My name is Kanneko-chan. This is Part Two of my fan fic, entitled "As Long as You Love Her." Part Two "Hey, you guys," called Lita. Then she asked, " Where's Serena?" "We don't know!!," Mina explained, " We didn't see her in any of our classes, and she wasn't at the arcade, and her when we called her house, Mrs. Tsukino said that she had said she was shopping with us!! We were waiting for you to come so we could..." Her voice trailed off as Sammy stalked down the sidewalk. "Hey, Sammy!!!! Wait up!!!," Ami called as he almost ran in the opposite direction. He turned, as if surprised to see them standing there. "Hey guys," he said darkly, "how's it going?" "Oh, we're fine, we're just wondering where Serena is, and how come she hasn't called, " Rei told him. "It's that jerk, Darien!!" Sammy burst out fiercely, " She finally got rid of the idiot!!!! Reenie can't see him anymore, either!! "Darien?" "You're sure? Black hair, blue eyes, tall, solid build? Handsome...." " REI!!!!" three scouts exclaimed. "Sorry, just checking, "she blushed. Lita, Ami, and Mina rolled their eyes. " Yeah, I'm sure it was Darien!" he said the name like an curse. Rie groaned. "Not again!?! What'd he do this time? Not like the way she drew her bunnies?" Luna proceeded to bit her ankle, and Lita gave her a threatening look. "OW!!" "No, but he actually had the nerve to came to our house at 2 am to yell at Serena!! Can you believe this guys nerve!? Anyway, I gotta go, or I'll be late for soccer. See ya." "Wow," Ami exclaimed, " Two am?! And Serena was even awake?" "Yeah, I know," said Lita, " Didn't he avoid her like the plague?" "Well, we'd better check it out before-" "I personally don't care what happens to Darien," broke in Artemis," I just can't believe he did that again!!!" "Artemis is right, you guys, and at two am, I'll bet my love and beauty chain that's something other than a regular break-up is up," Mina stated. "Are you SURE it's our business?" Rei asked," I mean, isn't it between Serena and Darien?" "I don't think so," countered Ami. "Think about it Rei, what was Darien doing at Serena's house at 2 am?" "And what was Serena doing up and walking around at that ungodly hour, anyway?" asked Mina. "We're supposed to protect Serena," Lita said with a grin the Cheshire Cat would envy, "and if that means being a little nosy... well then , so be it." She gave a mock long-suffering sigh. ********* "... and that's what happened," Serena sobbed as she finished her version of what happened. Lita awkwardly patted her shoulder and said as sympathetically as she could," There, there. It'll be ok... I'm sure he'll come around..." 'with a black eye if I get around to him first, though.' she thought maliciously. Serena launched herself at Lita's waist. "No it won't!! He HATES me, and I don't know why, or what to do, or- or," she stopped wailing and traded her gut-wrenching sobs for quieter, heart-wrenching ones instead. At that same time, Darien, walking down the sidewalk, suddenly stumbled against an office building, clutching his head. To stop from crying out, he bit his lower lip till it bled. 'Serena!!' he thought. 'She's in pain! I've got to go to her and make sure she's all right. ' He got unsteadily to his feet, only to collapse in pain again as he heard the Voice. "Stay away from the princess!! I know it's hard," he said, " But you at least have to try!! Remember! The closer you are to her, the more danger she's in." Slowly, the pain subsided, to be replaced by a not-so- gentle throbbing in his chest... ********* That night, Serena had the dream. The priest had just said ,"You may kiss your bride." When she was torn from Darien's loving grasp, and thrown into a deep, unending abyss... A Voice telling her something, but she didn't understand... "DARIEN!!!!" she screamed, the thunder and lightening accenting her words. It had been stormy all day. sitting ram-rod straight in bed, in the process, throwing Luna, who was sleeping on her chest, to the floor , landing with a dull thud. "Mmmrrowrrr?" she moaned, in a daze. When she looked up, Serena wasn't even looking at her. She was staring t the wall with an expression of shock on her face, and her small frame, rocking with sobs. "Darien... oh Darien!!! Ohhh!! Luna! We gotta GO!! I have to talk to Darien!!" "Sere-na!!" sighed Luna ,"Can't it wait!? It's .... 