Title: Dream Diary Rating: G-PG Written by: Raseyu & Mistic anglemoon_raseyu@yahoo.com & mistic@flash.net Chapter 1 - ^_^ - ^_~ - ^_^ - ^_~ - ^_^ - ^_~ - ^_^ - ^_~ - ^_^ - ^_~ - ^_^ - ^_~ -^_^ - The lithe figure of a young man in his late teens walks towards me. Mists surround us, obscuring my vision, yet somehow, I feel as though I should know this man. His eyes, deep blue, the color of a sapphire pool on a moonlit night bore into my soul. It is as though the façade I show everyone around me is transparent before him. He calls my name, but I cannot respond. I do not even know what it is he calls me. I only know the name that I call him: Endymion. I call him by name. A voice that is not my own implores something of him, and his eyes become clouded with a pain I only wish I could take away... The same dream. Always the same dream. Why? Why must this mysterious Endymion haunt me so? It is almost as if he is a real person calling out to me. Serena paused in her writing. Images swirled past her mind's eye in an undistinguishable whirl of colors and symbols. She saw a face half hidden by mists. Something nagged at the back of her mind as she unknowingly drew the face in near perfect detail. Serena's pencil clattered softly to the desk. She blinked rapidly, forcing her unseeing eyes to refocused on the page or rather the face she had drawn. A soft gasp escaped the girl's lips as she stared at the image in disbelief. She knew that face, but from where? "Earth to Ser-ee-na!" An annoyingly, sweet voice sang as a hand snatched Serena's diary away from her immobile form. Serena's head shot up like a bullet. She had to blink a dew times before her dream clouded eyes were able to focus on the young boy before her. He was about ten with sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Though his figure was thin and wiry, small traces of baby fat could still be seen in his cheeks. A scowl spread across Serena's face as she recognized her brother's smirk. "What do you want?" Serena nearly growled, trying to get her diary back. "Mom says to come down for dinner, of course, I could tell her that you are writing in your -diary-" Sammy taunted, holding the black book behind his back. "You wouldn't dare!" Serena a shrieked finally getting her book back with a successful lunge. She hugged the black book protectively to her chest; her eyes widening in fear. 'He wouldn't dare,' she though, 'or would he? Well, two can play at this game." "I would, and you know it." Sammy cried indignantly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine. Go ahead and tell her." Serena paused, enjoying the shocked look that crossed her brother's face, "But, I get to tell her about that stash of -cooking- magazines (Raseyu ^_~, ^_~) under your bed. "You wouldn't dare!" Sammy cried, his eyes bulging from their sockets. "I wouldn't hesitate if you told Mom about my diary." Serena replied coolly as she slipped the black book into her inter- dimensional pocket. "Sammy! I thought I told you to get your sister!" Ilene Tsukino, a woman in her mid thirties, cried standing in the doorway of Serena's messy room. "I did." Sammy shrugged as he slipped past his mother into the hallway. "Well, come on, Serena. Let's go eat." Ilene's keen eyes surveyed the room before her, tisking at the sight. "And then you will clean up this mess." "Yes, ma'am." Serena mumbled, hanging her head with mock disgust. As Ilene left the room, Serena hesitated; her diary was still in her inter-dimensional pocket. Looking around to make sure nobody was watching, Serena headed back into her room and carefully hid her diary so Sammy would not find it. "Serena, hurry up!" Sammy whined from the stairs. "I'm getting hungry!" "I'm coming! I'm coming." Serena muttered in agitation as she left the room. As Serena entered the dining room, she found her family about to sit down to dinner. She moved to join them at the table. "So, Darling, how was work?" Ilene inquired sweetly as her husband helped himself to the mashed potatoes. "Just like every other day," Ken muttered under his breath before pasting on a smile and saying cheerfully, "Good!" "Good, dear." Ilene paused thoughtfully, holding the bowl of potatoes. "Oh, that reminds me! Serena, I saw Melvin today, and he said you got Monday's math test back. He said he got a 95; how did you do, Serena?" "Uh-oh! Serena's busted!" Sammy laughed, making a face at his sister. "Umm, I-I did okay, but I can't find my paper. I'll look for it tomorrow; it has to be around here somewhere (Raseyu-in the trash!)