ATTENTION READERS: THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO THOSE WHOSE LIVES WERE FOREVER CHANGED BY THE SENCELESS ACTS OF VIOLENCE THAT TRANSPIRED ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. MAY THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHOSE LIVES WERE LOST REST IN PEACE AND FOR THE FAMILIES LEFT BEHIND, MAY THEY FIND SOLACE IN GOD'S LOVING EMBRACE.
Thank you to everyone that has patiently waited for this chapter. I'm so sorry for the delay, but I have been on vacation and working on another story 'Homicide: The Death of Serena'. I also hope you are reading my other story 'Tangent in the Future' Well I hope all of you enjoy this installment and REWIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!! Thanks!!!! And now without further ado…
Can Love That's Lost Be Found
By Crystaldove
Chapter 8
Slowly Raye opened her eyes and let the tears run down her face. She was visibly shakened and mentally drained. Darien was resting so she called the others out of the room.
"Raye are you ok?"
"No…I'm not, but I will be alright in a bit."
"Did you find out anything?"
"I found out many things and we have a lot of work ahead of us. Darien is a very complex person and he is dealing with a lot of past issues. We need to get him to understand that his parents death wasn't his fault."
"He believes that his parents' death was his fault? But he was just a child."
"I know Amy, but he wasn't no ordinary child. He always dreamed of his past, even if he didn't understand it. In his mind, he could have done something. So since he didn't, he punished himself and repressed his memories of them."
"His amnesia is the result of his own will…he made himself forget."
"So what do we do now?"
"We have to help him to believe in himself and accept his total destiny."
"Uh Raye…this 'is' the stubborn Prince of the Earth, the very one that didn't tell us who he was when we first met him."
"The same one who told us he was an enemy."
"The one reduced Serena to a deaf/mute because he was afraid of hurting her."
"The one that loves her to the depths of his being."
The girls turned around to see a very timid and exhausted Darien standing in the doorway.
"Darien…what are you doing up? You should be resting."
"I had another nightmare. I couldn't sleep when I kept seeing Serena with tears in her eyes."
"How much did you hear Darien?"
"I heard everything Lita."
"Oh Darien, I'm so sorry…I didn't realize what you were going through. But I understand your motives. I know how it feels to blame yourself for a death that couldn't be prevented. I lost my parents in an accident too. I think now that if I went with them, I could have absorbed the lightening that hit their plane. I could have saved them…but then I wouldn't have been there to save Serena from that car. I couldn't have used my powers to destroy Nephlite. And I wouldn't know what true friendship is…I would be lost."
Darien walked over to Lita she had begun to cry softly and embraced her.
"Boy look at me, I'm supposed to be helping you and I'm the one that ends up in tears; how embarrassing."
"No Lita, at least you can cry and understand. At least you can remember them, I don't."
"But you can Darien. Your memories are waiting for you to reunite with them."
"Raye, you said that like his memories have their own personality or something. Even I know that isn't possible."
"I am so glad that Serena isn't a real blonde." Raye muttered. "Darien, you suppressed your memories…and your childhood as well. Those events produced a guardian of sorts…a child, a little boy named Mamoru."
"Mamoru…protector of what?"
"Your memories and childhood. In his own way, he made the rest of your childhood bearable. He was the hope that you would get out of that situation and kept you sane."
"With a blank canvas…I couldn't miss what I didn't remember."
"It also brought the memories of your past life to the forefront."
"I used to dream of her when I was a child…I would have the most fantastic dreams about enchanted lands, magic and life on other planets. The teachers thought I had an overactive imagination. The orphanage psychiatrist diagnosed my daydreaming as escapism from that 'life' I had there. I told them I would see a beautiful silver-haired girl in my dreams…a princess whose aura glowed like the gentle rays of moonlight that peered through my window. Her voice was beautifully sweet and gentle as a breeze, just like Serena's is now; that is when she wasn't being teased my me. She was always in my dreams, always telling me that I wasn't alone…that she was waiting for me to find her. So imagine my surprise when I first saw Serena sitting on one of the park benches feeding the birds. I couldn't believe my eyes, there sat a girl who looked like the princess in my dreams. Unlike the princess, she was attainable, approachable…real, but I couldn't think of a thing to say to her. After all those years of wishing, I thought I would have known what to say. So after weeks of watching and following her…I got hit in the head with a test paper; an event that changed me forever. I forgot about the family I didn't remember; forgot I was a lonely orphan. Seeing her everyday filled me with joy…Serena became all the family I ever needed."
While Darien was speaking, he had slid to the shrine floor. The girls listened to his speech with sorrowful hearts and even the cats shed some tears. Mina looked at everyone and smiled through her tears; her sudden change in expression was sensed by Raye and she also understood.
"Darien do you know what you have to do to get Serena back?"
"No, but I'll do anything."
"That's good, cause you may have too. She is in a fragile state and she's unsure of herself. Your division of her and Serenity has made her dislike her past…"
"But before you try to get her back…" Raye interrupted Mina. "You need to come to terms with your past…with Endymion and Mamoru."
"What do you mean, I know that I was Endymion."
"No, you 'are' Endymion. Darien you are the culmination of your past. The things you've experienced while you lived as the prince and the childhood you have regressed have made you what you are today. What you need to do is to accept that both people, if that's how you want to address them, are you."
"Huh?"
