* * * DAYS 10-11 From "My Olympic Diary," by Serena Tsukino: There's been so much action the last couple of days that I don't know where to begin. First of all, the American women's hockey team won the first-ever gold medal in their sport by beating Canada in a super-exciting game that went down to the wire. Then, Happy Harada FINALLY came through and scored the jump which helped Japan win the team ski jumping competition. He even set a new world's record. It was AWESOME, especially when everyone started yelling "Banzai!" while he was in mid-air. And "The Herminator," Hermann Maier, won a gold medal in the giant slalom. After seeing his SCARY wipeout during the downhill, it was great to see him not only get back up and ski, but win! "He gets knocked down, but he gets up again, you're never going to keep him down. . ." But the real fun starts tomorrow night, with the start of the ladies' figure skating competition, featuring my FAVORITE skater of all time-the SUPER WICKED AWESOME COOL Tara Lipinski. . . # From the private journal of Raye Hino: There's been so much action the last couple of days that I don't know where to begin. Youmas here, there, and everywhere. Lita and I had to take down a couple right outside the Olympic Village. The bastards actually disguised themselves as foreign journalists. Fortunately, Amy figured them out pretty damn quick, and we were able to blow them away. Serena and Darien were ambushed while going to cover one of the events. A whole bunch of buglike things started attacking her. He was able to transform and drive them away with his roses. Oh, Gods, then there was the attack in the shopping village. . .and the one near the ski lift. . .and those NEGABASTARDS who decided to drain energy from a bunch of innocent school kids. . . Any second now, I can feel it, that Wotite is going to strike. And when he does, we'll be more than ready for him. . . * * * DAY 12 "Come on!" said Serena. "We have to get to the arena-we're going to be late!" Darien groaned. "Meatball Head, the competition doesn't start for *two hours*. And even then, we're going to have to sit through sixty gazillion lower-level skaters before we see one hair on Tara Lipinski's head. Let's just relax and enjoy our dinner. . ." Serena had so many butterflies in her stomach, it seemed impossible to eat. At last, at long last, the moment she'd been dreaming of was at hand-she was going to be seeing the Olympic ladies' figure skating competition unfold live before her very eyes! True, she'd enjoyed the pairs, men's, and ice dancing competitions, but there was nothing like this, the true glamour event of the Winter Games. . . Darien reached over and took his girlfriend's hand. "Serena. . .I want to let you know how proud I've been of you. You've been doing a fantastic job both as a journalist and a Sailor Scout." She blushed. "Thank you. . .I just wish I didn't have to do both." He wished he could have assured her that she didn't have to anymore, but he couldn't. . .there was too great a sense of danger in the air. In fact, he felt danger growing closer this very second. . .closer. . .closer. . . He quickly signaled for the check. "We'd better get out of here." "Huh? A moment ago you said. . ." "Something's coming." She groaned. "Not again. . ." "I'm sorry, baby. . .but we have no choice." The bill came. He threw some money on the table, grabbed her arm, and pulled her out into the street. Sure enough, there was a funny glow in the distance. . . "Negacreeps?" "Definitely Negacreeps." And so, she said the words that were most appropriate for the moment- "MOON PRISM POWER!" Once they were transformed, they looked around, trying to see where the threat was- And something seemed to slam into her from nowhere, knocking her to the ground. She began struggling with whatever it was, felt Darien attempting to pull it off of her. . .it was some kind of invisible being. . . "Hang on in there, baby! Let's try the old standby. . ." A rose flew through the air and hit the creature, stunning it. Serena pulled away from i ts grasp, and saw its corporeal body start to appear-an ugly, slimy creature. . . "You're moondust," she said to it, taking off her tiara and preparing to vaporize it. . . Meanwhile, a small figure was watching the proceedings from the window of a passing limousine. Since arriving in Japan, Tara Lipinski had repeatedly heard the stories and legends about the magical, evil-fighting girl named Sailor Moon, and became fascinated. She could hardly believe she was getting a chance to see Sailor Moon actually do her thing in person. Wow, thought America's figure-skating sweetheart, this girl is *so cool*! And that guy she has with her is AWESOME. . . # Tara Lipinski placed second in the ladies' short program that night, behind her teammate, Michelle Kwan. Serena and Darien celebrated with a sundae (a real one) after the competition. Then they went back to their hotel and celebrated something else entirely-their love. And somewhere in the Negaverse, Wotite was saying, "It