Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love
By Chibi J
Rated G
Alternate Reality
Edited by my darling Sailor Sista!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or the characters. The "Bohemian Ideals" of truth, beauty, freedom, and love are known by many and are mentioned many times in books, songs, and movies. I, however, started writing this after watching Moulin Rouge. So, I suppose that I should credit the movie for sticking the ideals, which I believe highly in, back into my mind once more.
This is dedicated to everyone who ever believed that love would over come all obstacles.
*~*
FREEDOM
Although Serena had planned to work that morning, she never made it out to her taxi. Not only were his kisses sweet, but his hands were wickedly intoxicating. All thoughts of leaving him to drive around the city were abandoned as Darien wrapped his arms around her small waist.
"I am going to go broke because of you." Serena said with a laugh as she slapped him on the arm.
"I'm sorry." Darien said and looked to the ground. He felt terrible that she was wasting all her earnings on him. He was healthy now and should have left. Feeling guilty, he walked away from the window where they had been watching the busy people of the city rushing around.
"Darien... I was only joking." Serena quickly said when she realized that he had taken her comment seriously. "I've liked having you stay here."
Darien smiled, yet the thought of him being a burden on her kept stirring in his mind. He walked over towards the bed and sat on the edge. Noticing his mood, Serena walked over to him smiling.
"Come on. Let's go out and do something!" She said with large smile.
Darien nodded his agreement. He and Serena began to get dressed when a knock sounded at the door. Slipping on his pants, but still shirtless, Darien went to the front door.
"Hello?" He asked as he opened the door partially. He saw no one there and was about to go out when...
"BOO!"
"Aagghh!"
Mina jumped out from just out-of-sight and scared Darien practically to death. He jumped a good height into the air and almost fell over backwards.
"I told you not to do it, Mina!" Lita yelled from beside Mina.
"But I thought it was Serena!" Mina yelled back.
"Darien?" Serena questioned as she stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed.
"I'm okay." Darien muttered, his hand clutching his chest as he tried to regain his breath.
"What happened?" Serena asked as she ran to his side, taking notice of Lita and Mina in the doorway.
"Mina." Lita pointed to the blonde standing next to her.
"Mina?" Serena questioned.
"She wanted to scare you and ended up scaring Darien." Lita informed Serena as she made her way into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry." Mina mumbled with her head lowered in shame.
"It's okay, I'll be fine." Darien said with a slight laugh. The girl had definitely caught him off guard and he was slightly embarrassed about it. He hoped that there would be no more discussion of the humiliating ordeal.
"Girl! Where's all the food?" Lita yelled from the kitchen, while searching through cupboards. Serena, Darien, and Mina made there way to her location.
"I couldn't go grocery shopping yet." Serena answered as a smile lit up her face. "Why don't we all go now?" She suggested cheerfully.
"Sounds good to me." Lita replied and Mina nodded her head in agreement.
"Great!" Serena cheered and the three girls started towards the door. "You comin' Darien?"
"Do you mind if I finish getting dressed?" He asked with a smirk. At that moment, Serena noticed his lack of shirt and allowed herself a good look. A devilish look appeared in her eyes, although a blush stained her cheeks. Serena nodded her head, afraid to speak. Who knew what words would make there way out her mouth if she chanced to speak to the devilishly handsome man.
After a few moments, the group was walking down the street on their way to the local market.
Darien's discomfort at Serena's financial situation increased as they walked through the marketplace. Lita would make suggestions as to what Serena should get, but Serena kept reminding her that she was on a tight budget.
Yet, it wasn't until dinner that night that Darien finally let his issues be known.
"Darien!" Serena shouted from the kitchen. "Dinner's done!"
From where he sat on the couch, reading an interesting book on art, he turned his head. "I'm not hungry tonight." Although it hurt to lie to her, for he was feeling slightly hungry, Darien knew that he should try to avoid being any more of a burden on her than he already was.
However, Serena easily saw through his attempt to lie. "Don't try and kid me, mister. You haven't had anything to eat in hours. My cooking isn't that bad, is it?"
"No, it's not, honest." He replied, worried that he had injured her pride. "But I'm not really hungry."
"Well, then at least come sit with me." She pleaded. Darien shook his head to keep from laughing out loud. This girl could get anything she wanted in life effortlessly with her beautiful face, sweet voice, and adorable pout.
