Crossroads

by Una Moonstar

When the scouts and Darien go to the Crossroads Hotel to meet with a woman who has regained her memories of the Silver Millenium, they find a place where giving into temptation could cost them their souls. Will they be able to resist?

Crossroads

by Una Moonstar

ANs: While I work on the sequel to Invalid Response, I thought some of you might be interested in this older story I've dug out of my collection. It's set in the second season during the infamous "break-up". Hope you all enjoy!

Original ANs: I suppose I should thank Hea-chan and Kel for listening to me describe this story at all hours of the night. Their reactions were truly inspiring. Now just wait until the three of us get together to write a fic. -evil snicker-

Disclaimer: I will now direct your attention to the second line of this document. Notice the name that follows the little word "by"? It is not spelled N-A-O-K-O. If it does say that, you should seek professional help.

fade out...

begin story...

"Luna, do we have to?" The petite blonde with her long golden blonde hair up in two buns with ponytails nearly reaching her ankles streaming from them on either side of her head pouted as she flopped back on the couch she was seated on after asking her question in a petulant whine.

The taller girl sitting next to her with her paler blonde hair partially pulled back in a red bow rolled her sky blue eyes. "I mean, really, Artemis. We don't know when the Black Moon is going to attack next. Can we really afford to meet this person?"

"No matter what you say she could tell us about the Silver Millennium," an Amazon-like brunette with her hair tied back in a ponytail added as she leaned against the back of the sofa.

"As much as I don't care for how they said it, I have to agree with them. It could be dangerous for us to leave Tokyo right now." A girl with long, straight, raven-black hair dressed in priestess robes stood next to an overstuffed chair near the end of the couch with her arms crossed.

Two cats, one black and one white and each with a golden crescent moon on their forehead, sat at the end of the sofa opposite the chair and sighed. "Look, we understand the danger, and we wouldn't have asked you to do this if we didn't think it was truly important," the black cat said.

"The information we've gathered suggests that it's vital you go to this new hotel and meet this person. She's supposed to be another soul reincarnated by Queen Serenity who has completely recovered her memories. We think she's confused, however, and could say the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time. We need to take her under our wing." The white cat sounded exasperated.

"That may be, Artemis, but how can we be sure she hasn't already done so?" a girl with short dark blue hair and matching eyes said from her seat in the overstuffed chair. "How would our meeting her and bringing her to Tokyo improve matters?"

"We've been told that she's had dreams telling her to come here and find the princess. Supposedly she'll only talk to her. We just want to make sure she doesn't mistakenly start talking to the wrong person assuming that person is the Moon Princess," Artemis explained.

"Oh, this is a great solution. Like she's going to believe Serena's the princess." The raven-haired girl rolled her violet eyes.

"Hey! Leave me alone, Raye!" the meatball-headed blonde exclaimed indignantly.

"She'll believe her," the black cat interrupted quickly. "Serena has the crystal. Hopefully, this woman will have the sense to require that as proof."

"Wait a minute, Luna. Are you telling us that her dreams have told her to come here, but haven't told her to ask for proof to the princess' identity?" the brunette asked incredulously.

Both cats looked sheepish. "Well, we're not exactly sure," Luna said somewhat contritely. "All we were really told is that it was imperative to go to this hotel, where it's been arranged to meet this person who was reincarnated by Queen Serenity and has regained all her memories. She's had dreams directing her to Tokyo. She's supposed to be searching for the princess and might have information from our pasts that will prove valuable to us. That's it."

"So, please, girls, don't fight us on this. We need you to do this, but we really don't have any more information. Will you go?" Artemis looked at the group pleadingly.

"And Darien has to go with you as well," Luna added quietly.

Serena turned pale, her sapphire eyes wide. The other girls gasped, the blonde and the brunette reaching out and putting comforting hands on the stricken girl's arm and shoulder, respectively. "Are you sure, Luna?" Raye asked, a touch of menace in her tone.

"The information we found was very specific," Artemis said. "Rini has to stay here, and Darien has to come with. He has to hear this woman's tale with his own ears. I guess something she knows is supposed to be crucial for him."

"Are you going to be okay with this, Serena?" the blonde next to her asked gently.

"I'll be okay, Mina. It's Darien that might have the problem."

"I'll tell him where he can shove his problem," the brunette said viciously, punching a fist into her open palm.

"Lita, please," the blue-haired girl said placatingly. "I'm sure once Darien hears why we need him to come along he'll give us his full cooperation, no matter what his relationship with Serena is at the moment. She's being mature about this; he will be too."

"Sometimes I think you give him a little too much credit, Amy," Raye commented. "If he was going to be mature at all about this, he would have told Serena why he broke up with her in the first place."

"Could we not argue about this now?" Serena asked.

"Yes, please," Luna agreed. "Does this mean you'll go?"

"When are we supposed to meet her?" Mina asked.

"We'll arrange it for this weekend. Will that work?" Artemis questioned.

The five girls looked at each other. "There's nothing going on at the temple this weekend, so it should be okay for me," Raye said reluctantly.

"My parents were supposed to be taking us to see my grandparents in Kyoto, but I might be able to talk them out of making me go. And that way Rini won't be around either." Serena shrugged.

"I didn't have anything planned," Lita said.

"My parents were supposed to be going out of town anyway. My dad said something about a business trip." Mina smiled.

"My mother told me not to expect her home much this weekend. It looks like she'll be pulling double shifts. It would probably be best if I weren't coming in at odd hours and disturbing whatever rest she might be able to get," Amy said thoughtfully.

"Does anyone know what Darien was planning?" Luna asked.

"He might have to work. I'm not sure about that though," Serena said in a subdued tone.

"Someone's going to have to find out tonight. Any volunteers?" The black cat looked from one girl to another, waiting for a response.

"I'll do it," Serena said before anyone else could. "I have to pick up Rini tonight anyway."

"Do you want one of us to come along for back up?" Lita asked sympathetically.

"No, that's alright. I can handle this. It's scout business after all. He can't complain about that."

"Not much anyway," Raye grumbled.

"Well, that's settled. Serena, just let Luna know what Darien has to say when you get home, and we'll take it from there. For now, plan on going to the Crossroads Hotel this weekend." Artemis gave a sharp nod.

"Right," the five girls said in unison.

fade out...

scene change...

About two hours later, Serena was heading over to Darien's apartment to pick up the little pink-haired girl that had suddenly dropped into her life a little over a month and a half ago. She stood before her ex-boyfriend's door, staring nervously. Finally she swallowed the lump in her throat and knocked.

Shortly thereafter, it opened reveling a tall, athletically built young man with short, ebony black hair and midnight blue eyes. "Oh, Serena. I take it you're here to pick up Rini."

The petite blonde missed the effort behind the controlled tone. "Yeah, I am. But I need to talk to you for a few minutes first." She stared at the top of her shoes.

Guilt and panic flashed through the young man's eyes. "Serena..." he began.

"It's scout business," Serena whispered intently.

Midnight blue eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, okay, then," he stuttered. "Come in. We'll talk in the kitchen."

"Thank you, Darien." The young blonde stepped meekly inside and headed straight for the door that led to the kitchen.

"Serena?" a young voice called from the living room as Darien shut the front door.

"Why don't you keep coloring, Rini? I need to talk to Serena for a bit before she takes you home."

"Okay, Darien," the pink-haired girl said from her seat on the floor next to the coffee table, somewhat confused. His voice was so gentle when he spoke of the older girl, but he kept pushing her away. I wonder what he says to her in private, Rini thought before creeping quietly to the door Darien had just disappeared behind and listening intently.

Inside the kitchen, Serena stood with her back against the far counter staring at the floor. Darien shut the door behind himself and took in the sight of the girl he still loved with all his heart for a few quiet moments before deciding he should get to the matter at hand. "What did you need to talk to me about, Serena?"

The blonde, in her misery of being so close to her love, yet so far away, missed the gentle tone he used. "Luna and Artemis told us today at our scout meeting that we're supposed to go to a place called the Crossroads Hotel and meet a lady that was reincarnated by Queen Serenity. I guess she's regained all her memories and has some important information for all of us about our lives in the Silver Millennium. They want us to go this weekend."

"That includes me?"

"Yeah. They specifically said you have to go along. Can you come this weekend?"

"Are you sure I have to go?" All Darien could think of was the complete access he would have to this golden child with two days, and especially a night, without any parents or guardians around. The temptation would be torture, heavenly torture. He wasn't sure he could handle it.

All Serena could think of was that Darien didn't want anything to do with her for such a long time without any real possibility for distraction. "Look, I won't bother you. We'll just meet this lady, talk to her and come home. You won't have to put up with me anymore than necessary. I promise."

The misery in her voice is what cinched it for him. He couldn't let her think that she was such a thorn in his side, no matter what his dreams were telling him. "Serena, you're not that much of a problem for me. It's just..." He struggled to think of another reason for his hesitance. "I have a paper due early next week. But since this is important, I'll just try to get it done before we go. You can count me in."

Serena looked up then, completely unaware that Darien was more than done with said paper, and tried to control her happiness at the ebony-haired young man's acceptance. Her sapphire blues sparkled. "Thank you, Darien. I'll tell Luna when I get home." She paused for a moment as a thought struck her. "Um, Darien, how do you think we should get there? There's no way we'll all fit in your car, and I don't know if any buses go near this place."

Darien blinked at the display of foresight. It was moments like this that showed him just how much his Meatball Head was maturing. "Let me look into it. The Crossroads Hotel, you said?" Serena nodded. "I'll check on buses, and if that doesn't work I'll figure something else out."

The petite blonde gave him one of her thousand-watt smiles and Darien nearly melted at the sight. "That would be wonderful, thank you. I'll tell Luna that, too. Now I suppose I should get Rini home before my mom starts to worry. Dinner should be ready any time now."

The young man nodded and opened the door, standing just to the side to allow Serena to leave first. Both teenagers missed the flash of pink that dashed back to the coffee table. As the blonde walked through the doorway, one of her streamers brushed against Darien's bared lower arm. He shuddered and fought the urge to grab the girl and kiss the living daylights out of her.

"Okay, Rini, I think we're ready to go now. Mom's expecting us for dinner soon."

The pink-haired girl took in the happy expression on her "cousin's" face and decided not to give her a hard time. "Okay, Serena. Just let me pick up my stuff."

Both teenagers blinked in surprise as the younger girl put the stray papers together and the crayons back in their box. "I'll see you soon, okay, Rini?" Darien said as the two girls reached his door.

"You bet, Darien! I can't wait!"

"Thanks for watching her, Darien," Serena said softly as she opened the door. "I really appreciate it, and I know my mom does too. I guess we'll see you later. Come on, Rini." The blonde led the younger girl into the hallway and shut the door behind her.

Darien stood and stared at the closed door for a long while. "I love you, Serena," he said finally. "I'm so sorry."

fade out...

scene change...

The weekend came quickly. Early on Saturday morning, five girls, three still extremely tired and two awake and ready to face the day, had gathered in the Hikawa Shrine's courtyard to await Darien and the two cats. "You're sure Darien said he'd take care of our transportation?" Raye asked as she swept the ancient stones.

"Yeah," Serena said through a yawn. "He mentioned yesterday he couldn't find a bus that traveled by the hotel, so he'd find another way to get us there."

"This is odd," Amy said from her seat next to Serena on the porch of the main temple building. She was looking at the screen of her hand-held Mercury computer. "I can't seem to find any information on the Crossroads Hotel."

"That's weird," Mina said wearily from the blue-haired genius' other side as she elbowed the tall brunette leaning against her. Lita jumped as she woke up from her dozing state.

"I'm glad all of you are here and ready to go," Luna said as she and Artemis reached the top of the steps. "Everything's all set up. The lady's name is Celeste Monroe. She comes from the United States, but speaks fluent Japanese. Beyond that, we don't know a lot about her."

