A STITCH IN TIME by Princess Ophelia

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Sailor Moon.

CHAPTER FIVE

"Raye, we need to talk," Serena said once she had reached the temple and spotted her friend.

Raye turned away but not before Serena noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Raye, you are my best friend. I am close to the others but no one else understands me like you do. You know my worst fears and make me face them. You are like the sister I never had. Please talk to me."

Raye whirled around. "It's not fair," she cried. "It's not fair. You get everything and I'm left with nothing. I kept hoping that we would discover that I was the princess. I would learn that I had a family and a guy that loved me. I even hoped that Darien would be that guy. Now, with a little announcement from that weird Sailor Scout, you're the princess and you get Darien. It's not fair!"

"Raye, I wish I could give you your memories of the past. You do have a family that loves you. You are a princess and you do have a guy that's out there waiting to be your soul mate. The only part that does not add up with your dreams is Darien."

"I'm a princess? Then why are you the one we have been searching for?"

"In the past, all of the planets except Earth had formed an alliance. The moon was a part of that alliance. Because everyone loved Queen Serenity of the Moon so much, they asked that she rule over the planets within the Alliance. She agreed.

"Her best friends were the queens from the four closest planets, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. Although she was also friends with the Queens of the other planets, the distance created a gap between the inner and outer planets. The outers were loyal but not formally involved in the alliance.

"Because they loved their friend, the queens of the inner planets swore their loyalty to Queen Serenity and became the Sailor Scouts. Their duty was to protect the queen. The outers had the ability to become scouts as well but only in times of desperate need.

"Princess Serenity was Queen Serenity's only child and the heir to the throne of the moon and position as head of the alliance. The princess' of the inner planets were Serenity's best friends and were in line to take their mother's places as the sailor scouts when the Princess became queen."

"What happened?" Raye asked wishing she could remember as well.

"The moon was attacked. Everyone died. My mother, Queen Serenity, made a wish on the silver crystal that the children would be able to live their lives. The crystal granted her wish and we were reborn."

"Wow. I never knew. You remember everything?"

"Yes, everything," Serena answered sadly.

"I don't understand. If you remember the princess you were, then why do you act as you do?" Raye voiced, asking the question that the others had been wanting to ask.

Serena decided that even if she put off telling the other girls about her façade that she had to tell Raye. She had to prove that Raye was really her best friend and that she trusted her. "I am going to tell you something that I have only told Pluto. I only told her because she forced it out of me."

Raye nodded and Serena told her about her training, her knowledge, and the movie that changed her life. After she was done, Raye just stared at her in wonder.

"Prove it," Raye challenged with a grin. So Serenity started speaking in one language, then changed to another, then another until she had gone through almost fifteen different ones. Raye's jaw dropped in amazement.

"Serena," Raye said seriously, "You can't keep hiding yourself. It'll tear you apart trying to be two people."

"I know," she sighed. "I am trying. I did not trip or fall the entire way here. In fact, I walked."

Raye smiled. This would sure take some getting used to for all of them.

"What about Darien?"

"What about him?" Serena asked dodging the obvious.

"Well, do you like him? And don't you dare lie to me even though you know I have a crush on him."

"I'm in love with him, Raye," Serena finally answered, "but I wouldn't hurt you for the world."

"So, what's this guy's name that was my soul mate in the past? Did he look anything like Darien and Endymion?"

Serena smiled knowing that Raye was telling her that it was alright to go after Darien. "Well, now that you mention it, yes, he did. That explains a lot. You got him confused with Darien in the past too."

"Yeah, Serenity said something like that," Raye replied.

"I sure will be glad when you and the others regain your memories."

"Do you know why you have your memories and we don't?"

"Kind of but it would be too hard to explain. When you regain your memories, ask me again."

Raye nodded then asked, "So, now what?"

"Now, we try to find Mother's crystal. I will need it when we face the Negaverse. Until then, we just keep protecting the innocent and living the lives our families sacrificed for." Serena paused. She had a question but was unsure if she wanted to hear the answer. "But first, I need to know something."

"Alright," Raye answered.

"Will you be loyal to me? Will you accept me as the Princess of the Moon? It may mean one day I will rule over you and I need to know if you are okay with that. As my scout, your first duty is to protect me. Can you handle that?"

Raye looked away, contemplating Serena's words. She knew why Serena had asked and she wanted to make sure she gave her a truthful answer. "If you had not told me about your façade, I think I would have still had a problem. Knowing who you really are, I feel more confident trusting you as our leader and ruler. You have prepared yourself well, Serena. I am only sorry I did not see it sooner.

"I want to be Sailor Mars, Serena. I want to fight for love and justice. I want to be able to protect you if the Negaverse comes after you. Please, let me be a scout."

With a simple nod, Serena accepted her friend's plea knowing that Raye's powers had been restored to her. "Now, I promised Darien I would talk to him after you and I had talked."

Raye smiled knowing that Serena had but her before Darien. "Go on. When you're done, I'll see you at the arcade. Okay?"

"Sounds great!"

To Be Continued...

A Note from the Author: Please read and review. This is my first try at writing fanfiction. Thanx, Princess Ophelia