Sailor Moon 1. Prelude

Taken Away

08.06.05

Sum: Jadeite receives an unlikely gift that will forever change his life.

An: Everybody tries to play Rei off as a bitch, but she's not…

_Child, It's Ok_

Prologue:

A little girl in a white dress sat against a tree, tears coursing down her face and dripping off her jaw. She turned and buried her head into the silken folds of her skirt.

"Don't cry." A young man with blond hair handed the girl a gray cloth that matched his uniform.

She looked up with him, her large eyes in her tiny face were misted over by tears. She took it and dabbed at her cheeks. "Who are you?" She asked in a meek voice.

"Jadeite." He ruffled her soft blond hair that was up into pigtails and the ends curled around her face. He pushed back her bangs to allow her better sight; they had over-grown without the proper care. "These are very cute bows you've got in your hair and on your dress." He commented on the black ribbons at odds with the rest of her.

"Gillian did them." She didn't beam at the compliment but she at least stopped crying.

"Why were you so sad?" Jadeite sat down onto a bench across from her. She strained her neck as she tilted her head back to look up at him.

"Everybody I've ever known is dead. I'm all alone in the world." She told him in a small voice.

"That's not true." Jadeite held out his hand and she took it, coming closer.

"Why?" Her baby-blues were so trusting.

"You know me, and now you can't claim that." Jadeite fingered the ribbon at her sleeve. "And Gillian did these, where is he?"

"He's the care-taker of the children's ward. I was the last child left to find a home, and I still don't have one. He died." A tiny vertical line appeared as she frowned trying to remember. "A car-di-o-." She hesitated then shrugged her tiny shoulders. "His heart stopped working this afternoon."

Jadeite's eyes narrowed in pain for the small girl. He knew too well about death.

She leaned over and rested her hands on his thigh, looking up at him. "Will you leave me too?" She hiccupped.

Jadeite looked the small girl over. She looked like an angelic fairy with her large crystal eyes, small body that was still somehow showing the signs that as a woman she'd be beautiful. Her blond hair seemed to have a life of its own as it curled softly framing her cherub face. She was such an innocent child despite all the terrors she no doubt lived through. Beryl would have his head for this, but maybe he could keep it from her…

Jadeite ducked his head, for some reason the girl's tiny fingers seemed to reach around his heart and wouldn't let go, he couldn't let her go. "No angel, I won't leave you." He held out his hand to her. "Let's go home."

She placed her trusting hand in his.


	2. I

Chapter I:

"You never seem to get older and yet each day I grow." Serenity's bright blue eyes looked at her guardian with inquisition.

Jadeite had known the day would come when his 'niece' would question the world around her and question _him_ and her place in the world. He just hadn't expected it to be so soon. It seemed like only yesterday he'd brought the small girl into his hideout away from base. "It is my curse as well as my blessing."

Serenity seemed displeased with her uncle's answer. She smoothed her white skirt out over her knees. Around her pale slim wrist was a black ribbon tied into a bow. She'd always done it and she never remembered exactly why that was. She fiddled with it now. The action didn't go unnoticed by Jadeite's keen sight. Already she was showing signs of woman hood in her figure. She was sixteen and her stick limbs and body were slowly rounding into the curves she'd have for the rest of her life. She was a beauty already and it was hard to convince her to stay away from boys her own age.

She was small in every area but he noticed that her hips were flaring out, her small shoulders widening slightly and she was starting to grow in other areas as well.

She was in the awkward age between childhood and maturity.

Jadeite never considered himself a tall man, especially compared to some of his comrades and he was even short compared to his female leader but he considered her tall. Serenity only reached the shoulder of his five foot eight frame. He knew she'd become ever more enchanting with age, never loosing her purity that radiated from her soul and showed throughout. She'd also become the focus of every male attention soon; her beauty kept growing with every step she took in life. Somehow he knew that she'd have the perfect figure most men dreamed about with the beauty to rival Aphrodite and Helena and every other woman to ever exist.

Someday soon she'd fall in love with a man and Jadeite knew that any man she chose would not be stupid enough to let her go without a fight.

No she wasn't probably ever going to be sexy with generous curves and wanton eyes but she had the looks that you tried to hold onto but could never quite touch or completely understand.

Jadeite had named her Serenity for not only her looks but also her disposition; she'd always been so calm and curious, the unreachable, unattainable, caring soul. However as she grew, he'd also seen her quirky, have fun attitude.

Right now she was worried, the small silver beads around her neck and shoulders made themselves around her back and arms like a wrap. They were going to a party tonight and there Jadeite would be working while she blissfully had fun and enjoyed her time. She was in a simple white dress that would pass the semi-dressiness of the party. He wore gray slacks and a white dress shirt and would be throwing on a black leather jacket on the way to the party.

Bringing her along was always dangerous, especially if anybody noticed that she was a lot of times in the same spots as the attacks and caught on that she was somehow connected to it. He didn't always bring her along, just the ones he thought she'd enjoy and this was one time he couldn't afford to allow her to stay home.

"Why is it your curse?" She had an inkling at what he did for a living; she knew they were different from the rest of the people she met. Serenity too was different although Jadeite had nothing to do with that and he couldn't yet quite figure out what made her different.

They both had the ability to do strange things with their minds and bodies.

If he weren't careful he'd start believing that she was _it_. However she couldn't be because _it_ was long gone, probably died with the death of _her_.

Jadeite rounded back his shoulders; he had taken too long to answer his niece. "What did you do to deserve a curse placed on you?" She somehow made it to his side without him knowing and took his hand firmly into hers. "What did you do Jadeite?"

He couldn't truthfully answer her because he didn't know exactly himself. He just pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear what he could say. "You are my angel, nymph, any curse that is on me, I'll gladly bare as long as I have the ability to know you."

She pulled away, a question firmly planted in her gaze. "It's not because of you that I have this curse." Jadeite however didn't know how false his statement was.

Serenity frowned before nodding, that vertical crease from childhood still in place as she mulled over what he said. "If it isn't my fault… then why is it there?"

"I don't know for absolute certainty but I have to think of it as a blessing as well because if I had aged at the rate you do, then I'd probably be gray and balding and we wouldn't have nearly as much fun as we do."

Serenity laughed as she conjured that image up. "You'll never be old."

Jadeite enjoyed a chuckle, with her, he could laugh and be happy for at least a short while. "Well, put it from your mind dear, because we're going to be fashionably late if we leave now."

Serenity twitched her nose and they were outside, a block away from the party, in an area that unless somebody had been standing exactly there they wouldn't have seen them come.

Jadeite lightly punched Serenity in the arm. "Have I told you how annoying that is? That I'm jealous that you can just wrinkle your nose and you can transport yourself, and me to wherever it is you want to go?"

Serenity blushed. "Sorry." But her sly glance up at him ruined any sincerity her word might have provoked. "I'll let you do it next time if that'll make you happy."

Jadeite rolled his eyes and they walked to the mansion with the party already in full swing. Serenity instantly got lost in the crowd while Jadeite went his separate way.

Jadeite headed to the hallway and walked down the corridor towards the room where a private meeting was going on. Jadeite rested his hand against the wood and could hear inside. The lock clicked after he heard enough and he entered the room, calling upon his monster to drain their energy. He stood over one of the men, and put his hand to the chest.

A flame arrow cut through his path and his eyes locked onto the four warriors dressed in sailor fukus standing in defensive positions. They were dressed in different colors but each had the same white base. The four were pests alone but when the tuxedo wearing, roses wielding boy was around they were positively annoying.

"No corny introductory speeches today?" He taunted ignoring the look the one in the red was sending him, warning him to back away.

"None." The tallest of the group, wearing green agreed.

Jadeite nodded, a smirk on his lips. "Too bad. They're my favorite part of my day." He shrugged. "Oh well, get them Mioni."

The youma this time was a coiled spring that at the very moment was pouncing on the senshi. Jadeite returned to his searching of the intended victim. Jadeite pulled out what he was looking for and disappeared. He knew when the youma was destroyed, could feel Beryl's rage as the pain hit her as the energy to form it was ripped away. It didn't matter to Jadeite what Beryl felt, she sent him on a mission and he completed it. If it hurt her in the process, all the more power to it.

Jadeite made three rounds before finding Serenity, enough time to make sure nobody had noticed him reenter the building and head straight for her. When he came across Serenity again she was with a girl about her age with long hip length black hair. The girl had her maroon sleeve covered arm behind her head and was laughing at something Serenity had said, the black almost violet hair flared outwards. Two strands of hair on either side of her bangs were four tiny brown beads. Her square necked maroon shirt was lined in gold around the edges and it clung to her youthful body also beginning to show the signs of womanhood. The sleeves ended with black dangles that mirrored the ones on her below the knee tight black, no line Capri pants. Her feet dangled over the edge barefoot with her gold sandals on the ground.

Despite her young age, he felt himself strangely drawn to the cute youngster. She was too young to even attempt to ask out, her youth showing on her still childlike face but he knew he'd have trouble keeping away from her once she turned all woman.

Jadeite cleared his throat to remind himself and Serenity that they were through here. Serenity's blond head whipped around and the ever-growing length hit him square in the face. "Oh, Ja-" At his shake of the head she stopped. "This is Rei, my friend, I met her a few days ago but we instantly hit it off."

"Pleasure to meet you Jay." Rei blushed as she spoke to him, obviously shy.

Rei jumped off the stool and slid her feet into her shoes. "I've got to get going." She said before anybody could say a word after introductions. "The people I came with are getting antsy." Rei turned to Serenity. "I'll be seeing you around and hopefully someday it'll work out that I can introduce you to the rest of them." Rei turned her head to look at Jadeite again. "Well it was nice to meet you, even if we didn't get a chance to really talk." She walked away and as she did, even though it was inappropriate, he couldn't help but admire her backside that would only grow sexier.

He shook his head to clear it before turning to the watching Serenity. "Don't say it." He warned when she opened her mouth.

She tilted her head in curiosity. "Don't say, 'let's go home'?"

"All right." He relented and took her hand in his, leading her into a private room and transporting them home.


	3. II

Chapter II:

Serenity was again in a simple white dress. This time it was short enough to be called a summer dress that she could just lounge around in, it didn't hug her figure like the party she had on almost two years ago. While it wasn't figure clinging it didn't leave much to the imagination. It did round softly over her ample bosom and rounded buttocks and fell straight to brush her nicely shaped thighs. The top was a simple scoop neck with spaghetti straps.

Serenity was sitting on the ground with her knees bent to rest one arm straight and the other against it with the hand over the straight arm. She was gazing down at the ground in sadness.

"I've seen you this way only once before, what is it this time?" Jadeite crouched down next to the only truly good thing he'd ever done.

"I don't get it." She told him.

"Don't get what?"

"Why no matter how bad I become, no matter how provocative I dress and act, people still see me as the good, sweet innocent girl."

"It's the eyes." He explained gently. "You can change everything but those. You don't have cold, cruel eyes; you don't have the smoldering temptress eyes either. People always have the ability to read eyes and yours are filled with truth, inherent goodness and, peace."

"Eyes tell everything." Serenity summed up. "But what do your eyes say?"

"What do you mean?" He brushed away a lock of golden hair that hadn't changed in color since he first met her when she was little more than a brave two year old.

"You look at me and your eyes soften and I see love, love of family, love of time. You look at Rei and I see something more. You look at my friends and they hold nothing negative. How can you be cursed when you have so much love to give around?"

Jadeite swept her into a crushing hug. "I told you to forget it, it's not a curse if it's allowing me to live and love."

It had been two years and all of the girls that Serenity was friends with had fully developed into their adult bodies. Each of them had been kind of cute in their own way when they were younger and now each was beautiful in their own way. However to Jadeite only Rei and Serenity had any kind of special, lasting, beauty. Those two were the most and looking objectively Serenity was the better looking of even the two but Rei was the temptress where Serenity couldn't quite reach it, at least to him.

The four young women that came into their lives had stuck around where others faded. There was a special bond between them that Jadeite could only witness from a distance. Sometimes however Serenity was left out of get-togethers with the others when they got together. He'd seen them every once in awhile when he stopped by Rei's temple.

They were never over to the hide out, Jadeite forbade Serenity from even allowing them to know where they lived. That meant Jadeite only met her friends in social settings and they didn't know the connection between Serenity and him. They didn't know that the lived together and they never learned Jadeite's full name. She never learned why that was, but Jadeite knew, _knew_, the more people who knew his name and where he lived and who he roomed with, the greater possibility of it getting to the senshi, or worse, _Beryl_.

Serenity pulled away and got off the carpeted floor. "I think I'll go outside for awhile, I don't know when I'll be back."

Jadeite waved distractedly his goodbye. His niece was now eighteen and finally an adult. Soon she'd be moving out and going to University and then forgetting all about him as she made a life for herself and a husband and any children. He'd be a grandfather before he knew it and he wasn't even related to the woman and her children would be older than him. Then their children would live, then theirs. He'd be alive forever in his twenty-nine year old body and his favorite people would die long before he would. This innocent flower he raised all alone would be gone and what purpose had he none it? None. It wouldn't matter in the end. The flower would just wither and die, as would the memory.

The fact that he could care for something so innocent and pure and not taint it did not change the fact that he did not change from his evil form. She was wrong, he didn't have so much love to give, his one act of goodness had been on her and he would not regret it. He would never allow her to know his true form for as long as she lived, be that a hundred years or less.

With Serenity gone, smoke rose up into a column around him and he transported himself to the wings of Beryl's chambers. He had a room in this hellhole. The entire place was black or gray. The walls were endothermic, drawing in all the heat from the outside and making it colder as precipitation clung to the walls. His room was kept up like he lived there, or at least slept there. Which he did, occasionally. All that was in the room were more General of the Negaverse uniforms and a cold bed. There was not a spot of cheery color in the entire underground. Even the reds were somehow demented into ugliness, including the massive hair on his leader's too large head.

"Jadeite." Beryl hissed, she did not sound pleased. "I have given you four years to rid yourself of the sailor brats and that pesky boy and you have not done so yet."

"No, I haven't." Jadeite agreed. "However your orders have stated to get what you want and if I kill them, it's a bonus. So far I have never failed a mission yet."

"This next mission isn't quite so easy."

"As you've said thousands of times." He mumbled to himself.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, Queen Beryl." Jadeite lowered himself onto one knee. "I have not said a word." He bowed his head. "What is your next mission?"

Beryl looked him over. "I have not noticed it before now, but my power seems to be slipping in control over you. There's been a change in you for years now, but you have never spoken back to me."

"I have not spoken against you my queen." Jadeite kept his eyes trained to the ground, she was saying only the truth but she was a stupid woman. She had completely been oblivious to a little two-year-old running around for a few weeks not paying any heed to the dangers and coldness that wanted to close in on her.

"All right Jadeite, here is your newest mission, it is a girl. Do it wisely, and this time I do not want this youma destroyed by the senshi."

"Yes, my queen." Jadeite bowed his head lower before disappearing back to his hide out.

"Follow him." She said to the seemingly empty air.

"My liege." A curling voice agreed before the man disappeared as well.


	4. III

Chapter III

Serenity sank to the grassy ground on the hillside behind her house. Part of it faced the water and the other faced the park she adored to visit ever since she was a young child. She sat there for seemingly endless hours in previous days just staring out onto the water, wishing she could forever live like this.

Now one leg was stretched out behind her over the other ankle and she was twisted so she rested on her hands that were spread out onto the ground and she leaned into a straight line with her head tipped up towards the sea and her hair flaring out behind her.

She did not notice that her simple white dress clung to her bosom and tiny waist or the way the skirt fell around her thighs. She only knew that she enjoyed breathing in the fresh ocean air.

"A penny for them?" A man with dark hair hunkered down next to her, looking out past her shoulder at the waves crashing against the cliff.

As she gazed down the hillside she noticed for the millionth time that her house was hidden away in the protective shell of jagged rock and ocean. She turned her attention to the man sitting besides her. He seemed at ease talking to a complete stranger as if he was asking a casual question to an old friend and it didn't rile him that she took a few moments to form an answer.

"I was just thinking… about how life is so fragile." Serenity finally put words to her thoughts.

"How's that?" He sagged to the ground and stretched his legs out in front of him to look at her head on.

He was a long limbed man who was easily taller than her uncle and his face looked as if it belonged to a male model, high cheekbones, lean frame that designers dreamed about. He had the eyes of an enigma. Even with a few side-glances at him, she could see the intelligence in them, the passion in their stormy depths.

Serenity shrugged before returning to stare out upon the ocean. Asking, she ignored all normal convention with strangers to get at the root of the conversation. "Do you believe people can live forever?"

"In essence, yes."

"Explain."

"People's bodies cannot live forever, however even as I speak I'm probably being proven wrong with all the new inventions like freezing a person are being developed. But most people's bodies cannot be preserved forever, the mind shuts down even when you are in all technicality still living." He tugged on his light brown slacks to straighten them out.

He seemed hesitant about continuing. Serenity noticed and urged him to finish. "Please, go on. I would like to know what you think, this has been plaguing me for ages."

"A person however can live forever in what they do and whose lives they touch and its an outward expansion from there to whose lives those people touch because of said person. Or like Shakespeare, nobody knows for sure if he existed as one person or even if he was male but his works continue to intrigue and entice people for centuries. So, in essence, yes, a person can live forever or as long as people let them."

"I agree with you there, but what if I said I was a million years old, magik or otherwise."

"With a k or a c?" He teased before sobering. "Then I'd have to say, it's pretty powerful stuff. If you've lived for a million years either your immortal, sold your soul to the devil, cursed or your time is running out."

"But immortals live forever and you said you don't believe in people living forever in anything but essence." Serenity pointed out.

"I never said it in so many words. If I see it with my own eyes I'd believe it. Immortals or Gods live forever but I've heard stories that even they can die if you know how to do it right."

"And if time's running out?" Her crystal blue orbs locked onto his stormy dark ones.

"Then I'd say it's too bad because I've just met you."

It elicited a half laugh half grunt smile from Serenity. "I haven't lived for a million years. It's a stupid subject and I shouldn't have buried you in my thoughts."

"I asked for it, remember? I believe I owe you a penny." He slid his hand into his trouser pocket.

"More like I owe you ten dollars for the weight I unloaded on you, besides a penny doesn't get you anywhere anymore."

"True. But a million thoughts will get you somewhere." He took her hand and put the penny into her open palm before closing her hand with his other one and his hands stayed there, cradling her hand between his warm ones for longer than necessary.

Serenity gradually tugged her hand away. "It wasn't necessary to do that."

"Now you can't say I never gave you anything."

"I can't say anything about you because I don't know who you are." Serenity gently reminded him.

"Darien Shields at your service." He nodded his head towards her.

She took the offer and grinned before replying. "I think we have mutual friends. Serenity King-General. I often go by Serenity General though." He opened his mouth but she slid in to say something first. "And before you make any comments, it's General as in military position, not general as in general parts, ect."

"Wouldn't dream of making that mistake, there's nothing general about you." Darien stretched out onto the grassy slopes. "You don't mind this do you? I'm beat and it feels good to relax next to somebody I can just talk to."

"Not at all, do whatever you want. It's a public park and you're free to do whatever blows your sails. It's not like I have to talk to you either." Serenity dropped to her elbows and leaned her chin against her newly formed fists. "What made you so tired by the way?"

"Late nights, studying and… working…" Darien's expression soured on the word before he caught himself in his dislike. "Friends too recently, one had a nervous break down last week."

"Which one is that?"

"That's right, you said we had mutual friends, which ones are those?"

"Rei, Ami, Lita, and Mina."

"You're not Serena King are you? The girls have gone on and on about you since they met you, they've been trying to set a date to get us to meet saying that I'd like you for this reason and this reason and this reason, that we'd hit it off as great friends. I'm sorry when you said your name it didn't register because the girls always say 'Serena this, Serena that.'"

"You make me sound horrid." She wrinkled her nose in dislike.

"Not at all, if I do I'm sorry. I didn't put the two together for a moment. Serena King, wow, finally, won't the girls be surprised that we didn't need their help in meeting."

"It would be except that's really not my name."

"Serena King? Then why do you let them call you that?"

"In school they call me Serenity King because my name isn't legally additional with General. I was adopted and I really love my family but I knew my last name was King before my family, so it was never legally changed." Serenity shrugged her pale moon kissed shoulders. "I add the General to everything I do and eventually people will get used to it enough that it will just kind of not matter that it's not technically my name. I'll be legally changing it to either just General or King-General later this year. As for Serena, only the girls call me that, they shortened my name two years ago because it was just too long to say all the time."

"Serenity." Darien let the name roll off his tongue. "It's not too long for me to say, it's graceful, like it's owner."

Serenity blushed. "Thank you." Her gaze returned to see for a moment before she spoke again. "You know the girls talk about you constantly too. I was always wondering if I'd ever meet the mystery man or if he was an imaginary friend."

"An imaginary friend would have been easier to get a hold of." Darien joked. "I have been so busy but I've always meant to meet you. You weren't that easy to tract down either, whenever I had a day free and even knew weeks in advance you'd have some excuse and couldn't meet me."

"I have family obligations."

"That's it, that's all you're going to say?"

"You going to tell me what you were busy with?"

"No."

"Precisely."

Darien's watch beeped and he ignored it still staring at the beauty he just met. Serenity's attention however was peeked by the noise and she tore her eyes away from the setting sun and grabbed his wrist. Darien almost wrestled his arm away but he stopped himself with only a tensing as her small, long fingered warm hands collided with his hot skin.

She let out a squeak before rising in a hurry. "I've got to go, I didn't realize how late it was."

"Wait!" Darien called out, trying to stop her and she turned to look at him in mid stride. "Answer me one question." At her nod he continued. "Is it true, are they right, do we like each other?"

Serenity opened her mouth to say something, and he'd never find out what it was because her eyes grew large as saucers as she looked over his shoulder. Darien glanced behind him and saw a brunette man leaning casually against a tree looking down into the bay. Darien turned his attention back to the young woman. She nodded quickly before she took off into a sprint down the path and out of view.

Serenity ran the corner, blinked out of sight and sneaked into her house, she knew nobody could see her unless they knew how to get down to the tree covered, rock blocking mansion. The only other entrance was by the sea and while it was peaceful now it would only take a faint breeze to crash the waves upon the shore. Somehow those waves never damaged her home.

She had never been able to teleport directly into their house, but neither had Jadeite. They always left the door unlocked whenever one of them was out of the house. She tried the inner door but it was locked. Serenity frowned before knocking loudly. "Jadeite, it's me, open up!"

The door opened instantly but he wasn't in sight. That man enjoyed playing tricks on people!

"Come out Jade, we need to talk!" Another door creaked open and Serenity walked into the open hallway. The door closed behind her and yet another one opened to his study. She walked in and around the corner there he sat with his feet propped against the desk and a brandy in his hand.

"What about, nymph?"

"You know those three people you told me to watch out for? That if I ever saw one, I should tell you but make sure I didn't talk to them or let them see me if they hadn't already and definitely not to see me disappear?"

Jadeite dropped his feet and leaned forward. "And you saw one?"

"No, I saw a little girl fall off the slide. _Yes _I saw one. The brunette."

"Did he see you?"

"No, he was looking out onto the water. Why? Why are they so dangerous? Are they the ones that put a curse on you?"

"No, no." Jadeite waved away her concern. "What was he doing?"

"Staring out onto the sea and leaning casually against a tree."

"Are you sure it was him?" Jadeite's lips tugged down because so far what she explained didn't sound like something the darker haired man would do.

"Positive, you practically burned their images into my retinas."

Serenity looked at Jadeite in confusion. "Will anything happen to you?"

"Not if I complete all of my missions." Jadeite froze and looked over at her.

"Not news to me." She assured him and he relaxed.

He leaned back in his chair. "Good, I wasn't sure how much I have sheltered you."

"The right amount." Serenity sat down on the armrest next to him and laid her head on his shoulder.

"I love you angel."

"I love you Jade."

"To me you'll always be that young girl that squeezed my heart when I saw the first tear and stole my breath when you smiled."

"You'll always be my hero who was ten feet tall to a little girl." She raised her head to look at him. "What will you do about the man?"

"I'll take care of it, don't worry."

"All right." She would, he knew but she wouldn't bring it up again.


	5. IV

_I'm moving this part of the story along alittle faster than I had intended but you have to go where the muse takes you I guess. Also I might be changing the title to this story but then again I might not, it still fits I suppose. Let me know what you think... yada yada, read and review yada yada. Without further delay, here's the story:_

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Chapter IV

Jadeite heard rather than saw Serenity as she entered the room. "Jadeite, we need to talk."

He groaned at the words and looked up at her over his book. He was in the middle of a rather interesting mystery. "Please don't tell me you saw another one of them."

"No, nothing like that." She agreed with a smile. "It's about my plans for tonight."

Jadeite completely tore his attention away from his book to look Serenity over. She was wearing a pair of lace up light brown boots with black string, orange socks scrunched at the top. Her long legs were left bare until matching burnt orange shorts clung to her willowy figure. A dark brown belt was laced through the loops at her hips. Tucked into her shorts was a black sleeveless turtleneck top that laced in the front showing an almost oval to be seen between the lines above her bust. Upon her wrist was the solitary black ribbon. She held a pale yellow purse trimmed in a matching orange with black handles.

"Where are you going dressed like that?"

"Out." She told him simply, toying with a blond strand from her impossibly long pigtails.

"With whom?" He questioned.

Her blue eyes were not able to tell him the truth as she looked onto his desk rather at him. "A boy."

"Which boy?"

"Darien Shields." She glanced up at him, her eyes pleaded for him not to cause trouble. "Can I rely on you not to do anything sneaky?"

"He sounds familiar."

"He's the one the girls wanted me to meet. I met him without their help and we hit it off well. It's only a movie."

"Alone?" Jadeite's eyes narrowed slightly.

She met his eyes with hers; his were the color of his namesake, an intense green with flares of blue in the inner irises. "Yes. It's a comedy, not horror or romance, you don't have to worry, and I'll be back before you know it."

"What time?" He wanted specifics, Serenity had hardly ever ventured out on a date before, boys hadn't interested her all that much, thankfully, it allowed him to shelve his concerns. Until now it seemed.

"Eleven."

"Absolutely not, that's five hours from now, no movies take that long and besides it's a school night."

"Nine? All my homework's completed." Serenity hedged, trying to get Jadeite to relent. Finally he did.

"Only if the next time you go out with him, I get to meet him."

"If it's at night, deal." Serenity disappeared before he could argue and Jadeite with a small smile leaned back in his plush chair. That girl was turning out all right.

With Serenity gone for the night Jadeite returned to work, disappearing from sight just as the door swung close and she herself left.

"Jadeite, there's a new mission for you." A long blond haired man said as he thumbed his way through the newest Chemistry book in Russian. Jadeite only stared at the short man.

"What?" Zoicite snapped finally looking up at his fellow general.

"I'll never understand why you like that stuff. What's with Chemistry anyways?"

"Why do you like your mysteries?" Zoicite countered. Zoicite read everything under the sun even the romance novels from way back when. Jadeite didn't know how he could even ask that when Zoicite liked them as well.

"You know, down on Earth I met a young woman that'd be perfect for you." Jadeite teased.

Zoicite shut his mouth and raised his book back up to his face to hide the blush creeping across his cheeks. "You know I don't like women."

"I know you're frightened of them, especially with Beryl being who she is." Jadeite taunted. "But come to earth with me and see that women aren't all _that _bad."

Zoicite let the comment about Beryl slide. "Watch out for fire on your way to the throne room, would you?" Zoicite cracked a grin as a shivering wince went through Jadeite and his shoulders tensed up. Jadeite sent a death glare at the slightly smaller man.

"Bite me." Jadeite said charmingly.

"Only when you stop having women falling over you." Zoicite was quick with his response. "That includes all those female youma you keep to entertain you."

"Mr. Witty." Jadeite sent back.

"Mr. Popular." Zoicite looked smug as Jadeite failed to come up with something to say. Usually he was smooth in his responses but this time he couldn't think of anything.

Annoyed Jadeite sent a final leer and disappeared out of the room and into the long hall corridor. "Mr. Popular." He muttered to himself as he walked. "What type of response is that?"

"JADEITE!" He cringed as Beryl thundered down upon him; he had entered the room unknowingly. "Fetch me that jug of water." His job had been to collect energy for the witch, not play servant boy.

He did what he was told, secretly wondering at the use of Jug, it didn't sound very royal, in fact it sounded like hillbilly slang.

"Queen Beryl, I am at your service, what can I do for you today?" Jadeite bowed low refusing to make eye contact with her.

"That's better." She calmed down slightly, her hair settling back over her too pale shoulders.

"I am pleased to satisfy you." Jadeite's gaze was on the gnarled armrest to her throne. The curls destroying the dragon's face as it roared at those who looked at it.

"There might be a promotion in the works." Beryl tried to make her voice pleasing and entice him and he only nodded in response. "This is a very special mission. I want you to drain a senshi's energy. I believe that alone will supply Metallic nicely for some time to come."

"Where is this attack to take place?" Jadeite questioned, tilting his head in a show of listening.

"The Henry Plaza." Beryl grinned wickedly. "There are enough people around to catch the attention of at least one of those annoying senshi." She paused deliberately. "If the cape wearing buffoon shows up, take his energy instead."

A smile curved Jadeite's lips. "As you wish, Queen Beryl." Jadeite disappeared in a flash.

"My Majesty, you called for me?" Nephrite bowed low before Beryl.

"While he's attacking the park I would like you to attack a movie theater: the Huddle Palace."

"Yes, my Queen." Nephrite faded away into thin air.

Serenity and Darien were walking into the theater. "I'm sorry about last time." Darien apologized to her as they handed their tickets over to the usher.

"To your left, screen seven." They were told as the usher ripped the tickets in half and handed the receipt back.

"It's not your fault a youma attacked, I'm just glad that we're finally going out on a real date." So far they had gone out together as friends or with friends but never as the two of them being romantically involved.

Darien pushed back a chunk of blond hair that determinedly fell into her eyes. "I am too, it's been far to long that I've been feeling what I have towards you without actually being allowed to do anything."

Serenity smiled shyly as she glanced up at him, the words filtering back into memory of the question she asked Jadeite not too long ago. "What do my eyes tell you?"

Darien gazed into them for a long while before he found the words to tell her. "A youthful, vibrant young woman who cares." He took her hand into his and brought her knuckles up to his lips. "One that I can't seem to ever completely separate myself from. Attractive, sexy, _mine_, and yet somehow unattainable."

He opened her palm and placed a kiss over her visible love line. "You are all woman to me."

Serenity surprised him by wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him. "Thank you." She whispered. "You don't know how much your words mean to me."

Darien dropped a light kiss onto her nose as she gazed up at him. "Come." He disentangled himself from her and led her into the movie theater holding her hand.

They chose two empty seats in the theater and they ended up being in the exact middle. Darien sat down first and Serenity tugged on her shorts before she sat as well. She set her purse down on the ground and propped her feet onto the chair in front of her. Darien sank low in his chair so his knees brushed the one in front and this way he was more level to Serenity's height.

The previews rolled through the screen eventually so did the opening credits. The movie turned out to be an action comedy and just as the movie neared it's climax complete with explosions and car chases a youma tore through the screen and sent out a spray of some kind onto the audience.

They all seemed frozen to their places as Darien jumped up and pulled Serenity out of the room. The rest of them gallivanted from their shock and all rushed to the exits as well. Darien and Serenity were hustled in the crowd but somehow they managed to get out and find a calm spot away from the rest.

"Serenity-" Darien gripped her shoulders there was an urgency in his words. "I want you to leave, go home, find some place to hide, something."

"No way!" Serenity jerked away and took his hands in a grip. "I'm not leaving without you!"

Darien looked torn between the screening room and Serenity. He finally looked back at Serenity, his mind made up. "Sorry!" He grounded out before he kissed her.

Serenity taken by surprise tensed before melting into his embrace but seconds later she slumped into him, passed out. He caught her before she fell and took her into the women's bathroom.

Darien Shields soon became Tuxedo Mask, the rose throwing pansy Jadeite always swore about.

Darien as Tuxedo Mask fumbled around with the new gadget Mercury had devised and finally got it to work, his gloved thumb pressing down onto the Mars symbol.

When her face appeared on the screen he hissed. "We've got a problem."

"We've got one too." Mars told him as she avoided a particularly dangerous looking ice crystal. "The park has at least a hundred civilians unconscious."

"Serenity's here." His words froze the flame sailor cold.

She glanced down at the screen she was holding, a frown marring her otherwise beautiful face. "Do you need help?"

"I don't know, I just dealt with Serenity." Mask glanced at the door hearing the screams on the other side as patrons fled the quaint theater.

"I can send Jupiter, she's expendable right now." Mars cringed. "Maybe Venus."

"No, no, just come when you're through there and hopefully by then I'll have gotten rid of it myself."

"Nobody's ever been able to defeat a youma by themselves unless they were consumed by rage." Mars pointed out as she dodged another attack.

"You better pay attention to your own battle. I'll see you soon." Mask cut the connection and sending one last tender gaze at Serenity he disappeared out of the door.

He couldn't waste time or the surprise attack with speeches even though he was just boiling to tell the stupid youma off for ruining yet another date. With a flick of his wrist he sent a Tuxedo Le Smoking Bomber as well as a dozen roses. The youma roared in pain and was considerably slower from erstwhile he came.

The youma set its sights on him and the phantom youma disappeared only to reappear behind him. Tuxedo Mask could sense her movements for youma were considerably less talented at the grace in transcendence than the generals.

Tuxedo Mask sent a rose directly where the head will materialize and waited to hear the youma scream before he turned around. The youma clutched at it's eye where the rose was lodged firmly in place.

"Darien?"

A soft echo went around the room and Tuxedo Mask's head snapped up to see Serenity stumble into the place. Serenity had looked in earlier, the youma was gone and a strange man was standing alone in the aisles not facing her but the raven hair had looked so familiar.

Tuxedo Mask groaned as Serenity came into view, he didn't know how his spell wore off so fast maybe it was because he hadn't put much heart into putting her to sleep but he'd figure it out later. Right now all that mattered was to protect her, he couldn't risk leaving with her as it was he was the only thing keeping the youma from tearing the place up.

The youma on discovery of a new being reached its phantom hand towards Serenity intent on draining her energy. Tuxedo Mask bowled into Serenity and rolled with her out of the way. She gripped his white undershirt to her as she closed her eyes in anticipation of the ground.

She slowly opened her eyes, the shirt stretched out as her hands held it to her chin and her eyes darted around to see what happened. The mask, which previously adorned the hero's face, was lying on the ground beside her knees. Her eyes sought out the man and the dark Lapis blue eyes looked into hers. Serenity scrambled to her feet as she looked at the man who she thought she knew. She gapped for a moment as her eyes gazed over his tuxedo-clad form this time without the top hat or domino mask.

He took a step forward consternation arresting his features. Serenity shook her head quickly as she dropped down to pick up the mask. She came forward reaching up and she settled it back over his eyes with a small smile across her lips.

No words were needed in this exchange, they both understood. Tuxedo Mask sent his hand out and the hat came flying in an arch around them before plopping itself onto his head. He pulled off his cape and at first Serenity refused it but she finally relented and let him settle it over her in order to keep her safe.

Serenity with her arms crossed underneath the cape clutched the edges to her and she stood off to the side watching the transactions.

Amid the fight Nephrite was doing so as well. He arrived shortly after Serenity replaced Tuxedo Mask's guard and doing so he missed the knowledge of who the cape crusader was but he didn't miss the tenderness between the two. He added this information as well with the image of the girl into his report. Later he would consult the stars to see the best course of action against her.

The youma was nearing the point of expulsion where even one more powerful blast could destroy it and Nephrite didn't want to cause any more harm to his Queen and Sovereign. He disappeared for a moment before reappearing again shortly to call back his youma; Jadeite had succeeded in draining a senshi's energy.

Tuxedo Mask's rose went through the youma and lodged itself into the concrete wall behind it as the youma vanished. He could find no physic traces to show that it was going to pop up in another area; it had retreated. He whirled on his heel and dragged Serenity into a crushing hug. "**_Never_**." He growled. "_Never Do That Again_."

She nodded against his chest, her arms pinned between them as she awkwardly returned the embrace. They held their positions for a few moments before Serenity pulled herself away with a scowl on her face. "What on Earth were you thinking going against a youma by yourself? I know your all high and mighty Tuxedo Mask, protector of the weak and all that but by _yourself_?" Serenity huffed.

"Darling-" Darien tried to cut off her tirade because it was so cute but he had to stop her from getting it all wrong.

However Serenity was on a roll. "How dare you use a kiss for such devious purposes as to knock me out with your powers! I suppose this is the important 'job' you had that made it virtually impossible to do anything else. No wonder you never had time for girls if this is what you've been doing with all of your nights. If I was any other girl I wouldn't want to date you if every kiss we shared had me passing out-"

"Mmphmh!" Serenity was cut short as Darien's lips claimed hers.

The frequent reminder of what he had briefly tasted tonight was too much temptation to ignore for him and he took the opportunity. This time she didn't collapse after a few seconds of passion.

A barely heard drop to the ground behind them had Tuxedo Mask pulling away and pushing Serenity behind him. Whoever it was had to go through him first.

Tuxedo Mask however didn't realize that his mask was crooked and his top hat fell off yet again with his confrontation with Serenity and despite trying to look menacing there was a joyful line around the edges of his lips.

"D—Tuxedo Mask?" Sailor Mars asked bewildered. "Did you defeat the youma?"

"Sadly, no." His tone didn't sound too woebegone. "Did you?"

"Jadeite recalled it before we had a chance. What happened here?"

"It was almost dead when it was recalled, I don't think it took any energy."

"That's strange." Mars was conscious of Serenity behind Darien and she sent a disapproving gaze at him. "I thought you dealt with Serenity."

"I did, she awoke early." He didn't seem to put out about that either.

"She has a potential boyfriend." She warned him, the warning wasn't in the words she said but rather what she didn't and that was a civilian couldn't get attached to a warrior, it would never work.

"That's right." Serenity piped in her head tilting to the side as she looked over Sailor Mars. "I'm guessing you're Rei."

"You told her?" Rei was stunned that Tuxedo Mask would ever surrender that information. He was their leader but in many ways they all were capable of giving orders until they found the princess and when that happened then the prince would be given second rule unless it conflicted with whoever was the head guard.

"It wasn't as if I had much choice, my mask flew off and she saw." Mask powered down to Darien and Serenity blinked, she still wasn't used to the knowledge they were one and the same. It was strange because she was used to weirder things than that.

"How she guessed it was you?" Darien shrugged in his way of non-caring. "Would you like to go over full details now?"

"Not in front of Serenity. She might know about our identities and us but it doesn't mean that she gets full knowledge of the senshi." Mars looked from Darien to Serenity as she said the rest. "It isn't personal, it's just a way to protect you and to guarantee our plans don't fall into the wrong hands."

"Trust me, I'm good at secrets but I understand." Serenity stood on her tiptoes and kissed Darien's cheek. "Go with Rei, I'm going to go home. I'll see you tomorrow."

She strolled out of the building, a slight wiggle to her hips as her spirits were lifted to a new height. Darien had kissed her twice. She ducked underneath a lotus tree and as she stepped she left without a trace.

Darien watched her go and when she was no longer in sight he turned to Mars, finally taking in the damage that was caused. He sighed; they wouldn't be going to a movie anytime soon. Mars dropped to being Rei again.

"They took Mercury's energy." She stated bluntly without preamble.

"I'm sorry, I should have been there then the youma would have been destroyed before it completed its mission."

"They purposely did this so we'd be divided. Jupiter carried her back to the temple. I don't even know if your presence would have helped, once Jadeite puts his mind to a task we haven't been able to stop him from doing it."

"Not yet, but eventually he will make a mistake and we'll win every aspect of the battle."

"Or we will make a mistake and die." Rei countered gloomily.

"There's five of us and at most three of them, we have more heads to watch out for that." Darien's positive mood from kissing that beautiful girl moments earlier fizzled out just slightly to take off the buzz but not the more potent of it. "Is Ami hurt or anything?"

"No, she's going to be fine."

"Then can we discuss this tomorrow? I think I might actually have an early night for a change. You should relish it as well."

"I will. Good night Darien." Rei nodded slightly before going out the room's 'emergency exit' sign. Darien took to the other one and to the motorcycle in the closest stall. He wasn't _too_ concerned about Serenity getting home safe, she insisted on meeting him here so she couldn't live too far away.

Jadeite sat in the military room of the base. It wasn't like they needed yet another more oppressive room on the campus but this one just about freaked him out. There were shadows in the dark room that even with a flame couldn't lighten them. The part of the room that was visible to the eye had cracks and holes that had dead things as well as living growing in them.

As Jadeite waited alone with goose bumps crawling over his skin and he didn't want to know what else, Nephrite gleamed into sight. "Nephrite." Jadeite greeted congenially.

Nephrite nodded briskly.

At least he responded, Jadeite thought slightly put out. The dark haired general might have been spying on him recently but the man seemed time often cold and arrogant. The man had always been a snob especially to him, he had always been jealous of Jadeite being ranked higher than him. He blinked suddenly, _where had that thought come from_? He'd never been a higher ranking than the dark haired man. Even if he had, why would he be jealous? Years previous he had been told by him in no uncertain words that he thought he was in every way higher and better than Jadeite.

"What are we doing here? If it was just to report to the Queen we could have done that in the throne room."

Jadeite knew that Beryl had sent him on a separate mission, she wouldn't have had another general on Earth if she didn't intend to use him elsewhere as well.

"We will wait and then I will unravel what I have learned. Why you are here I cannot fathom."

"I asked him to be." Beryl addressed the two of them and they both stood up straighter with their arms hanging loose at their sides. "Nephrite, show me what you have gained in this expedition."

"My Queen." Nephrite unveiled the crystal ball Beryl often used to show them their new missions. "There is this girl."

An image of Serenity huddled in Tuxedo Mask's cape appeared in the crystal. It took every ounce of Jadeite's will power not to visually react to it. His heart he could not keep from lurching. How Serenity got involved he didn't know. He had tried so long and hard to keep her out of _this_ type of danger. The one night he let her out of his sight and with a boy and she became center focus for all he tried to avoid. Perhaps he could still fix this.

"It seems she is precious to the masked idiot. I have seen her once before, a few months ago the first time I came to Earth. She was with a boy slightly older than she but she went away not long after I arrived."

Jadeite froze, now that he'd thought of it- his first day on Earth he had met Serenity. It wasn't for another few weeks that he was able to devise a plan to keep her out of the headquarters. It had to be a fluke though; Nephrite was looking for him, Serenity never ventured too far from their home.

"What makes you say that she's dear to the black knight?" The question came from Beryl but any could see she was getting excited by the chink in the enemy's armor by a mere slip of a girl.

"She's wearing his cape, he deposited it on her himself."

"From this imagery." Jadeite gestured to the short scene playing out. "It appears she's the only one there so he could very well be just protecting her."

Beryl tapped her lips engrossed with the image. "We'll give it two chances. First one, Nephrite, I want you to outright attack the girl, see if the man comes to her rescue. If it's the senshi the mission's a bust and we'll have to try that one again. They'll just be doing their fabled job."

"The second one?" Nephrite was getting into this.

"Attack something random and if she's near-by and Tuxedo Mask goes to protect her before all others then she's our bait."

Jadeite filed that into his memory; they'd just then be conveniently out of the state. Serenity wasn't getting attacked, not even to prove that she was or wasn't connected to Tuxedo Mask. "What shall I do Queen Beryl?"

"Stay out of the way." She dismissed him with a wave of her hand and as he left her eyes was trained on him. "Watch him also, there is something not quite right."

"He retained your energy."

"Senshi energy, almost as good as warm senshi blood." Slight fangs appeared in her eyeteeth before they vanished and her eyes returned from blood red to the ugly yellow-brown-green that she usually had.

She shrugged. "I guess as long as he completes all his missions correctly I cannot be compelled to discipline him." She turned her attention back to Nephrite. "Is there something you want?"

"No, sorry my Queen." He dissolved into the air around him as he transported himself to his chambers. He pulled out a bottle of his finest beer and un-capped it. Until they were released by Beryl they could only remain on the base. Once they were allowed out once, they were at their own leisure as to when they came and went unless they had a pressing mission to complete. He settled down onto his favorite chair and savored the taste of his beer. This was one of his conquests out on his many travels stateside and he settled in to enjoy it.

