        Razzzberi@aol.com

Part three of Cyrstal Memories by Razzz




        Sunlight woke her, with the birds chirping outside cheerfully.
Serena stretched loudly.
        'What a horrible dream I had.' She thought to herself. Then she
looked down. She was still wearing her black dress, now rumpled because she
had slept in it. 
        "Oh god, it wasn't a dream!" she thought to herself. She tried to
hold back the tears, then realized she wasn't at home. She wasn't in her
own bed, but in a strange bedroom she didn't even recognize. She got up,
rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Voices in the next room carried through
the thin door.
        " . . .parents think she's at my house. Don't worry about it." Lita
said. She sounded exhausted. 
        "Good. I don't want a relapse of the killer Dad now that I've
finally got him to accept me. Besides, now we can just let her sleep in as
late as she needs to." Darien joked lightly. He too sounded worse for wear.
Serena's heart skipped. 
        "'Darien!" she thought happily. 'He's alive!' she wanted to rush
out the door, or scream or something. She didn't know how he was alive; she
had seen the shed explode, but she didn't care. He was all right. She
relaxed with that calming revelation. She pulled at her dress, trying to
get more comfortable. It didn't work. The cloth was too itchy. She opened a
drawer, looking for something to change into. 
        Huge shirt, huge pants shorts . . .
        "Oops," she squealed, blushing as she closed the drawer, realizing
what kind of shorts she had accidentally picked up. 
        "Well, I guess I'm at Darien's then." She said out loud. "I wonder
if he has anything else to wear other than that ugly green jacket?" Serena
opened the closet, surveying the contents. Couple of nice button-down dress
shirts, tee shirts, a tank, sweater, turtleneck, jacket. Altogether pretty
boring, but not bad at all. At least it wasn't Melvin style. Something
shiny twinkled from the ledge above the bar of the closet where the clothes
hung. Serena jumped up, trying to see what it was. She grabbed it and
pulled it down. She gasped when she saw what it was.
        "What?" she asked aloud, surprised. It was a picture of her and
Darien, his arm around her shoulders, both smiling. 'What's this supposed
to mean?' She jerked her head up as she heard Rei's acrid voice cut through
the room, loud despite the closed door.
        "Yeah, well, she wouldn't need to even need her sleep if she'd just
get her memory back." Rei said hotly. 
        "That's not fair Rei. She's been through a lot." Someone new said.
It sounded like Sailor Venus. Serena furrowed her brow, trying to place the
girl.
        "I know. But don't you wish she'd even remember who you were Mina?
Or what about you Darien? She woke up hating you!" Rei replied. 
        "OF course I do. Don't you think I miss her. And Darien, I mean,
come on Rei,  she didn't even remember anything at all about him other than
the fact that she didn't like him at all. This is one of the hardest things
I've ever had to do." Mina said passionately. Serena leaned against the
door.
        'How much have I forgotten!?!?' she wondered, alarmed at all this
new information about her past. 
        "I understand that this is hard for you girls, but Rei is right.
She needs to remember who she is. There is no way we can get Reeny back
without the crystal, and we don't know what she did with it when she
disappeared. She has got to remember, or else I don't know if we'll ever
see Reeny again." Luna said rationally. 
        'Luna?' Serena thought. 'What is she doing here, talking in front
of Darien?'
        "She's remembering some things. She remembered some of the things I
told her before, about my family." Darien said quietly. "I'm sure she'll
remember everything else, eventually." 
        "How do you know she will. If I were her, I wouldn't want to
remember any of this. She never wanted to be Sailor Moon, and why would she
even want to remember you Darien. You always called her names, and how many
times did you forget her, or better yet, try and kill her? How miserable
have you made her, especially with this last fiasco. I wouldn't be
surprised if she never remembered anything because she didn't want to
remember you." Rei said. 
        "That's way harsh Rei." Mina said softly, glancing at Darien. He
had gotten strangely quiet. 
        "You know you all feel the same way." Rei said stubbornly. Darien
hung his head.
        "Darien?" Ami asked. He stood stiffly.
        "Is this how you all feel?" he asked. No one said a word. 
        "I thought so. I'll leave. I'm obviously hurting her by just being
here." Darien said angrily and stalked out of the apartment, slamming the
door loudly behind him. The other girls stared at Rei in shock, their
mouths hanging agape. Serena silently stood in the doorway, watching her
friends. Icy pinpricks of heat assaulted her nerves, and she bit her tongue
trying to keep her anger in check. She stepped forward into the room, not
saying a word. Lita stood up and approached her, but Serena shook her head.
        "Stay away." she growled. Biting her lower lip, struggling to keep
herself as stern as possible.  She tried not to notice the hurt look on her
friends faces. All she could remember was the sound of Darien's voice
before he left.
        "I can't believe you!" Serena screamed, losing control for a
moment. She didnt't understand where such anger, such protectiveness had
come from. "Couldn't you hear his pain? You had no right to say that to
him." 
        "Serena, we're sorry. We didn't mean-" Ami said, but Serena turned
away, her hands on her ears, not wanting to hear excuses.
        "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm going to find Darien. Just leave us
alone." Serena said, walking swiftly to the door. She shut it behind her,
leaning against it as she felt her tears spill down her cheeks. She didn't
understand these emotions, but she couldn't control them either, and she
couldn't forgive her friends for what they had done to her -. . . to
Darien. She wiped away the last of her tears and ran down the stairs. 
        In Darien's apartment, the girls were transfixed on the door.
Serena's sudden outburst had surprised them all. Rei was  crying softly.
        "Oh Rei, how could you have said all that to him? " Mina asked. Rei
hung her head in shame, soft tears flowing. 
        "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say all that. But she, she could have
died. She can't fight if she can't remember. She'll just get hurt. And he,
he . . .  I don't want her to die." She began to sob, and Mina embraced
her. The other girls joined in the hug and waited for Serena to return.


        Serena didn't know where exactly she was running to, but she could
feel some strange force pulling her to some strange destination. She just
followed her instincts and realized that they had led her to the park. She
walked down the main path, hugging her small bundle tightly against her
chest. A shadowy figure, tall and lean, hung out over the ledge of the
bridge that hung over the stream. Serena walked up as silently as she could
and stood next to him. 
        "Darien?" she asked quietly. He turned to look at her, smiling
wanly. 
        "How are you feeling?" he asked. Serena shrugged her shoulders.
        "Fine I guess." She said. 
        "That's good. I'm glad you're all right." he said. Serena cleared
her throat.
        "Darien," she began uncomfortably, taking a deep breath before
continuing. "I thought you, I mean, how did you . . .what happened last
night?" she asked. 
        "I wasn't in the shed. Someone let me out when you" Darien placed
emphasis on the you, "locked me in." he said playfully. Serena blushed. 
        "I'm so sorry. I wouldn't blame you if you totally despised me,
after that and the other thing that happened. I was out of line.  I just
wanted to apologize." Serena said shyly. She shifted the small rectangular
object  from hand to hand behind her back, trying to decide what to do with
it. 
