Twist of Fate

Author: SilverMoonAngel

Rated: PG

Chapter Three - One bad decision

Serena sat at the edge of the cheap hotel room mattress. She couldn't believe that she had done this again. Then again...

Darien sat on the other side, quietly buttoning his shirt. It had been as it always was; fast, furious, and greatly dissatisfying. "When do you want to see her?"

Serena picked up her wedding band from the nightstand and replaced it on her ring finger. She could never really tell what had gone wrong with their relationship, just that it was reduced to this after she... She shook her head; she didn't want to remember that. "What are you doing this weekend?"

"I was going to take her to visit your father. You know how she adores Ken."

Serena did know. She had been careful to maintain a peace with her father since her mother and Sammy had died in that car accident. She and Rini were all that he had left. "I guess I'll pick her up from there. I'll have to hammer out the time with Seiya."

Darien cringed at the mention of her husband's name. It was true that he cared for Rini like his own. If he hadn't, Darien would feel a lot less guilty about sleeping with Serena. "I'm sure he'll have no objections at what you decide to do." Finished with his shirt, he turned to Serena, "Does he know anything?"

Serena shook her head. "He accepts all of my excuses and I'm sure that he makes some of his own up." Lowering her head, she asked softly, "Does she know?"

"No." Darien stood and retrieved his pants from the floor. Stepping into them, he added, "I don't think Raye wants to know."

Serena felt a tear slide down her cheek. Betraying Seiya was bad, but betraying Raye was worse. Raye was her best friend, a shoulder when she needed one, but all she did was stab her in the back.

"Serena?"

Serena lifted her face to Darien. He had that sad broken look in his eyes. Maybe...maybe she should tell him. She lowered her face into her hands and began to weep bitterly for what she couldn't have.

She felt the bed shift beside her and felt Darien put his arm around her. "What is it? Tell me. I'm still your friend."

Looking up at him, she began, "Remember when I tried to kill myself?" Seeing him nod, she pulled out a note. "Read this. It's easier than speaking it aloud."

Darien looked at her skeptically, but opened the envelope and began reading.

'I can't take the lies anymore. If things had been different; if I had chosen a different path, maybe I wouldn't feel this anguish.

'I'll admit it--not aloud--but in this letter. I have done something terrible. I looked at Rini today, and I wanted to tear myself apart. I ruined everything for her. I shouldn't have done what I did, but I did it and I must live with the consequences. Rini should have been a younger child. There, I admitted it. Are you happy now? I'm not perfect! I killed something precious that was growing inside me so I could go on with my life. I made my choices, but Rini won't live with my sins. Today, she's at Darien's. I wanted to spare her that...

'Darien, my only love. I want you to take her. Take her to where we first fell in love, not where we fell out of it. I want you to contact Seiya, as well. Let him know that I loved him in my way...

'Don't forget my senshi either. Raye and Amara will take this the hardest. I know that their love for me is deep, but please explain to them that I needed to leave this plane of existence to meet our other child, and ask for its forgiveness.

'Remember, I loved all of you; I just couldn't take the pain any longer.

'Serena.'

Darien didn't realize he was crying until a tear hit the page. "What happened?"

Serena rose and retreated to a corner. Drawing in a deep breath, she said, "I swallowed a lot of pills--I don't remember what they were--and crawled down the stairs, the letter clutched in my hand. I closed my eyes and fell asleep. I remember dreaming about Rini as Mini-Moon stepping through a portal with Pluto. Pluto snatched the letter while Rini healed me as much as she could. She went back into the portal, but Pluto stayed behind clutching my hand, begging me not to go. Behind her, I saw a spirit. She walked toward me and smiled. She touched my brow and told me she would never forgive me if I quit my life as it had just begun. She understood the guilt and pain that I had been carrying around for a while. She kissed my forehead and said, 'I forgive you, Mother,' and vanished. That's when Hotaru arrived and revived me."

