"moon prism power!" Serena shouted, holding her transform locket high above
her head as she turned into Sailor Moon. "hold it right there, nega-scum!
I'm sailor moon! I fight for love and justice and you," She brandished a
finger at the obscene creature. "Are about to become Moon dust!" She jumped
down off the tree branch and landed at the monster's feet, not forgetting
to strike her famous pose when she rose. I'm glad I'm not klutzy when I'm
like this she though to herself as the other scouts landed behind her. As
usual, Mars took the lead.
"Mars fire, ignite!" she shrieked, letting the monster have it. It
immediately dropped its prey, a man in his thirties, who fainted as he hit
the floor.
"Nice work, Mars." Venus commented her team mate as the thing turned on
them. "now it's coming after us!"
All five girls split up and ran for it. Sailor Moon watched as each of the
other four, threw attacks at it, and get hit back twice as hard. Soon they
were all lying on the floor, their energy being sucked out of them. My
turn. She thought as she stepped in front of the tall red and orange
disgusting thing.
"Right, nega-trash, time I taught you a lesson!" She took her tiara off and
got ready to throw it. But it wasn't fast enough. It shot her. Sailor Moon
knew she didn't have time to move as the poisoned needles headed straight
for her. She closed her eyes, ready to die..
.Fly? Sailor Moon looked down to find herself in the air, in Tuxedo Mask's
arms. The other Sailor scouts were still on the ground, getting weaker by
the second. He put her down behind the monster and said a few encouraging
words to her. Then she let it fly.
"Dusted!" she shouted as the creature exploded into a pile of the stuff.
She ran over to the scouts and dropped down beside Mercury. "oh, guys are
you okay?"
Mercury sat up with difficulty, shaking her short blue head.
"I think so.you were almost killed though."
Sailor moon blushed.
"Yeah, but Tuxedo Mask saved me. How are you?"
Jupiter was on her feet, unsteadily.
"Oh, that one was tough!"
"Hey, Sailor Moon, you couldn't have dusted him sooner, could you?"
Sailor Moon was offended.
"Hey, I was almost killed then, what good would I be dead?"
"A lot more than when you're alive."
They were interrupted by Venus.
"Hey guys, come on, it wasn't that bad."
"Sailor Venus is right," Tuxedo Mask agreed. "you did well tonight, scouts.
Farewell."
He disappeared into the night as silently as he had arrived, and left the
scouts to sort out their differences.
Serena was awoken by the beep beep beep of her Luna-alike alarm clock. She
glanced at it for a second, then turned over. Then she looked at it again.
Oh no! I'm late!! She shut off the alarm and jumped out of bed, running
around the room getting dressed and grabbing books and things. She rushed
past Luna, as the small cat looked up lazily at her owner and charge,
before yawning, she lay on the windowsill, just starting to wake up.
"Serena, you're not late again are you?" she asked, yawning.
"Oh, Luna, I'm going to ssoo get detention if I don't hurry!" She replied
breathlessly as she Brushed her lovely yellow hair, that fell down past her
waist, into elegant bun pigtails. She grabbed her pen, locket and
communicator. "See ya after school!"
Serena rushed out of the front door, saying goodbye to her mother and
taking two minutes to tease Sammy about his new girlfriend Meeta? No, Mika.
She grabbed a piece of toast from the rack on her way out. She ate the
toast quickly and rushed down the street at top speed, dodging bicycles and
pedestrians alike. She caught up with Mina, whose long yellow-gold hair was
streaming behind her as she rushed towards Crossroads junior high, and who,
like herself, had got up late. They had a very brief conversation about
last night, whilst they ran like hell to get to school.
Both girls reached the gate as the last bell went. Serena was definitely
going to get detention. Mina, however, wouldn't, because she didn't have a
strict teacher like Ms Haruna to deal with.
After being admonished again, Serena slumped into her seat next to her
friend Molly and started off a very bad day. And it was about to get worse.
A test. A math test. Mr Yoshima decided his students needed a test today. Serena sighed heavily and gazed out of the window, ready to flunk and daydream about Tuxedo Mask. Oooohhhh, what a hunk! She spent most of the period thinking about him while occasionally jotting down an answer she thought was acceptable. Eventually the last bell rang and Serena slouched outside, knowing for sure that she had failed really badly. She made her way to the Arcade, where she was due to meet Raye, Lita, Mina and Ami. The door tinkled and she stepped into the crowded games and café shop. A smile lit up her face, for the first time all day. There were her friends, seated at a booth near the back. And there was Andrew, serving customers at the counter.. And she was on the floor. A familiar voice came to her as she turned over on the ground and looked up. "Whoops, meatball head, I didn't see you there." Darien Shields, eighteen, black hair and colour changing eyes, the bane of her life. He hoisted her to her feet with a smirk. "Next time jerk, watch where you're going!" she said through gritted teeth, after yanking her arm free of his. "and don't call me meatball head!" "Well don't stand in the doorway and not expect to get knocked down." He said amiably, with his annoying grin still on his face. Serena wished she could shoot it off. Instead she just scowled at him and made her way over to her friends. They had an okay time, Serena scored quite badly on the new Sailor V game, and had a small argument with Raye over her clumsiness (she had spilt her cappuccino). Again Ami made a show with her brains and made Serena feel dumber than usual. Lita talked non-stop about her boyfriends and Mina just mused happily. No one seemed to notice Serena, At all. She made her way to the counter and ordered another cappuccino for Raye. She watched Andrew as he rushed around. Darien was sat next to her. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. He looked up and smiled tiredly at her. "Hey meatball head." She shot him what she hoped dearly was the look of death. "What do you want, jerk?" "Just to ask if you'd tripped over your own feet today?" that was it, she'd had it. She drew back her hand, made it into a fist, and punched him in his side. She felt her knuckles connect with soft flesh and she drew back in surprise. Surely Darien wasn't that weak? She noticed she had barely touched him, yet he was grimacing in pain. Serena was sure she'd hit him harder than that before and it had hardly made him flinch. She looked at Darien quizzically as he breathed deeply, trying to catch his breath. Serena didn't ask him and didn't stop to think. Curiosity took over as she grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it up, to reveal a series of dark purple bruises on his chest. She gasped as he snatched it back down and, after casting a furtive look at the customers and Andrew to see if they had seen anything, got up, taking off out of the arcade and down the street. Serena wasted no time. Ignoring the cries of her friends, she followed him. Darien ran fast. It took all of Serena's breath to keep from losing him. She chased him halfway across town, over the bridge and into the park. He stopped behind a tree and slid down into a sitting position. Serena moved in front of him. "Darien." "Go away! Leave me alone!" He shouted, head in hands. But she wouldn't move. "No." He lurched to his feet and took few steps, before dropping to his knees, breathing hard and clutching his chest. Serena ran over to help him but he pushed her away. His features hard with determination, he pushed himself to his feet. And took slow steps. "Darien?" she ventured. "What?" he gasped out as he walked slowly. "Do you need some help? Do you want me to get Andrew?" "No." She grabbed him by the arms and spun him around to face her. "What's wrong!?" Just then, Mina, Ami, Lita and Raye arrived. "Hey Serena!" She turned to face them as they came running up and was bombarded with questions. "Why did you run out?" "How come you didn't wait for us?" "What's going on with Darien?" "You still owe me a coffee!" Her raven haired friend yelled. Serena didn't know who to answer first. She turned around again to ask Darien if he was okay, but he was gone. Serena sighed loudly. What was going on? She zoned out as they chattered on to each other about Andrew and Sailor V. Later that evening, Serena decided she would go and see Darien. Even if she hated him, he was in serious trouble, and by what she'd gathered, not even his best friend Andrew knew about it. She slipped on her green jacket and told her mom that she was going for a walk. She set off through the streets. Soon she passed the closed Arcade. From here, she stopped at the nearest phone box and called Raye. After a quick conversation with a lot of little white lies as to why she needed Darien's address, ("Andrew asked me to drop something off, because he had to go out after work") she put the phone down and took out the little piece of paper with directions scrawled onto it. Eventually she reached the block in which her enemy lived. Serena climbed the stairs to the third floor. She read the little plague by the side of his door. Apartment 