Hey sorry guys I meant to have this up days ago but something came up as it usually does and I had to put this on the back burner. But now its done and I hope you enjoy it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Malachite starred at Nephlite and patiently waited for the punch line. For surely Nephlite was joking. He had to be joking. But one looked into his eyes he could tell that he was serious. He actually believed that Beryl might have erased their memories. There very identities. It all sounded unbelievable.

Malachite skepticism was plain to see and Nephlite didn't blame him. It was only to be expected. But this was one of the reasons why he came to him in the first place with his suspicions. He might think that he was nuts but he knew he could count on the fact that he wouldn't go blabbing to Beryl about any of this either.

"I know how this must sound coming from me after all that's happened. But this isn't some ploy to get you to trust me. I honestly believe that this might have occurred. I don't have any proof yet" he admitted grudgingly "but it's a feeling I can't shake. Just look at Prince Darien. He has no idea who he really is. To him he's only the Dark Prince of the Negaverse and that's the only thing he's ever been. And if she can make him believe that whose to say that she can't make us believe whatever she wants." He leaned forward and spoke in earnest "And that's why I had to speak to you. I had to know for sure if my suspicions were correct.

"And what makes you think that I know anything?"

Nephlite shrugged his shoulders and leaned back. "I had hoped that since you were freed from the influence of the Negaverse that you might be starting to remember a time before you became a general of Beryl's.

Malachite's lips twisted bitterly. "I wish that I could tell you what you want to hear Nephlite and then maybe….maybe I wouldn't have been totally responsible for everything that I did." he shook his head "But I remember nothing before the Negaverse it's all that I've ever known."

("Malachite?")

"What the…" Malachite gasped and swung his head around to the left. His eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was her the girl from his dreams standing their as plain as day. He swung his head back around to Nephlite but instead of looking at her he was starring at him with a concerned look on his face.

"Malachite?" He had grown so pale and he looked to be in shock. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

He didn't see her. How could he not see her? Was he going out of his mind? Had he survived this long only to lose his sanity in the end? He turned his head back around praying that she would be gone and that it had just been his imagination but it wasn't to be. She still stood there only now he could detect a trace of tears.

("Malachite please") She reached her arms out to him. Malachite shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Go away go away he chanted to himself.

("Remember") she whispered tearfully

His eyes shot back open but there was nothing to see. She was gone and the pain that he felt was swift and brutal. Who are you? He cried silently where are you? His heart cried

……..

Jedite gave a laugh filled with glee and triumph. When he transported him and his prisoner back to Beryl's palace. Finally he had the means to defeat the Dark Prince and take his rightful place at Beryl's side.

"Let go of me." Serena cried as she struggled in his hold. If she could just reach her locket in her sub pocket than she could transform and at least have a fighting chance.

"Look around you Princess. Where do you think you can go?"

Serena looked around nervously she knew where she was. Beryl's Palace. Darien where are you? If what Jedite said was true will you come for me? Or doesn't it matter. Serena blinked back her tears. Could he really be her husband and the Prince of the Earth? But if that was so why couldn't she remember him. There were no blank spots in her memory. It was all intact. So how could it be true? And why when all the evidence pointed to the fact that it wasn't true why did it feel right?

"Let's go." Jedite announced, "I'm sure Beryl will be overjoyed to see you."

Jedite laughed at her pitiful struggles and he pushed her through the double doors.

"My queen I bring a gift." he cried out.

"What have you brought us Jedite?"

Both Jedite and Serena jumped as she stepped out of the shadows.

"I brought you the Moon Princess" he announced triumphantly and pushed Serena so hard she fell to the floor.

Serena raised her head and her eyes met that of Beryl's. Their was immediate recognition on both their parts. Beryl's eyes lit up with unholy glee while Serena's glowed with open defiance.

Beryl's eyes narrowed angrily. Even now when she was alone and helpless the little chit dared to defy her. Well she'd soon fix that. By the time she was through with her she'd be trembling with fear and begging for me to end her life. "Well Jedite it seems you've finally managed to do something right."

Oh Darien. Where are you? Serena cried silently.

…………..

"Luna I'm not sure this was such a good idea." Mars grumbled. They had brought the Dark Prince, Darien or whatever his name was back to the temple. Luckily her grandfather and Chad where out or bringing him here would have been out of the question. But even so she still questioned the decision to do so.

