It's me again. You're not bored with me yet? wow. . . Sorry for not getting anything out last week, but, this being my first week of college, and no modem for my computer, I didn't have much of a choice. Yes, it's a short sappy breakup story, with a funny (IMO) and very interesting twist. Enjoy! disclaimer: Don't you think you know who owns Sailor Moon by now? I hope you do! ^_^ Going Up? by Sailor Elysia Serena shot up in her bed, her heart pounding in her chest. Drops of sweat beaded on her forehead. This was the second time the dream had come. The first time, she woke up screaming Darien's name. Only her mother and Rini knew what had happened between them, but only her mother could console Serena enough to get her back to sleep again. The previous night, she had been so frightened that she didn't give the dream any thought. But tonight was different, tonight she had almost anticipated the dream returning. All Serena could really remember was the very end of the dream, with the eerie voice that had spoken to her. Stay away from Darien? How could she stay away from the man she loved? Suddenly it dawned on her that this must be the reason Darien had been acting so strange lately. She knew he had to love her, so why else would he turn away from her? After all they had been through, it couldn't be that easy for him to turn his back on her. Could it be possible for them to transmit their thoughts and dreams to each other? Serena jumped out of bed, determined to talk to Darien, and find out the truth once and for all. She didn't care if it was nearly midnight, she just had to see him. Serena knocked on Darien's door once lightly, then again, more insistently. She leaned against the wall to catch her breath. Running seven miles through the city and climbing ten flights of stairs was not something she did regularly. She could hear Darien fumble with the lock on his side of the door, then watched anxiously as the door cracked open an inch. "Darien?" she asked in a small voice. "Serena? What are you doing here?" he questioned. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" he asked, anger creeping into his voice. "Darien, let me explain. Something happened, and I need to talk to you," Serena rushed on. "Is it Rini? Did something happen to her?" Darien demanded, opening his door a little wider now. "No, no, the little spore--ah, I mean Rini, is fine. I need to talk to you about us. I think--" Darien cut her off. "Serena, I told you before, there is no more 'us'. Now go home." He started closing his door. Serena stuck her foot in the door to prevent Darien from shutting her out again. "Darien, please, just listen to me for a moment," she pleaded. Darien sighed, looked at his watch, and stepped out into the hallway. "I'll walk you outside, and listen to you until we get there. But no more of these late-night visits, all right?" He locked his door, and guided Serena to the elevator. They stepped inside, and he pressed the button for the ground floor. She leaned against one wall, and he the other. "Is it all right if I talk to you now?" Serena asked quietly. "Just make it quick," he said crisply, trying his hardest not to look at her. If only she knew what he had to go through each night. The elevator was somewhere between the sixth and seventh floors when it suddenly lurched and made a loud screeching noise. The sharp movement threw Serena off balance. She nearly fell to the floor, but Darien caught her around the waist in time. Serena blushed at memories of other times Darien had held her at the waist, and desperately wished it could be one of those times now. He still had his arms around her. Serena turned around so she was facing him. She was sorely tempted to put her arms around his neck, and hold him close. Darien was off in his own world, not planning on letting go either, but he suddenly remembered where he was and who he was with. His arms dropped, shoved one hand into his pocket, and turned away. He walked over to the emergency phone and picked it up. It was dead. "Great, just great," he muttered, and slammed the receiver back down. "Darien, what's the matter?" Serena asked in a very small voice. She knew his temper could be easily set off, and she didn't want to make him any more angry than he already was. "Oh, nothing, nothing at all," he said sarcastically. "It's past midnight, we're stuck in a busted elevator, and the phone's dead as well. Everything's just perfect." Serena sank down to the floor, and started to cry softly. "I'm sorry, Darien. I'm sorry for getting you into this mess." Darien immediately saw the mistake he had made. He crouched down next to her, hesitated slightly, then brushed her loose hair out of her tear- stained face. She was beautiful even when she was crying. How he hated to keep away from her. "Serena, none of this is your fault. The elevator just picked a lousy time to break down. Please don't cry." She looked up into his face. "Are we going to die?" she asked nervously, more tears ready to fall. Darien sat down next to her, and placed one hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Absolutely not," he assured her. "I think the cables are just jammed." His words started to calm Serena down, and she stopped crying. How was it that he could brush her off in the street, but now be as sweet as she remembered him? When it had been silent for a few minutes, she looked over at him, and let out a small giggle. She clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent any more laughter from escaping. "What's so funny?" Darien asked, puzzled over her sudden outbreak. She giggled again. "I once pictured us in an elevator together, but it was nothing like this," she said shyly, a light blush rising to her cheeks. The mental picture Darien got in his head made him blush slightly, but he laughed as well. They were both silent again. He looked over at Serena to see she was still smiling over something. "What are you thinking about now?" Serena kept giggling. "I was just wondering if it was possible to open the elevator with my tiara." Darien burst out laughing. "Wait, how about using a rose to pry open the doors?" She fell over, both of them shaking with laughter. In the situation they were in, little things that were usually serious now became the funniest things in the world. When Serena finally got herself under control, she found herself lying down with her head in Darien's lap. She glanced up into his deep blue eyes to discover he was staring down at her as well. Suddenly she remembered why she had come to see him in the first place, and decided that this was probably not the best position to be in for talking seriously. Serena tried to sit up, but a strong hand on her shoulder gently pushed her back down. She stared up at Darien, surprised, shocked, and amazed at his gesture. She cleared her throat. "Remember I said I needed to talk to you? It's pretty important," she replied, searching his face for acknowledgment. He just continued watching her, and began to lightly stroke her long blonde hair. Serena took that as a sign to continue. "I came to see you because of a weird dream I had. You were in it too, so I thought you might know something about it." Darien started to speak, but now he was staring off into space, his voice sounding very far away. "I have a feeling that your dream is the same one I've been having for the past month. The same one telling me to avoid you." Serena let out a small gasp at this, but said nothing. "It was hard enough doing that in public, even though I knew I had to do it for your own safety. But the two of us alone, especially in an elevator, I can't do it anymore. I don't care about a stupid dream." He looked down and gazed at her beautiful and puzzled face. "I care about you, Serena. I just hope you know that." Serena grabbed his hand that had been playing with her hair, and laid it over her heart. "I know, Darien, I know." She struggled to keep the tears from flowing again. "And no matter what happens in the future, just know that you'll always be in my heart." Darien mouthed a 'thank you,' leaned down, cupped her face with both of his hands, and kissed her gently and firmly on the lips. He slowly broke away, and grinned at her. "Now, how are we going to get out of here?" This story copyright June 1998 Sailor Moon and all its characters are the rightful property of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, Kodansha Ltd, Bandai. English adaptation is copyright 1995 DiC Corporations.