Chapter Fifteen: The Visit to Earth

AN- For those of you who don't know..I am a big fan of Mars/Venus. If ya even see the PGSM series..you'll understand why.

"Chad move it a little higher. Yeah..wait..no..move it the other way. I need this line to be straight. There we go."

Rei clasped her hands as she looked around the exterior of the temple. Different colored lanterns along thin strings lit up the walls of Cherry Hill. They also lit up on the branches of trees that led the pathway to the temple. Rose petals and cherry blossoms covered the ground all the way down the temple stairs. Every time around this year, Chad and Rei would decorate the land, along with the temple. Chad looked down at his watch.

"Shouldn't they be here soon? It's almost sunset."

"Give them at least another half hour."

Chad went back inside and worked on the refreshments. Rei carried a basket full of strips of paper and started tying them around the place. She wore a serene expression on her face. Placing charms around the area seemed to calm her. It was her favorite part of the normal routine. Rei glanced up at the casting sun and sighed. Tomorrow. Seven Years. The priestess sighed again and the wind blew. Any other breeze would have been a cool comfort on the hot summer evening...but this one was different. Strange. Familiar. Whispered voices surrounded her, she turned in circles trying to follow the voices.

...Earth will fall...

...haven't the power you used to...

...Beware of him...

...Earth is endanger...

Rei dropped the basket of charms. It tipped over and the wind took them to the sky. The priestess watched as the charms disappeared as did the wind. All was silent, Rei stood there when another sudden breeze spun her around. One that brought her the cheerful voice of a long lost friend. Rei closed her eyes and listened to the sound of it. Serena? Princess? Is it really you?

...Mars...believe..in...me...

"I do. I do."

"You do what?"

Suddenly the whispers died along with the wind. Rei stopped spinning and turned to the owner of the voice. The sun was behind her and the figure standing in front of her had it's face cast. The rays of the sun brightened the light of the figure's hair. A bright shining golden color that would blind anyone. Rei held one arm up to hide her eyes from the light. She could make out that the figure was a woman. She tilted her head a bit. Her heart stopped at the thought of who it was. She was about to shout out Serena's name, but the figure moved out of the sun's light and Rei could finally see who it was. Mina. Rei smiled and waved at the on coming woman. She was more beautiful than she was the last time they saw each other. Mina smiled and opened up her arms to the priestess. She waited a moment before walking to the blonde and they embraced. It felt good to hold Mina after so many months.

"How are you?" The pop idol spoke finally releasing Rei.

"Better. It gets better every year right?"

The priestess sighed and took the time to look over her best friend. Mina had her long glowing hair down. It reached to the beginning of her hips, where he hands now rested. She had a beige colored tank top that fit loosely on her with skin tight blue jeans. She wore brown, low heel, sandles that made her just a tad taller than Rei. Her jewlery consisted of two pearl earings, a blue jean watch, and a long chained necklace with a charm on the end of it, with the japanese symbol for fire on there. Rei took interest of the charm a blushed. She met Mina's eyes and realized that she had been staring at Rei as well. Mina admired Rei's outfit. It was simple, as usual, a plain red t-shirt that raised just above her stomach, jeans, and tennis shoes. No jewlery, no make up. Just plain simple Rei. The way Mina remembered her to be. The two smiled and let out embarressing chuckles for staring. Both cursing it would never work

Chad walked out with trays of prepared goods and laid them on tables set. He looked up and smiled at Mina. He gave her a short wave before turning around and walking back inside. Rei was about to speak again, but was interrupted by voices. This time the voices of distant friends. Mina and Rei turned to the stairs that led to the temple and saw that Ami, Greg, Luna, and Artemis were walking up. They all smiled and waved. Greg let go of his fiance's hand and allowed her to walk in front of him. The three scouts embraced in a group hug. Greg, Luna and Artemis all stood to the side and smiled at the girls laughing and screaming.

"Am I took late for the party?"

Everyone's gaze turned to the new arrival and saw the tall amazon. The final scout had come home. The girls opened their arms to Lita. Chad walked out with the last of the goodies and sat them on the table. He laughed at the sight. Rei turned to him as he stuck his tounge out.

