Well, due to the fact that I had the pleasure of receiving an 
e-mail from the honorable LeVar Bouyer, I decided to listen
to his advice on using asterisks instead of capital letters
to emphasize words. I'm *used* to using capitals, but now 
I'll be using more asterisks. Like I did right there. ^_^ So, maybe
some of you will be happier now. ^_^

Ok, minna-chan - *last* part of this story here. I put
a *lot* of myself into this, so I certainly hope you enjoy
it. I wrote it over, like, 3 times this week. ^_^; Author's notes 
that you may actually wanna read are at the bottom. Ja, and 
enjoy! ^_^
-Lianne (LianneSen@aol.com)

This part is rated PG-13, for swearing, violence, and heavy drama.

*Surfacings: Desperation*
Part 7

	Serena cried softly in Darien's arms. Her face buried in his shoulder,
her small hands clutching his sleeve, warm tears disappearing
in the fabric of his shirt as her form shook in his embrace. The blackness
around them had melted slightly; it was dark, but no longer filled with
the same brooding, heavy oppression of shortly before. Darien was silent,
eyes closed, blood dripping from his arm to splash on the cold floor 
in dark, heavy droplets. He didn't take notice. He shook slightly, his arms 
holding her softly, his chest hardly moving with his shuddering, quiet breaths.
	"Darien..." she whispered softly through her sobs, her voice 
trembling. Her heart was pounding briskly in her small chest, her thoughts 
blurring and spilling over unto themselves in a wash of sensation. Her
thoughts *were* no more than passion; she couldn't have grasped 
anything solid if she had wanted to, her tears filling up her throat,
her eyes, her head...she couldn't do anything but cry, her emotions
heavy and unstable through her body...she clutched him tighter, his
warmth protective and comforting in the mercurial state that her
body and mind were in...
	He closed his arms around her gently tighter, his eyelids closing
against her hair. Their breathing and her sobbing echoed in the immense 
cavern, glancing from the stone walls and disappearing into the darkness 
around them like smoke...Serena shakily put an arm around his neck, 
pulling him into a tighter hold. He cradled her softly, his arms gentle
as she clutched him closer, his shirt soaking up her quiet tears.
"Darien..." she whispered again, almost fearfully. Her heart hurt as 
it thudded in her chest, though it felt warmer, safer, now that she was 
in his arms...
	"It's ok," he whispered to her hair, stroking it gently with his fingertips
at the back of her head. She clutched at him tighter as she sucked in
another whimper; he pulled her closer, rubbing her shoulders gently 
to comfort her shaking body. "It's ok..." he whispered again, his warm, 
soft breath melting into the air around her like wisps of cloud.
	She choked on a sob, her tears spilling down her flushed face
and fading into cloth of him, her..."Darien..." she breathed, her
voice high and quivering. "I'm...I'm scared..." 
	He hugged her tighter. "Don't be..." he whispered. "I'm here..." 
	"Darien..." Her insides were flooding her..."Oh, Darien...I'm so scared..."
	He opened his eyes slowly, looking down at her shivering form. 
Gently, he released one arm from around her and softly tipped up her chin 
so she could face him. She bit her lip, her eyes swimming as she stared
into his...his pupils were light, the soft blue reflecting her own...he leaned 
closer to her, softly touching her cheek. "Serena..." he whispered. 
His eyes quivered. "Your eyes...they're clear again...I...I almost
forgot how beautiful your eyes were..." He softly, tremblingly, brushed
his thumb across her temple, their eyes fixated...Serena felt herself
melting inside, her heart beating faster as her insides flitted madly
as she stared into seas of soft blue...she found her hand reaching up,
slowly, coming in contact with his face...she slid her fingertips up
his temple, softly letting her fingers travel through his bangs,
gently...she felt her hand shaking, her insides shaking, as she did so,
but she just wanted to touch him, pull him in with her eyes, lose
herself in his vast, flooding blueness...
	Her tears were stopping. He gently wiped away the trails on
her cheeks with his thumb, his eyes never straying from hers...
she felt how warm, soft his fingers were on her face...she closed
her eyes, her breathing slowing and her heart quickening. "Darien..."
she whispered, almost shakily. "God...I love you so much..."
	His hand ran down her face, over her cheek...he fingered her 
thick bangs shakily, his hand trembling..."Serena..." he breathed.
"I...love you so much, I...I don't even know...what to do..."
	Her eyes opened slowly, shakily, looking into his own...two
sets of endlessly blue eyes spilling, falling into each other...
he found her hand; gently, he slid his fingers through hers,
clasping their hands softly. His eyes quivered. "Serena...oh, Serena,
let me hold you forever..."
	Serena's eyes trembled, her hand tightening with his. "Darien..."
she whispered back, her voice quavering. "That's...that's all I...
want..." He pressed his forehead against hers, putting his
other hand over their clasped ones. Serena bit her lip, her 
eyes spilling into his. "Darien...what do we...do now? I...I love 
you more than anything...but I...I don't know what...to do...about
it...I just...I...I never loved anyone...like you...before..."
	He took her face gently, the two of them closing their
eyes as he whispered to her in low tones. "Serena..." he whispered.
"I...I've never loved...*anyone*...but I...I love you more than I've
ever loved anything in my life..."
	Her lip quivered. She felt like she was going to cry..."Darien..."
	"Just never leave me..." he suddenly breathed, so quietly she 
hardly heard it. "Never be away from me...Serena, I want to 
be with you the rest of my life...I'm yours until the last breath
of my body melts in your arms...I...I never want to be apart from
you..."
	Tears squeezed out from under her eyelashes, her throat 
swallowing a sob. He whispered again to her, his voice
so quiet as his hand tightened over hers with gentle but
spilling, flooding passion..."Serena...be with me forever..."
