The Night The Light Fell
Chapter 1, The Strange Girl
Author's Notes: Okay this is an alternate Universe fic I did for Sailormoon. In this I'm making Darien only 2 years older then Usagi. That's it for now. Hope you enjoy. E-mail me with comments at silverflame_maiden@hotmail.com. Oh yeah, I remember I got the title from somehwere and it seems too perfect to be thought of by me so if you know who wrote a fanfic with this title, can you please e-mail me so I can change it? It's too ingenius to be thought of by me. Thanx! :)
{} stand for a memory
Disclaimers: Sailormoon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and so does the song Only A Mmory Away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey Dare, watch out, fly ball!" a voice yelled out, but Darien just reached his hand up and caught the ball without even bothering to look up from his Physics book.
"Whoa, great catch," Darien looked up to see two guys standing in front of him, one a dark brown haired medium-height and the other a red-headed, freckled one.
"See, I told you he could do it, now choke over the money," the red-head said as the brunette pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it over.
Darien rolled his eyes, "Scott, you really need to stop making bets about me. It's getting annoying."
Sitting down beside the midnight-haired guy on the bleachers, Scott just put one arm around his shoulder and said, "Hey, what are friends for?"
"Twenty dollars," Darien replied putting out his arm as Scott grudgingly handed the twenty over.
Picking up the Physics book, Scott turned it this way and that and asked,
"What are you studying, foreign language?" The brown-haired boy looked over Scott's head at Darien as if asking 'Is-he-really-that-stupid?'. Darien gave a grin and nodded the unasked question.
"No, I'm studying for a physics exam I'm taking this week...which by the way you take too," Darien answered.
"Hey, I'm enjoying my youth, alright? You only go to college once and I'm enjoying my experience. Now, there's a party later tonight and I know you have got to come," Scott said.
Darien just rolled his eyes, "I'm not going to some party, I have-" but was interrupted by Scott who seemed unable to hold a topic in his head for long,
"You know what you need Dare?" Darien hated that nickname.
He sighed, "No, what do I need?"
"A girlfriend," both Darien and Scott said at the same time.
"You told me this about a billion times already, Scott, don't you get tired of hearing yourself talk? I mean, I'll get a girlfriend in my own time. The right one hasn't come by yet," the dark-haired boy said.
"But-" Scott began, but Darien just cut him off, "Don't even pretend, Scott, the only reason you want me to get a girlfriend is because half the girl on campus are paying you to set them up on a date with me. So unless I start seeing some of that money, I'm not dating any of them."
Laughing, Josh, pulled Scott up and dragged him away as the freckled boy yelled out, "So, you're going to that party, right Dare?"
Darien sighed and made a mental note to get new friends before he looked up and...saw an angel.
The girl stood there a few yards away from him in the center field, her eyes looking around. Her face was delicate and heart-shaped, made to be held and caressed by a soothing hand. Her golden-spun hair was long and tied to two meatball shapes at the top of her head with tresses flowing down from them. She wore no make-up, she didn't need any, and even from that distance he could see the large, deep sea, blue eyes that seemed to absorb and probe everything around her. She had on a black, lace t-shirt top and a long black skirt on with two long slits on the side. Ona nyone else the outfit would have looked drabby, but on her it looked like something out of a Calvin Klein catalogue. Her suitcases were around her and a paper was in her hand. It didn't take him long to guess that the angel was lost.
He smiled to himself and decided to be the gallant hero to help her out. Walking over he tapped her on the shoulder and when she turned around to face him, though cliche as it may seem, Darien felt everything else cease to exist but those two large orbs of deep blue that sink and swallow a man whole.
"Yes?" the girl said in annoyance.
Clearing his throat once, Darien said, "Ahem! Um... I was wondering if I could help you with those bags, you seem to be lost."
She narrowed her eyes at him suspicisously and was about to answer when he said, "I don't mean anything by it, I just want to help." The girl looked around her once more before nodding slightly and picked up some of her bags and giving him the piece of paper. Darien gave a triumphant smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two stood in front of the dormroom 231 and he set her suitcases down in the room once she opened the door.
"Before Darien could get another word out he heard the girl murmur a soft, reluctant "thank you" before he was out in the hallway, the door slammed in his face. Sighing regretfully he walked away from the door, hoping that he'll have another chance to see the girl again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Usagi looked around her dormroom, she was in college, oh how so many years ago she wanted to be here, but now all she wanted to be was home again. Looking at the other bed in the room, she knew her roommate, Lita was her name, didn't arrive yet. She gave a soft sight before walking into the bathroom and shutting the door. There, she stared in the small bathroom mirror and started to take out her Odangos. Suddenly, her hands stilled and burning tears entered her eyes at the sudden memory...
