Painful Memories: Chapter 5 by "Serena Dwyer" First of all....I'm sooo sorry that this chapter took so long to get here.....Everything just seemed to happen at once and it took time from my writing....oops. I'll try not to let it happen again.....sorry. Anyway, I'm soooo happy with all the feedback I'm getting! Please send more in! I love it :) Well, to answer some questions. There will be about 9 or 10 chapters plus an epilouge Well....that's about it. Oh....Thanx to all of you who have told me what you think of it so far! I really appriciate it! My e-mail addy is serena_dwyer@hotmail.com '....' = thought "...." = conversation *....* = emphasis CAPITAL LETTERS = emphasis also. Chapter 5-Painful Memories ---Saturday--- "Did you see her? She didn't even klutz out once!" Lita exclaimed. "I can't believe she's back!" Ami said. "I wonder if she'll ever *really* come back?" Mina wondered. "Well, she came this far...she even talked to us last night!" Rei reasoned. "And apparently she holds no hard grudges huh Darien?" she joked. "I hope not. If I only knew those dreams were a setup!" he sighed glumly. It was 8am and the five of them were at Rei's temple for an early morning meeting before Rei had to do her chores. There was a silence that fell over the room. Finally Lita decided it was her turn to reassure Darien. "Darien, it's not your fault! What if the dreams had been for real? You did the right thing. Any of us would've done the same if we were put in that position!" "Well, I hope she can forgive me." 'I hope he can forgive me' Selene thought hopefully. Because it was Saturday she worked half morning and half evening. She knew Darien would be coming in soon, he always did when Andrew had his coffee-break. She listened in occasionally to hear them discuss school and the news, and sometimes, even the Sailor Scouts at times, but never Serena. She never did hear them even mention her old self, although at times they talked about Selene. She was deep in thought when she was abruptly brought out of them when a customer came to the counter to change a dollar to play the new Sailor Moon video game. As she was about to revert back into her daydreams, Sammy walked up to the counter. Selene stared at him in shock, her nouth hanging slightly open. He was about 2 inches taller than he had been and was actually becoming handsome!!! This was the first time that Selene had seen him since she'd arrived, and had to had to discretely pinch her own arm to bring herself back into the normal world. "Can I help you?" she asked politely. "Umm....yeah, can I have a double chocolate fudge ripple sundae with chocolate sauce and chocolate ice cream please?" he asked, laying a five dollar bill on the counter. "Yeah, sure." she forced a smile. 'That's what *I* always used to have!' she thought, remembering the days when she believed there was nothing more important in the world than enjoying a super chocolate fest. "That'll be $4.95" she told him as she took the five dollars from the counter. In return, she handed him a nickle and his sundae. "Hey!" a voice called out. "Selene, over here!" Selene looked over and saw Andrew talking with Darien. Andrew seeing that he had achieved her attention, started waving her over to where they sat. Selene put on a smile and made her way over to the pair in one of the booths. 'The Gods sure aren't going to take it easy on me!' Selene thought grimly as she gave a glance over at Darien. When she arrived at the table she put her hands down on the table. "So, what can I do for my two favorite gentlemen?" she asked playfully. Looking at Darien, she hesitated, "You're....Darien, right?" she asked. "Yeah, we met yesterday when you brought Rini to school." he answered, smiling at her. "Oh yeah!" Selene exclaimed. "Rini's a sweet kid. Say, are you guys going to 'Sailor Moon Day' next week? It looks like it's going to be a blast!" "Yeah." Andrew agreed. "The mayor is really pulling out all the stops for this thing. Cost and all!" "Well, I think it should be a day for ALL the scouts!" Selene said. "Tuxedo Mask too! She could never have done it without them!" "Oh, I don't know....she's pretty amazing." Darien told her. Selene bristled as Darien contradicted her. 'How dare he underestimate the power of teamwork!' she thought. "They musta saved her butt a zillion times though!" she retorted. "Yeah, cause she knew she could make mistakes cause they'd pick up for her. If they weren't there, she'd feel more reponsibility!" Darien replied. "Everyone makes mistakes. No one is perfect! She *needs* them for moral and fighting support!" she answered back. "She wouldn't have been Sailor Moon if she wasn't any good at fighting evil!" he told her. "But good doesn't mean that she can do it by herself!" Selene retorted. "No one can do it all alone! The person would go psyco if they were all alone without anyone to rely on! How would you feel if you were all alone in the world without any friends? Life wouldn't seem worth the fight, would it?" Darien sat back, stunned. "Good point." he muttered, then fell silent. Andrew, feeling uncomfortable, broke the silence. "Well Selene, we'll be closed on 'Sailor Moon Day' cause everyone in the city will be at the park." Selene, brought back to her sences, faced Andrew, and resumed being the happy, cheerful, Selene that she had created. "Great! I bet that she has the day off from work, wherever she works too! Can you believe she's my age? I could never be like her!" she exclaimed. "Darien, are you going?" "I might stop by." Darien responded, still a little shocked from the argument that he had just lost. "It'd be cool to see Sailor Moon and the group." "Cool! Maybe I'll see you there!" Selene checked her watch for the time. "Oh! My shift is over, I gotta go. See ya Andrew, Darien." she said, nodding at each of them. "I'm outtie!" she then proceeded to run out the door. Darien's face turned ashen white. 