Hullo all, it's been a while eh? Sorry about that. Okay, this story needs editing, major editing. Some of those who emailed me know what I'm going on about but what it basically means is that, although I will finish posting Guardians, expect at some point in the future everything will get reposted (both of Lawkeeper and Guardians) so that the third book will not contradict anything. What I've changed at the moment isn't much, but there might be the occasional thing that will be different. Sorry about babbling like this, just the warning that what I post now is really just a draft.
Anyway, I'll attempt to get the whole thing out in the next week or so. If it's taking me too long, feel free to email me to prod me along (most likely I've forgotten or something).
Enjoy.
Draegyn
The Guardians of Selene: part five
By Draegyn
Dragynne2000@yahoo.com.au
Darien absently swallowed another mouthful of toast while he watched silently as, one by one, Serena charmed and captivated his friends. Over the progress of the meal even reserved Kian had laughed at her antics and all of them were finally relaxing in her presence.
"Shock! Horror!" she exclaimed and glanced at him from the corner of her eye. When she was certain that she had his attention she continued with a suitably dramatic flair. "Darien grumpy? Never!"
Jyp snorted. "Honestly he's been a royal pain. He's moody, uncommunicative, autocratic, temperamental-"
"Alright already!" Darien exclaimed and scowled at his friend.
"See?" Alex asked, enjoying this all too much for Darien's liking.
Serena looked at him with wide eyes. "Wow! And they don't avoid you? They must really like you!"
"Don't inflate his ego more than it already is," Nick warned and Darien rolled his eyes.
Serena became disgusted. "You got pompous again as well?"
"What can I tell you Meatball Head? You have this effect on me." He tugged on one of her long pigtails and shrugged.
She glared at him. *I warn you now Mamoru baka, if one of them starts calling me that I'm going to get even!*
*I look forward to it,* he replied, cheered by the use of his new name. Then asked, *What does baka mean?*
*Moron.* She smirked at him and returned her attention to the question Zack was asking her.
"So what was he like when you met him?" All of them awaited her answer curiously and Darien groaned. Alex's smile grew when she heard it and he restrained a sigh. He would have thought that the inner scouts would have told them more than enough gossip to satisfy them when he had introduced them, apparently not. Of course the only person who had really talked to was Andrew and none of the reincarnates here had met him.
*Ahh!* Serena purred into his mind, *An opportunity for revenge already!* Darien forced himself not to groan again. He had been an absolute jerk to her when they'd first met and she obviously hadn't forgotten.
"Weeelll," she drawled mockingly, "He was patronising and short tempered."
"He hasn't changed then," Michelle murmured and Darien looked at her in surprise at the attack from an unexpected side. She met his eyes calmly and dared him to comment but Serena beat him to it.
"Actually he's changed a great deal. He's wiser and stronger and, though he's still growing, he's becoming more himself, not less." The blonde smiled softly and looked back at Darien. For a moment the human felt as if she was caressing his very soul and he forced himself to dismiss it as wishful thinking.
"Okay, okay, we get it! That's enough with the lovey-dovey stuff. Now get back to the point," Alex complained.
She laughed lightly and turned back to her avid audience. "Well when we first met he insulted me but there were extenuating circumstances and so I forgive him."
"She knocked me into a creek," he informed them dryly. Jyp laughed, his eyes looking thoughtful and Darien made a mental note to keep on his guard near any bodies of water when Jyp was around.
"I apologised!" Serena protested and looked sincerely to each of his friends. "Honestly, I did! It's not my fault he didn't like the poor frog!"
*Oh no!*
*Oh yes!*
"Frog?" Zack interrupted blankly.
Serena nodded earnestly. "Uh huh, a big green one. It's why I call him Frog-face. He virtually pegged the poor little thing away from him and then started cursing me. Me! And I'd already apologised! I tell you this man has a mouth on him that could blister paint. He did not repeat himself once and I'm sure some of those words are banned even in America… hmmm I bet he could give a marine lessons."
"No?" Michelle denied.
"Yup!" Serena answered with relish and Darien did groan. His less than savoury vocabulary was going to be a goad for both Jyp and Alex for then on in. Both would no doubt see it as a challenge to get him to employ it.
