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Chapter 25

Serena stared up at the ceiling, her eyes boring into the beams above. Her mind was racing with the details Raye had filled her in on from the past couple of hours. It all made sense now, why Darien collapsed, why he suffered from the migraines, why he was suddenly so drained of life. It was crazy: the Shitennou were officially back. But what did that mean? She turned her head to the side where Raye appeared to be fast asleep, the slightest movement of her covers moving up and down as she breathed gently. She sighed and turned onto her side. Sometimes it felt like Darien's arm was still draped over her, pulling her in closely. She'd left his apartment quietly as he was sleeping deeply, and she noted that he was looking less pasty than he was in the library. She left a glass of water and two aspirin on his dresser, noted the colour returning in his cheeks and left. She was always thinking about Darien but on her way over to the temple, it felt like her heart was humming with the warm sensation he lent to her through his mere touch. She rolled over onto her other side and sighed, flicking her eyes up to Raye's form in her bed.

"Raye?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

There was a moment of silence then Raye stirred. The priestess turned over to face Serena, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Well, I am now," she grumbled. "What's wrong?"

"Wouldn't it be easier to ask what's right?" Serena stressed.

Raye leaned on her arm with a frown.

"Sere, we can't do anything about what's happened," she reminded her. "We're getting there. The guys have their memories now. This is a good thing."

"You don't sound certain about that."

Raye pursed her lips.

"It's good for Darien," she reassured her. "They will look out for him without him knowing that they are. This is a good thing."

"Yeah, it is," Serena responded faintly. She cocked her head to one side at Raye. "So, what about Jackson… or Jadeite? Wait, what are the guys going by now?"

"Their civilian names," Raye answered. "And Jackson… I don't know. Things are still kind of tense with Chad. I don't want to talk about it. This whole situation just makes things complicated."

"Isn't that our lives?"

Raye made a mumbled noise of acknowledgment but commented no further. She could feel Serena's gaze on her and sighed.

"Do you feel anything for Jadeite?" Serena asked, using Jackson's true name. Raye's violet eyes shot to Serena's face, the horror obvious in her glare. "Well, do you?"

"Of course, I do," she breathed.

Serena blinked, surprised that Raye didn't dance around the answer and eventually not answer the question at all.

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I can't do anything about it," Raye said immediately. She pressed her lips together when she noted Serena's blank expression. "Chad."

"Yeah, that sucks but he'll deal."

Raye sat up in bed, her mouth open.

"That's not like you to say something like that," she noted. "That's borderline mean, even for you."

"I know, I know," Serena shrugged. "But do you know how many times I've been torn apart from the love of my life?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "Too many!" She sighed. "Look, if Chad cares, and I mean really cares about you, he won't stand in the way of your happiness. He may hate you, resent you for some time but sometimes the cliché is true… time will help him. And you aren't at fault for any hurt he's feeling." She gave her a wry smile. "Our lives our complicated and he wasn't a part of that."

"I guess you're right," Raye conceded. She narrowed her eyes. "Since when did you ever sound so wise?"

"I was always wise," Serena smiled, "no one ever saw it."

Her smile died on her lips and she flicked her eyes down as she sat herself up. Raye shuffled over in her bed to make room.

"Meatball Head," she invited, gesturing for her to join her when Serena looked at her.

Serena got up off of the floor, climbed up into Raye's bed and they settled down under the covers. Raye patted her arm fondly.

"Don't be sad, Sere," she murmured. "You have all your friends round you now. The guys care for you just as we do. We're just missing one person from our circle and we'll get him back."

"How?"

"You need to stop asking me that, because you know I'm not that good," Raye nudged her with a smile. "Sadly, I wish I knew how, but we'll find out."

"I wish I knew when," Serena sniffed. "It's starting to feel like nothing is ever going to bring him back. Even when he's close to me, he feels so far away. It isn't Darien."

"I know," Raye whispered, squeezing her arm gently before closing her eyes to go to sleep.

