Moonlight Dreams
Part 4
By Veronica

Serena was sitting on the floor with Alisa. Alisa was explaining all the events that had happened before they met up again.

"Nexus is not bad. She was just lonely. The loneliness got to both of us after a couple centuries in this tower. We were each other’s best friend. Even then, she really didn’t love Darien. She just missed him because they had lived in the same castle since they were born. Then the Wiseman came. He promised us that we would never be alone if we trusted in him. Nexus and I believed him and he gave us false memories and filled us with negative energy. We became very vindictive after that." Alisa glanced at Serena.

"Because Nexus’s friendship was so strong, the negative energy made her jealousy so strong that it was released into a dagger." Alisa stopped and clutched Serena’s hand tightly. "That dagger is more powerful than your crystal." Serena gripped Alisa’s other hand.

"Don’t worry. I will fix everything." Serena said with a soothing tone. Alisa nodded but still looked grave.

"Where are the scouts?" Serena asked.

"They are locked up in the bottom of the tower. The only one who could open it is Nexus."

"Where is Darien?" Serena looked up and pointed. "Is he higher up?"

"Yes, but he is very weak. He has a hard time breathing and talking. He can’t stand up." Alisa said.

"Well, we’ll have to fix that then, won’t we." Serena said grinning at her friend. Alisa helped Sailor Moon up off the floor. They started up towards the stairs.

Ami had been thrown on the floor of the room. Lita was at Rei’s side picking the locks of the hand chains that bound them to the wall. Mina had already been released and sat by Ami. Mina had already tried the door several times. Ami slowly regained consciousness.

"Where are we?" Ami managed to get out. Her head was throbbing painfully.

"We’re in a room, presumably the dungeon." Replied Mina helping her up.

"Where’s Serena?" Ami questioned as she saw Lita in the corner.

"Who knows? She’s still fighting her way up into the tower." Mina shrugged her shoulders.

Ami took out her computer and started getting data about the door that was the only way out. Ami jumped up as Rei was freed from her chains.

"If we concentrate our powers towards the door, we should be able to break through it." Ami exclaimed.

The scouts gathered around the door.

"Jupiter Star Power!"

"Venus Star Power!"

"Mercury Star Power!"

"Mars Star Power!"

An immense beam of light flowed from the scouts. It cascaded into the door. The door became red hot and exploded sending the scouts falling backwards.

"Hey, it worked!" Mars exclaimed.

The scouts brushed themselves off and bounded out of the door heading once again into the forbidden tower.

Darien was left by himself in the room. He struggled to get up and ignored the pain that followed. I have to get away from that dagger, he thought. Darien reached over and tried to bat the dagger off the table. It didn’t work. As he leaned up against the pillows he pushed himself up into a sitting position. The pain was so bad that his insides felt like thousands of knives jabbed into him. Darien reached out his hand and swatted the dagger all the way across the room and collapse on the bed in pure exhaustion and pain. His hand was burned slightly.

Darien felt the relief flow into him and his body adjusting to the ease without the dagger’s power. He felt better already. Darien stood up and was able to stand. He felt weak but could still function normally. The window revealed two suns revolving brilliantly in the sky. He lifted his cape to shield him and walked past the dagger feeling a twinge of pain as he made his exit out the door.

Alisa led the way into the next room. Serena was behind her. The room was filled with gorgeous tapestries that showed pictures of the sun rising and setting. Serena gasped as she saw the tapestry that was of the Moon Kingdom. It was like an exact replica of the Kingdom. Serena felt herself get swallowed into the picture.

"This is beautiful. Who made it?" Serena asked in awe of the great beauty trapped within the fabric.

"Nexus made it. Before the Wiseman came we talked about the old days where we lived. We had nothing to do so she made the tapestries while I found other things to do. I haven’t been in this room since the Wiseman showed up." Alisa remised on how things used to be between her and Nexus before the Wiseman changed them.

"Serena, you have to help Nexus. She doesn’t mean to be the way she is. Please help her." Alisa pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"I’ll help her." Serena said with pure honesty.

All of the sudden Serena felt a chill flow into the room. "How far away are we from the top?" Serena asked glancing around subtly.

"One more flight of stairs should do it." Alisa said drying her tears quickly.

