Well, I hate to say it, but this is the 
last chapter. *sigh* But I can't stay away too 
long from doing what I love the most, y'know! 
*grin* Other notes are at the bottom.


Cut and paste standard disclaimer here . . . 






	Cure For a Broken Heart--chapter five
		by Sailor Elysia






"So afraid to love you, 
but more afraid to lose 
Clinging to a past that won't let me choose . . ."

	(Sarah McLachan, "I Will Remember You")





		*  *  *  *  *  *  *





	After tracking her down all over the hospital, 
Darien finally caught up with Ami in the break room, 
wanting to talk with her about something very 
important to him. It had been almost two months 
since he had last seen Serena, and his heart hadn't 
changed. He wanted nothing more than to see her 
again. And maybe soon that dream could be a reality.
	"Ami! Finally found you. I have something 
I'd like to talk to you about."
	She sipped from her coffee mug. "Talk away, 
Darien," she grinned.
	He shifted uncomfortably, and leaned against 
the counter. "Would you mind if I . . . took a small 
vacation? It would just be for a little while. I'm 
asking you because I wondered if you would consider 
being on call for me."
	Her eyes widened. This coming from the 
man who had never taken more than one day of sick 
leave in the three years he had been on staff here 
surprised her. "I guess so, Darien, but . . . why 
are you asking me?"
	He fixed his gaze on the table across the 
room, not wanting to look her in the eye. "Well . . . 
I, uh . . . that is, I have something very important 
I need to do before I let it go any further than it 
has already."
	Ami glanced at him, very confused now. 
"Okay . . . how long do you think you'll be gone?" 
	Darien couldn't hold back the sheepish grin 
that now appeared on his face. "Well, um . . . I'm 
going out of the country, if that means anything."
	She choked on her coffee unexpectedly, his 
response the last thing she had planned to hear. She 
set her mug down on the counter. "Oh," she replied, 
knowing exactly what he was talking about now. A smile 
appeared on her lips. "I think you can take as much 
time as you need. In fact, I don't want you coming 
back until you've got something good to report."





		*  *  *  *  *  *  *





	Jill heaved a huge sigh as she continued to 
study her english literature book. It never seemed 
to end, but she had a major test coming up, and 
there was no way she'd flop this one like she had 
the last one. So the afternoon was devoted entirely 
to studying. Later that evening, she and Michael 
would go out to dinner to celebrate their third 
Valentines Day together.
	A knock sounded at the front door. "Serena? 
Can you get that?" she called out automatically, 
supposing her roommate was in the kitchen and 
would answer the door. Just then, she remembered 
Serena had announced she wanted the bathroom for a 
little time to herself that afternoon. Jill had 
offered to set her up for the evening, but Serena 
had refused, claiming she planned to stay at home 
and catch up on other things. 
	The last two months, ever since she had 
returned from her Christmas vacation, Jill noticed 
her roommate had changed. Serena seemed to be more 
flustered than usual, and had trouble concentrating 
on her homework. Jill couldn't help but wonder if 
it had anything to do with that guy she left behind 
in Tokyo. But whenever she brought up the subject, 
Serena wouldn't want to talk about it. She would 
just stare off into space at that crystal rose of 
hers she kept on the windowsill.
	As the knock came a second time, Jill slid 
off her bed in exasperation, and ran for the door, 
lit book in hand.
	"Hi, come on . . . in," she stammered as she 
yanked open the door, and caught a full glimpse of 
the figure now standing in the doorway. Her book fell 
to the floor forgotten, since she had been expecting 
a friend of hers to come over for a study session. 
This certainly wasn't her. 
	"Does Serena Tsukino live here?" he asked 
hopefully. He was extremely tired, and had traveled 
over the last two days to get here. But it was all 
worth it just to see her again.
	"Yep, but she's . . . um, in the shower, and 
I'm not sure when she'll be out. I'm hoping it'll be 
soon, though. Maybe you could come back in a little 
while or something."
	Darien sighed again. He obviously did not 
have good timing when it came to catching Serena. 
But he wouldn't give up so easily on her either. 
"Would you mind if I waited? I've come a very long 
way to see her."
	Jill was still stunned by his sudden 
appearance. Suddenly, her instincts told her that 
this had to be the guy Serena had told her about, 
and there was no way she was going to turn him 
away. She flashed him a bright smile, and opened 
the door to let him inside.





		*  *  *  *  *  *  *





	Serena scrubbed her long, damp hair with a 
towel, and glanced in the mirror, smiling to herself 
all the while. Just because it was Valentines Day, and 
she hadn't made major plans for the evening, didn't 
mean she couldn't enjoy the night. 
	She wrapped her hair up in the towel, finished 
drying herself off, and quickly changed into jeans and 
her new sweater. Unlocking the bathroom door, she 
walked out into the kitchen, mentally going over her 
plan for the evening. First, she was going to cook 
dinner, and then settle in to watch her favorite 
romantic movie, "Sleepless in Seattle." That was her 
idea of a perfect evening.
	"Jill!" she sang out happily, "I'm going to 
start making dinner now. Are you sure you and 
Michael don't want to join me instead? It's going to 
be really good."
	Her roommate wandered out of her bedroom, 
glancing in the direction of the living room on her 
way into the kitchen. "Um . . . Serena?" she started, 
leaning against the wall, "I really appreciate the 
offer, but why don't you hold off on making dinner 
for a while."
	"What do you mean? Are you saying you don't 
like my cooking anymore?" Serena replied, pretending 
to be annoyed.
	Jill remained serious, something rare for her. 
"Forget the food for a moment, Serena. There's . . . 
uh, something in the living room that I think you 
should see."
	"All right, all right, I'll take a look in the 
living room, but then I really have to get started on 
dinner if I want it . . . to . . ." Serena trailed off 
and stopped short as she noticed what Jill had been 
referring to, absolutely the last thing she had 
expected to see.
	Darien stood up from the couch immediately 
as they entered the room, a small smile crossing his 
lips as he watched Serena grab onto the back of the 
love seat for support. The mere sight of her, the 
towel wrapped around her hair, dumbfounded expression 
on her face, and everything else combined, was more 
lovely than anything he had ever seen in his life.
	He smiled again, and spoke for the first time 
in two months to the woman he loved. 
	"Hello, Serena."





