Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or her characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.

Title: Making Way for the Future
Serena x Darien
Rated: T
Romance/Drama
Summary: On the cusp of Crystal Tokyo coming into being Serena and Darien find themselves thrust into an unbelievable situation by the combined effort of their crystals.

It was a calm and quiet evening that found Serena and Darien at home preparing to start making their dinner. They were both dressed casually for an evening in; Darien in a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt and Serena in a sundress over a simple fitted T-shirt.

Serena walked into the living room and swerved around the couch and reached for the remote control on the coffee table but paused as she realized her hand was glowing. She straightened and blinked as she saw it wasn't just her hand. Her arm, her chest, her legs; her whole body was glowing!

"Darien." She called as she turned around only to blink in surprise to see that he was glowing too; only he was glowing gold whereas she was glowing white.

Darien turned from where he was looking up into a cabinet and blinked before he frowned to see his princess glowing.

"What...?" He began to ask in confusion as he walked out of the kitchen toward her.

"You're glowing too!" Serena said as she stepped toward him.

Darien looked down quickly and saw that he was indeed glowing a light gold that was growing richer and brighter by the second.

"How...?" He began to ask as he looked back to her, seeing that she was glowing brighter as well.

"I don't know." Serena said. "I wasn't glowing when I was in the kitchen, but I was when I reached the living room."

Darien frowned as he nodded his understanding. He could not explain it; although it was obvious it had something to do with their powers. He opened his mouth to say just that, but suddenly the glow of their power started to pull away from them.

It moved off to the side to hover in the air a couple of feet in front of them swirling together until a large bright oval shaped hole formed. It looked unmistakably like a portal; like the ones they had seen when they were dealing with the Negaverse, only this one was light and bright.

Serena and Darien looked away from the swirling hole and at each other in confusion and surprise. They didn't know what was happening or why. Should they try to do something about it? Could they do anything about it?

As the questions raced through their minds the portal began swirl, picking up speed and bringing their eyes back to it. In the next moment the air around them began to flow toward the portal, and before they could do more than widen their eyes they were sucked into the portal.

Serena cried out in surprise and again as she found herself completely disoriented. All she could see was a blur of colors, and couldn't tell if she was upside down or right side up. A moment later her hand was grasped in a firm grip and she was pulled against her firm chest.

She sighed in relief as her prince's strong arms came around her waist, and she quickly attached herself to him like a monkey; her arms going around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist.

"Are you okay?" Darien asked as he tightened his grip on her, determined not to get separated from her in this multicolored place.

"Yes." Serena answered as she opened her eyes, not having remembered closing them but not surprised. She was all for bright colors, but this place hurt her eyes. "What is this place?" She asked as she squinted her eyes.

"I don't know." He said as he looked around before closing his eyes briefly, feeling slightly nauseous at the swirl of colors, but thankful they could at least breathe in this place.

"I don't know what's going, but we'll get through this." He added as he looked to her.

"Yes." She agreed as she nodded slightly. "We'll get through this together; like we always do."

Darien nodded in agreement before he kissed her and leaned his forehead against hers as he tried to think of something to do to get them out of this strange place.

Suddenly the area around them went dark; pitch blackness met their eyes in place of the bright colors to the point where they couldn't even see each other anymore. A few moments later they realized they couldn't hear each other anymore. That addition to the sudden darkness was extremely unsettling but they could still feel one another, and took comfort in that as they tightened their grip on each other again.

Serena blinked her eyes wide trying to see even though she knew she couldn't. This situation was getting stranger and more unsettling by the moment, and she could not think of a single thing to do about it. It was even more unsettling to not know why this was happening.

But at least I'm not alone. Darien's with me. She thought as she tightened her grip on him, and felt him immediately return the gesture.

"Be at ease White Princess. You will not be harmed." A mysterious feminine voice said, and she turned her head but of course she couldn't see, and the voice seemed to be coming from everywhere.

"The conditions for the new Silver Millennium are not correct. You need to amend them." The voice informed her seriously, and her eyes widened.

What?! She thought in shock.

xXx

Meanwhile, Darien too was hearing a voice.

"Be at ease Golden Prince. You will not be harmed." An inscrutable masculine voice said, and he frowned since that did nothing to ease his worry for Serena. "Your princess will not be harmed either." The voice assured him; proving in that moment that it was somehow privy to his inner thoughts.

"The conditions for the new Silver Millennium are not correct. You need to adjust them." The voice informed him seriously, and he blinked in surprise. "There are certain things that are wrong, even unwanted, that need to be corrected if you wish for the future you have seen and expected."

"What things exactly?" Darien asked with a frown even though he was unsure of who he was speaking to.

