Sailor Moon A
Story 3
"Serena and Darien"
Author: Jackie Chiang

Notes:

     Hi again.  I seem to like writing tragic, depressive stories.This
one's also sappy.:)  Odd. If you have read my second story,you'd
notice that I have a thing for taxis and concerts.:) Anyway,this time
I used the NA Sailor Moon names, with the exception of the Outer
Senshi.  My choice in names seemed more appropriate, in my opinion. 
It's just that I'd never picture Usagi or Mamoru in any of the
following cases, but somehow Serena and Darien seemed to fit the bill. 
Oh, well.  It was my call.  Oh, and I _try_ to refrain from using
either 'Senshi' or 'Scouts' in this fanfic.  'Senshi' sounded too out
of place, while 'Scouts'...Well, I don't like the term 'Scouts'
anyway.  (i.e. "Scouts honor!"  Can you get any sillier than that?)  I
hope you enjoy the story. Like before, some of these characters belong
to Takeuchi Naoko and DIC, who 'translated' Sailor Moon.  My E-mail
address is chiang1@exis.net until further notice. The beginning is
very similar to my first fanfic.:)

     The girl stood on the sand, staring at the sea.  Her long blond
hair that she wore down wafted in the breeze.  She looked at the item
in her hand.  It was golden and star shaped.  She opened the top and a
gentle melody played from it.  A locket.  The girl seemed to smile
gently. She carefully closed the lid.  She looked at it for a minute
or two, then threw it into the water with all her might.  She watched
it float away with watery blue eyes.  She turned abruptly away and
fought the urge to run into the water and save it.  It was better this
way.  Better to forget all the painful memories that it brought.

     A long distance away, a young man sat on a dock.  He had short
black hair and deep blue eyes.  He stood there, thinking.  Regretting.
Wishing.  Hoping.  A girl with dark black hair came up behind him. She
knew what he was thinking.  They all knew.  They all regretted too. 
Regretted that night when they had all said things that they hadn't
meant.  But it was too late. She was gone.  Gone where?  No one knew. 
To start over, to have a fresh beginning.
     The dark haired girl placed her hand on his shoulder.  He didn't
turn around.  She understood.  She walked away to where the others
stood.  They looked at her.  She shook her head.  They weren't
surprised; it had been this way for the past two years...
___________________________________________________________________

