Okay, this update is longer than I thought. Woot. Thanks for those who updated and the few who are still 5 chapters behind…I love you Liberal. . Please tell me your commentary.

Locked into Place

Christmas Morning (On earth)

Darien had not known what had woken him, but he did like the position that he was in, since he had not moved at all for the time they had slept. He would have used his watch, but earlier, he had found that it did not work at all. (Around what felt like midnight, it read 9 am) However, when he tried to move, it had been too easy, and even with all the commotion, Serenity had not woken. Darien checked for a pulse. A very faint one was beating. Her body was cold and comatose like and Darien didn't know how to take it. Hurrying, he went up, still careful not make the bed move in case she was just sleeping, and went looking for the Queen. She was found in the first room they had been in, and he had not noticed it before, but the physical body of the spirit of the queen rested there. It would make sense that she would most often be there. Her spirit looked like she was in meditation. "Majesty, its Serenity. Something is wrong with her, but I don't know what." Wow, that was a long way away from the room, and Darien thought he had been in shape to. The queen looked worried. "Fine, Darien. I will go check on her." Her spirit vanished, leaving Darien alone for the journey back to the room.

When he was back, the Queen was in meditation, but floating over Serenity. Darien did not interfere. It felt like forever until Selenity came out of it, and was now looking more concerned than before. "Darien, she is entering a healing trance." Darien let out a sigh of relief, but felt a 'but' coming. "But, if she stays in the trance, she will get sick with the atmosphere here." Darien was still wondering where 'here' was. He asked that. "You're on the Moon." That made sense. "What do I have to do?" The queen looked lost for words. "Darien, I don't really know what to do. This is a first for most things, and combine the stress, the physical wear and tear and the cold could kill her, along with you. You, to, are looking a little stuffy." She was speaking the truth. "All I know is to get her to awaken, and get her out of here. Teleporting that quickly might make things worse, but she is used to the atmosphere of Tokyo. There, she can recover somehow." If she was the lunar goddess, why couldn't she enter her daughters mind? "She has barred me from entering."

Darien was taking this all in, but still, couldn't figure out how to get started. Selenity then looked like she had an idea. "Go talk to Pluto." Darien gave her a 'how?' look. "She is fully gone, but her spirit lingers here. She may be able to communicate with my daughter's spirit since her body is also shut down." Darien gave a look to the still form of Serenity, and thought about what he was to do. Selenity did not recognize at first how he started towards the bed, but then saw what he was trying to do as he pulled up the comforter that had been ignored the previous night. Tucking a strand of silver hair back into place, he started towards the door, only getting to Pluto's body by instinct.

He had found those doors, but did not know how to get in. Some how, he recalled how Serenity had gotten in, and made up his own greeting. "I am Darien, Guardian of the Earth and Serenity, and Prince of the Earth, and I come in her defense." He held his breath until he heard the automated voice of Selenity. "I recognize Prince Darien and his protection of the Princess. Enter." Slowly, the doors opened with a creak, and he was through before they were completely open. He remembered what she had said about the farthest to the right. Darien had heard about no other senshi in this galaxy past Pluto, so the right was logical. Her door way was blocked with solid dark black and red. He did not completely know what he was doing as he ran through it and met no resistance, so a collision with the obsidian casket occurred. Ignoring the possible bruising, Darien got up, and didn't know how to call Pluto out. The only time he had seen her was in the hospital and that really didn't help much. "Please, Sailor Pluto, help me." Nothing happened. "Pluto! Please come out!" Again nothing happened. "Pluto, you give your life once yet will not do it again for your princess?"