	Glittering. Serena's heart nearly stopped. Glittering...
she felt it against her eyelids...she suddenly felt a hand
claw her heart with fear, squeezing it mercilessly...her
eyes shot open, panic blazing through her veins like fire...
glittering, like before...she sucked in a breath, clutching at
Darien's sleeve. The glittering...she suddenly realized that
it *wasn't* like it had been before...this time it was real...
"Darien!" she breathed. She was suddenly blinded by blazing
light, and she didn't have time to scream as she felt it flame
towards them...
	She was buried in arms in a instant, tucked against him tightly as 
he shielded her with his body. She screamed as she felt the flash
of light explode on them, hitting them to fly across the 
cavern, tightly gripped together. As soon as they slammed into 
the ground she was immediately grabbed and shoved behind her love, 
his low growl rumbling in her ears.
	Malachite floated in from the air before them, his fist clenched before 
his chest. It gleamed brightly with a newly forming white light, its
glowing cutting the sharp angles of his face in the darkness.
Ice blue eyes glittered, sparkling with venom and rancor like twin 
pools of shining death. "Game's up," he hissed. "It's over for you two."
	 Serena let out a shaky breath, clutching Darien's arm fearfully.
Darien's eyes narrowed as he glared at the general. "Damn you, bastard," 
he hissed through gritted teeth.
	Malachite clenched his fist tighter, the glow gleaming stronger
as it emitted a low, pulsing sound. "You don't know what you're
up against," he said lowly.
	Serena trembled behind Darien, clutching his arm tighter, her limbs
starting to shake as tears stung the corners of her eyes. Her breathing
quickened, her heart pounding in her chest and thudding against her
ribs in panic as her blood burned in her veins...his hand suddenly
snaked to hers and clasped it tightly, fingers intertwined
with her own. "It's ok," he breathed to her, never keeping his eyes off 
of Malachite. "Be strong, ok? I won't let him touch you."
	"Don't be a fool," Malachite spat back, his voice rock solid. "Give
up now. You can't fight me."
	Darien growled. "I'd rather die..." 
	Malachite stared at Darien a moment, his body starting to tremble
as his gloved fist clenched tighter. Serena thought it was in anger, 
but, looking closely in the heavy blackness of the cavern, it almost
looked like...it might have been for...something else..."Little boy..."
Malachite breathed through his teeth. "Bravery won't save your
life..."
	Darien narrowed his eyes, his hand sliding to tightly grip Serena's
wrist. Malachite opened his palm towards them, blasting them again.
Arms were around Serena's waist as Darien plowed her out of the line 
of fire, sliding across the jagged stone floor to halt near the back
wall. In an instant he had pressed her against the wall protectively,
turning around and dashing towards Malachite so fast he jumped 
and tackled the older man to the floor. Serena's thumping heart
nearly choked her as she saw them locked in combat on the floor,
Darien's blood from earlier darkening his shirt and smearing on
his combatant. But the old blood was mixing with new as Malachite
lashed him brutally across the face..."DARIEN!!!!" Serena screamed,
collapsing to the floor as her knees buckled. Her pounding heart
felt like it was going to burst from her chest, tears breaking free
of her eyes and her limbs shaking madly. Sudden hopelessness 
clutched her, a sudden feeling of being useless and only a watcher
of fate entering her bones and squeezing her heart...the cavern's
darkness nearly engulfed the two as they fought, keeping them
from Serena's vision. She fought to see them, fought to hear the 
growls and yells as they battled, fought to make sure Darien
was all right...her chest tightened as she strained her eyes to
see, her heartbeat nearly drowning out her hearing. Panic and fear
were gripping her, and she fought to breathe as tears rolled
down her face and her body started to rack with sobs...
	Malachite had grabbed Darien by the throat, smashing him into the
floor and cutting off his air...Darien was coughing, grabbing 
Malachite by the collar and using all his strength to roll them and slam
Malachite's head into the floor to break free...his elbow lashed Malachite
across the chin, Malachite's fist bashing into Darien's cheek...they
were rolling on the floor, scraping across the ragged ground, Malachite
grabbing Darien and throwing him off...the general's hands clasping
together, a small ball of white light forming on them, and, a moment
later, him throwing it at Darien...he was thrown back through the cavern
as it hit him, crashing against the back wall and crumpling to the floor,
blood staining his clothes...Serena screamed. "DARIEN!!!" She ran to
him, stumbling on her shaky legs, her fear burning away the tears that
tried to blind her, her arms grabbing his hot, damp body and clutching
him close...his dizzy hands ran over her face, her shoulder, gripping her
and trying to pull her off..."Serena!" he breathed. "Get...AWAY!..."
	"I won't leave you..." she sobbed, clutching him tighter. "Darien...
oh, God, please be ok..."
	His trembling hand, caressing her face, slipping through her hair,
fumbling, desperate..."Serena..." he breathed again, his voice quivering.
"Please...get *out* of here..."
	White light slammed into them. They screamed as it burned them,
her golden waves of hair whipping madly, their arms clutching each 
other...she felt her body give in, her heart stabbing with pain as 
her arms slipped from him...the power burned away, and darkness 
clutched her mind. She collapsed on him as her sight went dark.
	"Serena?!" His arms were around her, pulling her close...she couldn't
stay conscious, her limp body burning with pain in his arms. She
just wanted to black out...she felt him hug her sadly, his arms shaking.
"Serena..." he whispered, his voice high and wavering. "Serena...
oh, God...please be all right..."
	She heard Malachite spit something, and Darien's head whip to
him ferociously...a growl, deep in him that rumbled in his chest...
his body trembling with anger...