{"Hey, Odango, why don't you do something with your hair?" the Shinto pirestess asked. "Rei, you are sooo mean!" she cried. "Rei, stop teasing Usa-chan," the girl behind the book said. "Thanks Ami-chan, your the best..."}
With the memories still strong, Usgai broken down and sat down on the toilet as she sobbed into her hands, "Oh...guys...guys...I miss you guys so much..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lita stood in front of the dormroom, her suitcases and stuff surrounding her, an annoyed look on her face. She was finally free from those foster parents of hers only to be shipped away to college by the government. Stupid system. It didn't matter, the University will probably kick her out in no time, then she would get sent somewhere else again. Turning the key in the lock and opening the door, she dragged her stuff inside to see the small dormroom already partly filled with suitcases. *So, my roommates here,* she thought.
Hearing the door open, Usagi sat up and dried her eyes before walking out of the room to greet her roommate. The girl that stood cursing in the doorway stopped Usagi still and made her blood run cold. Suddenly, elation and hope swelled up in Usagi as she rushed toward the girl yelling happily,
"Mako-chan!"
Lita loked up at her and Usagi stopped as Lita said, "So, your my new roommate, what's your name?" Usagi felt as if her heart was ripped from her chest. No, this wasn't Makoto, this was Lita, her new roommate...but the pain was still there.
"H-hi, I'm Usagi," she said in perfect English although there was a Japanese accent there.
"So, you're the foreign exchange student, huh?" Lita asked, assessing the short girl.
"Hai, I mean yes," Usagi said, not looking at Lita...she looked too much like Makoto. How can that be though? They looked so the same.
Usagi turned away and sat on her bed. Lita snorted and thought to herself, *If she wants to be strangers, find with me. I wouldn't be here long anyway...*
Usagi watched the girl at the corner of her eyes and smiled inwardly to herself as Makoto cursed as she tried to pull the heavy suitcases in. She had decided early on that she wouldn't make any friends...couldn't...it would be like betraying *them*...but maybe...for this girl...she'll make an exception...
"Hey, Lita, you need any help?" she said getting off the bed.
Lita looked at the thin girl up and down skeptically, "You sure?"
Usagi gave a small laugh...something she hadn't done for so very long, "Sure, I may be puny, but I'm pretty strong."
Lita stopped as the girl laughed. *She isn't scared of me?* she wondered in awe.
"Sure, if your up to it," Lita smiled and a friendship was born in that moment...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lita and Usagi were pulling the last of Lita's bags into the room and closing the door when a slight movement and "mew" was heard from one of Usagi's boxes. Lita watched as Usagi's eyes grew wide and she gave a yelp before rushing over to the hole-filled box and pulling the cover off. The head of a cat with a moon-shape on it's forehead popped up as it panted and tried to leave. When the black cat finally managed to catch it's breath it turned around and smacked the white cat beside it across the face, it's face as if saying "Hentai!"
The black cat turned around to glare at Usagi and opened it's mouth, but the blonde said quickly, "Um...Lita, my roommate, I would like you to meet my two cats, Luna and Artemis. I know the University doesn't let me keep animals, but do you mind keeping it a secret? I miss home and needed these two for comfort." The cats closed their mouths and turned over to sneak a peak at Usagi's roommate only to have their mouths fall open again absolute shock.
Seeing Luna about to open her mouth again, Usagi clamped her hands over the two cats mouths before saying loudly as if not to Lita, but to someone else in the room, "Hello *Lita*. I would like you, *Lita*, not anyone named *Makoto*, to meet my two cats, *who do not know how to talk*." *Oh, very conspicuous Usa," Luna thought as she rolled her eyes.
Lita laughed, "Okay, Usagi, you don't need to shout, I can hear you. Wait a minute-" Usagi, Luna, and Artemis sucked in their breath in fear, "Is that a bald spot on the cats' heads?" They all gave a breath of relief.
*If I didn't know better, I could almost swear those cats are glaring at me for saying that,* Lita thought, *A couple minutes with this girl and already
I'm going crazy."
"Hey, why don't we go get a pizza while we fill out these evaluation forms," Lita suggested. This Univeristy for some reason wanted the students to be connected to one another so they required the roommates for a room to fill out an evaluation form with questions on their roommate. *Might as well get it out of the way,* Usagi thought as she nodded.
"Will the cats be alright?" Lita asked as she closed the door.