"I see everyone's ready," Darien said as he reached the group before the cats could continue. "I rented a van for the weekend. Why don't we get your bags packed?"

The girls all grabbed their overnight bags and headed down the temple steps to where Darien had parked the van. He opened the back door, took each bag, and packed it carefully. When he took Serena's, their hands brushed, making both of them shudder slightly. The ebony-haired young man quickly packed the bag and shut the door. "Is there anything else we need to know or do before we get going?" he asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

"We don't know exactly when Celeste is going to arrive, or exactly what she looks like. She should recognize you though, so stay visible as much as you can," Artemis said.

"Contact us when you get there and when you've met with Celeste," Luna added.

"Is that all?" Raye asked a bit impatiently.

Both cats looked at each other and nodded. "Then let's go!" Mina enthused. Darien silently headed for the driver's side door. When he was out of sight, and Serena was giving the cats one last pet goodbye, the other four girls rushed to the sliding side door and planted themselves on the two bench seats, leaving only the front passenger seat for their leader. The meatball-adorned blonde looked up at the sound of the door slamming, and Darien waited for the shaking to stop before getting in. He looked over his shoulder and immediately gathered the girls' game plan. The four culprits smiled and waved at their driver simultaneously.

Serena climbed into the van slowly, realizing her friends' good intentions. She tried not to look at Darien, and hoped he didn't think she had put the others up to this. What she didn't realize was that her subdued manner told the young man in the driver's seat everything he needed to know. He knew she hadn't planned this, and was afraid he'd be upset with her. He only wished he could come right out and tell her the truth. "Is everyone ready?" he asked neutrally, vocally ignoring the situation, hoping that would tell Serena he wasn't mad.

A chorus of yeah's was his answer, and Darien silently started the van and took off for the Crossroads Hotel.

fade out...

scene change...

Four and a half hours of driving on old back roads later, the six teenagers finally pulled up to a sturdy, yet ancient-looking building. The kanji above the door read merely "Crossroads."

"This is huge," Lita muttered as she crawled out of the van from the second back bench.

"This is old," Raye said firmly. "I thought this was supposed to be a new hotel."

"Maybe they just converted an older building into the hotel recently," Amy guessed as she followed the tall brunette out.

"It looks neat," Mina commented.

"I hope we have time to explore," Serena said quietly.

"I just hope the size of this place doesn't make it difficult for this Celeste person to find us," Darien said skeptically as he unloaded the bags from the back.

"I hadn't thought of that," the meatball-headed blonde murmured, her words barely audible. But Darien caught them, and wanted to smack himself for making her feel bad.

"Oh, don't worry about it," Lita said cheerfully. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to explore. And if we aren't in sight when this woman arrives, I'm sure she'll stay in one spot and wait for one of us."

"Aren't we optimistic?" Raye said sarcastically as she picked up her bag from the pile Darien had made before closing the back of the van.

"Raye, please," Amy said placatingly as she grabbed her own bag. "I know it was a long trip, but being snippy isn't going to help anyone's temper. Why don't we go check in?"

The others murmured their agreement and the six of them moved from their parking space to the large, thick, oak front doors. They opened into a huge lobby, decorated in Victorian style. It was as though they had left their own country and stepped back in time. Bell hops, dressed in the traditional red uniforms, were scurrying from place to place, nodding and giving polite greetings as they passed various guests. At the far side of the room, two large doors were open, revealing a gigantic dining room, filled with tables all set for lunch. On the left side of the room was an impressive oak front desk with a distinguished looking man dressed in a pressed gray three piece suit behind it. He smiled as the group of teenagers noticed him. "Welcome to the Crossroads. How may I help you?"

"Um, we're supposed to have reservations for the night. We're meeting a friend here sometime between now and tomorrow afternoon," Serena said, stepping forward.

"Ah," the man said knowingly. "Would you be the Tsukino party?"

The petite blonde blushed. "Uh, yeah, I guess so. My name is Serena Tsukino at any rate, and these people are with me."

His smile grew wider. "Excellent. If you'd all sign in, I'll have a bell hop take your bags. You'll all have your own room of course."

Six pairs of eyes bugged out of their heads. "How much is that going to cost?" Darien choked out.

"Don't worry, sir. We have you down for a group rate, and there's always plenty of room at the Crossroads." He offered a pen to the ebony-haired young man.

Darien gave him one last skeptical look and took the utensil offered. He quickly signed his name, starting slightly as the phantom feeling of an electric shock shot through him when the tip touched the paper. He shook it off as his imagination and handed the pen to Mina, who stood directly behind him, waiting.

She glanced at the signature as she took the pen. "Boy, you really are going to be a doctor, aren't you? If I didn't know what your name was, I couldn't read that scrawl!"

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Just sign and let's get this over with." Darien scowled at the now-giggling blonde.

"Sure." Sky-blue eyes widened briefly as Mina felt the same sensation Darien had before her. Like him, she also shrugged it off and finished signing her name.

And so it went for the remaining four girls, each getting a slight sensation of a jolt when they touched the pen to the paper, but each writing it off as a figment of their imagination. When they had all signed in, the desk clerk smiled his biggest smile yet and clapped his hands sharply. A young girl wearing a bell hop uniform with a black ribbon tied in a bow around her neck rushed up to the desk and stood at attention. "Layla, please take these guests' bags to their rooms. That will be numbers 308 to 313." He handed each of the teenagers a key as he delivered his instructions.

"Yes, sir," the tall, thin brunette said meekly, quickly dashing off for a small cart for the bags. Her pageboy hairstyle swished back and forth as she nimbly avoided collision after collision with other hotel employees, looking exceptionally adept with the cart on her way back. Layla wouldn't allow the group to stack their own bags, insisting on doing everything herself, although she did give them a barely-audible thank you as she began to lead them toward the elevator.

Not long afterward, they had each been shown their room, and the proper bag had been placed neatly at the foot of the immaculately made bed. Once Layla had left, refusing all attempts at giving her a tip for her services, the girls all gathered in Darien's room, 313 at the end of the hall. "So what do we do now?" Mina asked, flopping onto the bed.

"Get comfortable, I suppose, and make our way down to the lobby. That would be the most likely place to see and be seen," Darien responded as he started putting his clothes away in the antique dresser that took up half of the right hand wall.

"Well, yeah, but that's so boring," Lita complained.

"This isn't exactly supposed to be a pleasure trip, Lita," Amy said gently. "But I think it might be in our best self-interest to find out when lunch is going to be served."

Everyone was surprised when the mention of food didn't garnish an immediate response from the meatball-headed leader. Serena merely stood near the door, a strange, thoughtful expression on her face as she stared off into space. "What's the matter, Serena?" Mina asked softly.

"I... I don't know. Ever since I signed the guest book, I haven't felt quite right. But I can't put my finger on what it is."

"I'm feeling the same way," Raye agreed, her tone subdued. "It's like a blanket's been thrown over my psychic senses."

Darien, who had perked up warily at Serena's statement, immediately tried reaching for his link with the petite blonde. It was still there, but duller than normal. His eyes narrowed and his hackles rose. "We need to keep our eyes open here, girls. It looks like there's more going on here than meets the eye."

"Agreed. And I think we should stick together," Amy added.

"Right," Mina said while Lita nodded.

"I... I think I just want to go to my room and lie down," Serena said slowly. "I really don't feel well at all."

"I'm with Serena. I'm going to lie down too. Maybe a nap will make us feel better. But the rest of you stick together, okay?" Raye looked around with a meaningful gaze. The other girls nodded.

"We'll go down to the lobby then and see about lunch," Amy said with a gentle smile. "Will you join us, Darien?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, his eyes locked on Serena's pale features.

"Let's go then," Mina said, hopping off the bed and leading the others out the door.

Serena waited for the others to pass her before starting to trudge the few feet down the hall to her own room. As she closed the door behind her, Darien stepped up. "Let me help you to your room, Serena. You really don't look well."

She heard the worry in his tone, but was too ill to even inwardly cheer. "Thank you," she whispered as she leaned against his side.

His arm quickly wrapped around her slim shoulders, and he led her gently to room 311. The ebony-haired young man reveled in the sensation of his beloved being so close to him again, and he managed to shut out the insistent voice that kept warning him about the message from his dreams, the dreams that told him night after night that this golden child would die if he remained near her. She was barely upright by the time they got to the bed, so he scooped her up after pulling back the covers, and gently laid her out. He patted the sheets after placing them around her shoulders and smiled down on her heart-shaped face with the lids shut over a pair of beautiful sapphire blue eyes.

"Thank you, Darien," she breathed. "I love you."

Darien's breath caught, and he barely resisted the urge to take her into his arms. He settled for lightly brushing his lips against her forehead. "I love you too," he said softly after he thought she was asleep. The upward twitching of the corners of her mouth told a completely different story however. He chose to ignore the sign and left to join the others downstairs.

fade out...

scene change...

Hours passed uneventfully. Lunch, the quartet found, was delicious, and there had been plenty of it. The variety of different foods that were served boggled the mind, and made them all wonder what could be left for dinner. Other guests wandered in and out of the hall, sampling the offerings of the large buffet.

Once the meal was over, they went into the lounge just off the dining room. Against the far wall was an ornately carved cherry wood bar with a huge glass mirror with an etched border behind it. On the right hand wall was a small stage with a five-piece jazz band, looking like they came straight out of the Roaring Twenties. Cigarette girls and various waitstaff wandered in and amongst the seated, standing, and dancing guests. The one thing all the assorted employees of the hotel seemed to have in common was that they were all wearing a black ribbon tied around their necks.

As time went on, and the four of them ate, drank, and soaked in the relaxed atmosphere, they all thought less and less about the fears that had plagued them earlier. They even found themselves enjoying the entertainment and being daring with exotic drinks and light dishes. And after dinner, they grew more and more tired, their thoughts only on their individual states of exhaustion and when they could get to bed. Finally, around ten that night, all four teenagers stumbled off to their rooms.

fade out...

scene change...

Amy, in room 308 closest to the elevator along the left hand wall, found that once she had showered and changed into her pajamas, her lethargy had completely disappeared. With a deep sigh, she dug into her bag and pulled out one of her large textbooks, brought along for just this situation.

She had gone through a chapter and a half when a loud knock at her door got her attention. "I wonder who that could be at this time of night," she said to herself, glanced at the clock on her bedside table and noticing the time to be eleven o'clock.

She checked the peep hole and saw a beautiful woman with long red hair tied back into a professional looking bun and sharp green eyes and wearing a gray business suit with a knee-length skirt. The black ribbon at her throat accentuated the black dress shirt under the jacket. Blinking a couple of times and wondering what would bring a member of hotel management to her room at all, much less at eleven at night, Amy opened the door. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

The woman smiled. "The real question is, can I help you? May I come in?" Amy's dark blue eyes grew wide, and she wordlessly stepped aside and allowed the woman to enter. "Now then, Amy... May I call you Amy?" The blue-haired genius nodded as she sat on the edge of her bed. "Amy, my name is Delilah, and I have a proposition for you."

"What... what kind of proposition?"

"I want to help you, Amy. I want to help you achieve your dreams. You want to be a doctor, right?" The girl nodded. "I can make that happen with the least amount of fuss. If you let me, I'll make sure this little problem of the Black Moon is immediately taken care of, and you'll have all the time in the world to focus on your studies. In fact, I can make it so that you enter an accelerated program and achieve your goal that much faster. Believe me, I do have the power to make this happen. All it will take to make it yours is your permission. Just tell me you want it."

Amy could only stare at the beautiful redhead standing before her as her mind reeled with the implications of the offer she had just received. There was no doubt in her mind the Delilah was telling the truth. But there were a few things she had to know...

