I started right away on this chapter after posting Kisses, so I hope to be
finished with it in the next week or two. It will end with my Epilogue
after this chapter, then I am off to greater things! Ok, so it is only
"Almond Pride", but it is the story of my Lord, so there! Oh and once
again I am TOTALLY messing up the timeline of SM, but I wanted to do this
and there was no way to go back and mess with things to make it fit, so
there! I mean, I KNOW I like skipped two seasons, but hey, I can do it. .
. AuThOr PoWeR!!! ^_^
IMPORTANT: Later on, I use a made up attack for Saturn. This is a description of it for those people who like to 'visualize':
1) Saturn Wave. . . DESTRUCTION!- [created by Sailor Saturn (of Beyond Sailor Moon group on yahoo)] A huge ball of energy forms in her hands, and on the ground around her, a ring of energy forms. She holds the energy ball over her head and the rings on the ground jump and circle around the energy ball. She throws the energy at a monster. . . imagine the outers attacks, you know how they look like their planets? And here's the best part. . . If the target tries to stop the attack by launching their own attack at it, the blast absorbs its energy and becomes stronger. This is her ultimate attack.
Woo Hoo! Lets get to replying to reviewers, shall we?:
Kjhlk: S/D. I seriously thought about making it a S/J, but I stuck with my original intent. You'll see what happens with Jesse, hopefully in this chapter!
Princess-MoonBunny: Wow! I couldn't wait, either! OMG, Look! We don't have to wait anymore because the next chapter is here! YAY!
Jing: Don't we all wanna know what happens next! LoL, I think that this is the only time I have really had an actually cliff hanger-y cliff hanger, to be honest. I feel. . . empowered. . . Oh goodness. Is that good???
~ ~ = thoughts and ~*~*~*~*~*~ = POV/scene change
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, any of the other characters in that series, or any of Lesley Gore's song, so don't sue, you won't get a red cent. . . maybe a dog or two, but no money. On the other hand, I DO own Jesse, for I created him with my own little ole mind, Kyra, and any of the other characters that aren't from Sailor Moon! Any web sites people want to visit that I have put here (for whatever reason) will have to have the spaces taken out 'cause it wouldn't upload right w/o them! Sorry!
"I Can Cry if I Want To" Part II, Chapter 3: Kisses
Last time on ICCIIWT:
Amy had followed them. . . "My name is Dave". . . Nothing interesting was going on with the couple. . .
~*FLASH!*~
"Would the fair Princess care to dance?". . . Serena and Haruka got thirsty. . . Serena decided to hang around. . . "Darien, why don't you ever kiss me?". . . He in no way intended to ever kiss Kyra. . . Saw Serena in plain view. . . Surprised Darien with a full on kiss. . .
~*FLASH!*~
Serena had seen the whole thing. . . . "What did I do wrong that he stopped loving me?". . . "You are perfect". . . She went up on tip-toe and gave him a kiss. . . "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!". . . He punched Jesse. . . Did not strike back. . . "How dare you". . . She slapped him so hard he fell. . .
~*FLASH!*~
Kyra came over to talk to Jesse. . . "Darien's punch didn't phase you too much". . . She batted her eyelashes. . . "Don't you EVER come near me or Serena again". . .
~*~*~*~*~*~
Serena just looked up at Mina in a blank stare. Out of the blue, her face turned to one of anger. "Do you think that is FUNNY? Because you look over love, and you can keep a boyfriend, you think you can play cruel jokes on me?" Serena was getting so upset that Setsuna, Haruka, and Lita had to hold her down.
Mina looked at her in surprise, "Serena, I would never do that to you! I just saw Kyra in the street! She was bawling her eyes out mumbling things about 'No one EVER dumps ME' and so on! Honest! I didn't think she even really liked him, but she must not enjoy being the dumpee. . ."
"Sere, look," Amy rationalized. "Would Mina ever do something like that to one of her best friends? Come on now." Serena looked up, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.
"I guess not." She jumped up and tackled Mina in a giant bear hug, knocking the two over. "I'm so sorry! I must just not be totally over it. I think I will be ok though. Jesse is here for me, and you guys also." She gave a small smile. "You guys wanna see a movie or something?"
On the way to the theatre, they ran into Kyra, still a bit messed previous tirade. "You [insert bad mouthed word!]! You are the cause of all of this! You are why Darien was never fully under my influence!" She tried to jump Serena, only to be stopped by a hard shove from her.
"Get a grip, ok? This is so not my fault and if you can't take that, then it isn't MY fault." She turned and left, followed by her friends, leaving Kyra seething mad.
Kyra turned, trying to think of how to pay the little twit back when she came across a tall, slender, red-haired woman with a dark look to her eyes. "I think I could help you."
~*~*~*~*~*~
After the movies, the nine girls split ways to go home. Serena called Jesse from a pay phone and he came to pick her up in front of the arcade. "What's up? You look like something's bothering you."
"Well, I'm not sure. Darien split up with Kyra, and I don't know what to make of it. What do you think?" She saw that Jesse seemed to be in deep thought about the event, and he didn't stir for a full five minutes. When he finally did, he asked, "What do YOU think?" Serena just gave him a funny look and said, "Never mind. You wanna go for a walk? We could go to the park or something."
"Sure! Lets stop at a drugstore and pick up some bread to feed the ducks or something!" And they drove off.
At the lake, Serena and Jesse had a great time chasing the poor, defenseless ducks and occasional pigeon. They collapsed laughing onto the grass.
