A Change of Destiny Ch.6
By: Ria
TiMia637@aol.com
Rated PG
Disclaimer* I don’t own Sailormoon.  I want to thank the
people who has shown me their appreciation of my writing.
You have my gratitude and I hope my writing hasn’t
disappointed you.
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    “My God Serena it is you!” Darien had hauled himself
from the floor and now had taken both of Sailor Cosmos
hands.  He stared deeply into her eyes, trying to read every
flicker of emotion that would give further proof to his
conclusions.  He had read panic when he had called her
Serena but now the shutters were drawn again and all he
could see in her eyes were pity.
    “I’m sorry my prince for misleading you but I am not
the princess you seek.  For all of your sakes I ask you to
stop with the fantasies and keep your head in the present
situation.  Clinging to the impossible will not help you
fight off our enemies and I am sure that Princess Serenity
would not want her death to cause you so much pain.”  Selene
had kept the right amount of pity and coldness in her voice.
She had had a while to work on her facade and she knew that
the coldness they saw in her would throw them off.  The old
Serena had no ounce of coldness in her.
    Every pair of eyes were on the couple.  They saw
Darien’s face go from hopeful to sadness then to anger and
confusion.  The inners’ could not shake the feeling that the
girl that stood before them was Serena, but it was also too
hard for them acknowledge that their once sunny and loving
friend could be the cold woman standing before them.
Questions hung in the air and everyone stood like statues
waiting for the couple to continue.
    Luna and Sailor Pluto could do nothing to help and they
stood and watched their Princess, helpless.  Both were also
surprised with Selene’s performance.
    Darien had felt sadness wash over him but then anger
followed.  ‘How dare she say such things to me.  Does she
actually think that I can’t see through her coldness?  Come
on I invented the meaning of coldness and indifference.
I’ll let her go for now but next time when I have more
substantial proof then it won’t be so easy to blow me off.
Watch out my sweet, Amy is almost done with central and her
computer.  Soon you will not be able to evade me so easily.’
Darien had let go of her hands and left without saying a
word but Selene saw the challenge in his eyes.  He told her
plainly in those expressive blue eyes of his that he could
not be fobbed off that easily.  He suspected and Selene knew
that Darien would not give up until he got the truth.
    The scouts watched Tuxedo Mask walk away from Sailor
Cosmos and followed his lead.  As Sailor Saturn turned to
leave she saw Sailor Pluto and Luna looking at the figure in
white compassionately then left.  Now she knew that
something was up and that both Luna and the sailor of time
was in on it.  Keeping in the shadows Heather followed Luna
and Susan.  She had felt from the beginning that those two
were keeping something from them, or rather keeping someone
from them and now she wanted to know the truth.  She to had
the right to know her Princess.  The inners’ had always had
the privilege and the outers’ had the Silver Millennium, but
Sailor Saturn had always been robbed from knowing her
princess.  Queen Serenity’s doubt that she would not be able
to control her power had led to her eternal sleep.  So now
it was her turn to experience the friendship with her liege
and thank her for her confidence in her abilities.
    Susan and Luna had gotten careless and instead of
transporting back to the apartment they had taken a walk.
They did not anticipate that they were being followed and
had taken the opportunity to clear their head and think
things through.  Both had disagreed with Selene’s plan in
the beginning and then the whole thing with Darien just
added to their growing list of doubt.
    “I truly think it would be best if we tell the others
about her situation.  Darien is sure of her identity and it
is just a matter of time until he figures out a way to prove
it,” Luna had not wanted to start on the same conversation
again but the words just couldn’t be kept in.  The look of
betrayal on everyone’s face had convinced her that the
scouts wouldn’t be put off so easily, especially Darien.
    “I know Luna.  Don’t you think I know that this scheme
of Sele’s and the elders was a mistake.  They never listen
especially Selene.  It is like trying to reason with a mule.
She won’t change her mind and even if the others did find
out the Princess would never allow them to help out with the
final battle,” Susan heaved a big sigh.  It was just so
complicated.
    “You both never told me where this cosmic fight is
suppose to occur.”
    “Now that is one interesting answer.  You see when
Judgment Day is here the planets get all lined up and day
and night become one.  From Earth you can see all the
planets in perfect view, and I still haven’t gotten to the
good part yet.  The stars decorate the sky and both the moon
and the sun share the sky.  God Luna you’ll just have to
wait until that day comes because I can’t even describe the
beauty you see.  Too bad it might be the end of our
reality.”