"What... what about my friends? Where do they fit into this offer?"

"I'm only authorized to extend this offer to you, Amy. But this Black Moon will be gone, so they'll no longer be in danger, if that's what's concerning you. Just accept my offer and it can all happen."

Amy found herself seriously considering the proposition. She thought of herself, becoming a doctor years sooner than she had thought possible, achieving her dreams that much sooner. How proud her mother would be! And her friends!

With that thought, a series of scenes flashed through her head. The opportunity she had to go to Germany to further the same dream she was being offered now. Darien and Rini the only two there at the airport to see her off. The gift of the new communicator and Mercury wand, just in case she needed it. The knowledge that her friends were in danger, and she had nearly left them behind. The joyous reunion after her timely return had caused the defeat of the droid that had captured the others.

Her eyes blinked as the fog of the day seemed to clear. She had been willing to fight and work to achieve her dreams before. She knew she couldn't leave her friends behind. And that's what Delilah was asking her to do. On top of that was a strong sense of responsibility. Defeating the Black Moon was her job, her and the rest of her friends - a job they had already pledged themselves to finish. No, Amy knew her duty, and right now it was to resist overwhelming temptation.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, looking the woman straight in the eye. "I can't accept your offer. My friends are too important to me to leave them behind like that, and it's my job to handle the Black Moon Family."

The woman stood there silently for a few moments gazing deep into the seated girl's eyes. Finally, she smiled. "I understand. So you are resisting temptation?"

"I have to. More people are counting on me doing so than you know."

Delilah nodded sharply. "Good for you," she whispered, the genius barely catching the words before the woman turned and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Amy found herself gasping in shock after the click of the door stopped ringing in her ears. She flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, just now realizing the dangerously thin line she had walked between desire and duty.

fade out...

cut to...

Lita stepped out of her shower about the same time as her blue-haired friend next door. She decided to let her brown hair hang naturally to the bottom of her shoulder blades to dry in stead of drying it with the blow dryer and putting it back up in her usual ponytail. She stood in the doorway of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and sighed at the sight of the empty room.

Shaking off the sense of loneliness, she wandered over to her dresser, pulled out her nightgown, and quickly changed into the rose pink silk. "You know, it figures," she muttered to herself after straightening the gown. "I feel completely exhausted going into the shower, and now I'm wide awake. Did I remember that novel I was reading?" She dug into her overnight bag.

A few minutes later turned up an empty notebook, a couple pencils and pens, and her teddy bear she hadn't realized she'd tossed in the bag, but no book. "Shoot! Now what am I going to do with myself? I can't watch TV even if I wanted to since there isn't one here, so what does that leave me with?" Her emerald green eyes fell onto the notebook. "I know! I've been wanting to write out some of my newest recipes for a while now. This is the perfect opportunity!" With that, she took the pencils and notebook to the table in the far corner and began to do just that.

The knock at the door later startled the furiously writing brunette, making her jump. "Yeah, hold on a second!" she called as she got her heart and breathing back under control. Glancing at the clock as she passed it on the way to the door, she had to wonder who would want to talk to her at eleven at night.

Lita didn't even bother to check who was at the door before throwing it open. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the fine male specimen who stood there smiling in a black T-shirt tucked into a pair of khaki slacks and a thin black ribbon around his neck. Broad, muscular shoulders; short, wavy blond hair; twinkling, sea blue eyes; perfectly straight, white teeth; chiseled features. Gods, this man is Adonis incarnate! she thought in a daze.

"Hello, Lita. May I come in?" he said in a deep, sexy bass.

The girl merely nodded and stepped out of the man's way, allowing him entrance. He walked inside to the middle of the room. Lita mechanically closed the door behind him and stumbled to the bed and sat down facing her guest. "Is there something I can do for you?" she whispered.

"I don't believe so. But there is something I can do for you." His perfect smile grew wider. "I have an offer to make you, Lita."

She swallowed nervously. "What is it?"

He reached out a manicured hand and gently brushed her cheek. "I want to make your dreams come true, Lita. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, start a family, help you start that world-famous restaurant you've always wanted, maybe with a bakery and flower shop on the side. I have the power to make it happen, Lita. Just tell me yes."

She swallowed again. "I... I don't even know your name."

"Daniel. Daniel Faust. Now that that's settled, what do you say?" He began running his fingers through her loose brown hair.

Lita shuddered and her eyes fell shut. She had no doubt Daniel could do exactly what he said he would. Would it be worth it? "I... I have responsibilities..." she managed to breath out.

"Of course I'd take care of this Black Moon Family before anything else. Can't have you distracted by such petty things when you're headed for more important things like your dreams now can I? What do you say?"

His voice was so melodious, so soothing. Lita could handle hearing that every day for the rest of her life. And the girls would probably love him too...

That thought started a flood of images in her mind. She saw Serena practically shoving her into the café to talk with Game Machine Joe the first day they met, she and Serena declaring themselves the "love scouts" to go after Andrew when they found out about Rita, the other four gazing at her sympathetically, offering her support after the fiasco with Misha at the ice rink, Amy and Serena being so wonderful as she lay in a hospital bed giving her friend Ken a direct blood transfusion after the attack by the lion cardian. She also saw wide eyes and smiles when she revealed another one of her dishes at a scout meeting, heard the compliments when the girls would come over to her apartment and see how her plants were flourishing. They were always like that, supportive and there for her when she needed them.

"What about my friends? They deserve to be happy too."

Daniel didn't even blink. "I can only offer this to you, Lita. But with the Black Moon Family gone, they should be fine. Will you accept my offer?"

It was tempting. It was definitely tempting. But her own happiness at the possible cost of that of her friends? And they had all pledged to work together to defeat the Black Moon; she couldn't back out on that now. Her friends had earned her trust, loyalty, and love. She wouldn't betray that.

Lita looked Daniel straight in the eye and stood. "I'm afraid I can't," she said firmly. "As tempting as it all is, I can't. I can make my dreams happen on my own, and that way I'll be sure my friends are along for the ride. And there's no way I'd do it without them."

The blond man leaned in close, his lips just a fraction away from touching hers. "Are you one hundred percent sure?"

The brunette took a deep breath before responding. "Definitely. My friends aren't just my friends. They're my family."

Daniel stood up straight and took a step back. "They're worth giving up everything I'm offering you?" His tone was that of disbelief.

Lita smiled. "That and more."

"So you're resisting temptation."

"Yes."

The man nodded thoughtfully and headed for the door. He looked back over his shoulder as he placed his hand on the knob and paused. "I can only say I wish I had friends like that. Good luck to you, Lita. You deserve it." And he opened the door and walked out.

As soon as she heard the click of the door shutting, Lita fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I can't believe I just did that," she muttered incredulously. "I can't believe I just did that."

fade out...

cut to...

Mina changed as soon as she got back up to her room and crawled into bed. After a half hour of tossing and turning, she finally accepted the fact that she was awake and not about to go to sleep any time soon. Jumping out of bed, she made her way to the bathroom, where she brushed through her long, pale blonde hair and tied it back with her favorite red bow and began her usual nightly ritual, starting with her cucumber mud mask.

Having killed twenty more minutes, she wandered around her room, peeking into drawers and cubby holes, and checking the cushions of her chairs and sofa for change. She sighed in disappointment when she realized there was no television. But her mood quickly lifted when she saw that there was a radio on the bedstand. She grinned with the realization that the only people she could bother were Darien in the room to the left, Lita in the room to the right, and Serena across the hall - all friends!

"Yes!" she cried, diving for the radio. She quickly turned it on, and found it was already set to her favorite station. Jumping from the bed, she immediately proceeded to dance to the upbeat song, singing along at the top of her lungs. Hey, if she couldn't sleep, why should anyone else?

So it continued for ten minutes or so, until a loud knock came at the door. Sheepishly, she glanced at the clock, noted the time at eleven o'clock, and made her way to the door. "Look, I'm sorry about..." the blonde began as she answered the knock, stopping mid-sentence as she saw it wasn't one of her friends there to complain about the noise, but a drop-dead gorgeous man she'd never seen before.

The man was about six feet tall, had long black hair tied back in a ponytail, rich chocolate brown eyes, a lean trim build, a bright slightly crooked smile, and was wearing a light gray suit jacket over a black T-shirt tucked into a pair of black dress slacks. He had a small silver hoop earring in his left earlobe, and an unidentifiable silver charm hanging from a thick black ribbon tied around his neck. He stared for a moment at the sight of the girl who opened the door before she began to speak. "Um, hi. Is there something you needed?"

He shook his head slightly and answered. "Oh, yeah. Actually, Mina, I was hoping I had something you needed."

"Me?" she squeaked out.

"Yes, you," he replied gently. "May I come in?"

"Sure!" she chirped eagerly, quickly getting out of his way and closing the door behind him once he was inside. "So what is this you have that you think I need?" she asked as she planted herself on the foot of the bed.

"Your future," he said simply. She blinked, and the grin she had been wearing slid off her face. "I can make you a star, the idol of millions. I want to. And I'm not talking about years from now. I'm talking weeks, months from now. All you have to do is accept my offer. I have the power to make it happen, to make your dreams come true."

Mina's jaw dropped. Never in a million years did she think her opportunity would present itself so soon and like this. She had to admit she liked the package it came in. But there were additional considerations. "Um, this sounds wonderful... I never caught your name."

"Lucian Webster."

"Lucian. Your offer sounds great, but I have some other responsibilities that are quite pressing at the moment and..."

"Consider the Black Moon Family taken care of. That'll be part of the deal. And sometime down the line, maybe you and I could even..." He arched an eyebrow suggestively.

The blonde girl gulped. Now that was a tempting signing bonus. She could see herself, performing before sell-out crowds, attending the latest movie premier, all with her friends and family cheering her on...

Memories began flashing before her mind's eye. She saw Serena's awe-struck face the first time they had met as Sailors Moon and Venus when the other blonde had told her she was her hero. She saw the five of them arguing over who should get the part of Snow White in Darien's play, and later, after the play had been trashed by Ann and Alan's cardian, the five of them taking their bows in front of the cheering crowd, the Sailor Scouts having saved the day in dramatic style. She saw quiet moments with each of the others, where they shared their dreams and offered support. All special, precious moments. Could she leave that behind?

"What about my friends?"

"This offer's for you, sweetheart. That's the only thing I can guarantee. But this Black Moon Family will be gone, so they should be safe. They'll find their own way. Meanwhile, you'll get to touch the very stars."

Oh, the temptation! Mina's heart wavered between her desires to be an idol and be there for her friends, achieving things together. When she considered the second option, the truth made her breath catch. She could still achieve her goals with her friends, it would just take a little longer. And she was sure it would be all the more satisfying for the company.

She gazed at Lucian, her sky-blue eyes serene. "I'm going to have to turn you down, Lucian. It means too much to me to make it with my friends by my side. Besides, we made a pledge to take care of the Black Moon Family together. I can't back out now."

"You're absolutely sure? I can guarantee success beyond anything you've ever dared imagine before your next birthday. You're going to resist temptation?" Lucian's gaze turned piercing.

"It's not worth it without my friends. I'm sure."

He silently stared into her eyes, as if checking her resolve. After a few moments, he smiled a charming grin and shrugged. "Your loss, sweetheart." He headed to the door. As he stood in the open doorway, he looked back, his smile gentler. "More power to you." With that he closed the door and was on his way.

Once he was gone, Mina's shoulders slumped. She remained lost in her thoughts, staring off into space until the music from the radio finally intruded. Suddenly she wasn't in the mood for songs and entertainment. She turned and leaned back on the bed, switching off the power.

fade out...

cut to...

