Sailor Moon 1. The Prologue: Homecoming

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**The Prologue: Homecoming**

"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:  
Its loveliness increases; it will never  
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep  
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep  
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing."

**- from Endymion by John Keats**

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Endymion had always been a light sleeper, accustomed to waking up every morning from the languid rousing movement of his wife, rather than on his own accord. Sometimes, it would be the light breathing of Serenity that would draw him from sleep or the rustle of her hair as she instinctively drew herself closer to him. Other times, he was woken up by the feeling of her lips on his skin and the beautiful sound of her calling him from his sleep. Her soft voice would call him from his dreams, the sweetest whisper of a sunrise peaking through the curtains of their window. But more often than not, he was awoken by the tiny footsteps of his early-rising daughter as she padded into their room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she crawled into the gap on the bed between her parents, right where she belonged.

And for almost a millennium he had enjoyed these quiet moments of peace. Of Serenity. Those moments between sleep and consciousness, of seeing his queen's eyes flutter open from sleep, or watching his daughter snuggle under the covers next to her mother for her warmth and affection. Those were the moments he regarded with a tender reminiscence, those brief moments before he had to attend to the tedious, daunting, and often insipid tasks that lay before him; the tasks that were required of him as King of Earth.

And so it was to his great puzzlement that he found himself awoken not by these things, in the gentle, safe environment his family had created, but to the sinking absence of movement. Not comprehending the still quiet of the cold atmosphere surrounding him, he roused from a dream he could not remember but which left a bad taste in his mouth. And, as his thoughts collected together, he sensed with keen awareness that something was very, very wrong. More than a few things, in fact.

"Serenity?" his voice choked out her name with wavering uncertainty. And the name echoed back coldly. He wondered if he was dead, because he was not with her.

He could not feel Serenity's presence beside him, and that fixed truth stood out more than anything else. He could hardly feel her at all, he realized, and a gripping dread set itself into him. From her side of their soul he could feel no emotions, nor could he trace her location. Once again, he wondered dejectedly if he had died. He could always strongly feel her presence, even if she were far away. They were connected, like an iron rope knotted their hearts together. When she entered a room, he knew, and when she was not at his side, he could still feel her energy drawing him to her like a magnet. Like she had a spell over him. Like they were two halves of a whole. Like his very soul was entwined with hers. And he could forever feel the tugging of her heart in his, feel her pulse in his own veins, and the vast absence of this sensation struck him hard. The weakness of this bond, the large distance he could feel was between him and her, sparked a fear he hadn't known in many, many years.

He jolted up, his eyes shooting open. Midnight blue orbs took in not pale sunlight flitting through white curtains or the gossamer cloth draped around his bed, but with the image of a plain room that housed no gentle memories. He inhaled the image of the quiet room he was in, his eyes not focusing clearly from the effects of the distressing tempest raging inside him. But there was a quality of familiarity in the room, he processed hazily.

The room was white. The furniture was unadorned. A frame or two sat upon the desk and a small vase of roses lightly perfumed the space. The room was horrifyingly clean, the exact way he liked his things. No satin fabrics, lace, worn stuffed animals, or crumbled dresses were carelessly tossed on the floor as remnants of an endless battle between spotlessness and untidiness. Small perfume bottles on a feminine vanity, photos of friends and family, and pink diamond crowns were missing. Her physical touch on the room was missing. She was missing. Everything that was hers was missing. Except him.

She was nowhere to be found. He was in a hauntingly familiar place he could not quite place and she was missing.

And with stunned horror, he realized he felt something inside him shift. His soul, so tightly bound to his absent wife's, hummed and searched for any lingering trace of her. And suddenly, he found himself tugged in a different direction, like his internal compass was adjusting itself to locate a new north. This new attraction suddenly pulled at him with great force and great urgency as the tight bond he knew seemed to stretch too tight, too thin. His Serenity was not at all in his eyesight, was too unimaginably far away, and he could sense the dark void filling in the distance. His heart seemed to pull now to this new direction and he barely heard the voice in his head telling him softly,all is not lost. And, despite all his panic, his mind told him with feigned certainty that Serenity was fine, just fine, and that he was only dreadfully, awfully far away. Because, he reasoned, this new presence he felt was very familiar. Very. Like an old memory he had nearly forgotten, coming back to the surface.

He was disoriented, baffled, stuttering before his brain fully processed what his heart had already told him – he was not in his own bed.

He was not in Crystal Tokyo.

He was not even, astoundingly, in his own time period.

But if he was not in his bed, or Crystal Tokyo, or, even, the thirtieth century –then where was he? He distinctly remembered falling asleep wrapped up in his queen's blonde curls, his fingers weaving through her tresses. So how had he ended up where he was? In a bed he had long since traded in, in an apartment he had abandoned for a castle.

He had only felt this startled, this disillusioned, once before in his life.

And then he knew. He knew exactly where he was.

He was, undoubtedly, in the apartment of Darien Shields. In twentieth century Tokyo, of course. He knew this for a fact. He was not marred by disbelief simply because he had been in this situation before. Because long ago, he had went to bed a forgotten prince and woken up to be greeted by a long-reigning queen. Long ago, he had went to bed as Darien Shields and woken up in the bed of his future self, next to his vibrant goddess. He had been astounded by the brilliantly pristine world he found himself in, was captivated by his Serena's future self. He had panicked, because it went against all reason for him to have somehow magically transported to the future without him realizing it. Like he had dreamed away a thousand years in one night.

Pluto, in all her wisdom, had never been able to explain the oddity in the timeline which had temporarily switched the lives of one soul. And she had been in a rage when she had learned of it, in a slip of tongue months after the fact, and had only one theory as to the origins of the mistake. Perhaps there had been a rift in time. A whim of destiny. An peculiar tangent. A quirk in the stream of the timeline.

The King remembered the incident with as much hilarity as his frenzied state would allow. He – Darien, that is – had woken up to the feeling of someone beside him, a radiant warmth that seemed to spread over him as he had sleepily opened his eyes to a beautiful goddess smiling beside him. He had been startled by the image. Too startled at seeing his little bunny lying beside him, her golden tresses of hair free of their unique hairstyle and fanned out all around him and her. Although he had clearly noted the maturity of her and noticed the striking differences between this woman and his girlfriend, he couldn't help but feel the same soothed countenance Serena always filled him with. And she had taken his breath away. It had taken him a long time to comprehend what had happened, and Neo-Queen Serenity had been alight with explanations and cheerful amusement once he had realized exactly what was going on.

And so his younger self had spent one day in the shoes of the man he would become, been subject for the first time to this new form of his Serena and the breathtaking world she had created. His past self had been bewitched by the image of Neo-Queen Serenity, and she had calmed his terror and replaced it with a fascinated bewilderment. The day he had spent with her had been the most mystifying, overwhelming twenty-four hours of his life. They would awaken him up to the truth of the future that destiny had in store for him and in his heart had begun the process of what would change him from Darien Shields to King Endymion. And when he had found himself back in his own time, back in his little apartment in the twentieth century, he was a changed man. He had grown and he had taken his first steps down the path that would lead him to that dazzling future he had seen firsthand, the future that he and his Serena would shape together.

He had always appreciated his experience in the thirtieth century. However, he had never actually taken much thought as to what had happened to King Endymion while Darien explored Crystal Tokyo. Serenity had been no help the times he had begun to ponder this little detail and had insisted on not telling him what little Serena Tsukino had witnessed of her future husband back all those centuries before. Why had he never considered, never given a thought, that he would undoubtedly and unquestionably spend a day in the past? Why had he never wondered when it would be that by some quirk, he would end up in the Tokyo he had experienced as a young man? Why had he never given even a minute of thought in the eight-hundred or so years of his current existence about what King Endymion had done for those twenty-four hours? It baffled him how could have been so naïve.

While Endymion now stared at the empty room he had spent countless hours in for several crucial years of his life, the logical side of him wondered what in the world he was to do. His heart, which so often seemed to leak its voice into his thoughts, was beating fast. He revolved solely around Serenity, his every action for her, caused by her, the effect of her. Without her there to guide his orbit, he felt at loss of what to do or feel or think or say. The uncommon solitary state of being without her made him edgy. He was no good without her, his happiness relied too heavily on her existence. He longed for her presence, already. Had it even been a whole minute since he had gained consciousness?

His mind worked hard to comprehend and dissect the situation, so that he could deal with it. He came to a decided acceptance of this new circumstance, though he was wary of what the day would bring. He didn't know what to expect, his head could not handle all his questions so soon. And so he pushed thoughts away, dealing with the past one second at a time.

King Endymion's hand went to his head, running it through his ink black hair as he slowly crept out of bed. He took in each aspect of the room with curiosity, inspecting the obsolete items he had once seen every day. The items that did not mean much. He noted that the vase of roses on his dresser were just beginning to wilt and that the clock on 'his' nightstand read 9:02 AM. Finally, a small framed photo fell under his blue-eyed scrutiny. His gaze softened. In the picture was an odd version of his family, a black-haired man with his arm around the young blonde dawning a petite strawberry-haired child on her shoulders. They all wore their own unbound grins, faces lit up in frozen joy. He chuckled softly and carefully picked up the crème colored frame, inspecting the picture more closely before gently setting it back down on the nightstand. He found that he remembered the day it had been taken. Mina had snapped the photo of them candidly, capturing the trio's natural pose on film before they even had time to realize she had pulled out her camera. He wondered which of the hundreds of albums which protected he and his wife's memories the picture now resided in.

His head swarmed with memories brought up by the objects, leaving a lingering nostalgia as he crossed the room to look out the window. And there was Tokyo, right through his window. Thoroughly urban, colorful, and different from his crystallized kingdom. A pang of homesickness collided with a pinch of melancholy – though he couldn't tell if it was for his home in Crystal Tokyo or just from the feeling of not belonging in the city that he had once helped protect. Tokyo was not Crystal Tokyo, and this made him feel like he was looking through the window as an outsider, someone who no longer fit into this world. He didn't belong at all. His mind wandered over all the events that had brought him from his confined world in the apartment to ruling an entire peaceful planet. He had come far since his days as a college student in Tokyo. He couldn't help pitying his past counterpart, who had yet to learn what life was like beyond the walls of the apartment and beyond the confines of the walls he had placed around his heart, which Serenity had gradually dissolved.

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King Endymion took the time to take care of several details as a 'favor' to Darien. His first venture was to find the application papers in Darien's desk and burn them into nonexistence, so he wouldn't dare attempt to leave their little bunny for America again. From his memory, he remembered that the battle against Galaxia had only just ended for Serena and Darien a few days before. Things needed to be mended, still, for Darien and Serena; they had only just been reunited after a year of absence, after all. And Darien, obviously, needed to get his priorities straight and forget the silly notion.

His second action was to make coffee and scavenge for something unhealthy to eat because – Serena of all people – no longer let him eat anything which might somehow damage his immortal body. And so once he was satisfied with his victory over the Harvard application's ashes and cheap, bitter coffee – he had a decent amount of time to waste pretending to be Darien before he figured Serena would stumble into the picture.

And so he took a shower with soaps that didn't stink of flowers and which only had a clean scent, dressed in clothes pristinely ironed and long out of fashion, and decided he didn't like being a bachelor. He grudgingly admitted to himself that he didn't mind the flowery fragrant soap he complained to Serenity about and his wife's usually messy domestic habits. Thinking about her made him want to pick up the phone and call Serena, but he didn't remember her number and he knew she would surely still be asleep. He knew, of course, that he could simply go find her – but something told him to stay put and wait for her to come to him. So he sighed, restlessly, and impatiently waited for Serena to show up at Darien's door.

He had found it strange when he looked in the mirror and saw that he was actually in Darien's body. Just as Darien had been in King Endymion's. It was as if they had swapped minds, their physical bodies still clinging to their surroundings when their consciences got all jumbled. He noted that the face staring back at him in the mirror was basically the same as the one he always saw, though a few years younger, but his hair was distinctly black. Endymion frowned into the mirror, the young him frowning back. He missed this plain, constant shade of ebony; although his hair was still clearly black. But the king's hair had a violet sheen no one could explain, which's only purpose seemed to be to compliment his outfit. It was just one of the things he had long accepted, just like how Serenity's hair slowly turned lighter and how Rini's hair was unexplainably pink.

Growing weary of simply looking at his renewed face, he glared darkly at it, considering who Darien was when he had looked like this. This was the face of a man in denial, who had thought he could leave the love of his life for a silly college to study, when he could easily study in Tokyo. Never again. Giving one last look into the mirror, he told the face of Darien Shields unsympathetically before sweeping from the bathroom, "You are quite an idiot, you know."

Darien. Endymion didn't like thinking about him. He had taken too much for granted, had distanced himself from one half of his soul for far too long. Darien had been blind and stubborn and afraid. He had protected Serena from the monsters that plagued her while needlessly keeping her at an arm's length. He had been terrified of her. Terrified of losing her, of how much he loved her, of losing the future he worked so hard to protect. He had put on a mask to fight and to love, shielding Serena from himself. He had held back so much, said too little, and had never completely let his princess in – though his very being begged for him to. He had loved her as much as he always had and always would, but he had severely wasted his first few years with Serena. He had only loved her quietly and nobly. And like a coward. It had taken a glimpse at the future for the revelation that would undo the damage caused by years of solitude, pain, forgetfulness, and a childhood spent in an orphanage.

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He knew she was coming before she got there, but he forced himself not to leap from his seat on 'his' couch when he felt her presence on the streets in front of Darien's apartment building. When she knocked, though, he was startled. When was the last time he had heard her knock before opening a door leading to him? He couldn't remember.

And so he tried not to run as he approached the entrance to Darien's apartment and tried very hard to suppress his grin as he heard a familiar string of girlish giggles muffled through the door. And he did, indeed, succeed in regaining his composure as he unlocked the door and pulled it open, greeting the wide-eyed divinity who always shook him to his very core. No matter what life they were in, no matter what time period.

"Come in, Serena."


	2. Chapter One: Clarity

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**Chapter One: Clarity**

"We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity."

**- from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho**

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Serena rushed in like a hurricane, a thousand indistinguishable words falling from her mouth. He was too overwhelmed by her presence, too stunned by the petite princess in front of him, too filled up with emotions threatening to burst from his seams. Endymion took in none of the words she railed off in, like all sound was cut off from him except the frantic beating on his heart. He watched her lips smile, move, form a story for him. He fought the unshakable urge to touch the specter in before him as she swooped towards him. She was so familiar, yet hauntingly different. He saw the unmistakable budding essence of his queen, the fiery passion of his defender of justice, the stunning beauty of his princess, and the overwhelmingly obvious fervor of just…her. Serena. But he could see she wasn't completely, well, complete. Serenity embodied all her selves, but this Serena seemed separate and stubborn, the air of both a princess and a queen there, but not obvious.

"And so I came to find you!" her words finally found him, but he hadn't caught anything except her last sentence, the cheerful end to her babblings, and her expectant gaze. He could see Serena expected him to grin at her, shake his head, and offer some dull reply. That was what Darien had always done, wasn't it? He distinctly remembered always having muddled thoughts around her, always unsure of himself and never knowing how to react to the actions that left him dumbstruck.

He had been a man of few words; and he was still, to an extent. He spoke with importance and the mannerisms of court when serious and joked easily with Serenity or the Scouts with laid-back inattention to his exact words. However, Endymion never felt the need to ramble pointlessly to fill a silence. Serenity, of course, never was one to allow silence. And there was never much of it around her, the castle was always humming with conversation. Darien Shields, however, was very much too quiet. He spoke little when much needed to be said, his speeches in battle and his fights with Serena being the only time his tongue got loose enough to speak words he didn't carefully choose before verbalizing. And as Darien withdrew further from Serena, he had become more resiliently wordless in her presence. He was always too flustered by her amazing cheerfulness, her empathy, her utter lack of restraint when it came to manners of the heart.

And like his past contemporary, he was completely at loss for how to react to her. The king could only draw out one word, breathed out like a frantic prayer, "Serena."

Serena felt a nagging sense that something was out of place. Her words faltered and her eyes inspected him carefully. She analyzed his tone, his expression, his every movement and breath. Because something was not right about him. Meeting his eyes, she saw the same navy blue that always gazed back, but behind the hue was something different. She could see it, feel it. She knew something was wrong, immediately. Her dazzling eyes clouded over with worry, with care. And in the concerned gaze that rested on him, he found the look of his wife. He couldn't breathe.

_You need to pull yourself together, Endymion, my love._

He could hear her conjured voice in his head. She was the voice of his conscience, the voice of the sensible thoughts that spoke in his mind. She was the voice calling him in his dreams, the sensible input in his rash thoughts, and the gentle teasing at his everyday errors. The faint reminder of his wife sobered him, woke him from the shock that was seeing Serena.

But he was still dazzled.

"Darien? Is something the matter? You seem…off." she mused with a furrowed brow, her eyes desperately searching for whatever difference in him existed. She found that she could not distinctly put a finger on whatever it was that made him drastically different then he had been the night before. And she tried desperately to ignore the feeling.

Without meaning to, he picked up her stray thoughts and feelings. He saw that she had gotten the peculiar sense that something was off about him the moment she had walked in the door, but had easily shrugged it off as some emotion she didn't quite understand - until he had opened his mouth. She contended that sometimes it just felt that way to be with Darien. It felt like distance, that was the only way she could describe it to herself, but she was used to the complexity of the feelings she sometimes got around him. It didn't unsettle her anymore. She ignored it. He could tell, even through her scrutinizing eyes, that she was still trying to shrug off whatever enigma he embodied.

One thing became inescapable. His silence bothered her terribly. It bothered her when he said nothing. But even as he began to blink through the hypnosis her past presence was putting on him, he still could not articulate a single thought.

And oh, inevitably, his thoughts turned to her beauty as the sixteen year old nervously tugged on the ends of her hair. She looked so much like Serenity. Her hair, golden and shining and – he knew – ridiculously soft, was pulled into its usual style. It was more golden than Serenity's, he realized, and he wondered why he had never before noticed that her hair had changed. Had it gradually faded from golden to its silvery sheen, or had it occurred quickly without him noticing? Maybe the day she had become Queen it had changed. But no, he was sure he would have immediately spotted a sudden change in the hair he spent so many hours running his fingers through, tugging at, petting, and admiring. Serena was tiny, more petite than his angel – still a child. Her features were softer, younger, her curves subtle. The faint rosy tint on her speckled cheeks made her look more girlish and innocent. And her voice, it was twinkling bells, rather than chimes. She was so similar, but so unlike his Serenity. She hadn't quite matured, hadn't quite adopted her regal air. But he could see it, could see her in her blooming stages. She was well on her way to become a queen; she had been long before Darien had stumbled into the future and returned with the future swollen in his head.

"Darien? Oh no, what's the matter?" her voice asked, a tremor in its melody as the petite girl flung her arms around his right arm, hugging it as she nudged his shoulder with her nose. She needed him to be him, to be familiar and normal. Her wide eyes inspected him worriedly, unaware of the panicked longing that erupted in Endymion's veins at her touch. The contact made him dizzy, his head spinning from the rush of emotions and frantic stray thoughts he picked up from her. She hadn't yet learned how to reign in the flood of loose bits which channeled through their bond, like his wife had. She didn't yet realize how her touch sent her emotions, her loudest thoughts, her impressions to him.

It bothered her when he said nothing. His silence was engulfing her, making her heart clench. The look in his eyes, so differently the same, made her think unpleasant thoughts. She thought of him under the horrible spell of amnesia, his plane taking off the airstrip of Tokyo International, of his eagerness for her drawn blood under the brainwashing of evil, the coldness he exuded when he had pushed her away from him, the sound of his answering machine when he didn't pick up the phone. All the times she hadn't recognized him, where he was different.

And to keep herself from falling into despair, into chaos, she pushed the thoughts from her head. He knew her, he loved her, he always would.

"Did I do something?" she asked meekly, dejectedly. The way her face fell pulled at his heart strings. She had always been so afraid he would leave her, so unsure of herself. So unsure of his feelings for her at times, while at others so confident. He had made her this way, he knew. Darien Shields had pushed away his princess, his other half, his destiny, his soul mate. He remembered the fear acutely, remembered his inability to express himself. Remembered his carefulness, his self control. It had taken him a very long time to realize that his seemingly detached attitude wounded her, that his desire to protect her from himself and his fear of losing her, of not being good enough, were eroding her confidence in herself.

Darien had never wanted to hurt her. But hadn't he? So many, many times. He would never make up for betraying her, though he had never done so willingly, and would always feel guilt at his many instances of amnesia. She had always been the one to pull him up to the surface when he was lost and drowning, but he had been so afraid of watching her drown that he had let himself sink. Darien was an idiot. He had made her feel like she was the cause of his resistance to her, that she had made some mistake that flawed his view of her. It was never so, but it didn't change the fact that he had made her feel inadequate and like an annoyance. Endymion resented his past self's blindness to her feelings when he could see them so obviously painted across her face.

One thing stuck out at him, hitting him with the effectiveness of a bucket of ice cold water. It bothered her when he said nothing.

The idea that she had done something wrong was absurd, she had to know that. He had to assure her.

"No! You did nothing, Serena." he hastily declared, shaking his head fiercely. The kingly demeanor he showed with everyone else had evaporated in her presence; he always seemed to lose all self control when it came to his wife. His hand, unthinkingly, went to her, his fingertips lovingly caressing her cheek and his eyes boring into hers with emotions she had never seen him reveal in his eyes before – emotions his younger self had never allowed himself to show. His eyes held so much depth, so much love, so much reassurance. It made Serena melt, made her knees give out, made her pulse flutter and pick up and beat haphazardly. He caught her with gentle hands as he felt her sink, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her to him. Pulling her close.

He had caught her off guard. His eyes only looked like that when he was dying, when he was experiencing two lifetimes of them playing before their eyes; when he had tried so hard to convey to her the depth of his love, which he had so often seemed to shrug off. It made her feel important, like this moment was important. She could clearly label each and every reflection of emotion dancing behind his lashes. Serena, startled, was too thrilled to be terrified. The sudden appearance of overflowing emotions almost scared her, but the feeling was overridden by the sudden ecstasy that he wasn't hiding anything from her.

She felt so close to him suddenly. But she needed to be closer still, needed to feel his soul pressed up to hers and his heartbeat beneath her fingertips.

As she buried her face in his chest and pulled her arms around him, he felt everything click into place. Suddenly he was not Endymion, he was not a king, he certainly was not Darien, and he was not the prince or protector of Earth. He was just him and she was always her. And nothing had to make sense, because nothing, absolutely nothing else mattered like being with her. Her flowery scent of some rare, undiscovered flower and her warm body and her calming presence and her soft hair tickling his skin and the emotions he felt radiating off of her – all electrified his senses and nothing else but her could be seen, or felt, or thought of, or imagined. He relished in the feeling as Serena sighed into the fabric of his shirt, the sound making his skin itch and his hands quake. It was the feeling he experienced when he woke up to her every morning and fell asleep beside her every night.

He leaned his cheek against her hair and breathed her in, missing her while welcoming her home. Overwhelmed, he breathed out to her the only thing he remembered how to say, "I love you".

The simple sentiment he had said to her countless times before, for eons, fell from him easily, but it did not lose its meaning. His words were laced with truth, with so much power and emotion and intensity, with more meaning than any others Serena had ever heard before. She was swallowed by the sentiment, engulfed in it, drowning in the absolute bliss that sprung up from her.

Endymion had suddenly given Serena the dearest gift she had ever received. He felt her confidence in herself, in him, and in them distend. He held her close as she marveled in the idea that there was another side of their love, and him, that she had yet to uncover.

Serena had been in his arms many times before. She had been saved by those arms, rocked by them, comforted by them, and surround by them. She had longed for them when he was far away and when he was so unbearably close. He was her protector, her savior. There, in his arms, everything chaotic in her life was manageable. Everything that had been bruised and scarred by years of fighting was healed. Enemies, pasts, and threats evaporated. And she was safe. Safe and home and where she belonged. Everything made sense and yet nothing was sensible. But, she wondered, why had she never felt as complete as she did in this embrace, when he had held her and overwhelmed her so many times before? Because this felt closer, more meaningful, and made her feel so full of love that she was afraid she would simply burst if he let go of her.

Endymion knew. Knew Darien had never been as expressively open and intimate with her as he was being. Even in their most personal moments, he never let her get this close. Perhaps he had gotten close the day she had saved everyone, the day she had brought him and everyone else to life again. Having her in his arms again after what seemed like an eternity apart had made him whisper that he loved her and made him hold her to him, but it had barely breeched past physical closeness. Their bond, the bond which sealed their souls together, had yet to be so fully exposed to Serena. She felt it there, as he had, but did not know about all being soul mates entailed. Her knowledge of their love was elementary, never allowed to grow when Darien had all his walls up to her. Endymion lived off of their bond, thrived because of it, and yet he did not think she could feel his soul like he felt hers even in their embrace. In this life she knew little of what she meant to him.

He realized that holding her and smothering her was not very Darien like.

But, really, there was no use pretending to be Darien Shields.

"Princess, Serena." Grudgingly, he stepped back from her, leaving her at an arm's length. Like Darien did, he noted. He immediately missed her warmth, the treasured aura of her essence, but he needed her to know. He couldn't deceive her, couldn't have his love think he was someone else. It struck him with utmost importance that he tell her he was not her boyfriend, but the man he would become, the true incarnation of his soul. Because Darien may be a part of him and may have been the boy he was born, but with her he was Endymion, and she made him strip down his walls and reveal himself. Silent, resilient, determined Darien was a part of him, but he was in his core Endymion, just as Serena was Serenity. And he needed her to know that he was exposing his very soul to her, that he was her Endymion.

He didn't know how to form the words or stress the importance of what they meant. He couldn't bring himself to simplify his being to her either. It felt like a lie, like deception to simply declare himself as the Darien of the future, King Endymion. Because Serenity didn't know him as just a name and right now the paths of time were so interwoven that he was no longer separate from past Prince Endymion, or Darien Shields, or Tuxedo Mask, or King Endymion. Only one title fit him at such a moment. Hers.

"Something is indeed off, Princess, but nothing is the matter."

So he let his fingers dance across Serena's jaw, lingering at her chin and gently lifting her face to see his. He let his eyes say what he couldn't, let his whole soul radiate towards her, begging her to see him as being more than just Darien Shields. The look was overwhelming at a time where she was already overwhelmed by him.

And little Serena realized, it dawned on her, that this was not an ordinary day. That standing before her was a man she both did not know at all, and knew with every fiber of her being. She felt herself glow under his smothering eyes, felt herself losing her grip on her thoughts. Felt herself flying from her body. Felt him, deep in the soul they shared. And with a shaky breath she didn't know she possessed, she exhaled. Recognition dawned on her and her heart whispered to her his true name.

She understood.

"Endymion." Two beings lit up in recognition of each other. They felt themselves mesh. They could no longer feel their own bodies; could no longer distinguish who was who and where she began and he ended. They felt woven and weaved and molded into each other for an infinite second, a second of absolution. They had transcended time to find each other, had broken every rule to know one another. And then they found themselves back in their bodies – or in Endymion's case, back in the body he had long outgrown – and felt their souls glow and smile in each other's presence. Recognition read on their faces. They knew each other, they were not strangers, they were not lost.

And then gravity pulled Serena down. Hard. Startled, she choked, and her mind raced to make sense of what his soul had whispered to hers in their moment of completeness. He had whispered all his secrets to her, leaving her with a hazy dreamlike realization of what had just occurred, what was occurring. The enormity of what the truth meant sunk into her skin and latched onto her brain, begging for her to understand what was happening. She understood then that he was not where he was supposed to be, that something extraordinary was occurring that she was just then waking up to.

"Endymion!" she said with more force, blue eyes wide with shock as the weight of the idea fell on her. She blinked at him, stunned by the reality and disbelieving of it for a millisecond before she recalled the deep, unshakable recognition she felt. The jagged puzzle pieces she had been given clicked together, her common sense kicking into high gear. She staggered back from him, her lips falling open to whisper in a dazed murmur, "From…From the 30th century? From Crystal Tokyo? King Endymion."

He could only think that she was incredibly adorable disoriented.

Endymion grinned at her, amused and warmed by her sudden daze. He couldn't resist a slight bow to her, a kingly gesture, his eyes never leaving hers as they peered at her through thick eyelashes. "At your service."

The room was deathly quiet as the smiling man and the wide-eyed beauty stood in front of each other.

And then Serena burst the thick silence.

"Oh my god."

_He grinned._


	3. Chapter Two: Fascination

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**Chapter Two: Fascination**

"Chance encounters are what keep us going."

**-from Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami**

.

Serena did not do well with silence, even when she didn't know what to say. So she shifted her weight. Fidgeted with the ends of her hair. Wrinkled her nose. She radiated uncertainty and shock, blue eyes startled. Her mouth would open only to close again, a look of concentration and confusion highlighted on her brow.

She had absolutely no idea how to act around Endymion. In her mind, he and Darien were two separate but identical entities. She neither felt that he was the same person, or that he was two different people. She was confused and stunned by the scene that was unfolding and the idea that the love of her life's future incarnation was right in front of her. She had been blessed by a moment of sudden clarity, where she had recognized him as who he truly was, but now her astonishment was quickly dimming that lucidity.

The whole situation was just so ridiculous.

The silence continued as Endymion cheerfully watched the myriad of reactions she ran through, which he felt building up to some outrageously amusing affair. Expectantly, he quirked an eyebrow upward at her. She hardly noticed, she was too caught up in reacting.

And then she broke into laughter. Though, she had no idea what in the world she was laughing about. A grin spread over the man's lips as he heard the twinkling sound, a comprehensible happiness warming his chest at the sound. As her laughter subsided into light giggles, she shook her head and smiled ruefully at him. Her eyes, a luminous sapphire, studied him intently behind their mirth. Then it disappeared from her irises and once again she was startled when she noted his looks – he looked just as Darien had looked the night before, when she had seen him last. Shouldn't he be older and look as King Endymion had when she had first seen him in the future? But, no. He looked exactly like Darien, he sounded like him, he was wearing Darien's clothes. He was Darien.

But he wasn't Darien. At least, not _really_.

Very, very ridiculous.

"This sort of thing only happens to us, doesn't it?" Serena asked without warning, eyes twinkling in something kin of amusement and nervousness – the same emotions that were threatening to spill over as tense laughter. The thought radiated in her mind, a single question drowning out the call of all the others for a flickering moment.

He broke into his own laughter, devoid of a nervous edge. It was a full sound, a sound that rose from deep in his chest, from somewhere close to his heart. The sound of it had her staggered, wrecked, and crammed with delight. It was a happy sound, an unguarded sound. A sound not lowered or muffled or tamed or false.

It only reminded her that he wasn't Darien.

"Indeed." The word slipped from his lips easily and he made no move to indicate he would say more on it. He only wanted to look at her, to think about her, to remember her and savor her. Words had never been necessary for them, had they? And what she said was true. In the entire universe there were no two beings who could have possibly been such fools of fate so many times. Who else had been reincarnated for the sole purpose of finding a lost love unfairly snatched from two lover's hands? Who else had fallen in love with the same person at least a half dozen times? Who else had met their future daughter, had met their future incarnation? They knew the whims of time almost as well as Pluto, knew how oddly their destinies were intertwined throughout the intangible start and finish of everything.

Only them. Indeed.

Serena's questions still remained. A laundry list starting with endless 'what's and 'how's. What in the world was he doing there? How had this happened? What was going on?

…And why wasn't his hair purple?

"Why isn't your hair purple?" Serena blurted out unexpectedly.

The question fell from her lips without it even taking a formidable shape in her mind. She gaped at herself, her mouth hanging open at her own question. She blushed at her actions, self-conscious around him. He was really a stranger to her, an untouchable being who knew everything she was so desperate to know. Would he think she was silly compared to Neo-Queen Serenity? Was he already disgusted with her for being nothing compared to his queen? She felt stupid and juvenile for the question, wished she could take it back, and let her eyes flicker to the floor.

Endymion, however, was entirely amused and delighted by her question to him. Too amused to answer, because he forgot to. After all, he and Serenity sometimes had completely nonverbal conversations without realizing it, and he simple forgot this Serena could not read his thoughts and feelings like Serenity could. He loved her, loved how silly she was. She was always surprising him, always throwing him off guard. He stared blatantly at his blushing bunny, his eyes softening with love. An unbound grin adorned his features, but Serena didn't seem to see it. He realized, startled, that she felt ashamed of herself for her adorable absurdity. His grin faltered into a soft smile as he rushed to her, lifting his fingertips to her chin to nudge her face up to his. He needed her to look at him, to understand that she could do no wrong in his eyes.

But Serena obviously did not know him like Serenity did. She still blushed, now uncertain at his gestures and frozen in place at his closeness. His touch sent her heart leaping and made her skin tingle beneath his fingertips. But it didn't distract her from her discomfiture. She still felt foolish and was so swept up in her self-loathing that she didn't comprehend the look of adoration so clearly written across his face.

The maelstrom of emotions welling up in her threatened to pool over into her eyes. She was feeling too much of everything, too full of questions, and too embarrassed that her future husband was seeing the obviously inferior Serena rather than the queen she could hardly fathom was actually her.

"You are upset." He stated, his brow furrowing as his fingertips caressed her jaw. He realized as he felt her shiver at his touch that maybe he was breeching her comfort zone. He wasn't, after all, her aloof boyfriend. And she simply wasn't as accustomed to their intimacy. His fingertips faltered as they smoothed the worry etched on her brow and he took a step back. He bowed his head to her, smiling a friendly smile meant to comfort her as he delicately said, "Forgive me, Princess. I know I have caught you off guard."

"What's going on?" Serena asked quietly. His touch certainly had taken some edge off of her fears and the delicate way he was looking at her made her feel strangely calmed. Her lack of confidence was replaced by the flurry of questions which had invaded her mind when her conscience had first alerted her to his true identity. She had just known, somehow, that he was King Endymion. But with that knowledge came a thousand questions. How? How? How? Why? What? Serena stepped back into the wall for support, her knees feeling like they were going to give out beneath her.

He watched her carefully, making sure she was stable enough to keep her footing. His head tilted the slightest degree to the right as he contemplated her question and answered in honestly, "In truth, I am not completely certain what is going on. Last night I went to bed in Crystal Tokyo and this morning I woke up here."

But he could see she had quickly shifted gears and was no longer fully listening to him. He sighed.

A thought had occurred to her as he spoke and it no longer mattered why Endymion was there, because Darien was unaccounted for. Where was he? In a second she panicked. Her demeanor became anxious as she suddenly started, shaking slightly. Her face had fallen into a look of deep worry, her eyes begging for an answer as she frenetically asked, "Where's Darien? Is he okay? Is there something the matter? Does he need my help? Is he safe? Did something happen to him? Please, please tell me."

"Serena, calm down." He gently touched her arm, drawing her closer as he attempted to soothe her fried nerves. He sent her a reassuring smile, stating calmly, "Darien is safe, he is perfectly fine."

"But where is he?" She bit her lip, unconvinced by his answer.

Endymion wished desperately to erase her worry, but he knew his next answer would only continue her inquiries.

"Crystal Tokyo."

"Why? What's going on? Why are you here? Why is Darien there?" she paused, "No offense…your highness? I'm just…worried. And confused."

And so he tried his best to explain to her their peculiar situation. He told her that he knew for a fact that Darien was safe in the future, that he was temporarily here in his place, and that this was all some bizarre caprice of time. All the while she stared at him in amazed silence, taking in what information he relayed to her while marveling at the fact that her boyfriend's future self was really there in front of her. He quieted, waiting for her next string of questions; she inhaled a deep breath and simply ingested it all, waiting for everything to sink into her mind.

"You are full of questions." He noted, breaking her reverie.

Serena frowned slightly in thought, asking in a pensive murmur, "Can…Can I ask questions? The timeline…"

"I will answer what I can." He smiled softly at her, looking down as he gave her room to think. He had time to comprehend what was occurring, had experienced some form of the shock she was experiencing a thousand years ago. The idea had already been accepted and understood in his head, but he recognized that she would not be able to fully recover from her daze while he was around.

She was overwhelmed.

"You are overwhelmed?" He asked.

She blinked at him. Once, twice, three times. "Uh-huh."

"You have questions." He stated.

"Uh-huh." It unsettled her that he seemed to have an acute knowledge of her thoughts. She wondered vaguely if he could read her mind.

Endymion thought it would be best if he didn't mention that he could pick up on some of her thoughts.

Through their bond he could indeed pick up on some of her thoughts, but at the moment he simply could see where her train of thought was headed. He knew he shouldn't be so ostentatious. However, he couldn't bite back a further amused assertion, "You don't know what to say to me."

There was a long silence.

"I just don't know what to ask first." She smiled shyly at him, biting her lip. She paused and then continued before trailing off, "There's so much I want to know, but…"

"You do not know where to begin?"

Serena nodded and smiled warily at him, collecting her thoughts for some form of coherence. She inhaled, closing her eyes as she exhaled the stack of questions built up inside her, "What happens now that Galaxia has been defeated? Are we safe? Is there another enemy coming anytime soon?"

She paused, peeking her eyes open. Those had been the unimportant questions, the questions that she wanted to know and had to ask. But they weren't the questions her heart longed to raise. Those she would keep to herself for now, to be asked later. She inspected his face carefully, not able to hold back the smile his presence brought to her lips. She had only just gotten him back after not seeing him for so long, she had only been reunited with him for several days. Serena bit back the idea that King Endymion's appearance was badly timed because, though she was intrigued by him, she had wanted to covet all her time with Darien. Already, she felt a flicker of longing for him, even if she knew he was technically there with her.

Endymion shifted uncomfortably, the image of an enraged Pluto appearing in his head. He carefully chose his response, "For awhile there will be no new threats." He continued under her quizzical stare, "There will be more threats, yes, because there will always be more threats. But there will also be great peace. I am afraid that is all I should really say."

"And…is anyone else here?" She looked around the room, as if expecting to see her future self searching through the fridge. But she knew as she said it that he was the only one, that Neo Queen Serenity and Rini were not his fellow travelers - knew it deep in her bones. The intuition that gave her insight, however fleeting, told her that much. But she had to ask, had to be sure. And as far as she could tell there was no pale divinity contemplating twentieth century appliances or junk foods in the kitchen, no pink-haired child giggling madly with her.

"Only I am here, love." She felt like a traitor when her heart leapt joyfully at the endearment. Endymion felt the tug of her heart in his own chest and grinned. She had moved on to a new thought, a new concern and question looming completely in her mind. He could sense it coming, could see the picture of their daughter in her mind's eye.

Rini. The king was uneasy then and his actions mimicked hers as he shifted restlessly. He had picked up the habit from Serenity, no doubt, as spouses always blame their bad habits on their wives or husbands. He could feel her disappointment overthrowing the reign of her joy and uncertainty in seeing him, all because of the absence of a certain special someone. Rini, who she missed, who she had longed to see when she hadn't considered giving a single thought to King Endymion. Her own little bunny, as well as his. Rini who, Endymion knew, Serena would not see again. At least, not as she was now.

He knew Serena would not see her again until Neo Queen Serenity held her daughter for the first time. The weight of that knowledge threatened to crush him, just as it would surely crush her.

"Oh."

He knew it was coming, felt it dripping off the tip of her tongue. Felt her biting it back a little longer, just a little longer.

"You are disappointed?" He instigated it, he had to.

And then her admittance to a truth he saw inside her psyche, a soft murmur of longing on her heart exhaled in a sigh. "I miss Rini sometimes."

Guilt. All he felt was guilt. A senseless, arbitrary guilt. Guilt that he had Rini and Serena didn't, guilt over his answer to the next question taking shape in their dialogue. Guilt which clenched his vocal cords, silencing him to where he could not say anything. He had no words. Rini was too important, too precious to both of them. Being without her, Endymion saw, made Serena feel like a piece of her was missing.

And her next question, spoken softly and with a hopeful glimmer leaving specks of silver stars in her eyes: "Will I see Rini again?"

Oh, he hated taking that look from her. Hated dimming the stars from her eyes, hated making those twinkling sparkles disappear in a blue cloud. So he hesitated until she knew the answer before he spoke it and briefly closed his eyes to avoid her. Those eyes whose grief could bring a king to his knees, whose blue-eyed happiness held the formula which made a man into a king.

"Not until she is born." He didn't see her face fall with disappointment, didn't see her eyes glisten with wetness. But he could feel it. God, he could feel it. To cause her pain, even a glimmer of it, made his soul burn and char. His heart surged and he fought the desire to wrap his arms around her. He became distinctly aware that she wasn't really his Serenity and she was Darien's rather than his. He couldn't hold her, not yet, not even to draw her discontent from her to absorb it into himself instead.

"Oh." Serena squeaked out, blinking away the tears that threatened to betray her. She sat up straighter and forced a smile through her disappointment. She needed to be strong and steady, like Serenity. She could not be weak in his eyes, could not crumble. Then how would he see her? She was no queen, she knew, but he thought she was. And so she was not reassuring herself when she replied, but rather desperately attempting to reassure him that she wasn't some weak princess, a child compared to his queen. So with determination she made her mind make that smile real and replied cheerfully, "But I'll see her again one day!"

But it hurt more than she could explain, even if she wanted nothing more than to be strong. Rini meant more to her than anyone. She was attached to her, worried about her, loved her boundlessly. It wasn't quite the attachment of a mother to her child, but she still felt her heart strongly connected to the strawberry-headed girl. It didn't matter that Rini wasn't really her child yet, she felt that she belonged with her always and, though she knew it was silly, she was jealous of her future self for being Rini's real mother. For being perfect, for being married to him, for having peace.

Serenity! She had to be Serenity! It was imperative that she force her sadness away. Endymion did not fail to notice her inner resolve to be worthy of a queen's tiara. It unsettled him, he wanted her to be her. Not some imaginary, idyllic alternative. Serena was ideal, Serenity was ideal. They were all the same, all perfect. But she was trying to be strong, trying to grow, and he had to let her gain ground for resilience. She didn't understand like he did that her inner strength did not belong to the part of her which was Serenity, but was just a part of her as a whole, a brilliant aspect of her that always carried through.

