Meus Amor et Mea Culpa: My Love and My Mistake
To Hide
"Tell me where my son is!"
It's amazing how a few little words could cause such a deathly silence. It was if the great clock of time had stopped, those six little words wedged in its gears. Unfortunately, time does go on and, as such, does our story.
It would be pointless to say that Lita's jaw dropped to the floor or that Mina's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets since no possible physical action could truly convey the shock that took over their bodies. This man, Darien, was it? His words had shaken the teenage girls to the core, causing them to cast their disbelieving eyes to the blonde girl in question.
Her eyes were closed; they had been closed since the words had left his mouth. Of course that's why he's here, a part of her hissed. He doesn't want you, just the child you left with. Too bad for him, he'd never have her child – their child.
Darien Chiba had traveled a very very long way. His journey had seen him through breakdowns, overnight bouts of heavy drinking and occasionally accompanied by a smoke before he passed out. He preferred passing out, to be honest. Passing out meant that you were dead to the world, even if the world wasn't willing to let go of you just yet. Passing out meant you could sleep for a very long time, which, for him, meant less time of conscious thought, less time to suffer through hangovers, and, most of all, less time to think of her and the pain that stabbed at the heart she had struck at without even realizing it. She always did have a knack for that: being so stupid and clueless. Looking at her through his vision, he remembered one other she had been.
Beautiful.
Even when she was completely disgraced, she was beautiful. Of course, he would know.
With her fairy-princess-like dress and mystical hair, Darien could've sworn that it was just the beginning of her birthday party. Oh, God. How he wished it was. If only he could go back for an hour, ten minutes tops, he'd tell his younger self not to be so stupid, so manipulative, so greedy. He'd bargain his soul for the chance to change it all, but only had his broken heart to offer, since she had taken his soul with her on that one flight out of Japan.
She was slowly opening her eyes now, blue orbs glistening beneath a thin layer of tears. A small, defeated smile crept on her face as she said,
"You have no son."
Darien blinked. Both had seemed to forget that there were others around them, listening just barely beneath the haze of confusion whirring in their heads.
"What are you saying?" Darien snarled. "I thought I've made it pretty damn clear, Serena. I know about the baby! I know you gave birth a few months ago to my child. Don't think you can keep him from me forever!"
"I won't have to." Her quiet words silenced him, but not the anger and confusion swirling in his stomach. "I won't deny that I gave birth a few months ago. But I assure you, Darien," She said, looking straight in his eye. "You don't have a son." Hey eyes blinked rapidly and she looked away, her voice choking. "Not anymore."
Darien Chiba had traveled a very very long way. And just like that, a few words had made his journey worthless, completely and utterly worthless.
Luna looked at her nephew disbelievingly. Kunthan stood at the foot of the stairs with his uncle as the woman practically leapt up the staircase to her niece's room. Luna wasn't Serena's aunt by blood, but the love that she had for that girl could move a mountain. Kunthan glanced at his uncle briefly before looking away, angry at everyone…and himself.
"Don't be so hard on yourself." Artemis said, as if reading his mind. Kunthan looked up again at Artemis, who had moved to a couch and sat down, rubbing his temples with his fingers. "That boy, Alan, was it? My contacts had said he was poking his nose around. He managed to get around every false lead I had people set up." He opened his tired eyes and Kunthan realized that his uncle wasn't exactly as young as he acted. Artemis gave a sad chuckle. "Guess this is what happens when I skip out on chaperoning dances."
There was a moment of silence before Kunthan asked, rather rhetorically, "What are we going to do now?"
Artemis sighed, wiping his hand over his mouth. "Just do as she says. You know better than anyone that it's pointless to argue with her."
"But they'll be watching her," Kunthan said. He wasn't arguing with his uncle, just stating a fact. "We'll never get any peace."
Artemis leaned back on the cushions of the sofa. "Don't worry about that now. Just concentrate on getting her there. She needs to be there right now."
The damned suitcase wouldn't close. Serena nearly cried out of pure frustration.
