Last Scout Author Notes:
Thank you all so much for your support, and encouraging comments. I hope that this chapter can live up to both my expectations, and yours. For past readers: this story will have a similar plot as the previous story, however, I will be adding in some new surprises along the way. For new readers: I hope that you enjoy what I've created. As always, I do not own anything from Sailor Moon, or Twilight Zone for that matter. Oh and if it is in italics, it is that character's thoughts.
Chapter One: The First Glimpse
The fog rolled on endlessly, hiding any fragment of identifying features from him. But he knew what was there. After all, it was only the thousandth or so time he had been transported to this place. He debated walking around, and considered what would happen if he were to just leave his spot instead of waiting for the Princess. Dark blue eyes searched the fog for her. She always seemed to appear out of thin air, materializing like the specter she was. At least, Darien considered her to be a specter. Some sort of ghost that decided to haunt his dreams almost every night. At first he was intrigued by her, eager to sleep and meet with her. But somewhere down the line his dreams became nightmares reminiscent of the Twilight Zone. The dream was always the same: endless fog, standing and waiting, poof-theres-a-princess, and the desperate plea to find the crystal and bring it to her.
"My Prince," her voice called out, breaking him out of his thoughts. Darien sighed, and tried to tell himself to have patience. Maybe this time he could get something out of her. He turned to face her. 'Odd, I always have to move to face her, yet I can never clearly see her features.' The Princess's identity was shrouded in mystery, a veil that blurred her face before he could figure out who she was.
"Hello Princess," Darien responded. "What can I do for you?"
"Find the crystal and bring it to me."
He shook his head. It was the same line every time. Even when he tried to ask questions, she would just repeat that line, as if she were an automated phone operator. Darien remembered the task he was given, took a steadying breath, and tried to get some answers from her.
"We are trying to do the best we can, but we need some help. Who are you? Where is the last scout? We know there should be five, yet only four have been awakened."
A smile played on the Princess's lips. She reached out her hand to Darien, something she had never done before in the dream. "Bring me the crystal, and all of your questions will be answered," She replied as her hand made contact with his. Darien was startled by the change and the surprising warmth of her hand. It was too much for him to process. The Princess began to fade away as he was beginning to wake up. "Wait! Wait!" He yelled, reaching out for her.
He sat up in his bed, grasping at the air. Running a hand through his pitch black hair, he glanced at the clock nearby and saw that it was close enough to usual time to wake up. "Might as well get an early start," he grumbled, walking towards the shower.
Across the city someone else was waking up from their sleep. Only they were determined to run as far away from dreamland as possible. The screech that came from their lips woke the sleeping cat at the foot of the bed. Luna, glared at Serena until she saw the tears. Jumping up, the black cat sprinted to her charge's side, murmuring encouragements to wake up. Serena reached out and grabbed Luna into a hug, her tangible tether to reality.
"Serena, it's ok. It was just a nightmare. Nothing is going to harm you," Luna said in her soothing voice. The blonde took a few gulps of air to calm her mind, and heart.
"It was that terrible day again. I don't know why, but I keep seeing that last day almost every time I sleep," Serena responded, petting Luna's head for comfort. Although Luna was a proud creature, she knew how much Serena needed the contact with her. She just would never admit to anyone how much she liked being pet.
Serena looked at her clock on the wall, and saw that it was much earlier than her usual wake up time. "Luna can you stay next to me while I sleep?" She asked, already snuggling the feline.
"You have school, Serena. Why don't you get ready for it?" Luna replied.
"I still have thirty minutes before I need to get up. With that horrible nightmare, I barely got any sleep. You don't want to me fall asleep in class again, do you?" Serena answered sleepily. Luna knew that she had a good point. The cat just hoped that the blonde would actually get up on time.
"LUNA! Why didn't you wake me up? If I don't hurry, I'm going to be late!" Serena cried out as she rolled over and saw the time. The cat sat up and rolled her eyes. "I tried to warn you, but as ever, your laziness won out," Luna replied. She shook her head, as the blonde began to whip around the room, frantically searching for her uniform. 'Why do I even bother sometimes? You would think she would start acting royal and mature, once she had found out.'