." Serena replied with a weak smile. "Oh, well. Maybe it's in that mess you call a room." Ilene sighed, smiling sweetly at Serena. "Uh, yeah. I'll look." Serena muttered as she lowered her head to stare at her plate. Deep sapphire eyes. Deep blue orbs of stormy emotion. They were never far from her mind, always resting on the edge of her vision, unwilling to be vanquished to the deepest recesses of her mind. How she longed for the day, they would meet face to face. Her heart cried at the thought of never seeing his handsome face. The problem was she only knew his name, but she felt as though they had known each other for a lifetime and beyond. Deep in thought, Serena did little more than push her peas around her plate. Ken and Ilene exchanged worried glances before turning a questioning gaze to their son. Sammy just shrugged in response and continued eating. "Serena, dear," Ilene prompted, "aren't you going to eat?" "Huh." Serena's head shot up and her cheeks burned a bit as she responded, "Oh, yeah." "-I- know what Serena's thinking; she dreaming of her lover, Mel-vin!" Sammy taunted, laughing and kissing the air. "Smooch, smooch, Meatball hear!" "I AM NOT!" "Sammy, stop teasing your sister." Ken scolded as he lifted a forkful of potatoes to his mouth. After diner, Serena headed to her room and found Luna sleeping peacefully on her bed. "Lazy cat." Serena muttered, picking up dirty clothes. "And she says -I'm- lazy." Luna lifted sleep-clouded eyes to watch her charge pick up clothes off the floor and throw them into a laundry basket. After a few more minuets of listening to Serena's soft muttering, Luna stretched out and spoke out in her defense. "Well, Serena," Luna stated gently, scaring the wits out of the girl. "You are always sleeping or eating instead of fulfilling your obligations. Not to mention the fact that you slack off in school." "So?" Serena paused, digging under her bed. Finding a rather moldy sandwich, Serena wrinkled her nose and threw it in the trash along with some rather funny looking chips. "I don't see you doing much, either. I come home and find you sleeping in my be nine times out of ten." "I do my investigating best at night-" "Yeah, right! You curl up at my feet throughout most of the night." Serena snapped, stacking some of her comics. "Well, at least the others and I search for the Moon Princess. All you do is whine like a baby, and I, for one, am sick of it! You put the name of the Moon Kingdom's greatest warriors to shame-" "Get out!" Serena cried, her voice deadly clam as she dropped to her knees. "You know -nothing- about me. You know -nothing- of my struggles." She paused, taking a shaky breath as her chest contorted in pain. "Do you even -know- the reason why I do poorly in school? Do you -know- the reason I fall asleep all the time? Have you ever -once- stopped to ask?" Shocked silence was the only answer Serena's questions received. Luna tried to think of something to say. Something that would take away the young girl's pain, but she had no clue where this agony had come from. "Serena-I-I'm-" "Please, just go away." Serena pleaded, desperately trying to hide her tears. "I just need some time to myself." Hanging her head in shame, Luna moved to the open window and hopped out onto a tree branch. With one final look back over her shoulder, Luna allowed her own tears to fall as she fled into the safety of the falling night. "I do know; that's the problem." A sob rose unbidden within Serena's throat, and she quickly scooped up her comic books to hide it. With labored steps, Serena crossed the room to her bookshelves where she began to reshelf them with a passion. Fumbling with the last two, Serena finally gave up and allowed them to fall to the ground. The room was clean now save the two comics sitting at her feet, but Serena took no pride in her work. Her heart was too full of shame for what she had said to the one person who might be able to understand her pain. She had never taken her anger out on another human being. She had never raised her voice in -real- anger. Nevertheless, today she had done both, and the shame she felt was all consuming. Glistening streaks left by tears, winked like diamonds in the soft light of twilight. Gentle sobs shook Serena's fragile form as she too slid to the ground. Only then did Serena allow her tears to take control. After a short time had passed, she gave into the pure exhaustion being Sailor Moon had left within her but not before whispering, "I'm sorry." Serena's eyes flew open. Her senses prickled with the sensation of danger. Someone was in trouble, and they needed her help, desperately. Clutching at her broach, Serena whispered softly, "Moon prism power, make up." In a flurry of light, Serena felt her clothes fade away and ribbons wind themselves protectively around her fragile body. An invisible wind pulled playfully at her hair, renewing her strength and awakening her senses. Swiftly, Sailor Moon climbed out of her window and onto a tree branch. With a rather impressive flip, she landed safely, softly on the ground outsider her second-story bedroom window. Without even a final glance towards the house, Serena was off and running. A growing sense of urgency her only guide as she sprinted through the ever- darkening night. The