Destiny Series by -Angel- Episode Eight "Darien's Past" Serena woke up. The sun was shining, the sky wasblue, and birds were chirping happily. It seemed like the perfect day. Except for the fact that Raye was snoring beside her. "Good, Serena, glad you're up." Amy echoed in her head. "I need to speak with you in private." Serena nodded and glanced over at Raye. She was sound asleep. "Okay, what's up?" "Raye's disease is progessing more rapidly than everyone else's. I fear she may go next." Amy said bluntly. Serena gasped. "She can't! There will be no one left!" Serena suddenly felt alone. "I'm more concerned about what goes on between her and Chad. We can't risk him getting the disease as well. She'll have to stay away from him." Amy said. Serena understood. "Okay, this morning we'll head over to Darien's." "Serena, be cautious around Darien. The probe's still activated in Raye's head, it's probably acting up in Darien's head as well." At that moment, Raye woke up. She coughed, then sat up. "Good morning, Serena. Did you have a pleasant night?" Raye didn't wait for an answer. "You know, I find it good therapy to have another person sleeping in the same bed as you. Nothing helps a good night sleep more than hours of KICKING." she muttered. "Yeah, although snoring is a close second." Serena snapped back. "I do not snore!" Raye said indignantly. "Yes you do! Ask Luna!" Serena shouted back. Luna bent her head in defeat. Back to normal, she thought. Darien opened the door to his apartment. He was breathless from his morning jog, but felt very pumped. And he had managed to keep Serena off his mind all the time. He made himself breakfast, skimmed over the paper, and took a hot shower. He came out with a pair of jeans on, and a towel on his head. There was a knock on the door. "Darien? It's Serena and Raye." a voice said from behind the door. "Coming!" he shouted and gave his hair a final rub down. He walked over to the door and opened it. Serena walked in, followed by Raye. "Well, good morning ladies. And what a fine morning it is." he said and shut the door. Serena sat down on the couch. Raye stood by the television. "It's only good if you haven't been struck with a fatal disease." Raye muttered. Darien galnced at Serena. She shook her head, telling him not to pursue the topic right then. He shrugged and offered the girls some breakfast. "What I need is a shower. Do you mind, Darien?" Raye asked. Darien shook his head. She started towards the bathroom and stopped. "Does the door have a lock on it?" she teased him. Darien blushed and nodded. Serena was confused, but decided to leave it at that. There were more important things to discuss. Raye went into the bathroom and shut the door. Instantly, Serena was next to Darien. "Darien, she's bad off. Amy told me she would only last another day." Serena's eyes misted with tears. "Darien, what am I going to do without her? She's the only one left." Darien put his arms around her. She was so fragile right then, he wanted to hold her and shield her from all the pain in the world. "You still have me, Serena. And I'm not leaving." Serena leaned into his chest and he held her for a long time. They stood there, just savoring the peaceful moment. Serena looked up at Dairne. There was warmth and compassion in his eyes. It was the old Darien, the Darien she knew and loved. Suddenly, the warmth in his eyes turned into an intense flame. His eyes darkened with desire as he leaned over and kissed her. She gently kissed him back, but that was not enough for him. He kissed her harder, demanding more with his mouth. Finally, Serena gave in and kissed him back with equal force. Their lungs burned for oxygen as they continued kissing. Serena felt a warmth inside her begin to spread all over her body. This was what love was. It was tenderness and passion. It was friendship and desire. It was sweet and rough. And it made her feel wonderful. They parted finally. Both of them were out of breath. But Serena could only say one word, "Wow." Darien grinned and she smiled shyly. At that moment, Raye came out of the shower. Her hair was damp, but she looked more refreshed. She coughed loudly, more so that Darien and Serena knew she was there. "Okay, Raye. We have to talk." Serena said. "We're right behind you Serena," Amy called out. Raye heard her and was confused. "What's going on?" "Raye," Mina suddenly spoke out, "You're dying. And it's not going to be much longer." Serena's eyes brimmed with tears as she nodded. "One day." she said, her voice choked up. Raye was shocked. One day left for her