All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form by all means. Sailor Moon is a product of Bandai, Toei, and Naoko Takeuchi. All the other character and this story is property of Lady Jupiter and Co. You can take this fic and put it on your page, but please mail me and just tell me you did it. Just as long as I get the credit for my story and this story stays in tact. All other standard fanfic disclaimers apply. ************************************************ * Visit my homepage at: * * http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/temple/9286 * ************************************************ Thanks to: JillMako-you inspired me and showed me at least some people read my fics. Artemis&Luna-for posting my fics up and for their small comments. And reminding me when my mind isn't in the right place. JayDee Archer-for posting my fic. All the other fanfic authors who inspired me and the fanfic homepage creaters because without them, I would have never found the joy in fanfics. Flames, comments, questions and other things go to Lady Jupiter at Ladyjupiter@sailorjupiter.com Please put the fanfic name as the subject if you do actually mail me. I'm already confused as it is, you don't need to drive me even more off the cliff okay? Okay, how many fics are out there have Sailor Moon, champion of justice fighting youma's? About a thousand right? Well, this is not one of them. It's kind of dark, but I won't give away any spoilers, I'm just saying it's not like the other fics. Are ya hooked yet? Basically, the characters all have the same facets and personality traits, but the storyline is different. This is what Sailor Moon would have been like if it's written by me. (Not that I have anything against Naoko-sensei. She's great!) FYI: FYI means For Your Information FYI: POV stands for Point Of Veiw, sometimes I use it to change perspectives. Serena...........Serena Tsukino Amy..............Ami Mizuno Raye.............Rei Hino Lita.............Makoto Kino Mina ............Minako Aino Darien (Prince Endymion)...........Mamoru Chiba I'll be using the NA version if that's okay... "I hope one day, we will be friends," "I never stopped being yours." -Amy Tan (The Hundred Secret Senses) REVOLUTIONS OF THE MOON Coming Back Part Seven (7) "Hey look, Lita's waving at us." Rei pointed at the tall brunette standing on the opposite shore of the large lake. "Want me to row over there?" Jadeite asked, taking one of the paddles. "Would you? I want to talk to her." Rei said. "Sure," Jadeite said and started to row. He didn't mind that he was doing most of the rowing, since he was sitting in the boat with Rei. He smiled at how chummy the two of them had gotten since the short time he knew her. But hell, they were practically in love during the Silver Millenium, so why couldn't they just continue it today? Jadeite wished that Rei somehow had the memories of the Silver Millenium back. "Hey, looks like there's a guy standing by Lita." Rei said, breaking into Jadeite's thoughts. "Excuse me? I couldn't hear you." Jadeite said. "Well, if you hadn't been so off in your little daydreams, you would have heard me." Rei snapped. "Don't have to get so hot tempered about it, Rei." Jadeite said half heartily. He liked it when her temper raged like that. She was like a fire, unable to contain, but beautiful to look at. "Sorry," Rei apologized, which shocked them both. "It's okay. Who's that guy next to Lita?" Jadeite asked, changing the subject. "It looks like...." Rei squinted, trying to get out a clear form of the guy next to Lita, "Hey, it's Ken! He's back already?!" "Ken?" Jadeite asked. "Ken's Lita's boyfriend. He was suppose to be on a study trip to China. I guess he got back early." Rei explained. She was happy Ken was back because Lita was usually happy when Ken was there with her. She knew how much Lita and Ken went through together and she knew how much each of them meant to each other. Rei's mind wasn't completely on Lita and Ken that day. Her mind kept wandering to what happened this morning with Serena... Rei walked up to Serena's doorstep and knocked on it. Sammy answered it after a few seconds and let Rei in. "Sammy, is Serena here?" Rei asked. "Yeah, she's been in her room for the whole day. Maybe she's finally cracked." Sammy shrugged. Rei walked up the stairs and went straight toward Serena's room. She noticed something very peculiar about Serena's room the minute she walked in. Everything was in the right place and nothing was on the floor. It was actually clean in Serena's room. "Wow Serena. You actually cleaned your room?" Rei remarked as she walked in. "Don't you know how to knock?!" Serena's voice was shrill and demanding. "Geez, sorry! Don't have to blow a fuse!" Rei shot back. She didn't like the way Serena was acting right then. "You should talk," Serena said and rolled her eyes. She went back to what she was doing on her desk. "What do you mean I should talk? What's that suppose to mean?" Rei demanded angrily. It was usual for the two of them to fight, but it usually wasn't as intense as this one. "Figure out yourself. Hope you're smarter than you look." Serena mumbled. "What?!" Rei asked angrily. "You heard me. What are you doing here anyway?" Serena asked, turning back to glare at Rei as if she was an unwanted intruder. "Well, I was going to come back and get the sweater I left here a couple of days ago. Where'd you put it? I'll get it and leave you to do your work." Rei said sarcastically. She didn't like being so mean to Serena, but she didn't like the way Serena was pushing her around either. "That shabby ole thing? I threw it away." Serena said gleefully. She had an evil smirk on her lips. "You threw it away?! How could you? You KNEW it was my favorite sweater!" Rei said, about to go and slap Serena. She hated the way the two of them were acting toward each other. "Just kidding, Rei. It's in the closet somewhere. Don't blow a fuse, in your words." Serena said, arching an eyebrow. Rei opened Serena's closet and rummaged through the many outfits until she saw her sweater. It was half thrown over a hanger, half on the floor. The sweater was stretched at the neck, but it was nothing that was irreversable. "Gee, thanks for taking such good care of it." Rei said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Are you done yet? My room isn't a free motel or anything you know." Serena said, almost ready to kick Rei out. "Looks like you can't wait to get rid of me. I'll show myself out." Rei said and swiftly left. She didn't mean to, but slammed the front door on the way out. She stomped from Serena's house to her temple. Rei asked herself. Rei searched through her mind to figure out the word for it, . Rei knew that