Konnichi wa, minnasan. It's Monday, a dull and dreary Monday. I hate Mondays. Long, boring days where nothing happens except that you find out your grades on last week's tests. Like I said, I hate Mondays! Now on a more cheerful note, I wish to commend Sailor Moon Silver, a story which I love dearly, beg Lianne not to stop her Desperations series, comment estactiacally on Laurel Anne's new chapter out to SM Memories Past and Present, and blushingly thank all of those who wrote to me saying that they liked my stories. I finally have the next part in this out. Happy, happy happy! Diamond is going to have to lengthened, I believe. I know that I said that this would be the last part, but it did not work out that way. I have too many ideas to be put into two parts now, and I need more time to enhance the plot and things like that. Gomen, minna. Also last week I reposted Tsukino Usagi is Dead, parts I, II, _and_ III. They got put in with stuff before, so I am going to try to repost everything that got messed up. Not all this week, though, I need to recheck everything! Oh, and an error on my part, in the last chapter I put Moonlight Knight down, it's actually tsukikage no knight, which I 'think' is the same thing in Japanese, but I don't know...Ah well...ne? Diamonds, Roses, and the Heart of the World Part Two-Eve of Darkness Hello. My name is Moyobishi Hitowa. Formerly Prince Demondo of the Dark Moon Family, now a freelance photographer. I don't know how, but I have received a second chance, a new lease on life, so to say. I am going to change things, so many things. I will stop the Wiseman from manipulating my people, and in due course save both them and myself. I will make sure that the future from which I came will never come into existence. I am going to change everything, from my own fate, to that of Serenity. Have no doubt that I love her. I died in order to save her. I have loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her, calm and beautiful, a perfect Queen. She had welcomed us with that magnificent smile of hers, and I knew that I was lost. Such times those were. Before we turned traitor and attacked Crystal Tokyo. But with pleasure comes pain, I suppose. Serenity was certainly both for me. And Usagi? Serenity's past form, the one whom I saved from the Wiseman when she was Sailormoon? I love her as well, I believe. That one is certainly an enigma for me. How she can act one moment like the Neo-Queen and the next like the Rabbit is beyond me. But she pulls it off, and manages to look utterly charming either way. My first encounter with Usagi 'as' Usagi was much different then my first with Serenity. Much less dignified. She had actually run into me sobbing and I held her as she cried it out. Later she told me of her troubles, most of them centered around a single man, Chiba Mamoru. What she suffered at his hands draws me into a rage, and it is only the fact that he is a mere human that stops me from destroying him. Besides, Usa-chan wouldn't like it if I did. On the other side of the equation is Pluto. Sailorpluto, that is, a member of the pretty soldiers that make up the Senshi, and one sworn to kill me. I've already died once, and I would prefer not to do so again anytime soon, although she does not share my wishes. No, indeed. If anything, she would turn me over to the Outer Senshi, namely Neptune and Uranus, and have them deal with me. I would not much like that either. Uranus and I have already met, and I took care not to cross her path again. Besides, there is no way that they would accept me. If the legends are true, they tried to kill Sailorsaturn shortly after she became Senshi because the girl's power was too great. Another story goes that they fought against other allies in the Great Sailor War, and almost killed Sailormoon, herself because they did not believe that she was indeed their Princess. That's alright. She's _my_ Princess, anyway. What can I say? I tend to obsess over things. It's a fault of mine, unfortunately. However both Serenity _and_ Usagi are wonderful cases to study. One young, free, innocent, and the other regal, and calm, at times anyway. They both a conundrum for me, so different, yet they share the same soul. But I digress. Needless to say, Pluto could be a large difficulty in my changing of the Future. For the Guardian of Time, she is intencly set in her ways. But then, she is the only surviving member of the Silver Millennium that was not reincarnated, and still has her memories intact. So I take care around her as well. One of the first things that I learned when I studied the Senshi was never to make Sailorpluto angry. But I think that it's too late for that. She needn't worry over Usa. I would never hurt her. Force is not the answer. I have learned that well. Too well. Usa is safe in my hands. Despite what she might think. After my meeting with Sailorpluto I wandered about Old Tokyo for a bit. The thing most important to me then was learning what _time_ I was in, and right after that was geography. The date meant nothing to me, what I needed to know was why Usa hadn't recognized me. After all, the only difference between Hitowa and Demondo is that one of the has a black crescent moon on his forehead and the other does not. Though I am beginning to wonder about that as well. I was slightly curious, though, an whither or not my powers still worked. I could do the atypical blast of dark