Author's Note: Well hello all my faithful readers! I'm so sorry to keep you all waiting for that last chapter and then leave you with that cliff hanger. I know I'm bad. I got my class schedule today and I'm kinda bummed because I don't have any classes with my friends so far! *sniff* But I'm strong and social able, so I think I'll make it. Thank you all for my birthday greetings! They meant so much to me! I have also decided to complete the story because you readers are so wonderful and special in my heart! I also hate it when a writer stops writing a good fic that I'm reading. I received a question asking me if the last chapter was hard to write and the answer is: sorta. I didn't know how to make everything make sense for readers until I finally got typing. Then the mood sort of took its course. Theses next chapters are going to be kinda rough, but it's all worth it for the readers. I'm going to be up really late finishing this so it'll be up tomorrow because I had a few birthday requests. So NGAN, Tummy Fyre, and all the other august birthdays out there, this chapter is for you. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or its characters so don't sue me. If you choose to sue me, you're making a big mistake because the terminator is running for government and he'll kick your ass.
Chapter 8: Explanation of Innocence
"I'm being accused for murder."
Serena could only hold her breath in slight shock, but quickly released it. 'No way. He said it way too calmly for it to be true' she thought as Darien studied her reaction. This was the first time Darien had told anyone this. 'Or did I tell Andy this?' he thought suddenly. 'Oh well, he wouldn't dare to stab me in the back'. While his mind was in debate over whom he told Serena finally spoke.
"Murder? Come on Darien, you can come up with something better than that." Darien had awoken from his thoughts when he realized that Serena didn't believe him.
"You don't believe me?" Darien asked, almost speechlessly.
"Of course not. I may not like you, but murder just isn't your style." Serena said matter-of-factly.
"Of course it's not my style! I didn't do it!" Darien yelled as he stood up defensively, when he realized that Serena wasn't accusing him of committing the crime. He cleared his throat and returned to his seat on the couch. "Ahem, what I mean to say is I was framed."
Serena still didn't believe him, but figured she might as well let him tell his story. "Okay Darien. Who's the person that you're being framed for murdering?" She asked sarcastically.
Darien took awhile to answer before he managed to choke out the answer.
"My fiancé."
When hearing this, Serena nearly fell out of her chair. Now it was her turn to be shocked. 'Why would he lie about this?' she thought, but realized that he wasn't lying. Darien Sheilds was actually confiding the truth with her. Serena suddenly had an interest to learn more about Darien's past. It was awhile before Serena decided to speak.
"And y-you were framed for it?"
"Yes." Darien said as he lifted up his head revealing fresh tears streaked down his cheeks. He noticed Serena now sat in a position ready to listen to his story. He took a deep breath and began to tell his past.
"It all started when I was little. I had a really pleasant childhood with my mom and dad. They always treated me as if I was the world's biggest accomplishment and never hit or yelled at me. It was as if I was their little prince. They had huge plans for my future. Sports, attending the best college, and becoming a CEO of my own business. It was the dream for the entire house. Then, one night when I was 8, someone broke into our house while we were sleeping. The person had awoken my parents so my dad decided to investigate. My mother went to my room to wake me up. We were both startled to when we heard gunshots echo in the kitchen. My mother picked me up and took me back to their bedroom to call the police. Before she picked up the phone, she carried me to the window where I could get out and run to a neighbor's house for help. As soon as I landed on the cold ground, I heard another set of gunshots followed by my mother's cries. I ran as fast as I could to a neighbor's house for help, never looking back. By the time the police arrived, the murderer was gone. My parents were taken to the hospital, but by the time they got there they were both announced, D.O.A.: Death on Arrival." Darien paused and wiped away his tears with the back of his hand. Serena was also teary-eyed and felt disturbed by the death of his parents. As a sigh escaped his lips, Darien continued his story.
"It was a terrible shock for me as a child. I didn't have any other relatives to take care of me, so I was placed into an orphanage. I was taken home numerous times, but the couples always decided not to keep me, so I was returned to the orphanage. It was as if I was a defective toy that nobody wanted. I grew up thinking that nobody could ever care for me and that I was going to be pushed around if I didn't take a stand for myself. I decided to act for myself in order to fight for survival and a place in the world. I wasn't allowed to touch the money my parents left to me until I was 18. That was also when I was released from the orphanage, so it worked out quite conveniently. I began to attend a public high school regularly and quickly found myself a moderate apartment with my parent's money. When I first began school, I was constantly in trouble so I was expelled from school to school. But with every school that I went, girls always took notice to me. I went out with a lot of them, but I never felt anything. I was looking for a woman as classy as my mother had been. I had given up hope when this one girl transferred in from another county. Compared to the other girls, she simply glowed. When I first saw her, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. It was the third day since she transferred in when I decided to approach her. I took her hand and said, 'Please, I just have to know your name.' I was surprised when she giggled, but told me her name. 'It's Rita.' She said. My heart did a flip. 'What a beautiful name.' I said as I kissed her hand and introduced myself. From then on, everything began to go my way. I was staying out of trouble, my grades were a little higher than usual, and I made the varsity football team. After about 6 months of dating I realized that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I was going to bring up the subject after she got home late one night. She was constantly out on the evenings, so we went out right after school. We went to her apartment and had a late lunch there. I told her that I had never felt this way about anyone before and that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Her reaction was the complete opposite of what I had wanted or expected. She spoke nervously, saying that we were too young and thought that it was a mistake. It led into a small argument. I was really hurt, but wanted to prove my love to her. I left to buy her an engagement ring and give her a real proposition when she returned to her house later that night. Before I left she said she would be out late, which was better for me because it would give me more time to prepare the ambiance."
