Just forewarning Standard disclaimer. Sailor Moon is not mine, the idea and the show belong to people much richer than I. Please don't sue!

Dimmer however is mine.. of course if someone wants to use him or any of his transformations for ANY reason "thbbt" go ahead. You have my complete and total permission. I only request you tell me… Hell, I don't care if you don't tell me, it's not like I could find you anyway.

Warning: mild language, also this is my first fic. Maybe some lime sometime in the far future, but I seriously doubt it. Violent scenes, no worse than most action movies, but they actually sound worse when described…

Serena was walking by the construction site on her way to Peggy's apartment. The police lines and yellow tape flowed all around the site. Much of the destroyed areas had chalk outlines of the lizards. She was surprised to see Darien there watching them try to clean things up. "Oh no, he seen me." She thought quickly looking away hoping he'd ignore her for once.

"Hello meatball head. Did you see this place? What a mess."

"For the last time, my name is SERENA! SE- REEEE-NAAA!"

"Woah, calm down before you trip up and end up hurting somebody."

"The only one here who is about to be hurt is you!" Serena rolled up her sleeves for effect.

"Hey Meatball head, where's that guy from the chocolate shop now? This exchange of wits isn't really challenging. I usually prefer someone with wits, and you need some help in that department."

"Dimmer is working at the arcade, and I don't need him to deal with you! Hmph!"

Serena decided that letting him talk to her back and ignoring his continuous insults was probably the best way to deal with him. "Jeez!" she thought, "Do I really have to spend the two or three hours sitting beside this jerk!"

Darien didn't bother to say anything more, recognising the mood she had worked herself into. He ran a count down in his head. "10… 9… 8 … 7..."

Serena continued to rant in her mind. "Damn him! He is such a jerk! Why does he always have to be sooo mean! I mean really! I try to be nice and what do I get? Everytime I turn around it's meatball head! Ooh! He just makes me sooo mad!"

"2… 1… 0…" He gestured toward her behind her back.

Serena turned to face him in a huff and started yelling at the top of her lungs."Why did you even agree to this anyway?! I thought you wouldn't want to get your picture drawn beside some clutzy meatball head!"

"Normally you'd be right, but you're friends with Rei right?"

Serena arched her eyebrow up a couple of notches.

"Well we've both been rather busy lately, and even though were supposed to be going out, I haven't'seen her in weeks. I was just wondering what she was doing that's all."

"Oh! Well than..." Serena had spotted a chance to butt into someone else's love life. Through almost reflex alone she started to explain about Dimmer and how he came to be living at Rei's temple, and how she has been trying to take care of him.

"So Rei's looking after him?"

"Well not too much anymore since he got his memory back, but he's been in and out of the hospital too. He gave us all a scare there, but it turned out for the best anyway."

"Hmm… lucky guy."

"What's a matter Darien?" Serena crept slowly up over his shoulder, "Feeling a little jealous?"

"Don't be stupid Meatball head. I was just wondering that's all." Darien smiled. He had gotten all that he wanted to know about Dimmer from Serena as planned. He frowned a bit too. It did sound like Rei was ignoring him. He was supposed to be going out with her. He'd worry about that later though. His night's were full of Tuxedo Mask and his days were spent at college and his studies, he really didn't have much time to offer Rei right now anyway, and it sounded like she had her own hands full.

"Well thanks for clearing that up Meatball head, but I should be going. I have a lot on my plate right now sooo…" He was about to step away when he noticed that Serena had grabbed him by his sleeve.

"Oh no you don't! I don't like the idea of sitting by the biggest jerk I know for the next couple hours, but it is for art, and Peggy is expecting us, so come on!" Serena started dragging him behind her by his sleeve.

Darien just sighed and let himself be pulled by the clutz and hoped she wouldn't trip up and send him toward the ground with her on her frequent trips there. He kind of hoped he'd be able to get out of this. The picture he seen drawn by this artist the other day was just a little too close to his dreams for his liking.

The doorbell rang and Peggy asnwered. "Huh? Oh hey, great you both made it! My perfect models. Please come in everything is set up and waiting. Is your friend at the hospital doing better now Serena?"

"Mm hmm." She nodded her head, "Much, he's back at work today."

"That's great news. Alright you two sit over there. That's it. No, not like that, umm… could you guys move just a little bit closer? Alright now just turn you heads until your facing each other. There now hold out your hands like your holding something… there, perfect. Now hold that pose!" Peggy got right to work. "These two look great together" she thought to herself as she brought an image to her mind and started to paint.

