"How’s Rei?"

Minako looked up at her tall friend and smiled.  "Much better actually.  Especially since Luna showed up yesterday and told her in no uncertain terms that Sailor Moon was fully healed and took full responsibility for pissing off Sailor Mars."  She paused in thought.  "Artemis seemed upset about Sailor Moon’s apology, though.  That cat knows something."

Ami sighed.   "Yes, Mina, he knows quite a bit, but remember:  we agreed to limit what we knew.  I’m starting to think that was a mistake."

"Hush!  Hey Serena, how’s it going?" Makoto waved the silver-haired girl over.

"Hello girls."

"Hey, where were you yesterday, Serena?  We were kind of worried about you."  //Especially if you happened to fight a battle the night before last and almost lost your arm to fire.//  Minako had spent most
of Literature class attempting to find marks under the silver-haired girl’s sleeve.

Serena half-smiled at the other blonde.  "Just catching up on my sleep.  Staying up all night studying for the math exam, then working that night wore me out."

"And here we thought you were getting a headstart on holidays.  Hey, are you doing anything tonight?  Mako-chan, Ami, and I have to check out this new European café for Benet-sensei’s class.  We were going to drag Rei, Darien, Motoki and his girlfriend along for the ride.  Want to join us?"

"Yeah," added Makoto with a grin, "who’d have thought Benet-sensei would give us DECENT homework for once?"

Serena shook her head slightly.  "Sorry, girls.  I’ve got to work tonight."

"Serena, are you sure you should be working so much?"  Ami looked at her anxiously.  "Some days you come into school looking pretty haggard."

Serena raised an eyebrow at her, and Ami blushed.  "I mean..."

"No, I understand.  And thanks for your concern."  She graced the blue-haired girl with a soft, weak smile.  "But I’ve got rent to pay."  She glanced at her watch.  "I’ve got to run.  See you at the arcade next
week?"  She seemed almost hesitant.

"With no school?  We’ll be there every day!"  Makoto laughed.

With another soft smile, she was gone.

