Serena
Chapter 24- The Problem and The Unlikely Solution
 

        That night seemed to last forever.  When they brought me to my room I spent the first three hours pounding the doors to try to get the guards to let me out.  I wanted to be with him.  All I knew is that I could not allow anyone to kill him.  If my mother read the verdict to have him executed, I would fall on my own sword when I got back to my room.  At least that way we could be together in death.
        I could not sleep.  I kept wondering what tomorrow would bring.  There must be some other way besides impregnating me with Micah's child.   I did not even want to think of Micah.  He would be gone in three days, anyway.  I was not pleased with the way the trial had gone.  My mother would listen to the worst case scenarios and base her decision on them.  I longed for Tuxedo Mask to be with me tonight.  I needed him to be there for me.  He must be going through a lot of pain, too.
        I spent the night just thinking about everything Tuxedo Mask and I had done together.  I remembered the first time we went to Venus.  Once we became open about our feelings for each other, we would take trips in disguise.  The first time we went to Venus, we visited the pools of Utopia.  It was a beautiful place with waterfalls and lagoons within a rain forest.  We went skinny dipping in a secluded area and we ended up making love on the bank.
        We went to so many different places, most of which Tuxedo Mask had read about.  Once we went skiing on Earth.  It was so much fun.  I could not ski and neither could Tuxedo Mask.  We were so terrible at it that we ended up completely off the trail and had to transport ourselves back to the lodge because we were so lost.
        A few times I managed to get him to go ice skating with me on Pluto.  He did not know how and it was fun to try to teach him.
        I loved being with him.  I always enjoyed going places that I had been many times before, places that had become old to me and had lost their appeal, because he was seeing it for the first time.  He would get so excited about the things that I now thought to be pretty unmarvelous.  He treasured what I took for granted and it was so refreshing to once again discover the beauty of the universe.
        I cried in my bed as I thought of these things.  I realized that these memories could soon be all I had of him left.  I was roused the next morning without getting a wink of sleep.  I got up and looked in the mirror in my bathroom.  My eyes were red and puffy.  Normally, I would have spent hours making them look perfect again.  But this morning, I did not care.  I had no reason to want to make myself look presentable.  I could spend hours in the mirror making my eyes perfect and I would still end up looking this way after an hour.  I knew the news coming was not going to be good.
        I arrived in session.  I glanced over at Tuxedo Mask.  He was looking straight down at the table.  He too knew that the verdict was not going to be good.
        My mother entered the room.  I looked up at her.  She avoided my eyes, but I could tell she had been up all night and crying, too.  This was not easy for her and I knew that.  I pitied her.  I felt a pang of guilt wash over my body.  I was the one who was putting her through this.  This was my fault.  This entire problem was because of me.  I never thought that love, a pure and beautiful thing, could bring so much pain and so many problems.
        "Thank you all for coming." Mother started.  Her voice was raspy and I could tell she was starting to loose it.
        "I have reached the verdict on the case involving Tuxedo Mask.  The punishment for treason according to the law, is death.  However, in this case, the treason was committed through the act of love and not an act of hate or revenge.  Tuxedo Mask fell in love with my daughter and Serena returned his affection.  I am confident that Tuxedo Mask would have not acted on his emotions had Serena not returned them.  Furthermore, Serena would not have returned his love if her fiancé had not been an abuser.  Which brings me back to the question, 'Is this really treason?'  We have never had a case like this before in the history of the Moon Kingdom.  Therefore this decision is my own and not based on any prior results.
        “I do not believe Tuxedo Mask committed treason, but the law says he did.  But then there is the question of the bloodline of the Moon remaining pure.  As much as I hate to say it, I cannot condone any action that may result in future war.  I have therefore decided that Tuxedo Mask shall be banished, not executed, for the crimes he committed.  However, I do recognize the strength of their love.  It is for this reason that they will have one more night together.  In the morning, he will be transported to another galaxy."
        I was stunned.  Everyone looked at me.  My eyes filled with tears.  My ears hurt.  It took me a minute to realize why.  I was screaming at the top of my lungs.  I breathed in and collapsed on the floor.  I stopped screaming as soon as I regained control.  Everyone left and Tuxedo Mask ran over to me.  Mother stopped him and came over to me.  I looked up at her and just glared.  My own mother was against me.  I would never forgive her.  Never.  She had put the value of power over the value of love... and me.  She looked me in my eyes and sobbed.
        "I am so sorry, Serena.  My dearest daughter.  But I cannot bend the rules as I see fit, just to save my family pain.  I wish there were another way.  I hope you can forgive me... someday."
        She ran out.  She knew the way I felt about her.  She had been reading my emotions the whole time.  She felt the pain I was going through.  But that did not make a difference.  The man I loved and needed was now being ripped away from me, forever.
        Tuxedo Mask knelt beside me and gently lifted my body off the ground.  He picked me up, my body now a sobbing, lifeless piece of flesh and carried me to my room.

