Imperfect Reincarnation

by Serena530

AU. The Guardian Sailor Scouts must be awakened, protect the Earth from a familiar evil, and find and guard the Moon Princess, but what will happen when more scouts arrive and memories begin to surface of a past far different then some remember. Continuation of The Perfect Match.

7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or her characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.

Imperfect Reincarnation
Chapter Seven

Serenity and Endymion walked along a well-lit hallway, her arm wrapped around his arm, with an usher leading them, and behind them walked their friends and Endymion's Guardian Generals. She could hear the light sound of all five men's boots as well as her own gold high heel shoes along the tiled floor.

She let her gaze drift down and looked at Endymion's boots. They were black knee high boots that laced up. She had never seen him wear such boots and she found the look interesting on him. She especially wondered how interesting she would find them if he was only wearing them and his pants.

Later tonight. She told herself quietly. She would find out how interesting she found his look then.

She lifted her eyes and focused back on their path just in time to see the usher stop. The young man bowed to them as he gestured with an arm into the open doorway.

Endymion guided her through the doorway, pass the thick curtains that were tied back, and toward their seats in front of the railing to their private balcony viewing box. He helped her sit and then took his seat at her side before grasping her hand and kissing her fingers.

"Such a romantic you are." She said with a smile.

"Only for you my love." Endymion replied with a soft smirk.

"That is certainly good to know." She replied with a smirk of her own, and he laughed lightly.

Minutes passed as they chatted quietly and looked out over the people gradually arriving and assembling into their seats below. Once there was no longer any movement a formally dressed man walked up onto the stage in front of the closed dark red curtains.

"Welcome and good evening my fellow terrains." The man said. "I am honored to announce that tonight's show is dedicated to our guests of honor; His Royal Highness Prince Endymion and our protector Sailor Earth." He said as he gestured up toward their box.

"Our engagement gift to you." He announced in pleasure before he bowed in their direction, and the audience cheered and clapped as they got to their feet.

Endymion and Serenity stood and waved lightly as they smiled down at the assembled happy crowd showing off their evening attire in the process.

Endymion wore an ankle length black sleeveless overcoat that looked more like a robe trimmed in a gold forest leaf and vine pattern, and beneath that he wore a black long sleeve tunic with a stand-up collar and a slit button-up neckline with loose poetic sleeves with long cuffs that went down to mid-thigh.

It had a gold brocade design that matched the trim on the overcoat lining the top edge of the collar, around the edge of the cuffs, and gold buttons. A black leather belt with gold accents cinched it around his waist, and black pants covered his legs.

Serenity wore a velvet medieval off the shoulder style blue-green dress with gold assents. It had slightly flowing long sleeves, silk lace tying up the back to make it fitted, although her long golden hair covered the detail, and a blue-green silk belt with gold designs along it wrapped around her waist.

The only jewelry she wore were the flesh colored tiara with a golden gem on her forehead, triple stud flesh colored earrings in her ears, and gold bands around her wrists, and that was because despite the formal dress she was transformed as Sailor Earth.

After a few long moments Serenity and Endymion sat back down, and soon after the rest of the audience followed suit.

"And now" The man on the stage called out, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "on with the show!" He said before he walked off the stage.

The lights dimmed slightly and the dark red curtains slowly parted to reveal people dressed just as formal sitting and holding musical instruments. They began to play starting out with a melody that was immediately bold and triumphant and gradually shifted as the minutes passed to softer and soothing.

Serenity looked away from the performers and over to her fiancé and smiled softly to see him gazing down at the performance. His face was relaxed and yet his eyes were clearly interested.

He must have sensed her gaze because he turned his face to her, and she watched his eyes instantly soften. She reached over and gently caressed his face, and he took advantage by kissing the palm of her hand before he leaned over, bringing his face toward hers, and kissed her.

oOo

"Endymion!" She cried out and hurried toward him, quickly dropping to her knees at his side as she placed a hand on his shoulder and grabbed his hand with the other.

"Why?! Why did you do this?" She asked, angry and sad. "It is my duty to protect my princess!"

"No. It is not your duty and never has been." Endymion said weakly. "You were never supposed to be Sailor Moon. Your destiny was taken from you."

"I do not understand." Sailor Moon said in confusion.

This man had just saved her life, taking a clearly mortal wound for her, and it was clear from his words that he did it for her and not her princess. She had already admitted to herself that she loved him, but seeing him so hurt and knowing he was dying shattered something deep inside her.

They heard a scream and she looked up to see her princess being attacked by an earth soldier. She moved to get up but looked back to Endymion as she felt him squeeze her hand.

Sailor Moon looked frantically between Endymion and her barely struggling princess. She knew she needed to protect her, but her body was already settling back at his side and it made her abruptly aware that his life was more important to her then her princess' was.

"I do not want you to die. You cannot die. I love you too much for you to leave me." She said sadly as she gently ran her fingers through his hair.

"I love you as well my Serenity. I will find you again, and you will remember what we had." He said quietly.

---

Serena's eyes snapped open as her alarm went off Thursday morning and she held in the gasp that tried to squeeze through her throat. Once again she could feel the same intense sorrow she always felt after waking from a memory dream.

She leaned over and turned her alarm off before she relaxed back against her pillow. She still couldn't explain why she felt the sadness. What was she not remembering that was able to affect her this way?

There was no getting used to it either. It was so intense, vibrant, and it was starting to feel disconcerting.

Still, there was nothing she could do about it and no way to understand it without knowing the source, so she turned her mind to what she did remember from her dream.

Surprise was the first thing that registered at the underlining context of the memory. The musical performance was a gift; it was an engagement gift. Were Sailor Earth and the Prince really engaged to be married?!

How long did they know each other before that happened? She wondered, although she had clearly seen that they were happy together. I suppose I can assume that they knew each other for some time with him being the prince of the Earth and her being the scout of the Earth.

Was that really my past life? Engaged to a prince? She wondered. But I'm still not sure if that Sailor Earth was actually me. I can't have been both Sailor Moon and Sailor Earth at the same time, and it's still confusing trying to think of them as two separate lifetimes because of the prince in both of their lives.

Serena sighed lightly as the thought of the prince, Endymion, had her considering how he looked like Darien. Her boyfriend was tall like the prince with short black hair and blue eyes.

Still, despite the resemblance she very much doubted her boyfriend just happened to be the reincarnation of the prince she was dreaming about in possibly two separate lifetimes. That would be too much of a coincidence.

She hummed silently as she took a few moments to try and recall from the memories she had recalled so far if Darien acted at all like the prince. They were both considerate, romantic, confident, and had no problem stating quite clearly their opinions and what they wanted.

All nice things that I like, but there has to be plenty of guys out there that are that way. It's nothing singular or special. She thought as she shook her head lightly.

No. Her boyfriend was no reincarnation. He just looked similar to the prince. That was all. He was tall and had short dark hair and blue eyes. She was sure lots of guys looked like that.

Thinking of her boyfriend as she was Serena couldn't help remembering the evening before when she was talking on the phone with Darien.

She had made sure Mercury was fine, even though she had already known she was, and then they had parted ways. She had met back up with Molly, finding her when she spotted her fellow students all gathered together.

Then she discovered the field trip was being cut short after the monster fight. The teachers didn't want to take any chances of another monster showing up since they were in charge of the safety of so many students.

So they had obviously left, but they had still arrived back at campus after school had let out. It was just earlier than they would have arrived.

When she got home she had called Darien and told him all about the trip, even the monster attack although without the details, and then later in the conversation he had surprised her by asking her to go out on a formal date with him on Friday.

oOo

"Serena." Darien said her name quietly, gaining her attention instantly.

"Yes?" She said softly.

"Will you go on a formal date with me Friday evening?" He asked.

"Formal." Serena repeated in surprise.

"Yes." He confirmed. "Formal as in evening dresses, high heels, and tuxedos."

"Oh!" She exclaimed happily. "I would love to go out with you."

"Excellent." Darien replied, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Don't plan on seeing me tomorrow since I'm going to have to go shopping to find something to wear." She warned him.

"Do you think you'll be able to find something in time?" He asked with some concern.

"Oh yeah. Don't worry." Serena assured him. "I'll be ready for you to pick me up whenever our date starts."

"Will I be able to see you Friday after you get out of school?" Darien asked.

"You will, but our time might be cut short depending on what time you plan on picking me up." She said.

"Okay. I plan on picking you up at seven that evening." He informed her.

"Then we should be able to spend our usual amount of time together before I have to get home and get ready." Serena said confidently.

"Ah good. I didn't want to miss that time together even though we would be spending the evening together." He said in relief.

"I feel the same way," She said. "and don't worry about tomorrow. I still plan on talking to you. I'll call you when I get home from shopping."

"I look forward to it." He replied.

oOo

Serena sighed with a dreamy smile, and then pushed her covers back and got up quickly. She needed to hurry and get ready for school. She needed her best friend's help.

oOoIRoOo

Half an hour after school Serena and Molly walked along a sidewalk in the shopping district looking for stores that sold evening dresses. She had told her about Darien's plan to take her out on a formal date on Friday and that she needed to dress just as formal for wherever they were going.

Serena had begged for her help in picking out a dress since she had never needed to dress so formal and was at a bit of a loss. Of course Molly had never needed to dress formal either, but the two of them looking together was better than just her.

They slipped into different stores and Serena tried on different types of dresses in various shades of red, black, purple, blue, white, and any other available color. Each one was dismissed as not the right one, and eventually all colors were vetoed except one. That color made her feel comfortable and when she thought of Darien seeing her in the color she felt a sense of satisfaction.