"You know, Mina, I think you’re right.  I think we seriously need to worry about her."

~~~

"Mad Javas?"

"What a name..."

"I really wish Serena had come along."

"Why Mina?"

"Check out the sign on the door, Rei."

The four girls stood outside the quaint little café in the gathering dusk, waiting for the arrival of Darien, Motoki, and Reika; Rei turned and read the sign aloud.  "Welcome to Mad Javas Café, a home away from home away from home, a cozy outpost of European culture, and a place in which you’re sure to find someone speaking your language.  In order to make our foreign patrons feel more at home, we ask that
conversation held in Japanese be kept to the barest minimum.  Thank you, and enjoy your evening!"

Ami’s eyes positively shone with glee.  "Fabulous!  Full-immersion is the best manner of learning or perfecting a language, and I know my English needs work."

"Ami-chan!"  Makoto was aghast.  "It’s the first evening of two weeks of holidays and you want to STUDY?"

"Well, YOU took away my physics textbook.  How else should I amuse myself?"

"I don’t know, Ami, you could try having fun," Motoki winked at her as he walked up with his dark-haired girlfriend Reika on his arm and Darien trailing slightly behind him.

"I can’t believe we’re going to have to speak English all night," wailed Minako.

"Hey, Motoki, you could practice your French," Darien elbowed him in the ribs.

"Right, and you could pick up a European chick," he replied, doubling over with laughter.

Darien simply raised an eyebrow.  "At least I’ll be able to converse with her."

"Touché!  And the winner is, Darien!"  Makoto had played referee more than once.  "Now can we go in?  I want something hot to drink."

"Bien sûr, mes amis," Darien replied--just to rub it in--as he opened the door for the group.    [Of course, my friends.]

They stepped into a different world.  The room was exceptionally large, but irregularly shaped, as if the current owners had simply knocked down any and all interior walls in order to make one large space.  Great stone fireplaces--containing small fires that were more for light and atmosphere than warmth--graced the two walls at the ends of the room.  Before the entrance was a small sea of tables and
seats, ranging from stereotypical tall, round, and spindly café tables surrounded by stools to squat end tables set between rocking chairs.  Beyond the "restaurant," nearer to the tiny curtained-off stage in the
corner opposite the door, lay couches and overstuffed chairs--all mismatched--and scattered piles of floor cushions. The walls were covered in thin tapestries--some depicting traditional scenes, others simply filled with knotwork patterns--and posters of all varieties.  Illuminated poetry manuscripts in every major European language were interspersed with pictures of Irish pubs, French landmarks, and German castles.  The room was lit only by the fires, the small oil lamps atop the tables near the door, and clusters of candles spread throughout the room.  //They must have fabulous cross-ventilation,// Ami couldn’t help but think.

It was packed.  The murmur of dozens of conversations in several languages flowed around them peacefully, forming a soothing lullaby of sound.  The seven moved into the room, claiming a newly vacated deep blue couch and purple, overstuffed chair near the stage as their own.  Motoki pulled Reika onto his lap as he settled into the chair, while Minako, Ami, and Rei dove for the couch.  Makoto settled for a pile of soft chenille floor cushions, and Darien snagged an unoccupied stool from a table.  Almost immediately a waitress appeared, dressed in baggy khaki pants and a tank top.

"Good evening, could I help you?"  Her English was tinged with a heavy French accent, and Darien grinned wryly at Motoki.

"Bonsoir, Mademoiselle.  Ça va?"     [Good evening, Miss.  Are you well?)

"Ah oui, Monsieur, ça va.  Vous parlez français bien."     [Yes, sir, I am.  You speak French well.]

"Merçi beaucoup." The black-haired man continued in English for the benefit of the rest.  "What exactly do you have to drink here?" [Thank you very much.]

"Oh Monsieur, you tell me what you want.  We have it, probablement." [...probably.]

Darien shrugged.  "I’d just like a coffee."

"D’accord.  What kind?"     [Alright.]

"Black.

"Non, non, Monsieur.  What KIND?  We have French, Arabian, Irish..."

"Oh, in that case...French of course."

"You, Monsieur, are an incorrigible flirt."

Darien smiled as Motoki threw back his head and laughed.  "She’s got you there, Darien!"

"Ah non, Monsieur," the waitress scolded Motoki.  "Anything but Japanese!"

"Pardon, Mademoiselle.  Je me suis oublié."     [Excuse me, Miss.  I forgot myself.]

"Bon, qu’est-ce que vous aimerez?"     [Good, what would you like?]

"I’ll have a coffee as well.  Reika?"

"Tea would be nice."

"What kind would you care for?"

"What kinds do you have?"

The waitress recited the seemingly never-ending list of teas, and each of the girls--somewhat afraid to ask what else was available--chose something they’d never before tried.  After their drinks arrived, and the
waitress left with a wink for Darien, the seven friends once more looked around the room.

"I wonder if Serena knows about this place?"  Makoto mused.  "She’d probably love it here."

"She said she was working tonight?" Rei asked.