8, D. Shields. There was a lot of noise coming from inside so Serena assumed he had the TV on loud. She took a deep breath and knocked. There were crashes and shouts coming from inside. "Darien!" she shouted, and pushed the door open. A sight met her eyes. Darien was fighting two guys. There was shattered glass everywhere and furniture was tipped over and most of it broken. Then one of the guys pulled out a gun and pointed it at Darien. His eyes widened as he backed up against a wall. Serena grabbed the first thing that came to hand and threw it. She was thankful that she was such a good shot with these things, having thrown her Tiara a thousand times. It was dead on target and hit the attacker's hand, sending the gun sailing out of the window. Serena ran over to Darien and, gripping his hand tightly in her own, pulled him out of the apartment. They broke into a run through the corridor and flew down the stairs. Serena ran all the harder when she heard footsteps behind them. They ran out of the apartment block and straight into the city. She looked for a place to hide as they ran through the crowded streets. Serena spotted an empty warehouse and sprinted into it, slamming the door and thrusting them into darkness. Serena still had hold of Darien's hand. He pulled his away. She tried the door. Oh great! She thought. It only opens from the outside!! She turned to Darien. "We're locked in." "Great going, meatball head." He whispered painfully. "Ah!" She heard him slump to the floor. He was unconscious. Serena felt him stir and looked down to see his eyes flicker open. She smiled at him as he lay there, staring up at her, his head in her lap. "I passed out?" he asked. She nodded. "Mm hmm. How are you feeling?" "Like my head's been hit with a sledge hammer." He replied hoarsely. Serena's eyes filled with tears. "Hey, meatball head, why are you crying?" "Oh, Darien, what's going on? Why were those guys going to shoot you?" He looked away "They think I have something they want." He laughed, then coughed. "They're after a ransom. But they won't get it." Serena was puzzled. A ransom? "Why, won't your parents pay it?" He slid his head off her lap and turned away. "My parents are dead." He said simply and shortly. He tried to get up while saying this, but found he couldn't and fell back to the floor, panting from the effort. The moon came out from behind the clouds and shone on him. Serena gasped. Darien was in a bad way. His face was covered in cuts and he had a black eye, along with a gash on the side of his head. His arms were streaked with blood and the knees of his jeans were torn. "that bad, huh?" he asked exhaustedly. Serena stood up and ran off. She searched the warehouse high and low. Thankfully it was a work house, and soon enough she found a bathroom. The water still ran, so she found a tin and filled it with hot water. Further inspection of her prison armed her with a small first aid kit, blankets, a couple of cloths and toolbox. She found a clear corner behind some big crates and laid her survival kit here. Then she went back to Darien. "Where did you go?" he croaked. "To find somewhere for us to sleep. We need to hide somewhere in case those guys find out where we are." Darien tried to get up again, but still couldn't quite manage it. Eventually he had to reluctantly accept Serena's help. She put one arm under his shoulders and she draped his around her neck as he got up, gasping in agony. He had to lean heavily on her and she noticed that his right ankle was barely touching the ground, so he limped badly. She guided him to the camp she'd set up, he literally fell onto the blankets and lay there for several minutes, breathing heavily. His forehead was covered in a cold sweat. Serena said nothing. She just got out the bandages and put the cloth into the now warm water. She crawled over to Darien and pulled off his left trainer. Then she undid the right one and widened it as much as she could. He had tensed so she waited until he had relaxed. Best to catch him off guard. That way it would hurt less. Then she yanked it off. Darien yelled and cursed. Serena apologised profusely. She carefully lifted his ankle onto her lap and looked at it, comparing it to the other one. She saw it was just very badly twisted and swollen, meaning it just needed a tight bandage. But she needed them for other things so there was nothing she could do except keep it elevated. She reached for a rolled up blanket and rested his foot on it. She asked him to sit up and he did, slowly. "Now, I need you to take off your top." He was horrified at the thought of this. He refused point black so she had no choice. Serena pulled out a knife from the toolbox and slit it open at the back. He shouted at her for about five minutes until he tired himself out. She stared wide eyed at the bruises with broken skin in the middle. He had been beaten up badly. Tears came to her eyes as she remembered how happy he'd pretended to be at the arcade this afternoon. Darien pulled off what was left of his T-shirt and threw it to the floor in disgust. Serena swirled the cloth into the water and wrung it out. As soon as it touched his skin, Darien jumped and hissed. "Sorry," she whispered. "It's okay," he said. "It's not every day that I get girls wanting to give me a sponge bath." Serena laughed. She cleaned his back and arms, applying bandages where they were needed. She had to wrap the largest one around his chest, for his ribs were obviously badly bruised. She cleaned the cuts on his face and as she wiped the blood from the gash on his forehead, he looked at her, and she melted. Darien leaned into her and kissed her. "Thanks for caring, meatball head." He said softly. He lay down and Serena covered him with a blanket. He fell asleep with her stroking his hair. Serena sat for an hour, watching Darien mutter in his sleep, thinking of how she'd got involved with all this, wondering how enemies could unite like this. Then she realised that she didn't hate Darien, they just liked to tease each other. Finally she could stand it no longer and went to explore the warehouse. She walked around the giant empty space, looking for a window, anything to let her escape for help. Darien was in really bad shape and he needed a doctor. Serena found lots of windows, but these were either boarded up, or blocked with bars, or bricked up. She searched further but turned up nothing. She was about to give up and head back to the camp when she heard a furtive miaow. Serena almost jumped for joy. "Luna!" she called softly, her voice echoing softly from the walls and reverberating through the vast space. "Luna where are you?" "Serena?" Luna called cautiously. "Serena? Thank goodness! I've been looking everywhere for you. what are you doing in there?" "Oh Luna," she gasped as her little black cat came padding into sight, glad she had been found "We're trapped down here! We were chased and." Luna interrupted her. "Who's with you?" She asked urgently. "Darien. Luna-" Luna interrupted again. She sounded extra relieved. "Darien Shields? Oh, good. Is he all right? I'll go and get the other scouts to help you." "Wait Luna, Darien's hurt, I think he needs a doctor." Luna looked at her, and Serena was sure she saw something that looked like sadness in the little cat's eyes. "Serena, listen closely, you need to keep an eye on that boy, he's important. You will understand later if you talk to him. Ask him about dreams." "Luna." Serena began, but the cat was gone, she was alone again. Well, not alone. She had Darien. Darien stirred and brought a hand up to his face. When he took it away, the scene was still there. Serena looked down at him with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked. He closed his eyes and groaned. "I thought I was dreaming." Dreams? Serena suddenly remembered what Luna had said. Ask him about dreams. "Hey Dare," "Yes?" She hesitated. What if Luna was wrong, what if Darien didn't know what she meant. There was only one way to find out. "I have.well...odd dreams, and I was wondering, since you were awake, you might like to talk about it with me?" Darien was on instant alert. He knew she wanted to find out about his dreams, but strangely, that didn't bother him. "Sure meatball head, I could do with a laugh right now." So Serena proceeded to tell him of her dreams about the moon kingdom, her mother, and the man who stole her heart, a prince. His eyes widened in shock when she described him. Darien slumped back on the makeshift pillow and swallowed. "What is it?" Serena asked. "Are you feeling sick?" Darien shook his head. "No, no, it's not that. It's just, you, it's you. you're Sailor Moon aren't you?" he accused. Serena was surprised and caught off guard. How could he have guessed? She decided to laugh it off. "Yeah yeah, and you're Tuxedo Mask." She said as sarcastically as she could manage. She tried to pretend it wasn't happening, but it was. She saw him. "Oh no." she said, jumping to her feet. "it can't be!" Serena rushed off into the maze of boxes and crates. She turned, left, right, left again, climbed up and over into other parts of the building. After ten minutes of running she stopped to catch her breath. Darien, Prince Darien, it couldn't be, she told herself over and over again. If he's Prince Darien then that must mean. oh why hadn't she seen it before! Serena