Sometimes it was just too much. <Fourteen years old and already burnt out,> she thought wryly. Being a heroine sure wasn't as glamorous as she used to think. It was pressure and hard work. She knew the strain she was feeling came with the job, with all the added responsibility that went with protecting a city. It wasn't that she didn't like what she did. She was very happy she could help so many people. But she was just so weary... Serena felt a pair of arms encircle her waist from behind. She smiled faintly and leaned back against him, resting her head on his chest.

Darien held Serena in his arms, his chin lightly resting on the top of her head. He knew exactly what she was thinking. He had sensed something changed in her in the past few weeks, and he could understand the way she felt- after all, he was Tuxedo Mask, also sworn to protect the city against all evil, as was his destiny. Sometimes it was as if he had signed his life away.

Darien stood quietly and watched the city scene before him. Ever since he had first noticed the change in Serena, he had been watching her more carefully. He knew that whatever she was feeling came from more than just pressure. She was really hurting. And it hurt him not knowing how to make it stop. He heard her sigh and he tightened his embrace, wishing that there was something more he could do to comfort her, to take that sadness from her eyes...

It was late afternoon as Serena walked home from school with her friends. They had all made plans to go to her house for once, as they rarely ever met there. Amy, Mina, Lita, and Raye gossiped happily as they went, enjoying the peaceful day. It had been a pretty good day for Serena too- she hadn't gotten into any serious trouble, for once. She had actually done her homework the night before (and she thought Miss Haruna had looked a bit faint when she handed it in), her mother had packed her her favorite double-fudge frosted brownies- she had even managed to stay awake all the way through Haruna's boring math lesson. Yes, it had been a good day, and Serena felt her spirits rising from before.

The other girls chattered on as Serena took a deep breath and enjoyed the scenery around her. She looked at the pretty houses and trees, thinking that after living on the same street all her life- well, all her life as Serena Tsukino, anyway- she must know every part of it by heart. There was the little shop on the corner that sold inexpensive trinkets, her old neighbor who sat on his front porch everyday reading the newspaper in the afternoon sun, the fancy house next door that made even the Tsukino's pretty two-story home seem plain by comparison, the horde of kids who rode their bicycles past them, the little pink-haired girl rushing over to her, the weathered brick wall that- wait a second.

Little pink-haired girl? Serena did a double-take. "Renie?"

"Serena!" the little girl cried out. She ran over and threw herself into Serena's arms.

Serena hugged the child tightly, looking bewildered. "Renie?" she said again. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay in the future? You usually don't come unless there's trouble."

Instead of answering, Renie only buried her face into Serena's blouse and sobbed. Serena put her arms around the tiny form protectively and waited for the tears to slow before pulling back slightly to look the girl in the face.

"Renie," she said. "What happened?"

The little girl rubbed her eyes and asked in a small voice, "Please, Serena, can we go home?"

Serena looked at her a moment and then nodded. She scooped Renie up and turned to the other girls who had been watching the scene in astonishment. No one could understand why Renie was there, and it looked like they weren't going to find out either. At least not yet.

"Sorry, you guys," she said. "But I don't think we can have that meeting at my house after all. I'd better get Renie to bed. She looks exhausted." And indeed she was. Already the little girl was fast asleep in Serena's arms.

The next day seemed to drag on endlessly to Serena until at last the final bell that signaled the end of another school day rang. Serena moved slowly, deciding to take the long way home as she reviewed the events of the past twenty-four hours. Already it had not gone well, as if fate was determined to make up for the good day yesterday. After reintroducing her "cousin" to her parents and Sammy (with a fair amount of brainwashing from Luna P), Serena had immediately taken Renie up to her room and put her to bed. That evening, she sat down with every intention of getting her homework done, but found that she just wasn't able to concentrate for worrying about the little girl. She also hadn't been able to sleep, which was unusual for her.

After finally getting a few measly hours of rest in, Serena had woken up in a panic from oversleeping and had been in such a rush to get to school that she hadn't had a chance to question Renie again. Upon barely making it to class on time, she suddenly remembered that history test that had somehow slipped her mind in the events of yesterday...