Jadeite returned to the house he had built for Serenity and him to share. He opened stormed into the building intent on giving her a firm tongue lashing for being seen. That was until when he found her on the floor in the living room. A brush was in her hand, as it lay forgotten on the ground beside her. Her hair was down from its customary buns with streamers flying. Instead her hair laid in soft waves down her back, tamed for the night.

She was wearing an empress waist white nightgown the black bow tied directly below and in between her breasts. It was a scoop neck that ended well above anything considered immodest. She had white puffy sleeves that covered her shoulders. The lower portion laid in folds down her slim waist and the skirt bunched at mid thigh. She sat on the back of it but it still had some fabric lying flat on the ground. Her other hand lay in her lap as she looked out onto the sea crashing gently upon the surf.

Serenity was alerted to his presence and she turned her head with a smile blooming on her fair lips. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her innocent ones so filled with life and energy. When she had turned her hair had flared out and most of it went behind her as she shifted but one lock rested on her shoulder and hung down her front side.

Jadeite dropped to his knees beside her and pushed it out of the way. He shook his head at her. "You know, I was all set to yell at you."

"Why?" She inquired, those blue orbs focused on him with nothing but adoration and curiosity.

"Today you've made my job several degrees harder." He gently uncoiled the brush away from her and started to run in through her hair to see if she missed anything. He used to do this when she was just a toddler. He hadn't done it for a while but neither of them minded the task too much. It soothed Jadeite's taunt nerves as he parted the golden streams of hair on his niece's head.

"How?" Jadeite had almost forgotten his last comment or woes but her question brought it all back to him.

"It doesn't matter." He smoothed her hair straight down her back and sat away from her to look her head on. "Do you know what my first thought was when I saw you sitting here? How young you looked, despite your maturity I was hit by nostalgia and your youthfulness. I saw you and I thought you were fourteen again."

Serenity bit her lip. "Oh." It was all she could muster up. To one man she was nothing more than a child and to another she was a grown woman, it happens.

"Promise me that if a youma attacks that you'll find someway to leave, to get away from it. Don't go to Tuxedo Mask. Depend on any of the other senshi but don't give any indication that there's something besides heroism between the two of you."

Serenity pondered it for a moment before finally nodding. "All right Jade." She agreed, he had never steered her wrong before. "Do you promise that you won't hate my boyfriend without giving him a chance?"

Jadeite broke out laughing and when he calmed down enough he whipped his eyes. "I'll give him a chance Angel."

"Thank you." Serenity spoke though muffled through his shirt's folds.

---

_Actually this chapter turned out better than I thought it would. I apologize for the length I hadn't meant to go so long but this story I've been trying to end somewhere near the bottom of the Micro Word Page not at two lines on top. I'm trying to make it look more professional and then maybe I have some type of hope to finish it. After this week don't expect very many updates. I've just gotten a job and I'll be working a lot more towards school work. So far when I sit down to write I generally complete a chapter. This one however was kind of cut into thirds. So yeah, please Review, I always enjoy what people think of my stories. Especially the nice ones. I don't know who said it but 'they like me. They REALLY really like me!' . Right, well onto the other stories I suppose. Easy Rivals anyone?_


	6. V

Chapter V

The three of them finally decided to meet at Henrietta's, Hinckley's most famous restaurant but it offered the seclusion Jadeite needed away from prying eyes.

Jadeite stood when Serenity brought over Darien. "Hello." He held out his hand.

Darien took it with a firm grip. "It's nice to meet you sir, Serenity talks about you all the time."

Jadeite held his gaze for a long moment and satisfied Jadeite sent a glance towards Serenity. "She does, does she? Nothing I wouldn't like?"

"Nothing but praises Mr. General." The two men froze as the word settled in the air and they looked closer but then they ignored the faint warning as Serenity pried their hands apart.

"Shall we sit?" She coaxed the two men.

They both shot her a rueful smile and sat. Serenity sat between them at the small wrought iron round table. She was wearing a spegetti strapped orchrid pink dress. The top outlined her bust with frills on top. Two strips ran down from the joint between the two cups to the dip in her **Basque waist **skirt. The rest of the bodice was puckered. The A-line skirt flared dramatically until it reached her knees in small pleats. She brushed the skirt under her as she sat down.

"Mr. General." Again another pause and Serenity placed her hand over Darien's. He glanced at her before a smile broke across his face and he returned the grip. "Serenity has neglected to mention what it is you do for a living."

It didn't go unnoticed that they were in the best restaurant in town. Darien wasn't hard pressed for money and never would be as he continued his degree in physics.

"Please, call me Jay." The waiter came and took their drink orders and an appetizer. When he left Jadeite spoke again. "I'm a international real estate seller."

"Really? How's that working out for you?" Darien asked with at least a little interest.

"Oh great, I'm selling a castle in England right now. Have you heard of Windsor Castle?"

Darien's lips twisted, he knew he'd been had. Serenity laughed as she rubbed her eyes and shook her head. Jadeite never failed when he meant to duplicity anyone. That included her, she's lived with him almost her entire life and still he caught her off guard every once in awhile with one of his jokes.

"I see where Serenity gets her sense of humor." Darien stated dryly. "What do you really do?"

"I do work internationally, but most of my work concentrates around here. I'm a book editor."

"I see." Darien shot Serenity a look and she nodded, that's what he basically did when he felt like it. Whether he got paid for it or not she couldn't say.

"I also work on a broadcast station. I'm mainly a free-lance worker working on odd jobs here and there."

Serenity stood up. "Excuse me, I must go to the restroom."

Jadeite watched his young niece go and was hit by the realization that she looked like a ballerina. "Did you pick that dress out?" Jadeite asked the young man sitting across from him.

"No." Darien laughed. "I tried to dissuade her from getting it. It draws too much attention for my liking."

"I wish you wouldn't curtail her extremities. But I have to admit it's rather _vibrant_. It looks good on her though."

"It does but it makes her look young." Darien agreed; the dress was part of her personality, demure but turned heads and got tongues wagging.

"She is young."

"Not that young." Darien countered.

Jadeite looked the man over, trying to use his slight _age_ to his advantage but all Darien probably thought was that he was eleven when Serenity was born, could either be a young uncle or a much older brother. "Too young for you, what are your reasons for dating a girl so much younger."

"It's only two years." Darien defended.

"She's not even out of high school yet, it's a huge difference in maturity. You've got that extra experiences even though it doesn't seem like much to her but she doesn't realize how much she's got to learn."

"I agree she has a lot to learn but she's the most mature senior I've ever met. She knows how to have fun but at the same time she's conscious of her actions. My _intent_ions are no less honorable than yours are for Rei."

Jadeite was about to make a comeback when Serenity sank down into her chair again. "So, what were the two of you talking about?"

"How fitting that dress is for you." Jadeite said pointedly towards Darien.

Darien didn't reply to that, he only turned towards Serenity slightly more. "That was a short trip to the restroom, no girl goes that fast. They have to fix their make-up and hair and talk to about a hundred people on the way there and back and who knows what else takes place as girls go into that room which men never venture towards."

"I didn't actually go towards the bathroom." Serenity relented. "I had a phone call and I didn't want to take it here. It was Rei. I guess both of us forgot to tell her that we had a date tonight; she called looking to see what was up. She's in this area now, would either of you mind if she joined us?"

Both men shook their head no, they wouldn't care, but Jadeite brightened. Rei was a beauty, she had charm and sincerity. Whenever he got a chance to see her his day could never be bad. Serenity headed away again to call Rei back.

"I promised Sere that I'd give you a chance and I'll honor that promise." Jadeite straightened and held out his hand. "Let's start anew. I am Jay General, pleasure to meet you Darien Shields."

"Pleasure's all mine Jay General." Darien was secretly pleased that Rei was coming because it would take some of the edge off Jay.

A few minutes later Serenity came back with Rei in tow. Rei sat down on the other side of Jadeite and they waited for the waiter to come back again. Jadeite sent covert glances towards Rei.

She was wearing a jewel neck white top that covered everything from her primly tucked in waist to her sleeveless shoulders. Around her almost violet black hair was a red bandana which tail ends were tied behind her head and hung loose down her back with her hip length black hair. She had gold star earrings in her ears and connected to them were hoops, which encircled another star. The scarf somehow matched the flowers on their table. Her legs were tucked under her chair with a red pencil skirt covering her knees. She had white pumps on the dainty feet, which were crossed like a princess would.

As she had grown she had blossomed with beauty. She was classy, sophisticated and yet a temptress all at the same time. Jadeite hardly spoke directly to her and when he did it was because she answered a vague question he put out there or Serenity dragged them into a topic together.

Darien hung back as he rested against his chair and watched the scene, one hand was under the table and the other rolled his food onto his fork. Serenity kept sending him covert glances under her eyelashes and he'd respond with a lazy grin.

Jadeite caught the transaction and sought to bring Darien to attention. "Serenity tells me you're an orphan."

Darien's head snapped around to the man and he frowned. "She told you that?" He looked towards Serenity and she made a guilty grimace with her lips. Darien relaxed again and shrugged off Serenity's apology in her eyes. "Then the two of you must be close."

"We are." Jadeite agreed. "How do you pay for school if you don't have your parent's financial backing?"

"The government does wonders on student loans, and scholarships too when you have a sob story." Darien pulled an angel hair noodle up to his mouth and ate it.

"I see." Jadeite caught Serenity's astonished look and he inwardly groaned at his stupid-ness. Serenity was an orphan as well and it was only with his help that she didn't remain one. Then he remembered that Rei too had a hard family background. Her mother died, her father left her in her grandfather's charge as he explored the political field.

"I'm sorry Rei, I didn't mean to rehash old wounds."

"That's all right. I'm not as hard off as some people. I love my grandfather and he loves me. It's best this way, I'm stronger for it."

The meal was coming to a close and Jadeite signed the bill and added a ten percent tip. "I'll-" He was going to suggest walking Rei home when he noticed the whispers between his niece and her boyfriend but his plans changed when he felt the familiar tug return after years of disuse, it felt as if somebody was squeezing all the air out of his gut. "I have to go, I just remembered that I have one of those freelance contracts I was talking about."

"We'll be fine Ja-" Serenity bit her lip and shook her head in frustration, she was going to call him 'Jade' but that would be causing too many questions on why she added the extra 'd'. "I'll see you later."

Jadeite comprehended then why he was feeling the tug. He quickly leaned across the table and hugged her. "Remember what I said about Tuxedo Mask and the scouts." He whispered so only she could here. "See you then."

He left before anybody could say anything and he returned to the base just in time as Nephrite appeared on scene. He sent a blast hurtling towards Serenity's table. Rei and Mamoru jumped up in surprise at the new general.

"Did they figure it out?" Rei hissed to Darien.

"Couldn't have, he's new." Darien responded, together they blocked the path to Serenity.

"Then why did he attack our table?" Rei questioned.

Serenity squeaked.

They turned to see a youma behind them with Serenity wrapped in some type of gook. She was unable to move. The rest of the patrons stopped what they were doing and watched in awe as the youma started to suck her energy.

"It's not attacking anybody else." Rei stated amazed.

"They're after her!" Darien growled.

"They've never attacked an individual, specific groups yes, but nobody in particular."

"They've never sent a different general than Jadeite either." He hissed. "You attack the general, I'll go for the youma!"

Their plan however was faulted as a blast sent them careening out of the path between Serenity and Nephrite. "Come out Tuxedo Mask." Nephrite sing-songed quiet enough so if Tuxedo Mask really was in hiding he wouldn't overhear the taunt and know it was a trap.

Darien and Rei heard it however as they slipped away behind the wall to transform. As Tuxedo Mask he let out a silent frustrated yell. "They're using her to get to me. Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have let her stay in the room during the last battle."

"Wait." Mars put her hand on Mask's sleeve. "They don't know if that was a one-off or not. You take care of Nephrite, and I'll help Serenity."

"With pleasure." Tuxedo Mask cracked his knuckles.

Mars winced. "You and Jupiter." She complained. Mars contacted the other two senshi and together they left the room.

Sailor Mars sent a flame arrow towards the youma as she forged a sword out of fire and cut loose Serenity's bonds. "Run." She told her and Serenity didn't argue as she slipped away. Tuxedo Mask was fighting with the new general in hand-to-hand combat after sending a rose into his shoulder.

Serenity disappeared into the restrooms and seeing that it was cleared transported herself away to her home grounds. She felt better, not great, about leaving the two alone this time because there _were_ two of them. She dialed the number for the local TV station and told them what was going on. That done she turned on the TV and waited for any news about her friend and boyfriend.

Three minutes after she called the TV cut out from it's daytime soap opera and turned to the latest fight. Three more sailors arrived and Serenity knew them better as Ami, Mina and Lita. She watched the battle through the eyes of the lens and eventually the man that attacked her grinned at the newscaster and it felt like he was looking directly at her and gave a haughty bow before he fizzled into the air around him.

Serenity watched with avid fascination as the senshi all turned their sights onto the youma. They each unleashed one attack before it crumpled into dust. Serenity took that as her cue and she reappeared into a bathroom stall. She listened with avid ears as the commotion died down and she reentered the dining room.

The senshi were gone and Rei and Darien were coming back around from the wall they had hidden behind earlier to transform. Darien saw her first and instantly pulled her into a bone-crunching hug. Rei slipped her way through the crowd and joined in, hugging Serenity fiercely. "Kami Serena, that was terrible."

Rei had slipped into Japanese, her native language and while Serenity didn't understand the exact words she understood enough.

Serenity opened her arms and included both of them in the hug instead of just her receiving it. Jadeite returned a few minutes later as they were trying to find a safe way out, sailor battles always ended up with the place being a wreak.

"I heard the news, are you all right?" He looked over Serenity carefully as he pulled up her hair and any visual damages.

"I'm fine, fine. Really Jay." She slapped his hands away, pleased of his caring.

Except for a green slime, she was all right. He turned his distressed gaze towards Rei. "How about you?"

"I'm ok as well." She gained a scratch on her back from when she fell into Darien at Nephrite's blast. "I just wish I knew who this new general was."

"You got a good look at him?" Jadeite hadn't seen her on the screen as he watched from base in Beryl's crystal, neither had he seen Darien after the two got pushed to the side.

"Not really, I was hiding underneath a table so I wouldn't get hurt." She lied, she noticed that Jadeite was about to say something to Darien so she covered for him as well. "I wouldn't let Darien go find Serena, I was sure she was fine, the senshi came in and took care of it like always."

"Ah yes, the senshi." He'd seen that pest Sailor Mars use her fire attacks on Nephrite's youma and between pretending to be angry at Beryl's plans being faulted, and internally flinching at the use of fire he was glad that she saved Serenity. "Nymph, are you ready to go home?"

She glanced up from where she was talking silently with Darien, he could only guess what and nothing good from the way Darien was soothing her. "Yes." She was a little tight lipped when she answered.

Together they walked out of the restaurant and towards the hillside where they disappeared into the shadows.

Rei and Darien remained where they stood. "That's a strange relationship." Darien commented.

"It's a fine relationship." Rei countered but secretly she wished it wasn't so secretive.

"Come, the girls wanted to talk about this attack when we were sure Serenity was all right. Luna knows about her knowing and we had the meeting with her already scheduled for today so it can add even more worry onto her milk dish."

Darien cracked a smile at Rei's joke and he slid an arm around her shoulders. "Good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor."

"Good to see you've gained one." They walked down the street to Rei's shrine. They met through their private school despite having two years between them. They both originated from the area and had met a year before the others came into the picture, six years ago.

Serenity however wasn't too pleased with her uncle when they returned home. "Was that what you called being nice to my boyfriend?" She demanded in that soft but firm voice of hers.

"I never promised to be nice. I promised to give him a chance. Do you want to know what I thought of him?"

"What?" Serenity didn't really want to know.

"I liked him." Serenity gapped. "What? He put up with my BS well."


	7. VI

Chapter VI 

Serenity entered the room wearing a pair of bright orange overall shorts with a big bow in back. Underneath it was a long sleeved shirt of a different orange. That same orange closely matched her slightly more yellow socks, which peaked out over her flat brown shoes. Her hair was done up in a messy bun on top of her head and she placed sunglasses over the bridge of her nose.

"Where are you going?" Jadeite asked as he saw Serenity head for the kitchen. He was working on one of his broadcasts and was in perfect line of sight of the stairs and kitchen. He wasn't working in his office today; he enjoyed the change of scene every once in a while.

Serenity looked adorable in her outfit and she sent a serene gaze across to him that rivaled her namesake. "I'm packing a lunch." She told him smugly and promptly ran into a clear shield. "Ah, no fair." She whined before concentrating and walking through it. "You let me off easy with that one."

Jadeite shrugged. "All a part of the game. Where's Darien taking you today?" He asked looking up over the wireless glasses perched on his nose to read the small script. 

"He's not. Lita is taking me to a monster truck rally to see one of her friends during the short car races."

"A monster truck rally and car races all in one go? I'm so jealous." Surprisingly he was. Most of the time he'd much rather be wining and dining a beautiful woman, preferably Rei and he'd even done the Cruise line attack but a monster truck rally would be a change of pace that he would have enjoyed.

"Well if I like it, we can go some time soon." Serenity suggested.

"That would be great." Jadeite smiled at her before going back to his reading.

Serenity tilted her head and the bun sloshed to one side. "Never mind." She mumbled and vanished.

Jadeite followed suit not long after but instead he went to the base camp.

The Queen was on one of her power thrills and this time she was having her merriment by forcing all four of the generals to eat at the table with her. Jadeite sat down but he wasn't the last to join as Zoicite came stumbling in. "My apologizes, My Queen." He bowed low in apology. "I had spilt ice cream all over my new favorite uniform and I was unable to present my self accordingly."

"If I may offer my advice." Nephrite cut in smoothly. "Perhaps you shouldn't have Jadeite bring you such atrocious things."

"Shut up Nephrite." Zoicite snapped before settling down.

A few minutes had passed by without considerable cause for trouble until Zoicite spoke again. "Can I have the mustard Jadeite?"

"I'm not done with it." He squirted a little onto his hot dog before squirting some more on the other side. "Still not complete." He spread some in the middle then made sure the whole length of it was covered.

Zoicite grew annoyed and shot his hand out across the table to take it from Jadeite but it squeezed out all over the table. "This is all your fault."

"My fault, you brat, if you hadn't tried to take it from me then it would never have happened."

"If you weren't trying to rile me by taking your sweet time there would have been no need to try and take it."

"You should learn patience."

"If the two of you are quite done with your bickering like little children, Queen Beryl would like to say something." Nephrite cut in with the arrogant grace he always held.

"Thank you Nephrite, remind me to give you a reward for not stooping down to their level."

Kunzite heard the words being said but he knew that eloquent jibe towards the other two from Nephrite was his way of stooping down to their level. He had good reason to believe that the ice cream incident was entirely his fault as well.

"Being able to rid you of the senshi is reward enough my queen." Nephrite ducked his dark head of hair in respect.

"That is good to know but for the moment it is not my wish to rid us of those vermin. Not yet. I have a greater plan that they'll fit nicely into." Beryl's gangrene eyes flashed momentarily.

"My majesty." Nephrite bowed his head in submission.

"The energy we gained from the blue senshi has fruited us well in our collection. We'll use them to bring about their own destruction."

"How has Mercury's energy sustained us?" Zoicite's interest was peaked, he had never seen any of the mini skirt wearing women in real life, Beryl wouldn't allow more than two generals out at a time for any reason. Zoicite hadn't been too impressed by the senshi's efforts but if it somehow changed current living conditions- that was great.

"Her energy has given us the extra boost to make more powerful youma and to attack more frequently. Jadeite, I require you to keep draining energy from mass groups. Nephrite, you will attack the place we discussed last week, if that girl is there, don't directly attack her. When the senshi show up bring out another monster, one that s capable of draining energy from a scout."

Serenity leaned against the banister towards the racetrack where the cars were zooming by around the bend. She shouted so the girl next to her would hear. "So which one's your friend?"

"The one that's driving the turquoise one!" Lita shouted back.

"The one that's in the lead?" Serenity turned to face her.

Lita nodded with a huge smile. They returned to watching the race when the cars all safely crossed the finish line and turned off their engines Lita grasped Serenity's elbow. "Come Serena, I'll introduce you to them."

"Them? There's more than one?" Serenity asked wide-eyed. "Jeez, you're popular."

Lita laughed and didn't say anything in response as she lead the way. They were able to pass all the security agents without hassle and made it to the pit stop where her friends were patiently waiting on repairs and refueling for the next race.

"Lita!" A driver in a tan suit with turquoise stripes down the sides greeted as he worked off his helmet. "Michelle, Lita's here."

An aquamarine haired woman straightened and turned towards the sound of his voice and brightened when she saw Lita. "Well hello Lita, it's so nice to see you." She said demurely and walked towards them forgetting what she had been working on. "This must be the friend you spoke of."

"Sure is, Serena I'd like you to meet Haruka and Michelle." They each nodded their heads respectively as they were introduced.

Haruka finally pried his helmet off and Serenity realized her mistake, as she gazed upon the woman, not the man. "Something the matter?" Haruka asked.

"Oh no." Serenity insisted. "I was just admiring the fact that a woman was driving the winning car. It gives hope to all the aspiring female motor-racers out there."

"Most people don't realize I'm a woman until I lay it out for them in plain facts."

 Some of the men insist on seeing her topless before they believe. Michelle quipped.

"Some more than that but I'd rather just punch them and forget about it." Haruka grinned. "Now, would you like anything to drink? There's a cooler filled with anything you could think of next to the snack table." She nodded towards the garage that stored spare parts.

"A pink lemonade." Lita replied, she glanced at Serenity and changed her mind. "Better make that two."

Michelle looked like she was about to head off in that direction but Serenity cut her off. "I'll get it, it'll give the three of you a chance to catch up without the awkwardness of trying to inform me into the jokes." She didn't even wait for Michelle s agreement before she headed in to grab the drinks, one for everybody.

Michelle turned to Lita. "She seems nice."

"She is." Lita agreed adjusting her gray shorts so they hung further down over her thighs before switching the same methodical attention to her matching vest and black tank top underneath.

Haruka was watching her with suspicion. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." Lita replied too quickly and received Michelle's eyes narrowing as well. Lita slumped, bowing her head. "I didn't do anything. I didn't, I swear."

"Then why are you acting like it?" Haruka prodded.

"All right. She's Darien's girlfriend."

"That's nothing amazing. What does it matter?"

"He's finally got a girlfriend?" Michelle brightened. "And such a sweet young thing too. But I thought you said you've known her forever?"

"It seems like it. We were friends, we all were, the girls and I, friends with Serena and Darien respectively a few years before they even met. We tried to introduce them but they met by accident and they hit it off. "

"Why is that a problem?"

"Our lives. We never realized the risk that would be involved to somebody outside of us." Lita admitted.

"She got caught up in one of the attacks?" Michelle gasped and her attention shot to Serenity as she was handing a few drinks to the workers and chatting to them. "She seems relatively unscathed."

"She wasn't injured but we've come to realize the dangers that could befall somebody that is quite close to us."

"Honey." Michelle soothed. "We knew that danger could befall anyone when we agreed to this. We decided to take the bad with the good. A bond that would not break and unfortunately some people will die, it's war."

"Not yet they haven't."

"Why did you bring her?" Haruka had lost some of her good will towards the other girl as she listened.

"For a cover." Lita acknowledged. "There's a new general and we don't know what his motives are or what he does for attacks."

"What does Luna have to say?" Michelle asked.

Lita never got a chance to reply as Serenity returned and handed a drink to each of them. "That was one fantastic race you had Haruka. You've also got a stand up crew, each were bristling with knowledge and well guarding your secrets even though I didn't want to pry and find them out."

"I'm sure if you had asked they'd be gushing to tell you." Haruka bantered as she opened her coke. "That smile of yours is charming enough to coax an insane person into sanity and vice versa, I'm sure."

"Are you flirting with me?" Serenity raised an eyebrow.

"Does it bother you if a girl's flirting with you?" Haruka responded.

"No, flattered, but not available." Serenity teased.

"Then yes, I am flirting." Haruka winked. "But what harm is in it? I'm not available either."

"Will you tell me about your car? Is it a thirty-two or thirty-six rev motor?"

"Forty-one." Haruka countered. "First of it's kind on a race track."

"I knew it sounded too much like a kitten to be anything ordinary."

Their voices faded as they walked towards the car.

Michelle watched after them.

"Don't worry, you'll have Haruka back." Lita teased.

"It's not that." Michelle murmured. "It's her, something about her, I can't put my finger on it. I'm almost jealous of Haruka for all the attention she's getting."

"Oh, Usagi would have included you but she probably sensed that she cut off our conversation earlier and is allowing us to complete it."

"I'm not interested in it so much any longer."

Lita watched as Michelle followed the angel and Haruka to the car before she too followed. With Serenity like this it was hard to concentrate on something or anything that wasn't happy and good.

Serenity cheered Haruka on as she finished the final lap in the race. They were among the people to throw confetti and shouts as the race ended and a picture flashed as the winning car crossed the line. Haruka's crew, Michelle, Lita and with a grueling push Serenity, came out of the pit and stood with Haruka on the winner's podium for pictures. Serenity received a picture and she would frame it when she got home. This was a memorable day and Serenity was having a blast.

It wasn't until midway through the monster car races when people were changing cheers for whoever was winning or loosing, depending on each individual person, that a blast unplanned came raining upon the spectators.

People screamed in fear and even grown men in biking outfits cowered away from the site. Spawning from the liquefied metals was a woman's upper half made entirely out of titanium. She grew outwards and past the navel the materials started to change black. Her hands and legs were tires. Her body arched forward and the tires spun in one position before rearing off down the track. It plowed over a gaggle of teenage boys and started to suck their energy. As it did so it sent wheels towards the garages and replaced them once they unattached from her limbs.

Lita turned to Haruka and Michelle. "Take Serena and get somewhere safe. I need to go call for help." Lita pushed them off in the safest direction.

"I'll join you." Michelle spoke up and when Haruka stopped to argue Michelle pointed out a very important fact. "It'll even the playing grounds. You and Lita are the strongest two, you protect Serena, Lita and I will be fine. Now go."

Haruka dragged Serena away even though she was trying to fight it. They headed into the concessions stand. Behind the safety of bulletproof glass and metal walls Serenity turned on Haruka. "Please, she needs help, she can't fight on her own."

"You know?" Haruka asked extremely surprised.

"Do you?" Serenity countered. "You're not one of them."

"That's where you're wrong." Haruka dragged Serenity behind the wall so they couldn't be seen. "I am as is Michelle and that s why I'm staying here, in case something happens where you need protection.

"I'll be fine, you need to help them. It's only going to get worse." Serenity held Haruka's hand. "Look at me. I don't know what Lita told you about me, but Tuxedo Kamen's not here to protect me personally, so he can't whisk me away and confirm all of the enemy's half formed ideas. I'll be fine back here, go help them before they get hurt, I couldn't live with myself if they got hurt because of me."

"You're brave, but I promised I'd stay." Haruka was going to say more but her attention was caught by the cars now surrounding the two senshi and without even realizing they were as they fought the car frame woman.

"Save them, they need it more. Serenity pushed and Haruka fell under her unknown spell and did as she was told. She transformed and by the time she got to the first car about to attack the spell wore off and she didn't even think twice about it.

Serenity breathed a sigh of relief and was about to find someplace where she could transport herself to safety when a car came crashing through the door and aimed directly towards her. It was the turquoise one that Haruka had driven earlier. Serena was backed into the glass wall with nowhere to run as it revved up and tried to drive through her as it hit and sent her flying through the window. It was out shortly after and she barely had enough time to get up and start running before it was upon her again.

The hood banged loudly up and down as the jaws of the machine opened wide to eat her. A cord flew out of its confines and wrapped by one of the lights as if licking its lips. Somehow it managed to catch her and have her half in and half out of the hood looking up at the upper shell's inside as it swung down to latch shut.

Everything happened so fast that one minute she was facing certain doom and the next it stopped inches away from her body and was trying to grind itself close when at the very next moment she was out from between the metal teeth and was in a pair of strong arms and heard the lid snap shut, saved not a moment too soon.

She looked up to her savior and was puzzled to see Sailor Venus cart her away from danger. Serenity glanced over Venus's shoulder to see Sailor Mars send an enchanted spell at the car and it stopped moving, one of the tires popping off and crumpling as the air whizzed out of it and disintegrated.

"Thank you." Serenity breathed out a sigh of relief.

Venus nodded curtly and whispered. "We'll discuss this later. We need you to stop by at the temple tomorrow." She deposited Serenity without another word on the VIP floor and went back to join the fight. Serenity sat down miserably to watch the fight. She'd be safe up here and to try and run like the ones still streaming out below would only be worthless. The senshi were saving other victims and placing them near the top like her but nobody was placed in the same box as her as the others started piling up. One injured person was put with her and Serenity started to check his injuries.

Luckily he would live and she applied first aid onto some of his more dominant wounds. She covered him with a blanket and under the cover of the blanket she healed his biggest wound without anybody's knowledge. When she finished she was a little less luminescent than she was previously and sat back to watch over him as he regained consciousness.

He kept fluttering in and out of awareness and by the time the senshi finished the battle and took off he was finally awake and moving around. "I suspect that we can leave now." Serenity mentioned casually as she watched the crowds dismount from their safety cabins and Lita came looking for her.

"Thank you for watching over me and fixing my wounds." He had yet to notice that there was a bloody gash in his clothing but not even a scar on his skin under the slash. If he did he'd probably shrug it off as to somebody else's blood.

"I don't have a perfect answer to that but no thanks are necessary for I did what came naturally."

The two of them walked down the steps and split off. He went somewhere and Serenity joined her friend.

"You! Lita grated. "You put yourself in danger and Haruka! I'll deal with her in the morning!"

Serenity was surprised to see Lita so angry. "Lita, please, it wasn't Haruka's fault." Although Serenity knew Lita wouldn't believe that unless she let her secret go, but it wasn't just her secret so she let it slide and dealt with Lita's anger.

"I told her to protect you without transforming and what did she do? She became Sailor Uranus and joined in our battle."

"You would have gotten hurt if she didn't join you." Serenity chided softly.

"And YOU almost died because of her not being with YOU!" Lita was really livid and Serenity had never seen her like this that it almost was scary.

"I wouldn't have died." Serenity hastened to say. "Besides, they didn't attack me outright, I was just an innocent bystander."

"You wouldn't have died?" Lita had a bark in her laugh. "Did you know that if any car's hood slammed down like it was going to it would cut anybody in half? I'd like to see you live from that one."

"The other senshi saved me." Serenity knew she had been outmaneuvered in this conversation because she couldn't add what else she knew.

"Just in time, which was what we were trying to avoid. Now the enemy is going to think you know who we are and that you're something important, which you are but they don't need to know that!"

"I don't know." Serenity said under her breath. "We'll see won't we."

"Did Mina tell you about tomorrow?"

"She did."

"Finally something went right, I could have sworn she would have ditzed out and forgotten." Lita was being a tad harsh and Serenity stuck up for her friend.

"Mina's not a ditz, she gets excited sometimes but she doesn't forget important things."

"I know, Mina's, well, you'll find out what exactly Mina's position is very shortly." Lita sighed. "We have decided to let you in on a few choice bits of information because it seems that you will need to know them."

"Not until tomorrow right?"

"Unfortunately no, first you must pass Luna's inspection."

"The fluffy hairball that importunes constantly?" Serenity decided it was when Lita didn't reply but continued walking towards Haruka and Michelle.

"You." Lita growled as she stopped next to them. "I'm bound to say something I will regret, you're just lucky she's not the one or else you'd be outcast for not doing your job."

 We'll talk later. Haruka replied cheerfully and walked over to Serenity and sobered. "I apologize."

"Oh don't worry about it, I forced your hand." Serenity smiled reassuringly. "I'm just glad to meet the two of you, although with Lita's huff I don't think I'll be seeing you like this for a long time."

"We'll see." Haruka agreed and on an impulse hugged Serenity. "You-" Haruka shook her head. "Forget it, I'd never be able to say what I mean."

"I understand." Serenity moved onto Michelle leaving with the touch of her hand on Haruka's arm. "Hey, don't let Haruka beat herself too badly for what transpired, Lita's looking to do it anyways."

Michelle laughed, Lita had just said goodbye to her like she usually did but this time was glaring at Haruka and sending death threats. "Oh, she'll cool down soon, it isn't like Haruka almost killed you herself."

"Not this go around." Lita muttered and Serenity was hit by something akin to déjà vu.

"By the time we get home, I doubt she'll even remember." And if she did, Serenity would take away some of that spite. "I can't wait to see what you are amazing at, drop me a line sometime about an art gallery opening up that's displaying your work and I'll keep an eye open for any home concerts you'll be playing.

"Sounds good." Michelle agreed and they hugged their goodbyes. As Lita and Serenity left they waved to Michelle and Haruka and they waved back. When they left Michelle turned to Haruka. "There's something special about that girl."

"You don't think?" Haruka asked her love.

"That she could be?" Michelle followed her thought path.

"Nah, we don't even know if she truly exists." Haruka decided. "But if she did…"


	8. VII

Chapter VII 

"Where are you going?" Jadeite asked his niece when she was half way out the door. He was puzzled by her very human like way of leaving when she couldn't climb the steep cliffs or swim the raging ocean waters.

"I'm going to the temple."

"The temple?" Jadeite's eyebrow raised. "Since when have you been any religion?"

"Since now, kidding, Rei's temple, I'm going to hang out with her for a while."

"Sounds good." Jadeite was laughing underneath his statement, going to any type of temple had never been his idea of fun and he didn't see how Serenity and Rei would enjoy hanging out at her temple. Though it was probably like anybody's house except theirs and there were strangers always around the temple. "Have fun."

"I'll tell Rei you say hi." Serenity winked before disappearing.

Jadeite rolled his eyes at his niece before sending the dishrag around to clean up any dirt on the counters. He supposed he could have just waved his hand and it would all be clean but he preferred to watch the cloth wipe down the counters in some sort of semblance to what humans did. Serenity didn't even deal with the semantics of normality when it came to cleaning although she did walk out the door like a normal person; must be habits Jadeite decided.

Serenity arrived a block from Rei's temple and looked down at her watch, she was five minutes early. She dinked around for a few minutes before walking slowly to Rei's. As she rounded the corner she almost ran into Darien. "Oh hi!" 

Darien smiled down at her and slipped his hand in hers and spun her around so his arm landed on the far shoulder while their hands were still intertwined. Serenity switched hands to wrap her now free hand wrapped around Darien's waist. His free hand went behind his back and held that one too. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. They were still laughing as they mounted the stairs of Rei's temple and when they were half way up Serenity's feet refused to move.

"What is it?" Darien asked looking down at her then up the stairs.

"I know they are all my friends but I'm kind of nervous, what if Luna doesn't like me? Serenity hadn't really thought through all of this until now."

"Oh, don't worry if Luna doesn't like you the girls will probably kill her and that's not what to say what I'll do. Besides Luna s opinion doesn't matter as much as Artemis's and he loves everybody."

Serenity couldn't help but smile at that, Darien really did know the best things to say to make her forget about her worries. "I'm sure Luna would love to hear that."

"She doesn't need to know." Darien winked before ducking his head down and capturing her amused lips.

After walking up the rest of the stairs and entering the room Serenity got a surprise. The girls were talking to two cats.

They all stopped and stared when Serenity and Darien entered. "Serena!" Mina jumped to her feet in pure leadership fashion. "I'd like you to meet Luna and Artemis." The black cat stood taller as her name was said and the white cat licked his paw.

"Greetings." Artemis said when Mina finished the introductions.

Luna took over the conversation. "Please, sit down." Serenity dropped onto a beanbag dragging Darien down with her so he was half on her.

Darien laughed as he tried to untangle himself and pulled Serenity up as she stared at the talking cats. He sat down and resettled Serenity onto his lap. "Something the matter?"

Serenity blinked a few times before she leant back into Darien. "Ok, you can talk, I can handle this." She breathed deeply.

"Now that that's settled, we need to discuss what has been happening recently. It is unorthodox for us to communicate with somebody not involved with the senshi. However since you know all of their identities and keeping you silent has not kept you protected it is time for you to be brought into the loop to protect you as well as ourselves." Luna told her with all the prim and properness possessed in her tiny body.

"What does that mean?" Serenity asked looking from the cats to the senshi to Darien. Darien shrugged his shoulders, he didn't know what they were talking about he was as clueless as she was.

"It means that you will have no contact with the senshi or Darien until the enemy is defeated and it is safe once again for you to have contact with them. It is for your safety as well as theirs."

"WHAT!" The outrage came from everybody but the two cats and Serenity. She just sat there staring at Luna.

"You're kidding right?" Rei squeaked.

"No." Luna stated calmly.

"Artemis!" Mina picked up the white cat.

"I agree with Luna at this moment in time. I have not heard reasonable arguments that would allow me to think any differently. Serena seems to have caused more trouble recently than good." Artemis looked at the girl in question and was surprised she was not pleading her case. "It is nothing personal against you just the enemy believes you are connected some way to us and if you hang around with them long enough they'll figure it out."

Darien was stirring restlessly in anger and Serenity placed her hands over his. "No, wait." She swallowed past the lump building in her throat. "We can work through this. I believe our relationship is strong enough." Serenity turned to Darien. "Our relationship can last through anything even if we do have to drop to disguises."

"You'd be willing to disguise yourself?" Luna dropped onto Serenity's lap.

"Yes, I'd do almost anything for them."

"You'd put yourself through lies and deception to remain with your boyfriend and friends?"

"It wouldn't be lies or deception because the feelings would still be the same."

"When would you be willing to start it?" Luna questioned.

"Whenever."

"Today?"

"Yes." Serenity held Luna's gaze steadily.

"No." The objection was from Darien. "We have no idea what it could do to a human."

"It's never too early to find out." Luna wagged her tail and it curled around her body. "Serena said she was willing to do anything to remain with you."

"It's too dangerous." Darien would not allow it and pulled Serenity closer to him and had her wound up so far that her arms were locked under his. "That's final."

Artemis looked between Serenity and Darien and nodded. "I agree."

The girls all chimed in their agreements as they were waiting until Darien could possibly loose the argument though they doubted it. Darien never lost an argument, unless it was with Serenity and that was usually a draw.

Luna sighed and bowed her head. "Fine, then I don t know what we're going to do."

"Serena will be fine." Mina smiled at Luna and Serenity.

Darien nodded against Serenity's hair not relaxing his grip on her. "Serenity will be fine, and I'll guarantee it."

"Has anybody thought that it was just a freak coincidence?" Lita put out there. "I mean once she was the center of the attack but that could have been any reason. The second she was just an innocent bystander who got in the way."

"Correction, the first was when she found out who we were." Rei pointed out although she didn't want to draw any negative feedback about Serenity from Luna she did have to make sure things were accurate.

"I could be part of your enemy in disguise." Serenity batted her eyelashes in rapid concession. Everybody burst out laughing. "What?" Serenity looked around surprised at the reaction.

"You are too pure to think you could keep a secret that mammoth." Lita said between giggles.

Serenity only smiled, and leaned into Darien. They included her into the meeting, explaining about the generals and Beryl. They didn't really know any of their names but told her about other battles they'd been in with them, including an attack on them at the party when she was younger.

Serenity was amazed to learn how long they'd been at the war fighting against the evil presence when she barely knew they existed.

The rest of the world was almost as ignorant as she was, she learned. The fights were broadcasted but only half of them. The rest were held in silence where not even the media learned about the true dangers these girls and man faced almost weekly. Soon after all the stories finished she learned each of their roles. She guessed a few of them from the get-go but she was surprised by a few too. She would have thought that Rei was in charge of the Senshi after Darien but she wasn't. Mina was. When she learned that Darien was the big chief with lack of other cliché terms, she thought she deserved an explanation.

It was slow in coming. They had another story to tell her. One of a Moon Princess and an Earth Prince. The senshi hadn't found either of them yet but they didn't know what Darien was either. He was just a guard to them for now; he didn't possess any royalty clothing just the tuxedo and cape, even though the tuxedo did make reference to money. They figured he'd be a protector to the Prince if they found him or the Princess or both.

After the meeting Serenity stood with Luna, Artemis, Rei and Darien in the foyer. "It is imperative that this doesn't get out to anybody." Luna warned. "So far you've been pretty good at it, but now that you know everything, you have to watch your words more carefully."

"I will." Serenity agreed. "Nobody will know anything about this from my lips."

"If the enemy captures you or tortures you, do you pledge death before reveling?"

"No she doesn't." Darien cut in and wrapped an arm protectively around her waist. "She promises to suffer but not death before she answers any of their questions."

"I promise to keep this a secret." Serenity covered smoothly. "We'll see what happens."

Luna only nodded.

Artemis kept an eye on them as they walked down the path and Rei left to go back to her duties. He didn't say anything while they disappeared from view, talking as they walked.

"Do you trust her?" Luna asked the silent cat.

"Impeccably." He stated and bounded off into the distance, leaving the black one to herself to watch in amazement and confusion, Artemis never kept her out of his thoughts or the loop when it was very important or even trivial. This was going to be a strange occurrence, she decided. Bringing Serenity into the fold would change everything.

On the other side of town Artemis entered the crown arcade and snuck into the building's basement. The one that housed the computer records from the moon.

However even those were not fully intact. They had been damaged a long time ago due to war, poverty and lack of protection to the satellite's outer shell.

Everything that the humans knew about the moon was false, to protect it and because it had been physically changed over the last few years.

If ever the planet was to be rejuvenated, then too would it's orbit around the Earth change and everything the humans knew would be insignificant. Now however Artemis had some information he needed to learn about his Senshi's and Mask's truly.

Else where in the city Serenity was in a very passionate embrace with the love of her life. Darien's arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer and her stomach brushed something it probably shouldn't have.

" Darien-" She pulled away slightly.

"It's about time you know how you affect me, and I refuse to take a cold shower right now." His head swooped down on her again, but he didn't push her past a kiss right now, _that_ could wait. Hell it had been waiting for such a long time already.

The more she got involved with his life the more she got involved with his other life and with that the more she got involved in his heart. He couldn't believe anybody could love as much as he loved her.

If anything were to happen to her-.

No, it was best not to think of that.

" Darien-" Serenity pushed him away slightly, her voice husky from the kiss and he kissed her pouty pink lips again before he let her speak. "Promise me, that nothing will happen to you, I couldn't bear it. I had no idea how long you guys had been fighting for. And you being the leader, wouldn't that make you the center of most attacks?"

"Nothing has happened to me yet, I doubt it will. The general has whimpered out of a real fight so far."

"I love you so much though."

Darien pulled her close again and rested his forehead in the nook of her neck and shoulder. He nodded. "Not nearly as much as I love you." She pulled away to argue but he only forced her head back to his shoulder. "Trust me you don't want to know how much I love you."


	9. VIII

Chapter VIII 

"Jadeite, I have a new mission for you, do not allow this youma to be destroyed. If you manage to complete this mission I'll retract Nephrite from the field for a while.

"My Queen, I have not failed a mission yet in all the years I've served you."

Beryl looked into her crystal ball for a moment to keep from snapping, she would sit and wait and toil with his insolence before reacting. For now she still needed him. "If you get me enough energy you can have anything you want. I also do not want this youma destroyed. Do you hear me?"

"All I want is you Queen Beryl, it is only my wish to serve you." Jadeite held her gaze without flinching and Beryl paused in retraction, maybe she was wrong about him.

"You're dismissed."

Jadeite nodded and transported to the temple grounds, he liked to stand here and look at the prayers laid out by other people. He snagged a blank sheet and wrote his own on it. He didn't usually participate in these things but he had time to kill. He was waiting to catch a glimpse of Rei. She'd be returning from class around now and then working on her chores. He sometimes helped her but it was usually when her lived in help wasn't around.

A familiar writing caught his eye and he took it down to read it closely. It went through the usual peace and longevity of friends and family but then it became personal. It was a wish that a guy she knew would notice her the way she wished to be noticed.

