With Friends Like These

A/N: I have gotten complaints about the rape part of the story. Yes, it's dark, it's a bad thing to have happen. However, from a really bad event, often times the victim and those around the victim grow as people, even in real life. Rape REALLY happens people. It's a terrible, horrible thing but it happens. We can't pretend that it doesn't any more than we can pretend that homosexuality does not exist (homosexuality is NOT a bad thing but so many people want to pretend it doesn't exist. Ex. Haruka+Michiru=COUSINS? SERIOUSLY? COUSINS?). This story encompasses a couple of genres. Mainly it's meant to be a satire of the daytime soap opera. Implausible things happen, it takes forever for the plot to actually move forward, etc. At the same time, it's also a chance for me as a writer to discuss many of the problems we face in our real life society. We'll see an example of this in this chapter. It sucks that so many bad things happen to good people, but they do happen and you can't hide from it. Serena and her friends are going to face a lot real life, SERIOUS problems and not the trivial personal problems that the canon anime shows. It's not always going to turn out OKAY, at least not right away. Like with Mina and Diamond. She may be putting him in his place but she's still stuck in a situation she does not want to be in. She chose to take Serena's place but in as much as Belle chose to take her father's place at the Beast's Castle. She doesn't want to. She doesn't want to marry him but you know what, she's going to. She's not getting out of that. Her telling Diamond off is merely a way of trying to have some control in a situation that is beyond her control. Nevertheless, you know what, as much as she hates this, she's not the type to wallow about in self-pity (we know Mina, she's not like that all), she's going to try and make the best out of this bad situation. She doesn't want to but damn it, she's going to do it anyway. That is real life. We find ourselves in situations we don't want to be in, situations that are completely out of our hands and we have no choice but to buck up and take it, to try and make the best of the situation that we are in and hope it will work out. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. Moreover, sometimes we find out that really, this situation was the best thing that could happen to us. Again, that is life. Sometimes it sucks, sometimes it absolutely rocks, and sometimes we don't know what to make of it. The important thing is just to keep trying and largely, that's the biggest moral, the biggest theme of this story. As much as it's "things aren't always what they seem to be" it's keep trying, no matter how bad or hard it gets. Just keep trying. It'll seem hard and dark and sometimes you'll wonder what is the point but if you keep trying and you don't give up, you'll find the light and you'll be happy again. I know it's cliché but it's true that everything happens for a reason and it's not always clear to us. Whether you're a believer in any religion or not, this is still true. Everything has a point and someday the tears you've cried will form a river to a better life. Sorry, I've rambled on and on. Let's get this chapter moving.

Chapter 51

In the morning, Malachite entered Serena's room with a tray of breakfast. He knew she would probably not want to eat but he had to try.

He set the tray down on the vanity and turned to wake her up. It was not necessary, as her eyes were already wide open, watching him quietly. He was disturbed that he could not read her like he usually could. Her eyes usually told him everything he needed to know but now they were blank.

"Good morning," he told her, trying to keep things as normal as he could. He didn't know what to say. Normally he would ask her if she slept well or how she was feeling. Those would both be rather stupid questions right now. "I brought you breakfast," he brought over the tray. She looked away. Slowly, he sat down beside her, cursing the fiend who hurt her as she jerked with fear. Carefully, gently, he took her hand, rubbing it reassuringly. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry you were hurt again. When I could have protected you..."

"Malachite," Lita called into the room. "We need to talk to you."

The man kissed her hand, not wanting to frighten her worse. "I'll be back Moonbow. Please, try to eat something."

Outside the bedroom, Lita and Ami sat on the sofa. It was just the two of them and Rubeus as Ken and Ellen had taken Sammy to school. Kit and Ares were taking a run, taking out their anger at what happened on the roads around the castle and Zoe was still asleep. Rubeus was positioned as a guard at the inside of the door, pretending not to listen to them.

"Malachite...we needed to warn you," Ami began. "You're going to have to be really careful with Serena."

He nodded. "Yes, I can see her fear of me..."

Lita shook her head. "She's not afraid of YOU per se. I mean, she is but she's more scared that you're not going to want her anymore."

The general snapped his eyes at Lita. "What? Why wouldn't I?"

"On Earth, Malachite, people are very stupid and close-minded," Ami explained. "Sadly, a lot of times, rape victims are blamed by them for what happened. It leads to a very hard life."

"But it's not her fault..." Malachite stated.

Lita nodded. "No it isn't, and how the Earth treats it is totally wrong but that's how it is right now. Maybe someday, people will learn to put the blame where it really belongs. We wanted to tell you because we know you've had issues with fully giving yourself to her, emotionally, and that's ultimately what she is going to need in order to believe that you do still love her."

Malachite understood what the girl was saying. She was right. He could not afford to feel guilty over this if she was to recover.

Mina woke the next morning in confusion. She looked around her. Where was she? Why hadn't Nephrite woke her and Lita for training? And where was Lita?

"Your Highness," a voice came from outside her door bringing back the events of the day before. She wasn't on Asgard now. She was in the Black Moon flagship. "Breakfast is served."

She moaned in response but she put her hair up in the pigtails that Serena had taught her the previous evening. She would worry about dressing later. Right now, she needed fuel.

