Here's the next chapter and it's been beta read. Loving Sailor Saiyan007 she is fab at making sure this is a good read for everyone.
I don't own anything but a laptop and a wild imagination.
Darien was waiting, as Irene had insisted on taking pictures of him and Serena all dressed up. He was in his Tuxedo Mask guise but had removed the cape and hat, which coincidently seemed to remove the glamour of the superhero. Sammy had mentioned that he looked a bit like the masked vigilante, then laughed so hard Darien had thought the boy was going to choke.
"Okay, I'm ready," he heard Serena shout from the top of the stairs.
"Fina-" he started but stopped, his jaw practically dropping to the floor as Serena came into his view.
She wore silver peep-toe sandals with a two inch heel and pink gems dancing along the straps. His gaze travelled up the halter necked silver dress that left the top of her back bare. The dress had a sweetheart neckline and the bodice was scattered with small pink gems. It flared very slightly at the waist before falling to her ankles, the pink gems seeming to travel with the dress. Her hair was in its usual style, but Serena had added pink clips. The necklace and earrings he had brought for her birthday completed the outfit.
Serena smiled up at his response, snapping him out of his thoughts and making him shut his mouth with a snap!
"Wow! You look, I mean… Wow," he stumbled out, never taking his eyes off her.
Serena giggled. "Thank you. You look handsome too." She blushed.
Luna watched the two of them carefully. Even she had to admit they made a striking couple, especially all dressed up. The two of them together seemed to spark something in her, like she had seen them together like this before, swirling and dancing to far off music. She shook her head as the flash of a camera startled her.
Darien gave Serena her mask, placing it over her eyes with care and leaning down for a small kiss as he did. Serena sighed with a content smile as he led her to his car.
The drive to the embassy was quick and painless. Serena lit up happily when she saw all the decorations and lights.
Darien smiled at her as he gave his keys to the valet. Her arm was entwined with his as they approached the entrance. He heard Serena say hello to Amy and Raye, but didn't see them as his attention was entirely focused on her.
"Darien, invitations?" Serena asked again, snapping him out of the Serena-induced haze he had happily entered.
He blushed before handing their invitations over to the man at the door who gave him a knowing look as he led Serena in. As they entered flashes of cameras and whispers of the striking couple circulated the hall. He heard a couple of people speculate that they were foreign royals or that they were part of the princess's court and he had to grin as they entered the main ballroom.
"Hey Serena, Darien. I almost didn't recognize you guys," Lita said as she spotted them coming in.
"Hi Lita! Isn't this all amazing?" Serena replied, still looking around the grand ballroom of the embassy.
"It is quite spectacular. Serena you look amazing, and Darien very dashing," Amy said as she and Raye came up behind them.
"Oh, hey guys this is Lita. Lita you met Amy briefly in school the other day and this is Raye," Serena introduced.
The three said hello and started to chat as Darien turned to Serena with a gleam in his eye.
"Princess, may I have this dance? I promise it WON'T be our last," he chuckled, emphasizing the 'won't' in jest.
Serena giggled and accepted his hand as he twirled her onto the dance floor.
"I don't get it; why was that funny?" Raye asked.
Amy and Lita just shrugged as the trio watched the couple dance.
"It's nice to feel like myself again, to let Serenity shine through slightly," Serena whispered as they danced.
Darien grinned, as he completely understood what she meant. All the dance moves, the recognition of the song and the steps all came from Endymion. It felt almost freeing to be able to let their past selves show through the clumsy, unintelligent persona Serena had and his simply broody silent wall he had up.
There was a slight downside on his part though. Lately he had been remembering some of Endymion and Serenity's more intimate moments. They weren't bad, going by today's standards, but they still left a lasting impression.
When they were young, he saw Serena as his soul mate, his other half. He felt whole with her around. He was happy with the small hugs and the brush of his lips across her forehead; it was all he needed back then. As they grew older, their relationship progressed to shy pecks when they thought no one was looking, then onto full-out kisses, spectators no longer mattering. It was where they were now; well, they had progressed to almost-make-out sessions, but he had always been respectful, never allowing his hands to wander.