        "Don't worry about it. I don't 'totally despise' you. It's no big
deal, really." He said, not looking at her, Rei's words still fresh in his
head. He could feel how cool his words were, hated himself for acting like
this, but what if Rei was right? His logic told him it wasn't true, how she
did need him, was better off with him, but those doubts kept on creeping
back up on him. So many doubts, despite his strong character. Again, logic
told him to ignore these doubts, these so seemingly unfounded doubts, and
yet he didn't. When did logic rule anything when it came to her, came to
love? His logic was a voice drowned in a sea of insanity, and Rei's voice
still rang clearer than any other above the din.  Even if it did mean
watching her face cloud to sadness, even if it meant she shed tears over
him, he stupidly followed those doubts all the same.
        "Oh, well . . .I'll just go now." she said and started to walk
away. But, when she  had reached the end of the bridge, she stomped back to
Darien angrily, each step thudding louder and louder.
        "No big deal! You know, making me think something bad had happened
was totally mean Darien. It wasn't nice at all!" she said indignantly.
Darien arched an eyebrow and watched her, amused. 'Perhaps . . .'  
        She began to walk away again, then spun on her heels and pointed a
long, slender finger at him..
        "And when I kissed you, I was just trying to make you feel better.
It didn't mean anything. I mean, me liking you? I don't think so." she
said, laughing nervously. 
        "Oh really?" he asked, a smile playing on the corners of his 
        "Yeah. I mean, you're like, you and I'm well - I was just worried,
that's all." Serena said with a pout.  Darien began to laugh at her silly,
serious yet charming expression. 
        "Well, it's nice to know you cared meat-ball head." he said. Serena
stormed up right next to him, and punched him lightly in the arm.
        "Don't call me that. And to think I came out here to make sure you
were all right after what Rei said." she said haughtily, turning her nose
up in the air. Darien's gaze softened at that. 
        "You heard?" he asked quietly. Serena's face lost it's miffed
expression  and she nodded, noting the sudden change in his demeaner.
        "Yeah. It wasn't right for them to say all that. I don't even
understand what they were talking about." Serena said. "Could you tell me
what they meant? What this means?" she asked, holding out the picture she
had been hiding behind her back, the one she had found of her and him in
his room. Darien took the picture from her and looked at it wistfully,
smiling at the memories the picture invoked.  He let his finger trace over
the outline of her face, engrossed in the image, before turning to face
her.
        "Where did you get this?" he asked seriously. 
        "You're room. I found it. Why do you have a picture of us? What
have I forgotten?"  she leaned over to look at the picture as if it would
reveal some great mystery. 
        "I can't tell you." he said sadly. Serena frowned at him angrily.
        "I know, you can't tell me because Ami said whatever. But I'm sick
of all this. I want to know what I forgot and get on with my life! So just
tell me!  You of all people should understand. Please, Darien, just tell
me." she said, losing her fire and choking on her words. Darien reached out
his hand to touch her comfortingly, but she jerked back. 
        "Don't pretend anything Darien. If you won't tell me the truth, I
don't think I want to be  friends with you. Last night was a mistake, and
I'm sorry that I did it." 
        "Serena, last night wasn't-"
        "Don't. I know, I'm just a kid who can't even handle the truth! So
I'll go and stop bothering you." Serena said harshly and began to walk
away. Darien frowned, furrowing his brow, as his mind raced with something
he could say to get her back, to explain something and make her not so
angry. 'Tell her everything!' he told himself, 'something to make her
remember her heart.'
        "Serena, wait." He called. She kept on walking. "Please Serena.
Stop!" he said desperately. Serena stopped, and Darien silently gave
thanks. Serena was staring at something strange in front of her. Darien
looked past her and noticed the dark column rising into the sky just above
the spires of the Starlight Tower. 
        "What is that?" she asked softly, her gaze never leaving the
strange phenomenon. 
        "It's Reeny. She's in trouble." He said and grabbed her hand. "Come
on." Serena followed him speechlessly as they ran through the bustling
streets of Tokyo, ignoring the surprised and angry complaints of the people
they disturbed as they recklessly headed towards the tower. 
        Standing outside the doors of the Starlight Tower Serena could feel
an intense feeling of evil. 
        "Reeny's in there?" she asked. Darien nodded his head. Serena
walked forward as bravely as she could and cautiously touched the doors,
trying to open them. They felt like they had been charged with an intense
electric power and she jerked her hands back in shock, giving a yelp of
surprise. 
        "Careful!" Darien warned her in alarm. He took her hand tenderly
and examined it, making sure she was all right. 
        "I'm fine. It's nothing." She said, biting back the tears she would
have instinctively shed. But for some surprising reason, she didn't. It
didn't feel right to cry, to act so immature, as though she should have
past that stage of her life, and yet it seemed that she was still in that
stage.. She was still confused, but she felt something warm on her hand.
Hot breath, soft lips.  Darien pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it.
        "All better?" he asked. Serena smiled warmly. 
        "Yeah." she said. Then she turned her attention to the doors. What
ever was back there must be very evil, very dangerous, very scary, for it
to have charged the whole door like that. She began to get very scared
again, shivering now as the realization hit her. Her body began to quake
like a small leaf in the wind. Darien gazed down at her with concern and
placed his hand lightly on her shoulder, trying to calm her down with his
touch. 
        "Serena, what's wrong?" he asked, concern in his voice. She
continued to shake, and her eyes were beginning to water as she stared at
the door in terror.
        "I . . . I . . .I can't g,go in there. It's it's-" she dissolved
into tears of fear, her apprehension of some unknown thing she knew was
frightening though she didn't know why  devastating her reason and resolve.
        "Serena, we don't have much of a choice. I'll go with you, and
we'll get Reeny. Together." He said reassuringly. Serena shook her head
violently, and took deep gulps of air. 
        "I d d don't want to." She said between sobs. 
        "But Reeny-"
        "I don't care! I don't care. I don't want to go in there. It's so .
.  Please don't make me. I don't  wanna. I'm so, so, so scared." She said,
her fists balled tightly. Darien wiped away the tears that were spilling
down her cheeks with a long finger, and pulled her against  him tightly,
letting her cry away all her fear, until he felt her calm down and she felt
more relaxed against him. She pushed herself away from him and stared at
the Tower. 
        "Serena." he said softly. She turned away from the doors to face
him.
        "I won't go. Let someone else do this." she said, sniffling. Darien
shook his head.
        "I know you too well to believe that you don't care. You wouldn't
let Reeny die. That's not the girl I . . . It's not who you are." 
        "How do you know who I am? Why do I have to save her? Why can't it
be someone else for once. I can't. I'm sorry, but I can't." she said, and
began to walk away. Darien grabbed her hand and pulled her back forcefully.
        "You're the only one who can do this. I know you're scared, but
you've never let that stop you before. Do you honestly believe that you can
just walk away?" he asked. Serena looked at her shoes in shame. He was
right, of course.
        "But I'm just so scared." she said softly, as though it were an
excuse. She felt Darien's fingers snake their way between hers,
intertwining them together.
        "I know. But we'll face this. Together. I swear, I won't leave your
side. We'll get her back, together." He said. Serena gazed at their hands,
unable to tell whose fingers were whose, as though they were joined
together as one, as though they had always been and will always be so. 
        "You promise." She asked, staring up into his familiar, safe, warm
blue eyes. The depth of the emotions astounded her, so caring and adoring.