Darien
 

          I carried Serena up the stairs.  She was a mess.  I could barely walk.  When I got to the open door I set her down.  She ran to the bed and sat there looking at me, her blue eyes red and puffy.  I closed the door and went to her.  I took her in my arms and kissed her.  I climbed on the bed and sat back against the headboard.  She crawled into my lap and buried her head in my chest.  I held her.  Slowly I undid her hair and let the stands fall down her back and over her shoulders.  She clamed down long enough to make one plea to me.
        "Please, Tuxedo Mask.  Do not leave me.  Never stop holding me.  Hold me forever.  That is all I want.  Just please, do not leave me.  I could never bear it."  That was it.  I pulled her face up to mine and kissed her.
        I made love to her the next two hours.  After we finished I looked into her eyes and said, "Take a good look at your room Serena, this is the last time you will see it."  She looked around puzzled.  Then looking back at me she said, "What do you mean?"
        "Run away with me Serena.  Please.  I can't live with out you.  If I get to another galaxy and you aren't there, I will kill myself anyway.  They may as well execute me.  But if you come with me, we can build a new life.  Start a family together.  Serena please say yes."
        "Yes.  Of course I will.  I was also planning to kill myself as soon as you left.  This way I at least get to be with you."
        I kissed her and then got dressed.  We ordered dinner and had it delivered to her room.  She was in a robe and was setting up the table.  I opened the door when the knock came.  We talked about our plan as we ate.  I was going to be transported the next morning.  Then Serena was going to do the rest.  She planned to cut her arm and get some of her blood on a noose and a mangled gown.  Then she was going to leave a suicide note saying she had transported herself to Earth and hung herself off the side of a bridge.  She would then tie a rope to the side of the bridge she mentioned in the note and make it look like the noose broke.  Then she would throw the noose and the gown in the water.  That way it would look like a shark or something ate her body.  Thus, leaving her free to transport to me, unobserved.
        We made love a second time before ordering dessert.  I was so relieved that we finally had this whole thing solved.  We decided she should not pack any bags because it would look like she left with me.  After dessert, Serena disguised herself and transported to a mall on Pluto.  Nobody would be looking for her because they assumed that she would be spending the night with me.  She bought all new clothes and accessories.  Then she bought toiletries and other essentials.  She returned to her room at four in the morning.  I was leaving at ten.  We packed everything in the new luggage she had bought and we hid them in her closet.
        Then I took one of her old gowns and thrashed it with my sword.  She got out the rope she had bought and I tore it after tying a noose.  Next, she took one of the knives we had used at dinner and she cut herself with it.  She was good about it and we spilled her blood all over the gown and noose.  These we pushed under her bed and quickly healed her arm.  She looked at me.  We were actually doing this.
        "What if this is recognized?" she pointed out caressing my patch.  I took it off and said, "there's not much we can do about it, is there?" I stated.
        "Well, maybe..." she said.  She lifted off the patch and touched my eye.  I saw a flash and smiled.  "There." she said.  She handed me a mirror.  My scar was healed!  She had healed me!!  I threw my arms around her waist and held her close.  "Thank you, Serena!" I exclaimed.  We crawled in bed and waited until nine.
        Sure enough, at nine there was a knock on the door.  I quickly replaced the patch over my eye and answered the door.
        "Tuxedo Mask, we're here to take you."  There were five guards at the door.  Serena started fake screams and crying and I managed a few tears of my own.  As they walked me down the hall, I could still hear Serena in her room.  The five guards all commented on how sorry they felt for us and how they wished me luck. I thanked them for their concern and told them to look after Serena for me.  I reached my destination and found that the whole court had shown up for my departure.  I said nothing and concentrated on looking sad and crying as I was put on a platform for transport.
        "Goodbye, Tuxedo Mask.  I am sorry." Serenity said as she transported me away.

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