About five minutes after Delilah left her room, Amy finally sat up and considered what had just occurred. "There was definitely something wrong with what just happened. And why do I get the feeling that I came incredibly close to making one of the biggest mistakes of my life?" She ran her hands through her short blue locks before her eyes widened and her breath caught as a thought struck her. "The others! What happened to the others?" The girl genius jumped off the bed and immediately headed for the room next door.

fade out...

cut to...

Lita was still staring at the ceiling, shaking her head and muttering her disbelief at what she had just done, when her door flew open and Amy dashed in. The brunette sprung upright at the sound. "What the..."

"Lita!" Amy cried as she screeched to a halt in front of the now seated girl. "Are you okay?"

Lita shook her head disbelievingly. "I... I don't know, Ames," she said sadly. "I mean, I just turned down the most gorgeous man on the face of the planet!"

The blue-haired girl released a sigh of relief. "You had me worried there."

Emerald green eyes widened in an obvious plea for understanding. "Amy, I just turned down the most gorgeous man on the face of the planet!"

"I heard you, Lita, and that's probably a good thing. Don't you think there was something strange about whatever this man offered you?"

Lita blinked for a moment. "Well, yeah, I guess so, now that you mention it. But I just turned down the most gorgeous man on the face of the planet!"

Amy rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, I get the picture. Now look, something strange is going on here, something dangerous. Something evil," she finished darkly.

Lita shuddered. "I see what you mean. The offer..." She whimpered briefly. "The offer does seem kind of out there now that I really think about it."

"Definitely."

Both girls looked at each other with dread growing in their eyes. Suddenly those eyes grew wide. "Mina!" they cried in unison, then took off running.

fade out...

cut to...

Mina had just turned off the radio when her door crashed open and Lita and Amy rushed in. The blonde spun quickly to face the newcomers, who suddenly got horrified looks on their faces and screamed at the top of their lungs. Mina screamed in response.

"Oh, Gods, Mina! What did they do to you?" Amy cried.

"What?" Mina shouted, her hands flying to her face. Her fingers touched the greenish-brown goo she was still wearing. "Is there something wrong with my mud mask?"

Amy immediately calmed at the blonde's words while Mina and Lita were beginning to hyperventilate. "Wait a minute," the blue-haired girl snapped. "You're wearing a mud mask?"

"Yeah," the wide-eyed blonde said, gasping. "Is there something wrong with it?"

Lita rolled her eyes. "And here I thought they did something awful to your face!"

"Who's they? What are you talking about?" Mina asked quizzically.

"Mina, did someone just knock on your door and offer you something incredibly tempting?" Amy asked, ignoring the seated girl's questions for the time being.

"Yeah," she replied with a sudden sober seriousness. "And I almost accepted."

"Almost?" Amy quizzed urgently.

Mina nodded. "Almost," she confirmed.

Lita put a gentle hand on her depressed friend's shoulder. "I understand. I just turned down the most gorgeous man on the face of the planet." Amy groaned.

"This guy was quite the looker himself. But I couldn't accept. You guys mean too much to me."

"What did he offer you?" Amy asked gently.

"He offered to make me a star, just like I've always wanted. And within weeks or months, not years. He also told me he'd get rid of the Black Moon Family as part of the deal. I could see it! But without you guys, which he couldn't guarantee, it wouldn't be worth it. It wouldn't be worth it to have my dreams come true and not be able to share it with the best friends I've ever had."

"The most gorgeous man on the face of the planet offered to spend the rest of my life with me, have kids, help me start a world-famous restaurant and maybe even a bakery and flower shop on the side. And get rid of the Black Moon Family." Lita sighed. "And I turned him down!"

"The woman that came to my door offered to get rid of the Black Moon Family, get me in an accelerated program to make me a doctor sooner, and allow me all the time I needed to focus on making it happen. I couldn't do it without you guys either. I said no."

"Wow," Mina said incredulously, "it looks like these people just tried to give us our greatest dreams on a silver platter. I wonder what was in it for them?"

"It almost reminds me of the story where the man sells his soul to the devil to make his dreams come true," Amy said thoughtfully.

A moment of silence descended on the trio while they all thought about the possible consequences of what had just happened to each of them. Then they all met each others' eyes and swallowed nervously. "Darien!"

fade out...

scene change...

When Darien returned to his room, he had also jumped in the shower. Unlike the girls, however, he was not disappointed in the least to find that he was wide awake afterward. The last thing he wanted was to fall asleep and have the same nightmare that he had been facing every night for over a month. The thought of watching Serena die, while horrible in and of itself, was all the more torturous with the beautiful blonde alive and well but still out of reach on the other side of a wall.So, the ebony-haired young man decided he would finish a paper that wasn't due for another week and a half. He pulled the books he would need out of his carry-on bag along with a few notebooks and pencils and began his night's work.

Around eleven o'clock, not that Darien knew what time it was, a timid knock sounded at the door. "Come in," he called, not looking up from his pile of textbooks and notes.

There was the sound of the door opening and light footsteps coming inside. But it wasn't until the door closed that Darien looked up. Midnight blue eyes nearly bugged out of his head. There, standing somewhat shyly against the door, was a petite blonde with her hair in two buns on either side of her head with streamers hanging from them and wearing a short, body-hugging, ivory-colored silk nightgown. He used all his willpower to put back on his emotionless mask before speaking. "Serena, what are you doing here?" He inwardly flinched when his voice cracked.

"I... I had to come," the girl said softly. "Don't you want me here?" She took a couple steps toward the bed where Darien had set up shop.

"You shouldn't be here, Serena. Please, just go back to your room."

"But, Darien, I want to be with you. I want to give myself to you completely." The blonde stepped even closer to the bed, now only a couple of steps away.

"Serena..." Darien's voice trailed off as his eyes closed and he clenched his jaw to control the tempest of emotions he was feeling inside.

"Don't you want me, Darien? Won't you accept my offer?" She held out her right hand.

Darien's eyes sprung open and he looked at his guest with a stricken expression. His midnight blues then dropped to the outstretched hand. Finally, something snapped. He could no longer reconcile the need to protect her and the need to hold her close, especially with her standing right in front of him offering herself. Hesitantly, he reached out his left hand and slowly wrapped the smaller hand in his.

At the contact, he gasped and his head snapped up, his wide blue eyes staring off into space. The petite blonde moved in and wrapped her arms around him, covering his lips with her own. After a few seconds he began to mechanically respond, still staring wide-eyed over her shoulder. His stiff body finally relaxed, and she began to lower him to the pillows, her lips never breaking contact. As his head sank into the down-filled cloth, his eyelids closed, and he still continued to kiss the girl holding him as if on auto-pilot.

Finally she pulled away and held out her right hand. "Serena," Darien whispered as a black ribbon coalesced in the girl's outstretched palm. She hesitated at the word, then moved in to slip the ribbon around his neck and tie it gently.

Just as she finished tying the bow, the door crashed open and three girls dashed inside. "Darien!" Mina cried as they screeched to a halt upon seeing a scantily clan figure bent over him.

"What are you doing to him?" Lita snapped as the girl jumped up and faced them.

The girls gasped as they took in the blonde's form. "Serena?" Amy asked. "Is that you?"

She only swallowed nervously, shooting a look at the closet door, and refused to answer.

"Wait a minute," Mina said skeptically. "Something isn't right here. Take a close look at her." The girl's eyes grew wide as the others did as requested.

"Her hair," Lita breathed. "Serena's hair isn't that yellow, is it?"

"Her eyes aren't that dark a blue, either," Mina added.

"Serena's ponytails usually hang to almost her ankles; this person's only hang to her hips," Amy said suspiciously.

"Alright, who are you and what did you do with our friend?" Lita demanded as she and the others moved closer.

The girl looked again at the closet. As she turned back to face the angry trio, her appearance shimmered and faded, leaving behind a girl about Serena's height and build with short, stringy black hair and dull brown eyes, still wearing the ivory nightgown and a black ribbon around her neck. Her expression was fear-filled and she swallowed nervously. "Please," she begged in a squeaky soprano. "Please don't hurt me. I was only doing what I was ordered to do. He... he couldn't resist temptation."

"Couldn't resist..." Amy's dark blue eyes widened as her voice trailed off and the girls stopped. "Is this what would have happened to us if we hadn't resisted?" The girl nodded.

"What about Serena?" Mina asked, narrowing her eyes.

The black-haired girl looked at the blonde strangely for a moment before answering. "The Master has her. It was the Master that ordered me to do this. Please don't hurt me."

"Who is this master?" Lita asked.

"The Master is..." Her words were cut off mid-sentence as she made a strangling noise and her eyes grew wide. Before the others could move, the girl with the black ribbon collapsed in a heap on the floor.

Amy dashed forward as the other two gasped. She quickly checked for a pulse. Finally she slowly drew her hand away and turned back to face her friends. "She's dead," the blue-haired genius whispered.

"How?" Lita asked incredulously.

"I don't know, but I'll find out." With that, Amy drew her Mercury computer and began scanning the body at her feet. The small machine beeped as it finished its work and displayed the results. "Everything just shut down. There are traces of strange energy, but that's it."

Mina turned a frightened eye to the bed. "Check Darien," she breathed.

Amy nodded shortly and turned to face him. She let out a sigh of relief after the computer beeped once again. "He's fine. Unconscious, but fine." The blue-haired girl paused. "Well, as fine as he can be under the circumstances."

Mina and Lita moved over to the bed. The blonde reached out and started shaking the ebony-haired young man's shoulder. "Darien? Darien, please wake up!"

Lita joined in. "Come on, Dare! Wake up!"

The two of them finally got so frantic that they were jumping on the bed, screaming at the young man. Amy flinched and sighed. "Guys!" she shouted, halting them mid-jump. "If he didn't wake up by now, he's certainly not going to just because you're jumping on his bed. And so you guys know, my scan picked up more of the strange energy."

"It must be from this master," Lita guessed, crawling off the bed and putting away all the now-scattered books and paper.

"Which means we're dealing with something nasty. If it was willing to kill its servant to keep her from talking, who knows what else it will do?" Mina surmised as she joined the brunette.

"Right, and it has Serena. We need to figure out where to start looking," Amy said as she closed her computer and put it back into her extra-dimensional pocket.

"Her room?" Lita suggested.

Mina's eyes widened. "And Raye's too. I totally forgot about either of them until now!"

Amy nodded. "I did as well. I think that's exactly what they wanted us to do. Let's go."

The three of them quickly made their way to both Serena's and Raye's rooms, finding them both not only empty, but made up as though they'd only just had their bags dropped off. They searched everywhere they could think of, but still found no trace of either of their friends. Finally they returned to Darien's room dejectedly, and, finding no change in the young man's state, looked at their other options.

"Where else do we look?" Lita asked.

"Well, if we find this master, we should find Serena," Mina said.

"True, but where do we find it?" Amy asked, brows creased together in deep thought.

"Hey, Mina," Lita whispered so she wouldn't interrupt the blue-haired genius. "Why do you think that girl kept looking toward the closet?"

Mina shrugged as Amy brought her head up, eyes wide. "That's right!" she exclaimed. "That means there must be something important there! Let's look."

The blue-haired girl led the other two into the large, walk-in closet and turned on the light. Nothing was immediately apparent, but the three of them started checking the walls. Eventually Amy stumbled across a small pad that when pressed caused the back wall to slide aside to reveal a set of stairs going down. "She was looking to escape," Amy whispered.

"Well, this master is going to do anything but!" Lita said fiercely as she started down the stairs. Mina and Amy merely shrugged and followed.

fade out...

scene change...

The stairs were dark and long. Upon reaching the bottom, they could tell only that it was a large, cold, damp, open space due to the complete lack of light. "I don't know about you guys, but I am officially spooked," Mina said quietly from the back of the group.

"We'll have to follow the wall until we find something," Amy whispered. "Who knows what could be out in the middle of the room."