shrill beeping of her communicator sliced through the silence of downtown Tokyo, but Serena did not hesitate in her run. If she answered the call, she would be putting too many lives in danger. Deep in her heart, Serena knew the others would forgive her if she did not answer the call. Therefore, she continued her race, knowing that time was of the essence. When Sailor Moon arrived on the battle scene, she hesitated. Something deep within her told her not to enter the fight until the last minute. She had a feeling that one of her senshi would need her before the battle was through. Better to enter just in the nick of time like Tuxedo Mask rather than barge into a situation she knew nothing about. With this in mind, Sailor Moon retreated to the safety of a nearby tree where she could watch the battle from a safe distance. Peering down between the branches of her hiding spot, Moon studied the battlefield below. Directly below her, Sailor Mars stood deep in concentration and oblivious to what was going on around her, or so it seemed. Using low level attacks and taunting phrases, Sailor Venus and Jupiter were keeping the monster at bay. The blue haired Senshi of Mercury stood off to the side just out of the creature's line of vision, typing furiously into her palm-top computer. Since her friends had the situation relatively under control, Sailor Moon turned her attention to the actual monster. The thing was actually strikingly beautiful in a rather twisted way. It had long shapely limbs made of ice-like crystal and a well-developed bust hidden by a dress of sheer blue material. Long flowing tendrils of ice-white hair framed a well-structured face and complemented the creature's violet eyes. However, one abnormality in the creature's appearance sent the eyes of Sailor Moon nearly bulged from their sockets. The creature had four arms and in each hand, she carried a different mediaeval weapon. Around the creature's waist, a whip lay coiled, waiting for its mistress to strike. "Akuryo Taisan." The words were soft, so soft that the creature did not hear them. A slip of paper with the same phrase written on it flew through the air, heading straight for the creature's muscular back. How the monster knew to dodge was beyond Moon, but that is exactly what it did. The creature ducked down and grabbed her whip with lightning speed. Within the blink of an eye, shredded paper fluttered down to the ground at Mars's feet. The Senshi of Mars gulped visibly while another attack was hurtled full throttle at the monster. "Ep!" Sailor Moon shrieked as she clamped a hand over her own mouth to stop the sound. "What are you doing here, Sailor Moon? Why aren't you down their helping your friends?" Tuxedo Mask demanded, his eyes smoldering with white-hot fire. "Shhh!" Moon hissed putting a gloved finger to her protector's mouth. "You want of blow my cover?!" "No, but what are you doing here?" Tuxedo Mask hissed right back, grabbing Moon's wrist. "Waiting." "Waiting! Waiting for what-doom's day?" "The right moment." "Why? Why don't you just jump into the fray like you normally do?" "Because if I do one of them will -die-." Wide, incredulous eyes stared at Sailor Moon as though she had lost her mind, but she did not see them. Instead, her vision dimmed, and the sounds of battle faded to a dull hum that died away. Sailor Mercury stood shouting to her fellow Senshi, but they did not hear her. She never saw the ice crystal headed straight for her. A silent scream left her pale lips as the crystal pierced her chest just above the heart. The Senshi of Mercury fell to her knees unnoticed by anyone as the creature turned to dust. "MERCURY, LOOK OUT!" Sailor Moon cried as she practically flew from her hiding place. She ran as hard as her legs would allow. Her speed was great, but she knew she would never make it in time. With a cry of frustration, Sailor Moon threw herself into Mercury, crying, "MOON TWILIGHT SHEILD!" (Mistic: should be FLASH but I liked shield better; read on and you'll see why.) Silver light encompassed the two Senshi shattering the crystal into a million tiny pieces. Several of the small pieces bombarded Sailor Moon, tearing her flesh but not killing her. With a groan, Moon turned her attention away from her friend, knowing she was safe and rose to her feet. "How dare you try killing one of my best friends! I am the Pretty Sailor Suited Solider of the Moon, and in the place of the Moon, I shall punish you!" Moon pulled the Crescent Moon Wand from its hiding place and twirled it in her hand. Drawing a perfect circle of light in the air, she closed her eyes and shouted, "Moon healing activation!" The circle of light sped towards the creature and encompassed her immobile form, purging her system of evil influences. Within seconds the creature had turned back into a human and fell to the ground in a dead faint. It was then that the Senshi stepped forward to