It was morning and Ikuko sat across the breakfast table from her husband Kenji. She smiled a bit as she watched him leisurely reading the newspaper before heading off to work. The sunlight flooded the room, and they were eating quietly. By any normal standard, it was a magnificent day. But Ikuko was worried about Serena. Obviously something was bothering the girl, and it tore at Ikuko as a mother to feel so helpless as to how to help her daughter. Serena was becoming more and more distant. "Kenji," Ikuko said, finally breaking the silence. "Kenji, I'm worried about Serena." Kenji didn't even lower the paper. "Oh, you know how it is. Probably just one of those teenager things," he said carelessly. Ikuko pursed her lips. "I don't think so, Kenji. I really think there's something troubling Serena. But she's been so distant lately that I don't know how to reach her." "She'll be all right," Kenji put the paper aside and smiled affectionately at his wife. "You worry too much. Just give her some time to work things out by herself." "AAAAAAAHHHHH!!! I'm *so* late!!!" came the scream from upstairs. Ikuko and Kenji turned in time to see their daughter race down the stairs and by them with a quick cry of "Hi Mom, hi Dad! Ooooohhhh, I'm gonna be late *again!!*" Kenji turned back to his paper and idly picked up his coffee cup. "You see?" he said. "She seems just fine to me." * * * "Gonna be late gonna be late!!!" People all the way down the sidewalk jumped out of the way at the screeching, watching in amazement as the blurry form of a blonde girl with meatballs on her head sped past. Amy and Lita grinned in amusement as they watched Serena reach the edge of the school grounds and sprint across the campus to homeroom. Sitting right next to the window, Amy had a particularly good view. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen Serena move that fast before," she mused. "I didn't know she had it in her." Lita walked up behind her and grinned. "I did once. I had just taken my famous double-layer devil's food cake out of the oven and the smell reached Serena from the other side of the apartment." "Too bad she can't apply herself that well during a fight." The two exchanged a glance and a giggle as a somewhat ruffled-looking Serena staggered through the doorway. Serena barely slid into her seat as the last bell sounded. "Phew," she breathed, waiting for her heart to stop pounding. She lay her head on the desk, panting heavily as Amy and Lita bit their lips trying not to howl at their friend's antics. Suddenly the door opened and their teacher Miss Haruna briskly walked in. Everyone quickly moved to take their seats and sat at attention as Haruna got her lesson plans in order. Serena pulled her head up from her desk and made an effort to straighten her clothes from the disarray she had thrown them into. she thought firmly. Last night had been a turning point of sorts for Serena. Unable to fall asleep, she had lain in bed, thinking over a lot of things. One thought in particular which kept nagging her was her performance in school, or perhaps lack thereof. Serena reviewed the scores of the past few examinations, and cringing, realized that the reason she had been getting such low marks was the little amount of effort she had put in up to this point. she thought determinedly. Stifling a yawn, she wished she had gotten more sleep the night before. She jerked herself. No. No more excuses. She was going to improve. Getting in the spirit of her new attitude, Serena sat up straighter and pulled out a pencil, waiting in anticipation for class to begin. At last, Miss Haruna looked up. "All right, class," she announced. "Get out your books. We're going to start today by reviewing quadratic equations." Serena slumped down in her seat. This was going to be a long day. * * * Serena propped her chin in one hand and sighed, listening as Haruna droned on about quadratic equations and the formula by which to solve them. Well, at least she *tried* to listen. It had been an even longer day than usual. Her head still propped up, she shifted her gaze to the clock. Serena buried her face in her hands, feeling utterly defeated. Not even an hour had passed, and already she was bored stiff. Her resolve was quickly fading. To distract herself, she watched the second hand of the clock slowly make its way around its circular path. She soon grew bored with that, and lay her head down in her arms, letting all the sounds of the classroom- pencils scratching, pages rustling, Haruna's voice going on and on- meld into one long hum. She wasn't sure how long she sat there. Her eyelids drooped, reminding her of the lack of quality sleep she had gotten the night before, and the time seemed to pass in a haze. She struggled to maintain a focus and keep herself awake. Maybe if she just rested her eyes for a moment... "We're under attack!!! Under attack!!!" "Get ready for battle!! We need everyone we can get to fight!! Hurry- to the armaments!!!" Everyone