." he whispered in her ear.
"Sounds good to me." she whispered back.
Darien told Andrew and Jess. "We're going to split now. See you guys later."
They made their goodbyes and left the arcade to get some well deserved sleep.
In a dark lair, deep within the earth, Talon sat pondering the mysteries going through his head. He had not been hiding as much as the prince, princess, and their guardians thought. He had been present at every battle, watching and observing.
He knew that Serenity and Endymion could pose a threat to him with the power of their crystals. But if it was handled right, he should be able to defeat them.
It was this unknown sailor scout that had him worried. He had been sneaking around the battles for the last month trying to catch up to her. He knew she was always there, hiding in the shadows. She had attacked several of his youma from her strategic hiding places during the battles, but was always gone by the time he got to the location where she had been.
Today at the amusement park had been no different. He had felt her presence and knew that she was there somewhere, but had searched to no avail. He had begun to think that this was going to be another wasted battle when the unthinkable happened.
One of his youma had cornered the drained royal couple and was about to move in for the kill, when there had been a dark streak of movement. Suddenly, his shadowy little prey had been standing in full view in the fading sunlight. He had watched in amazement as she had defeated his monster with one well-placed energy blast.
He had prided himself on making the most powerful youma ever created. It made those stupid, stumbling creatures Beryl had created pale in comparison. It was a testament to that girl's power that she was able to destroy one of his creatures so easily.
He really shouldn't be all that surprised. Since finding out Queen Serenity had placed a sailor scout as a guardian for the young princess, he had known that the ancient moon queen would have put a strong fighter in that position.
He pulled up a holographic image that he had been able to capture today. The vision of the tall scout, with her long brown hair and warm brown eyes appeared before him. She stood proudly, confident in her abilities. She was the key to getting to the princess.
He felt a presence behind him, but didn't turn toward it. He knew that all he would see would be a shapeless dark cloud of energy.
"So this is our final obstacle in achieving our goal." a deep voice rang out through the cavern.
"Yes" Talon stated simply, wishing the presence would go away.
"She could prove quite useful." the voice said.
Talon let out an angry growl. "I'll make the decisions. This is my mission. I'll not let you interfere and take me over the way Beryl allowed Metallia to do her."
"My apologies" the voice said. "I was just making a comment. But do not forget that you need my power if you hope to obtain the power which you seek."
"Leave me." Talon demanded. He felt the retreat of the dark presence as he gazed again at the vision in front of him. 'She could prove useful.' the voice repeated inside his head.
Yes, she was powerful. She held the key to the princess's whereabouts, even if she proclaimed to not know. He could use a good woman like her at his side. Beryl would have made a pathetic queen. But this girl, she had an aura around her. She would be a perfect compliment to him. And together, they would find the princess and her crystal.
Contrary to what everyone thought, he wished no harm on the little princess. Beryl had sought to destroy Serenity and take the Silver Crystal from her, but Talon knew that a crystal worked best in the hands of its carrier. He only wished to have Melody and her crystal under his control.
He would treat her like a daughter, his own special secret weapon to go against anyone who tried to oppose him. Unlike the selfish parents of her past who only sought to keep her hidden, he would ensure her birthright, letting her be the princess she was born to be. He would help her learn to cultivate her power for his behalf.
And what better mother figure could she have than her own guardian. Yes, he needed to find out who this Sailor Shadow was and win her over to his side. Then the princess would be theirs. And then the world, the galaxy, the entire universe, would theirs for the taking.
A twisted grin formed on his face. "Look out Sailor Shadow. I will find your secrets. Then you, your princess, and her crystal will all be mine."
Serena's eyes snapped open and she stared wildly into the darkness. Her breath was coming in short, quick gasps and she had a cold sweat over her body. A deep feeling of foreboding sat like a weight on her chest.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, making her cringe. While she had come a long way in conquering her fear of storms, she still didn't like them. Lightning flashed, and she could see it around the edges of the heavy black curtains that hung at Darien's bedroom windows.
Looking at the clock, she saw it was 5 am. Wow she hadn't meant to sleep so long. They had come back to Darien's apartment after leaving the arcade to find Rini there waiting for them.
Seeing the state they were in, she had chastised them for not calling her and the outer scouts to the battle. Then acting more like the parent instead of the child, she had ordered them both off to bed. Secretly humored by this, they had both complied and had been asleep within minutes.
That had been at around 7 pm last night. She had figured that she would nap for a few hours and that would be it. Instead she had slept the whole night away.
Another grumble of thunder took her by surprise and made her jump. She brushed up against a warm body lying next to her. That made her feel much better. But when a particularly bright flash of lightning was accompanied by a thunderclap loud enough to make the building shake, she quickly burrowed herself up to the sleeping man, clinging to him like a lifeline.
She buried her head against his chest, desperately trying to block out the sounds of the raging storm. Little tremors racked her body. Then she felt the movement of the body under her as strong arms wrapped around her.
A sleepy chuckle rumbled the chest under her ear. "I thought you said storms didn't scare you anymore."
She raised her head. She could just make out his features in the glow from the alarm clock. "I still don't like them. And this one sounds bad."
Another growl of thunder sent her head burying back into his chest and her arms snaking up quickly to encircle his neck.
Darien leaned his head down to breath into her ear. "Shh, I can make it go away." He began to nibble on her sensitive lobe. He grinned to himself when he felt her breath catch and she let out a soft sigh.
He rolled her over onto her back and began kissing his way down her throat. She tilted her head back to give him better access and then arched her back as one of his hands slid under her t-shirt. After administering a couple of love bites to her collarbone, he began making his way back up toward her lips.
"I love you." he whispered against her lips.
