Chapter 11

Serena reflected on the date she had with Darien. It didn't bode well for a couple if they spent most of their time arguing then the rest of that time making out as if there was no tomorrow. Where was the calm, mature and meaningful conversation that she was supposed to have with her – her – her – what the hell was he to her anyway? Boyfriend? Fiancé? Friend with benefits? She threw the pillow over her head and moaned. A girl her age shouldn't be left to contemplate the fate of the known universe. She sat up, the thought clarifying the jumbled mess that was her head. Her relationship with Darien wasn't based on anything personal or current to just them. One, he was the prince and she was the princess. It was supposedly a given they would be together. Two, they technically worked together. There was no time outside of school where she wouldn't be with him. Unless one counted the hours before sleep. Three, he invaded her dreams. That was just annoying. And four, the big one, they were supposed to save the world together.

Where was the time for just them? Did they have anything outside of former lives and sailor scout duties? Were they even really friends? Sure, she admittedly had a huge crush – or strong feelings for him. She sighed. She was completely in love with him. But was he in love with her? Or was he just in love with the whole idea of their destiny. He did have a hero complex. She turned in the bed until she was flat on her stomach.

"Luna? Are you awake?" she whispered.

"As if I could sleep with your moaning and sighing." The cat said.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"What do you think about Darien and I?"

"On the moon, you were very much in love." The cat responded sagely.

"Exactly. On the moon. But what about now? What do you think of us now?"

"Well-" when Luna didn't continue, Serena sighed.

"I knew it. We're a disaster, aren't we?"

"Serena-"

"No. It's true. If you took away all of this - " she said referring to the scouts and her royal position. "What would there be left of us?"

"Your love."

"My love, Luna. My love. I have no idea how Darien feels about me. Just me. Not Sailor Moon. Not Princess Serenity. Just plain old Serena."

"Then ask him."

"But then it'll be as if I forced him into it. I don't want that."

"What if he never says anything?"

"If he can't say it now – after everything we've been through – then when is he going to?" she said more to herself than to Luna. "He never really wanted to find the princess in the first place. What if the fact that I am the princess repulses him?"

"He doesn't seem repulsed." Luna said picturing the many opportunities the prince took to engage the princess physically. But she understood the girl's feelings. "Perhaps you should try meeting other people. See how you both feel about that."

"I guess."

"Get some rest, Serena."

"Okay."

Darien's eyes opened and he looked at the time. Two in the morning. Who the hell was knocking on his door at this hour? Why did the doorman let them up? Unless it was Serena. He slipped into his pants and threw on a shirt. No need to tempt them both. It would be all too easy to get rid of her clothes.

"Serena what are you-Yumi?" he said confused. "What are you doing here? Do you know what time it is?"

"Can I crash here?" she said and he could tell she was drunk. "My date ditched me." She smiled. "Please?"

"Uh-sure. I'll make up the guestroom." He went to the linen closet and when he got back, he heard water running. He figured she was in the bathroom. That was until he finally made it back to his bed and found her sprawled across it. "Well, damn." Not wanting to use the guestroom, he went to the sofa. He could watch some TV until he went back to sleep. As he settled in, he realized Serena's scent was all over it. He smiled. It would be. He'd kept her there for most of their date. His eyes drooped and then he was out.

Serena used the excuse of returning Darien's shirt to get out of the house earlier than usual. Her intention really was to set some rules between them then hightail it out of the building before he could recover and convince her to do otherwise. Which he most certainly could. Were you supposed to be so vulnerable to your partner? She wondered. The early morning air was chilly but it kept her mind sharp. She realized how early things really started in Juuban. It was only five in the morning and she had been up for hours, managing to get only two hours of sleep. She didn't know how long it took her to get to Maison Apartments. It was only by memory that she managed the slow walk to Darien's apartment building. The thought of getting a dog to lead her around crossed her mind. Then the comical look that Luna would get made her giggle. No. Luna wouldn't take too kindly to that at all. She smiled at the doorman and he let her in.

"Morning, Serena." He said.

"Morning, John. Is Darien in?" she listened to his soft voice in the increasingly frustrating darkness of her mind.

"Last I checked." She heard a slight hesitation but she pushed it aside. She had more important things to deal with.

"Thanks. I'll see you."

"You too."

