Darien gave her a look of disgust and pure hatred, "I've told you, there's no
princess."
"Wrong answer," Mistress Nine said, and began to gather dark energy.
The black ball in her hand began to grow, larger and larger.
"Nice meeting you, Prince Darien," Mistress Nine said.
Then she raised the sphere up and prepared to hurl it at Darien.
'Serena,' Darien thought, a tear sliding down his cheek, 'I'm sorry.'
He closed his eyes and prepared for the blast.
'I love you.'
Us
by Phantasy Star
--------------------
Chapter Fifteen
"Moon... Sceptre... Activation!"
Mistress Nine looked towards the doorway, surprised at the pink light beams
coming towards her.
It didn't reach her body though.
"Who's there?" she snarled, as the large mass of energy in her hand shrank and
disappeared.
Darien knew who it was without looking.
"Why didn't it work?" Sailor Moon wondered aloud.
Then, seeing Mistress Nine staring at her, she quickly regained her composure.
"I'm Sailor Moon!" she said, "Champion of love and justice. On behalf of the
moon, I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil..."
She turned to look at Mistress Nine, "And that means you!"
"Fancy speech," Mistress Nine said with a smile, "But you have no idea what
you're up against."
"Darien may not be my favourite person in the world right now, but that doesn't
mean you can blast him with your evil energy!"
Darien didn't know what to say. Yep, it was his Meatball Head all right.
She took out her wand and prepared to attack again.
"Moon... Sceptre... Acti-"
She screamed as a blast of dark energy reached her.
"Ah," Mistress Nine said, looking at her, "Maybe _you_ can tell me who the Moon
Princess is."
Serena blinked.
She still didn't know?
Maybe she had overestimated this new enemy. Even Beryl eventually learned who
she was...
"I don't think it matters to you..." Serena said, breathing hard from the pain,
"Cuz in about two minutes... you'll be nothing but moon dust!"
She tried to get up.
Mistress Nine laughed, "You're weak, but you're brave..."
"You'd better leave Erin's body while you can, Mistress Nine!" Sailor Moon said.
The dark haired mistress tried to hide her shock, but managed a smile, "I see
you've been doing your research..."
"That's right," she said, "I know all about your evil plans."
Of course, all she knew was Mistress Nine's name and the fact that she was in
Erin's body.
Taking out her sceptre again, Sailor Moon tried lifted it into the air.
Suddenly, a blast from Mistress Nine sent her sceptre flying back, landing
several feet behind her.
"No!" she cried.
Then, her body felt weak.
"What's... happening?" she cried.
Suddenly, her uniform dissolved into pink ribbons, and in a few minutes, she was
Serena again.
She gasped, falling to the ground.
'Serena!" Darien's mind cried, but he was still too weak to say anything.
"I see the dark crystal has taken its effect on you," Mistress Nine commented,
"Without your fancy magic, you really can't do much, can you... Serena?"
Serena looked at the ground, still shocked.
"Now, tell me who the princess is, or he shall die!" Mistress Nine screamed, the
dark sphere of energy forming in her hand again.
Finally gotten Serena's attention, she smiled, "Come on now, who is she?"
Serena gritted her teeth.
"Don't... tell her..." Darien managed to say in between painful breaths.
"Quiet, fool!" Mistress Nine screamed.
"I..." Serena said hesitantly.
"Well?" Mistress Nine prompted.
Serena stood up and looked up at the Mistress, "You're looking at her, witch."
'No,' Darien thought, 'It's too late...'
To his surprise, the evil mistress growled.
"You expect me to believe that?" she snarled, "I guess you really don't care about
the guy after all!"
With that, she threw the sphere at Darien.
"Darien!" Serena cried out.
* * *
"This must be the place!"
Sailor Venus turned to look at Sailor Mercury, "Are you sure?"
"This is sort of where Serena said it was..." Sailor Jupiter said.
"All right, let's get in there!" Sailor Mars said.
"Wait."
The four inner scouts turned around to find Sailor Pluto behind them.
"We mustn't be haste, Sailor Scouts," the Guardian of Time said, "I have a plan."
* * *
"No!" Darien cried out.
Serena fell against him, her body facing him, with her head leaning against his
shoulder.
"Serena..." he choked out.