"We have a color. Now we need to find a design you like." Molly said since her friend had been trying on dresses and hadn't liked any of the designs so far.

"Yes." Serena agreed.

They left the last store and continued their search and eventually came across a store that had many designs that she liked, so she began picking out dresses to take to a dressing room.

First she tried on a dress that was made of a jersey knit where the top could be altered in various styles. She liked the feel of it and the fact that it could be changed to look like different dresses each time it was worn, but it wasn't what she was looking for for her date.

She then tried on a dress that was made of chiffon and had a triangle bodice with double shoulder straps emerging from the peaks that wrapped above the shoulders and behind the neck. The skirt started at the waist and flowed down pass her ankles. This dress was okay, but it didn't look formal enough to her.

She tried on another chiffon dress with a snug ruched crisscross bodice that wrapped around the back with off the shoulder straps and a straight skirt that flowed from the bodice down to the floor. She also liked this dress, but it wasn't quite the one for her date.

The next dress was a chiffon V-neck v-back with wide straps, a ruched sheath silhouette, and a straight skirt that flowed down her body. Tastefully decorating the straps on the shoulders, a portion of the sheath silhouette of the chest, the front of each hip, and the upper and lower back were black beads in an elegant design.

I really like this one. She thought as she looked at it. I'll put it aside as a maybe. She decided.

Serena then tried on one more dress and found that she really liked it as well, so now she had to choose between that one and the one with black beads.

"What do you think?" She asked Molly as she walked out of the dressing room and stood in front of her and the mirror.

"I like it; this one and the last one." Molly said from her seat as she looked at her friend thoughtfully. "Both dresses look good on you. Maybe you'll have to choose by price if you can't decide."

Serena sighed and turned around and looked at herself in the mirror. It was comfortable and not too snug fitting, but enough to show off her figure. It also didn't show off her chest, but there was still enough visible to show that they were there and filled the dress fine.

That one shows off my figure nicely without revealing too much of my chest. She thought as she looked to the beaded dress hanging from its rack. The beads make it look a little more fancy, but then maybe too fancy.

Or too cheap. She considered. The more she stared at it the more she thought it would look better without the beads or at least with much less beads.

So this one. She thought as she looked back to the mirror at the dress she was wearing.

"This is the one." Serena said as she turned to Molly with a smile, smoothing her hands down the long skirt of the dress.

oOoIRoOo

Friday dawned with much excitement for Serena. She went to school, day dreaming through most of her classes, then met up with Darien after school to spend time with him, and was driven home at her usual time.

"I'll be back to pick you up at seven." Darien said as he stopped his car outside his soulmate's home.

"I'll be ready." Serena assured him as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"I look forward to it." He said and she smiled.

"Bye. See you later." She said as she opened the door.

"Bye." He said with a wave, and she closed the door and hurried inside her house.

She rushed up to her room and put her school bag in its proper place, and took off her shoes and socks before she pulled off the brooch on her uniform top. She moved everything to the place she normally kept them, and went about gathering what she would need before heading to the bathroom.

Just over half an hour later Serena had finished her shower and put her underwear on, and was in her room, wearing a robe, getting ready. She sat at her vanity table and began to put her jewelry on: a delicate rose gold necklace with a small thin leaf pendant that was just as delicate, and matching stud earrings.

Luna sat reclining on Serena's bed watching her, had been watching her since she returned to the room in a robe, but she was confused about what she was doing. Well she knew her charge was getting ready to go somewhere but she didn't know where.

She watched as she stood up from her vanity and stepped over to the closet. She opened it and pulled out a hanger with something in a long bag, and as she pulled it out of the bag Luna gasped. It was clearly an evening dress.

"Where do you plan on going wearing that?!" Luna asked immediately as she sat up.

"On my date; where exactly I don't know, but I intend to enjoy myself." Serena said as she hung the dress on the closet door and placed the bag aside.

"How come I didn't know about this?" Luna asked as she watched her slip her robe off and toss it to the floor before reaching for the dress.

"Likely because you weren't there when Darien asked me, and I don't make it a habit of broadcasting my plans for all to hear." She answered as she began to step into the dress.

Serena pulled the dress up her body and slipped her arms through the straps and straightened the dress on her body before she reached around her back and slowly, and awkwardly, zipped it closed onto her figure.

She made slight adjustments to the way it sat on her before she nodded in satisfaction. She grabbed the bag and hung it from the hanger so it would be ready for her dress when she got back and then grabbed her robe and hung it in the closet before she grabbed her shoes and sat back at her vanity.

She slipped on the black strap shoes with a medium heel one at a time before she stood allowing her dress to settle around them. She couldn't see them but she knew they were tall enough to allow her shoes to be seen beneath the skirt when she walked.

She then reached up and began to take the buns of her hair down. The pins came out easily and she shook her head letting her hair fall down and loosen up as she placed the pins on her vanity. Then she sat back down as she grabbed her brush and pulled her hair over her shoulder, and began to brush through the long locks from her head down as far as she could reach.

Once she had brushed her hair thoroughly as far as she could reach she pulled the rest across her lap and brushed the rest. She was leaving her hair loose as a surprise to her boyfriend, since he had never seen it that way, and she wanted it to look as good as she could make it.

Luna watched from her spot on the bed, disgruntled that she hadn't known her charge was going out on a date. Why was she going on this date? From what she was wearing alone she could tell it was going to be something formal. What if there was an attack?

"Why are you doing this Serena?" She asked as she watched the young woman stand up and sweep her curtain of hair behind her back.

"What? Going on my date?" Serena asked as she pushed her hair behind her ear as she stepped back and gazed at as much of herself in the mirror as she could see.

"Yes! What if there's an attack?" Luna said as she watched her.

"Then I'll have to deal with it." She answered simply and calmly as she adjusted the wide straps on her shoulders. "And I'm going on this date because my boyfriend specifically asked me to go, and I want to spend a nice evening out with him."

"But what will you tell him if there's an attack?" Luna asked in concern, still not liking that she was going on this date.

"I'll simply tell him I have to leave." Serena said as she grabbed her black clutch purse and unzipped it. "Hopefully he'll be just as understanding as he was on our first date when I had to leave to deal with a monster."

Hopefully I won't have to deal with that situation. She thought quietly as she began fill her purse with the essentials she would need to bring with her.

---

Darien eased his car up along the curb in front of his Serenity's house a few minutes before seven and turned the engine off. He sighed as he pulled the keys out and unbuckled his seatbelt. He then opened the door and grabbed the flower bouquet off the passenger seat and got out of the car.

I am a few minutes early, but that is fine. He thought as he closed the door and pocketed his keys.

He walked up the walkway and pressed the doorbell when he reached the door and calmly waited. The door opened a few moments later, and he was greeted by the older woman he had seen when he picked his Serenity up on their first date. The other times he had picked her up his Serenity had answered the door.

"Mrs. Tsukino." Darien greeted respectfully. "I am here to escort Serena out this evening."

"Oh! Please come in." She said as she stepped back and opened the door wider.

"Thank you." He said as he stepped inside. "We have yet to be introduced properly, and I would like to do so now. I am Darien Shields; Serena's boyfriend." He said as he turned to her.

"I'm pleased to finally meet you. I'm Ikuko Tsukino." She said with a smile. What a gentleman he is. She thought, pleased with what she was seeing.

"Honey! Come here please." She called out to her husband where he sat in the living room. "My dear, this is Serena's boyfriend Darien Shields; he's here to pick her up for their date." She said as he reached her side before she turned her eyes back to the young man. "This is my husband Kenji Tsukino."

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Tsukino." Darien said, and watched as the older man simply looked at him and then frowned.

"Date?" Mr. Tsukino said as he looked from the young man to his wife and back again. "I didn't know Serena was going out on a date! And you're her boyfriend? Since when does Serena have a boyfriend?!" He asked unhappily as he glared at the young man.

Darien looked at the man calmly and easily hid his amusement at his soulmate's father trying to use the intimidation factor on him. He didn't know if that would have worked before he remembered who he truly was, but he knew it definitely wasn't working now. It only served to amuse him because there was nothing the man could do to stop him from seeing his soulmate or keep him from her.

He looked on at the older couple and listened to Mrs. Tsukino explain that she didn't know when they had become a couple but she knew they had been going out on dates for months.

He glanced up as he saw a flash of color out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes lit up as he saw his Serenity walking down the stairs.

She wore a forest green dress with wide double shoulder straps, one that sat on her shoulders and the other draped on her upper arms, that gathered into a surplice bodice with a sweetheart neckline. It had a pleated empire waist that flowed into a skirt down to the floor. Black strap high heel shoes, delicate gold-looking jewelry, and a black clutch purse with a tiny strap completed the look.

She looked absolutely beautiful in her dress, in that color, and her hair was down! He knew her hair was longer than it had been in the past, long even up in that horrible bun style, but it was so long! So long that it was trailing along the stairs!

As she stepped off the stairs he saw that her hair actually stretched down to where he imagined her ankles to be, and as she moved forward and stood in front of him he saw that even in high heels he was taller than her; just like he had been in the past.

"My lady." Darien said as he reached out and grasped her free hand, and then gently kissed the back of her hand. "You look positively beautiful."

"Thank you." Serena said as she blushed in pleasure. "You look very handsome." She added as she gazed up at him.

