This and That

by bluephoenixj

"I will have the Silver Imperium Crystal."

Serena blinked at her reflection in her bedroom window pondering the words she had heard earlier that evening. The sky was nearly pitch black and the only light in sight was that of the crescent moon and the bunny shaped alarm clock on her bed stand. Luna sat beside her on her bed comforter staring outside.

"Explain to me again how Tuxedo Mask ended up with six of the rainbow crystals," Luna commanded in a voice less than pleased. Serena let out an exasperated sigh, more for herself than the black feline.

"Tuxedo Mask was battling Zoycite and she was winning. Then, I saw her about to send an attack at him while he was unaware, so I tackled her and all the rainbow crystals fell out her pocket. But somehow Tuxedo Mask reached them before I could and darted off. It took Zoycite a while to realize what had happened before she disappeared," she said weakly, full of distraction. Worse than thinking of their loss was considering that Tuxedo Mask was the new enemy. He was the only one holding the rainbow crystals; the only threat to their mission.

Serena sighed again. As much as Luna wanted to scold her for losing the crystals to Tuxedo Mask, a small part the cat prevented her from saying anything. She knew what Serena was poring over. They both knew though, that before long, she'd have to overcome her feelings and let her mission lead her. Even if what she was feeling was betrayal.

"Luna, what's next?" Serena asked. She snuggled up to a teddy bear she received as a toddler and continued looking at the stars. Luna, unprepared for the question, found it difficult to tell her the hard truth.

"We'll have to prevent him from getting the final crystal," she said, choosing her words carefully. But Serena pushed.

"And then?" she asked, fully aware of the response she was about to get. Luna sighed sadly.

"Then, we'll likely have to fight him for the other six."

"Do you think this'll really help us find the rainbow crystal carrier," Serena asked doubtfully. Raye glared at her angrily.

"It's the only thing we have to go on!" she yelled in annoyance. Serena dragged her feet.

"Can we please just save walking around the city for another day? I'm so tired," she whined.

"No!" Raye said simply," Or do you want Tuxedo Mask to end up with all the crystals." Serena was caught off guard and simply closed her previously wide open mouth.

"Come on," Raye ordered. Serena whimpered before jogging to catch up with the fiery priestess. She gripped the pink and gold wand in her hand like a lifeline.

"Well, could we at least stop and get a bite to eat," she said suddenly stopping. To their left loomed the arcade with a sign advertising a new flavor of donut. Reluctantly, Raye halted a few feet ahead of her, then turned around.

"Coconut and chocolate?" Raye said aloud, not attempting to hide her disgust. She stuck her tongue out and shivered for added emphasis. Meanwhile, Serena bent over the sign with a toothy grin.

"With chocolate you can never go wrong," she drawled, already placing her wand into her school pack. Raye resignedly stomped through the arcade doors ahead of Serena.

"Fifteen minutes," she commanded before the doors met behind her. In a few seconds, Serena, too, was inside the arcade. With a few quick strides, the pair sat across from Andrew on stools. Raye looked agitated as she scanned the menu while Serena licked her lips at the donut placed before her.

"Thank you, Andrew," she said giddily half-aware of his presence as she lifted the donut in the fashion of a burger. Andrew nodded towards her while he cleaned a glass with a dish rag.

"No problem, Serena. Did you want to try one, Raye?" Andrew asked politely. He paused his cleaning to await a response as Raye pondered the offer. She looked at Serena who bit happily into the donut causing Raye to gag.

With coconut glued to her mouth by underlying chocolate Serena added," It's delicious!"

"Uh, no I'll pass," Raye said refusing to watch the blonde," I had a bad run in with coconut chocolate last Valentine's day." She recalled the time Chad had attempted to give her homemade candy and left her sick in bed for days. She could barely fight off the monster that hit two days later.

Andrew winced," Well, let me know if there's something else u want. When she merely nodded, he walked away to attend to a family with a noisy four-year old son. Meanwhile Serena continued munching greedily.

"Oh, Raye! You don't know what you're missing out on!" Serena said almost sympathetically. Then, a deep, obnoxious voice behind her caused her smile to fade. Darien.

"Serena, not everyone wants to end up like a blimp like you. Some people actually eat healthy," he chided. Raye smiled adoringly at the ebony haired college student. On the contrary, Serena kept her focus on the donut and forced the last piece into her mouth. When she had finished, she plastered a smile on her face and turned to face Darien, also.

"What would a cold, cruel jerk like you know about the simple pleasures in life?" she said lightly with a huff. He continued eyeing her broodingly as he had since he had entered the arcade.

"Well, actually I do, Meatball Head. Every day I smile thinking that I'm not pigging out on a hundred pounds worth of sweets like you." Raye watched the two tiredly. She would not spend her day hearing Darien and Serena argue, especially when there was scout business to be handled. When Serena opened her mouth to retort, Raye placed a firm hand on her shoulder. Serena closed her mouth and looked back at her friend slightly startled. She had already forgotten her friend sat beside her.

