Title: An Unsuitable Match
Part: 5
Author: W. Bymeeh
Rating: PG
E-mail: jhyunl@aol.com
Website: http://members.tripod.com/jayhyun/sm/ 

*Author's Note: This one took me forever...I can't believe it's 
done!  

*Disclaimer: I'll eventually get over the fact that Sailor Moon 
does not belong to me...but at least this story does!   

				Chapter 5

	Serena was shaking inside with the news that they had just 
received.  The princess of the Moon, alive?  Her betrothal to 
Darien, impossible?  She dared not to look up into Darien's eyes 
lest she see...see what?  She felt her insecurities at being a 
simple lady-in-waiting while Darien was a prince arise again.  He 
was a prince, and his betrothal to the Moon princess still 
stood...  She could not bear to lose him...but maybe, she didn't 
deserve him.
	"Stop it," Darien suddenly said, pulling her aside.  They 
were the only ones who hadn't gone out of the door yet.  
	He forced her to look into his eyes, and said in clear 
tones, "Serena...you are the only one I want and need.  I'm 
marrying you.  I love you," he emphasized the last word.  As he 
spoke the words and gazed into her crystal clear blue eyes, any 
remaining regrets over the one he had worshipped for so many 
years from afar and wept so many tears for disappeared.  He had 
Serena now.    
	Serena heard the truth in his voice as he said, "If the 
Moon Princess is alive or dead, it doesn't matter.  You're the 
only one for me."  
	Her blue eyes lit up and she blushed as he bent down to 
give her a tender kiss.  
	Mina had waited for them, and she gave a polite cough 
before she motioned for them to hurry up and join the others in 
the hall.  "I'm sure that whoever this princess is, she'll 
understand and help work this out...although I must say, for just 
an acting representative Amiro sure is a jerk."  
	Darien, at Amiro's name, began steaming again.  It took him 
much control to not break diplomatic protocol and blast that man 
off the surface of the moon.  He pulled slightly on the presence 
of the Golden Crystal, which comforted him and Serena by 
surrounding them both with a golden glow.  

	Beryl smiled as she saw the group walk leave the Great Hall 
through the side exit.  She could feel the power of Metallia 
running through her, giving her strength.  
	She had always known she was destined for greatness.  She 
was meant to be more than a simple lady of the Earth.  Now, she 
could control the universe.  And, thanks to that weak-minded 
general, who had been very convenient in these matters...she had 
a binding betrothal to Prince Darien as well.  
	As for that *former* lady-in-waiting of hers...she would 
pay.  Who was she to think of going after *her* prince?  
	She had been at a loss to figure out what to do at first.  
She had not known what course to take after Darien and his bratty 
sister and her friends had left for the moon.  
	And then, of course, she had a vision.  
	A vision that gave her a taste of all that could be hers.  
And the way to achieve it. 
	She had met Amiro shortly after, no doubt somehow planned 
by the patient Metallia.  All plans were going accordingly now.  
	She smiled an evil smile, her red hair blowing behind her 
in the wind as darkness flashed in her eyes.

