A Million Kisses - Chapter 7
Alicia Blade
Kammi22@sprintmail.com

This one is in thanks to Stormlight, Lady S, Athena, and Ms. Sailor
Blue Moon. ^_^ Tee hee… love you all!!

"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all
be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
					I Corinthians 15:51-52


Chapter 7: Promises Made to be Broken

	Serena put up no fight when the two claw-like hands grabbed onto
her arm. Nor did she flinch when slimy palms gripped her other
shoulder. In truth, she may not have even noticed.
	Only when she was lifted unceremoniously to her feet and being
suddenly dragged with rough movements down the corridor did she even
bother to open her sleepless eyes. A moan left her lips, a sign hardly
telling the captives she was alive. Possibly, she would have tried to
escape them, if her limbs had been working at all. But they would not
move and so she simply let her body hang limp between the two
creatures, whatever they may be, as she was pulled through hall after
hall. Her head hung down to her chest, blood-laden hair clinging around
her ears and forehead. At one point she thought she could feel a soft
poking in her rib, but when she continually ignored it (actually
straining to figure out if it was a hallucination or not) the taunts
stopped. Chattering could be heard from her holders now, speaking
unearthly languages in mocking tones. Her mind, dull and aching, shoved
the sounds to the back of her mind. No longer did anything seem to
matter. Not much, at least.
	Soon, she found the temperatures dropping, and the steps of those
beside her slowing. The chitchat stopped and she thought she heard the
moans and creeks of a large metal door. Seconds after was she led into
a room, smelling of corpses and blood and everything rotten. The musty
air pulsed around her, chilling her limbs, yet burning her lungs, and
she strained for the energy to cough. The pathetic sounds came out more
like choking. Still moving, she heard gasps, snickers, fearful calls
and amused laughter from what seemed to be a large crowd. She dared not
look up, terrified at what beasts might surround her.
	Then, they stopped moving. Her head remained downward, her mouth
parted slightly as a tiny drop of blood pushed out from between her
lips.
	"Leave her there."
	That voice. Instantly, thousands of spiders were crawling over
Serena's spine and she trembled from the core to the surface, icy
fingers strangling her throat with fear of the hissing, demonic voice.
	Moments later, she was dropped to the floor, the claws and scales
leaving her. She hit the ground painfully, but now seemingly immune to
the hurt. She could not even produce a whimper. Lying on her side, in a
position almost like that of a fetus, but with one arm strung above her
head, she slowly allowed her eyes to open. It took some time for them
to focus, drifting in and out of colors, black or white.
	When they could draw images in her mind for brief intervals, they
were met with a gaze blacker than summer midnights, colder than the
snow outside. The stare was surrounded with pale skin, a clear
complexion, and a mane of flaming red hair past that. A long, slender
neck curved into thin shoulders, a voluptuous body covered with only a
skin-tight lavender dress at the bust line. Long red fingernails
pointed sardonically in the direction of a shimmering ball before the
woman.
	"Welcome, Sailor Moon…" the voice was seemingly more horrible
than Serena fished from her memory of moments ago, the exact kind of
sound one would have expected coming from the tight ruby lips. "I see
my henchmen found you… not so well…" Turning the thin mouth into an
awkward smile that did not fit her, the woman moved her left hand aside
in a fluid motion and instantly upon command, the ball floated away to
her side. Serena, her heart shaking, seemingly the only movement within
her body, closed her eyes, letting her head fall to the ground in a
soft crash with the tile floor.
	A laugh, mocking and heroic, sounded in her ears, and she
flinched at the hideous sound, not wanting to look up at the same
grotesque eyes in an almost fair face.
	"Why, it seems that I have already won this battle if you won't
so much as look up at me now…" she taunted, and Serena heard her heels
clacking against the stone floor as she stood to walk toward her
