Chapter 3
Abduction
The next week flew by. Each day the scouts and Darien met to train, they'd go to their daily jobs, and end the day by conducting their investigations. It was quickly becoming monotonous, especially for Serena who was the only one without a day job to fill her time. Luna and Artemis weren't great company during the day and, abiding to the new scout rule, she couldn't leave the apartment without another scout with her. Serena did what she could, cleaning Lita's apartment, making dinner, baking, cleaning some more, flipping through magazines, and being bored out of her mind. She was only growing more and more restless.
Finally, after their Friday morning training, Michelle approached Serena.
"Serena… I know you're stuck all day at Lita's apartment. I have the day off. I was thinking shopping and some lunch. Want to come?" She asked.
Serena's eyes immediately lit up. "Oh my goodness, you're an angel Michelle. One more day in that apartment and I swear I'm going to go crazy and destroy the place."
Michelle giggled. "Well, then Lita can thank me."
"Can I come?" Amy asked. "I have the day off too."
"Of course." Michelle said.
An hour later all three girls were walking into the noisy Juban mall. Serena felt a smile grace her lips. She had practically lived here as a young girl, visiting each and every store with her friends. It was a nice treat to return to it. The familiar sound of chatter, the gloss of the buffed floor, even the smell of the food court were all inviting, as if they too missed her presence.
Michelle directed them towards a trendy clothing store and began searching the racks. Serena and Amy followed, making a few comments here and there about what would look good on one another. Finally, it was Michelle who turned to Serena.
"Princess—"
"Please… just Serena." Serena interrupted with a quick glance around them. Luckily the other shoppers were preoccupied with their own shopping.
"Serena, I invited you not just because I wanted to get you out but I'm worried about you." Michelle said.
Serena's eyebrows lifted curiously. "What do you mean? I'm fine, more than fine according to your significant other."
"I disagree." Michelle sighed. "I see the way you look at him when you think no one is looking."
Serena paused. "I don't think I understand."
"You miss him." Michelle continued. "The two of you are destined to be together. Both of you know that. I see the longing in the two of you. I know you have someone back in America but tell me honestly, do you feel the same about him as you do about Darien?"
Serena turned back to the racks and sorted through the dresses. She hardly noticed the fabrics her fingers skipped over but her mind was racing. Michelle was insane. Of course she loved Blake, but to compare him to Darien was hardly fair. Besides, it was Darien that had abandoned her. She would never go crawling back, not even for her destiny. If he wanted her, he would have to work to regain her, and even then she was happy with Blake.
"Michelle, I appreciate your concern. I truly do, but you're wrong. I don't love Darien anymore. I'm more than happy with Blake." Serena cast a look at Amy. She was busy across the store at another rack but she kept glancing at Serena, as if she knew exactly what Michelle was saying.
"You didn't answer my question." Michelle said, interrupting Serena's thoughts.
"You know that isn't a fair question." Serena snapped. She abandoned the rack and turned to walk away.
Michelle laid a hand on Serena's forearm, stopping her. Her dark eyes bore into hers as she leaned in close. "I'm not trying to sway your mind towards Darien. I just want you to be fair to yourself and to him."
Serena sighed deeply. "I intend on coming clean with Blake when the moment is right. I just don't want you to forget who it was that ended the relationship. Darien left me. Maybe it should be him that you're having this conversation with."
Michelle nodded grimly while Serena wandered off to try on some clothes.
A solemn Amy joined Michelle. "I take it she didn't react well."
"Of course not." Michelle said with a sigh. "Her prince left her, after living a previous life with precious time together; she now spends this new life giving up the time she is blessed with."
"She's proud. She won't be the one who goes back to Darien. She seems happy with her new love. Serena and Darien aren't our main concern right now. Someone else is…" Amy said.
"Everyone else is perfectly fine." Michelle responded.
"It's Trista's silence that worries me. I feel she may be lying to us." Amy said.
"What do you mean?" Michelle whispered.
"I think Serena and Darien's futures are clear to her. I think she lied about not being able to see what is before them. Maybe it is Trista that is trying to change the path of the future."
"Don't be ridiculous. She could never do that. It's against the rules. The time keeper must not interfere." Michelle replied.
"She has before. Whatever her reasoning, there is something she is keeping from us. I just hope it does not spell disaster."
Two hours later the girls had made their way to the food court, weighed down with several shopping bags. They dropped their bags off at a table and ordered their food. No sooner had it arrived when Serena quickly devoured her hamburger, hardly stopping to chew.
"Finally, a sign of the old Serena." Amy giggled. "I knew you were in there somewhere."
"I am starting to miss American food." Serena laughed. "Blake makes hamburgers for us every Tuesday."
"Tell us about him." Michelle asked.
Serena paused to swallow. "Well… he is unlike any other man I've ever known. He's tall, incredibly handsome. He has these blue eyes that you can just get lost in. And he's great at everything he does. I met him at the University of Chicago. He works for a law firm in the city, he was doing some recruiting at the school when well, I had one of my less finer moments." Serena blushed as she remembered.
Blake was breathtaking the first time she had spotted him. She and her friends were on their way to grab lunch when Serena had tripped over his briefcase. Before she could crash to the floor, like lightning his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her up. The two of them stood frozen for a while, Serena pressed against his chest, breathing heavily from the shock while Blake's eyes, wide in amazement, took her in. Serena's eyes grew dreamy as she told Amy and Michelle about how drawn she was to Blake, a complete stranger.
"He treats you well, I can tell from how you speak about him." Michelle commented.
Serena nodded. "He's great. His family is great, his friends love me, his boss adores me… we make sense together. It's not complicated. Destiny isn't in the way, we don't have a previous life that we are trying to reclaim or evil to fight … it's simple."