turned around to get her bearings and shrieked. Darien, pale and perspiring, reached a hand out towards her. "Princess Serena.." he began, then fell to the ground, with a dull thud. Two in the morning, Serena's digital wristwatch told her, six cold hours they had been stuck in this enormous prison. She looked down at Darien, who was breathing raspily, and took his hand in hers. He was cold and clammy to touch. She spoke softly to him, whispered words of encouragement and prayed for Luna to return with the Scouts. Never in her life had she been so desperate to see Raye's face. Darien groaned and gazed at her, out of focus. She smiled down at him. "How are you?" she asked for the fiftieth time. "Bored with you asking that over and over. "he replied. "find a better hobby, like looking out for the sailor scouts." Serena laughed softly. She had wanted to go and do this for a while now, but fear for Darien's well-being had kept her by his side. "Well," she bantered lightly. "You could always go and look out for them yourself?" This caused him to laugh and cough, so she had to pat his back and stop herself from making any more remarks like that. Then it came to her. "Dare, why did you say those guys were after a ransom, if they knew your parents were dead?" He hesitated, not quite knowing how to put it. "Well, It's not a ransom they're after.it's this." Darien pulled out a crystal. Serena heard herself take in a sharp breath. It was beautiful. "One of my reminders from my past," he explained. "It's what kept me from going completely insane when I was figuring out my identity." Serena was about to speak when they heard a screech of hinges and loud voices. "She's in here?!" "I can't see a thing!" "I swear if this is a joke I'll kill that ditz!" "Quiet you guys, I'm getting a reading." Serena stood up and looked around, she could see flashlights and headed straight towards them. Then all of a sudden there was chaos. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh! Help, I'm being attacked! Mars fire." Raye began to counter. "Raye, Raye! It's me! Stop!!" "Serena?!" Everyone chorused. All four beams of light settled on her and she held up her hands to shield them from the glare. Then all four girls threw themselves on top of her. "Serena!" Serena explained what had happened, leaving out the part about Darien being Tuxedo Mask and their frightening conversation about dreams. They were all amazed at how resourceful Serena had been. Ami told them to De-transform and said she thought it best if they told Darien that the Sailor Scouts were engaged and sent Serena's friends to help her. It took three of the five girls (Lita, Mina and Raye) to support Darien, and they made their way back to the Temple (Raye's grandfather was away, visiting relatives), as it would be too dangerous for him to stay at his apartment, and the Temple was the nearest place after that. While Darien was put to bed, Serena had a hot shower and changed into some of Raye's pyjamas. All five girls sat and talked. Serena called her mother and got an earful. At about three, they all went to bed. Serena's head hit the pillow and she was out like a light. She dreamt again that night, about the moon kingdom, and she knew who it was standing beside her. "Darien," she whispered, and leaned into him. Serena awoke to find the sun full on her face. She pushed back her covering and sat up. Lita was sat on her sleeping bag, brushing her long curly brown hair, Mina was sweeping the floor, Ami was lay on her stomach reading a big thick book and the smell of cooking filled the room. Raye entered, carrying a huge tray of pancakes, cereal and toast. "Food!" Serena cried, jumping to her feet. She hugged Raye hard, knocking all the breath from her friend. "Oh, thanks, I'm starving!" She dropped down beside the tray and began to eat, and the others joining in hungrily. When they had finished each girl sat back, full. "Raye, that's the best pancakes I've ever tasted!" "I'm glad at least one of us can cook." "Wow, how do you do it?" "That was very nutritious, thanks!" After getting dressed and the first proper conversation of the day with them (A small argument with Raye included) Serena helped Ami to clear away the breakfast things and then went to check on Darien. She pulled the sliding doors shut behind her and looked over to the bed, where he was sat up, back towards her. She opened her mouth to say something, then decided against it. She left the room, closing the doors silently behind her. "Darien needs some stuff from his apartment," She announced, coming back into the main room. All four girls were dressed and Luna and Artemis were now here. "I'm going over there to get it now. Will someone come with me?" Raye shook her head. "I can't, I have chores." "I'll go!" Lita offered. "Right," Serena said. "Take your communicator, so we can keep in touch okay?" Lita nodded and picked up the flat plastic thing that looked like a personal digi-diary. They pulled on their jackets and walked outside into the cold sunshine. Serena turned to her friend as they went down those endless steps that led to the Temple. "We need to go to my house first, okay? I need to get my communicator and locket." Lita replied in the affirmative and they set off in that direction, Serena listening as her friend insulted her latest ex. She opened her front door and was immediately crushed by her mother. It took her a whole ten minutes to disentangle herself, another fifteen searching for her locket and communicator (Serena's room was a complete bomb site) and another five convincing her mother that she wasn't going to disappear again when she left. Lita stopped as they walked past the arcade and gazed in at Andrew, who was stood behind the counter with a worried look on his face. Serena panicked and grabbed Lita's hand, dragging her out of sight just in time before Andrew looked up and saw them. That was close! She thought as she slowed to a walk. Lita gasped loudly as they entered Darien's apartment. It looked slightly worse than last night. The men must have come back and turned it upside down looking for the crystal. Serena picked her way through the mess and made her way carefully into Darien's bedroom. She grabbed some clothes from his wardrobe and his drawer, shoving them into a big bag she found behind the door. Lita threw in a few of his personal things, toothbrush, cloth, razor and pictures from the lounge. Serena picked up his keys from on top of the bedside stand and stepped back. A floorboard creaked. She stood there for a moment, rocking back and forth on the loose board, before dropping to the ground and pulling it up. Lita whistled. "Hoo boy! How did you do that?" "I don't know," Serena replied. She pushed a hand in and pulled out a dusty book. Reaching in a few more times, Serena found another book, a rock, some letters and a tin. She found a plastic bag and put these items inside it and then placed this inside the backpack. She replaced the loose board and got up, dusting herself off. "let's go." After finding Dare's keys on a hook near the bedroom, Serena locked the door to the apartment. She didn't want the neighbours or Andrew coming around to see that. They headed back to the Temple, Lita talking to Ami on the communicator. Serena avoided the arcade on he way back, not wanting to risk being seen by Andrew. Mina opened the door when they knocked. "Hey, Darien's up!" She said. But Serena wasn't listening. As soon as she heard this she shot straight past the two with the bag in hand. She knocked quietly on Raye's bedroom door. Raye had let Darien have her room, as it was the only one with a proper bed. "Darien." She called quietly, and pushed the door open. He was sat up in bed, with a tray of hot soup in front of him. He glanced up at her and smiled. "Hey, meatball head, come in!" She entered and put the bag down beside the bed as she sat down. "What's in the bag?" he asked. "It's some stuff from your apartment. Me and Lita went there to get it for you. And don't call me Meatball head!" she said. He just laughed. This made her worse. "it's not funny!" she scowled, punching him on the arm. Darien dropped the spoon and winced. Serena was immediately sorry. "Oh, Dare, I didn't mean it, are you alright?" "Yeah," he said through gritted teeth. "I just love it when you do that, princess." Serena quickly look around and lowered her voice. "Ssshhhh.someone might hear you!" she hissed. Darien looked confused. "You haven't told them?!" He asked incredulously. Then he shook his head. "Oh Serena, Serena, you really need to keep on top of things." His smile faded as Serena got up and glared at him. Then she turned and walked away. Darien pushed the tray to the ground with a crash and got painfully out of bed. "Serena, wait! Come back!" he called as she opened the door and stalked out. He limped to he door and caught hold of the frame, leaning heavily on it. Serena carried on, so Darien launched himself at her. She caught him as he almost fell on top of her. "Don't go." He whispered. "Oh, Dare." Serena began and lent him a hand in getting back to bed. When she emerged a half hour later, all eyes were on her. Darien had fallen asleep in her arms after they had talked, and she had promised to tell the others of their discovery. And she would, later.. "So!" she said as brightly as she could