Setting the book aside, he made his way to the table, where he saw that she had made spaghetti, one of his favorite meals. He sat down as Serena dished out her serving.
"Are you sure you don't want any?" She asked again.
"I'm sure." He replied, yet his stomach disobeyed his mind's urge to not eat. With a loud grumble, the game was up.
"Sure." She said as she proceeded to dish out some spaghetti for him. Knowing that the battle was lost, Darien began to slowly eat his meal.
The two sat in complete silence throughout the entire meal, a very odd occurrence. During the past few days, mealtime proved to be one of the best times to discuss their lives. Yet, the awkward silence filed the room.
Placing her napkin back on the table after wiping her mouth clean, Serena asked Darien the question he feared. "Why did you lie to me?"
She didn't even look up to him, showing how upset she was by the turn of events.
"I...I'm sorry." He stuttered out. He searched his mind for an excuse, any excuse. "I guess I just didn't realize it." He said, although it sounded more like a question than an answer.
"Please Darien, don't lie to me anymore." Serena pleaded with him.
"I just don't like taking advantage of you, that's all." He blurted out in an angry tone, which startled Serena.
"What do you mean?" She asked in a meek voice.
"You don't have enough money to take care of me and I can't help that. I don't want you to use all your money and time to help me when you can barely help yourself."
"Darien, I'm sorry you feel that way," Serena responded quietly. "But it really doesn't matter to me."
"Well it matters to me!" He yelled and stood from the table. Serena, in shock from the outburst, sat for several minutes just staring at the spot he last occupied. When she finally came out of her stupor, she found Darien standing by the window.
"Darien," She started as she approached him from behind. "I understand." She said as she wrapped her arms around him from behind, leaning her head on his back.
"Serena, I'm sor..."
"No, Darien, don't apologize." She cut him off. They stood in silence for several moments before she decided to try to talk to him. "You could get a job." She suggested. Beneath her hands, she could feel his muscles tighten. "I know some people, they won't ask questions."
"What do you mean by that?" He asked sharply as he turned around to look at her. She dropped her arms from him as she noticed the frightening look he gave her.
"It's just, well, I don't know. There has to be some reason you don't have a job. And they'll look past all that." Serena said as she lowered her face. She couldn't stand to look into his eyes; they were too dark and scary.
"No Serena, I don't think so." Darien replied with a dark voice. He walked away from her, over to where his coat hung by the door.
"Good-bye." He said as he walked through the door, without looking back at her.
The words barely registered in her mind before the tears began to flow from her eyes. She knew that his "Good-bye" was not the standard, "I'm going out I'll be back" but the type that you receive the last time you see someone.
Dropping down to the floor, Serena cried out all her emotions until she fell into an uneasy sleep. The dreams that haunted her were cut short as the shrill ring of the telephone woke her up.
"Hello?" She asked in a groggy voice as she rubbed the sleep and tear residue from her eyes.
"Serena, it's your mother." The voice on the other end said in a frightened voice.
"Mom...what's wrong?" Serena asked, fear creeping up her spine.
"It's your father, he's...he's in the hospital." Her mother said between sobs.
"What happened?!" Serena demanded.
"He had a heart attack."
Serena allowed no more explanation before cutting her mother off. "I'll be right there."
*
The streets were empty and cold, but none of that mattered to Darien. He thoughts could do nothing but wander towards Serena. He hadn't seen her in a week, far to long to go without such beauty.
So, with a kick to his pride, Darien made his way back to Serena's apartment. He trudged up the stairs with his head down. He would give up anything to have Serena back, anything she demanded.
He knocked on her door and waited for a minute before knocking again. There was no answer. Placing his ear to the door, Darien could hear no movement inside.
Sighing loudly, he made his way back down the stairs. He was about to leave when he looked over to Lita's door. Again, he swallowed his pride and knocked. At this point, he was ready to get on the ground and beg for forgiveness.
"Hello?" Lita's voice asked from inside the door.
"Lita? It's Darien." He responded. The door swung open to reveal Lita wearing her nightshirt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He apologized, having forgotten that Lita slept late into the afternoon.
"It's okay, I was up." She replied kindly. Then, as if hit like lightening, she gave him an evil look and spoke with venom in her voice. "What do you want?"