Now it seemed their relationship would start to progress again, but he knew Serena wasn't ready for some of the things Endymion was suggesting in his dreams. Then again, he also knew her and he knew that she, like him, needed to go a bit further then they were.
"What are you thinking?" Serena asked softly, laying her head on his chest.
"You already know that," he replied with a slight chuckle.
"Yes, I just thought it would be nice to ask for once. Do you really think we should?" she asked in reference to his thoughts. Serenity had been the same in her dreams, showing her how it felt to be touched, caressed. She blushed slightly at the thought.
"Maybe not that far yet. I think we just go with what feels right and comfortable for us, but I don't want to go that far until you're at least legal," Darien said to her thoughts.
Serena sighed, relieved. She didn't think she was ready to do the things that happened in her dreams yet, but she did know she wanted to do them all with Darien one day. He pulled her closer before spinning her around to get her mind off the current train of thought.
Raye, Lita and Amy were all watching them when a man came up to them and turned to Lita. He had a strong build with long, curly brown hair and donned a purple mask with his tuxedo. "May I have this dance, miss?" he asked Lita, who blushed and accepted his hand.
"This is a big waste of time! There's no Negaverse activity yet," Raye complained, her eyes never leaving Serena and Darien.
"They could be waiting for the crystal to be revealed; it's not a bad strategy." Amy was still talking, but Raye wasn't really listening. She could sense something amiss in the room; she just couldn't put her finger on it. She summarized it was seeing Serena so close to Darien that it didn't feel right and tried her hardest to convince herself that was the problem.
Serena saw Lita move onto the floor with Nephrite and gasped in shock. She took over, leading and turned Darien in the other couple's direction, earning an alarmed gasp from him.
"Look at them! Do you think he knows who she is?" she asked Darien quietly.
Nephrite was looking directly into Lita's eyes. He seemed to be in slightly in awe of her.
"I don't think so; he's a clone, a copy of the real Nephrite. I think that he's just struck by her, as Nephrite was when he first saw Jupiter. Do you remember, love?" Darien asked.
Serena nodded. "I'm scared Darien. He could hurt her," she said.
"I don't think he will, love, but I think for now we should avoid awakening Jupiter. If Nephrite's clone decides to pursue her, she will be safer not knowing."
"Okay, but she is a part of my life now though, so it won't take long. Hopefully he won't, but if he is anything like Nephrite was in the past, he won't be able to stay away from her for long." Serena sighed.
"We will do everything we can to protect her, love." Darien sighed with her.
"What's your name?" Lita asked her dance partner. He had not stopped looking at her. He looked like he had just found water in the desert and she found she liked the look.
Nephrite was shocked at how much he wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted her to know everything about him, evil domain and all. He had originally asked her to dance as a distraction while his minion was working. As they danced though, he noticed how right she felt in his arms. She was the perfect height for him; his arm seemed to span her waist like a puzzle piece sliding into place. Her eyes though, they were the most amazing shade of green and he saw himself reflected in them, a happy version of himself. He found that he wanted what he saw. He did not realize that as they were dancing he was smiling, as he was in his reflection.
"My name is Max," he lied.
He was reminded of his job, his destiny and didn't want her to get hurt because of it.
The song ended, that was his cue.
"I have to go," he said before turning to leave.
"Wait, will I ever see you again?" Lita asked.
"I hope so," he replied before disappearing into the crowd.
Later, much later, after the events of that night were destroyed by the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask, Nephrite berated himself for being a sentimental fool. He saw the weak, pathetic man he had become because of a pair of pretty eyes and resolved never to see her again. Even so, dancing and mesmerizing green eyes haunted his dreams.
Serena was utterly drained. After explaining to Luna what happened at the embassy and getting changed she plopped into bed, exhausted.
Luna had gone on and on about starting to the search for the Rainbow Crystals and a part of her wanted to tell the cat that it was a waste of time, but then this was one of the reasons the crystals had to be replaced. Really, all she wanted to do was sleep.
