Hey everybody! I want to thank all of you who read my prologue chapter. I want to apologize for a few things in advance for the shorter-than-usual chapters (at least compared to my other stories) thus far. For this story, I've found it to make more sense for the way I want to break up the story.

Anon, I do plan on resurrecting Vexation. It will probably be my next project after this. I will be updating my profile soon with the status updates on my past and future stories.

Anyhow, all standard disclaimers apply. Just in case you are all wondering, I am not Naoko Takeshi (sorry). Sailor Moon and its characters belong to their respective owners.


Chapter 1

Returning Home

Serena stood at the baggage claim at JFK International airport. Luckily for her, the landing had been fairly smooth. She never minded flying too much, but always got worried when it was time to land. She had remembered Raye saying to her once, "Most plane crashes happen when they're landing."

That was when Raye joined Serena and her family on a vacation to Florida. Serena had discovered afterwards that Raye was only teasing her, but still managed to get nervous ever since. She remembered how much Raye laughed at her when she literally ran off the plane crying after it landed.

Serena sighed in defeat as she stood waiting for her bag to appear on the conveyer belt. She had hoped to get to the baggage area before the rest of the passengers on the flight arrived, but instead went to the bathroom first to wash her face. Thankfully, the cool water worked wonders on her puffy eyes. By the time she arrived to the baggage claim, it was already crowded with random people trying to shove in front of each other to be the first to claim their bags, like animals trying to get a drink from the only watering hole in the desert.

Serena stood in the back behind everybody, jumping to catch a peek of the conveyer belt. She cursed her short frame, envious of even some of the children who seemed to tower over her. She sighed again and surrendered herself to waiting. Serena wore a pink sweater and cream-colored pants, which hugged her legs, and a pair of gray boots which reached up to just below her knees. A gray scarf was wrapped around her neck, and she was wearing a gray and pink beanie hat with a single pom-pom on top. She liked the outfit not just because she found it to be cute, but because it made her look taller.

At only 4'11", Serena was always one of the shortest people wherever she was, even when she was living in Japan. However, now that she was back in America, she felt like a child compared to everybody else. It didn't help that the heavy camera bag over her shoulder was beginning to make her slouch. She considered putting it down on the floor for a while, but was afraid it would find a way of running away.

Slowly, the hordes of people surrounding the conveyer belt which carried the baggage began to clear, giving Serena the opportunity she was waiting for. Serena rushed forward, and to her delight, her bag was just emerging. It was a large white bag covered with a pattern of pink bunny heads. Serena thought that it was the perfect suitcase to own, since the change of somebody having a similar-looking one was slim to none, even though the already large bag looked enormous next to her. This time was no exception.

She snatched her bag and quickly exited to the lobby. Even though she was nervous to arrive home, she would rather be thrown right into the fire than be stuck in the airport for any longer. Upon exiting to the lobby, Serena was confronted with familiar voice.

"Usagi," the voice called. Serena looked over to see a beautiful middle-aged woman with dark hair wearing a long blue dress. Serena dropped her bags, no longer caring if they decided to grow legs.

"Mom," Serena cried and ran over to her mother. The two embraced, tears falling freely down their faces. People passed, some giving fleeting glances, but the two didn't care. It had been nearly a year since Serena last saw her mother, but it might as well had been a decade. The two continued to embrace for several minutes before finally breaking away. They both took a deep breath then giggled in unison, wiping the tears from their eyes.

"My God I've missed you, Usagi," Ikuko said between laughter. Serena rolled her eyes, still laughing.

"I can't believe you're still calling me by that stupid name," Serena said. "I am 25 you know, and I do not look like a rabbit." Ikuko smiled warmly.

"That's the nick name your Oba and Oji gave you. It's because of that silly hairstyle you love to wear." Ikuko patted Serena's head through her hat. Serena blew her cheeks up and covered her head with her hands, as if to project it.

"I like my hair," she said. The two burst into laughter again. After laughing for a few moments, her face grew more serious. "Mom, why isn't dad here?" Ikuko wiped some more tears away from her eye and laughed.

"Oh you know your dad. He'd probably be balling his eyes out, making a huge scene." Serena laughed. She could just imagine her father crying like a baby in the middle of the airport. Serena shivered at the thought of it. "Anyway, we should really get going. The car isn't going to wait forever."

