I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are kicking off the New Year with lots of love and hope. 2014 has already been a huge emotional rollercoaster for me already... and we're not even a week in!

A million thanks to all of you who have supported me and this story over the years. We passed the 1000 review mark! I'm amazed and so humbled! I was also informed that Summer Rain is within the top 20 most reviewed Sailor Moon stories on this site. I can't believe it! I love you guys!

Just a word of warning- I'm bumping the rating of this chapter up to M for mature content. It's a taste of what's to come in the next few chapters... so let me know if you like it or not.

Thanks to: Miss Katrina Malfoy, Nich31, cat, MinnieMoosi, Chichiforever, LoverGurrl411, Angelic Snowdrop, Guest, Moonstone, l1s44p, bluebutterfly2006, Guest, MissJay, aquarius, chipachan, KittyKat, Kasienda, Sakura, Ai Kisugi, Guest, catgirl505, Silver Star, lyss010387, Guest, smfan4ever72, Serena, Guest, boston, Guest, trish1573, KHLostEmpress, LoveInTheBattleField, mari3all3n, SailorMoon489, sailormoon0630, Nancy67, kbtjmandy, Perfect Beauty, Miss Moon Rose, Laurelya, natashasurgirl, BostonBill, CharmedSerenity3 and Sacagewea for reviewing the previous chapter.

Title: Summer Rain
Author: Crystal Saturn
Rated: T [This chapter- M]
Chapter: 36- 365 Days: Dream a Little Dream

"Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live."

[- Mark Twain]

4:26pm Tokyo Time

It had been a long day at school. Classes seemed to drag on forever. The clock looked like it was barely even moving. Even lunchtime felt like something of a chore. Her mind simply couldn't focus on anything other than him. She hated to admit it, but she missed him. Two months had passed since Darien left for Harvard, and by all means, Serena was coping well without him. In fact, it took her a total of three days to return to a normal routine and get used to the fact that he was gone. But some days... some days all she could think about was him.

Shuffling home to the apartment, Serena kicked her shoes off at the door, changing into her usual bunny slippers. She sighed deeply as she dropped her book bag at her bedroom door and instead, turned and shuffled into Darien's room. She flung herself onto his queen size bed and inhaled deeply, relishing the feel of his silky sheets and the scent of his cologne still faintly lingering on his pillow.

Serena's eyes slowly fluttered shut as her lips tingled at the foggy memory of her last kiss with Tuxedo Mask. The way he held her firmly in his arms, and brought his lips swiftly down to hers. Sighing softly to herself, she recalled the countless times she had innocently fallen asleep on his bed and recalled the last time they were both in his room together, alone. He was tending to her wounds from a battle. The way his fingers brushed along her collarbone and how it made her tingle all over. Serena sighed in contentment as she began to imagine what could have happened if Andrew hadn't have come home at that time.

As Darien's fingers danced along her collarbone, her eyes involuntarily shut as she shuddered slightly and shifted ever so slightly closer against his touch. Without even thinking, Darien found himself slowly being drawn in by his young damsel. The way the light reflected across her cheeks and along her jaw. It was somewhat intoxicating, and it wasn't long before Darien found himself absentmindedly running his fingers along Serena's neckline and over the unblemished skin of her jaw.

Maybe it was the way she tilted her head away from him, luring him with the gentle innocence of the soft flesh of her neck. He couldn't help himself. She moved against him in an ever enticing way. Under lowered eyelids, Darien ever so gently grazed his thumb across Serena's bottom lip. With her eyes still shut, she let a gentle, encouraging groan escape her lips. It was at this point that Darien knew he had relinquished all higher order through processes and control over the situation. Leaning in slowly, something told him that he needed to be closer. He needed to feel those lips of hers again. Serena languidly opened her eyes just enough to see shadowy glimpses of Darien's lips, slowly approaching, lingering tantalisingly closer and closer.

Lifting her right hand up, she rested it gently against his neck. It was a brave move and uncharacteristic of her, but she didn't care anymore. This was her fantasy and all she wanted now was to pretend she could feel his lips against hers. Darien uttered a low, satisfying groan as his lips pressed against Serena's and she moved to deepen the kiss. His tongue danced along hers, seemingly drinking her in, while her hand placed gentle pressure on the nape of his neck, encouraging him to explore further.

"Darien..." Serena broke the kiss only to moan his name. His hands slowly began to wander their way up the side of her bare legs, skipping past her skirt to momentarily rest on her hips as he rose up off his knees, shifting his body over hers and laying her back down on his bed.

