Hold Me 1/1 The Sequel to ³Child of the Moon² by Meredith Bronwen Mallory Hi yah! Well, Minna-chan, it seems Œyal want a sequel (duh! *Kendell smacks Mer upside head.* Even I wanted a sequel) So, here it is! This takes place two or three weeks after Darien and Cray (you remember her, right? The space chick.) get back to Earth. Legal Disclaimers: Iım gonna say this one last time, Sailor Moon just isnıt mine, Sure Iıd love to own Mamo-chan, But every girl wants that man, Seems Iıll just have to get in line, And this fan fic is a way to pass the time. All this, save the plot belongs to Naoko the goddess, This story ainıt that great, Iım being modest. Seems like thereıs nothing else to say, Hope you like my fic, and have a nice day. Oh, and this story takes itıs title from the song ŒHold Meı by Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac. (And no, Iım not gonna annoy you with the lyrics, for once) Personal Disclaimer: Iım nuts. Deal with it ;-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ³AHHH! Iım late!² a golden haired creature sped past Darien at a speed never before reached by humans. The young man stood in her wake, staring after her. Could it be? Darien sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he walked towards the Crown. It had been two weeks since heıd returned from that fateful mission to the moon... Two weeks since heıd finally found the princess heıd been searching for all his life, only to have her ripped from his arms by fate. Though heıd saved her soul from being destroyed by the very computers that had preserved her for a thousand years, heıd lost her to the afterlife. Now, Darien, future incarnation of the Earth Prince Endymion, was all alone once more. he thought wryly, pushing the door to the parlor open. ³Hey, dude!² Ronnie, one of the new employees, greeted him. Darien was already a regular fixture in the arcade/parlor, even though heıd only moved back to Tokyo two weeks ago. ³Hi, Ronnie, is Andrew here?² Darien asked, taking a seat on one of the stools. ³Yup,² Ronnie said, ŒIıll get him,² with that the man disappeared into the back room, searching for Darienıs friend. He and Andrew had known one another since Highschool, and Darien was enjoying renewing the friendship. ³Hey, Dar, howıs it going?² Andrew asked as he entered the main area. ³Same old, same old,² Darien said tiredly, ³I came for my coffee.² ³I figured as much,² the other man remarked as he fixed the black brew, ³Man, you look beat. Are the brains still grilling you?² Andrew was referring to the two weeks long inquiry being headed by the scientists at the space program. Both Darien and his partner, Cray, had been subjected to endless questions by rude officers demanding to know what occurred during the twenty four hour blackout in space. Of course, though Cray had absolutely no idea, Darien did. But he couldnıt very well tell them that heıd been recruited by two talking felines to find the Silver Imperium Crystal and rescue the spirit of the moon princess from her imprisonment. Nope, that would NOT go over well. ³Yeah,² Darien replied, ³But today's the last day. Iım guessing theyıre tried of getting the same answers.² Andrew laughed and handed his friend the coffee. Darien thought bitterly. Each night was filled with agonizingly real dreams of his time with Serenity, every kiss, every touch... he usually awoke expecting her to be sleeping beside him, and each time it broke his heart when he found that she was not. Of course, he rationalized, he should be happy for her. She was free of Berylıs curse and probably sitting happily on some cloud in heaven. ³Hey, Amy!² Andrewıs voice cut through Darien thoughts as he turned to see who his friend was calling out to. A young girl, sporting a head of blue hair and Juuban school uniform, her nose firmly stuck in a book as she effortlessly navigated her way out of the arcade, never once looking up. Darien wondered. ~~~~~~~)<(FLASH)>(~~~~~~~~~ The beautiful Princess Mercury walked down the cool marble hall, her nose stuck in a book, rather uninterested in anything else going on around her. She never bumped into anything anyway, even with her long blue dress that trailed several inches behind her small frame. ³Mercury!² Serenity called out as she flew down the hall in a most unprincessly manner, Endymion trailing behind her. ³Come on, Endyıs generals have come back from training and you just HAVE to come see them! Right, Endy?