obvious prey. "You won't stand and fight me, Princess? How sad… and to
think that such a wimp as yourself killed all five Doom and Gloom
girls, without so much as lifting the Silver Crystal. I should have
known they would be so weak…" Her voice, raspy and taunting, echoed off
the walls as the audience, seemingly invisible in the dark, though
Serena had yet to look back at them, snickered. "Get up!" she suddenly
commanded, and Serena felt a surge of pain in her side as the hard tip
of a pointed shoe dug into her waist. She whimpered, curling herself
into a somewhat protective ball. "Get up, brat! This will be no fun for
me to kill you otherwise…" Serena only gritted her teeth, pushing her
eyelids together so hard that an incessant headache began to tap at her
temples, forcing up another sob from her dried throat. Even THAT stung
somewhat.
	"You call yourself a defender of justice, protector of love, when
I, the sole queen of evil can kill you now with a wave of my wrist.
What a pathetic target. I should have known you would be simple prey.
How could I have thought any more of you? Now, get up or I shall finish
you where you lay, and forever shall you be known as a failure, who
could not stand to die with dignity… and all your loves shall perish
due to your incompetence." She paused, and Serena lowered her head as
much as she could, knowing shame was claiming her mind. It was true.
The others would suffer due to her mistakes. No one would be safe from
this villain, and it would be her fault. And yet, even with the
knowledge of such happenings, the power and strength she should have
felt never came. She could not stand. She could not avenge her friends,
her family, or her love. She was helpless.
	'I'm sorry…' she thought silently as a cackle erupted from the
lips of her captor.
	"You have made your choice, oh your majesty…" Her tone, mocking,
died into a whisper. "And now goodnight. Never shall I have to deal
with your nuisances again."
	A ball of hissing purple smoke collected at Beryl's fingertips,
sizzling amidst her palm, dying into the air around it as heat pooled
together at its nucleus. Serena slammed her eyes shut and waited,
listening to the electric waves grow louder and louder, thundering in
her eardrums. It wouldn't stop, almost creating yet another pain in her
head, echoing in walls within her mind. The silence of death seemed
welcome, losing fear she wished she would feel with the thought. Peace
in death. What was so awful about that? Without looking up, Serena knew
the hideous weapon was about to fall upon her.
	Zzziiiiinnngg!
	"What the?" Immediately, all cackling was gone and Serena,
fearful, almost disappointed, opened her eyes. Her sight was met with a
single, blood red rose. Her gaze widened, and through the pain and
stiffness of her muscles, she tilted her neck upward to look in the
same direction as Beryl.
	Three girls, sailors suited like her, in red, blue, and orange,
stood together on the other end of the large ballroom. Serena's lips
dried with a gasp and she ignored all pain to simply stare at them, her
mind struggling to remember how she knew them, and upon remembering,
not taking the pains to figure out how they had gotten here. How they
had become who days ago they had never heard of.
	"What?!" raged the violet queen, holding up a fist. "How did they
get in here? Guards!"
	"What guards, oh you mean these troll thingies?" came a deep but
feminine voice, and from the corner Serena recognized a forest-green
fuku, the girl inside just dropping a badly beaten goblin onto the
marble floor.
	"Game's over, Beryl!" screamed Jupiter, kicking the helpless
creature away roughly.
	"We are destined to protect our princess," triumphed Venus.
	"Even if we DID just remember a few moments ago," added Mercury.
	"And now, we shall defeat you and your kingdom!" yelled Mars.
Seconds after the words left her lips, did she continue, "Get Serena
out of the way so we can attack freely!"
	And then, their chants drummed into one call, drawing upon powers
of fire, lighting, ice, and even love. The four teenagers began to glow
different colors, energy flowing through them.
	Still confused, though feeling awkwardly safe in this castle of
horror, Serena let her head fall to the ground and her eyes close. The
last thing she sensed was a pair of arms beneath her and a strong chest
against her head as she was carried quickly to safety.

