Disclaimer: This is not owned by me, but the deviation is my idea.
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When Serena woke up it was dark and hazy. She was searching for any sign of something familiar, something to give her a clue as to where she was. It didn't seem really dark and foreboding, but the area wasn't welcoming either. The last thing that she could remember was finding Jupiter and jumping to save her friends from Jedite's attack. She knew she hadn't had time to henshin so it was possible that she was dead. This place did not remind her of anything she knew about heaven or hell, more of a purgatory. But that place didn't really exist, did it?
'Serena' came a voice from the shadows.
Serena jumped, "Who said that?" she screamed. She didn't like being surprised by anything, especially when she was not in her Sailor Moon form.
'That's not important right now. You are here because your body needs to heal and your mind needs to work through some issues that you have. They are affecting your life, and the lives of your family and friends. Simply think of me as your guide during this time of healing.'
"While my body heals? You mean I'm not dead? What kind of issues do you think that I need to deal with? I have no issues." Serena couldn't believe that some voice that wouldn't even identify itself was going to tell her what was wrong with her. Sure she might have some things that she needed to work on, but that doesn't mean that yet another person was going to point that out to her.
'Calm down Serena. I am not hear to judge your or criticize you. You will be able to do much better if you don't start putting up roadblocks now. You know you were hit by a strong attack of Jedite's, and even you realized that you should be dead. You have more strength in you than you know, and while that is tapped by your body, I'm going to use the opportunity to help to heal you. You have changed so much from who you are simply to try and please others or gain attention. We are going to deal with some of those problems now. Especially since you have started to change on your own.'
Serena made a grunting sound and plopped down where she was. She knew she had to deal with that the voice said. She knew her body needed to heal. She couldn't feel the pain, but she knew she was hurt. That was the only time her mind brought her into this protected room. She was starting to remember it now, but not very well. She didn't think she had entered here often, which was a good thing. She still didn't want to deal with her 'issues' as the voice said she was going to. Everything in her life was fine, wasn't it? Maybe the voice thought she was insane or something. Didn't they say that insane people had issues instead of problems?
'You are not insane Serena, not even close. But you are lost, and hopefully we can start to lead you back to your path again.'
Serena jumped. She hadn't actually voiced any of her concerns or her rational. "Stop reading my mind, it's freaky!"
'I can't. But I won't remark on it unless you 'voice' it.' answered the voice.
"Well, at least give me some time to deal with this turn of events."
'I can grant you some time, but don't take to long. Even now your friends are worried over your state. You can't leave here until you have the key.'
"The key?" asked Serena, but there was no answer. She was alone.
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Rei was standing in front of a great fire when she seemed to break out of what seemed like a trance or sleep. It seemed very similar to the eternal flame from the shrine, but had a different feeling around it. It seemed older somehow. 'Where am I,' she thought.
'You are here.'
Rei looked around. 'Here huh,' she thought. 'Lot of help that is.' She could have sworn she heard a giggle after her last thought. She knew that she should look around for a way out, a way home to her friends and her grandfather, but the fire was calling her. It was as though she had to look inside, see it's secrets.
'You are here for a reason Rei. All will be revealed in the fire.'
Rei followed the advice the voice gave her. She somehow knew the voice wasn't harmful or threatening. It was simply a guide. "Who are you and how can you read my mind?"
'That's not important, as you already know. Don't ask questions you don't need the answers to just because they are normal. The answers to the important questions are in the fire. Once you have learned all it needs to reveal, you will be able to awaken. Only one can call you back from the sleep you have been placed in. Your body now tries to heal from the evil attack of your enemy. Relax now and let your mind be opened.
Serena had been wandering around trying to figure out what to do. In the end she figured that she might as well do what the voices said. She needed to get home, and it sounded like the only way to do that was to give into what this crazy voice wanted.
'Crazy am I. Just a moment ago it was you who was supposed to be insane. I am glad that you are willing to cooperate though,' chuckled the voice. As she was listening a couch appeared just behind where she was standing. As soon as she sat down, a screen appeared in front of her. It reminded her of those standing screens that lecturers used when they didn't have a permanent screen at there lecture area. 'What you are going to see may be memories of yours or incidents that you indirectly caused. They focus on you and your family mostly. Your new and important friends have not been as affected by your decisions as your family and your friend Molly. Just watch for now. I'm not leaving, but you won't hear from me until you are done.'
"What are you talking about? How have my decisions affected my family or Molly? Why wouldn't they have affected my friendships with Amy, Rei and Lita?" questioned Serena. She knew that she sometimes made decisions that caused her to seem stupid, clumsy, or the typical blonde. How would those decisions affect others though? Why wouldn't they have affected the Senshi? Serena received no answer from the voice, and started to watch as the screen came alive with movies of her past.
As Serena watched herself grow up, she saw the changes. She saw herself becoming more and more scared to reach out to her family, scared of being pushed away. She saw her do things simply for attention, such as throw a tantrum or get a bad grade on a test. She also saw her parents being worn out from work and taking care of her and Sammy. She saw her parents worrying about her, about what she would do and how they could reach her. She saw that they knew she was hiding her potential, making them even more frustrated with her. She saw how some of their mistakes caused them so much grief they cried themselves to sleep at the same time she was.
Finally Serena was shown her life since being found by Luna. She saw how she was starting to become more self-confident. She noticed how she was doing better in school and didn't do things simply to draw attention as much. She watched as her parents would rave about the changes in her at night, instead of worrying and crying. She also watched as her Senshi were confused by her attitude. They knew the potential in her, especially Rei. She knew that they were frustrated with her being 'blond' and not living up to her role as Sailor Moon.
As it came to an end, Serena knew that there was one last thing she had to deal with. But what?
'I see that you have started to trust your instincts more. Unfortunately I can't show it to you. The time has come for you to rejoin your friends. I think you have learned what you need to know now to better lead your warriors.
"Thanks," was the only answer that Serena could come up with. What did you say to the person who pointed out your flaws and made you see they weren't flaws but self inflicted actions? It was good that she could begin to work on this now. Her scouts needed the best leader they could get.
Rei saw the enemy. She knew that Jadeite was just the beginning. She knew that there was still Venus to find and that there was a lot they all needed to work on to become the warriors they were destined to be. She knew there was something important that she was not being shown, something that would impact everything. Just as she was beginning to think she could find it, she was cut off and jerked back from the fire. 'That's not for you to know yet, young Rei. Take the knowledge and use it in your struggle. Your strength of character will have to pull Serena to be the leader we both know she can become. Don't let the other scouts stop you from helping her to reach her goal. Sometimes being a good friend means showing them a different path, regardless what they want to see or hear.'
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Darien rushed to Lita's. He couldn't believe what Amy told him. Serena was locked in some trance. How did they know he had superhuman powers? Did they know he was Tuxedo Mask? He had just figured it out recently for himself. He just knew he had to get there as quickly as possible.
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Alright, so I didn't give Darien as large a role as I thought I was going to. I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter. I'm kinda running into a bit of writers block, so I hope you all will bare with me while it hopefully passes soon. I want to thank everyone for the thoughts for my friend. He's not out of the woods, but he's awake and functioning. Have a fun summer vacation everyone!!