² she paused long enough to take a breath, but not long enough to allow her prince to jump in, ³Right! So anyway, come on!² Mercury shook her head, still engrossed in the tale she was reading. ³You go on ahead,² she replied, ³Iıll join you later...² She continued walking, even after Serenity and Endymion stopped, staring at some point past her. For the first time since Mercury had picked up a book, she bumped into someone. It was General Zoisite, equally engrossed in his own reading material. ³Oh, Iım so sorry!² the blue haired girl rushed to apologize. ³No, Iım afraid itıs my fault,² Zoisite replied, helping her to her feet. Some ways away, Princess Serenity buried her face in Endymionıs arm to stifle her giggles. ~~~~~~)<(Flash)>(~~~~~~~~~~~ ³Oh, hello, Andrew,² Amy said, looking up at last, pointedly avoiding Darienıs gaze. ³Hi, Amy, you forgot this yesterday,² Andrew removed a book from behind the counter and handed it to the young girl. ³Oh, thank you, I was wondering where this got off to,² Amy laughed a little, still avoiding Darienıs intense gaze, ³Um, well, goodbye Andrew.² With that, the girl all but ran from the arcade. Darien shook his head. ³Look, Andrew, I gotta run,² he said quickly, ³See ya!² ³See ya,² Andrew replied. He watched his friend walk out, shaking his head, ³That guy seriously needs a girlfriend,² he remarked to Ronnie, whoıd just emerged from the back room. Ronnie merely shrugged his shoulders and went back to his mindless cleaning of counters. ------------- It had not been a very good day, Darien mused as he headed back to the arcade at the end of his day. The space program had decided to give both he and Cray Œhonorable dismissalsı, which basically meant that they didnıt want to deal with them anymore. This was all well and good for Darien, who had several job offers lined up just in Tokyo. But Cray had been working for the program since she got out of school, and was positively crushed. Sheıd been Darienıs partner since heıd come to the program, and he felt badly for her. So, heıd taken her out to lunch in an attempt to cheer her up. Lunch had been fine, except that on the way back, he had passed by Juuban Jr High. There sitting on the lawn, obviously enjoying their lunch, where four VERY familiar looking girls. One had been Amy, two had looked like Venus and Jupiter, but the fourth.... her hair had been long and gold, pulled up in twin buns, with the rest cascading down her back. For a moment, the girl had looked up, and met Darienıs gaze, but he forced himself to look away, convinced that he was seeing things. Now he pushed open the door to the arcade, looking forward to a relaxing session of video games. ³AAHH!!! Iım late again!² a familiar voice cried out, as a blond whirlwind rushed past Darien, disappearing in a flurry of blue skirts and blond hair. ³What was that...?² Darien asked aloud. ³That, would be Serena Tsukino, the tornado,² Andrew laughed from his place at the counter. ³Sheıs a really sweet girl, if a little klutzy. She made the highest score so far on the Sailor V game!² ³Higher than me?² Darien asked, astonished, as he took a seat at the counter. ³Yup,² Andrew replied, busying himself with an order, ³I didnıt think anyone could do it, but she comes in here and bam! Sheıs got the highest score Iıve ever SEEN. You should meet her, sheıs pretty. Sheıs friends with that Amy girl.² Darien really wasnıt listening anymore, his mind was elsewhere, specifically the moon. He missed Serenity so much that it physically hurt. He could no longer feel his presence close to his heart, as he had been able to when he was younger, and that left a hole in his soul that grew larger day by day. ³Dar, hey Dar!² Andrew was waving a hand in front of his friendıs face. ³Man, you sure are spacing out a lot lately,² he commented. ³Sorry Andrew, I just have a lot on my mind,² Darien said sheepishly. Andrew looked about to say something, when Stephanie, one of the waitresses, hurried out of the back room, covered in yogurt ³Steph, what happened?² Andrew asked worriedly as he looked her up and down. ³That yogurt machines gone NUTS back there! You gotta help!² the young girl looked about to keel over. ³Be right there! Ronnie, work the counter for me,² Andrew barked as he followed Stephanie into the back. Darien merely shook his head and set about finishing his coffee. Ronnie came over and began wiping down the counters ³Hey, man, have you heard about that psychic chick?