A NEW SONG -by: the Yarnspinner- the_yarnspinner@yahoo.com A Sekkushiaru Roman featuring characters from the anime "Sailor Moon" Rated: H ********** NOTE: This chapter incorporates scenes from several of the anime episodes, some in considerable detail. Here, and in subsequent chapters where I draw on anime scenes, I will be using the North American dialogue for the most part, departing from it only where the particulars of this continuity require it. ********** > Chapter 3 - Discoveries < Tokyo was enjoying a bright, sunny afternoon, the previous day's thunderstorm fading into memory. Darien was perusing a library on the upper floor of a building when he heard a commotion. Outside, a window-washing rig dangled precariously, several of its cables having broken. His senses argued there was more to this. Just then, he caught sight of a crystalline shard as it materialized and sliced the rope one of the workers was hanging on to. "This didn't happen by accident," he realized. The rope let go, and the man began to fall. As Darien raced downstairs, Sailor Moon swung down from the rooftop and rescued the worker, safely depositing him on an awning. Watching the pig-tailed figure race away, Darien realized that his psychic alert didn't activate in response to her. On top of which, such behavior was hardly typical of Sailor Moon. "That's not the Sailor Moon I know. I better see what's up," he said, heading off after her. Unnoticed by Darien, Serena and Lita were outside the building to observe the "accident" and rescue. "What's the deal? She can't be Sailor Moon. That's my job," Serena wailed. "Serena! Please quit your wailing!" Lita told her. "You have got your communicator, haven't you? We've got to call the others, now." - - - - - - - - - - Also in the crowd, Mina Aino and her cat, Artemis, witnessed the rescue. "Something doesn't feel right about this," she said. "I agree," the white cat told her. The crowd began to break up, allowing Mina to catch sight of a blond-haired girl with long pigtails crouched down crying miserably, and a tall brown-haired girl bodily dragging her out of the street. "What's her problem?" Mina wondered aloud. "Can't worry about that now," Artemis said. "I think we need to follow that Sailor Moon. I'm certain she's bogus." "Really?" Mina asked. "Yes." "But why? Unless she's meant to trap the other Senshi you've been telling me about?" "I have a hunch that's it. If we're right, it may just about be time for Sailor Venus to make her debut." - - - - - - - - - - Lita and Serena tracked the fake Sailor Moon into the dockyards, where the other girls joined them. As they discussed the imposter, and how her evident heroic merits compared with those of the genuine Sailor Moon, they heard a scream, quickly rounding a corner to find their quarry bound and dangling from a crane. "Come on, let's get her down," Serena told the others. "No, wait," said Lita. "Lita's right. This could be a trick," warned Luna. "I don't care if it is, Luna. I want to find out who in the world that girl thinks she is," Serena replied. The others agreed and began their transformations. The four Senshi quickly located Malachite nearby, demanding his surrender. "Most impressive, Sailor Senshi. And let me say, it's a pleasure finally meeting all of you for the first, and let me assure you, very last time," he said. Holding his hands up, he caused an energy field to form. "Dark energy... electrify," he said. The energy field encircled the Senshi, closing over them as a dome. "That ought to shut you up for a while." Mars and Jupiter both tried to blast through the field, with no effect at all. "Not even a dent! We're in real trouble," Sailor Mercury exclaimed. "Slow learners, aren't you girls. Your measly powers are no match for the Negaverse. No sense in wasting so much energy. Dark energy... shrink to fit!" he said, causing the dome to contract in on them. 'I sure hope Tuxedo Kamen is around. I think he's our only hope,' Sailor Moon thought. - - - - - - - - - - Tuxedo Kamen raced through the dockyard, his senses screaming that Sailor Moon was in danger. Spotting what appeared to be Sailor Moon hanging from a crane, he moved in underneath her. "Better be careful, Tux. Somebody got her up there," he muttered to himself. He leaped up and cut her free. As they dropped to the ground he sensed energy gathering around them. Landing, he promptly jumped toward the cover of a nearby warehouse. Almost immediately a massive lightning blast struck the spot he had just been. His senses were still screaming the alert that Sailor Moon was in danger, which he decided must mean she was still scared from their close call. "It's alright now. We're safe. You'll be OK," he told her. "Can't say the same for you," she said, forming a crystal dagger in her hand and stabbing Tuxedo Kamen in the shoulder. "Sailor Moon, why?" he asked, in shock and pain. "Tuxedo Kamen, you're so gullible," she declared, dispensing with her