The Red String
Despair and the String
Serena sighed as she just poked at it, her heart heavy. Not only had Darien broken up with her (again) but there was no chance of getting back together this time. Darien had found this…this…this home wrecking whore in America when he had taken his trip to America a year and a half ago. He had been cheating on her for so long and heart hurt.
"Serena…you haven't eaten your food for almost two weeks. Sweetie, won't you try just a bite?. Just one bite for Mama?" Serena looked to her mother who looked so sad and filled with fear then to her food. Sighing Serena took a couples bites of rice and a few of her tempura. After that, she pushed her plate away, trying not to offend her mother, but she just wasn't hungry.
"May I be excused, Mama? I don't feel well." Serena asked without even looking at her mother. When her mother said yes, Serena got up and slowly walked to her room. There, she looked at the time. Three-thirty. Well, she didn't really want to be awake and nothing seemed fun, so she sighed and went to her closet, changing into pajamas. Serena undid her hair, letting it fall freely, and she got under the covers on her bed, closing her eyes. It was summer break, so she could basically sleep whenever the hell she wanted. Three-thirty in the afternoon seemed like a good time.
Just as Serena was about to fall asleep, she heard a knocking on the door. Maybe if she ignored it well enough, the person would just go away. She was in no mood to interact with people, she hadn't for the last few weeks.
"Hey, Serena, it's Lita. I'm coming in." And so the Amazon like woman did come in carrying two bags in her hand. When she saw her friend in bed, she sighed. Putting the bags down, she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. Reaching out, Lita began to pet her princess' hair, knowing it was soothing to the blonde.
"You know, he wasn't worth it.." Lita started as Serena sat bolt up, tears welling in her eyes and she looked like she could kill.
"Not worth it?! He was my prince, my love, my life! Everything I did, I did for him! And now he's gone…and I'm still here…" The tears that had been in Serena's eyes were now pouring down her cheeks. Lita felt so bad that her dearest moon princess was hurt so much.
"He was a pedophile! He's, what, twenty-two or twenty-three now? You're not even sixteen, not for another couple of days!" Lita reached out and pulled Serena into her lap, holding her close. Once in Lita's lap, Serena burst into sobs, clinging to Lita's shirt as if it could take all the pain away. Lita closed her eyes and held the other tighter. Darien was in America now, so he wouldn't be able to be around to hurt Serena with his new girlfriend.
Looking to the bedside table, Lita noticed a picture of Serena and Darien who both looked happy. With a little stealth, Lita reached over and grabbed the picture frame, sliding it to the ground and kicked it under the bed. Giving her attention back to Serena, Lita smiled a bit and gently shook the smaller, causing Serena to stop crying and look at Lita.
"I brought you some treats, Serena. I remembered all your favs!" Putting Serena back on the bed, Lita walked to the bags, picked them up, and went back to the bed, pouring both bags onto the bed's surface. "Milk chocolate, gummy bears, pocky, strawberry biscuits, yokan, cookies. All for you!" Lita watched Serena for a reaction, any kind of reaction. Lita had been worried sick about Serena, and her family was worried too. Serena's mother had called her, asking for help. It had to be bad if Serena's mother called her, so Lita had agreed to come over for a few days and try to help.
Serena looked at the treats then to a container with a bow on it. She reached out and grabbed it. Removing the bow, she opened the metal tin and blinked. There were an assortment of her favorite homemade treats that she knew Lita had made. All for her? Serena looked up to Lita who held a note of worry in her eyes despite the smile on her face.
"You did all of this, got me all of these snacks, even made some of my favorite food…all for…me?" Serena looked confused. Why would Lita do all of this just for her? The rest of her friends were busy. Ami had taken up a summer program at the hospital, Rei was watching the temple and training her skills, and Mina had taken up acting classes. What of Lita, though? Was she stuck playing babysitter because everyone else was busy? "Why?"
"Yes. I did all of this for you and not because I had to, but I wanted to. Look, right now there's no enemies around right now for us to fight and if that can't keep you busy, you'll just mope around over some guy who doesn't deserve you. Besides," Lita blushed slightly as she locked eyes with her moon princess. "I can't imagine a better thing to do then spend time with my princess."
It was Serena's turn to blush at those words. Even Darien had never said that. Thinking for a moment or two, Serena had to really wonder when was the last time he had said something to make her feel loved or wanted? When had been the last time they had kissed or held onto one another? She couldn't remember, yet Lita had just said something that made her feel…special.
"Come on, Serena, try the cake buns. I made them with a special filling just for you~" Lita had been baking all day for Serena knowing the girl liked junk food, and had come up with something special for the other. She wouldn't make them for anyone but her princess from now on. Watching Serena take a bite of the pink cake bun and seeing her perk up, Lita relaxed and watched Serena shove the whole thing in her mouth.
"Take it easy, Serena, or you'll choke!" Lita reached into the pile of food that was on the bed and pulled out a soda. Opening it, she held it out to the other who took it and guzzled it down. After that, Serena let out a sigh of relief and looked at her friend. For the first time in weeks, Serena smiled. Not one of her fake ones, Lita could always tell when Serena faked a smile, this one was real and only for her.
"Want to hear a story my mom told me when I was a child. It's about love and I think that you need to hear it." Lita said and watched as Serena nodded her head, though there was a look of reluctance in her friends eyes which just made Lita chuckle.
"Each person is born with a red string attached to their left ring finger. This string attached two people together, their destinies forever intertwined. When we're young and we have crushes, the string tightens a bit, reminding us that there is someone else waiting for us. When we lose that crush or someone we think is the one for us, for one reason or another, the string tightens more, getting shorter, pulling us closer together. When we finally meet that person we're dedicated to, the one who is attached to the other end of our string, they get together. Sometimes it is a rough start, sometimes a person ends up with the wrong one and their string is always trying to pull the one on the other end closer to their mate. But when the right people find one another and they get married, they get a ring. When the ring is placed over the string, the two are bound forever."
Lita had been smiling, but that fell as she saw Serena's eyes filled with tears as she stared at her left ring finger. She couldn't see the rtring. With all the magic she had, with all her skills and powers, she couldn't see the string. Looking up to Lita, Serena sniffled.
"Where's my string?" She whispered as tears slid down her cheeks. Reaching out, Lita tried to wipe the tears away as quickly as she could and could almost read Serena's mind.
"You can only see it when you find the person you truly love, Serena. Until then, it stays hidden. If you could see it all the time, you wouldn't get to experience life like you should, you know? Want to know a secret?" Serena nodded and Lita grinned, leaning to whisper softly. "I can see my string right now."
This surprised Serena and she grabbed Lita's left hand, searching for it, causing Lita to laugh. Serena was so into the story and she looked like a child looking for her present. Gently pulling her hand away, Lita shook her head, smiling.
"You can't see who's attached to my string, or even see it yourself, but I can tell you that it's someone you know." With a questioning glace from Serena, Lita smiled. The blonde would badger her until she said who it was, but Lita would not give in.
Looking at her left ring finger, she saw a thin, red string attached in a bow and leading away from her hand, connecting to Serena's left ring finger. How could her princess, a future queen, ever see her as more than a body guard and friend? This string might never be forever bound between the two.