	A scream woke her up. A piercing, howling, bloody scream… that
nearly provoked a smile. She let her eyes hang closed, listening to
different sounds of war and battle. Metal clashing with metal, sounds
of death, dying, horror. She smelled the familiar scent of blood in the
air, this time though, she knew it wasn't only her own. Finally, she
raised eyelids to peer through blurred darkness, watching the scene as
best she could from her spot on the hard floor.
	Beryl was standing back near her throne, her hands clutched
around a red rose buried in her chest. It had been her scream that had
awoken the weak warrior.
	The scouts were trying to fight through a crowd of youma and
henchman, killing them rather easily, though seemingly moving nowhere
fast. Amy was standing back after having just released a thick fog,
using her computer in an attempt to find easier means of attacking.
Raye was throwing down her anti-evil wards almost as fast as the
monsters could block them. Lita was the most forward, throwing punches
and kicks in every direction, quickly taking down two or three enemies
at a time, all the while cradling her left arm protectively against her
chest. Serena wondered momentarily if it was broken. The last scout,
Mina, was using her crescent beam to knock down multitudes at a time,
but with so many targets, it only seemed to stun them rather than
finish them off completely.
	On the other hand, one fighter had gotten past the army of the
queen's protectors. Tuxedo Mask, his cape torn and ripped, his hat
missing, his hair damp with sweat, stood in the center of the circle of
battle, fighting the evil villainous with everything in him. Serena
could see blurs of purple and black, peering through the legs and
weapons of the creatures that otherwise obstructed her view.
	Lips drying, she propped herself up on her elbow, her head
dodging from side to side, trying to gain a better view of the
prominent battle. She wondered how Darien had gotten through to the
source of the evil while the girls were having such a hard time coming
near. Never in any fight had he shown such skill. Could he possibly be
even more powerful than her other protectors?
Blinking, Serena looked down, finding her head starting to spin
with the constant commotion. She looked down at her body. Her left leg
and both arms were wrapped with shreds of black silk, obviously the
best bandage Tuxedo Mask could find, from his own cape. Most of the
pain had died away, and yet her entire body was pounding with some kind
of hurt akin to a numbed throbbing.
	After rubbing at her temples for some time, she turned her head
once again to look up at her friends, allies, as well as her
adversaries. The battle was continuing on, chaos and horror jumping out
from every corner of her eyes.
	Then, things began to change. At first slowly, she saw more youma
falling. The scouts were beginning to take down 3, 4, 5 at a time. They
would scream occasionally, letting a high-pitched wail loose to go
unnoticed by the others occupying the nearness. Serena watched,
constantly reminding herself to breathe as her mouth formed a small
oval, watching the enemy being destroyed. With a sudden instance, they
were falling even faster now, and in what seemed to be a moment of
death, they were gone. Weakened, destroyed, the creatures of evil
collapsed onto the floor, dying at the feet of their teenage attackers.
Serena made no move as one landed but a foot away from her hand, its
black eyes open as a last flame of life within died to a flicker,
extinguished.
The army, the audience, was gone. Almost instantaneously, the
tables turned and only the queen was left to guard her castle.
	Stunned, Serena let her eyes travel upward. Victorious stood the
four girls, breathing hard but with straight backs. They were facing
toward the center, their eyes locked on the fight between Tuxedo Mask
and the sole purpose for their invasion of the dark kingdom. The battle
was moving nowhere, neither winning, losing, gaining any headway. Beryl
had pried a recent rose from her gut, holding one hand over her
stomach, and yet continually calling upon power from some other force.
Tuxedo Mask, on the other hand, was tired and yet had not taken a
single blow. It evened out well.
	Venus, standing furthest from Sailor Moon, their recovered
leader, was the first to turn to face her. Their blue eyes clashed, and
Serena let her firm composure soften to relief. However, Mina's eyes
did not replay the emotion, instead, they looked remorseful, full of
regret. Gulping, she pierced her lips together and with a small tilt of
her head, fell to the ground. Her legs simply collapsed beneath her,
her arms making no move to brace her fall as she landed on top of a
troll's body.
	Serena gasped, her eyes widening as every muscle in her body
tensed unbelievably. Managing to pry her gaze away from the fallen
blond, she turned to see the other three staring at her with the same
solemn expression. She held back a sob, biting her lip until she could
taste blood. The second warmness dripped onto her tongue, they fell.
One at a time, with Amy losing last. She coughed twice when her small
