HOT CONTROVERSY, PART FIVE
A Sailor Moon Sekkushiaru Roman
by Sailor Mac

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the next-to-last installment in my Hot Controversy
series, a Serena and Darien fic unlike any I've written before. . .Stay
tuned at the end of the story for an important announcement!



	At first glance, it could have been any old day in the lives of the Sailor
Soldiers.
	They were gathered, as they so often were after school, at Crown Cafe.
Serena was intently studying the menu as if it were a sacred text, Amy had
her head in a textbook, Mina was chattering on and on about some trivial
thing that had happened at school that day as if it were a major news
event. . .
	But sometimes, a typical appearance can be hiding something definitely
atypical. . .
	"Hey! Serena! What are you ordering?"
	Serena looked up from the menu to see all her friends staring at her.
Standing at the head of the booth was Lizzie, pen and pad in hand, the
impatient look on her face indicating she'd been standing there for some
time. . .
	"Um. . .chocolate ice cream! With butterscotch sauce! And whipped cream!"
	"Took you all that time to decide on *that*?" Raye said. "You have that
almost every day!"
	"Hey, the old classics never die!" Serena said cheerfully, handing her
menu back to the waitress. She then pulled her Game Boy out of her book bag
and switched it on, starting her game of Pokemon while she listened to the
conversation of the others.
	"So, did you hear what they're putting in at the mall?" Mina was saying.
"A 16-screen movie theater!"
	"Why do they need that?" said Lita. "They already have the 12-screen one
at the Galleria. How many movies can you show?"
	"I'd rather see them put in another bookstore," Amy said. "A big one. Like
the three-story Kinokuniya downtown. . ."
	"Books?" said Mina. "Why do we need more books? What we *really* need is. . ."
	"WOO HOO!" Serena screamed, flinging the arm with the Game Boy up in the
air. "LOOK! My Ivysaur just evolved into a Venusaur!"
	"Do you think we care?" Raye said.
	"Hey, it's a major accomplishment," Serena said. "You should be happy for me."
	"If you consider *that* one of your life's major accomplishments, you're
sad," Raye said. Serena made a face at her and went back to her game.
	But her thoughts were not entirely on what she was doing. In fact, the
vast majority of them were focused on how her life was going lately. 	
	Why do people think I have a perfect life? she thought. They always see me
as cheerful Serena, with not a care in the world, the girl with the ideal
relationship. . .The past few weeks, it's been anything *but* perfect. I
try not to let it show. . .I try my hardest. . .but sometimes, I know I'm
slipping. . .
	Sometimes, she thought, I *want* them to notice something's wrong. I want
one of them to just stop what she's doing and say to me, "Serena. . .what's
been bothering you lately?" But then, I think about actually *telling*
them. . .having to put it into words. . .and I just can't.  I don't want
them to know that the ideal couple. . .is less than ideal.
	She looked down at the Gameboy and threw herself into the game with as
much enthusiasm as she could muster, as if to hide from her problem among
the pixelated creatures. How long until I can get out of here? she thought.
How long do I have to keep up this false front? How long do I have to
pretend there's nothing wrong between me and Darien?
* * *
	Once she got home from Crown, Serena locked herself in her room and flung
herself on the bed, hugging her pillow.
	There had been no message from him on the answering machine. There never
was anymore.
	It had started a few weeks ago. . .Darien had skipped one of their Friday
night dates, saying he had too much schoolwork to do. Okay, so one missed
date didn't mean anything. . .
	But he'd broken a date for Monday after school, as well. And they'd seen
each other that Wednesday. . .but he'd been so. . .so. . .
	Distant. Yes, that was the word. Like he was a million miles away.
	Serena had done all the talking. Darien had just gotten in a word here and
a word there. And what words he'd gotten in. . .when she'd expressed
anxiety about an upcoming test, instead of comforting her and offering his
help, as usual, he'd said, "You'll have to study harder, won't you?"
	He didn't want to see their friends, either. Not once had he suggested
having the girls do their study session at his apartment. . .or offer any
of them rides to the mall. . .or meet up with them at Crown. . .
	Heck, he'd even been avoiding Reenie! He didn't come over their house to
help her with her homework, or take her out shopping with him. . .when
Reenie questioned Serena about this, she'd had to make up answers, saying
that Darien was busy at school right now, he'd have time for them later. .
.the truth would crush their future daughter.
	That's not *my* Darien, she thought. That's. . .that's the guy he was when
I first met him, before we found out who we'd been in the Silver
Millennium. That's the cold, hard, self-absorbed creature who wouldn't let
anybody past his inner shell. I thought I'd broken through that shell. .
.when did it come back again?
	And it had kept going on from there. She could count on one hand the
number of days they'd seen each other during that time.
	Plus, they had not once. . .in all that time. . .made love. They'd never
gone more than two weekends without spending the night together before!
	What went wrong? she thought. Is it something I did? Have I been spending
too much time with my friends, and not enough with him?
	If only I could look in his mind. . .
	Then, the thought hit her like a freight train. D'OH! Why didn't I think
of it before. . .the telepathic bond! I can activate that and see what he's
thinking! After all, we've done it plenty of times before. . .and it's
getting easier and easier for me to do it all the time. . .hey, once I find
out what's bugging him, I might even be able to help him figure out a
solution, and he'll be okay right away!
	She lay back and relaxed, doing her deep breathing exercises to help open
and focus her mind like Raye had taught her. She focused on Darien's image,
reaching out for his mind with hers, feeling her own mind opening. . .
	And running against a brick wall.
	Serena tried pushing her mind toward Darien's again and again. And each
time, she encountered nothing but resistance.
	He was blocking his thoughts from her. . .from anyone else with the
ability to look. He'd sealed himself off entirely from the world.
	He's even closed off his mind to me, she thought. He doesn't want me in my
life at all, in any form. . .
	And then, she started to cry.
* * *
	Darien sat at a table in the college library, slumped over a book. He was
barely reading it.
	Focusing had become impossible lately. He'd lost the will to study, to
work, to advance himself. . .
	Or maybe it was anxiety that one of *them* would come up and bug him. Again.
	He looked around the room. He didn't see any of David's *or* Lori's inner
circle. Thank the Gods.
	It seemed that ever since the stupid porn controversy had started, they'd
been *everywhere.*  And they'd all been seeking him out.
	David had been the first to approach him, when the whole mess was kicking
into high gear. He'd told him that they'd love to have him in the Freedom
League, that he was just the type of intelligent, classy person they'd been
looking for to help put their message across, to prove that they *weren't*
all stuffed shirts and bleeding heart liberals. . .
	And then, shortly afterwards. . .Lori. She wanted him to help her side
out, she'd said, because he was just what she needed. . .someone who
believes strongly in the dignity of all human beings, who was willing to
work hard for what he believed in, who would show the rest of the campus
that they *weren't* all radical feminist lesbian separatists. . .after all,
since their movement's roots were in a women's group, people tended to
apply that tired old stereotype to them.
	He'd turned them both down, politely. "I don't want to get involved in
this," he'd said. "I don't fully support either side. . .I believe in free
speech with responsibility."
	But they hadn't gone away. Everywhere he went, it seemed, he was running
into one of David's supporters, or one of Lori's. And they always were
telling him that he should join *their* cause, that he could be so good for
them, and they for him. . .
	The fact that David was friends with Lita's boyfriend helped Darien. .
.temporarily. Ken persuaded David to back down and leave him alone, and he
did. . .until some of the members of his group decided to keep pursuing
Darien *without* David's blessing.
	When he turned members of either side down, they refused to take a simple
"no" for an answer. "You're holding out for a reason!" one of Lori's
supporters had said to him. "You're secretly working for *David*, aren't
you?"
	"I definitely am not!" Darien had said. "I'm not with either of them!"
	"If you're not for us," the girl said, "you're against us!"
	Darien had just thrown up his hands and walked away. . .only to run into
one of David's supporters. "Hey, Chiba. . .why don't you want to work with
us?"
	"I've told you all a million times. . ."
	"Ah, I get it! Lori's gotten to you, hasn't she?"
	"What do you mean by that?"
	"Come on. . .we haven't seen you with that underage blonde in awhile. It's
a *distinct* possibility you may have a *thing* for Miss Stick-Up-Her-Ass!"
	"You're insane!" he'd replied, storming away, thinking he'd just hit one
of the lowest points of his life. . .but it still got worse, a few days
later, when he'd found out just *why* he was so sought-after. . .
	Darien had been in the campus pub, having coffee, around the corner from
the main counter. Two of Lori's supporters had been getting sodas. . .
	"Any new recruits coming to the meeting tonight?" one had said.
	"Well, I was *hoping* we'd have Darien Chiba. . .but no such luck. He
turns us down cold every time."
	"Darien. . .wait a second, he's a biology major, right? Tall guy, dark
hair. . .*really* good-looking. . ."
	"Bingo. And that's why Lori wants him on our side. . .and why David wants
him, too."
	"Huh?"
	"He's the best-looking guy on campus! Do you know how many girls we'd
recruit if we had. . ."
	Darien listened to the conversation thunderstruck.
	Is that all I am to them? he thought.  A. . .drawing card? A "chick
magnet"? A *thing*, used to entice people into their groups like a box of
crackerjack given away at the movies?
	He had tried to push the thought away. But it stuck with him, and burned,
and burned. . .until it threatened to burn a hole right through him.
	Best-looking guy on campus, he thought, flipping the pages of the library
book idly. Just an object. . .a Ken doll. .  .
	Is a Ken doll all I am? Who am I, really?
	I'm Darien Chiba. . .and Tuxedo Mask. I'm an honors student. . .but all
people see when they look at me is my surface. I'm a Sailor Soldier. . .or
am I? Luna certainly doesn't consider me one. She doesn't invite me to
their meetings, or seek out my input when they have a problem to solve. . .
	And the other girls. . .well, I get along with them, I always have. . .but
would they want to give me the time of day if I wasn't Serena's boyfriend?
Do they remember me as I was. . .a prince, the heir to a planet, just like
them. . .or does our shared past not matter to them at all? Do they see me
as more than an appendage of her?
	And when it comes right down to it. . .*am* I just an appendage of her?
	He thought about his relationship with her. We're happy together, right?
Aren't we?
	But if we're so happy. . .why have I been avoiding her lately?
	The answer was there, just under the surface of his conscious mind, and he
fought to keep it from breaking the surface. . .because he didn't want to
face it. There was just so much loneliness and pain buried there in his
subconscious. . .the memory of losing his parents, the feeling of being
totally alone, with nobody to tell him why he had mysterious supernatural
abilities, why he sometimes knew things before they happened, why he was
haunted by dreams of a blonde girl. . .
	One thing being released could lead to a flood of depression.
	I've been feeling so out of control lately, he thought. . .because I know
whenI come to school, I'm going to be facing, literally, a war zone,
people fighting all over the place. 	
	It would have been hard enough being in the middle of that if he'd been a
"normal" person. But the fact that he was psychic just served to make it a
hundred times worse. He felt every bit of the negative vibes that were in
the air, constantly. Any thought he had, whether positive or negative, was
drowned out by the turmoil all around him. . .it was as if his mind was a
radio trying to keep tuned to a certain frequency, only to be hit with
blast after blast of annoying static. Finally, he had no choice but to shut
his psychic senses down entirely. He didn't want to. . .it would cut off
his link to Serena and block any premonitions of coming enemies. . .but it
was that or go mad.
	I spend all day in a situation that's totally of control, he thought. And
then, I come home to a relationship. . .where I feel out of control as
well.
	He'd always been glad to lay back and let Serena take the lead, to be the
tease, the minx, to set the pace of their entire relationship, from what
movie they were going to see to what they were going to do in bed. He'd
taken care of himself, made all his own decisions, his entire life. It was
nice to put that kind of thing in someone else's hands for a change.
	Or at least it had been. Before he knew it, he'd let any control at all
slip through his fingers. . .until he felt that his life wasn't his own. I
feel like an appendage, he thought, not *me*. The more I think about it. .
.the more out of control I feel.
	He tried to remind himself that this powerless person wasn't the only part
of his personality. After all, he was Tuxedo Mask, too, wasn't he? The
superhero, the helper of the Sailor Soldiers. . .
	Some hero. All he could do was *help.* He wasn't truly one of them, not
really. For the longest time, he'd been armed with nothing but roses and a
cane. He had his Earth Blade now, but it still wasn't as powerful as
Serena's Moon Scepter. Hell, even the Earth Blade wasn't a hundred percent
his. It had been Serena's weapon, the Moon Blade, first, before she got the
Scepter and the Blade was transferred to him.
	Sometimes, he thought, I feel like a magician's assistant. . .just there
to hand the tools to the magician and look pretty . . .
	Suddenly, he wanted to be as far from the campus. . .from the source of so
much of his pain. . .as quickly as possible. He leapt up from the table,
grabbing his books and shoving them into his bag. As he rushed for the
library door, he noticed female heads turning to look at him. He didn't
care.
	Do they know what's under this surface? he thought. Does anybody know?
Does anyone care?
	When he was in his car, headed toward his apartment building, he found his
thoughts turning toward something that had nagged him at the back of his
mind for a long time. . .the fact that there was a time when he was
*somebody*, when he had commanded respect, when he was more than The
Boyfriend and The Art Object and The Guy Who Shows Up To Bail Out The
Sailor Soldiers' Butts.
	Once, a thousand years ago. . .he'd been a prince. He'd commanded armies,
made policy decisions, been the heir to an entire planet. . .
	I feel so cut off from that prince, he thought. I remember almost nothing.
What memories I might have carried into this incarnation were robbed from
me in the car accident. . .when I lost my parents, I lost *everything*.
	Gods, if only the Silver Millennium hadn't ended as it did, if only
Serenity and I had been allowed to live out normal lives. . .maybe we
wouldn't have had to have been reborn, we would have been together in
paradise and I would never have had to go through any of this. . .he felt a
flash of rage toward Queen Beryl, who had let her misplaced feelings for
him lead her toward bringing down an entire civilization.
	Hell, he thought, even *she* didn't want me for *me.* I was a plaything
and a pawn in her game with Sailor Moon. . .
	Has anyone wanted me for *me*? And how could they. . .when right now even
I don't have much of a sense of who that *me* is?
	Once he was back in his apartment, he booted up his computer and checked
his answering machine. One  message from Adam, asking if he wanted to study
for the big biology test tomorrow. . .one from Serena, wanting to know if
they were still going to have dinner together tomorrow night. . .
	And then, a voice he didn't recognize. . .
	"Look, Darien, it's Meghan Kass. . .you know, from Women United? I know
you've turned us down before. . .but I think you'll change your mind when
you see what's just been posted on the Web site. It's not just women
they're victimizing anymore. . .this time it's a *guy*! Take a look. . .and
if you want to join us, call me." And then a phone number which indicated
the caller lived nearby. . .
	Web site? Which site? The. . .the college site?
	His curiosity piqued, he fired up his browser and found the fiction page.
. .and when he read what was there, his blood turned to ice.
	The new story, written by someone calling herself "Kandy Gurl," was about
Tuxedo Mask. It described a damsel-in-distress fantasy in which the
protagonist. . .obviously a charicature of the author. . .was rescued by
Tuxedo Mask, and then proceeded to thank him. . .in very graphic terms.
There were things in that story he'd never done with Serena, would never do
with Serena. . .including using his cane for something other than its
intended purpose.
	Is this how the whole world sees me? he thought. Is this all I am? Just an
object for female fantasy, with no other impact on the world around me?
	He'd never felt less like a prince in his life.
* * *
	Several miles away, someone else was seeing something they didn't like on
the campus site.
	"God DAMN it!" Lori screamed, slamming her fist into the desk. She spun
her chair away from the screen, as if looking away from it would make what
was on it go away.
	But it wouldn't go away. Not until she raised hell about it. And half the
campus would probably have downloaded and saved it by now. . .
	She's received a tip-off earlier that day that there was something on the
site she would *not* be happy about. Well, that wasn't news. She wasn't
happy about too much that was on that site nowadays. But she'd decided to
check it out, anyway, just out of curiosity. . .and what she saw made her
blood boil.
	Who the *hell* would dare to do that? she thought. Who would write an
explicit story about her and David?
	She got up and began to pace her room wildly, like a tigress in a cage.
Which is exactly what she'd been feeling like lately. It was just a few
days before the election, and she was at the end of her rope.
	First, it had been the graffiti incidents. . .somebody spray-painting
"Sluts and Lesbos" on all their posters. She'd confronted David and he'd
denied any knowledge of the incident. Bullshit. How could he *not* know
what his own people were doing? She knew what *her* lieutenants were doing
all the time. . .didn't she?
	A memory peeked into her head of one of David's right-hand men coming up
to her in the cafeteria and accusing her of phoning in a bomb threat to
David's apartment house. She'd denied it up and down. . .but there had been
a nagging suspicion later that it had been one of her people. . .Meghan?
Pamela? They wouldn't do that. . .would they?
	But her friends had changed lately. . .she couldn't deny that. Pamela,
who'd once been meek and retiring, had almost gotten kicked out of school
the week before for getting into a fistfight. . .and Meghan, who'd been an
honor student, was in danger of failing several of her classes. . .
	Well, my grades haven't been so hot lately, either, Lori thought. We're
under a lot of pressure, that's all. That David and his goons. . .Suddenly,
she thought of the story again, and she felt the fury boiling up anew. . .
	It must be someone's idea of a sick joke, she thought. Somebody wants to
piss both of us off, badly. . .and they succeeded.
	She was well aware that there were plenty of people on campus who wanted
both of them to go away. . .especially after the smoke bomb incident. Lori
could still remember the raw terror of the moment. . .her group having a
rally at one end of the quadrangle, David's group having a
counterdemonstration at the other end. . .and then, the explosion between
the two groups. . .the people running around, screaming, trampling each
other. . .
	After that, she'd lost some supporters. So had David. Suddenly, the debate
on campus wasn't so much whether or not to allow pornography as whether the
whole thing was really worth it.
	Lori was beginning to wonder that herself. Is it really worth putting
people in danger. . .putting my college career at risk. . .putting my
health at risk? When was the last time I slept through the night? Two weeks
ago? Three?
	Then, she caught sight of the computer again. . .what was on the screen. .
.what it represented. . .
	I'm a victim of pornography all over again, she thought. This is *twice*
in my life I've been abused, turned into an object. . .
	What the hell was I thinking? she thought. Quit? *Me* quit? Never! I've
come so far, done so much. . .I *have* to see this through to the end.
Giving up is *not an option*. I *have* to make sure that *no* stories like
this *ever* appear in public again. . .
	She walked over to the machine and hit "shut down."
* * *
	David was also shutting off his computer. He'd seen the story himself a
few hours ago. It hadn't made him angry. . .just depressed.
	A lot of things made him depressed nowadays.
	He'd quit for a grand total of about 15 minutes after the smoke bomb
incident. He'd told everyone that it just wasn't worth it anymore, that
things had gotten too far out of hand, that it was in everyone's best
interests if they just pack it in and call the election off. . .
	And then, Mike and Tommy had pulled him aside and read him the riot act.
So many people depending on his leadership, blah blah blah. So much time
and energy invested in this, yadda yadda yadda. It would be caving in to
Lori if he were to give up now.
	That last statement was what got him. Under *no* circumstances was he
going to give in to. . .*that woman.*
	She was behind that bomb, he thought. Nobody else is capable of it. And
the more he thought of it. . .the more determined he was to trounce her in
the election.
	And then, when it's over, he thought. . .no more Freedom League. I'm
disbanding it, or handing it over to someone else. It's just left too bad a
taste in my mouth. It's become something other than what I originally
wanted it to be.
	Maybe I should talk to Professor Birch about all this, he thought. His
mentor had encouraged the founding of the group and David's initial entry
into the porn controversy.
	But I don't think he counted on the entire campus turning into a
battlefield, David thought.
	Just then, his phone began to ring. I'll just let the machine pick it up,
he thought. Gods know I've gotten more than my share of crank calls lately.
. .
	The voice was Mike. . .and he sounded upset.
	"You've got to get to campus immediately, man. Tommy. . .they got him
outside his dorm. . .they jumped him, and beat him up. . .he's in the
hospital. . .everybody's freaking out. . ."
	David's blood froze. Tommy, one of his best friends. . .the guy who'd
helped him form the Freedom League. . .one of the most vocal defenders of
their cause. . .
	God DAMN that bitch, he thought. God DAMN her. Is there *nothing* she'll
stop at?
	He grabbed his jacket and ran, thinking, she is *not* going to get away
with this one. . .just wait until I see her. . .she'll be sorry. . .

