Author's Notes:
This is the sequel to 'Uncertainty', but you don't
have to have read the prequel to understand this one.
Basically, in 'Uncertainty', Darien meets Serena and
they're about to get together when Serena has to leave
to follow her dream of becoming a musician.
Hope you enjoy this :)
Uncertainty II
by Phantasy Star
--------------------
Part One: Thoughts
PROLOGUE
"Miss Tsukino!"
"Miss Tsukino, I'd like to - "
"Excuse me, Miss Tsukino!"
Camera flashes lightened up the sky. It was so bright it seemed like morning.
"Back off, everyone!" a young man shouted, shielding the blonde behind him, "That's
enough interviews for one day!"
He was dressed in gray from head to toe, and his tall frame gave him the appearance of
a real bodyguard.
The young woman carrying a violin case managed to get through the crowd and slip
into the limosine, while the young man followed her in, closing the door behind him.
Still, the photographers took photos, and the reporters crowded around as the car
drove off, finally disappointing the enthusiastic crowd.
Inside the car, the blonde let out a sigh of relief.
"Freaks..." the young man muttered.
He shifted his weight uncomfortably and sat down opposite of the girl.
"They're just doing their job, Alan," she said with a small smile.
"That doesn't mean they can crowd around my girlfriend like a bunch of animals,"
the man retorted almost bitterly. "Really, Serena, you've got to be stronger.
Push them away!"
The girl laughed.
"I can't believe that was my last concert this year..." she said with a sigh,
"It was a good idea to take a break during winter, wasn't it? No more concerts
'til February."
"Speaking of which," the young man cut in quickly, "I've got a great idea of what
to do during your break."
"What?" the blonde asked curiously.
"Let's fly to Tokyo."
The girl blinked, then turned away slightly, "I don't know, Alan..."
"What's wrong?" the man asked, "Don't you have a brother there? It would be nice
to visit him, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose..." the girl said slowly.
"It'll be great," her boyfriend pressed on excitedly, "We'll have
Japanese food, visit kendo competitions, wear kimonos..."
The blonde forced a laugh, "I'll think about it, Alan."
Unnoticed, she turned towards the window and gazed outside with longing.
'Yes, my brother _does_ live in Tokyo. But... so does someone else I left behind.
Oh Darien... Can I go back to all that?'
She opened her purse and took out a pair of earrings softly glowing in the dim light,
bringing out its perfect features. Shaped like roses.
"I'll think about it, Alan," she repeated.
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
I took a swing at the soldier's chest and sent him sliding across the floor.
Another soldier crept up from behind me. Before he could touch me, I grabbed his collar
and raised him several inches off the floor. He looked at me with fear in his eyes before
I threw him against the brick wall.
Suddenly, red, yellow and blue dots blocked my vision.
ERROR (1924,132)
ERROR (1924,133)
ERROR (1924,134)
I sighed and put the joystick down.
Programming an action game was far more difficult than I had thought. There were way too many
calculations.
Setting my work aside, I went to the living room, where Andrew was reading the newspaper.
"Hey, how's it going?" Andrew asked.
"Not well," I said with a groan.
Andrew put aside his paper.
"Guess what?" he asked.
Oh no!
I looked up at him, "Your coffee shop finally went bankrupt?"
He returned the stare, and then glared at me, "No!"
"Oh, good," I said, relieved.
"Anyway, remember Serena?"
Pause.
"Er... sort of," I said nonchalantly.
"She's coming back this Christmas."
I looked down.
He nodded, "And she's bringing her boyfriend along."
"Boyfriend?" I echoed.
"Yeah..." Andrew said, "Sorry, man."
I tried to look surprised, "What? What are you talking about? Sorry about what?"
"Well, you know..." Andrew said slowly, "You... you sort of had a thing for her."
"A thing?" I repeated, "What thing? Andrew, your sister and I were good friends while she
was here, but there was no 'thing'. Why do you think I'd care if she had a boyfriend or not?"
Andrew chuckled, "Okay, my mistake, sorry."