"Oh, no, failed again," Serena groaned to herself as she walked home from school. She hardly noticed the afternoon sun as it beat down upon her- she was already in a sweat, but it wasn't from the heat. Serena looked with dismay at the paper she held in her right hand, with the big, glaring 40 at the top of it. "Oh, what am I going to do? Mom is going to have a fit, and she'll ground me for a month- if she doesn't kill me first- and I won't be able to go to the arcade or the mall or the ice cream shop..." Serena was so caught up in her lamentation that she didn't notice the tall figure suddenly standing in front of her.

"So, Serena, how'd you do on your test?" Darien's voice cut into her thoughts. Serena looked up sharply to find him gazing expectantly down at her.

"Test?" repeated Serena innocently, trying to discreetly tuck it away among her books.

"You know, Serena, the one I studied with you for," Darien said, not one bit fooled. Pointing to the corner of the paper that peeked out from her math text, he added, "That one."

"Oh, that test," Serena laughed weakly, inwardly swearing at the corner that had betrayed her. "Well, you see...I guess I kinda...um...well, that day, I, uh-"

"Serena."

"Okay, here." Serena reluctantly handed over the paper. She kept her eyes averted, not wanting to see his disappointed look. Darien felt a massive sweatdrop forming at the back of his head when he saw the test. Lifting his eyes, he watched as Serena's embarrassed gaze dropped down to stare at her shoes, and he softened. He knew that Renie's sudden appearance the day before had shaken her up considerably. It was very obvious to all of them that something was wrong, but apparently Serena still hadn't been able to find out what it was. Darien was afraid that on top of the stress she had been feeling lately at being Sailor Moon, it might end up being too much for her.

"Well...at least your scores are up from that first test I saw," Darien joked, trying to lighten her up. He was referring to their first meeting, when she had accidentally hit him in the head with a test on which she had gotten a nice, round 30. Darien just didn't have the heart to scold her. With the way Serena had been lately it wouldn't take much to send what little self-esteem she had plunging straight into the ground.

"Serena..." Darien said mildly. "Maybe you ought to study with Melvin next time... You did seem kind of distracted that day."

Serena felt her face reddening, but the sadness in her eyes remained. "Been there, done that," she sighed. "Let's just face it, Darien- I'm not smart and I never will be."

"That's not true," Darien admonished her. He was worried. He had never seen Serena so easily defeated before. "Serena... Look, I know what a rough time you've been having lately. I'm worried about you. We all are," he said, referring to her friends. "But, you know...sometimes when things get hectic like this, you just need to buckle down and work even harder."

"Work?" Serena's head shot up. "But I don't *wanna* work any more," she wailed.

Darien smiled at her. That at least sounded like the old Serena. "I know. I've never known you to be one for work, Meatball Head," he teased, using his old nickname for her. Serena blushed at that, but couldn't help smiling back, just a little. Darien reached out and pulled her into his arms, relieved at that tiny smile he had seen. It wasn't much, but for now, it was enough.

By the time Serena got home, she was exhausted. Even so, with a clever maneuver, she managed to avoid her mother- and the impending doom of trying to explain the 40 on her test- and took Renie up to her room. "Okay, Renie," Serena sat her down on the bed. "It's time to talk. If something's wrong in the future, I need to know what it is." Renie sniffled and looked down at the floor. "Renie?" Serena prompted her gently.

Renie stuck her feet out in front of her and studied them carefully, looking like the little girl she was. She kept her eyes fixed on her small shoes as she muttered something nearly inaudibly.

"What?" Serena asked.

Renie let her legs swing free and bent over until her bangs hid her face. She muttered the word again and this time Serena heard it. "Metallia."

Serena gasped and she felt her stomach being gripped by icy fingers at simply hearing the name. "Wha-? What about her?" she stammered.

"Metallia attacked us in the future. She already captured the scouts. Mommy sent me here to keep me safe and also to get your help."

