Strong Destiny, Weak Heart
Chapter 11
Disclaimer: I wish I could take credit for Sailor Moon! Alas, not my creation, only this story is.
Previously on Strong Destiny, Weak Heart:
She felt so safe and warm in his embrace, she just wanted the rain to stop and the horror to be over. Darien was thinking the exact opposite. He just wanted time to stop and for him to stay with his bunny like this forever. Suddenly the lights came back on, and the once dark room was lit up with electronics and the sounds of all the games restarting everywhere. "Ahhh!" She was startled by the sudden lights and sounds. "Darien, I'm sorry." She managed to say after the shock wore off.
"What? You have nothing to apologize for. A lot of people are scared of storms." She was looking up at him and her blue eyes, still fresh tears in their brim, felt like a knife into his heart.
"Yes, I do. This can't be easy for you. I, I can feel the pull to you that you probably feel for me." She said as she buried her head in his chest.
"Serena..."
"The last time we really spoke I ran away like I always do, before you got a chance to speak, I'm sorry." She said as she let her tears fall. Without any more words he tilted her head up gently with his hand, and softly touched his lips to hers.
And now the continuation...
Chapter 11
Darien could feel her face stretch, as if her eyes were open. He opened his eyes to see he was right. She looked to be in total shock. He slowly pulled away from her, and she didn't move. "Serena?" Her eyes started to tear up. "Serena, what's wrong?"
"Why?" She managed to squeak.
"What?"
"Why? Why did you do that?" She raised her fingers and gently touched her lips with them. "Why?"
"I'm sorry Serena, I just had to, I didn't think it would upset you."
"You didn't think at all! Darien, I'm dating Reagan! We've been going out for a month!" She screamed, closing her eyes, and balling her hands into fists at her sides.
"I know, I'm sorry, I just thought-"
"I can't believe you!"
"Serena, I'm sorry, Reagan doesn't have to know." She opened her eyes, and stared in shock at Darien's comment.
"Of course he has to know! I have to tell him, I can't hide this from him!" She stood up, happy that the storm outside had passed, and watched Andrew in the doorway to the back room. Neither had noticed he was back.
"The storm is over." Andrew said silently to both of them. Serena ran out, without another word.
"I think it's just begun." Darien said after Serena left. He couldn't believe she had reacted that way, she had said she felt the pull to him just as much as he had, was that not the invitation he thought it was? Would she really tell Reagan about what happened? If she did, would he get mad at her, or him?
"Did you seriously kiss her?" Andrew asked walking to his post back behind the counter.
"Yeah. You didn't see it?"
"No, I got back just as she was holding her lips and scolding you." Andrew said as he got a cloth and started wiping the counter with it. He knew he wasn't going to go home anytime soon now. Now with what just happened. His friend needed him right now.
"I don't know what came over me." He was explaining to Andrew.
"You don't have to explain. You're feelings took over, it happens, I know you love her." He avoided eye contact, hoping that was enough to stop the conversation from getting to serious.
"I do, but maybe that's the problem."
"What do you mean? You're going to try to stop loving her?"
"No, I don't think that's possible. I think it's time I made her think I've moved on."
"What are you talking about? No, you don't mean...Darien, this spells disaster all over it!"
"Jealousy is my last option Andrew! What else can I do?"
"Not that! Just, you know, let up on her a little."
"It's not that simple, I see her every day at the temple!"
"I know."
"I have to get her off my mind, somehow..."
"So are you really going to go through with that Rei thing you were telling me about?"
"I don't know. I think she's more invested in me then I've ever known."
"Seriously? You didn't notice that before? That girl has always acted like she's been waiting for you her whole life, but I guess when you were with Serena, and you both felt the same way for each other, it was hard to notice anyone else."
"For me it was." Darien said, as he put his head down and was finally done with chasing the bunny. "I don't want to mess with Rei's feelings, do you think I should wait for someone else?"
"No, I think it's best for it to be Rei. I know that she can control herself if things start to go too far. Serena is her best friend, and she won't do something that you can't take back, like another girl would."
"You sure about that? She is fiery. I may end up having to stop her."
"I think you're under estimating her loyalty to her friend. She just wants the best for both of you."
"If you say so. I'll let you go home to Rita, thanks Andrew, for hanging out after hours for a while."
"No problem, I'm just as loyal as Rei." He said with a wink as his friend walked out the door.