He bent his head lower, and lightly brushed his lips over hers, sweet
butterfly kisses that were far too brief for Serena's liking and a second
later, she was looking at him again, in a daze.
        "We can do this." he said, emphasizing the we. Serena nodded her
head in determined agreement, feeling confidence in herself rise,  and
clasped his hand, still remembering the feel of him on her skin. 'What is
going on?' she wondered, feeling so many new and strange emotions,
something warm in her stomach, something fluttery in her stomach, something
cold in her stomach. 'Is this love.' She asked herself. 
        Darien kicked at the door, utilizing the skills he had learned in
his many Karate classes. After two tries, the wood gave and a hole into the
building opened, then began to shrink. 
        "Come on." Darien said as he helped Serena through, then jumped
through himself as the doors repaired themselves.
        "No going back, is there?" Serena asked, staring at the door, her
eyes wide in terror. She could feel another fear attack approach. 
        "No, there isn't. The only way to go is forward, so let's get
going." He said, walking out into the middle of the large foyer of the
tower. Serena never let her hand loose from his, never strayed from his
side. Darien seemed so brave to her, so calm and controlled. He didn't even
seem afraid, when he should be the one afraid, much more so than she was.
Darien didn't even have powers. This sent a shiver down Serena's spine.
'What have I gotten Darien into?' she wondered in alarm as she thought of
the probability of Darien getting hurt. And he didn't even seem to care
about that. All he cared about was getting Reeny back, and keeping her
safe. 
        "Darien!" she exclaimed feeling the all too vulnerable flesh of his
skin against  hers. "You have to get out of here. I can't let you stay
here." She said, trying to turn back to the wall through which they had
entered.  But Darien stopped her and shook his head.
        "No way. I'm not leaving you." he said. 
        "But Darien, you can't." she protested. 
        "And why not? What makes you think you can do this alone?" he
asked. Serena frowned. She couldn't transform in front of him, and she
couldn't tell him she was Sailor Moon. She 'could' handle a youma, but he
was just a normal person. No superpowers, no nothing.. Luna had never given
him anything. He would probably get killed trying to protect her. 'But Luna
was talking to him earlier.' She remembered, the scene in his apartment
replaying in her mind. Darien and Luna were talking. How did he know about
that?
        "How did you know?" she thought aloud. Darien looked at her in
confusion. 
        "What are you talking about?" he asked. Serena stared at him,
scared. She didn't know what to do - again. 
        "Serena, what are you thinking. We don't have time for you to be
spacing right now." he said sternly. This startled Serena. He was beginning
to sound like Luna now, or maybe even like Rei. Serena was beginning to
really wish the others were there, and knew that there was no way she could
do this without transforming. And, there was no way to get around Darien.
He would just have to find out. Unless he already knew. She had nothing to
lose.
        "How do you know about Luna?" she asked in a straightforward
manner. Darien smiled.
        "So that's what's bothering you?" he said to no one in particular.
His face became serious, losing all trace of the amusement he had displayed
when he had looked at her a short while ago.
        "Before I tell you, you have  to tell me something. You have to
promise to tell the truth." He said seriously. The request sounded so
familiar. 
        'Promise me you won't lie Darien.' she could hear herself saying
long ago. 'Wow, where did that one come from.' She wondered. 
        "Oh kay." She said uncertainly, unsure of what was next to come.
"But then you have to tell me what I want to know." 
        "Deal." He said, shaking her hand, although he was still as solemn
and serious as ever. She tried to match his mood unsuccessfully, and only
managed to barely hold back her giggles, even though she knew she shouldn't
find any of this funny. But, the whole situation was so ridiculous -
trapped in a tower, having an obviously serious discussion in the middle of
the foyer, and all the dangers forgotten - as though they wouldn't even
bother attacking until they were done talking. It was just all so silly.
And, it felt as though she had done this with him before. 
        "Serena, I need to know. Do you care for me? Do you" he paused,
"love me." he asked, fighting the urge to turn his face away,, afraid of
her response. 'What if it isn't what I'd hoped for?' he wondered in alarm.
'How would I live if she didn't?'
        "Um, well you see it's kinda complicated." She began, flustered.
Darien shook his head.
        "Isn't it always? Just listen to your heart Serena. I need to know
if you love me. Just a simple yes or a no." Serena stared at him,
scrutinizing every detail. 'Simple!?!?' she thought, 'Yeah right.'  Love
was a difficult thing, and she wasn't sure if this was love or just another
silly crush. Sure she liked the guy, and then, whenever she was in his arms
she felt so odd, and when she kissed him, something had just clicked, but
was all that normal? 
        "I don't know. I'm just not sure of anything." she said, unable to
look at his intense eyes anymore. They had looked so hopeful, then so
crushed, and she couldn't stand it. She didn't want to see his eyes
anymore, see the emotions they revealed,  and looked away. She felt his
familiar warmth enclose the backs of her hands.
        "Serena, what do you feel here," guiding her hand with his to her
heart, holding it in place over the area where he hoped it beat only for
him. Serena closed her eyes, trying to remember what she felt, trying to
make the soundless emotion turn into words.
        "I feel - I feel like I'm not missing anything anymore." she said,
her eyes still shut as she listened softly to her soul.
        "Like you are whole." He commented, knowing from his own personal
experience. Serena's eyes flew open, and she broke away from her trance
        "I, I - oh I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I really
don't know." she exclaimed. Darien smiled comfortingly, trying to hide his
disappointment, although, for some reason, his face was like an open book
to her. She could tell she had hurt him, yet, she was so afraid of being
hurt. 'Being hurt?' she wondered. 
        "Don't worry. You'll tell me when you're ready." He said. Serena
smiled  at him gratefully still pondering his question, not watching where
she was going, and she suddenly lurched forward. Darien caught her as she
stumbled.
        "Oops, clutz attack." She said laughing. "Thanks for - Darien!" she
said in alarm, as her smile turned to one of fear as his face contorted
into one of confusion and he began to follow her example, stumbling as the
room began to spin, the walls turning bright psychadelic colors that
shifted, and the two sunk to the floor, their heads whirring around and
around as the room closed in on them in a whirlwind of illusion. 


        Ken Tsukino nervously watched his wife, as she listened passively
to the speaker over the phone. She returned the receiver to the cradle,
still speechless. 
        "What did they say? Ilene?" Ken asked nervously. She shook her
head, and dazedly sat down at the kitchen table.
        "Ami says that they can't find her." she said softly. 
        "What about Darien? They have to have found something." 
        "Nothing. Ami said their energy didn't register at all on her
computer." 
        "Maybe the computer's broken then. They couldn't have disappeared
without a trace." Ken said, beginning to get angry. "What are those things
good for if they can't find my daughter." He pounded the table with his
fist in frustration.
        "Ken, please. Calm down." She said quietly. 
        "I will not calm down. Those stupid, stupid girls. They didn't even
tell us what was going on. They didn't even call last night, and now
Serena's gone too."
        "Ken, they're doing the best they know-"
        "Don't Ilene. Don't you start." He yelled. He took his glasses and
rubbed a tired hand over his eyes.
