Ok, here is the second of the three chapters saveed on my old computer.

I don't own Sailor Moon.

Collides With Beauty

By: Rini

Chapter 13: On the Wings of a Bird

She was mysterious and lost. She was like a puzzle that seemed to have endless pieces. You'd think you had her completely figured out, and then she'd suddenly surprise you once more. She was more than an enigma. Everything about her was completely sealed away. You'd look into her eyes and never know what was staring back at you.

He watched her as she worked vehemently away at something on the counter. Her strawberry spun hair fell around her face and tossed about with each quick movement. Her eyes were fixated and engrossed in her work. Strands of loose hair would fall into her vision, only to be swatted away quickly and to be replaced once more. Her small hands grasped each color she could find.

Darien watched this small child. She suddenly seemed to appear one day and everything got turned upside down. One moment he had his love in his arms, the next she was pushed away and became this new colder sailor. This small girl held so much joy in her heart it was undeniable just who her mother had to be, but he recognized his own inner darkness that she held up to keep others permanently guessing.

Darien stood in his kitchen and watched the young child draw something from her place at the dining room table. He leaned on the opening that served as a window into the kitchen from the wall that divided the kitchen and dining room in two. He at first pushed and sorted papers and tried to not appear as though he was really watching her, but after about fifteen minutes of doing this and she still hadn't noticed caused him to just stop faking altogether.

Serena had left over half an hour ago. The little ball of pink sugar ran about and found the crayons and paper she always insisted in leaving at his apartment. She brought him a drink and a few cookies she had baked with Serena's mother a few nights before, but left him soon after to set about her Crayola masterpiece. Darien was left dazed at first, but recovered quickly.

" So, you like living with Serena?"

" Yup."

" Does she treat you well?"

" Yup."

" You two must really spend a lot of time together huh?"

" Yup."

Darien frowned and bit his lip. Obviously, she wasn't about to say much. He noticed right away that he was guilty of doing the same as a child when he didn't want to be bothered either and even guiltier of as an adult.

" So what are you drawing there?"

" It's a picture of Sailor Moon."

Darien walked over to her and looked at the drawing. The Sailor Moon in the picture was nothing like the Sailor Moon he knew nor was it like the Imperial Moon he saw earlier. The outfit was completely different and had splashes of red, blue, and gold everywhere.

" Is this the Sailor Moon you know in the future?"

" I can't answer that."

" Well why not?"

Rini set down one crayon and picked up another," Because it's against the rules."

" Yet I've already seen it. That means that it's already too late."

Rini stopped her coloring and set down the crayon again. She looked down at her artwork and sighed. She stared up at Darien and frowned. In her heart, she knew she was really not supposed to say anything, but he did make a good point.

" That's not Sailor Moon of the future."

Darien looked puzzled," Well she isn't the present one either."

" That's not what I meant."

Darien watched Rini pick up her picture and fold it over and place it in her coat pocket. She strutted over to her coat and Darien immediately saw how sophisticated she walked. Her chin was held slightly higher and her eyes remained indifferent. Even as nothing more than a ten year old, she contained the poise of a princess in her young body.

" There is no Sailor Moon from where I'm from," Rini replied as she sat down on the couch.

" What do you mean? Of course there is. There's always a Sailor Moon."

" How can you be so sure?" Rini asked with her big, crimson innocent eyes staring deeply into Darien's dark sapphire ones.

For a moment, he was left entirely speechless.

" Not everything in the future is like it is in the past."

" Does that mean Serena isn't in the future? But she has to be. You are her daughter. That means I exist in the future as well since I'm your father."

" Well I didn't say Serena didn't exist."

" But you said Sailor Moon didn't."

" So does that mean Serena must only exist as one thing or another?"

Darien was taken aback. She was a smart girl. She was more like him already.

" Aren't you going to answer the girl Darien?"

Darien turned around and there was Serena standing in his doorway with a bag of groceries in her arms. She was dressedcomfortably in her green tank and jean shorts still, but a pair of sunglasses was pushed up on her head and kept back all her bangs and hair. She strode over to the kitchen and put away some of her groceries and left others in the bag still. Darien noticed immediately how mother and daughter walked almost exactly alike.

Serena walked over to the couch in the living room and gave Rini a kiss on her cheek. She smiled at her and Rini gave her a heartwarming smile back that covered her entire face from ear to ear.