"That was super fun!" Serena exclaimed. "I haven't done anything that crazy since me, Lita, Raye, and Mina threw raw eggs at my brother and his friends!!!" Jesse tilted his head. ~That's not a bad idea.~
As they were ready to leave, something jumped out from a large tree in front of the couple. Upon further investigation, Serena concluded it was a very strange youma. It seemed to give off an almost human aura, but still, she and Jesse could be in danger, so she had to act fast. "Uh, Jesse? I left my purse in your car. It has a can of mace. Be a dear and run and get it while I distract this thing until Sailor Moon arrives?" she demanded with a sweet grin. He nodded a bit bemusedly and complied.
~Whew. . . Better call the girls.~
Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!
She whipped out her communicator and hit 'All Call'. "Hurry! I need you to get to the park. Different youma, giving off strange human 'signals' I would call it! I don't wanna kill it just yet. . ." She slipped it back into her pocket just in time to dodge a mauve blast of energy.
"So little, pathetic Serena is really Sailor Moon! This should be more fun that I anticipated!" the youma screeched out. That is when Sailor Moon knew. ~That's Kyra! What happened to her?!~
She was slightly larger than human form, her pink hair long, flowing, and tendril-like. Sailor Moon didn't know why she didn't see it in the first place, for even as a youma, she was a very pretty one. "Kyra, we don't have to do this," Sailor Moon warned. "I could demolish you in an instant. The fact that you are part human is the only thing keeping me from killing you right now!"
To that Kyra-youma smirked. "You couldn't put a scratch on me. Queen Beryl has provided we well with great power! Enough to surpass even you and your senshi!"
~Somehow, I doubt that. . .~ But she was very careful anyway. "Well, I tried to talk it out."
Moon Tiara. . . MAGIC!
Kyra was throw back, but she was still in the game. "Is that all you have?"
"Sailor Moon!" The girls had arrived, and right behind them was Tuxedo Mask and Shadow. "Wow, that was fast. Mercury, do a scan, quick! That's Kyra in there! I don't want to have to kill a human!"
"Sailor Moon, you're right! That Is Kyra! What should we do?" Mercury was panicking. They had never faced this problem of humans before.
"Kyra? What happened?" Tuxedo Mask was still in slight shock. "Who did this?"
Shadow spoke up, "Beryl did. She fed upon her weakened state when you, uh, dumped her. Now I guess she is back for revenge." Sailor Moon continued. "That's right. She started attacking me even before I transformed. She was out to get me for splitting you two up, not that I did or anything."
Understanding dawned upon Youma-Kyra. "Darien? DARIEN?! YOU SHALL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID! AHHHHHHHH!" She hurtled a fist full of the Dark energy at him.
Dark Moon Heartbreak. . . SUPREME!
Tuxedo Mask deflected the attack with a Rose Petal Shield.
Shadow saw another attack forming, and cut it off.
Shadowed Time Span. . . IMMOBILITIZATION!
He turned back to the girls. "I gave you all power, now do what you heart tells you!" yelled Shadow, referring to their last encounter. "Do what feels right." And he stood back to watch.
~What on Earth? I feel it!~ Sailor Moon could almost taste the words she had to say.
Moon Eternal Power, Make Up!
In a wave of blinding light, Sailor Moon had transformed into Eternal Sailor Moon. The others stood, watching in awe. One by one, the other senshi began to feel what they had to do.
Mercury. . . Venus. . . Mars. . . Jupiter. . . Saturn. . . Uranus. . . Neptune. . . Pluto. . .
Eternal Power, Make Up!
Swirls of light energy surrounded the circle of senshi as they were transformed into Eternal Senshi. "Cool beans!" Tuxedo Mask exclaimed happily.
"What just happened, Mercury?" questioned Jupiter. "We just got a lot more power is what I think. We better start using it!" Sailor Moon nodded. "Thank you Shadow. We owe you big time! But still, do we kill her, or what? It would be wrong."
Sailor Pluto jumped in. "Just do what you know how to do."
In all of the confusion, Youma-Kyra was momentarily forgotten. ~Hey! What about me!~
Dark Moon Heartbreak. . . SUPREME!
Mars saw the attack coming and took it upon herself to neutralize it. In a flourish of red, she harnessed her new power.
Mars Flame. . . SNIPER!
The arrow of flames quickly split the Dark energy sending it into space where it could do no harm.
Mercury Aqua. . . RHAPSODY!
All of the Senshi watched in awe as Mercury danced around happily singing, "My attack HURT! My attack HURT! That was my first actual hurt-the-enemy attack! WOO HOO! Happy Dance!"
Everyone sweat-dropped at her antics, and she suddenly stopped, back to business.
Venus Love and Beauty. . . SHOCK!
Jupiter Oak. . . EVOLUTION!
Youma-Kyra stumbled at all of the power aimed at her, but wasn't finished yet. "She's breaking down!" said Neptune.
"Lets see what a Death Senshi can do. . ." said Saturn.
Saturn Wave. . . DESTRUCTION!
Uranus smirked when she felt a new power, a talisman. She called it forth, the power her heart said to use, followed by Neptune.
Uranus Space. . . BLASTER!
Neptune Submarine. . . REFLECTION!
Pluto Chronos. . . Typhoon!
Pluto felt the power of her Grandfather flow through her as she whispered her attack, demolishing all in her path, and causing great damage to Youma- Kyra. (AN: Ok, so is it obvious Pluto is my favorite?!)