"Serena, can we go now. You know, for our mission," Raye said in a low, but firm voice. Darien cocked an eyebrow. Serena looked nervously at Darien, finally deciding not to fight a losing battle on both ends.

"Alright, let's go," she said hopping of her stool," Looks like I have better things to do, Darien." The pair soon stood outside again, looking in opposite directions on the street. Raye looked up towards the residential area, while Serena looked towards the mall. Finally, Raye could be seen scolding Serena and pulling her up the street.

Darien still stood in his previous position pondering what Raye had said. Mission.

With that, he turned on his heels and walked down the street in the direction Serena had indicated. When he looked up he saw a familiar sign, the Osa-P jewelry store.

Raye stood at the top of a hill in the residential district leaning against a pole. Her face was calm with only a few beads of sweat daring to graze her brow. She refused to show any sign of weakness, not only for her pride, but as an unspoken insult to the blonde fifty meters behind her. Serena walked up the hill at a snail's pace like the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

"Just…twenty…more….feet….," she sighed heavily. After five minutes passed, she reached her friend, who had by that time, fully conquered her breathing rate.

"What took you so long, Meatball Brain?" Raye asked scornfully.

"I'm not cut out for this," Serena said drained of her usual whininess. Raye cocked an eyebrow then turned to look at her devilishly.

"Well, then, why don't you just give up the wand and let me take over. I can do all the searching by myself and find the crystal," she said haughtily. Serena straightened up defiantly in response. She clutched the pink and golden wand to her chest.

"Oh, no you don't. You're not getting all the glory," Serena marched heatedly past Raye and began muttering to herself, "I'm gonna find that crystal and show you all what a great leader I am!"

Raye grinned to herself, unfolded her arms and started to catch up to the continuously fuming blonde.

"I knew that would get her going," Raye said under her breath.

They walked from apartment building to apartment building. House to house. Every tree house and dog house. No dice.

By then, Serena had forgotten her earlier conviction and again began to drag her feet. She needed to sit down, and fast.

"Hey! How about—we check in that cemetery over there!" Serena suggested. She pretended to genuinely suspect the crystal's location, but discreetly eyed the bench in the middle of the area.

"Yeah, right, Serena!" Raye growled, "As if the crystal is planted in some fifty year old grave!" Raye couldn't put her finger on it, but there had to be a catch.

"Oh, buckle down, Raye! We have to check every area possible. Remember last week; the crystal was in a cat and that means they can be hidden anywhere," Serena said with slightly skewed logic. She hoped Raye wouldn't realize that the likelihood of a past Negaverse fiend dying with the crystal still inside them was slim to none.

Serena waited for Raye's response; the priestess had placed her index finger on her temple and closed her eyes in contemplation. There was no way it could be here, but Serena did have a point. Reluctantly she agreed and the pair walked into the graveyard.

To Serena is seemed to take hours for them to walk halfway across the cemetery. Once, Raye had to push Serena away for invading her bubble; the ditz had been inching towards her each step they took! It was as if she was afraid of ghosts or something…

While Raye scanned the area around them, Serena stealthily walked towards the bench hoping to finally sit down. Just before she could sit, Raye looked at her.

"Is the wand reacting at all?" Raye asked doubtfully. She looked around the grounds for any sign of life. The only others there were two figures too far away to name.

"No," Serena had begun to reply until something caught her sight. She looked down at the wand and noticed a warm red light pulsating from the handle.

"The last crystal's here!" Serena instantly looked down and around her. It couldn't be in one of those graves!

"D-d-do y-you t-t-t-t-think we'll have to dig it up?" Serena asked like a four year old. Raye walked up to her clueless friend and clutched her arm, turning her towards the figures ahead.

"As much as I'd love to watch you try to find the crystal in one of those graves, I think it's one of them," Raye informed her, indicating the men ahead. Serena relaxed under Raye's grip, "Okay. What's our plan of action? We've never done this before without a general finding it first."

Raye drooped like a tired dog. If only fate had distributed common sense to those who truly needed it,… but like government funding, the worse off ended up neglected.

"Well, first we contact the other scouts in case we need back-up. While we wait for them, we get close enough to figure out which one actually has the crystal. Then, we can try to take it by simply using the wand. Most importantly, once we get it, we make sure that darn Tuxedo Mask doesn't get to it first, okay?" Raye said like a girl-scout troop leader.

"Okay," Serena said while pulling her communicator out of her pocket. After pressing a button, the other two scout's faces appeared on the tiny screen.

"Yes, Serena?" Amy asked first. She appeared to typing away at a computer while eating an apple.

"We've found the rainbow crystal!" Serena said excitedly.

"Oh, great! I'll be there in a jiffy," Lita said after sending one last karate kick at a defenseless tree. Within seconds, the screen faded into darkness and Serena replaced the communicator inside her backpack. She looked nervously in the distance, "I guess this is it."

The weight of this mission was tangible like a piano on her spine. Raye nodded back, "Let's go."

