Romancing the Enemy By Scutter Except for the ones I made up, these characters belong to whatever company/ companies own or made Sailor Moon. This is rated G ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter 2 Darien slowly opened his eyes, the fuzzy walls of the room gradually coming into focus. He heard voices. Soft voices, like gentle music. It was peaceful. Then he felt someone stroking his hand. It was a good feeling. He closed his fingers, feeling a hand, warm and soft in his own. Serena gaped as Darien's hand grasped hers, then her eyes flew to his face. "Darien?" Every eye in the room turned to him, the scouts stopping their conversation immediately. Darien blinked twice, trying to figure out where he was. A face appeared in front of his, slightly out of focus. He concentrated on it. "Serena?" he asked weakly. "Yes, it's me." Darien tried to smile, but the effort was too much. He closed his eyes, and drifted slowly back into a peaceful, soothing sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was a Sunday morning - usually the time when Serena would stay in bed until 11:00. But not this morning. Not even though it was the beginning of school vacation. She was up at 8:15 sharp, almost bouncing out of bed. Luna groaned, as she was pushed off the bed early for the fifth time that week. she thought grumpily, as the girl pulled on her jeans, and raced for the door. Serena kept running until the hospital was in sight, when she finally slowed to a breathless walk. She arrived at exactly 9:01, and ducked past the nurse at the front desk, knowing exactly where she was going. Though she had woken up in a good mood, Serena became more subdued as she reached Darien's door. She had been to see him every day for the past week, but despite her repeated visits, she couldn't get used to seeing him in so much pain. Taking a deep breath, she knocked softly, then pushed open the door. Darien was asleep. His black hair was tousled against the pillow and he breathed slowly and deeply. Serena smiled gently at his peaceful expression, and quietly pulled a chair up to his bed. She loved watching him sleep. It was the only time that the characteristic frown left his face, and he looked relaxed and peaceful. she thought with a sigh. The bruises on his face had finally faded - only a faint mark remained, and the doctors were considering taking him out of intensive care. Serena sat beside him for several minutes. She must have sat like this for hours over the past week, but she never tired of it. Gently, she reached out to hold his hand, stroking it slowly. And her mind drifted back, again, to why she was here in the first place. Over the hours she had sat with him over the past week, she had thought about it a lot, making up all kinds of excuses at first, trying in her own mind to get around the fact that she thought she couldn't stand the guy - she was here because he was in pain and she hated seeing people suffering - because she liked making people happy - because it must be boring for him, sitting in a hospital bed all day, and she could cheer him up. But in all honesty, she had realised, it was because she felt guilty. Guilty that she had never given him a chance. Guilty that she had never even *tried* to be nice to him. Guilty, she realised now, because he had always been alone, while she had had friends to lean on. Gazing at him now, she knew that was the real reason. Because he was alone, and she wasn't. So she gave herself to him, to take away that loneliness. Serena scowled, quickly silencing the inner voice. 'That's not true. I've got lots of friends . . .' She sighed. Unable to help herself, she reached out and softly stroked his hair, brushing the black bangs from his forehead. He stirred slightly, and she froze. The effect of her touch was evident none the less, and he slowly opened his eyes. Darien blinked as the room came into focus, and then he smiled as he saw Serena sitting next to him. Every day, without fail, she would arrive while he was asleep, and he would wake to her smiling face. It was one of the few things he could look forward to in hospital. "Good morning," she whispered as he slowly sat up. "How do you feel?" Darien yawned and stretched his good arm. "Not too bad, considering." He ran his fingers quickly through his hair, hoping it wasn't sticking up too badly. an inner voice chided him, but he ignored it, and stifled another yawn. "Andrew said he'd come in as soon as he finishes work. And Lita said she's try to sneak some of her cooking in. We all know how bad hospital food is," Serena added with a grin. Darien nodded. "Thanks." Then something caught his eye. A fresh bunch of red roses beside his bed. He looked dubiously at Serena. "You brought these, did you?" he asked, pointing to them. She nodded brightly. "Andrew said you liked roses, so I thought I'd bring you some." To her surprise, Darien sighed. "Serena, you've brought me flowers every day for a week. It's not that I don't appreciate it, but . . . you don't have to keep doing this." Serena shrugged the comment off. "This room is so dull, I just had to do something to make it brighter. Look at it, it's all white!" Darien looked around, but he didn't