Setsuna's Sun Prince

Hi y'all. It is time for the next part of this interesting fanfic. As always, I do not own Sailor Moon. She belongs to and is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. The following story is a work of fiction.


Setsuna's Sun Prince


Chapter 1: The Mysterious Prince

Time: The present. It has been a thousand years since the destruction of the Silver Millennium and the death of Moon Queen Serenity at the hands of Evil Queen Beryl. In the time since then, Moon Princess Serena has defeated Beryl, her founeranerals (the four generals who protected Earth Prince Darien during the Silver Millennium) and numerous other enemies. Now Serena faces her most demanding crisis yet; how to get to the airport in time to meet Darien's flight from America.


"SERENAAAAA!!! Come on, otherwise we will be late and miss Darien's arrival. Jeez, you are such a mell hll head."

"OH come off of it Raye, we will make it in time. Rini, are you ready yet.?"


These voices were bouncing around a small room in the back of Serena's house. Raye, Lita, Amy, and Mina were standing around in the foyer. As they waited, a small flash of pink hair came flying around the corner and ran into Lita. Shortly after that, a familiar long blonde head peeked around the corner.


"So there you are, you little ingrate. I have been looking all over the house for you. Well at least you are ready. Hiylo, I will be back down in a minute."


"Serena, you have about 5 minutes before the bus comes. It will take 40 minutes to an hour before we arrive at the airport. That will give us less than 5 minutes to make it to the correct gate to meet his flight.", complained Raye.


During this speech, Raye, dressed in a black and light gray mid-length skirt and a gray jacket, had moved slightly and was now standing with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

"Oh calm down, Raye . Let Serena alone. It has been a long time since she has seen him. She wants to make a good impression.", quipped Lita.

As she had been speaking, Lita had picked up Rini and was carrying her on her hip. Lita had on a pair of dressy pair of brown slacks and a black silk tank top. Over the tank top, she wore a light green blazer. The little girl in her arms had on an orange sundress.

"Serena, we need to go see Darien. I can't wait to see him. I want to thank him for saving me awhile ago."

"Lets go Serena, we need to hurry.", interjected a blue-haired girl who had her nose into an advanced chemistry book."

Amy was sitting on a chair at the bottom of the stairs. She was dressed in a full-length skirt and a white blouse underneath a blue, long-sleeved sweater. When Serena had flounced down the stairs, she had stopped reading and raised her head. The other blonde-haired girl in the foyer was reading a comic book. Mina was silently laughing. When Ami had spoken, she had turned towards her and regarded her with a slight smile.

"Oh, Amy. Can you give it a break. We are here to help pick up a friend."


Mina was wearing a long flower print dress and a floppy hat. She was standing just inside the doorway, leaning against the doorjamb. As she had spoken, Mina had put her comic book back in her bag. Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru were having an early lunch.


"Haruka-papa have you seen Setsuna-mama? I have been wondering where she is. I haven't seen here in a few days. She usually eats with us."

"I agree, Setsuna has been absent for awhile. Do you think she might have returned to the Gates of Time.?"

"Well, I think that today she wanted to be alone. Remember what the date is. We will see her when we make it back home.", replied Haruka as she studied her glass of tea.

At the airport, Darien was standing in the baggage claim area. He didn't look too happy. Beside him were his 4 suitcases.

"Now I know I told her the correct time to be here. She's such a meatball head sometimes. But at least she's my meatball head. I'll wait for another 20 minutes. If they don't come within that time, I'll call a taxi.", thought a slightly miffed Darien.


"Hello Prince Darien, waiting for Princess Serena?"


Darien turned around and saw Setsuna standing there. She was wearing a light gray business suit that showed off her curves and garnered the attention of all the men in the terminal.

"Oh. Hi Setsuna, I didn't know you were here. To answer your question, yes, I'm waiting for Serena. I was sure I told her the correct time to meet me. I was just thinking that if she didn't arrive soon, I was going to have to take a taxi back to my apartment. I hope that they took care of it. I also need to get my car out of storage."

"I believe that they are on their way. I know how much you mean to her. Serena will be here shortly. Count on it."

"Domo arigato, Setsuna. I'll just wait a little longer.", returned the Prince of the Earth.


At the other end of the claim area, a man and a woman stood next to a pillar. They were kinda hidden because of a large plant. However, it is apparent that they were watching the conversation between Darien and Setsuna.

"Do you see that man over there, Takeru. He is your target. Once you finish him, we will be able to take over this world."

"Okay, Osmia. Who is that lady with him. Could she be his girlfriend.? Hmm, she looks somewhat familiar. Did I know a girl who had long emerald green hair like that."


Unbeknownst to the gentleman, Osmia was staring daggers at his back.


"She is of no consequence. If she interferes take her out as well. No, you didn't know many people. You were shunned because of your eyes. The people of the moon hated and degraded you."


Behind the sunglasses, Takeru frowned. With an icy look in his eyes, he stared at Darien as if he was engraving him into his memory.

"Yes, I understand. He will die in the near future. Anyone with him or known to him will also die."

"Yes, now let us go. We have things to plan."


As he turned around, Osmia pulled Takeru close and wrapped her arms around his neck. As he opened his mouth to comment, Osmia kissed him full on the lips. After a long and lasting kiss, she took his hand and together they walked out of the airport towards the parking lot. Just avoiding a speeding blue Renault Alpine. [all you NGE fans know who drives that car ;)] As Takeru and Osmia were leaving, Serena and company were arriving. Once they saw Darien, Serena and Rini took off running.


"DARIEN!! I'm so happy you're home. I'm sorry I am late."

"Yeah, you can blame Serena for that, she couldn't find anything to wear. Then she wanted to stop and get something to eat."

"That's okay Serena, Rini. I am just happy to be home."

Picking his future daughter up, Darien swung her around then kissed her forehead and put her on his shoulders. Turning his attention to the girl with the long blonde ponytails and odango, Darien smiled. Looking up at the one they loved Darien and Serena slowly moved closer, closing their eyes and sharing a gentle kiss.

"HEY, I hope you haven't forgotten about the rest of us. Sheesh, It would seem that we are invisible here.", muttered Lita.

Breaking apart from each other, Darien extended his arm and Serena latched on to it like it was a life preserver.

"I'm happy to see you too, meatball head."

"Stop calling me that!! You promised that you would. Ugh."

"And"And I love you too Serena. Come on lets' get out of here."


After putting Rini down and getting hugs from the rest of the crew, Darien got a cart and proceeded to put his suitcases on it. Then wrapping his arms around his future wife and taking his daughter's hand. The happy family walked out with the other girls pulling the luggage cart behind them. Watching them in silence, Setsuna smiled and remembered a time when she had someone waiting for her to come home. Shaking her head to get rid of the memory, she turned and headed out another door.


