Chapter two
Hours later Serena was woken with the reverberating slap on the table that she slept on, she jolted up, and hit her head on the back of the booth, mumbling, "I didn't do it." Then quickly grabbing the back of her head where a nice little bump had instantly started to grow, she then glared at the offending nicely manicured hand that was still resting on the table.
"Serena what are you doing here, you were supposed to meet us at your school when it ended, I mean seriously, you are such a loser scout, why do you even bother being a Sailor Scout" Rei whispered vehemently.
"Leave me alone Rei," Serena groaned when she realized who had woken her, she got up from the booth, but before she could leave the arcade Rei grabbed her roughly holding onto her arm.
"Where do you think you are going, we need to deal with your insubordination." Rei spat at her.
Serena turned and stood nose to nose to the fiery girl from Mars, in an odd moment of bravery and gave an angry stare, "I will not be doing anything with you until you learn some manners." And she struggled to release her arm from Rei's grasp.
"Manners, no, you little traitor, who do you think you are? You will be doing what I say, and I will be keeping a close eye on you." Rei raged.
With all the strength that Serena could master, she broke from Rei's grip, and turned and ran as fast as she could from the fiery priestess. As she ran tears clouded her vision and as she turned a corner into a side street that led to a park to hide from the possibility of further confrontation with the angry girl, and a convenient shortcut to her home, where she swiftly locked herself in her room, and cried herself to sleep again.
The next day, Serena woke late as usual, and she erupted out of her house in the normal cyclone behavior she did most mornings. As she made the mad hobble into school so that she could try and make it to class on time, she turned a corner, and instead of running down the side street she hit a solid, fleshy wall of human and she fell to the ground. Keeping her head down, out of respect, she started apologizing profusely to the person she had attacked.
"Meatball head!" Exclaimed the man, "Fancy seeing you running late to school again, you should really stop being so lazy and get up earlier, remember the early bird gets the worm!" He said laughing at his own joke.
Serena looked at him about to comeback with a retort but instead, muttered "Get out of my way Darien, and continued her dash to school. "I am so sick of their taunting, once I find the princess maybe everyone will leave me alone, and I can just leave this place for good." she thought sadly to herself as she sat in her seat making it in time for first bell.
Miss Horuna walked into the room and started to fill out a late detention slip for Serena, just so it would be ready for her when she sprinted in the door, but that moment never came. Miss Horuna looked up and saw that she was sitting there already for class. "Oh my, Serena is on time, I need to announce this I really must." She said looking at her bewildered.
"So what, that I am on time, would you just get the class work started, it isn't like the world has ended." Serena said not looking around the room as all eyes were on her.
With that Miss Horuna unsure whether to reprimand the girl who looked out of sorts started the class.
In the final class for the day Horuna clapped her ands together and started the class again, "Alright then, would everyone please turn to Chapter 12 in your text book, today we are learning about myths of the ancient world of the Moon, which is regularly referred to in your Myths and legends class." There was a shuffling of papers and when everyone was set she started talking.
"Once there was a beautiful kingdom on the moon there lived Queen Serenity, she was ruler of the whole Universe and kept peace to the universe. She had a daughter called Serenity who was in love with the Earth prince Endymion, but they could not wed as on earth there was a futile battle raging against an evil Queen Called Beryl, in the end she won against earth and went up to take over the moon. Queen Selene knowing this went and enclosed everyone on the moon with the Imperial Silver Crystal and sent the people of the moon, 1000 years ahead on earth. And apparently they are living among us and protecting us from evil, or so that is how the legend of today goes."
Serena looked at her teacher her interest piqued and raised her hand to ask a question, "Miss, what happened to the Crystal?"
"Well it is said to have broken up into 7 different rainbow crystals waiting for the guardians of the princess, to join them, and only then will they be able to find the great Princess Serenity and save the earth, " Serena went to ask another question about how the crystals could be joined but the Bell Rang to end the school day and everyone, including Horuna were briskly packing their things to go home.
Serena looked at her bag and thought with determination, "I am one of the guardians of the princess so I can join them, that's what I will do."
And with that positive thought, Serena too made the dash from the school to try and complete her task as a Guardian. But as per usual she ran into one of her tormentors and was thrown to the ground. "What do you think you are doing Darien," she said trying to get up.
"What do you mean Meatball Head, you are the one practically flying, and not looking where you are going, I can hardly be the blame for that." Darien said trying to help her to her feet
"Don't you dare touch me, I can do it myself." Serena tried to get up but she couldn't she looked down at her knees and from the force of him bashing into her, her scrapes on her knees opening up again and now covered her legs in blood and her ankle was the size of a balloon again.
"Serena," Darien gasped has she fell forward from her second attempt to get up and put weight on her legs, "look I'll just take you up to my apartment clean you up and I will take you home okay?" he said shocked at what damage had been inflicted on her legs.
"No, I can take care of myself," She said with determination, as she pushed herself out of his arms, that felt oddly familiar, but as she pushed off she fell again.
"Serena, I am not taking no for an answer," and with that he swiftly picked her up and carried her to his apartment. Once at his apartment he gently placed her on the couch, and as he placed her, her bag fell off her shoulder and opened over the floor of his lounge room. Serena scrambled for her things as Darien did the same, and as Darien reached for the wooden box full of the jewels Serena made a dive from the couch, to which Darien gave her a weird look, and put his hands up as if to surrender and backed out of the room to his bathroom to get his medical equipment.