    “Thank you for that depressing ending.  And you still
haven’t told me where the battle is suppose to take place,”
getting impatient now.
    “Oh, sorry.  It just reminds me of the good old days
when this galaxy was the jewel of the cosmos.  Anyways, a
small planet forms between the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun.
No one really knows how the hell it forms but one day it
just appears.”
    “What happens to it after the battle?”
    “That is the bad part.  If Sele wins and blows back
those nega-scums back to where they come from then she has
the responsibility to get off that rock as soon as possible
because just like when it suddenly appeared it will also
suddenly disappear.”
    “Damn!”
    “Yes,” with a long labored sigh, “so even if she wins
there is still a chance that she will be annihilated to a
dozen pieces if she doesn’t teleport out there quickly.”
    “I just love the way you bring up my hopes and then
send it plunging down,” giving Susan the evil eye.
    “I’m sorry.  This is the way I deal with things.  Sele
thinks it is a screwed way to cope but as long as it keeps
me sane then dark humor it is.”
    “So how exactly is she suppose to get off that rock
when she has depleted most of her energy.  Isn’t there a way
for you to use a portal to get her out?”
    “I really don’t remember the rules and regulations on
this whole shindig.  It has been a millennia and my memory
isn’t all that great.  Also, their has been no records of
anyone surviving the battle.  Sure we win but that is as far
as we have in our records,” both had reached there
destination but instead of entering they sat at a bench
across from the apartment building.
    “We need more than two heads for this.  Between us
we’ll get Selene and ourselves killed,” Luna moaned out
hopelessly.
    “Then maybe you will appreciate my help,” a familiar
voice from the shadows offered.
    “Oh no, Sele is not going to like any of this.”

    Darien had been thinking of a way to make Serena see
her mistakes in keeping himself and the scouts from her
mission.  He was now one hundred percent sure that the new
scout was his Serena and that she was trying to protect all
of them by keeping them in the dark.  Of course he was proud
of her, who wouldn’t be, she went from a crybaby to one of
the fiercest and bravest warrior of them all.  Not to
mention that she actually had the courage to face a threat
alone.  But that was just it, she was facing something alone
and if he hadn’t been so adamant about her being alive she
would have faced it alone and she might have even died
alone.  His anger at her for leaving him out of her life
when she needed him the most paled in comparison to the fear
he felt when he realized the danger she would be facing
again.
    With Beryl he had felt pain beyond comprehension.  He
had given her as much of his strength and love he could but
in the end he had failed.  She died anyways, or so he
thought.  The betrayal that she would leave him again
consciously was slowly fading and it was replaced with the
determination to help her, whether she wanted the help or
not.
    “I just don’t understand why you would not want me part
of your life after all we went through to set each other
free,” he whispered to the moon that had given birth to his
love so long ago.  He didn’t know how long he had been
brooding on his balcony and was about to go back in until
something caught his eye.
    “It can’t be!”  Darien was nothing short of
incredulous.  It was Luna and Sailor Pluto, or better yet
Susan, strolling down the street conversing with ease.  He
wouldn’t have given it a single thought if it wasn’t for the
fact that they treated each other like strangers when they
were with the others and himself.
    “It looks like I found the person helping Serena from
the inside,” he whispered in a hurt voice.  He watched them
talk for quite a while until another figure arrived.
    “Has the outers’ been on it from the beginning?” now
Darien wondered just how many of the scouts he could
actually trust.

    “I’m sorry if we haven’t been very honest with all of
you but it was decided by the elders and myself that it
would be a lot easier for both parties if I kept all of you
away from the truth,” Selene rubbed her temples to ward away
the upcoming headache.  ‘I just need this now.  First Darien
is being impossible now Sailor Saturn has found out about
the whole thing.  I can’t afford another slip up.  The new
moon is still a couple of days a way,’ angrily berating
herself.
    “I’m sorry my Princess for causing you more problems
but do you honestly think that I would just stand by while I
knew that you were in trouble.  That is just not possible,
and I can assure you that the others will just be as
tenacious.”
    “Ugh!  Don’t I know it.  I’m already having problems
with Darien not giving up the idea that I’m alive.”  Even
though she knew that he was the root of her problems she
couldn’t stop the feelings of elation whenever she thought
of him not giving up on her.  It proved that he actually
cared for her.
    “Don’t you get it Sele, they care for you so much that
they won’t give up on you,” Susan knew that Selene was just
as anxious as all of them to let the others in on the whole
thing.  She just didn’t understand why she was still so
opposed to the idea.
