Hello everyone! When I wrote the prologue, I forgot something rather crucial. The disclaimer! Eeek! Don't sue me! I'm a poor college student!Disclaimer: I know this may come as a shock, but I do not own Sailor Moon. Alas, it is true. This disclaimer applies to any and all installments to my story. I'd like to thank my new editors Kimmie, Ino, and Sailor Soul for their helpful comments and suggestions. You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for all the sweet comments and emails! I love you all! Happy reading. >^..^< @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." ~Jesus Christ, Revelation 22:12 @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<-----The Coldest December By AimeeChapter One After a long two-hour session of after-school detention, trapped in that wretched building by my teacher who insisted on lecturing me on the need for a well-balanced education (most of which I snoozed through), I escaped to the streets of Tokyo. I love this city. Everything about it is full of life and energy. Wandering around aimlessly, I observed countless people as they scurried here and there. I wondered what kind of lives they led, and why they were in such a hurry. My attention then turned to the beautiful scene that Tokyo's seasonal preparations made. Decorations for the coming New Year's Eve celebration donned various buildings and light-posts, making everything bright and exciting. Lights of every color glittered in the sky, which was quickly dimming with the setting of the sun. It was late December, and the bitter cold caused me to shiver in my school uniform. It had yet to snow this winter, but the weatherman had predicted several inches later in the week. I continued my shivering as I skipped down the streets of my beautiful city, happily anticipating those first precious flakes of delicate white ice. Lost in my thoughts, without warning I bumped into something large and warm and was promptly knocked to the ground. "Gomen! Gomen!" I cried apologetically to the person before me, slightlyembarrassed. "We have to quit meeting like this, Meatball Head," said a familiar voice. Oh no. . . not him. Please don't let it be him. I glanced up. Darn it, it is him. Well, perhaps if I ignore the wretched man, he'll disappear. Yeah, that's it. I'll ignore him. "Are you ignoring me, Meatball Head?" my archenemy inquired. Man, he's quick. Perhaps if I yell at him, he'll leave. "Of course I'm not ignoring you," I snapped, halfheartedly accepting the hand he offered out to help me to my feet. "And quit calling me that. Do you even know what my real name is?" He smiled--that annoying little smile that's both insulting and aggravating. Oooo, that man makes me seethe. . . "I'll call you whatever I like, little girl," he said, rubbing in the fact that I was vertically challenged. Darn the man! Highly insulted, I stood on my tippy-toes, closing in the gap of height between us (not by much, mind you, but enough to make me feel better about myself). I poked a finger dangerously close to his left eye and growled all the insults I could think of at him. "You are undoubtedly the most conceited, haughty, condescending, arrogant, unthoughtful, stuck-up, egotistical JERK!!!" "Say it a little louder, Meatball Head. I don't think they heard you across town." "Oooooo!" I stormed off, completely exasperated by the now- laughing Darien Chiba. You don't know Darien, do you, dear readers? Well, take a moment to rejoice over your ignorance. His favorite past-times include staring at himself in the mirror and thinking of new insulting names for my hair. Did you catch the Meatball Head remark? Hey, quit laughing! That's not funny! I do have to admit, however, that Darien (though seriously lacking in charm) is extremely attractive--dark hair, blue eyes, exceptional body (not that I was looking). You must understand how disheartening it is to know that the *only* good-looking man in Tokyo who actually takes time out of his day to talk to me only does so to test out his new put-downs. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate irony? @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "Raye, if you keep making that awful face, it's going to get stuck that way," I said uncomfortably, backing away from the red-faced nightmare that was approaching me menacingly. "You're two hours late. . . two hours, Serena!" Raye repeated, infuriated. "Where have you been? The Scout meeting ended half anhour ago." "I had detention," I explained, shrugging innocently. "Why didn't you tell one of the girls?" she asked, the steam billowing out of her ears making lovely designs of condensation on the windows of the Cherry Hill Temple. "Neither Amy or Lita knew anything about detention." "Gomen, Raye" I sighed, sick and tired of apologizing to everyone I interacted