Chapter Twenty Pt.2: Passionate Choices
AN: Okay, it took me a long time to figure out how I wanted this story to end..and I have found the perfect way. Only a few chapters to go. Thank You all for reading and reviewing..you really helping me! I decided to make this chapter slightly longer than the rest just because I made you wait. Enjoy! Oh and warning..some language and umm...a bit of sexual content..but not much and not too detailed.. I'm going to try to explain some stuff that Serena will be doing, but it will be hard. Just think of Tai Chi and the movie House of the Flying Daggers.
Serena was in the courtyard of the shrine with her sword. She wore black shorts and black exercise bra. Her hair was in a simple high pony tail with her two braids hanging out. It was late at night and no one was in the mood to talk. A week ago, Serena had set down her foot and took over completely. Rei was never found in the same room as her, unless it was absolutely necessary. Ami and Sumi got together and started to work out a battle plan using their advance technology. Serena had trained Mina in daily work outs and put her in charge of making sure the Scouts did their end. Miki and Darien had began talking and were now on good terms. Miki dropped hints to Serena that Darien was still in love with her, but she wouldn't pay attention. Seeing the look in his eyes was enough for her to understand what was there and what she couldn't have. That's what led Serena outside tonight. Thought of her old lover was clouding her head. She needed to focus and mediate. The blonde kept telling herself to get over it, but when ever he was around, she was goo. Damn him for being..well..him.
Serena began to move in fast paces with her sword. Picturing him on made her want to hit him with her sword. She imagined him and would cut through the wind. She stopped and took a meditated breath. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. She was calm now and moved as silent and at ease as a cat would. Her arms and legs would sometimes move on their own with such agility. Serena closed her eyes and concentrated on what was at hand. She had to focus on her energy and growing power. At the same time, she was alert of all the events happening around her. Crickets chirping, the cool breeze that flowed all around her, helping her move along with it. There was a scent of cherry blossoms that surrounded the shrine. Then of roses. Serena stopped what she was doing and opened her eyes. She turned around and saw a pair of sapphire eyes watching her with a hunger in his eyes. He smiled when he noticed the heat in her cheeks.
"Your body holds such grace when you move. You really are beautiful, you know that?" He stepped forward.
Serena held her position, standing her ground. Her back went straight, and shoulders squared. Her defense was up and blocking her emotions in. Darien let out a laugh, watching her do so. Serena raised an eye brow.
"What?"
"I know what you are doing, Serena. Believe me, I did it before."
Serena grinned smugly as he came near her. She held up her sword to stop him from coming closer. He looked down at the sword then at her questioningly. Serena poked him and he moved back a step.
"Then you should also know that I'm not letting you come near me."
Darien placed his hands mid-air, as if surrendering to her. He smiled and put his hands down. Serena sat her sword down, and used it to lean on. She wondered what he wanted and why he wouldn't go away.
"I just came out here and saw you. I was wondering what that whole thing was about."
"'that' has a name. It's called Chesna. It's a form of meditation and KENPO. I learned it while training with Miki at the Farfalla Temple...before Kumori came along. It is to calm you, bring you at peace with yourself, and to centralize your instincts...you know..make you more alert of the things around you. If I am to fight with Red Beard again, I need to have my powers in check."
Darien stood there in silent awe. His princess has grown up and matured so much. He looked her up and down. Every detail of her body had changed. Serena started getting nervous under his eyes' watch and cleared her throat. Darien quickly snapped out of his thoughts and met her eyes.
"Is there something you want? If, not I need to get back to what I was doing."
Darien smiled innocently, although his appearance didn't match his thoughts. He shouldn't answer that question, might only make her angrier. He wanted to win her heart back, not have himself killed.
"I-I want you to teach me how to do that..I mean teach me Chesna."
Serena looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. She didn't want to be any where near this Cheshire cat. When he trailed his eyes over her, it made her feel weak in the knees. He always smiled at her with that 'I-know-something-you-don't-know' expression. Although, Master Ajax always told her that if someone was willing to learn, she had no right to deny them. Serena sighed in defeat and lifted her sword up.
"Any sudden moves and I won't be afraid to gut you. Got it?"
