Disclaimer: Don't own Sailor moon
Hope
"I am the flower waiting to bloom, I am the caterpillar waiting in its cocoon, and I am a work in progress"
Serena looked around the room, her head dazed and dizzy. She looked next to her to see an empty spot in the bed. She held her forehead again so that the room would stop spinning before she stepped out of bed and slipped on Darien's white slippers. She walked off balance to the bathroom only a few feet away from her. She turned on the faucet before coughing a loud raspy cough. She looked down at the crystal clear water than glimmered in the sink from the dawns light as she splashed it in her face. She then pulled down a beige towel from the rack to dry off her face. When her face was no longer wet, she looked into the mirror to see her mascara running along with her eye liner and chapped lips. She licked her lips to take away the dryness and then pulled down the bottom of her eye to look inside of it.
'I look like complete shit' she thought as she threw the towel at the mirror before walking away.
As she walked down the long hall way in Darien's house, she could smell the warm aroma of fresh cooked eggs and bacon in the air. She followed the scent, yet she had no pleasant look on her face from the smell, just hunger in her belly, and numbness in her heart and mind. She entered the kitchen of granite countertops and stainless steal appliances to see Darien over the stove cooking the last bit of bacon in a greasy pan. Rei sat at the table reading the newspaper for a proper job while drinking coffee, before she looked up to notice Serena standing there with her eye liner running and her hair still frizzy and damped from the night' rain.
"Good morning Serena" Rei said as she got up with her car keys. Darien looked over at Serena and smiled, but Serena did not return the loving gesture, she only stood there like the ghost of a girl instead of a living human being with emotions. Rei also smiled but her smile faded when Serena's blank expression hit hers.
"Well, Darien I'll be back later this afternoon" She said while walking out the kitchen to where Serena was standing. She crinkled Serena's long blonde hair in her hand before kissing her on the cheek.
"Call me if you need anything" Rei said with a slight smile before leaving.
"Breakfast is ready if your hungry" Darien said as Serena walked over slowly over to the table as the warm plates of food sat with steam coming from them.
"Thanks Darien" She said as she took a plate from the table and started to fill it. Darien sat with a cup of coffee with his hands laced with each other on the table, watching Serena, or what was left of her.
"Serena," he said apprehensively as Serena looked up at him with sharp blue eyes. "Did you mean what you said last night… you know about…"
"Yes" She replied, now looking more like a school girl, than a young woman with pain and sorrow in her heart. He smiled and reached out for her hand on the table. He rubbed her soft skin gently as she began to get red.
"I love you too" He said kissing her hand. She smiled her first smile of the day and continued to put food on her plate.
"Daren?" Serena asked as she put her fork down some odd minutes later.
"Yes" He said looking up from the newspaper.
"Would you… can you take me somewhere" She stuttered.
"Sure, where do you want to go"
"4210 Cedar tree way"
A few hours later Darien and Serena pulled up to a brick duplex with an evergreen Christmas like tree in the front. The flowers in the yard seemed exotic, yet simple at the same time as they blew a little in the wind.
"Do you want me to go in with you" Darien asked as he put his hand on hers.
"No, that's ok, I wont be long" She said as she leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. He took her chin and gave her another kiss, with more passion. She smiled and kissed him one more time before opening the car door. She walked up the stone walkway to the house apprehensively before she rang the doorbell to the house. She took a deep breath as the door swung open to reveal a woman in her 40's with a dark complexion and violet like eyes and short auburn hair, dressed in a violet sweat suit, her Aunt Billie.
"Oh child, Oooo" She said as she swung her arms around Serena. Serena hugged her aunt back as she smelled her scent of rose perfume.
"Come in baby" she said as Serena walked into the tiled entry room.
"Look at you. You've grown so much since the last time I saw you. You look so beautiful, come on in honey, you hungry?" She asked as she turned the corner to the very organized kitchen. Serena walked in like this place was foreign to her, even though many days she came over to her aunts house to visit for hours at a time when she lived across the street.
