Legal Disclaimer: The characters used herein are not our property, unless we made them. This begins an arc with Raye as the focal character, and it would be advised for you to read the other stories first. Thank you.
by: Cynthia and Emerald J
The other Scouts were starting to wonder just what was going on, however. All they knew was that after Serena and Lita had their fight and subsequent make-up, Lita had more or less withdrawn from the team activities: at least battle. She still hung out with them, when she wasn't with Neflite.
Raye was trying to get Serena to say anything about what had happened with Lita, but the blonde was being rather stubborn. Finally, the warrior of Mars just gave up. "When are you meeting Darien?" She hoped Serena would tell her that at least!
"Four-thirty," Serena was glad Raye had finally gotten off the topic of Lita! And I'd be even gladder if Lita would let me tell them what's going on!
Raye glanced at her watch and frowned. "You'd better get running then, or you're going to be late! Time flies when you're not paying attention to it!"
Serena eeped out something that was probably an agreement, then zoomed away at top speed, leaving Raye there by herself. The next thing the Lunar Scout was aware of, she was throwing her arms around Darien and feeling his arms around her.
"I missed you!"
"We just left each other two hours ago!" Darien smiled as he glanced up to where Raye was watching them silently. "Raye looks bummed." The dark-haired warrior was indeed sad, her eyes downcast and almost wistful.
Serena nodded, flicking her eyes back up there. "I know."
"What's wrong?" Serena didn't say anything, but there was a definite look in her eyes that told her boyfriend there was something going on that Serena knew about. "Well?"
She sighed. "She's feeling a little down because she doesn't really have anyone, like we have each other, and Lita has Neflite. I think she's wondering if we all had someone back in the Silver Millennium. And if we did...where hers is."
Darien nodded; he'd wondered the same thing since Nelfite had returned. "She should talk to Neflite."
"I know." His girlfriend agreed. "I'll suggest it when they get back." At Darien's raised eyebrow she explained that Lita and Neflite had went to Jupiter for a while. "Ah, their weekly visit." Serena nodded, and Darien smiled. Everything would be taken care of when they got back. "Let's go!"
The movie was wonderful. Or at least that was what the reviews said about it; Serena and Darien were too wrapped up in each other to really notice. Or to be totally accurate, Serena was wrapped up in staring at Darien.
"I love you." She never got tired of saying that. She could say it forever, every day for the rest of her life, and would still not have said it enough times.
"I love you too." Darien kept an arm around her. "But watch the movie."
"This is more interesting." She purred at him. Darien chuckled.
"We can stare at each other in a lighted room later," he promised. "Don't want you straining those beautiful blue eyes of yours."
Serena smiled widely as she leaned into him. Besides, it was just as fun to smell that rose-like aroma that always hovered around him as it was to gaze into the chiseled perfection of his features.
An hour and a half later, heading back to her house, Serena had her arms wrapped around Darien's waist in the usual chokehold, while he had his arms around her shoulders. Both of them knew that they didn't have a whole lot more time to be together that day, and they were enjoying every moment they could squeeze in. Serena's father still didn't like the idea of them dating, but at least he didn't come out after Darien with a rake any longer. He did get rather tight-lipped whenever Serena went out, though.
"Here we are." Darien glanced at the house and smiled. "See you tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Serena declared. She would gladly see Darien every day forever!
Darien smiled. "Talk to Raye, okay?" As Serena nodded, her boyfriend could see her father glaring at them. The two of them bid farewell and Darien headed away as Serena headed inside. Thus they kept on being able to see one another.
Her father glared at her as she came inside. "Serena?"
"Yeah, dad?"
"If you're going to drool," he reached into one pocket. "Carry along a hanky." He tossed her a small square of white fabric. "And Raye's waiting in your room."
Serena blushed as she wiped a small trickle of drool away, then headed up to her room, not noticing how her father's knuckles were turning purest white at the thought of his sweet baby girl being with that...that...that boy.
As Serena entered her room, the first thing she noticed was that Raye was putting the final touches on a stack of manga. "Hey! What are you doing to my stuff!?" Her wail was very nearly enough to break glass by itself.
"Straightening them up so you can find things easier," Raye said flatly, but with a smile. "I also organized them by title and number."
Serena shook her head. "But I had them all organized!" Her wail was getting louder, and Raye considered slapping her just to calm her down. Instead, she tried a different tack.
"I've been having some weird dreams recently, Serena, and I don't know who else I can turn to about them." The priestess said softly. Serena at once settled down.
"What kind of dreams?"
Raye blushed suddenly, thinking about how some of them had been. "They...had me dancing."
"That sounds like fun."
Her friend blushed even more deeply, her memory providing her with very intimate scenes of something far beyond dancing. "With...."
"Who?" Serena bounced eagerly. "Who, Chad?"
Raye shook her head slowly. "Jedite." She could hardly hold back a giggle as Serena fell over in shock. "He was so romantic, too!"