disguise and revealing herself as Zoisite. "Now you're mine, and soon the nijizuishou will be as well." She hurled an energy blast at him, but he dove clear, disappearing into a warehouse. "You can run, but you can't hide. The Negaverse sees everything," she said, forming a long crystal blade and taking off after him. "I'm gonna get you, Cape boy." "How could I have been so stupid?" he berated himself. Meanwhile, the dome continued to contract on the Sailor Senshi. Refusing to give up, Jupiter blasted it again. "Still nothing! He's got to be their strongest warrior," she said. "Zoisite, got those crystals back yet?" Malachite asked. "Cape boy is history," she declared, knocking over crates and forcing Tuxedo Kamen out of his cover. Injured, he was at a disadvantage against her. He parried her blade, but she fired an energy burst at him, which knocked away his mask. "Surrender the crystals!" she demanded, pressing her advantage and certain of imminent victory. - - - - - - - - - - "Come on, Mina!" Artemis urged. "The other Senshi are in *serious* trouble!" "So's this guy in the tuxedo," she told the cat. From the upper level of the warehouse, she observed the tuxedoed figure in a losing battle. His opponent was a man in a gray military-like suit with long red hair. No, it was a woman, Mina realized with surprise, the voice being the give-away. 'Wow. Not much of a figure on her,' Mina thought. As the woman prepared to finish him off, Mina extended her arm and pointed her finger, just like the old days as Sailor V. "Venus crescent beam... smash," she cried, a laser-like beam of intense force striking Zoisite's hand and knocking her blade away. Stunned, Zoisite turned to look. Sailor Venus remained still, knowing that Zoisite could probably only see just a silhouette. Tuxedo Kamen, though obviously injured, reacted quickly and silently, diving away. Just as Zoisite turned back to find her original opponent was now flown, Sailor Venus hastily jumped out the window. Behind her, she could hear Zoisite's cries of frustration. "Nice job," Artemis said. "Thanks," she said. "But I still prefer my old costume." "Well, enough of that," he told her, having been through this conversation before. "You need to manage another timely intervention." "V is for Victory!" she declared, leaping to the roof of the next warehouse. From her vantage point, Venus could see the other four Senshi all trapped in a shrinking dome of dark energy. The woman, Zoisite, was talking to a man, whom she addressed as Malachite. Venus smiled to herself as Malachite dismissed the notion of a fifth Senshi. 'Good. Surprise is still mine,' she thought. Sailor Moon said something, apparently about Tuxedo Kamen, but it was too soft for Venus to make out. "Tuxedo Kamen, where you hiding? Don't you care about your little fan club? Come out right now, or else they're gonna be history," Zoisite called. Tuxedo Kamen stepped out, agreeing to hand over his nijizuishou. "I knew you'd finally see it our way, Cape boy. Now hand over the crystals before it's too late," Zoisite said. 'Uh, oh. This is really getting bad,' Mina thought. "He's not handing you anything, nega-creeps!" she declared loudly. "There it is! That voice. It's her again!" Zoisite exclaimed, looking around madly. "Up here, guys!" Venus called. "Where'd she come from?" Malachite asked, stunned at the sight of a fifth Senshi. As the other Senshi looked up at her as well, Venus held her pose, then leaped down from the roof. "I'm Sailor Venus, and if you're looking to make any trouble, here it comes right back at ya!" she said, pulling away her mask. "Venus crescent beam... smash," she cried once more, unleashing her energy beam, and striking Malachite across the back of his hands, dispelling the force-field. "She set us free! Sailor Venus! She's our fifth Senshi, you guys," Sailor Moon said to the others. "That's right, Sailor Senshi. The fifth Senshi's here, and I'm her guardian, Artemis," the white cat announced. "Looking sharp there, kitty- cat," he told Luna. "You haven't changed," Luna said. Zoisite shielded the injured Malachite, still interested in fighting to recover the crystals. Queen Beryl ordered them to return. "We don't have the crystals, Queen Beryl," Malachite told her. "I know that, but it's too risky. Let them be. Return now," she directed. "We *can* win," Zoisite insisted. "Zoisite! Never question me!" Beryl screamed. "We'd better hit it," Malachite said. "We're in for an earful," Zoisite agreed, ruefully. "You got lucky, but everybody's luck runs out sometime," Malachite told the Senshi, as he and Zoisite vanished. Tuxedo Kamen also ducked away, his wounded shoulder painful but far less so than the injury to his pride. "Tuxedo Kamen, is that you?" Sailor Moon called. "I'd swear he was here." "Oh, well. We didn't need his help anyway," Jupiter said. The Sailor Senshi gathered on the pier. "Well, Luna, sure been a long time," Artemis said, "Pretty