Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon. End of story (not literally!!).

A/N: Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but I just had to update as soon as possible for you guys, and I couldn't wait to post! LOL. Forgive me for the lack of a Japanese lunch for Raye; I'm not that knowledgable as to what the Japanese eat! The real drama will begin next chapter :-). Thank you sooooo much to: sugar230, serenity11287, mae-E, Katie, Princess makkura, heatqueen, Caytlyn Rose, babigurl11592, spiegel-octopi, twilightlover05, cardcaptor eternity, mystic soilder, and Double G. I was blown away by all the fantastic reviews! More more more!

Self Destruct

Rated T

Part 12: "Visions and Decisions"

Raye glanced outside gingerly, a small lunch bag in hand as she peeked around the door. She was trying to see if it had stopped raining enough that she could sit outside and eat her lunch. Her hopes were well-founded, for it wasn't. In fact, there wasn't even a drizzle! The sky was just a gloomy gray. The weatherman had been right about the break, for once!

Raye shivered. The atmosphere seemed... cold. Like there was nothing up there in the heavens. No rain, as if the clouds had poured themselves out and could cry its tears no longer. It was a dismal silence that had descended upon Tokyo. And along with this feeling, Raye felt knots in her lower stomach, like something bad was going to happen...

But what?

Raye left the safety of her school and went out onto the grounds, and over to her favorite tree. It was a great big oak, usually full of great green leaves that would circle one's head in a canopy. Now though, the leaves looked soggy and water-worn from all the rain.

The raven haired priestess sighed, ignoring the cold, damp grass as she sat down beneath the towering oak. She opened up her bag, and pulled out a sloppily made sandwich. She nibbled on it a bit, the solitude figure in the melancholy surroundings. The kids at this school never really talked to her, or approached her. They were afraid of her powers, and some even labelled her a freak. Only when she had organized the school festival had they even remotely looked up to her in awe, but once that ended, things had gone back to normal. Raye thanked God every day for the gift called Serena, because she had opened up and accepted her without any questions or fear. And perhaps because of that, and Serena's pure, loving personality, she treated the blonde like a little sister. Of course, Serena was only a few months younger than Raye, but sometimes she acted a little younger than her age in her carefree way.

That was why Raye was scared to death of Serena's actions as of late. It seemed her best friend was slipping away rapidly, and no matter how hard she held onto the girl, she just trickled away like water in the hand.

Raye sighed, gazing up at the leaves above her, taking in there intricate details people normally ignored. In fact, people tended to do that with everything. They merely glanced at the world, but never really took time to enjoy it.

That was why Serena was so different. She relished in every aspect of everything, living or nonliving.

With a tiny bit of longing, Raye wished her friends could be here with her. It was a shame she didn't go to any of their schools; sometimes she did pine for company, even if the black haired miko preferred solitude most of the time.

It did get lonely, sometimes.

However, as Raye was thinking this, a midnight feline jumped up onto the brick wall beside the tree Raye was eating under, looking angry and concerned all at once.

"Luna?"

"Oh, Raye, I'm so glad I found you! It's Serena; something's wrong!"

"Wrong?" Raye was up in a flash, lunch completely forgotten. Her hands itched towards her transformation rod, and a determined look came over her features. Her violet orbs flashed with readiness.

Luna noticed the position and face Raye had taken on, so familar to her now. "Don't worry, it's not a youma. She just... is acting weird."

"In what way?" Raye inquired, slight confusion settling into her eyes.

"Well, she skipped school today-"

"WHAT!? How could she do something that brazen! If I see that Meatball Head, I swear-"

"That's not all. She apparently had a fight with her mom too, and was acting so unlike herself. And Raye," Luna said, in an almost scared and pleading tone, "I looked into her eyes, and it frightened me. It's like... Serena's gone. A shell of unfeeling."

Raye's gut clenched. "Do you think a youma possessed her or did something to her?"

"I don't know. She just came in and was all angry and cold."

"Serena..." Raye murmured, thinking about her depressed friend. Suddenly, as she uttered the name, the world went black to her vision.

Serena sat on her bed, an undecipherable look over her face. In her hands, she was holding a knife, and turning it over and over in her hands. Her face was tearstained; her hair, disheveled. She kept alternately glancing at the knife and into space, in deep thought. The girl suddenly halted her hands, and brought the knife up to her face, staring at it intently. There was a dubious look in her eyes, but she never set the knife down.

"I hate this world," she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. "I hate Darien. I hate my life. I want it all to end."

Raye gasped, surfacing up to reality. She leaned against the tree, fighting for enough air. Luna was below her, calling the fire maiden's name frantically.

"Raye! Raye! What's wrong!"

"We've got to go! Now!"

"What? Why?"

Raye let go of the tree, dizziness replaced by fear. It was like a wave, crashing onto her with the force of a boulder. The feeling was so great that Raye was nauseous to the point of throwing up.

"I had a vision."

"And?" Luna cried, watching Raye fight sickness.

"Serena's going to kill herself."

"WHAT!?"

"No time to explain; we've just gotta go though!"

At these words, the girl seemed to regain posure, but the terror was still racing through her veins, giving her adrenaline. She started running, Luna hot on her tail, going in the direction of Serena's house. She didn't even stop to think about the repercussions her skipping school would cause; that was trivial compared to the catastrophe that would occur if Raye didn't make it to her friend's house on time.

Her leader, Princess, and most of all, best friend's life was at stake.

A/N: Heh heh... will Raye reach Serena in time? How will she react? And Serena?

Review, and I update faster!

AngelMoon Girl