*Two*

            The night was quaint, silent. Only the occasional sound of a passing car disturbed the air as the moon rose over Tokyo. Serena sat silently on the bench, her eyes watching the fountain in front of her. She was alone, but somehow that didn't bother her. She closed her eyes and let the flicker pass again.

            The Silver Millennium was peaceful, everything was quiet. The garden smelled faintly of roses, and the birds had long left for sleep. The Princess sat by herself, her thoughts wandering through events. In her hand, she clasped a beautiful stone, black in color. She rubbed into between her fingers, watching the swirl of colors move more quickly.

            "Cousin! Come with me, I've got something to show you!" The voice was familiar and the Princess began to turn to face the person who was addressing her.

            Serena opened her eyes, frustrated. That was how it always went, right before she could find out who was calling her, the vision would end. She rubbed her eyes, trying to draw up the dream again. Every night, it came to her, and every night, it was the same. She banged her fist on the bench. What did it mean? Was it a memory, a warning? She understood that she should recognize the voice, recognize the stone that had been in her hand, but she didn't. It was there, in the back of her mind, but it never came.

*          *          *

            The others were all asleep, the room was dark. Diamond opened his eyes as he heard the scratching. Or could it be called scratching? He looked around the vacuum; it had no walls, no doors, nothing. Again, the sound came; it was as if the pure fabric of the vacuum was being cut through. He stood up now, his eyes having adjusted to the dark. Sapphire was sleeping soundly on the floor next to him; Nephlite was on the other side. Violet sat, dozing, in a corner, as always. And on the other side, Ay lay on the ground, sleeping. Where had the noise come from? Diamond began to walk around, trying to pinpoint the location of the sound. Suddenly, a large explosive sound erupted, jerking all the others awake. It sounded like the breaking of the sound barrier, as if something had popped, and let out all the pressure inside. Diamond's eyes grew wide as he saw almost the pure fabric of time and space be torn. There was a hole in the air, a clean cut in the middle of the room. The others had gotten up and were now crowded around the opening. Carefully, Diamond reached his hand through the opening, and found that there was something on the other side.

            "What's going on?" Sapphire asked, warily.

            "Come on through, quickly!" A distant yet somehow familiar voice was whispering to them from the other side.

            The five looked at each other, their eyes were solemn. Finally, Diamond stepped through the opening, followed quickly by the others. They found themselves in room, completely dark. Looking behind them, they realized that they had just stepped out of the wall.

            "Where are we?" Nephlite asked, his voice concerned.

            "You're in the Queen's dimension…" The voice came again and the five all whirled around. Before them stood a person, dressed completely in black. From the figure, they could tell the person was female. Her face was covered up completely with a black cloth except for her eyes. She wore black gloves and in one hand, she carried a weapon of some sort. Diamond looked back to that face, it was so familiar, those eyes that were gleaming back at him. They were green, sparkling in the dim light. Where did he remember those eyes from?

"Who are you?" He finally asked.

            "I cannot tell you, Prince Diamond." She replied, her voice muffled, "But I am your friend, for now, though I will be your enemy in the future."

            "What do you mean…?" Sapphire now stepped forward, his eyes flickering over her figure and her face; he too saw something familiar.

            "No more questions." She replied, "You must leave before the Queen finds out what has happened."

            "Where are we?" Violet stepped forward.

            The woman looked at Violet, a faint grin spreading over her expression, "A little girl?" She asked, amused, "Why were you in the prison."

            "I don't answer question, I only ask them." Violet replied, her eyes narrowing to slits, "And I am no little girl."

            The woman shrugged. She turned to Diamond, handing him the blade that she held in her hand. "This is a powerful weapon, my Prince." She said, "It will cut through the fabric between dimensions. It is what I used to cut into the vacuum. The only way out of the Queen's dimension is through the wormhole, which is heavily guarded. You must use this blade to cut through to another dimension, to reach Earth."

            Diamond raised an eyebrow, "How do I do that?"

            The woman didn't say anything but continued, "I must leave you now. Good luck on your journey, my Prince." With that she turned and left.

            The five watched as she left, all of them confused.

            "Well…?" Ay spoke up, "Are we going get out of here or not?"

            Diamond eyed the weapon in his hand uneasily, watching as the dangerously sharp blade shimmered in the light. Testily, he held it up in the air. Holding it like a sword, he drew it quickly and silently across the air. To his surprised, the air opened up. He peered through the cut, seeing below him tumbling and rolling waves of molten hot lava and fire. Quickly, he pulled himself back.