"Well, she doesn’t seem to be working too hard," Darien replied, his attention riveted near the stage.

"Huh?"  The confused group followed his gaze to the worn, black leather couch no more than five yards away.  A very familiar slender figure reclined on it, one hand on her stomach, the back of the other
resting on her forehead.  She wore a long black cotton skirt that draped over and off the couch to the floor, and a deep green crushed velvet shirt with a high collar and no sleeves that left her white shoulders bare.  For the first time, they saw her hair completely unbound, falling around her and off the couch in thick silky waves.  But what caught their attention was the fact that she lay with her head pillowed on the muscular thigh of a tall, well-built young man with long white hair, who at the moment, was leaning his head the back of the couch and stroking elegant fingers through Serena’s hair.

//I’m not jealous.  This insatiable urge to do great violence to that guy is just...//

//Jealousy.//

//Shut up.  How can I be jealous if I don’t like her?  She’s a silly little twit who can’t even come up with a decent insult half the time.//

//Then why are you getting so worked up over her?//

//I’m upset that she lied to the girls...It’s obvious they consider her a friend.//

//Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.//

//Bite me.//

"Oh, how cool.  Serena works here!" Minako exclaimed.

"I don’t think so," Rei replied flatly.  "If she worked here, she wouldn’t be lounging around on a guy."

"Maybe she’s on break?" asked the ever-compromising Ami.

"In this crowd?" Makoto piped up.  "Motoki, would you give a waitress a break if the arcade looked like this?"

The blonde man shook his head as Rei stood up.  "Let’s go say hello, girls."

"Rei..." Ami warned but the priestess was already stalking across the intervening space, with Darien following close behind.  Minako, Makoto and Ami scrambled after, leaving Motoki and Reika to reserve
their seats.

"So, getting much work done?" Darien drawled as he stood over the silver haired girl.

The man’s fingers never paused as he raised his head to give the group before him a wry grin.  Serena removed her hand from her forehead and turned to look at the newcomers, her silver eyes softer and warmer than any of them had seen before.  "Trathnona mhaith, a chairde. I didn’t realize Benet-sensei assigned you to come here for the evening until the others showed up."  She waved vaguely in the direction of a boisterous group of students sitting at four tables near the door.  "How do you like the place?"     [Good evening, friends.]

"See, I TOLD you Serena worked here," Minako announced triumphantly.  "Hi, I’m Mina," she introduced herself gaily to Serena’s companion.

"I’m Mal, one of the owners," he told her in a deep, resonant voice.  "Pleasure to meet you, Mina."

//I think you stunned her, Mal.//

//I fully intended to, banphrionsa.//

"This is Darien, Rei, Makoto, and Ami, and you’ve met Minako.  Guys, this is Mal."

"Another cousin?"  Makoto asked.  At Serena’s nod, she leaned over, and in a very audible stage whisper to Ami, declared, "remind me to book a flight to Dublin later.  Damn, these Irish guys are fine!"

Ami blushed profusely and Mal threw back his head and laughed.  "Thanks, Makoto."

An auburn-tressed man suddenly cleared his throat from behind them.  Serena looked up, and introduced Neph to the group.  With a casual wave, he turned his attention to Mal.  "We need to get set up."

"Sure.  Ten minutes, banphrionsa?"

"Fine.  I’ll be ready."

As the Mal and Neph through a mostly concealed door next to the stage, Serena returned with the girls and Darien to their place, dropping gracefully to sit cross-legged on a cushion as she greeted Motoki and Reika.

Makoto immediately demanded her attention.  "Got any more hot guys hanging around that you didn’t bother to inform us about?"

Serena responded with a typical half-smile.  "No, just my deartháireacha, my brothers--though they’re actually my cousins.  So what do you think of Mad Javas?"

"The atmosphere is fabulous!"

"It’s a great chance to practice my English."

"I’m still waiting for the music."

"This has to be the best tea I’ve ever tasted."

"What are you having, Mako?" Serena inquired.

"I don’t know.  I told the waitress to surprise me."  She handed the cup to Serena who sniffed it.  With a small smile, she handed it back to Makoto.

"Ah yes, one of Neph’s successful experiments.  To be honest, I’ve no idea what goes into it."

"He cooks?" Mako asked somewhat dreamily.

"Uh oh, here we go again..."  Rei covered her ears theatrically.

"I’ll have you know, Rei, that Neph looks NOTHING like my old boyfriend."

"Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight."

"Serena, what is it that they call you?  Ban..Ban-frin..."  Ami’s natural curiosity had finally gotten the better of her.

"Oh, it’s just a nickname they gave me at some point."

"What does it mean?"

"Uh, pardon mademoiselle," their waitress looked embarrassed to be interrupting the conversation.     [Uh, excuse me, Miss.]

"Oui, Natalie?"  The rapid French that followed stymied even Darien, but Serena soon stood.     [Yes, Natalie?]

"Something’s come up and I’ve got to get back to work, guys.  Enjoy the evening."

"Thanks Serena, don’t work to hard, girl!"

"Of course not, Mina..."