"I had purchased the ring, but it took me longer than I thought to pick out the wine and food. I was running late and rushed to her apartment, hoping that I could finish everything before she would return. My heart was pounding in my chest as I ran to her apartment. All I could think about was having a family again and being the parents that I used to have. When I arrived on her door and knocked. I didn't hear any response so I figured she hadn't returned yet. I let myself into the house with the spare key she had given me. I set the groceries on the counter and pulled out the bag of rose petals I bought to garnish her hallway and room with." Darien paused and his breath began to shake. Serena was pulled out of her trance of excitement, for she was feeling the happiness that he was feeling in his story. She noticed the change in his tone of voice and began to worry about what was to happen next.
"As I was walking down the hallway towards her room, I felt a cold breeze squeeze through her door which was ajar. I opened the door and noticed that the window was open. I went to close the window and noticed to the side that laying face down on the floor in a pool of blood was…" Darien took a large sigh and choked out the last word which was followed by more tears.
"Rita."
The room was filled with a dead silence, as if to mourn the death of Rita. Serena was surprised to see this side of Darien and was filled with grief for all the pain and death Darien had to go through as a child. She realized that they had more in common that she could ever give credit for. She sat there not knowing what to do as she watched Darien release all of his emotions in front of her. Then she realized that she had to do something she hadn't even done with Mina, Lita, Raye, or Ami. She gave Darien a hug.
When Darien felt Serena's touch, he began to calm down. He felt warmth emit from Serena's body that put him to immediate ease and relaxation. He would have never allowed himself to be comforted by a woman like this before, too much pride. But, for once he didn't want to pull away. It was as if his mother was there, trying to protect him from the pain and anguish that he was feeling now.
Serena was shocked when she realized that Darien was lifting his arms, trying to return the hug. She didn't know what to do next, except to continue trying to comfort him. When she felt him relax his arms, she began to slowly pull away. When she returned to her original seat on the couch, she looked at Darien and saw some sort of peace and relief that she had never seen before. She didn't want to bring his peace to an end, but wanted to know the end of the story.
"What happened after that?" she asked.
Darien's response was spoken more clearly than when he first began the story. "My mind went blank and my eyesight became dizzy. I was reaching for something to grab a hold of, but came up empty handed. I stumbled down the hallway and ran to the door to find help. When I opened the door, police officers raced inside and ran towards Rita's bedroom. Another set placed handcuffs on me and began to read me my rights. Everything was a blur as I was led out of the apartment and into the police car. I was questioned and spent the night in jail. I was released the next morning because there wasn't any evidence proving that I committed the crime. Later that day, I met with the chief in charge of the case for more questioning. I told him I didn't kill her, but I was framed. He explained to me that I was a suspect because I was really close to her and had a violent past and that neighbors claimed to have heard an argument before I left. He also said that I will go to court, but until then I had to attend school. My old school had already expelled me, so I was transferred to Tarynsville Catholic School where I would take anger management classes. And here I am now."
Serena didn't know what to say. Sure, she had experienced loss before, but not as much as Darien had. Now, she couldn't hate him. She wanted to protect him. She longed to be in the embrace that they had shared less than 10 minutes ago again. 'What are these feelings that I'm having for him?' she thought. 'Could I actually be feeling love for him? Just because of a story he told me? But, it wasn't just any story. It was a story that we could both relate to. Something we could build off of. Wait. What am I thinking? He could never have feelings for me. He's still hung up about Rita. I'm just some street trash that he rescued from being raped.' Serena's mixed thoughts were interrupted by Darien's hand waving in front of her face. When she came to her senses, she began to cry. Confused, Darien took her into his strong arms and began to comfort her as she had done before.
"Shhhhh. Serena, what's wrong?" he asked trying to calm her down.
"Oh Darien! Her I am, being the queen bitch to you after all you've been through. I angered you and sold your only memory of your parents for my pleasure and here you are saving me from danger that I've caused myself and listening to my moaning. I feel so selfish." She took a breath while trying to choke back some of her tears. "I swear I will help you prove your innocence and help you feel the happiness that you once felt with your parents and Rita."
As Serena continued into Darien's shoulder, he couldn't help, but be filled with pleasure as the feisty angel in his arms was crying her heart out in sympathy for his troubled past. He hadn't experienced this kind of emotion sense Rita was around, and yet he never dared to show her his emotions. It was as if he was more confident in himself when he was around Serena more than anybody else. He pulled the crying angel away from her and looked into her eyes, which displayed nothing but love and sympathy in them for him.
"Serena, I think you've already begun to do so." And Darien pulled Serena closer than ever to his body and their lips met for a passionate kiss.
Author's note: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed that last chappie! I know it was really sad, but since we have birthdays, I decided to have a little romance at the end! The romance will continue in the next chapter as Serena and Darien begin to discover who or what framed Darien. Boy, have I got BIG plans too! Hehe! I hope everyone continues to read and review and thank you once again for the birthday wishes! They mean so much to me! And happy birthday to NGAN and Tummy Fyre! Love y'all bunches,
-Neo Neo