He wanted to touch her, to hold her, but his wrists were still bounded to the
board.
"I'm..." Serena whispered, "I'm okay..."
She turned around, but not finding the strength to stand. She leaned her back
against Darien.
"You're defending him?" Mistress Nine asked, "I guess you're still in love with
the fool."
Serena looked up at her.
"You know nothing about love," she said, "Darien and I aren't in love, but that
doesn't mean I'll let you hurt him. He's my friend and I won't let you or anybody
take him away!
Darien's heart ached when he heard her words.
She wasn't in love with him anymore.
But he already knew that, didn't he?
As least she still cared about him...
"Fine," Mistress Nine, "You can die together then!"
She prepared yet another black wave of energy and raised it above her head.
Serena braced herself, still standing in front of Darien.
'Not again...' he thought, 'I'm not letting you get hurt because of me again...'
With all of his remaining strength, he pulled one of his arms loose, and the
black whip made a loud splitting sound as it snapped.
He grabbed Serena from behind and turned her backwards, so that he could shield
her with his body, with his back to Mistress Nine.
"No, Darien!" Serena cried, "You're already too hurt!"
He didn't move.
"You're so... beautiful, Serena," he said as he gave her a weak smile, "You
feel... so warm."
He held on to her tighter and leaned his forehead against her shoulder.
Then Serena saw everything go black behind Darien, as an explosion sounded him.
He groaned slightly, and fell against her.
"No," she whispered.
* * *
"Ready, scouts?" Pluto asked.
"Ready," Sailor Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus said.
They kneeled near the four corners of the mansion, trying to form a sort of
barrier around the building.
'I hope this works...' Pluto thought, 'This is the only way to neutralize the
powers of the dark crystal...'
* * *
"No!" Serena cried.
Darien fell to the ground.
Out of his jacket fell a rose.
Serena fell to her hands and knees, staring at the red flower, as its petals
began to fall off, one by one.
Tears sprung into her eyes.
"Darien!" she cried.
He didn't answer.
"Your turn, Sailor Moon!" Mistress Nine snarled.
Serena took hold of Darien's hand, "I..."
"Pluto... Deadly... Scream!"
Mistress Nine cried out in surprise when the purple globe hit her.
"What happened to my defensive shield!?" she demanded.
"Quick, Sailor Moon," Pluto called, "Transform!"
Serena stared at Darien, "Darien..."
"Come on, Sailor Moon!" Pluto said again.
Serena turned to Sailor Pluto, "I can't... There's some sort of-"
"Just do it!" Pluto commanded and placed a glowing object in Serena's hands,
"This is the Purity Chalice, formed from the pure hearts of Neptune, Uranus, and
myself. Now, say Moon Crisis Power."
"Right," Serena said with a nod, "Moon... Crisis... Power!"
Bright light surrounded her, and little pieces of light that looked like
butterflies flew around her.
Sailor Moon raised the Chalice high above her head and let its light hit every
corner of the mansion, while Mistress Nine shielded her eyes, crying in agony.
When the light was gone, the mansion had disappeared.
"Just as I suspected..." Pluto said, "It was all an illusion."
"You will pay for that..." Mistress Nine said angrily.
Pluto cried out in pain when a large sphere hit her squarely in the chest.
"Sailor Pluto!" Sailor Moon cried.
She suddenly recognized this place. It was the same platform, beside the cliff,
where they had fought the Doom Phantom.
This was the Dark Gate.
"Mars... Celestial... Fireballs... Surround!"
"Venus... Love chain... Encircle!"
The attacks were about to hit Mistress Nine when she suddenly teleported away.
Dark spheres of energy hit the two Sailor Scouts, and they cried out in surprise,
before falling to the ground beside Pluto.
"Shine... Aqua... Illusion!"
"Jupiter... Thunderclap... Zap!"
Their attacks appeared to enter into Mistress Nine's body, who laughed maniacally,
absorbing their power.
Then the Mistress blasted them with her dark energy.
Mercury and Jupiter screamed and hit the ground.
"I'm... too weak..." Sailor Mars said as she tried to get up.
'If only I had my sceptre...' Sailor Moon thought, 'But it's too far for me to
reach...'
"Now to finish you off," Mistress Nine said with an evil grin, while looming
over Sailor Pluto, "Let's start with you, old lady."
