Author's Note: Yay!! I finally updated! I'm so sorry to everyone who has been waiting for this next chapter but I had a huge case of writer's block! But it is finally here and I hope you enjoy this one as much as the last one!! Thanx to everyone who review my story so far! You are all amazing!! Please keep reviewing and let me know what I can improve on!! Luv Ya ALL! Tia!!
Disclaimer: I Totally Don't Own Sailor Moon…Though I wouldn't mind owning Darien!! Hmmm…Darien. * Drooling *
Warning: Major Fluff Alert Here!!
Darien turned to see Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune and Luna running towards him. He gently handed Serena over to Andrew and ran up to meet them.
"What? Why does it depend on me? What are you talking about?" Darien asked Luna.
"Where is it?" Sailor Uranus yelled, jumping into a tree to get a better look.
"Where's the crystal? Where's the witch?" Sailor Uranus yelled again, looking towards him. Darien looked towards the ground avoiding her eyes. Sailor Neptune looked at him in shock.
"They have it?" She asked slowly. Darien nodded. She walked over and forced him to look up at her.
"Was it pure? Was it a…talisman?" Sailor Neptune asked. Darien nodded again as tears flew down his face.
"WHAT?" Sailor Uranus screamed as she jumped down from the tree. She ran forward and grabbed his shirt.
"If it was a talisman, why are you still here? Why didn't you go after it?" Sailor Uranus growled. Darien looked back towards the ground of generals. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune followed his gaze. The generals nodded slowly, and moved away to reveal Serena in Andrew's arms, barely conscience. Darien looked back at them sadly.
"I was a little preoccupied." He answered in a whisper. Luna suddenly pulled franticly at the bottom of his pants.
"Go back!" She screamed. Darien looked down at her in confusion.
"You have to be touching her or she'll die!" Luna said quickly. Darien pushed Sailor Uranus off of him and ran back to Serena. Once he had her back in his arms, he quietly asked her how she was feeling.
"I'm ok now." She answered in a whisper.
"But for a minute there, I thought I was going to pass out." Darien looked up at Luna in horror.
"Why am I the only thing keeping her awake?" Darien asked, waiting for the answers he desperately needed.
"Yeah, and why is she still alive? We were always told that once the talisman was taken the host died." Sailor Neptune said quietly. Darien looked at her in shock.
"What? No! You can't die! I won't let you!" Darien said firmly as he looked down at Serena. Serena nodded slightly, and smiled.
"I know you won't." She said softly. Darien nodded in satisfaction.
"You won't die!" He repeated to himself, as if trying to convince himself. He tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. Luna walked up to him and nudged his arm to get his attention.
"Calm down Darien. As long as you are touching her she is safe." Luna said quietly. Darien looked down at her.
"Why?" Darien asked in a whisper.
"I'm not sure how to explain it." Luna started.
"It's because of the fact that you are soul mates…Serena's soul is about to tap into your life energy and live off you. I know that seems kind of disturbing but that is what's happening. The two of you are sharing your life force. But it only works if your touching her, and you can only let go of her for very short periods of time." Luna explained. Darien looked down at Serena face.
"I'm the only thing keeping her alive?" He thought to himself as he studied her face.
"What do we have to do?" Darien asked Luna, without taking his eyes off of Serena.
Chad watched the scene unfolding in front of him. He had a look of approval on his face as he watched Darien's arms tighten around Serena.
"It's about damn time." He thought to himself. He looked behind him to where Rei had walked off to after discovering his identity. His heart ached.
"Why did you have to start ignoring me for Darien? Everything was going so well. I was positive you would be thrilled to know I was Jedeite." Chad thought to himself. His gazed slid down to the ground as he thought.
"Should I talk to her? Does she want me to? Does she even feel the same way I do?" Chad asked himself. He looked up at the other guys. Each of them was looking towards the scouts, looking uncertain. Andrew caught him looking at them.
"Go. Go talk to her. You know she needs to talk to you. She needs to know that she hasn't lost you." Andrew commanded. He slowly looked at the others.
"You all need to go speak to them." Andrew said firmly. Greg and Ken nodded slowly standing and walking away. Chad looked at Andrew.
"Thanks. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do." Chad said quietly. He stood and began to walk towards Rei. He stopped and turned around again.
"Aren't you going to talk to Mina?" Chad asked. Andrew shook his head.
"She needs a few more minutes. She's not ready to speak with me yet." Andrew answered softly.
"How do you know?" Chad asked. Andrew looked towards Mina again.
"I can feel it." He whispered. He looked back at Chad and smile encouragingly.
