A Change of Destiny Ch.8
By: Ria
TiMia637@aol.com
Rated PG
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    The next day Darien decided to spy on his ‘dead
girlfriend’.  He had a lot of unanswered questions and the
only way he could get some of them answered is to know who
exactly is on his side, the side that wanted Serena to
realize that she couldn’t do it alone.  For a fact he
couldn’t trust Luna, Sailor Pluto, and Sailor Saturn.  And
since two of the outer scouts were in collaboration with
Serena he had to assume that Sailor Neptune and Sailor
Uranus couldn’t be trusted.  The problem was which of the
others could he actually trust.  Artemis hadn’t been with
Luna that night but he could easily be in on it too but then
again he could be wrong.  Darien just didn’t know which were
his allies and when dealing with a stubborn Serena he needed
all the allies he could possibly get.  
    “How do I know I can trust Mina, Lita, Raye, and
Artemis?  Amy I know I can trust since she has been helping
me since the beginning but the rest are a little more
difficult.  I haven’t known them long enough to trust them
just like that, except of course Raye but she would do
anything for Serena.”  Darien weighed every possible reason
why he should and should not trust the rest on the inners’
and Artemis.  “I think Amy will have a better idea who I can
trust.”
    Darien decided to approach Amy after shadowing Serena
and discuss the situation with the central computer.  He
waited around the corner until Serena left the apartment
building and walked to school.  Amazingly enough, and to
Darien’s good fortune, Serena had decided to enroll in her
old school, which meant that Amy would have some new info on
the new student and the approximate date Serena had come
back to Tokyo.  If it was close to the time the meteor hit
and the new scouts arrival than his suspicions are correct. 
But for now the most pressing question he needed answered
was what name Serena adapted for her new persona.  
    During their walk to Serena’s school or rather Selene,
which Darien had picked up from the annoying group of boys
that had decided to walk his girlfriend to school, he picked
up the differences between his Serena and the new and
improved Serena.  Of course there was the fact that she
walked to school rather than her usual neck breaking
sprints, but what really stood out was that the bubbly girl
he use to know was suddenly replaced with a silent composed
woman.  It added to her appeal, to her allure, and right now
he didn’t like it.  In his opinion Serena should go back to
the running and throwing her shoes at people, especially at
her entourage.  Darien had rarely experienced jealously,
which were never because of a girl he was dating, but now he
knew what it felt like to actually care about a girl.  The
white hot rage he felt when he saw those guys trying to gain
his girlfriend’s attention was unmistakable.
    Finally, and not a moment too soon they had reached the
school, most of Serena’s escort had bade their farewell and
expressed their hopeful wish to walk her home but the more
persistent ones stayed and asked to walk her to class.  The
urge to bodily remove them from Serena’s side was winning
over his logic but just when he was about to tackle them
down Lita and Amy came to Serena’s rescue.  
    
    Amy and Lita had seen the exasperated look Selene had
on her face and since she looked like she was about to lose
her cool they had decided to help the over eager boys from a
fate worse than death, Selene’s sharp tongue.
    “Sele I was just looking for you,” Lita rushed out
quickly, “I didn’t understand the thing Miss Haruna was
explaining yesterday and since Amy has no idea either can
you help me with it before class starts?”
    Selene switched her attention from the drooling boys in
front of her to Lita.  Her annoyed expression changed and
was replaced with a bright smile.
    “Sure Lita, I’ll help you as much as I can but I can’t
believe you had Amy stumped,” Lita had hooked her arms
through Selene’s and led her away creating frowns from the
other party.
    “Yeah, I didn’t understand how to compute that, umm
thing she taught us,” Amy tried to add a little more
credibility to the story.
    Selene smiled and laughed, “You two cannot lie if your
life depended on it.  You’re transparent as glass.”
    “Well, it is not like we do a lot of lying anyway Sele. 
Plus we wanted to help,” Lita smiled mischievously.
    “I was about to handle the situation with the hormone
driven fools when you two stepped in.”
    “I didn’t say we were going to help you.  I couldn’t
stand to watch another one of your compassionate letdowns. 
Of course they are very, you could say educational,
vocabulary wise anyways, but nay I fear the others do not
see it that way.”
    Selene laughed at Lita’s melodramatics.  She knew she
could be harsh at times but it was just so annoying to have
a group of harebrained idiots talking about sports and how
much they can bench when she has to think of ways to keep
her friends from finding out who she really was.  Plus, even
if she was confronted with the strongest, most talented,
most wonderful guy in the whole universe, no the whole
cosmos, he couldn’t compare to her Darien.  