In five minutes flat, Serena was out of the house. Her mother, Irene, watched the teenage tornado that morning and wondered at what point Serena would realize that she had forgotten her lunch. Shaking her head, she placed the lunch in the refrigerator. Serena could eat the lunch as an afternoon snack, so long as she didn't have detention today.
Serena raced along the city streets, impatiently hopping up and down whenever she was caught at a red light. Looking at her watch, she saw that she was only three blocks away from school with more than ten minutes to spare. 'Thank goodness I have been working on my running. I'm actually going to make it today! And Ms. Haruna won't believe her eyes, when I'm sitting there before the door closes. Her triumphant thoughts were cut short however, as she ran into a large, but oh-so-familiar obstacle. Her face scrunched up, ready to apologize profusely, but her heart pounded as she saw who it was. It was him. Again. Darien Shields, the good-looking upperclassman who attended Azubu High, and who happened to be her true love reincarnated: Endymion.
His arms had wrapped around her to keep her from falling to the ground. It was a sensation she loved because of how much she missed him, and yet she also hated it for the same reasons. The first time she had run into him, literally of course, Serena nearly had a heart attack. She didn't know that he had been reincarnated along with her. The blonde believed that it was her penance to be sent to this future alone. When he didn't recognize her, the realization hit Serena hard. His memories was her price to pay. But for his safety, it was a price she would gladly pay a thousand times over. Even without his memory of their shared past, he was kind that first time, helping her up from the floor. But she knew that his kindness would be dangerous. So, she panicked and insulted him. Her plan worked a little too well. Not to be outdone by her and confused by her reaction, Darien had fired back, thus beginning their verbal sparring matches. Today was no exception.
"Geez Meatball Head, next time wake up on time."
"I did, sort of. Next time, move out of my way Jerk!"
"You are a public menace. They need to find a way to keep you off of the sidewalks," Darien countered. He was feeling a little ansty this morning, and needed to blow off some steam. In fact, he had been looking forward to his morning meeting with her. He had intentionally taken the stairs in his apartment building to kill time, since he had been up earlier than usual. And now she was here, still in his arms. For whatever reason, it just felt so natural.
"You're right dummy! I really should get my driver's license, now that I'm old enough," She responded. The look of horror on his face was reward enough as she maneuvered out of his arms, and away from him. "Sorry, but I am not going to be late on your account today!" She called out before disappearing around the corner.
Darien watched her leave, a smile on his face. Even with the change in the dream, he felt that the day would be better now that he saw her. From the first time they collided, he felt a sense of protection over her. He felt a spark when he grabbed her hand to pull her up off the sidewalk. However, to his surprise she insulted him and insinuated it was his fault she fell. He fired back without thinking, angry at her response. But now, he looked forward to their fighting matches, and collisions. It was one of the only ways to be around her. Especially since she often had detention. Darien continued down the sidewalk, walking briskly to be on time for class.
"Hey Serena, are you sick?" Molly asked, sitting next to her best friend. She had been surprised that both they had arrived to class at the same time. At least this meant no detention for her.
"No, I had a nightmare and couldn't go back to sleep. So I thought, why not give Ms. Haruna a shock of a lifetime," Serena answered with a half-hearted smile. Her thoughts were still on the encounter no more than ten minutes prior. Her mind kept focusing on how nice it felt in Endymion's arms. 'It's Darien in this lifetime, idiot!' She reminded herself.
Molly could see that Serena was deep in thought. Something a bit out of the ordinary for the blonde, but who was she to judge. After all, the red head had her fair share of nightmares, ever since the incident at her mother's jewelry shop. Thankfully, Sailor Moon had been there to save her that night. But it still didn't stop the night terrors that bothered her for at least a month afterwards.
"Hey! I know, since you won't have detention, how about we go to the Crown Arcade and play the new Sailor V game. I heard that this version is a lot harder than the original."