Their dreams that night were thankfully normal and much the same. They spoke with Selenity and wandered the gardens till it was time to wake up.
She awoke to Luna screaming she was going to be late for a scout meeting.
"Scout meeting? I don't remember hearing anything about it," she asked the cat groggily.
"I swear Serena you never listen it was arranged the other day after the tennis court battle," she said sharply.
"Humm really, before or after Darien took me to the hospital to get stitches, though why I needed stitches after getting out of being a human tennis ball, I don't know."
"Oh, right. Well, I'm sure I told you. You must have spaced out," Luna muttered.
Serena rolled her eyes, positive it had slipped the cat's mind, as she would have complained about the early morning otherwise. She double checked asking Darien if he had known, he replied sheepishly that Raye had told him during karate that week and he had forgotten but would come pick her up.
She sighed before getting ready. It was only two minutes after she had finished that Darien beeped outside.
"Come on Luna," Serena said, holding her arms out for the cat.
Luna scowled at the car. She knew she would be the last to arrive if she walked, so she begrudgingly got into the car.
Serena grinned slightly. She knew Luna hated cars; she often referred to them as metal beasts that chased her on purpose. Darien chuckled, knowing it was her was of paying Luna back for the early morning wakeup call and drove a bit faster than he should have. Serena smiled up at him in thanks, letting him know she wasn't angry at him for forgetting about the early morning meeting.
Luna darted out of the car and up the steps as if a ghost was after her and the two burst out laughing at the sight she made.
"Isn't that Lita?" Darien asked, seeing the girl talking to someone.
Serena turned around then frowned. "It is, and she's talking to Nephrite. Oh Darien, we really need to put a stop to this. She will be hurt, either by him or by losing him," she said solemnly.
Darien nodded. "We will have to do this without the scouts' knowledge, let them think beryl destroyed him," he said.
"We can discuss it more later. As for now we apparently have a meeting," she said before trundling up the stairs.
Darien followed behind putting an aloof smile on his face instead of the serious expression he had been sporting before. The generals rifled up the prince in him, that part of him felt responsible for them knowing that when the clones were gone his old friends could have their lives back just made him more determined to destroy the things that had helped in the destruction of everything.
Amy and Raye were sitting quietly with Luna when they walked in.
"Hey guys," Serena smiled as she plopped down, Darien choosing to stand in the corner.
Something didn't feel right to him. The fact that the girls were so quiet when they walked in was his first warning and now Raye was watching him with a hungry look in her eyes that made him feel very uncomfortable.
"You two have a fight or something?" Raye asked, almost happily seeing the space that was not usually there between the couple.
"No, we just have a lot on our minds at the moment." Serena sighed.
Raye studied the both of them. They were very closed off and both their auras held anger and determination. It had to have been a fight! She thought with glee.
"Luna, I'm guessing we're here to discuss last night?" Serena asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, well, as you all know, last night was a fluke. The crystal wasn't the one we were looking for so now I believe it's time to start the search for the Rainbow Crystals," the cat said.
"I was thinking about that Luna. Where are we supposed to start? If these evil beings are as powerful as you say, shouldn't we also be searching for the remaining scouts?" Amy asked.
Luna baulked. She had been so excited about having the upper hand for once she had forgotten about the other scouts.
"I was just getting to that Amy," she said, playing it off. "Unfortunately, we cannot really start searching for the Rainbow Crystals until the wand reacts so until then we will be focusing on the remaining sleeping scouts."
The girls nodded in unison, and Luna smiled slightly.
"Okay well I think that's all for today. Serena, if anything happens with the wand contact one of the girls or me. That is all."
Serena stretched as Luna finished the meeting then stood up turning to Darien. "Can we go back to yours and nap?" she asked hopefully.
Darien chuckled. "I don't know as we have all this extra time, we could get some homework done." He grinned evilly.
Serena whined brokenly as he led her to his car. "How about we study for the rest of the morning then have an afternoon nap," he conceded, causing Serena to smile brightly at him.
