5 November 2005 year

16:00 p.m.

Darien had a date with Rei in the arcade. Last night he had a bad feeling and he was very worried about Sailor Moon, as Tuxedo Mask his duty is to protect Sailor Moon, but yesterday he couldn't leave the meeting on his work, his boss was already pissed off from the last time he took off without explanation. Darien could feel the need that had Sailor Moon in Tuxedo Mask, it was killing him from inside, but then it passed she must be detransformed. The meeting ended in the 10:00 p.m. and he run to the place he sensed Sailor Moon except of course she was not there. But the place…the place of the battle was horrified, burned earth everywhere, broken trees, blood…. he couldn't describe it with words, it was like hell itself appeared in this spot of the Earth.

In the morning he heard in the news about Sailor Venus in the hospital, in serious condition, but they didn't say anything about others Senshi. It is Saturday, and he thought it will be good for him to read for Chemistry test in the arcade and relax. His date with Rei is in 6:00 p.m. so he had two hour to read Chemistry. He never noticed then a blonde with an unusual hairstyle made her way to her customary booth in the corner.

Serena was going slowly very slowly her side still was hurting and still bleeding, she had tied it as hard as she could. She was an hour earlier than usual and one hour earlier on the meeting of the Senshi all of them except Minako, she was still in the hospital. She sat on her usual spot in the booth. A young man with sandy hair and bright smile, looked at Serena and came closer "Hey Serena, what's up?"

"I am fine, Andrew, how are you? How is Rita?" replied Serena. Her usual speech of 'not concerned about the world, Serena' with fake smile.

"I am fine, and she is great; but we have some problems see…professor…come to Africa……..thinking……wants…...go…choose…..bugs….me…loves…sad….I…" or Andrew isn't using some words or Serena was fainting because he sounded like he is talking with her on the cell and was in some kind of tunnel or something. Serena's eyelids became heavy and she was going to close them then

"Serena! Serena! Are you listening! I am asking if you want you usual order?" Serena blinked, had the time past so fast "Yes, Andrew, but can you bring it later, please, in 30 minutes, I would appreciate this!"

"Yes, of course, but can I ask you why?" blue eyes looked at her with concern, if it was real Usagi she would never said that, but who knows?

"I just need to think for a while, that's all." answered Usagi. "OK. Serena, I will bring your order in 30 minutes." he stared at her for minute but then left, in the counter he mumbled "That's was odd! To think! What had they put in the food of this poor girl in school?"

"What do you talking about, Andrew?" asked Darien. "About Usagi, she is weird today, first of all she is pale like ghost, second she didn't played Sailor V game, and now she told me to bring her sundae in 30 minutes, because she wants to think, can you imagine this, to think!"

"Oh, come on Andrew, she had probably failed a test or something happened in school, you know how Serena is." Darien's answer was simple but really this had worried him.

"Because I know her so well. I know that something is wrong, something is really wrong." Darien's eyes darkened.

She had to think and she had plenty of time to think about. 'What Senshi supposed to tell me; that I had failed?

I already know this. I had failed to protect my friends, my team-mates, myself; failed to find the rainbow crystals, my princess, Silver crystal; failed as leader, as friend, as protector. This is the only thing I can do in my life – fail. I think that Luna made a big mistake about me, I wasn't supposed to be a Senshi for my good, for the sake of my friends, and for the sake of this world. I wish I knew where the princess is. She could protect our world and my friends, and the leader of the Senshi could be…I don't know…..Minako-chan she is Senshi more years then all of us…..or…Mako-chan she is so strong….or…Rei-chan she is great in leadership I wonder why Luna didn't choose her for this job of mine…or it could be Ami-chan she is so smart. No, wait Minako-chan doesn't takes her job serious and always joking around about our powers…….and Mako-chan thinks later and acts now…..and Rei-chan her character is so...so…Pyro……Amy-chan is perfect she is smart and thinks fast and….she is not as strong as the others.