she was the one who usually acted so high strung in the group. Now she had a taste of what it was to be on the outside. Rei asked, That was when she heard a car roar by her and then stop. Jadeite stepped out of it and asked if she wanted to go on a boat ride with her. "Rei?! Are you still with me?" Jadeite asked and waved a hand infront of Rei's face. "Huh? Oh yeah, sure." Rei flashed a smile his way that could turn him into her slave in no time. "You kind of flashed out on me. Is there anything on your mind?" Jadeite asked. It looked as if Rei was in deep thought. Rei shook her head, but DID want to talk about it. Rei thought. She knew what a good listener Lita usually was. "Okay, but if you need to talk, just tell me okay?" Jadeite said. "Ofcourse," Rei nodded. Then, she switched onto another subject, "You know what's weird?" "No, what?" "It's like I know you or something. I mean, not from the Negaverse or anything else, but it's like this deja vu feeling. Like when you do something and realize that you've done it before and that you know how to do it. You know what I mean?" Rei asked, hoping he could put it into better words. "Well," Jadeite started, "Maybe it's because we knew each other in the Silver Millenium. Remember when I told you that?" "Yeah, but it's not like that. I can't remember a thing from anything back then, but something in my mind keeps trying to tell me something." Rei said. She usually wasn't so open with her feelings, but with Jadeite she felt she could be her real self. Serena would even be surprised at the extent that Rei had been changing. "I can't really be much of help for what you're feeling. All I know is what I feel and that's love. When I'm with you, I feel like Superman. I feel like I can jump the tallest buildings." Jadeite confessed, slightly blushing. "I-" Rei started to say. She couldn't say that she love him, because she wasn't sure that she did. All she knew was that she cared a lot about him. She told him that, "I really care for you, Jadeite." "Thanks," Jadeite answered, although that wasn't the answer he was looking for. Rei and her priestess instincts knew that he was dissapointed because she had said something less than what he had been hoping for. She reached over and patted Jadeite's hands. "I know that's not what you want right now, but that's all I can give you." Jadeite smiled warmly at her. He knew it was hard for her to confess her real feelings to him, let alone any other man. He could feel the scars mentally left on her by some of the jerks in her life. He knew about her father who did everything but ignore her because she was not the son he wanted. He knew about the time she and Darien had dated, about her being dumped. He wanted to be there to comfort her in all her moments of darkness and shadow. "Let's get over to where Lita is. I'll introduce you to Ken." Rei suggested. Jadeite agreed and rowed faster. Soon, the boat tipped the shore and Jadeite tied it to the small wooden port. He got out and held his hand out for Rei. Rei put her small hands in his and got out of the boat. For a few seconds, they were just inches apart, but none of them did anything. "Hey, you two!" Lita's cheery voice interupted their almost moment. "Hi Lita!" Rei said, turning to her tall friend. "Hi, Lita." Jadeite greeted, then shifted his eyes to the tall guy next to her. "Ken, I didn't know you were back. When did you get home?" Rei asked. "Yesterday. I just wanted to give Lita a little surprise." Ken said, a twinkle in his eyes and in his tone. "Oh," Rei remembered to introduce the two, "Ken, this is Jadeite. Jadeite, this is Ken, Lita's boyfriend." "Pleased to meet you," Ken said politely and extended his hand for a hand shake. "Likewise," Jadeite shook Ken's hand with a firm handshake of his own. He let go and they just stood there for a while. The four of them in a staring tournament almost. Ken put an arm around Lita and leaned toward her. The four of them were standing in silence, unsure of what to do. "Well gee, this is awkward." Lita said nervously, breaking the thick silence. "Yes, it is." Rei agreed, nodding. Then she asked, "What are you two doing here? Spending some quality time alone with each other?" She insinuated slightly. Lita and Ken blushed at that comment. Ken cleared his throat, but kept silent. He let Lita talk her way out of this one. "We were doing the same thing you two were doing," Lita retorted, arching an eyebrow. "We-" Rei started, but couldn't really finish it. "We were just having a boat ride. It wasn't anything that it looked like." Jadeite filled in for Rei's absence of a good answer. "Well, to me it looked like a boat ride." Ken said in his opinion. Lita jabbed Ken in the waist with her finger and made him wriggle ticklishly. In turn, Ken poked the side of Lita and made her giggle with laughter. They stopped when the score was settled and sighed together in perfect harmony. Jadeite thought. As he watched Lita and Ken together, he could actually see the love he had for her in his eyes. Jadeite could even see that Lita really liked her boyfriend. Jadeite thought mournfully. He hated to admit it, but Nephryte was going to have a really hard time to try and seperate those two. "As long as we're together, why not go to the cafe on the corner?" Rei suggested. "Sure, why not?" Lita agreed and looked at Ken, "Is that okay with you?" "If it's okay with you," Ken answered. "Great idea," Jadeite answered. The four of them walked out of the park, leaving the small wooden boat tied to the dock for the next happy couple and started for the cafe on the corner. Rei noticed how close Lita and Ken were, infront of them. Their hands were interlocked and Lita was stepping in stride with Ken. For once, she wanted someone to love her like that. She wanted someone who would go out of their way to make her happy. Sure, her grandfather loved her plenty, but it wasn't the same. She had enough of the family love, but she just wanted the other kind sometimes. Rei was aware that she was holding on to Jadeite's hands. She looked up at him and saw him looking intensely at her. She realized in his clear eyes was true. He did love her. Her priestess powers were sending her the signal that he was the one. Jadeite softly squeezed Rei's hands and quickened their pace, because Lita and Ken were far infront of them. At the cafe, all of them fit into a small booth in back. Soft jazz was playing over the speakers and there was a hint of vanilla in the air. Being in that cafe reminded Lita of France. She could just imagine what it would be like. This cafe was built just as if it was in the heart of Paris. * * * * * * * After dropping Rei off at the top of the temple, Jadeite drove mechanically back