* * *
	Several blocks away from David's apartment, all was very calm and still. .
.except for the small figure which scrambled through the brushes
surrounding one house in particular, bound and determined to speak to one
of the occupants.
	To look at this figure, though, you'd never know that's what she inteded
to do. Especially since she was a cat.
	Luna jumped up on Mina's windowsill and peered in. Sure enough, her
counterpart was there, idly batting at some balls of yarn on the floor
while Mina typed on her computer.
	She was glad to see him. She *had* to talk to someone about this, and he
was the only one who would fully be able to understandwhat was troubling
her. . .
	Luna tapped the pane with her paw, but neither Artemis nor Mina seemed to
notice her. Blast it all, she thought. How am I going to get to talk to
him? I can't very well just ring their doorbell and announce myself!
	Very well. . .desperate times call for desperate measures. . .
	She took a few steps back and flung her body at the glass, sending up a
silent prayer it wouldn't break. . .
	Mina heard the thump, jumped, and let out a shriek. "Artemis! Someone's
trying to break in!" She held her hand over her head and called out, "VENUS
STAR. . ."
	"Calm down! It's only Luna!" He hopped on the desk, and sure enough, there
she was. "Let her in!"
	"Oh, yeah. Luna." Mina gave a nervous, I-knew-it-all-along laugh, and
pushed the window up.
	What an airhead, Luna thought. I do *not* envy Artemis his position. She
hopped into the room, and said, "Good evening, Mina. I'd like to speak to
Artemis alone for a few minutes, please."
	"Aha! Getting a bit romantic, are we!"
	Luna blushed red under her fur. "It is *not* like that!" she said in a
carefully measured voice.
	"I think he should look out for you, Luna. After all, I hear you're a
woman with a past. Serena told me all about Hercules and. . ."
	"Artemis and I have important Sailor Soldier business to discuss," Luna
snapped quickly, cutting her off. "We'll be right outside."
	"Sure, go ahead. I'll just finish my homework. . ."
	And just then, the distinct "Uh-oh!" of an ICQ message came over the
speakers of the orange iMac.
	Luna narrowed her eyes. "Homework?"
	"Um. . .Amy's giving me study help over the chat!"
	"Humph. Come on, Artemis. . ."
	Artemis followed Luna out the window. Is she going off on one of her
seeing-enemies-everywhere tangents again? he thought. Sometimes, I think
the stress of living and working with Serena is getting to her. . .
	Once they were away from the house, Luna said, "Artemis. . .I'm very
worried about Serena. Something is definitely up with her and Darien."
	"What makes you say that? Serena seems fine to me."
	"That's just it. She's been putting on a happy face in public. But when
she's home alone. . .she goes into her room, locks the door, and cries. And
the number of dates they've had in the past few weeks. . .you could count
on one finger. Plus, her phone barely rings anymore. . .they used to talk
to each other every single day, when they weren't going to be seeing each
other."
	Hmm, thought Artemis. . .this is definitely *not* like Serena and Darien.
They're joined at the hip. . .have been since the Silver Millennium. . .
	"Have you talked to Darien at all through this?" said Artemis.
	"No. He's been almost invisible," Luna replied.
	"Well, it *is* possible that he's just been extra-busy at school, and
Serena's just been overreacting."
	"Oh, don't be ridiculous!" Luna snapped. "You *know* that boy wouldn't let
*anything* stop him from seeing her! Usually, if he has studying he invites
her to come study with him. Something is *very* wrong, Artemis!"
	Artemis bristled at her condescending tone of voice. Must she always talk
to me like that? he thought. As if she were my superior, not my equal. .
.just because *she* was assigned to be the guardian of the Moon Princess,
it doesn't mean she's got any super intellect, or any other kind of power.
. .
	At times like this, he thought, I feel more like a henpecked husband than
a royal guardian.
	Hmm. . .henpecked. . .could that possibly be Darien's problem? Serena
*does* seem to be the boss in that relationship. He seems to work his
entire life around what *she* wants.
	And he heard himself saying, "Let me talk to him."
	"You?"
	"Yes. I think I know what he needs. . .what the root of his problem is."
And he'll probably be able to understand my life as well, he thought.
	"You've never really gotten to know Darien before."
	"And you have? He's always been at the fringe of the Sailor Soldiers. .
.almost one of them, but not quite. None of us has really gotten to know
him."
	"You think that may be his problem?"
	"Part of it, yes."
	Luna took a deep breath. "Okay. . .you talk to him. And let me know what comes of it."
	I'll tell you if it merits it, he thought.  "Tomorrow, then. . .I'll go
over there when he's done with his classes."
	"Fine. Good night."
	Artemis watched her go, sending up a silent prayer that he was right about
what was wrong with Darien. . .for his sake, and Serena's.