site, hunh? I can't tell you how happy we are to be joined up with you guys." "Sailor Venus! I can't believe this!" Jupiter exclaimed. "It's great to be here," Venus said. "Enough with the warm fuzzy moments. Time to cut to the chase. Those guys from the Negaverse aren't fooling around. I'm sure they're already planning to strike back big. You guys gotta be ready," Artemis told them. "Right. Meeting at the temple tomorrow, OK," Luna said. "OK. Gotta book it. See ya," Sailor Venus said, leaping away. "She's in a hurry," Mercury commented. "She was, like, almost rude," Mars said. "I think she's wicked cool," Sailor Moon said. - - - - - - - - - - Darien returned to his apartment, still bleeding and in pain. "I can't believe I was so stupid," he said to himself, angrily slamming his fist against the wall. "Falling for that fake Sailor Moon. Almost got the Senshi toasted too. Why was I so blind? If it weren't for Sailor Venus, I would have handed over the crystals to the Negaverse. Now they hate me." He sat down on his couch, trying to find a position that wasn't so painful. Just then, an image of Zoisite appeared before him. "Nice place, Darien," she said. "How did you find me?" "I told you, Darien. The Negaverse sees everything," Zoisite said. "You didn't think you could hide forever, did ya... Tuxedo Kamen?" "What do you want, Zoisite?" he demanded to know, knowing he was in no shape for a battle. "We're both tired of chasing after the nijizuishou, so I propose a duel. You and me. Winner take all." "I don't believe you," he said, removing his hand from his injured shoulder. "Oh, I'm serious," she insisted. "What's the matter, Darien? Scared to fight me without your Sailor pals along? Is that it?" "I'm not afraid... of you, or anybody from your world," he declared. "Good. Then meet me at the Starlight Tower at five o'clock this afternoon. Come alone, and bring the crystals with you," she told him. "Right. I'll be there," he said. "And Darien, maybe you should have a doctor look at that shoulder. You don't look so good. Must be painful," she said, laughing gleefully. After Zoisite had vanished, Darien fell back on the couch. He knew he was in no shape for a fight, but also couldn't risk her deciding just to attack him right there, since that would put his neighbors at risk. He considered the possibility of trying to work something out with the Sailor Senshi, trying to set up their own trap to counter Zoisite's. That was unlikely, as he didn't know how to get in touch with them. No, it looked like he was on his own for this. 'Tuxedo Kamen's last stand,' he thought, grimly. Immediately, his thoughts turned to Serena. - - - - - - - - - - Serena awoke in the very early hours of Friday morning. The dream had come back again, leaving her pajamas and panties soaked once more. It was getting tough to hide the physical evidence of the dream from her mother. Meanwhile, in her state of arousal, all she really wanted to do was run to Darien's apartment and, regardless of the time, seek release in his arms. Gradually, she realized that something was different. This time, she felt a faint but distinct pain in her right shoulder. "That doesn't make any sense," she muttered to herself, massaging her shoulder. "I didn't get hit there." Forebodings for the future were also creeping into Serena's thoughts. While Sailor Venus would certainly be a welcome addition to the Senshi, Luna was suggesting the crisis point was approaching fast. Darien had mentioned his secret, which might take him away from her permanently. What about her own secret? If not for Sailor Venus, Malachite would almost certainly have killed her and the others. No one, not Darien, not her family, not her other friends, would have had any idea of what had happened to her. After walking quietly into the bathroom for a drink of water, Serena slipped back into bed. She tried to clear her mind by thinking of happy things, her thoughts quickly turning to her afternoon with Darien, taking shelter from the storm in his arms. - - - - - - - - - - That afternoon, Serena was racing along the street after school, trying to make the Sailor Senshi meeting, when she saw Darien walking in front of her. She playfully slapped him on the back, unaware of his injured shoulder. "Hey! There's a bee on your back!" she said, then noticed his groan of pain. "It's gone now," she added. "Thank you. I hate bee's," he said tightly. "Appreciate it, meatball head." "Stop calling me that. I get enough from your friend, Rei. I don't need it from you too!" she declared, falling into their agreed-upon act. "OK, I won't say it anymore. Hey, I gotta get going. See you around, Serena," he said, walking away and still pressing his left hand against his injured shoulder. "What? No way! Darien was actually nice to me," she exclaimed, suddenly noticing she had something red on her hand, "What's this? Hey, this looks like blood. He's hurt!" Her heart swelled with concern for him. "Must be bad. He's not himself. I'd better follow him and see if he's alright." As Darien emerged from an alley near the Starlight Tower, reconsidering going to see a doctor, Serena tapped him on his good shoulder. Darien reacted with a karate blow which she narrowly avoided. "Why are you following me?" he asked. "Cool your jets, would ya!" she said. "Sorry. You just surprised me," he explained. "Well, you don't need to go ballistic, Darien. I just was worried about you, that's all," she said, thinking he was taking their act a little far. "What for?" he asked. "Cause you're bleeding," she told him. "And I doubt it happened in karate class, am I right?" "What do you care anyway?" he asked. 