Serena Dwyer <serena_dwyer@hotmail.com>

Hey Everyone! Well, this is Chapter 4! Yeah, like I had to
announce *that* seeing as that's the reason you're probably
reading it for, having read the first three (which I do strongly
recommend!). I seem to be a bit more sarcastic than usual in
my writings today! Well....in my writings at least. I think I'm
naturally sarcastic actually. A trait I inherited from my father.
Anyway, enough with my life story ^_- This is an acceptable
chapter. I think. Well....you tell me. okay? Thanx for some of
the responses to my question of whether or not to include a final
fight at the end. I am, however, still taking votes. I will 'till
I start the chapter. I have two endings worked out for each
senario and I will need a definite picture before I begin the
chapter. K? k! Anyway, enough ramblings....on with the story!

                Painful Memories-Chapter 4

---Friday---

     "Hey Munchkin! time to wake-up!" Serena said softly while
gently shaking the figure asleep on the bed.
     "So you've finally learned how to be somewhere on time?"
Rini asked sarcastically, yet groggily, trying to mentally climb
through the haze she was in.
     "Yeah, and if you don't hurry up, you're not going to have
time to eat your breakfast, and you *know* that I could eat both
of ours!" her future mother smiled devilishly.
     "I'm coming!!!"
     Once they had finished breakfast and they were both dressed
and ready to go, Serena transformed into Selene. Rini stared at
her in shock for a second, but then realized that if Serena had
come back without disguising herself, she would've been found by
someone by now.
     "You can't tell anyone, okay Rini? Can you do that for me?"
     "Uh-huh." As much as Rini wanted to tell the world that
Serena was back, she nodded in compliance, knowing that if she
did tell, Serena might very well leave again, only making things
worse.
     "Great, let's go!" Selene took Rini's hand and led her out,
in the direction of her school. Rini kept taking glances at the
brunette by her side. Today she wore a grey skirt and a rose pink
angora sweater with a three quarter sleeve. Her pink leggings
matched her sweater, and her shoes were black, completing the
outfit. Her brown, shoulder-length hair was pinned half up with
two buckles, and her make-up was minimal, but giving the best
effect, her grey eyeliner enhancing her sparkling grey eyes.
     When they were halfway to Rini's school, Darien, on his way
to the university, saw Rini with this strange girl who did look
vaguely familiar. He felt he could trust her, but his auto-matic
reaction was to step in.
     "Hi Rini!" he said. "Ummm, do I know you?" he asked the girl
in front of him.
     "Well, you might have seen me at the arcade, I work there."
She explained. "Hi, I'm Selene." she extended her hand and he
took it in his and shook it. A firm handshake, to show that she
could hold her own and didn't need a 'man' to look after her. You
can tell a lot in a handshake, she had always believed, and had
changed hers as her personality changed. It always read what she
had wanted it to say. "Rini had just found herself lost, and I
offered to help her out. How do you know her?"
     "I'm Darien Chiba. Rini's a friend of mine, I can take her
from here, you're probably busy." he stuck his hand out to reach
for Rini.
     "Rini, will you be okay with him?" she asked her companion.
When she recieved a nod in response, she turned back to Darien.
"Well, I do have to get to work. Because school is out, I have an
extra shift to work." She bent down and gave Rini a kiss on the
cheek. "Be good okay munchkin? I'll pick you up after school,
okay?" She looked up at Darien and he nodded his consent.
     Rini also nodded in reply and Selene took off in the
direction of the arcade, after seeing Rini was okay.
     "Hmmm...I feel as if I know her....." Darien mused. "Anyway,
let's get you to school okay Rini?"
     "Okay!" Rini said and Darien picked her up and carried her
on his shoulders the rest of the way.