* * *
	Darien dragged himself across the campus. Japanese literature had been
boring. And now, he was facing microbiology, which promised to be equally
dull.
	I used to take an interest in both those classes he thought. Now. . .I
couldn't care less.
	All he wanted was for this controversy to be over. All he wanted was for
all the hostility around him to go away, to walk across the campus without
fear that he'd see a fistfight - or worse - right in front of him. . .
	But if that happened, he thought, would I feel better? Is that *really* at
the root of why I feel so powerless?
	Meanwhile, across the quadrangle, Lori was having an equally listless walk
between classes. I feel like I'm moving through lead, she thought. It's an
effort to just pick up my feet. . .how much sleep did I get last night? Two
hours, maybe? Three, max?
	Gods, she thought, please let me win. . .please let all of this not have
been for nothing. . .you know very well why I want pornography banned from
campus. . .
	A few yards away, David watched her coming. He'd gotten even less sleep
than Lori. He'd spent hour after anxious hour in the hospital, waiting for
Tommy to come out. . .he'd gotten a mild concussion and needed stitches in
his face and on his neck. It could have been a lot worse. . .but what
happened was bad enough.
	She is *not* getting away with this, he thought.
	And he stepped right in Lori's path and said, "You've gone too far this
time, woman."
	"What the hell do you mean?" she snapped. "I haven't done anything. Get
out of my way."
	"You know very well what you did! I know that all your little flunkies
just wait for you to give them orders. None of them has a brain of their
own. You ordered it!"
	"Ordered what? A pizza? A pay-per-view movie? You're talking nonsense!"
	Her voice was getting louder. . .and other students were stopping,
turning, staring. . .
	David saw the eyes on him. . .felt the fury boiling up inside him, fueled
by weeks of stress and lack of sleep. . .and snapped. He flung his books to
the ground and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Listen, bitch, don't tell
me you don't know my friend was at the hospital last night! You had your
goons beat him up!"
	A crowd was now gathering around them. . .and getting bigger by the second. . .
	"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" she shouted. "I would
*never* stoop so low as to have someone physically hurt!"
	"Bullshit! I should know you by now, and you're capable of anything!"
	"And you're not? Do the words 'Sluts and Lesbos' mean anything to you?"
	Just then, David's friend Mike came up from behind him, shouting, "Shut
up, Lori! Just shut up! He had nothing to do with that!"
	"And Lori had nothing to do with having David's friend beat up!" Pamela
yelled. "How *dare* you accuse her of that?"
	"Listen, you," shouted another one of David's supporters, "we *know* what
you people have done before. . ."
	"Nothing that YOU people haven't done!" countered Meghan.
	"At least WE didn't stoop to defacing your signs!" said another of Lori's
supporters, Gary Taylor. "We fought a *clean* fight!"
	"Oh, yeah?" said Mike. "Starting a cafeteria brawl is really clean!"
	"It was YOU who started it!" Gary shouted, jabbing a finger into Mike's
chest. "I saw you throw that plate at Pamela!"
	"Hey!" Mike said, batting the hand away. "Don't poke me, asshole!"
	"I'll poke a hell of a lot more than that!" And before anyone knew what
was happening, Gary's fist had connected with Mike's nose, and Mike went
sprawling on the ground. Suddenly, it was as if time had stopped. Everyone
who had been standing there just looked down, their mouths wide open.
People who happened to be just passing by began coming over to see what was
the matter, and soon joined the others in just standing there, gawking.
	A hush as silent as the grave fell over the area, as everyone waited with
bated breath to see what was going to happen next. . .
	Mike put his hand to his face and saw the blood. He looked slowly up at
his attacker. . .
	Then, he leapt to his feet, roaring, "Son of a bitch!" and tackled Gary,
both of them falling to the ground, fists flying. Both sides tried to pull
them apart. . .but Mike started swinging at whatever Lori supporters were
nearby. His fist connected with a young woman's cheek.
	"Bastard! Hitting a woman!" shouted another of Lori's male supporters,
lunging for Mike. . .but finding himself jumped by two of David's group.
More of Lori's crew came to their defense, then more of David's jumped in.
. .
	Meanwhile, Lori herself was slowly backing away from the brawl. . .but
found it harder and harder to do, because it was spreading all around her.
Suddenly, the whole quadrangle seemed to be full of people punching,
grabbing, pulling, pushing, screaming. . .
	Oh, Gods, she thought. It's come to this. . .it's really come to this. . .
	David was also fleeing the heart of the battle, ducking and dodging
brawlers, thinking. . .what have we done, what have we done. . .
	And then, the gun went off.

* * *
	Serena was sitting outside the school with her friends, having lunch, when
she felt the psychic jolt. It was like an electric shock passing through
her brain, opening up a channel for information to flow through. It wasn't
coming from Darien. . .her link to him was still cut off. . .but it
definitely seemed to be coming from his college. . .
	"Serena?" said Amy. "What's wrong?"
	She began to breathe heavily, sweating, as the images filled her mind's
eye. . .images of violence all over the campus. . .
	"I have to go," she said, scrambling to her feet.
	"What's wrong?" Lita said. "Do you need us to. . ."
	But Serena just ran away, shouting, "I have to go to Darien!"
	The turmoil in her head got stronger and stronger as she ran. . .please,
gods, let him be all right, she thought, don't let anything have happened
to him. . .he's everything to me. . .
	When she reached the campus, she was greeted by the sight of police cars
and ambulances everywhere. Students were being tended to by first-aiders,
their clothes torn and covered with blood. . .
	"Oh, no," she said. "Darien!"
	She couldn't see him anywhere, and her panic level rose. She rushed into
the middle of the chaos, through students being questioned by officers,
people staggering around covered with blood and bruises, reporters trying
to get pictures. . .
	Serena grabbed the first non-injured person she could find and said,
"Please. . .have you seen Darien Chiba?"
	"Who?"
	"Darien Chiba. . .sophomore, tall, dark hair, blue eyes. . ."
	"Kiddo, I couldn't tell who was who in that mess. It was a bloodbath."
	"Bloodbath? What happened?"
	"Dunno. . .there was some kind of fight, and suddenly, everyone was
beating the crap out of each other, and then the gun went off. . ."
	"GUN?" Serena turned and ran. Oh, gods, where was he?
	And then, as she was passing the pub, she caught a glimpse out of the
corner of her eye of a familiar figure, sitting at a table, slumped over,
looking defeated. . .
	"Darien!" She rushed into the building and over to his table. "Darien. .
.oh, you're okay, thank the gods, you're okay!"
	Darien looked up, slowly. For the first time in his life, Serena wasn't a
welcome sight.
	He'd gotten off the quad as soon as the fighting started and watched it
from the window, feeling sicker and sicker the longer it went on. He'd
considered transforming and going out there to stop it. . .but even as
Tuxedo Mask, what effect could he have on an angry mob?
	Once again, he was powerless. . .utterly powerless. . .
	"Serena. . .I really need to be alone right now."
	Oh, no, she thought. . .not again! He's said that. . .or something like
that. . .so much lately. . .
	"Darien, please talk to me. I know something's bothering you. . .and it's
been bothering you for weeks. I don't like seeing you like this! I want
*my* Darien back!" She sat at the table and took his hand in both of hers.
"Please, darling. . .can't we go back to your place and talk it over? You
know you can tell me anything at all."
	No, I can't, he thought. How can I tell you what I'm feeling inside? You
think of me as your dashing hero, Serena. . .what would you think if you
knew how weak I feel inside? If you knew you had only helped feed that
weakness by doing what you thought was good and right and healthy for the
relationship?
	"I'm all right, Serena. Really, I am. I'm just a bit stressed. . ."
	"You are *not*! I know you better than I know myself, Darien Chiba!
Something has made you change. . .and I want to find out what it is and
change you back. . ." She leaned over and whispered,  "I want to help you
like I helped you before. . .when you had just come back from the
Negaverse.  . ."
	He stiffened at that. Something he couldn't remember. . .something awful
that had happened. . .and Serena curing him of the aftermath, of depression
and a fear of being touched, through a combination of crystal  magic and
sex. . .
	Is that it? he thought. Did our relationship become unbalanced then and
there. . .and never correct itself?
	Maybe we should talk this out a little, clear the air. . .
	"All right," he said. "We'll go back to my apartment and talk."
	The drive to his place was quiet. . .too quiet. Darien's head was filled
with thoughts of their relationship so far. . .Serena teasing him,
stripping for him, covering him in food and licking it off. . .
	All *her* fantasies, he thought. My Gods. . .it's true. . .our sex life
*is* unbalanced. . .
	Suddenly, he felt even more powerless than ever.
	Once they got into his apartment, she led him to the couch and took his
hand in both of hers.
	"Now, Darien. . .please talk to me. . ."
	He let out a big sigh. "I've. . .I've been upset by what's been going on
at school. . ."
	"The pornography thing?"
	"Yes. . .it's been such a terrible atmosphere, so hostile. . .and both
sides have been trying to get me involved. . .and I've felt. . .I've felt.
. ."
	And suddenly, it all came rolling out of him, as if by itself.
	"I feel powerless. In every part of my life. Absolutely powerless. At
school, I'm nothing but 'the best-looking guy on campus' to everyone. Even
Lori. . .who gives so much lip service to not making people into objects. .
.treated me like that. And among the Sailor Soldiers. . .I'm not *quite*
one of you. I have a transformation, and weapons, and an attack. . .but I'm
still not a full Soldier. And then, with you. . ."
	Serena was shocked. What is he saying? With *me*? Is this. . .my fault?
Did I do something to. . .to drive him away. . .
	"We've always fulfilled *your* fantasies. Whenever we're together, you
take the lead, we do what *you* want to do. . .and sometimes, I feel. .
.manipulated."
	As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. . .even
though they were true.
	Look at her, he thought. Oh, Gods, the look on her face. . .it's as if
she'd been hit by lighting. . .I didn't want to hurt her, and I've done
just that.. .
	"You. . .you don't like our lovemaking?" she said, barely above a whisper.
	"Of course, I like it. . .it's just that I wish I. . .I want to. . .I
can't put it in words."
	"I thought you loved it!" Her voice was rising, in both volume and pitch.
"I thought you loved *me*!"
	"Serena. . .I *do* love you. I always will. I just wish that it wasn't so.
.so. . ."
	"Difficult? Loving me is difficult? Is that what you're saying?"
	"No. . .it's just that. . .Serena, I wish our relationship, our sex life,
was more. . .balanced."
	"Why didn't you tell me this before? Why did you just smile and laugh and
call me your little minx? I was so happy, Darien, because I thought *you*
were happy. Now I don't know what to think. It's almost like our entire
relationship has been a sham. Why did you just lead me on like that?"
	"Because. . .it didn't bother me. . .at first.. .but now, with everything
else happening. . . it's all just snowballed on me. . .suddenly, I'm very
much aware that I'm not a prince anymore. . ."
	"Oh, Darien. . ." Serena reached for him, to grab him and pull him into
her arms. . .and then thought, no, he said this was the problem, me being
forward. . .she let her arms drop to her side.
	"Please, Serena. . .just let me have some quiet time. . .when this mess at
school is over, I'll get my head sorted out again."
	"I want to help, Darien."
	"The best thing you can do for me. . .is just let me work it out. I
promise you, Serena. . .it won't always be like this."
	But there was a note of uncertainty in his voice that troubled Serena.
	He needs my help, she thought. More than ever before. . .but how can I
give it to him? I can't do anything about his situation at school. . .maybe
I can help with his Sailor Soldier status, talk to Luna, the other girls. .
.
	But that's not what he needs most of all. He needs. . .to feel like
himself again, a prince, a lover and a man.
	How do I do that, I wonder? I know absolutely nothing about psychology. .
.the last thing in the world I want to do is set out to make him feel
better and end up making him feel worse instead. Well, if anybody's going
to know. . .it's going to be Amy, right? After all, she *does* know
everything about everything. . .