"Sailor Moon," Pluto said in a deadly voice. "Finnish this."
Starlight Honeymoon Therapy. . . KISS!
(AN: And I don't care if it's from Stars, I'm using it! ^_^;;;)
Youma-Kyra was hit with the wave of pure light energy and was greatly diminished, changing back into her human form and crumpling to the ground. "Why? Why did he leave me for YOU?" Kyra whimpered.
Sailor Moon looked pityingly down at her. "I honestly don't know, but revenge is not the way to win him back." Kyra looked up at her with a look of disgust upon her face. "No, I never wanted him BACK. I never really liked him! It is just my way to be better than other people! And the fact that he chose you over me disgruntles me!" she jumped up and hurtled herself again towards Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Mask jumped in, grabbing Kyra by the shoulders.
"Kyra! Do you want to know why I didn't stay with you? You had no feeling for me and I knew it! I couldn't be with someone so self centered as you. Serena hasn't a mean bone in her body, and if I could, I would choose her over you in an instant, and that is because I love her. You need to find that special person to feel that deeply for, also." He let go, for she had stood stark still the whole speech, and left, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, not looking back as Sailor Moon watched him go. ~He still loves me?~
~*~*~*~*~*~
After the Kyra attack, Serena went home with Raye to have a sleepover with the Inner scouts. The others were busy training, feeling particularly lazy for not have practiced since arriving in Tokyo.
"So what do you think will happen now?' Lita was asking her, obviously about the earlier episode of undying love. Serena didn't get a chance to answer, however, because her cell phone began to ring.
"Let it go. You need to rest," suggested Raye, but Serena saw that it was Jesse, so she answered. "Hello?" She heard a male voice on the other end. "Hey. Meet me in the park? I have some. . . news." Jesse was being evasive, and she knew it, but she obliged.
"Girls, cover for me? It should only take a half hour." And after four grudging nods, she leapt gracefully out the second story window. She ran as fast as possible to the park, knowing where he would be. As she suspected, he was on the bench facing the water fountain, spitting up water from a tall spout, causing a light mist at the bottom.
"Serena, I have some good and bad news." He patted the concrete slab next to him, offering for her to sit down. "Jesse, what's the matter?"
He sighed, and nodded in the negative. "Here, listen to some good news. My grandfather phoned me and told me I have been accepted into the literature school I always dreamed of getting into." Serena smiled. "That's wonderful! What is the name? Is it around Tokyo?"
Jesse hesitated, knowing what came next. "Serena, that is sort of the bad news. It's in London." Her brilliant smile faltered, and she began more questions.
"When do you have to leave? How long will you be there? Will I ever see you again?" She didn't want to start crying, but she felt a small tear trickle out anyway. ~Emotions are never well spent, because hearts are broken no matter what. No! That isn't the way a Soldier of Love and Justice should think! Love is out there, I just have to find it! I will find it, if it is the last thing I do.~
"I will be leaving tomorrow at noon, and I won't be returning for a long time. They are very intense and I won't be out for many breaks, none long enough to come visit. I'm sorry. Maybe I will see you someday." He stood up, offering her a hand, also. She gladly accepted and he gave her a brief hug and a small kiss on the forehead. "Come see me off at the airport tomorrow?" he pleaded. "I'll be there."
Serena turned and walked all the way back to the Temple, holding in any tears that threatened to spill. ~I am always left in the cold by men.~
~*~*~*~*~*~
When she arrived back at the temple, she was too tired to stay up later than just long enough to relay the story to her friends before passing out into deep sleep.
While she was asleep, she had a dream. It started out very pleasantly, to be honest. 'Hmmm. . .' she thought in her sleep. 'A wedding! How wonderful!' She noticed that people were congratulating her, and she was z bit confused at this. Then she looked down at herself, seeing that she was wearing a big, white bridal gown. "Oh!" she squealed in surprise, "It's MY wedding! I wonder who I'm marrying!" She was happy as she began walking towards the ceremony.
As she began walking down the aisle, she saw the groom waiting near the altar, but she couldn't see through the veil who the man was. She was walking in time to the music, and just as the song ended, she turned to her husband-to-be. She let out a small gasp. Darien. None the less, she was pleased, for this was the ceremony she had always dreamed of.
They went through the traditional speeches, and just as they were both about to say there "I do's" and Darien made an attempt to pull her closer, an unknown force ripped her away. Serena screamed in pain as she was drawn further and further away, feeling as if she was dying a thousand deaths, only to hear a deep voice coming from everywhere, and yet from nowhere.
"Stay away from her or she shall die. . .!"
Serena bolted upright in bed, too terrified to close her eyes anymore that night.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Darien woke up suddenly. "Oh God, not again." ~I am probably getting it because I admitted to still loving her. What more can I do to protect her?!~ But he also had another feeling. "She had it too. I can feel her fear." Instinctively, he got up, got dressed, and headed towards 'their spot'.
All along the way, he kept going over how he should handle the situation, for once in his life not sure of what came next. From since he left the orphanage at the age of fifteen, he always knew he would go to school, get a job to pay for living provisions, and then go to college. ~I have to admit, I don't like this feeling much at all.~
He soon arrived at the park and walked through the large iron gates, heading straight to the unmistakable scent of roses. He wound his way through he maze of hedges to reach the bench secluded in the middle with a great view of the nearby lake. What he wasn't prepared to see, however, was Serena sitting there, having arrived there before him, as if called there the same way he had been.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Serena heard him walk up, but didn't make a move to look at him. She heard him come over and sit next to her, and after a while of silence, he spoke. "The, uh, dream. You had it, too, didn't you?" She looked at him, surprised that he seemed to know of it.
