Augh? The end already? Well that was quick wasn't it? There is a poem quoted near the end that I cannot recall where I found it, Keep in mind I wrote this almost seven years ago and posting it was not an option then, and the Internet was a much sketchier place back then... Anyway, if anyone recognizes it email me, otherwise I will have to go looking on my own so I can give proper credit for it. In the meantime, Readers hope you weren't disappointed, Reviewers many thanks.
A Moonlight Legend
By Atchika
Chapter Seven
The Past Returns
Lost in her thoughts she dashed out into the street. The driver of the truck only had time to lean on the horn. Rini screamed. Her fright released the energy she kept hidden into a bright beam that shone for miles. Gentle hands came from nowhere and lifted her from the truck's path. Then the truck was gone and everything was quiet.
Rini turned to see who had helped her and gave a start. At first glance she thought it was her Papa until he turned and looked directly at her. One of his eyes was snow white, and even with his dark hair he was way too old to be Papa.
"Hey let go!" Rini shouted as she struggled in his grip.
"Most of the time," he said quietly, "when I save someone's life they say thank you. You really should be more careful," Rini stopped resisting. He even sounded like Papa. Her Luna Ball floated just behind him. She knew if he meant to hurt her, the Luna Ball would have acted to protect her, "That's better."
"Who are you?"
"Let's just say I'm an old friend of the family," he tilted his head as if listening for something then his eyes narrowed he shook his head and turned back to Rini. "That beam of energy you released will be attracting attention. More of it bad than good...I had hoped to get here before that happened," he looked her directly in the eyes, "but you were a little too quick for an old man like me. I can only mask your presence here for a short time Rini, but hopefully it will give Sailor Moon enough time to get here."
"What energy?" Rini replied innocently, "I really have to go now," the stern look he gave her made her worry a little. He was giving her the same look her papa gave her when she fibbed. "Please let me go," she said in a more courteous tone.
He laughed and said to himself. "Stubborn as her mother. All right child, have it your way," he stood then and turned in the direction of Darien's Apartment complex. Glancing back he said, "Others are coming. It really would be best if you started back quickly to Serena's house," Rini watched as the man seemed to melt into the shadows along the street then she turned then and ran back up the street.
Serena was sitting dejectedly on her bed, stuffing her face when that she felt Rini's release of energy. "Oh..." she said through a mouthful of sprouts. "What was that?" Luna rushed into her room. "Serena come quickly, Rini's in terrible trouble, she's missing again."
"Rini's in trouble?" Serena said, "That was her energy? Oh Rini." she scrambled out of bed and into her shawl and slippers and rushed off into the night. Luna close behind contacted the Scouts then headed in the direction of the moonbeam.
Rini didn't dare look back she as she ran. Without warning Avery and another sister, Prisma appeared in front of her. "Gotcha now! You slippery little weasel" She dodged around them calling out for her mother as she ran. Serena heard Rini's cries for help and called back. Prisma and Avery finally caught up with Rini. Avery none to gently caught hold of her and held her firmly around the neck and by here hair laughing evilly.
As Luna and Serena get closer, they see Rini has been caught. "I am so not in the mood for this Luna."
"Stop talking and start transforming Serena!"
"Fine I'll just take it out on those Nega tramps! Moon Crystal Power!" Serena transforms into Sailor Moon.
"You're not getting away this time!" Prisma snarls.
A voice from behind says, "Don't be too sure!!"
"Sailor Moon!" Prisma and Avery shout together. While the sisters are distracted Luna attacks Avery, giving her some nasty scratches. Avery screams and drops Rini to the ground. Rini scurries closer to Sailor Moon while Luna crouches ready to attack again.
"I stand for love and I stand for justice too, but I won't stand for bullies like you. I am Sailor Moon and on behalf of the Moon, I will punish you!"
"We've been expecting you," Avery sneers unimpressed, "and we brought a little surprise with us."
"A surprise? What kind of surprise?" Sailor Moon asked suspiciously.
"Droid Hypnotica! Come forth!"
Answering her call the droid coalesces from a dark cloud, blue skinned with a horn stuck in its forehead. Eyes glowing crimson it intones, "Look into my eyes..."
"Uh Oh..." Sailor Moon groans.
It floats above Sailor Moon and says, "You're getting sleepy!" a burst of light and energy start emitting from the droid's horn.
"What are you doing?" Sailor Moon says trying to shield her eyes.
"Be careful Sailor Moon!" Luna calls.
"Go to sleep! Go to sleep!" it drones, "You must rest now forever!" Energy waves flow toward Sailor Moon and she collapses to her knees as the droid continues its assault.