She had took in his look thoroughly as she walked down the stairs, and thought he looked delectable in his all black suit. And it truly was all black; from the thin collared shirt with black buttons to the jacket to the bow tie. Even his shoes were black.

"Thank you." Darien said with a small smile. "These are for you." He said as he released her hand and presented her with the bouquet of fresh red roses he brought her.

"Thank you." Serena said as she accepted the bouquet. She smelled the beautiful looking roses and smiled at the fragrant calming scent. "Mom..." She said as she turned to her.

"Don't worry. I'll put them in your room for you." Mrs. Tsukino said with a smile as she reached for the bouquet.

Serena handed the flowers to her mother, watching gratefully as she handled them gently, before returning her attention to her patiently waiting date.

"Are you ready to depart?" Darien asked, and watched her nodded slowly.

"Yes." Serena said and looked to her parents. "I'll be back later tonight." She said before she moved with her boyfriend as he guided her with a hand on her lower back.

"Have a good time you two." Mrs. Tsukino said as she followed them to the door.

"We will." Darien said confidently as he opened the door.

oOo

Up on the landing to the stairs Luna sat peeking around the wall and watching the scene below. She had followed Serena out of her bedroom and saw the tall young man who was apparently her boyfriend and date for the night.

This was the first time she had gotten a good clear view of him. Before she had only seen the top of his head or his back, but now she could see that he had a calm looking face and deep blue eyes.

Serena's mother seemed happy and welcoming of the young man, but her father appeared anything but pleased. She wondered if that would cause problems for Serena, and if she would have to give up her boyfriend or figure something out to keep everyone happy.

Clearly the young man, Darien, had been pleased by the sight of Serena in her formal wear, and it turned out he was polite and a bit of a gentleman judging from the way he spoke to her and the kiss on her hand.

Where are they going? She wondered as she watched the couple step out the front door. The young man was dressed just as formally as Serena, so she knew it had to be somewhere where there was a dress code.

Perhaps she'll tell me when she gets back. Luna thought as she turned and went back to Serena's bedroom.

The Tsukino family still didn't know about her, even after the months that had passed, so she slipped under Serena's bed knowing her mother would soon be in the room to place the flowers Serena had received there.

Perhaps I should ask why she doesn't seem to want them to know about me. She must have a reason. She thought as she stretched out, relaxing on the floor as she waited for the time to pass.

oOo

As they reached his car Darien opened the passenger side door and watched his Serenity elegantly slipped into her seat and made sure her dress was inside as she swept the long length of her hair over her shoulder and down her chest.

He closed the door once all of her hair was inside the car, and walked around to the driver side before he opened the door and slipped inside. Closing the door behind him he started the engine and pulled his seatbelt on as he looked over at his soulmate.

"I love how long your hair is." He said sincerely, unable to help himself. "It is beautiful." He added with a longing sigh, wanting to touch it.

Later. I will get my hands on it. He told himself with certainty.

"Thank you." Serena said, her face blushing in pleasure at the obvious sincerity in his voice. "I thought you might like this surprise."

"You wore it loose for me?" Darien asked quietly, surprised.

"Yes." She admitted shyly.

"Thank you. It was a most pleasant surprise." He said and she simply smiled in return.

He pulled away from the curb and began to drive away from the Tsukino household and toward the start of their date. He drove down street after street in comfortable silence until he reached the freeway, and then he used the multiple lane highway to get them to where they needed to be faster.

After a few minutes of driving along and shifting around cars he pulled over onto the exit ramp and began to drive down the street. Two red lights later and he was pulling into a large parking garage. Thankfully he found a spot on the ground floor and carefully eased into it and turned off the engine.

He unbuckled his seatbelt as he pulled his key from the ignition and got out of the car. Closing the door he walked around and opened the door for his soulmate and helped her out of the car. He closed the door as he watched her almost swing her long fall of hair over her shoulder and straighten her dress.

"Shall we?" Darien said as he offered his arm.

"Of course." Serena said as she accepted his arm, wrapping her own around it and grasping it with her hand.

They walked toward the exit and out before they began to head down the sidewalk. A few blocks later they began to see other people formally dressed and headed in the same direction, and then they reached a tall building that looked like it had at least thirty or forty floors.

Serena's eyes widened at the sight, especially when she realized they were headed for it. It was a tall gray and white building and was connected to a much shorter building that was still tall in its own right. Both had many windows and they were all lit up nicely.

It wasn't until they got closer, up to the glass doors, that she saw the name of the building. Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. Were they going to watch an opera? Did they only do opera there? She couldn't wait to find out.

Darien pulled open a door and lead her inside before pulling out two tickets from the inside pocket of his jacket and presented them to a nicely uniformed usher. They examined the tickets before returning them and the couple continued on their way. Darien clearly knew where he was going so Serena simply followed his lead.

They walked down a hallway and up a set of stairs before walking down yet another hallway until they came to an open doorway. Stepping through Serena gasped at the sight. Everything looked bright and literally golden with all the light brown paneling everywhere and the white lighting. It was almost dazzling to the eye; at least to her eyes since she had never seen such a sight.

Looking around at her immediate surroundings she saw that they were in a balcony box, and as they moved down the short isle to the front seats she was strongly reminded of the memory dream she had Wednesday night. Both had balconies and both had everyone in formal wear. Now she only had to see if the performance would be the same.

Once they were seated in the comfortable seats Darien pulled out one of the tickets and wordlessly handed it to her. She smiled and glanced at it as she took it, but put it into her clutch purse without much inspection.

She looked out at the view of the seating below and the stage which their box was angled toward from their left. On the stage she saw rows of seating set up and a piano off to the side, and realized they were going to be listening to an orchestra.

Also like the memory dream. She thought softly as she looked to her boyfriend.

"A musical orchestra?" Serena asked.

"Musical symphony orchestra." Darien said. "I thought you would enjoy an evening of soothing yet moving music."

"Thank you." She said before she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, and watched him smile and sit up a little straighter.

Ten minutes later formally dressed people in black came filing out and into the seats on the stage holding their instruments before they seated themselves and lightly began to play their instruments as if practicing and making sure everything was in order.

Fifteen minutes after that a suited man walked up to a raised stand in front of the orchestra, and the lights began to dim around the large room until there was only soft light illuminating the stage. She glanced behind her and saw that they were still alone.

"Is anyone else going to be in the box with us?" Serena asked curiously as she looked to her boyfriend.

"No." Darien answered. "I arranged for us to have this box to ourselves."

"Oh wow." She breathed as her eyes widened slightly. How exactly did he arrange that? She couldn't help wondering, but was pleased that as quiet as her boyfriend was he had a strong personality to do something like that.

Over the course of an hour and a half they and the rest of the formally dressed audience listened to the concert that consisted of six different long songs. Soothing and soft melodies seamlessly shifted into soothing yet exciting melodies. Each succeeded in moving the listeners, bringing emotions to the surface, and causing hearts to race and tears to flow.

They finished on a dramatic climactic note and soon the lights were flaring back to life. Everyone stood and clapped in appreciation of the riveting performance, and the musicians bowed their thanks.

Serena and Darien left after a few long moments of clapping and made their way back through the building and to the exit and into the fresh evening air. Darien wrapped Serena's arm around his and silently guided her back to his car, and helped her inside making sure her dress and hair were settled properly.

He joined her and once their seatbelts were on he got the car started and began to pull out of the parking spot and head to their next destination.

"Where to now?" Serena asked curiously.

"A restaurant where we will hopefully enjoy a nice dinner." Darien revealed casually.

It took less than ten minutes and Darien was parking along a sidewalk. He helped her out of the car like the gentleman he was and began to lead her to what she could instantly tell was a fancy restaurant.

"Name?" The man standing at a booth asked once they were inside the building.

"Darien Shields." Darien said calmly.

"If you would please follow me." The man said before he turned and began to lead them further into the restaurant.

Serena realized that not only was it a restaurant where formal wear was mandatory to get inside, it was also a restaurant where you had to have a reservation to eat there.

The restaurant's decor was dark with black curtains hanging at the windows, dark brown wood on the walls, black shiny square tables, a black and gray marble floor, and soft lighting from chandeliers. In addition to that there was a pianist playing, so there was nice soothing music to listen to as people talked and ate their meal.

They were lead to a table for two that sat right next to a window with curtains tied open.

Serena placed her clutch on the side of the table closest to the window, and adjusted her hair when she saw that Darien was going to continue being a gentleman and push her seat in for her. She didn't want it to be stepped on or for it to be pulled uncomfortably as she sat on it.

When she was seated comfortably Darien moved to the seat across from her and seated himself. Once they were settled they were handed menus, and told their waiter would be with them momentarily.

"Would you mind ordering for me? I have no idea what I want." Serena said as she looked up from the menu she had been examining. She was also more than a bit wary about the lack of prices.

"Of course." Darien agreed. "I'll make sure to order us something delicious."

Their waiter arrived minutes later, a young woman in uniform, and took their orders before collecting their menus and leaving them to put in their order.

"Are you enjoying the evening so far?" Darien asked as he looked at his beautiful girlfriend, still pleased that her hair was loose.

"Oh yes." Serena answered easily. "The performance was a joy to hear and to see, and of course your presence is the best of all. You've been so polite and courteous."

"I am glad you think so." He said with a small pleased smile.

"What about you? Are you enjoying the evening so far?" She asked in return.

"Indeed I am." Darien answered. "I enjoyed the performance. It's been a while since I've listened to instrumental music, but more than that I've enjoyed seeing you dressed formally. That dress looks amazing on you, and I love that color on you."

