Note at the bottom

Can Love That's Lost Be Found?

By Crystaldove

Chapter 14

"Serena can I talk to you?"

She looked up from her perch and saw Darien standing behind her.

"I'm not in the mood for another emotional rollercoaster from you Darien. I know I am at a public place, but I would like to be left alone."

"I'm not here to try to force you to do something you're not ready for…I just want to tell you something."

Serena sighed and turned weary eyes to directly face him.

"I'm listening…"

Darien took a seat by her on the fountain and exhaled deeply.

"Before I begin, I want you to know that I didn't mean to hurt you. What I did was in your best interest. I needed to distance myself from you…I thought being with you would have caused your death… just like I caused the death of my parents."

"Darien, don't try to make a fool of me. Even I know that they died in a car accident."

"I told you there was an accident, yet, I didn't tell you why it happened."

"How could you? You lost your memory after that. Look Darien…" She said gathering her things. "You don't have to relieve these painful memories in the name of confessing your past to me. If you wanted me to know about you, you would have told me long before now."

Darien had gathered the courage and if she left, knew he would never tell her.

"I didn't lose my memory because of the accident, I made myself forget!"

"What?"

"I need to tell you what happened that day. Please listen to me."

Serena saw the despair in his features. Even though he hurt her…she still loved him more than anything. She hesitantly took a seat beside him.

"It was my sixth birthday. My parents planned on taking me into the city for dinner and a day at the circus. We lived on the outskirts of Tokyo, on the other side of Mt Fuji. To get to town, we had to take the mountain pass. I was sitting in the backseat drawing a picture. My mother was curious as to what I was doing and asked to see it. When she reached for it, a gust of wind blew into the car…the picture hit my father and stuck to his face. My mother reached to take it off, when they noticed a truck…my father swerved but it was too late…"

Serena gasped at his admission, she noticed tears streaming down his face.

"I was distracted him, I should have waited until we stopped. He would have been looking at the road and I wouldn't have lost my parents. So as a punishment to myself, I repressed my memories, created a guardian to protect them. I couldn't live with the guilt, so I didn't deserve the right to know about them."

"Oh Darien…It wasn't your fault, I'm sure of it."

"That's why I hide in the shadows, coming out when I'm sure you need me. I didn't want to be your distraction. So when the dreams came…I knew it was a sign that I was cursed and if I continued being in your life, I would get you killed…just like my parents."

Tears streamed down Serena's face, making it difficult for her to speak.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I wanted you to know the truth…I didn't leave you because of my dreams. I left you because of my guilt. I've been so afraid that I will do the same thing to you that I did to my parents. I won't be responsible for your death."

Darien looked away from what he thought would have been disgust. The pain that wound created plus his guilt from hurting Serena swallowed him up. He got up abruptly…Serena was digesting all that he had told her and turned to comfort him when he got up and ran away."

"Darien…wait."

Darien stopped and turned slightly…and looked back.

"I'm sorry Serena, I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you. I love you too much to let that happen."

Darien continued to walk off and left Serena with her thoughts.

'He's been dealing with this pain all this time…oh Darien, why didn't you tell me? There has to be something I can do for him.'

Serena returned home and ran straight into her fathers' office/study.

"Dad is there any way I can find an old accident report?"

"What type of accident?"

"A car accident. It happened about 14 years ago on the Michiba pass."

"Hmm, I remember that accident. That was my first assignment when I worked at the paper. I have the information right here."

"You did…you do?"

"Yes, why are you asking about it?"

"My…uh 'friend' was in that accident, he was the only survivor."

"That guy is the Chiba kid? I thought he seemed familiar, but he wasn't the only survivor."

"Huh?"

Serena's father was looking in an old box while talking to her. At the statement he pulled up a folder that contained the accident report and some other documents.

"No, the guy driving the truck survived too, he is in jail, but he lived."

Serena was too busy scanning the report to respond to her father. He gathered his things and left her alone.

Child orphaned from fatal car crash

By Ken Tsukino

A six-year boy was orphaned in a crash on Michiba Pass yesterday afternoon. Authorities state that the child's family was traveling east on the pass when they swerved to miss an oncoming westbound 18-wheeler whose driver was under the influence of an illegal substance. The actual cause of the crash was brake failure. The accident ensuing crash could have been prevented if the Sachimo Brake Shop had repaired the break wire of the families automobile as indicated on a receipt found in the glove compartment of the car. Evidence from the crime recreation, showed several attempts to brake from the car as it first tried to avoid the truck and later as it tried to avoid the guardrail in which the car passed through. Further testing show that instead of replacing the brake system in the car, it was reinforced with tar and the line bound with tape. In normal circumstances this would have extended the life of a cars' brakes for another 6 months to a year but in hazardous conditions or repeated forceful braking would have proved faulty…as it did in this accident. The child is now a ward of the state and the Department of Social Services will has chosen to prosecute the driver and the Sachimo Brake shop with vehicular homicide and negligence.