"Please, Lita, I have to find Serena. I made such a big mistake." Darien pleaded as he ran a hand through his hair. Lita was tough and could definitely give him a hard time.
"She's not here. She's at her parents' house." She said with a much softer voice. She could see the hurt in his eyes and believed that he was being truly honest.
"Where?" Darien begged, anticipation in his eyes.
"They live at 231 Park Street." She rattled off. She hadn't expected the shock in his eyes.
"Park Street?" He stuttered out.
"Yeah. The Stanton's have lived there for a long time." Lita replied. "You didn't know that, did you?"
"No." Darien replied quietly. "How can they afford to live there?"
"She didn't tell you?" Lita asked, her disbelieve evident in her voice. Darien nodded his head, prompting her to go on. "Her father owns Stanton Industries and her mother owns Stanton Designs."
Shock over took Darien's face. His breath caught and his lungs refused to inhale or exhale. After a moment, he choked, causing his breathing to resume. "Why...why does she live here?" He asked, indicating the apartment building he was currently standing in.
"She wanted to be independent." Lita answered before a clock chimed in the other room. "Look, Darien, I have to get ready for work. If you want to stay here..."
"No, thanks, I'll be okay." Darien replied, his shock wearing off.
"Well, okay. I'll see you around." Lita said as she began to close the door.
"Yeah, around." He mumbled to himself as he started to walk out the front door.
His mind set, he started to walk towards Park Street. It was where the elite lived and drank champagne. Yet nothing could deter him on his course to see Serena.
So, it was with shock that his feet refused to move when he found himself in front of Stanton Manor. It was exquisite, easily the largest house, no, mansion in the area.
"I can't." He whispered to himself. Looking down at his dirty clothes and torn coat, he knew that there was no way that he could go to her.
He turned quickly and walked away. His walk turned to a run as tears slid down his face. He ran and ran, until he found himself in the alleyway he used to call home.
Dropping down to his knees, Darien looked up to the sky above him. The stars shone above him, teasing him with their twinkling beauty.
"I will earn you back Serena." He swore to the stars, not noticing the shooting star that flew across the sky.
*~*
By Chibi J
Rated G
Alternate Reality
Edited by my darling Sailor Sista!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or the characters. The "Bohemian Ideals" of truth, beauty, freedom, and love are known by many and are mentioned many times in books, songs, and movies. I, however, started writing this after watching Moulin Rouge. So, I suppose that I should credit the movie for sticking the ideals, which I believe highly in, back into my mind once more.
This is dedicated to everyone who ever believed that love would over come all obstacles.
*~*
FREEDOM
Although Serena had planned to work that morning, she never made it out to her taxi. Not only were his kisses sweet, but his hands were wickedly intoxicating. All thoughts of leaving him to drive around the city were abandoned as Darien wrapped his arms around her small waist.
"I am going to go broke because of you." Serena said with a laugh as she slapped him on the arm.
"I'm sorry." Darien said and looked to the ground. He felt terrible that she was wasting all her earnings on him. He was healthy now and should have left. Feeling guilty, he walked away from the window where they had been watching the busy people of the city rushing around.
"Darien... I was only joking." Serena quickly said when she realized that he had taken her comment seriously. "I've liked having you stay here."
Darien smiled, yet the thought of him being a burden on her kept stirring in his mind. He walked over towards the bed and sat on the edge. Noticing his mood, Serena walked over to him smiling.
"Come on. Let's go out and do something!" She said with large smile.
Darien nodded his agreement. He and Serena began to get dressed when a knock sounded at the door. Slipping on his pants, but still shirtless, Darien went to the front door.
"Hello?" He asked as he opened the door partially. He saw no one there and was about to go out when...
"BOO!"
"Aagghh!"
Mina jumped out from just out-of-sight and scared Darien practically to death. He jumped a good height into the air and almost fell over backwards.
"I told you not to do it, Mina!" Lita yelled from beside Mina.
"But I thought it was Serena!" Mina yelled back.
"Darien?" Serena questioned as she stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed.
"I'm okay." Darien muttered, his hand clutching his chest as he tried to regain his breath.
"What happened?" Serena asked as she ran to his side, taking notice of Lita and Mina in the doorway.
"Mina." Lita pointed to the blonde standing next to her.