"How. . .?" but then she realized how. "You had it tonight, also? Could you not sleep afterwards?"
Darien nodded. "I could never sleep after that dream. Every time, I would wake up and be afraid to lay back down in case I had it again."
"Every time? You've had it before? As in, multiple? Geez, that's horrible!" He looked straight at her. "For the longest time. It's why I broke up with you, you know. I had these dreams for two whole months before that. Getting worse and more gruesome each time, always with that same warning."
He hung his head in shame, as Serena jumped in. "Nothing was going to come get me! For God's sake, do you think I can't protect myself? That you wouldn't be able to help protect me? The girls would never let anything happen to me, even!" She didn't mean to be so harsh, but she had to get this point across to him, or he would keep entertaining the idea of her dying from being near him.
"Darien, I loved you. So much. I would die forever, if it meant I could be with you beforehand. Living without you would be much worse that what the dreams showed." She was surprised that she meant it. She meant it all. ~Kind of invigorating!~ she thought with a little smile. He finally looked back up, into her blue eyes and realized that he had been wrong, and he needed to make it all up to her.
"Serena, I'm so sorry. For everything. For, for, Kyra, being such a jerk, and for making you think I didn't care about you."
The couple sat there until morning, watching the sunrise together and then going to the arcade for breakfast. (AN: Do they even SERVE breakfast there?!) Needless to say, everyone was happy that they had gotten back together, but the senshi were not very happy to have woken up with their leader gone, without a trace.
"MEATBALL HEAD, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??? WE HAVE BEEN SO WORRIED!!!" Raye bellowed after all of the happy we're-back-together-greatness was over with.
"Aw, Raye, you really DO love me!" Serena giggled, prying herself from Darien to tackle Raye in a bear-hug, which was joined by a giddy Mina and then Lita, and finally Amy. "GET OFFA ME!" Raye yelled, but she did so in happiness. ~Everything is right again. Everything.~
In a nearby booth, Hotaru, Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru were all taking in the scene and talking. Haruka looked at Setsuna and said, "You knew it would work out. I could hate you forever for not easing our minds." Setsuna just smiled her elusive smile. "Why would I tell you when it is more fun to watch you squirm? And have I ever let you down before? If it was important, I would have let you guys in on it!"
Serena looked at the clock. ~11:00. I better get going.~ "Darien, do you want to come with me?" She had already discussed Jesse's leaving with him and her seeing him off. "No, you should go alone." He gave her a wink. "I trust you with him!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Serena decided to walk to the station, Thor in tow. She got there early, and waited at the right platform. At ten to noon, Jesse came huffing up.
"Sorry, I was caught in traffic. Hey! You brought Thor!" He bent down to play with the big puppy. Serena decide she would tell him of her and Darien. "Jesse, I have some news for you, too. I got back together with Darien. I hope it doesn't bother you. . ."
He shook his head. "I thought he was more suited to you. I really care for you, but he LOVES you." Serena smiled, glad he agreed. "Jesse, there Is one other thing." She handed the dog's leash to him while she went in her bag for some papers. "I want you to take Thor with you. To remember me by. Here's all of his ownership papers and everything and a list of some dog foods he likes and doesn't and his toys. . ." She handed him a bag packed with all of the puppy's favorite toys and treats.
"No, Serena, I bought him for you." She shook her head. "He will give you company plus, as I said, I want you to remember me." Jesse finally agreed to take him, and after the announcement for his flight, he boarded after giving Serena one last kiss on her cheek, her doing the same for him. She waved as the plane took off, and headed back to her friends.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Pluto looked at the window of the present. "Looks like everything is headed for the better side of the future. Thanks for helping me with this."
She looked at the man standing beside her, the Shadow of Time and her long lost love. He smiled at her. "You know I could never let you down. You know, I really liked her. She was kind hearted." He thought for a minute and then asked, "Why couldn't you tell Uranus about me anyway? I mean, she almost had a right to know, because it's not like she isn't a senshi, and she was very persistent."
Pluto giggled a bit, "If I let her get information out of me then, she would get into the habit of pestering it out of me later in other scenarios! And I DO have a reputation to hold up."
Pluto had returned to the Gates of Time soon after the defeat of Kyra and putting her King and Queen back together, with a promise that she could be called on whenever she was needed. She could leave for battles or for girls' night out, just so long as someone was always there, watching the Gates for her. This gave her a lot of freedom, for Shadow was always near and willing to take on the duty, and even if he wasn't, Luna or Artemis were always there, also.
~*~*~*~*~*~
OK! That was my last chapter in this part! I'm so happy I got it done, with all of the time it takes to read for my one class this summer! Sorry about the totally long wait, but it couldn't be helped! Ok, maybe it could have been, but this is when I finished, so this was when I posted! Also, check out my other story (it's a 1 shot I did for a Yahoo group). It needs total revising though. You'll see why. The last half is ok written in my opinion, but the first half is kinda choppy. Ok, go read it, and review it telling me what you think! Oh, and review THIS story too!
Also, if there are any of you who like RPGs, take a look at Dreaming Moon. We are in serious need of players. It is a SM genie group on yahoo, and we need players for masters. Long story, but if anyone wants to join, please, go take a look. The site is: http:// groups. yahoo.com/ group/ dreaming_moon/ . We all from the group would appreciate anyone joining and taking on a character!
