Strong Destiny, Weak Heart

The 'Right' One?

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I wish I could take credit for Sailor Moon! Alas, not my creation, only this story is.

Previously on Strong Destiny, Weak Heart:

"So, how was that for a first date?" He asked her, with hope in his eyes.

"It was very nice." She replied.

"Good enough to earn me a second one?" He asked.

"Do you really want a second one?" She asked surprised, she thought her eating might have scared him away like some of the others.

"Course I do! Why wouldn't I want to see a beautiful woman again?" He made her blush again, as he used his had to brush away a strand of hair from her face.

"Um, okay. I'd be happy to." She wasn't lying, she just didn't think she spoke enough for him to realize she was interested.

"Great, I'll call you when I find out when my next day off is."

"Okay, I'll be waiting." She said, as she waved him off and entered her door.

He wished her well, and left, not even attempting to kiss her. She felt relieved because all the other dates she went on it seemed like that's all the other guys wanted to do.

And now the continuation...

Chapter 8

After Serena left the temple, Darien and the scouts continued to talk. After about half an hour of the scouts having him answer their guy questions, he couldn't wait to go back to training. "Shouldn't we go back to training?"

"Yes, I think that would be best, we don't want to waste any time." Ami said, agreeing with him.

"But he hasn't answered me yet!" Mina was looking at Ami, then turned to Darien, "Well?"

"Um, I guess your best feature is your willingness to try something new." Darien said, unsure of his answer.

"So you're saying I'm ugly?" Mina seemed very upset.

"No, no. I didn't say that! *sigh* Can we please go back to training?" He had a bead of sweat on his forehead, and he was actually looking a little worn. It didn't escape Ami's attention.

"Yes, we can start training again, but before we do, tell me, how do you feel right now Darien?" Ami asked, pulling out her scout computer and the visor that came from her tiara.

"Um, I guess I feel worse than when I was training. I really want to start training again." Darien said, suddenly feeling worn.

"I see. Can I speak with you in private Darien?" She walked away from the girls, Darien close at her heals, eager to be away from the barrage of questions.

"What's going on Ami?" He asked, completely confused in what she wanted to talk to him about in private.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to answer what I was going to ask, in front of the other scouts. Darien, how did you feel when Serena was here? Be as specific as you can, please." Darien wasn't sure if he wanted to answer, but since it was Ami, he knew it would help everyone somehow in the long run.

"Well, I felt a little angry, jealous, sad, and I just felt like hitting something, to be honest."

"Hmmmm, would you say you felt energized?"

"I guess you could say that."

"And when Serena left?"

"I don't know, I guess I kept thinking about why she was leaving, then when Mina started asking me questions, it threw me off guard I guess. I kind of stopped thinking about everything."

"I see."

"What are you thinking?"

"Well, it seems that your emotions are strongly tied to your abilities. Even though you felt all those emotions when Serena was here, you kept them in check and harnessed them to train. That also explains why you were fighting at your pique. As a repercussion to that, once you lost focus of your emotions, when Mina distracted you, your body began to realize how far it had been pushed. These are all theories for now of course, but you should be more careful. If you lose too much of your emotion, or control, your body is likely to give out, if you push too far. It seems that in the moment, your body isn't really a factor, almost as if your Ki is in complete control."

"I see. So from now on, aside from the check-up after every session, I'm going to have to tell you what I'm thinking aren't I?"

"I think that would be best and help with understanding your power."

"Okay, if it has to be done." Darien answered reluctantly.

They trained for two more hours since Serena wasn't anxious to stop and asking them when they were going to be finished. Rei suggested Darien take them out for a shake since they did so well. Darien agreed since he felt like he was still an outsider with the scouts, yet he could feel his bond with the girls quickly turning into friendship. They were no longer just 'Serena's friends' they were really his friends as well. All Darien could think about while the others were chatting about who was cute and ex-boyfriends was Serena. He wondered if the only reason they didn't bring her up was because of him. He tried to think of ways he could get her back. He decided to revisit the 'jealousy works both ways' idea. The only person who had the potential of making Serena jealous was Rei, that he currently knew anyway. He decided to talk to her in private, after everyone had their shake and conversations and went home. Instead of going home, Darien went back to the temple without anyone knowing. Rei could sense someone behind her, but waited until she was at the temple steps to confront the stranger.

"Who's there!" She turned and took a fighting stance.

"Easy Rei, it's just me." Darien said as he came into the light.

"Darien? What are you doing here? I thought you went home." Rei asked, startled that he followed her home.

"Well I didn't want any of the other scouts to know that I wanted to talk to you in private. Especially with their 'creative' imaginations." She felt her heart starting to beat fast. He wanted to talk to her in private and didn't want the scouts to know? What could this mean?

"Okay, let's go into the fire reading room, we can speak in private there." She said, walking up the temple steps.

"That's a good idea." He said, happy to be out of the street and no longer in public. Once they were inside, Rei began to relax, but his presence still made her feel a little nervous.