Serena felt a numbness slowly spreading through her at the thought of having to face the evil ruler of the Negaverse again. "What do I have to do?" she asked.

Renie reached deep into her dress pocket, and pulled out a rather wrinkled, folded piece of paper. She looked sadly at Serena. "Mommy told me to give this to you." She held it out to her.

Serena carefully took the paper from Renie and unfolded it slowly. At the sight of the familiar writing, she had to smile. There was no doubt then that this note really was from her future self.

There was no kanji in it.

Serena shifted her eyes to the top of the paper and began to read.

Sailor Moon.

As Small Lady has probably told you by now, Metallia has appeared in Crystal Tokyo. Since our last meeting with her, her power has increased to an even greater level, and I am afraid that this time I will not be able to defeat her. The Sailor Scouts have already fought and were badly hurt. I need your help. You know that only Serenity can defeat Metallia, as we did before. But this time it will also require an item that the princess once had. I am afraid that I am no longer in possession of it, but I am sure that you still are. It is very special, something that only the princess could own. This item symbolizes everything that she loved and that we fight for. Combined with the ginzuishou, it will be enough to defeat Metallia and her forces. I am sorry that I cannot tell you now what it is, but I know that you will understand when the time comes. Sailor Moon, this is our most desperate hour. There is much more at stake here than in any fight that you have seen yet. It is our future that we fight for. Not just ours, but everybody's. Look into your heart, Serena, and let the moon be your guide. You will know what to do.

Serenity

"I can't do it!" Serena cried later to the guardian cats, Luna and Artemis, and her fellow scouts, now in civilian costume. They all sat scattered around Serena's room and watched as the girl paced back and forth, working herself up into a typical Serena-like panic. "I don't know what to do! Neo-Queen Serenity said that I would understand, but I don't!" Serena looked like she was about to start wailing- something that everyone wanted to avoid.

"Serena," Luna reprimanded her. "Try to calm down, please. We just got Renie to sleep. Do you want to wake her up again?"

"It doesn't matter," they heard a voice at the door say. Serena quickly choked down her sobs and turned to see Renie looking rumpled and a bit scared by what she had just witnessed. "What's going on?" she asked in a small voice.

"It's okay, Renie," Serena said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Come on." She patted the bed where Luna was, and the little flamingo-headed girl complied.

"Good," Luna said. "Now, Renie, we're trying to figure out what this 'item' that your mother talks about is. Serena, tell me again what Neo-Queen Serenity said. There must be something that we've overlooked."

"There isn't, Luna." Serena pulled the folded piece of paper from her pocket and spread it on the bedcover before her. Everyone except Serena and Renie leaned down to study the note carefully.

Serena stood quietly as her gaze drifted down to the distinctive characters at the bottom of the page. Serenity. A woman and a girl that Serena didn't think she could ever be. <Oh, I feel so helpless. I wish Queen Serenity was here... My mother... She would know what to do...> Serena was beginning to feel depressed again when Renie reached up and took hold of her hand. Serena looked down at her and smiled slightly. If there was anything that she needed to be strong for, it was her future daughter. And she would be.

"Well, Serena," Mina said. "The only thing that I can make of it is that Neo-Queen Serenity said you would understand when the time came. Maybe this just isn't the time yet."

"But it has to be, Mina!" Serena protested. "The queen is in trouble. Crystal Tokyo is under attack. Renie could be in big trouble if the Negaverse follows her here. They all need my help now! When else could it be?"

"We don't know, Serena," Amy sighed. "None of us understand this attack any more than you do. It would be my suggestion that we just go to Crystal Tokyo to talk to Neo-Queen Serenity in person."

"But how can we do that? I thought that two people couldn't exist in the same time period for more than a few minutes- unless one was mortally wounded or something."

"Well," Artemis said. "Then if the future scouts were really hurt as badly as the queen made it sound, you girls," he turned to Lita, Mina, Amy, and Raye, "should be all right. But I don't know about you, Serena. Neo-Queen Serenity addressed this note to Sailor Moon specifically, so I think that's the form she wants you to take. Serenity wouldn't do anything that might jeopardize the future, so it must be all right."

