Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Reconciliation ❯ Return to the Moon ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Reconciliation Part 1: Return to the Moon


Serena was shaking as she walked her way toward Darien's. She knew he would still be up, and that Rini would be with him. 'Come on Serena, you can do it.' She encouraged herself. 'This is what's best. There's nothing left for you here.' She knew she had to go through with her plan, it was best for everyone. Though they would all be really mad at her for a while, they would move on. They would never really be without her though, she would always be watching over them, to help them when they needed her.
She took a deep breath before entering the building. Looking up, she checked to see if his light was still on. It was. She walked into Darien's apartment building and into the elevator. She pressed the button for his floor. The ride up seemed to take forever. Her heart was pounding in her chest. This was going to be hard.
After what seemed like an eternity the elevator stopped and the doors opened onto his floor. She double-checked to make sure she knew where the stairs where before going to his door. She took a deep breath to steady herself and raised her fist. After this, there was no turning back. Carefully, she knocked. After a second she heard Darien's footsteps come to the door. Then she heard a groan.
"Serena, go home." Darien told her. "I don't want to talk to you." He wasn't happy seeing her face though the peephole in his door.
Serena nodded, the pain coursed through her again at the sound of his voice. "Don't worry Darien, I didn't come here to talk. I came to say good-bye. To tell you that I am going home." Her voice was soft and calm. She surprised herself considering how unsteady she was feeling about what she was about to do.
Confused he opened the door. He was about to ask her what she meant, when he was met by a sight that startled him. It was no longer Serena standing outside his door, it was the Princess. His question died on his lips and his eyes adjusted to the white glow emanating from her.
"Goodbye Darien." She whispered as she began backing towards the stairs.
What was going on? He wanted to reach out to her, but he couldn't move. He couldn't even speak. All he could do was watch his love, the one who meant everything to him, back away from him. He watched her turn and walk towards the stairs. Then he heard the tears begin. Still he was frozen, as if he were dreaming. The sound of a little voice broke his trance.
"Darien? Who's there?" Rini called to him as she walked into the entranceway. "If it's Serena make her leave."
Rini's voice brought him back to reality. He shook his head and ran after her, but she had a huge head start on him, and she seemed to be flying up the stairs. Taking the stairs three at a time, he tried to catch up to her, to stop her as he realized what she was about to do. He had to catch her, if he didn't, he knew he would never see her again.
Glancing up, he caught a glimpse of feathers. He told himself it was impossible. But when he threw open the door at the top of the stairs labeled 'roof', he nearly stopped at the sight of his Princess running towards to edge of the roof with huge feather wings flowing from her back.
"Serena stop!" He yelled. She didn't even faulter. He could hear her desperate, heartbroken sobs, and felt a piercing pain rip though him with every sound. She took the last step off the edge off the roof, then in complete awe, he saw her wings come to life, lifting her off the roof and into the starry night sky towards the moon. She truly was going home.
"SERENA!" He yelled again, knowing it was futile, but he had to try. "SERENA!"
Soon she was just a glowing speck in the sky. Her unsteady movement against the darkness was all that distinguished her from the stars. Still he called to her, although he knew she could no longer hear him. He felt as if his heart had just been ripped from his body. He clutched his chest against the physical pain that tightened there. As the roar in his ears began to die down, he became aware of another with him on the roof. Rini was there with him. He had forgotten about her.
"Mommy! Come back!" she was calling. 'Mommy? Why is she calling Serena 'mommy'?' He turned to her, wondering what was going on. He picked up the bawling little girl. God she looks like Serena. Then he noticed the crescent moon on her forehead, and remembered seeing it earlier that afternoon. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. It was quickly followed by a ton of questions. Ones it looked like he would never get to ask, Rini was disappearing.
He ran back to his apartment with Rini in his arms and called Luna. Through his tears he quickly told her what had happened. He had just lost his love because of his stupidity, and now it looked like he was loosing the only piece of her he had left. The moment the thought passed though his mind he could no longer contain his pain.



