Disclaimer:

I dont own Sailor Moon at all. Not even one DVD.

This is the fifth instalment to the Sailor Moon Exposed story.

FATED

The story thus far...

In Sailor Moon Exposed, Tuxedo Mask discovers Sailor Moon's secret identity by accident one night as he follows the injured Champion of Love and Justice home. He is still uncertain about her identity because the next day she, Serena, is just fine. His suspicions are however confirmed when the heroine is injured terribly again when the effort of maintaining her glamour is too much and Sailor Moon is exposed well and truly as Serena Tsukino. Serena is terrified, not knowing who Tuxedo Mask is or what he may do to her or her family. Tuxedo Mask meanwhile finds himself wanting to meet the heroine to 'talk it out', only he has a surprise coming. He kidnaps her and takes her to the Tokyo Gardens, followed by the Sailor Scouts. A stolen kiss later Sailor Moon wipes his memories of ever finding out her secret identity... just when he realises that she is the Princess he was looking for!

In Remember Me This Way, the planet of time and space, Pluto, aligns with Earth. When the moon rises Serena's hidden consciousness of Serenity awakens in her mind, and she wants to see Endymion! For a few precious nights she calls Darien to her in the Tokyo Gardens while Serena's consciousness is asleep. The very last night, the night of the full moon, Darien's Princess Serenity is revealed to be Serena.

In Darien Falls In Love, Darien remembers Serenity's plea to him to love and protect Serena. Thinking falling in love is going to be easy, Darien is unpleasantly surprised to find out that its not that easy to fall in love, especially when Serena just infuriates him. But love sneaks up on him in the form of Serena's true inner beauty and loving heart and he finds himself completely, utterly, impossibly, unbelievably in love.

In Young Hearts Darien faces off against his love rival Seiya for Serena's affections. But Darien is too shy to approach her as himself and instead goes to her as Tuxedo Mask, feeling more confident behind the facade. Yet Tuxedo Mask makes a fatal mistake when, while protecting Serena from potential danger, he lies about his feelings for her to the Sailor Scouts! Sailor Moon 'tells' Serena about Tuxedo Mask, but even when he goes to apologise she tells him it never would have worked and she was going to tell him that they couldn't see eachother again. Crushed, he walks away. His possessive instincts however kick in when he witnesses Seiya kiss Serena after performing a duet together. He claims her in his arms for a passionate tango only to have Serena fall into a vision of her past life. He and Sailor Venus find her in her room and are pulled into the vision by the power of her psychic screams and see her and her lover Endymion die at the hands of Beryl and Metallia. Sailor Pluto warns them not to tell anyone of her identity, even the other scouts! The story ends with Darien feeling confused and threatened by Serena's past lover Endymion, and his own heart crushed when he hears her whisper Endymion's name in her sleep.

The story continues the week after the events of the Masked Ball in Fated.

CHAPTER 1: THINGS HAVE CHANGED

"I didn't need YOUR help!" Sailor Moon hissed at Tuxedo Mask through gritted teeth. The moondusted remains of the latest youma to hit Tokyo had barely had time to settle on the ground before Sailor Moon had turned on the handsome hero who had saved her from a nasty hit only moments ago.

"Well maybe next time I should let you get hit you stubborn interfering girl!" Tuxedo Mask sneered back, his anger at Sailor Moon still fresh after she had only two weeks ago ruined his chances with Serena.

"I'm GLAD I interfered! At least the poor girl was saved from falling any further in love with you, JERK!" Sailor Moon growled angrily, poking Tuxedo Mask in the chest with a gloved finger.

Anger radiated from the hero as he and Sailor Moon glared daggers at each other. He at her for her meddling in his blossoming relationship with Serena, and her at him because she was said girl who had heard the hero swear she was only a nice distraction for him.

"Bah! What would you know!" he growled back, turning abruptly and disappearing with a leap into the night.

"Way to go Moon, you tell him," Jupiter said, clapping her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Thanks Jupiter," Sailor Moon smiled, "Well, time to go girls. Goodnight," she said with a wave.

Sailor Moon started on her way home, only to realise that she was being followed. Ever since her secret identity had been revealed to Tuxedo Mask months ago (though she had used her moon wand to make him forget), she had been extra careful to make sure it stayed secret now.