Zane walked out onto the pool side and saw the unmistakable flash of blue hair under the surface of the water. He dropped his towel on the benches and stepped forward to the wall of the pool and knelt down so his hand rested on the tiles and he hopped into the water, briefly inhaling sharply when the cold water hit his skin. He watched as her slight figure glided towards him effortlessly, rolled forward and kicked off from the poolside next to him, quickly making her way back down the lane. He stretched his arms and turned side to side, rolling his neck, bringing his goggles down over his eyes and took off down the lane after her. He felt the instant sweet thrill go through him as the water rushed over his skin as his arms cut through the water and his feet kicked against it, pushing him forward. He started to gain on her and just as he lifted his head to take in some oxygen, he watched in frustration as she kicked against the wall and made her way back down to the other end again. He remembered swearing in a previous life that she was born a mermaid. Internally, he rolled his eyes and took off back down the lane, kicking harder and gaining on her. He was now side by side with her and he glanced her way, giving her a playful nudge with his fingers as his arm cut through the water. He saw her eyes widened when she looked at him and they both looked forward finding that they needed to come to a halt, or they'd crash into the wall. Simultaneously, their hands came up out of the water and slapped down onto the poolside. With heavy breathing, they pulled themselves up so that their arms rested on the poolside. Zane looked at her with a smirk.

"I'm gaining on you now," he teased.

Amy looked at him, biting her lip.

"I… I didn't know you were here," she stammered.

"Well, a guy's gotta train," he shrugged. He paused and the atmosphere between them started to feel suffocating after a moment. He looked at her, hesitating. "So, how are you?"

"The usual," she nodded, trying her best not to look at him in light of the new information that she was attracted to her guy all along and not because he's Zane. "I guess we have a lot to figure out. Raye had Serena over at the temple last night and filled her in. I don't really know how she took it. Darien is still… Darien." She frowned.

"You do know you're not alone, right?"

She looked at him, shaking her head slightly, the question in her eyes.

"You don't have to figure out everything by yourself," he told her. "You have all of us now. You may be the smartest person we know, but the burden doesn't fall on you." He hesitated. "You have me, if you'll have me."

"So, you guys have this cracked then?" she asked, her face deadpan. "If an attack happened, or Darien needed you, you could all just jump to his defence? Your memories are entirely intact, and you remember the histories we grew up with?" She watched his face carefully and raised her eyebrows with a slow nod of her head. "I thought not. You know, it took some time for us to remember everything about ourselves. It took a lot of training. We still train now, and new things come up that we have yet to understand. You guys aren't ready."

"So, let us join you," he suggested.

"What?"

"Let us join you at your next training session," he repeated.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," he replied.

"Look, if you get injured during one of these battle simulations, you'll be more than useless," she told him.

"As humbling as this exchange is, just give in, Amy," he said sternly with a sigh. "Like you said, it took training for you all to get to where you are. It'll be the same for us, too. We already agreed that we need to train. You just gave me the idea of how we can do this in the best way."

"Fine," she conceded, shifting uncomfortably when she realised he was staring at her intently.

"Are we going to talk about it or just argue about how useless we are as reawakened guardians of the Earth?"

"I didn't mean –"

"I know what you meant," he interrupted.

Amy sighed.

"I don't know how to talk about it, Zane," she murmured.

He looked down at her with a small smile.

"It's nice to see that nothing has changed there," he laughed gently.

"I just… can't," she said apologetically.

"Well, think about it," he asked, "please."

She looked up into his cat-green eyes framed by his soft blonde eyebrows, pushed into a small frown. His long blonde hair tied back into his usual ponytail, beads of water sat on his big shoulders which for a brief moment she fantasised about his arms round her. Once upon a time, they had been. She flicked her eyes away.

"I feel so stupid that I didn't realise that you were in front of me the whole time."

"How would you have known?"

"Raye knew," she pointed out.

