Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Chapter 1: First Impression

Her brother was back. She looked down at her watch. His plane should have arrived two hours ago and he was probably resting in his room now. She hadn't seen him in almost eight years, and she wouldn't even have remembered his face had it not been for the pictures he had sent over the years. For all those years that he had been away at college, he had not bothered to come home. He was almost a stranger to her. She guessed it was partially her fault for not being able to attend both of his graduation ceremonies.

"I can't wait to meet this mysterious older brother of yours."

Mina's voice jerked Serena out of her thoughts. Serena found herself back at the café, sitting at a round table surrounded by her friends. She had been prone to pondering in her own world more often ever since she had heard that her brother would be back.

"He can't be all that great. He did ignore his family for eight years," said Rei.

"It's not like he cut off all contact. He did call home, and he was probably really busy. Business school probably isn't exactly a piece of cake," replied Ami. Ami had always been the one to give people the benefit of doubt.

Rei made a choked noise after taking a sip of her iced coffee. "Are you serious? No one is so busy that they can't even come home for Christmas. Americans love Christmas! They wouldn't force anyone to work on Christmas."

Mina shrugged in her usual flippant manner. "He doesn't look too bad. He seems like a good-looking guy from that picture. It's either that or he's very photogenic."

"That's exactly the point," Rei sighed, irritated. "We don't even know what the man looks like. Not even Serena, and she's his sister."

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that she's not blood-related to him," Mina mused. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Mina wanted to take them back. An awkward silence immediately spread over the table, and everyone looked cautiously at Serena, waiting for a reaction. Receiving no response, Rei carefully put a hand on Serena's shoulder.

"Forget what Mina said. She was just babbling as always."

"Yeah, Serena. You should head back now. Your family is probably waiting for you," said Ami, always the sensible one.

Serena smiled in an effort to convince her friends that she was ok. "You're right. I should head back. It's almost time for dinner." She stood up. "I'll update you guys on everything later." Turning towards the exit, she walked away slowly from the table as she waved.

Serena stood in front of her front door, not knowing as to why she was so nervous. Suddenly the house seemed even bigger than usual and seemed to cast an ominous shadow over her small frame. She was being ridiculous. There was no reason for her to be nervous. She had been a part of this family for almost nine years, and this was her home. Sighing, she entered the house.

"Serena, you're home! Come say hi to your brother! We're all waiting in the dining room for you."

Upon hearing her mother's words, Serena suddenly felt as if she didn't belong. Shaking off this feeling and putting on a smile, she entered the dining room and immediately locked eyes with a man who had a striking resemblance to her older brother's picture.

"Darien, this is your little sister Serena. Hasn't she grown so much?"

Darien gave Serena a little nod and turned to his mother, "Yes, she has. I could hardly recognize her."

"Well sit down," her father motioned to her. "We can finally eat, now that you're here."

Serena sat down across from Darien as her mother called the maid to bring in the food. Her brother was a very handsome man. The pictures didn't do him justice. She was so fixated on his features to notice that her father had been talking to her and was now waiting for her answer.

Kenneth laughed when his daughter blinked and looked at him in confusion. "I asked, how do you feel about moving in with your brother after you graduate?"

At the lack of response, Irene smiled at her daughter, "Your college is just a few blocks away from Darien's new apartment. This way, you don't have to live in one of those insufferable dormitories. Plus, wouldn't it be wonderful living with your brother?"

Serena was at a loss for words. There was no doubt in her mind that his apartment would be more comfortable than a dorm room, but she barely knew the man. She looked across the table at her brother. He wore no expression on his face and was currently occupied with his meal. When she looked at her parents' faces, she knew she couldn't say no. Her parents looked as if they had already decided this issue.

"Well, if Darien doesn't mind," she trailed off, looking at her brother expectantly.

Before taking a sip of his wine, Darien said curtly, "I don't mind."

Irene's face lit up. "Great! It's settled then."

Dinner was painfully dragged out for Serena. Finding an interesting topic to discuss or joining the conversation seemed impossible that night. As a result, Serena found that she could only sit still and listen as her family conversed and caught up. Her parents were doing most of the talking and her brother nodded and offered a few words when necessary.

