A NEW SONG -by: the Yarnspinner- the_yarnspinner@yahoo.com A Sekkushiaru Roman featuring characters from the anime "Sailor Moon" Rated: H > Chapter 4 - Darkness before Dawn < Sailor Mercury was using her computer and scanner to try to find the way out of the transformed Starlight Tower, when Sailor Moon finally awoke. "Sailor Moon, are you alright?" Jupiter asked. "Yeah. You've been out of it for a while," said Mars. "Remember where you are? Remember what happened?" "Tuxedo Kamen. Where is here? Is he...? What happened to him? Why isn't he here?" she asked, finding the others not meeting her eyes. Her heart was pounding in desperation. "Did you abandon him?" "Of course not!" Mars declared, gruffly. "The Negaverse took him." "Was he alright?" "We don't know. Seems like he was hurt pretty badly," Mars said. "Oh, Darien," Sailor Moon sighed. "What are we gonna do?" "OK, you guys. We've got to talk here. If we're going to help Darien, you've got to understand your past. Luna and I are just remembering it too," Artemis said. "Are we part of the Moon Kingdom too?" asked Jupiter "Yeah, Jupiter. We've just got to be," said Venus. "I mean, if Sailor Moon's the princess, we must have had important jobs too. Right, Artemis?" "Right as usual, Venus," Artemis said. Serena's attention drifted away as Artemis and Luna explained their past. All she could feel was the ache in her heart. Discovering that Darien really was Tuxedo Kamen and the prince from her dreams had ended that mystery, but did not change the way she felt about him. It was Darien, the one she had previously fought with and thought she hated, who had swept her off her feet. It was Darien who had brought her out of her fantasy crush on Tuxedo Kamen and into the reality of true love. That she had been a princess in a past life, and that he had been her prince, made little difference. Darien was the one man she loved. The disjointed memories swirling through her head confused her. It was more than she was ready for. She wanted to seek Darien's strength and support, again bringing her back to the pain in her heart. "We've got to beat them. If we ever want lasting peace, we're going to have to beat the Negaverse once and for all," said Luna. "We don't want the same thing to happen to us that happened to the Moon Kingdom," said Venus. "Our universe would be destroyed. We've got to stand up to them, so we have a future." "Yeah! All together," said Mars. "United as one!" Jupiter agreed. "Count me out. I don't want to fight," said Sailor Moon softly, her attention finally returning to the conversation. If she could have one wish, it would be that she was simply an ordinary girl and that Darien was simply an ordinary guy, who were madly in love with each other. No Sailor Moon, no moon princess, no Negaverse, no fighting, just Serena and Darien. "You don't mean that, do you? I mean you're our leader. We need you," said Jupiter. "And you're the princess," Luna reminded her. "I don't care. Somebody else can do it," Sailor Moon replied. "Come on, Sailor Moon. It's your destiny," Venus said. "You're the one." "I am not, Venus. I mean, I can barely handle being Sailor Moon. Now I'm the moon princess too? I can't do this, I'm telling you." "You're just tired," Luna told her. "You need some time to let it all sink in, and then..." "I don't *want* any of this to sink in! I just want to be a normal teenager!" she cried. Why couldn't any of them understand that? There was nothing left in her life without Darien. And now, they wanted her to be some great warrior leader? All she wanted was to let Darien fold her into his loving embrace, and smooth away all her troubles as he had done with the storm. She was working herself into a fit of hysteria. Mars set her jaw, stepped forward and, absolutely despising herself, slapped Serena hard across the face. 'I hope we can get out of here and she has a chance to understand why I'm doing this," she thought. In her dreams, Rei had longed for the day when she would have been in Darien's passionate embrace. Now, she knew that would never happen. Only Serena could free Darien from the Negaverse now. She just needed the time to realize that. "Sailor Moon! Even though you're a crybaby and an irresponsible whiner..." "Go away, Mars," Sailor Moon cried. "I don't need this now! I know you hate me. You've always hated me." "That's not true," Mars said, her voice breaking, the slap hurting her far more than it did Serena. "It isn't?" "Gotta say, never thought you were much of a leader," Mars told her, choking up with emotion. "But I know I was wrong, 'specially after seeing the way you handled that crystal." "Yeah, you totally toasted that crud, Zoisite," Artemis agreed, beginning to see the method in what Mars had done. "A very pretty site," Luna said. "Oh, come