Please keep that in mind the fact that this story is manga 
related.  

I've decided to use English translation names for the Inner Senshi and 
Japanese names for the Outer, since I have no clue 
as to what their English translated names are.  And Haruka and Michiru are 
only close friends not gay.
It only makes it easier for me to write.

This story is rated PG, well some slight violence and maybe language later 
on, if you call the word damn a bad thing.  Well, enough of my babbling! On 
with the show!

Oh yeah, PLEASE email me and tell me what you think of my story.
Critiques, compliments, suggestions, anything would be fine.
Just FEED MY EMAIL INBOX! I think it will die of starvation soon!

Usual disclaimers:  Sailor Moon and all its characters and likeliness 
belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha/Toei.  English translation is made 
possible by DiC. 

My email address:  ml_eclipse@hotmail.com

<< >> = thoughts
[ ] = author's note
======================================================
Serenity's Legend      written by Cosmos

Part IX:     Confrontation


"Where is she Setsuna?" Darien asks sternly.  "If you know where she is 
and are not telling me then I'll--"

Setsuna sighs, "For the fifteenth time, Darien, I have *no* clue as to 
where she can be.  Though I may have the power to see the future does 
not mean that I am also a radar for missing Sailor Soldiers.  She may 
just want some time alone to herself.  You must understand Darien that 
this person is Sailor Cosmos, the future, future self of Serenity.  
She is not the typical klutzoid we all know so well.  She is a very 
powerful being.  Anyway, she has gone through a lot since Chaos' 
appearance and the beginning of the Sailor Wars.  She deserves some time 
alone, don't you agree?"

Darien looks out onto the clear still surface of the crystal blue 
lake shining under the setting sun before them.  He gives a sad sigh.  
<<She may not be Serena of this time, he thinks, but she is still 
my Serena.  I must protect her at all costs.  Yet, I fear that this 
time it is a battle she must face alone.  From what she has told us 
so far, Sailor Chaos is an opponent far greater than we could ever 
imagine.  Even our powerful future selves were no match for her.>>  
He then looks at the reflection of the sun dancing merrily on the 
clear surface like a water sprite.  Suddenly his brows knit together 
in greater sorrow.  <<Serena, he thinks.  *My* Serena from this time.>>  
Images of the dark being known as Darkness appears in his mind.  
A tear slowly creeps into his deep blue eyes, <<Oh, my love, he thinks, 
how did I ever let you be caught in such a situation?  Me! The one who 
vowed to protect you.  God!>>  A tear creeps down his cheek, 
<<what are we to do? What am *I* to do? How can I free you? How can 
I get you *back*…back into my arms where I will *never* let you go 
again.  I am so lost without you…my lovely Serena.  If not for your 
future self here to comfort me, I would have probably drowned in my 
own tears.  Yet, it is you that I want, because it is *you* who 
belongs to me and whom I belong to.  Will you ever come back to me, 
my dearest love?>>  That question constantly haunts his nights 
since the day he discovered that Darkness is Serena.  
Constantly, wherever he goes, whatever he does, he always sees 
her lovely face laughing that luxurious laughter back at him.  
His vision begins to blur as tears flood his ocean blue.

Suddenly a concern voice interrupts his thoughts,  "Prince, are 
you all right?"
He wipes away the last droplets of his pain and replies, his 
voice like the mist that is now slowly covering the lake surface 
in front of them, "Yes, she does have the right to be alone."

Setsuna's gaze on her Prince softens.  She understands perfectly 
well what he is going through.  She knows how much he loves her 
and how much all that has happened is hurting him.  With the last 
rays of sunlight slipping over the horizon, Setsuna looks at her watch.  
<<Almost eight, she thinks.  The time for battle is approaching fast.>>  
"Don't worry, Darien," she whispers.  "You won't have to look for her 
any longer."  And Setsuna is right, for just then, a bright flash of 
light indicates the arrival of Sailor Cosmos.  All the girls and 
Darien also transform into their warrior selves.  Tuxedo Mask quickly 
rushes over to Cosmos and holds her in a tight embrace.

"Don't you *dare* disappear on me like that again," he whispers 
into her ear in a faux deadly tone.  She smiles at him sadly and 
returns his embrace with equal magnitude.  "I won't," she whispers 
back, her voice like the lonely call of a songbird.

"But there is one thing I want you to do for me," she suddenly speaks.  
Then, removing herself gently from his embrace she steps back to face 
them all.  "There is one thing I want you *all* to do for me," she 
speaks again.

"What?" Mars asks in concern.

"I want you to promise me that you will not interfere in this battle, 
no matter what happens."