"That's a great idea Molly! I need to make sure that my high score is unbeatable."
"I don't know Serena, "Sailor V: International Mission" is supposed to be a lot harder than the usual "Sailor V" game. Do you think you could actually beat it?" An annoyingly familiar voice cut in. Serena and Molly looked behind them to see Melvin exceedingly close. Molly smacked him in the shoulder, effectively wiping the smug look off of his face.
"Of course she can do it! Her high score for the original game has sat there for weeks now," Molly replied.
"Thanks Molly, I appreciate your support," Serena beamed.
"I mean, it did take a lot, and I mean a lot of money, and about two months' worth of failing for her to achieve that score, but she can still do it!" Molly finished, as Serena dropped her head onto the desk, depressed by Molly's "support."
The morning passed quickly, especially since Serena had been on time, with her homework ready. It was only as she walked to lunch with Molly and Melvin that she realized that she had no lunch. Her stomach growled as they sat at their usual spot underneath the trees.
"No lunch huh?" Melvin inquired.
"Your powers of observation astound me, Melvin," Serena answered grumpily.
"Well, it is a good thing that I figured you would probably forget your lunch. I asked mom to pack me extra," Molly chirped.
"How did you know that she would forget her lunch?" Melvin asked, pushing his glasses up.
"Oh that's easy. It's Wednesday."
Both Melvin and Serena stared at her like she was crazy. "Seriously? You two have never noticed that Serena either forgets her lunch, or eats before lunch time on Wednesdays?" Molly asked. The other two shrugged. "Never mind. Here, this one is for you," the red head responded handing Serena her own lunch bag. Serena let out a noise that was a mix between a scream and a squeal of happiness. She didn't realize that in doing so, her energy levels momentarily shot up.
About two hundred yards away, Amy Mizuno and Lita Kino were chatting about their latest adventure, albeit generically so no one would actually know who they were.
"I can't believe that flower petal, blonde bozo, actually thinks he can continue doing what he's doing," Lita said as she paced back and forth. Amy, nose in a book, nodded. When Lita did not respond, Amy looked up and saw that Lita wasn't looking at her.
"Of course he thinks that. Compared to him, the previous two, uh, people, were relatively easy to deal with. Her blue eyes searched around, cautious of anyone within hearing distance.
"Yeah well, I just hope that Dar-" Lita began until a wave of energy stopped her midsentence. It felt familiar, yet, it wasn't an attack from the Dark Kingdom. She looked down at Amy, and her face said it all. She felt it too.
"What the hell was that?" Lita whispered as she sat down on the bench.
"Well, technically, that was an energy wave, produced by a very powerful entity. Considering-"
"I know what it was Amy! I mean, where did it come from? And more importantly why?"
"It's a good thing we have a meeting today. Maybe the others felt it too?" The bluenette replied, her eyes alight was curiosity. The two of them nodded in silent agreement, and anxiously waited for the day to end.
"Ah Freedom!" Serena cried as the bell rang and she walked out of school on time.
"You act like you've been in prison, Serena!" Molly said, laughing.
"Well Molly, considering this month has seventeen school days, not including the break, and Serena has had detention on twelve of those seventeen days, I'd say that it has become more like a prison," Melvin interjected. There was a brief silence before Serena smacked him across the back of the head.
"Thanks for the reminder, Melvin!"
The two girls laughed, while Melvin mumbled about the unfairness of the situation. They continued their conversation as they reached the arcade. Serena, excited to get her mind off of school, her past, Endymion-Darien, and anything else that was remotely serious, bounced through the automatic doors. Anyone who saw her would have thought that she was already on a sugar high. It did not help that she went straight to the counter to place her order.
"Hello, Andrew! It is a great day today. Wouldn't you say?" She called out to the manager.
Andrew smiled in response. No matter what was happening, Serena was always in a good mood. He was about to respond, when another voice beat him to the punch.
"And why, Meatball Head, is it a good day?" The young man inquired as he sat with his coffee.