"That is a weird dream!" Serena declared. Raye nodded slowly.
"I know. He was so sweet and romantic, though." She smiled at the memory, remembering how Jedite's arms had felt around her, how tenderly he had gazed into her eyes. She knew she loved him, and hoped that he loved her back.
"Hmm??" Serena's eyes went wide. "Sweet and romantic? At Raye's nod, Serena blinked a little. "So what did you eat before you went to bed to get this dream?"
She blushed. "I didn't."
"You sure?" Raye nodded, and Serena sank on to the bed in shock. Well, semi-shock; she'd been more or less shocked out when Lita and Neflite had become a pair. "Wow. But it's just a dream."
Raye smiled faintly. "So was Neflite, to Lita." Serena blushed a little, then Raye sighed. "But maybe you're right. It could just be a dream, and even if it wasn't..." She didn't want to think about what could have happened to Jedite. They didn't know what had happened to him; all they knew after the airplane incident was that suddenly Neflite had been there.
Serena looked carefully at her. "Maybe you should try and find out?"
Her friend nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right. I'm going to talk to Neflite whenever they get back, maybe he knows something. But who knows when they'll be back." Serena nodded, and Raye turned to look at her briefly. "Why isn't Lita coming back to the Scouts?" she asked flatly.
"She has her reasons."
Raye raised an eyebrow. "Neflite?"
"Not entirely." Serena admitted. "But she asked me not to say everything, though."
"Doesn't she trust us?" Raye was hurt by the thought. They had to trust each other, it was the foundation of their lives as Scouts!
Serena sighed. "Of course she does. She just wants to tell everyone at the right time."
Her friend nodded, leaning back a little. "Do you know when they'll be back?"
"Nope, but they shouldn't be away for too long." Serena did hope they would return soon; she could tell Raye needed to talk, and not to her.
"I hope they get back soon." Raye unconsciously echoed her leader's thoughts, and sighed. "I should go."
"Let me know if you have any more dreams, okay?" Serena asked. Raye nodded and grabbed her jacket, heading out. Serena watched silently from the window as her friend vanished into the slowly dripping rain.
She was about to get started when a familiar car pulled up near her and the door swung open. "Hey, Raye!"
"Hi, Darien!" She smiled at the reincarnated prince. "Coming to see Serena?"
"No, I just left from her a little while ago. Just riding around really," Darien smiled. "You look as if you need a ride, though."
She smiled; he was definitely a gentleman! "Thanks. I was scared I was going to catch pneumonia out here!" She slid into the seat and buckled in.
"Ready?"
"Yes!" She felt much better as the car pulled away, then something else occurred to her. She knew Serena told Darien practically everything. Maybe she'd said something..."Did Serena talk to you about Lita?"
Darien glanced briefly at her. "A little."
"What did she say?"
"Not much really."
"Oh." Raye sighed. "She's maturing a lot faster since she found out she's a princess."
Darien smiled, thinking about both Lita and his girlfriend. "I know."
"I'm jealous of her sometimes." Raye sighed deeply. It wasn't easy for her to admit to that, either. Darien looked at her, wanting to know why. "She's becoming so beautiful, it's hard to watch guys drool over her."
The young man nodded slowly. "You're not exactly a toad, you know."
"No, but these are the same guys who were scared of her before Neflite came back."
"And they have no chance at all with her."
Raye smiled briefly. "Not unless Neflite drops dead, and I hope that doesn't happen until he's very old!"
"After coming back from the dead once, I doubt he'll go that way again any time soon." Darien knew Neflite, and knew he was going to hang to life with all his strength and then some.
The warrior of Mars smiled. "He better not break Lita's heart in any way." Thinking about Lita helped her not focus on what could be happening in her own dreams and possible future. way again any time soon.
Darien raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think he's capable of that?"
"No, but if he is, he'll have us to answer to!" Raye declared. Darien smiled tenderly.
"And me."
She glanced up at him. "You're one of us, Darien," she said it simply, and it was so. "Here we are, and just wonderful. Grandpa's waiting for me." She took a long breath and grinned. "I'm prepared to explain, though. See ya!"
Darien waved as she got out and she smiled at her grandfather as he watched the car vanish into the misty rain. "And just where have you been, young lady?"
"Serena's." Raye perkily replied. "We lost track of time organizing her mangas and I missed my bus so her boyfriend offered me a ride home so I wouldn't get sick!"
The old priest looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure that's all that's happened?"
"We talked." Raye had no intentions of letting her grandfather know just what else was going on in her life. She loved him, but there were things he didn't need to know. "I'm going to go meditate." She needed the peace of it, and she knew her grandfather wouldn't bother her while she was doing it.
Once she'd changed out of her regular clothes and into her priestess robes, she felt not only calmer, but better able to deal with the dreams themselves. Carefully she sat before the Great Fire, calming her inner thoughts and reaching for a peace she was only half-certain could come.