     "Why didn't you save her?" Raye asked accusingly.  Her face was
angry.  "You could have if you tried."
     Serena looked at her horrified.  "No, Raye, it wasn't like that.
I couldn't shoot-"
     Lita glared at her.  "You behaved like a bitch, Serena.  Face it-
you could have done it if you really wanted to.  You were just jealous
of Aurora."
     "No!"
     "Serena," Amy said harshly, "they're right.  You had the perfect
opportunity, and you lost it!  You lost it at the cost of your own
_sister's_ life."
     Serena looked helplessly at them.  What was wrong with them?  Why
couldn't they understand?  She turned to Mina for help.  Surely Mina
understood.
     Mina was crying softly.  She refused to look at Serena.  Serena
felt tears welling up in her own eyes.  She placed covered her face
with her hands.  This was some nightmare.  Any minute now, she would
wake up.  Aurora would be alive, and Serena would tell her that she
loved her and not hated her.  She looked up.  It wasn't a dream.
     Five people stood in front of her, and not one of them supported
her.
     "I never thought that you could be so cruel," Mina finally
whispered.  "Just because she was everything you're not didn't mean
that you had to let her die."
     Even the Outer Senshi didn't believe her.  After the burial of
Aurora, they had left in disgust.  Disgust for her.  No one knew where
they went or when they'd come back.
     Why couldn't they understand?  Aurora had, right before she had
died.  Serena had looked into her eyes and knew that Aurora didn't
blame her.
     "Darien," she said softly, "please...I didn't do it on purpose.
You believe me, right?"
     Darien didn't answer her.  His back was turned to her, his
forehead pressed against his arm.
     "Darien?" she repeated, her voice cracking.  He was her last
hope.
     He remained silent.  His silence was worse than if he had said
anything at all.  It meant that he wouldn't even lower himself to talk
to her.
     Serena recoiled, like someone had slapped her.  She sat there for
a moment shocked, absorbing the blow she had just received from them.
Raye and Lita were glaring at her, hatred in their eyes. Amy, Mina,
and Darien didn't even bother looking at her.
     Please, she thought, searching their faces.  Believe me.  Trust
me.  But their eyes were filled with loathing and disappointment for
her.
     That was it.  She couldn't handle this any longer.  She stood up
and ran out of the temple. She ran as fast as she could, her vision
blurring as the tears ran faster down her face.  She ran to the park.
She sat underneath a tree, resting her head against the trunk,
thinking.  Remembering the events that had led up to this.
     Ever since Sailor Sun had appeared, Super Sailor Eternal Moon had
always resented her. For one thing, she was bossy, arrogant, and full
of herself.  She always had to play leader, acting like some big shot.
When the Sailors had found out that she was actually Aurora
Prominence, Serena's resentment had doubled.
     Aurora was bright, talented, and popular, everything that Serena
was not.  She constantly teased Serena, but got along fine with her
friends.  Raye, Lita, Amy, and Mina liked her very much and could not
understand why Serena didn't like her too.  They assumed that she was
just jealous and said so.  Plus, Aurora had hung around Darien, and
Serena didn't like that either. Darien didn't mind Aurora's attention
either, which made Serena furious.
     Discovering that Aurora and Sailor Sun were the same person was
not easy for Serena. She was extremely annoyed at this fact while the
other Sailors were thrilled to death.  Aurora and Serena did not get
along even after it was obvious that they would have to.  Eventually,
secretly, Aurora grew on Serena, and she started liking her.  Of
course, she never told anybody this, stubborn as she was.
     Serena received another blow after discovering that Aurora was
her twin sister, heir to the kingdom on the sun.  Their father had
been King Apollo, ruler of the Sun Kingdom.  Serena took this news
with mixed feelings.
     Anyway, then came the fateful battle.  The Sailors were fighting
a very powerful enemy, and they were using up all of their strength
just to defend themselves.  They were starting to win when suddenly a
scream from Sailor Sun pierced the air.
     Everyone turned to see that a very strong youma was holding her
captive, its arm around her neck.
     "Save her, Serena!" Mars yelled out.  "You're the closest one to
her!"
     Super Sailor Eternal Moon aimed her sword at the monster.  She
paused.  She couldn't get a clear shot at the monster without hitting
Sailor Sun.
     "What are you waiting for?!" Jupiter shouted.
     They can't see that I'd hit her, the leader realized.  DO IT,
SERENA.  I can't...Not unless I hit her too.  I can't take that
chance...I can't risk hurting my own sister...
     She dropped her sword by her side.  "I can't do it," she
whispered.
     The youma took advantage of its splendid opportunity.  Taking out
a knife, it stabbed Sailor Sun's chest, letting her fall to the
ground.
     "Crescent Moon Heart Attack!"  Super Sailor Eternal Moon shouted
at the monster. From her sword burst a bright flash of light,
instantly killing it.  No dust, no fancy death scene, just fast
outright death.
     She ran up to the fallen girl.  "Sailor Sun...Don't go.  I love
you," she said to the girl as she knelt down by her side.
     "Serena..." Sailor Sun whispered.  She smiled once more, then
closed her eyes forever.
     "Nooo!" Super Sailor Eternal Moon shrieked.  "You can't go!
Aurora!  Speak to me! Please...don't leave me...
     "No," she murmured.  "You're not dead.  You _can't_ be
dead.You're my sister..."
     I should have shot, Serena thought now.  I should have done it.I
could have done it.  They all thought that I could have.  Maybe
Icould.  She cried herself to sleep.
     When she awoke, it was dark.  She looked at her watch.  A quarter
past eight.  Her parents would be worried.  She walked home silently.
When she reached her house, no one noticed her coming in.  She wasn't
really hungry so she went upstairs to her room.
     "Serena," Luna said angrily as she entered, "where have you been?
You're late coming home."
     "Big deal," she muttered.  Like anyone cared.
     "You have to start acting more responsible," the cat
reprimanded." You're in the twelfth grade.  You have to start thinking
about your future.  You can't slack off-"
     "Just lay off, OK!" Serena yelled.  "I don't need you telling me
what to do!  Why don't you just go over to Mina's house, where
you'rewanted?"
     Luna was taken aback.  She hissed angrily.  "Fine!  Maybe I
will!" She jumped out of Serena's open window to the tree.  Then she
leaped down, running down the street.
     They're all against me, Serena thought.  Who needs this abuse?  I
don't.  I'm out of here. She ran to her suitcase, packing up the
necessary items.  She packed six pairs of clothes, and some extra
underwear and socks.  Then she packed her toothbrush, some toothpaste,
and a few other necessary items like a brush and soap.  Looking at her
night stand, she picked up a few items. Into her suitcase she threw
several pictures, her locket, and most of her money, carrying enough
in her pocket.
     Serena looked to see if she was forgetting anything important.She
saw her favorite old stuffed bunny and put that in too.  Then she
crept downstairs into the kitchen.  She made some sandwiches and
sealed them in a plastic bag.  She found her coat in the closet. 
Putting it on, she snuck quietly out of the house.  It was relatively
easy, considering that Sammy was busy playing video games in another
room, and her parents were no where to be seen.
     She silently closed the door behind her.  Good-bye, house, she
thought.  I'll miss you. Don't bother waiting for me.  I'm never
coming back.
__________________________________________________________________