She floated towards the guardian of time and stared down at her, "This is for
breaking my illusive spell..."
Mistress Nine's body glowed a pure black colour as she prepared to strike
Sailor Pluto, who stared up at her in shock and fear.
* * *
"Huh, where am I?" Darien said.
He found himself lying on a large piece of crystal. He suddenly recognized this
place.
It was the crystal palace of the future.
"Prince Darien," a voice called out.
He squinted his eyes to find a tall man coming towards him.
"King Endymion?" he asked.
The man nodded.
"What am I doing in the future?" Darien asked, groaning as he touched his aching
head.
"This isn't the future," the future King replied, "This is your dream, and I
have come to tell you to wake up."
Darien shook his head, "I can't... I'm too weak. I can feel it."
The King stared at him, "Your time hasn't come yet. Just summon your strength
and you can do it."
Darien looked down, "What's the point? There's nothing waiting for me back in
reality. Serena's left me. There won't be a future, and I wouldn't become
king. You're not even supposed to exist."
King Endymion shook his head, "There's always a chance. The Princess may not
be in love with you now, but..."
Darien glanced up at his future self, "You mean... I still have a chance?"
"I can't tell you anything," the King said, "Except... Know that the two of you
cannot be together at this moment. There are too many obstacles."
Darien frowned.
"As for the princess's love..." the king continued, "You'll have to figure that one
out for yourself."
"I see..." Darien said slowly.
"You must go back," the king said, "Remember our destiny: To protect the princess
at all costs. That's our mission, regardless of how the princess feels towards
us..."
Darien nodded.
"Now," the king said, "Let me heal you."
* * *
Pluto braced herself for the attack.
'No, I must survive to protect the princess...' she thought, 'But I'm too weak to
move...'
"Moon... Tiara... Action!"
"What?" Mistress Nine stuttered as she turned around to find a glowing saucer
coming towards her.
Instead of hitting her, it made itself into a loop and circled the Mistress,
trapping her.
Mistress Nine screamed in anger, "Release me, Moon twit!"
"Uranus... World... Shaking!"
The orange circle hit the bound Mistress Nine and she screamed in horror, as
she flew towards the cliff.
"No!" Sailor Moon cried.
She ran towards Mistress Nine and grabbed on to her hand, right before she
fell into the deep valley.
"What are you doing?" Neptune cried, "Let go of her, Sailor Moon!"
"Erin's still in there!" Sailor Moon said, "I have to save her!"
"Leave her be!" Pluto shouted, "It's too dangerous, princess!"
Mistress Nine glared up at Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon was lying face down on the ground beside the cliff. She began to slide
towards the edge, unable to hold on much longer.
Sailor Neptune and Uranus ran to help her, but a strong gust of wind filled
with dark energy hit them, sending them flying and landing on the ground.
"I..." Sailor Moon stuttered, "I can't... hold on... anymore..."
Just then, a strong arm circled around her waist and pulled her back.
She gasped.
"Darien!" Sailor Moon exclaimed as she turned her head back, "You're... alive!"
Darien nodded and gave her a quick smile.
With his help, they lifted the dark Mistress back on to the surface.
"All right, Mistress Nine," Sailor Moon said, "Time to leave Erin's body."
She took out her old Creasant Wand.
"Moon... Healing... Activation!"
Mistress Nine screamed in pain, before dark energy was released from her body.
Her hair turned back to the light brown colour it once was, and shrank back to
its original length.
Erin fell to the ground.
Sailor Moon closed her eyes.
She was so tired...
She changed back to Serena and fell, feeling Darien's arms catch her before
falling into unconsciousness.
"Serena," he whispered, worried.
"She's all right," Sailor Mercury said as she limped over, "Just exhausted."
Darien nodded.
* * *
"She should wake up in morning," Sailor Neptune said, "Don't worry, Darien."
He still looked at the princess, concerned.
Then he stood up.
"I'm going to take off then," he said quietly.
The scouts watched as he began to walk to his car.
"How dare he!?" Sailor Mars said angrily, "Leaving like this? He was the one who
got us into this mess in the _first_ place!"
She stood up and ran to follow him.
"Don't be too harsh with him," Sailor Pluto said, "He's had a rough night."
"I don't care if he almost _died_!" the angry scout of fire said as she ran off.
