Disclaimer: Characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi.

Crystal – Chapter 1

"Whew! That was the last of the second midterm exams. This calls for a good rest!" Serena smiled cheerfully after getting out of Biology class.

            Wait a minute, Biology?

            After graduation, Serena decided on pursuing on being a nurse. She thought, she loves people and she just loves taking care of them, especially children. Serena entered Masuda University, a medical school owned by one of Amy's relatives. What the relation is, she already forgot. Amy is now in some university exclusive for geniuses only, Rei is far-off in the United States and the rest, she doesn't know anymore. After the Graduation Ball, everyone seemed to exercise the true meaning of 'goodbye'. Everyone, even her closest friends, seems to disperse to different places around the world to pursue their own dreams. Mina, for all she knew, could be in Hollywood!

            She suddenly felt sad by that fact.

            'I wonder how everyone else is doing at the moment. Is Mina guy-hunting? Does Lita have new recipes? I miss her cooking! And did Amy already discover the wonder drug to fill up my brains? So many of them, so many questions, yet even the winds cannot answer me back. It's already our second year in college and everyone must be super busy with activities and schoolwork. I've lost contact with them since... when? I don't even know.'

            'Only one of them remained here with me.'

            Serena heard her cellphone ring. She searched in her black backpack and after several seconds of digging into her papers, papers, papers and candies, she found it.

            'Speaking of the devil...'

            "Ruka-chan!"

            "Hey Serena! It's been a week. How's your day?"

            "Just great. I'm done with Biology exams but honestly I don't think I aced it," Serena kicked a stone casually and instantly turned her back to walk away when she saw that the stone rolled into a child's lunchbox.

            "Good. I'm thinking of inviting you to coffee. I want you to meet someone."

            "Boyfriend?" Serena giggled in a tease.

            "Not a chance. Just go here okay?"

            "When?"

            "Now."

            "What?! That would be miles away from here," Serena felt something hit her at the back and when she turned around, she found out that the child, the owner of the lunchbox, threw the stone right back at her in a playful but hurting manner. She retorted a funny face at him. "Okay, be there." Next in her schedule would be a four-hour break and Haruka knows it well.

            Haruka is in Sendai University studying computer programming and software design. It was a surprise that she actually took interest into something other than his cars. She said that maybe it could help her design a computer program and attach it to his cars so that she would have the most unique cars in the world that would make James Bond's car cry. She actually enjoys it but of course she said she still loves her cars, her music and the track.

            Lucky for Serena, there's less traffic this time; she would make it just on time. She's going to her and Haruka's favorite cafe near Haruka's school.

            She wondered how people could be so busy to forget their friends.

            She opened the glass doors of Starbucks and immediately walked to their favorite table, as if she knows that Haruka would be there. "Hi!" Serena greeted in her usual enthusiastic way, pulled a chair and settled herself across Haruka. "So who is this person, you said, you want me to meet?"

            "He'll be here in a while. He just went to the restroom." Haruka crossed her arms on her chest with an evil tint in her eye that made Serena move an eyebrow skywards. 

            Then she saw the bag--it is an adidas blue and red bag. The bag is familiar... too familiar. 'Could it be...' No. Serena cancelled the idea at once. There's no way that he would want to see her after two years.

            "Hey Serena!" The voice was a little bit too enthusiastic but she couldn't be mistaken. He sat on the chair next to her and she saw him face to face

            "Oh my God..."

            "Won't you even say hi?" he flashed his nasty grin.

            "Darien..." Serena gave Haruka an 'I - will - kill - you' look then stood up and gathered her books, "Look, it's really nice to see you again but I really have to go. I still have a class." I wouldn't bear talking to him again. After all the pain...

            "But your next class wouldn't be in 3 hours." Haruka felt frustrated at Serena's reaction, "don't tell me that you're gonna leave me here?"

            "Really, sorry. I found the way back on heavy traffic, " of course it was a lie and with that, Serena stormed away, out of the cafe.

flashback

            "Seems that there's something going on..." Haruka teasefully said. She was sitting on the chair next to Serena, having meaning on her eyes that Serena knew well.

            Serena is in genuine denial, "There's nothing going on. Darien and I are just friends 'kay?" Haruka saw it so she stopped.

            'If nothing is going on now, I knew eventually, something will bloom out of it...'

end of flashback

That night...

            The phone rang.

            "Moshi, moshi..."

            "Hi!"

            Oh shit! No way!

            "How are you doing?"

            Oh my God...

            "I'm just fine." Serena started fumbling on a button of her pajamas, "How about you?"

            "I'm okay. We didn't have a decent talk a while ago so I decided to call. Would it be okay with you?" the voice at the other end was husky--sexy would be a better term. Serena shook the idea out of her head.

            "I'm doing some Math homework but I guess it would be okay." Damn it. You've got the perfect excuse and yet you said okay?! Stupid me...

            "So..." he continued, "How's my Usako?"

            That japanese name again... Usako... the name that Serena learned to love and hate. It was a "name of affection" and somehow, she used to smile at that. But at the second that she smiled at it, pain strikes her heart knowing that it would just be a name for a friend... because they're just friends.

            "Nothing much about me since then," Serena's voice was blank of expression as her feelings struggled between enthusiasm, pain and confusion. Part of her wanted to welcome back an old friend and part of her knew that she would just be hurting herself all over again.

            "Serena?"

            The button on her pajamas snapped from it as she jerked. Damn it, caught in the middle of my thoughts, "You were saying...?"

            "I asked if you want to have dinner with me tomorrow."

            "No I can't," good answer. "Sorry I'm just too busy with schoolwork. Let's just talk some other time, okay?"

            "Sure. Bye Usako."

            "Bye."

            Serena loved nobody else after Darien -- if there was ever an "after Darien". She loved him before and still, though she tried so much to push the feeling away, it only intensified.

flashback

            Serena sat on her usual chair in class 10-D. "I have to do something today if I want to graduate!" she declared to herself as she pulled out her math notebook and another of Ami's from her bag. She was determined to copy her friend's notes.

            Then all of a sudden, the most feared statement came from her lips, "I'm too tired today, I'll do it later at home." Serena is still the same since the beginning of time.

            Just as she turned to Jenny for some chit-chat, a vision in the face of reality passed her point of view. Oh, it was just Darien but that moment was different. The sound of his laughter was divine. He seldom laughed and the sincerity of it caught her right there and then. It was as if cupid shot her with one on his stupid arrows and she stupidly gave in. She instantly fell into a trance where memories of them slowly come back to her, piece by piece they came to form a puzzle within her. Suddenly, she snapped back to reality.

            "I think I have a crush on my bestfriend..."

end of flashback

            "I did it and was able to survive in 2 years. I can do it again."

Author's babble: Like it or hate it? Review.  Corrections and suggestions are greatly appreciated. I like it when I get reviews, i get inspired to continue. I need reviews to get the chapters going. More reviews, the sooner I get to work on them. So there, ja!