Disclaimer-Sailor Moon does not belong to me. The song credit is Details In The Fabric by Jason Mraz and James Morrison.

Chapter 2:

Calm down
Deep breaths
And get yourself dressed instead
Of running around
And pulling all your threads saying
Breaking yourself up

Living without Serena wasn't easy. In fact, every step Darien took knowing that the bouncy blond wasn't going to be running down the street at the very sight of him, joyous words spouting from her pouty pink lips once her arms were around his neck made it harder for him to remember why he had broken up with her in the first place.

"God," Darien groaned as the image of Serena flashed before his eyes. He hated himself. He probably hated himself more than she did. He was lonely, depressed and heartbroken without her, but on top of that, he also woke up every day knowing that she must be feeling the same way and that he had caused it. She didn't understand why it had to happen. She didn't know that he still loved her. How could she? If she had told him she didn't love him anymore as many times as he had to her, he would have to believe it to be true as well.

But every time Serena's angelic face materialized behind his closed eyelids, he remembered why he broke up with her. He remembered that there was a reason for this suffering. And that was how he managed to get himself up every morning and find himself sitting, once again, in his usual booth in the arcade on the receiving end of one of Andrew's reproving glares. At least he was still talking to him, no matter how angry he was about the sudden, seemingly pointless break up. Well, for now at least.

If it's a broken part, replace it
But, if it's a broken arm then brace it
If it's a broken heart then face it

But he knew he had to start getting over her, or at least find a way to live without her. The truth was that until the dreams stopped, he wouldn't be able to get back together with Serena and he knew he couldn't keep walking around like a petulant child. He had to live his life and try to be happy in any way possible. He liked to imagine that's what she would want, but even if it wasn't, he couldn't imagine that his parents would want him to miserable. They would want him to live for them. They loved him, that much he remembered, and he knew enough to understand that love shouldn't go to waste.

And hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your own name
And go your own way
And everything will be fine

"I can do this," Darien mumbled to himself as he locked the door to his apartment, tucked his keys into his pocket and took the elevator to the bottom floor. He wasn't surprised to see a beaming Rini standing in the lobby, waiting for him.

"Darien!" the little girl squealed as she launched her small form into his arms, causing him to smile, if only just a little. Rini was another reason to keep going. Somehow he had managed to form a strong bond with the girl in a very short amount of time and he didn't want to think about how badly she would take it if he suddenly disappeared from her life. He could just imagine the miserable expression on her face. It was a very familiar one: the one he saw on Serena's face every time he passed her on the street.

"Darien?" Rini asked as they paused on a corner to wait for a light.

"Yes Rini?" he replied as he forced a wide, laughing smile onto his face for her sake.

"Can we get ice cream? Please?" she requested innocently.

"Yeah, Rini, we can get ice cream," Darien replied, his smile shrinking as it became authentic. Yes, she was so much like Serena, but it was a relief to have someone in his life who could make his heart hurt just a little bit less the way Rini could.

Hang on
Help is on the way
Stay strong
I'm doing everything

Darien sighed as he slipped into his booth at the arcade. He had just taken Rini home, much to both his and her dismay, but he did have to meet someone. At least the little girl had presented him with some sort of relief, if only for a short period of time. She was a saint for that, even though she could never understand how making him buy her ice cream did him any good.

"Hey Darien," a redhead said as she slipped into the seat across from his.

"Hi Marley," he replied with a sigh before continuing to exchange pleasantries with the girl he happened to sit next to in his irritatingly mandatory English class. They had been paired up to do a project on some dreadfully boring book. At the very least, Darien was thankful that the redhead didn't drool all over him like the other girls did. It made the hated English class and assignment much more bearable.

Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything, everything will be fine
Everything

His lunch with Marley had kept his mind off of his problems for a short period of time, but it wasn't enough. After walking his partner home, Darien found himself wandering around the city, not sure what to do with himself. Yes, he had to carry on with his life, but he wasn't sure how to do that, so until he could figure it out, he would just try to forget about the awful things he'd done to his perfect little bunny. He would have to act like everything in his life was okay and then maybe one day the pretend would turn into the truth.