"But I got my revenge," she continued. "I ditzed out all over him for a week after that. I cried, I whined, I tripped, I fell and I just generally drove him crazy. I even made him run off once when I started to cry. It was so funny. The others with us were rolling on the floor with laughter. Heh!" He felt his chair jolt a bit as she bounced in hers and jostled him. "I had a bet going where if I got him to say sorry for being so mean to mean to me I'd get four free sundaes."
"Did he apologise?" Kian asked and Darien rolled his eyes at the amusement in the elder man's voice.
"Yes," she sighed and he felt the rueful amusement that the thought memory inspired in her. "But not in public so I had to pay up." *Did the scouts ever figure out why Andy arranged the free treats for them?*
*No. They were just glad to have free food.*
*Hmmm, you already knew this didn't you?*
*Mina told me after you made the shield,* he informed her.
*You weren't mad?*
*Why should I be? I was going to claim half of what they gave you. Mina had already admitted defeat.*
*Oh…damn!* "Well anyway that ended our enmity and started a whole new game between us," she finished aloud.
"Who won?" Alex asked curiously.
Serena groaned, "He did. All I'm going to say is that when he wants he really can cut loose and when he does, watch out! That formidable composure of his hides a mind that can be as evil as his mouth is foul!"
Darien saw the memory of their first kiss in her mind and he cheered up immensely. That kiss and her expression afterward had been one of the highlights of the entire Darkmoon crisis for him. Even though it now made the problems between them that much more intense Darien wouldn't have it any other way. His friends were regarding him in disbelief and, in Jyp's case, with than a little respect. At that Darien straightened and looked at the blond man quizzically. "That's what it takes to get you off my back Jyp?"
"Hey," the man in question answered huffily, "It's not healthy for someone to keep everything pent up the way you do. I was just trying to help you get rid of some of those irritating inhibitions." Jyp's frustrated green eyes turned to meet Serena's gaze. "The most annoying thing is that the worst he would do was threaten me with a curse and even that I never believed that he would go through with. He's so… such a…"
"Repressed?" Serena supplied cheerfully as she helped herself to some more cocoa pops. "Obstinate? Self-righteous? Stuffy? Parochial? Priggish? Puritanical? Sanctimonious?" She poured sugar into her bowl and continued, outwardly oblivious to Darien's unamused expression. Inwardly she was all laughter and she made no effort to hide it from him. Especially not when his friends started to help her.
"A stiff," Alex contributed.
"Prissy!" Jyp commented, "Patronising."
"Prudish?" It was no surprise to Darien that when Serena added that particular adjective her eyes sparkled even brighter.
*Uh uh Meatball Head, been there, done that, let's not travel that way again!* "Well pardon my blushes," he drawled aloud, blandly.
Her gaze was full of innocence but he saw past that to the mischief that dwelled in their depths. "It's not my fault that you have so many rough edges!" Her expression grew stern and she shook her finger in front of his face. "I thought I'd trained you out of some of them. Bad boy! Baaad boy."
He stared at for a moment and then glanced at her finger. As quick as thought he caught the offending digit and drew it to his mouth. Yet again his friends gaped at his uncharacteristic behaviour while he took his time licking the small amount of chocolate spread that was smeared around her knuckle. Serena just stared at him as if he were mad.
Gods he loved startling her even more than he liked the newfound entertainment of shocking his friends. Still he would have preferred that none of this were an act and that she returned a little of what he could not help but feel for her.
Luna suddenly made her presence known with a loud meow from the door and Darien released Serena reluctantly.
"A cat! Good grief Serena you really have mellowed Darien if he's let you bring a pet into his immaculate apartment," Nick commented in admiration as the small black feline made her way to the slender blonde and leapt onto her lap.
Luna gave them all a superior look and then eyed Serena demandingly. Obediently Serena poured milk and cocoa pops into an empty bowl and set it near her own. The black cat gave an approving purr and lightly jumped onto the table before she elegantly started to eat. Darien watched the mini drama with amusement, enjoying the way that many of his friends were staring at him, expecting him to object to an animal eating at the table. He was a little uncomfortable but he was certainly not going to be the one to tell Luna that she had to eat off the floor. Personally he valued his life too much for that.
