Special double post this week, the usual chapter of Akai Ito, and a bonus chapter of Summer Rain to tie you over since I won't be able to post up a chapter next week (since I'll be in the middle of my exams). It seems as though I've been whinging about exams and assessments for the past month now! Haha, well, enjoy!

Thanks to:life705, Terri, Leslie, Kiwi-margarita, Terri703, IsadoraKayStone, Bookworm, ScarletL, CharmedSerenity3, TaliMoonAngel668, Starrlight1812, merangelgal, Jessica, mayilu, Stacey, Jenbunny, deedee, SerentiyMoonGodness, Miss Katrina Malfoy, UniversalBunny, babyblue4994, Moon Princess Selene, sailormoon489 and SulliMike23 for reviewing the previous chapter


Title: Akai Ito
Author: Crystal Saturn
Rated:
Chapter: 13 – Selling the News

"I want to believe you
I want to believe
But everything here's in between
The fact is fiction"

"I'm sick of you guys. Really, leave me alone. I just want to live a normal life!" Sailor Moon dodged another beam of dark energy. "If you're so strung up on trying to collect energy, then why are you hurling so much of it at me?"

"Sailor Moon, watch your back!" Sailor Mars hollered as she watched her leader less-than-gracefully dance around another electricity beam. "They seem to be targeting you tonight."

"Bubble Spray!" Sailor Mercury scattered a thick veil of fog in an attempt to buy her leader some time.

"Sailor Moon, it's your turn!" Jupiter cautiously checked about her.

Silence.

In amongst the flurry of bubbles and fog, a white gloved hand pressed down firmly against Sailor Moon's mouth, while a strong arm wrapped around her waist. He carried her away from the battle and bounded across the rooftops of Tokyo. She didn't fight him, instead opting to press her head against his chest. Skillfully, he gently dropped down onto his apartment balcony.

"If I release you, will you scream?" The coolness of his breath against her left ear sent tingles across her arms. The whole time he had her in his arms, he dared not to look her in the eye. Sailor Moon shook her head and he gently removed his hand, letting her go. She watched as he took a step back, revealing her captor.

"Tuxedo Mask." Her voice seemed so small. "W-Why did you bring me here?"

"I've been watching you. You came here last night." He turned his head to gaze out towards the horizon. Flashes of light flickered from the park and dimmed. The battle was over. The Sailor Soldiers had surely won. Prince Endymion had not picked a strong monster tonight. He just needed enough time to toy with them, to distract them, so he could take her.

"Endy- Tuxedo Mask…" Sailor Moon shook her head in confusion.

"I'm Darien." The tall dark figure continued to stare off into the distance. "I'm starting to remember."

"D-Darien?" Sailor Moon questioned meekly. "What are you starting to remember?"

"I remember you." He paused and turned his head to face her. She stood, unmoved. It wasn't enough. "I remember us, Sailor Moon." She continued to wait. A look of confusion and caution graced her delicate features and he stepped toward her. She hesitated and shuffled backwards.

"I want so much to believe you, Tuxedo Mask, but-"

"Then believe me. Please, Sailor Moon. I implore you." He smoothly stepped toward her again, and she found herself backed against the balcony screen door. With nowhere else to run, Sailor Moon looked about nervously for another escape route, a weapon, anything. Tuxedo Mask lifted a gloved hand and gently caressed her cheek. "Believe this…" Lifting her chin up, he leant down and pressed his cool lips against hers. He was gentle and careful in his embrace. Sailor Moon leant into the kiss as her eyes fluttered shut and she savored the feeling of his soft lips against hers. Unlike the first time though, her heartbeat remained steady and the giddiness that she thought she would have felt remained at bay. There was something about his kiss that was less than innocent.

"Darien…" She breathed as she gently pushed him away. Reaching up, she removed his white domino mask and stared into his deep blue eyes. He held her gaze, reflecting one of stern concentration. She felt her inhibition and cautiousness slip away, as it always did whenever the suited man held her in his arms. She always had a weakness for Tuxedo Mask. "How? I thought the Dark Kingdom brainwashed you."

"They did. They still have control over me, but that's why I came to you." He lifted one of her hands and pressed his lips against her knuckles gently. "I need the Crystal, Sailor Moon. You have made me remember some of who I am, and now I need the Silver Crystal to restore me to my former self."