Darien looked down to the blonde girl who was told to be staring up at him. Her hands being held by his, and her hands open as if they were holding something. You know, she's kind of pretty… when she's not falling down that is. A smirk came over his face.

Serena had similar thoughts running through her head. "Well… I guess I can see what Rei likes about him." Than that familair smirk came across his face that she knew all too well. "Well, when he's not being such a jerk." Serena expression suddenly held a bit of anger it.

Sensing the tesion in the room, Peggy tried to strike a bit of conversation. "You know I've drawn this same picture many times, but I never really got it right, it always seemed to be missing something. I want to thank you two for agreeing to do this for me." She looked down at her picture, it had been two and a half hours hard at work. The picture looked beautiful. Serena in a white sparkling dress, and Darien in a black suit of golden rimmed armor. Both looked stunning, it was easily her best one yet, but it was still missing that something.

"Can we see it?" Serena asked excitedly.

Peggy nodded her head, no longer needing them to model for her.

"Wow. I'm impressed. There can't be to many people who can make Meatball head here look that good."

SLAP

Darein stood behind the two girls with his arms folded and a red mark starting to show on his face.

"He is right about one thing though. This is beautiful Peggy."

"Thanks," she repiled modestly, "but I still think it needs something…"

"Hmmm…" Serena thought hard as she looked at the couple. "Hey!" She snapped her fingers, "I got it!" She dug into her purse and grabbed out the star locket.

Peggy looked stunned. It was perfect. Serena was absolutely right it was exactly what she needed.

Darien just stood there looking shocked. That was the locket he had dropped during the fight with the minister. He wondered who had picked it up. How was he going to get it back now?

"It's perfect Serena. Could I ask you two to go back and take up the same poses as earlier?"

"Right! Come on Darien!" She growled out his name as she pulled him by his wrist to sit down where they were before. "Okay Serena now hold it out in front of you just like before."

"You mean like this?" To Darien and Peggy's surprise, the moment she held it out it opened up and started playing it's mysterious melody. Serena blushed, but didn't make anything out of it. Darien just sat in shock. Only he was ever able to open that locket, no one else was ever able to.

"That's perfect Serena. Now Darien?"

The mention of his name snapped him out of his trance. "Huh?"

"Please take Serena's hands in yours just like before."

"Oh. Okay."

Serena glanced quickly to the windows. There was no sign of Tuxedo Mask. Had Dimmer been wrong about this? A small light started to come from the locket as Darien placed his hands below hers. Serena slowly turned her head toward the locket than up to him. He was looking straight at her unblinking.

Rei's voice from the amusement park came to mind. It echoed in her head, "Doesn't he look like Tuxedo Mask to you?"

"Okay, finished. Thank you both, do you want to see?"

Not a minute too soon. Serena's head was spinning. Was Rei right? Was Dimmer trying to tell her that Darien is, in fact, Tuxedo Mask?

"Umm no, that's okay Miss. Jones" Darien replied hurriedly, "I'm sorry, but I'm already late for a previous appointment. I'll see it later okay? Bye!" He was out the door.

Serena ran after him, she opened up the door in a hurry just to see his retreating form past the tip of a hill and than out of vew.

She turned around to go back to see the painting. It was perfect in every way. She couldn't believe it, but she didn't need to look any further. Darien was her Tuxedo Mask. Serena said good bye to Peggy and went on her way home. She had a lot to think about tonight.

Dimmer was lying awake in bed. Rei had ordered him there early tonight so he could get some more sleep. "Not like its going to matter anyway." He muttered to himself. The sun had only set a bit ago. He had got his nightly training sessions in, and was happy to have gotten to work that day. He was happy to be out of the hospital. His mind wandered thinking about all that was done the night before. The dead corpses littering the ground, blood in pools at their feet. The horrible death of all those lives. They were evil. Sent to kill. They enjoyed the pain they caused. But did they ever know any other way? If that was what he were taught happiness was, than wouldn't he too, kill for pleasure, hoping to find hapiness there? What if it didn't matter? After all, they were just pictures off the end of someone's brush right? But that would mean that the girls were also just…cartoons…

Dimmer shook the dark thoughts from his mind. It was those type of thoughts that didn't let him sleep at night. So he tried to think on other things.