Serena ran in the direction of the stairs and left Alisa running after her.

Darien hid in a corner as he heard voices. A rose was raised in readiness. He slumped into the wall to keep him up. His weakness had become easier to deal with. The voices came closer as they echoed off the stairs. Darien couldn’t see anyone from his position. He stayed hidden until he could tell who they were. He could here the voices clearly now.

"Where is he, Alisa?" Serena called out behind her.

"He should be in the next room." Alisa replied.

Darien’s mouth dropped. Serena was talking to the enemy! The enemy had tricked her. He listened more closely.

"Serena, we have to watch out for Nexus. She’s on a rampage if Darien is not in his room." Alisa said fearfully.

As Darien listened, he realized that the girl he knew as Geo was Serena’s friend. There was something truly heartfelt in her voice that made Darien’s assumption sure. He stepped out of the shadows. Serena’s back was to him.

"Serena," Darien whispered. Serena turned quickly to face him. Her eyes lit up with happiness.

"Oh Darien! I thought you were gone or something worse." She cried out. She ran to embrace him and caught him off balance. He was still weak but he returned the embrace.

"What’s wrong, Darien?" Serena looked inquisitively up into his eyes. She had noticed something was wrong.

"I’m a little weak that’s all." He replied with little emotion. Darien didn’t want her to worry.

She kissed him on the lips with a warm sensation that he had not remembered. His heart finally felt full again. Alisa watched with a smile on her face. Then, everyone felt a chill in the room.

"Well, if it isn’t Princess Serena herself. It’s about time." Nexus said with a mocking tone in her voice. Nexus appeared at the opposite side of the room. She stood with her hands on her hips and a dark forest green dress on to her thighs. Her boots came up to her calves. Nexus had a light in her eyes that struck fear into Alisa. Darien and Serena looked at her from their embrace.

"So you are the one that stole my love away. I hope you realize that we cannot stay here." Sailor Moon announced while stepping out of the embrace.

"Oh, do shut up, Princess. You really are annoying. I hope you realize that none of you are leaving my tower alive." Nexus said staring directly at Alisa. "Geo, I see you brought them to me."

"Please stop this, Nexus. The Wiseman changed us. Let Sailor Moon help you." Alisa pleaded to her friend. Nexus glared at Alisa with her dark violet eyes.

"How dare you side with her! You have betrayed me! Traitor!" Nexus screamed as she pointed her hands at Alisa. Alisa screamed as a wave of energy sent her soaring through the air and into the wall. Darien stepped back to make sure that Alisa was all right. Sailor Moon put her hands on her hips.

"How can you hurt your friend like that? She has always stuck by you. It is the Wiseman that you can’t trust." Sailor Moon explained.

"Anyone that goes against me is not my friend." Nexus replied. A sudden flash of light appeared and blinded Sailor Moon temporarily. Nexus emerged next to Sailor Moon with her dagger out. Darien doubled over at the pain brought on by the dagger’s mere presence. Sailor Moon dodged the strike. Sailor Moon defensively raised her fists as Nexus started taking blow after blow at her. Nexus faked a punch and then slammed her foot into Sailor Moon’s face. Sailor Moon fell backwards and held her hand to her face in pain. Sailor Moon’s face was bruised slightly. Nexus stood above Sailor Moon for an instant.

"You see, Sailor Moon, all’s fair in love and war." Nexus laughed as she raised her dagger. It unexpectedly drooped to the floor next to a brilliant red rose. Nexus looked at Darien who had thrown the rose. He leaned up against the wall with one hand. His cape shielded Alisa who was still on the floor. Nexus pounced towards Darien.

Sailor Moon threw her tiara at Nexus before she got her hands on Darien. Nexus fell on her knees. She turned her head to look at Sailor Moon with hatred in her eyes. Nexus jumped to her feet and charged at Sailor Moon.

"Mercury Bubbles Blast!"

A sudden mist filled the room. Nexus stopped and held her poise. Mercury helped Sailor Moon off the floor.

"Supreme Thunder Crash!" Nexus was sent to the ground by the abrupt bombardment of Jupiter’s attack. The mist disappeared and revealed all the scouts standing around Nexus. Alisa had finally gotten to her feet and ran over to Nexus leaving Darien’s safety.

