Author's Notes: So sorry about taking forever to post this chapter.
I'm so bad and I apologize for it everytime. I think this is going
to be the last chapter, but I won't be sure until I'm finished writing it,
so we'll see! I hope you like the ending and thanks SOOOOOOO much for
reading! I really appreciate it!
Title: Take Care
Author: KaBunny
E-mail: [email protected]
Rating: PG
Chapter Eight: Serena and Serenity (Part Two)
"I guess this projection of yourself isn't as good as your other one, huh?" Serenity murmured, stepping up to the girl.
"Well, Celia is actually my human form that has split away from my Sailor Scout self," Pluto said, shrugging slightly. "So, she can stay in the human world, being constantly reborn, while this form is always at the Gates of Time. This is actually just a hologram of myself as you already know."
"I guessed that," the silver haired woman mumbled, glancing back at the two sleeping in the bed. "She has become increasingly harder to hide from. Especially since she has come to realize her love for Darien completely."
"Darien and her were meant to be together," Pluto stated, simply. She glanced at Serenity as the woman sighed.
"I realize that now," the princess said, shaking her head. "I was never meant to be reborn, just Serena."
"I know that and the only way to fix that was to end your life," Pluto replied, smiling slightly. "Serena's very existance depended upon it. Her life was in your hands."
"I chose correctly," Serenity answered, her self-assured smile enough to convince the Guardian of Time.
"How do you plan to tell them?" Pluto questioned, turning to the princess completely.
"It's kind of hard to explain," Serenity said, giggling slightly. "What shall I say? Hi, Serena. I am your past life and I was accidentally reborn instead of you. So, Pluto and I cooked up a plan to kill me so that you could live the life that you were meant to live. Oh, and by the way, I only came back because I want Endymion to come with me? That sounds ludicrious!"
"As ludicrious as it sounds, it's the truth," Pluto muttered, covering her mouth to stifle the small amount of laughter that popped out of her throat. "But, I believe the very existance of your spirit is also as unbelievable as your story."
"Who is Endymion?" a soft voice asked from across the room. Pluto and Serenity were both startled by this and quickly turned to look at the man who was sitting up in bed.
"D-... Darien," Serenity whispered, breathlessly. She took a step toward him, her eyes suddenly sorrowful as she stared at him. "Gods, did I think that I loved you..."
"Serenity," Pluto muttered, as if trying to stop her. She was ignored. It was time to tell the truth and Pluto knew it. She just wasn't sure that she was ready.
"Think?" he questioned, quite confused. "Who is Endymion?"
Serenity made her way to the bed. She floated quite gracefully. However, when she was alive, she always looked as though she was floating. She was naturally graceful. She seemed to sit on the bed, but did not. She reached out to place a hand on Darien's cheek, but he couldn't exactly feel her. All he felt was warmth from where her touch would be.
"This is quite hard to explain," she whispered, her eyes soft. "You look so much like Endymion. I thought I loved you, but I love Endymion. He is your other part that was always meant to love me just as I am Serena's other part... always meant to love Endymion."
"I... I don't understand," he said, still confused as he stared at the glowing figure in front of him.
"This might be better to explain to you and Serena," Pluto replied, finally joined into the conversation.
"I'm already awake," the blonde said, opening her eyes from the spot that Darien had lain her when he woke up to the voices of Serenity and Pluto.
Serenity giggled, knowing that she had been awake for the past few minutes and caught some of the conversation. She glanced at Pluto and smiled as she noted Pluto's slightly startled features. "Well, as Pluto can undoubtedly tell you, there are hundreds of possibilities for worlds," Serenity explained, turning back to the two as Serena sat up. "I am from thousands of years in the past, from a time in which people once inhabited the Moon and other planets of the solar system."
"I am the Princess from the planet Pluto, but I am also the Guardian of Time," Pluto said, giving a small bow to Serenity, Serena, and Darien. "I was given this job by Serenity many, many years ago."
"My mother gave her the job," Serenity replied, when the two just gave Pluto a strange look. "Anyway, each person has a timeline in which they follow... courses can change by the decisions they make and there is always another world where these decisions that you didn't make, occur. Well, thousands of years ago, time was ruptured when an evil queen destroyed the Moon Kingdom from which I hailed. My mother used her power in order to save all the lives of those who died from the Moon and other planets. She sent them all to Earth, to be reborn. I, Serenity... am a spirit of the past. You, Serena, should've been born, but instead... I was. A burp in time had occured."
"It was my mistake," Pluto murmured, shaking her head in disgrace.
