Chapter 4

The next morning, I was the last to wake up in Raye's room and slowly rose from my sleeping bag to find the rest of the girls. Given how quiet the temple was, it proved to be quite the challenge. Eventually, I found them in one of the more secluded gardens. Raye had brought a tray of tea and muffins out to the garden, but none of the girls had touched anything as they sat on the various benches that had been arranged into a small circle. I took a seat beside Mina, trying my best not to interrupt their conversation.

Amy looked over to me and filled me in on what was being discussed. "At this time, we've decided it may be best to keep our eyes out for victims who are school aged, so we are going to split up around various hang-outs around the city. Mina is going to keep an eye on the general-purpose sports fields, Lita is going to check out the park, Raye is staying on the temple grounds with a particular focus on the prayer shrine, and I am going to focus on the library. We figured you would prefer to hang out around the shopping center or arcade. Would that be okay?"

I nodded, "I'll bring Darien with me and fill him in on the situation. I'm sure he'll have some insight on what's going on."

On my walk back to Darien's, I couldn't help but feel a little excited about having a new enemy to fight. Sure, peace is always a good thing, but what good am I as a superhero if I don't have a nemesis to defeat? Lost in my thoughts, my stomach dropped as I heard a high-pitched wail from a nearby alley. Without hesitation, I thrust my hand into the air, "Moon Eternal Power, make-up!"

With the completion of my transformation sequence, I immediately dashed to the source of the sound and saw a dark figure hunched over another young girl. The figure looked up, his eyes glowing red with a trace of blood seeping from the side of his mouth. I thrust my hand towards the monster, my pointer finger extended, "You are about to be punished, in the name of the Moon!"

The figure slowly lowered his gaze, a smile creeping across his face, "And who might you be, my sweet?"

I caught my breath as the figure disappeared, only to reappear behind me, his long, cold fingers clenching my neck and jaw. "Tell me, what do you live for?" I shut my eyes. How could I let this happen? I finally saw the enemy and I was about to become his next victim. As I struggled to get him off of me, I saw a flash of red and the monster released me. "Who dare pierce my skin?"

I looked up and saw my beloved Tuxedo Mask at the entrance to the alley. "It is unwise to disgrace the wishes of the young. They are the ones who shape the future," Tuxedo Mask stated, his statement as ominous and cheesily motivational as always. "Now, Sailor Moon! Punish those who take away the life blood of the young!"

"You got it!" I reached in the air, expecting my wand to appear, but found myself only clenching air. My heart dropped. How am I supposed to defeat him if I don't have a wand? Trying to hide my panic, I quickly attempted to think of an alternative. It was too late to ask for help from the others and Tuxedo Mask's capabilities were, well, a bit lacking.

The monster threw his head back. "How exactly did you plan on getting rid of me? Maybe you'll have more time to think of it later." With a tremendous leap, he disappeared in a flurry of white rose petals.

"Damn! He got away!" I said through clenched teeth. My blood roared in my ears. I felt so useless. "Hey, Sailor Moon, can you help me out?" Tuxedo Mask called as he lifted the head of the victim to keep it off the dirty ground of the alleyway.

"What am I supposed to do, Tuxedo Mask? I don't have my wand."

Tuxedo Mask smiled, "You have the Imperium Silver Crystal, remember? Harness its power and heal her. It's the best we can do, for now."

"Oh…right, of course." I leaned down towards the victim. Raising my hands to my chest, I cupped my brooch in between my palms, calling on the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal. "Oh, Imperium Silver Crystal, please restore this girl so she may return to her normal life." I bowed my head, closed my eyes, and felt the warm power of the crystal flow from my hands to the girl. As it faded, I opened my eyes to see the girl doing the same. She blinked rapidly, looking up at Tuxedo Mask and me. Blushing she asked, "What happened?"

Tuxedo Mask answered swiftly, "You had a bit of a feinting spell. This strange shift in the weather probably caught your body off guard. Try to take it easy for the rest of the day."

"Oh, okay. Well, well, thank you, sir!" the girl said as Tuxedo Mask helped her to her feet. With a wave, we watched as she left the alleyway and continued on to the main street.

Tuxedo Mask and I turned towards each other before we both lowered our heads, closed our eyes, and detransformed. Once we were both returned to our normal states, Darien turned to me, "You did well. I know you were caught off guard by not having your wand, but you held off the monster well enough that I got a good visual of him. It'll certainly be easier to keep an eye out for him."

I nodded, still feeling a bit steamed about not being able to defeat the monster outright. Darien took my hand in his. I looked up to him to meet his gaze. "Don't worry, my love, we can defeat this thing," he reassured me. "For now, let's get home."