"Told ya they would come!" she shouted and stuck out her tonuge to him. The group laughed and started walking over to the temple. Chad looked around as if searching for something.

"Hey, we're missing the Tsukinos, Andrew, and Darien."

The group looked around then at their individual watches. Mina chimed in and informed them that she called Andrew and that he would be a few hours late. His flight from Africa got delayed at the last moment. Greg placed his hands in his pant pockets and said that he had contacted the Tsukinos before their plane took off. Apparently they had to wait and pack until after Sammy's graduation.

"So what about Darien?"

Luna and Artemis leaped onto one of the tables and glanced at each other. Artemis cleared his little cat throat to get everyone's attention. They turned towards him and he met Luna's eyes. Luna sighed and took the cue to tell them since Artemis was too chicken.

"We saw him on the way here. It seems he decided to take an early walk around the park. Last we saw him, he was going towards..the..um..spot."

Their heads bowed for a few silent minutes. It was only right for Darien to want to be their first. No one said anything, but they all thought about the same thing. He wanted to be there because he always believed himself responsible for her death. It was only right...

At the park; about the same time

The sun was sitting just above the horizon of the lake. It's magnificent colors of orange and yellow played on the surface of the water. The wind's soft breeze moved the water right along and made the sparkles dance. The sky was dark behind the trees, an almost midnight blue. It was shades of bright colors nearer to the sun it was. Colors of gold fading into orange, that moved into pink which only turned into a light violet and finally that midnight blue. The early stars started to show, barely seen to the human eye. Outside, there was no one around, not even the couples that would take their romantic strolls before returning home. A dark headed doctor sat on one of the benches looking out at the lake, mesmerized by its wonderful colors. Almost as if it were a painting from an artist's imagination, he thought to himself. He looked down at the clear, aqua colored lake and the light from the sun. Just like her eyes. He moved his gaze from the water to the remaining sun. He closed his eyes and absorbed the heat from it. Just like her hair..her warmth...her very presence. He opened his eyes and smiled at the image he was creating of his love. So beautiful...so loving...so...Serena... He took in a breath and closed his eyes again to hold in more tears. The man realized it was getting later each moment he stayed there and he should probably get going so that he wouldn't be late.

Darien stood up and walked back to the concrete path of the park. In his hands were three different colored roses. A white, for purity, innocence. A red, for love and passion. A pink, the mixture of the white and red rose...her favorite color. He looked down at his long stem roses and chuckled. She loved them, every time he would surprise her with one, she loved them. The very look in her eyes made his whole day. Darien continued to walk and think about his blonde hair angel, until he was stopped by a sight of someone else. There was no one else in the park but him, he was sure of it. But there before him, stood a young woman facing him. Although, her head was down, observing something on the ground. Darien blinked and realized that the young woman was beautiful. She had long silver hair that fell around her shoulders. Pale white skin, and a very fine figure on her. The woman was built, not like a man, but like a woman should be with her muscles. He could tell she worked out with her arms, maybe lifting something heavy around a lot. His eyes trailed down and saw that she had strong calf muscles on her legs. She runs, he thought. The young woman, he realized, was wearing a pink summer dress. No shoes? She wore a necklace with a butterfly charm hanging just between her chest. She looked up and for a long time, met his eyes. They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity.

Few minutes before Darien showed up

The ship had placed an invisible shield around it. While Mika, Kumori, and a few hand selected memebers flew to the planet in a crusier, the crew and ship would orbit Earth till their return. Everyone had split up earlier that day and decided to explore the land. Kumori was driven to Japan by a force within her. All the answers lied there on that small country. She was amazed by how much she had actually missed. This was her home and she didn't even know it until she started walking around town. Memories of her old life played in her mind and she was led to places that seemed so distant before. Now everything was coming back to her. She could recall almost all the events that took place within her lifetime. It felt wonderful..simply...wonderful to breathe in the air here.

"Earth has changed so much..yet it's as if I left it the same."