" Well Darien? Must I always be one or the other in your eyes?"

Darien reached out for her hand," Of course not. We were just talking about the drawing Rini made of Sailor Moon from the future."

Serena turned around quickly," You know what I told you Rini! You weren't supposed to break our rules. Do you want to make us both upset?"

Rini lost her smile rapidly," No. I'm sorry."

Serena sat down on the couch and set Rini on her lap. She whispered things in her ear and the girl sparked back to life again. Both the girls were giggling and smiling again in no time. Darien left the mother-daughter duo to themselves and returned to the kitchen to see what Serena had bought. She brought over some of Darien's favorite snacks, like cookies and cupcakes, but she also brought some of their favorite fruits, like strawberries. She brought over enough stuff to make a stir-fry for dinner and Darien set to work making the meal while the two continued to laugh hysterically in the other room.

Some light laughter and shared memories brought the dinner to a close as the sun was setting swiftly into the horizon. It was already early into the evening and Rini was lying asleep in her mother's lap. She ran her fingers through the soft curls and sang the words to the lullabies she used to hear as a child on the moon. It was an exhausting day to say the least, but Serena drank in the strength the adolescent fed her, while Darien always provided the gentle protection he continuously gave her.

" She certainly can be a handful," Darien said from the easy chair he was nestled in.

" You just need to know the right things to say," Serena spoke gently," All children really want is love and a place to call home. She's just looking for a piece of home now."

" I can't imagine how it must be to be in a completely different time away from everyone and everything she knows."

" That's why she always tried to stay close to us. We may not be her parents yet, but we still possess that same instinct that demands we protect her."

" I still find it completely strange to be staring at our future child."

" I know. To be honest, I hated the idea at first."

Darien stood up and sat down beside the two women of his life. He draped an arm around Serena's shoulders and tucked her head into his shoulder while his free hand ran through Rini's curls as well.

" I'd like to hear more," Darien urged Serena.

" I was mad. When she came here, everything fell apart. I lost all the things that were important to me. I lost you after all that we had just gone through. I lost more and more respect from the Scouts. I couldn't focus when all I could think about was how I had to protect this small life and how every time I saw the Black Moon touch her, I wanted to destroy the galaxy itself."

Darien ran his arm up and down Serena's slowly, trying to convey his concern.

" I knew after a while that it wasn't her fault. I was blaming her because I couldn't face that I'd done all this to myself. Rini never asked to travel back here. She didn't ask to be hunted after. She didn't want to leave her family behind, but she was trying her best to get through everything as best she could. Last thing she needed was a pissed off Serena on her case."

" You can't be that hard on yourself. You didn't know. I didn't know for a long time. I never could understand how everything about her reminded me of you."

" Yes, but I somehow looked at her one night not long after she got here and I knew. I looked at her and just knew."

" Luna! You here?"

Serena charged into her room, out of breath and out of time. She was, of course, late again getting back home which resulted in getting grounded. She plowed through her door, not caring for it's well being or that of anyone else in the house. She angrily tossed her bag on the floor and growled about the unfairness of the world.

She turned around, ready to continue her rant to smaller feline ears, but stopped. There cuddled so tightly against the pillow that was simply too big for her was Rini. She was dressed in one of Serena's shirts that was pink and had white trim. Her hair was completely let down and fanned out around her head, as she lay on the bed asleep. The blue stars and moon comforter was loosely around her frame, but the child's small stature could be easily seen for how little space she took up.

Serena quietly walked over to the bed and sat on the edge. Many nights when she was a child no older than Rini, her own mother would come in and sit down and sing her lullabies. Serena reached out a hand and pushed all the stray strands of hair from her face. She tucked the blanket in closer and propped the pillow a little higher.

" Serena," a voice whispered.

" Shh."

Luna walked in through the door and jumped up onto the bed. She sat on Serena's lap and watched Rini as well.

" She looks so helpless."

" That's because she is. She is just a child who we know little to nothing about. She is as helpless as can be."

" Luna, why do you think she came here?"

The black feline shook her head," I can't answer that for you."

Just then, Rini started to toss from side to side and couldn't get comfortable. Her eyes would flutter, like she was having a bad dream that she couldn't awaken from. The blanket got twisted around her and she appeared as though she was muttering something. Serena brushed her fingers against her face and cooed to her. Almost instantly, the child's frantic movements stopped and she relaxed again.