muster in the faces of four confused friends. "Anyone up for a trip to the Arcade?" Surprisingly, they all agreed,. So all five girls donned their coats and shoes and set off. The place was booming when they arrived. Amy bagged them a booth at the back, and Mina and Lita went to get the drinks. Raye spotted a new conquest (His name is Chad, he's so dreamy!) and that left Serena on her own in the middle of the vast place. She tried out her hand at the Sailor V game, fruitlessly, then wandered over to where Lita and Mina were having an animated discussion with Andrew "Hi guys!" she greeted as she sat down next to Mina. "Oh, Andrew, make mine a chocolate and mint please!" Andrew stared at her as if she was Sailor V. Serena was on the alert. "Hey, have I got something on my face?" "No, it's just, well, where's Dare?" "Huh?" Serena began, then she realised what he meant. "Oh, that jerk! He's um, I don't know, why are you asking me!!" She glared at him for getting her riled up. Andrew just shrugged. "Well, you did leave together yesterday. Is there something going on between you two?" Serena could feel her face burning up. Even Mina and Lita were staring at her now. To make things worse, Ami and Raye had wandered over now. "Now why would I want to go out with him? He's always making fun of my hair and calling me stupid!" But even she wasn't convinced by this excuse. Serena made her apologies and escaped out onto the street. She needed some fresh air. As she walked down the crowded streets, Serena thought about it. She had lied to her friends, and she had lied to Darien. Oh how could her life possibly get any worse! As she walked past an alley way, a hand shot out and grabbed her, yanking her into the darkness. Before she could speak a foul smelling piece of rag was shoved over her mouth and nose, and she blacked out. Shields'll come running once he finds out we have her.. He'll hand it over, no problem.. Serena pushed herself up groggily. She had been lying on a thin blanket, the only thing separating her body from the cold stone floor. She was in a dark room, with a dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling, casting it's dull yellow glow onto the grey walls. How long have I been out? she asked herself, looking at the digital watch it read seven twenty. She'd been here for almost three hours! Serena jumped to her feet and pounded on the door. "Let me out! You evil scumbags better let me go now!!" she shrieked, banging the door hard. She decided to kick it as well, but as she pulled her foot back one of the men opened the door. Her received a swift one in the kneecap. "Serves you right, you creep!" she shouted, pushing past him and looking for an exit. As she hesitated, the other guy grabbed her from behind and pushed her onto a chair. "Well, well, well." He sneered. "So you're the little rabbit who got the better of us last night!" He leaned closer to her, and she could smell his disgusting breath. "Eeeuuuwwww!" She squealed. "maybe you should get a better toothpaste. The one you have doesn't seem to be doing much for your breath." The man slammed his hands down on the sides of the chair, making her jump. Then he moved away and picked up a cellphone that was lying on the table. He handed it to her. "Call your friends and ask for Shields to meet you at that games place at eight." He demanded. Serena didn't want to anger him, so she did as was asked. But while dialling Raye's number she got an idea, she would warn them. She put her plan into action as soon as her friend picked up the phone. "Hey Raye! My best friend in the whole wide world! I love you!! yes I'm okay, just put Darien on the phone okay. I would love to speak to him. Thanks girl! Hey Darien! It's Meatball head! Yeah, listen, would you meet me outside the Arcade at eight? Well I have a surprise for you! Okay. See you then! Bye!" Serena put down the phone and scowled at the man. Hopefully Raye and Dare had got the message. Raye was certainly confused when she heard what Serena said. "Eric, take her back." The guy said. Obviously he was the boss, because the other man immediately took her by the arm and pushed her back into her prison. Half an hour passed before they came to the door again "Out." Eric said as the door swung open. Serena got to her feet and went back into the other room the Boss was holding a black scarf in one hand. Serena knew what was coming. She had no choice. She knew they would not hesitate to shoot her after she saw what they had done to Darien. She let him tie the scarf over her eyes and allowed herself to be led out into the empty streets. But she wasn't entirely stupid, she remembered each left, right and crossing. They stopped and pulled off the scarf, revealing the Arcade a few hundred yards away. The boss whispered a few well chosen words to her, warning her that she'd better not give them away, and sent her to wait outside the closed building. Serena only had to wait a few minutes before Darien showed up, wearing a back long sleeved top and jeans. She stood there, sadness building inside as he approached. "Oh Dare!" she threw herself into his arms as he reached her. "I'm so sorry." "It's okay.." he whispered. Then they were torn apart as Eric grabbed Darien from behind. The boss appeared behind Serena, his gun trained on her head. Darien, upon seeing this, put up a struggle and had to be winded. He fell to the ground in pain. "Byrne!" he gasped out, looking up at the man with fire in his eye. "leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this!" Serena felt the cold metal of the gun against her cheek. It was all too much for her, and she burst into tears. Darien almost knocked Eric over trying to get at Byrne. "I'll kill you!" He shouted. Byrne just smiled. "Not before I kill her." He said mockingly. Then there was chaos. The gun disappeared and Serena was shoved to the ground as Byrne launched himself on Darien, Eric was long gone as the Sailor Scouts showed up. Serena watched in horror as both men scuffled and then she saw it. Serena picked the hubcap off the side of the road and crept up behind Byrne. She lifted the heavy metal above her head and then brought it down with a crash on his own head. He instantly fell unconscious. "Darien!" she cried, dropping to her knees and pushing his attacker off him. Darien heaved himself up on his elbows, taking in deep breaths. "That guy is heavy!" He said, letting Serena help him into a sitting position. Serena was confused. The Sailor Scouts came running over from the shadows on the other side of the street. Serena fell into Venus' arms. "I was so scared." She sobbed. "He made me call the Temple and ask Darien to meet me and then when he showed up by himself I thought we were going to die!" Venus soothed her friend. Raye piped up. "Hey, you were great Serena, especially when you called and said all that stuff." "Well," she sniffed. "I had to warn you somehow, I couldn't just stand there and watch Darien hand over the crystal without a fight." The others nodded in unison, and Ami put her two cents worth in. "Well, it was very smart of you to warn us like that." She said, smiling. Then all attention was on Lita as she let out a snort of laughter. "You should have seen the look on Raye's face when you spoke to her. She was so shacked. What was it you said "My best friend in the whole world. I love you! She almost dropped the phone. And Darien, that was even better. You should have seen the look on his face when you said it was meatball head. He nearly passed out!" Serena suddenly realised something. "Hey, Darien knows who we are. Who told him." "Actually," Mina interrupted. "After you went missing and called us, it just sort of slipped out, princess. I'm sorry." Serena caught on immediately. "You just called me princess." She turned on Darien. "You told them?" she asked incredulously. He shook his head " I didn't tell them." He said. "Well who else then?" She said scornfully. "Sailor Moon?" Her laugh was like a whip. Ami cut in. "Darien didn't tell us." Serena looked at her friend surprised. "Then who?" She demanded. "We were alone in that warehouse, there was no one else to hear that conversation." "you're wrong Serena." A voice came from the shadows. "Luna?!" Serena gasped as the midnight-black cat came out of the shadows into the lamp lit street the little cat nodded. "After I had alerted the girls, I came back to keep an eye on you, to make sure you did what I asked." She said, her high pitched voice echoing in the quiet street "I had to get you to ask him, so I could find out who you both were once and for all. Where do you think that first aid box came from?" Serena shook her head, amused. Luna decided to wrap it up. "Anyway, it's been a long day, I think you've all deserved a lie in tomorrow, but first." She turned to the scouts. "Will one of you girls escort Serena home as a scout, and explain to her mother what has happened." Ami volunteered for this job. "Good. And Darien I'm sure Raye would be very happy to let you stay at the Temple again tonight, though she may like her bed back." Darien flushed red at this and politely declined, saying he could knock Andrew up. He was probably worried about Dare anyway, and would need filling in. "Right," Luna said "my last order, get some sleep." Everyone agreed wholeheartedly at this. It had been a long weekend.
