Chapter 3

        Serena arrived at the hospital only minutes after she had
received word of the situation.  And, just like at the Sailor
meetings, she was the last one there.  She was not permitted to see
Lita, as she was not family.  She was, however, allowed to wait in
the waiting room with the rest of the group.
        "Serena!  Glad you could make it!"
        { Rei, you of all people should just shut up. }  Serena faked
a smile.  "Uh, glad to see you too."  Serena knew not to cause a
scene in the hospital.  And besides, she was thinking more about
Lita, rather that Rei and Darien.  "Thanks for calling on my
communicator, Amy.  What exactly happened?"
        "I think I should tell you this."  The blond-haired girl
stood from her sitting position on the floor.  "But not here, with
all these other people around.  Can I see you outside?"  Serena
nodded, and she and Mina were soon away from the group.
        "Rei, is it true?"
        "Amy, what do you mean?"
        "Well, Mina told me what the argument was that caused all
this crap, about the rumor that you and Darien were kissing."
        "Amy, I was giving him mouth to mouth!  He wasn't breathing,
and I sure as hell wasn't going to let him die."  Amy was silent for
a minute.
        "Well, why didn't you tell Serena that!"
        "I didn't know she was watching.  But now, when I try to tell
her, she just tells me to shut up.  She won't listen to reason."
        "I hope to GOD you are telling the truth.  Because if you're
not..."  Amy moved closer to Rei, and whispered in her ear.  "I'll
kill you myself." Amy walked out of the waiting room.
        Serena and Mina came back in, to find Rei staring at the
floor.
        "Rei,  what's wrong?" Mina asked.
        "Huh?  Oh... nothing.  Just hoping that Lita's gonna be OK."
Tears were in Rei's eyes.  She had been so hurt, and felt so
abandoned.  "Uh.. Serena?"
        "What?"  There seemed to be no emotion in her response.
        "Can I... see you outside...?"
        { What is it with me and outside? }  "Sure, but make it
quick."  Serena and Rei went outside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        "Serena, what you saw --"
        "What I SAW was that YOU were kissing my boyfriend.  No, I
take that back.  My ex-boyfriend."
        "Serena, I was giving him artificial respiration!  He was
unconscious and had quit breathing.  If it weren't for me, he'd be
dead right now!"  Serena's eyes widened.
        "What?  You were... saving his life...?"
        "Yeah Serena."
        "Oh... I-I'm... sorry.  I guess I just saw you two like that
--"
        "And automatically assumed that we were making out.  You
gotta learn to trust me more Serena.  I'm your best friend.  I would
NEVER put you through so much pain."  Rei put her hand on Serena's
shoulder.  "So, friends?"
        "Friends."  The two girls smiled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        Darien saw the two girls, and had heard the entire
conversation.  He was glad neither of them had noticed him.
        Darien started running toward the girls.  "Hey there, sweet
cheeks!"  Darien gave a full fledged lover's kiss to the nearest
girl.  Rei. 
        "Last night was awesome!" he said as he held her close enough
that he could have smothered her.
        "Darien --"
        "Shh."  He kissed her again, and his tongue was trying to pry
into Rei's mouth.  He broke away, and started running again.  "See
ya, honey!  See ya, Serena!"  He continued running.
        Serena looked at Rei, with fire in her eyes.  Rei stared at
Serena.
        "Let me guess.  He needed saving again."  Serena slapped Rei
so hard she knocked her down.  "If I ever see you again, I'll kill
you, you bitch.  You could've at least been honest with me."  Serena
stormed back into the hospital.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        Darien continued running until he was out of sight.  He then
slowed to a normal walking speed.  A swirling black light enveloped
him, and then he was in his true form; the Black Knight.
        "That was fun."  The Black Knight vanished into thin air.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        Serena's tears were visible to Mina, even from across the
room.  She got up, tears in her eyes, as well.
        "Serena, what's wrong?"
        "Lita was right.  And so was I.  Darien IS having an affair
with Rei."
        "Oh...  Sorry."
        "What's wrong with you?"
        "Well... the doctor told me the news about Lita."
        "...What is it?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                3 days later....
        The scene was simple, yet pretty.  And very sad.  It was a
church, with the whole group there.  Everyone was dressed mostly in
black.  Serena, Rei, Amy, Mina, Darien, Andrew, Molly and Ken.  The
preacher began.