on, you guys. Let her be for a little while. After all, this is Serena, and this is a very big deal," Mercury said. "And here's the good news: I've found a way out of here!" "Good work!" said Luna. "What do you say we go get some burgers and get our minds off all this?" "Oh yeah! I could go for that," said Venus. "Sorry, dinner plans just got canceled!" Malachite declared, materializing above them. "I want that ginzuishou!" Sailor Moon fell back a step, her spirits plunging at the thought of another battle. The other Senshi instinctively moved in to protect her. "If you want that crystal, you answer to me!" Venus said. "And me!" added Jupiter. "Let's double-team him, 'kay Venus?" "Excellent idea," she agreed. "Jupiter... Thunder... Crash!" Jupiter yelled, hurling a blast at him. She was stunned to see it harmlessly absorbed into Malachite's force-field. "What goes? He's absorbing all my energy!" "I'll take care of it," said Venus, only to find her energy beam soaked up just like Jupiter's lightning. "This is bad!" said Mercury. "He's sucking up any energy we throw at him. We've got to find a way to stop him!" "What can we do, Mercury?" Mars asked. "Ha! Nothing, girls!" Malachite said as he hurled a ball of energy at Venus and Jupiter. "I'm sure not giving up yet," said a battered but defiant Jupiter. "Me neither," Venus agreed. "But what can we do?" "Like I said before, nothing!" Malachite hurled a second energy ball at Jupiter and Venus, knocking them unconscious. "Hand over the crystal, unless you want to end up like your friends!" he demanded of the others. "No choice there, hunh Mercury? Get her out of here," Mars said, turning to Sailor Moon. "Go on! You're the princess. We've got to protect you, and the ginzuishou!" "Get on with it, would you," Malachite insisted angrily. "Fine! Mars... Fire... Ignite!" Mars' fire blast met with no more success than had the attacks of Jupiter and Venus. "Pathetic! What a joke!" Malachite unleashed an even stronger blast of his own, knocking out Mars. "No! Sailor Mars!" Sailor Moon cried. "Step aside, Mercury! It's not you I'm after," Malachite said. "Go bleach your roots, creep!" Mercury answered defiantly. "Fine then. It's your loss," he said, blasting her. "No one stands in my way!" Mercury was hurled back into Sailor Moon. "Sailor Mercury, can you hear me?" she asked. "Sorry, princess. He was too strong for us," Mercury answered softly. "Then I'm history," Sailor Moon said. She promptly heard the voices of the other girls in her head telling her to believe in herself. "Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter. My friends," she whispered sadly, her resolve growing. 'Don't worry, Senshi. I won't let you down. Not this time,' she thought. She then saw an image of Tuxedo Kamen. 'Help me be free again,' he asked her. 'Tuxedo Kamen! You came!' 'I'm on your side, Sailor Moon. And always will be.' With a determined glint in her eye, and the warm golden glow bright within her, Sailor Moon grasped her moon wand. "Come on, you pasty-faced, two-timing, nega-twit! You're history!" "Oh, sounds like a challenge! Say goodbye now, Sailor Moon! This one's for Zoisite!" Malachite put his full power into an energy ball, hurling it at Sailor Moon. The power washed over her as the ginzuishou began to glow. "Cosmic moon power!" Sailor Moon cried, as she began to push back Malachite's attack. "She's strong!" Malachite exclaimed, suddenly finding himself on the defensive. 'Hmm. The kid knows how to handle that crystal after all.' The ginzuishou's power flooded through the Starlight Tower, overcoming the transformation, and forcing Malachite to flee back into the Negaverse. "Whoa! Where did that come from?" Sailor Moon wondered. She sat among the ruins of the Starlight Tower, looking out at the sunrise. 'I don't know where you are, Tuxedo Kamen. But wherever it is, I'm with you,' she thought. Clearing her mind of all thoughts but Darien, Serena could feel the golden glow very faint within her. She reached toward it, adding her love to it and seeing it grow brighter. As long as it was there, she and Darien were connected, and eventually, it would lead her to him. "There you are, Sailor Moon," Venus called to her. "Hey, girl. You alright?" "Yeah, fine," she answered. "Hope you know, we'll always be behind you, no matter what," Mars said. "I know. Thank you," Sailor Moon said. "You really nailed that guy today. I'm proud of you," Luna told her. "And your mother'd be proud of you too," said Artemis. "You girls were all great today. It's going to be a tough fight all the way, but I know we can beat the Negaverse. We've got to," Luna said. "Unh-hunh," Sailor Moon agreed. 