"Are you okay, Serena?" Raye asked suddenly. They all looked up quickly. Serena did look a little sick.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Serena said, her lie obvious.

"Hey, I know. Why don't I take Renie for tonight?" Amy offered. "It would give you a night to let things sink in, and I could bring her back in the morning." She turned to Renie who was still sitting on the bed. "You spent the night with me once before, Renie. How about we do it again?"

Renie looked at Amy. Then she looked over at Serena. She actually would have much preferred to stay around Serena, her mother, but she could tell that she was near break-down point and needed a night to work things out for herself. Renie nodded. "Okay, sure," she said, forcing a cheerful tone.

"Good, then, that's settled."

Serena looked at the little girl. In some ways, she wanted to keep Renie near, to make sure that she was safe. But then, it was only one night. It might do her a lot of good to have some time to herself.

"Okay, Renie," she said. "But behave yourself, and I'll see you in the morning." She hugged the child tightly, and the girls left.

"Mother," Serena moaned in her sleep. "Mother..."

Luna stirred from a not-so-sound sleep, cocking an ear toward Serena's bed. When she heard her cry out again, she forced her heavy eyelids open and slowly stood up. She fixed her gaze on where Serena was, and waited for her eyes to focus in the darkness of the room. When they had, she could see that Serena was asleep, the moonlight spilling over her, but she could tell that the sleep was not a very restful one. The girl tossed and turned, clutching a pillow to her. "Mother, please don't leave me," she mumbled. Luna listened, puzzled. She was just about to go check on her when the door opened and Serena's mother, Ikuko, peeked in.

"Serena?" the woman whispered at the sleeping form. When she realized her daughter had been crying in her sleep, her gaze softened and she carefully stepped over to the bed. Serena moaned again.

"Shhh," her mother soothed, stroking her hair. "It's all right, Serena. Everything's all right. Go back to your dreams now," she murmured.

The sound of her mother's comforting voice appeared to have an effect on Serena, for she rolled over and soon fell into a sound sleep. Ikuko watched her daughter for a few moments more and then tiptoed out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind her.

The next day broke bright and clear. The early morning sunlight streamed in through the window of Serena's bedroom, throwing rays of light across the pink bunny-covered comforter on the bed, and Luna woke up, yawning. She stood up and stretched, trying to work out the cricks that had settled in during the night, preparing herself for yet another battle to wrestle Serena away from the bed. Since Renie was at Amy's, Luna knew that she would only be fighting to get one girl up this morning.

"Get up, sleepyhead," she called out loudly. Serena's family slept in late on Saturdays- especially her little brother Sammy- so Luna knew it was safe to do so. She imagined what the family's reactions would be if they ever discovered that their cat could talk. <Probably much as Serena's was,> Luna thought with a smile, remembering how freaked out Serena had been. She jumped up on the bed, wondering how many times she would have to yell at the girl before she would finally drag herself out of it. Sometimes Luna thought Serena could slip into a coma and no one would be able to tell the difference.

To her utter shock, Serena was not in the bed. Luna gasped. <Serena? Up this early on a Saturday morning?> Perhaps she had been kidnapped in the middle of the night. At least it seemed more probable.

"I'm over here, Luna," a soft voice called out. Luna let out a yelp and jumped before turning around. She saw Serena sitting at her vanity, staring into the mirror. Luna jumped off the bed and padded over to her.

"Serena? Are you all right?" she asked, knowing full well she wasn't. It wasn't just Metallia or even the fact that Serena was up so early on a Saturday morning that worried Luna. She recalled the previous night and studied the girl carefully. Something about Serena's expression now, something in her eyes, made Luna stop and regard her with concern.

"I'm fine, Luna," Serena responded with a small smile. <Something's not right.>

"Luna," Serena said hesitantly. She seemed distracted. "Luna, tell me about the Moon Kingdom."

Luna was surprised. "What do you want to know?" she asked.