	Through the door, Serena and Darien found themselves 
outdoors.  It was a large circular area, surrounded by crumbling 
remains of walls that had long since fallen.  The sky glittered 
above with its many twinkling stars.  In the center of the 
enclosed area, a crescent moon was carved into the floor.  
Directly above it floated the mystical Crescent Moon Wand, 
seemingly   held in the air by an invisible hand.  Revolving 
around it, suspended in the air, were the legendary power sticks 
of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, their planetary symbols 
flashing brightly.  The others were gazing in awe at the mystical 
sight.  They all knew what the items were, having heard about 
them in childhood stories that had turned into myths over a short 
course of time.  
	Serena breathed in deeply.  She could feel it...this 
strange power that these magical items were emitting.  Somehow, 
it comforted her.  But she could tell, looking around at her 
friends, that they were deeply affected somehow too...as if they 
were drawn to it, something that they could not resist.  
	While she...something told her that if she walked forward 
to that wand, she would never be the same again.  The wand itself 
was empty, lacking the legendary Silver Imperium Crystal that had 
been missing ever since the destruction of the Silver Millennium.  
Serena had heard the stories, of course, just as everyone else 
had, but they were so enshrouded in mystery that none even knew 
if they had really ever existed, as most had forgotten about 
them. 
	Apparently, they did. 
	Their power awakening in the presence of their planetary 
sticks, a planet symbol gleamed brightly on the forehead of Mina, 
Amy, Raye and Lita as they gathered closer to the center, 
fascination in their eyes.  Serena willed herself to stay behind, 
clutching Darien's left arm as an instinctive action. 
	Suddenly, the power sticks spun rapidly in the air and shot 
toward each girl, who in surprise held up their hands and ended 
up catching their transformation sticks.  		
	Serena looked in awe at her friends.  'They're the missing 
princesses of the other planets,' she thought.  She looked at the 
Moon Wand still rotating in the center, still giving off its 
silvery glow.  If she wanted the wand...she would have to step up 
to it and take it.  But why would she want it?  She was not a 
princess like her friends, after all.  She had always been simple 
Serena, the gardener's daughter...almost engaged to the prince of 
the Earth.  That in itself was rather astonishing...it was too 
much to suppose that she could be a princess, as well!  
	"I see you've noticed that the missing princess of the 
other planets have survived, as this irrefutable evidence is 
before you.  You must know, no matter where you come from, that 
the sworn duty of the inner Senshi is to protect the Moon 
Princess.  She does exist, as do all of the long-lost princesses.  
Although we had no idea of where the other princesses were, as 
they have appeared today, the Moon Princess had recently been 
found and is being kept hidden for her protection."  Amiro 
paused, staring in grim amusement at the shocked girls.  
	Amy stared at the glowing blue stick in the palm of her 
hand.  She felt power humming through her veins, and she knew 
now, what the missing part of her life was.  She was someone 
important, someone with an essential mission!  She was a part of 
a force more powerful than she had ever imagined, and she was 
meant for a life filled with more than just books.  She felt no 
resentment, simply honor that she had been chosen. 
	Raye could feel the power of fire burning in her hand.  She 
felt a part of herself that had always been dormant, ignite, a 
powerful part of herself burst into flame.  She accepted the new 
power as hers, and she accepted the unnamed mission as well.	
	Lita suddenly realized that she had always been looking for 
something more...exciting in her life.  Beyond being a lady of 
the court, she had felt there was another purpose for her 
somewhere.  An adventure waiting for her.  She had been born for 
this, she realized, grasping her glowing green transformation 
stick tightly.  
	'I always knew that my power was not that of the Earth,' 
Mina thought.  And what planet more appropriate than Venus, 
Earth's twin?  Peace settled into her heart as she realized that 
she had finally found her place...her position.  