Much thanks to everyone, and remember, the epilogue will come after this. Not promising WHEN, but it will come. Ciao!
~*Lil-PrincessK*~
IMPORTANT: Later on, I use a made up attack for Saturn. This is a description of it for those people who like to 'visualize':
1) Saturn Wave. . . DESTRUCTION!- [created by Sailor Saturn (of Beyond Sailor Moon group on yahoo)] A huge ball of energy forms in her hands, and on the ground around her, a ring of energy forms. She holds the energy ball over her head and the rings on the ground jump and circle around the energy ball. She throws the energy at a monster. . . imagine the outers attacks, you know how they look like their planets? And here's the best part. . . If the target tries to stop the attack by launching their own attack at it, the blast absorbs its energy and becomes stronger. This is her ultimate attack.
Woo Hoo! Lets get to replying to reviewers, shall we?:
Kjhlk: S/D. I seriously thought about making it a S/J, but I stuck with my original intent. You'll see what happens with Jesse, hopefully in this chapter!
Princess-MoonBunny: Wow! I couldn't wait, either! OMG, Look! We don't have to wait anymore because the next chapter is here! YAY!
Jing: Don't we all wanna know what happens next! LoL, I think that this is the only time I have really had an actually cliff hanger-y cliff hanger, to be honest. I feel. . . empowered. . . Oh goodness. Is that good???
~ ~ = thoughts and ~*~*~*~*~*~ = POV/scene change
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, any of the other characters in that series, or any of Lesley Gore's song, so don't sue, you won't get a red cent. . . maybe a dog or two, but no money. On the other hand, I DO own Jesse, for I created him with my own little ole mind, Kyra, and any of the other characters that aren't from Sailor Moon! Any web sites people want to visit that I have put here (for whatever reason) will have to have the spaces taken out 'cause it wouldn't upload right w/o them! Sorry!
"I Can Cry if I Want To" Part II, Chapter 3: Kisses
Last time on ICCIIWT:
Amy had followed them. . . "My name is Dave". . . Nothing interesting was going on with the couple. . .
~*FLASH!*~
"Would the fair Princess care to dance?". . . Serena and Haruka got thirsty. . . Serena decided to hang around. . . "Darien, why don't you ever kiss me?". . . He in no way intended to ever kiss Kyra. . . Saw Serena in plain view. . . Surprised Darien with a full on kiss. . .
~*FLASH!*~
Serena had seen the whole thing. . . . "What did I do wrong that he stopped loving me?". . . "You are perfect". . . She went up on tip-toe and gave him a kiss. . . "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!". . . He punched Jesse. . . Did not strike back. . . "How dare you". . . She slapped him so hard he fell. . .
~*FLASH!*~
Kyra came over to talk to Jesse. . . "Darien's punch didn't phase you too much". . . She batted her eyelashes. . . "Don't you EVER come near me or Serena again". . .
~*~*~*~*~*~
Serena just looked up at Mina in a blank stare. Out of the blue, her face turned to one of anger. "Do you think that is FUNNY? Because you look over love, and you can keep a boyfriend, you think you can play cruel jokes on me?" Serena was getting so upset that Setsuna, Haruka, and Lita had to hold her down.
Mina looked at her in surprise, "Serena, I would never do that to you! I just saw Kyra in the street! She was bawling her eyes out mumbling things about 'No one EVER dumps ME' and so on! Honest! I didn't think she even really liked him, but she must not enjoy being the dumpee. . ."
"Sere, look," Amy rationalized. "Would Mina ever do something like that to one of her best friends? Come on now." Serena looked up, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.
"I guess not." She jumped up and tackled Mina in a giant bear hug, knocking the two over. "I'm so sorry! I must just not be totally over it. I think I will be ok though. Jesse is here for me, and you guys also." She gave a small smile. "You guys wanna see a movie or something?"
On the way to the theatre, they ran into Kyra, still a bit messed previous tirade. "You [insert bad mouthed word!]! You are the cause of all of this! You are why Darien was never fully under my influence!" She tried to jump Serena, only to be stopped by a hard shove from her.
"Get a grip, ok? This is so not my fault and if you can't take that, then it isn't MY fault." She turned and left, followed by her friends, leaving Kyra seething mad.
Kyra turned, trying to think of how to pay the little twit back when she came across a tall, slender, red-haired woman with a dark look to her eyes. "I think I could help you."
~*~*~*~*~*~
After the movies, the nine girls split ways to go home. Serena called Jesse from a pay phone and he came to pick her up in front of the arcade. "What's up? You look like something's bothering you."
"Well, I'm not sure. Darien split up with Kyra, and I don't know what to make of it. What do you think?" She saw that Jesse seemed to be in deep thought about the event, and he didn't stir for a full five minutes. When he finally did, he asked, "What do YOU think?" Serena just gave him a funny look and said, "Never mind. You wanna go for a walk? We could go to the park or something."
"Sure! Lets stop at a drugstore and pick up some bread to feed the ducks or something!" And they drove off.
At the lake, Serena and Jesse had a great time chasing the poor, defenseless ducks and occasional pigeon. They collapsed laughing onto the grass.