'No.' She thought. 'Enough crying tonight.'
After her staggering declaration a mere hour ago… Was it truly an hour? Seeing them tonight seemed to be distorting her sense of time…her sense of reality. She shook her head furiously at the thoughts running in her head. No, she mustn't let her emotions get the better of her now. But yet...why was she packing in such a rush? She had left the garden in such a rush, too. She ran practically blinded with her tear-filled vision. Everything was a haze to her. She vaguely remembered nearly steamrolling Rei. She didn't even have any emotion left to be surprised that the brunette had not screamed at Serena for her klutziness. She barely realized that Luna was at the doorway until she felt, rather than saw, the woman's presence.
She turned her head over her shoulder, not completely looking at her aunt. "Are you going to try to convince me to stay?" She asked. "If you are, give up. No one is going to stop me."
"Do I look like an idiot to you?' Luna asked rhetorically. "And to answer your question, I'm not going to even try to convince you to stay. Only-"
Serena felt Luna's soft hands tugging at her, turning her otherwise limp form around. Over Luna's shoulder, Serena caught her reflection in the mirror. A few hours ago, she had sat in front of the very mirror questioning why her brother wanted her to remember those painful memories of her time in Japan. Kunthan had been complacent as he told her:
"But you and I sadly know that the things we wish to forget in the past, often tend to come back and haunt us in the present."
Oh, Serena should've known it was too good to be true. She was too settled, too happy, too alive. Something horrible was bound to happen, which it did tonight. Now, staring at her reflection, she saw a sad girl with limp features and hair tangled in a mess, wearing the prettiest gown that you ever did see. How little things had managed to change over the years.
Luna had followed her gaze and caught her niece entranced by the ghostly figure that was her own reflection. Firmly but softly, she titled Serena's chin so that the teenager would have to look at her.
"Everyone has to have a past to receive a future." Luna said softly, cupping the girl's face in her soft hands. Serena could've stayed there forever; basking in her aunt's loving presence, the scent of Luna's clays fresh on her fingers. "But that doesn't mean you have to keep running away forever."
Serena smiled weakly, the best she could offer her kind aunt. "I'm not running away, Luna. I promise." She added when she saw the sad disbelief on Luna's face. "I'm not going away for a while. I'll be back. I swear."
There was pause before Luna nodded her consent. She, of course, had no intention of even trying to stop Serena, even though she was scared that the young teenager would just run away from those horrible people that had followed them. No wonder Serena was so hurt. After all, a heart so strong as Serena's could only be broken from inside.
Umino glanced at the computer briefly. A few days ago, getting the tiniest possible hint as to Serena's location would've made his day. Now, it made him want to hurl. Not so much that it was information about her, but merely because, sooner or alter, he'd have to pass on that information to him. As if on cue, one of the doors in the suite flew open. The sound of shattering glass could be heard a millisecond after the blonde closed the door behind him. The genius looked at the heir.
"I'm almost afraid to ask." Umino remarked. "How is he?"
"He travels across a fucking ocean to take back something that was his only to find out it's not here and she still hasn't forgiven him." Alan scoffed as he poured himself a drink. "How would you feel?"
"Like karma really has a nice way of biting you on the ass." Umino replied. He rubbed his temples softly. Serena had managed to wedge a fat, ragged stake into his brain after tonight. Speaking of whom… "She's on the move, by the way. Serena."
Alan looked over at him, his slight surprise shown with the small lift of his eyebrows. "What?" Then the eyebrows dropped as it dawned on him. He scoffed again. "Typical Serena fashion, I suppose. Run away when things get too bad."
"Kind of like the tea pot calling the kettle black." Umino remarked, earning himself a glare from Alan. "Oh, don't give me that look, Alan. We've all run away when things get bad in life. It's natural instinct to avoid that which hurts us. You father-"
"Was a jackass." Alan finished. With a smooth flick of his wrist, the drink was gone from his hand. He didn't like to think about his father. Rather, he relished in the reality that the man was dead and done and no longer capable of hurting him or anyone he loved like he had tried with Anne. Alan glared as if the old man's ghost was right in front of him. Especially Anne. Thinking of his girlfriend, he glanced around the suite. "Where are Anne and Naru?"