They all gasp in surprise.  Then silence fell upon them like the 
darkness of night.  No one spoke.  No one move.  
"Promise me," Cosmos pleads, "You *must* give me this one promise!"

"But we cannot."  Mars barely whispers, her throat tight with the 
pain in her heart.
"You know we cannot make such a promise to you," Uranus says gently.
Mercury steps forward and place a friendly hand on Cosmos' shoulder, 
"Don't worry, Cosmos.  Together, we can beat Sailor Chaos."

Cosmos shakes her head in sadness, "No…you all do not have 
the power to fight her.  Compared to her power, yours are nothing 
but a mere breath in the wind.  Only I can defeat her.  This battle 
is between her and me alone.  It shall be the final battle between light 
and dark.  The outcome will determine what our *true* future shall be.  
Please, just promise me you will not interfere, for your sake as well 
as for mine."

She looks at them, but each refuses to meet her gaze.  Finally, Mars 
speaks up, "We cannot and *will not* give you that promise, but we 
will promise you this…that we will not interfere as long as you 
remain standing, but if we see you fall then we will break this 
promise and fight."

The others look at Mars in shock, but none made any movements to 
stop her.  They knew that that is the best thing they could do or 
else Cosmos might do something else that they would all regret.

Cosmos looks at Mars for a moment.  All her emotions are contained 
in that single gaze.  She nods.  "*But*," she adds, "even if I am 
still on my knees, you may *not* enter."

Mars opens her mouth to protest but Cosmos cuts her off, "The promise 
has been given."  Suddenly, a swirl of dark gray mists above 
them catches their attention.  She has arrived.  Darkness appears 
in a flash of red light staring down at them with an evil grin on 
her face.

"I thought this will be a battle just between
the two of us?" Darkness snickers.

"It is," Cosmos replies coldly.

"Oh, I see…you need an audience to cheer you 
on is that it?"  Cosmos does not reply; instead she simply 
glares at Darkness with ice freezing her gaze.  
Just then, Cosmos begins to glow as pure hot light emanates from 
her like the sun.  Her long white cape flaps in an invisible wind.  
The cape begins to glow even brighter, then splits down the middle 
and rises to each side of her back.  In a flash of feathers 
and stardust, each piece of the cape transformed into two large white 
wings protruding from her back.  She begins to float up to meet Darkness.

Now at eye level, Cosmos whispers in a deadly tone, "Let the 
battle…begin."  Darkness gives an evil smirk and immediately shoots 
a dark bolt of light at Cosmos without warning.  However, Cosmos 
dodges the attack easily, and raising her tawny staff up to the 
sky shouts, "Moonlight Revelation…Surround!"  A beam of intense 
bright light immediately fires from the bright crystal on top of 
her staff, directly at Darkness.  Darkness narrows her eyes and 
barely dodges the attack.  And so the battle begins.  Each opponent is 
equal in strength and fighting skill as the other.

Below, the Sailor Soldiers and Tuxedo Mask watch with clenched hands at 
their sides.  The battle they are witnessing now is beyond their 
imagination.  Both beings have power that is incomparable.  But what 
troubles them more is the fact that both are one person.  One from 
the future and one from the past fighting each other.  They knew 
that none of them *must* get hurt, because both are the same person 
whom they all love dearly.

The battle dragged on wearily, but none of the opponents seem to be 
tiring.  Each shooting intense beams of energy at the other and 
each dodging it.  Just then, as Cosmos dodges an attack sent to 
her by Darkness, she whispers something under her breath and a bright 
light escapes from her crystal on her staff blinding Darkness whom 
did not expect this sudden burst of energy.  Cosmos immediately takes 
advantage of the situation and attacks with one of her strongest 
attacks.  She lets go of her Eternity rod which floats within arms 
reach in front of her.  Clasping her hands around the crystal located
at the top of her weapon, she shouts with all the emotions within her 
soul, "Cosmos…Crystal…Soul…Encasement!"  Darkness hears her shout 
out her attack, but as she looks up she realizes that it is too 
late for her to dodge it.  A pale beam of light shoots down from 
the full moon above them hitting the Cosmos Crystal directly at 
its center.  The beam of light immediately increases in intensity 
within the crystal and radiates horizontally out of the crystal in 
a thin wide beam.  As the thin flat beam of light reaches Darkness 
it surrounds her legs and expands up over her head surrounding 
her in a cocoon of sparkling silver.  Darkness tries to break 
free from her prison, but her attempts are futile.  She is trap.  
<<W-what is h-happening to me?>> Darkness thinks as she feels a 
strange warmth seeping into her soul and surrounds her dark heart.  
"What are you doing to me?" Darkness screams, fear flashing 
visibly in her dark swirling eyes.