She wanted to feel every part of her body pressed up against his. The more he kissed her, the more he wanted to show her just how much she meant to him. Serena reached up and began to unbutton Darien's shirt as he held himself above her, continuing to focus his kisses across the sensitive skin of her neck. Discarding the shirt on to the floor beside the bed, Serena let her hands roam freely across his bare chest, eliciting another low groan from Darien. She pulled him down closer for another passionate kiss while cheekily wrapping one of her legs around his waist and arching her back off the bed. It was an invitation that Darien simply couldn't pass up. He leant in closer, pressing his body against hers, letting her feel just how crazy she was making him. She gasped slightly as her body burned with anticipation. His right hand caressed the curve of Serena's hips, inching higher and higher up her body until he reached the white lace of Serena's bra. Using the tips of his fingers, Darien traced the bust line of the flimsy bra, careful to touch her only lightly enough to tease.

"Serena," Darien breathed as he gently ran his fingers down across the side of her face, feeling the feathery softness of her cheek, along her jaw and collarbone, and down the side of her body, making sure to gently caress one of her breasts on his way down to her thighs. "You're so beautiful." A faint rosy hue tinted Serena's cheeks as she took a moment to stare deep into Darien's eyes. She placed a short, gentle kiss on his lips before taking his hand and slowly guiding it closer to where she wanted him to be. As Darien cheekily played with the hemline of Serena's skirt, she reached over to undo the top button of his pants agonisingly slowly, making sure to brush her hand against him in her 'struggles'.

"Serenity... stop teasing." He murmured as he nibbled gently on her neck. She giggled in response and he slowly crept his fingers higher up her skirt, eventually pressing them up against her white lace underwear.

"I need you now, Endymion."

. . .

3:42am Boston Time

Beads of sweat clung to Darien's body as he bolted upright in bed. His heart thumped wildly in his chest as adrenalin began to course through his veins.

"What the hell was that?" Darien's voice echoed through his empty bedroom. "Endymion? Serenity?" He shook his head, trying to decipher the dream he had just had. "Oh, God... Serena..." Vivid flashes of his dream played back in his mind's eye and Darien found himself throwing his covers aside and running to take a cold shower.

It was just past 4am as he stepped out of his shower, and just as Darien started to towel dry his hair, he could hear his phone ringing in the other room.

My Dumpling Head. The caller ID flashed on his screen, and immediately his fingers flicked to answer the call. "Hey..." His deep voice breathed into the phone, still unable to shake the feeling and images from his dream out of his head. He received no response. "Sere? Are you there?" He asked only for his question to be met with momentary silence, followed by a click and a dial tone. Darien let a few minutes lapse and lay back on his bed, watching as the moon set in the night sky from the window beside him. Picking up his phone again, he keyed a series of numbers to cloak his caller ID number, preventing it from showing up on Serena's phone as he called her back.

"Hello?" Her voice drifted through the phone as though she was in a dreamy state.

"Hey, you called me, Dumpling Head." The sound of Darien's voice caused Serena to swiftly sit up in bed.

"I..." Her heart began to beat faster and faster in her chest, suddenly feeling like she had been caught out in the act. Why was he calling her back? Maybe he knew about... no. It couldn't possibly be. "Did I?" Serena struggled to sound innocent and naive through the phone.

"Is everything OK, Sere?" Darien shifted his position on his bed as he noticed the strange tone in Serena's voice.

"Yep!" She practically squeaked. "Peachy!"

"Are you sure?" Darien drawled slowly.

"It must have been a pocket dial. Sorry to wake you up." Serena forced a small chuckle as she apologised for something that she had purposely done, and hoped that he'd swallow her lie.

"Sere, you haven't replied to any of my letters." Darien's soft tone caused something to stir within Serena's chest and suddenly, she began to felt sick with guilt. "Is there anything you wanted to talk to me about? Anything that may have just happened, perhaps?" Serena cringed at his last line. Did he somehow know what she was thinking and feeling, or was he just fishing for information? Either way, it made Serena nervous and uneasy.

"No. Nothing. I'm still mad at you, Darien." Serena kept her tone flat and her words short. "Bye." And with that, she ended the call. Sighing deeply to try and subdue her heartbeat. Serena fell back on to Darien's bed, reaching out to hug one of his pillows as she sighed once more. "I just called to hear the sound of your voice…"

Serena's seventeenth birthday celebrations were much like her sixteenth, a small gathering by the apartment pool. Although she loved her birthday, this year, she felt melancholy. Her attention turned toward a parcel that sat on the kitchen table.

"You should open that." Rei followed Serena's gaze, noticing the blonde's day-long distracted state.

"What?" Serena blinked a number of times, returning her attention to her violet eyed friend. "Why?"

"Because it'll implode under your gaze if you keep staring at it like that." Rei poked her tongue out playfully. "Don't think we haven't noticed you stealing glances at it all day."