" Mama."

It was barely a whisper. It was like a breath she had been holding in for so long, yet the impact was undeniable.

Serena held Rini's hand and kissed her forehead," I'm here for you."

The clouds surrounding the crisp, bright moon seemed to part outside and the light from millions of stars and the orb in the sky flooded the room. Rini let out yet another sigh and a smile appeared to spread across her lips. The moonlight shone down on the bed and covered the young girl. A faint outline shone on her face and Serena's hand dropped from her side.

" Do you see that?" Serena gasped.

" It's impossible. It's simply impossible!"

" But look! Rini has the same insignia that I do. She is a Moon Princess too."

" But that can't be. Your mother, Queen Serenity, only had one daughter and that's you."

" Then how can this be? How can Rini have it too? She isn't from the past obviously."

Luna's eyes widened. She stared first at Rini and then stared back at Serena. She shook her head, as though her thoughts were simply too farfetched to be believed.

"Luna, what is it? What's wrong?"

" Serena. If Rini isn't from our past and she isn't from the present, that leaves only one place."

" You mean the future. You mean she's actually from the future?"

" Not only that, but she's your daughter."

Serena shot a look to Rini," She's my what?"

" Think about it. The only living descendant from the Moon Kingdom is you. You are the only one capable of passing on the Lunarian blood. She is your daughter which means only one other thing."

" Darien's her father."

" Oh Serena."

Serena caressed the child's face," It's so obvious. I can't believe I didn't notice it before. She has his quirky smile he gets when he doesn't want to laugh but can't help it. She eats as much as I do and sleeps as much too. She has the same little habits as I do, the getting a glass of milk before bed and never being able to leave a room without acknowledging the other people in it. She's just like me when I was a kid. I should have seen this before."

Luna frowned," This can't be a good thing. She came back in the past, which means something very bad happened in the future. She's after the Silver Crystal too. This is not good news."

Serena stood up," Then this means that I'm going to protect her by whatever means necessary. I may not have Darien anymore and I'm losing the girls with each passing day, but I will do whatever I can to make sure my daughter is safe."

" This is something unexpected indeed," Luna began," But do we tell Darien and the girls now?"

" No. The more people who know, the more danger she'll be in."

Luna smiled," That was very intelligent of you Serena. You're thinking more like a Scout every day."

" No Luna," Serena began," I'm thinking more like a parent. That's more important."

Serena shook her mind from the memory. That had been a long time ago. She always wondered how exactly she so quickly changed from Serena to Mother mode so fast. One minute she was upset about getting grounded, but one look at this precious life and she suddenly could care less about staying in for a few days.

" So," Serena said," How did you find out about her?"

Darien shifted his body and cleared his throat," I just kind of knew one day. That's all."

" Really? You mean to tell me you looked at her and suddenly knew you were her parent?" Serena asked sardonically.

" Well I just kind of did. I don't know how it happened."

Serena scowled. There was this side again. The side to Darien that always prevented her from being close to him. This side would always kick in whenever it came to protecting her from something or whenever he had to open up about his feelings or thoughts. If Serena was notorious for her eating habits, Darien was notorious for keeping secrets.

Serena gently laid Rini down on Darien's lap and made for the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water and tried to take a sip to cure her dry throat, but she found herself unable to even drink it. She put it back on the counter and closed her eyes.

Why do you always insist on blocking me out of your life? Why must you never let me in to help you? Am I not good enough?

Don't be hard on yourself. He hasn't had the greatest life in the world remember. It's just harder for him to be honest.

But I am supposed to be his soul mate. If he can't talk to me, then who can?

Serena, frustrated, dumped the water down the drain. She steeled herself and walked back into the living room. Darien had let Rini sleep on the couch by herself and had gone to fetch her a blanket. He was just laying it on her when Serena walked back in.

" Darien. There's something I need to ask you."

" Yes?" Darien replied, not even looking up from his task to face her.

" Why?"

" Why what?"

" Why did you abandon me?"

Darien froze," I didn't abandon you."

" Then what do you want to call it? Deserting me? Leaving me?"

Darien looked up at her with deeply troubled and tired blue eyes that seemed entirely too dull. He ran a hand through his hair and walked to face her.