Serena had run straight home after what happened. She couldn't deny she enjoyed the kiss, which is probably what scared her the most. She had yet to kiss Reagan, she was scared to kiss anyone else since the only other kiss she had besides Darien was a forced kiss from Prince Diamond, what seemed like forever ago. She decided she had to cross that milestone, or else it wouldn't be a real relationship with another man. Or was this how she was? Fickle to the end? 'No, it was only because it was Darien, had it been anyone else, I would have at least slapped them.' She decided, since she had gone this far, she needed to kiss Reagan, and it would happen on their next date, whether they were both ready or not. The next day was a date night with Reagan, she not only had to tell him what happened, but also try to get him to kiss her afterward. She was afraid of how much she would dislike it. She couldn't imagine kissing another man, and having it be as wonderful as when she'd kissed Darien.
As soon as Darien got home he made a phone call to Rei. He was fortunate that she picked up instead of her grandfather. "Hello?" He heard her voice on the other end of the receiver.
"Rei? It's Darien. I think it's that time to try that plan I talked to you about."
"Are you sure?" Rei asked, not quite sure how Serena would react to their little 'prank'. She knew something big was coming toward Serena and Darien's relationship, but she couldn't be sure what. She hoped she wasn't the obstacle of her visions.
"Yes. I kissed her Rei."
"What? When?"
"Tonight, during the storm. She got angry and ran off. She told me she was going to tell Reagan what happened. If he stays with her, I don't think I'm going to have any other choice."
"I understand." She said calmly on the other line. Maybe it wasn't her, maybe Darien was going to push her too hard. She decided she'd have better control if he was 'with' her and could stop him from possibly pushing her away.
"So are you still up for it? It's okay if you've changed your mind."
"No, it's okay, I'm still in."
"Good, we can start the day after tomorrow, when she tells you guys how it went on their date, after she tells him what happened."
"Sounds like a plan." Rei sounded almost sad at his situation.
"Rei?"
"Yeah?"
"How are you?"
"What?"
"I mean, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine why?"
"I was just wondering because I don't think I ever ask. I'm sorry, I've been so focused on Serena, I've treated you badly. I didn't even ask how you were when you answered the phone. I'm beginning to see why Mina keeps asking me those questions."
"Darien, it's okay. Don't worry about it."
"Okay, sweet dreams. Sorry again."
"Good night Darien." They both hung up their phones.
Serena was in her room, trying to decide how to tell Reagan what had happened. The only thing she was sure of, was that she couldn't keep it a secret. If she wanted the relationship to last, and she did, she had to tell him. Just how long it would last afterward would be up to him. She would understand if he didn't want to stay with her after that. If he didn't, she genuinely wasn't sure what she would do. She didn't want to go back to Darien, especially after what happened. Sure she enjoyed the kiss, but it was a stolen kiss none the less. She began to really wonder if she had led him on or not. He already knew she was scared of storms, but she also knew of the pull he had for her. The same one that pulled at her heart every time she saw him. She remembered Ami's cyborg and how Ami said it would be done any day now. With a cyborg to train with, maybe she didn't have to go to Rei's for training. Maybe she could just go to an empty parking lot or something. She decided to pay more attention to the places she passed to and from school to scout for a location to train in by herself.
The following day, Serena searched her surroundings on her way to school in order to find a suitable area, and found several that had potential. She decided to search further out as well, maybe she could find somewhere between her home and the game store. She had the most trouble she's had since she decided on focusing on school work at school that day. Every second seemed to drag on for hours. She was zoned out for most of her classes, and for lunch, she wasn't even talkative when she was sharing lunch with Ami, Lita, and Mina. "Serena, something on your mind?" Mina asked, sensing her pain and confusion.
"Huh? Oh, I don't know. I just, was...thinking." She responded, though even in her confusion, stuffing down her lunch in seconds.
"About?" Mina wouldn't give up until she at least had some kind of information.
"Darien and Reagan." Serena admitted.
"What about them?" Lita asked, wishing she could have such a problem with two such hunky guys. Serena grew flushed, unsure how to reveal what had happened.
"Well, Darien kissed me last night." She said, still shocked she had put herself in such a situation.
"What!" All the girls gasped. "When?" Ami asked, since she couldn't figure out when she would run into him without her around to see it.
"Well, after you left training. When you called and told me you felt like you were getting sick and weren't going to be able to come over to tutor me, I went to go see if I could catch Reagan still working. I ended up getting caught in the storm, and found the game store closed. They ended up being at a convention. I ran to the arcade for shelter and Darien ended up being there while Andrew was closing up..." The girls used their imaginations to fill in the blanks, which may have been worse.
"Oh Serena!" Mina said, understanding why she would be confused now.
"I just don't know what I'm going to tell Reagan."
"You're going to tell him?" Lita said, not believing she'd want to admit such a thing.
"Well yeah, I mean, you can't build a relationship on lies." Serena answered, honestly.