He heard a noise and realized that he was still in his uniform so he quickly changed and moved out of the way, he didn't want to intrude. He forgot the stranger's note was still in his hand as Rei and Chad came around the corner. He was tugging on her hair and she swatted his hand away but the whole time they were laughing at the joke they shared between them. Jadeite's hand crushed the letter into a ball and he looked down at it when they disappeared into the temple. He smoothed it out; he didn't have the right to interfere with somebody else's dreams. 

He went home after hanging it back up. There he opened a bottle of rum and mixed it with orange juice. He swirled it around in his cup as he thought about things. Serenity was safely at Mina's house unfortunately Darien was there as well. But in a few days he'd be away on a trip for school, he wouldn't be back for a week. Rei was flirting with a boy her age, and at that thought he broke the glass. It made a deep cut through his hand but he ignored it. Why should he be jealous of somebody almost four times his junior? He should be happy for Rei, she was talking to somebody her age, somebody she could be happy with.

The blood dripped down onto his pants and he waved it away before it could set in. He didn t notice the blood seeping into the arm's upholstery.

A vision of Rei getting married to that surfer flashed through his head and he knew he couldn't restrain his jealousy anymore. He had to do something about it. She was getting old enough. She had started her first year of college a few weeks ago. Had a summer really passed by him, again? Yet another year he'd been entangled in this dance between his feelings and his curse. Alas, he could do nothing of his feelings towards Rei, it wouldn't work, and she'd eventually get into danger just as Serenity had because of him.

He groaned and buried his head into his hands lamenting on the cruelty of a career he did not choose.

That was how Serenity found him later that day as she came skipping in from her date. She halted when she spotted her uncle and reached out a hand and rested it on his shoulder. He jerked; he had fallen asleep while deep in thought. He grasped Serenity's wrist to the point he almost bruised her.

"Jadeite-" Serenity frowned. "You've never been this jumpy before!"

"You've never surprised me before even in sleep." An image of a little Serenity in an aqua dress bouncing up to the couch where he was taking a nap and jumping onto his chest flashed in his mind. She was surprised when he scooped her up and tickled her for thinking she could scare him and it was payback for her interrupting his nap. She giggled the whole time, her sweet little voice like tinkering bells.

"I was concerned." Serenity frowned at her uncle and dropped to her knees, his grasp on her wrist long gone. She put her hands on either side of his face. "Is something bothering you?"

Jadeite was tempted, he was tempted to spill the whole sordid mess to her but he restrained himself. "No." He shook his head and she didn't believe him but she'd go along with him if he didn't want to tell her. "How was your day?"

"Nice, Mina, Darien and I went to a barbeque." She smiled shyly.

"Is that why you've still got sauce on your cheek?"

Serenity blushed deeply; she'd thought that Darien had gotten rid of most of it when he took it in his power to lick the sauce away. But such thoughts were not good to think when her uncle was staring at her so closely and full of attentiveness. Jadeite didn't miss the display of emotions but he wisely didn't comment on it, least that open up a whole new can of worms he didn't want to get into. "I guess I'm a messy eater."

Though she believed that there wasn't any sauce on her face before Darien got involved.

"What do you say to a movie tonight?"

Serenity melted. "I would love that." Ever since she learned about the senshi she hadn't spent much time with her uncle, they'd been watching her closely and dominating her time. Every move had been closely scrutinized unless she was with Darien but even then she felt like he was more tense than he'd ever been before.

She hated it and a whole summer had dwindled before her eyes. She'd had fun yes, but it wasn't how she wanted to be. Time with Jadeite would prove that things could get back to normal. Recently he'd kind of shied away from spending time with her in public where before it'd be more frequent.

Her eyes glowed as she thought about it. "What time do you think we should go?"

"Whenever." He shrugged. "What time works for you?"

"I'm free the whole night. I was just going to read a book or something."

"No friends this evening?"

"Nope, as I explained earlier I was hoping to just get away from them for a while." Though to be honest they were starting to relax especially since she hadn't been involved with any youma attacks recently, in fact those were relatively light in general.

"What's going on in that sharp mind of yours?"

Serenity shrugged. "Nothing much, just wondering why I hadn't heard much about youma attacks on the news recently."

"Could it be that they stopped attacking big groups so they run away screaming?" Jadeite didn't care if she was involved with the senshi in any way or not. He doubted she was anything but an innocent bystander but if they got wind of it and foiled Nephrite's plans, all the more power to them as long as they didn't interfere in his life or plans.

"I suppose, so the media wouldn't catch wind of it." The two of them thought with the same words he guessed.

"Let's go at eight. Jadeite agreed with her plan.

When eight o'clock rolled around they went back to the freshly rebuilt theater that not long ago had been in crumbles. Serenity was a little hesitant as they transported into their respective bathrooms and walked to the screen where they'd be watching the movie.

Luckily it wasn't the same screen that Serenity had last been to and this time it was just a straightforward comedy. No events happened and after the movie they went to the Hillside Café that was open until midnight for a dessert treat. Serenity had a German Chocolate Cake piece and Jadeite had a raspberry cheesecake piece.

They ate in companionable silence for a while, each reflecting on the movie. Both had laughed so hard as the main character switched bodies with the enemy and managed to wreak havoc on the lives of each other. In the end when both managed to return to their real bodies they could have sworn they would have needed to move and never show their face again but the rest of the people just fell in love with them for showing their true nature.

"I loved the part where she made his body go into the female underwear section and tried on a thong and bra then bought them and wore only that to school the next day. But she managed, he I suppose, managed to pull it off with great confidence that nobody really cared. They laughed and they teased but it was a prank to them but they were surprised that he'd be pulling one."

"I liked that part but he was so embarrassed by her actions that he went up to her, his body, and kissed her in that get-up to try and save face value. Then to get her back he took pictures of her body covered in flour and feathers and spread it around the school." Jadeite laughed. "Her reaction was so funny."

Serenity laughed as well, that part was hilarious.

They enjoyed their peaceful day as they returned home and Serenity went to her room to sleep. In Washington they had resident halls, however within the semester people often chose to rent an apartment and share with fellow students, nobody had the money for it yet. That and Serenity didn't feel like moving out yet, she had the freedom to come and go as she pleased no matter where she lived.

"Good night Seren." Jadeite said affectionately.

"Good night Jade." Serenity hugged him before going to bed for the night.


	10. IX

Chapter IX

An: Little side note, many of you are probably wondering where they live and I'll explain that right now. They live in Washington. There's a huge Japanese population there believe it or not. That and Dusseldorf is the Japanese capital of the European continent. Told you it was a side note. That's why so many Japanese people are intermingling with English names. However it is confusing me so Usagi or Motoki might pop in every once in a while by accident. Just ignore it. It's supposed to be Darien, Serenity and Andrew, not the Japanese names. Also I apologize if I get a little speechy in this chapter. I'm trying to pass time so it places an effect on the story instead boom, boom, boom, done. That's not to say that this chapter is not important, because it is. It needs a timeline. So back to:

IX

"School's going great for me actually, I'm really surprised." Serenity was relaying to Andrew as she drank her fruit smoothie.

"Now why would you say that?" Andrew questioned as he cleared away a pile of dishes. "You aren't dumb."

"I know but school's always been a little hard for me because I can never remember things unless they are based on real life events that are happening now, not a what-if."

"You'll find College is like that. It's based more on what you can see and what is happening than something you're not interested in, but you have to make it past the basics." He warned as she finished her glass. She nodded. "Don't you have a date with Darien?"

"I'm used to him being late." She confided. "But I might get worried if he doesn't show up in the next hour."

"Isn't he already an hour late?"

"Not so late." She chided as she shook her head. "Just twenty minutes."

"Why do you put up with him? He's my best friend and all but even I get annoyed by his disappearing and showing up late habits that he's had since oh a good seven years ago. He used to be punctual almost to a fault."

Serenity fell into silence as she thought about that little tidbit she didn't know. It seemed there was a lot about Darien she thought she knew but found out she really didn't.

"Oh Serena, I'm sorry- I didn't mean to upset you." Andrew apologized covering her hands with his larger one. "Darien doesn't do a lot of things he used to but he's forgotten them I think because his life has so radically changed."

"Not his basic core though. When he can help it he's always on time, that's in him, he won't change that, because he values it."

"Then why doesn't he call when he's going to be late if he values our time so much as to not hope to waste it?"

"He probably forgot or he's tied up and he can't call." Serenity hadn't realized how true her words were, especially this evening. For in fact, Darien was tied up, he was tied in sticky yellow glue that wrapped around him and Lita firmly connecting their backsides together."

She would probably never learn how close one of her best friends and her love were and how much they learnt through that feeling tonight. Nor would they want to remember, and least of all, her finding out.

An hour passed and Serenity was getting itchy in worry as she played the sailor v game near some of the deserted tables. People knew she was a regular and was wise enough to stay away when she was playing because she could get quite loud and obnoxious the closer you were to her the worse it was.

She didn't even notice as she beat the top score and annihilated the game. She just left after punching her initials in, SKG. "I'll be back Drew!" She called as she neared the arcade doors.

Andrew tried to warn her but she was always too quick for him that it was no use running after her. Especially after the day she seemed to vanish after his refusal for a tip, which she left in generous size, too generous. He was still thinking of a way to get her back for that one.

His warning would have fallen on deaf ears anyways as she careened into a boy not much younger than her as she rushed through the door. They toppled in a heap and Serenity's arm managed to go on the ground first at a weird angle with the boy's head falling on it but it hardly stopped it from hitting the ground with a thud. One of his elbows wound up crashing into her stomach and the rest of their bodies were just a jumbled up mess.

Andrew jumped over the counter and ran to help them but Serenity managed to untangle herself and jumped to her feet and held out her hand to the boy. When he put his hand in hers it seemed as if things were going in slow motion. Serenity's eyes locked onto the green ones and she frowned as he stood, slightly shorter than herself but she had a feeling he wouldn't always be. "I'm-"

Serenity was cut off as Andrew pulled her to him and checked her injuries. "Are you all right Serena?"

Serenity blinked at him as if seeing for the first time and snapped out of it. "Yeah, sure, I'm fine. I've had a few crashes in my life before."

Andrew chuckled, he d seen a few before but it was always Darien's and Rei's fault when they happened but they managed to blame her. Serenity wasn't a clumsy person, just quick. "Yeah, but I've never seen one quite so… lethal."

Serenity shook her head and turned back to the boy. "I'm sorry I ran into you, I was in a hurry and I wasn't thinking straight."

"Hey no problem Meatball head." The boy looked flabbergasted at what came out of his mouth. "I'm so sorry, I have no idea where that came from."

"It's all right, I deserve it." Serenity cocked her head to the side as she looked at the almost mini Andrew but in his own way cuter, be it a sin to ever think such a thing. "Do I know you?"

"I'm afraid not, I've never been here before. I'm an only child and I've been attending a private school and nobody wanted to come over here but I met a girl who when to a public school here and she wanted to show me it." The boy looked stunned again. "I'm sorry, I have no idea why I keep spouting random facts to you."

"It's all right. What's your name?"

"Tsukino Shingo." He told her. "And you?"

"Serenity King-General."

Their eyes caught again and this time it was Shingo who questioned. "Why do I feel as if we've met?"

"I feel the same way." Serenity bought him a smoothie and as she reached for it from the counter she caught a glimpse of her watch. She swallowed hard; Darien was almost two hours late. She pushed down her irrational fears and brought the drink to Shingo. "It's as if us knowing each other is déjà vu."

"As if it had been any other circumstance we would have."

"Exactly." His hand accidentally brushed hers and Serenity had an image of him as a little boy pulling on one of her pigtails and her sticking her tongue out at him before running to a tall woman with wavy purple-black hair and being picked up.

She was more taken by surprise at the location she found her flash image than having one. She'd had quite a few and it was what usually threw her into silent reflection that people had often walked into. But she couldn't do that now. She figured the images were the people she ran into by accident and how her life would have been or a situation that would have included them if she had met them earlier.

"Shingo!" A girl the same age as the younger boy squealed as she threw herself into his arms.

"Mika!" Shingo laughed as he caught her. Another image played in Serenity's mind. This one of the girl holding a doll in her hand, poorly crafted but there were tears in the girl's eyes of happiness. The doll was of a blond warrior in a blue skirt white bodice and red boots and a bow. Another senshi Serenity concluded, but a real one or one of an imaginative child, hoping to be one?

Her question would never be answered but Serenity excused herself now that Shingo's 'date' came. He smiled at her and promised to talk another day. She agreed as she ventured back over to the counter.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine." Serenity was slightly more defensive than she should have been. "What do you think hurts?"

"You're arm." Andrew pointed out to the bruised area that was turning a light shade of brown from where Shingo's head landed on it.

Serenity flexed and relaxed it. It hurt slightly but it wasn't unbearable. "It's just a bruise, I will live."

"Ok, I just don't think I could stand it if you got hurt." Andrew ruffled her hair, it didn't matter, it was ruined anyways."

"Hey!" Serenity ducked, it was still annoying. She never got images from Andrew, as if their relationship was exactly the way it was supposed to be in any lifetime. "Why was I in such a hurry anyways?" As soon as the words left her mouth she remembered. "I gotta go, I might be back, I don t know." Serenity booked out of there so fast that Andrew wasn't sure if she was even here.

Serenity would never know that if Jadeite hadn't found her, she would have been Tsukino Usagi, Shingo's older sister and they would have been living in Japan after they adopted her later that summer when her headmaster died and they both would have gone to a public school. With that upbringing so many other things would have been different but at the same time slightly the same. She would never know what that different life would have entitled her, nor would she know if she would have liked it. It was among the things that could have, been based on choices. There'd be choices in the future that would effect her destiny as well and none of these really had been hers but she could sculpt other's choices by just sticking to her own choices.

Andrew shook his head as he cleaned up the mess and noticed the too large tip she left again. He grumbled as he had to put the money into his pocket instead of just leaving it out. He knew why she did it though, the first day she was here she hadn't a dime on her and she had stared as her friends played the games without realizing that she didn't join in or why. He dropped two quarters into her hand and smiled at her when she refused it but he wouldn't take it back.

Ever since then she'd be leaving him large tips, first reason was for thanks, second for his good service and third for other kids in her position when she couldn't be there to pay it forward personally.

Andrew chuckled and sauntered over to the young couple of which the boy had been speaking to Serenity. He gave the boy a dollar in change. "Have fun on the video games for a while, ok? I think it'd be a nice thing being your first time here and all." This was one way he could pay it forward; give it to the kid that Serenity seemed to suddenly have affection for. Plus this is what she'd want, to give it to a needy, unknowledgeable kid who probably never played a video game in his life, Serenity if she was there, would have been so proud to see him play.

Serenity was running so fast that nobody saw her; it was like she was morphing from one spot to the next a hundred feet away only to repeat the action time and time again. In a way she was, but in many ways it was the sheer speed she possessed that only Jadeite knew about.

She couldn't find Darien anywhere. "Where is he!" She screamed to the heavens but muted it so it'd only be her that heard.

She skidded to a halt when she saw a man limping in the direction of Darien's apartment and Rei's temple. She jogged over to him and past him to turn and seeing Darien's face bloodied she fell when her feet stopped moving.

"Hey" He shouted and knelt down next to her. "Serenity?" He whipped ferociously at the blood dripping into his eyes and no more took its place. The wounds seemed to be healing as they spoke. "What are you doing here?"

"Darien." She sat up, the shock wearing off. "What happened to you?" Her fingers gingerly touched his face. The slight wince hand her pulling her hand away. He took her hand back and put it onto his face and he leaned into it.

"What are you doing here Ren?" This was a new pet name for her and her fingers grazed with a little more pressure than she meant to. Blood came back with her but where the wound should have been was completely bare, as if the skin was perfect.

"I was worried. You were over an hour late." Serenity didn't care about her clothes, seeing the love of her life like this, as if he had been in grave danger shut down her thought process and threw herself around him. "What happened?"

"You might as well come with me." He picked the both of them up and when Serenity refused to budge he swept her feet out from under her with his arm and carried her to Rei's temple.

When they arrived to the steps leading to the great priestess herself, Serenity seemed to snap out of her shock and turned angry, which was a surprising emotion on the girl he loved.

"Where the hell were the rest of the senshi when you were being mauled? How dare they abandon you?"

"Ren." He soothed but she stood her ground in front of him. "Ren." He tried again and took her shoulders in his hands. "I wasn't alone in the attack, they were all there. We were closest to my apartment after the attack and so we went there first and then we went to Lita's then we separated and now we're heading to Rei's to discuss what was going on. I was checked out by Ami before she left to make sure there weren't any serious wounds and be able to make it myself. I didn't have time to clean my face. I stopped bleeding at least ten minutes ago, that's why it's caked on and flaky. It's also on you." He pointed out because he knew she was going to get her clothes bloody but couldn't stop her, it was her decision.

Serenity melted. Her arms fell to her sides and looked at him sadly. "I was worried about you, I'm sorry if I was out of line."

Darien s arms found his way around her before she could blink and she was in a half hug and her arms slid up and hugged him back. Her face, now full of silent tears buried into his chest. "You were in the right to be upset." He whispered into her hair. "I wouldn't have taken it so well if it had been you in my position." His right hand rubbed her back, he knew she was crying. He tightened his hold and just held her for a few more minutes. She removed her hands and scrubbed at her face before she pulled back, he dropped his hands to rest at her waist and allowed her to move back and look up at him.

Her lashes were clumped and her slight makeup was a little runny but she still looked beautiful. She smiled at him. "You sure you're all right? How did you carry me? When I found you, you had a limp."

"Ah, yeah, that." He smiled sheepishly. "I was in a way exaggerating it, it got better the longer I walked."

"Why were you exaggerating it?"

"Because, Rei was harassing me earlier on how I never got as injured as the rest of them."

"Remind me to have a talk with her about wishing harm onto my boyfriend." Serenity managed to joke.

Darien chuckled and shifted so his left arm was on her shoulders and the other was by his side. "Let's go in, hmm?" He asked already walking up the stairs and dragging her with him. Serenity shifted her blood covered short blue slip dress with wide shoulder straps and a big bow in the back. She nodded as she sped up to keep in step with him. "I'm sorry about your outfit and our date." He seemed to finally notice as her actions caught his attention.

"It's fine, blood washes out fairly easy." She reassured. "As for our date, you couldn't help it, and I accept that, it comes with the territory."

"You shouldn't have to worry about me, it isn't fair."

"Hey, you're not going to break up with me because of this. If we weren't dating I'd still worry about you, and the girls. In fact I think I'd worry more, because I wasn't there to reaffirm it every day that you were all alright."

"I wasn't breaking up with you." Darien was looking down at her as they continued to mount the steps; Rei had a lot so there were still quite a few left to climb.

"Oh." Serenity giggled. "It sounded like it."

"I love you, but it isn't fair, I wish there was some way to protect you from the fear." He dragged her closer to his warm body and she snuggled in, wrapping one arm around his waist and laying her head on his shoulder.

"Would the two of you cut it out? Some people up here are trying to retain their breakfast." Lita's teasing voice called down to them. "What's Serena doing here?"

"She was worried."

"Oh." Lita blushed. "Sorry. We forgot about the date the two of you had planned."

"It's all right Lita!" Serenity tore out of the embrace and rushed up the stairs, her long strong legs moving gracefully. Darien could only watch in appreciation before he mounted the stairs after her. When Serenity reached the landing, she flung her arms around Lita. "Are you alright? I heard what happened!"

Lita hugged Serenity back before nudging the girl away. "Wow you're filthy. Somebody would think you were in the fight instead of us." Lita wished she could retract her words as she said them; the images were too painful to imagine.

Darien wrapped his arm around Serenity's waist, he was panting lightly after the exertion of the steps, he didn't know how Serenity did it. He was Tuxedo Mask, he could run full pace and bound rooftops for miles, but Rei's steps at a run always left him slightly out of breath, Serenity didn't seem effected at all.

Lita sighed and turned, the three of them went into the room. Lita pulled at her shorts before she sat, she was wearing a green one piece that had yellow ribbing that outlined the tops of the pockets as well. The shorts themselves were flared and rested mid thigh the waist hugged her thin waist and the top was a stiff half collar and she had no sleeves. Lita crossed her arms and Serenity giggled as Lita realized what that emphasized and she dropped her hands to her sides. Lita was a little self-conscious, but she was amazing. "Look guys, I've got a class in a few hours, and these two have been interrupted long enough, can we get on with it?"

"Well, sure." Rei was going to say something on the matter but held her tongue. "We should actually reconvene at another time, we've all got things to do. Nice to see you Serenity, but-"

"I'm sick of this, I know I'm not a part of this thing, but you don't have to alter this because of me, I'm a grown up and if you don't want to discuss this in front of me, just say so."

"It isn't that Serena!" Rei yelled and stomped forward, Darien took a step forward, Rei had never yelled at Serenity before. "Back down Darien!" She grated and took Serenity's hands in hers. "I wasn't trying to get rid of you, it's just that I felt the details may be too gruesome for you sometimes, and I wanted to spare you our horror!"

"What happened this time? Will it be on the news?" Serenity's eyes suddenly flashed around them.

"There's a new General." Rei sighed and dropped her head onto their combined hands. "He's not as clean as the first one. Nor is he as straight forward."

"Were you hurt?" Serenity asked gingerly, lifting her friend's head and Rei shook her head.

"Nothing more than usual, a few scratches and bruises. In fact the one he seemed after this time was Darien. Lita pushed him out of the way as the youma shot something and the two of them got stuck together. That probably saved his life."

"Because of the substance?" Serenity questioned.

"No." Rei shook her head. "Not because of the substance, because they were stuck together, she managed to push them both out of the way when the new general attacked."

"The first general is still around?" Serenity wondered.

"Yes, but we haven't seen him for a few days." Rei responded and sank into a chair; she seemed utterly destroyed at today's events.

Mina asked a question, seeing that they were actually going to discuss this today, and not at some other time as previously discussed. "Why were they after Darien today? I mean, yes he's our leader, but they don't know that, and Darien sorry, but you don't have very many powers that you've chosen to show yet."

"I have more, but for some reason I can't unlock them yet. I know they are there, but something's holding me back." Darien had his roses and the tuxedo la smoking bomber and the use of his cane with a knife at the end when he willed it to be there, but his actual powers, refused to surface. Serenity hand slipped into his, and he looked up at her.

"It'll be all right, I'm sure you'll figure it out." She said with a small smile.

"As for your question Mina, it's a very good one, why would he chose Darien who manages to do actually very little but annoy them?" Artemis surmised for them all. "I can only guess that they'd hope to knock out who they thought was physically the strongest because he is the only male in your group."

"That makes sense." Mina mused. Serenity noticed for the second time how mature Mina seemed when dealing with senshi business, wasn't she the leader? If only behind Darien until the truth came out about everyone? The only reason Mina would have to defer to Darien, Serenity figured out, was because he was a member of earth and thus they were on his territory, so hence, he was the leader as long as they were his planet's guests. Serenity was proud of her ditzy friend; it showed even blonds had their moments.

"Could it be because he's an Earth, um, representative?" Serenity asked, biting her bottom lip as she put the idea out there.

"It could be, I hadn't thought of that." Artemis settled down as he thought next to Luna.

"If they get rid of him, then there's one less person who has a claim to Earth, and a reason to protect it." Ami put the pieces together.

Luna turned her garnet eyes to Serenity in a thoughtful expression. "What is it Luna?" Lita asked, looking between the cat and the only member here that wasn't special in abilities.

"I was just wondering." Luna jumped up onto Serenity's lap. "Has anyone told you have a sharp mind?"

"A few, why?" She asked curiously.

"You put together a lot of pieces and asked a very important question."

"That wasn't an important question." Serenity brushed it off. "The important question I'm going to ask, is why is Rei so morose?"

Rei's head bobbed up at the mention of her name and she smiled wryly to Serenity, the girl was always concerned about people s feelings. "I was depressed by the fact that we've been fighting the first general for over seven years, thinking he was the only one we really had to defeat, and then we learn recently that there's a second one, and not only that, but they can both be on Earth at the same time." Her next breath shuddered through her body. "We barely had a handle on the first one. How many more of them could there be? And will we be fighting them the rest of our lives, missing out on the happiness other people experience?"

"I don t think so." Serenity said gently. "I'm sure you'll find a way to defeat this enemy, all of them. You'll find your prince and princess as well."

"I'm beginning to think they don t exist."

"Maybe you're not looking in the right places." Serenity suggested. "You have a pretty good life now, look at all the people you've met because of this, the people in this room included. A lot of people don't go on to the corporate offices for the day, as an intern, to investigate a possible youma occurrence, and a lot of people don't do a lot of things you did before you fought a youma. You might not have bothered if it wasn't for the possibility of an attack. Some of the leads even proved to be false, didn't they?"

"We'll never have boyfriends." Lita muttered.

"Darien has me, I'm sure boys would flock to you if you let them in. If they don't accept your disappearing act, then let them go. Eventually somebody will accept it, without knowing the truth, because they'll trust you."

"Not everybody will accept it when we come around with bruises, they'll just be caring for us when they demand to know. They'll probably think it's Darien's fault too."

"I'm sure they won't, I don't get bruises or cuts, and I'm the one dating him, so they won't blame him. Plus, I only notice it once in a while, like the one on your cheek Ami. Did it hurt?" Serenity's questions and reassurance was so gentle that they felt at peace talking to her, and Luna and Artemis, who were wearier of her were almost being lulled to submission.

"I didn't even notice." Ami's fingers glanced over the bruise, it had been a lie, if she knew exactly where to go, but Serenity forgave her of that, she wasn't trying to concern Serenity.

Serenity wandered the room as they continued their senshi meeting. She picked up Rei's broom from the couch to set it against the wall in hopes to creating more space and tidiness. As soon as she lifted it though, a shooting pain echoed through her elbow and upper arm before the broom clattered to the floor without any action from her, the hand automatically dropped it even though her muscles were gripping it.

Everybody's attention turned to her, even though it hadn't been that loud of a clatter or that big of a deal. Serenity dropping the broom was out of normalcy for her. "Are you all right?" Lita asked moving next to her friend.

"Yeah, I saw that cringe of pain just now." Mina moved to the other side. Serenity felt like she was being boxed in as the rest of the occupants came near her. Ami was scanning her and Serenity grabbed the computer from her and closed it. She didn't want their concern and she didn't want Ami scanning her with that computer, she wasn't their enemy but if Ami s computer could detect the anomaly that was her body, then they wouldn't trust her as much. For Serenity was far from normal.

Darien grabbed Serenity's arm, just below the elbow and looked at it closely, he could see the slight bruising and the slight swelling, how he didn't notice it earlier, was beyond him. "What happened to you?"

"I fell, and somebody landed on my arm when I took them with me."

"First you drop something then you fell?" Rei questioned intently. "What's wrong with you?" She held up a hand to Serenity s forehead. "You don't feel sick."

"Well, ok, I guess the fall wasn't my fault. I was leaving to find Darien when it was a collision course with a little boy; the impact sent us both to the floor and his head landed on my arm. I must have pinched a nerve or something so when I picked up the broom, it reacted?" Serenity surmised, a little unsure herself but believing the story.

Ami nodded, agreeing with the thought. "I should check you out anyways." Ami struggled to get the computer back because Serenity had the surprising ability to keep it away.

"I'll be fine Ami, I don't need you to use this thing on me." Serenity waved the gadget in front of her before handing it over.

"It's not going to do anything to you." Ami felt a little hurt at Serenity's reaction to the technology.

"We should get going Darien." She knew their senshi meeting wasn't over, but it was as far as she was concerned.

"Yeah." Darien agreed in bashfulness, a wry smile crossing his features. "We should have gone to our late lunch at least four hours ago."

"That's all right, we'll just have dinner now for our date." Serenity linked her uninjured arm. She shied the side of her body that was injured when Darien's eyes kept straying to it. His concern was getting to be too much sometimes. "I'm fine." She told him after they said goodbye to the girls and headed down the stairs.

"I could take the pain away for you, and the swelling."

"No." Serenity stated firmly. "Pain is the body's way of saying back off and the swelling helps protect and heal on its own. If it doesn't by itself then bigger injuries don't have a chance."

"There'll never be a bigger injury." He growled.

"You can't be with me every second of every day." Serenity pointed out.

Darien merely grunted, he wasn't acknowledging it but rather disagreeing.

"Don't you think if you could be with me every second of every day you already would be and not out of concern for me but because you want to be?"

"But Sere-" He was cut off by her stopping in front of him and planting her hands on her hips.

"No Darien. Look at today, you had obligations to be somewhere else. I accept it. I do, so you can't beat yourself up. There'll always be freak accidents. I could be crossing the street and get hit by a car."

At Darien's eyes narrowing in anger she knew she said the wrong thing, but she had to finish her point.

"You can't protect me at every minute, and frankly I don't want you to. Just like I can't be there to protect you of every minute either. Hence, quit being so concerned about me! I'm not going to be bowled over from the wind! I'm stronger than you've been giving credit for recently. Where is the man who knew I was stronger than I looked when the rest of the world thought I was a china doll?" She had stamped her foot and her anger was a reminiscent of who she would have been, and who she was, both present and past.

Darien wasn't used to this attitude and he took notice of what she was saying and then relented his position. "All right. But don't even say you're going to get hit by a car." A shiver went through his body and Serenity melted. "My parents were killed in a car wreck."

Serenity bit her bottom lip; he'd never told her how his parents died before. All she had found out from the girls was that his parents were dead.

"I was with them. I lost my memories of the first few years. Not that most kids remember their first six years anyway, but the fear and loneliness I felt was forever ingrained in my being. I didn't even have dreams of a better future or anything to fight for and find until recently when I learned I had to find the moon princess and help the senshi."

Serenity put a hand to the side of his face and an image flashed through her mind. She was wearing a pink dress about the same age she had been when Jadeite found her and in her hands was a dozen red roses but one was separated from the rest and she held in up to a dark haired boy who had drying tears on his cheeks, his hand was reaching out to take it from her. Serenity shook her head to clear it of the image. That had never happened, she had never met that little boy, and she didn't know why it just happened. What was with today and all these strange flashes of nonexistent memories? Sure it'd happened before, but never more than once a day and never more than one day a year.

"Darien?" She questioned when he seemed lost in thought.

"Sorry." He shook his head. "I just had a strange imagination pass through my mind. I was sitting in the hospital room that I had been in when I woke up and a little girl was giving me a flower, it would have been a relief to my soul, but it hadn't happened, and my loneliness would have been lessened earlier, had I met her. Does that make any sense?"

Serenity nodded and leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I just remembered I have to go home." She whispered. "I'm sorry, but I need to go."

"It's all right. Maybe the girls haven't left yet and we'll finish our meeting." Darien crushed Serenity to him before he let her go and watched her saunter around a corner. He turned around and called Rei at the temple. Sure enough, all four girls were there.

Serenity reappeared outside her house and wandered through the door. She found Jadeite standing by the window overlooking the bay. His back was to her as she came into the room. "Jadeite, I have a few questions for you… regarding what you do, and me."

Her question was cautionary, as if she was unsure if she really wanted to know what was going to happen.

Jadeite turned to her slowly, this was it, it was going to be a time when he would either have to face her and lie, blatant or well, or he'd tell her the truth. It was shame she'd been involved with the youma attacks, she would never have cared before.

"That man you warned me about, and the others as well, what are they?"

"They are generals of the negakingdom."

"What is the negakingdom?" Serenity hadn't heard that word before. The girls had explained about the moon kingdom, and the fact that there was a prince and princess but they didn't talk about how it fell or whom they fought against.

"It is an evil organization that's soul purpose is to follow their queen's order in quest to rule this solar system, not giving heed to the fact the rest of the ones in this galaxy will wage war on her once she gains control, as it is, it's up for grabs."

Serenity thought for a moment, then. "Why do you know this?"

"Because its my purpose to stop them."

"You're mission, and hence, why you live forever, because of them, as long as they are around, you're around." Jadeite nodded, it was close enough, if she wanted to think of it that way, it was fine. "Then why on earth would you ever adopt me?"

"Because I love you." Jadeite didn't have to scrounge for an answer to that one.

"How do I fit into this? Me, a strange girl among the normal ones, how did you run across me?"

"I don't know, but I don't care, you are perfect the way you are." Jadeite hesitated. "What brought about all these questions?"

"I had two flashes this afternoon, one was about a boy, and one was Darien, I believe, when he was younger, because he had it too. I was a little girl, about the same age when you took me in, in both those flashes."

"I don't know what those are about. Maybe what your life would have been, had I not taken you under my wing. Maybe an illusion."

"Hmm… why was there two in one day though?"

"Emotional day for you?" Jadeite suggested.

"I guess." Serenity mused, Darien's flash had been emotional, and Shingo, Shingo had been while she was on a high-energy spiel as well. "What, by the way, are the generals' names?"

"Nephrite, is the one you've seen in person. Zoicite is this one." Jadeite waved his hand, and an image of Zoicite appeared in a halo gram, he was moving his arms up so he could read a book. "This one is Kunzite." Another image appeared, this time of a man lifting his arms and lowering into a fighting stance, a sword in his hands, wielding it well.

"Do you fight against them personally?"

"No. I figure out what is the best way to bring them down." Jadeite didn't add that he'd been trying to figure out exactly how to do it for the last eight years or so and all of last lifetime during the great millennium.

"Ok." Serenity wrapped her arms around Jadeite's neck and hugged him. "Just don't get hurt in your hunt for the best way to bring them down."

"I won't." Jadeite replied, although he couldn't promise, he wouldn't let himself do it, because he very well could not keep it. He hugged her back then looked at her clothing. "What the hell happened to you?"

"It's not mine." Serenity shook herself and the blood flakes disappeared so her clothing was perfect. "I'm ok."

"How did it get on you?" Jadeite questioned sharply.

"It's- it doesn't matter." If she said whom she got it from, Jadeite could match who Darien was, eventually. She couldn't do that to him, even if Jadeite was her uncle, he was too closely involved with the Negakingdom as it was.

"And your arm?"

"That was from a little boy that ran into me and we both fell down."

"Oh." Jadeite's hand ran over it and the pain lessened, and the bruise remained a light brown, it wouldn't get any darker, but lighter in a few days before it was gone.

"Why'd you do that?" Serenity questioned. "I was thinking of letting it heal by itself."

"It will, I just relieved the pain so it's not as strong and made sure that there wasn't anything broken. The bruise will go away as if it was natural."

"All right. I'm going to go call Darien, I had to cancel lunch with him this afternoon, maybe we can swing a movie or a dinner."

"All right, enjoy your evening." Jadeite watched her leave to call Darien in another room and he headed back to base. His mission was not until tomorrow, and he needed to make sure Beryl had no reason to doubt his loyalties, so she would honor her bargain and keep Nephrite on base.

"Serenity, what's up?" Darien asked when he answered the phone; the meeting had officially ended because they no longer had anything else to say.

"Nothing much, just wondering if you'd like to go out for dinner now, my family obligations are over." Serenity wrapped a strand of hair around her finger as she waited for his response.

"Stop doing that." And she stopped, mostly in confusion. "Thank you, it was distracting, because I knew you were doing it. I would love dinner with you, shall I pick you up?"

"I'm actually not at home right now." She made a face; she hated lying to him. "But you could pick me up at the mall if you'd like."

"Sure, where are you located in the mall?"

"By Nordstrom's." She responded.

"I'll see you in a few."

"Ok." Serenity beamed.

They hung up and Serenity transported herself to the bathroom in Nordstrom's." She exited and headed out of the store. One of the clerks turned to another one. They were stationed towards the front door. "Did you see her come in?"

"No, did you?"

"No, she must have come in through the mall."

"Too bad she didn't buy anything, she'd have been a perfect customer."

"Yeah."

----------

This chapter is long overdue, but give me some credit, I did manage to salvage this chapter from the wreckage of my life. I'm working on the next chapter, so don't worry, I actually started the next chapter today. So... keep your fingers crossed. It might be out this weekend, but I do have a lot to work on when I am trying to post other chapters to stories that I thought might have been discontinued, but yay me! Yay you! Now you can go review. Kind of lost focus somewhere in this paragraph...


	11. X

Chapter X

Serenity giggled as she hid behind a short wall in hopes of loosing Darien. With a smattering of wet gooey liquid running down her back, she realized she hid in vain. She looked up and behind her and there was Darien, with a huge grin on his handsome features.

Serenity pulled a bag of her own out and smashed it in his face. The goggles protected him from any real harm, but it made it harder for him to see.

She ran off and he followed, trying to follow at any rate. He tripped and careened into a slide. Serenity jogged back to see if he was all right. When he didn't move, she bent over him and poked him in the ribs.

His other hand came up and smashed a plastic container onto her chest, where one boob rested. It was a red circle of paint on her white jumper. She jumped up and dropped a green one on his crotch and sent another one at him. He moved out of the way and took off running to avoid even more splotches of paint being flung at him.

Eventually their time was up and when the splotches were counted, Darien took one last one out and smacked her on the ass with it.

"Ow!" She complained and sent him a glare. He shrugged.

Darien was deemed the winner by one more spot, and Serenity told him he may have won by cheating, but they were most definitely in a tie.

Darien rolled his eyes. "Serenity. It's time to face it, I'm just better at this game than you are!"

Serenity stopped and glared. "And who was it that won most of the games?" Her hands rested firmly on her hips as he undid his outfit. "That's right, me!"

Darien took one look at her and they both burst out laughing.

They were helping each other clean up when Darien's watch beeped.

"Time to go." Serenity declared as Darien pulled away to look around to see if anybody was watching them.

"Maybe." Darien agreed, hoping it not to be true. "Mask here."

"Hi, Mask, it's Mars, we have a slight issue down in the Heineken loading docks up here."

"Hi Mars!" Serenity greeted, pulling Darien's watch towards here. "Mask'll be there shortly."

She let go after Mars responded in a friendly hello and Darien agreed with Serenity's insertion. "Aye, I'll be there shortly." They cut off from each other and Darien pulled Serenity in for a short kiss before running off to go change into Tuxedo Kamen and help their friends. Serenity sighed wistfully and finished cleaning up. She had nowhere to really be for a while, so she took her time. Maybe she'd go shopping? This was the issue when all of her friends were involved with the same thing.

"Hey!" A girl called out.

Serenity stopped and looked to a redhead jogging over to her, she was dressed as if she was heading for the gym.

"Hi." Serenity replied cordially.

"I'm Molly Baker, you're in my Psychology class aren't you?"

"Oh, that's right, that's where I know you from!" Serenity remembered the girl now; she sat almost right behind her. "I'm Serenity General."

"I thought your last name was King?" Molly frowned; she could have sworn that was the name on the sheet they passed to take attendance.

"Ah, well, technically it is, but I go by General."

"Oh, well both are pretty cool." Molly smiled and it lit up her whole face. "I was planning on going to the Mall, I just got back from the gym. If you'd like to join me you're more than welcome to come, I just have to take a five minute shower and change first though."

"No drying your hair?"

"That's the neat thing about being from Boston, my hair's used to heavy humidity, so being here, it dries in a snap. Well… comparatively at least."

Serenity laughed, this girl was rather entertaining. "All right, should I join you there in fifteen then?"

"Sure. Could I give you my number? I don't have my phone on me right now."

"Of course." Serenity took hers out and dialed in Molly's number. "I'll see you in fifteen minutes then."

"Yep, see ya then." Molly took off, still jogging, back to where Serenity didn't doubt was her apartment.

The girl didn't look as if she'd worked out, and hadn't a really thick accent, but Serenity didn't doubt either tidbits of information. The rest of the day was spent with the redhead from Boston. They had fun, shopping for awhile, then having a light ice cream snack before making plans for dinner in a couple of days.

For the next couple of weeks Serenity and Molly got closer as friends.

Darien and the girls continuously got moody and were watching her even closer, to which she spent more time avoiding them and hanging out with Molly.

Making their friendship stronger.

Which gave Jadeite a relief because she seemed, if possible, even happier, and not as worried that she'd be doing something with Darien and have to watch out for her. Also Nephrite had been recalled onto the base without being able to leave.

Which made him able to attack more often.

Which made Darien and the girls moodier and worried for their friend to accidentally stumble into the cross hairs.

It was just a circular pattern that was just fine until one day Serenity snapped.

"What is it?" She demanded. Usually when there was a problem Darien would come out and say it, which recently he'd been hiding.

"It's nothing." He lied and led Serenity away from the crowd growing near them. The first general was attacking crowds more rigorously, the second one hadn't been seen in weeks.

"You're lying. Why can't we go through that crowd?" Serenity stopped and stomped her foot.

"All right fine!" Darien snapped back. "The first general, the one that's been around forever has upped his game. He's attacking more often and getting away with everything. We haven't been able to stop any part of his plans."

"What do you mean?" Serenity asked softly.

"Before we used to be able to destroy the youma, or stop him from draining one of our energies, or even stop him from getting the object that he wanted, usually a person's talent, and using it to equip the youma with it. But now, now we haven't been able to stop a single part of his attack. We're being drained every time, the youma's aren't being destroyed and he always gets what he wants."

"What is he looking for?" Serenity pried.

"The silver crystal."

"The what?"

"It's the princess's famed crystal, the one that's supposed to make her virtually invincible, also the thing that caused the destruction of the moon."

"Why does he want it?"

"To give to his queen and then destroy us once and for all."

"And your energy?"

"Is feeding them, making them stronger, we're apparently more powerful than normal citizens to feed the queen."

"And has your energy been taken?" Serenity didn't know why, but knew it was imperative that his energy remained away from the dark kingdom.

"No." Darien acknowledged, for some reason the girls and him knew his energy should not be taken and protected against at all causes. "We make sure of that."

"Good." Serenity hugged him. "Now back off, I won't be caught up in the center of an attack again, I haven't been for months now. So stop being so worried."

"All right." Darien sighed. Then a glint entered his eyes. "How about, you and I go rent a movie and take it back to my apartment?"

Serenity pursed her lips then smiled. "I think that would be an excellent idea."

"Chinese too?"

Serenity wrinkled her nose, a tiny vertical crease down the center formed, and Darien loved to see it appear. "Can we do Indian today instead?"

"Ok." Darien sighed, trying to sound defeated. Serenity just whacked him on the shoulder. "Ouch!" He complained, and it had stung a little, she was stronger than she looked.

"You big baby!" She laughed at him. "Should mama kiss it to make it better?" She batted her eyelashes at him and he nodded moodily.

She smiled evilly and made as if to kiss him on the lips then kissed his shoulder instead. "There better?"

"No!" Darien groaned and drug her up against him to kiss her completely.

After a few minutes they split apart and went to go find a movie and then ordered Indian take-out that was on his street.

They turned off all electronics, except Darien's watch, because that was for emergencies only, even Mina abided by the rules for it, in fact she was the one that was strongly against anything but Senshi business being discussed on it.

After the movie, neither of them truly watched, because both passed out half way through it, Serenity awoke to static on the screen and cold food on the coffee table. Serenity smiled wryly as she detangled herself from Darien's arms and picked up the food and shut off the television screen and DVD player. She put the food in the refrigerator, unsure how well it would be when Darien was hungry in the middle of the night after a battle, but it was there. Serenity turned her cell phone back on. Jadeite had set up a PO box for all their mail to be sent to, hence they could pay bills and tuition and for them both to have a cell phone.

Her phone beeped at her, telling her she missed a phone call and a text message. She looked at the missed call then at the message, both were from Rei. The message read 'we need to talk.' Serenity was a little apprehensive about this call; usually Rei wrote 'call me back, I'm bored.' Or something to that effect.

Serenity called Rei back, punching in the numbers that were memorized instead of looking through her phone for Rei's nickname, Pyro.

"Hey Rei." Serenity said when Rei answered the phone.

"Hey Serena. I was calling you earlier."

"I know." Serenity didn't need to add more because Rei took over the conversation.

"I need your help." Serenity blinked at the imaginary image of Rei in front of her and tried to form words, Rei never needed her help, the girl was so confident, Serenity was sometimes envious. "It's about your uncle."

"My Uncle? Jay?" Serenity was glad she caught herself; she almost said his full name in surprise. "What about Jay? Has he been bugging you? Wondering where I am?"

"No, no, nothing like that, on the contrary, he's been ignoring me so much recently, usually he at least says hi, even when you are not around, but recently he hasn't even said a word to me."