"Well? What's so important and private that you had to follow me home?" She asked, feeling her cheeks flush at the memory.

"Well, um, I guess, I have a proposition for you." Darien said, with one hand scratching the back of his head, unsure how Rei would react to his 'offer'.

"Proposition?" Rei asked, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.

"Yes, uh, well, I had this idea about how to get Serena back." Darien was facing the floor, but was looking up at her from the corner of his eyes, a look on his face that told Rei he was hoping she'd have a positive reaction to his 'offer'. She decided to at least hear him out, otherwise she'd always wonder what he would have said.

"And what is this 'idea' you have?" She asked unsure if she'd be willing to go through with it after she heard the answer.

"Well, I don't like the idea of Serena being with another man-"

"Then why did you tell her you wanted her to? You know she wouldn't have even considered it if you hadn't brought it up!"

"I know! I know, and I couldn't regret it more. I asked her to take it back as soon as I was able to, but she turned me down Rei. She said she saw my point and wanted to grow up."

"Sounds like you're getting what you want, so why go back on your word now?"

"Because I didn't think she'd actually do it, date around I mean."

"Darien, you know she'll just learn how much you mean to her, and have more respect for you. I don't think you did anything wrong at all. I think Serena needs this."

"I can see why you say that Rei, but I just can't handle it. I want her back. I love her, and it's just hurting me knowing that she actually is happy right now, without me."

"So you honestly believe she's happy without you, and you think her happiness away from you is going to make her not want you at all later?"

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of, anyway."

"Darien, she'll come back to you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"How can you not be?"

"Maybe because I can sense how happy she is in training...when she's been dating other guys."

"But when she's in training she sees you! Haven't you figured that she's happy since you're there?"

"No. I honestly don't see that being the reason."

"What reason do you think then?"

"I think she's happy because she's finally experiencing what being single means. She's having fun and enjoying her time."

"And why is that wrong?"

"I don't know, because I'm the furthest thing from her mind right now. Because she's seeing she doesn't have to be in a relationship with me to be happy. Because she knows that no matter what she does, I'll still be here." He looked at her with intensity in his eyes, so much so that Rei felt intensely uncomfortable with his glare.

"And this is where your idea comes in?" She asked, taking a step back from him, and turning toward the fire.

"Yes, I thought about...I want to...would you be willing to help me make her jealous?" Rei, turned from the fire and just stared at him, unblinking, unsure if she was hearing him right. "I know it's a lot to ask, and you can say no if you want. But I couldn't 'not' ask you. What with our history and the fact that we have a lot in common, I figured it'd be the fastest, and easiest thing for Serena to believe." Rei was still silent, she turned her gaze to the floor. She was unsure of what he meant. She couldn't find the words she wanted to ask, or the voice to even speak. "I'm not going to ask you to do anything crazy, and I don't want to get her jealous right now, but I want to be able to have a backup plan, if she starts to get real 'comfortable' with just one certain guy. I don't want to lose her Rei, please, I really need your help." She still wasn't saying anything. So many things were going through her mind, was this what she had been waiting for? Was he really saying if Serena seemed like she was moving on, he wanted her to help him win her back? Did he really think he wouldn't fall in love with herself? Was she okay with this in general? He seemed to be begging for her help. Did she have it in her to even turn him down anyway? Was she even sure she wanted this, even if he did fall in love with her? Could she live with that, if because of her Serena and Darien weren't together?

"Rei, please say something." Darien said, unsure if her silence was good or bad. She turned to look at him again, and saw the sadness and helplessness in his eyes. She decided she needed more information before she could make any kind of decision.

"I can't decided anything right now, I need to know more of what you're planning. Do you have details?"

"Well, if she goes out with one guy for a month straight, I figured I'd take that as a sign to act before it's too late. I also want to be sure she doesn't just think of the guy as a friend, I don't want to hurt her, just make her jealous, or remind her of what we had."

"What exactly would we be doing to make her jealous?"

"Well, I figured we could be seen together a lot, maybe hold hands on occasions, hug. I understand if you're not comfortable with it."

"And if I'm not? Then what would you do?"

"There's a reason why I'm asking you now. I'm going to have to find a woman who is willing." Darien said, determination in his eyes.

"And you're planning on asking all of the scouts?" Rei asked, feeling like just someone on a list.

"No, just you. If it's not you, it will be a stranger, to you guys at least."

"I see."

"I can't say how far we'd have to take it, that just really depends on Serena believing that I'd move on I guess. Just keep that in mind. Do you have an answer, or do you need more time? I could come back later, we could talk about this next week if you'd be more comfortable after thinking it over."

"I'll do it."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, who better to play a prank on Serena than both her ex-arch enemies, right?"

"I guess that's one way to look at it."

To Be Continued...

A/N: Thank you to all reviewers! You guys are awesome!

Special Thanks/Mention: inufan155687, Doc-sama, Cassie Garcia, and loveinthebattlefield