The elevator music was annoying but it was mundane enough to calm her. She fished the key out of her pocket and let herself in. She deactivated the alarm then listened. The only sound was the running water from the rainforest shower head in his bathroom. She wondered what he'd do if she walked into the bathroom now? She smiled, warming to the idea. She tiptoed to the door then froze when she smelled the perfume. She knew it wasn't hers and none of the other girls spent enough time in his apartment to leave such a strong smell. She released the bathroom door and walked into his bedroom. She could hear the light snoring of whomever was stretched out on his bed. The irony of the situation was not lost on her. She'd come here to talk about seeing other people. The fact that he already was – and doing much more than dating – had a numbing effect on her. The figure moved on the bed and Serena hurried out of the room. She bit her lip as she rested the set of keys on the kitchen counter. She didn't care that her house and room key were on the same ring. Then she walked out.

Darien stared at the keys for a long time. He knew they belonged to Serena. Her Tuxedo Mask key ring was there. And he also knew she had them with her when he dropped her off last night. He'd taken them and opened the door then dropped them in her hand. Just before he kissed her. So how did they get here?

"Morning." He turned to look at Yumi. She was wearing one of his T-shirts.

"Yeah."

"I put my stuff in the wash. Smells like smoke and vodka. Can't walk around like that."

"Hmmm." He turned back to the keys and took them up. He turned them over in his hand as if by that simple action, his mind could wrap around their mysterious appearance.

"You okay, stud?" Yumi wrapped her arms around his waist and nuzzled his back. He felt her turn her head and bite playfully at him. He didn't freeze like many would under similar circumstances. He stood up and pushed her away.

"What are you doing?" he frowned at her.

"Don't act coy, Darien. I woke up in your bed. I think I have a pretty good idea of what happened."

"You need to lay of the vodka, Yumi. You passed out on my bed after I let you in last night." He used the counter to put some distance between them. He wasn't scared of her but he knew she would cling to him if she got the chance. A determined woman could be surprisingly strong. "Nothing happened in that room between us." She smiled at him and walked to him.

"Well, why don't we just change that?" She walked around the island then she ran her hand up his chest and he stepped back.

"Forget it, Yumi. There's nothing between us. Never will be. I already have a girlfriend."

"You mean that waif you've had trailing after you? She's a child." She said it carelessly and without malice. Her tone told him she didn't see Serena as a threat. But Serena would see her as one. Yumi was a beautiful girl. He'd be lying if he hadn't been attracted to her when they just met. She had been charming. All smiles. But her crush on Andrew had given him enough time to forget the brief physical attraction. When she'd turned her attentions to him, he'd been annoyed because he knew her games now. She wasn't a girl that sat around. She got around. She was well known around campus. She wasn't the type he was interested in. Even if she had been, he was already deeply in love with Serena.

He sighed and shook his head. He opened the refrigerator and took out an orange juice and drank from it before answering. "She's four years younger than us – legally an adult. But that's irrelevant. She's my girlfriend. Bottom line. You need to get dressed and head home. We have class in two hours."

"Darien, be serious. What can she offer you that I can't?" her voice was amused. As if she was indulging him. Biding her time.

"Everything." He said simply. "You and I are friends, Yumi. Classmates. There will never be anything between us. This will be your last night staying here." He said and returned to his room. The keys were clenched in his hands. He'd ditch class today because he had a sinking feeling as to how the keys ended up where they did.

Anger was a mild word for what he felt when he found Serena. She wasn't really doing anything. It was just his normal course of action when he saw her with any guy. Intense, inexplicable anger and an unhealthy dose of jealousy. Instead of heading towards her and wringing the neck of the unsuspecting piece of dirt beside her – touching her, holding her- he shook his head and took a seat at the counter of the arcade.

"You okay there, D?" Andrew asked.

"Just peachy."

"You weren't at class today."

"I had some stuff to think about." Was his only reply as the accepted the unrequested cup of coffee.

"Where's Serena?" the cup shattered under his clenched fist before he could even stop to think about the action. "Okay then. So this is about her. What happened?"

Darien sighed as he allowed Andrew to lead him to the back room where he tended his hand. "I don't know. I woke up and saw her key on my kitchen counter this morning. She's not taking my calls. And I just saw her with some guy."

"So you two didn't have a fight."

"No. But you know her. She jumps to conclusions a lot."

"What conclusion could she have come to this morning?"

"That I'm sleeping with Yumi." He winced when Andrew squeezed his injured hand. "I didn't! Jeez, you're as bad as she is. Yumi showed up at my apartment drunk out her mind last night and passed out on my bed. I'm guessing Serena came by while I was in the shower. I don't know if they spoke or what. But something happened to make her ignore me like this."

"And knowing her she'll avoid you as if her life depends on it."

"She shouldn't worry overmuch about her life. She would worry about those scrawny idiots she's sporting around. I can't hurt her but I have no qualms about-"

"Darien." Darien turned to face Rei. "We have a problem."