		*  *  *  *  *  *  *





	She sat down numbly in the love seat, across 
from where Darien was standing, unable to speak. 
Even if she could talk, she had absolutely no clue 
what to say to this very unexpected visit.
	Jill had sensed the tension between the two, 
silently excused herself, and slipped out the door, 
mumbling she had to meet Michael somewhere, leaving 
the two alone in an awkward silence.
	Darien sat down after a moment, not sure 
what to talk about either. He had thought countless 
times about what he *could* say, even dreamed about 
this moment, but nothing seemed to fit the mood. He 
blurted out the first words that came to mind. "I 
like your towel," he chuckled, trying his best to 
end the silence.
	Serena visibly reddened, reached up slowly 
and pulled the towel away, her damp hair tumbling 
down onto her shoulders and behind her back. She 
couldn't say anything, she was too much in shock 
and too embarrassed now to respond.
	Darien traced the pattern on the arm of 
the couch with his finger. "I guess you're pretty 
surprised to see me here."
	"Overwhelmed, astounded, shocked would 
be more like it, "she answered, finally getting 
her mouth to move. "What are you doing here, Darien? 
Did you come all the way out here just to see me?"
	Darien glanced at her, searching her face, 
then looked down again. "Yes, Serena, I did."
	"Why?" her voice cracking softly. "Why in 
the world would you travel half-way across the ocean 
just to see me?"
	"Don't you get it, Serena? I care about you. 
I need you, and I'd go anywhere to be with you. For 
the last two months, I have thought about nothing but 
you." He stood up, walked over to her, and took her 
hands in his. "I want you, Serena. I've never wanted 
anything or anyone more in my life until now."
	Serena stared up at him, desperately wanting 
to believe him, but didn't know how she could. She 
looked away, and bit her lip, forcing the tears back. 
"You don't want me. You deserve someone much 
better than me, Darien."
	He took both her hands now, and pulled her 
up so he could look her in the eyes. "That's absolutely 
not true. If anything, you're too good for me."
	It was too late to stop her from crying now, 
and she shook her head wildly. "Darien, please, let 
me explain. I had no intention of becoming so 
attached to you, and hurting you like I know I did. 
But you've got to understand, I've never been in this 
sort of situation before."
	"Serena, that's not at all what I--"
	She turned away from him again, and 
dropped down on the couch. "No, don't try to 
apologize for anything. What happened was my fault, 
and I realize that now." She sighed loudly, and 
rested her chin in her hand. "I've always wondered 
what it would be like to have someone care about me, 
respect me for who I am. But I didn't expect it would 
turn out like this."
	Darien moved closer to the couch. "If you'll 
just let me say what I--"
	Serena stood and turned to face him again. 
"I don't know what to do anymore," she replied, 
cutting him off. "I love you, Darien, but I'm so 
unsure of myself. I want to change, but I don't know 
how. You should just go back to Tokyo and find 
someone who's as smart as you and good enough for 
you," she said softly, collapsing on his shoulder 
and began to sob loudly.
	Darien's hands came up slowly, slid around 
her waist, and held her shaking figure to him. He 
stood there silently with her in his embrace for a 
moment, letting her have a good cry.
	He pulled away slightly. "Serena," he murmured 
quietly, cupping her face with his hands, "there's 
only one thing you've said that matters, that means 
anything at all. You love me." He stepped back, and 
tipped her chin up. She gazed at his face, tears 
still streaming down her face, and stared into his 
deep blue eyes, shining with tears of his own.
	"But--" she stammered, trying to come up 
with some excuse, but his finger on her lips 
prevented her from saying any thing more.
	Darien smiled gently, and removed his finger. 
"Serena, for once, just be quiet."
	For the first time since seeing him again, 
she stared into his eyes, and finally relaxed. He 
took her in his arms again and pulled her close to 
him, and bent down to kiss her tenderly and longingly, 
something he had been dreaming of doing for the last 
two months.
	All her questions, doubts and fears slowly 
disappeared that night as Serena finally realized her 
once impossible dream had finally come true. She had 
found something to live for, someone who would 
accept her just as she was. Something to believe in.
	Something to love.






		*  *  *  *  *  *







	HAHAHA! It's finished!! *sigh*
	Oh, in case you're wondering, the line 
that Darien says to Serena is from the play that 
my college performed last semester, "You Can't 
Take It With You." A hilarious and very 
interesting play! ^_^
	There are not enough words to thank 
everyone that have sent me feedback over this 
story. You, as the readers, are simply awesome! 
It's your comments, good and bad, that keep me 
writing as much as I do. Arigatou!! 
	Oh, as always, Sailor Moon and all its 
characters never has, and surely never will 
belong to me.(Although I can always pretend they 
do. *sheepish grin*)



	Ja ne!! 



Sailor Elysia
(julcie@juno.com)

This story copyright January 1999 

Sailor Moon and all its characters are the 
rightful property of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei 
Animation, Kodansha Ltd., Bandai. English 
adaptation is copyright 1995 DiC Corporations.