Greetings! Part 3, ready and dying to be read. As always, let me
know what you think. Flames, comments, compliments, I welcome them all.
Mary Ann, Corie, Herm, Jess, Emmie and all others, much love from She-Ra
and from me too!
Disclaimer: Despite my attempts to legally change my name, my name is not
Naoko and I still do not own Sailor Moon. Wipe a tear.
Rainbow Eclipse
Chapter 3
Day of Reckoning
PG13 (language and violence)
Darien woke the next morning with a pounding headache. Memories of Sailor
Eclipse and his late night conversation with her had haunted him, keeping
him awake well into the early morning. When he finally drifted off to
sleep, his dreams had been filled with visions of this strange, solitary
scout. Sailor Eclipse, standing straight and proud, with her scepter high
above her head, multicolored light shooting out from the star stone.
Sailor Eclipse in a large white room, practicing fighting techniques with
a group of young women. Sailor Eclipse, rainbow cape flying behind her,
running toward white marble ruins, tears running like silver rivers of
pain down her cheeks. This was the vision that disturbed him most.
Why was she crying? Darien wondered Her pain was so tangible,
even in my ghost of a vision. Why did she cry? Rising, Darien walked
toward the kitchen. He reached for a glass and began filling it with
water. He glanced at his window, grimacing at the material that covered
it. He started at the knock on the door, his sudden movement causing
water to slosh over the rim of the glass onto his hand. Grabbing a
towel, Darien moved toward the door, opening it and looking for the
visitor. The hall was empty save for a long white box. Bending down,
Darien retrieved the box, lifting off the lid. On a bed of white
lay a single blood-red rose, and a note.
UNTIL TONIGHT
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Raye, priestess of the Cherry Hill Temple, sat in front of the
shrine's ever-burning fire.
"I am flame, flame is light, I am fire, fire is sight," she chanted.
"I am flame, flame is light, I am fire, fire is sight."
Slowly, pictures formed in the dancing flames. A rainbow cloak, a
scepter with a star, a star stone with multicolored flames dancing in it.
As Raye continued to chant, a figure materialized, this one dressed in a
black tuxedo and a white mask. A flame of white lashed out, striking him
in the chest. Tuxedo Mask fell burned to cinders.
"DARIEN!" Raye cried, breaking the mood and ending her vision. "Oh
God, Darien." Raye reached up to brush the tears from her eyes. After
bowing to the shrine's fire, she rose and hurried from the room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Haruka Tenou was nervous. As she sat on her couch, listening to
Michiru play her violin, a wave of apprehension slid over her heart.
"The ocean is boiling today," Michiru commented, laying her violin
back in its case. "Something is coming."
"But what?" Haruka questioned, not really expecting an answer.
"A shadow from the past shall soon make itself known," came the reply.
Both Haruka and Michiru turned their heads toward the open doorway where
Setsuna stood, leaning on the doorjamb. Ruby eyes met blue and aqua.
"I feel a trembling in the threads of time and space. We must be ready
for anything."
Both Haruka and Michiru nodded their agreement as the phone shrilled
in the other room. The sound of bare feet running was heard, and then the
click of the receiver being lifted from the cradle.
"Hello? Yes this Hotaru. Hi, Lita. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Are you sure?
Okay, we'll be right over."
The receiver was replaced and Hotaru came running in.
"Raye did a fire reading this morning, and she sensed a dark aura
around Darien. Serena wants to have a meeting. We're invited."
"Let's go," said Haruka, grabbing her car keys "I'll drive."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Cherry Hill Temple garden was already filling up when Haruka's
car pulled in. Raye, in her traditional temple garb, sat silently on a
rock, waiting for the New Senshi. Lita, Mina, Amy and Serena (on time
for once) were sitting on stones or standing. Serena was fidgeting,
desperate to learn what, or who, was creating danger for her love.
Haruka and Michiru stood near Mina, while Hotaru and Setsuna perched
on a stone bench.
"The shrine's fire has revealed a new presence to me," Raye began
"There is also a dark presence surrounding Darien. I don't sense evil,
just bitterness and hatred."
"Can you make out a face?" Mina asked.
"No, but I do see an rainbow piece of material, perhaps a cloak,
and a scepter."
"A scepter? What does it look like?" Setsuna demanded, leaning
forward on her bench. She was obviously disturbed. "Think, Raye.
This is incredibly important."
"It was straight, with a large star shaped stone at the top. The star
stone had shifting colors inside it, almost like an opal, but more vivid.
The star was surrounded by heart-shaped piece of metal, with the points
of the star touching the inside rim of the heart," Raye described. "It was
beautiful."
"Why is that so important, Setsuna?" Serena asked, "Do you know
who our new enemy is?"