"Who's there?" she demanded of the shadowy figure following her.

"It's me," Sailor Venus said, stepping into the light.

"Oh, V, what's up?" Sailor Moon asked quizzically.

"You shouldn't be so hard on Tuxedo Mask. I know you probably don't want to hear this but he cares about you a lot. He was scared for you when you had that vi – I mean fainting spell at the masked ball," Sailor Venus pleaded with her friend. Sailor Moon didn't remember her vision and Sailor Venus and Tuxedo Mask had been ordered by a mysterious green-haired woman not to breathe a word of it.

"Yeah sure, his distraction," Sailor Moon said venomously.

"No Sailor Moon, I think it's more. Give him a chance. Please? Trust me I'm the Senshei of Love!" Sailor Venus smiled at her friend.

Sailor Moon eyed her warily before muttering, "Alright."

Sailor Venus grinned happily, "Night Moon," she said as she leapt away into the night.

Sailor Moon only grumbled her goodnight to Sailor Venus before continuing on her way home.

A week later...

Darien sighed into his coffee at the Arcade. The NegaVerse had attacked almost every night since they has returned from holidays and he was tired. Tuxedo Mask he might be but he was also college student Darien Chiba and that part of him happened to need a bit of sleep every now and then.

He sighed again. It hadn't helped that after one of the run-ins with a youma he had run into Serena as Tuxedo Mask. He'd asked her what she was doing out so late at night and she'd told him she could take care of herself thank-you-very-much.

"Hey Serena," he heard Andrew say as the Arcade doors slid open. "How are you? You look tired."

Darien tightened his grip on his coffee. He'd decided it would be best if he no longer sought Serena out as Tuxedo Mask. Firstly, she would obviously be in danger if the NegaVerse saw him with her on a regular basis. This was pretty likely to happen given the recent regularity of their attacks. Secondly, he'd totally struck out with her. Nevertheless he was proud of her, though it hurt. She had made a really mature decision when she had said it wouldn't work out with Tuxedo Mask.

"Hi Andrew, that's because I am. You know me, school's back in and I'm spacing out," she smiled wanly in reply.

"Do you want your favourite?" Andrew offered enticingly.

"Actually, can I just have a juice? I need something more sustaining than a sugar high."

Darien nearly spat out his coffee while Andrew burnt his hand on the coffee pot.

Serena smiled at the two before her. She'd felt different since returning from holidays and couldn't tell if it was the fact that she had been a woman scorned and could now count herself as having had her first heart break, or if it was perhaps something else. Either way, she liked that she felt a little bit more mature. It made her feel less gawky.

"Can I take that to go as well Andrew? I wanted to go to the park and feed the ducks."

"Sure Serena, coming right up."

Serena twiddled her thumbs and glanced about her absently. She was slightly surprised Darien hadn't actually teased her all that harshly since the holidays. But then again they had sort of struck up a tentative friendship. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all. She smiled to herself. Now she could at least enjoy his handsome face rather than forcing herself to forget his midnight blue eyes while screaming her own offended response to him.

Darien surveyed Serena's smile from behind the rim of his coffee mug. It was hard to believe that she had rejected Tuxedo Mask, something that bruised his ego a bit. He was the hero of Tokyo – what girl would reject him? He smiled to himself. It only made him love her more that she was so down to earth.

How did I never notice it before? he mused.

He saw Andrew hand her the juice and watched her go.

Dammit Darien, get some dutch courage and DO something, a little voice said, giving him a mental shove.

Darien didn't need to be told twice, the push was all he needed to bid Andrew goodbye and walk as quickly as he could out the doors.

"Hey Serena, meatball head, wait up!" he called to the blonde.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes oh-maleficent-one?" she said, sipping on her juice.

"Oh big word there meatball head, I see you have been studying," Darien teased.

She quirked an eyebrow, her face said it all, What do you want?

"I thought I would walk with you. It's a nice day," Darien smiled at her, quirking his own eyebrow in response to her.

Damn he's so good looking, she thought, quickly turning her head so he wouldn't notice her slight blush.

"Ok. But you have to buy me an ice-cream for calling me meatball head. It's a fitting apology," she sniffed, teasing him.

Darien smiled, "Done."