force, when need be, though my own specialities were on a different plane all together. I was versed in the arts of mind control. Hypnosis. A telepath, if you will, with a decidedly aggressive nature. The problem however, was that I was unsure of my abilities since my, ah, recovery. I mused about it as I walked towards the center of town. I saw a lot that first day, and learned a great deal as well. I have always had a gift with learning places and names, and I put these to good use on Old Tokyo. I was curious about Chiba, but decided to leave it for the moment and head back to the hotel. The sun was beginning to set over the skyline creating a dazzling display of oranges and reds. I watched the Moon as it rose, and smiled. Apon arriving at the hotel I promptly fell asleep. Dying tends to make one a bit tired. The next morning all thoughts of Serenity and the Future flew out of my head as I released one, all important fact. I was hungry. _Very_ hungry, and immediately left to find a suitable restaurant. Unfortunately the only one open at the ungodly hour was a fruit cafe, crown, something or other. And it was there that I met my true nemesis. It was a seat-yourself place, and I choose a booth near the large window. It seemed nice enough, though I didn't have a lot of experience with Tokyo restaurants, in this time, or the Future. A young man with dark blond hair came over and handed me a menu. I ordered tea, and sat back to look at the other customers. There were not a lot of them, it being too early. The only one's were a red haired girl, hair done up in elaborite braids, a harried looking women in a business suit, and a dark haired young man facing away from me. The waiter went to speak with the last of them. "Mamoru-kun, dousitou? You look horrible." _Mamoru?_ The dark hair man sighed, and spun in his chair to face the other. His eyes were a deep blue, much the same as Usa-chan's, and his face was pale, as though he had not gotten a lot of sleep lately. "Yeah." The other smiled broadly. "Girl troubles?" Mamoru started at that. "Nani?" "You have girl troubles! So tell me, who is it?" Mamoru flushed slightly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, Motoki. Am I that obvious?" Motoki leaned on the counter. "No, not really. But you have the same look on your face that I did when Reika left for Africa." Chiba looked away. "Maybe. Look, I have to get going or I'll be late for work. Ja ne." He left without another word. I sat in my chair, sipping my tea when it was brought out to me and eating some rolls that were brought out as well. I was fairly certain that this was the selfsame Chiba that Usa had been crying over in the park. And if so, then he would have hell to pay. He looked familier besides, though I didn't have enough to make a solid guess. Still, I was certain that I had seen his visage elsewhere, and I was not nessicarily in Old Toyko when I had. I finished my tea and walked out, checking my watch as I went. It was a little after eight and the streets were almost as empty as before. Chiba was no where to be seen. It was a pretty day, nary a cloud in the sky. A perfect time to be alive. But then again, at that particular time I would have said the same thing be it ice cold and sleeting. I began to walk towards the area where I had first met Usa. She had something about coming from Chiba's apartment, hadn't she? And if so, then that was where he lived. I set out at a fast pace, determined to catch up with him and verify if he was or was not Usa's ex. "Oh no! I am soooo late!!!" I spun around only to see a blond mass flash past me. "Hi Hitowa-san! Bye Hitowa-san!" I smiled at Usagi, and followed. She was wearing an inlogated version of her Senshi fuka, red, blue, and white and her hair was done up in it's classic 'odango' pattern. She too was heading for the residential area, apparently on her way to school. She turned a corner and I lost sight of her. It was amazing, really, how different she was then the woman that I had met nearly a thousand years in the future. I reached the same corner and rounded it in time to see Usagi call out to the boy whom I had seen in the cafe. He turned looked at her before walking away. I stopped, watching them. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but could get the gist of it by the way that they were acting. Usa ran up to Chiba, latching onto his arm. He responded by pushing her away and walking on. Usa ran up again to walk beside him, and he said something. Her whole being seemed to change as her gaze shifted from him to the ground. She whispered something, to which he yelled so loudly that I could hear him from where I was standing. "I don't love you, so just _leave me alone_!!! It's over!" At that point I didn't really care about secrets or what should be happening. I started towards the pair, but Usagi ran off. I could see the tears sparkling on her cheeks as she did so. I paused. I wanted nothing more then to go and chew Chiba out, but Usa needed me. I couldn't stand to see her in pain. Heart put over vengeance, so I turned and followed her. I tailed Usagi through the streets, noting as she darted into an alley. As I neared it, I could hear the low sounds of sobs that she was desperately trying to keep quiet. I peeked about the corner, and saw her, arms crossed over her uplift knees, head turned away from me, shoulders shaking. Her school fuka was wrinkled, and