"I think Mars is right. This was a bad idea." Jupiter growled giving the Dark Prince a suspicious as he stood apart from them. He hadn't said a word since Luna had blurted out that nonsense about him being their Prince and future King. How could it be true? She turned away from him and directed her attention to the little girl. Who was she? And what does she have to do with all this? She appears out of nowhere. She knows Luna and Artemis. And she knew that they were the Sailor Scouts. And why was she looking at the Dark Prince with such longing. Did she know him as well? Is that why she protected him? But if she knows him how does she know Luna and Artemis. It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. Unless….unless there could actually be some truth in what Luna had said

After giving the Dark Prince a nervous glance it was Venus who asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Luna what exactly did you mean when you said he's our prince. I mean it's not possible. For that to be he and Serena would have to be…." she gave her a suggestive look "You know.

"I don't believe this." Uranus barked. "There is no way that he's our Prince. He's one of Beryl's minions and that makes him the enemy. That and I don't know the fact that he tried to KILL US." she ended on a shout

"I know this is hard for you all to take in" Luna stated quietly "but you have to understand he's not entirely responsible. He doesn't remember who he is."

"Luna are you telling us that him and Serena were married during the Silver Millennium?" Mercury asked but she felt that she already knew the answer to that question. But how was it possible. How was it possible that not only did the Dark Prince not remember his past but that they didn't remember him as well.

"No that's not what I'm saying." She paused She wasn't sure how she could explain it all without feeling that she had betrayed them all by lying to them all these months.

Venus looked at her in bewilderment. "I don't understand. If they weren't married then than when were they married? I mean it's not possible that Serena could be married now and we don't know about it. And I'm sure I'd remember if she told me."

"Well" Artemis drawled, "that's not exactly true."

"All of you have a past that you don't remember. Only Pluto, Artemis and myself know the real truth." She looked up at Darien. "Because that's the way Darien wanted it."

"Now I'm confused." Venus murmured

Neptune gave her a brief smile. "Your just now confused?"

"He did it for Serena" Rini stated quietly causing everyone to now focus all their attention on her. She fidgeted nervously but continued. "He did it all for her. Jedite poisoned her on their wedding day. He infected her with Dark energy from a piece of the dark crystal he had managed to steal when you were fighting the Megamoon family. And he then used her pure energy to Resurrect Beryl and the others."

"So that's how he did it." Mercury murmured quietly. It always bothered her that she didn't know how the act was accomplished and it worried her endlessly.

Rini sneaked a peek at Darien and saw that his expression was no longer closed. "But Darien found a way to save her. Only it required him to combine his energy with Beryl's."

Venus let out a sharp gasp as she unconsciously leaned closer.

Rini nodded "He knew that Beryl wouldn't just give him her energy so he tricked her. He went to her alone and told her that he wanted to join her and the Negaverse."

"And she believed that?" Uranus snorted "One of her generals poisons his wife and suddenly he wants to change sides." she looked to the others "Tell me you don't believe any of this?"

"Please" Rini begged, "let me finish. As I was saying he went to Beryl and told her that he wanted to join them. And of course she was suspicious but his answer satisfied her."

"What answer could satisfy her?" Venus asked sadly totally caught up in the story.

"Revenge. He wanted revenge against the one who had poisoned her. He wanted to make Jedite pay."

"How do you know all this?" Darien asked harshly causing everyone to jump

Rini bowed her head. "My mother told me," she whispered softly "before she died."

Artemis and Luna both let out cries of denial.

Rini raised her head and looked at them with tearful eyes. "That's why I'm here. You have to help me save them."

Jupiter sat down next to her and wrapped an arm around her. "Save who?"

"My Mommy and Daddy." she sobbed

"Enough of this." Darien barked, "I don't have time to waste here anymore. Now that I know the truth it's time that I settled things with Jedite."

"No don't go." Rini pleaded desperately

"Darien wait." Luna cried, "We have so much more to tell you. Rini is right. You did make a sacrifice for Serena. You exchanged your life for hers. And you forbid us to ever tell her the truth. Everyone else's memories were erased. Everyone expect mine, Artemis and Pluto in case something went wrong or Serena started to remember. We never once envisioned this scenario. But all that doesn't matter now. Everything has changed and we couldn't keep silent any longer and it's all because of Rini's presence here."

"What does this child have to do with all this?"

"Its not just Rini but her parents." Artemis answered

Luna nodded her head. "Yes that's when we realized that the future was back on track but it seems" Now Luna got teary eyes "not exactly as it was before."