"Because it is. I am here with my friends to enjoy the afternoon. And I will not let you spoil it, Jerk," She replied, a bit tersely. She had been in a good mood until he spoke up. He was one of the things she didn't want to think about. Andrew sensed the shift in mood, and tried to break the spell.
"Well, hanging out with friends is fun. Your usual, Serena?"
"Yes please!" She answered turning away from Darien quickly. She had started walking towards her two friends who were waiting for her near the new Sailor V game. 'How ironic that she loves that game. If she only knew just how ditzy Sailor V could be,' He thought, remembering all of the times Sailor Venus had forgotten something very important before or during a battle. Realizing that she was cutting their time together short, Darien called out "You know Meatball Head, I'm sure any day you don't have detention, is a good day. Must be nice to live such a simple life."
Serena stopped mid-step. Molly could see her face, and see that Darien's words might have gone a bit too far. Spinning on her heel, the blonde marched right up to him. Had she noticed, she would have realized that she had invaded much of his private space, as she was so close they were almost touching. Darien could see the anger simmering in her eyes. He wondered briefly what exactly he had said to cause such a reaction. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could feel the energy in the room rise up. It felt like static electricity. But at the moment, his main concern was the petite young woman in front of him.
"How dare you imply that I have a simple life? You have no idea what I sacrifice on a daily basis, just to get through this so called 'simple' life!" She burst out loud. The arcade went silent, watching, waiting for a potential fight. It took a moment, but Serena soon realized what she had said, and immediately ran out of the arcade. On her way out she could hear Molly and Melvin calling her. This caused her to turn her head, not watching what, or rather who, was in front of her. Serena crashed into two girls, while another two stood near the side.
"Don't you look where you are going?" The black haired girl said in disgust as she had been one of the ones tangled up with Serena.
"Oh! Are you ok?" The brunette said pushing Serena off of her. Serena looked at the both of them on the floor and to the blue-haired girl and the other blonde standing up. She muttered a quick apology, and ran off even faster.
Raye took Mina's offered helping hand. "You know that terror?" She asked Lita who jumped up from the pavement. "Sort of. I've never met her, but I've heard about her from other people in school she's like a natural disaster, but really nice. I'm sure she didn't mean to knock us down," Lita replied. Amy nodded, "She is an anomaly. I haven't put my finger on it just yet, but sometimes I feel like I would really like to get to know her."
Raye rolled her eyes, as the four of them walked into the arcade. Darien was there at the counter, being berated by a red head, and a boy with glasses. The red head walked out in a huff, followed by the boy. They didn't even glance at the girls. Mina looked back at the man at the counter. He seemed, well, shell-shocked. Looking up, he saw them going to their usual booth. Picking up his coffee, he joining them, giving a light shove to Raye.
"Ok, let's get the rhino out of the room. What happened?" Mina asked. There was a collective groan.
"It's elephant, Mina!" Raye hissed.
"Whatever, you know what I mean," She retorted. Darien shook his head. He wondered how Mina had become the leader of the Scouts. Serena would definitely not believe him if he told her that Mina Aino was actually her hero, Sailor V. He sighed when he realized that his thoughts were about the usually bubbly blonde, he had now somehow managed to piss off.
"Spill, Darien," Mina said.
"You know that classmate of yours? Serena? Well I made an off-hand comment about having a simple life, and she didn't take it well. She screamed something about making sacrifices in her life, and then took off," he answered looking down at his cup.
"Well, we don't know what goes on in anyone's life. I guess she was really insulted by your comment," Lita said breaking the small silence.
"I mean, no one would know that the five of us have certain responsibilities that require extreme methods," Amy put in quietly. She thought about their little group and how people would react if they knew that the four girls were actually Sailor Scouts. To add to that shocker, the fact that Darien was Tuxedo Mask! No one would believe any of them. Yet, it was the truth. 'Maybe Lita or I can check on Serena tomorrow at school. Who knows what kind of pressure she's under,' Amy thought.
"Ok, enough about the blonde tornado. What were you two so excited about?" Raye asked looking pointedly at Amy and Lita. Looking at each other, Amy nodded and took the lead.
