Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love
By Chibi J
Rated G
Alternate Reality
Edited by my darling Sailor Sista!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or the characters. The "Bohemian Ideals" of truth, beauty, freedom, and love are known by many and are mentioned many times in books, songs, and movies. I, however, started writing this after watching Moulin Rouge. So, I suppose that I should credit the movie for sticking the ideals, which I believe highly in, back into my mind once more.
This is dedicated to everyone who ever believed that love would over come all obstacles.
*~*
PROLOGUE
Darien walked slowly down the street, trying to pull his over-sized jacket tighter around himself. He shivered as another chill swept down his collar and a cough erupted from deep within. Stumbling a little, he braced himself on a nearby building and he continued to cough.
For months now he lived like this. He had been ill for far too long and he was sick and tired of it. He pulled out some loose toilet paper from his coat pocket that he had taken from the local gas station. It smelled slightly of old smoke and petrol as he brought it to his mouth.
Pulling away the tissue from his mouth, Darien noticed that there was blood splattered across the rough tissue. A sigh barely escaped his mouth as he began to cough again. Willing himself to stop his coughing fit, Darien swallowed roughly. The taste of copper drained down his throat and made him feel like vomiting.
Pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on, Darien again began to walk slowly down the street. He desperately wished to find someplace warm to sleep, but knew that his chances were thin. There were few cars parked in the street and those he found were locked. He was about to give up when he noticed a taxi parking a block ahead.
Watching quietly, Darien wandered down towards the yellow taxi. The driver had stepped out and removed a set of keys from a pocket to open a door. Standing a block from the parked car, Darien waited a while to be certain that the driver was not to return soon.
With a hope that luck was with him, he approached the car. Although most people didn't trust the city enough to leave their vehicles unlocked, this unsuspecting driver had. Not wasting a moment to the brisk wind blowing around him, Darien opened the door to the backseat and jumped in. He was more than grateful to find the taxi clean and pleasant smelling. He cuddled up into the seat, pulling his coat around his head like a blanket, and quickly fell asleep.
*
"Yes dad, I'm home. No, nothing happened." Serena sighed. Her father had always been so overprotective of his 'princess' that it drove her insane. "No dad, I'm not coming for dinner." She paused and listened to him talk on the other end before letting out a loud sigh. "Fine, I'll get cleaned up and come over."
Serena hung up the phone and walked to the far end of her flat. She had picked the large studio not only for its size, but for the aura she felt from it. Sparing a quick glance to the painting she was planning to working on, she went into the bathroom to prepare for an evening at her parents.
It wasn't that she didn't love her family, it was more that she didn't belong with them. Her mother was considered a countess in the fashion industry and her father a business tycoon. Her brother Sam had followed in their father's footsteps, while Serena came closest to her mother's artistic qualities.
From a young age, Serena had shown an interest in art, music, writing, and anything that allowed her to express her creativity. As much as her father tried to dissuade her from such nonsensical activities, her passion drove her and there was nothing he could do about it. So, as every good father does, he supported her interests in the hope that she would outgrow them.
Unfortunately for him, at 24 years old, not only had she not outgrown them, but pursued them adamantly. After four years of college, she took her degree, framed it, and hung it on the wall. There it still hung, collecting dust. Rather than pursue some noble career, such as a cellist or pianist or work as a designer for some company, Serena followed the true bohemian dream. She worked as needed to support herself and her true loves, painting and writing.
Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love. The bohemian ideals ran through her head as she created her art and lived her life. Her taxi, her one source of income, kept her fed and in comfortable clothing, as well as paying for any supplies she needed to paint.
Unfortunately, dinner with her family required that Serena dip into the farthest reaches of her closet to find her "proper clothing" to wear. Her father detested her baggy clothing and unstylish hats that she often adorned. He preferred to see her in dresses, with her long golden hair styled fashionably.
Dressed and ready to go, Serena grabbed her keys off of the crates that served as her kitchen table and made her way down to her taxi. Paying little attention, she jumped in, started the car, and took off for her parents. Noticing a nearby man attempt to wave her down, Serena quickly turned on her "Off-Duty" light, as to not upset the people of the city as she ignored their pleas for a ride.
She arrived in no time at the luxurious house that her family called home. She quickly departed her car and walked into the house, expecting the usual greeting and criticism.
*
Darien awoke slightly when he had thought he heard something. Although it sounded like a car door, a quick glimpse to the driver's seat showed that he must have been delirious. Within a matter of moments, sleep again claimed him.
