L O V E H E X A G O N S
by Moonlight Eternal Edited by Dragonborncrystal
Disclaimer: Well, the idea's mine, but all the characters except a couple obvious ones are not mine, much to the misfortune of me. But oh well.
Prologue
The dreary November skies were inclined to soak passerbies below in the streets more than usual that year, that day in fact. The neither fall nor winter crossover month was always a gloomy one, prone to depressing times. Looking outside of a familiar window, Darien rested a tired arm on a bedside table. It was high noon outside, and the sun should've been glinting irritably in his face, but all his dilated eyes met was a dark, cloudy day that was as inclement and gray as days came. Lying next to him in an all too familiar bed was his Serena, looking even more mournful in her sleep than the day outside.
Her eyes seemed glued shut as she frowned and took in shallow breaths. The only sound besidesher rasping breath was the soft clatter of rainoutside. A slight change in her positioning told Darien she no longer slept. Quite un-
expectedly, Serena's clammy, white face turned in Darien's direction. She matched the white sheets, which was quite unsettling to any onlooker. Her regularly perfect golden hair hung limply, loose and lacking its regular style. Her bangs clung to her damp face. The usually twinkling china blue eyes were open but vacant, although she did attempt a small smile only for the purpose of comfort. That was even more frightening, the sight of a forced smile on Serena's face, one that's falseness didn't even reach her large eyes.
Serena's eyes focused slightly as she took in Darien's image silently. She murmured something incoherently. Darien clasped her hand gravelyas her eyes shut in pain, and a spasm passed over her body. Her other hand clutched at her chest viciously. The pain was evident in heronce-sparkling eyes and Darien could barely endure their stare. Then, they shut and she seemed to lose consciousness.
Darien leapt up in alarm. He opened his mouth to yell, but no sound seemed to escape. He spunaround to find a woman dressed in a black dress etched in red, with raven black hair framing a porcelain face accompanied by amber eyes staring out like a hawk's at him in what seemed apparent delight. Brushing past him, she approached Serena. Darien went to grab her andpush her away, but found his limbs made no movement. The woman paid no heed to him, however, and bent over Serena.
From his position, he watched in silent horror as she proceeded to gaze at Serena with the an unbearably nonchalant look. She then seemed to realize that she had a job to do. Quickly, she grabbed from Serena's claw-like death graspa shining crystal. Darien once again attempted to move only to find that the binds which heldhim still would not give. He struggled for what seemedhours. He watched another man, with blonde hair and malicious green eyes, appear next to thewoman in black, and smile malevolently towards Darien. Then, in a manner that was both careless and careful, he picked Serena's limp body up, and disappeared again. And before Darien could evenopen his lips to shout in silence, another woman arrived. One with deep sapphire eyes and long azure hair...her eyes were somehow familiar. Andthen she smiled too with the same delight in her eyes, such evil delight, which the others had. Then she snapped her fingers, and Darien and she were transported into darkness together...
From that deep darkness, as the blue-haired woman's arms encircled Darien's neck, he heard Serena's distinctive yell of fright, and felt the faint tug at his mind as danger approached her somewhere far off beyond his sight. There was another cry of his name before the feeling of her life faded from existence.
Darien awoke from this dream shakily, drenched in sweat. Weren't recurring nightmares lovely, he thought bitterly as he glanced at the alarm clock beside his bed. 2:37 am.
He couldn't help but shake with fear; his face was wet from perspiration. That was the 5th time that week he'd had the same dream. It was troubling his sleep to no end.
'Could it be a premonition? Or am I just bored in the future again?' he wondered silently. Getting up for a glass of water, he silently thought thingsthrough. What was going on.
weren't they through with all these enemies yet? Wasn't Galaxia supposedly the last they'd even see of anyone until he and Serena were married...at least? In the kitchen, he absently looked at the calendar, his mind searching for some solid evidence he could rely on; something that would tell him whether this was just some nightmare that would pass, or if it was a premonition. He hoped it wasn't the latter. On the calendar, his eyes only spotted a date with Serena...