* * *
	Lori sat alone in her room. . .where she had remained for the past several
hours.
	She didn't know if she ever wanted to see the outside world again.
	It had been a nightmare. . .the fight that just got bigger and bigger, the
gun going off, the police grabbing and interrogating everyone in sight. . .
	I'd just sit here and blame David, she thought, but was what just happened
really *his* fault? Really *my* fault? I admit it now. . .I lost control of
the situation. But when did it happen? And how?
	At first, she ignored the rapping at her door, willing the person to just
go away. But it went on. And on.
	She rolled over and got to her feet, fully intending to just open the door
and tell whoever was on the other side to go away.
	When she saw it was David, her first impulse was to slam the door in his
face. . .but something made her stop.
	"Hello, Lori," he said. "Can I come in? I think we need to talk. . .calmly."
	"Kind of late for that, isn't it?"
	"Please. . .just give me a few minutes of your time. "
	She moved out of the way, and he walked in. Her room was cluttered, he
noted, and dusty. . .books and clothes flung about willy-nilly. . .a sign
that its occupant had been too obsessive about her cause to attend to the
small details of her own life.
	It looked like his own room.
	He pushed some books and papers off her computer chair and sat down. She
began to pace around the room, arms held protectively against her body,
head down. The silence seemed endless and deafening.
	Finally, he said, "Lori, what happened today. . .I think it was a sign
that neither of us has control over this situation anymore. We aren't
accomplishing our goals. We're just causing a lot of pain. . ."
	She found herself snapping into her old defensive mode. . . "What do you
mean, not accomplishing our goals? I think I've brought a lot of awareness
to my cause! People know more about the damage pornography does than ever.
. ."
	And then, the pictures flashed through her mind. . .pictures of people who
were once friends scowling at each other, of scuffles breaking out all over
the school, of graffiti, property damage. . .and finally, the fight and
gunshot. . .
	Gods, she thought, all I wanted to do was to make sure that there would
never be another woman hurt by pornography. . .but so many other people
have been hurt, in so many ways. . .
 	Lori sighed and sat down.  "And. . .oh, Gods, I haven't really done
anything for my cause, have I?"
 	David tired to say something, stopped, then started again.  He shook his
head.  "I won't lie.  I don't think you've achieved anything worth the
cost."
 	"No, I haven't."
 	It was, perhaps, the hardest thing to admit in her life.  She was used to
failing, but . . . this was her fault.  Only her fault really.
 	"You . . . addressed symptoms, and . . ."
 	"I made them new problems."  Lori's words were as final as knife-cuts.
"That's what I did, didn't I.  I made it worse, not better.  Gods, what
happened today. . .it's going to haunt me for the rest of my life." She
twisted a piece of the bedspread between her fingers. "Hell, I think what I
did was backfiring on me. People seem to be writing more por. . .erotica,
now that there's so much attention on it. That storythat appeared on the
site right before all hell broke loose, the one about you and me. . ."
 	David raised a hand, cutting her sentence off.  "I have thick skin.
People who know me know its not true."
 	 Silence.
 	"You could argue with me."  Lori stated.
 	"No, you're right."
 	Another silence. 	"So. . .we both failed to do what we set out to do,"
she sighed. "Gods, if I had even made a *bit* of headway. . .it would have
been worth it. . ."
	"If either of us had made a bit of headway. . .what this whole thing did
to me, and to everyone I know. . ." He sighed. "Gods, I wasn't even going
to get involved at first. . .at least not to the extent that I did. . ."
	"So why did you?"
	"You want the Gods'-honest truth? It was because of you. You came out of
the gate like a bat out of hell. . .you were everywhere, making like some
kind of TV evangelist, preaching your no-porn gospel. . .and I knew that I
wasn't going to be able to compete with you by doing things the way I
usually did them. . .subtly. And I resented the hell out of that. I was
going to have to become the kind of loudmouth I usually hated in order to
get anything done. . .and I resented the hell out of *you* for that. It
made me obsessed. . .all I ever thought about was what you were going to do
next, how I could stay one step ahead of you. . .I was starting to feel
like another person, someone who isn't me. . .like. . .like a stalker."
	"I didn't go out of my way to make *your* life difficult, you know. I just
did what I had to, the way I've always done things. . .look, when you feel
the way I do about all this, it's damn near impossible to be *subtle.*"
	"And do your methods *always* extend to beating innocent people up?"
	"What the hell are you talking about? You said something about that just
before the fight. . .I didn't know what you were saying then and I don't
know what you're saying now."
	"My friend Tommy. . .one of your followers jumped him and beat the crap
out of him. Don't tell me you knew nothing about it?!"
	"Okay, I won't tell you. . .but I didn't. I didn't know half the things my
people were doing! It was like, all of a sudden, I lost control. .
.suddenly, they were all doing stuff on their own, and it wasn't. . .it
wasn't the kind of thing I approve of anymore. . .I didn't want to admit it
to myself at first, I told myself it was just random nuts that got attached
to my group. . .but then, I found out that even Meghan was involved in
nasty shit, ripping down signs, picking fights with people. . .and Pamela
was one of the people who stated that fight in the cafeteria. . ."
	David sighed. "Looks like we both went through the exact same thing."
	"There were so many times lately I wanted to give up. . .but then I
remembered why I got into this and I. . ." She broke off abruptly, crossing
her arms over her body as if trying to hold in hard-to-deal-with feelings.	
	"Lori. . .if I may ask. . .what made you get involved in this, anyway?"
	"That's personal."
	"I'm sorry to have asked."
	A pause, and then. . . "No. . .don't be sorry." She got up, walked to the
window slowly, and looked outside, up at the stars that were starting to
come out. "I did it because. . .because of what happened to me. My parents
got divorced when I was seven years old, and my mother remarried a few
years later. . .I couldn't stand the guy from the beginning. He treated my
mother like a slave, he bullied my brother and. . .and he had a huge
collection of pornography. Magazines, books, videos, the works. It took up
half the basement. I'd start to go down there, and I'd hear those tapes
going. . .he'd sit up half the night watching them. . .then, one night,
when I was 12, he'd been down there for a long time. . .and then, he came
into my room, and locked the door behind him. . .and then he. . ." She
stopped, trembling at the horror of the memory, tears starting to run down
her face.
	David listened in shock. He had suspected that something in her background
had made Lori the person she was today, had sparked the all-consuming
passion to wipe out smut. But he had no idea it was something like this. I
didn't even bother to put any serious thought into the matter, he thought.
Maybe if I had. . .maybe if I'd been willing to *think* about what made
Lori tick rather than getting all crazy and obsessed. . .I might have
figured it out. . .
	"It wasn't the only time, either. It happened over. . .and over. . .and
over. . .until one night, he hurt me pretty badly, and I started bleeding.
. .I didn't know what to do after he left me alone, I couldn't tell my
mother. . .I ended up sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night
and going to my friend Jenny's house. I'd always gotten along well with her
whole family. . .I swore both her and her mother to secrecy. . .but after
they took me to the hospital, they told my mother anyway. . ."
	She stopped, holding a hand to her mouth, tears running rapidly down her
face, struggling not to break out into full-blown sobs. . .
	Then, she wheeled around and snapped at him, "Why am I telling you this?
You'd never understand!"
	He paused, then got up and started to walk toward her. "You're wrong,
Lori. I do understand." And he drew out his wallet and withdrew a ring from
its folds, holding it up.
	She stared at it, puzzled. "An. . .engagement ring?"
	"It belonged to my ex-fiancee, Tracy. We were together all through high
school, and we were very much in love. She was reluctant to do anything
sexual with me. . .at first, I thought it was just jitters. Then, she told
me that when she was a child, her uncle moved in with them for awhile after
his apartment building was demolished. . .and he sexually abused her. I
held her and let her cry her pain out. . .she hadn't allowed herself to cry
since it had happened. I swore if I ever got my hands on the bastard I
would kill him. . .I don't know how many nights she'd wake up and call me
at 2 a.m., 3 a.m., because she'd had a nightmare about him. . .I'd go over
to her house and hold her until she could go back to sleep. . .and one of
those nights, we finally made love. It was a wonderful experience. .
.because it was a healing. . ."
	A healing for her, he thought. In my case, the anger never went away. .
.and it ended up being channeled later into other things. . .like my
obsession with Lori.
	Lori listened, dumbfounded. This was a sensitive side to David. . .Mr.
Intellectual. . .she never knew existed. . .
	"What. . .happened to her?" she said.
	"Our relationship ended up falling apart the way a lot of young love
relationships do. . .we went to separate colleges. She's going to school in
Osaka. We tried to keep the relationship going long-distance for awhile. .
.but we found ourselves growing apart. . ." He looked down at the ring. "I
still miss her. A *lot.*"
	"If you loved this woman who was abused. . .why do you support pornography?"
	"I *never* said I supported pornography, Lori. In fact. . .I can't stand
most of the hardcore stuff. But I *do* support the rights of people to
express themselves however they want."
	"Even if the result of that expression gets somebody hurt?"
	"Lori. . .people like your stepfather. . .I don't think the pornography
*causes* what's wrong with them. I think they're mentally unbalanced to
begin with. Pornography abuse is just a symptom. . .look, banning all
pornography because of a few people like that is equivalent to banning all
alcohol just because a certain amount of people are alcoholics."
	Lori gave a small smile. "Some of the more extreme people in my group want
to do *that* as well."
	"That's it? Some of the people in *my* group think women should be around
to walk about topless in public on hot days! Honestly, I used to wonder
what piece of the woodwork they came out of. . ."
	"Oh, that's okay. A couple of *my* people object to having a Christian
Bible in the school chapel because it describes a single male god. They
want to rewrite it so every reference to the deity is 'he/she'. . ." She
laughed. "Silly, isn't it?"
	"Yes. . .I think that's what may have been at the heart of all this all
along. . .a kind of silliness. . ."
	She took a deep breath, gazed out the window. How nice to *talk* to David, not scream at him. . .he actually seems like a nice, interesting person, she thought. . .
	"Yes. . .silliness. And it's time we put an end to the silliness. After
all, we're the only ones who can. What should we do now?"