"How is she? Is her Scout training going well?" The blonde princess voiced in a chirp, her lilting accent as casual as can be. A pretty lie.

He had to admit, it threw him. Scout training? He pictured his tiny princess in her lacey pink gowns and tiny shoes, unable to see her as anything else. Endymion looked at her oddly. It took a moment for his vision to conjure up the blurry image of Sailor Mini Moon, a mirage from many centuries ago. Oh, _oh_. He seemed to have forgotten that their Rini was different, that the Rini he had first met as Darien was older than the Rini he was raising now.

He chuckled, amused by their perpendicular perspectives on their child, and replied in the offhand manner he didn't mean to use, "Small Lady is only a toddler in my time, Serena."

"Really?" She had never considered that possibility; she had assumed King Endymion came from the time period Rini had just returned to. Her Rini was on the brink of adolescence, well on her way to becoming a true Sailor Scout. To becoming like her Mama. But the adorable idea of a waddling Rini warmed her heart and she couldn't help but think that Small Lady was going to be the most precious thing. Like the red-haired little one that was all hearts and smiles, who somehow kicked her motherly instincts into gear and engraved herself into her heart among the countless others Serena protected. Rini would be fun as a toddler, would devour all her attention and rule her very world. A little girl she could dress up and play with and kiss goodnight without the sisterly bickering and aggravation. A Rini who loved her unconditionally, who she loved without fail or fault. She would be her _mother_.

Perhaps she wanted that more than anything else the future had to offer.

It was all so terrifyingly appealing, the world Endymion must live in. A beautiful, beautiful illusion. More beautiful than she could even dream. What had he been through? What all had he seen with her? This Endymion knew peace, ruled over a crystal Eden. He hadn't even experienced the destruction of his world from the forces of the Black Moon clan, had not had his world threatened by a constant influx of villains and chaos. He would, she thought sadly, understanding that even Crystal Tokyo would be tested. Eventually the Endymion in front of her would have his world shattered, would have his Queen imprisoned in a glass tomb and his daughter sent into history. She felt a pity for him, because he must know what was coming. And then she remembered something else about future King Endymion. This Endymion would send her Darien nightmares to keep him away from her. This Endymion had brought her pain, had separated them, had created the nightmare Darien had seen and which she had lived for months. Or at least, he would.

Capricious anger flared within her. Anger she had tied up and packed away, so she wouldn't direct it at the boyfriend who had suffered with her during that time. Anger at him for breaking up with her, because this version of her soul mate was the one who had been at fault. It was pent up, an old emotion she had stored in the dark reaches of her heart next to the heartbreak and betrayal that accompanied it. She had never been allowed to let it loose, to let it show. It had never been fair to resent Darien for breaking up with her, because she had found out that he had done it an attempt to protect her. How could she argue that? But that hurt hadn't gone away. And Endymion, surely he was the one who deserved that end of it, because he was the one who had knowingly pushed Darien away from her. _What a jerk._

Serena didn't really care that she was being unreasonable.

"You're a jerk." She suddenly growled, her eyes livid. Endymion blanched at her sudden shift, feeling the furious flickering of her aura and the rush of resentment being directed explicitly at him.

_What the hell?_

"What?" his eyes grew wide as he took in the suddenly enraged expression darkening the usually blithe girl's face, wondering what he could have done to upset her. He suddenly couldn't touch at her thoughts, couldn't detect the wavelength of her mind. And that's how she knew how she was truly irritated, because Serenity did the same thing when she was frustrated with him. No mental contact, no complimentary access to her psyche. But nothing he had just said could have sparked such a reaction, could it of? Seeing his lack of realization, the agitated teenager sighed huffily.

"YOU are the reason Darien broke up with me!"

_You_ are the reason _you_ broke up with me.

And now Endymion was irritated, not confused. He hadn't sent Darien dreams yet, didn't want to think about a time when he would. How was it fair she was blaming him for something he had not yet done?

"You cannot possibly hold that against me, Serena. I have not even done that yet." He quirked an eyebrow at her, shaking his head in disbelief. At that moment he felt a sense of déjà vu – she was acting exactly like his wife did. And his irritation ate away his consciousness of the fact that she was Serena. Gone were the differences between them, all he could see in her was Serenity. "You're being preposterous."

"So!"

Serenity always held it against him. Always. But most of the time, she didn't let it show. The few times she did, it destroyed him. He hadn't even known how she felt about it, how she resented him for breaking up with her, until years after their marriage. Serenity had never hinted she still hurt from it, that it still bothered her, until one day it flew from her mouth. And since then, he always heard about it in fights. When she was truly annoyed by him, when she no longer held back, when she didn't care if she upset him, when she wanted a reaction. She always got a reaction from her reminders that he had left her, because it always sparked his anger. Not at her, but at himself. Angry that he had hurt her, angry that he had left her, angry that he had ever made her lonely and heartbroken. Guilty that he had, sorry that he had, angry that he had. And she knew it, knew he felt bad about it. Yet she still brought it up. Maybe because she wanted him to hurt, too.

Oh yes, he was aggravated by his wife now.

"Will you always hold that against me, Serenity?" he growled. He knew he deserved to feel what he did, thought he deserved an eternity in hell for ever making her cry, but it was awful remembering. He didn't want to think about that time, didn't want to imagine it anymore. He had spent lifetimes regretting it, could never escape the guilt it drew out of him. Serenity always flung it at him in arguments; and always, always, when she woke up from a nightmare, he could tell from the look in her eyes that it had been a remnant of that specific incident in his past. Of a time where she thought he didn't love her. He had hurt her then more than he had ever hurt her - that was obvious. The sudden idea that in the king's future he would direct the actions that always haunted him was staggering. He would one day have to repeat his betrayal by sending his past self nightmares; and the idea weighed heavily on him.

He hadn't even realized he had called her Serenity, but she had.

Serena's irritation escaped her. And she remembered that she was speaking to King Endymion. She had addressed him, but she was she really speaking to Darien? She had to remember he was different, a proverbial stranger.

Endymion realized his error as her thoughts seeped into his mind. She wasn't Serenity, he could once again see, but Serena. She was still young and she didn't know him like she would. He couldn't blame her, she didn't know how it made him feel. And, he noted, didn't he deserve it? He couldn't blame his tiny rabbit, couldn't blame this princess. He loved her too much.

"I'm sorry. Never mind. That was low, I'm sorry Endymion." Serena whispered to him, looking down with a blush. How could she blame him? She loved him too much.

"Forget about it." He waved his hand dismissively, angling toward her with a composed smile. He gave a small chuckle and noted with abruptly lightened eyes, "I think we are getting off on the wrong foot."

"We always seem to do that." She looked up at him, relieved he wasn't mad at her. A smile escaped.

He grinned at her response. God, he loved her.

"Should we start over?" The dark haired man suggested charmingly.

_We always seem to do that, too._ She thought to herself. Serena nodded and let out a small giggle, sticking her hand out to the man that already completely held her heart and soul.

"Hello, my name's Serena Tsukino!" She chirped cheerily, blue eyes sparkling. He took her extended hand in his own, bringing it up to his lips and pressing the lightest of kisses to her knuckles. The touch of his lips sent shivers down her spine, sent electricity through her soul. She released a breathless laugh.

"Nice to meet you, Serena. My name is Endymion."

Her lips twitched into a grin.

"Strange, you bear a striking resemblance to someone I know."

"Odd." He agreed, the deep laugh that escaped him filling her with a sense of absolute completion.

_She had a feeling that everything was about to change._


	4. Chapter Three: Improvise

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**Chapter Three: Improvise**

"What if you slept? And what if, in your sleep, you went to heaven and there plucked a strange and beautiful flower? And what if,when you awoke,you had the flower in your hand? Ah, what then?"

**- from The Complete Poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge**

.

**Thirtieth Century: Crystal Tokyo**

_Darien's first thought what that he felt strangely happy. His eyes opened and his heart stopped. Serena was staring at him, a cute smiled painted on her pink lips as her fingers traced across his skin. Her hair was out of its buns, her blonde bangs ruffled in her eyes, and she seemed to glow with a soft radiance._

_"Good morning, love." She purred, her arms wrapping around his frigid body and her nose nuzzling his neck as her lips found the hypersensitive skin there. Darien felt like his body was on fire and in his hazy dreamlike state he could not make sense of anything. The feeling of her tiny teeth nibbling his neck made him forget who he was, made his thoughts come to a screeching halt, made his pulse quicken._

_"Did you sleep well?" she murmured the question as her lips went to his jaw line, lining delicate kisses there. Her eyes flickered from his lips up to his eyes, one pale eyebrow arched at him quizzically. Her eyes sparkled, a hidden mischief occupying their depths as the woman carefully brushed a lock of raven-colored hair from his eyes. She blinked, her lips in a tiny smile she hope looked innocent, "Darling, is something the matter?"_

_Serenity was fully aware of who was currently occupying her husband's body, she had felt his changed aura when she awoke. It didn't surprise her, not too much surprised her anymore, especially when she had always known this day was coming. She had considered for a long time what she would do when her husband's past self stumbled into the future. Would she act like an elegant queen or revert back to her playfulness as a teenager? Oh yes, for a long time she had considered it and had come to her favorite conclusion. Play dumb and have a little fun teasing the poor, disorientated Darien._

_"Looove?" Serenity sang, watching his face gleefully for the moment when he would wake up from his stupor and begin to panic. Her fingertips fluttered across his cheek in a languid caress, her teeth biting lightly on her bottom lip to suppress her amused grin._

_And then reality had set in for Darien. His hazy happiness at her affectionate demeanor had evaporated, replaced by fear, when he realized he was not in fact dreaming. Why was she in his bed? How had they ended up tangled together in a web of soft sheets, their legs intertwined, and – oh god – she was only wearing a white nightgown. His heart raced wildly in his chest, his wide eyes bewildered and fixed on the ethereal beauty lying on his chest. The look undid the queen's channeled innocence, leaving her giggling wildly at the silly expression of alarm playing on her lover's face._

_Serenity fell back onto her own downy pillow, content on simply sitting back and watching his stages of panic with a highly entertained expression on her face. Darien quickly sat up, struggling for words, and turned to her. The loss of her warmth made him feel cold and his sudden panic only worsened without her soothing touch. Her amused expression confused him further as his brain raced to make some sort of coherent sense of the image he was seeing._

_"What is going on?" he demanded as the grinning goddess closed her eyes and yawned, stretching and letting out a dull hum. He blinked at her, didn't know how to respond to her, and his only thought was that this was entirely inappropriate. He sprung up from the bed, stumbling to stand, and stood back. His eyes watched her, waiting for her to offer some sort of clue as to what the hell was happening._

_He couldn't remember this feeling, couldn't remember when he had fallen asleep or where. Maybe he had amnesia? Considering that it was him, the conclusion was entirely probable. It wasn't until he saw the golden crescent moon on Serena's forehead that he realized she wasn't his same Serena after all. And the spacious room they were in, he noticed, was not his own. The room was bathed in soft light, intricate pieces of glass furniture lining the walls. Scattered over the tops of the glass furniture were picture frames and objects he didn't recognize. The room was especially large, a sitting room resting on one end, several doors located on the walls. Flowers, roses and lilies and pink blossoms were everywhere, giving the room a floral fragrance. Mirrors reflected his image – was he taller? Was his hair different? - and sheer white curtains let in fresh air from the door leading out to a balcony._

_Maybe this was some vivid memory of a past life, maybe it was a dream, maybe this was some cosmic joke._

_And then his little beauty's eyes had fluttered open, and he was trapped in her gaze. It smothered him. Even with the startling look of amusement still set in her eyes, he could tell they were different. Serena's eyes he knew more than anything else. He knew how they sparkled like sapphires when she was delighted, how they shined, and how they were filled with love. But these eyes were different and the same, all at once. And he could only find one word to describe them as he stared into them. Intense._

_Yes, he was dreaming. Some sort of lucid, detailed dream of his past life. Surely._

_"Darien." She sighed, sitting up and brushing a pale strand of golden silver hair from her eyes. She had said his name, his current name, it must be Serena. He still stumbled over his own thoughts, still felt the rapid beating of his heart, and the uncertainty of her. And his fear was slowly picking up speed. Where was he? Was this really his Serena?_

_"Serena?" Even the careful whisper of her name came out sounding quiet and distressed as he repeated, "What's going on?"_

_She opened her grinning mouth to say something, but was cut off promptly by the sound of the door being pushed open, followed by the echoing of tiny footsteps._

_"Daddy!" a toddler sung, sweet voice oddly familiar as Darien spun around to face the giggling girl. Somehow, he knew she was greeting him, that her squeal of delight was at his expense. Somehow, it made his heart bloom. The little girl promptly bounced at him, tiny hands grabbing onto him as she clutched at his pajama bottoms in demand for him to pick her up, "Mornin- Morning Da-ddeee!"_

_He stared down at the pink-haired child, recognizing her as Rini, but was mystified at how small she was. Her hair was shorter, sporting only tiny buns with strawberry ringlets of hair, and she looked to be hardly older than three. He blanched, looking down at her and asking oddly, "Rini?"_

_The little girl simply blinked, looking from her Dad to her laughing mother as she asked in an unsure giggle, "Who?"_

_"Good morning, Small Lady." Serenity chirped, reaching over to scoop up the petite princess from the edge of the bed. Serenity snuggled her daughter close to her chest, pressing a kiss to her hair and giving her the most adoring beam he had ever seen. Darien watched, now downright perplexed, with an odd warmth building up in his chest. A small smile found its way through the confusion of his mind, onto his lips. Perhaps he liked this dream, it was full of love and family._

_Wait, Small Lady?_

_"What is going—" He began again, this time demanding an explanation, before Serenity clearly cut him off._

_"Welcome to the thirtieth century, Darien."_

.

.

**Twentieth Century: Tokyo**

"Sooooooooo," Serena began, crinkling her nose and placing a hand on her head as she stared at him, "What now?"

Good question. Now there was recognition, now she knew what was going on. So then what? What came next, what were they supposed to do? How was she supposed to act around him? He wasn't Darien, but he was still him. Still someone she loved with her whole heart, someone she cherished. But she didn't really know him, not like he surely knew her. She was baffled, unsure, self-conscious, and insecure around this king.

Endymion grinned at her, finding her hesitancy adorable. He casually shrugged his shoulders, picking one strand of golden hair from his shirt, off his shoulder. Serena almost laughed at how Darien the gesture was. His voice came out smooth, the warmth in his eyes resonating in his tone, "Well, love, what were you and Darien going to do today, hmm?"

Serena blinked at him. What were her and Darien going to do today? She was finding it hard to remember. Too much of everything that had just sunk in was occupying her mind, any details from any other time were of indistinct unimportance in her mind's eye. But what were they going to do? Oh! They were going to the park, they were going to go shopping. And Darien had needed to get groceries. But, surely, she and Endymion couldn't do that. Outrageous. He was the King of Earth, he was her future husband, he had a_ kid_. It was too bizarre to imagine him doing the mundane activities she and Darien did in their time together.

Yet the idea thrilled her. She wanted to drag the King of Earth around Tokyo, wanted to make him buy her ice cream and buy paper towels for Darien. She liked how normal it sounded, when things were so odd. She liked the idea that this Darien had done a lifetime, an extended one at that, of ordinary activities with her.

"I dunno." She supplied, lips falling into a small grin, "We were planning on just hanging out. We were going to go to the park and Darien wanted to go grocery shopping."

How were they talking so casually about Darien, like he wasn't him? She didn't know.

"Then that is what we will do." He stated firmly, dark cobalt eyes dancing as he headed towards the door. He put his hand on the bronze handle of the door, pulling it open and stepping aside. He gestured for her to go, shooting her a charming smile and chuckling softly as she complied with an eye roll.

The elevator ride down was quiet. And, of course, Serena didn't like quiet. She sighed, placing her hands on her hips and tapping her fingertips on her sides. He watched the novelty in interest, Serenity was far better at pretending she wasn't impatient. She, meanwhile, willed the elevator to go faster – which only seemed to make the ride go slower. But she didn't like waiting, didn't like being confined in elevators. She spared a look at Endymion, who was watching her frustration with an overly amused smirk. He sniggered at her impatience. She stared back, face blank.

"This is awkward, King Endymion." She stated shortly, letting out a small huff as her eyes returned resolutely to the doors.

Endymion frowned at the title. It wouldn't do.

"Please, _please_ do not call me that, Princess." He said seriously, opening his mouth to say something but being cut off as the elevator chimed. Serena bounced to the door, almost stepping out before Endymion gently grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Wrong floor, Serena." He explained as she reluctantly let him pull her back. As if she didn't believe him, she looked up at the highlighted number on the elevator buttons. Third floor.

Serena cleared her throat as a young couple stepped onto the elevator, pointedly ignoring the two. She looked up at Endymion tritely, admitting unenthusiastically, "Oh. Third floor. Right."

He grinned, continuing their conversation easily, as if the other two occupants of the elevator weren't there, "Serenity only calls me that when she is pretending to be cross."

Serena eyed the brunette couple as if expecting them to be shocked by his presence. But then she remembered she was the only one who knew who he was and that they had no way of knowing that Endymion was from the future, a thousand years old, Tuxedo Mask, the reincarnation of an ancient prince, and the King of Earth. She looked back at him, carefully asking, "What do I…What does _she_ call you, like, normally?"

They were on the ground floor and when the elevator opened, Serena was hesitant to step out. After letting the other two persons in the elevator exit, Endymion lightly poked Serena in the side, nudging her out of the door before it could close. She stared at him, at loss as to how to respond to his playfulness, her brows pulling together as he put his arm around her shoulder and led her out onto the street. The gesture was surprisingly friendly, comfortable, not at all uncomfortable like she thought it should be. It was like when Darien did it. But should it be? He wasn't Darien, he was Endymion. They were different.

Weren't they?

"She calls me Endy." The king replied, distracted by the Tokyo that surrounded them. He took in the changed air, the cars, the cracked pavement, and the unseeing passerbys. It was so unfamiliar it made him disoriented; he couldn't ever remember Tokyo being as such. The everyday environment must have escaped him, must have been lost not only literally but in his mind as well with the formation of Crystal Tokyo. This Tokyo had vanished in the glory of its future counterpart. It was hectic and fast paced in a way the easy city he resided over was not, it was as chaotic as his home was orderly.

It was kind of nice.

"Endy."

He was called from his thoughts by the sound of Serenity calling his name. But, no, it was Serena testing the sound of it on her lips.

She found it surprisingly delightful. The sound rolled perfectly, having an odd effect on her heart. She repeated it quietly, stepping closer to Endymion as they moved down the sidewalk, avoiding pedestrians. "Endy." It sounded like a name whispered in your sleep. It filled her with a sudden happiness, saying it made her smile tenderly. A memory flashed in her mind of the Silver Millennium, of that name whispered underneath a sheet of stars and a blue and green orb. It surprised her, the memory of her prince holding her. Serena did not remember much from that time, her memories as Princess Serenity were only a few unclear fractions of semblance. She remembered a vague outline of the woman that was her mother, the friendship between her and her guardians, she remembered dancing with a masked man, and recalled with stunning clarity the acute pain of loss and then the lesser ache of dying. Most of all she remembered his eyes, the touch of his lips, the sound of his voice.

"I used to call you that." She mused in a gentle murmur, almost drowned out by the sounds of the city.

Endymion forgot Tokyo, smiling at her with images from his own memory playing in his mind. He remembered much more than she did about their past lives, he remembered every breath he had ever taken as the Prince of ancient Earth. He remembered the very first time he had ever laid eyes on her and every moment he had shared with her since. He remembered every second they had shared, he remembered her voice whispering his name.

"You did." He agreed, sensing her reverie through their soul bond and seeing an outline of the memory that had been sparked by her nickname for him. He felt the sadness that came with all memories, good and bad, of that time; the grief she felt like an dull ache whenever she remembered her former existence. He pressed a quick kiss to her golden hair, looking back in front of him as he tried to send a sense of peaceful calm to her through their bond.

They fell into an easy silence as they walked, Serena guiding their steps through the street blocks in route to her favorite park. They both were caught up in their own thoughts, musing at the oddity that had put them where they were.

A long moment passed.

"And what did you call me?" Serena asked him over her shoulder, tugging him forward in the crowd towards the approaching patch of green. She was curious, eager to know more about the life they shared. The life she didn't know about.

His lips twitched into a smirk as he leaned forward, close enough to make her blush, and stated simply, "_Mine_."

She shot him a look that said, while she appreciated the response, that was not going to cut it.

He had seen that look on Serenity often.

He sighed , dropping his arm from her shoulders to take her hand. He hurried ahead of her, towards the trees and patches of grass ahead of them, and listed off, "Sere. Serena. Bunny. Darling. Tiny. My love. Buns. Honey. My queen."

She blushed. She did love nicknames, and the sound of them rolling off his tongue made her shiver.

"Meatball head." He finished teasingly, squeezing her hand as they stepped onto the shaded walkway of the park.

Serena forced a frown, though her lips trembled, threatening to fall into a grin. She turned her head away from him, her two long ponytails flipping, "Hmph."

"I call you many things." Endymion said softly, pulling her closer and stopping abruptly underneath a large elm tree. He placed a finger under her chin, slowly turning her face back to his as he noted that she looked lovely, her aura projecting a youthful glow. He took her other hand, looking down on her with a gentle glance. His tiny wife was beautiful, she always had been. And though he knew it shouldn't still feel the same, it did. She took his breath away.

He wanted to kiss her. So badly.

She lost her voice, blushing under the intensity of his stare and briefly glancing down at her sandals. She peaked up at him through her eyelashes and asked breathlessly, "What do you _mostly_ call me."

He considered this as he watched the rosy tint blushing her cheeks. He called her Serenity, mostly. But her flush warmed him, made him feel at home in this strange Tokyo. He leaned closer, his breath tickling her skin as he placed a kiss to her forehead and murmured, "My little bunny."

Her eyes closed and she inhaled sharply, feeling goose bumps on her arms. "It's adorable. I love it." She admitted softly, baby blues fluttering open with a fond gaze.

"You do." He agreed, his mind telling him to pull back and stop touching her. He couldn't bring himself to break contact, though, couldn't bear to be an inch farther away. He was already not close enough. But he was, in reality, breaking too many rules. He shouldn't be this intimate with her, it wasn't fair to Serenity.

Although, God knows she was in the future torturing poor Darien.

"Now, Princess, why don't we go –" He was about to make some suggestion, some utterance about taking a walk or something equally trivial. But he never got to finish.

"HEY! It's Darien and Serena!"

Oh no. It was the girls, he could see them over Serena's shoulder. A colorful bunch of giggling, grinning sixteen-year-old girls.

He wanted to throw Serena over his shoulder and haul her away, because she was his for the day and he didn't want to share her. He considered doing so, his mind begging him to run with her until the other girls were gone. He tried to rationalize their flight in his mind, telling himself that it would be too hard to explain and that they would surely ask questions he could not answer. But, in all honesty, he simply did not want to waste what little time he had with his future queen playing babysitter to her friends.

They were always ruining their moments. If he could only count the number of times they hadn't knocked, had walked in on them, had interrupted a date or ruined a touching moment. Mina was the worst, but even Amy had at one time had stumbled upon them in a compromising position. Granted, that was not her fault, because the library had always been Amy's domain. But it was the principle of it.

Still, he didn't want to share. But how could he tell them to go away? They never listened to him and Serenity never wanted to hurt their feelings. Would he be stuck listening to their feminine babble all day, would he have to be content at not being alone with Serena? Would he only be allowed to stare at her, never touch?

Perhaps that would not be so bad. Serena was as adorable as Serenity was beautiful. He could fill up a day simply staring at her, it was entirely manageable. But no, he wanted to tease her too. He wanted to make her blush and hear her musical laughter and listen to the ridiculous stories she formulated.

But how was he going to get the approaching warriors off their back?

Funnily enough, he did not need to. Serena had it covered.

Endymion didn't have time to comprehend that she had tackled him into a nearby bush and that she was now pulling him into the thick briar of vegetation. All he could see was gold and green, all he could feel we her small body and the sharp sting in his back.

What the hell?

And with the frantic, determined look set on her features, he knew exactly what she was trying to do. And despite the fact that she had just physically assaulted him and had caused Darien's body quite a few new scratches and bruises – he beamed at her. So his little princess didn't want to share him, huh? Just as much as he didn't want to share her. It made an arrogant, all knowing smirk appear on his face as she glowered at him from her oddly angled seat in the bushes. Score one, King Endymion. Sailor Scouts, zero. He was giddy at the idea that she was apt to abandon her friends for him. Serenity's chiding voice in the back of his head he ignored, he really didn't care if he was being selfish. This was his day, wasn't it? Fate had given it to them, they didn't have to share it.

If that meant hiding in shrubbery to avoid four magically enabled teenage girls, they would do it.

Oh god, was that her idea of _hiding_?

Obviously, he had to find a better place for them to hide. Or maybe they could just run away? The Scouts would not be fooled so easily and it must have been quite obvious to them that they had simply dived out of sight – they had seen them, for God's sake. Endymion grabbed her hand and pulled back a thick patch of leaves for Serena, gesturing her to continue inward into the bramble. If they were going to hide in bushes of all things, they were going to do it well.

"Hey! I'm not going in there." She declared impudently, glare still firmly set in her eyes as she refused to move further into what she could only assume was an endless tangle of leaves and branches. Endymion, however, hoped they would come out on the other side.

He raised one dark eyebrow at her, reminding her in a slow, even tone, "May I remind you, Serena, that you are the one who pushed me into the bushes." She frowned.

"But…we needed to hide!" Serena tossed her hands up, only to earn herself a few scratches, and let out a small wail.

He stared at her and crawled farther, mumbling while looking back at her, "And that is what we are doing." He paused, tugging her with him as he suggested in a whisper, "Now hush, they will hear you."

She opened her mouth to disagree, but he stopped that. Endymion quickly covered her mouth with his palm, grinning devilishly at the shocked expression caught in her eyes. Shock soon turned to amusement, amusement to annoyance when his hand remained pressed over her lips. She sent him a glare, a silent command to let go of her. Which he promptly ignored.

"Are you going to be quiet, Serena?" Endymion questioned silkily, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered it to her. She quivered at the feeling of his hot breathe on her skin, the pleasant feeling only fueling her annoyance. How dare he be attractive when he was being a jerk! She refused to respond to his question.

A mischievous twinkle flickered in the depths of her blue eyes. He saw it, realizing what her next move would be. Oh, she was far too predictable in combat.

So Serena licked his palm, attempting to get him to free her. It always worked on Sammy, who would shriek in disgust. She felt success, fully anticipating him to drop his hand from her mouth in disgust.

"Your tongue does not bother me." He grinned widely, amused by her antics. He felt the wetness of her tongue once again lash against his palm in attempt to make him drop it from her mouth.

Would she have pulled such a bold move on Darien? No, he would never have clasped his hand over her mouth. He tried quite hard not to touch her.

He really was probably enjoying the familiar feeling of her tongue across his skin more than he should have.

Her tongues movement slowed, its tip poking his palm as she sighed out a frustrated groan. Then she stopped, completely, her eyes burning with frustration. And, though he doubted she even realized it herself – amusement. In defeat she crossed her arms, eyes darting up to the leaves and branches above them as she refused to look at him.

He chuckled.

And after a long moment of standing there, his hand clasped over her mouth, she began her next attack - her assault with her teeth. Her lips parted, tiny teeth barely scraping across his hand in an attempt to seize and squeeze his skin between her fangs.

"Nor do your teeth." He added cheerily, after a silent moment he added in a low whisper, "Now, Princess, do you concede? Be quite quiet. Mars' senses are sharp, she would spot us. And as much as I adore those girls, I really just want to be with you for now. Okay?"

Serena considered this, then nodded. He dropped his hand, now thoroughly dampened, and fearlessly wiped it off on her arm. She swatted him in the side with a broken branch in retaliation.

They heard the shuffle of feet and stilled.

"SEREEEEEENA! We totally saw you!" Came Mina's voice, the sound far too close.

Endymion knew they would need to improvise, or be caught.

He sighed, shaking his head as he gently pushed Serena out the other side of the bushes. Raye's exasperated tone came next as she rationalized to the two royals, "We know you two are hiding."

Serena tumbled out on the other side of the bushes, Endymion crawling out after her. He quickly sprung up, grinning madly at the four girls staring at him from just a few steps away, just on the other side of the mangled, poorly abused plant. He winked, waving in a gesture that was somewhat like a salute before grabbing the disoriented Serena's hand and tugging her up.

"Good afternoon, ladies." He greeted with good cheer as he quickly sprinted off in the opposite direction with a stumbling Serena in tail, calling out without looking back at them, "Goodbye!"

The Sailor Scouts watched until they disappeared around a corner, a look of muted shock on their faces.

"What the hell?"

"Did Darien just—"

"Why are they…?"

"We just wanted to say hello."

They turned to each other, shaking their heads. They would never understand those two.


	5. Chapter Four: Envy

.

**Chapter Four: Envy**

"Every mental act is composed of doubt and belief,  
but it is belief that is the positive, it is belief  
that sustains thought and holds the world together."

**- by _Søren Kierkegaard_**

.

Serena's breathing came out labored, her left hand flung across her heart as she leaned over and gasped in a lungful of fresh air. Endymion watched, his breathing deep but steady as he snorted at the tiny blonde's exertion.

"Out of shape, Serena?" he teased. They had not run for long, maybe only for three blocks, and he wondered at her breathless gasps. When had the tardy high schooler fallen out of shape? Did she not constantly sprint to school, didn't she run to battles, didn't she chase around Rini and Raye and Mina?

She straightened quickly, sucking in a breath and holding it in a lame attempt to regulate her breathing. Her eyes narrowed, though her lips continued to grin. She huffed, "No! I'm just out of breath from laughing!"

True, those three blocks had been filled with the sounds of Serena's ringing laughter, making her catch the glance of every pedestrian they came across. "Oh?" he questioned with mock disinterest, eyes roaming the street they were on. A few sets of eyes still watched them beneath raised eyebrows, disapproval evident from their frowning expressions. The sprinting couple had drawn their attention and the pretty blonde currently huffing for breath still held their gaze, something about her making it hard for them to turn away. Finally, one by one, the onlookers attention was drawn elsewhere, back to whatever they had been doing before they had caught sight of her golden hair flying behind her. Only one man's eyes rested on them, an elderly man, censorious of the behavior of youth.

She kicked her foot into the concrete lightly, following his gaze to the senior with his hands on his hips. At her wide-eyed stare and smiling lips the senior's arms dropped back to his sides, his frown blanking as he hurriedly turned away and continued on in a slow gait. Serena blinked, eyes and mind slowly drifting back to Endymion. Her lips twitched as she chimed merrily to him, "You run pretty fast for an old man, huh?"

"Old!" He huffed, crossing his arms at her and wearing an odd expression she couldn't quite decipher. But it made her feel nice and made butterflies flutter in her stomach. It made her feel like she could do or say anything and get away with it.

She felt so light, like some heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. And so, so happy.

"Yes! You're, like, ancient." She giggled, her bright eyes lighting up as she poked him in the side twice, teasing cheerily, "What are you now, two thousand?"

"I am one-thousand and twenty-three, thank you very much." He replied shortly, standing up straighter and crossing his arms.

But his dancing eyes gave him away and she knew quite certainly he was only reciprocating her teasing taunts. She broke into easy laughter, sweeping the golden curtain of her bangs from her eyes, "And you don't look a day over twenty!"

"It's because I am not out of shape." He returned pointedly, waving his arm at her in some sort of reminder of her earlier labored breaths. Serena snorted.

Something about him made him so approachable, made her feel too at ease. It confused her, perplexed her, that she felt so strangely comfortable around him. He was a king, he was centuries older than her, he was infinitely wiser than she was. It should have made her feel inferior to him, make her feel unworthy – like how she sometimes felt when she was with Darien and he said a word she didn't know or bought a book she would never dream of reading.

But she felt so comfortable, so light-hearted and loose-lipped. She spoke without thought, laughed without restraint, and didn't have to pretend or be serious. He was engaging in conversation with her, he had those eyes so full of interest, and he made her laugh so easily.

"Oh please, I'm totally fit." She flipped her hand back at him, striking a pose and placing her tiny hands on her waist. "No, I told you, I was simply out of breath from laughing!"

Endymion eyed her figure appreciatively, then blinked as he forced his eyes from the curve of her hips. He scolded himself internally for thinking of the teenager that way, for looking at her like a husband would his wife. Somehow, he couldn't force himself to feel an ounce of shame. She was too much of Serenity and he was lost in some sort of dizzying nostalgia where it didn't really matter which Serena or Serenity she was.

He swallowed as he grinned, taking a step forward on the side walk as he pulled her along with him. She fumbled slightly, her sandal catching on a raised block of concrete. A blush tinted her cheeks as he turned back to look at her, questioning smoothly, "And what, my love, is your excuse for your many trips and falls?"

Her blush disappeared, replaced by a childish sticking out of her tongue. She huffed, stepping past him and hurrying forward on the sidewalk. He followed after her dutifully, not at all ruffled by her behavior as she stated blankly, "Thanks, Endymion."

"Oh, but you have so many other redeeming qualities, Princess!" he continued cheerily, draping an arm over her shoulders and planting a chaste kiss on her temple. "I mean you are adorable, right? And your hair is unique. And you are the best eater I know!"

She simply stared at him for a moment before increasing her pace, blank face turned in front of her as she peered at him from her peripherals. "And?"

He pretended to think, then shrugged lazily, slipping his arm away from her shoulders.

His heart was light at how normal it felt to tease her, how familiar there verbal sparring was. He felt silly for thinking that things would be different between them, for thinking that this Serena would be more of a child in his eyes. He only saw Serenity, albeit a younger one, but still the same inexorable soul. He felt for this Serena exactly as he did for Serenity, when he expected to see her only as a shadow of his longtime lover. She was still magnificent, she was still beautiful, and she still felt like his. He loved her just the same, he loved teasing her just as much, he found her mock angry frowns and lively eyes just as welcoming and familiar as he found her.

She was all the same and he was having a very hard time remembering who he was.

"Oh come on, Endymion." She tried again, smile snaking its way onto her rosy lips without her command, "You've been married to Serenity – me – for, what, a million years? Surely you can think of something you like about us...me."

"I suppose you are a good kisser." He mused, satisfied with the pretty blush that adorned the apples of her cheeks.

"Oh." She stammered, looking down at her feet and fighting the heat building up in her face.

He slipped behind her, leaning in towards her ear as he nudged her and stated kindly, "And you are a wonderful mother."

Serena's lips fell into a displeased frown, once again hurrying forward as they turned around a corner and she headed blindly along some undetermined path. "Rini doesn't seem to think so." She whispered into the air, the thought slipping past her lips as her thoughts turned away from the man staring intently at her.

Endymion stopped, turning suddenly serious as his eyebrows pulled together. He lightly touched her wrist, stopping her as his eyes met hers with somber seriousness. Her reaction bothered him, made his heart drop and his mood darken. He knew Small Lady and Serena had fought a lot in this time, he remembered their sisterly bickering and silly rivalries. But he also remembered the look in Mini Moon's eyes when she watched Sailor Moon and the way she always clung to Serena and not Darien when she was truly afraid or sad. Even in the twentieth century he had seen past their fighting, had recognized the utter adulation Rini had for her future mother.

Did Serena not see what he did? He knew she didn't, knew from the way Serenity had behaved when she was pregnant. Serenity had been terrified and joyful, caught somewhere from ecstatic happiness at becoming a real mother and terrified that Rini wouldn't love her, that Rini would think she was a bad mom, that she would ruin something precious. She was terrified her Small Lady would see her as Lazy Serena and nightmares of past arguments between her teenage self and unborn child had plagued her endlessly. He knew Serenity always regretted the foundations of Serena and Rini's tense relationship.

Apparently it troubled Serena, too.

"She didn't tell you that, did she?" He asked carefully, voice soft. He knew the sore spots, was practiced in pulling Serenity into the light to see the truths that were somehow hidden from her. He needed to show Serena, the way he had gradual shown Serenity. He needed to bleed the regret and worry from her, needed her to see that Rini and Serena were different then Serenity and Small Lady.

He didn't see how ironically that conflicted with his previous resolution that Serena and Serenity were the same person.

Serena's eyes were on him, but she didn't see him. She just saw the pink-haired preteen, scowling at her. It never bothered her how they fought when Rini was actually around her, it just was some normal occurrence. Rini would say something, or maybe she would, and they would both fall into a routine bickering. But when Rini was gone she would miss her, so terribly, and she would start to feel bad for being so hard on Rini. Rini's words would come to her and haunt her, though she didn't know why; they were things everyone said to her. It held more meaning when Rini said it; it affected her more deeply than any of the casual insults her friends snuck into jokes.

Serena began listing all the hurtful words, her eyes cast down at some point past him, "She says I'm stupid, lazy, selfish, childish-"

"Stop!" He cut her off, he couldn't bear to hear it. His own mind filled up with regrets, regret for all the things Darien had said to her and all the times he hadn't stuck up for her when Rini or one of her friends made snide remarks. Serena was a teenage girl and despite her inner strength, she was fragile. The remarks that seemed to bounce right off her didn't slide off so easily. They cut her deep, though maybe she didn't see it herself, and when she had slowly found herself maturing into the beautiful queen she became she was full of the words she had so often heard. He always regretted letting the name calling go on, because if it had ended or stopped short she wouldn't have had to spend years exhausting herself, working tirelessly and at her own expense to improve what didn't need to be improved in the first place.

She had taken ballet and etiquette classes to learn to be graceful, she read countless science books to understand Amy and Darien's world, had baked thousands upon thousands of cakes or cookies or meals. All to erase the letters etched on her soul, to wash away the adolescent imperfections everyone had so thoughtlessly pointed out.

Endymion knew Rini's words echoed in her mind the loudest, though the child had only been repeating the taunts the palace children, the ones who got to grow older while she stayed small, always made fun of her with. Rini hadn't known Serena was the mother she adored, not really, and she had never been able to think of her as such. She had resented Serena for not being her mother, for being so different from the mother she loved when all she wanted was to have that mother back. And when Serena hurled insults back at Rini, it only made things escalate.

If only Serena could see the truth, if only she had the centuries of reflection on it all to see what he and Serenity did.

"Serena, listen to me." Endymion began softly, "Rini loves you boundlessly, she adores her mother and she adores you. But you do not have the same relationship. To her, she thinks of you and Serenity as two different people. She never saw you as Serenity, but as some other entity all together, like the older sister she never had. She never meant any of those things, you know she didn't."

Serena's eyes cleared as she stared into Darien's face, but saw only Endymion. She let his words sink in. She knew they were true and she never blamed Rini, not at all. She blamed herself, always herself. She was imperfect, but Serenity was perfect. One day she would equate, sure, but the thought held no comfort. She bit her lip as she questioned with level solidity, a gentle sadness pouring into her words, "Are we two different people? Or are we the same?" Serena paused, biting down harder on her lip as she murmured, "I don't know anymore."

Serena just wanted to be Serenity. She wanted Rini to love her, she needed Darien to want her, and she wanted her Scouts to not be disappointed in her. And she had tried so hard lately, had been through so much to stay strong. She had faced Galaxia for them, had gone to the ends of the universe, had hid her broken heart for them. But she still wasn't enough. It bothered her immensely knowing that there was some other her out there, a perfect version of herself living out her dream. It didn't matter that it was her future, what mattered was that Serenity wasn't clumsy or stupid or immature. Serenity was what everyone wanted her to be, expected her to be. But how could she be that person?

Serenity had everything. She had Rini to hold and love, she had a world where she didn't have the ceaselessly fight the forces of evil, she had Endymion. Endymion who loved her.

Why couldn't she have that? It was a silly question. Certainly, she had seen that she would have that. But just like Rini, she never saw herself as Serenity. She was Serena. The blemished soul of a future queen and past princess, the shadow of something great. Everyone expected so much of her, everyone wanted Serenity not Serena.

Why couldn't she be Serenity? Why was she Serena? Why did she feel like they were two different people? She suddenly threw her arms around him, clinging to him tightly as she held in great sobs. She pressed her face into his chest, the familiar scent of him only heightening her loss of calm. Endymion was frozen, his head filled with her thoughts as the girl's emotions poured into him through their bond. He held her carefully, pulling her quickly into an alley – out of the street, out of the eyesight of others.

"Why? Why am I not her?" she questioned quietly, her voice tight from swallowing the lump in her throat. Endymion looked at her with troubled eyes, cursing that he had somehow lost her carefree teasing to her broken self-confidence. He soothed her gently, stroking her hair as he held her to him.

"Oh Serena, why don't you see what I see?" he questioned in a whisper, to both of them, as he gathered her into his arms. She tilted her head up towards him ruefully and he was amazed to see dry eyes. She didn't want to cry, she hated feeling that weak and low. He carefully brushed his digits across her jaw, continuing tenderly, "That is not a simple question, my love. You are the same, your heart and soul is the same, but you are also very different."

His tone softened further, "I love you just the same. What you are called, what time you come from – it does not matter. I would recognize you anywhere and all I see when I look at you is the woman I fell in love with thousands of years ago and have spent every day loving since."

"I love you." She blurted out suddenly with a rush of emotions, his words flooring her. She hugged him tightly, her arms securely fastened around his middle as she blushed red at her own words. Suddenly her worries about her being inadequate were forgotten, smoothed over by the love inflicted on her by his words. He had saved her once again, saved her from her own troubles and nightmares.

She loved him hopelessly then, more so then she could remember ever feeling before. It seemed forbidden, and she felt embarrassed by the slip up. She loved him, so much, but it should feel wrong, shouldn't it? She shouldn't be doing this, she shouldn't have gotten so close to him or said that. She felt like a child saying it, like the word didn't belong on her tongue. She had gotten too comfortable, she shouldn't have been so loose lipped. He wasn't hers, after all. He belonged to an entirely different her. And, she had to remind herself every time he looked at her like that, he was not him. Not Darien.

But why did being with Endymion feel so much, much better?

"I wish I could be like her." She admitted quietly, her heart humming. Her words held less hurt, her tone revealing only a simple desire.