'And find Tuxedo Kamen, wherever you are out there.' The glow within her again seemed to glow slightly brighter. - - - - - - - - - - Within the Negaverse, Darien struggled against Queen Beryl's efforts to erase his memories and turn him into one of her warrior- slaves. He was vaguely aware of Beryl's growing frustration as he held out, and could feel the increasing power she was pouring into him, trying to break him. "Who are you?" Beryl's cold, grating voice screamed. "I am Darien," he replied again, his voice merely a faint whisper, but still reflecting his defiance. A huge blast of power tore through him, as Beryl continued her sledgehammer approach. Using his meditation techniques, Darien retreated within himself, hoping to prolong his resistance. As he did so, he became aware of the glow within him. 'Serena!' his thoughts cried. He reached for the warmth, feeling it grow stronger and brighter as the power of her love flowed into him. Armed with that energy, Darien began creating a series of internal barriers. Beryl might gain control of part of his mind, but the core of himself would remain intact from which he could begin to fight back once he was free of her brainwashing energy. - - - - - - - - - - "Are you alright, Serena?" Eileen Tsukino asked her daughter. "Fine, Mom," Serena answered in a listless voice. Serena had not been sleeping well the last few days, and more seriously, had not been eating. For Serena, this indicated a major crisis. "You sure there isn't anything you want to talk about?" Eileen asked. "No. Gotta go," Serena said, heading for the door. Eileen decided not to press. The time might come for that later, but not yet. A dark thought kept crossing her mind, and she fervently hoped, for Serena's sake, that she was wrong. She knew that almost two weeks earlier, Serena had spent the night with a boy. Although Serena has been outwardly nonchalant afterward, Eileen had recognized the tremendous joy within her daughter that showed when Serena didn't think anyone was looking. Whoever the boy was, he obviously made Serena incredibly happy. The fact that Ken Tsukino had made Eileen feel exactly the same way since they had been in high school convinced her that she had been right not to interfere. Now, that had all changed. That happiness was gone from Serena, and Eileen had a nagging suspicion that the boy had dumped her. The thought of any boy using her daughter for just a quick tumble in the sheets made her see red. While she knew her husband would be inclined to boil over at the slightest hint of any boy getting close to Serena, it would take something more serious to light Eileen's anger. A boy abusing her daughter's feelings, however, was something she could not forgive. There was, of course, another matter to be considered, a potential consequence of a boy and a girl having sex. Eileen wasn't ready to face that one yet, hoping that Serena had been smart enough to insist on protection. As she watched Serena walking glumly down the street, Eileen again prayed that Serena was only in the dumps because the boy was temporarily away. - - - - - - - - - - Serena was curled up on Darien's bed, crying softly. After their last get-together, she had found a key to his apartment which Darien had slipped into her briefcase. With the Senshi meeting breaking up with nothing for them to really do, Serena had excused herself and come straight here. Upon arriving, she had absently straightened up a few things, and found the plants in need of watering. 'I should have thought of the plants earlier,' she had softly scolded herself. She had saved his bedroom for last. The tears had burst out of her when she saw his bed and remembered the love and pleasure they had shared there. Desperate for some physical reminder of him, she had stripped off her clothes, finding in his closet a shirt that still carried his scent. Putting it on over her naked body, she breathed in deeply, enjoying a small amount of comfort. As she lay on his bed, she had recalled the day before, when Tuxedo Kamen had shown up to fight on the side of Negaverse. It had shocked Serena to find the man she loved now declaring her to be an enemy. Although she had blithely talked afterward of simply capturing Darien back from the Negaverse and undoing his brainwashing, the idle time since then had brought back her fears and anxieties about getting him back. Serena lay there, tears still running down her cheeks, as she tried to imagine him walking into the room to declare that everything was once more the way it should be as he removed his clothes, then sat down beside her and unbuttoned the shirt she had borrowed. She imagined him running his hands lovingly over every bit of her body, driving her to the edge of insanity as he alone could do, before spreading her legs open and sliding his hard, erect penis deep into the loving embrace of her womanhood. She suddenly became aware of the glow within her, now pulsing strangely. It reminded her almost of Tinkerbell, the pixie friend of Peter Pan, shown by a flashing light. Clearing her mind, she focused her attention on the glow. From it, she could feel, unmistakably, Darien's presence. 