"Are you okay, Bethany?" Alisa said holding her dear friend by the shoulder. Nexus turned to look at Alisa and didn’t turn away.

"What do you care? The scouts have defeated me. Everything I have is gone." Nexus said with tears forming in her eyes.

"Not everything. You still have me as your friend." Alisa smiled at her friend brightly. Nexus looked at her curiously.

"After all that?" Nexus said softly. Alisa nodded.

"I’m your friend, too." Serena said walking over to her. Darien moved out of his corner to join the scouts. His strength was returning quickly.

Nexus looked puzzled by this expression of friendliness. She nodded her head. "I’m your friend then. I’m sorry." The tears cascaded down Nexus’s face. Serena smiled. Nexus looked up at her. "Will you help me?" Serena nodded.

"Moon Crystal Power!"

Nexus was encircled by a bright white light. The negative energy flowed out of her through her skin. Goodness replaced it. The white light disappeared leaving a smiling Bethany in the middle of the room. Alisa went over and hugged her friend.

Darien walked over to Serena and put his arm around her. Serena turned to him and smiled. The other scouts started to walk over to Serena and Darien. The dagger was forgotten on the floor in the corner.

There was a huge crash in the corner of the room. Everyone turned to look. The Wiseman had picked up the dagger.

"You two both betrayed me. Now you'll all pay. And I had such high expectations for you two." The Wiseman lifted his hand and Alisa and Nexus fell into the wall. Darien put his cape over Serena as a shield. The scouts stood against the blow. The top of the tower was ripped off. The sky gave off a red appearance to the floor. The stars and moons shined their light on the scouts. The suns had retreated. The Wiseman stood in his corner staring at the scouts.

"With this dagger, I will control the universe. But first, I'll have to be rid of you pests." The Wiseman held up the dagger and a flash of light was emitted from it. An enormous amount of energy was produced from it. The scouts and Darien were pushed up against the wall but Sailor Moon was thrown into the window and fell out of it.

"Serena!" Darien cried as he ran to the edge. The Wiseman laughed.

"Your Princess was no match for the dagger." The Wiseman cried triumphantly.

There was a great burst of light, as the moon in the sky seemed to explode. A figure fell from the sky. Princess Serena was standing in her dress holding the Silver Crystal.

"You had better give up now. You can not defeat me with the dagger." Princess Serena said with determination.

"Princess, if you almost died once, I can do it again!" The Wiseman laughed and lifted up the dagger.

The Princess lifted the Silver Crystal in her hands into the air. It started to glow and it emitted a pure white light. The Wiseman lifted the dagger in front of him and it emitted a much more powerful light. Serena was determined, though. Her light was still glowing but the dagger's light was enveloping hers. Serena started to fall on her knees.

"You guys we have to help her." Lita cried out realizing how much energy Serena was losing. The scouts lifted up their transformation sticks.

"Mars Star Power!"

"Mercury Star Power!"

"Venus Star Power!"

"Jupiter Star Power!"

"Scout Power!"

The white light glowed and the light from both the dagger and the crystal were equal. The scouts were releasing their energy.

Darien suddenly remembered that the dagger was formed out of jealousy. If the jealousy resulted out of love, he wondered, would love overpower the jealousy? Darien stepped towards Princess Serena. As he reached out his hand towards her, he instantly became Prince Darien. His hands wrapped around hers and he could feel that her energy was leaving her body fast.

"I love you, my princess." Darien whispered in Serena's ear.

"I love you as well, my prince."

The light overshadowed the scouts as the white light eliminated all traces of the dagger. The Wiseman stood alone and defeated.

"I will return Princess. Don't you dare forget that." He bellowed as he disappeared.

Serena just turned to her prince and embraced him. The scouts helped Alisa and Bethany up off the floor. Serena then collapsed in Darien's arms.

Ami turned to the vortex accelerator and started to punch in some numbers. Darien still held Serena and the rest of the scouts took care of Alisa and Bethany.

"Where are we going?" Bethany asked, holding her head where a bump had formed.

"You’re coming back with us to live as our friends." Mina explained.