"That's strange." Serenity knew there was a change in her uncle recently, but hadn't known what it was.

"I thought so too." Rei paused. "I would like to get along with your family, family's important."

"I know." Serenity agreed, she loved her uncle dearly but sometimes she wished she had a female role model too. But none of the girls or Darien had a complete family unit; even Molly just had her mother.

Serenity had secretly wondered if Jadeite would get along with one of the girls' mother or even Rei, but that would have been slightly weird, her uncle was so much like her father that if he dated her friend… Serenity shuddered.

"Maybe…" Rei ventured, she hated not being completely honest with her best friend, but wouldn't dream of telling Serenity anything of the true nature she was thinking. "Maybe… you could set Jay and me up for a lunch together so we could talk out the issue? I would love to get along with him."

"I'll talk to him."

"No!" Rei hesitated. "Ask him if he'd like to go to lunch with you and then ditch him and I'll show up instead. That way he can't say no, and leaving would make him feel like a jerk."

"All right." Serenity frowned at the phone, she wouldn't like lying to Jadeite but if it'd help both of them, then she'd deal with it.

"When would you like this lunch set up?"

"Tomorrow would be nice."

"I'll check with him then get back to you."

"Ok." Rei was about to hang up then changed her mind. "Thank you Serena."

"You're welcome." Serenity said her goodbyes then walked back into the living room where Darien was still sleeping, poor man, he must be tired from all of these youma attacks.

Serenity would have woken him up in her very own special way, but she knew the dangers of being tired on the battlefield could outweigh any form of skill. Anything that happened to him because of her, it would kill her.

She headed back into the kitchen to grab a piece of paper and a pen and wrote him a note. She placed it on the coffee table next to the remote and pulled a blanket up over him. As she was letting go, his hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Don't go." He pulled her down next to him and she rested her head on his chest, as his arms wrapped around her and he drifted back to sleep. Serenity sighed and curled up next to him and drifted off herself, it was after all, midnight.


	12. XI

Chapter XI

Jadeite frowned as he looked at his newspaper at the café where he was supposed to meet Serenity. Maybe these girls and Darien truly were a bad influence on Serenity. First she didn't call or say anything when she knew she wasn't coming home last night, she made the lie that she was sleeping over at one of the girls' houses, he didn't remember which one she lied about. He knew without a doubt in his body that she was at Darien's, the fact that she lied, bolstered him more than anything else. He didn't quite believe that they were doing anything more than sleeping; Serenity was still too much the same for her to go that far yet.

Now though, she was late, and she was never late before. A presence sat down across from him and he knew it wasn't Serenity.

He lowered the paper and his hands clenched, it was Rei. "Could I help you?"

Rei blushed. "I'm sorry, but I asked Serenity to ask you here. She's not coming."

"Would you care to share why you are here and why you asked my niece to lie to me to get me here. Please keep in mind that I am a little upset about her antics recently, and you and your group are the cause of her change."

Rei looked at him for a moment before pushing around her water glass. "Maybe I'm wrong about you…" She whispered and looked up with a fire in her eyes. "We are not a bad influence on Serena. Maybe, you are just too controlling, and this would have happened eventually."

"Relax Rei." Jadeite soothed. "My niece is in charge of her own choices. I know that. I just wish I understood what was going on with her."

"I am not here to discuss Serena, at least not directly. I wanted to talk about us."

Jadeite smiled. "There is no us, Rei." He tried to break it to her as gently as he could.

"But there is an us. The us is I'm Serena's best friend, and you're her uncle, and we should get along." Rei was starting to get argumentative, the way she usually was when people didn't agree with her. "There's also more to us then just mere acquaintances. You and I have been going back and forth for far too long now Jay. There was something between us from the get-go."

"There was never anything between us. You are eighteen."

"Nineteen." Rei corrected automatically.

"I am Twenty-nine."

"Ten years isn't that big anymore." Rei wanted to discuss what was really going on, but Jadeite kept sidestepping her.

"At this moment in time, no, but in time you'll realize that there is _way _too much time difference between us." He may have been in stasis for the last five millennia but he'd lived a complete lifetime, twenty-nine plus years before that and these last seventeen. He was way too old for her, with out the millenniums, it was forty-six years too old. Besides, his past love would kill him if she were ever to see him again, not only for crushing on a girl so young but also for killing her, and helping the destruction of _them_. But alas, they would not be reborn; the Negakingdom finally tore themselves out of their deep slumber, it was impossible for her to live.

"Jay-" Rei began, but it was futile, Jadeite would not listen to her.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Serena and you planned a meal together, couldn't we at least return to what we were before you became so distant? We at least talked normally." Rei spoke in a rush to convince him while he was still listening. "For Serenity's sake*?"

Jadeite looked at her, it would be too painful if he let himself fall in love with her, she'd die and he'd be alone without his niece, without his love, and the only companions would be the witch Beryl and her puppet master and the minions called generals. Unless… he couldn't, could he?

Jadeite settled back in the chair, he could at least hear Rei out and try to figure out exactly what he wanted to do regarding his niece's friend. His longing for a female companion needed to be quenched, and as she said, she was of age and he tired of the female youma on the base.

"All right, let's have lunch." Jadeite waved over a waiter and they ordered.

They talked for a while, just having a conversation, and enjoying each other's company. Lunch finished far too early for both of them, but they dragged it out for as long as they could.

Serenity watched her uncle and her friend eat lunch; she had been working on Suduko to pass the time. She had been a little worried when Jadeite had stood up to leave her friend by herself, and was relieved when he sat back down. As she watched the two interact with each other, from even this distance, the disgust at a possible relationship between the two of them eroded. They got along well with each other and she could see that while both fought it, they really were in love with each other.

Serenity's phone rang and she answered it. "Hello?"

"Whatcha doing?" A male voice asked in a teasing note.

"Nothing much, how about you?"

"I am looking for a very special blond but I just can't seem to find her."

"Mina's not here. Did you try her phone and asking her?"

"Not that kind of special you dork."

"Oh, well then, I don't know who you could possibly be looking for." Serenity teased back.

Darien laughed. "I'm looking for you, where are you?"

Serenity smiled, but Darien couldn't see it, but he knew she probably was. "I'm watching my uncle get hit on by a black haired beauty."

"Who?" Darien was confused and looked into his rearview mirror as he changed lanes.

"Rei." Serenity's answer almost caused him to lose control.

"REI?" He bellowed. "I knew he liked her, but I hadn't a clue she liked him."

"Well you were one step ahead of me here. I didn't know there was any feelings other than politeness between the two of them." Well, she knew Jadeite looked at Rei with something more than her other friends, but hadn't figured it out until now.

Darien chuckled. "Ok. I guess I can deal with this relationship. I mean, Rei's only my best friend, after you, naturally…" He paused for a quick second. "It's not like she's my aunt or anything, so if you can handle it, so can I."

"Well, Rei's my best friend before you, so I guess we're even." Serenity hung up the phone and put it in her pocket, ignoring it until it stopped ringing. When it started again, she answered. "_What_?"

"_Hey_, I was only calling to see if you'd want to go to the roller rink, jeez, sorry I caught you at a bad time."

"Oh, I'm sorry Lita, I thought you were Darien. He was making fun of me, the roller rink you say? I can't make it, I'm meeting Molly in a couple of hours and we're going to the art festival down off Hennepen."

"All right. I'll catch you later then." Serenity agreed and they parted connection.

The phone rang again and Serenity answered, much more calmly. "I'm sorry." Darien started and Serenity forgave him, and then turning him down to do something this afternoon, because she had plans.

A few hours later and Serenity was with Molly and they were talking as they looked at the different works of art. "I can't believe anybody would buy that one guy's work."

"Guy? I thought that was a girl." Molly said wide-eyed.

"No, it was a guy wasn't it?"

"Well whatever it was, had some for sure creepy pictures. Different ways to die and decay." Molly shuddered, her accent coming out thick today.

Serenity looked back at it and hurried her step, as much distance between those paintings and them, the better. It would be too cliché if one of them came to life like the cars had a while back. Molly kept up with her but wisely didn't say a word.

"Hey, you said you just transferred, why did you choice all they way across the country?" Serenity asked.

"I-" Molly thought about her response and then answered. "My mother just opened up a new store here, the O-SAP, it's a chain but each carry their own specialty so each one is slightly different then the last. Mother is setting it up for the first year then I'm taking over this store. Have you been to it?"

"No, I'm afraid I haven't." Serenity laughed. "I don't get out of Washington much, Montana is the farthest East I've gone and that was to go skiing a couple of years ago."

"Oh." Molly paused before brightening. "Well we're having an opening day sale and its invite only, would you like to come?"

"Sure." Serenity agreed. "When is it?"

"Next weekend…" Molly smiled bashfully. "I'm sorry it's such short notice. It's also a black tie event."

"It's totally fine, I mean we just met, I wouldn't expect you to invite me a few weeks ago when you had only known me for a few days." Serenity paused and looked at Molly. "Black tie you say?"

"Yes. Opening day Mom said was usually for the ritzy aristocrats who want everything first, and would stick up their nose at our store if they didn't get first dibs."

"That's sad but I'm sure it's true, they are the ones that usually buy diamonds and other jewelry more frivolously instead of saving up for a special occasion like the rest of the world." Serenity had never been strapped for cash, she'd been without it, but she hadn't thought she needed it at the time, preferring not to carry it around. She wasn't all that into material goods either, a few nice pieces here and there.

"The problem though is knowing who to invite and where to draw the line so as not to offend everybody. But mom said I could invite a friend, and get a special discount on it."

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll be buying anything."

"You have to, all the guests do, and it's an unwritten code or something. But don't worry, I'll pay for it, you just have to pick something out."

"I can pay for it, it's not that, all right, I guess I can purchase one small item, I'm just not usually into a lot of jewelry."

"Maybe you can get something to replace the black ribbon on your wrist." Molly mentioned casually. "I know a lot good black stone pieces that would go well with your skin tone."

"I'm not really looking for a replacement, maybe a necklace? Silver or bronze colored? I'm not a huge fan of gold."

"Silver's not really for you, you're a little too pale for it." Molly toyed with her ruby hair and nodded. "Maybe bronze, actually that or dark steel look would be good."

Serenity smiled, Molly was just being friendly, a little oblivious to the fact that Serenity wasn't into this as much as she was, but it was good to support a friend.

"Hey, look at this!" Serenity changed subjects and pointed out an amazing landscape done in paint.

"It looks so real, like you could touch actual rocks and feel the water."

"And this one, I'm cold just looking at it." Serenity agreed as she shivered.

A huge crowd was gathering next to the stage and Serenity pointed it out. "Oh, that's the band playing, I hear they got Green Day for this event. I was super surprised that they'd play for free all day long here." Molly explained.

"Well you knew more than I did." Serenity laughed. "Did you want to go listen to it?"

"Sure, that's exactly what I was about to ask you." Molly joined in the laughter and together they headed towards the stage. Serenity sent an interested gaze at a painting as they walked by, it was of a bat hanging from a tree and the eyes seemed to follow them. Serenity shook it off; the creepy picture was in no way real.

As they neared the musicians, Serenity had an unsettling feeling run through her again. She looked closely at the musicians. They didn't look quite normal, even for rockers.

Molly's eyes glazed over and she started swaying. "Molly?" Serenity questioned. She got no response, Serenity had never been with somebody who'd actually been affected by the spell that the generals caste over somebody. Serenity grabbed Molly's arm and she snapped out of it.

"What's going on? What's with everybody here?" Molly wondered.

"Come on." Serenity tried to drag Molly away, but she caught sight of the band again. Green Day's bodies were morphing into puddles and Molly screamed. Her scream caught the attention of the youma, they finished slipping into a puddle and merged with the instruments they had been playing and grew legs and arms. Several picks shot out at them in a jet stream. Serenity grabbed Molly's arm and forced her to run with her. They ran for the cover of the trees and the bodies turned towards them, the ones that had been memorized and walked towards them like zombies. Serenity hated ZOMBIES! Molly screamed as one of them touched her hair, and pulled her back into the crowd. Serenity struggled between going in after her and calling Mamoru.. The zombies were getting closer and Serenity took a steadying breath and dove in after Molly. Trying to help her friend as best she could. Molly had passed out and under the cover of the bodies descending on them; Serenity transported them to relative safety. The youma were confused and looked around for them. The senshi chose that moment to show up and fight off their enemy.

Serenity swallowed a breath of relief, the cavalry had arrived. Although Tuxedo Mask was fighting off the lead guitar, and the rest of the senshi were preoccupied with the other instruments and keeping the bodies at bay, Serenity saw something that made her heart stall. The picture she saw earlier, that bat, came tearing out of the picture frame and lunged straight for Tuxedo Mask's neck.

She screamed and held up her hand before she stopped herself and energy gathered and burned her palm and disintegrated as soon as it latched on.

Serenity disappeared as soon as she did so, Tuxedo Mask had spun around to see what was going on, and all he saw was a flash of energy, something he'd never seen before but it felt familiar.

Serenity fled to her home, but she didn't go inside, she didn't want to tell anybody, not even Jadeite about what happened. She curled into a ball on the sand and rocked herself back and forth; she didn't know what just happened. Sure, she'd used energy like that before when she was very little, arguing with her fellow orphans, they'd get little jolts, and Serenity had always been terrified at what she'd done and hid in her room. Never before had it been noticeable. She also had a strong feeling that if Jadeite hadn't encourage her use of magic, to be normal in public but to not completely repress a part of her, she'd be even worse off, that use today would have scared her shitless. Serenity shook herself out, she would just have to deal with the consequences of her actions. She didn't know where she'd gotten her magic from, but it was hers, and as Jadeite said, it was a part of her, so she'd have to learn to control it eventually.

Taking another deep breath, Serenity centered herself and counted to ten before returning back to the battle scene, out of view, and near Molly. Serenity concentrated and lifted molly a millimeter off the ground so she wouldn't get hurt or noticed and moved her closer to her in slow movements. Serenity kept a look out to see if anybody noticed her, and nobody did. Eventually Molly came all the way over to Serenity and Serenity propped her against the tree and disappeared again to reappear in the tree, completely hidden from view and watched the rest of the battle.

She was disappointed as one of the senshi got caught while protecting Mask and her energy was drained slightly and the youma disappeared.

The group disbanded when they were sure nobody was going to come out and attack them. They'd lost another battle, but this time nobody was seriously injured. Mina and Rei propped up Lita between them or rather Mars and Venus with Jupiter, for they still hadn't dropped disguises.

Serenity made up her mind not to tell the girls or Darien that she'd been at this battle, ever, unless she absolutely had to.

Tuxedo mask headed straight for the area Serenity and Molly had been in before Serenity did the foolish thing and saved his life. He couldn't find any trace of being in the area, Molly effectively hidden from view.

Mercury walked over to Mask and touched his back. He jumped and turned towards her. Serenity unfortunately couldn't hear their conversation and wished she could get closer without being noticed. Her wish wasn't granted today, all she had to go by were lips and hand motions. Mask waved to the area and Mercury shrugged, she hadn't seen whatever Mask was talking about obviously. Then she held up her hand to his neck and touched the small dots where he'd been bitten shortly before being saved. She pulled away her hand and Serenity could clearly see blood on the white gloves.

He held his hand up to his neck and concentrated on healing the area, his hand shimmered but when he pulled it away, the spots were still there, still bleeding. Mercury pulled out a bandaged and cleaned his wound before putting her hand on his shoulder and then walking away.

Mask looked around before jumping up onto the tree next to her's and then onto the nearest building, taking off for what she assumed was the direction of home, or at least a place to de-transform.

The girls took off in different directions and once they were gone, a form appeared on the ground, but it was near the stage and too far for Serenity to truly see any type of recognition, except that she saw a gray uniform and blond hair. The body was facing away from her and all she saw was the back as it knelt down and picked up something from the debris. Serenity wondered if the senshi always missed the fact that the 'general' she assumed came down for what it was truly after whence the senshi were gone. The general pocketed the item and disappeared.

Serenity frowned and dropped down to the ground, Molly was starting to wake up, as were the zombies who'd fainted once the youma had left.

"Wh-what happened?" Molly asked when Serenity sat down next to her.

"The senshi saved the day." Serenity replied. "You fainted moments before they came and brought us to safety."

"That was so weird." Molly rubbed her forehead. "You didn't faint?"

"No, I've been in a youma attack before. I kind of knew what to expect."

"I have too, I've been in three now." Molly explained when Serenity looked at her oddly. "I was in England at the time the English Rose was there, at least that's what my city called her. The media and England called her Sailor V."

"You're from Boston, aren't you?"

"Yes, but I spent a summer in England."

"You were in two attacks there?"

"No, one there, two here. The first week I moved out here, I was in one."

Serenity shook her head, nobody had told her about that one. "Well, I think we both deserve a shower. I'll see you when we go to your mother's jewelry store at the opening, ok?"

"All right. Be safe on the way back Serenity, youma aren't the only dangerous things out here."

"I know, you too, ok?"

"I will be." Molly smiled broadly. It was interesting; Molly only really smiled to Serenity and her friends, the rest of the world she was like a typical Bostonian.

Serenity said her goodbyes to Molly and went around the corner of a building into an alley way and disappeared and reappeared back at her house.

Jadeite walked outside the door crashing shut as he yelled at her. Serenity flinched; she'd never seen Jadeite so angry. "How could you be so stupid and use your powers in public!"

"What?"

Jadeite had received a lashing for loosing the bat in the attack, and he couldn't heal his own wounds, him being the only one on base who could heal, had nobody to take the pain away, so pain and anger mingled together and directed for the first time towards Serenity and not a youma.

"I saw you! Do you have any idea who else could have seen you? The stupid Queen has been closely monitoring these events!"

"What do you mean? I used them yes, but nobody was looking at me at the time, everyone was facing a different direction. I thought that you were trying to stop the negakingdom, and not help it, so I saved the stupid masked hero, he'd saved me before, so I thought it only necessary to help him in return. I hadn't realized I could do what I did." She explained calmly but quickly to get it all out without being interrupted.

Jadeite looked her over closely. He'd gone and fogged Serenity's image in the pin he wore, implementing her hair color with chestnut brown and one large bun in the back of her head instead of her normal styles. The length would have given everything away. It was the only time he'd ever used the pin, and he'd never use it again, Beryl had wanted first hand knowledge of what went on out there, and that was the use of the pin. Beryl had been pleased by what she saw but agreed with him it would be long and boring to do it every time. She had demanded to know who had destroyed the bat however. Jadeite lied and said it was one of the senshi. One of them had gotten behind Mask and saw the youma and sent an attack that Jadeite hadn't had time to deflect.

However anybody could have seen Serenity use her powers twice in one second!

"Never use you powers in public again! How many times do we have to go over this? I agree with everything you've said, I'm not angered you helped Tuxedo Mask, more upset that you did so the way you did."

Jadeite's back would heal eventually, he just didn't want to Serenity to know about it but when he sat down when they moved back inside the house, Serenity caught his slight frown. "What happened?" She demanded. "Did that general hurt you?"

"Yes." Jadeite knew she'd seen him but took him to be somebody else, which he sighed in relief. "I was working with him and he blamed me for the loss."

"Let me heal it." Serenity held up her hands and Jadeite grabbed her wrist. He'd never refused her help before, and Serenity looked at him in surprise when he gripped it tightly and held it up for his inspection.

He held his hand over hers and energy came out of his hand and bathed hers in a subtle yellow light. Her hand healed completely, she had momentarily forgotten the burning pain until then and it felt soothing when he finished.

She smiled and thanked him. "Now it's my turn to help you." Jadeite removed his shirt and she ran her hands behind him, not touching but close a soft silver light covered his back completely before sinking in to where the lashes resided and the rest returned to Serenity. His wounds healed and not even a scar remained.

Jadeite stretched he felt so much better. "Thanks Sere," and he noticed her reflective look. "What happened?"

"I was just wondering what it was that the general came back for and picked up."

"You were still there?" Jadeite questioned, he should have known when she wondered about the general hurting him, he just didn't register that situation. Serenity nodded slowly and Jadeite answered. "He was looking for the remaining energy he'd gathered from the crowd and not just the one he'd gotten from the senshi."

"Oh." Serenity looked thoughtful and shook herself out of it. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"Good idea." Jadeite knew sometimes showers had more effect on a person than just cleaning off the body, but the soul as well.


	13. XII

Chapter XII 

Darien pulled Serenity to a halt. "Now look here, Miss Serena King!" 

Serenity looked at Darien oddly; he'd never called her that before. "What do you want?" She asked, wondering why he was angry at her, she'd only questioned him about something she knew the answer to something she'd seen personally.

"I wish you'd stop wondering about things that are insignificant!"

"It's significant! I wanted to know what happened!"

"You asked me where I got the puncture wounds, and I told you, from the last battle."

"But why hasn't it healed?" Serenity demanded.

"I tried, and I failed, I guess I can't heal my own wounds." Serenity bit her lip, she could easily reach up and heal it for him, but that would bring up unwanted questions. "See, I told you it was insignificant! Now stop asking, it'll heal on its own in a few hours."

"What was so wrong with me asking about a battle?" Serenity pouted.

Darien pulled her close and sighed as he rested his forehead against hers. "I'm sorry, but I guess I'm just a little frustrated. I was saved by something behind me, and it's irritating me to no end that I can't figure out who it was that is powerful enough and would want to save me."

"Maybe it's the princess." Serenity gibed, knowing full well it was her and not the princess, whoever that could be, and it would make Darien smile, he was entertained by the notion of a princess, where the others really wanted her to exist, he only could shrug, her involvement was of no importance to him, he'd already had everything he wanted.

Darien groaned. "Not you too!"

"What do you mean?" Serenity laughed, as she looked up at Darien, they were heading out to eat.

"It's just that Luna is excited and she keeps saying that the princess is looking out for us behind the scenes and has been protecting us without our knowledge."

"Well that's silly." Serenity shook her head. "If the princess is looking out for you guys, then why wouldn't she make herself known to you? I mean she's obviously not testing you if she steps in and saves you before you can do anything on your own."

"I asked the very same thing. And do you know what Luna's answer was?" Darien chuckled, "she said that the princess was hiding and only saved us because she had to, and she'll continue hiding until she can't anymore because its safer for her in hiding."

"That's stupid." Serenity grumbled. "If I was that bloody princess I'd at least tell you so you guys wouldn't worry so much, and have you pretend not to know I was found if I was so worried for my safety."

"I'm just glad that you aren't the bloody princess." Darien repeated her earlier phrase with a laugh. "You've been hanging around Mina and Molly too long. But if you were the princess, I wouldn't be allowed to be with you, being a lowly guard and I would hate if you got put in that position, danger at every turn just because of whom you were. I'm so glad that the princess is well and truly lost to us."

"Don't you need her?" Serenity asked slowly.

"Yes, in the defeat against the enemy, yes. Day to day life, and the continual holding off of the enemy, no. She's not needed, not needed at all. We've been living like this for almost eight years now, if she hasn't shown up yet, I doubt she will. Why didn't she show up when we first started out, like the rest of the senshi? Two of us have always been here, but the other three, they needed to come from far away without knowing why or any guardians or guidance to lead them here. The princess didn't get the message, so why should she come?"

"What about the prince?"

"Let him come, I'd relish a leader to take over and control the powers of the earth and the healing ability like me. It's sure take a huge strain off of me to make sure everybody's all right. But the same goes for him, why hasn't he made his way here yet? Especially while the youma attacks have been all over news all over the world."

"Maybe they don't remember?" Serenity ventured. "Or if they did, they're being held back by guardians or their parents, whether they know or not."

"Very unlikely, even Ami's mother drew closer."

"Maybe you already know them, maybe they are here, now, always." Serenity bit her lip, her thoughts going to Molly, but why had she fainted? Was the girl human or was she the princess and that's what she learned to do or was instilled in her until the knowledge came out that she really was the princess?

Serenity had to think about it some more before she said anything more on the subject.

"And what? Not show up and let us do the fighting alone with out them? I want to know what will happen when they do show their faces. Will the fighting increase or decrease?"

"Nobody knows until it happens, but surely you don't want to be fighting these generals for the rest of your life."

"Hopefully they'll die by then."

Not with the way things were going, and what Serenity had seen at the last one, the senshi were loosing, slowly but they had lost their weight.

"Anyways, where are we going to go eat?" Serenity didn't want to talk about senshi business anymore; she was already too involved in it.

Darien laughed, he was glad she changed the subject. "The café dell'arte."

"Sounds Italian." Serenity mussed.

"That it is." Darien agreed. "I have reservations for a table outside, so we can watch the people and enjoy the gardens they built for the restaurant."

"Sounds expensive." Serenity said cautiously, she hated that he spent so much money on her for just plain old dates sometimes.

"It is and it isn't, my treat." He caught her around the waist. "Sere, I have tons of money at my disposal. I have a nice paying job, money from trust funds, and my school has already been paid for. Let me do nice things for you."

"I'm not poor." Serenity injected.

"I know. You have all sorts of money available to you too, thanks to your rich uncle. By the way, whatever happened between Rei and him?"

"They have gotten back to normal footing, I think Jay is a little weary of dating a younger girl so he's put them back in the friend zone."

"Usually it's the girl putting guys in the 'just friends' zone."

"Well, Jay has a right to be cautious."

"I agree." Darien seconded. "It's just a funny thought that Jay has been waiting for her to grow up and notice him for so long, and when she does, he's the one that chickens out and says she's still too young for him. But he does need to be cautious, Rei has a big heart but she's also in as much danger as I am every day. She's also still at an age that could be looked down upon if not careful but legally its ok."

"How do we get off on these conversations?" Serenity shook her head. "How about that movie we saw last night, Across the Universe?"

"Amazing. I didn't think I'd like it because it's so artsy."

"I knew I was going to love it, I just hadn't realized how much."

They entered the café and as they ate they continued talking. The pictures on the wall were of beautiful country scenes that blended into the garden that surrounded them. They lucked out and got a seat near the waterfall that they built. There was a water fountain somewhere near by, but Serenity hadn't seen it when they walked in.

After the first two meals, they had a while before dessert would be served. So Serenity convinced Darien to walk around with her to see the rest of the café. They told the waiter before they stood up and he agreed so it wasn't cleared away before they got back and charges weren't pressed on their skipped bill.

It really was a gorgeous café, Serenity wasn't sure it was accurately called café, but she supposed it was only open during the day, so it could suffice. She turned to Darien when they got back to the table. "I have a request." She knew he'd do it, if he wanted to, but she felt bad for asking it.

"Anything." Darien responded.

"When our anniversary comes around, can we come back here, at night?"

"Of course, the owner and I are friends, I'm sure we can swing something like that."

"Sweet, I'd love to see this place at night."

Serenity's cell phone rang and Serenity frowned. "I thought I turned it off."

"It's all right, answer the phone." Darien reassured.

Serenity pushed her hair out of the way and held the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Serena, I was curious about tomorrow, are you doing anything?" Rei's voice rang clear on the phone.

"Yeah, I have something with Molly tomorrow."

"Oh, how long does that run?"

"I don't know, how about I call you afterwards?" Serenity asked, glancing across the table at Darien.

"Yeah, that'll be fine; I wanted to know if you wanted to go to a party with me."

"Maybe, let's see what happens, ok?"

"All right."

Serenity and Rei hung up and Serenity returned her attention back to Darien after making sure her phone was shut off.

They finished their dinner and headed out to a dance club.

Serenity and Darien left the club late at night and Darien had a bit too much to drink and as he walked. Serenity supported him slightly with her arm around his waist. She wasn't old enough yet to drink in this country and she'd only had a few sips from his glasses. She made sure they got back to his place ok.

They walked into his bed room and he smiled down at her. "Thanks Ren." He kissed her forehead and missed a step and took both of them down onto his bed. "I didn't think I'd ever get you here."

"Well, I'm not going to be for long, I'm going home."

"It's too late to go by yourself all the way back home." Darien pulled her down next to him.

"All right." Serenity sighed. "Just let me call Jay."

"Ah, you're old enough to make your own decisions." Darien grumbled but snuggled deeper into his pillows, he was on top of the comforter. Serenity rolled her eyes and left the room to call Jay.

"Hey, I'm at Lita's tonight. I'll be home for a little while tomorrow. Goodnight Jay."

She came back into Darien's bedroom and pushed him over to the other side of the bed and pulling the comforter down before pulling him back to the side he fell on and pulled down her side as well before slipping in. Darien started snoring softly. Serenity rolled her eyes and turned him away from her. Her eyes caught the bite she hadn't been quick enough to stop and she laid her hand on his neck and his neck instantly healed. It'd been a week and over a night it healed? Serenity shrugged, he'd never question her about it, but be relieved it was gone.

Serenity soon fell asleep.

The next time she woke up the sun was high in the sky and she scrambled upright. Darien was still sleeping, typical college guy.

He woke though from her movement and a lazy smile crossed his lips. "Morning beautiful. I can't believe the first time I get you in my bed, I hardly remember it. Was I a complete ass?"

"No, you just fell asleep as soon as we got here."

"Oh. Lame." Darien berated himself. "I should have at least done this." He pulled her close and kissed her.

Serenity returned the kiss and then he kissed her again, pulling her closer to him and so she was lying on the bed. He tilted slightly so he was over her and his hand slowly made it's way down her plank and made its way towards her chest.

Serenity stopped his hand. "Uumm," she purred, " Darien, no, not yet."

Darien removed his hand and put it back by her head and kissed her deeply again.

Serenity wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down closer to her. He moaned into her mouth and slowly pulled away. "I'm sorry." He rested his head next to her. "I really should have brushed my teeth before hand."

"I haven't yet either." Serenity reassured.

"Yeah, but you weren't drinking last night."

"No, you're right." Serenity laughed.

"I'm going to go take a shower. Want to join me?" He teased and kissed her lightly on the mouth before rolling over her and standing up.

Serenity pursed her lips as she saw how well he was affected even with his jeans, she didn't want to laugh and watched him head into the bathroom. She laughed when he was gone as she stretched back on the bed. She yawned and twisted then rolled out of bed and straightened her clothes and her hair.

She headed out to the kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal. By the time Darien got out of the shower, she'd be hungry for Lunch but she didn't want to go out. She'd finished her bowl, washed it, and Darien came over to her, his hair still slightly wet and he kissed her jaw from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm hungry, you want to go to Andrew's?"

"Hmm." Serenity leaned back into his embrace. "I don't know, I'm still dressed in the clothes I wore yesterday, and I saw him yesterday."

"Let's go buy you a new outfit." Darien shrugged.

Serenity looked at him from the corner of her eye and he knew he was getting reprimanded for that comment.

"Sorry, I'll stop." He backed off from his comments. She was in no way poor, she didn't mind spending money and she seemed to do it a lot, but the money spent was necessary or at the moment, she didn't spend a ton on clothes and materialistic goods.

Serenity smiled and that smile made the sun come out on the darkest of days.

"Have I told you how much I love it when you smile like that?"

"No." Serenity laughed. "But thanks. I'm going to head home. I hadn't realized it was already two in the afternoon. I have to go with Molly at four."

"All right." Darien sighed and kissed her shoulder then let her go. "I'll see you tonight? Tomorrow?"

"Not tonight." Serenity responded. "Maybe tomorrow, maybe." She turned and kissed him. "But I've got to go now."

Serenity took off down the hall and into the elevator. Nobody was around and she sensed for a camera, there was none, so she disappeared and reappeared at home. There she walked in and saw Jadeite who frowned at her appearance.

"Really, Mina's?" He asked.

"No." Serenity admitted. "I wasn't at Mina's, but I was at Lita's, like I told you."

Jadeite sighed, he'd been trying to catch her in a lie, but she caught it. "Where you heading now?"

"To take a shower, and then out with Molly. We're going to her mother's party."

Jadeite didn't realize exactly which party Serenity was talking about, but was pretty sure she wasn't going where he was.

Serenity took her shower and then pulled out of her closet a classically beautiful black dress. She dressed after drying and styling her hair. She pulled on her make-up robe and did her make up.

She looked at the clock and she had about five minutes before she was supposed to meet Molly at the park. They'd walk from there to her mother's house. Serenity walked out and said goodbye to Jadeite before she disappeared and reappeared in the park where nobody was. She walked over to where Molly was waiting. "Were you waiting long?" Serenity asked surprised, looking at her watch.

"No, I'm just always early by five minutes." Molly looked apologetic. "You must always be close to on time."

"Yeah, I try to be a little early, but sometimes I'm late by accident." Serenity admitted.

"Well, shall we go?" Molly asked brightly, she was wearing a deep red dress that suited her, and her hair color.

"Of course, lead they way."

The party was going smoothly. Serenity found a pair of diamond column earrings in a platinum backing that she just adored.

However, Serenity noticed as the women were putting on the jewelry they started acting strange. They were starting to get cattier with other women wearing the jewelry. Molly came over. "Aren't those just the best? I designed them."

"You aren't an art major?" Serenity's attention was torn away from the behavior of the others by the comment.

"Oh no, I'm a biochemist. I want to work with marine life when I'm older."

"That's such an interesting field, I thought about that and genetics at one point, but I'm happier in my major now."

"What is your major?" Molly asked.

"Anthropology, I'm completely memorized by the history of people all over the globe and the artifacts that go along with it."

"What do you want to do with it?"

"I don't know for sure, go and explore the ruins of every old city for awhile, I suppose. Then eventually I'd like to become a high school teacher or college even."

"Nothing younger?"

"No, I don't think so, I mean its good to morph their minds at such a young age, but what I want to teach, they wouldn't understand quite yet."

Molly nodded. "Would you like to try these on?" She asked, gesturing towards the jewelry. Serenity felt her ears and realized she already had earrings in.

"Ah, actually, I should just hold them up to my ear and see if I like them in the mirror." She did as she said and nodded. "I think these are the ones I'd like to buy. They wouldn't really go with the outfit right now anyways."

Molly shrugged. "I think they'd look fine, but if you want to save them for a special occasion, that's your business. Let me just put these behind the counter to save for later, so you can buy it at the end of the night. That's how it always works."

"Thanks." Serenity watched Molly walk away and when she came back Serenity turned towards her friend again. "So if you want to work with marine life, then why are you taking over your mother's shop next year?"

'I've got to pay for school somehow." Molly answered truthfully. "Grad school is still a few years off and that'll be a few years then as well."

"Oh." Serenity had never had to worry about where she was going to get the money to pay for things. She could see the worry it could cause.

"You haven't met mother yet!" Molly suddenly realized, "let's go look for her."

"All right." Serenity followed Molly through the shop and eventually Molly started calling out for her mother.

"Where could she be?" Molly wondered allowed. "Mom? Are you over here?"

Serenity noticed that all the catty women were getting sleepy and slumping into each other. Then they were all down on the ground. Serenity reacted quickly. "Quick Molly, get down behind here." She pulled Molly to safety behind a table, they weren't seen.

The energy gathered and a red-haired woman was standing in front of all of them. "That's my mother!" Molly shot out before Serenity could stop her and winced as the woman turned her attention on her friend. "Mom! Are you all right? What happened to you?"

The lady, Molly's mom, shot something out at her and Molly flew into the desk and hit her head and passed out. Serenity rolled her eyes, that girl, she always seemed to pass out. The lady went back to sucking all the energy out of the women. Serenity snuck over to Molly and checked to see if she was all right. The girl was still breathing and had a heart beat. Serenity pulled out her phone to call Darien or one of the girls when she was noticed.

The youma sent it's minons towards Serenity and Molly. Serenity covered Molly's body with her own as the zombie women started beating down on them. Serenity terrified for her friend and herself, tried to get them both to safety without being noticed. She managed to disappear and reappear behind the counter, but Molly was woke up and started screaming. Serenity's instincts took over and she glowed a minute before in her place. She disappeared again and reappeared on the beams over head and shouted down to them. "Stop right there!"

The youma and all of the zombie women stopped and looked up at her. Serenity was suddenly very terrified of heights, how'd she even get up there? Serenity shook herself out of it and pointed at them. "You will leave the poor girl alone; all she'd wanted was a nice day at her mother's shop to run smoothly. I will punish you for your actions!"

Serenity shook her head, why the hell had she just said that? She'd heard corny speeches from Darien and the girls too often when they weren't doing surprise attacks.

Molly's mother started crackling. "You? By yourself? You're nothing but a pipsqueak with no weapon!" Serenity touched her forehead and sent down her tiara. It sliced through the air and cut off all of the jewelry the women were wearing including the youma's. Molly's mother shrieked before fainting and in its place was a black creature shaped like a woman. She flew towards Serenity and knocked her off her beam. Serenity fell and bruised her backside, but it wasn't too bad. Serenity scurried away as the youma came near again, and she ran into a wall. Serenity closed her eyes tightly shut; she didn't want to fight this creature! Molly screamed and Serenity's eyes snapped open with determination. She touched her tiara again and she waited a moment as energy gathered before sending it towards the black youma. It cut it in half, and it fell to a pile of dust and floated away.

Serenity had never seen a youma die before, and she almost felt sorry for it before remembering they were made from dust and the energy that Beryl stole from citizens. Serenity looked down at her clothes and was confused, what was she wearing? She stood up and disappeared as Molly made her way over to her mother. Serenity reappeared behind the table that she hid behind earlier. She closed her eyes and willed her form to be back to normal. When she opened them again, her wish came true.

Serenity cautiously came out from around the table. "Is it over?" She'd prefer to seem weak and cowardly than suspected of bravery, today was just a fluke anyhow.

"Yeah." Molly cried as she shook her mother. Serenity came over and touched her neck, she was still alive and she told Molly just as much.

Eventually everyone started waking up again and moving around, forgetting that anything had ever happened. The only inclination that something had happened was the hostess and her daughter distressed and when they walked out that evening it was a lot later than they had imagined it to be.

Serenity helped them clean up and bought her earrings, waving her hand over it to take off any incantation that may still have possessed it. She waved goodbye to Molly and her mom after a cup of tea afterwards. She called Rei on her way back towards the park, on her own. It was later than even she imagined it to be.

"Hey!" Rei greeted. "I'm already at the party, but you can sure come if you'd like."

"Sure, where's it at?" Rei told her and after a quick glance around, Serenity changed her dress into a pair of jeans and a cute top and headed over to the house Rei told her about.

Serenity had fun at the party, but it wasn't a huge blast, and every time she tried to sit down, her bruised behind rejected the thought. So Serenity stood the rest of the night and casually flirted with a few of the guys, whoever weren't interested in Rei or the other way around.

A few hours later, Rei insisted that Serenity come home with her because she didn't want to walk alone and didn't want Serenity to walk anywhere by herself. Serenity agreed and she spent the night at Rei's after calling Jadeite on the way, which Rei had interjected her own overly tired, and slightly overly drunk speech. These black haired friends of hers that grew up in Washington State, Serenity thought, liked their drink well enough.

Serenity had a bit too, so when she hit the pillows she was out. The next morning there was pounding on the door.

Rei groaned and Serenity got out of bed because she knew Rei wasn't going to unless she absolutely had to. Serenity a little annoyed at the rude wake up call opened the door to two men. Chad and Darien. She rolled her eyes when both looked at her surprised.

"Can I help you?" Serenity demanded.

"We're actually looking for Rei." Chad said sheepishly, he hadn't realized that Serenity was over when Darien pounded on the door of Chad's small hut on the grounds.

"Yeah, one second." Serenity turned towards Rei and jumped onto the bed. Rei growled. "Time to wake up, we have two very handsome men at the door looking for you!"

Rei glared at her and Serenity pointed her finger towards the still slightly opened door. Rei rolled her eyes and managed to get out of bed. She adjusted her clothes but forgot about her hair and marched over to the door. "WHAT?" She growled and deflated when she saw exactly who was at her door. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Darien rolled his eyes. "We need to talk, I tried calling you, but I couldn't get a hold of you so I cam over. I also called the other girls and they're on their way over now."

"But Serenity-" Rei gestured towards their friend.

"She's fine."

"All right." Rei turned her attention towards Chad who was looking at her the whole time. "You can go now Chad." Chad nodded and left, he'd send the girls over later when they came.

Serenity came back over to Rei and walked forward into Darien's arms.

He hugged her, when she opened the door, neither were thinking straight. "How are you? Why are you here?"

"I'm good, I was hanging out with Rei last night."

"That's great news." Darien sighed in relief. "That means you weren't there when the attack happened."

"I was." Serenity admitted, biting her lip.

"She needs to be at the meeting." Darien told Rei sternly and dragged Serenity towards the meeting room. Serenity grabbed a blanket before they were completely out of the room. Rei followed behind a little slower, her hangover obvious.

The other girls joined them soon and Luna looked to Serenity momentarily before Darien waved her off. "Relax, she already knows almost everything, so what does it matter if she's here now?"

Artemis spoke up. "She's not privy to strategy."

"Except she was at yet another battle." Darien told them and the girls gasped.

"Were you hurt?" Mina demanded an answer.

"No, I hid behind the desk the entire time with Molly."

"I want to know why you didn't tell us until now!" Luna demanded, putting her black paws on Serenity's knee.

"I didn't think it was important to be told right away. I mean, nothing happened to anybody and the youma was destroyed with out you appearing."

"How did that happen anyways, Serenity?" Artemis questioned sharply.

"I don't know." Serenity answered truthfully, she'd been surprised by what happened, and hadn't a clue how it did, but knew it shouldn't have.

"Serenity told me that Molly has been in more fights than she has." Darien told the girls.

"Do you think Molly could be a senshi? If not, more than that? The princess, our princess?" Rei asked, she'd never really talked to the girl; Serenity seemed to keep them separated.

"She could be." Lita agreed. "Nobody knows what the princess really looked like."

"You would tell us if you knew anything, wouldn't you?" Mina turned her eyes on Serenity and Serenity frowned. "Of course you would, that's a silly question!" Mina laughed and scratched the back of her head.

Serenity burrowed deeper into her blanket, she was tired and cold, Darien glanced at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, she laid her head on his chest.

"We'll watch her, see if she's the princess." Ami decided, and then looked to Darien for confirmation to the plan, but he was looking down at Serenity's golden head. " Darien?"

"I for one think it's a good idea." Luna told the group.

"I agree as well." Artemis seconded.

Darien jerked his head up and locked with the navy blue eyes of his senshi. If Molly was the princess, then eventually they'd all know what his position was and he'd either be de-promoted, killed, or exiled from the group, or, and it was a small voice nagging in him, he'd fall in love with her because his memories would resurface. He tightened his hold on the girl in his arms, he'd never give her up, not for any by-gone history, or anything else, ever. "I think we should do as you plan Ami."

Ami nodded slowly and they continued with their plans. Serenity soon fell asleep once she was no longer being interrogated for answers she could not give. Darien shifted her slightly and she curled into him more. He looked down at her again and couldn't believe his luck, how on earth had he gotten a girl who was so amazing?


	14. XIII

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Chapter XIII

Jadeite hadn't been at the latest battle, he hadn't expected any of the senshi to show up, the party had been conducted in relative secrecy and elite class. He however had been wrong before about the senshi's depth of involvement into society. The one party years ago when he had first met Rei, that party had been only for politicians, how the senshi had heard of it, was beyond him.

So when Beryl had called him to the base, he'd been surprised when she'd attacked him without a word. He was still supporting a huge tear in his bicep from her attack.

He wrapped the gauze around his arm by himself, if Serenity had been there, he'd just ask her to heal him, but she wasn't and it gave him time to recognize that she'd start asking more questions he wasn't prepared to answer and it would worry her to know he was now starting to be physically hurt on a regular basis because of Beryl.

He'd never failed in an attack before, and today was the first time that a youma had been destroyed before it could gather all of what was needed. It had at least found the crystals it was looking for although those too were not the silver crystal.

Jadeite stretched his body out to relieve the tension building in his spine from the last few days. They had been more stressful than normal because things had started to go wrong for him.

He twisted to wring out any last remaining pain then changed his outfit to a long sleeved shirt and casual trousers. It was just in time as well as Serenity came bounding in through the front door and calling his name in greeting.

Jadeite looked at the time; it was already the afternoon of the following day. "Where have you been?"

"I took a nap at Rei's after hanging out for awhile. I called you last night, remember?"

He remembered now that she reminded him, he'd heard that voicemail this morning. "Oh. How is Rei anyways? She sounded rather smashed."

"She's good. She's slept off all that was ailing her." Serenity told him cheekily.