speak with their leader. "Well, well, well. So our esteemed leader finally shows up." Mars growled her face contorted in anger. "Where were you?!" "Can it, pryo! I don't need this from you right now." Moon shot back, fire in her eyes and stone in her words. "You can badger me later, but right now Mercury is more important to me than listening to your temper-tantrum." Stunned silence fell upon the clearing as Moon walked past the Senshi of Fire to where Mercury was shaking her head still trying to figure out what exactly happened to her. "Uh-Wh-what happened?" Mercury asked, her eyes wide with confusion as Moon came to her aide. "Sailor Moon here recklessly put all our lives in danger just so she could sleep a little long-" "Shut your mouth, Sailor Mars." All eyes turned to stare at Venus, who looked like she was ready to kill a certain Martian. She took a step forward before stating, "You don't really know what happened nor why Sailor Moon, here, was late. She could have been waiting for a -good- opportunity to strike." "Yeah, Venus's is right, Mars. We don't know what just happened; only that Moon just saved Mercury's life from an attack none of us would have ever seen coming." "Yeah, well, she could have at least answered the communicator. She didn't have to keep it to herself that she was coming." Mars stated haughtily, trying to save her wounded pride. "She has a point." Jupiter popped up earning her a glare from both Moon and Venus that asked, 'whose side are you on, anyway'. "Wha-what did I say?" "Well, Moon, why didn't you call?" Mercury inquired with kind eyes as she laid a gentle hand on Moon's scraped arm. Moon shifted uncomfortably before she mumbled, "I-I left my communicator at home?" Four jaws dropped to the ground and eight eyes widened in shock. As one, they cried, "WHAT!" Moon shrunk back uncomfortably and muttered in a soft voice, "I-I accidentally left my communicator at home." Well it was a lie, but it would have to do. She could not tell them her real reason for not calling without drawing some suspicion. "How did you know we were in trouble?" Venus asked. 'There goes that idea.' Serena thought, her eyes growing wide as a mischievous thought entered her mind. 'I could always play dumb.' "Lucky guess?" Serena half asked, half stated, shrugging her shoulders. Anger boiled within Mars's blood. Their leader had put all of their lives in danger and then she just shrugged it off. 'Ohh, I don't think so, buddy!' "You just risked all of our neck by leaving your communicator at -home- and then you have the nerve to act as though it's no big deal! Ohh-you make me SO MAD!" Mars shrieked, the fire never leaving her eyes. "I-I'm s-sorry, Mars. I-it won't happen again; I promise." Sailor Moon squeaked still playing innocent. "Whatever. I'm going home. I'll see you -ladies- tomorrow." Mars huffed, turning a threatening look towards Moon before walking briskly away from the battle scene. "I-I'm going to go after her. I'll see you tomorrow, Gals." Lita sighed as she ran after the steaming Senshi of Mars all the while shrieking, "Hey, Mars! Wait up!" Two of the three remaining Senshi giggled at Lita's antics. Leave it to the fighter of the group to calm down the fire driven one. "Umm, why don't you two go home. I-I have some things that I need to think about." Moon stated quietly after the giggles died down. "Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself, Sere?" Venus asked, her eyes filled with sisterly concern. "Yeah, I'm sure. Besides you two live in the opposite direction, and you'll be endangering yourselves if you walk me home." Two worried looks and Moon was giggling. "You two are worse than my mother! I'll be fine. Really, I'll be just fine." "Well, okay, Sere, if you think you'll be all right." "I'll be fine, Mercury. Really, I will." Moon stated with a small smile. "Well, all right then. Good night, Sere. I guess, I'll see you at school." Mercury stated with a worried glance as she sauntered slowly away. "Really, girls, I'll be just fine." Serena giggled as Venus moved to join Mercury in her journey home. She watched until they disappeared from sight before inclining her head to regard the star filled night sky. She sighed willing the pain in her hands to go away. "Stupid wand." She muttered softly, knowing she would do again. There was no other way to defeat the monsters of the Nega Verse without killing them. Sailor Moon shivered. Someone was watching her; she could feel it. With a sigh, Moon called out, "Their gone now." Tuxedo Mask's jaw dropped as he stepped out from behind a tree. "How did you know?" "So it is you." "How did you know?" Tuxedo Mask demanded again, forcing Moon to look at him. "I could feel you." She replied softly, so softly that Tuxedo Mask had to lean down to hear her words clearly. Silence draped around the clearing as Sailor Moon turned her attention back to the sky. Tuxedo Mask could