        "There's no reason to get angry at me." she said sharply. "Don't
you act like an adolescent."  She said, then came over and put a comforting
arm around him. "I'm sure it'll all work out. It always does." She gave him
a quick peck on the cheek, and he smiled ever so slightly. 
        "Ilene, I-" she stopped him, kissing him again.
        "I know" she said, "I know." And then, the two slumped forward, as
everything went black.


        Darien groggily opened his eyes, and lifted his hands to wipe away
sleep. Or at least, he tried to. His hands could hardly move, his wrists
chafed by something hard and cold. He looked at his hands, panicking.
'Where did these come from?" he wondered, then, he remembered. 'Serena!' he
thought, remembering that when he blacked out, he had been holding her. And
now he was chained to a wall in a dark, room of black crystals. He looked
to his left, and smiled in relief. There was Reeny, her head resting
against her chest, sleeping. At least she was safe. He turned to the other
side, sure of what he'd find, his meat-ball headed blond. 
        No one was there. Fear gripped him immediately, as all the
possibilities flooded his mind. 
        "Reeny. Reeny honey, wake up." he coaxed the girl out of her sleep
soothingly, and she opened her eyes, facing him with hopeful, relieved
tear-stained face. 
        "Darien." she cried happily, wanting to throw her arms around him.
'everything will be better now. Darien will fix everything.' She thought. 
        "Hey munchkin." He said. She smiled at the name.
        "I don't like it here." 
        "I know. Neither do I" he said. "Listen, Reeny, have you seen
Serena." 
        "No. I just saw them bring you up." she said, sadly. "Do you think
she's all right?"
        "Yeah, she's a tough girl. She'll be fine." he said reassuringly.
Reeny immediately brightened, thinking how lucky she was to be with Darien.
Something hissed in front of them, a dark column of smoke rising, and then
something, someone, materialized from the heart of it, and stepped forward.
        "Enjoying your stay?" Rubius said, one corner of his lips turned
upwards into a lopsided smirk. Darien could think of nothing but hitting
away that arrogant, infuriating look.
        "Where's Serena?" Darien demanded. Rubius laughed.
        "Oh, you must be talking about that pathetic Sailor Moon." he said,
laughing again. He took a step towards Darien, squinting at him. "No, not a
scout. Could it be that she brought a normal human with her. She is even
more idiotic than I thought."
        "What have you done with her." Darien yelled angrily, struggling
against the chains.
        "Down Romeo. You're little friend hasn't been harmed - yet." He
laughed. "The Wiseman has plans for her."
        "Who is this Wiseman? What do you want?" Darien asked again,
calming down as his mind whirred, trying to think up a plan. He knew he
just had to keep him talking. And, this boy was too arrogant to not like
hearing the sound of his own voice.
        "Why, he is your conqueror. He has destroyed the future, and he
will destroy this pathetic time. You can thank him for what happened to
your parents, little rabbit." He said, speaking to Reeny. She involuntarily
gasped, as she tried to hide her tears, tried to be as strong as her
mother. 'I'm a princess. I can't cry. I have to be strong.' She repeated
silently, as though it would ward off her fear. She looked over at Darien,
hoping that he could give her some of his strength, and noticed him doing
something odd. Something green poked out from in between his fingers, which
were closed in a fist around something. A rose? And now he was maneuvering
it into the lock, twisting it ever so slightly, so inconspicuously. 
        "Why does he want Serena?" Darien asked again, his voice strangely
calm and controlled.
        "She has something that we want. The little fool. She thought she
could keep the crystal from us. She thought she could fight us forever.
But, she couldn't win every battle. No, eventually, she would have to lose,
and that's all it takes for us to crush her and this planet. Although, she
should be dead by now, after what we gave her."
        "Gave her? What are you talking about?" he asked, although he knew.
Rubius had to have been responsible for her illness. Rubius laughed.
        "Why, she was merely a test for the most potent plague the earth
has ever seen. One that would have to eventually reach your parents, and
kill them, rabbit, even if we don't know who they are. And what better way
to see how destructive it is by testing it on the one who is the most
powerful. Kill two birds with one stone - or, one scout actually." Rubius
smiled again, noting the obvious anger in Darien's face, enjoying his
torment. But Darien bit his lip and controlled his rage. He had thought he
heard a ping, and continued to work. Just keep distracting him.
        "Why isn't she here with us?" Darien said, never averting his
penetrating gaze from Rubius. If he even so much as glanced at his wrists,
at the rose he was trying to use to jimmy the lock, he might be discovered.
He could feel the edge of the rose blocked by something inside the lock,
and hoped, as he began to work that angle.
        "Do you honestly think that we would merely tie up Sailor Moon.
We've underestimated her for far too long, thinking we could merely beat
her in battle. We're not that stupid. We've finally got her and we're not
about to throw away this opportunity." 
        "Rubius, stop toying with them." A man cloaked in a dark robe
entered the room, and Rubius immediately whirled around to face him,
kneeling in front of the man. 
        "Rise." The man said in a bored tone. Rubius did so, dwarfed by the
mere presence of the man.
        "It's not in good taste to play with the prisoners." He said. 
        "I was just - " Rubius protested, glaring angrily at Darien. But,
he was cut off as his words died in his throat and turned into a low watery
gurgle of pain.
        "Do you disagree?" the man said. Rubius shook his head vehemently,
and began to gasp for breath as the psychic hold on his throat was
released.
        "Forgive me Wiseman." He said in a raspy voice. 
        "Bring me Sailor Moon." the Wiseman ordered. Rubius nodded, and
waved his hand, as the smoke began to rise again, and when it disappeared,
a crystal cell remained, with Serena sitting on the floor, resting her
shoulder against the clear wall. Noticing the slight movement of the cage,
she opened her eyes, and saw Darien and Reeny tied up against the wall. She
immediately jumped to her feet.
        "Darien." she called out, her face pressed against the wall. She
pushed against the wall, and when it wouldn't give, she began to pound
against it.
        "Let me out of here." she screamed angrily. The Wiseman began to
laugh.
        "You see now princess, how pathetic Sailor Moon is." he said to
Reeny, pointing a long, gnarled, bony finger at Serena. 
        "There is now way she can keep either you or your mother safe."
Rubius added in sadistic glee. The wiseman glared at him angrily, silencing
him with a look, and he cursed the stupidity of this young one. He would
surely be their downfall, if he wasn't careful
        "Let her out of there." Darien said angrily. The wiseman turned his
attention to the boy, scrutinizing him. He knew he had seen that boy
somewhere - but where? There was only one thing to do with this familiar
stranger. A dark sphere formed in his hand and he threw it at Darien,
racking his body with the energy. He cried out in pain. 
        "Darien!" both Reeny and Serena screamed simultaneously. 
        "Stop. Please." Serena said. Rubius looked at her with an amused
expression on his face. 
        "How does it feel to be helpless?" he asked. Wiseman shook his head
in disappointment. 'Idiot.' He thought. Sailor Moon was hardly acting like
the formidable enemy she had proven to be. She was crying like a child. She
'was' a child actually, which surprised him even more. The wiseman again
readied his magic. He could hear Sailor Moon screaming at him, heard her
small fists pounding against the walls. Even the rabbit was crying. 
