June 2002
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, but this story is...
Chapter 26
"How did you ever convince me to play this?" Selenity asked as
she dodged out of the way of a tackle.
Mina went flying past her on dew damp grass, her laughter echoing
through the park, "I don't know, but it's fun!"
Selenity threw the Frisbee to Amy and then watched as Lita tried
to tackle the blue-haired Doctor. Amy sent the Frisbee sailing over
to Raye as Lita tackled her to the ground. Laughing, the tall young
woman helped Amy to her feet.
A sudden shriek sounded from above as Mina tried to tackle Raye,
and everyone dove for the ground. "Mine!" a scream echoed across the
park as Selenity was snatched from the ground in the claws of a
powerful beast.
"Selenity!" screamed Darien, running towards the thing.
"Mina! Help!"
Darien turned to look at the four young women, "Can you help her?
We have to save her!"
Mina stepped forward and threw something round and glittering at
him, "No, you have to help her, it's beyond our powers to do anything
now!"
Reflexively, Darien caught the smooth crystal. It burned in his
palm, searing skin straight through to his veins. He screamed,
attempting to drop it, but his hand wouldn't open.
"DARIEN!" Selenity screamed, seeing him collapse in a brilliant
flash of light.
Darien felt like he was floating. The pain in his hand was gone,
soothed by a blinding white light than engulfed his body. A presence
seemed to enter his mind, a familiar and yet alien presence that spoke
in a whisper he couldn't quite make out. He could see things, the
hawk thing carrying his Selenity away, the girls lined up on the side
watching and doing nothing. Why were they just watching, they had the
power to do something! Where did that come from and how did he know
they could do something?
Did it matter? He closed his eyes, seeing words forming and
suddenly he knew what he had to do. His eyes flashed open and he
pushed himself painfully to his feet. He could feel an alien presence
in his blood, coursing through his veins, lending him power, urging
him to use that power, to save his princess. "Say the words," it
hissed softly, "make the merging complete, bring me home..."
He shook his head to clear it and opened his mouth in a silent
scream. A bolt of pure energy shot from his mouth and slammed into
the hawk, driving it to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he
saw the girls leap impossibly high and catch Selenity before she could
hit the ground. Swaying, he sank to his knees. He felt weak,
drained, from the mental command he'd issued. He'd said no words, but
he could still hear the whisper in his mind urging him to say the
words, to bring whatever it was home. He closed his eyes.
"Darien?"
The voice was coming from a distance. That familiar, beloved
voice. Selenity. He opened his eyes with difficulty, looking at her.
She had tears in her eyes. "Amy says you have to fight, Darien. You
have to want to live. You can't go to sleep just yet."
Of course he wanted to live. Silly woman, he was just so tired.
Tired. He opened his mouth and sucked in a deep breath, feeling the
air revitalize him. He'd not been breathing. He breathed evenly,
deeply, for a few moments before meeting Selenity's gaze, "Of course I
want to live, Princess. I haven't married you yet."
She laughed softly, his head in her lap, and kissed his forehead,
"Stay with me then. What did you do?"
He struggled to recall. What had he just done? "I'm not sure.
Mina threw this crystal thing at me. That's all I remember."
"What did you do to him?" she asked evenly, levelling them with
an accusatory glare.
"Nothing. The crystal did that to him, we simply provided the
way of bringing them back together."
"Crystal?"
Mina motioned to Darien's left hand, which was still clenched,
the flesh burned and blackened. Selenity lifted it by the wrist,
looking to Amy, "Amy, is that natural?"
Amy shrugged, "I don't know. That crystal is special, Selene, it
can only be wielded and carried by someone with Lunarian blood in
them. Darien will be fine, he's a perfect genetic match."
"I'm a what?" The five looked to Darien who was quickly
recovering his strength and was starting to lift himself up on his
elbows. Somewhere along the line he'd fallen onto his back.
"You've got Lunarian blood," Amy told him, "It's an ancient race
of people who used to live on the moon. Their Queen was Queen
Serenity, and she ruled the galaxy. All except Earth. It's a long
story, but to make a long story short, you're a descendant of this
race. The crystal hasn't killed you, as it would anyone not of that
line. It had to draw blood first to acknowledge you. We should have
warned you, I'm sorry."
