Serena slowly sat down at the short table. In the past, the wooden fixture had merely been the site of their daily study sessions. Sprawled across its top normally would have lain thick books with long titles, pens with colorful bunnies on the handle and rudimentary calculators. Today, however, all Serena could spy in its surface were the downcast shadows of her fellow scouts.

"Girls...what's going on?" she asked tensely.

"Serena...," Mina began plainly," have u looked at the moon lately?"

"Huh? I've never paid much attention to it." Raye sighed heavily, her disappointment apparent.

Lita, tired from the girls' stalling, rose to her feet and walked to the window.

"Come here and look at it now."

Despite, the height of the sun, the moon was still fully visible in the sky. The night before, it had shed a pure silver light on the ground, but this night would be different.

Anxiously, Serena followed Lita's command. She scanned the sky anxiously for the familiar white globe, and finally stomped her feet in frustration.

"Where is it? What's going on?" she said.

Lita pointed in the sky to the spot where the moon hung. Instead, in its place was the image of a burning rotten apple. It was no longer blue, but stained in blood and shrouded in negative energy. The clouds around it even seemed darkened by its shadow.

Serena gasped. She turned around to face the girls, tears in her eyes. She searched for a glimmer of hope in their faces. This couldn't be the moon. In return, the scouts all looked down at the floor.

For a second, Serena's face fell also, but it rose again full of conviction and malice.

"Tonight, we will fix this. They can't get away with it."

Serena looked at the face of her pink wristwatch. The digital numbers read six thirty. She yawned strongly and raised her head to peer down at the peaceful heads of her exhausted friends. After stretching, she grabbed her bag, wrote a short note, and walked through the door.

By seven she stood outside the door; his door. She had been drawn her by some need; she considered the fact she couldn't risk not seeing him again without a goodbye. She squeezed the door handle tightly, then shook her body hoping her fears would leave. Her breathing slowed and finally she turned the handle.

Though it wasn't yet sunset, the room held no light; the curtains shielded the room, similar to how they had the first time she visited. Her feeling of gloom returned.

"Darien," Serena said softly. She waited, but heard no response. In the background were only soft groans. The painful sounds eminated from the hospital bed.

"Darien," she said louder. Still, her voice fell. She moved around to peer past his drawn curtain. When she pulled it aside she was taken aback to see Darien contorting in pain with beads of sweat dripping from his brow.

"Darien!" Suddenly, his eyes spread open. It was obvious he was struggling to contain his movement and hide the pain. Serena's eyes bore onto him.

His eyes were no longer midnight blue but darkened to near black. Scars that had healed during her visits had reappeared. Their redness greatly contrasted his paling skin.

"What-what's happened?" She murmured. Darien looked out the window, then turned disgustedly to the analog clock by his bedside. Seven ten it read.

"Serena," Darien said, words nearly failing him," Serena...I don't want you to come anymore."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Serena stepped backwards. For a moment Darien only bit his lip. Then he spoke.

"I meant go!" he said slamming his fist on his bedside table. He jerked it back with a wince, but in a flash his expression hardened. Serena looked at him, horrified.

She turned and began her race to the door. Roughly, she tripped and scraped her knee. While on the ground, her eyes started to glisten involuntarily.

"I came to say goodbye anyway," Serena said, failing to hide a wimper. She once again dashed to the door and made it out. She then paused at the door to calm her breathing. Tears flooded her cheeks.

"Goodbye, Darien."

Back inside the room, Darien stared at the ceiling. He quivered from a pain in his side, then blinked. When his eye opened he felt a sole tear drip from his eye.

"Serena."