Darien nodded happily and took a step forward. She raised her sword again at him. He uttered his disappointment of such distance, but decided that this was as close as he was getting. Serena sat her sword down a few feet away from her, but close enough to reach for it at a moments notice. She then moved to Darien's side.
"First off. Stand your ground. Spread you legs apart from each other. Not too much, maybe an arms length from each other. Your feet should be flat down. At the same time, keep your balance. Bend your knees slightly. If you buckle your knees standing up, you will pass out."
Darien did what she instructed and watched as she got in place. He decided now would be a good time to roll up his sleeves on his white collared shirt. He loosened himself up in his jeans. His socks and shoes had already been removed before, so he didn't have to worry about them. Darien ran a hand through his jet black hair, only for it to fall back in place.
"Okay, now that your settled. Bring you back up, straighten it. But keep yourself comfortable. If you want to slouch a bit, that's okay. Place your arms to your side. Now make fists and raise them to your belt line. Make sure your pinkies are the only ones touching your body."
Serena guided him through the process of "cleansing" his mind. With their eyes closed and practicing their breathing, they started to drift off into their on state of mind. Darien was having a hard time concentrating though. All he thought about was Miki's last words to him, before finding Serena.
"Warriors were taught to never give up. Not unless they are defeated or dead. Serena has become a warrior. The only way to win over her heart is to become a warrior yourself. This way, when you fight, the rules will be the same."
"Why do I want to fight her?"
"To defeat her. Once you have done that, she has no right to hold back any longer. She will know that you love her and want her. Plus you can't deny a winner his prize can you?"
"Can't I just get her roses?"
"Darien."
"Yeah I know...I know. So I have to fight your mother. This should be interesting."
As Darien and Serena moved gracefully into the night. Miki watched, unnoticed and undetected. He smiled at his parents. Softly he whispered. "Go get her, dad." He chuckled and walked away. Darien caught on quick at what he was suppose to do, and within time, Serena was teaching him how to fight...her style.
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The following weeks after that night, Serena had trained Darien immensely. They had their own private lessons, and would only be allowed to work at night. Serena was astonished by his improvements. He was almost as good as her, and when they sparred, he came close to winning. She had forgotten how quick of a study he was. The girls were also doing an excellent job. Training came easily for them because Mina had drilled it into their heads. The weapons were another story. Somehow they just couldn't comprehend anything. Ami was so frustrated that their was something she couldn't grasp onto. Hopefully in battle, they wouldn't weaken and have to use one of their weapons. She prayed they would be strong enough.
One night, Serena was in the courtyard, practicing Chesna. She felt the presence of Darien and stopped immediately. That was another thing that progressed over the weeks. Her and Darien were now able to sense each other where ever they were. They could feel what one felt and thought. It took Serena an enormous amount of time, blocking her thoughts off from Darien. Although he made it quite clear what he wanted and how much. Sometimes it would intoxicate her to where she would have to stop the lesson and leave.
She waited for him to take his place beside her, so they could start. Serena waited a long time, and was wondering why she just stood there. Her back towards him and eyes closed, she concentrated on what he was doing. It seems he had also learned to block of his thoughts. Suddenly she felt two warm and strong arms wrap around her waist. She took in a large breath and tensed up at his touch.
"I love to see you work, Serena."
Darien said in a sooth deep voice that made her have goose bumps. He must have felt them too and chuckled. He pulled Serena closer into his chest and rested his chin on her shoulder. Her eyes were opened now and she was finding it hard to stay so tense.
"Relax, why don't you. You know I won't hurt you."
"I'm not afraid of you hurting me. I can handle my own."
"Then why are you so tense?"
Serena was silent. She left herself unguarded and felt him prying into her thoughts. Searching for something. An answer to his question. Serena closed her eyes wanting to get away, but finding herself unable to move. Her body and her heart went against her mind. Darien pressed his lips against her neck and trailed up to her cheek. He turned her around to face him, but she bowed her head. With one index finger he lifted her eyes to his.
"Serena please come back to me. I love you so much. Let me make you happy again."
Serena had unshed tears in her eyes, as did he. They bent forward and their foreheads touched. She called out his name that sounded almost like a plea. He kissed her forehead and cheeks.