"I may," Setsuna admitted. "But I want to do a little research before
I say anything more. I need to go. I will contact you the moment I know
more."
Setsuna rose and walked to a small grove of trees. Hotaru frowned
after her. Though the others had missed it, Setsuna's eyes had reflected
boundless joy in the instant that Raye described the scepter. But that
joy had been followed by anger and the briefest hint of worry and fear.
Hotaru watched Setsuna, thoughtful.
"Pluto Crystal Power, make up!" Setsuna shouted. Immediately after
Setsuna finished transforming, she was gone. Attention returned to the
meeting, though all were curious as to the reason behind Setsuna's
abrupt departure.
"Is Darien in danger?" Serena asked, her apprehension returning.
"I'm not sure," Raye lied, unwilling to tell Serena what she had
seen in the flames. "I'm going to do another fire reading tonight. Oh,
there was one more thing. I sensed a great power emanating from this
presence. Be extra careful."
All the senshi nodded their assent, and the group split up. Amy
decided to do some extra research on the scepter, Raye went to finish
her chores and Lita and Mina headed for the mall. Haruka saw the worry
of Serena's face as she walked toward Darien's apartment, and tipped her
head up to the sky. Shielding her eyes from the sun, Haruka's eyes sought
the waning moon, a pale shadow of the sun.
What does to future hold for us, Queen Serenity? What part of our
sad and mysterious past is about to be revealed?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Serena was lost in thought as she walked down the road. She dodged
people and objects instinctively as she walked toward Darien's apartment.
Could Darien really be in danger? Serena wondered. I'm sure he'd
tell me if he knew that he was, but what if this new enemy is stalking
him? What if he got hurt? I couldn't bear that. I have to protect him.
No matter what.
Determined now, Serena glanced up, mildly surprised to see that she
had already arrived at her destination. Minutes later Serena knocked on
Darien's door. She shifted nervously from foot to foot as she waited for
him to open the door.
"Serena! Hi! Did I miss our date? I could have sworn..."
"No, Darien. It's fine. I was just in the neighborhood and decided
to stop by. How are you?"
"I'm fine Serena. Look, I'm sorry to cut this short but the
repairmen should be here any second," Darien said, scanning the halls for
any sign of them.
"Repairmen?" Serena asked, puzzled "Why do you need repairmen?"
"One of my windows got broken last night and the building manager
said that he'd send men by to fix it at around 2:00. Listen, I have to go.
I'll see you at 4, okay?"
That said, Darien closed the door, leaving a bewildered Serena
standing in an empty hallway. Hurt, she turned to walk away. Moments
later, she paused outside the elevator doors.
A broken window? How could that have happened? He lives on the
fifteenth floor, so it couldn't have been a baseball or a rock, and Darien
isn't clumsy enough to have broken it himself. Something strange is going
on here.
Concerned, Serena entered the elevator and pressed the button for
the lobby.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Later that day, when Serena and Darien met for their date, Serena
paid special attention to how he behaved. Darien seemed preoccupied, not
himself. He had trouble following the train of their conversation and
seemed unaware of what was going on around him. By the end of the night,
Serena was positive that something strange was going on, and was determined
to find out what it was. After calling the other scouts and sharing her
suspicions, Serena went back to Darien's apartment building. Lita, Mina,
Amy and Raye met her there. Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru soon joined them.
"Setsuna hasn't come home yet," said Hotaru "We left her a note,
saying where we had gone. I'm sure she'll join us when she can."
"What's going on?" Michiru asked.
Serena opened her mouth and began to speak. When she had finished,
all the Senshi were nodding in agreement.
"You're right Serena." Raye said, "Something else IS going on. When I
did my second fire reading, I saw a broken window. I also..." she trailed
off.
"What, Raye? What did you see?" Lita inquired.
"I saw Tuxedo Mask. I saw him being attacked and...killed."
"No." Serena breathed "Oh, no. Oh, God, please, no!" Tears began
welling in her eyes. Amy reached over and gave her a hug.
"Don't panic, Serena. Darien isn't dead yet. We'll just have to
follow him and make sure that nothing happens to him."
"Right." Serena agreed, sniffling and wiping her eyes.
"Okay then. Shall we transform?" asked Mina.
"Mm-hmm." They all affirmed.
"VENUS CRYSTAL POWER!"
"JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER!"
"MARS CRYSTAL POWER!"
"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER!"
"NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER!"
"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER!"
"SATURN CRYSTAL POWER!"
"MOON COSMIC POWER!"
In a flash of light, eight Sailor Scouts stood at the ready.
"There he is!" said Lita, pointing.
Driving his car, Darien pulled out of his garage and on to the
street. He drove toward the park, unaware that eight Sailor Scouts were
running after him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
know what you think. Flames, comments, compliments, I welcome them all.