"Don't be silly, Pluto," Serenity answered, giving the bowing scout a smile. "You have no control over time, you just simply watch it. When I first met Darien, I fell in love instantly. Soon after, I realized that something was amiss and I began having strange dreams. I remembered who I was and what had happened."
"I was waiting for this to happen in order to correct the situation," Pluto explained, still bowed on her knee. "I, then, made a plan with Serenity to destroy her existance and replace it with Serena's. The only way to do so would be to kill Serenity."
"So, you went off to die, willingly?" Darien questioned, becoming slightly angered. "It was all a ploy?! You knew you were going to die?!"
"Yes, but-" Serenity tried, but was interrupted.
"No, buts! You left me willingly! You left me alone," Darien murmured, shaking his head as he looked down at his hands.
"Darien," Serena whispered beside him. He turned to glance at her as she ran the back of her hand along his cheekbone gently. He gave her a small smile before turning back to let Serenity finish her story.
"You were never meant to ever meet me," Serenity replied, shaking her head sadly as she looked down at her lap. "You were always meant to meet Serena and fall in love. In the past, there were always princesses from each planet.....except for one. The Earth had a prince. His name was... Endymion."
"You were in love with Endymion who was Darien's past self?" Serena questioned, quite calm for the situation.
"Yes," Serenity muttered, looking up at Darien to see his reaction. He was too busy looking down and she couldn't see his expression.
"So, when you finally realized that there was something about Darien that didn't make sense, you recovered your memories of Endymion and yourself," Serena said, a small smile on her face. "You sacrificed your life with Darien to be eternally with Endymion."
"That is correct," Serenity said, giving Serena a smile. "But, when I finally became a spirit, I discovered that Endymion had been inside of his reincarnated self. So, I had to come back for him. I have been living inside of you, Serena, hoping to bring out Endymion by showing Darien how much like me you are."
"It didn't work did it?" Darien asked, finally looking up at her.
"No," Serenity said, smiling at Darien now also. "I only succeeded in making you fall in love with Serena because she looked and acted so much like me."
Serena glanced at Darien as her heart sank. He loved Serenity, not her. "How do you plan on getting Endymion to come out of Darien now?" she questioned, turning her attention back to Serenity.
"I need to kiss Darien," Serenity said, smiling at the blonde. "As a spirit. I will only do this if it is okay with you Serena."
"It's okay," Serena murmured, pulling the covers off herself. She nearly rolled out of bed. "It's time I get back to my own room anyway."
She walked out of the room before anyone could stop her. Darien stared at the closed door for a moment before turning to Serenity. "I miss you, you know," he said, his eyes sorrowful.
"No," Serenity answered simply. "Endymion misses me. You miss my love, which you could receive from someone else if you would only tell her how you really feel. Do you mind if I bring Endymion out now?"
"Of course not," he said, closing his eyes. He felt the sensation of warmth on his lips and before long, his entire body began to glow. As he opened his eyes, he discovered himself wrapped in gold as half a spirit was climbing out of his body, his lips on Serenity's. Seconds later, it was over. There was a man there dressed in armor that looked exactly like Darien and he was kissing Serenity.
"Serenity," he whispered, when they broke apart. "How did you find me?"
"Darien," she stated, and he understood completely. She then turned to the man still on the bed. "Darien, thank you for loving me... but, you must now love the person you were meant to love. Please don't let it slip through your fingers."
"I won't," he said, a true smile gracing his face. "Thank you for everything, Serenity."
"Good-bye, Darien," she whispered, as she, Endymion, and Pluto faded until there was nothing left of them.
"Good-bye, Serenity," he replied to the darkness before crawling out of bed. He had something to take care of.
~~~~~~
He had loved Serenity, not her. It was just like she had thought. He was looking at Serenity when he looked at her. He was not looking at Serena. It hurt her just to think of it and being in the room with Serenity, who just so happened to be her, but not her, and Darien when they were looking at each other made it hurt more. There was a feeling of tension that she was sure only she could feel because she was the only one hurting.
He didn't love her. She had thought wrong and it was foolish of her to think that he could ever love her. She wiped at her eyes and the tears that threatened to fall. She fell onto her bed and pulled the covers up over her head, just as the door was opening.
"Serena?" she heard him call, tentatively.
"Go away," she muttered, her face in her pillow.
"Serena, I want to ask you something," he said, sitting on end of her bed.
She sat up and glared at him through the slight darkness. It was almost sunrise. "Anything you have to say to me, can be said when I'm feeling better," she murmured, her eyes watering up again. "Serena, I-"
"You love her.....not me, so don't convince yourself of otherwise," she replied, pulling the blanket back up over her head and laying back down.