"Yeah, 'Rena. Open it." Lita added, "I'm curious to see what Darien got you.

The dumpling headed teen couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Darien couldn't be there to celebrate with her. She knew that it was ridiculous to expect him to be there just for her birthday, but she missed him. She was still avoiding him and all news about how he was settling in well in America, save for a few snippets of information from Andrew and oddly enough, Mina.

"I'm not." Serena lied. "I probably won't even open his present." She shrugged, putting on a brave, albeit stubborn, act.

"'Rena," Ami interjected. "That doesn't sound like you at all." She added, gently. "You're not even the slightest bit curious about what he got you, or what he wrote in your letter this time?"

Serena crossed her arms and huffed her bangs out of her eyes. She knew it was probably a bad idea to have shared all the previous letters he sent with the girls. Now they all awaited each weeks letter and dose of romanticism with much anticipation, even Ami. "You guys..." Serena whined. "I can't get over him if I keep reading his letters... and I need to get over him and move on."

"But, why?" Rei slowly nudged the parcel in Serena's general direction. "He's only gone for two years. It's not like you'll never see him again."

"He's the Prince of the-"

"Fufufu." Mina waved her hand about. Storming over to the table, she snatched the parcel and thrust it into Serena's hands. "If I hear you use that Earth Prince excuse one more time, I'll stick a needle in my eye. Just open it so we can have a read, already."

Serena sighed in defeat as she slowly began to open up her parcel. Unwrapping the box, she reached for the card first. Opening it, she found a little note and a bundle of polaroids. Just at that moment, a ringing tone called out through the apartment. They were receiving a video call. Andrew leapt for the universal remote and turned the receiver on, knowing it could only be one person. Darien's face appeared on the television screen and the dark haired man waved to his small audience.

"Heya, Drew. Hi girls." Darien waved at his webcam. "Happy Birthday, Sere."

All returned his greeting warmly, except for Serena, who was still reading his letter and sorting through this week's polaroids. She picked up a picture of a cake with candles and read its caption while Darien continued catching up with Andrew and the girls. '17 Candles. Happy Birthday, Dumpling'. She couldn't help but smile. The rest of the pictures were of various rabbits. There were 17 of them. 'I got into the habit of taking photos of rabbits whenever I saw them, because they reminded me of you.' Serena read his explanation in the letter and struggled to hold back an even greater smile.

"Open the gift box." Darien's voice gained her attention and she looked up to see him watching her from the webcam. She followed his instructions, placing the letter down on the table and picking up the heavy brown box. She pulled back the lid and removed a large slab of Styrofoam to reveal a snow globe. Displayed in it was a white rabbit sitting on a gold crescent moon. White flakes of snow and glittery stars whirled about in the liquid suspension.

"It's beautiful." Serena held it in awe as she shook it gently. As she tilted the orb, she noticed two curiosities at its base. Reaching to pluck the small pull string bag, she gingerly opened it up to find a gold and pink enamel charm in the shape of a slice of strawberry cake. The second oddity she found was a wind up peg attached to the snow globe. She turned it a number of times and the crystal globe tinkered the gentle, soothing melody of Yiruma's Kiss the Rain.

Silence befell the room as the song played. Serena's vision blurred with unshed tears as she wished she could hug him, now more than ever. His gift was incredibly beautiful and sweet, and yet it made her even sadder than before, knowing that he was on the other side of the world, and yet still managing to be so romantic. Each haunting note tugged at her heartstrings, making her chest ache and her soul drain of its usual characteristic warmth. With this one music box melody, he was professing his love for her... and yet, she couldn't help but feel more and more hopeless.

"Alright, everybody out." Serena suddenly placed the gift back down on the table. Her voice carried a decisive tone to it.

"What?" Rei retorted

"What do you mean?" added Lita

Serena glared directly at the webcam, "I need to speak to you, alone." She then turned her attention towards the girls and Andrew. "That means you guys need to go."

"Go... where?" Ami looked about her.

"Andy's room, the bathroom, the balcony... I don't know..." Serena shrugged. Her blase attitude could be traced back to her focus on one person in particular.

Andrew and the girls shrugged and exchanged strange looks before walking out into the balcony and shutting the glass door behind them. Once satisfied that she was as alone as she could possibly be at that moment, she turned her attention back toward the man on the large screen.

"What are you doing?" The blonde teen placed her hands on her hips in a habitual act of displaying her annoyance.

"I don't think I understand what you mean by that question, Sere."

"The pictures, the weekly letters, the presents... what are you trying to do?" her voice grew louder, and little did she know, but Andrew and the girls could hear every word.

