Could you cry?, a sailor moon fanfic

Could You Cry?

Rating: PG-13…for some naughty. Just did this to be on the safe side.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. I wish I did though. J

Summary: This is a songfic based of off Faith Hill's recent release "Cry". This story does take place during the R series. Darien is having strange dreams and pushes Serena away to protect her. Serena knows something is up, but can't figure it out. What will she do? Will she give Darien another chance?

AN: "…." Talking and …. is thinking.

On with the story!

Serena had had it. She didn't know how much more she could take. She knew Darien was hiding something, but she couldn't figure out what. Behind his claims that he didn't love her anymore she read the truth in his eyes. He still loved her, madly.

The scouts were no help either. They didn't understand at all. They had no clue what it was like for your "destined" soul mate tell you he didn't love you anymore. All they could tell her was he needed space, and he would come around sooner or later. Well later was definitely here in her mind. And the only she could give him more space is if she left Tokyo. Not a bad idea all in all, Serena thought.

The worst part was for all that Darien was trying to act like his old cold self, it wasn't working. Serena had enough of her memories from the Silver Millennium to know how to read Darien. She knew he still loved her, but he was hiding something. Something of great importance that involved her somehow, someway.

Serena growled in frustration and slammed her bedroom door. After dropping her book bag unceremoniously on the floor she flopped on her bed with a grunt. She immediately sat back up when she felt something under her pillow. It was a square package that looked suspiciously like a CD case. It had dark blue wrapping paper covered in stars and moons. There was no note.

Serena wandered back downstairs with a bewildered look crossing her face. "Mom? Where are you?"

"In the kitchen," came the reply.

"Where did this come from, Mom," Serena asked as she sat down on a stool.

"Ah! I see you found your surprise," her mother replied. "I left it where I knew you would find it."

"Who is it from though?" Serena was totally confused. A small part of her hoped it was Darien, and that he had sent it as a way of starting to apologize. She knew that was highly unlikely, however.

"It is from your Aunt Beth. She started a new job at a recording studio. She got you and your brother autographed CD's from an artist she thought you might enjoy."

"Sweet! Aunt Beth rocks," Serena exclaimed. At least one thing has gone tight today. Serena grabbed a soda on her way back up to her room to listen to her new CD.

She unwrapped the CD and was surprised to find it wasn't by the artists or even the genre that she normally listened to. Instead of pop, it was country. Country was even worse in her mind than rap. My-dog-just-died-and-there's-a-tear-in-my-beer country music, Serena groaned inwardly. Her Aunt knew her opinion of country music. They certainly had argued about it enough times.

Serena plunked the unopened CD down by her CD player and placed some of her music in the player. "Now this is real music," she muttered under her breath.

Serena was having trouble concentrating on her music. It was too happy…too perfect…for her mood. She glowered at her player in irritation as she turned off the music. She was sick of hearing about the picture perfect men finding their picture perfect women. With everything that had happened with Darien, this was the absolute last thing she wanted to listen to.

As she went to change her CD and find something else to listen to she noticed the CD her Aunt had given her. She picked it up and looked at it again. The artist was Faith Hill. Distantly she recalled that she had performed on the Grammy's the past few times. She also recalled at being vaguely impressed that her style of music wasn't all "twangy" country.

Serena bemusedly turned over the case to look at the track titles. Most were just normal titles that one could kind of guess what the song was about. There was one, however, that caught here eye and made her rather curious. Cry? Hmm….probably typical country, she thought with a small smirk. Before she could stop herself she was placing the silver disk in the slot and skipping to the song.

Serena was enthralled as the music started. "This isn't so different from the music I listen to, she thought as the piano intro began. She gasped as the lyrics started. Images of the youma battle from the week before came back. Actually, it was the events after the demise of the monster that she saw clearly.

If I had just one tear

Running down your cheek

Maybe I could cope

Maybe I'd get some sleep

Sailor Moon could feel the hot, horrible breath of the monster on her neck as it pinned her to the ground. Suddenly she felt another presence arrive at the battle. She knew he would come. He always did. No matter what he said about his feelings, he still felt like he had to protect her. She saw a flash of red and silver, and heard the cry of the beast as the missile struck true.