"Awakening you, Princess Serenity."  Cosmos closes her eyes and knits 
her brow in deep concentration.  This will take a lot of strength 
from her, but she knows that this is the only way.  Her star sigil 
on her forehead begins to pulse softly in tune to the beating of
 her heart.  Suddenly the pulsing light slowly dims to a bare glow.  
Instead light from the outside, from the moon, is drawn into the 
sigil and the crescent moon sigil appears through the star 
glowing brightly.  With her eyes still close, Cosmos concentrates 
on her memory of her past and all her emotions of love into 
a strong beam of light which she directs out from her sigil 
onto Darkness' forehead.  Darkness screams as the thin beam 
of intense energy hits her squarely on her forehead, burning 
into her mind.  She can sense something deep inside, a strange 
strength…a strange glow of pure energy beginning to awaken 
in her.  Slowly, with the help from Cosmos, this small flame 
flickering into life deep within her soul increases in intensity
until the flame becomes a great fire burning brightly and 
strongly within her.  The light within her soul penetrates through 
the darkness dissolving it.

At a distance, the onlookers from below watch in amazement 
as Cosmos increase the intensity of the thin beam of light which 
is now connecting her mind with Darkness'.  They can see perspiration 
from her efforts slowly drift down her face.  Her hands held before 
her shakes as fatigue slowly overcomes her numbing mind, yet she 
persists in her effort to awaken Serena's trapped soul because she 
knows that if she gives up now Serena will be lost forever.  
Slowly, gently she lets her thoughts drift to Serena's…

[conversation held within their minds]

"Princess Serenity can you hear me?"  Silence.

"Serenity, please fight this evil.  I am here to help you."  
Silence.  Cosmos strains harder to reach Serena's small soul 
buried deep beneath all the darkness.  "Serena!" her mind screams, 
"You *must* fight this! Please, fight with me! Fight this evil 
so that you can be free.  You *cannot* give up.  There are those 
who are waiting for you out there.  They love you dearly, Serena.  
Fight for them…fight to be with them!"

"Help me," a small cry deep within the void drifts to Cosmos.  
She gasps in shock but quickly reaches out to her again.

"I will help you, but in order for you to be free you must fight! 
Fight Serena! Fight!"  Faintly she can sense Serena's weak and 
frightened soul.  "Don't be afraid Serena," Cosmos assures her. 
"You are no longer alone in this struggle.  I am here with you."

"But who are you?"

"I am you," Cosmos replies.  "I am your future self.  
Your ultimate being.  You are strong Serena.  I know you are 
because I *am* you.  So let your strength shine through, my friend.  
Let your love and light defeat this evil."  Cosmos can sense Serena 
struggling against the retreating darkness.  She suddenly adds, 
"He loves you, Serena.  Darien loves you with his heart and soul.  
He is suffering the onslaught of sorrow right now because you are 
not with him.  He desperately wants you back, my dear.  He needs you 
as we all need the sun.  Don't let this evil thing take him away 
from you.  You are destined to be with him, remember? Both of you 
will have a daughter soon in the future.  Don't let that bright 
future awaiting you be taken away from you.  Look deep inside yourself, 
Serena.  Find your inner strength.  It is there.  Find it and hold 
on to it with all your might.

"Please Serena," Cosmos pleads, " you must pull through this because 
if you don't then the future cannot come.  I will no longer exist 
and neither would your daughter.  What about Darien?  What will happen 
to him if you are not there to bring him sunshine, to make his 
lonely world bright and beautiful again.  He not only loves you, Serena, 
but he *needs* you.  Here Serena…take my hand."  Cosmos reaches out a 
hand toward Serena.  In their minds, her hand looks like a golden 
object shining brightly with beautiful light that wards away the darkness.  
For a while, nothing happens.  Cosmos can not sense any movement in 
Serena's soul.  <<Have I lost her? Cosmos thinks in fright.  No! 
I can't lose her.  No…come on Serena you can do this.  You are
strong…come on!>>  Just then, she can sense a faint glow deep within 
the darkness.  <<Is it…is it getting stronger?>>  Yes! She can 
see the light deep beneath increasing in intensity.  
<<She is fighting back!>> Cosmos almost screams with joy.  The 
light grows with greater strength until finally the darkness is 
driven out of Serena's body and Serena's soul shines brilliantly 
in its place.  In her mind, Serena reaches her hand out and grasp 
Serenity's in a tight hold.

