Hi everyone, it's my latest fanfiction! This is a milestone year for me this year because when June rolls around, I will have been a member of for a decade. It's a little bittersweet for me because although I've had a blast, I know I should have had many more stories to offer in the last few years. But anyway, I've grown as a writer thanks to the support of many of you, so please remember to continue to Read and Review!

As many of you know, there are differences between the Japanese and American versions of the Anime, such as names, places etc. Please note that I grew up watching the American version, and yet much prefer the Japanese anime. I would happily use Japanese names in my fiction, but am uneasy and unsure about the proper way to use suffixes. So not to make a fool of myself, I have opted to use American names with the exception of Ami and Rei. There may be some overlaps though.

A special shout out to fanfiction member SulliMike23 who lives on the other side of the world from me, but has reviewed many of my stories for the better half of 7 years now. Thank you ^_^

Title: Akai Ito
Author: Crystal Saturn
Rated: T
Chapter: 1- Twenty Four

"I'm not who I thought I was
Twenty-four hours ago

Still I'm singing 'Spirit,
take me up in arms with You"

It wasn't fair.

The birds chirped happily as they fluttered about in the Sakura blossom trees. The Sun's golden rays weaved their way among the leaves and branches to form an intricate swaying pattern on the pavement below. An unseasonal warm breeze sent a flurry of Sakura blossoms drifting in the air, and threatened to postpone the onset of winter.

Twenty four hours ago Serena had no idea that she was the ever precious Moon Princess reincarnated. The Silver Crystal was still broken into the shards of the Seven Rainbow Crystals. Darien was the jerk who teased her at the Crown Arcade. Tuxedo Mask was her dreamy savior and ultimate hunk-meister. Twenty four hours ago they were both separate entities to her. She was not destined to marry him in some previous lifetime. He would be sitting in his usual seat, drinking his usual coffee and she would not have cared. She wouldn't have known the torment she would be feeling when she lost him to the Dark Kingdom. Twenty four hours ago, she would not have loved him as much as she did now.

And still, life seemed to go on like it did before. Like nothing had changed. Like he was still around. It wasn't fair.

Serena's thoughts were interrupted by a loud knocking on her classroom door. Two officers dressed in dark blue uniforms quietly ushered Ms Haruna outside. Curious students stood up and tried to listen to the conversation conducted outside. Serena didn't care. She had much more important things to think about, like how to get him back. A few more moments passed and Ms Haruna solemnly stepped back into the room.

"Serena." Her usual stern face was replaced with one of concern. "Will you come with me, please?"

At first, Serena hadn't noticed her name being called, not until she turned around and realized that everybody in the room had their eyes to her. Slowly, she turned her head and glanced over to her fellow classmate and Sailor Soldier, Ami. She shrugged, not knowing what it was all about, or how to help her friend. Serena slowly stood up and gathered her belongings, walking out the door to be greeted by the two officers.

"Serena Tsukino?" The officer to the right asked. His partner shot him a look of confusion and uncertainty. Surely it couldn't have been her. He was not expecting to see a mere child before him.

"Yes. That's me." Serena nodded cautiously.

"I am Detective Rhea and this is Inspector Daphnis. Serena Tsukino, please turn around." The first officer reached for his hand cuffs. "You're under arrest for suspicion of attempted murder." A million questions raced within Serena's head as she felt the cool steel of the handcuffs being wrapped around her wrists, restraining her tightly.

"Murder? Of who? I haven't murdered anyone!" Serena pleaded in disbelief.

"Darien Chiba." Officer Daphnis stated simply before continuing to read out her rights. "We're taking you down to the station for questioning. Remember, you are not obliged to say anything unless you wish to do so but what you say may be put into writing and given as evidence. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Serena managed to mumble as her heart sank to her feet. How could this be happening? The Dark Kingdom took him from her. Attempted murder? How could that be? She watched helplessly through her tears as Kunzite carried him away into the darkness. She remembered the sound of her shrill voice as it strained, screaming out for him into the night. There was no way she would have left him behind.

The police ride to the station was spent in complete silence as she contemplated the situation. Serena was taken into an interview room where her handcuffs were released and she was frisk searched.

"Is he ok?" She finally managed to ask.

"He's in critical condition in the hospital." Inspector Daphnis informed simply as he turned on the voice recorder.

"Now, Serena, you've indicated that you will not be needing an attorney present, is this correct?" Detective Rhea shuffled through some paper work.

"That's right." Serena nodded quietly. "I have nothing to hide."

"Right," Detective Rhea began, "What relationship do you have with Mr. Chiba?" Serena frowned deeply as she thought of how to answer the question. It was a difficult one to answer at this very moment. They were barely friends, and yet lovers in a previous lifetime. They fought beside each other, and yet they were rivals when it came to collecting the Rainbow Crystals.

"He's a friend." Serena resolved to keep her answers simple and not give away too much.

"And how well do you know him?" Inspector Daphnis questioned as he wrote down a few notes, watching Serena's reactions to the questions and noting any changes in her demeanor.

"Well enough, I guess. We share a few secrets and talk every now and then."

