Author's notes and disclaimers at bottom. Arigato, minna-chan! ^_^ -Lianne (LianneSen@aol.com) *Surfacings* Part 6 Serena was shoved roughly forward. She stumbled to keep her balance as she and Darien were led down a range of hall passageways, until they reached an office-type door at the end of a hall. They were shoved in it, and brought forward. Serena felt her eyes go around the room as she took it in. It was spacious, with high ceilings and wide walls. It looked more like a showroom than an office. A man with brown hair and eyes was at the front of the room sitting on a chair. When he saw them come in, he stood up. "Hogan!" the lead lackey that had captured them called to the man. "We got the kids!" "These are them?" Hogan asked as he stepped down from the slight platform his chair was on and walked towards them. "Yes, sir. We recieved a bit of trouble from them, and they shot at us a while, but we finally forced them to surrender." Hogan smiled cruelly. "Hmmm...don't give in easily, do they?" He looked down at Serena, and gazed evilly into her scared blue eyes. She cringed. Hogan laughed, walking over to Darien. "She's scared, poor thing. I'm afraid things aren't going to get better, sweetheart." He looked hard at Darien, and Darien spat in his face. Hogan wiped the spit off his face with a growl, then his lips curled into a smile. "Quite a spirit, this one has," he drawled. Darien growled ferally. "Well, boy," Hogan mocked. "We'll see if we can break that spirit of yours." The lackeys shoved Serena and Darien to their knees on the floor, holding them down as Hogan went up and stood on his slightly elevated platform again. "Now, you both are showing quite promise as to being what we're looking for. We have been checking out all the people we originally trapped, and we have found NO ONE that seems to be related to any of our enemies. However, what more likely than two young people who ESCAPED?" "Look, we don't know what you're looking for, OK? We just got suspicious and left," Darien said flatly. "We're not what you want." Hogan smiled. "Let's get an experienced approver." The air behind him shimmered once more as Zoycite came into view and stood beside him. Zoycite smiled as he saw alarm flick through the blueness in Serena and Darien's eyes. "Hello, children," he hissed. Serena thought. she screamed to herself, trying to hold her tears in. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Darien. He, too, was trying to contain his recognition, she saw. she thought hopelessly. "We'll try the girl first," Zoycite said as he walked to Serena. She started to shake as Zoycite smiled wickedly at her. "Hm...blue eyes, blond hair in pigtails, about 14...your hair looks an AWFUL lot like Sailor Moon's does, little girl." "She...she's...my hero..." Serena choked. "I...wanna...look like her..." Zoycite chuckled as he brought his face right up to hers, his cool breath making her shiver. "Your hero? And is THAT why you were able to escape? You take lessons from her?" Serena started to cry, her chest tight and her body shaking in fear. She could hardly breathe. "I...I don't know...her..." she sobbed as tears rolled down her cheeks. Zoycite slapped her hard across the face, making her head snap to the side quickly. "Stop crying and speak up," Zoycite hissed, eyes flashing. "Leave her alone!" Darien yelled at him. "She's just scared! She doesn't know anything about Sailor Moon other than what she's heard on TV!" Zoycite's eyes narrowed. He left Serena and slowly walked over to Darien. Serena, sobbing and slightly curled, sniffed and blinked her watery eyes as she saw Zoycite's eyes burn as he glared into Darien's. "You certainly have a lot to say, don't ya, kid?" Zoycite hissed. Darien's eyes were flat. "She's with me. I KNOW she's not more than she seems. She's innocent." "And you?" Zoycite snarled. "I'm not what you're looking for, either." His eyes burned. Zoycite narrowed his eyes at him. "I don't believe either of you," he spat. "I know there's more to BOTH of you than you're telling. And I think YOU'RE the one that knows the most." He pointed at Darien. "Therefore, you're GOING to talk." "There's nothing to say," Darien said flatly. "Fine." He looked over at the lackeys that surrounded the two captives. His voice was acidic. "MAKE him talk." Serena's heart nearly stopped. It nearly shattered as several of the captors started to beat Darien brutally. She could hardly breathe in shock as they hit him to the floor, kicking him in the stomach and side as they used any manner of hitting or punching to put him through more pain. Darien closed his eyes, only making a few noises of pain as some of the more brutal hits landed. Tears streamed out of Serena's eyes and she started to cry hysterically as she saw Darien gently bite his lip to keep from crying out. