Shorts

3. Preserving Beauty

By Fedski

Serena stared up at the bright full moon hovering above the lake. It was her favourite thing to do, one of the only things that calmed her down, made her slow her pace and rest. She felt a presence beside her and turned to find none other than Darien Chiba by her side. She gave him a confused look as if asking him why he was here.

"Hey meatball head." He said looking down at her. He was a bit ruffled when she only smiled in response and returned her gaze to the floating celestial being.

Why isn't she responding?

Pondering this he started to observe the small blonde. It was amazing how breathtakingly beautiful she was. Many times he had stumbled through their daily arguments loosing track as he thought of how gorgeous she looked and tonight she was dazzling. The moonlight did its job well, making her seem all the more heavenly than he had already thought she was. Her soft alabaster skin seemed to glow in its light; her hair seemed to shine silver while the wind slowly blew making it dance fleetingly. Her eyes shimmered in its glow, sparkling like bright sapphires.

Nothing or no one could ever look more beautiful than that. Darien decided.

Finally realizing how awkward his silence must be he forced himself to speak. "So Meatball Head what'cha doing?" He teased, hoping to get a rise out of her. She simply gave him a brief glance and smile and replied.

"Moon watching." Darien had to smile. It definitely sounded like a Serena thing to do.

"Why Meatball Head I didn't know you were interested in the moon. Since when have you had this fascination?"

She took her gaze off the floating orb and Darien almost melted when she turned her huge blue eyes onto him. "Oh, since I was a kid, but I guess you could say the interest has peaked again since a few months ago."

Darien smiled, "Would this have anything to do with a super cool new heroine who may be pertaining to the moon by any chance?" He asked grinning cheekily. He nearly burst with happiness when a grin broke out on her face too.

"I guess you could say that." She paused, looking up again at the moon as if trying to discern something. "Hey Darien…" She asked and he had to control himself not to beg her to say his name again. It was pure bliss.

"Yeah Serena?" He managed to choke out hoping he didn't sound too rushed. He glanced at her and saw the pensive expression she wore.

"Do you think Sailor Moon is from the moon?" She turned to look at him, "Do you think she used to live on it?" She caught his face go from interested to rational within a second.

"No, it's impossible." He stated, clearly brooking no further questions of the thought. She looked at him and arched an eyebrow, stealing his own signature move clearly asking him to elaborate on his theory. "Serena," He began. "Firstly there is no water on the moon which is the first and foremost requirement for the life. Secondly there is no oxygen on the moon so how could she survive there? Moreover the temperature on the moon is not suitable for the life to exist." He looked down at her to see her not at all perturbed by his explanation however clearly understanding him. "The angle at which the moon is tilted; its speed of revolution around the sun; speed of its rotation around its own axis; and distance from the sun all prevent it from being an inhabitable area. Serena, the moon is a desolate piece of rock. Nothing could ever survive on it."

"I think that she could have lived there. I mean why else would she be Sailor MOON? Besides look at it. It certainly looks like a place that's weird enough for her to be from, it certainly looks beautiful."

"It's just a floating mass of rock." He stated.

"And so is the earth, but don't you see its beauty?" The question floored him. In all actuality he had never really considered the beauty around him. The earth was just the place he lived this shell of a life that he had. He had always been too absorbed in his own pain to really care about the planet that provided him with a home, with the ability to breathe and live.

Serena studied his face and saw the look of guilt, she automatically knew that he never had thought about the earth that way before and realized that he probably had very few good memories in it.

"I sometimes feel like I could have been from the moon." She said wistfully. "I've had dreams…" She trailed off and Darien looked at her only to see her eyes closed in bliss as she remembered her dream.

"Dreams huh? I've had my share of those too." He smiled as she opened her eyes and for a moment, a fleeting second, Darien swore she looked just like his dream princess did. The same soft eyes looking at him gently, the same rosy cheeks the same pink lips pulled into a small smile reserved only for him. She was gorgeous. He could no longer deny how absolutely breathtaking Serena looked, everything about her seemed to hold light and shine. Taken completely aback by his discovery he simply stared at her. It couldn't be possible. That Serena Tsukino would be the amazingly beautiful girl of his dreams. Life wasn't that perfect. But then again she was so mysterious right now, what did he really know about her? He set to work thinking over every encounter he had with her to find something, anything that could serve as a clue as to why she was so perfect right now.

Watching Darien lost in his own thoughts Serena studied the ebony haired youth before her. She could tell from his face that he was having an inner debate, about what she wasn't sure though. However the one thing that did stand out was the fact that he seemed to be trying to find all the answers. Feeling like it was time to interrupt him before he caused himself a migraine Serena sighed. "You know Darien." She started, immediately his eyes snapped to her. She smiled at him and turned her head to the floating orb above them. "Sometimes, the beauty of an object is the mysteries you don't know."

He took in her calm and regal appearance and decided upon one fact, moonlight made Odango a princess. He grinned crookedly and brushed his cheek against hers exhilarated by the soft gasp that escaped her lips. "You know, Odango? I think you're right." He whispered as his lips met hers in a soft kiss of peaceful bliss.

A BIG thank you to SelenityHyperion and Unknown For Some Reason your reveiws are muchly appreciated! Here is another chapter for the both of you! 3