Author's note: Thank you for visiting this story and staying with me on this journey. I expect that there's another few chapters until the conclusion and I am so excited to reach the ending. Please leave me your reviews and let me know what you think of the story! I love all my readers - stay safe! - R

Chapter 30

There was only one thing going through Darien's mind as he sped down the street, dangerously close to breaking out into a jog. He brushed the heel of his hand against his temple, narrowly avoiding a passing pedestrian. He needed answers. The lies were almost tangible in the air and he felt like it was a real possibility that he could choke on them. He reached the bottom of the stairs, staring up at the Cherry Hill Temple that stood at the top and pursed his lips. He had a strong suspicion that his attempt to get answers were going to be in vain, but he was determined. He'd never felt so determined in his life. He didn't think that he could ever hold such strong feelings for anything, let alone someone and it was inconceivable that she was the reason he felt so strongly. Where was she? It made no sense that she'd vanish with no word.

He raced up the long staircase until he reached the top, hearing the familiar cawing of the resident crows. He cast his eyes across the temple grounds, noting that there was no sign of life with the exception of the crows tapping their feet on the ground, tempting their prey to the surface. He strode towards the entrance with purpose, peering in.

"Hello?" he called. "Raye, are you around?"

There was no answer. He frowned and entered the temple, moving like a whisper down the corridors. A flicker of light caught his attention, and he came to a halt, his eyes curious.

"You see?" Jackson's voice rang out behind the slightly ajar door. "I told you that it just takes practice, and you'll begin to feel better."

"That's the problem," Raye's voice responded. "I'm not sure I do feel better. I suppose all I can say is that meditation is… easier."

"First step to feeling better," came the reassurance. "Really, Raye. You're doing fine. Your sleep is better now, right?"

"Well, I guess the dreams about your death are less frequent."

"Very subtle, Raye," Jackson chuckled.

Darien frowned. What did that mean?

"Oh, you asked!" Raye snapped. "I'm sleeping better but I try to avoid pyromancy altogether."

"Why?" Darien knew Jackson would be frowning. "You're still using precognition, right? What's the difference?"

"I was born with precognition," Raye explained. "I can't really control when I see what's coming. But pyromancy is a talent that is honed and perfected over time. It takes a great deal of concentration, and involves fire, of course. I try to avoid seeing things in the flames." There was a short pause. "Obviously."

"I'm sorry."

Silence followed and it was uncomfortable to be experiencing second hand. Darien pondered whether he should knock when conversation started up again.

"How's your back?"

"No worse than Lita's shoulder," Raye sighed.

"You're lying," Jackson accused. "Come on, show me. You look uncomfortable."

"Why on earth would I show you?"

Darien could hear the exasperation in her voice.

"Because you can't perform a full-on Exorcist twist to look at your own injuries," Jackson said, his voice giving away the smirk that was on inevitably on his face.

"It's nothing," she shrugged it off. "I'm healing. Amy has already taken a look at it."

"Raye…"

"Don't push it, Jack."

Darien figured now was a good time to interrupt before the argument started. He knocked firmly on the door.

"Erm come in?"

Darien opened the door and flicked his eyes between Raye and Jackson who were sat on the floor in a cross-legged position facing each other, the great fire flickering next to them.

"Hi," he greeted them uncertainly. "I called but no one answered."

"Sorry," Raye apologised, getting to her feet, looking alarmed. "We've been back here the whole time and Grandpa and Chad are still away."

"Let me guess, Osaka?" Darien replied tartly.

"Excuse me?" Raye frowned, cocking her head to one side.

"Where's Serena?" he asked, his eyes flickering to Jackson for a moment and back to Raye who was now staring at him with her mouth agape.

"Amy told you where she is," she replied, folding her arms across her chest.

"Except why would Serena disappear without a word?" Darien demanded. "I was helping her with her studies. I know she hates it, but I seriously doubt she'd flee the district for this long when she has school, and her family are still at home. I've seen them."

"I don't know what to tell you, Darien," Raye said flatly.

Darien shook his head, looking again at Jackson who remained silent, watching the exchange.

"How about the truth?" he suggested. "I know I'm being lied to. What I'm not clear on is why."

"Serena just has some stuff going on," Raye shrugged. "I didn't realise that you two were close enough for you to be privy to the details."

That stopped Darien short.

"Look, I'm concerned," Darien tried. "And I don't like the strong suspicion that I'm being lied to. I feel like she's in trouble and I don't know why."