If I had just one moment

Baby at your expense

Maybe all my misery would be well spent

Sailor Moon felt the weight of the beast spring off of her, towards the new attacker. Sailor Moon struggled to her feet. God, I can't wait to pass out when I get home. But first things first, she thought and grimaced as bursts of pain registered throughout her body. She also felt the poison starting to course through her system. "Damn monster with his poisonous claws. I am guaranteed to pass out tonight then," she muttered thinking of when she could get home and heal herself with the Silver Crystal.

A masculine voice streaming curses brought her back to her senses. In a wave of dizziness, she used the scepter to turn the monster into dust. She grinned inwardly at the faint look of surprise on the creature's face. The last thing Sailor Moon saw were the scouts running towards her as she crumpled to the ground.

Could you cry a little

Lie just a little

Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain.

I gave, now I'm wanting something in return

So cry a little for me

Sailor Moon fought her way back to consciousness. She saw five worried faces looking down at her. She dazedly noticed that Ami was scanning her injuries with her mini-computer.

"Sailor Moon? Are you alright," Venus asked softly.

"Can you stand," asked Mars.

"Give her some air guys," Jupiter said pulling Mars and Venus back a little bit.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just drained from the loss of blood," Serena answered, pushing herself up into a sitting position. A wave of dizziness hit her and a pair of strong, masculine arms held her up. "Or I will be fine when I get home and can heal myself. Thanks Tuxedo Mask." Serena looked up into the mask and noticed the concerned eyes behind the otherwise emotionless face.

"Do you think it's a good idea to use the Crystal in your weakened state," Mars asked with obvious concern.

"No choice really. The claws of that thing were poisonous," Sailor Moon replied. "Nothing serious. I am just going to use it enough to heal the worst wound and get the poison out of my system," she continued seeing the concerned looks across their faces.

"That should be ok Sailor Moon. Just be careful," Mercury cautioned. The group relaxed slightly after she spoke. They knew with Ami's clearance that Sailor Moon would be ok. "Darien? Would you please take Serena home? I don't think she needs to use up that much energy walking home."

"Not a problem Mercury," said Tuxedo Mask as he prepared to pick up Sailor Moon.

"I'm fine Mercury," Serena said trying to stand up. She felt herself start to sway and then being picked up. "Then again, maybe not." Serena gazed up into Darien's eyes once more and decided even if she was fine she wouldn't mind too terribly at being carried home in his arms.

If your love could be caged

Honey, I would hold the key.

And conceal it underneath

That pile of lies you handed me.

In no time at all they reached her home. Darien jumped up into a tree and through her open bedroom window. Darien carefully set her on her bed. "Will you be ok, Serena? Do you need me to stick around while you heal yourself?"

"No thanks. I will be ok," Serena answered wincing as she stretched slightly. "Thanks for bringing me home."

"Ok," Darien replied rather doubtfully and started to move towards the window.

"Umm….Darien," Serena asked softly.

"Yeah?" Darien turned slowly to face her.

Serena looked at the floor thoughtfully for a moment then looked into his eyes. She carefully stood up and moved towards him. She spoke so softly and gently Darien could barely hear her. "You don't have to lie to me anymore Darien. I know."

"Lie? Lie about what? You know what? What on earth are you talking about Serena," a very confused Darien asked. Even though he looked confused he was panicking on the inside. Oh God! How did she find out, he thought frantically to himself.

"Yeah, I know. You are protecting me from something, even though you won't tell me what you are protecting me from. But please….please…don't shut me out. Tell me, what are you protecting me from?"

Darien just looked at her for a moment. She knows, but she doesn't. Good going Serena. Good use of your reasoning, he thought wryly. I thought I did a better job of hiding it from her. He started slightly when she spoke again. Her voice was clear and strong as she spoke, but still soft.

"I know you still love me. Don't you? Darien? Answer me!"

"What makes you think I am protecting you from something more besides the youma?"

"I see it in your eyes. You still love me, but you are hiding something. Something that involves me specifically. You have been coming sooner to battles and paying more attention to my welfare. Yet, as Darien, you ignore me and avoid me whenever possible. What in the hell is going on?!?"