"What was it like? Were the people happy? What was Queen Serenity like? Did she enjoy being a queen?" The questions seemed to pour out of her. Serena paused, then asked softly, "...What was I like? ...Luna, there's so much I don't remember..."

Luna was a bit shocked at this outburst. She knew Serena had been feeling a little down lately, but she had just assumed it was a passing phase, like so many others she had seen her go through. Luna sighed and rubbed up against Serena's legs in an attempt to comfort her.

"Serena, I'll tell you what I know, but I must warn you, it isn't much."

"That's okay, Luna..." Serena said, glancing over to the clock. Then-

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!! It's already 9:00!! Waaahh, I'm gonna be way late!! Raye is gonna kill me!!!" As the room suddenly took on an atmosphere of complete chaos, Luna smiled. It looked like Serena was feeling better.

It was a beautiful sunny day at Juuban park and four girls stood at their appointed meeting spot, looking extremely bored. Raye glanced impatiently at her watch. "Can't that Serena ever be on time? She's so inconsiderate!"

"Oh, give her a break, Raye," Mina said. "I know she's late, but you don't always have to be so harsh with her. If you haven't noticed, I think something really serious has been going on with Serena lately. I mean it," she added quickly when she saw Raye open her mouth.

"I think we all need to be a little more patient with her for now." Mina turned to the others. "Haven't any of you noticed? Serena's been so quiet these days, even before Renie came- it's not like her. Sometimes she looks like she's completely lost in her thoughts."

"Yeah," Amy put in. "When I dropped Renie off this morning, Luna told me that she was concerned about Serena too."

Raye closed her mouth when she realized that Mina and Amy were right. Serena had seemed a bit out of it the other night as Sailor Moon. Raye had just passed it off as Serena having another flake period. Yet more than once after that she had caught Serena at moments staring sadly at the moon, though she denied anything was wrong. Raye turned away. "Hmph," she muttered grudgingly. "So what's her excuse all the rest of the time?" Truthfully, Raye was worried. Serena had always been the type that seemed nothing could keep down for very long.

She was eternally cheerful and generally optimistic. But lately...

"Hey, here she comes," Amy's voice cut into Raye's thoughts.

She looked up and saw Amy pointing to a girl with long blond pigtails streaming from two meatball-shaped masses of hair that were undoubtedly Serena's, running and puffing as she came nearer.

"Sorry I'm late, you guys," Serena wheezed when she reached them. She collapsed against a nearby tree, panting heavily. The four girls looked at each other and rolled their eyes. That was Serena for you. Their irritation now melted away, they couldn't help but laugh at the sight of her. "What?" Serena asked a bit huffily.

She stood, looking indignant for a moment, while the other girls struggled to catch their breath. "It's nothing, Serena," Mina finally gasped out. "You had to be there." She bit her lip, trying to gain control of her laughter and willed herself to stop giggling. She put an arm around Serena. "Anyway, come on. Now that you're here, we can finally go shopping!"

Serena was still a bit puzzled at what had just happened, but she merely shrugged and smiled at her friends. "Okay. Let's go!"

"So, Serena, why so pensive lately?" Lita asked her later that day. The girls had finished their shopping excursion and were now sitting on the steps of Raye's temple, relishing their freedom and their chance to act like normal teenagers.

"Yeah, Serena, aren't you and Renie getting along?" Raye asked.

"I meant to talk to you guys about that," Serena began.

"Uh-oh," Mina giggled. "It sounds like Serena's having maternal problems again." The girls giggled.

"You guys, this is serious." They quickly grew sober at Serena's urgent tone. "Lately I've been getting some majorly bad vibes about Renie. She's not safe here. I keep feeling that something bad is going to happen to her."

"Like what?" asked Raye.

"I don't know what, but this feeling is getting stronger. I can't seem to shake it. Do you think you could ask the fire, Raye?"

"I could try," said Raye. "But I'm usually the one who senses these things, and I haven't gotten any bad visions lately. Are you sure about this, Serena?"

"I'm sure," Serena said firmly.