Later that day, Takeru was walking and, on a whim, he walked into a park. Taking a seat on a secluded bench, He started to think about the images in his mind.


"Why do I feel as if there is something missing? My mind is showing me different images. What are these images?"


Walking through the park, after a long and busy day at work. Prisma, Catsy, Birdie, and Avery were taking a shortcut to the apartment they shared.

"Did you hear, Prince Daris bis back. He arrived at the airport today. I think Serena, Rini, and all the rest went to meet him."

"Well at least Serena will be happy. We won't see her moping around the house now. I wonder, what kind of welcome back is she planning?"

Catsy and Prisma, overhearing the conversation between their other two sisters, could only look at each other and smile wanely. Each knowing whom the other one is thinking about.

"Hey, who is that? I have never seen him here before. Hmm, he is cute. I just want him to take off his glasses."

"Oh, quit drooling Birdy, not every guy you see is one to drool over. Hmm he looks a bit sad. I wonder what is wrong with him.," said Avery.

Before the others could stop her, Avery had walked up to the chocolate skinned man sitting on the bench.

"Excuse me sir, my sisters and I were just walking through here and noticed that you seem sad. Is there anything wrong with you.?"

Takeru, jumped slightly as the soft voice came to his attention. Looking up, he spotted a quartet of girls standing nearby. The closet one had short green hair and was the one who was talking to him.

"Uhh uhhh, who are you?"

"Oh so he can speak. Well my name is Avery. Over there are my sisters, Catsy, Birdy, and Prisma. We walk this way everyday after working at our job. Who are you.?"

"My name is Takeru, Takeru Corona. I just moved here from America."

"Oh, so you are an American. How interesting.", replied Birdy.

Watching the four girls, Takeru could notice that Catsy and Prisma seemed a bit downcast. They seemed to let their sisters do all the talking, as if they were uncomfortable.

"Well since you just moved here, we have to introduce you to some of our friends. What do you plan on doing later today.?"

"I... I... I haven't decided yet. I was just out walking while my roommate took a nap. She is a bit grouchy if she doesn't take a short nap during the afternoon."

Avery's face fell slightly when Takeru mentioned that his roommate was a female, but she covered it up by turning to Birdy.

"Well if it is no problem, we can show you around later this afternoon if you want. Is that okay with you Catsy, Prisma, Birdy?"

"Sure why not, I would be glad to show him around.", replied a very enthusiastic Birdy.

"Well, Catsy and me aren't feeling that well, but it is okay.", mumbled Prisma.

"Good it is settled then. Meet us back here in an hour. Is that okay with you Takeru?"

"Yes it is. I will just leave my roommate a note. She says that she knows her way around. Before you go, I have a gift to give each of you. This is my thanks dec deciding to take pity on a poor guy like me." As they were watching, Takeru pulled four orange roses out of then air and handed one to each of the four sisters. Avery and Birdy, both squealed as the received their roses. When Prisma and Catsy got theirs, the looked a bit surprised.

"That is a talent I've always had. I shall see you girls later."

And with that parting note, Takeru stood up and walked out of the park, the legs of his black slacks rustling against each other, and the sleeves of his grey silk short sleeve shirt shifting with each of his movements.

"My goodness, I really do hope to see him again, he was soooooo cute. We have to let Serena know about his guy. Maybe he will end up asking one of the girls out for a date."

Back at the coffee shop Setsuna had just arrived, much to the relief of the others. As the Princess of Pluto slid into the booth, Michiru shuddered. Haruka took notice of this and called her on it.

"I feel as if a dark tide has started to form. There is a new force of evil in Tokyo. I cannot place it nor can I see who is causing it. All I know is that someone is in trouble.", stated the Princess of Neptune in a quiet voice.

"Another evil presence. I wonder who it is this time. Should we let Serena know? Can we defeat this darkness when we face it.", retorted Haruka calmly.

The four friends look at each other. Although Hotaru was a bit confused, she wisely didn't ask any questions. Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru sat quietly. Thinking about the new menace.

"We cannot do anything until this menace reveals itself. Once it does this, we must be ready. Let me go call Serena. I will let her know about this. I wonder if Raye has felt this presence yet.", said the willowy Princess of Pluto as she stood up and stepped over to the phone.

(At Rayes' grandfather's temple)


As Darien sat at the table with Serena on one side and Rini on the other, the phone rang. Standing up, Chad went to answer it after untangling his arms from around Raye.

*******************Author's note************************************************************
Sorry y'all I just felt that Chad should have a part in this. Besides, he and Raye deserve each other. Dontcha think?? Now back to the story. ********************************************************************************************


"I'll get it. Hello, yes she is here. I will get her for you. Serena telephone.".

"Okay Chad, I will be there in a minute to get it."

With that, Serena stood up and took the phone from Chad. Who was in a slight hurry to return to Raye.

"Hello. Oh Hi Setsuna, how are you and the others doing? I'm fine, feeling much better that my Darien is home. Thank you for being there to see him arrive. Ohh, you were just there thinking.? Okay. So what is the reason for your call?'"

Back in the main room, everybody was laughing and joking around. Rini had her head leaning against Darien's arm, watching the interplay between everybody around the room.

"SAY WHAT? Michiru felt a dark presence. Did she say what we could expect?"

At Serena's original outburst, the room had gone quiet. Now everybody was looking towards the blonde-haired girl talking on the phone.

"You want to know if Raye has felt this darkness. Sure, I'll ask her.".

Taking her head away from the phone, Serena looked into the room and called to Raye and asked her to come into the hallway.

"Raye, Setsuna wants to know if you have felt a darkness during your meditations ly. Iy. It seems that Michiru has felt a darkness that has her worried."

"Why no, Serena. I haven't felt anything lately. Does this mean we have a new enemy?"

After telling Setsuna, Raye's answer, Serena had terminated her conversation and hung up the phone. She had a very angry look on her face. Walking back into the room and taking her spot, Serena chewed on her lower lip, trying to figure out how to break the news to the others. Everybody looked at her in silence.

"Well everybody, Michiru has felt a dark presence in Tokyo. This power she felt has her worried. It seems that this presence has power we have never seen before. Although, according to Setsuna, there seems to be a smaller power accompanying it. Now this smaller power is recognizable as the type of power that Queen Beryl had."

Everybody gasped. Darien wrapped his arms around Rini and Serena as everybody else looked at each other. As the looked at each other, there was only one thing on everybody's mind: Who can this be? Beryl is dead. Now who has this same type of power that she had.

"Now everybody take it easy. We beat Beryl's power before and we can beat this power again.", stated Lita harshly.

"But wait, I am more worried about this other power that was detected. It seems that this power is even more powerful than any of our other enemies." , interjected, Ami.