² the stocky boy asked. ³Huh?² Darien looked up, confused. ³Thereıs this girl up on Cherry Hill, she works at the temple, and Iıll be damned, but sheıs psychic! My buddy Chad went up yesterday, he says she can rattle off where lost wallets and rings and junk are, just like that!² Ronnie said, ³I hear sheıs a real babe too, nice legs and all, real put together. Her dadıs some kinda politician² ³Iıve never heard of her,² Darien said, ³Whereıd she come from?² ³Aw, sheıs new around here. Her grandpa works the temple, they say she just showed up one day, out of thin air...² the rest of what Ronnie said was frankly lost on the other man, whoıs mind was working over time. he thought. Truth be told, he was starting to doubt his own sanity, but deep inside, he wanted it to be true. He wanted to believe that he really had seen the senshi, and that Serenity was here posing as this Serena... True, he could actually be SURE that the psychic girl was Mars, due to Ronnieıs rather.. erm sketchy description. Without another word, Darien got up and left the arcade, leaving Ronnie to babble to himself. -------- It was raining, Darien realized when he finally looked up from the book he was reading. He sat in his darkened apartment, listening to the rain as it raged against the building, accompanied by flashes of lightening and claps of thunder. For some reason unknown, he found himself walking to the window, and looking out on the watery skyline of Tokyo. His gaze shifted down, and to his surprise, he saw a pair of VERY familiar golden buns. The girl was looking very wet and very lost, and each time it would thunder, she would jump and look even more frightened than before. Darien felt a white mist envelope his vision and knew where this was taking him.... ~~~~~~~~~(<)FLASH(>)~~~~~~~~~ Prince Endymion hurried towards the castle. His mother was going to kill him! He and his generals had returned from the hunting party much later than expected, thus Endymion had completely missed the meeting he was supposed to have with the mysterious Moon Princess. He stopped his mad dash with a sigh of defeat. what was the use anyway, he was soaked and at least an hour late. Thus he began walking more slowly, enjoying the feel of spring rain and the sound of thunder in the distance. ³AHH!² he turned around sharply at the sound. Obviously someone else didnıt find the thunder as relaxing as he did. As he turned, he was almost run over by a whirl of golden hair and pure white skirts. The girl, having found another human, grabbed hold of Endymion and held on for dear life. ³Hey, are you alright?² he asked, worried. The golden haired girl raised her angelic face and l ooked him in the eye. She was crying. Something inside of Endymion melted as he put his arms around the frightened girl, leading her towards the gazebo. ³I hate those loud noises... what are they?² she asked, before another clap of thunder sounded, and she buried her face in his cape. ³Wha...,² for a moment, the Prince of Earth was rather confused. She didnıt know what a storm was... Maybe she was part of the princessı entourage That would explain the hairstyle. ³Itıs called a thunderstorm. Thereıs nothing to be afraid of, it canıt really hurt you.² He assured her as he caressed her hair. The girl nodded, becoming more comfortable as she shifted in his embrace. With teary eyes she looked up at him, blushing. ³Thank you. Iım really sorry, um, my nameıs Serenity,² she said, before she laid her head back on his chest. Endymionıs world rocked. Heıd thought the princess would be stuck up, like many of the others heıd met. But she was so sweet and angelic, not to mention vulnerable as she sat there in his arms, soaking wet and shivering. ³Serenity... as in the moon princess?² he asked. He heard the girl sigh tiredly. ³Yeah, thatıs me, Serenity. Sorry to disappoint you... I donıt make a very good princess, but I try,² she sniffled a little and began to remove herself from his embrace, ³Iım sorry to inconvenience you...² she turned to leave. That snapped Endymion out of his stupor, the thought that the precious little angel might leave him... he didnıt know why he cared so much, but he did. ³No, wait, donıt go!