*
"I love you sweetheart. We'll see you on Saturday." Serena's father said as he kissed her on the cheek.
"I love you too, daddy." She said as she stepped away from the house. Hearing the door shut behind her, she let out a sigh that she had been holding all evening. She entered her car and soundlessly drove back to her studio.
Exhausted from the evening's events, Serena quickly changed out of her clothing into her pajamas and feel asleep on her bed. Although she loved her father, his endless tirades about a proper position in life drove her to the breaking point.
The morning sun lit the streets of the city and streamed into the windows of every building. Serena awoke to the pleasant feeling of the sun on the skin of her back. Sometime during the night she had felt overly warm and stripped of her nightclothes.
Knowing that the streets of the city awaited her, Serena quickly dressed in her usual work attire: blue jeans and a lose t-shirt. She pulled her hair into a sloppy ponytail and threw on an old baseball cap. Grabbing an apple and cola from the fridge, she left her apartment for her taxi.
The morning chill sent a slight shiver up her spine as she entered her car. Turning the vehicle on, she immediately reached for the heater switches, hoping that it wouldn't take too long to warm up. Making sure that her off-duty light was no longer on, Serena turned out onto the street, ready to face the world and what it had to offer.
After a few blocks, Serena saw a man in a business suit hail her to the curb. Although not anxious to hear his complaints associated with work, she knew that the only way to make a dollar was to have a passenger. She pulled over to the curb to allow the man entrance and awaited his instructions. She sighed as he just sat there, wordless.
"Where to?" She asked, feeling idiotic the way she sounded like the old, smelly taxi drivers that she swore she would never become.
"Well, I would like to go to the West building. But I suppose that you need to go to the hospital first." The man replied, not looking at Serena, but at the seat beside him.
Quickly turning to look at the man in the back seat, whom seemed to be in fine condition, she questioned him. "Is something the matter? Are you okay?" Her experience driving women to the hospital in labor had left her with knowledge of the best shortcuts there, but she wouldn't waste a chance at a good fare if there were no rush.
"I'm fine, but I suspect that this fellow needs attention." The man said and nodded at the body that was curled up on the backseat. Serena let out a small gasp before jumping out of the car to enter the backseat.
There was a man, in obviously poor condition, laying in the fetal position in the backseat of her car. The other man quickly excused himself from the cab in search of another that was less busy. Serena, however, examined the body that was in her car. He was breathing, but his breaths were shallow. There was a small amount of blood on the corners of his mouth.
Without another thought, Serena quickly put herself behind the wheel, flipped on her off-duty light, and sped to the hospital. Knowing the "no parking" drill well, she found an empty space that was marked "emergency" and evacuated the car. She ran to the emergency room door and flagged down help. She led them to her taxi and the man inside it. The hospital staff was quick to remove the near lifeless body from the vehicle and place him on a gurney. Serena was asked if she knew the man and her negative reply was met with instructions to please move her car.
Not knowing what to do with herself, Serena moved the car to the appropriate parking lot. There she sat for a moment wondering what to do. A man, whom she did not know, was in her car and sick. The first thought registered, only to leave the question: how long had he been there? Then the second questioned dawned: would he be okay? The lack of answer for the second question pulled her from the car and into the emergency room lobby.
Quickly informing the nurse on duty who she was and whom she wanted information on, she sat in the uncomfortable seat provided in the hospital lobby. Although a television was on with the news, she found that she could not tune into it. Her thoughts kept drifting to the man from her car.
All she new of him was his appearance, which wasn't much. He had deep ebony hair, long enough to fall into his eyes. His skin was pale and sweaty. His clothing, though fairly baggy, did nothing to hide his obviously malnourished body. Although he smelled a little of the streets, he did not reek of alcohol or smoke, like many of the bums in the city.
Knowing that her stay at the hospital could be long, she made herself comfortable. After all, she had been to the emergency for a rather deep gash to her head when she fell once. She waited over an hour and a half to see the doctor, then another hour to get the stitches. (AN: This was me! And I actually fell down the stairs and hit my head on the bottom banister--six stitches.) Sometime later, Serena fell asleep in the stiff plastic chair, even though the room was quite noisy and busy around her.
"Ms. Stanton?" A voice interrupted her dreamless slumber. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Serena looked around her surroundings. She wondered briefly to herself at her location.
"Ms. Stanton?" The voice asked again, starting to sound a little bothered by the lack of answer. Serena sat up straight, stretching her arms briefly.