1:47 in the morning!!! Are you quite mad!?" "NO, Luna ," Serena explained in an exaggerated patient way, " It can't wait!! Ohh, Darien!!" ********* Darien was again taking a cold shower while his coffee brewed. He could not afford to fall asleep. He could not watch Serena be pulled from his grasp. Not twice in one night. He let the icy water run over his face and hair. Serena.. His beautiful, pure, angelic Serena... He chuckled low in his throat. He remembered all those times she had been annoyed with him and called him 'Darien' instead of Muffin.. In fact, he could almost hear her voice, calling him... pounding on his door... Pounding on his door!? "Darien?" Pound, pound. "Darien!!! Please open your door!!" He turned off the shower quickly, and hastily pulled on an old pair of jeans, and ran to the door, water still streaming from his raven hair, chunks of it falling onto his forehead as he yanked the door open, getting ready to bite her head off. Then he saw her. It had been thundering and lightening and Serena was soaked, her hair and clothes were soaking, and she hadn't even bothered to put on a coat. For her even to be there, something had to be majorly wrong. She never went out in storms, except that once to find Reenie. He refused to let what that might mean to show on his face. He couldn't let her see that her conquering her fear had made him extremely proud of her. "Serena, what do you want? Do you have any idea what time it is?" "Well, I do!! If she doesn't," Luna told him. Until now, he had been oblivious to presence. "It was-" "No, Darien, I don't. But, well, I um- well- had a dream ," she blurted out. "That's nice, Serena, it really is. But do you have to come here at ," he looked at the clock on the wall. " 2:03 am!? Serena, everybody has dreams, all right!? GOOD NIGHT!!" What he was thinking , however, was entirely different. 'She had the dream, too? What does that mean? What happens now? Why-' he stopped abruptly. Serena was crying silently, big alligator tears. The ones he feared and hated the most. The ones where his only course of action was to hold her in his arms... But he couldn't do that now. In the recent past, he had made sure her tears had no outward affect on him. But this time, it was too much. If this kept up much longer, they'd both go nuts. Darien knew HE himself could only take so much before he cracked. And Serena. She couldn't take much to begin with... This had to be killing her. He took her into his arms, knowing that this would be the absolute last time. He promised himself, and the Voice. "Please!" He whispered franticly to the Voice, "Please!! Just this once, I promise! This is the last time. She needs me, please, just this once! I need her... We need each other.' As soon as Darien had pulled her soaking form into his arms, Serena had clung to him like a child wanting solace. But he knew she wanted, needed and deserved more. She deserved love. However, before he could tell her that, practically Sealing the death certificate for them and the world, Serena sobbed the dream she had into his chest. He cringed as she repeated every detail of the horrible dream, and added a few gruesome details that Darien himself had never had. He cringed again as her soft, heart-felt sobs started anew, thinking he could happily choke the jerk that had plagued their dreams and interrupted their peaceful interlude as a couple. In the mean time. all he could do was rock Serena back and forth, seating them on his old couch. The one that they had had endless fights, discussions, and kissing sessions on, and yes, Darien had even cried on Serena once in a while, when they had discussed the death of his parents. Serena was lying on his stomach. "... Darien?" she asked, still not moving. "Yeah?" he said, careful to omit any emotion that might be incriminating. "Then there was a voice. I- it told me to- to- ," she broke off, trying unsuccessfully to stifle a sob, " It told me to stay away from you. Or the - scouts- and you-!!" She started to cry again, and since his hair was still wet, when he leaned over to catch her last words, which hadn't been spoken above a whisper, a gentle stream of droplets fell, and dripped on Serena. "Did he say why Serena?" When she didn't answer, he asked again, more insistently this time," C'mon, this is important! Did he say why?" "How'd you know it was a he, Darien?" Serena sniffled into his washboard stomach. He cursed silently. "Ummm... I think you said it was a he..." Great!! Now he had lied to her on two counts. This was really starting to tick him off. "Serena!" He didn't quite yell, but he wasn't quite whispering, either. He said slowly, with great emphasis, "What - did - he - say?" "N- nothing. He just said to leave you alone or me, you, and- and the scouts would die." She continued shyly, and stared at her hand which was resting lightly on his tummy. "In my dream we were just getting married, and I had just said 'I do' when something just, well, just kind of ..." Darien