He had a deep, silky voice and Serena found herself wishing he used it more often. Stealing a glance, she thought to herself that he had nice manners and wondered if he had a girlfriend. Almost immediately, Serena shook her head and had to remind herself not to let her mind wander. Excusing herself after dessert, she went upstairs to her room and ungracefully plopped down on her queen-sized bed. The phone disrupted the silence in the spacious room, the shrill ring tone echoing off of the pink walls.

"Hello?" Serena answered.

"So, how did it feel?" Mina's voice was on the other end.

"We didn't really talk much."

"It's understandable that there would be some awkwardness."

"It turns out that I'm going to be living with him for the next four years." There was a pregnant pause.

"What?" Mina asked, not knowing if she heard correctly.

"Yeah. Apparently, my parents think it's a great idea. They probably want us to bond or something."

"Is that why he came back to Japan? To usher you to the States?"

Serena frowned. She hadn't thought about that. If that was true, then her parents and her brother had planned this some time ago.

"Anyway," Mina continued, "when do you move in with him?"

"Two weeks from today." Mina's pout could almost be heard.

"You're coming with us to the beach next week, right?" Serena hesitated, not knowing if her parents had planned anything for her.

"Serena," Mina whined, "We only have two weeks left!"

"Alright, alright. I'll go."

Putting on the designer one-piece swimsuit and white sundress that her mother had lain out on her bed that morning, Serena picked up her beach bag and descended her stairs. She was almost out the door when her mother called out.

"Serena, why don't you let Darien give you a ride?" Just as she was about to refuse, she saw Darien walking down the stairs with the keys to his BMW.

"Ready to go?" Without waiting for an answer, he walked straight past her and opened the door. Serena murmured a 'thank you' after a slight pause and walked through the opened door.

Arriving at the car, Serena unknowingly expected him to open the car door for her, but was left standing outside when he got into the car without a word. Blushing out of embarrassment, she quickly got in the passenger seat as Darien started the engine. Now that she thought about it, her mother had just forced her and Darien together for the third time this week. She frowned at this realization.

"Is something wrong?" Serena's startled eyes looked over at Darien to see him staring at the road in front of him.

"You were frowning."

"Oh," said Serena, feeling a little stupid for not being able to find anything else to say. "I'm fine."

Both remained silent. Serena wondered if her brother also thought the silence was awkward. She was about to say something when he spoke.

"She controls you."

Confused, she frowned and asked, "Who?"

"Our mother." He glanced sideways to see her looking down at her lap. The frown remained on her face.

"You're a doll," he stated casually. Her eyes widened at his comment and then narrowed.

"Excuse me?" She continued to glare at him when he ignored her. She tried again. "What do you mean?"

"You live the life that she wants you to live," he said unemotionally.

His face held no expression at all. Suddenly, she was beginning to get an idea of what kind of man her brother was. She found that she hated his calm exterior and his smooth, emotionless voice. It angered her that he criticized her as casually as one comments on the weather. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't let this pass.

"Don't judge me as if you know me." His face remained impassive. He remained silent for so long that she thought he had chosen to ignore her.

He spoke, surprising Serena. "If I have offended you, I apologize." The tone of his voice continued to be emotionless, and Serena wondered if he was even sincere, but his apology confused Serena. What was with the sudden politeness? Perhaps she didn't have her brother figured out. He was an enigma, a walking paradox.

If the silence had been awkward before, it was nothing compared to the silence that pervaded the car now. Neither spoke a word until they arrived at their destination. When Serena spotted her friends lounging under a large beach umbrella, she politely thanked Darien.

She was getting ready to step out of the car when he said, "I'll be back for you in four hours."

Serena grimaced inwardly, not knowing if she could handle another hour-long car ride with him. "My friend won't mind giving me a ride home."

He nodded in consent.

Serena almost gaped. That was it? He didn't even try a second time to offer her a ride. Realizing that she must have looked like an idiot sitting there and staring at him, she quickly got of the car. Darien drove off without a glance in her direction. No matter how many times Darien did or said something that confused her, she didn't think it was possible for her to feel any less confused.

How was she supposed to live with him for the next four years of her life?