The ride home was mostly uneventful. Ikuko bragged about finding a new cream that kept her face looking young and wrinkle-free. Serena laughed thinking of how little her mom had changed. Ikuko was in her mid 40's, but could easily pass for a woman ten to 15 years younger. She was always trying new products that advertised to make the user look younger. Serena didn't know if it were the beauty products or not, but whatever it was, it worked.

Serena told Ikuko about life in Japan. She had told her mother about her photos having been featured in several different magazines.

"That's amazing, Usagi," Ikuko responded sincerely. "But you know what I really want to know about?" Serena rolled her eyes. She had known that eventually the conversation would have reached this point.

"No mom, I haven't met anybody." Every single time that Serena and her mother spoke, she always asked the same question, 'Have you met a guy yet?' While Serena had gone on a few dates, she had never once had a boyfriend.

"Well I'm just beginning to worry, Usagi, you might be…"

"Stop it right there," Serena quickly cut her off. "I'm just not interested," Serena lied, diverting her eyes to outside the window. The truth was she wanted to have a boyfriend. In fact, she considered herself to be somewhat of a hopeless romantic.

"Well perhaps you'll meet a man here." Serena rolled her eyes again.

"Well," Serena began mockingly, "I'm only staying here 'till New Years, so I don't think that's possible." Ikuko sighed, knowing that she shouldn't push the issue any further. Her face became serious as she looked over to Serena again.

"Serena," Ikuko said. Serena turned her head away from her window to look at her mother. It was very rare that Ikuko referred to Serena by her real name, and it usually meant that it was something important. "You know everybody missed you." Serena looked at her mother questioningly. "All your friends missed you, Serena. It's been so long since you've seen any of them." Serena diverted her eyes.

"As if they remember me," Serena muttered, her voice a mix of hurt and doubt, and perhaps a pinch of hope. "I mean I haven't even spoken to them for so long. I'm sure they have their own lives by now." Ikuko smiled warmly and stroked Serena's shoulder, prompting her to turn back to her mother.

"When I told Raye, she could barely contain herself."

"You told Raye?" Serena didn't understand why she was so surprised.

"Of course! They all know," Ikuko replied. Serena began to feel panic setting in again. She knew that she was going to have to see them all again. In fact, she wanted to see them all. Still, she didn't think that it was going to happen so soon. She was hoping to wait at least a few days, or weeks even. How could she wait now that they know that she's home? She was snapped out of her thoughts once again by the voice of her mother.

"We're almost here," Ikuko said. Serena looked out the window. Not only were they almost home; they were on her street. It was the street she grew up on; a small street in a small Long Island town. Yet, such a small street held so many memories. The car then stopped and Serena knew they had arrived. Sure enough, they were in front of her house.

It was a small ranch on the corner with white vinyl siding and black shutters. The lawn, usually a vivid green, was browned slightly with the coming of winter. Still, not a single leaf was on the lawn. A small tree was in the front yard. During the spring and summer, it grows the most beautiful white flowers, which when autumn arrives, falls like snow. The upkeep of the house was always the pride and joy of Serena's father. Serena smiled upon looking at the house.

"Home sweet home," Serena whispered. Again, she felt her mother's warm hand on her shoulder.

"Let's go home," Ikuko said. Serena nodded and smiled. For the first time, she felt comfortable and a little excited. They gathered their bags from the trunk of the car and began to walk up the pathway to the front door. Serena found herself reeling with excitement. She couldn't wait to see her father, sleep in her old bed, and eventually see her old friends. Right then, she noticed a fairly large amount of cars in the driveway on along the sidewalk. Serena gulped as her mother opened the front door and guided Serena inside.

"SURPRISE!" shouted a large group of voices. Serena remembered seeing only blurry figures. All except for one: a tall, handsome man with dark hair and striking blue eyes.

"Darien," Serena said before everything went dark and she collapsed to the floor.


Well that was definitely a bit of a surprise for Serena, pun not intended. What's going to happen next? Will we find out why Serena left? And what exactly happened between her and Darien? If you like this story and want to see what happens next, please follow and keep reading. Until then, have a good one and thanks for reading.