"Oh that's good." Jadeite drolly responded. "I suspect you did as well?"

"Yes, the nap helped, Chad woke us up rather early this morning."

Jadeite fought down the smile that twitched on his lips but he couldn't help it. "That musician playing music early in the morning and managing to wake up the grumpiest morning person I know?"

"Rei's worse." Serenity instantly defended herself.

"Heaven forbid that I ever wake either of you up again!" He covered his eyes with his hand but he peaked through them and smiled.

Serenity laughed and shook her head. "I'm heading out again soon, but I wanted to come back here to change."

"You can easily close your eyes and your clothes instantly change. Why would you come back to change?"

Serenity shrugged. "I like standing in front of my closet and trying to decide what to wear."

"What happens when you have something that you want to wear and can't find it in your closet?" Jadeite asked skeptically.

"I just think it up and it appears." Serenity responded happily.

Jadeite rolled his eyes. "How is that any different then just using your mind to change?"

Serenity looked at him with a shake of her head. "There are a lot of differences Jace. Including of which one is a normal human thing and the other is our abilities."

"All right, all right. Just go change. Where are you going anyways?"

"I have a study group meeting to go to."

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" She was wearing a pair of jeans and a pink sweater.

"What? I wore this yesterday, I need a shower too." Serenity bowed and then left the room on a skip.

Jadeite slipped into his study and his shirt changed to a tee-shirt and he adjusted his bandage. She was home, but he couldn't damper her happy mood. His body would heal it on his own eventually but it was a slightly slower process. He could have entered the healing chamber at the Negakingdom's base but every time he stepped in it, he felt like his soul was being ripped away and shredded.

An hour later there was a knock on the door and Serenity's soft voice came through the door. "Jace, I'm going to leave now."

Jadeite changed back into his long sleeved shirt and opened the door. "All right, have fun." He told her as he watched her disappear on the spot to reappear wherever it was she was going, but she reappeared a second later.

"Oops." She laughed. "I forgot my books." She picked them up and disappeared again.

Jadeite laughed and shook his head. He opened up a book to check out the housing market in the area. He had to actually show up to at least pretend to sell somebody a house for cover. He also had to make sure his name was in at least one paper so it also laid claim to his story.

He found one that he wanted to sell and so he went and appeared there. He was dressed in a polo shirt with neat slacks. He greeted the people who wanted to buy a home and after a quick tour he had them wanting to know why they were selling it for so cheap.

He had them in the palm of his hand. That is when he noticed on the woman's hand a large crystal. He held himself back from attacking her now, his original plans still needed to be carried through. That's why when they took a picture as his agency did of all the new home owners and which house they owned was in the background, he had the woman place her left hand on top of her husbands so the crystal was in clear view as well.

This way, if a certain someone happened to look at the picture and notice the woman's large rock, than there was at least a scapegoat for Jadeite.

A week later, when the couple moved in and had their house warming party, he attacked. Interestingly enough there were quite a few prominent people at the house, the governor was there. He'd make it a mental note to inquire into how the couple knew someone so far up the political totem pole.

At Jadeite's attack the damned senshi managed to make their way in again, this time hoping to cut off whatever plans he held. After the last two attacks, he wasn't going to disappear and hope that everything would be all right; he had a suspicion that they held something up their sleeve and he wanted to make sure he was never in the path of Beryl's wrath again.

He watched the battle lazily, not all of the senshi had arrived, and he still hadn't gotten the crystal yet. He saw Mars move out of the corner of his eye and he dropped down behind her to spy on her without her knowledge. "Just ditch the rabbit, and come, quickly!"

"Roger that Mars. Mask over and out." Jadeite smirked as he realized how they communicated now. He'd have Zoicite look into the devices to see if he could find a way to penetrate the system and use it to their advantage.

In the meantime however he snagged Mars from behind before she could even turn around. How she didn't sense him with that weird mental power she had, didn't faze him in the least, just more power to his ploy.

He snapped one arm around Mars' neck and the other hand held her wrists up in a painful direction. She gasped as she felt his heat sink into her skin and she frightfully glanced back at him to the best of her capability. Her eyes turned hard with hatred and anger. Jadeite laughed, no senshi had ever made him out to be same man as he was on earth. Whatever power they had over their disguises also worked for his benefit.

"Venus!" Jadeite shouted and she cocked her head over in their direction for a split second before returning her gaze back to the youma she was fighting, narrowly missing a limb swiping at her head. She jumped out of the way and came closer to Jadeite.

"What do you want?" She demanded as her full attention remained on the youma. Mercury was off to the sidelines doing who knew what on her computer. Jadeite had the faint expectation that she already knew the answer and was just playing video games until the others demanded her to tell them how to destroy the youma. She always seemed to snap back to attention, say 'right' and tell them exactly how to defeat it without really looking at her monitor.

"Give up, if not complete surrender then give us your energy, head warrior of the senshi. Don't you know the man you follow is not the true leader, and as such, he should be killed?"

"Oh give it up general!" Mars breathed through her constraint. "We are warriors and we will never surrender to your taunts, never to your demands, we don't give into cowards like you."

"Coward?" Jadeite questioned lightly. "I have you know, I am holding my biggest fear in my arms at the moment, I have faced and conquered it, you on the other hand still hold on to silly sentimental values."

"Kill her, what do I care? She's after the power of leader anyways." Venus called out as she ducked another aim towards her head from the youma. Where were Jupiter and Tuxedo Mask anyways?

Jadeite seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Looks like your leader, the caped wimp, has given up on all of you."

That said, Jadeite groaned as a sharp metal tip imbedded itself in his shoulder, causing him to loose his grip on the girl in his arms. She ducked out from under his grasp and called forth instantly a wave of fire and shot it at him. He saw it coming and instinct took over and he disappeared before it reached him.

Jadeite reappeared next to his intended target and grabbed the crystallized rock from her finger before any of the senshi could attack him and then he disappeared for good. He sent the youma to drain Mercury's energy before being called back to the base.

Tuxedo Mask groaned in frustration at the loss of yet another fight. "Damn him!" He shouted to the sky.

Two cats jumped and perched on his shoulders. He looked at them individually. "Come to harass me and my lack of beating the general?" He grated out.

Artemis shook his head. "Actually, we have come to bring bad news; we fear someone has accessed our computer systems."

Luna's nasally voice came through on his other side. "We fear it is Serenity."

"What do you mean?" Mars asked with a growl, they were attacking her best friend, again.

"Someone beat the Sailor V game." Artemis supplied.

"What? I thought that was impossible!" Venus cried.

"Apparently not, only senshi and the two of us have the ability. We may have to consider the possibility that she is evil."

"Serenity?" Darien raised an eye brow as he de-transformed and walked with the senshi back to Rei's temple.

"Well think about it, she knows all of your identities, a second general came about after her appearance when she did find out about Darien, and you've never lost a battle nearly as bad as you have until afterwards as well." Luna rationed.

"Well yeah, but Serena?" Makoto asked unsure. "Couldn't there be another explanation other than the fact that she in turn may be a general?"

"Her name is Serenity "Serena" King "General"." Luna let out cautiously, she knew the girls and Darien didn't want to hear this about their friend, especially one who seemed so innocent.

"By that reasoning alone, I could be part of the dark kingdom." Darien added softly. "We don't know who I am, but I'm defiantly not a senshi."

"You haven't been able to access the computer system yet."

"I haven't tried."

"That settles it!" Minako said brightly. "We'll have Darien try to access it and if he can, then maybe it's a fluke that she passed the game. We don't even know if she accessed the computers or stopped once she typed in her initials. She doesn't even know that it's computer control down there, we haven't told her and nobody else knows. Right Darien?" Darien did tell Serenity a lot more than anybody else but she didn't think he'd jeopardize their control panel when he didn't even bother with it.

"That's right; Serenity hasn't been told by me that there's anything more than just Sailor V video game to it. She plays it all the time; maybe she just got good enough this time around."

"See! I knew Serena couldn't have had an ulterior motive!" Rei seconded.

Luna sighed. "I know you girls and Darien really want Serena to be good, but you have to keep in mind we really don't know much that's real about her."

"We know everything about her!" Rei cut in.

"Where does she live?" Luna asked back just as quickly and Rei was about to fire off an answer but couldn't find one, neither could anybody else. Rei nodded in understanding, all they knew was a p.o. box.

"That doesn't prove anything." Ami spoke up softly.

"What do we know about Jay?"

"You haven't even met him!" Rei glared, attacking both was just too much!

Luna sighed in defeat, Rei was right; she'd just seen the man at a distance with his niece. "Do you have any thoughts on the uncle, Darien?" Luna asked.

Darien hesitated as he looked at Rei. Serenity had been both Darien and Rei's friend before it became more, but Darien had never quite known what to think of Jay, for what kind of name was that anyways? But Rei had known Jay since she was younger, when she first met Serenity. Darien shrugged, jostling the two cats on his shoulders and Artemis jumped onto Minako's while Luna went to Ami. "He seems nice enough to me, a little mischievous and into his own world, I don't see him enough to really say one way or the other. Rei's the qualified person in this situation."

"Rei, have you tried a fire reading on either?"

"Yes." She answered bashfully, she'd seen a kiss between Jay and herself but that was all she saw and Serenity had been in danger in her other one when she was messing around trying to see into the fates of all of her friends. "I don't think we have anything really to fear."

"Well, we'll let this matter be for now, then." Luna decided and the group disbanded and went their separate ways.


	15. XIV

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Chapter XIV

"I don't like this." Ami stated as they followed Serenity into the crown arcade, just the girls near her heard her comment as Serenity was already bouncing up to the counter to chat with Andrew.

"I don't like it either." Rei growled. Darien had passed the test. Somehow he'd managed to enter into the computer consul and Luna now feared that it wasn't as safe as she had expected. Wondering if it just protected against the average human who couldn't beat the computer and the generals or if it was safe against humans but generals could access it with enough time.

"Let's just tell Luna that Serena's not some powerful demon out to eat her and be done with it!" Lita agreed savagely as she watched her innocent friend talk to the blond haired man. "At least then we could have a normal day and not tag along with Serena everywhere she goes, she's starting to get suspicious!"

"Yeah, like before, when we were trying to protect her, she was getting annoyed."

"That's because you guys were smothering me. How would you like it if your every move was watched all day long and had to endure my company not because I wanted to be there and have fun but to ensure that you didn't get a paper cut?"

"All right." Mina settled, Serenity had scared her and she'd even jumped with she came up behind her and started talking. Damn, but that girl was stealthy! "Point taken your highness."

Serenity's eyes zeroed in on Mina for a slight moment longer than necessary as she heard the mockery and then shook her head, that had been mockery, not real. She didn't know why she was suddenly paranoid by the comments dealing with royalty, she wasn't royalty, why was she worried? She chalked it up to fried nerves, at night she hadn't been sleeping well, horrible dreams of something that she knew had never happened just wound over and over in her head as if on a reel. That and during the day she stressed about her strange vigilant act in a weird outfit.

"So what did Andrew have to say?" Lita asked slyly, batting her eyelashes. "Any news on the front on when Reika will get back?"

Serenity frowned and she looked over at her blond haired friend as he whipped down the counters. She sighed and shrugged. "He doesn't know. I feel really bad for him because she's been gone for such a long time and her letters have been getting longer intervals between them."

"It is how a long distance relationship works." Ami cut in softly. None of the girls or herself had ever had serious relationships like Serena, Darien and Andrew had, so no one could say one way or another what to expect. They did wonder however how Serenity and Darien would handle it if their relationship suddenly went to a long distance one. They didn't want to imagine it.

Serenity brightened. "I know! We should do something nice for him, something that at least momentarily will distract him from his woes."

"What do you want to do Serena?" Mina asked, instantly warming up to the idea.

"Let's have a party! Bring in upbeat music and no slow songs or anything to suggest love or feeling loneliness, because that will just have a reverse reaction than we want."

"It sounds good!" Rei agreed. "You should bring Jay."

"Yeah, we haven't really gotten a chance to meet him." Lita agreed and nodded empathetically.

"Ah, well." Serenity tried to gracefully get her uncle out of it. Knowing he liked sophisticated parties, and not something the likes of which she'd throw for Andrew. It was an odd character trait however because he was such a prankster otherwise. "He's not really- he's just not that sort of guy- besides I think he'd feel awkward attending it."

"Why?" Lita demanded. "He's close to our age, 10 years isn't that big of an age gap when we're 18."

"Aw, come on Serena, invite him! He'll have fun; he's pretty hip and cool. Besides, I'm not sure how often he gets out to party with people his age."

Serenity bit her lip as Rei pleaded with her and combined with Lita's insistence she was hard pressed to deny. "Why don't you guys invite your family?" She asked as a last ditch effort, knowing those who didn't have family wouldn't take it the wrong way and those that did would have a good reaction.

"Ew." Rei scrunched up her nose. "I can just see grandpa now… Definitely not."

Lita laughed at the image, and Serenity joined in as Ami slowly shook her head, a party would definitely not be what her mother needed to attend. Mina had made choking noised at the thought of_ her _parents attending the party, they'd be rearranging everything from the moment they stepped foot inside and then change it again when they realized it didn't suit their tastes.

Serenity laughed with them until she felt like her sides were going to split.

Andrew came over with their orders soon later and every once in awhile while one of them was taking a sip or a bite they would let out a lingering giggle or snort. They sometimes thought that was funny and would laugh some more or other times it would be just a smile.

Serenity excused herself for awhile to go play the newest Kung-fu game and the girls all looked at Mina to go talk to her. Mina rolled her eyes and slid out of her spot at the booth the lean casually against the game. "What? Not playing Sailor V today?"

Mina received a slight shrug in response as Serenity pushed down a few buttons and Mina saw the opposing figure get a swift kick in the head and fell to the ground where Serenity's character did a dive and drove it's elbow into the other's gut.

"What's wrong? I'm not your favorite character anymore?" Mina pouted.

"No, you are, its just that I beat that game and am not interested to play again at the moment."

"Really? Did anything happen at the end?"

"Shouldn't you know?" Serenity spared her with a dubious look at Mina's excitement. "You are the main character in the game."

"I know, but nobody has beaten it that I know and they wouldn't tell me what the winning sequence was because it would ruin the game for everyone else. So, what happens?"

Serenity glanced around the arcade and then leaned in close, Mina leaned in as well, wanting to hear the secret. "Nothing." She pulled back and jabbed a few more buttons as she fought another opponent.

"Really?" It was Mina's turn to look dubious, that was such an anticlimactic moment there. When Darien won, he'd gotten a weird animation with Sailor V walking down the stairs and a floor board had opened up and real stairs appeared for him to enter the control room. Mina had hoped the gamer's original ending had been cool.

Serenity shrugged. "I guess I was in a hurry, and as soon as I won I punched in my letters and then ran out the door."

"Oh, so you wouldn't know either way." Mina stated nonplussed. They were doomed to follow her every footstep if Luna had her way and decided that Serenity was a villain.

However someone else would have noticed the floor opening up to reveal stairs if she had managed to unlock it, so Mina would plead her case well and frequently if Luna wasn't satisfied.

"I don't know, I'm kind of bored with the whole crime-fighting sailor outfitted game right now anyways, in fact, this game is boring me too. Andrew really needs to get better selection of games; people are only interested in fights for so long until it all becomes repetitive."

Serenity hit no to continue and put in her initials and spun away from the game to look Mina square in the face. "Out with it."

"Out with what?" Mina asked taken aback, Serenity had never been so forward before.

"What you really came over here to talk to me about. You guys never attempted conversation with me while I'm playing a game, others have tried, failed and moved on, but not you guys, besides your so transparent Mina asking about a game you usually want nothing to do with."

Mina sighed and straightened. "We're just worried about you, is all. There's been an upswing in attacks and you've been around for a fair number of them. We just want to see how you're fairing, if it's had any reverse side-effects on you from seeing the fighting and being a citizen and all."

"You think just because you were forced into the roles of sailor senshi that it doesn't affect you? That fighting is just a given and because you are not defenseless or powerless to stop the enemy makes you invincible to the emotional attack it has on you? That just because I'm a 'citizen' that I'm having problems seeing these fights every once in a while?"

"No!" Mina shook her head. "I hadn't meant it like that, I know we have issues with it just as much as we should, maybe more, maybe less, I believe something in us allows us to cope better, like we've seen it before. But Serena, you're looking piqued. You look tired, have you been sleeping well recently? You've also been getting a lot more defensive and jumpy. I just wanted to see how you were."

"I thank you for your concern, all of yours. However, I'm fine, and I'm sorry if I've been acting weird. I haven't been sleeping well recently, no, I'll admit that, but it isn't from anything I've seen here or now and from your guys' fights. It's more to do with my past than anything else."

"Do you know how your parents died?" Mina never dared broach the subject with Serenity in case she was still really sensitive to it, but she felt like she could now.

"No. I don't think I ever will, I was really young when I moved in with Jay and before he found me, I was living in a children's ward for a few years. I think I was too young to even know what was going on around me when my parents died."

"Have you, Darien and Lita talked about this? You all lost both your parents in a swift accident." Mina asked as she followed Serenity back to the table.

"Yes." Serenity answered and turned to Mina. "Don't worry about me so much, I'm fine, I consider you guys my family now with Jay and Molly and Andrew." Serenity gave her a smile and Mina nodded letting it drop completely.

They hung out for a while longer before slowly they went their separate ways. Rei and Serenity were the only ones left and they went together, Serenity waved to Andrew as they departed. "Have you come to talk to me as well?" Serenity asked with a laugh as she raised an eyebrow as they headed down the street.

"No, I have no desire to talk about you to you." Rei teased. "However, I would like to make one last plea on Jay's behalf. You should invite him, I bet he'd come, and besides, when was the last time he's been able to hang out with people his own age?"

Serenity bit her lip, Jadeite, as far as she knew was in a body of a 28 year old, said he was 32 when pressed to give a number, otherwise he let them think he was however old they wanted to. But Jadeite was definitely older than she even knew. She bet he was at least 40 to have been 28 when he adopted her. But with Rei pleading with her she melted. "All right, I'll ask him, but I'll make no promises whether he'll come or not, it's his decision."

Rei squealed and hugged Serenity. Serenity didn't understand Rei's crush on Jadeite but she shrugged and hugged her friend back. Jadeite at least seemed to share her feelings a little.

"All right, I've got to get going." Serenity pulled away. "I'm looking for a job."

"Why? Your uncle is rich. I've never seen you struggle for money."

"I know, but if I'm to get a career eventually, I'll need a starting point in which I can build my resume."

"I suppose." Rei agreed.

Serenity and her split up but after a few weeks, Serenity found getting a decent job difficult. Finally though, she managed to land a job as a mid-level employee for a couture boutique. She had limited hours but Serenity was happy with what she got and school was starting up again in a few weeks for the fall term.

She was working there a week after school started.

"Serenity, darling, you've done such a wonderful job, and your clothing choices to wear at work have been impeccable. However, I would like it if you'd represent our company while you are at work as well as not."

Serenity lifted her head from the display she was fixing and looked to her boss, the owner of the store. "Really? How do you suppose I do that?" Serenity asked as she straightened her white silk skirt which had ruffles at the bottom.

"Darling, similar to most of my employees, they get to choose a few individual pieces from my gallery and will be able to purchase it at a high discounted price. The only thing I ask in return is that when someone asks where that marvelous piece came from that you talk about my store with only praise."

Serenity smiled and nodded. "All right, any piece or certain ones?"

"Ah, for you darling, anything you want, your skin tone, hair color and body shape is the perfect billboard for my clothes. I want the people to know just what is offered here!"

"How many pieces?" Serenity asked as she looked around, she had a faint idea of what she wanted, but wasn't positive yet.

"Five outfits, so you'll have enough clothes to switch into and keep it fresh so it doesn't seem like you're forced into a uniform and so you'll _want_ to wear them outside of work as well."

Serenity thanked her boss who also threw in a few pieces of jewelry and worked through the rest of her shift before leaving. She'd definitely wear one of her new pieces today at Andrew's party, which he conveniently didn't know about yet.

Serenity went home and changed into the outfit before collecting her uncle, who in a change of character decided he would go to the party, they were throwing.

"You look nice." He commented as they walked down the street together after transporting themselves a few feet away.

"Thank you." Serenity smiled, she was wearing a deep red skirt and paired it with a dark purple short-sleeved shirt which had white lacing around the hem of the sleeves and the bottom of the top and on the tailored lines below her bust.

"Did you think this up or is it new?"

"I bought it actually from the designer I'm working for. She insisted that if I wanted anything I could have it at a discount."

Jadeite's eyes sharpened on her and pulled her to a halt. "Wait, Seren, are you crazy?" He looked around but nobody was paying attention to them. "It sounds like an attack, I thought you were better at noticing this!"

"But who would want to attack me?"

Jadeite reckoned that was true, certain generals attacked differently and this one sounded more like Zoicite's handy-work than Nephrite's and neither of them had been on earth in a long time, Zoicite if at all. "All right." He sighed. "Perhaps that's true, perhaps she really did want to give you clothes out of pure self-promotion." Jadeite gestured forward and they continued walking again.

Serenity helped put the finishing touches up and it was just in time as Andrew was pushed inside from one very nice sight for sore-eyes. At least that was just what Serenity thought and she bounced over to greet the two men. The party had slowly picking up tempo and now that the guest of honor arrived, it blasted into full swing. "Hi!" She greeted and slung her arms around Andrew's neck in a hug.

He hugged her back and shook his head as he took in all the people that _he_ knew. "What is all this about?" He asked Serenity, he knew she had to be the mastermind behind all of this. Darien was just her enforcer.

"We wanted you to cheer up!" Mina stated from behind him.

Andrew turned and was engulfed in another hug by a beautiful blond. He laughed and Mina was elbowed out of the way as a brunette took her place. He hugged her back as well. Ami was a little shyer and Rei had yet to make her way over yet, she had been talking to Jadeite.

Rei would manage to greet him and give him a hug and talk for awhile but right now she was arguing with the other blond, believing she was right.

Serenity was spun around while Mina, Ami and Lita explained the party's purpose to him. She came face to face with a chest before she was dipped backwards and lips grazed her neck. "Where have you been for the last week?" She heard above her as she was slowly let back up.

"Working, hanging out with the girls, party planning, going to school, studying." She answered.

Darien crushed her against his chest and dropped his head to her shoulder so he could speak quietly and so she could still hear him. "I've missed you, I'm not sure I like this whole system you've got going on here."

"Hey, the party-planning is over, I'll have more time now!" She brightened. "But I missed you too." She glanced at Andrew but he was facing the other way and so she kissed Darien. "But you really shouldn't be too close to me that was my point in the party to make sure Andrew didn't feel so lonely, surrounded by happy couples and yet couldn't have his girlfriend because of her being gone."

"Yeah, I'd hate to image what he feels like." Darien sighed and released her. "We have to talk later, after this week; I managed to have some serious thinking about us."

"Uh-oh, please tell me its something good?"

"I think it is, I'm not so sure your uncle will agree or you for that matter." He smiled down at her and after glancing to make sure Andrew was still not watching he kissed her deeply before letting her go and mingling with the crowd. She watched him get swallowed into the mass of people before turning back to Andrew and talking with him for a little while before pulling him into the dance floor.

By the end of the night he was laughing and dancing and having a really good time. Serenity's plan had worked.

Somebody she didn't know must have spiked the punch, which was really cliché, she told Molly as the world around her was starting to get a little blurry. Molly agreed and introduced her to her friend, Melvin. He was a little geeky, but in a cute way. "I'm very pleased to meet you." She said to the guy, and she could tell that the two of them really liked each other, and she was happy that Molly was really settling into life here in Washington.

Serenity stayed away from the punch the rest of the night and the world managed to stop spinning as much and she noticed with extreme shock that neither Lita nor Andrew were any longer dancing on the dance floor and in a naïve search for them, she found them making out in the back room. She smiled in amusement and closed the door, well, that was one way to get over somebody. She just hoped in the morning Andrew would write Reika that he could no longer date her and started dating Lita, they were really cute together and often times she had thought they would do well as a couple.

With Andrew now happy, Serenity sashayed up to Darien, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a deep kiss in the middle of the dance floor.

Rei silently cheered the couple on, she'd seen Andrew and Lita leaving not too long ago really involved in one another. Rei moved over to Jadeite. "Jay, you have to know I can understand your reluctance to get involved in a girl your charge's age, but she's happy and with a guy whose half the distance in age between us."

"No Rei, you don't understand and you never will, I cannot get involved with you for more reasons than just that."

"You can't deny the chemistry that's between us."

"I can't." Jadeite agreed. "However I know it is wrong and I will never act upon it, do you hear me?"

"Then let me!" Rei reached up and grabbed his head but he stiffened and pulled away.

"I cannot let you do that." He held her wrists and looked into her eyes. "I care too much about you to let you think about getting closer to me. It won't happen and if it did it would just end in heart break."

"That's your final word?"

"That's my final word on that matter. I think it'd be best if you didn't try and get in touch with me anymore."

"We can still be friends!" Rei grasped at straws, she couldn't fathom loosing him completely from her life, she'd learn to be content at the way things were.

"No we can't, you've just proven it today that being friends just hurts us in the end and that there will be no happiness as long as the temptation is there."

"I'm sorry I ever brought this up." Rei sniffed. "Can't we just forget it ever happened?"

"I would like that, but we have to remember and go our separate ways before it happens again and then I can't control myself because you obviously can't control yourself. You should date someone more appropriate, someone your age, that singer kid that always hangs around your temple."

"Chad?" Rei questioned with alarm. "He just works there. He and I would never work."

"You should try to make it work; you should try and find someone who you can care about passionately."

"I already found someone like that. I found him when I was 12." Rei stated dispassionately and whipped around and stalked off.

"I know you did." Jadeite sighed and looked for Serenity and found her in a lip war with her boyfriend. He sighed again, there was no winning tonight, and he walked over to them and tapped on Darien's shoulder. "I'm going to leave now; I'll keep the door unlocked for you Serenity. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Jay." Serenity and Darien said but Serenity's look was questioning, she knew he didn't like these kinds of parties but still she thought he was having fun.

"Goodnight." He repeated, he didn't want to talk to Serenity about it, Rei was her best friend or at least one of and he was her _uncle_. He wasn't in the mood either to sit on the opposite end of those understanding eyes, hauntingly familiar in its intensity.

Serenity turned back to Darien and wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest as they continued dancing.

As the party wrapped up Serenity, Darien, Mina and Ami were the only ones left to clean up. Lita and Andrew had too much to drink so in the midst of their making out, during a break, they had both fallen asleep on the back room's couch. Rei had disappeared in the middle of the night after Jadeite had left and they hadn't seen her since. Which was all right, Serenity smoothed down the anger in Mina's eyes, and explained that Rei and 'Jay' had an argument about something and both were upset by it.

So the four of them worked and cleaned up the mess in Andrew's arcade. Then Ami and Mina went one direction while Serenity and Darien sat at a table and stared at one another.

Serenity broke the silence with a tentative question. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I was thinking that since you are in college now, and will be a sophomore next semester that you may want to think about bringing our relationship to the next level."

Serenity raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are you suggesting?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to move in with me."

"I can't." Serenity instantly denied, he'd never know how much it hurt to say so. "I'm all that Jay has." It was true, as far as she knew, and Jay could get into so much trouble, trying to bring down the negaverse from the inside- she needed to be there to heal him if he got hurt and there was no way she could explain all of the weird things she did, especially while she was being lazy. Darien wouldn't understand her keeping it from him at first and then he might think _she_ was working for the negaverse.

"Jay needs to grow up, he's a grown man, I've lived alone almost all my life. I'm doing fine, and looking to be an adult with my adult girlfriend. He needs to let you go and find someone to love the right way."

"Look, Darien, I just can't ok? It isn't just because of Jay, I have my own reasons as well, including principles. I understand sleeping over at your place every once in awhile, we're not doing anything, and even if we were I still couldn't come and live with you. Why do you even want to anyways?" As soon as her question was out, she knew she shouldn't have asked it because it wasn't as solid of a book closing as she needed against his probing.

"I have missed you dearly these last few days, and I realized that if we lived together, then when you get home at least then we'd have time to talk and share time with. With you living wherever it is that you live, I don't get to see you at night."

"I'm sorry Darien, but if I were to move in with _you_, I'd need to be sleeping in your bed and I can't do that right now. I'm not ready for it, when I'm ready, then we can discuss living together."

"All right, I'm sorry I pushed, but I had to ask." Darien leaned across the table and kissed her, and every time it was getting harder and harder to pull back from her tempting lips.

"It's all right." Serenity stood up and held out her hand. He took it and stood up as well.

"Shall I walk you home?"

"Nah, I live around the corner." He said the words at the same time she did and she frowned. "Am I that predictable?"

"No, but it does surprise me how you could be living around the corner when the last time you said that it was over 3 miles from here." Darien's eyes narrowed as little things suddenly filtered through his mind. "Is there something you're not telling me that you should be?"

"No?" She asked looking up with an innocent smile.

"Then how do you explain that? It's like you have a house on every corner."

"Look, there are reasons why you can't see my house." Serenity sighed. "Jay got involved with some not very nice people awhile back and we've kept our living arrangements a complete secret to ensure our safety." Every word was completely true. "That includes friends we trust with our lives, even one more person knowing could endanger him and I'd rather it didn't. They don't know that we live here but we like to play it safe."

"Why didn't I know about this before?" Darien asked skeptically, he believed every word; for he could tell that it was the truth, but he still didn't quiet believe her.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't my secret to share, you can understand that, can't you? Anyways, it never came up in conversation, how could I start with: 'so, I live in a safe house'?"

"True, all right. Be safe on your walk back." Darien kissed her and watched her walk out of sight before turning and going home after making sure the arcade was locked up. It would have been a funny sight to see Andrew's and Lita's reactions when they woke up.


	16. XV

Chapter XV

Serenity and the other girls, save Rei just laughed at Lita the next time they met. At Rei's confused look they spilled the story despite Lita's attempt to keep them quiet.

"So, what's new on the love-life? Are you and Andrew hooking up?"

Lita shrugged. "We haven't really talked about it. Right now I feel like it was a mistake to make out with him. Except I'm sure I would have done it with almost any guy, and now I feel really bad about it."

"What about that morning after?" Serenity asked concerned. "Didn't you guys talk then?"

"Barely, I had to get to class and he had to open up the arcade." Lita sighed. "I'm sorry, I'd just like not to talk about this right now."

They accepted that and let it go for the meantime, except Serenity. She looked at Lita in sadness and Lita saw that look. Lita mouthed to Serenity that they'd talk about it later and Serenity nodded, accepting Lita's decision at the moment and letting it drop, for now.

Lita smiled reassuringly at Serenity when she noticed her look dubious for Lita's explanation and Lita knew that Serenity understood better than most what was going through her head.

Lita didn't want to worry Serenity unnecessarily. Andrew and she really hadn't spoken. When there was more to tell, Lita would talk to Serenity to see her views. Even though she knew that Serenity would dig around to see her feelings on the matter and no doubt send Darien to see how Andrew was feeling and get the two of them together in the end. Lita just wanted it to occur naturally.

Serenity accepted her smile and voiceless promise and Lita sighed in contentment, she didn't want to be probed by any blond with blue eyes quite yet, be it Serenity, Mina or Andrew.

Although she wouldn't have minded Andrew that much, any probing he did was probably with his tongue.

Lita blushed at that thought and Serenity saw her tall friend growing redder in the cheeks but she didn't question what she was thinking about, she knew it was probably to do with a blond, blue eyed member of their mutual friendship.

Instead Serenity turned to Mina and whispered in the goddess of love's ear. Mina looked at Serenity a moment before nodding profusely.

Serenity smiled and their plan was forever locked in agreement. Lita was unsuspecting of what those two had planned together, though she probably should have known to keep those two far apart for everyone's sanity.

The next day however found Serenity at her boutique, being critiqued by a very picky customer. She was a world renowned actress yet Serenity had never heard of her, and that was what had pissed off the woman more than anything else Serenity did.

Serenity had perfected every task set for her, yet when the woman asked what her favorite movie with her in it; Serenity had been lost for words.

The woman demanded Serenity be fired and instantly, because she had insulted her and called her fat and failed at her job, not only not knowing the clientele but bringing the wrong items when she finally did bring the item requested.

The manager managed to put off the woman until the woman left in a huff, demanding that Serenity be gone by the time she got back. Serenity's boss pulled her over to the side. "It is preposterous to think that I'd actually follow the demands that woman makes. Did you know I once sold her a dress she had deemed _hideous!_ the day before?" The managed laughed. "However I think it'd be best for you if you took the rest of the day off. She can be quite a bear to work with and usually I know a day ahead of time. If I had known I'd have told you to look up certain movies which she craves to be flattered by."

"It's all right. Would you like me to punch out for the meantime?"

"Yes, take the rest of the day off. I'll pay you for coming in as a bonus to handling that woman so well. I do expect you to be here promptly tomorrow though." Her manager winked at Serenity and Serenity went to the desk and typed in a few key numbers before she slipped off her heels and put on a pair of flats.

She headed outside after saying her goodbyes and took a walk. She headed towards the pond nearby. It was such a nice warm day, Serenity soaked it all in.

However as she walked she noticed a crowd gathering around Hemerick's Square, apparently there was a festival going on, to kick off the fall. Serenity headed in that direction and got pulled into all the protests and tricks people could do. She was in the midst of the crowd when she noticed the boy next to her yawn and rub his eyes. Then a woman did the same, followed by a kid. The dogs started growling more than normal before they started lying down, still keeping an eye out for any dangers that could befall them. Serenity recognized the signs; she'd been a part of it far too often. She walked away to go to the fringe of the square, and once hidden behind a tree, she disappeared and reappeared in it. She'd call Darien and the rest, telling them about the attack that she saw from a distance.

As she took out her phone, she realized the senshi were arriving on the scene as she breathed. However a blast rocked her tree and she almost fell out of it, not wanting anyone to suddenly recognize her, she let the power over take her and in this form she felt she had a little more control over it. She steadied herself but she didn't realize the branch she was standing on had a crack in it and she fell with it as her weight settled over it again in its new position.

She landed on her knee, she winced in pain and used her foot that miraculously landed on the ground normally and not twisted to stand up. Her unplanned entrance gained the attention of everyone not passed out.

The youma, a new one, didn't even think about the fact that this senshi had never been seen before, nor the fact that it had a different base for an outfit, nor that the other senshi were shell-shocked that she had arrived. The youma, just attacked Serenity.

Mars saw the attack and instincts took over, she ran to try and shove this girl who thought she could be a senshi just by imitating their clothes out of the way but she never reached the girl. She had slid to a halt as Serenity raised her arms and crossed them to protect her against the attack, but instead also managed to disappear as the general had and reappear in the same spot so the attack bypassed her.

The girls that didn't react right away turned to the youma and attacked it, ignoring for the moment their incredibility at Serenity's feat. Tuxedo Kamen dropped down next to her. "So you've actually come?" He asked softly.

Serenity turned to Darien, a guilty flush crept up her cheeks. "I-"

"I don't believe it. I knew there was something a few of the times but why haven't you shown your face before? Why are your arrivals inconsistent?" He demanded and pulled her out of the way as another blast crashed near them, Serenity ended up in his arms and she looked up at him in confusion.

"But-"

He cut her off again. "I don't love you. I'm not who you think I am and nor do I want to be, he's still missing unless you know where he is hiding, perhaps the two of you were hiding together. I have another."

He pushed her away and joined in the fight by throwing a rose at the youma. "Stay out of the way, you may be able to do nice magic tricks like that, disappearing like a general, but your parlor tricks won't get you anywhere. It won't protect you in an attack, nor will I be here every time to help you."

"I-" Serenity wasn't sure what she wanted to say, but she knew that he'd probably interrupt her again; he just didn't want to hear anything she had to say. It hurt to be told so blankly by him that he didn't love her. She almost fell weak at the knees, then she realized he thought she was someone else. She still didn't like hearing it, but she needed to try.

He shook his head and took off and threw more roses while conferencing with Ami. Serenity shook her head, she wasn't staying out of this battle now that she was in it and a little assured by the confused looks given to her that no one recognized her either.

She felt power gathering in her hand but instead of blasting the youma directly, the girls didn't seem capable of doing that, and she didn't want to draw more suspicion towards herself so she grabbed the first thing she could think of, and felt the tiara on her forehead. She took it and let it fly, giving it a boost with the power still in her hand, it burned, but less this time than it had before.

It hadn't been such a raw emotion powering her this time.

Darien was well and truly safely behind the remaining three senshi as he talked with Ami. The youma disintegrated into a pile of ash as her tiara reached its destination and sliced it in half.

Serenity now no longer needed and having seen this before, returned back to her tree before jumping from it to a roof across the way and then as she ran into the horizon line, she disappeared.

The outfit with her disappeared and she returned to the clothes she'd been in earlier. She looked at her hand, it was bright red and pulsing, like a true burn and while she tried healing it, it stubbornly refused to leave. It didn't hurt that much, but she hoped that nobody would notice it, Jadeite would start to question what she was doing to keep receiving them, especially knowing where the first one came from.

Serenity needed to think up a good lie that even she could pull off. She went to her secret place, the bluffs over looking the city and ocean further off, where her house was. She sat there, trying to think of something that would justify it and give her time to let it heal naturally without any one noticing.

She hadn't thought up one when her phone rang. She answered it with the other hand than she normally did. "Yes?" She asked, Darien's voice was tense on the other line as he told her they needed to meet up somewhere.

She agreed, hoping nothing was really wrong, maybe him just telling her about the attack and the new girl?

Darien watched the new senshi spring off into the distance after her moon-dusting of the youma. "She's the princess!" Mina twirled in her spot and Rei instantly slapped a hand over the blonde's mouth.

"Shh!" Rei growled. "What if there's a general nearby? You could have put her in serious danger!"

Darien snorted and all present looked at him in confusion. "She's no princess. She's a general herself, don't disillusion yourselves. That ability to transport herself on the spot was a trademark general move."

"But the youma attacked her and she defeated it!" Mina defended her earlier decision.

"Easily a trap to lead us into believing she's on our side and learning our identities and killing us when we're least expecting it!"

"What's the point?"

"To learn if we really do know where the moon princess is?"

Rei in an uncharacteristic position held the blond and the dark haired man apart, these two never usually got on each other's nerves, Darien found her endearing, a more eccentric version of Serenity.

"Look, I'm sorry Tux, but I believe Venus is right. And this is neither the time nor place to be discussing this matter. We shall meet later. You should bring the rabbit along as well." Luna perched on Darien's shoulder and looked at him.

Darien looked into those ruby eyes and sighed. "All right, but I need to find her first."

"Why do we believe she's the princess?" Rei asked on a whisper, and looked at Ami, seeing what she thought.

"She wore the colors matching Tuxedo Kamen, looked completely different than any senshi we've ever met. Her skirt was longer and white, almost regal looking, at any rate, ensuring her modesty more than ours."

"Less conducive to fighting in, and better at being protected in." Mina piped in, agreeing, now that she knew her point was valid.

"Her bodice was red, like Mask's cape. Her boots were black and so was the jewel in the tiara. Her gloves were longer than ours too, and also black, as were her bows."

"There was red on the top of the boots and white on the top of the gloves." Mina also added when Ami paused to recall more of the outfit.

"If her colors are exactly the same as Masks, doesn't that make Mask the prince?" Lita asked, she'd stayed out of it until then.

There was a silence that settled over everyone involved, if Darien was the Prince, then he was destined to the princess, meaning he'd have no room for Serenity in his life or heart. It also meant that she'd be playing a smaller and smaller role in all of their lives as they slowly followed their princess where ever she needed them to be.

Luna swallowed, finding her voice. "I think its best if you call Serenity."

Darien nodded swiftly and headed away from the group to call upon his love, his promise to her would hold true, no matter what this 'princess' had to say about it.

After calling her, the rest of them headed to the Temple as he left to collect her near her place of employment.

Serenity waited for Darien around the corner of the shop, not wanting to wait inside, incase the woman came back while she was in there, she shoved her hands into her back pockets, so no one could see, even those just passing by.

Darien drove his car up to her as he spotted her and stopped to let her in. She slid in the passenger seat and Darien started driving to wherever it was that they were heading. "We have to go to an impromptu meeting at the Temple. There was a new-comer onto the scene."

"Not another general?" Serenity prayed her voice sounded surprised.

"Yes." Darien growled. "I swear she is, but so far, they've all been males. This one is crafty; she's gotten everyone thinking she's the princess."

"She can't be-!" Serenity bit off her sentence, but the damage was done, and Darien tilted his head at her.

"Why not?"

"I mean, if you disbelieve her so much, she can't be. You are a great judge of character."

"I know, but she didn't even stick around for a conversation, she just took off running away. It confuses me more than if she'd made the declaration herself, now it seems as if she's the silent protector."

Serenity reached out a hand before she could stop herself and touched Darien on the arm. She was flung into this flash and as she was done so metaphysically, so too was she in the flash, but in it, she was wearing a skimpy blue skirt, white bodice, red bows and red boots. She was also flying in the air towards a wall but a man, which Serenity instantly picked out as Tuxedo Mask swept in and saved her. After putting her on her feet and whispering 'do it!', and the youma was nothing but dust, she turned to say thank you, but he disappeared without a trace.

When she managed to come to from the flash, Darien had pulled the car over and was looking at her with deep concern and curiosity.

She wondered if he saw that flash as well, and if he had, then he'd question her why she was in a sailor uniform that she didn't even have in today's events. "I-"

He cut her off as he took her hand off of his arm and she winced but was surprised when he only turned it around and caressed the burn, it didn't even hurt that much. "Where did you get such a brutal looking thing?" He asked softly, healing it as he looked at her.

"I burned myself on the iron, I was taking the wrinkles out of a delicate fabric that some girl had tried on and tossed into a heap."

"You should be more careful." He said as he raised her palm and kissed it.

Serenity smiled lightly, she felt horrible for lying, but luckily Darien was too distracted to notice that it wasn't a very good lie, his mind was occupied on something completely different. He didn't even notice her eyes grow spacey and loose track of time _here_.

Once he finished his healing on Serenity's palm, Darien put the car back into gear and continued on his path to Rei's. In the car both were occupied with their thoughts, Serenity thought about her vision, in it, Darien had been the illusive hero of the night who disappeared without ever stating clear intentions. She had caught Rei looking in displeasure towards his retreating figure and then turning to give her a verbal lashing.

Often Serenity was glad her visions weren't truly how things turned out; she would have hated it if Rei yelled at her every two seconds, especially if she was so immature to receive them in the first place. She'd have never grown under that hostility.

When they got to the steps of the shrine, Lita was there to greet them. The first thing out of the tall one's mouth was one said in dismay. "Serena, you should really get more sleep, you look tired!"

Serenity smiled at Lita, she really was growing tired, the blast hadn't hurt as much as the previous one had, but it did take a lot out of her to sustain that energy. "Don't worry Lits, I'm planning on taking a nap soon."

"Ah, then we shouldn't hold you up too long!" Lita winked and Darien wrapped an arm around her waist, he was getting tired too, he'd been running around all day, from home to class, to work, to the fight, then picking Serenity up and then here. He also could feel the earth groaning under him with the recent upswing of attacks as the energy from it was used to support those that were laid upon it when the youma attacked.

The three of them headed into the temple and sat down. Rei started the conversation. "Mina believes that the new-comer is the princess."

"How are you so sure Mina?" Serenity asked.

"She's the duplicate of Mask." Mina started.

"Maybe she's a fake, meant to make you believe that, what if Molly Baker was the princess and someone else we know it the prince? Perhaps Melvin?" Serenity asked something she hadn't quite managed to find the courage to bring up without a lot of other questions to follow.

"What do you mean?" Mina asked.

"She's been in even more attacks than I have. She seems to be in the center of a lot of them, perhaps her energy levels are that high because she's a princess?"

"He doesn't attack based on individuals, but as a group."

"A group is only as strong as their weakest member, and if there is someone with Molly's energy, then the average is shifted higher." Serenity added.

"How do you know what her energy is?" Rei asked, she could read it, and Mina to a much lesser extent, and Ami in her own way with her computer.

Serenity shrugged. "Just a thought, because you said they were after energy."