"Hey, what happened?" a voice said behind the scouts.
All the Sailor Scouts turned around and found Ryan staring at Serena in horror.
"She's all right," Sailor Mercury said quickly, "Please take her home."
Ryan nodded dumbly.
She had asked him to wait in the car, but after almost half an hour, he had come
looking for her, wondering what was taking her so long.
Was there something about Serena that he didn't know?
* * *
"Darien!"
"Huh?" he said as he turned around to find Raye running towards him.
"What's the matter with you?" she demanded.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Back there!" Raye yelled, "You nearly got us all killed! Why didn't you listen
to Serena and stay away from Erin?"
"I..." Darien said.
"I know why, because you're a jerk!" Raye said, "Yeah, you heard me, you're
nothing but an arrogant jerk! You always think you're right, and you never
listen to anybody else. You're so used to Serena being in love with you that
you think she could never leave you."
Darien gaped at her in shock.
"You know," Raye continued, "I'm not surprised Serena broke up with you at all!
What makes me wonder is what took her so long to give up on you!"
She stopped when she noticed all the pain and hurt in Darien's eyes.
Amy had appeared behind her, "Raye..."
"I..." Raye said, putting a hand over her mouth, "I'm sorry, Darien. I didn't
mean that..."
A gust of wind hit them.
"No..." Darien said quietly, "You're right. I've been so stupid, thinking Serena
could ever be in love with me... She should have left me a lot sooner. She spent
way too much of her energy on me..."
"No, Darien," Raye said, "No... You're... I mean... I didn't mean it..."
Darien shook his head and gave her a sad smile, "Thanks for telling me the truth,
Raye. Who can ever love someone like me?"
He turned around and walked to his car, while Raye and Amy exchanged worried
glances.
"I feel _awful_..." Raye said.
Amy frowned.
"Let's hope he doesn't do something stupid..." she said worriedly.
Author's Notes:
Wow, so many nice reviews for the
last chapter! I was so touched!
I spent a ton of time on this chapter.
It's actually more like two chapters,
considering its length.
Hope you enjoyed that.
Only one more chapter to go!
Should they get together? :)
Thanks for reading and please review :)
princess."
"Wrong answer," Mistress Nine said, and began to gather dark energy.
The black ball in her hand began to grow, larger and larger.
"Nice meeting you, Prince Darien," Mistress Nine said.
Then she raised the sphere up and prepared to hurl it at Darien.
'Serena,' Darien thought, a tear sliding down his cheek, 'I'm sorry.'
He closed his eyes and prepared for the blast.
'I love you.'
Us
by Phantasy Star
--------------------
Chapter Fifteen
"Moon... Sceptre... Activation!"
Mistress Nine looked towards the doorway, surprised at the pink light beams
coming towards her.
It didn't reach her body though.
"Who's there?" she snarled, as the large mass of energy in her hand shrank and
disappeared.
Darien knew who it was without looking.
"Why didn't it work?" Sailor Moon wondered aloud.
Then, seeing Mistress Nine staring at her, she quickly regained her composure.
"I'm Sailor Moon!" she said, "Champion of love and justice. On behalf of the
moon, I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil..."
She turned to look at Mistress Nine, "And that means you!"
"Fancy speech," Mistress Nine said with a smile, "But you have no idea what
you're up against."
"Darien may not be my favourite person in the world right now, but that doesn't
mean you can blast him with your evil energy!"
Darien didn't know what to say. Yep, it was his Meatball Head all right.
She took out her wand and prepared to attack again.
"Moon... Sceptre... Acti-"
She screamed as a blast of dark energy reached her.
"Ah," Mistress Nine said, looking at her, "Maybe _you_ can tell me who the Moon
Princess is."
Serena blinked.
She still didn't know?
Maybe she had overestimated this new enemy. Even Beryl eventually learned who
she was...
"I don't think it matters to you..." Serena said, breathing hard from the pain,
"Cuz in about two minutes... you'll be nothing but moon dust!"
She tried to get up.
Mistress Nine laughed, "You're weak, but you're brave..."
"You'd better leave Erin's body while you can, Mistress Nine!" Sailor Moon said.
The dark haired mistress tried to hide her shock, but managed a smile, "I see
you've been doing your research..."