find no response to the girl's earlier words so he just sat beside her in comfortable silence. Ten minutes passed like that before Tuxedo Mask broke the silence. "Why didn't you tell them the truth?" Tilting her head at a thoughtful angle, she asked, "About what?" "The reason you did not enter the battle until the last minute." "They would have thought I had lost my mind." Moon replied softly. "I think I may have." "I don't." Tuxedo Mask stated simply as he took Sailor Moon's gloved hand in his. "I think-" "It does not matter." Moon stated simply, trying to get her burned hand back from his grasp. "They would never have believed me, and frankly, I am surprise you do-" "I saw the fear in your eyes... By the way, how did you know to be here if you did not have your communicator?" "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Moon stated solemnly as she began to rise. "Look, I thank you for your concern, b-but I have to get going-" Reaching up to grab Sailor Moon's wrist Tuxedo Mask asked softly, "What happened?" "I-I have to go." Sailor Moon cried, breaking her wrist from Tuxedo Mask's grip. "I'm sorry." She whispered before fleeing into the darkness of the night, leaving a stunned Tuxedo Mask in her wake. Silent as a cat, Serena climbed into her bedroom window. With a sigh of relief, she tiptoed over to her bed; a gentle smile slowly graced her lips at what she found. A small black ball of fluff lie curled up at the edge of her bed. The sound of soft, steady breathing drifted though the air to Serena's ears. Luna had come back sometime during the battle. Apparently, her anger was as gone as Serena's, but Serena knew that she must make amends in the morning. With that thought in mind, Serena pulled off her school uniform and threw it into the overflowing laundry basket. She pulled a nightgown out of her dresser drawers and changed into it. She pulled the hairpins out of her golden locks, allowing the confined hair to cascade down her back in a waterfall of gold. Petting Luna's soft fur with gentle fingers, Serena whispered, "Good night, Luna," before climbing into bed and quickly falling into a restless sleep. The light of the early morning streamed into Serena's open window. It seeped farther and farther into the room as though it was searching for the girl sleeping within. Slowly, the rays inched their way across Serena's bed hoping to play with the child's golden locks. However, today, there were no locks of spun gold in which to play only the dark midnight fur of a sleeping guardian cat. A gentle knock resounded at the door followed moments later by a creak as it slowly swung inward. Ilene Tsukino strolled silently across the room speaking to her daughter, or so she thought, "Serena, it's time to get up, dear. I have pancakes on the-stove." "KEN!" Ilene cried out. "Yes, Dear." Ken Tsukino answered, entering his daughter's room. He had a tie in one hand and his blazer half on and half off. His glasses nearly fell off his nose as he stood in the doorway looking perplexed. "Have you seen Serena this morning?" Ilene inquired softly, her voice laced with worry as she stepped in front of the bed. "No, why?" "See for yourself." Ilene replied stepping aside so Ken could see. Sunlight streamed through the canopy of cheery blossoms and gently played with a young woman's waterfall of golden hair. A black book lay in her lap and color pencil after color pencil moved quickly across the page, being discarded almost as soon as they were taken up. So intent was she in her drawing that she never noticed the young man watching her. The minutes and hours seemed to have slipped by as quickly as the dawn's lights brightened horizon. If asked how long she had been sitting there, she could not say. She had totally lost track of everything save her drawing. Suddenly the girl paused to look over her work. She had drawn a couple kissing under the light of the blue Earth that was hanging in the background just beyond the balcony. The man's back was turned to the audience though his head was titled at such an angle that the viewer could barely see his profile. A single tear rested gently on the young woman's porcelain cheek; long sooty eyelashes framed two beautiful azure eyes closed as if to block out her pain. The girl had hair of spun gold pulled up in two buns adorned by white lilies and two streaming ponytails. The white ball gown she wore accented with gold, silver, and pearls all the way around the bodice. Gold and silver trimming accented the young man's black armor; a black cape hung gracefully about the young man's broad shoulders. The young girl smiled softly as she remembered that particular moment from her dream. The drawing was of herself and her dream prince, a man called Endymion. She did not understand how she knew this but she did. Gazing down at the paper she could not help but think, 'They looked so happy, so peaceful.' It was hard for