This was the world he always wished he could be in. The anime universe. It was where he always went to escape reality. This time though, it seemed he had escaped for good. So why wasn't he happy? He still felt the same lonliness he felt at home. He had friends there too. Just as important as his friends here. Chad was… well… Chad. Dimmer felt he could describe Chad about as well as he could describe himself. Maybe wacky was the closest description. He got to thinking about all his friends. Luna, she was humorous in her own way, and always quick thinking. Not to mention she was a kitty. That made her a good thing in Dimmer's eyes almost instantly.

Serena was so happy and innocent. Amy was so smart and close to him. She seemed to know him better than anyone. Lita was so tough and confident. Rei was… angry? Heh. Probably, but she was also so much of a faker. She pretended to be confident when it was so obvious she was looking for confirmation that she did the right thing. And she always did the right thing. She was so caring about other people, but she cared too much about they thought about her.

Dimmer looked around at the dark, empty bedroom. Just like Rei said, he was lonely. He was truthfully at a loss of what to do about it. Back on his island he was always alone. He couldn't talk to new people, he was always too afraid he'd do something they'd find stupid, and they wouldn't like him. Maybe he suffered from they same problem he seen in Rei. He cared too much about what other people thought.

"Doesn't solve anything though," he muttered quietly to himself. The Dimmer that Amy had first met had no problem talking to people. He hadn't cared what other people thought as long as it put a smile on their face. Dimmer at the present though, was never good at being with people. He just wasn't used to of it. He was used to of being alone. But now part of him is no longer used to of it. It hungers for company. Even now, it wanted someone close so that he could feel secure. It was that side that was at fault for his failing to sleep. Rei figured that out. She seemed much smarter than the television series showed.

"Now Rei, since you figured out the problem, maybe you can help figure out a way to solve it."

Dimmer continued to stare at the hallway light coming from underneath the door.

Rei was trying to sleep herself. She wanted to be awake enough for the morning training lessons so she too had went to bed early. She had sent Dimmer to bed to stop him from practicing all night with Chad. She sighed.

"So Chad wants to be a hero." She couldn't help but laugh. She wondered where he had got all the hardware. She'd have to ask him later. She looked up to her ceiling and thought to herself. "So Dimmer is Valor and he doesn't even know it. And he's Sundown too. Was Valor the futuristic version of Dimmer? He did say that time itself was invovled.

"Dimmer…"

She whispered quietly to herself. What happened to him? Why did he change so much? He was so happy before his memories returned. How could he predict the future now? He didn't seem to be able to before. His eyes, they showed no real happiness when he smiled at her, or any of the girls. Dimmer's old smile always reached his eyes, but now… She remembered the smile he had up in the tree. She smiled. That one still went up to his eyes. He still hadn't taken the hairclasps off. Before Dimmer was quick to admit his feelings for the group. He pretty much wore them on his sleeve. Any one could tell losing one of his friends would hurt him, but when he stated it earlier, it was almost like he didn't want them to know it. It was like he didn't trust them enough to have this information. Did he think they'd use that against him?

What had caused him to lose the trust he had in people, he obviously never used to care about things like that.

"Some one must have hurt him." She thought to herself. "Some one must have betrayed him, and it was probably a friend." That was it! She sat up suddenly realizing what she had just thought. She got up and got dressed again. "Wait! I can't just go in there and blurt this out? What can I talk about first? What else did she want to know about?

Dimmer heard knock at the door and Rei's voice. "Are you awake Dimmer? You better not have snuck off again."

"I'm awake and here. I told you I wouldn't go anywhere without telling people first. I won't break my promise." He said that, but he could really use a trip to the docks right about now. "What is it Rei?"

"Something I can't talk about standing out in the hall, are you going to let me in or not?"

"Yeah one minute." He got up to get a pair of jeans on over his boxers, and invited her in.

She quickly went in, and he shut the door behind her. "You could've at least put a shirt on." She watched hs freckled back as he decided to walk back to his bed and fall face first onto it. Face still buried in the covers, his muffled voice answered her.

"Does it really matter? I'll have to undress before I got back to bed anyway. I may've been awake, but dat don't mean I enjoy getting' out of bed ya know."

"Well sorry to disturb your precious semi-conciousness. I need to know just what went on in the hospital."

"Hospital?"

"The whole thing with Vaor?"

Dimmer smirked, "Oh the thing where you were makin' out with Greg."

Rei blushed furiously, "I wasn't making out with him, he kissed me! And it wasn't even really Greg! You know that! I just wondered what else you know."

"Everything. I was there and awake?"

"How about when Sundown was speaking?"

"Heard everything."