	None of the girls knew how to unleash the power that they 
held.  They each recognized the planetary symbols of their 
transformation sticks, but in shock, they could only stare at the 
representation of their new found power.  Finally, they looked at 
Amiro, who still waited.  
	"Before you transform, you must meet your princess..." 
Amiro stated.
	Serena felt Darien's arm slip around her waist, and he 
surrounded her with his power, comforting her and soothing her 
fears. 
	She knew his heart belonged to her.  
	He whispered to her, "She'll dissolve the betrothal.  I'll 
make sure of it."  
	Luna and Artemis crept toward the center of the room, 
puzzling at the motionless Moon Wand.  
	"He's found the princess MY A--"
	"Artemis!  He must have a reason for what what he's 
doing..." Luna said, troubled.  
	"But it's impossible!  How could he of..." 
	The door leading out to the courtyard opened, and Lady 
Beryl walked into the room. 
	Immediately, Serena felt a chill as her mind went into 
shock.  'Beryl?  Princess?  Noooooo...'  She trembled at the 
sight of her former mistress, her insecurities and her fears from 
serving her coming back.
	Darien instantly knew that Amiro was playing some kind of 
game with them, manipulating them to his heart's content for 
whatever reasons.  He literally growled with fury at the sight of 
Beryl, who stood there with a mocking smile on her lips.
	"Don't look so shocked, Prince Darien.  Who would have 
thought that four little girls could be the planetary princesses?  
As for myself, I've always known that I was meant to be more than 
who I was on Earth."  Her eyes narrowed.
	Amiro watched, amused.  Beryl had been a willing volunteer, 
and was playing her part perfectly. 
	"Like hell you are the Moon princess," Darien said between 
gritted teeth.  
	Beryl smiled, an evil glint in her eye.  "I am...I was 
saved by my mother and sent to Earth...now that I have awakened, 
I demand the loyalty of my Senshi."  
	A collective gasp went up from the four girls, who still 
clutched their transformation sticks, unused. 
	Raye was the first to shake her head, "No."  The others 
followed quickly after.  There was something wrong...there was no 
way she could possibly be the Moon princess.  She was flowing 
with dark energy...she was not what they expected their Moon 
princess to be.  Something was not clicking...they could not 
place the feeling, but something was wrong and they could not 
identify the cause...other than the fact that ever fiber of their 
being rejected being part of a court to Beryl.  
	Beryl walked over to Amiro.  "What do you say, Prince 
Darien?  You must honor the betrothal made at my birth...your 
duty calls for it.  Don't trade me and the Moon Kingdom for an 
unsuitable match."  
	Darien grimly shook his head, never wavering.  "Sorry, 
Beryl, but the Moon Kingdom is dead and so is the Moon Princess.  
I have another."  
	Rage flowed through Beryl for a moment, but a little voice 
told her to keep her patience.  She would have her revenge.  She 
smiled coldly, surprising Darien.  "Very well.  Step forward to 
dissolve the betrothal."  She glanced at Serena.  "Whether you 
believe I am the Moon princess is not my concern.  I have the 
power to release you if you so wish it." 
	Darien looked at her with wariness in his eyes.  "I do so 
wish it, whoever you are, Beryl."  Serena turned pleading blue 
eyes on him not to go, but he gently took her arm off of his and 
gave her a confident smile.  
	He took a few steps forward and then knelt a short distance 
from Beryl, as protocol required.  He gritted his teeth, but kept 
his head lowered though his eyes blazed with anger.  If this is 
what he had to do to marry Serena, then so be it.  And Beryl, 
though an imposter, did not pose a true threat to him.  He waited 
for her to say the political phrase that would officially release 
him from the betrothal.  
	It never came.  
	The sound of a thousand storms crashing together swept 
through the area, deafening everyone's ears and drowning out the 
screams of the frightened girls.  Darien tried to open his eyes 
against this great gale, but he could not see anything, only knew 
that he had to do something to protect Serena.  
	But then everything went black as a force greater than what 
he could deal with slammed into him and threw him into the wall.  
	His last thought was of Serena.  