        "Mercury Bubbles Blast." A new player had entered, shrouding the
room in a freezing cold mist. Wiseman couldn't even see in front of him,
and held onto the energy in his hand. He turned, holding out his hand in
front of him. It came in contact with cold crystal, cracks forming on the
surface. A figure with two long pigtails was outlined through the frost
forming on the wall. He looked back around at his other two prisoners.
        Darien yanked his arm free from the shackle as his rose finally
managed to pick the lock. He could barely see anything, but he heard the
cracking sound in front of him, and knew that it had to have been that
crystal cell. The cold had been too strong and had cracked it. But it
wasn't enough. Darien threw his rose in the direction the cell was, hoping
his aim was true. 
        Wiseman didn't know where the rose came from, but he could guess
who threw it. It all made sense now. The King, and the Queen, and the
princess, all in the same place. A shame Rubius and the other pathetic
people he had surrounded himself with were too blind to see the obvious
resemblance. And that miserable scout, Mercury, just had to come and stop
him just as he was about to kill the King, when he had the royal family in
his grasp. So close, yet so far. He looked in horror as the rose that had
streaked past him embedded itself in the walls of the cell, the dissipating
mist allowing him to watch in horror as the crystal shattered into a
million little pieces and fell to the ground. Serena backed away from him,
afraid of what he would do.
        "Mercury, the chains!" Darien called out, throwing another rose at
Rubius, who was advancing towards them.
        You won't escape!" Rubius cried. 
        "Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Mercury yelled, freezing the chains so
that they broke into pieces and renewing the strong mist, giving Serena,
Darien and Reeny a chance to escape.  Darien, threw another rose, grabbed
Reeny and ran past Rubius, who was still recovering from the last rose
Darien had thrown at him. 
        "Serena, Mercury, let's go." Darien said, Reeny clinging to him
tightly. He could see the outlines of the two girls beside him and they all
exited out the door, running as quickly as they could down the hall. 
        "Which way?" Serena asked, panting. She threw a quick glance behind
her, noting the footsteps of someone close behind them. 
        "This way." Mercury said, ducking into a room. She sounded tired. 
        Darien closed the door, locked it and pushed a table against it.
Reeny still clung to him. 'Great, no escape from here.' he thought, seeing
that there were no doors or windows leading out.
        "Sailor Mercury, what's wrong?" Serena said, careful not to use her
real name because of Darien and Reeny. Mercury looked pale, and she was
shivering. Her lips were an odd blue pallor.
        "Where are the others?" Reeny asked.
        "What happened?" said Serena. The girl looked as though she would
collapse. Darien held her up, supporting her, amazed at the chill of her
skin. She was freezing. 
        "Ami, why aren't you with the girls?" he asked. She looked like she
was going to cry, but didn't. 
        "It was terrible. Everyone passed out - Rei, Lita, Mina, everyone.
It was like when you were so sick, but faster." She said, her teeth
chattering loudly.
        "When I was sick?" Serena asked. Darien shook his head, telling her
in that silent gesture  that it was a matter for another time. 
        "Everyone in Tokyo. It happened to everyone. I tried to freeze it,
stop it, but if I did that to everyone, I'd have killed them." Mercury said
sadly. 
        "Is everyone dead?" Reeny asked. 
        "I don't know. It was so quiet. And I'm so cold." She said, as
another shiver shook her. Serena wrapped her arms around her friend, trying
to warm her up.
        "Don't worry, we'll stop them." Serena said, trying to lift the
girl's spirits.
        "I'm sorry. I can't.. You'll have to fight them alone. I'm just so
cold." 
        "Mercury, you can't. I can't face  them without you." Serena
whined. 
        "If you use the crystal, you can." Darien said. Serena looked at
him, confused.
        "What crystal? What are you talking about?" 
        "Serena, you have to remember. The Silver Imperium Crystal. Please,
you have to remember." Darien said. Serena shook her head.
        "I don't. I can't remember any crystal." She said. 
        "We need it. Serena, please. Just try." Darien said. She shut her
eyes, trying to remember something, anything. Nothing. She couldn't
remember anything about any crystal. She shook her head sadly.
        "I'm sorry. I just don't remember." she said again, feeling
completely useless.
        "That's not good enough Serena." Mercury said in a surprisingly
harsh tone. 
        "Ami?" she asked, in surprise. The girl held up her hand, palm
facing Serena.
        "Stop being so selfish Serena. You have to remember. I don't care
why you can't, it's not a good enough reason. You've got to remember. There
is no can't. You don't have any choices here. Grow up." she began to cough
and shiver at once, feeling a wave of cold black pass over her. 
        "Serena, please don't let us down." She said softly, before closing
her eyes. Serena called out to Ami, cried her name, but the girl was
unconscious. 
        "Ami, I'm so sorry." she said as tears spilled down her cheeks. She
turned to Darien, expecting comfort.
        "I can't remember. I tried but I can't." she said again. Reeny,
seeing her broken state, gave Serena a hug. Darien knelt down to join the
two, and brushed a strand of Serena's hair away from her eyes.
        "I know this is hard. But you have to remember. For Ami, for the
girls, for your family. You're their last hope." He said, hating to put
this pressure on her. 
        Something pounded behind them, and Serena jumped in fear. The door
was being rammed. It's wood bent inward with the force. 
        "Where do we go now?" Serena asked, seeing that the room had no
other doors. 
        "Darien, I'm scared. There's no where to go." Reeny said. Darien,
tousled her hair affectionately.
        "I know." he said, standing up, and motioning towards the others to
do the same. He stood defiantly in front of the door, waiting for their
pursuers  to knock it down, readying himself for their attack. Serena stood
by his side, and held his hand in hers, standing as close to him as she
could. Reeny held her other hand, looking grimly at the door that was about
to break any second.
        "Serena, transform." Darien ordered, holding his own rose in his
hand. Serena was speechless. She still had no idea how he knew about Luna,
and had tried to hide the fact that she was Sailor Moon all day from him,
but now, she knew she had no choice. 
        "How do you know?" she asked, holding her locket. 
        "I just do." he said simply, disappointment setting in. He had
hoped to make her love him without her knowing about Tuxedo Mask, to make
sure she hadn't been influenced by her little crush on his alter ego. Now,
he had no choice. He would never know.
        Serena transformed, her mind still stuck on Darien. She promised
her self that she would protect him. Such a strange, strong urge. She
wondered where it came from, why she felt like that. 
        'Because you love him.' Flashed through her head. She shook the
thought away, scared at these emotions. 
        The door flew inwards, splinters of the wood flying. 
        "So this is where the rabbits have been hiding." Rubius said.
Darien stood, still de-transformed, waiting for just the right moment to
change. Sometimes, having the advantage of surprise was useful - and this
was just that time.
        "I won't let you hurt them." Sailor Moon said with as much steel in
her voice as she could muster. 'Have to be strong, have to be strong.' She
repeated to herself, trying to stop that urge to just run away. Rubius
laughed, then gathered his energy.
        "I want to kill you myself, after all the trouble you've caused. I
don't know how you survived, but whatever it is that you did, it won't save
you now." he said, letting the blast loose. Sailor Moon ducked to the side.