"Raye's different," he countered. "You all have your own strengths."

"And I should have figured it out," she shrugged. "I suppose my strength has its weaknesses."

"Don't talk like that," he frowned. Without thought, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. He felt her stiffen and he shook his head. She hadn't changed. "Just think about it. Please."

"Alright," he heard her answer.

"Fancy meeting you here," Neal's voice interrupted Lita's reverie.

She turned to look up into his face that was framed by his mass of thick, wavy maroon hair that hung loose around his massive shoulders. She raised her eyebrows at him, gesturing for him to sit in the empty seat next to her.

"We agreed to meet here, you dodo," she reminded him.

"Irrelevant," he argued. "We've always been in orbit."

She looked at him incredulously and saw the playful smirk at his lips and she rolled her eyes.

"You're such an idiot," she remarked, sitting back on the bench, looking out over the lake, glistening from the light of the sun bouncing off the water's surface.

"That never seemed to put you off," he observed, nudging her.

"Are you kidding?" she laughed. "When we met, I thought you were an ignoramus of the highest order and hated you on sight."

"Hate is a strong word," he said, insulted.

"Alright, I really didn't like you," she admitted, offering him a smile. "You were such a jerk when we met."

"Granted," he nodded. "I can't say I ever ventured outside of my circle of friends."

"Oh my God," she gasped. "You have friends?"

"Lita!" he exclaimed.

"Come on," she continued. "You gave me a concussion and a nosebleed. It wasn't a recipe for friendship, was it?"

"How about something else?"

She glanced his way to see an innocent expression on his face and shook her head.

"Honestly, Neal," she admonished him.

"Didn't you ever wonder why I kept trying to get you to come out with me?"

"Because you were a major ignoramus?"

Neal gave her an unimpressed glare.

"You were so spunky, and you constantly surprised me," he admitted. "That first basketball game and I knew I had to know more about you. After you told me you'd kick my ass if I ever pulled another stunt like that on the court, I couldn't resist trying. Neal may be a prized prat, but he knows what he's talking about. Lita is worth getting to know."

"And now you know I wasn't kidding when I said that I could kick your ass," she smiled.

"I wish I'd have known sooner," he sighed. "You're okay with this, aren't you?" She frowned at him. "You know that I'm… me again."

"Of course, Neal," she replied quietly. "It's just… how? You were dead."

"So were you," he reminded her. "Twice. I don't know how we're here to be honest, but I thank all the stars that I am. It's so good to see you, Ju."

At the nickname, she felt something both familiar and alien go through her that seemed to pull at her heartstrings. She knew he felt it too. When she looked at him, it confirmed what she already knew. He was Nephrite, she was Princess Jupiter, but they were still Neal and Lita. They were both. And he wanted to know her, all of her.

"As angry as I am with Raye for not telling me, I'm glad she didn't," Lita confessed. "For so long now, I've watched Serena struggle to get closer to Darien everyday knowing that this guy wasn't her guy. It's heart breaking to watch, really. I know that it must have been difficult for Raye to know more than she wished she ever knew." She looked at Neal with a smile on her face. "I've missed you."

"It's nice to know why I couldn't stay away from you," he purred. "I wasn't supposed to."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, just watching the wildlife go about their business in the park. The ripples on the surface of the water obvious in the light of the sun where the fish below came to the surface. The sounds of fellow visitors to the park, their laughter. To anyone on the outside, they appeared to be two friends enjoying each other's company. If only they knew what they were feeling underneath the exterior.

"So, what happens now?" Neal finally asked. "Do I keep continuing my attempts to court you or do we go back to living in two worlds and sneaking a kiss or two?"

Lita burst out laughing.

"Subtle really isn't part of your vocabulary," she giggled, wiping under her eyes where some tears had leaked out in her laughter. "I don't know what you want me to say. Everything is different now."