"Is there a Ms. Serena Stanton here?" The voice asked, starting to sound very perturbed.
"Yes, here." Serena said as she stood, quickly shaking her muscles awake.
"Oh, sorry." The man apologized, not realizing that she had been the woman who had been sleeping in the lobby for quite sometime. "You asked for information on the John Doe that came in this morning?" He asked as he looked down on his chart.
"Yes. I brought him in. He was in my cab." She stated simply.
"But you don't know him?" The doctor asked, quickly looking up from his chart.
"No, afraid not, just found him." She said with a sigh. Early she went through this debate with the nurse. She secretly hoped that the doctor would give her the information on the man, although the nurse said that he might not be able to disclose information with her, being as she was a stranger.
"Well, he's in a stable condition." The doctor started, once again looking into the chart. "We've given him some fluids, but there's not much else to do for him."
Surprised by the lack of medical attention, Serena immediately began to question the man. "But he was coughing blood. Doesn't he need something for that?"
The doctor smiled at the woman who showed so much concern for a complete stranger. Not many people in the city would have done what she had. Had the sick man crawled into any other vehicle, he would have probably gone to jail, not the hospital.
"The blood is from severe scratches in his throat. Nothing that a warm bed, lots of rest, and some soup won't cure. His body is physically exhausted and it appears that he has been sick for some time. However, with no name or insurance, I cannot treat him beyond need. Without any history, I cannot prescribe him any medicines." The doctor ended with a sigh.
"What will happen to him?" Serena asked, concern for the poor, nameless, sick man growing.
"As soon as he is awake, he will be discharged." The doctor said with a note of finality. "Although I doubt by his appearance that he has anywhere to go."
Serena nodded her appreciation to the doctor. He gave her a warm smile and turned away from her.
Serena returned to her seat in the hospital lobby, a million and one thoughts swimming through her brain. Although she didn't know the man, she felt that there was a reason that he had chosen to take shelter in her taxi. Always one to believe in Fate and the mysterious games she played, Serena knew that she needed to help the man whom had chosen her taxi.
Upon making up her mind, Serena immediately informed the nurse on duty of her decision to take in the man. Although the nurse tried to persuade her against such a rash and unsafe decision, Serena assured her that she was fully aware of the risk and still wished to help him.
*~*
By Chibi J
Rated G
Alternate Reality
Edited by my darling Sailor Sista!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or the characters. The "Bohemian Ideals" of truth, beauty, freedom, and love are known by many and are mentioned many times in books, songs, and movies. I, however, started writing this after watching Moulin Rouge. So, I suppose that I should credit the movie for sticking the ideals, which I believe highly in, back into my mind once more.
This is dedicated to everyone who ever believed that love would over come all obstacles.
*~*
PROLOGUE
Darien walked slowly down the street, trying to pull his over-sized jacket tighter around himself. He shivered as another chill swept down his collar and a cough erupted from deep within. Stumbling a little, he braced himself on a nearby building and he continued to cough.
For months now he lived like this. He had been ill for far too long and he was sick and tired of it. He pulled out some loose toilet paper from his coat pocket that he had taken from the local gas station. It smelled slightly of old smoke and petrol as he brought it to his mouth.
Pulling away the tissue from his mouth, Darien noticed that there was blood splattered across the rough tissue. A sigh barely escaped his mouth as he began to cough again. Willing himself to stop his coughing fit, Darien swallowed roughly. The taste of copper drained down his throat and made him feel like vomiting.
Pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on, Darien again began to walk slowly down the street. He desperately wished to find someplace warm to sleep, but knew that his chances were thin. There were few cars parked in the street and those he found were locked. He was about to give up when he noticed a taxi parking a block ahead.
Watching quietly, Darien wandered down towards the yellow taxi. The driver had stepped out and removed a set of keys from a pocket to open a door. Standing a block from the parked car, Darien waited a while to be certain that the driver was not to return soon.
With a hope that luck was with him, he approached the car. Although most people didn't trust the city enough to leave their vehicles unlocked, this unsuspecting driver had. Not wasting a moment to the brisk wind blowing around him, Darien opened the door to the backseat and jumped in. He was more than grateful to find the taxi clean and pleasant smelling. He cuddled up into the seat, pulling his coat around his head like a blanket, and quickly fell asleep.
*
"Yes dad, I'm home. No, nothing happened." Serena sighed. Her father had always been so overprotective of his 'princess' that it drove her insane. "No dad, I'm not coming for dinner." She paused and listened to him talk on the other end before letting out a loud sigh. "Fine, I'll get cleaned up and come over."
