I Do Not Own Sailor Moon.

The Search.

'Where could she be?' slumped in his chair Darien took another sip of brandy. 'She got away, but how? There has to be some clue, somewhere,' but he couldn't think of any leads of traces. She had disappeared off the face of the earth. "Damn!" the glass shattered against the wall adjacent to him. He would not rest until she was back where she belonged. In his arms. But it had been a week and still no hidden clues popped up. He had spent all his time, searching for her.

His phone rang. "What?" he snarled down the receiver.

"Hey what's got you? I only rang because we haven't seen you around lately. What's up Dare?" Mike's voice drifted down the phone.

"Nothing." He said irritably, but then he have a thought. "Mike do you remember back to your party, there was a girl I was dancing with, who was she?" It was a long shot Mike hardly remembered the women he slept with, let alone those he invited to a party.

"What that hot chick you were with? I thought youwould know that sort of info since you were all over her last week."

Darien's blood boiled but he managed to keep an even voice. "So you don't know her,"

"No, but that chick Drew was with last night might,"

Darien's heart skipped a beat. Of course the girl She ran to before leaving. What was her name again? Mina, he had seen her at some other parties but never really taken an interest. Now all he had to do was talk to Drew, find out about this girl Mina, find her and get her to tell him all he needed to know. Then She would be his. He hated calling her She or the moon princess or Her; it made it less real like a fairytale, something that could not be reached. That seemed the cruellest of her secrets, even if she had given him a feigned name it would give him something to call out in his dreams of her. And there were many. All night long and in all her name and half of her face was hidden. But not for long. He got up, striding towards the hall. "Wilkins! Prepare a car for me,"

"Right away sir,"

Serena turned the page in her book as the door bell rang. Memorising the page number she rose from her chair and opened the door. "Why didn't you use your key?"

"'Hi Mina, how was your day?' Why splendid, Serena thank you for asking,"

Serena laughed softly as she let her best friend in.

"Today was so exhausting! I went to the lecture hall, then to study group, then to the gym, then to…"

Serena let her continue, after what seemed like a full five minutes Mina concluded: "…so I'm going in for a long hot bath and I don't want to be disturbed," "Of course," giggling, Serena turned back to her work.

The door bell rang; Serena got up again and opened the door. Her heart stopped. He had found her. 'But how?'

"I've come to see Mina, is she here?"

Mina? Serena frowned. Didn't he know who she was? She mentally looked at herself, her hair in its usual bun and she wore an old sweater and old jeans, she was a far cry from the curly haired, Princess who had gone to that masquerade ball a week ago Maybe he thought she was Mina. Her heart clenched, the pain ripped through her body. What did she expect?

"Err… is she here?"

Serena snapped back to attention. "Yeah come in," Serena knocked on the bathroom door.

"I will not be disturbed,"

"There's someone here to see you,"

"What kind of someone," Mina asked.

"A guy someone,"

There was a pause, "I'll be right out,"

Serena smiled. Mina had gone on and on about this new Andrew person, she probably thought it was him in the front room waiting for her now. Serena thought of the person who was really there and her heart squeezed. She made her way to the front room. "She'll be right out,"

"Thanks," Darien was excited he was a step closer to finding his moon princess. Andrew had been suspicious at first but had soon relented and told him everything he needed to know. He had come to this address straight not wanting to waste any time. He was surprised to see a totally different girl answer the door. He thought at first Andrew had given him a false address but he had inquired about Mina and here he was sitting in the front room of the last step to Her. But that girl did seem familiar. He never forgot a face, but he couldn't place her one anywhere. "Err… have we met?" He saw the poorly concealed pain flashing in her eyes, and he knew. She was the one Mike and the guys like to mess around with before Study group. She probably thought him an ass to ask such an insensitive question, but he didn't have it in him to feel guilty, he was too excited. "Don't worry,"

"I'll see what's keeping her," Serena scuttled along the hall tears threatening to fall. He really didn't know her not even as Serena Temple, she was no one to him. She went to her room and quietly closed the door finally letting the silent tears to fall.

"Hello?" Mina had just entered the front room and found that it wasn't Andrew but someone else, equally handsome true, but someone different all the same. "What is it that you wanted to see me about?"

Darien smiled, "I came to ask you about the girl you came with to the masquerade ball, who was she?" She looked at him as if he had just sprouted horns, and maybe a tail.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Mina didn't understand. He had just spoken to Serena and now he was asking for again. "You're looking for the girl I came to the masquerade ball with? I only came with one,"

Darien's hope plummeted. "I know," he said slowly, "Who was she?"

"I'll be right back," she turned and shouted, "Serena!" after a bit of time she shouted again this time with a bit more volume, "Serena!"

Serena quickly dried her tears and came out of her room. What did Mina want? "What?"

"This person wants to know who I went with to the party last week,"

Serena stopped breathing.

"And I want to know what the hell is going on. All you said was that you meet an oldrival and they said something and you ran off, and all week when I try to talk to you about it you go all Miss Secrecy about it. Now this person comes here asking me for you after just speaking to you and I'm left here wondering if everyone has gone mad!"

"You? You!" Darien stared at the badly dressed girl with large glasses. She gave one frightened glance at him and dash out of the door.

"Serena! Where are you going," Mina shouted after her. "Who are you?" turning accusing eyes on Darien.

Darien was still shocked. "That was the moon princess?"

Mina didn't like the way he said it he made it sound like Serena was some kind of disease that couldn't ever possibly be worthy of someone like him. "What exactly is that suppose to mean?"

But Darien wasn't listening; he had already started running after Serena. He caught her on the staircase and pushed her up against the wall. "Who are you?" He whispered.

Serena squeezed her eyes shut, as tears slid down her face. "I'm no one,"

"No! Who are you? Tell me!" Darien's voice echoed down the stairs.

"If you don't know now you never will." Serena twisted trying to get out if his grip.

"It was you at the party last week, wasn't it? You're the moon princess,"

"No! Let go!"

"No! Not until you tell me,"

"Fine. Yes. Yes it was me, me Serena Temple, the invisible nobody you and your friends love to push around, me who…" Serena broke down in the middle of her violent tirade.

Darien pulled her into his arms, savouring the heat, the feel, the essence of her. "Shh, it's ok," It broke his heart to hear cries, and it shattered the remains to know that he was the cause of her pain.

"No it's not. Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"I can't," he said simply.

"You could before,"

"I was a fool, I judged you on your appearance and I nearly let you get away," Darien tighten his hold, "but I won't let that happen again,"

Serena stiffened "That's not your decision to make," Serena disentangled herself out of his arms. "You think after what all you've done to me, you could undo the pain with a smile and a few well practised words?"

Darien's head bent as he gently brushed his lips with hers. "And kisses," he whispered suggestively.

Serena was furious at him, his arrogance but especially at her reaction to the simple kiss. She hated herself for it, and she hated him for making her hate herself. "You're an ass! Last week was fun but it's over. Just leave me alone," Serena ran past him.

He let her go.

'You're wrong, it's not over and I will never leave you alone.'

Hoped you liked this instalment. R&R!