Chapter 13
Darien took the girls out to a nearby McDonald's for dinner. A day of wandering the streets hadn't done anyone any good. They needed a strategy. Darien had been planning to go to the symphony that evening with a few friends. He wanted to continue looking for Serena instead, but the others insisted he go and convinced him they had everything under control. That wasn't really true since they still didn't all have a place to stay, money, or any idea of where to look. Unlike with their past searches of Tokyo, they didn't want to split up. Given that they were vastly more powerful than the thugs that might hang around in the streets here, they shouldn't have been so concerned. However, no one wanted to find out what happened if they were shot. (AN: I really don't think Chicago is that bad, anyone not having been there might be wondering by now, so again, it isn't as bad as I'm making it sound…I hope.)
After lunch, Ami called all the hospitals again while Rei contacted shelters and Mina talked to the police. They had to be vague and use Darien's name and address to avoid questions they didn't want to answer. No one had a blond, blue eyed girl there, that is until Ami called the hospital where Darien worked. The nurse said such a girl had been brought in and ran away not much later. They left at once to look for clues. Darien reluctantly returned home to change for the concert.
Serena felt better after a long nap. She hadn't been troubled by any dreams, but she had realized that some part of the reason she had come to Chicago was to escape some nightmares. It seemed to have worked, which bothered her a little, though not enough to dampen her spirits. While concerts like this were usually pretty dull to Serena, she liked watching Michele and Amara perform. Besides, she was still trying to become more cultured so she'd be a better match for Darien. She reflected on how much, and how little, had changed since she became Sailor Moon. At the age of fourteen, she had watched her friends die, her love betray her, and almost seen the world destroyed in so many ways. There had been Beryl, the Doom Tree, and the Black Moon all in that first year. And people wondered why she was so tired and didn't do school work! On her fifteenth birthday, the Death Busters had tried to kill her. After them had come the Dark Moon Circus. By the time they had defeated Galaxia she was sixteen and hoping for a major brake in the action. She had also hoped Darien wouldn't try to go to America again, but here he was anyway. Now she was looking forward to her seventeenth birthday in a few weeks. So much had happened in so little time, it was a marvel that they had a life besides being Senshi. Yet, Amara and Michele seemed able to go on and tonight they were performing with one of the premier orchestras in the country. They had gotten her one of the best seats in the house too, on stage with the orchestra in the small area behind the orchestra where a choir would sit if one was needed, which it was not.
"Ready to go?" Amara asked as she came into Serena's room. Serena had borrowed a dress from Michele. They were almost the same height and size, though Serena was a little thinner. She was just putting on a few pieces of jewelry, also borrowed.
"Yeah, almost, could you help me with this necklace?" Serena asked in frustration as she tried to clasp the thing for the hundredth time. Amara obliged and ten minutes later, they were all set to go. Amara and Michele had to be there early to warm-up. They insisted Serena come along with them then. Amara wore a characteristic black suit and Michele had a black silk dress. Serena stood out next to them in a cerulean gown. It was fairly modest in style, though a bit form-fitting. The doorman retrieved their car, a BMW convertible. Serena was still amazed by the things these barely out of high school girls could afford. She wished she were that talented. She made a mental note to try to convince Michele to teach her the violin. It had been two years since her last attempt; she had to be much better by now, definitely more mature. Amara drove, of course; she took off down the street, driving in much the same fashion as she did with her motorcycle. Michele just leaned back to let her hair fly in the breeze. Serena held on for dear life.
They reached the Hall. A few tourist types where already there, along with people who hadn't reserved a ticket before hand. They were disappointed to find out the concert had sold out weeks before. Some stayed optimistically waiting for a cancellation. The actual performance hall wasn't opened to the public yet, so Serena had to wait out in the hallway. She roamed about, looking at the gift shop and stopping by a bar to see if they sold any food, which they didn't. A little crestfallen and growing bored, she moved to a staircase that overlooked the main entrance area. People of all walks of life slowly filtered through the doors. Some came in limousines, others walked. There was an announcement that people could now come and be seated, so Serena pushed away from the railing she'd been leaning on and turned, smacking straight into some guy and falling back against the railing. That left her off balanced and her heel slipped. For a moment Serena was certain she was going to fall over the railing, then a hand clutched hers and pulled her forward. She straightened quickly and tried to regain her dignity. Serena looked up to thank her rescuer – it was Darien.
AN: alright, you're all thinking, auuhhhh, we knew it'd be Darien, but would you really want someone else to save her? I don't think so. Thirteen chapters, man this is getting longer than I'd thought it would…what should happen next…hmmmmm (oh, and read "Heart of Ambrosia," one of my other stories : P)