At his question the darkness around him lit up and scenes over the last few years began to play one after another like clips from a movie.

xXx

Images and scenes played before her eyes. Things she had not revealed to anyone; not even to Darien.

As the scenes stopped, returning the thick blackness, Serena took a slow breath and let it out as her question about what exactly needed to be corrected was answered. She definitely wanted Crystal Tokyo to happen even though she was a bit wary about being Queen; let alone what would actually happen to make her Queen in these modern times.

"Only one other person will be aware of the truth surrounding you, and that is because they are always aware of the changes in the timeline." The mysterious feminine voice said, and Serena knew that could only mean Pluto.

"This is your chance. Use it well White Princess." The voice said, and before she could react in any way she suddenly began to feel like she was falling asleep.

Her eyelids felt heavy and slid closed, and before she knew it she was falling under.

Serena's eyes snapped open as she jerked upright gasping as if she had just broken the surface of water and had been desperately seeking air.

She blinked rapidly in disorientation as her eyes darted around completely confused to find herself in her childhood bedroom instead of in the apartment she had been sharing with her fiancé for over three years.

"Are you okay?" She heard a concerned feminine voice say, and her eyes moved until she spotted Luna sitting up at the end of her bed.

Suddenly it all came rushing back to her. The portal, the swirling colors, the darkness, the mysterious voice telling her she and Darien needed to fix things so Crystal Tokyo could happen.

She should have expected it considering the voice alluded to Pluto knowing about what was happening, but she had not expected this. She had not expected to be sent into the past, which was obviously what had just happened.

The problem now was that she had no idea when exactly it was. Luna was here which meant she was already Sailor Moon and Darien was already Tuxedo Mask. However, she didn't know how many scouts had been found by this point, and didn't know if they were aware that she was the Moon Princess.

She didn't know if it was known that Darien was Tuxedo Mask or if they even knew about Crystal Tokyo.

I don't even know if Raye has feelings for Darien at this point. She thought as she belatedly nodded at Luna's question.

Serena sighed as she lay back down and let her eyes roam slowly now that her confusion and disorientation had cleared up. They landed on her white and royal blue school uniform, the uniform she hadn't seen in years with her old broach sitting on the red bow, hanging from a rack on her closet door.

Her eyes skipped over to her calendar and then the time, and realized in the next moment that it was a school day and her alarm would be going off soon.

She blinked and looked up at the ceiling. There was no way she was going to school. She had too much on her mind, and besides that she needed to find Darien. Her prince had to have been sent back as well since they were both pulled into the portal. She couldn't even begin to think about how to get started without finding him first.

And I know just where to go. She thought as she sat up and pushed her covers back. She turned her alarm off before it could go off, and got to her feet to start getting ready.

xXxMFxXx

Darien got out of his car and closed the door before he pocketed his keys, and began to walk into a familiar park and along a well pathed path.

He shook his head as he walked still feeling disbelief that he was actually in the past. Not the distant past thankfully since that would be something he was unsure he could deal with, but a few years in the past was nothing to shrug off.

Not to mention how they had been sent back. He had a theory about that, but they could talk about that later once they discussed why they had been sent back.

Clearly he and Serena had in fact been sent back but before he could do anything he needed to see his princess, which was why he was in this specific park so early in the morning. He couldn't call her house since at this point in time they weren't dating and he would be unknown.

He supposed he could wait until later in the day to try and see her at the arcade, but even that wouldn't work since people would see them acting closer than they were thought to be.

Andrew at the very least will know instantly. He thought with a sigh. Beyond that I'm unsure which girls are around at this point, but they would know we aren't supposed to be close as well.

So this park was where he had come. It was where they had their first date. More importantly it was where they met when they wanted privacy, and didn't want to have to worry about her parents, his phone ringing, or the girls coming by unexpectedly.

This situation definitely calls for privacy, so hopefully she'll come here as soon as possible. He thought as he rounded a corner.

His eyes immediately landed on a lake and softened as he remembered that first date. Finally having his memories of Serena, his princess, back and being happy and in love. Guiding them over the lake in a small row boat, just the two of them, without any interference or company from anyone.

It was a great memory. At least until they reached land and Rini fell into their lives; interrupting their first kiss.

He had grown to love his future daughter, couldn't wait until she was born, but she had caused a hardship with her first appearance that they hadn't needed.

Hmm...and now that we're back here her appearance will happen again. This time we'll handle it better. He thought firmly. There was no denying that. He was twenty-five and Serena was twenty-one; they were adults and would handle the situation like adults.

