Regretting Author: The SoJ Hi! I'm not in the mood for a huge intro today. Basically, Serena is married to Tenchi in this one, and Raye is married to Darien, (Rini is their daughter). I don't own Sailor Moon or Tenchi. -The SoJ *********************************************************************** * The thunder rumbled loudly. But Serena wasn't afraid. No, what was there to be afraid of when Tenchi was home? She smiled to herself. Tenchi was so honest, and kind, but still had a sense of humor that he used to get out of doing a lot of chores. Tenchi was different. Different from him. He hurt her so badly. He betrayed her. Serena knew she couldn't blame Raye, oh no. Raye didn't love him at first either. Finally, her will gave in. Serena had never seen the darkest side of Darien before. But then she had. When she saw Darien hold Raye, it was over. She pulled out the Silver Crystal and teleported herself. She didn't care where. She just wanted to get as far away from Earth as possible, then end her life. But, somehow, her wish wasn't granted. Because Tenchi interfered. She had found herself on a rather large planet called Jurai. The leader there, Princess Aeka, had just been crowned and was appointing officers. At this point, Serena didn't know or care anything about the planet. She just wanted to hurt herself very badly. Raves and bars became her hangout, and she managed to get a gun. Then one day, she decided it was over. She pointed the gun at her head, but just before she pulled the trigger, the gun was wrenched out of her hand. When she opened her eyes to see what had happened, a young man was holding her gun and staring quizzically at her. Serena recognized him as the Ambassador for Jurai. He was one of the Princess's closest friends, Tenchi Masaki. He took her home and then sent her to a rehabilitation house. Within a month, Serena was back to her old self, but still lonely. There was one good thing though. Tenchi visited her often, and soon, they were dating. The next year, they were married. *********************************************************************** * "Mommy! Phobos and Deimos are pecking me again!" Princess Serenity complained. Queen Raye looked at her daughter's "wounds". "No blood. And besides, shouldn't you be studying?" Raye asked. Princess Serenity looked at her feet. "Um, no?" she guessed. Raye smiled and shook her head. "Yes. Come on now. You want to get an education right?" "Yes." "And you want to study at the best university, right?" "Yes." "So, you should go inside and study!" Raye finished. Princess Serenity sighed. "Yes Mommy," she groaned, then went inside the building. Phobos and Deimos flew over and landed on Raye's arm. "I remember when I only had you two for friends. Now, you start attacking Rini?" Raye asked. The crows only looked at her. Suddenly, a rustle scared them off. Wondering where her bodyguards were, Raye spun around. A tall man with black hair and dark blue eyes stared back at her. She sighed in relief. It was only Darien. "Darien! Where have you been?" she asked. "Walking," he answered casually. "You've been going for long walks for the past few months! Where do you go?" Raye asked, putting her arms around her husband. Darien didn't embrace her back. "Around. Raye, would you like to go on a vacation?" he asked. Raye looked at him questioningly. "On such short notice?" she exclaimed. Darien nodded. "Where?" "I was thinking about Serena. We haven't seen her in five years. Maybe, we could visit her." Raye's eyes lit up. "Do you mean it? Me and Rini could go see Serena? Do you even know where she is?" "She's the wife of the Juraian Ambassador. And, I was thinking I would come too," Darien answered solemnly. Raye screamed in delight. "YES! When do we leave?" she asked excitedly. "I've booked us a stay at a hotel next week. We leave Saturday," he answered. Raye hugged him tightly. She was going to see her best friend again! But, in the back of her mind, Darien's indifference to her seemed odd. *********************************************************************** * "TENCHI! WAKE UP!" screamed Serena. Tenchi groaned. "This from the person who needed a five-quadrillion decibel alarm clock to wake her up?" he yawned. Serena didn't find this funny at all. Her bright blue eyes flashed as she threw a pillow at her half- unconscious husband. "GET UP! WE'RE HAVING COMPANY AND THE HOUSE IS A MESS!" she cried. "Serena! This is why we have maids. You know, those girls you're always chatting with nonstop?" "NO MORE JOKES! YOU ARE GOING TO HELP ME CLESN THIS HOUSE IF IT KILLS YOU!" "I love you too sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" Tenchi muttered as he closed the door behind him. But it was okay. Serena would get to see her friend again. And the man who betrayed her, Tenchi thought. He decided he wouldn't let him hurt her again, no matter what. *********************************************************************** * "That's it! That's the house!" Raye squealed. Tenchi and Serena's house was huge, as in, four stories, two swimming pools huge. Rini, however, was unimpressed. "It's not as big as the Imperial Palace. Can't we go there Mommy, please?" she begged. "Hush you! Serena was supposed to be your mom, remember? Be nice to her and her husband. I