* * *

	Darien was alone in his apartment, rooting around in his refrigerator for
something to make dinner out of. . .a dinner he knew he wasn't going to
eat.
	He thought about what had happened with Serena earlier. The look on her
face when he had told her the truth about how she'd been manipulating him.
. .it had hurt him down to the bottom of his soul.
	I'm sorry, sweetheart, he thought. I am *so* sorry. . .but it had to get
out in the open if our relationship has any chance of surviving. . .Gods,
who would have thought that *we,* the so-called perfect couple, would be
facing relationship problems like this. . .I feel, somehow, like it's all
my fault. . .but is it, really? We're probably both to blame. . .
	Just then, he heard something at his door. It wasn't quite a knock. . .it
was more of. . .a scratching. Like feline paws. . .
	Curious, he went over and opened the door. . .and saw nobody.
	"Darien. . .I'm down here!" said a voice. He tilted his head downward. . .
	"Artemis?"
	"Got a minute? I'd like to have a chat."
	Well, this is unusual, Darien thought. He'd never had much dealings with
either of the feline guardians. . .he had a feeling they considered him an
outsider, an interloper. . .someone who was just getting in the way of the
Sailor Team. . .
	"Sure," he said, moving out of the way. Artemis walked into the living
room and hopped up on a chair, seating himself comfortably.
	"It's the first time I've been here that this place isn't filled with
young girls," the cat said.
	"I'm quite alone tonight," Darien said, sitting down on the couch.
	"So I've heard."
	"What do you mean?"
	"Darien, Serena is going half out of her mind because of how you've been
acting lately. . ."
	He raised his hand. "I know, I know. . .I talked to her earlier. There's.
. .some things we're going to have to work out. . ."
	"Some things that *you* are going to have to work out," Artemis said.
"Darien. . .I think I know what you're going through. . ."
	"No offense, Artemis. . .but. . .I don't think you do. I don't think
anyone could. There's nobody. . .absolutely nobody. . .whose experiences
match mine. . ."
	Artemis paused, then said, "In the shadow of a dominant woman. . .always
feeling like 'the other,' a second-class citizen. . .wondering what you're
really contributing to the 'big picture'. . ."
	Darien looked at Artemis, his eyes registering surprise. How did he know,
he thought. . .how did he know what I've been going through. . .
	"It's kind of a been-there-done-that," Artemis said. "It's. . .how I feel
a lot of the time."
	Darien couldn't believe what he was hearing. "*You*? I can't believe that
*you* feel like that. You always seem so confident, so cool, so. . ."
	"And so do you, Darien. How long have you been hiding your problem while
looking calm, cool and collected on the outside?"
	Darien sighed, deep in thought for a moment. . .
	"At first, I thought it was just since this mess on campus began. .
.everyone rushing me, trying to recruit me for their side just because I
was 'the best-looking guy in the school'. . .but now, when I really think
about it. . .it's been in the back of my head for a long time. I don't
think I've felt I was *somebody*, really, truly *somebody*, since the
Silver Millenium. I used to be a prince. . .what am I now?"
	"You still are a prince, you know. That, nobody can take away from you."
	"Well, I don't *feel* like one."
	"But you still *act* like one. You are always very regal, in everything
you do. . .Queen Cassiopeia had a strong influence on you. You're a lot
like her, very strong, but sensitive. . .and intelligent. . .and
commanding. . ."
	"Commanding? That's a laugh. I can't even command my own life. . ."
	"I think you *do* have the ability to command your own life. You just
don't realize it. You haven't reached your full potential."
	"Full potential? I have no idea what that is. I've never had anyone to
give me guidance. . .not since my parents died. I've been completely on my
own since I was six. . .I grew up in an orphanage. I knew there was
something different about me, but nobody was there to tell me what it was.
. .I ended up discovering and training my psychic abilities on my own. And
as for Tuxedo Mask. . .well, that just kind of *happened.*"
	"The fact that you were able to do so much on your own. . .shows how great
your potential is. Darien. . .I want to help you reach that potential. Both
as a person, and as a Sailor Soldier."
	"You actually consider me a Sailor Soldier? I don't think anybody else
does. Sometimes. . .I don't think even Serena does."
	"I do. You have magical power. . .more magical power than I've ever seen a
man wield. I can tell you right now that Luna doesn't. . .she carries a lot
of the old prejudices against males from the Silver Millennium." Artemis
looked downcast, a shadow seeming to pass across his eyes. . .
	"You sound like you know that first-hand all too well."
	"Well, she *can* act like she's the only one in charge. . .like I'm a
second-class citizen. . .just because I'm the male cat." He gave a sheepish
grin. "I've gotten very used to taking the full brunt of two very
strong-willed women. My partner, and my charge."
	Darien sighed. "You're right. . .we're both going through the same thing,
it seems. . .we're both the token males."
	"But you can be more, Darien. . .so much more. Seeing what you've managed
to do on your own makes me wonder what you could accomplish if you had the
proper training."
	Darien looked down at his own clasped hands. Yes, he thought. . .if I have
that potential, I want to reach it. . .I want to reclaim the power of the
prince. . .
	"And you think you can help?"
	"Trust me, Darien. . .I've been training Sailor Soldiers for over a
thousand years. Besides. . .it would be nice for us to just do something
together. I haven't exactly been surrounded with male friends myself. It
would be nice to just hang out with someone who understands."
	Darien wanted to laugh. He needed a buddy, all right. . .he didn't have
any *truly* close male friends. . .how could he? None of them would
understand what his life was like. . .
	But the idea of that buddy being a *cat*. . .he had a mental image of
himself carrying around Artemis in a basket like Mina, going to "guy
places" like football games, bars, go-go joints. . .
	That doesn't matter, he thought. Artemis *is* an experienced mentor. .
.and a nice guy who seems genuinely concerned about me. . .plus, he
remembers the Silver Millennium. . .
	Maybe. . .hanging out with him is just what I need to help me recover my
prince self. . .
	"You've got a deal, buddy," he said, holding out a hand. Artemis just
stared at it for a second. . .then gingerly put his paw on top of it,
shaking it up and down.
	"I think we should get together this weekend. . .you have no Saturday
classes, right?"
	"Never have," Darien replied.
	"Saturday, then.. .I'll come over here about noon, and we'll talk. .
.maybe work a little on your abilities. . ."
	"I'm looking forward to it," Darien said. . .and meant it.
	"Well, I have to be going back to Mina's. . .remember what I said, Darien.
. .nobody can take your status as a prince away from you." He hopped off
the couch and headed for the door. Darien opened it. . .
	"By the way. . .how'd you get up here?"
	"I just waited until someone opened the door, and then ran into the lobby.
. .then waited until someone got off the elevator and ran into it. . .I had
to jump up and hit the buttons, and it took me a few tries until I got the
right one. I think I stopped on every floor."
	Darien smiled. "Next time. . .I'll be downstairs, waiting for you. I think
that's a bit easier. And for now. . .I'll take you down."
	Once Artemis was gone, and Darien was alone again, he thought. . .I feel a
bit better now. . .it certainly sounds like Artemis understands me,
understands where I'm coming from. . .and if he doesn't, he's willing to
make the effort to learn.
	Plus, he honestly believed in Darien, believed in his potential to be more
than a rose-throwing fashion plate. Has anyone ever believed in me like
that before? he thought.
	Serena. . .Serena does. . .or does she? Oh, Gods, I'm not sure anymore. . .
	And suddenly, with that thought, his full burden seemed to be back on his
shoulders. . .he had a mentor and friend now, that was certain. . .but he
still had a troubled relationship. . .
	I don't think Artemis can fix this one, he thought. I don't even know if
the gods can fix this one. . .
	Serena. . .Serena. . .oh, Gods, if only things could be as they once were.
. .or at least the way I always wanted them to be. . .

