Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Decided Bride ❯ Mistake Fixed, Confessions Made ( Chapter 19 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Mina found Serenity leaning against the wall of the small courtyard, gasping for air. "Usagi..." she said as she approached her friend.

"He recognized me, I'm sure he did," Serenity gasped out.

Mina put a comforting hand on her friends shoulder. "Maybe he didn't," she said quietly, although judging from Serenity's strong reaction, she knew she was probably wrong.

Serenity shook her head. "No, I'm sure he did. Mama is going to find out now for sure. How am I going to get out of this?" Serenity looked up into Mina's eyes. Mina gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry. It won't be that bad. Your mother knows Motoki, and she likes him. She might be a little annoyed, but nothing too bad."

Serenity sighed. True, but that's not what I'm worried about. Now Darien will know… Serenity looked down again. "You should go inside Mina. I need to think of an excuse to give mother."

Mina nodded her head in understanding and walked back to the door. Upon trying it she found it was locked. She knocked, but her knocking was drowned out by the noise from the inside. "I'll have to go around the building. I'll unlock it for when you want to come in." Mina told Serenity as she walked along the wall and around the corner of the building.

Serenity let out a shaky breath and leaned against the wall, her hand resting on the cool stones behind here, eyes closed to the sky. She felt her breathing was still quick, and she couldn’t stop her beating heart. It didn't help when she heard the door creak open. Her gaze shot to the door, and she was shocked to see Darien walking through it.

He looked more surprised to see her. "Usagi...what are you doing here?" he asked as he stepped out and shut the door behind him, blocking off the laughter and music at the same time.

She looked at him with panic in her eyes. He had to know now, since he had been with Malachite. "I-I needed some air," she said, and cursed herself for allowing her voice to betray so much of her emotion.

He came over to her, concern painting his face. "Are you alright?" he asked as he reached her.

She nodded as she felt tears prickling her eyes, threatening to spill over. She couldn't understand why though. "I think so," she said, not trusting herself to say more.

"Come on," he said as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "walk, it will make you feel better."

Serenity nodded her head feebly and started to walk, with Darien at her side, through the small garden behind Motoki's tavern. It was his mothers pride and joy.

Serenity couldn't bring herself to look up at her companion. Ironically, neither could he.

I know I've heard that Serenity is a prankster, so I understand why she didn't tell me who she was when she first met me, but why didn't Usagi tell me? He thought as they walked. I thought she wouldn't do something like that. He shook his head at the thought, making Serenity finally look up at him. No, she must have been under orders not to tell anyone, he concluded.

"Are you angry with me?" she asked.

He looked down at her, surprised to see her pleading eyes gazing up at him. He gave her a smile. "No, not at all. Should I be?" He asked with a bit of amusement in his voice. He saw surprise run through her face, and noticed her shiver as she brought her gaze back down to her moving feet.

She gasped lightly when she felt his strong arm encircle her shoulders. "I thought you might be," she said softly. She heard him sigh.

"I thought so too. But I'm not. I understand why you didn't tell me." He felt her shiver again, and pulled her in a little closer.

They stopped at the small Koi pond. He looked down at her face and was surprised to see her eyes swimming in tears. "Usagi what's wrong?" he asked gently. It hurt him in an odd way to see her crying, and he couldn't say why.

She kept her gaze locked on the pond. "I…You're the first man who has not judged me right away because of….except Motoki, but he's like my brother……" Her sentence trailed off as a tear made a silver trail down her cheek. Her eyes went wide and her whole body went stiff when she felt him turn and wrap both of his arms around her, pressing her body to his in a warm embrace. At first she didn't know what to make of it, but quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his shirt, letting the tears flow. She completely missed the confused look on his face.

"Of course I don't judge you Usagi. I don't judge people that quickly on one single incident." He felt her grip him tighter. "I just want to know, why the charade?" he asked. He felt her stiffen a little, and then she brought her face up to look at his. He brought his hand over and wiped the glistening tears from her face.

"Because people usually do judge too quickly", she said, and paused. "Right away it's 'Yes your Highness' and 'Of course m'Lady,' and no one talks to you like a human. And men, well…." She let her sentence trail again as two new twins of silver ran down her face.

He wiped them away again. "And men what?" he urged her to continue.

She took in a shaky breath. "Men only see the claiming of a princess as the claiming of a prize. Nothing more," she finished.

Darien sighed. "Not all men are like that," he murmured as he brushed a few strands of hair from her face.

He noticed a small smile creep onto her face. "I can see that," she whispered.

He felt her bury her head into his shirt again, so he held her tighter with one arm, while he brought his other arm up so his hand was on the nape of her neck. He heard her sigh as he started to stoke the back of her neck.

Darien looked down at the figure he was cradling, an odd feeling of contentment rushing through his veins. He lowered his face to her head and breathed in her feminine smell. Her small form shrunk further into his chest, not out of fear, but comfort. Involuntarily, he shuddered. She is so gentle and beautiful. How can I… he heard her give a sigh of contentment. He almost felt like crying himself. How can I not tell her I……he stiffened a little at his own thoughts. That I love her.