"Warned me about what? I trusted you Amy, and you threw some
time bomb crystal at me!"
"Actually I did," Mina shrugged, "I'm part Lunarian, but not
enough that I can use the crystal."
"Woah, are you telling me you actually believe this stuff about
people living on the Moon? It's kids stories, ladies. Shouldn't you
have grown up beyond that by now?"
"Darien."
He looked at Selenity and followed her gaze. His hand was
glowing. He blinked, "What the hell?"
Mina crouched next to his hand and placed her own gently overtop
it, closing her eyes, "The crystal is trying to communicate. You have
to transform, Darien, or else the bonding is not complete."
"Bonding? Woah, transform? Who said I wanted any part of this?
Whatever the hell this is?"
Mina smiled ruefully, "We," she motioned to herself, Raye, Lita
and Amy, "Are the Sailor Scouts. We've been placed in the future to
find and protect our Lunarian Princess. Somehow, The Princess and her
Terran Prince have been born into opposite bloodlines. Which makes
you, Darien, our objective."
Selenity placed her hand on his shoulder, "I was supposed to be
their Princess. Instead, I've taken the place of the Prince.
Apparently they each have powers to help them fight some kind of evil
or something. Cashrawk, who grabbed me, is working for some higher
purpose and will be back to claim me."
"We need to awaken both of your powers," Amy told them softly,
"And we have to do it soon. The world is nearing the stage where it
must sleep for a millennium and only the crystal and its heir, you
Darien, can bring this about."
"Why me? I still don't buy it, but humor me."
Amy helped Selenity and Lita get him to his feet. Somehow they
got him over to a nearby bench and let him sit. "When I tested your
blood, I was curious about some of the different DNA sequences and
such I saw. On a whim I checked it with my database and I found
this." she pulled out her pocket computer and pulled up his picture
and DNA strand.
Darien examined the picture closely, and nearly jumped off the
bench when she called up the Lunarian DNA. "My god. Where did you
get DNA for a race of people that's supposed to be a myth and long
extinct?"
Amy shrugged, "I was a doctor and kept very precise files. This
computer is actually a lot older than it looks. Look closely, Darien.
Your DNA and that of our princess are a perfect match, except for
this, which is your gender. It was always believed that a woman had
to be the one to wield the crystal, but your parents had no female
heir. The task falls to the eldest, normally, but something is wrong
with Martin's DNA. It's been... corrupted somehow. Yours has the
same sequences that will enable you to wield the crystal. Does that
make sense?"
"You're asking me to take a lot on faith here," he told her,
shaking his head, "I don't believe in Lunarians. I don't believe in
myths. I can't explain this crystal thing, or the blood match, but I
do know I don't want this job."
"You don't have a choice."
Everyone looked at Selenity as she stood and began to pace, "I've
always felt there is something inside me trying to get out. Something
beyond the pain and the anger, but because I cannot deal with Martin,
it's blocked. That power is stuck. You have been given a gift,
Darien. A gift to shape the world into something better than it is
now. Can't you hear that call, the plea of the world Darien?"
He shook his head, looking at her critically. "You think I
should do this."
She nodded, kneeling in front of him and grasping the hand that
was still locked around the crystal, "It's your calling. You never
wanted me to give up being a Princess, never wanted me to be something
less than what I am. I only want the same for you. This feels right,
Darien. I can't explain it, but this is a part of who you are, a
large part that has been missing since your parents died and left you
an orphan. Maybe this is a way to reclaim the heritage that's been
stolen from you and become what I know you have the strength to be."
He stood. "How long do I have?"
"For?"
He looked at Amy, "To make my decision."
She motioned to his clenched hand, "As long as you need, but
until you make your decision, one way or the other, you won't be able
to let go of the crystal."
He lifted his hand, "Because of this, do I really have a choice?"
"No."
"The it's decided. What do I have to say?"
Mina spoke up before anyone else could, "The crystal will know
what to do, it will speak you to, guide you. It is a source of life
and death. Listen to it carefully, Darien."
He nodded and turned his back on them, clasping his free hand
around the clenched one and closing his eyes. He listened, hearing
the voice whispering to him, begging him to say the words, to claim
his heritage... to become complete again. "Lunarian Conversion!" he
said finally, throwing his joined hands into the sky.