Raye narrowed her eyes and looked away.

"She's fine, Darien," Raye insisted, looking at Jackson.

Jackson got to his feet.

"Look mate," he said gently, "why don't we just go and cool off? Nothing weird is going on."

"Cool off?" Darien echoed.

"There's no need to be concerned," he assured him.

Darien looked between them with a shake of his head.

"And what was this earlier with the talk about nightmares of your boyfriend's death, exercising magical powers and mysterious injuries that you all seem to acquire?" Darien pressed.

Raye's violet eyes bulged out of her head and she looked at Jackson in disbelief.

"You were earwigging at the door?" she accused.

"It wasn't intentional," Darien excused himself. "I didn't want to interrupt so…"

"So, you eavesdropped instead," Raye finished for him, continuing. "Number one, he is not my boyfriend. Number two, my sleep is none of your business and it's just a dream. Number three, I'm a priestess. We exercise lots of practices here. Number four, there's no mystery. We had an accident at the mall."

Darien's hard gaze didn't soften, and he pressed his lips together into a fine line.

"I will find out what's going on here," and with that he turned and swept out of the room.

Raye immediately turned-on Jackson.

"Well, thanks for the help!" she fumed.

"What did you want me to do?" Jackson appealed to her. "Something has clearly revved him up and he knows something is going on."

"Yes, about that, what's the deal?"

"What do you mean?"

"He said that he feels like she's in trouble, which for all intents and purposes, I suppose she is," Raye elaborated. "Has anything gone on with you four?"

"Like what?"

"Like a power surge," Raye shrugged her shoulders in exasperation.

"Hmm I guess so," Jackson replied. He brought out his Jadeite stone. "When I was studying with him yesterday, this glowed. It was reacting to something. The guys said the same thing happened to them, too."

"Oh, you idiots!" she exploded. "Don't you see what that means?" Jackson shook his head, startled by her reaction. "There's something dormant in him reacting. Something must have prompted a response. Didn't you know that Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion shared a connection deeper than love?" She continued without his response. "The silver crystal and the golden crystal share a connection through their planet powers."

"The Moon isn't a planet," Jackson interrupted.

Raye clenched her jaw in annoyance.

"The Moon was originally the protector of Earth, to watch over its evolution and protect it from negative influences. The Moon was the divine centre of the galaxy. Its power was limitless in comparison to the planets in the solar system. The Moon's power was born of that planet power that was created on all the planets that the sailor guardians come from. This is why the silver crystal is so powerful. When Princess Serenity met Prince Endymion – which she never should have done – the powers of the Moon and Earth were connected. It's like they became two sides of the same coin. What I'm saying is that this connection is awakening in Darien."

"So, what does that mean?" Jackson asked, unable to think of another coherent thing to say in response to Raye's explanation.

"He knows she's in trouble," Raye answered, "and she needs him."

Darien stalked out of the temple and reached the top of the stairs, suddenly coming to a halt when an overwhelming pain went through his brain. He clutched at his head, barely aware when his knees hit the floor. He groaned.

Serena lay still, her eyes closed, the vision of serenity. She was almost too still. Her pale complexion was the first thing to draw his notice and the second was the silvery tint to her usually vivid blonde hair. He saw the blowing of the curtains in the breeze coming in from the windows. The curtains were so familiar. He sensed her close by, almost whispering to him in sleep.

He opened his eyes, the migraine building. He inhaled sharply. Serena?

"This is awesome," Mina rejoiced, taking a huge bite out of the slice of strawberry cheesecake that Lita had just this moment handed her. "I love it when Lita bakes. She makes the best food."

Lita smiled with a good-natured roll her eyes and ate a small forkful of cheesecake herself.

"I must say that it's a good day to be outside," Killian commented, observing the pretty sights of the central park that they were currently having a picnic in.

"I'll second that," Neal winked at Mina, crunching down on a handful of crisps.

"What got you into baking, Lita?" Killian asked, taking a swig of soda.

"Oh, I've just always loved keeping my hands busy," she replied. "I love the smells permeating the apartment while I cook. I love to make a home. Honestly, I can be anywhere and feel like I'm at home when I'm baking. There's nothing as soothing."

"Aw, that's nice," Killian replied.

"So, Mina," Neal asked, turning to her, mid-chew, "you still singing?"

"Certainly am," she nodded, swallowing another mouthful of cheesecake. "Darien doesn't show up very often though."

"Yeah, he said the same," Neal mused.

