"Serena!  You're late!"
    "Oh, chill out, Rei.  The bad guys are gone, so there's nothing to
worry about!"
    Amy, Lita, Mina, Artemis, Luna, Rei, and Serena were at the Cherry
Hill Temple having a "Scout Meeting."  This simply meant that the 
intellectuals were getting antsy about the peace, and the rest merely 
wanted an excuse to see each other.
    "Serena, you should take your responsibilities more seriously.
Just because the Doom Phantom was dusted doesn't mean all is right in
the world," Luna began the usual lecture.  These were as frequent as 
ever, the hiatus in battles never an excuse (in Luna's mind) for 
slacking off.
    "I just don't see what you guys are so stressed about..." Serena
whined.
    "Well, what about the kooky dream you guys had a while ago?"  
Artemis said, adding his two cents.
    "I told you: one too many chili dogs."
    The group sighed in reaction to Serena's refusal to believe 
anything was wrong in her peaceful little world.  It was a sunny 
February afternoon.  The girls' vacation was screeching to a halt, but
Serena didn't let that phase her.  She was determined to enjoy her last
days of freedom: no books, no bells, no baddies.  
    "Well, I have better things to do than sit here and be criticized
by you guys.  If you want to apologize, I'll be at the Arcade."  Serena
tromped toward the exit, nose in the air and arms folded across her 
chest.
    "Oooh, would someone please remind me why she's our leader?"  Rei
fumed.
    "Well, she *is* the Princess...."  Mina sighed.
    "Yeah, but aren't we all?"
    The others stared at Rei with this realization.
    "Hmmm.  Well, she has a rock, a Prince, and her mommy owned a 
kingdom.  That's good enough for me," Lita stated matter-of-factly.
"I'm getting a shake.  Anyone wanna come with?" 
    "Sure," chorused Mina and Rei.
    "I can't.  I have to finish my extra studies," sighed Amy.
    "Have fun," smiled Mina.
    The group exchanged farewells and went their separate ways.  Luna
joined Amy, perhaps to discuss tactics.  Artemis, less work-orientated,
joined the others for a kitty-sized ice cream.

    "Ha!  Take that!"  Serena yelled as she blasted a youma in the 
Sailor V video game.
    "You've been practicing, haven't you?"
    Serena turned around to identify the owner of the deep, friendly
voice.  "Oh.  Hey, Andrew!"
    "I saw your friends head upstairs to the Parlor.  Why aren't you 
with them?"
    "They're here?  --Oh no!"  Serena whipped around to face the screen
once more, only to meet the flashing epithet "GAME OVER."  She sighed.
"Oh well.  Might as well see what they're up to.  Thanks, Andrew."
    "No problem.  Sorry I made you lose your game."
    "That's okay.  I have enough of this stuff in my life already."
    "Huh?"
    Serena hopped off her stool and ran to the stairs.  "Bye!"  She 
called to the blonde-haired arcade guy as she marched up to the Parlor.

    Amy walked down the tree-shaded sidewalk with Luna on her 
shoulder toward her home.  The two moved in silence, each meditating on
the day's events.  Life had been very quiet since they had eliminated 
the threat of the Black Moon and the Doom Phantom.  Rini had returned 
thirtieth century Tokyo, followed by some tears.  But aside from that
initial Rini-withdrawal period, everything was relatively normal within
each of the Scouts' lives.
    Luna was the first to break the silence.  "I still don't understand
why Serena acts like such a goofball when she has so much 
responsibility."
    "Oh, Luna.  Serena is very dependable and reacts well under stress.
She is a fine leader."
    "Well, it's a good thing we have you other four to balance her in 
the meantime."
    Amy laughed softly at this, but stopped short as the sound of 
shrieking could be heard from further up the street.  She instinctively
ran toward the cry, whipping out her transformation pen.  She arrived 
at the scene and Luna leapt from her shoulder.   
    A woman slumped on the ground before them, obviously bereft of 
energy.  A youma stood beside the prone figure, its back to the pair.
    "Amy, transform!"  Luna cried as the youma turned deliberately to 
face them.
    "MERCURY ST--AAAH!"  She was cut off as the youma thrust an armored
arm forth, a metal hand closing around her upheld arm.  "Let go!"  She
cried, dropping her transformation pen.  Luna quickly pounced on the
youma and began to claw its metal face.  It merely grabbed the flailing
cat and cast it to the side.  Amy used this diversion to wrench free
and scoop up her pen.
    This time, the transformation went uninterrupted, and she activated
her VR Goggles to find the youma's weak points.  Without the other 
Scouts to act as a diversion, however, Mercury was left unguarded and 
the youma attacked her.