Bethany just smiled at Alisa and sat on the floor. Ami looked up and smiled. "I’ve got the calculations done. The portal should bring us back to our dimension." The scouts began to get up and Darien lifted Serena into his arms. A bright light came from the wall and a portal opened. The scouts, Alisa and Bethany walked into the portal except for Lita. She stayed behind with Darien.

"So are you guys back together again?" Lita questioned hopefully. Darien just looked at Serena.

"I…can’t." Darien said with exasperation.

"Why not?!" Lita shouted.

"You wouldn’t understand." Darien said turning away. He couldn’t put Serena in danger again.

"I do understand that Serena is going to be devastated when she finds out. You’re not only hurting her, your hurting yourself." Lita replied. She was so frustrated with him. He loved Serena but kept on avoiding.

"It’s not my choice. I would want to be with her forever." Darien said with aggravation. He couldn’t look at Lita anymore. He stared at Serena’s beautiful face that seemed to glow when she was asleep.

"Darien, Serena and you have a love that will end all loves. She is with you to the end. What then is keeping you apart?" Lita couldn’t understand what he was talking about. She looked up at him into his eyes. He was forced to look at her now. "Whose choice was it to keep you and Serena apart?" Lita asked, still looking at him.

"Lita, if I tell you something, you must swear that Serena will never know." Darien looked seriously at Lita.

"Of course. Serena will never know what goes on here." Lita swore.

"I’ve been having these weird dreams lately where Serena and I are getting married. Then all of the sudden, she is pulled away from me and the ground below her engulfs her. Some voice then tells me to stay away from Serena." Darien explained. He looks at Serena with distress in his eyes. "If I don’t take this dream seriously then I might lose her." Darien said painstakingly as the thought wound itself around his inner soul.

Lita just stared at him. "That’s a very good reason, I guess. Darien, no one will ever know but I have one question. If you are supposed to stay away from her, how come every time you fight in battle with Serena, it always involves you getting closer to her?"

Darien opened his mouth to say something but then shut it abruptly. The answer didn’t come to him. He pondered that thought for a moment. "I don’t know." He said with a bizarre look on his face. Lita shrugged her shoulders and walked through the portal. Darien lifted Serena and gave her a kiss that barely brushed her pale lips. "Some day, we’ll be together again my princess. Let me try to solve this problem. For now we’ll just have our dreams." With that he walked through the portal leaving the destroyed tower to the moons.

Serena awoke in her bed. She tried to remember what had happened. Then it all came flowing back to her. Luna was asleep at the edge of the bed and Reeny was sitting by the window asleep with her ball. Serena sat up and realized that her world did not revolve around Darien any longer. She remembered what he had said to her when she regained consciousness.

"Darien, where are we?" Serena asked sleepily as she just opened her eyes. He was still holding her in his arms. She glanced around and noticed that they were in his apartment. It was all neat and tidy since the last time she had been there.

"We’re at my apartment. I wanted to make sure you didn’t get sick again." Darien said as he placed her gently on the couch. He walked over to the counter in his kitchen and started fussing around with his sink.

"Thanks for helping me beat the Wiseman. I knew you still cared." Serena said softly. Darien felt a twinge of regret at what he was about to say.

"Serena, I only did that so you would beat the Wiseman. I can’t love you any longer." Darien said with a tone that told Serena he knew what he was talking about.

Serena didn’t move an inch. She got up off the couch and walked over to him. She had tears in her eyes and his back was facing her. She kissed him on his cheek and whispered in his ear. "I’ll be waiting for you."

Serena left the apartment silently and shut the door behind her noiselessly. Darien turned to stop her but realized that she was gone. Darien walked over to his couch and sat down staring outside at the moon.

"What am I doing? Lita was right. Our love is unconquerable. Why am I listening to some dream that I don’t even know what it means?" Darien pondered Lita’s words for a moment and fell asleep with tears in his eyes.

Serena shook her head sadly and went downstairs for a late night snack. I should just deal with the fact that Darien is not interested any more, she thought as she grabbed an apple. He has his own life. I’ll just find another guy. Serena then looked out at the moon and realized it was impossible to love someone else as much as she loved Darien. She laid her head down on the table and fell asleep with dreams of her prince rescuing her from the facts of reality.

The End.

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