"In their room." Umino replied. "I don't suggest you go in there though." He said when Alan made a move as if going towards their room. "They're still pretty upset."
"I suppose their little fantasy of a happily ever after story with a godson in tow has been sufficiently shattered?" Alan said, rather than asked.
"You can't blame a person for having hope." Umino said. "They really wanted to fix up everything when we got here."
"I did, too." Alan said. "But at least I'm being realistic enough to know that there was no way in hell could she be able to forgive us that quickly."
"I suppose it really was too much to hope for forgiveness." Umino said. "We sold her out and you guys paid."
"We didn't really give you much a choice."
"Maybe." Umino agreed. "But I always had that choice. I just didn't take it."
A moment of silence passed. Beyond question, both men were reliving things they sometimes doubted were real. Umino's eyes trailed back to the screen of his computer.
"What do you want me to do?" He question was met with a low chuckle.
"Umino, I spent a nice couple of months telling you what to do." Alan commented. "I think you can handle this one choice. I'm gonna go see Anne."
Umino smiled briefly at Alan's retreating back. Yeah, that guy had definitely changed. Looking back at the computer, Umino sighed, shaking his head. The computer turned off with a small pressing of his finger.
"Fuck it."
An hour later, Serena was on a plane and Luna was in the seat next to her. It was only appropriate that she come along for the ride.
Serena glanced at Luna hesitantly. "Do you think she'll mind?" She asked. "Us barging in on her like this?"
Luna patted her hand comfortingly. "I sincerely doubt it, honey. If anything, she'll be thrilled to see you."
Serena looked at the lights below her growing fainter and fainter. "I hope so."
"So this is what happens when we turn around and dance with each other for ten minutes."
Zach's effort of lifting everyone's spirits failed miserably. The group was gathered at Rei's grandfather's shrine. Lita and Mina had just retold the story that had taken place in the gardens of the school. Ami was in Zach's arms in shock. Lita and Mina had been there to witness the event and Rei had seen Serena rushing out of the school with Kunthan in tow. Only Ami wasn't there to see this crazed evening.
"My god…" She breathed. "A baby?"
"A son." Rei corrected. Now she understood why Serena had been in such a rush. The second she had seen her friend in such a state, Rei had forgotten about her fight with Jaden. Of course that was over an hour ago but in the midst of all the drama, Rei was more willing to dwell on her friend's problems than her own. However, she couldn't really dwell on Serena's problems, since, after all, Serena had apparently taken off to God-knows where. The group had gone to Serena's house, hoping to talk to her. But her brother had answered and said that Serena decided to leave for a while. When questioned where she went and when she would be back, the tall, broad man could only shrug. Not even the pleading gaze of Mina could make him budge. Rei was actually aggravated at this point. "You would think after being friend with us for this long a while, she could actually trust us.'
"Don't be too hard on her, Rei." Mina said. "After all, from what we're able to piece together, those people had hurt her. They had hurt her bad, Rei. Even if she does trust us, I doubt she'd want to live out those old memories."
"Maybe so." Rei said. "But we're her friends. She shouldn't have to hide from us."
"Maybe it's not so much that she wants to hide but maybe she needs to." Ami said thoughtfully. When the others looked at her strangely she clarified, "She needs a break, away from everything in the world, them and us. We'll just have to wait for her." She nodded, convincing herself and the others around her. "We'll just have to wait."
The door swung open to reveal a young face of a slender, pale girl with short-cut black hair. She had her mother's face and her father's eyes, that lit up and surprise.
"Serena!" The blonde smiled happily as she embraced the younger girl.
"Hello Hotaru." The said girl pulled away, smiling all the while.
"What are you doing here?" She asked. Then she slapped her forehead. "Oh, stupid me! Of course I know!"