     "Serena..."

     Serena woke up.  Funny...She had thought someone had said her
name.  What time was it?  She looked at the clock next to her bed.
3:30 AM.  Terrific.  Five hours before she had to leave for school. 
School.  She didn't hate school exactly.  It was the only way she
could have ever stayed here.  In Los Angeles, California.  She would
have been sent back to Tokyo right away if she hadn't passed the UCLA
entrance exam and gotten some help from a nice old professor who was
fond of her.  She supposed those English lessons from Mina had been
helpful.
     Mina...A stab of pain shot through her heart.  I wonder how Mina
is doing right now, she thought.  I wonder how all of them are
doing...Especially Darien...She shook her head violently. Stop it! she
thought.  Forget them!  They didn't want you.  They said so
themselves.  They made it plain and clear...
     She needed comfort.  But from who?  No one was there for
her...She had left everything behind her when she had left...Her
friends, her family, everything...She could have made new friends, 
another boyfriend, but she didn't want to experience the same sort of
rejection she had two years ago...
     Might as well get up, Serena told herself.  She got out of bed
and stood up, stretching. She went into the bathroom and took a
shower.  When she finished, she brushed her teeth.  Then she dried her
hair with a blow drier and combed it until it had no tangles in it. 
Get up, take a shower, brush my teeth, dry and comb my hair.  Same
old, same old every day.
     My life is boring, she thought as she looked at herself in the
mirror.  You should try something new, something interesting!  Wear
make-up for once.  Get rid of those silly meatballs. Try looking nice
for once in your life.  Go out.  DO something.  Do what?  Anything,
except paint.  That's all you do.  Paint.  So something else.  Be
happy again.  That's why you ran away, right?  To be happy.
     She took a good look at herself.  She supposed that she was
pretty.  She had matured in looks somewhat in two years.  Her face was
thinner, and had no more baby fat.  Her hair was longer, impossible
though it seemed.  She was taller; she had grown a couple of inches. 
She guessed that she was as tall as Lita was the last time she saw
her.  Her body was too thin though, making her seem gangly.  She
scarcely ate anything.  She didn't have the need to eat anything.  
     Her schooling was paid for by the scholarship she had gotten.  It
didn't pay for other necessities, but that was all right.  She sold
enough of her paintings to live comfortably. However, she rarely
bought anything.
     Serena sighed and left the bathroom after putting her hair up in
her usual meatballs.  She changed into some plain clothes, a pair of
jeans and a cortory shirt.  Walking out onto the balcony, she wondered
if someone had found her locket.  She hoped that it had been swallowed
by some fish.

