It's that time of the week again! Here's the latest chapter.
Special Thanks to: Tam-chan, life705, deedee, Usako, TaliMoonAngel668, Jessica, Jenbunny, SulliMike23, SerentiyMoonGodness, UniversalBunny, TropicalRemix, CharmedSerenity3, Moon Princess Selene, Stacey, IsadoraKayStone, Miss Katrina Malfoy and merangelgal for reviewing the previous chapter.
This chapter is for long time reviewer, TropicalRemix, who has been eagerly reviewing many many many of my chapters and stories since '05. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I thank you for your support over the years!
Title: Akai Ito
Author: Crystal Saturn
Rated: T
Chapter: 7- Amateur Lovers
"We don't know what we're doing
We do it again
We're just amateur lovers
With amateur friends"
"I'm sorry." Darien cautiously entered the room. He smiled at the sight of Serena pressing the paper bouquet of roses up to her nose for a sniff. "I don't know if I believe in Akai Ito or fate or any of that other stuff." Darien sat down at the edge of Serena's bed. "But I'm willing to try."
"The roses smell wonderful." Serena beamed joyfully before sobering a little. "I'm sorry too. I understand you should be free to love whoever you like." She caressed a rosebud, gently tugging and playing with its paper petals. "Besides, I'm totally not your type. And you're probably too old to be my boyfriend anyway." Serena giggled nervously and thrust her right hand out in front of her. "Friends?"
Darien looked down at her hand uneasily. His stomach squelched at her offer of friendship. He had spent the night thinking about her. He couldn't help himself. No matter how hard he tried to push all thoughts of her out of his mind, everything around him seemed to point back to her. As he lay back on a park bench and looked up at the dark night sky, he relinquished control of his mind and allowed thoughts and memories of both Serena and Sailor Moon drift about freely. He had saved her so many times. Protecting her came so naturally to him, so much so that it was not something he had to do anymore; it was something that he wanted to do. The more he thought about her, the more he came to realize just how important she was to him. It started to become quite evident that he thought about her on a day-to-day basis more than he realized, or cared to admit.
So her offer came as a surprise to him. It caught him off guard. He wasn't expecting Serena to back down from her beliefs, or to suddenly become so reasonable, but at least she wasn't angry at him anymore. He just didn't think it would hurt so much. Why did she change her mind? Did she come realize that she didn't have feelings for him anymore? The sickening feeling of rejection made his heart drop within his chest and his stomach churn, but what could he do? He was the one who had tried to convince her that fate didn't exist.
Slowly, he raised his hand and reached for Serena's. They both attempted to shake the air in front of them in agreement.
"Good! Now I have to go get ready for school." Serena set aside her bouquet of roses on to her bedside table and headed into the bathroom.
"If you want, we can go down to the hospital tomorrow to see how you're going." Serena avoided her usual table and sat alone under a large maple tree with Darien during lunch time. "And maybe we can go to the arcade afterwards. I keep getting stuck at level 5 of that new Sailor V game, but I think I know how I can get through it this time…"
"Serena, can we have a chat with you?" Lita approached slowly. She was surprised when Serena smiled happily and greeted her in an overly bubbly manner.
"Sure! What's up guys?" She beamed as Lita and Ami sat down on the grass beside her.
"Well, I and the other sailor soldiers have been discussing everything that has been happening lately and we're very concerned." Ami began quietly. "You were very angry at us for leaving Tuxedo Mask behind and you haven't spoken to us since the Starlight Tower battle."
"Oh, that." Serena shrugged and continued to smile. "No it's ok. I understand. You thought he was taken by the Dark Kingdom. I'm sure it was an honest mistake."
"Frankly, Serena we're all a little concerned about you. You've been acting very strangely lately. I can understand the past few days have been very stressful for you, what with you finding out that you're the Moon Princess, and… everything with Darien…" Lita's voice trailed off for a while before she picked up her train of thought again, "Have you gone to see him yet? It must hurt you so much…"
"Thank you for your concern Lita, but I'm fine. I've gone to see him. He looks… fine. He's strong, I'm sure he'll recover well."
"You should probably know there are rumors spreading around about you Serena. People have been saying that you've been talking to yourself. It's not a good sign. Usually, as your friends we'd be more than happy to ignore and shrug off these rumors, but we've also noticed that you're not quite yourself lately. Please talk to us if you need to get anything off your chest. We're all here to help you and support you." Ami pleaded eagerly.
"Ami, please." Serena continued to smile warmly, shaking off her friends' concern. "I'm really fine. I've just had a lot to think about. Thank you both, but I really am coping well. Truly!" Serena watched Darien hover through the tree across the field. He had left to give them privacy. She smiled at how considerate he had been. "Now, if you'd please excuse me, I have a day of fun activities to plan for tomorrow."
"Serena, we seriously need to talk about your role as the Moon Princess. We need to defeat the Dark Kingdom before they get too powerful." Ami reminded. "We should have a sailor soldier meeting to discuss our next plan of attack. Also, I was approached by those two police detectives… They asked me about you."
"Ami, you're a good friend. I trust you. I haven't heard from those two detectives since that day, so I'm sure whatever you said to them convinced them of my innocence, and the Dark Kingdom can wait a day or two, right?" Serena let out a soft chuckle. Her indifference to such serious matters concerned her friends. It was unlike Serena to be so blasé about such serious matters as being arrested. What had changed within her? Was she losing her mind? "Come on guys, I just found out that I'm the Moon Princess we've been searching for this whole time. Give me a break. I need some time to adjust. Besides, I'm busy tomorrow. I want to spend the day with Darien."