home. Through the time he and Rei were sitting with Lita and Ken, he couldn't ignore the looks the couple gave each other. He caught most of the times that Ken found some little way to touch Lita and he caught all the smiles Lita flashed at Ken. "Damn it! What am I suppose to tell Nephryte?" Jadeite cursed at himself. It was obviously hard to tell his best friend what he had seen. Jadeite knew what kind of reaction from Nephryte he would get the minute he told him. When Jadeite stepped through the apartment door, he could feel the dread already. He knew that Nephryte knew that Ken was back. The feeling was so thick it was like slicing cold butter. Jadeite found Nephryte lying on the sofa staring unfocused at the ceiling. He didn't know if Nephryte even knew he was home. Drinking glasses were littered on the coffee table and even a couple of empty beer bottles. In Nephryte's hand was a half spilled shot glass of some sort of alcohol. Jadeite reached down and took it from his friend. "Nephryte, get up." Jadeite said sternly. Nephryte did nothing to acknowledge his presence. He still remained in his half coma. Making himself into an artificial night, shutting all his windows from the light. "Nephryte, listen to me!" Jadeite demanded. Nephryte sat up, but still did nothing about Jadeite. He walked to one of the wooden cupboards and opened it. He seemed to be looking for something. Nephryte got up from the cupboard holding a bottle of wine. Jadeite saw him struggle with the tight cork. "Put that down," Jadeite said firmly. Nephryte raised the glass to his mouth, threatening to down the whole bottle in one gulp. "Nephryte!" Jadeite rushed to his friend and grabbed the bottle from him. He flung it out the window, hearing the satisfying crash that followed. "Leave me alone!" Nephryte finally said. His words were slurred to a drunken stupor. "No. Not until you get a hold of yourself, Nephryte. Listen to me! This is not the way to deal with your problem." Jadeite said. He knew that Nephryte rarely drank and that they both hated the taste of alcohol. He didn't know why Nephryte was doing this to himself. "Go away!" Jadeite took a firm hold of Nephryte and dragged him away from the cabinet, which might hold more bottles like the one laying on the street. "I live here too, you know. You can't tell me to go away. Nephryte, I know you hate drinking. Why are you doing this to yourself?" Jadeite asked. "Why are all the forces trying to keep me away from Jupiter? Why is my life like this? Why doesn't she love me? One word, punishment." Nephryte said, speaking more clearly now. He hated himself. He couldn't even get properly drunk no matter how much he would drink. After a few minutes, he would be stone sober again. "This isn't punishment, Nephryte." Jadeite tried to reason with him. "Then why? You tell me." "Because-" Jadeite couldn't come up with a proper answer or even an answer at all. "What were you doing all day?" Nephryte asked, changing the heart wrenching subject. "Nothing. I'll tell you when you feel better. Why don't you go to sleep and I'll tell you in the morning." Jadeite didn't think it was the right time to tell Nephryte were he had been and what he had saw. "I've been sleeping all day," Nephryte said. Then, he sighed such a deep sigh Jadeite was afraid that the apartment might sway, "I saw Lita's boyfriend. You know he's back don't you? That's why you didn't ask me what was wrong, right?" Jadeite nodded. Nephryte layed back down on the sofa and closed his eyes. Jadeite waited to see if Nephryte was going to say any more. After a few minutes, the sound of steady breathing could be heard. Jadeite covered Nephryte up with a blanket and went back to his own room to sleep. He felt bad that he was glad all that was happening to Nephryte and not to him. Feeling bad about that also made him feel bad about feeling good about being with Rei. How could he be so happy with Rei when his best friend was hurting so much? * * * * * * * * Luna paced back and forth on the table, waiting for Serena to get back. It was well over ten, the curfew her parents had set for her. A slam of the front door could be heard. Luna's ears pricked up when she heard yelling downstairs. "Serena! Do you know what time it is? Where were you?" "-Do I have to tell you everything? I'm not a child anymore!" "As long as you're living under my roof, you will tell me where you are going and when you are coming back, you here me? Your mother and I were very worried about you." "I can take care of myself! I don't need you guys worrying about me. Go worry over Sammy. He is still a child!" "Don't use that tone with me, young lady!" "I'm going upstairs!" Serena's thumping footsteps echoed up the stairs. "Might as well stay up there! You are grounded for a whole month!" "Just try and keep me in! I'll find a way out anyway!" "Have you been out with that boy Darien again? Is he the bad influence on you?!" Serena's dad yelled. "Honey! It's not Darien. He's been here all day looking for Serena." Serena's mother calmed dad down. "As if! Darien is history!" Serena yelled downstairs before slamming her door shut. Luna pounced infront of Serena, "Where were you?!" Serena glared down at the bossy black cat, "What are you? My mother? I don't need you to watch over me." "Serena, I would appreciate it if you would at least tell me if you are going somewhere. When I woke up from the nap, you were just gone. What's wrong with you? You're not acting like yourself today. In fact, you haven't acted like yourself for a long time. Please tell me what's wrong." Luna said softly. "Luna, nothing is wrong." Serena said with deathly calmness, "Maybe I'm just acting mature like you are always nagging me to." "That was not what I meant. You're hurting everyone by the way you are acting. You are hurting your family, Darien, all your friends and me. Serena, please tell me what's wrong. I can help." Luna said again, peering up at the pigtailed girl. For a moment, Serena's eye shown it's usual bright cerulean color as she looked at Luna. "Oh Luna, I'm okay. You have to believe me. I just don't know what' happening. Things pop out of my mouth. It's like I can't control my own actions. Even more than usual. What's weird is that I can't control my body, but I stopped getting those stupid klitz attacks." Serena said softly, petting Luna on the head. "What do you mean?" Luna asked, glad that Serena was acting more like herself. Serena's eyes got darker, "I'm going to sleep. Don't bother me anymore." She flopped onto the bed without giving Luna another thought. * * * * * * * * "Do you want to come in?" Lita asked Ken at her door. "It's getting kind of late-" Ken started. Lita pulled his arm and urged him into her apartment, "I want to show you something first." "What is it? Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Ken asked, trying to stop a huge yawn that was sneaking it's way up his mouth. "Just five minutes okay? I want you to meet someone." Lita said. She let him sit on the sofa while she went to fetch Hera. "Is there someone else in here?" Ken asked Lita on the way out. "Just hold on-" Lita said, "Hera!" A small siamese cat emerged from Lita's bedroom and looked up at it's owner. Lita picked Hera up and brought her to where Ken was sitting. She placed it on Ken's lap and waited expectantly. "You got a new pet?" Ken asked, rubbing the cat behind her ears. "Kind of. Her name is Hera." Lita said. "Hera as in the Greek wife of Zeus?" Ken asked. "Yes. I never thought of that, but I guess that's true." Lita said. "She's so pretty," Ken said. "Wait, that's not all." Lita said, then turned to the cat, "Hera, say hi to Ken." "I think you have her mixed up with Luna and Artemis, Li." Ken said, laughing. "Actually, I think you are the one who is mixed up." Hera said. "What?!" Ken asked, "She talks too?" "Yes, I do. Is there something wrong with that?" Hera asked. "Um....no, I guess not. Will someone please explain this to me?" Ken asked. "Why don't you take her home with you? Then she can explain everything in no rush." Lita suggested. "Is it okay with you?" Ken asked the cat. "It's not like I have a choice," the cat said sarcastically and followed Ken out the door. "Bye," Ken said and gave Lita a peck on the cheek. "Bye, thanks for the present." Lita said. "No problem," Ken said and closed the door after him. * * * * * * * * * * * "Hello, can I speak to Ami?" "This is she. Hi Rei, what are you doing?" Ami asked, holding the reciever closer to her ear. "Oh hi Ami. I didn't recognize your voice. Sorry to be calling so late." Rei said. "Oh, it's okay. I don't usually sleep until eleven thirty. Why are you calling?" "What are you doing tomorrow, Ami?" "Well, I think I'll try to get at least ten more chapter ahead in my calculus class then I think I'll finish my extra credit book report on Portrait of a Lady." Ami ticked the list of things to do on her finger. On the other line, Rei wiped away a sweatdrop that was forming on her forhead. "You sound pretty busy, Ami. Maybe I should have called Mina." "Why?" "I was wondering if you would like to go shopping with me. I have a few things I have to exchange because they don't really fit me. But I guess you are busy." Rei said. "Sorry Rei, but I really have to study. But why not ask Serena? You know how she never turns down a free shopping trip." Ami suggested. "I'd like to but I'm so steamed at her right now." Rei said to Ami. "Why don't you two eradicate this little dispute and call it a truce? You know you two always make up in a day or two." Ami asked. "It's not like any of our other fights. I'm really mad at her right now and she's even madder at me. I never want to see her again. She's not acting like herself and as long as she's acting like that, I'm not even going to speak to her. Didn't you notice how different she's been acting?" Rei asked, curling her finger on the phone cord. She knew that it wasn't another of their sporatic fights that would be over and gone in a day. "Well, now that you mention it, yes, Serena's been kind of odd lately. She's been early to school almost all this week and she even stopped sleeping during the class I have with her. Maybe she's finally realizing that she had to be more responsible. Afterall, she IS the princess and future queen of Tokyo. Maybe all that is finally settling in." Ami nodded. "No, she's not changing like that. She's acting so peevish most of the time. It's like everything anyone else does gets on her nerves or something." Rei said. "So what you're saying is that she's acting like you?" Ami asked. "No!" Rei exclaimed, "I don't act like that at all!" She defended herself. "Sorry to say this Rei, but as one of your best friends, there are some times that you act like that." Ami said. "Really? I'm not mad at you for saying that. Maybe I should be more friendly huh?" Rei laughed. "I can't really tell you what to do. You're what makes you Rei. It's kind of your personality. You can change, but I don't think it would make it any easier." Ami said. "Thanks Ames, you're a real friend. I have to call Mina before she goes to sleep okay? Bye." "Bye, Rei." * * * * * * * * * * * Next morning, Lita was shook out of bed by the doorbell. She looked at the clock and realized she overslept again. "I'm getting to be more and more like Serena while she's not acting like herself." Lita combed her hair and went to get the door. She could smell the food even before she opened the door. It smelled like Chinese take out, which was one of her favorites. Ken stood at the door holding Lita's breakfast. He knew it was one of her favorite foods and picked it up on the way. Lita opened the door standing in her pink flannel pajamas and the sleep still in her eyes. "Hi Ken," Lita said sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and stiffled a yawn. "Hi Lita. Sorry, did I wake you? I thought you would be awake by now." Ken apologized. "That's okay. I should be awake by now." Lita invited Ken into her apartment. Hera followed Ken in and sat comfortably on the arm of the sofa. She peered at the two of them before shutting her eyes slowly to catch up on a little cat-nap. "Did Hera tell you everything?" Lita asked, getting out the dishes and eating utensils. "Yes, she did." Ken said. Lita glanced quickly at Ken, "I don't love Nephryte, Ken. I'm not who I use to be. Do you understand that?" Ken smiled at her, "I know that already, Lita. You don't have to tell me that." "Are you sure? You believe me right?" Lita asked softly. "Ofcourse I do. Why wouldn't I? I know that you won't lie to me and that we can tell each other everything. Well, most of the time." Ken shrugged. Lita dumped the food out of it's containers and onto a plate. She handed Ken a pair of chopsticks and started eating. She noticed an uncomfortable silence looming above the horizon. It felt like Ken was trying to say something. He was silently biting on his choksticks, turning them into splinters. "Stop chewing on your chopstick and tell me what's wrong," Lita said, putting her chopsticks down to start listening. "Nothing is wrong," Ken lied, both of them knowing he was lying. He tried to avoid Lita's penetrating gaze and stared down at his chopsticks. Lita reached over and put her hand on his, "Ken, what's wrong? Tell me. What's bothering you? I know you won't relax until you do." Looking up at her, all the concern in her eyes, he knew that he couldn't keep anything to her. She would find