DO YOU BELIEVE IN DESTINY
By Klutz

	Darien peeked over the heads of the group of girls, scanning the ballroom for someone 
close by which he could escape to. This fan club bit was really getting on his nerves. His guards 
were all on the other side of the room talking to the Sailor Senshi, protectors of the lost moon 
princess; his friends were all dancing with the semi-intelligent girls of the ball… ‘Hey! There’s 
Lady Serena over by the buffet table!  She despises me… Perfect!’  “If you’ll excuse me ladies, 
there is someone I must speak to…” he said as politely as he could before pushing his way out of 
the crowd.  
	Serena picked up a glass of punch and took an idle sip.  ‘Not bad… I wonder what’s in 
it?’  She thought.  Just then, someone tapped her on the shoulder.  Serena turned around, smiling 
until she saw who it was, when her look turned to a frown.  “What do you want?” she sighed. 
	“Care to dance?” he asked as suavely as he could.  
	“Not particularly.” She answered coldly. 
	“Come on Serena, I’ve got to get away from the heard!” he begged.  She smiled evilly.
	“Alright, but you owe me one alright?” 
	“Anything your heart desires.” He proclaimed, taking her out onto the dance floor.  The 
other dancers cleared a square for the two in the center of the room, but continued dancing.   The 
princes’ fan club had some very discouraged and hateful looks on their faces, making Serena 
laugh.
	“What’s so funny?” he asked.
	“Take a look at your little fan club Romeo.  I think I’ll be receiving several death threats 
in the morning.”  He too glanced at the group of girls and began to laugh.  
	‘This could be fun!’ he thought happily.  ‘The first intelligent conversation I’ve had with a 
girl in ages!’  They spun across the dance floor laughing and smiling, a fact that did not go 
unnoticed by Darien’s mother, Queen Tsuchi.  She smiled and nudged her husband discretely in 
the side, pointing at the two.  He smiled and nodded in understanding, waving for the band to play 
a slower song.
	The music changed too a slower pace and Serena stepped away.  “I think I’ll get a 
drink…” she started, not wanting to dance with him anymore.
	“Oh come on Sere!  If you leave me now, they’ll stampede me!” he pleaded.  
	She raised an eyebrow.  “Sere?”
	“Please?” he asked, giving her his best puppy dog look.  
	“You know that won’t work on me Darien.”  She said firmly.  But before she could turn 
and walk away, he pulled her close to him and began to dance again.  
	“If you leave now you’ll create a scene you know.” He whispered to her.
	“You’re terrible!  Grr… I’m never going to dance with you again!” she whispered back 
angrily.  
	“Well then, I might as well make the best of this, huh?” he asked in an odd tone.
	“What are you talking about?” she asked, looking up at him.  ‘Wow, nice eyes… If he 
wasn’t such a jerk, I might have fallen for him… But, too bad!  You can never find looks and 
personality in the same man.’
	Darien glanced quickly around the room and noted smugly that his entire fan club was 
watching them murderously, but they were still hopeful.  ‘Gotta fix that right away…’ he thought.  
He looked back down and saw Serena looking past him, but not at anything.  She always got that 
look on her face when she was thinking.
	“I’m going to do something, so don’t flip out Sere.  I’m going to get rid of those groupies 
once and for all.” She looked up at him startled, and was completely taken aback when he 
lowered his face to hers and kissed her deeply. 
	“Wha…!?” she managed to get out before realizing what he was doing.  ‘You have to 
give him credit for a good plan… He actually looks like he’s enjoying this!’  So she played along, 
closing her eyes and kissing back.  The song ended and so did their kiss, as the both pulled away 
somewhat reluctantly (though they would never admit it).  They stepped out onto the balcony and 
Darien noted smugly that the group of girls were feigning illness and leaving the room. 
	“You know Darien, it was a good plan, and it worked, I’ll give you that much, but if you 
ever kiss me again I’ll kill you!”  She hissed at him as they leaned on the railing.  If you couldn’t 
hear their conversation it seemed like they were just a happy couple talking in soft tones under the 
moonlight sky. 