is almost time, Hematite. Friday. Friday, we will launch our attack. . ." * * * DAY 14 This day was quiet and uneventful. So much so, that it made Raye uneasy. "They're gearing up," she told Darien. "Tomorrow's it. Wotite himself will come to earth and all hell will break loose." "We can beat them, Raye." "Oh, I know we can beat them. . .what's got me worried is what Mars said about. . .sacrifice." "Did he say that it *will* involve sacrifice, or that it *might*?" "He said 'might'. . .but I just can't shake this feeling that the 'might' is a 'definitely will.'" Darien put a reassuring arm around his friend's shoulders. "We have to have faith in ourselves and each other, Raye. If we do, then nothing can stop us, and no sacrifices will have to be made." Please, Gods, she thought, let him be right. . . * * * DAY 15 From "Olympic Journal" by Darien Chiba: My girlfriend worships at the altar of Tara Lipinski. For months on end, I've watched with her just about every performance of the Girl Wonder of figure skating. I've heard all of the stories and stats. Tara grew up in New Jersey before her family moved to Texas, she was a roller-skating champion before taking up figure skating, when she was five years old, she watched the Olympics on TV and had her father build her a podium out of boxes so she could pretend to be a gold medal winner. . . It seems that my girlfriend is not alone in her obsession. Lipinski has been dogged by the media relentlessly throughout the Olympics. She's been photographed hanging out with Sumo wrestlers, eating lunch with the Canadian hockey team, and offering encouragement to her less fortunate teammate, Todd Eldridge. Everyone seems to be waiting to see if this Golden Child will have her official coronation tonight and become the youngest figure skating gold medalist in history, taking her place among such legends as Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Katarina Witt and Kristi Yamaguchi. There's only one thing standing in her way. . .her own teammate, Michelle Kwan. >From "My Olympic Diary," by Serena Tsukino: "This is the moment / My final test / Destiny beckoned / I never reckoned / Second best! / I won't look down / I must not fall / This is the moment / The sweetest moment of them all!" - "This is the Moment," from "Jekyll and Hyde," by Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse Tonight's the night, figure skating lovers! Who will take away the ultimate prize, the gold medal in the ladies' figure skating competition? Will it be Michelle Kwan? Or Tara Lipinski? Or will somebody else pull of a MAJOR upset? If you've been reading my columns so far, you KNOW what I'm hoping is going to happen. . . # "We've got only 15 minutes before we're supposed to meet them for brunch, so we'd better step on it," said Lita, as she, Raye and Amy began the walk from the temple to the Olympic area. Just act like it's a normal day, Raye, she told herself. Act like this is not the day when the Negaverse attacks. . . "We're going to be listening to Serena go on and on and on about skating all day, that's for sure," she said. "I wonder what would happen if. . ." Suddenly, she turned white and doubled over. # "We're a little early," Darien said. "We'll just grab a table and have coffee until they get here." Just pretend it's a normal day, Darien, he thought. Pretend that this isn't the day that all hell breaks loose. . .Maybe if you wish hard enough, it will happen. . . Serena looked at her watch. "Only ten hours and five minutes until the competition! Oh, Muffin, I can't believe it's finally here at last! I feel like a kid on. . .Muffin, what's wrong? Muffin? DARIEN!!!" # Lita and Amy picked Raye up off the ground. "Raye. . .what happened? Are you all right?" Raye shook her head to clear the cobwebs. "We have to meet up with Serena and Darien. NOW. Any second, they're going to launch the attack. . ." # Wotite surveyed his troupes of warrior youma. "This is it," he told them. "This is the moment we've been waiting for since Beryl went down. The Dark Kingdom returns! Now go and eliminate those Sailor Scouts!" # Everyone was already transformed when they met up outside the cafe. "What are you feeling?" Raye asked Darien. "Very strong pulses of Nega energy. They're on the move, all right. Any second now. . ." Just then, a huge, tentacle-like thing burst out of the ground and grabbed him, rising into the air. Serena let out a shriek. Raye blasted fire at the thing, and it loosened its grip-but before she could deliver a second, killing blow, something else grabbed and hoisted her. Looking down, she saw two more vinelike things grabbing for Amy and Lita, and another one already wrapped around Serena. . . And then a voice shouted, "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM. . .SMASH!" The laser disintegrated the monster. Raye started to tumble to the ground, and was caught by Mina. "You made it!" "Luckily, my team all went to a cybercafe last night and I checked my E-mail. Now let's waste these bastards." Combining