see a white room. He saw a room full of every different coloured flower he could imagine - not only from Serena, but from Andrew, Rita and Rei as well. Every available surface was taken up - the windowsill, the nightstand, the top of the TV, even the top of his IV machine was occupied. Serena looked around as well, and suddenly saw the room as Darien was seeing it. She burst out into giggles. "Okay, so maybe I went a little overboard." Darien half-smiled. "Serena, I know I might regret saying this but you don't have to be here all day, every day. You've hardly left since the accident, excluding the time you were at school." She shrugged shyly. "I like being here. I like cheering you up. Besides," she added with a coy grin. "I see this as an investment in my future career. I want to be a nurse, so I should spend as much time around hospitals as possible." Her grin faded, and she looked away. She couldn't tell him why she was really here. Andrew wasn't even supposed to have told her . . . "But it's the school vacation now," Darien pressed gently, squeezing her hand. "You should be out with your friends, having a good time." Serena laughed bitterly, a sound Darien had never expected to hear from her. "I should be having a good time while you get to sit in here all day? How is that fair?" Darien fixed her with a steady, disapproving stare. He could be stubborn when he wanted to be - he knew that well enough. But not half so stubborn as Serena. Deliberately meeting his gaze, she eventually stared him down, and he looked away, defeated. Honestly, he couldn't really complain about her being here. Actually, his heart leapt in panic at even the thought of her leaving. It was all that kept him sane. He had never been cooped up like this before, and it was driving him nuts. But he had to give her the option. Because he felt guilty. Guilty for taking up her time, when he was so undeserving of it. Guilty that she could be so kind to him, while he had only ever been mean to her. Guilty that she could give him so much, when he had never given her anything in return . . . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~Later that day~ "One, two, three! Scissors cut paper! I win!" Serena giggled with glee. Darien chuckled and shook his head. A week ago, he would never in the world have expected to be playing scissors-paper-rock with *anyone*, never mind that it was *Serena*. She had done everything she could to keep him occupied during the day - they had played cards, watched cheesy movies on the room's small screen, Serena had told him all the news from the arcade - and now they sat playing this silly game, to which he found he had absolutely no objection. "Knock knock?" A questioning face poked around the door, and Darien and Serena both looked up. Lita grinned, and stepped into the room, flopping down on the end of Darien's bed, and tossing a backpack in front of her. "Hey, guys. Sorry I couldn't come earlier, but my grandparents came round for lunch, so I had to be there. You know how it is." She shrugged at Darien, who gazed back, mildly perplexed. "Anyway," she carried on, "Just to cheer you up, I have brought you . . ." she trailed off as she rumaged through the backpack. Darien shot Serena a quizzical glance, but she just shrugged. "This!" Lita emerged triumphant from the bottom of the bag holding a metal tin. Ripping the lid off, she presented the contents to a surprised Darien. "Cookies! I know they're not really real food," Lita started rambling, "but I had to think of something I could sneak past the nurses, and a roast dinner didn't exactly fit that description, ya know, so I had to think of something smaller, so I came up with the perfect idea - cookies - so I baked these just this morning, so they're nice and fresh . . . " she paused as she took a big breath, "And here they are," she finished, looking proud of herself. Then she realised Darien was staring at her. "What?" she asked, worried. He shook his head in wonder. "Do all girls do that?" Lita stared at him. "Do what?" "Talk for five minutes without breathing?" Serena and Lita looked at each other guiltily, then grinned, and burst into a fit of giggles. "No, I think it's just us," Lita replied. "Here, have a cookie. You'll feel better." "Hey guys! What's happening?" A voice suddenly spoke up from the door. Darien looked up . . . and a grin split his face. "Andrew! Come on in." The blond man stepped into the room smiling, then glanced at the bed. "Looks like I came just at the right time," he said with a grin, noticing the open tin of cookies. "Am I right in guessing Lita baked these?" Lita grinned. "You sure are." "Mmm, they're great!" Serena mumbled through a mouthful. "Choc-chip. My favourite." Darien raised an eyebrow as the small girl began stuffing a second biscuit into her mouth, and chuckled to himself. "Hungry, are you?" Serena stopped in mid-bite, and blushed. "Oops. Sorry. These are supposed to be yours." But Darien just smiled. "I don't mind. Help yourself. But if you're hungry, maybe you should go get some lunch. You haven't eaten all day." Serena's eyes lit up again. "Ooh! Lunch. Yeah! Hey Lita, come on, let's eat." "Right behind ya, girl!" "We'll be right