Are the details in the fabric?
Are the things that make you panic?
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

He hadn't seen her in two days. Where was she? What was she doing? This was so unlike her. Was she okay? Was she hurt? Was she sick? He couldn't ask Andrew or any of the other girls. He was the enemy. He was the cause for all of this. But even if he could question them, Darien wasn't sure they knew anything. They all looked just as nervous and worried as he did.

Are the things that make you blow?
Hell no reason, go on and scream.
If you're shocked it's just the fault of faulty manufacturing.

"She's gone," Andrew deadpanned on the third day as he dropped an envelope on the table, his eyes glaring holes straight through his friend.

Yeah everything will be fine
Everything
In no time at all
Everything

Hold your own
And know your name
And go your own way

"What?" Darien asked, his midnight blue eyes going wide as his gaze flickered from Andrew's face to the offending object in front of him as he tried to assure himself everything would still be okay, that this was just a joke and Serena was going to prance through the automatic doors of the arcade any minute now.

Are the details in the fabric?
Are the things that make you panic?
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Are the details in the fabric?
Are the things that make you panic?
Is it Mother Nature's sewing machine?

"She's gone. She came in yesterday and said she had to go away for the summer because she couldn't take it anymore. You wanted her out of your life and now she is. You've pushed her away from all of us," Andrew growled angrily.

Darien dropped his gaze in shame. He'd never seen his best friend so mad.

"I ought to beat you up for what you did to her," the blond continued as his expression darkened. "I know I'd have help from the girls. Are you happy now, Darien? Are you?"

"No," Darien whispered, his eyes filling with tears, blurring the lines of the envelope as his dream replayed in his memory. His heart clenched tightly in his chest and his stomach dropped as the story he had just been told became reality.

"Good," Andrew spat before turning around and walking back to the front of the arcade, wordlessly telling Darien that he wasn't welcome there anymore.

Are the things that make you blow?
Hell no reason, go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing

Darien sat there for a few more seconds before composing himself, picking up the envelope and walking out of the arcade, not bothering to look in Andrew's direction. He knew he would only find resentment there and that was the last thing he needed, especially coming from the only true friend he'd ever really had.

He wandered aimlessly towards the abandoned park as the sun began to set, the letter his angel had written him clenched in his hands. But he couldn't seem to find solace there, not even after letting out a roar of pain and anguish so loud that he scared off all the nearby animals and shook the leaves of the surrounding trees, so he turned and continued walking. He walked back towards town, passed Serena's school, beyond the mall, backtracking across the entrance of the arcade, sneaking a glance at the Tsukino house, only to finally make it back to his apartment complex with a million thoughts on his mind, but only one of them mattering. He had to open the envelope.

Everything will be fine
Everything
In no time at all
Hearts will hold

He finally let his tears fall as he read the letter for the tenth time.

My dearest Darien,

I love you too much to stay and not be with you, so for now I've got to go. Forgive me for being a coward and bothering you so much. You'll always be in my heart, no matter what, even if I'm not in yours. Always remember that I would do anything for you and if you ever need me, I'll always be there.

Forever yours,

Serena

P.S. - Tell Andrew that I said it's not your fault and he shouldn't blame you.

She was gone. She was gone and it was his fault. It was always his fault. Why was he such a bad person? And how could someone so good love someone so awful?

Darien wiped his eyes roughly with the sleeve of his shirt and sat down heavily on his couch, the letter still gripped in his hands. Tonight he would allow himself to wallow in self-pity, but tomorrow he would be different. Tomorrow he would wake up and he would make himself be fine. Tomorrow he would wake up and carry on with his life to keep Serena safe. But no amount of tomorrows would ever make him forget a single word of her letter to him. No, he would carry those words in his heart forever.

A/N: -More sobs-

So clearly you guys won with an astounding 24 'please continue' reviews (and one repeat. Shana Elmsford, you are resilient). It's unbelievable. There aren't enough words in the English language to explain how much you guys rock.

Anyway, I'm not sure what comes next, so ideas might be helpful (more reviews couldn't hurt either. Yes, I know I'm greedy, so sue me. A girl could get used to 20 reviews a chapter). I'm still tossing around a few ideas, so I can't promise a speedy update. As usual, check my profile for more. Also, do you guys think I should keep making each chapter a mini song fic or should I cut the italics and make it all story? I figured I would put in one song for Darien and one for Serena, but I'm not sure what I like better. I would definitely like to know how you guys feel about it.

Love and Luck,

Gaby