"That's right," she said, "I know all about your evil plans."
Of course, all she knew was Mistress Nine's name and the fact that she was in
Erin's body.
Taking out her sceptre again, Sailor Moon tried lifted it into the air.
Suddenly, a blast from Mistress Nine sent her sceptre flying back, landing
several feet behind her.
"No!" she cried.
Then, her body felt weak.
"What's... happening?" she cried.
Suddenly, her uniform dissolved into pink ribbons, and in a few minutes, she was
Serena again.
She gasped, falling to the ground.
'Serena!" Darien's mind cried, but he was still too weak to say anything.
"I see the dark crystal has taken its effect on you," Mistress Nine commented,
"Without your fancy magic, you really can't do much, can you... Serena?"
Serena looked at the ground, still shocked.
"Now, tell me who the princess is, or he shall die!" Mistress Nine screamed, the
dark sphere of energy forming in her hand again.
Finally gotten Serena's attention, she smiled, "Come on now, who is she?"
Serena gritted her teeth.
"Don't... tell her..." Darien managed to say in between painful breaths.
"Quiet, fool!" Mistress Nine screamed.
"I..." Serena said hesitantly.
"Well?" Mistress Nine prompted.
Serena stood up and looked up at the Mistress, "You're looking at her, witch."
'No,' Darien thought, 'It's too late...'
To his surprise, the evil mistress growled.
"You expect me to believe that?" she snarled, "I guess you really don't care about
the guy after all!"
With that, she threw the sphere at Darien.
"Darien!" Serena cried out.
* * *
"This must be the place!"
Sailor Venus turned to look at Sailor Mercury, "Are you sure?"
"This is sort of where Serena said it was..." Sailor Jupiter said.
"All right, let's get in there!" Sailor Mars said.
"Wait."
The four inner scouts turned around to find Sailor Pluto behind them.
"We mustn't be haste, Sailor Scouts," the Guardian of Time said, "I have a plan."
* * *
"No!" Darien cried out.
Serena fell against him, her body facing him, with her head leaning against his
shoulder.
"Serena..." he choked out.
He wanted to touch her, to hold her, but his wrists were still bounded to the
board.
"I'm..." Serena whispered, "I'm okay..."
She turned around, but not finding the strength to stand. She leaned her back
against Darien.
"You're defending him?" Mistress Nine asked, "I guess you're still in love with
the fool."
Serena looked up at her.
"You know nothing about love," she said, "Darien and I aren't in love, but that
doesn't mean I'll let you hurt him. He's my friend and I won't let you or anybody
take him away!
Darien's heart ached when he heard her words.
She wasn't in love with him anymore.
But he already knew that, didn't he?
As least she still cared about him...
"Fine," Mistress Nine, "You can die together then!"
She prepared yet another black wave of energy and raised it above her head.
Serena braced herself, still standing in front of Darien.
'Not again...' he thought, 'I'm not letting you get hurt because of me again...'
With all of his remaining strength, he pulled one of his arms loose, and the
black whip made a loud splitting sound as it snapped.
He grabbed Serena from behind and turned her backwards, so that he could shield
her with his body, with his back to Mistress Nine.
"No, Darien!" Serena cried, "You're already too hurt!"
He didn't move.
"You're so... beautiful, Serena," he said as he gave her a weak smile, "You
feel... so warm."
He held on to her tighter and leaned his forehead against her shoulder.
Then Serena saw everything go black behind Darien, as an explosion sounded him.
He groaned slightly, and fell against her.
"No," she whispered.
* * *
"Ready, scouts?" Pluto asked.
"Ready," Sailor Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus said.
They kneeled near the four corners of the mansion, trying to form a sort of
barrier around the building.
'I hope this works...' Pluto thought, 'This is the only way to neutralize the
powers of the dark crystal...'
* * *
"No!" Serena cried.
Darien fell to the ground.
Out of his jacket fell a rose.
Serena fell to her hands and knees, staring at the red flower, as its petals
began to fall off, one by one.
Tears sprung into her eyes.
"Darien!" she cried.
He didn't answer.
"Your turn, Sailor Moon!" Mistress Nine snarled.
Serena took hold of Darien's hand, "I..."
"Pluto... Deadly... Scream!"
Mistress Nine cried out in surprise when the purple globe hit her.
