Author's Note: Hope you all like this next chapter. I'll be updating my other two stories here soon. Just getting the final touches on them. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, just the story.
Chapter 1: The Beginning
The sun was just beginning to set over the large city of Crystal Tokyo as Serena and Darien walked back towards the palace from the training center. For the past few hours the two of them had spent time sparing and fencing together, just simply enjoying some time together. Serena could still beat Darien even after giving birth to their daughter nine years earlier.
"Good evening, Serena." Ethan smirked as the happy couple walked towards him.
"Good evening Ethan." Serena replied, slightly confused by his behavior. She looked up at Darien as they continued to head towards the palace. "Darien, do you have any idea why Ethan has been acting so strange lately?"
"I haven't a clue, Sere." Darien placed an arm around her. "Ever since he returned from that mysterious trip of his he has been acting a little too nice."
"Strange…" She walked on beside Darien. The sun was setting over the lush mountains of the city as they stopped at the overlook of their property and looked out over the city. "It's late and I'm sure Lita is wondering where we are. We really should be getting back to the palace for dinner."
"Well then, come on Meatball Head, we don't want to be late."
"Hey!"
Inside the palace the Sailor Senshi were hard at work cleaning up from their research. The library was in complete disarray from their hours of pouring through the books. They had spent the last several months researching why they were still gaining strength and power and were at full strength each day after having solid nights of sleep. They spent time training, even though there hadn't been a battle in years, together as well as separately. Rini had just become the youngest Senshi and was now a great asset to the research team.
"Hey Rei, do you still have those visions of something bad coming our way?" Mina asked her friend as she looked up from the pile of papers she was working on.
Rei looked at her in amazement. Her visions hadn't been a topic of discussion for a few years now that was until recently. "Actually yes, they are still happening. They are still very vague and confusing. But the one message that seems to be coming through loud and clear is that we need to start doing Senshi training once more." She moved some of her long black hair out of her face and looked at the others intently. "I think I am going to do a fire reading soon."
Everyone looked over at the door as Serena and Darien walked into the room laughing.
Serena looked at the group in surprise as she saw the serious looks in the eyes of her friends. "What's going on?"
"My visions have been coming at an increasing rate. I think something bad is coming our way." Rei told her best friend calmly.
"Serena, maybe its time for us to start training for real once more, we feel that things are going to get bad really fast." Ami stated calmly.
"Darien and I were just talking about that very issue earlier today." Serena stated as the group headed into the dinning room for a late dinner. "Tomorrow we will start training once more, this time it will be more intense and not as much for fun."
"Lets all have our weapons ready for training and maybe for once we can be ready for anything that comes our way." Darien suggested.
"Is Rini asleep?" Serena asked Darien as she came out of their private bathroom.
"Yeah, she went down really well considering that she is getting the chance to train with us for the first time tomorrow." Darien stated as he finished getting ready for bed. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"
"By being ready to become Sailor Moon again, I'm not so sure. I have spent so much time as Neo-Queen Serenity that the world has forgotten all about the Senshi and what we once stood for." Serena looked over at him from their bed. "Is it even possible for me to go back to leading two different lives once more? It's just been so long since I've had to be the leader of the Sailor Senshi."
Darien turned off the lights and sat next to her on their bed. "Don't worry about it too much, you'll do just great. You don't need to question that ever. Being Sailor Moon is just like being Neo-Queen Serenity, just a different outfit and a little more freedom."
"You're probably right. I guess I am just thinking about this too much."
Darien pulled her close and smiled. "Don't worry about it. I just wonder if the world is ready for the Sailor Senshi once more."
Serena was wishing the pounding would go away so she could return to sleep when she heard Darien turn on the lights and get out of bed.
"Who could that be at this time of night?" He mumbled as he put on his bathrobe.
"Serena! Darien! Come quick, we have an intruder inside the palace walls!" Rei shouted from the other side of the door.
Serena sat up, immediately awake and grabbed her Moon wand from where she hid it inside her nightstand. "We're coming!"
"Why didn't the alarms go off? I thought Ethan was the one to be monitoring them tonight." Darien questioned as he opened the door.