As everybody started to talk at the same time, Artemis and Luna ran into the room and went up and whispered something into Serena's ear. When she heard this, Serena went deathly pale.

"I cannot believe it, are you sure about this Luna.?", muttered a very surprised Serena. Luna nodded. Darien, seeing what had just transpired between the three interrupted the ongoing argument at that table and looked at Serena.

"What did they say, Serena. Tell us, we need to know."


Serena stuttered for a few minutes. Then she gathered her courage and steeled herself and spoke up:

"Everybody, Queen Beryl had a daughter."

Everybody sank back into his or her seat in shock.

"A daughter? A DAUGHTER?!!", yelled Lita.

At Lita's outburst, the room came alive with comments. Raye was arguing with Mina; Amy was consulting her little computer. Lita was fuming as she paced around the room. Darien and Serena just shared a troubled glance, wondering if their love for each other was about to be tested in new and even stronger ways. Rini was eyeing Darien and Serena with a look of confusion on her face. She didn't know what to make of this and this made her somewhat frightened. Climbing into Serena's lap, Rini wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her.

"Mommy, who is Beryl and why does this name scare you so much.?"

Serena, who had instinctively returned the gesture, was surprised at the question. Not knowing what to do or say, she just shook her head and continued to hold her daughter close to her.

"Rini, Beryl is a name that brings us some much worry. She destroyed the Moon Kingdom, many years before you were born. Your grandmother, Queen Serenity defeated Beryl but lost her life at the end of the battle. The last thing that she was able to do was send all of us a thousand years into the future where we were reborn and found out about our past.", Darien explained to his daugh

"Why did she destroy the Moon Kingdom, Darien?"

"She destroyed our home, Rini, because we scared her. We had the power to stop her evil plans and she wanted us out of the way while she became the most powerful person in the Galaxy. Ultimately, when she came to our time, we were able to defeat her and your father and I realized the love that we shared with each other." , continued Serena with a faraway tone to her voice.

Rini didn't know what to make of this so she just rested her head on Serena's shoulder and closed her eyes. Within minutes she was asleep. Picking their now slumbering little princess up, Darien and Serena said their goodbyes. The wanted to take Rini home and let her nap for a bit. Not telling everybody the other reason why they were leaving, Serena and Darien walked out of the temple. Unknown to the others, the main reason that the happy couple had left was to talk about what they had just found out. After going to Serena's house and putting Rini in the bed, Darien and Serena went to a small park, overlooking Tokyo Bay. Holding hands, the couple looked out and thought upon the last time they had fought Queen Beryl. Just down the walkway from the future King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo, stood Takeru. He had just come from an impromptu tour of the city with the four sisters, Now he was sitting on a bench staring out at the sunset.

After awhile, the concerned pair rose and prepared to leave. Darien and Serena decided to walk around the path for a bit. Holding on to his arms, Serena looked down the path and indicated that they should take the scenic route following the path. They had a lot on their minds so there was little need for words between the two.

Tiring of just standing at the railing, Takeru turned toward the bench. As he did so he turned right into the couple walking along the path.

"Oh excuse me, I didn't see you there. I apologize.", stuttered Takeru.

"That's okay. We weren't paying any attention. We should be to blame.", returned Darien.

Hearing his voice, Takeru's head jolted upwards and he looked into Darien's eyes. Hearing the 'we' in the apology, Takeru looked to the right and was surprised at the sight of the object of Osmia's revenge standing next to the speaker. As each man looked into the eyes of the other, déjà vu' sparked between them. Darien took in the man across from him. Chocolate-skin, slightly curly hair, black slacks, dove-grey silk shirt, and a pair of aviator-style dark sunglasses.

"Why does this man look so familiar? Where have I seen that color-scheme before? Especially the sunglasses?", thought Darien as he studied the man in front of him.

Takeru studied Darien for a split second, black turtleneck shirt, grey pants, and green sports jacket. Then he turned his attention to the blonde-haired girl next to him. She seemed to be dressed in a black skirt and a light green silk blouse. Covering the blouse was a black lightweight jacket.

"Do I know you from somewhere? You look vaguely familiar?", ventured Darien

"No kind sir, I don't think we have ever met. If you will excuse me, I must go. It is getting late and my roommate probably has something planned for dinner. I just came out here to think about some things that have been weighing heavily on my mind."

Serena looked between the two men. It seemed to her that both men were frowning at each other although they didn't seem to notice it.

As the unknown man turned away and started to walk off, his sunglasses slipped a bit and Serena could see his orange eyes. She also beheld a faint scar on his forehead. The shape of the scar intrigued her. Before she (or Darien) could stop herself, Serena had gently put her hand on Takeru's arm.

"Excuse me sir, I couldn't help but notice the scar on your forehead. How did you receive it? I also am interested in the color of your eyes. I have never seen anyone who has orange eyes."

"The scar is a birthmark. I've had it since I was little. Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I think it looks like a sunburst. As for the eyes, I was born with them. I must be going now. Maybe I will see you two around sometime."

And with that, Takeru gently slid his arm from Serena's grasp and started to walk away. Darien and Serena watched the figure get smaller and smaller and finally disappear from view.

"Lets go Serena, Rini should be awake by now."

"Yes Darien, although I think that guy looked awfully familiar."

The two then walked off in the direction of Serena's house. Unbeknownst to them, Osmia had come up and watched the whole thing from the bs bes behind the trio.

"I hope that little crybaby doesn't remember. It's all a part of my scheme."

A few days later, Serena was sitting in the park watching the crowds and relaxing. Her friends were scattered around the park doing various things. Mina and Lita were looking at the guys and flirting. Amy was reading a book on another bench, and Raye and Chad were sharing a tender moment with each other over on a bench with a view of the small lake. Serena looked over to the playground and saw Rini playing with the other children on the swingset and jungle gym.

"Luna, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes Serena."


"Can you tell me some more about my past?"

"You already know about the Silver Millennium. What else is there to know?"

"I'm just curious, Luna. I was wondering if there were any other powers that we don't know about. We didn't know Beryl had a daughter. If she did, her daughter would have been there around the time Beryl destroyed my home."

"As I remember, there wasn't anyone else who had the type of power that you and the others share."

"Actually, Luna, you were forgetting about the Kingdom of the Sun. They were the allies of the Moon Kingdom, but the two royal families had a slight falling out. I do remember that they were trying to reconcile with Queen Serenity. They even sent the Prince of the Sun as an Ambassador to the Moon."

"Artemis! I most certainly did not forget about them. I just didn't want to mention them. They had no right to even send him."

"Oh, Luna, you are just still upset because his dogs mistakenly tried to eat you. You must remember that he did stop them and he took care of you till you got better.", snickered Artemis.