Darien and I walked home in silence. As he unlocked the door and I dropped my things from the sleepover in the entryway, Darien asked, "Still upset about the fight?"

I sighed as I plopped on the nearest armchair, "Yes. I was so…excited about finally facing the enemy and was humiliated that I could do nothing to defeat it."

Darien situated himself in front of me. "Hey, you can do this." He tugged on my hand and proceeded to rub his thumb along mine. "This is just the beginning. We'll figure it out."

I looked at him and straightened up in my chair. "You're right, as usual. I guess I shouldn't be so down on myself after one measly battle."

"Exactly. We have a lot more coming our way, I'm sure. We have to keep our spirit and our strength up."

"Does that mean we can eat now? I'm so hungry!"

Darien chuckled, "Of course. How about we go out for a change? We can keep our eyes open for any other attacks while we're at it."

I leapt from the chair, "Ok! Let's go!" I bolted for the door before Darien called me back.

"Wait, goofball, where are we even going?"

"We'll decide when we get there!" I said merrily as I skipped out the door.

Unable to actually decide on anything, Darien and I settled on stopping at the Crown Parlor. It was a classic for us and they had the best milkshakes. As I single-handedly polished off the appetizer Darien and I had ordered, I looked up to catch Darien's eyes fixated on me. "Mwhat?" I asked, trying to keep food from escaping my mouth.

Darien smiled, "You never cease to amaze me."

I swallowed and thought carefully, "Didn't you already say that recently?"

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean it isn't any less true." Darien took my hand in his. His face became more somber as he spoke, "Serena, you mean the world to me, you know? I was alone in the world for so long. I grew up with my walls built up around me, not wanting to let anyone in and know me for fear that I would lose them again. We certainly have had some close calls, but it reassures me to see you return my love for you." Darien looked up at me, locking his eyes with mine. "When I look into your eyes, I see a pure soul who accepts me for who I am, even with all of my faults and weaknesses. You came into my life like a bulldozer and knocked the walls I had built down into the ground. You changed my life forever and I can never express how thankful I am for that. I love you, Serena, and I look forward to the day when we vow to love each other forever."

I blushed. No matter how many times Darien affirmed his love for me, it always made my heart skip a beat. This time seemed especially open because for once, Darien was speaking within earshot. He had finally been able to confidently state his feelings for all to hear, where he used to save any confession for private, intimate moments. While he still spoke about more deep feelings only within the confines of his apartment, he had once been so shy that uttering, "I love you," proved to be difficult in public.

I smiled. "I don't know what to say, Darien. You are certainly my rock. I know I can still be a bit rash, but I think you have helped me transform into the person I am today. I feel like I have a purpose in my life. You are my dream and let me be myself without judgment, but still steer me towards being a better person. It is your love and faith in me that motivates me to work harder in everything I do. Your embrace can make all of my pain and frustrations disappear. Your kiss launches me to the stars and makes my knees week, even after all of these years. I love you, too, Darien."

Darien returned my smile and leaned across the table to kiss me. "We'll have to remember some of what we just said when we write our vows."

I blushed, "Oh, yeah. We need to do those soon, don't we?"

Darien nodded, "I'm surprised you don't have a countdown until our wedding running already."

I sat back, trying to think of how many days were left. We had decided to get married on July 6th, one week after my 18th birthday. "What's today's date anyway?"

Darien looked at his watch, "April 8th."

I quickly counted, "Okay, so 22 days in this month…31…30…we have 78 days left, not including the day of the wedding."

"Now you'll be counting down, won't you?"

"More than likely. That is, as long as we can still have it that day…"

"We will. I promise you, rain or shine, vampires lurking or not, I will vow myself to you on that day."

I laughed quietly. "I hope we kick the vampire's ass way before the wedding date."

Darien agreed, "I have faith that we will. I'm sure the girls would say the same."

With that, the waitress brought Darien and I our lunch. While Darien had opted for a turkey club sandwich and a bowl of soup, I had ordered a bacon cheeseburger with French fries, a milkshake, and a strawberry parfait. Darien looked at the spread in front of me. "Really, Serena, where do you put all of that food?"

I looked at my plate, bowl, and glass in front of me. "Well, I get it all in my mouth at some point and probably burn it all off fighting evil. Although," I paused, looking down at my waistline, "I think I need to work out a bit more."

Darien sighed, "You're perfect, Serena. You have a magical metabolism, one way or another."

"If you say so," I said as I took the first bite of my mouth-watering cheeseburger.