² He reached out, grabbing hold of Serenityıs wrist. His grasp wasnıt harsh, but it did hold fast. She spun around, surprise in her aqua gaze. ³You shouldnıt be out alone in this storm. Why donıt you stay here and wait it out with me?² he asked. ³I donıt want to inconvenience you...² she began, but he cut her off, drawing her in closer as he spoke. ³No inconvenience at all... Iıd like the company,² he thought to himself. Now she stood right in front of him, and a conveniently timed flash of lightening had her jumping right back into his arms. Endymion smiled as she clung to him.... ~~~~~~~~)()(~~~~~~~~~~~ Like a man possessed, Darien fled the room and hurried down stairs. He reached the sidewalk just as another clap of thunder sounded, sending the girl into tears. ³Hey, are you alright?² he asked, feeling a sense of dejaıvu as he approached her. Time seemed to work in slow motion as she turned around, and he saw in her eyes the spirit of the princess he loved. She *was* Serenity. ³Oh, god Darien, I hate storms!² she cried. She did know him, and as a bolt of lightening ripped across the sky, he found her in his arms. ³I..² she began, but didnıt finish. Sheıd passed out. Gently he lifted her into his arms and carried her inside. Twenty minutes passing found the girl laying in Darienıs bed, bundled up in blankets, he wet school uniform laying over a chair. He sat beside her on the bed, checking for fever. She moaned under his touch, opening her eyes. ³Darien?² she murmured, attempting to sit up, instead slumping back against the pillows. Darien looked at the angel, eyes wide. ³Serenity...?² he asked, breathless. ³Hmmm..² she murmured, kissing his hand, ³Itıs Serena now. I was afraid you had forgotten me!² It was her! Darienıs heart cried out with joy, and he quickly gathered the fragile girl up into his arms. ³It is you! Oh, god Serena, how could I forget you? I thought Iıd lost you forever!² he cried, burying his face in her neck. He felt her hands stroking his hair as she held him. ³Oh, darling, I could never leave you... sorry I took so long,² Serena whispered, giggling when she felt his lips caressing her neck. He released her from his embrace, laying her back on the pillows. Her eyes drifted shut dreamily. ³Did I really see the other senshi?² he asked, a tender smile playing on his lips as he watched her drop off into dreamland. ³Uhuh, weıre all here now.. and Iım never leaving you again!² she smiled, snuggling in the covers. Darien kissed her forehead and moved to leave the room, but her hand in his stopped him. ³No, donıt go,² she murmured, ³Stay with me, thereıs more than enough room.² Her eyes were open now and she looked at him innocently. ³Pretty please?² With a groan, Darien realized his defeat. Heıd never stood a chance anyway. Kicking off his shoes, he climbed underneath the covers, scooting in beside her. Serena laid her head on his chest snuggling closer as he put an arm possessively around her waist. ³This feels nice,² she murmured, dropping off to sleep. Her eyes closed and her breathing steadied as Darien continued to stroke her soft hair. ³It does,² he murmured to no one in particular, before falling asleep with his princess in his arms. Explanations could wait until morning, right now, all he needed was his angel. No matter what name she answered to, Serenity, Serena, or anything else, she would always be his. The rain stopped and the moonlight spilled through Darienıs window, illuminating the couple laying together on the bed. Four faces peered through the glass, smiling. ³Itıs destiny,² remarked the girl with brown hair, her green dress clinging to her tall form. ³Ahhh... love,² said the one with long blonde hair, her eyes glazing over dreamily. ³Maybe this time weıll have some peace,² replied the blue haired girl, wistfully, still clutching her textbook. ³Come on, letıs give *them* some peace,² the raven haired priestess ordered. The others nodded, floating away from the window and down to the sidewalk below, before running off towards Cherry Hill Temple. Ronnie, who was making his way home from work, saw the four girls suspended mid air, looked at his coffee and promptly threw it out. ³Ronnie, my man,² he said to himself, ³You work way too much.² Back in Darienıs apartment, prince and princess slept blissfully in each others arms. I love the moon, the moon loves me. God bless the moon, and God bless me. END> ~~~~~~ Alright Minna-chan, end of the saga? Whadya think? Please send me feed back! Hope it was happy ending!