"What happened to my defensive shield!?" she demanded.
"Quick, Sailor Moon," Pluto called, "Transform!"
Serena stared at Darien, "Darien..."
"Come on, Sailor Moon!" Pluto said again.
Serena turned to Sailor Pluto, "I can't... There's some sort of-"
"Just do it!" Pluto commanded and placed a glowing object in Serena's hands,
"This is the Purity Chalice, formed from the pure hearts of Neptune, Uranus, and
myself. Now, say Moon Crisis Power."
"Right," Serena said with a nod, "Moon... Crisis... Power!"
Bright light surrounded her, and little pieces of light that looked like
butterflies flew around her.
Sailor Moon raised the Chalice high above her head and let its light hit every
corner of the mansion, while Mistress Nine shielded her eyes, crying in agony.
When the light was gone, the mansion had disappeared.
"Just as I suspected..." Pluto said, "It was all an illusion."
"You will pay for that..." Mistress Nine said angrily.
Pluto cried out in pain when a large sphere hit her squarely in the chest.
"Sailor Pluto!" Sailor Moon cried.
She suddenly recognized this place. It was the same platform, beside the cliff,
where they had fought the Doom Phantom.
This was the Dark Gate.
"Mars... Celestial... Fireballs... Surround!"
"Venus... Love chain... Encircle!"
The attacks were about to hit Mistress Nine when she suddenly teleported away.
Dark spheres of energy hit the two Sailor Scouts, and they cried out in surprise,
before falling to the ground beside Pluto.
"Shine... Aqua... Illusion!"
"Jupiter... Thunderclap... Zap!"
Their attacks appeared to enter into Mistress Nine's body, who laughed maniacally,
absorbing their power.
Then the Mistress blasted them with her dark energy.
Mercury and Jupiter screamed and hit the ground.
"I'm... too weak..." Sailor Mars said as she tried to get up.
'If only I had my sceptre...' Sailor Moon thought, 'But it's too far for me to
reach...'
"Now to finish you off," Mistress Nine said with an evil grin, while looming
over Sailor Pluto, "Let's start with you, old lady."
She floated towards the guardian of time and stared down at her, "This is for
breaking my illusive spell..."
Mistress Nine's body glowed a pure black colour as she prepared to strike
Sailor Pluto, who stared up at her in shock and fear.
* * *
"Huh, where am I?" Darien said.
He found himself lying on a large piece of crystal. He suddenly recognized this
place.
It was the crystal palace of the future.
"Prince Darien," a voice called out.
He squinted his eyes to find a tall man coming towards him.
"King Endymion?" he asked.
The man nodded.
"What am I doing in the future?" Darien asked, groaning as he touched his aching
head.
"This isn't the future," the future King replied, "This is your dream, and I
have come to tell you to wake up."
Darien shook his head, "I can't... I'm too weak. I can feel it."
The King stared at him, "Your time hasn't come yet. Just summon your strength
and you can do it."
Darien looked down, "What's the point? There's nothing waiting for me back in
reality. Serena's left me. There won't be a future, and I wouldn't become
king. You're not even supposed to exist."
King Endymion shook his head, "There's always a chance. The Princess may not
be in love with you now, but..."
Darien glanced up at his future self, "You mean... I still have a chance?"
"I can't tell you anything," the King said, "Except... Know that the two of you
cannot be together at this moment. There are too many obstacles."
Darien frowned.
"As for the princess's love..." the king continued, "You'll have to figure that one
out for yourself."
"I see..." Darien said slowly.
"You must go back," the king said, "Remember our destiny: To protect the princess
at all costs. That's our mission, regardless of how the princess feels towards
us..."
Darien nodded.
"Now," the king said, "Let me heal you."
* * *
Pluto braced herself for the attack.
'No, I must survive to protect the princess...' she thought, 'But I'm too weak to
move...'
"Moon... Tiara... Action!"
"What?" Mistress Nine stuttered as she turned around to find a glowing saucer
coming towards her.
Instead of hitting her, it made itself into a loop and circled the Mistress,
trapping her.
Mistress Nine screamed in anger, "Release me, Moon twit!"
"Uranus... World... Shaking!"
The orange circle hit the bound Mistress Nine and she screamed in horror, as
she flew towards the cliff.