back, Darien. Before you even miss us . . ." Darien watched the two girls run out the door, then turned to see Andrew staring after them, in mild shock. "*That's* what you have to put up with all day?" he asked, incredulously. Darien just shrugged. "Well, it's more interesting than doing nothing." The blond man grinned. "Well, while we have a quiet moment, I guess I should tell you Cathy came to see me at the arcade. She's been picking up your notes for you from collage, so you can catch up when you finally get out of here. I could bring some work in for you, if you like, since you don't have much else to do all day . . .yo, Dare? You listening?" he asked, as he realised his friend was staring out the door, looking decidedly spacey. Darien didn't reply. "Earth to Darien! Come in!" "Huh? What was that?" Darien looked up, a faint blush covering his cheeks. Andrew frowned. "What's on your mind? It's not like you to space out on me. Is something wrong?" Darien shook his head slowly. "I was just thinking about Serena. It doesn't make any sense. Why would *she* of all people be spending all her time with me? I just don't get it." When Andrew didn't reply, Darien glanced over to him to see why not, and was surprised to see him staring at the floor, his face rather red. "Andrew? Do you know something I don't?" Andrew looked up guiltily. "Uh, well, no, not really. See, the thing is . . ." He stopped, and looked at the floor again. "Go on. I'm listening." "Well, you see, I kinda . . . um . . ." He suddenly started talking very quickly. "Darien, please don't get mad, but I told Serena your parents died. I know you didn't want anyone to know, and I shouldn't have told her. I know it was wrong, but she was just so worried about you, I couldn't just leave her in the dark. She just wanted to help you, and I didn't want you spending all your time alone. I didn't think it would do any harm. I'm so sorry Darien, I really didn't mean to hurt you." He stopped, and took a deep breath before he risked a glance at his best friend. Darien was silent. He felt strange. Honestly, he didn't know *what* to feel. He knew he *should* have been annoyed, or even angry. His privacy was very important to him, and he knew Andrew had betrayed that. But . . . Somehow it was all right. He wondered why. Then he realised he knew the reason - the reason he wanted to keep his past so well hidden, and the reason it was all right for Serena to know. The reason was pity. Serena had never pitied him. Yes, she had sympathised with him, comforted him, even cried over him, but she had never pitied him. He had seen that look all too often at the orphanage. But he could tell the way Serena saw him was different. Something he almost didn't recognise. Something that touched him in a way that he had never felt before. She just . . . cared about him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena lay awake in bed, staring at the full moon streaming in her window. She checked her clock again. 2:17am. Exactly two minutes after she had checked the last time. She sighed. She had felt unusually tired when she had finally come home from the hospital last night, and gone almost straight to bed, but now she just couldn't get back to sleep, her mind filled with a jumble of thoughts that wouldn't let her rest. She had been awake for nearly an hour now, having woken up from a nightmare she couldn't quite remember, something about a motorbike . . . Finally, she slipped out of bed and went to her window, resting her chin on the cold sill. She couldn't stop thinking about Darien. When Andrew had first told her about the orphanage, she had been shocked, to say the least. Who could have imagined that strong, confident Darien would ever have been so . . . helpless? But when she had thought about it later, it seemed to explain so much. Why he was so aloof with everyone. Why he never said much. Why he always wore that characteristic frown. But it wasn't helplessness that she saw in him now. No, she realised, she didn't pity him. She admired him. She admired his strength at having overcome a terrible loss. He had shown that he had something that she thought she lacked - courage. With a shock, she realised why she couldn't sleep, why she was sitting awake at 2:30 in the morning. She wanted to see Darien. Now. It didn't matter that it was the middle of the night - she had to see him now. Thankfully, Luna wasn't in her room tonight - presumably off chasing mice somewhere - so if she was quiet, no one should miss her . . . but if anyone found out, she could be in a lot of trouble . . . The thought played over in her mind, before she finally threw away the doubts, and got up from her seat by the window. As quickly and quietly as possible, Serena crept to her closet and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then crept back to her window, sliding it open softly, stunned by her own boldness. For once in her life, fate smiled at her, and she didn't stumble at all as she climbed from the window onto the tree outside, and slid to the ground below. The darkened, empty streets didn't frighten her at all as she ran towards the hospital. she thought, for once confident in the role of heroine. The