in the ballroom turned as the two royal cats, Luna and Artemis, ran in. The room began buzzing in fear. The moment they had been dreading for so long was finally here. Metallia. Outside, an angry cloud was descending upon the Moon Kingdom- Metallia's army. Swiftly they approached, blood in their eyes. Serena and Endymion stared in horror and resignation with the knowledge that the attack had, at last, begun. Endymion held Serenity tightly to him, as though it were for the last time. For it just might be. "Endymion!!" They both heard the cry and held each other more tightly. It was time to fight. Quickly, Endymion kissed his princess's forehead, then ran out to join the battle. Serenity's hand touched only air as she reached after him. she begged silently. The tears began falling, and she felt near hysteria, the seriousness of the situation at last hitting her. Serenity's eyes widened as reality, at last, set in- not just the reality of Endymion and Serenity, but of the whole kingdom. Serenity eyes roved frantically around the room, before she regained her senses and ran out to the ballroom. It was deserted, and her footsteps echoed on the cold, hard floor, an empty echo of the life that had been there only moments before. "Mother! Oh, mother, where are you?" Serenity silently cursed the immensity of the palace. Her mother could be anywhere, just anywhere... Then, suddenly there she was. Serenity saw her through the arches that graced the front entrance of the palace, facing one of Beryl's monsters. She quickly realized a fight would be initiated as soon as she appeared. She recognized this youma. She knew his betrayal. Serenity ran to her mother's side. "Serenity..." her mother's voice was low. "Stay back." "No!" the princess said resolutely. Her eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze upon the youma. "I will not let you do this." Queen Serenity recognized the look in her eyes. It was the look she herself had: one, which appears only when protecting what one loves the most. The queen assented, and the two women joined hands and closed their eyes, focusing their energy. The crescent moon on their foreheads, mark of the royal family, flared, and a beam of light greater than the princess had seen before shot upward, encompassing the youma. Its eyes widened, and he slowly dissolved like a bad dream. All that Serenity heard as the image faded was a voice... "I will be back..." "SERENA!!!" Serena's head shot up, and she found Haruna glowering at her. "How many times have I told you that my class is not for you to catch up on your beauty sleep?!" Haruna was seriously ticked. "That's it! Out!!" She pointed a finger, and Serena got up and groggily followed it out the door. * * * Home at last, Serena flopped down onto her bed and sighed in relief, exhausted and glad to be free of her academic vow- at least for the day. She lay her head back on the pillow and stared blankly up at the ceiling, allowing her mind to clear itself of the jumble of facts, figures, and other boring things Haruna had managed to stuff in, once she'd been allowed back into class. Serena hadn't dared doze off again. She lay in blissful silence for a few moments, when from the corner of the room a slight whirring noise caught her attention. She lifted her head reluctantly and let her gaze drift across the mess she had created over the past few days in her search for the item that would save Crystal Tokyo. She pinpointed the sound to the far corner of the room, and peered around her vanity, which stood in the way. Serena could barely make out something round and black, bobbing up and down slightly among all the junk. Luna P. Suddenly wide awake, Serena jumped up from the bed and rushed over to the strange, quivering ball, resembling the head of a cat- Luna's, in fact. Luna P had been Renie's constant companion, making her appear rather like a child with a favorite toy. Serena crouched down in front of it and gingerly reached out to pick it up. She hugged the ball tight to her chest, trying to feel her daughter's spirit through it. Despite the brave front she had determined to put up, a tear escaped from the corner of her eye and slowly crept down her cheek. "Serena, what are you doing now?" Sammy's annoying presence emerged from behind her. Serena quickly wiped away her tears and stood up, still hugging Luna P to her chest. She turned and glared fiercely at him, irritated to have him intruding on this moment for her daughter. "Absolutely nothing," she snapped. "What do you want, you little rugrat?" Sammy stared at her for a moment. "Gosh, sis, you don't have to bite my head off. I just came to tell you that Mom called. She and Dad are going out to dinner tonight, so we're on our own. Okay?" Serena felt slightly ashamed, but merely nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, Sammy," she said. Sammy peered more closely at his older sister. He'd always regarded her as little more than a ditz, easily riled yet