Endymion smiled warmly at her, quickly pressing his lips to hers before he could stop himself. "You are her, Serena."

Her face remained heated, her lips felt like they were on fire. She blinked away her surprise and the sudden desire to kiss him that sprung onto her as she returned distractedly, "She's just the better, upgraded version of me."

He grinned at her words, sensing her distraction as his fingers played with a loose curl of hair by her ear. He leaned into her neck, unable to resist the temptation to press a butterfly kiss on the soft skin of her throat. "Are you…jealous?" he questioned silkily, suddenly distracted himself by the soft intake of breath he heard her inhale.

She was too adorable. He was having a hard time controlling himself and he wasn't doing so well at holding back his need for her. His lips ached for more of her skin while his mind hazily recited the reasons why it was so, so wrong to kiss her. His lips weren't really listening to reason, though.

She was so kissable.

"No, not really." She lied, eyes fluttering closed as she felt his lips meet her neck again. When he didn't move his lips from her skin she continued shakily, trying to form coherency in her head by speaking aloud, "I just…want to be like her. She was so regal and kind and beautiful. It seemed like she could do anything. And Rini loved her so much. I know it's silly but it makes me feel more…hopeless rather than hopeful. How could I ever become someone so…so…"

She trailed off as his tongue flicked across her skin, her eyes flying open wide. What was she doing? What was he doing?

Wait, why had she not pulled away yet?

"Perfect." he finished, growling into her throat as he squeezed his eyes shut tight. Her radiated surprise and frantic pulse pushed through his hazed brain and with suddenly clarity he realized what he was doing. He froze. What in the world was he doing?

"Yes." She breathed out, her arms dropping to her sides as he stepped back from her quickly. She blushed brighter, looking everywhere around the alley rather than looking at him. She struggled to find her thoughts and ignore the butterflies exploding in her belly. What had she been talking about? What was it that – Oh. Serenity.

A feeling of guilt and envy emerged full force from her buried emotions and the blonde quickly stepped back into the wall before scurrying back over to him just as quickly. What were she and Endymion doing! They were not supposed to be like this, not supposed to pretend that they were with the same person they had given their heart to. She was Darien's! He was Serenity's!

And that was where the envy came in. No longer was it about Serenity being perfect. No, it changed into something else, her heart suddenly affirming that the jealousy now rooted in something different. Because Serenity was Endymion's wife. This Darien, this man who she had teased and who had held her and had declared with conviction that he loved her no matter which version of herself she was. He was the reason for this burning jealousy building up. Because suddenly Darien wasn't quite what she wanted. Endymion was.

Maybe it was that he seemed to love her more than Darien did. Or maybe, possibly, that she loved him, maybe, just a little more. After all, he had all of Darien's memories, and then some, while she was only a small part of Serenity.

But that didn't give her a right to claim him, he was Serenity's! She needed to love him less, for him to be more distant. More controlled. More like, more like…Darien.

She burst into tears.

"Oh Serena." He engulfed her in his arms, feeling a pang in his borrowed chest. He could feel her sadness and weariness and confusion. Hot tears hit his skin, seering him, and he pulled back slightly to tilt her face up to his. He wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs, shushing her small sobs as she clung tightly to him. With the further contact of her sliding her arms around his waist he got a sudden snapshot of her innermost thoughts.

_Endymion loves Serenity a lot, does Darien love me that much? Why is Endymion just so much nicer? Why can't I be her? Why can't I be Serenity already? What else do I have to do? What do I have to do to get Darien to love me like Endymion loves Serenity? Oh God, I need to stop crying._

He hugged her tighter, kissing her temple as he murmured again, overwhelmed. "I love you as Serena and as Serenity. You are my very soul, the brightest star in the galaxy and the most radiantly good being I have ever met. You always have been, from the very first day I met you."

Her tears halted, but salt water still clung to her eyelashes and cheeks. Endymion smiled mildly at her delicate features, wiping her tears away and pressing kisses in their wake. He felt exhausted from the tide of both their emotions and from how overwhelming the whole situation was. This Serena was dear to him, precious and innocent and in need of him. But a pang of homesickness fixed itself in his chest and for a moment he pitied her, pitied her for all that he had that she hadn't yet acquired. She didn't yet know the happiness he did. She didn't know peace, or parenthood, or marriage, or the depth of their love. She didn't know what it was like to wake up each morning to see such beauty.

He dragged her in closer, nuzzling one bun of her hair with his nose. "This is about Darien?"

She remained silent, not knowing how to verbalize the dreadful doubt edging in her mind. The blues of her irises were brighter than ever – somehow, he noted, her eyes were always so exceptionally beautiful and clear after she had cried – focused on a trash can down the alley persistently, causing him to sigh.

She still felt like crying.

Suddenly, Serena wasn't so sure Darien loved her. Not when she saw so visibly how much he could love her, when this other Darien was stealing her heart so easily. Darien was quiet and lectured her. Endymion was charming, playful, loving, and open with her. He reminded her of the man she had first met, before they had known who they were. When he would tease her and call her Meatball Head. Now, Darien always seemed distant.

And maybe it was something she imagined, something that she thought of while he was gone for so, so long. There was always something hindering their relationship. Bad guys or their daughter or the Scouts or Endymion's dreams or college and school. Darien wasn't all that romantic to begin with. For someone who spewed haiku at monsters and flung roses while wearing a dinner suit, he was not much for romantic endeavors. He didn't like public displays of affection, he didn't listen to her, he didn't put much emphasis on holidays, and every time she tried to deepen a kiss he only withdrew farther away from her. School was first, she was second. She tried really hard to not resent him for it and in the end she really didn't resent him. But it was hard not to wish he would put her first or kiss her in public or stop being such a dad.

It was hard not to wish Darien was Endymion.

Endymion tensed at her thoughts, which were so easily heard when she was so close. He inhaled deeply, inwardly cursed Darien for being such a prick, and began carefully, "Oh Serena, Darien loves you as I do. But he and I have very different states of mind." Endymion made a face and grudgingly began to defend Darien, "He does not know what I do, nor does he understand himself. He has never had a family or truly known how to be affectionate. He struggles to find himself and to understand how to achieve his destiny. He does not know how to voice his feelings or show them, because they have been bottled up too long. Most of all, he is terrified of losing you forever and of not being worthy of you. He is too analytical and logical and tries very hard to reign in on his emotions. He is careful because he does not want to do something wrong and does not want to hurt or disappoint you. He is lost."

She absorbed his words slowly, eyes wide at his candid explanation. Was this what he had felt, what her Darien felt? It was a snapshot he had never showed her. He was closed off, introverted, a stark contrast against the annoying, infuriating, and teasing college student she had first met. He was more extroverted then, he laughed easier. Where had his laughter gone? Perhaps that was why she always felt, in the darkest corner of her heart, that she was only a bothersome force in his life. He always was interrupted by her, to save her, and she had been so overly affectionate while he treated her as a younger sister, to chastise and scold and teach.

She had never felt worthy and had always felt that he found her to be unsatisfactory. But what of what Endymion said? Was Darien truly just confused and lost? And why couldn't she help him find himself? Why was she always a guest in his life, always seeming to have to be intruding and unwelcome?

Her heart hurt.

"Serena. Princess Serenity. Never doubt him, never doubt that he loves you." He lifted her chin up with his index finger, his thumb tracing her jaw as he softly spoke, "He only needed some time to understand what love truly means and to realize what love is."

"What is it?"

The tiny princess was confused and hurt. She didn't know what to think anymore, didn't know how Darien felt. She was having trouble remembering Darien as anything more than what she was seeing now, a blur of disapproving frowns and cold arms.

What was love anyway? Was that it?

Endymion nearly broke at her defeated expression, closing his eyes tightly and stepping away from her. She blanched, she had done something wrong, and he massaged his temples. His eyes suddenly flew open, the intensity of their color frightening Serena.

"Oh Serenity, don't ask me that!" He called out lividly, a desperation in his voice, "You of all people, you know love. It is the essence of your very being, you radiate it. And for someone who had been raised with no taste of love, only a distant affection of foster homes, it is frightening."

And now she felt bad again. She was being too hard on Darien. She was betraying him by not believing in him. She hated doubting him and having voiced that doubt to, well, him. Most of all, she hated his raised voice and that she caused it. She felt scared, scared of losing his love or him pushing away from her. Was Endymion mad at her now, too?

"Will he…when will he see things like you do?" she questioned in a small voice, hands clasping and unclasping in front of her as she eyed him timidly. She didn't want Endymion like this, he still looked troubled by her previous question. And he was, he hated that he had somehow caused her to question Darien's love. He hadn't meant to do that at all, he thought she knew. Darien's love for her was unshakeable, it always had been, and he couldn't stand to hear her question the love her clung to, the love that had saved him from a life of loneliness.

But Serena was lonely too. He could see it, it was what caused her doubt. The invisible scratches and bruises of separation, death, and war were still written all over her. Hadn't it had only been a week or so since Galaxia's defeat? The wounds were still fresh, her loneliness from a year of separation not quite thawed away.

At least Endymion knew Serena would not be lonely for long. He knew Darien would come back changed, that Darien would no longer be aloof and preachy. The Darien as she knew him did not exist anymore, not after he returned from the future. Endymion knew that as they spoke, in the distant future, Darien was glimpsing what he needed to see to become what he needed to be. He would become Endymion. Perhaps he already was. Perhaps Darien no longer existed, even now. Perhaps now there was only two Endymions.

He took the opportunity to straighten, casting his eyes up at the sky, framed by the tops of buildings. He didn't want today to be like this, he didn't want what little time he had with her to be carried out like this. He wanted the teasing back, he wanted to see the beauty of her smile. He reached down for her left hand carefully, raising it up to his lips to press a feather light kiss to her knuckles and then to the pink diamond sitting on her ring finger.

"Soon it will click into place for him." he promised, linking their hands together as he motioned for them to head back out onto the street, out of the darkness of the alley, "But you must always have faith in him, always. He cannot live without you."

Serena nodded without thought as the pair walked out into the bright light of the street, the coolness of the alley now lost to the heat of the sun. She shielded her eyes from a ray of sunlight to look at him, questing with timid interest, "Am I too young for him?"

"That is not it."

"Am I doing something wrong?"

"Serena, he loves you." He stated shortly, frustrated with her for not forgetting about it as he wanted to. He wanted her to stop, to believe in him and Darien. He wanted her to regain her self-confidence and to giggle and grin. His lips twitched, going back and forth between smile and frown. Serena's attention was easily swayed, her pessimism and worries were quickly diverted by bright optimism or trivial amusements.

He needed a diversion.

He pulled her forward down the street, eyes searching the signs of the buildings for some distraction. He broke out into a grin at one particular sign, yanking her forward quickly to the end of the sidewalk so they could cross the street. Serena followed quietly, eyes on their interlocked hands with the slightest of frowns.

He turned back to her as they stopped at the crosswalk, waiting for the cars to pass. He turned to her, the grin on his face baffling the teenager. He motioned her closer, then leaned down to her level as he pointed at a building across the street. She looked at him questioningly before following the direction of his pointed finger, her eyes brightening considerably as she saw the sign on the window.

She grinned at him before he even said it, a pleasant giggle escaping her lips as he cheerily asked:

"Hey Serena, want to buy some ice cream?"


	6. Chapter Five: Taste

.

**Chapter Five: Taste**

"I like to see people reunited, I like to see people run to each other, I like the kissing and the crying, I like the impatience, the stories that the mouth can't tell fast enough, the ears that aren't big enough, the eyes that can't take in all of the change, I like the hugging, the bringing together, the end of missing someone."

**- from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer**

.

**Thirtieth Century: Crystal Tokyo**

_"Welcome to the thirtieth century, Darien."_

_While Small Lady padded into her adjoining bedroom to change into the frilly dress her mother had laid out for her the night before, Serenity explained everything to a baffled Darien in a somehow understandable rush of words. Her voice had lulled him into an attentive trance, the soft melody of it filling his mind and making him hyper-attentive to every detail she relayed to him. He learned that he had somehow, strangely, awoken in Endymion's body while Endymion had woken up in his twentieth century apartment. He learned that he would spend a day in his future, while the king of Earth spent a day in his past. His logic-seeking brain hardly computed the illogical truth of the matter, classifying the incident as just another strange, improbably reality that came along with being a revived ancient prince and an anonymous superhero._

_He realized, in the midst of Serenity's explanation, that he was really in the future. That this was truly happening. How odd, how bizarre, how strange._

_Serenity had halted her explanation to Darien when Rini had come in with a pink dress and sparkling red slippers on her fee. She let Darien absorb the oddity of time which had graced him with a day in his future while she went to her daughter and redid the buttons and ribbons Rini had missed on her dress._

_"Darien, would you get dressed while I do Small Lady's hair? Endymion's clothes are located in there." Serenity recommended lightly, pausing in combing her daughter's hair out of her sleepy eyes as she pointed to a nearby silver door with a crystal handle, behind which lay her husband's closet. Darien promptly stumbled into the closet to go change into Endymion's clothes at Serenity's command, still mystified._

_Serenity hummed some unknown melody as she heard the door softly close. Her skillful hands undid the child's buns, which were lopsided and frizzy from sleep, and quietly chastised her for not taking her hair down before bed. The toddler hardly listened and Serenity placed a small kiss on the child's forehead as she got up to pick up a golden brush and to pluck a blossom from a nearby flower vase. She returned to carefully brush out her daughters hair, which was not yet long enough to shape into the cone-shaped buns she would wear when she was older, and then redid it with the pins that had been in it. She then wove a red rose bud into Rini's strawberry hair, smiling softly down at her as the toddler locked her arms around her mother's legs, her eyes inquisitively searching hers._

_"Why is Daddy actin' so funny today, Mama?" The pink-clad toddler questioned, her words jumbled and slurred from the thumb she slipped into her mouth. The little girl clung to the silken cloth of her mother's nightgown, her tiny hand balled up around the fabric as she hung close to her mother. Her ruby eyes landed on her Daddy as he staggered back out of the closet, the bewildered expression painted on her tiny features almost matching his. She had never seen her Daddy act so…odd. He didn't talk the same and he was walking silly and he was giving Mommy the weirdest looks._

_Serenity looked down at her daughter, her fingertips caressing the top of her hair as she smoothed a pink curl. A delicate, twinkling laugh escaped her lips as she paused and leaned down to her daughter's eye level. Her blue irises briefly flickered to Darien – who was currently fidgeting with the buttons on the suit she had provided for him – as she softly replied, "Daddy is not really himself today, Small Lady."_

_Small Lady blinked in response, her naive understanding not computing the idea. She pulled her thumb from her mouth with a pop, unconsciously tilting her head at her mother, "Huh?"_

_The queen beamed at her little princess's adorable expression and, unable to resist herself, quickly gathered the toddler in her arms to give her a hug. Small Lady beamed back at her mother, silly giggles escaping her as she threw her arms around her mother. For a moment they stood like that, absorbing one another's comfort, before Serenity stood back up with a sigh, carrying her child up with her. She balanced Small Lady on one hip, pressing a kiss to her button nose as she carried her over to Darien._

_He had been watching the encounter intently, his fingers freezing in place from their previous motion of thoughtlessly undoing and redoing a silver button on the lavender tuxedo. His eyes were trained solely on the two, an amazed stare and a sudden shortness of breath making his world stop for that moment. He was mesmerized by the picture of his two princesses, who were being so warmly affectionate. He could not help but note Serenity's elegance; she seemed to glow a soft white light and her presence made him a bit tongue-tied. And Rini, or Small Lady as Serenity had been calling her, made him want to grin and laugh, her sweet expressions melting his heart. Seeing the two of them together, so intimate and close, made his heart do funny things. The feeling was one he had only recently been accustomed to, some strange warmth that occupied itself in his chest every so often. He experienced this same warmth whenever he held Serena in his arms or when he and Serena tucked Rini into bed. It was some sort of unfamiliar, unnameable happiness that he hadn't felt until he met them. Something he imagined was what family felt like, something so pleasantly nice and inexplicably fulfilling._

_And seeing Serenity coo at Rini, while Rini giggled and snuggled into her shoulder – Darien could not help but feel an effusive affection, nor could he swallow the ridiculous grin gaining ground on his lips. So this was his future? Waking up to Serena every morning, receiving Rini's fixed hugs?_

_He could live with that. Certainly._

_He had never pictured the future quite like this. Whenever his mind had wandered to their future, he always saw the kind smiles of the King and Queen and a beautiful gleaming city. But there was never any emotion but hope that he attached to the that image, there were no more dreams linked to it other than the happiness he had seen so clearly on he and Serena's future selves. The image had given him confidence in his darkest hour, had been a beacon for him to fight for, and was a constant occupant in his mind. An eternity with Serena, protecting the world with her, with little Rini to look after. It had been something wonderful to think about, something that never ceased to bring a smile to his face._

_But had he ever really imagined it? The answer was so clearly pronounced as no._

_His imagination did not at all match up to the stunning reality he was seeing, because his dream was not quite as beautiful as this. He had only thought of the big picture, the summary of what was to be. It was really just a vague idea, an abstract concept of what was to come. He hadn't thought of the details, the small things about his future that would bring him so much pleasure. The dream had never been something vivid, but this was a tangible taste of everything he ever wanted._

_He had never thought of the minuscule details, the trivial qualities of that future which would bring him what he so desperately longed for. He expected being with Serena for forever, raising Rini, and ruling over a peaceful world. Those were things that were easily seen from the small glimpse Rini had given them of her home, but they didn't scratch the surface of the true reality. He hadn't thought of how his future would not just be full of Serena, but also of those little things about her he loved. He would forever see her smile, hear her laughter, be captivated by her bright eyes. He would forever know the smell of her hair, would forever wake up with her in his arms, and would forever see Serena with her little daughter in her arms. He would have that love he wanted, the love he had been denied as an orphan._

_For the first time, he was truly seeing just how much Serena had given him by letting him into her heart. She was the key to his happiness, the mother of that world he dreamed of. She was the beginning of everything, the bonfire of life. He had always known she was vital for his very survival, his own oxygen, but had he ever fully seen how much she had enlivened him? What was he without her? Where would he be without her? Without her he was just a man, with her he was a king._

_She was absolutely everything. She was love, she was happiness, she was life._

_Had he really never realized just how important she was?_

_"Darien?" Serenity questioned, a knowing smile gracing her lips as she noted the dazed, meditative look in his eyes. At the name Small Lady frowned, both peeved that her father had drawn her mother's attention away from her and confused at the foreign name her mother had called her Daddy. The little girl had not heard her mother's vivid explanation of the situation Darien was in, hadn't been clued into the details Serenity had spun for Darien after she had ushered Rini to go get dressed._

_"Uh. Yes?" He stammered out, drawn out of his reverie by her inquiring tone. He felt his face heat up as he drew in a breath, trying to ignore the desire to admire the way her pale nightgown accentuated her curves and showed off the fair skin of her shoulders and the slope of her exposed back. Instead he focused on Rini's pout, his lips twitching into a smile._

_He never got to hear her question. After all, they were destined to be forever interrupted._

_"Serenity!" a woman's voice suddenly squealed from outside the room, accompanied by the sound of a foot colliding with the door and an upbeat exclamation of, "I have HOT COCOA!"_

_"With marshmallows?" Serenity called back immediately as she promptly deposited her giddy daughter steadily onto her feet. The two female royals fled to the door, racing each other with flooding laughter. Small Lady pressed her hand onto the door as if holding it shut, giggling wildly as Serenity paused with her hand on the handle, keeping the door closed as she waited for a response._

_He felt a sense of déjà vu. He saw Serena and Rini in them, so much so._

_"Nope!" the voice, who Darien then realized was that of Mina, cheerily replied without hesitation._

_"You can't come in then, Auntie Vee!" Rini declared defiantly into the door, causing the outbreak of a fresh set of giggles._

_"It has whipped cream, though!" Mina fake whined from behind the door, "Now let me in, Serenity! My hands are full."_

_"Should we let her in, Small Lady?"_

_Darien held his breath, watching the scene with delighted amusement. No longer was this brilliant entity some untouchable, future goddess. This giggling woman, teasing with her friend, was someone he was quite familiar with. And the tiny toddler was the child he had befriended._

_This was the Serena he knew. This was the Rini he knew._

_"Yes, yes, yes!"_

_Serenity quickly pulled open the door and stepped aside as a blonde woman, clad in an orange dress with a scarlet bow around her waist and in her hair, entered. Darien noted that she looked much the same, save for sharper facial features and slightly taller frame that very well could have been attributed to heals. Mina swept in without a glance in his direction, instead handing Queen Serenity an odd blue, crystal mug and setting a tray of fruit down. At first Darien found it odd that Mina was serving Serenity, even if she was queen. However, he quickly realized that the food was more-or-less to be shared as Mina took a handful of some indistinguishable purple fruit and popped what looked like a white strawberry into her mouth._

_"Good morning Princess!" Mina greeted in a coo as she leaned down to pat Rini on the head and give her a strawberry, "Did you have sweet dreams last night?"_

_Rini nodded enthusiastically in the affirmative._

_Mina's gaze turned to the frozen Darien, who stood watching them with large eyes. She sent him a quizzical look, one eyebrow rising at his odd expression, then turned to Serenity, "What's wrong with Endymion, Sere?"_

_Rini had the urge to answer, throwing her arms out for emphasis, "Daddy's sick, Auntie Vee!"_

_Serenity snorted in laughter, her sparkling eyes landing on the frozen man. Darien only stood, unable to make a move or take a breath. His thoughts were racing too fast and her very presence was a sensory overload; she was just as overwhelming as Serena. He had nothing to say in her wake, could not form a coherent sentence or string together a pathetic stutter. Rini's statement didn't even sink into his head, though his eyes moved from the pink-haired toddler to her mother._

_The queen watched his slow reactions in amusement, smirking slightly as Mina turned swiftly to Darien and questioned disbelievingly, "Huh? That's weird. You're never sick!"_

_Seeing as Darien was incapable of speech or movement, Serenity calmly took a sip of her hot chocolate, licking a bit of the crème from her lips as she stated simply, "He is not sick, Venus."_

_"Yah-huh he is!" declared Rini stubbornly, jabbing a short digit in Darien's direction, "Daddy is too sick, Mommy! That's why he acts funny."_

_Mina blinked, obviously confused. This was an odd interruption in their daily routine and Endymion certainly was behaving oddly. Normally, he would have sat in a nearby chair, reading a book and joining in on their conversations and teasing without even looking up from what he was reading. Today, he looked like he had seen a ghost, and Mina noted that he looked rather dumb standing there with his mouth open. Maybe he was sick._

_Serenity snorted, sweeping over to Darien. She made no move to reply to Rini's assured exclamation, not yet, instead delighting in Mina's look of confusion and the way Darien had snapped out of his daze to look at her for help. The queen was highly amused by the predicament, more so then she had imagined she would be, and her mind gleefully thought out several different entertaining scenarios in which she could place them all in._

_However, she decided that the fun would have to wait. She could feel the stress and bewilderment radiating from Darien, could sense the utter disarray of his mind trying to catch up with what he was seeing – which, granted, amused her greatly – and felt that she should probably cut him some slack. For now. She resolved to stop teasing him, but the moment she resolved it she got the thought to tease him further. She grinned at him, laying a hand on his arm and biting her lip to suppress a giggle at the jump he gave at her touch._

_Oh, really, it was too much fun playing with Darien. And she really loved that adorable look of uncertainty on his face. Endymion never looked like that. It wouldn't hurt to be a teenager for a little longer, would it? She didn't feel like playing gracious, wise queen today anyway. She wanted to be Serenity, or maybe Serena, and she wanted to make Darien stammer and blush in a way Endymion never again would._

_"What?"_

_Oh, yes, Mina was in the room. And unaware of the situation. Right._

_Serenity dropped her hand from Darien's arm, feeling a bit of triumph at the disappointed look his face fell into. She turned to Mina, then crinkled her nose as she carefully thought of a way to word an explanation that would not tip Rini off. The little toddler was too young to understand the paradoxes of time, even with Pluto as a godmother, and although she loved her daughter dearly she did not have the time to answer all of the questions that would surely come. And then there was the whole time line thing. She looked at her friend pointedly, cautiously replying in a slow tone, "Mina, darling, Endymion is really Darien today."_

_A look of confusion swept over the Scout of Love's face, then a flash of comprehension dawned. Mina's eyes went wide, her hands flying to her cheeks as she looked at Darien and exclaimed, "Oh god! Like, from the past?"_

_Serenity nodded with a slight smile._

_"Oh my god! Serenity, that's too funny!" Mina broke into laughter, "For real?"_

_"Indeed."_

_Mina scurried over to him, inspecting him carefully and then placing her hands on her hips, "No way! So you're really Darien, huh?"_

_Darien swallowed, surprised that he was suddenly involved in the events at play. He placed his hand – or, to be more precise, Endymion's hand – on the back of his – Endymion's, that is – head. He forced his eyes from drifting to Serenity as he regarded the other blonde studying him._

_"Yes?" he answered, tone lost between hesitation and weariness._

_"That's great, hahaha!" she giggled then turned to Serenity, leaning onto the Queen and lightly tapping her hip to Serenity's, "Oh my god, wait till he finds out what Endymion is up to in the past! You gonna tell him about what you and Endymion did back when you were sixteen, Sere?"_

_Darien snapped into attention. What?_

_Serenity's eyes went wide at Mina's intentionally suggestive remark, then blue orbs narrowed at her winking companion. She had just spoiled the game, a little bit, by bringing that up. Now she would have to be a bit serious. Drats._

_"Venus." She growled out threateningly, "Could you kindly come with me to help put on my gown. In the other room. Now." She hastily gestured to her state of undress, tugging at the waist of her white nightgown, thought she obviously only provided the command for a private audience with the woman._

_"Can't Darien help you with that?" Mina asked innocently, though she wiggled her eyebrows evocatively._

_The Queen of Hearts looked dangerous._

_Rini, long pouting over the lack of attention on her and oblivious to her kind mother's irritation, raised a hand up into the air and bounced on her toes as she sprung towards Serenity, "I'll help you Mommy!"_

_Serenity's hard gaze softened as she looked down at Rini. She sighed, feeling the frustration at Mina die at the sight of the toddler's bright, helpful face. "Of course you can help, Small Lady."_

_And then she turned to the suddenly emotive Darien, who was wearing a decided frown._

_Seeing the look on his face, Serenity realized that Mina's behavior might actually have made the game more interesting. She suddenly grinned. Oh yes, the game had just took an interesting turn. She smiled sweetly at him to mask her grin, giving nothing away in explanation as she took Small Lady's hand. With that Serenity, Small Lady, and Mina were gone in almost an instant, Serenity practically dragging her scout and daughter into her walk in closet. The distinct sound of her laughter came out muffled from behind the door, accompanied by the unabashed giggles of Mina and Rini's demands for them to explain what was so funny._

_Darien had gone pale, an unnamable, foreign anger boiling up in him. What were they talking about? Endymion was in the past, he knew that. But what the hell was Mina insinuating? What had caused the queen to react so?_

_What, exactly, was Endymion doing with Serena right now?_

.

.

**Twentieth Century: Tokyo**

"I wonder what Darien is doing!" Serena exclaimed cheerfully as she munched on the cone of her ice cream, attempting to nibble it down to the bottom, where the very last bit of chocolate awaited her. She poked her tongue inside the leftover cone, her tongue barely glancing across the melting chocolate soaking into the waffer. Despite her actions, she paid it little mind, eyes searching his face for some hint. She was incredibly curious as to what Darien was up to. Ever since they had sat down on the park bench with their already half-eaten treats she had been musing about Darien's experience in the future.

Endymion shrugged, teasing smile on his lips as he watched her in amusement. He had long since finished his own ice cream, vanilla, and her cheery improvement made him feel more at ease. He watched her determination in eating the thing in entertainment, finding her both incredibly cute and silly. He was not bothered by her question, in fact it hardly touched his conscience, and he made no move to respond.

The effect on her mood was obvious and while the ice cream was still being eaten her mind did not drift to things more unpleasant then sunshine and roses, but as she swallowed the last bit of the cone and clapped her hands together to sweep away any lingering crumbs, a thought struck her. She frowned, causing a domino effect. His smile subtly fell to a modest turning of the lips, a sigh building up in his chest. He hoped, dearly, that her mood was not going to swing back into negativity. He waited patiently for her to say something, resigning himself to regarding her aura and straining to hear her stray thoughts.

Serena felt unease and jealousy rise up in her stomach. At Serenity. She pictured the queen, her beautiful radiance and wisdom, and felt nothing but fear. Darien surely would see her and scorn Serena, would think she was just a weak imitation of the queen. He would see things as she did, would forever be disappointed that Serena was not the spectacle that Serenity was. Maybe he would push her away, be disgusted with her blatant imperfections. He had seen the queen in all her glory and surely after a day with Serenity he would fall madly in love with that perfect version of her. He would come back and find his princess was nothing compared to Endymion's queen.

She feared this greatly. She already missed him, already felt the distance that lay between them like the thousands of miles he had tried to place between them when he went to study abroad. He was never as open to her, never as vulnerable or affectionate as she was to him. And now it would be worse, wouldn't it?

It didn't escape her notice that being around Endymion made her want Darien to change, to be like him. Certainly he would feel the same way, but with her. She would have to try harder for him, would have to be better for him so she didn't disappoint him. So that he could be Endymion and she could pretend to be Serenity.

Endymion thought it was time to bring her down from her panicked reverie, taking the opportunity to respond to her previous exclamation, "Darien? He is touring Crystal Tokyo. Serenity is giving him a grand tour, I am sure. And the Sailor Scouts, of course, will be pestering him endlessly. Small Lady will be eyeing him suspiciously."

Serena's curiosity got the best of her, distracting her momentarily from her edging fears. Her eyes tore away from the direction she had aimlessly been staring towards, where a group of middle schoolers were throwing a Frisbee out on a patch of grass. Her eyes looked at him, focusing. Endymion bit back a grin at his newest successful distraction as she asked slowly, "Why would Rini do that? She loves Darien."

"Yes, but Darien is not her Daddy." He said, a bit of pride hinted in his voice, which softened as they spoke of his pink-haired daughter, "She notices that he is acting bizarrely and will not understand why everyone is acting strange around him."

"They won't tell her he's not you?"

"She would not understand. He looks like me, he will feel like me, and any explanation would not appease her questions. She is too inquisitive for her own good." He smiled softly, then added, "Besides that, Pluto thinks it is best if Small Lady knows nothing of our counterparts yet."

"Oh." Serena considered it, then nodded, another question falling off her tongue, "And what is it that Darien is learning?" _That she is better than me, probably._

He grinned, knowing he now could hook her in. He waved a hand flippantly, then rested his arm on the back of the bench, "Oh, I do not think I should tell. Time line and all that." He nodded sagely, eyes mischievous as he saw her own blue orbs spark, "Pluto would not approve."

"So you mean to tell me that Darien gets to gallivant around in Crystal Tokyo while you refuse to reveal to me one minute detail about our future." She threw back, smile biting at her lips.

"Pretty much." He returned casually, with a shrug and a cheeky grin for good measure.

She laughed and the sound made him breathe out a sigh of relief. She quickly stifled her laugh as she nudged him with her elbow and huffed jokingly, "You're sort of an ass, Endymion."

He clasped a hand over his chest suddenly, features falling into a look she had never seen him wear before. A dramatic look of mock horror, so unlike Darien. "Oh, do not be that way Princess!" he nudged her back mockingly, raising his eyebrows as he pointed out with cheerfulness equally foreign to his voice, "I bought you ice cream, did I not?"

"With your past self's money."

He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding once as he resolved, "It is not stealing if it is your own money."

"I simply stated that you used Darien's money, not your own." Serena stated with a growing grin, "Therefore, Darien bought me ice cream, didn't he? Not you."

"It is all the same." He insisted, nodding again and peaking at her from the corner of his eye. He almost groaned as he could see she had once again taken to thinking, which was proving to be a dangerous mood killer, but he noticed she looked calm enough as she observed a nearby fountain. Almost, possibly, stealthily she glanced at him.

Serena, expectedly, changed the direction of their conversation. She turned fully toward him, drawing her legs up onto the bench and tucking them underneath her. She calmly stared at him, pleasant look still on her face, "So, I'm going to ask you questions now."

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"First one." She paused, as if for theatrics, then continued with one raised finger as if counting off, "Does Darien kiss Serenity? Answer honestly. I'll know if you are lying."

He was caught off guard by her demeanor, as well as the question he had not thought she would ask so abruptly. Endymion ran a hand through his hair, not answering immediately. Grudgingly, he answered, knowing already what her next question would be, "I can assure you, Darien does not kiss Serenity."

Serena seemed to be satisfied with this for a moment, but he knew better.

"So does Serenity kiss Darien?"

"Why do you ask?" he knew, of course, that the evasive return question would not work. Truth was, Serenity did kiss Darien. Of course, it was only a small kiss, barely a kiss at all. Innocent. Serena, of course, wouldn't see it that way. He was expecting her to freak out at any moment.

Serena knew the answer to her question. Her eyes grew wide and she suddenly sat up straight, mouth falling open as she loudly squealed in displeasure, "No way! Serenity kisses my man?"

"Possibly." He replied cheekily, squinting his eyes as a ray of sunshine broke through the trees and landed in his eyes.

She was suddenly on top of him, her hands gripping his shoulders and giving him a shake as she growled ferociously, "WHAT? My Darien! How could she? Darien is mine!"

He was utterly amused by the burning intensity of her eyes and by how suggestively she was sitting. She was practically straddling his lap, and in a skirt no less. Her face was dangerously close to his, but the position wasn't particularly distracting to him. He was more interested in teasing her into a fit. He gave her a Cheshire grin, which noticeably fueled her further, "Oh, but she is you, Serena. So is he not hers as well?"

She let out a frustrated noise, tightly gripping both his shoulders as she leaned back and stated with high-pitched emphasis, "This is not the time for jokes, Endymion! Not at all!" Her eyes turned accusingly to him and she leaned in close again to poke him in the chest, "YOU. You know! You know what my Darien is doing right now! YOU know, DON'T you? Tell me now, Endymion. I'm…SHE'S…not seducing him, is she?"

He laughed profusely, tilting his head back and laughing full, deep laughs. This unsettled the furious teen, who sprung from his lap and positioned herself at the other side of the bench, crossing her arms and turning her dangerous gaze to a nearby trashcan. He bellowed laughter as he watched, finally getting out a solid return of a sarcastic, "My Serenity wouldn't!"

Serenity, as it was, was a terrible temptress. She was an angel in the public light, but the public would be shocked to see how skillful the goddess was at getting her way. She knew how to look at his under her eyelashes to evoke his sympathy, how to swing her hips to get him to follow her, how to engage him in a verbal spar that would undoubtedly end with her lips on his. Serenity knew how to win the hearts of men without trying; she knew perfectly how to look at him to make him forget his resolve and agree to her every word. Queen Serenity was completely capable of seducing the timid Darien, it would only take a tilt of her head and a touch of his hand.

But that knowledge did not bother him in the least.

He had no fear now, not like he had then. He told himself that he understood their relationship, had faith in his queen and trust in her. But her voice, his queen's, in the back of his mind told him that he just remembered his experience in Crystal Tokyo. That he simply remembered there was nothing scandalous that happened with Queen Serenity and Darien for him to be angry about. They had, indeed, kissed – but it was nothing more than a simple touching of the lips. And, his conscience reminded him, he had been just as afraid of losing his Serena to his future self as Serena was now.

His conscience also reminded him that he, as Darien, had been furious when he learned of the not-so-innocent kisses King Endymion and Serena had shared. But those hadn't happened yet! Well, not really. He had kissed her neck in a moment of weakness. Which was quite inappropriate. And he had almost kissed her several times. But he had less self-control then Darien and was accustomed to touching her whenever, and however, he liked. He had been married to her for a thousand years, it was hardly fair that he was now not supposed to kiss his little goddess.

He could tease her, though, he knew.

He noticed that she refused to look at him. To frustrate her, he slid down the bench and placed an arm around her stiff shoulders. She glared at the laughing man in response.

Unfortunately, her glare did not have the effect she wanted. He paused in his laughter, grin frozen in place as he admired her eyes. They seemed bluer and the passionate, albeit dangerous, look in them was adorable rather than scary. His grin softened, his eyes mimicking the action as he stared back at her.

Once again, he felt the strong desire to kiss her, and he found it very hard to come up with reasons why he shouldn't. Noticing the change in his features, Serena's eyes softened and she tilted her head at him in confusion. She didn't understand him, couldn't quite place the look on his face. She was caught up then in his eyes, in the way he stared at her as if he saw into her very soul – maybe he did. She held her breath, Serenity and Darien forgotten.

They were quiet for a long time. An easy, poignant silence.

"You are so beautiful, Serena." He suddenly breathed out, captivated by the way the sunlight hit her hair and face. He brushed a blonde bang from her eyes, the tiniest touch of his fingertips kissing her peach skin. She blushed then, she always blushed when Darien paid her attention, and lightly bit down on her bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth.

Endymion reminded himself that she had no idea how tantalizing the action was. She was no practiced vixen, no mischievous queen prone to seducing him into seeing her way. But he was utterly distracted by the action, despite its innocence. He didn't even have the will to chastise himself, the line between Serenity and Serena was becoming increasingly hazy in his mind.

She leaned against him then, her hands sliding to hug his arm, nuzzling him. The action was so familiar, so natural to him. She was always on his arm. Attached to his hip, as the Scouts said. For a thousand years. He didn't mind though. In fact, he revered the action. He too had the desire to always touch her, to always be touched by her. He felt more complete, more alive when she was near. Like her healing touch soothed him, like her lips on his breathed the very life into him.

He loved her affections.

And then she was suddenly dropping his arm, blushing profusely, stammering out an apology in a manner that starkly contrasted with the furious exclamations she had made not long before, "Oh, I'm sorry Endymion." Her blue eyes darted to the pedestrians in the park, none who paid them any mind. She looked down at her lap, nervously twirling the pink diamond around her finger as she explained in a rush, "I forgot you don't like PDA." She gave a little laugh, a joyless laugh, and looked up at him through her eyelashes as she placed a hand on the back of her head, "Silly me!"

He frowned solidly and she took this immediately as a sign of disapproval at her actions. Overcome with embarrassment at making a fool of herself yet again, Serena stumbled, "I really did forget, I seem to always forget, huh? I just…can't help it. I just like being close to you and it feels really nice when you're close to me." Her eyes glazed over, her hands clasping as she brought them to her heart, "And when you hold me. And when you smile. And when you kiss-"

The king cut her off with a kiss, his lips meeting hers in a rush of emotion. His hands went to her face, cradling her head with one hand as the other caressed her jaw with his thumb. Serena was too stunned to respond, but as she melted into the kiss her hands found their way across his shoulders, her warm hands pressing into the nape of his neck as she pulled him instinctively closer. All her thoughts rushed away from her, swept up in the torrent of thrilling happiness that washed over her. All she felt were his lips catching hers and the warmth of his body; her senses only detected the sound of her rapid heartbeat and – faintly – the taste of vanilla ice cream.

The kiss was a bit more than the innocent pressing of lips Darien and Serenity would share.

They broke away for air, their minds vaguely processing that they were in a public park, but they neglected to reach the realization that they were hopelessly swept up with the love that wasn't quite their own. They weren't quite in sync, not quite on the same level. Serena's memories, her knowledge of him, her vision of their love – it was not the same as his. But it didn't really matter to them anymore if they were in sync, they had never in any lifetime been able to resist each other, had they? Princess Serenity could never turn the forbidden Earth prince away, fourteen-year-old Serena could not bring herself to ignore the black-haired college student's taunts, Sailor Moon instinctively clung to Tuxedo Mask, and Serenity would never dare turn away from her husband. And Enymion could never resist the magnetic pull that drew him to her; not as a prince, or as a boy, or a super hero, or a king, or a husband.

They threw all their trepidation out, ditched the constant plague of a thought telling them they were doing something wrong. It didn't matter, not at all, who was Serena or Serenity or Darien or Endymion.

They could never resist each other. Never.

He rested his forehead against hers, fingertips going to her neck as her twirled a strand of loose flaxen hair around his finger. A grin was worn on his lips and once again he found himself to be a hopelessly in love young man. But this time he knew to accept it, to accept the love she so willingly thrust upon him. He knew to never turn away from her kisses, he knew what Darien didn't. He knew to savor every moment he had with her, because fate knew that they were always destined to be pulled apart suddenly and then just as quickly thrown back together. He had forgotten her too many times, had unwillingly escaped, however temporarily, from the memories of her he so cherished so many, many times. He would not forget again, nor would he forget to appreciate her. He would never forget to love her.

"Endymion." She breathed out, blue eyes fluttering open it stare right into his. She was drowning, quickly losing herself. For once, her mind was still, as if content for the moment to accept reality without endless questions and doubts. Her voice had nothing to say, though her lips clearly spelled out his name. The thing she wanted most.

He grinned, broadly, catching her lips once more in a rather chaste peck compared to their previous lip lock. He laughed quietly, easily, and stated in amusement, "Contrary to popular belief, I am actually quite fond of receiving your affections."

"Then kiss me again."

But she didn't give him time to respond, she had already closed the distance between their lips. And then they were lost.


	7. Chapter Six: Mind

.

**Chapter Six: Mind**

"Even now, all possible feelings do not yet exist, there are still those that lie beyond our capacity and our imagination. From time to time, when a piece of music no one has ever written or a painting no one has ever painted, or something else impossible to predict, fathom or yet describe takes place, a new feeling enters the world. And then, for the millionth time in the history of feeling, the heart surges and absorbs the impact."

**- from The History of Love by Nicole Krauss**

.

He tasted like time. And Darien. He tasted familiar, and yet so different. The feeling that engulfed her, that pulsing love that seemed to course through her – it really was very much like it always felt. In some ways, it felt just the same, but it mostly just felt incredibly surreal. Like some dream she could only faintly grasp at, or a lost memory. Perhaps that was what it was. For a moment, she felt as if it was not Endymion she was kissing, or Darien. But some metaphysical part of herself that had long been forgotten.