* * *

	Serena was filled with purpose when she knocked on Amy's door. She's *got*
to know something, she thought. Even if she's never had a problem like this
with Adam. . .she's *got* to have come across something in those books
she's always got her nose stuck in. . .
	Amy was a bit surprised to see Serena on her doorstep. At this time of
night, she was usually either with Darien or at home, pretending to do
homework. . .besides, Serena had vanished from school after lunch, and it
was generally assumed that she had gotten sick.
	"Hi, Amy!" Serena said. "What's up?"
	"Umm. . .not too much. . .studying. . ."
	"Well, what else is new? Just was coming from Darien's house. . ."
	She left his place early? Amy thought. This doesn't sound like her. . .
	". . .and I thought I'd stop in and say hello. So, how are you doing?"
	"Okay. . .want to have a seat?"
	Serena plopped herself on the couch. Why aren't the words coming? she
thought. Why can't I start a conversation with Amy about this? I've usually
been able to talk to her easily before. . .
	Fortunately, Amy started the conversation for her. "You were missing from
school this afternoon."
	"Oh, yeah. . .did I miss anything?"
	"Why, Serena? I thought you had gotten sick. . .but now it looks like you
didn't. . ."
	"Um, no, it wasn't anything like that. . ."
	"Something with your family?"
	"Oh, no. They're all fine."
	Amy was adding up the pieces in her mind Serena's absence from school. .
.the fact that she wasn't her usual chatty self. . .the fact that she'd
been at Darien's briefly. . .
	"Serena. . .is something wrong with you and Darien?"
	Serena almost fell off the couch. How did she know? she thought. Am I that
transparent? "Yes. . .I mean no. . .I mean. . .something's wrong with
*Darien*, mostly. And I know I have at least something to do with it. . ."
	"What's wrong? Is he depressed?"
	"I don't know. . .I mean. . .when I just talked to him, he said he felt. .
.he felt like he was out of control, like he had no control over anything.
. .and that includes our love life. He said I was manipulating him. . ."
	Amy gave a start at this. Serena and Darien. . .seemingly the perfect
couple. . .were going through a problem like this? Darien felt like she was
*manipulating* him? It was a shocker, all right. . .
	But part of her was curious, wanted to find out more. Her interest in
sexuality, in relationships had multiplied tremendously in the wake of
recent events. Here was a test case of a couple who were seemingly happy,
but were in trouble. She could learn a lot from the dynamics of the
relationship. And, of course, possibly hearing about specific things they'd
do together in bed. . .things she could duplicate in her own life. .
.didn't hurt either.
	"Why does he think that?"
	"Well, when we. . .go to bed, you know. . .I'm usually the one who comes
up with what we're going to be doing, how we're going to be doing it. .
.like the times I used food. . ."
	Now *that* piqued Amy's curiosity. "Food? How did you do that?" Hmm, she
thought. . .maybe there's an idea I could use there. . .
	"Oh, mostly spreading it on him and, well. . .licking it. Chocolate syrup,
jelly, butter, that kind of thing. . ."
	Amy had a quick mental flash of herself doing that to Adam. Yes, she
thought, there is *definitely* unusual. . .and sexy. . .we could take turns
doing it. . .
	Then, she stopped herself, and blushed deeply. . .what was she thinking?
Amy, she thought, how could you even *think* of your own pleasure when your
friend's in need. . .
	She mentally filed the food idea away for  future reference.
	"But. . .the thing is. . .I thought he liked it! He was always calling me
his little minx and laughing about some of the things I did. . .I didn't
realize I was hurting him!"
	"Maybe he didn't realize it himself. . .until now. He's right in the
middle of that mess at the college. . .all the stress might have brought
out feelings he's repressed."
	"I don't know. . .all I know is he feels so lost, and I don't know what I
can do for him. I mean, it's not as if I can just wave my Moon Scepter and
make everything all better. . .like I did. . ."
	And suddenly, an image popped into her head of something that had happened
more than a year ago. . .the first night they had spent together. . .he had
been hurt by Beryl - kidnapped, raped, brainwashed - and she had healed
him. . .with her crystal, and her scepter. . .and her body.
	"Like you did. . .when?" Amy said. "When he was possessed by the Negaverse?"
	"No. . .no, after. . .I made love to him for the first time to heal him
of. . .the possession." The fact that Darien had been raped while in the
Negaverse was something that would always remain a secret between the two
of them. "I pushed myself at him, really. . .and I never stopped pushing. .
."
	Oh, Gods, she thought. . .I had wanted to heal him and I ended up hurting
him in the end.  . .
	"Was it *just* in bed, Serena?" said Amy.
	"No. . .I used to make the decisions in other parts of our relationship as
well. . .like what movie we were going to see, or where we were going to go
for dinner. . ."
	Of course, it wasn't always *me* in chage, she thought. Very often, *both*
of us got led around by the nose by Reenie. *She* would dictate what we
were going to do, where we were going to go.
	He always did try to act like "superdad" with Reenie, he thought. Paying
constant attention to her, doing whatever she wanted. . .Maybe he thought
if he could be the perfect father, it would make him more of a man.
	But it was mostly the sex, Serena thought. We were usually of the same
mind with the other stuff anyway. . .there was never much disagreement
about where we were going to go and what we were going to do. But with sex.
. .I was *always* in the driver's seat. . .
	"Perhaps," said Amy, "you just need to do the opposite for awhile. . .just
relax and let him take the lead in your relationship."
	And then, the idea flashed into Serena's head like divine revelation.
Putting together the memory of that first night. . .and what Amy had just
said. . .Serena knew just what to do, just how she could make Darien feel
better. . .
	She leapt to her feet. "Amy. . .I've got it! I know just what he needs!
And tomorrow night. . .I'm going to heal him! Once and for all!" (And, she
thought, maybe heal myself as well. . .) She jumped up from the couch and
headed for the door. "I know just the kind of things I have to get, too. .
.thank you *so* much for listening, Amy. . ."
	"Any time," Amy said, watching her friend rush off into the night.
	I still can't believe it, Amy thought. Serena and Darien having
difficulties.  . .if *those* two can't work something out, there's
definitely something wrong. . .
	She silently prayed that they would find a solution to their problem, and
if she and Adam ever ran into a similar difficulty, they'd be able to find
a way out of it as well. . .
	And then, she thought of what Serena had been talking about, with the food. . .
	Okay, maybe it was a bad thing to do *all the time*, like Serena had done
with Darien. . .but one experiment, just one time, couldn't hurt at all,
could it?
	She went to the fridge and found a bottle of chocolate syrup. She poured a
dab on her finger, licked it off. . .and dreamed about how it would taste
on something else. . .

* * *

	David was expecting to find the cluster of angry Freedom League members in
front of his door. After all, the announcement of the compromise solution
had hit the campus like a tidal wave, leaving everyone in shock.
	Their stares seemed to pierce through him like daggers.
	Before he even had a chance to open his mouth, Mike said to him, "Man, you
sold us out! How could you?"
	"I did *not* sell us out. We still have the right to access whatever we
want on the campus site. . ."
	"Yeah. . .in restricted areas of the library!" Richie said. "It's
censorship! And what's this 'password-protected area of the site'
bullshit?"
	"Look, we can still access what we want in the privacy of our own rooms. .
.and any students at our college can request a password with no questions
asked. You can still write and post anything you want!"
	"Yeah. . .until somebody complains!" Mike said.
	"Nothing's going to be taken off the site unless the subject of a story
finds it particularly offensive. We wanted to avoid. . ."
	And then, Bruce - a linebacker for the football team and one of David's
most vocal supporters - grabbed David and slammed him up against the wall.
"You GAVE IN TO THAT LORI BITCH!" he shouted. "After all we did. . .all we
went through. . .YOU LET HER WIN!"
	But David just calmly replied, "I did NOT let her win. But I also could
*not* let it go on any longer. You saw what happened to Tommy. Did you want
it to happen to all of us? You saw what happened on the quad. . .you were
all in the middle of it! A gun went off. . .what was next, someone getting
killed?"
	Bruce slowly let David go. He pulled away, and put his keys in the door.
	"Now, if you'll excuse me. . .I have homework to catch up on. Good evening."
	He entered the apartment calmly and locked the door behind him. . .then
let out a long sigh of relief. Thank the Gods he didn't hit me, he thought.
. .
	It had been a long, long day, which had begun with himself and Lori going
to the office of the Dean of Students with the compromise solution they had
hammered out the night before in hand. The basic theme was freedom with
responsibility. Students would still be able to surf whatever Web sites
they wanted in the library. . .but only in a specially designated back
room. Adult material would still be allowed on the Web site. . .in a
special password-protected area, accessible only to the students and to
people who could furnish proof that they were at least 18. Any student who
was the subject of a work of erotica on the site, and who felt the piece
was particularly detrimental to his or her reputation, would have the right
to request it be taken down.
	The dean had been all to happy to accept the terms and cancel the
election. . .the college's administration had been debating whether to let
the vote go on. By noon, David and Lori were on the campus radio station,
announcing the compromise.
	By 2 p.m., it had spread around the college like wildfire.
	David had expected people to not exactly be happy. But he didn't expect
the overwhelming negativity. He'd had people coming up to him all day,
accusing him of giving in to Lori. . .
	I *didn't* give in to her, he thought. Neither of us gave in to each
other. If anything, both of us gave in to the situation. . .
	He took out his wallet and removed a folded piece of paper from right next
to Tracy's ring. Unfolding it, he looked at the phone number. . .the one
phone number he thought he'd never call.
	She picked it up on the third ring. "Hi, Lori. . .how's it going?"
	"Shitty. So far, I've been called about 20 different obscenities, my tires
have been slashed and my so-called best friends have stopped talking to
me."
	"Sounds like your people are taking it about as well as mine are."
	"You too?"
	"I just came within a hair's breadth of getting the crap beat out of me by
a linebacker."
	She let out a long breath. "Gods. . .maybe we didn't do the right thing."
	"I don't know about that. I have this feeling that this will go on for a
day or two. . .and then, everything will start to calm down."
	"Huh. Aren't *you* the optimist."
	"Look, right now everyone's just reeling from the shock of this coming to
such an abrupt end. When they calm down, and they get a chance to *think*
about this. . .they'll see that we had *everyone's* best interests in
mind."
	"And in the meantime, we're as popular as AIDS."
	"Comes with the territory, I'm afraid. When the dust settles, the people
who are your *real* friends will come back around to you. The people who
aren't. . .well, their friendship isn't worth having, anyway."
	She gave a big sigh. "You seem to know a lot about this for someone who
had stayed away from big, hot controversies before."
	"I've talked to a lot of people who have been there before, Lori. Like
Professor Birch. He's a fascinating person. . .he's been an activist for
decades. You should meet him sometime."
	"Maybe I will. . .we can swap war stories. Lord knows I need all the
friends I can get right now."
	David felt a surge of emotion toward his ex-rival. . .was it. .
.protectiveness? It caught him off-guard. Lori, the iron woman, suddenly
was vulnerable.
	"Tell you what. . .if you want to have a mutual bitch session, where we
can both get it off our chests. . .we can meet tomorrow at Crown Cafe for
coffee. Say, about 10 o'clock?"
	There was a bit of a pause on her end. . .and then, she said, "I'd like that."
	"Great! I'll see you then. . ."
	"Okay! Good night. . ."
	David hung up the phone, and looked at the piece of paper in his hand,
folding it, unfolding it, folding it again. . .
	Irony of ironies, he thought, that in the end, after all the fighting, all
the division, that the leaders of the two opposing camps would be turning
to each other for a shoulder to cry on.