her hair was deshevled, but she still looked beautiful to me. I knelt beside her, taking her into my arms, like the first time we met, on the docks. "Go 'way!" she murmured, but she did not try to pull back. If anything, she leaned even farther into me, her arms wrapping around me as she cried. I stroked her hair, all the while thinking about the things that I would do to Chiba when I found him again. Let's see, blast him a few times? Well, that might not work out so well. I wasn't really certain about my powers. I knew not whither I even still had any. Usagi showed no sign of stopping. Her tears were coming harder now, and she clung to me. I thought briefly on what she had told me in the cafe, on what she had been through recently. Was it possible, then, that she had held it in for so long? I stared down at her shaking head with new amazement. Serenity was anything if certainly strong. By the time the saline ceased to flow, I could tell that she was late. My watch said 9:34, and I knew it to be slightly slow. I studied Usagi's face. Her eyes were closed, though reddened and puffy from her jag, and her face was pale. She leaned against me, and I supported her entirely. A few moments later, she opened her eyes to stare up at me, a deep pink going over her cheeks, somehow assenting the ivory of her skin. It seemed to almost match the color of her fuka's maroon bow. She lowered her gaze after a minute. "Gomen." her voice was the driest of whispers, hoarse from tears. I smiled at her. "You know, we really must stop meeting like this." She blushed even harder then, pulling back slightly. "Gomen." she whispered again. "Why?" she looked, not at me, but at the ground. "I keep annoying you." "You don't annoy me, Usachan. I like being around you." I reached out to her, grabbing her hand. Her eyes swept up towards me. I love those eyes. They seem so warm, and vulnerable. "But Mamoru says that I'm weak, and a whiner, and that no guy, 'specially not him could ever want me." She seemed almost ready to start crying again. I cut her off with a shake of my head. "Usa, I don't care what Mamoru says. I care about you." 'Only you.' "I care about you." She smiled wistfully. "Really? I mean, I've never had any one who I liked as much as Mamo-cha-, ah, Mamoru-san. I love him! We've had some problems but, he's never, _ever_ lied to me. So if he says that, then it-" "Usa," I said, squeezing her hand lightly, "He was wrong. No one could be luckier then to know you." It sounded sappy, but at that moment I didn't care. I could practicly see the haze. "Could you tell that to Rei-chan?" I wondered briefly on who this 'Rei' was before posing the question. "Rei?" Usagi said, looking at my face. "She's a friend. We fight a lot." I nodded. Mars then. Even in the Future, comments on their arguments are reported with a passion. "She lives at the Shrine. My friends and I go there a lot." "Who are they?" I asked. I knew that she was late, but the longer I could be with her the happier I was. She was, intoxicating. Like a potent drug that one must have every few hours. Beautiful, charming, and absolutely adorable, I could stare at her for hours. "My friends? Well, let me see, there's Ami, she's real smart, and Mako-chan's the best cook in the whooooole world, and then there's Minako, who's my idol, and Naru," The list went on and on. I tuned her words out after a moment, and just watched her face. "Hitowa-san? Are you listening?" I snapped back to attention then, to be greeted with a pair of stormy blue eyes. "You weren't! You were ignoring me!" I struggled to think of a good excuse, and failed. "Gomen, Usa-chan." She frowned and turned away, pulling her hand from mine at the same time. Kama-sama she was cute when she was angry. But then, she was cute at anytime, to me. Noticing, however, the trembling of her chin, I decided that something other then an apology would be nessicary. Springing from my somewhat cramp, certainly damp position, I encircled her with my arms. "Can you ever forgive me?" I could feel her blush even if I couldn't see it. "Please?" I added in my most pitiful voice. It did the trick. "Oh, all right." Usagi squirmed around in my arms to get comfortable again. It felt wonderful. Our surroundings mattered little right then. Dark alley or sunny park, I could hold her anywhere. Usagi smiled lightly, blinking her eyes, and rubbing her free hand over her face. As she did, her eyes lit apon her watch. "Kamisama!!!! It's _9:45_?!? I'm dead!" She got up hurriedly, grabbing her bunny backpack and dusting off her dirty skirt. "What am I gonna do?" Usagi scrunched her face up and began to wail, nothing like the serious crying that I had seen minutes before. If anything, this was the exact opposite. I drew back, somewhat surprised. Serenity had _never_ acted like this before. Of course, as I had to keep reminding myself, this wasn't Serenity that I was dealing with. This was Tsukino Usagi, the fifteen year old junior high student who had stolen my heart. I pondered that thought for a moment, before renouncing it as indescribably corny. I stood, and walked the few steps to where Usagi was standing. Placing my hands on her shoulders, I gently spun her around to face me. "Usagi listen to me." She stopped wailing to look at me curiously. I'll never know how she can erase all marks of her tears so easily. With the new batch, the signs of the old had gone. "I'll get you there as fast as I can, okay?" She blinked. "You really don't have to. It's not very far." She looked out onto the street. "I could get there in less then fifteen minutes, if I ran," Grinning, I shook my head. "I can get you there in five, if you give me directions." "You'd do that for me?" The look she gave me was incredible. The innocence behind her clear blue eyes was amazing. She honestly didn't think that I could care for her. Myself, or anyone. I made up my mind to change that opinion as fast as I could. Chiba's work, I mused to myself. His leaving her must have shattered her self-confidence. "Of course I would." I told her, enjoying how those few, simple words changed her visage so much. 