their attacks, the two got Lita free, and then the three of them were able to release Darien, Serena and Amy. But that was only the beginning. . . Wave after wave of every kind of youma imaginable was upon them, seemingly all at once. Buglike things. . .shapeless blobs. . .humanoids with glowing eyes. . .Flames, lasers, bolts, roses, ice bubbles and a glowing disc flew every which way. I don't know how much longer I can take this, Raye thought. . .my power is almost drained. . . Then, almost as suddenly as it began, it stopped. A group of exhausted Scouts collapsed to the ground. "Not a moment too soon," Lita said. "I don't think I have a single spark left in me." "Same here," said Mina. "I feel wiped out." Oh Gods, Raye thought, this is what they want, I'll bet. This first wave was just to wear us down, before. . . Just then, there was a huge flash of white light, and standing before them was Supreme Negaverse General Wotite. "So, my little Sailor brats, did you have fun with my playthings? Too bad you used up all your ammo in the preliminary rounds. You're going to miss the main event. . ." "In your dreams, Negacreep!" shouted Serena. "You don't know what you're dealing with! I'm Sailor Moon. . ." "Champion of justice, yadda yadda yadda, I know the drill," said Wotite. "Well, guess what, June Moon. . .you're just going to sit here and watch while I waste the world! DARK ORB POWER!" He raised his arms, and a glowing black orb appeared over his head. "This orb generates just the right frequency to keep you from materializing your little toys. No fireballs or lightning bolts or pretty little flowers." "We'll see about that. MARS FIRE. . . IGNITE!" Nothing. "VENUS CRESCENT BEAM. . .SMASH!" Still nothing. "And so," said the general, "I'll bid you adieu. But I'll be back. . .once we're about to launch the full-fledged attack." And with an evil laugh, he vanished. Serena collapsed to the ground and started to cry. "Everything we've done so far. . .all for nothing. . ." "There's got to be a way to stop them," said Mina. Lita shook her head. "I've been up against something like that Dark Orb thing before. You're powerless against it." "Maybe there's a way to disable it," said Amy, producing her computer and beginning to click at it. Darien held his sobbing girlfriend in his arms, smoothing her long pigtails. His eyes wandered around the scene, looking for some chink in the Negaverse's armor. . . And then, he saw his staff, with its Golden Crystal, lying next to her wand, with its Silver Crystal. . . "He only said we couldn't do physical manifestations," he said slowly. "He didn't say we couldn't channel our power into something else. . ." "What do you mean?" said Lita. "Remember when we found this Golden Crystal? Luna said that if it were used in cooperation with Serena's Silver Crystal, it could overwhelm any enemy. . ." "Oh, no you don't!" Raye said, leaping to her feet. "We haven't tested it. And our powers are weakened. You could both be killed." "And do you want the Negaverse to win?" Darien retorted. "I won't let you sacrifice yourselves! Isn't there another way?" Amy looked up from her computer and slowly shook her head. Serena looked up from Darien's shoulder, into his eyes. "Darien," she whispered, "I have no fear of us dying together. I know that we will find each other again in the next life. The only thing I fear is if you were to die and I were to live, and I'd have to carry on without you. . ." He held her tighter. "Oh, baby. . ." A couple of tears escaped from his eyes, running over his mask and down his cheeks. Lita put her hands on both of their shoulders. "We'll combine our powers. If you're going down, I'm going down with you." "Me too," said Mina. "And me," said Amy. Raye just looked at Darien and Serena. Sacrifice, she thought. He said there might be sacrifice. . . Oh, Mars, my lord and master, I will be a willing sacrifice. Take me before you take Darien and Serena. Let them stay together on earth. I will gladly end my earthly existence and become united with you. . . She hugged both of them, and they drew her tightly into a group embrace. They just lingered there for a second. . . Then, the white flash appeared before them, and they broke apart with a start. "So," said Wotite. "The time has come. I'm going to enjoy showing you every single nanosecond of the attack. And then, after you've enjoyed the sight of the Earth being slowly destroyed, I'll torture you all to death, as slowly and painfully as possible. . ." Darien and Serena looked into each other's eyes. They kissed. Then, each raised their stick of power. . . "Moon Cosmic Power!" she said. "Earth Cosmic Power!" he replied. They touched the crystals together, and a huge glow started to form. The others all reached forward to put a hand on one of the two sticks- "Mercury Power!" "Mars Power!" "Venus Power!" "Jupiter Power!" "NO!" shouted the general. "This can't be happening. . ." An enormous multicolored ball of light escaped from the combined crystals and shot toward the