"Go on, she's waiting for you." He whispered and Chad turned to see Rei looking in his direction. He took a deep breath and walked up to her. Rei shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.
"Hey" she said quietly, looking at the ground. Chad smiled at how nervous she was. She was usually so proud and so certain of herself.
"Hey." He answered back. He put a finger beneath her chin, lifting her head up. He was surprised when he saw the tears in her eyes. She looked in his eyes for a second and threw her arms around him.
"Oh Chad! I'm so sorry! I was such an idiot! I was just so afraid of how you made me feel! I'd never needed anyone before! I thought I only needed myself and no one else. Then I realized what I was doing was pushing you away and I never meant to do that! Then I found out I was your soul mate and for a moment it was absolute bliss, but then you were so mad at me and all I could think about was how you deserve someone so much better then me! But I do love you Chad! I always have and I always will! I'm so sorry!" Rei said quickly as pulled herself closer to him. Chad smiled as he listened to her apology. She had just told him everything he needed to hear. He pulled away slightly and lifted her chin so she was looking up at him.
"Rei, you know I will always love only you. There could never be anyone better then you for me. We're perfect for each other and no one else would make me as happy as you do." Chad whispered to her. Tears started rolling down Rei's cheeks.
"How can you say that after all I've done to you?" Rei asked, not believing her ears.
"Rei we all make mistakes. Yours was not telling me that you were afraid. But that is another reason why we are so perfect for one another, because I was scared too. I felt the same way you did." Chad confessed. Rei smiled up at him.
"Really?" She asked. Chad nodded.
"But you always seemed so sure of yourself and so sure of our relationship." Rei said.
"That is because I realized I loved you and didn't want to risk hurting you over my fears. I took me a long time to realize that Rei. I don't blame you from taking that same time to figure out what you needed to. Did you figure it out Rei?" Chad asked in a whispered. Rei nodded with a smile.
"I finally figured out the same thing you did. I realized how lucky I am to have you in my life. I love you." Rei whispered as she closed the gap between their lips and kissed him.
"You were right Serenity." Chad thought and then focused everything he had on Rei.
Greg walked slowly towards Ami.
"What am I supposed to say? What if I say the wrong thing? What if she's mad at me for not telling her the truth sooner? Or what if…she really does prefer Darien to me?" Greg thought as he stopped walking.
"Oh god…" Greg whispered. He looked around him, trying to find an escape. It was then that he saw Rei and Chad hugging and whispering to each other. He smiled slightly.
"If Chad can do it, I can do it." Greg started walking again, this time with his head held high. He walked towards the garden, where he had last seen Ami.
"Ami?" Greg called into the labyrinth of flowers. As he turned the corner he heard her sobbing. He quickly ran towards the source of the sound and found Ami sitting in a corner with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting on her knees. He ran forward and wrapped his arms around her.
"Ami! Ami…stop crying." Greg whispered as he gently rocked her. Ami turned in his embrace so she was facing him.
"I'm…I'm so…sorry" Ami choked out. Greg shushed her and rocked her in his arms. They sat there surrounded by cherry blossoms as Ami's sobs slowly settled down. Greg remained silent, wishing he didn't have to speak. This moment was precious to him, as he couldn't remember the last time they had just held each other. He looked over at Ami who had her head buried in his shoulder. He knew he had to ruin this. He knew that he needed answers.
"Ami?" Greg whispered. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. One look in her eyes and he knew she would rather avoid the subject. He almost smiled. That was his Ami, always trying to avoid conflicts with other people. Her eye also told him that she knew he needed to talk to her about it and was willing to answer all his questions.
"Why?" Greg asked quietly. He looked away for a minute.
"I mean, what is it about him that made you want to be with him instead of me?" Greg asked. Ami shook her head and took his hands in hers.
"Greg…I always wanted to be with you! It's just the sailor scout business. So much of my time is focused on keeping watch on the city, using my computer to search the city and I was so frustrated that I couldn't share such a huge part of my life with you! When we found out Darien was Tuxedo Mask, I finally had someone who could comment on my theories, or help me come up with a strategy…as you probably know when the girls get together nothing gets done." Ami paused for a minute, smiling slightly. It disappeared as soon as she began talking again.