	"DARIEN!!!" Serena screamed into the storm.  On her hands 
and knees she tried to crawl toward his still body, lying against 
the wall.  The wind blew sharply around her and she tried to go 
against its force, but it was too hard.  Her head unwillingly 
turned toward the one person who was unaffected by it, as she was 
the source. 
	Beryl stared maliciously at Serena, evil simply flowing 
from her being.  She felt a pang of regret at doing what she had 
done to Darien...but if she could not have him, then she would 
not stand for her pathetic lady-in-waiting having him.  
Especially since she had the power of Metallia behind her.  Poor, 
pathetic Amiro was out of his depth, and after the first release 
of power from Beryl, had been thrown against the wall and had 
fainted into unconsciousness. 
	"Serena, watch out!"  A cry was heard from one of her 
friends, she did not know which...Serena turned away from Darien 
and saw each of her friends try to come toward her, holding their 
planet sticks in their hands but not knowing how to transform.  
Beryl easily blew each of them to the floor of the rotunda. 
	"Noooo!" Serena cried out in horror.  
	She was the only one left now.  Suddenly, the wind died 
around her and she could stand up.  
	"Sad, sorry little girl...you really thought that you 
deserved to be with him?  Don't you remember who you are?  Who 
you've served all these years?  Did you think that I would let 
such a thing happen?"  Beryl's voice mocked her, cutting her and 
slapping her with the meaning of her words.  "It doesn't really 
matter if I was born the Moon Princess...I am still the most 
powerful being in all of the universe, and you, pathetic 
Serena...you're just a nobody.  No one will even notice when you 
and your sad friends are gone..." 
	In front of Beryl, the light still shone from the Moon 
wand.  It was unaffected by Beryl's presence, and it continued to 
rotate, suspended in the air.  
	Beryl stretched out a hand toward where Amy lay, heaving 
next to a crumbling wall.  
	Serena remembered all of the good times that they had 
together.  A picnic as young girls...laughing in the garden, 
playing games.  Dressing up for the first time.  Letters written 
over the years.  
	Meeting Darien.  Falling in love.  
	Telling her friends that she was engaged.  
	A trip to the moon.  
	And she thought that she was going to take it all away from 
her?  No, no, no. 
	Serena cried out in her mind, "Mother, let me help them..."  
	And a voice that she seemed to have known all of her life 
answered her..."Serena, you know how...all your life, you've 
known..."  
	And she did know.  She knew, and she was glad that she knew 
how.  In a moment that seemed suspended in time, she reached out 
her hand to the spinning moon wand.  In a flash of light, the 
wand flew of its own accord to her outstretched hand.  
	Beryl was staring at her in shock, before anger took over 
her features once again.  Beryl...she had never been this evil.  
She was a creature so twisted and distorted now, never to be the 
same again.
	Serena felt the Moon wand in her hand, knew that she was 
returning back to the life that she had never known, but that she 
had been meant to have.  She was not the same, simple girl 
anymore.  
	Her friends...they struggled to stand now.  They still 
clutched their own wands in their hand.  
	Darien...he was still on the floor.  Was he all right?  She 
knew he was; she could feel...hear his heart still beating within 
her.  The rhythm was there, inside her head.  He was alive.  
	Bravely now, she looked up at Beryl.  She did not turn 
away.  She was no longer a coward, no longer willing to 
hide...she was not ashamed of who she was any longer.  Beryl was 
not her mistress, she did not serve her or anyone.  She had known 
this all her life, had only to assert herself.    
	A single tear fell out of her eye, and glistened as it 
dropped onto the moon wand that she held in her hand.  
	She did not know if she was crying for her lost mother, or 
the years that she had suffered, or the damage that Beryl had 
done.  
	In a deafening explosion, the tear that had fallen from her 
eye solidified...and in the center of the moon wand, was the 
newly formed Silver Imperium crystal.  Serena never hesitated as 
she raised her wand before her.  
	Around her, her friends gathered around her, raising their 
wands to join their power with hers.  They looked at each other, 
and mouthed a words that were foreign to them, but seemed to 
belong to them.  
	"Mars Star Power!" 
	"Mercury Star Power!" 
	"Jupiter Star Power!" 
	"Venus Star Power!"  
	Even as Beryl was beginning to unleash the power of the 
Negaverse, Serena was saying words she never knew she knew.  "I 
call upon the power of the moon..." she whispered.  "Moon Cosmic 
Power!"  
	She felt her friends supporting her, adding their own power 
to the flood that returned Beryl's fire.  She felt Darien's heart 
continue to beat its rhythm, comforting her and sending her his 
love... 'Moon princess or no, you're the only one for me...' 
	She poured herself out into fighting the force that Beryl 
was using.  She would...not...let...her...win...
	And then she heard someone scream, and she wondered if it 
was her...
	And she fell into darkness, a whirlwind of blackness
everywhere, and she knew nothing more.

***********

Stay tuned for the epilogue.  The only reason that's an epilogue 
is because it's so short, and it's the ending.  Don't flame me, 
because I'm a hopeless romantic so think about what happened 
logically... 

w. bymeeh
jhyunl@aol.com
http://members.tripod.com/jayhyun/sm/