Darien and Reeny had leapt to the other side out of harms way. 
        "Why haven't you transformed." Reeny whispered. 
        "I will, when they least expect it." Darien said quietly.
        Sailor Moon screamed as Rubius aimed another long beam of energy at
her, hitting her square in the chest, unable to dodge this one after all
her previous successes. She held her hands to tiara, using her only attack.
        "Moon Tiara Magic." She screamed, throwing the golden disk at
Rubius. It missed, flying high over his head. Rubius laughed.
        "Pathetic, to think you'd beat me with that - argh" he fell to the
ground as  the wall fell on top of him, burying him in the plaster and
paint..
        "Right on target." Sailor Moon said happily, as she caught her
tiara after it had hit the wall and dislodged a huge white plaster piece of
it. Sailor Moon motioned for the others to follow her as she led them
carefully through the door. Stepping out into the dark hallway, Sailor Moon
felt arms encircle her too tightly and she screamed out.
        "Darien!" she cried, kicking with her legs. She twisted her head
around to see what had caught her - a four eyed, four armed purple youma,
all four arms wrapped tightly around her.
        "Serena!?" Darien said upon seeing her. Reeny poked her head out
from behind Darien, hiding behind him. He held the rose in his pocket
tightly.
        "Let her go." He growled, giving the youma it's first and only
chance. It didn't even flinch.
        "Darien, go and get Reeny out of here." Sailor Moon said. She could
see the terror in the girl's wide red eyes, her hand turning white as she
held tightly onto Darien's shirt. 
        "No Serena, I won't leave you." he said stubbornly. 
        "Go. Please, if you're hurt -  I love you, so, so go." she pleaded,
not even thinking about what she was saying, her eyes shining with tears.
Darien looked at her with dancing blue eyes. She had never seen him look
like that, look so happy, even if it only flickered across his face for a
moment before anger and fear took over his features. He turned his
attention back towards the youma.
        "I warned you." he said menacingly. The youma didn't flinch. Darien
grabbed the rose, transforming into Tuxedo Mask. 
        "I said, let her go." He said. He almost wanted to laugh at the
bewildered look in Sailor Moon's eyes, but now was not the time. He could
feel the familiar scent or the flower, the smooth feel of the stem in his
hand, and let it fly, nailing the creature in its highest eyes, careful to
avoid hitting Sailor Moon. The youma roared in rage as the flower embedded
itself in its eye, dropping Sailor Moon as it's hands flew to it's injured
face. Sailor Moon ran to his side.
        "Darien-" 
        "We'll talk later. Now, use your tiara and kill that thing." He
said in a soft voice. She nodded, then threw her tiara at the creature,
smashing the disk into it's eyes. The thing screamed and turned into dust.
Sailor Moon smiled in relieved relief, then looked shyly at Tuxedo Mask,
beginning to regret that outburst. She couldn't even understand why she had
said it, only knew that she meant it.
        "Darien?" she said again, gaining courage to go up and lightly
touch his mask, trace the bridge of his nose with her finger, feel the
profile that she had always known yet never recognized.
        "Is that you?" she asked in wonder. He smiled. She could see such
happiness, even behind the mask, in his face. He drew her into a tight hug,
burying himself against her, smelling her hair, feeling it's soft caress
under his chin, his hands firmly grasping her in a perfect fit, as though
they had always belonged there.
        "I can hear my heart now." she said softly. "I know what it says."
His hands found their way to her face, cupping it tenderly. She liked the
warmth of his fingers, the way they felt, how they made her tingle. She
could feel her heart beating, pounding against her ribs. She held her
breath, turned her face up towards him, closed her eyes instinctively. 
        Tuxedo Mask watched her face change, an enigmatic ghost of a smile
playing across it. He was captivated by her again, charmed by that simple,
hesitant  face. He leaned over and kissed her, slowly, hoping to make up
for lost time, oblivious to everything else, her fingers  weaving warm,
delightful patterns on his back, her lips nestled comfortably between his
own, tears trickling her face and trailing salty paths down upon his own
lips. 
        Ahem, guys. This isn't the best place to be making out." Reeny
said, clearing her throat, annoyed. Sailor Moon turned around, still in
Tuxedo Mask's arms, a blush spreading over her like wild-fire. Tuxedo Mask
simply smiled, a slightly quirky, lopsided, and incredibly cute grin across
his face, happier than he had been in ages. 
        "We're coming Reeny." Sailor Moon said, still reluctant to leave
Tuxedo Mask's arms. Before she had a chance to step away from him, he knelt
down, his lips brushing softly against her ear.
        "I've missed you so much. Don't ever even think about losing you
memories again." he said teasingly. 
        "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" she began, worried that she had done
something wrong. Tuxedo Mask chuckled.
        "Hey, I'm just kidding around Serena. You've been driving me crazy
these past few weeks." He said in a light voice. "I love you so much." He
added, kissing her again briefly before letting her go, at Reeny's
insistence. 
        "Come on, lets go!" Reeny said again, obviously eager to get
moving. She didn't want to have to be there any longer than she had to. 
        "We're coming." Tuxedo Mask said, ducking back into the room where
Rubius was still unconscious under the wall, and picking up the limp form
of Mercury. 
        "I want to get out of here now!" Reeny  said when they had gotten
everyone. The group made their way down the hall, each on their guard
against any youma's or other threats. 
        "How do we get out of here?" Sailor Moon asked. Tuxedo Mask shifted
Mercury's form in his arms.
        "The stairs?" he suggested, opening the doors to the emergency
stairs. Sailor Moon went first, then Reeny, and Tuxedo Mask followed
behind, running down the stairs as fast as they could until they hit the
first floor. Sailor Moon flung the door open, careful not to step through,
learning from experience. After being sure no one was there to grab her,
she stepped forward out into the foyer that had begun the adventure.
        "Isn't it weird how no one's stopped us yet?" Sailor Moon said
happily. "Not that I'm complaining or anything." she added quickly. 
        "Quite weird. If I hadn't ordered it myself, I would have executed
the morons who had failed to capture you by now." the Wiseman said,
stepping in between them and the door.
        "There is no way out, Sailor Moon. You can never get past my Black
Energy Shields." He said. Sailor Moon looked towards Tuxedo Mask for help,
scared out of her wits. Tuxedo Mask put Mercury down on the ground behind
him.
        "Keep her safe Munchkin. I'm counting on you." Tuxedo Mask said to
Reeny, motioning towards Mercury. 
        "I won't let you down." she said, leaning down beside her friend
protectively. Tuxedo Mask put an arm around Sailor Moon's waist
defensively, facing the Wiseman darkly.
        "Why are you doing this?" Sailor Moon asked. 
        "Why not. Power has always been attractive to me. You should be
able to understand that." he said. Sailor Moon shook her head.
        "Not if it means hurting others." She said. 
        "Such nave ideals. A shame you waste your life on them. Oh well.
It won't matter anymore." He said, pointing his fingers at the two in front
of him. Lightening shot out from them, racing directly towards Sailor Moon
and Tuxedo Mask. Tuxedo Mask jumped, sailed high into the air, still
holding Sailor Moon, who was holding him tightly around the neck.
Lightening crashed again, hitting Tuxedo Mask in the back, and knocking
them down to the ground.  