He got up off the bed, and she was sure that he was leaving. She then felt the covers move to the side of her and a body laying down in the twin bed beside her. She turned her head and saw Darien's determined face staring back at her.
"Maybe," he whispered, bringing his hand up and placing it on the side of her face as Serenity had done to him earlier. "Maybe when I was kissing you those first couple of times, I did see her. Soon, her image faded and all I could see was you."
He moved forward and placed that hand that was on her face behind her head to bring her face closer to his. He kissed her lightly and gently. "But, now, I'm kissing you," he murmured, his eyes slightly dazed as he stared at her. "I love you, not her. It is as it was meant to be and if I can't make you see that than... it will be my fault."
"Darien...," she replied, the rest dying on her lips.
"Serena.....will you marry me?" he questioned, his face serious and his eyes sincere. "I don't have a ring and I know this isn't exactly a girl's ideal place to be asked, but if I don't ask you now, I won't have the courage later. So, will you?"
Serena giggled as she wrapped her arms around Darien's waist. She laid her head on his chest and giggled again. "You always were one to think of small details that sometimes never matter," she said, smiling.
He pulled the covers off their heads just in time to see the sun peeking over the horizon. "You didn't answer my question," he muttered, feigning anger. He already knew the answer, but he wanted her to say it.
"I'll think about it," she replied, sensing Darien rolling his eyes. She giggled again as she stared off at the sun. "Darien?"
"Yes, Serena?"
"I love you," she said, testing the words in her mouth. She liked the feel of them.
"I love you too," he replied, smiling slightly. She liked hearing them from him better, though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The end! Thank you sooooooo much! Jeez, I wrote that in.... 45 minutes! It must be a new record or something! Anywho, I want to thank everyone who read, and read and reviewed my story! I would name you all, but, I don't have all your names on a list and I'm not online to get all of them. So, all I can say is thank you and I hope that you read another of my stories and review them....or just read them! Thanks for everything and I really appreciate it! Thanks to my editor too, hehe! I feel sorry for her...she has to read my horrible writing, hehe! Well, Ja ne!
Oh and please go read one of my friend's stories! She has a really good plot line going on and she's a fairly new writer, so she needs critiquing and such! It's called "The Ties of Friendship" and her screenname on ff.net is moondust-angel.
~KaBunny
Title: Take Care
Author: KaBunny
E-mail: [email protected]
Rating: PG
Chapter Eight: Serena and Serenity (Part Two)
"I guess this projection of yourself isn't as good as your other one, huh?" Serenity murmured, stepping up to the girl.
"Well, Celia is actually my human form that has split away from my Sailor Scout self," Pluto said, shrugging slightly. "So, she can stay in the human world, being constantly reborn, while this form is always at the Gates of Time. This is actually just a hologram of myself as you already know."
"I guessed that," the silver haired woman mumbled, glancing back at the two sleeping in the bed. "She has become increasingly harder to hide from. Especially since she has come to realize her love for Darien completely."
"Darien and her were meant to be together," Pluto stated, simply. She glanced at Serenity as the woman sighed.
"I realize that now," the princess said, shaking her head. "I was never meant to be reborn, just Serena."
"I know that and the only way to fix that was to end your life," Pluto replied, smiling slightly. "Serena's very existance depended upon it. Her life was in your hands."
"I chose correctly," Serenity answered, her self-assured smile enough to convince the Guardian of Time.
"How do you plan to tell them?" Pluto questioned, turning to the princess completely.
"It's kind of hard to explain," Serenity said, giggling slightly. "What shall I say? Hi, Serena. I am your past life and I was accidentally reborn instead of you. So, Pluto and I cooked up a plan to kill me so that you could live the life that you were meant to live. Oh, and by the way, I only came back because I want Endymion to come with me? That sounds ludicrious!"
"As ludicrious as it sounds, it's the truth," Pluto muttered, covering her mouth to stifle the small amount of laughter that popped out of her throat. "But, I believe the very existance of your spirit is also as unbelievable as your story."
"Who is Endymion?" a soft voice asked from across the room. Pluto and Serenity were both startled by this and quickly turned to look at the man who was sitting up in bed.
"D-... Darien," Serenity whispered, breathlessly. She took a step toward him, her eyes suddenly sorrowful as she stared at him. "Gods, did I think that I loved you..."
"Serenity," Pluto muttered, as if trying to stop her. She was ignored. It was time to tell the truth and Pluto knew it. She just wasn't sure that she was ready.
