Title: Flame of Hope Author: Alicia Blade and Athena E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com and Nikita@sgi.net Hey Minna-chan! Here's the newest! It's a short story, so there won't be any other chapter, kay? Sailor Moon doesn't belong to us. PLEASE TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!!!! This is from Darien's POV, and it happens in The first season before Serena and Darien know about their past, so you don't get confused. "In the future there will be a fountain, where David's descendants and the people of Jerusalem can wash away their sin and guilt." Zechariah 13:1 Here ya go… I sighed. Leaning over the edge farther, I stared at my reflection gazing back at me in the cold stream below. I felt more like my reflection, drowning in the icy waters, than the original me standing alone on a deserted bridge. I closed my eyes tight, trying to ignore the pain stinging in my heart. I don't know why the pain is there. It has no reason, no purpose to be there. So what if she hates me? No big deal, right? I had tried to tell myself that. To force myself to believe that she means nothing to me. But the words echo hollowly through my disturbed thoughts. Since when did I care what Meatball Head thought, anyway? It's not like I've tried extremely hard to be nice to her, so why does it hurt so much when she reinforces those thoughts? I suppose, deep down I always had a small flame of hope that she felt something other than hatred and contempt for me. But now that flame had flickered the last time and was swept away with her cruel words. I was out for my afternoon walk through the park. A sunny day glowing in the air around me. Then the glow shifted from the warm air to engulf a cheery girl down the path in front of me. She was smiling as she always is, and I couldn't help but to smile as well. As she skipped closer, I took into account every movement. Every feature so long ago etched into my mind. The sun rays dancing on the two golden streaks of hair. The light stars in her sapphire eyes that could dim the fiery sun. Her slender legs floating, not walking, over the dusty path. Things I had memorized the second I saw her and have taken for granted since. Her attention caught on something away in the sky and soon she had tripped and clattered to the dirt path. "Hey Meatball Head! What's the matter? Forget how to walk?" She pushed herself to her feet, the smile wiped from her face. I chuckled at her and she glared back and clenched her fists in anger. "Why are you always so mean Darien? What did I ever do to you? Why on Earth do you hate me so much?!" Hate her? I don't hate her. Is that what she thinks? 'Of course you idiot! What else would she think with all the times you've teased and mocked her?!' I answered myself. "I was having a perfectly good day before I saw YOU!" I feigned a hurt look. "Aaw, you're killing me Meatball Head." "GOOD BYE DARIEN!" She began storming past me. "Where ya goin' Meatball Head?" I asked, my mind filling with urgency. Now why wouldn't I want her to leave? 'Because you like her, Stupid!' No, that can't be it… "As if you need to know, but I'm going to the arcade. And don't you DARE try to follow me!" "The arcade? Why? To annoy Andrew some more?" I know she has a crush on the guy. But why is besides me. I mean… he's Andrew. What's so special about him? Must be something, with the fan club of girls he's got. It's a good thing Rita beat 'em all to him. Wait… why is that a good thing? It's not like Andrew would ever go for Serena anyway, so I don't have anything to worry about… HOLD IT! Since when do I care who Serena goes out with or who she likes? "I do NOT annoy Andrew! For your information, he…" "loves you?" I finished for her. "Ha! What a joke, Serena! Why would Andrew go for you?!" Her eyes began filling with tears, but I continued, "Besides, Serena, he's got a girlfriend! And it's not you! Even if he was free, you wouldn't stand a chance!" A tear ran down her flushed cheek. "SHUT UP DARIEN! Just shut up! I don't care what you say! Andrew's kind and sweet and funny and caring and everything that you're NOT! I hope you grow old and die lonely! Who could ever love someone as cold and mean as YOU anyway?!" She turned and flew down the opposite direction from which she had come. I had been standing in that same spot for what must have been hours. Every word she had said had cut through me with more pain than a metal blade could have. I felt hollow and cold. The sun burned on my face, but I continued to tremble from the freezing ice in my heart. She was right. Everything she said. Who could ever love me? Who would ever WANT to love me? And Serena… Serena… hates me. That word chilled me far worse than any other thought. She hates me. She doesn't want anything to do with me. She can't stand the sight of me. She… will never love me. Never. The flame of hope in my soul died. I didn't notice the tear until it had crawled like a snake down my cheek and splashed silently into the water below, sending my image into a ring of sadness, spreading wider until the sky above could be seen rolling away from me with hatred. Another tear followed. And another. I scratched at my eyes trying to rid myself of the salty drops. But more came until I gave up and fell to my knees, still clutching the railing with my cold palm. My hands were damp with the tears until I could no longer cry. I stood up shaking. The tears were unfamiliar. I had not cried since I left the hospital 12 years ago. Since Fiore left. And now… I had cried like a child. I had cried because of her. No… that wasn't true. I had cried because of what she felt. Of what I had MADE her feel. I could have stopped it. I could have been nicer. I could have forgotten the hated nickname, or ignored it when she klutzed out. But no. I