Everyone bought it and Ami nodded reflectively, pulling out her computer to type in Molly's data. "The next time we see her, I'll get her reading."

"Why are we even bothering?" Darien asked with annoyance. "I mean, if Molly is or is not the princess it's redundant, what matters is why she ran away from the fight today and why she doesn't make herself known."

"Maybe she can't. Maybe she doesn't know what she is and is undecided on how to approach others with a lot of power and could probably easily over-throw her." Serenity suggested as she stretched out her limbs.

"I say she's the princess."

"Whether she is or isn't is immaterial and has to be left for later when there is no doubt. Until then, I say its best just to leave her be, we don't know her motives, and eventually she'll come out with what she wants to." Artemis stated from his perch near Mina.

Mina couldn't have disagreed more. "We need to know if she is, and if she isn't we should keep looking and if she is, then we can protect her better!"

"I think we'll all be in a disagreement for a while until we know more, this has only been one event that we've seen her at. I'm sure there'll be more." Luna stated lazily as she stretched out. "But in the meantime, I agree with Mina, I too believe she is the princess."

"What if she isn't a senshi or the princess or a general?" Serenity asked softly.

"Then why would she match Mask so well?" Rei asked gently, tuning into Serenity's sudden fear.

"Perhaps they were in love in the past, and both are protectors to the moon princess. What if each of you have a male match in love and in uniform?"

It was just a thought Serenity had, and while her thought wasn't completely accurate, there was some truth in her question and ideas. For the senshi did all have loves, and as she looked at Lita, she remembered Lita and Andrew both passed out in the employee lounge, and wondered if that one person was the only one you could love or if it was possible to fall in love with another to the strength as the past one if not greater.

Lita laughed. "That's just a fun fairy-tale Serenity, people aren't destined for one love and one love only, they are allowed their choices."

Serenity nodded and noticed that Darien looked at her at those words; she turned her head towards him and noticed the frown around his handsome lips. She reached up and soothed it out. "What are you thinking love?"

"That if this girl is the princess, I love you, I choose you."

"You don't even know this girl, and how do you know that she's for you? Maybe the colors are to disillusion the enemy that you are the prince she's in love with yet he's actually stronger and more dangerous to them than you are, and so you are being used to lull them into a false sense of security?"

Darien laughed and pulled her close and kissed her deeply. "I love that over-active imagination."

While most of it was speculation, hoping nothing they spoke about today could have been true, some of it in theory did remain in fact true.

"So you all have decided Darien is the prince?" Serenity asked on a quiet demand.

All of them paused and looked between each other; they hadn't actually discussed it, but… Mina spoke. "We all do believe his is so."

"Why do you think this?" Serenity was almost desperate to prove it wrong.

It was Darien's voice she heard as he rubbed her arms with his hands in an attempt to warn her for what was going to come. "I think we always knew."

"But why did it suddenly come to all of you that it could be a possibility?" Serenity turned her head and looked directly at Darien.

"We don't know what her sudden drop into our lives mean-"

"It doesn't mean anything!" Serenity shouted and all the girls looked at her in surprise, as did Artemis, but Darien had seen Serenity angry before, he wasn't pleased about it, but he had seen it before.

Darien bypassed her outburst, and continued. "But it has established one thing that can't be disillusioned anymore. I am the Prince we were looking for."

"And what is your name, oh-great-prince?"

"Serenity!" He said sharply and she caught herself from getting vindictive and straightened, and nodded and held her tongue. Darien noticed her catching herself and finished what he had meant to say earlier. "My powers are not the typical of the group. I'm also a male where everyone else is female, even if we ignore her position in our lives, these things we know. I also have an uncanny communication to the earth, I can feel its distress and its joy, I always have been able to. It only took me until around the time I met you to figure out what it meant and where these feelings, closely echoing mine were coming from."

"You couldn't be a general?" Serenity teased.

Mina laughed to break the tension, no one had ever seen these two argue, and it wasn't merely for argument's sake, they were worried about loosing each other. "That's like saying you're a general. Though you do make a good point, the generals have only been male, which makes the new girl's possibility as one a slim one, and makes it all the more dangerous if she is."

"I thought you were pushing her as the princess." Rei snided.

Mina stuck her tongue out at Rei. "I am, but I do have to see all the possibilities."

"She's sounding like a leader." Serenity mused, proud of her friend.

"It's about time." Rei stated cattily.

"All right, that's enough." Serenity called a halt to the fight between the two. "It seems her appearance has caused a lot of stress between you, hopefully she'll never accidentally show up again." She really hoped so at any rate, but it'd be hard to let them go, knowing she could make things so much easier if she followed them and protected them with out them knowing.

"I do too." Darien agreed, though his opinion wasn't exactly echoed throughout.

Serenity smiled up at Darien, she hated not telling them, she really, really did. She just couldn't, it wasn't just her, if they questioned her on why she didn't tell them instantly then she'd have to explain about Jadeite and if she explained that, then they'd question his role and who knew what would happen then? They might just try to pin him as a general, and Serenity knew that wasn't true, he was just trying to bring them down from the inside. Jadeite wasn't cruel enough to be a general.

She shook the thought out of her mind and instead inquired if her attendance was still required.

The girls all shook their heads and allowed Darien to go as well.

As they walked away, Lita turned to Mina, Rei and Ami. "If that girl does end up being the princess, then what?"

"We have to corner her to take over her role." Rei shrugged, deciding instantly.

"No, we have to keep her hidden and make sure the enemy never realizes what she is." Ami disagreed.

"I say I take her place in the appearances at least…" Mina shrugged and the other three girls looked at her in surprise, then all three nodded their agreement.

Mina heard her phone ring and she knew it was Serenity, they all did, even though they didn't say anything. Mina instantly remembered that she and Serenity had something planned today, that they were going to discuss Lita. "I'm sorry, I for-"

"I'm sorry Mina, Darien and I are going to go out to dinner, I hope that's ok? I feel so bad for not doing what we had planned." Serenity told her friend.

"No, it's all right. I was just going to tell you practically the same thing." Mina shook off the feeling something was wrong, but she still hung up when the feeling persisted. She just hoped nothing bad would happen to that link between them, while he may have been the prince, they still had a link that seemed as strong as steel, despite him not necessarily being meant to be with her.


	17. XVI

Chapter XVI

There was a battle that Serenity didn't attend, she didn't even know about it and Jadeite had been livid from the battle before, so he'd taken it out on the senshi. He attacked mercilessly, Beryl had punished him harshly for repeated failures and Jadeite was sick of it.

He didn't manage to corner Tuxedo Mask like he'd have preferred, but he still managed to get Venus's energy and each person, even the Mask was badly beaten and tattered. He pulled away his youma and stood there taunting them. "Little Senshi, give it up… I have won this battle without even trying too hard. I am obviously so much stronger than all of you. Why don't you just lie down and die for me? It'd make it so much easier on all of us."

The senshi managed one last attack and he pulled away, but not before it managed to hit him. He went flying into the rock wall near his house he shared with Serenity. The blast hit him just as he transported himself home; he was bored with the fight as it was.

The senshi stared at the spot, but Jadeite didn't reappear and they wondered if they managed to kill him, or just hit him, or if he had avoided the attack, but it didn't patter out like it normally did when he avoided it.

Jadeite groaned a little while later and stood up on shaky legs. They were stronger than even they thought they were, and he had grossly underestimated them when they were in danger. Tuxedo Mask was also holding back, he wasn't sure how he was sure, but he just had the feeling that Tuxedo Mask could be danger when he let himself go.

The senshi disbanded assured that was the last they'd see of Jadeite here, at least tonight.

Jadeite managed to make it into his house and he passed out on his bed. He locked the door, Serenity couldn't see this, she'd be worried sick, and all he needed was a little while of sleep, perhaps a day or two.

Beryl surprisingly left him alone and didn't demand that he report back to the base, she was however infinitely pleased by this large supply of energy he provided her. Metallica cackled as her strength grew. Soon, very soon, it'd be time.

Beryl heard Metallica's plans and agreed though it broke her agreement with Jadeite. She unleashed Nephrite back into the world, and let him play. Jadeite's attacks were to attack large groups out right, Nephrite attacked the individual outright, whether they were alone or in a group, while Zoicite attacked them silently, draining their energy slowly, hidden from view by an object he sold to them or brushed against. Kunzite's though, was the sneakiest; he took energy from all that passed by, unnoticeable amounts, but formed together was more than any amount imaginable. The last two generals had not yet been unleashed on this world, yet, but Jadeite knew. He also knew he had the possibility to attack in a very different way, but he refrained, for if he did, then Beryl would soon follow suit and corrupt whatever he as trying to do.

Her heavy footprints would destroy his pursuit and he'd in the end be in trouble for something she did. Metallica knew of Jadeite's slow disregard for her minion's orders, yet she didn't care too much, she also knew about Jadeite's powers he kept from Beryl and the world, he truly was second in command in the past, but as long as he continued to supply her with this energy she so hungrily enjoyed, she wouldn't whisper a word into Beryl's ear.

Jadeite knew it too. It was the only reason why he didn't completely fail a mission on purpose, at least that's what he did until recently, a new power had come from the senshi he had yet to see, one that stopped him in his tracks.

The next battle though, he would hide in the shadows again and watch what was going on.

In the meantime, while Serenity didn't see Jadeite every day, she'd seen him do this disappearance act before, she however had learned of what became of her friends. She gasped as she popped over for a visit and saw most of them sitting with Rei and bruises adorned their faces and bodies, and a spare gash occasionally. She dropped to her knees and ran her fingers over first one friend's face and then another. Lita and Darien weren't there, but she had on good accounts that Lita and Darien were at the arcade visiting with Andrew. "It's all right Serena, we'll heal soon." Ami told her, stilling a hand as it trembled.

"The general will pay for this." Rei agreed.

"He already has, we blasted him out of here!" Mina said harshly.

Rei smiled sadly then took Serenity's hands in her own. "We'll be fine Serena, remember? We heal fast!"

Serenity nodded but vowed from now on, she'd make sure she was at these battles. She'd never allow this harm to come to them again. And while she stayed on the outskirts for most of the time, they were well aware of her appearance.

Her hand was only slightly red as she learned to pull back even more of her energy, she didn't need to apply so much force behind her attack as she realized only a small amount of energy would disintegrate them. She was still working on the balance however as once she tried it with only a whisper of energy and her tiara was caught and bent, and she moaned in pain. But dispite all of this, her hand was at varying degrees of red and it healed some what slowly, and it was easier to hide, especially as winter was approaching and she could wear gloves without looked at oddly.

One of these fights though, she dealt with them in hand-to-hand contact and so was in the midst of the fight and the youma managed a swipe that she didn't block or disappear from in time and the youmas had started expecting it, so she didn't as much.

The attack pushed her down and she skidded a few feet. Tuxedo Mask pulled her to her feet, he had no longer spoken to her, and his attitude seemed to melt a little, but she knew he still didn't like her or trust her. When she wobbled on her feet, he turned his gaze to her. "Are you all right?" He asked with a demand.

The enemy wasn't sure about them, Jadeite wondered if this new senshi was friend or foe to the earlier senshi, and wondered if he could pull her to their side. The senshi never arrived with the rest of them, but moments later after the Tuxedo wearing buffoon arrived or another senshi. She must know them in real life, but they probably didn't know who she was. Jadeite smiled cynically, he could use her knowledge to his advantage. He adjusted his youma to not attack the girl from now on until he could ask her to join his ranks or he knew for sure that she had joined them for good.

She looked into his angered eyes and nodded. "I'm all right." She responded and pushed his hand away, she knew who he was, but she wasn't going to make him question her feelings towards him or let the enemy know there was another weakness in this group. She firmed her stance, and it hurt but she would last through this fight. Then she'd go and sleep off whatever was wrong with her. She'd learned long ago as well, that was how these people helped the healing process, by not pushing their bodies and sleeping.

She pulled wisps of power into her fingers and took the tiara into her hand and allowed it to fly into the youma, there was a block put up and it bounced back. Serenity pulled her tiara back to her and put a little more energy into it, it burned, but as she was about to attack again, another blast came and rocked her from her feet.

Jadeite looked and saw the other general standing there, mocking her as she flew into Tuxedo Mask and they both got knocked over. Tuxedo Mask landed on his back and knew that would leave a scratch. The enemy laughed and Jadeite rolled his eyes, the man just knew how to ruin his plans, didn't he? Beryl had broken their agreement. He filed this moment away for future reference and allowed Nephrite to take the blame of this attack in the senshi's eyes.

Nephrite disappeared momentarily and Jadeite returned his youma to the grounds to be used at a future time. The senshi relaxed and Tuxedo Mask helped the new senshi to her feet but kept his distance and Jadeite watched as Nephrite reappeared behind the masked man, intent on draining his energy, something Jadeite had never succeeded in. The new senshi screamed and her hands came together with a clap and Nephrite was pushed back and slammed into a lamp pole, he disappeared after looking upon her for a moment with a smile.

Jadeite's throat tightened at that look, he recognized the other man's determination, even if he managed to convince the powerful warrior to join their ranks, Nephrite would never let her rest. There was something else, fairly familiar about the energy signature that came off from her attack, it felt familiar and he'd have to investigate it a bit more to fully understand.

"She's on our side." He heard the orange clad warrior whisper proudly to the blue haired girl. The hearer only nodded with a smile. Jadeite rolled his eyes, that had yet to be seen, they still didn't know who she was, neither did he, but he was intent on finding out the identity of this one warrior as she'd lead him to the rest.

He left, missing the rest of the scene play out.

Sailor unknown was helping Tuxedo Mask to his feet. "Thank you." He managed as he looked into the white domino mask that echoed his own and she ducked her head.

"It was nothing; I know the benefits of keeping at least a little unknown." She said quietly, not looking at him.

He nodded, and lifted her chin. "Look- I'm-"

She waved him off and turned to leave when a golden chain whipped around her, locking her arms against her body and forcing her to her knees, she was ready to give out, she had used too much energy today, she had never used that much energy or physical exertion. She was at her tattered end, and she knew Mina was ready for answers, they all were, but she couldn't say a word.

"Let her go Venus."

She ignored him. "What do we call you?" She demanded.

Serenity looked up into Mina's eyes; they had no anger in them, just determination. "Whatever you like." She knew they thought she was this blessing sent to them, this princess they were determined to follow into the fiery pits of hell itself if she asked, but she wouldn't, not only wasn't she their princess, but she wouldn't dream of endangering like that.

"We need a name." Rei joined her side.

"Call me… Sailor… Moon, if you must." She could see the crescent moon above Minako's left shoulder and it was the first thing that came to her. She hadn't realized however that the princess came from the moon, but it was one detail that was kept from her by accident, one that would have changed these events.

Minako hardened her stance. "What are you doing here, Sailor Moon? Why won't you come clean and just join our side, once and for all?"

"Venus, let her go." Tuxedo Mask's voice broke no argument, but Mina ignored her prince, in the hopes of finding her princess.

Mask saw the fear shining from her eyes despite the mask, he could see it, radiating out of her, fear of being discovered, he recognized, as she looked fruitfully at him, but at the same time, he saw her determination to stand strong against this interrogation.

He had only one option as Venus blatantly ignored his order, and returned to questioning Sailor Moon.

"Why?" She demanded. "Why don't you just come clean?"

Serenity was tired, she just wanted to go home and crawl into bed and sleep until the sun rose again. She thought about how she was going to get out of these chains, she could use force, and get herself free, but she feared what they would think, they already were weary about that display of an attack against Nephrite earlier…

A rose stuck itself between the links in the chain, it hadn't burned and she wondered briefly if it was because she was one of them or if Mina was holding back the worse of the attack. The chain broke and allowed her freedom. She took her opportunity and disappeared on the spot, she wasn't able to when the chain was around her.

"Why did you do that?" Mina cried as she whirled on her foot and stalked off towards Darien.

"I'm sorry V, but I had to, you are not allowed to ever do that again. She will come to us of her free will when she's ready for it." Venus nodded stiffly but said nothing, and Darien sighed, these girls would learn one day, he understood all sides of this.

They split off and he heard the reminding beep of his cell phone now that he was out of the disguise of Tuxedo Mask. He checked his phone and he heard his girlfriend's voicemail message, she sounded so tired, he couldn't be angry with her for wanting to take it easy. He himself had a lot to think about and reflect on. Serenity was the love of his life, he wasn't going to deny that, he just wondered about these new feelings developing for the girl he saved. He felt admiration for her character in the face of diversity on both sides. He also couldn't deny the unmistakable attraction he felt for her, even with the slightly longer skirt covering her shapely legs. It flared even more than the senshi's skirts did to allow her the ability to kick just like them and run. Darien couldn't be feeling this kind of thing for two women, could he?

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, he was tired, he should really just get some sleep, his energy was almost taken today to the negakingdom, something they'd striven not to allow happen and tomorrow he'd go in and talk to Andrew personally about how he was handling this situation with Lita and Reika.

Maybe his best friend's situation would allow Darien a little bit of perception.

The next day came too quickly for all involved in the previous night's events and Darien rose and did as he planned. However in the love of his life's world, she slept for another hour, willing her body to heal faster. The girls however healed faster thanks to the uniform their powers bestowed upon them, and when Serenity finally managed to get out of bed, she sunk to her knees and stared in the full length mirror in front of her. Her image always surprised her, she never spent much time looking at herself, and so the face was less familiar to her. Today's image looked ragged. She had circles under her eyes and her hair was a mess, she was still wearing the sailor outfit that had come out of the blue and she wondered if it really was a sailor's outfit or if it was something her mind created to hide her identity.

She willed her outfit to change into a pair of black jeans and a green sweater and keeping her eyes open, knowing to close her eyes in the battle would give another an advantage over her, even when her other senses took its place to realize the truth, it told the enemy what she was planning, she watched her face magically return to its normal appearance, and so too did her hair.

She was panting by the time she finished, but it had needed to be done. Her hands however, they were pulsing red with black patches. Even though it was less than the first time it had been, each time, even though she was using less, they were getting worse again. She feared one day her hands would just burst into flames. That thought led her to one she had never considered before they discussed the bible in her religion class. Sinners caught on fire before Jesus came, and she wondered if somehow this was a message and that she was a sinner.

Serena pushed the thought out of her mind, they weren't a very religious family, but she'd been spending too much time with Rei who was definitely a Shinto in practice to become a priestess. With that kind of dedication, she was truly religious. Serenity would ask Rei her thoughts if any of this ever came out to the scouts.

Serenity donned a pair of black leather gloves that matched her outfit and donned black leather boots over her jeans with the slightest of heels and stitching in the green from her top. She needed to get out of the house and enjoy the breath of fresh air that this day's crisp autumn wind would bring. She didn't go to meet anyone she knew, but took a walk around the city, really seeing it again, instead of just taking it for granted.

She never truly did, but she was always discovering new things, and each new thing interested her, as well as the old. Today she was just revisiting and remembering what she loved about this city. She climbed the hill heading into the heart of the city.

As she walked up another hill, her breath caught at the sight. The hill she was on slowly swayed downwards towards Mount Saint Helen and between her and the mount was the bay. She smiled lightly as she looked at it. She sank into a chair at a café nearby and looked upon this sight, her eyes only leaving it to look at the people as they walked by and their reactions as well.

She was served a mocha and biscotti and she enjoyed the warmth coursing through her, this was her favorite moment in the day. The only thing that could have made it better was her boyfriend's presence as well as her friends and family. This was what made her feel better, sitting, relaxing and soaking up the atmosphere and drinking a warm drink.

Serenity's phone rang and Serenity tried pulling it out but her hand was all thumbs and she couldn't manage the simple flipping device so she used her chin to hold part of it and opened it up. "Hey." She greeted, she was wondering how he was doing.

"Hey Serenity." He responded. "I was wondering if I could pick you up."

"Yeah, I'm at a little café down the Hailey road."

Darien chuckled. "I'll be there shortly." She used her shoulder to help close the phone and put it back into her pocket.

Shortly was fifteen minutes later. He pulled his steel-grey viper up to the nearest stall and jumped out of the car, came up to her and shared a greeting kiss.

"You look peppy today." Serenity teased, both his look and car choice as well as his mood.

"I had a nice long talk with Andrew today. I feel the best I have in a long time and surer of my decisions."

"Isn't he still debating over whether or not he wants date Lita?" Serenity asked calmly.

"He's decided actually, he asked her out this morning."

"And this is the first I've heard of it?" Serenity was going to grab her phone and quickly dial the number, but she remembered before she even made a move that she really couldn't, not without it looking awkward if front of Darien and she didn't need his questions.

Darien soothed her. "I'm sure she'll call sometime today or meet up with you." He paid for her drink and snack and pulled her to her feet, she masked the pain as he grabbed her hand and she smiled broadly at him. He frowned as she smiled too brightly. "Are you all right?"

"Of course." She beamed and brought him into a kiss so she could distract him.

He laughed afterwards and swooped her up into his arms and carried her over to the car, opened the door and deposited her into it and closing the door. "This city is so beautiful isn't it?" He asked when he sat behind the wheel looking down upon the sight as well.

"It is, I loved growing up here."

"I am glad that I moved here so many years ago." Darien agreed. "I might have been anywhere else here in this large world."

"Am I the only one that was born here?" Serenity knew she was, she had grown up in an orphanage down another street near here and was where Jadeite found her after her warden died and she was the only one without a home.

"I think you are." Darien agreed, it was interesting how everyone just sort of moved towards Serenity as if they were drawn to her, everyone she was close to was from far away, except for a few of her school friends and Andrew.

They went to the local science museum and while Serenity would usually have fun playing around with all the different gadgets, she only worked with some of the bigger ones and the illusion ones.

"Do you see the couple kissing or the vase?" Serenity asked tilting her head as she looked at the image.

"The couple kissing is the first one I see, but I see the vase as well."

"I saw both as well." Serenity laughed. "It says some people can only see one or the other but not both."

"They're people who don't have a very open mind." Darien teased.

"I guess." Serenity agreed with a smile.

"Aren't you hot in here?" Darien had stripped off his leather jacket and gloves. With the gloves in his jacket pockets, he had slung the jacket over his shoulder and he'd rolled up the sleeves of his blue sweater.

Serenity had pushed up the sleeves as well, but she'd kept the gloves on. To tell the truth, she was very hot, but wasn't about to remove those gloves. She smiled distractedly. "It isn't too bad in here." She lied and Darien didn't push it.

Darien didn't push a lot of things when it came to her, but he picked his battles, he loved her too much to sweat the small stuff and irritate her because he questioned things he knew she did on purpose. This one though, he probably should have but he didn't.

Serenity linked arms with him and they continued their tour through the rest of the museum.

Then afterwards, Darien brought her back to his apartment and cooked her a meal. Serenity had taken her gloves off in the bathroom, and they were just her normal red again, perhaps she could hide it well enough that she could eat without them on and without him noticing. She could grip small objects again too.

She shoved the gloves into her purse and slipped outside and onto his balcony to await his announcement that the meal could commence. The night air was cool against her burning skin and she leaned into the open air, pulling it in and around her. She was content here, in this apartment, almost like she was home. She could see Mount St. Helen off into the distance and on a clear day she could even see the bay. It wasn't as spectacular a sight as Hailey Street, but it was a nice view.

Darien slid the door open and she heard it slide close again as he came behind her and put his hands on the balcony railing on either side of her and rest his chin on her shoulder before kissing the bare spot on her neck then moving his way up to her jaw. "Peaceful out here, isn't it?"

"It's perfection." She turned around to face him, and she rested her hands on his chest, forgetting about the pain. "Just like you."

He smiled and kissed her lips before moving away and turning to pick up a glass of wine and handing it to her while he picked up the other and holding it out. "Cheers to a perfect day."

She smiled back and touched her glass to his. "Cheers." She responded and they both drank out of the glass in each others' hand.

His gaze lowered to her hand and he took the glass from her and picked her hands up. "Where did these come from?" He demanded as he flipped them over and ran his thumbs down the redness of her palms. "I know you didn't burn yourself with any iron at the shop this time." He accused and looked her in the eyes, not accepting any lies.

Serenity looked down at her hands trying to think, and trying to steel herself for any outcome and not to let on that she was lying in any form. She swallowed before bringing her eyes up to his. "I was near another attack." There, it wasn't a lie. Her shoulder had completely healed on its own, her hands hadn't, and she'd never been able to heal even a scratch on her own body, much less something that came from her powers.

"Why is this the first I've heard of it?"

"That strange event like when I was with Molly at her mother's shop happened, and I, I didn't want to worry you. They slimmed someone and I was trying to help, but except when I touched with my bare hands, this happened." Again, not truly a lie, she touched her power with her bare hands, and it happened; just the situation was a lie.

Darien frowned. "From now on, you'll always tell me when you are in an attack."

"Except Luna and the girls already think of me as an issue and Luna thinks I could be the enemy. I'm surprised that she even allows me to attend the occasional meeting still."

"She doesn't think you're the enemy, she just worries because you've been in so many attacks and not much is known of you and a few other things that have confused her. She and everyone else love and trust you. I know there was a reason you hid this, but don't be afraid to let me heal you, it isn't going to end up changing you at all." Darien explained as the burns left her hands and she wished she'd gotten him to do it earlier today if she'd known her lies were that effective.

She felt guilty for the thought and slowly removed her hands from his. "Please don't tell the girls about this." Darien hesitated but then nodded. "Now, is there food ready or were you just trying to ravish me on your balcony where everyone who looks can see us?" She teased.

He chuckled then led her away. "No one is going to see you being ravished except for me."

They had a pleasant meal and Darien let the subject drop about the youma attack she'd been in and any conversation about the girls had been jokes about them in this form.

Serenity left a voice mail for her uncle, telling him she was at Lita's for the night and crawled into bed with Darien, still not doing anything yet, but no matter what, she always slept better in Darien's arms and she still wasn't feeling a hundred percent, so she curled into him, not wanting to expand any more energy.


	18. XVII

Chapter XVII

It had been one of the nights where Serenity slept over at Darien's place that all hell broke loose.

Darien was called away to the fight and Serenity watched him leave. She transformed in his apartment and he had just come back for a goodbye kiss and he saw her transform. She froze and looked at him, and he froze and looked at her. She opened her mouth but he shook his head and she held out her hand and he took it, and she transported the both of them onto the scene of the battle.

Darien stayed away from her the entire battle, but Jadeite had seen their entrance and frowned, looked like she'd made her decision after all without him even being able to ask. Jadeite sighed and upped his attack. He still wondered who she was, he had pretty clear memories of the past and there was no sailor moon, neither in his generation nor the next.

It was interesting that Tuxedo Mask wasn't even attempting to save Sailor Moon, although she was doing a pretty good job at protecting herself tonight. Jadeite created a flat top over a pit of crystals and it was in the path that Sailor Moon was being forced towards. The youma tonight was one made of ice products and shot out geysers of ice shards. Sailor Moon's left foot hovered over the edge of his pit but she put it back down on ground that was safe. The youma took another attack at her and she fell back several feet into the ground that was fake and she fell through. The trap's shards broke through several parts of her body, but nothing too fatal and Jadeite shrugged one scout down, and possibly the strongest. The second strongest was kneeling around the pit, looking into it, trying to figure out a way to help her out without harming her more.

The other scouts threw all they had at the enemy and managed to harm his youma but he pulled it away and showed himself as he reigned down attack after attack. Sailor Moon used her powers so similar to his and reappeared in a kneeling position with the other senshi. She sent a blast towards him without even the use of her tiara and Jadeite now knew that she was definitely the strongest, and the one who should be the sole point in any attack, her energy would feed his true leader and release her onto this world.

He disappeared then and Tuxedo Mask rushed to Serenity's side and held her in his arms.

"Which one is the worst?" He shouted at Mercury.

"Mask-" Mercury started.

"The worst Ami!" He shouted as he laid Serenity on her stomach and looked at all of her injuries, blood was starting to form and flow.

Ami surprised by her true name quickly got to work, she hadn't realized the extend of Sailor Moon's injuries, and had never been permitted to use her computer on the scout, was amazed by what she learned after just a quick scan. "That one on her back." She told him, looking to find the next worst until they came to the less pressing ones that would heal on their own, but Tuxedo Mask healed anyways, then turned her over in his tired arms and cradled her to him.

They hadn't realized he'd felt so strongly for her, his feelings had been hidden for weeks then as they fought along side her. He had been so adamant that she was a general at first, and now he finally accepted her as the love in the past? Something was wrong. Ami's mind started working overtime but Sailor Moon's eyes cracked open after she'd passed out after shooting her shot at Jadeite. She saw Tuxedo Mask and he whispered in her ear and she tiredly closed her eyes, but the two of them disappeared.

The other girls ran to the spot but their leader and the mysterious girl they didn't quite know anything about had disappeared. "Now do you think she's our princess?" Lita demanded of Mina and Mina shrugged, she didn't know. "What if she's the enemy? We've lost him to her!"

"I think he knows who she is." Rei stated quietly. "They arrived together today. They've never done that before. The general saw it too."

"Uh-oh." Mina whispered.

They all turned to look at her, but Ami was the one that asked. "Uh-oh, what?"

"If the general now knows that Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask are in liaison, and that Tuxedo Mask is our leader, what will they think Sailor Moon is?"

They had nothing to say to that.

Across town two tired souls were transported into a large bed, beneath the covers and promptly fell asleep.

The next morning, having attained no injuries, just having used a large amount of energy, Tuxedo Mask woke up and shifted to his side to look at the still sleeping form of Sailor Moon. He let his transformation go then ran a light finger down her cheek. He'd almost lost this last night. Her eyes fluttered and opened at the touch. "Good morning." He whispered.

She smiled slightly then groaned and closed her eyes. "I feel like I have been through the ringer a few times."

"That's because you have, Sailor Moon."

Her eyes snapped open again. "I'm sorry-"

She began but he cut her off with a shake of his head. "I don't want apologizes, I'm not angry, I want reasons." He was pissed at first, that she kept this mammoth secret from him, and that he had been worrying about deciding between the two of them for months when she knew all along he hadn't had to make that choice at all. Then anger had washed over him at the fact that the girls had been pushing that Moon had been the princess, and that meant that Serenity was now possibly the princess as well. She had sent them all on a wild goose chase after Molly, when she'd known all along that Molly couldn't have been Moon. It was like Serenity hadn't trusted them. Then when she had fallen into the pit of ice shards- his heart clenched at just the memory and any anger he might have had towards her disappeared in his concern. He wasn't going to push her away.

"I- I wasn't sure what I was at first." She managed, tentatively reaching a hand up between them and resting it on his chest as she finished her explanation. It wasn't quite a lie this time, and it was an explanation they both could swallow. "I was scared; I didn't know how any of you would take it that it was _me_ who was Sailor Moon. You kept saying she was the enemy or the princess and I can't be either. I'm just me."

Darien nodded. "I can understand that." He did, if he had been in her position, he probably wouldn't have shared his secret identity either, but his life had set him up so he wouldn't be fighting alone.

"I've always had the ability to do things, but this was largely different, I'd never transformed into a senshi before."

"I think it was just to protect you." He murmured, settling down in the bed and gathering her close. He didn't want any distance between them, not anymore. He'd eventually go over her words and question her on that later, but right now, those things could wait.

"The other girls said Luna gave them transformation sticks, well, Artemis gave Mina hers but still, a cat, a pen."

Darien laughed, she had such a way of cutting to the chase. "True, but nobody gave me mine. Mine just sort of appeared one day when a little girl was in trouble. Rei's followed the next day when another youma attacked."

"And then everyone else came?"

"For eight years." He agreed. "Except nobody knows how the outers got their pens. We think there might be a guardian or two for them."

"Or another senshi who never lost her memory or powers." Serenity's thoughts featured a dark woman surrounded by swirling clouds.

"Or that." Darien agreed. "We don't know, do we?" He cupped her jaw, her life had hung in the balance today, and he barely managed to save it, he wanted to hash that out and file it safely away in things better forgotten.

"It wasn't that bad." Serenity muttered and he picked his head up. "I would have been fine, I wasn't going to die." She picked up on his thoughts, they must have been written all over his face.

"You might have bled to death!" He growled and she paused, maybe she would have, she hadn't felt the pain.

"This uniform gives you none of the protection it gives the other girls, does it?" Serenity shook her head and Darien sighed. "I guess I just have to protect you from now on."

Serenity laughed. "I thought you told me you wouldn't do such a thing because you have another."

"You are my other!" He groaned. "I said such stupid things to you, didn't I?"

"I'm not the princess." She said urgently and he nodded against her forehead as he came in for a reassuring kiss.

"You don't have to be." He agreed. "I might not even be the prince, but I think I am, and I don't know if you are or not. Maybe you are from the dark kingdom or just have powers, I don't know and I'm not going to assume to know. You are just Sailor Moon, perhaps you were a defender of the moon just like Mercury was a defender of mercury and the moon."

Serenity nodded. "I like that idea."

"I do too." He smiled. "Perhaps the Earth prince wasn't even in love with the Moon Princess, but her head guard, and that's why she killed herself."

Serenity's eyes narrowed. "Is that what you believed happened?"

"Yes." Darien looked at her. "Why? Do you know something else?"

"You told me the story of the negakingdom coming and destroying everything in its path. Of Endymion's sacrifice to save the princess's life and the princess taking her own because she couldn't be without him. But what if after he died, she tried to avenge his death but another killed her, one betrayed them both?"

"That would be a horrible person." Darien paused. "And we never said his name, we didn't know it."

Serenity's eyes widened. "How do I know it unless I'm the betrayer?"

"I don't believe it!" He growled and kissed her. "Get that out of your mind that could never have happened."

Serenity sighed. "All right, I won't think of it anymore." But it did bring up the question of how she knew it, or even thought it. Maybe she was there, dying as she saw this and the princess's mother sent her to the future as well.

Darien rolled out of bed and Serenity detransformed back to her normal form. Darien came over to her side and scooped her out of bed and brought her to the kitchen. "Usually after I use a lot of energy and wounds, I get really hungry after I've slept. Let me make us something."

Serenity sat there in silence as she watched him work, she was new to this whole sailor scout thing, and she wondered if they all had some kind of introductory course based on what they had learned previously. His muscles stretched in his back as he reached up for something in the cabinet while his other hand stirred.

She could see herself moving in here, supporting each other in a way only they could do. Him cooking for her, and her doing some of the chores as well as them healing each other when they get hurt. Today Serenity regretted not agreeing to move in with him, she wanted to be part of his every day life. She opened her mouth to tell him of her thoughts when he turned around and her breath caught, he was so sexy.

"Do you like it spicy or sweet?" He asked with a wink.

She only nodded too stunned to reply normally and he chuckled before turning back to the stove and then turning it off and splitting it up into two plates and he turned back around and placed one in front of her and sat across from her.

He brought over two omelets. "Rich in protein." He told her when she looked at it dubiously. "It'll help the process along and help you regain strength and energy."

She took a bite and moaned in pleasure. "Why don't I get you to cook for me more often?" She asked with a pout.

"I cooked for you three times last week." He told her.

She laughed, caught. "All right, all right, just be glad I like your cooking! Besides, I can't cook, so you might as well do what you like to."

"And cooking is my passion." He teased. "How do you and Jay get by without you cooking? Does Jay do it?" He sounded scandalized.

"No." She admitted.

"Good, because I was thinking he was old fashioned for being so young and he is."

"He's less old-fashioned than you would think." Serenity teased. "But compared to what we normally eat, I like your food so much better!"

He stood up and pulled her into his arms. "I think you should like that I gave you an omelet, Ami insists that I drink this gross purple drink she concocted to return my energy to me. What is the extent of you powers?"

"I don't know, I haven't been tested, I learned how to control them and hide them when need be, but I don't know."

"Does Jay know?" Serenity looked at his shoulder and shook her head no. "Serenity-" He started but he let it go, Serenity didn't even tell him about her powers, he had to find it out himself, and it was less than twenty-four hours ago.

He had to tread lightly with her on this subject. It was quite possible the Jay didn't know she had these powers, he didn't, and they told each other everything, Jay might not get to know nearly as much. She could have seriously just been scared to share the fact that she was different, depending how long she had them, she might have been too scared to move for awhile, in fear of hurting others. Darien had to believe her on this issue and he would. Just then his phone rang and he answered it. "Hello?"

"Darien!" The other end squealed and he held it away from him.

"Hello Mina." He greeted and she calmed down. "What do you want?"

"Are you solo?" He almost hung up on her there, if she couldn't be serious-

He looked down at Serenity. "Of course I'm alone." Serenity had picked her head up curiously and looked at him while he talked to Mina. "Why do you ask?"

"You came and disappeared with Sailor Moon last night, we wanted to make sure she didn't kill you or anything. So, did she?" Mina was seriously asking that.

"Would I be answering the phone if she had?" He asked dryly.

Mina giggled embarrassed on her end and rushed through the rest as if his question didn't matter. "That's good to hear. So what happened? How did you end up arriving and disappearing with her?"

"Very simple explanation really, I had ran into Sailor Moon outside the battle and she offered to bring me to it, I didn't say no, and we agreed to talk, just the two of us, as we had an understanding after your last attempted on her, she is a little distrusting of you and the girls. So after I healed her, we went some place and talked, then went our separate ways. Now I am at home, enjoying my breakfast after so much energy expansion, and as such, I would like the day to recuperate." Mina agreed and got off the phone. He hung up and looked down at Serenity and she looked at him curiously. "Can you please explain to me why I just lied to my girls?"

"I _was _wondering why you didn't tell her."

"You'd asked me not to when it was just your hands. I would have, if I didn't fear it would harm our relationship in anyway." His lips quirked and he drew her tightly against him. "Besides, if I told her now, then we wouldn't have this time together."

Serenity sighed and rested her head against his chest. "Thank you." She pulled her head back to look at him though with the widest blue eyes Darien had ever seen and anything she said, he would be putty in her hands and he wouldn't be able to refuse anything. "Could you not? At least... let me break it to them when I'm ready?"

"It doesn't sit well with me, but I won't. Though, Sere, they do deserve to know. After all, they've taken huge risks telling you everything you know."

Serenity bit her lower lip, mulling over his words and with confused eyes she looked up at him and nodded. He smiled and leaned down to kissed her.

She returned his kiss with her own passion and then heard her phone beep from somewhere near by. She groaned and leaned into him for a moment before pulling away. She flipped it open and listened to its voicemail. There were two messages, one from Jay and one from Molly, she winced as she realized she'd made plans for today with Molly and she was wondering where Serenity was. "I totally forgot." She sighed and Darien eased the slightly red fingers of her right hand.

"Don't worry about it, we've got plenty of time to discuss this, especially without the girls prying into our business. I don't know how long we can keep it from them though. They will begin to notice our arrivals and disappearances and question them."

"There's ways around that..." At his dark look, she instantly reevaluated where she was heading with that. "Of course you'll want me to come to you before going to the battle, it'd be stupid of me to think otherwise." She laughed nervously, because she really didn't want to honor that, not because she wanted to keep it from him, but he was right, the girls would figure it out easily that way. "It's like a lead ball has been removed from my stomach now that you know, but I really have to get going." She kissed him briefly before disappearing, she wasn't going to argue with him on this subject any more today.

He felt her slip away against his palm, he hadn't been holding her, and if he had, he didn't know what would have happened. Serenity reappeared on top of a building and focused to change her clothes. She changed into a tweed gray skirt and a rose colored blouse with a tweed vest over it.

She transported herself to the ground level near where she was to meet Molly and stepped out of the small pedestrian street while talking on her cell phone to Molly. "I am terribly sorry, I got held up, I'm almost there, ah, I see you!" She cut the connection and Molly turned around, her red hair swaying in the light breeze and she formed a huge smile seeing Serenity.

"Aye, Serenity!" She jogged over to her. "This is a great outfit!"

"Thank you." Serenity blushed. "I am sorry."

Molly waved her off. "No matter, you aren't late, are you ready to go?" They were meeting with some of Molly's mother's investors and Serenity agreed to be the model to showcase some of the jewelry that they would think about putting in their magazine. "I can't thank you enough."

Serenity blushed deeper. "Are you sure you wouldn't want someone more like Lita to do this for you? She's model height and build."

"No, you're perfect as is." Molly took her arm and steered her into the building and up the stairs. The investors loved her, and they wanted her to come back and try out for the swimsuit modeling, as well as Molly. Serenity hesitated, she wasn't so sure about the idea, but Molly begged her and she agreed reluctantly, she'd do it for Molly, and perhaps this time Molly wouldn't get into so much trouble.

Serenity stood up ready to go from the meeting when a guy who had been staring at her the entire time stood up as well. "May I walk you out Ms. General?" He asked silky smooth and Serenity shook her head.

"I know where to go, are we done here Molls?" Serenity asked her friend who picked her head up and looked at Serenity and smiled.

"Of course." Molly got up. "It was a please seeing you again gentlemen, ladies." She told the small group with them. "If you'll excuse us."

They allowed them to go and on the way Serenity voiced her concern over the man who had said something at the end.

Molly laughed and shook her head. "He's just a flirt, don't mind him Sere, he doesn't mean any harm."

Serenity nodded, but she was still concerned about her in a swimsuit and Molly, with who knew how many girls parading around a swimming pool for him or not even in a swimming pool but somewhere else, anywhere else, she wondered what Darien would say on the matter, then she shook her head, nothing, because he wasn't going to find out. This was one attack, she would face head on by herself, now that the enemy knew some of her tricks, she'd just have to face it.

She didn't have any doubt that the enemy would attack, it was an event and it was Molly, it was bound to happen, she just needed to know when. She refused to be cut before Molly, just to protect her. She should also probably be one of the final three, then get sent off stage for the final two so she could protect them as well.

She didn't know why she needed to be in it and parade around for a swimsuit contest to become a model, it was the dumbest thing she heard, being a model was hard work and needed to be succeeded by talent and photographs and runway, not what they had planned.

The next day came and Serenity was looking less forward to the following afternoon than perhaps the day before. She really didn't like all that attention on her and now she knew people would be judging her and making comments, she never really thought about her body and now she wondered what they would think.

Molly came and picked her up and together they entered the busy world of a fashion shoot. They were split apart and thrust into tiny bikinis that Serenity would never have worn anyways and asked for a wrap and was denied it instantly.

She was marched out to the pool and told to stand in a sexy pose. When she refused profusely with her arms crossed under her breasts and a pout adorned her lips the photographer snapped a picture of her and gave her the thumbs up. "If there is one single print of that picture anywhere in the world, I will come for you and cut you!" She warned and he only smiled back at her innocently.

Then she was told to go change and she was given a slightly more modest swimsuit, just slightly and told she was going to pose for a woman's magazine. It was about empowering a woman's position and ability to wear a swimsuit.

The photographer was a lot better this time around and she actually had a little fun with it. She still remembered she needed to find that first photo and destroy it before the day was done, but she was changing into her third outfit. She was pretty cold and she couldn't understand how these rail thin girls were handling it any better. The pool was actually outdoors and there were cascading waterfalls and fake rocks and lounge chairs and everything a high priced, high class, club needed to keep its credo. Serenity was no stranger to this kind of world; she wasn't a stranger to any kind of world, to think of it, except being on this end of so many photographers.

She was being positioned on a rock and looking at a male model when the sky overhead turned gray.

The people around her screamed and ran for cover. She was knocked over by the 'strong, muscular, he-man' she was posing with as he ran to get out of the way quickly and a high pitched yell accompanied his retreat. Serenity rolled her eyes, sometimes the men with the biggest gym muscles were the weakest and most pathetic of men, always trying to cover up something else about them.

She fell into the water and after resurfacing and pushing her hair out of her face, she swam over to an enclosed glaive probably built to shelter couples and their pda from the general public's view. She watched as a general stepped foot onto the wet concrete as rain fell like razors around them. She tried to stay out of the harsh pricks but a few still hit her. She watched as the second general made his way over to the famous model who had been going around today and giving out advice as part of her 'good-will' and instead boosting her own exposure and career.

The model cowered beneath Nephrite's deadly gaze and he struck out a hand and grabbed the woman. A youma appeared from a rock near Serenity and she ducked underwater as it formed and reappeared as it moved away. Nephrite shoved the woman towards the youma and the youma opened up its belly and enclosed the woman in the rocked encasement. The youma seemed to grow bigger before her very eyes and when it opened its belly again, the woman fell out in a heap. Nephrite laughed. "Very good." His eyes looked at the crowd. "Since I have time to spare, I might as well get more energy, hers was enough to complete my mission. Go and give it to Metallica and come back." Nephrite turned fully to the crowd trying to slink away but froze as he came near. "I'm looking for the one they call Sailor Moon." He told them. "Show your face, and I will let everyone else go."