Of course, Darien had never kissed her like this. At least, in that lifetime.

She couldn't even concentrate on the sensation. Some nagging in the back of her head distracted her from the feel of his fingertips over the beat of her heart in her throat, the feel of his breath on hers. Like some giant wheel was turning, like she was on the edge of something. Something. What was it? Something on the horizon, but not quite in her grasp. Like Crystal Tokyo. Like you were forgetting something important. Someone important. She was lost in it as much as she was lost in him.

She felt like she was on the cusp of some great discovery, a striking revelation. Something made her feel an uneasy excitement, like a dazzling revelation was just at the tip of her tongue. Not quite formulated, but so close to there. She felt like she was on the edge of something that she would soon topple over and understand.

But she couldn't quite put a finger on what it could be.

And then it hit her.

It was not her lips he kissed, but her soul. Her entire being touched to his. And then she could feel him, all of him, not just the body against hers. But the golden rush that was _him_, that pulsed with life and called so strongly to her. His mind, she could call it, and all the things that made him who he was. She could see all of him, all shades of who he was, who he had been, and who he would be. And it surpassed physical closeness. With the beat of his heart in Darien's chest, echoing under her fingertips, she caught his essence tangled up in her.

Serena felt enveloped, completely surrounded, and a shot of fear spread through her before an utter calm soothed her. She felt him in the tips of her toes, in the palm of her hands, in the chambers of her heart. Mostly, she felt him in that part of her that was indistinguishable. That untraceable spot that seemed to rest somewhere, everywhere, within her, and outside of her entire body all at once. Perhaps it rested around her neck, within the shining crystal that radiated power and love. It felt almost the same, using it.

The world ceased to turn, all time stopped as she tried to reel in and name that permeating feeling. Painted in brilliant colors that didn't yet exist.

Endymion smiled into her lips.

He broke away quietly, leaning his forehead against hers. She quivered from his touch, awaking to the blinding reality in front of her. The feeling temporarily slipped away, as if it had never existed at all, and Serena was left blinking as his mind slipped back into hers.

_I love you._

She yanked back, wide-eyed, her hands locked on the cloth of his shirt. She didn't move to release her his collar, she was too startled by the feeling to notice. She couldn't describe the sense adequately. The opposite of a headache. She could feel him in her conscience, feel his being resonate in her mind.

She felt exposed and naked and raw all at once. And it was delicious and wonderful and too, too much.

But she could still feel him. Sharp and indistinct in her mind.

She didn't know where she began.

But the feeling wasn't what frightened her. It had been too much – but no. It had been that statement. Because words he had said before, the words she fought for and lived – she had never felt them ache within her like that. Had never heard their connotations drip into her mind and echo in the recesses of her heart. He had branded her, marked her very soul with the words.

And that frightened her.

And she realized, for the first time, how Darien felt.

Frightened.

_I loved you. I always love you. Whenever._

It was solid and unswayable and it flowed from everywhere, every when.

She gasped, pulling further away from him and releasing her fingers from their tight hold. But the feeling didn't fade immediately. It dragged away slowly, drowsily clinging to her and only slowly, slowly fading back. It only faded, dulled, and yet she still felt it there, humming for her. Humming for him. Red lips fell open, the taste of him still fresh on her tongue and fresh in her mind. She felt the gold in the background shimmer, sing. Like white noise of the soul.

"That was you. I felt you. In my head. In my thoughts." She pressed two fingers to his forehead in utter amazement, her thumb stroking his skin, "How did you do that?"

"Telepathy." He replied calmly, stealing another quick kiss.

"It's beautiful." She whispered in awe, still feeling the brush of golden silk over her. Her heart leapt in her chest, too fast and too tight.

Serena's fingers stroked across his face, her pinky grazing the corner of his bottom lip. He almost groaned from the sensation. She wasn't trying to tempt him, to be cute. This was her exploring, projecting her affection.

Serenity loved to touch. Her cool fingers, warm fingers, hot fingers would trail his skin, leaving cool, warm, or hot fire in their wake. But it wasn't only him. She was forever petting Small Lady's hair and lightly pressing her fingertips to her tiny little face as she dotted kisses on her cheeks. With the Scouts she was endlessly grabbing their hand, touching their shoulder, pressing them into an embrace.

She wanted to leave her fingerprints on them all, let them know how deeply she cared.

And occasionally, to reassure herself that they were solid, real, alive.

What she needed by way of physical touch, he needed mentally. He needed to feel her presence, feel her very heart within him. He needed her mind to brush against his. He needed that ever present silver tint to the universe, the presence that shimmered all around his heart and soul. At times barely grazing across him, at others completely swallowing up everything that was him and mixing up sunlight with the light of the moon.

He was weak and he ached for that intangible touch, the one that made him her as much as him. He wanted to give that to Serena.

He gave in. He always gave in.

Endymion felt, in general, morally ambiguous about the situation. He had resolved to never be dishonest or closed from her, to always be open. To follow his heart. He loved her dearly, as much as Serenity. Because she was her. But in a different way.

It was oddly thrilling, like falling in love with her all over again – though her hardly remembered that, hadn't he always been in love with her? She seemed new and vibrant and lovely. But it was not the same sort of attraction, not the same magnetism as Serenity. He didn't know quite what it was. But he didn't feel the urge to constantly touch her, like Serenity, and his heart didn't beat quite as fast. Her face was not right, not old enough, her eyes did not hold the knowledge he longed for. But some part of him desired this young girl, and maybe it was Darien. Some part of him dominated, telling him he was perfectly entitled in kissing her and holding her and loving her.

He couldn't find a solid reason why he should not treat her like Serenity.

And Serena felt funny, like she was falling in love all over again. Or, just like she was falling in love. She didn't ever remember a time when she was falling. It was always as if she had simply fell in one quick swoop, there was no lead up. Her memories were hazy and more like a story whispered in her ear as she slept, but she thought Princess Serenity had loved Prince Endymion from the very moment they met. And with Darien... well, he was annoying and then she buried her feelings and denied everything, even to herself. It was hard to say if she had fallen in love with Darien, or if it had just been a natural feeling she had suppressed because he teased her and got on her nerves. She had vehemently hated him, she had thought, but there was always that invisible blush that seemed to make her breath escape her whenever she thought of him.

So maybe this was what falling in love felt like. New discoveries, a thrill of pleasure at every new detail, the newness of everything. Because this wasn't like before. It wasn't like Darien. But she loved him already. Maybe this was her falling in love with these new aspects of his personality, or maybe it was the feelings evoked by this new closeness. Because the intimacy that laced his every word was very different. Nothing had been intimate with Darien. It had been up front and there and obvious, but never like this.

She felt like she was with her husband. And that terrified her in a way, and made her feel like a desperately unrehearsed actress.

But her resolve was slipping. The more time she spent with him, the blurrier the line separating him from Darien became. Her resolve to think of them as two separate people was slipping. And yet the differences between them were never far from her thoughts. With each passing second she could convince herself less and less that it was a bad idea to kiss him again. She wanted this king, her king, her husband. And wasn't he hers? Was he no different from him? Her resolve was evaporating, slipping, retreating. And she wanted him.

Him, not Darien.

At least, for a moment.

.

.

By the time they left the park, Serena's lips were sore from kisses, something she had never experienced before, and in effect she kept touching her fingertips to her bottom lip.

And the blush painted on her cheeks was due to equal parts embarrassment, pleasure, and shock.

Or maybe it was from the incredibly awkward knowledge that she had just made out with her future self's husband. Or that she had enjoyed it way too much. Either way, Serena had gone quiet and pink, her eyes everywhere but on overwhelming Endymion, whose arm was around her shoulder. Her thoughts were rampant, her mind in over drive as she struggled to comprehend reality through her over stimulated stimuli. She was incredibly thankful that the brush of his mind was temporarily faded, though if she concentrated she could feel it lingering in the back of her conscience. She ignored it for now, letting it fade until she could pick it back up later.

She was confused. Her thoughts consumed her.

There was the knowledge that he wanted her, just as much as she wanted him, though she hadn't a clue why. She was obviously the inferior of the two versions of herself he knew. She wasn't a queen, she wasn't his wife, she wasn't even out of high school. She couldn't understand why he accepted her affections, why he had kissed her. Was he trying to make her feel better? Did he pity her for so obviously being attracted to him?

The feeling of guilt set in, but could not make her remove herself from him. She sighed sadly and pulled closer instead. He coiled his arm around her tighter, lips brushing over one of the buns in her hair. She could feel his eyes on her, could feel him smiling at her, and fought the heat on her cheeks. So that was the continuous blush was all about. Him. Of course.

Did it matter if he really cared? Something in her told her 'yes', that it would hurt incredibly if he was just pretending. But another part of her realized that that pain would be nothing, nothing at all, to having him push her away. Like Darien. If she had kissed him and he had retracted back with a frown, stopped her, she knew that sort of heartbreak could not be so easily healed.

How would she ever be able to deal with Darien's constant withdrawal from her now?

When she thought about it, she realized that what really was awful about the idea of him pushing away would be to know that Darien could come back and still turn her away. Endymion, meanwhile, was supposed to be like this. He was supposed to be loving and affectionate and tragically perfect. He wasn't supposed to stay distant and mysterious and keep her at an arm's length. His willingness to hold her, to tell her he loved her, to kiss her – it made a startling hope ripple through her conscience. This was the man Darien would be, who he was supposed to be. This man would hold her, would tell her his secrets, would never turn away from her.

Endymion would never leave her to go off to America. Never.

That thought startled her. She hadn't realized she felt that way. She had fully supported Darien's decision to go to college in America, in fact she had encouraged it. Why? Thinking back now, it made no sense to her. Of course, even if she had been against it she wouldn't have made him stay – she wasn't confident enough that she could make him. But why had she wanted him to go, when it obviously was bound to cause her heart to ache?

Had she thought that it would bring them closer, somehow? Absence makes the heart grow fonder, that is what people said, right? Perhaps she had subconsciously thought that being away from her persistent trailing after him and saving her constantly would make him love her more.

There had been no one to save her when he left. Well, that was a lie. The Three Lights took the place of Tuxedo Mask, didn't they? They would come in, they would fight off that bad guys and save her from death for the umpteenth time. Seiya had took his place as her comfort, had even managed to cheer her up when her heart hurt too much to handle. He had made things right for awhile, had dulled the ache Darien had caused. But she couldn't give him what he wanted, she always knew that. There was something in him she didn't understand and she could not accept what he wanted to give her. Had it been love? She didn't know, she never knew with Seiya. She just didn't want it. She wanted Darien, wanted Tuxedo Mask to swoop down and save her.

But he had gone. He had left her. How could he have left her? Did he think she didn't need him? Did he think her heart wouldn't break in two the moment he stepped onto that plane? Did he think a ring could ease that pain?

And why had she let him go? Why had she wanted him to? For a hope of change? For the sake of maturity? Because she realized she could not stop him? Or for something else entirely. To prove to him, to everyone, that she was not quite as helpless as she seemed. That she could be strong and carry on, even if her prince was not there with her. To get stronger, to fight harder, to protect herself and her friends. She wanted to be good by herself. She wanted to be worthy of them, her soldiers, who all possessed such admirable qualities and unshakeable strength. She wanted to make herself worthy of Darien. She wanted him to come home to find her changed. She wanted him to come home to find Serenity, not Serena.

Serena wanted to change for the better, so that when he came home he would love her. So that he would no longer to tell her to stop when she went to kiss him. She wanted to make him love her so much that he would not be able to be brainwashed or turned against her. She wanted him to see that she could be strong, that she was not a child who needed protection. She wanted him not to chastise her like a father, she wanted him to want her. She wanted him to fight with her, not for her. She wanted to be a queen, because maybe then he wouldn't hold back. If she was perfect, he would be perfect too. All he had to do was be himself, to not lock himself away from her. Perhaps distance and water and college would be what they needed to solve their problems.

She wanted what Serenity and Endymion had. And she wanted it badly. She wanted it enough to break her own heart.

That sudden insight made her stop short, halting on the sidewalk and turning towards Endymion. She turned towards him with wide eyes, crystal tears sparkling in her eyes but not pooling over. He rested a hand on her face, he understood, and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. She didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say, so he smiled softly at her.

It was too soon to say if the separation had done what she wanted it to, really. She had not been around him as much as she would have liked since their battle. They had all forced her into bed for days, insisting she sleep, that she had used too much energy. They still thought she was weak, didn't they? But she wasn't. Despite it all, she felt renewed rather than drained. She had watched her friends, her allies, her sisters, her life – she had watched them all get killed. Slaughtered. Everyone had gone, everyone was dead. Darien, he was dead too. She had been by herself then. And something had changed her. She hadn't given up, but instead had fought harder. And in the end, all of those taken from her had been given back. Even Darien.

She winced and stepped closer to him. For a moment it didn't really occur to her who he was. The memory of that acute pain sliced her and it took much to make it fade back into memory. She wanted to see her friends then, felt like getting out her communicator and demanding they all come now, just so she could see they were all fine. That they were all whole.

Was she whole, though?

She didn't really know anymore. She felt whole when everyone was around her, she had never felt so complete as when they had all surrounded her, when she had seen they were all fine and safe. But what about now?

She had Darien, no that wasn't really right, but she had _him_. What about Darien? Would he be driven farther away from her by seeing Crystal Tokyo? Or driven closer? She knew she would cling to him harder, would now continuously search his eyes for the love she saw in Endymion's. She wouldn't let him go again, not ever, even if she had to tie him up and keep him hostage. He was hers, she decided, and she would do whatever she had to so he would love her enough to be himself. To be Endymion.

She knew this was who Darien was, really. She had always seen Endymion in him, had always been able to see beneath him the man she knew. Even when they had first met, when she had fully believed that flicker in her chest she felt whenever she saw him was hate and not love, she knew there was something special in him. It was even more obvious in Tuxedo Mask, who despite his illusions was always more transparent then Darien. Did he feel safer behind his mask? He was more himself, more like Endymion, when his disguise was on.

Darien was the real masked man, the real enigma.

.

.

"Serena, did you mention earlier that you and Darien planned to grocery shopping today?"

Serena's head jerked up, her blue eyes darting to his smirking face. He looked all too amused by her flustered demeanor. She frowned solidly at him, disapproving of the fact that he didn't seem too concerned about anything when her entire world was changing. In fact, he didn't look fazed at all, he just wore the same amused smile as he looked from her to the streets of Tokyo he had forgotten.

He was surprised that his inquisitive mind could not force itself to pay close attention to the oddity that was Tokyo. He should be observing his subjects – well, he supposed they weren't truly his subjects – and the culture he had forgotten of this era. He and Serenity had always been highly interested in the daily lives of others, in all those everyday people who got to live their lives normally. Serenity was always especially interested in the idea of normalcy and was highly amused by anything 'common' she hadn't had the pleasure of needing. He was interested to make sure his people were happy, to observe to think of more things he could do to make them happier.

He was analytical, he paid attention to minute details, and he was fascinated by people. And yet, all he could pay attention to was her. He only wanted to look at her, to study her.

He duly noted that he was wasting his time in his past by using it to stare at the face he had memorized, the being etched into his heart without any chance of erasing. He had forgotten Tokyo and all it entailed, true, but even if he didn't have her by his side for the past thousand years – he was sure he would still have a perfect image of her in his head. She was familiar, something he saw and witnessed all the time. He knew her image better than his own, he knew her personality and all its facets. Why was he wasting his time paying so much attention to her?

He quickly shrugged off that absurd notion. It was obvious. He was always entranced by her. He never tired of her, the joy she brought forth in him never subsided. She wasn't a story that got old after hearing it too many times. Somehow, this little creature could always hold his attention, was an infinitely interesting species to study.

He decided he would research Old Tokyo in the computers back home. He had something more interesting to study.

.

.

And then they found themselves at a grocery store, in quiet company. She held a basket, swaying it back and forth from two hands clutched together as she wrapped herself in thoughts and feelings. It was a pleasant contentment. And every once in awhile he felt silver grasp at him, poke him in the chest and leave a light touch he could almost physically feel fanning across his chest. She would look at him intently then, her head tilted to the side as her entire consciousness seemed to radiate a 'hello'. He would smile, letting her consciousness explore and prod.

She did it all slowly, languidly, only gently pushing forwards. Easing closer, occasionally making contact and then withdrawing.

She remembered gold reaching out and spelling words out into her mind. She tried to do the same to him.

_Endymion?_

He chuckled aloud and she refused to look at him.

_Yes, my love?_

And then she would retreat, hiding a smile and grabbing the closest item in the store to her and pretending to read the ingredients listed on the back.

They continued shopping. He followed her through the aisles and she periodically grabbed seemingly random items he thought might have been staples of his diet at one time.

_Do we need eggs?_

Serena stopped in the middle of the aisle, surprised by the suddenly crystal clear voice in her head. His voice. Eggs? The cold of the freezers blew at her and she stared at him. A moment of surprise and then a drawn, happy reply to test the waters.

_Yes!_

And then he nodded, grabbing the eggs. She immediately reached out without thought, taking them from him as he began to hand them to her. She gave a quiet smile and set them in the basket, dropping one hand from the handle to intertwine her fingers with his.

"What next, my love?" he asked quietly, near her ear, as he gently took the weighted basket from her hand.

Serena didn't hear him, too lost to know.

She smiled secretively and bowed her head.

She never realized one could love so quietly, yet so loudly at the exact same time.

A happy blush graced her cheeks as they checked out.

.

.

Endymion was caught up in his own thoughts, though he still kept a tab on Serena's emotions through their bond. Part of him really wanted to feel ashamed or guilty, but he could not force the emotion to be felt. He only felt light, the only thing keeping him down was the small hand in his. In a city so different, yet hauntingly familiar, it was a relief to see that although his world was different – she wasn't. She was forever herself and he had to marvel at the idea of just how very little she changed.

He had always wondered, when this particular trip into the past was mentioned, how he could have done something like kiss Serena. Serenity had told him of what she had experienced as a teenager, of how she had swooned over the future king and had shared quite a number of kisses with Endymion. The idea had first infuriated him as Darien, then confused him as Endymion. He couldn't understand why he would do such a thing, why he would act with such propriety to a teenager. In his mind, he had somehow thought of them as two different people – much like how he still considered Darien a very different person then himself – but now he could not see the distinction.

Serena was too much like Serenity. She was younger and she was a bit louder, sure, but her expressions and behavior were identical to Serenity's. Of course. They were the same person. Technically. But before he had never seen it like that. He had thought her a child, someone he would surely be fond of, but not someone he could feel the same dizzying love for. He had thought he would feel the affectionate tenderness of a father or an older brother. Or a friend.

He really should have known better.

He imagined seeing her again would make him feel for the past Serenity as he did about the Sailor Scouts. Serenity had a good laugh at that, when he had told her, and he had been a bit perturbed when she had vividly described a heated kiss she had shared with him.

He asked for her to explain, because he surely didn't understand, but she refused to tell more. He was left baffled by the idea of himself locked in a heated embrace, as Serenity had described, with Serena.

To his own horror, he realized that the actions of his future self, which he had never understood, where now taking place. Already he had kissed her fervently in a public park, already had he felt the same lust for her as he had for his wife.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he recalled something else that Serenity had told him. He could practically hear her breathing in his ear, giggling as she told him, "And then Endymion and I went back to Darien's apartment. And you would not believe the dirty things he did to me!"

It wasn't even some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. His actions were not because he knew he was supposed to do this or that. Serenity hadn't really told him too much, anyway. She had only teased him, painting the picture of a lusty Endymion after an innocent, but willing, Serena. Maybe that's why he had disregarded the idea, because it seemed so ludicrous.

And now it was all falling together as she had said. What more would happen?

He couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement at the prospect, then a sense of shame at his own feelings.

That settled it. He was a pedophile.

Or, at least, he would be.


	8. Chapter Seven: Lessons

.

**Chapter Seven: Lessons**

"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

**- by Rumi**

.

**Thirtieth Century: Crystal Tokyo**

_Darien shifted under Neo-Queen Serenity's gaze. He gulped. He bit his lip, an old habit he thought he had broken._

_"Are you five, dear one?"_

_"What?"_

_"Are you, Darien, the equivalent of a five year old child?"_

_His confusion was clearly displayed on his face as he stumbled out, "I'm sorry – what?"_

_Neo-Queen Serenity was amused beyond measure. She tapped her fingers to her hips, then ran her hands from the curve of her waist to her thighs, "I am standing here in front of you in a gossamer, slightly sheer, and incredibly alluring dress which highlights all my assets and you only sit there looking perplexed! And not in a good way, even!" she sighed loudly, "Can you at least pretend to be entranced by my beauty?"_

_He looked stunned._

_Serenity sighed, shaking her head. He hadn't even fumbled out a response to that one, and what was the fun in that?_

_"Darien, I thought this would be more fun. But you are incredibly dull. How did I even manage to fall in love with a creature such as yourself?"_

_He shifted his weight, opening his mouth and closing it. He finally admitted, quietly, "Serenity, you're prefect, of course."_

_"Try not to sound so excited." she pouted, crossing her arms._

_He pressed his hand to the back of his neck, eyeing her warily, "You're messing with me."_

_Serenity managed a smile, "I was attempting to."_

_"It's just...overwhelming." Darien admitted, taking a seat on her bed, "All of it."_

_Serenity sat beside him, gently patting his shoulder. She smiled at him like he had seen her smile at Rini – no, Small Lady. Amused, affectionate, and motherly._

_"I understand."_

_"Do you?"_

_"Of course. When I was just sixteen I had a man who loved me fiercely shower me with affection, making me feel like I had never felt before."_

_Darien knew this was an attack on his character._

_"I love Serena." He replied, voice tense._

_"You seem angry." She replied flippantly, neither amused nor bothered._

_"You're implying that Endymion loves her more than me. That's not true. He loves you, not Serena."_

_Serenity's smile stalled, "And because you said that, we both know that he does, in a way. Think about that, for a moment."_

_He did._

_But Darien didn't like the implication, or the way this conversation was turning. She thought that they were all equivalent, somehow. She thought that there was no great difference between himself and Endymion, and Serena and her. He didn't believe that. She was hardly his girlfriend, and he was hardly her husband. Who they had been or who they would be mattered, but they were not the same. She seemed to think the fact that he found them to be separate people as a misguided notion. But how was he wrong?_

_Then again, he reminded himself, she was hundreds of years older than him._

_He would consider it later._

_Darien rushed to redeem himself, to fix together a set of words that would make her see his point of view was not completely foolish, but the words ended up not being at all what he meant them to be, "We need to live separate lives, she needs to be able to live without me and be independent."_

_This slip had very little to do what they had been talking about, but revealed to Serenity what he felt he needed to defend himself for. She smiled at the simplicity of making him talk._

_"That is a grand lie and we both know it. You know of the future, you know some of what will transpire. Although you have only seen the portion of the future where we are apart, you have no reason to believe we need to live separate lives. Our lives, in fact, run together quite smoothly. They intertwine, just as they always have, and run the same course. There is no need for you to be apart from Serena from now on."_

_Harvard, they were talking about Harvard. The discussion he should have had with Serena, but which had never transpired. He had told her, and she had accepted it without question, understanding the situation much better than he could have dreamed she would have._

_He had made it right. He had let her known it wasn't the end, that he loved her even though he was leaving._

_That was what the ring was for._

_"It's just a year." He replied feebly, his words only gaining a slight increase in strength, "I want to study abroad and get a good education."_

_"Why do you continue to lie to yourself?" Serenity shook her head, "What you need to realize right now is that I know you much better than yourself. And before you say it – I know Endymion, and therefore you. You are a shadow of his past, but you are the same. The same soul, though not the same man. You change much."_

_Darien frowned at her, "You know Endymion, but you just said we are different. Your view of me is clouded by your view of him."_

_Queen Serenity was slightly amused by his frustration, by the barbed wire that seemed to shoot out from his psyche as a sort of self-defense mechanism. He was afraid, he was confused, and he reacted to that through frustration. She inhaled a light breath, examining his face, which looked so different with a younger him behind the familiar features. The same face as the day before, but with a completely different look._

_"Would you like me to explain some things to you, Darien? I am not trying to be confrontational, I am only trying to make you consider your actions, and see what motivates them. You are a very complex person, this is true, but I have had many years to contemplate you. And for many, many years you have bared your strengths and weaknesses to me, exposing your inner thoughts entirely. We have a sort of intimacy that you do not yet fathom, which I hope to explain to you the way you explained to me, but I cannot do so until you come to some of your own realizations."_

_Darien was quiet, considering. Her words made sense, and he could not deny his own curiosity. He was sure she had a deeper understanding of Endymion than anyone else could possibly have about a person, but he still felt so separate from him. Endymion was an idea, a hologram, and not a person. He had always existed in the same way the future had, present but untouchable._

_And now the future was here, right in front of him, and he was having a difficult time coming to terms with vague ideas that had never solidified into real images until they were right in front of him._

_"I'm trying, Queen Serenity, I am." He ran his fingers through his hair, the length slightly unfamiliar and the texture different, even through the glove. He quickly dropped his hand, yanking off the glove and shooting his eyes everywhere but on her. She was a distraction. Ever time he looked at her, he saw everything. He saw Serena, he saw what she would be, he saw his heart bared before him. Looking at her was overwhelming. She was like some great symbol, was something precious he connected to Serena without fully understanding why._

_Darien breathed in a steady breath, eyes returning to her. He felt a bit queasy for a moment. She was breathtaking and haunting, her entire presence seeming to radiate inner peace. She was the type of person who willed respect simply through virtue of her appearance, which told so much about the person she was. You could see the wisdom in her eyes, see the love she held through her movements, and her kindness shone from her smile._

_Serenity, like Serena, was the most complicated and beautiful person he had ever met._

_That was reassuring, at least. She never changed much, and that made him feel more comfortable. She wasn't scary, or all knowing, or unbelievable. She was real. And he saw, clearly, how this woman had once been his Serena._

_He felt at ease once again, smile flitting onto his lips, "I'm willing to listen."_

_Serenity lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. He shivered, and she watched him. Her silence lasted a moment before she began, her hand remaining on his shoulder._

_"You have distanced yourself from Serena. You need not do so, but you do anyway. It is not your fault, but rather is the effect of the person you grew to be, and perhaps too little reflection on the nature of your relationship. You have not thought about what you are doing, really, and it is not in your nature to question yourself." She dropped her hand to her lap, smoothing the shimmering fabric of her dress._

_"You see, you try and organize your life into the set ideas you planned as a child, because that was your dream. You convinced yourself that life had to be a certain way to attain happiness, and if you followed your plan just so everything would be wonderful. But that is not how life works. Life is never what you expect, and it cannot be simplified. Happiness, like love, is not always a simple matter."_

_"When you became Tuxedo Mask, you tried to stick with your plans. You remained diligently dedicated to your studies, even at the expense of sleep and your health. And then I came along. And yes, the Princess from your dreams fit into your plans, but you did not truly expect what you got. Your plans had been for someone graceful, elegant, and understanding of all your needs to come into your life. Someone to save, to be the hero for, and someone who was like a princess from a fairytale. That was what you expected, and so from the age of ten you had that dream in your head."_

_"And so I understand why it was difficult. You had always planned to have a certain type of princess, and I was not that girl at all. I was loud rather than quiet, clumsy rather than graceful, and too young to match your intelligence or maturity. I did not fit your expectations, and that frustrated you, because you hated divergences from your plan. You still do. By reshaping your plans and ideals, you felt like you were hurting that chance at happiness that you imagined as a child. It was not that your heart was not in it, because I have always known deep down that you love me, it was that you did not know how to accept the changes life threw at you when I stumbled into your life. As a child, you were not properly cared for. I was the first to care for you, to give you warmth and touch. I was the first one who ever showed their love for you, and you did not know how to react to that. You still do not quite know how to handle that."_

_Darien felt like his lungs were incapacitated, and his mind was reeling. He wanted so badly to deny it, to not be so easily analyzed, but it rang so true and fit so perfectly. He had never psychoanalyzed his actions, or really considered what he did. He was a rational, intelligent adult, and his logic usually led him to make the right decision. He occasionally felt guilt for the way he treated Serena, but he never thought about why he acted the way he did._

_It was because she hadn't fit his expectations. She was multi-faceted, unique, and largely unpredictable. That was what drew him to her, but also what frustrated him endlessly. He often couldn't comprehend her decisions, which always drew more off of emotion than logic – the opposite of his own personal philosophy. He didn't comprehend many people. He had empathy, and he always cared, but he couldn't understand what motivated others. That was the effect of not having companionship as a child, which manifested into an introverted personality as an adult._

_He didn't understand what motivated her to act the way she did. He didn't understand why she didn't spend more time studying, so she could get better grades. Didn't understand why her priorities did not align with his own, and Amy's. He didn't understand why she was not the way he expected her to be. It wasn't his fault that he didn't comprehend, because he had grown up alone and raised himself. He didn't learn to go to others for comfort and support, as Serena had. He didn't have friends he relieved his burdens to, who he shared his thoughts and feelings with. He acted and lived and worked without needing others. He had learned not to rely on other people._

_And this had made him a solitary person. And affection felt foreign, odd. And maybe he would seek it out, her affection, if it wasn't so freely given. But didn't need to go without it, because she always clearly displayed what was in her heart. And he didn't comprehend that what was given, had to be returned._

_Sometimes he felt like he understood everything that came naturally to her. Words of wisdom would fall from his lips, and for a moment his entire vision of them was clear. He loved her infinitely, he couldn't lose her, and she was so very precious to him. And then, when it was over, he returned to himself. The old thoughts filled in, with tests and midterms and papers, and suddenly the clarity slipped away. Crowded out with seemingly more pressing matters._

_After all, he could count on her being on his doorstep the next day, but he couldn't count on acing his next test without studying. She was a constant in a world filled with uncertainties. He could control his schoolwork, but she was one thing he was sure of without needing to control. She would always be there, just as he would always need her._

_He had no idea that the type of camaraderie Serena had with her friends existed until she drew him into her life, and he still didn't understand why people felt the need to be around others so much. Before her, friends were the people he studied with, who occasionally invited him to lunch. He didn't understand it at first. Why she would do things she didn't want to do, just to be with them. But that was the point, being with them. It seemed like a waste of time, to do things you didn't want to do just to be with the ones you cared about. Did you really need physical proximity or constant maintenance to maintain a friendship, a relationship?_

_A relationship was like a garden. It could survive without constant care, but flowers bloomed best when carefully tended to and loved._

_He realized his error, but had no idea how to correct such a simple problem._

_"But this is just how I am. I don't see the point, I don't see the real problem you are hinting at. You act like there is something huge that I am missing, and I suppose I am. What am I not getting? What are you really trying to tell me?"_

_"You pull away. Your relationship cannot advance if you do not let it. The love you have cannot grow or change the way it is now."_

_"I just don't understand her. I feel like I'm starting to figure it out, but it's like there's always this wall between us, separating us from one another. We're so different, I feel like I will never understand."_

_"You built the wall. And only you can tear it down."_

_"I did not!"_

_"You did. You do not even know you are doing it, but you are."_

_"Explain."_

_"Every time you pull away, every time you are not ready to willingly accept the love she gives you, you add another brick. Every time you do not return her phone calls, because you have something else to do, you create a divide between the two of you. Your relationship cannot strengthen until you let her in, until you decide to make your relationship a priority, rather than a hobby."_

_"She has always been my number one priority."_

_Serenity laughed, twinkling laughter that was beautiful and condescending in his ears, "Silly, dear little boy. You have not, and you know you have not. You are a very gifted creature, my love, but you are very terrible at self-reflection at this age. Think about it. Which is more important to you, Serena or school?"_

_He responded immediately, without thought, "Serena."_

_"Now, which do you spend more time preoccupied with?"_

_He paused, grudgingly admitting, hating to be made a lesson of, "School. But that's only because at this point in my life, that if more important."_

_"You just said Serena was more important, did you not?"_

_"She is. Overall. But I have other dreams, too. I want to be a doctor."_

_"You have always wanted to be a doctor." She agreed._

_"Yes. And I can't give up on that dream because I want to be with Serena."_

_"Now what is it you daydream about, what your dreams occupy at night? Do you dream of being a doctor?"_

_"No. I dream about Serena. I dream about you, and Rini, and the future."_

_"Tell me, when you dream about the future, are you a doctor?"_

_"No. I guess I'm mostly a father, or Serena's husband, or Endymion. I suppose. I don't ever dream about being a doctor."_

_"Why is that?"_

_And then he realized. She was right, she was so right. He had always wanted to be a doctor, always strived for that goal. That was what he worked so hard for, why he did what he did. Yet, had he ever really had great dreams of being a doctor? He found great satisfaction in helping others, that was true, but he never really pictured his future as a doctor. He didn't think of it at all, really. He worked from one educational goal to the next, always working for the goal of becoming a doctor, but he never thought about what came after he became one._

_Maybe he didn't want to be a doctor. Maybe he was chasing a dream he didn't want to follow._

_Serenity caught the direction his thoughts were taking and with an exasperated sigh, drew them back in the right direction._

_"Oh dear, I have mislead your train of though. I am not trying to persuade you to give up your dreams, I am simply trying to get you to self-reflect. You go through life without thinking about your actions, and you push others away for a dream you do not even know why you are chasing."_

_Darien let out a small groan, placing a hand on his forehead and rubbing his temples, "So this isn't about me being a doctor, but you're just trying to say I have too much of a focus on it?"_

_"Not quite. You are still not quite getting it. Do not worry, my love. You become a marvelous doctor, Darien. You make me so proud, and you love it because you are really helping people. You are mending others, healing people who are in pain and bringing smiles to children's faces. It makes you really and truly happy."_

_"Serena makes me happy too. Very happy."_

_"But you could be happier."_

_"Yes."_

_"Why is that?"_

_"Something is off. It's like we aren't quite aligned, like we aren't ready yet. I love her so much, but I sometimes feel like we aren't ready to be together."_

_Serenity felt uncomfortable. This conversation resurfaced so many old feelings, so many doubts she had since pushed aside. She frowned, unsure how to proceed, and with a hollow feeling in her chest._

_He sensed her discomfort, and immediately felt guilty, and the need to explain._

_"No, no, that's not it. It's that wall we were talking about. I feel it there, almost all the time, and I have no idea how to bring it down. What am I supposed to do? I don't know how to act. I don't know how to change things. She's such a natural at this, at love, and I feel completely incapable of expressing how I feel. I can say it, but I feel like that isn't enough. I'm going to mess this up. I'm going to look incredibly stupid if I do the wrong thing. And I could lose her, or make her love me less, and I can't stand the thought of that. Things are fine the way they are, aren't they? I have her, and we're together, and she loves me, and I love her. Anything else could change that."_

_He bit down hard on his lip, shutting his eyes tightly, "I can't lose her again. I can't."_

_"You should know you cannot lose her now."_

_"I've lost her so many times before. I feel like it's going to happen again. I constantly fear it will happen again. That I'll be too late, that something will happen, that I'll be holding her in my arms again and her skin will be so cold. And she, more than anyone else, deserves happiness. She is life itself, and the thought of her not existing, not only losing her, haunts me."_

_"Fear has a way of choking love. Your fear of losing her, of her death, keeps you from giving yourself fully to her. You are afraid there is too much at stake, too much to lose, and that if you allow yourself to love her any more than you do now that everything will crumble to dust, that your happiness will be extinguished, that you will somehow lose her."_

_Darien's emotions threatened to burst from his chest. His hands trembled, his throat felt unbelievably dry, and it was all too much. This was what he didn't want to think about, what he didn't want to discuss. And the fear was gripping his heart tightly, as it always was._

_"I've seen her die!" he replied hotly, his voice thick._

_"Oh?" Serenity raised an eyebrow, raising from the bed and looking at him over a shoulder. The kindness in her voice faltered, overshadowed by sadness that crept in before he could notice it, "And I have seen you die many, many times."_

_And the tension was too much._

_He felt something in him break._

_He felt everything at once._

_Darien let out a sob, clasping a hand over his mouth, "I love her. So much. But I'm so afraid. Afraid of losing her. Afraid that I will never be good enough. Afraid she'll someday realize I am nothing, nothing without her."_

_Serenity watched him, frowning slightly. She felt for him, sympathy washing over her, and she placed her hands on his shoulders before drawing her arms around him in a comforting embrace. She felt him shudder, felt his fingers clutch onto her then quickly release her, and his shaky inhalations._

_"Oh, Darien. Endymion. You are everything." She smoothed his hair, petting the locks down and sending a careful stream of love and harmony through their bond. She hoped he didn't notice, but knew he would feel the effects. Her voice was a gentle lull as she assured him, "You are everything I have ever wanted and dreamed of, my love. You are kind and courageous and loving and intelligent. She and I will never, ever love you any less."_

_Serenity felt him calm, felt his tension melt away slightly, but could also feel that his turmoil remained. She stepped away from him, drawing her arms away and tilting his chin up to look at her. He looked different, his face a mixture of emotions she had never seen on him before, in all their years together. Some strange mixture of distraught, confused, and frightened. It was unsettling, and it hurt her to see him this way. She despised having to prompt such unhappiness from him._

_But it was necessary. This was her job, this is what she owed him._

_"You must show her your feelings, or she will wither. She can only flourish if your love is well nourished. She needs affection, needs touch, needs her feelings to be affirmed. You should know this."_

_"I know. I see." Darien replied shakily, "I really do, I see."_

_And he did. The wall he had built, he had to deconstruct. She was open and loving, never pulling back and returning his affection tenfold. But he always was the first to pull away from her kisses, afraid of being improper. He was the one who refrained from telling her how he felt, who bit back smiles and loved her from afar when he didn't need to. His distance was due to fear, fear of her rejection, fear of becoming even more attached, fear of the unknown. Perhaps it would have been different if he had always known what it was like to be loved, but he hadn't. And he cherished what he had with her, wanted to preserve it the way it was, wanted it to be unbreakable and unchanged. She brought him so much happiness, and he feared change would break it._

_This wasn't how it was supposed to go. It wasn't fair. He was blind._

_Serenity brushed an inky strand of hair from his face, "The rejection in her eyes, every time you push her away. That is what you fear."_

_He couldn't disagree. She was right, entirely._

_"You lack courage, yet hold a courageous heart. You are intelligent, yet you do not see. You hold so much love within you, yet you struggle to show it."_

_"My feelings do not often translate well into actual words. It's hard for me to talk about how I feel. And I worry."_

_"Do you love her?"_

_"Yes!" he replied instantly, with a frown at the question._

_"Will you always love her?"_

_His frown deepened, "Of course."_

_Serenity found she was amused by that frown. That frown that said he was irritated more than upset. He was so easily led the way she wanted him to go. And she so dearly loved to mess with him._

_The queen smiled beautifully, and even Darien felt his heart flip. It was a smile that meant trouble, that spoke of promises she would never keep. Serenity drew nearer, sitting close to him on the bed, laying a hand on his arm. Her voice was silk, the way it had been before they had begun this discussion._

_"Do you not want to kiss her, pull her closer when she is near?" the words fell from her innocently enough, "Do you not crave her touch, crave careless kisses and the feeling of her body curved next to yours? Do you not crave her as a man does a woman he loves?"_

_Darien spluttered, and his heart mimicked the action. And he was flustered and his cheeks turned red and he didn't really know how to respond except to quickly tumble out the false denial, "No! I...I respect her. I don't need that."_

_"Silly boy." She laughed, scooting away from him and falling back to lie across the sheets. She stared up at the ceiling, her voice gentle and easy, "Our love spans a millennia, has grown from forbidden fruit, and spans out across many life times. Mutual respect comes with love, great love. You already respect her, cherish her. You seem to equate physical closeness with impropriety, and you look at it in fear. Fear, once again. But it is no matter."_

_Serenity turned onto her side, looking at him, and he turned to look at her carefully, his face still pink._

_She continued, amused, "In a past life we were married underneath a shaded tree, with no more witness then a boy priest. A child was full in my belly by the time the world turned to ash. I suppose you do not remember that yet, but it is true."_

_He didn't remember it, and that thought shocked him._

_Serenity only hesitated a moment before deciding to amuse herself further, taking no pity on the boy. She felt only a mild guilt as she continued, which was overshadowed by the glee she felt watching his reaction to her words play across the handsome face of her husband. Her husband, who had not blushed so fiercely or reacted in such an embarrassed manner in a handful of centuries._

_"Serena's purity is no matter to her, why should it matter to you?" she suggested cheerily, "Unless it is your purity you are concerned with? Darien, the blushing virgin, too silly to even admit he longs for his pretty princess splayed beneath him, his name a caress on her tongue."_

_Darien colored a deep red, shocked further by her words, his mind incapable of lucid thought._

_"Surprised? I am no blushing virgin, dear boy. I have known a lover's touch, your touch, for a thousand years." She leaned in close, lightly caressing his face with her fingertips, "And dear, dear boy. I have known your body far longer than you have. I know the sounds you make, the things you like, the way you look as you topple over the edge."_

_She sat back, no longer near him, and smug. She laughed, knowing exactly what she would say next, and knowing that a simple verb in past tense was sure to create a delightfully entertaining reaction on his dear face._

_"That frightens you, does it not?" she couldn't contain her grin, "Now think of your Serena, who hardly knew a real kiss from a chaste peck on the lips."_

_Darien's mind took a moment to process it, as it was too caught up with pushing away images she conjured and fighting his embarrassment at her suggestiveness._

_But he caught it. And his embarrassment fled, and he sat up straight._

_"Knew?" he questioned, staring pressingly at her, "What do you mean by 'knew'? Is this some insinuation about Endymion and Serena?"_

_"Come to think of it, little Serena has more experience than you. Even she knows now the sounds you make. Hm."_

_His vision was momentarily red, before he took a deep breath and crossed his arms, "You can't be serious. You can't. You would be more bothered."_

_She stared at him for a long moment before bursting into laughter, falling back onto her pillow and covering her face with her arm. Her crown tilted and her dress tangled awkwardly around her legs, but her laughter continued as giggles._

_Darien didn't know what to think. But he felt strongly, his emotions jumping rapidly through his veins._

_Anger. Surprise. Curiosity. Jealousy._

_He was surprised to discover, amidst his anger, that there was an underlying, pulsing desire to have the things she alluded to._

_He longed for Serena. For once, he was not quite ashamed._

_And, perhaps the strangest thing of all, he could admit it to himself._

_._

.