general. The Dark Orb exploded, and Wotite burst into flames, screaming. . . And as the glow spread and spread, all his armies of youma were destroyed as well. The attack was over. Only Hematite was left standing. With a scream, he realized what was happening, and hightailed it back to the Negaverse before he could be destroyed as well. The Scouts all collapsed to the ground, completely still. Then, Raye slowly, painfully got up. I'm alive, she thought. I'm alive! The others. . . She saw Lita slowly pick herself up, then Amy, then Mina. But Darien and Serena were still just lying there. . . "Serena! Darien! Wake up!" Raye crawled over to them, putting a hand on Serena's arm, trying to will some energy into her. . . The Moon Princess's eyelids fluttered. "Is it over?" "It's over," Raye said. "We won." Serena sat up slowly. "Darien? We won! Darien?" She stroked her lover's face. He felt cold, and was so still. . . Her mind flashed back to a horrible moment. Beryl's cave. . .him telling her, "Find yourself a wonderful boyfriend," then dying in her arms. . . "DARIEN! NO! OH, NO. . ." She threw herself on his prone form, shaking with sobs. No, my darling, it's not supposed to be like this, you can't, just can't leave me alone. . .I can't make it without you. . . Then, her ear detected a faint sound. A heartbeat. . .weak, but there. . . She grabbed her wand. The crystal was still glowing faintly. She touched it to his temple, and the silver glow enveloped him, pumping energy back into his body. . . His eyes opened slowly. "Meatball Head?" The nickname she once despised was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard. "Oh, Muffin. . .Muffin. . ." They held each other as tightly as they could, both of them crying. Raye motioned to the other Scouts. "Come on. . .I think we should go back to the temple and rest up." They nodded knowingly, and left the couple alone. For awhile, they just embraced, enjoying the feel of each other's bodies. Then, she whispered, "We won, darling. We really did it." "It was the strength of our love that did it," he said. "Nothing can defeat us if we love each other." "Oh, baby. . .I do love you. With every little bitty bit of myself." "I love you, too. Mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. . ." "Truly, madly, deeply," she whispered. They lay in silence, feeling a strange afterglow that was not unlike the afterglow of love. Then, she whispered, "Darien. . .I want to go back to the hotel and take a nap." "Of course, honey." "We can catch three hours sleep, then have dinner, and we'll still have plenty of time to get to White Ring. . ." He laughed and kissed her. "You're still my Serena, baby." # It was a tossup who screamed the loudest when Tara Lipinski found out she'd won the gold medal-the skater herself, or her biggest fan in the stands. Serena jumped up and down, hugging Darien. You'd never know from looking at her that she'd almost given her life defending the world just hours before. Afterward, they went for celebratory ice cream at their favorite Nagano cafe. As they were eating, they overheard a conversation between two American journalists at the next table. "I went backstage right after she won," one of them was saying. "She had all these movie stars and politicians clamoring to talk to her on the phone. And she kept saying there was only one person she wanted to meet. . .somebody called Sailor Moon." Serena's head snapped up. "Did you hear that?" "Hear what?" "Tara Lipinski wants to meet ME! Oh, Darien, we have to go back down there!" "How do we know that she's still. . ." Serena flew over to the journalists' table. "Excuse me. I happen to be a close personal friend of Sailor Moon. Is Tara still at the arena?" "Far as I know," said the journalist. "Who is this Sailor Moon, anyway? Is she some kind of Japanese rock star or. . ." But he got no answer, because Serena had already taken off like a bat out of hell, dragging her boyfriend with her. # "There's a couple of nuts in funny costumes outside," the security guard reported to Tara Lipinski's coach. "A girl in a short sailor skirt and a guy in a tuxedo. The girl keeps saying that Tara wants to meet her." The figure skater, who was packing her gym bag and preparing to leave the arena, snapped to attention when she heard that. "The girl," she said, "did she say her name was Sailor Moon?" "Yes, in fact, she did." "Oh, you HAVE to let them in! Please!" She's just a kid, the guard thought. She doesn't know yet about the kooks and stalkers out there. I'll let those two in, but I'll keep a close eye on them. . . When Serena entered the room, the two teenage girls just stared at each other for a second, awestruck. Then, they spoke. . . "Tara Lipinski!" "Sailor Moon!" And, in unison, "You are SO wicked cool!" They both laughed. "Can I see your medal?" "Only if I can see your moon wand." Serena draped the medal around her neck, turning around to show it off to Darien. Yes, my darling, he thought, you deserve a gold medal. Gold in the Tiara Toss. Gold in the