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!!!!" Serena screamed as her tears flew from her cheeks. "HE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING!! PLEASE!!" The lackey that held her shook her roughly. "Shut up," he hissed. Serena didn't even hear him. "PLEASE!!" she screamed at Zoycite. "PLEASE!! DON'T HURT HIM!!!" Zoycite looked at her with slitted eyes, then walked to her and looked hard at her, grabbing her chin and pulling it close to his. He glared into her watery, streaming eyes a moment, then let go and walked away. The lackeys were still beating Darien, who was curled up on the floor, looking pitiful with his hands still bound and three grown men hitting him in any way possible. Zoycite crossed his arms. "Enough." The lackeys stopped. Serena continued to cry as she saw Darien not open his eyes, his body still curled. He coughed weakly, and a small trickle of blood dripped to the floor from his mouth. "Well?" Zoycite questioned. "Do you have anything to say now?" Darien's eyes slowly opened halfway. His lids were weak, but the blue of his pupils burned fiercely at Zoycite. Darien's eyes glittered with spite. "Die," he whispered. Zoycite's eyes hardened as he looked at him. Serena still cried silently, watching Zoycite stare at Darien in silence for a moment. Nothing moved in the room as the tension and silence made the room thick with the sound of Serena's thumping heart. Finally, Zoycite lowered his head slightly in anger. "Kill him." Serena's scream nearly shattered the world. Like a banshee's shriek it stopped the very heavens in its piercing brokenness that echoed through the room and filled everything. The entire room stopped, as if frozen in time. The only movement was Serena shaking her head in madness as her tears nearly drowned her. "NO!!!!" she screamed. "NO!!!" Zoycite actually was at a loss for words. He could only stand a moment, his eyes wide and surprised, as he saw Serena collapse to the floor. Serena rubbed her face against the marble ground. Her tears swam in pools around her eyelashes, the dust of the floor swimming around her lids. She didn't care. She didn't care about anything. Except Darien. Her heart had opened up completely, emotions glowing and flying through her system like birds let free. Her whole chest was like it was open and empty. Empty without him. His eyes, his warmth, his smile...she couldn't live without them. She couldn't. Ever. It was as if she had never lived without knowing him. He could never leave her, or her heart would shrivel and die, taken and consumed by emptiness and grief for the one man she truely..."NO!!" she screamed through her sobs. She was crying hysterically, her body shaking madly. "NO!! DON'T!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!! KILL ME INSTEAD!!" Darien's eyes were quivering as he stared at her. His lips mouthed her name softly, unbelievably. "Serena..." Zoycite blinked a moment. He held up a hand. "Don't kill him yet," he said slowly after a time. Hogan stood beside him, looking rather uncertain of the next move. Zoycite's eyes went hard. "Try beating her." Serena immideately curled into a ball as she felt the first blow land. She was prepared. She didn't care what they did to her. If it would keep Darien safe, she would rather it be her than him. They had only hit her a few times when Darien's coughing voice came through. The lackeys stopped and looked over at him, as did Serena when she opened her eyes slowly. He was staring directly at Zoycite. His eyes glittered with intensity, practically able to burn through Zoycite himself. He watched as Darien's eyes flashed with warning. "You hurt her, and I'll kill you." Darien's voice was so low and deadly, it could hardly be heard. And yet, its intensity rang off the walls and vibrated through the room. "Do you understand me? I don't care what it takes. I'll kill you. I'll rip your damn throat out with my bare hands and make sure you die in your own blood." Serena couldn't cry anymore. The tears streamed down her face silently, but she didn't put the effort into shedding them. She could only stare at him. Zoycite glared Darien back fully, putting his hands on his hips. "Never have I seen so much hatred locked into one set of eyes," he commented. His eyes narrowed. "Well. It seems that these two care about each other well enough." Zoycite looked first at Serena, then Darien. He waved his hand. "Seperate them." "NO!!" Serena screamed as she was pulled away. If she couldn't see him, she didn't know if he was all right. And she had the dreadful feeling that if she lost sight of him now, she would never see him alive again. She dug her heels into the floor as the lackeys pulled her out one side of the room, and he the other. "DARIEN!!!" she screamed. "Serena!" he called as he was dragged out a door on the opposite side of the room. Tears rolled down her cheeks as he disappeared out the door. She felt herself being pulled through the other door, and into a dim hallway. She was jerked to her feet and forced forward. "Go," the lackey hissed. Serena cried the whole way there softly, her chest racking gently. She was eventually brought to a door pushed in. It was a large, empty room, barely lit by a light bulb. Several lackeys brought her in and cut her hands free while Hogan came in and closed the door. He walked directly up to Serena, hard eyes deep into her own. "OK," he hissed. "We've played enough games with you two. Either you talk now or you're REALLY gonna regret it." Serena shook her head as she tried to fight her sobs. "But I...we...don't know anything..." He slapped her across the face. "Like hell you don't! There's no WAY you two would have been able to put up a fight so long without having some kind of training. This generation of kids is a bunch of saps!" Serena sniffed, finally managing to stop crying. "I'm TELLING you, WE DON'T KNOW!!! Darien knows how to fight because