    “I would think that all of them would have learnt their
lesson when you made David cry for trying to kiss you,” Amy
smiling and shaking her head with the stupidity of junior
high boys.
    “What can I say, Sele is hot and unfortunately for her
she is stuck with the curse of being the object of every
guy’s fantasy,” Lita draping her arm around Selene’s
shoulders and giving her a wink.
    “I don’t know why I put up with you Lita,” Selene
smacking her arms from her shoulder playfully.
    While Lita and Selene were kidding around Amy had
spotted Darien hiding behind some trees.  She had felt
someone watching them so she started to casually look
around.  When Darien had seen that she had spotted him he
motioned for her to join him.  Amy could see something was
wrong, Darien did not look too pleased.
    “Ummm guys, I just remembered that I forgot one of my
books at home.  I’m just going to run home real quick and
get it,” Amy hoped she didn’t sound like she was lying.
    “You want us to come with you Ames?  I don’t want you
to go alone,” looking at her fidgeting friend.
    “No no, you two go on ahead.  Lita you can’t afford to
miss class and Selene you just started school so I don’t
know if it is wise to miss class either.  Plus it’ll just be
real quick.”  Amy prayed to the heavens above that they
would buy it and not pursue the situation further.
    “You’re right, but if you are not back in less than an
hour we are calling for a search.  You wouldn’t want us to
interrupt class now would you?” Lita giving Amy a hopeful
look.
    She gave Lita a playful shove and ran to the front of
the school gate.  Lita and Selene walked towards their class
and started talking about the usefulness of algebra in life.
    “I’m going to be a chef, I do not need to know more
than measuring.  When will I ever need the quadratic
equation when I am making a soufflait?”

    Amy had looked back and made sure that Lita and Selene
had gone to class before joining Darien.  She didn’t like
deceiving the other scouts but if it meant saving Serena
then she had to follow Darien’s rules.
    By the time Amy had reached Darien she was out of
breath, “What, huff huff, are, huff, you doing, huff, here?”
    “Is your friend Selene always with so many guys?”
Darien asked, not hearing her question.  He was still upset
about the display he had seen.
    At first Amy was baffled with his question but then she
realized what the question entailed.  Sure Amy liked Selene,
in a way she made her feel like she was closer to Serena but
Selene was not Serena.  Darien had the nerve to chase around
another girl when his soul-mate was defending all of them
from evil.  
    “How dare you lure me away from school so you can get
your information about a girl!  A girl!  I thought you said
Serena was your soul-mate, that you couldn’t live without
her?”  
    Darien snapped out of his world were the enemies were
drooling over-eager boys.  He looked down at the blue haired
scout and encountered angry blazing eyes.  “What!?  Of
course I love Serena.  What the hell are you accusing me
of?”
    “Yeah, sure.  Then how come you are asking me about
Selene?  I don’t want any part of your plan to get Selene to
go out with you.  Actually, go ask her out.  You’ll get what
you deserve when she makes a fool out of you,” Amy would
have walked away if Darien hadn’t grabbed her shoulder.
    “Hey, hold on Amy you don’t know the whole deal yet. 
Yeah I’m attracted to Selene but I’m not cheating on Serena
or anything.”
    “You better explain that better Darien because from
where I stand you still sound like a two timing jerk. 
Serena might have kept you out of her life but she is doing
it to protect you, all of us,” Amy stopped trying to walk
away but she still didn’t face him.
    “Amy Selene is Serena.  You never once saw it?” Darien
asked softly.
    “What!?  Are you sure?” Amy had turned around so fast
that one of her arms connected with Darien’s cheek.
    “Ow, that hurt.  And yeah, I’m pretty sure.  The way I
felt when I talked to her and even when I just look at her,
it is exactly the same way I felt with Serena.  The
meatballs are gone but she is still the same meatball head.”
    Amy was shocked at first but if she went back to the
first time she met Selene it was the same open friendliness
that radiated from Serena.  It disarmed you and made you
trust her, that was why Lita and her felt so comfortable
with her.  “Oh my god,” Amy closed her eyes.  Every since
Serena had disappeared there was not a day that she did not
beg every star in the sky to bring her back.  She hadn’t
even realized it but her wish, everyone’s wish, had been
granted.
    “You felt it too.  At first I had thought that I had
been wishing Serena back so much that I was deceiving myself
into thinking it was her but when we had argued and the way
I was falling for her so fast,” he sighed, “there is just no
other explanation, it is her.”