"Gotcha, boss," Lita said and started to feel her way along the wall to the right.

They slowly crept along like that for an indeterminate amount of time. The stone walls were rough hewn, as though they were chiseled right out of the bedrock and never finished. Lita's hands reached higher for a few moments, and she stopped suddenly when she felt wood and metal. Amy and Mina, of course, crashed right into her back. "What did you guys stop for?" Mina complained.

"I felt something strange," Lita replied. "I think it's some sort of metal holding something wooden, but I don't know what it is."

"Show me," Amy said.

The tall brunette put her hand against her friend's stomach. "Put your hand in mine." When she complied, Lita lifted it to where she had felt the odd textures.

"It feels like a torch," Amy said, confused. "But why would there be torches down here? I could understand possibly not wanting to run electricity, but there are far more efficient sources of light. Even oil lamps would be more effective."

"Maybe they're trying for a dungeon motif," Mina offered.

"Either way, it's not like we can use it. Unless either of you happen to have a lighter or matches on you?" Lita said.

"Unfortunately, no," Amy answered. "Let's keep going."

They had gone maybe another twenty feet when the barely-audible sound of muffled crying reached their ears. "I knew it, this place is haunted!" Mina choked out.

"Probably not, Mina," Amy sighed.

They continued along the wall with the crying getting louder and more distinct. Again Lita stopped abruptly when her fingers encountered a patch of stone that was much smoother than that which surrounded it. And again Amy and Mina crashed into her back. "What is this with sudden stops?" the blonde asked, irritated.

"I found some stone that's smoother than the rest. What do you think it is?"

"Whatever it is, although I'm guessing it's a door of some kind, it sounds like the crying is coming from behind it," Amy responded.

The three of them maneuvered around to all be able to check all sides of the slab for some kind of opening, latch, or panel such as the one that opened the secret door in the closet in Darien's room. Finally, Mina pressed her fingers in a small indentation and everyone heard a distinct click before the screeching of stone on stone filled the air as the door slid in slightly and to the side. As soon as it was halfway aside, a large, warm, crying weight fell on top of the blonde that had succeeded in opening the door. Mina, of course, screamed.

"Mina! Calm down!" Lita exclaimed.

"Is it dead? Is it dead?" Mina cried.

"Mina? Lita?" a familiar voice asked brokenly from on top of the hysterical blonde.

"Raye?" Amy asked incredulously.

"Amy!" the priestess cried as she threw her arms around Mina's now seated form and began to sob anew. "Oh, gods! All I could do was listen! I couldn't do anything! I couldn't! I swear I couldn't! I tried so hard! But all I could do was listen!"

Amy knelt beside the sound of her distraught friend and patted what she hoped was the girl's arm. "I believe you, Raye. I know you would have done something if you could. It'll be okay."

"I had to listen! I had to listen!" The raven-haired girl choked on her tears for a moment. "I had to listen to her scream!"

None of the others quite knew what to say at that point so they did the smartest thing they could think of: they said nothing and merely let the crying girl know they were there for her. Eventually, the raven-haired girl's sobs quieted and slowed, and she raised her head. "We have to find her, guys. We have to find out what happened to her."

"What happened to who, Raye?" Lita asked gently.

"Serena," Raye said, the word barely reaching the others' ears. "I had to listen to Serena scream."

"We'll find her, Raye," Amy said sharply, her cold tone surprising her friends.

There was a silent pause while they all gathered their wits from everything that had happened so far that day. Finally, Raye cleared her throat. "Um, Mina? I have to ask this. What is this goop I feel against my cheek?"

The blonde giggled. "Oh, don't worry about that. It's just my mud mask."

"Mud mask?" Raye asked incredulously.

"Don't ask," Lita said.

"Well, it's not my fault this all started after I had started my nightly ritual!" Mina protested.

"Guys, why don't we just get moving? We're not doing anyone any good just sitting here," Amy said quickly, hoping to head off any incipient arguments.

"Right," Mina said, her tone turning serious as she stood and helped Raye to her feet as well.

"Raye? There are torches set into the wall at intervals. Do you think you could light them so we can see?" Amy asked.

The priestess took a deep breath and released it. "Sure. Just point them out."

"Can do," Lita said as Raye quickly called forth her Mars wand and transformed. The tall brunette took Sailor Mars' gloved hand and brought it up to the closest bracket. With a whisper, a small spout of flame shot out and set the wood ablaze.

"Why don't we just use this one to light the others?" Mina asked. "That way Raye doesn't have to exhaust herself keeping up her transformation, especially after the day she's had."

Raye, who had been looking at the now-visible blonde strangely, slowly nodded and let herself fade back into her normal form. She leaned on the blue-haired girl who had moved forward to support her, and the four of them started on their way.

Lita, who had grabbed the original one, was lighting each torch they came across. All of them seemed unable to look beyond their feet or, when they reached the large room the stairs had led into, the center of the large space. There was a dark feeling of foreboding, and they each had the feeling that they wouldn't like what they would see there.

Eventually, however, they had lit all the torches, leaving them only the task of doing what they had previously avoided. When their eyes finally did turn to the center of the room, the quartet found there just wasn't enough air to breathe. There, in a crumpled pile of flesh, was the barely discernable form of their leader, their friend, Serena. They didn't know exactly how they knew it was her, but some inner link told them it was.

She lay on the cold stone floor, naked. Every last inch of hair had been shaved from her body, seemingly by a hot, dull razor if the scrapes and burn marks meant anything. Her legs and arms were lying at strange angles, and it looked like every bone in her body was broken. Her skin was mottled with bruises, cuts, and blood - both dried and drying. All in all, it was a horrifying sight.

Upon the realization that this was indeed Serena, Raye immediately dropped to the floor in a heap and began crying once again. Lita rushed to the corner and began throwing up her dinner. Mina kneeled beside Raye and just stared in shock. Amy swallowed a lump of nervousness, pulled out her Mercury computer, and moved forward to take a closer look. Before she started a scan upon crouching beside the broken form of her first friend, she hesitantly reached out and touched her fingertips to the other girl's neck. Relief was an understatement when she felt a faint pulse.

"Is she..." Mina's voice cracked as she couldn't find the strength to finish her question.

"She's alive. I don't know how, but she's alive." Amy bit her lower lip as she punched in the commands to start a detailed scan.

"So what do we do now?" Lita's weak voice asked from the corner she was still facing.

"I'm thinking we should get her upstairs with Darien. At the very least both the people we need to keep an eye on will be in the same place." Mina's tone regained its confidence now that she knew her friend was alive.

"Um, aren't you not supposed to move people when they've been injured?" Lita asked.

"As much as I hate to say this, I don't think we could hurt her much more than she already has been," Amy said as she closed her computer, having finished her scan and reading the results.

"Then let's get her upstairs," Mina said decisively, helping Raye to her feet although the priestess had yet to stop her sobbing.

"Lita, could you please bring her?" Amy asked. The pale-faced brunette turned and gave the blue-haired girl a horrified look. "It's for Serena."

At that, Lita blinked and managed to swallow down her revulsion at the sight of her friend in such an awful predicament. "You're right; it's for her." And with that, she walked over and gently took the broken girl into her arms.

"Try to make the trip as smooth as possible," Amy said as she began to lead the others toward the stairs.

"You never even had to ask," Lita whispered, following. Mina and Raye took up the rear, and the five girls made their way back to Darien's room.

fade out...

scene change...

They found that nothing had changed when they returned. Darien still lay unconscious, the black ribbon tied in a bow around his neck. Lita quickly moved to lay Serena down on the other side of the queen-size bed, stepping over the form of the girl that had fooled Darien into the state he was in. "So what's next?" the tall brunette asked, moving to the foot of the bed to join the others.

"I don't know," Mina said in frustration, still holding up the now-quietly sobbing priestess.

"I'm afraid I don't have any ideas at the moment either," Amy added, her gaze shifting from the bed to the girl crying on Mina's shoulder and back.

"The only thing I can think of is to find this master and show him what I think of people messing with my friends," Lita snarled.

"I just can't believe that could any one of us in that position," Amy said, pointing at Darien. "If we'd given in, that would be us."

"Well, considering what we saw, at least we know Darien still loves Serena. Otherwise why would she be his greatest temptation?" Mina said in an attempt to lighten things up.

"Wait a minute, greatest temptation?" Raye asked suddenly, snapping her head up. "What about his greatest temptation?"

"Well," Lita said as she gestured toward the bed, "it seems that this master person sent someone in here looking like Serena to tempt Darien. He must have given in." Raye gasped.

"The rest of us had someone come to us as well," Amy added. "We each turned them down though."

"He... he didn't resist temptation?" Raye breathed.

"That's what she told us," Mina said, pointing to the ivory-clad figure on the floor beside the bed.

"Oh, no. Oh, gods, no."

"What is it, Raye?" Amy asked.

"They were taunting Serena by telling her they were going to add to their staff. When she asked what they meant they told her that she shouldn't worry, it wouldn't be against her precious friends' wills. They would just be offering them something they really wanted, and if they gave into temptation..." Raye swallowed and shook her head. "Serena truly believed you could each resist whatever they threw at you. Of course, I doubt she realized what kind of mental state Darien was in. If Serena was his temptation, he must have been fighting his feelings for her for a while now." She looked at Darien. "You putz."

"Now we just need to find a way out of this one," Lita said.

Unseen by the girls, Darien shifted a bit in his sleep. As he did so, his arm rolled outward, causing his right hand to brush against Serena's. As soon as they touched a bright silver light surrounded Darien's form and caught the others' attention. They all gasped as they saw the black ribbon around the young man's neck disappear in a wisp of black smoke. Then the light faded.

"What... what just happened?" Lita asked.

"It felt like the Silver Crystal, I think," Mina answered.

Amy pulled out her computer to check. "That's it," she said. "It appears Serena unconsciously used the crystal to free Darien from this master's curse. He only sleeping now instead of in a coma induced by that strange energy I read earlier."

"If Serena could use the crystal to help Darien why can't she use it to heal herself?" Lita asked.

"She's being typical Serena - taking care of everyone else before herself," Raye said with slight irritation, although she smiled fondly and shook her head.

Amy smiled as well. "That, and she is unconscious. She probably sensed his need through their link and took the opportunity to help when their hands touched." She pointed to the bed, where Serena's left hand lay gently in Darien's right. "Other than that, her natural healing abilities are working overtime. They and the Silver Crystal are probably what have kept her alive this long. She's slowly healing, just from the inside out. That's why we can't see any evidence of it from looking at her."

"So he's just sleeping now, right?" Mina asked.

"That's correct," Amy answered.

"Then we could maybe go, say, find and kick some master butt?" the blonde continued mischievously. Raye and Lita smiled wickedly.

The blue-haired genius looked from her plotting friends to the couple out cold on the bed. "I don't see why not," she replied with a shrug.

The trio's evil smiles grew wider. "I always knew you had it in you," Lita said.

"Let's transform. That way we'll be in fighting condition no matter where or when we run into the master," Mina said authoritatively.

The others nodded, and one light show later, Sailors Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter were standing where the teenage girls had stood moments before. "Let's do it," Venus ordered and took off out the door. The others struggled not to laugh as they followed.

fade out...

scene change...

The first places they checked were the remaining guest rooms. Every last one of them was empty, looking as though they hadn't been occupied for months, possibly years. The elevator creaked more than the girls remembered, and they had to put some oomph behind opening the old-fashioned gate when they reached the lobby.

Again, the room was deserted. No one stood behind the front desk, all the cubby holes along the wall behind it were empty, and the bell and guest book were gone. The floral wallpaper was faded and hung in strips from the walls, and the formerly pristine overstuffed chairs along the wall opposite the desk were ratty and had stuffing hanging from various holes in the fabric and seams. Somehow, it wasn't as clean or impressive as when they had first arrived.