A test. A math test. Mr Yoshima decided his students needed a test today. Serena sighed heavily and gazed out of the window, ready to flunk and daydream about Tuxedo Mask. Oooohhhh, what a hunk! She spent most of the period thinking about him while occasionally jotting down an answer she thought was acceptable. Eventually the last bell rang and Serena slouched outside, knowing for sure that she had failed really badly. She made her way to the Arcade, where she was due to meet Raye, Lita, Mina and Ami. The door tinkled and she stepped into the crowded games and café shop. A smile lit up her face, for the first time all day. There were her friends, seated at a booth near the back. And there was Andrew, serving customers at the counter.. And she was on the floor. A familiar voice came to her as she turned over on the ground and looked up. "Whoops, meatball head, I didn't see you there." Darien Shields, eighteen, black hair and colour changing eyes, the bane of her life. He hoisted her to her feet with a smirk. "Next time jerk, watch where you're going!" she said through gritted teeth, after yanking her arm free of his. "and don't call me meatball head!" "Well don't stand in the doorway and not expect to get knocked down." He said amiably, with his annoying grin still on his face. Serena wished she could shoot it off. Instead she just scowled at him and made her way over to her friends. They had an okay time, Serena scored quite badly on the new Sailor V game, and had a small argument with Raye over her clumsiness (she had spilt her cappuccino). Again Ami made a show with her brains and made Serena feel dumber than usual. Lita talked non-stop about her boyfriends and Mina just mused happily. No one seemed to notice Serena, At all. She made her way to the counter and ordered another cappuccino for Raye. She watched Andrew as he rushed around. Darien was sat next to her. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. He looked up and smiled tiredly at her. "Hey meatball head." She shot him what she hoped dearly was the look of death. "What do you want, jerk?" "Just to ask if you'd tripped over your own feet today?" that was it, she'd had it. She drew back her hand, made it into a fist, and punched him in his side. She felt her knuckles connect with soft flesh and she drew back in surprise. Surely Darien wasn't that weak? She noticed she had barely touched him, yet he was grimacing in pain. Serena was sure she'd hit him harder than that before and it had hardly made him flinch. She looked at Darien quizzically as he breathed deeply, trying to catch his breath. Serena didn't ask him and didn't stop to think. Curiosity took over as she grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it up, to reveal a series of dark purple bruises on his chest. She gasped as he snatched it back down and, after casting a furtive look at the customers and Andrew to see if they had seen anything, got up, taking off out of the arcade and down the street. Serena wasted no time. Ignoring the cries of her friends, she followed him. Darien ran fast. It took all of Serena's breath to keep from losing him. She chased him halfway across town, over the bridge and into the park. He stopped behind a tree and slid down into a sitting position. Serena moved in front of him. "Darien." "Go away! Leave me alone!" He shouted, head in hands. But she wouldn't move. "No." He lurched to his feet and took few steps, before dropping to his knees, breathing hard and clutching his chest. Serena ran over to help him but he pushed her away. His features hard with determination, he pushed himself to his feet. And took slow steps. "Darien?" she ventured. "What?" he gasped out as he walked slowly. "Do you need some help? Do you want me to get Andrew?" "No." She grabbed him by the arms and spun him around to face her. "What's wrong!?" Just then, Mina, Ami, Lita and Raye arrived. "Hey Serena!" She turned to face them as they came running up and was bombarded with questions. "Why did you run out?" "How come you didn't wait for us?" "What's going on with Darien?" "You still owe me a coffee!" Her raven haired friend yelled. Serena didn't know who to answer first. She turned around again to ask Darien if he was okay, but he was gone. Serena sighed loudly. What was going on? She zoned out as they chattered on to each other about Andrew and Sailor V. Later that evening, Serena decided she would go and see Darien. Even if she hated him, he was in serious trouble, and by what she'd gathered, not even his best friend Andrew knew about it. She slipped on her green jacket and told her mom that she was going for a walk. She set off through the streets. Soon she passed the closed Arcade. From here, she stopped at the nearest phone box and called Raye. After a quick conversation with a lot of little white lies as to why she needed Darien's address, ("Andrew asked me to drop something off, because he had to go out after work") she put the phone down and took out the little piece of paper with directions scrawled onto it. Eventually she reached the block in which her enemy lived. Serena climbed the stairs to the third floor. She read the little plague by the side of his door. Apartment 8, D. Shields. There was a lot of noise coming from inside so Serena assumed he had the TV on loud. She took a deep breath and knocked. There were crashes and shouts coming from inside. "Darien!" she shouted, and pushed the door open. A sight met her eyes. Darien was fighting two guys. There was shattered glass everywhere and furniture was tipped over and most of it broken. Then one of the guys pulled out a gun and pointed it at Darien. His eyes widened as he backed up against a wall. Serena grabbed the first thing that came to hand and threw it. She was thankful that she was such a good shot with these things, having thrown her Tiara a thousand times. It was dead on target and hit the attacker's hand, sending the gun sailing out of the window. Serena ran over to Darien and, gripping his hand tightly in her own, pulled him out of the apartment. They broke into a run through the corridor and flew down the stairs. Serena ran all the harder when she heard footsteps behind them. They ran out of the apartment block and straight into the city. She looked for a place to hide as they ran through the crowded streets. Serena spotted an empty warehouse and sprinted into it, slamming the door and thrusting them into darkness. Serena still had hold of Darien's hand. He pulled his away. She tried the door. Oh great! She thought. It only opens from the outside!! She turned to Darien. "We're locked in." "Great going, meatball head." He whispered painfully. "Ah!" She heard him slump to the floor. He was unconscious. Serena felt him stir and looked down to see his eyes flicker open. She smiled at him as he lay there, staring up at her, his head in her lap. "I passed out?" he asked. She nodded. "Mm hmm. How are you feeling?" "Like my head's been hit with a sledge hammer." He replied hoarsely. Serena's eyes filled with tears. "Hey, meatball head, why are you crying?" "Oh, Darien, what's going on? Why were those guys going to shoot you?" He looked away "They think I have something they want." He laughed, then coughed. "They're after a ransom. But they won't get it." Serena was puzzled. A ransom? "Why, won't your parents pay it?" He slid his head off her lap and turned away. "My parents are dead." He said simply and shortly. He tried to get up while saying this, but found he couldn't and fell back to the floor, panting from the effort. The moon came out from behind the clouds and shone on him. Serena gasped. Darien was in a bad way. His face was covered in cuts and he had a black eye, along with a gash on the side of his head. His arms were streaked with blood and the knees of his jeans were torn. "that bad, huh?" he asked exhaustedly. Serena stood up and ran off. She searched the warehouse high and low. Thankfully it was a work house, and soon enough she found a bathroom. The water still ran, so she found a tin and filled it with hot water. Further inspection of her prison armed her with a small first aid kit, blankets, a couple of cloths and toolbox. She found a clear corner behind some big crates and laid her survival kit here. Then she went back to Darien. "Where did you go?" he