"Maybe because Renie is your future daughter you have some kind of special intuition about her that no one else does," commented Amy.

"Well, whatever I have or don't have, I think we all need to keep a closer eye on her from now on," Serena said.

The next evening, Serena and Renie were walking home from the movie theater. Luna had insisted that Serena take the younger girl out to try to take her mind off her troubles, at least for a little while. And it seemed to have worked. Renie was acting more like her old self, chattering endlessly about the show. But Serena only half-listened, her thoughts elsewhere.

<What is this feeling I've got? Renie? Can you tell me? Why am I so worried?>

"Serena, are you listening to me?" Renie suddenly demanded.

"Huh? Oh- oh, yeah," Serena floundered. "Of course I was."

"No, you weren't," Renie pouted. "You were probably thinking about Darien again."

"I was not," Serena protested.

"Yeah, right," Renie said. "You know-"

Suddenly, Serena heard a scream. Renie heard it too, and stopped in mid-sentence. They both began running toward the sound. As soon as they had rounded the corner, they saw the reason for it. There they found a scene of utter chaos- people collapsed in the street and others having their energy sucked dry by a youma. <No, not now,> Serena thought desperately.

She quickly hid Renie behind some rubble. Then taking hold of her transformation brooch and raising it to the sky, she shouted, "MOON COSMIC POWER- MAKE UP!!!" transforming herself into Sailor Moon.

"How dare you attack all these innocent people!! I am Sailor Moon, champion of justice!! On behalf of the moon, I will right wrongs and triumph over evil- and that means you!!"

The youma just sneered at her, unimpressed by her overused speech. "Is that a challenge, Sailor Moon?"

"You bet it is, slimeball!!" she shouted. "You're about to get dusted!!"

The youma's eyes glinted at her, and she felt something strange- and yet oddly familiar- flash through her mind. She quickly shook it off, as the youma looked poised to attack. Sailor Moon stood below, ready to dodge as it came down upon her. But suddenly it stopped and stared over her shoulder, its eyes widening. Its expression changed into one of sheer delight. "The girl!!" it exclaimed gleefully. "Ah, so the little rabbit is here!!"

Sailor Moon looked to where its gaze seemed fixated. That was when she realized that Renie was not in the place where she had left her, and was instead peering at the fight with frightened eyes. Realizing that the youma was staring directly at her, she took a few steps backward.

"Renie!!" Sailor Moon cried. Before she could say another word, the youma had swept down and snatched the girl. Sailor Moon saw her struggle briefly.

"Sailor Moon!!" Renie cried.

Sailor Moon stretched her arms out to her. "Renie!! Give her back now!!" she demanded.

"Not a chance, Sailor Moon," the youma smirked at her. "The little moon brat is worth a good deal to some people." Suddenly Sailor Moon saw something drop from the sky, catching the light as it fell by her feet. She leaned down and picked it up. It was Renie's Time Key. She looked to the small girl.

"Help the scouts," Renie begged. Sailor Moon turned her gaze back to the youma, her eyes flashing.

"Put her down now-" she began to order again. And then she remembered. "Wait..." she said, her eyes growing round with horror. "I know you... You were there...on that day..."

The youma grinned at her. "So you recognize me, Sailor Moon?"

Sailor Moon narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I remember you. You were one of Metallia's minions. But my mother and I finally defeated you."

"Ah, but you didn't defeat me, Sailor Moon," the youma said, mockingly. "Princess Serenity and her mother did. And as far as I'm concerned, you're no Princess Serenity."

Sailor Moon winced, absorbing the verbal blow, and the youma only laughed above her. She stood speechless, unsure of how to respond. Because as much as she didn't want this Negasleaze to know it, what it said had hurt. Oh, how it hurt.

Sailor Moon suddenly lifted her chin with a determined air, and readied her moon rod to attack this creature. She had only gotten so far as "Moon Spira-!!!" before it was gone.

"NO!! RENIE!!!" Sailor Moon screamed as the youma disappeared, leaving her alone to deal with the frightened people as the sky overhead grew darker.

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