Darkest Nights

By : Rhyaniwyn, Lady of Crying Shadows

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all associated characters are the exclusive property of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Ltd., Toei Animation, Co., Ltd. The English dub is copyright 1995 DiC.

Foreword: Here, by popular (actually one person) demand, is a sequel to "Darkest Nights." Check out my webpage at Geocities, it's under heavy construction, but let me know what you think. Too slow? Not enough pictures? Too many pictures? Can you see the background (having problems with that one)? Could you get on it at all? Is the text colored? Do you like the layout? ect.... Mail me at alyanawhitemage@hotmail.com to tell me what you think of it. All right already! Here comes the story. Rei fans will probably hate it.

Dedication: For "Fiona Lim", Darien, and Serena.

The Day Shall Fade (A sequel to "Darkest Nights")

As the last pinks and peaches of the sunset faded into the bruised color of night, Darien arrived at the observatory. He'd been thinking of the night sky as bruised ever since Serena had gone. It was at night that the moon shone down so brightly and purely, its color so much like her hair. The night she'd gone, the moon had turned red, as if stained with blood. It had been red ever since. It seemed like he was the only one who noticed the moon flicker from white to red and back again. Did that mean the she was there? He had to find her, he had to, he was slowly dying without her bright, laughter-filled prescense.

They were each handling it in their own way. Darien had taken up stargazing, Ami had thrown herself in to her studies, and Lita--with puffy, red eyes--was cooking constantly. Mina was the only one who was being honest about her feelings. She and Molly closeted themselves away together to talk about her and weep. He'd never known that Molly knew about Serena and the girls being scouts. Mina promised that if Serena ever came back and the Silver Millinium began again on earth, that Molly would have a diplomatic position in the castle. She said it was just a feeling she had. Rei acted as if she didn't care. Rei had always stifled Serena's joy and light, without really meaning to. Rei had just never really understood that changing Serena into what she wanted would destroy her. Rei merely commented on how quiet it was, how she'd gotten more time to herself--as if Serena's had been a good thing.

Even if he had ever contemplated Rei as a girlfriend, her behavior now would have killed the very notion.

He had to find Serena, he had to.

Ami threw herself down onto the bed and lay there unmoving. Tears trickled silently out of the corners of her eyes, creating wet spots on her blankets and dampening her hair. Her eyes ached. She had slept only a few hours these past weeks, she was studying so hard. And she spent the times when she wasn't working thinking about Serena and sobbing. If only Darien and Rei had come out and said what they'd been doing that day. Then there wouldn't be this horrible guilt.

She remembered the day she'd met Serena. Everyone had been talking about her, theorizing about her and her life as she walked by. It had been her first day at the school. Serena had been so kind to her, helping her around and putting her right at ease.

Serena had seen something of her lonliness, Ami was sure, for she'd come over to talk to her, making her feel less alone. For her part, she'd seen the fragility in Serena, how much of a mask her carefreeness sometimes was. It just wasn't fair to poor Serena. Where was she? Ami just had to find her.

Poor Serena, Lita thought. They'd never really appreciated her very much. Now everyone realized how important Serena had been to them, not as Sailor Moon, but as a person. She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. She remembered her first day at Serena's school. First she'd felt this compulsive need to help her when those bullies attacked her. Then at school, no one would talk to her--they were all afraid of her. Apparantly someone had found out why she'd transferred.

Yet, Serena had come to talk to her.... Even with everyone else avoiding looking at her at all. After that, no one had either stared at her or ignored her. Serena was so kind to everyone. Instead of listening to everyone else, she'd decided to talk to Lita.

Oh, she felt so guilty over what they'd assumed about Darien. She remembered how nice Serena had been to her that day.

Then she recalled the look on her face... When she'd left.

Lita rubbed at her forehead, leaving a streak of flour there to match the streak on her nose. She cried messily, with loud hiccups, not noticing the salty tears falling into her muffin batter. She hadn't protected her this time, she'd failed Serena.

'So what are you going to do about it?' she asked herself. She wasn't accomplishing much now except to make her house a huge mess. Glancing down, she smoothed her hands over the grease, flour and batter stained clothes she wore, streaking more onto grime onto them. She'd find Serena. She would. Lita gave a tremulous smile, all she could do to make it up to Serena was to find her and bring her home.

"There's no way you can reach Sailor Pluto?" Molly asked Mina.

"She controls the time warp and everything going in or out of it. I know there's got to be a way in, another way, because why else have a Soldier of Time? Artemis is looking into it for me."

"Do you think he'll find anything, anything at all?"

"I hope. There are no guaruntees."

"So if he does find some way in, what then?"

"Well, then we go in and force Pluto to tell us where Serena is."

Molly shot her a dubious look. "How?"

"Well, I'll use my Venus power against her, if I have to. But Sailor Pluto is stronger than I am."

Molly was silent, listening to the clack of the washing machine in the next room. "Mina? What do you say we go to the park?"