"Think?" he questioned, quite confused. "Who is Endymion?"
Serenity made her way to the bed. She floated quite gracefully. However, when she was alive, she always looked as though she was floating. She was naturally graceful. She seemed to sit on the bed, but did not. She reached out to place a hand on Darien's cheek, but he couldn't exactly feel her. All he felt was warmth from where her touch would be.
"This is quite hard to explain," she whispered, her eyes soft. "You look so much like Endymion. I thought I loved you, but I love Endymion. He is your other part that was always meant to love me just as I am Serena's other part... always meant to love Endymion."
"I... I don't understand," he said, still confused as he stared at the glowing figure in front of him.
"This might be better to explain to you and Serena," Pluto replied, finally joined into the conversation.
"I'm already awake," the blonde said, opening her eyes from the spot that Darien had lain her when he woke up to the voices of Serenity and Pluto.
Serenity giggled, knowing that she had been awake for the past few minutes and caught some of the conversation. She glanced at Pluto and smiled as she noted Pluto's slightly startled features. "Well, as Pluto can undoubtedly tell you, there are hundreds of possibilities for worlds," Serenity explained, turning back to the two as Serena sat up. "I am from thousands of years in the past, from a time in which people once inhabited the Moon and other planets of the solar system."
"I am the Princess from the planet Pluto, but I am also the Guardian of Time," Pluto said, giving a small bow to Serenity, Serena, and Darien. "I was given this job by Serenity many, many years ago."
"My mother gave her the job," Serenity replied, when the two just gave Pluto a strange look. "Anyway, each person has a timeline in which they follow... courses can change by the decisions they make and there is always another world where these decisions that you didn't make, occur. Well, thousands of years ago, time was ruptured when an evil queen destroyed the Moon Kingdom from which I hailed. My mother used her power in order to save all the lives of those who died from the Moon and other planets. She sent them all to Earth, to be reborn. I, Serenity... am a spirit of the past. You, Serena, should've been born, but instead... I was. A burp in time had occured."
"It was my mistake," Pluto murmured, shaking her head in disgrace.
"Don't be silly, Pluto," Serenity answered, giving the bowing scout a smile. "You have no control over time, you just simply watch it. When I first met Darien, I fell in love instantly. Soon after, I realized that something was amiss and I began having strange dreams. I remembered who I was and what had happened."
"I was waiting for this to happen in order to correct the situation," Pluto explained, still bowed on her knee. "I, then, made a plan with Serenity to destroy her existance and replace it with Serena's. The only way to do so would be to kill Serenity."
"So, you went off to die, willingly?" Darien questioned, becoming slightly angered. "It was all a ploy?! You knew you were going to die?!"
"Yes, but-" Serenity tried, but was interrupted.
"No, buts! You left me willingly! You left me alone," Darien murmured, shaking his head as he looked down at his hands.
"Darien," Serena whispered beside him. He turned to glance at her as she ran the back of her hand along his cheekbone gently. He gave her a small smile before turning back to let Serenity finish her story.
"You were never meant to ever meet me," Serenity replied, shaking her head sadly as she looked down at her lap. "You were always meant to meet Serena and fall in love. In the past, there were always princesses from each planet.....except for one. The Earth had a prince. His name was... Endymion."
"You were in love with Endymion who was Darien's past self?" Serena questioned, quite calm for the situation.
"Yes," Serenity muttered, looking up at Darien to see his reaction. He was too busy looking down and she couldn't see his expression.
"So, when you finally realized that there was something about Darien that didn't make sense, you recovered your memories of Endymion and yourself," Serena said, a small smile on her face. "You sacrificed your life with Darien to be eternally with Endymion."
"That is correct," Serenity said, giving Serena a smile. "But, when I finally became a spirit, I discovered that Endymion had been inside of his reincarnated self. So, I had to come back for him. I have been living inside of you, Serena, hoping to bring out Endymion by showing Darien how much like me you are."
"It didn't work did it?" Darien asked, finally looking up at her.
"No," Serenity said, smiling at Darien now also. "I only succeeded in making you fall in love with Serena because she looked and acted so much like me."
Serena glanced at Darien as her heart sank. He loved Serenity, not her. "How do you plan on getting Endymion to come out of Darien now?" she questioned, turning her attention back to Serenity.
"I need to kiss Darien," Serenity said, smiling at the blonde. "As a spirit. I will only do this if it is okay with you Serena."
"It's okay," Serena murmured, pulling the covers off herself. She nearly rolled out of bed. "It's time I get back to my own room anyway."