What if what he'd dreamed actually did come true? Should he tell her about it, wreck the peace, get the scouts involved, just to have it turn out to be somestrange spastic figment of his imagination that was just due to overpowering stress from school, being engaged, and the nagging fear that Serena's father might find out about it?
Serena'd understand him leaving no matter what the reason, although Darien doubted Serena would like it. The others would either suspect himof something, especially his daughter, or they would take him as craven, cowering before Serena'sfather. Was just a couple of bad dreams worth either one of those, plus a couple of other reasons such as actually LEAVING Serena? But nomatter how Darien tried to weasle his thoughts intobelieving that the dream was nothing more than that,
it just didn't seem to be working.
This nightmare didn't feel like any other he'd ever had.
Well, no, there was one he could think of that had given him an almost identical gut feeling ofdespair. It was unlike what his future self had given him, which was just a test, but more like when he'd seen a faint glimmer of Sailor Saturn's awakening...had it only been about 2 years prior? This dream waslike a precognitive vision.Which he hoped it wasn't. They were usually nasty when it came to being recurring. They'd taint his sleep constantly if he didn't figure them out. He'd had that happen more than once. 'No,' he thought sadly, glancing at the letter he'd received the day before from an American medical college. He had applied immediately after his return from death, after Galaxia.
But he'd, just moments before falling asleep, decided to turn it down and continue going to med. school in Tokyo. After what his leaving had done to Serena the first time emotionally...
They'd never really spoken of it really, only in limited conversations. But from what he'd been told, or in the case of Amara yelled at, by the others, especially Raye, Serena had taken his departure in stride. But once she'd gotten no reply, she'd closed up about him. For a while, she must have thought he'd purposefully forgotten her. She seemed fine now, but could separating himself from her really be in her best interest? He had his doubts there; she'd tell him to go, that he knew. But would she really support it? How could she if he didn't?! But after that dream, a dream which reminded him of dИjЮ vu...
He picked up the college letter momentarily, then set it back down with a heavy heart. Darien sadly walked back to his bed, defeated.
'It's either this, or have the chance of losing her forever.
although she does seem to get herself out of these problems. But I can't take the risk! I'll just go long enough to sort this out a bit. Besides, what could it hurt...besides Serena...agh! I hate these choices. And fate never tires at throwing them at me...thank you, Sailor Pluto,' he thought grudgingly as a restless sleep swept over him.
Little did Darien know, no matter what he did, how much of the dream would actually become a reality...
L O V E H E X A G O N S
Chapter 1 In Which the Story Begins and We Discuss Whether to Leave or Not to Leave
Serena glanced down at her hands to hide the tears that had appeared in her eyes. "Go..go back?" she choked out.
"Yes." Darien admitted once more. With the single word he could see her very existence shudder.
"But why? You've been doing just fine here!"
"Yes, but it's not enough. Please understand that, Serena..." he strained to find the right words to tell her that he didn't want her be unhappy. Just as he had done when Rini had appeared the first time, he felt that being apart from Serena was the best thing for her as an end result. Except this time he wouldn't break her heart by keeping a distance. Not that type of distance, or so he hoped...
Serena let two lone tears fall to the concrete below, then once again brought her face up. She leveled it with his as best she could, being somewhat shorter than her love by about a foot. Smiling one she hoped did not seem too false, she said, "Well, I guess...I guess it will be fine then." Her eyes, hidden behind lids to conceal any tears that might escape, would have conveyed her true feelings in an instant to Darien. Had he seen her eyes, had she screamed to him at that moment to stay, perhaps his will would have crumbled and he would have gone against what he felt his better judgement was. However, her eyes remained clamped shut until she turned away, and the discussion had ended at her last words. The subject was dropped, and both Darien and Serena tried to push it to the back of their minds.
"Pegasus, why don't you talk to me anymore?" Rini asked of the small white horse who resided in its glass globe. Returned to the past for a bit of investigation and extra training, Rini had brought along her reinstated glass ball to speak with her companion through.