"But he said…"

"Sundown's a liar."

"Oh. He didn't want Valor to speak with you, huh?"

"Seemed like it. Learn to strive from the strength of others? What the hell was that supposed to mean? And my past ain't that dark. Just a couple of bad rumors really, light of flame through darkness? What should I go out and buy a torch in case I get lost in a cave? Hmph. I remember everything said to me, Sundown just didn't want me to answer that's all. Valor should thank him, I would've told him where he could put that advice. That was in no way helpful. Advice like that are just riddles, and riddles are something I could have done without. "

"You said bad rumors, what kind of rumors?"

"One bad one, one stupid one. I thought I said I didn't want to talk about my past."

"I know Dimmer, I'm sorry. I'm just curious. I wanted to know how it is that you know the future, and how it concerns your past. After all, I thought you said you didn't have any super powers in "your world"

Dimmer sighed. "You aren't going to let up on this are you?" Dimmer really didn't want to tell anyone about what happened to him. It was a story he could do without retelling, but he wanted Rei to stay around. He was in need of the company, and didn't want her to leave. "After all, she did go out looking for me all last night right? I kinda owe her. Hmmm… Maybe I can tell her just enough about the show to satisfy her curiosity."

"I didn't have any powers Rei. There are way too many people that would be able to tell what Serena's future would be in my world. Hell, it's posted up all over the net."

"Huh? Why?"

"Rei remember that joke I made about life not being a tv show?"

"Yes…" Rei didn't like where this was going.

"Well, in my world, there is a TV show. Very popular, it was called Sailor Moon."

Rei looked at Dimmer puzzled, why did she care that Serena's life was a tv show in some other world?

"Well, it tells of Serena's and the scout's fight against the evil Negaverse. Though in the next season it's the doomtree… I'm not sure if those two were actually part of the Negaverse or not…"

"So Serena's life is a TV show. Let me guess, it would pretty much HAVE to be a cartoon."

"Anime, yes."

"And I'm the side kick?"

"Hmmm… You're a really close friend. If anything, ALL the scouts are sidekicks. They don't focus on you guys much. Just put yas into a bunch of serious trouble"

"Is that how I'm changing fate?"

"Your changing fate? I thought it was me…"

Rei shook her head. "We both are. Greg said that I was changing fate the time you left to chase down Tuxedo Mask for threatening us. What did you say to him anyway?"

"Heh. Notice you haven't been threatened since? Just told him his real name, now he's just worried about me, that's all."

"So who is he?"

"Can't say, promised not to, but it's exactly who you thought is was anyway."

"Darien."

"I didn't say it, you guessed on your own."

"Ha! I knew it! I'm going out with Tuxedo Mask! Hahaha!"

"You're just doing that to spite Serena aren't you?"

"Who? Me?" Rei smiled innocently.

"That is sooo evil. I like it." Dimmer chuckled evilly.

It was closing in on midnight, and Rei and Dimmer were still talking. Both were lying on the floor in opposite directions. Rei tossed an empty, crumpled chipbag up and down.

"So what is your world like anyway?"

"Sucks. Everyone is out for their own gain. They say they're honest people than lie to their friends. They'll talk about you behind your back, and though they say that they'd say the same to your face, they never would unless they wanted to start a fight. You have to hide what you feel just so no one can get close enough to hurt you. They love to fight for who they are, and what they believe in! But no one actually tries to understand who they are, or what they really believe in. They just say that to make it sound like they're doing the right thing. It's corrupt, and the only thing that comes to us naturally are lies." Dimmer scowled at his entire world. "Of course there are ecxceptions, but you never really know who those exceptions are."

"It was a friend who betrayed you wasn't it?"

"Two. Both I forgive, they only did what came naturally."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Yes. I can't believe people intentionally do the wrong things. I just think that they must believe it was right, or that what was done against them was unfair. So they seek out revenge for reasons that only they can comprehend. Mostly selfish ones they didn't even realize are there."

"How do you deal with it?"

"I used to run. Run from them and their beliefs, but not now. I try to look at all prespectives. From all angles. I try to find what hurts the least, and go with that."

"But how does that let you know if you can trust them or not?"

"It doesn't, you can't let yourself fully trust anybody."

"But how do you love someone without trust?"

"Love for us is a fairy tale. The only love I see are between friends and family. Lovers seem more or less trying to use each other to fill needs. They don't really look for love, they look for something that is just "enough". How can you truly say "I don't love you anymore"? Those words just don't make sense. Love is something you can't lose for a person."