he learned growing up! He protected me!" Hogan suddenly grabbed the fabric of her shirt and slammed her against the wall. He pressed his face against hers. "You talk or your friend's dead." Serena froze. "But..." "Don't talk BACK!" Hogan nearly screamed. "We KNOW you know more than you're telling. This is it. You talk, he lives. You refuse, he dies. No more of this. Killing you both would just be easier anyway." Serena couldn't breathe. Hogan's eyes glared at her coldy. She saw the truth in his cold brown pupils. As she saw Darien's death reflected in them. She was torn. Tell them? Would their lives be worth anything after that? But wasn't even a MOMENT of hope better than seeing Darien die? Darien. He WOULDN'T die. She wouldn't let him. "I'm Sailor Moon," she said softly. Hogan's eyes were without emotion. "And your friend?" "He's nothing," she said quickly. "He's just a friend of mine...he doesn't have anything to do with it. He doesn't know I'm Sailor Moon, please, he's INNOCENT!" Hogan was still a moment, then he moved back a step. "Transform. And you try anything, he's dead. Without a second thought." Serena took a deep breath, then pulled her locket out of her pocket. Tears rolled down her face as she closed her eyes and whispered shakily, "Moon Prism Power Make Up." In a flash of colored light she had transformed and stood, arms hanging by her side in defeat. The lackeys around her all took in a breath, but Hogan's expression didn't change. "Detransform." She did so, and he ripped the locket out of her hand. "Search her," he ordered. The lackeys quickly searched her, and came up with her Luna Desguise Pen and communicator. The lackey tossed them to Hogan. "Got it," he called. Serena looked on, confused, as Hogan's eyes glittered wickedly at the communicator. "JUST what I was looking for." He looked up, and saw Serena staring at him. "Bring her," he ordered as he left the room. ******************* Darien was thrown to the floor of the room. Zoycite looked at the othef lackeys. "Stand back," he ordered. Zoycite bent over and grabbed the restrained Darien by the front of his shirt and hauled him to eye level. "Well, look who's got so much to say now," he spat. Darien's eyes were cold, but he was silent. Zoycite threw him to the floor again. He stood over him, eyes blazing. "We're going to get you to talk," he hissed. "No matter WHAT we have to do." "I have nothing to talk about," Darien said levelly. "You're not going to get anywhere with this." Zoycite kicked him hard in the stomach, silencing him momentarily. "Yes, I am," he growled. "Because if you don't talk, we're killing the girl." Darien looked up quickly. "But she-" "NO MORE GAMES, BOY!" he roared. "You refuse to talk, and she's dead. Do you understand me? WE'LL STRANGLE THE LIFE OUT OF HER RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!!!!!!" Darien's eyes burned. "Touch her and you'll regret it for the rest of eternity." "And what are YOU gonna do about it?" Zoycite hissed. "YOU can't do anything! We'll kill her, then you. You'll be responsible for her death, and neither of you will ever even live to regret it." Darien was silent. Zoycite's expression was hard. "Well? We know you're hiding something. Tell us now. She'll be dead before you can even blink an eye if you refuse again." Darien closed his eyes, then curled his face towards the floor. "I'm Tuxedo Mask," he whispered. "And the girl?" "She's nothing," he said quietly. "She's just a friend of mine that came with me...she doesn't even know I'm Tuxedo Mask. Leave her out of this, she's an innocent." Zoycite was quiet a moment, then nodded. "All right. I don't even need you to transform to prove it - I had a feeling you were him from the start." He made a motion to the lackeys, and they picked him up. He stumbled to stay standing. "Bring him," Zoycite ordered as he left the room. ********************** Darien was thrown to the floor of a small, dark storage room, landing roughly on the floor. He let out a breath as he closed his eyes. A moment later, another form was thrown in, which landed near him. In the dim light, Serena's blue eyes were like waters of sun-kissed stream. He looked up, and she gasped as she saw him, running to him and supporting his big shoulders with her small, soft hands. "Darien! Are you OK? What did they do to you?!" She gently brought him up, but he couldn't stay up. She tried to lift him to a higher position as Hogan and Zoycite stood in the doorway. Serena and Darien looked up at them. Zoycite crossed his arms. "Well kids, looks like you FINALLY gave us what we were looking for. And, just so you know, we now know who BOTH of you are. Your pathetic excuses to try to save the other were of no use." Serena and Darien looked at each other. Serena began to cry. "You...told..." Darien's eyes quivered. "Serena..." Hogan snickered. "That's right, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. There's no use trying to hide it any more. But you're not going to die. Not yet. We want to make sure we can find a USE for you first." "Those other Sailor brats have proved to be quite annoying," Zoycite hissed. "Therefore, we're going to use you two as bait. The little communicator we found on the girl will prove of use for that. The transmission was broken, but we were able to follow it and we can create a new line so we can contact your