Mary Ann, Corie, Herm, Jess, Emmie and all others, much love from She-Ra
and from me too!
Disclaimer: Despite my attempts to legally change my name, my name is not
Naoko and I still do not own Sailor Moon. Wipe a tear.
Rainbow Eclipse
Chapter 3
Day of Reckoning
PG13 (language and violence)
Darien woke the next morning with a pounding headache. Memories of Sailor
Eclipse and his late night conversation with her had haunted him, keeping
him awake well into the early morning. When he finally drifted off to
sleep, his dreams had been filled with visions of this strange, solitary
scout. Sailor Eclipse, standing straight and proud, with her scepter high
above her head, multicolored light shooting out from the star stone.
Sailor Eclipse in a large white room, practicing fighting techniques with
a group of young women. Sailor Eclipse, rainbow cape flying behind her,
running toward white marble ruins, tears running like silver rivers of
pain down her cheeks. This was the vision that disturbed him most.
Why was she crying? Darien wondered Her pain was so tangible,
even in my ghost of a vision. Why did she cry? Rising, Darien walked
toward the kitchen. He reached for a glass and began filling it with
water. He glanced at his window, grimacing at the material that covered
it. He started at the knock on the door, his sudden movement causing
water to slosh over the rim of the glass onto his hand. Grabbing a
towel, Darien moved toward the door, opening it and looking for the
visitor. The hall was empty save for a long white box. Bending down,
Darien retrieved the box, lifting off the lid. On a bed of white
lay a single blood-red rose, and a note.
UNTIL TONIGHT
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Raye, priestess of the Cherry Hill Temple, sat in front of the
shrine's ever-burning fire.
"I am flame, flame is light, I am fire, fire is sight," she chanted.
"I am flame, flame is light, I am fire, fire is sight."
Slowly, pictures formed in the dancing flames. A rainbow cloak, a
scepter with a star, a star stone with multicolored flames dancing in it.
As Raye continued to chant, a figure materialized, this one dressed in a
black tuxedo and a white mask. A flame of white lashed out, striking him
in the chest. Tuxedo Mask fell burned to cinders.
"DARIEN!" Raye cried, breaking the mood and ending her vision. "Oh
God, Darien." Raye reached up to brush the tears from her eyes. After
bowing to the shrine's fire, she rose and hurried from the room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Haruka Tenou was nervous. As she sat on her couch, listening to
Michiru play her violin, a wave of apprehension slid over her heart.
"The ocean is boiling today," Michiru commented, laying her violin
back in its case. "Something is coming."
"But what?" Haruka questioned, not really expecting an answer.
"A shadow from the past shall soon make itself known," came the reply.
Both Haruka and Michiru turned their heads toward the open doorway where
Setsuna stood, leaning on the doorjamb. Ruby eyes met blue and aqua.
"I feel a trembling in the threads of time and space. We must be ready
for anything."
Both Haruka and Michiru nodded their agreement as the phone shrilled
in the other room. The sound of bare feet running was heard, and then the
click of the receiver being lifted from the cradle.
"Hello? Yes this Hotaru. Hi, Lita. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Are you sure?
Okay, we'll be right over."
The receiver was replaced and Hotaru came running in.
"Raye did a fire reading this morning, and she sensed a dark aura
around Darien. Serena wants to have a meeting. We're invited."
"Let's go," said Haruka, grabbing her car keys "I'll drive."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Cherry Hill Temple garden was already filling up when Haruka's
car pulled in. Raye, in her traditional temple garb, sat silently on a
rock, waiting for the New Senshi. Lita, Mina, Amy and Serena (on time
for once) were sitting on stones or standing. Serena was fidgeting,
desperate to learn what, or who, was creating danger for her love.
Haruka and Michiru stood near Mina, while Hotaru and Setsuna perched
on a stone bench.
"The shrine's fire has revealed a new presence to me," Raye began
"There is also a dark presence surrounding Darien. I don't sense evil,
just bitterness and hatred."
"Can you make out a face?" Mina asked.
"No, but I do see an rainbow piece of material, perhaps a cloak,
and a scepter."
"A scepter? What does it look like?" Setsuna demanded, leaning
forward on her bench. She was obviously disturbed. "Think, Raye.
This is incredibly important."
"It was straight, with a large star shaped stone at the top. The star
stone had shifting colors inside it, almost like an opal, but more vivid.
The star was surrounded by heart-shaped piece of metal, with the points
of the star touching the inside rim of the heart," Raye described. "It was
beautiful."
"Why is that so important, Setsuna?" Serena asked, "Do you know
who our new enemy is?"
"I may," Setsuna admitted. "But I want to do a little research before
I say anything more. I need to go. I will contact you the moment I know
more."
