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

Title: The Decline
Darien x Serena
Rating: T
Romance/Drama/Angst
Summary: Serena is tired and realizes what she has to do to finally be at peace, but what happens when a certain masked man finds her?


Serena walked down the sidewalk early one evening, just another person among the river of humanity. She had gone home after school and stayed for almost an hour, but decided she needed to get out even though she was tired.

She had been tired a lot lately.

She had been feeling that way for weeks now, but the last few days had come with a sharp increase of exhaustion.

Normally she would wonder why, but it had started at the same time she began to feel unhappy. That in turn had been gradually increasing as the weeks passed.

One would think she had nothing to be unhappy about. She had a happy family. Her parents loved her and her little brother was an irritant but they still loved each other. She had friends, and school was the usual. On top of that she was a sailor scout, and was able to help people.

However, all was not as it seemed.

She had grown distant from the friends she had had for years, and all because she had become a sailor scout. She barely talked to her best friend Molly anymore and the others she didn't talk to at all.

She'd become friends with Amy, Raye, and Lita as a result of them being scouts as well. Of course, it had started off as the beginnings of friendship before they were discovered to be scouts, but that seemed to have gone downhill not long after Raye was discovered to be Sailor Mars.

Suddenly she was being childish, irresponsible, and lazy. She wasn't being studious enough, wasn't doing her homework fast enough for them, and wasn't studying hard enough. She ate too much, slept too much, and was always clumsy and klutzy which was apparently embarrassing to them.

And that was just her as a normal fourteen year old girl. As a scout she was bombarded with a whole new slew of complaints.

She wasn't getting to fights quick enough, she wasn't fighting hard enough, she was too trusting of Tuxedo Mask, and she was more of a mascot than a sailor scout.

At first she hadn't known why they were all complaining, she was who she was and she wasn't as bad as their complaints made her seem, but then going back and trying to find the source, the start, she found that it had been Raye meeting Darien. Not just meeting him, but deciding that she liked him.

It was as if she watched his teasing behavior, and decided to join in as a way to impress him and gain his attention.

The only problem was Raye didn't seem to realize it was teasing behavior, that it was the way she and Darien acted toward each other, and she was adding to it becoming more and more aggressive about it.

On top of that she was lying to Luna when she reported about what happened during fights with monsters, trying to make herself look better and get Serena seen in a worse light while she was at it. So now Luna never seemed to believe anything she said; attributing it to her irresponsibility and wanting to get Raye in trouble.

Amy and Lita had long since started to join in and add their own complaints to whatever Raye came up with. Never mind that she was the same way when all three of them met her, and they had been just fine when she was going out of her way to be friendly to them when no one else would.

And Luna... She thought quietly as she walked.

The feline was also part of the problem, and what made it worse with her was the fact that Luna lived with her. She had to hear her complaints nearly nonstop. That she needed to stop sleeping so much, to stop eating so much, to study more and bring her grades up. They couldn't have her embarrassing the princess when she was found.

It made her irritated, constantly irritated, and she had long ago reach the end of her endurance.

Luna seemed to think she was always that way, even from before she came along, and she couldn't understand how she could make such assumptions. She had watched her all of a day before telling her she was Sailor Moon.

Not even a whole day. She thought bitterly.

Serena had done better reconnaissance on a guy she simply had a crush on! Learning more about him than Luna had taken the time to learn about her.

Luna and the girls were all so caught up in expressing their complaints and disappointment with her that they didn't notice the truth. The very serious and dangerous truth going on with her.

That she hid behind a bright smile, hid behind eating, hid in sleep. They didn't bother looking beneath the surface and seeing how unhappy she had become.

They didn't care.

It had gotten to the point that she had even tried to get Luna to go live with one of the other girls, so she could have some peace and space to try and maybe heal herself, but Luna refused to leave. Every time she subtly tried Luna would say she needed her with her most because she needed her guidance the most.

Her guidance is part of what's wrong with me. In fact it's only made me worse. She thought sadly.

Luna, Amy, Lita, Raye; all of them. Constantly berating her, tearing at her mind little by little, so much so that their words and their looks had eaten away, eroded her confidence and self-esteem.