"I'll make you some hot chocolate like I used to with some whip cream and marshmallows aye" She said holding Serena's chin in her hand as she smiled. Serena sat down on the barstool as her aunt took down the pack of hot chocolate packets and filled the coffee mug with hot water.
"Well what's been going on for you sweetie" She said walking around the kitchen getting all of her ingredients for a good cup of hot chocolate.
"Oh that's what I wanted to talk to you about" Serena said as she put her hot chocolate in front of her on the counter.
"What's wrong honey" Her aunt said as she folded her arms on the counter to listen to her niece carefully. Serena took a deep breath as a tear ran down her cheek before she spoke.
"My dad… he….he… died" She said as more tears came from her eyes. Her aunt froze for a second but soon regained composer as she walked over to her niece whose head was down. She took her chin and lifted Serena's hand up.
"You don't have to be scared any more" She said as Serena took a hold of her aunt and hugged her as tears came down her face. Her aunt held her and rocked her in her arms as if Serena was her own child, the child she never got to have. As she comforted Serena she noticed multiple cuts on her arms. She took Serena's arm up to study it as Serena looked away in shame.
"You've been doing this again" Billie said calmly. Serena nodded her head in response as her aunt only held her more.
"You know what" Billie said as Serena's cries began to get fainter.
"You don't have to be ashamed. Honey you are a work in progress. I am a work in a progress and I'm almost 90 years old"
"You don't look like it" Serena said with a slight smile as her aunt smiled back.
"God didn't make you to know everything. I know times have to be hard right now, but Baby…" She said in a long pause.
"God is with you, you have to keep your head up, and you got to be hopeful. Life isn't a bowl of cherries but that's what praying is for, that's what hope is for. Don't ever loose hope, you understand me" She said sternly as Serena nodded her head and hugged her aunt. Her aunt smiled and looked out the window to see a handsome man sitting in a car. Her aunt smiled and looked down at Serena.
"And who is that I see in the car" She asked as Serena smiled and blushed.
"That's Daren"
"Daren, no it couldn't be" Her aunt said surprised.
"You don't mean that little raven haired boy you used to play with as a child"
"Yes that's Daren" Serena said smiling.
"Well I wonder if he still remembers me. Probably not" Billie said to herself as she tapped her long ruby red finger nail on her scarlet lips.
"Come on honey," Billie said taking Serena's hand, "Lets welcome him in"
Daren still sat in his car, looking at his silver watch here and there. He looked around the street that was full of evergreen trees and old charming houses. Some people walked their dogs peacefully on the cracked sidewalks and a few ducks flew in the sky to get to their destination.
'This place, this house,' Daren thought, 'it looks so familiar' He turned to the other side of the car to see Serena smiling, holding the hand of an older woman. He smiled to himself and finally recognized the woman who Serena was next to. Daren got out of the car to see Billie, the woman he also spent time with as a child with Serena.
"Billie!" He exclaimed like a child as Billie wrapped her arms around him.
"Daren you're all grown up" She said as she made Daren stand back so that she could see how this small boy had grown.
"Such a handsome young man you've grown up to be" Billie said with a smile from ear to ear.
"Come, come inside now both of you" Billie gestured as she lead the way inside the house. Daren smiled at Serena as she did the same before taking her hand into his.
"This is your home isn't it" He whispered as they walked up the stone steps. Serena smiled and looked at the one person that never left her side, even if she wasn't there in person.
"Yes, yes, this is my home" She said as a tear slid from her eyes.
Serena smiled as she thought about her aunt's words.