'How can he possibly ask that?' she wondered. "Cause, you're Rei's friend," she told him. 'Alright! If you're going to play the cold fish, so can I!' she thought. "Just leave me alone," he said, praying that for once she would take the hint and avoid getting dragged into his problem. "It's not serious." He turned and walked away, hating himself for being so gruff with her. "Not serious? Hah! As if!" she sputtered, setting off after him. Darien reached the park outside the Starlight Tower, where he was immediately enveloped in an energy field, quickly realizing that Serena had been caught too. "Serena, you gotta get out of here," he told her. "Wish I could," she whimpered in fright. The energy field scooped them off the ground and carried them into the tower, depositing them in front of the waiting Zoisite. Darien found Serena had fainted during the trip. "Hello, Darien. I hope you enjoyed the ride," Zoisite said. "I hope you've held up your end of the bargain. I've brought all five of our nijizuishou." She put them down on the floor then stepped back. "I'll show you mine, now you show me yours." "No matter what, you let the girl go," he demanded. "Don't worry. We have no interest in her," Zoisite said. Though his instincts still warned him not to trust her, Darien stepped forward and placed his two nijizuishou with the other five. "Ready when you are," he told Zoisite. "What are we waiting for?" She burst into hysterical laughter. "Humans! You never learn! You're such innocents!" Just then, Malachite materialized between them. "You double-crossed me!" Darien exclaimed, a sick feeling rising in the pit of his stomach. "What's he doing here?" "Someone's got to hold the crystals during your duel," Malachite said with amusement, scooping up the crystals. "Are you backing out on me?" Darien demanded of Zoisite, his mind racing for any opportunity to turn this situation around. "No chance!" Zoisite declared. "We're having this duel, don't you worry. I've been looking forward to this for a long while." "Zoisite," Malachite cautioned. "Remember our orders." "I will," she said. "And what were those?" Darien challenged, hurling a rose. Malachite vanished, allowing the rose to pass by, where it struck Zoisite, scratching her face. Serena regained consciousness to hear Darien demanding the return of the crystals. "Winner takes all, remember?" he said. 'Hey! That's Zoisite,' Serena realized. 'What's Darien doing arguing with her?' "You hurt my face, and you're going to pay for it," Zoisite told Darien. "If you want those crystals, I'll be on the roof. You've got two minutes, and if you don't show, I'll assume you're no longer interested in the nijizuishou." Zoisite teleported away, leaving Darien seething. 'Did the Negaverse bring him here because of me?' Serena wondered, fearing her secret had now placed Darien in danger. Suddenly, the room filled with mist and huge shards of ice formed on the ceiling, only to begin falling as potentially lethal projectiles. "Hurry!" Darien told Serena, as they sprinted for the elevator. 'This is so weird. I thought for sure they'd be after *me*,' she thought. The larger shards smashed through the floor on impact, tearing the entire room apart. As Serena cried out in fright, Darien pushed her toward the elevator, reaching it just in time. "Whew! Oh, that was close," she sighed. "Not over yet," he said. The walls of the elevator began to transform and the door was sealed over. "Don't worry, Serena. I won't let anything happen to you," he told her, as the elevator rose toward the roof where Zoisite and Malachite waited. "This elevator ride is taking so long. It's like slow torture," Serena exclaimed. "Darien. Why are you after the nijizuishou? Oh, I guess that's pretty nosey of me, hunh?" "I want to know who I am," he said. "You already know that my whole life, I've never really known who I am or where I come from. It never bothered me much until I kept having this recurring dream. There's this princess waiting for me. She keeps begging me to bring her this ginzuishou. I think she can tell me who I am. What's weird is that even though it's a dream, I feel as if I've met this girl. Pretty crazed, hunh?" He strained for any clues in her reaction, his heart still hoping that she was his princess. "Anyway, thanks for listening, meatball head." "Don't start! You said you weren't going to call me that anymore," she said, desperately trying to cover the intense pounding of her heart. "You do remember that?" "Of course," he answered softly. "Well, I'm glad you told me," she said, still stunned at how close his description was to her own dream of the prince and princess. As she looked over at him, her face flushed with emotion, she saw the profile of his face against the lights of the Tokyo skyline, and had an image of him as Tuxedo Kamen. 