~Chapter 2~

"GUYS!" a feminine voice rang throughout the no longer peaceful temple.

A girl around the age of Serena came out of the temple, yawning and muttering to herself.

"REI!" the same voice screamed out. "EVERYBODY!"

The girl turned around right in time to see Serena dashing up to the temple, hitting speeds that no human could ever even hope to reach. Oh no... Serena didn't always get this excited, but when she did, chaos fell upon every footstep she took. The temple would be ruined! Rei's brain would probably break open from hearing the neverending chatter that flowed from her friend's mouth. And if it was gossip, it would only be worse!

Being too tired, Rei didn't have it in her to play dead in time. Serena lunged at her, crushing her ribcage.

"Hey, Serena..." she greeted in a strangled voice. "You seem to be in a good mood..."

"Rei, guess what? No wait! Where the others? We were supposed to have a fire-reading today! How come everybody's late?" she gushed.

Rei pulled away from Serena's death grip and let herself breathe before answering. "The fire-reading is tonight. It's like four in the morning!" Just now catching herself with that last comment, she put a hand over her friend's forehead, testing for a fever. "You feeling alright?"

Serena slapped her hand away and said, "You have to get everyone else here pronto!"

"Ugh..." Rei moaned. "Why can't you just go bug your boyfriend...? He'll put up with you more than we will..."

She giggled and shook her head. "He's not my boyfriend anymore."

Rei yawned again, but when she actually registered Serena's reply, her eyes widened drastically. "What? You guys broke up again? Why?"

She giggled again and held up her left hand so that the backside could be clearly seen. The silver ring still shone as if it had been freshly made. The diamond in the center still seemed to be polished and ready to look its best.

Rei leaned in for a closer look. "Oh, wow... It's so pretty. Who gave that to you?"

"Darien proposed to me last night! It's an engagement ring!" she squealed.

Rei soon joined her friend in squealing, the two of them managing to sound like a couple of piglets. "I'll call the others!" With that, she ran off to grab the phone.

Serena looked down at the ring. It had taken her forever to figure out that Darien hadn't had the chance to put it on her finger yet. Thankfully, he had told her before she'd gotten out of the car and into her house. She let him put it on and burst through the door, blurting out everything she could before her family told her to stop and slowly tell them what happened. Her mother had been very impressed by the ring and her father had started crying, saying something abut how his little girl had grown up too fast, and how his little girl was finally getting married. She'd found out that Darien had actually asked her dad's permission before proposing, but her father loved her so much that even with the knowledge of his permission to let Darien marry his daughter, he had still been so shocked. It was hard to say whether he was happy or sad about the engagement. It was even harder to say whether he'd dreaded that day or welcomed it.

Serena kind of felt bad for her parents, because they had raised her and had been with her every step of her life. They helped her and they encouraged her, they punished her when needed and they set proper boundaries. Now she was going to leave them. Sure, they would still have Sammy (and maybe Rini, depending on whether she went back to the future or not), but Serena knew what it was like when someone went away for a long time. The house would seem empty and quiet without her there.

But knowing her parents, they would get over it when the grandchildren arrived. Or grandchild. Guess it all came down to how many children she and Darien decided to have. They were going to have at least one, as everyone knew, but they didn't know if any more were to come after Rini.

She was soon attacked by Mina, who was not only very tired but also very curious to hear the details and to see the ring. She needed to judge whether the engagement ring was worthy of her best friend or not. Not just any old ring would do for the future queen, and Darien needed to realized that.

Mina grabbed Serena's left hand and inspected the ring closely. After probably ten full minutes, she whistled. "That's a pretty rock."

"Isn't it? I think Darien did a good job. He's way too good for you." Rei drew nearer to Mina and Serena to have another look at the ring. "But it's really exciting, Serena! I can't believe you're getting married!"

