Here's the latest chapter guys! It didn't turn out exactly how I expected, but it's okaaaaay I suppose.

Thanks to: Guest, MissTexMex, Usako, Guest, Polevault Princess, MinnieMoosi, Princessa de Silence, sailormoon0630, nessa, AM, Sailor Rallison, LoveInTheBattleField, Lunachan90, SerentiyMoonGodness, missscatterbrain (Happy Birthday for a few days ago!), CharmedSerenity3, buttaflykissesxoxo, TropicalRemix and SailorMoon489 for reviewing the previous chapter.

Title: Summer Rain
Author: Crystal Saturn
Rated: T
Chapter: 21 – One Year On. Serena's Secret Revealed

. . .

"Tears soften the soul, clear the mind and open the heart"

[Anonymous]

. . .

Darien bolted upright in bed. Beads of sweat clung to his body as he gasped desperately for breath. It was the same dream, but this time something was terribly wrong. His princess cried out to him. A blood curdling, piercing scream escaped her lips as she desperately begged for him to find her; to save her. She was in danger, he could sense it. The smell of blood hung heavily in the air as blankets of fog consumed him. It was almost as if he could taste death in the air. A mucus-like, metallic flavor choked the back of his throat, and just as Darien thought he could make out the faint outline of his princess's figure, another piercing scream filled his ears, jolting him out of his slumber.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Andrew stirred groggily. A gurgling sound escaped from Darien's throat as he choked, unable to take another breath in. Instantly, his head began to throb and pound painfully, as though his brain was expanding, about to explode. Every movement, every sound amplified Darien's agony as he clutched at his chest and his head at the same time. Andrew noticed his friends distress and reached for the bedside table lamp, flicking the switch and flooding the room with light. It was then that he noticed that Darien's face was dripping in blood. It seemed as though his nose had started bleeding some time during the night, and was still seeping. The dark haired man's hands were stained red as the blood trickled down his face, falling onto his chest and lap.

"Woah, Daz, you're bleeding." Andrew leapt up, reaching for the closest tissue box. As Darien's eyes slowly adjusted to the light of the room, he began to feel as though the choking sensation was starting to fade. Eventually, he began to resume taking slow deep breaths from his mouth, and the jackhammer sensation in his skull also eventually ceased.

"I'm fine," Darien managed to reassure his roommate. "It's just a nose bleed."

"Are you sure?" Andrew raised a curious eyebrow. "Is there anything else you want to tell me? Any dreams?"

"Just the same dream as every night. The one with the princess." Darien shook his head as he plugged a fistful of tissues under his nose. His heart was still pounding in his chest, so hard that he could have sworn that Andrew was able to hear it too. "I'm going to go take a shower." He added, immediately preventing the conversation from going any further.

"I love the smell of pancakes in the morning!" Andrew yawned loudly, stretching an arm high above his head as the other scratched his belly. He dragged his slippered feet down the hallway and into the kitchen area, taking a seat next to Darien, who was already digging into his stack, sitting on a bar stool by the counter.

"These are delicious, Mrs Tsuk- Aunty Ikuko." Darien corrected himself with a mouthful of fluffy pancake. "Now I know why Serena misses your cooking so much."

"Oh, you really are a sweetheart, aren't you, Darien?" Ikuko smiled warmly as she unloaded another pancake onto Darien's plate, much to the protest of Andrew, who pouted, looking down sadly at his empty plate.

"I don't know why you had to move away but-"

"Wait, did you just say you don't know why?" Yuka stopped whisking her bowl of pancake batter as she frowned slightly, standing beside her sister. Surely he must have known why Serena was living with him, right?

"Uh oh..." Andrew lowered his head, knowing that somehow he would have to be the one to explain.

"Andrew?" Yuka turned her attention toward her son.

"'Rena didn't want him to know initially. She told me not to tell him, and I wanted to respect her wishes." Andrew raised his hands in defence, knowing that at any moment, his mother was going to reach for ammunition in the form of a pot, pan or other kitchen utensil and smack him with it.

"But he's your best friend and he lives under this roof too!" Yuka reached into the drawers and pulled out a wooden spoon, hitting her son across the shoulder with it. The expression on her face softened as she turned her attention back toward the man beside Andrew. "Darien, do you not know what tomorrow is?" He shook his head slowly, pouring more syrup over his pancake. "Friday?" Ikuko lifted her pan off of the stovetop as she slipped the cooked pancake onto Andrew's plate. She took a moment to assure her composure before setting the pan aside and picking up the conversation.

"Darien, tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of my husband-" Ikuko took a moment to clear her throat. "Serena's father's passing." The dark haired woman watched as Darien's face paled and his fork dropped onto his plate with a loud clatter. "Tomorrow, we will be visiting the cemetery to pay our respects, and I know how much it would mean to Serena, if you could come along to support her. I'm sorry it took this long for you to find out. My daughter should have told you."