"Well, I guess life happens, right?" Lita said. "I mean when was the last time we went to the Crown Arcade?"

Mina paused as she went to eat another mouthful of food and turned the corners of her mouth down.

"That's a good point," she replied. "I actually can't remember!"

"That's impressive," Killian chuckled. "Usually, the Crown was a reliable place to find you all."

"It has games and cake," Mina shrugged. "Study buddies kind of takes over everything."

"And saving the city from a monster we can't destroy," Lita chimed.

"There's that, too," Neal agreed, pulling a face.

"We should double date again," Lita invited.

"Doesn't this count?" Killian frowned.

"I put everything together and you all just showed up," Lita said firmly. "This most categorically does not count as a date."

"Noted," Neal smirked.

Lita spotted the telling sign in his expression that he was thinking about their date the previous evening and she poked him hard in the ribs.

"So, how have you guys adjusted since being… you know, you again?" Lita asked.

"I want to say that it's been weird," Killian started, "but honestly, it's like no time went by. I suppose it's like gaining a chapter in your life without reading the script."

"And you know, we're really getting into the groove of our powers now," Neal announced proudly.

"It certainly takes some adjustment," Mina nodded, taking a swig of lemonade.

"I don't know," Neal retorted, "I'm really digging it. It's cool to be myself again."

Lita considered him silently, carefully taking a bite of cheesecake and chewing slowly. Mina glanced at Lita and back to the guys.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it, Neal," she expressed quickly.

They fell into silence as they ate and drank what was left on the picnic rug. Then a scream diverted their attentions and four heads whipped round to look at the lake where they could see a disturbance in the water nearby two little paddle boats. Lita leaped to her feet right.

"Well, boys, embrace it because you're needed now," she said, already pulling out her Jupiter transformation stick.

The guys and Mina followed suit, reaching for their respective transformation stones and nodded.

"Well, it's almost like its ears were burning," Mina grumbled. "Venus crystal power!"

In their place stood Sailor Venus, Sailor Jupiter, Nephrite and Kunzite. They looked at each other in exasperation and raced across the park.

"There's something in the water!" one of the boat paddlers screeched in horror. "What is that?"

Tentacles emerged from the depths of the lake and clutched onto the boat. Kunzite closed his eyes and disappeared, reappearing in the same moment in one of the boats. The couple in the boat screamed in shock.

"It's okay," he reassured them. "I'm getting you out of here. Hold onto me."

He offered his hand to them and they glanced at each other, silently agreeing to his offer. He teleported them away from the tentacles reaching out to grab them. Jupiter watched as Kunzite set them down on the grass nearby them. She turned back to see Nephrite teleporting people out of the second boat, and she nodded.

"Awesome," she commented, turning to Venus. "Would you like to do the honours?"

"Venus!" she cried, a dark coloured heart forming in her hand, spinning it rapidly, directing it straight at the lake with the heart forming vibration-like patterns as it propelled forward. "Rolling heart vibration!"

Jupiter raised her eyebrows as the heart collided with the water, the significant sound of the Venus attack hitting something beneath the water, causing the water to shoot everywhere, revealing the Croatoan gliding through the water towards them.

"Well, that's not creepy," she murmured.

Kunzite clasped his hands together, raising them to his mouth, wordlessly chanting, looking up and carefully bringing his hands apart in the shape of a dome, the energy almost sizzling in the air, then he opened his hands towards the Croatoan, an energy dome forming around it.

"Nice," Nephrite complimented.

Jupiter and Venus cocked their heads to one side as they peered at the Croatoan who simply stood there, making no effort to break free.

"Huh," Nephrite said, "what now?"

They watched as the Croatoan walked forwards silently, passing through the energy dome that once upon a time had kept the sailor guardians captive when the Shitennou were working for the Dark Kingdom on Earth.

"Damn," he said, crossing his arms across each other in front of his chest, forming multiple balls of light to form around him which then orbited in circles like a planetary rotation. The energy built up in the starlight attack, firing them like missiles at the Croatoan. "Seriously?" he exclaimed as each projectile hit the Croatoan, merely halting its advances.

Jupiter brought her hands together, as the antenna in her tiara collected the electricity that sizzled in the air, she pulled her hands apart, a disc of white lightning appearing in her grasp.

"Sparkling wide pressure!" she yelled, hurling the ball of electricity at the Croatoan.

She smirked as the energy brought it to a more effective halt and she spotted Nephrite narrowing his eyes at her.