"I thought it was pretty clear what I was trying to do. I'm trying to make you happy." Darien leant back in his chair, crossing his arms defensively.

"Why?" Serena's voice strained in exasperation. "Why do you care so much now that you're gone? You weren't like this when you were here and had the chance, so what gives?"

"Sere..." He seemed a little taken aback by her abruptness. Mulling over a response, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "I just..."

"What? Miss me? Well, guess what, buddy? You're not allowed to. You're the prince of the Earth, Darien. Your destiny is tied up with the Moon Princess, not me." She huffed. "And even still, even if that weren't the case, it wouldn't change this moment right here, and do you know why? Because you're still in America! You knew that I liked you. You were the one always telling me that we could never happen. You knew I had feelings for you and you had so many chances to make me happy here but-"

"And I took them, Sere." Darien interrupted, feeling hurt by her words. "How many more ways can I show you that I have feelings for you? I walked you home from work every night. I saved you from Dark Kingdom monsters, I cooked you all your favourite dishes, I brought your family to spend Christmas with you, I held your hand and stayed by you whenever there was a storm, I was there for you." Darien took in a deep breath to stop his tone from escalating any further and showing any more frustration. "Your pendant, Sere... I gave you have the key to my heart. I showed you in so many ways. For God's sake, Serena, I kissed you; so many times... as Tuxedo Mask, as me. How many more ways do you want me to show you that I… I have feelings for you?"

"But you pushed me away so many times, too. Every time we started getting close, you were always quick to make sure I knew that 'we' would never happen. You may have done all those things to show me that you cared, but your words always said otherwise. And now you're in America."

"I thought actions spoke louder than words." Darien hastily brushed his bangs away from his eyes. "I've had feelings for you for much longer than even I realised. I can't just turn those off, Sere. And I don't want to. I'm going to keep being selfish for a little longer. If that upsets you, then I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to let you go yet."

"So you're trying to make me fall in love with you, from a thousand miles away?" The petite blonde watched as he returned a small nod.

"Let's be honest, Serena. We both know that I don't even need to try." Darien's remark came across as being more of a request for affirmation, than a snide comment, but it still got under Serena's skin. She refused to confess her feelings to him through a screen.

"I hate you for making me feel like this."

"Yeah, well... I'm really disappointed to hear that you thought I never cared about you and never did anything to show you how I feel." Darien leaned back on his couch again, looking defeated. "Look, I'm going to go. I'd hate to ruin your birthday more than I already have." and with that, he disappeared off her screen.

Christmas was the same family affair that it had been the year before, but this time, Andrew and Serena left the city of Tokyo to spend Christmas with their families in Akita.

It was a welcomed break for the two of them, and they both cherished all the happy memories and warm moments spent with their family. It snowed quite heavily in Akita, yet Serena spent much of her time strolling through the white, powder kissed fields.

"Where did my baby daughter go?" Ikuko questioned as she watched from the kitchen window as Serena solemnly walking through the frosty hedges outside. "She's grown up so much. I'm afraid I won't recognise her the next time I see her."

"She has changed, hasn't she?" Andrew handed his aunt a mug of hot cocoa.

"She's changed a lot." Ikuko poked a marshmallow with her spoon, drowning it in the sweet, hot syrupy fluid. "And I'm not just talking about her grades." She added before a long comfortable silence fell between the two. "When is Darien coming back?"

"Ah… not for another year and a bit, I think." Andrew hummed as he thought. "Why do you ask?"

"My daughter is happy when he is near her." The dark-haired woman smiled faintly. "I'd like to see her that happy again."

Andrew slowly sipped his hot chocolate as he stole sideward glances at his aunt. Was this her way of expressing that she gave her blessing? "Well… He's doing pretty well but he misses her too."

"I know." Ikuko smiled warmly. "He told me on the phone just the other day."

Andrew just about choked. ""Wait… he called you?" He watched as his aunt nodded slowly. "That's a little… weird."

"It's more than you do, young Andrew." Ikuko pinched her nephew's cheek playfully. "You should call your mother more often, 'Toki-chan. She worries about you when you don't call."

"I know…" His shoulders slumped in embarrassment at being berated like a child. "But… Darien called you?" Andrew raised a curious eyebrow . "What a suck up." He rolled his eyes, gaining another playful poke from his aunt.

Christmas passed in a blur, and less than one week later, Serena found herself on the rooftop of the apartment, counting down to the dawn of another New Year.

She remembered Mina's words from when she first moved in to the apartment: 'New Year's Eve is so romantic. They say that whoever's arms you're in when the clock strikes twelve, is the person you'll spend the rest of the year with.'