As she listened to the two bickering cats lying on the bench next to her, Serena's thoughts strayed to the new revelation.

"Artemis, what else do you remember about this Prince of the Sun? How powerful was his family? Why did his dogs try to eat Luna?"

Artemis thought for a bit then replied:

"Well that was a misunderstanding. You know that Luna, Diana and I have a human form. Well what happened was somebody was trying a magic spell and poor Luna just happened to walk into the room at the time and was changed into a cat permanently. This happened on Earth, which at the time the young sun prince was visiting. It was a funny thing, seeing Luna run around trying to escape the dogs. She ultimately ended up in the young prince's arms. You, Serena wouldn't leave Earth until Luna was better. You were real young at the time. Other things about Prince Takeru, hmmm, let me see."

"Remember that he had a thing for the Princess of Pluto and he was one of Prince Darien's closest friends during the Silver Millennium."

"This prince was in love with Setsuna!!? That is a riot. Did she ever return his affections?", asked a interested Serena.

By now, all the others had arrived around the bench and were sitting and listening in on the conversation. Rini was sitting in Serena's lap with Diana perched on her head.

"Yes, she returned them. They first met at a ball that Queen Serenity threw. At the time, he was supposed to be Darien's best man for your wedding. This meeting happened about a month and a half before Queen Beryl destroyed our home."

As Artemis had been talking, the sky had gotten darker. Lita looked up and noticed the sky was not as light as it had been. Looking at her watch, Lita made another discovery.

"Ohmigod, we are way late. Look at how dark it is."

On the other side of town, the four outer scouts were sitting at home relaxing. Suddenly, Michiru jumped out of her seat and stared out the window.

"What is wrong, Michiru? Do you feel an enemy?"

"Yes, I do. We need to call Serena and the others, maybe they can locate the enemy."

The enemy in question, Osmia, was at that time, taking some energy from some patrons of a lakeside park.

"Oh, yes. This feels so good. I can se now why my mother was always trying to steal energy. Maybe I can complete what my mother started."

"STOP RIGHT THERE YOU NEGA SLEEZE!!!! We will not let you get away with this. We felt your evil eneseepseep into our town. Now we are going to completely eliminate you!!"

"On behalf of the moon we will punish you."

Osmia turned around and looked in the direction the voice had come from. Standing in her way, were Sailor Moon and the rest of the Scouts.

"GREAT! JUST GREAT, the pimple brigade. Why am I not surprised at your appearance? It seems that the ones capable of my mothers demise are still around.", smirked the Princess of Evil.

Calling up on her energy, Osmia unleashed a burst of energy at the scouts, scattering them. Now instead of having them in front of her, the scouts were spread around.

"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!!!!", cried Sailor Jupiter as she attacked Osmia.

Avoiding the powerful blast of Jupiter, Osmia created a monster that aped aed and cast a shadow over the area. Sailor Moon and the rest of the scouts were blinded by the lack of light.

"Hey Sailor Moon, where are you? Can anybody see anything?", yelled Mars.

Mars was standing next to a small fence overlooking a shallow pond. Thinking she was in the clear, she turned and ran straight into a fence. The fence caught her in the stomach and flipped her into the pond. She came up sputtering and gasping for air.

"Who fell into the pond? Was that you Mercury?", asked a bewildered Sailor Moon.

"No, It wasn't me. Jupiter was it you?"

"No it wasn't me... ouch that hurt?"

"JUPITER, WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING!!! You just ran into me."

Indeed it was, in the confusion, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter had collided, both hitting their foreheads and falling on their backsides. Sailor Venus stopped running towards the noise of a still sputtering Mars and came to a decision.

"EVERYBODY, STAY WHERE YOU ARE. We don't want anymore accidents."

"You may not be able to see me but I can see you very clearly."


"And I can see you too. These people have done nothing, and you are stealing their energy for some inane scheme of your. Even though they can't see you, I can and I'll stop you.", said Tuxedo Mask as he entered the fray.

"Tuxedo Mask, you came.", replied 5 voices at once. (Mars having caught her breath and climbed back out of the pond)

"I can't see her, all I can do is follow her voice. I mustn't let the scouts down, now where is she?", thought the man in the Tuxedo.

Suddenly, an orange glow started to cover the area, bringing light to the area and revealing an interesting tableau. Sailor Mercury and Jupiter had gotten back up and, together, had moved around the area until they were across from the pond Mars had fallen in. Mars had run towards the middle of the opening. Now she stood in the middle where Osmia had been when they had started their attack. Osmia was now floating in the air 30 feet away from a darkened concession stand. Sailor Moon and Sailor Venus were on opposite ends of an arcade fronting the far side of the pond. Tuxedo Mask was crouching 10 feet away from Osmia with a rose in his hand. As he reared back to toss the rose, an orange rose came flying out of nowhere and struck Darien on the hand, causing him to drop his rose.

"Now I wouldn't do that if I were you. It wouldn't seem fair. Six against one, hmmm maybe I need to deal myself in to even things out."

This new voice came from the darkened stand near Osmia. When, she heard this voice, Osmia smiled.

"Well, it seems that there is a new presence here. Now if you don't mind, I must be going. Ta ta for now.", and with that, Osmia disappeared.

"Who are you? Show yourself, you fiend.", shouted Tuxedo Mask as he rubbed his hand. A red welt had appeared where the orange rose had struck him. Seeing the love of her life hurt, Sailor Moon ran over to Tuxedo Mask and took his wounded hand in hers.

"Well if you insist, I guess I must oblige." As everyone waited, a tall dark-skinned stranger stepped out from the darkness and stood, leaning against a side of the stand.

Dressed in a grey-tuxedo with a short cape in dark-grey. From where he stood, no one could see the strangers' facial features. As he shifted position, a slight flash from a light across the way, revealed that the person was wearing very dark sunglasses. In his hand, this man carried a cane with an unusual handle. Looking straight at Tuxedo Mask, the man grinned a fierce and evil grin.

"Well, your highness, it seems that you won't be able to save anyone this time."

After saying this, the man raised his empty hand and shot a burst of energy at Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter. Before they could react, they were enclosed inside an energy resistant bubble. Jupiter and Mercury's attacks were futile against the container carrying them. Mars and Venus were in shock, but they gathered together and attacked the man in grey. He waved off their attacks with a cruel laugh and proceeded to enclose Mars and Venus in a bubble similar to what the other two scouts were currently in.

"Four down and one to go. It seems that I have the upper hand. Now what should I do."