        "No!" screamed Reeny, still sitting  next to Mercury.
        "Darien?" Sailor Moon asked, unharmed and still in his protective
grasp. She sat upright as did Tuxedo Mask, who groaned in pain at the
effort. Wiseman laughed, pointing his fingers at the two again, as more
lightening shot out of them. Sailor Moon, seeing this, threw herself in
front of Tuxedo Mask, trying to protect him. The blast nailed her in the
back, knocking her forward. She clutched Tuxedo Mask's gloved hand tightly,
mouth set in grim determination, trying not to scream. She shut her eyes,
waiting for the next blast, and the next after that. 
        It never came.
        Sailor Moon cautiously opened one eye.
        "Darien?" she asked, looking towards him. "What's he waiting for?"
Tuxedo Mask shook his head.
        "He's toying with us. This isn't his style though.  He should have
killed us by now. I don't understand." He said, standing up, looking at the
wiseman, who seemed to be just standing there. Sailor Moon squinted at the
cloaked man, noticing the soft purple light surrounding him, a thin aura
that was barely noticeable framing his form. Her eyes grew wise as she saw
this, and she pointed her fingers at him
        "Oh, look. He's glowing!" she said incredulously. Tuxedo Mask
looked at the wiseman carefully, before making up his mind. He immediately
grabbed his rose and threw it at the Wiseman. It sped towards him, it's
sharp dagger point cutting through the air, and then it bounced, crushed by
the impact  it made against some invisible force. 
        "What happened?" Sailor Moon asked.
        "I don't know. Try your Tiara." Tuxedo Mask suggested, still
worried. Something just wasn't right here. The Wiseman wouldn't just sit
there without a reason. He was too smart for that. There was something
going on. He just didn't know what, and that scared him. The metallic ping
of metal brought him out of his thoughts.
        "It didn't work. It just bounced right off him!" she said
tearfully. Tuxedo Mask took her hand and glanced one last time at the
Wiseman.
        "Let's get out of here. Now." he said. Sailor Moon nodded her head
in agreement. He pulled her forward.
        "Try and find a way out through these shields." He ordered, trying
to open the door unsuccessfully. He threw his roses at it, but they bounced
off the shields harmlessly. For some reason, his senses were going nuts,
his instincts telling him to hurry and get out of there, that danger was
fast approaching. He kicked at the shield in frustration as the pounding in
his ears grew louder. 
        "It's stronger than before." Sailor Moon said, replacing her tiara
that obviously hadn't made a crack in the wall.
        "What are we going to do?" she asked. Behind her, Reeny began to
cough loudly. Both Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask turned around and were at
her side in a minute. Sailor Moon knelt on one knee beside her and began
rubbing her back.
        "Are you all right?" she asked. Reeny continued to cough, unable to
speak. Her crescent moon began to glow faintly.
        "What's wrong with her?" Sailor Moon asked. 
        "I don't know." Tuxedo Mask said. Sailor Moon began pulling at her
costume, acutely aware that it was seriously tight.
        "Is it getting hot in here?" she asked. She suddenly felt
light-headed, and put a hand to her head. 
        "Serena?" Tuxedo Mask asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She
shook it off. 
        "I'm fine." she said, turning her attention back to Reeny. The girl
was silent, her eyes beginning to glaze over slightly, a flush rising to he
cheek.
        "I don't feel good." Reeny mumbled, burying her head against Sailor
Moon. Sailor Moon put her arms around the little girl, trying to ward off
her own nausea. 'What's happening to us?' she wondered. 
        "Quite simple my dear. You are dying, and this time, you will not
be reborn. I have made sure of that. Not you, your king, your scouts or
your brat." The wiseman said, his raspy voice filled with anticipation.
Sailor Moon turned sharply to face him.
        "How did you . . . ?"
        "Nothing is hidden from me, not even your own mind. It betrays you
even now." he said. "You are so ignorant, still such a child. This almost
seems too easy. I don't understand why we couldn't destroy you before."
Wiseman said. He waved his arms in the direction of the wall, and a window
appeared letting the three see out into the dead city. People were slumped
on the ground, sprawled out everywhere, not moving. Sailor Moon averted her
gaze away, gasping, nearly crying.
        "They will all be dead, and no-one will be able to stop me."
Wiseman said. "This city will be mine."
        "It's terrible." She said softly. Tuxedo Mask held her tightly in
an over-protective manner. He noticed that her moon sign was glowing as
well, so faintly, but there.
        "Stop this. What are you doing to them?" he said angrily. 
        "I'm killing them. And you too. But, being of the moon, they are
more susceptible to my gas. But, since you will die along with them soon
enough, I don't see the harm in telling you. Even I have to indulge my own
ego and pride." Wiseman said, laughing. He seemed to truly be enjoying
himself. 'Finally, after all my waiting and planning, I will have it all.'
He thought.
        "I had to make sure that none of you are reborn, and this magic,
strong, powerful magic, mixed with the poison slowly infecting everyone but
the inhabitants of the nega-moon, will make sure your soul dies along with
these bodies of yours. And then, who will be left to stop me from ruling?"
he said. Then leaning closer in, as though relating some confidential
secret, "And there is no cure. All these imbeciles in Tokyo -dead. And the
Queen - why she's dead too!" Tuxedo Mask could feel his finger tips biting
into his palms, trying to control the urge to brutally hurt the old man. He
was enjoying this, taunting them. And he was completely untouchable, the
glow still emanating from him, protecting him. All they could do was wait
for the inevitable.  Sailor Moon was crying softly, one arm loosely around
him, another around Reeny, who was coughing again. 
        "Darien, I'm scared. I don't want to lose you." Sailor Moon said,
her voice shaking. 
        "As you should be Sailor Moon." the wiseman said, looking at her in
disgust. 'Pitiful.' He thought contemptuously. 'To think that we could not
beat her in battle, that we had to use a poison, even if it was the only
way to defeat her - and in war, there is no pride. In this war, we did what
we had to do to win.' He wished he could stop them from making some sort of
sappy, pathetic scene, tear them away from each other, rip their hearts out
before he took their souls, but then he would only be able to watch one of
them die. So he gave them their moment, despite the nauseating  pain it
gave his stomach.
        Tuxedo Mask began to cough slightly, trying to hide the fact that
he was beginning to be affected by the poison. Every possible plan to
defeat the wiseman all just didn't work. He had no idea what else to do,
what could beat him - except for the crystal, which wasn't an option. If
Sailor Moon had it, she would have used it by now. So now, what could he
do, besides give up? What other options were left?
        "I'll find you again. I swear." Tuxedo Mask vowed, holding Sailor
Moon close to him, wanting to feel her beside him before it was too late.
He leaned down, closing his eyes, and kissed her, losing himself in her for
the moment, all thoughts of the events of the day forgotten. He felt warm
and safe, as though the sun was shining on him, as though he were smiling
on the inside, and golden raindrops were spilling over him. How he loved
her.
        Sailor Moon knew that she had to protect him. She couldn't lose
him; she refused to lose the scouts, to lose her family. She just wanted to
keep them all safe. She loved them, and you're supposed to protect the ones
you love. She would die to keep just Darien safe, give her life if it would
let him live only one more day. How she loved him.