After the two had left Raye and Amy turned to Luna.
"We're worried about Serena," Amy started.
"Worried... the girl is downright, arrrggg! She is always late, leaves early, gets herself trapped, hurt or klutz's out both during and out of battles and all she does is moan and complain. When she's not swooning over Darien that is," Raye ranted, cutting Amy off.
Luna stared wide-eyed at the girls. She was not quite sure how to answer Raye.
"What we mean is, Serena is, well, she has been a bit of a flake lately. I've seen some of her more recent test scores and according to Melvin their worse than usual. I think she needs help, or at least less responsibility among the team. The Moon Wand for instance, could one of us use it instead?" Amy asked softly.
"It's not this that's the problem, Amy! I keep telling you, it's Darien. If Serena wasn't so worried about spending time with him she would have more time to focus on training and school work," Raye exclaimed harshly.
Luna sighed and shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid I gave the Moon Wand to Serena because she is the one who channels her power through something, her tiara for example. The both of you channel your powers through your body and hands. There is also the fact the Moon is known for its healing properties, making the wand more effective if Sailor Moon uses it. I do agree with Raye on the Darien matter, but for now I'm afraid nothing will keep them apart. My only hope is the princess."
"What do you mean? How will the princess help?" Amy asked, curious.
"Well, the Sailor Scouts put their princess first and foremost. Her protection is paramount to the safety of the universe, plus the fact you were all great friends on the Moon, inseparable as I remember. I'm hoping Serena will understand when the princess restores your memories," Luna explained proudly.
Darien sat, watching Serena pace his apartment and mutter to herself. He had long ago stopped trying to give input and was now waiting for her to tire out.
"If we go after Nephrite ourselves we have to guarantee that he will be on Earth and that we can actually destroy him before he escapes... If he gets back to Beryl with knowledge of our power… Then if the scouts notice in some way, Raye and her psychic abilities… Then there is Luna and what if Lita is with him, if we do find him on earth…" Was all of her rant that he understood.
Finally, Serena plopped down on his armchair and turned to him. "What do you think?" she asked with a deep breath.
"We will have to wait till our next battle. I will seek out Nephrite and challenge him to a duel. If he is anything like the real Nephrite, he won't be able to resist," Darien said started.
"That's actually a great plan," Serena said when he finished.
Darien chuckled. "I was in charge of a grand army, fought many battles and even helped rule a planet for a while you know," he replied with a grin.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to belittle you; you know how protective I get of my scouts," Serena replied sitting on his lap.
"Almost as protective as they were of you, as I remember. Its okay love," Darien replied before kissing her soundly.
"Now what do you want for lunch?" he chuckled before chucking her on the sofa. Serena just shook her head and smiled as he wandered into the kitchen.
To both their frustration the Negaverse activity was non-existent for the next couple of weeks. Lita, Amy, Serena and Molly all sat in the quad for lunch. Amy had been very excited to tell them about her best friend Greg coming back. Serena laughed in her head; she had wondered what they would do about Greg's crystal. She was guessing Pluto had a hand or two in the boys' sudden re-appearance.
"Lita! Hey, wait up," Serena shouted, running towards her brunette friend who stopped with a slight blush. They had just gotten out of school but she had missed Lita while trying to convince Molly to come to the arcade with her.
"Oh, hey Serena. Sorry, I can't stop; I'm meeting someone," Lita said when Serena had caught up with her.
"Well, I was hoping to convince you to come to the arcade with me, but since you already have plans with your boyfriend…" Serena trailed off, trying to keep the dread out of her voice.
"N-no, nothing like that, not at the moment anyway. Oh, Serena I don't know what to do! I think Max likes me, but whenever we get close he backs away. It's like he's keeping something from me," Lita said sadly.
Serena sighed and shook her head. Now she knew why the Negaverse had not attacked in two weeks. "Lita, listen: if this guy is playing with you maybe it's best to leave it be," she started.
"He's not playing with me, Max wouldn't do that! He's a good guy," Lita interrupted, defending him. "You're jealous, aren't you? What you think you're the only girl in school that can attract an older guy? I didn't think you were so shallow but I was obviously wrong," she told Serena before storming away.
