Winds of Change
By Elementalmoon
Chapter 2
The Awakening
I do not own Sailor Moon although I wish I did...:)
By the way, Zoicite and the other generals are all males, and since I like elements of both the manga and the anime, I'll be mixing stuff from both as well as adding my own spin.
And thanks so much to Moon's Rose and SilverSalvation. I really appreciate feedback and constructive criticism.
I can hear her approach. She won't wake me this time. Not after my slightly hysterical actions the first time she woke my powers. Of course, she doesn't know that there is no need to wake my memories, but in order to keep that secret, I will have to channel the power she'll use to awaken me to a different source. And who better than to wake but the one whom they'll forget to awaken? But there will be a price to pay. I know that the dreams will come again. Dreams I suppressed for a great while. But so be it. The full team must be reassembled in order to save the earth once more, and I can't do it without him by my side. Through our connection, weak though it is from his side, I can channel the power and set him free.
Luna looked down on her charge. It had been a long time since she had been close to her. Nearly four years had passed since she had lived in close proximity with this girl. Her mind was a tumble of thoughts and impressions. She looks so young. Almost as if no time has passed since the last time I called upon her to lead the forces of good. Not that she was the best leader, but she kept the team together in a way that none could. And she grew in strength and ability. They all asked for normal. I just hope they do not resent the end of it.
Taking a deep breath, she delved into her power, a light shooting from her forehead, where a crescent moon gleamed, to the girls', where another crescent appeared. As the memories flooded both their beings, another figure began to toss from the impact of a forgotten past.
(Dream sequence)
Music. A familiar tune. A figure surrounded by mist. It's a woman. Her features are hidden, but as she speaks, her voice reminds him of brooks and fountains, birdsong and melody.
She asks, "Why did you wish to forget me?"
"Forget you? Who are you?"
There is no answer as she fades back into the mist. Suddenly there are the sounds of battle. Screams of pain and the clash of weapons surrounds him as he finds himself circled by familiar faces in a strange, yet oddly familiar place. His figure speaks, and he finds himself no more than a passenger in his own body.
"Venus is right. Our only chance is to strike with all our strength."
"Love, I beg of you. Do not do this foolish thing. She is too strong."
The scene changes once more. This time he is merely an observer, drifting above the field of battle. He watches as Serena transforms into Sailor Moon. As he transforms into Tuxedo Mask. He watches helplessly as the crystal shards are taken by Kunzite, as he battles with Zoicite. He sees the blade of ice appear behind his back, knows that Sailor Moons' cry will be heard too late. As it pierces his figure, and rips through the dream he hears his name, "Darien!"
"Ahh!" Darien yelled as he bolted from the bed. In his mind he could still hear her screaming his name, and in his shoulder, the pain of the piercing continued to radiate.
I remember now. Everything. Well almost everything. What happened after that? How was Beryl defeated? I recall the princess coming and her power obliterating Metallica, but where did she go?
Across town, Serena felt the questions and confusion he was experiencing, and with a touch of compulsion, sent a message mind to mind. "Sleep love. The truth lies within your dreams..."
Back in his apartment, a peaceful figure was now seen, deep within dreams that would not be remembered upon awakening.
Meanwhile, two small shadows, little more than fleeting figures traveled from house to house. At the houses they stopped at, a young woman who had been sleeping peacefully began to dream unpleasant dreams.
(Dream sequences)
"Princess!" she cried out as the girl she was sworn to protect reached for the sword, slaying her love before thrusting it into her own body. "This can't be what we reborn for!" This can't be our destiny!
"Why should we listen to you?" she asked of her leader after the battle. "Any of us could make a better leader, and we wouldn't almost get each other killed if you weren't so clumsy."
"If you would just put more effort and time in training you would improve."
"You're such a crybaby. Get over yourself. He's gone and the only thing left to do is figure out how to defeat Beryl."
Meanwhile, Serena gazed out at the moon, unable to sleep for fear of the dreams that awaited her. But as the minutes ticked by, exhaustion from the transfer overwhelmed her will, letting in memory...
(Dream sequence)
"Tuxedo Mask?!" This can't be happening!!
"Sailor Moon what are you waiting for? You have to fight!"
Fight?! With Tuxedo Mask? Is this a dream? It can't be real can it? Don't you know me? Those cold eyes... You've been toying with me all along...? "No it can't be! Look at me Tuxedo Mask! Darien!!"
"Get a grip!"
"It's no use...you can't win."
Why can't I return him to normal? Do I have to fight him? Do I have to kill him?
Taking the legendary sword she raised it against her one true love. And as they fell together to the ground, her final thoughts were...
Endymion...
You are my first love...
My only love...
Even if we're reborn in another life, we'll find each other...
And then...