        "What! What is this?" The wiseman  screeched in rage. The two were
glowing, a soft white light enveloping the two. He shot a bolt of
lightening at them, but the blast died as it hit the light. 
        Something stirred in Sailor Moon's heart, something forgotten,
something powerful. Things were going in slow motion. She slowly broke away
from Tuxedo Mask, and raised her arms towards the sky, her fingers
outstretched,  moving as though underwater. 'I'll fix everything. I don't
know how, but I'll save them all.' She said to herself, determined. 
        Tuxedo Mask stared at her in awe. Sailor Moon, floating inches off
the ground, her eyes shut, her face serene, and in her hands, the crystal.
His princess, so beautiful. Did she remember? He could hear her calling to
him faintly, asking him for strength. 'Help me, as you helped me so long
ago.' And he closed his own eyes, feeling something bright fill him,
something that was a deep  part of him, then leave him in a single,
powerful wave.
        The crystal Sailor Moon held suddenly was hit by a beam of pure
white light.  It glowed brightly, pulsed, and when the light died, had
grown larger, the size of Sailor Moon's fist. Her eyes flew open, facing
down Wiseman.
        "Please, stop this." she said, giving him one last chance. Her
voice was full of compassion. "Heal them all. There's no reason for any of
this." 
        He threw a bolt of energy, vast and black and bottomless, at her,
making his decision. She closed her eyes, concentrating, the moon sign
glowing, as a wall of pure crystal grew in front of her.
        "So that is how you learned that. Did that  trick save you from
death before?" Wiseman asked, attacking ineffectually again. She blocked it
again with the power of the crystal, this time not only stopping with the
defense, but using her considerable offensive powers. She let loose a
steady beam of light, tunneling it towards him from the crystal. It crashed
against his own shield, meeting it's match. The black energy began to
battle it's way forward, slowly making it's way closer and closer to her.
        'Please let me be strong enough. Please let me do this, let me
win.' She thought, almost screaming out in frustration. She wasn't strong
enough. Even with Darien's part of the crystal, his half of the love that
was the basis of the crystal's power, it wasn't enough. What more could she
do? She cried out in her mind, searching blindly, trying to find something
to fortify her, trying to remember whatever she had to know to face this
evil down.  She remembered her mother, Queen Serenity, and her sacrifice
for her daughter. She remembered her scouts, her best friends in the world,
and Luna and Artemis, her brother and parents of this time. She remembered
Andrew and Lizzy and Molly and Melvin, and Matt, who she liked, but only as
a friend. She remembered Darien and everything they had shared, how he had
so sweetly made her fall in love with him all over again. She couldn't let
them die - she loved them too much to lose them all. 
        The room shook as the light exploded in a small nova of white. The
magical blast burst out the windows, shattering them in one swift second,
past all the shields the Wiseman had placed, showering the world in it's
silvery light. Tuxedo Mask could feel memories crashing into him, not his
own, but Sailor Moon's memories, and the power of them were like a fuel
more powerful than any other substance on earth, so filled with love were
they. Her power had grown even more, and was dangerously close to the
Wiseman, almost engulfing him. Her hair whipped around her like  a halo,
the power of her crystal creating a powerful wind as she battled the
Wiseman. He was but a small dark spot in a sea of white, screaming out in
anger.
        "I will return Sailor Moon, I guarantee." He said quickly, before
disappearing in a column of black light. 
        Sailor Moon lowered her hands, letting the crystal float back into
its proper place, then lightly returned to the floor, standing shakily on
her own two feet. Tuxedo Mask stood beside her, wrapping an arm around her
to steady her. He could tell that if he let her go now, she would surely
collapse.
        "Serena?" he asked, remembering what had happened the last time she
had used the crystal that much. She looked too pale to him, too weak.  She
rested her head against him, her head over his heart.
        "I remembered." She said softly, smiling. He returned the look
lovingly then coughed again, still feeling the effects of the poison that
was slowly dying inside him. It was as though he had been healed. Perhaps
he had. The crystal! Serena must have healed him. But what about the
others? Had she healed the entire city? Could she heal an entire city?
Behind him, someone stirred and groggily got to her feet.
        "Is it over?" Mercury asked, sounding spent. She smiled as she saw
the happy couple in front of her, then pulled out her computer, typing
away.
        "It seems that we're all healed. My God Serena how did you heal
everyone in Tokyo? What did you do with the poison?" Mercury exclaimed.
Sailor Moon merely smiled. Mercury turned back to her computer.
        "The north pole? You locked it in a crystal in the north pole? I
don't believe you Serena." Mercury said. 
        "You said freezing it was the only way to stop it. So I did. And
you complain that I never learn anything. Something to do with cell
division slowing down or something, right?" Sailor Moon said happily.
Mercury held her hand to her head.
        "Honestly Serena, I don't know what we're going to do with you."
she said exasperatedly. But Sailor Moon didn't even seem to care. She was
in a world of her own in the arms of Tuxedo Mask. Mercury held out her hand
for Reeny to take.
        "Come on, let's go find the others." She said.
        "Yeah, they probably want to make out again." Reeny said in a low
tone. Sailor Moon turned her head around and stuck her tongue out at Reeny.
        "I heard that spore." Sailor Moon said.
        "Well it's true Meat-ball head." Reeny said.
        "It's good to know things are back to normal." Mercury sighed,
leading Reeny out of the room. Sailor Moon let her head fall back against
Tuxedo Mask, and held onto him, both standing there silently for a moment,
enjoying each other's presence. Slowly, Sailor Moon backed up, still
holding his hands, and looked up at Tuxedo Mask, their eyes meeting.
        "Darien, did you really think that I wouldn't love you if we
weren't who we are?" she asked, choosing her words very carefully. 
        "I don't know. I love you so much, just you, Serena, but you never
had any reason to like me I guess." He said. Sailor Moon again pulled him
into an embrace, this time fiercely hugging him.
        "But you gave me one these last few weeks. This time, you can be
sure that I fell in love with you, Darien Chiba." She said. "And don't you
ever forget it." She smiled as an idea crossed her mind. She stood on the
tips of her toes, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply.
She released him, a look of surprise plastered over his features that gave
her some odd satisfaction, and she beamed at him.
        "What was that for?" he asked, almost breathless. 'I love her!' he
thought, the phrase repeating itself over and over.
        "Well, if you ever lose your memories, I figured you'd at least be
able to remember that." she said, giggling. Tuxedo Mask smiled.
        "Well, if that's the case," he said playfully, pulling her close
and holding her tightly, "since you seem to be the most current amnesiac
around here . . ." 
        
        "The End"


        Wow, it's done - wowowow - the longest thing I've ever written I
think- so what do you guys say? Yeah, nay, icky ending - or was it
massively cool? Should I continue to put off my Calculus to write - or turn
into another Ami - it's all up to you, just send me an e-mail and tell me
what you guys thought of the story. All comments are way welcome, (yes,
even negative ones) and thanks to everyone who wrote me - Lianne, Sailor
November, Talon (my way cool proof reader person) Princess Serenity,
Laurel, and a whole crew of others that is just way too long to name. Later
all
Razzz