"No it's fine." Darien shook his head, feigning a reassuring smile to cover up his hurt. His mind raced back to the beginning. The very first thing he had done when she had just moved in was make fun of the plush rabbit her father gave her. Then there were all the jokes about her ruining Christmas and her family abandoning her. He felt like such a fool for not figuring it out sooner. Of course she didn't want to live here, she had a loving family. Her moving in was not out of choice, it was something she had to do.

Darien knew that it wasn't appropriate for him to be the one feeling so hurt at this sudden revelation, but he couldn't help but remember how she looked that day. As the rain fell against the window pane behind her, she trembled in his arms, whimpering helplessly as she cried. He remembered feeling so helpless, not knowing what to say or what to do. He remembered the feeling of wanting to soothe her, to help her with whatever it was that was making her so sad. He also remembered feeling like he was the only person on the whole planet who didn't know why Serena was becoming so depressed.

"I-I'm so sorry for your loss." The words tumbled out of Darien's mouth as his mind continued to replay memories and incidents in his mind when he didn't know, but should have. He said so many things that he wouldn't have if he had known. More than anything, Darien wanted to know why she refused to tell him after all this time. Did she not trust him? "Excuse me." He rose to his feet solemnly, placing his napkin on the counter before turning around and trudging down the hallway.

As he stood against the doorway of Serena's room, he noted that she was leaning against her balcony door, staring out the window as dark grey clouds seemed to accumulate and appear out of nowhere against the otherwise bright blue sky. "Why didn't you tell me?" Serena's posture shifted slightly at the sound of his voice. She looked up briefly at his reflection on the glass door before fixing her indifferent gaze back down on the activity on the streets below.

"Tell you about what?" Her monotonous tone mirrored her defeated body language. She knew exactly what he was referring to, but a small part of her hoped that she would stand corrected. She was exhausted from not sleeping very well, and didn't feel like talking about anything to anyone.

"About tomorrow, about why you're here, about your father... why didn't you tell me about any of it?" Darien watched as Serena let out a small sigh. She closed her eyes momentarily as she took a deep breath in and shrugged.

"What difference does it make?" Her indifferent tone pushed Darien's buttons as he began to feel more and more dejected. It was almost as though he meant nothing to her, like it made no difference if he wanted to get to know her, like he wasn't important enough to know. At that moment, the unseasonable sound of thunder rumbled in the distance.

"What difference!? You've been living here for a year, and you didn't think it was important to let me know about probably the biggest event that has happened in your life so far?" His tone was harsher than he had expected. As he approached her, he watched, clenching his teeth as she quickly wiped a stray tear away from her eyes. A strange look swept over her features and she steeled herself.

"I didn't think you would care." She frowned slightly and refused to look at the tall man before her. Turning her body away, she stood staring straight out the window. "It's not like I'm anybody special to you anyway." A minute of silence passed, and in that time Serena cringed, wishing she could take back her last sentence.

"I stood by your side every day this month." Darien struggled to keep his composure as he spoke to the back of her head. "I watched as you slowly fell apart, becoming more and more depressed as each day passed. I didn't pry, because I respected your privacy, but I held you when you cried..." Darien forced himself to look away, his anger and frustration fading away into disappointment. "I wanted, no, I was there for you. But all this time, I never thought that you were keeping something like this from me, because you couldn't trust me. What did you think? That I would make fun of you?"

"Something like that..." The words slipped from Serena's lips before she could stop them.

"I must have seemed like an insensitive ass when you first came to stay with us. The things that I said then..." Darien's voice rumbled, low and deep, echoing the sound of distant thunder. "But I sincerely had no idea. How could I know? But it's been a year now, and for you to keep this from me because you thought that I'd be cruel enough to use it against you- you must think that I'm the worst kind of person." The pained tone in his voice caught Serena's attention. Immediately, she became overwhelmed with immense guilt.

"Darien, I-" Serena turned to defend herself but was cut off as Darien continued.

"Sere, how do you think it makes me feel to hear that after everything this year, you still think that I-" Darien grit his teeth in frustration. His chest clenched tightly, making it hard to breathe. "I can't be here..." Brushing his fingers through his hair, Darien turned and left the room, storming down the hall and out the apartment door. Serena followed a moment later, stopping at the end of the hallway as she met the eyes of each of her family members. The apartment had thin walls and she knew that everybody had just heard their argument. Andrew rose to his feet, reaching for his coat.

"I'll go talk to him." He shot Serena a reassuring look as he paced toward the front door.

"In the meantime, Miss," Ikuko tapped on the kitchen counter top before crossing her arms, evidently unimpressed with her daughter. "You have some explaining to do."