She walked out of the room before anyone could stop her. Darien stared at the closed door for a moment before turning to Serenity. "I miss you, you know," he said, his eyes sorrowful.
"No," Serenity answered simply. "Endymion misses me. You miss my love, which you could receive from someone else if you would only tell her how you really feel. Do you mind if I bring Endymion out now?"
"Of course not," he said, closing his eyes. He felt the sensation of warmth on his lips and before long, his entire body began to glow. As he opened his eyes, he discovered himself wrapped in gold as half a spirit was climbing out of his body, his lips on Serenity's. Seconds later, it was over. There was a man there dressed in armor that looked exactly like Darien and he was kissing Serenity.
"Serenity," he whispered, when they broke apart. "How did you find me?"
"Darien," she stated, and he understood completely. She then turned to the man still on the bed. "Darien, thank you for loving me... but, you must now love the person you were meant to love. Please don't let it slip through your fingers."
"I won't," he said, a true smile gracing his face. "Thank you for everything, Serenity."
"Good-bye, Darien," she whispered, as she, Endymion, and Pluto faded until there was nothing left of them.
"Good-bye, Serenity," he replied to the darkness before crawling out of bed. He had something to take care of.
~~~~~~
He had loved Serenity, not her. It was just like she had thought. He was looking at Serenity when he looked at her. He was not looking at Serena. It hurt her just to think of it and being in the room with Serenity, who just so happened to be her, but not her, and Darien when they were looking at each other made it hurt more. There was a feeling of tension that she was sure only she could feel because she was the only one hurting.
He didn't love her. She had thought wrong and it was foolish of her to think that he could ever love her. She wiped at her eyes and the tears that threatened to fall. She fell onto her bed and pulled the covers up over her head, just as the door was opening.
"Serena?" she heard him call, tentatively.
"Go away," she muttered, her face in her pillow.
"Serena, I want to ask you something," he said, sitting on end of her bed.
She sat up and glared at him through the slight darkness. It was almost sunrise. "Anything you have to say to me, can be said when I'm feeling better," she murmured, her eyes watering up again. "Serena, I-"
"You love her.....not me, so don't convince yourself of otherwise," she replied, pulling the blanket back up over her head and laying back down.
He got up off the bed, and she was sure that he was leaving. She then felt the covers move to the side of her and a body laying down in the twin bed beside her. She turned her head and saw Darien's determined face staring back at her.
"Maybe," he whispered, bringing his hand up and placing it on the side of her face as Serenity had done to him earlier. "Maybe when I was kissing you those first couple of times, I did see her. Soon, her image faded and all I could see was you."
He moved forward and placed that hand that was on her face behind her head to bring her face closer to his. He kissed her lightly and gently. "But, now, I'm kissing you," he murmured, his eyes slightly dazed as he stared at her. "I love you, not her. It is as it was meant to be and if I can't make you see that than... it will be my fault."
"Darien...," she replied, the rest dying on her lips.
"Serena.....will you marry me?" he questioned, his face serious and his eyes sincere. "I don't have a ring and I know this isn't exactly a girl's ideal place to be asked, but if I don't ask you now, I won't have the courage later. So, will you?"
Serena giggled as she wrapped her arms around Darien's waist. She laid her head on his chest and giggled again. "You always were one to think of small details that sometimes never matter," she said, smiling.
He pulled the covers off their heads just in time to see the sun peeking over the horizon. "You didn't answer my question," he muttered, feigning anger. He already knew the answer, but he wanted her to say it.
"I'll think about it," she replied, sensing Darien rolling his eyes. She giggled again as she stared off at the sun. "Darien?"
"Yes, Serena?"
"I love you," she said, testing the words in her mouth. She liked the feel of them.
"I love you too," he replied, smiling slightly. She liked hearing them from him better, though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The end! Thank you sooooooo much! Jeez, I wrote that in.... 45 minutes! It must be a new record or something! Anywho, I want to thank everyone who read, and read and reviewed my story! I would name you all, but, I don't have all your names on a list and I'm not online to get all of them. So, all I can say is thank you and I hope that you read another of my stories and review them....or just read them! Thanks for everything and I really appreciate it! Thanks to my editor too, hehe! I feel sorry for her...she has to read my horrible writing, hehe! Well, Ja ne!
Oh and please go read one of my friend's stories! She has a really good plot line going on and she's a fairly new writer, so she needs critiquing and such! It's called "The Ties of Friendship" and her screenname on ff.net is moondust-angel.
~KaBunny