Setsuna rose and walked to a small grove of trees. Hotaru frowned
after her. Though the others had missed it, Setsuna's eyes had reflected
boundless joy in the instant that Raye described the scepter. But that
joy had been followed by anger and the briefest hint of worry and fear.
Hotaru watched Setsuna, thoughtful.
"Pluto Crystal Power, make up!" Setsuna shouted. Immediately after
Setsuna finished transforming, she was gone. Attention returned to the
meeting, though all were curious as to the reason behind Setsuna's
abrupt departure.
"Is Darien in danger?" Serena asked, her apprehension returning.
"I'm not sure," Raye lied, unwilling to tell Serena what she had
seen in the flames. "I'm going to do another fire reading tonight. Oh,
there was one more thing. I sensed a great power emanating from this
presence. Be extra careful."
All the senshi nodded their assent, and the group split up. Amy
decided to do some extra research on the scepter, Raye went to finish
her chores and Lita and Mina headed for the mall. Haruka saw the worry
of Serena's face as she walked toward Darien's apartment, and tipped her
head up to the sky. Shielding her eyes from the sun, Haruka's eyes sought
the waning moon, a pale shadow of the sun.
What does to future hold for us, Queen Serenity? What part of our
sad and mysterious past is about to be revealed?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Serena was lost in thought as she walked down the road. She dodged
people and objects instinctively as she walked toward Darien's apartment.
Could Darien really be in danger? Serena wondered. I'm sure he'd
tell me if he knew that he was, but what if this new enemy is stalking
him? What if he got hurt? I couldn't bear that. I have to protect him.
No matter what.
Determined now, Serena glanced up, mildly surprised to see that she
had already arrived at her destination. Minutes later Serena knocked on
Darien's door. She shifted nervously from foot to foot as she waited for
him to open the door.
"Serena! Hi! Did I miss our date? I could have sworn..."
"No, Darien. It's fine. I was just in the neighborhood and decided
to stop by. How are you?"
"I'm fine Serena. Look, I'm sorry to cut this short but the
repairmen should be here any second," Darien said, scanning the halls for
any sign of them.
"Repairmen?" Serena asked, puzzled "Why do you need repairmen?"
"One of my windows got broken last night and the building manager
said that he'd send men by to fix it at around 2:00. Listen, I have to go.
I'll see you at 4, okay?"
That said, Darien closed the door, leaving a bewildered Serena
standing in an empty hallway. Hurt, she turned to walk away. Moments
later, she paused outside the elevator doors.
A broken window? How could that have happened? He lives on the
fifteenth floor, so it couldn't have been a baseball or a rock, and Darien
isn't clumsy enough to have broken it himself. Something strange is going
on here.
Concerned, Serena entered the elevator and pressed the button for
the lobby.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Later that day, when Serena and Darien met for their date, Serena
paid special attention to how he behaved. Darien seemed preoccupied, not
himself. He had trouble following the train of their conversation and
seemed unaware of what was going on around him. By the end of the night,
Serena was positive that something strange was going on, and was determined
to find out what it was. After calling the other scouts and sharing her
suspicions, Serena went back to Darien's apartment building. Lita, Mina,
Amy and Raye met her there. Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru soon joined them.
"Setsuna hasn't come home yet," said Hotaru "We left her a note,
saying where we had gone. I'm sure she'll join us when she can."
"What's going on?" Michiru asked.
Serena opened her mouth and began to speak. When she had finished,
all the Senshi were nodding in agreement.
"You're right Serena." Raye said, "Something else IS going on. When I
did my second fire reading, I saw a broken window. I also..." she trailed
off.
"What, Raye? What did you see?" Lita inquired.
"I saw Tuxedo Mask. I saw him being attacked and...killed."
"No." Serena breathed "Oh, no. Oh, God, please, no!" Tears began
welling in her eyes. Amy reached over and gave her a hug.
"Don't panic, Serena. Darien isn't dead yet. We'll just have to
follow him and make sure that nothing happens to him."
"Right." Serena agreed, sniffling and wiping her eyes.
"Okay then. Shall we transform?" asked Mina.
"Mm-hmm." They all affirmed.
"VENUS CRYSTAL POWER!"
"JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER!"
"MARS CRYSTAL POWER!"
"URANUS CRYSTAL POWER!"
"NEPTUNE CRYSTAL POWER!"
"MERCURY CRYSTAL POWER!"
"SATURN CRYSTAL POWER!"
"MOON COSMIC POWER!"
In a flash of light, eight Sailor Scouts stood at the ready.
"There he is!" said Lita, pointing.
Driving his car, Darien pulled out of his garage and on to the
street. He drove toward the park, unaware that eight Sailor Scouts were
running after him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