moonlight easily lit her way, as she followed the familiar route with silent steps. Finally, Serena arrived breathlessly at the hospital door, and for the first time since she had left her room, doubt entered her mind. It was the middle of the night. The hospital was closed to visitors. They surely wouldn't let her in to see a patient *now*, would they? What would the nurses think of a young girl wandering around at night. Would they call her parents? Would they call the police?? The woman behind the desk stood in surprise when she saw Serena. "Miss, is something wrong? Are you all right?" Serena started, like a deer caught in a car's headlights. she thought. "I . . . um . . . I know it's very late and all, but . . ." She hesitated. "Er, one of my friends is in here, and I couldn't sleep, and I just want to see him." She looked pleadingly at the nurse, who looked back with compassionate eyes. "Could you let me do that?" The nurse frowned for a long moment, and Serena's heart fell. But then the woman nodded slowly. "Well, you'll have to be very *very* quiet." Serena nodded eagerly. "Don't disturb *anyone*, and don't go anywhere you shouldn't be." Serena nodded again, and the nurse sighed. "Well, all right, I suppose you can go." Serena smiled with relief, muttered a quick 'thank you', and hurried silently down the now familiar route to Darien's room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darien lay stiffly in his bed, the sheets twisted and rumpled around him, as a cold sweat formed on his brow. Though sleeping, his dreams gave him no rest, and he moaned quietly . . . During the day, a seemingly endless stream of people had visited him - Serena and her friends, Rita, Andrew, even Andrew's little sister had come by for a while - frankly Darien was stunned at the amount of attention he was getting. He had had no idea that people cared about him so much . . . but evening had come, and everyone had finally left, leaving him to deal with his demons alone. In the dark room, he had lain awake for hours, thinking, brooding, trying to work out Serena's strange behaviour - and how he should react to it. She had stayed with him all day, not just sitting with him, but radiating her endless enthusiasm and smiling that genuine warmth at him for the entire time. He wondered for the fifth time if she was truly only here because he was an orphan. Because he had no one else. He didn't like the idea much. Instead, he began to wonder if her feelings could be more than just concern. Could it be . . . friendship? Affection? Love? Strangely, there was no comfort in the thought. Instead, it stabbed at him like a knife. he thought. Then he realised. Darien groaned at the clarity of the thought. He could never care for anyone else while his Princess was waiting for him. But Serena was *here*, with warm arms and a willing smile, while his Princess was . . . well, was not here, at least not this side of his dreams. The darkness had been welcome then, as he had closed his eyes to try and block out the confusion and anguish. He would not, *could* not, betray his Princess. And yet . . . he sighed. He was just so tired of being alone. he thought sadly. Turning over, and curling into a tight ball, Darien shuddered, wishing hopelessly that he was still wrong. He wanted someone to love him. He wanted it so badly. A silent tear slid down his cheek as the forgotten memories of the orphanage wandered through his mind. Darien shifted restlessly in his sleep, as those endless dreams that cheered and plagued him began to play again . . . He walked slowly through the mist, the castle appearing out of the dimness. It should have been so familiar . . . and yet something was different. Then he realised the ground was trembling. He looked up, alarmed, searching the balcony for his Princess. She must know that something was wrong! But as he looked, the castle seemed so old, now. He stared in horror as one tall, proud turret started to crumble, slowly at first, then falling in thundering waves of stone and splintering wood. He stared through the mist up to the high balcony. The silouette of his Princess stood, staring down at him. "Princess? What's happening? What's wrong?" "It is ending, my Prince. My time with you, here, is over. You must wake now." "Princess, no! I don't want to leave you!" Even through the mist, he could see her shake her head. "No, my Prince. You must leave me, or lose me." Another turret began it's thundering descent. "What's going on? Why is this happening?" "You must leave, Endymion." Her voice was more forceful. The third turret was falling, disappearing into the growing fog. "Go, before it is too late!" "I won't!" His voice sounded strangled, the sound deadened by the fog. A sickening weight seemed to press against his stomach. The ground was shuddering heavily now, and the fourth turret began to fall. But no, he realised. Not just the turret. The whole castle was falling, beginning with the rear wall, and slowly moving forward. He stared in horror. The balcony . . . the balcony! "Princess, no!" His breath was choked, his eyes filled with tears. He couldn't bear to see her die! The Princess spoke again. "Run." And this time, he heeded her words. With blind, thoughtless, terrified obedience, he ran. Darien gasped, eyes wide as he jerked awake. Then he heard a faint sound, and his eyes snapped to the door. In the dim light, her back to him, stood the perfect sillouette of a woman. Two buns held her hair up, the long ponytails falling below her waist. His Princess . . . ! "Wait!" The woman turned in surprise. Her face was still hidden in the darkness, but he could clearly make out her sillouette. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I thought you were asleep." "Please, don't leave." Serena stared at his trembling form in the darkness. Darien felt physically sick. She couldn't leave him! He was so tired of being alone. He just wanted someone to love him . . . She walked slowly back to his side, and he gasped when she took his hand. Her hand felt to warm, and fitted so well into his . . . "Did you have a bad dream?" He nodded mutely, but suddenly, he was unable to recall what the dream had actually been about. Something had been ending . . . ? "I . . . I don't remember . . ." he tried to say, but she placed a gentle finger over his lips, silencing him. In the darkness, she seemed to smile. "Lie down. I didn't mean to disturb you." He merely looked at her, and when he didn't move, she reached out and pushed his shoulder back. Reluctantly he lay down, but kept his eyes on her face. Her hand was still in his, and he held onto it tightly as he lay in the darkness, hot, aching tears sliding down his face in silence. He could not believe this was happening. His Princess, here with him at last. He wanted nothing more than to hold this woman in his arms, to feel her body against him forever, but he was too afraid to move - afraid that if he tried she would vanish like a dream into the coldness of the morning and he would never see her again. So instead, he held onto her hand, hoping, if this was a dream, that he could sleep forever. Serena sat beside the shivering man for a long time. He stayed still the whole time, never saying a word, but she knew he wasn't sleeping. His breathing was uneven, and his hand was cold and tense in hers. Strangely, she found herself wanting to hold him in her arms, to comfort him, to take away his pain. she thought, with a start. She shook her head slightly, wondering what could possibly have caused this panic in him. It was so unlike him, so unlike the aloof, arrogant Darien she knew and loved to despise. And that touched her in ways she had never imagined. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she stole a glance at the clock, knowing she had to get home before dawn. And she realised with a shock that it *had* been hours. It was 5:30! Reluctantly, she sat up, squeezing Darien's hand to get his attention. "Darien?" He sat up slightly. "What is it?" "I have to go now. It's very late." Suddenly, he had her hand in a vice-like grip. "No! You can't go. I don't want you to." Serena was taken aback. "But . . . but I have to go. I have to get home. It's almost dawn." He said nothing, but tightened his grip on her hand. "Don't leave me," he whispered harshly. Serena winced at the sound. It was so . . . desperate. Was she really that important to him? The idea of someone needing her so badly - clumsy, irresponsible little Serena - scared her, and she didn't quite know what to do about it. Gingerly, she took his hand in hers again, and brought it to her lips, kissing the back of it lightly. "I'll be back in the morning. It's only a couple of hours away. I'll be back, I promise." Darien hesitated for a second, then released her hand, letting it slide slowly out of his. "Okay . . ." In the dim light, he thought he saw her smile, and he managed to return the look. Walking with quiet, graceful movements, she rose and stepped out into the hallway, and he saw the light from it shining in her golden hair. With her back to him, she reached for the door handle, to close the light out, and his cold darkness in. But just as the door was about to close, she turned back to face him, to give him a final warming smile. And in the light of the hallway, he saw her face. For the first time in his life he saw the face of his Princess. He saw . . . Serena. Serena? SERENA?! He sat up in shock. Serena was his Princess?!!? With a blinding flash, he realised all at once how blind he had been - and how much he really loved that little hurricane of joy, princess or no. But she *was* his princess. There was no doubt about it. He suddenly felt a great relief at the thought, like the last piece of a huge puzzle had dropped into place, but at the same time, he felt a wracking confusion. And one jagged, searing question echoed in his shattered mind. <*How on Earth am I supposed to tell her how I feel?*> But, with a shake of his head, he realised he didn't want to consider that now. All that mattered at that moment was that finally, he knew he wanted her love. Badly. And somehow, some day, he would have it. And with that thought, he finally fell into a deep and soothing sleep, dreaming of silver rabbits chasing a golden ray of sunlight. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please e-mail me. Please? I *need* e-mail. d-boy@intercoast.com.au