~~~

"Pardon, but Mademoiselle Sorcha asked that I bring you something from the kitchen," Natalie said, handing a basket of rolls and a small platter of cheese to the girls on the couch.  "Bon appetit!"

"Wow, it’s nice knowing people in high places!"

"What am I, Mina?  Chopped liver?"

"Of course not, Motoki.  You were the one who taught us to mooch off the bosses!"

"Good evening, a chairde, and welcome to Mad Javas."  Mal addressed the suddenly quiet crowd from the now-revealed stage.  "As always, we ask that those who wish to indulge in the fine art of conversation remain near the door so that the three or four sick individuals who want to hear us play can do so."

"THEY’RE the music?" Mina was somewhat startled.  "Cool!"

Jed rolled his eyes.  "Yes, dear friends, Mal will continue to run that joke into the ground and beat it senseless until well after it has ceased to be even slightly amusing."

"I’m hurt, brother mine."  The other three men on stage snorted and rolled their eyes.  "Anyway, as always, we have bowed to the whims of our banphrionsa"--more snorts--"so tonight has been declared
Night o’ the Celts.  Oh, and I’m reliably told," he looked towards the rowdy students at the back of the café, "that your professor WILL be testing you over this."  He grinned at their pained groans.  "Everyone
else...Enjoy!"

The music was exquisite.  Serena’s friends were intrigued as Neph’s deep bass voice mixed pleasantly with Mal’s baritone and Z’s astonishing tenor to compliment the instrumental music.  Jed played some sort of drum--a bodhrán, Ami informed them after the first song--while Z alternated between slow violin music and quick fiddling.  Mal played a guitar, and Neph sat at a rather battered looking upright piano, though at times, he took up a flute to produce haunting melodies.  They sang as much in Gaelic as in English, and
by the end of the second song, even Darien was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.

The third song began with Z fiddling vigorously, joined later by Mal’s guitar and Jed’s bodhrán, and though the tune was lively, it did nothing to rouse them from their quite enjoyment of the music.  Only
the new voice joining Z’s tenor halfway through the song made them snap their eyes open.

                My son John was tall and slim
                And he had a leg for every limb.
                Now he’s got no legs a’tall
                They’re both shot away by a cannonball.

"She sings?" Rei demanded in a whisper.

Darien’s eyes were wide as Makoto whispered back, "sounds like it to me."

//She’s beautiful.  Absolutely gorgeous.  And her voice...//

//Ahem, I told you so.//

//Bite me.//

Darien once more allowed himself to be caught up in the spell woven by the music, though he kept his eyes open.  Her voice, lilting through the mostly tragic lyrics of the various ballads caught at his heart and
her gently swaying figure dominated his sight.

               Knock, knock, knock
               Came the rap at the door,
               And a knock, knock, knock for m’lady.
               Drum, drum, drum
               Went the beat of her heart
               As she leapt to the welcoming sea.

//She reminds me of the princess,// came his sudden realization.  //She’s the only person who has ever made me think and feel like this...//

//But there’s so much sorrow in her...//

~~~

She sat in an overstuffed chair before the dying fire, her legs curled beneath her, a mug of warm tea held gently in her hands.  The café was closed.  Even Natalie--usually the last to leave--had been gone for nearly an hour.  A single shade had been drawn back to allow the moonlight to spill over her motionless figure.

"Banphrionsa?"  Mal placed a sturdy wooden chair next to her and perched on it backwards.  "Are you alright?"

"Of course, Mal," she responded quietly without looking at him.

"Banphrionsa, if you need to battle tonight, I’d like to come with you. You’re too exhausted to fight on your own, and I think it’s time the senshi knew of us."

She gazed into his eyes for a moment, before turning back to the fire.  "No, Mal.  They don’t remember anything of their battles with Beryl, but I think if they saw you as Malachite, they’d remember quickly
enough.  And the only one who can bring back the memories of the Moon Kingdom is Luna.  I don’t want to put you in a position where you’d have to defend yourself because they think you’re the enemy."

Mal sighed.  "You can’t keep fighting every night, alone like this.  It’s killing you."

"I’m fine.  I rested all day yesterday and I relaxed tonight."

"No, you didn’t.  Yesterday, you played your harp, stared into the fire, and brooded.  You’re getting worse than Darien ever was."  When she didn’t even blink, he took her mug, setting it on the floor and took her small, cold hands into his own.  He tilted her chin up so that she faced him.  "Banphrionsa, it wasn’t your fault."

She gazed at him with empty silver eyes, before turning back to the fire.

He sighed, and stood, kissing her hands before dropping them.  "Please, tell me if you go to fight tonight.  I won’t show myself, but I want to be there if you need me."  He turned to go up the stairs at the back of the room.  //I want our real banphrionsa back...//

Deep within her mind, she answered him.  //No, you don’t Mal.  No, you don’t.//

~~~

They were ugly, like always.  Surprisingly, they weren’t twins.  The ghastly yellow slimy one was smarter, but the scaly puke green one was faster.  //A formidable combination...//

She hadn’t wakened Mal; she hadn’t even paused to collect Luna when she felt the droids being dropped on the park.  She was alone once more, still exhausted, and relying on her tiara to keep the stupid one distracted as she blasted the fast one.

