Title: Coming Home
Co-author: Jessica M. Moonflower
Co-author: Silvery White Rose
Rating: PG
Chapter: One

Disclaimers: We are not the creators of Sailor Moon.
	"Isn't that correct?" I asked and Moonflower smiled.

	"Well, is there something you want to say?" I inquired
to my friend. 

	"No, I was just playing," Moonflower giggled while putting
her hand behind her head.

	"Ha, ha. Very funny," I retorted.

	"Sorry," blushed Moonflower as she hid her face in shame.

	"Well, you have to excuse my friend. Though who could
blame her for wishing she created Sailor Moon. I sure wished
that I did, but I didn't and neither did she.

Silvery: Thanks go out to all that have written to me. I really
do appreciate all the email I get. It is great to see people
like my stories. Thank you.
Email:silverrose71442@aol.com

Moonflower: I want to thank all my friends, readers, and the people
who post my fics on their sites. Thanks so much!!!! And please
e-mail me and Rose-chan to let us know what you think of our story!
Thanks a bunch! ^ - ^
Email: Moonflower: Salud731@earthlink.net


*********************************************************************

	Three young children were running around in the garden
laughing and playing with one another.

	"Rei, Darien is it. Be careful," cautioned a 5 year-old
Serena trying hard to stay away from the breathless 9 year-old
Darien.

	"You can't catch me. You are just too slow," laughed Serena
as she continued to tease him.

	"I am going to get you," yelled the now angry young boy.
Pointing at Rei, "We are just too fast for you. SLOW POKE!
We can run circles around you and you'd still wouldn't catch us."
She taunted him as she tried desperately to find a place to hide.

	'That is what you think,' smirked Darien as an idea popped
into his head.

	Darien stopped to think about his plan. He knew that they
would go and hide behind the big bush by the large oak tree down a
little ways in the garden. He decided that he would take a short cut
that would surely get him there before the girls.

	As Serena and Rei kept running, Serena looked back to see if
Darien was still behind them.

	"I think we gave him the slip," smiled the flushed girl.

	"Lets go to where we normally hide. He will never find us
there," giggled Rei.

	Rei and Serena ran towards their secret hiding place. They
tried to catch their breaths once they had stopped.

	"Looks like Darien is going to lose again," giggled Serena
triumphantly.

	"Guess again," laughed a voice from behind them.
The girls screamed in horror at being surprised. They turned
around and saw Darien come towards them. The next thing that Darien
saw was Rei yell and turned to run.

	"RUN!" yelled Rei and the girls turn to run.

	'No you don't,' smiled Darien as he lunged toward them.

	As he caught Serena, who at the moment was the closet to him,
they went falling over from the sudden impact when he threw his body
to catch her before she fled.

	"Thud," came from their bodies hitting the ground.

	"Ow," cried Serena as she laid sprawled on the ground with
Darien on top of her.

	"Got ya," smirked Darien.

	"Oh, that isn't fair," whined Serena as she tried to get up
from underneath him.

	"Too Bad. You're it," laughed Darien as he sat up and helped
Serena to do the same.

	"No, No.....you snuck up on us.  That isn't fair," Serena
told him. 

	Darien then got an idea and a grin crossed his face which
didn't go unnoticed by Serena. She tried to get up and run, but
Darien had notice Serena trying to leave. He grabbed her wrist and
said, "Unfair, huh? I will show you unfair," and with that Darien
began to tickle Serena unmercifully.

	"Hehe...stop...hehe...Darien....hehe," laughed Serena from
being tickled.
	"Nope. Not until you say I win," grinned the young boy.

	"Okay...hehe...you...hehe...win."

	"Good," Darien said triumphantly as he stopped tickling her.
He got up and helped Serena to her feet. Rei had come back to see what
had happened to Serena. She saw her brother tickling their friend and
Serena giving in. 

	'At least I didn't get caught,' giggled Rei as she walked up
to them.

	"Hey Serena. I see you got caught?" grinned the dark haired
girl.

	"Yeah. And where did you go? I could have used some help,"
Serena declared to her friend.

	"Are you kidding? I know how he tickles and I wasn't about to
let him," Rei gloated knowing that her friend had been tickled.

	"Rei..." screeched Serena as she ran after Rei. Darien stood
watching the two 5 year-olds run around him. Darien then put his arms
out and grabbed Serena as she ran by him.

	"Okay you two. I think that is enough now," Darien stated.

	"Hmph!" Serena folded her arms to her chest and glared at
Rei. Rei smiled and stuck her tongue out at Serena. Which Serena then
returned the favor, so began the famous tongue war. Darien looked at
Serena and then to Rei, he couldn't hold it in any longer and laughed
at the two of them. The girls turned and glared at Darien who then
quieted down. The girls began to laugh at how silly they looked and
how they shut Darien up pretty quickly.