**Twentieth Century: Tokyo**

With every step Endymion felt the weight of the oncoming present and the burden of knowing what was coming next. His conscience played with him as he tightly clutched grocery bags in his tight-knuckled hands.

Serena was painfully ignorant of his ongoing moral dilemma, though she seemed to sense his emotions and thoughts swaying from one direction to the next. It was making her dizzy.

"Endymion..." she shifted the paper bag she hugged tightly to her chest, her heart light and content.

"I don't know, exactly, how this psychic thingie works, but I'm getting some funny vibes off of you right now. Is something wrong?" Despite her question, Serena was not very concerned about the feeling. She couldn't escape her own happiness, and her self-consciousness about his feelings for her had dulled for the moment to the point where she was only curious, not worried.

"Just thinking. I do that, occasionally."

"Your thinking is giving me a headache."

He chuckled, forcibly turning his thoughts elsewhere, "I will try to keep the thinking to a minimum, for you."

"Good boy." She cheerily replied, tapping her hip with his as they walked.

"Anything for you. I live to serve, my princess."

"Laying it on thick, aren't ya'?"

"I try my best. I am told it is romantic, is it not?"

She let out a tiny laugh, grinning, "This is nice, Endymion. Talking like this."

"It is, isn't it?"

And then the thoughts returned, full force. Their footsteps seemed to ring in his ears as they neared the apartment. He felt a bubble of anxiety well up in his chest – what was he even doing here? – and then he forced it down when she raised an eyebrow at him. He wished away his knowledge, his anxiety, looking at her instead.

"Do you want me to carry that?"

He knew the sort of reaction it would stir when he said it.

She huffed, shooting him a glare before hoisting the brown bag up above her head and gently setting it down between the two perfect buns in her hair. She hurried ahead, hand on the bag teetering in balance on the crown of her head. Serena broke into her Sailor Moon voice as she replied merrily, "I'm the defender of justice and love and stuff! A silly grocery bag is nothing! I vanquish baddies on a semi-daily basis, I have no need for help from puny princes like you!"

"Would you like me to form a reply in Tuxedo Mask-esque haiku or to simply laugh at your antics and point out how very, very often this puny prince has had to sweep in and help you?"

"Neither, I would like you to swoon at my fierce power and incredible strength."

Endymion shot a look up at the bag on her head, which looked not the least bit safe in its perch.

"The eggs are in that bag." He whispered in her ear as he hurried past her.

"You're right." She stopped, blank faced, and nodded with a comical seriousness as she brought the bag back down into a hug close to her chest. She followed behind him at a short distance, waiting for him to return to her or turn around.

It didn't take long for him to look over his shoulder, calling out a delayed correction, "And king, not prince!"

"Prince consort. Not king."

"What!" he slowed till she was right beside him, "No, king. Definitely king. Prince consort, _please_."

"Fine, you're my mistress. Congrats."

"Your comical depiction of our relationship is...comical."

Serena got shivers at the mention of them being in a relationship. And he sounded so fond of her, his eyes full of mirth. Everything was right, everything.

It was so easy talking like this to Endymion.

She stopped at the door of his apartment building. "Open the door for your queen, mistress."

He refused, shaking his head, "No way. I am _not_ your mistress."

"Courtesan."

"King." He insisted solidly.

"Whore?" she tasted the word on her tongue, trying it out. She said it so innocently, and the word fell out of her mouth cutely rather than crudely.

He blinked at her, surprised and completely amused and utterly entranced. She was not as predictable as he thought.

They stood there for a long moment, looking at one another. Both fought smiles and hid their amusement poorly.

A man walked into the apartment, the door opening and closing. They still stood.

Endymion sighed in defeat.

She cut off whatever action he was about to perform to follow his sigh, "You have to say it."

"You are quite serious, aren't you?"

"Deathly."

"I, Endymion, am your mistress."

"And?"

"Your courtes-"

"Wrong one."

He looked at her.

"Really, Serena?"

She looked at him.

"Fine, I am your whore."

She beamed at him. He rolled his eyes, then stepped forward to open the door. She gave him a curtsy without using her arms, then scurried in.

"You are a terror, Serena. Absolutely wicked." He followed her, shaking his head at her. He caught up with her at the elevator, where she had neglected to press the button. He did it for her.

_You enjoy this, do you not?_

Serena got shivers at the feeling of his thoughts brushing into her mind. And all at once, her playfulness died back down. She felt unsettled by the sudden presence. It felt heavier than before. Beautiful, to be sure, but the weight of the implications tied to it seemed to dawn on her.

The door opened and she rushed in. He said nothing, verbal or otherwise, and waited for her to formulate a question.

How far did this bond extend? Darien had once instinctively known when she was in danger, but it had dulled with time and weakened. She had assumed that connection had been of a fleeting nature, something that only occurred for a small sliver of time – when they were in need. She thought it had been a part of the magic that had tied them together, pulling them together like magnets before they really knew who they were. But now. Now it seemed to be so much more. She had never really felt his presence like this, never felt this tug of fate on her heartstrings.

Did this mean there was something magical about their entire connection? How did it come to be? How far did it extend? Had it always been possible for her to communicate with him this way, if she had tried? Did she have a similar bond with the Scouts? With Rini?

He did not delve into her thoughts. This was a separate love. Serena was not accustomed to this intimate breach of privacy, this level of sharing. She knew nothing of the sort of trust and honesty it entailed, not quite.

"Can we communicate with other people this way?"

"No. Just each other."

"Can anyone else...?"

"I believe it is just us. There may be others, but it is not something that you share. The Scouts, for instances, do not know, though I am sure they suspect something."

"You mean the Scouts don't know about this connection?"

He looked uncomfortable, "It is private."

"I don't think I really understand all this."

"It is not just thoughts."

"I don't..."

"I cannot explain it, I am sorry. You will have to discover the intricacies, there is no way to completely verbalize the depth of the connection or what it entails."

"Why do we have it?"

There was a silence. The door of the elevator slid open. They both stepped out. Endymion shifted the bag in one hand over to the other as he reached for the keys in his pocket.

He cleared his throat, suddenly turning to her, "Soulmates. It is because we are soulmates."

She blushed, hugging her bag tighter to her chest and looking away from him, "Oh."

"I suspect you already knew that." He smiled in her direction, then looked down at the keys, thankful that there was only one key for an apartment door on the chain. He unlocked it with only a small fumble, the metal feeling foreign and ancient, but familiar, in his fingers.

Serena walked in, going immediately to the kitchen and setting her bag down. She pulled out the items inside, putting most of the contents in Darien's refrigerator and the rest in his cupboard. He mimicked her actions, distractedly putting things away in a haphazard manner. Serena noticed, slightly surprised at his lack of orderliness.

"The bond is our souls tied together. Right? It links us?"

Endymion hesitated, carefully piecing together his next words, "In a way. The bond exists because we are two sides of the same coin. We fit together. It is more than love."

The slight movement of her fingers dancing together and her head tilting the smallest degree indicated her confusion and curiosity.

"What could be more than love?"

"Love is breakable. Love does not always stand the test of time. Love does not always last. We were always meant to be together. We cannot not love one another. It is not possible."

Serena's lips pulled into a small, subtle smile, and she felt her heart press down. His words were heavy, full of implications her mind had no intention of thinking about at the moment, but she felt happiness creep through her. She wanted nothing more than to hold him then, to be enveloped in his arms, to be surrounded by his unbreakable presence. To feel, physically, what their bond offered.

He opened his arms for her and she gladly fell into them. Serena laid her head on his chest, hugging his middle. He let his head fall onto hers, his eyes falling closed as he simply _felt_. Her. Her arms around him. Her heart beating in her chest. The smell of her hair, which was different then Serenity's and made him feel a wave of nostalgia. He suddenly had a rush of memories. Their first kiss. Her battered body falling into his arms in battle. The smell of her in Rini's hair, when he couldn't be around her. A picnic. White lace and a crumpled dress.

"We're fated." She breathed out. He smiled into her hair and they, in tune, drew back to look at one another, their arms still loosely wound around each other.

"I have a theory." He quietly admitted, placing a hand on her cheek.

He felt her silently urge him to continue as his fingertips stroked her jaw.

_You are beginning to get the hang of it._

_I think I am._

He let his hand fall down to her chest, above her breast and over the soft pounding heart. Without thought she returned the gesture, pressing an open palm to the calm rhythm of his own heart. He grinned at the gesture, and the mirror image of their positions.

"These two hearts are one in the same, though they have different owners. Our souls are not just connected, but melded together. There is no separation between you and I, just bodies between us to only bring us closer. You are the light, I the dark. The moon, the earth. Yin, yang. You cannot have one without the other. The universe is balanced. We are what balances one another. Without you, I could not fully live. I would not be incomplete, I would be nothing. My soul cannot be without your soul. Though we may physically be apart, our souls cannot ever separate. Even in death. This heart, it beats because of you."

Her eyes pooled in tears which escaped slowly down her cheeks. This was often the case, with emotion. She was filled with it, and it spilt over in the form of tears. She bounced forward on the tips of her toes, catching her lips with his. Her hands framed his face, their bodies pulling together as he folded her into a tight embrace.

She radiated love, happiness, joy. He had never said such things to her. She did not know he felt that way. Love, she knew of, in the end. But as he had said, this was something that was more. It was big, scary, ancient, and breathtakingly beautiful. She always thought love was something that was not completely comprehendible, something she felt in every atom on her body and yet could not really think about. Love was what made her up, what tumbled from her, but it was not catchable. The physics behind it escaped her. And just as one does not think about breathing, about making themselves pass through each second as a living being – she did not know love's definition.

And he comprehended it so fully. She could feel it. His understanding, his complete comprehension of the descriptive words she couldn't quite grasp.

She kissed him gently and without abandon. A hard press of lips soothed by the gentle caress of his. And everything was new, and different, and frighteningly perfect.

They broke away slowly, resting their foreheads together.

"I'm learning so much that I thought I already knew." She breathed out, fingertips trembling slightly against his cheeks, "You know so much. You feel so much. This is not something I'm used to."

"I have always felt such things, though I did not understand them. And the words were drowned out by fears."

"You love me so much more than I had ever hoped you could, Endymion."

She pulled away and their eyes met.

"I have always, always loved you Serena."

"Not like this. Not this much."

"It may not be quite the same, but at no point did I love you less. I just loved you in a different way."

She hugged him, head resuming its place on his chest. He felt her thoughts, which were a tangle of words and threads jumbled together in a knot.

"I'm sorry, I know I sound so silly. You have been by my side for years now. I feel like I should know better. But everything is upside down with you here. And the way I saw the world before today is completely different then it is now. You're changing everything."

"It is a great deal to take in."

"I feel like I have underestimated you. Underestimated Darien. Yet I also feel like this is all you, that this has nothing to do with the man you were yesterday. You hung up on the phone without saying I love you. But it wasn't you, but it was. I don't know who you are anymore. And Darien feels foreign, feels like a story. I feel like this has always been you. But it hasn't. Darien isn't anything like you."

"Many, many years separate me from Darien. We are different and similar. But he is part of me. Endymion, Darien, Tuxedo Mask."

"I know it's hard for him. I know it was hard for you." Serena paused, sighing. "I feel guilty for the things I am thinking. For the way I feel. And you know me, you can hear my thoughts if you want, can't you?"

He nodded, saying lightly, "You think about how dashing and debonair I am most of the time."

She stared, incredulous at his returned playfulness, "I'm trying to have a serious, heartfelt talk to sort out my feelings. You make jokes!"

"You are rambling anyway, my dear."

"You know what I'm going to say, always, before I say it, don't you?" she pouted and he stole a quick kiss from her puckered lips. She rolled her eyes and made herself look petulant, saying even as she tried to regain her previous train of thoughts, "Does my predictable tongue bore you?"

"I can honestly say that your tongue has never bored me."

She got flustered, opened her mouth, then closed it.

_I am going to ignore that. What was I getting at?_

_You feel guilty._

_Thank you. I suppose._

She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes so she didn't have to see him. She was supposed to be feeling guilty, sorting out her feelings. Serena regained the swing of her previous speech and continued, though her feelings didn't not align correctly with her words now that they had returned to a playful mood, "I know I seem...unthoughtful. Or forgetful. Or like I don't understand. And sometimes I do forget and I have to remind myself."

Her eyes opened to give him a pointed look, "I know we're different. Me and Serenity, you and Darien. He has a different way of expressing how he feels. And it's hard for him to be intimate."

Endymion grinned.

"Shut up, pervert!"

"I did not say a thing, my love. Not a thing."

"I could feel your thoughts, shut it. I'm trying to explain! And I didn't mean it like that." she huffed.

_You were going to bring up my troubled childhood._

She didn't bother to thank him, frowning at his words. Her own created visions of him in a sterile hospital, an unhappy Darien in a cold room in an orphanage, Darien alone, Darien with no one to hold him or wipe away his tears when he was upset. She ached at just the thought.

"You've lost so much, had so little love."

"But now I have so much of it to make up for that which was lost."

"It doesn't change the fact that you were lonely."

"But then this beautiful blonde came into my life and I was not lonely anymore."

She smiled at him.

He grinned, "Thank god for Andrew."

She punched him in the shoulder and he let out an easy laugh.

She huffed and replied flatly, "And you were obviously socially inept."

"Rude." He tapped her on the nose.

"You called me Meatball Head, Endymion. To a cute little middle schooler, you bully! Now that's rude."

"It was out of love?"

She rolled her eyes, "Now you're goofing. Darien may not have cared for me much at the beginning"

"That is a terrible lie."

"How so?"

"I was attracted to you from the very first moment."

"You insulted me from the very first moment!"

"We always say the harshest things to the ones we love most, do we not?"

Serena thought of Rini and fidgeted, "Maybe."

Silence descended, and Endymion felt inclined to break it before it choked her words.

"She loved you terribly, you know."

She no longer had to ask how he knew what she was thinking of, her mind seamlessly accepting his knowledge of her as she replied, "I regret the way things ended up with her. I look back and my heart hurts at the things I said. And the things she said to me, too. It makes me fear that things will always be like that with me and her. That we'll always fight, that she'll think badly of me."

"She did not see you as her mother then, princess. She had a mother. What she did not have was a friend. Someone to gripe at and get annoyed by. She needed that, I think."

"She always saw you like a father. And things were so different with..." she trailed off, blue eyes shutting closed tightly. Images of a red-haired toddler filled her mind and she felt another rush of emotion. She had loved that child too, not long ago at all, but it had been different. She felt like a mother to her in a way she had never felt like with Rini. Fiercely protective and affectionate.

He had no words for her grief. He hadn't really known the child and he knew only the occasional story told with the child cast as a character. But he knew the wound healed, that it wouldn't always be so fresh. Another battle scar, another memory they had to drag with them. And Serena had so recently parted with her. She hadn't even had time to heal, to accept it.

"I liked that. I liked taking care of her. I used to do her hair and give her baths and read her stories. She followed me everywhere and clung to me."

"Like a daughter."

"Yes."

He tugged at her hair, "We will have one of those."

"_You_ already have one of those." She sighed, "Sometimes I want to get the future over with. I want everything to be all smoothed out and just there already. But it seems like there must be such a huge gap in between now and then. And I almost feel like I'm ready now, but then I think about how we haven't had a break. There's always a new enemy, a new bad guy that comes along in no time at all. I want time to breathe and worry about silly things instead of big things. I want time to spend with you, time to get to know each other better."

Endymion let her talk, because he could say nothing on this subject. He knew all, remembered the story well enough. He knew all her next days, all the days to follow.

"I want time to be in love."

"Perhaps time to break down some walls as well?" he suggested carefully.

"You mean Darien?"

He nodded in the affirmative.

"Yeah, I guess. Never thought of it. I never really knew he could not be like that, you know? And now you're here and I have to rethink everything because you're not the same. And people change, I know, but you're hardly the same person. I wonder what happened to make him into you? Because something must have changed you, I think. But I can't figure out how that could happen. People don't change overnight."

He let her think about it, and then air rushed suddenly into her lungs. Something hit her, and her eyes lit up, "Oh!"

He placed a hand on her head, "Sometimes, Serena, people do change overnight."


	9. Chapter Eight: Lavender

.

**Chapter Eight: Lavender**

"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close."

**- from 100 Love Sonnets by Pablo Neruda**

.

"You know things about me that I don't even know." She mused quietly, staring up at the ceiling of Darien's apartment rather than at him. Endymion's eyes remained on the girl whose head rested on his lap for a few seconds more, before tilting his own head back and inspecting the dull white, textureless expanse above them. She felt his agreement rather than hearing it, but her mind didn't alert her to the difference.

Serena's eyes flickered back to him, and she rose her head up from his lap by balancing on her elbows, "Tell me something about myself. Nothing spoiler-y, just something. It's only fair."

He smiled, fingers mindlessly weaving through a streamer of hair from her pigtails, "What would you like me to tell you?"

She thought about it, settling back and taking in slow breathes. Her mind shuffled through the possibilities. What was her favorite color? What did she do in her free time? Did Serenity still get along with the Scouts? Did she have new friends, other that the Scouts? What sort of queenly duties did she have? Was she very happy? Was she completely different? Would she recognize herself, would she still be Serena if she was Serenity? Or did this her die when Serenity became who she was. For once her mind wasn't cluttered with thoughts of him, her questions deriving solely from her curiosity about the person she would develop into over the years.

Endymion lightly tapped her on the nose, a gesture she found she quite liked, to draw her focus, "It would be best if you asked a question that pertains to the near future. Things get complicated when we delve into the far future. There is too much back story associated with an answer, and there are explanations that I simply cannot offer."

She nibbled on her bottom lip and she let out a sigh, "You're no fun, Endy."

"_Endy._" He mimicked proudly, pointing out her use of his nickname. She detected traces of his affection as the name repeated from his lips, and she knew he was pleased. She liked it too, it felt light and heavy at the same time. Like a hasty secret or a quick kiss.

Serena worked her fingers up to his collar and gently tugged. He complied naturally, swooping down for a flutter of a kiss. The angle was all wrong, what with his head bent low and her having to strain to meet him, both of them facing different ways on the couch. She kept his face close to hers and sat up, folding her legs beneath her and drawing him close so she could drape her arms over his shoulders.

They grinned at one another, and she stole another kiss. She felt incredibly happy and warm, drunk off his easy display of affection for her and how naturally they met each other half way. And she could still feel his presence strongly against her own, something that felt like golden light and gave her glimmers of what he was feeling if she paid enough attention.

She bit her lip - his eyes followed the movement - as she brought a question back to mind, "Fine, just near future. What's something I enjoy in a few years, that I don't enjoy now?"

Endymion recalled back to the years before everything changed, snorting as he remembered the early years of their marriage. His response intrigued her, "You are going to love blogging. And texting, and social networking."

"What?"

"It is a... technology thing." He explained, laughing at the face she made in response. The little exposure she had was predominately a negative experience. She liked video games, and her communicator was easy enough to use, but computers were more Amy's realm. She didn't see what would draw her into boring computers, especially as something she loved. She imagined something more like figure skating or ballroom dancing or playing piano. Something elegant, something she could see herself at least having a slight interest in.

"I'm not really into technology and computers and stuff." She admitted, not believing or rejecting the idea, but unable to picture her sitting behind a regular computer and enjoying it fully.

"You will be, trust me." He pictured her, bent over her laptop, the blue glow of the screen making her skin look paler than normal, tapping the keys with two fingers as she gave her full attention to the monitor. Or the many, countless, ridiculous number of times she had shoved her smart phone in his face for him to watch a video of something like a cat playing a piano. Granted, he had done his fair share of chuckling over kitten videos and showing them to her, but he had been nowhere near as attached to his smart phone and computer as she was. And he hadn't run a blog, thank god.

Endymion continued, voice crisp and reminiscent, "I cannot count the number of times I had to drag you away from your laptop at night and hide your cell phone so that you would come to bed."

Serena clearly had a hard time containing a wicked grin, her lips trembling into a composed upturn, "I can't imagine you needed too much help getting me to come to bed."

"You are _so_ bad, Serena." He said it like a reproach, but they both knew from the amusement radiating off one another that they found equal amusement in the sudden cheekiness she seem to have acquired, which slipped from her mouth so easily and so fluidly. Like she had said things like that before, when he knew she hadn't. His mind touched hers, and he caught onto thoughts telling him that she wasn't embarrassed, or even very surprised. Serena felt like it was something that came naturally, and it didn't press on her like a weight as many of their words had.

She tried to make sense of it, and found the most logical explanation would be that he felt so easy to be around now. The tension and confusion had died down. He was no longer King Endymion in her mind, or Serenity's Husband. He was just a natural extension of herself and the man she already had known for a long, long time. Perhaps Princess Serenity had talked to her own Prince Endymion this way. She didn't know, but she suspected. Things always seemed different between the love of their past selves and the one they had found again. Maybe the past Endymion has sparked this sort of playful response from her because of the comfort and acceptance she found from him, the same she found from Endymion.

Endymion, of course, knew her assumptions were predominately correct. But she would find that out soon enough; he didn't need to tell her himself that things had been easier then, when they were forbidden to one another but never felt there was any choice to be made. Easier than them falling together in the twentieth century, her an awkward middle schooler who was too young for the fate she acquired, and him the lonely orphan who didn't know how his heart worked because he had relied almost exclusively on the commandments of his brain.

Nonetheless, he felt an odd mix of pride, surprise, and horror at this Serena's flirtiness. Even after things had changed and their relationship had solidified into its purest form, when people still called him Darien but he didn't mind kissing her in front of her friends or repeatedly whispering to her how helplessly her loved her every chance he got, she hadn't been this cheeky. Not at first, and not for awhile.

Serena suddenly felt timid in the silence that surrounded them, which was so loud with their thoughts and feelings surrounding her like a heavy blanket. She looked down, placing her fingers on his shoulders, then up at him through the protection of her eyelashes, "You're married to me. You're hardly a blushing virgin."

Endymion stared at her, startled by the sudden memory of Serenity mirroring that sentence when he had been Darien. She had said something similar then, and he wondered if Serenity had said it the same way on purpose. She did, he knew, after a seconds thought. Serenity mirrored their past through her speech so often. Clumsy sentences he had strung together in the dark came back to haunt him as they fell from her tongue later, and inside jokes he had almost forgotten became fresh when she reawakened them years, even decades or centuries, later. And always the promises. The ones he or she had murmured at the end of their worlds, the ones he had made to her as sunlight tickled the bare skin of his back and he saw everything she was fully for the first time, ones they had exchanged as vows, and ones they had made for kingdom and kin.

He recovered from his reverie, grinning slyly at her, "Hardly a blushing virgin? You do not know how incredibly true that is, Princess."

Her fingers curled delicately around the fabric clothing his shoulders. She took in some of his confidence through their bond as she rested her head against his shoulder and replied softly but solidly, "Like I said, _I can imagine_."

He drew back from her to look at her face, "Very forward, aren't you?"

"It's fun. I've never spoken to you this way before, and I sorta like it."

"I can tell."

"You like it too. I can tell. Your...aura. It's like reading body language, except I feel it instead of seeing it. And I can feel your reactions to what I say. And you like it and are only vaguely surprised when I say these things I've never said before. So I guess this becomes a running trend, huh?"

He only raised his eyebrows and shrugged in response. Serena copied him dramatically, wiggling her eyebrows and giggling.

"You're too adorable." Serena insists.

"I was about to say the same to you."

"I know." She replied smugly.

.

..

.

"Serena, I have a proposition for you."

The petite blonde regarded him serenely, her fingers threading one of the two long strands of her hairstyle into a loose braid, "Does it involve more kissing?"

Endymion's lips quirked, "Unfortunately, no."

Serena sighed dramatically, dropping her hands to her lap and shrugging her shoulders, "Then I can't promise that I'll be interested."

Endymion half-pouted, leaning in closer to her. She responded by rolling her eyes, swatting away the hand he had on her calf. He tickled the skin behind her knee and she broke into giggles, squirming away from him as little darts of delight shot off of her. He followed her as she fell back against the couch, carefully edging over her as he leaned his forehead onto hers.

She sighed contentedly, and he felt the brush of her fingers across his own as her consciousness reached for his. He interlaced their fingers, momentarily distracted by the tiny hitch in her breath and the smell of her skin. He deliberately ignored their proximity, both physically and mentally, to regain his focus.

"It involves mischief." He whispered.

She squeezed his fingers tightly and then snuck them to his chest.

"I'm intrigued! Go on." Serena debated pushing him off or pulling him closer, fingertips pressing into his chest. She could feel his steady heartbeat under them, and quickly reformed their position to fidget with the warm fabric covering his chest.

Endymion leaned closer to her ear, his breath sensitizing the skin there and making her shiver beneath him. He paused for a moment, taking enjoyment in her reactions, and then whispered in a conspiring hint, "There is a certain article of clothing Darien owns. Or, perhaps more accurately, certain articles of clothing he owns."

Serena was, indeed, intrigued now. She pushed him back, almost relieved to shove him farther away when his physical presence was so incredibly overwhelming and slightly foreign.

"Yes?" she whispered back, trying to turn her mind away from the fluttering of her pulse and towards the truly curious suggestion.

He continued as if he had never paused for her, sitting up straightly a foot away from her. He shot her a serious look from the corner of his eye, "And we have to stop him from wearing these particular items ever again. It is absolutely imperative."

"I know exactly what you are talking about."

Serena, of course, had a clear picture of her boyfriend's lackluster clothing choices and highly questionable taste. It was an inconvenience and occasionally embarrassing, but she had never broached the subject with Darien. She didn't feel like she could. Odd, now, to think about.

There were many things she never felt alright talking to him about. The majority of words passing between them had been predominately meaningless. While she had always felt a deep connection to him, just as she had with her dearest friends, she had never been as open with him as she had been with Amy, Raye, Lita, and Mina. She shared everything with them. Felt comfortable discussing her opinion, sharing her thoughts, reflecting on anything that could possibly come up. They were always easy to talk to, and she felt complete acceptance from them.

Darien was different. She always tried to be on her best behavior with him and so, of course, always ended up at her worst. She often felt dissatisfied with their dates and time together. She nitpicked her actions, chided herself for how silly she acted. It never felt like she was being herself, actually, because she was always hyperaware of what she was doing. She wanted so badly to be perfect in front of him that she often got frustrated and acted impulsively in a manner that usually ended in at least a slight conflict, especially when Rini was involved. She felt like Darien always saw the bad side of her, and judged her for it.

Sure, her loved her, but he didn't really like her. And neither did she, not when she analyzed all that she had said and done in front of him. She fell short of both their expectations. And conversation wasn't the same because of it. Occasionally they had shared moments of intimacy, where her thoughts slipped past and they briefly talked about it – they weren't completely devoid of openness. But it wasn't like the girls. It wasn't fully comfortable and organic. Not like Endymion.

He sighed, standing up and grabbing her hand to physically pull her up from her seat and away from her ruminations on what was broken and needed to be fixed.

"No." he said solidly, tugging the dazed, pensive girl into a quick embrace. He tapped her on the nose several times, as if waking her from a stupor, "None of those thoughts right now, okay?"

She nodded dumbly, not fully back in the present.

"Clothes, Serena. Horrible, horrible clothes. Forget about the rest for now. There will be time later."

However.

She didn't release the pull of her inner thoughts until he had dragged her into his bedroom, sat her down on his unmade bed, and thrown the first offensive shirt from Darien's closet onto her lap. She didn't get drawn fully into his antics until a bright, lime green shirt hit her on the head in a burst of criminal color and the sudden smell of Darien's laundry soap.

He tossed another shirt onto her head as soon as she pulled the first one off.

"Geez, Endy!"

"Problem, my dear little bunny?" he asked innocently, violently yanking another shirt off its hanger and throwing it at her. Only a mild irritation buzzed across to him from her, so he took that as a sign to throw a pair of sweatpants from the shelf at her next.

Serena shoved all the items onto his bed, noting it was unmade with a small bit of pride, and then crossing her arms.

"Get serious, King Endymion, this is a very serious matter." She inwardly winced at her repetition of the word 'serious' and then physically winced as a pair of socks soared through the air and hit her softly in the chest.

He grinned at her before nodding sagely and clearing his face of all emotion. With a well-practiced, diplomatic bow he answered smoothly, "Of course, Lady... Tsukino." He stumbled momentarily over the last name and how utterly wrong it sounded to call her by it, "With your permission, venerable one, may we begin the trial?"

His sudden stately appearance and composed demeanor demanded a lift of an eyebrow before she too composed herself, sitting primly as if trying to exude a royal air she wasn't quite sure she was capable of. With a feigned, proper, disinterested tone she nodded, "We may begin, Lord Endymion. You may present the first article."

She paused only momentarily, her posture melting back into a relaxed state, "Ugh, no, let's not play games. Just show me the most hideous ones and we'll give 'em a quick kick to the curb."

Endymion let out a peal of pure laughter, and she could feel the depth of his pleasure towards her. His eyes were bright and kind as he looked back at her, and Serena thought that was the most open and natural she had ever seen him.

"Stop being charming." She huffed in fake irritation, but her beam broke through and he could feel how dearly she loved him and wished to throw her arms around him in that moment. He felt a swirl of affection for her, a pulsating warmth in his throat, and was once again so glad he had found her. That she existed, just as she was in that moment, and that she didn't change at all. He had always loved her just like that, just as she was then, just as she always was in every second. He kept the feeling private, only letting her briefly encounter his adoration for her, not wanting to distract her or himself.

"I will attempt to desist, for the moment, but only if you reign in on your own charms, my dear." He flirted casually, picking up a group of hangers with the same black turtleneck and extending them out for her inspection, "These?"

"Throw 'em in the corner, it'll be our discard pile."

"Turtlenecks come in handy, though." he remarked to himself as he tugged them from their hangers and chucked them in the corner she indicated with the flick of her pale wrist.

"Handy for what?" she asked distractedly as she picked up all the shirts he had previously tossed at her and sent them flying towards the pile he had just created. Serena folded the sweatpants and set the socks he had hit her with on top of them, getting up to go put them back in their proper shelf in his closet. Her hip grazed him as she moved to put the items away, and he ignored the action dutifully as he took another hanger down.

She inspected his selection, made a move for him to keep it, and he didn't question it.

Together they discarded neatly pressed corduroy pants, too big t-shirts with ugly pockets on the chest, and a cheesy sweatshirt. Endymion was slightly appalled by the mix in Darien's closet. He hadn't remembered with complete clarity having such terrible taste. His alacrity to be rid of the fashion choices of the twentieth century had him frequently note his distaste for the fabrics he held up to her.

The next item he withdrew with a mocking grin, "Three colored pastel shirt?"

"No." she decided solidly, then thought further on the matter. It wasn't bad, per say, but it was not very attractive on him. It would look nice on her, however. "Can I have it?"

He eyed her skeptically.

"I dunno, I could sleep in it or something."

There was a silent pause between them.

Endymion pressed his head into his palm, shaking it quickly to rid his mind of colorful imagery, "Bad thoughts, bad thoughts."

She grinned triumphantly.

He sent her an exasperated stare and looked slightly pained.

"So I can have it?" she asked innocently.

"Yes. Definitely." He coughed, nodding enthusiastically as he recalled a memory of her tugging the garment in question over her bare form, her hair loose from its pins, before she crawled under matted sheets to curl up next to him. He inhaled sharply, quickly handing the shirt off the hanger to her. She quickly brought it to her nose, inhaling the scent she associated with him, before tucking it under her arm. The gesture was adorable and he choked out with further enthusiasm, "Yes, keep it. Please."

Serena was only amused, unaware of his wealth of memories regarding the future history of her wearing his shirts like a surprisingly tantalizing nightdress. She caught sight of a lavender dress shirt in his closet, sparking her own memories of the future.

"Isn't it a little ironic that you're judging Darien's wardrobe when you are a man who wears a purple suit?" she asked skeptically, questioning him with a quirk of her lips. He noted the slightest bit of pink shimmer still there, and wondered if his own lips had a hint of the surviving lipgloss. He licked his lips as if to check, more offended by the fact that her lips still maintained a trace of gloss after his lips had been there – as well as his hand, as he recalled swiftly shushing her with his palm in the park – than her insinuation about his own preference for lavender.

Serenity's eyes sometimes looked lavender. Especially when she wore that pale blue gown with the purple glass beads on the straps – the straps that so easily fell from her shoulders with just the briefest of touches.

He recalled that it was his turn to indignantly deny her accusations.

"Not every day!" he insisted half-heartedly.

"Whatever, you still wear a purple suit."

Lavender suit. She liked it. Serenity liked it, and he could tell Serena was veiling her own opinion. Her favorite color, despite what the Scouts and Small Lady would hold as their own belief, had always been purple. She painted the walls of the living room in their first house lilac. She had cried over the tear in her pale purple gown the week after she had cleansed the Earth and been named queen. She once dyed the ends of her hair violet for the festival of light and left amethyst lipstick stains on his neck that entire week. And in another life she had plucked a wisp of purple fragrant fruit that grew on a pale tree in her garden and held it out for him to bite into; it had gotten grayish, vaguely mauve stains on the sleeves of his shirt. Lavender roses stitched onto the brocade of the lacey lavender fabric worn under her wedding dress, lavender roses lovingly hand stitched onto the tiny dress she had made for Small Lady when she was so new to the world, lavender roses printed on the loose dress she had worn when they snuck away to the ocean to teach their daughter how soft the sand felt and how cold seawater was a nice reprieve from the heat of the sun.

Purple was the swirl of memories that they kept inside themselves, that twirled around them in perfumed whispers when they recalled what had passed in a haze of nostalgic, sleepy contentment.

Also, it was incredibly stylish. Even Mina abandoned the outrageous warm hues of her wardrobe for inky purple when she wanted to look slightly more trendsetting than usual.

"It is thirtieth century fashion." He replied defensively, trying to sound haughty and arrogant as he continued stiffly, "You could not possibly understand what Terran royals find elegant."

She rolled her eyes at him, her incredulity and satisfaction reflected off her aura.

Endymion turned back to the clothes hanging beside them, fingers touching the rough fabric of a jacket there, "You will look back on the 1990s and _cringe_, my love."

It was a very true statement. Even Serenity, who had always had a knack for picking out outfits that seemed to transcend current trends and stay forever classic, made fun of what she had worn when they looked through old pictures transferred into holograms. He knew he had been less astute fashion wise, and that was incredibly apparent as they had leafed through the closet.

"I look forward at the 2990s and cringe, _dearest_." She sung back cheerfully, teasing him as her index finger bopped his nose as he had repeatedly done to her.

"I think that we are quite stylish." He defended amusedly.

"Really? That suit?"

He remembered the suit she was referring to. As Darien he had also wondered at the colors. Endymion didn't actually own the outfit they had seen in the future yet. He wore suits of all colors, but lately he had tended towards dark navy and grey shirts under simple black suits. Purple showed up a few weeks before when he had met with a council of presidents and prime ministers in South America for a conference. As always the conference had been smooth, to the point, and had found a swift adjournment after all parties had compromised for the most mutually beneficial agreement.

It was a diplomatic color. Nonetheless, fashion did change and he was not yet inclined to be so incredibly dedicated to lilac, as he had once seen a hologram of King Endymion doning.

Darien, of course, would pick up the purple suit to wear. Because he had thought he was supposed to. Looking back he realized that he had dressed in too formal of an outfit that day, and never even realized it. Serenity was probably highly amused that her husband was tottering around on a normal day in a suit meant for a formal ball.

Maybe he did feel slightly offended that she assumed he always wore the same suit in a color that her current society perceived as 'feminine'. A silly notion, as colors did not indicate sex or supposed personality traits.

He amended himself, feeling the need to defend his wife seriously if not himself, "Surely you do not believe Serenity is lacking in style. I distinctly remember you and your friends positively gushing about the gown you saw her wearing."

The gown was ceremonial. It was symbolic and representative of her. Just as he had his own ceremonial apparel that was a part of his public image, she had her lovely, infuriatingly hard to remove gown. By all accounts and across all time periods it was lovely, indisputably. It was only slightly different from Serena's 'princess dress', as Serenity had lovingly referred to it, and surely Serena couldn't find fault with Neo Queen Serenity's appearance.

"Oh, Serenity looks absolutely amazing, obviously. Might get sick of the dress after awhile, but it's just as lovely as my princess dresses have always been." She remarked flippantly, then smirked, "It's your sense of style I'm questioning. Everyone else is 'quite stylish' except you."

"Cruel!" he folded his arms over his chest, using his full height to look down at her in mock accusation, "You love my outfits."

"I'm probably too kind and regal to admit I hate them. It would break your fragile, delicate heart."

"Oh, you are such a little liar Serena. You love the purple!"

"It's definitely a step up from Darien's current attire." She admitted, and she could immediately sense his triumph at her admittance.

"Speaking of."

He meant to make a move to go through the clothes again, to make sure the things he remembered being inexplicably tossed away in his corner were all where he remembered them to be.

He returned his attention to the rack of clothes, finding an offending garment with its atrocious color and scratchy fabric. His most prized jacket. He had loved it. That jacket had been with him through thick and thin. It had been bled on, cried on, and rained on. He had fallen in love in that jacket, had broken his own heart in that jacket, had wrapped it around Rini when she got cold.

It was one of the only things he had left of his father.

But it was atrocious.

Darien was overly comfortable with it and used it as a security blanket of sorts. It wasn't comfortable and there were a few stains he just couldn't get out after it had so much use, but he was sentimental about it. It had been in the box of things the hospital had given him, in hopes of sparking his memory. It hadn't made him remember anything, but it had come to symbolize his father. As a teenager he had researched his parents, to find out more about them. There was a news article about his father that he found. In it, he wore the jacket. By all accounts his father had been a great man, and he felt connected to the past he had lost when he wore it. And then it had been habit, routine even, to wear it.

His mother had been a botanist. She specialized in genetically modifying roses into a greater array of colors. Like purple.

"I love that jacket." Serena murmured softly, carefully taking the hanger from him as if she was afraid he would throw it away. She hugged the jacket tightly to her chest, frowning at him lightly. She had misinterpreted his attention, thinking he meant to discard it.

He had never known that she loved it as much as he did.

"I know it's not that stylish, okay? But it's very...Darien. You wear it all the time. And there are so many memories we have with you wearing that jacket. It always smells like you. When Rini or I would get cold you would wrap it around us. I always thought that was really gallant, and it made me feel nice. Whenever you let me wear this jacket I feel like you must really love me, because you love it so much and you trust me with it."

She hadn't realized she had slipped into referring to him and Darien as the same person.

The girl blushed, turning her head away from him. "I don't care if it's silly. Keep it. Okay?"

She put it back in the closet, motioning for him to move so she could shut the doors. He stopped her halfway with a eager kiss, pulling her to him and letting his thoughts meld with hers so that she knew just how un-silly he thought she was.

.

..

.

He really did try to resist it, at least slightly, but more often than he should have he found his lips on hers. And she would peak up at him, shyer each time rather than more bold.

"Is this cheating?"

"No." he answered immediately. He grudgingly corrected himself, "Possibly. Maybe. Slightly. But it is okay."

He still didn't feel guilty about it, but he did feel slightly guilty at not feeling guilty, and she caught onto the feeling.

"If you feel bad about it then you shouldn't do it."

"I feel bad about not feeling bad about it."

"I don't feel like I'm cheating on Darien. Because you've already been him, and I feel like it's okay since it's like he's giving approval through you or something."

Darien would not approve, actually. He would be jealous of Endymion getting the first real taste of the thing he had seemed to be saving for himself. Endymion received kisses Darien had denied himself the pleasure of receiving.

"But I feel guilty because of Serenity." Serena quietly added.

"You should not, my dear. She will not be even the slightest bit upset." He kept to himself that Darien, at least for a little window of time, would be absolutely furious. But at himself. Both Endymion and himself as Darien, for being an absolute idiot. Never Serena.

"How can you know that? Certainly she will be upset."

"I simply know."

"Because of the time-swap-thingy or...?"

"I just know. I know her. I know you. You will not be upset."

She didn't believe him.

She couldn't see her future self being okay with her perfect, adorable, sexy husband charming an eager teenager version of herself. Sharing kisses with someone else, even if she had once been that someone. Serena didn't even like thinking that this Endymion belonged to someone else.

"In a thousand years you have a different view of our relationship than you do now. It is something very intricate, something that has evolved across decades. It is solid, unshakeable, and we have complete faith in one another. I would not deviate in a way which would hurt her. If I felt she would be wounded, I would not even remotely consider performing the action that would hurt her."

She felt young and stupid.

"No, no, no." he reached out with his mind to comfort her with a wave of love even as he brushed his hand across her cheek, "You misunderstand my convictions, and you misunderstand the situation. This is necessary and pure, a small miracle of healing and hope. Our time together, everything that has come to pass and will come to pass, is as it should be. I know this, as does Serenity. She looks back so fondly on the day you are currently experiencing, and sees all of the beauty that came out of this improbable, unexplainable window of time. She does not view it as a bad thing."

"Okay." Serena's voice squeaked, and she her fingers fluttered together, twirling the warm metal of her ring.

His fingers briefly brushed across the small curls of hair that always escaped from her hairdo, and she shivered at the sensation and the closeness, which felt suddenly oppressive. He backed away, not wanting heighten her discomfort, letting her mind whirl at his words.

"You give me such high expectations. I don't want to be let down. I always used to daydream about how beautiful the future would be. And it was never like that. And I feel a sick sense that you're exaggerating, and my mind wants to paint a vivid picture of how wonderful things will be – but it also rejects the idea that things will be so wonderful. They never are."

Her words flood out as a confession, one that was near to her heart, and which plagued her. She had been so inwardly unhappy for so long without Darien home. She had always seen nightmares, seen victories that always tasted like ashes and her own fantasies crumple under the weight of reality. She had been a dreamer, an optimist – and to an extent she still was. But it became harder and harder to ignore the fact that all her fantasies had been met with some horror. She had started to view the future in the same way she viewed their past – remarkable and beautiful for a moment, but ultimately fleeting. If there was one thing the past few years as Sailor Moon had taught her, it was that all happiness was followed by sadness.

