*Eight*
"Lord, what fools these mortals be!"
-- A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
The next morning, the small group started off later than usual. They had all been tired and so they woke late. Serena sat by the fire, chewing at a bit of bread. She set it down after a while and went to find the first aid kit again. Her muscles had been very sore when she'd awakened. Her arm was burning and she decided to fix it. Finally finding the small white box in her pack, she applied some soothing cream to the burn and then wrapped it gently with some gauze. She flexed the muscle slowly, wincing as she found it painful. Hugging the injured arm to her chest, she got up carefully.
The weather was agreeable today, the sun shone brightly in the sky. She sighed looking up, hoping that today would be a good day. Before that notion could even sink in, there was a scream and a crash from the forest. Serena sighed, Why me? She asked to herself. She ran towards where she had heard the scream. She slowed as she heard voices speaking.
"You've seen what I can do," an unfamiliar voice was saying, "My armies will crush you and the Sailor Scouts without even breaking out a sweat. Hand over the Jet Stone!"
"Never!" Darien's voice was strong and unwavering.
"Do you doubt my power, your Highness?" the voice asked, "Maybe I should give you a demonstration."
Serena peered around the tree. A woman was floating rather ominously in the middle of the small clearing. Serena recognized her immediately as Azure, another one of the Negaverse workers. She had encountered her a few times before, and knew that she was not as foolish as her predecessors had been. Darien stood staring coldly at her, his blue eyes icy. Cowering behind him was Emmy and Rini. They watched frightened as the Negaverse Queen grinned maliciously.
"This young woman here," Azure said, curling one finger slowly. Emmy was levitated into the air and then drawn towards the Queen, "She does mean a lot to you, does she not, Prince of the Earth?"
"She is of no concern to you." Darien replied flatly.
Azure shrugged, letting the woman drop to the soft ground and then turned her attention to Rini. "What about this little one here?"
"Leave her be." The young man replied again.
"No," Azure replied rather cynically, "I think maybe I'll keep this one." She grabbed Rini's chin pulling her closer. The little girl screamed.
"Don't you dare, Azure!" Serena found herself saying. She stepped out from her hiding place, "Let her go."
Azure turned her attention to Serena, "Well, well, well. Sailor Moon, what an unexpected surprise."
"Let Rini go." Serena repeated, her words coming out rather tersely.
Azure laughed, "What if I don't want to?" she asked, "Do you think you can defeat me, Serenity? I once conquered the Silver Millennium, my power is invincible."
"I'll just have to prove you wrong, don't I?" Serena replied.
"Is that it then? Will you pit your power against me, Princess Serenity?" She let Rini go and then brought her two hands together. A great ball of power appeared, floating in her hands, "Do you challenge me, Moon Princess?"
Serena took a tentative step forward, her hand reaching for her locket.
"No, Serena." Darien's words were soft, but they were quite clear, "Not here, not now."
"Come," the queen of the Negaverse said, "Our battle is inevitable. Will you challenge me now, or would you wait a while before we fight?"
"I will fight you," Serena replied, her fists clenched, "But not today. When that day comes, I assure you Azure, I will defeat you and the Negaverse will be destroyed."
"We will see, won't we, Sailor Moon?" The queen replied.
"Trust me, your Majesty. When you encounter the power of the Silver Crystal, you will fall." The young woman replied.
"Then until that day." The matriarch replied. She looked at Darien, "Prince Endymoin, Princess Serenity, I take my leave."
Like a swirl of the wind, the evil woman disappeared. Serena turned, to face the others. "Are you guys all right?" she asked.
"A little shaken, maybe." Darien said looking down at the trembling Emmy, "But I think everyone's all right."
Serena turned again, looking at the place where Azure had just stood, "She is really beginning to get on my nerves." She sighed. "We should probably get moving, heading home."
Darien watched her thoughtfully, "You think we've found all we can here?"
Serena sighed, turning her face to the sky, "I don't know. But, we can't risk the city. Azure will take advantage of us not being there, she may attack."
He nodded, "All right. Let's go."