Luna could barely understand what Darien was saying. "Darien, calm down and tell me again. What happened to Serena?" she calmly asked him. Inside, she was nervous as hell. Serena must have done something really rash to have Darien like this.
He took a deep breath and told her everything. Luna was shocked. She had known Serena was upset, but she never thought she would go back to moon! And Rini, was she really Serena's daughter? But how and from when? Surely one of them would have known if Serena had been pregnant. This was much more complicated than Luna could figure out on her own.
"Darien, stay there and try to hang on to Rini. We'll be there as soon as we can." She quickly called the girls and told them what had happened. In moments they were all running to Darien's apartment as fast as their legs would carry them.
The four sailors and the two cats met outside the building out of breath. They ran together into the building and up to Darien's apartment. When they got up to the apartment, the door was open, with the sound of heartbreak and loss floating out the door.
They carefully made their way into the apartment, and what they found caused their breath to catch in their throats. Darien was sitting on the floor, leaning against the couch, his head resting on his curled up knees, clutching a pillow and quietly sobbing.
Jupiter cautiously knelt down next to the quivering form and gently touched his shoulder. He looked up. The look on his face caused her to gasp. He looked like death itself. Tears covered his face and his eyes were red and heavy-lidded.
"You're too late." His voice came whispered and horse from his throat. "She's gone. They both are." Lita hugged her friend. He sobbed on her shoulder until his fatigue overtook his body and he fell asleep. Between Jupiter and Mars and a barely conscious Darien, they were able to get him to his bed. He was out again before his head hit the pillow.
Back in the livingroom, the four sailors and their two feline mentors quietly discussed the sad events of the night.
"I can't believe she went back to the moon." Venus whispered in disbelief.
"I can't believe she abandoned us like that!" Mars exclaimed angrily. "How are we supposed to defeat Rubeus without her? How could she be so selfish?!"
"Mars!" Came an astonished cry from Mercury. "She wouldn't have gone unless she had a good reason."
"I don't think she abandoned you entirely." Luna said suddenly, getting everyone's attention. "She left this note behind." She pulled the note out of nowhere, sliding it to Mercury, who picked it up.
"It's definitely Serena's hand writing." Mercury said thoughtfully. She suddenly covered her mouth to stifle a gasp.
"What does it say Mercury?" Jupiter asked, no longer able to control her curiosity, and somewhat stunned at her reaction. She let Jupiter take the pink piece of paper from her hand.
Jupiter quickly read the note, reacting the same way Mercury had. The pink slip of paper slipped from her hand, landing face-up on the carpet.
Luna,
By now you will have found that I've gone back to the Moon. Mars is going to be really mad thinking I abandoned all of you, but I didn't. I had to leave because I can't go on here knowing I've lost the only man I've ever loved, and ever will love. Maybe I'm being silly, but I've lost him to Rini. I know that I can't compete with her, because even at her age, she's better then I'll ever be. I just can't watch that happen. It hurts too much. So I'm giving up. I've gone home.
I'm going to rebuild the Moon, piece by piece, as my power will let me. After that, I'll send the crystal and the scepter to you, then you can choose who will be the new leader. Don't let Mars make you choose her, I know how much she wants to be leader. But she is right, even though I am the Princess, I'm not the one who should be leader. But I didn't abandon you, I'll be watching all of you, ready to help you if you need me.
Please let everyone but Darien read this. And remember, I love you all.
Goodbye forever,
Princess Serenity
One by one, Mars, Venus and Artemis read the letter. They couldn't believe Serena had gone back to Moon, to try and rebuild it, and was never coming back. She had no idea about Rini, or how her leaving was affecting Darien. But it was clear she had lost all hope for herself and Darien. The ink was smudged with tearstains.
"So why did Rini disappear?" asked a confused Jupiter.
Luna was the first to answer. "Darien told me that Rini had called Serena 'mommy' when she was flying off. My guess is that Rini is Serena's daughter. Probably from the future." This was followed by a tirade of questions.
"Her daughter? Are you sure?"
"Flying off?"
"From the future?"
"So who's Rini's father then?"
Luna covered her ears. Why can't they talk one at a time? She asked herself in vain.



"So here I am." Serena said to herself after a landing on the moon. "I'm finally home, where I belong." She took one last look at the Earth and began to walk to the ruins of the palace. It was the first thing she planned on restoring.
'Serena…' She heard whispered in her mind.
"Mother?" she whispered into the dark.
'Serena, why are you here?'
"I had to come back. There's nothing left for me on Earth." She replied pleading.
'Come to the palace, and we will talk about you and Darien.'
"How did you know?"
'I always know. Just as you will watch over your friends, I have always been watching over you.'
With that reassurance, Serena, now Princess Serenity once again, made her way over the rugged terrain to the ruins of her home. Once she reached the ruins, she knew exactly what she had to do, where she needed to stand to fully channel her power and the powers of the moon to restore the palace.
Soon she found the seal, once a part of the floor in the center of the palace, it was now a large piece of stone in the center of the mass of destroyed stone and marble. This was once her home, and even though it was in ruins, it still had that feeling of comfort and familiarity, and power. Great power that she shared in.
Princess Serenity took a deep breath and stepped onto the seal. Immediately the immense power of the moon rushed into her, giving her the strength to restore her home. She felt the surge of great power boost that which she had brought with her, and with its help, reinforced by the silver crystal, she knew she had the strength to return the palace to its former glory.
She closed her eyes, and using every ounce of strength she could muster, she let the power pour through her, commanding and controlling it. Stone by stone, piece by piece, she restored the palace. She attempted to reopen her eyes, to behold the glory of her true home once more, but instead, they stayed closed, and the rest of her body followed suit, collapsing onto the cold marble floor.



