Destiny Can Seem So Wrong

Disclaimer: I do not, however much I wish to, own Sailor Moon. But hey, if Naoko-chan decides she'd like to hand the rights over to someone else, i.e., me, she would be most welcome to!

9— Sincerity

Just sitting, staring, at the young woman before him, Darien felt a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and a need to protect and love her like he'd never felt for anyone else his whole life long. Sailor Moon was indeed Serena Tsukino, the bland, crybaby blonde that he had sworn never to fall for. He had thought there was nothing there, nothing beneath the lovely face and gorgeous pale hair, but now he had just received an insight on this young girl that made him want to love her like she'd never been loved before. Raye Hino suddenly became a girl, a face in the distant past when he looked at the fair-haired warrior in front of his eyes.

"S-Sailor Moon," Darien managed to say, his voice nothing more than a hoarse whisper that still somehow had the power of a sonic boom echoing through his living room. "It's really you, isn't it? Serena?"

The girl's emotional blue eyes sparkled with water. "Yes." She ducked her flaxen head; unable to look at the man she had so wrongly deceived. "It's me."

Darien watched as glistening teardrops joined the ground below them, falling unrestrained from Serena's beautiful eyes. He stood up and placed his strong but gentle hands on her tiny shoulders, soothing her. "Sailor Moon—Serena—don't cry. Hey. It's okay," he crooned. "Don't cry. Just tell me why you felt you had to deceive me like this. If you had just told me the truth, Serena, I wouldn't have been so hard on you."

"The truth about what?" Serena choked out, her voice clogged with tears. "About me being in love with you, or me being Sailor Moon?"

Darien took a deep breath. "Both, Serena."

Serena gazed up into his turbulent cobalt eyes in confusion. "Why would you care whether I was Sailor Moon or not, Darien? Just so you could tell everyone you knew? Just to upset me? You've been so horrible to me, Darien, and I just can't figure out why." Two more shining tears tracked their way down her flawless face.

Now it was Darien's turn to become ashamed. His ivory cheeks appropriated a crimson stain and he sighed long and deep. "Do you want me to tell you the truth? Really, Serena? Because I don't think you're stable enough to hear it right now."

Now Serena lifted her chin, eyes acquiring more strength than he would have guessed she possessed. "No, Darien, you tell me right now. I came all the way here to tell you the deepest secret I own, so now you can at least do me the honour of letting me know why you were so mean to me."

Taking both of Serena's slender gloved hands, Darien held securely to them and admitted, "It was because you're blonde, basically."

"WHAT!?" Serena yanked her hands out of Darien's grasp. "You acted like that to me because I am BLONDE?"

"Serena, Serena, listen to me," Darien said frantically. "Listen."

"I don't believe this, Darien. Out of all the guys I know, I thought you would be the last to treat a person badly because of their looks." Serena had her fists clenched so tightly that they were painful.

Placing his hands on her tiny shoulders once more, Darien said gently, "Serena. It wasn't all because of your looks. It was for other reasons as well."

"Oh, like what? Because I have blue eyes?" Serena shot back immediately, playing the defensive card to the best of her ability.

Darien shook his head in irritation. His jet-black hair fell back into its normal style the second her stopped moving his head. "No, Serena. Don't be silly. That's not why, trust me." He looked deep into her eyes and sighed.

"So why don't you come on out with it? It can't be any worse than the first stupid reason!" Serena shouted right into his face, forgetting all about the effect his being close to her was having. All she could think about was how mortified and hurt she was, and how she was going to show him that.

"Look. The first time I saw you, Serena, I thought you were absolutely beautiful," Darien began, softly pushing the furious girl onto the sofa and sitting beside her.

"You did?" There were the tears again. He took her hands.

"I really did. But you must admit to me, Serena, that you were less than intelligent that night. The more you spoke, the more I was convinced that you really were a typical case of dumb blonde. If I had taken the time to realise the way you felt about me and that you just wanted to talk to me, I would have never treated you like that. I would have listened, I truly would." Darien still held to her hands.

Serena stared at his hands, not comprehending. "You were with Raye, Darien."

"But I thought you had potential until you opened your mouth." Darien laughed a little in spite of the whole rotten mess.

A smile grew on Serena's mouth. "I thought the same about you!"

Darien coloured. "Any wonder, the way I treated you. For what it's worth, I'm truly sorry, and I just want to ask for your forgiveness. And if you're not too mad, even your friendship?" he ventured.

Serena felt herself melting. "You're sorry?"

"I'm sorry." The sincerity reflected in his eyes completely finished Serena's anger off.

"I forgive you. And yes, I would love to be friends. I only wish we could be more. But listen, Darien, you just can't tell anyone who I really am. You can't tell anyone I am Sailor Moon. Promise me." Serena grasped onto the hands that held hers and held her breath. What if he spread it around? Luna would be so mad! And her family! What would they think?

"I would never." Darien looked at her and nodded his promise. "You have my word, Serena."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Serena threw herself into his arms. Then she looked up again. "But why do you wish that I had told you I was Sailor Moon right from the start?"

"Because I would have told you this." Darien took out a blood-red rose.

Serena stared at him, her heart pounding. What was he doing? Why did he have a rose? A rose, she thought, like—

Tuxedo Mask?

In the little amount of time it took for Serena to think this, Darien had become Tuxedo Mask and sat alongside her, uncertainly awaiting her reaction.

Serena's eyes spilled over once more, but this time what the tears represented Darien did not know at all. "Darien!"