"Don't listen to her, Sailor Moon! You've go to stay awake!" Luna shouts at her.
Sailor Moon falls the rest of the way to the ground and mumbles in a sleepy voice, "You were wrong about eating too much before bed Luna ...yawn... Goodnight... I'm so tired..." And she falls asleep.
"You like that kid?" Prisma sneers at Rini with a nasty grin. "That's good cause it's your turn..."
Rini huddles on the ground close to Luna sure the sisters have her this time. Suddenly a bright flash cuts in front of Prisma and she jumps back. Sailor Jupiter jumps into action, "So the weird sisters are at it again, why am I not surprised!" As she is speaking the rest of the Sailor Scouts appear.
"I hate these meddling scouts!" Prisma shouts.
Avery growls "Yeah me neither but there's 2 of us and 4 of them. I don't care for these odds, Sister. I'm out of here." She leaps into the air.
Prisma shouts, "Wait!" and jumps after her."
Sailor Mars yells "What! You taking off so soon?"
"Before we say goodnight kids," Prisma says while floating just out of reach "We'll let Hypnotica tuck you in." Avery then calls out to the droid. "Hypnotica put these silly scouts in the same happy dream world their friend Sailor Moon is in! Then say goodnight forever!!" The droid appears in the air above the Scouts. "You're getting sleepy" it says then starts singing (and poorly) "Go to sleep! Go to sleep! You must rest now forever!" Energy waves start emitting from the droid's horn.
Luna shouts a warning to the Scouts to stay awake. "Don't listen to it girls! It's trying to hypnotize you! You must resist her and not let yourselves fall asleep!" The Sailor Scouts drop to their knees.
The droid continues to zap the girls ("Go to sleep Go to sleep Go to sleep!")
With an effort Sailor Mars brings her head up and she shouts at the droid. "Where'd you learn to sing yodeling school?" She attacks the droid with her exorcism paper and the droid disappears into a black cloud. The other Scouts recover quickly, but Sailor Moon is still unconscious on the ground. The Scouts gather around her. Sailor Venus holds her up. "Hey come on Sailor Moon Wake up!" she says.
"Not likely," the droid returns as a dark cloud and gloats "She is dreaming she's running out of energy then falls asleep forever. Only there's no waking from this dream! It's real!" It laughs maniacally and spins itself into a thin stream and enters Sailor Moon's mouth.
"What was that?!!" Sailor Mercury shouts.
The Scouts try to wake her, but Sailor Moon won't wake up. She is dreaming. She is on a narrow bridge, calling out to Darien. She starts to glow faintly as she expends her energy. The Sailor Scouts carry Sailor Moon to a park bench and try to revive her, but she still will not wake up. Sailor Mercury tells the others, "Her energy is leaving her body. If we can't stop it we wont be able to wake her up," she looks worriedly at Serena's face, she's getting paler. Taking Serena's hand she says, "Oh can't you hear us?" Mercury looks up from her and says "I'm afraid Sailor Moon is leaving us."
Sailor Venus shakes Sailor Moon a little and says "Wake up Sailor Moon, please wake up!"
She is dreaming that she is floating on a life preserver
On a choppy sea. Darien's image appears in the sky...
Luna watches with growing alarm as the Scouts attempts to wake Sailor Moon continue to fail. She has been Serena's guardian long enough to know that Serena is dreaming of Darien. She thought back to what she had told her earlier about not caring about anything. Luna abruptly realizes that Darien is the only one who can get through to her. His voice is the only voice she'll hear. Serena was running out of time. Without a word to the others she takes off into the night toward Darien's apartment. Luna races along jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Reaching Darien's balcony, she gets into his apartment through an open window. Leaping high she wakes him by jumping onto his stomach. Darien barely asleep jerks awake when he sees Luna staring at him. He sits up quickly.
"Darien you have to come with me, Sailor Moon's in great danger. She's fallen into an eternal sleep and you've got to come wake her up. No one can do it but you!!"
"But I can't do it..." he says as the image of Serena falling asleep runs through his head and looks up at the picture in the still broken frame. (She is in danger) Darien hears the words, that voice again, the same as the dream but different...
(She is in danger)
Luna can see Darien's indecision but there's something wrong with his expression. Still she knows she doesn't have time to let him work it through on his own. She is Serena's guardian. He's the only one who has a chance of helping her and help her he would. She chose her words to have the maximum effect. "Darien I know you still care about her, so why must you continue to avoid her? " his attention snaps back to her.
"Because..." He can't answer. (She is in danger) Luna watches as his frustration builds to the breaking point. She can only afford to let him struggle a moment longer.
"She's running out of time... Go to her!"