"Yeah," I said, "Your mistake. That's right."
I started to walk out of the room, but decided that I really needed to convince him,
"I was over her a long time ago."
Then I stopped.
"Over her?" Andrew asked.
Damn it.
CHAPTER TWO
Later that night, I was lying on my bed, still fully dressed, white shirt black pants.
So... Serena was coming back.
With a boyfriend.
It was hard for me to imagine her with a boyfriend. She was too young to have a boyfriend.
Besides, I had always thought...
What had I always thought?
Nothing, I haven't thought about her for a long time.
I sighed.
What was wrong with me? It had been three years, and this still troubled me.
I was like some loser pining over a girl.
Well, it wasn't going to happen that way. Nope, I had moved on. She had chosen to leave,
to follow her dream, and I just had to accept that.
I groaned. Why did she have to come back?
To remind me?
I sat up and grabbed my labtop off the desk beside my bed, and began to work.
I wasn't going to sleep tonight anyway.
* * *
"And that's it for this meeting," I announced, "Amy, I expect a full report on my desk by
eight tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Mr. Shields," my blue-haired secretary said, "It'll be there by seven."
I nodded.
The people were beginning to file out of the room.
"Mr. Shields," Amy said when most of the people had left, "There's someone here to see you.
I asked her to wait in your office."
"Who is she?" I asked.
"I'm not sure..." Amy said slowly, "Brown hair, medium-height, quite attractive, actually."
"Thanks, Amy," I said.
I went to my office and pushed the door open.
"Sorry I kept you waiting," I said politely.
"Not a problem," the girl sitting in front of me turned around with a smile, "Mr. Shields."
"Ann?" I said incrediously.
"That's right," she said, grinning.
"Wow... what- what are you doing here?"
"Well, since I was in the city, I thought I'd come by and visit the big-shot game producing
millionaire... who," she added accusingly, "I haven't heard from in a whole year."
"Sorry, Ann," I said, "'Been busy. And I wouldn't say millionaire... Still trying to keep
this company from going bankrupt!"
She laughed.
"So, you want to do lunch or something?" I asked.
CHAPTER THREE
"So when's Serena coming back?" I asked Andrew one day when I picked him up at the coffee shop.
"About a week from now," he said, "Are you planning to see her?"
I didn't answer for a minute.
Then I sighed, "I don't know, Andrew. It might be weird."
He nodded understandingly.
I turned on the wipers. It was starting to rain harder.
"But it's not like there was anything there though, you know," I said.
"Oh yeah, I know. You made it pretty clear. You're over her. O-ver."
I glared at him.
"The problem is," Andrew said quickly, changing the subject, "She may want to see _you_.
You know how friendly she is."
I did know...
Friendly Serena. Cheerful. Happy. Sweet.
I shook my head, "It's probably not a good idea."
* * *
Later that night, I was staring blankly at the monitor when the phone rang.
"Darien Shields," I said.
"Hey, it's me, Ann."
"Hey Ann," I said, surprised, "How's it going?"
I figured our little reunion thing on Saturday was a one-time thing and that was it.
"Um... good. Listen, there's something I wanted to tell you on Saturday, but I didn't have
the nerve to."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Well... The reason I came to see you was... was that I needed a job."
"Oh," I said, with a pause, "Wow... er-"
"I know, Darien, I'm really sorry," she said quickly, "I know I didn't contact you for a long
time and the first time I came down to your office was to ask you for a huge favour. And I know
it's not easy to get a job at this time and in this city, and you're not just giving them away,
so..."
I laughed, "Come on, Ann, you're my friend. Of course I'd help you out."
She let out a sigh of relief.
"Why don't you come down to the office tomorrow and I'll see what I can do for you."
"Thanks so much, Darien. I will so pay you back for this."
* * *
"So basically, both my audio department and accounting division could use a hand," I said,
"It's not a high position, but you can work your way up. I can't do anything more for you
without making it unfair for the rest of the people here."
"It's great already! Hmm, I think I'd like to try for the audio department."