            "Um…" he said swallowing, "I think I got the wrong dimension…"

            "Try again." Sapphire urged, turning around as he heard voices, "Someone is coming!"

            "I don't know how to get to Earth!" Diamond replied.

            Ay quickly stepped forward, grapping the weapon from Diamond. He wielded it with experience, and slashed across the air with skill. This time, as the gap opened up, the five peered through and onto the silent city of Tokyo, only now waking up with the rising sun.

            "Come on, let's go!" Nephlite said, jumping through and followed by the others. They landed softly onto the fresh green grass just as the opening closed behind them. Sapphire looked warily behind them.

"Well, that was close." He sighed, "They know that we've escaped."

"It doesn't matter." Nephlite replied, "They would have found out sooner or later."

There was a silence as the other nodded in agreement. As they stood up and surveyed the land, they finally got a good look at their companions. Diamond looked towards his brother, Sapphire. The man hadn't changed much, his blue blazer was slightly crumpled, but he looked as active as ever. Nephlite was fidgeting with his gray suit, his blue eyes wandering over the streets of the city. Diamond turned and looked at the other two. As he finally got a good look at Violet, he realized that she not as young as he thought. She was perhaps fourteen or fifteen. She was slim and rather tall. Her long black hair tumbled in gentle curls and waves to a length just below her shoulders. Her face was rather small, but sweet. Her skin was beautifully pale, tinged with pink at her cheeks. Her eyes, as always, were a sharp lavender. Her lips were now pursed into a small scowl, a dark shade of pink. She wore a long dress that was royal purple. Diamond turned to look at Ay. The young man was looking at the sun, watching it rise in the sky. Only then did Diamond realize that this man had not seen the sun for many millennia, what a pleasure it must be. Ay was perhaps about the same age as Diamond, in his early twenties. His eyes, a light brown, had lost some of the haunted look, and were now replaced by pure determination. He was wearing some sort of armor; a large sword fell at his side next to his hip.

            "Well," Sapphire sighed, breathing in the refreshing air, "Now that we're out, where do we go?"

            "To find Sailor Moon." Came simultaneous reply.

            "And how are we going to do that?" Sapphire asked, turning around in disbelief, "We don't know who she is!"

            "You don't," Nephlite stepped up, "But I do."

*          *          *

            School would start in a few weeks, and to Serena's surprise, she was looking forward to it. She hummed to herself as she got up in the morning. Peering out her window, she decided that it would be one of the last few days to where a summer dress. Flipping through the hangers on her closet rack, she began to pick out the outfit she would wear for the day.

            "Serena," Luna had somehow appeared at the girl's feet, "You should get downstairs to eat your breakfast soon if you want to make it to the park on time."

            "Don't worry, Luna." Serena replied, slipping on a short purple dress, "I know." The two made there way downstairs where Serena's mother had already set the table full with a toast and eggs.

            "Good morning, mother." The girl greeted with a wave as she sat down and began to fill her plate.

            "Good morning, honey," the woman replied with a bright smile, "You're up early."

            "That because she's supposed to take me to the park soon." Rini cut in grumpily, watching Serena take her time at eating.

            "Don't worry, Rini." Serena said, laughing, "We won't be late."

            "We better not." The little girl replied, sighing, " 'Cause Darien promised that he'd take me downtown today."

            Serena rolled her eyes, taking a piece of toast to go, "All right, Rini." She said, "Let's go, I'll eat on the way."

            "Yay!" Rini cheered, quickly jumping down from her chair. She grabbed Serena's hand, practically yanking her out the door before the young woman could even finish her milk. She began to run ahead as Serena walked behind her. Suddenly, she stopped and turned around to face Serena.

            "Serena," She said, finally looking at the other, "Will you come with Darien and me today?"

            Serena bit her lip, almost tempted to agree. She really wanted to see Darien; it had been so long. After they had returned from the camping trip, they barely saw each other. Only once in a while, they would bump into each other on the street, but only long enough the yell a quick "Hello." Serena sighed, wishing that she didn't miss him as much as she did. There was a constant ache in her chest, as if she wasn't complete without him. And yet, she had managed to live without seeing him for the summer. She hesitated; she knew that if she saw him again, she would never be able to let go.

            "Serena?" Rini asked, seeing the faraway look in the girl's eyes.