"Thank you." Serena said as she blushed in pleasure. I'm so glad I went with green. She thought happily.

"And your hair is so long. You should definitely wear it loose more often." He added, a hint of longing in his tone.

He would definitely love to see her hair loose all the time as it had been in the past, especially with the longer length, but any style other than those two buns and streams would be preferable.

"Maybe I will." She said with a blushing smile. I'm definitely going to force myself to wear it loose. She promised herself. I didn't seem to have a problem tonight, but that doesn't mean I won't the next time I try just as I've had before.

Before either of them could say any more their waitress returned with their drinks, and Serena blinked her surprise at how they came. The waitress placed their glasses on the table and opened a bottle of clear bubbly champagne and poured it into their tall glasses.

She had never been to such a fancy restaurant and had never had champagne, so she hadn't expected it to be served like that. She had thought, naively she guessed, that it would come already poured like a glass of soda.

How is the food going to arrive? She wondered, but despite her curiosity and her naivety toward how the champagne was served she could admit to herself that the intimate restaurant setting and having champagne made her feel older and more mature.

"This pianist is really good." Serena said after taking a sip from her glass. "It's like a lite version of the performance we heard."

"True." Darien said as he looked back to the piano he could just see from where they sat. "I particularly enjoyed the sound of the violinists during the majority of the songs we heard." He added as he looked back to soulmate.

They continued talking about the music they had listened to, how they liked it, and what exactly they liked about the performance as they slowly sipped their champagne. Neither of them were interested in getting drunk in any way.

A little while later their waitress returned with their food, and as she carefully placed their plates in front of them Serena got a look at what Darien had ordered for them.

On each plate was a perfectly round grilled steak centered on top of what looked like long green beans with a small saucer of sauce on the side. In addition to that was a plate that was almost a bowl with a salad, and a little saucer of dressing on the side.

It all looked delicious and she wondered what it would taste like with the champagne. She smiled in thanks to their waitress and smiled at Darien before she picked up her knife and fork and began to start on her dinner.

As they ate they spoke about how the food tasted and began to plan their next date. They immediately decided it was going to be much less formal than what they were currently doing, and was likely going to happen during the week after she got out of school or next weekend.

When they finished their dinner Darien ordered them desert and it came fairly quickly afterward. It was a long triangle slice of bright yellow lemon cake with lemon icing and what looked like white power sugar on top.

They polished off their desert quickly with how good it was, and ended up with full stomachs as they finished off their glass of champagne.

Their waitress eventually returned to leave the check and take their dishes. Darien paid the bill and they were soon leaving the restaurant and walking back to his car.

Darien kept their pace slow as they walked. He was reluctant to return to his car because he wasn't ready to take his soulmate back to her house. He didn't want their night to end just yet. They could drive around instead of going straight to her house, but he didn't want to do that either because it left no room for him to hold her and hug her.

And this would be the perfect night to kiss her. He thought as he looked over at her peaceful face. He didn't want an audience in the form of her father, so he would rather be able to have their first kiss in this lifetime away from her house.

With that thought in mind he tapped into his connection with the Earth, wanting to find a place in the area where they could go and not be disturbed, and soon images were coming to his mind.

The images flashed rapidly in his mind as he carefully walked with Serena, since this was the first time he was trying this while walking and not simply moving around in one spot, and eventually he spotted a fairly sized park that looked well-lit for that time of night.

It looked nice and he was sure she would like it as soon as she saw it. Plus, it was in the same direction they were already headed in.

"How would you like to continue our walk before we head back to the car?" He asked as he released his connection to the Earth.

"Sure; I would love to." Serena said with a smile as she looked to him, still holding on to the arm he had offered her as soon as they left the restaurant.

She looked back in the direction they were walking and kept her focus on the here and now. She made sure her mind didn't drift off to the memory dreams and snippets of memories she had been experiencing nor did she think of her secret life as a scout and the various aspects that branched off from it.

She wanted to be completely focused on enjoying the rest of her evening with her boyfriend and seeing what would happen next. Going for a walk instead of going back to the car and straight to her house held serious promise as far as she was concerned.

The couple walked in comfortable silence, passing by Darien's car on their way, and eventually they reached a park that was open and grassy with tall trees and had a short wrought iron fence along the sidewalk. They entered the opening in the fence and walked leisurely along the path that was lit with tall lamp posts with soft orange lighting that looked like candle light.

Serena sighed lightly at the calm softly lit scenery. The park was quiet and there were less than a handful of people that she could see walking around. This meant they we essentially alone and anonymous, and shouldn't be disturbed by anyone.

"This is nice." She said as she continued to look around. "Although I wish it was bigger and we had hours to spend here."

"Sounds like it's time to go hiking." Darien said with a smile. "Or bike riding or camping." He added and she laughed lightly.

"We can do all of them, but we'll have to pick one to start with." Serena said.

"Do you have a preference?" He asked curiously.

"Hiking. Bike riding can come afterward." She answered with a light nod. She would love to go camping with him, but she thought a few more weeks in his company should come before going away with him to do something like that.

"Hiking it is then." He said as he guided her along the dark yet softly lit path. "Hopefully it will be a warm day."

"I won't mind if it's not." Serena said. All the more reason to cuddle up to him. She thought with a smile before her eyes spotted a lit up object up ahead of them. "What is that?" She asked.

Darien looked toward where she was looking and saw what looked like a softly lit building. Staring at it as they grew closer he realized what it was, and couldn't help smiling at the sight.

This will do. He thought as he guided her toward it.

"It is a gazebo." He answered as they walked.

Serena looked toward it and the closer they got the more she could see it. It was small, intimately small, and round with a triangular roof, and looked like it was made of dark wood. Hanging inside it around the edges were spaced lanterns that matched the lighting in the lamp posts.

It was dark like the rest of the park but as they approached it the lanterns gave enough light to navigate into and around the structure, and also lit up the surrounding flower bushes.

Darien guided Serena up the short three stairs into the gazebo and released her arm as he watched her move toward the closest flower bush. It strongly reminded him of the time he had been trying to get her to remember him in the past and took her to see his private garden.

She gravitated to the roses exactly the same way. He thought fondly. I wish I could bring her there. It would be the perfect place to have our first kiss. If only it still existed. He thought longingly as he watched her move to a different bush.

I wish she remembered! He thought with a quiet sigh. She has affection for me and it grows every day, but I want her to remember the love we had before she was ripped away from me. I want her to remember that we are soulmates, and how good we were together and can be again.

He looked at her long golden blond hair stretching down her body like a silk curtain and the beautiful green dress that wrapped her body perfectly and sighed. She was beautiful and amazing, and although she didn't remember their love yet he was going to show her a glimpse of it.

Serena straightened from looking at a group of flowers that were a mix of purple and white, and let her gaze drift around her as she took a step back. This place was pretty and added to her overall feeling of the evening so far.

The food was delicious, the entertainment was great, and She paused as she felt Darien wrap his arms around her from behind. the company is even better. She thought with a smile as she twisted in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck with her clutch dangling from her fingers and resting lightly against his upper back.

She smiled softly up at him as she looked into his deep blue eyes. There was softness there and something else she couldn't quite discern but she liked it. His arms tightened around her, moving her flush up against him, which she also liked.

She had walked arm and arm with him, with his hand on her back, his arm around her waist, and she had hugged him but even with the hugs she had never been this close to him. He was firm and strong against her, and his height was emphasized even more. All were a combination she adored and wanted more of.

Darien looked into her bright sky blue eyes, almost sparkling in the lantern light, and knew now was the moment. He could feel her hair since her move had put her back to his hands, and it was oh so soft, silky, and slightly thick. It felt just as he remembered it from the past, and he could not wait to run his fingers through the long mass.

He leaned down, gazing into her eyes and seeing that her only reaction at his approach was to blink slowly, and softly pressed his lips to hers. She gasped ever so lightly as she closed her eyes, and he pulled back slightly before he pressed his lips to hers again this time more firmly as he closed his own eyes.

Her lips were so soft just as they were in the past. He slipped a hand beneath her hair and slid it up her back, feeling the smooth skin of her upper back, until he reached the back of her neck. As he curled his fingers around her neck he pressed his tongue to her lips and slipped it inside as she parted them.

She hummed a sound that sounded surprised yet pleased to his ears. He groaned in return fully aware of how it would sound to her ears. He had not kissed his soulmate like this since before she had been taken from him and turned into the scout of the Moon, and he realized in that moment just how much he missed it.

The inside of her mouth was intensely warm and moist, and her tongue was like velvet against his. His tilted his head slightly and deepened their kiss as he finally, finally, began to run his fingers through her long silky soft hair. He loved it and knew he was going to be doing it often from then on even with her hair up in that horrible bun style.

Serena was in heaven. Her first kiss was turning out to be both romantic and passionate. She had been surprised to feel his tongue in her mouth, but in the next moment she decided she liked it and began to mimic his movements. She could actually taste a hint of the champagne and desert he had eaten on his tongue.

As she felt a light tug at her scalp as his fingers ran through her hair and she shivered lightly and moaned in surprised pleasure as she pressed herself closer to him. That had never happened to her before, but she wasn't going to worry about it since it wasn't anything bad.

She moved the hand that wasn't holding her little purse up and ran her fingers through his hair in return, and hummed at the silkiness and softness there.

Their lips parted briefly and they panted lightly before returning for yet another passionate kiss. He moved his hand down from her neck to her back and held her closer as he continued to run his fingers through her hair, and she shivered at every pass his fingers made as she moved her fingers from his hair and cupped his cheek.