We'll fall in love again...
Endymion...
We'll transcend time...
To live again, perhaps this time...
We'll find happiness...
"Guys...! Where is everyone? Where are my friends? Where are they? No way... They can't be..." Through his power she could see them, their bodies broken and lifeless.
Music...The song of the Star Locket...Then...
Buuuuuuzzzzzz!!!
"Geez! Nothing like a heart attack to get a person up in the morning." Serena complained as she got out of bed and began to get dressed for the day. Today will be interesting. How will the others react? Will they remember everything?
"Serena? Are you awake?"
"Luna? What's going on? How did you make us forget? And why did you make us remember?" I know that she doesn't remember my true identity, otehrwise she would have hovered more over the past three years, but when she woke the others did their memories bring to light my royal heritage?
"Slow down! Slow down! We'll discuss this with everyone when we have our meeting."
I'm sure we will, the question is why are you here now? I can see that you left my communicator and transformation brooch on my nightstand, so what else is there for you to say or do? "Then why are you here?"
Something is different. I can't put my finger on it but she seems...odd..."I wasn't sure that the process had worked with you, and I wanted to check before hand."
"Why would you think it didn't work?" There must have been feedback with the others that was either absent or different from me.
"With the other girls I received certain images, most of them the same from girl to girl. With you everything was distorted and I couldn't get a fix on anything in particular. Except for the music. I couldn't seem to get past it and I can't figure out what it is either." What are you keeping from me? Am I just imagining things, or do you know more than you're telling me?
"Oh well, I remember pretty much everything, and I don't think there will be any problems." The locket...Of course...it is one of our strongest connections, a link that provides protection as well as a channel. "Well I'd love to chat, but I need to get to class." Serena said as she headed for the kitchen to grab something to eat on the way.
"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" She's never on time to school. Something's definitely weird about this situation.
"Bye mom!" she shouted as she headed out the door with a chocolate chip muffin in hand. Then, leaning down to whisper Serena said, "Luna I'm fine. See you at the Crown after school!" and with that was off.
Hours later, Serena determined that none of the team had recovered all their memories. In fact, aside from the fact that the Princess had defeated Metallica by using the Silver Imperium Crystal, the Princess was nothing more than a shadowy figure without a face. Darien had even forgotten his place in their past in the Silver Millennium. As a group they had sorted through the memories and pieced together a rough outline of what had happened, and yet things were still missing. But the past was not what needed to be discussed at this time.
"Who has perpetrated these attacks?" Ami asked Luna as they sat in the control room under the Arcade.
Raye burst in with her thoughts. "And how do we find the Princess? It's our duty to protect her, and yet after the battle with Metallica and Beryl she disappeared. Why?"
Looking around at the group who were not only their charges, but their family, Luna and Artemis felt pride at how quickly they had fallen back into the routine that had been the center of their lives three years before.
Artemis spoke up. "Scouts and Tuxedo Mask. The enemy we face has not shown themselves as of yet. Our first course of action is to visit the place they last appeared."
"But I thought that they have only attacked the one time?" Mina asked with a frown.
"At this Luna replied, "As far as confirmed attacks yes, the attack on the apartment block was the first sign of a new enemy."
"However," Artemis broke in, "after a careful search for similar incidents in the past couple months, we have found a total of ten other such happenings, although limited to one to two people."
"As for the Princess and the Crystal, there is not much we can do but keep our eyes open. After the battle with Metallica, she must have returned to wherever she had come from to recover. It was her power and the power of the crystal, guided by Artemis's and my own power that sealed away your memories, and our own. The only thing I can think of is that she felt that she would be safer wherever she went. After all, she must have a life of her own, and without your memories or your powers, she would have been vulnerable to attack if she had remained." Luna explained.
"Does that mean she remembers everything that happened? Wouldn't the power of the crystal have sealed her memory as well?" Darien prompted.
At this Serena spoke up. "No it's not possible for her to have sealed her own memories." Everyone looked at her for an explanation of her statement. Continuing she said, "As wielder of the Crystal, and heir to the Silver Millennium, it is her duty to protect the Earth and guard against a return of evil. Not only would the Crystal's power not affect her, but Luna and Artemis, your power could not force her memory behind a shield."
"How would you know?" they all asked.
At the question, the intensity with which had seemed to cloak her as she spoke fell away, and she looked confused. "I don't know. I just knew..." To close there...I shouldn't have said anything. I should have just allowed them to speculate, but I wish that they remembered. After such a long time of being alone in my memories, I want them to remember. But perhaps it's better this way. After all, I don't want our friendship to change, and I don't want him to feel obligated to feelings from the past. Maybe this way they can find their way to me...
That's all for now folks! Next Chapter: A Change in Command. You know what to do! :)