"Serena..."
"Oh Darien. Darien..."
"Yes Serena..."
The blonde lifted her head and met his eyes. She cupped his face with both her hands. He placed his hands on hers and kissed them affectionately. He closed his eyes and rested his head within her hands. In a soft, lovely tone, Serena spoke.
"Do I have the word 'doormat' stamped on my forehead?"
Darien opened his eyes to meet ones with such fire in them and then coldness. She yanked her hands away from his face and pushed herself away. He looked at her like a little lost puppy. She scuffed and placed her hands on her hips.
"I won't allow my thoughts to be clouded by you, Darien. I have a mission and I won't allow you to get in my way. Maybe I was easy to fall in your arms when I was younger, but not now. You have to earn your way back in my good graces."
He was pale in the face, not able to hear her harsh words. She looked at him as if he was filth and then left. He stood there, still, not understanding what just happened. Miki and Mina stood there in the doorway, witnesses of what just happened. Darien brushed passed them in a hurry, a sword in his hand.
"That was bad." Miki said as he turned to Mina.
"Yeah. She might as well have just kicked him in the nuts." Mina commented.
"No. Not that, I mean the way he talked to her. I'm damn, I have a longer vocabulary list than he does."
Mina and Miki were silent before they shared a laugh. They stayed in the doorway, looking out at the night sky. Ever since Darien had came to Miki, asking for help, he and Mina have been trying to get the two together.
"This is going to be a little harder then I thought." Mina said, looking up at the stars.
"Well you can't expect them to fall right back in love do you?" Miki asked as he sat down beside Mina.
"They are already in love. Serena is just being stubborn. If I know one thing about being the Goddess of Love, its that I know soul mates when I see them. Your parents are definitely soul mates. Hey, you wouldn't happen to know when your birthday is do you?"
"Nope. No one ever told me. I wasn't suppose to exists remember?"
"Oh..yeah. Well this bites. I wish I knew how much time I got left?"
Miki shrugged and sighed. The two sat in silence for the rest of the time, wondering about other stuff.
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Darien raced after Serena until they were outside again, only in the front of the shrine. He grabbed a hold of Serena's shoulder and spun her around. She turned violently to him, looking at him as if he were crazy. She noticed that he was angry and had a sword.
"What are you going to do, Darien? Poke me to death?"
"No. I'm going to fight you!"
"Right. You challenging me to a fight..and for what?"
"...your heart..."
Serena raised an eye brow at him before she let out a loud, whole hearty laugh. Darien stood there, getting angrier and she just laughed in his face. He took a step back and just watched as she laughed at him. He narrowed his eyes and swung at her. She moved from side to side to avoid the hit. The wound up making it down the flight of stairs. Darien swinging and Serena laughing and jumping about. She found herself cornered by a tree and leaned on it...still laughing. Darien had enough and threw the sword at her. Serena stopped laughing as the sword made its way only mere inches of her face. She moved and saw that the sword was caught in the tree, which so happened to have a bit of her hair. Serena pulled the sword out of the tree. This time she was serious.
"You threw a sword at me." she said calmly, fiddling with the sword.
"You wouldn't listen to me." he reasoned
"You threw a sword at me." she stated calmly, this time walking towards him.
"You wouldn't shut up. You only continued to laugh." He said walking backwards.
"You...threw...a...SWORD...at ME!" She yelled. This time, she was the one that started to swing at him. He moved, as she did before, trying to avoid the pointy end of the weapon. From inside, everyone heard the two yelling. The crew members walked out with freshly made pop corn and sat on the steps of the shrine. The Scouts and Miki walked out.
"Just like old times." Lita announced.
(If you know the song "Is this Love" by Ayumi Hamsaki then you should play it while reading this scene. I sorta got the thought by listening to the music)
By this time, Darien had brought out his own sword (you know the one that Endymion gets out of thin air when he wants to fight. That's what he did) and started defending himself. The crew members started taking bets. Out of the fifteen people, and two cats, the odds were favoring Serena. They began to start cheering the fighting couple.