"That was super fun!" Serena exclaimed. "I haven't done anything that crazy since me, Lita, Raye, and Mina threw raw eggs at my brother and his friends!!!" Jesse tilted his head. ~That's not a bad idea.~
As they were ready to leave, something jumped out from a large tree in front of the couple. Upon further investigation, Serena concluded it was a very strange youma. It seemed to give off an almost human aura, but still, she and Jesse could be in danger, so she had to act fast. "Uh, Jesse? I left my purse in your car. It has a can of mace. Be a dear and run and get it while I distract this thing until Sailor Moon arrives?" she demanded with a sweet grin. He nodded a bit bemusedly and complied.
~Whew. . . Better call the girls.~
Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!
She whipped out her communicator and hit 'All Call'. "Hurry! I need you to get to the park. Different youma, giving off strange human 'signals' I would call it! I don't wanna kill it just yet. . ." She slipped it back into her pocket just in time to dodge a mauve blast of energy.
"So little, pathetic Serena is really Sailor Moon! This should be more fun that I anticipated!" the youma screeched out. That is when Sailor Moon knew. ~That's Kyra! What happened to her?!~
She was slightly larger than human form, her pink hair long, flowing, and tendril-like. Sailor Moon didn't know why she didn't see it in the first place, for even as a youma, she was a very pretty one. "Kyra, we don't have to do this," Sailor Moon warned. "I could demolish you in an instant. The fact that you are part human is the only thing keeping me from killing you right now!"
To that Kyra-youma smirked. "You couldn't put a scratch on me. Queen Beryl has provided we well with great power! Enough to surpass even you and your senshi!"
~Somehow, I doubt that. . .~ But she was very careful anyway. "Well, I tried to talk it out."
Moon Tiara. . . MAGIC!
Kyra was throw back, but she was still in the game. "Is that all you have?"
"Sailor Moon!" The girls had arrived, and right behind them was Tuxedo Mask and Shadow. "Wow, that was fast. Mercury, do a scan, quick! That's Kyra in there! I don't want to have to kill a human!"
"Sailor Moon, you're right! That Is Kyra! What should we do?" Mercury was panicking. They had never faced this problem of humans before.
"Kyra? What happened?" Tuxedo Mask was still in slight shock. "Who did this?"
Shadow spoke up, "Beryl did. She fed upon her weakened state when you, uh, dumped her. Now I guess she is back for revenge." Sailor Moon continued. "That's right. She started attacking me even before I transformed. She was out to get me for splitting you two up, not that I did or anything."
Understanding dawned upon Youma-Kyra. "Darien? DARIEN?! YOU SHALL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID! AHHHHHHHH!" She hurtled a fist full of the Dark energy at him.
Dark Moon Heartbreak. . . SUPREME!
Tuxedo Mask deflected the attack with a Rose Petal Shield.
Shadow saw another attack forming, and cut it off.
Shadowed Time Span. . . IMMOBILITIZATION!
He turned back to the girls. "I gave you all power, now do what you heart tells you!" yelled Shadow, referring to their last encounter. "Do what feels right." And he stood back to watch.
~What on Earth? I feel it!~ Sailor Moon could almost taste the words she had to say.
Moon Eternal Power, Make Up!
In a wave of blinding light, Sailor Moon had transformed into Eternal Sailor Moon. The others stood, watching in awe. One by one, the other senshi began to feel what they had to do.
Mercury. . . Venus. . . Mars. . . Jupiter. . . Saturn. . . Uranus. . . Neptune. . . Pluto. . .
Eternal Power, Make Up!
Swirls of light energy surrounded the circle of senshi as they were transformed into Eternal Senshi. "Cool beans!" Tuxedo Mask exclaimed happily.
"What just happened, Mercury?" questioned Jupiter. "We just got a lot more power is what I think. We better start using it!" Sailor Moon nodded. "Thank you Shadow. We owe you big time! But still, do we kill her, or what? It would be wrong."
Sailor Pluto jumped in. "Just do what you know how to do."
In all of the confusion, Youma-Kyra was momentarily forgotten. ~Hey! What about me!~
Dark Moon Heartbreak. . . SUPREME!
Mars saw the attack coming and took it upon herself to neutralize it. In a flourish of red, she harnessed her new power.
Mars Flame. . . SNIPER!
The arrow of flames quickly split the Dark energy sending it into space where it could do no harm.
Mercury Aqua. . . RHAPSODY!
All of the Senshi watched in awe as Mercury danced around happily singing, "My attack HURT! My attack HURT! That was my first actual hurt-the-enemy attack! WOO HOO! Happy Dance!"
Everyone sweat-dropped at her antics, and she suddenly stopped, back to business.
Venus Love and Beauty. . . SHOCK!
Jupiter Oak. . . EVOLUTION!
Youma-Kyra stumbled at all of the power aimed at her, but wasn't finished yet. "She's breaking down!" said Neptune.
"Lets see what a Death Senshi can do. . ." said Saturn.
Saturn Wave. . . DESTRUCTION!
Uranus smirked when she felt a new power, a talisman. She called it forth, the power her heart said to use, followed by Neptune.
Uranus Space. . . BLASTER!
Neptune Submarine. . . REFLECTION!
Pluto Chronos. . . Typhoon!
Pluto felt the power of her Grandfather flow through her as she whispered her attack, demolishing all in her path, and causing great damage to Youma- Kyra. (AN: Ok, so is it obvious Pluto is my favorite?!)
"Sailor Moon," Pluto said in a deadly voice. "Finnish this."
Starlight Honeymoon Therapy. . . KISS!