Serena hung up the phone and walked to the far end of her flat. She had picked the large studio not only for its size, but for the aura she felt from it. Sparing a quick glance to the painting she was planning to working on, she went into the bathroom to prepare for an evening at her parents.
It wasn't that she didn't love her family, it was more that she didn't belong with them. Her mother was considered a countess in the fashion industry and her father a business tycoon. Her brother Sam had followed in their father's footsteps, while Serena came closest to her mother's artistic qualities.
From a young age, Serena had shown an interest in art, music, writing, and anything that allowed her to express her creativity. As much as her father tried to dissuade her from such nonsensical activities, her passion drove her and there was nothing he could do about it. So, as every good father does, he supported her interests in the hope that she would outgrow them.
Unfortunately for him, at 24 years old, not only had she not outgrown them, but pursued them adamantly. After four years of college, she took her degree, framed it, and hung it on the wall. There it still hung, collecting dust. Rather than pursue some noble career, such as a cellist or pianist or work as a designer for some company, Serena followed the true bohemian dream. She worked as needed to support herself and her true loves, painting and writing.
Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love. The bohemian ideals ran through her head as she created her art and lived her life. Her taxi, her one source of income, kept her fed and in comfortable clothing, as well as paying for any supplies she needed to paint.
Unfortunately, dinner with her family required that Serena dip into the farthest reaches of her closet to find her "proper clothing" to wear. Her father detested her baggy clothing and unstylish hats that she often adorned. He preferred to see her in dresses, with her long golden hair styled fashionably.
Dressed and ready to go, Serena grabbed her keys off of the crates that served as her kitchen table and made her way down to her taxi. Paying little attention, she jumped in, started the car, and took off for her parents. Noticing a nearby man attempt to wave her down, Serena quickly turned on her "Off-Duty" light, as to not upset the people of the city as she ignored their pleas for a ride.
She arrived in no time at the luxurious house that her family called home. She quickly departed her car and walked into the house, expecting the usual greeting and criticism.
*
Darien awoke slightly when he had thought he heard something. Although it sounded like a car door, a quick glimpse to the driver's seat showed that he must have been delirious. Within a matter of moments, sleep again claimed him.
*
"I love you sweetheart. We'll see you on Saturday." Serena's father said as he kissed her on the cheek.
"I love you too, daddy." She said as she stepped away from the house. Hearing the door shut behind her, she let out a sigh that she had been holding all evening. She entered her car and soundlessly drove back to her studio.
Exhausted from the evening's events, Serena quickly changed out of her clothing into her pajamas and feel asleep on her bed. Although she loved her father, his endless tirades about a proper position in life drove her to the breaking point.
The morning sun lit the streets of the city and streamed into the windows of every building. Serena awoke to the pleasant feeling of the sun on the skin of her back. Sometime during the night she had felt overly warm and stripped of her nightclothes.
Knowing that the streets of the city awaited her, Serena quickly dressed in her usual work attire: blue jeans and a lose t-shirt. She pulled her hair into a sloppy ponytail and threw on an old baseball cap. Grabbing an apple and cola from the fridge, she left her apartment for her taxi.
The morning chill sent a slight shiver up her spine as she entered her car. Turning the vehicle on, she immediately reached for the heater switches, hoping that it wouldn't take too long to warm up. Making sure that her off-duty light was no longer on, Serena turned out onto the street, ready to face the world and what it had to offer.
After a few blocks, Serena saw a man in a business suit hail her to the curb. Although not anxious to hear his complaints associated with work, she knew that the only way to make a dollar was to have a passenger. She pulled over to the curb to allow the man entrance and awaited his instructions. She sighed as he just sat there, wordless.
"Where to?" She asked, feeling idiotic the way she sounded like the old, smelly taxi drivers that she swore she would never become.
"Well, I would like to go to the West building. But I suppose that you need to go to the hospital first." The man replied, not looking at Serena, but at the seat beside him.
Quickly turning to look at the man in the back seat, whom seemed to be in fine condition, she questioned him. "Is something the matter? Are you okay?" Her experience driving women to the hospital in labor had left her with knowledge of the best shortcuts there, but she wouldn't waste a chance at a good fare if there were no rush.
"I'm fine, but I suspect that this fellow needs attention." The man said and nodded at the body that was curled up on the backseat. Serena let out a small gasp before jumping out of the car to enter the backseat.