Especially if she pops out with the attitude she had the first time around. He thought as he walked out onto the pier and gazed out over the water.

xXx

Serena got off the bus and sighed. She had been ignoring the looks she was getting since she was obviously headed toward a location where there was no school. The looks wouldn't have been there if she hadn't worn her school uniform, but she knew it had been easier to leave her house if she acted like she was going to school.

However, she was in the area she wanted and now she just needed to do a little walking. So walk she did. On and on down the sidewalk, her school bag swinging lightly in her hand, until a few minutes passed and she reached a bit of a parking lot.

She paused and scanned the cars until she spotted one. Her eyes lit up at the bright red car, and she jogged over to it and looked into the window. She checked the license plate to be sure, and nearly squealed as it confirmed that this was her prince's car.

He's here! She thought as she began to jog into the park and along the familiar path.

Before long the path opened up into a view of a large lake and a long wooden pier, and standing at the end of the pier was Darien, her Endymion, her prince. He was wearing the green blazer she hadn't seen in years and couldn't help briefly wondering why, but then figured his reason was similar to why she was wearing her school uniform.

"Endymion!" She called out as she broke into a run, so there would be no doubt; although her very presence there should be proof enough that it was really her.

Darien turned around instantly and smiled as he took a step forward and opened his arms. It was all he could do with how fast she was running. Then she was there, jumping into his arms, and wrapping her own around him as he spun her around.

"I'm so glad you came quickly." He said, knowing she should have been at school at that time. "I was prepared to wait all day, but here you are."

"Of course I'm here silly." Serena said softly. "There's no way I could actually go to school with this situation. I needed to find you."

"Well, here I am." He said as he let her down.

"I guess we need to talk now." She said with a sigh.

"Yes we should." Darien said. "Let's sit." He said before he lowered himself down and sat on the side of the pier. Serena joined him and placed her bag next to her as their legs dangled above the water.

"So I'm guessing you were told the conditions for Crystal Tokyo happening weren't right." He said.

"Yeah. A female voice told me I needed to fix it." Serena said with a sigh.

"I heard a male voice." Darien replied with a slight frown.

"Were you shown things as well?" She asked.

"Yes. I wanted to know what wasn't right, because I didn't think anything was wrong. After what I saw it made sense." He said.

"That's what I thought too." Serena agreed. "I'm guessing we saw the same things or at least some of the same things." She added and he nodded.

"So what's one of the things you found out was wrong?" He asked, and she sighed.

"Raye. To put it bluntly, I don't trust her to protect me." She answered. "I like her well enough as a friend, but as the years passed her behavior and attitude toward me never changed. She treats me the same way she did when we were fourteen; as if we never grew up!" She said with an irritated huff.

"I did notice that." Darien said as he nodded. "It seemed to me that Raye didn't remember that the Guardians Scouts were for protecting you first and foremost, and not just protecting the city and planet." He added, and she nodded sadly.

She had worked hard and grown up. She hadn't been the lazy crybaby that Raye had first met in years, but she hadn't seemed to notice that. Either that or she was willfully ignoring the changes she had made.

"What else were you shown?" He asked as he leaned back on his hands.

"The fact that I don't trust my Scouts, at least the Inner Scouts, to protect you." She said seriously. "I always worry that should you be in danger instead of me they wouldn't protect you the same way they protect me."

"I understand." Darien replied with a nod. "That's actually similar to one of the major things shown to me. I don't have protection that's solely for me. My Guardian Generals were turned by our enemy and killed before we were even aware of the truth about them."

"Yes." Serena agreed. "That's always bothered me. If we had known we could have helped them; like with Hotaru." She added, and he nodded.

"In addition to that it's always bothered me that I have no one to relate to and trust to solely watch my back." He said. "I feel that when it comes down to it the Scouts will only protect you, which is as it should be but I feel I should have someone on my side when it comes down to it." He added, and watched her frown.

"For instance, whenever we get into a disagreement of any kind and the girls learn of it they look at me differently and treat me differently. At least the Inner Scouts do; the Outer Scouts are mature enough to mind their own business and not try to interfere in your personal life, and they actually took the time to get to know me and be my friend." He explained.

"I always feel like the Inner Scouts never stopped looking at me as just the mysterious Tuxedo Mask; like maybe I would be there maybe I wouldn't. I was just the guy that saved you occasionally and the boyfriend. Even after seeing our future!" He continued with a frown.

"They don't see me as an equal partner to you, which I am in every aspect. I'm a prince; I have a crystal of equal power to yours. Just because I'm quiet and don't throw around the fact that I have a powerful crystal doesn't mean I'm insignificant; that I'm an afterthought."