            She blinked, finally shaking her head slowly, "No, Rini, I can't come today. I've got other things to do. Besides, today is supposed to be your day on the town with Darien, you guys should have some fun together by yourself."

            Rini sighed, now skipping back up the sidewalk to stand next to her. "But it's no fun without you, Serena." She shrugged, "I mean, it used to be, but not anymore. Don't you care about Darien anymore?"

            Serena looked intently at Rini, "I care about Darien a lot." She replied quietly, "That's the reason I don't want to go today."

            Rini shrugged, resigning. The rest of the walk to the park was spent in silence.

*          *          *

            Darien sat patiently at the park. His eyes wandered towards the fountain and past it towards the small pond positioned in the center. He began to think of Rini. He hadn't spent a full day with the little girl since coming back from the camping trip. Most of his time was taken up by summer courses at the university and his free time was always spent with Emmy. Emmy, even the thoughts of her made a smile appear on his face. She was so understanding, and compassionate. She never argued, and it seemed like she got along with almost everyone. He leaned back in his chair as he remembered their date last night. It had been cut short, as usual, by Darien's need to attend his evening class. But still, even the few short minutes that he was able to spend with her, she made him feel so good. He laughed; he'd never felt this way about a girl before… Or had he? He frowned, as he let memories of the Silver Millennium come back. He remembered how it had felt so long ago, when he had been a Prince of the Earth. Something about the way everything just sort of clicked whenever he had been around Princess Serenity puzzled him. It was as if everything just fell into place when they were together, as if everything was secure and unchanging. He sighed, shaking his head; did he feel that when he had been with Serena? As he tried to draw up an image of the girl, he found himself imaging Serena falling head over heels onto the sidewalk. He chuckled; she had always been such a klutz. He frowned, trying to remember the last time that he had really seen her. That had been months ago, during the camping trip. It was as if for the last couple of months, he had completely forgotten about her.

            "Darien!" he stood up as he heard his name being called. With a blink of an eye, he found himself nearly falling back as Rini ran straight into him and grabbed his legs tightly. He laughed, stroking the little girl's hair.

            "Hello, Rini." He said, prying her fingers off so that he was able to bend down and look at her.

            "I've missed you!" She said, grinning.

            "I've missed you too, Rini." He replied, pulling some candy from his pocket, "Here's something to keep you going throughout the day."

            Her eyes grew wide and she quickly grabbed the treasure from his hands, a laugh already on her lips, "Thank you, Darien!"

            "No problem." He replied, standing up, now. He sighed, looking up. Only then, did he notice Serena. She was standing off to the side, watching them. She was playing with a strand of her shimmering blond hair that had escaped from one of her braids. She was watching Rini, her expression content. There was something different about her, the way she stood and the way she carried herself, it was as if she had grown many years in maturity. She no longer looked like a ditz, or a klutz, she seemed… sophisticated. Darien seemed to be frozen for a moment, confusion going through his mind, had she always been this mature? As if sensing his gaze, the girl glanced up, meeting his eyes for a second. There, it struck, as if something in him had been locked inside and hidden from his knowledge and was only now being revealed. It was as if a door was being opened, and all his emotions had been locked inside. An ache began to grow inside of him, a longing, for what? For her? Before he could explore more, she looked away and the feeling faded.

            "All right, Rini." Serena was saying, "I'll stop by at Darien's apartment tonight to pick you up, OK?"

            "Yeah, sure." The girl replied, too preoccupied to even look up.

            Serena nodded, hesitating before walking towards Darien. "Thanks for taking care of her today," She said, her voice was quiet, "I'll come by around 7:00 tonight."

            "Um, yeah." He replied, stumbling for words, "That'll be fine."

            "All right, see you around then." She smiled and then turned, heading down the sidewalk. Darien watched her leave, mixed emotions still running through his body.

*          *          *

            "Your Majesty."

Azure turned around, a scowl already on her face, "What is it?" She demanded, her voice betrayed irritation."

            "The potion…" It was Venom, she was stuttering, trying to find the right words, "It's failing…"

            "What?" The Queen let a streak of power run down her arm and out through her fingertips, striking her servant, "I am displeased with you, Venom." She growled, her tone dangerously low, "This is three times that you have failed me. First, you failed to secure the vacuum, then you were unable to prevent the prisoners from escaping, and now you tell me that you potion is not working?"
            "My Queen…" She tried to explain, "Please, it wasn't entirely my fault… it has been too long since the potion was last administered…"

            "I want no excuses!" The woman's blue eyes were alight with fire, "Three strikes, Venom, and you're out!"