One a pile of green dust had replaced the first droid, she called her tiara back to her, and turned to deal with the yellow thing before her.  Suddenly, a sharp pain nearly sent her stumbling to her knees; she
looked up to see five more droids--metallic and clunky--surround her.  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard Rubeus laughing madly.

Steadying herself with her staff, she closed her eyes and mentally whispered to the crystal.  For the second time, Tokyo was treated to a late night display of the crystal’s uncontrolled power:  the silver light
ripped through the six droids before her almost immediately.  She sank to her knees, desperately attempting to restrain the stone.  //Stop...they’re gone...  Stop, please...//

~~~

Ami’s computer beeped incessantly, waking the senshi from her light slumber.  Reaching over, she flipped on her bedside lamp and gasped at the readings the computer was picking up.  Grabbing the communicator, she sent an all-call.

"The park.  NOW!"

~~~

"No."  Mal jerked from his bed as he recognized the crystal’s power flooding the sky in the distance.  Cursing, he transformed and disappeared.  //Banphrionsa, I’m coming.  Hang on, you stubborn girl, I’m coming.//

~~~

With a final wrench of her mind, Sailor Moon calmed the crystal, silencing its wild music and dispersing it’s silver light.  She struggled to her feet, bracing her back against a nearby tree, her chest heaving as she attempted to regain her breath.

"Tsk tsk tsk.  You know, one of these days you’re going to let that thing go and not be able to stop it."  Rubeus hovered over her with a maniacal grin.  "You should be careful."

She closed her eyes and refused to answer.  Suddenly, he was before her, grabbing the back of her neck and forcing her face close to his.  "You broke my toys," he whispered malevolently.  "I think, as a fitting
repayment, I’ll break your friends."  And he disappeared, leaving her off balance.  She stumbled forward as Mars ran into the clearing.

"Sailor Moon?"

"Watch out," she could only whisper, as the droid’s blade descended towards the oblivious senshi of fire.  Drawing on energy reserves she didn’t know she had, she launched her staff at the droid, blocking its
thrust and maiming its leg where the crystal touched it.  Mars leapt away upon hearing the creature’s shriek of pain.

"Celestial Fire Surround!"

"Jupiter Thunderclap!"

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

The three attacks disintegrated the droid, and quiet returned to the park.  Sailor Moon pushed herself up with her staff, which had returned to her as soon as it impacted the droid, leaning once more against the tree, still attempting to catch her breath.  She scanned the area with her mind, but found nothing.  //Eight droids...hopefully they can’t deploy that many very often.//

"Sailor Moon, are you alright?"  Venus’ concerned voice broke into her mind.  The senshi of the moon took one last deep breath and attempted to move away from the tree, only to begin to sink to her knees once more.  Before she could hit the ground, she felt herself wrapped by two strong, familiar arms.

//I told you to wake me!//

//Mal!  They don’t know...//

//Damn what they do and don’t know to hell, you’re drained!//

"No, you’re dead."  The senshi of Venus was pale.

"Get away from her," Jupiter growled.

"No, you don’t understand," Sailor Moon began as Malachite, once General of the Dark Kingdom and once again General of the Earth Kingdom swept her up in his arms.  "He’s not the evil creature you
remember."  She fought to keep conscious, knowing that she was the only barrier between Mal and death.  //Let me stand on my own, Mal.//  He set her down, gently.  "Ladies, Tuxedo Kamen, allow me to
explain," her voice shook with exhaustion and she could not step away from the support of Malachite’s arms.

"Tomorrow," came Luna’s stern voice.  "Malachite is quite correct.  You are drained, Sailor Moon.  Ladies, Tuxedo Kamen, Sailor Moon and I will meet you tomorrow, atop the Starlight Tower at midnight."  There was no hint of questioning or compromise in the cat’s tone, and Artemis, who stood beside her, nodded at the other warriors.

"Fine, Luna, Artemis," Venus answered for them all.  "Sailor Moon?"

"Will be safe," Luna assured her.  The leaping to Malachite’s shoulder, the cat, her charge, and the General disappeared, leaving the rest of the senshi in silence.

Suddenly, Jupiter threw her arms in the air.  "I give up!  I’m officially, completely confused!"

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