	"Listen guys, I am going back to the castle to see when we
are leaving. I mean, it is getting pretty late. Mom and Dad are
probably going to want to leave soon so we can get back home before
sunset," Rei told them as she tried to calm down from laughing
so hard. 

	"Okay," came Serena's reply.

	"Do you guys want to come with me?"

	"No, that's okay. I want to look around for a bit longer.
Maybe pick some roses for my mom," Serena smiled at her good friend.

	"I'm going to stay, too," Darien told his sister.

	"Okay, see you guys later," said Rei as she waved to them.

	"Bye Rei!" they called to the retreating figure.

	Serena and Darien walked all the way back to where the rose
bushes grew. There were millions of different colored roses to choose
from...red, yellow, pink, white, and other various colors that were
in the castle's garden. As Serena began to pick a few, Darien helped
her decide on which ones were the best to give to her mother. Once
satisfied with her selection, Serena and Darien walked to a nearby
bench. They sat down to relax and talk a bit.

	"Darien?" Serena asked suddenly.

	"Yes?"

	"There's something I'd like to give you," she smiled at him.

	"What is it?"

	Serena undid the clasp of her locket and looked at the family
heirloom. It was her grandmother's and she wanted Darien to have it.
She felt he would need it. 'I want him to have it.'

	Darien watched as she took off her locket and looked at it.
It was her star locket. He always knew that she wore it and never
took it off. She had once told him that it belonged to her
grandmother.

	'Why do I feel as if I should keep the locket close to me,'
Darien thought as she placed it in his hand. She held her hand on
top of the locket in his hand. All of a sudden a soft melody started
to play from the locket as they held it. Serena smiled as she thought
about the legend behind her grandmother's locket.

******flashback************flashback*******************************

	"Sere, dear," called an elderly woman.

	"Yes, Grammie," smiled the 3 year-old.

	"I want you to have this," the elderly woman said as she
began to take off her locket.

	"Really Grammie?" beamed the young Serena.

	"Yes, I would love for you to wear it and keep it safe. It
means a lot to me."

	"I love it and I promise I won't take it off ever," declared
the little girl.

	"That is really good. Do you know that the locket I gave you
is very special. There is a story behind it."

	"There is?" asked the blue eyed child.

	Her grandmother laughed at how the young girl's eyes shined
with curiosity. 

	"Yes. They say that if two people are meant to be together,
that their love would show in the locket and it would only play for
them. The ones in love. The ones meant to be. The soul mates."

	"Soul mates," repeated the smiling girl.

*******flashback************flashback*********************************

	Serena smiled as she remembered the story her grandmother had
told her. 'Soul mates.'

	"Serena....Serena," called Darien to the daydreaming girl next
to him.

	"Huh?"
	"What were you smiling about?" Darien asked curiously.

	"Me...I was smiling?" Serena blushed.

	"Yeah, a big silly grin," Darien smirked at her as the tint
colored her cheeks.

	"Oh...it...uh....was nothing really," Serena squeaked out
trying hard not to blush again.

	"Really? Then why are you blushing again?"

	"I...uh..." Serena just dropped her head down to look at her
feet to avoid his eyes. For some strange reason Darien always seemed
to know when she was not telling him the truth. He could always tell
how she was feeling and she could also tell how he was feeling too.
Like they were...'uh oh,' Serena thought.

	"Come on Serena. Tell me PLEASE," Darien begged.

	"Okay." Serena took a  deep breath. 'Here goes nothing.'

	However before she could tell him, they heard someone calling them.

	"Darien, Serena. You need to come back now we are leaving,"
called Rei walking towards them.

	"We're coming," they yelled to Rei. Darien smiled at Serena
and put the locket around his neck with Serena's help. They then
got up to meet Rei half way. They all walked back to where the
carriages were waiting. When the children arrived they saw their
parents saying their good-byes.

	"Thanks for coming, Diana," Serena's mother, Serene, said as
she gave Darien's mother a hug and a kiss good-bye.

	"Anytime. Darren and I are glad to stop by for a visit,"
Diana said smiling.

	"Come back and see us anytime," replied Serena's father,
David, as he shook Darien's father's hand.

	"We'll do that," answered Darren as he gratefully shook his
hand.

	"Serena, say good-bye to Rei and Darien now," Serena's mother
said to Serena.

	"I hope to see you soon, Rei. It was fun playing with you
guys."

	"We'll visit again soon," Rei said as she hugged her friend
good-bye.

	After Serena hugged Rei, she went up to Darien next. For some
strange reason, Serena felt as if this was the last time she would
ever see Darien or Rei again. She brushed off the feeling as she
walked over to Darien.