"Mina?" Serena questioned.
"She wanted to scare you and ended up scaring Darien." Lita informed Serena as she made her way into the kitchen.
"I'm sorry." Mina mumbled with her head lowered in shame.
"It's okay, I'll be fine." Darien said with a slight laugh. The girl had definitely caught him off guard and he was slightly embarrassed about it. He hoped that there would be no more discussion of the humiliating ordeal.
"Girl! Where's all the food?" Lita yelled from the kitchen, while searching through cupboards. Serena, Darien, and Mina made there way to her location.
"I couldn't go grocery shopping yet." Serena answered as a smile lit up her face. "Why don't we all go now?" She suggested cheerfully.
"Sounds good to me." Lita replied and Mina nodded her head in agreement.
"Great!" Serena cheered and the three girls started towards the door. "You comin' Darien?"
"Do you mind if I finish getting dressed?" He asked with a smirk. At that moment, Serena noticed his lack of shirt and allowed herself a good look. A devilish look appeared in her eyes, although a blush stained her cheeks. Serena nodded her head, afraid to speak. Who knew what words would make there way out her mouth if she chanced to speak to the devilishly handsome man.
After a few moments, the group was walking down the street on their way to the local market.
Darien's discomfort at Serena's financial situation increased as they walked through the marketplace. Lita would make suggestions as to what Serena should get, but Serena kept reminding her that she was on a tight budget.
Yet, it wasn't until dinner that night that Darien finally let his issues be known.
"Darien!" Serena shouted from the kitchen. "Dinner's done!"
From where he sat on the couch, reading an interesting book on art, he turned his head. "I'm not hungry tonight." Although it hurt to lie to her, for he was feeling slightly hungry, Darien knew that he should try to avoid being any more of a burden on her than he already was.
However, Serena easily saw through his attempt to lie. "Don't try and kid me, mister. You haven't had anything to eat in hours. My cooking isn't that bad, is it?"
"No, it's not, honest." He replied, worried that he had injured her pride. "But I'm not really hungry."
"Well, then at least come sit with me." She pleaded. Darien shook his head to keep from laughing out loud. This girl could get anything she wanted in life effortlessly with her beautiful face, sweet voice, and adorable pout.
Setting the book aside, he made his way to the table, where he saw that she had made spaghetti, one of his favorite meals. He sat down as Serena dished out her serving.
"Are you sure you don't want any?" She asked again.
"I'm sure." He replied, yet his stomach disobeyed his mind's urge to not eat. With a loud grumble, the game was up.
"Sure." She said as she proceeded to dish out some spaghetti for him. Knowing that the battle was lost, Darien began to slowly eat his meal.
The two sat in complete silence throughout the entire meal, a very odd occurrence. During the past few days, mealtime proved to be one of the best times to discuss their lives. Yet, the awkward silence filed the room.
Placing her napkin back on the table after wiping her mouth clean, Serena asked Darien the question he feared. "Why did you lie to me?"
She didn't even look up to him, showing how upset she was by the turn of events.
"I...I'm sorry." He stuttered out. He searched his mind for an excuse, any excuse. "I guess I just didn't realize it." He said, although it sounded more like a question than an answer.
"Please Darien, don't lie to me anymore." Serena pleaded with him.
"I just don't like taking advantage of you, that's all." He blurted out in an angry tone, which startled Serena.
"What do you mean?" She asked in a meek voice.
"You don't have enough money to take care of me and I can't help that. I don't want you to use all your money and time to help me when you can barely help yourself."
"Darien, I'm sorry you feel that way," Serena responded quietly. "But it really doesn't matter to me."
"Well it matters to me!" He yelled and stood from the table. Serena, in shock from the outburst, sat for several minutes just staring at the spot he last occupied. When she finally came out of her stupor, she found Darien standing by the window.
"Darien," She started as she approached him from behind. "I understand." She said as she wrapped her arms around him from behind, leaning her head on his back.
"Serena, I'm sor..."
"No, Darien, don't apologize." She cut him off. They stood in silence for several moments before she decided to try to talk to him. "You could get a job." She suggested. Beneath her hands, she could feel his muscles tighten. "I know some people, they won't ask questions."
"What do you mean by that?" He asked sharply as he turned around to look at her. She dropped her arms from him as she noticed the frightening look he gave her.