"Than what about the people who say that?" she again tossed up the chipbag and caught it.

"If you can honestly say that, than I don't believe you truly loved that person, or that you both are at fault for not sharing everything with each other."

"In other words, total and complete trust."

"The trust that you can tell them anything and they'll still love you. No matter what you may have done to hurt them or some one else. The trust they won't cheat, or look elsewhere. The trust that they trust you as much as you trust them."

"That they love you as much as you love them."

"True love. Fiction. In my world there are so many things you could tell no one, that you'd be afraid to tell anyone, that to find two people who found that they could share everything together seems impossible. If such a couple exist, I wonder if they know their own power?"

"Power?"

"They could take over the world Rei. Only two others with that complete amount of trust could stop them. Think about it. Two people standing up against an entire world, but the world is full of nothing but individuals. They could take them all down, because they have twice the manpower anyody else has."

"So to you, in your world, the only real love, is that of a small child and his parents. The child who has no secrets to hide. Or the pet who completely trusts his master."

"Mm hmm. There are those who come close though. There are people who know almost every secret about each other. The more secrets shared the more love that's produced. Yet if they do not know everything, than full and complete love, true love, is not achieved."

"But there are many people who trust each other completely here. All of us scouts. We tell each other anything."

"It's something I can truly envy. The sharing of secrets brings us all closer. You girls share the secret of the scouts, it's a big secret, and so there's a lot of trust, and so a lot of love."

Rei got up and yawned, the clock was flashing 2:00am. "I can't believe its so late." One last time she threw the chip bag in the air. "You know Dimmer. If you know our secret about the scouts, and were not afraid of you knowing, that would mean you're part of that trust. See you in the morning" She waved and left.

The chip bag landed on Dimmer's forehead and bouced off. He was too stunned from Rei's parting words to notice.

Outside the wind blew against the window. If it could the wind would have smiled. It was there to watch everything. The bond was formed, and in time would only grow stronger.It was an unbreakable bond that lead him and Sundown back to this dimension. It would be that bond that would be Sundown's downfall. He would have to report back to the council about it tonight, they'd want to know the progress right a way. And his long, green haired contact was always just a little picky about punctuaility. "You'd think the fact she controlled time, would allow a little slack but noooo…"

The dagger sat up against the wall. Soon now, the crystals were almost all collected, if Dimmer continued to speed up the storyline, the bond of both Rei and him would grow stronger, and he more powerful. Exactly what Sundown planned. "I learned from my last mistake. I won't leave so easily this time. I'll break fate itself if it tries to interfere with me and Rei again! I swear it!"

Serena's voice again is heard along with flashbacks of the show.

"So Darien is Tuxedo Mask?! Wow! And is something up with Dimmer and Rei?"

"You know the world can be a dangerous place, and sometimes people can really be mean, but that doesn't mean that everyone is! It's hard after people hurt you, but it's important to keep believing that there is good in people. Sailor Moon says!" She giggled.

"Sailor Moon cannot be aired on national television!" The editors all screamed. "There's no telling what way this show could go! It's rating has already gone to 13 and up from the swearing and violence! What if things get even heavier?! The last thing we need are these young men and women in underage sex! They're all role models to millions of children!"

"But the ratings have shot up! And the profit is amazing! We don't even have to pay for new episodes. We have all the action figures selling at 5x the making price! Can we afford to give up this gem?!"

DiC's manager watched the board lock horns. Fan letters were pouring in. There might be riots of young men and women if they shut down the show now. Especially if their fan mail had any indications on the matter. They were in the process of being sued for copy rights, and they were making enough money to pay for it all only because of this show. If things kept going as it was they'd all be either rich by keeping the show, or in the poorhouse by letting it go. Most potential law suits settled for a large cut in the profits, and there was plenty to go around. But there was another matter to this. An actual human had been caught in the cartoons. They couldn't shut down the show at possible risk to life. Unless someone really found out what was going on, there was nothing any one could do, but maybe put it at a later time slot. That was fine with him. More than likely, it would be watched just as much. He just hoped his company wouldn't end up being the one to pay for all this.

Endnotes: Hi again! I'm updating once more. No, no internet yet, but soon. For some good news though, I'm getting close to the end of this fic. If not that, than at least the climax, but that's because I've just finished writing chapter 23. You guys are only reading this chap 17. That's how I can update once a week :p

Can't wait until next week? Review and leave a way for me to contact ya.

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