(She is in danger)
The feelings of danger are all but overwhelming him now. He has to do something no matter how horrible the nightmares. He throws on some old clothes and rushes out the door. Luna pauses only long enough to let out a sigh of relief. She leaps out the window and heads back to the park the way she came.
(She is in danger)
Darien rushes out to his motorcycle. Speeding along empty streets he tries to reach her with his thoughts.Hold on Serena...You can't leave me...
(She is in danger)
In anger and frustration he transforms into Tuxedo Mask. "Hold on Sailor Moon! Hold on!"
Sailor Moon is still dreaming. In her dream, Darien
is always in the distance and she is trying to
go to him. Her body glows with energy.
Sailor Venus holds up Sailor Moons head up and pleads with her, "Please Sailor Moon wake up...Oh, come on please..." still getting no response she hugs her closer and whispers softly "Please Serena...."
Sailor Jupiter shouts at Sailor Moon in frustration, "Oh Sailor Moon how can we get through to you?" Sailor Mercury gasps and says; "Sailor Moon's temperature has dropped drastically!" she looks up and sees a headlight coming their way. "I think Tuxedo Mask is here."
Rini shouts, "Tuxedo Mask! Your here!"
"I sure hope he can help her," Mercury says worriedly.
Venus sets Sailor Moon down gently and says, "I sure hope so too."
Tuxedo Mask stops his bike with screech. He sees Sailor Moon still, lifeless and a chill runs through him. The Scouts back away into a tight circle. They take hold of Rini and pull her back too. Tuxedo Mask holds her and calls to her "Sailor Moon wake up!" Nothing. "Can't you hear me?" Overwhelmed with grief he holds her closer sure he's too late. Responding to his pain she stirs a little but is still unconscious. "Huh?" Hope springs in his heart and he says barely above a whisper, "Serena, please forgive me," he pulls her close again and kisses her. In her dream Sailor Moon finally catches up with Darien and runs into his arms. The droid flees her body and she wakes in his arms.
"Look everyone!" Rini shouts pointing at the pair.
"The power of love has brought Sailor Moon back to us," Sailor Mercury says wiping a tear from her eye. "This is so great!"
"Darien? I feel warm." Serena says still dazed.
"I'm so glad...Serena." he says still holding her.
Rini is reminded of the Sleeping Beauty story Serena had read her before she went to bed that night. "Just like my storybook! The fairy tale came true!" That wrongness was gone. She felt safe again.
Above them the droid solidifies again. "How rude of you to interrupt her sleep cape boy!" she yells at Tuxedo Mask. Pulling a blade from the horn in her forehead it attacks.
"Look out!" Sailor Moon cries as she pushes Tuxedo Mask out of the way, but the blade still catches his shoulder. "How dare you attack my guy!" Sailor Moon shouts at the droid, "I'm the one you want so come on Nega-trash let's rumble!!"
"Lights out for you. It's past your bedtime!" the droid hisses back.
"I'll say when it's my bedtime thank you!" Sailor moon uses her Moon Scepter Elimination and Hypnotica crystallizes and is destroyed.
"Sailor Moon! Amazing job..." he hesitates fumbling for the right thing to say, "I'm really glad you're all right again." Tuxedo Mask says and starts to move away from her.
"Tuxedo Mask, I just knew in my heart you still loved me..." That smile was back and he hated himself for what he had to say next.
"But...I...I don't love...you." He forced the words out.
"What?" she gasped, he winced behind his mask to see that smile disappear. Hesitating only a moment she reaches out to him and says, "But how can I believe you when you came to my rescue..."
"That..." he said stepping back reluctantly, "is another story. Believe me," and her eyes drop to the ground and she begins to softly cry. He uses the distraction to start walking away as he does he holds out a rose. "Our love is like a rose, beautiful when it's in bloom, but it can't last forever," he crushes the fragile flower. He opens his hand and the petals scatter to the ground at Sailor Moon's feet. She looks up through her tears in time to see him reach his bike and ride away.
"Noooooo!!" She cries as she falls to the ground. All she can do is stare blindly at the small pile of rose petals in the ground. Sailor Moon has been crushed along with the rose. "Come back Darien..." she cries softly.
Unseen by all a man stands alone in the shadows and sheds tears to an unremembered loss.
Darien stopped his bike on a small bridge and takes off his helmet. Staring blindly out at the moonlit sky he gets off his bike. He had been trapped again and if Neirad hadn't come, Serena would be dead now. His resolve to stay away from Serena was faltering. He had almost lost her tonight because he had done what the dreams had told him and stayed away. This was just too hard. Luna had never once interceded with his relationship with Serena. Being her guardian was full time job enough. To see her sitting in his apartment pleading for his help after the night he'd had was very unsettling. He knew she would never have come if Serena hadn't been in real danger.