"Oh, don't worry about them, they'll find something to do..." came Usagi's reply.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two sat on the grass under a tree on the college campus, a papewr plate of fat pepperoni pizza beside them and a can of pepsi by that.
"Oh, so, let's start," Lita said as she took a bite out of her pizza,
"What's your full name?"
"Tsukino Usagi- I mean Usagi Tsukino," was the answer.
Lita looked up from her meal and raised an eyebrow, "Anything shorter or easier to say then You-sa-gee? A nickname maybe?" Usagi suddenly stopped eating and a flash of burning memories seared through her heart and mind...
{"Hurry up, bunny, Ami said we have to meet up at Rei's Temple!" the blonde said.
"Miiiiiinnnnnnaaaa-ccchhhhhaaaannnn!!!! My legs hurt, can't we miss one day of study? There's a new Sailor V game at..."}
"Usagi? Usagi?" Lita asked shaking the girl slightly and Usagi was jerked out of her thoughts. She teared up slightly before swallowing and burying her pain down.
"I-I'm fine, Lita-chan, keep going," Usagi said, trying to attempt a wavering smile.
"Um, okay, if you're sure," Lita hesistated and Usagi just nodded, "Okay, question number two says date of birth and age."
"I'm 18 and I was born on June 30," Usagi said but this time when the memory came, she didn't let it show.
{"Usa, what do you want for you birthday?" the tall brunette asked.
"Hmm...I want a large choclate milkshake and-" she began, but the
dark-haired one cut her off, "Oh no, please don't give her any more choclate, she's lazy enough as it is."
"Reeeeeiiiiii, I am not lazy! Why you-"}
"Okay, number 3, Nationality," Lita said, expecting the blonde, blue-eyed girl to say something like American or European.
"Japanese," she replied to Lita's surprise.
"Okay, 4th question, wait they just say asked each other questions from then on and report it back to the administraion's office. Ugggg!! I knew something was fishy. Um... okay, a question. What does that name of yours mean?" Lita asked beginning to relax into the conversation.
"Bunny of the Moon," Usagi replied softly.
"Hey, that bunny thing fits you with that wierd hairstyle," Lita said, but
Usagi just thought, *...I'm still a bunny...but of the Moon no longer...*
"Okay, ask me a question," Lita said.
Usagi bit her bottom lip and her question wasn't anything that Lita expected, "Why do you act that way?"
Immediatly getting defensive, lita tensed and said, "What way?"
"You try and act all tough when you really know that there's nothing to be acting tough about. You keep a shield around yourself and I can tell that your still wary of me. Why?" Usagi asked softly, not looking at her roommate.
"You are very prespective, aren't you?" Lita asked in shock...of how close the arrow hit...too close for comfort...
"I guess you can say practice makes perfect," Usagi whispered.
Assessing the blonde girl for a moment, Lita decided she meant no harm by it and actually...wanted to tell her...so she did.
"Ever since I've been small, I've been shipped from foster home to foster home. I've ran away billions of times, but they always catch me and make me come back. I guess after awhile you learn that nobody's really your friend and nobody really cares so you grow and stop bothering to make an effort. I mean, why bother?" Lita spoke out, her tone bitter tinged with regret and sorrow.
Usagi looked at this girl and took her hand in her own as she said, "If you want, I'll be your friend...and I'll stick by you nomatter what." Somehow, when Lita looked at this girl... she believed this girl really would do whatever she said...and so she accepted the firendship offered in those sparkling eyes of clear blue and nodded as she squeezed Usagi's hand.
Usagi pulled her hand away and smiled, the depressing memories still in her, eating at her soul...but this...this was like a breath of fresh air.
"But why? Why do you even care?" Lita had to ask and know.
The bunny looked back at the sky again, "Because...I knew a girl once. Sh-she was just like you. She was one of the greatest bestest friends I ever had." At this Usagi stopped and tried to prevent herself from choking on her own tears.
"This girl...she had family problems too and was on her own and when I found her she was traveling from school to school for the fights she was in. When-when I befriended her...I found out how truly great a person she really was. I owe my life to her. You-you remind me of her so I thought like her...all you needed was a friend, Lita," Usagi said, tears now running down her cheeks and Lita felt her cheeks numbly only to find that she was crying too.
"Thank you, Usagi," Lita whispered, for once saying the girl's name perfectly right.
"No problem, Lita," the girl whispered back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Darien sighed soflty as he looked around the party and thought of what it meant to be here now. He was getting tired of the endless chatter of the girls attached to him and the loud music that was probably causing him brain damage. So, why was he here? He needed to get his mind off of the girl he met earlier. The one with the wonderfully, curved body...the one with the heart-shaped face...the one with the endless legs...the one with the pouty pink lips...the one with the golden hair...the one with the dark, mesmerizing eyes...