'Help me be free again, Serena.' The thoughts formed very faintly in her mind but clearly in his voice. Unlike the earlier dream, it was clearly Darien, and he called her Serena, not Serenity. As she focused herself on the glow, it grew brighter. 'Where are you?' she asked. 'In the Negaverse, I think.' 'You fought me and the other Senshi,' Serena told him. 'Not me, Serena.' he answered. 'Beryl's taken over a part of me. I'm still fighting her, trying to regain control, but so far she's too strong.' His voice in her mind was sounding tired. 'Save your strength. And draw on mine as much as you need,' she told him. 'I will set you free.' 'I love you, Serena.' 'I love you,' she replied. The glow stopped pulsing, but remained there within her. She continued to focus her energy on it, understanding that she now had a part of him in her. Maybe he couldn't be there to share his body with her, but he had given her a part of his soul, and now they would make use of that to set him free. She couldn't tell anybody about this yet, but for the first time since he had been captured, she felt a new hope in her heart. - - - - - - - - - - Molly was concerned. She had seen Serena moping about, and had wondered if she and Darien were having problems. Darien didn't strike Molly as the type to just treat Serena as a one-night stand, especially since the feelings they displayed around each other were usually so strong. Entering the game center, she spotted Andrew, knowing that he and Darien were good friends. "Hi, Andrew," she called. "Hi, Molly," he replied. "What's up? I haven't seen Serena around much lately. Is anything wrong?" "Oh, same old, same old," Molly said vaguely. "Actually, I was looking for Darien." "You and everybody else," Andrew said, shaking his head. "What do you mean?" "He hasn't shown his face in nearly a week. He hasn't gone to a single class, he isn't answering his phone, he hasn't come in here or at the cafe. I've gotten a message from his boss that he hasn't shown up for work. I've tried stopping by his apartment several times, and the lights have been out and no answer for the buzzer," Andrew explained. "Wow. You must be worried," Molly said. Andrew nodded. "It's not like him at all." "Well, thanks anyway. I hope you have good news," she told him. "And I'll tell Serena you asked about her." "Thanks. Bye, Molly." Molly walked along the street, thinking things over. Darien's "disappearance" actually made some sense to her, in part because she had felt certain Darien wouldn't just dump Serena, and in part because she had had some vague suspicions about Serena for several months. It had started after Neflite, calling himself Maxfield Stanton, had come into Molly's life. At the same time, Molly suddenly found herself frequently caught in the middle between the Sailor Senshi and the strange monsters they fought. It was Serena who had warned Molly that Maxfield Stanton was a bad person, even though she knew otherwise, but it was Sailor Moon who had turned up soon after to protect Molly, almost like Sailor Moon had expected her to be in trouble. Furthermore, Neflite was Sailor Moon's enemy, raising the question of how Serena could have known who and what he was. Finally, when Neflite had come to Molly's room and confessed his true identity to her, asking for her help to make a new start, Molly in desperation had called Serena, needing someone to talk to. Soon after, Molly had again been attacked. Neflite had rescued her, only to be seriously injured soon thereafter. Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars had come to her rescue once more, destroying the monsters that had wounded Neflite, but were not in time to save him. Every time Molly saw Sailor Moon, something told her she knew her. It seemed an unlikely coincidence that Sailor Moon and Serena should just happen to have the same very uncommon hairstyle. Yet whenever Molly was with Serena, it was almost like a voice in her head kept telling her that such suspicions were crazy, that there couldn't possibly be any connection. But what if there was? Or what if the evil people Neflite had abandoned thought there was? They had kidnaped Molly because she was close to Neflite. Could Darien have been captured because Serena might be Sailor Moon? It certainly seemed plausible. But was Serena really Sailor Moon? Molly had trouble thinking of Serena as the heroic type, but then there had been times when Sailor Moon had seemed as awkward and klutzy and even cowardly as Serena could be. If it was true, then this was another