For the next few minutes, Serena and Raye tried to get close enough to the figures to tell which the actual carrier was. They ducked behind gravestones and trees alike until finally they stood behind a tomb that allowed them a good sight of both the men. One of the men, was a priest, he walked amongst the graves solemnly, gripping the long cross hanging from his neck. The other…

"What the heck is Darien doing here!?" Serena whispered to her raven haired friend. The normally grinning college student was hovering above a wide gravestone that had fresh roses in front. He appeared to be talking to it.

"I don't know," Raye spoke, nearly speechless. Then she gathered a thought, "Well; now we know who the carrier is. The wand didn't respond to Darien earlier at the arcade today." Serena brightened. Then, her face fell again.

"But, how do we get rid of the jerk so we can nab the crystal?" Serena asked, slightly above a whisper. Raye waved a dismissing hand to calm her down, "I've got a plan."

"You transform while I get Darien to leave. I'll be back as soon as I can," Raye said. She started off from behind the tomb in Darien's direction, but before she left cover, Serena grabbed her arm.

"You're leaving me in this cemetery by myself!?" Serena asked frightened.

"Don't worry; the scouts will be here any time. Now, do you want that crystal or not?" Raye added with a bark. Serena nodded and let go of her friend's arm. Nonchalantly, Raye walked towards Darien, who was almost thirty yards away. It was time for her to transform.

"Moon prism power," Serena whispered, hand reaching to the heavens. Pink ribbons flowed around her petite figure until finally her scout uniform materialized. She checked her outfit before peeking around the tomb at the priest. He was not moving; he had stopped by a grave nearby to give a silent prayer.

Next, she checked Raye. The priestess was almost upon Darien when suddenly he clutched at his brain with both hands, saw Raye, and ran off into the distance.

Raye turned around and looked at Serena, with a shrug. Darien was no longer a problem.

She ran behind a tree and reemerged fully transformed. Serena noticed Mercury and Jupiter standing in a tree behind them, also ready in a moment's notice. Serena nodded at each of them and walked from behind the tomb.

The priest, so deep in thought, didn't notice the presence of the scantily clad Sailor Scout until she cleared her throat. When he looked up at her, she struck a pose.

"I am Sailor Moon, Champion of Justice! I am here to collect crystals and spare the world from evil and that means you…even if you don't know it," she yelled. All the scouts sweat dropped while the priest's mouth hung open.

"May I help you?" he asked in a deep, fatherly voice. Serena dropped her pose and put her hand behind her head trying to stifle a nervous giggle.

"Actually, I kinda have to get something from you and it may hurt a little," she said nervously. Then, with conviction, she whipped out her wand and spoke under her breath, "God, I hope this works."

With conviction, Sailor Moon clutched the wand at eye level.

"Moon healing activation!"

As the wand circle her body, a halo of light appeared and engulfed the priest. As it did so, a hole in his stomach faded in and out of sight. The priest held up his arms as if surrendering to the crystal while maintaining a serene look upon his face. Serena sent more strength into the wand, until finally the crystal formed and the priest fell to the grass, unconscious.

Serena sighed and let her knees buckle beneath her. Finally, the last crystal had been found. She looked ahead at the green crystal ten meters away.

"Crap!"

All of a sudden, there was frenzy above her. Birds flocked from their trees as the previously hiding Sailor Scouts leapt down from the trees. Sailor Moon could feel their pounding footsteps as they ran, panting, in her direction. When she looked over her shoulder she saw the cause of their alarm; a red cape flowing over her head.

Just before the Sailor Scouts could reach her side, Tuxedo Mask landed beside the crystal and reached for it. Just as his gloved hands began to close around the crystal, a golden chain shot at the crystal knocking it more than twenty feet away. While everyone paused at the unprecedented power, Sailor Moon rose from the hollow ground and ran in the direction of the crystal. She just had to get it; she had to prove that she was worthy of carrying the wand of the one who would soon protect Princess Serenity.

A figure stood on the grand tomb with her hair flowing in the wind. With the sun behind her, only her silhouette was visible. Sailor Mercury, Jupiter, and Mars all stared at her with their hands shielding their eyes. Tuxedo Mask, though momentarily lost in the figure's spell as well, ran after Sailor Moon upon seeing her rise.

When the figure turned, the scouts too realized that the battle was yet to be won. However, both Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon were already too far away to chase after. They merely watched helplessly as the two faced off. Stride for stride. Breath for breath. It was as if both were a team, fighting together, still subconsciously knowing their only enemy was the other.

Time seemed to stop when the pair was a foot from the crystal. Tuxedo Mask's stride widened dramatically as he swooped down; Serena meanwhile tried to dive at the crystal. Her arms flew out helplessly to grasp the crystal, not caring that her body would soon collide painfully with the ground. When Serena finally reached her destination she cried out in frustration. Her hand was empty, and her side bruised. She peered upwards with a furious grimace as Tuxedo Mask flew away. She expected to see his smug grin; he had won. Instead he looked sternly at her and muttered two words.

"I'm sorry."