"So you really want to build a 'real' relationship with this guy? Are you trying to force yourself to forget about Darien?" Mina asked, sadness evident in her voice.
"I don't think I could even if I tried Mina. I just want to see how 'possible' a normal life can be. So far it seems distant, however, I do really like Reagan."
"Serena, how do you not feel like you're cheating." Mina asked, unsure if she wanted to bring up her negative emotions.
"I do feel like I'm cheating, that's the problem!" Serena shouted, tears starting to form.
"I guess the real question is who you feel like you're cheating on..." Ami said, blushing and turning her face toward her food.
"Honestly? Both of them." Serena said, with a sad smile, tears falling freely.
"Oh Serena..." Mina said, hurting for her.
"I know the reason I want to try so bad with Reagan is for Darien's sake. Now that he's hurting so much, I don't know what I'm doing it for anymore."
"Do you have feelings for Reagan?"
"I can't say that I don't. He's very sweet, and kind, and caring. That's the problem, I know my feelings for Reagan are growing, and that's why I can't go back to Darien, I can't have any doubts if I'm with him. I'll just end up hurting us both in the end."
The bell rung, signaling the end of lunch. "Go home Serena, you've been doing so well, you deserve a break. Serena looked up at Ami and smiled. She didn't say anything, for fear of losing control and sobbing uncontrollably. She gathered her things and went home for the rest of the day, searching yet again on her way home, for a safe place to train, away from her love.
Darien was working at the hospital all morning, his shift ended with an hour to spare before he had to head to Rei's temple. He was tempted to head to the Arcade first, but he was unsure why. He decided to go ahead and pass by at least. When Darien arrived, he spoke with Andrew for a few minutes before going into a booth and drinking some coffee.
Serena decided to head back to the arcade after a few hours at home to collect herself since she knew Reagan would go to the arcade to meet her there after she was off of school and she didn't want to worry him. When she arrived, she didn't notice Darien sitting in the booth since Andrew greeted her, and she was just in time to catch Reagan walking in.
"Hey beautiful." He happily said walking up to Serena to give her a hug.
"Hey Reagan, I'm glad you're here!" She said smiling.
"What's wrong?" He noticed a soft glow of sadness about her.
"Nothing, I just have to talk to you." She said, wiping her face, unsure if she had streaks or not.
"What about?" He was afraid of her 'needing to talk' because that usually was code for 'we need to break up'.
"Something serious, but we can talk about it tonight, okay?"
"Sure, if that's what you want. I have a special night planned though for our one month anniversary." He said smiling.
"You, you remembered that?" She said, shocked he had something planned.
"Of course." He smiled, with a soothing touch to her cheek.
Darien could no longer stand just sitting and watching the events unfold in front of him. He walked over to them, and then through them. "Excuse me." he said, watching Serena's face grow pale, and shock cover her eyes.
"Serena, try not to take too long with this guy, you don't want to be late to our meeting." He said just before he opened the door to leave.
"Serena, what's he talking about?" He asked her, knowing full well this was her ex.
"Nothing, I promise I'll explain everything later."
"Are you really going to meet with him?" Reagan said in shock, as he looked at her, hoping he was lying.
"She sees me every day, hasn't she told you?" Darien said, surprised she hadn't 'told him everything'.
"I wasn't asking you! Don't you have somewhere to be?" Reagan said, turning toward Darien, anger clearly in his eyes.
"Actually I do, maybe Serena would like a ride?" Darien said, looking toward her.
"MY girlfriend, isn't going anywhere with you!" Reagan said, beginning to ball his fist. Serena was finally able to snap out of her shock and faced Darien, a look of hurt all over her face.
"What are you doing?" She asked Darien, clearly upset that he had been the one to tell Reagan that she still 'saw' him every day.
"It's better than walking or taking the bus. He looked at her, trying to reason with her to leave with him. "We shouldn't be late."
"I told you, she's not leaving with you! I'm going to take her there myself!"
"Fine, but that's where I'll be too." Darien said to his rival with a challenging look on his face. "You're not going to keep her away from me." He was trying to intimidate him, and by the furious look on Reagan's face, it wasn't working. In fact, if anything, it was only riling him up more.
"The hell you are, what, are you stalking her or something?" He said, feeling his anger beginning to boil.
"No, she's just drawn to me-" Darien said before he felt Reagan's fist collide with his face.
To Be Continued...
A/N: Thank you to all reviewers! You guys are awesome!
Special Thanks/Mention: xx Twilight Princess xx, Starrlight1812, Cassie Garcia, inufan155687, Ami-chanMercury98, loveinthebattlefield, and Doc-sama, and Sailor Rallison