waited somewhat impatiently for Serena to finish, knowing that he shouldn't rush her, especially when she was this close to him... For all he cared, she could take till morning. "It - I don't know what it was, it was almost like a mist... Ya know, kind of like Ami's bubbles when I think about it, but these bubbles were evil. They were taking me away from you. No matter how hard I tried to get away, or how long I called your name, you just wouldn't come get me. The mist said you didn't want to come and couldn't anyway, and then it was all dark, and the only thing there was thunder... There wasn't even any lightening... It was so dark, and you wouldn't come, Darien, you just wouldn't come..." She said these last words like they had just occurred to her. She had stopped crying a while back, and she was starting to sniffle less. At this time, Darien was quite peeved at the Voice, and himself for hurting Serena. He stroked her hair as she sniffled on him. "You didn't want to, Darien, you didn't want to..." She breathed on his muscular chest. Darien had enough. Forget the Voice, forget his promise. Serena needed him, and he wasn't doing a very good job of being there for her. "Serena, it's not you, it's me. I-I broke up with you because of the exact same dream you just told me. I-I was just," he broke off, searching for the right words... Serena lifted her head off his still bare chest, looked him in the eye as she waited for him to continue. "I thought being away from you would keep you safe, and me protected. But the further away I am, the more I need to know what you're doing, so I can make sure you'll be okay... "Darien," she asked, raising herself into a sitting position next to him on the couch, " Do you love me? I mean truly and forever that kind of love. Not the ' I found some pretty college girl, so I love her now ' , not that kind. The Moon Kingdom kind of love..." "Yes, I love you." He said solemnly,"I love you truly, now and forever." Then as an after thought, " There is no one more beautiful than you, Serena. I do love you, and I'm sorry about all the terrible things I said to you." He was very solemn now. " Please, Serena, take me back, I'll do anything, just please, just give me another chance!!!!" She looked at him severely," Do you promise NEVER to do that again, Darien?" "I swear to you, Serena, never again." He just kept looking into her eyes after that declaration. However, his blue eyes widened in surprise and pleasure over her next words... "How are you going to seal that promise," she asked with a blush and feined innocence. He knew she loved fairy tails, so ... "With a kiss," He whispered as he leaned over to put his mouth directly above hers. They were so close that Serena could almost feel his lips outlining hers. Serena waited, not closing her eyes until Darien softly pressed hid lips to hers. This time, Serena took no time at all to respond to his kiss. The minute their lips touched, she kissed him with everything that was in her. They continued to kiss on his old couch. Serena had just sighed happily and wrapped her arms around Darien's neck, when they heard Luna cry from the doorway, "Serena Tsukino!! How long does it take to re-tell a dream?" She had walked down the hall to give them space and a little time, but an hour was just too much!!! She figured one of them had to be dead by now. Then when she was finished lecturing her, Luna looked up to see a very surprised and very irritated couple. She just smiled and nodded when Darien told her, sitting up, that it took about 5 more minutes... Before she left, Darien gave her a look, and a wink, and kissed Serena. ********* Luna walked out of the apartment and also sighed happily... But for an entirely different reason. Yes, she knew she should be happy that they back together again, but this also meant that, at least for a little while, Luna did not have to worry about being catapulted off the bed and into the wall because of Serena's dreams. Yes, this was beginning to be a very good day, indeed!!!! ***************************************************************************** *********************************************************** Ok, that's it!!!!!!! It's all over!!! And, since I owe you all this at the very least : A very special thanks to my friend Julie, who liked what she read, and told me when too much was too much. My brother Marty who encouraged me to type it up, instead of leaving it in my notebook to rot. And to Mark, who actually read what I sent him, and encouraged me to send it out. (All usual disclaimers apply. No substitutions, exchanges, or refunds. Void where prohibited. See store for details.) »^..^«