The Lady Wore Black: The Lady Dreams, The Senshi Risen

******* ******* *******

'The Lady is to marry someone else.'

The words cut into his memory, "She can't be yours.'

'The Prophet warned of it.'

'She will be betrayed by one of her own. That one will bring the evil back to this place-that evil will become apart of you.'

'And the crystal's too much of a danger to fall in any dangerous hands.'

'As rulers of the Earth, Moon, and Universe-it is ordered.'

Helios took a long time before speaking. 'It is granted-I swear it.'

'I'll allow you this, servant: You'll be the one to tell her.'

******* ******* *******

In the depths in the deep, dark where the moon failed to shine, a girl slept a soundless slumber.
The cold air had filled the fall nights, comforters filled with fanciful pictures of bunny rabbits
and cute kitties stay adorned that bed . . . .

Sometimes she felt like six instead of sixteen.

The big ball in the center of it was the girl from earlier today, pink hair spilled over a pillow,
curled up like a feline, the actually feline remained with grey wrapped up at her feet, both of them were breathing slowly and faintly.
Earth slumbered as the Sky was clear as an eye.

Nothing stirred, nothing disturbed the night.

Until a hazy fell over her, the world felt colder, Reni was walking by a midnight lit lake in a forest somewhere . . . .
Upon looking down, her yellow pajamas had been replaced with a silk cream-colored gown that showned off her shoulders.


*"Helios . . . ."

"Lady-"

"Helios, it's me, Reni."

"Lady Serenity-forgive me, I did not know you."

"Look! I'm not so mini anymore! I'm a real lady now!
No Dark Moon magic or my imagination working against me-it's me, I grew up."

"That's . . . . wonderful . . . ."

The young man barely peeked at her, but his eyes didn't haven't to see truly see everything-every inch and fiber emitted her radiance,
the once lovely creature that was just an innocence doll had become a walking angel on this earth matured with age and grace.
His own thoughts were filled with her alone, sometimes ones of unspeakable nature dominated the most . . . .
It wasn't right to even think of the lady like so, thinking of her period had been ruled out by the very Queen and King.

She demanded with balled fists. "Why don't you come to me?"

"I-I couldn't do it."

"Did you only like me as a child? What are you-some kind of sicko into young girls."

The voice that sounded like a thousand silver bells spat out those words bitterly.

"Reni that's not true-" The anger burning in her eyes placed fear in his heart.

"I love you-"

"I can't come back-"

"I need you-"

"Things are going crazy-"

"Don't you care about me?"

"I'm afraid."

"Of what? Of losing me? You'll never lose me!"

"You owe every part of me."

"No-I don't, I don't! I want-you. I don't want to owe you."

"Yes Lady, you have my heart."

"Your heart! I don't want that . . . .I want you . . . . I want all of you . . . "

"Yeah, and *I* want you to get up!"

Serena started shaking the girl from her sleep,"Reni!"

"Heart! Helios I-"

"Who the heck is Helios? And why do you keep saying that? IS THAT some guy?"

"Huh?"

Serean threw open the curtains, daylight poured in.

"Reni! Get up and stop talking in your sleep!"

Her eyes flew up only to reveal her annoying future and not her future lover . . . .

"Serena." She blinked then threw the blanket over head.

"Go away." She groaned.

But the woman snatched the blanket away, Reni glared back.

"No and get up! Don't you have school today, it maybe Friday but you still have to go-on time, I refuse to let you be like me."

She choose to hold back a response to that last statement.

Giving in Reni sat up, hair in disarray wiping her eyes from the blinding sunlight.
"Now get dress and eat something."

"That you cooked? I don't think so-" She mumbled.

"And you betta study-I've seen your trig grades."

"You picked a fine time to grow up." She snickered.

"And you're still laying there!" Serena cried.

"Thanks 'mom.'"

Serena missed the sarcasm in her tone, "Good to know you're respecting me."

Reni rolled her eyes at that comment, watching the woman walk out with a head high in victory.

******* ******* *******

After another grueling day in math class, Reni hooked up with Serena and the rest of the girls while they were in town.
This time Ami volunteered to drive after finding out what happened to them last time, the Bug was in the repair shop for a week now.

"So how's school?" Ami asked as they walk through a new Old Navy store.

"Ok I guess." She shrugged.

"Ok?" Rei was looking at herself in the mirror, she had just tried on a new vest that was all the rage.
"You got Serena's teachers huh?"

"Rei!"

"Well . . . My trig teacher was really getting to me."

"Ahh, I see." The blue-haired girl remarked, "don't worry if you ever need help, I can assist you.
Just come up to the hospital anytime."

Reni wandered around the store gazing at the jewelry when a thought came to mind.
"Does the sky seem brighter to you guys?"

"Brighter?" Lita rolled the question in her mind, "No-why?"

"Well, the Sun seems to shine more." Mina mused from the dressing room, "I wonder why."

"I don't know, it's like-like everything seems . . . . different."