"No!" Sailor Moon cried.
She ran towards Mistress Nine and grabbed on to her hand, right before she
fell into the deep valley.
"What are you doing?" Neptune cried, "Let go of her, Sailor Moon!"
"Erin's still in there!" Sailor Moon said, "I have to save her!"
"Leave her be!" Pluto shouted, "It's too dangerous, princess!"
Mistress Nine glared up at Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon was lying face down on the ground beside the cliff. She began to slide
towards the edge, unable to hold on much longer.
Sailor Neptune and Uranus ran to help her, but a strong gust of wind filled
with dark energy hit them, sending them flying and landing on the ground.
"I..." Sailor Moon stuttered, "I can't... hold on... anymore..."
Just then, a strong arm circled around her waist and pulled her back.
She gasped.
"Darien!" Sailor Moon exclaimed as she turned her head back, "You're... alive!"
Darien nodded and gave her a quick smile.
With his help, they lifted the dark Mistress back on to the surface.
"All right, Mistress Nine," Sailor Moon said, "Time to leave Erin's body."
She took out her old Creasant Wand.
"Moon... Healing... Activation!"
Mistress Nine screamed in pain, before dark energy was released from her body.
Her hair turned back to the light brown colour it once was, and shrank back to
its original length.
Erin fell to the ground.
Sailor Moon closed her eyes.
She was so tired...
She changed back to Serena and fell, feeling Darien's arms catch her before
falling into unconsciousness.
"Serena," he whispered, worried.
"She's all right," Sailor Mercury said as she limped over, "Just exhausted."
Darien nodded.
* * *
"She should wake up in morning," Sailor Neptune said, "Don't worry, Darien."
He still looked at the princess, concerned.
Then he stood up.
"I'm going to take off then," he said quietly.
The scouts watched as he began to walk to his car.
"How dare he!?" Sailor Mars said angrily, "Leaving like this? He was the one who
got us into this mess in the _first_ place!"
She stood up and ran to follow him.
"Don't be too harsh with him," Sailor Pluto said, "He's had a rough night."
"I don't care if he almost _died_!" the angry scout of fire said as she ran off.
"Hey, what happened?" a voice said behind the scouts.
All the Sailor Scouts turned around and found Ryan staring at Serena in horror.
"She's all right," Sailor Mercury said quickly, "Please take her home."
Ryan nodded dumbly.
She had asked him to wait in the car, but after almost half an hour, he had come
looking for her, wondering what was taking her so long.
Was there something about Serena that he didn't know?
* * *
"Darien!"
"Huh?" he said as he turned around to find Raye running towards him.
"What's the matter with you?" she demanded.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Back there!" Raye yelled, "You nearly got us all killed! Why didn't you listen
to Serena and stay away from Erin?"
"I..." Darien said.
"I know why, because you're a jerk!" Raye said, "Yeah, you heard me, you're
nothing but an arrogant jerk! You always think you're right, and you never
listen to anybody else. You're so used to Serena being in love with you that
you think she could never leave you."
Darien gaped at her in shock.
"You know," Raye continued, "I'm not surprised Serena broke up with you at all!
What makes me wonder is what took her so long to give up on you!"
She stopped when she noticed all the pain and hurt in Darien's eyes.
Amy had appeared behind her, "Raye..."
"I..." Raye said, putting a hand over her mouth, "I'm sorry, Darien. I didn't
mean that..."
A gust of wind hit them.
"No..." Darien said quietly, "You're right. I've been so stupid, thinking Serena
could ever be in love with me... She should have left me a lot sooner. She spent
way too much of her energy on me..."
"No, Darien," Raye said, "No... You're... I mean... I didn't mean it..."
Darien shook his head and gave her a sad smile, "Thanks for telling me the truth,
Raye. Who can ever love someone like me?"
He turned around and walked to his car, while Raye and Amy exchanged worried
glances.
"I feel _awful_..." Raye said.
Amy frowned.
"Let's hope he doesn't do something stupid..." she said worriedly.
Author's Notes:
Wow, so many nice reviews for the
last chapter! I was so touched!
I spent a ton of time on this chapter.
It's actually more like two chapters,
considering its length.
Hope you enjoyed that.
Only one more chapter to go!
Should they get together? :)
Thanks for reading and please review :)
