To an immortal a day would pass in the blink of an eye. However, after the Time Gears were stolen, days bled into each other as darkness covered the lands. Not even the moon shown with light. Cresselia did not care what day it was, all she knew is that she had to stop Darkrai. Perhaps she could talk some sense into him. Cresselia huffed. Darkrai may be stubborn but surely she could get him to see reason. For a long while all that was below her was the graying ocean. Right as Cresselia finally reached the sweet sight of land, the sun began to rise.

"What?" Cresselia recoiled back.

She squinted but could not look away.

"Cresselia!" Mesprit's bright but tired voice reached her shortly before she was tackled in a fierce hug.

"Mesprit…what happened? Did you get the Time Gears back?"

"Oh Cresselia! Yes we did! The Temporal Tower is all fixed thanks to two young Pokémon!" Mesprit paused,

"Cresselia…" Mesprit let go of her grimacing as if in pain, "Your sadness…it's so strong."

Cresselia couldn't help it. After Arceus knows how long of travel, exhaustion and her own anguish had caught up to her. Collapsing, she sobbed uncontrollably. She told Mesprit everything that had occurred since their last meeting. Mesprit listened politely and nodded occasionally. By the end of Cresselia's lamentation, Mesprit's eyes were wide as saucers and wet with tears.

"Cresselia, oh you poor thing!" The sprite encircled her tiny arms around the lunar swan's neck.

"We'll get this all sorted out, I promise! I'll get in contact with Giratina, tonight. Giratina always knows what to do in these kinds of situations!"

Mesprit led her to the shade of the nearby trees, gently lowering her with her own psychic powers.

"You must be so tired! Rest here!"

Cresselia tilted her head up, meeting Mesprit's optimistic gaze.

"Everything will work out, Cresselia."

As Cresselia drifted off to sleep, she found herself doubting.

An itchy nose caused a torrent of air and snot to fly out into the air, much to the amusement of a chortling individual. Cresselia daintily wiped her nose with a nearby leaf before glaring every which way to find the perpetrator. As per usual, he kept himself hidden. She flew up with a huff.

"I know you're out there!"

Another fit of giggles filled her ears. A dark shadow streaked across the ground but Cresselia was ready. With one breath she shot an aurora beam at the shadow.

"Ouch!"

Darkrai rose from his own shadow, snow-like hair covered in frost.

"What's the matter, Cress? Have you got a feather up your muzzle?" sneering impishly, he waggled the offending object in his black claws.

Cresselia gave him an unimpressed scowl.

"Oh come now, Cress…" He dropped the feather and brushed the remaining ice crystals from his hair, "I was only jesting with you."

Darkrai stopped to stand on the green grass below. Only now did he notice her state. Her body barely hovered above the ground. Eyes, stern and tired glowered at him.

"What happened to you?"

"Human village…West of Mount Coronet…last night."

"Oh..." Darkrai lowered his head sheepishly beneath his red collar, "Apologies…"

"I thought we talked about this…" Cresselia couldn't keep the exasperation out of her voice, "At the New Moon your powers…"

"I'm well aware of my powers, Cresselia." Darkrai interrupted "I don't need a lecture from you."

"But you…" Cresselia stopped herself before she could utter another word.

She recognized this conversation. This was a memory, as bright as the day it occurred. Cresselia was unsure why her mind had decided to relive the past instead of dreaming, but she figured she might as well take the opportunity.

"I don't want to fight today, Darkrai…"

Cresselia heard past Darkrai give a relieved sigh,

"I don't want to either."

He sunk to the ground.

"I really am sorry, Cress. I try to be careful but I can only prevent so much."

"I know."

An awkward silence followed.

This is a dream. Cresselia told herself, You can say anything. No repercussions.

"There's something I want to tell you."

Darkrai, who was resting his head against one of his claws, glanced at her. Cresselia took his quiet attention as a sign to go on.

"I…I…" She stammered.

It seemed even in dreams she was too nervous to begin. Cresselia supposed scooting over to sit beside him would help but it only made her feel worse. Her tiny paws shook and her mouth felt drier than it ever had been before. Minutes passed, but Darkrai waited patiently until Cresselia finally had the courage to continue.

"I love you."

There, it was done. The skin beneath Cresselia's feathers turned a bright scarlet as she desperately searched his features. At first his eyes widened and he became as stiff as a statue. Then a soft chuckle occupied the air.

"I see. Getting back at me for pranking you, huh? That's a good one, Cress."

Darkrai's laughter stopped short when he noticed that Cresselia was fighting back tears.

"Dear…Arceus. You're being serious?"

He stared at her with a mixture of awe and confusion.

"You could have anyone you know? You're kind, generous and beautiful, but you want me?"

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well yes…quite honestly, it is. I was under the impression that you didn't really like me that much."

Now it was Cresselia's turn to be puzzled.

"What gave you that idea?"

"I don't know the whole, I could never rule such a world with you, bit doesn't exactly sound lovey-dovey to me but…"

He brought his claw up and lightly touched her cheek.

"If you'd rather, I'd much prefer if you were beside me."

Cresselia's entire body froze. It was all… Cresselia immediately pulled away from him. The illusion of that lovely sunny day melted away being replaced by darkness. Darkrai stood in front of her, arms crossed over his chest and eyes narrowed.

"So...you have it set in your mind to meddle?"

Cresselia's chest erupted in pain as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest. Tears began pouring down her cheeks. Furiously she fired an aurora beam at him but he effortlessly dodged it.

"You're cruel! You monster!"

Darkrai rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"You sure do have a strange way of expressing love, Cresselia."

That earned him another aurora beam aimed directly at his chest. He moved but managed to get nicked slightly by the ice. Cresselia cried.

"What do you possibly have to gain from this, Darkrai? The sun has risen again. You failed!"

"Have I now?" He appeared amused by this.

Cresselia paused, cold fear rising in her throat.

"My poor dear naïve, Cresselia." He tilted his head, his visible cyan eye glinting mysteriously, "There is so much you don't know about me."

Daringly, he drifted closer to her.

"And I'm afraid you'll never know."

Cresselia braced herself to attack but instead of her dark nightmare she found herself on the ground. Mesprit noisily snored, curled up beside her. Rain drizzled beyond the cover of the trees but the crescent moon still shown amongst the branches. Cresselia let loose a strangled whimper before wiping her tears away. No, she could not sit there and cry while Darkrai went off doing only Arceus knew what kinds of terrible things. Her feelings could not matter. Her duty as an immortal and the guardian of good dreams was to protect the mortals of this world. After making sure Mesprit was snug in her bed beneath the trees, Cresselia took off. She traveled deeper and deeper into the forest with only the determination of stopping Darkrai to keep her going.