* * *
The trip back was uneventful. They traveled as quickly as they could, at a dead gallop. Even when the night had fallen and the moon had risen, they still rode on. Finally, around midnight, they reached the skirts of the city. Serena dismounted and patted Midnight down. The strong mare was looking up at the moon; she neighed quietly and then nudged affectionately at Serena's face. The young woman laughed, pushing the horse away and then looked back out at the city.
"Well," she said, "Look's like we made it."
"Yeah," Darien agreed after he too had dismounted, leading Guardian to stand next to Midnight.
"That was refreshing." Emmy commented about the ride back as she reined Cloud in next to the other two horses.
"I'm tired." Rini complained slightly as she walked up next to the others.
"Let's go home." Serena decided, taking the little girl's hand.
"Good idea," Darien added taking their things from the packhorses. He looked up at Emmy, still mounted on Cloud, "Would you like me to walk you home?"
The young woman considered, "No." She finally decided, "I think I'll take a little more time to ride. Riding in the moonlight is fun."
Darien turned to Serena, "What about you?" he asked.
She shrugged, taking hold of her mount's reins, "If you want." She replied.
But Rini felt more strongly about it, "Yes, yes!" she added readily, "Could you please come with us?"
Darien smiled and picked up the child. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with hope.
"All right," he decided, "Let's go." He turned to look at Emmy, "See you soon."
"Right," she replied, "Good night."
"G'night." He added shortly and then he, with Rini in tow, turned and began to walk towards the lights of the city.
"I love you!" Emmy called after him. Serena closed her eyes upon hearing these words, trying to hold back her emotions. She watched quietly at Darien's reaction.
He turned and smiled warmly at the young woman mounted on the gray mare, "I'll call you." He replied. Then he turned back. Serena quickly turned her head, pretending that she hadn't heard the exchange. Somehow, she felt an exhilarating joy leap through her, he hadn't said it back. She let a satisfied little grin creep into her expression.
"Let's go." He said, beginning to walk towards the city lights.
Rini sat watching the two her arms firmly attached around Darien's neck has he carried her. Soon, they had arrived in the city.
The streets were quiet; the whole city was asleep. Rini sighed happily, leaning her head against Darien's shoulder. Serena walked slightly ahead of Darien. She stared blankly at the ground as she walked; her shoulders were slumped forward slightly.
"Mommy?" the little girl asked inquiringly. Darien looked up sharply, not being familiar with Rini's new form of address.
However, Serena didn't seem at all startled. She turned around and looked at Rini, "What is it?" she asked.
"Can we buy some ice cream?" Rini asked, making up an excuse on the spot for her unintentional blurt.
Serena laughed slightly, "None of the shops are open this late, Rini." She replied, "And plus, we should really get home."
Rini pretended to sigh in regret and then leaned her head back on Darien's shoulder. Nothing seemed right, this was not right. She decided. Taking matters into her own hands, she wriggled slowly out of Darien's grasp. As soon as she landed on the pavement, she took his hand firmly, leading him so that he was now walking side by side with Serena. She took Serena's palm with her other hand. Forcing her arms together, she put the young woman's small hand in Darien's grasp. The two looked down at her, surprised.
"This is how it's supposed to be." She said firmly, pressing down slightly on their arms to emphasize her point. The two young people looked up at each other, each one as surprised as the other. Rini watched the two of them intently. Serena shrugged, showing her confusion. Darien looked down at the little girl and then laughed. He showed no attempt to remove his hand from Serena's.
"Rini," he said, "You are one tough girl."
She shrugged, completely missing the joke, "Runs in the family." She replied.
Darien looked at Serena, "She got that from you." He decided.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her eyes turning cold, as she too missed the joke.
Darien smiled and shook his head, "Never mind." He replied, squeezing her hand slightly.
So it was like this, hand in hand, the two people walked through the streets of Crystal Tokyo, with a little girl skipping ahead playfully.
* * *
"That little girl is going to ruin everything!" Azure watched her ball.
"As I told you," Venom replied, "This wasn't going to be easy. You underestimate the Power of Love."
Azure turned on her servant, "Evil is more powerful than Good. Hate is more powerful than Love."
"Of course." Venom replied already noting her mistake, "My mistress is always right."