Was he just shouting to open air? Apparently not, for the kneeling figure of Sailor Pluto shimmered out of no where. "Your highness, you called? Is the queen in danger?" Darien really didn't know about the queen's health besides the obvious, but he did know of the Princess' health. "Princess Serenity is in a healing trance that if she does not leave, she will join the remaining senshi in spirit forms." Pluto stood up, confused. "King Darien, you have a daughter?" Darien blinked first at being called king, then asking about having a daughter. Granted, a few times, at parties, he really didn't remember what happened, so any thing could have, but still…"No, Selenity's daughter, Sailor Moon, is the one I speak of." Pluto thought about this, and Darien felt the temperature dropping rapidly with every second. "Highness, what year is this?" What could that have to do with anything! "2003." He resisted tapping his foot. Her ghostly figure then nodded, and changed position. "OH, I see, so you are only Prince Darien?" He shrugged, and still kept his impatient attitude in check. Alarm filled Pluto's face. "Sailor Moon is in danger?" Darien sighed with relief. "Yes, she is. She is in a healing trance." Apparently, that did not describe it enough. "So?" Pluto being rude was a difficult concept to learn. "If she enters a trance in this temperature, her body will get sick and die, even if she is still breathing, technically." Pluto understood then. "I will try to reawaken her. She never was one for negative degree weather…" Her magenta eyes closed, and a second later, disappeared.

Darien assumed that she was in Serenity's mind, in the room. He took this moment to let his pulse slow, even if the chance of this working was low. Still, he would be there for what ever came out of this, and if he was stranded on the moon, with limited food…well, no one would really miss him, anyway.

Serena

During the night, with my guard lowered in sleep, my body's reaction had begun to begin, of that was a healing trance, one that it would be hard to awaken me from. As I felt it come into my senses, I gave resistance at first, wanting not to die from cold, but then freedom from this world looked inviting, and just as I wondered how Darien would fare, it took over, and I felt my body begin to go into standby. In my mind, I was free, I was happy, and I was normal. Dreams were what I saw at first, but eventually, the emptiness of blackness took over, leaving me restless and lost. Still, it was better knowing that I might get to see my senshi again, and leave Tokyo behind me. I was beginning to accept that, as my body began to get sick, but then I mentally began to fight with myself. Was this the best way out? Should I do a suicide mission on Tokyo and go out honorably? My questions were soon replaced with another presence trying to enter my mind. It was my mother, and I wanted to let her in, but I couldn't. Something was in the way, and my despair began to take over, and even if I wanted to live again, I couldn't have. The darkness began to take over again, and nothing was stopping it. However, the spin into oblivion was halted, and a figure that was strong enough to go through my weak barriers finally did.

My minds eye opened to see Pluto glaring at me. In my mind, we were in the ghost palace of the moon, in my mind. It was furnished as it was 1000 years ago, but all that vanished with Pluto's scolding. "PRINCESS Serenity, you better explain yourself." I shrunk back and felt like my human mother was telling me to not read manga anymore or worse. "Pluto, I don't know what is happening." I felt my wings again, and I was in that awful senshi outfit. It faded away to my princess formal wear, then to the outfit I was wearing as I fell into the trance. She was looking very worried. "Why don't you?" I stared at her lost for words. "Do you want to live?" I said nothing, and looked bewildered. "Do you want to die?" I considered that, and I felt Pluto's cold fury building. "Pluto, I don't care any more. You of all people, someone older than me, than time, should understand a part of our burdens, and our feelings." Oh, I hoped that those pleadings worked.

Her face registered pain, and understanding, but went back to anger. "You brat, be lucky you have the choice to die or live. I don't get the luxury, and I will always live, physical shell or not." My eyes widened in shock, as I didn't know that before. I was about to ask why, but a ranting Pluto answered it before I asked. "'Why?' You ask? If I die, time will die, and where will we all be if there was no time?" I whispered my answer. "Chaos." Pluto softened her tone. "Yes, chaos. That will happen if the pillar of the protection of our Solar System dies. Do you know who that is?" Again, I was surprised. All I thought I had been was a princess without a country, and needed my court to do everything. "You do, and you will get your chance for your court again."

I accepted that she could read my mind, but I my traitorous optimistic side jumped at the chance to see my friends in their bodies. The side that thought they were better was to slow. "You remember my warning, and you are leaving after the New Year to heed my warning." I nodded, not able to speak, and I linked that to my external sickness. "Saturn can save us, but she has to have the chance to live first, to revive everyone." How could she live? Pluto looked at me. "You did have sex Ed right?" I blinked. Oh, she wasn't a spirit only, but actually had a body of her own, this Saturn did. "Who's the father?" My voice came out rough. At this question, Pluto looked away. "I don't know exactly, the legend goes that if you, the guardian of the Moon, and the guardian of Earth form a union, the world won't blow up from the inside out."