Infuriated, Sailor Moon attacked with a blast from her wand, only to watch it get swatted away with ease. The man started to walk towards the couple. At the same time putting his right hand on the top of his cane and pulling. As they watched, a slim sword came out and pointed straight at Sailor Moon. Screaming, the man attacked. Coming straight at Sailor Moon, only a last ditch deflection but Tuxedo Mask's cane saved the stunned scout from becoming shish kebob.

"So the wounded gentleman has some life left after all. Well since I hate having to fight on uneven terms, this time I will spare your lives. But remember, Prince Darien, yes I know who you are. I will be back. For now, I will give you this to remember me by."

And with that, the stranger tossed a long object onto the ground in front of Darien.

"I must go for now, but I will be back. Oh and since you are probably wondering who I am. Ask Darien, he should know.", and the stranger walked off.

But before he could disappear completely, a golden blade came flashing towards his head. Again pulling his sword, he blocked it and sent the owner stumbling into the brush. Materializing in front of him were, Sailor Pluto, Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Saturn. Sailor Uranus was recovering from her parried attack. Soon, the four outer scouts were arrayed in front of him. All with scowls on their faces, all ready to fight. Chuckling to himself, the man dropped himself into a fencing stance and wrapped his left arm behind him.

"Who are you four? I must know who I am about to destroy."

"I am Sailor Uranus. And I don't think you are going to destroy anyone today."

"Well if you are Uranus, then other three must be Neptune, Saturn, and Pluto. It has been awhile since I have seen all the scouts in one place."

"Now that you know who were are, who are you?"

"Well for now, you can call me your demise. I do hope that is enough for you."


As he had been talking, Taki looked down the line of scouts. His eyes stopped upon seeing Pluto. Something niggled at his mind and the tip of his sword slowly lowered down as he looked at the emerald haired scout in shock.


"Se... Se... Set... Setsuna? Is that you?"

There was a moment of silence as Sailor Pluto gaped at the dark-haired man.

"Is that Takeru, My Takeru? What is he doing? What has happened to him? What in the hell is going on here?", thought a shocked Sailor Pluto.


"DAMMITALTOHELL!! I knew something was going to go wrong. TAKI!!! There are too many, get out of there. Another day another time.", came Osmia's voice.

Taki proceeded to bring his left arm from around his back and dropped something on the ground. A cloud of smoke and a large flash of light blinded everyone. When the light and smoke cleared, Taki had vanished. When Taki vanished, the bubbles surrounding Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus disappeared with him, freeing 4 shocked and slightly pissed-off scouts. As the other scouts looked on in shock and amazement, Sailor Pluto collapsed to the ground sobbing. Uranus, Neptune and Saturn ran over to the crying scout. Helping her up to her feet, the three Outer Scouts looked worried.

"SHIT, next time I'll get that creep. How in the hell was he able to block our attacks with ease? He even managed to avoid Sailor Uranus' slash and she is one of the fastest I have seen!", snapped Jupiter.

"I don't know, but at least he and that other evil being are gone for now. Hey Sailor Moon, how is Tuxedo Mask? He took a nasty hit on his hand."

Now that the danger was over for a time being, all of the scouts gathered around Darien who still had Serena holding his hand. With an arm draped around Setsuna to help her stand, Haruka walked the distraught scout over to a nearby bench.

"Calm down, Pluto. He's left. I know that his betrayal has hit you hard, but you must get over it. Come on Setsuna, snap out of it!" To punctuate her statement, the shorthaired scout slapped Setsuna across the face. Hard. This had the effect of stopping the noise from Setsuna, but letting the tears still fall.

"Can somebody tell me who in the fuck this Taki is and who the hell that woman with him was?", shouted Mars.

"I believe that the evil woman was Beryl's daughter. However, I don't know who Taki is or was or what his connection to Prince Darien is. I also don't know what the connection between him and Setsuna is.", returned Amy.

As this was going on, Haruka and Michiru had shared a look. However, Serena caught it and called the two outer scouts on it. Walking over to Uranus, Serena put her hands on her hips and glared.

"Alright, I caught that look you threw Michiru a second ago. To me it seems that you're hiding something. Can you tell us what it is that you are hiding? Better yet, as Neo Moon Princess Serenity, I demand that you to tell me. Right now the prince is hurt and there are two people out there who are responsible. I want to know who they are and I want to know now!!!!" By now, everyone had transformed back into his or her usual self. Darien had gotten up off the ground and walked over to the bench where Setsuna and Haruka still sat. Setsuna had stopped crying, but now was staring disconsolately at the ground. Michiru and Hotaru stepped in front of Serena, frowns on their faces matching the glare on Serena's face.

"At this time all I am going to tell you is that the one called Taki, is in actuality, The Prince of the Sun Takeru Corona. The reason that Setsuna was crying is because, before the destruction of the Moon Kingdom and Moon Queen Serenity she and that prince we getting very close. There is reason to believe that if Beryl hadn't done as she did, Setsuna and Takeru would have been engaged. Now if you will excuse us, WE HAVE TO GET HER HOME!!"

And as they watched, the four outer scouts walked away with Setsuna still being helped along by Haruka. During this time, Amy had walked over to what was lying on the ground and picked it up. Studying it closely, she noticed that there was a design on the side.

"What's this and why'd he give it to Darien?", wondered Amy.

Bringing out her portable computer, the blue haired girl tried to analyze the object. Noticing the brass design on what looked to be a handle, Amy came to the conclusion that the object was a cane. Upon closer inspection, she noticed some faint writing on the side.

"Amy, bring that over here. What is it?"

"It seems to be a cane. However there is some writing on the side that I can't decipher."

"Amy, bring it over and let me see if I can read what the words say.", muttered Darien through pain-clenched teeth.

Amy brought the sword over and handed it to Darien. He looked at it for a bit, confused. Then, as a long-buried memory came back, he reached up to the cap on the top of the cane and pressed a small part of the decoration. There was a slight click and the handle came slightly out of the cane. When he pulled it completely out, everyone gasped. For hidden in the cane was a beautiful double-edged sword blade. Looking at it closer, it was almost identical to the one that they had seen the man in the grey tuxedo pull out. The only difference was that there was a graphic of the planet Earth on the hilt and not the Sun.

"Hmmm, I haven't seen this in a long time.", muttered Darien to himself in a tone of voice that suggested he was remembering another time and place.

Darien leaned back against the bench, trying to think back. The memory was there for a fleeting moment, and then it disappeared. Try as he might, Darien couldn't remember. Standing up, Darien turned to the girls and indicated that it was getting dark.

"Well, it is too late to do anything about it right now, I suggest that we head on home and sleep on this new problem."

A worried Serena looked at Darien and said, "Are you sure about that? I mean, will you be all right with your hand the way it is?"