She smiled as she recalled where she was for her two previous New Year's Eves. Both times, she had somehow managed to find herself in the arms of her ex-enemy, with their lips pressed together. Try as she might, she couldn't stop that little spark of hope in her heart. Even though she knew that Darien was in America, a small part of her hoped that maybe she would have a little bit of magical Christmas miracle dust left.

With 60 seconds before the start of the New Year, a familiar cologne invaded Serena's senses as a warmth wrapped around her shoulders, enveloping her. She knew the scent well. It could only be him. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned around, only to find herself face to face with Andrew. He had come home from his shift at the Arcade early and had wrapped Darien's signature green jacket around his cousin's shoulders.

"Sorry 'Rena," He noticed the brief disappointed look on her face that she tried to immediately mask with a smile. "I thought that this might be close enough to being in his arms at midnight."

"Andy-" She barely managed to whisper his name in appreciation before the fireworks began, drawing her attention away. Her lip trembled with a mix of disappointment and the bitter chill of the winter cold as she looked up at the night sky. She pretended to watch the fireworks, but all she could see were a blur of watercolours as tears flooded her vision and fell from her eyes.

The days grew ever longer and even though Winter slowly gave way to the first Spring buds and blossoms, the crisp bitter chill of Winter's grasp still lingered on clear, cloudless nights. It was not long after midnight when Darien's eyes flickered beneath his heavy lids and he groaned softly in his sleep.

"Serenity..." Darien's lips murmured briefly before brushing up against hers.

He opened his eyes from his slumber to find her standing before him, her silvery blonde hair catching the moonlight and glowing an ethereal hue. She reached out her hand, caressing his cheek and he placed his hand over hers, trying to find out whether or not she was real, or merely a remnant of his dreams. Before his blurry slumber stained eyes could adjust, she leant over to kiss him once again.

The velvety softness and warmth of her lips convinced him that he couldn't possibly still be sleeping. There was somebody definitely in his room, in his arms, kissing him like only one other person had ever done before.

"Serenity..." Darien heard himself calling her name again, but as he pulled away to look into her eyes, he was startled to realise that he knew them rather well. "Serena!?"

"Bring me the Silver Crystal." Her voice whispered as she pulled away, fading into wisps of silver smoke, illuminated by the glow of the full moon. Darien leapt out of bed as he reached for her. His fingers passed straight through her, and in an instant she was gone.

It couldn't have been a dream. She felt too real. So what was it then? At that moment, both his heart and head ached, "Sailor Moon..." Darien groaned, feeling her transformation. Dropping to his knees, his pulse drummed through his veins and with an excruciating cry, he unwillingly transformed into his masked alter ego. It had been nearly three years since his last uncontrolled transformation, and he had almost forgotten just how painful his early experiences were.

Tuxedo Mask clutched at his chest as flashes of coloured light blurred his vision. Somehow, he was seeing glimpses of her battle. A cat? "Bakene?" A violet Crystal. She lost it... to Zoisite. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead, but the worst had passed. The battle was over. Was she alright? Did she get hurt?

Sailor Moon sighed, feeling defeated. She had lost another Rainbow Crystal to that Dark Kingdom creep. Zoisite now had three, and so did she. With one more Rainbow Crystal left to find, she knew that she couldn't afford to lose again.

"You did well, Sailor Moon." Luna encouraged as the blonde heroine and her fellow Sailor Soldiers detransformed. "You should tend to your wounds so they heal in time for the next battle."

"I didn't do well enough." Serena sighed, ignoring the sharp pain from the light gash on her right leg. Her pocket sounded and she reached in, pulling out her cell. She glanced down at her buzzing phone. The caller ID read "My Idiot-Head" but that couldn't have been right. It was early in the afternoon in Japan, meaning it would have been the early hours of the morning on the east coast of America. What in the world was Darien doing calling her so late? Apart from his continual weekly stream of letters, she hadn't heard from him since her birthday. Serena frowned as her heartbeat began to race. Maybe he was in trouble. She swiped her finger across the screen and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Serena," His voice sounded so soothing. "I know you're still mad and not talking to me, but that's okay. You don't have to say anything, but please just listen."

Serena sucked a breath in and nodded her head as though he could see her. It wasn't the best timing, but she was curious to hear what he had to say.