Okay, so if I die, the earth dies, and if I live, those pointless humans that walk the earth can have an ungrateful chance to live. Great. "Do you want help?" I looked at Pluto, unable to see how she could help me with Saturn. She understood my confusion. "I can show you a picture of a teenage Saturn, and that might help you." I got an idea that Pluto was about to do something against her taboos. She did. In front of my eyes, I saw a picture of Saturn, watched as she grew up, and how she looked powered up and down. I was amazed. The picture would be in my mind for most of the next hundred years. "Maybe I should wake up." Pluto looked brighter as I said that, but then a though came to mind that wasn't good, judging from her expression. "Yes, you should." Pluto began to pace slightly. "What?" MY voice was still coming out raspy. "If you teleport now, you will enter a healing trance as soon as your magic is released, where ever that is." I had been preparing for me being in a coma either way, so it really didn't matter. "And if I don't, I will die." Pluto looked glad that she did not have to say that. I somehow managed a smile.

"Now how do I wake up?" Pluto thought, and closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them again. "Will yourself to wake up, and with enough force, you will succeed. However, if you close your eyes, keep someone near by to keep you awake, for now your trance will be even stronger than before." I nodded, and gave a final smile to Pluto, my all around mentor and sister. "Thank you." In my mind, I hugged Pluto again; glad that I could one final time. Tears began to softly fall, as we began to part ways again. We both stopped before our final steps. "Serenity, if it helps, she will have her father's eyes, and a combination of silver and purple hair." I smiled through my tears, and reached out to one more time, but my consciousness took me before I could make contact.

General, see last A/N

Serenity began to open her eyes, and as she did that, a coughing fit racked her body. Immediately, Darien was next to her, helping her sit up. Serenity reached up to still feel her face wet from tears. She leaned back against what ever was holding her up, for she really wasn't sure who she was, and took a breath. She leaned her head against what ever was closest, Darien's shoulder apparently, but still did not close her eyes. "Thank you." Her voice was just as rough as it was inside her mind, and more painful, if she didn't have a built up pain tolerance. Darien just nodded as she rested against him, and he used his free hand to stroke her hair.

Deciding her actions, she used Darien to stand up and lean against the bed post. She looked to her mother, and her eyes held apology to them. "I'm sorry, mother." Selenity smiled, but did not bother reaching out her hand. Both females knew why. Serenity began to look around for someone, and saw her, Pluto, in the shadows. Pluto moved out into the dim light but both immortals did not speak. There was no need. Briskly, she wiped her eyes, and turned to look at Darien, now all action, low emotions. "Darien, I need an hour to take us to the park. When we get there, we have to go immediately to your house, to drop you off, but I will not be able to go anywhere else." Serenity looked at him, and Darien replied that he understood. "Upon stopping actively casting, I will fall into a trance, just like the one I was just in. Under no circumstances will I be able to wake up, unless you can enter my head and help me awaken, but that is anything short of and explosion, or something that will damage my body severely, or your death." Darien looked away, not realizing at first what a serious action was about to be done. "You don't have the strength to do this." She stared at him, feeling more exhausted than before. "Yes, Darien, I don't." He did not know what to say as he looked back at her. "What do you need?" If she could have, she would have smiled. Serenity sighed, and felt her way over to the bed to sit. "I need some form of food to take the place of actual energy. After that, I will need you to keep my awake, and you do that by just talking to me as I focus on building up energy." Darien nodded, and went to go get the food.