As soon as Rei got finished with what she was saying, Lita and Amy came rushing up to her, Artemis hot on their tails. Since Luna already knew about Darien's proposal (she had spent forever adoring Serena's ring), she had decided to stay home and get some rest. The black cat had made it very clear that she wanted no part of the overabundant noise the girls would create. Plus, Luna had stayed up late with Serena's excitement, so she was extremely tired this morning and wasn't up for moving around much. Let alone walking all the way to Rei's temple, climbing all those steps to reach the peak of Cherry Hill.

Lita snatched the blonde's hand from Mina and smiled. "That's amazing, Serena! This ring is top-notch! It definitely calls for a celebration. I think I'll bake you a cake, double chocolate fudge with icing rose decorations. Oh, and the roses can be white to symbolize purity, just like at a wedding. I think it'll suit the cake well."

"Congratulations, Serena! I'm so happy for you!" Amy exclaimed, also closely examining the ring.

Artemis jumped up onto the brunette's shoulders and seemed to at once approve of the ring. "It's beautiful! Darien must have thought long and hard about what would be the right ring for you."

"Artemis is right. Special gifts like these don't come along every day," Amy agreed. "You should cherish it."

"Of course, she'll cherish it! What's not to love about this thing?" Lita said.

Rei sighed. "You're so lucky! I wish Chad would propose already. I really want a ring like this!"

Mina snorted. "Chad's too shy. You're going to have to wait awhile."

Soon the chattering and tittering of the girls began as they talked merrily of Chad, which only lasted for a short time, before moving on to Serena's wedding and which chapel she wanted to be married in, and if Darien and her were going to write their own vows or not, and what kinds of flowers were going to be there, how big the cake was going to be, what flavor the cake was going to be, what kind of dress she would wear, who was going to be the maid of honor (they all started a heated argument on this subject), who she thought was going to be the best man, what kind of dinner would be served at the reception, what songs she and Darien were going to dance to... So many questions were thrust at the newly engaged Serena that the poor girl hardly knew which ones to answer and which ones were that important and which ones were even relative to the topic.

Even after hours had gone by, the girls didn't let up. They always found a new question, and when Amy start joining them in their barrage, it only got worse because it inspired the rest of them to keep going. Sometimes they talked about the ring, Darien, the wedding, and things like that. But most of what came out of their mouths were nothing but questions. They were determined to find out every little detail even though it hadn't yet been a full twenty-four hours since Darien proposed. Serena and Darien hadn't planned anything yet. Heck, they hadn't even looked through the wedding dresses yet!

But the first thing they had to do was find out which chapel was the best to be married in. There was gorgeous and very spacious chapel on 1st Street, but it might not be just the right one. What if it was better to have a modest, simple chapel. Or maybe a Colonial chapel. Maybe a Gothic or rustic one. Serena really wanted an intricately elegant chapel that was perfectly fit for a future queen's marriage. But she had to keep in mind that it wasn't just her wedding, it was Darien's, too. He might not want that kind of chapel. Maybe he wanted one of those outdoor weddings. She wanted to be able to walk down an isle set between two rows of pews, but maybe Darien didn't want that.

Oh, but then the wedding dress had to come next! It was important that the bride should look her best on the most important day of her life. Something simple, just a white dress with maybe minimal lacing, would be very nice, but it wasn't what Serena wanted. When the time came, she would look for a lovely strapless dress with no train. And it would have to have lots of lacing. And maybe a silk bow in the back. Oh, and maybe even white rose designs all around!

Ah, it would be the most beautiful dress in the whole world... she thought. Hopefully she would be able to find an equally beautiful veil.

"Serena, are you in there?" a male voice asked. She expected it to be Darien, but to her surprise, it was Andrew. She had to have been in a pretty deep daydream if she didn't even know someone else had come to see her. "I heard you were engaged and I wanted to see the proof."

"Proof?"

"The ring," he clarified.

"Oh, right!" She held up her hand to reveal the proof Andrew wanted, the proof that Darien had asked her to marry him.

Andrew kindly smiled and said, "You're a very lucky girl. And here I was sure Darien would chicken out!"