Giving her a warm and gentle smile full of love, Darien nodded. The others agreed and the group headed out of the park. Passing the playground, they picked up Artemis and Luna. The two cats had not let Rini join in the battle. Even though she was a Sailor Scout also, Artemis and Luna had kept the young girl away from the battle zone. Now looking at Darien, they realized they had made the right decision. One look at her father, and Rini had run to him and was crying into his arms as she hugged him. This miffed Serena for a little bit, but she decided that it didn't matter as long as he was okay. ______________________________________________________________________________________________


Later that night, Takeru was lying on the bed he shared with Osmia. He had changed out of his slacks and silk shirt, now he was wearing a pair of short pants and a t-shirt. His companion had been asleep when he arrived. However, she awoke when he stepped into the room. With only a nightshirt on, she had given Takeru a glare that would have peeled the armour of a battleship at 1000 paces. He still remembered the conversation that had happened at the time.


***Flashback*****

"What were you doing, I thought I had ordered you to destroy any interlopers to my project. Yes I want revenge for my mother's death, but I also want to create a world blanketed by darkness and the power of the Negaverse. You bungled it big time!", she snapped.

"Well hell, what do you expect. I was the one surprised. You told me that there would only be the 5 scouts and Darien. And yet, after I take four of them out of contention, 4 more scouts appear. DAMMIT, why didn't you tell me that there were 9 Sailor Scouts, Osmia?"

Seeing the anger in his flashing orange eyes, Osmia cooled down and looked at the wall. Taking a deep breath, she replied in a more controlled tone of voice. As she was talking, Takeru was trying hard not to notice the way that her breathing caused her nightshirt to tighten around her breasts.

"At f, I , I thought there were only five, then I remembered the last four after they had appeared and were trying to separate your head from your shoulders. That was when I returned and told you back off and escape for the time being. I don't think you would have been able to take all of them on. Even with Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus captured."

Noticing that his mind was wandering, Osmia had rolled the sheets down and beckoned for him to join her. In her mind, the princess of evil was fuming. She realized that the appearance of Sailor Pluto had thrown her bedmate into a quandary. He still had feelings for Sailor Pluto. Osmia thought that those feelings had been erased when she first blanked his mind and put false memories into his psyche.

"Shit, I'll have to find a way to completely erase those memories. This whole thing could turn very wrong, if he remembered anymore of the relationship that he had had with Sailor Pluto. If he does, then this could turn very fatal for me.", thought an alarmed Osmia.

During this time, Takeru had changed clothes and was now lying on the bed. He seemed to be staring at the ceiling. Yawning, Osmia decided to sleep on it and deal with it in the morning, so she rested her head back on her pillow. In minutes she was fast asleep.

****End Flashback*********

Takeru, turned over. Seeing that lithe woman beside him was still sleep, he got out of the bed and headed to the balcony. Opening the sliding glass door far enough so he could slip out, Takeru walked to the railing and leaned against it.

"Who was that girl with the green hair and why can't I remember where I had met her before? I seem to freeze up when I saw her, why? I know I cannot remember all of my past, but why does it seem that she played a major part in it. Aghhhh, all this philosophizing is going to give me a bloody friggin' headache. Let me go back inside and sleep. Maybe some answers will come tomorrow.", thought Taki.

Closing the door behind him, Taki returned to the bed and climbed in. Putting his head back on his pillow, he banished any stray thoughts from his mind. Twenty-seconds after his head hit the pillow, Takeru Corona was asleep.

On the other side of the city, in the two-story house that she shared with the other outer scouts, Setsuna was having a similar problem sleeping. Just now she was sitting at a small desk that faced the window. However, her thoughts were of a different kind. Setsuna was reliving the past. As these warm memories came to her, she smiled sadly at each one.

*****Flashback********

A month or so after they met, Princess Setsuna and Prince Takeru were in one of the more secluded forests surrounding the palace of the queen. Queen Serenity had ordered her to take a day off and just spend it with Takeru. In fact, she had told them in no uncertain terms, that she didn't want to see either of their faces before dinner.

"Look Setsuna, I know you love him and that he loves you. However, the two of you haven't been spending the time together that a couple needs to build on their relationship. I know that you have been busy here in the palace and that he has been busy taking care of the things he needs to take care of. Unfortunately, it is keeping you and Taki apart. Today, I am going to temporarily solve that problem. Since it is a fairly light day, I am ordering you to take the day off and spend it with him."

"But, Your Majesty, the Kingdom comes first!". Setsuna protested.

Queen Serenity was having none of it.

"There are no buts about it. First things first, I want you to go home and change clothes. Something appropriate for a horseback ride. After you leave, I am going to call your young prince in here and tell him the same thing. He needs a break; Prince Darien and he have been working too hard. Just to be on the safe side, I am tossing Darien and my daughter out of here for the day also. I got an idea; you two loving couples go on a picnic. No buts and no protests, Setsuna. Consider it an order from your queen.", smiled Queen Serenity.

Knowing that she was beaten, Setsuna acquiesced. Curtseying, she left the Palace and headed for her small compound. After she left, Serenity followed up on her threat and called for Prince Takeru. However, she couldn't get him at first. Finally getting in touch with him (I take it they had a type of pager in during the Silver Millenium. Oh well), Serenity ordered him and Darien to take the day off.

"Earth Prince Darien and Sun Prince Takeru, this is an order from the queen. I want both of you to go home now and change clothes. Choose something casual. Like a pair of slacks and polo shirt or something like that. Prince Takeru, after you change, I order you to stop off at the Pluto compound and pick her up. Horseback if you please. Your stallion should be ready by then. Then I want you here with Prince Darien so that you can pick up the Moon Princess and head out for a picnic. I will stall the other girls."

And so it was that Setsuna found herself at a picnic with her beloved. After eating, the couples leaned back and watched the sky. Soon Setsuna found herself staring at Takeru as he rested his head in her lap and fell asleep. She looked over and saw that Serena and Darien were both taking a nap. Darien having his arms wrapped around Serena and both of them asleep. Moving slowly so not to awaken the Prince of the Sun, Setsuna rearranged her position so that she was wrapped up in Takeru's arms inhaling his scent. Thus suitably crtabrtable, Setsuna nodded off to sleep.

******End Flashback**************

Getting up from her desk, Setsuna straightened her purple skirt and walked over to her closet. It had gotten dark as she remembered the picnic. Changing into a comfortabightightgown, Setsuna got into her bed. Before she turned out the light, She looked into the drawer of her nightstand. Pulling out a small picture frame, she looked at the picture within. It was a picture that Serena had taken to remember the day. The picture had been snapped as her and Takeru napped. It showed Takeru; wearing a pair of black slacks with an orange shirt and grey sweater, and her, wearing a light pink sundress and matching hat, sleeping comfortably in each other's arms on the blanket.