"Sure. You can start next Monday."
She extended her hand gratefully, and I took it.
"Thanks again, Darien," she said, smiling, "I mean, Mr. Shields."
"Better get to work, Miss Ginga," I said with a wink.
* INTERLUDE *
"Well, here we are," Alan announced, almost proudly, "Tokyo, Japan."
"None of it looks familiar to me," I commented, "Things have really changed in the past
few years..."
My boyfriend took out a map.
"Well, let's see... The hotel is that way. Just a couple of blocks down there..."
"Wow, there's the old arcade!" I exclaimed as we walked past it.
Alan laughed, "You used to go there?"
"One of the best players, Alan," I said smartly, "One of the best..."
Watching the gamers through the window made me think of Darien. Was this really a good idea...?
"My brother's coffee shop is just down that way," I said.
"When are you going to go see your brother?"
"Well, he still thinks I'm coming back in five days. I didn't bother telling him we changed
our arrival date. Thought I'd surprise him."
CHAPTER FIVE
Over the next week, Ann seemed to have adjusted to the workplace just fine. Even her
supervisor said she was very capable and was an excellent addition to the team.
Work got busier these few days, and I almost forgot about Serena coming back.
Until one Friday afternoon, after I left the office for some lunch. When I came back, I heard
laughter inside the audio adjustment room. I took a peek inside to see what was going on,
hoping that Ann had finally made some friends.
To my surprise, there was a stranger sitting next to Ann.
Blonde hair, done up in a meatball style.
I blinked twice to make sure I was seeing correctly.
Could it be...?
There Serena was, sitting next to Ann and pointing at something on the computer, before the
two of them started laughing again.
The second I saw her, everything came back to me. The long blonde pigtails of hers brought
back every memory I had when she was here.
Her blue eyes sparkled as she chattered excitedly with Ann.
Serena...
I stood there for about a minute, eyes fixated on her, until Ann noticed me and turned around.
"Darien!" she exclaimed, "You're back early."
Then Serena turned to face me.
"Darien..."
This is the sequel to 'Uncertainty', but you don't
have to have read the prequel to understand this one.
Basically, in 'Uncertainty', Darien meets Serena and
they're about to get together when Serena has to leave
to follow her dream of becoming a musician.
Hope you enjoy this :)
Uncertainty II
by Phantasy Star
--------------------
Part One: Thoughts
PROLOGUE
"Miss Tsukino!"
"Miss Tsukino, I'd like to - "
"Excuse me, Miss Tsukino!"
Camera flashes lightened up the sky. It was so bright it seemed like morning.
"Back off, everyone!" a young man shouted, shielding the blonde behind him, "That's
enough interviews for one day!"
He was dressed in gray from head to toe, and his tall frame gave him the appearance of
a real bodyguard.
The young woman carrying a violin case managed to get through the crowd and slip
into the limosine, while the young man followed her in, closing the door behind him.
Still, the photographers took photos, and the reporters crowded around as the car
drove off, finally disappointing the enthusiastic crowd.
Inside the car, the blonde let out a sigh of relief.
"Freaks..." the young man muttered.
He shifted his weight uncomfortably and sat down opposite of the girl.
"They're just doing their job, Alan," she said with a small smile.
"That doesn't mean they can crowd around my girlfriend like a bunch of animals,"
the man retorted almost bitterly. "Really, Serena, you've got to be stronger.
Push them away!"
The girl laughed.
"I can't believe that was my last concert this year..." she said with a sigh,
"It was a good idea to take a break during winter, wasn't it? No more concerts
'til February."
"Speaking of which," the young man cut in quickly, "I've got a great idea of what
to do during your break."
"What?" the blonde asked curiously.
"Let's fly to Tokyo."
The girl blinked, then turned away slightly, "I don't know, Alan..."
"What's wrong?" the man asked, "Don't you have a brother there? It would be nice
to visit him, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose..." the girl said slowly.
"It'll be great," her boyfriend pressed on excitedly, "We'll have
Japanese food, visit kendo competitions, wear kimonos..."