* * *
The streets were still very quiet. The moon shone brightly tonight. Serena sighed happily looking up at the sky. Rini skipped and frolicked up ahead. Serena was acutely aware that Darien's grasp on her hand was gentle, but firm. He watched Rini, now. His eyes seemed more blue than ever now, they were such a beautifully bright aqua. The moon shone down, making his midnight black hair seem to glow with silver highlights. Unnoticing, she stared longingly at him. He turned his gaze to her, sensing that he was being watched. Serena blushed, whipping her head back to stare at the street. However, his gaze didn't fall back to Rini, instead, he watched her steadily with those piercingly sapphire blue eyes. She could feel his curious gaze on her face. Finally she turned back to meet it.
"What?" she asked.
His expression was curious and his mouth was curved slightly in a small wondering smile. He seemed to examine her, "Nothing." He finally replied.
"Oh." She replied, absently biting at her lower lip.
They walked in an uneasy silence. Soon, they had arrived at Serena's house. It was dark; indicating that no one was home. Serena sighed; her parents were off on a family vacation with her little brother. She had convinced them that a camping trip was more exciting and important. They wouldn't be back for at least a week. Darien eyed the dark, empty, house.
"Would you like to come in?" she asked politely, she looked at her watch, "I'm not sure this is a good hour to be wandering the streets alone."
Darien looked at her thoughtfully and then back at the house, "Yeah," he finally said, "Sure." She ran girlishly up the steps to the front door. Bending down, she took a key from under the doormat. She inserted it quietly into the lock and the door swung open. Serena turned on the lights. The three entered the large house.
"You guys already home?" a voice asked them from the living room. All three turned quickly.
"Luna!" Serena exclaimed, "You scared us. Yes, we're done."
"What'd you find?" the cat asked walking forward stealthily. Serena picked the animal up.
"A large army." She replied, carrying the cat into the kitchen. The others followed. She turned on the light.
"I was afraid of that." Luna replied, "It seems the new Azure is a lot more clever than the old one. It'll be hard defeating her."
Serena shrugged, now setting the cat down on a chair, "Either of you want something to eat?" she asked, looking at Darien and Rini.
"Yes!" Rini replied, "I'm hungry."
Serena gave a questioning look to Darien.
"Maybe a little something." He decided looking down at his watch; it was almost two o' clock. Serena nodded and began to take things out of the refrigerator.
Rini let out a large yawn, curling up in the chair that she sat in.
"Maybe you want to go to bed now, honey." Serena said, looking towards the tired child.
Shaking her head quickly, Rini declined, "I wanna eat first."
Serena smiled, placing a couple platters of leftovers on the table, "All right, but don't eat too much."
The little girl nodded, eagerly picking away at the food. Serena sat down at a seat next to Rini; Darien sat on her other side. She leaned her head back tiredly, fighting to keep her heavy eyelids open. Suddenly, a gentle touch brushed her shoulder. Looking over quickly, she found herself staring into those two deep pools of blue.
"You look tired," Darien said quietly, "Why don't you go to bed? I can tuck Rini in later."
Serena shook her head, "No, I'm fine." She insisted, looking back towards Rini, "I'm fine." She seemed to stare at the table blankly, her breath shallow. Rini nibbled away at her food, seeming engrossed with eating. Darien sat next to Serena, watching Rini. He smiled once in a while, though saying nothing. Serena sighed, breaking the silence.
"Don't eat too much, Rini." She warned, "Or you won't be able to fall asleep."
Rini nodded, finishing the cookie she was eating and then stopping. Serena began to clean up the mess.
"You should get to bed now, Rini." Darien said, smiling gently at her as he saw her yawn largely, "It's pretty late."
Rini nodded, climbing into Darien's lap. He carried her out of the kitchen.
"Wait for Serena..." The little girl requested.
Darien stopped, turning to look towards Serena. She quickly finished putting the dirty dishes in the sink and then joined the two. Luna followed them tiredly, eager to get back to her bed. Quietly the three mounted the stairs, coming first into Rini's room. The little girl yawned tiredly, trying vainly to keep her eyes open. Darien set her down into her bed, covering her with a blanket.