to live. Only one day and she had so much more she wanted to do. Raye sat down, overwhelmed. "I'm sorry Raye," Darien said. He wanted to sit next to her, but the stupid probe stopped him from doing so. "Not a lot of people have gone thorugh what you're going through. I'm so sorry." "We're all sorry, Raye." Serena said, tears spilling down her face. Darien went over to her and held her. "But there's nothing we can do." Raye finally spoke. "But I'm not supposed to die." she said helplessly. She looked up at Serena. "It was my destiny. I was supposed to defend you, Serena." "So were we, Raye." Lita said. Raye nodded slowly. "It's my fault." she admitted. "If I hadn't tried to ignore my destiny, none of this would have happened. It's all my fault." "Trust me, Raye." Lita said. "It will all work out. You'll see." Instantly, there was a knock on Darien's door. Darien got up and opened the door. There was Tanya. "Oh, hi Tanya." Darien said distractedly. Meanwhile, Serena had stood up and gone to wash her face in the bathroom. "Hi, Darien. May I come in?" Tanya said meekly. I'm just soothing everyone today, Darien thought to himself. He invited her in, and introduced Raye to her. Tanya smiled. "Have we met? You look familar to me." she said. Raye nodded. "Yeah I've got that feeling, too." Maybe I knew her in the Moon Kingdom days, she thought. After all, she had only met seven people from the old days, and there had been hundreds people there. Darien sat next to her. "So what's up, Tanya?" he asked. Tanya shrugged. "Nothing. I just felt really lonely." Dairen nodded and understood. Raye sensed something about Tanya, but also knew it was a private conversation and time for her to leave. "I'll be in the kitchen," she muttered and walked over to it. "It's so hard living with someone for years and then going home alone. I miss him so much." Tnaya said once Raye was out of the room. Darien put his arm around her. "I know. But you get used to it. I've lived alone since I was 16. I sometimes miss company, but then I go to my friends' houses. Andrew, my best friend, works at an arcade and has a really cool place. We hang out all the time." Darien said. I wonder what humans do when they "hang out", Tanya thought. She had come to the conclusion last night that humans weren't ALL bad, some of them were nice. Darien happened to be one of them. "You're always welcome to come and visit anytime. I'll even unfold the cot for you to sleep on should sleeping alone get to you." Darien said with a smile. Tanya sighed and thanked him. "You really do understand what being alone is like. Did you have a girlfriend leave you too?" Tanya asked. Darien solemnly shook his head. "No, but my parents were killed in a car crash when I was five. Until I turned 16, I lived in an orphange with a bunkmate. The orphanage was a nice place, but I longed for a home. We went to school, then had an hour to play, and did our homework. Everything was very routine right down to the clothes we wore. We switched bunkmates every year, but there was no one I really got along with. "Finally when I turned 16, I was released from the orphanage. They gave me some money, enough to rent a place and buy food, but I had to get a job. Those first few months were the hardest. I had never felt so alone. At least in the orphanage you had a bunk mate, someone to talk to. But there was no one for me. At times, going home and sleeping by myself was the last thing I wanted to do. "Things picked up for me when I got a modeling contract. An agency had seen me running one moring and decided that I was the one for them. I figured I had it made. But modeling proved to be a tough job. It was 12 hours of hard work, posing, hair, makeup, and most of the time the pictures you worked so hard on producing are torn up because someone else screwed up. After about a year, I gave up my contract. I've always had the opprotuninty to go back, but I'll never take it. However, modeling kept me from feeling so lonely. It took up so much time that I couldn't feel lonely." Darien paused. "In those years, did you ever find any friends?" Tanya asked. "I dated a girl for awhile, Amanda her name was. She was a colleague of mine, the makeup girl. She was nice to me, but that spark just wasn't there. Eventually we broke up, she moved onto bigger things. Now I think she's modeling big-time. As far as guy friends went, the guys were too full of themselves to associate with a lowly model like me." Darien answered. "What did you do after modeling?" Tanya asked. "After I quit modeling, I got several odd-jobs, one