"We felt an energy spike at school today."
"Actually, I felt it twice," Lita offered. The others stared at her incredulously.
"What do you mean twice?" Mina asked. She noticed that Darien was still not out of his own thoughts. She wanted to smack him, hoping to bring his attention back to the present. But the faraway look on his face stopped her. 'Oh well, I'll just tell Artemis that he wasn't paying attention. A lecture by that feline is worse than any hit.' Mina quickly returned back to the conversation at hand.
"Well right before we walked in, I felt it. It was a large spike, and then Serena crash into us and I lost it," Lita answered. The other girls nodded.
"You're right! I felt something as we walked up to the arcade," Amy offered. But she had just about forgotten about it after seeing Lita and Raye tangled up with Serena.
"Hmm, I think there's something very snaky going on here," Mina replied.
"That's fishy!" Four voices cried out in exasperation.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Amy took out her small Mercurian computer to crunch numbers and data points.
"Amy! Put that away! Someone might see!" Raye said looking around.
"Doubtful. We are in the furthest booth from where anyone would normally sit. Also, the fact that we've felt the energy spike twice means one of two things. Either the Dark Kingdom is getting ready for another big attack, or we might have found our last scout!" She said with a small smile on her face. At the mention of their lost teammate, Darien refocused on the conversation. He would deal with his thoughts about Serena at a much later time.
Andrew looked over to see the five of them having a heated, yet excited discussion. He wondered what would link those four girls and Darien together. It was a mystery that started a few months ago. Shrugging, he figured Darien would tell him when the time was right.
After rushing home, Serena quickly explained to her mother that she had gone to the arcade and did not in fact have detention. Irene was proud, but a little concerned when her daughter went straight to her room. Serena had called out that she was going to start her homework. Irene flinched when she heard that, looking at the staircase in concern.
"I wouldn't worry about her mom," Sammy said from the dining room table.
"Oh, and why is that?"
"Because, she's Serena. She will always bounce back, even if she is in a bad mood," the boy replied confidently. Irene smiled, knowing how much Sammy loved his sister, even if he didn't show it. For her daughter's sake, she hoped he was right.
The blonde flopped onto her bed immediately. What she didn't know was that her actions sent Luna flying into the air.
"Serena! What is going on?" the cat said crossly.
"Bad day," Serena mumbled. She was so mad at Darien when he said she had a simple life. Of course, to him, her life looked simple. But he didn't know that she was constantly fighting against monsters every night. She was fighting so that he could have a future, even if it wasn't with her. Then to top it all off, she ran into the very girls who swore to protect her with their lives. That was a complete shock to her. Now she knew that all of them had been sent to this time through Queen Serenity's power. Luna nodded as Serena quickly told her about everything.
"Now this means that you can enlist their help with the Dark Kingdom," Luna purred. She believed that having the Scouts back would make Serena feel better about her so-called mission.
"No."
"What do you mean no?"
"I don't want you to awaken them. They will get hurt again. I can't watch them die a second time. I have to prove that I am strong enough to stop that hateful witch on my own. Then maybe, they can forgive me."
"Oh Serena, don't you realize? It was never your fault. They always knew that someday they might have to lay down their lives for you," Luna replied, finally understanding her Princess's pain.
"I never want anyone to do that for me again. I will never be that weak. I will-" She started to say, before a beeping went off. "- go defeat that youma. That's what I'm going to do." Serena called out her transforming phrase, and jumped out from her window before the feline could get a word in. Luna ran to follow her, worried about Sailor Moon's eagerness for this fight.
About two hours had passed while they sat in the arcade. It wasn't until people were running down the sidewalk and screaming, that the five of them realized something was up.
"We should probably go check that out," Darien said as they all got up from the table. There was plenty of confusion and terror in the arcade, which let them slip out the back into the quiet, and more importantly empty alley. The four girls cried out with their phrases, becoming the Sailor Scouts quickly. Darien, who had turned away to give them some privacy, laughed at their flashy transformations. He was glad that he simply had to call out to his other form. Once transformed, they started running across the rooftops, the five of them honed in on the attack that was happening. It was at the park…again.