* * *

Serena let herself into Darien's apartment with her key. She knew by heart
by now what time he was expected home on a Friday.
	How many times had she come in here and prepared the apartment for a night
of romance. . .lighting candles, putting potpourri on to simmer, cooking. .
.making everything into *her* vision of the perfect setting.
	Tonight. . .things would be different.
	She dropped her bag in his bedroom, opened it, and got out what she needed. . .
	About half an hour later, Darien headed up the elevator, feeling weary to
the bone.
	The news of the compromise solution had caused him no end of relief.
Finally, the squabbling would be over, his campus would be a *college,* not
a battlefield. . .and maybe he'd be treated as something other than a prize
to be fought over.
	It didn't make him feel that much better. He was well aware now that the
porn controversy had only been one facet of his problem.
	He opened his door and walked into his apartment. . .
	And there, kneeling on the floor, was a vision in pink. Or, rather. . .a
little bit of pink.
	Serena was wearing a lacy little scrap of a bra, matching panties. . .and
a pink ribbon looped around her wrists. Her hair was loose and spilling
over her back, her legs, onto the floor. . .
	He sucked in his breath. He'd seen her in sexy lingerie before, but there
was something different in her pose, in the way she looked up at him with
huge, trusting blue eyes. . .
	"Darien," she said in her softest, sweetest voice, "I have a present for
you. Me."
	"Serena. . ." He waited for her to get to her feet, to grab him and pull
him into an embrace like she normally would - but instead, she stayed where
she was.
	"Tonight, I'm yours completely," she said. "Tell me to do anything. .
.anything at all. . .and I'll do it. And you can do anything to me."
	He was thunderstruck. She was offering herself. . .completely?
	A confused mix of feelings swept through him. Part of him wanted to tell
her that she didn't have to do this, to get up and forget about this, to
put her clothes on and he'd take her out to dinner, and then they'd have
another talk about their relationship. . .
	But there was something. . .something in the absolute trust in those wide
blue eyes. . .that was arousing twin emotions in him.
	One was protectiveness. She was putting herself in the most vulnerable
position imaginable to give him pleasure, to fulfill his fantasies. . .he
found that incredibly touching.
	And the other emotion. . .was pure desire. She had *never* looked more
beautiful to him. Plus, the fact that she was so submissive. . .that he
knew she was going to make no demands on him, that she wouldn't force him
to perform. . .was making his imagination roam wild and free. . .
	She's letting me be in charge, he thought. She's letting me do what *I*
want. She's letting me be *me.*
	He got on one knee beside her, so they were almost level, and tilted her
chin up with his fingers.
	His mouth claimed hers gently. . .but she didn't respond. She was letting
him take the lead, determine the intensity of the kiss. . .He increased the
pressure of his lips, pushing his tongue forward, and she opened her mouth,
allowing him to probe it, to run his tongue over her tongue. . .Only then
did she allow her tongue to move, and stroke his.
	He broke the kiss. "Stay here," he said. "I'll be right back."
	"Yes, Your Highness."
	Your Highness, he thought. . .she's addressing me by my royal title. .
.she's treating me like a prince. . .
	He felt emotion rising in his throat, choking him. He swallowed the tears back.
	Tonight is my night to be strong, he thought, not vulnerable. He quickly
hurried into his bedroom, where he shed his clothes, folding them neatly
over a chair.
	Now, he thought, what do I do? Where do I start? I never thought I'd be in
a situation like this. . .I know what a lot of the guys at school would do.
They'd grab a belt and start whacking her. . .or order her to have sex with
another woman with them watching. . .
	He caught himself. I'm really thinking the worst of everyone at school,
aren't I? he thought. This controversy really did leave a sour taste in my
mouth. But the hell with it - it's over now. Tonight, I'm going to put all
that stuff behind me, for good.
	He took a deep breath and willed himself to relax, his mind to empty. .
.he felt the tension start to drain away from him, and as it did, thoughts
and fantasies began to fill his head.
	He knew what he wanted to do.
	Naked, he walked back into the living room, where Serena was in the same
position. . .even her pink ribbon hadn't changed. She looked even more
sweet and vulnerable than before.
	"All right, honey. . .I accept your gift. Stand up, please." She obeyed,
her eyes downcast. "Now, you want to please your prince, don't you?"
	"Yes."
	"You're willing to obey me *completely*?"
	"Yes, my prince."
	"Good. Come into the bedroom with me, please."
	She followed him, with her eyes obediently downcast, like a geisha, still
keeping the ribbon wrapped around her hands. . .
	When they reached the doorway, he took the ribbon away, putting it on the
dresser. "We'll use this later. Right now, I want both your hands free."
	He opened the bottom drawer of his dresser, where he had various outfits
she'd bought and stored there throughout their relationship. . .sexy
nightgowns, bits of lingerie, accessories. . .things she did not want her
parents to see. He spread them all out on the bed.
	"I want you to model these things for me," he said in a quiet, sensual
tone. "Take off what you're wearing."
	Serena slowly undid her bra and dropped it to the floor. Her gorgeous
breasts had never looked more inviting, now that he knew they were
*completely* open to him, that he could touch them, taste them whenever and
however he wanted. . .Her panties followed, and she looked like a fragile
goddess. . .a captured queen. . .
	"Now," he said, "put on the black nightgown."
	She took the garment and dropped it over her head. It was sheer, barely
veiling her nudity, making her even more alluring.
	"Breathtaking," he said. "You *look* like a future queen. Beautiful and regal."
	She remained in a demure pose, her eyes downcast - but he could see a
smile playing at her lips, and it warmed his heart.
	"Go over to that chair. . .and I want you to turn it around, facing me. .
.good. . .now sit so you're straddling the seat, with one leg on either
side. . ."
	She gracefully slid into the position, the sheer fabric stretching over
her body as she did so, revealing even more of her. . .He felt his breath
start to quicken, and his blood run hot.
	"Arms over your head. . . now put them under your hair and hold them up. .
.turn a little bit to the left. . ."
	He'd seen her wearing that outfit so many times before, but now it was as
if he were looking at her wearing it for the first time. There was just
something about her bearing that made the whole thing different.
	"I could just gaze at you forever," he said in his most erotic whisper.
"You're like a living painting, an art object in motion."
	She didn't say a word. . .but just looked at him with eyes filled with
love. . .
	I'm enjoying this, she thought. I can't remember the last time I felt so
relaxed when we were getting ready to make love. . .it's such a relief not
to have to be dreaming up new ways to please him, to fire his imagination.
. .funny, I never realized until now what a strain I was putting on myself.
. .
	"All right," he said. "Now stand up, and take this off. . .and put on
those lacy black panties. . ."
	Swiftly, she changed clothes, then stood quietly, awaiting his further
pleasure.
	"Kneel on the bed, right here, your back to me. . .and lean over so your
arms are resting on the headboard. . ."
	The panties he'd selected fit her bottom snugly, hugging the curves and
clearly outlining the cleavage between. The pose put that bottom on full
display. . .he had a chance to just gaze on that part of her, just
contemplate it. . .in a way he didn't when they were in their usual frantic
motion.
	And just looking at it made his manhood rise a little more.
	He went over to her and smoothed a hand over the silky fabric. "So sexy,"
he whispered,letting a finger run up and down the cleavage, softly
caressing her through the fabric. "Like it were carved from marble. .
.curved just right, and so womanly. . ."
	She gasped as she felt his touch. She resisted an urge to thrust her hips
backwards, to mutely beg for more. . .
	But he moved his hand lower, running it over her leg, gently massaging the
curves before easing away altogether.
	"I want you to change again," he said. "Put on the white teddy, and the
stockings."
	As he watched her dress, he felt his erection swelling more. Gods, he
thought, who would have thought I'd get so aroused from barely touching
her! This is incredible. . .like nothing I've ever experienced before. . .
	"Lie on your stomach," he said. "Now bring yourself up on all fours. .
.look over at me. . .get up on your knees. . .now pull the straps down,
slowly. . .more. . .let me see your breasts. . ."
	She obeyed him, lowering the garment until it was almost waist-level, then
looking back up at him. He'd seen her half-clothed hundreds of times, but
she had never looked more exposed, more vulnerable. . .
	He came over to her, sat on the bed beside her, and drew her head to his.
Again, she let him take the lead with the kiss, not opening her lips until
he opened his. . .His hand reached down to her chest, cupping a breast and
gently caressing, stroking his thumb over the nipple. He felt her tense and
shudder, and an answering shudder of desire ran through his own body. He
eased his mouth from hers, and began to kiss down her neck, nibbling here
and there. . .then over the curve of her breast. . .when he reached the
nipple, he licked it, then drew it into his mouth, sucking firmly,
possessively, so she was right at the border between pleasure and pain. .
.She cried out, loudly, feeling herself flooded with sensations more
intense than any she had experienced before.
	He moved his mouth to the other breast and ran his tongue over the
hardened bud, savoring its feel, its taste, before sucking it as he had the
first. Gods, she had never tasted so good before. His erection was hot and
throbbing, and he knew he was going to need release, soon.
	Darien raised his head, and said, "I can't get enough of you. You look so
gorgeous, feel so good, taste so delicious. . .I want to make the most of
my gift, I want to experience you every way I can. We're going to do
something different now. . .take this outfit off, and bring me the ribbon."
	She stood up, dropping her clothes to the floor. He sat at the edge of the
bed with his legs apart. When she brought the requested item, he took it
from her and said, "Turn around. . .hands behind your back."
	When she obeyed, he tied her hands together, making sure the knot was just
tight enough to assure she couldn't "escape."
	He gently ran his thumb over her lips, whispering, "You have such a
gorgeous mouth, Serena. . .just full enough to look really sensual. . .and
soft, your lips are so soft. . .I love feeling them so much, on every part
of me. . .I want to feel them on my manhood right now. . ."
	Serena had never felt more willing to do this before in her life. She felt
so relaxed, so open, so willing to offer herself. . .She dropped to her
knees, kissing his manhood reverently, running her tongue up and down the
shaft and around the head. His moans encouraged her. . .She opened her
mouth and slid him in, bit by bit. . .somehow, it didn't surprise her that
she was able to take him in deeper than she ever had before.
	She started a steady, firm suction, moving her head back and forth slowly.
Darien let out a loud groan. . .ohh, yes, it was so good. . .she was always
good at this, but now. . .now, she was spectacular. She was speeding up,
bit by bit, sucking a bit harder, and Darien could only lean back,
luxuriating in the waves of hot pleasure washing through his body.
	"Oooh, yes," he groaned. "Yes. . .like that. . .so good, it's so good. .
.now down, lower. . .please. . ."
	Serena slid him out of her mouth, then licked her way down the shaft, down
to the sac beneath. . .She ran her tongue over it, slowly, then took one of
the testicles in her mouth, ever-so-gently, and began a gentle suction.
Darien let out a loud cry, his body arching toward her. . .oh, Gods, she'd
*never* done that to him before! She moved her head over, and did the same
to the other side. . .he was close to losing it then and there. . .
	"Back up," he moaned. "Like before. . .love me with your mouth. . ."
	She licked back up to the tip of his manhood, and slid him in again, this
time beginning her most vigorous sucking yet. . .and she knew that when the
time came, she was *not* going to pull away. She wanted to know what it was
like to take his seed completely within her, to swallow him, to have him be
a part of her. . .
	Darien felt himself on the brink. He gently pushed on Serena's head,
trying to warn her to get out of the way. . .but she seemed to be firmly
staying where she was. . .She was breaking the promise to do anything he
wanted here. . .or was she? He'd fantasized about her swallowing him
before, but didn't dare vocalize it. . .had she picked up on the fantasy
when their minds had been linked in the past?
	And then, the passion within him erupted, and liquid fire roared through
his veins. He let out a shout, feeling the seed pour from him right into
his lover's willing mouth, feeling her suck even harder at him, as if not
to miss a single drop. . .
	Serena had gagged at the first rush of fluid, not sure if she could do it.
. .and then she reminded herself that this wasn't something gross and
disgusting. . .it was part of the man she loved, and by swallowing it, they
were truly one.  And suddenly, it began sliding down her throat as easily
as a rich dessert. Effortlessly, she took more of it inside her, feeling it
become a part of her. A sense of well-being flooded her, and a sense of
incredible love.
	He sagged forward, exhausted, bedazzled. . .and deeply touched. She had
her head in his lap, awaiting his further pleasure. . .He snuggled against
her, kissing her temple.
	"You were wonderful," he whispered. 	
	"Thank you, my prince," she replied.
	"You took everything. . .you swallowed me. . ."
	"It was my pleasure."
	"No. . .it was mine. I have *never* felt so close to you. I was so
surprised. . .and so happy. . ."
	"I'm so glad. . .and I've never felt so close to you, either."
	He gently kissed her. "I'm going to have to lie down and rest after that
one. . .come lie beside me."
	He lay on his back against the pillows, and she lay with her head on his
chest. He untied her wrists and wrapped his arms around her, twining his
fingers in her hair. With a deep, satisfied sigh, he drifted off to sleep.
	She lay quietly, watching him. I offered myself completely, told him he
could do anything. . .and he's treated me like a treasure. . .
	I never realized before how much trust we'd built up in our relationship.
Even after everything I did to manipulate him. . .he still refuses to get
back at me, to hurt me. . . so many guys would have taken advantage of the
situation. . .did I expect him to? Did I think I deserved it? On some
level, I think I did. . .I thought I *deserved* to be punished for what I'd
done.
	But if she had before. . .she didn't now. Somehow, this extra-intimate act
of joining was making her feel more relaxed, more comfortable with herself
and her sexuality than ever before. She didn't have to *do*. . .she could
just *be.* What a relief. . .
	I love you so much, Darien, she thought. And the night's still not over. . .
	She lightly kissed him, then allowed herself to doze off as well.