"Maiden, you know I love our conversations more than anything except you. However, where as before when I was held prisoner and had nothing to do, I am now quite busy of pressing matters." This stung Rini a bit, as being top priority to someone would be nice.
"Can you speak with me now?" inquired the girl of 12 somewhat hesitantly.
"Of course. But only momentarily this time, I'm afraid. There is something I need to attend to soon. Is there anything specific you wish to discuss"
"Not particularly, but I would like to ask one teensy little favor of you. Pegasus, will you visit me tonight in my dreams?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because. I haven't seen you face to face in so long..."
"You see me now."
"You know what I mean."
"Maiden, I will try. If not tonight, then I will see you tomorrow."
"I have one last thing to ask...Pegasus, can I come visit you someday?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"I mean, can I come visit Elysian someday..."
A smile crept onto the white horse's face and into his eyes.
"I believe you will be able to visit me soon, Maiden. Very soon." Rini let out a cry of joy. The creaking of a door downstairs made her start at the same time.
"Oh, I think Serena might be home. Good night, Pegasus." Rini glanced towards the space where Pegasus had once stood to find it only dimly lit by the fading light outside. Happy from the previous conversation, and still happier by the thought that Darien might have come home with Serena, she ran down the narrow hallway towards the doors of Serena's apartment to greet them.
However, she found not both Darien and Serena, but just her mother. Disappointed that only Serena had come inside the young Tsukino residence, Rini headed back up the stairs when a sight caught her eyes. Something she saw frequently enough, but not without becoming deaf first. Tears were streaming down the paled cheeks of her usually cheerful mother. As stated previously, this was not an unusual occurrence, but the fact that these tears were unaccompanied by loud wails was what made them so shocking and sorrowful. "Serena, what's happened?" asked the concerned child of her almost 18 year old companion. Drawn from her own little world, Serena started, then only sighed as if to say 'nothing.' Rini, firmly for a child of her size and age, grabbed Serena's thin shoulders and spun her around to face her directly. "What's happened?" she asked again.
Heaving a great sigh of distress and sadness, Serena backed out of her daughter's grasp and swiftly sank into the comfortable haunches of the couch. In a whisper that would wake the dead for its grave tone, she said, "Darien's going back to the U.S." Rini was shocked even more than before at such a simple statement.
"What do you mean, going back? He...he can't."
"Apparently, he can." A silence like no other before filled the room. For a moment, Rini felt Serena had died. She did not breathe, simply closed her eyes and lent her head back further.
"You told him not to go, right?" Rini asked when she could stand it no longer.
"Yes, but he wouldn't listen."
"Serena, he'll listen to you. Tell him not to go."
"I already have. I can't force upon him my own feelings. How can I keep from him something he wants so much?" Another tear fell. The news of Darien's departure was of great multitude to Serena. It was obviously tearing her apart inside. There must be something she did not say, something she did not push hard enough. Rini knew her father, or at least future father. He wouldn't leave her mother, so not Serena, not after what had happened just months previous. Rini put her mind to make sure that Darien would not leave.
"When is he supposed to go?" she asked, filling another silent minute.
"Soon. At the end of September." This gave Rini 3 weeks. 3 weeks to set Darien's mind straight on what he was going to do. Which was stay.
"Seiya, he's not going to listen to me!" Serena's sobbing voice was so dispirited that it shook Seiya. He was nervous for her safety, her voice was so melancholy.
"Serena, I promise you, your fiancИ," Seiya caught himself before he cringed out loud, "will listen to you if you speak with him again. He must have some reason to be doing this, not just because he wants to go to learn."
"Oh no, that's just it! He does want to go to learn! That's the type of person he is...and I'd be keeping him from it. I admit that I have no love for school, but Darien's different. I think I must be holding him back!" Seiya could just imagine the tears that fell after that. He wished he could embrace the woman who had called him moments before on her universal communicator, and relived for him exactly what had happened.