There was a man, in obviously poor condition, laying in the fetal position in the backseat of her car. The other man quickly excused himself from the cab in search of another that was less busy. Serena, however, examined the body that was in her car. He was breathing, but his breaths were shallow. There was a small amount of blood on the corners of his mouth.
Without another thought, Serena quickly put herself behind the wheel, flipped on her off-duty light, and sped to the hospital. Knowing the "no parking" drill well, she found an empty space that was marked "emergency" and evacuated the car. She ran to the emergency room door and flagged down help. She led them to her taxi and the man inside it. The hospital staff was quick to remove the near lifeless body from the vehicle and place him on a gurney. Serena was asked if she knew the man and her negative reply was met with instructions to please move her car.
Not knowing what to do with herself, Serena moved the car to the appropriate parking lot. There she sat for a moment wondering what to do. A man, whom she did not know, was in her car and sick. The first thought registered, only to leave the question: how long had he been there? Then the second questioned dawned: would he be okay? The lack of answer for the second question pulled her from the car and into the emergency room lobby.
Quickly informing the nurse on duty who she was and whom she wanted information on, she sat in the uncomfortable seat provided in the hospital lobby. Although a television was on with the news, she found that she could not tune into it. Her thoughts kept drifting to the man from her car.
All she new of him was his appearance, which wasn't much. He had deep ebony hair, long enough to fall into his eyes. His skin was pale and sweaty. His clothing, though fairly baggy, did nothing to hide his obviously malnourished body. Although he smelled a little of the streets, he did not reek of alcohol or smoke, like many of the bums in the city.
Knowing that her stay at the hospital could be long, she made herself comfortable. After all, she had been to the emergency for a rather deep gash to her head when she fell once. She waited over an hour and a half to see the doctor, then another hour to get the stitches. (AN: This was me! And I actually fell down the stairs and hit my head on the bottom banister--six stitches.) Sometime later, Serena fell asleep in the stiff plastic chair, even though the room was quite noisy and busy around her.
"Ms. Stanton?" A voice interrupted her dreamless slumber. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Serena looked around her surroundings. She wondered briefly to herself at her location.
"Ms. Stanton?" The voice asked again, starting to sound a little bothered by the lack of answer. Serena sat up straight, stretching her arms briefly.
"Is there a Ms. Serena Stanton here?" The voice asked, starting to sound very perturbed.
"Yes, here." Serena said as she stood, quickly shaking her muscles awake.
"Oh, sorry." The man apologized, not realizing that she had been the woman who had been sleeping in the lobby for quite sometime. "You asked for information on the John Doe that came in this morning?" He asked as he looked down on his chart.
"Yes. I brought him in. He was in my cab." She stated simply.
"But you don't know him?" The doctor asked, quickly looking up from his chart.
"No, afraid not, just found him." She said with a sigh. Early she went through this debate with the nurse. She secretly hoped that the doctor would give her the information on the man, although the nurse said that he might not be able to disclose information with her, being as she was a stranger.
"Well, he's in a stable condition." The doctor started, once again looking into the chart. "We've given him some fluids, but there's not much else to do for him."
Surprised by the lack of medical attention, Serena immediately began to question the man. "But he was coughing blood. Doesn't he need something for that?"
The doctor smiled at the woman who showed so much concern for a complete stranger. Not many people in the city would have done what she had. Had the sick man crawled into any other vehicle, he would have probably gone to jail, not the hospital.
"The blood is from severe scratches in his throat. Nothing that a warm bed, lots of rest, and some soup won't cure. His body is physically exhausted and it appears that he has been sick for some time. However, with no name or insurance, I cannot treat him beyond need. Without any history, I cannot prescribe him any medicines." The doctor ended with a sigh.
"What will happen to him?" Serena asked, concern for the poor, nameless, sick man growing.
"As soon as he is awake, he will be discharged." The doctor said with a note of finality. "Although I doubt by his appearance that he has anywhere to go."
Serena nodded her appreciation to the doctor. He gave her a warm smile and turned away from her.
Serena returned to her seat in the hospital lobby, a million and one thoughts swimming through her brain. Although she didn't know the man, she felt that there was a reason that he had chosen to take shelter in her taxi. Always one to believe in Fate and the mysterious games she played, Serena knew that she needed to help the man whom had chosen her taxi.
Upon making up her mind, Serena immediately informed the nurse on duty of her decision to take in the man. Although the nurse tried to persuade her against such a rash and unsafe decision, Serena assured her that she was fully aware of the risk and still wished to help him.
*~*