Meanwhile Serena pulled herself back onto the couch and stared at the crystals. "Why can't there be simple instructions for this kind of thing."
"Instructions for what?" Darien asked as he walked back into his lounge room, his arms laden down with medical supplies. Frightened by his sudden reappearance, Serena dropped the box and the crystals fell out. Serena frantically tried to grab them all, but Darien was too quick for her and grabbed the orange crystal that had rolled to his feet. Realizing what it was, he raised a curious eyebrow at the girl, "Serena why have you got the Rainbow Crystals? Why have you got all seven of them?,"
"You would not believe me if I told you," she said simply holding out her hand for him to place the orange crystal in, he in turn thought about it for a moment then gingerly placed it into her hand, and then knelt in front of her and started work on her injuries, 'she wasn't going very far, anyways' he thought.
"Try me?" Darien said and started to wipe the blood off her knees.
"How do you know about the crystals unless…" she said drifting off in horror of what it could mean for him to know about the crystals.
"Unless what?" Darien said looking up at her pressing some disinfectant solution in to the cuts on her knees ignoring the wince of pain coming form his patient
"It would make complete sense that you would be after something pretty of mine, they are just costume jewels for a dress." She said trying to make the jewels sound less important then what they were and then sucked in a breath in pain as Darien eased her show off her ankle to get a better look at it, or to punish her for lying to him.
"I know they aren't just costume jewelry, where did you find them? " He asked as he eased an ice pack onto her ankle, and wrapped a bandage to hold it in place.
"Are you evil Darien? Aside from the obvious bullying?" Serena asked wide eyed and bluntly.
Darien laughed at her bluntness, "I would like to think I am not I fight for love and justice, and don't deny you enjoy my attention." He said with a smirk, to which Serena shyly smiled to herself at his confidence and his Sailor Moon reference.
"So you are one of the good guys, so how do you know about the Crystals?" Serena asked, looking at them in her lap.
Darien thought about it for a moment, and with a pulling a rose from his sleeve, and he showed it to her, she looked up at the flower and her eyes widened in recognition, then she watched Darien with a flourish and a turn he was suddenly wearing a cape and mask and a Tuxedo.
"Tuxedo Mask," Serena gasped, and just like that he transformed back into his civilian form.
"Now can you trust me, Sailor Moon?" He asked with a smirk, taking a guess as to who she really was, to which Serena gasped again. "Because you need to hand those crystals to me."
"Darien, I can't do that, yet." Serena said trying to stand, from her spot on the couch.
"But you can trust me Sailor Moon, honest, I am Tuxedo Mask." He said with earnest.
"Why do you want the crystals?" Serena asked, fear making her voice rise.
"Because I need it, damn it Sailor Moon, I need them, and you need to give them back to me." Darien said taking steps forward towards the girl, "I need to find out who I am."
"These crystals are the link to the Princess, not to you. As the keeper of the moon, I need them to find the Princess." Serena said, and with one last push from the couch she stood, still holding the crystals and she shouted her activation war cry, "Moon Prism Power!"
With the Serena's cry for her transformation the crystals started to join and form as one, and instead of her transforming into the Champion of Justice, Sailor Moon, she changed into a white floor length dress, it was off an odd the shoulder gown lined with the most delicate of golden pearls, it was tight around her chest and just under breasts it dropped into a flowing skirt, her hair was in their usual high buns on her head the tails flowing from them, and pearls matching the ones on her dress were attached to slides, holding them up. While Serena transformed memories flooded back to her, memories of being on the moon and memories of that fatal battle against Beryl. "I will, never give you the Crystal Darien as it is right fully mine." She said this and hopped back, as her ankle was still hurt.
"You're the girl from my dreams" whispered Darien as he backed away form the newly transformed princess.
"What dreams?" She said looking at him incredulously.
"I have been dreaming of you, you were telling me to get the crystal and I can find you, but you found me instead." Darien said looking at her.
"Just because you dream about me Tuxedo Mask, does not mean that you hold any claim over me, the man I am supposed to love, and the one if anyone was to lay claim to me would be Prince Endymion" Serenity said looking at him again.
"But I am Prince Endymion," Darien pleaded.
"Then prove it." Serenity said with force.
Darien transformed again, but instead of appearing in his tuxedo, he appeared in a suit of Amour, with earth insignia on it. "See, this is who I really am, and you really are the princess of the Moon, Princess Serenity, or to me, the love of my life."
Serena overwhelmed by the knowledge that he was the prince and by all her memories from the moon, could not hold her transformation any longer, fainted and landed heavily on the couch.
When she woke up she found herself in a foreign bed and she looked around and saw that Darien had fallen asleep on a chair in the corner. She stood shakily, her ankle paining her, and she let squeak of pain, and landed heavily on the bed.
Darien woke up with a start and lifted his hand ready to attack the person who woke him up. He noticed it was her and scolded "What are you doing out of bed Serena, you should even be moving . . ."
"I am Hungry and I need to talk things over with you," Serena interrupted.