Forbidden Creation
Chapter 1

Rated: G
Disclaimer:  I do not own Sailormoon, or The Thirteenth Floor....sigh.  
Genre:  romance/alt reality

AN's:  Hope ya like?  ;)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@
Friday.  2000 AD.

Darien had been watching the sea all day.  His footprints were scattered impatiently across
the sand.  He was waiting.  The ship should be here....it was late.

The sun was slowly setting as he obstinately sat staring out as far as his eyes would allow.
He'd given up pacing but refused his families many pleas to return indoors, to study to read
anything....

He would not be moved.  Something about this had his nerves tingling.  He' been in terrible
anticipation all week.  
~She's coming.  She's coming.  She's coming.~  His mind seemed to chant into his solitude.
And he didn't know why.  He'd never met her before.  Didn't know a thing about her.  But here
he was, waiting for the sea to deliver her.  He ran a hand through his dark hair.  

Suddenly the sky darkened, black clouds rolling in unnaturally from the horizon, the wind 
picking up until it was howling.  

Darien stood with shock.  A storm.  But so sudden?  Could it be real?
He watched the sea begin to chrun and foam.  

His Grandfather ran down the beach to get him, yelling over the now deafening wind,
"C'mon my boy!  Storm's too bad to be outdoors!"

He had to drag Darien away as he stood tensed, ready, as though prepared to take on the sea 
himself.  

Inside, soaking wet, Aunt Ilene took over and insisted Darien change and take a hot bath before
he caught his death.

Darien protested but his Aunt was a terribly determined woman when it came to mothering.

He rushed through the process and ended up slipping and falling on the bathroom floor trying
to get ready when he heard the sounds of people arriving downstairs.

But by the time he ran down to see them, she was gone.  Locked away in her room 'exhausted
from the long and terrifying trip through the storm'.  He wasn't to disturb her.

He hugged his Uncle and then trudged off to his room with sunken shoulders.

Tomorrow.  Tomorrow he would meet her.

And he was up at the crack of dawn the next morning waiting for her at breakfast.  Aunt
Ilene, Molly, Sammy and Grandfather came down to find bacon and eggs already made.

"Why Darien!  What prompted this?"  Aunt Ilene exclaimed laughing.

"Couldn't sleep."  He replied brokenly, straining to see Kenji and Serena whenever they came
down.

And then they did.

Kenji was an average, handsome man with glasses and brown hair and eyes.  His estranged daughter
was none of these things.  Instead an unbelievably pale girl walked in, barely 5 foot 4 with
wide blue eyes set against her ivory skin and pale lips that betrayed a tendency to tremble.
She was lithe and graceful without realizing, and beautiful as no one else he could recall 
seeing or meeting in his life.

All of this was enough to startle him, but when her eyes met his that first moment he nearly 
dropped to his knees.  There was something....something...his dazed mind choked out.
She gazed at him with such a wide eyed shock and innocence and beauty and disbelief.

He could read it all in her eyes....everything.  So she quickly looked away.

"Serena, you met Grandfather Chiba and Ilene last night.  These are my two children Molly
and Sammy."

The said children greeted her with delightful grins and she smiled at them warmly,
"Hello."  She said and the sound of her voice was so instantly familiar to him that he caught
his breath.

What did all this mean?

"And this is my nephew Darien.  He's Ilene's sister's son."

"Yes, I remember you telling me."  She said softly, then her eyes met his again and time
seemed to silence and still everything in the world.

"It's good to meet you."  She said with a faint trace of pain in her voice.

"Good to meet you too."  He said and smiled gently at her, offering his hand.

She seemed to start a bit at this but carefully offered her own hand.  He squeezed it cautiously
and shook it.  The texture of her skin....it reminded him of something....

Serena meanwhile stared out of her blue eyes at him in the throes of stark agony.  She took
him in, tall, thin, dark hair, navy blue eyes....handsome....like always...but somehow more
real....in this tangible place....
~Oh Gods I really am being punished.~

She forced a smile to her face, "I see you made breakfast..."

"Oh, uh, yeah....couldn't sleep."  He offered awkwardly.

She nodded and turned her eyes away, to the table, anywhere but him.  She already knew he'd been
anticipating her arrival, pacing the beach, barely sleeping.....but she had to avoid him.  It was
all she could do.

They sat down and ate quietly till Darien, whose eyes had not left her yet, asked, 
"What are we doing today?  I could show Sere--"

"Actually my boy, Serena's spending the day with Kenji and I need your help with the boat after
that storm last night."  Grandfather Chiba cut in.