            "No, please, your Majesty, one more chance!" Venom begged, having already fallen to her knees.

            Azure watched the servant kneeling before her. "I do not show mercy to those that have failed me, Venom…"

            "I will try harder, my Queen. Please," The worker's voice was shaking with fright, "I'll make the potion stronger this time, nothing will be able to penetrate it… I promise!"

            Azure was still displeased, "And why did the first potion fail in the first place?"

            Venom stuttered, "It's hard… my Queen. It's hard to defy Destiny. The first potion was designed so that Prince Endymoin's feelings and memories of Princess Serenity would be decreased and faded away, so that he is more perceptible to outer influence… but the spell was not able to hold up when he came into direct contact with the Princess. The feelings are too strong, your Majesty, it is practically impossible…"

            "Impossible?" She asked, one of her thin eyebrows shot up, "Nothing is impossible, Venom. You should know that by now…"

            "Please, your Majesty…" But it was already too late; the bolt struck the woman in the chest, cutting her sentence off even before it was able to leave her lips. Silently, her body collapsed, falling in a pile to the floor. Azure watched with uncompassionate eyes.

            "Emerald!" She called, her tone sharp.

            "I am here, my Queen." The woman was kneeling down, not daring to look at the Queen.

            "Take this," Azure through a vial at the floor where it landed in front of Emerald, "I knew that Venom's potion was going to fail sooner or later. This one is stronger, and should not give so easily. You must make sure that Endymoin drinks it."

            "I will not fail you, your Majesty." Emerald replied, taking the vial and putting it away safely, "You can count on me."

            "I hope so, Emerald, for your sake."

*          *          *

            Serena walked away quickly, trying to hold back the tears that were already there. Why did she still care about him so much? She cursed herself for being so soft. When he looked at her with those eyes, she sighed, it was as if she melted right before him. She couldn't forget everything that they had once shared. She couldn't forget the Silver Millennium, all the years that they had loved each other. She walked more quickly, the pain began to grow and spread but she ignored it. At one time, they had been inseparable but now, it was as if they were total strangers. What had happened? Her walk quickened to a jog and then to a half-run as she suddenly felt the desperate need to get home. She didn't look where she was going, her eyes stayed locked on the asphalt beneath her feet.

            "Sailor Moon…" She yelped as she heard the name. She stopped, just in time before she ran into the man standing before her. She looked up; recognition hit her before she could even speak. She took a step back, nearly falling, but catching her balance just in time.

            "Diamond…?" She whispered the name, barely able to comprehend what was happening.

            "So you still recognize me, Sailor Moon?" He asked, slightly amused.

            She looked past him at the others. Behind him stood Sapphire and Nephlite. They both looked at her, their expression impassive. She felt like she should run, should transform, should try to fight. But something about them, told her that she was safe. She stepped forward for a moment, and the looked at them critically.

            "What… what's going on?" She asked.

            "We need your help, Sailor Moon…" Diamond stepped forward, taking her hand, "The Negaverse has a new ruler, she's dangerous. We came to warn you of her."

            Serena nodded, "I know this already." She said. She looked back to the others standing behind Diamond. Suddenly, she noticed two strangers. One was a young woman, perhaps about the same age as Serena. She looked like a princess out of a mediaeval fairytale, dressed in a long flowing gown. She was watching Serena with sharp violet colored eyes. The other stranger was a young man… Something about him was so familiar, yet Serena couldn't place it. She found herself walking towards him, ignoring the others as they tried to explain to her. The man wasn't looking at her; he seemed to stare at the ground, trying to avoid her gaze. She arrived in front of him where she stopped. She waited, finally satisfied as he began to raise his head to meet her eyes. The others had fallen silent, unsure of what to make of the situation. The recognition inside of her began to surface more quickly as she watched him. His armor, his hair, they all seemed to strike a familiar chord inside of her. Suddenly, she found herself caught in his gaze. His eyes, they were such a smooth caramel brown. The recognition finally came and she knew where she had seen him before.

            "Andre…" The name was no more than a whisper, but with it came memories. They seemed to flood over her mind, into her brain, overloading all of her senses. Before she could sort them out, she found herself slipping to the ground as unconsciousness swept over her.