croaked. "To find somewhere for us to sleep. We need to hide somewhere in case those guys find out where we are." Darien tried to get up again, but still couldn't quite manage it. Eventually he had to reluctantly accept Serena's help. She put one arm under his shoulders and she draped his around her neck as he got up, gasping in agony. He had to lean heavily on her and she noticed that his right ankle was barely touching the ground, so he limped badly. She guided him to the camp she'd set up, he literally fell onto the blankets and lay there for several minutes, breathing heavily. His forehead was covered in a cold sweat. Serena said nothing. She just got out the bandages and put the cloth into the now warm water. She crawled over to Darien and pulled off his left trainer. Then she undid the right one and widened it as much as she could. He had tensed so she waited until he had relaxed. Best to catch him off guard. That way it would hurt less. Then she yanked it off. Darien yelled and cursed. Serena apologised profusely. She carefully lifted his ankle onto her lap and looked at it, comparing it to the other one. She saw it was just very badly twisted and swollen, meaning it just needed a tight bandage. But she needed them for other things so there was nothing she could do except keep it elevated. She reached for a rolled up blanket and rested his foot on it. She asked him to sit up and he did, slowly. "Now, I need you to take off your top." He was horrified at the thought of this. He refused point black so she had no choice. Serena pulled out a knife from the toolbox and slit it open at the back. He shouted at her for about five minutes until he tired himself out. She stared wide eyed at the bruises with broken skin in the middle. He had been beaten up badly. Tears came to her eyes as she remembered how happy he'd pretended to be at the arcade this afternoon. Darien pulled off what was left of his T-shirt and threw it to the floor in disgust. Serena swirled the cloth into the water and wrung it out. As soon as it touched his skin, Darien jumped and hissed. "Sorry," she whispered. "It's okay," he said. "It's not every day that I get girls wanting to give me a sponge bath." Serena laughed. She cleaned his back and arms, applying bandages where they were needed. She had to wrap the largest one around his chest, for his ribs were obviously badly bruised. She cleaned the cuts on his face and as she wiped the blood from the gash on his forehead, he looked at her, and she melted. Darien leaned into her and kissed her. "Thanks for caring, meatball head." He said softly. He lay down and Serena covered him with a blanket. He fell asleep with her stroking his hair. Serena sat for an hour, watching Darien mutter in his sleep, thinking of how she'd got involved with all this, wondering how enemies could unite like this. Then she realised that she didn't hate Darien, they just liked to tease each other. Finally she could stand it no longer and went to explore the warehouse. She walked around the giant empty space, looking for a window, anything to let her escape for help. Darien was in really bad shape and he needed a doctor. Serena found lots of windows, but these were either boarded up, or blocked with bars, or bricked up. She searched further but turned up nothing. She was about to give up and head back to the camp when she heard a furtive miaow. Serena almost jumped for joy. "Luna!" she called softly, her voice echoing softly from the walls and reverberating through the vast space. "Luna where are you?" "Serena?" Luna called cautiously. "Serena? Thank goodness! I've been looking everywhere for you. what are you doing in there?" "Oh Luna," she gasped as her little black cat came padding into sight, glad she had been found "We're trapped down here! We were chased and." Luna interrupted her. "Who's with you?" She asked urgently. "Darien. Luna-" Luna interrupted again. She sounded extra relieved. "Darien Shields? Oh, good. Is he all right? I'll go and get the other scouts to help you." "Wait Luna, Darien's hurt, I think he needs a doctor." Luna looked at her, and Serena was sure she saw something that looked like sadness in the little cat's eyes. "Serena, listen closely, you need to keep an eye on that boy, he's important. You will understand later if you talk to him. Ask him about dreams." "Luna." Serena began, but the cat was gone, she was alone again. Well, not alone. She had Darien. Darien stirred and brought a hand up to his face. When he took it away, the scene was still there. Serena looked down at him with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked. He closed his eyes and groaned. "I thought I was dreaming." Dreams? Serena suddenly remembered what Luna had said. Ask him about dreams. "Hey Dare," "Yes?" She hesitated. What if Luna was wrong, what if Darien didn't know what she meant. There was only one way to find out. "I have.well...odd dreams, and I was wondering, since you were awake, you might like to talk about it with me?" Darien was on instant alert. He knew she wanted to find out about his dreams, but strangely, that didn't bother him. "Sure meatball head, I could do with a laugh right now." So Serena proceeded to tell him of her dreams about the moon kingdom, her mother, and the man who stole her heart, a prince. His eyes widened in shock when she described him. Darien slumped back on the makeshift pillow and swallowed. "What is it?" Serena asked. "Are you feeling sick?" Darien shook his head. "No, no, it's not that. It's just, you, it's you. you're Sailor Moon aren't you?" he accused. Serena was surprised and caught off guard. How could he have guessed? She decided to laugh it off. "Yeah yeah, and you're Tuxedo Mask." She said as sarcastically as she could manage. She tried to pretend it wasn't happening, but it was. She saw him. "Oh no." she said, jumping to her feet. "it can't be!" Serena rushed off into the maze of boxes and crates. She turned, left, right, left again, climbed up and over into other parts of the building. After ten minutes of running she stopped to catch her breath. Darien, Prince Darien, it couldn't be, she told herself over and over again. If he's Prince Darien then that must mean. oh why hadn't she seen it before! Serena turned around to get her bearings and shrieked. Darien, pale and perspiring, reached a hand out towards her. "Princess Serena.." he began, then fell to the ground, with a dull thud. Two in the morning, Serena's digital wristwatch told her, six cold hours they had been stuck in this enormous prison. She looked down at Darien, who was breathing raspily, and took his hand in hers. He was cold and clammy to touch. She spoke softly to him, whispered words of encouragement and prayed for Luna to return with the Scouts. Never in her life had she been so desperate to see Raye's face. Darien groaned and gazed at her, out of focus. She smiled down at him. "How are you?" she asked for the fiftieth time. "Bored with you asking that over and over. "he replied. "find a better hobby, like looking out for the sailor scouts." Serena laughed softly. She had wanted to go and do this for a while now, but fear for Darien's well-being had kept her by his side. "Well," she bantered lightly. "You could always go and look out for them yourself?" This caused him to laugh and cough, so she had to pat his back and stop herself from making any more remarks like that. Then it came to her. "Dare, why did you say those guys were after a ransom, if they knew your parents were dead?" He hesitated, not quite knowing how to put it. "Well, It's not a ransom they're after.it's this." Darien pulled out a crystal. Serena heard herself take in a sharp breath. It was beautiful. "One of my reminders from my past," he explained. "It's what kept me from going completely insane when I was figuring out my identity." Serena was about to speak when they heard a screech of hinges and loud voices. "She's in here?!" "I can't see a thing!" "I swear if this is a joke I'll kill that ditz!" "Quiet you guys, I'm getting a reading." Serena stood up and looked around, she could see flashlights and headed straight towards them. Then all of a sudden there was chaos. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh! Help, I'm being attacked! Mars fire." Raye began to counter. "Raye, Raye! It's me! Stop!!" "Serena?!" Everyone chorused. All four beams of light settled on her and she held up her hands to shield them from the glare. Then all four girls threw themselves on top of her. "Serena!" Serena explained what had happened, leaving out the part about Darien being Tuxedo Mask and their frightening conversation about dreams. They were all amazed at how resourceful Serena had been. Ami told them to De-transform and said she thought it best if they told Darien that the Sailor Scouts were engaged and sent Serena's friends to help her. It took three of the five girls (Lita, Mina and Raye) to support Darien, and they made their way back to the Temple (Raye's grandfather was away, visiting relatives), as it would be too dangerous for him to stay at his apartment, and the Temple was the nearest place after that. While Darien was put to bed, Serena had a hot shower and changed into some of Raye's pyjamas. All five girls sat and talked. Serena called her mother and got an earful. At about three, they all went to bed. Serena's head hit the pillow and she was out like a light. She dreamt again that night, about the moon kingdom, and she knew who it was standing beside her. "Darien," she whispered, and leaned into him. Serena awoke to find the sun full on her face. She pushed back her covering and sat up. Lita was sat on her sleeping bag, brushing her long curly brown hair, Mina was sweeping the floor, Ami was lay on her stomach reading a big thick book and the smell of cooking filled the room. Raye entered, carrying a huge tray of pancakes, cereal and toast. "Food!" Serena cried, jumping to her feet. She hugged Raye hard, knocking all the breath from her friend. "Oh, thanks, I'm starving!" She dropped down beside the tray and began to eat, and the others joining in hungrily. When they had finished each girl sat back, full. "Raye, that's the best pancakes I've ever tasted!" "I'm glad at least one of us can cook." "Wow, how do you do it?" "That was very nutritious, thanks!" After getting dressed and the first proper conversation of the day with them (A small argument with Raye included) Serena helped Ami to clear away the breakfast things and then went to check on Darien. She pulled the sliding doors shut behind her and looked over to the bed, where he was sat up, back towards her. She opened her mouth to say something, then decided against it. She left the room, closing the doors silently behind her. "Darien needs some stuff from his apartment," She announced, coming back into the main room. All four girls were dressed and Luna and Artemis were now here. "I'm going over there to get it now. Will someone come with me?" Raye shook her head. "I can't, I have chores." "I'll go!" Lita offered. "Right," Serena said. "Take your communicator, so we can keep in touch okay?" Lita nodded and picked up the flat plastic thing that looked like a personal digi-diary. They pulled on their jackets and walked outside into the cold sunshine. Serena turned to her friend as they went down those endless steps that led to the Temple. "We need to go to my house first, okay? I need to get my communicator and locket." Lita replied in the affirmative and they set off in that direction, Serena listening as her friend insulted her latest ex. She opened her front door and was immediately crushed by her mother. It took her a whole ten minutes to disentangle herself, another fifteen searching for her locket and communicator (Serena's room was a complete bomb site) and another five convincing her mother that she wasn't going to disappear again when she left. Lita stopped as they walked past the arcade and gazed in at Andrew, who was stood behind the counter with a worried look on his face. Serena panicked and grabbed Lita's hand, dragging her out of sight just in time before Andrew looked up and saw them. That was close! She thought as she slowed to a walk. Lita gasped loudly as they entered Darien's apartment. It looked slightly worse than last night. The men must have come back and turned it upside down looking for the crystal. Serena picked her way through the mess and made her way carefully into Darien's bedroom. She grabbed some clothes from his wardrobe and his drawer, shoving them into a big bag she found behind the door. Lita threw in a few of his personal things, toothbrush, cloth, razor and pictures from the lounge. Serena picked up his keys from on top of the bedside stand and stepped back. A floorboard creaked. She stood there for a moment, rocking back and forth on the loose board, before dropping to the ground and pulling it up. Lita whistled. "Hoo boy! How did you do that?" "I don't know," Serena replied. She pushed a hand in and pulled out a dusty book. Reaching in a few more times, Serena found another book, a rock, some letters and a tin. She found a plastic bag and put these items inside it and then placed this inside the backpack. She replaced the loose board and got up, dusting herself off. "let's go." After finding Dare's keys on a hook near the bedroom, Serena locked the door to the apartment. She didn't want the neighbours or Andrew coming around to see that. They headed back to the Temple, Lita talking to Ami on the communicator. Serena avoided the arcade on he way back, not wanting to risk being seen by Andrew. Mina opened the door when they knocked. "Hey, Darien's up!" She said. But Serena wasn't listening. As soon as she heard this she shot straight past the two with the bag in hand. She knocked quietly on Raye's bedroom door. Raye had let Darien have her room, as it was the only one with a proper bed. "Darien." She called quietly, and pushed the door open. He was sat up in bed, with a tray of hot soup in front of him. He glanced up at her and smiled. "Hey, meatball head, come in!" She entered and put the bag down beside the bed as she sat down. "What's in the bag?" he asked. "It's some stuff from your apartment. Me and Lita went there to get it for you. And don't call me Meatball head!" she said. He just laughed. This made her worse. "it's not funny!" she scowled, punching him on the arm. Darien dropped the spoon and winced. Serena was immediately sorry. "Oh, Dare, I didn't mean it, are you alright?" "Yeah," he said through gritted teeth. "I just love it when you do that, princess." Serena quickly look around and lowered her voice. "Ssshhhh.someone might hear you!" she hissed. Darien looked confused. "You haven't told them?!" He asked incredulously. Then he shook his head. "Oh Serena, Serena, you really need to keep on top of things." His smile faded as Serena got up and glared at him. Then she turned and walked away. Darien pushed the tray to the ground with a crash and got painfully out of bed. "Serena, wait! Come back!" he called as she opened the door and stalked out. He limped to he door and caught hold of the frame, leaning heavily on it. Serena carried on, so Darien launched himself at her. She caught him as he almost fell on top of her. "Don't go." He whispered. "Oh, Dare." Serena began and lent him a hand in getting back to bed. When she emerged a half hour later, all eyes were on her. Darien had fallen asleep in her arms after they had talked, and she had promised to tell the others of their discovery. And she would, later.. "So!" she said as brightly as she could muster in the faces of four confused friends. "Anyone up for a trip to the Arcade?" Surprisingly, they all agreed,. So all five girls donned their coats and shoes and set off. The place was booming when they arrived. Amy bagged them a booth at the back, and Mina and Lita went to get the drinks. Raye spotted a new conquest (His name is Chad, he's so dreamy!) and that left Serena on her own in the middle of the vast place. She tried out her hand at the Sailor V game, fruitlessly, then wandered over to where Lita and Mina were having an animated discussion with Andrew "Hi guys!" she greeted as she sat down next to Mina. "Oh, Andrew, make mine a chocolate and mint please!" Andrew stared at her as if she was Sailor V. Serena was on the alert. "Hey, have I got something on my face?" "No, it's just, well, where's Dare?" "Huh?" Serena began, then she realised what he meant. "Oh, that jerk! He's um, I don't know, why are you asking me!!" She glared at him for getting her riled up. Andrew just shrugged. "Well, you did leave