"So Luna would you like some chocolate milk?" he asked to break the silence.
The black head jerked up and the bright blue eyes glowed with anticipation. *Oh yes please, if you would not mind Darien.*
"I'll take that as a yes," he said for his friends' benefit and stood.
Kian frowned. "Okay, now I am concerned out Darien. No offence to Serena but Luna's a cat and you are letting her eat on the table? Out of one of your bowls?"
Darien shrugged. "If you feel uncomfortable then you tell Luna."
Kian looked at the cat sceptically. At the sound of her name Luna had lifted her head out of the bowl and turned to upstart who had interrupted her. Not even Kian could match that particular look of imperiousness and he gave in. "If it's okay with you Darien then it's fine with me."
Serena was kind enough to cover her smile and Darien winked at her. "Would you like another drink as well?"
She turned her enormous sapphire eyes to his with an adoring expression. "Please?"
He chuckled and managed to steal a quick kiss when he collected her cup. "Be right back," he told everyone and retreated into the kitchen.
Behind him he heard Zack say, "You really are a vacuum cleaner Serena, where do you put it all?"
"I…"
Her voice trailed off and Darien felt pain suddenly lance through his head. He dropped the cup and staggered against a counter. The pain was not his, not even as a vision, instead it came directly through Serena's mind and it required Darien only a moment to understand that she had sensed her twin's pain.
"NO!" her voice cried out and he heard the exclamations of surprise from around her.
*Princess, stop!* he heard Luna cry mentally but the clatter of chairs told Darien that she had been ignored. He whirled and sprinted out of the kitchen only to see two tails of blonde hair disappear into the hall.
"Damn!" he swore and jumped a toppled chair. In a second he had left his baffled friends and was racing down the hall. Luna was a black streak beside him as they hurried to catch Serena before she did something foolish. "Sere stop!" he demanded, "Don't you dare leave."
*You listen to him Serenity! You will not go to the prince!*
She was in the lounge room and headed for the window before either of her pursuers even reached the end of the hall. Darien's mind reached out to hold her but his spell ran off her like water of a duck's back. Thinking quickly, he redirected the magic to the pots of roses he had growing near the window.
*You cannot help them! Your magic has not recovered!*
*Damn it all to Hell Meatball Head, you can't even fly yet!*
*He- ahh!*
Darien did not feel any triumph at all when he entered the room to find her imprisoned by rose bushes.
She looked up at him and he flinched at the expression on her face. There was rage and a touch of madness but no recognition and suddenly he understood how she had upheld her mother's law for so long. Even as he paused she began to rip herself free of her bonds.
"Let me go," she growled and jerked an arm free. Several thin tracks of silver showed where the thorns had torn through her skin. "He needs me!"
"No," Darien denied her and made the roses thornless. It was bad enough that he had to cage her. He would not harm her as well.
The blonde twisted in a violent frenzy and the roses began to give. She snarled, "You can't keep me like this! I will not be denied!"
*Yes you will princess,* Luna contradicted implacably and her magic joined the fray.
Physically the Guardian was subdued yet she did not submit. Her mind beat at her constraints, damaging her already weakened magic further.
*Stars, she is going to do herself permanent harm!* Luna told Darien grimly and he had no time to question how he could hear her without Serena's aid.
"This isn't working," Darien agreed aloud and with a gesture the roses retreated back to their pots. *Let her go Luna.* As soon as she realised that she was free she made another attempt to get to the window but by then Darien had caught her himself. "You're just going to get yourself killed if you keep this up," he grunted while he tried to restrain his squirming captive.
"How dare you!" she growled.
He grunted again as her elbow connected with his diaphragm but he did not let her go. "I'd dare a heck of a lot more for you Meatball Head and if keeping you safe then I'll more than just manhandle you."
"My brother is dying and you want me to just stand by and watch?"
"If you do not then this will all be for nothing!" How could he make her understand?
"I won't let this happen!"
"You have no choice."