her to imagine that they were the same couple as the one from her dream. Moments after this scene, she had watch the young couple be torn apart by another woman's jealousy. She had had such hatred in her eyes. An eerie feeling had overwhelmed her then, and she could not help but shudder at the thought now. A young man stood not to far off watching the young girl. He had been standing there for hours captivated by the beauty before him. He felt as though he should know this girl but had no idea why. Once or twice, he had caught a fleeting glimpse of her face, but the sun always hit it at just the right angle to mask her features from view. However, he had been able to see one feature that struck him as no other could. Her soulful azure eyes sparkled in the sunlight captivating his heart and soul with one glance. They were eyes a man could drown in and he should know; he was already drowning. He stood there for a while longer just drinking in the beauty before him. He wished to speak with her but lacked the courage to do so. Instead, he settled for watching her as she drew with such passion it captivated him. How could one person draw with so much passion in their eyes and their strokes? He had never before seen anyone put so much raw emotion into their work as she did. When the young girl's hand ceased its task, the young man moved a bit closer so he could see what she had drawn over her shoulder. The painting captivated him almost as firmly as the young girl's wistful smile. It was not until she shuddered, whether in fear or dread, he did not know, that he broke the silence that had fallen upon their small world. "Are you all right, Miss?" The young man asked gently, laying a comforting hand on the young girl's shoulder, "I couldn't help but notice your sudden shudder. Is there anything wrong?" The sound of soft bell like laughter was the response the young man received as two azure eyes locked with midnight blue. More than a little confused the young man asked again, "Are you all right?" "I-I'm f-fine." The young girl choked out, trying to bite back her giggles. A confused look passed over the young man's face making it impossible for the young girl to hold back her giggles. "I-it's just t-that >laugh< I can't believe that you d-don't rec-recognize me... ha, ha...I-it's just too funny!" "MEATBALL HEAD?" The young man cried incredulously, his eyes wide with shock and his mouth hanging open. "I-in the flesh!" Serena giggled turning her face up to Darien once more and holding her stomach. "What happened to the meatballs?" Darien asked in disbelief, his mind still not computing that this golden nymph really was his angel. Laughter and more giggling were the response Darien's comment received. After five or so minutes of giggling, Serena sneaked a peak at Darien's less than amused face and coughed trying to get control of herself. Once accomplished, Serena raised an eyebrow in question as she inquired in a mock serious tone, "I couldn't very well sleep in those, now could I?" "No, I guess not but-" Darien's swept an appreciative glance over Serena's slender curves clad in tight jeans and a pale pink spaghetti tee that revealed her creamy neckline. 'Wow, she is a looker,' he thought, 'Wait a minute! Did she not say she could not sleep with her hair up-"Then how can she wear something like THAT to sleep in?" "Very easily, Darien, I didn't." Serena replied, her eyes sparkling with mischief and laughter. "Huh, oh-opps!" Darien blushed becomingly, she had caught off guard. "That is to say--" "You're blushing." Serena stated with a slight giggle. "Yeah, well-that is to say-" "Gee, your thoughts must not have been too clean if your tongue has been twisted into so many knots." Serena paused, passing a critical eye over Darien's physique. 'Khakis, a black dress-shirt, and that awful green blazer. He must not have gone for his morning run,' Serena thought. His hair was tousled like he had not had a chance to comb it but that was the only thing out of place. After a moment, Serena returned her gaze to Darien's face, a mischievous glint in her azure eyes as she playfully stated, "Now go away and let me get back to my drawing... I have no desire to have a conversation with myself since you are so tongue-tied you can not respond." "Hey!" Darien cried indignantly, suddenly finding his voice again. "I CAN TO speak!" "Sure you can that's just why you could not for coherent sentences a few moments ago." "That's not fair! You caught me off guard!" "How so?" Serena asked, her eyebrow-raised inquiringly. "I've never seen you look so beautiful before-that is to say- mature... Ugh-great! Not again!" Serena just chuckled. The expression on Darien's face was priceless. 'Gee, makes me kinda wish I had a camera.' Serena's face dropped at the thought. She rarely had a camera when she needed one. 'Drats!' She thought as she shifted her weight a bit, causing the drawing tablet to shift with her. 