He was looking piercingly at Darien and the latter frowned in frustration and ate the rest of
his breakfast in silence.  Serena never dared a glance his way.

And then she was gone once again.  Whisked off by Uncle Kenji.

Darien worked silently on the boat.  Scrubbing the scratched wood with a dark expression as
Grandfather Chiba worked calmly beside him.  Finally he spoke up.

"Darien, she came to catch up with her father and meet her family.  Make sure you remember that.
You'll have time with her later."

Darien didn't reply and Grandfather chuckled a bit, "You're quite taken with her already,
aren't you?"

Darien paused a moment but didn't look up, then he returned to scrubbing with vehnem.

"You can chat with her tonight."  Grandfather said with amusement.

But this proved to be untrue.  For upon returning home, Darien found she was in the library
with Molly and Sammy and when he moved to join them his Aunt stopped him,
"Just let her be with them a while would you?"  She asked softly, her kindly hand on his 
shoulder.

He dropped his shoulder's in defeat.

"She seems to be getting on well with them."  Aunt Ilene said softly, "I'm glad."

Darien smiled at his kind Aunt.  This must all be hard on her, but she was only concerned 
about how Serena was doing.

He took his Aunt to the kitchen and made her some tea, chatting with her a while before she
put the kids to bed.  

Serena was gone too.  Locked away in her room again.

And so for the next three days she had a turn with everyone.  Kenji spent a day with her, Aunt
Ilene, Grandfather Chiba, and she played constantly with Molly and Sammy.

He never had more than a moment's time with her before she ran off, avoiding him with obvious
pains.

She was leaving soon and he hadn't even spoken to her!  This strange, ethereal girl that
reminded of something he could not place.  That pulled at the parts of his heart always
sensitive to how strange the world felt against them.

He waited this night till he found her leading Molly and Sammy to bed and laid a hand on her 
shoulder making her jump.

"Serena..."

"Y-yes?"  Her voice stuttered and she met his gaze only briefly before looking down.

"Will you come chat with me a bit before bed?  I haven't had any chance to spend time with you
yet."

"I-I really am tired.  How about tomorrow morning?  Besides, I promised Molly and Sammy
I'd read to them before bed."

She saw the sorrow cross his features and swallowed.  He knew she wouldn't speak with him 
tomorrow.  He knew she was avoiding him.  She knew it hurt him.  But his hurt, however
significant could not match the pain she carried.  The pain that made his presence unbearable.

~Only two more days....I only have to make it two more days...~

"I--"  He began, but then sunk his shoulders in defeat, "Alright then.  Tomorrow..."

And he walked away slowly.

She breathed a small sigh of relief and went to read to Molly and Sammy before bed.
When she finished, she crept carefully back to her dark room, closing the door and locking it
behind her before turning and flicking the light on.

Darien sat on her bed.  She gave a startled gasp as he stood.

"I want to know why you've been avoiding me?"  He asked bluntly.

She stared incredulously at him and her legs began to tremble with her lips.

He started towards her, "What is it?  Have I done something?  I only want to talk with you!"

"I-I--"  She stammered, tears starting at the corners of her eyes, but she bit them back
with resolve.  She would face this with all her strength.  

"I'm sorry."  She said sincerely, "You....make me a little nervous, that's all.  I-I've never
met anyone like you."

He seemed to consider this a moment and for a terrible moment she wondered if perhaps, she really
couldn't lie to him.....but then he shrugged it off and smiled a bit.  He offered his hand.

"Come walk with me?"

She froze for one delerious moment, his hand outstretched to her, his eyes imploring gently.
Then she assented, "Alright."

And their hands stayed clasped all the way to the beach, where they sat in the soft, soft sand
and talked about the stars and the moon.  

Serena knew as much--if not more--about astrology as he did.  Though she seemed always to be
checking what she said, he was still amazed at how freely she spoke of the sky.

They talked about studying and learning late into the night till Serena finally tried to free
her hand and moved to get up, "It's late..."  She said softly.

He pulled her closer, "Just a few more minutes?"

He watched her face cloud with some unknown emotion for a moment but then she forced it back
and smiled, "Alright."

"It's beautiful down here isn't it?"  She said after a moment's silence.

He nodded, "Something about watching the sea from here....it gets to me.  Grandfather
says it's the soul of the sea creeping into my heart...but that's Sailor talk.  It's different
to me.  The way it sounds hitting the shore...like a sigh....and just the feeling I get watching
it...sometimes I'd swear someone was staring back at me....."