______

Orphaned child has amnesia

By Ken Tsukino

Doctors at Tokyo General have issued a statement concerning the child orphaned in a crash earlier last week. Dr. Kenji stated the child has no memory of the accident and is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. This disorder happens after a traumatic event in someone's life. It can reverse itself after time of prevent some from fully regaining their memory for the rest of their lives. According to Dr. Kenji, "It's best that the boy can't remember what happened to him. It is a difficult time to know that your parents are deceased but even harder when one remembers how they died".

_____

State awards orphaned child inheritance

By Ken Tsukino

This six-year-old boy that was orphaned in the fatal car crash of his parents late last year, has been awarded a settlement from the accident. The now seven-year-old has been living at an orphanage outside of Tokyo since late August. The state sued the Yokohama Transport, the owner's of the 18-wheeler, for failing to issue drug testing on its employees. This is the second accident of driver Toyama Kochi that stemmed from drug use. Since the beginning of the trial, the company unsuccessfully tried to file for bankruptcy, which would have prevented the company from paying this lawsuit, if the state was successful. The state also prosecuted Sachimo Brake shop and it's outside owner The Hanco Corporation. Before the start of the trial, the shop has been closed and the employee responsible for his negligence has been serving time in the local jail. The child has been awarded an undisclosed settlement that will be given to him as a trust on his 17th birthday.

_______

"It wasn't his fault. He's been living with guilt that shouldn't be his…I got to tell him."

Serena ran out of the study fully intent on fabricating some story to get her out of the house. What she didn't know was that her father was passing by the study when he heard her speak. He understood her need to reveal this to Darien, even if he felt the guy was too old for his princess.

"Dad, I've got to uh go to Raye's…"

"No you aren't princess, your going to that Chiba boy's place."

"Dad!"

"It's ok, I know you want him to know what happened to him. I may not like the fact you are friends with someone older than you, but there is nothing I can do to stop it."

Serena reached up and hugged her father.

"Thanks for understanding daddy."

Ken drove Serena to Darien's apartment complex. In his head he noted that he had started receiving his trust since he was living the posh Azuba district.

"Honey, did Darien ever tell you how he could afford this?"

Flash

"Darien, you live in a penthouse? How can you afford this?"

"The people at the orphanage said my parents were wealthy or something…I receive an inheritance from their estate."

End flash

"He said he got an inheritance from the estate. I guess they didn't tell him the truth. Daddy, I'm afraid now, should I tell him."

"How would you feel if someone knew something about you, and didn't tell you?"

"I would feel betrayed, like they weren't my real friends."

"I know it's hard for some to say things they know will cause someone pain, but since they are your friends, they would tell you…no matter what."

"I understand daddy…thank you."

Serena bounded out the car telling her father that Darien would walk her back home. It was dark; she looked up to his apartment and saw a faint light coming from his bedroom. Holding the folder tightly to her chest, she ran up the lobby stairs and caught an elevator to his floor.

Darien was sitting in his bedroom talking to Paladin, who was in his robin form. He told his guardian what happened that afternoon and Paladin reluctantly told Darien the reason why the others never told her the truth.

"They're jealous of her? You're saying, the only reason they were helping me was to somehow make Serena become what she used to be? How was I going to do that?"

"Their hope was with you by her side, there wouldn't be a need for her to be assertive or independent. That she would return to the helpless princess that needed her prince and her guard to save her."

"I can't believe this…I really can't believe this! They didn't want to help her, just find another way to hurt her! And I was apart of it…I hurt her again!"

Darien's tirade was interrupted by a pounding at his door.

"It's almost 10 o'clock…I wonder who this could be…Serena?"

"I'm sorry to bother you this late Darien, but can I come in?"

Darien was so dumbfounded by her appearance, that he didn't notice the tears on her face.

"I've been thinking about what you told me…"

"Don't, you should cause yourself any more pain…"

"I know what really happened Darien and it wasn't your fault."

Before he could disagree she thrusted the folder into his hands.

"Just read this."

Darien opened the folder revealing accident reports and several articles from Serena's father. Knowing she wouldn't do anything to purposely hurt him, he read the contents. Serena went to stand on his balcony and noticed a little robin with her.

"Aren't you the cutest thing? I guess I'm barging in on your rest, but I had to give Darien some privacy."

Back inside the apartment, Darien read over the contents of the folder.

'I didn't cause their death…my father was avoiding the truck because it was in our lane.'

He reread the documents a few times over the course of 30 minutes. Serena got concerned and reentered the apartment. She sat silently beside Darien and waited for him to say anything.

"I went with my dad to get the brakes fixed. The mechanic's name was Ryo…he gave me a lollipop after he finished. He never fixed the brakes…"

"Darien?"

"Why Serena, why must I be the one to lose those I love?"

"You haven't lost everyone."

"Who do I have?"

"You have me…"

End chapter

I WILL NOT UPDATE THIS STORY UNTIL MY REVIEW COUNT IS OVER 100! YOU GET THAT PEOPLE, I WANT OVER 20 REVIEWS FOR THESE TWO CHAPTERS!

I know that some of you are like where did she get that info from in chapter 13, but I changed the background to make a viable reason for the others' secrecy. I hope you don't flame me for that and please review.

Dove