     Sitting on the beach, he almost missed seeing it.  A glimmer of
light had bounced off it into his eye.  He turned to see what it was. 
A locket?  A _star-shaped_ locket?  It couldn't be... No, of course 
it wasn't _her_ locket.  She would never have thrown away _their_
locket.  He went to pick it up. It was hers...Serena's.
     He lifted up the lid.  It splurted out some water at him.  Then
gentle music played.  His heart ached.  He wondered if she was all
right...

     She sighed with relief.  She had gotten an A on her exam.  It was
important that she maintain a high average if she was to keep her
scholarship.  She started walking back to her apartment.  A figure ran
up behind her.
     "Hey, Serena!"
     Serena turned around.  "Hi, Mark," she said, a little gladly. 
Mark was her best friend at the university.  They were close, but she
never told him of her past.  He would never have understood.
     "I was wondering if you'd go with me to a concert tonight," Mark
said.
     "I'm sorry, Mark, but I'm kind of busy..." she said, walking
slowly.
     "Come on," he said, standing in front of her.  "It'll be fun. 
You need to loosen up a little bit."
     Serena stared at him.  Say yes.  No.  Why not?  I have homework. 
Aww, Serena, that's pathetic.  Oh, all right.  "I guess I could go."
     "Great!" he said, smiling.  "I'll pick you up at 7."
      "That's OK," she said.  "I'll just meet you there."
     He looked like he was about to protest, but he didn't say
anything, just nodded.
     She walked all the way back to her apartment without encountering
anyone else.  She went inside and immediately went to her desk to do
all of her homework.  When she finished several hours later, it was
nearly 6:30. 
     "Damn," she muttered.  "I'm going to be late."  Going to her
closet, she picked out a nice black dress and changed into it. Serena
walked to her bed and picked up her purse.  She paused to look at the 
three pictures on her night stand.  One was a picture of her family. 
Another was of all nine Sailors, Darien, the three cats, and Reeny. 
The last was just a picture of Darien, Reeny, and herself.
     We looked happy, Serena thought as she picked up the last
picture.  A tear rolled down her face and landed on the glass of the
picture.  Oh, Reeny...What's happened to you?  Are you gone?  Are you
finally erased from time?  Will I never see my own daughter again? 
And Darien...Forget the jerk, Serena.  You don't need him.  He didn't
want you.  Serena wiped the tear away.  Time to go.
     She went outside and hailed a taxi.  Getting inside, she told the
driver to head for symphony hall.  She leaned back against the seat
and relaxed.  As she looked out the window, she saw a bright yellow
sports car drive by.  It looked oddly familiar...Serena shook her
head. She was really losing it, she told herself.
     Finally, the cab reached the destination.  The place was packed.
Serena thought dazedly as she paid for the tab.  There were so many
people here!  Must be some great musician playing tonight.  How am I
ever going to find Mark!
     "Serena!" Mark yelled through the crowd.  Leave it to Mark to
find her.  He must have gotten the ability to track rabbits by scent
from his mother...Where did that come from? Serena wondered.  She
wasn't a rabbit.  The part about his mother was certainly right. 
They'd met once, and what an old crone...
     Mark came running over to her.  "Come on, Serena.  I have box
seats."
     Serena and Mark went to their seats.  They sat down.  Serena
looked at her program, but decided not to read it.  It wasn't like
she'd know any of the musicians anyway.  She watched the
orchestra tune their instruments with little interest.
     Then the orchestra started playing  They were incredibly good. 
Serena enjoyed the program immensely.  Just before the special star
was supposed to play, Serena had to use the bathroom.  When she got
back, she just missed hearing the name of the violinist.  The
violinist was wonderful.  At the end of her piece, she received a
standing ovation and complied to shouts of an encore.  She played a 
second piece as impressive as the first.  Then, as everyone threw
roses and flowers at her, she bowed and left the stage.
     "Wasn't that great?" Mark asked.  "I have some back stage passes. 
Would you like to meet the violinist?"
     Serena nodded.  She was dying to meet the woman.
     Mark managed to shove his way through the crowd, holding Serena's
hand.  The guard in back saw their passes and nodded them through. 
They met many of the members of the orchestra, and Serena conversed
politely with them.
     Then Mark said, "Look!  There she is!"
     Serena looked to see who he was pointing at.  She saw a young
woman, a year older than she.  She was very lovely with sea green hair
and the same colored eyes.  Serena's face drained of color when she
saw who it was.  It was Kaioh Michiru, also known as Sailor Neptune. 
She had to get out of there.  She couldn't let Michiru see that she
was here.
     "I have to leave, Mark," Serena said.  "Thanks for a lovely
night."  She quickly ran off.
     "Wait!" Mark shouted.  "Serena!"
     Great, Serena thought.  He just had to shout my name.  I hope
Michiru didn't hear him. She ran out of the building.  She called for
a cab and was about to get in when someone grabbed her arm.
     "Look, Mark," Serena started, "I have to-" .  She shut up as soon
as she saw that the person holding her arm wasn't Mark.  It was Tenoh
Haruka.
     " Serena," the blonde said.  "You're not going anywhere."