Light flared from between the two, bathing the area in a silver
-white light as he rose into the air. Wind whipped around him and a
brilliant crescent moon appeared on his forehead, the golden color
contrasting deeply with his hair. His clothes melted away, the light
wrapping around his legs at the same time and solidifying into white,
skintight pants with knee high black boots. It wrapped around his
torso and solidified into a black vest that was laced halfway up his
chest. A white cape poured from his shoulders. A belt holding
everything in place displayed the prominent crescent moon. A cane
appeared in his hand, a whip on his belt, the crystal topping the cane
as he floated to the ground. As he landed a whisper thin mask
appeared over his eyes, hiding them from view.
The scouts stared, jaws on the floor, as he landed and struck a
gentleman's pose. Selenity blinked once, twice, three times before
she found her voice. "Wow. Darien, you look incredible!"
He looked down at himself, checking the colors and fit. "Well,
that was different."
Selenity walked towards him, looking him up and down, and
nodding, "I like it. You certainly look sharp. And a whip?"
His gaze followed hers to his left hip and he shrugged, "I just
said the words, I didn't pick the outfit."
She laughed, hearing the unspoken 'If I had I wouldn't have
chosen this!' "Relax Dare, it's fine, right girls?"
They nodded, "Wow, I was not expecting that." Amy finally found
her voice.
"Me either. So is Darien our new leader?" Lita continued to gape
as Raye spoke.
Mina shrugged, "I guess so. The crystal has made its choice
obvious. How do you feel, Darien? Or should we be calling you
something else now?"
"Lunar, I believe," he swung the cane around, "but I don't want
to be anybody's leader."
"Tough," Mina grinned, "Alright ladies, let's do it!"
Selenity watched as her four friends called the names of their
respective planets and transformed into their sailor fuku's. Darien
chuckled, "Nice skirts."
Selenity swatted him, "I can only imagine what I'll look like
when I'm able to do something like that."
Darien grabbed her and tucked her under his arm, "I bet you'd
look absolutely adorable in one of those skirts."
She elbowed him in the ribs and smiled, "Tease. So what now?
Are you going to train him or something?"
"Actually, Princess, we've got to protect you until your power
emerge. Cashrawk is gone, Lunar didn't kill him, so he'll be back.
The question is when."
"Isn't a better question, who is he working for?"
Mercury shrugged, "Both are very good questions. You have to
deal with Martin, Selenity, and you have to do it soon."
Selenity stepped away from the five figures and looked around,
spreading her arms wide, "How? I've tried. I can't do it alone, I
don't know where to start. I need help here guys."
Venus stepped up to her and took one of her hands, "You've been
hurt Selenity, and you're trapped by your own guilt and pain. None of
us, no matter how much we care for you, can deal with this for you.
You have to find a way to overcome this yourself. We'll support you,
but we can't fight this battle for you."
She pulled away from her friend. "Then protect me as you see
fit, but none of you are to come near me, until I can deal with him on
my own," she turned towards Darien, her eyes tortured, "That includes
you. You're protecting me from something I need to fight, and I can't
do that with you around. Martin is leaving in two days time, I have
until then to face and defeat my demons."
They watched her turn on one heel and walk away, her back ramrod
straight. Lunar felt as if she's sucker punched him. She was going
to face Martin alone. A cold feeling settled in the base of his
stomach. She was going to face him, and he might lose her forever.
Venus placed a hand on his arm as he started to move after his
Princess.
"Don't. She needs to do this alone. We must respect her
wishes."
He looked at her, "And if I lose her for good because of this?"
"She will find a way back to you," Venus' voice was firm, "Don't
disrespect her wishes, Lunar, no matter your personal feelings.
Intervening now could have disastrous consequences for all of us."
He took a deep breath before letting it out, his gaze going to
where Selenity was disappearing around the corner at the gates of the
park. "I hope you're right, Venus. I sincerely hope you're right."
Author's Notes: Wow, that took a long time to write! Sorry it took so long to get these chapters out... Let me
know what you think!
All feedback to : Jademax@hotmail.com or simply write me a review!
Thanks for reading!