"DAMN YOU!!!!!!!" 

	And she was on the floor, his body no longer with her...she heard 
his screaming, his shoes pounding against the floor...sounds of fighting 
in the darkness...and she slipped away, reality sliding through her
fingers, as she fell into blackness.

*****************

	Venus turned to the other scouts, her eyes blank and unreadable.
"Any luck?"
	Mercury shook her head quickly, tears threatening to spill from
the corners of her eyes as she bit her lip. "I used my headset...
but I...I couldn't...locate her..."
	"Damn." Mars unclasped her hands and opened her eyes. "I used
any telepathy I could, but it did no good."
	Luna was typing quickly on her laptop,* her headset on and her
eyes flat. Mina didn't disturb her. "And her communicator?"
	"She doesn't have it on her. It's been traced back to her house."
	Jupiter slammed her fist into her palm. "Dammit Serena! Why
were you so *stupid*?! After what you went through at the museum...
you'd leave your communicator at *home*..." She yelled out angrily,
kicking a lamppost. "Stupid...STUPID..." Her voice was uneven, and
shook slightly...she closed her eyes.
	Raye's eyes quavered. "It was still broken," she said quietly.
"She...she *knew* it was still broken...I think, she didn't want to
carry it with her, because...because it almost put *us* in danger
when Zoycite got it..."
	"Why?!" Lita yelled angrily, hopelessness tinging the edges
of her voice..."Why did it have to be still BROKEN?!?! We could've 
TRACKED her by now if it was working...why...why couldn't it be
WORKING..." Her voice trailed off, wavering unsurely.
	Mina sighed. "Getting mad over the past won't get us anywhere..."
	Lita's eyes were flat. "Then what *will*?" she whispered.
	Silence for a moment. Nobody spoke, the air thick and trembling...
"Oh my God!"
	Five sets of eyes turned. "Luna?!"
	Artemis ran to her. "Did you find her?!"
	Luna stared at the computer screen, her eyes wide
and quivering. "Oh God..." she whispered. "Oh, God, have mercy..."