They wandered over to the doors to the dining hall and found it a place that rivaled a school cafeteria for inviting. There weren't nearly as many tables as there had been earlier, and the ones that were left were cracked, scratched, and tilting dangerously to one side or another. The chairs that were left wouldn't have supported a fly. They quickly walked through to the lounge, where Amy, Mina, and Lita were happy to see the cherry wood bar and glass mirror with the etched border were still as gorgeous as they had ever been, although they were coated with a thick layer of dust that prevented any clear reflections. The rest of the room, on the other hand, was not.

"Okay, I think I have just officially reached the end of my rope!" Lita snapped, clenching her fists. "Where is everybody?"

"And why doesn't everything look the way it did before?" Mina added, confused.

"It was a trick," Amy murmured. "It was all a trick to lure us into giving into the temptation they offered us."

Raye nodded her agreement. "They were using magic to keep up the appearance of the place and to lull everyone off their guard. It would be easier to catch us that way."

"So why did they grab you and Serena?" Mina asked.

"They couldn't eliminate my psychic abilities, so I would have seen through them in a heartbeat. Serena has the crystal; that's why she felt sick. The Silver Crystal was reacting to the evil magic in this place. They had to keep us from alerting you guys, and they decided to try to grab the crystal while they were at it, although that wasn't their main goal."

"I'm about ready to tear this place apart literally to find the master! Who's with me?" Lita turned to the others, a wildness in her eyes that made them take a step back.

"Wait a minute, Jupiter," Amy said quickly. "That won't help us find the answers we need." The blue-haired scout thought for a moment. "I wonder... Did any of you guys see the guest book when we were in the lobby?"

"No," Mina answered while the others shook their heads. "Why?"

"When we got here, this place was packed. There were people all over the place, and not all of them were wearing the black ribbons that marked the hotel staff. If we got our hands on that book we could find out at least who they were, and maybe if this Celeste Monroe has been here. It would be awful if she got here before us and got trapped."

"You know, you have a point there," Lita said begrudgingly. "But at least we have something to do. Let's find that book."

"Um, guys?" Mina said thoughtfully. They turned to face her. "Did any of you feel something like a jolt when you signed the guest book? I thought I did, but I shrugged it off as a figment of my imagination."

The other girls' eyes grew wide. "I... I did," Lita whispered.

"Me, too," Raye said, scowling.

"I did as well. And while we were in Darien's room before the rest of this started, Serena said she didn't feel good ever since she signed in." Amy frowned.

"Maybe that's how they knew what would be our greatest temptations. That shock was a jolt of magic that read our..." Mina gulped before continuing, "souls."

"That makes too much sense to dismiss," Amy said decisively. "Which means it's all the more important to find that book. I think the first place we should check is the office behind the front desk. It's the most logical place to store such a thing."

"Right," the others said in unison, and they made their way to the lobby.

The quartet never even paused as they made their way behind the front desk and to the door marked "Manager's Office." Mina quickly took care of the lock, and they walked inside, Lita flipping the light switch as she brought up the rear. Again they were confronted with an empty room, one with a large vault door against the far wall.

"Um, call me crazy, but I bet we'll find lots of neat stuff behind that," Mina said smugly.

"I bet we will too, but you're still crazy," Raye said with a smirk.

"It's a dial lock. I could use my computer to help me find the combination, but I think that would take too long," Amy said as she eyed up the vault door.

"What are you trying to say?" Lita asked suspiciously.

"Simple. Venus, blast it." The other three looked at the Scout of Ice like she had grown another head. "What? If Venus uses her Crescent Beam, she should be able to cut through the lock in no time, like a laser. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You of all people suggested destroying something," Raye said.

"Are you sick?" Lita asked.

"Who cares? I get the spotlight! Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" The beam of light shot out from the blonde's outstretched finger and began to cut through the thick metal. A short time later, she had cut out the lock.

"Hold it!" Amy called as her friends started to move forward. "Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" The blast of bubbles immediately cooled the still glowing door, causing it to crack in multiple places. "It was still too hot to touch," she explained after she had dissipated her power.

They all stepped inside the spacious room behind the vault door. There were an enormous number of cubby holes all filled with rolled up pieces of paper tied with black ribbons. They each grabbed one and opened them to read what had been written. They all gasped as they realized what they were holding. "Gods, this is a... death certificate!" Lita exclaimed, quickly rolling her page back up and retying the ribbon. Mina crinkled her nose and did the same.

Raye slowly rolled hers up, whispering a soft blessing for the name she had read before refastening the black ribbon. Amy lowered her sheet thoughtfully, an idea starting to form. "We have to find that guest book," she muttered and moved beyond the small shelves. The others followed, and the four girls found them selves in a circular chamber with a medium-height pedestal in the center. On that pedestal was a thick book with the words "Guest Registry" emblazoned in gold leaf on the leather cover.

"That's a lot thicker than I remember it being," Mina said shakily.

"No kidding," Lita agreed.

Raye said nothing as Amy took the final step forward and opened the massive tome, activating her visor at the same time. Dust rose from the pages as the blue-haired genius quickly scanned the contents. She stopped as she found what she was looking for. "Here it is; I was right."

The others moved forward and looked at what their friend was pointing at. It was one name out of many, scribbled in now-faded black ink. "What's so important about..." Lita squinted to read the scrawl, "Floyd Jacobs?"

Amy merely unrolled the scroll she was still holding and held it out. The girls all read that the name on the death certificate the Ice Scout held matched that in the guest book. There were horrified looks all around.

"I believe I've made my point." She rolled up the paper, retied the ribbon around it, and slipped it into her extra-dimensional pocket. "Now let me check something else..."

She flipped through another large chunk of pages before she came to one that was followed by multitudes of blank sheets. She quickly scanned the list of names. "Just what I thought. Our names aren't in here. We resisted temptation."

"What about Darien?" Raye asked.

Amy glanced back at the book for a moment. "It looks like his name's been overwritten in silver and it's fading away. Must be the effects of the Silver Crystal."

Lita reached a hesitant hand forward and flipped all the name-filled pages. "All these people were caught by the master?" she barely breathed.

Amy nodded. "Looks like it. The earliest date I found was September 28, 1101."

"That's far too long. We have to do something about this place!" Raye said forcefully.

"We can't do anything until we find someone or something to do it to," Mina said sadly.

Just then, a bright flash came from the page they had signed earlier that day. "Darien's name is completely gone!" Lita exclaimed.

"What do you think that means?" Raye asked.

"You don't suppose..." Mina's voice trailed off as she looked at the others warily.

"I do." Amy sighed. "Darien's probably awake."

"And alone with Serena," Lita added.

"In the condition she's in, he's bound to freak out!" Mina exclaimed.

"So don't just stand there, you ninnies! Let's move!" Raye yelled, leading the way out of the morbid storage room, the others right behind her.

Amy paused but a moment to grab the large volume from its wooden resting place. She ended up taking up the rear, running for all she was worth to catch up to her friends. But when she reached the door of the manager's office she stopped dead in her tracks. The giant book suddenly turned weightless, then to quickly-dissipating smoke as it disappeared into thin air. "No!" she cried, making a fruitless grab at the last of the wisps of brown mist.

"What is it?" Lita, who had been the closest scout, cried as she turned around, skidding to a halt.

"I tried to take the guest book with me, but it turned to smoke and disappeared when I reached the outer door." Amy smiled ruefully. "I guess I just wasn't meant to have it. Let's go." With that, Sailors Mercury and Jupiter hurried to join their companions.

fade out...

scene change...

Darien woke up not too long after the girls had left to exact vengeance. His eyelids were heavy, and he had to fight the urge to go back to sleep. He felt something important was going on, and he needed to be conscious to deal with it. His lids finally stayed open, leaving him staring at the beam-crossed ceiling.

Groaning, his head rolled to the left. His midnight blues fell on the ivory nightgown-clad form in a heap on the floor beside the bed and they widened. Darien sat bolt upright, staring in horror as the events of earlier that evening came flooding back into his mind. He took in the short stringy black hair and suddenly realized he had been fooled by an illusion. Before he could berate himself for his mistake, the girl's body began to waver and fade into so much black mist, blowing away in a non-existent wind.

"What is going on?" he asked out loud in a barely audible whisper. "Oh, Serena, the only good thing about this is that I finally realize I can't fight my feelings anymore." He tried to raise his right hand to run it through his hair but stopped when he realized there was something in it. Turning his head sharply, his breath caught in his throat when he saw who his bedmate was - and the condition she was in.

"Serena?" he whispered in disbelief, his eyes practically bugging out of his head. He thought he recognized the shape of her face, although there were no longer any golden locks to frame it. He somehow knew it was her, but for confirmation he reached for the link they shared. It was all he needed.

"Who did this to you, Serena? Who had the audacity to do this to you?" Darien demanded in a somewhat cold tone, as rage and horror battled for supremacy in his heart. His eyes traveled the length of her body, clinically noting she was naked but completely covered in cuts, bruises, and mostly-dried blood. His hand squeezed the one he held reflexively, his fear and fury only rising when he saw her face flinch and felt the broken bones. He gently laid it back onto the covers and slipped off the bed.

He had begun to walk toward his bathroom to get a rag to start cleaning her wounds when the four scouts burst back into the room. "Darien!" Lita cried as they all screeched to a halt, crashing into each other and practically falling over from the impact.

His midnight blues were icy as he gazed at the new arrivals from the foot of the bed. "Jupiter," he replied in a tone to match his gaze.

"We... we were hoping to be back before you woke up," Amy said meekly, reaching up to her ear to deactivate her visor.

"You weren't."

"Is she any better?" Lita asked hesitatingly.

His eyes flashed and the brunette cringed. "Better? Are you trying to tell me she was worse? How would that be possible? She's a heap of broken flesh and bones. To be worse I think she'd have to be dead. Was she when you found her? Or did she just miraculously appear in my bed? Enough weird stuff has happened that I just might believe that. Do you know who did it? Have you done anything about that?" Darien's voice stayed quiet and cold. The girls were almost wishing he would shout and scream - that they could deal with. Cold and calculating? Not so easy.

"That's what we were doing while we were gone, Darien," Mina replied hurriedly.

The ice shards in Darien's face narrowed slightly as he gazed at the Scout of Love. "Venus, do me a favor."

The blonde perked up. "Whatcha need?"

"Go wash your face so I can take you seriously. This is no time for mud masks."

"Mud masks?" She raised her hand to her face. Her eyes widened as she saw the greenish brown substance staining her glove. "It stayed through the transformation?" she asked incredulously, starting to stumble toward the bathroom. "Unbelievable." The door shut behind her.

The other girls were struggling not to laugh as they watched the blonde go. "Serena's going to regret missing that one," Lita murmured to Raye.

"That brings us back to the subject at hand. Serena. Someone tell me what's going on."

Amy gulped nervously as the other two took a step back. "I... I did a scan on her earlier. It appears she is healing, just very slowly and from the inside out. There's a lot of damage her natural ability needs to fix."

His cold gaze focused on the girl giving him answers. "Okay, that's one. Now what happened to her?"

"Well..." Amy began.

"She was tortured, Darien," Raye interrupted softly as she stared at the floor. "They had her chained to the wall and tortured her to try to get her to give them the Silver Crystal. It's not what they wanted originally, but I guess they figured what the heck."

Darien's eyes widened briefly before settling back into his frozen look. "What did they all do?"

"I... I don't... know..." Raye said brokenly, her control over her voice wavering. "They had me locked up in a small stone closet. All I could do was listen. I was pounding on the door, trying to find a way out, a way to save her. All someone told me was that I should quit my screaming since I had a limited air supply. But I couldn't do anything!" She froze for a moment before covering her face with her hands. "I could have transformed," the priestess whispered, barely audible through her gloved hands. "I should have transformed and gotten us both out of there. But the thought never even occurred to me. What the heck was wrong with me?"