"I hated keeping such a big secret from you. You would comment on how tired I was one day, or ask me why I spent so much time typing on my little computer and I felt terrible knowing I had to lie, keep you at arms length so you would never learn the truth. Then I realized how much I loved you, which just made it worse. You deserved someone who could give you everything they had. Someone who you could trust…not someone who was keeping life altering secrets. But I couldn't bring myself to break up with you…I was too selfish! I wanted you to be mine and only mine! I wanted you to trust me with your deepest darkest secrets even though I couldn't tell you mine!" Tears began to dampen Ami's eyes as her voice began to shake. Greg pulled her to him again.
"Oh Ami! I wish I had told you sooner that I was Zoisite! But I didn't know how you would react! I mean, I never seemed to have you're full attention, though now I know why. I never knew…" Greg voice dropped to a whisper.
"I never knew…that you loved me. Did you realize that you'd never said it before?" he whispered. Ami shook her head as she blushed.
"No…but I do. I have since the beginning. I just…I couldn't…it didn't feel right…I was still holding back so much…" Ami said lowering her head. Greg smiled, lifting her chin.
"But now everything's out in the open. That means there's nothing left for you to hold back, correct?" Greg asked. Ami nodded slowly.
"Then there's no reason why you shouldn't feel uncomfortable about hearing how much I love you! This has been difficult for both of us Ami…our relationship from the beginning has been full of lies and deceit, from both of us. But if you're willing to I would like to try again, only this time everything is out in the open and I promise I'll never keep anything from you again." Greg whispered his promise. Ami smiled as she hugged him.
"Of course I want to be with you! And I won't keep anything from you either. I'm so glad that you know!" Ami said. Greg pulled away from Ami.
"Well now that I do, I'm anxious to hear some of these theories that you have about the heart snatchers. I was thinking that the talismans might be…"
"Greg…" Ami interrupted.
"Yes Ami?" Ami smiled.
"Shut up." She commanded as she pulled his head down and kissed him.
"Hmm…I could get used to this." Greg thought as he smiled into their kiss.
Ken walked slowly towards Lita. He looked around him, smiling as he saw Greg and Ami kissing by the garden. He looked back towards Lita.
"Shit…she's going to be pissed." He thought and slowed his walk even more. His head snapped up.
"Hey…she's the one who was ditching me! I'm the one who should be pissed!" Ken thought angrily and sped up.
"But I knew her secret and didn't tell her. Plus I kept my identity from her. We're best friends before anything else. She's probably mad I didn't tell her." Ken again slowed his walk to a crawl. He stopped and shook his head at how ridiculous he was being.
"Come on! This is Lita we're talking about! Sure I kept a big secret from her, but she kept one from me too! How angry could she possibly be?" Ken thought to himself as he walked up behind her. He waited for a minute.
"I guess she didn't hear me." Ken frowned as he tapped Lita on the shoulder. It wasn't until he was flying over her shoulder that he realized that it hadn't been the best idea. He landed hard on his back, winded.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Ken asked angrily. He got to his knees, still struggling to breathe and looked up at Lita.
"Didn't you know it was me?" Ken asked. Lita growled.
"Of course I knew it was you. That's why I flipped you!" She shouted angrily.
"Ok…she's can be really, really angry!" Ken thought, answering his own question. She walked away from him staring into the forest.
"How could you keep something like this from me?" She asked. Ken began to get angry.
"I had every right to! Besides you did the exact same thing!" Ken yelled. Lita turned frustrated.
"That was for your own protection Ken! If you had found out, they could have come after you! Or knowing you, you'd have followed me to a battle! You could have been killed!" Lita screamed back. Ken took a step closer to her.
"Don't you realize I did it for the same reason? If they knew about who I was and how important you are to me…what would stop them from coming after you when you were alone?" Ken asked. Lita shook her head.
"They could do the same thing to you!" Lita pointed out, screaming.
"I can take care of myself!" Ken answered in a growl.
"And what? I can't? Ken if only you'd told me! It would have made everything easier! I wouldn't of had to sneak around behind you're back, or worry you might follow me when I disappeared! All those times when I desperately needed to talk to you, for you to hold me…I wouldn't have had to avoid you so you didn't ask what was wrong! I wouldn't have had to lie!" Lita whispered, turning from him.
"Lita…please look at me." Ken whispered, walking up behind her. She turned around to face him and he could tell she was fighting hard not to cry. He put his arms around her and pulled her close.
"Lita…I'm sorry. I just didn't know how you would react to finding out I was your soul mate! I mean look how long it took us to take the step from being friends to having a relationship. This was still so new to us! Plus that whole thing with Darien…" Ken trailed off. Lita kissed him softly.