being a janitor at the arcade. That's where I met Andrew. We became good friends, and it was nice to know that there are people out there who like you because you're...you. Finally, we both got up the guts to apply to college. Andrew and I both got in, and took a two-year program. He majored in business management, I majored in technology. Then Andrew went back to the arcade. He seems to have found an attachment there and loves it so much. One day he'll become manager, I can almost guarantee it. I took a job at a television studio, updating equipment and working with it. I worked there for a long time. Then, I quit my job a few days ago, moved here, and got a job working as a computer technician." "Why did you quit?" Tanya asked. Darien paused. He had already told his life story to Tanya, carefully omitting the parts about his alternate identity and his girlfriend. "I decided I need a changed," he lied. Tanya nodded. "Have you seen Andrew lately?" Darien shook his head. "I've been meaning to head over to the arcade, but can never find the time. He's really busy right now. His girlfriend is in Africa with some archeological dig, and he's saving money to fly to her for Christmas. He's taken on a job at the drug store as well as gotten a raise at the arcade. He should be able to make it." Tanya smiled. "And your girlfriend? Was that her that snuck out of the room?" Darien chuckled and shook his head. "No, that's Raye. She's one of my girlfriend's friends. She and I get along as well." "So where does your girlfriend fit into this picture?" Tanya asked. Darien paused. He had been careful to eliminate Serena because so much of his relationship with her had been based on the fact that she was Sailor Moon and he was Tuxedo Mask. "Oh, she came in during my days at the television studio." he shrugged. "There must be something special about her. After all, you wouldn't be dating a fourteen-year-old if she wasn't special. What's her name?" "Ser...Serene." Darien didn't want to give away her name in case Tanya recognized it and turned her into the hospital attendants. "I love her. That's what makes her special. I love her more than anything in the world." Tanya smiled. "Well, I've bugged you enough. I better go back to my lonely apartment. See ya." She stood up and walked out of the apartment. Darien sat down. He had never told his life story to anyone, not even Serena. It was good to get it out. What had made him tell her all that? Serena appeared from around the corner. She smiled and sat next to him. "I heard everything. How come you never told me about your life?" she asked. "Oh, it never came up. There wasn't much to tell. Except that I met you." he whispered in her ear and gave her a light kiss. She blushed and smiled shyly. "Why do you tell me the WHOLE story, including the scout stuff someday?" Darien smiled. "I will, meatballhead." Raye came out. She glanced around. "She's gone. Man you guys talked for a long time." Darien nodded. "Yeah." Raye coughed and sat down. "Alright, Serena. We have to talk. You too, Mina, Lita, and Amy." "We're listening," Mina said. "If I'm going to die in one day, there are a few things I'd like to do. First, I'd like to apologize for screwing everything up." "Don't fret about it," Amy said. "Things will work out." "I'd also like to confess something to Serena." Raye said guiltily. Serena looked suspicious. "What?" "That day you saw me and Darien kissing..." Raye began. "Yeah?" Serena said, expecting something terribly. "Well, Darien had come to see me and Grandpa had said I was in the bathroom. Well, without thinking he walked in. And I was about to take a bath. So he saw me..." Raye said, her voice trailed off. "NAKED?" Serena gasped. The other scouts gasped as well. Darien look mortified. Serena looked at him one instant. His hand covered his face. "And you saw her naked?" Serena said. "I'm sorry, I didn't think..." he began. But Serena did the unexpected. She burst out laughing. She laughed so hard, she fell on the floor. It didn't stop her. The other scouts were giggling, but trying to sympathize with Raye, who had no idea what to say. "That's so funny!" Serena cried out, trying to control her amusement. "Darien, I can't believe you saw her..." she began giggling again. "It's not that funny." Darien murmured. Serena nodded, laughing too hard to say yes. "I was scared you'd be mad." Raye admitted. Serena controlled her laughter. "No, of course not. Why would I be? But I can just picture his face..." Serena started laughing again. "It was humiliating." Raye said. "It was