So, it was that she arrived in the dining room in her pajamas and bathrobe and pink bunny slippers. Diamond and Sapphire stared at her, in their opinion, unusual attire. She decided to thoroughly annoy them, or rather Diamond (Sapphire was just unfortunate casualty in this subtle war).

Thus she pasted a chipper grin on her face and continued to the table. "Good morning, everyone." She sat at her seat beside Diamond.

The man shook his head at her antics. "Good morning, S..Serena..." saying that name was weird. He was used to saying Serenity but he didn't dare call her wrath upon him so early in the morning. "Did you sleep well?"

She smiled a contrary smile at him. "Oh, about as well as can be expected. What's for breakfast?"

"Oatmeal and sausage," Sapphire replied.

As at dinner the night before, Mina was perplexed at the small-scale meal. When she thought of royalty and food, she thought grand banquets at any time of the day and lots of different, and even weird looking foods. She remembered what they said about how they obtained their food and slowly started to wonder exactly how the people ate when they traded for food rather than won through battle. She would have to, somehow, get word to her friends on this new development. If it was as she suspected, something would have to be done.

Lita and Ami weren't the only ones who wanted to speak to him. Malachite only had about twenty minutes to sit with Serena, trying to coax her into eating her breakfast, an exercise in futility, before Beryl required his presence.

"Malachite, I called you here because I think we both know the seriousness of the situation. We don't know who it was who attacked her, but I think we're safe in assuming they are not related with the Black Moon or Nemesis," Beryl began. "We don't know how they got here. It is also very possible that her attacker is one of our own. I'd like to think that none of our people would do this but just as there are bad humans, there could very well be truly bad youma."

"I was thinking of that as well, Your Majesty. It's strange, I could find no trace of the attacker's energy anywhere in the apartment, not even in her bedroom where the attack took place," Malachite concurred. "I would say assign more guards but as you've said we don't really know who we can trust."

"That's why I'm relieving her of active duty for the time being and I am assigning YOU to guard her exclusively. But not here," Beryl continued. "I have already spoken with her parents on this matter. Stealth is what we need here. We need to be discreet, the fewer guards around her the better. You will return with her to Earth, I have already set you up with a home in America, bought under the names of Mr. and Mrs. Blake, newlyweds."

Malachite stared. "Newlyweds?" He supposed he it was a good idea, a good cover but he had just decided that morning that he was going to STOP or try to stop feeling guilty about his feelings for Serena but now he has to pretend to be completely okay with the thought of being married to her.

"Malachite, I know what you're thinking. You're an open book to me," Beryl began. "I am sorry that I have to push you into this so soon. And before you leave, I feel you deserve an explanation as to my actions regarding Zoycite."

Malachite flinched at the name. "I do not blame you my queen. I warned her that she was overstepping her bounds..."

Beryl raised her hand to silence him. "She was impetuous, I agree. However, there is more to it than that. I wanted to save her Malachite, but, she was so badly injured and we had so little energy left...I had to use so much of it in the conversion of the Black Star Crystal. I couldn't say that in so many words, with so many of our people there to witness. It would have caused panic. All I could do was take away her pain. That is what I did."

Malachite shook his head. "I do not blame you, my queen. It was my fault she was so badly hurt. I was not there to protect her, as I should have been. I do not even blame the scouts any longer, they were merely protecting themselves." He shook with grief he could no longer hide.

A gentle hand fell on his shoulder and he looked into his queen's eyes. In them, he beheld a kindness he rarely saw before. "You face a hard road Malachite. Some scars never fully heal; however, I believe this is not one of them. It will be hard, but if you allow yourself to, truly, love again, Princess Serenity can and will help you. And I can promise you, this is what Zoycite would want for you now. Knowing her as a child, watching her grow up and watching the two of you together, I know that there was no one she loved as much as she did you. Allow this knowledge to bring you peace and allow you to open your heart completely to this young woman."

Malachite nodded and bowed respectfully, reverently, knowing that she spoke the truth. She was the one who knew them best, thus it made sense that she would know how Zoycite would feel about this. "Thank you my queen. I will protect Princess Serenity to the best of my ability.

In his secret chambers, Wise Man hovered again before the maiden encased in the liquid-filled crystal. "Soon my dear, it will be time for you to awaken once again..."

AN: Again, I bring up the crystal-encased woman. I bring her up for a reason. She will play a part later in the series. Can anyone guess who she ?

Also, know, that there is a reason why Malachite nor Beryl could sense the foreign energy of the attacker. This comes back to the fact that it was really Shadow who attacked her and not Darien, despite being in Darien's body and it will play a factor later on as well.

On another note, I am toying with the idea for a short crossover for the next parts involving Malachite and Serena. I am considering crossing over, for a short time, with the Classic Power Rangers (and yes I mean Zack and Trini, the original Black and Yellow Rangers). This is not for sure yet as I am not sure if this is the right way to go. Again, if I did it, it would not last the entire rest of the story (which will go all the way up to and possibly PAST Stars which means you're looking at one heck of an ongoing story) but rather maybe a story arc or two. What do you think? Yes, this is one time when I am actually giving you guys a chance to influence the story in some form. I do not promise to go with the majority however, as I will also be talking with my Beta on this matter. Still let me know what you think as I will be taking your opinions into account to some extent.