"My, my, my." Luna's silky voice cooed. "You're still hyper as ever."
"Aunt Luna!" Luna was suddenly embraced by her niece, who was growing more and more alike like her mother that it wasn't even funny. "Oh, man, this is wonderful." Her eyes glanced around the hallway. "Are Kun-Kun and Uncle Arty with you?" She asked, looking around for those heads for white-blonde hair.
"Sorry, no." Luna said with a smile. "Hey, is your mom home?"
"Hotaru?" A voice called out. "Luna!"
Luna's heartfelt laugh filled the room as she and her sister embraced. Barely a year apart, their physical differences were quite overwhelming but their bond was one forged ages ago when both were left as orphans to the world. Setsuna Tomoe looked into the eyes of her older sister and just smiled. Granted, it had only been a couple of months since they had seen each other but they had missed each other nonetheless. Time differences and a couple of states in between could do that. Setsuna's ruby eyes looked over her sister's shoulder to the same beautiful blonde girl with the saddest cerulean eyes she had ever seen. With kind eyes that matched her sister's, Setsuna reached out for her, pulling her into a deep embrace.
Luna watched the small exchange of love with mild curiosity. Setsuna was pretty surprised with Luna's presence but, as for Serena… It was as if her younger sister had anticipated the arrival of her husband's niece. Glancing at the slight green tinge in her sister's hair, Luna was amused that she wasn't very surprised. Setsuna did have a nice way of knowing things before they were going to happen.
Serena looked up at the tall, dark woman who had poured her heart into that fairy-like dress that had originally been made for Selene Cartier. She felt that same love radiating from this woman as she led Serena into the penthouse, guiding her to one of the sofas in the living room. It was stark night outside the glass windows and Serena took comfort in the fact that she was inside a home with people who cared for her so much.
A cry shocked her out of her reverie of nightmares and memories. She was on her feet before Hotaru actually came into the room.
Hotaru smiled at her. "She started fussing out of nowhere." She laughed. "I guess she knew you were around."
Serena smiled at her in return, biting her bottom lip hesitantly before the maternal instinct in her became so overwhelming that the bundle was in her arms before she even really realized it. Bright red eyes peeked out behind curls of pink.
Tears welled up in Serena's eyes as the sound of the baby's gleeful cooing reached her.
"Shh, baby." She choked. Her chubby little arms reached out for the face that she knew was a part of her. "Mommy's here, Rini, mommy's here."
Okay, I admit. One more of a semi-cliffhanger for everyone out there. I apologize for the overdue ness of this chapter. Exams started and then drama was all over the place. But now, I'm back. Expect Chapter 18 in a while. Don't worry folks. We're pretty much at the denouement of the story now. All that's left is…Well, that's a lie. I've still got a couple more things I need to throw at you. I mean, after all, Serena's not the only chick in this story, eh?
I would also like to take this opportunity right here and now to announce, in reply to Shinigami's review that Serena has not lied about anything in her past. Everything she had ever declared thus far is very much true.
And for Nick Johnson's benefit, and for the benefit of others who have randomly decided to pop in and check on the latest chapter but have no clue what else has been going on ( or am I the only person that does that?), here goes:
1. This is an alternate universe Sailor Moon fic. It's based around the relationships occurring between the girls and the people in their lives.
2. It takes place in present day California (well most of it anyway)
3. The girls and Zach are around 17-18. The older siblings (Michiru, Sei, Haruka, Jaden, and Kunthan) as well as Nick are all like 21-ish. All other adults at around 30.
4. No, Sailor Scouts do not exist in this fic, mainly because I'm not that familiar with writing action scenes but I'm pretty good at writing more dramatic situations. Also, reading several fics where half of the entire chapter was everyone powering up and attacking kinda annoyed me so I try not to do that to my readers.
Unfortunately, I can't answer everyone else's questions cause then that would just kill the entire story, now wouldn't it. Hehe. Review!
chickay