After long lingering moments they parted their lips and opened their eyes but continued to hold each other close.

"Wow." Serena breathed out softly, and he chuckled lightly.

"I am glad you enjoy yourself." Darien said, and watched her blush.

"You seemed to enjoy yourself as well." She said.

"I absolutely did." He confirmed easily, and she smiled.

"Well then I'm glad for that." Serena said, and he smiled and gave her brief kiss.

"How about we continue our walk before I take you home." Darien suggested, and she nodded.

They moved and shifted until they were once again arm in arm and began to walk out from the gazebo and continue on their walk through the park before eventually making their way back to his car.

oOoIRoOo

Serena opened her eyes and glanced over at the time. It was just after one in the morning, which meant it was now Saturday, and Luna was finally asleep. She had no idea how she could tell that the cat was asleep, but she could and she planned to use it to her advantage.

She had lain there in bed all this time going over her date, and reliving her first kiss again and again.

Darien had proved once again what a gentleman he was and how romantic he could be. The bouquet of roses was a romantic gesture she appreciated, the red flower something she was beginning to associate with him since he kept presenting them to her, and kissing her hand was both gentlemanly and romantic.

Then the beautiful and moving music they had listened to was another element; the formal attire and atmosphere around them as the melodies floated around them was calming and soothing.

Dinner afterward was a surprising yet delicious affair. Her first time in a high scale restaurant that required formal wear, and drinking champagne for the first time made her feel older and more mature.

Afterward their walk in the softly lit park was just as romantic as it sounded, and made all the more so when they came across the small gazebo. The structure was softly lit like the rest of the park, surrounded with flower bushes of various types, and was perfect for what came next.

Then came the feel of his arms around her before she turned and faced him and experienced her first kiss. Just as she had thought at the time it was both romantic and passionate. His lips had been warm and soft against hers, and his tongue had been intensely warm just like the rest of his mouth.

She recalled the surprise and pleasure that raced through her body at the feel of his fingers moving through her hair as they kissed. That had been unexpected since it had never happened before. People had touched her hair before, she didn't like it but they had, and that had never happened before.

Clearly it was a unique experience specific to her boyfriend, but she liked it. It felt good, more than good, and made her feel closer to him. The whole experience had felt good and made her feel warm and safe.

Serena sighed lightly even as she realized she was smiling at the memory. She shook her head slightly and turned her attention back to why she was up at this time of night.

She carefully got up, so as to not wake Luna, and grabbed her brooch before she quietly slipped out onto her balcony before she looked around carefully and jumped to the ground. She landed surprisingly lightly on her bare feet before she took off at a jog.

For the past couple of days she had been feeling like she needed to go out and make sure people were safe. She had been trying to ignore the feeling since it started, knowing she couldn't ditch school to wander around and make sure people were safe, but the feeling continued to grow stronger.

As she lay in bed before getting lost in the details of her date she decided that while she couldn't skip school to do it she could go out during the night. So she had waited for Luna to fall asleep since she didn't want to explain herself to the feline; although she knew if Luna was awake when she returned she would have to tell her something.

Whatever she told her it wouldn't be the truth. She strongly felt like it was none of Luna's business. It was her instincts that were telling her she needed to be out there assuring that people were safe.

Now here she was looking for a subtle place to transform so she could patrol and satisfy the urge within her.

Serena slipped into a side alley that was just outside her neighborhood and quietly transformed. She was surrounded by bright pink light and when it clear she stood as Sailor Moon.

She took a steadying breath before she took off running. She sped down numerous sidewalks before she leapt up onto a rooftop and continued to leap rooftops and light and telephone poles when needed as she steadily made her way away from the residential district and toward the financial district.

Eventually she stopped on a roof of a seven story building and walked toward the edge and gazed out across the view and occasionally down at the street. The instinctive urge to make sure all was well was still there, but it was in the back of her mind now that she was patrolling.

And after analyzing her own feelings as she took in the view she realized that she felt better. She felt relaxed, which made her realize she had been tense and slightly anxious since the insistent urge surfaced.

This is right; this is what I'm supposed to do. She told herself firmly. She doubted she could do this every night, knew she couldn't do it in fact, but she could do it regularly, because this needed to happen.

She could sense dark energy and that couldn't simply be to detect monsters or 'dark agents' as Luna had named them; especially since Luna had been surprised at the ability. This patrolling may be able to help her hone the ability, so she could use it better and quicker.

Maybe I'll even be able to take care of monsters before they can start taking people's energy. She thought optimistically.

oOo

Darien's eyes snapped open as he felt the familiar ache flash through his head and sat up in his bed. His sleepy mind knew that his Serenity needed him, and he had no intention of keeping her waiting.

He pushed his covers back and stood up before he was engulfed in a bright gold light, and when it cleared he stood in his Tuxedo Mask persona.

He took a few steps and opened his balcony door and slipped out onto the structure before he began to make his way down the building and across rooftops and toward the call of his soulmate.

After a few minutes of moving through the cool night air he spotted her standing on a roof, the streams of her hair waving and the skirt on her hips fluttering in the steady yet light breeze.

---

"Hey there." He said as he walked toward her after landing on the rooftop, and watched her turn toward him.

"Hi." Sailor Moon greeted. "There's no monster to deal with. I'm just...here; patrolling. You don't have to stay and lose sleep."

"That's okay." Tuxedo Mask said as he stepped up beside her. "I don't mind staying." He assured her, because of course he would take any chance to be in her presence.

"If you're sure. It's likely to be boring." She said.

"Yes. Don't worry." He assured her.

"Well, can I talk to you since you insist on staying with me?" She asked curiously.

"Of course." Tuxedo Mask agreed. "You can talk to me about anything you want."

Sailor Moon nodded and looked back out over the view as she wondered, now that she had permission to speak to him, what they should talk about. Suddenly her dreams, memories, flashed through her mind and she sighed heavily.

Perhaps I can get his opinion on my memory dreams. She considered as she glanced down at the street and sidewalk below.

"Do you remember me saying I got my name because it was what I was called in a past life?" She asked as she looked over to him.

"Yes." Tuxedo Mask said as he nodded.

"Well obviously I'm the reincarnation of that past Sailor Moon, and ever since I became Sailor Moon in this life I've slowly been remembering that past but it's confusing me." She said.

"How so?" He asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"I feel like I'm remembering more than one past since there are two different versions of me, but I'm not sure because there's someone who's around both versions of me and this person looks the same and has the same name." She explained.

Tuxedo Mask's heart pounded and raced in his chest. He was extremely surprised and ecstatic about what he was hearing. She was remembering! His soulmate was remembering! He wondered how long this had been going on, and who the person who was appearing in both versions was.

He hoped mightily that it was him.

"I wonder if I'm remembering two separate incarnations, and the person that's appearing in both just happens to look the same and have the same name. Maybe different generations of the same family." Sailor Moon said thoughtfully.

Like how Darien looks like the guy. Maybe Darien's not a reincarnated prince, but a relative a couple of generations removed. She thought, and then internally shook herself. No; he's not a reincarnation and he's not some family member of the prince in my memory. There's just a resemblance. Nothing more.

"But you have doubts about that." Tuxedo Mask said calmly, silently amused at the thought that in her mind he might be the prince son interacting with Sailor Earth and then interacting with Sailor Moon as the grandson of the son.

Sailor Moon nodded as she sighed.

"Can you tell me some of these memories?" He asked. "If you feel comfortable with that."

"Yeah sure." She said and took a deep breath before she began to describe one memory after another.

He listened as she described the first memory she recalled. Of a young man that sounded like him in his royal form and her as Sailor Earth horseback riding through a forest and that she remembered herself referring to him as Endy.

The next one she described was her as Sailor Moon reading before she had been told that he was waiting for her. He took her on what she described as a date to look at a royal flower garden. Then she said she recalled his name was Prince Endymion and that he was heir to the throne of the Earth.

Lastly was her as Sailor Earth with himself watching a musical performance. They were dressed formally, seated in a private balcony box, and the performance was an engagement gift to them.

Tuxedo Mask was pleased that she remembered him, hearing his name on her lips was like music to his ears, even if she didn't realize the him she was remembering was standing right in front of her.

From what he was hearing she appeared to be dreaming of her memories of both lives as Sailor Earth and Sailor Moon. Dreaming of a memory of one scout on one night and switching to a memory of the other scout the next night or the next time a memory decided to come to her.

"Aside from those I've also been getting little snippets of memory while I'm awake. I'll see something or hear a sound or a word and it will trigger the memory." She said much to his surprise.

"Will you tell me of those?" He asked, and watched her nod.

He listened as she first described her as Sailor Earth with him casually hiking through a forest. They were both dressed casually and holding hands, and appeared to be spending time together away from people.

The next was her as Sailor Moon being confronted by Sailor Mercury as she looked for a book to read, and being told she needed to stop seeing him because the Moon Princess liked him. That she needed to stop pursuing him, and her countering that he was the one pursuing her not the other way around.

The last she had had so far was her as Sailor Moon meeting him for the first time. He had come to her in a garden and introduced himself to her, and made his interest in her clear.

He remembered every memory and snippet of memory she described where he was present, and knew she was remembering right.

However, that is not the problem. The problem is that she is remembering them at the same time, mixed together, and doesn't know that she did in fact live both lives at the same time. He told himself, a flare of anger flashing through him at the Moon Princess since it was her fault his soulmate was experiencing such confusion.