embarrassing. It is something that I will never want to go through again." "And what was worse," Darien said, "I liked it." That made Serena shut up. Ryae gazed at Darien in surprise. Darien looked at Serena, then cracked a smile. "Boy, did that shut you up!" he said chuckling. Serena smiled. "You were only teasing..." she announced, then turned to him, "right?" Darien took his beloved in his arms. "How can I enjoy anoyone else but you, my dear? I was just seeing what your reaction would be." He gave her a long passionate kiss. Raye smiled. It was good to those two together. At least that was one aspect of destiny she hadn't screwed up. Now it was time for her final announcement. "I have one more thing I want to do." she said solemnly. Serena and Dairen turned towards her, listening intently. "I want to go home and be with Chad when I die." she said. Everyone was silent. Then Amy spoke, "Raye, you can't. You could give him the disease, too! We can't take that chance." Raye was silent, thinking about this. Finally she stood up. "I love Chad. I want to be with him." she said. Darien stood up. "No, you don't love Chad. Your body is playing tricks on you. You've got to fight it." Raye shook her head in denial. "No, we're in love. I want to die in his arms." Darien ignored the impulse that was holding him back and grabbed her. It took every strength of willpower for him to not let go. "Raye listen to me." She struggled against him. But Darien was too strong for her. He held on tightly. "Let me go." she said. "Not until you listen." Darien said. "WE LOVE EACH OTHER!" she screamed. "Fight it, Raye." Darien continued saying. "Fight it." The other scouts were worried. The probe was shooting off tremendous strength, and it would kill Raye who was already weak with the disease."Raye, please fight it." Amy said. "Raye, don't listen to your body!" Lita said. "You don't love Chad!" Mina said. Serena stood up. "Fight it Raye!" she said. "I...can't." Raye said and felt a boost of energy. She was almost free of Dairne's grasp. "I won't!" she shouted and kicked Darien between the legs. Darien let out a small cry of pain and fell on the floor. He was in pain so badly, he couldn't utter a sound. He just layed on the floor trying to get up the strength to ignore the pain. Serena looked at Raye with utter rage. She walked over to her and slapped her hard. Raye whirled back, surprised. She was out of breath as she leaned down to see if Darien was okay. He looked at her, his face contorting with pain. Serena looked back at Ryae with murder in her eyes. "If you ever dare hurt him again, your last day will be cut short." she said quietly. Raye knew that she was telling the truth. Darien groaned. The pain subsided, but it was still too sore to move. "I'm okay," he moaned. Serena bent down to him. "Are you sure, muffin?" she asked with concern in her voice. He nodded and groaned as he sat up. He looked at Raye. She looked guiltily at him, then turned away. He sighed and stood up. The area was still tender, but he could bear it. Serena stood up with him. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" she said. "I'll be fine. It's happened before. I'll live." Darien said. This time he couldn't fight his urge to stay away from Raye. "Raye, please fight it." Amy said. Raye nodded. "I'm going to tak a nap." she announced. She walked past Darien into his bedroom and shut the door. After awhile, Liat said, "She's asleep." Darien glanced at his love. "I can't believe you slapped her. She's slapped me before, and she's slapped you, but I never dreamed you'd hit her back." Serena sighed. "Neither did I. But I was so mad..." she said and looked at him. "I saw you there hurt, and I had to." Darien smiled and sat down. He kissed her softly. "She's going to die, Serena." he said to her. Serena's eyes clouded over with tears. "I know. And I slapped her." "She was asking for it, Serena." Lita said. "If you ask me, she's been asking for it for a long time." "Still that's no reason to slap her." Serena said. "It was nesesscary. It made the probe levels go down." Amy said. Darien held onto Serena's hand. "You've still got me Serena. And you're friends are right behind you, even if they aren't alive." Serena smiled. Darien was right. Things would go on. They could beat this thing. And then everything would go back to normal. She thought of Amy's speech. "Things will never be normal." she had said. No, but she would adjust. After all, she was Sailor Moon! She could conquer anything. Serena glanced over at Darien. Well, everything but losing Darien.