...the one that he couldn't take his mind off of.
You know how the more you tell yourself not to think of something, you think of it more? He told his mind and heart many times to forget her...that shew was just more trouble and complications...that she'll only add serious trouble to him and his life...yet he couldn't get past her or his thoughts of her...
Giving a growl he twisted his arm out of the holds the girls had on him and walked out the Apartment door the sound of Scott screaming after him, "Hey, Dare, where you heading?"
The campus at night was peaceful and cool, a deep contrast from the heat and noise of the party. He breathed in the night air and decided for a walk. Just a walk. To nowhere in particular. Just to clear his head...of classes...of the new school year in his third year of college...and to clear his heart...of thoughts of *her*...
He walked around for what seemed like seconds, but was indeed hours...he wasn't running, he told himself...he was just walking away. Was this all destiny had in store for him? Graduate college with a bachelors in Computer Technology and get a good job, get married, have kids, retire and die? What about all the things they said in the stories? Wasn't there more for him? Darien felt as if he was at the end of a Marathon and everyone had already left off into their lives and he didn't know what to do. Him...Darien...oh gosh, he was sick of that name.
Mamoru.
He was Mamoru.
That was his Japanese name before his mother moved him to the U.S when he was 14 so that she could marry this guy there. They changed his name from Mamoru Chiba to Darien Shields...and from then on Mamoru Chiba existed no longer...but Darien hated that name...Darien...it was fine for someone else...but not for him...because he was Mamoru...
Mamoru.
Mamoru Chiba had dreams. Mamoru Chiba was going to grow up and become Kinbg of the Universe and marry his beautiful Princess...Usako...gosh where was she now? His little Princess. He only seen her once, when he was 7 and a little 5-year-old angel walked over and gave him a rose when his father died. He don't remember what she looked like or why he had named her Usako, his little bunny, but he woulld always remember those eyes. He had decided then and there that very night that when he grew up and became King of the Universe, Usako was going to be his Queen. Mamoru Chiba had dreams, alright. Darien Shields did not.
Darien Shields was going to go to college, get a normal job, marry a normal girl, have normal kids, retire and die. Mamoru's head started to hurt and pound as he stopped. He reached up his hands to the sky and cried out in anguish in his heart, soul, and mind *Please! Whoever is up there! Please tell me where do I go from here?! Give me a sign! Am I Mamoru Chiba or am I Darien Shields?! I need something to help me here!*
But everything was silent.
And no sign came.
Darien fell onto his knees and gripped his ebony-dark hair tight, his midnight-blue eyes closed in agony, pain and indecision. Then, into his ear wafted an angel's voice...and heaven's music...
He looked up to where the sound came from and stopped short. The girl from earlier leaned her hands on her windowsill, her silver-gold hair pooling around her like a warm blanket, the moonbeams reflecting it. Her sorrowful eyes stared longingly at the Moon and the pain in those seas of blue would have brought him to his knees if he wasn't already. They humbled him to see her this way. Her delicate face was flawless as she looked up at the Moon like a man starving for a sip of water and a meal. Her sweet pink-red lips moved to the song that she sang:
I hear the voice of my destiny call
And I know I must go find my way
The hardest part will be leaving you all
And I'll miss you much more
than words can say
I'll be only a memory away
If you need me
You can call me any time of day
And I'll be there, it's OK
Only a memory away
My intuition says something is wrong
My friends said they'd come say good-bye
I can't go until I know what's going on
I fear there is danger somewhere near by
I'll be only a memory away
If you need me
You can call me any time of day
And I'll be there, it's OK
Only a memory away
We've been together through good times and bad
You've always been there for me
I'll always treasure the best friends I have
Eternally
I'll be only a memory away
If you need me
Only a memory away
The music had pulled him in, weaving it's web around him, leaving no room
for escape...not that he wanted to...escape...
The girl ended that last note with a sigh of regret and she gazed at the
Moon even more longingly. Darien felt something akin to jealously and how
he wished he was the Moon at that moment...what she longed and wished for
with such strength...
The angel sat up and gave one last wishful look at the Moon before sighing
and closing the window and letting the light pinks curtains with bunnies on
them fall back. Why was his heart beating so ferociously? Why was the
feeling of deja Vu so strong in him? Not very comftorable with the
irrational feelings he was having, Darien stood up and ran away towards his
dorm room.
No, Mamoru Chiba may not be able to have his Usako.
But Darien Shields was going to have his angel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: So, what do you think? Like? No like? Not a chance?
E-mail me.