"Like that guy you was dreaming about?" Serena teased.

"Shut up!" Reni shot back, growing red that she could guess who she was dreaming about.

Serena wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Teenagers."

"You were one empty-headed, boy crazy teen too, so shut up." The dressing room remarked.

Rei was till in the mirror, "So she has a crush, stay out of her business."

"Really Serena, be more sensitive to her needs."

"Thanks Ami." The girl smiled.

"Ohhh . . . . Like how you were trying on that little black dress for the ball you're having at the graduate school for Gregggggg."

She was a beet red now, "I-I-"

"Can it Serena, you float around because of Darien and we don't say anything."

"I do not!" She whined.

"Sureeeeeee, rightttttt." Mina stepped in some new cargo pants. "Like you do for Chad."

"Does this make me look fat?"

"Yeah, you're really a cow Mina." The blonde remarked, sticking out her tongue.

"Isn't she?" Rei joined in. "Kenneth wouldn't like that."

"What did you call me?!?"

Ami only kept her nose buried in her novel as the three engaged in an argument . . . .

Reni noticed how Lita stared out the window darkly.

"Guys . . ." Lita walked to the window slowly . . . . "

"It's is six already?"

Rei check her new watch, "No-it's only three."

"The last the sky got this dark-" Mina remembered.

"We had to tangle with the Dark Moon Circus."

"You don't think?"

"I think it." Ami commented, "I think we have another problem on our hands,
there is no scientifically way possible that the sky can be this dark in the middle of the afternoon."

"Not unless it's *evilly* possible: I feel a strange force here." Rei told them.

Silence hung in the air.

Reni could feel it too . . . . A force in the air. In the clouds, in the earth, in her soul.

Something was calling to her . . . . A warning . . . . She recalled her dream.

'It's that what you mean Helios-is that my prophecy . . . '

Lita shook her fist. "I say we changed."

Ami looked out, "I agree, we must do something."

"But-but don't you know how long it's been since we were Scouts!" Serena cried.
"Besides, I wanna finish shopping." She stomped a pretty foot on the floor, arms folded.

"Serena-" The purpled-haired priestess glared.

"Let's at least investigate." Ami offered.

"Serena-" Mina looked to the Sailor that was the Moon.

"Ugh! Let's just go!" Serena groaned, admiring the wedding dress in a store four door down.
She wanted to buy that for her big day . . . .

"Right!"

They abandoned their various articles of clothing, running outside.

******* ******* *******

The wind blew with a fury as they ran, now the blue had been replace with a dark grey, it turned colder.

"What's going on-" Mina dmeanded.

"I don't know-" Lita shouted back over thw wind.

A vortex opened up where the Sun had . . . .

On another side of town, four girls were running toward the center of that vortex.

"Charisma, we'll get you for this-" Creda vowed, then she urged the others. "Come on!"

A figure floated down from the air, sitting on a swing like an acrobat making a grand entrance.
The figure sung like a caged bird . . . .

"She was dark/And had a rom-ming eye/And she could fly high!"

Her face was young and that of a maiden but the rest:
Black skirt, ebony lips, opal irises, jet locks. She was a dark angel in disguise.

A dark Sailor Scout.

******* ******* *******

"Look!" Tera pointed out.

Selena cried, "The pens!"

Doreira saw the pens come down from the sky, "Their pens-they belong to the Mothers."
"Gifts from the Mothers!"

Psyche stared at them, "Can we use them?"

"Yes!" A feline voice cut in."Then we fight her on our own ground."

"Apollo!" The four girls excliamed.

"How did you-" Creda owndered looking at the calico cat.

"Remember who trained you females, don't even think of leaving billions of light years away."

"Sorry."

"Well, are you gonna waste breath on me or fight!"

"But we can't use these, they're-" Terra protested.

"They're exactly what you need for now-pick up the one that is most you!"

"What?" Doreira asked blankly.

"Pick the pen-WHICH ONE HAS YOUR POWER, what is this 'me don't speak no ENGLISH!'"

"I guess the mind is Mercury." Terra picked up the blue one.

Selena eyed up the orange one, "The heart must be Venus."

Dorerira choosed up the green pen, "The body must be totally Jupiter."

"And the soul is no other than Mars." Creda held the red one.

"Then we-" Selena's words hung in the tense air.

"Duh, use your silly heads! How many time shave I stressed-"

"Sailor . . . . Neo . . . . Power . . . . A-c-t-i-v-a-t-i-o-n!"

The pens began to glow in each girl's respective color.

"NOW!" The cat cried.

Selena: "Sailor Neo Sun Make-Up!" Golden light began to shine.

Terra: "Sailor Neo Earth Make-Up!" A copper beam followed.

Doreira: "Sailor Neo Sky Make-Up!" A turquoise cloud surrounded her.

Creda: "Sailor Neo Psyche Make-Up!" A silver ray engulfed her.

The Sailor Neos were rising.