They went to the clearing where Nephlite had died. The moon shone down sorrowfully, its color shifting from bloody to snowy. They sat staring at it, absorbed in their own memories of Serena.

'I wonder where she is?' Molly thought, 'It seems like so little time since we used to do everything together. But after she became a scout, she never had time for me any more. I used to be angry at her for it, but I understood, I think... I just wish I could see her again...'

Then Lita stepped into the clearing, jumping when she saw the other two. "I just felt like I had to come. Serena and I came here sometimes when we did things together, to talk." She looked up. "Some view, huh?"

Molly glanced up also, and sighed. "Do you think she's really up there?"

"I hope so," Mina said. "The only other reason I can think for the moon to do that is if she's dead--" she stopped in midsentence. That was an option no one wanted to think about right now. 'Oh, Serena, why couldn't you have waited. No, I know why, I would have done the same thing. Why didn't we trust that bastard more! No, Mina... It's not his fault...' She tried to think about something else.

She glanced up, startled to see Ami when she saw Lita smiling.

Ami stumbled to the spot, collapsing at their feet. Groaning weakly, she forestalled their aid by saying, "I'm fine. I'm just tired. You know, before R-- When Serena and I were the only scouts, we'd come here to talk whenever we had no where else to be. I've always loved it here."

Mina spoke up. "I came here just to think. I saw Serena here many times, but we always pretended not to see each other. At least, most of the time we acted like we didn't notice each other, and she would leave. She was always here before I was. But sometimes, if nothing important was on our minds, we'd go out and have ice cream."

"Her favorite flavor was chocolate, but she never got it," Molly said. "I'd come here all the time at night to remember Nephlite. Sometimes, she would just appear out of nowhere and take me home. She'd even tuck me into bed." Molly laughed wryly. "Serena's everyone's mother."

The Mina nodded in a preoccupied manner. Lita made no response--and Ami had fallen asleep.

Rei sat in front of the sacred fire, not making any attempt to read it, just sitting on the mat staring at her hands. 'Stained hands,' she thought. She remembered how Serena had talked to her, not like she was a monster, or a perfect angel, but as someone she understood. With Rei it was one of two extremes. Either people hated her or they worshipped her. Not so with Serena. Serena had talked to her, listened to her rant about her father, even held her when she cried. Rei had never cried in front of anyone but Serena. 'And now I'll never cry again' she mused.

An urge took hold of her to go to the little bench in the park where Serena had gone sometimes with her when they spent the night together. But Rei just stared at her hands against the woven mat, and didn't move.

The scouts all sat, half-asleep, not noticing Darien creep into the clearing, his eyes locked on the moon. He walked silently to where they sat, not seeing anything but the flickering moon until he tripped over the prone Ami.

"Oh!" Ami cried.

Mina looked up. "Darien?"

Just then, Artemis padded into into the area. "Thought I'd find you here," he said in a stifled voice.

"Artemis?" Lita's voice was full of hope.

As Artemis came closer they all saw that he carried something in his mouth. Molly's face lit up. Darien reached out, hands trembling.

"What is it? Did you find a way for us to get to Serena?" Ami asked urgently.

Mina explained quickly their plan.

"And I found one!" Artemis exclaimed triumphantly. "It's a time key, but a weak one. It will only take one person. So, which one of you should go? It's got to be a Sailor, so you're out Molly-- And, there's no guaruntee that the one who goes can come back, this thing has very little power left and--"

Darien lept at the cat, grabbing the time key. "I'm going!" he cried. Holding it up in the air he began to glow softly with the pinkish light radiating from the key. He disappeared, leaving a single dead rose where he had been standing.

"Do you think he'll make it?" Mina asked.

"Maybe," replied Lita and Ami echoed her.

Once in the time warp, Darien was blinded by clouds and mist. He clawed at it, seeking ineffectually to clear his vision.

"Pluto!" he called.

"I will not let you go," she said.

"The hell you won't!"

"She is dead, my lord. There is nothing for you to do now... Perhaps I might have told you had you come sooner. You misjudged me, I want her happiness too. But it is too late." And then Sailor Pluto cried, silently and with the dignity one would imagine. "There is nothing for the living where she is. She's gone."

"You're wrong. You have to be wrong! I'd know if she were dead. I'd know!"

"Prince Endymion, she is not on earth, you would sense nothing."

Darien took a breath to reason with her, then snapped. Grabbing her shirt, he twisted it, choking her. "Take me to Serena," he commanded.

He appeared on the lunar surface a moment later. He ran, stumbling over rocks and fighting against a strong, but sourceless wind. Again he couldn't seem to see, but the blindness had no source. 'Am I crying?' he wondered. He scrabbled frantically at shapless shadows that emerged from the pocked surface of the moon. 'If I can see that, then I must not be blind. But it's so dark...'

He tripped over a large rock and skinned his cheek. It felt like something was pushing him back from the way he was going.

"What was it Pluto said?" he wondered aloud, "'Nothing here for the living?' What did that mean?"