Endymion frowned, turning his eyes to the window. It unsettled him. There were very few times he had come across her with this mindset. She was a romantic, inherently loving and hopeful, and the doubt edging further into her conscious was unfamiliar coming from her. He wasn't completely certain he could effectively contain and handle it. He had no doubt he could make it fade, but soft words of promise had brought her to this place, and he knew his own loving reflections on the nature of his own understanding would not win her mind over. Circumstance had planted the seeds of doubt, and vague, hopeful words were not as convincing as past experiences.

Promises, he found, would also be the best mediator.

His eyes returned to her, his hands slipping over her fidgeting fingers. He turned her hands over, looking down to trace the lines of her palms. He willed his fingertips to transfer his own strength and conviction to her. His eyes met hers, unwavering blue irises insisting on her complete attention as his fingers interlocked with hers.

"Serena." He began, voice firm and low, "I have made many promises to you. Some you do not yet remember, others you perhaps doubt the seriousness of. I promised to protect you, to love you always, to bring you the happiness you deserved. In another life, I made promises to give you everything you wanted, to never truly leave you. I promised we would find each other again – it was one of the last things I ever spoke as Prince Endymion. We defied fate, and found one another again, even after death, did we not?"

"Yes, we did." She nodded, absorbed in his words, fully intent on understanding his seriousness.

"I keep my promises, always. I can promise you, my love, that the happiness you are so unwilling to let yourself imagine, pales in comparison to the complete joy you will experience in the future. Every bond with your friends will deepen, to something beyond friendship and more like that of a soul mate. Every moment of joy will be complete, untarnished by true pain. And hard times, of course, will come. But they are few and far between. I promise you will find every joy you seek, as well as joy you had never even imagined possible. I promise that I will be beside you, sharing your joy. You will find every happiness, and it will fill your entire soul, and not only that – you will bring happiness to everyone else. I do not make false promises, and I swear to you on every star that only absolute radiance exists in your future."

She removed her hands from his, his intensity making her draw back and stumble from him. She rushed to the kitchen, acting out of impulse or necessity as she quickly filled a glass of water and gulped it down. Serena believed him. She could feel the truth in her hands, like he had pressed it there, and it hurt to feel the utter certainty because it was so, so heavy to feel the truth. She felt tense and electrified, and she felt parched. He followed her, intently watching her from the doorway. With shakey hands she set the empty glass in his sink and turned away from him, hands pressed to the counter to hold herself up. Delight and fear bit at her, as well as a thousand other emotions, and it was simply a sensory overload.

She didn't feel well.

"You can't do that, Endymion." She choked out, still reeling from the intensity of his promise and the press of the truth radiating from his consciousness. She didn't look at him. She wasn't angry, almost the opposite, but she ached from the feelings in her chest and the desire flooding her senses. Desire for knowledge, for fulfilled promises. And knowledge that he would indeed give her everything, because she was sure of it now. But then everything else that came along with it.

She could still feel him sharply, his own intensity only making her own acute emotions too overwhelming. "Tone it down, back your mind off a little bit." She practically begged, shutting her eyes and breathing out an explanation, "Everything is too heavy."

Endymion withdrew immediately, his presence disappearing from her mind, and she could no longer fully sense him. He was surprised by her reaction, by her shock, and he stepped out of the kitchen. She needed space, needed air. He understood, and his own surprise made him impaired himself. He longed to comfort her, to bring calm to her. He remembered quiet moments, Serenity situated on his lap as they quietly meditated, seeping comfort and calm from one another in a loop. The gentle moments where they shared their own peace with one another.

Serenity was always brimming with emotion, but they were neat and tidy and well arranged within her. In contrast, Serena was a knotted mess of feelings and thoughts, and his presence and the calm he tried to send her only seemed to add to the chaos.

He had to remove himself from her presence. He was hurting her head, overwhelming her and confusing her. How long should he go? What should he do to ease her discomfort? She was withdrawing from him quickly, and it was causing the bond between them to palpably dwindle as she looked for distance from him. He could hardly feel her there for a moment as she desired him away, and it was distinctly unpleasant.

"I will go pick up some food for us to eat." He quickly offered, giving her a worried look before turning away and giving her the distance she inwardly demanded.

The door closed.

She felt only a vague relief, knowing he was gone.

Serena realized for the first time what it all meant. What he meant, what he meant to her, and what she meant to him.

She choked back a small sob.

Too much.


	10. Chapter Nine: Disguises

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**Chapter Nine: Disguises**

"Not knowing when the dawn will come  
I open every door."

**- from The Complete Poems by Emily Dickinson**

.

**Thirtieth Century: Crystal Tokyo**

_There was very little about the future that was like his present._

_He had seen amazing, mystifying things he could not quantify. From just the glimmers he had observed around the castle, the level of technology was incomprehensible, and he could tell Neo Queen Serenity had been shielding him from most of it. Yet there were other little miracles that seemed to survive. Remnants of the past that hadn't slipped away with technological advancements. Like wooden end tables and perfume bottles and overstuffed chairs. Perhaps even that was simply Serenity's doing - perhaps her sentimentality for the things she had when she was younger. When he thought about the palaces and mansions he had ever known about, he realized they all preserved a level of antiquity not meant to be tarnished by changes in technology or fashion. This palace was probably the same._

_It was, in itself, simply astonishing. Crystal walls, illuminated glass, intricate designs woven, etched, and sculpted on the wall in low relief. It was all very simple from the hallways, but the rooms were different. Almost antique, and classic in a design he almost recognized from periods closer to his own time. He had only seen a few: sitting rooms, a dining room, something like a ballroom, Endymion and Serenity's room, and a brief glance into Small Lady's adjoining room when she bursted out towards them before being chased by Mina in a fit of bubbling laughter. _

_Small Lady was fascinating in the same manner Serenity was. She made him uneasy, though. He knew she could tell he was not quite himself, knew that her father was acting strange, and he could tell she was more timid than usual. She chatted sweetly with her mother and 'Auntie', occasionally asking him a small question he stumbled to answer appropriately._

_As she skipped beside them, holding Serenity and Mina's hand, he got the sense from the way she looked back at him that maybe this wasn't how it was supposed to be. He was supposed to pick her up, put her on his shoulders like he did with Rini. She was Rini with more sweet-natured lightheartedness and less hard edges caused by disaster and loneliness. Young enough to have no cares, unburdened by the things Rini had dealt with. The things this Small Lady would eventually deal with. _

_The thought saddened him considerably._

_Mina had eventually hoisted the small girl on her shoulders instead, and Serenity slipped her arm with his, linking them together. It made him slightly nervous, and he could tell from the smallest illustration of a smirk on her lips that she knew it, too._

_When Mina and Small Lady slip far ahead of them, turning corners long before they get to them, Darien finally let's himself ask a question that had been nagging at him._

"_Is everyone happy?" Darien finally asks, the uneasiness that lurked behind the question finally making itself known. He looked at her in a troubled manner, this concern, which he had kept to himself for quite awhile, needed to be address. He continued when the queen looked at him in silence, "None of us chose this life."_

_Serenity looked unamused by his assertion, and momentarily displeased before her face smoothed over into a small smile of understanding._

"_We chose it, Darien. All of us chose this life. We all wanted this, more than anything else. We are all very happy in the lives we have made. This was not thrust upon us. We made our lives what they were. We had reservations when we were younger, I remember well. We had dreams that seemed to contradict the future we discovered. But by the time..." she hesitated, as if unsure about whether she would continue._

_Serenity was quiet for a moment, walking beside him as their footsteps echoed. They could still hear the sounds of Mina and Small Lady ahead of them, who seemed to be singing a song he didn't recognize together. A long moment passed before Serenity resumed, evidently having decided on the words she had been searching for, "By the time Crystal Tokyo was erected we all had devoted ourselves fully to the concept we were creating." _

_A dark looked crossed her face as she looked up at him, "It was not easy. We went through many difficult hardships. But Crystal Tokyo was the effort of all of us. We were trying to help build something better, someplace happier. We succeeded. Eventually. But do not doubt our interest. We all chose to be a part of this, and any of us could chose to leave this life if we so chose. Even Endymion and I. But we have happy lives. The Scouts are happy, and we are happy."_

_He looked oddly at her, not knowing what to make of what she had told him. And he had seen the way the look in their eyes, when the future came up in conversation. The way they avoided it. The dark look they got in their eyes when they considered how the future might as well have crushed their dreams. They wanted to be florists, idols, head priestesses, doctors._

_They did not want to be warriors not just for a lifetime, but for a thousand years. At sixteen they were tired of it already._

"_I suppose you do not fully believe it. But we all are merely figureheads, my love, and have not needed to defend the world from evil for many, many years. Our main role is protection and stability, but our political role is predominately ceremonial and diplomatic. It has evolved over the years. Endymion and I mainly host conferences and diplomatic meetings, as well as a number of other duties left to us. As for the other girls, they do what they want to do. To put it in necessarily vague terms, Amy figureheads a branch of a world organization concerned with scientific and medical advancement, Lita is happy to just direct the kitchens and help garden the palace, Mina does a number of things that are typically social in nature, and Raye runs a few companies and has taken over the direction of Small Lady's education."_

_Darien did not bring up the other four, noticing her direct omission of their whereabouts. He knew not to ask, but felt a bit of humor that they were as mysterious as ever._

_He only fully believed her that the Scouts were happy when he had the opportunity the meet the rest of them, though Mina had already proven herself content in his previous interactions with her. And it was then so blindingly obvious that they were exactly where they wanted to be, doing whatever they wanted to do._

_Serenity brought him to the attention of the rest of their friends, and seemed to take a great deal of glee out of the effort, though she didn't display it as exuberantly as Serena exhibited her own small joys. Perhaps because she got to prove that they were not all victims of fate, but rather accomplished, happy women who did what they did because they chose to._

_Jupiter's hair was all different. Up in a ponytail, but more auburn and longer, with green twirls of color curling at the tips of her hair. Mina explained as Lita stirred a wooden spoon around in a bowl, something Darien knew had to be unnecessary considering how intricately state of the art the kitchen looked. There were people all around, but Lita ushered them out with her wooden spoon and an air of command. She finally greeted him with a hug and a wide grin, and then gave him a tour of the kitchens, making lascivious comments with Mina that made him feel unnerved and embarrassed. There was only a small incident, when Lita hurriedly pushed a brown haired man from the kitchen when he attempted to burst in to greet them. Darien thought he recognized him, or recognized the unceremonious closeness Lita displayed when she roughly shoved him from their presence. _

_Serenity's musical laughter had quietly sung throughout the exchange, and she barely contained her amusement when he turned to her with a quirked eyebrow._

_Mina quickly sent a barrage of questions about the twentieth century towards him, but the intent was clear. Some things he was not supposed to know._

"_Can I go play with Uncle, Auntie Jay?" Small Lady directed at Jupiter, and Lita opened her mouth to speak before Serenity shook her head at her daughter and grabbed her a sweet roll from the counter. She handed it to her daughter, expertly distracting her, and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "He is busy, Small Lady. We will play with him later, my love."_

_Raye had caught up with them like a whirlwind after they left Lita and Mina, her heels clicking across hard marble floors. The unabashed warmth in her eyes and the hint of a familiar smile on her lips when she saw Serenity let him know that they were just as close as ever._

_She knew immediately, had read him like a book, and cordially greeted him as Darien with a fleeting grin. She had been all business, giving him only a few words before sweeping Small Lady from Serenity's arms after the little pink-haired child had received a kiss from both her parents. They left without Raye giving him a second look, and with Small Lady excitedly telling her about the bedtime story Endymion had told her the night before. _

_Raye's brisk manner and the warmth she tried to hide behind indifference was not new. She was utterly similar to his own friend._

_Amy was different._

_He got the feeling he and Amy were close, perhaps even best friends. Amy was in some sort of modified lab coat, her hair pinned back behind her ears and glasses perched on her nose as she inspected a projected screen filled with symbols - some he recognized, others that were perfectly foreign. She treated him respectfully and politely, but there was some sort of expectation in Serenity and Amy's eyes when he interacted with her. She looked at him too closely, smiled too tightly, and Serenity was more quiet than she had been all day. When they left there had been a flurry of whispered words from Serenity to Amy, and he knew from Amy's refusal to look at him that they were discussing him. Serenity had explained when he had asked, unable to quench his curiosity with simple guesswork, that he and Amy worked together on medical and scientific pursuits. _

"_Endymion and Amy are very good friends." she stated proudly, always warmed by the fact that her two most introverted loved ones had been able to bond over their mutual interests. She turned to him mischievously, "And I am so thankful for that, because now all that scientific and technological jargon is shared between them, and I do not have to endlessly hear a string of mathematics I do not have the slightest comprehension of from both my husband and my dear friend."_

_The day ticked on with mostly silent contemplation by him as he drank in every detail he could about the future, observing it with both scientific and personal interest. Serenity helpfully provided lackluster, dulled down details he knew she wished to elaborate on, but could not._

"_There is only so much I can tell you, Darien. To tell all would be to spoil the enjoyment you would have had from discovering everything through your own experiences."_

_He watched her more often then he should have. The way she walked, like gravity was nothing and with a practiced grace. The calm confidence and elegance that she projected, that she embodied. How happy she seemed, and how it showed in everything she did, just like Serena sometimes was. This was what a truly peaceful, contented Serena would be like. A Serena assured of the safety of her loved ones, a Serena with a daughter who she absolutely adored and who adored her in return, who did not have to worry constantly about monsters, villains, and bad grades. A Serena who was married to a man whose name she sung like a hymn. _

_He could palpably, inexplicably feel the warmth of her love for Endymion, could sense it and knew it and could somehow feel how entirely happy he made her. It was hard to choke down, hard to feel his own love for Serena so understood, mirrored back towards someone like him by someone just like her. It was dizzying to consider, made his fingers itch for the future, or Serena. He wanted to see her then, for her to feel his own strong feelings towards her so that she could feel how utterly happy she made him even when he seemed adamant on not being so._

_He wanted that. Whatever it was that had changed between them, whatever it was, he wanted it. Maybe it was marriage, or the passage of time, or the intimacy Serenity had said he could not fathom. Or the other things she had hinted at. But he wanted that happiness Endymion gave Serenity, for Serena. The happiness the queen radiated, he wanted it for her more than anything else._

_But he got the feeling she was holding back on him. She was an enigma, and still didn't seem quite real. Even as Crystal Tokyo came into focus for him, he still didn't have a clear picture of her. The essence of who she was, what she was like, slipped through his fingers like water, even if there was an aching familiarity there. _

_As they looked out a window down at the city bellow, he quietly asked if he could see the city. He was curious about everything, eager to learn all he could about the things he had no right to know. He knew it was a long shot, an easily deniable request, but he couldn't help but ask. He was naturally inquisitive and curious about the world. This was a unique opportunity to not only see something fascinating, but also to fill in his knowledge about the city he constantly dreamed of._

"_We are going into the city." she said, turning towards him and placing a hand on the window. Her painted fingernails taped the glass, "I want you to see. I want you to know."_

_Queen Serenity wasn't just talking about the city, though she knew she would show him that. She remembered the burst of color and the eccentric styles on nameless faces he had showed her one morning, telling her and showing her the things he had seen in the future. Serenity predominately wanted him to see other things. She wanted him to see their life was not locked away in a crystal tower, that they were not shackled to their roles, that they had adventures too._

_He looked at her, a look of surprise obvious on her husband's face, which looked so young with Darien behind his eyes._

"_But we will need disguises."_

_Even as she shook black liquid into her palms from a thin plastic cylinder with indecipherable characters on the front - had the language changed? - and shaped his hair into dark black swirls close to his head, he didn't know at all what to think about her. Her fingers, temporarily stained an oily black from the hair paint, made quick work of the violet sheen of his - or, rather, Endymion's - hair, and he could feel the heat of her skin as she carefully brushed and caressed his hair into the right pattern. _

_She did it so easily, so assuredly, like he had seen her do everything. He imagined she and Endymion frequently made use of disguises, to go about unnoticed amongst the citizens of the city. He felt a pang of pity for her. Serena had always just wanted to be normal and he knew she never asked for any of this. Her dreams were filled with small houses and easy lives filled with love, with friendship. As much as she delighted in the idea of a Eden-like future, Darien knew it wouldn't be her ideal. Did it bother Serenity to have to disguise herself to live, for a moment, the life she really wanted to lead? Was it a burden for her to be a queen, who all she really wanted to be was normal?_

_It wasn't. It never had been, really._

_Serenity made no verbal response to the musings she could feel beneath her fingertips. Darien hadn't asked, and she only hummed quietly. She rather enjoyed dressing up, putting on a show and playing at being someone else. It was fun, a small risk, a game they liked to play. They would go out, hold hands like a normal couple, and laugh. They would eat at small little restaurants with chefs rather than the food replicators common for most food vendors - the one's that caused Lita to go on a tirade. They would explore the city, talk with the people with a comically bright, breathy tone and make friends. No one ever recognized them. It was all a manner of how they conducted themselves, their posture, their manner. It was easy to let down the queenly air and act with total freedom of expression._

_Endymion always would tease her and call her Serena. She would laugh and call him Shields, punch him in the arm and stick her tongue out at him like she was fourteen again and he was her handsome tormenter._

"_Your hair is done, dear. Take a look." she chimed, removing her hands from the carefully sculpted styling she had done. It was easy to do with the hair paint, and acted as a sort of all around hair sculptor and temporary dye. It easily bent the hair the way she wanted it too, in a swirled curl of a shape that only slightly stuck up from his head. Serenity didn't think it was quite as attractive as the way he normally wore his hair, but noted that with the stubble on Endymion's jaw Darien still looked handsome. He certainly looked different. His skin looked tanner when his hair was dark black, and he reminded her of how he looked when they were younger, before his hair got violet rather than grey with age and hers turned more silver than gold._

_She sunk her hands into the sink, the floral, antibacterial liquid jetting on as she placed them under the faucet. The black liquid slid from her hands easily, gone down the drain even before she washed her hands with a floral soap. She dried her hands with a sensor on the wall, then disappeared inside Endymion's closet. Darien inspected his appearance in the mirror, struck by his facial features more than the odd, apparently futuristic hairdo. Endymion's features were sharper, more defined. His nose looked like it might have been broken at some point and he wondered at how that had happened and why it hadn't been fixed by magic or medical technology the future surely had. Must have been a memory he didn't want to forget._

_This man he would become didn't look exactly like him. For some reason, that made his feelings twist between glad and fear. His eyes, at least, were the same._

"_They will not be for long." she interrupted, and he jolted._

"_I didn't say anything."_

"_Oh?" she tilted her head for a moment, but didn't look phased, "Well, nonetheless."_

_She held up an odd looking metal device, smiling wickedly before swiping it across his eyes and cheerfully declaring, "Say cheese!"_

_The device let out a bright flash of blue light that momentarily blinded him._

_He jerked back, hearing her laughter as his vision swam into blurry focus. He huffed jokingly, not really to upset. He trusted her, not fearing her intentions. With a half smile his eyes focused on her blurred form, asking with a hint of amusement and a dash of fake frustration, "And what was that for?"_

"_Eye color." she explained simply, setting the device down with no intention of going to put it back up, "You are now red-eyed." _

"_I feel like it, too." his vision seemed to clear up, all the details coming back in full color and clarity as he turned his sight to the mirror._

_His irises were, indeed, red. It had an odd effect on his appearance and he had to admit that it did make him look very different._

"_I see where Small Lady must get her eye color from." her voice sung out, the notes of her vocals sounding like a soft melody as they danced across her daughter's name._

_Darien raised an eyebrow at her, "What, you blind her every morning too?"_

"_You are terrible, Darien!" she burst into a short laugh, grabbing a bit of clear, and silver, plastic. She stepped closer to him, pulling the silver design off the plastic in what looked like shiny metal streamers of paper thin metal. "Now for a tattoo."_

_She traced a finger across the right side of his face, indicating where she was placing it, and he felt like she had sent tiny bolts of cold electricity through him at the simple press of skin. He obliged her without question, and felt a slight increase in his heart rate at her close proximity when she got closer to smooth the design across his face. It felt odd and cold at first, but heated as she pressed it down until he could no longer feel it. He didn't bother to look at himself in the mirror this time, instead watching her as she slipped away from him just as he unconsciously reached out to touch her._

"_You change into while I prepare my own disguise." she demanded, vaguely motioning for him to leave._

"_If you just use the Luna Pen, that's entirely unfair." he remarked dryly, still feeling her proximity as if she where right near him._

"_The Luna Pen is no fun at all. I would much rather do it the old fashion way and play dress up." she sent him something like a flirtatious smile, and his stomach flopped at the familiarity._

"_Eye blinding and all?"_

"_An inconvenient necessity of the process." she nodded, making a gesture for him to rise that he responded to without thought, "I think golden eyes would suit me today. Now change!"_

_He looked at her questioningly as he wondered where she wanted him to go. She flicked a hand towards Endymion's closet, seemingly distracted as she whisked away towards her own. She distractedly instructed him, her queenly persona tinging the words, "I have left out an outfit suitable for your disguise inside Endymion's closet, near the door. Once you are properly attired, locate a pair of black boots with straps across the front and put them on." _

_Now out of his eyesight, her voice increased in volume so he could hear her, "I will inform you when I am ready. Stay there until I let you know I am dressed and fully disguised." Her head peaked out of her closet back at him, one of her hair buns already free from its pins and hanging in loose waves. Grinning, she teased, "And no peaking!"_

_Darien followed her instructions, disappearing behind the door and doing as he was told, not even daring to entertain the notion of peaking. He would never do such a thing. Not to Serena, and certainly not to Serenity. It wasn't respectful, or polite, or courteous, or gentlemanly. _

_He wondered if Endymion would have the courtesy to do the same._

_He got the impression he wouldn't._

_That worried him._

_He worried about Serena._

_With a frown, he pushed those thoughts away, and inspected the clothes he was supposed to wear. A sleeveless shirt, a jacket, and a pair of pants that were a slick black material. The jacket was lined with metal-like silver the same color as the tattoo Serenity had applied to his skin and had a similar pattern similar to the design pressed into the fabric. The pants were slightly lighter, with an almost brown undertone. He pulled them on and the strange clothes fit too nicely and the fabric against his skin felt like a strange mixture between a silk shirt and a wetsuit. He slipped on the jacket and caught a scent of mint and roses he had vaguely noted when he was preoccupied earlier. It was pleasant, and though unfamiliar, he knew it must be what Endymion smelt like. It was odd, everything was odd, and he felt like a stranger in his future._

_He found the boots and strapped them on._

_He inspected himself in the mirror._

_The tattoo was the first thing he noticed. The design on it was geometrical and took up a large portion of the right side of his face. He did look different. Unlike a king, certainly, and he knew his posture already did not seem like that of someone who held a powerful position. Altogether, he looked foreign and alien, like something out of a movie or like a very toned down version of the exuberant villains they encountered. The clothes too looked strange, unfashionable to his eye. He noted that this must be how Prince Endymion would have felt to see his own twentieth century clothes._

_Then he noted that he had no idea how Prince Endymion would feel and felt a sudden, disconcerting sense of disconnect. His past and his future were foreign to him, both seeming like impossibilities that had nothing to do with him. Neither felt like his. Even as he witnessed the future with his own eyes, experiencing it firsthand, it didn't feel like something he belonged to. His past was similarly lost on him, something he longed to remember but did not feel was his. Maybe it was supposed to feel that way, maybe it was the passage of time and how it was meant to be. He wasn't supposed to be here anyway. The future wasn't supposed to feel like home._

_Serenity hadn't felt as foreign to him as the entire situation had. She seemed tangible, real. Everything else was strange, otherworldly. But there was familiarity there. And she wasn't that different, really. There were differences, certainly, and it was a bit strange to behold his girlfriend as a centuries old queen. But she still felt like Serena. Darien didn't really understand it, but she didn't feel like another person. Her personality wasn't wholly altered, not at all. Neo Queen Serenity just had a different air about her. Held herself different, conveyed herself in another way._

_She felt like the only thing anchoring him to this place, the only thing that made sense and felt right in the entire situation._

"_You can come out now." he heard her call out to him, and as he opened the door he thought he caught her mumbling something like, "Your brooding is distracting me."_

"_What?" he asked, confused._

"_I said, how do I look?" she questioned, and he had no answer._

_She looked nothing like herself._

_Her hair was loose, though he supposed it wasn't her hair since it was a light, pale blue that only fell down to her shoulders in sleek strands. Her eyes were, as promised, golden, and rimmed by dark eyeliner. Her lips had a hint of gold, and she wore a short dress that was the same black fabric and design as his own clothes, as well as boots like his but with a heel. Her skin was several shades darker, and her nose looked different._

_It wasn't just her looks. Her entire demeanor seemed to have changed too. Her posture, though still straight, was different somehow. She no longer looked serene and graceful, but rather carefree and laid back._

_Serenity looked like another person entirely, and if it wasn't for her voice and the unshakeable feeling of knowing, she would not be at all recognizable._

_She laughed at his aghast expression._

"_I know, I know." she cooed soothingly, joining him to observe the pair of them in the mirror. They looked incredibly alien and crazy to him, certainly like the odd getups the villains they had faced wore. She seemed to enjoy his disbelief, and the sour look on his face as he saw his own red eyes and her unfamiliar appearance. _

"_How did you possibly get into such an elaborate disguise so quickly?"_

"_We have a few other handy gadgets that are necessary for my appearance, if I want to go unnoticed. I figured I would spare your poor soul the torture that goes along with temporarily changing skin color and facial shape if you could not even handle shifting eye color."_

_Darien laughed and inspected their appearance, the humor escaping him when he once again noted how incredibly ridiculous they looked. He turned to her, asking grudgingly and already knowing the answer, "Do people really look like this?"_

_Serenity smoothed her hands down the fabric of his jacket, the pressure causing him to suppress a shiver. She looked up at him with a grin, "We look positively tame, my prince."_

"_You can't be serious. I look preposterous."_

"_And how do I look?"_

"_Not like you."_

"_Bad? Good? Sexy, possibly?"_

_He shot her a withering look._

"_Aw, well. You will like dress up one day. A bit of roleplaying never hurt anyone. You certainly don't usually complain. Maybe I should have worn the maid outfit." she positively beamed and he shot her a long suffering look._

"_You really are no fun to tease." Neo Queen Serenity sighed exasperatedly, flicking a pastel strand of hair from her eerily golden eyes. Her voice shifted on the next sentence, and it sounded so much like an excited Serena, "Now, let's go!"_

.

..

.

**Twentieth Century: Tokyo**

Serena no longer felt dizzy from some sort of heavy gravity, but the poignant emotion still vibrated through her. She could still feel him with an aching clarity, and was unable to completely dull the sensation. His words, his voice, his promise clung to her like music - a string of a melody stuck in her head. Without him there it was unpleasant, as if she could feel the distance between them. When he was closer it was easy to breath, to share what suddenly seemed like a burden when faced alone.

Serena leaned against the wall in Darien's living room, seeking the support of something immovable. Sitting was too difficult, not when she could feel the silver buzz of energy in her fingertips. She half expected to send jolts of magic from her shaking hands, but instead the power within her seemed to coalesce tightly around her heart.

She had been wrong when she thought having a moment alone would make her feel better. It had only temporarily aided her nerves, her sudden panic and longing, and now she felt more clear headed. But the clarity only brought on the knowledge of the unexplored connection between them. She closed her eyes, turning her focus inward - as Luna had taught her, when she had first tried to make her aware of the hidden depths of her abilities. She was not well practiced in inner reflection or observation of the hidden depths she could almost physically feel within her. It was frightening and she had no idea what she would find.

She knew she was complicated. She only grazed her true potential most of the time, though in moments of desperate need she seemed to be able to call from within her something powerful. She was made up of magic, of two lifetimes, of two endlessly converging and diverging facets of who she was as a person. A princess, an ordinary girl. A crybaby and a warrior. That sort of complexity was hard to swallow, and she didn't really like to delve into the deep corridors of her mind to see what new horrors or nightmares would come to light.

She had always imagined her mind as a series of corridors, with shut doors she never cared to open. There were things she selectively chose not to recall, a thousand nightmares she had seen. It wasn't that she couldn't face them - she knew with utter certainty that she could. It was that she would rather keep that tucked away behind a door, away from her normal thoughts, because she would rather see hope than chaos. She kept the beautiful, wonderful memories easily accessible. But the monsters, the destruction, the evil was held at bay by heavy doors.

She imagined that some doors were memories. And truth. And knowledge she didn't know if she was ready for. She contained more than a sixteen year old should, carried more around with her because she had experienced a whole other life. She had been seventeen when she had died. And those memories were certainly hidden. Her idle curiosity about the Moon Kingdom didn't demand her to look to answers that were so hard to hear. That life had ended tragically and catastrophically, with not only her own death, but the death of all her loved ones, the destruction of her home planet, and the genocide of an entire kingdom. Everything had been lost, and to recall even the happy memories would be painful when she was so fully aware of the ruinous end of a very wonderful world.

Serena was not ignorant of her multitudes, to the complexity nuzzled inside her soul. She simply didn't want it. Not yet, not all of it. She wanted it to be revealed slowly, in small increments. She didn't care to suddenly let go of the carefully constructed barriers in her mind. They protected her. And she wasn't certain she could face all the hidden parts of herself alone. She hated being left to face demons by herself. So they were shoved away, locked up and sealed as if by the work of her own magic.

But that didn't make it go away.

Endymion seemed to have opened a large door in her conscious and had drawn to light a startling amount of insecurities and worries about her relationship. Worries she didn't typically, if ever, dwell on. She was an optimist, a dreamer, and she did not naturally gravitate towards the troublesome burdens of thought that ate away at a person's happiness.

But her future husband had seemed to show that fears, like the ones she had about Darien, were so jaggedly tied to her emotions that they were easily yanked into light. Most of the time she pushed those thoughts away, but it was like a floodgate opening when a single thought made it's way into her mind.

There was also the knowledge that he had revealed about their relationship. That it was something so much more than she had even imagined.

Much seemed to have been hidden, too much. She suddenly wanted the knowledge, because it had produced something remarkable. The bond between them was something of awe, something pure and sacrosanct. Serena was curious about what else they were capable of and what else she had been missing.

Because if there was anything else as marvelous as the telepathic connection between them, no matter how overwhelming, it was worth investigating.

Serena was surprised she had been so unaware of its existence when it now felt, so quickly, like something as obvious as breathing.

The bond, perhaps, had been hidden behind a door that had carefully creaked open at Endymion's careful press. It wasn't unpleasant and she didn't face it alone. Quite the opposite. And now it was just so obvious, glaringly so. She wondered that she had never noticed it before. It felt like they had swallowed two magnets or tied their shoelaces together. She had a slippery image of it, but could certainly feel it.

She could feel him. It was hard to explain. Like a complete certainty at his existence, but warm and bright and loving and liquid, too. And she felt like he was still in grasp, if she focused. He was only a dull sensation when she didn't think about it, but if she examined the feeling it grew stronger. She felt like if she tried, she could hold onto him and whisper thoughts into his head.

She missed him already. Wanted his presence, craved how easily it felt to accept him and the situation when he was there to distract her with all the tiny, beautiful things about him. The quirk of an eyebrow, the way his voice lowered at the end of a sentence, the way he happily accepted everything she tossed at him. The way he felt, like he accepted her. Like he knew her. Love. Very real, perceivable love.

Serena hoped that when Darien returned, the feeling would be even stronger. After all, they were on the same page.

Endymion made her see Darien in a different way. And it wasn't all fears. Endymion made her see Darien, see the hidden parts of himself that he wasn't yet comfortable sharing, perhaps out of his own fear. She and Darien fit together better than she could fit with Endymion, in the end. He was so wonderful, but so was Darien. They were different, but as loved and special as Endymion made her feel, she craved that from Darien more than she wanted it from his future self.

Darien was hers, not Endymion, and she wanted to explore the newly revealed depth of their relationship with him rather than having it revealed fully by a future version. She wanted to see Darien be Endymion more than anything else. See his walls crumble down and share clumsy, new kisses and touches with him.

But he wasn't there.

She felt a hollow ache at his absence. And Endymion's. But she no longer felt like he was going to make her drown in his, or her, or their shared emotions. And that was an improvement.

She felt her breathing settle, the flux of her emotions rolling into an easier state of being. Her eyes fluttered back open, the world stopped spinning in a dizzy fastness, and all that was left was the hollow pit of her stomach that was like hunger or thirst.

It all faded away.

She was fine, perfectly fine.

But she needed to get up and find him. Needed him to know she was okay, that she wasn't afraid. They only had this day, and wasting a second of it felt like absurdity.

Serena slipped on her shoes and tugged on the hem of her dress, feeling shy about her lack of control as she left his apartment. Despite her timidity in finding him again, she had to rush. She wanted to find him before he found her, so he knew she was fine. At a small jog she made it to the elevators, fidgeting impatiently in as it went down. She didn't relax until she had made it out of the building.

She looked all around. He wasn't in sight. That was good, she could still find him.

Now which way had Endymion gone?

She leaned against the apartment building, closing her eyes and concentrating. Almost instantaneously she knew. As she swiftly moved down the road, she wondered if subconsciously she and Darien had been locating each other this way all along. Certainly it was how he found her in battle, but perhaps that was why they always seemed to run into each other as well. The thought pleased her. Even if they weren't fully aware of the connection between them, they'd been intuitively using it all along.

Serena opened the door to a take out restaurant Darien frequented without even thinking about it. Endymion stood with his back to her, seemingly contemplating the menu. The man behind the counter greeted her cheerfully and she smiled in return. Though Endymion undoubtedly knew it was her, he made no move to greet her, and she was grateful of his understanding for her nonsensical whims.

Her arms snaked around him from behind, wrapping tightly around his middle in an embrace. She rested her forehead on his back, breathing in deeply. She felt him inhale, felt him smile even though she couldn't see it.

"I'm all better now." she whispered faintly, trying to sound reassuring and apologetic, "Sorry for making you leave."

"If you need more time..."

"I don't. We don't have much time as it is."

"We have eons." he stressed, turning to face her. He wrapped his arms around her in an affectionate, tight embrace, pressing a cool kiss to her cheek. She nuzzled closer to him for a moment, breathing in everything that encompassed him, and luxuriating in the solid, unwaveringly tight feeling of whatever had connected them so inexorably.

They did have eons. She had so much time spanned out in front of her to be with him, an obvious stretch of almost forever. Serena knew that fate, though it had played tricks on them a thousand times, had ultimately blessed them with something magnificently sublime and eternal. They had paid for it time and time again, had died for it, but the price was worth the gift they were given. To spend a thousand years with him was knowledge she cherished, and a legacy she would never take for granted.

But this day among the hundreds of thousands of days to come was something distinct, something precious and undeniably significant. It was an anomaly and some enigma of magic, an answer to some half-formed wish she didn't consciously make but that something - perhaps the Silver Crystal - had responded to.

It was one day among eons, but it was an important day.

That was a distinction they were both aware of.

"Yes, but _this_ is only for a day." she breathed out, loosening her hold on him and letting her arms fall back to her sides. She faced the menu board blindly, unaware of the cashier's slight discomfort with their self-evident intimacy.

"That is true." Endymion agreed.

There was a comfortable silence between them, or something akin to it. There was never truly silence anymore, Serena realized. Even without words, without touch even, she could feel his emotions and his conclusive, absolute presence. The quiet was more comfortable when he was so completely accessible and present.

Endymion was glad that she had recovered, but was careful to mask the full torrent of his emotional presence. There were too many emotions and thoughts for her to examine, and she couldn't possibly understand them without confusion or jumping to conclusions. He didn't want to needlessly worry her with the little intricacies and idiosyncrasies of his psyche. She didn't fully understand him yet, and wouldn't for some time. It was best he kept his regret safely tucked away for the moment, away from her curiosity, without alerting her that there were pieces of the puzzle missing. He felt many things, and the small amount of time away from her had made him think and question.

Neo Queen Serenity knew him well enough to dissect the intricacies, to immediately understand each conflicting, seemingly out of place feeling. He knew her just as well, and the understanding came so naturally he was hardly aware of how attuned they were to one another. He mostly understood the ever ebbing flux of Serena's emotions without even trying, without thought. But to her, without him shielding her from the complete rush of who he was, she would not be able to understand.

He should have known better. He shouldn't have overwhelmed her.

Endymion, after all, felt a good many of things that would overwhelm her if he didn't keep them neatly organized and out of her sight.

One of those things, admittedly, was that he was hungry.

He didn't mind her sensing that.

She giggled when she noticed, as if she had heard the rumble of his stomach, and the sparkle in her eyes as she grinned up at him clearly told him she was amused and none the wiser to his inward restraint.

As her fingers danced to press against his, weaving their hands together, she gave his hand a light squeeze, "I'm hungry, too."

"I ordered us the noodles you like." he supplied, after a moment.

She seemed surprised, and he wondered why. "You remember?"

"Of course." he looked at her quizzically before turning at the sound of rustling plastic and the rubbery squeak of containers rubbing against one another. The cashier smiled half-heartedly, still uneasy about the display of affection from the regular customer, and handed him the take out bag with an exchange of pleasantries and cash.

Serena shot the man a bright smile as she left, waving goodbye as she skipped out the door Endymion held open for her with an unsuppressed grin.


	11. Chapter Ten: Roses

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**Chapter Ten: Roses**

"There's things that happen in a person's life that are so scorched in the memory and burned into the heart that there's no forgetting them."

**- by John Boyne**

.

She had only briefly turned her eyes in his direction before he realized her intentions.

It was so very typical of her.

"No." he stated, solidly.

"Please, Endy?"

Her eyes took on a look of pleading, and Endymion sighed.

"Serena, you have your own." Endymion stated warily.

Serena took another bite of her noodles before replying, "Yes, but yours looks better."

She always did this. Or at least, she occasionally always used to do this.

"They are _exactly_ the same thing."

She looked scandalized by the idea and shifted her eyes towards his carton of noodles, then to her own. When she looked back at him, she seemed to be questioning his sanity, "No, they totally are not! They don't even look like the same dish!"

They stared one another down. Endymion held her gaze with stoney stubbornness.

Her lip protruded outward into a pout.

He set his chopsticks down, "Fine, trade with me."

"No!" she cried, pulling her carton closer to her protectively.

"Why not?"

"Because I like these, too."

"Would you be happy if I put half of mine in a bowl and the put half of yours in a bowl, so that you had both?"

"Yes, that's perfect!"

"As you wish."

He returned with two bowls, one normal sized and one oversized, which was obviously for food preparation or mixing, rather than eating from. He shuffled over to her with bare feet and set it before her with a perfect bow, "For you, princess."

She picked it up and immediately began eating it, unbothered by his actions, but asking out of curiosity, "Why did you put it in this huge bowl?"

Endymion grinned down at her, "Because it makes you look ridiculous."

"What?"

Things were never simple, but they were always interesting.

They silently finished their food, sitting across from one another on the floor, and Serena thought it was wonderfully odd and pleasant for him to sit so comfortably and quietly with her. She slipped her leg out towards him, pressing her bare toes to his feet. Endymion raised an eyebrow at her as he chewed, picking up a noodle and tossing it at her. It hit her in the forehead, and he gave her a grin as he pressed his foot back to hers.

She stuck her tongue out at him and dropped the renegade noodle in her empty bowl. He got up, rather ungracefully in his borrowed body, and took it from her to take it back to the kitchen. She followed him and the sound of dishes clinking in the sink, in a state of drowsy contentment.

Serena leaned against the doorway as he turned to her.

"So I know about the thing." she began.

"More specific?" he asked her, padding closer to her and loosely taking her hand in his to press a kiss to her knuckles.

"I know that I can know about the Silver Millennium." she stated gingerly, taking his hand as he had taken hers and pressing a kiss to his palm.

"More specific." he repeated, voice lower.

"I realize that I am able to remember what happened during the Silver Millennium if I tried to remember." Serena said, completely certain in this knowledge. He had exposed parts of her that had been hidden until he had shaken them loose. The bond between them, new and old at the same time, had awakened her to a side she hadn't thought to look for. She felt like she was close enough to the memories to grab them, and yank them to the surface.

He had given her clarity; somehow, someway. As if his own knowledge and insight has spilled over from his mind and into hers.

"How do you know?" he inquired, smiling at the insight and his own recollections of how he came to remember.

Serena, it seemed, would not need help remembering, while the memories had come from him like pulling teeth. It came to her naturally, and it was stunning how well she had accepted the things he had to be forcefully shown.

"I can feel them." she murmured, her eyelids fluttering as she smiled serenely at him. Serena had no idea why a certain clarity had come to pass over her, why everything seemed so easy and understandable when it had always been so baffling to her before. Everything was falling into place so simply.

"You are very clever, Serena."

She laughed at the humor in that, "That's not something I hear very often."

"But, nonetheless, true." he replied, sincerely.

"My grades beg to differ." Serena argued bluntly, her humor gone. Her intelligence was a sore subject, and something she would rather not discuss. It was something that dampened her contentment. She knew that she was dumb, that she would never be considered intelligent. Her grades were not the only indicator, and she constantly heard it from others. She didn't like for him to act as if she were something she was not, and it stung a bit to consider.

"Grades are not everything." Endymion concluded decisively.

There was a pause.

"Hold on. That is _hilarious_ coming from you." she proclaimed, amused at the notion that someone who was Darien could say such a thing, "I never thought I would hear you say that. Say it again, slowly."

Endymion let out a chuckle, leaning closer to her and stating in a precise, pronounced roll of the tongue, "Grades are not everything."

Serena fanned herself exaggeratedly, giggling, "That is _so_ sexy. Say it again."

"I'll save it for the bedroom."

Serena flicked her wrist, letting out a huff, "Nuh-uh! No bedroom for you, Endymion. I have a boyfriend, after all."

"And I have a wife."