*****************

	Serena felt her body returning to the cold of the cave,
her senses slowly slipping back. How long had she been 
unconscious? Perhaps only a few minutes...her eyes tiredly 
opened, focusing and adjusting to the darkness of the cavern.
Fighting noises reached her ears. Her eyes opened wider...
she struggled to sit up, her eyes straining to see through all
the black...
	She finally caught sight of them. Like hazy images in the 
darkness, like ghosts in the night, they faded in as they 
ran and fought in the cavern...she saw Darien land a blow
to Malachite's arm, the older general clutching it and stepping
back, his eyes dark and never leaving Darien...they stepped 
far from each other, breathing heavily, their eyes locked in
glittering hate as they took respite...
	Serena's heart started to quicken again, her breath fast
in her strained chest...her eyes quivered. She wanted to breathe
his name, but she couldn't even get it past her throat...
	Darien was glistening with perspiration, his bangs wet and
plastered to his forehead with sweat and blood...his shirt 
was torn, ragged, and blotted with wet red...a long gash 
ran down his temple and cheek, blood rolling down his face
and dripping to the floor. His teeth were gritted, his eyes
hard and glistening as he glared at Malachite, freezing light
blue eyes glittering back at him. Neither noticed Serena
as she stumbled to sit up, her eyes wide and quivering,
her body trembling fearfully...her mind raced and spilled,
emotions cutting off thoughts; she fought to get a hold,
but it was hard to focus...she saw Darien say something
spitefully to Malachite, but she was too far to hear
exactly what it was...Malachite said something lowly
back, and a moment later Darien ran to attack him
again. The general released another ball of light at the
younger fighter; Darien dodged it, jumping and landing a 
kick on Malachite's shoulder, nearly knocking him down.
Malachite knocked Darien with his elbow, then grabbed him 
around the neck and slammed him into a wall...
	Serena wanted to scream, she wanted to run, she wanted
to do *something*...but her screams were trapped in
her throat, her legs wobbly and unstable beneath her,
her mind filling up with liquid fear...she choked, tears
starting to fill up her eyes again. She stumbled to run towards 
them, but her legs failed beneath her, and she collapsed to
the floor. She sobbed, her body shaking, as she tried to 
get back up...she fought herself as her hands shakily clutched
the floor, her chest racking as her heart thudded in her chest...
she felt like she was spinning through a nightmare. She wanted
to move, she *had* to move...but she couldn't...her body wasn't
listening to her...
	Malachite smashed Darien up against a stone pillar,
his gloved fist clenched on his collar ruthlessly. He pushed
his face close to Darien's, his heavy breathing hot and rancid,
his sweat sliding down his face as he growled at the younger
man. "Still alive?" he hissed. Darien's eyes were flat...
Malachite threw him to slam against the wall and smashed 
him to the floor, his knee in his gut and his fist still grabbing
the front of his shirt. He snarled as he coughed in Darien's
face again. "Not for long." He reached behind him with a 
free hand, into the open air...light glowed in his palm, curving
into a long glowing arc...a moment later, his stained fist 
clenched around the handle of a long, curved, silver blade...
Serena screamed, her body shaking madly as her voice finally
found itself. "DARIEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
	Malachite jerked the blade up under Darien's chin,
his ice eyes hard as his breathing hissed between his teeth.
"Do you know what it's like...to know you're going to die?"
the general spat, his voice rock solid. He brought the blade
up harder, his fist tight. "To stare death in the face, to see
reflected in your eyes God's hand pulling you to your final 
judgment in blazing light that cuts you off from everything 
you've ever known?"
	Darien's eyes were flat; deep, dark blue glittering
in the light the blade reflected...Malachite's hand trembled,
his fist clenching over Darien's shirt as he pushed the blade
closer. "To know you've breathed your last breath, seen the
last of the sun's rays pouring from the sky, felt the last
smooth touch of water and burning touch of human in life
as it falls and slides between your fingers?"
	Serena was crying hysterically, tears blinding her
and her body falling and collapsing in on itself...she kept
trying to scream, her cries echoing through the cavern, but
they were absorbed, swallowed in the thick darkness and
suffocated from being heard...
	Darien stared hard at Malachite. Dark blue met ice blue, 
glittering rock and trembling fire...Darien's eyes glimmered,
the burning inner depths of solid blue searing away the darkness
of all and blazing away glistening ice..."Yeah," he said flatly, 
voice of stone. "I do."
	Malachite suddenly stopped. His hands' trembling 
froze, his fist loosening...ice melted, something flickering 
in his eyes as he stared into sea blue...his lips parted,
his breath shuddering forth from them. The gaze that burned
at him...those eyes...sapphires forged in phoenix fire...
he *knew* them...
	Serena's screaming filtered away. She was on the
floor, her hands and knees supporting her, her body shaking
with sobbing...blue eyes drowning in tears...but she felt 
her body stop, her crying reduce, her shaking subdue...
something quivered in her heart as she stared at them,
something trembling inside her...her eyes blinked through
the tears. The two of them, on the floor...eyes riveted on
each other...ice and navy cobalt, unwavering...something pounded
in her chest, in her being...she found her limbs, her body, were
still, her eyes unblinking in the darkness...
	Malachite's fist on the handle trembled. He found
he couldn't focus on it...he was too lost, too pulled and grasped
by eyes he knew...his breathing was ragged, trembling,
his eyes quivering as his heart pounded against his ribs...
	Darien's eyes were flat. His gaze, unmoving from
the general's, burned with inner fire. Something flashed
through them, and his eyes focused on Malachite anew. 
Blood dripped down his face and splattered to floor. "You...
you won't kill me..."
	Malachite's eyes trembled, flames of remembrance
flickering in him...he tried to push the blade up hard against
his neck again, but his arm felt weak and unable...his arm 
trembled as he let out a faint whimper deep in his throat,
his eyes growing glassy...helplessness registered on his hard,
sharp face, the glinting metal's light reflecting trembling
ice eyes...
	Serena stopped breathing. Darien's eyes flicked to a 
new emotion, firm navy locked in place..."Why can't you?"
he said lowly, his voice flat.
	Malachite started to shake, his arm quivering weakly
as his breathing came weak and helpless through his throat...
he fought to push the blade, but his arm wouldn't listen to him...
those eyes, those eyes...they pulled him in, sucked all of his
strength and will and fight with them...never had he felt so 
helpless, such inability in himself...
	Darien's eyes were hard. His body unmoving, his eyes
solid..."Why can't you kill me?" he said lifelessly.
	Malachite's breath clogged his throat. Blue, blue, blue...he 
knew them, he *knew* them...why couldn't he move, why wouldn't
his body listen to his pleas?...His mind was slipping, losing 
itself to unknowing...he couldn't even grasp his thoughts, 
couldn't fight the blueness that was conquering him...tears of 
frustration, of hopelessness, of some other unnamed emotion 
leaked from his eyes, dripping to the floor in the endlessly 
silent cavern...his breathing was high and wavering, his 
breath whimpering as his arm shook, his eyes, his body, 
insecure and uncontrolled, the blade trembling in his grasp...
	Darien's eyes glistened but remained hard, tears rolling
silently and indifferently down his face...his blueness was
hard, deep...an endlessly deep ocean, a fire burning beneath
it...his body trembled, his eyes unwavering. "Why...can't...you...
KILL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed, his voice breaking the air,
the darkness, the cavern, the world...