"What Amy means is this Lita. Think of Darien as a three-piece suit. Endymion is the vest, Mamoru is the jacket and Darien the pants. The pants can stand alone, but without the pants, the rest of the suit is incomplete."
Everyone in the room blinked a few times and slowly looked at Mina. Amy whipped out her computer while Raye went to find a thermometer. Lita joined Darien on the floor and Luna went to find some smelling salts for the fainted Artemis. After a few minutes, Artemis slowly sat up.
"I can't believe it. Not only did Mina understood what Amy was saying, she gave a simple comparison using a suit."
"Hey! I understand more things besides love. There are clothes, volleyball and boys…especially boys."
"So why don't you have a boyfriend?"
"Because, you have to try on 'all' the shoes before you buy a pair!"
(Visualize the sweatdrop here)
"Nothing beats that blonde logic."
Raye said sarcastically while rolling her eyes. Mina's comment did cause Darien to smile slightly and everyone else to relax. They are friends and planetary warriors…all they needed was the jubilant smile and laughter of Serena.
While everyone tried to help Darien with his insecurities, Serena spent most of the afternoon at home.
'It's too quiet. I haven't heard from the others all day. Event Luna has disappeared. But then, I haven't been the most talkative person lately. I would tell them how I feel, but they wouldn't understand. Mina might, but I don't want to risk her telling the others. I thought I would be better now. I thought I could live one day without thinking about Darien. It's hopeless, even when I thought he was my enemy, I thought of him constantly. No, I need to quit! I'm not the only person that has experienced heartbreak. I have to be strong…even if we were soulmates… Stop it Serena! I'm not that weakling I used to be, I can be strong; if not for myself, then for the others. Rubeus has been quiet lately. I need to run a scan from Central and find out where he is and what is he up to.'
With her thought completed, Serena left a note in case Luna was looking for her and she proceeded to Central Command. The speed of her pace had increased some, but onlookers could still tell that she was deeply troubled. The sun was beginning to set and it caste an ethereal glow on her skin. She still preferred to wear her hair in a long braided ponytail that swayed gently with each step. Once she reached the arcade, she nodded to Andrew who looked at her with a greater meaning of respect. He watched her, as she seemed to disappear behind the popular Sailor V game without the crowd that was surrounding it even noticing. Andrew surmised that her abilities did this. He knew that Darien might be with the others and he sent a small prayer that they would be able to help his best friend and little sister.
"How do I make Serena believe that I love her?"
"You can't make her Darien. She believes that you only love Serenity. It took a long time to convince her of that, I'm not sure how long it's going to take to make her believe otherwise."
"Well I think that Darien needs to prove his love. You told me that you didn't do the things you always wanted to do for her and with her. Now is your chance. You need to romance her, make her feel special and prove to her you love her…not the image seen by a frightened child."
"Mina if I didn't know any better, I would think you caused all this to happen so you would feel important."
"Raye, didn't I tell you that I wasn't going to become your new sparring partner. Don't be jealous because love is something I know about. It's my element like fire is yours. Besides, if I was to do anything intentional, Chad would be serenading you on a nightly basis."
"Huh, why you…he is!! You did that? I'm going to kill you!"
"Opps, did I say that out loud? Now Raye, we are in a sacred place remember? I don't think your Grandpa would like you redecorating the temple with your temper. Lita help me!"
The blond love expert dodged Raye's charge and practically swung on Lita's arm. Amy just stood in shock while the cats tried to stop the impending murder. Mina used Lita as a barrier while Raye continued to swing her fists. The commotion caused Lita to stumble and knock Mina into a stand that held the Hino family sacred katana. It slid off it's rack and plummeted towards the mats. All the girls raced to catch it and in the process tumbled upon each other.
"Raye, uhh, I am soooo sorry. I did something really bad didn't I?"
"Get off of me!! That was my families' sword. It belonged to my grandfather's great-grandfather. It has been passed down and would go to my children. It…"
"Isn't broken." Spoke a bewildered Amy. "It's just floating in the air."
The girls got up from the pile and stared at the katana that was floating over the stand. The stand slowly righted itself and the broken rack pieced itself together.
"It's haunted!!! Let me out of here!"
"Mina!"
"Oww…Amy? What did you hit me for?"
"Because, it is highly illogical that ghosts exist here and besides, I doubt if they did they wouldn't be fixing furniture."
Before the girls astonished eyes, the katana floated to Darien and he removed it from its sheath.
"It was you, wasn't it Darien?"
"Yes, I caught it."
"Levitation? How long could you do this?"
"For a while. But I'm not good at it and can only lift light things. If I do it too long, I get a massive headache."
"All you need is the right concentration technique. I can show you some exercises that can increase your duration and strength in that area. Darien, is there anything else you can do?"
"I don't know really?"
"Hmm, I can control all the attributes of Mars, as the rest with their planets. Darien, you should be able to do the same. Your are the Prince of Earth. Come on girls…lets help Darien train.
End chapter
I know, I know short chapter. Yeah, after almost two months I submit this. I didn't realize until last night how long ago I submitted the last chapter. We are not at the nearing the climax of this story. It should be as the max four more chapters. Again, I am sorry for the wait and I hope you are reading my other stories, 'Tangent in the Future' and my newest submission 'Homicide: The Death of Serena' Thanks for reading! Please Review! Ja!
Dove