    "Metal claw!"  It grinded out through razor-tipped teeth, shooting
its fists out toward the Sailor Scout.
    "Shine Aqua Illusion!"  Sailor Mercury quickly shouted, loosing her
most powerful attack.  Her blast succeeded in deflecting that of the 
youma, but she was forced to dive to the side to avoid metal debris.
The youma slowly turned to face the new position of her petite foe and 
the Scout noted its slow reaction time due to its heavy metal armor.
    "It's metal!"  She breathed at the realization.  "Shine Aqua 
Illusion!"
    The youma had no time to respond, receiving the full blast of the 
impact.  Metal rusted stiff, and the youma was trapped permanently in
its position.  As her adversary was no longer a threat, Mercury 
reactivated her VR Goggles and studied it.  It was very heavy, and was
capable of causing great amounts of damage with its sheer bulk alone.
Not a machine, it was actually a creature of some nature clad in thick 
armor.
    "What are you reading, Mercury?"  Luna asked.
    "This youma is of similar construction of that of the Negaverse's,
yet it has a much different aura of power.  I just can't put my finger
on it."  She frowned slightly.
    "Is it destroyed?"
    "No, only rusted through.  Sailor Moon's attack should finish it."
Mercury flipped open her communicator and pressed the all-call button.
Before she was able to call her comrades, though, an odd scraping sound
distracted her.  She redirected her attention to the noise just in time
to witness rusted-metal debris shoot toward her.
    "Mercury!"  Came Luna's belated cry.  "The youma's broken through 
the armor!"
    Among the scraps of rusted metal stood a woman, roughly the size of
a bear and holding many resemblances to one.  She lunged forward and 
wrenched the communicator from the Scout's hand, crushing it.
    "Good work, Goma," echoed a familiar male voice.  "Bring her to 
me."
    Mercury stood in fear and awe of the powerful woman as Goma drew 
her arm back.
    "Mercury!  Look out!"  Shouted Luna, only to receive a swift kick 
from the bear-woman that sent the cat into a nearby wall.  Goma then
proceeded to backhand Mercury, knocking the small girl off her feet and
out of consciousness.
    Goma picked the limp Scout up and tucked her under her arm.  Gazing
up into the sky, she chanted, "Yes, my Lord," and disappeared.

    Serena sipped her milkshake as Mina told them all of a hot guy she
had seen yesterday.
    "I swear, he was checking me out!  I wonder if I'll ever run into
him again..."  Mina beamed.
    "Oh, you have all the luck.  I've seen plenty of hot guys lately, 
but not one has flirted with me.  Why can't I be blonde?!?"  Lita 
groaned.
    "It's not worth it, because you'd have to lose the brains to 
match," Rei said through a sly grin, but Mina was too busy envisioning
that guy to realize the insult.  Artemis only snickered.
    Suddenly, all their communicators went off at once.  They quickly
pulled them out of pockets, bags, and from under sleeves.  Flipping 
them open, they were greeted with static.
    "Um...maybe someone accidentally leaned on the button," Mina
suggested.
    "Or maybe we all heard something else.  Like a pager or 
something..."  Offered Lita.
    Rei blinked thoughtfully, "Yeah, that's probably it."  She put her
communicator away, the others quickly following suit.
    "So," Serena continued, turning to Mina, "Was he really really 
hot?"
    Mina was spared the trouble of qualifying the hot factor as a voice
rang out across the Parlor.  "Hey, Serena!  Darien was just down there 
looking for you."  Andrew ran over from the stairway that led up from 
the arcade.
    "Really?  Why?"  Serena smiled.
    "Didn't say.  Just was.  Well, I gotta go.  Just thought I should
tell you."
    "Bye, Andrew.  Thanks."  Serena downed the rest of her milkshake in
one slurp and hopped up from the booth.  "Maybe I can catch him. Bye,
guys!"  She skipped to the stairway, bounded down two steps at a time,
and burst through the arcade door and onto the sidewalk.  She traipsed
down the street, rounded the corner, and walked the several blocks to 
Darien's admiring shop windows along the way.  She finally came to the 
apartment building and let herself in the front door.  She went to the 
elevator, deciding she had walked enough, and pressed the button.
Turning back to face the front entrance, she observed a familiar figure
struggling to get in the door.  She rushed to help him with his armload
of grocery bags.
    "Hi, Muffin!  Let me help you."  Serena grabbed the door and one of
the grocery bags.
    "Hey, Serena!  Thank you," Darien smiled.  "I was looking for you
earlier."