	And everything collapsed. 

	Crashed, burned, ruined...the darkness split, the blackness 
breaking...everything falling, falling...Serena felt it, the rush of
destruction overwhelming her, overwhelming everything...
she didn't, couldn't scream, cry, collapse, as everything rushed
and burned and exploded...light took over everything in a thunderclap
of power as she felt her body burn from the inside out...the light
faded, only to have darkness rush in in a wave and put out the
fire, its cold touch awakening and pulling and quenching the burning...
	And it stopped. As fast as it had come, the light, the darkness,
the wave were gone, and the three froze, eyes wide and clear,
sky and ice and sea quivering and open as newcomings clutched
their hearts...
	
	They remembered.

	Serena's eyes were wide, her body shaking. "Malachite..." she
breathed.

	Malachite's ice eyes were frozen, staring and unwavering 
as they trembled with cold..."Endymion..." he whispered.

	Darien's eyes were open, drowning...seas of blue rushing 
and heaving in waves of flashing remembrance, untamed waters
thrashing and swaying...his lips parted.

	"Serenity..."

*****************

	Pupilless yellow eyes narrowed. Beryl stared into 
the crystal ball of her staff, at the scene before her...her
long hand clenched on the rod, her eyes flickering. Darkness
swirled in the crystal, darkness that swirled like smoke 
into the surroundings her evil eyes glared at...her hair started 
to sway as unseen wind blew around her. "Things have moved
on their own," she breathed flatly, her voice low, her eyes 
unwavering. The darkness thickened in the crystal, thickened 
until it was so dark it was almost solid, blocking out the three 
figures shown in it...her eyes flashed, and white light broke 
through the thick cloud and filled the crystal with a searing 
blaze. The air around her blew stronger as her face 
curved into an evil sneer, her crystal ball glowing. "It's over," she 
hissed stonily. "You've outgrown your stay, Malachite..."

*****************

	Ice and sea fell into each other, spilling, falling...
two sets of eyes, staring unwaveringly into each other.
Emotions...emotions blurred and cascaded and filled
and flooded, waters of feeling and sensation drowning
out all else...ice, sea, eyes, unblinking and unmoving...
silence, but sound in crashing waves of emotion and
blueness...the general's hand dropped the blade to clatter 
on the ground. Slowly, shakily, one gloved hand moved
towards Darien's face...gently, tremblingly, running over
it, the curves, the angles...
	Remembrance...
	His lips trembled, his hand shuddering, ice eyes flooding 
with warm tears..."Prince..." he breathed, his voice quavering
and high, choked with tears and emotion and instability...
	Darien's eyes trembled. The gloved fingertips on his face,
the tears that melted ice eyes...ice eyes...ivory hair...thin lips...
sharp features...intelligence in white-blue, intelligence and
companionship and dedication locked in ice...locked in ice that
was never cold...tears slipped from Darien's eyes, a sea of
blue that spilled unto itself and down his face..."Malachite..."
he whispered, his hand reaching up slowly, quivering, to touch
the older man's face...skin fell beneath his fingers, skin that
was real and solid...skin that wasn't mist, wasn't haze, wasn't a 
phantom of a fleeting nightmare, a flickering memory...skin...
skin and warmth beneath it...*life* beneath it...life was beneath
his fingertips...
	Serena's breathing was shallow, quick...trembling...
her eyes quivered, tears sliding from them...her heart ached, 
pulled, in her chest, gripped by emotion and release...she started 
crying unintentionally, her trembling body shaking with silent
sobs. She could hardly breathe...emotion overwhelmed her, and she 
felt herself slipping through her waves of tears, her mind clogged 
and hazy with them...she couldn't think or move. Only cry softly...
	Malachite's forehead suddenly started glowing. Softly
at first, then brighter...his eyes suddenly widened. A split-second,
and the glowing exploded into a burst of white light that filled
the room; time stopped as light burned, searing through the 
cavern, cutting off time and space and life and thought...cutting
off everything with filling, burning light...
	And then it was gone, filtering away into the darkness,
the cavern black once more. But Malachite was on the floor,
his hair limply hanging over his face, his eyes closed, his 
once-clenched hand open...the strong outline of a stone was
imprinted on his forehead, a stone that glowed slightly with
the white light that had moments before filled up everything.
	Serena's heart nearly stopped. Darien was stumbling, falling,
to grab the fallen general and pull him into his arms..."Malachite?!"
He tilted his chin to him, sea eyes filled with worry and shock
and emotion...he saw the stone for what it was, his breath freezing
in his throat.
	A piece of malachite...
	The general started to flicker. Darien clutched at him
desperately, his eyes brimming with tears and hopelessness.
"Malachite!" he cried, his shaking, bloody fingers fumbling to brush
away the snowy hair...ice eyes opened slowly, partially...ice that 
had started to melt and dull..."Endymion..." he whispered, his voice
soft and failing.
	"Oh, God PLEASE!!!..." Darien hugged the weak white head
against him, tears rolling down his face...his arms trembled, 
his heart pounding and wringing in his chest as he felt waves
of hopelessness drown him..."Oh God PLEASE...oh God!!!..."
	Malachite's fingers fumbled weakly at his side, slowly
finding Darien's...his blood-stained glove gently held the 
younger man's hand, his grip soft. "Prince..." he whispered, his
voice calm and quiet. "I...I lost you again, in this life...I...I'm 
sorry I let myself be taken again..."
	Darien hugged him tighter, his tears dripping onto
the general's blood-stained gray uniform. "Oh God..." he
breathed. "Not again...I can't lose you *again*..."
	A trembling gloved hand, reaching for his face...
taking his cheek, pulling it down slowly, his soft, weakening
words whispered to sapphire eyes..."Endymion," he whispered.
"Please...Beryl...she wants you...she...she wanted me to kill 
you, but she must have known...I'd fail..." Sea eyes met ice ones,
locked, held..."Don't let her...she wants you...she wants the 
princess...dead...she wants you...by her side..."
	Images...images, memories, flooded Darien's head...
the hallucinations, the blindness, the head pains...visions
of him falling to the floor, his body convulsing...of Serena, 
screaming and falling in his arms...of her stopped breathing
and failing heart...Serena's attacks had been for death...but 
his *hadn't*...ice eyes closed, his body flickering and fading
in Darien's arms. The gloved hand slipped from his own,
falling lightly to the floor. Last whispered words as he 
disappeared from his arms...last, whispered words that breathed
softly as sea eyes closed...