teased her. And mocked her. I had pushed her away until she hated my very name. And now she hated me and there was no longer anything I could do. I was helpless. Just like a child. I was a lonely child, and I had just lost something that I never really had in the first place. And it hurt. It hurt a lot. "D…Darien?" I gasped and stood up straighter, refusing to turn to the familiar voice. I can't let her know that I've been crying. Just act natural Darien. She hates you and there's nothing you can do to change that, so just act natural. "What do you want Meatball Head?" I reply coldly. She was silent for a while. "I…just…wanted to say…oh, nevermind!" I heard her stomping away on the wooden bridge, and then the sound stopped and I heard her marching back towards me with equal anger apparent in each step. I turned my head away, propping it up on my fists, my elbows resting on the railing. "You know, Darien! You could at least look at me! I came all the way out her to try and find you, and what thanks do I get!? NONE! And why on EARTH are you still here anyway? Don't tell me you haven't moved since I left! I have been trying to track you down for half an hour, and now that I get here, you won't even talk to me! You have some nerve! You know, I was going to apologize for what I said, but tough luck of that happening now! I can't believe I wasted all my time trying to find you so that you could just be mean to me AGAIN! Why do I even bother?! You are never going to change, ya know that?! Never! I can't believe I was ACTUALLY considering trying to be nice to you! Ugh! What a joke! Darien actually having a HEART?! Like that'll ever happen! You know, I meant everything I said earlier! You are cold and mean and will ALWAYS be lonely! Maybe, just MAYBE if you would have tried to be nice to me or at least TALKED to me, then I might just have changed my mind about you, but now I know that you are completely cold and heartless, and I sincerely hope that someday you will…" "SHUT UP!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, turning to face her, fresh tears streaming down my face. She gasped and jumped back, whether from me yelling at her or from the fact that I was actually crying, I don't know. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to choke back the tears and turned away once more to look over the side of the bridge. I whispered, "Serena… do you have ANY idea how much you're hurting me?" I didn't know what to say, but for the first time in how many years, I spoke of what I was feeling. She was stunned at this and remained silent for a few minutes. then she spoke in a confused tone, "H…hurting you?" All traces of anger had disintegrated and for this I was grateful. After wiping away the last tears, I once again turned to face her. The large blue eyes showed worry and fear and comfort and confusion all at the same time. I simply stared back at her for a moment, not really knowing what to say or do. Then I realized that telling the truth had worked earlier… so I continued, "Serena…" I don't know if I was addressing her, or simply trying to believe she was really there, with me. "I… I'm sorry." I closed my eyes trying to think of what words to say. My mouth opened and I began to talk, not really knowing what was coming out, but hoping it was the right thing. "I… didn't mean to snap at you, it's just that… And I'm… also sorry for… teasing you and… and I just… just… I'm sorry." "D… Darien?" She sounded shocked and confused. "Wh…what do you… why?" I opened my eyes to see that she had taken a step closer to me, and now stood just a few feet away. A crooked smile played across my lips, but my eyes continued to sting from the recent tears. "You have every right to hate me, Serena. I've been nothing but cold to you. But… please… please don't hate me." I shut my eyes again, too scared to see her reaction. I silently prayed that she wouldn't laugh at me. "I…I don't think I could stand it if you hated me." The words were whispered and barely audible, but by the gasp I heard from her, I knew that she had understood every word. She was stunned at this and remained silent for a few minutes. Then I felt a small delicate hand reach out and touch my arm, "Oh Darien, I...didn't know. I mean, you're always so mean to me and well...I...well got tired of it today, so I fought back. I'm sorry about what I said, it was really cruel and I..." but I cut her off as I quickly stepped forward, gathered her in my arms and kissed her. 'What are you doing?' the rational side of my mind screamed. 'Kissing the girl that I love!' I yell back. At first Serena doesn't move, she's stiff against me and just as I'm about to give up and start apologizing, I feel her hands slowly make their way up my chest the encircle my neck. Finally I feel her relax beneath me and open herself up to my gentle assault. With that encouragement, I deepen the kiss, pouring my entire heart and soul into it. Finally, after what seemed a lifetime, I break off the kiss and I look into her beautiful, but dazed eyes. "Why did you do that?" she asks me, her voice barely above a whisper. When I don't answer right away, she looks away and tries to pull herself out of my arms, but my grip only tightens and she again raises those eyes to me again. Softly I answer, "Because I love you." It was a simple enough statement, but nevertheless, it is the truth. I realize that now as I manage to hold this ray of sunshine in my arms. I hold my breath in suspense as I await her reaction to my declaration of love. Finally a small smile spreads across her face, and I find myself smiling back at her. She doesn't say anything, she doesn't have to. She merely reached up and brought my head down for another kiss. I accept gladly as I feel the flame of hope turn into a flame of hopeless love.