He looked back out over the city. A feeling of immense anguish overtook him. "Oh Serena...I can't stand...hurting you..." he whispered to the open sky, words he could not say to her. Unshed tears began to fall despite his desire to hold them back. When he pulled himself out of his grief he felt that odd presence. He didn't have to turn around to know who was standing there.
"Why are you here, Noimydne?
"Darien, I---"
"What!" Darien shouted. "Do you realize what almost happened tonight?"
"Yes and I know what did not. You handled it rather well," he said quietly.
"And what would you know about it?"
"Our understanding of the problem is just about the same." Noimydne moved past him and hopped up to sit on one of the rails of the small bridge, "I just have the comfort of hindsight."
Darien turned to face him. His eyes opened wide. The man he was almost a carbon copy of himself but still several a decades older. "Your eye isn't white anymore," Darien said in amazement.
"No, it's not." Noimydne said without looking back "How's the arm?"
"Fine I guess..." Darien started. "You were there?" Noimydne just nodded slowly still not looking at him. Darien leaned heavily against the wall. "I just feel like...like I'm losing control."
"Control..." Noimydne laughed softly, "Yes we always want control but that's one of the great misconceptions of the human kind. We always think we're in control. But it isn't control we need but balance."
Darien looked over at Noimydne. "You know about the dreams I've been having?" Noimydne just nodded. "Do you know where they come from?" Noimydne seemed to hesitate then nodded again. "But you won't tell me."
"No, I cannot." he said slowly.
Darien's anger flared up he wanted to reach over and do bodily harm, but that odd feeling of familiarity was back. Feeling frustrated he asked, "Do you think I should see Serena?"
"It doesn't really matter what I think, what do you think?"
"That, that isn't an answer, but even still I guess I can't risk her safety and possibly the safety of the entire world just to make myself happy."
"True enough." Noimydne responded quietly while pushing at some loose paint. Without looking up he continued "Darien, I'm not telling you to forget the dreams, just reminding you that sometimes things can be taken to an extreme." Meeting Darien's gaze he said, "You almost lost the one thing you love more than life." He looked away when he saw the look in Darien's eyes. "Believe me when I tell you, the time is fast approaching when you will have to decide if it's the dreams alone keeping you away or maybe that mixed with fear about your own future." He paused, turned and spoke aloud to himself. "No one knows better than I what will happen if you make a bad choice."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Only that I too once loved a girl, she was beautiful in every way, and unbelievably was in love with me too. But I gave in to my doubt and fear and she slipped away from me then. I lost her, our future, and myself. I will regret that until my dying day. But you," he said stepping closer, "you took a chance and changed your course."
"But why do you care? Who are you? How come you look different every time we meet? I know I should know but, it's there just out of reach..." he trailed off
"You really don't know do you?" then Noimydne Neirad with an odd twist of his hand brought up a small translucent rose. He smiled then and said, "The person I have always been and hopefully someone you will never become."
Darien looked back in disbelief. "But that would mean? How is that possible?"
"All things are possible with time," he said handing him the rose, "and I have had more time than most. But you have to believe," he touched the rose and said to him, "Remember this Darien, doubt is the killer of dreams. I could not stop those of the NegaMoon from returning to Earth, but I could undo some of the ripples caused by my own actions," he stared off into the night and spoke words so familiar to Darien. It was a poem quoted in his book.
To sorrow
I bade good-morrow,
And thought to leave her far away behind;
But cheerly, cheerly,
She loves me dearly;
She is so constant to me, and so kind.
"I read those words for the first time over 50 years ago. Serena loves you Darien and always will, try to remember that in the months ahead don't go too far away or she may slip out of your life." His voice trailed off and in the silence he could feel the anguish brought on by the words Noimydne could not speak. He realized he was walking a tightrope with very little room for error. His decision to stay out of her life could have very easily cost Serena her life. He would have to be very careful. Noimydne rose and was turning to go when he stopped and said, "Remember Darien the future is what you make of it. That's part of the beauty of being alive."
"Will you be back?" Darien asked.
Noimydne looked back and with a grin said, "I sure hope not," and began to walk slowly away. Darien watched as the world folded in and out again and settled back into place. The rose he had handed him began to flicker then changed to a deep red color. Darien smiled and pocketed the flower. Noimydne Neirad may be gone but would definitely not be forgotten. Darien climbed back on his bike and rode home feeling a little more hopeful for the future.
End
(short epilogue to follow)