Kumori continued to walk around Tokyo and found her way back to the park. She stopped short of the spot she remembered last. That one spot that sent chills done her spine. Beside a large tree, was a concrete path farther into the park. There was a small hole in the path, as if someone has stood there. Kumori crossed her arms. Someone had stood there...she had. Her last day home, she had stood in that same spot and allowed someone to thrust a sword into her guts. The man's eyes had such passion in them and in an instant it all disappeared. Pain and lost replaced the love he had for her. She remembered wanting to cry, remembering that he had cried for her. Kumori walked closer to the spot until she was standing over it.

Kumori was in a deep thought when she heard footsteps and then silence. She slowly lifted her head, only to meet the eyes of a handsome man. He wore a navy polo shirt and slacks. She focused on his eyes, his deep azure eyes. BY the looks of him, she could see he was surprised to see someone their in the park with him. Although now that she thought about it, it was odd that no one else was there. Just the two of them staring at each other. Kumori didn't like the way he was looking at her. She blinked and once the eye contact was lost, Darien shook his head. He cleared his throat and moved towards Kumori. Not liking being too close, she took a few steps back. Keeping her senses on high alert and heart beating slowly.

Darien raised an eye brow at the woman as she moved back. He realized that she seemed tense around him. Maybe she had caught him checking her out. His cheeks flushed at that thought. It's not like he meant to, it was systematic. He couldn't peel his eyes away from her. She had a familiar presences about her. He made a note of that and placed it in a file in his head.

"What are you doing here?" He asked finally.

Kumori looked around for an escape, but found none. She was stuck with him, she had to be polite. Darien looked up at her from the spot he was staring at, when she didn't answer. The two made eye contact again and Kumori broke away once more. She wasn't stupid enough to get pulled back into those eyes again.

"I-I'm.." Kumori let out a breath and stiffened up. "I'm just here to pay my respects."

"Ohh..." was all she heard. She looked up to see that he had knelt at the hole in the pathway. He had placed three roses in it. Kumori smiled at them, remembering she loved roses. Darien stood up and glanced back up at the young woman. Kumori didn't want to be there anymore and nodded her ehad. She brushed shoulder to shoulder with him and her heart almost leaped out. His touch. The sudden urge to be held in his arms. She closed her eyes and swallowed, trying to get rid of her dry throat. She opened her eyes again and started to walk off. Darien stood there staring at the hole.

"How did you know her?" He said quietly. Kumori froze and sighed. She sensed Darien turning around to watch her back. Kumori turned her head slightly to see him out of the corner of her eye.

"...Let's just say it was like looking in to a mirror...she was my own reflection."

That was all Kumori could say before she walked off. Darien watched as she disappeared from the park. He didn't even know what she had said until it sunk it. Darien narrowed his eyes at her words that now rang in his mind. He blinked and looked frantically for her. Little did he know that a silver headed man had been watching the entire scene behind a tree.

At a hotel

Kumori checked in to her room and took the elevator up. When she opened the door, Miki was standing before the window. She sighed and walked in completely. Miki didn't even turn around to greet her. He just stood there looking out at Tokyo with his hands clasped to his back.

"Well today's been long enough."

She plopped herself on a twin bed and folded her arms behind her head. Miki still stood there. Kumori raised an eye brow. Something was up.

"What's wrong now?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yeah YOU! I SAW YOU IN THE PARK!" Miki's voice raised as he turned around. A vein was popping out of his forehead. His face was flushed red with anger. Kumori sat up and raised her eye brow. Her voice rose to his level.

"YOU WERE SPYING ON ME?"

"IT'S A GOOD THING I DID! YOU ARE JEOPARDIZING THE MISSION, KUMORI!"

"JEOPARDIZING IT? HOW THE HELL DO YOU GET ME JEOPARDIZING THE MISSION WHEN ALL I'VE DONE IS WALK AROUND TOKYO?"

"YOU CAME IN CONTACT WITH SOMEONE FROM YOUR PAST!"

"My-"

Kumori, now standing, shut her mouth. She had a disbelieving expression on her face. In her mind, she went through the events of the day. When it took her too long to answer, Miki moved around to the other side of the bed. He stood in front of her, bending his head down to look at her. Fury written all over him.

"THAT'S RIGHT, KUMORI! I SAW YOU!" Miki growled.

"THE LOOK IN BOTH YOUR EYES! THE ORA AROUND YOU! THE ATMOSPHERE WAS SO THICK WITH LUST THAT I'M SURPRISED YOU COULD BREATHE!"