'No way. I'm just imagining things,' she thought, though no longer really so sure of that. She had just about resolved to tell him of her own dream when the elevator suddenly jerked to a stop. A blast of fire came hurtling down the elevator shaft, making it obvious to both of them that Zoisite had decided simply to finish them off. 'Sailor Moon could get us out of this, but then Darien'll find out who I really am,' Serena thought as she and Darien saw the fire coming toward them. 'There's only one choice. No fun getting toasted!' she decided. "You're going down, Zoisite!" Serena yelled. "Moon... Prism... Power!" Darien's surprise at her boldly defiant remark turned into complete astonishment as waves of energy enveloped Serena, melting away her school uniform down to just her nude body, then replacing it with the fuku of Sailor Moon. "It's her! Serena's Sailor Moon!" he exclaimed. The fire blast exploded back up out of the shaft, leaving Zoisite confident she had succeeded. "Such a pity. I'll just tell Beryl it was an accident. She won't mind with all seven nijizuishou," she chuckled. "Hold it!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Who's that?" Zoisite asked. "Takes more than a measly fireball to get rid of Sailor Moon, you slime-meister. You should know that after all this time. I am Sailor Moon, enemy of the Negaverse! And that means you!" Sailor Moon declared. Zoisite burst out laughing. "How ironic! It isn't you that I want, but your pal, Tuxedo Kamen." 'She suspects Darien,' Sailor Moon realized. 'Even if he is Tuxedo Kamen, I have to try to draw attention away from him.' "Tuxedo Kamen? Give me a break! He's not even here, Zoisite," she said. "Yes, I am!" Darien announced. "No way," Sailor Moon said. 'Please, Darien. This is no time for heroics.' "I am Tuxedo Kamen!" he declared. "You are?" Sailor Moon asked, turning to face him. Darien produced a red rose from inside his sport coat. 'He is Tuxedo Kamen,' she realized, her heart pounding wildly as it began slowly to sink in that Darien truly was the prince from her dreams. Darien's form blurred with energy as he raised the rose over his head, and he transformed into Tuxedo Kamen. "You should get out of here, Sailor Moon. This fight doesn't concern you anymore!" he said, sternly. 'Please, Serena. I couldn't bear the thought of you getting hurt!' "Course it concerns me. You kidding? If we stick together, we can beat 'em. Let's do it!" she insisted. 'You're my life, Darien. No way am I going to let you fight Zoisite alone when you're hurt!' "Sailor Moon, *I've* got to earn those crystals," he said, looking deep into her eyes, his heart aching with the love he saw there. "I know, so you can find your princess," she said. 'But you're *my* prince.' "Yeah," he agreed. 'But she could never mean as much to me as you do.' "So, Tuxedo Kamen. You still interested in fighting for the nijizuishou, or not?" Zoisite asked. "You know I am!" he said. "But you've got to guarantee a fair fight, and Sailor Moon's safety first!" "Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way," Zoisite told him. As she said that, however, a crystal shard materialized behind him, hurtling toward him. Tuxedo Kamen saw the sudden flash of malice in Zoisite's eyes, but couldn't jump clear, being struck in the back. "Watch out!" Sailor Moon cried, too late, her heart tearing in two as he collapsed to the floor. "Noooo! Tuxedo Kamen!" She crouched down and took him in her arms. "It's up to you now to get the crystals. And I want you to know I've always been on your side, and always will be," he told her, then fell unconscious. "Tuxedo Kamen, no, please don't go," she pleaded. The other Senshi arrived to see what had happened. "That's Tuxedo Kamen," Venus said. "Yeah. But I think we're too late," Mars said. "Dear Darien, you can't go! You can't!" Serena sobbed. The glow of their love washed through her as she desperately sought to pour it into him and make him well. A tear fell from her eye, glowing a bright silver. Elsewhere, Malachite was contemplating the seven nijizuishou, when they suddenly flew away from him. They materialized over Serena, combining with the energy released by her tear to form the ginzuishou. "What happens now?" Artemis asked, as they all looked on in amazement. "Don't know," said Luna. "Maybe the princess will be revealed." The crescent moon wand appeared and the ginzuishou attached itself to the inside of the crescent, where it joined the top of the handle. As the wand and crystal glowed brightly, Sailor Moon rose slowly to her feet, her eyes blank and in a trance. "It's Sailor Moon!" Venus exclaimed. "She's the princess!" said Mercury, stunned. Bathed in the ginzuishou's energy, Sailor Moon was transformed into the princess from her dream, her fuku replaced by the long, flowing silver-white gown. "We've finally found her, Artemis!" Luna said. "And about time," Artemis agreed quietly. 