Jade_Max
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine, but this story is...
Chapter 26
"How did you ever convince me to play this?" Selenity asked as
she dodged out of the way of a tackle.
Mina went flying past her on dew damp grass, her laughter echoing
through the park, "I don't know, but it's fun!"
Selenity threw the Frisbee to Amy and then watched as Lita tried
to tackle the blue-haired Doctor. Amy sent the Frisbee sailing over
to Raye as Lita tackled her to the ground. Laughing, the tall young
woman helped Amy to her feet.
A sudden shriek sounded from above as Mina tried to tackle Raye,
and everyone dove for the ground. "Mine!" a scream echoed across the
park as Selenity was snatched from the ground in the claws of a
powerful beast.
"Selenity!" screamed Darien, running towards the thing.
"Mina! Help!"
Darien turned to look at the four young women, "Can you help her?
We have to save her!"
Mina stepped forward and threw something round and glittering at
him, "No, you have to help her, it's beyond our powers to do anything
now!"
Reflexively, Darien caught the smooth crystal. It burned in his
palm, searing skin straight through to his veins. He screamed,
attempting to drop it, but his hand wouldn't open.
"DARIEN!" Selenity screamed, seeing him collapse in a brilliant
flash of light.
Darien felt like he was floating. The pain in his hand was gone,
soothed by a blinding white light than engulfed his body. A presence
seemed to enter his mind, a familiar and yet alien presence that spoke
in a whisper he couldn't quite make out. He could see things, the
hawk thing carrying his Selenity away, the girls lined up on the side
watching and doing nothing. Why were they just watching, they had the
power to do something! Where did that come from and how did he know
they could do something?
Did it matter? He closed his eyes, seeing words forming and
suddenly he knew what he had to do. His eyes flashed open and he
pushed himself painfully to his feet. He could feel an alien presence
in his blood, coursing through his veins, lending him power, urging
him to use that power, to save his princess. "Say the words," it
hissed softly, "make the merging complete, bring me home..."
He shook his head to clear it and opened his mouth in a silent
scream. A bolt of pure energy shot from his mouth and slammed into
the hawk, driving it to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he
saw the girls leap impossibly high and catch Selenity before she could
hit the ground. Swaying, he sank to his knees. He felt weak,
drained, from the mental command he'd issued. He'd said no words, but
he could still hear the whisper in his mind urging him to say the
words, to bring whatever it was home. He closed his eyes.
"Darien?"
The voice was coming from a distance. That familiar, beloved
voice. Selenity. He opened his eyes with difficulty, looking at her.
She had tears in her eyes. "Amy says you have to fight, Darien. You
have to want to live. You can't go to sleep just yet."
Of course he wanted to live. Silly woman, he was just so tired.
Tired. He opened his mouth and sucked in a deep breath, feeling the
air revitalize him. He'd not been breathing. He breathed evenly,
deeply, for a few moments before meeting Selenity's gaze, "Of course I
want to live, Princess. I haven't married you yet."
She laughed softly, his head in her lap, and kissed his forehead,
"Stay with me then. What did you do?"
He struggled to recall. What had he just done? "I'm not sure.
Mina threw this crystal thing at me. That's all I remember."
"What did you do to him?" she asked evenly, levelling them with
an accusatory glare.
"Nothing. The crystal did that to him, we simply provided the
way of bringing them back together."
"Crystal?"
Mina motioned to Darien's left hand, which was still clenched,
the flesh burned and blackened. Selenity lifted it by the wrist,
looking to Amy, "Amy, is that natural?"
Amy shrugged, "I don't know. That crystal is special, Selene, it
can only be wielded and carried by someone with Lunarian blood in
them. Darien will be fine, he's a perfect genetic match."
"I'm a what?" The five looked to Darien who was quickly
recovering his strength and was starting to lift himself up on his
elbows. Somewhere along the line he'd fallen onto his back.
"You've got Lunarian blood," Amy told him, "It's an ancient race
of people who used to live on the moon. Their Queen was Queen
Serenity, and she ruled the galaxy. All except Earth. It's a long
story, but to make a long story short, you're a descendant of this
race. The crystal hasn't killed you, as it would anyone not of that
line. It had to draw blood first to acknowledge you. We should have
warned you, I'm sorry."