And I? I am the same only worst, I don't take my job serious, first I act and than thinking and I have a bad character too and about intellect, I don't think that I am more smart than a cat….hope Luna will not take it personally. I am not worth enough to be a leader….or Senshi at all!' a tears was going to fall from her close eyelids, but she stopped it she felt like someone was looking at her and turned, ' Hey, this is Darien what is he looking at? And now he is going right here, may be he wants to ask something about Rei. Or may be he wants to insult me.'

"Hey, Meatball head, what's wrong with you today?" mocked ebony haired man. 'Oh, God he has a mood to pick on me. I just will ignore his mocking even if he is cute when he is angry…oh my, from where came this thought…..just remember he is Rei's boyfriend…hell no they went out only three times….Ugh…Rei's boyfriend…Rei's boyfriend….Pyro's boyfriend...no...no...no…Rei's…. Rei's.' "Hey Darien, nothing wrong, why do you ask?" a little "Pinokio" replied. Darien looked at her with curiosity.

"Well," he started "for four reasons: first you are pale, second sundae in 30 minutes, third no Sailor V game, fourth 'to think', fifth I forgot about fifth, I said 'Hey, Meatball head' and you answered 'Hey, Darien' not 'jerk' 'Darien'; Now, tell me what's wrong?" the named 'jerk' had a nerve.

"OK, jerk nothing wrong with me, I am just cold because outside is raining and sundae is ice cream if you didn't notice this, then I will warm up I will eat it, I don't want it to melt! I didn't played Sailor V game because I don't have enough money to do this; I said 'Darien' because I didn't wanted to became a gory spot on the floor because your girlfriend was going to kill me if she heard me; and after all this I failed a test today. That's all, are you happy now?" after all Serena didn't had a choice but to think this: 'How long is my nose now? If I told him the truth how it was going to sound: My life is crap because I understood that I had failed in everything; because I had almost killed my friends yesterday; or because I am a Sailor Moon. He had to think that I had lost my mind.'

Darien looked at her with suspicious he WAS going to believe her if in her eyes he hadn't seen so many emotions: sadness, sorrow, grief, regret, misery and depression. She was smiling at him but her smile never reached her eyes.

"Yee, I am happy now, that I know what our Meatball head had failed another test and didn't catch a flu from hundreds of sundaes she eats and from the cold outside….Did you knew that you look like chubby ghost?" he chuckled. Serena wasn't listening him her side was killing her. She giggled nervously in respond "Yes…" she coughed in the napkin she took from the table in hurry. She felt some metallic taste in her mouth, and made a grimace.

'She IS odd, today, better leave.' he tried to 'escape' but Andrew stopped him. "Hey, Serena, do you want still you sundae? you look like you had catch a cold," Darien gave him a frown in style 'Yee, right!' . "Hey, Dare, I see you are insulting poor Usagi-chan, AGAIN." manage to say Andrew before Darien sheepishly glanced at him in style 'What do you talking about? Me! Never!' "Just pay no attention to him Usa-chan and he will leave you alone."

"That's ok, Andrew, he didn't bothered me this time." Darien stared at her, but he did, he did bothered her just now. Andrew put Usagi's sundae on the table before her, and run off to other customers. Serena watched her sundae with strange expression on her face. Darien wanted to say something than three girls stand behind him, and tried to move him from his place. He glared at them and realized that this was his 'girlfriend' and her friends. Lita, Amy, and Rei.

"Hi, Rei, girls. What's up?" he started happily but was cut with the Rei's reply. "Hi, Darien! You are early we have a date one hour later," They looked angry or it was his imagination. "Yes, I know that Rei, I came here to study for a test."

"That's fine, really, but would you mind if you leave us and Usagi-chan alone for a moment?" Serena visibly paled if it was possible for human to be that white. 'They ARE angry, Rei looks like she is going to kill Usa-chan , unlikely Amy looks calm and Mako looks annoyed. What happening here, nevertheless?'