'Oh, I forgot about that!' Taking one last look at Darien's blushing face, Serena turned to a new page, picked up a pencil, and began to draw a preliminary sketch. The girl was nearly through with her sketch when Darien finally realized she was not laughing at him or teasing him mercilessly like so many had done before. With a sigh, Darien lowered himself to sit beside Serena. A comfortable silence draped around the clearing as the two young people just enjoyed each other's company. Or rather, one enjoyed the other's company, and the other was so intent on her drawing she dared not say a word. After a while, when Serena's pace finally slowed, Darien finally ventured a whisper, "Thank you." "For what?" Serena inquired, turning a perplexed look upon Darien's relaxed form. "For not laughing at me or making fun of what I said." Darien stated gently, his eyes shinning with some emotion Serena could not place but did not doubt. "Why would I? You were frustrated. When that happens, people often say things that they mean wholeheartedly but never meant to say." "You surprise me." "How so?" "You are so much more intelligent than you, or anyone for that matter, gives you credit for. Not to mention, you are one -heck- of an artist." Darien gestured to the portrait Serena had drawn with such fervor. "How on earth did you get so good at that?" "My grandmother." Serena stated simply, retracing some lines with her ink pen. "Did she teach you?" "Yes-well, not really. "When I was little, my grandmother would take me up into the mountains to stay with her over the summer. One night, there was this terrible storm, and I had horrible nightmares. There was darkness everywhere. I could feel it pulling at my soul. I screamed. "Nana, came running to my room. She rocked me gently and told me that there was nothing to fear. She handed me this book that I hold here in my hands and told me to draw what I had seen..." "What did you draw?" Darien asked, truly intrigued. "Carnage. The kind left by wars." Serena replied as a shudder washed over her frame. "That's aw-" "SERENA!" A male voice called cutting off Darien's words and successfully breaking the moment between the two. "Oh no!" Serena shrieked swiftly turning from Darien and gathering her stuff. "I lost track of the time!" "I'll say; you've been here for over an hour." Darien stated as he helped Serena gather her scattered color pencils. The moment was broken. He might as well return to the ways things had always been. "I've been here since five thirty, Darien." Serena corrected as she took her color pencil from Darien's larger hand. "Wha-" "I don't have time to explain." Serena paused looking down at her diary and back to Darien. With a sigh and a heavy heart, Serena pushed the book into Darien's open hands along with her other supplies. "M-my dad will kill me if he knows what I have been doing-" Serena shook her head indicating for Darien to listen. "Please, do me this one favor and hold onto these for me. I-I don't want my father to have them. They are too personal-for some reason, I trust you-more than I trust anyone else. Please, just keep them safe for me." "Serena!" Ken's voice called, growing louder with every call. Serena's eyes were wide and desperate, pleading with Darien to understand. For some reason, she had a feeling he would. "Please, Darien." Dumbfounded, Darien found he could do nothing more than nod his head. "Thank you!" Serena cried giving Darien a bear hug and a peck on the cheek before running towards the voice leaving Darien to sit where he was and ponder what the heck just happened. To be continued... Okay before you start going off the deep end and saying, 'Serena would never do that,' I just have this to say: It's my fan fic and I'll do what I want to! ^_^ Question: Anybody figure out what the point of this chapter was? I'll give you a hint, reread the last three pages. To Raseyu: Thank you for giving me many of the ideas found in the argument between Serena and Luna as well as the dinner scene. I could not have written them half as well without the section that you gave me! Sorry, I deviated from that stupid outline! To tell you the truth; I made a new one! ^_^; When you said you were at your grandmother's house, it gave the idea for part of Darien and Serena's conversation at the end. Raseyu: Hey there everyone, I hope you like the story so far. Yes some of the Ideas came from me but the whole story Idea came from my friend Mistic. Mistic you Rock.. She helped me on some of my grammar part because if she didn't you could tell which part I wrote and which part she wrote. : ) Well I know I did have much of an impact on the part because I was gone most of the summer but I will put more into it on the next part. Sailor Scout Promise!! ^_^ \/ Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon are (c) Naoko Takeuchi, Bandai, Kodansha, Toei Animation, etc.