Seiya had accepted that Serena felt only friendship towards him, although his feeling to her remained unchanged. But, for Serena's happiness, he would sacrifice his own as he was doing right now. In his own mind, however, he could not see Serena enjoying the company of someone who seemed so book smart. He must be missing something between those two. He had to admit, though, that in the short time that he had seen them together before he and the other Star Lights, along with Princess Kakyuu, the love radiated by the Prince of Earth and Princess of the Moon was like none other in the entire galaxy. They had what not many could acquire: true, pure, passionate love.
"Serena, speak with him."
"I can't, Seiya. I'm just a nuisance, I know it." To think that she thought herself a nuisance! Who butsomeone on the side of evil found that girl a nuisance?!
"Serena, he still has 3 weeks until he leaves. Try to talk to him at sometime in there. If it's any consolation, I'll talk to him as well." Seiya's words were not regretted by him, but he knew that someday in the near future they would be.
"Oh, Seiya! Would you?!"
"Of course."
"Oh, thank you! I know he'll listen to you! I just know it!" 'Although why escapes me,' Seiya thought heavily. This was for the good of Serena, not himself. It was for her eternal happiness, and although he felt that the man that had had her moments ago weeping so sorrowfully didn't deserve such a masterpiece, he would do this small favor for her.
"Serena, get some rest. It must be after midnight over there."
"All right...Seiya, thank you again." Her tones were so sweet and full of the love of a sister that Seiya grimaced and smiled at the same time.
"Hey, what are friends for?"
MEANWHILE...
Darien sat in deep concentration on his couch, apparently reading The Dynamics of Life but to any person watching for a lengthy time, it was obvious he was not in fact engulfed in a good read but was lost in internal thoughts,and had been so for the previous 2 hours. Although the result was the same as when he'd begun attempting to read. He kept picturing the sad smile his fiancИe had worn all through the drive back to her apartment. How would he beable to do it? Leave her vulnerable as he had done over half a year before? The fact was that he just couldn't bring himself to it. Had not the last time he'd left her things gone from bad to worse? And before, when he'd first broken her heart and broken off their relationship (what the point of that was still lay beyond his comprehension) she had only suffered greater. Was he once again doing the wrong thing by turning away from the reality that she was a woman capable of taking the things life threw at them as a couple? The answer to this was yes.
Yet, there was the nightmare itself. If he told Serena, it'd be revealed that there was a new enemy to face, and she'd be thrown once again into the world of chaos that accompanied the life of a sailor scout. And he couldn't be sure...
Thoughts in a tumult, Darien groaned and threw his long forgotten book aside, holding his head in his hands. What was there to it other than go with his first instinct, which was to leave? Life was so confusing sometimes. Just when you felt you had everything figured out...
The loud ringing of the phone jolted the worried man out of his daze. Who would be calling so late? Maybe it was Serena...He thought about letting it just ring, but forgot that he still had yet to put a new answering machine message in. Therefore, it would ring endlessly until whoever was on the other side hung up. He decided that this would become too annoying and answered the phone on its second ring. "Chiba here," he answered briskly.
"Yes, well, this is Seiya Kou here." A male voice which Darien knew was millions of miles away answered.
"Oh, Seiya...one of the Starlights, right?" Darien feigned ignorance, although this man was always at the back of his mind. He was the one who had weaseled his way into Serena's heart, which Darien was used to sharing, but not with other men. He could still remember how the farewell had gone. Although he magnificently did not show the emotion on his face, jealousy had coursed through his veins as he'd watched this Seiya blush when Serena complimented him about his faithfulness and helpfulness over the past months. Serena spoke of him often as a friend, which Darien knew in his heart of hearts was the truth. He didn't hate Seiya, but he certainly didn't like him either.
"Yes, that would be me. Serena just called me a few moments ago. She was very distraught." Ice hung from Seiya's words. If necessary, the icicles could turn deadly, for they were sharp. They definitely hit their target as they were.