They both wondered how they could be so nonchalant about the subject they had both been skirting around for hours. They both decisively knew where the stood, with no uncertainty. Their views corresponded. Neither would even consider crossing that invisible boundary they knew was there, that they had danced their words around and flirted emptily with.

She didn't even need to say it, she knew he understood just by looking at him, and could feel his corresponding certainty as strongly as her own. She teasingly continued, because that was the only way she knew how to broach the subject explicitly, "You're great and all, but I'm with Darien. Kissing is different. Sorta. Also, it would be unfair, because you know all about me. You would be a pro and that would be no fun and the whole time I would be thinking about Serenity."

"Kinky."

"You would be, too."

"That is true. Regardless, I never had any intention of doing anything inappropriate. Some lines are simply not crossed."

She nodded vigorously, and they were both pleased that neither expected more than they were willing to give. It felt more comfortable then, like a unnamed burden had been lifted from their shoulders, and that they had said the thing they needed to say.

They were both satisfied with their coinciding agreement.

_It's funny, you've stopped feeling like mine._ Serena mused silently, after a moment.

"Hmm?" he wondered, tilting his head slightly in confusion. Her mind flowed into his, her impressions and wordless thoughts playing across his mind. The depth of her attachment to him, how deeply she ached when she had compared his affection manner to Darien's reservations, how excited she was to share such a profound connection to him, and to have such undeniable proof that he loved her as much as she loved him. And her resolution, her sudden understanding that the most profound connection she had ever experienced with another person - with Endymion - was not quite right or well-matched.

He understood what she meant by the thoughts immediately, but she continued verbally, as if she needed to solidify her own feelings by vocalizing them.

"For a little while, you were like Darien. Obviously, unwaveringly mine. At least, in my mind. I think it has to do with the mental contact." she took both his hands in hers without thought, her fingertips running across the lines of his palm and the veins on the back of his hand. She trailed off as he shared his own understanding with her, smiling nimbly. "Anyway," she resumed, her voice sweet-sounding and soft, "Everything felt like it was supposed to be. Like we were where we were supposed to be. But it doesn't feel like that anymore. Maybe because it's coming to an end."

_I understand._ He replied silently. He did. He had overwhelmed her with affection, with the easy closeness that had once been so hard for him to accept, even with her. And it felt like it should have always felt, because it had been what it had once been, a thousand years before. When he had been a prince, and she a princess. Darien was a strange interlude, an experiment in nature versus nurture, and a lonely child. He had not had the tools at his disposal to comprehend his feelings or give as freely as he would have liked.

He had learned, though. And he understood Serena's embracement of him, of Endymion, because they both knew that was what it was meant to be like. He was amazed that she had figured out so completely the implications of Darien's away trip, and that it had sunk in enough for her to realize what a monumental shift was happening. Enough so that Darien was really already Endymion to her, already the same man as he was.

Endymion did bristle at the implication that his younger self was exactly the same as him, because that simply wasn't so. He was different, he had changed in numerous ways, and his philosophies on most things were unrecognizable from his former mindsets. People changed over time, and he was no exception.

Serena had no conception of his thoughts, only vague feelings.

And he could sense then that she was anxious to see Darien again.

He was slightly hurt by that. He enjoyed their time so thoroughly, was so enthralled by the snapshot of her he was getting to relive. It was all so much of a blessing, and he couldn't help but be a bit offended that she was ready for it to be over, and for him to go.

Serena did catch on to_ that_ feeling.

"Oh, no! Don't be offended!" she hurriedly reached for him, pulling her arms around him and pulling him close into a hug. She didn't know how to make him feel what she felt, but she tried to send him how incredibly happy he made her feel, how much she cherished this version of him. How he was ultimately special, another Endymion she had come to fall in love with, and one she knew was complete. She sent a wave of a thought, that this was the best day they had ever been given so far.

He pictured a thousand other beautiful, treasured days, but had to agree that this one stood out among others. He set his hand on her head, stroking her hair, and she knew he at least understood how she felt about him.

She expanded verbally, "It's only because...he'll be you, wont he? I can feel it. Obviously he wont be the exact same. There will still be some huge differences, and some things that only change slowly. You still will be very different. But it will feel the same, wont it? He'll come back and I'll feel the same love I feel with you?"

The both knew the truth.

"I, of course, give away nothing, my love."

She smiled knowingly up at him, "It's okay, you don't have to tell me. I know things have all changed. It feels like everything is finally beginning. And I feel really, really happy just being here with you now."

"I am glad."

She didn't really mean to kiss him, but it happened anyway, and they both delighted in their negligence of unspoken rules they had seemed to have laid down. The moment hung between them as she pulled him in further, and he sunk into the warmth of the kiss. It was sweet and thankful and determined and resolute and it felt like both a hello and a goodbye.

They grasped for more, and tumbled from the doorway of the kitchen.

Endymion knew and didn't know why he was doing this, caught up between his own conflicting realities. Part of him was wrapped up in her, as he always was, but the other part of him was firmly planted in the reality that had previously escaped him. He was torn between backing away and pulling her closer.

She let out a breathy murmur of delight into his lips, testing new kisses by gently biting and sucking on his bottom lip. Endymion reacted. Their kisses grew deeper, his hands sunk to her hips, and he felt himself melt into her.

It felt like an eerie, untouchable deja vu.

To Serena, too.

She jerked away as a memory came to the surface. The smell of a forest, her dress and little twigs biting into her skin as he pressed her into the ground, the feel of his hand on the curve of her waist, his name echoing through her mind, his emotions pressing into hers.

It faded to nothing as quickly as it had come to mind. Her forehead felt hot, and silver shots of magic pushed through her veins.

A crescent moon shone lightly on her forehead, before fading away.

Wide blue eyes met his as she breathed out, desperate for the return of that fleeting glance of what had come before, "I want to remember everything."

"Then remember."

She looked unsure for a moment, but then her resolve returned, and with a whoosh of breath the memories revealed themselves to her with just a single mental command.

_I want to remember._

Everything flowed into her at once. Memories rushed through her, an entire life flashing behind her eyes.

The first thing that came to her were brief flashes. She saw a girl who was now Raye laughing, her mother pulling a tiny lace dress out for her to wear, Luna teaching her small, little incantations of magic, a delicate golden slipper being tossed at someone across a room, light colored dresses swirling as people danced in a ballroom. She felt a woman's hands brushing her hair, felt the arms of a dozen people, felt the ancient, forgotten words shape on her tongue. She remembered what the kitchen had smelled like during festival season, Artemis' cologne, Amara's skin, Amy's books, Lita's favorite pastry. Serena saw the vibrant crescent of blue and green swirled with whispy white hung against a backdrop of stars, remembered how cold the water had been when they snuck away at sunset and all jumped in the star-touched sea, their bodies swathed in gossamer nightgowns and their hair down in waves.

She saw her mother and felt how completely she had loved her, and how loving and kind she had been, and how she had wanted nothing more than to be like her. She remembered her lessons, the way the palace looked, the people she had known and loved. Friends she had forgotten, who were long gone, who had names she couldn't translate. Teachers and cooks and maids and the people in town and diplomats. The breathtaking temples with their old, old, old carvings and the goddesses and gods she prayed to. The spectacular feats of architecture, the crumbling, ancient relics, and buildings she had been in awe at the age of. The paintings in the hallway, the sculptures, the fountains, the murals, the crystal chandeliers, the furniture, the clothes everyone wore. Her bare feet on the cold marble, the Silver Crystal in her mother's hands, the first time she met the girls she still loved so very much, her first kiss - which did not and had never involved Endymion's lips.

He didn't come to her at all at first, and she was too wrapped up in remembering how beautiful life had been to think to look for him in the colorful cast of her memories. These were the details that had been small, but were so huge and important now. She felt a wave of startling loss when she recalled just how horribly long ago it had been, at how much had been destroyed. Whole cities, an entire race, a millennium - many millenniums, in reality - of history. Moreover, a world which had been pure, and peaceful, and untarnished by corruption. Where evil, murder, and hate could hardly be fathomed by the people until the very, very end. She ached from the loss of a million souls, from the lost history, from the world which had been perfect and which had been swallowed by the darkness that rose up from her own mistakes.

And with the horror came the images of horror. The dark cloud rolling in. The echoing crack of electricity, the cackle of some eerie magic, the screams that followed. The sharp severing of the bonds that connected her to every last one of her friends. The ruby red blood, the way the palace crumbled and seemed to turn to gray dust before her very eyes. The death, the suffering, the screaming, and the quiet that followed after. And then him. And clutching her stomach. Beryl. And then death, first his, and then hers.

Serena's eyes flew open, startled and wet. She felt terror and heartbreak so sharp she felt like she had been electrocuted by something massive and dark and had her body torn into jagged, burning pieces. The panic and pain edged and she felt like she was bursting into hot light, her heart racing and her eyes blurred with rivers of tears and her body racked with fierce shaking and sobbing and violent tremors. She was not aware of his presence at all. She was dying, all over again.

It ended quickly, in one blunt second. Everything stopped. And suddenly she could see the deep blue of his well-recognized irises and the concern of his eyes and feel his hands cupping her face and soothing her skin. He looked as shaken as she still felt, his fingertips quaking against her skin, but she found she was mostly in a state of sudden calm that he had surrounded her with. All the rising hysteria had ceased, being replaced by an endless sense of security and a hard fought peace. She enjoyed the freedom from the horror and panic for a moment, leaning into his trembling touch. She found the comfort he offered, and magnified it with her own to give him back the peace he had given to her. His fingertips found stillness and the storm cloud behind his eyes receded, a small smile of gratitude pulling up the corners of his lips.

They took comfort in one another, but both could not fully forget the emotions that erupted when she had remembered. She shivered at the hollow ache where the memories had boiled over. The memories were untouchable, untraceable, and even the memory of their existence did not bring to mind their images. They had seemed to evaporate in her terror. Endymion soothed her, running smooth fingers dexterously across her skin, pressing comfort into her and continuing to mentally protecting her from the nightmare she was reliving.

She was calmed. Shaken, but calmed.

But then she realized what had happened.

Her heartbeat picked up and she looked scared for a moment, pushing him away before frantically clutching onto his arms with a strong grip. Her voice came out in a desperate, tangled cry, "No! Give them back! Don't take them away from me!"

"Calm down, my love." Endymion began quietly, letting her shake him,and keeping his eyes focused on hers, "Calm down, my love. I did not take them away from you."

The fear in her eyes showed him that she didn't believe him, that she feared he had taken away something she had fought to hold onto even through her own death. He knew memory was a precious, important thing. It was something he did not take for granted, and which he rested profound importance on. Memories meant more to him then almost all else. He knew her fear.

"Do you trust me, Serena?" he asked carefully, flinching as she felt her consciousness ram against the mental block he had put on her memories, which he was carefully trying to organize into something she could cope with. The emotional weight of a lifetime of silver, intricate memories contrasted starkly with the chaotic jumble of disorder and pain the memories ended with.

It was overwhelming, it was a bit too much for one person to take at one time, and he should have been more careful, more attentive. Should have realized what it would do to her if she remembered all at one time. He felt an aching guilt even as the rest of her chaotic emotions riled against his careful ordering and soothing of the memories. A part of her was in great pain, was lashing out like a wounded animal, and he had to protect her from the part of her conscious that was in shock and turmoil and complete pain.

He soothed her from behind the shield, in the part of her mind she couldn't access once again, but Serena was unaware of that fact.

She could not feel the memories, she couldn't find them, and she knew he was the cause of that. And he couldn't help but blame him and distrust him for taking away something that was so vitally important to who she was.

She didn't know if she trusted him in that moment.

Serena mentally reached for the memories, grabbing for anything and finding only a golden mental block separating her from her past. She could feel it was him. It was non-threatening, warm and protective and loving. But it shielded her from the truth, from the knowledge she wanted so desperately. She knew it had been terrible, could remember the rising panic at what she remembered, but could not recall what it was that Endymion shielding her from. It was frightening that he could do such a thing, that he could have such firm control over her own mind.

Their bond hadn't been frightening until that moment, until she realized how vastly they surrendered their trust to one another. It was a frightening sort of power he had over her, which she also had over him. They had entrusted their entire souls, their minds and their consciousnesses to one another. Their entire bond was an extension of their trust, of their unwavering faith in one another and willingness to share themselves, fully, with another.

The bond would not exist if she didn't trust him. In the end, no matter the time or circumstances, she would always trust him. And she knew he would never invade her mind with negative intent. He was protecting her, swooping in to save her once again. It seemed he could even save her from herself.

She inhaled a shaky breath and all she could feel was his presence and the magnitude of everything they had ever, and would ever, experience together.

"I do trust you." Serena replied, a crack in her voice as she brought her fingertips to his neck. She traced the lines of his jaw, the slope of his adam's apple, and the curve of his ears, trying to find the right words in the midst of her inner tension. The inability to find the memories was disconcerting, unsettling her deeply, and she had a fierce desire to reclaim them all, though she remembered how harshly they had bit at her. Endymion caught her hands with his, intertwining their fingers and bringing them down to rest between the small space separating their chests.

Serena wavered, "But I don't want to lose it all, Endymion. Not again."

"You will not." he promised tenderly, letting her feel his sincerity. He kissed her forehead to accentuate his point, "It will still be there, in your memory."

She looked relieved, but Endymion still seemed troubled.

"Serena, forgive me. I am so sorry that I had to do that. But I could not simply sit there and watch you fall apart and experience so much pain, all by yourself. I could feel you crumbling, and I could not simply do nothing. I regret invading your conscious without your express permission, I truly do, but I found it necessary for your wellbeing."

"I want to remember." she toned softly, smiling to let him know she did not resent him for the intrusion.

"And you do remember now. You will. But I should have helped you more. I should have guided you through it. You should not have had to face the full onslaught of the destruction by yourself. It hit you too hard, all at once. I feel guilty for not having the foresight to intervene sooner, but I knew you wished to experience it singularly." He still seemed to want to explain, his guilt and the inward dark swirl of the memories still plaguing him as he fought to sort out her emotional response to the images. It was hard to both control the presence in her mind and focus on being present, being there for her both mentally and physically at the exact same time. He kept his eyes locked with hers to keep himself focused on responding to her, and to keep him rooted in reality instead of getting completely drawn into her mind.

"When you let the memories go, will I panic again and have to relive it all over again?" Serena asked, her eyes wavering away from his. He flinched immediately, but when her eyes returned to his he felt the world fall back in place. It was slowly getting easier to concentrate, the memories were becoming less harsh and he had almost completely soothed their chaotic force.

"No. I am currently trying to sort through the memories for you, and make them less messy, so to speak." he explained carefully, "Do not worry, I am not altering your memories in any way. I am simply lessening the intensity of your original emotional response, so that you can remember without it overwhelming you."

"Thank you."

He nodded only in reply, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"It was mostly good memories." she started recollectively, "I remember it felt nice, I felt loved and happy. It was nice to remember. I want to remember those memories again, Endy. I want to remember all the good. I want to remember you. And how we met."

Serena smiled fondly at Endymion, feeling a wave of affection for him. She burned the image of him into her memory, and the openness expressed on his face. How young he looked, despite the fact that an ancient soul was the light behind his eyes, and how he had never seemed so much like himself. She longed for knowledge of their past, for a clearer picture of who they were together.

Serena pressed a warm kiss to his jaw, breaking eye contact as she brought her head to his shoulder, "Can I see those memories of us now, but still have you block out the day that Metalia came? Can you do that?"

"Yes." he sighed, resting his forehead on her hair, "Tell me what you want to see first, princess. I have to do so carefully, to keep the mental shield up."

"I want to see us. I want to see how we met and how we fell in love."

Endymion immediately complied, letting the warm, peaceful memories they shared come to the forefront of her mind.

And she felt the memories then, but she also felt Endymion there with her, his presence not unwelcome.

And she remembered.

Serenity was seven the first time they met. It was before the other princesses came to stay for good, when her days were spent with her tiny hand clutched onto her mother's dress, or Luna's cool hand, or around the pale blossoms which flowered year round in the gardens. She got her mother to let her wear her blue dress the day they came, because it was the color of Earth and ocean and sky. He was two years older and she was endlessly curious about the Terran royal family, which was present for tentative diplomacy under the guise of peace talks, which even she knew would not work. She did a tiny curtsy when she met him, and he bowed silently, looking amused when she broke into a toothy grin and asked for him to play with her.

Endymion supplied that he had thought they were both too old and too royal to play, but he had complied anyway because he was fascinated with her.

Grown ups ushered them into the gardens, where she always played, and they were supervised by Luna and three Terran attendants who eyed her distrustfully. Both the princess and the prince ignore them the way that only those who are never alone ignore the people that never leave them alone. Serenity took him by the hand and showed him all the different flowers spread across the grounds, because she didn't believe the other girls when they said boys didn't like flowers. She made up names for most of the plants in the garden, since she couldn't remember their real names, and he told her that the roses on Earth were red, not white.

She had told him she would like to see those.

He supplied her one out of nowhere, a blooming, stemless, bright red rose bud springing forth from his fingers as if it was meant to grow in his small hands. They were both surprised. He had never mastered his own magical gift in such a way, and hadn't intended for it to happen. Both children leaned towards his cupped hands, marveling at the bit of magic and sharing surprised, secretive grins.

He offered the rose to her carefully, extending it towards her shyly. Serenity beamed at him, causing him to blush a vibrant hue, and that too was new. Her pale fingers stroked the spiraled, fresh petals, admiring the shade that was so much brighter than her own flowers.

As she went to pluck it from his hands, there was a moment when their small hands touched, and they both felt a golden and silver brush of magic, or perhaps it was their souls recognition of one another, the piecing together of who they truly were. They looked at each other with wide blue eyes, and Serenity was the first to have her attention drawn back to the blood-colored petals of the rose clasped in her hand.

They were the only ones who understood the magnitude of their acquaintance.

They were ushered back to their parents shortly after, and both children felt they had been cheated out of something inexplicable. They didn't see each other until the Terrans left the next day. She looked at him curiously, half behind an archway, and no one else saw her but him.

The next time they met, Serenity was sixteen. And that was where it truly began. Serena remembered everything about it, every detail, because Princess Serenity had forgone sleep night after night in just the memory of it, long after she should have gone to bed.

It had almost been an accident, and she hadn't meant to end up on Earth when she snuck out after a night of soft-footed dancing and laughter-filled games in the garden. Hopes and dreams were on her lips, spoken for the first time in bright whispers to Princess Uranus, who hadn't told her she was silly. Her dreams of adventure, of the boy prince who she thought she would like to see again, of roses in a lovely shade of red, of sunsets and blue skies and lush jungles of vibrant green. And she had told her that her dreams were not silly, but brave, and that had made Serenity bold.

When Amara left her with one last dance and a kiss, she had snuck away to pray to the Silver Crystal, like Luna had told her not to do. The Silver Crystal was made for wishes, but Luna had always taught her that there was great power and great promise in a wish, and that was a dangerous thing. Wishes, after all, never turned out the way they were meant to.

But she felt an unexplainably strong desire to visit the brilliant blue and green and swirling whites of Earth. She felt she was meant to go there, felt it call to her, and it was the only thing she had ever truly wanted.

She fell onto her knees in the temple, eyes cast to the holy relic, clasping her hands over her heart, and desperately pleaded for the Silver Crystal to please, please help her one day find her way to Earth, and to the boy who would rule there.

And then she had disappeared.

Things never went as planned, of course. And wishes were always tricky.

When she blinked she was somewhere different. And the gravity was too much and she felt weak and she stumbled blindly forward with the heavy weight of gravity upon her, feeling herself fall.

And arms caught her, steadying her.

She had been startled and frightened and confused. She didn't know where she was or what had happened or who was touching her. Warm hands sent little bolts of hot electricity through her skin and it was cold out and that was only part of the reason why goosebumps appeared across her bare arms. Everything felt heavy and foreign and different. Everything looked different.

With great effort, she brought her head up to look at the person whose hands had kept her from falling. His eyes struck her first. Blue that was the exact color of the waters of Neptune, the one and only time she had visited. Dark hair, black as night, and golden skin darkened by days in the sun which glowed in health, even in the dim light. The slope of his nose, the curve of his jaw, the shade of his lips – they burned into her mind.

She recognized the boy she hadn't seen in nine years instantaneously, though there was little of that boy left in the traces of his face. And her heart leapt in her chest and the gravity suddenly didn't feel as heavy as it had. She felt light.

"Princess Serenity?"

It was the first time he had ever said her name.

Neither of them failed to recognize the significant change in themselves at that moment. They knew immediately. It was a moment wrapped in power, inevitable and obvious and destined. The moment their existences had been building up to for their entire lives.

They spent hours in conversation, and he showed her flowers as she had shown him. The gardens of Earth were more wild, more colorful, and more secluded than the soft pink and white and pastel fields of flowers that precisely lined her own castle. They spoke in hushed voices, as if honoring the secret of their meeting, and he held her hand in his with only the faintest blush of hesitation. She left before sunlight had even begun to tickle the horizon, though she longed to stay with him, and promised with an embrace and a kiss to his cheek that she would return the next night.

She did.

They formed what they called a friendship, except they looked at each other too softly and too long and whispered each other's names like a prayer and both of them knew better. They were too careful around one another, their hearts beat too quickly at a single look, and they admired one another with too much devoted fascination. They knew each other too well, too quickly, and each had too profound of an understanding of what made the other's heart beat. They had both known early on what it truly was, and it only took three more meetings before she fell into his arms and he whispered with kisses how adamantly he had loved her.

It was a silly beginning, Serena thought. And she felt how Endymion's laughter always felt.

They had many more meetings, many more nights. And kisses turned to caresses and grew bold. They met always in the gardens, but sometimes explored elsewhere. She shared her thoughts, feelings, and ideas with him with a depth she had never expressed with anyone else, and he did the same. He pressed kisses to her navel and tickled the pale skin of her sides. She tangled her fingers into his hair and was careful not to sink her nails too hard into the golden glow of his skin or leave visible little love bites when her teeth bit at his shoulder.

It was forbidden, but they never spoke of it.

It was naive of them.

But they were truly, truly happy just to have the time they did.

Months passed in this manner. And when Endymion had to journey away from his home to far away corners of the Earth, he bid her not to follow and promised to meet her in her dreams.

He did.

She met Helios, and they married under a shaded tree because they knew they were made to swear vows to one another. And they promised they would be together, that they would not let circumstances pull them apart, and that when things were better they would tell everyone. But things were not good between their worlds, tensions were rising, and during the day both royals heard rumors and sneers about the home where their heart rested.

And although she had acted differently, with a levity and cheerfulness that exceeded her, no one knew of their secret meetings late at night when both their worlds slept.

Until they told them. The eight that mattered, who they could not keep secrets from. There was a sort of furious, disbelieving, begrudging acceptance they all found in time. And much more than that was found, eventually, and their love spun a tale that repeated in the hearts of those closest to them. They took great joy in the longing looks and careful touches and soft words shared between her guardians and his.

They only ever saw the beauty in it all. Despite the separation, the silence, the secret. It was harder and harder to lie, to keep back great truths, but she never felt regret.

Their story was a happy one.

He ran his fingers across the gentle curve of her stomach and they both felt what it meant. They were running out of time to make things right. They would have to tell soon. Endymion would go to Queen Serenity and they would tell her of their relationship, together. They could not avoid it, could not keep it secret much longer, despite planetary tensions and rising problems on Earth.

The world ended before they got a chance to do more than tell her mother.

The memories were accepted by Serena in silence, and she felt, despite it all, only relieved and blessed to have them.

Serena remembered every golden kiss, every word, every adventure. She remembered the sprained ankle and how he had fixed it. She remembered riding a horse for the first time, and bathing naked with him in a hot springs in the woods. She remembered his hands on her skin and her hands on his skin. She remembered the feelings, the excitement, falling deeper and deeper in love with each second she spent with him. She remembered their mental connection, and how they had been able to sense one another from planets away.

The past was even more beautiful than she had imagined, but with that came the knowledge of tragedy. She had been blissfully happy, despite their secrecy. She remembered how overjoyed and scared she had been the first time she realized what the little bump of her stomach meant. That had made it all so real, and promised of joy to come. It promised that their marriage would have to be acknowledged, at least by her mother.

And he had been so in awe, so startled and surprised and thrilled by the idea of a little daughter with silver hair. She had laughed, teasing that the hair should be pink instead.

She had only known for three days before Endymion came up to the moon and demons followed him.

The heaviness of that knowledge settled on her.

Serena fell down to reality, blinking into the present, as all the memories settled into place and Endymion delicately let down the shield around even the darkest memories.

Her hand went to her stomach, clutching the fabric of her dress. She inhaled shakily, leaning back to look at him in bewilderment.

He made no move to smile reassuringly.

"I had no idea. I had_ no idea_ that it was like that. It was just a fairytale before now, a fairytale that didn't have a happy ending. But it was _different_. It wasn't just a story at all."

She looked disconcerted.

"It has a happy ending, my love." Endymion promised, ignoring the way that long ago memory gnawed at him. He had long since accepted everything that had gone on, had found peace with it, and they had gained so much since that first loss, "That was just the beginning, there has been so much more already, and a there are a thousand years to come of memories."

"I didn't know we were going to have a baby." she hummed wistfully, "And I loved it so much."

"I did, as well." he admitted dismally.

"Was it Rini?"

"I do not know, princess. It was so tiny, so new. But I do not think it was Small Lady."

She could not completely comprehend the magnitude of loss at that moment, but Endymion knew it would one day strike her fully. He had witnessed the full acceptance and bitter disappointment of that loss, of the sadness that sunk in later.

Serena considered all they could have had. All the tiny little prince and princesses, an entirely different life in entirely different worlds. They would have had to face a lot, and would have been tested considerably. She would never be Sailor Moon, she would never have lived this life, would never be Serena Tsukino at all. She would love him just as much, but their relationship would be different. He would never have the solid, cold vulnerability of Darien, or the fierce, conflicted dedication of Tuxedo Mask. They might have lived long lives and been a proper king and queen. But they would still have that now. Everything they lost in the darkness, a millennia ago, would be refound. It was not the same, it did not make up for the original losses, but she couldn't find it in herself to regret the intermittent life she had now.

She liked being Serena, and she liked him being Darien. She didn't mind being Serenity or him being Endymion, but she was an essentially new, remade individual. They were complex, intricately recreated incarnations, and they would not have this life it they hadn't lost the last one.

She was glad for this life, for what they now had. Glad for Rini, who might not have otherwise existed, glad for her parents and her little brother, and glad to love Darien all over again. She was glad to be Sailor Moon. It had changed her, made her better, and made her stronger. She was glad for her friends, who got to be girls before they found their roles, glad for the raven haired little scout who got to live and not destroy. Glad for Pluto, for the losses that made them all grow, for the friends she had now. As Serenity she had never been incredibly strong or resilient, and she would never have been able to wield the Silver Crystal as well as she did now.

They had lost everything, but somewhere in the fray they had found a life that fit just as well, which she would not trade for the world.

"I am glad for it all, Endymion."


	12. Chapter Eleven: Past

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**Chapter Eleven: Past**

"The work of the eyes is done. Go now and do the heart-work on the images imprisoned within you."

**- by Rainer Maria Rilke**

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**Thirtieth Century: Crystal Tokyo**

Her world has bled faith into his heart. A sense of certainty, of security, snuck deep into his bones and latched onto him. He had never been more certain, more sure, or more at rest with the life he had been given. At the same time, he was also electrocuted by the vibrant imagery, the sound of melodious, accented voices, and the feel of her hand gripping his.

He had always highly valued visual, sense-based assurance, and had great trust in things he could witness with his own two eyes. He may have been a man of faith – faith in her, faith in the cause, faith in humanity – but before that he was a man of science. The future was an unknown, something untested and untouchable, and experiencing it firsthand had shifted something within him.

He felt unshakable.

And so, so shaken.

The press of her hand in his guided him through his reverie, and he had no words for her. There was no need of praise, of admiration. It was clear. And the first time he had turned to her, wonder in his eyes, she had done the most fascinating thing. She had flushed, her falsely tanned skin rosy, and her eyes had darted down. He could feel her pride, and her embarrassment at praise, and it was so very like her, so very much like Serena.

Her pace was leisurely, slow, and she didn't fill the silence with anything but her soft breaths. He didn't wrestle with the wrong words as she led him down the quiet corridor of the palace, but instead lost himself in everything that he had bore witness to.

They had spent hours out. He had seen, and tasted, and smelt, and felt the world she lived in.

He has seen remarkable things, and the implication behind each thing was enough to close up his throat and make his heart swell. He had always been perceptive, and could see the patterns that made up the world. The world he saw spoke of much more than just surface-level order and contentment, but of a deeper pool of enrichment. Crystal Tokyo was pristine and technologically advanced, and the population was diverse, smiling, and glowing with health.

He had seen much.

Fresh memories of a colorful, sweet-smelling bazaar lit up in brilliant lights. Where holographic people trailed behind intricately costumed pedestrians, and objects floated inexplicably, and where people spoke with a strange lilt to their tones, like music. And everyone had looked so joyful. Everything was fresh. The air smelt like rain and faintly of perfume. Reflection of light from crystals in prismatic colors. The streets they walked on were made of crystal. And yet green. There were plants, water, everywhere. Intermixed with bright crystal light. Clear and vibrant. Reflective. He could barely see sometimes – but he figured these people's eyes were different. Interfaced with something that shone within their pupils.

And there were bridges of water and windows of light and unnamable things he could not describe with words. He had often marveled at the little miracles of modernity, of the conveniences of the twentieth century, and wondered what someone from long ago would think of telephones or televisions or cars. And now he felt as Prince Endymion would have felt if faced with his Tokyo, puzzled and amazed and intrigued and completely ignorant to the workings of the world surrounding him. It was magic and science and invention, wrapped up into one, one in the same.

It was like breathing in the sun.

She guided him into a room of the palace, empty and expansive and crystal.

She looked at him, and he felt the expectation. He could feel the oncoming change, feel the importance of the near future.

The Queen does not leave him with bated breath for long.

"There is something I wish to show you."

With a flourish of her hands a new world is cast in bright light around them, filling the quiet room with infinite space as her disguise faded and was replaced with a simple silver gown and her own natural, ethereal beauty. His own body was similarly sheathed in new apparel, his dark clothing turning to a suit that looked like it was weaved with golden fibers.

The room had changed, and they were outside, and they were somewhere and sometime completely different. Again.

He recognized the details around them and in the distance, the carvings in stone, the speckle of bright stars, and the towers with glittering windows filled with warm light. The castle made of blue-grey stone, which rose to soaring heights. He recognized the garden breeze around them, the willow-like plants whose branches swirled, the bright petals in stasis as they waited to bloom in the light of day, the vibrancy of the life around them, even in the cool night.

They were surrounded by the past, and he wasn't sure how he knew, but he knows this place. He knows it so well, so suddenly, and it made him ache with longing for the home he had forgotten.

This was their garden, this was the castle where he had been raised, this was the Golden Kingdom he didn't know the fate of, which he had so unreadily forgotten.

He feels flickers of _their _memory as he stares at the castle. He remembers their lazy, upright posture, the boisterous laughter, the fumbles, the swordplay, their clear voices. It is all hazy, escaping him like dissipating smoke, but he remembers. He remembers them, and it clicks into place _almost_, and for a moment they are not the men who he fought, but the men who he had fought with.

He says nothing of them aloud, but their bittersweet names form on his tongue, and as he recalls their ultimate betrayal, vaguely and deep in his gut, he is shot with a fierce longing.

He has never had true friends in his lifetime. He had Andrew, and perhaps the girls, and a smattering of others who at one time may have held the title. But he had always been alone in this lifetime, and the knowledge that he had been so surrounded by such strong friendship just to have it yanked from him felt like a heavy, heavy blow.

He has always craved the sort of friendship he had lost, and hadn't remembered.

She took his hand, and he looked at her, feeling tears prickle his eyes. He had not felt the empty expanse of their loss before this, not really. It almost resembled the feeling of losing his parents, and was stronger than the stale ache of losing his memory. But there was betrayal there, and recollection, and death, and such a complicated swirl of emotions burned within him despite the blurred shape of the memories he couldn't quite evoke.

Serenity felt his pain like her own.

It was her duty, it was her privilege, to soothe it.

She leaned forward to press her lips to his hand, delicately, lovingly, carefully. Her eyes never left his, and she smiled in the way she knew made his heart flutter. He watched her with captivation, eyebrows pulled together and throat constricted, unsure of himself and his memory and his place in the fabricated reality that surrounded them like truth.

And then she pulled her hand away, sweeping her fingers past his, to gesture in a twirl of her fingers at the lovingly crafted gardens before them. His attention was drawn back to the recreated setting. It felt so real, so true. He didn't know how she did it – whether it was magic or technology or some combination of the two – but it was incredible.

"Endymion and I have been working on this for a long time." She began, her voice a soft song amongst the sadness, "This place was dear to you, and to me. This is where we would meet, where we first fell in love. Of course, the details are so hard to recreate when we are so very, very old. But we have good memories."

He doesn't, really.

But perhaps Endymion does.

He waits for her, knowing from the rising hint of her voice that what she says is merely a lead up to something significant.

Serenity traced her fingers across the gray stone of a pillar carved with symbols he thinks he should recognize, halting over a set of four symbols carved in shimmering gems and elaborately decorated. Her eyes met his without wavering, a determined gleam in the silver flecks there as she enunciated clearly, "And, of course, we had help recalling some of the finer details."

They had help remembering this place where he had grown and loved.

He recognizes the four symbols and stones her fingers linger on, and that they are names.

There is meaning there, and he thinks he understands, and he is so, so grateful that he has no words for her. The thank you is silent, is echoed through the small upward curve of his lips, and goes unacknowledged. She cannot say it, cannot acknowledge it, but she tells him because he has to know, because she cannot have him ache.

He loves her for understanding, for breaking rule after rule for him, for being so perfectly attuned to him so naturally.

Serenity is grateful he does not ask how or when or why, because there are things she will not, cannot, reveal. She is grateful for his silence and his trust, and how he follows her unquestioningly as she motions for him to come with her.

His heart is light again, and his eyes wander the night before turning to her.

"Do you remember how we would meet, in this other life?"

"Not really." He shook his head, and there was a hollow beat in his chest again. He had always felt sensitive about his memories, or lack thereof.

His past, as it always had been, was only summarized by a nebulous, incomplete knowledge. He had only ever wanted to remember, his whole life. The need had dissipated as his desire for past memories was supplanted by his desire to create new ones with her, his eyes cast forward, away from the past. But it had never disappeared. He had stopped actively trying to remember, but that did not mean he forgot about the empty pages of his past, which she had tantalized him with in his dreams of his princess.

He remembered very little about the Silver Millennium. The end was the sharpest part, which he recalled it with great clarity, but he remembered very little of his life before the final day, and nothing of his life before Serenity.

He recalled Princess Serenity's flushed cheeks and running after her, following the sound of her breathless laughter. He could vaguely recall the scent of her skin, if he thought hard enough about it, and he remembered lying awake at night from nightmares of her death and trying to recall things he knew he had promised himself he would never, ever forget. Mostly, he remembered Serena's tear-stained face as she leaned over him, cradling his head on her lap as he remembered he had once been lucky enough to love her, even if he thought he would die without getting another chance.

Neo-Queen Serenity saw the hazy blur of memories pooling up in his head, the images leaking over into her conscience through the press of their hands together. She was surprised by how shapeless they were, diluted as if they were drowned out by water. She had lived with such a precise memory of their past lives for so long, long enough that there no longer was much of a real distinction between their two lifetimes. Her memories of her life on the moon were as sharp as her life as Serena. They were both the past, both were memories of when she was young.

Yet Darien did not see the memories as his own, she could tell. Perhaps that was why they were so murky. Darien did not view it as his past, therefore he could not recall it as he would his past. But the memories were there. And he would slowly regain them. She had helped him drag them back up, and they had remembered together. They had been fascinated by his past on Earth, of his boyhood adventures with his four greatest friends, who were more life brothers. Who still were more like brothers.

She carefully prodded at his memories, hoping to rattle one or two loose from the cage he had put them in.

"No? Well." A smile fitted into her words, "I would fall from the sky, into your arms, like a clumsy moonbeam."

The image amused him in accuracy, and he chuckled. His words fell from his mouth without thought, without a complete connection to memory, "I don't think that's how it went. You were always so graceful."

He doesn't know how he knows that, or where it comes from, but he knows that the way she sits herself on the bench in front of them looks so familiar.

"Very different from my earlier years, no? I seem to remember falling quite ungracefully on many occasions."

"Perhaps you hadn't quite adjusted to the heavy gravity of Earth."

"True. I often stumbled over myself when I would come to meet you here, despite my apparent gracefulness. I once fell into a pond. You assisted in that, though."

He traces the vague outline of her words in hopes of remembering, and frowns at his failure to recall details.

"I don't remember that."

"You wouldn't." she agrees, with a snort, rolling her eyes. He smiles despite himself, at how much she is herself. How much she is Serena. Serenity continues after a moment, patting the bench next to her, "Sit with me. I will share with you."

He sits carefully, eyeing her hesitantly.

"The past is yours, Darien. You may not recall your memories yet, but they are within you. I promise, you will remember everything. Slowly, and in fragments, and then it will all fall together."

"And you?"

Serenity grins, "It was not quite the same for me. You will see. And you will be frustrated to no end that I remember everything before you, mark my words."

"I can imagine."

"Well, it is only fair, Darien. You were given a jealousy of my knowledge of the past, while I was allowed to be jealous of your knowledge of the future. Serena, after all, did not get a tour of Crystal Tokyo."

He nods, and says nothing, looking at the castle in the backdrop of the garden.

They sat for some time before Serenity let the images surrounding them wane, and shimmer out of sight, and they were left standing in their fading disguises.

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...

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His disguise had been abandoned, and the dark ink had run from his hair into the cold water of the shower. He had changed into the simplest clothes he could find, and ignored the ring of red left in his eyes.

Darien scrubbed his face until it felt raw, until the tenderness of his skin made him realize just how very long he had been lost in thought as he rubbed at his –Endymion's - face.

As he inspected the face in the mirror, he felt a disturbing sense of familiarity he couldn't quite place. His brows drew together, and with a haunting clarity he recognized himself in the image.

Endymion looked like _Endymion_.

Except for the slightly crooked nose.

And the nose still bothered him, it made him curious, and it was a question that seemed answerable.

"What happened to the nose?" he asked, turning towards her.

Her eyes had half faded back to its normal color, but little starbursts of gold still reflected around the center of her irises, like sunlight in clear skies. Her wig – or had it been her own hair altered? - had been abandoned, faded into a flash of magic like it had evaporated into the air, and her silver hair twirled in loose waves down past her knees. She wore a simple, long, white dress that fit her too well.

Serenity smiled fondly at the troubled look on his face, replying in a soft hum, "What was that, dear?"

"Endymion's nose. It's not the same, like it was broken and didn't heal properly." He explained, his finger tracing the slightly crooked bend.

"Oh." She grinned suddenly, letting out a quick laugh, "Well, I did that."

"What?"

She drew her lips into a serious line, nodding once, "It was a very long time ago."

"You aren't going to elaborate, are you?"

"Why would I, when I can see your mind spinning?" she grinned caustically, and he felt amused and intrigued by the hidden story. She paused, and asked with her own curiosity, "Do you have any theories?"

"No idea."

"Well, I caught you in a steamy embrace with Raye one day and –"

"What?"

"I am just kidding, of course. It would be more likely that you would catch _me_ and Raye than –"

"You're maddening." He interrupted in a laugh.

"In the most delightful way. Or so I have been told."

Darien inspected her, leaning back against the countertop of the bathroom, "I can't figure out a single thing about you. You're a complete enigma. You've always been an enigma."

"You do know how to charm a girl."

"Only for you, Serena."

Serenity stilled, her head tilting to the side. The image made his breath catch, and her beauty momentarily stunned him. It happened. Perhaps too often.

"Oh." the queen let out a little breath of air, "Well, it is certainly nice to hear that again. Brings back memories."

He pushed away from the counter and approached her, not quite too close, but close enough that it almost physically ached to go without touching her.

He gave in, placing a tentative hand on her cheek. His fingers caressed her skin, and he was entranced by how soft and warm and striking and familiar she was. He did not often allow himself to touch her when he wanted to, and it felt like a rare pleasure to indulge in.

She leaned into his touch, and he wondered why he had ever kept himself away from her before.

She was perfect.

"You're so much like her." He began quietly, locking eyes with her as he moved his hand away from her face. He struggled to verbalize the way he conceptualized her, the way she was and was not her, "Just…there's more there. It's so funny, because you're so clearly Serena. You're all there, everything I love about you is there. Yet you're just…more of her. Different shades of her that I don't understand."

She laughed at that, "I have lived a long time. I have more memory, more ideas, more experiences, more time."

"More happiness?" he inquired, watching the minute changes in her face carefully to try to distinguish the truth from an exaggeration, "Are you very happy, Serenity?"

"More than you can even imagine, Darien." She replied truthfully, her words quiet and clear.

"Am I…" he looked agitated, "Am I easier? To deal with? Can I…am I better with words? Does he tell you how much you mean to him? How much you've always meant to me?"

She stepped in closer, and he met her in an embrace. Her hand went to the back of his neck as he placed his forehead to hers, and she tried to instill calm in him through her presence. She could feel his ache, could feel that his emotions were as tongue-tied as his words, and she could feel the ebb of his emotions pulling her in.

"I'm sorry." He started again, softly, closing his eyes, "I'm sorry that I make things hard, when they should be easy."

She made a small sound of understanding, warmly assuring him, "I have always been very good at seeing you, my love, even when you could not see yourself. Your heart talked to me more than it ever talked to that silly little head of yours."

Darien inhaled, and was almost dizzy from her perfume and her skin and her touch. He stepped back quickly, as he was accustomed to.

And immediately regretted it.

He placed a hand on her arm.

"I'm going to make things right now. I'm going to try harder. Because you deserve it. I have spoiled happy memories with my words, or my lack of words, and I can't do that to her anymore."

You and her had become interchangeable.

"Oh no, no, no, sweetie." She shook her head, warmth in the blue of her eyes, "I love every minute of my time with you. You could have fought with me just like we did when we first met and I still would have loved every minute spent with you."