'I love you,' was my tacit thought, though I doubted that she knew it. I smiled at her. I hadn't smiled, or for that matter, felt so happy for so long in ages. It was amazing what this small slip of a girl could do for me. She shook me out of my thoughts with her whispered "Arigatou". "Which way?" I remember asking her, and listening to her melodious voice as she gave the directions. I surprised her by literally sweeping her off of her feet, and running full speed in the direction that she gave me. I held her close, almost able to hear her heart beat against mine as I held her slight frame. Kamasama, how I love her! I dropped her off at her school. She seemed to be a great deal happier then when I had found her in the alley this morning. her face was almost glowing with pent-up energy, and I could then understand why one like she would have a difficult time in school. What some might call hyperactive, I just said was a, ah, little over enthused. Just before she ran in I grabbed her hand again. "Usagi?" She smiled at me. "Hai, Hitowa-san?" "In case you ever need to reach me," I pulled out one of the business cards I had found in my pocket and handed it to her. "I'll be here, okay?" "Arigatou, Hitowa-san." She hugged me once, before rushing into the grey building. I smiled to myself, jumping the closed fence again. it was midmorning, and I didn't really know where I was supposed to be or go to. I had found out about my job, so to say, from the journal, which I was continuing to read. It was supposed to be a hobby, of sorts, that I would do in my free time. However, as I hadn't found a camera, I wondered if it was really all that important to me, or Hitowa, I should say. I turned my steps, heading for the library. I could do a bit of research there, and then go to lunch. I thought about my dilemma a bit as I walked. I was not entirely Demondo, I was sure. Demondo had been much cooler, and slower to action. I did not know Hitowa, what he had been like, acted like. But I figured that most, if not all of my attitude adjustments had come from him. I wondered, too, if I had merged with a prior form. Reincarnation is fairly common, but I had never heard of something like this before. I mused on it as I followed the path that I had discovered the day before to Tokyo Public. It was a tall grey building that looked somehow foreboding. At any rate, that was my assessment of it as I mounted the stone steps to the front door. I was welcomed with a blast of cold air, which I welcomed gratefully. I'm always preferred cold to hot weather. I wonder why. Upon asking a handy Liberian I found my way to an odd looking machine, with a two foot by two foot screen, much like a computer. I was handed several reels of microfilm apon explaining my predicament. Or, part of it, at any rate. I told the woman hovering at my side that I wished to research odd occurances in Tokyo. The librarian appraised my gaingen appearance before giving me a wry smile. She removed a great many small boxes from a shelf near by and handed them to me. I got the impression that the question had been asked a great deal. Most of the articles were, to no surprise on the Sailor Senshi. To my amazement, I discovered that the library held no records of our attack! Well, to a very small degree. The last article, dated two days ago, held a story on the Senshi putting down a cosmetic shop takeover. That had been our _first_ attack. The first offensive. I was before Sailormoon and I had met. I was before Esmerade and Saffron, before the betrayal of the Weird Sisters. Before Rubius' death. I was before it all. And very, very happy. No wonder Serenity had not known me. She couldn't have. We had never met before, to her knowledge. Unfortunately, I soon realized, was that she was going through the attacks that would eventually lead to her going to the Future, and our inherent meeting. That I did not want. I wanted to protect Usagi. Protect her from myself. I had no qualms with taking Sailormoon, either time, though I admit, the second time around, I had little opportunity to feel remorse. Though, I did, I think. It had gotten a little fuzzy then. Cradling my brother's dead body had showed me that I was not willing to sacrifice everything to get what I desired. I can remember, that night, wishing that I had never heard of the Wiseman, or the Dark Moon Family, or the crusade which I found myself apon. In a very dear way, I even wished that I had not met Serenity, though I had seen with my own eyes tears that she had spilt over Saffron. I had seen too, the tears that she had spilt over me. But then was not the time for sedamentalies. I shook my head, clearing it of it's morbid thoughts and turned back to the