secret Molly couldn't conceive of not keeping. Serena's safety would depend on her secret not becoming known. The thought of Serena being involved against such evil scared Molly, but she suspected it would have scared Serena too, at least at first. - - - - - - - - - - Serena was at Rei's temple. Recently returned from their ski trip, Rei sat in front of the sacred fire, opening her senses while waiting for Serena to come out of the bathroom. She and Rei were the only ones on the grounds at the moment. Rei had been getting strange vibes from Serena all afternoon. Luna had said that Serena had bolted awake in the middle of the night gasping and crying hysterically, but had refused to tell anyone what the dream had been about. Right now, Serena seemed to be feeling a very deep, profound sadness, Rei determined. Clearly though, it was not the same sadness she had been feeling for Darien. Suddenly, Rei got a strong flash of anticipation from Serena, then disappointment. 'What is going on?' Rei wondered. Soon, she heard Serena come out of the bathroom, then sit down in Rei's bedroom to pour through her manga collection. 'Well, at least that's normal Serena behavior,' Rei thought. Eventually, Rei finished her meditation exercises and went into the bathroom, intending to splash some water on her face after sitting close to the fire. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a box in the wastebasket. 'That looks like...' It was a box for a home pregnancy test. "Sereeeeeenaa!" Rei bellowed. 'Gods! Didn't those two take *any* precautions?' "What is it Rei? You nearly scared me to death." "And just what is this?" Rei asked, holding up the box. Panic briefly rose in Serena's stomach. "Ah, does it mean that you and Chad are getting really serious?" "Serena! You know very well this is not mine!" Rei said, anger rising in her voice. "Suppose my grandpa had found this. How would I have explained it to him?" Serena didn't answer, her gaze falling to the floor. "So, are you pregnant?" Rei asked bluntly. "What? How could I possibly be pregnant?" Rei hesitated, finally deciding she had to press on. "Serena, I know about you and Darien," she said. Serena's breath caught, but she quickly recovered. "Know about what?" Immediately, she could see that Rei was serious. "Just that. I *know* about you two," she said. Serena sagged back against the wall. "How?" she asked weakly. "I was walking home past Darien's apartment that Sunday," Rei explained, struggling to keep her eyes level with Serena's. "I saw him and this blond girl kissing passionately out on the balcony." She saw a flash of recognition in Serena's face. "Seeing him with another girl left me angry, and hurt, and jealous. I was determined to find out who she was and to throw it back in his face. Later that night, I slipped in and made use of the sacred fire." Serena's eyes went wide. "You mean, you saw..." "No!" Rei said emphatically, her face turning nearly as red as her outfit. "I saw the two of you asleep in Darien's bed, although it didn't require much imagination to figure out what had been going on earlier. Initially, I was blindly angry at Darien, until I realized it was you in bed with him. I didn't think I could imagine a bigger shock, since you two had seemed to despise each other." A faint smile flickered across Serena's face. "I would have thought the same thing too, until the day before." "But something did shock me more," Rei said. "Though he was asleep, Darien noticed me. He lashed out with an overwhelming power that not only shattered the psychic link I had forged through the fire, but actually physically threw me across the room. I was just lucky he was asleep or he might have killed me. I know now that must have been part of his power as Tuxedo Kamen, but at the time, I couldn't imagine how he could possibly have such power." Serena nodded, considering her own link to Darien. "But back to my original question, Serena. Are you pregnant?" "No," Serena answered, carefully. "Not now." "What do mean, not now?" Rei asked. "You're not saying you were pregnant?" "Well, ah, it's, uhm, hard to explain," she said. "Serena! Out with it! Either you are pregnant or you aren't," Rei said. "Unless... You're not saying you were pregnant and you had... something done about it?" "No! Absolutely not!" Serena insisted. She looked at the floor, took a deep breath, then met Rei's hard gaze. "During the Moon Kingdom, I, uh, that is, Serenity... was pregnant at the end." Rei's eyes widened again. "Princess Serenity was pregnant, with Endymion's child?" "Yes," Serena confirmed. "I just remembered it in my dream last night." Tears were forming in her eyes. "How do you know you, uh, she, uh whatever, was pregnant?" Rei asked. "It had been seven weeks since her last period," Serena