Fate delivered a disruption.

"Mama?"

Both their heads shot to the open doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt." Raye stated, sly smile slated on her red lips and hand cocked on her hip. Small Lady stood in front of her, hair in loose pink curls and clothed in pale green pajamas. Luna sat perched on the floor next to them, and she – if nothing else – hadn't seemed to have changed one bit.

"Luna." He greeted with a nod.

"Prince." She returned. "I hope you have enjoyed your time here."

"I have."

She made a purr, bobbed her head, and turned on her paws to exit.

Curt, as always.

"It was interesting to see you again, Darien." Raye supplied to him, taking her leave.

"And you." He returned, his reply unneeded and too late, at the empty doorway.

"Story time, Mama." Small Lady whispered loudly as she padded over to her mother, who waited for her with open arms. She captured her there, picking the small child up and rocking her in her arms as she lay kisses all across her face.

"I've missed you, Small Lady." Serenity turned with her daughter towards him, and beckoned for him to follow her. He did, without question, as they exited the large bathroom and then the bedroom, going into the room next door. The room was bathed in pastel color, with plush stuffed animals scattered neatly about. Serenity brought the tiny child to the bed, setting her down in the soft confines of the sheets and pillows, and tucked her in. She kissed her then on her crescent spotted forehead, and the girl giggled.

Darien felt his heart clench, and his throat constrict at the closeness, the intimacy, and the familial bond he felt towards them.

"Daddy!" Small Lady called out to him in a happy zeal, "Tell me a story with Mama!"

He hesitantly approached them, feeling like an outsider, and sat next to Serenity on the bed.

"Daddy, will you tell me a story 'bout the moon?"

He looked at Serenity, and inhaled a breath, not knowing what to say or what to relate. He knew so little about the moon, and about what had gone on there.

Serenity stroked pink curls back from her daughter's face, and tucked her into her blankets, "What story would you like daddy to tell you, princess?"

"I wanna hear about how the Earth Prince and the Moon Princess got married!"

Darien shot a lost look at Serenity, as if asking for help, "I don't –"

"You do."

He looked at her skeptically, and she pressed her hand to his. Through her touch, memory began. He opened his mouth, and the words escaped as his mind bloomed with images that he could feel the truth in.

"Once upon a time, there lived a princess of the Moon and a prince of the Earth. They were very in love, but their love was forbidden, and so they met in secret…"

He didn't know how he shaped the words for her, when the memory filled him with so many emotions, long repressed, long hidden in his memory.

Serenity had been so very beautiful; her hair laced with a pale crown of roses, in an ethereal gown that shined like silver starlight when she walked. Her hair was as pale as Neo Queen Serenity's, and he remembered how it felt tangled in his hands. He remembered her warm kisses, and how every action was either delicate and laced with sweetness, or, mischievousness would light her eyes and her every action would be clever and tantalizing.

He spun the tale for Small Lady of how the Moon Princess had surprised the Earth Prince by appearing on Earth much sooner than usual, and how when the Earth Prince returned to his room, sweaty and tired from his travels, she had been there, looking out his window, entranced by the setting sun. He could only stare at her, mystified and elated and frightened by her presence, because it was dangerous for her to be in his castle without him.

"…They had not seen each other in person for a long time, and had only visited one another in their dreams. The Prince did not know what to say, but the Princess spoke before he could, and said –"

Serenity cut him off, murmuring the words to her daughter from memory, voice laced with emotion, "My love, I want to marry. I want the knowledge that no matter what obstacles face us, we will be forever bonded. I want to know that I belong to you, and you belong to me. I want to swear everything to you, to have every claim on your heart. And I don't want to wait anymore; I do not want to be forever waiting. Marry me, my prince."

Darien swallowed, thinking of Serena, and recited effortlessly, "I will. Of course I will."

Serenity smiled at him.

"And then?" Small Lady asked quietly.

Darien gulped and continued. He told of how they went immediately to the Boy Priest of Dreams, and asked for him to marry them. He placed a crown of roses on her hair in lieu of wedding band she would not be able to wear, and they said vows. Though their friends and family were not there, they were very, very happy.

The end.

Small Lady was very quiet, her sleepy eyes half closed. He leaned in, pressing a small kiss to her forehead in the same manner Serenity had. Small Lady smiled slowly, asking in a tired voice, "Daddy, will a prince love me live the prince loved the princess?"

Serenity covered her mouth to cover her snort, and Small Lady was too tired to notice her mother's roll of the eyes. He caught a silent murmur of Serenity's thoughts, as if she had murmured the words under her breathe. _Helios, be glad it is not Endymion here to be reminded of the past and the future._

Darien frowned at the idea, but then turned it into a smile for Small Lady, "Of course. You will be loved very deeply, as you always have been loved."

Small Lady then reached up, grabbing his face in her tiny hands, and pressed both to Darien's cheeks. Very seriously, and very slowly, she said, "Daddy, I love you very much."

The exquisitely happy moments, moments like this, always outweighed the bad, and would make up for his previously lonely life a hundredfold.

.

...

.

As he closed the door to Small Lady's room, he couldn't help but ask Serenity, "Will I see her again? Before she is born, that is."

Serenity was quiet. And distracted.

He knows the answer, she doesn't need to tell him.

But it will be enough.

Serenity paced the empty hallway in slow, graceful steps. He can feel her mind spinning, can see something is bothering her, and his own disappointment is replaced by concern for her.

"Are you okay?"

"I worry. Things will be different now. For Small Lady. Things will change." She bites her tongue, halts her pacing, and turns to him with sad eyes. "Forgive me, I am preoccupied."

"Tell me what is bothering you."

Serenity stares at him for a long time, as if deciding whether or not to trust him with her words. Finally she exhales, and steps closer to link her arm with his, "Walk with me, and I will try to verbalize my concerns."

He knows what is to follow is meant for her, and is her way of working through her disjoint thoughts, and that ultimately her words are not for his sake.

She begins quietly, her voice laced with melancholy.

"Small Lady has always been an anomaly of this world. She has been so young for centuries, and although she is older than many other people on this planet, she still has the mind, body, and countenance of a small child. We have had to shield her from much of the modern world, and she cannot know of many things. Her memory is not very good. She maintains the mind of someone her age, and so memories escape her, she has forgotten so many years. All these centuries have been nothing to her. We tell her the same stories, over and over, and they never get old to her. It is frightening, sometimes. "

"I try to see it as a blessing. She is so precious, and so very small. But I often ache for her, for everything she misses out on. I long for the day she can blossom, and when she no longer must live in the dark. It will be lovely for her, her future will be so lovely. She will get to explore everything, and she loves to explore. You and I have seen so much, we have lived so much. And Small Lady has all that ahead of her."

"And we are so blessed to have her little for so long, to have a little teeny tiny princess all to ourselves. It would have been so hard to have her grow up so fast, we would have missed so much of her childhood. The first few decades of this era were so busy, and we were gone so very much. There was so much that had to be done, so much that had to be protected, and so much to build and create. I would have never forgiven the universe from stealing these precious childhood years from her, and from us. She has had so many good memories now, has had a very long time with us. It is about time for things to move on for her, for things to change."

"On the other hand, I worry for the days she begins to age. Sometimes I go through periods where I am constantly measuring her height, because I get so afraid she has begun to grow. She has been little so long that I do not know how I will handle her getting older. I love her like this, I love her as my baby. Sometimes I fear that I am the one keeping her so young, because I cannot let go of her, and that it is me that is depriving her of a normal life. And I know what is to come, how much pain she must face without us, and I think my fear of her experiencing that may also be what is delaying her growth. I fear that when you leave she will begin to change, because I know that dark times will be upon us."

Her words halt, and they pause in the path of the crystallized hallway they have come across. Through the clear cut of crystal in the wall, Darien can see the city below in the twilight purples and blues of the faded sunlight.

He pictures her encased in crystal, he pictures Rini crying for her parents, he pictures the city in ruin. All things he has seen, all things that will come to pass, all things yet to be relived for both of them.

They have no words left on the subject.

.

...

.

They are grateful for their shared silence and understanding as they walk along an empty pathway, and he knows without asking where she leads him. A natural progression, an understanding he doesn't consciously comprehend. They walk for what feels like a long interval, the silence stretching and extending time. It isn't uncomfortable, and it is well needed.

He is not surprised when they end up in the garden. They walk through rows of flowers and mazes of well-trimmed bushes and trees that look like history. And finally they sit, and lace their fingers together, and still silence reigns in the garden, in between them.

The stars above are brighter than he remembered them being, and the earth below him feels strong and untainted, and he feels beneath him a healthiness he hadn't felt within the earth in so long.

He thinks of Serena.

And he thinks of them.

He thinks of the complicated coil of emotions he feels towards her, and how greatly he feels everything when she is around, like she amplified his very existence. He had loved her quietly, for so long, unable to verbalize the intricate tangle of love knotted up in his chest, which she tugged tighter every day, that he couldn't rationally handle in a consistent way. She was loud, and full of life, and she radiated purity, and he had no idea how to react to that, or the way she made him feel.

He was cool-headed and calm before he met her. Polite, impersonal, analytical. A pragmatist. The second she stepped into his life she had swallowed him up like fire, igniting the frustration and anger and annoyance that had built up inside him for so many long, hard years. He had not led a happy life. His past was dark, murky, blurred around the edges. He lived because he had to. When he met her, he lived because he wanted to. He wanted to ignite the agitation in her that she sparked in him, wanted to call out her fire to fan the flames engulfing him, wanted to see her eyes light up and her spirit shine through.

She annoyed him and entranced him and made him feel. And everything she said and did felt like a personal attack on him, and everything he had ever believed in. His untrained heart rejected his immediate fascination with everything she was. She was everything he never wanted, and he loved her and resented her for it. Her bad grades, her drama, her immaturity was like a shining example of how little he knew of himself, and how little he really knew of others.

She wasn't the graceful, charming, quiet princess he thought he always wanted. She never had been. And yet he wanted her anyway, more than he wanted that image he had held of the princess.

And she was the opposite of him, and that was endlessly frustrating, because he liked her and so what did that say about how he viewed himself? Even physically, she was nothing like him, and everything about her seemed to make him want to stay away. She was tiny, golden haired, pale, soft-featured. He knew his own figure was tall, dark, and his face was made up of sharp angles. The contrast was stark, obvious, and explicit. It said to stay away from her. He felt like darkness amongst her light, and he didn't feel like he could fit in any part of her world. After all, she was a clueless, sunshiny schoolgirl.

What could she possibly know of monsters and magic and fighting?

How could he fit into her life, when his own life was shrouded in darkness and mystery and danger? And how could he even relate to a girl whose grades were so terrible? Who was so young, so silly? Who cried over nothing, who had no sense of responsibility? Who felt everything tenfold, when he hadn't felt a single thing in his whole life? She was not like him, and he didn't fit with her, and that frustrated him.

He realized he loved her quite soon, but pushed it down and down and down and didn't let it escape. He was a man of logic, he had goals, he had a mission. He had Sailor Moon to save, a princess to find. And yet his thoughts were occupied by her shrill shrieks and pouts and rude words. His thoughts gravitated to her, to new insults, and he wasted so much time with his mind on her. The frustration spilled over on his acidic tongue, like cruelty, and he didn't regret it because he deserved the resentment she would flick back at him. It was better she cast her eyes at Andrew, who had a vivaciousness that mirrored her own, and yet it felt so much, much worse when she did flutter her eyelashes at him.

He had Sailor Moon anyway, and the princess, and that entire situation was confusing enough for him to handle. He didn't need her.

But he did.

His admiration for her as Sailor Moon, his devotion to her as the princess, and his adoration for her as Serena had coalesced into something overwhelming when all the parts of her were fully revealed to him at last.

And there was death, and darkness consumed his heart, and then he forgot her all over again, and that was more like death than anything else – because it was just like life before. A dance he didn't know, a general misunderstanding of the world around him, and her intensity towards him, the way her eyes burned him, was uncomfortable because he always, always felt she was looking for something in him.

Memories were fresh and frightening thing to hold, when he had them again.

He was so happy and so equally afraid the first time Serena's lips met his.

Their relationship was everything to him, but he didn't know what to do with it.

And loving her, being loved by her, was such a sweet torture. He harbored so much guilt over it. He had been unkind, had done nothing to merit the kind of unquestionable loyalty he received from her. He didn't deserve it. And he had failed her, he always did. As Prince Endymion, as Tuxedo Mask, as Darien. He failed her every day, when his tongue wasn't able to form the words to tell her what she meant to him, when he shied away from her touches because they burned like white hot electricity. When he felt unworthy, inwardly, and frustrated that he felt like that. He loved her, he loved her, he loved her. But he had no idea what to do about it.

It's easy to fall back on old habits. As a reflex, he would occasionally deflect back to a harsher tone, would make comments that would have been best left unsaid, which he hadn't fully meant. And Rini was such an excellent deflection. Rini was easy to deal with. He could play big brother, or father, or kind uncle. He had done so at the orphanage. And Rini was so, so much like Serena. She was easy to love, to care for, to show his affection for. And he didn't have to worry about messing it up, because it wasn't the same, and because children always forgave so easily.

The dreams had killed him inside. They had stolen away his hopes, his dreams, his only wish. Had torn her away from him. He was destroyed, mangled by them. And he had to do anything to protect her, to not fail her this one time. Because nothing mattered more than her, and her safety. And surely she could move on. He knew she loved deeply, that she loved him so fiercely it frightened him. But Serena was full of love. And she could find someone else. Someone with more light, who was capable of easily giving her the responses she wanted. And it killed him, the thought of her with someone else; but he didn't matter. She mattered. And he would protect her, even if it ruined him completely. Perhaps it was penance for failing to save her in their past life.

Hurting her hurt so much worse than leaving her had. It hadn't seemed possible, but it did. Breaking her heart broke so much of him that he was unsure of how he ever possibly pieced himself back together.

Yet still, he couldn't find the words, couldn't make himself step closer instead of stepping back. They were together, they went on dates, they fought side by side. But there was a distance. A lack of intimacy. It made him tense and jealous of the closeness of her friends and it made him so very, very angry with himself.

But there was always that shining future. The promise that one day he would work up the courage to accept everything she offered. He still failed her then, he always did, but he had her. They may have seen the city in its destruction, but he saw the truth in what lay before them. He didn't know how to get there, or what steps to take, but he was glad to know it existed.

He had only ever wanted to have a family, and to let her see him for how he truly felt, for who he was behind the mask. It took him a long time to realize she always had seen behind the mask, that she didn't lose sight of who he was, most of the time. The times she did, when he could see the self-doubt in her eyes, he felt like the scum of the earth.

He always wanted to live up to her expectations, he just never really knew how.

America was meant to be self-improvement and the completion of a long held dream and maybe, maybe an escape from the pressure of constantly falling short. He could improve, come back a new man. Come back to her with the competence of a king, rather than just a copy of a dead prince. It ached to think of leaving her. But there would always be that flutter in his chest, the knot that she tugged tighter that was what tangled them together. He could feel it, could sense her always, and that would have to be enough.

She supported him fully, and it should have surprised him more than it did.

They needed this, he told himself.

The ring he had had for months, shoved in a corner in his desk and daring him to give it to her. He didn't know what it meant, or what purpose he had purchased it for, but it was hers. It would be hers. And if he gave it to her and ran, he wouldn't have to live with the consequences of whatever it was that he was asking.

It turned out that he didn't have to live with the consequences anyway. His life ended so soon after she slipped it on her finger, her face shining. He hadn't wanted to leave her then, after seeing her face, after seeing the ring on her finger. But he had and it had been a mistake and once again, he hadn't been there for her when she needed him the most.

His death was a dark, cold echo. He imagined only the beat of her heart, remembered nothing but the connection he still felt to her, and Darien thought maybe he had only existed in death within the tangle of the knot that tied them together.

He saw her broken and bare and victorious and alone, with feathered wings, in a flash of light and sound before his eyes shot open to see her calm face smiling gently at him.

He thought, maybe, he understood now. What she needed, what he had been missing, what he had been held back by. He felt the last of his resistance crumble, felt the entirety of his love for her. Felt how unbreakable, unshakable, unending it all was. They were a constant. And he did not need to fear that, or fear her, or fear them.

There was nothing to be afraid of.

They were as they had always been.

There was nothing as important as her, as them, as the love that had been crafted by and for them.

Serenity called him back into the present moment, from the reflection he had fallen into. Her fingers stroked away the water on his cheek.

"You see now." She murmured, pressing a warm kiss to his cheek. He felt the gentle touch sharply, like a hot burn, and it prickled pleasantly under his skin. He cupped her face, returning the gesture by pressing a kiss to the crescent moon lighting her forehead. Her fingers slipped across his, her hands pressed to his, and he smiled through the healing tracks of water down his face.

"I do."

"That is what is past, and now all that is left is what is to come." Serenity whispered into the darkness, and he knew her words inexplicably before they even fell from her lips.

Night set in the garden, and darkness found them laying on the softness of the grass, a queen and a king, their hands intertwined as they stared up at the sky above and waited for the future.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Future

.

**Chapter Twelve: Future**

"Believe in a love that is being stored up for you like an inheritance, and have faith that in this love there is a strength and a blessing so large that you can travel as far as you wish without having to step outside it."

**-by Rainer Maria Rilke**

.

**Twentieth Century: Tokyo  
**

They talked. Serena talked until her throat felt dry, and then they made tea and held warm cups and shared more memories.

They shared stories of the past they both remembered. About spooked horses and Princess Serenity's fear of them, and the time they had raced across the lawn of the palace, quite foolishly, because they could have been seen by anyone. Serena remembered the time he had started to grow a beard, and she had refused to kiss him until he shaved it off. They recalled the few times that everyone had been together; when they had gleefully, mercilessly teased their guardians as they blushed and stammered and fell in love with one another.

She was both grateful and distressed that Darien and the Scouts did not remember the generals, and that they hadn't known when they had fought their corrupted counterparts, Beryl's puppets. She pitied the men, and was troubled by their fate, and was immensely unsettled by the imbalance of her and Endymion finding one another without their friends being able to do the same.

_Are they happy, in the future? _She was worried then. They had all had dreams, aspirations, and goals that were not particularly suited to the future they had witnessed. They had wanted nothing more than to be normal. They accepted their destiny time and time again, but Serena wanted more for them than just acceptance of their fate. She wanted them to find true happiness. She didn't think it could be fair that they would always own a future they had not chose for themselves. They deserved to have their every dream come true, they had sacrificed and fought and hurt as much as she had.

_Very happy, I assure you. As happy as I am, as happy as you will be. They would accept nothing less. _

She felt the truth, and his knowing smile made her curious about what her sisters had in their future.

Endymion felt her curiosity, and her growing questions about what her friends had in store for them. He shook his head slowly at her, "I can say no more. Everything that lays ahead for them is such a happy surprise, and I cannot speak about the future with you, as much as I wish to."

Serena pouted exaggeratedly at him, and he returned the look with an overstated roll of the eyes. She giggled in response, hitting him lightly in the arm, "Oh, I've seen that look before!"

"I bet you have!" He copied her pout, rubbing his abused arm, and she copied his eye roll. Endymion let out a roll of laughter, and the sound filled her with delight.

_I like to talk about it. About the past. It still feels so new, even though it's been so long._

He agreed, fully. His memory, which had once been so lost to him, was now so easy to navigate. He could vividly recall such little details; his memories were clear, complete, unaffected by time. It was a gift, considering how long he had lived, and how much he had experienced.

Serena could sense the idea, could grasp the context. It was remarkable how fresh her memories of the Silver Millennium were, how clear they now were when they had been so fuzzy and inaccessible before. And yet, there was still a sense of distance, something that made them feel separate and less hers.

That too, was a gift.

.

…

.

"I want you to tell me about your childhood."

"Which one?"

Serena went silent, eyes widening as if she had made a mistake, trying to find words of apology. She had always felt such a cold, jagged sort of sadness whenever she considered Darien's lack of childhood memories, such sympathy and a hint of curiosity. She had such a lovely childhood, with such happy memories, and she had always hoped she could give Darien his memories back, like he had thought his princess could do. But his memories had been empty, unrestored, and it made her feel guilty and so very sad.

The idea that she had slipped up, had mentioned her unspeakable failure, filled her with a quiet horror.

"I didn't mean to-"

Endymion smiled reassuringly, pressing a finger to her lips to shush her.

"Which one, Serena?" he asked quietly, "My childhood as Darien, or as Prince Endymion?"

Her questions hit him all at once, the jumble of her mind pushing against his.

_You remember?_

She broke into tears, spontaneously; she threw her arms around him, and felt like a weight had been lifted off of her. "I am so, so glad."

And it didn't matter anymore that she had been asking about Prince Endymion's life originally, that she had been asking for fairytales about princes and knights. She had longed for such a very, very long time to give Darien his memories, to hear him tell her about his parents, for him to have a solid recollection of the people he had lost, so that he could feel more complete.

_What would you like to know?_

She hugged him tighter, grinning into his shirt. She wanted to know everything, to know about every happy memory and every scraped knee and the way his mother sounded when she laughed. She wanted to know what his parents did and what they loved and how they met and if they teased one another. She wanted to know if they ever took him to the zoo, or to a garden, and what colors he liked to use when he did arts and crafts.

But she wanted most of all to see the way Darien felt about each memory, she wanted to see them fresh, not through Endymion's long understanding eyes.

"Was I there, when you remembered?"

"Yes, you were."

She sighed happily, releasing him and reaching up to press a hand against his cheek. She felt the slight amount of stubble on his skin and giggled softly, dropping her hand down to grasp his, "Just tell me a little bit about them. Just…something."

"My mother was quiet, and kind. She taught me how to read." He enjoyed the wide, joyful smile that spread across her lips as he shared the visual image of the recalled memory with her, "She liked to paint. My father was loud, outgoing, and adventurous. He was always singing, though his voice was terrible."

Serena laughed, Endymion's recollection of the sound filling her ears, and he felt their shared gratefulness for memory, and the parents that had filled the first six years of his life with love.

"They sound lovely. I wish I could have met them."

"I think they would have loved you."

She almost blushed, both pleased and saddened. Endymion placed a kiss to her forehead, and gave her hand a light squeeze.

"Now, about _your_ parents…"

.

…

.

"I don't wanna walk all the way home when it's getting dark, mama! It's scary. Can I just stay at Raye's? Pleeeeease? We're having so much fun!"

Her voice was hushed in the phone, cheerful, and had an innocent, whining lilt to it that made the story convincing.

He could hear the faint murmur of her mother's replies in the receiver, and was hit by a wave of nostalgia. The hush in the apartment as Serena spoke into the phone and how the moment was always filled with such tension and such hope. All the untruths about sleepovers at Raye's and how anticipation beat through his veins as he kept silent for her. And how her voice never wavered through the lies, lies that he knew made her feel the aching sort of guilt only daughters can feel.

He watched her twist the cord of the phone around her finger, a slight smile appearing on her face as she looked over at him and whispered back into the receiver, "Thank you. Goodnight mama, I love you."

She hung up slowly and returned to him, expectantly.

"Can we watch the sunset now?"

.

…

.

The sky was dominated by oranges and yellows, but Serena was quick to point out the sliver of bright pink lining an illuminated cloud. She traced her finger across the sky, as if she was painting the colors there by her own will.

The moon had hidden from view behind the clouds, and the sun dipped lower.

"How is it already sunset?" she asked quietly, her voice not conveying a hint of sadness, but rather wonder.

"Time always passes quickly. Sometimes it is a blessing, but often it is unwelcome." Endymion looked at her, memorizing the way the oranges of the sky made her hair look auburn and the way the fading light highlighted her face. She had always been so stunning, and he had always been so painfully aware of that fact.

"I don't really know if I want the sun to set. I'm not ready for you to go."

He smiled sadly, "It is not yet sunset. And I will not disappear as the sun fades. I will still be here. Always."

"I know." She smiled, eyes shining, "I'm not sad, I promise. Are you?"

Endymion did not respond for a long moment. He cast his eyes at the dying light, the fading day, and breathed out the words, "I am."

She looked surprised, and her hand went to his even as her consciousness drifted towards hers, as if to soothe the sadness. "Why? Your life is very beautiful, Endy. You're going back to someplace wonderful."

He looked at her then, fully, eyes tracing over her every feature. Noting the differences, the roundness of her face, the length of her eyelashes, the fullness of her lips, and the subtle little differences that hadn't meant anything and now meant everything.

Once sure of the image of her, that his memory had fully committed her to his heart, he forced himself to look away. Solemnly, his fears and questions rose up, and he spoke quietly, and honestly, "This is the last time I will ever see you like this. The last time I will ever see my home as it is now."

He waved his hand out towards the city bellow, which looked so small and so fragile to him, "This is my last day in Tokyo. That is a sad thing. It is a sad thing to relive so much, and then give up the nostalgia. I love my life in Crystal Tokyo. But I loved my life here just as much."

Serena's face fell into a frown, and she felt a wave of sympathy towards him, which made him run his fingers through his hair in defeat. She scooted closer to him, speaking softly, "Are you okay?"

He pulled her close, and she fit beneath his arm as she clutched one hand to the ledge and wrapped the other arm around him. He held her there, content to let her seep the lingering sadness away, and watch the fading sun take away the moment. He was swept up in the end, in the promise of never seeing her quite this way again, of never seeing Serena, the girl, ever again. This was the girl he had fallen in love with, who he had teased mercilessly when he didn't know how else to respond to the way she made him roar to life, who he had stubbornly refused to confront his feelings for, even long after it was obvious.

Serena was a snapshot of how wonderful his life had been; she was the spellbinding beginning of the symphony, the first, lyrical line of the poem. She was everything that was good about the life he had found, she was the singular purpose he revolved around.

She filled the silence with her own thoughts, her fingers softly sweeping across his open palm in lazy patterns as she watched their careful drawings.

"I like the disconnect between us. I like how different we are right now from the people we are use to. I like looking into the future when I look at you, and I like having this to hold onto. I like that this moment will exist separately for us, and that somewhere in time there is always this day, this moment. I like that I lived this day, this moment, long before you did - and that you lived my future day with Darien long before I will. I like seeing how beautifully we still fit together, despite how different it is, and that no matter how tangled our history gets, we always have moments like this."

He said nothing. His throat felt constricted, and he could only nod. He was losing something he could never get back. This had always been the moment they had been building up to. This was what had started it all, what had begun the true start of their lives. This was where they really began. In Tokyo, just the two of them, and Darien and Serenity sitting in a garden talking softly. Serena had so much in front of her, so much happiness would spring forth from this day. A string of firsts, an open heart, and warm kisses.

But this was the beginning of the end for him. Just as she was gaining everything, he was falling into a slow downhill. His daughter, who had been tiny for so long, would begin to age. And Serenity. Serenity would be encased in crystal, and it would drive him to madness – he knew it. He had seen it in the dreams his future self had seeped into Darien, the dreams of loss, of his failure to protect the people who mattered most to him. He could do nothing about the future ahead of him, could only look at her and remember what had been, and feel a sinking sense of despair at what lay ahead.

He could not lose her.

This was the start of a new story for him. And he felt like clutching her tighter, to keep him there, to keep him in the past, to keep him where he was sure of the fullness of love and the life with her ahead of him, instead of returning to an uncertain, and much _too _certain future.

When he looked to her, eyes conveying how lost he felt, he found she had moved, and stood behind him, tugging his hand and ushering him up from his perch on the edge of the high rise. She pulled him close as he turned to her, holding him tightly to her as she rested her head over his heart and washed assurance over him.

She could see his fears take shape, could feel his melancholy seeping deeper inward.

"You are sad. And scared. And you shouldn't be. Things always, always work out. We always have each other, we are never lost forever. Things are only ever bad for a little while."

They were only words.

"Stop it. You're only remembering the bad. Remember that. And I'm going to promise you right now, when I'm Serenity, in your future, I'm going to make the years ahead of you the very, very best. Every sorrow will be only a small little thing, Endymion. I'm not going to let this be an end for you, or for me, or for anyone. When you get back, we are going to go on a grand adventure. And just think of it this way – everything ahead of you is going to be an unpredictable adventure. For the first time you won't know the end game, you get to shape your destiny. There is no pressure of knowing, you can do anything you want."

To her, everything about the future was bright. She had seen their triumphs, their eventual victory, and Rini's smiles upon her return told her enough about what came after. She was optimistic about their future, he had made her that way, and she would not let him take away from himself what he had just given to her.

But Endymion still felt the creeping dread, the memory of being without her still fresh. It was a wound that never quite healed, the way he had broken himself without her, the way he had been endlessly tormented by images of her demise. The way that seeing the way that he had hurt her felt like death. And that it would be worse now, so much worse, with Small Lady in the midst and with such a long time by Serenity's side.

And he could not even predict what would come after.

It was bleak, and it chilled him in a way he hadn't felt in hundreds of years. Her promises spoke of the future he had already lived, and told nothing of the days to come.

"What is there left to do, my love? I have seen every corner of this Earth with you, I have met great scientists and artists, I have seen cities rise. I have met a million people. I have married you, I have become a king, I have helped raise my beautiful, tiny little princess. There is nothing left to do, nothing new to discover."

Serena pushed away, crossing her arms, a fierce determination lighting fire behind her eyes. She shook her head, vehemently speaking out, "I am not going to let that happen. Have you ever gotten bored with me in all the time we have known one another?"

He shook his head immediately, replying sincerely, "Never."

"Well, you never will. We will seek new adventures. New discoveries. Rini hasn't even grown up yet, you'll get to see her become a queen. You'll get to walk her down the aisle. You'll get to play with grandchildren, all with their own little personalities and hopes and dreams. Probably all with ridiculously colored hair." She grinned at the image, at the idea and how ridiculously possible and far away the whole thing seemed.

She felt his lingering doubts, even among his rising hopefulness.

Serena stood on the tips of her toes to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. She stayed close to him, enjoying the closeness, how she could feel his breath and his soul and his body and the ebb of his thoughts. Her mind conjured her own fantasies, to the ideas that she clung to when he wasn't around, when she needed the imagery to give her strength when he never replied to her calls or letters.

He knew what she would say next before she spoke, his eyes widening perceivably and his hands going to caress the smooth, freckled skin on her cheeks. She began with a coy smile, eyes fluttering downward before meeting his look of wonder full on, "And whose to say Rini will be our only child? Maybe we'll have a whole new bunch of brats with pink hair. Maybe you can look forward to raising a studious, moody little Endymion Junior and another bratty little girl just like me."

He couldn't nod, or say anything in response. This was not something they spoke of, it was something he kept tucked away and that she never said. He had thought it had been taboo, he thought that she never brought it up - even when he felt the thoughts on the edges of her mind - because it was only just impossible dreams.

He realized she kept the idea locked away for this moment, for hope when he needed it most, for strength when it was failing him. His stomach dropped, and his mind rebelled against the images she conjured, because it still felt like unsteady, unsafe territory.

But he grinned anyway.

She could surprise him after all this time.

"The possibilities are endless, don't you see?" she asked softly, matching the tilt of his lips. She laughed quietly at the way his mind spun, and snuck another kiss that just barely grazed his mouth. She grinned and continued, "We will _never_ run out of things to do or see or create. And there are more cities to build, and places to see. The universe is really big – and scary – and I think we could face it together. Or …maybe we could live like normal people. Tuck ourselves away in a cottage by the sea and pretend we don't have super magical powers."

Endymion choked up, stepping back and holding her shoulders, "Just do not ever disappear. Do not fade, do not leave me, do not _ever_ go away."

She wavered, emotion washing over her. The idea was preposterous, but she understood his fervor all too well. He had voiced her own fears, her worries that Endymion would vanish into Darien's cool façade, and take the memories with him. That she would be left with something less than them.

But she knew, deep down, that would never happen. That their days of being apart were over, that the distance between them had been shattered, and that she would never truly be lonely again.

They had forever. And longer, if she could manage it.

"Don't be ridiculous, Endymion. I'll drag you with me everywhere, till the very end. And let me tell you, mister. The end is very, very far in your future. Actually, I don't plan on there ever being an end. We'll live and be reborn a thousand million times if we have to, but we are always in this together."

Endymion cracked a smile, and wiped a tear away from her eyes, "Why are you crying, Sere?"

"Because you are, you big idiot." She laughed through the tears, blinking them away as a droplet slipped down her cheeks, "Now don't you dare be sad. Sit your butt back down and watch the sunset."

He brought his fingers to his own cheeks, feeling the moisture there, and let her wipe away the evidence of his grief away.

They looked, together, back out at the horizon. The sun had slipped entirely from view, the light already dying to dusky, deep blues and rich violets.

"We already missed it." Endymion noted, distractedly.

"Well, there's always tomorrow, isn't there?" she murmured, looking up at him with a sly smile.

He agreed.

.

…

.

They sat in the stairwell of his building and whispered plans, building small houses with their words and fighting about names.

He didn't very much like the name Endien, but she thought it was hilarious, her laughter echoing loudly off the walls at the way his eyebrows drew together at the suggestion.

She tucked her legs up to her chest, resting her head on her knees as she suggested another name innocently, "Dandymion?"

Endymion groaned and stood up, shaking his head vehemently, "That is it, we cannot have any sons. You have a horrible taste in male names."

.

…

.

Serena closed her eyes as she spread out on the floor of Darien's apartment, stretching out her limbs lazily. He lay beside her, amused by the way their positions mimicked his distant memory of falling asleep in Neo Queen Serenity's garden. They were in sync, forever in a loop, forever repeating the past and the future. He couldn't decide if his wife's intention all those years ago had been to mirror this moment, or if was some unintentional rhythm in them.

She rolled over to face him, "Is she very much like me?"

"Very much."

Serena smiled, eyes fluttering shut again.

She yawned.

Her eyes shot open, wide and terrified. She frowned at his sad smile, sitting up quickly and shaking her head, shushing him with a negation, "No. Not yet. No."

.

...

.

Many minutes passed, quietly, and they both knew they were only delaying the inevitable. He finally pulled himself up, helping lift her in the process, both of them moving slowly, languidly, stubbornly refusing time even as they both felt weariness sink into them.

She danced ahead of him towards his bedroom, and stood in front of his door, blocking his way. She wagged a finger at him, "No sleeping. Not yet. Promise me."

"Not yet. I promise."

She nodded once, then, with a flourish, let him pass her. He chuckled lowly, and watched her as she practically paced, the stress held in the tense way she held herself almost palpable.

"Do not worry so much, Sere." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and guided her towards him, "On another note, your hair looks absolutely terrible right now."

"Thanks, Endymion." She replied dryly. Eyes shooting towards the mirror over his dresser to confirm or deny the claim. She let out a groan at the look of her hair, buns gone all askew, most likely from laying on the floor and the way she had nervously tugged on her ponytails all day, "Oh God, you're so right."

"Come here."

He tugged on one of her ponytails as her hands went to undo the tangled bun there. He gently swatted her hands away, his fingers deftly removing the pins, transferring them to one hand while the other moved onto the other side. Her hands brushed through her freed hair, combing out the tangles as he moved to place the pins on Darien's dresser.

"All better." He noted softly, running a hand through her golden hair.

She hummed, "Not many people get to see me with my hair down."

"I'm not many people, am I?"

"No, you're not." She blushed, "But still. I'm not used to you seeing me without my 'meatballs', as you so lovingly refer to them."

Endymion brushed her hair back from her face, smiling softly, "I like your hair, I always have."

"Is that why you teased me so mercilessly?"

"Of course, Serenity."

He kissed her.

She kissed him, and the name rang true in her ears. It felt like her, finally.

They, perhaps, got a bit carried away.

She pulled him down onto the bed, pushing him down against the mattress with both hands in the darkness of his room. She smoothed her palms across his chest, fingers sinking into the fabric as she hooked her leg over him to straddle his waist. She traced the lines of his muscles through the fabric, smiling at the way she could feel his muscles jump in response to her touch.

"You're perfect." She stated, just as the words took shape in his own mouth. His fingers slid to the hem of her dress, fingertips grazing the skin there and tracing slightly upward.

The whole thing felt intimate and safe, and there was nothing particularly sexual about it. Serena didn't feel any desire to kiss him anymore right then, only to memorize the moment.

"Maybe I lied. Maybe I don't want you to go. Maybe I'll kidnap King Endymion of Crystal Tokyo, and keep you for myself."

"What about Darien?"

"I'm keeping him, too. It will be so entertaining to see you two fight over me."

He placed his hands on her hips, looking up at her as she smiled wickedly. She played with the top button of his shirt, studying the action. They were quiet together, and he inspected her, letting their emotions brush and then bleed together.

"I've never done this before." She mused, looking into his eyes as her fingers undid the first button, then the next.

She meant the intimacy, but the other, unintentional and unfitting meaning made him want to blush like he was a teenager again. Those thoughts were pushed away.

He saw the silent play of her memories, the recall of the single previous time she had unbuttoned his shirt to tend to a wound. But she was right, Serena had never done _this _before. This was not pulling away fabric to mend a cut. This was something closer to who they were, to who they wanted to be, to where they want to be.

He felt and she felt and they felt as if they had all the time in the world.

She undid half the buttons, pausing in the middle to trace butterfly soft touches to the warmth of his chest. Her fingers lingered across his collarbone, and she lazily pressed a kiss to his neck as her fingers skimmed down to the next button.

As a small distraction, Endymion recalled that Serenity loved sewing buttons and mending tiny tears in shirts. She always did it so gently, so slowly, so softly. Her fingers caressed the cloth back tenderly, and she moved the thread through the fabric with the same slowness as the flutter of a breeze through the curtains in the small house they had once called their own. And despite her carefulness, the buttons always went on lopsided, with loose threads all about. But she returned his shirts to him that way, with a small smile and not an ounce of shyness, and they both liked her work.

"This one is loose." She noted, seemingly fascinated by how weakly it hung by its threads, wiggling it to test its endurance. She shot her eyes up toward him, then tugged it off in a single movement, out of some sort of spontaneous necessity. She held it up, peaking at it, and in her fingers it looked like a pale moon.

"And why did you do that to poor Darien's shirt, princess?"

"It would have come off anyway." She insisted, amused, "I'm being helpful."

Her golden hair, he noticed, looked pale white in the moonlight. Like Serenity's. It tickled his chest as she leaned over to gentle place the button on his nightstand.

Her thoughts swirled around his, and he interlaced their fingers together and tugged her down to lay on his chest.

_What is it?_

She closed her eyes, feeling herself sink into him as his arms draw her into a loose embrace.

_I wanted so badly to be her. And I was her the whole time. I have never not been her. _

He let his eyes close, but couldn't help the tug of a smile on his lips, "Indeed."

She sat up suddenly, looking at him for a long moment. Her grabbed her hand, pressing a kiss to her fingertips. He carefully traced the pink gem of the ring on her finger.

"Kiss me." She murmured, and he did. Softly, carefully, and he could almost taste the goodbye. She pulled away, shyly looking back to his remaining buttons. She tentatively finished the job, then tugged at the hems of his cuffs to get him to remove the garment. He sat up, and she slid off his lap to rest on her knees in front of him.

"You're tired." She noted, sadly, helping him slide the shirt from his arms.

"I do not want to be."

She sighed, and he pressed kisses to her neck, breathing her in.

"We are going to be happy, Endymion." She whispered, sinking her fingers into the inky black of his hair. He shivered at the feeling, hands sliding down her sides.

And she didn't want to sleep in her dress, so she wouldn't.

Serena discarded her dress, her shoes and his, their socks, and carefully unbuckled and slid his belt away. She dropped them over the side of the bed messily, not caring where they landed. She looked at him curiously, at the figure of his body, and she blushed. He was handsome, he had always been too handsome, and she had never seen so much of him. Her own lack of dress felt natural, felt normal, and she always thought it would be uncomfortable for him to see her in just her underclothes. But it was Endymion. And it was fine, and it wasn't weird or uncomfortable and she knew he didn't expect things from her that she couldn't give.

Plus, if she was being honest with herself, a little part of her thought it would be eternally amusing to have Darien be flustered and confused and frustrated by her state of undress when he woke up in the morning.

She did love riling him up.

"I love you.'

"Always."

He pressed her down into the mattress, kissing her resolutely, lingeringly, one last time.

Memories of her promise danced through his head, and for a small fraction of a second he let his control slip as he pictured the other children they might one day have. He remembered her round and pregnant, positively glowing with light, and his hands touched the soft, exposed skin of her stomach. She had been so incredible, he had been so utterly fascinated with the way she grew, and with the small kicks Small Lady had sometimes made. They were both so full of wonder, so excited, and scared out of their minds. Serenity was an amazing mother. And the thought of her with another child in her arms made him feel weak and aching. He liked the idea exponentially, and hope bloomed in his chest.

Serena tangled her fingers in his hair, smiling softly at the small echo of emotions she felt from him. She knew without seeing his thoughts that he was pondering at her suggestion. She had already spent nights dreaming of their future. She had always wanted children, always picturing herself with at least three whenever she used to dream about what her life would be like – before Rini, before she had any knowledge of what the future would hold. And even after Rini she had hoped that maybe, even if Rini didn't have any siblings in the time she was from, maybe they could have some more when Rini was older.

"We are going to have an amazing future, Endymion."

"And it's only just beginning."

She curled up next to him, letting her legs tangle with his beneath the covers. She looked at him for a long time. At his familiar face, at the look in his eyes. She had never stayed the night before.

Endymion brushed her hair back from her face, fingers caressing her skin. He memorized her, memorized the changes she hadn't yet gone through, memorized the moment. But he was so, so tired.

And he missed home.

"I love you." He murmured.

"I love you, too." She whispered back, tucking her head into the comfort of his chest, exhausted and sad and excited and in love.

He pressed a kiss to her hair, shutting his eyes tightly.

_I have loved you for so long._

_I will love you for so long._

_._

…

_._

**Author's Note: The penultimate chapter is done! I hope you liked it. This chapter has been edited and redone so many times since I started this story, and I think this version is the best fit for where these two have ended up. I wanted to capture it in glimpses, and then convey how they have been altered during the span of a day. Hopefully I did so. Now one more to go before this story is complete.**


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