"I knew she was." Darien admitted sadly, forgetting who was on the other line.
"You knew?"
"Of course I knew. I can tell everything about her!"
'So can I,' Seiya thought bitterly. "Well, if you knew, I would like to ask you why you decided to keep her that way." Before Darien could mutter anything insulting back to the man, Seiya groaned. "Forget I said that. Look, I'm angrier with you than I have been with anyone except maybe Galaxia and sometimes Yaten. If it were up to me, I'd be right there nowblowing you to bits. However, I'm speaking on behalf of Serena, so at this moment my emotions are just a little addition to this message. Serena seems to feel that you think of her as just a nuisance and that she's holding you back from greater things. I myself don't agree with this, but I'm only a messenger, per say. She was very unhappy over the phone and only cheered slightly when I mentioned that I would speak with you. So here I am."
Silence reigned for a few moments as Darien attempted to p iece things together. The first person Serena called was...Seiya?
"Seiya, I can't tell you my intentions in leaving to the U.S. It's not because I want to. Actually, I'd love to just take Serena with me but I know her father won't let her, and I have a few other reasons myself why she can't go, which leads back to why I'm going in the first place. I'm trying to work this all out. Tell Serena I'm not sure I will go to the U.S., but there is the possibility."
Seiya shrugged, forgot he was on the phone, and said with a note of indifference to his voice, "Tell her yourself. I love her to death, but I honestly can't play messenger to both of you. Thank you, however, for reconsidering. I hope you decide to not go, or else I might just come back and steal your fiancИe for myself." Darien caught the note of teasing in the last statement, and knew that Seiya, no matter how much Darien wanted to think him a snake in the grass, was genuinely concerned for Serena's happiness.
Although he didn't doubt that if Serena showed the slightest hint of not loving Darien anymore, Seiya'd come running into her arms. Luckily for him, Serena loved him entirely. Or at least, Darien hoped she did.
The next day, after another nightmare full 8 hours of rest, Darien was cornered by all 5 of the Inner Senshi, who informed him that their leader had told them all:
"I can't be selfish," she had said, when the scouts started to question her judgment on having them not murder Darien. "He deserves to go." However, they had continued, upon voting that their leader's orders were not valid by reason of insanity due to lack of fiancИ, had decided upon both their second in command and youngest member's idea (the youngest member substituting for her senior Moon as Mini Moon), to confront him and not kill him YET, but reason with him.
Or at least attempt to.
"Darien, we could see it last year, when no one had any worries or cares. But this is now, and after what happened last time..." Raye could barely finish, the images of Serena telling her that Darien hadn't written once then the later image of when she found out Darien was dead flashed in her mind.
Mina supplied the rest.
"Darien, do you realize what you did to her? She was happy that you were happy, but when you first never wrote back, which we can excuse because you WERE dead, then Seiya falling for her and she being so confused, along with Galaxia being around with all her minions, and Chibi-chibi? Have you ever really thought about the impact such a chaotic few months would do to a person? We were lucky Serena was so stable." In truth, Darien had thought about it but only just. Serena always seemed so happy, and since it never seemed she kept anything from him, the thoughts had never crossed his mind. "We just don't want this to be her crumbling point."
"Don't you think you could continue your researches here?" Darien sighed heavily, and went to answer a prompt 'no' when he met the eyes of a certain blue-haired girl. They were glaring at him in such a way that he felt his apparently impenetrable emotional wall shudder.
"Darien," she replied coolly to his unspoken answer, "I gave up studying abroad in Germany for a friend. Couldn't you do the same for your fiancИe?" The steady gaze of the woman was unnerving. His answer was somewhat weaker than he had planned.
"I'll tell you the same thing I told Seiya: I'm just contemplating it." A great sigh of relief was obvious in the crowd.
"You have no idea how much better that makes us all feel!" said Rini in a relieved voice.
Jupiter eyed Darien cunningly. "Because if you hadn't answered that, we would have had to kill you...or at least knock some good sense into that head that usually has such great brains."