"I know I've apologised a million times, but I'm still sorry." He waited for a moment see if she would say anything in response. He could hear nothing in response but a waiting silence. "You see, the thing is… I'm calling because I miss you." He added, "It's not like things aren't going well here. In fact, quite the opposite. I'm finding my placement to be really interesting, and my research is going extraordinarily well too. If all continues to go well in the lab, I could have a breakthrough treatment for hepatocellu-" Serena cleared her throat, and Darien realised that he was probably confusing her. "Well… I guess the details aren't really all that important. What I'm trying to say is- things are about to get pretty busy for me soon-" He was rambling on again. "It's not that I hate being here… I just love seeing your smile." There was a point to his call… he was sure of it, even if he couldn't quite remember it at this moment. "Sere, Do you miss me? Because if you do, I'll jump on a plane and come home right now. I need an excuse- any will do. If you miss me, then let me know. Say something, anything, and I'll come back to you." Darien waited patiently, but the silence continued.

"I'm sorry, Darien." Serena's voice eventually responded. She grit her teeth through the pain. It was the most open and honest she had heard him in a long while, but she knew that she had to stay strong. She couldn't let him sacrifice his future just because he missed her. She knew what she wanted to say, and what she had to say… and they were both complete contradictions to one another. "I can't tell you what you want to hear..."

"That's..." he couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice. "That's okay." Serena could hear him take a deep sigh. "Well, thanks for listening to me anyway." And with that, Serena was left listening to the lonely sound of the dial tone.

A number of days later, Darien sat on the grass beneath a sugar maple at his local park and closed his eyes, meditating to clear his mind. He needed to focus on what was important. If he was to find the Moon Princess, then he needed to do exactly what Andrew had told him to write as his fifth New Year's resolution for the previous year. Darien needed to trust and listen to his instincts and follow his heart. As he closed his eyes, he began to listen past all the other superficial noises and sounds, blocking them all out until he could only hear the beating of his own heart.

"Darien?" Andrew's voice startled the dark haired man out of his meditation. "Is that really you? How did you get... here?"

Darien looked around at his surroundings. The sound of the wind rustling through the trees and birds chirping around him had disappeared, replaced with the hustle and bustle of busy city streets below. Obviously he was no longer sitting in the park in Boston. "Drew?" He asked, scratching his head, suddenly realising where he was. "I... I was following your advice. I was trying to follow my heart."

"And it led you to Serena's bedroom?" Andrew frowned, hesitating just before he reached out to place a hand on Darien's face, just to be sure.

"I can't be home." Darien swatted away Andrew's hand in annoyance. "That's impossible."

"Well," Convinced that it was really his best friend sitting in the middle of Serena's room, Andrew shrugged. "Unless there's a parallel Tokyo in Boston that I'm a part of but don't know about, you're at home, buddy." It was odd. The more he knew about this strange super-charged mystical "other life" of magical powers and alternate histories, the less he became surprised when seemingly impossible happenings occurred.

"But how did I get here?"

"Apparently, you followed your heart, and it led you straight to Serena. Who would've thought!" Jovial sarcasm dripped from Andrew's voice before he glanced down at his watch and his expression became a little more serious. "By any means, you can't be in here. 'Rena should be home from school any minute now." Just as the words left Andrew's mouth, the sound of keys in the door frightened both men into action. Andrew grabbed his friend by his shirt collar and swung him around, hurling Darien into his room before swiftly shutting the door just in time.

"Andy?" Serena reached the hallway. "What's that noise?"

"You... can't go in there." Andrew barricaded the door with his back. "I saw some spiders in there and threw in a bug-killer bomb to smoke them all to death."

"Oh... okay" Serena watched her older cousin curiously before dismissing his odd behaviour.

Darien leant back against his bedroom door. He could hear her light, melodic voice from the other side. He reached for his door knob but hesitated, deciding not to open it. What he would have given to be able to see her face again.

Andrew and Serena continued to stare at each other in awkward, tense silence for a few moments longer, before Serena's expression deepened into a strange frown for a moment and she slipped into her bedroom "Right…" She cleared her throat. "I guess I'm just going to go… chill in my room."

"Great!" Andrew responded with a little too much enthusiasm. "I'll take a moment to check on the mosquitos-"

"I thought you said they were spide-"

"Mosquitos? I-meant-spiders!" Andrew laughed to try to cover up his awkward attempts at lying. "Anyway, you should probably stay in your room just in case they're not dead yet," The blonde man placed his hands on Serena's shoulders, walking her backwards in to the middle of the room before backing out and reaching for her door. "I'll let you know when the coast is clear." He smiled a little too cheerfully once more, before shutting Serena's bedroom door behind him.

He breathed a small sigh of relief and reached for Darien's room door, turning it swiftly and slipping in before pressing his back against the door. "You're still here. I'm not delusional. You're really here." A moment passed as a million thoughts raced in Andrew's mind. "You can't be here. You have to go back to America."