He thought, perhaps, that these shadows might be ghosts. 'Why would ghosts want to keep me from her? Why would anyone? Maybe the scouts would, they must be angry at me. What's going on here?'

He finally found her, pale and stiff, lips blue, laying in her princess dress on a fallen column.

He saw ghosts swirling around him, shrieking and diving. "You can't have her," he choked out. Clasping her icy hand and kissing it, he murmered frantically, "I love you, Serena, I love you. Please don't leave me!" Nothing happened. "Serena..." he moaned and began sobbing uncontrollably. He lay over her dead body and stroked her pale face.

A single tear hit her cheek and her limbs began to twich. Another rolled off of her forehead. They shimmered, reflecting for a moment a brilliant flash of light. The air rumbled slightly.

Serena gasped, opening her eyes, teeth chattering. 'I feel so warm,' she thought, 'These warm hands seem familiar... Mamoru...' She murmered contentedly and wriggled closer to him, seeking warmth. Then, something occured to her and she shrank away. "Where's Rei?"

He grasped her, holding her to him. "How should I know? I was never with her, Serena. I love you." Two tears rolled down his face.

Identical ones formed in Serena's eyes. "You swear?"

"Yes."

They got up, and Darien pulled her gently to him. He kissed her, stroking her hair, and murmered reassurances. "I'll never worry about your age again," he told her.

Serena giggled and kissed him, their tears mingling. Another light flashed in the distance and there was a great explosion of thunder. As Serena's vision cleared she saw a mettalic pink rod with a black globe attached to one end.

"What was that?" she asked Darien. Pulling away from his embrace she went over to the rod. She picked it up and shook it, hearing tiny chimes sound from inside the sphere. She peered inside and saw four tiny glowing clear crystals through the opaque black glass.

"Where did that come from?" Darien asked.

"I don't know... But things like this have happened before, right? We might as well chalk it up to some cosmic plan and go home."

"I don't think anyone planned this, Serena. It hurt too much."

"Darien, you really don't know everything."

At his shocked and offended look, she laughed. "I was teasing you..."

Smiling now, she joined hands with Darien and they concentrated their power together to go home. After a brief moment of disorientation, they saw trees towering above them and a brilliant starry sky.

"The scouts were here somewhere, and Molly too," Darien told her.

"Where? I don't see them."

"They were over here in this--"

The sight that met their eyes shocked them into motionlessness.

The three scouts, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus fought some sort of black shadow, and they were obviously losing. One by one, in a quick sucession, they collapsed.

"They're exhausted, they've been using up all their reserves," Darien said.

"Doing what?"

"Shhhh!"

The creature glanced up and headed toward them. Darien jumped in front of Serena to protect her from the thing. It easily knocked him aside, tearing a huge gash across his belly.

Serena froze, unable to decide between going to Darien and fighting the shadow. It loomed over her and she panted with fear. It was huge, and seemed to suck up all the light around it, like a black hole. 'Darien?' she thought. The shadow reached out to her, and she made no move to stop it. 'I'll be with you, Darien' she thought. He had to be dead now... She'd seen that cut. And everyone knew how dangerous gut wounds were. She didn't want to live without him now, they had JUST only found each other again not five minutes before. "And now..."

Suddenly a streak of red hit the monster, consuming it, and it collapsed to the ground.

Serena scrambled over to Darien's prone body. His blood soaked the ground, his breathing was raggedly irregular. Tears once again streamed down her face. She gripped the rod, in agony over her helplessness. Something caught her eye, an inscription?

"Without darkness, there can be no light," she read aloud. 'A bit like me,' she thought. "But what does that mean? Where did this thing come from anyway!?" 'I don't have time to worry about it now, do I? He's only got a few moments left!' She stood and gripped the rod firmly, "What should I say? Nothing I've ever had could heal before, this probably can't either. But I just can't leave it like this!! Silvermoon Light Rejuvenation!"

The cut vanished completely, not even leaving a scar. Darien's blood on the ground congealed, leaving a black mark as he moaned and tried to get up.

"It's gone," Serena told him, "You rest now. Just sleep." She kissed him on the forehead and stood up from the position she'd resumed, kneeling beside him.

The power that had exploded from the rod had restored some of the others' vitality as well and they all ran to Serena, eveloping her in a tearful group hug. Laughing and kissing her on the cheek, not one of them noticed a single figure in red leaping from the trees and bounding away.

Lita picked up Darien, they all helped to carry him to his apartment, since Serena wouldn't let him walk. Everyone on the streets stared at the five girls carrying a boy around. But none of them, not even Molly noticed at all.

A priestess crouched over the black stain left by Darien's blood. "What's this?" she wondered out loud, picking up a crushed ashy rose. "There's something wrong here, why is there this stain?"

Later Serena would wonder what had killed the monster and smile, knowing Rei well enough to guess. She never could pass up a fight--or let her friends be hurt.

End The Day Shall Fade

Afterword: La-di-dah... Is this one any better? I don't know... And _you_ have no idea what I'm talking about!