form hit the ground, her head rolling over to the side. Shaking, Serena
let her jaw tremble, quickly crawling over to the blue-haired beauty.
She ignored the incessant tears, now feeling she was full of them
instead of nearly having run dry hours ago.
	"Amy! Amy!" she called, bringing her friend's head to rest in her
lap. She stroked fingers along the short bangs, bending over the form
as if to protect her. Saving one might save them all, she wondered that
she might believe that.
	The girl did not stir, however Serena did manage to find a small
pulse. As soon as she did this, her head was buried in her chest,
holding the teenager as close as she could in weakening arms. Her name
escaped a few times, but not much else was heard above the grunts of a
two-person battle overhead.
	It was a short time later when the tears ceased to fall from
Serena's eyes and she inhaled a sharp breath, craning her neck to look
upward. Tuxedo Mask was even weaker now, her dear prince couldn't stand
for much longer, she knew. It was a miracle he had lasted this long
against the witch.
	Not daring to look down upon the faces of her friends, Serena
pushed herself onto her legs, locking her knees in place and glaring
hatefully with eyes only for the fiery-haired demon. "Stop!" she
commanded, her eyes blazing, knuckles growing white at her sides.
The battle froze from shock and Tuxedo Mask twirled around, his
eyes widening beneath the mask to see his love standing.
	"Serena… you're awake…" he muttered, relief washing through his
body.
	"Thanks for everything, Tuxedo Mask, but I think I can take it
from here. I'll kill her once and for all," she stated seriously. All
the while she desperately wanted to look up at him but was terrified
that with a look in his eye, she would want him to protect her. She
would desire only to be wrapped in the shredded cape and flown away
from this hellhole. And so her gaze remained attached to the woman past
him. Darien at first made no move to speak, but slowly, he let out a
breath into the cold air.
	"How about we defeat her together, Princess?"
	"That won't be happening!" hissed a voice from red lips. As the
voice died into an echo, it was followed by a groan of anguish from the
man clad in black. Serena's eyes widened, watching him fall to the
ground in confusion. Her breath caught. Composure disappeared with a
look upon his back, now hunched over on the floor.
	She screamed, flying toward him with graceful movements and
falling to her knees. Her arms wrapped around his back, willing away
the image of a black crystal protruding from between his shoulder
blades. She began to chant the simple word of 'no' in the back of her
throat, shaking her head as his body shook in her embrace.
	"S…Serena…" Her eyes lifted to see fake assurance in his gaze.
"I'll be… fi…ne…" He gritted his teeth momentarily, his eyes blinking
in and out of focus. He took a struggling gulp, then clenched his fists
together. "Don't… worry. Beryl… we have to… kill…" Without ending his
sentence, he began to curl his legs beneath him and before Serena knew
what he was thinking, the man was placing pressure onto his feet and
pushing himself to a stand.
	She gasped, grabbing roughly onto his shoulders. He flinched,
their eyes meeting. "No, Darien, you need to rest. I'll kill her. I
promise I'll kill her. But if I lose you… then I've lost everything."
He seemed uncertain, their eyes battling within each other, caught
within a slow second, until his gaze softened, possibly with pain and
again he fell to the floor, too weak to stand longer. Serena looked
down at him, kneeling at her feet. He nodded, his shoulders relaxing.
	"Alright, I have faith in you."
	She didn't bend down to whisper the three words echoing in her
thoughts, or to give him a kiss. There would be time for that later,
she told herself. Looking up, her gaze turned to ice as it fell upon
the queen, already preparing another crystal.
	"That's it, Beryl. It's over!"
	"I'm sure it is."
	Her voice had somehow, miraculously gotten even colder, quieter,
and then she began to change. The queen grew taller, her dress changing
to a cool ice blue, her nails extending even longer from the bony
fingers. Continually growing, her bloody hair raised on its ends,
creating a crown of fire sitting upon her pale skin. Her eyes became
darker than the blackest night; her lips strung out to a thin frown.
Serena tried to keep he fear of shock from her eyes, but found it
impossible, for soon the woman was towering an easy fifty feet above
her. Gritting her teeth, she stumbled back a few paces, willing her
heart to cease its rapid thunder.
	After the metamorphosis had completed, she smiled demonically.
"It is truly over, Sailor Moon."
	Serena inhaled sharply, bracing her arms in front of her chest in
an X fashion, lowering her head to glare up through golden bangs.
Beryl's eyes flinched together, her long nails digging into the
fleshiness of her palm. A gray smoke sizzled up from hidden fingertips,
suddenly bursting into a metallic violet fire. The flames licked at the
cold air, turning the very dew into lizard's breath.