     Serena sat there, not looking at them.  It was the day after the
night of the concert.  Damn Mark!  If only he hadn't shouted out her
name.  If only she hadn't accepted his invitation when she could have
stayed home.  If only...they hadn't said so many things, then she
wouldn't have ran away.  She wouldn't have been here right now.
     "Serena," Michiru said quietly in Japanese,  "how are you?"
     Serena looked at her, startled.  She wasn't expecting that.  She
had expected them to yell at her, to tell her what an idiot she was to
have ran away two years ago.  She expected them to reprimand her, to
shout at her, to become angry... Not such a quiet response.
     "I'm...fine," Serena said, using words that she hadn't spoken for
over two years.
     "That's good to hear," Haruka said.  No sarcasm in her voice,
Serena noticed.  "How long have you been living here?" She indicated
the apartment around her.
     Serena shrugged.  "Almost two years.  I got this place after I
got accepted at UCLA."
     Haruka and Michiru looked a little surprised, but nothing more.
     "Are you happy here?" Michiru asked quizzically.
     Serena looked away.  "Sure I'm happy here.  I have a lot of
friends," she said, lying, "and everyone likes me."  She didn't notice
that her voice was cracking, or that the two girls knew that she was
lying.
     "We're glad," Haruka said.  She looked around the apartment. 
"Where did you buy such wonderful paintings?  They're as good as
Michiru's..."
     "I painted them," Serena said, embarrassed.  " I sell them to
help pay for this place."
     "Really?" Michiru said.  She was impressed.  " They're very
good."
     "Thank you."
     A silence lapsed.
     "...So...how is everyone?" Serena asked.  She tried to keep her
anxiety out of her voice.
     "They're doing well," Haruka answered.  " Amy's studying to
become a doctor.  Mina's going to be a great athlete, but she's
currently studying to become a gym teacher.  Lita's going to be a
chef, and Raye is majoring in religion.
     "Setsuna is a successful fashion designer; Hotaru's going to be a
doctor like Amy.  Right now I'm going to become a violinist; I dropped
by to perform once.  Haruka's going to be a professional racer.  Luna
and Artemis are fine."
     "...And Darien and Reeny?" Serena asked softly.
     "He has a good job as a paralegal.  He's working in his spare
time as a writer...We haven't heard from Reeny or Diana for a
while..."
     "I'm happy for all of you," Serena said.
     "We all miss you..." Michiru said softly.
     More silence.
     "Serena, we had better get going," Michiru said.  "We have a
plane to catch back to Japan."
     "Oh."
     "It was nice seeing you again," Haruka said.  She looked at
Serena.  Serena realized that she was asking whether she should tell
the others that she was here.  Serena looked at her pleadingly.  Don't
tell, please.  Haruka studied her for a moment and nodded.  Then they
left.
     Serena remained sitting on the sofa for a while, reviewing the
encounter in her mind. Then she went into her room and started sobbing
on her bed.