She turned his arms and freed one hand. It rose and Darien braced himself for the blow. Distantly he could feel Luna's shock and even tell that his friends were watching the scene in horror but he kept his he eyes steadfastly on her own. Her gaze was wild and he had no doubt that he would feel the strike. For an eternity their wills fought one another yet he refused to give in and slowly sanity returned to her.
She turned away from his eyes and her sight fell on her upraised hand. At that moment he felt her give in and an instant later she collapsed against in a storm of emotions. Darien spared a brief moment to bespeak Luna. *Go help Andrew.*
*But…*
*I have her. She'll be fine, trust me, but Andrew won't be if he doesn't get some help soon.*
The shape-changed guardian hesitated a moment before she streaked out the window in a black blur.
Satisfied that he had done all he could for his endangered friend he returned his attention to that friend's sister. Anguish for her brother wracked her and loathing for her helplessness also plain in her thoughts. Then a terrible remorse and the realisation that she had almost struck him overcame her. Her shame intensified and he battled it with understanding and not a little love. He lowered them both to the floor and rocked her as she sobbed into his chest.
"I can't just leave him alone." It was a plea.
He replied softly, "You must."
Her tear-filled eyes were so vulnerable that he felt his heart skip a beat. Her spirit was weighed down by an immense burden and there was so much pain in her that he would have done anything to take from her permanently. Yet all he could provide was a short respite.
"Shhh," he murmured, much the way Andrew had for him only a few nights before.
Serena started to argue but she was in no state to resist his magic and her face smoothed as sleep claimed her.
***
Tranquillity gasped as he struggled to break through the stratosphere. The welts that scored his back were a testament to the speed of the evil that even now pursued him. Behind him Artemis and Reika followed doggedly but until they were free of Earth's atmosphere he must persevere on his own. If Anger learned of the trap that was planned for it then all of Earth would no doubt feel the consequences.
He felt the spear shortening the distance between them and the guardian increased his speed again. He had no desire to face the embodiment of Anger when it realised that he wasn't the one it had been sent to destroy. To use the similarity between his and his twin's magic to deceive the Sin had seemed like a good idea to the prince at the time but now he was definitely having second thoughts. He had to get off Earth!
He cursed the gravity well of the planet that prevented him from attaining his maximum speed and swore that if he survived this he would train harder in the future. Then he cursed the fact that he wasn't human so he could blindly trust that a god would save him. Of course if had been human then he wouldn't have been in this position in the first place. Humanity, short lived and limited or not, was starting to look more and more attractive by the second.
The ionosphere loomed ahead and Tranquillity breathed a sigh of relief. He did not have much further to go until he had his shadow within reach of several dozen Lunarian warriors. He smiled grimly in anticipation yet even as his hopes had raised a taloned hand made of darkness enclosed about his ankle. He twisted and freed himself but his momentum was lost and he was forced left to face the monstrosity on his own. Even as he realised that he had no other option but to fight he heard Artemis and Reika.
*Hold on Tranquillity! We are coming!*
Not soon enough though. The Sin's maw gaped wide and the roar it issued attacked not his hearing but his mind. The darkness of nothingness tried to extinguish the light of his magic and a lifeless, desolate light tried to outshine him. The battle for his magic and being did not forestall the talons once again descending on him. His sword rose in his defence but it was to no avail.
Two talons were severed on the silver blade while the rest continued on to shear through armour and flesh. The guardian reeled back in pain yet he could not allow it to overwhelm him. The moment he weakened he would be worse than dead. This monster would fall upon his soul and devour it so that everything he was and could be was destroyed permanently. What was worse was that the same fate awaited his precious twin should he fail.
He straightened in the air and summoned a silver aura to line his shape. "Come on," he snarled at his enemy, "If you want my sister you will have to go through me first."
The monster attacked.
***
When Artemis reached the combatants he was horror struck. The fresh memories of another, similar, battle surfaced in his mind, as did the consequences of that battle. The image of Serenity's state before her brother had healed would haunt him until his dying day. He failed to protect her then and now her brother was in the same position.