	"Don't let her..."

	And he was gone; faded from his arms, and from the world.

	Serena had tears streaming down her cheeks, her body 
shaking softly. Darien had his head lowered, his tears stopped
as his balled fists rested on the stone floor...the piece of malachite
lay on the floor before him, the glowing gone. Only a stone...
Darien's eyes slowly opened. Half-closed, they gazed, unwaveringly,
at the stone...his hand gently rested on it, the fingers closing over 
it slowly.
	Serena weakly crawled towards him, her tears flooding
her vision. She half-stumbled, her hands and knees quavering...
she got beside Darien, and she shakily put one hand over his.
He looked up at her, slowly...their eyes met, deep sea and 
tear-filled sky...and she was in his arms, her head against his
chest, her sobbing shaking her body, his blood-stained shirt 
soaking up her tears as his face breathed in her hair. No words,
only arms, body, smell...her hands clutching his shirt, her tears
filling her world.
	"It was you..." he whispered, his voice quivering but
unreadable. "It was you calling me, all this time..."
	She choked on her breath, her tears in her throat.."It
was you..." she sobbed back, her voice shaking. "It was 
you calling me, all this time..."
	He hugged her tightly, his eyes closed. "I remember...
I remember it all, Serena...how I met you, behind that 
tree...you were forbidden to come, but you always came to
be with me..."
	She cried harder. "Darien..." she sobbed, her breath and
body shaking. "You died in my arms...in the war...I took my life,
because I didn't want to be without you..."
	Arms, arms...silence, the world filled only with her
crying...their bodies, close and clutching, their hearts pounding
together. Eyes closed, tears in fabric...her chest racking against
his body, her body gripped in his arms. Tears, eyes, arms, love...
	"Serena..." His fingers cupping her chin, gently pulling
her face up...sea and sky, spilling into each other again as
tears washed out her sight...his fingers caressing her face,
sliding on her tears..."Serena..." he whispered, his voice
unreadable. "I'm going after Beryl."
	Everything crashed inside her in an instant, her heart
freezing in her chest. Denial grabbed her...but those eyes, 
those sapphire, ocean blue eyes were clear and strong...
sapphire eyes she remembered staring into a thousand
years before, and again the day before...in a park, by a
bench...sapphire blue eyes that melted her heart..."NO!!"
she screamed, her hands grabbing his shirt tighter, tears
flooding out her mind..."NO!! DARIEN, *PLEASE*!!!!" She buried
her face in his shirt, her crying suffocating her...
	Warm fingers, wiping away her tears...soft fingertips, 
brushing her face..."I have to," he breathed to her. "I want to..."
	"Darien..." she sobbed, her body shaking and racking
in his arms. "Please...DON'T!!!!..." Her arms tightened and shook
around him, never wanting to let go...
	"Serena..." His fingers through her hair, his palms
brushing her temples. "Don't cry...it'll be ok..."
	"It WON'T be ok!!" she cried, her voice breaking. In
his arms...she would never be in his arms again..."She killed
you once! She'll she'll DO it AGAIN!!! Darien PLEASE!! I...I can't
LOSE you again!!!" She gripped him tighter, like he would 
disappear if she didn't clutch onto him tightly enough...
	"No, she won't." 
	Serena felt something in her stop dead. His voice,
those soft words...she found her sobbing momentarily 
subsiding, a strange fluttering in her chest...she looked
up at him, watery sky into neverending ocean. He didn't seem...
scared...he touched her cheek, bringing his face against hers.
"She...she doesn't *want* me dead," he whispered.
	Her eyes quivered. "Darien..."
	"This is my chance, Serena," he breathed, his eyes growing
glassy. "She won't kill me...she wants to try to take me. But I'll
fight her, because I know killing me isn't her plan..."
	"NO!!!" Serena screamed, her voice breaking. Her heart
was pounding, pulled and aching...she couldn't bear to be without
his eyes, his smile, again...in this life, or the one before..."If...
if she TAKES you...oh GOD, Darien!!" She grabbed him. "She'll...she'll
put you on her side...I...I don't CARE if you won't die!! I don't want
you to be...APART from me!!..."
	His eyes stared at her through half-closed lids, long
eyelashes nearly brushing hers..."Serena...I know you're strong enough 
for this. Be brave for me, Princess..."
	Serena was sobbing softly, the tears rolling down her
cheeks unwaveringly. Her heart was open, emotions spilling out...
that place in her heart where she had always held him close. She
couldn't bear letting that place be empty...without those fingers
on her face, those eyes staring into hers...being in his arms...
"We were reborn," she whispered, her voice quiet and weak. "We were
reborn...to be...together..."
	His forehead was against hers, his hand gently fingering
her own...she sadly closed her eyes, her tears still sliding down 
