Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Eternal Entrapment ❯ Chapter 1

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Note: I do like Sailor Moon. Really. I even do a stupid little dance
whenever one of the movies comes on. So don't ask why I did this. I'm
a hopeless romantic, and I like to believe that love is great. But
I've been giving it some thought, and frankly, love just sucks
sometimes. It's time Sailor Moon realized that, too.

I haven't decided on a title. You can either pick one from my list or
suggest your own.

Summary: Tuxedo Mask always comes running when Sailor Moon calls. But
how does Darien feel about that?

Eternal Entrapment

The Escape Artist

Chained to You

Captivity

The box was heavy, he realized now. Maybe a little too heavy for him.
Fortunately, he only had to lug it from the car to the front door.

He'd forgotten, of course, about ringing the doorbell.

With a sigh, he put the box down, rang the bell, and picked the box up
again.

The door opened, and someone asked, "Is that you, Darien?"

He took an uncertain (the box wasn't too good for seeing anything in
front of him) step forward. "Haruka?"

She laughed. "Need some help?"

"Oh, no. Just keep laughing at me. I'm sure THAT will make the box
easier to carry."

She kept laughing, but all the same, he felt soft, strong hands
sliding over his. "C'mon, this way."

He followed her instructions as best as he could, and in the end, only
stepped on her foot twice.

"So what is it, anyway?" Haruka asked.

"You'll find out when she does," Darien replied, trying to get some
circulation back into his fingers.

"Fair enough. She's been asking for you all day."

"Then I won't keep her waiting any longer." Darien stepped into the
living room...

...and was promptly tackled by an energy source eons old, cleverly
disguised as an eight-year old girl.

"Papa!" she squealed, clinging to his neck as if they were both made
of glue. "I missed you!"

He smiled, cradling her thin frame to his chest with one arm. "I have
something for you."

Her entire face lit up. "Gimme!" she demanded at once, pulling on his
neck for emphasis.

"It's in the kitchen. Why don't you go see what it is?"

She instantly released him and latched onto Haruka's hand, dragging
the woman into the kitchen by sheer force of will (and perhaps a
little of the aforementioned eons-old energy).

Darien sighed and collapsed across the couch.

"Long day?" Michiru asked, sitting down next to him.

"I think," he reasoned, "it was the night that got me in trouble."

She smiled down at him and held out a glass of water. "Maybe your back
just can't take those high-impact hugs like it used to."

Darien gratefully accepted the water. "Maybe not. But don't tell
Setsuna; she'd be terribly disappointed."

Michiru giggled. "I imagine she would be." She glanced toward the
kitchen. "So what's in the box?"

Darien shook his head and drank the water. "Wait for it."

The joyous shout originated from the kitchen a second later.

"WOW! THE SAILOR V MEGA MAGICAL DREAMHOUSE SET!"

Michiru shook her head. "You didn't."

Darien handed the glass back to Michiru. "I did. Brace for impact."

There was a blur of black, pink, and violet, and Darien suddenly found
an eight-year old sitting on his chest.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouTHANKYOU, Papa!" she cried, hugging him tightly.
"This is the best birthday present EVER!"

He gently pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "You're
welcome, sweetheart."

She beamed and kissed the tip of his chin. "I love you, Papa."

It shouldn't have made his stomach do flip-flops or caused his heart
to skip a beat, but it did. Of course, she'd said the words many times
before, almost on a daily basis. Only now, as he stared into her
innocent, trusting eyes, did Darien truly understand what the words
meant.

The simple act of cuddling his precious daughter suddenly took on a
completely new importance. Time stopped, and he was made aware of how
perfect the moment really was.

And in the space it took to blink, the moment was cruelly torn away.

By her.

The indescribable pain assaulted his senses mercilessly. Clearly,
having been away from the horrid sensation for so long had weakened
his resistance. His body, as always, responded only to her commands,
her needs, and her desires. His mind, though, was vaguely aware of how
angry he was.

The damnable rainbows slowly faded from his vision, and there she was,
looking absolutely radiant in her white evening gown.

He hated her.

A huge, featureless creature of black towered over them, howling in
rage as the power of the Scouts and her cursed crystal struck it.

Against his will, his arms raised and wrapped around her shoulders,
adding his own strength to the collective.

Selfishly, instinctively, wistfully, she smiled and leaned against
him, her golden hair brushing against his chin. It was the same spot
that his daughter had kissed.

He shuddered in rage, watching with a blank expression as the creature
was destroyed, defeated for good.

The power left her and she collapsed against him, gasping for air that
just wasn't there.

Automatically, he held her close, inhaling the luxurious scent of her
hair.

And suddenly, his body was his own again, and he shoved her away,
forcing her roughly into gentle Mercury's arms. He stepped back
quickly, trying to put distance between them.