hear he's friends with Princess Aeka," warned Raye. Rini's eyes lit up. Princess Aeka was her idol. They pulled up to the door. A beautiful woman with ankle-length blond hair and sparkling blue eyes stood in front of the door waving. Her hair was in two braids and she was wearing a denim skirt and a white blouse. Raye gasped. The woman was Serena. "SERENA!" "RAYE!" The two women ran to embrace each other. A few moments later, a handsome man came out of the door. He had spiky black hair and a ponytail, and was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt. "Okay Sere, I think everyone within a five-mile radius has heard you now. Hi, you must be Raye. I'm Tenchi," the young man shook hands with Raye. "You're the Ambassador? But, aren't you supposed to wear fancy and expensive clothes?" Rini gasped. Tenchi smiled. "Only when they hold me at gunpoint and force me too. And who might you be?" he asked. "This is my daughter Serenity," Raye answered. "You can call me Rini," the little girl piped up. Just then, Darien, who had been sitting in the car, stepped out. "Darien," Serena whispered, part out of surprise, part out of fear. Raye simply smiled at Tenchi. "This is my husband Darien. I believe he and Serena have already met," she explained. "Yeah," Tenchi said softly, putting an arm around Serena's shoulders. A second later, Serena was fine. "Come on! The cooks made the yummiest noodles you could ever hope to taste!" she exclaimed, taking Raye by the hand and pulling her into the house. The butler took Raye, Darien and Rini's coats and put them in the closet, but when he opened the door, two furry shapes jumped out. One landed in Serena's arms, the other in Tenchi's. "Oh, these are our pets, Luna and Ryo-Ohki," Tenchi explained. "They know who I am Tenchi-sama," Luna remarked. "Hi Luna!" Raye greeted, stroking the cat. Luna purred. "Hello Mars. Rini, good to see you as well," she added. Everyone seemed to notice she didn't say anything to Darien. "Madam? Lunch is ready," the housekeeper called. "Okay! Come on guys! Let's chow down!" Serena exclaimed, bounding into the kitchen. *********************************************************************** * "Now Rini, don't be afraid of Aeka. She's really very nice. I told her you were coming, and she had this whole idea of you coming to learn some Princess Lessons. I'm sure you could have written the book, right?" Tenchi asked. He and Rini were on their way to the Imperial Palace. Rini was going to spend the day with Princess Aeka, who wanted Rini to stay overnight as well, but Raye had declined. "She is my daughter! Not Aeka's!" she had said. Now the two were parked and inside the building. Princess Aeka was waiting inside. "Hello Tenchi! How have you been?" she asked. "Just fine Aeka. Is there anything I should pick up?" he replied. "My goodness no! You're on vacation while your friends are here. How's Serena?" "She's fine as well." "And this must be Princess Serenity." Rini stepped forward and did a carefully practiced curtsy. "How do you do Princess Aeka?" "I'm very fine, thank you. Oh, my dear, we have so much to talk about!" Aeka said, taking Rini's hand. "What time should I pick you up Rini?" Tenchi asked. "Never!" cried Rini, who liked the palace and Aeka immediately. "Okay, I'll ask your mom then. Have fun you two!" Tenchi said, then left them to do "princess things". *********************************************************************** * "Okay, how about this one?" Raye asked, holding a yellow dress up to her. She and Serena were shopping at a boutique downtown. Serena wrinkled her nose. "Stick with red Raye. Yellow is not your color. How about this?" Serena wondered, holding up a delicate-looking white dress. "You wear white too much Sere. I like you in dark blue though," Tenchi appeared from behind a rack of T-shirts. "How did you find us here?" Raye asked. He shrugged. "Two women who haven't seen each other in five years. Both very rich. No husbands or children nearby. Where else would I find you except for shopping?" he asked. Serena smiled and hugged him. "You know me too well," she laughed, kissing him on the cheek. Raye smiled, but inside she felt strangely sad. Darien never hugged her or kissed her. He never joked with her, or even told her he loved her. But he did, right? He did love her. *********************************************************************** * Darien sighed as he looked out from the top of the building. It was awful. He kept seeing the one thing he couldn't have, and he kept lying to what he did have, Raye. In his heart he knew he didn't come back so Raye and Serena could be together. They came back so that he could try and get Serena back. "Why? Why can't I just be happy and love Raye the way I used to? Why can't I stop feeling jealous of Tenchi because he has the one thing I don't? Why?" he yelled out loud. Despair crushed his heart. But from deep within, a plan formed. He could win Serena back. He could if he just went about it the right way. "It's time for Tuxedo Mask to return," he said softly, smiling for the first time in ages. *********************************************************************** * Rini had talked her mother into letting her stay with Aeka for the night. Actually, Serena had encouraged it, saying