The blonde forced a laugh, "I'll think about it, Alan."
Unnoticed, she turned towards the window and gazed outside with longing.
'Yes, my brother _does_ live in Tokyo. But... so does someone else I left behind.
Oh Darien... Can I go back to all that?'
She opened her purse and took out a pair of earrings softly glowing in the dim light,
bringing out its perfect features. Shaped like roses.
"I'll think about it, Alan," she repeated.
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
I took a swing at the soldier's chest and sent him sliding across the floor.
Another soldier crept up from behind me. Before he could touch me, I grabbed his collar
and raised him several inches off the floor. He looked at me with fear in his eyes before
I threw him against the brick wall.
Suddenly, red, yellow and blue dots blocked my vision.
ERROR (1924,132)
ERROR (1924,133)
ERROR (1924,134)
I sighed and put the joystick down.
Programming an action game was far more difficult than I had thought. There were way too many
calculations.
Setting my work aside, I went to the living room, where Andrew was reading the newspaper.
"Hey, how's it going?" Andrew asked.
"Not well," I said with a groan.
Andrew put aside his paper.
"Guess what?" he asked.
Oh no!
I looked up at him, "Your coffee shop finally went bankrupt?"
He returned the stare, and then glared at me, "No!"
"Oh, good," I said, relieved.
"Anyway, remember Serena?"
Pause.
"Er... sort of," I said nonchalantly.
"She's coming back this Christmas."
I looked down.
He nodded, "And she's bringing her boyfriend along."
"Boyfriend?" I echoed.
"Yeah..." Andrew said, "Sorry, man."
I tried to look surprised, "What? What are you talking about? Sorry about what?"
"Well, you know..." Andrew said slowly, "You... you sort of had a thing for her."
"A thing?" I repeated, "What thing? Andrew, your sister and I were good friends while she
was here, but there was no 'thing'. Why do you think I'd care if she had a boyfriend or not?"
Andrew chuckled, "Okay, my mistake, sorry."
"Yeah," I said, "Your mistake. That's right."
I started to walk out of the room, but decided that I really needed to convince him,
"I was over her a long time ago."
Then I stopped.
"Over her?" Andrew asked.
Damn it.
CHAPTER TWO
Later that night, I was lying on my bed, still fully dressed, white shirt black pants.
So... Serena was coming back.
With a boyfriend.
It was hard for me to imagine her with a boyfriend. She was too young to have a boyfriend.
Besides, I had always thought...
What had I always thought?
Nothing, I haven't thought about her for a long time.
I sighed.
What was wrong with me? It had been three years, and this still troubled me.
I was like some loser pining over a girl.
Well, it wasn't going to happen that way. Nope, I had moved on. She had chosen to leave,
to follow her dream, and I just had to accept that.
I groaned. Why did she have to come back?
To remind me?
I sat up and grabbed my labtop off the desk beside my bed, and began to work.
I wasn't going to sleep tonight anyway.
* * *
"And that's it for this meeting," I announced, "Amy, I expect a full report on my desk by
eight tomorrow morning."
"Yes, Mr. Shields," my blue-haired secretary said, "It'll be there by seven."
I nodded.
The people were beginning to file out of the room.
"Mr. Shields," Amy said when most of the people had left, "There's someone here to see you.
I asked her to wait in your office."
"Who is she?" I asked.
"I'm not sure..." Amy said slowly, "Brown hair, medium-height, quite attractive, actually."
"Thanks, Amy," I said.
I went to my office and pushed the door open.
"Sorry I kept you waiting," I said politely.
"Not a problem," the girl sitting in front of me turned around with a smile, "Mr. Shields."
"Ann?" I said incrediously.
"That's right," she said, grinning.
"Wow... what- what are you doing here?"
"Well, since I was in the city, I thought I'd come by and visit the big-shot game producing
millionaire... who," she added accusingly, "I haven't heard from in a whole year."
"Sorry, Ann," I said, "'Been busy. And I wouldn't say millionaire... Still trying to keep
this company from going bankrupt!"