out eventually and would be hurt if he didn't tell her. He squeezed Lita's hand affectionately and sighed softly, "I don't want you lose you, Lita." Flashing him a quick smile that showed him how much she cared for him, she replied, "You're not going to lose me. Is that what you're worrying about?" "But you and Nephryte were so close in the past. How do I know that it's not going to happen again?" Ken asked. Lita got up and pulled up the kitchen blinds to let the sunlight filter through and illuminate her face. She looked at Ken, tearing into his soul, the fire burning in her eyes, "Why do I have to keep telling you guys this?! I'm NOT Jupiter, I'm Sailor Jupiter, Lita Kino, NOT Princess Jupiter! I'm not her and I won't ever be her! Why can't you guys just get it through your heads?!" She yelled in frustration. She hated when people wouldn't believe what she said and she hated when she emotionally burst like that. She started to stomp out of the kitchen. "Li-" Ken said, but was cut short when Lita whipped her head around and shut him off. Loud thumps echoed through the apartment and then a slam. Lita walked quickly out of the apartment, ran down the stairs by two at breakneck speed and ran out the apartment complex. She didn't know where she was going, she just knew she had to get out for a while. Ken twirled the wooden chopsticks in his fingers absentmindely, trying to think what to do. Should he go after her or should he let her have some time off on her own? Was he pushing too much on her? Wasn't he giving her some space? Soft taps on the kitchen tiles shook Ken from his thoughts. He looked to see the small gray cat looking at him. "Do you want anything to eat?" Ken asked in a monotone voice. The cat shook her head and hopped onto the counter, "Where did Lita run off to?" "She just needed some time off for herself," Ken replied, starting to wrap the food up and putting it in the fridge. "Maybe she went to talk to Nephryte," Hera insinnuated in a know everything tone. "I don't think so," Ken said, shaking his head. He hopped that what he said was true. "You know what I told you last night was all true. Sooner or later, they're going to get together again." Hera said, hardly aware of Ken's feelings for Lita. "That's nice," Ken said, not really paying attention to what Hera was talking about. He had his own worries on his mind. What IF Lita DID realize her feelings for Nephryte? Where would that leave him? He loved Lita more than three hundred lifetimes and didn't want to live a single day without her loving him back. He couldn't go find another girl like her. No one could laugh like her, smile like her and certainly not laugh like her. Nephryte also loved her, but did he love her the way HE did? Hera smiled slyly, "Having doubts? I told you, she WILL realize what she felt for Nephryte in the Silver Millenium." Ken shooks his head again and defended Lita, although he wasn't too sure of what he was saying, "No, you're wrong. Jupiter liked Nephryte from the Silver Millenium, but Lita isn't Jupiter. She's her own person and she has her own mind. I know her like hell. She isn't the kind of person who would do or feel something just because she was suppose to or because someone else is insisting on it. She has way too much spirit for that." Hera suddenly thought. She knew that Princess Jupiter wasn't a spineless jelly-fish, but she also knew that Princess Jupiter wasn't as spirited or animated as she is right now. Hera scolded herself for letting down her mental guard. Lita breathlessly flopped down onto the nearest bench. She had run for more than ten minutes straight and look at where it got her? She was sitting on a bench in the middle of no where. Actually, it was somewhere. It looked like a bus stop bench where people waiting sat. But looking at it again, she could see that there were absolutely no people in sight. The shops were closed and the cars were vacant. She was grateful for the peace and quiet, the space to think and let her thoughts leak out of her ears and infront of her head where she could see it with her emerald eyes. A wave of dizziness flashed through her whole body. Enough to make her sway to and fro. Lita thought to herself. That thought was interupted by another wave, then another, the interval between them becoming shorter and shorter. Suddenly, everything in her mind blacked out. Lita was afraid. She couldn't think of anything, but still, she was as conscious as ever. She then took note that she couldn't see anything either. Her ears didn't recieve anything and she couldn't feel herself breathing. Lita thought to herself, wishing that she knew what was going on. Softly drifted the music. Soft music, not modern like the classicals on radio. It was ancient music, which sounded like a peice cultured by hundreds of years of musicians. Without anything to see and no sight, Lita could solely focus on the music. She could literally see it infront of her face. The waves and trembles of the piece and even different colors. Her sense of touch came back to her. She felt she wasn't on the bench anymore. Maybe even standing. She could feel the difference in climate. It was no longer dry, but so humid it became a state of wet. She could feel the moisture in her lungs with every breath she took. She could sense the soft dew on her eyelashes. But still, she could not see. Now, with touch and sound, Lita grew more use to her surroundings. She felt the bass of the music in her skin, vibrating softly. She heard the high sounds of music through her ears. Still, she could not see. her mind told her. Lita almost slapped herself. She opened her eyes and finally welcomed the light going into her eyes. When she focused her eyes on what was infront of her, she nearly screamed. The first thought that flashed quickly through her mind was, "I'm going to fall and this is how I'm going to die." But as her heart slowed down, she realized she was perfectly stable, and safe. She was merely looking down over a balcony that was on the third floor of some place. Lita thought to herself. She turned her head and looked around. She was standing outside on a balcony, not sitting on the old bench anymore. Under the blacony was some sort of huge garden and a small peek of what looked like a lake. A breeze of deja vu flooded over her and she realized where she was. She had seen this place in her dreams. Those dreams that she never remembered in the morning. She was home. In the past. The Silver Millenium. She was in the estate. Lita turned around and started to walk in. She could still hear the music, which she could recognize now. She recognized everything around her. It was like waking up from a dream. Or more like going into a dream, when