Chapter 10 - The Professor's Questions

Renee woke up slowly, confused about her surroundings at first. She looked around the dim room that was ironically filled with old antique lamps covered with cloths. Only Hotaru had this many lamps. She got up and walked to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror.

"Who am I anymore?" Renee didn't see herself but a sad and broken hearted Serena with tears in her eyes. But it was Renee who had spoken. Renee watched in horror and spoke the words that Serena had spoken earlier that day. She unable to control herself and all she could do is listen and watch as Serena slit her wrists and neck.

She watched as Serena slid down the wall as if she was there and she began to feel weak. She grabbed for the sink to try and hold her self up but it was no use. She slid to the floor just as Trista walked in and the image in the mirror slowly faded.

"Renee are you ok?" Trista asked as she got a wet cloth and pressed it against Renee's forehead.

"Serena loves Darien and Darien loves her. They are my parents and I don't care what anyone tells me or them." Renee said very proudly and stood up on her still weak and shaking legs.

"Renee I'm sorry but that's not the way things are." Trista said.

"I don't believe you! I lived in the future! I am the future and I know who my parents are!" Renee stormed out of the bathroom leaving a stunned Trista alone. She looked at her self in the mirror and thought, 'Maybe this is wrong. Poor Renee…even if you weren't my daughter I cared for you as if you were and I hate seeing you hurt.' The reflection is the mirror changed to the eviler form of Trista who scowled at her. "You can make her happier fool! Remember how Serena banished you and she took your prince and your future. Renee is your future daughter! You will be the one to make her happy!' Trista eye's glowed in a dark burgundy and then faded and Trista put on another smile. "Yes," Trista said to her self in confidence, "I will make her happy and live happily ever after with her and my prince." She walked out of the bathroom with this thought and the secret visions of her kingdom with her so called prince and daughter.

Meanwhile, in the basement, Darien was sitting along side his princess. He was to scared to touch her. He couldn't stand the thought of hurting her again…he couldn't trust him self.

"Serena why do this? You still had everything…am I really worth all of this?"

"No you aren't and when she awakes I don't want you anywhere near her." Amara stepped from the shadows and confronted Darien.

"Amara…" Darien really couldn't think of anything to say. She had said everything he was thinking. All he wanted was for her to wake and he was gone. But what if she tried to do it again? Who would watch over her?

"You are a pitiful man you know that right? She gave you everything and yet you want to throw it all away." Amara sat in a chair and placed her hands on the armrests. She seemed tense but she was also calm and planned to listen to his words. She wasn't looking for a fight for once. It was her princess that was in trouble and she was going to find out just what could make her princess want to take her very life for this man.

"Amara it was duty…you read the note." Darien wasn't in the mood to talk about all of this but it was better now than latter and he wanted to do this while Amara was in the listening mood rather than the "I'm gonna deck you mood".

"All that note said was that she was supposed to be with someone else and that you said you were only there to protect her. What kind of crap is that?"

"That is what I was told. Serena is meant to be with someone else."

"What do you mean by 'someone else'? Isn't Renee your daughter?"

"Amara, I don't know… all I was told was we were to love each other so that I would do anything to protect her and now that Chaos has been released she is safe and needs to find the person she is supposed to make the future with…and I guess that person isn't me…" Tears began to fill his eyes and only one escaped in which he wiped away quickly. He would not let his guard down in front of anyone, especially Amara.

"Darien, I have never really liked you much and you know that. Do you want to know why?" Amara said standing up and going over to the sleeping Serena. She held onto Serena's hand. Darien couldn't really speak. "It's because you had the princess and I always felt that you took her for granted." Amara looked at him with eyes that were soft, no longer tom boyish and cold looking but soft and glossed over with tears. "You weren't the only one with a duty to protect the princess. You got lucky, to be allowed to love the princess for so long and to be able to accept her love without any worry. We all love her…I love her… not even some stupid duty could keep back my feelings…even if I wanted to…and once a duty is full filled you shouldn't care…there for, I don't think you deserve her…you let go to easily Chiba." Amara leaned over the princess and kissed her forehead. "Either you love her or you don't, take your pick." Amara left the room.

Trista walked in just as Amara was leaving, her small smirk still on her face. Amara noticed but didn't say anything about it, her mind was other places.

"Darien, I didn't know you were down her." Her smile faded. She looked at Serena. "Princess…" Her heart was racing. She hadn't wanted things to come this far…but what was done was done.

"Trista are you ok?" Darien placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, how about you? How are you handling things?" Trista sat next to him in the chair that Amara had occupied just a while ago.

"It's hard…I don't understand…it was supposed to protect her…" Darien put his face into his hand.

"Darien, don't blame your self. You did what had to be done." Trista placed a hand on his leg.

"Is what has to be done always the best thing? Does duty always come first?" Darien's voice shook. The look he gave Trista sent shivers down her spine. He had this cold look about him; cold and solemn.

Trista closed her eyes and faked a sob. "Darien, I didn't want this ok! This what had to be done. I blame my self more than any of you!" She sobbed into her hands and her hair fell all over her face. Darien lifted her face with a single finger.

"Trista, you were just the messenger. It's not your fault." He whispered in a warm caring voice trying to calm her. Trista looked into his eyes and got a little closer to his face.

"What if I told you I…" Trista was interrupted when professor Tomoe came down into the lab to do more test on Serena.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone else was down here." Professor Tomoe said.

"It's ok, I was just getting ready to leave." Trista got up and walked out of the room silently. Darien once again drawing a total blank. People were telling him so many things and yet, he had no feelings once so ever except for the worry of his princess. Just when he thought he was finally going to get some time to think professor Tomoe began talking to him.

"How are you doing?"

Darien let out a long sigh. "I don't know, I haven't really had any time to think. All I know is that I am worried about Serena and that I feel really confused about a lot of things."

Professor Tomoe sat at his computer and typed a few things. He stopped and was still for a moment. He turned around and faced Darien. "I am a doctor and a professor and I usually ask questions, form a hypothesis, and then find the answer. This is different. I have the answer, but what was the question Darien?"

Darien thought for a long time and when he didn't answer, Professor Tomoe spun his chair back around and began to type at his computer again.

Darien spoke, "I doubted myself. I doubted my strength and her happiness. I doubted the truth in the love that I felt for her." Professor Tomoe stopped typing again and spun back around.

"Sleep Darien. I think that sleep is what you need. Your dreams will show you the answers." Darien nodded and he set up his cot next to Serena.

"Maybe I will be able to help you someway in my dreams. Maybe there we are safe." He kissed her lips and laced his fingers with hers and closed his eyes to fall asleep.

Professor Tomoe left the room and traveled to his bedroom. There he took off his lab coat and changed into something more suitable for sleep. He laid down in his bed and opened a drawer next to him and pulled out a picture. The picture was of himself and a woman. The picture wasn't clear at all and the only way you could tell that the person next to him was a woman was because she had a dress on. You could tell that she had very long slick black hair and that she had an olive tone colored skin but that was all. He face seemed to be blotched out by something…like water had spilt over it or the ink had gotten smeared.

"Everyday my condition is getting worse. Why is that I can't even remember what things were like for you and me? Why can't I remember even your name? Poor Darien, at least he still has his princess, but I lost mine and now I have lost all memories of you and our love. Why? How? People say that I am one of the smartest professors in the world but I can't even diagnose my own condition! I always try to pretend that Hotaru has all of your beauty. Someday, I will see you. When I have accomplished everything and Hotaru is safe, I will join you honey." Professor Tomoe put the picture back in it's spot in his drawer and closed it quietly. He then turned over and fell asleep.