"It is my mission to protect you," Darien said gruffly. Then he continued, "Even if I don't love you anymore."

"That is a load of bullshit and you know it!" Serena's face was flushed with anger. "Whatever you are hiding better be well worth all of this Darien." He had his back turned to her so she couldn't see the sadness in his eyes. "Oh God, Serena. If you only knew," he thought sadly.

And you'd hunt and those lies

They'd be all you'd ever find

And that'd be all you'd have to know

For me to be fine

Darien was grasping at straws. He had to find a way to push Serena away. He had to find some way to keep her safe. Then, it hit him. It was cruel, even more so than some of the things he had said to her when they first met. The caped avenger slowly turned around to face a very angry Moon Princess.

"Serena, I will always protect you. That is my duty to you. But I have come to realize that what I felt for you was not love. It was just an infatuation that I had. Besides, you are much too childish for me anyways."

Serena's jaw hit the floor. "An infatuation?! Too childish," she said with a silent, but deadly calm. Her face was slowly going from red to a light shade of purple.

"Yes. An infatuation, and definitely childish. How can I love someone still stuck in a fantasy world of comic books and video games," he replied coolly. He cringed inwardly at the flash of pain that crossed Serena's face. She looked as though she had been struck.

And you'd cry a little

You'd die just a little

And baby I would feel just a little less pain

I gave now I'm wanting

Something in return

So cry a little for me

Serena's face had almost immediately gone back to its normal shade, but slightly paler Darien noted.

"B-but what about us during the Silver Millennium? You loved me then."

"Then, perhaps. But it was an arranged marriage. OH! You didn't know that? Yes, it was. Your mother wanted someone to help protect you besides the Senshi. Besides, even if we did love each other then, why should our past dictate our future? You have to admit that we are a lot different now than we were then."

Darien could see that Serena was struggling to hold back her tears. Oh, how he hated doing this to her. Serena started to sway on her feet again and she moved towards her bed. "Listen Serena. You had a long, tough fight. Heal yourself and get some sleep. You will need it," Darien ordered as he leapt out the window.

Give it up baby

I hear you're doing fine

Nothings gonna save me

I see it in your eyes

Serena sat for a while on her bed, thinking, and finally decided she really should get that poison out of her system. She used the healing powers of the Crystal to heal her major wounds and the poisoning. She had just enough energy left to place her locket on her nightstand before falling on her bed unconscious. Blissfully, she slept the dreamless sleep of the dead and didn't have to relive the last events of the night.

Some kind of heartache

Honey, give it a try

I don't want pity

I just want what is mine

Could you cry a little

Lie just a little

Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain

I gave, now I'm wanting something in return so cry a little for me.

Serena scowled and shut off her stereo. She was sick of reliving that night, but that song hit her feelings dead on. She knew Darien was hurting, she could feel it through their link sometimes. But he was still sticking to the claim that he no longer loved her. Fine! Let him have it his way then. It was his loss anyways, Serena thought furiously.

She sniffed slightly as she put the CD case away. Just then she realized her face was soaked with tears. She was so lost in her thoughts and memories that she hadn't even realized she was crying. Serena sighed in annoyance as she wiped her face dry. "I have to find something to keep my mind off of this," she mumbled to herself as she looked around her room. She knew her comics, magazines, and other usual distractions weren't going to work. She had already tried them over the past week. With a wry smirk she thought, homework, there is something I haven't tried.

As humorous as it was to find that she was actually doing her homework, it was nothing compared to the fact that it was actually working. The rest of the afternoon flew as she plugged away at her assignments. By dinner time she was caught up on her work for the week, and by the time she went to bed she was slightly ahead in several subjects.

This will be quite a shock to everyone, she thought on her way to school the next morning. Serena's teachers were indeed shocked that she not only had her homework done, but was ahead enough to voluntarily answer questions in class. The girls were astounded when Serena didn't have detention that afternoon like she normally did. The jokes were joyfully passed around as Ami, Lita, Mina, and Serena went to the arcade to meet up with Raye.