"It's just, well, I don't know. There has to be some reason you don't have a job. And they'll look past all that." Serena said as she lowered her face. She couldn't stand to look into his eyes; they were too dark and scary.
"No Serena, I don't think so." Darien replied with a dark voice. He walked away from her, over to where his coat hung by the door.
"Good-bye." He said as he walked through the door, without looking back at her.
The words barely registered in her mind before the tears began to flow from her eyes. She knew that his "Good-bye" was not the standard, "I'm going out I'll be back" but the type that you receive the last time you see someone.
Dropping down to the floor, Serena cried out all her emotions until she fell into an uneasy sleep. The dreams that haunted her were cut short as the shrill ring of the telephone woke her up.
"Hello?" She asked in a groggy voice as she rubbed the sleep and tear residue from her eyes.
"Serena, it's your mother." The voice on the other end said in a frightened voice.
"Mom...what's wrong?" Serena asked, fear creeping up her spine.
"It's your father, he's...he's in the hospital." Her mother said between sobs.
"What happened?!" Serena demanded.
"He had a heart attack."
Serena allowed no more explanation before cutting her mother off. "I'll be right there."
*
The streets were empty and cold, but none of that mattered to Darien. He thoughts could do nothing but wander towards Serena. He hadn't seen her in a week, far to long to go without such beauty.
So, with a kick to his pride, Darien made his way back to Serena's apartment. He trudged up the stairs with his head down. He would give up anything to have Serena back, anything she demanded.
He knocked on her door and waited for a minute before knocking again. There was no answer. Placing his ear to the door, Darien could hear no movement inside.
Sighing loudly, he made his way back down the stairs. He was about to leave when he looked over to Lita's door. Again, he swallowed his pride and knocked. At this point, he was ready to get on the ground and beg for forgiveness.
"Hello?" Lita's voice asked from inside the door.
"Lita? It's Darien." He responded. The door swung open to reveal Lita wearing her nightshirt. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." He apologized, having forgotten that Lita slept late into the afternoon.
"It's okay, I was up." She replied kindly. Then, as if hit like lightening, she gave him an evil look and spoke with venom in her voice. "What do you want?"
"Please, Lita, I have to find Serena. I made such a big mistake." Darien pleaded as he ran a hand through his hair. Lita was tough and could definitely give him a hard time.
"She's not here. She's at her parents' house." She said with a much softer voice. She could see the hurt in his eyes and believed that he was being truly honest.
"Where?" Darien begged, anticipation in his eyes.
"They live at 231 Park Street." She rattled off. She hadn't expected the shock in his eyes.
"Park Street?" He stuttered out.
"Yeah. The Stanton's have lived there for a long time." Lita replied. "You didn't know that, did you?"
"No." Darien replied quietly. "How can they afford to live there?"
"She didn't tell you?" Lita asked, her disbelieve evident in her voice. Darien nodded his head, prompting her to go on. "Her father owns Stanton Industries and her mother owns Stanton Designs."
Shock over took Darien's face. His breath caught and his lungs refused to inhale or exhale. After a moment, he choked, causing his breathing to resume. "Why...why does she live here?" He asked, indicating the apartment building he was currently standing in.
"She wanted to be independent." Lita answered before a clock chimed in the other room. "Look, Darien, I have to get ready for work. If you want to stay here..."
"No, thanks, I'll be okay." Darien replied, his shock wearing off.
"Well, okay. I'll see you around." Lita said as she began to close the door.
"Yeah, around." He mumbled to himself as he started to walk out the front door.
His mind set, he started to walk towards Park Street. It was where the elite lived and drank champagne. Yet nothing could deter him on his course to see Serena.
So, it was with shock that his feet refused to move when he found himself in front of Stanton Manor. It was exquisite, easily the largest house, no, mansion in the area.
"I can't." He whispered to himself. Looking down at his dirty clothes and torn coat, he knew that there was no way that he could go to her.
He turned quickly and walked away. His walk turned to a run as tears slid down his face. He ran and ran, until he found himself in the alleyway he used to call home.
Dropping down to his knees, Darien looked up to the sky above him. The stars shone above him, teasing him with their twinkling beauty.
"I will earn you back Serena." He swore to the stars, not noticing the shooting star that flew across the sky.
*~*