	Gulping, the girl felt her sudden tenseness fade away, her
courage simmering down. With newfound worry, her body began to move
backwards, unwilling to her heart. She stretched her calves back,
moving away with uncertainty as the fire grew higher into the air,
nearly matching the witch's new height.
	But the click of her heel against a soft body made her freeze
mid-escape. Her body become unmoving momentarily, not able to sense
movement in the form she had backed into. Fallen, dying if not dead.
She could feel tears welling up, one even managed to slip from the
corners. Unconsciously, her fingers began toying with a strip of silky
cloth around her arm. He had protected her… why did she continually
keep herself from doing the same?
	A horrid screech stole her thoughts into reality and she could
feel unbearable heat coming closer by the second. She needn't look up
to know the treacherous queen had finally cast the evil flames at her.
Her eyes did raise and instantly her sight was covered in a royal
purple, like to cover the setting twilight. And the flames tasted her
skin, burning into her every pore, searing the nerves of gentleness.
She didn't believe that she ever screamed until it was too late and the
entire force overtook her body. She was rendered motionless, listening
only to her own shrieks of pain.
	How quickly the heat burned down to a soothing aloe. In a turn of
time, she suddenly felt as if she was swimming in a pool of cold water,
wet salt washing over her skin. Her eyes, closed already, perceived a
light filtering through the silent hissing.
	"My daughter…" Her imagination could not have been quieter. Lower
than inaudible, a whisper shouting into the ear of her mind. "I am so
proud of you. Do not give up…"
	"Mo…ther…"
	"Serenity, you are in my heart."
	When she opened her eyes, there was neither cooling water nor
seething sparks. A case of ice, of crystal, surrounded her, almost like
she was standing in a tiny glass room. Her lips dried while her eyes
moistened, and shaky fingers reached up to brush against a locket on
her chest. It trembled beneath her fingers.
	The room filled with white, blinding her, and when once again
everything had silenced, she found herself soothing down the skirt of a
white chiffon dress, bordered in gold trim. Inside, she felt week and
hopeless, but this sudden power covering her brought her out of herself
and a power unknown to her took complete control of her body. Blue eyes
stared directly ahead as her right hand slowly raised up palm outward.
With a thought, a crack shot down the center of the encasement and like
shattering porcelain, it split into sheers of ice, cascading down the
walls of the unlikely platform she stood upon.
	Beryl's proud smile died instantly and she looked into the eyes
of the strangely calm princess beneath her. "What have we here?" she
mumbled to herself.
	"As you've said, Queen Beryl, it is truly over."
	With the silver gem nicely protected in the palms of her hands,
Serena raised her arms forward, aiming it at the villainous before her.
"For all that you've done, I will never forgive you."
	The same warm light barreled over her. The witch had only a
moment's notice to prepare an attack, a weak one, before shooting it
forward to counteract the effects of the overpowering silver crystal.
She gritted her teeth, curving her back to push the liquid ink magic
further, in vain. Pain must have seethed through her body when the
white contacted skin, but she continued to fight it, curling her
fingers under and stretching her arms to their fullest.
	Serena continued to watch on from behind emotionless eyes,
waiting for the crystal to finish killing the woman so that she could
once again become weak and helpless. She missed it.
	From far away she vaguely thought she could hear the coaxing
voices of her friends. Breezes amidst the engulfing heat tempted her
touch to theirs.
	Closing her eyes, she waited patiently.
	With one last shriek above, the crystal's waves ceased to pour
over her. Licking her lips, Serena brought her hands down to her sides.
Her breath inhaled a smoky scent, like cigarettes almost and she
gathered the strength to cough. It turned to choking somewhere along
the line. Letting her eyelids drift open, she watched as the final
twirls of smoke drifted into the white horizon. Her chest fell down
slightly, her lips curling into a sullen pout. With her grip weakening,
she felt the cold, lifeless stone slip between her fingers.
	The crystal clattered down somewhere into the valley beneath her.
She listened to it, feeling no loss as its decent silenced.
	Turning on her heels, she looked over a glistening white field.
The palace must have disappeared while she was trapped in the glass
chamber, along with the henchmen belonging to the deceased Beryl.
	Now, five forms lay dead on the packed snowed.
	With the first snowflake of an incoming storm falling onto her
nose, Serena allowed her gaze to caress her fallen loves, holding them
protectively in her stare.
	She fell to her knees, body and heart numbing in the approaching
winds. They came to blow away the hurt: unsuccessfully.