"Drew, how am I supposed to get back?" Darien raised his hands up to his head in frustration. "I have no money or ID or passport. I can't just jump on a plane and say 'Hi, my name is Mamoru Chiba. I go by the name Darien and am a Japanese citizen studying in the United States. By your records, I should be already in the states now, but I blinked my eyes and somehow Twilight Zoned my way back home.' Right... if that doesn't make me instant terrorism suspect number one, I don't know what will."

"Well... I guess you'll have to wait and see then." Andrew shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what else to say.

"Wait and see? For what? For my passport to magically materialise out of thin air?! And how long should I wait? And how long am I supposed to hide this from Serena?"

"You can not tell Serena that you're here." Andrew's gaze became stern. "We don't know how much time you have until you go back, and if she finds out that you're somehow home, and then you mysteriously disappear again, who knows how many times Serena will kill you."

"Fine but-" At that moment, Darien clutched at his chest, falling to the ground.

"Andy," Serena called out urgently, interrupting Andrew and Darien's hushed conversation. "Moonie call!"

"Alright..." Andrew acknowledged through the room door, watching as Darien transformed in front of his eyes. "Dude... you haven't uncontrollably transformed in years."

"I... I know" Tuxedo Mask rose to his feet, his eyes darting about the room, searching for his escape route.

"Wait, what are y- I know that look in your eyes... You can't go after her." Andrew watched his best friend, noticing his seemingly agitated state. "Did you not just hear me?"

"I have to protect her." Tuxedo Mask stated firmly.

"Are you kidding me? I mean, I'm all for you looking out for 'Rena but if she sees you-"

"She won't. I'm just going to watch over her." The caped man slid his balcony door open, stepping outside, preparing to leap up onto the rooftop. "I need to make sure nothing happens to her."

It took Tuxedo Mask a while to regain his bearings and sense the blonde heroine's location among all the other spirits in Tokyo. By the time he had arrived at the scene, the battle was in full swing. Sailor Moon spluttered as a monster lunged forward, knocking her to the ground and squeezed her neck in its long, twisted fingers.

A crimson rose pierced through the air, slicing across the monster's knuckles before embedding itself into the grass beside them. The monster screeched out in pain and Sailor Moon gazed up to the direction of the projectile. "Tux..." but no one could be seen. She turned her attention back toward the rose, but it was no longer there. Nevertheless, whatever had injured the beast gave Sailor Moon enough time to overpower the monster and reach for her Moon Wand.

"Moon healing-"

The dust from the battle settled and Sailor Moon immediately ran toward the ground where she fell from the beast's attack. There was no trace of the crimson red rose. The ground remained packed down, with no stem penetration marks to be seen. Sailor Moon scratched her head curiously. Could she have imagined it all? A dark shadow amongst the trees caught her attention, but as soon as she turned her attention toward it, it vanished.

"I must be going crazy…" Sailor Moon rubbed her eyes vigorously. "I'm seeing shadows lurking in trees…"

. . .

"Are you…" Serena watched as Andrew set aside a serving of dinner. "Expecting someone over for dinner?"

"Huh? What?" Andrew glanced over at the leftover portion. "This? Oh… no, I just thought that I'd make a bit extra for lunch tomorrow."

"But... you never eat leftovers." Serena frowned. "Are you feeling alright, Andy? You've been acting strangely all day."

"Ahh... I guess it's been kind of a strange day..."

Wait. That's all Darien could do for now. Sit and wait and hide. He couldn't risk Serena seeing him. Not like this. Not without some sort of explanation… and an explanation was exactly what he didn't have. Darien was struggling to comprehend how it was even possible to start with. To his scientific mind, it simply didn't make any sense. It was impossible.

He paced back and forth in his room, feeling swift onset of cabin fever. Andrew had snuck in a meal and had given him a quick situation report on Serena's whereabouts and her plans for the night. Unfortunately for the antsy man, Serena had decided to study in the living room area tonight. That meant he was stuck in his bedroom until he or Andrew figured out what to do next. He had barely gotten by with his bottle of purell and by peeing into the potted plant on his balcony, and was thankful that he had decided to buy a miniature rose bush, rather than something like a tomato plant.

It was nearing midnight, and the apartment was silent. That was it. Darien decided that he couldn't bear to stay in his room any longer. He needed to get out. He needed to wash his hands. But more importantly, he needed to see her. Tip toeing out of his room, Darien stood at the end of the hallway. His attention fell toward the teenager, asleep on the couch, one leg stretched out over the armrest, the other tucked beneath her as she quietly purred in her sleep. Her long golden locks cascaded across her face and pooled onto the carpet. A number of textbooks lay strewn on the coffee table and floor about her.