Back on Earth, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Luna, Artemis, and Darien felt the silver crystal being used. For an instant they all felt Serena's pain and heartbreak. They also felt her hope and knew she had restored part of the moon. They all cried out at the rush of emotion, but only Darien collapsed as she had. The intensity of the connection between them was much greater, and he felt the full force his beloved's emotions.
"What was that?" Venus asked, very confused.
"It felt like the world was ending, but starting over too." Jupiter added.
"Serena." Mars whispered. She knew. In that instant she had recognized Serena's power. She had seen the depths of Serena's love, pain, and strength. Now she knew exactly what had happened to Serena, and why she had left. Mars also knew they couldn't leave her there, bad things were coming, she could see them. She also saw that the only one who could save Serena was Darien, the one she loved. If he refused they would loose everything, including Serena.



Much later Princess Serenity awoke in a gigantic, soft bed. She found herself in a large, lavish bedroom. Confused as to how she got there, she slowly got out of the bed. Looking around, she began to recognize this as her room. 'It worked! She thought excitedly. 'I restored the palace! When she walked past a pair of tall glass and iron doors, she stepped back for another look and gasped at what she saw.
The doors led out onto a private balcony with a stairway into the most beautiful, colourful and flourishing gardens she had ever seen! Walking out into the gardens, she breathed deeply, taking in the sweet floral scent so long forgotten. She loved these gardens. She remembered having spend hours on end just enjoying their simple beauty.
She laid down on a patch of grass amidst the flowers, and looked up at the sky sighing. 'How I've missed everything here. And I didn't even remember any of it.' As she lay looking into the bright afternoon sky, something caught her eye. It was Earth. Memories of Darien and Rini came rushing back to her. She shut her eyes against the pain and rolled onto her stomach. No! I came here to forget them! I will not let them ruin everything for me! She thought, though her body betrayed her and tears forced their way out.
She couldn't help but think of how happy Darien must be with Rini now that she was out of the way. 'They won't have to worry about ditzy Serena getting in the way anymore. I hope they're happy together.' Even with this thought, she hoped Darien would be as miserable as she really was. She really loved him and losing him to a child hurt so much she thought her heart would wither and die, losing him at all hurt, but losing him to Rini was the worst.
She just lay there in the grass crying to herself until she heard someone call her name. Instantly she stopped. After a moment she placed the voice. 'Mother!' She felt her heart fly at the realization. Had she brought her mother back too? Filled with renewed hope she jumped to her feet and looked in the direction of the voice.
It was her mother! But she wasn't alone. There were others in the garden, and now she was aware there were others in the palace as well. She had not only restored the buildings and the gardens, but it appeared she had restored life to those who had died in the palace as well!
"Serena! There you are!" Serenity said, coming towards her daughter. She noticed the astonished look on her daughter's face. "Well don't look so amazed dearest, you always knew you had the power to do this within you." She smiled at Serena. It had been much too long. Serenity hugged her daughter.
"Did I really do this?" Serena asked, still not believing what she saw.
"Of course you did." Serenity replied, lovingly. "I always knew that someday you would come home and realize that within you and only you was the power to restore our home." She hugged her again. "And now you have."
They began to walk towards the palace together. Finally after so much time, Serena felt happy again. Once they reached the palace, Serenity turned to her daughter and said something that Serena had almost forgotten about.
"Now dear, we are together again. So why don't you tell me all about what happened between you and Darien."
Serena stopped dead in her tracks. "I… I don't want to talk about him." She said.
Serenity looked lovingly at her daughter and gave her an understanding smile. "Alright." She nodded. "But if you wish to talk, you know where to find me." She knew Serena would talk about Darien when she was ready, but for now she was still in too much pain too do anything with it.



Darien awoke with a start. 'Did I dream it all?' He got up and headed out into the livingroom. When he found the note by the phone he knew he hadn't.
Darien,
Call me if you want to talk. I have something that you should read too.
We're all here for you,
Lita
Then the pain returned full force. He sat down on the couch to keep it from knocking him to the floor. Oh, god! It had been real! He had lost Serena and Rini with his stupidity, and now he wasn't sure if he would ever see either of them again.
'What have I done!?' He had lost track of how many times he had asked himself that question since last night. He waked out onto his balcony clutching the note in his hand. Even in the bright afternoon sun, he could still see the moon in the sky. There was something different about it, and he knew what it was. He had felt it last night. He remembered the brief moment when Serena had come though to him loud and clear. He had felt everything. Her despair, her feeling of immense loss, her great pain, her power, her hope, and most of all, her love. He had felt her love for him as if it were his own, and he realized how much of a mistake he had made by listening to the dream.
He knew that she had rebuilt the palace, but had no idea the extent of what she had done. That Queen Serenity lived again, and that soon, the entire moon kingdom would be restored, and along with it, Serena's life and memory would be restored to what it was before the kingdom had been destroyed, before she had met him.



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