[outside their minds]

Below, watching all that had occurred within the last five hours 
in silence, the small group of nine soldiers gasps in surprise 
when they see beams of bright light pierce through Serena's dark 
body quickly driving away the darkness that once controlled it.  
Her moon sigil appears shattering the dark crystal and tiara.  
The crescent moon sigil glows brightly with great strength.  They 
all smile joyfully as tears of happiness stream down their faces 
uncontrollably.  They know that Serena is truly free, and that she 
has returned to them.  Darien looks at the bright being shining 
brilliantly in front of Cosmos with joy dancing in his pair of 
sapphire eyes.  Unbelievable emotions of joy and relief floods him 
lifting his soul up like two pairs of wings.  <<You have come back 
to me, he whispers.>>

Just then, the thin beam of light between them ceases and Serena 
begins to fall from the sky.  Darien quickly breaks himself away 
from the group and runs to catch her. He catches her gently in his 
arms.  Looking down at her, his brilliant blue eyes radiate all the 
love that he has for this young girl.  Then he looks away from her 
to Cosmos and sees that she is also slowly drifting down to the ground.  
As her feet touches the pavement below her, Cosmos can feel fatigue 
beginning to overwhelm her body.  Her legs give out beneath her and 
she slumps to the ground.

"Someone quickly check on her," Darien commands.  The girls were way 
ahead of him because as he spoke they were already kneeling by her 
side.  Jupiter picks Cosmos up in her arms and brings her over to 
Darien who is still holding Serena unconscious in his arms.  Once 
they reach each other, Cosmos opens her eyes and turns her gaze toward 
her past self lying limply in Darien's arms.  A small moan causes all 
attention to turn on Serena whose eyes slowly flickers open.  She 
smiles a warm smile and whispers, "Darien."

"Oh, Serena," Darien cries, as tears begin to drift down his cheeks, 
"I thought you would never come back to me."

"I can never leave you, my love.  I love you more than anything 
in this world."

"And I love you more than there are numbers of stars in the heaven," 
he whispers warmly back at her.

Serena then turns her gaze onto a figure in white lying close 
beside her in Jupiter's arms.  She smiles and says, "Thank you."  
Feeling fatigue overcoming her body and weighing heavily on her 
eyelids, Serena gives a soft sigh and drifts into a deep slumber in 
the arms of her lover.

Cosmos looks at her past self with a sad smile while the others began 
to cheer.  Gathering all the strength left in her tiring body, Cosmos 
struggles to stand up.

"No," Jupiter intervenes, "you are weak from the battle.  You should 
stay down and rest.  We'll take you back to Setsuna's apartment to recover."

Cosmos shakes her head.  "No," she whispers, "the battle has not yet finish."  
As if her statement has suddenly come to life, a dark wind slams into them.

"What is happening?" Mars asks in fear.  Cosmos stands up and faces 
a dark portal opening a short distance from them.  The others turn to 
follow Cosmos' gaze and see a dark figure step through the portal.

"You!" Darien shouts.  They all see a woman…at least they think it is 
a woman for all they see is something like a translucent shadow 
standing before them.  This…this shadow…being has long dark purple hair 
floating around her like she is under water.  On her face, two bloody 
spheres glow brightly, which they assume, are her eyes.  "You are the 
one who captured Serena," Darien growls.  "You are not going to get 
her this time."  Darien places Serena gently down onto the ground and 
stands up. He begins to move toward her as a strange energy 
begins to form in his hands, but his path is suddenly blocked by Cosmos.

[In the manga, Tuxedo Mask has an attack called 
"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber," as well as the rose.]


"Get out of my way, Sailor Cosmos."

"No," she says sternly.  "You gave me a promise earlier remember?"  
He turns to look at her in surprise.  Then it suddenly dawns on him 
who this dark being standing before them is.  He clenches his hand 
in a tight fist and reluctantly step back to crouch beside the slumbering 
Serena where he lets his icy gaze fall upon the dark being.

Sailor Chaos simply laughs.  "Such fools," she says.

"Enough games Sailor Chaos," Cosmos speaks in an icy tone as she steps 
forward to confront her.  "Let us make this place, this time, as the 
stage for the final battle between good and evil."

"Are you sure you want to fight me?" Chaos asks mockingly. 
"You know that you can never defeat me.  You are weak.  You will 
probably run away again."

Cosmos narrows her eyes until they are merely blue slits as she 
replies in a dangerous and challenging tone, "Do not count on me 
retreating *this* time, Chaos.  
This time the Sailor Wars shall end here."

======================================================
[Well, what do you think? Email me! All right...onto the Finale!!!]