"We need to get rid of it before it hurts anyone," Venus urged. "That won't hold it for long."

"Well… does anyone have any secrets to reveal?" Jupiter asked, glancing at the guys.

"What do we have to reveal?" Kunzite shrugged. "We're not living a lie anymore."

"You could reveal you love The Notebook," Venus suggested.

"Ha, ha," Kunzite responded sarcastically. "It's bad enough you force me to watch that movie, now you mock me with it?"

Jupiter suddenly leaped through the air, crashing into a nearby high schooler who was in the direct line of the Croatoan's acid-like saliva. Jupiter groaned as she hit the ground, the teenager paralysed in shock. Nephrite shot across the gardens, kneeling down to their level.

"Are you okay?" He helped the young lad up off the ground. "You're okay. Go on, leave the park and go home. We'll be taking care of this. You're safe." He watched as the young teen looked back at Jupiter who was clutching her leg. "Go," he urged, pushing him none-too-gently.

He turned back to Jupiter.

"Ju?"

"Oh, shit," she groaned again. She looked down at her leg. "The son of a… I got caught."

He watched as her skin lost its usual colour, the redness growing and the irritation obvious.

"We'll take you to Mercury," he told her. "It looks like it was just a brush."

A blast echoed round the park and Kunzite leaped back out of the way as smoke started to clear in the immediate area.

"I suppose it's down to me," Venus sighed, removing the chain from around her waist. "Venus love my chain!" The Venus chain whipped round the Croatoan, holding it in place. "Kunzite, grab this!"

He jumped forward to take hold of the chain, pulling it taut, as Venus raced across the green, leaping through the air and shot her leg out as she performed the Sailor V kick, knocking the Croatoan back.

"Before I moved from England, I was fighting as Sailor V," she revealed. "I met someone from my past on Venus and as he died, he predicted that my love would be doomed for an eternity. When we were reborn this time, I shamelessly dated many guys, but something was always wrong. When I learned that Kunzite was in fact alive, I raced over to see him because I don't know when this prediction would come true."

The Croatoan stood perfectly still, blindly staring at her. Venus frowned as she stared it watching her. She turned to the others who shared the same expressions on their faces. She turned back right as the Croatoan pierced her in the neck and she felt herself sharply inhale. She had a sudden vision of the Moon Kingdom and then she fell to the floor in a heap on the ground as the Croatoan faded in the breeze.

"Mina!" Kunzite gasped, letting go of the Venus chain which faded as Mina's transformation was let go. He fell to his knees, pulling her onto his lap, holding her. "Mina?"

Mina opened her eyes and blinked at the unfamiliar glow. Though at the same time, it was so familiar, it was like being at home. She glanced up, immediately recognising the crescent moon on the top of the turrets of the Moon Castle that shone bright like crystal.

"Hello, Mina."

She turned to see Serena, looking every inch the Princess Serenity of the Silver Millennium and she smiled.

Darien stepped out of the shower and ran his fingers through his hair. He hummed along to the radio he had playing in his bedroom and strode through his apartment to grab a glass of water from the kitchen. He sighed as once again he ran his fingers over the star locket. There was something calling out to him in the cosmos and he couldn't understand why or how. This locket felt like the key to something. It reminded him so much of her, yet he couldn't recall that she had ever seen it, let alone had it in her possession. He downed the rest of the glass and walked back to his bathroom, noting that the steam had thinned out in the air. He rubbed the mirror down so that he could see himself in it and threw water over his face.

Serena smiled at the sight of him. There wasn't anything about him that still didn't take her breath away and it had been a thousand years since she first caught sight of him on Earth. Not a day went by when she didn't regret that decision. And it was that thought that prompted her desire to reach out to him now. She looked down at her hands that held the silver crystal, and she closed her eyes, focusing her concentration on the powers of the moon, feeling the weak connection with the Earth. But that connection was enough because she felt it respond.

Darien felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the shower and he reached over for a towel, patting his face dry. He let out a lungful of air and opened his eyes to look in the mirror. His eyebrows raised and his eyes widened at the sight he found in the mirror. He rubbed his eyes to clear his head and looked again, but she was still there.

"Serena?" he asked in disbelief.

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

"No," he shook his head, "you're…"

"Darien, we don't have long," she interrupted.

"Is it really you?" he asked desperately.

She nodded gently, a small smile at her lips.

"I swore that one day you would have all you need in life" she told him. "I thought I gave that to you, but the universe took it away again. Now is the moment to give you back some of what you lost."