"Good night, Rini." He said, smiling.
"Good night, Darien." She replied. She turned her gaze towards Serena, who was standing silently next to the bed, "Good night, Serena."
The young woman forced a tired smile, "Good night." She said, turning off the light. Rini closed her eyes and almost immediately fell asleep. The two other people in the room quietly backed out into the hallway.
"It's pretty late," Darien said as he watched Serena silently close the door, "I should probably head home."
Serena nodded slowly, "If you want," She finally offered with hesitation, "You can stay here for the night. You can use my brother's bedroom." She looked towards him, half hoping that he'd agree.
He seemed to consider this, looking at his watch. Finally he nodded, "All right." He said, "Thanks."
"No problem," she replied, leading him to another doorway down the hallway. She opened it, revealing her little brother's room. He stepped inside, looking around before turning back to face her.
"Good night." She said, heading towards her own bedroom.
"Sleep well." Came his reply as he watched her leave.
* * *
Morning came all too soon as the Serena blinked her eyes tiredly. She groaned, turning around in her bed, trying to avoid the piercing rays of the sun.
"Come on, Serena…" Luna had pounced onto her bed, "Wake up."
"What time is it?" Serena groaned.
"It's eight o' clock." Came the cat's reply, "Now get up!"
"Eight?!" Serena exclaimed piling her pillow on top of her head, "Luna, I never get up this early!"
Luna sighed, rolling her eyes, "Fine then, but the other Scouts have already set up a meeting at nine and if you don't get up soon, you'll be very late." The cat dragged the pillow from Serena's grasping hands, repeatedly hitting the young woman on the head with it.
"All right, all right!" Serena said, quickly seizing the pillow back, "I'm up!"
Luna meowed, satisfied, and then jumped off the bed. Serena sighed, yawning as she tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. She quickly got dressed, throwing on a short black skirt and a pink tank top to go with it. After washing up, she quietly went out into the hallway. Peaking into Rini's room, she saw the little girl still sleeping soundly. Serena headed towards the stairs, passing by Darien's room. The door was closed; Serena assumed that he was still sleeping. She rolled her eyes, muttering about why Luna chose to wake her up but not anyone else.
* * *
"We've only know Azure for a few weeks and already, she's resurrected our old enemies," Rei said, annoyed, "How powerful is she that she can use energy to bring these warriors back to life without harming herself?"
"We've never encountered anyone like her before," Mina agreed, "We should keep our eyes open. I have a bad feeling that we're in for a long fight."
"We don't even know how much power she actually has. Ami, can't you check in that computer of yours and do some analysis on Azure?" Lita asked, annoyed that their predicament.
Ami sighed, rubbing at her temples. She stared at the laptop, lying open on the stairs of Rei's temple. She bit her lip, tapping quickly on the keyboard. Everyone was quiet, waiting for her reply. A series of beeps and clicks were emitted by the small computer.
"There seems to be a bug in this program that I made," Ami said, furrowing her eyebrows as she quickly scanned through the data, "I haven't had much time to refine it yet. I'll have to go back and look at the coding again, but until then, I think we'll have to do this blindly."
"I don't like the sound of that…" Mina said, heaving a sigh. She looked around at the others seated beside her on the temple steps, "Hey, Serena, are you even awake?" She asked, exasperated.
"Hmm…?" The young woman looked up, rubbing her eyes, "Yeah… I'm awake… now."
Rei huffed and began to scold Serena but Lita cut in, "We've dealt with these youmas before, we should be able to do it again. We just need to get back into the old swing of things. You'll see, we'll be fine."
"Thank you for your optimism, Lita." Luna said, "But we still don't know exactly who Azure is. Is she related to Beryl and the Doom Phantom?"
"Hey, guys," Serena suddenly spoke up, "Do you get the feeling that we're supposed to know her? I mean, I keep getting this weird dejavu feeling and it's really bothering me!"
"Serena!" Rei exclaimed, exasperated, "We don't have time for your little 'insights.' If we had met Azure before, I am sure that we would remember it. Don't you think?"
"Yeah," Serena surrendered reluctantly, "I guess you're right. But still, I can't shake this feeling…"