friends. We'll order them to show up here for your lives to be spared, then we'll trap them in and kill them. Then you. Then, no more Sailors." His eyes flashed. "You can't defeat them that easily," Serena said as bravely as she could through her sobs. "They'll destroy you both." Hogan scoffed. "And put your lives in danger? I think not. You're their leader, Sailor Moon. They would most ceratinly not put YOU in risk of being killed. We'll bring you two out to SHOW them we mean business. They'll be at our mercy. Then, we'll kill them before they even know what's happening. And you'll be next." "Enjoy your last moments alive," Zoycite called as he and Hogan left and slammed the door behind them, the clunk of a lock on the door coming directly after. They were alone. Serena sobbed brokenly. "Oh, Darien," she whispered. "Oh...what did they do to you? Are you OK?" She moved behind him, her hands shaking as she fumbled to untie his hands. He collapsed slightly, struggling to sit up. She took in a breath as she tried to help him up, but he shook his head and slowly got to a stable sitting position. Serena immideately looked him over. "Are you OK?" she asked worriedly. "They were beating you badly out there..." "I'm OK...Serena," he said gently. "It's not serious." Serena's lip quivered, and tears started filling up her eyes again. "Oh, Darien...I'm just glad...you're safe...I...I thought...if we got seperated... I'd never...see you...again...but...they're gonna kill us...anyway..." she buried her face in her hands, shaking her head. "What are we gonna do?" she cried. "They know who we are...oh, Darien, they're gonna kill us all!" "Serena..." She felt a finger gently touch her temple. "Don't cry..." "But...I don't know...what to do...I've never...been in such a hopeless situation before..." She broke down crying, hugging her knees as she sobbed brokenly. "I...I don't wanna...die...I don't...wanna...see you die..." Darien was silent a moment. She didn't hear him anyway. She was crying so hard, she couldn't think of anything. Her world was falling apart around her, and there was nothing she could do about it. She'd never see her family or friends again...never grow up and live her life...never get married and have a family... "Serena." His voice stopped her crying. It was firm, determined, but caring. It's determinance surprised her, and she looked up, her crying reduced to contained sobs and silent tears. His eyes were a solid blue, and they looked deep into her own. "I won't let you die." Serena's entire inner system stopped, frozen in place. Everything felt like it was quivering inside her like gelatin. Her eyes shook. "But...what..." "They took your locket, so you can't transform, right?" She nodded slowly. His eyes were so deep..."I can still transform, Serena. Mine doesn't need an item, so they can't keep me from doing it." "Darien..." Serena whispered. Darien let out a breath. "When we get out there," he said quietly, "We have to break free. When they take us to show us to the Scouts, we have to get free before we're brought to them. When I give you the word, do whatever you can to get away. Bite, kick, I don't care, just GET OUT. I'll transform and fight them as long as I can." Serena took in a breath. "But..." Darien shook his head. "Don't, Serena. Just get out of there. Get to the Scouts - they can take care of you." "But...but what about you?" she asked, voice quivering. He shook his head. "Don't worry about me. Just run." "But..." "Serena." His eyes were piercingly blue as he stared into hers. "No matter what, you have to run. Do you understand me? Don't EVER look back. They'll kill you. Just RUN." Her eyes started to quiver. "But...I won't...leave you..." Her eyes started to well with tears. "Darien, I...I don't want you...to die. Please..." His eyes softened. "Serena," he said softly. "There's no way..." Tears streamed down her face. "Darien..." It was suicide. She knew it, and he knew it. If he stayed back and fought, there was no way he could get out alive. He was willing to sacrifice himself for her to get away... Darien looked away, closing his eyes. "Serena...don't cry...please..." She could hear his voice quivering. "Please...don't..." She felt her heart pounding in her chest. Her sadness overwhelmed her, and the tears rolled unwillingly down her cheeks. He wasn't looking at her, but she saw his body shaking slightly. He was blurry through her tears, but she felt so open then, so vulnerable...she just wanted to forget everything and have him hold her, protect her...tell her everything was going to be OK and they weren't going to die...it was a few minutes Serena cried, not being able to focus on anything. She didn't hear a sound come from Darien. After a while, she choked back her sobs and looked at him. He was so quiet..."Darien?" she sobbed. She gently put a hand on his shoulder. "Are you...OK?" He turned to her slowly. His eyes were glassy and light, unshed tears glowing in them. "Serena..." he whispered shakily. "I...I don't want you... to cry...please...just promise me...you'll run..." "Darien..." Her tears rolled freely, her voice shaking. "Serena...I'd never...let anything...happen to you...please just listen to me..." She saw his eyes quiver more, and he swallowed back a sob. A few tears broke free of his eyes and rolled down his cheeks as he bit his lip. Serena's chest