     Selene made it to the arcade in time for a cup of coffee
before she started her shift. After checking in with Andrew, the
new manager of the arcade, she poured her coffee and watched tv,
flicking through to check for any good shows, but found only
'special news bullitens' talking about Sailor Moon's public
return after more than a year of her absence. She finally settled
on chanel 32. The announcer had just come on the air and Selene
thought if she was going to hear something, she might as well
hear all of it. This announcement was different from the rest.
After a little talk with the audience, he spoke directly
addressing Sailor Moon.
     "Sailor Moon, if you're listening, the mayor is planning a
welcome home party for you. Everyone in the city is invited and
it will take place in the park, Wednesday of next week. All
stores will be closed on that day as well as schools. It would be
much appriciated if you were to attend, as well as the scouts and
Tuxedo Mask. That Wednesday, will be known as "Sailor Moon Day"
from then on in Tokyo and all of Japan." The announcer continued
as Selene thought to herself in awe.
     *Wow! I'm really appriciated here! I'm never leaving here
again, no matter how tough things get....from now on.* she
resolved.
     "Cool huh?" a voice startled her out of her thoughts. She
turned to find Andrew smiling and laughing at how he scared her
so easily.
     "Andrew! You scared me!" Selene said hitting hom playfully
on his arm.
     "Sorry." he said. "Y'know, we all thought she was dead. We
thought she was killed in some fight. We never thought she'd come
back." he said looking up at a picture of her on the tv.
     "Really? Cool.....umm...Andrew?" Selene started.
     "Yeah?"
     "Can I ask you a question?" she asked him.
     "Sure! About what?" Andrew responded.
     "Well, no one really likes to talk about it here, but about
a year ago....a girl named....ummm....Serena! Yeah that's it.
Anyway, this Serena chick ran away last year, and I was wondering
if she...well, what was she like? And why did she run away?"
     "Well....Serena was great. Everyone loved her, even Rei,
although the two argured all the time! And if you ask her about
it she'll deny even liking her!" Andrew grinned. "But she was a
bit of a klutz, and always late, even a bit of a crybaby. But
she had this power to make the whole room light up when she was
around. She was very loyal to her friends, and always wanted the
best for them." Andrew paused and thought. "I guess she'd be your
age right? The same as Lita and Ami?"
     Selene nodded. "So why'd she run away?"
     "Well, to tell you the truth, only a few people know the
real reason, and those people are Darien, Lita, Ami, Rei, and
Mina. They were her closest friends."
     "Darien....Darien....that name sounds familliar." she
trailed off into a train of thought. *Man it's hard to keep up
the act!* she thought. "Oh! Darien! I met him today while I was
bringing Rini to school."
     "You know Rini? That's Serena's cousin!"
     "Wow! Really? Small world." Selene said with a grin. "I met
her today on my way here. She had gotten lost and I was around to
help her. I was taking her the rest of the way to her school when
Darien came along and said it was okay for him to take her there.
Y'know, he seems a lot older than Ami and Lita....they're in my
class, I don't know the other two....Rei and Mina you said? Well
anyway, why does he hang aroung with them?" she asked, trying to
get as much information as possible on Darien and who better to
ask than his best friend?
     "Well, Darien and Serena went out for a while, and then they
broke up." Andrew told her. "He made pretty good friends with the
others and they started hanging out."
     "Why'd they break up?" Selene asked.
     "Ummm...I'm not allowed to say. Darien asked me not to."
     "Oh, okay."
     "Anyway, he was still really hung up about her and when she
ran away, he and her other friends turned to eachother for
support. It's strange that Molly wasn't with them, but I guess
she has Melvin." Andrew started to laugh a little, but went on.
"Serena was like a kid sister to me. She was really sweet, and
even really pretty when she wasn't klutzing out or something!"
     "So, why didn't you hang out with the others?"
     "Well, I'm saving up for University and at the time I'd just
taken some extra hours to earn some extra money. That was before
I started to manage the place. Now I get paid a fixed salary!" he
said proudly.
     "Well, if you ever need to talk, I'm here." Selene told him
with a warm smile.
     "Thanks. Look, our first customers. Don't worry, I'll get
them, you finish your coffee."
     "Thanks Andrew!" Selene sat back and enjoyed the rest of her
coffee. *He still does love me. First Rini, and now Andrew tells
me so. I can't wait till I can talk to him as Serena!*