Ivory magic bubbled forth and he directed it with lethal precision at the monster that grappled with his prince. Peach coloured magic joined his at the last minute and then the blast struck. Tranquillity was freed with a boom and the winged guardian fell, stunned by the blast.
Artemis did not have to look to know that his prince's mate had dived through the air after him and he trusted her to see him to safety. Meanwhile the white haired guardian needed to buy his younger counterparts time. He was under no illusions that he could defeat Anger on his own and their hopes of drawing him within reach of the Silver Keep's warriors had been dashed. Now it would be all he could do to delay it.
Another blast rocked it off balance before it fully recovered from the first blow and Artemis gave it no mercy from then on. Almost continuously he shot blasts of pure power at the creature. He was not weakening it nearly as quickly as he was weakening himself but he could not risk close fighting. It outmatched him too severely.
Suddenly, between one incandescent ivory blast and the next the creature howled in pain and vanished. Artemis failed to neutralise the spell at his fingertips in time and the deadly beam shot towards where the spear had been moments before, where another figure was now revealed.
He shut his eyes in horror. Whoever was now in the path of his spell was no doubt the only reason he was not about to be made a very dead guardian. Desperately he reached out to halt the spell only to find it already tamed by an ebony touch that was connected to his own soul. His eyes opened in shock and in his mind his lifemate chuckled.
*I always wondered if you held a grudge against me for denying the bond between us as long as I did. I never suspected that you might have been this peeved.* Soft blue eyes twinkled at him as one hand held the sphere that had been his spell and the other flicked her sword to rid it of the viscous black blood that coated it.
He breathed in and then out in great gasps as he tried to recover his composure. *Of course,* he managed to respond reasonably calmly after a moment, *I only spent fifteen standard centuries pursuing you so that I could kill you in a fit of pique after I had won you at last.*
*I thought so.*
He growled and less than a second later he had her in his arms, her lips thoroughly joined to his while their souls merged with a desperation he had not felt since she had finally given in to him. The ball of energy in her hand dissipated, forgotten by maker and shaper. It was her sword that brought them back to themselves at last. The pommel pressed against his side uncomfortably where he fisted rested and when he started to move it he almost sliced a finger off.
*Speaker bless!*
*Hah, you are fortunate the children did not see that.* Luna laughed as she pulled away from him.
*Hmph…* Memory returned and with it worry. His lady read his mind and quickly reassured him.
*Tranquillity lives and will recover quickly if we aid.*
*And Serenity?*
*She…* Luna paused and Artemis felt her concern. In less than a second he saw what had happened directly from her mind and frowned.
*You left her with the human?*
*I wouldn't exactly call him human, as he is very different from Earth's other inhabitants. He is the best of what Earth produced before the Fall. Even now he has almost attained the power of an alpha level warrior.*
*But that…*
*It should be impossible. Usagi believed his power to be too deeply latent to ever be expressed and she is rarely wrong.*
Artemis was silent as an idea began to grow. *Is it possible that he is Elysion returned?* he asked eventually.
*I thought of that myself but no. He has power, true, but he lacks the elements that distinguish a star of any kind from a mortal.*
*For the princess' sake I wish…*
*I too but it is not to be. Serenity has already investigated and she believes it to be due to his participation in the destruction of the Doom Phantom.*
*The use of the Imperium Silver Crystal could have catalysed him. It is more than possible, in fact it is very likely that that is what has happened.*
*I know… She is not aware of it yet but it will break her heart when the time comes for us to leave once more.*
*Better a small break now than it be shattered completely later.*
*Yes… I had better return. Keep me informed.*
*Of course Lisaen.*
*Lisaen yourself,* she retorted and dissolved into light.
Artemis' smile faded as the last traces of his precious one, his lisaen, departed. Their job was going to be more difficult henceforth. None of the spears would mistake the prince for the princess again and that meant the guardians no longer had anything to coax the abominations off world to battle. The Renewal remained endangered and they had way of ending that threat until Serenity had recovered. Until she could be removed from Earth they were all trapped.
***
"I hate fighting," she told him softly as they curled closely together on the thick branch.
"I know," he assured her.
She sighed and pressed closer to him. "But I hate being helpless even more."