started to tighten, and her heart seemed to squeeze when she saw him shed tears. They glittered as they rolled gently down his skin, softly as rain on a window. He looked more beautiful in her eyes then than he ever had before, and her heart started to thump as all her insides flitted madly. He looked deep down at her, emotions swimming in his eyes. Serena stared back, and felt her crying slowly stop, her tears slowly cease to come. His eyes dried, but got suddenly even lighter. She hardly realized they were staring at each other, unmoving. They just stared deeply into each others eyes...Her head felt light, and her heart nearly made her whole body beat with it. "Darien..." She whispered it so lightly, she felt she had more thought it than said it. Her mouth went dry, and she didn't even realize she was shaking. "Serena..." he whispered, voice softer than it had ever been... The door slammed open with a bang. Serena and Darien jerked away from each other, eyes wide. Hogan watched with a wicked smile as two men with guns went over to them and jerked them to their feet. The men grabbed them roughly and brought them to him. "Time to go, Kiddies," he mocked. "Your pals should be along anytime now. And as soon as they do, you're all dead." He made a motion to the captors. "Bring them." Serena and Darien were shoved out the door, the two men holding them firmly. Serena's thoughts were still cloudy, and she had trouble grasping the situation...she realized more time must have passed in that storage room than she thought. They were brought through a maze of passageways in the museums' bowles and eventually brought to the large, main entrance room of the museum. Hogan held out a hand. "Hold them," he ordered. "Don't them out of this doorway until I say." He walked out of the deep, low doorway and walked into the showroom, many men surrounding him, armed and ready. Serena felt her heart pounding. The situation was so intense - she thought about what Darien had said, and she knew he was going to give her the word any minute. But should she go through with it? Could she really let him fight these people alone? He would most certainly be killed. She felt her mind unwillingly go back to the storage room. They had been so close for a moment...for a second, it was like they could see everything about the other, and it was like she never needed to see anything ever again when she had looked into his eyes...her heart started to thump and a warmth flew through her when she thought about it. She felt so light all of a sudden...just thinking of Darien just brought up such a wonderful feeling that bubbled up inside her and made her never want to stop thinking about his eyes...She wouldn't let him die. She wouldn't. She looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be staring unseeingly forward, and she knew he was getting ready. Her tears were long gone, and her heart thumped in anticipation. A new resolution burned in her. She knew what to do. Her eyes flashed. "Serena, NOW!" Serena didn't even need him to finish his breath. The moment his breath pushed past his teeth to make sound she had grabbed the arm of her captor and bitten as hard as she could, ripping her teeth through his skin, his warm blood gushing against her gums. He let out a terrible yell and dropped his gun, bashing Serena on the side of her head with his fist. Serena withstood it and kicked his shin as hard as she could, making him cry out. She kicked his gun away as he grabbed her and slammed her against the wall. She let out a choked yell as he squeeked her ribs brutally, cutting off her air. Darien grabbed him from behind and threw him against the opposite wall, punching him across the face and slamming his head against the marble. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Serena took in deep breaths as she saw the lackey that had been holding Darien also unconscious on the ground. Serena felt light flash beside her, and a gloved hand quickly took hers. She looked up, eyes huge, to see Darien's eyes blink urgently behind his mask. "Serena, RUN!" Tuxedo Mask yelled. "GO!" Serena's eyes quivered a second. Shouts nearby made her shake her head to get it going again and look around. She quickly turned back to him, shaking her head vigorously. "No. I'm staying with you." Darien took her by the shoulders firmly, his eyes worried. "Serena, NO! Don't DO this! Get out!" Serena pulled out of his hold and grabbed a gun off the floor. Her eyes were flat. "I'm staying to help you fight." Darien was about to say something, when bullets exploded around them. Darien immideately threw his cape around her and pulled her to the floor, keeping them as low as possible in the low doorway. Serena brushed some fabric from her face and shot the gun, the hard, hot metal sweaty in her hands and the noise hurting her ears. Many of the lackeys ducked, then got behind walls and shot down at them. Darien led Serena quickly out of their range, running down a hall as he pulled something out from seemingly nowhere. Serena glanced, and saw it to be a black rod she had never seen before. More lackeys flooded in from the opposite direction and charged them. Serena and Darien's eyes flashed as they prepared to fight. Serena shot the gun several times, and saw a lackey cry out and hold his arm. Darien held the rod outwards, and, to Serena's great surprise, it