together yesterday. Is there something going on between you two?" Serena could feel her face burning up. Even Mina and Lita were staring at her now. To make things worse, Ami and Raye had wandered over now. "Now why would I want to go out with him? He's always making fun of my hair and calling me stupid!" But even she wasn't convinced by this excuse. Serena made her apologies and escaped out onto the street. She needed some fresh air. As she walked down the crowded streets, Serena thought about it. She had lied to her friends, and she had lied to Darien. Oh how could her life possibly get any worse! As she walked past an alley way, a hand shot out and grabbed her, yanking her into the darkness. Before she could speak a foul smelling piece of rag was shoved over her mouth and nose, and she blacked out. Shields'll come running once he finds out we have her.. He'll hand it over, no problem.. Serena pushed herself up groggily. She had been lying on a thin blanket, the only thing separating her body from the cold stone floor. She was in a dark room, with a dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling, casting it's dull yellow glow onto the grey walls. How long have I been out? she asked herself, looking at the digital watch it read seven twenty. She'd been here for almost three hours! Serena jumped to her feet and pounded on the door. "Let me out! You evil scumbags better let me go now!!" she shrieked, banging the door hard. She decided to kick it as well, but as she pulled her foot back one of the men opened the door. Her received a swift one in the kneecap. "Serves you right, you creep!" she shouted, pushing past him and looking for an exit. As she hesitated, the other guy grabbed her from behind and pushed her onto a chair. "Well, well, well." He sneered. "So you're the little rabbit who got the better of us last night!" He leaned closer to her, and she could smell his disgusting breath. "Eeeuuuwwww!" She squealed. "maybe you should get a better toothpaste. The one you have doesn't seem to be doing much for your breath." The man slammed his hands down on the sides of the chair, making her jump. Then he moved away and picked up a cellphone that was lying on the table. He handed it to her. "Call your friends and ask for Shields to meet you at that games place at eight." He demanded. Serena didn't want to anger him, so she did as was asked. But while dialling Raye's number she got an idea, she would warn them. She put her plan into action as soon as her friend picked up the phone. "Hey Raye! My best friend in the whole wide world! I love you!! yes I'm okay, just put Darien on the phone okay. I would love to speak to him. Thanks girl! Hey Darien! It's Meatball head! Yeah, listen, would you meet me outside the Arcade at eight? Well I have a surprise for you! Okay. See you then! Bye!" Serena put down the phone and scowled at the man. Hopefully Raye and Dare had got the message. Raye was certainly confused when she heard what Serena said. "Eric, take her back." The guy said. Obviously he was the boss, because the other man immediately took her by the arm and pushed her back into her prison. Half an hour passed before they came to the door again "Out." Eric said as the door swung open. Serena got to her feet and went back into the other room the Boss was holding a black scarf in one hand. Serena knew what was coming. She had no choice. She knew they would not hesitate to shoot her after she saw what they had done to Darien. She let him tie the scarf over her eyes and allowed herself to be led out into the empty streets. But she wasn't entirely stupid, she remembered each left, right and crossing. They stopped and pulled off the scarf, revealing the Arcade a few hundred yards away. The boss whispered a few well chosen words to her, warning her that she'd better not give them away, and sent her to wait outside the closed building. Serena only had to wait a few minutes before Darien showed up, wearing a back long sleeved top and jeans. She stood there, sadness building inside as he approached. "Oh Dare!" she threw herself into his arms as he reached her. "I'm so sorry." "It's okay.." he whispered. Then they were torn apart as Eric grabbed Darien from behind. The boss appeared behind Serena, his gun trained on her head. Darien, upon seeing this, put up a struggle and had to be winded. He fell to the ground in pain. "Byrne!" he gasped out, looking up at the man with fire in his eye. "leave her alone! She has nothing to do with this!" Serena felt the cold metal of the gun against her cheek. It was all too much for her, and she burst into tears. Darien almost knocked Eric over trying to get at Byrne. "I'll kill you!" He shouted. Byrne just smiled. "Not before I kill her." He said mockingly. Then there was chaos. The gun disappeared and Serena was shoved to the ground as Byrne launched himself on Darien, Eric was long gone as the Sailor Scouts showed up. Serena watched in horror as both men scuffled and then she saw it. Serena picked the hubcap off the side of the road and crept up behind Byrne. She lifted the heavy metal above her head and then brought it down with a crash on his own head. He instantly fell unconscious. "Darien!" she cried, dropping to her knees and pushing his attacker off him. Darien heaved himself up on his elbows, taking in deep breaths. "That guy is heavy!" He said, letting Serena help him into a sitting position. Serena was confused. The Sailor Scouts came running over from the shadows on the other side of the street. Serena fell into Venus' arms. "I was so scared." She sobbed. "He made me call the Temple and ask Darien to meet me and then when he showed up by himself I thought we were going to die!" Venus soothed her friend. Raye piped up. "Hey, you were great Serena, especially when you called and said all that stuff." "Well," she sniffed. "I had to warn you somehow, I couldn't just stand there and watch Darien hand over the crystal without a fight." The others nodded in unison, and Ami put her two cents worth in. "Well, it was very smart of you to warn us like that." She said, smiling. Then all attention was on Lita as she let out a snort of laughter. "You should have seen the look on Raye's face when you spoke to her. She was so shacked. What was it you said "My best friend in the whole world. I love you! She almost dropped the phone. And Darien, that was even better. You should have seen the look on his face when you said it was meatball head. He nearly passed out!" Serena suddenly realised something. "Hey, Darien knows who we are. Who told him." "Actually," Mina interrupted. "After you went missing and called us, it just sort of slipped out, princess. I'm sorry." Serena caught on immediately. "You just called me princess." She turned on Darien. "You told them?" she asked incredulously. He shook his head " I didn't tell them." He said. "Well who else then?" She said scornfully. "Sailor Moon?" Her laugh was like a whip. Ami cut in. "Darien didn't tell us." Serena looked at her friend surprised. "Then who?" She demanded. "We were alone in that warehouse, there was no one else to hear that conversation." "you're wrong Serena." A voice came from the shadows. "Luna?!" Serena gasped as the midnight-black cat came out of the shadows into the lamp lit street the little cat nodded. "After I had alerted the girls, I came back to keep an eye on you, to make sure you did what I asked." She said, her high pitched voice echoing in the quiet street "I had to get you to ask him, so I could find out who you both were once and for all. Where do you think that first aid box came from?" Serena shook her head, amused. Luna decided to wrap it up. "Anyway, it's been a long day, I think you've all deserved a lie in tomorrow, but first." She turned to the scouts. "Will one of you girls escort Serena home as a scout, and explain to her mother what has happened." Ami volunteered for this job. "Good. And Darien I'm sure Raye would be very happy to let you stay at the Temple again tonight, though she may like her bed back." Darien flushed red at this and politely declined, saying he could knock Andrew up. He was probably worried about Dare anyway, and would need filling in. "Right," Luna said "my last order, get some sleep." Everyone agreed wholeheartedly at this. It had been a long weekend.