Darien sat in a daze. Was it truly Serena that had just admitted that she had seen the spirit of a daughter she had aborted over a decade ago?

"I've spent the last five years in a void, but I've been given a second chance." Dropping to her knees in front of Darien, she said, "I want you to have custody of Rini. Seiya will give you a fight, but you'll eventually win." Kissing his hands, she continued, "I need to go away and have this baby I'm carrying. I plan on raising her for a little bit on my own, but I plan on eventually coming home."

She knew Darien was shocked at the mention of a baby, so she smiled serenely and continued, "Go on and live with Raye. Tell her everything. I plan to divorce Seiya. I can't keep lying to him... I'll see you soon, or maybe not 'til Christmas." She stood and grabbed her things, happy with her newfound inner peace. Touching her abdomen, she sighed and walked to the door. Turning back only once, she realized this was the second time she was leaving him, but she would be back, with her forgiveness in tow.

"Is that it?"

A tear escaped from Trista's eye and rolled silently down her cheek. "Unfortunately, no. We need to look further ahead. By about fifteen years."

A girl with dark black hair was running through a forest, feeling as if there were monsters were at her heels. In a way, there was. She found out that her best friend and, at one time, love interest, was actually her half-brother. She felt dirty and used. If only her mother had told her sooner...

Looking toward the sky and screaming with all her might, she collapsed, willing the Earth to swallow her whole.

"Daughter of the Moon, why do you cry so?"

The girl looked toward a figure standing in front of her. It looked to be a Pegasus, like Elios, but its voice was soft and feminine. Feeling more tears drip down her cheeks, she answered, "Because I'm a child that shouldn't have been born. My mother slept with the King of the Earth and he might be my father."

The Pegasus changed into the form of a woman. Her black hair gleamed in the moonlight and her blue eyes sparkled. Holding a staff that looked a lot like Pluto's, she handed it over to the girl. "I want you to hold this. It's hard to hold something so heavy when you are just a dream." Seeing the shock in the girl's eyes she continued, "I was born in Elysium when my mother decided to lose me. I'd been wandering for thirteen years until you were born. You are my heir."

"Heir to what?"

The woman smiled and continued speaking kindly, "The heir to the dark side of the moon. With a beauty as great as yours, you could brighten it up."

The girl stood in her spot, puzzled. "I thought Rini was heir to the Moon Kingdom."

"She is, but you will be much more powerful than she will ever be, Nehelania."

The girl shook her head. "I could never be more powerful than Rini and Mom. I could only hope to be their equal."

The woman walked over and stroked Nehelania's hair. "I know how you could be. Steal Elios for me. I've loved him better than she ever could."

"But aren't you...?"

For a moment, the woman's polite mask slipped, giving Nehelania a glimpse into the woman's soul. Clearing her throat, and making the rage disappear from her face, she said, "When you do it, leave a note for Rini saying that Elios was her big sister Chandra's and she wants him back."

The girl nodded her head. She wanted to get back at Rini and everyone for exposing the truth. Oh, Miles...

The woman smiled at Nehelania's pain. She wanted everyone to suffer. She had waited for too long in silence. Now was the time to make amends. "Nehelania?"

"Yes?"

"Please call me Zircon. I don't want anyone to catch onto who I really am."

Serena whipped her gaze to Pluto's face. The tears were silently rolling down her face, gathering at her chin, and making soft pinging noises as they struck the ground. A soft sniffle was heard and Serena realized that tears were rolling down her cheeks as well. "Why is it like this?"

"Chandra became embittered waiting for you to acknowledge her place in the family. She gave you dreams to name the child after one of your enemies. Nehelania would have eventually caused the destruction of the world as we know it, a puppet ruled by a ghost."

"But there must be some different outcome..."

A wintry smile graced Trista's face. Turning away, she softly murmured, "The only other outcome was to let you die."

There are only two chapters left in this story.

A big thanks to Loki for the wonderful review. I appreciate reviews like yours. :)