(AN: And I don't care if it's from Stars, I'm using it! ^_^;;;)
Youma-Kyra was hit with the wave of pure light energy and was greatly diminished, changing back into her human form and crumpling to the ground. "Why? Why did he leave me for YOU?" Kyra whimpered.
Sailor Moon looked pityingly down at her. "I honestly don't know, but revenge is not the way to win him back." Kyra looked up at her with a look of disgust upon her face. "No, I never wanted him BACK. I never really liked him! It is just my way to be better than other people! And the fact that he chose you over me disgruntles me!" she jumped up and hurtled herself again towards Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Mask jumped in, grabbing Kyra by the shoulders.
"Kyra! Do you want to know why I didn't stay with you? You had no feeling for me and I knew it! I couldn't be with someone so self centered as you. Serena hasn't a mean bone in her body, and if I could, I would choose her over you in an instant, and that is because I love her. You need to find that special person to feel that deeply for, also." He let go, for she had stood stark still the whole speech, and left, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, not looking back as Sailor Moon watched him go. ~He still loves me?~
~*~*~*~*~*~
After the Kyra attack, Serena went home with Raye to have a sleepover with the Inner scouts. The others were busy training, feeling particularly lazy for not have practiced since arriving in Tokyo.
"So what do you think will happen now?' Lita was asking her, obviously about the earlier episode of undying love. Serena didn't get a chance to answer, however, because her cell phone began to ring.
"Let it go. You need to rest," suggested Raye, but Serena saw that it was Jesse, so she answered. "Hello?" She heard a male voice on the other end. "Hey. Meet me in the park? I have some. . . news." Jesse was being evasive, and she knew it, but she obliged.
"Girls, cover for me? It should only take a half hour." And after four grudging nods, she leapt gracefully out the second story window. She ran as fast as possible to the park, knowing where he would be. As she suspected, he was on the bench facing the water fountain, spitting up water from a tall spout, causing a light mist at the bottom.
"Serena, I have some good and bad news." He patted the concrete slab next to him, offering for her to sit down. "Jesse, what's the matter?"
He sighed, and nodded in the negative. "Here, listen to some good news. My grandfather phoned me and told me I have been accepted into the literature school I always dreamed of getting into." Serena smiled. "That's wonderful! What is the name? Is it around Tokyo?"
Jesse hesitated, knowing what came next. "Serena, that is sort of the bad news. It's in London." Her brilliant smile faltered, and she began more questions.
"When do you have to leave? How long will you be there? Will I ever see you again?" She didn't want to start crying, but she felt a small tear trickle out anyway. ~Emotions are never well spent, because hearts are broken no matter what. No! That isn't the way a Soldier of Love and Justice should think! Love is out there, I just have to find it! I will find it, if it is the last thing I do.~
"I will be leaving tomorrow at noon, and I won't be returning for a long time. They are very intense and I won't be out for many breaks, none long enough to come visit. I'm sorry. Maybe I will see you someday." He stood up, offering her a hand, also. She gladly accepted and he gave her a brief hug and a small kiss on the forehead. "Come see me off at the airport tomorrow?" he pleaded. "I'll be there."
Serena turned and walked all the way back to the Temple, holding in any tears that threatened to spill. ~I am always left in the cold by men.~
~*~*~*~*~*~
When she arrived back at the temple, she was too tired to stay up later than just long enough to relay the story to her friends before passing out into deep sleep.
While she was asleep, she had a dream. It started out very pleasantly, to be honest. 'Hmmm. . .' she thought in her sleep. 'A wedding! How wonderful!' She noticed that people were congratulating her, and she was z bit confused at this. Then she looked down at herself, seeing that she was wearing a big, white bridal gown. "Oh!" she squealed in surprise, "It's MY wedding! I wonder who I'm marrying!" She was happy as she began walking towards the ceremony.
As she began walking down the aisle, she saw the groom waiting near the altar, but she couldn't see through the veil who the man was. She was walking in time to the music, and just as the song ended, she turned to her husband-to-be. She let out a small gasp. Darien. None the less, she was pleased, for this was the ceremony she had always dreamed of.
They went through the traditional speeches, and just as they were both about to say there "I do's" and Darien made an attempt to pull her closer, an unknown force ripped her away. Serena screamed in pain as she was drawn further and further away, feeling as if she was dying a thousand deaths, only to hear a deep voice coming from everywhere, and yet from nowhere.
"Stay away from her or she shall die. . .!"
Serena bolted upright in bed, too terrified to close her eyes anymore that night.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Darien woke up suddenly. "Oh God, not again." ~I am probably getting it because I admitted to still loving her. What more can I do to protect her?!~ But he also had another feeling. "She had it too. I can feel her fear." Instinctively, he got up, got dressed, and headed towards 'their spot'.
All along the way, he kept going over how he should handle the situation, for once in his life not sure of what came next. From since he left the orphanage at the age of fifteen, he always knew he would go to school, get a job to pay for living provisions, and then go to college. ~I have to admit, I don't like this feeling much at all.~
He soon arrived at the park and walked through the large iron gates, heading straight to the unmistakable scent of roses. He wound his way through he maze of hedges to reach the bench secluded in the middle with a great view of the nearby lake. What he wasn't prepared to see, however, was Serena sitting there, having arrived there before him, as if called there the same way he had been.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Serena heard him walk up, but didn't make a move to look at him. She heard him come over and sit next to her, and after a while of silence, he spoke. "The, uh, dream. You had it, too, didn't you?" She looked at him, surprised that he seemed to know of it.
