Author's Notes: Hello again, Minna! If you've stuck around for Chapter 2, God Bless You! and thank you! Just in case I did not make it clear enough in Ch. 1, this story takes place between the events at Starlight/Tokyo tower (whichever version you like to follow) and the defeat of Queen Beryl. *HOWEVER*, I changed the storyline just a bit, and in this story, we don't yet know who our Moon Princess is. Creative license *another big grin*. Of course, your standard disclaimers apply here. I do not own, in any way, shape, or form, the characters in this story. They belong to the incredible Naoko Takeuchi, everyone bow to her. I do, however own this story! So please tell me if you like it!! *hint hint* One more thing: Moonlit Eclipse is up and running! I want to thank EVERYONE who has come by, and encourage anyone else to check it out at: http://www.geocities.com/moonlit_eclipse ^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^- ....As the scouts prepared to call out their attacks and take the brunt of the hit, a flash of crimson ripped through the night air, revealing the glistening form a perfect, steel-tipped rose...that had completely missed its intended target.... "Interval" by Angela Chapter 2 "Wha-?" "Huh?" A hush fell across the street as the scouts stared at the perfect rose that had struck several feet from their enemy. In the brevity of the moment, they caught a glimpse of their comrade Tuxedo Mask, not in a tree or atop a nearby roof, but standing shakily upon the pavement nearby. Despite the ill-placed attack, his general purpose remained intact: distraction. The youma bellowed, a low and rumbling cry, and swung its hulking form around to face the latest nuisance. In a moment of sheer terror, Sailor Moon realized that their savior was just standing there, open for attack. Adrenaline surged through her nervous system and in a burst of clarity, she was the first to realize how the tide was turning. The following split seconds advanced in slow motion for her as she scrambled to leap across the short distance between herself and Tuxedo Mask. From the corners of her widened eyes she could see the youma's stalactite scales release; she could hear them screaming through the air. Sailor Moon grunted with the force of her blow as she barreled into a stunned Tuxedo Mask, knocking him roughly to the pavement as the tearing and ripping of fabric could be heard. In the following rush of "real time", Sailor Moon heard the battle cries of her scouts rip from their throats like the wails of banshees. She finally gasped and pushed herself from Tuxedo Mask's prone form, frantically looking him over to see if he was all right. With relief she found that the shards of the youma's attack had only snagged the fabric of his cape as it had trailed their descent to the ground. Tuxedo Mask lay against the cement as if he'd taken a substantial blow, squeezing his eyes shut once or twice to clear his vision. He finally nodded to her, his breath wheezing from his throat. "I'm okay..." She desperately searched his face for truth behind the statement, but the reflection of the street lamps in his mask made it impossible to discern. He offered her a half-hearted smile as thanks and began to rise to his feet. "Sailor Moon!" Venus shouted. Her concern for him quickly took the back burner as she remembered her purpose, leaping deftly to her feet and calling, "Scouts, strike!" Her blood pounded through her veins, throbbing in her head as she positioned herself in the circle of scouts closing on the youma. In their sudden and fierce onslaught it was weakening; this mission was quickly nearing an end. Power flowed about them as they planted themselves, a separate attack to come from all angles. "Mercury Bubbles..." "Venus Crescent Beam..." "Jupiter Thunder..." "Mars Fire..." "Blast! Smash! Crash! Ignite!" "Now, Sailor Moon!" came Venus' cry. Sailor Moon nodded, her chin set determinedly as her eyes darkened and with a rapid halation, the Moon Wand materialized in her hand. With a deep breath she closed her eyes and issued her command, "Moon Crystal, Activation!" Bracing herself on bent knees, she clenched her fist against the shaft of the wand and gritted her teeth as her eyes squeezed shut. She felt the familiar blaze of power rush through the Moon Wand and course through her hand and forearm as it was burned from her weapon towards the powerless youma. In seconds, their enemy had vanished in a bonfire of light and energy. All that remained was the still silence of night. "Oh yeah, girls!" Jupiter raved, smacking her right fist into the open palm of her left. They all exchanged somewhat wary smiles of relief. "Yeah, but that was almost cutting it too close, even for us," Mars replied. "If Tuxedo Mask hadn't shown when he did--" "Talk about cutting it close!" Venus interjected. "That was rather impeccable timing this time, wouldn't you say?" "Certainly a new approach..." Jupiter finished. Sailor Moon massaged her throbbing hand while listening to the girls release some of their nervous energy. Looking around, she surmised that Tuxedo Mask had once again conveniently disappeared once he was aware of their safety. 