The next weeks dragged on ahead of all of the scouts associated with the item Serena and Darien. Luckily for Darien, the outer senshi were abroad and therefore Amara was unable to disembody him anytime soon. Still, for his own safety, no one had told them what was going on. Not just yet...secretly, the inners were hoping that would be a back-up plan if all else failed.
By the time his 2 weeks of decision making was up, Darien was on the verge of going against his original plan (something that did not occur often) at the chance of keeping his body intact. After the scouts had become desperate, suddenly Amara was calling him up and leaving threatening messages on his newly-added answering machine. Such threats made Darien feel that staying as far away from the United States was the best plan of action, this making it harder for the particularly angry scout of Uranus to find him. Being chopped into small pieces while still alive did not strike him as a good way to end his life,nor did being put into a blender, drowned, squeezed into jelly, or being ground up by a mince-meat maker. All which had been threatened, and more.
And yet, as those two weeks continued, his dreams became more and more detailed, more and more frequent. He began to see it just when he looked at the face of Serena, which was becoming less and less enthusiastic as the end of September drew near. Darien was beginning to feel much the same way as she.
MEANWHILEIn the 30th Century
Planet of Kinmoku The telephone rang persistently. The annoying thing...Seiya wished to kill the man who had invented them. Being woken in the middle of what should have been a lovely, peaceful night was not his idea of fun. Seiya looked to his left, seeing his beautiful, sleeping wife Kakyuu. And to his right lay the phone, and an alarm clock reading a number of different universal wide times, but most specifically 3:13 I.M. (in morning).
'Why me?' he silently groaned picking up the receiver.
"Hello?" he mumbled, still half asleep.
"Seiya?" He bolted up in bed. It was her, he knew, even from millions of miles away. The sweet singsong voice. The sereneness to it was breathtaking. And yet, it sounded different, a little more mature then it had since the time he last saw her, 12 years prior. The voice on the other side of the phone was Neo-Queen Serenity, no doubt. She was still Serena to him, but married, a mother, and on the side of that the queen of an entire system. He missed her a lot. Her beautiful golden hair, the sapphire blue eyes that drew you in...
"Seiya, are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here. It's been a long time, Serenity. I've missed you."
"Oh, Seiya, it's Serena with you. And I've missed you as well."
"Just wondering, though, why are you calling?" he asked, not able to stifle another yawn.
"Oh, Seiya! I'm sorry! I forgot the time changes. I've got a lot on my mind right now. Darien's on business, and Small Lady's training again, and I really need to talk to someone. I thought of you, and, well, Kakyuu. You see..." a long pause followed, as if Serena had no idea how to word what she was about to say.
"Yes?" he beckoned her to continue.
"Well, I'm pregnant again."
The news hit Seiya like a pail of ice-cold water thrown in his face. He might have married and had a child with someone else he loved, but his first love was the woman on the other side of the line. How much he'd wished she'd choose him. Over years, he'd learned to accept that the Prince of Earth and Princess of its Moon belonged together, their destinies intertwined. And after their first child's birth was announced, the truth really sank in, especially sincehe was made god father. Still, it was always a shock to his aching heart when unexpected things happened in that woman's life. Things that had to do with another man who, although perhaps her soul mate, was still not what Seiya thought perfect for someone as good as Serena. He'd hurt her too many times in the short time Seiya'd known them. Still...
"That's great." he managed to say.
"Thanks. I don't know exactly when I'm due yet. But, I needed to tell someone, and you popped into my mind first." There was an uncomfortable pause. "And, well, there was one other reason I wanted to call you. I need some help with something. I'm going to surprise everyone here at home, and I know that Kakyuu kept your daughter from you for a few months, and I was wondering if she might give me some pointers. Would you ask for me?"
"No problem, Serena. And good luck. It'll be hard for you to hide anything long from Darien," Seiya kidded. He knew Darien was a good guy at heart. A small grudge would be a permanent factor in their relationship as 'acquaintances.'