answered. Rei nodded. "Did anyone else know?" "I don't think so, other than Endymion and I, uh, Serenity. But Queen Serenity probably figured it out. She seemed to figure out everything else." "So why are you so sad?" Rei asked, puzzled. "Don't you see? Endymion and Serenity were going to have a baby. When we all got sent into the future, what happened to that child?" Serena sobbed. "It's not fair!" "No, it's not fair. But, Serena, you, Serenity, couldn't have been the only person in the Moon Kingdom to be pregnant at the time the Negaverse attacked," Rei said. "But what happened to our child?" Serena cried again. "Serena, we were all reborn, remember," Rei sighed, realizing that Serena was really taking this seriously. "New parents and families in this time. Growing up from babies, the regular way. That means that child became what he or she was before, a part of you and a part of Darien. When the time is right, if you two are sensible and take the proper precautions, you and he will have a child. I don't know if it will be the same one you might have had if the Moon Kingdom hadn't been destroyed, but it will be your child." "Thank you, Rei," Serena said, taking another deep breath. "I haven't been able to communicate this with Darien." "Hunh? What are you talking about?" "Darien and I. There's part of him in me, and part of me in him," she explained. "That's probably how he was able to respond so promptly as Tuxedo Kamen. Anyway, our love produces a warm golden glow from Darien that the link causes to radiate through both of us. Since he was captured, I can sometimes 'hear' his thoughts inside me. He's pulled back deep inside himself, and every time we meet the evil Endymion, Tuxedo Kamen, in battle, Darien is at work trying to hold him back, and to regain control of himself." "You should have told me this sooner!" Rei said. "That's just what we've been looking for." "What do you mean?" "First, you should be able to home in on him, just as he was able to home in on you. That's how we can find our way to him. Fight the Negaverse when we're ready, on our terms. Second, your link gives you the means to help free him," Rei explained. Serena's eyes brightened. "I was thinking much the same thing. I've already been adding some of my strength to his to help him fight," she said. "How?" "I clear my thoughts so I can focus on the glow, then I concentrate on our feelings for each other, and it gets brighter," Serena said. "Not bad," Rei said, impressed. "That's good for someone with no training. It will take some time, but I want to teach you some mental exercises that will help you. You'll need to be able to do this under pressure, since you're probably going to have to let the Endymion personality think you're defeated in order to get his guard down. Then you and Darien can strike together." "OK! Let's get started," Serena said. "But you have to keep this a secret," Rei said. "You'll probably only get one shot at this, so you can't try it until I'm certain you're ready for it. Otherwise, you could lose Darien completely." "I understand," Serena said. - - - - - - - - - - Darien was drifting through his own memories. The shadow Endymion Beryl had managed to conjure up seemed not to be doing anything more than plotting against Malachite. Darien was finding memories of the real Endymion, drawing strength from his love for Serenity. He thought he had felt anguish from Serena earlier, but she had quickly shut such feelings out as she gave him more of her own strength. Searching particularly for memories of happiness and joy, he found himself drawn to another scene. This time, they were on the Moon, and Serenity was looking out across the palace gardens. Prince Endymion's heart had swelled with the love he felt for her as he approached. "Serenity, my love," he said quietly. She turned and looked at him. "Endymion," she whispered, a smile of purest joy on her face and tears streaming from her eyes. "What is it?" he asked. "Is something wrong?" "No," she said, embracing him tightly. "Everything is absolutely wonderful, my prince." He held her gently in his arms, now clearly feeling the joy within her. "What is it, my love?" She looked up into his eyes, her eyes sparkling brightly as she blinked away her tears. "We're going to have a baby, darling." Endymion's eyes went wide, followed an instant later by a feeling of overwhelming joy. He hugged her and kissed her passionately. "Serenity! That's so wonderful," he exclaimed. "You are sure?" "Yes. I am seven weeks late. And the doctor said the test confirmed it." "Does your mother know?" he asked. "Well, I have not told her," Serenity said. "But you know how she just seems to know things." "Will this create a problem?" he asked. "You getting pregnant before we are married?" "Not here on the