    “I understand what you mean Darien and I think the
other girls have felt it too.  Raye had felt something from
her since the beginning but she threw away that suspicion
when Sailor Pluto had said that we shouldn’t rely to much on
energy vibes.”
    “That is another thing, I think Sailor Pluto, Luna, and
Sailor Saturn are helping Serena.  Central being out of
commission and Sailor Pluto’s convenient excuses lead to
only one thing, a cover up.  Serena knew that we could have
easily found her with central, Raye, and myself suspecting
the newcomer so she had to confuse everyone.  It was our own
doubt in what we felt that has made Serena successful in
eluding us.”
    “I can’t believe that she has been right in front of
our faces and we couldn’t even tell,” Amy cursed herself for
her stupidity.
    “You know I think you girls did know, unconsciously
anyway.  Look how easy all of you got along with her.  All
of us are probably the hardest to befriend because of our
past but Selene easily went through our barriers.  Serena
masked her appearance and probably some of her personality 
but she couldn’t hide her warmth, the thing that attracted
all of us to her.”
    Amy took a deep breath and tried to calm the excitement
she felt.  There was no way in hell was she going to let
Serena fight alone now.  “What do you propose we do?” 
    Darien saw the excitement in Amy’s eyes and smiled.  he
had felt the same thing when he first found out.  “Well,
even though we know and we have that advantage on our side I
still think we need more allies on our side.  We have all
seen Serena determined and you know how stubborn she is.  We
will need the other’s help.”
    “Of course they will want to help.  You know I have had
a really hard time keeping this from them.”
    “I’m sorry I put you through that Amy but the problem
is I don’t know who exactly is helping Serena.  Your first
instinct would have led you to Luna but now we know that
would have been a fatal move.  I need the other scouts help
but I still don’t know who to trust.  I don’t want to lose
Serena and one wrong move will do just that.”
    “I guess you are right.  But with your permission I
would like to give it a shot.  Luna hasn’t talked to any of
us lately and I know the other girls are just as anxious to
find Serena.”  Amy prayed that Darien would say yes.  She
knew that some of the other scouts pain had eliviated but
nothing would completely make them happy except Serena alive
and well.
    “Of course.  I was going to ask you that myself.  I
wouldn’t want to deprive the others of the same reprieve as
you and I have gotten.”
    “I really don’t want to sound rude or anything Darien
but if I don’t go back to school now Lita and Serena, I mean
Selene will come searching for me.”
    Darien got all mist-eyed when he Amy mentioned Serena’s
name.  “She is still the same huh?”
    Amy smiled kindly at Darien.  He needed Serena so much. 
“Yes, she is.”
    As quickly as Darien got all weepy he just as quickly
got angry.  “You never answered my first question.”
    Amy backed away from the angry scowl Darien was wearing
now.  “What question?” her nervousness apparent.
    “The one with all the guys drooling all over her,”
getting impatient now.
    “Oh that question,” Amy had forgotten being scared,
actually she was amused now.  She remembered vividly her
best friend crying about another girl hanging all over
Darien.  “Come on Darien, don’t you know that you are the
only one for her?”
    “Amy, don’t give me that.  Did you see all the guys
that were kissing the floor she walked upon?  She never got
that kind of open affection from me.”
    Amy became serious when she saw the abject misery on
Darien’s face.  She would never have guessed that Darien
could be so insecure.  “You shouldn’t think like that
Darien.  To Serena you are perfect.  We can see the guys
that bend over backwards to please her but in Serena’s eyes
they are just annoying little boys that are in her way.  You
are the only one she has eyes for,” Amy let out an amused
laugh when she thought of all the boys that had received
Selene’s crushing letdown.  “Do you know why I almost didn’t
believe you when you told me that Selene and Serena were the
same?  It was because I could never picture Serena being so
mean with a living thing.  More than one guy has received
Selene’s verbal abuse about bugging her.  She actually made
one guy cry when he tried to kiss her.”
    Darien was still not too thrilled about Selene being
the object of so many guys attentions but it warmed his
heart that she wasn’t encouraging them.
    “Thanks Amy, I needed that,” adding a thankful smile.
    “No prob Darien.  I don’t need you killing off every
little boy that has hormonal fantasies of your girlfriend. 
I don’t think you could explain your jealous actions.  I
have to book it so I’ll call you when I have the status on
the other scouts.”
    Darien watched Amy run off and felt that he was closer
at getting Serena back in his arms.  ‘Soon Darien.  Soon she
will be back in your arms where she belongs, then you’ll
chain her to your side forever.’