'That's what Serena used to say!' he thought frantically. 'Nah, it couldn't be. Serena is so totally different. She has gorgeous blonde hair and amazing blue eyes, and...and....oh, she's just perfect!' he remembered his ex with fondness. "Darien, you okay?" Andrew asked his friend when he saw him go from normal to deathly pale. "Yeah, I'm fine. I gotta go to work now, bye." Darien replied, still half in a daze, and walked out the door. "Yes! He DOES really love me!" Serena bounced around in her apartment. Normally she'd be exausted from being Selene all day, but right now, she had enough energy to supply a whole *army* of drones, and then enough left over to waste them all. "How am I going to go back? Do I just walk up and say, 'Hey guys, I'm home, take me back now!'? No, I have to wait for the right time. I have to have a plan." "Master?" Rubeus asked. "May I speak?" The figure in the dark robe was silent for a moment, as if pondering whether to let his subordinate speak or not. Finally, an answer came in the form of a low, gravely, but powerful voice. "Yes, go ahead Rubeus." "On Earth, there is a 'Sailor Moon Day' being held in honor of her return from her year long absence." Rubeus said bitterly. "I suggest that we launch an attack on this day so that we will catch and dispose of them all in one place. That way, Crystal Tokyo will never have existed." "So be it." the figure responded. "Oh, and Rubeus?" "Yes Wiseman?" "This time, do not fail me!" Wiseman thundered. "Have no fear, this time, I will personally step in and destroy them! Sailor Moon shall perish!" "Good." the wiseman said, and with that, he vansihed, only a trace of his glowing eyes remained in the air, and after a few moments they were gone also. "Guys, this Selene is kinda like Serena." Darien said when they had all gathered. "She acts a lot like her at times. If I wasn't looking at her sometimes, I'd think she *was* Serena. "But she's been around for at least a month, and Serena just showed up a few days ago." Ami pointed out. "And you said yourself that Selene didn't look a thing like Serena." Lita said. "Besides, Selene *works* at the arcade. Serena would probably just play Sailor V, or now, Sailor Moon video games, and eat all the food there, all day!" Rei joked. "Darien, maybe you're just a little too anxious to find her. You've gotta relax. She'll come to us when she's ready. She know's where to find us, and we *don't* want to chase her away again. We have to take it easy, however hard it may be." Mina told him gently. "Yes, and besides, Selene is challenging *Ami* in school. Serena couldn't study, or pass an exam for her life!" Luna joked. This lightened the mood a bit and got laughs all around. "Yeah, you're right. It couldn't have been her. It's just my imagination. I just really want to find her." Darien told the group. "Hey, it's okay. We all do. We just gotta be patient!" Lita reassured him. "Yeah!" Artimus agreed. "Hey, Mina, don't you have art class now?" he asked. "Oh yeah, bye guys!" she called over her shoulder as she and Artimus took off. "Well, I guess that's the end of this meeting." Lita said. "Ami, you coming?" she asked her friend. Ami was staying at her place this weekend since Ami's mom was out of town at a doctors conference. "Yup, I'm ready, let's go!" Ami left along with Lita, leaving Luna and Rei. "Well, I'd better go check on Rini." with that, Luna left heading towards the Tsukino's house. Rei was left now, looking at the fire before her. an idea struck her and she concentrated on the flames. "Oh sacred fire, will Serena show up at 'Sailor Moon Day'?" she asked. As a picture of the group with Serena showed up, Rei decided that all of them would be at the park on Wednesday. "Honey?" Serena called softly into the darkness. It was now late at night, but Serena felt she had to see Rini again. "Rini honey, are you here?" she called again. "Serena?" a voice answered. "Rini, come here for a sec." Serena said. As Rini made her way over to Serena in the dark, Serena came onto the window ledge. "Good girl. Now, you've heard about 'Sailor Moon Day' on Wednesday right?" Rini nodded. "Well, get the scouts to take you no matter what they say. Okay?" Rini nodded again. "Okay, I'll see you soon. Be a good girl....bye!" Serena kissed her on the cheek and left quickly. "Bye Serena." she whispered into the night air. After closing the window, she climbed back into bed and went to sleep. ~End chapter 5~ Well, what did you think? Write me at serena_dwyer@hotmail.com Thanx! ~Rena ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com