Moon," Serenity said. "And I think mother will be happy for us." He nodded, still amazed at the thought of their child now growing within her womb. "When should we tell people?" he asked. "Probably we shouldn't wait too long to tell your mother that she will soon be a grandmother." Serenity giggled. "You're right, but I think the formal announcement can wait." He hugged her again and they kissed, overjoyed at the thought of the new life they had made between them. As Darien soaked in the love and joy, amazed at the discovery that Endymion and Serenity had been about to have a child, he came across the downside of it. He recalled that only days later the Negaverse had started its first campaigns against Earth, which had led ultimately to the devastating attack on the Moon. Now Darien could guess the cause of the anguish he had sensed from Serena, as he remembered the joy with which she had greeted the prospect that she might be pregnant with his child. He steeled himself further, determined that he would free himself, and that one day, when they were both older, he would hear that joyful announcement from Serena, this time with a much happier ending. - - - - - - - - - - The Tsukino family was enjoying a vacation at a hot springs resort in the mountains. With the rest of the family in the water, Sammy had objected to the smell. Serena had given him some "encouragement" by pushing him in. He had retaliated by yanking away her towel, leaving her naked in the water. "Sammy! Want to make it to puberty?" Serena growled. "Ha! Come and get it!" Sammy called, as he headed away from the pool. "I'm warning you!" "Hey, awesome view," Sammy said, looking at the surroundings. "I can see for just miles." "Got it!" Serena said, grabbing her towel away from him. "What are you looking at?" "Look. There's some guy in a suit. Down there," he said, pointing to a figure along the shore of the lake. "What? Where?" Serena asked. In the distance, she recognized the dark hair, while the glow within her confirmed it. "Darien!" she gasped. She turned and ran off. Moments later, having put on a kimono, Serena raced down to the shore, where she found only a statue of two people erected there. Suddenly, her star locket began playing on its own. As she was listening to it, and looking out across the lake, she heard a twig snap behind her, turning to find Darien standing there. "There's something about that music that sounds familiar," he said, showing no sign of recognizing her. "Come on. Wake up, Darien. It's me, Serena," she said, as much to him as to the glow within her. "Please. Remember?" "Darien? Serena? I've never heard these names before," he said. "What is it that you want?" "Never heard? How can you say that? Oh, can't you remember me?" She wanted to pour the full power of her love into her link with Darien right then and there, but she remembered Rei's caution that she wasn't ready yet for a psychic struggle with the shadow Endymion. "Serena!" Eileen Tsukino called. Serena turned to see her mother coming down the path, turning back to find he had disappeared. "Are you alright, Serena?" her mother asked. "We were worried about you." "Oh, uhm, I'm fine," she answered. "Oh, it's the guardians of the lake," Eileen said, referring to the statue. "They have quite a story." Eileen told Serena of the legend, where a young man from the village had fallen in love with a water sprite who lived in the lake. The man was also loved by a woman in the village, whose jealousy transformed her into a terrible monster, destroying everything in her path. Finally, the two lovers used the power of their love to trap the monster at the bottom of the lake, afterwhich they rose into the sky to become two stars. "We'd better head back, or you'll catch cold," Eileen told Serena. As they walked back up the path she decided to indirectly raise the issue of the boy Serena was interested in. "Serena, when you find a boy that you like, you should bring him home and introduce him to us. Your dad would like that. OK?" 'And I'll see to it that he doesn't fly off the handle,' she added to herself. "Uh, yeah. OK... I will... Someday," Serena said. 'Someday, when he comes back.' - - - - - - - - - - Darien had almost expected a flood of power from Serena, but was surprised that she had held back. He understood, though, that as she would have been no match for him in a psychic duel, she likewise would not be a match for the shadow Endymion. Suddenly, it occurred to him that Rei might be training Serena, and that Serena was holding back until she was ready. At the same time, he sensed Endymion taking an interest in the lake and its legendary monster, releasing it from its imprisonment. "I command you to rise and obey me!" Endymion cried. The monster burst out of lake. "Obey you? Never!" she declared. 