extended dozens of feet to jab one man in the stomach and knock him down. Serena saw a smile of humor curled very slightly on Darien's lips as he swung the cane, whacking several men on the sides of their heads and making them fall with cries of dizziness. Serena couldn't help but giggle - it looked very humurous. In the extremely intense situation, Serena felt a new stregth pour into her when she laughed, and she looked up with shining eyes at Darien. He smiled back, his eyes glittering. Serena shot a few more times before running out of bullets, and Darien brought his rod back before any lackey could grab it and try to snap it. They ran back and found a hallway that branched in another direction, then ran down it as they looked for places to go from it. They went through mazes of hallways, strangely deserted. Serena knew the lackeys were probably close behind. She was running slightly ahead of Darien, about to turn a corner, when suddenly Hogan came from around it and grabbed her by the collar, pulling her against his body. He slammed a gun to her temple. Darien froze, then growled as he held the cane menacingly. Hogan's eyes narrowed as he slammed the point harder into Serena's temple and pushed on her ribcage as he pulled her roughly closer. Serena choked. "Don't move, or I blow her away!" Hogan yelled. All of his patience seemed to be long gone. Darien's fists shook, his eyes burning. "Forget it, kid!" Hogan nearly screamed. "There's nothing left! You're all gonna die anyway! You surrender and you live for another minute before we kill you all!" Serena's mind raced. She looked into Darien's eyes, and he seemed to be telling her something with them. The way they flashed, she knew what he was thinking. Serena's lips curved into a smile Hogan couldn't see. she thought, mind calm and happy. Serena's eyes glittered determinedly as she suddenly ducked her head as low as she could, slipping out of the gun's barrel, and elbowed Hogan in the stomach with all the strength she had. Hogan choked and grabbed his stomach for a moment; Serena lost no time and spun a kick at him that hit him in the center of the chest so hard he fell to the ground, dropping his gun and gasping for air. She dropped to her knees and grabbed him by the hair, slamming his head into the floor and knocking him unconscious. Darien looked down at her, something shining in his eyes. "Woah! Serena, that was...great!" Serena giggled and gave a "V is for Victory" sign. She searched through Hogan's pocket's until she found what she was looking for - her locket. She looked up at Darien, her eyes glowing. "Now time to get things REALLY started!" She threw the locket in the air, closing her eyes. "Moon Prism Power MAKE UP!!!!" In a flash, she stood in her Sailor Moon uniform, her eyes sparkling behind her goggles. "NOW let 'em come!" Yelling made them turn around. A mob of lackeys was running towards them and shooting. Serena took off her tiara and held it like a frisbee as she and Darien ran at them. "MOON FRISBEE!*" She threw the tiara, and it sliced by several of them, making them cry out and drop their guns. Darien shot his cane at them, hitting over another several. The two dodged bullets as they ran to the mob and attacked as hard as they could. (*This is the English phrase MIXXZINE used for her "Moon Tiara Magic," so I'm using it. Also, Sailor Moon DOES usually have goggles in the early manga. They're WICKED - like Sailor V's! ^_^) Most of the lackeys fell, but many more suddenly rushed from behind them. Serena bit her lip. The lackeys had guns, and her tiara and Darien's rod weren't fast enough, but they were their only long-range weapons. The battle suddenly looked bad. She grabbed her tiara as soon as it came back and threw it again, her eyes flashing in her sweat-glinted face. She would fight on. Till the end. A cry came from behind the mob. Serena and Darien took in a breath, eyes wide, as fire swept through the mob, scattering them with screams. Serena's eyes lit up. "MARS!!!" Sailor Mars ran in, dark eyes calm but fierce as she blew fire in all directions, causing many lackeys to fall. In behind her hopped Jupiter and Mercury, the cats on their shoulders, and a shining Sailor Venus, her hair flashing around her like gold. "PRINCESS!" Serena screamed happliy. * (*In Act 8 of Manga 2, where this story takes place, Sailor Venus was thought to be Princess Serenity. She was pretending to be her to keep the real Princess Serenity safe until she awoke. Venus knew about the Silver Millenium and the enemies before the other Scouts, as she had her memories of their past lives restored before she even met them. Also, Venus was highly glorified in the early manga, and was seen to be wicked cool and totally the best. ^_^ Y'know, like me. ^_-) Sailor Venus ripped the chain from around her waist* and whipped it fiercely. "VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!!" The lackeys were tossed about like dolls. More lackeys poured in from behind, shooting and dodging behind walls. The Scouts took stances and shot their powers at them. Venus ran to Serena and Darien, slightly down the hall. "You two OK?" she asked quickly. (*God, MORE notes? ^_- Sailor Venus had her Love chain in her first apperance in Act 7. She wears it around her waist, and takes it off and calls her power out when she uses it.) Serena threw her arms