"How. . .?" but then she realized how. "You had it tonight, also? Could you not sleep afterwards?"
Darien nodded. "I could never sleep after that dream. Every time, I would wake up and be afraid to lay back down in case I had it again."
"Every time? You've had it before? As in, multiple? Geez, that's horrible!" He looked straight at her. "For the longest time. It's why I broke up with you, you know. I had these dreams for two whole months before that. Getting worse and more gruesome each time, always with that same warning."
He hung his head in shame, as Serena jumped in. "Nothing was going to come get me! For God's sake, do you think I can't protect myself? That you wouldn't be able to help protect me? The girls would never let anything happen to me, even!" She didn't mean to be so harsh, but she had to get this point across to him, or he would keep entertaining the idea of her dying from being near him.
"Darien, I loved you. So much. I would die forever, if it meant I could be with you beforehand. Living without you would be much worse that what the dreams showed." She was surprised that she meant it. She meant it all. ~Kind of invigorating!~ she thought with a little smile. He finally looked back up, into her blue eyes and realized that he had been wrong, and he needed to make it all up to her.
"Serena, I'm so sorry. For everything. For, for, Kyra, being such a jerk, and for making you think I didn't care about you."
The couple sat there until morning, watching the sunrise together and then going to the arcade for breakfast. (AN: Do they even SERVE breakfast there?!) Needless to say, everyone was happy that they had gotten back together, but the senshi were not very happy to have woken up with their leader gone, without a trace.
"MEATBALL HEAD, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN??? WE HAVE BEEN SO WORRIED!!!" Raye bellowed after all of the happy we're-back-together-greatness was over with.
"Aw, Raye, you really DO love me!" Serena giggled, prying herself from Darien to tackle Raye in a bear-hug, which was joined by a giddy Mina and then Lita, and finally Amy. "GET OFFA ME!" Raye yelled, but she did so in happiness. ~Everything is right again. Everything.~
In a nearby booth, Hotaru, Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru were all taking in the scene and talking. Haruka looked at Setsuna and said, "You knew it would work out. I could hate you forever for not easing our minds." Setsuna just smiled her elusive smile. "Why would I tell you when it is more fun to watch you squirm? And have I ever let you down before? If it was important, I would have let you guys in on it!"
Serena looked at the clock. ~11:00. I better get going.~ "Darien, do you want to come with me?" She had already discussed Jesse's leaving with him and her seeing him off. "No, you should go alone." He gave her a wink. "I trust you with him!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Serena decided to walk to the station, Thor in tow. She got there early, and waited at the right platform. At ten to noon, Jesse came huffing up.
"Sorry, I was caught in traffic. Hey! You brought Thor!" He bent down to play with the big puppy. Serena decide she would tell him of her and Darien. "Jesse, I have some news for you, too. I got back together with Darien. I hope it doesn't bother you. . ."
He shook his head. "I thought he was more suited to you. I really care for you, but he LOVES you." Serena smiled, glad he agreed. "Jesse, there Is one other thing." She handed the dog's leash to him while she went in her bag for some papers. "I want you to take Thor with you. To remember me by. Here's all of his ownership papers and everything and a list of some dog foods he likes and doesn't and his toys. . ." She handed him a bag packed with all of the puppy's favorite toys and treats.
"No, Serena, I bought him for you." She shook her head. "He will give you company plus, as I said, I want you to remember me." Jesse finally agreed to take him, and after the announcement for his flight, he boarded after giving Serena one last kiss on her cheek, her doing the same for him. She waved as the plane took off, and headed back to her friends.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Pluto looked at the window of the present. "Looks like everything is headed for the better side of the future. Thanks for helping me with this."
She looked at the man standing beside her, the Shadow of Time and her long lost love. He smiled at her. "You know I could never let you down. You know, I really liked her. She was kind hearted." He thought for a minute and then asked, "Why couldn't you tell Uranus about me anyway? I mean, she almost had a right to know, because it's not like she isn't a senshi, and she was very persistent."
Pluto giggled a bit, "If I let her get information out of me then, she would get into the habit of pestering it out of me later in other scenarios! And I DO have a reputation to hold up."
Pluto had returned to the Gates of Time soon after the defeat of Kyra and putting her King and Queen back together, with a promise that she could be called on whenever she was needed. She could leave for battles or for girls' night out, just so long as someone was always there, watching the Gates for her. This gave her a lot of freedom, for Shadow was always near and willing to take on the duty, and even if he wasn't, Luna or Artemis were always there, also.
~*~*~*~*~*~
OK! That was my last chapter in this part! I'm so happy I got it done, with all of the time it takes to read for my one class this summer! Sorry about the totally long wait, but it couldn't be helped! Ok, maybe it could have been, but this is when I finished, so this was when I posted! Also, check out my other story (it's a 1 shot I did for a Yahoo group). It needs total revising though. You'll see why. The last half is ok written in my opinion, but the first half is kinda choppy. Ok, go read it, and review it telling me what you think! Oh, and review THIS story too!
Also, if there are any of you who like RPGs, take a look at Dreaming Moon. We are in serious need of players. It is a SM genie group on yahoo, and we need players for masters. Long story, but if anyone wants to join, please, go take a look. The site is: http:// groups. yahoo.com/ group/ dreaming_moon/ . We all from the group would appreciate anyone joining and taking on a character!
Much thanks to everyone, and remember, the epilogue will come after this. Not promising WHEN, but it will come. Ciao!
~*Lil-PrincessK*~