incessantly cheerful. He never really considered her capable of real emotion. "Um...are you okay, Serena?" he asked cautiously. Serena clutched Luna P tighter to her and looked at him, surprised. "What? Of course I'm okay." She forced a cheerful tone and pasted a bright smile on her face. "I'm just fine, Sammy. Don't you worry," she proclaimed cheerily. Sammy seemed slightly relieved. "Well that's good," he said. He turned his gaze to the strange ball that Serena held tightly to her. That was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen... Yet it looked somehow familiar. His curiosity getting the best of him, Sammy put on his obnoxious, teasing voice. "Where'd you get that silly-looking toy from, Serena?" he asked. Serena looked down at Luna P, realizing she was still clutching it to her. She turned to look at Sammy, startled. He didn't remember? "Umm...our cousin Renie left it here accidentally," she said cautiously. Sammy looked at her, a slight smirk on his face. "Cousin Renie? Since when do we have a cousin Renie?" he asked. Serena couldn't speak for a moment. Luckily, the phone rang just then. "Ah, forget it. I think you've got those meatballs tied too tight, Sis," he said, running to grab the phone, and leaving Serena staring after him. "Serena!" she suddenly heard an exasperated voice call from behind her. Serena turned to find Luna standing on her bed. "Oh, Luna, the weirdest thing just happened..." Serena began. "Serena!" Luna interrupted. "Have you forgotten that there was supposed to be a meeting of the Sailor Scouts right after school?" Serena's eyes went wide. Somehow in the midst of all the emotion of the day, the meeting had gone straight into that black hole that so many others of Serena's thoughts had fallen. "Luna! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" she wailed. Grabbing the startled cat under one arm, she ran out of her room and hurried down the street. * * * Serena raced up the steps of the Hikawa Temple to be greeted by Raye, standing with her arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently. "Where've you been, Serena? You're ten minutes late! Can't you even remember something important like this?" "Oh, Raye, lay off," Serena panted. She glared defiantly at her fellow scout and straightened up. The girls looked dumbfounded at this unexpected display of backbone. Raye closed her mouth, and they all followed their leader to their meeting place. "Okay, so what do we have so far?" Luna asked as the girls settled themselves on the floor around a low table, cats on top. "Did you ever consult the fire, Raye?" Artemis asked. Raye nodded. "Not a thing," she said. "We know that this youma is working for Metallia, and right now they've launched an attack on Crystal Tokyo." Amy said, thoughtfully. "Let's see the note again, Serena." Serena dug it out of her pocket, and Amy studied it carefully. "Hmm... Judging by the urgency in Neo-Queen Serenity's note, I'm afraid Crystal Tokyo is about to fall. But why kidnap Renie? I would think she'd be of little value to them in the position that they're in." "Well, it never hurts to have one of the royal family in hostage, right, Amy?" Mina commented. Amy grinned wryly. "I guess." "I say we go and fry these Negacreeps right now!" Lita shouted, pounding her fist on the table. Everyone jumped. "No," Luna said. "I don't believe that would be very wise. We still have no idea what we're going to be facing when we get there. Or even *if* we can get there." "Renie left us her Time Key," Mina reminded the group. "But can *we* really use it?" Raye asked. "I don't know," Serena said. "Renie's the only one who I've ever seen use it, but she did give it to us. There must be something to it." Amy sat to the side of the group, tensely trying to determine the coordinates to which Renie's Time Key would take them. She typed furiously, hands flying over the keys of her computer. The group watched her as she muttered imperceptibly, forming figures in her head. "So how do we fight the Negaverse? Remember Beryl's palace? There were traps everywhere. You don't think Metallia's going to let us get to her that easily, do you?" "We need to scout around." "They won't let us stay together. You know that." "Then I'll go in first," Raye said determinedly. "No, Raye!" Mina exclaimed. "We can't take a risk like that, of losing you." "She's right, Raye," agreed Amy. "We can't risk letting you go until we know what it is that we're fighting." A quiet voice spoke up. "Then let me go." "Serena!" Luna said. "Haven't you hear anything we just said? We can't risk losing anyone. We need to find out more about this youma first. For all we know, one of them could just grab you and disappear again. Then what would we do?" "I don't care," said Serena stubbornly. "Renie's my daughter. We have to get her back. You know he'll come if I'm there. It's the only way. We don't have any other choice." The others looked at her sadly and realized that she was