with. My gaze fell to the ground, and I silently kicked at the wooden floor. "All I ask is that you call next time," Raye said, her voice calmer. "We were worried about you." I nodded, growing uncomfortable as I felt her eyes on me. "Are you sure you're okay, Serena? Is something bothering you?" No, I'm not okay--I'm lonely. Even in a crowd, even with my friends, even with my family--the loneliness persists. I need somethingmore. "I'll be fine, Raye." My voice was small, my thoughts elsewhere. She continued to watch me with concerned eyes. "You know I'm here if you ever need to talk, right?" "I know." But it's still not enough. Before Raye could respond, our conversation was interrupted by the piercing sound of both our scout communicators going off simultaneously. Raye got to hers first. "Mars here. . . what's up?" "I think we might have a problem. There's an eight-foot-tall ugly thing with far too many arms roaming around the Shinjuku Gyoen Gardens," said a familiar voice. I fumbled for my communicator and switched it on. My gaze fell upon the clear blue eyes of Mina, our newest Sailor Scout. "Has the youma attacked yet?" I asked, fingering my transformation locket in anticipation of the fight that was soon to follow. "Not yet, but it--" She was cut off by the sounds of screaming in the distance. "Hurry up, guys! I'll try to hold it off until you get here!" The communication link went dead, and Raye and I exchanged a mutual glance of apprehension before we raced from the Cherry Hill Temple toward the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "Ew ew ew ew ew!" I squealed, frantically trying to rid myself of the yellow-green slime that was now staining my right glove. The youma was having a grand old time throwing the disgusting goo with its six arms. The thing was enormous, and it easily towered over my 5'1 frame. Its skin was sleek and extremely oily, enabling it to move with incredible speed. Needless to say, I was having quite a time trying to catch it with my tiara. Moreover, the hideous sound of Zoicite's laugher in the background wasn't exactly helping my concentration. "Will someone shut her up? Good grief!" I whined, hissing at the wretched woman. "I'll try to distract the youma!" said a voice off to my right. "Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Pea-soup fog is an understatement. . . I couldn't see a damn thing. "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" Her attack consisted of a laser of intense light and heat. Still, even though the attack moved at the speed of light, the youma managed to dodgeit. "It's so fast," I marveled, watching in complete awe as the oily monster escaped attack after attack with ease. "This will slow him down. Jupiter Thunder Crash!" Another attack went flying through the air in a great show of light. Electricity crackled in the air, burning up the fog and making me shiver with fear. I absolutely *hate* it when Sailor Jupiter does that. She should know by now that I'm scared to death of lightning. Looking around frantically through the dissipating fog, I caught sight of the youma behind a few trees to my left. Though it had tried to dodge Jupiter's attack, she had wisely caused her lightning to hit a wide area, insuring that the youma would be hit. Electricity shot through its body, making it jolt violently and fall to the ground. Its skin began to smoke, and the oily substance covering its body looked as if it had almost caught on fire. Leave it to Mars to finish the job. "Mars Fire Ignite!" "Mars, no!" Mercury cried, typing frantically on her hand-held computer. "It's covered in an extremely flammable mat--" Too late, dear Mercury. Much too late. The poor monster practically spontaneously combusted--even I felt sorry for it. Flames shot into the sky that would impress any Holly- wood Special Effects Team. The flammable substance that covered the youma's body splattered on the grass and trees surrounding the smoldering mass, as well as on myself and the other Scouts. I watched in horror as a burning tree branch fell right into a puddle of it near my feet. "Oh shi. . . " I didn't have time to finish my colorful choice of words, for the puddle burst into flames. My fear was that I was next. It was about this time that I began flying. Yes, you heard me right--flying. I hit the ground hard, and someone began beating my fuku skirt furiously. I forced my eyes open. "Tuxedo Mask. . . " I breathed, my words choked by the suffocating smell of smoke. Once he was convinced that my skirt was no longer on fire, his gaze met mine. His breath was ragged, and his eyes held much fear in them. I heard sounds of fire-truck sirens in the distance. "Minna. . . " I said, my words labored. "Are they . . . okay?" He ignored my question and picked me up from where I lay. I squealed