"Huh? You mean you knew about this even before he proposed?" Serena asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. Darien had been talking to me about it for months. He kept asking me if I thought it was too early, and if your dad would approve."

Aw, so he even made sure Andrew gave him advice. Andrew had already gotten married to Rita, so of course he would know what it was like to propose and how soon to do it. She remembered very clearly when he described his wedding and how it felt to have a wife. And speaking of his wife, Rita was four months pregnant. They were going to have a baby, but the gender couldn't be determined until Rita was six months along. Andrew had been eagerly awaiting the day he would get to learn what whether his baby was going to be a boy or a girl. Now he only had two months to go. But he tried not to talk about it to much; he was afraid he would wear everybody out. But everyone who knew about Rita's pregnancy knew how excited he was.

Darien had obviously thought about this for a very long time, apparently months. He knew that seeking advice from Andrew (instead of risking anything with Serena's father) was the best way to go. From the way it sounded, one thing about the wedding had already been decided. Andrew was probably going to be the best man. And perhaps on their wedding day, Rini could be the flower girl. That is, if it wasn't too weird for her to see her parents get married.

But it kind of worried Serena. It was definitely something to be concerned about... Rini was just a little girl, it wouldn't be right for her to see her parents get married. And when Serena got pregnant with her, she might want to see herself as a fetus via ultrasound or feeling the stomach. It just didn't seem right that Rini would get to see all that. No one should remember what they were like as a baby. That was just the natural order of things. And since Rini was the only who was able to go back into the future of her own will, there wasn't much Serena would be able to do about it if she chose to stay.

Well, that might not be entirely true... She could talk to Sailor Pluto and explain why Rini couldn't stay in the past. Pluto could force Rini to go back to the future, where her parents probably missed her. It might make Rini mad, but it might be something that needed to be done. And technically, Serena and Darien and all the others wouldn't miss Rini once she was gone, because she wouldn't really be gone. Her past self would remain here.

Two weeks had passed since Darien proposed. The thrill had started to wear thin on the girls, but Serena and Darien were still very much excited to call the other their fiance. It was a title neither of them had had before, and it was still taking some getting used to. It would likely be the same when they got married and could call themselves husband and wife. And maybe by then, king and queen. It was still a long ways away though. Their wedding was in a year from now, and they had yet to find the right church. Serena had looked through a few wedding dresses already, but none of them really appealed to her.

But right now none of that mattered. Agents of the Negaverse were trying to revive the Negaforce and conquer the universe. This meant they needed energy, and a ton of it. And worse, since Queen Beryl had been defeated, her curse on Jedite had been lifted. He had joined up with a new leader and was now the general of all operations. No one knew what his leader's name was; he refused to tell them for fear of making the same mistake he had with Queen Beryl. But the Scouts had grown much stronger since their great battle against the queen, and Jedite's plans were foiled. He had very little success in collecting energy, but this new ruler seemed to be patient and quite tolerant of him. Beryl would never have let him live this long. He'd been at it for months now and still wouldn't give up...

And to make things even worse, there was a very hard-to-beat pawn trying to gather energy from Rei's grandfather. The girls were deeply engaged in their battle, trying their best to defeat the monster before it sucked the old man dry. Rei especially was working hard, worried about her grandpa.

Tuxedo Mask had arrived just in time to find the other Sailor Scouts calling out to their leader for assistance. But Sailor Moon simply stood there, staring off into space. She didn't seem to be too focused on anything in particular, which was strange even for her. Normally she got a little more serious in a fight, but for some reason, no matter how many times the Scouts called her name, she wouldn't budge. Wouldn't even blink. It was unnatural. And it scared Tuxedo Mask.

He jumped down from the roof of Rei's, or Sailor Mars', temple and landed not too far from his fiance.