Two weeks later…



	"Serena, if you're going to go outside, will you please take a
jacket with you? You're going to catch your death of cold…"
	The girl shrugged carelessly, sliding her shoes onto her feet in
the hallway, her head bent, distraught pigtails scratching the back of
her unused school outfit. Ilene sighed, setting down her water and
walking over to her daughter quietly.
	"Darling… hon, you haven't spoken nearly a word for two weeks
now. Won't you ever tell me what's bothering you? Please… It isn't good
to keep these things bottled up inside…" The softness of her voice did
not effect the blond and the gentle hand on her shoulder was quickly
shaken off.
	"Don't worry about me, Mom."
	Jacket-less, Serena strolled slowly out of the small home into
the air, turning quickly into autumn. Ilene watched the door slam shut,
her heart shaking within her chest. "Oh, my baby girl, how can I not
worry about you?"

	Wandering through the streets of Tokyo at the coming of sunset
may seem dangerous to any person without a death wish. But to a person
with one… the feat isn't nearly as scary or awkward. And so, the recent
warrior traveled her daily routine through the streets as the sunrays
and moonbeams mixed together and the first orange street lamps
flickered on over the sidewalks. Goose bumps would crawl over her skin
only to be ignored, blue eyes watching aimlessly as her feet carefully
avoided the cracks in the sidewalk.
	It was nice out here in the brisk evening air, more so than
inside a stuffy house, heated with artificial warmth. Much more
realistic, she mused silently. And on a nightly travel to a sacred
park, Serena would think of nothing but tear after empty tear splashing
unnoticed onto the sidewalk, maybe between the cracks on occasion. She
found it impossible to ignore painful memories with her mother's
constant questions and concerns. Though her heart was in the right
place… it didn't help.
	And her bedroom… the most awful of all places on earth. She would
have rather have been at the North Pole than stuck in that square
apartment that evidently belonged to her. At least in the snow she
could be with him… But while sleeping in her bed, cold from the heat,
she would attempt to sleep for hours. And when finally the calmness
would replace restlessness, dreams of her friends, of her Endymion,
would haunt her.
	Wonderful dreams… where they would laugh and play and sing… she
could feel kisses and hugs. She could talk to them… The dreams are not
what irked her. But when she woke… everything built in sleep would
vanish. It was a terrible nightmare, relived nightly…
	With no more tears, at least that she could feel, she found
herself at the end of the trail. At the white marble pool surrounded by
a green field, turning gray with the approaching dark. Her lips parted
with a deep breath, looking up at the fountain, the cool water
cascading down upon thousands of silver and copper coins. If she had
one, she would have tossed it in by now. She knew her wish already. But
her skirt did not have pockets and heeded no change.
	Slowly, Serena climbed onto the bench of the fountain, kneeling
before it so that she could look into her reflection upon the waves.
Her head listed to the side, seeing plain, dull features surrounded by
un-brushed, though strangely golden hair. A pause and her body became
weak.
	Stretching her arms out to the right to balance on the stone, she
lowered herself onto the smooth surface, curling up against the marble,
her eyes watching the waterfall momentarily. The cold air tossed her
bangs about gently and a chill ran through her body, but was vastly
ignored. Tucking her elbow slightly beneath her head, Serena fell
asleep. For the first time in weeks, however, it was not by tears.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

	"Don't peek!"
	"But Mina…"
	"We're almost there, Sere, just be patient."
	"But I can't see a thing!"
	"That's the point, Meatball Head."
	"Ha, ha, very funny Raye!"
	"It's just down this hall, princess."
	A sigh echoed down the hallway, silent save the clacking of high
heels. Serenity bit her lip anxiously, resisting the urge to scratch at
the blindfold, in fear that Raye would accuse of her peeking. Mina was
latched onto one arm, guiding her down the crystal palace walls
secretively while the fiery princess of Mars stood off to her right,
chatting on about Jadeite every time Serena wasn't complaining about
her sightless predicament.
	Jadeite… protector to Endymion…
	A giggle left Serenity's lips, picturing her lover from Earth. It
had been months since she had seen him last and though the thought of
him still made her giddy and warm inside, it also brought a sense of
longing. She missed him so…
	"Okay, we're here," taunted Venus, pulling open a large door.
Serenity straightened, her arms tensing in readiness to dash to the
restriction above her eyelids. She felt Raye behind her, her arms on
either side of her shoulder, pushing her into the room. She tried
desperately to calm the whirring of her thoughts and listen for her
cue.
	"Ready… now!"
	Whisking the scarf off from her eyes, Serena saw the room light
up in candles and decorations.
	"SURPRISE!"
	The cheerful call echoed from all around the room, permitting a
squeal from the blond teenager. Her hand clasped to her chest, still
holding the blindfold in hand, as her blue eyes danced over the
occupants of the room. All of her family was there, all the royal
guests that often came to balls and parties. Her closest friends, the
servants, everyone was cheering madly. Their happiness quickly struck
up a smile and Serenity laughed in delight.
	"Happy birthday to you!" began the singing of a blue-haired girl
in the front of the crowd. "Happy birthday to you!" joined the others
and they all began to chant loudly. Soon, the giant crowd parted to
reveal four handsome men carrying a large, six layer cake with sugared
flowers and colorful frosting. Immediately, she recognized them as none
other than the four generals… protectors to… Endymion… "Happy birthday,
Princess Serenity…" But then, if they were here, where was…
	The singing quieted down, until one deep, melodious voice could
be heard behind her.
	"Happy birthday, my love…"
	A quick intake of breath sent her head spinning. Or maybe it was
the sound of his voice. Yes, that was more likely. Twirling on her
toes, she came to face a daring smile upon tan skin. Satin black hair
and striking cerulean eyes.
	Unsuccessfully fighting back tears, Serenity managed to whisper
his name at the tip of her tongue. "Endy…" Then, with her heart
pounding mercilessly, she threw herself at him, burying a shaky body in
his embrace, which he accepted instantaneously. "You came back…"
	"Of course, my sweet. I told you… I will always come back to
you…"
	With a tender finger, he lifted her chin, letting their loving
gazes clash before lowering his lips upon hers. She melted against him,
putting up no protection to the light ravishing of his kisses.
	"Aw…" sighed Lita from somewhere in the crowd. "How sweet… Now
break 'em up and let's eat!"