Serena had basically crowed with joy as she picked up the picture after it had been developed. Running through the palace showing it to her mother and the other scouts. Setsuna remembered how she had gotten Serena back after taking a picture of her and Darien sleeping at another picnic the two couples had. They had traded each other picture for picture and both girls had a sneaking suspicion that Darien and Takeru had done the same. Although neither prince admitted to it (us guys gotta keep our favorite pictures out of everybody's sight for a short while at least. Set Setsuna remembered that after that first picnic they shared, the four of them would often go on other picnics. Some shared with each other, some shared with the other princesses and their 'dates', some with the queen herself, and some alone. On one of those little picnics things had lead to more than just lunch.


**********Flashback*************

It was another slow day at the Palace. Queen Serenity had been sitting looking out the window. Sitting across from her was Setsuna. At the time Setsuna had her mind on something else and was barely paying attention to what the queen was saying. When Serenity tapped her on the shoulder, Setsuna jumped.

"It seems that your mind was on something else. Or should I say, on someone else?"

"I apologize, your majesty, I wasn't paying attention."

"I noticed, it seems that your attention was on what was happening outside. Here, let me call Serena in here and we can talk about it."

After telling Baroness Luna that she wanted to see her daughter, Queen Serenity walked over to the window and watched as Darien and Takeru played with the young children of assorted nobles who were enjoying a birthday party. The two young princes were dressed in shorts and t-shirts. Serenity stood at the window for a second and then was joined by Setsuna and Serena (who had just walked in).

As they watched, the two princes looked at the window and waved a hand. Then they went back to playing with the children.

"It seems that both of you will have men who will be good fathers for any children you should have.", stated Serenity without preamble while casting a sidelong glimpse at her daughter.

Serena was blushing up a storm while Setsuna looked a bit calmer. For the next tweny minutes the two princesses listened as the queen explained some things to them. Later, Setsuna had gone out on a small picnic with Takeru. As she sat on with Takeru resting his head on her legs, Setsuna leaned over and kissed him. As she was kissing him, she had started to let her hands roam around. Marveling at the fact that he had taken a shower and changed clothes after spending time with the nobles' children.

"In the future, how many children would you want to have if we were married?", asked Setsuna as she slowly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

"Oh, I don't know, probably two or three. It all depends on whom I have them with. By the way, why are you unbuttoning my shirt?", replied Takeru.

"I felt like it. Do you have a problem with it?" As she said this, Setsuna had been leaning over Takeru.

When she finished speaking she pressed her lips to his. As he reached up with his hands to hold her, Setsuna let herself fall onto Takeru's broad yet firm chest. By now she had his shirt unbuttoned. Guiding his hands to straps on her shoulders, Setsuna placed his hands on them and let him guide the straps down. This action caused the straps to slide silkily down her shoulders.

"Are you sure about this, love? What if the queen finds out?"

"Silly man, yes I am sure about this, and besides it was the queens' idea."

With that, Takeru continued to ease the straps of her sundress down. When she was done, he gasped in delight. Before him was the love of his life bare-breasted and enjoying herself. As he watched, his body started to respond.

*********************End Flashback********************

With a start, Setsuna realized that her sheets were wet. She ran a hand down her leg and felt a thick liquid. Realizing what it was, Setsuna looked over at the picture on her nightstand.

"I must still dream about that lovely afternoon. That was one of our more interesting picnics. I still remember the questions on everyone's face when we came back and I was smiling smugly. If I remember that day, Serena was also smug about something. Hmmm I wonder what it was."

Lying back down, Setsuna rested her head on her pillow and was asleep within minutes. Dreaming sweet and enticing dreams.


A few days later. Takeru was walking down the street minding his own business. He had just gotten out from a class and was due to meet Osmia at a nearby coffee shop. As he walked in and took a seat, Takeru looked around. Not taking of his sunglasses, Takeru took a seat at a window table. Ordering a cup of tea, Takeru started to read a newspaper.

After 30 minutes, Takeru was so into the articles that when he did finally realize that someone had joined him at the table, he didn't look up. Thinking that it was Osmia, Takeru keep reading as he said hello.

"Hello Takeru."

Upon hearing the voice, which answered, Taki jerked his head up and looked at the woman across the table from him. Across from him was a face framed by long Emerald Green hair. As he gazed into the eyes of the woman across from him, memories started to come back. Memories of long horseback rides, different formal balls, numerous intimate picnics, and the occasional stolen kiss in secluded hallways of a castle.

"Se... Se... Setsuna is that you? What are you doing here?", asked a dazed and bewildered Takeru.

"I see that your memory is coming back. Little by little, it is coming back. Soon, we will be able to enjoy our talks once again."

"If you say so. However, I am just warning you. If you step in my way, I will have no choice but to destroy you. Right now I am on a mission. Lady Osmia herself gave me this mission. So consider this a promise: my business is not with you or any of the outer scouts. If you want to make yourself my enemy, I will not hesitate to destroy you and the others. Now if you will excuse me, I must go.", replied Takeru in a low-voice.

Leaving the coffee shop, Takeru looked at his watch and swore. He was going to be late for work. Heading towards his job at the airport, Takeru stalked away. Setsuna watched as got smaller and smaller.

When she could no longer see him, the tears that she had kept hidden from view started to fall. Leaving the shop she headed in the opposite direction.

"Why, why must he act so cruel? This is not the Sun Prince Takeru I knew and loved. Now it seems that he is full of evil. And yet, there is a flicker of the love he had for me still there. It is small but it's there. I must find a way to break him of this Negaverse curse. He doesn't realize that he is in danger.", worried Setsuna.

After she left the coffee shop, Setsuna had meant to head back to where she worked (I am taking a guess here. She has gotta work somewhere. Email me with any ideas you have). However, she soon found herself meandering around the city. During these meanderings, Setsuna wandered into a well-defined masculine chest. Looking up, she found herself staring into the face of Darien.

"Hey there Setsuna, how are things going?", inquired a cheerful Darien.

Hearing the cheerfulness in his voice, Setsuna could do nothing. Surprising Darien, she broke down and started crying. After a few minutes, Setsuna found herself on the receiving end of a pair of really intense glares. (Hmm, I wonder who those are from. ;). Realizing that she was still in the arms of the Earth Prince, Setsuna hurriedly untangled herself from Darien's arms. Looking down at the ground, she apologized to Serena and started to scamper off.

However, Darien took a hold of her arm and directed her to a nearby picnic table. Once she sat down, Serena, Rini, and Darien asked her what was wrong.

"I ran into Takeru earlier today. He was drinking tea by himself at a coffee shop down the road from here.", sniffled Setsuna.

The future family was stunned and it showed on there face. Darien choked on a bottle of water that he had been drinking from. Mother and daughter dropped the cookies they had been eating.