     "Hey, Darien!" a cheerful voice said.
     Darien looked groggily at his clock.  4:15 AM.  " Mark, what are
you doing calling me so early in the morning?" he mumbled.
     "It's not that early," Mark said.  "Whoops.  Forgot that it's
earlier over there."
     "Yeah, well, I can get up for my American third removed cousin,"
Darien said wryly.
     "Sorry, to bug you, cos," Mark continued, "but I just had to tell
you about this amazing girl I met."
     "Really," Darien said, a little sarcastically.
     "Yes!" Mark said, not noticing the slight.  "Anyway, two days
ago, I finally asked her out to a concert starring Kaioh Michiru-"
     "Michiru?" Darien asked, surprised.
     "You know her?" his cousin inquired.
     "Yeah, she's one of my friends..."
     "Well, anyway, we go there, and she seems like she's having a
good time.  Then I take her backstage to meet the violinist.  As soon
as she sees Michiru, she freaks out."
     "Odd," the black haired man replied. 
     "The next thing I know, she splits.  Then I see her stopped by
this blond guy-"
     "Girl," Darien murmured.
     "And then they leave together with Michiru.  Do you think that
they know her?  Could you find out from your friends?"
     "I guess so," Darien said, " but can't you just ask your
girlfriend?"
     "Umm," Mark said nervously, "she's not really my girlfriend. 
See, she's really secretive about things, and I think that she thinks
that we're just friends.  Serena is just like th-"
     "Did you say Serena?" Darien interrupted loudly.  No, it couldn't
be her.  It was just a coincidence.  Surely Serena was a common name
in the States.
     "Yeah," Mark answered.  "She's Japanese.  You know her?"
     "Maybe." This couldn't be a coincidence.  It was too close...
"What's her name?"
     "Serena, uhh...Damn!  I always forget how to pronounce her last
name!  Tu-tu! No...Tukuno!  No...Sushi!  Ack!"
     "Is it Tsukino?" Darien asked quietly.
     "Yeah, that's it!" Mark said happily.  "You _do_ know her!"
     "Listen, Mark," the other said hurriedly.  " I have to go."
     "Go?  Go where?" he asked puzzled.
     "I have to see a couple of my friends."

     Darien knocked loudly on Haruka's door.  "Haruka!  It's me,
Darien."
     "Hi, Darien," Haruka said, answering the door.  "What's up?"
     "I need to talk to you and Michiru," he said.  "It's important."
     "Sure thing.  Go next door and ask her to come over."
     As soon as everyone was settled, Darien launched right in.  "It's
about Serena."
     The two girls froze.  They exchanged glances.
     "I know you saw her in LA a couple of days ago.  Why didn't you
tell me?" There was intense pain in his voice.
     Haruka shook her head.  "Serena didn't want us to tell anyone.  I
promised I wouldn't do that.  Michiru and I owed that to her...After
all that we've done to her, she deserved that from us."
     Darien was silent.  "How is she?" he asked softly.
     "She's doing well," Michiru said.  " She has a scholarship at
UCLA.  She's living in an apartment off campus that she pays for by
selling paintings that she makes.  She seems fine."
     "Fine?" Darien echoed.
     Haruka nodded.  "She said that she was happy, but her eyes told
us differently."
     "Do you think that she'd see me?" he asked wistfully, his eyes
sad with longing.
     Michiru shrugged.  "There's only one way to find out..."