Serenity rolled her eyes and was about to call on her mental transformation when a rose cut off Nephrite's path. Her eyes instantly sought out where Tuxedo Mask would be and found his form silhouetted against the darkened sky. "This planet doesn't like it when people mess with the natural order of things when they shouldn't be and aren't the natural rulers of it."

"And what, you're going to stop me? I haven't seen you do much besides throw a rose." Nephrite raised an eyebrow and Tuxedo Mask smirked.

Serenity sighed and transported herself out of the water so she could transform in complete privacy. She arrived in the bathroom stall of the men's locker-room and allowed herself to be immersed in the energy. When she transported herself onto the roof, she saw the two of them dueling it out in hand to hand combat. Those two were a lot a like, practically brothers. Serenity caught herself as she faltered with that thought, where had it come from? She supposed it was true though; both were barely rarely ruffled and had that arrogance about them that emerged in slight movements like raising an eyebrow or smirking.

Serenity laughed to herself before she landed softly onto the ground, Nephrite had cheated and used some of his energy to blast Tuxedo Mask away from him and towards the cowards.

"Wasn't it me you were looking for?" She asked innocently with her arms spread wide, in a _come for it_, stance.

Nephrite grinned. "I was looking for you to show your true self, but I'll take you this way." He sent a blast towards her, but Serenity was expecting it. She flipped over it.

"Really, is that the best you can do?" Sailor Moon asked briskly, she took lessons from Darien quite well.

Nephrite laughed and shook his head. "Oh no, Sailor Moon, definitely not." His revenge was just starting to take place and before Serenity could react, he'd rushed her with a knife in his hand, aimed low for her belly.

Startled, Serenity placed her hands on his chest, and energy coursed through them at an unprecedented amount and blasted him away. He flew several feet and hit the water. He lay on top of it for a moment, just as stunned as before and he was sinking, his eyes flashed at her and he disappeared, a beam of light surrounded him and he was no longer there, taking a large portion of the water with him as well.

Tuxedo Mask was at her side in an instant. "Are you alright?" His concern was paramount and Serenity looked up at him with a dazed expression before she fell back into his arms. He held her close as the other scouts broke into the building, a little late, but before Serenity the battles usually lasted long enough for them to get there.

Four pairs of concerned eyes took in the form collapsed against Mask.

"Is she all right?" Jupiter asked as she helped him hold her light weight.

"She just fainted." Mercury informed them, already having the palm device out and using it.

"She's such a weakling." Mars snorted. "Reminds me of Venus."

"Hey!" Venus shouted and pushed Mars into the water.

Steam coursed through her ears as she resurfaced. "I'll- I'll!"

"You'll what? Drown Pyro?"

"Down, the both of you!" Tuxedo Mask snapped and both of them quickly closed their mouths.

"Now will you finally tell us who she is?" Mercury asked quietly, well aware of his brooding mood, and was careful of it.

"I will not tell you, but if you think hard enough the answer should come easily to you." He gestured for Jupiter to let go and she helped adjust Sailor Moon into his arms. He kept his promise, he didn't tell the girls who she was out right, but if she was going to pull these stunts, she would need all the protection she could get, and most of it was from herself and her foolishness. Consequences be damned, he'd take her rage if it meant not having to carry her home unconscious every night and always fearing the next time would be a body bag. "Goodbye." He told them, gentler now and jumped up to the rooftop and then towards home.

"What does that mean? Think hard enough?" Rei asked.

"Who could it possibly be that should come easily to us?" Mina followed Rei's train of thought.

"Somebody who could gain instant closeness to him when he found out." Lita stated off-handily and all of their eyes widened.

"Couldn't be." Rei whispered and she looked to Ami to confirm her thoughts.

Ami nodded. "It makes since, why she's been so secretive."

"But without a transformation pen?" She asked dubiously.

"What will we tell Luna?"

"Nothing, not until she deems it necessary to inform the cats, and consequently, us." Lita cut into their thoughts. "We all do things that don't make sense to others but it's for our own good. We need to make a claim, fast though, that you are the princess." Her bright green eyes enlightened on Mina and she nodded in response.

"Next battle." Mina stated. "And we'll invite her to more senshi meetings, the ones we do when she isn't there as well."

The girls all agreed, knowing full well Luna would have a cow. Luna liked the girl well enough and wanted to protect her, but she still thought strategically first and foremost. Serenity learning even more about them than she had without Luna knowing everything about Serenity might spell disaster, but they trusted Serenity, and her hiding this, well, it made them question her, but they still trusted her.

Serenity's eyes fluttered open half way across town in the building she was starting to think of as her own. She looked up into Darien's concerned eyes as he brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "You gave me quite a start, are you all right?" He asked on a whisper.

She nodded. "Just overexerted myself." She responded with a smile, hoping to relieve some of his tension and she succeeded.

His shoulders drooped a little and he crawled into bed next to her. "I hadn't thought anything was physically ailing you, so I brought you here, but I wasn't sure what to do. Wait until you wake up or call for help with Ami to see what was really wrong with you. She said you just fainted, but I was sure she had to be wrong for a change when you didn't wake up."

"How long was I out?" Serenity questioned softly.

His tone echoed hers as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "A couple of hours."

"Oh." Serenity had never been out more than a few minutes unless she was sleeping it off. "That's bad." She let her image return to what it had been before becoming Sailor Moon.

"It is." Darien agreed, making a circular pattern on her waist with his thumb. "I-" He seemed to remember something and sat up, pulling her hands to his inspection. "This is where it's from?" He placed his hands over hers and healed the almost black looking palms.

Serenity's phone rang and she groaned as she leaned over to answer it. Jadeite was on the phone and he was chewing her out for being late. "I'm sorry Jay." She told her uncle. "I'll come home right away, no, it's nothing like that, I just lost track of time."

Her uncle sighed and Serenity closed her phone. She turned to look at Darien. He bowed his dark head, knowing she had to leave, but kissed her goodbye before she faded away. "Get some sleep."

EAN: This has been sitting on my computer for awhile, this chapter and one or two following it, I wasn't completely happy with how things happened here, but I think it is ok, and I am not going to go in and drastically edit everything, and with that said, I will soon be updating one of the final chapters of Ties that Bind, and that has been completed but won't be fixed, for it is how I intended it at the moment, though I'm not too happy with it either. I will someday go through and edit these stories, but for the meantime I want them to be completed and not leave you all hanging forever when it is almost good enough, verses no ending... sigh, please leave me with your thoughts. I am interested to hear them.


	19. XVIII

Chapter XVIII

an: it's been awhile, not forgotten, but other things seemed more pressing, sorry for the wait.

* * *

Jadeite sighed as he spotted Serenity walk in the front door, she looked worn out despite her attempts to keep her looking normal with her powers. So if even her powers couldn't hide it, she must have been bad. He didn't berate her, instead, he told her to just go to sleep. She complied with a sleepy smile and a "Goodnight Jade."

Jadeite should have followed suit but instead he headed back to base. There he walked through the tunnels of black and over heard one of the generals speaking to a youma.

"Soon, he will be out of the way, and I will be given my chance." Jadeite listened closely and realized that it was Zoicite speaking, with a frown, Jadeite wondered if Zoicite had it out for him, he seemed the least interested in whether Jadeite succeeded or not, happy as long as he got his books and ice cream from Jadeite every week.

But then again, he could very well be talking about Nephrite, someone he never got along with. Yet despite the disagreements and arguments and physical blows they sent to each other, the four generals had a bond even Beryl was not aware of truly, and Jadeite could only imagine at one point they were closer to being brothers.

It was a strange thought to think of but for some reason, Jadeite didn't instantly rebel against the idea. He actually thought it was fitting.

Jadeite knocked on the door and Zoicite opened it with a frown, before grinning when Jadeite presented him with a stack of books. "You're early with these." Zoicite flipped through the covers. Each book wasn't purposely sought for unless Zoicite made a specific request, otherwise Jadeite just bought whatever was on the best selling list.

"I know. Thought I'd surprise you."

"Thank you Jadeite, I had just finished my last stack the other day." Zoicite realized Jadeite was looking past him at the youma, female like all of the rest, but she had a hard yellow looking skin that was lined and a tail that beveled. "Scorpia, you may leave us."

The youma left with an appraising eye towards Jadeite. "I thought I was the only one who kept company with the youmas."

"She wasn't here as company." Zoicite looked at Jadeite closely before sighing. "Can you keep a secret?" He asked, flipping his long blond hair over his shoulder.

Jadeite grinned, _could he keep a secret?_ "Of course. I would never betray your confidences." He told the other blond.

"That is the next youma Nephrite has planned to use in battle. I have instructed the youma to turn on Nephrite enough that he will be severely punished by Beryl."

"Are you serious?" Jadeite's eyes sparkled at the idea. "I love it, anything to get him off my back will be amazing."

"I figured you'd think of it that way." Zoicite winked at his fellow shitennou and then in a weird move of serious, he looked at Jadeite in concern. "You are failing recently."

"Not on purpose. Sailor Moon is strong. She is a strong adversary. I've been trying to keep the youma from dying to stay under Beryl's wrath."

"You'll have to try harder, Beryl will be angry once Nephrite has failed. She'll be keeping a closer eye on _your_ progress once that happens." Zoicite warned and Jadeite nodded.

"Don't worry Zoi, I'll have a couple of tricks up my sleeve for the next battle I am in with the senshi."

"What about Sailor Moon?"

"She's chosen her side." Jadeite winked and turned to go to his room. Even though he and Zoicite had an understanding that could be considered traitorous, Jadeite didn't doubt that Zoicite would turn on him and Serenity the second he learned about them.

"Wait!" Zoicite called out as he set the books down and pulled Jadeite into the room, closing the door behind them.

"What is it Zoi?"

Zoicite looked around, trying to find spies in the shadows, but nothing was there. He finally looked at Jadeite. "Nephrite is in the chamber, Moon blasted him pretty hard today, her hand prints were burned into his skin, and even Beryl is concerned that the chamber won't be able to rid him of those scars."

"This is what you had to tell me?" Jadeite could have found that out for himself, it wasn't a complete secret and no need for Zoicite's paranoid behavior.

"Not just that." Zoicite sighed. "This is something I can't even tell Malachite."

Jadeite nodded. "Go ahead then."

"I've been having memories of the past-"


	20. XIX

Chapter XIX TA

The most dangerous thing to admit to anyone in the negaverse was to admit that their mind wasn't completely void of all things but unnatural servitude to their female rulers. Jadeite could only stare at his brother in arms for a long moment before he too started looking around, wondering if Malachite was going to pop out of the walls and behead them both, for Zoicite had just made him a collaborator in this, for Jadeite could either tell on Zoicite, and save his own skin, but only to have it burn off later as he betrayed the confidence of one, what was to stop him from doing that to all? Or, he could keep it hidden and if Zoicite was ever found out, there was a possibility his name could be drawn into the mix and then killed as well. Either way, he'd be forced through the chambers for a long time until he was practically dead himself just to rid him of any dark impurities. He couldn't do that, so he only had one chose, the second option.

So he looked around one last time as Zoicite did as well, before leaning forward and lowering his voice. "What do you see?"

His tone was excited, this could be a test, but Zoicite would have to go through a series of unpleasant prognosis and he didn't like pain, liked it less than any of the generals, he probably liked it less than any girl. "Not many, just it's not what Beryl and the mistress has always told us. Life was actually decent before the attacks."

Jadeite nodded, he knew all there was to know about the past, there were just some blanks missing, like what happened to the boy. He pretended that this was all news to him though, Zoicite would be furious and clam up if he suspected Jadeite kept anything in turn away from him, but Jadeite had so much more riding on this than any of them. He had responsibilities they couldn't begin to fathom.

"So, I don't remember much, just this girl, with the prettiest color blue for her hair and her _eyes_, oh, they were such intense, inquisitive eyes." Zoicite sighed. "Perhaps, I'll have more memories some day."

Jadeite rolled _his_ eyes. "I thought you were allergic to girls." He mentioned dryly, and Zoicite's eyes snapped to him.

"Don't make jokes about it." He started itching as Jadeite had planted the idea in his head. "It's not nice. See if I tell you anything anymore!"

"Relax. Just let me know, and I'll let you know if I remember anything either, besides, who'd bring you books?"

"I might be able to get my own soon enough." Zoicite countered, still itching periodically. "Who knows how long Neph is out of commission?"

Jadeite waved his goodbye, laughing silently to himself as soon as the door was open and he was 'away from sight' because Zoicite went nuts and attacked his skin in the thought of girls. His dream girl must not have been enough for him.

These halls had a lot of memories for him, he mused as he wandered to his room. He needed to throw an outfit into the bin and don a new one, his image inducer was similar to Serenity's as he could literally change with a thought, but he still needed to wear the uniforms laid out for him if he was to make his story plausible. Serenity had stayed in his room, and he'd put the fear of god into her, or at least he'd tried, to get her to stay in there when she'd snuck out to go explore.

He didn't know how none of the youmas or fellow generals and Beryl and Metallica remained ignorant of the giggling little bundle who had suffered sadness and understood it, but could not understand fear yet, at least fear of more than thunderstorms. No wonder she was drawn to the youma attacks these days. It was like homecoming for her.

He shook his head as he did the manual task of undressing, he was bare chested when there was a knock against his door. He called for them to enter as he continued undressing. Either it was another general, who would be used to male anatomy or a female youma, who was probably familiar with his male anatomy. In this case it was the latter, and a female who was well acquainted with his body.

It had been a very lonely millennium. It was his only excuse and it wasn't much of one, but he'd always picked ones that looked most human as his choices. This one was the most human looking except for the eyes, they were very cat-like and some of her mannerisms echoed that idea. She had been a tiger in bed, and he almost relented on his recent ban, no doubt why she'd come in here.

Her dark hair swayed against her indecently clad body, and he was almost turned on, his infatuation with an eighteen year old who was hundreds of years younger than him, and not being able to do anything about it, had him keening for action, but he had become a master at self-denial these last eighteen years. He'd never been attracted to Serenity and thought it best not to get too entangled with any liasons here on the base while she was relocated into the house of his choosing, he was after all a parent figure and role model, and he couldn't set a bad precedent. Then he'd met Rei, and the feelings he'd had for her were so conflicted. One side of his was dangerously attracted to her, even when she was sixteen, and the other side was worried about her chastity of all things, he wanted what was best for her and her feelings, so he denied what they both wanted to save her in the end from the destruction he'd only cause to her life. So for eighteen years, female youmas, his favorites included were trying to get him to relent and break the oath he had made for himself.

He had not faltered once. He was actually proud of himself and now the one youma who'd always managed to get her way with him, was leaning against the door frame, her eyes traveling the line of his body as he shoved one foot then the other into his pants.

"Here I was thinking, I could help you out of them, and you're putting them on?" She huffed, before she sashayed into the room, her foot closing the door behind her. "Or is that your way of teasing me?" She purred as her claw-like fingers drew a path down his abdomen and hooked around the top of them.

"Enough." He pushed her hands away. "You're too late."

"You've already done it today?" A Cheshire smile cracked along the youma's lips.

Jadeite turned his head to look at her in exasperation. "Haven't I already explained this to all of you? I'm a changed man." He pushed away the hands, Zoicite and Malachite had each other, and there was no way he and Nephrite would even think of that, they didn't even get along enough. Besides, he could see clearer now, it hadn't really been him consorting with the youmas, it had been him under an influence more powerful than drugs and alcohol. They all were, as Zoicite was demonstrating now, being unable to turn to Malachite for everything meant he too was waking up from this walking coma they were all under, and no doubt in another year or so, Zoicite would be disgusted by his acts, wondering how he could have even fathomed of doing it.

Zoicite was always the youngest and most child-like, he always developed unnatural bonds with people in his admiration. The girl he'd fallen for in the past was the only completely clear headed decision he'd made when it came to humans.

Jadeite had always been attracted to attractive females, something they were short on here, so had to make due. Nephrite, Nephrite was a monk, that's all Jadeite could think of, and that's probably what made it impossible to get along with him. He was frustrated from not getting any and being a virgin for over a millennium. And Malachite? He took the role of protector too seriously, and under this influence it was easy to transfer those thoughts onto a female-like-male adoration. Yes, Jadeite was seeing things almost too clearly now, and it had less appeal for him to be on base than ever.

Jadeite didn't know why he was the first to awaken, or if the others would even awaken as much as he did, Zoicite was only having memory flashes, but that could quickly turn away from him and he'd brush it aside and go back to what he normally did. Jadeite hoped for both of their sakes that it wasn't true, it would be too hard to return to watching the higher shintou's antics and not to mention, he'd be a dead man. Jadeite shoved the youma out of his room with a final word of finality, hopefully all of them would wise up now that he'd kicked his favorite out and turned her away.

Jadeite finished dressing then went about his duties, making it known that he was around and fulfilling his orders. Then he returned to his room for the night, locking the door, and tensed when he felt a presence other than his own inside. He turned and leaning against the desk, Malachite looked at the object in his hand, twirling it gently, as if Jadeite's arrival had meant nothing. Jadeite crossed his arms and rested his back against the door he just closed, looking at Malachite, waiting for an answer to a question not necessary to ask aloud.

Malachite's voice reached Jadeite even though his gaze never lifted from his hands. It was several minutes into Jadeite's glare at his older mentor and true leader of the four Generals. "Zoicite has been coming to you more often recently."

"I wouldn't begin to fathom why." Jadeite responded curtly, his gaze traveled down to his own hands, staring at the light scattering of blond hairs across the back of his hand.

"It's all right. Just promise me it isn't anything nefarious."

"It isn't anything nefarious." Jadeite replied dryly and instantly.

Malachite's eyes swung up to Jadeite and the blue pierced him through and he couldn't move from the door even if he wanted to. "Zoicite is too innocent to the outside world."

Jadeite snorted. "The both of you are, but he at least reads about it."

Malachite shook his head and pushed off from the desk and walked closer to Jadeite who was not struggling for freedom, already knowing it would be pointless to try. "Zoicite is mine."

"You can keep him, we have not done anything that you would." Jadeite turned his eyes up as Malachite came closer and he towered over Jadeite. "I am telling the truth. Zoicite is like a kid brother to me."

Malachite slowly nodded. "That may be so. Keep it that way." He warned and Jadeite rolled his eyes in agreement. "Good. Now as for the other matter, you do know that Beryl is getting restless with both of your progress with the senshi?"

Jadeite's lips twisted, he really couldn't care, except it mattered to him and Serenity and it was in their best interests if Beryl didn't reign down all her forces on the two of them, whether she knew about Serenity or not was immaterial. "There is a very strong senshi that has just joined their ranks; she has power unlike any I've seen before." But even as he said it, he knew that was not true, only one other had powers even remotely like hers, but it could not be, he wouldn't even think of it. Besides, the masked man hid his; it was obvious how strong he was underneath his show of weakness of roses and cane fighting.

"Then its obvious what you need to do, isn't it? You need to capture her and bring her back to base, so we can use her powers for our own benefit." Malchite went back to the desk and released Jadeite.

"I was planning on just killing her." Jadeite rubbed his back for it had been pressing into the stone door firmer than he had been planning. He moved away from it and sat on the edge of the dark bed. The light in the room didn't offer much knowledge to what Malachite was holding nor the face of the fellow General, it had probably helped Jadeite under the influence not to clearly see the youma that he bedded otherwise he might have turned away with disgust even then.

Malachite lifted a white brow in thought. "That is probably not what is most wise with Beryl, she would rather harvest talents than kill them."

"The senshi she'd rather kill off." Jadeite countered. "She has a vendetta against them."

"I'm sure she would rather torture them and get information and energy out of them instead, if she could." Malachite set down the object and turned towards Jadeite. "But it's your own funeral. I'd take care to reevaluate my priorities, especially if they so differ from the one that can end your life."

Malachite winked before disappearing in a wave of water. Jadeite grouched as he went to the desk, he'd always make things wet. There though, sitting on top of a puddle was the pearl bracelet Jadeite had given Serenity for her eighth birthday a long blond strand was attached to it, he had brought it with him to add links to it so she could wear it again, as it was now too small for her still dainty wrist. Jadeite glared at the door, though Malachite wouldn't be there, but the other general now had a leverage over him he wasn't expecting. No wonder though, he had thought there was something going on between him and Zoicite, that was the only blond on the base with hair long enough to be considered for a match.

Jadeite had denied anything of the sort, so it only led Malachite to the next possible conclusion, a wrong one, but one that still scared Jadiete at the implications of such thoughts. That he was romantically tied to a blond on land, and one with long hair.

Then what was the deal about the senshi? He froze in mid-growl to realize that Malachite had taken that thought even further. He thought Jadeite was attached to the newest senshi? Had he been giving him an out with the idea of converting her, or trying to threaten him?

Jadeite threw up his hands figuratively and tossed his sheets around to make it seem like he had a bad night, or in some minds, a very good night. Then the column of smoke rose up around him and he returned to his preferred room. He settled into his soft red comforted bed and slept through the night, knowing that nothing bad could possibly happen here or to his niece, resting quietly in the next room, he'd seen her trudge up there, before he'd left. The night before she'd been gone and he hadn't known where, calling her had only given him half answers, but in the end, he really didn't care, as long as she was safe. It wasn't like she'd go anywhere tonight either, as she was still passed out from whatever exhortation she had gone through the day before. Her disguise hadn't hidden anything from him today, so he'd left her alone to her sleep.

He fell asleep, worrying only about the dark haired girl too far away from him, surrounded by trees and boys who wanted her and an old grandfather who could do nothing to fend them away. His prayer scroll still hung on the bow he'd attached it to, swaying gently in the breeze.


	21. XX

chapter XX

"Well you're grounded!"

The blue eyes that expanded at his words in disbelief weren't hers alone, his own grew to exponential size as he realized what he'd just said to the eighteen year old in front of him. In all the years she'd been living under his roof, he had never grounded her, not once, the words had never even crossed his mind, she'd been such a well behaved child, despite her curiosity, that he hadn't ever needed to punish her.

Her hand came up quickly to cover her mouth and she collapsed in a fit of laughter and he could only stare at her in dismay, she thought he was joking. He might have, had it been any other day, but he'd had knowledge that Nephrite was planning on attacking the mall she visited often and knew she was going to go to today as well. He would not have her involved in that attack, the negaverse had finally given up on the idea that she was part of any method to weaken the senshi and her reappearance would not be so easily to play down.

He didn't know or frankly care if she was close to them, she wouldn't be today. He'd lock her up in her room if he had the ability to do so. Thoughts started clicking into place as a plan formed, he couldn't keep her from transporting herself, but he could block where she was able to transport out of. A smile split his face and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her upstairs, once she noticed the direction they were heading, she started to fight back.

"Let go, Jade! I'm not a two year old you can lock up! I'm eighteen and I have the right to do as I please!"

"Whatever Serenity, it's for your own safety."

"I won't go to the mall!" She finally relented. "I don't know how you know it, but I will do as you suggest and stay away if it makes you happy."

"It will make me happy, and I am assuring it." He shoved her into her room and locked the door, quickly putting a block on all six surfaces and welding the window shut. "I'm sorry Serenity, it'll be all right, you'll see."

He had spoken over her pounding and then walked away, he wasn't going to miss ring side seats though, it was bound to be interesting, the youma was going to turn on Nephrite, and maybe in the process hurt him.

The show ended up being more than he bargained for, but entertaining none-the-less.

The mall was torn to shreds by the time Jadeite arrived on the scene, and the senshi were rather bloody as well. Jadeite's smile widened as he caught sight of Nephrite, he hadn't completely recovered from Moon's retaliation the other fight, and now he was even worse, with large gashes from the scorpion tail and the youma aiming to fire another attack at him. The senshi were confused as suddenly the youma stopped attacking them and turned on its master.

"Like a dog." The fire senshi summarized at the actions of the youma to her cofighter.

Jadeite appeared beside her and shook his head; Nephrite was too busy to notice him chatting with the senshi. "No, more like planned strategy from an underling rising up against its suppressor."

He disappeared before she could attack him, laughing as he did so, to reappear in prime sight of the youma attacking Nephrite again, this time in the thigh before he'd dissolved and left the youma to fend for itself while he retreated and tended to his wounds.

The youma turned back against the senshi, not realizing that it's betrayal of one general, while supporting another would leave it in the vulnerable position against five angry warriors. For it was five, and not six... Jadeite looked around for the reclusive Moon senshi, but she did not show. Perhaps her friendliness to the senshi only extended to the caped monkey and perhaps they had done something to upset her. It gave him something to think about when dealing with the solitary senshi. Perhaps he still had a way to draw her away from the rest of these pests. It would be a remarkable assent to obtain, in so many ways.

The senshi gathered round the youma and gathered their energy, waiting for what it would do next. It was a wild and untamed youma in their eyes, more dangerous than any other they might have faced for that reason alone. Hopefully they would give the youma a little leeway, he was after all a remarkably good ally of Jadeite's, but at the same time, he hoped that they destroyed him quickly so as not to be recalled and tortured to reveal who had turned it on Nephrite. It would not matter if it was actually Zoicite's doing, Malachite would find a way to turn it instead on him. Corrupting the poor boy's mind and all, and Beryl would no doubt believe her pet. She had already betrayed Jadeite already; she would not hesitate to find further fault in him so as to make him disposable. No one, not even Zoicite would stand up for him if that were to be the case.

So he stayed and watched and waited for the senshi to defeat the youma before he left the grounds and allowed Serenity out of her confines. She would be severely pissed off at him, but he did what was best for his daughter. He sighed as he watched these girls run around, avoiding the scorpion tail, they had grown up in front of his eyes, just had Serenity, it had been too long that he's fought against these children. They were bound to be the same age as Serenity, but he only felt this kinship with her, and in his eyes, she _was_ his daughter, blood did not matter. The only other person he felt some semblance of an emotion towards was Hino Rei and he didn't trust those feelings, they had come on too quickly and too forcefully to be trusted.

The scorpion stabbed it's tale into the man's shoulder and he cried out, however slight when it was ripped back again to jab at the red fuku'd girl, managing a swipe at her abdomen and it cut the white fabric and the skin beneath, but not much more damage beyond that.

Venus wrapped it up in her chain and it disintegrated. Jadeite disappeared pleased that Nephrite, a senshi and Kamen had been harmed and Serenity was safe. Pleased with himself he returned home and let himself in the front door, the house was quiet, but he hadn't expected Serenity to continue pounding when no one was listening. He removed the blocks and opened the door; Serenity was curled up in her bed with her back to him. Jadeite walked around, knowing she wouldn't turn to face him if he asked and knelt down by her bed. His beautiful daughter, he smiled as he pushed away her blond bangs, she even had characteristics that looked like his. That smile disappeared to be replaced by a frown when he saw that she had cried herself to sleep, whether it was in grief or frustration, he surmised it was a little of both.

He pushed himself to his feet and let her sleep, she'd no doubt reign fire down on him the next day once she'd fully regained her energy. He turned away when a beeping noise alerted him to the object in her hand. He had forgotten that she had the device; she could have called her friends to warn them or to make sure they were all right. Jadeite had the feeling she hadn't been able to get through, and if she had, she might not have been alone in this house. He would have to remember that for the future.

He pulled it out of her grasp now and flicked it open, the text message pulled up right away. "Are you all right?" Jadeite whispered out loud, confused by the text, but there was nothing else. He glanced at the caller id and figured it out instantly, it was from Darien, so he promptly deleted it, if he had the nerve to text her so late at night such a worthless question, he didn't deserve to be answered. Serenity hadn't had any plans with him, or at least that Jadeite was aware of. Jadeite set the phone down on the table next to her; she'd find it in the morning.

Then he went back to the base, in case anyone was looking for him or wanting to question him. He slid into his bed and fell asleep, only to be rudely awakened an hour later. Called to Beryl and he went without changing, or fixing his appearance.

The next morning Serenity greeted her father-uncle like she always did, with a quick goodbye and a run out the front door. He thought things might have been smoothed over already without any effort, but then he didn't see her the entire day and by midnight that night, he began to worry if she would ever return.

Serenity for her part was furious, a stone-cold furious that had boiled within her overnight and she couldn't trust herself around him until she could calm down and see the damage that had been done for herself.

"What a bloody good lot she's turned out to be. She's not the bloody princess; I can assure you of that!" Mina was ranting and pacing by the time Serenity reached them, and when Mina was pissed, she lost her control of her British accent. "The one time that we've seemed to have needed her the most, she suddenly pulls a vanishing act. I could understand it when she was just starting out, but she's been fighting alongside us for weeks! I swear, when I see her- Serenity!"

The other senshi and Mina were surprised at first and then their eyes narrowed to slits and Serenity never felt a headier glare in her life. She backed away a little from them with her hands raised. "You have some nerve!" Lita hissed and stalked towards Serenity and to think _she_ was the princess? Preposterous! Maybe Luna had been right all along and that Serenity was only playing them for the last few years.

"W-What?"

"Stop playing the goody-two-shoes act, we see right through you!" Lita continued. "Playing all sweet and coy, and helping us out and then when it matters, abandoning us!"

"What are you talking about Lita?" Honestly, she had no idea, it sounded like they were talking about Sailor Moon at first, not her, but did they fear she abandoned them too? Or were they taking it out on her because she'd come at the wrong moment?

"Keeping a secret so big from us? It's ridiculous that we've let you continue with it!" Mina took over and Rei hobbled to her feet and Serenity winced, wondering how loud the black haired girl would be.

"Enough!" Rei calmly ordered and the other two backed down. "She obviously doesn't know we know her little secret. She's just been playing both sides against one another. What are you playing at, anyways? If you are the princess, we would protect you, if you aren't, why do you even bother? Are you just trying to stir the pot more, or is there a reason you've been sitting on the fence?"

Serenity took a deep breath before tentatively asking her most pressing question. "And to what secret are you referring to? I though Molly was the princess."

Mina rolled her eyes. "Why should we believe anything you say anymore? You didn't even deem it worthy to let us in on the fact that _you're _Sailor Moon. You've been making all these accusations against her, for her, whatever and yet it was you all along, and you knew it too, and you just sat there and let everything happen!" Mina looked wild. "I mean if I knew it was you, I never would have attacked you with my chain, I have other ways of getting you to talk other than that!"

Serenity relaxed slightly, she didn't think they were really all _that_ pissed at her, though she did begin to wonder how they'd found out. "Mamo-chan-"

"Didn't breath a word, but he didn't have to, his actions spoke loud enough." Ami explained. "Even I could see it that time you over exerted yourself."

"So what exactly do you want out of me, now that you know that I am the girl whose costume echoes the Prince's?"

"The truth would be a nice start." Rei patted the ground next to her and Serenity reluctantly sank down, thinking at any moment they were bound to attack her, even if they were all best friends, this was difficult to take in. When Serenity didn't say anything, and looked more like she would flee at the first chance she got, Rei sighed. "Look, you are still my best friend, we're just upset that you've been lying to us this entire time. We have to know we can trust you, and to do that, we need to know what happened, why you didn't trust _us_."

Her excuse that she was scared wouldn't work this time around, they'd twist it that she didn't trust them not to be angry or harm her and that she had trusted Darien enough to let him know, despite the fact that she hadn't actually told Darien and if she had had it her way, he wouldn't have known, though it probably _was_ for the best that he did, as he saved her life and healed her hands every time since then. She hadn't lie to him though, she was glad that he knew now, it was one less lie she had to worry about and really, it was a lie she hadn't been prepared for or trained for like the one Jadeite had her keeping. Besides, before learning the truth about these girls, the only other person she'd known to be magical before this year was Jadeite. He pressed on her the importance that nobody else should know about her, that nobody else was like them and there would be consequences if anyone else found out.

So far she had listened and there hadn't been any. There was a close scare when she did something magical when she was eight and was around another little girl, but the parents didn't believe her. The human authorities would go nuts but Serenity knew Jadeite was more concerned of someone from the Negaverse getting a hold of her. He never told her anything about the Negaverse but she figured out that was the real reason he tried to keep her hidden and keep her from using her powers and alerting the enemy of the two of them. Really, she was more concerned about him than anything else, but he was working within them, trying to take them down, so they knew of his existence, but they didn't know of hers, and they could use her against him.

However she knew that Jadeite only wanted to protect her, it wasn't a matter of what she could do against him, but his actual wanting to protect her, last night was proof of it and as she looked into her friends' faces, she lost all of the anger she had been holding onto since he first told her she was grounded. He was only looking out for her, and she'd continue doing the same for him.

She sighed and looked down at the ground and entwined her fingers into the grass in front of her. "I started out scared, but it wasn't mostly your reaction, though that too was a part of it, especially when right away you were claiming she was the princess and a General at the same time. I am not either, but at the time more than that, I freaked because I didn't know what I was or how I managed to turn into what you guys were."

"So you don't know how it happened? No theories?" Mina pushed, having settled down herself. There had to be a logical explanation after all on why she didn't show up last night, she seemed surprised at their sudden attack against her and had willingly come up to them. Then again, she didn't know that they knew who she was.

"I admit I have always had the ability to transport myself and to do little tricks, but nothing like the stuff you've seen recently. I don't know where all of that came from, and it really scared me to know I have all this untapped energy and not to know my limits and the fact that I could take down a youma, I didn't even know that was possible." Her voice betrayed just how much it had scared her and the girls hesitated before they urged her to continue, they needed to know everything.

"What about later Serena, after you told Darien."

"I didn't tell Darien. He caught me mid-transformation. I didn't want him to tell you because I wanted to figure out a way to tell you myself." It wasn't a complete lie, she knew she had to tell them, especially now that Darien knew, and she wanted to be able to do it herself. "I guess that didn't work out so well for me, did it?" She attempted to laugh but they just stared at her, waiting for something. "What else do you want?"

"Where were you last night?" Lita jumped in instantly.

Serenity couldn't say that Jadeite had locked her into the house; it would cast all sorts of suspicion onto him, and her, but to a lesser extent. "Does it matter?" It was childish, and a little unlike to just spit out a defensive notion, she'd done so well in the past of maneuvering them away from the knowledge they seeked without letting them onto it.

Rei lifted an eyebrow at her blond friend. She was the one that had introduced Serenity to the rest of the girls, had pushed for Darien to meet her, and she'd never seen this kind of thing coming. Her initial and continual assessment of Serenity had meant that she was trustworthy; she was the most adamant one to fight for her. "Serena, _please_."

Serenity locked eyes with Rei and knew this girl had the most riding on this, even if she didn't know it yet. If Serenity took a wrong move now, then Jadeite would be lost to Rei as well. Serenity didn't want that for any one of them, and really it was all so silly, this argument, they could trust her and she trusted them. Serenity's eyes wavered and Rei's lips twitched into a smiled and Serenity was reassured that Rei at least would continue sticking with her.

"The truth is, I was held up." She really didn't want to explain how she was, and she was saved from further commentary as Darien jogged up to the group.

"Sorry I was late." He sat down behind Serenity and pulled her into his arms. Serenity frowned as she realized that he used his right arm more and kept her on that side even though he had both arms around her, he seemed to be protecting his left. "Had I known you would be here, I wouldn't have gone running around looking for you."

"I was always supposed to meet up with the girls this afternoon."

"I thought something happened to you." He insisted. "You never responded to my text last night. Or showed up to the mall like you were supposed to."

"Very good Darien." Lita commented dryly. "We were just about to get to the bottom of that before you came."

"Uh-" Darien was about to try and take some suspicion off of Serenity but she leaned her head back and rested on his shoulder, looking up at him.

"It's all right Dare, they found out." Serenity frowned. "Why does it really matter though? I don't always know about all of the fights, and can't come to all of them. Only when I've been with you, or Darien, or I happen to be in the place of the attack. I got held up at home, Jay grounded me for not doing the dishes or cleaning my room all week. So I wasn't able to come meet you guys, and then I wasn't aware of the attack. I am sorry. I will try not to miss any more."

The girls seemed to by it, and were calming down. "We need to give you a communicator so what happened last night doesn't happen again. We were furious with you for missing the only attack to seriously injure two members of our group." Mina suddenly looked startled as she realized what she'd just said and Serenity's eyes snapped to her and were burning for an answer. Mina winced as the other girls and Darien glared at her for making her concerned, even if they wanted her to understand the validity of their concerns on what would happen if she didn't show up again. They really had gotten too used to her being there to destroy the youma for them easily without anyone being harmed, for the most part.

Rei lifted her shirt just high enough for Serenity to see the healing gash across her abdomen. "Who else was injured?" Serenity leaned forward to look at the wound. "That looks brutal."

"It did hurt, quite a bit actually. Stupid Generals got a kick out of it too."

"Generals?" Serenity questioned, she knew both were out and about, but it didn't seem like they worked together very often, if at all. She wasn't an expert on Generals, but she kind of figured working together might have been a problem for them.

"It's the first I've ever seen it." Rei responded replacing her shirt. "Quite annoying too."

"Who?" Serenity insisted. Rei didn't have to answer, her look towards Darien confirmed everything and Serenity whirled around the best she could on her knees towards her boyfriend. "You?" She questioned with a tight throat. Her hands went for the bottom hem of his shirt but he stilled them.

He tugged the neckline down so she could see the wound healing as they spoke. She was going to attempt to heal him completely but he stopped her."If I am not mistaken, I recall someone once telling me that it is better to let the body heal itself."

"She can heal too?" Ami screeched and pulled out her compact but she paused and looked unsure towards Serenity, who caught the look and nodded reluctantly, it wasn't like she was going to find out anything she didn't already know. "Hmm." Ami snapped her compact shut and didn't say anything else.

Serenity ignored her blue haired friend and pressed her fingers against his chest, not to heal him, but to feel the damage. He saw the worry in her eyes and lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her fingertips and releasing his shirt. "I'm fine, really." He tugged her close. "I'm just being a baby again." That elicited a laugh from her and she settled against his propped up knee, looking out towards the girls as he wrapped an arm around her.

Though she did want to argue with him that when she hurt her arm that one time, Andrew had been there to see it happen, and if it quickly went away, then he'd have been suspicious and she was a little afraid he could sense things through that. However with Darien's wound, nobody outside the senshe knew about it so it really could have been healed and with him walking around injured, it might have been a give-away to the enemy. "So… anything else?" She wanted to know if they would continue peppering her with questions or if they could get down to what happened last night. Serenity felt irritation growing towards Jadeite again, her friends had been hurt and he'd kept her from helping them. Though he didn't know anything about that part of it, he only wanted to protect her.

Mina and Lita shared a look before they both shrugged and Rei spoke for the rest. "No, I think that covers it, we're sorry we jumped to conclusions. You are going to have to tell Luna though. We were going to wait for you tell us, but guess that cat's out of the bag."

Serenity's lips quirked up at the double entendre. "I'll be right on that." Rei shared her look and then they both started laughing. A couple of the others looked confused. "Now about this attack, as full senshi, I want all the details, you can't spare me anymore."

Darien cleared his throat. "While we're on that subject, let me clarify that she's _not_ a full senshi. She gets hurt just as if she's a human going into these fights. But at least she does heal and she's got a better defense than that, the ability to flee within a second of thinking it."

"Without." Serenity cut in seeming just slightly pleased with herself. "And I think I'm better off than just a typical human in these fights. I have an aggressive attack and I can do a few other things as well as the disappearing."

"Not without hurting yourself."Darien grabbed her wrist before she knew what he was doing and flipped it over for the girls to see the silky smooth skin beneath. "This is what her hands look like normally but I've seen them raw and pulsing red and I'm sure she's kept me from seeing the worst of it. You will have to watch her and tell me if she tries to hide it."

Serenity pouted, she was sure that he was enjoying this, now that he didn't hold her secret alone either, that he could sic his senshi onto her and make sure nothing got under their radar. He kept looking at her, as if wanting to ask a question, but not wanting to stir up any more issues. "I won't." She insisted, tugging her hand away only to return it to his but to interlace their fingers instead, they smiled at one another before the senshi broke into their private moment.

"That is very important information Serena." They just absolutely refused to call her Serenity, or at least most of the time, but she'd gotten used to it. "I'm glad Darien told us that." Mina looked closely at Serenity. "You do know that you can't hide from the fact that you're the princess, right?"

"I am not the princess!" Serenity didn't know why she was so adamant about that fact, if she was the princess and Darien was the prince it would make things so much easier, or at least rest her conscious about him running off with another girl because of 'duty' alone. It was just a feeling that whatever the princess did, it was bad and she did not want to be her and be the reason everyone was reborn on this Earth in this time. The hand that was connected with Darien's was squeezed reassuringly and she took comfort from that. "The princess is supposed to be demure, beautiful and smart." She got dubious looks cast at her, for she was all of those things, even if she didn't see it herself.

"Look, how about we just wait for her to show herself?" Darien suggested. "If Serenity is the princess, it will be shown eventually, and if someone else is, then we know that Serenity is just the Moon senshi, top guard of the princess."

"In the meantime we've decided Minako, senshi of Venus should pretend to be the newly discovered princess, to keep suspicion off of you."

"Nobody suspects anything." Serenity argued, not thinking the idea of bringing up the princess a good one. "Right now they just think we're all senshi, let's let them keep thinking that way. They don't need to be reminded of a princess."

"I suppose, but I don't think they've forgotten Serenity." Lita looked at her blond friend concerned. "If they make any reference, then we are going to put that plan into action."

"Fine." Serenity was short; the princess could stay hidden forever for all she cared. "Now tell me what happened last night."

"Nephrite attacked us."

"How have you learned his name but not the other?" Serenity couldn't understand that, the first general had been attacking them for eight or so years.

"Nephrite likes to boast." Darien explained. "The other one guards his secrets closer to the vest."

"Yeah so Nephrite attacked us with this scorpion youma but the most curious thing happened, it turned on him." Mina picked up the story. "We were having trouble before that, and then it just turned on its master."

"The other one then appeared and he taunted me but then he left, nothing else was said or done towards us." Rei cut in. "Then when Nephrite left, the youma returned to attacking us, it managed to swipe me and caught his shoulder before we managed to destroy it. One of the few youma we've managed to destroy without _your_ help."

"You are telling me that I make that big of a difference?" She seemed a little unsure, they were giving her too much credit, they'd handled these things for years, she's only joined them over the last six months. They did most of the work whenever she came in too.

"You make a tremendous difference. You just come in, blast the youma and its gone. We have to struggle just to make a dent, and if we do destroy it, it's a miracle. We've never had such a consistent record until you came into the fights."

"Hell, you took care of the youma on your own before they learned to recognize you and your habit of appearing suddenly and disappearing just as quickly. Even then, the youma don't realize it, just the generals and you've managed to hurt _them_."

Serenity looked up into Darien's pleased face. "What are you grinning at?"

"That the woman I love is so freaking cool!"

Serenity shook her head. "I'm sure you could do the same, all of you. I'm not that unique." Serenity winced as she thought of something. "They didn't steal your energy, did they?"

"No, it was just an attack youma. However now that you're on that topic, you have to watch your back, we can't let yours get stolen. Whenever they steal one of ours, the youma seem to get stronger." Rei looked at Serenity speculatively. "I don't want to find out what would happen if they got yours."

"That first general, I was at the park when Green Day was here, and after everyone left, I was about to leave when he appeared and picked something up. I don't know what it was, but have you ever seen anything left at the battle?"

The others shared a look before shaking their heads. "Not that we can recall. You didn't get a clear look or wager a guess?"

Serenity shook her head. "No, but I haven't seen it at any of the battles either, or at least stuck around long enough to see the dust settle or come back in time to catch him do it again."

"We'll set up a trap." Rei's eyes gleamed. "Finally we can be rid of this annoying general!"

It was more than the fact that the general had been around forever; he bothered Rei specifically for some reason. Something that Rei was probably even denying in herself. Serenity was a little confused, what could cause Rei to hate him more than the other general? The other senshi didn't seem to have quite the same ill-feelings towards the blond, in fact from the conversations they'd had in the past, it seemed as if they detested Nephrite more. Which she could understand. Nephrite had tried to hurt her and Mask more often and sometimes succeeded. The other one was content to just sit back and watch, if he showed up at all. She'd have to question Rei about in private.