around her. "PRINCESS! You came!" "Did you find Zoycite?" Darien asked quickly. Venus shook her head. "No. We saw him, but he disappeared." "Did you get the people out?" Serena asked urgently. "Yes. They're all fine. The police should have been alerted by now." Jupiter ran up to them. The rest of the lackeys were all unconscious or had fled. "Come on, you guys! We gotta find Zoycite!" Serena looked at Darien, and he nodded. "Right." They all ran down the hall, the other Scouts joining them. Mercury whipped out her computer and started typing madly. "I'm getting coordinates on him!" Mars ran to Serena. "Are you two OK? They got your communicator and called us. Told us they were gonna kill you both if we didn't show up. We snuck in here to try to get them by surprise and free you two, but they were all running around and trying to find YOU." Serena smiled. "Can ANYONE ever hold onto us for long?" "Got it!" Mercury exclaimed. "He's in the center showroom!" They all ran through the maze, following Mecury's directions. When they came through the low doorway to the main showroom, they were immideately blown back by a burst of pink. They slammed into the wall of the hallway as Zoycite floated down from his floating position in the showroom, his eyes flashing with anger. "YOU WILL ALL DIE!" he screamed, his eyes on the verge of madness. He shot at them again, but they all dodged it and ran into the showroom. "JUPITER THUNDER!" Jupiter shot up at Zoycite, but he dodged it and shot at them again. Jupiter was thrown back. "MOON FRISBEE!" Serena's frisbee knicked him across the cheek as he moved out of its path. He grabbed the cut as his eyes burned. He shot at her fiercely, but Darien grabbed her and jumped out of the way. "YOU TWO!" Zoycite screamed. "YOU BOTH WILL DIE FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! I'LL KILL YOU NOW LIKE I WAS PLANNING TO!" He gathered a huge ball of energy in his hands, his eyes flickering with death as he aimed for them. Venus threw her crescent moon boomerang* at Zoycite with all her might. Her blond hair whipped around her as she let it fly, straight towards his chest. Zoycite screamed as it sliced through him, slashing several times, it's magic sending it around in lightning circles of death, ripping him apart. He slowly sunk to the floor as he started to fade. "NO!" he cried. His forehead pressed against the ground as he flickered from view. Serena stopped breathing. His outline got hazier and hazier as he struggled to scream. "NO! I'VE...FAILED..." he vanished from sight as his cries died in the far reaches of the showroom, never to be heard again. (*Venus' weapon as Sailor V. She still uses it as Venus, but I don't know what it's called. Someone called it a boomerang, so I guess that's pretty good for a description...incidentally, ripping Zoycite apart was how Venus REALLY killed Zoycite in the manga, only in Act 7. Zoycite was made the villain of this story by accident. ^_^;) Serena put a hand over her mouth. "Just like...the other two... Jedite and Nephlite...Zoycite's dead!" Mars walked over to the spot where Zoycite had disappeared, and saw a small rock on the floor. She picked it up. "A piece of...Zoycite*?" she whispered. It disappeared from her hand. Her eyes widened. "What...is all this? Who is our real enemy?" (*This is another part of the manga not in the show - the four generals and their corresponding minerals are very important, and come into play later. But no time to explain. I think these notes are really spoiling the moment. ^_^;) Luna walked up to her. "A greater enemy is still out there, but we have to keep going. Things will be revealed in time." Mars looked over at her. She nodded slowly. "It must." Sirens came muffled from outside. Jupiter whipped around. "The police! Guys, we gotta go." "Right." Artemis and Luna hopped on Venus' shoulders as she ran towards one of the exits, the other Scouts with her. Serena and Darien were still standing behind. Venus looked around. "Sailor Moon? Come on." "Be there in a minute," Serena called back. She turned to Darien, looking at him a bit hesitantly. She had an unsure smile on her face. "Uh... I guess the other Scouts still don't know who you are, huh?" Darien giggled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, guess not. I've been transformed the whole time they've been here. I guess we'll not tell them just yet." "Yeah." Serena looked down. She didn't want to leave. All of her heart just screamed for her to stay with him, to never leave his side. She felt warmth spread through her again as they were silent a moment, her heart pumping. She looked up into his eyes. He was staring back down at her, his blueness drowning out any other thoughts. She could get so lost in his blue eyes...she felt a smile slowly take over her face against her will. Her insides fluttered crazily, her heart thumped, and her whole heart suddenly blossomed. It bloomed and opened up to him moreso than it ever had, and all her feelings rushed through her. He was smiling slightly, too, and it looked like he could hardly breathe. Serena saw his eyes to be the lightest shade of blue she had ever seen in her life. She reached up slowly, palm facing out. His hand met hers gently, their gloved fingertips touching each others' so softly they hardly made contact. Her eyes were glassy. Her heart took over, and all her