"You'd think that Zoicite would at least be more creative than to attack in the same place as Jadeite and Nephlite," Mars said annoyed. She had already memorized all entrances, exits, and points of interest in the park from the countless battles.
"At least it makes the battle easier for us, Mars" Tuxedo Mask replied as they neared the park. Although he wasn't a Sailor Scout, he felt a sense of kinship with them. As if they once had the same goal, a long time ago. He was glad that they had accepted him into their group. It was hard finding out he was some masked superhero, but things got easier when you had others to share and talk with. Tuxedo Mask didn't wish the burden of being a superhero on any one person. He quickly realized that you needed a team of superheroes in order to keep you sane.
A flash of brilliant light temporarily halted their momentum. It came from the very back of the park, a place they would have checked for the battle last. The five of them looked at each other and then back at the park.
"Never seen that before," Jupiter murmured.
"Do you think that it could be, her?" Mercury asked hesitantly.
"Only one way to find out. Let's go!" Venus yelled, rushing to the park.
Even with the sun setting, it was easy to find traces of the battle, once they knew where to look. A small crater here, a burnt tree there. It all told the tale of an otherworldly battle. 'But if we are just arriving, who is fighting?' Venus thought looking around. As the five of them moved through the battlefield, they heard a roar. Running across the small clearing they saw the back of the youma almost eighty yards away. It looked humanoid enough, except for the fact that it had large almost cartoon like features. An oversized pen was in its hand, ink leaking out.
"Be careful, the ink is acidic," a voice said near the ground. Jupiter looked down to see a black cat with a crescent moon on its forehead.
"Huh, that's funny. I thought for a second this cat spoke. It almost looks like Artemis too," She said to the others. The black cat seemed to freeze at the mention of Artemis.
"I can talk, and I'm giving you a heads up about this creature! I sent out the flash of light because Sailor Moon needs your help. She can't do this on her own," Luna said to them. She knew that Moon would be angry with her for involving the Scouts, but the cat could not stand seeing her get pummeled. Zoicite had made this youma stronger.
"Mercury figure out where its weak spot is. Mars, Jupiter, you two and I will distract it so Tuxedo Mask can get Sailor Moon out of the line of fire. We need to stop this thing quickly, so we can tend to any injuries Sailor Moon might have incurred while fighting," Venus commanded. 'It's these moments when she proves why she is the leader' Tuxedo Mask thought. With that he took off, going around the youma to reach the new Scout.
Sailor Moon had about enough of this creature. As eager as she was for this fight, she was now eager to finish it. She knew the fight was going too long. The burns on her legs were beginning to really hurt now. "If only that damn youma would sit still! I could dust it and be on my way home!'
She didn't know where Luna was. Moon hoped that the cat was still stuck in the tree she had thrown her into. The creature threw more acid ink at her, while she had been thinking of other things. In typical Sailor Moon fashion, she klutzed out and fell flat on her face. Ink raced over her body, some dropping onto her hands. It began to eat away at the gloves, burning the delicate skin below.
"OW! That hurts!" She screamed jumping up. A loud hissing sound alerted her to what she would have looked like had she taken the full brunt of that attack. The poor oak tree, was now melted. "Eww. I was almost Sailor Goop! Ha ha! You missed me!" She taunted. The youma poured out all of its ink onto the ground, gathering it for a large attack.
"You're dead Moon brat!"
"Uh oh. Time to move," Sailor Moon said to herself. As she turned she tripped on a branch that had been spared from the melt down. "Seriously? Why me?" She asked out loud, temporarily forgetting what was happening.
"Sailor Moon, watch out!" Several voices called out. Now she was really confused. Who knew her well enough to call out to her? Her thoughts were halted however as she saw the tidal wave of ink heading her way.
"Jupiter Thunder!"
"Venus Love Chain!"
"Mars Fire Ignite!"