the four of them could go out for dinner. "Come on Raye! You're too overprotective! Rini'll be fine. You can trust Aeka!" she exclaimed, adding to Rini's constant whining. Finally, Raye gave in. Now, the two women were dressing for dinner. "Raye, how do you think I should do my hair?" Serena asked as she slipped into a dark blue dress that she knew Tenchi liked on her. "I don't know. It'd be kinda cool to see you in odangos again, Odango," Raye laughed. But Serena didn't smile. "I stopped wearing my hair liked that when I left Earth. I remembered how much Darien liked it, and so, I just stopped. I know!" she twisted it up and caught it in a gold net attached to a headband. "Now, I just need some gold jewelry," she replied. "Oh, here. I have tons. Um, do you have any rubies? They're my favorites, but I didn't bring any," Raye asked. Serena handed her a ring, four bracelets, and a pendant on black chain to match Raye's black and red striped dress. They finished and left the room. *********************************************************************** * Dinner that night was great. Tenchi paid for everyone, joking that Darien had to pay for breakfast and Raye had to pay for lunch the next day. As they left, Serena spotted a tall skyscraper. "Oh! They have dancing here on Saturday nights! Let's go hang out for a while," she exclaimed. Everyone else agreed, so Tenchi handed the valet the keys and they took the elevator to the top floor. They danced for hours. Finally, Tenchi and Raye decided they wanted a drink, so they left Darien and Serena to sit and talk. It was taking an awfully long time when Darien finally asked Serena to dance. She narrowed her eyes warily at first, but he smiled at her. Serena remembered how she always used to melt whenever Darien smiled at her, so she accepted. They were still dancing when Tenchi and Raye returned. "Hey Serena! Are you dancing with my man?" Raye joked. Serena smiled. "What? And cheat on Tenchi? Are you mad woman?" she cried, allowing Tenchi to wrap his arms around her protectively. Raye glanced at Darien. He had been smiling when he was dancing with Serena, but he was solemn now. She sighed and made an attempt to reassure herself Darien loved her, but she didn't believe herself. *********************************************************************** * That night, Serena couldn't sleep. She got out of bed and put on a bathrobe, then headed outside into the garden. It was a warm night, and everyone seemed to be asleep. Then, Serena heard a rustling in the bushes. Fear just seemed to appear whereas she had been perfectly peaceful before. "L-Luna? Is that you?" she stammered. Just then, a figure popped out of the bushes! Serena's scream was stifled by a gloved hand. "Serena! It's me!" a familiar voice whispered. The figure let go of her and stepped into the light. Serena gasped. It was Darien as Tuxedo Mask. "Darien," she whispered. "I'm sorry for scaring you Serena, but I had to see you. I missed you," he said softly. Serena backed away, half frightened to death of the man, half wanting to run into his arms and let him hold her. "You-you shouldn't be here. Get out. Now. Or, I-I'll call Tenchi!" she threatened. Darien held out a rose to her. "Please, I had to see you alone. Just for a moment," he begged. She sighed and sat down on a bench. Darien joined her. "What do you want?" she muttered. "I wanted to say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I hurt you so--" "WHAT? HOW DARE YOU?" Serena exclaimed, fire burning in her eyes. "How dare you come to my home, and try to apologize for what you did?" "I was hoping, I could have you back," Darien whispered. But there was no calming Serena. "You pig. You can't even come close to apologizing. You broke my best friend's will and threw me away. I would be dead because of you! But I'm not. Because of my husband. I know Tenchi loves me, and you don't. You only realize what you've missed when it's gone. I hate you!" she screeched. "For God's sake Serena! Will you listen to me!" Darien cried, grabbing her shoulders. "I love you, okay! You're right! I didn't realize how much I loved you until I found out you were married! I had no idea how lucky I was! I had you Serena, and now I'm not lucky. Tenchi is." "Darien!" she cried, but stopped. She threw her arms around Darien and kissed him. Surprised, Darien kissed her back just as passionately. He had won. Darien, the world's most awful boyfriend, husband, and father, had his prize. *********************************************************************** * Tenchi squeezed his eyes shut to hold back the tears. He couldn't tell Serena that he saw her and Darien in the garden kissing. He couldn't. The guilt would destroy her. But, keeping his feelings inside him was driving him mad. He loved Serena more than life itself. That was why he stopped her from pulling the trigger on her gun that day, so long ago. But, now, he meant nothing to her. In his heart, he knew she still loved Darien. It was destiny. All he could do was wait for the day when he would wake up and she would be gone. What then? He wondered. What am I without Serena? He couldn't stand it anymore; he had to talk to someone. Then, he got an idea. Grabbing a ball with a small bell inside, he headed for the living