her face, as she felt their fingers slide together, locking in place...
"Serena." He whispered it so quietly, only they in the world were
the ones to hear it..."I swear to you; if I have to fly to the sun
on wax wings, if I have to swim the bottomless oceans of the world,
if I have to go through death, heaven, and hell - I swear I'll spend 
the rest of my life by your side..."
	Serena reached up, gently, her fingertips finding his face...
his fingers slid over her own, soft, warm...she could smell him, them...
she smelled blood, sweat, tears...his blood was still rolling down 
his face, darkening her fingers...but he was beautiful, *they* were
beautiful, love reaching from their hearts, intertwining like ivy,
thumping with sincerity...sea and sky, melting together, never ending...
"I love you..." she breathed. "Darien...take me away...take me to the 
far reaches of the earth where no one can touch us..." She pressed
her cheek against his chest, her eyes closed, her heart slowing. "Hold
me forever...take me in your arms and don't let go, don't let go if
the *world* is ending..."
	His fingers, absently brushing her cheek..."Kiss me forever..." 
he whispered. "Kiss me until the world melts around us
and we can't feel anything anymore...until we don't *want* to feel
anything anymore..."
	"Dance with me forever," she breathed. "Dance with me close 
and let me melt with you...dance with me until there's no sound left 
in the sky..."
	"Love me forever..." he breathed softly, his voice melting into
air. "Love me until God claims me and pulls me from your arms, pulls
me to light where I can always watch you..."
	She started crying again, her chest racking gently against
him. Her fingers clasping his shirt tighter, her eyelids squeezing
shut, tears sliding through; she threw her arm around him, hugging 
him as tightly as she could against her...her heart pumping to him,
her insides warm and protected in his arms. She had never known
love before she had remembered her past life, but, all along,
she had truly known, known, deep inside, her body thinking for her,
that the dark-haired boy that had always called her "Meatball
Head" had always been the one who had totally captured her heart...
she had known it was love, long before she thought she did. Her heart
had known it even if *she* didn't...she pressed her temple against
his, his warm blood rolling down her cheek. Her lips parted, 
near his ear, her shaky breath pushing past her teeth and breathing
to him..."Darien...I...I love you...I've loved you...since that first moment
you walked into my life..." Tears squeezed out from under her eyelashes,
down her face. "I...I loved you...the whole time...I just...I just never
understood...or *wanted* to understand...I just...I never knew until...
now..."
	 She felt lips, lips near her cheek...lips slightly curved, 
smiling...warm breath, soft words...her heart melted in her...
"So did I..." he breathed, his lips gentle. "I loved you since the first
moment I laid eyes on you...but there was a difference, Serena..."
Lips against her cheek, smiling..."I knew..."
	She slipped away. Her surroundings, melting around her...her 
eyes started to close, the tears dripping to the floor...her body
was shutting down, darkness taking her over. Her mind and body
were falling, falling in comforting blackness...her arms slipped
from him, her body going slack. She felt strong arms pull her
close, against a warm body...sweet, gentle lips, brushing her
cheek softly, lovingly...warm lips, pressing against her skin...
	And there was clicking far away, clicking against stone 
floors and echoing in the cavern...clicking...and voices, calling
to each other urgently, quickly...she was put down slowly, carefully,
to lie on the stone floor. Her body was limp, her mind falling away...
the warm body was no longer against her, the arms setting her
gently down to the cold floor. Warm, calloused fingertips brushed
her forehead, sweeping away her golden hair...and it was gone, the sound
of soft shoes beating against the floor, into the cavern...shoes, 
disappearing, their running footsteps fading, melting, into the 
darkness...
	The clicking grew closer, the voices nearer. Serena's mind
slipped farther...she hardly felt when familiar worried voices
were around her, when feminine arms lifted up her body and 
pulled her into a protective embrace...the voices, voices she knew
but couldn't place, swirled around her, a blur of sound in her fading
hearing...a cloud, a cloud of color and voice and sound, melting around
her, getting fuzzy around her, as she slipped away...and she was gone,
fallen into blackness, her mind letting go.
	She didn't see that Sailor Venus now wore a normal tiara on
her head, her blue eyes clear and serious. She didn't see the other scouts,
their eyes sad, their gloved hands on her, wiping away blood...
	
	And she didn't see the golden crescent moon symbol, shining
brightly on her forehead in the forever heavy darkness of the 
cavern.