you already know you are dreaming. Lita ran her hands along the smooth redwood banister that curved down to the second story, then the first. She could hear the music getting louder as she got closer to the first story. Conversations drifted toward her. Voices of every kind drifting to her ears. They were talking about the weather, the taxes, the trade, everything imaginable. Up until now, Lita didn't notice what she had on. Now, she saw that she was wearing a pastel green velvet gown that dragged on the floor. Her hair, up in it's usual pony tail was tied with a matching velvet bow and around her neck was a velvet choker. "Princess, may I have this dance?" A male voice asked her in a super smooth tone. Lita, startled that someone had noticed her turned to the voice. She had forgotten that she made it into what seemed like the ballroom and everyone knew she was in there. Turning to the person asking her, she felt her heart skip a beat. Nephryte was standing before her in a dark green suit and tie. Was he talking to her? "Princess, may I have this dance?" He repeated again, afraid she didn't hear her. "No!" Lita wanted to say, but her mouth wasn't working. Instead, like a ventriloquist dummy, someone else spoke for her, "Ofcourse, General Nephryte." It was her voice, her same tone, coming out of her same mouth. But something was wrong. She wasn't controlling her mouth. Something else was. Or rather, someone else was. To her horror, Nephryte put his arms at her waist and both of them started moving in time to the music. Lita wanted to push him away, wanted to run away from this nightmare, but she couldn't. She had totally no muscle control. Someone else had control of her body. "Jupiter, everytime I come here, you get more and more beautiful. Everytime I come here, it's a surprise because you grow more and more like an angel." Nephryte whispered softly in her ear. "No!" Lita's mind shouted. She couldn't believe her body, her friend had taken control and was now locking her mind out. She didn't have the power to speak or to move. A prisoner in her own body. "Thankyou, General Nephryte. I'm flattered," Lita's voice said again. Lita could feel her cheeks redden with blush. Then, it hit her. It wasn't her cheeks. She wasn't in her body. She was Jupiter. She was in Princess Jupiter's body. Lita thought. She willfully shut the outside world out. Her body functioned fully without her mind to control it. That was because it wasn't her. It was Princess Jupiter. Lita thought carefully. Lita opened her eyes again, thankful that she could still see what was going on. She was looking at the world from Princess Jupiter's point of view. Miracously, she could even faintly hear Jupiter's thoughts. She wanted to go back home. Everything around her was different and she didn't like the way General Nephryte kept looking at her. As an answer to her plea, Lita felt the waves of dizziness surround her. She surrendered her mind to it, happy to be going back to the bench and at home. Sooner that expected, she smelled the wonderful smells of Tokyo. She heard the sound of the faraway bus and she felt the dry weather again. Lita opened her eyes to see herself staring down the deserted street, still sitting on the old bench. Getting up, she stretched her legs and her arms. It felt as if she had been sitting for an eternity. She felt better after the run, after letting the anger boil down and letting go of her emotions. Lita started to walk home when something jumped a few yards infront of her. A seven foot something. At once, Lita recognized what it was and shouted with all her energy, "Jupiter Star Makeup!" Letting lightning and thunder and green sparks swirl around her, Lita in no time transformed into Sailor Jupiter. She quickly took a deffense stance and got ready to fight. "Kill!" The hairy creature howled and dove for Sailor Jupiter, who just happened to be the only other person on the street. "Not a chance," Sailor Jupiter said through gritted teeth. She felt the lightning sparkle at her finger and unleashed it, "Jupiter Supreme Thunder!" The hairball monster surprisingly dove with great agility to get out of harms way. He then tucked himself into a ball and flung himself at Sailor Jupiter. Sailor Jupiter jumped up just in time, getting missed by a fraction of a centimeter and then landing ontop of a parked car. Unrolling intself, the hairy moster glared with red eyes at it's prey. "Jupiter Thunder-clap Zap!" Sailor Jupiter shouted and threw a disc shaped concentration of electricity at the furball. Intead of ducking or jumping away, the furball rolled again into a ball, ignoring the lightning that was singing it's outer coat of furr and sprung to Sailor Jupiter. This was happening too fast for Sailor Jupiter, she had no time to do anything. She stood, ready for the impact that was sure to hurt a few bones. A flash of green intercepted with the flying furball and stopped it dead in it's tracks. Sailor Jupiter looked at what had saved her but and saw a familiar object. She saw the heavy sword with the Jupiter sign on it's handle. "Jupiter Thunder Sword Strike!" A voice called out, commanding the sword. In half a second, the sword flew up, the cut the hairball who was still recovering in half. Sailor Jupiter squinted as blinding light emerged from the full wound of the hairball, hurting her eyes as the light grew brighter. Someone came up behind Sailor Jupiter, who was still crouched on the ground and a dark green cape sheilded her eyes from the light. When the cape was removed, Sailor Jupiter saw that the monster was only ashes now, blowing away in the wind. Sailor Jupiter looked at her protector, watching him pick up the sword, only to have it dissapear in his inter-dimensional pocket. He walked to her and offered her a hand. She took his hand and was pulled off of the ground. Sailor Jupiter held on to his hand tightly even though she was up again. "Look Ken, I'm really sorry." Sailor Jupiter started, but was stopped. "Shhh," Jupiter Knight said and hugged her to him, "It's okay. I'm the one who should be sorry. I brought it up and I didn't believe you. I'm sorry too." Sailor Jupiter looked up at him with bright eyes, "So do you believe me?" As an answer, Jupiter Knight tipped her chin up with his hand and gave her a long and deep kiss. Sailor Jupiter surrendered to the feeling, loving the way it felt so right. Off in a distance, a man punched the nearby stone wall. "Damn it!" Nephryte cursed, he had seen the whole thing. How Jupiter Knight came at the nick of time and saved Sailor Jupiter's butt. He was really starting to hate this guy. Most of all, he really hated himself. He hated himself for waiting this long to tell Lita his true feelings, he