"No! Lita, wait! I just don't want you to get hurt," Serena shouted after her.
Lita heard her but didn't stop or turn around. She knew Max wouldn't hurt her; he was too kind and gentle for that. Yes, he had told her he worked for some bad people, but she understood he was trying to be good. Serena was just stuck up.
'Darien, Lita is meeting Nephrite and I'm following her. We need to end this now. I'm afraid she's already fallen for him.'
'I'm on my way love. Transform but stay hidden till I get there.' Darien replied to Serena's mental message. He heard her confirmation and felt her transformation before transforming himself and following his link to her.
He landed next to her, looking towards Nephrite. He wore normal clothes and hanging around his neck was strange, pulsing crystal that seemed to be reacting to Lita.
"I see it too. Before I transformed, it just looked like a normal chain. I think it's glamoured," Sailor Moon said to his thoughts.
"What is the plan then?" Tuxedo Mask asked, hoping she had one.
"Wing it?" Sailor Moon suggested before jumping up into a tree.
Tuxedo Mask sighed; they would have to be very careful. Thankfully, Lita and Nephrite were in a secluded area of the park, almost into the forest.
Sailor Moon watched the couple before jumping down from the trees. "Stop right there Nephrite! I won't stand by while you terrorize innocent girls! I am sailor Moon and in the name of the Moon, I will punish you," Sailor Moon said upon landing in front of the couple.
"I think you have the wrong person Sailor Moon. There is no Nephrite here," Lita said, standing slightly in front of Max.
"I know exactly who I'm talking to. The Negaverse have stooped to a whole new low, preying on innocent girls," Sailor Moon said with disgust in her voice.
"Max, what is she talking about?" Lita asked, turning to him.
Nephrite was furious. He had already taken away his glamour, forgetting all about Lita as he dove for Sailor Moon.
"You were foolish to come alone Moon," he said, then noticed the crystal around his neck shining towards her.
"You, the crystal," he said knowingly.
Sailor Moon lunged for him and they started fighting with vigour.
"Miss, you should really get out of here," Lita looked around to see a guy in a tuxedo telling her to go. She looked back toward the battle to find Sailor Moon ready to throw her tiara at Max.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Don't hurt him!" She ran towards Sailor Moon, knocking her down and forcing the tiara into Sailor Moon's shoulder. Sailor Moon screamed in pain as Tuxedo Mask took over fighting Nephrite.
"He's not evil, he's good. You can't hurt him," Lita said, holding Sailor Moon down.
"You don't understand! He is a Negaverse general. He is evil he was just using you, I suspect, for your powers. We have to destroy him," Sailor Moon replied desperately.
Nephrite laughed as he managed to strike Tuxedo Mask down. "You really think you can beat me? I have more power then you will ever know," he said before getting ready to strike again.
Tuxedo Mask rolled away from the hit and stood. "Power? You're nothing more than a worthless clone," he said, just loud enough for the other man to hear.
"I was right! She has the crystal and you're-" Nephrite started, but Tuxedo Mask was suddenly in front of him. The energy of his Golden Crystal slammed into Nephrite, blowing him back into a tree. He slid down to the ground, not moving.
Lita immediately ran to his side while Tuxedo Mask ran to Sailor Moon, helping her up. He took the pain from her shoulder, not healing it just yet, but stopping the bleeding.
"No, you're going to be okay. We'll get you to a hospital," Lita was crying.
Nephrite coughed before lifting a hand to wipe her tears. "Its okay, its better this way. Just remember when he comes, forgive him." He coughed before he began crumbling away, the dust floating away in the wind and disappearing. Lita stood, her frame shaking and fists clenched as she turned to where Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask stood watching sadly.
"He wanted to change and be good. You never gave him chance to tell you that; you just killed him," she said, staring straight into Tuxedo Mask's eyes, tears welling up in her eyes as a fire burned behind the radiant green globes.
"I hate you!" she screamed, punching the masked man, knocking him down.