"Is it?" Neal asked, his expression and tone serious. "The only thing that is different is that we remember who we are, finally, and no longer living a lie. It's less complicated here than in the time of the Silver Millennium. There are obstacles here, but we were so restricted back then." Lita was nodding her head in agreement slowly. "We're here now, knowing how or not, it doesn't matter. You girls aren't alone to shoulder this. It doesn't change the fact I love you."

She turned to look at him, her emerald green eyes wide in shock. It felt like her heart had skipped a beat and it took everything in her power to not check that her heart had resumed its usual rhythm. She suddenly found that she had no words to respond with and she simply stared at him. She felt his arm circle round her back to rest at her waist and he squeezed her gently.

"Stop running from me, Jules," her pleaded. "Lita's amazing but you're everything. And I want to know all of her."

"But Serena and Darien…" she trailed off.

"With training, we'll be stronger again," he promised her. "We've already discussed this last night. We will be ready to protect our prince and we'll be here to help all of you. Whatever you need."

"You're already strong," she stated, resting her hand against his cheek, not looking away from his dark blue eyes. "Your instincts kicked in before you even knew what you were doing or who you really are. You saved me from an attack that would have been horrendous." She winced at the memory of poor Mina that one time. "Thank you."

"I'd do it all over again, Ju," he declared.

She smiled, leaning over, and planting a kiss on his cheek. She pulled away and let herself lean against him as his arm came up to rest on her side. She felt herself warm at the feeling of being in his embrace again. She never would have dared to dream this would happen.

Killian opened the door to his apartment and found Mina stood on the other side. The question of how she was stood there or how she knew where he lived were but a thought for a blink of an eye as the memory of them were lost to him when she jumped up at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and flinging her arms around his neck. She kissed him long and hard on the lips, her grip on him never once waning. It hadn't occurred to him once to not kiss her back. He found himself stepping back into the apartment, with one hand supporting her and the other pushing the door closed behind them before finding purchase again at her back. His hand then found its way to her neck as they kissed deeper, a tongue running across a bottom lip, asking permission to deepen their kiss further. They somehow found themselves on his sofa, she above him as his height advantage of one feet five inches would have crushed her slight frame. Her red bow had somehow come undone and was now on the floor, her long blonde tresses now fallen over her shoulders in waves, pooling on his chest. The instant bolt of ecstasy that they experienced once they felt each other's touch on their skin continued to race round their system thanks to the adrenaline and that was what made it harder to pull away from each other.

Mina had missed his blue grey eyes that were reminiscent of a thunderstorm about to roll in. Yes, she'd seen them so many times when she was out on a date with Killian, but it was different seeing them on her lover. Her baby blues softened as she stared down at him, affectionately running her fingers through his long white hair. She could see in his face that he was astounded she was here in his apartment, but equally, he was thrilled.

"Mina," he smiled for the first time since she'd arrived as his mouth had been otherwise engaged.

"I've missed you," she told him tenderly.

"And I you," he murmured, twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers. "How come you came over here?"

She looked at him pointedly.

"I mean besides that you wanted to see me," he laughed.

"I realised something," she expressed. "It's confusing feeling like you're two different people. After Queen Serenity sent us all to be reborn on Earth and we awakened as the sailor guardians, it was weird, like we were having an out of body experience, watching our new selves live as our old selves. I knew it was going to be weird for you guys, too and you'll live through the same thing. It was going to affect our relationships and make us question everything we know. We can make our vows and hope to be enough just as we are. But none of us can vow to be perfect. In the end, all we can do is promise to love each other with everything we've got, because love's the best thing we do."

"I never wondered why you were well renowned as the goddess of love," he chuckled. He ran his fingers down her spine with a fond smile on his face. "Is this your way of telling me that you want to be with me?"

"No," she replied. She giggled when she watched his face fall. "Are you kidding? I was never going to be with anyone else."

She leaned down and pressed her lips against his. He brushed his hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear and she cocked her head to one side looking at him watching her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I really missed your face," he told her after a moments pause. "Just let me have this moment."