Selenity took this time to say goodbye to her daughter. She floated to in front of her weary form. "You will visit me again. Remember, we have eternity." Serenity smiled, and nodded, still hating the tears of regret running down her face, but a thought came that disturbed her. "Mother, Pluto, can I die now?" Darien came back to the bed with some wrapped food, and wondered at that question. Didn't she just have that battle? Selenity looked to Pluto, who sadly shook her head. "You won't be able to die fully until all the planets of this solar system have guardians. When that happens, you may have a choice. Then you can retain that ability, or die out forever, never able to be reborn." All ears, except Darien's were pained to feel this. "I am sorry Princess." Serenity nodded, and looked to her mother, trying to lighten the mood. "Maybe before then, I can become Queen Serenity." Princess Serenity managed a slight laugh, what made her wince, Darien noticed. The current queen chuckled, but turned a serious face towards your daughter. "Technically, you are, for I cannot actively rule. You just need the power." Serenity looked semi amused for a second, surprised that she could be. "I also need the court." A heavy silence filled the air.

"Good bye princess Serenity. I will always be with you, even if you don't become a queen." Pluto gave an evil eye to Darien, who was behind Serenity on the bed. "You better watch over her when she is prone, or needing it. Remember, she does not always know when she needs it." Darien nodded, afraid to contradict her dark magenta eyes. "Good bye Princess and good bye Prince Darien. I will be watching you." Serenity smiled, and Darien gulped. "I love you Pluto. Rest in Peace." Pluto nodded, and then dissipated. Serenity turned to look at her mother, feeling resistance come harder and harder by the minute. "I will see you again, mother." Queen Selenity nodded and told her daughter that she knew that much. "It was an order." Again, Serenity nodded, and her mother dissipated. "I love you." The air absorbed it, and she turned around to look at Darien and his food, who was feeling like he wasn't worthy enough to see it. Something would have been said if Serenity could have read his mind.

"I know you remembered your warning with you knowing me, and what you just saw. I also know that if told, and I am alive, you will feel it." Darien felt like he was being threatened a lot lately, but this one was legit, since he had already told someone, anyway. "Yes, I know your highness." Serenity looked down to the food on the bed. There was one of those sandwiches, a couple wrapped hostess cupcakes, and a bottle of Gatorade. "You were smart to bring the cupcakes." Her tone was somehow attempting to be light. "Did you eat already?" Darien nodded. "Yes, while you were arguing with Pluto." Serenity made a note to see how much he knew, but when there was a high pressure situation. "Thank you." The food was eaten, and the bottle drank, and then the meditation started, with Darien keeping her partially out of her mind with random things, opinions, and comments.

It all started normally, concentrating, focusing. Soon, however, it became evident with physical effects that it was hard. Darien thought it was harder that usual, but possibly, her techniques were different. As she began to tense up, he kept talking however, and hoped that he was doing something helpful. One giant chill rendered Serenity in the same state she had been when Pluto had had to revive her. Since Darien had caught it early, she was easy to wake up again. She stared into open space while he stared at her, trying to figure out what happened. As he was about to ask, she spoke the answer in a whisper. "I am completely dry. My reserves are gone, and all I have left if my life energy." Darien absorbed this, and thought back to when they first arrived, to when she had had normal power still left, even if it wasn't much. "Are you actively healing?" She thought about this, and then looked rather confused, if not wanting to cry. "I was never actively healing..." Her look finished the sentence.

"But I was."

That fight a few weeks ago, if it killed the senshi, shouldn't Sailor Moon have taken some damage? Wasn't that the reason she was in the hospital, because she was nearly dying? "Did you heal completely?" Serenity leaned back, against the pillows, and spaced out again. Eventually, she answered. "No, I didn't have the time." Why would someone not have time to heal? Didn't that matter to her? "I had charades to keep up and innocent friends to look normal to." Darien would have questioned, if he hadn't had been told that this is a normal human alter ego. "Are they that important?" Her answer was very serious. "Yes, if you hiding who you are protected a planet, yes it is." "Oh." That heavy silence was back. "At least we know where you are loosing all your energy to." Serenity said nothing. Cough "How much longer can we take the cold? Aren't we wearing all of the clothing we brought with us?" Darien was the only one aware enough to feel it. "I don't know Dare, and this is all I brought with me, since I didn't see this little problem coming up. " That and she packed on automatic pilot.