Princess Mars, she knew her name in the dream, and realized what was going on once more. "This dream again?"
"Yes." The voice was familiar, and she looked at the gazebo to see Jedite, clad in garments that she didn't recognize but which held the same uncanny familiarity as her own, sitting there waiting for her.
"Jedite?"
"Yes, Raye." He smiled, and it was a smile that was as warm and tender as could be, none of the mocking that she'd seen before when he had served the Dark Kingdom and Beryl.
Raye blinked and frowned. "I'm a little confused," she admitted. Though that was like saying Serena was a little ditzy.
"About what?"
"Everything!" She threw her hands up as she sat beside him, the motion feeling utterly natural. "Why am I dreaming about my former enemy?" That would be a good place to start, she thought.
Jedite took her hand. "We weren't always enemies."
"We were like Lita and Neflite?" He nodded, and she asked the next question that was on her mind. "Did my parents approve?"
He nodded with a smile. "They did, and they were helping us plan the wedding. Your mother was going to perform the ceremony." He described the marvelous plans they'd had; everyone who was anyone was going to be there, including the other Senshi and the Kings and Queens of every Kingdom in the Solar System. Even Sailor Pluto would have come!
Raye's eyes were wide with shock. "We really did love each other," she breathed.
"Very much." He reminded her. "I love you still."
"Is that why you brought me tea when you were pretending to be Jed?" She remembered that very clearly, and he blushed a little.
"Yeah. I was hoping you'd remember." He had clearly remembered the love he had for her, but hadn't been able to act on it. A dim part of him had hoped if she'd said something, maybe the spell that he had labored under for so long would break.
Raye thought back, remembering how part of her had trembled at his nearness. "I did. Part of me, anyway. I didn't want to admit it, but it was there...sort of." She closed her eyes briefly. " I also remember you bringing lots of firewood."
"I know." He put an arm around her and they snuggled. "I wanted to tell you so much..about our past, our past together."
She glanced at him lightly. "But I didn't even know who I was!"
"I know that..now."
"When I did," her eyes were dark with memory. "I guess I was mad because you took advantage of me and Grandpa."
He squeezed her hand lightly. "It wasn't because I wanted to."
"I know that now." She reassured him. She felt no fear here, for many reasons. This was what she was supposed to be doing, she knew it. She wanted to do it too. A sudden impulse sent her to her feet and she smiled at him. "Let's dance!"
Jedite smiled as they both rose and joined hands, music filling the air from who knew where or when. As they danced throughout the garden, Raye gazed up into his eyes. "Are you dead?
"Not exactly."
"Not exactly?"
He shrugged. "It's not easy to explain."
"Try me."
"I'm not sure...."
Raye frowned darkly. "That explains a lot!" Small flames could be seen dancing in her eyes and he gulped inwardly.
"I'm frozen."
Raye's eyebrows shot up. "Frozen?" She listened as he told of how Beryl had not paid any attention to his pleas after that last battle, and had banished him to the Eternal Sleep. After the destruction of the Negaverse, he had no idea what might've happened to his body. She nodded briefly. "I'll find you."
"I hope so."
She leaned against him as they continued to dance. "I hope you're just like you used to be." Memories of all the wonderful times they'd shared had come back to her, and she sighed deeply.
"So do I. If I'm the way I was before Beryl made me her little puppet general."
Raye wondered something. "Who were you, before you worked for her?"
"A person I was proud to be." He whispered softly.
"I'd love to hear about him."
Jedite looked down at her, and smiled. "He loved you very much. He still does."
"In this lifetime, what did you do?" She wanted to know something, and either he was deliberately misunderstanding her, or he really didn't know what she was talking about.
Jedite frowned briefly. "Which time? The only two jobs I've ever had are working for Prince Darien and then working for Beryl."
"You weren't reborn like Neflite?"
Her love shook his head. "Maybe that's why he was able to turn to good and I wasn't." She looked disappointed for some reason. "I don't know, really. If I was reborn, I don't remember it."
Her hand caressed his lightly. "You will be reborn soon." A sensation rippled through her, and she frowned. "I have to wake up."
"I hope to see you again soon." He smiled at her, and she returned the expression.
"You will. I'll find you."
Her eyes snapped open and her mind cleared at once by Raye's happy voice. "You did?"
"I think I can bring him back!" Never before had Serena heard Raye sounding so utterly ecstatic! Serena knew that this was as meant to be as she and Darien or Neflite and Lita.
"How?"
She could almost see Raye's shrug. "I don't know, but he's not dead. I just have to find him!" Quickly she told her friend what she'd dreamed.
"Any ideas on how to find him?"
Raye shook her head. "None. I will find him, though." Determination filled her tone, and Serena believed her. As sure as sunrise, Raye Hino would find Jedite.