'Me? Serena? A princess? Now this is way past weird,' Serena thought. "Wow! Sailor Moon. You're the moon princess from so long ago. Right in front of me, and I didn't even know," Luna exclaimed, the shock of it still sinking in. "Yeah! Who would have thought that Serena of all people would turn out to be the moon princess. It's a total blow-away!" declared Jupiter. "Tell me about it," said Mars, her heart even more torn than it had been before. "And what about Darien? I still can't believe that he's Tuxedo Kamen!" said Mercury. "Oh, Mars. I'm so sorry. You must feel terrible." "Hmm. But I guess they were meant to be long before Darien and I," Mars replied, trying desperately to maintain a brave face. Seeing Serena very gently and lovingly cradle Darien's head in her lap, Rei's own psychic senses confirmed the intensity of feeling between the two, helping her make some sense of how Serena could have wound up in Darien's arms and his bed. Although Darien remained the most wonderful guy Rei had ever met, how could she possibly compete with such a deep love that had survived over a thousand years? "Enough with all your silly chatter!" said Zoisite. "I want that ginzuishou, and I'm going to get it!" She hurled an energy burst at Serena. The princess held up the moon wand, causing Zoisite's blast to harmlessly wash over her. "Cosmic moon power!" she softly intoned, holding the wand high over her head. The crystal flared with a brilliant light. "No!" screamed Zoisite, as the crystal hurled her brutally against the wall. She felt sharp stabs of pain as ribs cracked, then fell into unconscious oblivion. "Tuxedo Mask. I feel you are growing weaker. Please, do not go. I need you," the princess whispered, a tear running down her cheek and falling onto his face. He opened his eyes and looked up at her. "You're finally free,... Serenity," he said quietly, still in pain. "You're free, and now I remember everything. It's all so clear. I am Prince Endymion." She gasped as the names connected for her as well. "Yes, Prince Endymion. I am remembering now too. I am Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, and you were a prince from Earth. One day, we were to marry." They both recalled being together outside the palace of the Moon Kingdom, as Serenity had given Endymion her star locket as a token for him to remember her by. The happiness had been shattered by the invasion of the Negaverse. "You did come back. And you set me free, like in our dream," she said. "We are free." Energy washed over both of them, transforming Serenity back to Sailor Moon. She promptly fell unconscious, collapsing across the unconscious figure of Tuxedo Kamen. "Sailor Moon!" Venus exclaimed, as she and the others ran to her. "This whole thing must have been too much for her," Luna said. "Check her pulse," suggested Jupiter. "Is she going to be alright?" "I think so. Just a little fainting spell," said Venus. "How princess like," Mercury said. "All those memories flooding back must have overloaded her royal circuits. I'm sure she'll be fine," said Artemis. Mars turned her attention to Darien. "Come on, Darien. Wake up! It's me, Rei." "We've got to get him to a doctor. He needs help fast," said Jupiter. "Nobody's going anywhere," said Zoisite, her voice weak, as she struggled painfully to her feet. "I hope you got a good look at your princess, 'cause she's going back into history. You're all history." Malachite appeared beside her. "Zoisite! You're trembling!" He quickly took her in his arms. "Help me, Malachite. Help me get them all before they escape. They'll find the exit and take the ginzuishou with them," she said. "No, they won't! They'll never find their way out of here. We'll get that crystal back, don't you worry," he assured her. "But there's something else we've got to get, too." "Well, you'll have to deal with us first, pretty boy," Venus declared, as she and the other Sailors stood defiantly. "Cool your jets, Sailor brats. It's not you I'm interested in." Malachite hurled an energy blast against them, then caused a energy field to form around Darien. "He's after Darien!" Venus realized. "Darien! No!" Mars cried, watching helplessly as the field teleported him away. The pain in her heart was intense, but nothing she knew compared with what Serena would feel. "What are they gonna do with him?" < To be continued > ---------------------------------------------------------------------