"It's like they don't believe that we'll actually get married and I'll be your husband and King. They believed Crystal Tokyo will happen, but it's like they don't know if I'll actually be there or even involved in the making; as if it will happen whether I'm there or not." He finished.

Serena frowned thoughtfully as she took in his explanation. That was something she hadn't noticed. She knew he got along better with Trista, Michelle, Amara, and even Hotaru, but she just thought it was because of their age. They were around his age, with the exception of Hotaru, and more mature.

And she certainly never noticed that they didn't see him as her equal. How could they not?! He was right that they had seen their future. Did they think he was King in name only?! Maybe it was because when it came to saving the day, she was the one to pull out her crystal and fix everything.

She had never had a problem with that. She knew he never interfered because he knew she could do it, and because if anything happened to her he would have the energy to handle it. If they both took point and ended up hurt or something happened to them the girls definitely didn't have the power to help or heal them despite being her protectors. Then where would that leave them?

Plus, I always thought it was a good thing that no one knew about his crystal. If the enemy saw me using my power then his could be the hidden trump card. She thought.

"I didn't realize Amy, Mina, Lita, and Raye looked at you differently and treated you differently when we disagreed or fought." Serena admitted. "I didn't see it. I saw that you got along better with Amara, Michelle, Trista, and Hotaru, but I thought it was just because they were more mature."

"That's part of it. That and they tried to be my friend. They didn't see me as an insignificant extension of you, but as my own person." Darien said.

"I don't get why they don't see you as more than...my significant other. Are they so stuck on you being Tuxedo Mask that they don't see anything else?" She wondered. "They don't even have the excuse of just being loyal to me because of the past since they don't remember it yet! Or didn't...don't..." She sighed in slight confusion.

"It's okay." Darien said as he rubbed her back. "Just stick with present tense, and we'll make the adjustment before we really speak to anyone now that we're back here."

"Alright." Serena said with a light smile.

"But I understand what you mean, and I think it's been that way since the breakup after Rini's arrival in our time." He said thoughtfully.

"So many years!" She lamented in dismay.

"It's alright love. It's why we're a team. I see things you don't see, and you see things I don't see. The only issue was that we couldn't change these things. Some simply couldn't be fixed and others we thought just needed time. It's unfortunate that didn't happen with the latter." Darien said, and she nodded and sighed.

"Anything else?" Serena asked.

"Yes. Raye." He said.

"Raye again." She said with a sigh.

"Unfortunately. Her and her continued feelings for me. I noticed them, I saw them, but I ignored them and never said anything. It was one of those things where I hoped time would help but it didn't." He said with a sigh of his own.

"As the years passed I found it extremely strange that she could find me...essentially a nonentity when it came to my equality to you and my participation in making Crystal Tokyo happen, even treating me differently when you and I got into arguments, and yet still like me; still look at me with lust clear in her eyes." He explained as he shook his head.

"I suspected she still had feelings for you." Serena said with a sigh. "I never said anything because I hoped that with time her feelings would fade. That seeing us together consistently would help her move pass what she felt for you; especially after all the years that have passed."

"Yes. You would think after years she would move on. I don't understand why she didn't, and it really began to bother me the closer we got to Crystal Tokyo happening." He said as he shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair.

"After all, what would it look like for one of the Guardian Scouts to have obvious feelings for the King of the Earth when I'm married to the Queen?" He pointed out.

Serena grimaced. She hadn't thought of that, and she knew she should have. He had noticed Raye's feelings, she had noticed her feelings, and she was almost positive that all of the girls had also noticed her feelings. How would that look to the people they were ruling over? Would the feelings Raye seemingly took no interest in hiding spark rumors about an affair between her and Darien?!

Darien's hand moved up to rub the back of her neck, and she looked to him as she told him her thoughts.

"I...for some reason my thoughts didn't go that far." He said with a frown. "How horrible would that be? To have to deal with rumors like that? And the impact that would likely follow?" He added, easily seeing how their authority could somehow be undermined.

"Is there anything more?" She asked warily.

"The rest is all off shots of what I've told you." He said, and she nodded.

"The same with me." She replied. "So now we figure out how to change those things, so they don't interfere in our future."

"Yes." He agreed. "First we need to figure out our facts. You're obviously already Sailor Moon at this point." He said as he nodded to her brooch. "Do you know how many scouts have been found?"

"No." Serena answered. "I didn't pay attention to which day which scout was found and awakened. I could tell you what was going to happen based on what was happening that day, and an approximate of when the next event would happen." She explained and he nodded.

"Well, we had to have been sent back in time to save Jedite, which means besides you there might be Amy and Raye or just Amy." Darien reasoned, and she nodded.