Her perfect blue eyes came to rest on him. "Darien," she whispered,
reaching for him, still expecting the comfort she'd grown used to so
long ago. However, finding nothing but coldness, tears trickled down
her face, and she sobbed quietly into Mercury's shoulder.

"No more, Serena," he whispered, the anger unmistakable in his voice.
"Never again." His heart thudded in his chest, as if trying to resist
the words, but he knew them to be right.

Mercury's eyes filled with tears, but not one of them fell.

Serena wouldn't let go so easily, though. "Please," she begged. "I--we
can..."

"There is no we!" Darien snapped, willing his armor away with a
thought. "It's always been about you, Serena. Everything has always
been about you." He looked away. "But I'm sick of everything. I'm sick
of having no control over my own life."

Serena could sense where he was heading. Even now, there was a certain
telepathic link between them. "No...Darien, please...don't say-"

"I'm sick of you, Serena." He turned to look at her, daring her to
challenge the statement.

Her head dropped, and she said nothing.

"I don't want anything to do with you--any of you--anymore. I just
want my life back."

Silence.

He could feel the attack coming before he actually saw it.

"BASTARD!" Mars screamed, throwing up her hands. The unforgiving
flames seemed to erupt out of thin air, racing toward him at breakneck
speed. But he made no move to defend himself. He merely closed his
eyes.

Instead of the burning anger of Mars, it was the soothing mist of
Neptune that bathed his face. He opened his eyes, not surprised to
find her in front of him. She always had been the motherly one of
their group.

"That will be more than enough, Mars," Neptune said quietly. "We don't
want to have to hurt you."

"Speak for yourself, Neptune."

Darien almost smiled as Uranus appeared at his side. Almost.

"You're making a big mistake, Darien," Venus said, throwing a worried
glance at her whimpering cousin. "Think about the future."

He laughed bitterly. "The future? I HAVE no future!" He pointed at
Serena. "Ask HER about the future! Tragedy has stolen my past, and she
has my present! And if she has her way, she'll have the future, too!"
He suddenly realized that he was crying, but he didn't care anymore.
"Don't you get it, Venus? Don't any of you see? Nothing truly belongs
to any of us. We all belong to her. We're...slaves! And you don't even
realize it!"

"We fight," Jupiter said calmly, "because we care about Serena."

"You THINK you care. I used to. But now I DON'T care, and I still show
up every time you five need help. You think I want to be here right
now?"

"You showed up," Mars muttered.

"I HAD NO CHOICE!" Darien held back the growl building in his throat.
"Do you know what I was doing...before she called me here? Do you even
care?!"

None of the Scouts dared to speak.

"It was my little girl's eighth birthday, and I was holding her, like
a father should. She'd just told me that she loved me, and before I
could even think to say it back...THIS happened." He sighed heavily.
"I and told her--no, promised her--that that would never happen again.
But it did, Serena." He turned his gaze on her. "You promised me--you
swore to me--that you would never call me again the last time. I see
now that you can't keep that promise."

Darien stepped around Neptune and stopped a few feet away from Serena,
his eyes hard and clear. "Give it to me. Right now."

Serena's head lifted, a puzzled look on her face. "What...?"

"The crystal."

She blinked. "But...why?"

"Just do it."

She seemed to sense the malice in him. "No."

Her refusal only fed his anger, and without thinking, his arm shot out
and grabbed the crystal, tearing it away from the silk dress.

Serena gasped in shock, and dignity won over duty as she attempted to
cover the gaping tear down the front of her dress.

He stepped back, gripping the crystal tightly in his right hand. "You
will never call me again."

Serena stared at him dumbly, still in disbelief.

"Say it."

She slowly shook her head.

"SAY IT!"

She shrank back, trying to hide in Mercury's arms. "I...Darien..."

His voice was calmer this time. "Say it, Serena. Please. I need this."

Her face softened for a moment, but then she shook her head. "No. I
can't." Clutching the front of her torn dress with one hand, she
slowly approached him, her eyes locked on his. "I can't let you go,
Darien." Carefully, as if he were a cobra ready to strike, she wrapped
an arm around his neck and pulled him closer. She tilted her head up,
and as always, her lips easily found his. They were, after all, made
for each other.

Or at least, they had been.

"Let him go."

Two more figures emerged out of the mist. One was Pluto. And
surprisingly, the other was not Saturn, the deadliest of them all. It
was Hotaru who clung to Pluto's hand like the innocent girl she so
obviously was now.

Serena instantly broke the kiss and stared at them.

Hotaru let go of Pluto's hand wrapped her arms possessively around
Darien's leg, burying her face against the back of his knee. "Let my
Papa go, Majesty," she whispered. "Please? It's my birthday."