     "The fire won't tell ne anything!" The raven haired
priestess complained, her frown reflecting her mood. "Whenever I
ask it about Serena, it just shows me the picture of her we saw
at the arcade on the news!"
     "And my computer came up with absolutely nothing! Whenever
I input Serena's name or Sailor Moon, it totally blanks out on
me!" Ami exclaimed, clearly frustrated.
     "I didn't have any luck either." Darien told them. My sences
tell me she's in the city, but not where."
     "It's like she's preventing us from finding her!" Mina said.
     "Well, if that's the case, then I know that we won't find
her until she wants to be found!" Lita told them. "Remember, when
she wanted something, she'd end up getting it, from pure
determination and will. All we can do is wait until she wants to
see us again.....if she does."
     The group fell silent, thinking of the possibility that
Serena might not want to see them again, but dismissed it just as
quickly.
     "How 'bout we head down to the Arcade?" Rei asked. "I feel
in the mood for some chocolate ice cream! Besides, who knows?
Serena liked the place so much, we just might find her there,
pigging out on all the ice cream in the place!"
     This brought about a few laughs and a consensus to go and
eat.....with Rei paying, despite her many protests, seeing as
she brought it up.

     Selene was getting ready to go after her shift finished
when Darien and the others waltzed in through the doors. Darien,
spotting her, waved her over to where they were sitting.
     "Selene, I just want to thank-you for helping Rini out
today." he said once she came over. "God only knows what would've
happened if you hadn't have been there..." he trailed off. "Well,
thanks for being there anyway." he finished with a forced smile.
     "Hey, it's no problem. Rini's a cute kid, and very sweet."
Selene shrugged as she gave a lopsided smile, blushing at the
thanks.
     "Oh!" Darien exclaimed as he realized he hadn't introduced
her to the others. "Selene, this is Lita, Ami, Rei and Mina.
Guys, this is Selene." nods were given all around the table.
     "Well, I know Lita and Ami from school, and although I've
seen the other two here, I've never met you...Rei and Mina? Nice
to meet you!" she stuck out her slim, delicate hand and gave each
a firm handshake.
     "Yeah, nice to meet you too Selene!" they said.
     "Well, I gotta go, my shift is over now." she paused, trying
to hold herself back, but couldn't resist. "Did anyone ever tell
you guys that you look just like the Sailor Scouts?" Seeing the
stunned look on their faces she smiled. "Well, bye!"
     As she left, the alarmed look on the faces of the five
people seated at the table relaxed. Slowly. VERY slowly.