'He doesn't need to do that any more,' she thought to herself. She frowned amidst her thoughts, but suddenly realized that the scouts were preparing their cautious departure. She followed Venus back to the darkened alley where they had previously transformed, their overnight belongings where they had dropped them in haste. Silently, the two waited for Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter to disappear in front of them before recanting their power and changing back to their own natural forms. Their uniforms dissolved in a brilliant flash, the change in power leaving them momentarily breathless. "Whew!" Mina breathed, a bit of a chuckle accompanying her easy smile. "Well, takin' care of business early tonight! Let's clock out, and go have some fun, eh?" Serena stood a moment longer, her face turned upwards to the darkening sky, her eyes closed as she reveled a bit longer in the release of her power. With a sigh, she opened her gaze to Mina and smiled. "Yes, that was well done, don't you think? Even if...Hey, Mina?" Mina stood after stooping to pick up her bag, tilting her head to the side in inquiry. "Hmm?" "If you don't mind," Serena bent down to heft her shoulder bag and bedding, before continuing tentatively. "I think...I think I'd like to double back, and check on something." Her friend arched a quizzical brow, a knowing look piercing her blue eyes. 'Or someone?' she thought bemusedly, but said nothing. Instead, she nodded. "Okay. Are you sure? Would you like some company?" Serena shook her head. "No. I won't be long, I hope. Go and catch up with the others, and I'll contact you when I'm done..." Mina smiled, silently wishing her friend luck. "Be careful...Walk in the light!" she called, trotting off in a jog. She turned to wave saying, "And don't take too long, or you won't get any pizza or hot chocolate!" "Hey!" Serena yelled back. "You'd better save me some if you know what's good for you!!" she tossed a wave over her shoulder and made her way in the opposite direction. * * * Standing outside the towering apartment complex, Serena gulped, second-guessing herself for the hundredth time in her long trek there. 'Really Serena, what are you doing?' she asked herself as she gripped the shoulder strap digging into her skin. Along the way she had become fed up with her bedroll and had rather unceremoniously stuffed it in her bag as far as it would cram in, a good portion of it still jutting out of the parted zipper. Still, it was easier than walking with her arms wrapped around it. Finally mustering up some courage, she trudged through the automatic doors of the complex and into the spacious lobby. A night watchman looked up from his stock magazine, setting down his coffee mug. "Can I help you, miss?" he inquired. Serena blinked her wide eyes, tearing them from the expanse of the room she had just entered. "Uh-well, yes actually. I'm checking on a...friend of mine. Only, I don't know which apartment he's in. Just that he's in this building," she stammered. 'I think,' she added silently. The man scrutinized her carefully for a moment, as if sizing up her trustworthiness. "I might be able to help you out," he said finally, offering her a smile. He took another sip of his coffee, then sat upright at the terminal to his left. "Name?" "Chiba...Darien." Serena replied, awed at the ring his name had in her own ears. "Ah, yes! Mr. Chiba! I believe he's in 10D, but let me double check...yes. Just take the elevators over there and a right onto the tenth floor." He gestured towards two elevators across the lobby. "Thank you," Serena smiled graciously, then headed towards the elevators, pushing the arrow pointing upwards. She rode the elevator, hugging her arms across her chest, tapping her foot nervously as she waited for it to slow to a stop. Once opened, she stared out onto the tenth floor, consumed with fear. She hopped out just in time for the doors to slide closed behind her, leaving her in an empty hallway. Moving painstakingly slow down the corridor, Serena paused outside the dark wooden door marked '10D'. Her hand was poised; but she was hesitant to knock. Had he returned yet? Surely she had given him enough time, conspicuously waiting until it was safe to change back to her civilian form. The walk here had been long enough as well! As she stood in the well-lit hallway with her hand balled loosely into a fist in front of Darien's door, she once again wondered what she was doing. What would she say to him? He'd think she was a silly girl, checking up on him, a sophisticated and capable college student. Why on earth should she care? Where would she even get such an idea? Serena shook her head. As if! He was probably just having an "off" day. So what if he had missed that youma? In her own hastiness, she had done the same thing countless times. 'But he hasn't,' her mind reprimanded. She frowned again, mentally agreeing with herself. Something was certainly up, even if it could just be deemed a bad day for Darien. 'Here is my chance to show him I really do care, and not just as Sailor Moon...' Serena rapped firmly against the door. After a few seconds she knocked again, calling out, "Darien...? It's Serena...A-Are you there?" She shifted her weight left-to-right and back a few times, and was just about to knock one last time when she heard the sliding click of a deadbolt and the door finally opened. Serena was taken aback at the sight that greeted her. Jet black hair fell haphazardly across his brow, casting a shadow over glassy midnight blue eyes. In the fluorescent lighting he looked dreadfully pale, but what startled Serena most of all was: yes, it was Darien, of course. Darien, who still wore a mussed tuxedo with the top button of the white dress shirt undone, the material creased with wrinkles. Serena blinked once, twice. He hadn't de-transformed yet! Darien, a.k.a. Tuxedo Mask, gripped the edge of the