"Don't we always?" he murmured.

"Luna thinks Serena has lost her powers for good."

"But that would mean-"

"We think Serena really wasn't the princess which is why the Silver Crystal reacted like that."

"But-"

"What are you guys talking about? Princess? Silver Crystal?" Andrew put in. The two froze. "Darien."

"I-"

"He should know." Rei said. She set about explaining in the barest of terms what was going on. Andrew didn't comment just nodded. "We need to call a meeting. Without Serena. The last time we talked about something like this, she disappeared. We don't want that happening again."

"We'll meet at my apartment. She won't think to look for us there."

"So?" Mina said. "We're thinking she's no longer the princess? The three outer senshi confirmed that she is. And the Crystal can't work without someone from her bloodline."

"We've considered this and-we think she may be related to the princess and so the Crystal used the blood trace to help get rid of Beryl."

"So we have to look for the princess again?" Lita asked.

"You're wrong." Darien said. "Serena's the princess."

"The evidence-"

"Is crap. It means nothing. If you all feel like looking for some non-existent princess, do it. But leave me and my generals out of it. You should all have more faith in her."

"Darien-" Ami tried.

"Save it, Ami." He said then got up and closed himself off in his room.

"I was just going to say that I agree with him." She said shrugged. "I think Serena is the princess. And we should concentrate on curing her blindness. Zoicite and I have the first application. The treatment should last a month at least. Two maximum. It all depends on her reaction to the medicine."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Yes. But so is the poison. If she stays this way much longer, the poison could be integrated into her system and slowly kill her. She should be able see in a few days but it will take at least a month to fully metabolise the poison."

"Princess or not," Rei said. "Serena is our friend and we put her before anybody. Or anything."

"Do any of you know what's going on with Darien and Serena?" Malachite asked and earned a glare from Mina.

"Couples fight." Nephrite said. "Leave it alone." He said wisely. They all went their separate ways after that.

Serena was pretty upset to find Darien at her house that night. She barely tasted her food and hardly said a word – to anybody – for the entire evening. He was as smooth as silk. No one suspected anything was wrong. She sighed in relief when she was walking him to the door.

"Maybe I should have explained what I meant when I left my key earlier-" he touched a finger to her lips. She frowned and stepped back.

"I know what it meant and I don't accept it. You need to give me a chance to explain what happened." Serena sighed. She knew what happened. He didn't need to explain. "Nothing happened." Okay, maybe she didn't know what happened. He wasn't one to lie so she took his word for it.

"Knowing Yumi was there made me realize that we really do need to take a step back from this-this thing between us. I can't deal with you. You're too-intense. And as things stand, I need a break from you until I can see again and have my powers back. Or access to them."

"You're breaking up with me." He smiled and invaded her space. "Just try it, Serena. Try walking away from me." She swallowed.

"I never claimed it would be easy. But I will have to-" she cleared her throat. He was looking directly at her and she wasn't oblivious to the effect his eyes had on her. Especially in her current condition. She tried to step back but he grabbed her upper arms. "Darien, please." She said softly.

"Do you even know what you're asking me to do?" he whispered against her ear.

"Yes." She said and he growled in that delicious way that had her rubbing her cheek against his. She could feel his anger. His struggle. Then suddenly, her world was empty. "What-"

"You got your wish, Princess. You won't have to suffer my presence."

Just like that, her world was dark. Darien was still holding her but she couldn't see him. Her stomach felt like she had swallowed a rock. Her throat constricted painfully and she felt the first pangs of panic.

"Darien-" no other words were possible. What would she say exactly? Wasn't this her wish? She knew he must see the terror in her eyes. He wouldn't miss it.

"I'll be out of town for a while, then. It wouldn't be safe for whoever you find to replace me if I was around."

"I'm not replacing you." In fact, she didn't think she could go out with anybody. She just wanted him to be sure that he wanted her. "I couldn't." She said under her breath. To him, she continued. "I want you to be sure you want to be with me. I want you to see other people, to – to-"

"Absolutely not." He said and stepped away from her. She fact that he was no longer physically touching her anymore increased her panicked state of mind. "I don't know what's going on with you but when you have it all figured out, let me know." The door closed with a resounding finality and Serena found it near impossible to stop the tears that burned her throat and eyes. She felt the hysterical scream bubbling in her and fought it. It was a exhausting experience. There is no need to panic. He isn't going anywhere. This is necessary. You need to figure out how some things for yourself. The words were logical but she couldn't ignore the panicked screaming in her mind. She was just greatful nobody could hear it.