     "Hey Rini!" Selene called out to the pink haired child.
"Over here!"
     "Selene!" Rini ran into the outstreched arms of the brunette
and was picked up and swung around in the air that ended with a
hug.
     "How was school today?" Selene asked as they walked hand in
hand down main street.
     "It was okay." she answered. "Y'know, as good as school can
get." Rini made a face. "How come when we met up with Darien
today, you didn't tell him that you're....well, you know...?"
     "I will Rini, you have to trust me. I just have to get a few
things done first." she looked down at the worried younger child.
Seeing the anxiety, she gave Rini's hand a gentle squeeze.
"Everything will work out. I promise."
     "I trust you." Rini told her. "So, where are we going?"
     "You're going HOME." Selene told her.
     "Will I get to see you again?"
     "Of course. I'll see you when I can, and I'll *always* be
watching over you!" she reassured the child. "Here we are,
there's Mom waiting for you. I'll walk you up to the door 'cause
I gotta talk to her, even if it's only for a second." They walked
hand in hand to the Tsukino's doorstep where they met with Irene.
Selene gently pushed Rini inside while giving an explanation to
her mother. "Hi Mrs. Tsukino. I'm Selene, a friend of Darien and
Rini's. Darien couldn't pick Rini up today after school, so I
voluteered. I hope you don't mind, I know how special kids are to
their parents." Selene said, thinking of how crazy her future
self must be without Rini, and she *knew* where her daughter was.
"And there's no telling what could happen if she went off with
just anybody, but I assure you, she knew me."
     Her mother laughed. "It's okay." she said. "Rini's a pretty
good judge of character. If you're her friend, I'm 99% sure that
you're an okay person! Thank-you for bringing her home."
     "Anytime!" Selene responded with a smile. "Well, see ya
around Rini!" she called, waving to the pink haired child inside.
As she rounded the corner of her street, Selene collapsed. 'Oh
my God!' she thought. 'Mom looks so old! Her hair is starting to
turn grey and she's got worry lines all around her eyes! Oh, all
I wanted to do was run into her arms and back home!' she sobbed
for a brief period. Her cries were not the wails of a past
Serena, but the quiet subdued sobs of a more mature person. The
old Serena was gone, whether she was Selene or Serena. 'But not
yet....soon but not yet.' in a few seconds her resolve was back
and she resumed her path.

     Selene was at home, just coming back from shopping. She
quickly changed back into Serena and commenced immediately to
flake out on the couch. It took energy to use the disguise pen
all day, and lately, it had been taking more than usual, having
more stress, and being Selene for longer periods of time, plus
she had been being Selene for over a month and it tended to add
up after a while. She reluctantly got up and put away the
groceries, then taking the remote, flicked on the t.v. and once
again lay down on the couch.
     When she had settled on a program she liked, she felt a
sudden energy rush through her veins. 'They're transforming!' she
realized. 'There's something going on! Should I go?' she debated
this for a while before deciding. 'Yes, but not as Sailor Moon.'
     "Disguise pen, transform me into Selene!" she commanded.
     On her way there, she felt an immense pain in her head and
doubled over in agony. 'Darien!' she realized. 'He's in trouble!
Gotta transform!'
     "Moon Crystal Power!" she yelled as the light flowed over
her. As the light subsided, the figure of Sailor Moon could be
seen, never having stopped running throughout her transformation.
     She arrived there a minute later and saw her friends on the
ground, battered and bruised. After the initial shock of this
wore off, she raised her eyes to the eye level of the droid,
showing only pure hate and determination.
     "I am Sailor Moon! You hurt my friends and now you're gonna
pay!!!" she yelled. Before the droid could react, she had pulled
out her septre and began the chant. "Moon Septre Elimination!!!"
she cried.
     The droid, unfamilliar with her energy, screamed in agony as
the beams of energy ripped through him and tore him apart. In a
few short moments, he had disintegrated into nothing but ashes.
     After taking a few breaths to calm down, Sailor Moon turned
around to face her friends. "You guys okay?" she asked.
     "Serena, is it really you?" Rei asked weakly.
     "Yeah Rei, it's me. I have to go now, okay?" Serena turned
to leave.
     "No, stay!" Mina pleaded from her position on the ground.
     "Sorry guys, but I have to. See ya Darien." She blew him a
kiss and turned away again, this time with tears in her eyes.
     "No Serena, wait!" Darien cried, but she was gone.
     "Wow! She's changed!" Lita murmered. "Was it really her?"
     "Yes, it was!" Ami replied. "I checked with my computer. Her
health is perfect, although energy resources are a bit drained,
but that could be from using the septre, and other than her
having grown and matured, physically and mentally, she's the same
person!" Ami closed her computer.
     "So, Meatball-head finally grew up." Rei said with awe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Well, that's chapter 4! Sorry for the delay, but chapter 5
should be out soon....k? Ja ne! :)

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