"I-I can heal you." Sailor Moon struggled to collect her thoughts.

"That won't be enough. They'll just take me again and brainwash me for a second time, and I can't guarantee they'll do such a bad job next time. Please, Sailor Moon, I need the Silver Crystal so I can use it to destroy the Dark Kingdom once and for all." Tuxedo Mask pleaded. A faint rosy hue stained Sailor Moons cheeks as his eyes pierced into her soul when he spoke.

"What's my name?" Her lips seemed to ask on their own accord. It caught him off guard. He faltered.

"Sail-"

"No. My real name. You said you loved me, remember? Not Sailor Moon, not Princess Serenity, me."

"I… I don't remember everything just yet, which is why we have to hurry. If they found out that I'm not completely loyal to them then they'd either brainwash me again, or kill me. Is that what you want?" Tuxedo Mask paced about the balcony in frustration.

"No, I want to help you." Unshed tears glistened within Sailor Moon's eyes. "But I don't know if I can trust you."

"It would be so easy for me to kill you right here, right now if I wanted to, and believe me Sailor Moon, the thought has crossed my mind more than once tonight. It can't be helped. It's the dark energy within me." His cold hard gaze softened as he noticed her posture become rigid. Like a deer being hunted in the wild, she was ready to leap at the first sign of danger. "I'll meet you here again tomorrow night. I'll meet you here every night for as long as it takes to prove that I am Darien. But in the meantime, when Queen Beryl summons me to battle, don't be so surprised if I have to attack you. I don't mean to hurt you, Sailor Moon, but I still have to pretend to be your enemy." He shot her a sideways glance through lowered eyelids before approaching her once more. Tilting her chin up, he moved to kiss her again, but an invisible force resisted him. Tuxedo Mask frowned slightly and took a step back, leaving Sailor Moon to open her eyes and look up at the tall dark man curiously. "Tomorrow night." He confirmed once more before disappearing in a flurry of black rose petals.


Prince Endymion stepped back through the walls of the Dark Kingdom.

"Did your plan work?" Kunzite asked in the presence of Queen Beryl.

"It will take time. She trusts me, but she still needs a little convincing. This should be easy. She should give up that Crystal in a matter of a few days." Endymion languidly took a seat on the step by Beryl's throne. Unsheathing his sword, he began the meticulous task of polishing the blade.

"I don't see why you couldn't just kill the Moon brat. You had her alone and instead you kissed her." Kunzite snarled at how comfortable he was around Queen Beryl.

"That would be too easy." Beryl's lips curved upward in a tantalizing smile. "Let her suffer. Let her feel what it's like to be betrayed by the man she loves."

The man she loves.

The words echoed through Endymion's mind and cast doubt over his heart. Within an instant he released his grasp on his sword, letting it clatter to the ground. The sharp screech of metal falling onto the marble floor echoed throughout the dark emptiness of the palace. He clutched at his head. It felt as though his brain was swelling, pulsating and throbbing against his skull. As he attempted to stand and open his eyes, a flash of blinding white light blurred his vision and he stumbled back once more.

"I love you, Darien Chiba" He recalled the look of desperation that glistened from her eyes as she looked up at him eagerly. How her soft, warm lips seemed so inviting. He drank in the sight of the light of the moon that danced across her skin and he leant forward to capture her lips with his.

"Endymion!" Beryl swiftly rose to her feet.

"I'm fine." He groaned as the vision before him began to fade. "Just a migraine." A surge of dark energy coursed through his veins and he shook the feeling of confusion from his head. It must've been a trick. Some spell she had implanted into his mind. She was a dangerous opponent, and now he knew just the sort of dirty tricks and illusions she was capable of conjuring. He wasn't going to go easy on her the next time he saw her. If she wanted to play the 'love' card, he would bring it to her, no holds barred.


. . .

Soooo… Darien's back, yes he is. But he's not the same, is he? Please Review and let me know how I went with this chapter ^_^ Also, I'm compiling a list of dishes to cook for my boyfriend this winter break. So please help me out with some ideas. Let me know some of your favourite dishes to eat and cook.

See you all in two weeks my dears!

Crystal Saturn