	“Too late for that.” He answered her.
	“What do you mean?”
	“We have to keep the charade up for a little while, or people will be suspicious!”
	She looked at him with shock and then anger, and finally realization.  “I guess so…” she 
said reluctantly.  “Dang it, Darien!  Why do you have to be so damn logical?!”  
	“Such language milady!  I never knew a noble woman knew those words!”  
	“Yeah, well as most of the court knows, I’m not really a noble Lady!” she said laughing 
sadly.
	“What are you talking about?  You’re parents are Lord and Lady Kenji and Ikluko are 
they not?”
	“You mean you don’t know?” she asked incredulously.
	“Know what?” 
	“I was found in the woods by Lord Ken and his son, Shingo.  No one knows where I 
came from, I just appeared!” she exclaimed.  “Given up probably.”  
	“That’s terrible!  I’m sorry, I didn’t know Sere!”  She looked at him oddly.
	“Tonight’s been weird…” she commented, looking up at the earth.
	“How so?” he asked her.
	“We’ve been getting along for starters, and now I find myself in a phony relationship with 
you so you can avoid the fan club and keep up appearances!  You’re just lucky the lord and lady 
have been trying to get me to marry!” 
	“I guess so…” he trailed off.
	“I should go now.  I have work to do.  Goodnight, Darien.” Lady Serena curtsied and left 
the Prince to ponder his problems for the night. 
	She entered her room and leaned against the door with a sigh before picking up her hand 
held tape recorder and began to speak as she paced the room.  “Have to enter some phony 
relationship with Darien to get rid of his fan club.  Very boring, not too great.  Dreams keep 
repeating… I’m starting to think they might have some significance.  The end of another planet?  
A kid napped child?  Was it me?  If so, how can I remember that?  I was only one when I was 
found by the Lord and his son!  I just don’t understand…” she sighed audibly.  “HRH Queen 
Serenity of the moon has sent a regiment of seekers to Earth to find the princess.  They say she 
should have an incredible aura, draw the seekers right too her!  They were to arrive at the end of 
the ball, but I had too leave.  I don’t think I’m up to that many romantic scenes with our darling 
prince for today.  Think I’ll take a walk in the gardens… end.” She clicked it off and changed into 
a pair of black leather pants and a pirate style white shirt, pulling her hair into a bun, then hopped 
off the balcony and landed with a quiet thud on the ground below it, leaving for the rose gardens in 
stealthy silence.  
	Unbeknownst to the girl, she was being watched from the shadows and another balcony 
not too far away.  
	The first person nudged the other gently in the shadow of the pillars.  ‘Think it’s her?”
	The second looked speculatively at the girl creeping away in men’s clothing.  “Maybe… 
Her mother always pulled things like this as a child, I’ve herd.  We should check her out.”
	“Right.” The first agreed and they went back inside.
	Darien looked off at the night sky from his standpoint on the balcony.  He saw Serena 
step out onto her own balcony in pants (heaven forbid!  Not on earth in the first century!!!) And 
(eek!) a man’s shirt.  She jumped off and landed with a soft thud, barely audible and jogged quietly 
into the woods.  He watched this with a certain amount of curiosity.  ‘What is the Lady up to 
now?’ he wondered, and slipped off the balcony into the woods…
	TO BE CONTINUED…
Aren’t you guys getting tired of me saying that? ‘To be continued…’ it must get real frustrating, 
but at least I post more that one part a week with STAR-CROSSED.  BTW!  That’s STAR-
CROSSED MEMORIES now, so read it!  And I love to get e-mail from you guys! Even if it’s 
entirely pointless, or just to swap ideas or comments on stuff!  Moonklutz@yahoo.com and my 
home page is: www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/8614/MoonWorld.html
Hope someone wants this continued or say so long to DYBIND!  No e-mail, no fic!
Luvs ya!~
Klutz