"The past is the past, and there is no way for you to understand fully until you remember completely." Tuxedo Mask said calmly, choosing his words carefully. "Perhaps your lives as those scouts were two different lives, but do not forget what we are capable of."

"What do you mean?" Sailor Moon asked as she looked at him.

"We are capable of using powers and abilities that the general population is not capable of. There could have been a power used in the past that made it so you lived as both scouts in one lifetime." He explained and she stared at him wide eyed.

"Perhaps you were unaware, and this prince was aware, so he made sure he was in your life again." He suggested.

Sailor Moon hummed thoughtfully at his words. Could that really be what was going on? Had she been both scouts in one lifetime and that was why the prince looked the same and had the same name?

But wouldn't I remember that? She asked herself. Well, maybe not if some power caused it to happen in the first place. It would make sense that whoever caused it didn't want me to remember. She considered.

Well, it's one theory to add to my own theory about two separate lives. She thought with a light sigh.

"Thanks for the theory." She said with a light smile. "I guess I won't know for sure until I remember everything, and who knows how long that's going to take."

Tuxedo Mask simply nodded; not wanting to say anything that could give himself away. He certainly didn't want to give into the urge to tell her the truth. He needed to stick with his plan to help her figure out that he was Tuxedo Mask and then that he was also Prince Endymion.

She needs to come to the conclusion herself so that she will believe it. He told himself.

"Were you reincarnated?" Sailor Moon asked curiously after a slight stretch of silence.

"It's possible. I wasn't this tuxedo and mask wearing guy before the night we met, so..." Tuxedo Mask trailed off suggestively.

"Do you think you became Tuxedo Mask because I became Sailor Moon?" She asked as she looked at him in surprise.

"Yes." He answered honestly. He was there to help and protect her, and aside from that to be her friend. And even further; to love her.

Sailor Moon stared at her companion in wonder and curiosity. Could he have been in the past? Had they known each other in another life? Was that why he had said he was there to help her that first night, and why she felt comfortable fighting alongside him?

Were we comrades then as well? She wondered further. Would he have known me as both Sailor Moon and Sailor Earth?

oOoIRoOo

Early Sunday evening Sailor Moon leapt from the rooftop of a seven story building down to the roof of a five story building as she followed her senses to the source of dark energy she had been sensing.

She had left her house about a half hour earlier and transformed and began to patrol the city. She ran here and there simply roaming as she made sure people were safe when she suddenly began to sense the darkness.

Now as she leapt and jumped from rooftop to rooftop she could feel that she was growing closer. Her sense of darkness was growing stronger and stronger by the second, which she knew by now was an indication that she was getting closer to the source.

Finally she landed on a roof and stood still, feeling like she was almost right on top of the source, before she began to look at all the buildings around her. Finally she spotted a window directly across the street from her that looked like it had been burst through, and began to step toward the edge of the rooftop.

She stopped at the edge and stared at that broken window as she focused her senses on that area. Then she blinked as she heard a sudden scream, the darkness spiking at the same time. She frowned, wanting to go check it out, but before she could decide if she wanted to go in there alone what was unmistakably a monster walked by the busted window.

The sight was brief before it disappeared out of her view, but it was enough for her to see what she was dealing with if not what it was capable of.

It had a female figure and wore a purple sleeveless strapless sheath dress with a high slit along the side. It appeared to be bald with the exception of a bleach blonde ponytail at the back of its head hanging down to its shoulders. In addition to that was its strange greenish bluish skin that looked reflective if that made any sense.

Sailor Moon sighed. She didn't like this situation. She wanted to check on the woman that had screamed, but the monster was in there and she didn't particularly want to fight in close quarters without even knowing what the monster could do.

She needed help. She had no doubt that Tuxedo Mask would arrive at some point, but she wasn't the only scout any more so she should call on Mercury.

However, in order to do that she needed her communicator, but it was in the pocket of her regular clothes. She didn't want to release her transformation to get it, especially being so close to a monster, but she didn't know how else to get it.

She sighed heavily in frustration. Her frustration was irritating and becoming more frequent in her role as Sailor Moon. First it was with her only having one weapon and nothing else to fight with, and now it was needing her communicator and not knowing any other way to get it other than releasing her transformation.

But I need it! She thought as she threw her gloved hands forward slightly in frustration.

In the next moment she felt something in her hand and looked only to blink in surprise at the sight of the small pink rectangular object that was her communicator.

Well that was unexpected. She thought as she lifted it and stared at it. Hmm...might as well figure out how to put it away before I do anything else since I have the time.

Since her frustration and wanting it seemed to have brought it to her, possibly along with the hand gesture, she decided to try that again. She focused on wanting to put her communicator away and slightly flicked the hand that held the communicator and watched it disappear in the blink of an eye.

Nodding in satisfaction she focused on wanting it and again flicked her hand slightly and watched it reappear out of thin air right back in her hand. Nodding again she pressed the dark pink button with a blue Mercury symbol on it and waited.

A few long moments later Amy's face appeared on the small screen.

"Amy here." She heard her say.

"Hey. I need your help with a monster." Sailor Moon said right away. "I haven't confronted the monster so I don't know what it's capable of, but I heard a woman scream so I am guessing it's attacked someone already."

"How do you know about the monster?" Amy asked, her voice suspicious. "I haven't even gotten an alert to an attack on my Mercury computer."

"I can sense the dark energy the monsters put out when they're using their power, so I'm usually able to get to the monster before an all-out attack actually happens." Sailor Moon said calmly, holding back a frown.

"Alright." Amy said, not sounding particularly convinced.

"The monster is at what looks like an apartment building." She informed her before giving her the name of the area and the street names.

"Okay. I'm on my way. Amy out." She said before the screen went black.

As Sailor Moon put her communicator away she wished she hadn't contacted Amy. She had easily heard the suspicion in her voice, and didn't at all appreciate it. It was as if Amy thought she had been aware an attack was going to happen before it actually did.

She wouldn't have called her if she didn't need help, but she did need it and Amy was a scout now and was supposed to help. Amy seemed to only have her freezing bubble fog, but it was better than nothing. All she had was her physical fighting skills and her tiara, and sometimes it wasn't enough.

It doesn't help that I actually feel like I don't need help with the monster even though logically I know I do. She thought as she shook her head. She didn't understand it. It was like some part of her thought she should be able to handle it on her own.

She looked away from the broken window to her right, the direction she had initially come from, to see Tuxedo Mask approaching.

Next time I sense dark energy, and Luna isn't around, I'm not going to call for help. She decided, especially since Luna hadn't been at a fight since her very first one. Tuxedo Mask and I have been doing well on our own, and I have no problem continuing that way. I actually feel more comfortable fighting with him at my side then with Amy.

As soon as she made the decision she felt satisfaction settle over her; as if she had made the right decision. It was strange, she didn't understand it, but she was going to go with it. Also with that decision she decided to take Tuxedo Mask up on his offer of training as soon as possible.

"Is your offer to train still available?" She asked as she turned to him as he stepped toward her.

"Absolutely." Tuxedo Mask answered promptly. "Are you okay? You look a little upset." He said as he looked at her.

"I just contacted Sailor Mercury to get her here to help, and she sounded like she thought I had previous knowledge of the monster attacking." Sailor Moon explained as she shook her head. "I'm not at all pleased about it. I certainly don't deserve to be thought of suspiciously just because I have the ability to know when the enemy is up to no good."

"I've decided that I'm not going to call on her again unless I'm in a position where it's expected of me, because I think I've been doing fine working with only you." She added firmly, and watched him nod.

"I agree. You should continue to follow your instincts, and do what feels comfortable to you." Tuxedo Mask said encouragingly. "I have already made it clear that I am here to help you and you alone; more scouts appearing is not going to change that." He reminded her.

"Thank you." Sailor Moon said as she smiled. "So the monster is in that building over there where the window is blasted out." She said as she gestured toward the building across the street.

"Did you get a look at it?" He asked as he looked at the building, taking in its structure in case they had to take the fight inside or onto the roof.

"Yeah. It has a female figure and its skin is strange." She said with a frown. "Greenish or bluish in color and possibly reflective."

"Can you tell if it's still there?" Tuxedo Mask asked.

"Yes. It's still in there." She confirmed.

"So we'll have to confront it to know what it's capable of; just like the others." He commented.

"Yeah." Sailor Moon agreed. "When I first saw it it came from the right, so that's likely the direction the victim is in." She added.

"And walked toward the left?" He asked as he stared at the busted window.

"Yes." She said as she nodded.

"Do you want to wait for Sailor Mercury?" He asked as he looked to her.

"No." She answered instantly. "I want to see if the victim is okay or at least will be okay when the monster is defeated. Who knows when she'll get here or if the monster will stay in there."

"Very well. Let's go in and see what we can see." He said.

Sailor Moon nodded and looked around once more before she jumped off the roof and down to land gracefully on top of a lit light pole. She paused briefly before pushing off and leaping across the street onto the light pole directly across from the first. Without missing a beat she pushed off the top of that light pole and jumped onto a small balcony.

She carefully leapt from balcony to balcony steadily ascending up the building until she was on the balcony directly below the blown out window. Shifting over she looked to her left to see that Tuxedo Mask was right there with her, having followed her silently.

He nodded and she nodded in return before she jumped up and landed lightly on the floor just inside the blown out window. There was no glass to make a sound under her boots, which she was grateful for, and she quickly looked left and right and thankfully saw nothing.