"And you are happy?" Michelle asked.
Michelle paused before Serena could even respond and shot Amy a look. Amy frowned, not sure of what Michelle was hinting at when a shadow appeared next to them.
"Ladies." Darien grinned.
Serena, with her mouth full of hamburger, turned to Darien with a look of surprise. "Shouldn't you be at working helping sick people?"
"I'm meeting someone for lunch." Darien said simply. "And you should swallow your food before you speak."
Serena glared at him. "And you should learn some manners before you speak."
"Serena, why don't we go back to that store… you know, the one with the shoes? I think I might get those heels after all—" Amy began.
Serena ignored her. "So who are you going to meet hm?"
"Actually, Serena, we can get a head start on our investigations." Michelle said quickly. "That way tonight maybe we can catch a movie."
"Darien?"
A girl walked towards Darien, parting the crowd as she moved. She was stunningly beautiful. Her hair, a white blond, was perfectly curled and full, hanging well past her slender shoulders. Her eyes, a deep brown, were stunning. She wore a figure flattering blue dress and stilettos that clicked loudly as she crossed the floor. She met Darien with a kiss. He took her into his arms with no hesitation.
Serena was stunned. Of course, if she had moved on to another, there was little reason for Darien not to. She wondered if this girl was the reason he had left her, or maybe she was just the latest girl in his life. As her mind raced through endless scenarios, Darien turned back to the scouts.
"Michelle, Amy, Serena, this is Idra. Idra, this is Michelle, Amy, and Serena. They're all old friends." Darien said.
"Pleased to meet you." Idra smiled.
"And you." Amy remarked.
Serena forced herself to give her half a smile that did not reach her eyes.
"We'll meet up with you girls later." Darien grinned. He offered Idra his arm which she took enthusiastically and together they walked off to the other side of the food court. For a while no one said anything. Serena watched her half-eaten hamburger, suddenly not so hungry anymore. At last the mystery had been revealed. Darien was doing just fine without her. Sure, she'd assumed he would have someone else in his life, after all she did, but she still it felt as if she had been plunged into a tub of ice water. She hadn't expected the impact she felt about seeing Darien with someone else. Maybe she hadn't truly moved on.
"I'm going to go back to Lita's. I'm tired." Serena said to Michelle and Amy. "I'll see you two later."
Silently, Serena got up, gathered her bags and walked numbly out of the mall.
Michelle and Amy watched her leave silently.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all." Michelle stated.
"How could we know Darien and his girlfriend would be here?" Amy asked. "Serena had been doing so well…"
"She never answered my question." Michelle added. "Do you truly believe she is happy with the American? Or do you think she is settling for someone who is the complete opposite of Darien?"
Amy shrugged. "I can't tell you that. I feel like I don't even know her anymore, how could I know what she is truly feeling? All I do know is that despite her anger and resentment to Darien, she still cares for him."
"What can we do?" Michelle asked.
Amy crossed her arms. "Nothing."
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Serena walked briskly through the streets of the city. The rains had started again but she hardly noticed the heavy drops hitting her face. She was deep in thought. Why had the impact of seeing Darien and Idra affected her so? Maybe it was because his touch still sent tiny sparks down her skin, or his voice, a soothing baritone, still made her heart race. No, she hadn't stopped loving him. Michelle was right. But she loved Blake more… didn't she?
She shook her head as she pressed on through the crowd. She couldn't allow herself to have these thoughts. The decision had been made. It was done. She and Darien no longer had a path together. Their future was severed. But then why did it pain her to see Darien with another woman?
She was just a few blocks from Lita's apartment. Luckily the crowd was beginning to thin out as the rain picked up. Soon only a lone figure, shrouded in the building darkness followed her every footstep. The sound of passing traffic combined with the rain drowned out his footsteps. Before Serena could turn the corner, her world went dark.
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"She's late." Raye huffed after she checked her watch. It was fifteen past six. "I knew it was too good to be true. That meatball head has gone back to her old ways!"
"I'm sure she just overslept." Amy said. "Yesterday was a rough day for her."
"Don't make a fuss, Mina and Lita aren't even here yet." Amara said dismissively. "They're probably just running late."
"Cut her some slack, she's still trying to adjust to Tokyo time." Michelle added.
Raye frowned. "Are all of you seriously making excuses for her? What the hell is going on here?"
Michelle and Amy shared a look.
"Serena is in a delicate state right now." Amara chimed in. "Don't push her. We're lucky she has agreed to stay, if she leaves then we won't have the power of Sailor Moon to hold our enemies back. We still don't know anything about them. Odds are we are going to need Sailor Moon."
"We're here!" Mina called from the steps of the temple. "Sorry we're late!"
Mina and Lita walked up to the group, dropped their bags, and began to stretch.
"Wait." Amara said. "Serena isn't with you?"
Lita walked over to the group of scouts as she stretched her arms. "We both got in late last night and forgot to set our alarm this morning. We figured Serena left without us."
"Darien?" Luna said.
Darien shrugged. "I saw her at the mall yesterday but she was with Michelle and Amy."
The two girls shared a quick glance.
"Well?" Artemis asked, turning to look at Michelle and Amy.
"She went home after we saw Darien. Neither of us went with her." Amy said.
Everyone froze.
"She didn't go home." Trista said finally. "I will search the time stream."
"Michelle and I will search the streets between Lita's apartment and the mall." Amara said. The two quickly took off.
"I'll search the fire." Raye added before she disappeared into the temple.
"Stay in your groups!" Artemis shouted as everyone left. "Spread out! Use your communicators to check in every hour!"
"Princess…." Luna whispered, crestfallen.