task at hand. I flipped back to the beginning, and skimmed an article on the elusive actions of Sailor V in Britain, and to a much smaller extent, in Tokyo. I thought back, able to picture in my mind the long blonde hair that she had held, the large, almost ridiculously so, mask that covered most of her face and shadowed her eyes, and the strange sailor fuka that she had worn. I had not seen her as Demondo, so I was a trifle surprised that I could picture her as well as I did. Perhaps a memory of Hitowa's floating up? I decided then to get my lives in order the next time I found a little peace. The first few articles were on Sailor V, and the varying 'idol' chases that she put down. I either skimmed or skipped those. They held interest for me, to be sure. Even in Crystal Tokyo stories still flew about the first Senshi, codename Sailor V, and Sailor Venus still went undercover under that pseudonym. The fifth story was on a disappearance of buses from a nearby shrine, the sixth about the odd occurances at an amusement park outside Tokyo. The one that really interested me, however, was one where a supremely large illusion of a blonde man appeared in the sky, demanding that Sailormoon, Mars, and Mercury meet with him at Tokyo International. For a final deul to determine the fate of Tokyo, no less. That was all it really had to say. The guards woke up later, all of them complaining of a headache, and the runway a mess, and no other sign of life there. I scanned through some more of them, reading as famous Tokyo writers argued back and forth about whether or not the Senshi existed, and if they did, who they where. I got the impression that there was a great deal more to it then this, and commented thus to the librarian on hand. She shrugged, and went back to her work. I frowned then applied the same idea myself. There wasn't really a lot to go on. A big break through was a journalist who managed to catch images of what appeared to be a fight betwixt the Senshi. She managed to get good shots, though controversy had followed her everywhere since. Beyond that were reports of weird sunspot activity, and the article which I had read earlier, the one in my newspaper back at the hotel. Something about aliens? I wasn't too sure. Then a three month pause, and the Dark Moon attack, though the human's had yet to puzzle anything put of that particular enigma. I went through the stack of boxes twice over, checking and rechecking to make sure that I had everything. There was no mention of other Senshi. I really was before the Awakening of the Outers, or else they were just ignoring me on their search for the three pure hearts that held talismans. I had always found that ironic. That they would search for so long, only to find the holders to be themselves! Sighing, I pushed back my chair, glancing at my watch as I did so. It was twenty past two. I had worked a lot longer then expected. I found myself to be hungry then, so I left the chilly library and went to go in search of a good restaurant. However, to my chagrin, I realized that I had only brought two hundred yen with me, having emptied my pockets last night before bed. I set my steps towards the Crown Parlor, where I had eaten earlier. I wasn't quite certain if the name was right, but it didn't matter then. What mattered was getting food. And the few odango that I had eaten at breakfast simply weren't holding up. Besides, Chiba might be there as well. Authors Notes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GOMEN!!!! I meant to have this out _much_ earlier, and I even wrote, (started) another chapter two to this, but it well, ah, let's just say that it was somewhat less then satisfactory, ne? So after countless tried, and failed, brainstorming efforts, I came up with this. Not too good, but hey. Also, I don't really know how this is going to work out. I meant to have it be done really soon, but now it just is seeming like it will take awhile. I have jangles of ideas for this, but that means that it will need to be a lengthy fic, and I don't have enough ideas for that. So, please, anyone, email me with stuff. Please? I wanted this to be longer, but as I needed it for this week, I cut it off. I have no idea where this is going to go, or what it will entail, but please be patient, folks, I'm trying. Also, the next chapter most like won't be out till June, as I have finals, and a week long vacation the week before them. Not good, not good! Oh well. I am also unsure on how this story will go from here. I don't have a plan written up, bad Dremdancer, I know, but I am doing the best I can. Patience, please? One last thing. Faerie Queen is being temp put on hold. I have learned the hard way that I can not do more then one story at once. It don't work. So I'm going to finish this one first because I have received more email for Diamond then for the others. Well, TUiD got me a bit of response too....James, thank you again. It's always great to hear from you and Jewels, your comments and questions, and discussions about certain SM universe couples are always welcome. I must flee, as it is late and there is school tomorrow. But to prove to you that I have been trying to work on this lots, that Monday that I was talking about wasn't last Monday. It was the one before! Ja ne, minna! Dremdancer dremdancer@hotmail.com--====================987654321_0==_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"