So, you wanna know why it takes me so long to write the new chapter, huh? Well, it all started when aliens came to visit one starry, autumn night….

Disclaimer: Yep. My first time doing one of these things. I thought it wouldn't be necessary, but I read an interesting article that changed my mind. Sailor Moon and its characters were not my creation. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi (or Takeuchi Naoko, whichever you prefer). I'm just proving what a brilliant mind she has by showing my love for her ideas :D. The concept of this story, however, is my own.

*POWER TO THE PIZZA MAKERS!*

~*~*~*Greyson Hospital of the Nationalists, Children's Ward, 2057 AD*~*~*~

The medicine-diluted air of the children's ward of Greyson Hospital was strangely still and quiet. Its large hallways were empty and enclosed in darkness. The diminutive, soft beeping of hospital machinery was the only sound that could be heard in the heavy, poignant atmosphere. A soft sound of a child's sobs joined the beeping of the machines, but no one seemed too disturbed by it. The sound was not a rare one, as the facility and orphanages of the area were on the verge of overflowing with children. A raven-haired boy sat up in his small hospital bed and rubbed his eyes, exhausted by his tears but unable to make them stop. He hiccupped as he tried to catch his breath and made a small whimper in despair. The boy felt something brush up against his arm and cried out in horror. He raised his arms up and pushed with all his might. His intruder squealed in surprise and tumbled off the bed, landing with a slight 'thud' on the floor.

"Who's there?" The boy asked into the darkness, pulling his covers to his chin. In the shadows, he could barely make out the small frame of the trespasser standing from the cold floor.

"I heard you crying," A voice replied. The figure moved closer to the bed, allowing the moonlight that spilled through the blinds of the window to shine down on their face. A little girl stood before him, with large, crystal blue eyes and golden hair that went past her waist. "I was glad to hear someone else was awake. Are you scared too?"

The little boy nodded, his tears forgotten for the moment. "I hate it here. I want to go home."

"Me too." The girl said as she squirmed up onto the foot of the bed. She frequently tugged on the sleeves of her hospital gown before sitting down on the mattress. "But I can't."

Without even asking, the boy knew her reason why. He knew it was the same as his. "Me neither."

The girl looked at him in silence for a moment, her fingers twisting around the large golden chain around her neck. A crescent moon pendant glittered in the moonlight, and the boy was instantly drawn to it.

"What is that?" He asked quietly, as if speaking any louder would ruin the air of peacefulness that had settled with the small girl's presence. She looked up at him, her unclouded blue eyes searching through his.

"It was my mama's," The girl answered. "She said it meant she was always nearby."

"Do you think she is?"

The girl looked down as her fingers continued to play with the necklace. "I hope so."

She giggled slightly after a small pause. "I feel like I know you."

"Yeah," The boy replied. "Me too."

"Maybe it means something. Almost like…"

"We're family." The boy finished.

"Yeah!" The girl exclaimed. "Let's be a family!"

The boy cocked his head and looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"Since we're both alone now, let's be each other's family."

The boy thought a moment before nodding his head enthusiastically. "Yeah. OK!"

The girl held out a fist, a small pinky extended from her clenched fingers. The boy did the same, hooking his pinky around hers. They shook hands, a large smile spreading over both their faces.

"What are you doing out of your room, young lady?"

The children turned towards the voice in surprise. A nurse stood at the doorway, a large vase full of roses in her hands. She set the vase down and put her hands on her hips. "Go back to your own room right now, missy. Hut two."

The girl's shoulders slumped sadly and she climbed off the hospital bed with a groan. She kept her eyes on the floor as she passed the nurse and slowly made her way down the hall.

"And you, mister," The nurse turned towards the boy, shaking a scolding finger at him. "You get some sleep."

He nodded and made a show of bringing a hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn. Satisfied, the nurse turned to leave, her vase of roses forgotten. After a moment the girl popped her head in the doorway, gave the room a quick glance, and ran inside. She stood on her toes at the side of the hospital bed and kissed the boy's cheek quickly before darting out again.

The boy held his cheek in surprise and started at the doorway the girl disappeared from. A small smile formed on his lips again and he laughed to himself before looking down at the covers of the bed. A single rose lay nestled in the folds of the sheets.

~*~*~*Farkas Academy Air Force Base, Jet Hanger 0020, 2073 AD.

16 Years Later*~*~*~

"How's it flyin', Darien?"

Darien snapped out of his thoughts quickly, suddenly aware that the shrill whine of fighter jets was rumbling painfully against his ears.

"How's it flyin', Andrew?" Darien echoed in response. He glanced in the other man's direction before busing himself with the inspection of his jet.

"As good as can be expected," Andrew replied. He folded his arms and leaned against Darien's jet indolently. "So, what's wrong this time? Or are you nervous about the big battle over squadron leader today?"

Darien glanced at him again with a scoff. "Nervous? Please."

"Oh, I forgot. 'The Great Darien Shields' doesn't get nervous over such things. That's why he's scrutinizing his jet for the hundredth time this morning. But, really, you seem upset. Bad dreams?"

"You could say that," Darien responded. "It's the same damn dream every night."

"Ah, I've heard of things like this. Some psychiatrist down in Chicago or something…"

Darien lifted his hand. "Spare me all the psychiatric theories, Andrew. It's just a dream."