To the point that I am just tired, so very tired of it all. She thought with a weary sigh as she weaved around a couple.

She knew such a feeling was dangerous, especially in her role as Sailor Moon, but she didn't care. She had grown too tired to care. Fighting against monsters didn't inspire anything in her anymore. No fear, no indignation, no exhilaration. Nothing. She just went through the motions.

That's all she was now. Someone who went through the motions of life. Someone who thought everyone would be better off without her. Someone who felt she didn't belong anymore. Someone who didn't want to be here anymore.

Serena blinked at the view in front of her as her mind blanked of all thought except one.

I don't want to be here anymore.

It had come down to that simple undeniable fact. Her mind had been skirting around it for days, but now it was there. She had finally admitted it, and it was relieving.

Now what to do about it? She thought as she walked. She didn't want to be here anymore, so what could she do to end it all?

It had to be something quick because she wasn't big on pain, and didn't want it to be some long drawn out affair.

Looking around herself for some inspiration all she could see was people and buildings. Then she blinked as she saw some window washers on a scaffold. She paused in the middle of the sidewalk and stared up at them.

She could imagine herself up there, looking over the railing at the ground below, and simply letting herself fall. Plummeting through the air and to the ground before all went dark. Maybe there would be a brief flare of pain before the darkness, but the important part was the darkness and the peace she was positive would come with it.

Serena perked up, suddenly full of energy, and began walking again. She knew what she was going to do, but the buildings around her were not right. They weren't high enough for the result she wanted and were too public on top of that. She certainly didn't want to hear people screaming on her way down, interrupting her journey to peace.

She knew just the place to go. She had been there once before, years ago, but it was a long ways off, so she knew she would have to transform and run the distance.

It would be her last time as Sailor Moon, and the first time in months that she was glad to transform again.

~d~

Sailor Moon ran like the wind, her twin streams of hair waving out behind her, as she grew closer and closer to where she wanted to be. She ran for what felt like hours and hours, but was really likely no more than half an hour; probably less when her destination came into sight.

It was a large forested park overlooking the ocean. It was a quiet peaceful place, and had a path with a dark bar railing separating the path from the cliff leading to the ocean.

She ran along that path, the ocean to her left and the forest to her right. It had gotten dark out during her run, which she was glad for since it meant there was less chance of her being seen by anybody that was out enjoying the peace of the area.

As she slowed her run she found that she was still full of energy, but didn't think that would change anytime soon. She was not happy despite her energy boost, but she was content with her decision and could not wait to start her journey.

She stopped when she felt she was far enough along the path, which meant she would be high enough, and silently released her transformation. Pink light flared around her, briefly lighting up the immediate area, before it cleared leaving her in her school uniform.

Serena sighed and stepped toward the railing that reached up just to her waist. She put her foot on the first bar and used it to climb up and over the second bar that made up the top of the fence before she was back on the ground. She leaned back against it as she stared out into the dark ocean waters only visible by the slight light of the moon.

This is it; the solution to everything. She thought quietly. Once I'm gone everyone will be better off. My parents won't have to be disappointed in me, my brother won't have to be ashamed of me, Luna and the girls can pick someone to replace me and not have to deal with all the complaints they have about me.

Tuxedo Mask won't have to waste his time saving me, and I...I will finally be at peace. She thought as she wrapped her arms around her waist in a self-hug as she closed her eyes.

Serena calmly breathed in the cool fresh air for a few long moments before she opened her eyes.

It's time. She told herself softly before she relaxed her arms to her sides and stepped forward away from the railing. There was only two feet, three at the most, that separated her from the edge of the cliff.

Just as she was reaching the edge and pressing the toes of her right foot down to push off she felt firm arms suddenly wrap around her arms and waist.

=D=

Darien sat on his couch in his apartment lost in thought even as the TV played in the background.

He found himself in the unexpected position of being worried about two girls, young women really, and unsure how to go about helping them. His friend/nemesis Serena, and the warrior he aided and protected Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon he saw somewhat on the regular because of the monster attacks the Negaverse kept orchestrating, but he had noticed over the passing weeks that something was different about her; and not in a good way.