Crystal Combined. And gold for Most Wonderful Woman in the World. . . The two girls chatted for a few moments, getting along like gangbusters. "Video games?" said Serena. "You play video games too?" "Oh, yeah! I found a great one in the little arcade just outside the Olympic Village. . .Super Sailor V!" "Cool! That's my very favorite!" Serena didn't even feel jealous when Tara turned flirtatious eyes on Darien. He flirted right back- "Tell me something. Are all figure skaters as gorgeous as you?" She giggled and blushed deep pink. But Serena knew that Darien meant nothing by the remark. After today, there could be no doubt that the two of them were truly united as one. Finally, Serena left with the autograph she'd been waiting for the whole Olympics to get, along with Tara's E-mail address. "We have to get together the next time I'm in Japan!" the skater told her. "Cool! Maybe by then the Ultra Sailor V game will finally be out. . ." As Serena and Darien left the arena, she squealed and danced a little jig. "That was SO SO WICKED WICKED COOL! That was the coolest thing that happened in Nagano. . ." Darien turned a slow smile towards her. "Is it really? I was thinking that something else was. . ." "What?" "Hmmm. . .just a particularly delicious chocolate sundae I ate. . ." A shudder passed through her. "Ooooh. . ." "We could have another, you know. There's still half a bottle left. . ." She giggled. "I suddenly feel *very* hungry. . ." * * * CLOSING CEREMONY From "Olympic Journal," by Darien Chiba: It seems like only yesterday that the Olympic Flame was kindled. Now, today, it will be put out. Much has happened during the 16 days in between-some of it good (the stellar performance of the Japanese ski jumpers, the crowning of the youngest figure skating gold medalist in history), some of it bad (the constant weather postponements) and some of it ugly (the disgraceful behavior of the United States men's hockey team). But all of it has been memorable. Soon, the athletes will go back to their respective sports circuits, the TV cameras will leave Nagano, and people will forget all about luge and bobsledding for another four years. But for those of us who witnessed it firsthand, a tiny spark of Nagano will still be burning in our hearts. . . From "My Olympic Diary," by Serena Tsukino: I can't believe it's over. What a fast 16 days! And how much was packed into those 16 days! There are some things I saw here that I will never forget as long as I live. The joy on the faces of the people who won and the pain on the faces of those who came all this way only to see their Olympic dreams go up in smoke. The niceness of all the people I met. The feeling that Nagano had become a kind of home-away-from-home to the entire world. . . # As the Olympic flame winked out of existence, Serena started to cry. Darien hugged her. "Hey, hey, Meatball Head. It's not over for good. There'll be a Summer Olympics in two years, in Sydney. A friend of mine from high school is living down there now. Maybe he can get us tickets, if you really want to go . . ." "That's not why I'm crying. I'm crying because we're going home right after this." The previous day, they had seen their friends off on the bullet train back to Tokyo. And as soon as the closing ceremony was over, they, too, would be boarding a train for home. He stroked her hair. "I don't want to go home, either." "I'm not going to be able to sleep," she sobbed. "My bed will feel so cold and empty after sleeping with you every night for two weeks. . ." "Mine too, baby, mine too. . .but think of it this way. Someday, we'll be married. We'll be together every night for the rest of our lives." "I can't wait that long." "It'll be worth it, I promise you. I love you, Serena. . ." "I love you too, Darien." They kissed and kissed, oblivious to the pageantry unfolding before them, knowing only that they were together and they loved each other. Some flames burn out after 16 days. And some burn on forever. AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story is dedicated to my pre-reader, MSTing partner, and fellow staunch believer in the Miracle Romance, Mark Berger. Couldn't have done it without ya, pal. . . Special thanks to the one and only Sailor Accounting, Molly Puthoff; to Artemis and Luna, still the best friends that a fanfic author ever had; to Lady Jupiter for feedback and encouragement; to the High Priestess of All Things Darien, Jennifer Wand, whose Web site and beautiful fics are a never-ending source of inspiration (and if you haven't read "Darien's View" yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?); and to Jupiter Knight, Sailor Swiftheart, and the gang at Sakura Lemon for helping me spread my fics throughout Webdom. And no thanks to CBS for their lousy Olympic coverage. As a friend of mine said, "You're Nagano what happened until the next day." In this story, Lita gives them exactly what they deserve. Standard Sailor Moon disclaimers apply: these characters ain't mine, I'm just borrowing them for awhile.