	"Good-bye, Darien. I'll miss you very much," Serena said
softly as she wrapped Darien in a warm embrace.

	"You act as if I'm never going to see you again," Darien
joked as he returned the hug. But to Serena, she couldn't shake the
awful feeling she was having.

	"Just remember to keep that locket with you."

	"I promise."

	"Come on Darien, Rei. We have to get going if we want to make
it to Cartha by nightfall," said King Darren.

	"Okay," both of them replied.

	Serena, Queen Serene, and King David all stood outside of the
castle grounds until they saw the carriage was out of sight. As the
king and queen were about to go inside the castle, Serena just stood
there watching the empty spot where the carriage used to be.

	"Serena, dear. Come inside. It's getting late," called the
queen to her daughter.

	"I'll be there in a minute, Mom," was all Serena said as her
mother went inside the castle with a worried expression on her face.

	"Darien, I know that something is going to happen to you and
Rei. I have this bad feeling that I can't understand," whispered
Serena to herself as she slowly walked back to the castle.

	Meanwhile in the carriage...

	The carriage ride back to Cartha was long and tiring. Rei
fell asleep on their mother's lap while the king was silently talking
to his wife. Darien, who was getting bored and restless, decided to
take the locket out and examine it. He was still very puzzled as to
why Serena was hesitant to tell him about the locket that made her
blush back in Lanyon when she gave him the locket. He wanted to know
what was the significance of the locket. It had to be some thing
important.

	'When we go back to Lanyon again, I'm going to have to ask
Serena about it again,' thought Darien as he kept trying to figure
out what's so special about this locket.

	"Darien, where did you get such a pretty locket from?" his
mother asked when she noticed the shiny object in her son's hand.

	"Well...uh...you see...Serena gave it to me before we
left Lanyon. It's a family heirloom that her grandmother gave her."

	"That was very sweet of Serena to give you something so
special," replied Queen Diana as she fingered the ring around her
daughter's neck she gave her on her 5th birthday. She smiled as
she thought of how Rei reacted to the gift.

	"Since it is a family heirloom, you better take good care
of that, son. Serena must have had a good reason to entrust you
with such a valuable gift," King Darren added.

	"I will. Anyway, Serena was about to tell me the significance
of the locket when Rei came out and told us that we had to go."

	"Well, when we go back and visit again, you can ask Serena
then," answered Queen Diana with a smile.

	"We're here," said King Darren as the carriage came to a halt.

	The next thing that they knew, the carriage door was open and
the guard greeted them, "Welcome Home, Your Highnesses."

	"Thank you, Micheal," the king replied in return as he got out
of the carriage and proceeded to take his daughter Rei from his wife.

	Then Micheal helped the queen out of the carriage with Darien being
the last one to exit the carriage.

	"So how have things gone today?" King Darren asked his aid,
Artemis, as he came near them.

	"Very well your, highness. You do however have a guest," Artemis
stated to them.

	"We do? May I ask who it is?" the king inquired as they walked
into the castle.

	"It is your nephew Derrick and his guardian John. They arrived
just an hour ago."

	"Really, I wonder why the sudden visit?" the king asked to
no one in particular.

	"Dear, this is your dead brother's son. He can visit any
time he pleases. He is family after all," the queen stated to
her husband.

	"I know, dear. It is just I am very tired and I really wasn't
expecting company at such a late hour," he smiled tiredly to his
beloved.

	"Darien, did you hear? Your cousin Derrick is here visiting.
Isn't that great. Now you two can spend some time together," his
mother turned around and looked at her son.

	Darien smiled even though he really didn't like Derrick
because he just seemed to rub him the wrong way. 'Sure, Mom. Sure.'

	"That is nice. But if you excuse me, I am very tired and
would like to retire for the night," Darien kissed his parents
and went to his room.

	"Artemis, where are they now?" the king inquired.

	"They retired to their rooms and told me that they would see
you in the morning."

	"Good. The queen and I will be putting the princess to bed
and we will also be retiring for the evening. So please no more
interruptions for the rest of this evening. Is that understood?"
explained the king as they started up the stairs.

	"Yes, your highness. And goodnight," Artemis bowed and left
them.

	They put their daughter to bed and then they proceeded to their
own room holding each other's hand. Happily knowing that their family
was safe and sound and would always be together.

Meanwhile in Darien's room...

	Darien was in his room wondering why his cousin had come for
a visit. "Why is it that Derrick seems to just rub me the wrong way?
I mean, I know he is family, but something just bugs me about him. And
I am not quite sure what," he said aloud to himself.
He then caught notice of a shiny object on his nightstand
next to his bed. He picked it up and looked at it.

	'What is the importance of this locket? I am going to make
sure to ask you next time, Sere.' Darien smiled and put the locket
back around his neck and went to sleep.

To be continued...