    "I know.  Andrew told me.  I was going to check out your apartment.
So, what's up?"  The elevator arrived, finally, and the two boarded as
they continued their conversation.
    "I felt some negative energy earlier--"  He paused, pressing his 
floor button as the doors closed.  "--and wanted to know if there's 
anything going on."  He watched the floor numbers light up as the 
elevator moved.
    "Oh, that was just the girls making fun of me at the temple...
actually, it was *Rei* making fun of me at the temple..."
    Darien chuckled.  "You two fight like sisters."
    "Don't say such a horrible thing!"  Serena said, giggling.
    The elevator finally stopped on the top floor and the two exited.
They turned to the left and walked down the hall in silence.  They 
reached his door and Serena took another bag from him as he fished out
his key.  He unlocked the door and held it open as Serena marched under
his arm, bringing the bags inside.
    They both halted to replace their shoes with slippers and then 
headed with their bags into the kitchen.  They began to unpack, and the
phone rang.
    "I'll get it, Muffin."  Serena smiled, noting the eggs, bread, and 
milk that Darien held.
    "Thanks."
    Serena quickly walked to the phone in the living room, picking up 
as it finished its second ring.  "Hello?  Shields residence."
    "Um, hi.  This is Michael.  Can I...uh...speak to Darien, please?"
A deep voice cracked nervously.
    "Sure.  Just a moment, please."  Serena giggled and placed the 
receiver on the table.  Darien arrived in the doorway.  "It's Michael?"
Serena blinked, puzzled by the unfamiliar name.  A wide grin spread
across his face and his eyes danced.  ~Wow,~ she thought.  ~He must 
really like this kid.~
    Darien strided to the phone and grabbed up the receiver.  "Hey,
Michael!  How've you been?  Haven't heard from you in a long time..."
Serena left Darien to his conversation and returned to the kitchen to 
finish unpacking the groceries.  She moved around the kitchen with 
ease, placing each item confidently where it belonged.  And that 
pleased her.  She knew where her Muffin kept his things.
    Serena glanced at her watch; it was nearly half an hour since the
phone had rung, and as much as she could tell, the conversation was
still going on strong.  Serena decided not to bother Darien as he 
reminisced with his old friend, so she poured herself a glass of water
and slid out onto the balcony through the living room.  She loved the 
balcony.  They view was amazing, especially at night.  During the day,
you could see everything, but at night... ~At night, it's like a 
Christmas tree.~  She giggled to herself:  Tokyo a giant Christmas 
tree....But the best part was when you looked up at the moon and got 
that feeling of the old days.  And then you'd feel Darien slip his arm
around your waist, a strong, comforting band of warmth, and his touch
would bring you back.  Back to the giant Christmas tree and Darien.
And you'd see all that you have now.  That's why the night was best.
    She quickly snapped back to reality, sensing a presence behind her.
Serena turned to see Darien standing in the doorway, with a happy smile
across his face.
    "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.  It's just that you looked so
thoughtful, so dreamy, so...pretty right now, that I just had to stop
and admire," Darien said quietly.
    Serena could only blush at the compliment; only her Muffin could 
put her at a loss for words.  But she quickly regained her senses.
"Who's Michael?"
    Darien stared, confused at the sudden change of topic, and then
remembered his phone conversation.  "Well...um...he's a friend from the
orphanage I lived at," he said slowly, unwilling to give away too much
of his past.
    "Really?  How come you've never mentioned him before?"  Serena
smiled.
    "Well, he's linked to some touchy topics.  And those things are 
better left untouched..."  He trailed off uncomfortably.
    "Oh, Darien.  I'm sorry.  We don't have to talk about it if you 
don't want to."
    "We don't have to talk about it, but we can talk about him."  He
walked to the edge of the balcony and took her hand.  "So what do you
want to know?"
    "Hmmm."  Serena stood thinking for a moment  She didn't want to get
too close to that unknown topic, but she was very curious... ~No, 
Serena~ she admonished herself, ~All in good time.  Eventually you two
will have no secrets.  Until then...~  "So why'd he call?"
    "Well, he turned seventeen recently, and legally, he *could* live
on his own...if he were to have a guardian."
    Serena glanced up at him speculatively.  "You're only twenty.  
You're not an adult."
    "But I live on my own.  It's all in the fine print.  Anyway, he's 
moving to Tokyo to a small apartment.  All I have to do is vouch for 
him."
    "That's so cool!"
    "It'll be nice to have him around again...."
    "When did you two meet?"
    "Let's see....We'd been at the orphanage for about six years--he 
arrived the same year I did--so I was twelve and he was nine.  Some of
the other boys were making fun of him, pestering him...."