Sailor Mini Moon was trying to help in the fight, and she had gotten absorbed with taking her future mother's place as leader. But the most she could do was use her little sugar wand attack to bring pain to the monster, nothing else. nonetheless, it bought the other Scouts some time to prepare their own attacks, so it was a big help. the other Scouts noticed Sailor Moon's absence, but hardly had the time to pay attention. This monster was fast, furious, and had the strength of ten wrestlers. Plus, this alligator-looking thing was heavy, making it hard to knock down or flip over. It had fierce teeth, and everyone was struggling to avoid them.

They never thought to see if something was wrong with Serena.

Meanwhile, Tuxedo Mask left the fighting to the girls and tried to get Sailor Moon to snap out of her trance. He waved his hand in front her face, but the only response she gave him was a vacant stare. Her eyes didn't move, didn't follow his hand. Usually she jumped at the sight of him, but now she didn't seem to be aware that anyone or anything was here. Tuxedo Mask's first thought was that it might be part of the monster's powers, but as he watched it thrash out at the Scouts, he realized that it was far too occupied to notice her. It couldn't be the monster so...what was it? What was wrong with her?

Without any warning whatsoever, her transformation faded and she went completely limp, hitting the ground hard. Tuxedo Mask immediately reached to pick her up, but she suddenly curled up and when he tried to move her, she was as stiff as a board. He knew instantly that this had gone from bad to worse. He still didn't know what was happening, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

He tried to pick her up again, but she fell out of his arms when she threw her head back and started convulsing.

It became clear at last that she was having a seizure. But why? Nevermind right now, that could be determined later. Amy. Yes, Amy could probably help her. Amy's mother was a doctor, and Amy was studying very hard to become a doctor; she was extremely close to earning her master's degree. If anyone would know what to do, it would be Sailor Mercury, as she was right now.

"SAILOR MERCURY!" Tuxedo Mask screamed, allowing his transformation to reverse.

She hadn't heard him, as the creature roared loudly at having its eye being beaten by little heart-shaped rays produced from Mini Moon's sugar quickly prepared her Aqua Rhapsody and seemed too engulfed in helping her friends to hear him.

He looked down at his precious Serena, still convulsing, still tense as a sheet of steel. Foamy saliva was starting to run out from her mouth. Her eyes were shut tight and her teeth her clenched. Her hands seemed to be trying to grab hold of something. She was crying. He noticed that mixed in with the foam was a tint of yellow. She hadn't eaten yet, but he could tell it was stomach acid being forcefully regurgitated. He noticed that her pants were getting wet. She had lost all control over her body and any bodily functions.

"SAILOR MERCURY! SAILOR- AMY! AMY!" he screamed out. Please, please...she had to hear him! She needed to come right now! "AMY!"

Finally, even through the blur of his tears, he saw Sailor Mercury turn around.

"PLEASE!" he begged. "PLEASE, YOU NEED TO HELP HER!"

Serena began making awful noises. It sounded like she could hardly breathe, her breaths were so strained and turbulent... It was only getting worse by the second...

Mercury, upon hearing such desperate pleas, ran up to him to find Serena hidden behind his cape. Still seizing.

A/N

This is how seizures work in real life, people. If you want to argue, go ahead, but I assure you I know exactly what I'm talking about because I'm epileptic, meaning I have random seizures. Real life seizures aren't sugar coated, like the movies make them out to be. They're much worse. I wanted to raise awareness about seizures and give everyone who doesn't have them a little insight on what really goes on, and how the victim feels, thinks, and acts afterwards.

Anyway, I want to give replies to all those who took the time to review, so here goes...

UniversalBunny- Thanks, and I can't tell you about Rini because it would spoil the moment. ;)

TropicalRemix- All will be revealed in time...and chapters.

devafiend- I thought the proposal scene was cute myself. I was blushing while I wrote it! lolz! Well, with every relationship there are good and bad moments, so yes, there will be ups and downs.

moon86- lolz Glad you don't think it's bad! :) Update's ready, so wait no more.

gggosiaaa- Haha! I'm glad you like it!

Thank you to all reviewers, and thank you to all readers! Please review and keep telling me what you think! :D