Luna, Mars and Mercury came running through the trees. "Mercury's computer picked up a power surge. Why didn't you call us?" Luna asked.
"There wasn't time. Nephrite was leading her into a secluded area, I had to act," Sailor Moon said solemnly.
"They killed him!" Lita wailed. The sign for Jupiter flashed brightly on her forehead, causing Luna to react.
"It's no wonder he targeted you. You are a Sailor Scout!" Luna said, bringing Lita her transformation stick.
Tuxedo Mask backed away a bit, knowing what was coming, he got ready to leave.
"Now, say 'Jupiter power'," Luna coached.
Mars turned to Tuxedo Mask in confusion.
"She said you killed him, but how? You throw roses and handle hand to hand combat," she asked the question the couple was hoping they would not be asked.
"I have more power than you think Mars, I just can't use it often. On that note, I have to go," he said, looking at Sailor Moon and jumping away.
Jupiter had finished transforming and stood in her full sailor suit. "I understand why he had to kill Max, but I still hate him," she said, her hands balled into tight fists at her sides as she held back tears.
Sailor Moon looked at her sadly before looking in the direction that Tuxedo Mask had gone off to with worry in her eyes. Raye, Amy and Lita had all de-transformed and were waiting for her to do the same. "I can't," Sailor Moon said, catching their looks. "I was injured badly, I need to wait and heal for a bit or I will pass out. Lita, I am so sorry. I hope you'll understand one day. It's me Serena" Sailor Moon said.
"No way, Serena as in the Serena I just called shallow?" Lita asked.
Sailor Moon nodded. "I followed you to explain that I didn't mean what you thought and when I saw Nephrite I thought he was taking you for your energy. I saw the sign for Jupiter later and knew that was the reason he took an interest in you; your powers," she explained softly.
Lita nodded and sighed. She still honestly believed that Nephrite or the part of him that was Max had wanted to change and would always blame Tuxedo Mask for taking him away from her, but she could see Sailor Moon was just protecting her as a good friend with magical powers would.
"I understand. I'm sorry about what I said earlier, and for your shoulder," she smiled, putting her hand out for the blonde to take.
Sailor Moon smiled back and took her hand. "Welcome to the team, Jupiter," she said with a grin.
"Glad to be here! Finally, I have an excuse to kick some butt. I know who you all are, but what about Tuxedo Mask? Is he a friend or foe?" she asked.
"Friend. He's Darien," Raye answered before Sailor Moon could.
Lita turned to Sailor Moon who nodded, confirming Raye's statement.
Maybe it isn't me being played. I don't trust that guy, Lita said to herself that night before getting into bed. She placed her new communicator and pen on her bedside table before drifting off to sleep.
"Luna, I told you what happened several times. I got into a bit of an argument with Lita so followed her to apologize. Nephrite was leading her into the woods I transformed I was about to call you guys but Darien showed up and Nephrite had a crystal that was glowing I jumped in," Serena started explaining again.
"I know all that Serena, what I asked was how did Darien destroy Nephrite on his own, when none of the scouts would have been able to do so?" Luna interrupted rolling her eyes.
Serena flinched. She was hoping Luna would have forgotten about that. "Darien has his own power Luna; how do you think he transforms to help us? I don't know how he destroyed Nephrite on his own. I don't think he does either, actually. I do know it drains him to use it though," Serena lied through her teeth, hoping and praying to every deity she knew for the cat to drop the subject.
Thankfully Luna did, but not before making a mental note to have Mercury scan Darien and to watch him very closely. She had felt the power in the air when they had arrived. Something about it seemed almost familiar; she just couldn't put her paw on what exactly it was.
Serena breathed a sigh of relief before lying down to get the sleep she had been craving for the past 3 hours.
Hope you all enjoyed that. As much as I thought about it I just couldn't turn Lita against Serena, Darien however was another matter.
Next chapter….. More time spent with the scouts. Raye starts putting plans into motion and what the heck let's throw in Zoisite and another rainbow crystal.
Don't forget to review….xx