As the girls walked into the arcade, Serena immediately spotted Raye in the vicinity of her new favorite game, Zelda. For the life of her, Serena couldn't figure out what was so entertaining about that game. She shook her head in defeat and headed over to her friend. After Raye had died about 5 times in as many minutes, the girls decided to sit and relax. They were quietly discussing possible plans for the summer break. Thankfully break was only a short month away. The girls were hoping things would be cleared up with the Dark Moon fairly quickly. They were just getting to be a pain in the butt with their over-repeated threats and incompetent plans.

"What are your plans for the summer Serena," Lita asked.

"I don't know yet. I will probably end up staying here for the summer and taking turns with pestering and being pestered by my brother." The girls laughed at the comment and the false shudder that Serena gave. They knew for all that Serena complained about Shingo she loved him dearly and would do anything for him. She pretty much had anyways, since he learned how to imitate her puppy dog face.

Serena groaned inwardly as she saw her least favorite person of the moment walk through the doors of the arcade. The scouts followed the direction of Serena's sudden scowl. This was fast getting out of control. Something needed to be done about these two.

Gotta get her mind off of him, Mina thought quickly. Suddenly she scooted over in her seat blocking most of Serena's view of Darien. "I haven't told you guys my plans for the summer! Come on! Guess what they are!"

Serena smiled at her friends' attempts to keep her mind off Darien. Ami's voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts, "We know already!" The blue haired genius laughed at the blonde's shocked expression and continued, "You are going to lounge at the beach all day, working on your tan, checking out hot guys, and reading those teen idol magazines!" Everyone laughed heartily at this, thinking Ami had Mina pegged.

"Not a bad plan. You should do that Ami." Seeing slightly confused looks all around Mina explained, "I am heading back to England for 8 weeks! I got a modeling job there with a new clothing company. They have some awesome new styles coming out this year."

"That's great!"

"Congrats girl!" The exclamations came from around the table.

"Thanks guys. Here! Check out some of the new styles." Mina started passing around some sketches of the new styles she would be modeling. Oohs and aahs were passed around, along with some giggles and a few less than favorable comments here and there. Andrew even wandered over at one point to see what was going on.

"What on earth is going on here?"

"Mina is going to England for the summer Andrew! She is going to be modeling some of these clothes," Serena said excitedly holding up one of the many sketches. Andrew congratulated Mina and sat down to look at the sketches too.

Across the arcade a pair of stormy blue eyes watched the proceedings. He wondered at what was going on over there. The table had suddenly gone quiet when he walked in, and now they were giggling and laughing over something. They had even gotten Andrew involved somehow. From the looks of it, Mina was passing around pictures of some kind. Typical women, he thought to himself and chuckled.

He looked over at Serena. He was at the perfect vantage point to watch her without her knowing he was. He also saw some sadness hidden behind her smile. He knew he was the cause of it. Since I have gotten things figured out with these damned dreams, I won't have to hurt her anymore. He thought back to the night he had taken Serena home after that fight. After he had gone home to bed he had another dream, but this time it wasn't the terrifying nightmare that he had been experiencing the past couple of weeks. He frowned slightly as he remembered the events of the dream.

Darien stood at the altar dressed in a white tuxedo. The music started softly and he looked towards the back of the church. The scouts started down the aisle as the bridesmaids and took their places on the other side of the altar. The familiar music started as everyone slowly rose out of their pews to view the lovely vision in white. Darien's breath whooshed out of his chest as Serena started down the aisle on her father's arm. Darien took a couple steps forward to accept Serena's hand from her father and shook the hand of his father-in-law to be.

            Darien and Serena stepped to the altar and performed the ancient, sacred ceremony that would bring them together forever. With vows said and rings exchanged Darien had the blessing to kiss his beautiful bride…no wife. He lifted the feather soft veil to reveal her sky blue eyes and leaned in to place a kiss on her delicate lips. Before their lips could meet, a tornado of energy ripped them apart. It tore them apart with such force they had no chance to hang on to each other for protection. Darien heard Serena scream in fright as she disappeared into the darkness.