and wrapped my arms tightly around him when I saw all the flames that surrounded us. He leapt and dodged through the burning bushes and trees with ease and brought me to safety. I slipped from his arms and ran to my friends, who had made it to safety as well. I hugged them tightly, relieved that they were all right. We all watched as firetrucks pulled up to the blaze. "Great job, Pyro," Jupiter scolded. "You almost got us all killed!" "Look, Ion-girl," Mars countered. "Your little electric storm could have set it on fire, too! Did you think about that?" I ignored the girls' fighting and turned toward Tuxedo Mask to find that he had disappeared. I wasn't surprised to see that he had made a silent exit. He always did. I felt Mercury put her arm around my shoulder. "Are you all right, Sailor Moon?" "I'll be fine," I said emptily. "Is Zoicite gone?" Mercury glanced around the smoke-filled sky. "I suppose she left when the youma was destroyed--just like Tuxedo Mask." "He didn't say one word to me, Mercury," I said, almost in tears. "How can he be so cold?" I stared wistfully after him for a few moments, trying to hold back the questions in my heart. "Sailor Moon," she began slowly. "Have you considered the possibility that Tuxedo Mask might not be on our side?" I turned to face my friend in shock. "But. . . but he couldn't be! I mean, why would he save my life if he were against us?" "I don't know," she answered quietly. "But we need to be careful, all right? We can't trust just anyone. We have too many enemies." I nodded thoughtfully as her words sunk in. No matter how logical her argument was, I was still completely astonished at the possibility. Tuxedo Mask, an enemy? It was about this time that it began to rain. @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- Of all the nights for a NegaVerse attack. It was dark, dreary-- you name it. To make matters worse, it was pouring down rain like a monsoon with nothing better to do. Needless to say, after the youma was scorched (poor little youma), I was anxious to get home and out of my little wet fuku. I had wished more than once that my Sailor Moon costume was a bit more comfortable. . . say sweat-pants and bunny slippers. Yes, I could do some serious damage to the NegaVerse with that getup--I was certain. But all my wishing and hoping was for naught, for every time I chanted the transformation words, *BAM* I was in a fuku. I'll bet anything that a man designed this outfit. I detransformed quickly as I ran, trying to dodge between the raindrops--perhaps I shouldn't have had that second donut at breakfast because my attempt at not getting wet wasn't working too well. As I ran, my thoughts turned to the man who had rescued me only twenty minutes earlier. Tuxedo Mask couldn't be my enemy, could he? Surely Mercury was just being paranoid. Never mind the fact that she's a genius, and her reasoning skills are off the charts. She could be wrong. . . I swallowed hard, blinking back tears, considering Mercury's argument once again. Why didn't Tuxedo Mask ever talk to me? Or look me in the eyes? Why didn't he ever make his intentions known? Can't he even take a moment for me--Sailor Moon? Am I that unimportant to him? Perhaps that's why I resort to daydreaming so often. Reality wasn't pleasing enough, and reality was telling me that Tuxedo Mask had better things to do than fool around with a silly little kid like me. I quit running abruptly and slowed to a leisurely walk. I was going to take my time, unlike Tuxedo Mask. Rain drenched me, but I was already soaking wet so why bother? I turned my face to the sky and smiled as the rain washed over me. I turned my imagination loose. . . I began thinking of my mysterious masked man, wondering what he would think of his Sailor Moon dancing around in the rain. I imagined him laughing happily, something which the real Tuxedo Mask would never do. Perhaps then, he would offer me his cape to keep me warm and dry from the rain, and then I would-- I cried out loud. Pain and shock shot through my body so fast I nearly stumbled to the ground. Perhaps I did stumble, but I never felt it. I felt hands on me. . . rough hands. They shoved me against a wall and held me there tightly. I willed my eyes to focus on my attacker, and saw a ragged looking man, his face sneering down at mine. The hand clamped over my mouth kept my screams from being heard. "My my, what's a pretty girl like you doing out here? You could get hurt. . . " His breath fanned my face, smelling of alcohol and smoke. "Got any money, sweetheart?" he rasped. I shook my head back and forth furiously, and the man scowled at me. "Is that right, angel? Well, I guess you'll have to provide me some entertainment then." Then, to my eternal disgust, the man began to touch me. His free hand pressed against