right. "Well, how do we go about it?" asked Lita. "We're going to need help." Amy nodded her agreement. "We can't do it alone." Mina spoke up. "The way I see it, the only one around who might be able to help us is Tuxedo Mask." All eyes turned toward Serena. She nodded slowly. "I'll call Darien." * * * The phone rang. "Hello?" "Darien?" said Serena. "It's me..." No response. "Darien," Serena continued quickly, "I know you hate me, but please don't hang up... I need your help..." * * * Darien lay back on his bed and sighed. He knew it was no use trying to sleep. These past nights since Renie was kidnapped had yielded nothing but nightmares for him. Nightmares of his past. More specifically, the last days of the Moon Kingdom, and the final battle there, when he had lost everything that was precious to him. Darien shut his eyes tightly, and in doing so tried to shut out all that had occurred in the last few days. The scene at the park with Serena sliced with a sharp clarity through his mind, and yet somehow he still didn't know what had happened. Or why. Why any of it had to happen. The words echoed through his head. he wanted to shout. But he couldn't. What could he say? When the girls had told him about Renie, he hadn't known what to think. He didn't blame Serena for the incident. He knew he should have said something that first time she had approached him in the park. But still... he thought in agony. "Serenity!" "Endymion!" The two ran to each other, feeling nothing greater than relief at being in the refuge of the other's arms. "Keep this and be safe." Serenity held out a star-shaped object, glowing gold in the dim light of the early evening. Around them, the sounds of battle could be heard, but to them, there was no one else. Endymion held the golden locket carefully, then turned his gaze upward to stare lovingly at her face. He took her into his arms and kissed her tenderly. He turned to rejoin the battle. Serenity watched him go, her hands clenched together. But her trembling body contradicted her thoughts. Serenity was scared. Who knew where he was, or what he would be fighting. Beryl... And then, like something out of a nightmare, the queen of the Negaverse appeared. "Well, if it isn't little Miss Moon Princess," she hissed. "All dressed up and nowhere to go, except oblivion!" Serenity felt her heart freeze in her chest. Just moments ago, she had defeated Beryl's first general, but now against the queen herself, she was unable to move. Then suddenly Endymion appeared out of nowhere in front of her, shielding her, as he always had, from harm. But Beryl was not to be stopped. A great beam of light hit him, and Serenity saw his body crumble, and begin to float away. She might never see her love again. she thought. Sensing the irrationality of her decision, yet knowing she could not live with any other, Serenity gathered her skirts about her, and ran to her prince. "Run, Serenity! Just run!" "No, Endymion, I want to be with you!" The princess leapt off the balcony, only to find herself caught in the same force that was taking her prince away from her. But at least now it was taking them together. Endymion reached out with all his might to reach his love, to hold onto the one thing he could not bear to ever live without. Just a few more inches, he prayed. Just a few more, and he would have her. And hold her till the end. "Endymion." The prince of Earth caught the eye of the youma just moments before the end, looking at him with a great sorrow in its hate-darkened eyes. Pain burst through his body and everything went black. "Serenity!!" Darien's eyes flew open and he reached out his hand, grasping air. His chest heaved, and he became aware of his surroundings once again. Darien sat up, feeling himself sweating as he reoriented himself, his gaze reassuring him that the visions were only visions. Serenity- Serena- was safe, at least for the time being. His emotions overwhelming him, Darien lowered his face into his hands, and allowed himself to cry for the first time in a long, long time. * * * Serenity looked up as the voice called mockingly to her prince. It wasn't possible. She saw him disappear in the fight just now. But her eyes dispelled all doubt. He _was_ there. And Serenity could see the coldness in his eyes. she begged silently. Everything was moving so fast. Serenity reached desperately for her prince, her fingers just barely catching his. She reached out further, but his hand slipped away. Then light. And pain. And darkness. Serena sat up in bed, her chest heaving. Somehow, she was not surprised to find tears running down her face again. Luna lifted her head, her eyes flashing in the dim shaft of light coming from the window. "Serena?" she whispered. Serena didn't respond. Her thoughts were still turned toward her dream, her mind a jumble of thoughts. Things were finally becoming clear. "Luna," she called softly. She stared at a wall, but it seemed to the cat that she saw far beyond it. "It's time."