            He came to in a darkened room. He woke up in a panic trying to find Serena. "Serena?" The call echoed throughout the huge chamber. "SERENA!!!" The lament reverberated off of the walls. Darien was on his hands and knees trying to face the fact that Serena was gone, and he couldn't help her. He was fighting back tears when he heard footsteps approaching him. He straightened up and gave a slight gasp of surprise as he saw who it was.

            He was staring at himself, but the figure before him was older though not by much. He was dressed in a frost blue tuxedo and was holding a staff. Over his eyes was the mask that he wore as tuxedo mask. Darien looked at the man with curiosity. If he didn't know better, the figure before him was a cross between the Tuxedo Mask and Prince Endymion personas. "Who are you," he asked softly.

            "Do you really need to ask? I can see the answer already forming in your eyes."

            "You are my future self," Darien said mildly surprised. "What did you call me here for though?"

            "You are correct. I am King Endymion of Crystal Tokyo." The figure before him looked thoughtfully for a moment. "Come with me," he said simply before moving towards a door that had appeared behind him.

            "Where are we going? What has happened to Serena?"

            "All shall be explained shortly." Darien couldn't argue and for some inexplicable reason he followed anyways. He felt like he could trust this figure. Darien mentally shook his head. 'This is my future self, of course I can trust me,' he thought to himself.

            Darien followed Endymion through the massive halls of what he assumed was a castle. Only a castle could have this ornate of decoration and scale of architecture. Darien was rather awed with what he saw. He was led to a media room of some sort. It was large and circular with gargantuan monitors all around the floor and computers placed at rather random intervals.

            "What is this place?"

            "It is our communications center. This is also a better place to talk than the entry hall you were in."

            'That was the entry hall? This place is HUGE,' Darien mused to himself. "Ok, but you still haven't answered me why you brought me here in the first place." Darien was starting to get rather ticked off. He wanted…no needed…answers to what had been happening to him.

            "I brought you hear to explain things to you. I am the one who has sent the dreams to you these past weeks." Darien knew his face was contorted in fury. He knew that if he interrupted it would stop the conversation short. He hated being interrupted, and he knew that some of his habits hadn't changed since the Silver Millennium, and he knew they wouldn't change into the next life. So he furiously waited for his future self to continue.

            "With developments of how some events occur in the future, I had to test you to make sure your love for Serena was strong enough to withstand the challenges. I would have not done this if I could have helped it, but one cannot change things that are meant to be without serious consequences. I had to go what you are going through, and you will have to go through what I am going through now. On either end it wasn't easy."

            "What happens that you needed to test the strength of my love? Did you test Serena's love as well?"

            "I am unable to disclose the events to you, as no one should know too much about the events of the future. I tried to test Serena's love through the exact same dreams as well. However, whenever she would try to nap or sleep at night her sleep would be interrupted before the dream could finish. That damn cat of hers would wake her up during her naps, and at night duty called. Finally, I decided not to."

            "What made you decide to not to test her?"
            "I started thinking about events of the past and how Serena defended me, or you, however you care to look at it. She has proven over and over again with her acts of bravery and selflessness that her love would withstand at least a thousand more lifetimes."

            "How true that is," came a soft feminine voice from the doorway behind Darien. Endymion looked over Darien's shoulder and smiled. Darien turned to see who had entered and his jaw dropped in shock. It was Serena, and yet it wasn't. The woman before him was the same height, with many of the same features that Serena possessed. Yet their differences were plain as day. While the hairstyle was the same, the hair wasn't. Instead of being the color of spun gold, it was now the color of purified silver. On top of her head was a magnificent crown with the Silver Crystal in the center. She was also wearing a regal gown that flowed well past her feet and slightly behind. It was a soft white with strands of gold and silver woven through to give her a slightly ethereal glow.

            "Serena," Darien asked in a slight state of shock.

            "Yes, but I am not the Serena of your time Darien. I am your Serena's future self. I am known as Neo Queen Serenity," Serenity said with a smile as she joined Endymion at his side. "We are sorry that you had to go through what you did."

            "Now that I know the reasoning, I am somewhat ok with it. I am not sure if I approve of your methods of testing me, but I understand. I am still rather curious, are you still going to try and test Serena?"

            The future couple looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Darien. Endymion spoke, "We shall keep an eye on her. If the opportunity arises for us to send her the dream without any interruptions, we will."