hated himself for being so week willed and letting Metallia control his body, making him into the monster working for Beryl, and he hated himself for everything he ever did. Nephryte watched in disgust as Lita and Ken detransformed and walked away hand in hand down the street. He wished he was that lucky man holding Lita's hands, getting the shine her eyes seemed to illuminate. So many feelings ran through his heart at once. Anger, regret, love, and the heartwrenching feel of knowing the one you loved would never love you back again. "Serena! If you would just calm down! I don't know what's gotten into you lately. It's like you're not even here." Ami tried to calm the blonde down. "You know Ami, I've been thinking. Maybe we should all get out together and do something. Maybe we should go to the mall and watch people run as we zap them with our powers. Right? Doesn't that sound like fun?" Serena asked, grinning gleefully and flipping through the various books on Ami's desk. "No, that doesn't sound like fun. It sounds like something the Negaverse would do. Please sit down so I can take your temperature. Maybe you're not feeling well. The flu season's been comming around." Ami took out her thermometer and started to point it at Serena. With a swipe, Serena hit Ami's hand, making her drop the thermometer on the ground. A clink, then a crack sounded as the glass shattered and the poisonous red liquid leaked. (thermometerscontain mercury in them.) "Serena! You broke my thermometer!" Ami said, stopping down to pick up the shattered glass and wipe away the red liquid that was now all over her floor. She took a wet rag and cleaned the mess up. "That proves that I'm not sick right?" Serena asked, not even a hint of apology in her voice, "So are we going or not?" "Going where?" Ami asked, dumping the mess in the trashcan. "To the mall and zap people. Doesn't that sound fun?" Ami shook her head, "Are you sure you're all right? You don't sound quite like yourself right now. Besides, I can't go with you, I have to study for the exam." "Study shmudy. You're never any fun Ami. I'll just have to go by myself." Serena said and started walking out of Ami's room. "No! Don't do that to the innocent people, Serena. I won't let you. You must be really sick because you are sure not acting normal. Sit back here on my bed while I call the others," Ami demanded, pulling Serena's arm. "Don't tell me what to do!" Serena shouted to her and pushed Ami off. Ami fell on her but on the floor, but promptly got up, reaching for Serena's arm again. She had to keep this crazy girl from hurting other people and hurting herself. "Don't touch me!" Serena shouted again, "Moon Prism Power!" A flash of pink and Sailor Moon stood before Ami, glaring at her defiently. "You can't tell me what to do, so don't you even try. I do what I want when I want. Don't try and stop me." Sailor Moon leaped out Ami's open window and dissapeared, bounding from tree to tree. Ami immediatly took her communicator out of her purse and called the other scouts, "Emergency meeting, Scouts. Something is wrong with Serena. Come to my house at once!" The first to arrive was Darien, who just happened to be passing Ami's street when he recieved the message. He rushed to her house and pounded on the door. "Wait, I'm coming!" Ami shouted and leaped down the stairs. She let Darien in and looked around for anyone else. "How did you get here so quickly?" "I was in the neighborhood. Where's Serena? Is she alright?" Darien was immediatly concerned. He knew something was wrong with Serena, but just didn't know what. "She's not here. I'll explain when the others come. Don't you notice the change in her?" Ami asked. "Yes, she changed a lot. For the worse. She's not herself anymore." Darien said, shaking his head. "I just don't know what's wrong. Was it something I did or say?" "No, it's not any of our faults. We didn't do anything we weren't suppose to. She just changed on her own maybe." Ami said. The other got there in five minutes and less, all with the same worried face. Ken had come with Lita, which was a surprise to both Ami and Mina, who didn't know he was back yet. A short explanation of why Ken was back, then down to business. "Where is Serena?" Darien asked again. Ami told everyone, "She said she wanted to go to the mall and zap people. She tried to persuade me to do it and I declined. I tried to keep her here, but she just turned into Sailor Moon and left." "Let's go after her. We can't let her do this, not when she's not acting like herself," Rei said. "You're right. Everyone, transform!" Luna said. "Venus Star Make-up!" "Mars Star Makeup!" "Mercury Star Makeup!" "Jupiter Star Makeup!" "Jupiter Star Power!" Four scouts, plus Tuxeedo Mask and Jupiter Knight ran out of Ami's room and toward the mall. Because of their alter form, they were able to reach speeds they never did in civilian form. They arived at the mall in no time flat, and saw the damage that was already inflicted in some people. Everyone was running this way and that, everything in total mayhem. They could hear high pitched screaming and rushed to the sound. As they approached closer, they noticed there were more and more chaos. Magazines and newspapers scattered everywhere. Overturned chairs and tables. Even a few scattered shopping bags here and there. "Look, she's up there!" Sailor Mercury said and pointed to the second story. All of them looked up to see Sailor Moon balancing on a railing, threatening to topple over. She was picking random victims and shooting at them out of her Moon Scepter. "Sailor Moon! Be careful! I'm coming to get you," Tuxeedo Mask said, ready to dash for the stairs. "Come one step closer and you'll be sorry," Sailor Moon warned, grinning wickedly. Tuxeedo Mask stopped dead in his tracks. That wasn't her voice. It was the voice of a stranger. The very soul of that voice sent a shiver down his spine. Although it wasn't Sailor Moon's voice, he could somehow match it to her body. Tux scolded himself, "She's possessed!" Sailor Mars shouted. She started to chant her evil banishing spell, drawing an ofuda from her hands and got ready to throw it at Sailor Moon. In a flash, Sailor Mars whipped the piece of paper toward Sailor Moon, only to have it insinegrate just before it reached it's traget. "What's wrong with her?!" Luna shouted, shaking her head, keeping an eye on all the girls from her hiding place. Artemis stood by her, comforting Luna, who he knew was blaming herself that very moment. Hera took this moment to speak out, "Her true form is emerging." The two cats looked at Hera, to see if she was kidding. Hera's face was as serious as death. Surely, she wasn't lying was she? Was she really serious about