"Luna your not making sense."

"Maybe this will help." Rini remarked before the locket on her chest started glowing. And then before their eyes the imperial crystal appeared. When the glow faded she stood before them dressed in a long white flowing gown. But the most important change was that of the moon symbol that now rest on her forehead.

"How can this be?" Neptune asked in a shocked whisper.

Luna eyes met those of Darien and somehow he knew the truth before she even opened her mouth. "Because Serena is her mother. Serena is her mother and Darien is her father."

Rini took advantage of the silence to finish her story but she couldn't look at her father. "As you all know Jedite took my mother. What you don't know is that my father immediately went after her. It was easy for him to beat Jedite as well as Beryl. But what he hadn't counted on was the lengths that Beryl would go to defeat him and my mother. She intentionally caused an explosion that killed her and brought her entire palace crashing down. She meant to take my mother and father with her but that's not how it turned out."

Rini swiped at the tears running silently down her checks but by now she wasn't the only one crying. "When my father found her she was unconscious and hurt pretty bad. He brought her to a healing chamber but only one healing pod had escaped unscathed. He had to make a decision. And despite being seriously injured himself he chose to place her in it first. But when she woke up he was barely alive."

………….

Sailormoon gasped as the chamber opened. Where was she? She sat up and looked around in horror and disbelief. Could this really be what was left of Beryl's palace? The place was in shambles. She swung her legs out of the pod and stood up. The last thing she remembered was talking to the scouts and then a bright light and than after that nothing. Darien? Where was Darien?

"Darien" she cried but their was no answer "Darien" she cried again more desperately.

"Ahhhh."

She turned towards the sound and that's when she saw him. He was sitting propped up against the wall and he wasn't moving at all.

"Darien!" she rushed over to him and knelt down beside him

"Darien. Darien can you hear me?"

"Ummm" he opened his eyes and gave her a tired smile.

She looked over at the healing pod. If it fixed her it could fix whatever was wrong with him as well "Come on. We have to get you inside the healing pod." She grabbed his arm but he put his hand on top of hers.

"Theirs no time Serena. Just get out of here."

Serena shook her head frantically "Don't say that. Theirs still time we just have to get you up on your feet." She grabbed his arm and slung it around her shoulder. Together they managed to get him to his feet and they started to make their way over to the pod when they both heard a strange sound and before she knew it she found herself thrown to the ground

"What's going on?" she cried as he covered her with his body. Then came another sound that was so loud it had her crying out in pain and desperately trying to cover her ears. "Ohhh make it stop," she cried.

When it finally did stop she could only sigh with relief. But her relief soon turned to dread as a new sound replaced that one. It was harsh and ragged. And while this sound wasn't as deafening at the last one it did strike fear in her heart. And what caused that fear was the realization that the sound was coming from Darien.

"Darien?" she whispered tearfully at the sound of his irregular breathing.

"Darien we have to get up." She cried desperately pushing against his chest.

Darien gathered all of his strength but the best he could manage was to roll off her. "Go" he gasped harshly

She got up on her knees and leaned over him. "I'm not leaving without you." she insisted "We just have to get you into the healing pod" she turned her head to look over her shoulder and felt the breath leave her body in one horrified breath.

"What? What is it?" He asked weakly straining to see what she was looking at.

It was the healing pod or what she could see it of. Since most of it was now buried under a huge boulder that must have fallen from the ceiling.

"It doesn't matter.," she cried reaching for her brooch. "I'll heal you myself"

"No" he cried, "You can't."

She smiled down at him. "Don't worry I can do this. Trust me."

"You don't understand," he groaned but before he could elaborate he was set apron by a fit of coughing.

Sailormoon listened to that haggard sound and knew that she didn't have much time and she reached for her brooch again.

"Serena don't" he coughed "it's…" cough "It's too dangerous."

"I'm fine" she assured him

He shook his head frantically. "It's not safe. The baby."

"The what?" she gasped

Darien reached out and laid a hand over her stomach. "Our baby." he gasped harshly the coughing had stopped but it was getting harder to breathe.

Sailormoon could only kneel there in stunned disbelief. A baby? She placed her hands over his

"I saw her," he announced with a trace of awe in his voice "When you were in the pod. There was so much damage done to your body internally that we almost lost her."