The Scout of the Moon raised a hand to defend herself, but it was in vain as she was scooped up into strong arms. She opened her eyes to see a black tuxedo, and a white domino mask covering the man's face. 'He looks just like Endymion did that night of the masquerade ball.' Moon thought looking at him. They were no longer in the spot she had just recently occupied. The tuxedoed man had carried them to safety just off to the side of the clearing. She then realized that he had asked her a question.
"What was that?" She asked.
"Are you ok?" Tuxedo Mask asked again. He was slightly worried when she hadn't answered the first time. 'Did she suffer a head injury?'
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Just uh, need to go finish this battle real quick," Moon replied, squirming out of his arms. Darien had a distinct feeling of déjà vu when she did that. He saw her run directly back into the battle. Moon wanted to cry seeing the other Scouts fighting. This was exactly what she wanted to prevent. 'I need to show them I can handle this on my own!'
"Stand back!" She commanded the others. The four other Scouts heard the strength in her voice and obeyed.
"Moon Tiara Magic!"
They all watched the spinning tiara racing towards the creature, gaining speed and power. It sliced through the youma, turning it to dust. Finished with its job, the tiara returned back to the Scout of the Moon. She put it back into place with a small contented sigh. A wince crossed her face as she could feel the burns on her legs and hands.
"Oh thank goodness, you're finally here!"
"We are finally a whole team!"
"Where have you been this whole time?"
"MARS!"
"Don't mind her. She's just grumpy."
The four scouts and Tuxedo Mask walked up to her, slowly, as if she weren't real. Sailor Moon knew she was in trouble once she saw their eager faces. She needed a fast exit.
"Well, uh, thanks for the help," She said backing away from them. "But really, next time, just leave it to me. I can handle this on my own. So, bye now!" There was a puff of smoke that lasted ten seconds. When it cleared, she was gone.
"What was that? I didn't know we had ninja smoke screen thingies," Venus said looking in her sub space pocket.
"Come on, the media is on their way. Let's get going," Jupiter said as the screeching of tires could be heard not too far away. They all went their separate ways, confused by Sailor Moon's denial of them. It was something they would need to talk about at the next scout meeting.
Tuxedo Mask reached his apartment, letting his transformation fall away. He kept running the interaction with Sailor Moon through his head, trying to find out if he had said something wrong. He sighed, finding nothing wrong. He realized that he had forgotten to tell the girls about the change in his dreams. 'I guess I can add that to the agenda for tomorrow.' He thought tiredly.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't leave you in the nearest tree!" Serena fumed, her hands clenched into fists. She yelped in pain from the acid burns. 'Maybe a nice bath will make me feel better.'
"You. Needed. Help! I was not going to stand by to watch you die! Don't ask me to do that again, Serena. I promised your mother that I would guide you in this life, and dammit I will not fail at that!" Luna retorted angrily. She knew that Serena would be upset, but it was necessary.
"Ok, how about we talk about the fact that they have been awakened? Hmm, any ideas how that happened?" The blonde asked snidely.
"Actually, I know the answer to that one. My counterpart, Artemis. He must have woken up and found Sailor Venus. They have always been close."
"I remember that. But, the whole part of my grand plan was to take on Beryl myself and then tell them who they were. As it is, we don't know how much they remember. I'm hoping they think I'm just a regular Sailor Scout like them. Also, do you know who that tuxedoed guy was? He was certainly dreamy."
"Serena! What about Endymion, er Darien?"
Serena stopped walking at the mention of his name. They had arrived at her house, and it seemed that everyone was home. "Hey now, I'm not forgetting about him, I'm just making an observation about an equally cute guy."
Luna shook her head, as they walked into the house. 'Some things never change with this girl.' They walked into the living room, hoping to sneak back into her room.
"Did you really think you could sneak out of the house without your mother or I noticing? You have a lot of explaining to do, young lady" Ken's voice thundered.
"Busted!"
Author's Note: Well, here it is. A few changes here and there, but change is good right? I don't have a beta, so I apologize for mistakes. Once I started writing this I could not stop. So that might be why it's a tad long. Hope you all like it. Thanks!