            "It is time for you to return to your world now Darien," Serenity said moving towards him. She cupped his face in her hands and looked deeply into his eyes. "Know that your love for me will keep you strong. Serena will need that. Know that no matter what happens in the near future, everything will fall in to place. Things will be as they should be. This is a testament to that." Serena gazed deep into his eyes before moving back to Endymion's side. Endymion looked lovingly down at his wife and wrapped his arm around her waist.

            Darien nodded to the couple and walked out the door, back to the world of the living.

           Darien shook himself back to the present after remembering the dream. I need to do something to make it up to her, but what, he pondered to himself. Then it came to him. He just had to wait for the right opportunity to catch Serena to talk to her. He knew the scouts would never let him talk to her alone after the events of the past few weeks. Darien waited patiently until he saw Serena get up and wander in the direction of the ladies washroom. Darien moved up to a seat at the counter near the hallway that led to bathrooms.

            Serena stretched as she was coming out of the bathroom. She started slightly as she heard someone behind softly say her name. She turned around and was rather surprised to see that the voice had in fact come from Darien.

            "Um….hi," Serena said uncertainly. I know he was sitting on the other side of the arcade when I went into the bathroom. I wonder what he wants now, she thought apprehensively.

            "Hi Serena. Could I talk to you for a minute?" Darien was begging in his mind for her to say yes.

            "Uh….sure. I guess," came the uncertain reply.

            "I was wondering what you were doing Friday night."

            "Friday night? Why? Looking to schedule time to rip out my heart some more," Serena asked as calmly as she possibly could.

            "Huh?" A look of confusion crossed his face. "No, nothing like that! I was wanting to take you out to dinner. To apologize for my actions. I have finally gotten things figured out, and I wanted to talk things over with you."

            "WHAT!" Instantly the arcade went silent at her outburst. "For the past three weeks you have put me through emotional hell, and wouldn't tell me what the hell was going on. And…and now you expect me to go out to dinner with you just like that? JUST LIKE THAT?" Serena was furious. Her face was a deep shade of red.

            "Ummm," Darien was so embarrassed. He wasn't expecting this reply, not in the least. "Yes, I guess so," was the embarrassed reply.

            "Forget it! So I was right, you still do love me. Darien, if you truly loved me, you would have at least let me know what was going on in your life. Maybe I could have helped you out, if not I could have at least supported you and been there for you! But nooooooo. You had to be Mr. High and Mighty and go do it for yourself and shut everybody out as usual." Serena was on a royal tirade by this point and the entire arcade was riveted to the argument. Usually when these two got started in an argument Serena usually cried and ran out the door. But this time she was fighting back.

           "Serena, I'm sorry! I didn't want to hurt you. That's all. I was just trying to protect you," Darien helplessly explained.

            "Protect me? You were trying to protect me?! That's a laugh. What were you protecting me from? Myself? I would have at least appreciated being told what I was being protected from!"

            "Serena…"

            "Don't! You messed in it big last time pal. Go find someone more mature like you were wanting. You pushed me too far Darien. After the last time we talked I told myself no more. This is your loss. If I am not worth it to be told the truth up front, I am not worth it…period."

            "Serena. Please listen to me," Darien begged. "I can explain everything. Please just listen to me." Darien was ready to get on his knees and beg if he had to. He had to make her understand.

            "No Darien. I have heard enough. Go find someone else to listen to your excuses. I am through with you. Keep protecting me if you want, I don't care. Just don't try and explain things to me anymore." With that Serena stormed past the girls and out of the arcade.

            The girls sat there in shock. They hadn't known the extent of Serena's troubles with Darien. They hadn't heard anything at all about this last fight of theirs. They turned from the door where they had last seen the twin golden pigtails to face Darien. They gasped in shock at the sight before them. They saw the one thing Serena would never see. For there sat a poker faced man showing almost no emotion….except for a single tear rolling down his cheek.

THE END

I know, I know. I turned Serena into a bitch. But this is how I wanted to end the story! So there!

Well? What did you guys think? Let me know! Please post replies! Email if you want too!

aaentrekin@yahoo.com