    "Children can be so cruel."
    "I stepped in and stood up for him.  They left him alone after 
that."
    "You can be so nice."
    "Since then, he's been like a little brother."
    "That you haven't talked to in years."
    "Essentially."
    Serena rolled her eyes and once again took in the view.  "Why was 
he in the orphanage?"  Surely there was no harm in asking that.
    "Well, he was only a toddler and his parents had an emergency of
some sort--they were prominent political figures, I believe.  The 
babysitter hadn't shown up yet, but they were running very late and so
they asked their neighbor to keep an eye on him, so they could leave."
    "Uh-huh."
    "So the parents left and sped off to the appointment, only to meet
an untimely death in a fatal car accident."  He was silent a moment,
remembering another fatal accident.
    "That's awful," Serena whispered.
    "It gets worse.  The neighbor ended up deciding *not* to watch 
Michael and the babysitter didn't show for another few hours.  She had
gotten caught in the traffic jam caused by the accident.  Now, he kinda
has a thing about being left alone...he was alone for quite some time
before someone thought to check in on the child."  He added the last in
a somewhat bitter tone.
    "And he thinks he can live on his own?"  She asked gently.
    "That's when I come into play," Darien said, his composure 
restored.  "Now, he's able to call someone whenever and I'm sure he'll
make good friends with the girls.  He always got along fine with 
girls...."  Darien looked away, his eyes a mixture of anger, resentment,
and sorrow.  Serena quickly though to herself, ~This is the part that
links Michael to *the* topic.  Okay, let's steer clear of this.~
    "So where's he going to school?"
    Darien turned toward her once more, his face relaxed as she smiled
at him.  "I don't know.  Brookdale is closer, but that's private.
There's always Crossroads..."
    "So either way, he'll be with one of our friends.  That's good."
Serena looked out towards the city again.
    Darien looked down on his Meatball Head.  She was so sweet, so 
innocent, so loving, capable of so much; she was *his*.  He was still 
slightly amazed at the fact that such perfection could love him, but 
there she was.  He slipped an arm around her waist and held her 
tightly.
    The two stood in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the view and 
each other's company.  Serena was the first to speak.
    "When is he moving here, then?"
    "In a couple weeks; we still have to iron out some things, but in
the meantime I get to set up his living arrangments."
    "Where is he going to be living?"
    "Well, someplace close by."
    "I knew that."
    He grinned.  "Okay, I'll elaborate, then."  He was met with a blank
look.  "I mean, I'll be more specific."  Another blank look.  "I'll say
more!"
    "Ah.  Okay."
    He tweaked her nose.  "Someplace not too expensive.  He talked 
about getting a part-time job to help pay rent, and of course, there's
what his parents left behind..."
    "I'll help you look!  But I should be going, it's getting late and
my mom's going to wonder where I've been."  She turned and threw her 
arms around his neck, leaving a feathery kiss on his lips.  She then
released him and headed through the sliding doors.
    "Bye, Darien," she waved as she disappeared back into his 
apartment.
    "Wait!  I'll drive you home!"  A muffled assent came back to him 
through the shadows, and he turned to give a final admiring glance to 
the setting sun.  

    Darien dropped Serena off at the end of the driveway; she didn't
want her father to see them together.  Mr. Tsukino just did not 
understand that his little girl was in love.  
    "Thanks for the lift, Muffin!"  Serena chirped, getting out.  She 
skipped to the driver's side window and leaned in to give her dashing
chauffeur a kiss.
    "See you tomorrow, my love.  I wait with bated breath for the hour
when we may again meet," Darien dramatized.
    Serena blinked.  "Um...I love you, too?"
    He smiled, "Close enough.  Sweet dreams, angel."
    She blew him a kiss, skipping up to her door.  A final wave, and 
Darien zoomed away, leaving Serena gazing after the red coupe.  She 
turned toward the door, but stopped mid-turn; an odd hacking sound rose
up from the ground at her feet.  She looked down, startled.
    "Luna!"
    The guardian feline lay on the stoop, breathing raggedly.  She was
visibly bruised and battered; in the back of her mind, Serena was
amazed by the fact that she could even see the abrasions under Luna's
black coat.  Serena scooped up her friend gingerly.
    "Luna!  What happened?  Are you okay?"  Serena was starting to 
panic; what could have happened to so grieviously wound the small cat?
    Luna gasped weakly, "Amy...she's..."  With that, Luna fainted, and
Serena banged the door open, yelling for her mother to get the first 
aid kit.

                      *chop* End Chapter One