        "Dearly beloved.  We are gathered here today to mourn the
loss of Lita Kino."  The preacher droned on and on.
        Serena glared at Darien, who had sat next to her.  Rei had
made the good decision to sit far, far away from them.
        { Who does he think he is?  He doesn't even act like anything
happened! }  Serena tried to edge her way away from him.
        { Damn, why is she doing this?  Most people WANT to be
comforted. }  The tears that came from Serena's eyes were from mixed
emotions.  She felt so sad about Lita, so hurt by Darien, and so
betrayed by Rei.
        "And now, a close friend of the dearly departed."  The
preacher stepped down, and Ken walked up to the podium, in front of
the casket.
        "Lita was a good friend of mine...  And I'm sure she was a
close friend to all of you.  I know we will all miss her very much.
But we must remember the good times, and not go on crying and moping
around for months.  She wouldn't want that.  Lita would want us to
carry on, and remember the good times.  Because as long as we
remember her, she will never truly die."  Ken stepped down, and found
his seat next to Rei.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        The funeral procession seemed to take forever to Serena.  She
was riding in the same car as Darien.  She thought it best not to do
anything bad to him, especially at a time like this.  For some odd
reason, however, she felt different.  Different than the day he had
kissed Rei, right in front of her.  Almost like... he was a different
person.
        "Darien?"
        "Yes, meatball head?"
        "...... Why did you..."
        "Why did I what?"  He glanced over at Serena, who was staring
out the window.  He had no idea of the pain she was in.
        "Why did you kiss Rei?"
        "Uh... Serena, what the hell are you talking about?"
        "Don't play coy with me, Darien!  You know exactly what I am
talking about!"
        "No I don't.  What gave you that idea, anyway?"
        "What the hell do you THINK gave me that idea?  I saw you!
You ran up to Rei, and kissed her like you USED to kiss me.  And I
was only standing three feet away."  Darien glanced over at Serena.
Her reflection was in the passenger side window.  Darien could see
the tears streaming down her face.
        He was crushed.  The words that his love had spoken hit him
worse than a million shards of rock.  He didn't remember ever kissing
Rei.  Why would he?  Sure, he found her to be attractive, but he did
not have any feelings toward her.
        "Serena, I don't remember --"
        "Darien, you don't have any fucking amnesia to get you out of
this one.  You know you did it, and you know that you want her.  I
wouldn't be surprised if Rei was the true mother of Reeny!"
        "Damnit!  I don't know what you are talking about!  But I did
NOT KISS REI!!  I DON'T WANT HER!!  THE ONLY PERSON I WANT IS YOU!!"
        "Well, you'll just have to settle for Rei then.  Because
you're not having me.  I don't put up with two-timers."
        The rest of the trip, neither of them said a word.  When they
got to the cemetery, they all gathered in front of the casket.  The
preacher read some things out of the bible, and then the casket was
laid in the ground.  Everyone threw a few flowers on the casket.
Then, the dirt was placed on the flowered casket, and soon, the
ground was solid once more.
        The people got into their cars, and slowly drove away.
Serena did not ride with Darien, or anyone else.  All she wanted to
do was be alone.
        As the last car disappeared from sight, Serena stood at the
foot of Lita's grave.  She kneeled down.
        "Goodbye, Lita... Sailor Jupiter....  I will miss you..."  As
Serena wept, the crescent moon on her forehead glowed slightly.  A
gentle breeze blew, and as her tears fell to the ground, the sunlight
made them sparkle like crystals.
        Finally, Serena stood, and stared up at the sky.  "I won't
give up.  I won't stop caring.  You will live on in my heart, for all
eternity."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Nobody said life is fair, we've all got a cross to bear
When it gets a little hard to care, just think of Jesus hanging
there."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                                To Be Continued...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, nice and gloomy, huh?  I know that a lot of people read these
notes before they read the story.  So, I'm not gonna re-state what
happened in the story.  If you read it, good for you.  If you're not
on the verge of suicide, good for you.  So, how'd ya like it, anyway?
I really wanna know.

cowboys@wwd.net  You all know that's my email, right?  Ya think there
might be a reason it's there?  Hmm....