"Warned me about what? I trusted you Amy, and you threw some
time bomb crystal at me!"
"Actually I did," Mina shrugged, "I'm part Lunarian, but not
enough that I can use the crystal."
"Woah, are you telling me you actually believe this stuff about
people living on the Moon? It's kids stories, ladies. Shouldn't you
have grown up beyond that by now?"
"Darien."
He looked at Selenity and followed her gaze. His hand was
glowing. He blinked, "What the hell?"
Mina crouched next to his hand and placed her own gently overtop
it, closing her eyes, "The crystal is trying to communicate. You have
to transform, Darien, or else the bonding is not complete."
"Bonding? Woah, transform? Who said I wanted any part of this?
Whatever the hell this is?"
Mina smiled ruefully, "We," she motioned to herself, Raye, Lita
and Amy, "Are the Sailor Scouts. We've been placed in the future to
find and protect our Lunarian Princess. Somehow, The Princess and her
Terran Prince have been born into opposite bloodlines. Which makes
you, Darien, our objective."
Selenity placed her hand on his shoulder, "I was supposed to be
their Princess. Instead, I've taken the place of the Prince.
Apparently they each have powers to help them fight some kind of evil
or something. Cashrawk, who grabbed me, is working for some higher
purpose and will be back to claim me."
"We need to awaken both of your powers," Amy told them softly,
"And we have to do it soon. The world is nearing the stage where it
must sleep for a millennium and only the crystal and its heir, you
Darien, can bring this about."
"Why me? I still don't buy it, but humor me."
Amy helped Selenity and Lita get him to his feet. Somehow they
got him over to a nearby bench and let him sit. "When I tested your
blood, I was curious about some of the different DNA sequences and
such I saw. On a whim I checked it with my database and I found
this." she pulled out her pocket computer and pulled up his picture
and DNA strand.
Darien examined the picture closely, and nearly jumped off the
bench when she called up the Lunarian DNA. "My god. Where did you
get DNA for a race of people that's supposed to be a myth and long
extinct?"
Amy shrugged, "I was a doctor and kept very precise files. This
computer is actually a lot older than it looks. Look closely, Darien.
Your DNA and that of our princess are a perfect match, except for
this, which is your gender. It was always believed that a woman had
to be the one to wield the crystal, but your parents had no female
heir. The task falls to the eldest, normally, but something is wrong
with Martin's DNA. It's been... corrupted somehow. Yours has the
same sequences that will enable you to wield the crystal. Does that
make sense?"
"You're asking me to take a lot on faith here," he told her,
shaking his head, "I don't believe in Lunarians. I don't believe in
myths. I can't explain this crystal thing, or the blood match, but I
do know I don't want this job."
"You don't have a choice."
Everyone looked at Selenity as she stood and began to pace, "I've
always felt there is something inside me trying to get out. Something
beyond the pain and the anger, but because I cannot deal with Martin,
it's blocked. That power is stuck. You have been given a gift,
Darien. A gift to shape the world into something better than it is
now. Can't you hear that call, the plea of the world Darien?"
He shook his head, looking at her critically. "You think I
should do this."
She nodded, kneeling in front of him and grasping the hand that
was still locked around the crystal, "It's your calling. You never
wanted me to give up being a Princess, never wanted me to be something
less than what I am. I only want the same for you. This feels right,
Darien. I can't explain it, but this is a part of who you are, a
large part that has been missing since your parents died and left you
an orphan. Maybe this is a way to reclaim the heritage that's been
stolen from you and become what I know you have the strength to be."
He stood. "How long do I have?"
"For?"
He looked at Amy, "To make my decision."
She motioned to his clenched hand, "As long as you need, but
until you make your decision, one way or the other, you won't be able
to let go of the crystal."
He lifted his hand, "Because of this, do I really have a choice?"
"No."
"The it's decided. What do I have to say?"
Mina spoke up before anyone else could, "The crystal will know
what to do, it will speak you to, guide you. It is a source of life
and death. Listen to it carefully, Darien."
He nodded and turned his back on them, clasping his free hand
around the clenched one and closing his eyes. He listened, hearing
the voice whispering to him, begging him to say the words, to claim
his heritage... to become complete again. "Lunarian Conversion!" he
said finally, throwing his joined hands into the sky.