'Not a smart move,' Darien thought. 'And Serena is out there somewhere, without the other Senshi to back her up.' - - - - - - - - - - Serena's thoughts were still on Darien, with her parents noticing how preoccupied she was. Feeling more tears coming on, Serena turned and ran back toward the inn. 'I'm not going to let this get to me. No way,' Serena thought as she ran up the path. "Revenge is mine!" the monster declared from behind her, having mistaken Serena for the water sprite of old. "Hunh? What was that?" Serena cried. "Your scariest nightmare!" the monster said. Just as the monster confronted her, Serena's family came up behind her. "Serena! Quick, get over here. Right now," her mother called. The monster flew after Serena in pursuit, chasing the Tsukinos into the trees. "All right! That's it! How dare you terrorize my family, you reject from a fish factory!" Serena yelled. "Go slink back to whatever sewer you came from." Ken Tsukino grabbed a tree branch and prepared to do battle, but his courage was overwhelmed as the monster swept toward him, grabbing him and pinning him to a tree. 'I've got to stop her,' Serena thought, seeing her father in danger. She clenched her fist. "Moon..." Suddenly a black rose streaked between the monster and Ken Tsukino, breaking its grip. As Eileen ran to her husband, Tuxedo Kamen stood ready. "Who's the guy in the cape?" asked Sammy. "He should be here to help us, at least. I hope," said Serena. "Back off, lady. Bad form to attack innocent people!" Tuxedo Kamen told the monster. "You want a fight? I'll give you a fight!" The monster sprang to the attack. Confusion reigned as Tuxedo Kamen jumped clear. Serena wanted to help, but couldn't with her family there, helping to lead her father away from the scene. Her heart skipped a beat as Tuxedo Kamen was struck by the monster's tail and knocked to the ground. Before the monster could close in, the Sailor Senshi arrived. "You're history!" they told the monster. "Whoa! The Sailor Senshi are gonna waste her good!" Sammy exclaimed. 'Not without me they won't,' Serena thought. Sailor Mercury clouded the air with her bubbles, with the Tsukinos taking their cue to run for cover. Serena lagged behind, quickly ducking out of sight in the fog, and transforming into Sailor Moon. "Hey! Over here, scale-face," Sailor Moon called. "So, I got your attention, hunh? How dare you mess with my family. I'm Sailor Moon, and there's no way I'm going to let you hurt the people I really love!" Her attention was quickly distracted by Tuxedo Kamen, as she asked if he still really cared for her. The monster took advantage of the situation to attack. Venus and Jupiter promptly combined forces to attack the monster, apparently vaporizing her. "We gotcha!" Jupiter declared, triumphantly. The monster quickly reformed. "Looks like we didn't get her so good after all," said Venus. "Try this, sister sludge!" said Sailor Moon, hurling her tiara at the monster, only to see it reform once again. Mars determined the creature's true nature, dismissing Tuxedo Kamen's claims that he should take responsibility for it. She combined her Mars power with one of her anti-evil scrolls, slapping the piece of paper on the monster's forehead and immobilizing it. "Check this out, swamp trash!" she cried, as she then hurled a fire blast at it. "Now, Sailor Moon," Venus prompted. "Oh, right!" Sailor Moon activated the healing energy of the ginzuishou and the crescent moon wand, purging the woman of all her evil and jealousy, setting her free. The Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen watched in awe as she rose into the sky and vanished. "So, Sailor Senshi. Guess we'll settle the business of the ginzuishou later. Till next time," Tuxedo Kamen said, then jumped away. "No, don't go, Tuxedo Kamen," Sailor Moon called. "I don't get it." - - - - - - - - - - That night, as Serena lay in bed, she focused on the glow within her, suddenly feeling Darien's exhaustion. Her heart filling with concern, she directed as much of her strength as she could into the glow. Although she couldn't hear Darien's thoughts, she guessed that he had been partially behind Tuxedo Kamen's intervention. 'Please, conserve your strength, dear Darien,' she told him with her thoughts, hoping he at least could hear her. 'You will be free again, soon.' < To be continued > ********** NOTE: The first two chapters have received a glowing response, and I want to thank again those who have sent me e-mails. One individual, I believe, was inquiring about Sexylyon's web address, which is "access.victoria.bc.ca./~joannee/masterframe.html". As for "A New Song", we've gotten away from some of the spicy action for the moment, but just keep reading. First and foremost, this story is about two young lovers. Enjoy.