Child of the Moon 3/?
By Meredith Bronwen Mallory

 Something warm and soothing lay spooned up against him, permeating his soul 
with a strangely familiar warmth. There was a peace wrapped around him, in him, 
as if the last piece of his shattered spirit had finally been returned to him. He 
opened his eyes, finding the once merely dim room to be now incredibly surreal.
Carefully, Darien turned his head, and let out a low, incredulous breath. She had 
curled up beside him like one creeps up to a fire, fearful of being burned, but in 
need of warmth, and lay spooned up against his back, her delicate arms wrapped 
around his waist, her legs entwined with his. She was so soft, and almost transparent 
and.... HOW? Serenity stirred in her sleep, opening crystal blue eyes to look up 
into his.
 ³How??² he breathed as she untangled herself from him, her cheeks tinted with a 
becoming rose. 
 ³Oh, Endymion,² Serenity breathed, looking up at him sadly. Her silvery locks
spilled down from their two buns, pooling around her and making her look like a 
Grecian sea nymph, just arisen from the waters. Darien looked into the blue eyes 
heıd been dreaming about since before he could remember, and suddenly understood. 
She wasnıt really here, not in body, not in physical flesh and blood. He reached out to 
touch her, and felt warm, soft skin beneath his fingers, as he caressed her cheek. 
Serenity leaned into that touch, closing her eyes as if memorizing the sensation from 
every angle. The soft skin he touched, Darien understood, was not really there, but 
merely a sensation re-created from her memories of what it was like to touch, and be 
touched. He felt like crying, no one deserved this, and certainly not his sweet, 
innocent moon princess.
 ³Do you have any idea,² he asked, his voice low and heavy with emotion, ³How long 
Iıve been waiting to see you? To hold you? I love you so, so much. My god, Serenity, 
youıre all Iıve dreamed about for as long as I can remember and now...² Serenity put 
a finger to his lips, her eyes pleading with him. 
 ³I love you too, itıs been so long and Iıve been so cold. Please hold me.² And hold her 
he did. He wrapped his arms around her slight, nonexistent form, and offered her 
something she had no had in a million years; comfort. She had been just as isolated as 
he, if not more so. They were so alike, yet different, those two, and in the dim ruins of a 
long ago kingdom, they had at last found each other again, only be faced with nearly 
insurmountable odds. <No,> Darien thought, holding Serenity tightly, <I *will* save her, 
I will set her free.> He didnıt think past that, to what would happen after her soul was no 
longer bound to the mortal world be the computers, for he could not bare too think that 
he would loose her either way.

 Loosening herself gently from his grasp, Serenity pulled away so she could look up into 
his eyes, her hand coming up to touch his cheek. Darien bent down and brushed his lips to 
hers. He truly had meant to pull back after a moment, but her lips were soft and sweet that 
he found himself incapable of doing so. Instead, he deepened the kiss, feeling like a supernova 
was exploding all around him. Her kisses filled him to the top, made him whole again.
Had he ever been lonely? No, impossible, he had Serenity.
Had he ever been cold, filled with sadness? It simply couldnıt be. He was holding liquid 
sunshine in his arms.
 ³Oh, Serenity,² he said when they broke apart. The Princess merely buried herself in his 
arms and cried. She cried for joy, for her prince was with her once more, she cried for longing, 
because he could not remember the happy times, and she cried for sadness, because she just 
might loose him again. Darien simply held her and let her cry, whispering little words of comfort 
she could not possibly hear.

----------

 When he woke in the morning, she was gone, and he wondered if it had all been a dream. But as 
he climbed to his feet, a little glint of gold caught his eyes. It was a little golden star locket, incredibly 
delicate . It hadnıt been a dream, Darien thought happily, his Princess had truly been by his side.

 ³Ahem,² a small voice interrupted Darienıs musings. He turned around, and sure enough found a 
little black cat watching him from atop a fallen pillar.
 ³Yes Luna?² he asked as he put the little piece of jewelry in his pocket.
 ³I do believe we should begin our search,² she informed him, looking a bit too reproachful for his 
taste.
 ³Right,² he nodded anyway. He had to save his princess, that was the most important thing. 

 They searched the entire main hall, and every corridor still intact, before they reached a long, winding 
stair case that went no where.
 ³The Princessı apartment used to be up there,² Luna explained. Darien nodded, he remembered the 
staircase, for some odd reason. He began to search the debris near by, lifting the heavy bits of plaster 
in search for the shining jewel. What he found instead was very, very different.
 ³My god!² he said as he stumbled back, having lifted the last piece of plaster. There was a dead 
body beneath the pile. Luna, having abandoned the pile sheıd been looking through, came over and 
shook her kitty head sadly. The body had once belonged to a woman, and somehow, perhaps it was 
the strange atmosphere of the moon, the body had been almost perfectly preserved for the last millennia 
She had long, ebony hair, which was even now encrusted with its of blood from her battle. Her red 
fuku was tattered ad torn, and she looked as though she had been in extreme pain when she died.
 ³Itıs Sailor Mars,² Luna said sadly, ³One of the Princessı four guardians, sworn too protect her 
at all costs. Darien studied the body in a new light as a mist filled the edges of his vision.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Prince Endymion sat on the little garden swing, looking towards the moon palace. Heıd been 
waiting for Serenity all morning, and yet hours passed, and still she did not appear. Theyıd agreed 
to meet by the garden swing she so loved, and now Endymion was beginning to wonder if something 
had happened. Just as he was about to go searching for him, a figure approached But it was not Serenity. 
As she came closer, he recognized her immediately
 ³Mars, where is Princess Serenity?² he asked, ³Has something happened?² The senshi of fire 
looked at him sadly, shaking her head.
 ³Only that she was caught trying to sneak out this morning, by the Queen herself,² Mars informed 
him, ³She wouldnıt say where she was going, so luckily you two have no been found out, but I warn 
you Prince, you must be more careful in the future.²
 ³Thank you Mars,² he said,  relieved that the other girl would not reveal his secret meetings with the 
moon princess.
 ³Youıre welcome,² Mars replied, turning to go. But then she stopped, and threw over her shoulder, 
³By the way, Endymion, if you do by chance break Serenityıs heart, I will be forced to kill you.² 
Then she was gone.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Darien snapped back  to reality, the world suddenly clearing. He looked down sadly at the young 
woman who had devoted her life to the protection of his Princess. It was a sad and undeserved end 
to his friend. 
 ³Itıs not here,² Luna said, turning from the corpse, ³Well need to search else where, and hurry, 
time is short, and growing shorter. 
 ³Alright, Luna, Iıll be right there,² he assured the feline as she hurried into the next room. Turning
 back to the fallen woman, he gently cleared away the remaining debris and released Mars from her 
long held contorted position, lying her out as though she were sleeping. Darien shook his head. 
 ³You served Serenity well, Mars,² he said, feeling as though it wasnıt really him speaking, but 
some older, forgotten part of himself, ³I will avenge your death, and those of the others. Serenity 
and I will avenge you.² Suddenly, the sound of giggling echoed off the still walls, and the smell 
of death became new and real. Darien turned to face the source of the noise, annoyed that someone 
would interrupt Mars Œburialı.  All he saw was a flurry of deep violet skirts and a scrap of red hair 
as they vanished around the corner. His first thought was;
 ³Whatıs SHE doing here?²