*****************

	Mina walked silently through the carpeted hallway, her
shoes making noiseless pads against the floor. Her eyes were
soft, unreadable...light blue of the sky on an empty, unknown
day...she reached a door, her footsteps slowing to a stop. She stood
there a moment, unmoving, before she finally put her ear near 
the door. A feminine hand brought up, gently rapping the wood
softly, her eyes still undecipherable. "Serena?" she whispered softly,
her lips near the door.
	No answer. She knocked it once more, her rapping no louder
than the first time. "Serena? Can I come in?" Her voice was quiet, 
soft, and swirled with gentleness and an unnamed emotion.
	She still did not receive a reply. She waited a moment,
then she gently pushed open the door, her head slightly lowered.
	Serena was on the bed, her legs folded beneath her. She
was crying again; quiet, broken crying, crystal tears streaming
down her cheeks in waves of liquid sky. There was a golden object
cradled in her palm, a golden, cold object that she ran her lips
desperately over...kissing it, brushing it, her tears dripping down on
its surface and sliding down as her lips ran feverishly over it, her
breath whispery and fervent as she whispered through her sobs...
his pocket watch. The star pocket watch..."Darien..." she whispered
over and over, her voice teetering and high. "Darien...Darien..."
	Mina lowered her head. Serena's high, quivering sobs 
rang through the room, absorbed by the air...Serena's eyes were 
closed, her eyelashes kissed with tears as they flowed down her 
cheeks. "Darien...Darien...I love you..." 
	Mina was still a moment. Finally, she left the room, closing 
the door quietly behind her, the soft sobs of her princess filling
the atmosphere of the room behind her. Serena's lips kept moving, 
whispering, feverish, over and over..."Darien...Darien, I love you..." Her 
finger reached up, gently touching the ends of the jagged glass surface
as she sobbed, her tears melting into the softness of her bed.

	The glass was broken...

*****************

	Beryl walked through her throne room, the darkness 
melting and blending and swirling with her like blood in water. 
Her face was cut with shadows, her yellow eyes glinting in
the darkness, her hair waving around her head, her back, cutting
through the blackness...the air was thick around her, thick with
cloud, thick with tyranny, thick with evil...it rumbled around
her like a storm cloud, thundering, grumbling...
	She walked up to the stone alter, her eyes flat. Darien
lay on it, eyes closed, as if in sleep...something flickered in the 
back of her pupilless eyes, something almost undefined...she reached
out slowly, one long, curving hand gently holding his cheek. "I didn't
expect you to come for *me*..." she said blankly, her voice void 
of emotion. He didn't move under her touch...she slowly let her
fingers brush away a stray strand of black hair. The emotion flickered
stronger in her eyes, almost quivering...she gazed at him, slowly 
taking her hand away and clutching her staff anew, her stare never
leaving him. "You are brave, Endymion," she said quietly. "Even if
what you did was futile..."
	His eyelashes quivered slightly, his head slowly moving to the
side. Beryl narrowed her eyes, the yellowness flickering as she watched
his lips move. Gently parting, his breath sliding out from between his
lips in a quiet wisp of air Beryl could hardly hear. "Serena...I love you..."
	Queen Beryl clenched her scepter tighter, her eyes flashing angrily.
The darkness around her got thicker, heavier...the rumbling grew louder
as wind started to blow her hair out around her..."Sailor Moon will die,"
she said lowly, her voice almost tremoring. The darkness in her crystal
ball got denser, darker, as yellow swirled in to mix and blend with it,
followed by blood red that turned the contained blackness the
color of old blood...her eyes flickered as the cavern around her echoed
the heavy thundering of the darkness around her, the darkness in her 
crystal, the darkness in her eyes...her teeth clenched, thin, razor fangs
glinting against thin, cruel lips, illuminated by lightning in the cloud
that rumbled around them. "And *you're* going to be the one to do it."

The End

*=As anyone who's been following MIXX knows, Luna does a 
lot of computer work in the manga, including using a special
laptop that she was using with Amy in Act 3 of Manga 1. Actually,
in the manga Amy really *doesn't* use computers a whole lot - 
other characters such as Luna, Artemis, and Setsuna do most
of the computer work for all the scouts. Amy's got her goggles and
headset, though. They look kinda like the Starlights'. ^_^

-That's it. The end. No more parts. However, before you send 
me all your mail bombs, please keep in mind I wanted this story
to end this way, to keep the manga plotline *somewhat* in check.
Yes, I *did* mess with the original manga story quite a bit, but if
you're someone who follows the manga you'll see a lot of the things
I've done in both "Surfacings" stories were reminiscent of the manga.
Ok, I know this is sealing my fate, but...if I recieve enough letters
saying that I should do another, final, "Surfacings" story, I will. Y'know -
continue off from here. But I might never do one unless I get a lot of
people to write me and tell me they want it. I got a *lot* of projects
right now. ^_^; So, e-mail me at LianneSen@aol.com if you like, and please
tell me what you thought of this; I was up at any hour of the night working
on this the past week, revising and changing till I was black and
blue to get it the way I wanted. This story has been the hardest I've ever
attempted to write, and I'm pleased with the way it came out. I hope you 
are, too. ^_^
	Ja! Arigato, minna-chan! ^_^
-Lianne (LianneSen@aol.com)