***

She giggled, tensing at the feel of his kisses against the base
of her neck. "Endy, that tickles…" she laughed, squirming beneath him.
She heard him chuckle as well, lifting his head to grin at her
adoringly.
	"That was the idea, Sere…"
	She only rolled her eyes, bending forward to nip at his nose.
"You deserved that."
	Laughing, he rolled back to his side, propping his head up on one
arm to gaze at her from the side. Her eyes followed his, the piles of
long golden hair billowing beneath her on the soft grass. It was
nightfall on the moon, with the Earth glowing far in the distance,
framed by dozens of glittering stars. Two lovers lay side by side in
the lily garden, next to the single rose bush that Endy had planted the
first time his royalty had arrived on this satellite. It was, of
course, Serenity's favorite flower now.
	"Thank you for coming, Endymion. I'm sure you've been busy… but
this was the best birthday present I could have possibly gotten…"
	"I know… and I was thrilled when my father told me it would be
alright if I came up for this week. It won't be a long stay, but I plan
on making the best of it. Besides… it's like torture when I can't be
with you."
	"Ha, I share the feeling exactly!" she muttered, focusing her
gaze on a blue sphere in the sky.
	"But it won't always be like this… someday, we'll be married, and
then we can live together and rule the moon and the earth, side by
side, forever." This tempted a smile on the princess' lips and her
eyelids drifted close.
	"I can't wait…"
	"Neither can I."
	She was greeted by a tender touch on the lips and opened her eyes
just as he pulled away, able to look up into a loving stare. Whispering
his name, she brushed a stray of ebony hair from his forehead, tucking
it behind his ear to watch it immediately fall back into his face. She
giggled. "It will never stay put."
	"I like it that way."
	"Well I'm glad somebody does."
	He chuckled, bending down once more to brush his lips against the
glowing crescent moon her forehead. It brightened momentarily before
dying once more into a subtle birthmark. "I missed you so much."
	"Me too. But you did come back, as promised."
	"Yes. And I promise again that whenever I leave you, I will
return. We can't be kept apart forever. Fate isn't that hateful."
	"Alright, I accept your promise. But I expect you to stick to
it."
	"I should hope so."
	"Hm…" Serenity's eyes closed, her body relaxing into the soft
greenery. "I was thinking…"
	"Sere, thinking? Call the cops," he taunted.
Her eyes opened to stare up at him in confusion. "What are 'the
cops'?"
	He returned the stare silently before bursting into laughter.
"Never mind, love. What have you been thinking?"
	She shrugged off the comment and resorted back to her intense
gaze at the sky. "I want to promise you something now, as well."
	Endymion sat back a little, chewing on his lip. "Alright… how
about… your unconditional love as long as we both shall live?"
	"Well you already have that!" she giggled, watching a smile
spread on his masculine features.
	"Just making sure I hadn't lost it yet," he winked.
	She grinned, soon finding herself being pulled into his arms,
both lying on their sides now, wrapped into each other. Willingly, her
head rested against his shoulder, letting his arms support her in their
hold. A long quiet seduced them as her thoughts drifted over every
aspect of this man that had forced her into love with him. She never
did stand a chance.
	"Kisses," she called suddenly, breaking from his grasp enough to
look into his face. He seemed flustered for a minute before his brow
creased.
	"What about them?"
	"I want to promise you kisses! A thousand, no a million!"
	He blinked in confusion, tilting his head to the side. "Sweet
kisses or passionate kisses?"
	"Both! And only the ones on the lips count!"
	His eyebrow perked up, quickly followed by a large smile. "Sounds
good to me…" he whispered, pushing her onto her back once more.
"Great, then as long as you always come back to me, you can have
as many kisses as you like!"
"And I promise that I will always return to my lovely princess."
She smiled happily, letting her eyes drift close. He soon continued in
a husky whisper, "So, then… what do you say we start right now?"
	Serenity giggled, a blush beginning to tint her cheeks. Tying
dainty arms over his shoulders, she kept to her promise, starting with
the number one.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	The air surrounding her was colder than she would have hoped to
wake up to. This time with no blanket, no flannel pajamas to keep her
warm. She sighed, sniffled a few times, willing her mind to go back to
sleep before waking to another day she should not have to live.
	The water from the fountain was loud in her ears, sloshing down
into the pool below. A cool mist reached to her body with a small
breeze, causing more chills down her nerves. With a loud groan, she
finally lifted her eyelids, staring blankly into the silver waves
falling down not quite at arm's reach. Her heart ached with remembrance
of the dream.
	"I suppose we both broke our promises… didn't we, Endy?" she