door, staring out at Serena disbelievingly. He thought he had imagined the sound of her voice as he lay sprawled on his couch where, after barely clambering over the balcony railing and stumbling into his apartment, he had dropped, unable to move any further. "What are you doing here?" Serena smiled somewhat falteringly, attempting to sound light after his less than excited greeting. "Good thing it's me you're opening the door to. Someone else might wonder why you're dressed like that," she said, boldly taking it upon herself to step inside the opened door so that he could shut it. Despite the unlikeliness of anyone spotting them, or even recognizing them, standing in the hallway like that made her nervous. Once inside, with his dark eyes piercing her dubiously, Serena sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry, I won't keep you or anything. I just...I thought I'd see, I mean..." she sighed again, taking a breath as she fidgeted. "I was just concerned about, you know, what happened out there tonight. And I wanted to see if you were all right?" she offered tentatively. He raised a weary brow at her, finding her awkward concern touching no matter how he felt at the moment. 'Manners, Chiba, manners!' he scolded himself after a long moment of strained silence. "You don't have to rush off," he barely said, sighing just loud enough to be audible. "Why don't you stay, I was just going to make some tea." Serena blinked. "No! Um, I mean, that'd be great, but..." she paused when she realized she might hurt his feelings if she declined in such a rude manner...Wait. Hurt his feelings, when he was being his standoffish old self? Besides, she knew the girls would wait only so long until their stomachs took over. But then something inside her urged her to stay for just a little while. And wasn't this the opportunity she was looking for? She lifted her chin and smiled sweetly, then took him by the arm, half pushing him into the living room as she continued, "Uh, but, let me do it...You look completely wiped out!" Darien chuckled dryly in reply, Serena steering him across the room. "I promise, I can handle this without starting a four alarm fire," she huffed. "I won't stay and keep you from your oh-so-important and compelling 'college' stuff. As soon as we're finished I'll leave and you can go right back to your more interesting things. But, in the meantime, why don't you go..." Serena paused here, her brow crinkling as she ran her eyes along his form again. "And change," she said quietly, emphasizing the last word carefully as she nodded down the dark hallway branching away from the kitchen. He stared at her blankly for a moment, and her expression melted into confused concern. She repeated herself, stressing his name. "Darien? While I make the tea, you can go take care of..." she tugged at the lapel of his tuxedo jacket. "You need to change back," she reminded him. "Oh, right," he muttered, shaking his head. Serena's mouth drew together and she gave him a slightly perturbed look. "Ya know, I wasn't kidding when I said you studied too hard. You must have overdrawn on your brain cells, 'cause you sure are out of it!" She watched him trudge slowly down the hallway, waiting for a sharp retort that never came. Shaking her head, she then ducked into the kitchen to prepare some hot water. 'Spotless,' she thought irritably, taking the teakettle from the stove. 'Shoulda known.' Darien, still in Tuxedo Mask form, closed the door to the bathroom behind him. Gripping the edges of the marbled basin-top, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror with a groan. 'Maybe what the girls say about fluorescent lighting washing you out is actually true,' he thought bitterly. He leaned over the faucet, turning on the cold water to splash his face. After turning it off and reaching for a towel, he took a deep breath and allowed his body to release the energy of his alternate form. He shuddered at the loss of power, his knuckles whitening as his fingers tightened their hold to steady him. He felt nauseous. Everything hurt. Letting out a ragged breath, he finally straightened, dizzily reaching for the door as he heard Serena call out that the water was hot. He had nearly forgotten that he had asked her in. Darien made his way out into the hallway, his arm stretched out to his side to support himself against the wall. He felt like a lead-weight, vaguely aware that with his de-transformation came the loss of strength and energy that had sustained him for the past few hours. His vision began to swim before him, a low ringing sensation filling his ears. It was at that moment he began to worry. He thought it might be a good idea to send his company on her merry little way. "Serena..." he uttered hoarsely, clamping on to the framework of the archway in the hall. "Hello?" Serena called out in a sing-songy tone, drying her hands on a dishtowel as she exited the kitchen. "Baka, I said the water was--" she stopped short, nearly gasping in surprise when she saw him. Darien caught a glimpse of her startled expression before the room pitched violently and his knees buckled beneath him, sending him weaving towards the floor. ^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^ AN: Oh no, please don't attack at once!!! I'm really not TRYING to pick on anyone! Guess you'll hafta wait 'till next time! Although, if you check out the site, it may be up sooner, there. My buddy Aimee said I forgot to put this last time: E-mail, E-mail, E-mail! Ja ne! ~Angela (coltdancer@hotmail.com)