Serena clung to Darien a moment longer, and then let her arm fall away
from him. Slowly, almost painfully, she took two steps back. Then she
turned around, unable to stop her tears.

Something warm and soft grabbed her hand, and she realized it was
Hotaru.

"Thank you," the girl said in her quiet voice.

Serena glanced down at her, and began to smile. Hotaru was also
clutching Darien's hand, almost uniting them in a way.

But then, as if she could sense Serena's thoughts, Hotaru quickly let
go and was scooped up by Darien.

The smile faded instantly from her lips, and Serena could only stare
as Pluto joined hands with Darien. The image was both meaningful and
heartbreaking, but she knew it to be real. "Let's go," she said
quietly.

Mercury placed a hand on Serena's shoulder. "But...the crystal."

Serena blinked a few times, but said nothing.

Darien passed the crystal to Neptune, who handed it to Mercury. Even
so, Serena wouldn't touch it.

"It's getting late," Pluto murmured, looking at Darien. "Hotaru needs
her rest."

He nodded and followed her, clutching Hotaru to his chest. "I'm so
sorry, my little one," he whispered in her ear. "I broke my promise to
you."

Hotaru shook her head and smiled at him. "Don't worry, Papa. I broke
mine, too. I said I'd never get involved in Scout business unless
Michiru-mama said it was okay."

Darien stroked her head fondly. "For once, I'm glad you didn't listen
to us."

"Oh, but I did. Mama said it was okay."

He chuckled softly, and then remembered. "Pluto?"

She slowed down, allowing him to catch up. "Did it work?"

"Yes." He placed a tiny shard of crystal in her hand.

"This should be enough." She nodded to herself, and then started to
raise her Time Staff.

"Mama, wait!" Hotaru cried. "Don't go!"

Pluto smiled sadly and kissed Hotaru's cheek. "I have to, sweetie. But
I'll be back to tuck you in, I promise."

Hotaru didn't look any happier. "But you didn't kiss Papa goodbye."

Darien turned bright red. "Hotaru..."

"No, it's fine." Pluto leaned in and kissed him gently, then slowly
pulled away.

Hotaru grinned. "Okay, now you can go."

Pluto smiled. "So glad that I have your permission, Mistress Saturn."
She raised the Time Staff and vanished.

"Come on, munchkin," Haruka said, patting Hotaru's head. "Let's go
home."

"After all, there's a cake waiting with your name on it," Michiru
added.

"Ice cream, too?" Hotaru asked hopefully. "With sprinkles and
cherries?"

"Sprinkles OR cherries," Darien said firmly, giving her a knowing
look.

Hotaru ducked her head and smiled. "Okay, Papa."

* * * * *

As promised, Setsuna was indeed there to help tuck Hotaru in. Usually,
only one or two of them was needed for the simple task. However, all
four of Hotaru's "parents" helped this time, simply because it was her
birthday.

Like he always did, Darien watched over his daughter until she was
asleep. Haruka and Michiru had gone to bed themselves, and he was
fairly certain that Setsuna vanished again. If he was lucky, she might
appear in their bedroom before the night was through. If not, he would
just have to wait.

Darien was pleasantly surprised to bump into Setsuna as he was leaving
Hotaru's room. "You're still here?" He instantly realized how that
sounded and started to apologize.

Setsuna pressed a finger to his lips. "I know," she said quietly.
"Come sit and talk with me."

They moved to the couch in the living room.

"You're getting stronger, you know," she said. "Five years ago, you
wouldn't have been able to resist her at all."

"But I wasn't strong enough to ignore the call completely," Darien
pointed out.

"No, of course not. That would take an extraordinary amount of
strength and focus. It will take time to do that, and I would know."

"So am I supposed to just keep breaking promises to Hotaru until
then?"

"You know she'll forgive you every time," she replied.

Darien sighed. "Yes, I know that. But she shouldn't have to, Setsuna."

"That's what this is for." Setsuna held up a chain with a blue-green
crystal at the end. "Wearing this should help you focus."

Darien took the crystal from her and slipped it around his neck. "Are
you sure this won't put a strain on Serena? I don't want her to have
any excuses."

"No, this piece has been separated from the whole, just like you.
There is no connection between them."

"Then it's nothing like me. I've spent years trying to get away from
her, and it'll never happen. Not the way I want it to, anyway."

Setsuna gently took his face in her hands. "You're free enough,
Darien. Free to make your own choices. You chose to stay with us. You
chose to see Hotaru as your own. You chose...me."

"I seem to remember liking that last one a lot," he chuckled. "How
long ago was it?"

Setsuna stood up and pulled him to their bedroom. "Well, as the
Guardian of Time, it's my duty to refresh your memory."

"I'll have to forget more often, then," he said, closing the door
behind him.

She smiled and pressed her lips to his ear. "You just might,
Darien...but after we've had our fun."

The End.