Thanks you for reviewing guys! This is the kind of feed-back that gets a writer writing! Yes, the Sailor Scouts do exist in this story line, still fighting Beryl. Mina was discovered sooner because … well…. I wanted it that way! n_______n. The bold italics are a dream phase. Well, without further ado, here is the continuation of Chapter 2.
Disclaimer: Oi … this is getting depressing. I DON'T OWN SAILORMOON! ::Runs away crying::
**********
She stood up, wiping the tears away from her pale face. It had been so long since she had been able to allow herself to truly cry. Serena slowly made her way towards her house, her spirit truly broken.
"Usagi? Where have you been? Rei called me saying that you went off with some strange man, speaking english!" The blonde-haired girl looked down at a small cat standing in front of her, looking up at her with concern.
"…Luna…" She bent down, picking up the confused cat and held it close, trying to forget about what had happened today.
Luna blinked and nuzzled her head against the girl's neck, frightened. What had happened to her? "Usagi, what's wrong? Did that man … did he … touch you?"
At those words, Serena burst out into tears, sobbing into the cat's fur. "He would never hurt me … not on purpose …" Sobs wrenched through her body, moans of grief coming from the depths of her heart. "I thought I had left all that behind … but … he came back!"
Luna licked at the tears that fell from Serena, trying to comfort the girl in someway. "Usa … please tell what you are talking about."
"I … I can't." Slowly, setting the black cat on the sidewalk, she sighed. "Luna, do me a favor."
"Hmm?" The feline guardian blinked and tilted her head, wanting to help her charge as much as she could.
"Go stay with one of the other girls tonight … please. I need some time alone."
"But --"
"Please, Luna. It's the best thing you can do if you want to help me."
Luna turned, keeping a sidelong view of the leader of the Sailor Scouts. "All right. I'll be staying at Lita's. Call us when you need us, okay?"
"Of course. Ja." Watching the cat sprint down the sidewalk, Serena held back more tears from coming. Turning, she headed back towards her home, looking down at the ground. Reaching her house, she slowly opened the door, looking for the woman she had called mother for the last three years.
"Usagi? Honey, is that you?" The lovely blue-haired woman walked out from the kitchen, a bright smile on her face. "We're going to have cur…" She trailed off as at the look of anguish on the young girl's face.
"I…I'm not very hungry…Irene." She looked away as the Irene dropped the spatula she was holding. The clatter seemed to fill the quiet house, ringing in their ears.
"No …" The older woman covered her mouth with her hands, watching the petite girl walk towards her room.
She stopped halfway up the stairs, looking down. "I'm sorry, Irene. Michael is back." With that Serena tore up the stairs, wanting to prevent the kind woman from seeing her tears. Running into her room, she slammed the door shut and threw herself onto the bed. She had thought that she would be done with crying, but that wasn't so. She cried herself to a deep sleep …
*********
"Ms. Thompson, your visitor has arrived." Nodding, Serena stood up, checking to see that she looked decent in the mirror. With a sigh, she pushed back a silver strand away from her eyes and headed towards the living room. Walking down the long hallway, she could hear a conversation taking place in the parlor. Stopping, just outside the door, the thirteen-year-old girl listened.
"My daughter should be here anytime, Malachite."
"Thank you, sir. How has business been going?"
"The usual. One day it's slow, the next it's busy. Malachite, what exactly do you plan to do with my daughter?"
"Do, sir? I'm afraid I do not understand what you are requesting."
"You two have known each other since she was just born and you were three. Inseparable. Always quite protective of her."
"Well, sir. As you well know, Serena is a beautiful girl. And she will become even more beautiful when she grows up." Serena sighed and blew out a breath of air in aggravation. Beautiful. That was all she had heard in her entire lifetime. "She needs protection. All I'm doing is looking out for someone I care for."
"That's good in all … but do not fall in love with her."
Her eyes widened as she heard her father. What was going on here?
"And what if I do fall in love with your daughter, sir?"
"She's only thirteen."
"She will grow up to be a wonderful woman."
"You will be allowed to be her friend. But if that gets too far, I will do everything in my power to keep her away from you. Understand?"
"Spying, are we?" Serena jumped up in surprise, turning to look into the mischievous eyes of her brother.
"Jed!" She hissed out the words, not wanting to catch the attention of father and friend.
"Haven't I taught you, little sis, that spying is a bad thing to do?" He smiled brightly as his sister stamped her foot and walked into the room, practically floating.
"Serena! Where have you been?" Her father walked up to her, a smile plastered onto his stern face.