She looked back out and down and gestured for Tuxedo Mask to come up, which he did, leaping up to join her quickly as she stepped out of the way.

Sailor Moon held in a sigh and stepped toward her right and began to move down the hallway without a word. She could still sense the dark energy of the monster within the immediate area, and she didn't want to alert it to their presence, but this was the direction it had come from when she spotted it and where the victim likely was.

She saw light coming from an open door up ahead and the sound of running water. Reaching the doorway she peeked inside and saw the yellow shower curtain open and heated water from the shower head raining down into the bathtub.

Stepping into the obvious bathroom Sailor Moon moved toward the tub and immediately saw a brown haired woman wrapped in a slight web-like cocoon. Her head, shoulders, and legs from the knees down were still visible. Turning off the water she knelt at the side of the bathtub and checked the woman's pulse.

"She's still alive." She said quietly as she turned to look at her companion who was standing sideways in the doorway, and watched him nod as he looked toward her and away from the hallway.

"Can you tell if the monster is still around?" Tuxedo Mask asked just as quietly.

"It is." She answered as she stood up.

"Then I'll leave it to you to lead the way." He said quietly.

Sailor Moon nodded and stepped passed him and into the hallway and began to walk back the way they had come, the same path the monster had taken earlier. It wasn't long before they found themselves exiting the short hallway and stepping into what was clearly a living room. It was nicely furnished and looked quite cozy, but that observation was cut short by the appearance of a woman walking out from a doorway off to their far side.

All three parties froze and stared at each other. The woman gazed at what were obviously intruders, and the masked man and sailor scout gazed at the twin of the woman that had been unconscious in the bathtub.

"Is that...?" Tuxedo Mask asked without taking his eyes from the woman.

"Yes." Sailor Moon answered instantly.

That was all the confirmation he needed before he pulled out one of his piercing roses and threw it at the woman. He knew from his soulmate's implied confirmation that the woman was actually the monster, and he had needed that confirmation because he hadn't seen the woman's face in the bathtub.

It was disconcerting that this monster could impersonate its victims, but it was good to know so they could be careful since they had no idea how it used that ability.

The woman quickly dodged the flower, instantly proving that she wasn't a normal woman, and parted her lips. Her mouth opened wide and out came shooting a stream of greenish blue web-like material.

Both fighters immediately dodged away from each other. Tuxedo Mask moved further into the living room and toward the area where the monster had moved, and Sailor Moon moved further to the side. She collided with the wall with a slight grimace and moved along the wall and closer to the monster knowing she needed to be close in order to get a hit in with her tiara without damaging the room.

As she removed her tiara and charged it she wished they had more room or, better yet, that they were outside. She worried about damaging furniture and walls of the apartment and making things difficult for the unconscious woman who lived there.

But we are inside so I'm going to have to just deal with it. She told herself. This time I'm not going to lament about my lack of weapons and fire power. I'm just going to focus on the fight and not get distracted.

She threw the glowing disk that was her tiara at the monster, but the monster ducked as it caught sight of the incoming weapon and she grimaced as it slammed into the wall and left a crack and dent in the plaster.

At least it didn't get stuck. She thought as she watched her tiara move away from the wall, but dove to the floor behind a side table as a stream of greenish blue web-like material came shooting her way.

Tuxedo Mask stepped to the side as the greenish blue material came streaming his way and quickly pulled out a hand full of his red piercing roses and threw them at the monster. They streaked toward the monster quickly but the monster dodged and the flowers pierced the wall behind it instead.

He pursed his lips in frustration, and wished he could use his other rose weapons. He finally had something other than simple piercing roses to use and now he couldn't use them because the fight was happening inside someone's apartment.

We need to get it out of here. He thought seriously, knowing he wasn't the only one hindered. His soulmate only had her tiara and she couldn't use it properly and without damaging something. He had seen the dent and crack in the wall when she missed the monster just moments ago.

Sailor Moon grabbed her tiara from where it hovered above her as she stood up and immediately threw it at the monster. Again it dodged and sent another stream of greenish blue web-like material toward her and Tuxedo Mask.

They both ducked and moved locations for good measure, and when they cautiously rose to see where the monster was they quickly noticed it was gone. Furthermore they realized that their movements had maneuvered the monster toward the hallway they had originally come from.

Tuxedo Mask dashed forward and Sailor Moon followed, grabbing her tiara and replacing it on her forehead, only for them to just see the monster jump through the blasted out window they had all used to enter the apartment.

They stopped at the window and cautiously looked out to see the monster, still disguised as the unconscious woman, using its strange web to latch onto a small balcony and launch itself up toward the roof.

"At least it's outside now." Tuxedo Mask said as he watched the monster disappear over and onto the roof.

"Then let's join it." Sailor Moon said before she jumped out the opening and onto the small balcony below.

Tuxedo Mask joined her in the next moment and all they did was exchange a nod before they leapt onto the balcony on the opposite side of each other. They didn't have to exchange any words to know they wanted to be separated when they reached the roof in case they were faced with an immediate attack. That way they would have room to maneuver without getting into each other's way.

Thankfully when they reached the roof the monster hadn't gotten far, but it must have heard them land since he turned to face them. As it turned it lost the look of the unconscious woman it was disguised as.

Its skin returned to the greenish bluish color Sailor Moon had first seen, but now that she was closer she thought its skin looked like thick glass.

The reflective look of its skin makes sense now. Sailor Moon thought as she eyed the monster, taking in its pointed ears, narrow red eyes, and white fangs while idly noting it was still dressed as the unconscious woman and had what was probably her hair style as well.

The three of them stood in a silent standoff just as they did when they first encountered each other inside the apartment. It lasted long moments before the monster attacked opening its mouth and sending a stream of greenish bluish web-like material flying through the air at them.

They both instantly ducked and dodged to the side away from each other for good measure.

Sailor Moon pulled off her tiara and quickly charged it. Once it was a glowing white disk floating just above her fingers she paused her movements and threw it at the monster's chest. Tuxedo Mask for his part pulled out a handful of his exploding roses and threw them all at the same time at the monster.

The monster dodged the glowing white disk and parted her lips and spewed forth a stream of her webbing material even as she jumped back to create more distance between her and the incoming flowers.

Each rose was hit and fell to the floor of the rooftop, making a slight tinkling sound as they were revealed to be encased in a greenish bluish hard yet transparent cocoon.

Sailor Moon frowned easily imagining that happening to her and her companion. They would have to be careful, her especially since the only long distance weapon she had was her tiara and that could obviously be dodged.

And if we are going to defeat this monster I'm going to have to get closer and fight it up close. She thought as she watched the monster looking at them. I'll have to dodge and be careful not to get caught in that web material so I don't end up like those roses. I hope its skin isn't as hard as the cocoon around the roses sounded when they hit the floor.

She glanced to Tuxedo Mask before she returned her eyes to the monster and slowly began to move forward.

Tuxedo Mask frowned at his roses before looking to the monster. Clearly he was going to have to be careful not to get caught up in that material or substance or whatever it was.

And I'm limited in what I can use. He thought in quiet frustration. He could not use his rose bombs since they could damage the roof if he missed.

Of course I'm not as limited as my soulmate. He thought as he looked toward her, seeing her inching closer to the monster. All she has is her tiara unless she's willing to get close to the monster, and she clearly is so I might as well provide her some cover.

He lifted his gloved hand with his palm facing the monster as he focused his chakra, and willed his attack forward. Out sprayed numerous sharp red rose petals, spinning rapidly through the air toward the monster.

The monster dodged the petals, jumping off to the side, and Sailor Moon quickly took advantage. She grabbed her tiara where it was hovering above her and threw it at the monster since its move had brought it closer to her.

The monster found herself too close to dodge the spinning white disk so she parted her lips and sprayed a stream of her webbing material at the incoming weapon. It hit and stopped the forward motion of the disk before pushing it back.

Sailor Moon dodged to the side to avoid being hit by her own weapon and the stuff the monster was spewing in her direction. When the monster stopped the stream her tiara fell to the floor, and she frowned to see it encased in a greenish bluish hard yet transparent cocoon and rendered just as useless as Tuxedo Mask's roses had been.

She looked back up to the monster in time to see Tuxedo Mask spraying it with more of his rose petals, so she took the time to crouch down and pick up her tiara. She grimaced at the feel of the cocoon encasing it. It was just as solid and hard as it looked, and felt like glass.

The bulletproof kind. She thought in dismay, seeing that her tiara was back in its normal form without her power influencing it.

She sighed and dropped her encased tiara back to the floor as she stood up. There was nothing she could do about it so it was useless to her. Obviously she would only be able to use it again after the monster was defeated.

And now all I have to use is my ability to fight and dodge. She told herself quietly, refusing to focus on the fact that she was weaponless even though the thought was very firmly in her mind.

She took a deep breath and launched herself forward toward the monster ready to dodge at a moment's notice yet continue forward.

Tuxedo Mask threw a handful of his piercing roses at the monster and then focused his chakra and summoned a rose to his dominant hand and lengthened it into his whip before he flung its tip at the monster. His soulmate was heading right for the monster and he needed to keep it as distracted and off balance as possible.

He watched as she got close enough and engaged the monster in a physical fight. Only a few moments in he could see that the monster was no fighter. It dodged and blocked when it couldn't dodge, but thankfully it also couldn't use the stuff it spewed from its mouth.

He continued to attack with his sharp rose petals and his whip, but he was careful since he didn't want to hit his soulmate. He could see that the rose petals were cutting into the monster but weren't making it bleed, and the same could be said for the damage his whip was causing.