    “Come on Serena you know that it would be better if you
just let the others know.  They have suffered as much as you
have and now you can’t even say that they don’t know you are
alive.  You know that it is only a matter of time until they
found out and Darien will make sure of that,” Luna picked up
on what Susan and Heather was doing and tried to make Serena
doubt her plan more.
    Silence hung in the air and the three held their
breaths as they waited for their princess’s decision.
    “No.”  Selene left the apartment without another word.
    “I just don’t understand why she won’t let us help,”
Susan sighed out.
    “Right now I would give anything to have the crybaby
Serena back,” Luna staring sorrowfully at the door that had
closed with a resounding bang.
    Heather had been quiet throughout most of the exchange
but she had been studying her princess intently.  “She is
carrying a lot of pain and fear inside.  More than she has
let on.”  The two other occupants contemplated on Heather’s
words.

    Serena, or rather Selene, had to get out before she was
persuaded to let the others in.  She couldn’t, they would
get hurt and it would be all her fault again.  Doesn’t
anybody understand that it is better to lose one life than
lose a whole group.  And that was why she was so adamant
about fighting alone.  She couldn’t stand the idea of her
friends dying for her a third time.  The vivid memories of
her friends dying one by one and her lover dying both times
in her arms were to much to bear for her.  No matter what
the original plan stays, regardless of her determined Prince
and the setback with Sailor Saturn.
    Deep in thought she never noticed that she had walked
to the park close to the apartment complexes.  As she looked
around she remembered all the happy times her friends and
Darien had in the park.  Her glazed eyes stared at the lake
as she recollected the day she spied on both Darien and Raye
on a boat ride.  She couldn’t admit it then but jealousy had
popped its ugly head, it always had when the name Darien and
Raye were connected in the same sentence.
    “Oh, why couldn’t they have been meant to be together.
He wouldn’t be in so much pain and I wouldn’t have to worry
about him being alone,” she had sat under the willow tree
closest to the lake, her usual spot.
    ‘Yeah right Sere!  Can you actually picture Darien in
another woman’s arms?’ a skeptical voice in her head asked.
    Without even thinking she yelled out a murderous ‘No’.
    ‘You see, my point is proven.  You yourself know that
with soul-mates there is no true happiness without the
other.  Darien, Prince Endymoin, in this lifetime has faced
loneliness since an early age and you would put him through
that again?’
    “You swear it is not tearing me apart also,” she
screamed at the voice in her head.  “You are suppose to
comfort me, not sound like the others.”
    She was frustrated and everyone, it seems even herself,
was against her choice of actions.
    “It’s mutiny I tell you.  They’re not suppose to give
me so much grief.”

    Darien had tried to go back to sleep but after a half
an hour of tossing relentlessly he had given up.  So here he
was again, prowling the park for answers.  He didn’t know
what to do.  Luna had turned on them and he didn’t know
anymore if the outers’ were ever on their side.  Betrayal
was written all over the past few weeks, no, the past few
months and underneath all of it was Serena.  He knew it was
her.  Who else could make Luna and the outers’ follow
without even thinking what they were helping her achieve?
And that was the problem they didn’t understand. Sailor
Pluto might have all the answers but this time she is
clueless.  They were helping her to safely reach her
destination, self annihilation.  He knew for sure that was
what she expected.  He sensed the fear in her but her
determination still controlled her choices.
    “Ugh!  When did she become so self reliant?” he
screamed to the night.
    ‘Ever since she saw all of you die,’ surprise was
written all over his face as he heard his question answered.
    “Okay Chiba you are talking to yourself too much these
days.  Don’t wanna have to turn yourself in to an asylum
would you?”
    He had almost reached the lake when he heard someone
talking.  ‘...not suppose to give me so much grief,’ an
exasperated voice yelled out.
    He walked closer and found a girl sitting alone under
Serena’s tree.  Her features were turned away from him but
one thing was for certain she was alone and having the same
problems as himself.
    He cleared his throat to warn her that her private
conversation was not so private anymore.
    Selene felt the impending doom when she heard someone
clear their throat from behind.  ‘Great now I have to deal
with a psycho.  Who else would be out this late?’
    And of course that little mischievous voice in her head
just had to answer, ‘Well, if he is a psycho then he
probably thinks worse of you since he heard you talking to
yourself.  Not to mention sane people are home at this hour,
as you pointed out.’
    Darien saw her shake her head and grumble about mutiny
and a stupid voice.
    Selene turned around and for the second time today she
felt like fate was playing one hell of a joke on her.  ‘Oh
no, not again.’