"You have no idea!" she giggled. What a lovely sound."So how is Kakyuu?"
"Good..."
"And Stella?"
"A regular 3 year-old, angelic, yet very energetic. Half the time I can never figure out where she is. I don't know how you girls do it!" Serena laughed at this. The two talked for a little while longer, about nothing much, and said their good-byes.
Crystal Tokyo
Serena put her end of the phone down. Specially made to have long-distance, and by that it MEANT long distance service; it was one of the objects of the Crystal Palace in use at least once a day by someone.
After a small, soft sigh, Serena turned towards the door. The empty palace echoed with her footsteps. She missed everyone. Darien on business, Rini training in the past, the scouts off investigation something that week... it was all very quiet when there was no one around...that was the real reason she had called Seiya, even though she knew it was pretty early a few galaxies away. 'How can I keep this a secret?' she thought, absently rubbing her abdomen. Just the thought of what was growing there made her smile happily.
She continued walking, gazing towards the gardens ahead. "I can do it," she said, picking a pink rose off of the ground. "It'll be fun." A devilish grin appeared over her face, and the Queen of Earth began plotting.
Back to the Present...
"The leaves are pretty this year," Serena mumbled, attempting to make small talk as she and Darien walked through the park.
"I've been thinking, Serena, and I decided that we'd better start planning the wedding soon."
Serena looked to her side, and said in surprise, "You're not trying to RUSH things, are you? Because I can tell you ONE thing, we are NOT flying to somehwere like Las Vegas and eloping!" Darien blushed at this statement.
"No, I was just saying that we should start planning."
"Darien, we haven't even set a DATE yet."
"Well, maybe we should. I mean, your dad JUST started accepting that we're going out. WHAT do you think his reaction will be to us getting married? It'll take years just for him to stop chasing me out of the house with a frozen hot pocket as a weapon (AN: they actually do hurt...)! But after that, we'd need to get married sooner or later. Actually, sooner rather than later." Darien stopped in front of a nearby rose bush, and looked at the ground.
"You're sure you want a ditz like me at your side?"
"It's our destiny..." Darien began, not liking the way the conversation was headed.
"Forget destiny." Serena interrupted. "do you want me and me alone for who I am? Not for what our destiny has dealt us?"
Her eyes searched his, as Darien answered, "I want only Serena Tsukino. And I know that even if you weren't Princess Serenity, and I wasn't Prince Endymion, and we hadn't had some great romance thousands of years ago, we would have met, and fallen in love, just as we did. Of course, we'd have to hope I stopped teasing you long enough to figure out I was in love with you... But that aside, yes, I want you for yourself, Serena."
"You promise?"
"Yes." A relieved look passed momentarily over Serena's tearing eyes. "Darien, please don't go back to the U.S. I know it's selfish, but since I know you love me and DO want to marry me for myself, I hope you won't hold this against me forever." she hugged her future husband, and there eyes locked together. "But you have to stay!"
"Serena, I have something to tell you..." all the nightmares of the past weeks rushed back to his mind. Darien fully intended on telling Serena everything.
"Yes?"
"The reason-" their faces were nearing one another's.
"Yes?" Their lips became almost close enough to touch...
"Awwwe! Hate to brake up the mushy stuff here, but I've got a job to do."
- -
And so it begins...yes, this is the VERY FIRST STORY I ever wrote... I began this story seven years ago, and finished it over five years ago as a freshman in high school. It changed a lot of the two years I wrote it, and in a very strange way I'm proud of this story. Not because I think it's particularly good -nothing like that, in fact, I can't believe I wrote some of this... And I swear that is not me being modest. Anyway, I posted this story when I finished it on , but now that that site is down, and since I had this fanfiction account just existing, I've decided that despite its flaws, the first story I ever finished deserves to be up for anyone who has the slightest interest in reading it. Not sure who would, but...
- -
Next chapter coming soon!
Moonlight Eternal -'