"Darien was never anything more then a friend. I just needed someone to talk to when I couldn't talk to you…you know someone who understood what I was going through with the Negaverse. We just grew closer because of it. He was always there when we needed to plan or when I needed back up in a fight. I never meant to make you feel like you weren't as important as he was…it was just that at the time I felt like he understood me better then you did." Lita explained looking towards the ground.
"Well you were right." Lita looked up at him.
"What?" she asked. Ken smiled.
"He did know more about you. I wouldn't have been able to help you the way Darien did. I didn't understand that's all. If I had known that was what it was about I never would have been so hesitant towards telling you my secret. But now I hope you realize that I would accept that excuse anymore. So if you're really planning on leaving me for Darien you should let me know now!" Ken joked with a wink. Lita giggled. She hugged him tightly and sighed.
"You know, you shouldn't have been afraid of telling me about the soul mate thing. I had the feeling we were something more then just a regular couple from the beginning." She kissed him again and pulled away.
"Come on! Now that we know who we are, we're going to have to watch our backs! Plus you're martial arts looked a little rusty when I saw you fighting yesterday! We've got to refresh your memory!" Lita said smiling as she took her fighting stance. Ken grinned back.
"Fine, but I hope you know I won't take it easy on you." Ken laughed as he attacked.
Andrew sat on the ground with his legs crossed, playing with the grass in front of him. He slowly looked around him, smiling as he watched his friend's talking or in Lita and Ken case, fighting playfully. He threw a glance at Mina who was still sitting on a bench by a tree, her head in her hands. Andrew desperately wanted to walk over to where she was, take her in his arms and tell her everything would be ok. He sighed as he looked towards the ground again.
"You know that's the last thing she wants right now…" He thought to himself. So he silently continued to sit, patiently waiting for Mina to come to him. He looked over at Darien who was listening to Luna explain what he had to do.
"Damn…Darien doesn't deserve this. I mean sure he was a huge asshole, but he doesn't deserve to have to do this again! Damn it those two have been through so much! It's almost as if nothing could ever tear them apart." Andrew thought as he watched the couple in awe.
"I can only wish Mina and I could have a relationship like that." He thought as he continued to watch Darien and Serena together. Luna finished explaining the situation to Darien and walked away silently. A slight smile came to Andrew's lips as he watched Darien pull Serena to him and whisper that everything was going to be ok. Serena looked up at him and smiled, nodding her head slightly. Darien smiled in return and kissed her gently.
"Ahem…" was the sound that caught Andrew's attention. He looked up and saw Mina following his gaze. She smiled slightly as she sat down.
"They're absolutely perfect for each other, don't you think?" Mina asked. Andrew nodded.
"I'll like to hit him for almost ruining it…" Andrew whispered. When he realized what he said he looked up at Mina in shock. She just smiled sadly.
"I'm sure Serena is saying the same thing about all of us." Mina sighed as she looked towards the ground.
"Look I want to thank you…" Mina trailed off.
"For giving you more time to think…no problem." Andrew finished for her. Mina nodded.
"And I'm sorry for…"
"Ignoring me? It's ok…I know you didn't mean to." Andrew said quietly.
"It's just that…I was…I was…" Mina stuttered.
"Scared?" Andrew offered quietly. Mina stood up.
"Will you stop that?" Mina yelled. Andrew looked up in shock.
"Stop what?" Andrew asked in surprise. Mina turned around frustrated.
"Stop finishing my sentences!" Mina growled. Andrew shook his head.
"I'm…sorry. I didn't realize I was. I just wanted you to know that I knew how you felt." Andrew said as he slowly stood. Mina threw her hands into the air.
"How could you possibly know how I fell Andrew?" Mina asked. Andrew smiled slightly, in spite of himself.
"I'm your soul mate remember?" He asked.
"No you're not! I'm only sixteen! I don't have a soul mate! Ok I'll admit…I've always dreamed of being like Serena and meeting my one true love…but…but that can't be you. Not yet!" Mina yelled.
"Why the hell not?" Andrew yelled back, hurt by what she said.
"I'm only sixteen!" Mina said again.
"Right now I'm supposed to be flirting around with the boys at school, while I'm dating three other guys! I'm not supposed to fall in love yet!" Mina continued to rant. Andrew tried to keep his temper in check, listening to what she was saying.
"Listen Mina…I understand what you're going through…" Andrew started.
"No you don't Andrew!" Mina interrupted. Finally Andrew had had enough.
"What makes you think so? Why don't you believe that I might have had doubts too?" Andrew yelled back. Mina looked at him in shock.
"I mean there I was so completely in love with Rita, or so I thought, and one day you walk into the Arcade with Serena and BAM! You were all I could think about!" Andrew yelled, struggling to calm down, but failing.