Sailor Moon used straight and slight swinging punches to try to bombard the monster and add to its distraction from Tuxedo's attacks, so she could launch a more rapid physical attack and bring the monster down. Hopefully her companion could use his various attacks to defeat the monster when that happened.

Suddenly she sucked in a sharp breath and tilted her head to the side just in time to avoid a stream of that web material that came shooting out of the monsters mouth. Then she gasped as the monster kicked her in the stomach so hard the pain spread throughout her body and sent her flying back.

She opened her eyes, barely aware that she had closed them in her pain, and cried out as she was hit in the chest with the monster's stream of web-like material and sent flying back faster.

Tuxedo Mask's eyes widened as he watched his soulmate being blasting back toward the edge of the roof. He lifted his hand and quickly sprayed the monster with his sharp rose petals then gathered his chakra and summoned an open red rose blossom and threw it hard at the monster.

He hadn't wanted to use his rose bombs while they were in or on the building, but he was willing to take the risk for his soulmate and hoped the monster was too distracted to see it coming before it was too late.

He turned and sprinted after his soulmate and toward the edge of the roof. He wasn't going to make it to her before she went over, but he was confident he could still save her if she was paying attention to her surroundings and not just her falling.

Of course this shit would not be happening in the first place if she was fighting as her true self! She would have all she needed at her fingertips as Sailor Earth, and wouldn't have had to get close to the monster for this to even happen. He thought angrily.

He reached the edge of the roof and looked down. Thankfully they were off to the side of where the balconies were so there was no danger with them, but they were high up and it was a long way down even for people of their natural abilities.

"Catch!" He called out urgently as he flung his whip toward her as she fell.

Sailor Moon looked up at the sound of Tuxedo Mask's voice and her eyes widened as she saw his whip headed for her. She reached up, knowing she was going to have to be careful and get a good grip so her weight didn't pull her off it, and grasped the end of the whip as it reached her.

She reached up with her other hand and wrapped her fingers around the vine in a firm grip and hung on tightly. She gritted her teeth together, but still cried out as she jerked to a stop. Thankfully both she and Tuxedo Mask kept their grip on the whip, so she hung there at the side of the building rather than falling the double digit stories to the ground below.

Tuxedo Mask watched his soulmate look up toward him and he nodded before he took a quick breath and swung his arms to his right and then toward his left as he pulled upward with all his strength.

Sailor Moon gasp as she swung and suddenly went soaring upward. Sooner than she thought she came flying up above the roof edge, and willed herself to focus as she released his whip so she could land properly.

oOo

Sailor Mercury ran along and jumped rooftops as she made her way to the location Sailor Moon had informed her a monster was. She still wasn't completely convinced that Sailor Moon had sensed the monster's dark energy and that was how she had known about the monster and attack.

I'll have to ask Luna to make sure. She thought as she ran with a slight frown. Especially since Luna didn't mention Serena was capable of such a thing. And what if she's lying? What if she didn't sense anything?

That would mean she knew about it from the enemy themselves, and that would be a very bad thing.

Part of her wouldn't even be too surprised about that fact. Since she had become a scout Serena hadn't bothered to spend much time with her. She didn't know what she expected but she had thought they would spend time together if only to talk about their enemy, finding their fellow scouts, and their princess.

Maybe she thought a friendship would grow from it and they would hangout and study together and do what friends did. However, that didn't seem to be what Serena wanted since she hadn't made any attempt at it.

Sailor Mercury shook her head as she approached the building, and narrowed her eyes as she saw what must be the monster dealing with the remains of an attack and Tuxedo Mask standing at the edge of the roof looking like he was holding something.

She watched his movements as she grew closer and her eyes widened as Sailor Moon suddenly came flying up and into the air above the roof. She shifted her body as she let go of something she had been holding until her feet were angled downward and fell at least seven feet to the rooftop.

---

"Sailor Moon?" She heard the familiar voice of Amy call as her feet touched the floor, her knees bending to compensate so she could remain on her feet.

"I'm fine!" She called back without turning to look behind her where her fellow scout was coming from.

Instead she watched Tuxedo Mask launch a handful of roses at the monster and then a single one off to the side before running after it. She didn't know what that was about, but she took the time to move closer to the monster without having to worry about being attacked just yet.

As Tuxedo Mask ran he watched as his piercing rose punctured the glassy cocoon surrounding his soulmate's tiara and shatter it freeing the decorative piece of jewelry/weapon.

He slowed to a stop and scooped it up before he turned to check her location. He saw that she had moved closer to the monster and that they had been joined by Sailor Mercury. He kept the sneer that wanted to form on his face firmly in his mind at the sight of her. He couldn't believe that she was suspicious of his soulmate just because she could sense the enemy.

He narrowed his eyes, his intelligence, intuition, and past training helping him see that situation for what it was. Sailor Mercury would be loyal to her princess regardless if the truth of her past actions came out. He wouldn't be surprised if she didn't even believe the truth.

She'll need watching. He told himself as he began to move toward his soulmate. It was a good thing he had this masked persona so he could be on scene helping and protecting her; watching her back. He would not let her or any of the Moon Princess' guardians hurt his soulmate.

"Here." He said as he reached her side.

"Thank you." Sailor Moon said as she accepted her tiara. Clearly his single thrown rose was for freeing her only weapon. She charged it and it instantly turned into a familiar glowing spinning white disk.

She focused back on the monster ready to fight like she hadn't just been blasted off a high rise building.

Tuxedo Mask lifted his hand as he focused on his chakra and sprayed his sharp rose petals at the monster. Sailor Moon took that opportunity to throw her tiara aiming for the monster's legs.

"Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" Sailor Mercury called out as she lifted her hands.

The monster launched a stream of its web-like material from its mouth at the flower petals encasing them in ice and rendering them useless before she jumped high over the spinning disk. She landed on her feet and immediately shot another stream at the incoming bubbles.

Sailor Moon held in a frustrated sigh as she kept one eye on the monster and one on her returning tiara. They might have had a chance of ending this quickly if Mercury hadn't called out her attack. Shouldn't she know not to do that?

Tuxedo Mask launched a handful of his exploding roses at the monster, a frown still on his face from listening to Sailor Mercury calling out her attack, and followed that up by flicking his wrist and sending the tip of his rose whip at the monster's ankle.

Sailor Moon grabbed her tiara out of the air above her and watched as Tuxedo's whip wrapped around the monster's ankle as it was busy countering the roses.

"Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" Sailor Mercury called out again as she aimed her hands at the monster. The bubbles spilled out of her palms and streamed toward the distracted monster.

The monster encased each of the flowers in a glass cocoon but as she focused back on the fighters she felt something tug sharply at her ankle. She cried out as her leg was pulled out from under her and then her eyes widened as the bubbles from the female fighter in blue and white came streaking toward her.

She cried out slightly at the cold feel and growled angrily as she felt her chest and arms becoming stiff as she hit the ground. Still, her head and face were unimpeded so she could still attack and hopefully protect herself until she could get free.

Sailor Moon shifted her arm in preparation to throw her tiara, but quickly dodged to the side as the monster spewed a stream of its greenish bluish web-like material in her direction.

Tuxedo Mask moved over from his position as his soulmate dodged in his direction, and flicked his whip at the monster yet again. This time the tip of the green vine slapped sharply across the monster's face, abruptly cutting off its attack as it screeched in pain.

Sailor Moon took that opening to throw her tiara hard at the monster's frozen chest.

The monster's screech was just finishing when the spinning tiara slammed into its chest causing it to scream in agony. Within moments however the scream trailed off and the monster began to slowly turn gray before crumbling to dust.

Sailor Moon caught her tiara as it returned to her and released the charge of power and watched it return to the piece of gold jewelry. She placed it back on her forehead and sighed lightly as she glanced to Mercury and looked to Tuxedo Mask.

"Are you alright?" Tuxedo Mask asked her as he released his rose whip and allowed it to disappear into nothing as the chakra returned to his body unnoticed.

"Yes. I am." She answered. "Thanks for the save."

"You are very welcome." He replied.

"Well, I want to go make sure the woman is okay." She said she glanced away from Tuxedo Mask to Mercury before returning her eyes to him.

She hadn't forgotten her earlier decision. Mercury should not be suspicious of her. She should have been given the benefit of doubt simply because she was a fellow scout until she actually did something that was suspicious. Tuxedo Mask was more her partner than Sailor Mercury, which was made even clearer since Mercury's awakening, and she had absolutely no problem keeping it that way.

"What woman?" Sailor Mercury asked with a slight frown.

"The woman I heard scream; the one I mentioned when I contacted you." Sailor Moon answered. "She was unconscious in her bathroom the last we saw." She added and her fellow scout nodded.

"Shouldn't we get out of here before any authorities arrive or before we're seen?" Sailor Mercury asked.

"Yes." She agreed as she nodded slightly. "You can go ahead and do that now, but I'm going to check on that woman and make sure she is okay."

With that said Sailor Moon turned and began to walk toward the edge of the roof where the balconies were; unconcerned with what Mercury decided to do. Tuxedo Mask silently turned and walked at her side to join her.

He thoroughly approved of her being more concerned with checking on the victim then getting away from the scene. That woman's health was more important. After all, as Sailor Earth her duty was to protect the citizens of the planet. In this day and age of not being known worldwide, instead of sticking around and not being concerned, they should and could easily and quickly leave before any authorities arrived.

She would unknowingly do her duty, and he would be there to silently protect her as she did so.