AN: Thanks for all the reviews. Read and enjoy and please continue to review.
The next afternoon, Serena was walking in the park, when she saw a flash of long black hair in a ponytail. She froze and fell to the ground, her fingers clutching onto her broach for dear life. She couldn't breathe. She felt as if she were having a panic attack. Then again maybe she was.
The figure quickly passed without even stopping, but Serena didn't get up. She just knelt there on the cold wet grass, dirtying her jeans.
All yesterday, she had stayed home and rested, hoping that it all had been a dream. But it hadn't been a dream; it was as real as ever. She didn't want to face or talk to anyone. That's why she had come to the park, for some uninterrupted alone time. But she had clearly forgotten that Darien often came here.
After a few minutes of kneeling there, Serena felt air reentering her lungs, and she took in deep breaths. She was doing well until she felt a hand on her shoulder and the panic attack resumed.
" Serena! What are you doing on the ground?"
Even the soft voice of the man she loved didn't sooth her this time. She didn't budge as she gasped for air.
Noticing that something was wrong, Darien gently picked her up and into his arms, and carried her to the bench. Sitting her down, he realized that she was breathing in short gasps.
" Serena. What is wrong? Are you okay?"
Serena finally turned to him and took a deep breath. She didn't say anything; she just concentrated on her breathing.
Darien sat there concerned more than ever for her. She wasn't acting normally today and yesterday. He waited patiently for her to explain, but she didn't. He was dying of curiosity. He just had to know. If he knew what was haunting her than maybe he could help.
" Serena, Honey. What's wrong?" he asked her softly, taking her hand in his. Serena didn't look up at him, but kept her gaze on the ground and lightly shook her head.
" Baby. You got to tell me what's wrong so I can help."
Serena remained silent, although every fiber of her being wanted nothing more than to curl up into his arms and tell him everything. Serena sighed, keeping her gaze fixed on her shoes.
Darien tried to be understanding, but just couldn't understand her. Why wasn't she telling him? They were destined to be wed for goodness sake. Trying to stay calm, he worked up the courage to ask the question he wanted to ask since yesterday.
" Serena. Yesterday, when you ran out of the arcade… who… who did you think I was?"
Serena couldn't take it any longer. She couldn't hold the truth back from the man she loved any longer. She braced herself to tell him. Looking up and capturing his gaze, she took a deep breath and then started.
" S-," was all she got out before that haunting face caught her attention. She turned to face it. " Seiya?" she whispered in disbelief. How dare he show his face after what he had done? Serena abruptly stood and walked away without saying goodbye to either of them.
Darien was about to run after her when Seiya placed a hand on his shoulder. " Let her go man. She probably just needs some alone time."
Seiya smirked to himself as Darien sighed and sat back down. Seiya sat down next to him. Obviously Serena hadn't told him about their little happening. Well then, Seiya thought, he might as well play it cool, after all Darien and him were pretty good friends, and would be until he found out.
Seiya had nothing against Darien, not at all. He just wanted his girl, that's all. Well, what had happened was done and over with. She obviously was keeping this quite for some reason. So things would be okay for the time being.
Darien stared after Serena longingly. What had she started to say? Was she just about to explain? Darien sighed and the looked over at Seiya, who was staring in the direction of where Serena had left.
Then it suddenly hit him like a blade, piercing his very being. It all made sense. Every time Seiya appeared Serena left in a hurry. Was something going on there or was it just a coincidence? Or was Serena cheating on him? The possibility of that killed him. But Serena wouldn't… or would she?
The only thing that didn't add up with this scenario is that Serena had threatened the person she had thought was him. Who could have gotten her so upset that she would say that? She certainly hadn't been kidding. The champion of justice, the Moon Princess, how could she even think that?
Darien sighed and then turned to his friend. Would Seiya stoop that low? Darien couldn't even look at him anymore, hatred and hurt running through his veins.
Darien stood and quickly said goodbye before going in the opposite direction Serena had gone. He quickly walked to the arcade and hoped that his best friend would still be there.
Once inside, Darien quickly searched the small arcade for his best friend. Luckily, he was still there and hadn't taken his break yet. Walking towards him, Darien sat down on the stool near the counter.
" Hey, Drew," Darien said as he tried to smile but failed. Andrew gave him a concerned look.
" Hey. Are you okay man? You look upset or something."
Darien wondered for a split second if he should voice his suspicions about Serena cheating on him. What if he was wrong? Then Serena's reputation would be trashed. But he could trust his best friend not to tell anyone right?
" I… I have a feeling about something… something about Serena. Have you noticed her acting weird lately?"
Andrew nodded. " What do you think it is?"
Darien shook his head. " Not here. Come over to my place after work and I'll tell you then, okay?"
Andrew nodded and then walked over to the customer that had just walked in. Tonight, hopefully Andrew would be able to convince him that he was just being paranoid.
That evening, just after eight, Darien heard a knock on his door. Knowing that it would be Andrew, he quickly opened it. Andrew walked in and the two went to the living room to talk.
Getting two cups of coffee, Darien sat down on the couch and handed a cup to Andrew. He figured he might as well jump right into it and voice his concerns.
" I think Serena is cheating on me," Darien blurted quickly out. Then looked over at his friend with hurt evident on his face.
" What? Why would you think that? Serena loves you man, that's obvious."
Darien shook his head. Not wanting to admit it, but it did make a lot of sense.
" Its twice now that I've been with her and then Seiya shows up and she runs away. Doesn't that mean something?"
Andrew looked over at his panicked friend. " Dare, It could be a lot of things, like coincidence for example. I'm sure its nothing. Serena loves you and is a great girl. I highly doubt that she'd do that to you."
Darien sighed. Andrew was probably right. He was probably just over thinking this and that this had just been a coincidence. But still a small part of him couldn't help but think that Serena and Seiya were becoming more than friends; and that killed him.