" I can't tell you. I did it for a good reason."

" Darien I want the truth."

" I didn't abandon you. There was something I needed to do. You have to understand."

" This is your last chance to answer my question."

Darien reached out and held onto her hands," Please. You just have to understand this."

Serena pulled her hands away, as though she'd been burned.

" Serena."

" You know Darien. You'll never understand how hard it was to believe that the only person who ever loved you and whom I only loved would turn their back on me. You'll never understand how it feels to depend on someone and have them destroy you like you did. I was alone for a long time, but I thought I could at least have you to be there with me. But, I lost everyone I had loved. It hurt the worst losing you.

You know, you and I are connected. We are each other's hearts and souls in a way no one can understand or describe. I know everything about you. I know what makes you smile. I feel your pain whenever something hurts you. Your pain is my own. Your joy is my own. Your sorrow is my own. I feel everything."

Darien turned his head away and closed his eyes painfully. Serena reached a hand up and turned his chin to face her. His eyes opened and misted over.

" More importantly, I share the same dreams as you. We are completely and utterly connected. I see what you see."

Darien's mouth dropped opened in shock. His eyes widened in fear and he tried to form words, but they fell from his lips before his mind could form them. Serena let him go and grabbed her coat. She left him standing there awkwardly. He was unable to move and she was unwilling to move him.

" Take care of Rini. I need some time by myself as Imperial Moon to work things out."

With that, she left the bachelor alone to his apartment.

It was already early evening. The moon wasn't completely lit up yet and the sky was still fighting between navy and violet. Serena walked with her head held high and proud as she made her way home.

" I gave him a chance to be honest with me. He didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth."

The truth is sometimes a hard thing to swallow.

" He could have still been honest with me."

Yes. That is true, however, it doesn't change anything. You can't change a person if that is who they are. Darien did what he thought best at the time, no matter how irrational it truly was. The best thing for him now is to calm down and think things through on his own. He needs to admit the truth himself. We can't rush him.

" I still say it's pointless."

Serena fought within herself to forgive Darien, but her internal argument with her counterpart was halted once the streetlight in front of her flickered on and off. Soon, the whole string of lights, perhaps fifteen or so, on the street went out simultaneously. Then one, two lights away from her position on the sidewalk, flared to life.

" You are the one," a voice called out.

Serena narrowed her eyes. It was a man covered in a dark blue, almost black, cloak. Nothing about his face or any of his features could be identified. His hood's shadow covered his hair and face and it was so long itself that it swept past the ground. Not even his arms or hands were sticking out. Yet unmistakably on the top of his hood and by the neck, were jeweled insignias of the Black Moon Family.

" Just who the hell are you?"

" You are after the wrong person."

" What do you mean?"

" You fight against Diamond. He is nothing but a pawn to a greater evil. You must stop the lies at the source."

" How can I trust you?"

" You can't."

" But Diamond is evil. He kidnapped me and tried to kill my friends. Not to mention he did manage to get rid of Emerald and Rubeus."

" That is insignificant. He is not your target."

" Then enlighten me. Who is?"

" You've already met him. His words are poison. His actions are never what they seem. He'll do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. People are unimportant to his greater purpose. He'll sacrifice anything and anyone to get what he wants. You must kill him before the future is forever altered."

" What do you know about the future?"

" Do what you must Sailor Moon. You're the only one who he fears. Destroy him. Kill him before it's too late."

" Who are you? Tell me your name."

" Kill him Sailor Moon."

" Kill who?"

" The one in black with the glowing eyes."

Serena choked back a gasp. Memories flooded back to her. That being. His voice was like darkness itself the way it crept into your body and made everything numb. Those glowing eyes that were never looking at you but through you. Those hands that never existed but continued to work the strings of his many puppets.

Serena fell to the ground in short gasps of breath," Wiseman."

" Destroy him before he does to you what he did to the Black Moon. Seek out the four and your questions will be answered. I beg of you, Your Highness, for the sake of everyone. Destroy him."

The cloaked figure disappeared. The lights all flickered back on, but Serena was still on her knees, her face damp with sweat. She looked up to the spot where the seemingly young man once stood. There in his place was a perfectly sculpted sapphire bird with it's wings outstretched.

Serena walked over and picked it up," I guess this means I have a few sisters to deal with tomorrow."