On the ground, the two were consumed in their dueling. Clashing of swords and grunts were all that was heard from them. They fought beautifully between each other, almost as if they were doing a lover's dance for warriors. Both wanted to win, and losing wasn't an option. They used their techniques from practice against each other. Swords sliced the air as a thin sheet of paper and up again, to find it's opponent. The couple would even bring in moves of their own and surprise each other. One in fact, Serena did, impressed the crowd at the shrine. She had ran, as if to get away from Darien. She would have him think she was cornered again by the tree, only to walk up it, flip in the air, and land behind him. The strikes became harder and faster as the two try to outdo the other. Sweat was falling off of their foreheads and arms. Their cheeks were flushed and lungs burned from deep breathing. Yet, there was no stopping. No hesitation. They fought long and hard for some time. The Scouts and some of the crew members had left during this time. Only Miki, Sumi, and Mina were left.
In the end, Serena wound up tripping backwards on a tree root and falling. Darien took this chance to pounce on her. He raised her arms above her head, as she did to Rei earlier, and watch her struggle. The three watching sighed and left, now that the fight was over.
"Stop it, Serena. I won."
"Forget it. I won't give up. I won't let you win!"
"I already have."
"Think again."
Serena used the base of her sword and smashed one of Darien's hands. He let go immediately and gave her the chance to grab his sword. She flipped him over, so that now she was on top of him. With both swords, she slammed them in the dirt, having them cross between where his neck was. The two, now that they weren't fighting anymore, took the time to catch their breaths. Serena looked down at him with angry eyes.
"I...never...lose..."
Then she was gone, with both swords at hand. Darien laid there for some time, holding his hand that she had smashed. It was numb and swollen. He made his way to his room and doctored it up. He wrapped a white bandage around it and soaked it in cold ice water, after taking a shower. In his room, he sat on the bed, with his hair slicked back and only shorts on. He held his hand in place and thought about the events of the day.
Suddenly he heard his door being slid open. He expected it be Miki, coming in to see how he was doing. When he looked up, he saw a blonde figure in the doorway. He stiffened up and sat straight, having an annoyed expression on his face.
"Come to gloat have you?" he asked rudely.
Serena stood in his doorway, before moving in. She shut his door quietly and tip toed her way over to him. As she came into the lamp's dim light, he saw that she was wearing a large white cotton robe. Her hair was wet and hung down, clinging to her face. It was then, he realized that she must've just got out of the shower. Serena made her way towards him, till she was standing in front of him. She looked nervous and out of place. Finally she spoke, noticing his hand.
"I didn't hurt you too much did I?"
"Huh? Oh, no. It's just bruised. It will be good as new in a few days."
"That's good."
She looked around, trying to find anything interesting enough to get her mind to focus. Darien was getting impatient and decided to cut this visit short. He sighed loudly, which got Serena's attention. She studied him and then moved closer to him. Darien scooted back a little, getting ready for anything Serena was going to do. She hesitated again, before moving.
"Serena, what are you doing?"
The blonde got closer, and then moved on him, where she was now straddling Darien. He went wide eye as she leaned in close. Her lips touched him softly, as if they weren't even there. He felt them quivering as well as the rest of her. Darien leaned his head up and met her lips. At first they only pecked, testing each other out. Soon, their kiss developed eve more, as the inner passion took over. Darien wrapped one of his arms around her waist, and the other cupped the back of her head. He closed his eyes and felt like he needed to memorize every thing about her. Her lips were sweeter and as innocent as he remembered them to be. He pushed her toward him, where their pelvises fit together. Darien gradually made his way down on the bed, enveloped in his angel's kisses. He turned their bodies to the side, so as to not disturb their kiss, as he made his way on top of her. After a while, his lips went from her mouth to her neck. Darien untied the rope of her robe and tossed it down. He opened her robe and allowed his hands to roam. A thought occurred to him, even though he tried to push it away, it remained. Finally he stopped what he was doing, against his will and hers. Darien looked down at her.
"Serena, we don't have to do this."
"I want to Darien. I've wanted to for so very long."
He smiled at her answer and began kissing her again. While the two were in there, Miki and Mina stood a few feet from the door. They looked up at each other and chuckled. The two shook hands and went back to bed.
AN: Okay that is all I can give you for now. I promise to have the next chapter up, maybe in a day or two. Please Review and tell me what you think!