emotions shone in her eyes as her heart throbbed to the gentle beat of his. "I love you," she whispered. His eyes' blueness was so light, it was almost transparent, and softer than cloud-spotted sky. The soft white mask hid absolutely nothing in his eyes to the large blue ones that pulled him in. She saw everything in his heart, every throbbing, beating emotion he felt. She knew it all. Because she felt it with him. "I love you," he whispered back. They stared into each others' eyes a moment more, before he gently pulled away. He jumped to one of the high windows, and, looking back at her once more, jumped out of it and disappeared from her view. Luna ran up to Serena and looked up at her. "Serena! The police are coming now! We have to go!" Serena looked down slowly, then nodded. "Uh...right, Luna." Luna was about to say something, then shook her head and sighed. "OK. This way." Luna ran off, and Serena was about to follow her, when she stopped. She looked up at the window where Darien had disappeared, then smiled. Her eyes turned light. A new feeling blew through her. Her heart was open and pouring out emotions, her eyes were bright and sparkling. The feelings she had been thinking about earlier were fragments of the past. Now they had blossomed and bloomed, and totally filled her whole spirit with their completeness. She knew what they were. She had known all along. Her mind had tried to hide them, but her heart knew. It always had. And always would. She was in love. The End -YAY! It's DONE!! Did you all like it? How was the ending? Did it leave you a little...grasping? No, it didn't end in them getting married and living happily ever after, but I'd say this is a start. ^_^ Like to thank EVERYONE who wrote me on this - I SO appreciate all your feedback, it was all great! ^_^ Did NOT know I'd finish it this week - hope you guys will all stop hating me for leaving Part 5 off at such an evil place. ^_^ Man, I started this story last summer, after I had come up with it and discussed it a bit with Leia. I didn't have a lot of plans for it, and had NO idea what to do with it - I just wanted to make up a story in that special time during the manga when Serena and Darien were still not admitting their feelings for each other. ^_^ I soon after decided to make it a fanfic, and, for lack of better title, just called it "Museum Manga" so I'd know which story it was. To this day, my buddy Alpha refers to it as that. I was telling the plotline of it to her, and she asked me, "Which story is this one?" I replied, "Surfacings," and she said "Which one is that?" Immideately I said "Museum Manga," and she said "Oh! Why do you change all the titles of your stories before you put them on the net? I never know which ones are which any more!" Which is true. I don't make titles for all my stories right away, but when I tell them to Alpha, my official "Story Listener," I refer to it as something. The titles I eventually make are usually quite different. Such examples are "Blossomings," which I originally called "The Engagement One," "Love's Trials," which was "The Fire One," and my PERSONAL favorite unreleased title, "Surprises" which I used to call "Dimension Hoppers." ^_^ But, thank you ALWAYS, Alpha, for being such an incredible one-woman support team that ALWAYS makes me feel good. Also, thanks tons to Leia, who makes me feel great about my work, and, as always, my wacky partner Amethist, who's always there to discuss various members of the outer senshi and how great it would be if they went nuts. ^_^ Also, thank you to my net friends, who are always there for me: Sailor Charon, Ninx, Razz, Laurel Anne, Jenn, MJ, Luna and Artemis (FOREVER the nicest people on Earth) Fushigi Kismet (who called me -SAMA! ^_^) and so many other writers. Also, Shana, my best critiquer, Sue Mei, whom I hope is blushing again when she reads this (^_^) because she's so great she DESERVES to be put here, my new buddy Nicole, my pal Donna, my friend Jen (Glad you liked Fraternity Days!), Mako (Read "Peaceful Sleep!" SO CUTE!!) who's always there to tell me "PUT IN MORE ROMANCE!" ^_^, Sailor Mercutio who keeps sending me the PRETTIEST virtual flowers with WONDERFUL compliments, Rebecca Lynn, whom I HAVE NOT forgotton (And neither has Alpha, Becky!), and SO many others, but I'm sure you're sick of hearing me talk. Now, the good stuff- UPCOMING EVENTS!!! This story seemed to be such a hit, I'm doing a sequel. Hope you're all happy about that! Lots of people told me it'd be a good idea. I HOPE so, cause I'm REALLY pushing to write so much right now. I'm not sure what I'll call it or when it'll be out, but I'll keep you posted in my author's notes of my other stories. Sorry I had nothing else up this week - my Mamoru short story will be up NEXT week (sorry - still don't know the title, so just look for an unfamiliar title by Lianne next week ^_^) as will the next part of "Surprises." Amethist will have Part 5 of "The Wacky Adventures of Psucho Setsuna" up in a week or two. Read Chimera - she's really good! See you next week, minna! Ja ne! DOMO arigato! ^_^ -Lianne (LianneSen@aol.com) *Sailor Moon and all its characters are copyright Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha Ltd./Toei Animation, Co., Ltd. and the English adaptation is copyright 1995 DIC productions, LP. This story is copyright Lianne Sentar, September 1997.