Amy flinched at the shout that ended the guilt-ridden aside before moving beside her raven-haired friend and laying a gentle hand on her shaking back. "Whatever magic was in place here dampened all our thoughts. Even after Mina, Lita and myself had resisted temptation we only thought of Darien. We only considered what might have happened to you and Serena after we confronted the girl who had tempted him and she'd... died . And then we came after you without transforming, Raye, a very foolish move. We weren't meant to think of how we could defend ourselves. The master wanted all of us as vulnerable as possible. It's not your fault."

A long moment later, Raye nodded her acceptance of the explanation, but her shaking never stopped. She took a ragged breath before continuing to share her horrifying experience. "She... she was screaming, screaming, over and over, louder and louder! She tried not to, she really did. They threatened the rest of us, but she said - and this impressed me so much - that if they were willing to do what they were doing to her, she couldn't trust them not to hurt us if she gave them what they wanted. They told her they would just 'convince' us to join them, and she laughed. They were hurting her, and she laughed! Oh, gods is that girl strong!" The raven-haired scout finally dropped her hands and raised her head and Darien gasped. Tears were flowing down the girl's cheeks and there was such a conflict of emotions in her expression - both totally out of character for the normally controlled young woman. "She believed in us," she said softly. "She believed we could take whatever they could throw at us. She believed we could resist whatever offer they would make. That girl's heart doesn't end, do you know that? Even with what they were doing to her, she kept trying to get them to let me out so I could breathe. They were hurting her beyond comprehension and she was worried about me. I don't know what I did to deserve her in my life as my friend, but I know I'll never be able to make it up to whoever made that decision."

"She believed... I could resist?" Darien breathed, his expression softening into a sad frown as he glanced back at the girl lying on the bed. "But... I didn't. Oh, Serena, I failed you."

"Will you knock it off?" Raye snapped as Mina came out of the bathroom quietly, wiping away the last of her tears as she forced herself to shake off her gloom and guilt. Darien's attention swiftly returned to the priestess. "I doubt she realized how torn up you've really been through this whole break up. That and the magic of this place softened you up, just like Amy said. Serena healed you; my guess is she's also forgiven you."

"Besides," Mina added as she joined the others, "if your greatest temptation was Serena, I'd say she has nothing to worry about. You still love her, which is all she wanted anyway."

"How did you know about that?" Darien asked, subdued.

"The girl that tricked you still looked like Serena when we barged in here," Lita explained. "We'd already resisted our offers and ran in to check on you. She was tying a black ribbon around your neck."

Darien's hand involuntarily reached for his throat. "Like Raye said, she healed you," Amy said. "Your hands touched on the bed, and she used the Silver Crystal to break the spell on you."

"We noticed a few things different about the girl when she jumped away from you," Mina continued to explain. "When we pointed them out, her image faded leaving behind her true form. She started to explain things, but then she fell to the floor dead. We figured the master had killed her to keep her quiet."

"Where is she, by the way?" Lita asked.

"She disappeared. I saw her turn into smoke and fade away," Darien said.

"Anyway, we found a secret passage in the back of your walk-in closet, so we followed the stairs down and ended up finding Raye and Serena. We all came back up, laid Serena on the bed beside you, and decided to try to find this master so we could... have a few words with him." Amy blushed. "We found a vault filled with rolled-up death certificates tied with black ribbons and the guest book. The names on the certificates match those in the book, and our names are missing."

"When we noticed your name disappear completely, we realized you were awake and rushed back up. You know the rest," Lita said.

Darien nodded. "Yeah, I do." He turned back toward Serena. "But that doesn't help her." He stepped over to the battered young woman's side of the bed and knelt down. "But maybe I can." He laid his hands gently on the arm closest to him, closed his eyes, and concentrated. A soft golden glow outlined his hands and seemed to be moving into the girl. His lids squeezed shut as he continued to focus on healing the young lady before him, and tears fell unnoticed down his face.

Finally his midnight blues opened and he wiped his tears away. "She is in so much pain," Darien whispered. "If... if I pour any more energy into the healing I'll lose myself completely." He smiled ruefully. "She wouldn't let me do that." He shot a glance to his right at the girls still standing at the foot of the bed. "She is healing, but I don't know if it'll be fast enough. She's bleeding internally." His head fell to his chest as the ladies' expressions turned stricken. "Oh, my Serena, my precious Serena. I love you." He leaned over and lightly kissed her.

The second their lips met the couple was immediately surrounded with a silver and gold light. Darien lost himself in his beloved, and the girls gasped as they watched Serena's injuries begin to heal, cuts and bruises fade away like they had never been there. They fought back tears as long tendrils of golden blonde hair once again began to stream from the top of her head, flowing over the coverlet and onto the floor. Darien's groan as Serena began to kiss him back nearly sent the foursome into hysterical laughter, as well as the way they gripped each other like lifelines, the ebony-haired young man pulling the golden angel into a sitting position.

Eventually the light faded, and soon after the pair broke apart breathlessly, although they didn't let go of each other. "Serena, Serena, I'm sorry, so sorry. I love you so much! I was just so scared for you - my dreams kept telling me you'd die if I didn't stay away from you. I couldn't let you die, Serena. I couldn't let you die. But I can't live without you. I can't!" Darien began to sob quietly into Serena's shoulder, while the petite blonde held on tightly staring off into space, shocked.

"I... I can't live without you either, Darien. I know you wanted to protect me, but I was already dead without you. I love you! Don't leave me again, please?" Serena bit her bottom lip as she waited for a response.

He choked back the last of his sobs. "I thought you were going to leave me when I saw the state you were in before. And then you wouldn't let me heal you..." He squeezed her tighter. "I promise, I won't leave you as long as you don't leave me."

"I won't go! I won't go!" Serena sobbed into Darien's shoulder.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Darien asked softly once Serena's crying had calmed.

"I already have, darling. I already have." The petite blonde smiled serenely and opened her large sapphire blue eyes. Her gaze fell onto her four teary-eyed friends who stood at the end of the bed, smiling at the scene before them. She winked.

"Good to have you back, Sere," Mina whispered.

"I knew you'd make it," Amy said.

"Just wait til we tell you what all went on while you were gone," Lita said with a smirk.

Raye just gazed at her friend, tears in her eyes, and mouthed, "I'm sorry."

Serena mouthed back, "Don't be."

The group stayed like that for a while, quietly reveling in each other's safety and company. Suddenly Serena went stiff, her eyes wide. "What's wrong?" Darien asked, panicked.

"Nothing's wrong exactly..." Her voice trailed off as she began to blush and grip Darien even tighter.

Suddenly Darien knew what was bothering Serena and could only be glad the girls couldn't see his own blushing face.

Slowly the other four people in the room caught on to their leader's predicament, and sly smiles crept across their features. "Should we leave you two alone?" Lita asked wickedly.

"Maybe I should just get under the covers," Serena suggested shakily.

"That'll still leave you open for discovery," Mina reminded her.

"How about I just run back to her room and grab her some clothes?" Amy offered, blushing worse than the couple.

"Grab the bag. It'll take less time," Raye said, her smile fading from sly to soft.

"Right." The blue-haired scout dashed out of the room.

Soon she returned with Serena's overnight bag, and Darien stepped away from his beloved with his eyes squeezed shut and his hands over them while she got dressed. Once that was accomplished, the party returned to the matter at hand, Darien sitting on the bed next to Serena, his arm around her shoulders. "This master needs to be stopped," Serena said firmly, a hard glint in her eyes. "I can't allow him - or her I suppose - trap anyone else."

A soft chuckling filled the air at the comment. The six of them looked around the room, startled, trying to find the source. "You can't stop human nature, my dear," a deep, feminine voice whispered, sounding as though it was coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. "No, you can't stop human nature..." And the presence was gone.

"What was that?" Lita asked nervously.

"I knew it! This place is haunted!" Mina cried in a panic.

"Not exactly," Raye said authoritatively. "There's something evil here, but it's not a spirit. At least no kind of spirit I recognize."

"I can't pinpoint the source of the voice," Amy said, frustrated, as she continued to type commands into her hand-held computer, her visor activated.

Darien had his head cocked to the side as he concentrated on something unseen. "I don't think we can find her like that," he said finally. "But this place is central to her plans. I can feel it."

"So what do we do?" Serena asked.

Darien's eyes grew cold. "Destroy it. Tear it down to its foundation. Scatter it to the four winds. Whatever other kind of destruction you can think of."

Lita got an evil glint in her emerald greens at the pronouncement. "Oh, baby! That's just the kind of thing I've been wanting to hear!"

"I know I'm for it," Mina agreed viciously.

"Let's just do it and save the comments for later, shall we?" Raye said, gesturing toward the door.

"Wait a minute," Amy said, halting everyone in their tracks. "How are we going to do this? From the inside or outside?"

"Outside," Darien said. "There's less chance of anyone getting hurt."

Amy nodded and led the others down the stairs to the lobby, all with their bags in tow. "Does everyone have everything?" Raye asked sweetly. "Because once this starts, it's not stopping until everything is destroyed, and I don't want to have to dig through the rubble to find someone's favorite teddy bear."

Everyone shook their head, Lita blushing slightly. Decisively, the group turned and made their way to the set of double doors that led to the outside world. Before they got halfway there, a wind picked up, sending pieces of furniture flying and setting the scraps of wallpaper fluttering wildly. Darien dove on top of Serena, using his body to shield her from debris. The others joined him on the floor as they covered their heads. "No!" the voice from Darien's room screamed at an inhumanely loud volume. "You will not destroy what I have worked so long at achieving! You will not extinguish my flame of energy and power! I will not allow it!"

As quickly as it had arisen, the wind died. Sofas and chairs dropped to the worn carpet with sickening thuds, over half of them splintering into mere toothpicks and stuffing. Stray scraps of wallpaper fluttered to the floor gently, belying the fury that had happened only seconds before. "Transform, Serena," Darien whispered in her ear. "Do it now, before she does something like that again." The blonde nodded and reached for her brooch that rested in one of the large pockets of her light blue jumper.

Darien rolled off her and Tuxedo Mask quickly took his place. But before Serena could follow his example, the voice began to speak again. "I told you before, you cannot stop human nature. And I am nothing but an embodiment of that."

"What do you mean?" Serena asked, her right hand clenched tightly around her locket.

"I believe the best name you could call me would be... Selfishness."

The sextet could almost feel the evil grin. "Selfishness? I don't understand," Mina said, a slight tremor in her tone.

A chuckle echoed off the walls. "Isn't it obvious? I feed off the selfishness of the human race. I offer them their greatest desires, and when they accept, when they give in to the selfish temptation to take the easy way out to achieve their goals, they are mine for the rest of eternity. And I shall always find souls to feed me."

"What... what happens to all these souls?" Serena asked softly, her sapphire blues wide and teary.

"As I said I feed. When I have drained them, after many years, there's not enough left to waste a thought on. But there are always more willing to take their place." Again an evil laugh filled their ears. "You can't deny that, any one of you." Darien shivered as he felt the being's attention focused on him. "Especially you, Darien. I had you once. I'm sure I can have you again."

"No," Serena said firmly, moving to stand in front of her beloved. "I will not let you have him ever again. Ever."

"Little princess, even your rock cannot keep him from choosing of his own free will to fulfill his innermost desires. Everyone does so. And thus, everyone will eventually turn to me, and I will have more power than all the suns in the galaxy combined!"

"You don't understand," Darien said quietly. "You don't understand at all. Selfishness isn't always evil. Sometimes it's absolutely necessary."

"Foolish, optimistic human..."