"What are we going to do next?" The reasons for what they were not doing loomed them in the face, and physically affected both. "I don't know again, Dare, for my only resource…" Her sentence was lost as she went to get her sailor uniform out of her bag pack. Darien saw how dark replaced bright and grey replaced white. Even the brooch was black, silver, and had darker gems, rather than the pink, gold, and brighter gems that made up the pentagram of her pendant. Darien also wondered how the senshi fought in short skirts with out flashing everyone, while Serenity fought with her brooch. Eventually, it was off.

The suit went back into the bag pack; brooch went into the now sitting up Serenity, and Darien moved in closer to see what she was going to do. As she waved a black polished hand over the brooch, it began to glow, and the center of that glow solidified into a crystal. A rainbow would be seen in it, and just as her eyes turned silver with the crystal, Serenity started to shake. Putting the crystal back into the brooch, her face said it had reached a decision. "I can get us home."

As she said that, her mother was at her side appearing from no where. "Serenity, if you use the crystal with out energy to spare, your life could be what it takes." Serenity stood up, and looked her mother in her strange silver eyes. "Mother, you know I can't stay here. Those reasons are unavoidable. What else would you have me do?" Darien saw how much the resemblance was, minus the wings. "You don't have anyone to back you up though." Was she talking about the senshi? "No, I don't. I know the price of what will happen. I am a good 1500 years mother, I do remember the past." The queen began to shake her head and Darien just tried to see how Serenity as being over 20. "NO! Don't kill yourself as I did! It may have been a good reason, but-"- Serenity put up a finger to her mother's non existent mouth. "Yes, I do, because I still have to save Darien from this all. I asked him to come along, so he does deserve to live. If he wants to kill himself when I am gone, then it is his business." Darien was glad how much they cared for him. "Plus, can you come up with another idea?" The queen looked like she was about to say another idea, but stopped. "Fine, you know what you are doing, and how you can kill your body, so I will prepare the circle for you." She looked pained as she dissipated, and glitters of non existent tears dotted the air. Real tears dotted the carpet as the princess sat down on the bed and put her head in her hands. Darien moved around and sat next to her, rubbing her back in useless circles. It seemed to help her. "Sere, is it that bad? Are you only doing it for me?" He didn't believe that, and her answer confirmed that. "Yes, and no, Darien. All I know is that I have three days to do a full heal when it takes a month normally of straight meditation. I only have three days just for my stupid double life."

Odd, he had something to do in three days. If he told her that, though, she would try to speed it, the healing, and not help her at all. "Do you mind having a house guest for a few days?" Darien could picture a reason why she would have to stay with him, and did not say it. "Do you have a plan?" At this point, Serenity surprised him, as she moved her head to his shoulder. Darien put his free hand around her shoulder and started to play with a section of her long braid that fell across it. "Yes. When I start to teleport, I will go to the park first, for I cannot make it to your apartment with out going into a trance mid travel. Immediately, I will take you to your apartment, for security reasons, and for the reason if I stop using the energy that is keeping me awake for more than two minutes, I will fall into the coma then, and no doubt, you will either die with me, be charged with murder, or the scene would be complicated. A college bachelor's apartment must have neighbors that expect loud bumps in the night, so your place is best." Darien was shocked that such a modern day princess would make those kinds of references. Granted, that had happened very few times with his own experience, but it never was common.

"Well then princess, when will we leave here?" This brought a sigh from the distressed girl. "When the circle is ready, the final farewells will be made, and I will teleport us out." "Okay." That silence would never go away. "Will those three days actually do anything?" Something must have been wrong with the princess, for as she was against his shoulder at first, she got more comfortable against his chest. Darien really didn't argue, and just rested his head on hers, and loosely clasped his arms around his princess. He could feel bandages around her torso, the ones that went just beyond the hem of the shirt and the waist of the jeans. "I will be healed physically, and naturally awake and functioning, but I will be limited to the basic craft and telepathic speech if I am lucky. Then, you can have your apartment back forever." The way she said it, made Darien think that this is the last he would ever see of her, these last few days.