"I love you, too." she breathed as her fingers made their way into his silky hair. She pulled his head down and claimed his lips with hers. After a few moments, Darien groaned and deepened the kiss.
The thunder intensified outside, but inside Serena was no longer paying any attention to it. She was enjoying the moment of having her prince in her arms. Lost in the moment, she barely heard the thunder. But through the haze of passion, another sound reached her ears.
After a loud boom of thunder, she heard a squeal and then the sound of sobbing. She suddenly remembered that they weren't alone in the apartment.
She broke the kiss and began pushing against Darien's shoulders. He paused and looked down at her in the dim light with a confused expression on his face.
"What is it?" he asked huskily.
Serena motioned for him to be quiet and waited. When the next clap of thunder happened, she heard it again, but louder this time. A sharp squeal, and then the choking sobs,
"Rini" she exclaimed, pushing Darien off of her and rolling to the edge of the bed. She jumped to the floor and was across the room in a flash. She opened the door and ran quickly to the room next door. Flinging open the door, she called out, "Rini".
The teenage girl was curled up in a ball in the corner of the bed up against the wall hugging her knees tightly to her chest. Her long pink hair was in tangles around her and her chest heaved with broken sobs.
"Oh Rini" Serena sighed as she made her way to the bed. She felt a little guilty for forgetting for a moment that her future daughter was as terrified of storms as she was. Sitting on the bed, she reached out and touched the girl's shoulder.
"It's okay, Rini. I'm here." she said soothingly. She felt Darien's presence as he made his way to the door. There was another loud boom, and then she was hit with a flying pink bundle of crying princess.
"Momma" the girl sobbed as her arms wrapped around Serena like a vice. "Momma…Momma."
Serena felt the bed dip as Darien took a seat next to her and wrapped his arms around both of them.
"Daddy, make it stop. Make the thunder go away." Rini mumbled.
Darien reached up a hand to smooth back the cotton candy colored hair from her tear-wet cheeks. "I wish I could sweetie, but that's beyond my control."
Another boom, lighter this time, sounded. The girl gave a shiver and latched on to both of her parent's past forms. "I don't like storms."
That brought a giggle from Serena. "I don't blame you. I don't like them either
The three of them sat like, that wrapped in each other's arms, until the sounds of the storm faded into the distance until it was only a faint rumble.
Rini had fallen back to sleep in Serena's arms, so she scooted her around until she could lay the sleeping head back on her pillow. She stood up from the bed and moved aside as Darien pulled the covers up and tucked them around their future daughter. Then they quietly slipped from the room. Once in the hall, they looked at each other and grinned.
"I wonder how many nights like that we have to look forward to in the future." Darien whispered.
"A lot, I'm sure." Serena whispered back. "But it was kind of nice to hear her call me momma. I've always felt like I didn't live up to her expectations of her mother."
Darien pulled her into his arms. "You'll be a great mother." His eyes darkened for a moment. "You always were."
Knowing he was thinking of Endymion's memories, she hugged him tightly. She also couldn't help but think of her past child. The way that little face would light up when she saw her parents. 'Momma…Daddy' the sweet childish voice played through her head.
"When I look at Rini now, I see it as we get another chance." Darien whispered gently to her. "A chance to raise a daughter together. No sneaking. No hiding."
Serena raised her head and looked deeply into his eyes. What she saw there was Endymion's longing for the chance to live his life together with his wife and child. She felt the spirit of Serenity rising up in her as she laid a gentle hand on his cheek.
"We do have a second chance, my love." she told him quietly. "This time we will be able to stand beside each other in front of the whole world, and no one can tell us we can't."
He lowered his face toward hers. "Serenity" he breathed.
"Endymion" she responded breathlessly.
He claimed her lips in a deep, scorching kiss. Not breaking contact, he picked her up in his arms and walked back into the bedroom, kicking the door firmly shut behind him.
In an apartment not far away, a woman and a cat breathed sighs of relief when the girl on the bed seemed to finally fall into a peaceful sleep. As she did, the storm finally died and the thunder and lightning faded off into the distance.
A white haired young man stood from where he had been kneeling beside the bed for several hours, keeping watch over the teenage girl's dreams.
"Is she okay, Helios?" the woman asked as she tucked the covers in around the now still body.
Helios sighed. "I hope so. This was the worst episode yet. Her memories are fighting to be released, and I don't know how much longer I can hold them back."
They all looked down at the sleeping girl. Resting comfortably now, it was hard to tell that she had just spent a terrifying night filled with horrifying images and visions. Except for the tear tracks running down her cheeks.
The woman gently wiped the wetness away, tears of her own in her eyes. "I know we can't stop it from happening, but I wish we could. It's such a huge burden to place on her."
The cat jumped up onto the bed to curl up close to her mistress. "The memories will come, we can't stop it, no matter how much we want to. But if they surface too soon I hate to think what would happen."
They all knew what would happen. If Sailor Shadow's memories from the Silver Millennium were awoken too soon, she would pose a threat to the mission. Buried deep inside her was the key to the princess's location. If her disastrous memories of the past were to intrude, she would be unstable, putting herself, the princess, and the crystal in a position to be taken by Talon.
All they could hope for was for those memories of the past to stay safely locked away until after Talon had been defeated. If not, the world as they knew it would be destroyed.
The girl slept on, unaware that the fate of the planet rested in her young hands.
A/N So that's it for now. I hope I was able to give you a little more insight into Sailor Shadow and what her purpose is in this story. She will now move into the position of a central character instead of being in the background so much. Secret identities are going to be revealed real soon. I can't wait. Remember, reviews make me smile. Later!
Sere-chan