"Trust me, I know," he replied emphatically.
She leaned back to look up at him. His dark hair fell into dark blue eyes that were set into a face so pale as to almost be transparent. If it were not for the warmth it would have been as if a ghost was holding her. He smiled down at her with a heartbreakingly tender expression.
"You loved ones are endangered and you are unable to protect them. You feel trapped and for you such a state is unbearable. You are like a caged eagle. It is only a matter of time until either you or the bars break."
"Yes," she whispered, "You understand."
"Aye."
They stared at each other silently for a time. Eventually she could no longer meet his eyes. "I think the bars might outlast me this time," she told him as she stared at the largest moon in the sky.
"No, they won't," he refuted and she turned back to him. The confidence in him surprised her.
"How can you be so sure?"
"You are stronger than that," he answered, "Sometimes you're so strong that if I didn't love you I would fear you. Sometimes I am afraid that your very strength will betray you."
She frowned in honest confusion. "I don't understand."
His face was serious as he stared at her. "Sometimes I see you soaring so high above me, so far ahead of me that I wonder if you know that even the strongest souls need help sometimes. I wonder if you realise that in your strength you might forget that you don't have to do everything alone. Sometimes I am afraid you will be so far away from me that I will not be there when you need me."
His hand tentatively touched her cheek. "Sometimes I fear that you will become so strong that you will no longer need me."
"Never," she told him forcefully, "That could never happen. Never!"
"Do you swear?"
"By the Speaker, I swear."
***
Her breasts fell and rose in a steady, even rhythm. Darien fussed with the blankets over her a bit more just to avoid having to leave her. His friends waited for him and they were rightfully expecting him to explain a few things but he did not want to go just yet. He brushed a loose strand of gold hair away from her peaceful face. Her expression was so tranquil, so… serene. He laughed at himself quietly and forced himself to rise.
He stepped away from the bed and back towards the door, still incredibly reluctant to let her out of his sight. He half expected her to jump from the bed as soon as he was gone and run away from him. She wouldn't or rather she couldn't. She had drained much of what energy she had recovered and there was no way she could break the sleep spell he had placed on her until that energy had been recovered. So he had no more excuses to delay the inevitable.
He sighed and exited from the room. It was pure luck that none of his friends had noticed that the scratches on her arms had bled silver. Of course he had done everything to distract them from that but he had no real illusory skills, none that would deceive other mages at any rate. The scratches were all healed now. It had been one of the first things he had seen to as soon as he'd carried her to the bed.
An almost silent footstep caught his attention and he saw Luna padding down the hallway towards him. The shape she wore was so small to hold such a large soul and it showed in the way her blue eyes shone so brightly. She dimmed it somewhat but he could see it easily.
He opened his mouth to ask her about Andrew but remembered those waiting for him only a room away. *Andrew?* he sent instead.
*Is recovering. The plan failed and he was forced to face Anger alone. His were the only wounds and they are relatively minor. Anger fled, that was the most we could expect without our kindred to aid us. Tranquillity will not be able to masquerade as Serenity again, it would serve no purpose now they know that he is here. My princess?*
*Sleeping. The spell will probably wear off in an hour or so.*
*My thanks human.*
*My name is Darien Luna.*
*I know but to me you are in the process of earning a new one.*
*Oh, and that is?*
*Chiba Mamoru.*
*I… I… am not sure I understand.*
*In our language Chiba means 'earth' or 'world' and I believe my princess has already dubbed you Mamoru.*
*Earth protector?*
*Aye, you have proved more than once that you deserve such a title and if you do not object I would know you as such.*
*I… I would be honoured. Thank you.*
*It is no more than you deserve Mamoru.*
*Still.* The cat nodded regally and Darien changed the subject. *So what will Andy do now? Does he have any plans?*
*No. Artemis and I believe it might become necessary to flee with Serenity as soon as she is well enough. Her safety is assured in the Silver Keep and perhaps it would draw the spears off-world after her.*
*Oh…* He did not want to contemplate what life would be like when she was gone, whether the spears followed after her or not. Politely she drew no attention to his emotional overtones. *There's no way that you could destroy them on Earth?*
*Not if we wish to remain unnoticed. We must obey Selene's Law.*
*That is to protect Earth isn't it? Couldn't you break it if you had to, especially since they broke it first?*
*And cause a second Fall in the process? Were we to abandon subterfuge and openly battle them they also would no longer need to hide themselves. They could spread their influence globally in a brutal and blatant exhibition of power and we could not stop them.*
*Couldn't you, I don't know, radiate the opposite kind of emotion? Cause people to be humble instead of proud, that kind of thing?*
*Only if we were to force ourselves on their minds and that would defeat the purpose. It would not be real and so would not cancel out the spears.*
*So if there was a way we could make people feel that way on their own we could defeat them?*
*If you could. Do you know a way it could be done?* Her tone was genuinely respectful, her question held no trace of the mockery or scorn in it that would indicate she superior to him.