"So we'll have to figure out how to free Jedite." She said. "And I'm thinking of all the encounters we had with him the challenge at the airport would be the best time to make the attempt. That way Amy and Raye could be distracted and won't know what we're attempting; since the voice implied that only Pluto would know of our time travel." She explained, and Darien nodded; no one else would know their secret.

"I agree that it's as good a time to do it." He said with another nod. "We also have to figure out what to do about Raye. If she's already been awakened as Mars then she likely has already met me and begun to have a crush on me."

"True." Serena said with a sigh. "If that's the case then she's likely already treating me the way she has for the last six years or just starting. The question is should I try to change that since it's early on? And if she's already begun having a crush on you will seeing us together as a couple cause her feelings to fade since that too would be early on?"

"Do we want to chance that it won't and spend months and possibly years dealing with her unrequited feelings again?" Darien questioned. "If her feelings don't change then we're back where we started before being sent back here only without her knowing the depth of our connection."

"And if we don't want to chance it..." She trailed off with a light sigh as she looked out over the lake thoughtfully. "Then perhaps she doesn't need to be one of my scouts." She finished after a few silent minutes.

"You would be down a scout." He pointed out quietly.

"True." Serena agreed. "But I can replace her." She added seriously. "She wasn't born a scout in the past. She was chosen to be the scout of Mars and given the power, but it was not permanent. After all, there was always the chance of betrayal, of a scout going rogue, or being brainwashed. If that was the case the scouts powers and abilities could be removed, so they would no longer pose a danger."

Darien blinked in surprise at that. He didn't know if they had been born to be scouts, but he actually had thought they were born with their powers back then. To know otherwise was surprising and enlightening.

The same had been the case with his generals in a sense. Only as soon as they had been brainwashed the powers that made them his generals had been locked away, and they had only had the powers given to them by the evil taint that had turned them against him in the first place.

"Did they know that?" He asked as the thought occurred to him.

"No." She answered. "They thought their powers were permanent. Although, if I have to do this they'll definitely know." She added and he nodded.

"So, I think I'll give her until all of the Inner Scouts are together. If she's behaving how we remember, even with our interactions being different this time around, then I'll remove her as one of my scouts and replace her." She said firmly.

"Replace her with who?" Darien wondered. "And can you replace her with anyone or does it have to be someone who was born on Mars in the past?"

"It can be anyone, but I was thinking of Molly." Serena said as she looked to him. "She's my best friend, and loyal, and she would certainly be able to use the powers of Mars very well."

"I can definitely see her as Sailor Mars." He replied as he nodded.

"So we have a general game plan." She said. "Get your Generals back, and watch Raye's all around behavior."

"And keeping your friendship with Molly close. Last time you were forced to keep a bit of a distance from her as time passed." He pointed out. "Maybe you can even tell her the truth about being a scout if you think she could handle it. That way if you end up having to replace Raye she'll know about you being a scout instead of being surprised by that fact and you wanting her to become one as well."

"You're right." Serena said as she nodded. "This is our chance to really change things for the better. To do things differently and be comfortable with those around us, with what they're doing, and what's happening."

"I think she can handle the truth. After all, she fell in love with Neflite and accepted him for who he was, and this when he was the enemy; imagine if he was fully free and completely himself." She added, and he nodded remember that time. He had felt bad for Molly even though she eventually moved on.

"Alright. So you'll tell Molly." He said, and she nodded. "Now that that's settled and we know what we need to do we can start working on the other details. Do you want to wait until all of your Inner Scouts have been awakened to reveal yourself as the princess they're looking for or do so early?"

"Should I reveal my identity as Tuxedo Mask so I might be seen as more trustworthy early on? Do I reveal my identity as the prince they never knew about when you reveal your royal identity or hold off on it until some later date? Do my Generals join me in fighting as Tuxedo Mask after they're freed or do we wait until all four of them are free?"

"Do I search for my Outer Scouts early on or do I leave it for a later date or even let them come to me? Do I tell my parents and brother about my secret life, hoping to make living my secret life a little easier, or continue to keep them in the dark?" Serena added her own questions.

"We have a lot to decide on." She said with a sigh.

"You're right, so how about we take this to a more comfortable location?" Darien said with a raised eyebrow.

"Your place?" She said as she perked up. "Home?" She added softly, already missing the apartment she had shared with him for the last few years.

"Yes." He confirmed. "We can order something to eat or stop at some restaurant and order take out."

"Alright! Let's do it!" Serena said as she began to climb to her feet.

Darien laughed and followed her, making sure neither of them slipped and fell into the water. He picked up her school bag and handed it to her before he grabbed her free hand and began to walk with her toward the parking lot.