Light flared from between the two, bathing the area in a silver
-white light as he rose into the air. Wind whipped around him and a
brilliant crescent moon appeared on his forehead, the golden color
contrasting deeply with his hair. His clothes melted away, the light
wrapping around his legs at the same time and solidifying into white,
skintight pants with knee high black boots. It wrapped around his
torso and solidified into a black vest that was laced halfway up his
chest. A white cape poured from his shoulders. A belt holding
everything in place displayed the prominent crescent moon. A cane
appeared in his hand, a whip on his belt, the crystal topping the cane
as he floated to the ground. As he landed a whisper thin mask
appeared over his eyes, hiding them from view.
The scouts stared, jaws on the floor, as he landed and struck a
gentleman's pose. Selenity blinked once, twice, three times before
she found her voice. "Wow. Darien, you look incredible!"
He looked down at himself, checking the colors and fit. "Well,
that was different."
Selenity walked towards him, looking him up and down, and
nodding, "I like it. You certainly look sharp. And a whip?"
His gaze followed hers to his left hip and he shrugged, "I just
said the words, I didn't pick the outfit."
She laughed, hearing the unspoken 'If I had I wouldn't have
chosen this!' "Relax Dare, it's fine, right girls?"
They nodded, "Wow, I was not expecting that." Amy finally found
her voice.
"Me either. So is Darien our new leader?" Lita continued to gape
as Raye spoke.
Mina shrugged, "I guess so. The crystal has made its choice
obvious. How do you feel, Darien? Or should we be calling you
something else now?"
"Lunar, I believe," he swung the cane around, "but I don't want
to be anybody's leader."
"Tough," Mina grinned, "Alright ladies, let's do it!"
Selenity watched as her four friends called the names of their
respective planets and transformed into their sailor fuku's. Darien
chuckled, "Nice skirts."
Selenity swatted him, "I can only imagine what I'll look like
when I'm able to do something like that."
Darien grabbed her and tucked her under his arm, "I bet you'd
look absolutely adorable in one of those skirts."
She elbowed him in the ribs and smiled, "Tease. So what now?
Are you going to train him or something?"
"Actually, Princess, we've got to protect you until your power
emerge. Cashrawk is gone, Lunar didn't kill him, so he'll be back.
The question is when."
"Isn't a better question, who is he working for?"
Mercury shrugged, "Both are very good questions. You have to
deal with Martin, Selenity, and you have to do it soon."
Selenity stepped away from the five figures and looked around,
spreading her arms wide, "How? I've tried. I can't do it alone, I
don't know where to start. I need help here guys."
Venus stepped up to her and took one of her hands, "You've been
hurt Selenity, and you're trapped by your own guilt and pain. None of
us, no matter how much we care for you, can deal with this for you.
You have to find a way to overcome this yourself. We'll support you,
but we can't fight this battle for you."
She pulled away from her friend. "Then protect me as you see
fit, but none of you are to come near me, until I can deal with him on
my own," she turned towards Darien, her eyes tortured, "That includes
you. You're protecting me from something I need to fight, and I can't
do that with you around. Martin is leaving in two days time, I have
until then to face and defeat my demons."
They watched her turn on one heel and walk away, her back ramrod
straight. Lunar felt as if she's sucker punched him. She was going
to face Martin alone. A cold feeling settled in the base of his
stomach. She was going to face him, and he might lose her forever.
Venus placed a hand on his arm as he started to move after his
Princess.
"Don't. She needs to do this alone. We must respect her
wishes."
He looked at her, "And if I lose her for good because of this?"
"She will find a way back to you," Venus' voice was firm, "Don't
disrespect her wishes, Lunar, no matter your personal feelings.
Intervening now could have disastrous consequences for all of us."
He took a deep breath before letting it out, his gaze going to
where Selenity was disappearing around the corner at the gates of the
park. "I hope you're right, Venus. I sincerely hope you're right."
Author's Notes: Wow, that took a long time to write! Sorry it took so long to get these chapters out... Let me
know what you think!
All feedback to : Jademax@hotmail.com or simply write me a review!
Thanks for reading!
Jade_Max