'I am a work in progress'
"Don't you just love this song" Her aunt said as she turned on the television to see the video hope on. Serena watched it as her and her aunt smiled at each other…
I wish the way I was living could stop, serving rocks,
Knowing the cops is hot when I'm on the block, And I
Wish my brother woulda made bail,
So I won't have to travel 6 hours to see him in jail, And I
Wish that my grandmother wasn't sick,
Or that we would just come up on some stacks and hit a lick, And I (I wish)
Wish my homies wouldn't have to suffer,
When the streets get the upper had on us and we lose a brother, And I
Wish I could go deep in a zone,
And lift the spirits of the world with the words with in this song, And I (I wish)
Wish I could teach a could teach a soul to fly,
Take away the pain out cha hands and help you hold them hi, And I
Wish God never gave the men power
To be able to hurt the people inside the Twin Towers, And I (I wish)
Wish God woulda turned they hearts righteous,
When they started to take innocent lives and become snipers, But uh
We will never break, don't underestimate, we shall motivate,
And we gotta pray, all we got is faith.
Instead of thinking about who gonna die to day,
The Lord is gonna help you feel better, so you ain't gotta cry today.
Sit at the light so long,
And then we gotta move straight forward, cuz we fight so strong,
So when right go wrong,
Just say a little prayer, get ya money man, life go on!
Let's HOPE!
CHORUS (Cee-Lo)
Cuz I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today,
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away,
And be hopeful (hopeful) and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay.
Let's be hopeful!
VERSE 2 (Twista)
I wish that you could show some love,
Instead of hatin so much when you see some other people commin up (I wish)
I wish I could teach the world to sing,
Watch the music and have 'em trippin of the joy I bring, (shiit)
I wish that we could hold hands,
Listen instead of dissin lessons from a grown man, And I (I wish)
Wish the families that lack, but got love, get some stacks
Brand new shack and a lack that's on dubs, And I
Wish we could keep achieving wonders,
See the vision of the world through the eyes of Stevie Wonder, (you feel me) (I wish)
And I hope all the kids eat,
And don't nobody in my family see six feet, (ya dig)
I hope them mothers stain' strong,
You can make it whether you wit him or your mans gone, And I (I wish)
Wish I could give every celly some commissary,
And the po po bring the heat on them priest like they did R. Kelly, And I
Wish that DOC could scream again
And bullets could reverse so Pac and Biggie breath again, (shit) (I wish)
Then one day they could speak again,
I wish that we only saw good news every time we look at CNN,
I wish that enemies could talk,
And that super homie Christopher Reeves could still walk, (I wish)
I wish that we could walk a path, stay doin the right thing
Hustle hard so the kids maintain up in the game,
Let's HOPE
CHORUS (Cee-Lo)
Cuz I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today,
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away,
And be hopeful (hopeful) and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay.
Let's be hopeful!
VERSE 3 (Twista)
Wish the earth wasn't so apocalyptic,
I try to spread my message to the world the best way I can give it,
We can make it always so optimistic,
If you don't listen gotta live my life the best way I can live it,
I pray for justice when we go to court,
Wish it was all good so the country wouldn't have to go to war,
Why can't we kick it and just get em on,
And in the famous words of Mr. King "Why can't we all just get along",
Or we can find a better way to shop and please, And I
Hope we find a better way to cop a keys, And I
Wish everybody would just stop and freeze,
And ask way are we fulfillin these downfalls and prophecies,
You can be wrong if it's you doubting,
With the faith of a mustard seed you can move mountains,
And only the heavenly father and ease the hurt,
Just let it go and keep prayin on your knees in church!
And let's HOPE
CHORUS (Cee-Lo) X2
Cuz I'm hopeful, yes I am, hopeful for today,
Take this music and use it
Let it take you away,
And be hopeful (hopeful) and he'll make a way
I know it ain't easy but that's okay.
Let's be hopeful!...
Sorry guys it took me so long to update. I hope you guys liked this chapter, and don't worry there is more to come in this story, you don't think I would end it here. Thanks for being so patient with this. If you could please spread this story around, I really want more ppl to read it, mostly because of its message. But if I touch one person out there with this story I'll be happy. Thanks guys for the reviews I appreciate it, please continue to R&R. – RoseyRose
P.S. The song in this chapter was "HOPE" By Twista and Faith Evans.