"Like you said, you're only sixteen and here I was, a twenty year old, infatuated with you. Everyone thought that Rita and me broke up because she went to Africa. Well the truth is that she went to Africa because we broke up, because I told her I'd fallen in love with someone else. I'd finally admit to myself that I loved you. Then I took on this form permanently after you and the scouts defeated Baryl and I, and I started remembering everything that happened on the moon and Serena tells me that we're soul mates! I'll admit…I reacted the exact same way that you did! But then we starting going out…and I'm not afraid to tell you that I've never been as happy as I am when I'm with you Mina. I have no doubts about anything anymore." Andrew finished, in a whisper. Mina was still in shock.
"You…you really dumped Rita because of me?" She asked quietly. Andrew nodded.
"It was our last date before she decided to go to Africa. We were kissing and I called her 'Mina'." Andrew said as he blushed. Mina giggled.
"You didn't?" Mina asked laughing. Andrew blushed even more.
"Well I'm glad you think it's funny cause I certainly didn't…and neither did she. When I took her home, she called to tell them she would go to Africa and we broke up the next time we went out." Andrew whispered, remembering how awkward that date had been. Mina smiled slightly and walked up to him, wrapping her arms around him.
"Andrew…I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I just knew at this…you're the first boyfriend I've ever had and the fact that I fell in love with you so quickly scared me. I know though, that I do love you and that we can find a way to make this work." Mina said as she looked up at him. He smiled.
"You're right! We will make this work."
"But for now…can we just take things slowly? Take things as they come?" Mina asked quietly. Andrew nodded.
"We'll take things as slowly as you want. I just want to be with you Mina." Andrew said softly.
"I know…I want to be with you too." Mina whispered before she kissed him.
"Thank you." She whispered as Andrew held her close to him.
Darien stood off to the side, watching his friends with their girlfriends.
"Way to go guys!" Darien whispered softly. He then looked down at the blonde sleeping, in his arms. He pulled her closer to him and after one more glance at the four happy couples, he turned and began to walk back to his apartment. After the fifteen-minute walk, he laid Serena gently on his bed. He grabbed the phone and prepared to call both his boss and his professors. He gently entwined his fingers with Serena's, making sure not to wake her up, but also making sure they were touching. Luna had explained the importance of making sure he was always with Serena, so he quickly made up a story to explain his future absence from both school and his shifts at work. Fortunately his professors were willing to e-mail their favourite student the notes from all the lectures he was sure to miss. His boss; however, was not as kind. He calmly told Darien that if he didn't come in for his shift, he would fire him. So Darien quit. He placed the phone down on his desk and lay down on the bed beside Serena, wrapping his arms around her. He laid there in silence, studying her face.
"I'm so sorry." He whispered to her sleeping form. He gently placed his hand on her cheek, caressing her face.
"This is all my fault! I was such a jerk to you! How can you forgive me so easily?" Darien continued to whisper, tears flooding his eyes.
"I can't believe I almost lost you. I don't know what I would do if you'd died. God Serena I love you!" Darien cried in a whisper, pulling her sleeping body closer to his. He gently kissed her lips.
"I love you so much!" He whispered as he cried.
"Endymon?" A voice came from the door. Darien lifted a hand, quickly wiping away any trace of tears and called for the person to come into the room. He smiled when he saw who walked into the room.
"Hold on one second! I'll wake Serena and then we'll talk in the living room." Darien whispered to them. The visitors smiled and walked out the door. Darien turned back to the woman in his arms and shook her gently.
"Serena? Come on…Wake up love. I have a surprise for you." Darien coaxed her. Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him.
"I wasn't asleep." She answered quietly and kissed him softly. Darien's jaw dropped.
"You…you heard…everything?" He asked. Serena nodded.
"Did you see who was at the door?" Darien asked. Serena frowned and shook her head. Darien smiled.
"Then I still have a surprise for you. Can you stand on your own or do you need me to carry you?" Darien asked as he pulled her to her feet gently.
"No…I think can manage." Serena said softly as they slowly made their way to the door. Darien had his arm wrapped around her waist for support and opened the door with his other hand. Serena stepped through the doorway and looked into the living room. She stopped walked when she saw who was waiting for her.
"Oh my god." She gasped.
Author Note: Ok so it's not much of a CliffHanger!! You probably all know who it is but I thought it was a good place to end! So let me know what you think of this chapter and I'll get the next one out as soon as I can!! Thanx for reading!! Later Days!!