Kumori's hands became fists. She narrowed her eyes and looked up at the yelling man. Who the hell was he talking about? She had bumped into a few people in the street and on the way to the park. Surely she hadn't felt anything for any of them. Then the thought of the young man in the park. The last one she saw before coming to the park. The sudden urge to be held. Was that what Miki was talking about?

"...stop yelling you damn fool. I don't even know the man...let alone him coming from my past. We met at the park and spoke a few words..that's all..OR WERE YOU NOT LISTENING CLOSE ENOUGH?"

"UGH! THAT IS STILL CONTACT! DON'T YOU GET IT? YOU CAME IN CONTACT WITH ENDYMION..THE KING...SERENA'S BOYFRIEND...THE BODY YOU ARE HOSTING!"

Kumori went breathless. It was as if that bit of information was a hit to her gut. The name of the man sent her heart flying, although she didn't understand it. She searched memories of the man. Before, he was always faceless, only a character from the stories she heard from the reflections. He was real, he had a face and a name to go with it. Flashes of the lifetimes she had with him raced. She closed her eyes and saw him..smelt him...heard his soothing voice..his touch. Oh the very thing she wanted in the park. His arms around her. Kumori opened her eyes to see a bewildered man. No more anger or raging fury..but confused. As if he didn't know what she was doing.

"...Endymion..."

Miki looked deeper into his friend's eyes and saw that the purple color was fading. It was merely a shade now, almost consumed by ocean blue. Her hair, he saw, had strings of blonde in them. He could feel her presence, no longer like a warrior, but like a human being. He could barely see her glowing faintly, then disappeared within a blink. Kumori was fading, he thought. She is becoming Serena again and within a matter of time..Kumori would no longer exist in this world.

"...damn..."

Okay, bare with me. But I am almost finished with this fanfic. I am thinking of starting another one. Here is a preview. If you like it, then I will attempt to make my second fanfic. Enjoy!

SPECIAL SURPRISE

"Superstar Princess"

Every star has a secret. Tsukino Usagi , famous pop idol, has the biggest secret of them all: she's a princess in disguise. What happens when she goes on a tour of Japan?

A slim figure with long tight red curls flowing off her shoulders walked within a dark room. The woman had on a violet business suit on (tank top, jacket, and a knee-length skirt; all the same color). She moved to the large window by a queen size bed and opened the blinds. Bright blinding rays of light filled the room, making the other figure of the room turn over on it's side. The head was covered with beige silky sheets. The red head woman smiled and walked over to the bed. She relieved her feet of the purple heels she was wearing, stepped on to the bed, then started jumping.

"TIME TO WAKE UP, YOUR HIGHNESS!"

The woman said sarcastically. The figure in the bed propped up and sat, looking up at the woman bewildered. The other figure was a woman as well with long blonde locks. Her crystal ice blue eyes shot an evil glance at the red headed woman as she leaped off the bed.

"Come on, you slept in. We have to get your ready for your trip."

"Beth, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Your tour starts next week, we've got to get you ready."

"Why was I not informed about this?"

"Because it's suppose to be a surprise of where you are going."

"And just where is that?"

"Japan."

The blonde's eyes grew round and wide at the mention of the country. She jumped out of bed and stood in front of the woman. Her face bright and happy, with no trace of sleep in sight. She clasped hands with the red head and they both started to jump up and down.

"WE'RE GOING TO JAPAN AHHHHHH!"

The two screamed and jumped back on the bed as the danced around happily. The door opened to four men poking their heads in with a frantic expression. Usagi noticed them to be her personal body guards. The girls looked at them and back at each other.

"WE'RE GOING TO JAPAN!"

All four men walked in fully and started laughing and shouting for joy. The blonde grasped her friend's neck.

"OH BETH YOU ARE THE BEST MANAGER...EVER!"

Beth moved the men out of the pop artist's room and told her to be read within 30 minutes. Usagi walked over to the window and crossed her arms on her chest. She peered out at the ocean and closed her eyes. Home...she was going home for the first time in ten years. Maybe when she sang out, they would hear her. The very people she's been searching for all her life. Usagi sighed and began to dress and pack.