Standard disclaimer I do not own sailor Moon never did, never will thank you!
Author's note: I would like to thank Gr33nJ3w3lRain, hotaru 24, BunnieOMoon, Firey Dragoness, ffgirlmoonie, Lady Tristana Rogue, and Chikyuuhime all for your wonderful reviews. I am so glad all of you are enjoying this story and I hope you continue to all the way to the end with only three more chapters left so keep an eye out. As always please read, review, and enjoy! Thank you Mars Light.
After Dark
Chapter 13
Rei looked to Darien and then slapped him across the face as she screamed at him "how could you have not told us. You knew about this for so long and you haven't said a word. Serena needed us we should have been there to help her"
Darien looked to Rei as he told her "I'm sorry, but it wasn't my place to tell and it still isn't, but I don't want Serena to continue punishing herself. I couldn't help her then. I hope you can help her now"
Lita looked to Darien as she asked "how did this happen?"
Darien took a step back and walked into the table that had a picture of him and Serena on it as he held the picture in his hand he began to tell them "we had overslept. Serena was very upset. She was afraid her parents would get angry because she was so late and my car wouldn't start so we had to walk. We cut through the park because it was the quickest way"
Rei interrupted him as she started yelling "the park what were you doing in the park, you know it's dangerous at night"
Darien looked at her having all the same feelings come back as he told her "I know, I was stupid we should have just taken the long way around, but we didn't and we started to go through the park and I guess I went down a wrong path or something, but we got lost and before I knew it there were six guys standing in front of me. At first they just seemed like common thieves they asked for my wallet which I gave over and then one of them got interested in Serena and started to make advances for her. I tried to protect her, but I failed"
Lita looked to Darien as she asked him "what do you mean what happened"
Darien began to tell her "I had Serena stand behind me and then he pulled out a knife and we struggled. I told Serena to run, but she couldn't get away. I tried to help her, but there were too many of them pinning me down. I can still here her screaming begging them to stop and she yelled out for me, but I couldn't help her. I couldn't help her. I tried damn it, I tried. By the time they were through Serena wasn't the same, she was no more then an empty shell and that's all I know. I haven't seen or spoken to her since"
Lita looked to Darien as she tried to hold the tears back after hearing his story as she told him "Darien you have to know this wasn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for what happened. The only ones to blame are the people who did this to her"
Rei came up beside Lita telling him "Lita's right you did everything you could Darien you shouldn't blame yourself. I'm sure no one else does"
Darien looked to Rei as he told her "Serena does"
Rei looked at him surprised as she asked "what do you mean. Have you spoken to her?"
Darien shook his head telling her "no, at first I thought it was Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino keeping me away, but now I realize it's not them at all well maybe it is a little Mr. Tsukino, but the reason I haven't spoke to Serena isn't because of her parents, it's because of her. She doesn't want to see me, she hates me. I hate me too"
Rei looked to Darien and knew what she had to do as she looked him in the eye she told him "regardless of all of that, Serena is hurting and there's only one person I believe who might be able to actually help her and that's you. She's avoiding you, but maybe you're the only one who can get through to her. Either way it's worth a try"
Lita looked to Rei as she smiled at her then faced Darien as she told him "Rei might be on to something Darien. Serena probably doesn't want to see you because you bring back to many painful memories, but maybe that's exactly what she needs. She has to face the memories head on and deal with it. Face reality and start to heal some"
Darien just laughed as he told them "yeah and how am I suppose to do that if she won't even let me speak to her, never mind actually see her"
Rei looked to Darien as she told him "we have to find her. She ran out of school today in panic and mentioned something about a boy. Now I understand why she was so upset. We need to find her before things get much worse then they already are"
Darien looked to Rei as he questioned "boy what happened with the boy at school, did he hurt her"
Rei shook her head as she told him "I don't know, but I think we should find out"
Darien stood up and started to walk towards the door as he told them "I don't know if your plan will work, but I'll try anything"
They all decided it would be better if they spread out and looked for her so Lita went to the Tsukino residence and Rei checked out the arcade while Darien went to the scene of the crime back to the park.
He found her there sitting on a swing by herself devoid of any emotion. She was completely different from the bright shiny girl he use too know. Not sure what to do, he slowly approached her. She didn't even look up to acknowledge his presence she just kept swinging back and forth.
Darien slowly walked over to the next swing beside hers as he sat down and slowly swung back and forth as he looked up to the sky saying "lovely weather where having isn't it" but all he got back was silence.
He swung for a few more seconds as he looked to her and said "you can ignore me if you want too, but you do have friends and family who are very worried about you right now. You shouldn't have just run off the way you did"
Serena just continued to swing back and forth as Darien started to grow more and more frustrated until he yelled out "damn it Serena. Why don't you at least say something?"
Serena looked to him then stopped swinging as she got up and walked away.
Darien watched her walk away thinking he should just let her go, but his conscience new better as he got up and chased after her. When she suddenly turned around and looked him in the eye as she told him "can't you just take the hint and leave me alone"
Darien felt like his whole world was colliding as he saw the hate and anger in her eyes directed towards him. He tried to hold himself together as he asked her "why? We were once so happy. Can't we just be that way again I miss you; I know your going through a hard time right now, but isn't it possible maybe so am I and maybe we can help each other Serena"
She just looked to him as she started to laugh as she told him "you don't know what a hard time is. Just leave me be. I just want to be left alone to deal with this on my own please"
Darien wasn't sure, but something inside told him if he left now this might be the last conversation he might ever have with her as he turned to her and said "no I won't just leave you alone. I know you have been punishing yourself over this and I won't let you continue, this wasn't your fault. You have to believe that"
Serena looked at him with the tears starting to fall from her eyes. She pushed him aside as she yelled at him "no it was yours" then turned around and ran off in the other direction.
End Chapter 13
Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed Chapter 13. A little Serena and Darien action going on and a lot on how Serena is really feeling. Lots more still to come, so don't miss it, as always please read, review, and enjoy! Thank you Mars Light.