"Let's get to the point now, Serena. We have a few witnesses that state they saw you and Mr. Chiba having a bit of an altercation outside of the Crown Arcade yesterday afternoon. Do you want to tell us what that was about?"

"I spotted him in the crowd." Serena smiled as she recalled the incident. "I snuck up behind him and playfully swatted him on the back. He looked a little sad. He turned around and smiled at me. He noticed that I was happy and told me to never change that about myself. Then he walked away. It was so unlike him. Usually he'd tease me back and we'd have a bit of a play fight. But not this time. I noticed that he was hurt, he was bleeding from where I had hit him. It wasn't that hard, I swear. Because of his strange behavior and his injury, I decided to follow him."

"Into the Starlight Tower?"

"Yes." Serena nodded solemnly.

"We had a number of calls last night with complaints of a possible violent altercation happening within the towers upper levels. Witnesses report seeing strange flashes of light, the occasional screams and loud noises that indicated the use of explosives. Would you happen to know anything about this?"

"No." Serena swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn't reveal her and everybody else's secret. There was no way that she could tell the truth about what really happened last night. They wouldn't believe her even if she wanted to. "I fainted. I guess I was tired. I didn't see anything that happened."

"And yet, a few hours later you and four other mysteriously disguised girls were seen fleeing from the Star Light Tower, where hours later, Darien Chiba's body was found. Bruised and wounded in his left shoulder, barely clinging on to life. The doctors said he had multiple stab wounds, one almost fatal." Detective Rhea pressed on, hoping that Serena would crack under the pressure and open up to him about what really happened that night.

"No, it wasn't me." Serena urged. "I mean, I was there, but I didn't do it. I'd never hurt Darien."

"But you left him behind?"

"No! I mean, yes. I mean… it's hard to explain. Darien was in trouble with these people and I wanted to help him, but I got in the way. He saved me. They tricked him and ambushed us. I'm not sure what happened after that. It was all too much…" Serena's eyes glazed with tears as she remembered the moment the Silver Crystal appeared. "I think I fainted, and when I woke up the Sailor Soldiers had saved me. I thought they took him away. I thought he..." Serena's voice began to crack. "I didn't know he was still there, I wanted to go back but they said he was gone." Tears began to fall from Serena's eyes as she recalled the events that led up to the revelation of her true self, and the loss of her soul mate.

"So you saw who attacked Mr. Chiba? Who was it?" Detective Rhea questioned once again as Inspector Daphnis stood back and quietly watched, evidently trying to read Serena's expressions and emotions. "Did they give any indication that they were after any valuable items, wallets, money, or jewelry perhaps?

"I don't know… I couldn't tell you." She quietly sniffled and tried to stop the tears from falling. "I didn't get a good look at their faces and I didn't know Darien well enough to know if he was in trouble with anyone. All I know is that they were after a crystal or something…"

"So you're saying it could have been a burglary gone wrong?" Inspector Daphnis interjected.

"I… I guess so." Serena rubbed her tired, swollen eyes. "I'm really quite tired and I don't remember much from the night. A lot of it was a blur."

"Look Serena, I'm calling this interview over, suspended at 3:14PM." Detective Rhea reached for the voice recorder. "You've been helpful in regards to answering our questions. Although your account of what happened last night is a little suspicious, we still have a number of witnesses and suspects we would like to question. As it stands, we don't have enough evidence to convict you or warrant any further arrest. You're free to go pending a phone call from your parents, but would you be willing to consent to DNA testing so the forensics team can provide further analysis of the crime scene?"

"Sure." Serena nodded and a swab was taken of the inside of her cheek. She was released after four hours of waiting and minutes of intense questioning. Walking out of the police station, Serena noted that it was now mid afternoon. School had just finished and she should probably head over to the Crown arcade. News of her arrest would have spread like gossip wildfire by now and many of her friends would most likely be very worried and curious. Her mother sounded distraught over the telephone, and Serena wasn't sure she was ready to handle the barrage of questions waiting for her at home.

Serena slowly began her trek toward the Arcade, hauling her book bag over her shoulder. She was tired, irritable and quite upset. For the most part, her questions had remained unanswered. How was it that Darien was found when the Dark Kingdom had captured him? Did the Sailor Scouts knowingly and willingly lie to her? Why would they do such a thing? How was his condition? Did he remember her?

As Serena approached the corner near the entrance of the Crown Arcade, she felt her heart inexplicably begin to beat wildly within her chest with every step. Her breathing began to increase, as did her pace and she found herself unsure of the reason behind why she was practically running around the corner, yet it was as if her feet were being pulled by an invisible force. Serena sped around the bend and felt the pull subside briefly before she stopped dead in her tracks. There he stood, staring blankly in to the Crown Arcade.

"Why won't these stupid doors open?" He turned his gaze toward her as a golden stream of her hair caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

"Dumpling Head!" He exclaimed loudly as he ran toward the astounded blonde.

. . .

That's all for this week. More next week! Please Read and Review. I will be dedicating many chapters to various members of the community who have supported and followed me throughout these last 10 years, so please keep an eye out for these names. Many of them have wonderful stories of their own, so why not look them up? ^_^ Until next week,

Crystal Saturn