"With… Darien?" Lita tilted her head in confusion. "Have you been spending all your time at the hospital?"
"N-no… I-I didn't mean Darien. I mean… I have to go, class is about to start." Serena leaped up nervously, smiled at her fellow soldiers and skipped toward the tree at the other end of the field where she seemed to initiate a conversation with herself.
"I'm worried about her." Lita lowered her head, disheartened by how much her leader had changed in behavior since the last Dark Kingdom showdown. There seemed to be a strange look in her eyes. Why was she behaving like everything was alright? Was she still in denial about her role as the princess? Maybe she was repressing her guilt towards Darien.
"I'm very concerned too, we all are, but she's right. She's probably just dealing with it all in her own way. We should give her some space and some time to get her head around everything that's happened. In the meantime, we'll keep an eye on her to make sure she's not getting into trouble." Ami sighed, wistfully.
Serena smiled as she watched Darien folding another origami rose. The fact that he, cold, heartless Darien, was making something as small and fragile as a beautiful paper rose raised many curiosities within Serena's mind. Was she wrong about him? The contrast was just too great. She couldn't help but wonder as she leant on her study table and watched him silently.
She was meant to be finishing her algebra homework, but she couldn't concentrate. She felt happy watching Darien focus on his task. His concentrating face was just so cute. The way his tongue poked out from the corner of his mouth, how he frowned as his strong masculine fingers fiddled with the delicate paper. He was heartbreakingly handsome. How could she not fall in love with him?
"So, if you sharpened the tips of those paper stems, does that mean you can protect me again, Mister Tuxedo Mask?" Serena quipped playfully.
"That's not funny." Darien frowned, absorbed in making his rosebud symmetrical. "I don't like being like this." He continued to fold the last creases of the petals. "What if something happens? What if Sailor Moon is called to action? I don't like not being able to protect you if you need it."
"Oh, my protector. Brave and strong." Serena smiled as she rose from her study desk and sat down on the bed beside Darien. "I'm sure you could still inflict a nasty paper cut if needed." Serena reasoned and stuck her tongue out in a lighthearted manner. Darien breathed in deeply, unconvinced at Serena's lame attempt to make him feel better.
"You don't get it, do you, Sere?" Darien sighed in frustration, flinging his newly formed rosebud across the room. He let himself fall back onto the bed and ran his fingers through his jet black hair. "I can't let anything happen to you. You're far too important-"
"Yes yes, I'm a princess." Serena rolled her eyes and huffed as she too fell back onto her bed.
"-To me."
"To you?" Serena turned to face Darien. He nodded his head and watched as her expression grew serious. "I'm important to you?"
"Of course you are." Darien shifted under her piercing gaze. The seriousness of her light azure eyes staring into his, made him feel uneasy and he quickly changed the subject. "So with this Akai Ito story thing, what happens to the red string of fate if one of us were to die?"
"What… what are you talking about, Dar?" Serena felt her eyes begin to water. He was too solemn, too serious for her liking. He hadn't smiled all afternoon, even when she joked around and teased him. Was he going to leave her? Could he tell if he was dying? "You're not seeing a white light are you? Don't go into it. Don't go! I'm not ready!" She wasn't quite sure why she was particularly sensitive tonight, but she was. Serena began to cry, tears falling freely from her eyes.
"No, Dumpling Head! I'm not dead!" Darien reached out in an attempt to reassure Serena, who recoiled from his cool touch.
"Then are you going to kill me?" Serena began to feel uncomfortable and somewhat scared. She jumped on top of the bed, holding her pillow above her head, prepared to use it as a weapon.
"No, relax! I'm not going to kill you. No one's dying. I just wanted to know." Darien raised both of his hands to signal peace. Serena's wailing simmered into an occasional muffled sob and she bashfully sat back down on her bed.
"I-I don't know what happens if one of us dies." The thought of Darien dying was enough to send new tears springing from her eyes. Within a flash, she recalled the final battle on the Moon Kingdom. She had lost him then, and only a week ago she almost lost him again. The heartache was too much to bear. "Please don't die."
Darien motioned for Serena to move closer. He moved to place the pillow she was holding down by his lap. Serena followed his directions obediently and found herself laying her head down on a pillow that sat within Darien's translucent legs. She took solace in knowing that he was there now, and curled up by him. He may not have remembered or wanted to remember their relationship from the Moon Kingdom, But Serena could not forget. He reached out to hold her hand, but settled for being close enough. Her breathing slowed as she closed her eyes and soon fell into a peaceful slumber. Darien watched her sleep for a few moments. She drew in a few deep hiccupy breaths and he felt that familiar twinge in his chest. He couldn't fight it. Whether it was caused by Akai Ito or not, it didn't matter. He had fallen in love.
"I don't ever want to lose you, Serena, but I can't always protect you, especially not now, not like this. I can't follow our red string, it doesn't end with me, and so if I lose you, I'd be lost." Darien motioned to caress her face. "You're far too important to me. Don't ever go anywhere… not without me."
. . .
So that's it for this week. Starting to get romantic now, isn't it?
Also, I'm so happy that many of you also found and read my new story Summer Rain. To be honest, I usually finish my chapters weeks in advance, but for some reason I decided to post up Summer Rain right after I finished writing the first chap (yeah, I surprised myself too), and I received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you guys! I LOVE YOU ALL ^_^
Please Review!... and I shall see you all next week for another chapter of Akai Ito (unless I spontaneously decide to upload another chap of Summer Rain :P)
Crystal Saturn