room. *********************************************************************** * Luna yawned. Ever since she had come to live with Tenchi and Serena, she had been getting the royal treatment. But she knew when she was needed. So, she woke herself up and waited for Tenchi to come in the room. He appeared five minutes later. "Luna!" he cried, relived. "Luna there you are!" "I know what's wrong Tenchi-sama," Luna said, leaping into Tenchi's arms. "You do?" he asked. "Yes, and I would've never thought it possible. Of course, I knew this was the whole reason Darien came back." Tenchi hugged Luna tightly. "Oh Luna, does Serena even love me?" he asked forlornly. Then, something happened. The room filled with light, and Tenchi felt the cat in his arms begin to change shape. In a few seconds, a tall woman with wavy black hair, a yellow dress, and a moon symbol on her forehead was hugging him tightly. "I don't know Tenchi. But I want you to know, that even if Serena leaves with Darien, you will still have me. You'll always have me," Luna answered, kissing Tenchi's forehead. Then, as quickly as she had transformed into a human, Luna was a cat again. *********************************************************************** * That night, when Tenchi and Serena were getting ready for bed, Tenchi turned to his wife. "Serena, I need to know something," he said. Serena turned to him "What?" Taking a deep breath, Tenchi asked, "Do you love me?" "What?" "Do you love me?" Serena took Tenchi's hand. "Well, that's a silly thing to ask. I'm your wife." "But do you love me?" Tenchi persisted. Looking into his eyes, Serena saw the awful truth. Tenchi had seen her with Darien. "Oh Tenchi, oh God, no," she whispered to herself, holding Tenchi tightly. But Tenchi saw the fear in her eyes. "Then it's true," he whispered in disbelief. He stood up and grabbed his car keys from the dresser. Serena held out her hand but didn't follow. "Tenchi no. Please come back! Please!" Tenchi just ignored her. He kept on walking out to the car. A few moments later, Serena's footsteps followed. "Tenchi! No! I love you! Honestly! I do! Oh please come back Tenchi! Please!" she was hysterical now. And yet, Tenchi kept on walking, ignoring her pained sobs. And Serena watched him walk away, out of the house, out of her life. *********************************************************************** * A knock on the door woke Raye out of her beauty sleep. Who could it be at this hour? Grabbing her bathrobe, she headed for the door. Amazingly, the person waiting was Tenchi, Serena's husband. "Raye, I've got to talk to you. Are Darien and Rini here?" "No, Darien went for a walk and Rini's spending another night with Aeka," Raye answered. "Good. Raye, I need to talk to you about Darien," he sat down on a chair and told her the whole story of Darien and Serena in the garden. Her face grew paler and paler as he went on. "Serena still loves Darien, and Darien still loves Serena," he finished. By this time, Raye was crying as much as Serena had been. But Tenchi looked at her differently. Then, he held her hand. "I know Raye. I felt the same way when I saw them kissing," he said softly. Raye looked at him sadly. "Look Raye, he did love you. Why else would he have married you? For power? Serena had more. She had more money too. No Raye, he did love you. Maybe, maybe he still does," he comforted. Tilting her chin toward him, he gently wiped the tears from her eyes. Then, she smiled. "So, are you always here to comfort females who've been ditched?" she asked. Tenchi smiled too. *********************************************************************** * Serena sat on the balcony crying for the whole day. She locked the door to her room so no one could get in. "My God, what kind of a monster am I? How could I do that to Tenchi?" she wondered. Her heart answered her. You love Darien. You always knew he would come back. Tenchi was just there to ease the pain of waiting. "But, how can I live with hurting him so badly?" Tenchi was there when you were hurt. Now, someone else is there for him. It's okay. "Raye," Serena whispered. She realized then, it was okay. She could have Darien now, because she knew Tenchi would have Raye. It was destiny. She knew it. Tenchi knew it, Raye knew it and Darien knew it the whole time. *********************************************************************** * Four months later, all four of them were at a double wedding. Tenchi and Raye were getting married, and Darien and Serena were getting married. Everything was perfect. Darien and Serena were going to get custody of Rini, and Raye was going to stay with Tenchi on Jurai. Actually, Rini was going to stay on Jurai too for a while. She was going to be trained on being a princess by Aeka. Luna appeared to Tenchi the night before his wedding in her human form. She said nothing, just kissed him and went back into her cat form. It was a kiss for luck. No one knew if the couples would work out. Everyone makes mistakes; they had learned that by now. And everyone includes Destiny. *********************************************************************** * I know, I know. That was really short. But hey, it was a good story right? I mean, quantity isn't everything, right? Oh well. E-mail me if you want a sequel!