"Are you comfortable Princess?" She looked up at him, slightly amused, even if bone tired. "Yes, do you have a problem with this?" Darien shook his head, smiled, and said he didn't mind at all. Serenity weakly smiled, and settled back to where she was before, just thinking. Darien noticed that they way they were positioned, the mirror in front of them caught the sunrise coming over the earth. He felt a steady rhythm of the heart beat of the woman he was holding slowing to one that people sleep to. He lightly shook her to keep her awake, and whispered in her ear. "Serena, remember, don't fall asleep." This resulted in another sigh. "I know, Darien, but I was just thinking, how if I hadn't of had my destiny made for me a millennium ago, what could have been different." He didn't know what to say to that, so he briefly squeezed his arms, the loosened them again, a lazy version of a hug.

This would not last, however, as a telepathic message was sent via mother. "The circle is ready, Darien. When your stuff is together, come to the first room." She briefly squeezed his hand before she shouldered her pack, and headed towards the door. She never looked back as the door closed behind her. Darien felt how much colder it was, as he gathered his own bag. Originally, he had brought two, one with food, and another with clothing and bathroom stuff. Since most of the food he had brought with him had been eaten, the bag was halfway empty, and now that he was wearing every long sleeved thing and short sleeved thing to, in some fashion, that bag was empty for the remaining tooth brush ect. That bag smashed to fit in the empty food bag, and would be easier transport. As Darien looked around the room, he thought about how this would make a great picture opportunity. For some reason, though, it fit that he should take pictures, maybe for the memories. He took out his camera, and used my semi-good talent to take photographic memories of the tapestries, portraits, and each mini scene of the corners and the step bed. If the flash wasn't needed, then he would have taken the mirrors to, but that was just stupid.

As I opened the door again, I stopped, and saw two things. The window, the one that we saw the sunrise from, led out to what was supposed to be a lunar plane. It was beautiful, and must have held some importance to have this room over look it. The other was of a two portrait that must have been done of the entire family, and maybe a few friends. The princess and her soldiers had been in battle uniform in the few ones with them in it, but this one had the senshi without the fuku on, and was in royal dress. Next to the princess, was her mother, and behind them, a large, dark figure stood. The other portrait did not match the others, and looked like a gift to the true family. It was a prince, his father, and in front of them were five men: one with long white hair, another with brown, a very feminine blond male, and a male with short blond hair. Standing off to one side, was one that looked like the prince, but was more lanky, with dark blue hair and eyes, but still wore the dark clothing the prince did. Maybe he was the court mage or something. Finally, I grabbed the Princess' pillow, for her comfort, and hurried to the first room, hiding the camera to surprise Serenity as her farewell present.

Darien came in what felt like moments later, after Serenity had came into the room, more settled, but still exhausted. Serenity had been given a Blackwood chest that she now put next to her bag pack, but glanced at occasionally as Darien settled his own stuff, and her pillow she noticed. He shrugged as she questioned it with her eyes, and she shrugged back. "I know what the order was mother. You know I will race death to fulfill it one more time at least." Selenity nodded, blinking away glitters of tears. "I will see you again." Selenity wiped her eyes. "Yes, and I you. May you feel protected wherever you go." Serenity smiled, but then turned to her brooch, and after Darien had taken into position, she summoned it, her eyes glowing Silver. Slowly, light over took Serenity and Darien, and Selenity blew one final kiss to her daughter.

To Serenity, it felt like her skin was about to rip apart from the inside out, from the point where she just held the crystal, to when her life energy was being sucked out. The ride was bumpy, and uncontrolled, but in a heap they landed in the very spot they left in. Again, they were barely standing, for different reasons, but they were alive. They couldn't, nor did, stay like that, but for a moment, Serenity reached out, and indeed felt that it had spread, and was coming for her. Silently, she prayed to her mother to protect Darien as he protected her, and they were off again, with out a warning. As they finally crashed in Darien's apartment, literally, Serenity felt the most pain she had ever been in her life, and as the crystal returned to its case; Darien looked over to see how well she fared. Darkness took over her vision before any words could be understood, and the pain stopped.

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This is chapter 10 of SAW one by Saturn's darkness