Her movements were sluggish, causing her to be slow to attack, she was quieter when she used to be verbal in expressing her emotions and feelings, and seemed to have an air of disregard around her that was more pronounced each time he saw her.

It worried him because that disregard translated into carelessness. She didn't seem to care when attacks came her way or when her fellow scouts complained about her sluggishness; although they called it clumsiness. It was as if they had no idea something was wrong with her.

Maybe they don't. He considered. After all, he was there more than they thought he was, and all they seemed to do as time passed was complain about her behavior and lack of skills during monster attacks.

And the more they complained the less she seemed to care. He thought with a sigh. And Serena...

He rarely saw her anymore when he used to see her daily.

He'd even gotten to the point where he was seriously contemplating asking her friends if they had seen her and where she was, but Raye was always with them when he saw them and he usually got out of dodge as quickly as possible to stay away from her.

Darien fully admitted that he'd made a mistake going on those dates with her. He'd hoped rather foolishly that she would see that they had nothing in common, and save him the trouble of rejecting her outright.

He had wanted to avoid having Serena screaming at him that he had hurt her friend, but it had the unfortunate side effect of building up the dark haired girls feelings instead.

Never again. Never going on another date with her, and never using that idea again. He thought before moving back on topic.

When he did happen to see Serena she looked tired, down, and didn't have much to say. In fact, she was very quiet when she decided to speak when before she used to yell at him. She just seemed too lacking in energy to put in the effort aside from summoning up a small smile.

The last time he saw her he was going to ask what was wrong with her, but her friends had come along and practically swept her away before he could get more than one word out.

All the while complaining about her lack of study ethics. He thought as he shook his head slightly. Hmm...her friends are just like the scouts are with Sailor...

Darien's thoughts paused abruptly as a mild ache rippled through his head, and he immediately sat up since he knew what that meant. Sailor Moon needed him.

He stood up and transformed in the time it took him to walk from his couch to the glass door to his balcony.

He slid the door open and closed it as he stepped out before he leapt from his balcony to another, and continued on to another as he began to make his way in the direction he sensed the heroine in.

~d~

Tuxedo Mask frowned as he began to wonder if there was even a fight to go to. He had been running longer than usual as he followed his senses toward Sailor Moon. She had clearly headed away from the city and toward the thick forest he was only now reaching.

Why? He couldn't help wondering.

He wasn't hearing any sounds of a monster attack. In fact, he wasn't hearing any sounds beyond that of the natural sounds within a wooded area.

But this is where she is. He thought, so he continued on; having no intention of stopping. In fact, he picked up his speed to try and catch up to her.

A few minutes passed as he dashed through the trees and leapt over bushes, completely ignoring the path he could just see through the trees to his left, before he finally spotted the familiar figure of Sailor Moon.

She was just slowing her run along the path, her short blue skirt swaying around her upper thighs and her long hair sway and brushing the back of her legs. He stopped when she stopped and he quietly walked forward until he was directly behind her although still back within the trees and out of sight.

To Tuxedo Mask's surprise she suddenly began to glow with a pink light that spread a little around the area she stood in, obscuring his vision of her, and when it faded his eyes widened to see the familiar figure of Serena.

She was dressed in her school uniform, her hair the exact same style she had worn it in since he had known her, which was in the exact same style as Sailor Moon's.

He could hardly believe it; likely wouldn't have believed it had he not seen it with his own eyes. Serena was Sailor Moon; Sailor Moon was Serena. He couldn't understand how he hadn't known already with them both having the exact same unique hair style.

But then again I should expect not to have known since no one seems to be able to tell that I'm Tuxedo Mask when I think they should. He thought. After all, as far as he was concerned he didn't really think his outfit made him look all that different.

With this revelation it now made sense why both Serena and Sailor Moon were causing him to be worried and concerned about them; they were the same young woman, but now he wondered exactly what the issue was.

What was causing her to behave the way she was? What had happened to her? And why was she here outside the city on a path overlooking the ocean and releasing what had obviously been her transformation?

I can at least answer part of that last question. He told himself as he watched her. She has no idea I'm here. As far as she's concerned she's alone, so no one would see her. Either that or she doesn't care if she's seen.

Tuxedo Mask frowned as that thought caused him to worry about where her mind could be if that was indeed why she had released her transformation.