this or was this all some sort of sick joke? "What?" Artemis asked slowly. "It's true. Her true form is emerging." Hera continued, "Remember when I explained to you about Princess Serenity from the Silver Millenium?" Two cats nodded. Hera shrugged, "Well, she's back." Luna shook her head vigorously, "No. If Serena is Sailor Moon, then maybe we can still help her. Change her for the better." "But Serenity has possessed her body." Hera said. "So are you saying there is a way to kick Serenity out of Serena's body so that everything could return to the way it was before?" Artemis asked, trying to find a light in this dark path. "That was what I was trying to say, but that IS a possibility. Serenity is very strong, way stronger that Serena might me. We would need the help of all the scouts." Hera said. "Ofcourse they would help," Luna said as if it were in plain sight, "They would do anything to help their princess." Hera arched an eyebrow, "Are we talking about the Princess Serenity? Or are we talking about Serena?" "Serena ofcourse. Whichever is the better." Luna said, getting quite baffeled. A bright flash of light illuminated the whole room, blinding everyone temporarily. Anything that had eyes winced in pain as the sharp light envaded back into their heads. "What's happening?" Luna asked no one in particular. Hera didn't need to even look to know what was happening, she jumped out from the hiding spot and shouted, "She's using the Silver Crystal! Stop her!" All the scouts blinked back the spots in their eyes and looked hard to see Sailor Moon standing up there holding the bright source of light. The Silver Crystal was shining full and dangerously into some sort of opening. The opening, just between Sailor Moon and the scouts was suspended in mid air. "What IS that?" Sailor Venus shouted. The opening was sucking all the light from the Silver Crystal into it AND any sounds, making it almost impossible to hear anything. "Stop her!" Hera shouted again, louder. The sound was mostly blocked and sucked into the opening of what seemed like another dimension. Sailor Jupiter, reading her cat's lips shouted to the others, "We have to stop her!" The other nodded in understanding and started for the steps. It was difficult because of the forced holding them in place. It wasn't exactly like those strong winds that could blow people to thousand different worlds. It was something thick in the air the couldn't allow them to move. The scouts were looking up at Serena with distorted vision. It was lik they were underwater and she was above it. Her image would swift and move like the waves in the ocean, always making her look as if she was like smoke. "Sailor Moon! If you can hear us, please don't do this!" Sailor Mercury pleaded even though she wasn't sure of what Sailor Moon was trying to do. "You can't bargain with her," Hera shouted with all her little body could come up with, "Use force! You have your powers!" Sailor Mars didn't like the thought of it, but started her fireballs. She held them ready in the palm of her hands and the tips of her fingers. She thought, hoping the thought would transfer over to her friend. "Mars Celestial Fire Surround!" Fire lept from Sailor Mars and made it's way upward. Harmless as a baby, the fire immediately dissapeared where the distortion began. "Damn!" Sailor Mars cursed. It looked like nothing could get through that thing. "She's going to jump!" Sailor Venus cried out. Sure to her word, Sailor Moon was perched in position, ready to leap off the railing she was standing on. "Sailor Moon! Please! Listen to me!" Tuxeedo Mask shouted up to her. "You can't try to stop me. I told you. Now you won't be able to find me." Sailor Moon's voice echoed to them like it would if they were standing in a long metal chamber. In one movement, she bounded off the railing and fell toward the first floor. Not fly, she fell. Tuxeedo Mask immediatly ran below her, ready to catch her in her arms. The chance never came. As soon as Sailor Moon hit the wave of distortian, she dissapeared. First her legs were gone, then her body, then finally her head. Everything died down to a deathly silent mood. Besides the scattered things here and there, everything looked normal. Looked. "Could someone explain to me what just happened?" Jupiter Knight asked, hoping he wasn't seeing correctly. "Serena!" Tuxeedo Mask cried and sank to his knees. He started to mumble incoherently to himself, "She.....gone.....to thin air....like.....wind....dissapear...." The others looked cluelessly at each other, then looked on the second floor, expecting her to fall out of the sky. Sailor Mars wandered around and around, trying to see where Sailor Moon dissapeared to. "We better get going," Hera said, walking up behind a fallen table, followed by the other two cats. "What do you mean? We have to wait for her!" Tuxeedo Mask shouted. "We can't stay here. The media will be here, then the police. We have to find somewhere private." Hera said, urging them on. "But if she comes back, and we're not here.....She'll be worried. She'll be scared." Tuxeedo Mask said slowly, trying to run everything by his mind. "No, we have no time. We have to go!" Hera said, hoping someone, anyone would agree with her. "She's right," Luna said, "We have to go and talk about this." "We can talk about it right here! I'm not leaving! She's coming back." Tuxeedo Mask said said with finality. "Darien, we know you love Serena a lot. But you are risking our identities AND hers by staying here. Serena wouldn't want that." Sailor Mars said with deathly calmness. Tuxeedo Mask looked up at her, at all the other scouts looking down at him. He got up and got himself together. They were right. There was nothing they could do there anymore. They needed to go. "Where are we going?" He said finally. "Somewhere where we can't be bothered," Hera said, "We have some things to start doing. Who's house is closest to here?" Everyone looked at Ami. Ami in return said, "We can go there, but my mother would be back any minute." Looks went to Lita, who was the one who live next closest to the mall. Lita agreed, nodding to all the others who were in their civilian form again. "Let's go," Rei said and led the way out of the mall. All of them boarded a bus mechanically, still trying to figure out what happened. ********************************************************************* SAILOR MOON OTAKU'S OF THE WORLD, UNITE! "On behalf of Jupiter, I shall write to right wrongs and triumph over evil. With my friends, Sailor Venus, Mars, Mercury and Moon. We'll make the world a better place for all people!" -Lady Jupiter Ladyjupiter@sailorjupiter.com **********Copyright 1997 Lady Jupiter (All Rights Reserved)*************