"I wish I knew. I'm going to find out though." Serena looked at Rei and noticed she was dressed in her Senshi form. "What do we know so far?"
"Not much, Ami is currently in the central computer room and will hopefully have something for us." Mars replied as the tri started running towards the stairs, only to see Mercury already there waiting for them.
"Ethan wasn't at his post." Mercury informed as the group headed down the stairs towards the main entrance of the palace. "I checked the computer logs and discovered that the security system has been down for the last three months, to the very day Ethan was assigned to monitor the computers."
Serena stopped in her tracks, surprised at the revelation. "Mercury, are you telling me that for the past three months my family and I have been in danger because of a major lack in security?" She saw Ami nod in response and knew she wasn't lying. "Once we have taken care of this intruder, I want Ethan found and brought to me immediately. I want a word with him, full Senshi forms as guards for my protection."
"No problem there." Jupiter responded calmly as the group met up with her. "We found the intruder, but there's a little problem."
Darien looked at his wife and noticed the worry and concern in her face. "What's the problem?"
Lita and Mina stepped aside to reveal the intruder, badly beaten lying on the ground.
"Is he alive?" Serena whispered as she looked at the still form on the ground.
Mercury pulled out her small compact computer and began to run an analysis of the man. "His injuries are quite extensive. I can tell you this much he isn't from the Negaverse."
The group looked at the man's still form as Lita spoke up once more. "Serena, he isn't from around here. In fact just looking at his clothing I can't tell you where he's from."
Serena looked at Darien before looking back down at the still form. "Mercury, Jupiter take him to the medical building and get those wounds taken care of. Everyone else, get the alarm back up and running and find Ethan. Oh, will someone look in on Rini and make sure she is okay. We'll start training once it's light. Oh, also I want someone with the man at all times until he's awake."
Everyone nodded in understanding and immediately went to work on their assigned tasks. Darien took Serena's hand in his and lead her back towards the palace. They walked into the library and sat on one of the many couches.
"Darien, what are you doing?" Serena asked in surprise. "We have a lot of work to do and…"
Darien placed a finger on her lips, silencing her as he smiled. "You need to get some rest; the others will alert us to anything they find out. Come on, and just relax."
Just as the sun was beginning to rise, filling the library with light Lita walked in causing Darien to wake up.
"What's the update Lita?" Darien asked a little on the groggy side.
"Our new guest has been awake for about an hour now, only we have run into a small complication. He refuses medical treatment. Should we question him, or force him to get the help he needs?" She asked him quietly.
Before Darien could answer, Serena sat up and looked at Lita. "I think I better handle this one. Has Ethan been found yet?"
"Not yet. Rei looked in on Rini just a little while ago and she is now eating breakfast with Mina. Rei got the security system up and running again. Haruka and Setsuna should be arriving sometime today from their outer duties. Hopefully the Senshi of time can help us get a hold on what's starting to happen."
"Well, then before I go and talk with this man I think we should hold a meeting and get everyone caught up on everything."
"Our guest has a stubborn streak that rivals Rei and Serena's." Ami explained to the group. "He doesn't seem to understand where he is or even how he got here. He refuses to say much of anything to me."
"Once we are done here, I'll go over to the medical building with you and have a chat with him." Serena replied. "The thing that has me the most concern right now is where Ethan is and why he shut off the security systems leaving us all vulnerable to attacks. I want answers from him and I really would like to have them now."
"I looked into our records of past meetings and discovered something that I think is a little unusual." Mina spoke up as she passed around copies of their past meetings. "These are the five meetings he has attended out of the over thirty that we have held. Each one of these particular meetings that he did attend were discussions on becoming stronger. He took notes like the rest of us would and then he would proceed to argue with Serena."
"I remember those meetings." Rei spoke up as she continued to look over the papers in front of her. "He was awful. He wouldn't back down until Lita or Darien spoke up."
"But why those particular meetings? How did he know exactly which ones to attend?" Serena looked around the room. "Let me know the moment he is found or returns with wherever he is. For now, I think its time to have a chat with our guest.