my mouth, muffling the scream I let out. I was completely and utterly terrified. This can't be happening! It's a nightmare--it has to be! But this nightmare wasn't ending, and I quickly grew frantic. Please God, don't let this happen! Somewhere The Almighty must have heard my prayer, for He sent a miracle. Although, I really don't think The Almighty would have approved of his colorful choice of words. "Get your damn hands off of her." My attacker turned his attention away from me to look into the darkness of the alley he had pulled me into. I took the opportunity, and bit the hand that was over my mouth for all I was worth. The man cursed, backed away, and struck me hard across the face. I hit the ground unwittingly, knowing for the first time what it was like to be hit by a man. My head was dazed, and my cheek ached. I felt my pulse pounding in my lower lip, which was now bleeding. Completely disoriented, I began to cry. I heard the sounds of a fight nearby but was entirely too upset and frightened to look up. Someone hit the ground, however. . . and stayedthere. "Are you all right?" said a voice. A very familiar voice. There, in front of me, stood Tuxedo Mask. I blinked a few times, unsure if he was real. Near his feet was my attacker, unconscious. "Are you okay?" he repeated, taking a step near me. I drew back like a frightened animal. I don't know why I did so. Even without knowledge of his intentions toward the Sailor Scouts, I knew from my experience as Sailor Moon that he wouldn't hurt me, but I was so scared that I wasn't thinking correctly. He noted my frantic reaction to his approach and backed off. "It's all right. I won't hurt you. Do you know who I am?" I nodded, the trembling of my body causing it to be a shaky nod. I couldn't keep my body still--it shivered like it had a mind of its own. The fact that I was wet from the still-pouring rain didn't help matters. Tuxedo Mask cautiously approached me, and this time I didn't protest. Slowly he knelt before me. I wished over and over that I could quit shaking. There I was--alone with the man of my dreams. Strange, but I liked my daydreams much better than this. I looked at the ground, unable to meet his concerned gaze, and cried. I couldn't help it, and the fact that I felt ashamed of my tears caused them to fall harder. I felt a weight on my shoulders and realized he had placed his cape over me. It was warm and comforting, and I nuzzled down in it, trying to hide from reality. "T-thank you," I managed to say, but my teeth were chattering so badly, I doubt if he understood me. His answer confirmed he did comprehend, however. "You're welcome. I'm just sorry I was late," he said, pressing a handkerchief to my bleeding lip. "Please forgive me." Forgive him? I must be dreaming. The man just saved me (unbeknownst to him, for the second time that day), and he asks to be forgiven? "You weren't late," I whispered. He shook his head but didn't respond. He spoke again only after a few moments of silence. "Come on--I'll see that you get home safely." I stood up shakily and cast a weary look at my attacker. Gazing upon the crumpled form on the ground, I began to get frightened again. "Come on," Tuxedo Mask beckoned me once more. Practically whimpering, I stepped over the unconscious form and followed the tall man, telling him in a small voice where I lived. How strange it felt to be walking beside the man who so often graced my dreams. My little legs had a hard time keeping up with his long ones, especially with his heavy cape wrapped around me. He seemed to notice my struggle and slowed his pace a bit. He turned to me as we walked. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing outside so late alone?" I faltered. I didn't know how to answer. I couldn't exactly tell the man that I was Sailor Moon. Think, Serena. Think! "I. . . um. . . was looking for my cat." "Your cat, huh?" Please believe me. . . please believe me. . . "Hai," I affirmed. "She ran away, and I was um. . . looking for her." "I see," he answered, no particular emotion in his tone. "Well, Serena, I have a favor to ask of you." Yikes! How the heck does he know my name!? "A favor?" I echoed, completely unnerved. "The favor is that you never *ever* leave your house again so late at night unaccompanied," he said. He turned to me, dark indigo-blue eyes burning into my own. "Are we agreed?" "All right. . . " I answered softly, still in awe of the man before me. "But just to be sure," he said. "I'll be watching." I blinked, and he was gone. @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- Another chapter done! I hope you liked it! Email me and let me know what you think! Survey of the Week: Who do you think would win in a fight between Sailor Jupiter and Tuxedo Mask? Ja ne! Aimee >^..^< sailor_moon89@hotmail.com