"Stop brooding" Andrew rolled his eyes as he opened the rooftop door.

"I'm not." Darien crossed his arms stubbornly, taking a deep breath as he watched out over the horizon.

"Do you know what the weather forecast was for today? For the whole week? Fine and sunny." Andrew pointed to the small dark grey cluster of clouds beginning to amass nearby. "Do you see that? I don't think that's normal. I don't know how you do it, and I wouldn't normally be one to believe in weird things like rain dances and things of that nature, but It's uncanny how you can read the weather, and sometimes, even predict it. That freak storm cloud on this fine and sunny day has your name all over it."

"Don't be ridiculous." Darien mumbled.

The two men spent a number of minutes in complete silence, standing on top of the apartment rooftop, both mentally trying to prepare for the inevitable conversation ahead. The dark grey cloud dissipated slightly, but loitered about in the sky nevertheless, slowly approaching the proximity of the apartment building.

"I don't understand why she doesn't trust me." Darien finally caved in first.

"You know, whether you believe me or not, 'Rena likes you." Andrew responded after a moment of thought. "But the two of you don't exactly have the smoothest track record when it comes to getting along amicably and play fighting."

"Did she think that I would tease her about it?" A small flash of lightning danced across the sky above their heads. "Sailor Moon klutzes out all the time, but I never hold it against her. She knows about my parents, why would she think-"

"Daz," Andrew stared up at the sky, fearing slightly for his life as the grey cloud grew larger. "Serena trusts you enough to let her guard down around you. She cried in front of you, not because she wanted you to tease her about it, but because she knew you would be there to support her, and you did."

"Why not just tell me then?"

"Did you ever think that maybe she wanted to, but couldn't find the words? Maybe she saw how well you were coping, and wanted to seem strong too." Andrew shrugged.

"But I've had 15 years to deal with my loss."

"And she's only had one year to try to move on from hers." Andrew reasoned. "She hasn't spoken to me about it, not since the funeral, not until Christmas Eve. To my knowledge, she hasn't been dealing with what's happened. She hasn't had time to. I'm sure if she could have found the right words, she would have told you, Daz, and I think you understand that."

"What are you saying?" Darien leaned back against the rooftop railing casually.

"There's something else on your mind. Something that would cause you to overreact to a situation that you would otherwise be very understanding and level headed about." Andrew sat down on the floor beside his friend, turning his body away slightly to reduce the directness of the conversation. "You came back after waking up from your nightmare, completely shaken. I've never seen you so scared in your life. What happened to you last night?"

After a few more moments of silent contemplation, Darien finally decided that it would probably be wiser for him to just share his thoughts with his best friend, rather than waste another half hour trying to argue and deny all the accusations, before finally relinquishing up his thoughts anyway. "I think the princess is trying to tell me something." Darien began. "I haven't been as focused on my mission to find the Rainbow Crystals as I should have been. I've been letting my personal life distract me and get in the way of the bigger picture, and I think time is running out. I need to stay focused on freeing the princess. She's the key to unlocking my memories and my past." A sigh escaped from Darien's lips as he tried to let go of all current thoughts and feelings regarding Serena. "I can't let anything, or anyone, distract me from my main goal."

Although Darien had made it excruciatingly clear that he was to refocus his goals toward finding his princess, banishing all feelings and unnecessary thoughts about a certain blonde teenage girl in the process, his heart felt heavy at the decision. He continued his brooding mood and dark grey clouds began to roll across the sky, mirroring exactly how he felt.

The day had come. Today they would head to the cemetery to pay their respects. It was going to be a difficult day for Serena, as she would have to say goodbye to her family soon after the visit to the cemetery. Work schedules, train timetables and New Year preparations meant that they had to leave that afternoon, only a few hours after the remembrance ceremony.

For Darien, the lack of any dream or nightmare the previous night had indicated to him that his princess was satisfied. Although he knew that his decision to distance himself from Serena and remain focused on his mission was the right thing to do, he was far from happy about it.

As the rain drizzled miserably, casting a dull grey funk over the whole of Tokyo, Darien watched as Serena stood, emotionless, holding an umbrella above her mother and brother's heads to keep them dry. Although the tears flowed freely from her mother's eyes, and her brother also couldn't help but weep, Serena remained completely calm, an arm wrapped around her mother's shoulders. When it became her turn, the petite blonde teen murmured her prayers and best wishes under her breath, raised the incense sticks just above her head and bowed down low before placing them before her father's tombstone.

"I love you, daddy." Her whispered words were uttered with a melancholy tone, but still, she shed no tears. At that moment, the rain ceased to fall, and a gentle ray of sunlight pushed its way through the dense clouds. Serena returned to her mother's side and whispered something quietly into the older lady's ear, making a small smile appear on both their faces.