"I'm sorry, father. I just could not get my unruly hair to stay in place." She smiled and gave her father a slight hug.
"Are we ready to go, little one?" Michael smiled softly and headed over towards the silver-haired girl.
"Yes, I just need to grab my jac --" She was halted as Jadeite came into the room, holding her jacket.
"Looking for this, sis?" Handing her the jacket, he gave a friendly smile towards Michael. "Take care of her."
"I always do."
"Come back home around ten, Usagi." Serena frowned. Why was her father calling her Usagi?
"USAGI!"
*********
"Usagi!" Luna pulled at the girl's hair, having come home. She had been too worried to go to Lita's and when she climbed through the window, she saw her struggling in her sleep, tears streaming down her face.
Startled, she woke up, throwing the cat off of her. "What?!" Shaking her head, she looked around, wondering where she was.
Luna blinked on the floor. "You really do know how to speak English. Usagi, tell me what's going on." The girl ignored the cat and started to rummage through a shelf. Taking out a small photo, Serena climbed out the window, running swiftly away from her house. Her breath and the stomping of her feet was all she knew as she headed towards the park, her face devoid of emotions. When she reached the park, she walked over towards the bridge, looking down towards its dark depths. Opening, her hand she looked at the photo in her hand. Tears fell onto the image, blurring her view.
Darien watched the girl, confusion on his face. This was not the Usagi he knew. He had come out to take a walk, feeling claustrophobic in his small apartment and he saw Usagi dash past him. Following her, they ended up on the bridge. He had no idea why he was so worried about her, but instead of trying to figure out his problems, he walked up to her.
"They say freaks and weirdos roam the streets during the night. I'm going to have to warn them that you're out here."
She looked up towards the looming man in front of her. Her eyes were wide and empty, giving Darien the scare of his lifetime. "Meat … I mean Usagi, are you okay?"
Without a word, she threw herself into Darien's arms, wanting comfort from him … from anybody. He stiffened as she held him tight, her arms wrapped around his neck. Nervously, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I should get a greeting like this more often, instead of having your test papers hitting me on the head." It was an attempt to lighten up the mood, but it seemed it didn't work.
Serena let out a soft sigh, leaning on Darien's warm chest. Michael had comforted her like this a long time ago, when they had been children. No, she wasn't going to think about Michael. She couldn't. Without thinking, she lifted her head and placed her lips on his, wanting so much to forget her past. She felt him stiffen against her lips, then relaxing slowly kissing her back.
He pulled her closer, enjoying the kiss far more than he should be. Then, he pulled away as he felt tears falling down her face. Letting out a string of curses, he realized that he had taken advantage of her when she seemed to be desperate for comfort. "I'm sorry. We shouldn't have … I shouldn't have..."
Serena's eyes slowly fluttered open, realizing what she had just done. With a gasp, she took a step back, away from his warm arms. "You shouldn't apologize. It was my fault." She turned and leaned on the railing of the bridge, not looking at Darien. "I just needed to forget everything, but no one can escape their past. Not even me. I'm sorry, Darien."
Darien frowned, watching the back of the girl. He could have sworn he saw some silver in her hair, but maybe it was the moonlight. "Usagi, why would you want to forget your past?"
"A shadow lurks in my past, feeding on my grief and sorrows." Darien blinked; surprised at the beauty of the poetry she had just spoken.
"I think it's a wonderful thing that one can remember their past." He sighed, thinking about his own mysterious past, she did not know what she was talking about.
"No, not my past." She looked down at the picture in her hand again. "I've tried to escape it for so long, but now it's returned."
He wanted to ask her about the man that had come into the arcade, but it didn't seem the right time. Silence seemed to reign, as Serena got lost in her thoughts. "What's that you have there?" He pointed towards the picture, wanting to get the heavy silence to lift.
"A bigger part of my past. A reminder everyday that I once acted selfish and left my problems behind." She smiled sadly and turned. "I'm going to go home." With that strange phrase, she started to walk away, letting the picture go from her hand. It blew in the wind and landed next to Darien's feet. Bending down, he picked up the forgotten memorabilia. It was a picture of a girl that looked like Usagi, except she had silver hair and purple eyes. Standing next to her was the man that had come into the arcade. They were both holding a little baby with silver hair and blue eyes.
**********
M'kay. Here's the end of chapter 2. Whew! I wasn't going to post it until Tuesday, but your reviews made me think it over. ^_^. See what good reviews can do? Anywho … o.o; … I've got nothing to say. . . That's strange. Ah, well. Review please! Chapter three might come out sooner! Ja ne!