"Her?" she gawked

He gave her a weak smile 'Its just feeling I have." Than he turned serious "Your body is too weak to use the crystal you might survive but our child wont."

Sailormoon felt as if her heart had been pierced. No it couldn't be true. If she couldn't use the Crystal than she'd lose Darien and if she did use the Crystal she'd lose their child. "No their has to be away," she cried desperately.

Darien shook his head. He had used most of his strength to save them from the blast and the rest had drained away slowly as he kept the Palace from crashing down on their heads.

"I can't leave you." she sobbed and threw herself on him

Darien raised a trembling hand to her hair. He wasn't trembling because he was afraid but because his body was going into shock. At this rate he wouldn't be able to keep the barrier up much longer.

"You have to go Serena. You have to leave me here"

"No I wont. I wont leave you here."

"Please Serena. If you stay here our child will die as well. You cant let that happen." his desperation rose as he felt his control over the barrier slipping. "Go now" he cried

Sailormoon rose unsteadily to her feet as the whole room started to tremble.

She looked down at him for one last time. "I love you." she whispered brokenly than she turned from him and started to run.

Darien watched her and felt a lightness in his heart grow and everything became so clear to him now. His life would end yes. But she will live on and so would the child that they created together. "I love you too my sweet little meatball head."

……….

Their was complete silence when Rini finished her story. Everyone was lost in his or her own thoughts. If everything that was said here was the truth than they had no idea how to respond. But once again it was the dark prince who spoke up.

"None of this really matters anymore." everyone looked at him in disbelief "Look" he explained harshly "Everything has changed. That future no longer exists. I didn't go after Serena right away like I did before. Rini being here changed that. And now that I know what I'm up against getting Serena back wont be a problem.

"We'll go with you." Mars announced

"You'll only slow me down" he sneered

"Listen we want her back as much as you do." Venus stated "And we have a better chance of getting her back if we all work together.

"Let get something straight." he announced in a deadly soft voice "Serena is all that matters to me. And I work alone." with that said he simply disappeared

"Well of all the nerve"

"Do you really think that he can save her?" Jupiter asked Luna

"Lets hope so." she answered "Because we have no way of helping him if he should need it."

"I still cant believe he's our Prince" Uranus grumbled

"Well believe it," a voice stated calmly

Everyone cried out in surprise and nothing could have prepared them to meet the owner of the voice.

"Just what have you done Luna?" Endymion prince of the earth barked as he stepped out of the shadows.

Venus raised a head to her forehead. "This is too much." she said and slumped down to the floor.

Luna shook her head in confusion. There were two Darien's. How was that possible?

"What's going on?" Uranus growled anxiously. Didn't they just see the dark prince leave? And why was he wearing that armor?

"Its alright Uranus." another voice called out softly

"Serena" they all cried as she suddenly appeared as well. But no it wasn't Serena it was Serenity.

"Oh Luna." she said softly "You have no idea what you've done.

"It's begun." Prince Endymion announced solemnly.

"What? What's begun?" Artemis asked anxiously

"You were ordered never to reveal what you knew." Endymion hissed "and now that you have you have no idea what you've started."

"It's my fault. Please don't blame Luna and Artemis" Rini cried she had changed back to normal and now stepped in front of them. "It's my fault." she said and hung her head.

Endymion felt his anger fading and he knelt down in front of her. He reached out and lifted her head up by her chin. And the sight of her tear filled eyes melted his heart. "I don't blame you pumpkin."

Rini's eyes widened at that nickname. "Daddy?" she whispered on trembling lips. She read the answer in his eyes right before she launched herself at him "Oh Daddy" she sobbed

"It's alright Rini calm down now. Everything will be alright." He looked to Serenity for help

"Small lady?" She called out softly and Rini's head shot up. Serenity held her arms out to her. "Come to me my darling. You're tired and need to rest."

Rini ached to go to her mother and feel her arms around her again but she was so afraid to let go of her father. A father that she never knew and had only dreamed about before now.

"It's all right pumpkin I'll still be here when you wake up" he kissed her softly on the forehead "I promise." he put her down and watched her run over to Serenity.

Serenity gathered her up in her arms and faced the others. Mars will go lay down in your room Endymion will explain things while I'm gone.

Everyone waited for them to leave obviously the two didn't want whatever had to be said spoken in front of Rini.

Once the door closed behind them Endymion turned to them with a hard expression. "Now the both of you better explain why you defied my orders and placed my love in jeopardy."