Floral offerings were made, and prayers were chanted. Sammy took the time to tell his father about all the big events that happened to him throughout the year, beginning with his adventures in a new town, and starting at a new school. As they reminisced, many more stories and memories were shared, bringing tears and smiles to almost everybody's eyes. Still, Serena remained silent, unwavering and void of all emotion.

Midday signalled the cue for everybody to begin packing up. Both Andrew's and Darien's cars were repacked with boxes of offerings and left over incense. It was time for the family to leave again. Time for Ikuko and Sammy to return to their new home with Yuka, Akio and Lizzie.

"I want to stay here, just a little longer." Serena handed her umbrella to Sammy. The sky was still a sullen grey, but the rain had settled to a light drizzle.

"But Sere, your mother and Sammy will be returning home in an hour, don't you want to see them off at the train station?" Andrew placed a comforting hand on his cousin's shoulder.

"I don't like goodbyes" Serena shook her head slowly before turning her attention to her mother. "Sorry mama, I want to but..."

"It's fine. Stay here." Ikuko understood her daughter. "Be careful you don't catch a cold." She kissed her daughter goodbye and held her in her arms, hugging tightly. "I love you, Usagi. Be a good girl for Andrew and Darien. Don't forget your chores, and please stay safe." After one last hug, Ikuko turned around and took Darien by the arm, talking to him in quiet tones as he walked her to his car.

The wind whipped about momentarily, tousling Serena's long golden locks around her as she stood, staring at the white name written on the grey marble of the tombstone. She didn't know how long she had stood there, completely silent, before a single tear rolled down her icy cheek. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember the sound of his voice anymore, and that one fact alone made her feel completely miserable. She wondered how many other memories she was forgetting? How much longer would it be until the memory of her father slipped away? As her mood fell into a sullen state, the rain began to fall heavier once more, soaking through her clothes and matting her hair down across her face and onto her body.

"Tuxedo Mask..." Serena noticed the shadow of the figure approaching her from behind, and she spun around to meet him. He held out a large black umbrella over both their heads. "What are you-"

"I'm just paying my respects, Miss Moon." The caped man tipped his top hat politely. "Just pretend I'm not here." He motioned for the petite blonde girl to turn around once more, and she followed his instructions, turning her back toward the hero and facing the tombstone once more. A minute of silence passed before a stifled sob escaped Serena's lips.

"Tuxedo Mask..." Her voice cracked as she choked back her tears for long enough to finish her explanation. "I didn't want mama and Sammy to see me cry. I want them to be happy." Her hot tears mingled with the icy rain, cascading down her flushed cheeks. "But I miss papa so much. I wish he didn't..." Her voice grew weak, eventually cracking, and she buried her face into the palms of her hands and sobbed. The umbrella fell from Tuxedo Mask's hands, letting the rain soak through them both as it fell heavier and heavier. He reached out, pulling Serena backwards into his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly across her shoulders, wrapping the cape around her body. Her whole body shook with the agony of her reflections and the sorrow in her heart. "I feel like it's happening all over again. Like I'm losing my family again. They're all leaving me and it feels exactly how it did this time, last year."

"You have me now. I'm here." Tuxedo Mask rested his chin on the top of Serena's head. "You don't have to be afraid around me. I'm here for you. You can cry as much as you like. I promise, I won't let go until you're ready." Even though Darien had made his mind up to distance himself from Serena until he found the Silver Crystal, he felt as though every fibre of his body was being drawn to her at that moment. Like the need to comfort her was so powerful, that no matter how much he tried, he simply couldn't pull himself away, nor did he want to at that moment. He found a way around his promise though, by transforming into his alter ego. He may not have been able to comfort Serena as his civilian form, but maybe she would be more willing to open up to him as Tuxedo Mask.

In that sense, he was able to form a bond, a connection with her without having to deal with the additional feelings and awkward conversations as they passed each other in the hallway, or as they sat together at the dining table. Serena was able to open up her heart without the fear of being judged or pitied, for Tuxedo Mask was not the type to do so, and more importantly, she didn't have to face him every single day. A silent, mutual bond and relationship was formed as Serena stood, weeping in the arms of the masked warrior. As her hiccupped tears became less frequent, and her sobs died down into quiet whimpers, Tuxedo Mask brushed the hair away from Serena's eyes.

"The New year is around the corner." He whispered gently. "Here's to a fresh beginning."

. . .

There you go everyone, a new chapter! The next one will be a New Years Eve chapter which I'll probably post on New Year's Day. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday and indulged in lots of yummy food, shared with lovely friends and family. Get your New Year's resolutions ready, because in a few days, it'll be 2013. Stay safe, and I can't wait to see you all in the New Year.

Crystal Saturn