The tall, dark haired man silently approached the sleeping beauty, kneeling before her as he admired the peaceful look on her face. Lifting his hand up, he gently caressed the porcelain skin of her face, brushing long golden strands of sunlight blonde from her eyes. She frowned slightly at the feeling of something or someone touching her, gently coaxing her away from the comfort of a deep slumber. His fingers traced along the contour of her nose and she wrinkled it in response before her eyes languidly fluttered open.

Immediately, she winced at the brightness of the light from the lamp beside her and raised a hand to shield her face. "Dar...?" Her brows were furrowed low in a half squint, half frown as she tried to rub her eyes. "Darien, is that really you?" She watched him staring back at her; the corners of his lips curling into a small smile and a warm affectionate gaze evident in his eyes.

"You know I'm in America right now," He ran his thumb across her petal soft cheek once more as he shook his head gently. "I'm not really here. You're still dreaming, Dumpling."

"Am I?" Serena's shoulders immediately seemed to relax as she slumped back into the couch cushion. "This is just a dream?" She frowned once more, seemingly confused, but groggily accepting his statements as truth.

"I'm just a part of your dream." Darien nodded, his smile growing ever brighter as Serena lifted a hand, plopping it ungracefully on his face.

"But... you feel so real..." She moved to sit up, but Darien stopped her, taking her hand in his. He felt so warm and his touch caused her heart to skip a beat; something that she didn't believe was possible in a dream. "I've missed you so much Dar…"

Ever so slowly, Darien lifted his other hand to cup her cheek and slowly leaned forward. He rested his forehead against hers for a moment. "I've missed you too, Sere." She felt her lips tingle as his warm breath danced along it. "You're so beautiful." Her heart skipped another beat before kicking into overdrive, thumping wildly in her chest so hard that she swore he could hear it too.

It couldn't have been a dream, could it? She had never, ever had a dream where her own body's physiological responses had felt so real and vivid... and yet, his words. What she would have given to hear him say those words to her when he was living just across the hall from her. Darien had never been one to whisper sweet nothings to her, or to touch her so delicately and gently as he was now. It must have been a dream.

"Darien... I wish you were home. I couldn't tell you before, because I want you to be happy chasing your dreams and-" Her words were cut short by the feeling of his lips pressed against hers, gently at first but growing steadily in passion. He deepened the kiss, and she let him, feeling her body grow weak at every slow movement of his lips against hers. She surrendered herself completely to the kiss, but after a few more seconds, she felt him slowly pull away. "No, wait..." She murmured, opening her eyes. She found herself alone in the room.

Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.

Darien's head throbbed painfully as he forced his eyelids to slowly open, fighting his body's protest to naturally clamp them shut and curl into the foetal position.

"Where..." He gradually managed to sit up, feeling his acute migraine begin to fade away. "...Am I?" Observing his surroundings, it took him a few moments to realise that he was sitting on the floor in the middle of his apartment.

Lifting a hand up to his lips, he touched them gently. They were still sticky from her cherry lip gloss and the soft scent of her peach shampoo still lingered on his fingertips. It was definitely not a dream, but how could it have been a physical possibility? There was no reasonable way for him to understand how he could be by Serena's side, in Japan, one moment and then lying in his apartment in America the next.

Using his power of psychometry, he reached for his pocket watch and a vision of Serena flashed in his mind. She slowly swung her legs over the side of the sofa and lightly tiptoed down the hall, toward her bedroom. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, hesitating as she reached for her door knob. Slowly, she turned around and peered into his bedroom and seemed to make the last minute decision to lay down on his bed, cuddling his pillow closely.

"She's still in Japan... it must've been real… but how?"

. . .

So… It was my birthday a couple days ago (New Year's Day) and I cried… because my little cousin snapped my USB. So… 13 years of fanfiction; 50 unpublished ficlets, 2 new stories in the making, 4 almost-completed upcoming Summer Rain chapters and almost 5 years of university assignments and lecture notes- all gone. Great start to the New Year- Not! My New Year's resolution is to back everything up on the cloud now. Thankfully, I was working on this chapter using Google Docs, and it was preserved online… Otherwise I probably would've just given up on writing any more fanfics. Devastating.

In other news- thank you to everyone who donated to my Birthday fundraising appeal (see my profile page) All donations have been processed for this year. My account has been left open though, so if you'd like to help me make a difference in the lives of others for my next birthday, by contributing a small donation then please, feel free to visit the link on my profile. I'm happy to say, we've all managed to raise money to buy a water pump for a village! Thank you! Each donation will receive a personalised hand written thank you card from yours truly, simply PM me your details.

Anyhow, since I'm working on the next chapters from scratch, it may take me a little while to get the next chapter out. Let me know what you thought about the mature content and I'll see you again in a couple... weeks?

Crystal Saturn