Serena looked at Darien with hope 'I lied I am not ready for the conversation with girls, please don't go Mamoru-san, please.' but he didn't notice her pleading look. Even if he could notice he couldn't stay because Rei was looking at him with her killing glare. Darien went to the counter saying that he needed to talk to Andrew about something.

"Hi…everyone."

"Hello Usagi-chan, we wanted to talk about what happened yesterday." replied the brunette.

"I understood that." Usagi looked on Amy she was holding a basket. "I see you are here Luna, Artemis, did they told you what happened?"

The basket slowly opened and revealed two cats, a white one, and a black one with gold crescent moons on their heads. "Usagi, why did you do something stupid liked that, you freed you full power on the youma than the Senshi were still nearby, you could kill them all?" the only thing Usagi didn't needed was a lecture.

"I knew this Luna, but I wanted to help, there were two monsters and I was…" Serena was going to say about her injury but Rei cut her "YOU wanted to help Serena ! HOW! By killing us? Minako-chan is dying in the hospital! If she dies it will be your fault! Can you put up with that? Can you! Damn, don't look at me like that, like it is not your fault at all? Damn you, and the day you became a Senshi!" Rei could see that Serena was paler and paler with every word, her eyes wide from unseen mental pain or….it was physical.

"No…..Rei but what….can I do?" Serena looked at Amy and Lita. 'Looks like they agree with her. But they don't understand I wanted to help.'

"What do you mean 'what can I do?', you can't fool us with your innocent look, you knew, you knew about this new weapon of yours and still you used it without Luna's permission. You know the rules!" if you could look better in the Rei's eyes you could see the fire there. For one second she thought that she is hard on poor girl, but than she remembered her feelings. 'It was her fault, I want her to feel exactly what I feel right now!'

Serena filled with anger. "What do you want Rei! I said sorry, what else can I do? To say that I failed in everything? How dare you to say something like that to me, you haven't any idea what I am going through right now!"

Rei glared at her and rose her hand to slapped her. Usagi could move or do something; however she just closed her eyes and waited for something she thought she deserved; the slap never came.

"Whatever had happened between you two, you have no right to hit her, Rei." slowly Serena opened her eyes and couldn't believed them, her worst 'enemy', her 'nemesis' was holding Rei's right hand. "Let me go Darien, it is none of your business!" Amy and Lita looked at her with disbelief, sure she was not herself. She had never talked to Darien like that, she had waist one month of her life only to date him. Darien as surprised as the others.

"Give me your locket," Serena shook her head slowly "damn it, give it to me, Usagi! All of us agreed to take it from you, you are not worth it!"

With astonishment Usagi looked at others girls and the cats. "Is this true, minna?" they glanced at her and nodded, and what is it in their eyes - pity?

"No…no…you can't do this to me…" she whispered, tears falling from her eyes; she dashed out from the arcade, leaving behind Lita, Amy, and Rei. Darien run behind her trying to catch her.

Serena had run almost ten blocks than Darien could reach her and stopped her.

"Usagi-chan, what happened just now?" he was holding her by the shoulders in front of him. Sky blue eyes met the sapphire one.

"Nothing, Mamoru-san, it was nothing?" lied Usagi. She freed herself from Mamoru's grasp and was going to run away, than he clutched her by the waist. She cried aloud from pain, than he touched her wounded side; by now it was bleeding as badly as yesterday from the jog. She could feel that her bandages was soaked with blood.

"What happened, Usagi, you hate me so much that my touch is painful for you?" joked Darien.

"I don't hate you, Mamoru, never did, it is something else….you must go to Rei now, she is very upset." he felt something warm and sticky on his hand and looked down to see what was it. He gasped all his hand was covered with red liquid "Blood…..what the.." he looked on Usagi but didn't saw anything but thin air. "It is Usagi's blood…." he hurried to the park sure where he could find her.

To be continued…