     The phone rang.  Serena didn't answer.  It rang several more
times.  She just sat there, watching it.  Finally she picked it up.
     "Hello?  Serena Tsukino speaking."
     There was no answer.
     "Hello?" Serena asked, frowning.  "Anyone there?"
     The person on the other end cleared his throat.  "Umm, yes, I
heard that you were selling some paintings.  May I come over and see
them?"
     "All right," Serena said.  " How about right now?"
     "That would be fine," the man said.
     Serena gave him her address.  After she hung up, she realized
that she had done an incredibly stupid thing.  There were plenty of
wackos in LA.  What if the guy was a killer or something?  Baka! she
said to herself.  She should be prepared just in case he was a crazy
lunatic...
     Not 40 minutes later, the doorbell rang.
     "Coming!" Serena said.  She carried in her hand a baseball bat.
It wasn't a very effective  weapon against a gun, but it was
something.  She looked through the peephole.  She saw a young man with
dark hair.  He didn't look like he was holding a weapon or anything. 
Still..., she thought.  She kept the chain on her door locked while
she unlocked the main lock.
     "Hello?" she asked, peering out into the hall.
     "Hi, Serena," the voice said softly.  The man looked directly at
her.
     "Darien," she gasped when she saw him.  She turned white as a
sheet and almost fainted.
     "May I come in, Serena?" he asked quietly.
     Still shocked, she nodded slowly.  She undid the chain and opened
the door for him.  He came into her apartment, and she closed the door
behind him.
     They looked at each other.  They compared the other to their old
memories.  Darien had changed.  He was thin two years ago, but he was
even skinnier now.  He was still handsome, but his eyes had a haunted
look to them.  He wore a green jacket over a black shirt and green
slacks. Serena looked away.  It was still too painful to look at him,
even after such a long time...
     "You're doing well, Serena," Darien said.
     She nodded.  They continued to watch each other.  Finally she
spoke.  "What are you doing here, Darien?  Did Michiru and Haruka tell
you where I was?"
     Darien shook his head.  "No.  My cousin told me where you were."
     "Your cousin?"
     "Mark Price."
     "Mark is your cousin?" Serena asked, her head spinning.
     "Yes.  He didn't know that I knew you," Darien replied.
     "Why are you here?" she repeated.
     Darien shrugged.  He turned around, pretending to study her
apartment.  "I wanted to see if you were doing well... I also want you
to know...that I never got the chance to say..."  His voice broke off.
     "Say what?" Serena prodded slowly, staring at his back.  Tell me,
she thought.  Darien, talk to me.  Help me understand that day.
     "That I was sorry...and that I didn't blame you for what happened
to your sister..."
     Serena was very quiet.  "Why didn't you say anything that day?"
she asked, her voice cracking.  "I _needed_ you, and you weren't there
for me!  You were silent.  Why?"
     Darien replied softly: "I was in shock.  I don't think I had
anyone close to me die before like that.  I _never_ blamed you...I
blamed myself..."
     "What?" Serena asked.  She couldn't believe her ears.  "Why?  _I_
was the one who didn't shoot when I had the chance..."
     He shook his head and turned around.  "No, Serena.  I could have
prevented the youma from stabbing Aurora.  I could have _done_
something.  I could have thrown one of my roses...But I didn't.  It
wasn't your fault.  It was mine...I failed to save one of my best
friends..."
     Serena didn't know what to say.  She had had no idea that Darien
had felt the same way she had.
     "Serena...I still love you, even though I know you can never
forgive me for what I've done to you," Darien said gently.  He reached
into his pocket and pulled something out.  "I found this on the beach
several days ago.  I think it's yours."
     He placed something cool in her hand.  She looked at it.  It was
her locket.  Amazed, she looked up.  "But how did you get this?  I
threw it into the ocean..."
     Darien studied her.  "I don't know how it came to me...Maybe it
was fate..."
     Serena looked at him carefully.  She opened the locket up and the
gentle song played.  As she listened, she was filled with longing. 
She realized that she too still loved him.  She couldn't run away any
more...
     "Darien...?" Serena whispered.
     "Yes?" His voice was unsure.
     "I forgive you...I still love you too."  She ran into his arms,
crying.  Darien held her tightly, like if he let her go, she would
disappear forever.
     "I'm never going to make the same mistake again," Darien told her
softly.  "This time I won't let go."
     Serena looked at his face to see wetness on it.  They had been
given the chance to start over.  She smiled, believing him with all
her heart, as the sweet melody of the locket played.  It was a new 
beginning.

The End
Yes, I know, it's a pretty sappy story.  Well, so what?