"I don't understand," he admitted.

"It's no one's fault that I'm not around," she explained. "I'm exactly where I need to be. I just need you to join me when you're ready. And you will be ready. You have everyone around you that you need to help you get there. Once you learn the truth, everything will fall into place."

"How?" he asked blankly.

"It all started in the kitchen," she reminded him. She saw the recognition in his eyes, and she nodded. "You remember."

"Yes, of course, I do," he agreed. "How did you know?"

"It's more than love that keeps me close to you," she intimated.

She loves me?

"How am I speaking to you right now?" he wondered.

"You have more power inside of you than you know," she surmised. "It keeps us closer than you realise." She paused. "And just so you know, you didn't imagine anything you've been seeing. It's real."

"Thank you," he said.

"No," she replied. "It's given me the chance to see you again."

He watched as she faded from the mirror and he felt the yearning for her in his chest. He knew that the girls wouldn't enlighten him, but he had a sneaking suspicion that the guys would.

Queen Serenity watched her daughter with a sigh. After all of these years, she hadn't changed. She continued to have a mind of her own, ignoring the advice of those who knew better. She worried that her interference wouldn't have the outcome she hoped.

"Mina, are you sure about this?" Killian asked her, as they moved through the shrine, making their way to Serena's room.

"Yes," she insisted for the hundredth time.

"But you're still feeling weak and we don't know what that monster did to you," he maintained, keeping his arm round her waist, supporting some of her weight.

"Look, I'm okay," she reassured him, placing her hand on his arm. "I think I have insight into how Serena will wake. I just need to talk to her."

"What will that do? She's asleep."

"You really don't know what powers we possess as guardians of the Moon, do you?" she asked wryly.

"I suppose not," he admitted. He stopped, causing her to fall back against his check. She looked up at him with a frown. "Before you go in, I need to ask you something."

"Of course, anything."

"Do you really think we're doomed?" he asked her, his eyes intense.

She sighed.

"I don't know," she confessed. "But I was raised on a planet that thrived on love. I can't ignore a psychic reading from a Venusian. The problem is that… our love was doomed. And now look at what's happening."

"What's happening now has nothing to do with us," he reminded her. "And we've overcome any obstacles coming our way."

"It's just a shame that we have more obstacles coming our way," she sighed.

"Does anything feel wrong when you're with me?"

She looked up at him in shock.

"No!" she exclaimed. "Of course not!"

"Leave the predictions for Raye," he advised. "Just… be with me and let life happen. No one is dictating our lives."

Mina pressed her lips, jerking her head towards the door.

"Do you mind?"

"Just tell me when you're ready to leave," he told her, running his finger down the length of her nose affectionately.

He watched her until she got into the room with Serena and turned to sit outside of the shrine in the sunshine while he waited. She crossed the room and sat down next to a slumbering Serena and she took her hand in her own.

"Hey, Sere," she greeted her unconscious friend. "Thanks for reaching me before. Everyone always mistook you as a dumb blonde but you're the strongest person I know."

She recalled in her mind what happened after the Croatoan struck her down. She considered Serena for a moment and continued.

"I couldn't understand why the Croatoan didn't react when I revealed my secret," she went on. "But then I remembered what Amy said: it's here to restore balance to the universe. I'm the only one it could use to reach out to you because I'm from Venus. It needed love, not wisdom, intelligence, passion, courage, or protection. It needed me. I was afraid when it stabbed me like it had all its other victims, but I had nothing for it to take so it gave me something instead… and that's when I saw you."

She paused, rubbing Serena's hand.

"Look, here's the deal. We can study every sleep spell known to man, but I think we both know what's going on deep down inside. You know that there's nothing we can do to bring Darien's memories back. We need his memories back to get rid of this Croatoan to restore balance. You know that if you wake up, you're going to have to face that grief. And as someone who has experienced that grief more times than I care to count, I would never wish that upon you or anyone else, but the truth is, we need you here. Darien needs you. We all need you."

Mina sighed, gazing out of the window.

"Something in your heart is telling you that maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder. You're a smart girl. He definitely feels it and I know it's bringing him closer. All the magic in the world won't get rid of this monster but maybe your love will. He needs to find you. He's the reason the Croatoan is here and he needs his memories. You have them, don't you? I suppose I'll know when I'm needed, won't I?"

She smiled sadly.

"I'll be here for you, Sere. And Darien."