"They have this flirtation going on." Mina explained, teasing her second in charge when seeing Serenity's slight confusion. "He tries to irritate her, and she tries to kill him. I think he's actually a little afraid of her, or at least her powers."

"The little twerp is not frightened of me, that's why he's always taunting me." Rei scowled. "He did it again last night when I said it was like a dog turning on its master, he had to correct me."

They worked out a plan for trapping the general next time he was the lead on an attack. Maybe they could even use it on Nephrite, but Serenity wasn't sure that they were even after the same thing. Then Darien stood up and pulled Serenity to her feet and they couple said their goodbyes. Lita too stood, she said something about meeting up with Andrew and then the three took off in different directions.

Darien pulled Serenity to a halt when they walked down to the lake side. "I have a surprise for you. I think you deserve a treat after telling the girls-" Serenity was about to interrupt him with her denial that she didn't actually do anything but he continued. "Even if you didn't bring it to their attention, you didn't deny it or attempt to flee. They're pretty intimidating, so what you did was commendable." He rented a row boat and helped her into it before rowing them out to the middle of the lake and she had a feeling that he was doing this so she wouldn't flee now, even though he knew it was completely possible. She also enjoyed the peacefulness of being in the middle of the lake, animals appeared and disappeared around them. She turned her eyes to him expectantly and he didn't disappoint, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers and dragged her to his side.

"Thank you Darien, for taking me here." She rested her head on his shoulder as they lay in the large opening and watched the world come alive around them, it wasn't seen as much when there was heavy traffic.

"I was worried about you. First you didn't show up to the mall, then you never appeared for the fight, and then you never returned my text. You could have saved me a lot of grief if you'd just responded last night or this morning."

Serenity fumbled for her phone, she was wondering why he didn't call her in or to see if she was all right or confirm that he was all right, when he probably wouldn't have had time during the fight or wanted her in danger. She flipped it open and scrolled through her texts but couldn't find it. "Are you sure it got through? I never got one." Unless her uncle had checked on her once she'd fitfully fallen asleep and had gone through her inbox and deleted it, for whatever reason he would have. She thought Jadeite liked Darien well enough. With a sinking suspicion she grabbed Darien's phone when he looked himself, to make sure it didn't somehow get moved to drafts. "What did you write?" She quickly looked in his outgoing and breathed a sigh of relief when it was very well crafted to be just a general inquiry.

Darien was amused as he snatched the phone back. "If you would have allowed me to speak, then I would have told you that." He chuckled as he slid it closed. "So your uncle deleted my message? How peculiar."

Serenity rolled her eyes and snuggled up against his chest, this would be over soon, the weather would be too cold to be laying out side for long and the water would probably freeze over somewhat and the grass would be covered with frost in the mornings. It was nearing that point even as she breathed deeply, the cold registered in her lungs, but not her body as she was cuddled into the very warm chest of her very understanding boyfriend. "Jay doesn't like anyone. He's still getting used to you."

"He's been getting used to me for almost a year." Darien pointed out, but he sounded sleepy and she glanced surreptitiously up at him through her lashes and his eyes were closed and he was soaking in the last of the warm weather as well. It was a treat, the last few days had been too cold to do so and it was probably the last day that they'd be able to enjoy it.

"Whatever, who cares what Jadeite thinks." Serenity had a lot to be annoyed at her uncle about, and even though she'd forgiven him for everything he really meddled in her life last night and she had the right to punish him for it, even if it really wasn't punishment he would see or hear.

Darien began chuckling again. "I have never known him to ground you, you must be annoyed at the ludicracy of it all."

"He had good reason, I guess." Serenity mumbled, the warm weather making her sleepy as well. Together the two fell into a light doze rocking back and forth in the middle of the lake.

That night Jadeite sat in the couch all night long, but even when dawn broke over the next day there was no sign of Serenity and he began to wonder if she would ever return or if she was furious enough to leave for good without telling him. Though she knew he knew all of her friends and where she would most likely run to. Jadeite without much sleep made choices not completely thought out, but still somewhat wise. He transported himself to the grounds of the temple where the cherry blossom trees were baren.

He was dressed casually, in jeans and a polo sweater. Most people didn't see him like this, and he knew Rei would be awake early. He rapped on her door and she opened the door, her hair bemused and looking a little annoyed, it quickly disappeared though into a sight of pure pleasure at seeing Jadeite. She pushed back her hair in a semblance of an order and smiled at him. "What can I do you for, Jay?" She batted her eyelashes, though she knew they were only to be friends, she couldn't help but flirt.

"Have you seen Serenity?" He asked, caught by her wiles, but knowing that he couldn't let this happen.

"Not since yesterday. Why? Did something happen to her?"

"I don't think so, I was just concerned. Do you know if anyone has seen her?"

"Well she left with Darien yesterday, but that doesn't mean she didn't meet up with anyone else, like Molly or one of the other girls later. Have you tried calling her?"

"Yes, but she didn't answer her phone, I left a message. But really, I didn't expect her to answer, it was nine this morning."

Rei laughed. "Why don't you go home and have lunch, she'll be back soon."

Sure enough, after Jadeite thanked Rei for her help and went back to the house. He 'cooked' dinner by imagining what he wanted and let it simmer on the stove to be heated and created. By the time it finished, Serenity was flouncing through the front door. She skidded to a stop and back-tracked and looked in the kitchen. "COOKING?" She seemed almost offended that he would do such a thing.

"Where have you been?" Jadeite turned towards her and accused back at her.

"Oh… I forgot to turn my phone back from silent. I missed your call; I fell asleep at one of the girls' place."

"Whose?"

"Rei's." She responded and Jadeite lifted a brow. "Really!"

"Oh?" Jadeite flicked his fingers at the stove so the ingredients would go together correctly. "I just saw her and she said she hadn't seen you since yesterday afternoon."

Serenity frowned, unhappy that she'd been caught. "Fine! I was with Darien last night, but I slept on the couch. We got caught up and lost track of time, he insisted I came back to his place instead of heading here, and it would have been strange if I just disappeared from his apartment."

"So you decided not to call me and leave for an entire day without letting me know this was the plan?"

"Jade, I'm nineteen years old, I can make my own decisions, and I am allowed to stay out all night."

"Not under my roof!" They looked at each other for a long moment as each digested what he'd just shouted and they both broke into laughter. "Sorry, I am sounding like a father now, aren't I?" It was something he didn't do often, nor was it normally necessary. Serenity nodded her head towards the food cooling behind him. "Oh, yeah, I wasn't actually cooking it, just reheating the ingredients and putting them together, all without actually touching anything. So I wasn't really cooking, was I?"

Serenity's lips pressed and took a spoon out of the drawer and wrapped a few pieces around it. Then she took a hesitant bite. "Not too shabby." She declared after a moment of cringing and realizing in fact it wasn't about to kill her. "It's one of those throw and goes, hmm?"

"At least it's not like _I_ burn the microwavable dishes."

"Ha ha, I don't burn the reheated food." She waved her hand and dishes came out of the cupboards and the food transferred into decent portions into each and settled before Jadeite at the table and the missing spot. "Don't delete my texts anymore."

"Don't ignore my words of guidance or leave me wondering if you're all right all night long."

"Figures that's what Darien felt the other night when I didn't know he called to see if I was all right."

"Fine, I won't delete your texts, but you need to listen to me when I say you should stay put."

"I will try."

"It's settled then."

"Good."

"Good."


	22. XXI

XXI

AN: I hope to be moving this story along fairly quickly now. I hope I remember to put in here everything I had meant to do when I first set out on this journey 5 years ago, but as time goes on, memory fades, especially not noted down. However I do believe I've kept a similar tone and idea in my head the whole time. We'll see what happens when this ends. I may have a surprise for you, or I may not….

XXI

Serenity hung up on Jadeite. She promised him that _she_ wouldn't go anywhere near the battle, that she and Darien had planned to stay in and have a night watching movies and eating dinner and they hadn't planned to leave the apartment all night. That had irritated Jadeite, but he trusted her to do what she wanted to do and not be pressured into anything more, and it had relieved him that she would be hiding away in an apartment with someone who could probably try to protect her, and _might_ succeed until she could get away freely. She didn't bother reminding him that she would be taking Darien with her if it ever came down to that.

Serenity came back into the room, her lie had been completely true, in all the ways necessary and she sank into the couch at Darien's side and he pulled her close as the movie started in the room lit only by the glow of the television. She reached for the popcorn and munched on it as the opening credits rolled.

It wasn't like she could very well inform him that an attack was about to happen. First he'd be suspicious of her source, and how she knew what she did, _before_ it happened. Secondly, he'd be super suspicious if she'd told him _Jay_ told her about it. About a half hour into their movie, Darien's communicator beeped, gaining both of their attention. He flipped it open. "Attack." Mars breathed, looking over her shoulder. She was in someplace dark and they could both tell that she was squatting and trying to remain as hidden as possible, or at least until backup arrived. "Corner of 8th and Spring Street."

"We're on our way."

Darien quickly turned into Mask and turned to look at Serenity but she just instantly transformed into Moon as he watched, a little disappointed. "What?" She asked with wide-eyes, not understanding the look that crossed his features.

His lips quirked up but he wouldn't dare to tell her. "It's nothing. Now come on, take me away with you." It wasn't off to some romantic getaway, but to a fight, but the joke was there and she understood it.

"Your savior is here to cart you away." She threw her arms around his neck and together they disappeared and reappeared onto the street.

Jadeite watched the couple appear intimately onto the scene and he was without a doubt that they were together and then Moon pushed one of the girls out of the way of a major attack and when the youma was finished, the girls stood together, laughing at a joke they shared. A scowl crossed Jadeite's features. Moon was tied to these other senshi and she alone was a force to be reckoned with, added to the bumbling efforts of the others, his youma were going to be in trouble unless he took a more forceful role in these events. If the youma died, then he might not be able to help Serenity if things turned to worse. He would not allow this new senshi to change the way things were in his life, they were going smoothly until she came along and Beryl got her allotted amount of energy without pushing too much to go onto Earth or even caring what was happening there and what her generals were up to if they weren't right in front of her.

Jadeite sat there and watched as the six disappeared down the street, Moon taking off by foot rather than transporting herself, so she could remain with the others. He pondered his plan of action for the next battle, as long as Nephrite remained injured and Beryl didn't pull Jadeite back or throw Nephrite into the healing chamber. A long shudder ran through Jadeite at the thought, he did his best to remain away from that awful contraption, and he would continue to remain uninjured enough that Beryl didn't make the suggestion. She liked her generals in pain, but not incapacitated.

Jadeite returned to the base, well pleased that Serenity was still at her boyfriend's house and he headed to his room. Nephrite was waiting for him outside of it and Jadeite lifted a brow. "There's a rumor going around the base that you have a love interest on Earth." Nephrite didn't even pretend that he might be there for another reason entirely.

Jadeite spoke slowly, as if he was talking to a child. "I guess it's a good thing that we don't listen to rumors. But as we have broached this topic, aren't I well known to have affairs? They never meant anything in the past. Why would any on Earth, if there were any, be of any concern?"

"It's not the affairs that matter." Nephrite's injures were healing faster than Jadeite had hoped, already the gash on his neck was starting to crust over. "It's who they are with. A long haired blond, perhaps?"

"Blonds have never been my type." Jadeite dismissed Nephrite with a wave of his hand as he entered his bedroom and Nephrite followed after. "Neither have redheads, if that is what you're going to next, they're too… ugly for my tastes."

Nephrite put a hand over his chest as if he were dying. "Oh you wound me, but I know you say that just to say that I would never be with you, but that was a given anyways." Nephrite's lips cracked into a grin and cracked was a light term for what happened with that skin. "Preferences change though, with the right leverage." His tone was suggestive and Jadeite's mind placed both the Moon senshi and Serenity in front of him, trying to see the attractiveness that Nephrite was hinting at and Rei just pushed both images out. Rei was his love interest if he allowed it, which he wouldn't and Moon would never hold a candle to her, and to think of Serenity in that light almost made him sick.

"If you're trying to come onto me, this one preference will never change. I'm sorry, I'm sure other people find you very attractive but I just can't see myself swinging that way in any future." Jadeite smirked as Nephrite spluttered, obviously not seeing the conversation going down that path and Jadeite turned from him, thinking Malachite had a very large mouth. Jadeite would have to find a way to get back at him, maybe start a rumor to get to Zoicite that Malachite was having an affair with a youma, or even Beryl herself. The latter was fairly believable as Malachite was Beryl's favorite, and how had he gotten there?

"Just be warned brother, if you are seeing this Moon senshi in secret, I will find out and I will not hesitate to use that proof." Nephrite disappeared in his own unremarkable way, always with a calling card, Jadeite and Serenity just disappeared without any indicators of arrival or disappearance. Something they seemed to share with this remarkable new senshi. Where did she come from in the first place? She couldn't be the mysterious Sailor V from England, could she? She didn't speak with a British accent.

At any rate she'd created the bed, now she was going to die in it. He'd see to it, he'd never outright attacked a Senshi, at least not really. The only senshi he wished to see gone was Mars, but he'd make an exception for the Moon one, Mars only irritated him with her words and the fact that he hated fire, Moon would only make his life unbearable. He never thought he would actually have to kill a senshi, but for his life and that of his niece, he would do it without a second thought afterwards. He would come home and sleep soundly, maybe even invite over a girl who was now legally of age for the last year or so, even if in his mind the age gap was terribly large.

Serenity giggled as the girls all poured into Darien's living room, the TV was still playing, even though the movie had been paused. Darien wasn't too pleased to have their date interrupted but Serenity only wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his chest as the girls recapped the fight for Luna's benefit as the rest were there. It felt nice to be part of this from start to finish. Then Serenity realized something. "Do I get one of those dohickies, to contact you if there is ever a fight that I come to before you?"

"I don't know why you'd need it. The youma would be dust by the time you even put the call in." Rei shook her head in amusement. "Why are the rest of us even bothering? You can just take out the whole fleet for us in a heartbeat, we should just have you go to their camp and demolish it instead of bothering with each attack individually."

"Now Rei…" Darien warned. "Serenity uses a lot of energy when she does that. She collapsed one time in my arms from using too much. Let them see your hands." Serenity reluctantly flipped her hands over, and they were worse than any time Darien had seen them yet. She winced, she really hadn't used much energy in that attack, the girls had distracted and weakened it enough that she only needed to give a little push to complete the job. Darien's eyes widened along with the girls at the sight.

Darien ran a finger across her palm and it cleared a path through the black to the tender pale flesh beneath. "It's really not that bad." Though her voice sounded a little high to her own ears, as if she was keeping back the pain. Even though it felt amazing when he did that; her hands felt all tingly and nice.

"This is nothing?" The hand that wasn't being administered to was healing as they watched, though its process was at a snail's pace in comparison. Mina took a hold of the wrist and waved it around. "Why have you continued using so much energy? Surely there is a way to reduce the amount flowing through you to avoid this. You shouldn't use so much of it on parlor tricks!"

"The tricks I do every day like this-" She waved the hand Darien had fully healed (and was currently trying to pry the other one from Mina's grip); and the room reorganized itself to a neat arrangement. "Don't waste any energy or hurt me at all. It's the raw energy to attack a youma, to turn it to dust that does this." She glanced at the black palm. "I can heal people without really even noticing it in my energy banks, and it never does anything to me."

"Communicator it is." Ami entered some data into her compact and out popped a small pink device and handed it over to Serenity. "Call us the second you spot any youma. You never know you might be injured in a fight and need help too." Darien frowned at the thought, but he'd seen it happen while he was present. He would hate to know what happened if he wasn't around to quickly heal her injuries.

"Thanks Ami." Serenity pocketed the device, though her hand went into her jeans pocket, it slipped into the subspace one she wasn't aware she'd had in common with the others in the room. Jadeite never mentioned anything of it. Serenity's eyes suddenly widened. "We never set the trap for the blond general tonight!"

"We can't be sure he was the general that ordered the youma and even if he was, he never showed, meaning he probably didn't care about what happened to it or afterwards."

Serenity shook her head. "He never showed the time that I saw him stay either. He has a knack for staying out of sight. We won't know if its him or Nephrite unless we stay next time. Though I disagree with an earlier statement, it probably was him, Nephrite is arrogant enough to show his face just long enough to prove he was the one behind it. He always wants the credit."

The girls couldn't argue that point, it was very reasonable and as they thought about they began to realize just how correct she was in that analysis. "Furthermore, do we think he was behind the attack on Nephrite?" Darien questioned.

"I don't know, he was gloating, but it isn't really _his_ style, I don't know whose it is yet, but he's secretive, he doesn't even want us to know what his name is." Serenity mused. "Learn his name, and we might learn more about him."

"We've been trying since we were young." Rei admitted. "We would have liked to put a name with a face too."

"Yes, but you had tried, I haven't yet."

"What can you do that we can't?" Ami asked almost quietly and Serenity winked at her. "What trick do you have up your sleeve?"

"A girl cannot say." Serenity wouldn't tell them, nor could she, but she had a feeling that it was either Zoicite or Malachite, she had never seen this general in person, only from a very far distance, and they could have always cut their hair from the image Serenity had seen of them. Besides, Jadeite had ingrained their images and names into her head, and any names they might use on Earth. Serenity was well aware of the dangers these men could pose and what they were like. She would be able to peg him down the second she got close to him. However she couldn't let the girls or Darien in on the plan, they still thought she was the fabled Moon Princess though they no longer mentioned it to her face, she could see it in their eyes, the deference. She was not the cause of the destruction of the Moon planet, and she was not the reason that the Prince died, the reason Darien died, nor did she destroy the planet herself during the attack of jealousy by the NegaKingdom queen. She didn't want that responsibility resting on her shoulders.

She would just have to put her own plan into action at the next fight. Serenity changed the subject before anyone could continue pressing. Then she had to kick them all out, she had work the next day and Darien had lots of school work, as they should too, as they were all freshmen now. Rei and Darien stood talking outside on the balcony as Serenity got dressed and slid into bed, they were still talking as she fell asleep and she didn't know how much longer it was before Darien slid in on the other side and pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head and falling into a slumber himself.

The next day promised many surprises for Serenity as she steamed out wrinkles in a dress, it was very delicate material and she almost ruined it when her phone buzzed at her hip and scared her. Thankfully she did not need to use her powers to fix the garment at all. She put down the steamer and turned it off to take the phone call.

"Molly!" Serenity greeted happily. She hadn't seen much of the girl since her mother's attack in her store, but they still talked during class. They chatted a bit before Molly got to the meat of things.

"I met the most perfect guy ever!" Molly gushed about his looks and voice and how kind he was and then she talked about his sweet red Ferrari. Serenity listened with fascination, happy that her friend found someone. "His name is Nathanial Pharite."

Then a sinking feeling settled into the pit of Serenity's stomach as she realized exactly who this person was and how closely connected he'd gotten not only to her friend but as a result into Serenity's world as well, though how he could possibly know of such a connection was beyond her. "I really want to meet him sometime. Maybe we could make it a double date." No way would Serenity walk into any room with Nephrite possibly knowing who she was, alone, and even if he didn't, he would surely recognize her from the attacks he'd sent her way many months ago.

"I would really love that. I thought about just introducing the two of you but this might be so much better! I hadn't really gotten to know Darien myself all that well." Maybe bringing Darien into this wasn't the best idea, but at least he'd have her back if something went down. The last thing she wanted to do was take on a general all by herself. Especially one who had it out for her Moon personality.

She knew it was Nephrite, even without out the proper coaching it was plain as day for her. Serenity debated whether or not she should warn Darien, and decided she would drop the name as the mysterious guy that Molly was dating and see if he caught on first before she told Darien the truth. He needed to know before they went, so as not to take him unawares. She only wanted to see if he was not blind to the name changes and if she had to be the one to catch it every time.

Serenity and Molly talked for awhile longer, not just on boys but also on classes and how her mother took it when Molly finally told her that when school was over, and she got hired somewhere where her major was prominent, then she would quit her mother's shop here in Washington after hiring someone to replace her. Serenity talked of how her major was going and while it was interesting and she was doing well, she was being pulled in different directions as well. They went to a movie to finish off their day together.

Serenity did not go home instead she went to the place that was starting to feel more and more like her home. She let herself in, having been given a key practically on the day she graduated from High School, before he even asked her to move in with him. Serenity called out as soon as she opened the door and took of her shoes, she got no response, so she figured he was either at work or school, and glancing at the time, she confirmed the latter. Settling down into the couch, she turned on the radio and tapped her feet against the air with the beat.

For a while it abated her and when a particularly upbeat song came on, she couldn't help it, she danced along with the melody and sang the lyrics. She danced her way into the kitchen and poured herself a large glass of water and brought it back out to the living room and set it onto the coffee table and made sure it would not stain the wood and continued dancing.

That was how Darien found her, a nymph floating around in his living room, completely free of any inhibition. He couldn't bear to interrupt her, so he leaned against the wall and watched her dance. She twirled and bowed and bent and spun.

It was in a backwards dip that she caught sight of him and she lost her footing and she ended up on her back. Darien looked down at her; concerned at first then he broke out laughing as he helped her up. She scowled at him. "Oh come on, it was kind of funny!"

"I only fell because you surprised me. It was very rude of you not to announce your presence." Serenity muttered but he was still laughing at her and she rubbed her back, wondering if she pulled anything in the fall. Darien bent and kissed her cheek before disappearing into the kitchen. He returned not much later with another glass of water and a bowl of grapes. He joined her on the couch and together they listened to the music and if so moved sang and danced together.


	23. XXII

Chapter XXII

"Serenity fell, again?" Rei laughed, not believing it, but finding entertainment in it anyways. The other girls laughed as well and Serenity glared at Darien and his big mouth, but he knew she wasn't too angry, there was a smile layering the look she was trying to pull off.

"If you keep this up, you could be known as the klutz of our group." Lita slapped a hand onto Serenity's back and she was thrown into a flash, or a series of them.

Each of the flashes she was either falling down, having fallen or was being helped up, and in each, someone was commenting on her clumsiness or klutziness. Even a few of them had her in that weird Sailor Moon outfit. Darien wasn't free of his criticism towards her either, his and Rei's were often vicious while the others were just merely commenting on it. Why was her own body's reactions so different? Was it bred into her in that life, bred out of her in this life or was that intentional? Serenity didn't know for sure and when she pulled out of it, the girls and Darien were all staring at her. "What?"

"Are you feeling all right?" Ami knelt before Serenity, looking deeply concerned, her bottom lip under her top teeth and her eyes examined Serenity's looking for something that Serenity was unaware of.

"Yeah, why?" Serenity placed her hand on Ami's shoulder, knowing that Ami was worried.

"You seemed to have left us for awhile." Lita hadn't moved and she looked down at Serenity. "What just happened Serena?"

Serenity shrugged. "Nothing, I must have been zoning." She had only ever told Jadeite about it and he didn't think she was crazy, and they probably wouldn't either, but she did fear that they would wonder why she had them and watch her a lot closer, and they really didn't happen all that often or interfere with her life. Hell, _she _thought she was crazy, and she really didn't need something more setting her apart from them, her strange powers and ability to transform without a pen like the others was enough. Darien joined Ami in front of her and took her face in his hands and he looked as well. "I'm ok, really."

He frowned as he looked. "What they're not telling you is that your eyes not only went vacant but they went lighter, almost a silvery blue. We were asking you a question and you didn't respond. Now why don't you really tell us what happened to you, or we'll worry that it was a brain aneurism or something."

Serenity had a choked laugh. "Its nothing serious like that, I'm sorry for worrying you. I was just unsure how you would take this strange ability, well not really ability, more like weird happening." Serenity frowned, thinking about it. "I get, what I call, flashes, and I see me, at different ages up to this point and it's different, its not memories, its almost a what-if."

"A what-if?" Mina questioned. "What does that mean? Why would you be having these _flashes_?"

Serenity shrugged. "I don't know, but you all were always the same, well, except maybe Darien a little bit, but that's more just his personality, mine seems to be my body and my family life or something. Everything is different for me, even what I look like when I'm Sailor Moon."

"What do you look like?" Mina asked at the same time that Rei asked about her family situation and Lita asked why they were the same. They all stared at Mina like her comment was the most superficial. "What, she brought it up?"

"I think all of you and your relationship with each other was always the way it is anyways, and I never have flashes of you guys, except for you insulting me and me realizing that I'm so much happier in this life than I would have been in that one if this was the way our relationships would have been like. Though I do think I miss the idea of a brother, but from what I know of him, I think it would have been a love-hate relationship." Serenity laughed. "I might have had two parents then, but then they wouldn't have been mine anyways. Or at least not blood relation."

Lita was looking at her a little sad, and Darien had looked away and Serenity took a hand from both of them and squeezed. Rei held a strong outward appearance, her father was still alive, so her opinion of family was a little different, felt that sometimes family was overrated and friends were what really mattered. Mina might even agree with Rei if she had to be pressed to an answer on that question.

Serenity and Darien could not answer that question, as they didn't know their real parents, where Lita would argue until her dying day just the opposite of what Rei thought, that family too could be friends and friends could be family, though a lot less permanent than their blood relatives. Serenity couldn't say what blood relatives were like, but she wouldn't give up her uncle for any fairytale make-believe of a full family.

"But why are _you _having them, and not the rest of us?"

Serenity laughed, she didn't know. "Perhaps it is because my life has greatly changed from its original path and yours has not, or maybe its because of my powers and the fact that it's _my_ life? Who knows."

"What does your costume look like in these visions?"

"I don't control them, they just come to me as if a moment that happens is similar to one that I might have had in that time. Sometimes there are occasions where I believe there should be an equal vision but there is none." She glanced surreptitiously towards Darien but nobody interrupted her. "My uniform had a white base like yours and blue skirt and top with red bows and boots. It's like this one but different colors slightly, the black is blue but in different spots." She tried to concentrate on what other details she could manage to remember and there was gold. "I had a broach, circular and golden with five jewels on it. Have any of you seen something like that?"

Even Luna shook her head that she didn't know anything about it either. There were always four senshi, and never any more, she and Artemis only had pens enough for them. This broach she had in her vision might have been something she'd gained from another place, allowing her to be like the other senshi but still set apart.

"Do you all think I'm crazy now?" Serenity asked with a hint of concern that they'd send her off to the loony bin though it wouldn't be able to keep her.

Rei laughed. "No, visions are not something unique only to you. I have visions of impending dangers."

"I see love lines, most of the time they're faint, you and Darien have the strongest one I have ever seen." Mina continued. "We all have special talents like that, but nothing as noticeable as all of yours."

"Is it really that obvious? I've had a few, but nobody has said anything." Serenity looked at Rei and Mina, wondering if she'd seen them zone out before and realized she hadn't really. They shook their heads.

"No, no. This is the only time we've noticed and that was only because you hadn't responded to us. We zone out noticeably though. Rei's usually by the great fire and I am usually ok only when I'm hit by a strong one like yours and Darien's and also to a lesser extent Lita's with Andrew." Mina explained.

"I see the weather brewing when there are storms." Lita told her part and Ami explained that she sometimes saw numbers and patterns floating before her like puzzles or mazes and they'd straighten out or rotate to become a clearer picture. For example, how to build something and its blueprints or how to get somewhere the fastest.

Darien laughed. "Was that you as a little girl who had given me a rose? I saw that one, I also see other things like how the earth is feeling." Darien ran his fingers through her hair, his fingertips brushing the shell of her ear and his thumb stroked the cup. She leaned into his hand, feeling comforted that they weren't going to throw her to the wolves.

"You did see that one then? Maybe it's because we both needed to see it." Serenity was looking at Darien with flames brewing in her eyes, but it was the kind of fire that Darien liked to see.

"Perhaps. Whatever the reason, I'm glad I did, it gave me a sense of peace I didn't know I was missing. That even at that age, someone cared for me."

"I'm sorry I couldn't give it to you." She whispered.

"Don't be, you've given enough of yourself to me already. Besides, had that been my life, as you say, I wouldn't have been who you see here, now, with you. I wouldn't have been friends with the girls and been a solid support system." His fingers trailed down her neck and she shivered involuntary at the contact.

"Er..." Lita said, blushing slightly at the interactions between the two of them.

"Perhaps you should get a room." Mina quipped and Serenity's eyes slid to her for a moment.

"Perhaps we should." Then she and Darien disappeared.

"I didn't mean right now!" Mina called out to the empty space, but it was no use, she had given them an idea they fully intended to use.

"You idiot." Luna pressed a paw onto Mina's knee, if she could slap her across the back of the head, she would. "They shouldn't-"

"Yeah yeah yeah." Rei said dryly, picking up the cat and stroking her black back. "If they wanted to, they would and we could do nothing about it. Besides, aren't they technically married in the past? If they're the royal duo, that is."

"It wasn't even-"

"How do we know that for sure?"

Artemis interrupted. "We don't even know if they did manage to get married. Memory's kind of fuzzy." The girls looked at each other concerned for a moment before shrugging, it still stood that if they really wanted to, they would.

Serenity and Darien landed in his bed, the sheets flying up around them as they made impact and the bed groaned at the abuse, though it was soft enough and padded enough that they hardly noticed. "You'll be buying me a new one if you do that too often." Darien teased, pulling her into his arms and letting his lips slide down where his fingers left off.

"I think I can handle that." Serenity flipped them over and leaned down, her lips touching the edge of his jaw, with a faint kiss before she pulled off of him and off the bed. "We've got dinner with Molly and Nathaniel Pharite in an hour."

"Ice Queen." Darien sallied, tugging her back into bed with him. "We've got an hour. It takes you more time to get ready than me, but you've also got the best time reducer in the planet." His hands slid down her arms, brushing the sensitive flesh on the underside and she giggled lightly at the contact, but his lips pressing into hers stopped that and soon she was totally dedicated to that kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

An hour later, Serenity was tugging on her shoe, as they walked from around the corner of the building they were supposed to meet Molly and her date. Darien hadn't noticed the name, and she hadn't had the time to explain her worries about it. She had been too busy with first him and then struggling to get ready without using her powers. She had every intention of not using them at all, and would have pushed Darien to drive, had they not been so late. She didn't want anything to set Nathaniel off if she was right and he didn't know who she was.

"We're late." She grouched as he fixed his tie, they were in no shape to meet up with Molly, who was looking no doubt, as impressive as always, even for a girl whose dream it was to go play in the sand and dirt.

"You look gorgeous, I was hoping to make you look less so, but the tousled hair only adds to your wanton sexy look." Darien bemoaned as he finished straightening his appearance and working on Serenity slightly, but she was just over-exaggerating her dishevelment, she looked perfectly fine.

Serenity paused mid-step and almost faltered into the trash can on the sidewalk as she looked at Darien, caught between wanting to laugh, to yell at him and throwing herself at him in a wanton fashion. Instead she smiled at him and slipped her hand into his and stopped working on straightening her appearance and they walked the rest of the way to the entrance. Molly and Nathaniel were already inside at the bar, waiting for their reservations to be announced.

Molly detached herself from Nathaniel and came over to greet Serenity in a hug. She turned to Darien and greeted him cordially and then brought them over to Nathaniel and introduced all of them. Nathaniel's shook Darien's hand without a flicker of recognition between the two of them, though Serenity was sure that Darien's mood tensed for a second, but nothing outwardly. Then Nathaniel turned to Serenity with a smile that locked into place as he took her appearance in. He reached out a hand mechanically and shook it, but he didn't remove his eyes from her and she started to feel uncomfortable. She awkwardly withdrew her hand and Darien wrapped a possessive arm around her, drawing her in close to his side.

Nathaniel didn't _look_ like Nephrite, but she knew it was him. His hair was brown instead of red, his eyes another shade of brown, but not matching his hair, and his smile looked easier, but the face was similar. He didn't do a good job of hiding it. Darien was reading the bad vibes from her, and was responding to them and he squeezed her tight once he recognized him as well. She knew Darien would have pulled her out of the room and made a big scene, but that would have only alerted Nathaniel to their consciousness of who he was, and in turn who they were. Right now, he was gazing at her curiously, knowing he recognized her, but Serenity didn't think it was because of her Sailor Moon identity. Then Serenity realized that Nephrite had been in charge of the attacks against her personally and he remembered her. He was also there that day she _met_ Darien.

Serenity wanted to share that information with Darien, that it wasn't because he knew who they were. Because he didn't even bothering looking at Darien once the rest of the night, his eyes strayed to Serenity too often, when Molly wasn't engaging his attention and lingered too long. They weren't the blood thirsty look he gave Moon.

The evening was tense though, as both Serenity and Darien tried to pretend everything was all right and act naturally. It was difficult, on occasions, Serenity had to ask Molly to repeat her question. Darien kept looking at Nathaniel and answering Molly without a single repeat. He was even charming her, Serenity noticed with some amusement. Molly said something to Nathaniel and he looked down at her with an almost genuine smile. "I was just telling Serenity that we were going to your beach house next weekend."

Serenity hadn't been paying enough attention to listen to that comment and now that she said it again, she almost visibly reacted. Molly and Nathaniel had only been going out a week or so, that she knew of. To take Molly away from here and bring her down to a beach house... Serenity feared her friend would be dead before the first night fell. Darien's reassuring hand on Serenity's thigh kept her from spitting out that Molly shouldn't go. "I was just thinking about that myself, dear." Nathaniel's hand brushed Molly's on the table. "There's plenty of room, at least five rooms. Perhaps your friends would like to join us."

Molly beamed at the idea. "Excellent idea. I think that plan would be splendid. What do you think Serenity? Want to join us?"

Serenity spluttered for a moment, unsure what to say at first. If it was a normal couple, she would have insisted that they didn't want to intrude on privacy. Or if it was a more established couple, she would have toyed with the idea because it would have been a great couples weekend, but with Nathaniel being Nephrite, Serenity about had a cow. She would have either grasped the idea tightly and said yes, to keep an eye on him and wanted to shout no, never!, because she didn't trust him, feared that it was just a trap and wanted to be as far away from him as possible.

Darien's hand covered hers and squeezed, he made up her mind for her. "We'd be honored to go. But we need time to think about it. I imagine you can understand that we can't just make a decision like that on the spot."

Molly looked put out for second before she quickly covered her mistake. "Of course. I don't know why I was pushing so hard. Of course you can have time to think it over." Molly beamed at them, trying to hard to reassure them that either decision would be fine.

Dinner came to an end painfully slow for Serenity but at last the check came and Nathaniel took it before anyone could reach for it themselves. He placed a card on the tray and handed it back before the server even left. "I have this, it's my treat. A getting to know, Molly's dear friends."

Serenity forced a smile to her lips, it was the first time she actually interacted with him since introductions. "Thank you very much. Really it is too kind."

"It is the least I can do. I do not get to spend my money very often. Or for so endearing of people." Nathaniel lifted Molly's intertwined hand with his to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

"I suppose we never did get to that point. What is it that you do?" Darien asked casually, leaning back into his chair nonchalantly.

"I am a businessman."

"Oh, for what company?" Darien lifted a black brow in curiosity.

"Such information is trivial."

"He won't even tell me. I think its a big corporation. He's probably the president or CEO or something. Very hush-hush." Molly leaned forward and answered conspiratorial.

Serenity was not pleased with her assessment of Nathaniel, it made if difficult to press him on the matter. Then they were all standing and heading towards the entrance. Molly hugged Serena first while Darien and Nathaniel shook hands, then Molly moved off to Darien and Nathaniel turned to Serenity with a look in his eyes that Serenity did not appreciate, she could see Darien looking towards the two of them, his back stiffened as there was distance put between him and Serenity.

Nathaniel leaned down and took Serenity's hand in his, lifting it up to his lips to kiss, his eyes never leaving hers. "A pleasure to meet you Serenity. I am pleased to find such a good friend in you for my dear Molly. We must meet again."

If Serenity had her way, that would never happen. "Of course. In time." And Serenity prayed that this relationship would meet a natural end, with Molly not getting hurt in the process.

"Until then." He smiled deeply before letting her hand go with an unnatural amount of drag time as he slowly slipped his hand from hers.

Molly came to his side as Darien came to wrap an arm around her waist. "How did the two of you get here?" She asked as Nathaniel's red Ferrari was valeted up to the curb, but Darien had not given a notice to anyone in uniform.

"We took a taxi." Serenity covered, this part she got under control.

"Then let us give you a ride back to your place." Nathaniel said instantly.

"No, no. It's all right." Darien's look was purely masculine, and slightly challenging. "We like the taxi system."

"I insist, the yellow car is such an unnecessary expense." Nathaniel's eyes were on Serena again, measuring her words very carefully.

"There is not much room in a Ferrari, my legs would not fit in the back seat." Darien covered smoothly. "Besides, we like the privacy of the cab."

"You could sit up front." Molly volunteered. "Serena and I could share the back."

"Of course, that would be only until we dropped you off, then we would drop Serenity and Molly off to their respective homes." Nathaniel added, on a lower note.

Serena shook her head. "Totally not needed. Darien and I would be getting out at the same place."

"But so late at night? Surely you wouldn't be wanting a taxi from there to your home, when I am so willingly offering a ride."

"My home is at the same location as Darien's." The way her words dropped it could be taken in two different ways. Either she was living _with_ Darien or her home was in the same apartment complexes.

Nathaniel took it the former way and his eyes darkened slightly, more to the color Nephrite's were. "I see. Then I shall not push, as you have obviously figured out what works best for you."

"But we could- they live at the same place, it would be one less stop." Molly inserted, not catching the subtle conversation below what was being said.

"My dear." Nathaniel looked down at Molly, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. "It is all right, they have made their choice. You will see them again soon, do not fret."

Molly hesitated only a moment before nodding, the car was waiting for them to get in after all. "Ok. I will see you two soon. Serena, how about a shopping trip someday this week?"

Serenity nodded her acquiescence and was squeezing Darien's hand so hard he thought it would break, as the two drove off and they turned to where the taxis were waiting. They walked passed them and towards a small through street that was dark and appeared in his apartment.

He gently pried her fingers from his hand, she didn't have the senshi's strength, not really, and so it must have been hurting her more than it was hurting him. He put both his hands on Serenity's face and tilted her head up towards his. "She'll be all right. He didn't seem to have any wishes to harm her, and he would have had the opportunity to do so before now."

That was the problem, actually, underneath it all. Nathaniel and Molly seemed to really like one another, and he didn't want to hurt her, Serenity had seen that. Though it might have all been an elaborate rouse to draw her out, but it made it all the more sad, because he would hurt Molly. Maybe not physically, but it would come to an end. He was a General. So what did he want with Molly? He hadn't attacked the two of them either.

"Did you know?" Darien asked, looking still into Serenity's eyes. "That we would be meeting the General that's tried to kill you so many times already?"

Serenity offered up a weak smile. "It's a laugh that the other one got closer to succeeding on the task he set for himself." But Darien wasn't laughing, he did not find it amusing. "No I didn't know, not for sure at any rate. The name set off alarm bells, but I couldn't know without meeting him first." Serenity swallowed. "Molly had wanted to just introduce him to me, but I insisted on a double date instead."

Darien nodded slowly, digesting her words. "That was very smart of you. I'm glad I taught you something." He was teasing her and she let out the tension in her body slowly, he wasn't angry. "Did he say something to you at the goodbyes?"

"Just that he was happy Molly and I were friends, and he wanted to see more of me, us."

"You." Darien confirmed what Serenity feared, and that it wasn't just her paranoid imagination. "We're not going."

"But-"

"No." He shook his head, tightening his hold of her face fractionally. She could feel the worry coursing through every pore of his body. "He's had it out for you since the beginning. _The Beginning,_ Serenity. This might just all be a set up to get you away from the senshi, alone."

"Or it's a set up to drain Molly of all her extra energy, even for a normal human, without anyone being the wiser or around."

"_He_ invited you."

"He was surprised to see me. I don't think he was dating Molly to get at me. Or at least that was the plan at first."

"There you go. He's got no ill-will towards Molly, not even to get to you. So that said, you don't have to fear her being drained or killed or harmed in anyway- or- all right, fine." Darien sighed as he saw the look in her eyes. "But we're not going alone. We'll figure out a way to get Lita and Andrew along as well. Perhaps even Rei and Jay."

Serena made a face. "I don't think that last one will even think about attending. No offense, but they're not a couple and I still don't want to see them that way. Yuck." Serenity shuddered.

"You know, Jay's not that old." Darien pointed out, knowing this from his few interactions. He couldn't figure out how Serenity and Jay managed to work out, Jay wasn't much older than Serenity, and wouldn't be entrusted with her care if he wasn't already established age wise and financially.

Serenity shrugged delicately. "He's old enough to seem like my father at times." She couldn't mention that the two would recognize each other straight off, well, at least, Jay would, she didn't know how deep or well-known he was. He could be only partial to some information. At any rate, she didn't want to put him in danger.

"So just Andrew and Lita then." Darien clearly didn't like the idea of walking into the enemy's trap so willingly, even if it wasn't one. The way Nathaniel had looked at Serenity the whole night unnerved him. Serenity hadn't been comfortable at all either.

"There's just one thing. If we are with him, and the other general attacks, wouldn't it look strange if three of the Earth's defenders are gone?" Serenity asked, hooking an arm around his neck and pressing up against him.

"You're not getting off that easily." Darien groaned, putting his hands onto her hips to push her away, but instead ended up pulling her closer. "The senshi need to know."

"And they will." Serenity agreed, sliding her leg against his. "I was thinking of a little something else tonight instead of being descended upon by four other girls." Darien's lips quirked up, as if he would be pleased by that notion and Serenity shook her head. "Don't even think about it, I know how you feel about them. You can't get me that easily, I _know_ you."

Darien sighed, it was true, his fantasy wasn't a six-way, but rather what he was holding in his hands currently and nothing else. Well, not nothing else exactly... "Do I get a reward then for holding out on them?"

Serenity's eyes glinted up at him mischievously and she ran her fingers down his throat, slipping down the front of his shirt as far as the buttons allowed her and she started unbuttoning them as she went. She stopped a few down and spread her hand against his over-heated flesh. "Goodnight." She whispered before disappearing and reappearing outside of her house.

She was laughing to herself at the face Darien had made just before she disappeared as he realized what she was intending to do as she let herself in. It was only luck that kept him from having that same trait. She waved her hello to Jadeite as she wandered up the stairs, he was deeply involved with some book.

She would need all the sleep she could get, if she was going to encounter Darien in the morning. Though then again, she never slept as good as she did in his arms. She was already beginning to regret her impromptu trick. But she had to bolt, things were getting too steamy between them, they were spending way too much time alone together. Not that she would necessarily mind... but everyone would know if anything happened between them. Not that Darien didn't walk around with a silly grin on his face already, and she wasn't free from that charge either. But if either of them started to act any odder, they'd all know in a heartbeat.

Then they'd never hear the end of it from Luna and Jadeite.

She crawled into bed, a lot on her mind as she recounted today's events and went over them again. Mina would have been the perfect person to ask about Molly and Nathaniel, see if the relationship had anything behind it other than convenience for him. That was an answer, that Serenity feared to hear. Either way it would devastate Molly.

As expected, her sleep didn't allow her any comfort or rest as she tossed and turned all night and woke later than desired, still completely exhausted. As she was late, she used her powers to transport her and dress her and make her look presentable at her workplace and entered the doors just in time to not be considered late enough to be fired. Then while she enjoyed this work typically and talking to different people, the day seemed to lag considerably and she was more tired at the end of the day than going into it.

Darien was waiting for her outside the store, leaning against his car, his school schedule letting him out in time to greet her after she finished. He pushed away from the car, came across the street and pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. On a positive note, he wasn't angry. "Stay the night." He whispered down to her. "I slept horribly and you look like you did too."

Serenity sagged into his embrace, laying her cheek against his chest and nodded, bone-weary. "I'm sorry for not coming back-"

Darien pulled her tightly against him and shook his head. "It's ok, I understand. There needed to be a breather moment between us. I'm glad you did it, but all night, I hoped for your return." His understanding seemed to be the thing that she most did not expect, and made her feel guilty for not doing so. She wanted to, but wasn't sure what kind of reception she could expect. "You are always welcomed to return." He added, as if knowing her thoughts.

There was a short jerk in affirmation and then she was kissing him again.


End file.