*No but I'll think about it. There has to be a way.*
*If you discover one you shall definitely have earned the right to be known as Earth's protector. And what about you? What will you do now? Your fellow reincarnates await you to provide them with answers to questions that I would prefer remain unanswered. What will you tell them?*
*I'm not sure,* he answered honestly. He paused for a moment before he hesitantly asked, *Luna?*
She tilted her head him. *Yes?*
He struggled to find the words he needed. *What I feel for her… I'm in love with her… It doesn't feel like it's not… It feels…*
*Real?* She finished for him sadly.
*Yes!*
*It is.*
With those two words she confirmed everything that his heart had been telling him and by doing so irrevocably changed the way he thought of himself. The Lunarian understood without him telling her.
*Desire, lust, those can be faked. Play with a few hormones and it's done but love is different. Love involves the soul and no power, not even Serenity's can coerce a soul to love someone. What you feel might have started in magic but it grew from you. It is very real Mamoru, I can feel it glowing all around you.*
*But?* He could sense that there would be a catch and there was.
*But it does not matter if it's real or not, she is destined for someone else.*
Unrequited love indeed. He laughed at his earlier words that had held more truth than was comfortable. He nodded and accepted it. He didn't like it but he accepted it. Now all he had to do was make sure that the object of his affections never found out. If she did the shame and guilt that he had done his best to rid her of would most likely make a permanent return. *You said you could feel it around me, why do both Andy and Serena seem to think that it's not real then?*
Luna's eyes were very knowing and he had no doubt that she knew the reason for his question. Still she answered. *My prince is determined not to invade your privacy and has completely shielded his mind from you. He does not want to chase you away again so he has accepted the princess' judgement.*
*Why is her judgement so wrong then? My experience is limited I admit but everything I know of her tells me that she is a perceptive individual-*
*With absolutely no knowledge of this kind of love. For all of her centuries of learning and experience she is still a child. She does not understand her own heart beyond her loneliness yet, and until she does she will not understand what you feel for her.*
Darien nodded and for a moment wished that things could be different. Then he shook his wistfulness off. It served no purpose and indulging himself would only making things worse in the long run. *Don't worry Luna I won't let her be endangered, not even by my friends. I may not serve a…a Divine Star as she does but in my own way I am a guardian. I've protected the Silver Crystal for as long as I can remember and that protection extends to its wielder as well. Even if she were not my heart, she would still be my duty and I have never forgotten my responsibilities.*
*So?*
*So I'll make it up as I go along,* he told her.
She nodded. *I wish you luck Mamoru. I believe you will need it.*
*Thanks.* he murmured but she had already disappeared into the bedroom wear her princess slept.
Darien drew himself straight and took a deep breath. Then he walked down the hall into the lounge room. Alex and Michelle shared the couch that he had spent the night before on while Nick occupied one of the armchairs. Zack had the second armchair and Jyp lay on the floor in front of the television. Silver haired Kian stood by the window where Darien's roses recuperated from their part in restraining a Lunarian warrior. As soon as Darien stepped through the door he had everyone's attention.
"I guess I should tell you about what I've been up to for the last few days," Darien stated slowly.
Kian stepped away from the window. His voice was even but there was a note in it that warned Darien that the man who had been Beryl's slave was not far from the surface. "I think that would be a good idea."