"Yeah, but dreams can be-" Andrew paused at the look Darien gave him. "Right. Just a dream. So, what was this 'just-a-dream' about?"

Darien shrugged one shoulder. "Can't remember."

Andrew laughed. "Yeah, right. The day you don't remember something pigs will fly."

"I don't remember lots of things," Darien said simply. An unsettling pause floated between them for a moment before he cleared his throat. "So how'd things go with Rita last night?"

Andrew's face almost split in half with force of his smile. "I think I'm in love."

Darien chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "You always say that."

"No, this time I think I really am. I just…I don't know. I get this feeling when I'm with her."

"Sexual excitement. It happens to everyone."

"It's not about sex, Dar. Granted, the sex in itself is great. But, it goes way beyond that. I feel like I can do anything when I'm with her."

Darien said nothing in response as he made a show of rubbing the smudges off his jet before climbing inside the cabin.

Andrew shook his head. "Sorry, I got carried away again. She always does that to me. We need to find you a girl, Dar. Someone who…"

"No," Darien interrupted forcefully.

Andrew put up his hands in surrender. "I forgot; 'no distractions'." The whine of jet engines suddenly erupted into piercing screams as the jets made their way out of the hanger. "That's my cue!" Andrew yelled. "See ya in the sky, Dar!"

Moments after the final craft had left the hanger, the jets separated into their predetermined squadrons to plan their attacks on the opposite team. Before Darien could even finish his first maneuver, however, a small group of jets from the other squad began closing in.

"Darien!" Andrew's voice crackled through the link. "Enemy on your tail!"

Darien pulled on the controls, and the jet dipped to the side and maneuvered away. The alert alarm continued to beep on his small control panel.

"Where is he?" He demanded. "I can't see him!"

"They're moving all over the place!" Another man replied. "I can't shake the one behind…"

A rapid beeping broke through the link as the man's line went dead. Instead of ammunition, he had been "hit" by the radar of the other jet.

The loss was quickly forgotten. "Enemy! Six o'clock!"

Darien pulled the controls again, this time sending the jet higher into the air. The enemy jet continued forward and Darien flew in behind it.

"I've got it," Darien said, only partially to his teammates. Just as the tone to fire sounded, the jet spiraled higher into the air and out of sight.

***

An hour later, Andrew found Darien back in the hanger, inspecting the exterior of his jet. Just as he opened his mouth for another demeaning comment on Darien's obsession, another voice echoed through the hanger.

"A job well done, Lieutenants," Colonel Kent boomed. The two surprised men quickly spun around and saluted. "At ease. I must say that the selection team will have quite a job choosing squadron leader."

"If I may say so, sir, the squad we were up against was quite impressive." Andrew commented. He paused for a moment to put his words together delicately.

"They kept us on our toes, sir," Darien supplied. "They came together with a strategy rather quickly."

"A few of your fellow candidates were chosen from that squad. As a matter of fact," The colonel gestured for the men to follow him. " I believe one of the pilots is still in the hanger."

The men were lead to a different sector of the large hanger, where they could see another pilot sitting in the small cabin of their jet, closely inspecting the control panel inside.

"This pilot just came back from another test run. Quite conscientious."

"A kindred spirit, eh Dar?" Andrew muttered low enough for only Darien to hear. "If he's anything like you we're all in trouble."

"Lieutenant Lunar," The Colonel Kent called out. The pilot looked up in surprise before quickly leaping out of the cockpit. The pilot gave a rigid salute, still wearing the protective helmet that obscured the pilot's face. The colonel quickly returned the salute. "Take off your helmet, soldier. I'd like to see the face of one of my final candidates for Squadron Leader."

The pilot obeyed, removing the large, black helmet in one fluid moment. Strands of golden hair fell into crystal blue eyes, causing the pilot to shake her head gracefully. The fair tresses, once bundled deep inside the helmet, freely swept across her shoulders and past her slim waist. Darien could imagine Andrew's jaw dropping to the floor, and it took all his will power to keep his own jaw from doing the same.

"It's an honor, sir," The pilot said, tucking her helmet under one slender, strong arm.

"Meet two of Farkas Academy's best," The colonel continued, gesturing to the two men. "Your competition."

"Colonel," A voice crackled over the walkie-talkie. "You're needed in sector 12."

"I'll be right there," Kent replied. After the normal exchange of salutes, the colonel disappeared, the click of his heels echoing against the hanger's walls.

Andrew held out his hand. "I'm not sexist, but I have to admit. I've never seen such tactics from a woman before."

Lieutenant Lunar looked at him with a somewhat cold gaze as she shook his hand. "No, apparently you haven't, Lieutenant."

"Please, call me Andrew. I've never cared for formalities…" He paused for her to give her name.

The corners of her mouth twitched into a small, short-lived smirk. "Serena."

"This is Darien by the way," Andrew said, nodding his head towards the other man. Serena turned to look at him in acknowledgement. The need to be proper took over him, and Darien held out his hand.

"Pleased to meet you." He said politely. Serena took his hand, and their eyes met ingenuously. An almost violent feeling of déjà vu took over the two. Their gazes locked together for a moment, each trying to peer into the other's soul, each asking 'Where have I met you before?'.

An unknown matter of time passed between them before reality returned to their clouded minds. The handshake finally ended, and as they separated the world came back to its place under their feet.

"Yeah," Serena said slowly. "It's nice to meet you, Darien."

To Be Continued…