whispered, bunching the material of her wrinkled blouse in her fist.
Her head rolled over to stare at the stars momentarily, making a dull
note of the glowing moon in the distance. So pure and innocent. That's
where the memories had occurred… Still, this fountain held special
moments from the past as well… A sob stole her from the thoughts and
she quickly rubbed at her eyes before they could begin to water again.
	Propping her body up on her arm, she sat staring into the water
for some time, listening to the laughter of weeks before fill the night
air. It had been a night like this one… only; he had been with her
then.
	Sniffling, her head collapsed down to her chest, shaking the
bangs slightly against her skin. "Darien…" she cried brokenly, reveling
in the tears that began to fall again, sinking into the clear,
untainted water. "Oh, Darien…"
	"Yes, my dear?" A tender touch of fingertips against her back
made her yelp quickly, jerking to a position as stiff and still as the
fountain itself. She stopped crying. Her eyes turning to wide orbs
within her face, her lips running dry, she felt her body begin to
shake. The fingers stroked against the collar of her shirt, tickling
the back of her neck. Soon they were joined by another hand, rubbing
against her upper arm softly.
	"Have you been crying?" his voice whispered against her ear, deep
and sincere, and real.
	Her sight blurred, Serena whisked herself around, grabbing at the
edge of the marble bench to stare up into two grinning, mischievous
eyes. Breathing heavily, she let one hand come up to touch his cheek,
shaking mercilessly. A breath left her at once at the feel of his skin.
Warm, alive… he was here. And it was no longer a dream. She was on
Earth. She was Serena. And he was here.
	"Da…Darien…" she choked, her lips trembling with every syllable.
His smile spread wider and immediately, he lowered himself to his knees
before her, bringing himself to eye level.
	"It's me, Serena. You can breathe again."
	Gasping on a cough, almost a laugh, she felt new tears welling
behind her eyelids. These tears were warm, freeing.
	"But… you… I thought…"
	"I know," he whispered, wrapping his arms carefully around her
waist. "But it doesn't matter anymore. I'm here. And so are the girls.
You'll see them tomorrow, I'm sure."
	Both her hands reached to cup his face in hers, trying so hard to
believe. "And… do you… remember…?"
	"Everything. I remember everything. Including the three
individual times I fell in love with you, utterly and completely."
	And she smiled. It hurt some; she had not felt a smile for many
days now, but she did smile. One that would always caress her lips, she
prayed. The tears coming incessantly again, she whispered his name once
more before lowering herself into his hold, wrapping her arms around
his neck and letting all her worries and fears dissipate with his
comforting embrace.
	"But… how…?
	He chuckled. "I honestly don't know. I just… woke up this
morning… remembering everything that had happened. I've been looking
for you all day, you know."
	"I thought I'd lost you forever…"
	"But you didn't. You could never get rid of me that easily.
Besides… I believe you owe me something. A million somethings, to be
exact."
	Slowly, she raised her head to look into his glowing eyes.
Eventually, a soft, loving smile spread over her swollen lips. "I
thought we were at nine-hundred-thousand something now."
	"I lost count," he said with a wink, resting his forehead on top
of hers. "So I just thought we could start from the top again. If… you
don't mind, that is."
	With a flushed pink face and salt streaks left on her cheeks,
Serena shook her head quietly. Her eyes closed on instinct. "I don't
mind."
	"Good…" he said near inaudibly. Nearing their lips together, he
touched her with a tender kiss, like butterfly wings caressing her
gently. "Because I love you… sweet Serena. Meatball Head. Oh, and of
course, the majestic Princess Serenity."
	She giggled, pressing their lips together more powerfully, aching
to taste him as much as he longed to lose himself in her.
	And so, trapped in their embraces, they hung onto the night air
for hours, tasting, tempting, but neither feeling the dull sense of
longing and missing. The sun came up eventually to find them side by
side, kisses dancing with sighs and promises of love. That night they
began their count down.
	With an eternity to kill, a person who plays his cards right can
reach past many more than a million. Both young lovers planned on
taking advantage of that. Besides, in all honesty, promises never were
made to be broken.


The End.


Yes, that is the end, and no I'm not doing an epilogue, so don't bother
asking. ^_^ Oookaaaayy… to whom it may concern, here is a list of my
future projects in order of importance:

1. Secret Project (don't ask)
2. Next Time Take the Elevator (so stop asking when it'll be finished!)
3. Inner Senshi Series (due to many requests)
4. Amnesia

So, there you have it. I hope to have the first 3 finished before
summer. That gives me… about 3 and a half months. Whew… wish me luck!

God bless you, minna-chan!
<3 Alicia

    Source: geocities.com/uummwhy