Serena was the first to recover. She swallowed the cookie crumbs that she still had left in her mouth. Finishing it, she started to k.
k.

"YOU SAW HIM? Did he remember you?"

"His memory has been erased. Not completely erased, he remembers little. He told me not to get in his way or he will destroy me. He even said that he would obliterate the outer scouts if they got in his way. Takeru calls it a mission given to him by that evil woman, Osmia."

At this time, Darien had finished his drink. Putting the cap back on the empty bottle, he looked at the distraught Princess of Pluto.

"Would you happen to know which way he went? I want to talk to him myself."

"No don't do that!!! He wants to destroy you. I'm afraid that if you went to talk to him by yourself, you would end up fighting.", interjected Setsuna.

"What we need is a way to trap him so we can talk. This seems easier said than done. He sounds like he won't be satisfied till we are destroyed.", returned Darien.

For a while everyone was silent, seemingly deep in thought. Setsuna looked at her watch and ded thd that she needed to be on her way. She stood up and prepared to depart. Before she could leave, the future family stood up and decided to walk with her.

"Setsuna, in the future do you see yourself having a child?", asked Serena. This question caught everybody by surprise. Setsuna thought it over for a minute and nodded.

"Do you think that we can beat him?", inquired Darien

"I don't know, your highness. Takeru is very powerful. To cure him off this problem, we first would have to defeat Queen Beryl's daughter Osmia. Afterwards we would still have to face him. Right now I don't even know if of of the scouts could beat him. I know that Haruka wants a shot at him in the worst way. She is still pissed off that he humiliated her in the last battle. Before that, she had never missed with her saber. By the way, Darien what did you figure out about the saber he gave you in that battle."

Darien frowned.

At first it seemed as if he was noingoing to speak, then he opened his mouth:

"No, I haven't figured it out yet. The sword itself is hidden within a cane. The cane is identical to the one I usually carry. On the hilt, there is a lithograph of the Earth. I remember a sword kinda lit wht when I was much younger. If I remember correctly, our instructor had commissioned a pair of swords that had different designs on them. However before we could get to them, the instructor passed away and the swords were never delivered."

Darien thought for a moment before adding that the only way to positively identify the swords was by way of a small indentation on the hilt. Explaining this, Darien said that the indentation was for the fact that both Taki and he had ndenndency to place their thumbs alongside the spine of the hilt instead of curling it around to meet their fingers.

Setsuna nodded and replied that she had seen her sun prince do that many a time when she would watch him practice.

"I haven't had a chance to look at it since then. Next time I inspect it, I will have to look for that indentation. Although, from what I remember, it could only be found by placing your hand on the grip and letting the fingers fall naturally on the hilt.", said a thoughtful Darien.

Serena glanced at her watch. Taking the emerald-haired princess by the hand, she looked into Setsuna's eyes sympathetically. Leaning forward she gave the depressed young lady a hug and whispered in her ear to keep up the hope. Setsuna nodded and returned the hug with one of her own. Reaching down, she picked up Rini and gave the little girl a small hug.

"Aunt Setsuna, I hope that you do find your love and are able to make him remember. In the future I do hope that you have a child. I would love to have a playmate.", said the pink-haired future moon princess.

The elder princess gave Rini a wan smile. Giving her future Queen and King a shallow curtsey, Setsuna turned and headed out of the park. Serena and Darien watched her for a minute then looked at each other, each with an identical look of worry on their faces. After an unspoken conversation, they both nodded. Serena put her left hand in Darien's, took Rini's hand with her right and directed the other two in another direction. Soon they were out of the park and heading home.

After leaving Setsuna at the coffee shop, Takeru had gone to work. During the loading of a private jet, Taki had the cargo bin door fall on his head as he was taking a short break. (That hurts very much. I have had it happen to myself a few times. It leaves an impressive bruise).


"Owww dammit, who didn't latch the damn door correctly?", sputtered Takeru.

Hopping out of the bay while rubbing his head, Taki looked around. Seeing no one else, he walked over to the door of the building and went inside. Waving to the person who was answering a radio call, Taki walked over to the freezer and grabbed a bag of ice. Placing the bag on the back of his head, Takeru went back outside and sat down in one of the lounge chairs. The chairs surrounded a covered table and faced one of the active taxiways.

For a few minutes, Takeru sat and watched a few jets taxiing out to the runway.

"Hey Taki, her catch!!.", said an approaching grey-haired man.

Takeru watched as a silver can came flying through the air in his direction. Catching the can, Taki stood up and placed the half-melted ice pack on the tabletop. Opening the can, Taki took a long drink.

"Thanks boss, I really needed that. How are things going on that big narrow body jet you've been working on? It seems that you have been having a small problem.", replied Takeru.

"It's coming along. I have about 8 people loading it right now. Jeez, where in the hell is its owner going? Is he throwing an airborne party or something? So far we have loaded about one hundred and fifty bags in the rear cargo bay. Next we get to load another hundred up front. I saw that bin door fall on your head, you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. It is all a part of the job. Next time the new guy goes in the bin. He needs the experience. Besides I want to see his face after something like that happens to him.", answered Takeru.

"Heh, that is a sight I would pay to see. Now on the serious side, today you seem as if you have something on your mind. You have slipped up a few times today. Small occurrences have been giving you problems. Now don't get me wrong, you are doing a hell of a job, but right now you aren't concentrating. And on an active airport ramp area, that can be dangerous. Deadly in some cases (and it is. Trust me). Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"No nothing is wrong, I just have a small headache that is bothering me.", answered Takeru The supervisor took a minute and watched as a tug crossed their line of sight towing a small business jet towards an open hanger. As the two vehicles disappeared into the hanger, the grey-haired man turned back to Takeru.

"Well for now, I want you to head on home and take some aspirin. Don't worry about signing out; I'll verify your shift hours. Just one thing, don't hesitate to let me know if anything is wrong. I will see you tomorrow.", and with that Takeru's boss got up and headed inside.

"But sir, I am fine.", protested Takeru

"Go home. You need a break.", returned his boss.

Realizing that his boss was right, Takeru nodded and headed towards the employee locker room and showers.

Upon arriving at the apartment, Takeru reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. Opening it, he took a seat at the table and decided on what to do next. After a few minutes of delitiontion, Taki opted to go swimming. Heading into his room, he grabbed one of his small duffle bags and proceeded to put a towel, his swimsuit, and a complete change of clothes inside.

Once suitably prepared, Takeru left the apartment and caught the elevator down. As he got off the elevator he ran into Osmia.

"Hello Taki where are you headed?"

"I came home early and decided to go swimming. Would you care to join me?"

The evil princess nodded and told him to wait while she went and got her swimsuit. Takeru figured that Osmia would get her bik