Serenity was having a mental battle of her own. Why did I have to be born a princess? I could stay with Darien and not worry about Endymion if I was just a normal girl. Serenity felt a new wave of tears flood her eyes. It's not like he feels the same way about me. He could never possibly love me the way that I- she cut the thought off, her eyes growing wide. No, I can't love him. I just can't I'm not a normal girl. Still….the tears began to flow again. I do love him.

She started to shiver as she tried to muffle her crying, but as soon as the first sob escaped her lips, Darien tensed. "Usagi…?" His voice was filled with such tenderness and compassion that it only made her cry harder. He didn't even ask, only held her closer, stroking her back tenderly.

"It-it's not fair. It's j-just not fair. Why-why c-can't…" she sobbed out into his shirt, clutching him closer. He held her. That was all he could really do. He brought his hand to her chin and tilted her face up so that her gaze met his. He took in a sharp breath when he saw the ocean of emotions in her eyes, the passion, the desire, the need….the love? He knew he had to be wrong on the last one. Didn't he? He searched her eyes for hidden answers. Her hands were now at his chest, gripping the fabric as though her life depended on it.

"What isn't fair?" he asked, a little hoarsely.

She shook her head and brought her gaze down to his chest. "Have you ever wanted something so badly, but knew you couldn't have it?" she asked, her voice sounding as though she thought the comment was ironic.

He stared at her for a few moments, not saying anything. Placing his fingers beneath her chin, he gently brought her face up again so her eyes were looking into his. The blue of the night sky met with the blue of day. What he said next surprised him almost as much as it surprised her. "Of course," he murmured. "It's standing right in front of me."

Her mouth dropped open slightly, not knowing what to say. She didn't have enough time to even think of anything to say, as she lost all thoughts and knowing of existence as his lips came down and landed softly on hers. Her eyes fluttered shut as her arms came up around his neck. He pulled her in close, increasing the pressure of his lips on hers. He felt her shudder beneath his hands, and he only pulled her in closer. Her hands found their way to his hair as she clung to him to keep from falling. He sensed this and tightened his grip, letting her know he wouldn't let her fall.

The kiss was chaste, but the passion that was coursing through the two could have shattered worlds.

She felt herself melting into him, and he responding by letting her do so. After a few moments, which felt like they should have lasted an eternity, he pulled away slightly, keeping his lips only millimetres from hers. He felt her breaths on his lips, the smell sweet and intoxicating. He looked into her eyes. He saw the passion still within her, the absolute confidence in him.

Then another emotion flashed through her eyes as her hands slipped to his shoulders, one that resembled fear mixed with despair. "Please Darien," she whispered. "Tell me that wasn't another lesson."

All of his muscles tensed and then shuddered at those words. They wrenched at his heart, and he wanted to do nothing more than ease any fears she had. "No Usagi," he said, his voice raspy. "That wasn't a lesson." His thumb traced her cheek, caressing the place where tears had graced her only moments before. "I couldn’t do that to you," he whispered. Then a small grin tugged at his lips. He knew what he was about to do, and it was something he knew he could never regret. "I-I love you."

She felt her knees tremble, and his responded to that by holding her tighter to him. "You-you what?" He almost couldn't hear her words, they were spoken so quietly, and suddenly he felt afraid. Afraid he had gone too far, that he had scared her. He couldn't back out now though.

He swallowed hard. "I love you Usagi." Those were the only words he could give her. His heart would not allow him to say anything else.

She was startled by the rawness in his voice. Her grip on his shoulders tightened. "Y-you can't love me!" He heard her say, her voice shaky.

"And why not?" he asked, smiling to try and hide his own fear and pain, but the shakiness in his voice betrayed him.

"Because you know I am promised to another," she said.

He looked at her, genuine puzzlement on his face. "What?" he gasped out.

"I'm promised to Endymion, remember? I'm the Moon Princess, so therefore..." She felt like waving her hand in front of his face.

The look on his face could not be described by a thousand words. "What? Y-you're….you're Serenity? But I thought Mina was…"

Now it was Serenity's turn to look at him is disbelief. He had thought Mina was her. Serenity had thought he knew the real truth. Neither could speak as they stared at each other in silence.

Suddenly, Darien pulled Serenity to him an a tight hug, one that nearly crushed her. "I don’t care," she heard him whisper hoarsely. "I don't care who you are. You should know that now."

Serenity was shaking, not being able to grasp all that had happened. He loved her for who she was, and that was all that mattered at the moment. Not for being Princess of the Moon, but for her, her true her.

She looked up at him. "Darien, you can't love me," she whispered," because I've fallen in love with you too."

I do not own the rights to Sailormoon or any of the characters. That honour belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, and I am simply a lowly author who can use her characters for my plots.