She laughed.
"So, you want to do lunch or something?" I asked.
CHAPTER THREE
"So when's Serena coming back?" I asked Andrew one day when I picked him up at the coffee shop.
"About a week from now," he said, "Are you planning to see her?"
I didn't answer for a minute.
Then I sighed, "I don't know, Andrew. It might be weird."
He nodded understandingly.
I turned on the wipers. It was starting to rain harder.
"But it's not like there was anything there though, you know," I said.
"Oh yeah, I know. You made it pretty clear. You're over her. O-ver."
I glared at him.
"The problem is," Andrew said quickly, changing the subject, "She may want to see _you_.
You know how friendly she is."
I did know...
Friendly Serena. Cheerful. Happy. Sweet.
I shook my head, "It's probably not a good idea."
* * *
Later that night, I was staring blankly at the monitor when the phone rang.
"Darien Shields," I said.
"Hey, it's me, Ann."
"Hey Ann," I said, surprised, "How's it going?"
I figured our little reunion thing on Saturday was a one-time thing and that was it.
"Um... good. Listen, there's something I wanted to tell you on Saturday, but I didn't have
the nerve to."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Well... The reason I came to see you was... was that I needed a job."
"Oh," I said, with a pause, "Wow... er-"
"I know, Darien, I'm really sorry," she said quickly, "I know I didn't contact you for a long
time and the first time I came down to your office was to ask you for a huge favour. And I know
it's not easy to get a job at this time and in this city, and you're not just giving them away,
so..."
I laughed, "Come on, Ann, you're my friend. Of course I'd help you out."
She let out a sigh of relief.
"Why don't you come down to the office tomorrow and I'll see what I can do for you."
"Thanks so much, Darien. I will so pay you back for this."
* * *
"So basically, both my audio department and accounting division could use a hand," I said,
"It's not a high position, but you can work your way up. I can't do anything more for you
without making it unfair for the rest of the people here."
"It's great already! Hmm, I think I'd like to try for the audio department."
"Sure. You can start next Monday."
She extended her hand gratefully, and I took it.
"Thanks again, Darien," she said, smiling, "I mean, Mr. Shields."
"Better get to work, Miss Ginga," I said with a wink.
* INTERLUDE *
"Well, here we are," Alan announced, almost proudly, "Tokyo, Japan."
"None of it looks familiar to me," I commented, "Things have really changed in the past
few years..."
My boyfriend took out a map.
"Well, let's see... The hotel is that way. Just a couple of blocks down there..."
"Wow, there's the old arcade!" I exclaimed as we walked past it.
Alan laughed, "You used to go there?"
"One of the best players, Alan," I said smartly, "One of the best..."
Watching the gamers through the window made me think of Darien. Was this really a good idea...?
"My brother's coffee shop is just down that way," I said.
"When are you going to go see your brother?"
"Well, he still thinks I'm coming back in five days. I didn't bother telling him we changed
our arrival date. Thought I'd surprise him."
CHAPTER FIVE
Over the next week, Ann seemed to have adjusted to the workplace just fine. Even her
supervisor said she was very capable and was an excellent addition to the team.
Work got busier these few days, and I almost forgot about Serena coming back.
Until one Friday afternoon, after I left the office for some lunch. When I came back, I heard
laughter inside the audio adjustment room. I took a peek inside to see what was going on,
hoping that Ann had finally made some friends.
To my surprise, there was a stranger sitting next to Ann.
Blonde hair, done up in a meatball style.
I blinked twice to make sure I was seeing correctly.
Could it be...?
There Serena was, sitting next to Ann and pointing at something on the computer, before the
two of them started laughing again.
The second I saw her, everything came back to me. The long blonde pigtails of hers brought
back every memory I had when she was here.
Her blue eyes sparkled as she chattered excitedly with Ann.
Serena...
I stood there for about a minute, eyes fixated on her, until Ann noticed me and turned around.
"Darien!" she exclaimed, "You're back early."
Then Serena turned to face me.
"Darien..."