As he watched Serena he saw her move over and away from the railing then begin the few small steps toward the cliff. In those moments something inside him went completely still, nearly stealing his breath in the process, as he realized all at once what she was about to do.

He rushed forward swerving around trees before he reached the path and crossed it. He placed his hands on the cool railing and leapt over it and landed silently on the dirt behind Serena.

He moved forward and then paused and hooked a foot onto the bottom bar of the railing before he quickly wrapped his arms around her, trapping her arms to prevent her from being able to break free from him.


He pulled her back against his chest as she cried out in surprise and literally swept her off her feet, something he was used to doing, as he got both his feet firmly on the ground before jumping over the railing and leaping across the path.

He put his back to a thick tree as he released her legs and rewrapped his arms around her, once again trapping her arms, before she started struggling wildly.

"Let me go!" Serena yelled as she kicked her legs and tried to twist out of the strong grip of who she had realized was Tuxedo Mask.

She had never wanted to be out of his arms during the times she found herself in them, but this time was different. This time he was saving her when she didn't wanted to be saved.

Darien had no problem holding onto Serena through her struggles since he knew what would happen if she got loose, but his frown came back full force as his concern increased.

What was going on in her life? Why would she try to end her life? What was so bad that she would choose to leave it all behind?

"Let me go! Please, please let go; let go of me!" Serena begged as she pushed her feet off the ground in an attempt to jump and get herself loose. She didn't understand why he wouldn't release her, why he was holding her so tightly.

"I can't." Darien replied quietly. "I've been protecting you from harm for months and I am not going to stop now. I will continue to protect you even from yourself."

"No, no!" Serena almost screamed in response. "Let go, let go! Please, please Tuxedo Mask; let me go!"

Darien shook his head and shifted his feet and carefully slid them down, making sure to keep his grip on her as he eased them down until they were seated on the ground.

Even with his tight grip she was still managing to twist in his grip so he moved his legs until she sat between them and then tightened his legs against her sides. His actions stopped her mid twist so she was almost sitting sideways, and he could see her face clearly now.

"Please, please let me go." Serena begged sadly, tears streaming from her eyes. "I just want peace."

Darien held her tight and his heart clenched as he watched the young woman in his arms cry gut-wrenching tears.

He had seen her cry before, but those times were loud and dramatic. They weren't fake but they were usually displays of frustration, anger, or physical pain. This time she was silent and her tears displayed an emotional pain that looked like it was soul deep.

Again he wondered why she was feeling this way. What happened to cause her to want a peace that was permanent, and would take her away from life?

As he watched her sadly a light began to spark on her forehead, and he frowned in confusion and concern before it grew brighter and developed into a golden crescent moon. He held in a gasp as his eyes widened, but before he could react in any way, before his mind could even come up with words for what he was seeing, he felt light headed.

Darien was grateful he was already seated, but the thought disappeared as images began to appear in his mind. They were flashing, yet fully recognizable, of people, places, buildings, and nature locations.

He closed his eyes and they began to come faster and faster, and were soon joined by words, thoughts, and emotions.

A peaceful fragrant garden, laughter, a beautiful white and gold palace, awe, dark blue bedding surrounded in white walls, marble, and dark wood, passion, a white full moon in a late dark sky, beauty, silver armor, happiness, four guardian men, friends, parents, family, love, a young woman in white, devotion, a white marble balcony, pain.

He came to understand in these passing moments, that felt almost eternal, that he was Prince Endymion, heir to the throne of the Earth, and in his arms was his princess, Serenity, heiress to the throne of the Moon.

Darien opened his eyes and looked at the young woman in his hold in relief yet also in sorrow; even with the rush of memories and emotions he had kept a firm hold on her to keep her from attempting to break away and throw herself off the cliff, but now he tightened his hold on her further.

This was his love, the woman he had died for, and it was just as clear she had no idea who she truly was despite the appearance of her royal insignia. Had not even noticed its appearance in her distress.

Now here she was in his arms and in a great deal of pain, and he didn't understand why.

One thing was for certain though; he would heal her no matter what had caused her pain, because he was not about to lose her and live this life without her. Especially without her being aware of who she really was to him.