"No, Darien's right," Serena interrupted. "The key to it all is to find a balance. And to have your priorities straight when it counts. When push comes to shove, you need to know when to think of yourself, and when to think of others, no matter what you may desire deep inside. I honestly believe most people have that balance. You just use your magic to tilt the scales in your favor, so that people can't find that inner balance and they make choices that they may not have otherwise made. You trick them!"

"They wouldn't be able to be tricked if they were as good as you say," the voice sneered defensively, a bit of the wind out of her sails.

Serena smiled calmly. "I never said they were that good. I believe there is good in everyone, but sometimes bad can outweigh the good for a time, especially if they're fooled. You aren't as powerful as you think you are, if you actually need magic to be sure of the results."

The others gazed in wonder as Serena argued with the master - and seemed to be winning! Darien's whole being beamed with pride as he realized his Meatball Head (well she would be once she had a chance to put her hair back up into its usual style) was truly growing up, and he was once again privileged enough to be along for the ride.

The triumphant moment passed quickly, however, as the wind picked up once again. "I'll show you how powerful I am! And we'll see if you of the oh-so-high morals can stick to them when 'push comes to shove' as you said!"

"That's it!" Raye shouted to be heard about the gale-force winds. "We're going to have to take our chances and blow it apart from the inside! I don't think we're going to be able to get anywhere near that front door!"

Darien nodded. "Serena! Transform! Now! This is too dangerous for you otherwise!"

The petite blonde pulled out the brooch and began to raise her hand and call out her transformation phrase. But each time she tried, the wind grew stronger and a large piece of debris would fly dangerously close to her head. "I can't, Darien! She isn't going to let me! Just do it! The sooner you destroy this place, the sooner this will be over!"

"But Serena! What if..." Mina began.

"No!" she shouted back. "Do it, scouts! This is more important! I'll find a way to protect myself! I promise!" The others kept hesitating, Darien especially torn. "Don't make me order you! Just do it!"

The scouts' faces firmed with resolve. "You heard her!" Mina ordered. "This place goes down!"

"Yes!" Lita exclaimed, pumping her fist.

Darien looked her straight in the eye. "Just stay right behind me then. I'll do what I can to protect you." Serena could barely make out the words and slipped into position.

"Darien, I believe you should have the honor of first strike!" Mina called, a face-splitting grin in place.

"Thank you, Venus!" He concentrated his energy to his hands, and called out an attack he'd only used once before. "Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber!" Blue-black energy shot out, slicing through the wall-like winds like they were melted butter, and connecting with the front desk and the wall behind it, obliterating them in the blink of an eye.

The first attack was followed by a blizzard more from the others, causing more and more debris to fill the air. Serena waited until they were in full swing before deciding to chance transforming, hoping the master would be distracted enough by the numerous attacks to focus on her. She thrust her hand into the air. "Moon..." she began to cry, but as her soul completed its connection to the crystal to begin the transformation process, she sensed something. No, make that someone. There was someone else still in the hotel, someone who wasn't a slave to the being that called herself Selfishness.

Keeping her connection intact, Serena began to move away from her fighting friends, dodging random flying pieces of wood and metal. She opened herself up completely, trying to let the Silver Crystal lead her where she knew she needed to go.

Even amidst all the chaos, Darien sensed when Serena moved away. He turned quickly and saw the petite blonde moving toward the dining hall, outlined in a silver glow. He suddenly fought to keep his balance as the entire building shook fiercely.

"We have to blast a way out of here!" Amy yelled. "This building is going to go at any moment!" She quickly scanned the area with her visor. "There! There!" she cried, pointing at a large section of wall that had amazingly survived the wave of destruction that had descended upon the place. "Focus your attacks there!"

"Serena!" Darien cried as the others followed Amy's instructions. "Serena, we have to get out of here!" Her head snapped toward him and she appeared to take a step in his direction. He breathed a sigh of relief and moved to the exit, where he turned to watch and possibly dive back in if she needed him.

No two seconds later, the floor gave way beneath Serena's feet and she disappeared from view, the rest of the building following suit atop her. The only thing that saved Darien was the scouts grabbing him and pulling him to safety. "No!" he cried from the depths of his soul. "Serena!"

"Darien?" Raye asked quickly. "Didn't you have Serena with you?" He merely collapsed into a heap on the ground and started wailing soul-wrenching sobs.

"I thought you had grabbed her when you moved back in for a second," Mina muttered, the color draining from her face.

"No," Lita breathed in disbelief. "Serena is not buried under fifty tons of rubble. She's not."

Amy merely started yet another scan, her eyes wide and unseeing as logic told her what the outcome had to have been.

"Darien?" Raye cried again as she sank to her knees beside the crying man. Tears began to make their way down her face as well. "Darien?" She turned her violet gaze to the pile of stone and wood that had formerly been the hotel. "Serena!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

An evil chuckle they had all come to know and loathe echoed all around them. "You see? For all her ideals and optimism, she could not withstand the strength of my power," the voice whispered. "Soon every human will succumb to my power, and I will extend my reach to the very limits of the galaxy... and beyond!" The girls glared at the air around them, while Darien continued to cry.

"No, you won't! I won't let you!" a bright, familiar voice called out triumphantly.

Every eye turned incredulously to the pile of rubble before them. Suddenly, it exploded in all directions, amazingly avoiding the group of astounded teenagers without them having to move an inch. In the center of the blast was a large dome of silvery light, extending from the form of one Serena Tsukino, her hands held high and cupping the Silver Imperium Crystal. Behind her, crouched down as to barely be seen, were two other forms, indiscernible in the bright light.

"Serena!" the girls cried, tears of joy streaming down their cheeks.

"Serena," Darien whispered in complete awe. For standing there in the midst of the light of the Silver Crystal, was Serena - not Sailor Moon, not Princess Serenity, but Serena, blue jumper and all. A wave of love washed over the young man all over again as he gazed on her beauty and strength.

"You have not won here!" the petite blonde cried with a flash of light. "And I'll see to it you can never do this to anyone ever again!" With those words, a wave of light radiated out in all directions, washing over the area for miles around. A disembodied scream filled the air, finally fading out with the light of the crystal.

When it was gone and silence once again filled the groups' ears, Serena lowered her hands and stepped forward, the two forms behind her following. She allowed the crystal to return to her transformation brooch and gave her friends one of her thousand-watt smiles. "Sorry if I scared you guys," she said finally. "I was trying to transform while the master was distracted, but when I connected with the crystal to start I could feel someone who needed me. When the hotel collapsed I protected myself and the other presence with the crystal. I got free as soon as I could. You know the rest."

The girls and Darien were speechless as they released their transformations. They all were afraid to say anything or move any more, in case this was all a dream and they would have to wake up to find Serena was still gone under the pile of rubble.

"Anyway," Serena continued when she saw that no one else could say anything, "I'd like you guys to meet Celeste Monroe, the woman we were supposed to be here to meet."

A woman slightly taller than Serena with shoulder-length black hair and bright green eyes stepped forward. "I'm pleased to finally meet you all. I only wish it could have been under less exciting circumstances."

"Turns out she got here Friday night. When she resisted temptation, the master could sense a power deep inside her, so she trapped her in a small room in the basement where they... took Raye and me." Serena shuddered at the memory, but she quickly shook it off. "And there's someone else you should meet."

The other figure stepped forward hesitantly. The girls gasped as they recognized the girl that had been in Darien's room masquerading as Serena. "I'm so sorry for what happened," the girl whispered. "I was ordered to do what I did. I wanted to tell you everything, but the master..." She squeezed her brown eyes shut for a moment. When she opened them again, they were clear. "I woke up only a little while ago to find that the Silver Crystal had restored my life."

"And my sister to me," Celeste said with a happy smile. "She went missing two years ago without a trace, and now she's back."

"My name's Ciarda," the slightly smaller girl said shyly. "I really hope you can forgive me."

The others looked at her critically for a moment before nodding in unison. "You wouldn't have done it if you hadn't been ordered," Lita said softly.

"And you tried to help us after we caught you," Mina added.

"Why were there so many differences?" Amy asked.

"The man who cast the illusion was using the image of the princess by torchlight. And they'd already started torturing her, part of it burning a lot of her hair away. They figured you would all be subdued enough by the magic that you wouldn't be able to tell. That's why I was so surprised and scared when you noticed."

Serena stood to the side, watching the newest arrivals, when a wave of exhaustion overwhelmed her and she began to fall to the ground. Darien was there in less than a heartbeat, catching the girl in his arms. "Easy there, Meatball Head. You've been through a lot today," he whispered into her ear. She smiled and went completely limp in his embrace. Darien started in surprise. "Serena? Serena?" There was no response. "Serena! No! You said you wouldn't leave me!"

Her eyelids fluttered open halfway. "I haven't yet, Darien. I won't go. But I don't think I'll be using the crystal like that in this form for a good long time. Talk about draining!" Her head flopped against his chest. "I love you," she whispered.

He swallowed the lump in his throat before responding. "I love you too, Serena. I love you too." A warmth filled him as he felt her smile against him.

"Prince Endymion," Celeste said respectfully. "I believe we should be heading back to Tokyo."

"Call me Darien. That's my name in this life."

"Darien then. Why don't I drive?" the American woman said gesturing to the van they had arrived in, the only structure left standing in the area. "That way you can stay with her."

He nodded, kneeling down completely to gather his sleeping beloved into his arms while the others started making their way to the vehicle. "Um, should you really be talking like that in front of your sister?" Lita whispered into Celeste's ear.

The woman laughed. "Why not? We were both sent into the future by Queen Serenity and reborn. When Ciarda awoke after being revived by the Silver Imperium Crystal, she found she had all her memories restored as well. It's safe."

"That's a relief," Lita said with a smile. "Although I hope you don't mind if we crash on the way home. It's been a long night."

"Completely. I'll be fine. I actually got some sleep before the building started to fall apart."

Lita snickered as she looked behind them. "Looks like someone decided to start early."

The three girls in the lead began to laugh as Raye and Amy struggled to drag an already-passed-out Mina to the van. The stumbling threesome passed the giggling group and put the snoring blonde none too gently on the floor in front of the middle bench. "I refuse to give up a comfy seat so she can snooze. She stays there," Raye declared stubbornly, planting herself on the far side of the same bench and leaning up against the side of the van.

"I'm too tired to argue," Amy followed up weakly, flopping next to Raye and leaning against the raven-haired priestess.

Lita shrugged. "Count me in on that one too." She took the remaining seat on that bench and stretched her feet out to rest on Mina's sleeping form. The blonde never even twitched.

The sisters noticed what the scouts had done for them and smiled. "Thank you," Ciarda said quietly as she climbed into the passenger seat.

Celeste went to the back and opened the back hatchback door. She took a look back and saw Darien making his way with Serena cradled protectively against himself and smiled fondly. "Some things never change," she murmured, and went to wait behind the steering wheel.

As Darien sat on the edge of the back and prepared to swing his legs in, a wind kicked up suddenly and swirled around his head. His eyes widened as he heard what he could have sworn was an evil chuckle. But as quickly as it had come, it was gone. He blinked a few times then gazed down at the girl in his arms.

Quite surprisingly, she was looking back up at him. "Did you hear it too?" she whispered.

"Yes."

"It's not over then, is it?"

"Probably not." Serena sighed. "But I'm sure you made sure it won't be able to do anything for quite a long time. You won, Serena. Maybe not the war yet, but definitely the battle."

"You always know just what to say to make me feel better," she said drowsily, slipping back into sleep.

Darien smiled and finished laying her out on the second bench and shutting the hatchback. When that was all done, the vanful of people made their way back to Tokyo, a valuable lesson learned and knowing full well there were plenty of battles ahead. The gods only knew where this path would take them. And as the dust settled and the vehicle disappeared over the horizon, a soft, evil chuckle drifted by on a light breeze.