She stiffened beside him as he spoke.  He turned, "Ever feel that way?"

She nodded slowly, refusing to meet his gaze.
~How...??  How could he know...??~

He pulled her to her feet then, hands on her shoulders and she thought she might simply fall at 
his feet.  How could his skin, his touch, his breath all feel so real?  Her body refused to
obey her this once and she stood there, till she dared to look up into his face.  To find
those dark eyes searching her.....there was such a half-sorrow, half confusion in them that 
finally she could bear it no longer.  She broke her one promise to herself and reached her hands
to touch his arms as they now hung loosely at his sides.

"I...I feel as though I've known you all my life."  She confessed.

His eyes widened, "I have that feeling myself....as though I've met you before....but we've
never met....what do you suppose it means?"

She stared numbly at him....refusing to lie....unable to answer...finally she turned the question
on him, "What do you think it means?"

He looked intently at her, "I've had this feeling....as long as I can remember--which isn't
much but still....I feel this...unease....as though something's missing or wrong or...everything
here just feels so...surreal.  I thought maybe it was my amnesia....but it's so base in me
I can't believe that's the case.  I feel...."  He trailed off.

"Incomplete?"  She supplied softly, meeting his eyes with hers.

He nodded, then he pulled her closer, "But you....you seem so familiar....so....real."
He tilted her chin back and looked down at her face, "I feel like I've found something
I've been searching for my whole life."

And now tears rolled down her cheeks unchecked.

"What is it?" He asked.

She shook her head, "I've just been....so lonely all my life....to hear you say that is...."

He had his arms around her now, his breath so close it was warm on her cheek.  She tore herself
away fearfully, "Oh I can't!  I can't!"  She cried and ran off towards the Manor, leaving
him staring after her in the moonlight.

She was in her room, door locked when he came home.  He crept back to his own room and fell
into a deep sleep in spite of himself....he hadn't slept enough all week.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~@
Thursday.  2000 AD.

When he came down the next morning he found everyone at breakfast but her.  

"Where's Serena?"  He asked sitting down to eat, expecting to hear that she wasn't up yet.

"Oh she was up hours ago boy!  She headed off into the woods to look round."  Grampa smiled and
looked up from his breakfast to continue, "She--"

But Darien was gone.  The family looked at his empty chair with puzzlement.

Darien tore off into the woods to find her....running, running without stopping, without
seeing.

She seemed to sense his chasing for when he spotted her she was running too.  Her beautiful
gold hair trailing after her, slender body arched gracefully as she moved.

He ran till his legs burned and caught her up--how did she run so fast?  Throwing his arms
about her waist and spinning her round to face him....thick green trees all around....sun
streaming through....all of it so beautiful she caught her breath.

"Wh-why..."  he gasped, "Why are you...running?"

"Oh please,"  She begged, in tears once again, "Please just leave me alone.  I'll be gone
soon."

"I know you will.  But...what is it?  Why do you keep running from me?  I thought you said
that...that we..."

She turned to look at him then, her eyes racked with sorrow.  It cut into him till he pulled 
her into his arms, "Oh God don't look at me like that...."

"Like what?"  She asked curiously, pulling back to look at him again.

"Like all the world's sorrow rests in your heart alone."

She looked startled at this.

"Tell me the truth."  He said, "Why are you here?  What does all this mean?"

Her eyes took on that agony again, "I-I'm being punished."  She said softly.

"Why?"  He asked, not understanding but knowing she spoke the truth at last.  Why was coming
here punishment?  What had she done wrong?  Was her mother angry that she'd looked up her father?
Somehow that didn't seem right.  As though none of that were true in the first place.

But she broke into tears at this and he held her close as she cried,
"I'm sorry.  I'm sorry."  She sobbed over and over.

"Sorry for what?  Serena!"  Finally he gave up and sinking them both to their knees he brushed
her hair back over her shoulder, away from where it clung to her tears.

"Whatever it is I forgive you...."

She stopped short and looked at him then, her piercing gaze alive with intelligence and
realization.  He could see himself in those eyes.

And he realized then the restless feeling that haunted him only enhanced this enchanted 
moment.  This sense of finding--if only briefly and unclearly--something long sought.
He leaned down and kissed her....and she moved as if to resist but instead melted slowly into
his arms and he could feel her love....feel it warm as it radiated from her skin to his.

"I love you too..."  He murmured into her mouth and he felt her body jolt at his words, as though
shocked.

She was murmuring something too.  As her hands slid up his back, tangled in his hair, touched
his face....he had to strain to hear it so softly spoken,
"So real....so real..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~@