* * *
	When he awoke, the first thing he did was run a hand over her side, from
shoulder to thigh, tracing her curves. . .
	She's become so womanly, he thought, since I first met her. She's grown
up, filled out. . .
	And tonight. . .I think she's become more womanly in her mind, as well.
	Serena stirred and opened her eyes. "Hello, sweetheart," he said. "You're
a great sight to wake up to."
	"Thank you, my prince."
	"Stand up. . .let me see all of you. . ."
	Serena stood at the side of the bed, and Darien sat up, reaching for her,
running a hand down her neck, over her breast, over her flat stomach. . .He
gently cupped the golden curls covering her most secret juncture, caressing
just hard enough to bring a moan from her.
	"You've been very good to me so far," he said. "I think a reward is in order."
	And he slipped a finger into her folds, thrilling at the feel of her
wetness, her warmth. . .He rubbed back and forth over her entrance, poking
the finger just inside, then withdrawing it, then poking it just inside
again. She bit her lip, resisting the urge to cry out, to thrust against
him. . .
	Darien moved the finger up, just barely touching her pearl. . .then down
to her entrance again, teasing it before moving up once more. . .this time,
Serena couldn't suppress a whimper, especially when he quickly circled her
jewel once, twice, three times. . .before pulling his hand away altogether.
	"What's wrong?"
	"Please, my prince. . .please!"
	"Please what?"
	She was scorching-hot all over, feeling that she'd go mad if she didn't
acheive fulfillment soon. The very suspense. . .the not knowing what was
going to happen, the total lack of control over the situation. . .was
erotic in itself.
	"Please. . .keep doing what you were doing. . .make me come. . ."
	"Hmm. . .maybe I will. . ." He brought his finger to her nether lips,
pressing on them but not going in between. . .Serena whimpered again.
	"And. . .maybe I won't." He withdrew the finger. "I don't want to do this
anymore. . ." He was enjoying playing the role of the wicked tease. .
.something he'd never gotten a chance to before.
	" Please, your highness. . .please, please give me an orgasm. . .I feel
like I'm on fire, I have to have it. . ."
	"Hmm. . ." He paused, as if weighing the decision, drawing the tease out a
bit more. . . "All right." He got the pink ribbon and tied her hands behind
her again. "Now stand here. . .and bend over, so your head and shoulders
are touching the bed. . ."
	Serena obeyed, her heart pounding in anticipation. She knew what was
coming. . .and she knew, just knew it would be different than ever before.
. .
	She heard him open the drawer, tear a condom packet. . .
	He was behind her, grasping her hips. For a split second, she thought of
when he traced the line between her buttocks, and wondered if he was going
to take her there. There was a flash of fear. . .but also a warm wave of
curiosity. It surprised her, that she'd suddenly find herself wondering
what something she'd dared not think about before would be like.
	But instead, he entered her womanhood from behind. . .forcefully. Serena
cried out, her hands clenching into fists. And he began to thrust with
equal force. . .possessing her totally, making her his. . .she began to
groan and pant, the throbbing heat starting to flow from her womanhood
almost instantly. . .
	Darien pushed his hips forward again and again, his fingers gripping
Serena's hips, squeezing almost to the point of pain. . .oh, the feel of
her hot, wet sheath enclosing him, gripping him. . .He threw his head back,
moaning loudly, feeling the full force of raw male sexual power, the primal
satisfaction of joining with his woman. . .He felt like every restraint was
falling away from his body, mind and soul as he pounded into her faster and
faster, as the tide of ecstasy rose higher and higher. . . .he felt like he
was opening up to her more and more and. . .trickles of thought were
starting to run between him and her like tiny sparks of electric current,
the psychic link slowly, slowly flickering into life again. . .he was
starting to pick up on her desire, her love, her aching need for
fulfillment. . .
	Serena forgot her meek obedience and began to thrust her hips backward to
meet him, wanting him to fill her totally, wanting to feel linked to him as
never before. . .when his hands left her hips and gripped her breasts,
squeezing almost roughly, she let out one loud, low cry after another,
tossing her head about this way and that, feeling like she could barely
contain so much ecstasy, that she was going to explode into a million bits
any second and she didn't give a damn. . .when his thumbs rubbed over her
nipples, again and again and again, she started groaning in time to his
strokes, thrusting her hips backwards even further, wanting him to totally
impale her. . .
	Darien quickened his stroke even more. . .oh, he needed fulfillment,
needed it, needed to explode and reach sweet white hot oblivion with this
woman as never before. . .oh, how he wanted to melt into her totally,
become one with her in body, mind and soul.  . .the thought current was
running stronger and stronger now, Serena's mind was opening to him bit by
bit. . .
	She was feeling it, too. . .the experience of male and female sexuality at
the same time. . .she could feel his raw need, his protectiveness and love
for her. . .	Then, the final restraints fell away, and their minds
reconnected totally. It was as if there were no Darien, no Serena, just one
being, one mind, one flesh. . .It was the final catalyst for them both.
	Serena let out a scream. . .not a girlish shriek, but a true scream from
the bottom of her soul. . .as her entire body shook, as ecstasy unlike
anything she ever knew rocketed through her. Wave after wave of bliss
pulsed through her, and she shuddered again and again. . .and Darien's
scream answered hers, as he felt everything he had pouring out of his body,
as heat completely consumed him. It was a moment that seemed to last
eternity. . .
	Until finally, she collapsed to the bed, nearly unconscious, and he
collapsed atop her.
	Both of them stayed that way for a long moment, just panting, him clinging
to her with all his might. . .
	Then, he untied her hands and pulled out of her, quickly disposing of the
rubber. They flung themselves in each other's arms, and both started to
cry.
	"Serena. . .oh Serena, my darling, my love. . ."
	"Darien. . .oh, Darien. . .I love you so much. . ."
	Both of them just cried on each other's shoulders, clinging to each other,
silently vowing that they would never let each other slip away again, for
any reason. . .
	Then, Serena gently stroked his face, and whispered, "Welcome back, my prince."
	He took her hand and kissed it, and whispered, "Thank you. . .thank you so
much. . ."
	"I love you. . ."
	"I love you, too. . .more than ever before."
	They curled up in each other's arms and drifted off into the deepest, most
satisfying sleep that either had ever known.
* * *
	Raye peeked out from behind her menu at the couple in the booth opposite
theirs. They were still going at it, all right. Darien and Serena had been
kissing, giggling, and gazing into each other's eyes from the moment they
had sat down.
	"They don't even notice that we're here," she sighed.
	"Maybe we should let them be," said Amy, who was observing the happy
couple with a sense of relief. . .she was so glad that the problem Serena
had described seemed to be temporary. I wonder what happened to get them
back together, she thought. . .I'll have to ask Serena sometime. . .
	"It's as if there were nobody else in the world," Mina said.
	"Probably, to them, there isn't," Lita added, keeping her eyes on them.
She'd guessed they'd hit a rough spot in their relationship and were now
making up. . .she knew firsthand how passionate a reunion after a romance
was brought back from the brink could be.
	Meanwhile, Serena was gazing at Darien with eyes filled with love. . .more
love than she'd ever felt since their earliest days, when he'd just
returned from the Negaverse.
	I feel like this is a brand-new romance, she thought, as if this is the
first time we're going out. . .even though we've been together a thousand
years. . .
	"Decided what you want, Meatball Head?" he said.
	"Hmm. . .I think I want. . .strawberry pancakes. With a side of sausage."
	"Sounds delicious."
	"Not as delicious as you."
	He laughed. . .such a corny remark sounded so sweet and sincere coming
from her. . .and leaned over to kiss her. She kissed back, eagerly, and
they broke apart reluctantly. He took her hand and kissed it.
	I'm so happy, he thought. Gods, I'd forgotten what happiness was. . .she
gave me back my missing pieces last night. I feel whole again, I feel *me*
again. . .
	He knew there were facets of who that *me* was that he still had not yet
fully explored, still had yet to discover. But he knew now that between his
new friendship with Artemis, and his love for Serena, he'd be able to find
them. He'd reclaim any pieces of the prince that were still missing.
	"I love you, Serena," he said. "Forever."
	"I love you too, Darien," she replied. "Always. . ."
	As they kissed again, the occupants of the Sailor Soldiers' table
continued to watch. . .with one exception.
	Mina's eyes had been caught by a couple at *another* booth.
	Gods, she thought. . .is that. . .
	It IS! It's David and Lori. . .and they're acting. . .civil!
	They even look. . .friendly!
	"Mina?" said Amy. "Who are you looking at?"
	"Over there. . ."
	"Hey," said Lita, "it's David! And. . .my Gods. . .is that. . ."
	"It's LORI!" Raye said. "What the hell are *they* doing together?"
	Mina felt her heart leap. Maybe, she thought, what Glen and I did *wasn't
a failure. . .maybe something is coming of it after all!
	"I heard that election got called off," Amy said. "The whole porn
controversy thing is over now. . ."
	"Oh, no," Mina said. "I don't think the whole thing is over. Not by a long
shot. Things could still get interesting from here. . ."

AUTHOR'S NOTES: A million, billion thanks to my editor, Steve Savage, whose
assistance and insight was invaluable in the writing of this story. Check
out his original fantasy series, Xai, at http://www.seventhsanctum.com/xai/
- I swear, it just keeps getting better and better! Thanks also to my
friends in Lemon Tree, who have never failed to give me their full support.

An announcement: I now have a Web site to house my stories! It's at
http://seventhsanctum.com/sailormac. It contains the "Hot Controversy"
series, a downloadable Zip file of all my pre-HC stories, my Pokemon fic,
"The Pikachu Project," and three sekkushiaru romans featuring Miaka and
Tamahome from Fushigi Yuugi. (If you're not familiar with Fushigi Yuugi. .
.run, don't walk to your video store and grab the tapes! It's the kind of
romantic adventure that I think holds strong appeal for Sailor Moon fans. .
.especially Moon/Tux otaku!) There's also a guestbook and a message board.

Standard Sailor Moon disclaimers apply. These characters ain't mine, I'm
just borrowing them for a little while.

E-mail me at sailormac@wjjz.com.