THE WILL OF LOVE by Ʋis Rating: G - PG Email: aeris_t@edsamail.com.ph Webpage: Nightfall Wishes Hello people! I know I've been gone for a very long time, but all this while, I've been working on the sailormoon fanfic site I share with Aphrael, Joanne Alexandra, and Raiden. Please take a visit; your support is needed. I have also changed my address into my FINAL one: it's aeris_t@edsamail.com.ph, and I promise you that I could reply almost immediately if you send your emails through this address. What else?... Um, well, I guess this fic could use an intro. This is what we call an alternate reality fic, centered once more on Serena and Darien. I find them easiest to work with. I would really appreciate comments on this one! That's it! Thanx!!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Everybody's looking for that something One thing that makes it all complete You find it in the strangest places Places you never knew it could be - "Flying Without Wings" by Westlife ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Absolutely not!" Raye Hino and Amy Mizuno cringed at the sound of their friend's voice. They sat on both ends of the bed which stood in the middle of the room belonging to the person who was too deep in her emotions to notice her friends' reaction. A reaction which is, in particular, amazement. Amazement that she could go on for hours rattling about her problem and not notice Raye and Amy sleeping on the bed, amazement that she could actually contain so much loathing for someone she hasn't even seen, and for the dead too... "Absolutely not!" Serena Tsukino repeated, still with the strong emotion that let everyone who hear know that she is serious... Or crazy. "I would absolutely not let anyone take over my life. How dare them... HOW DARE THEM!!!" Raye rolled her eyes and whispered to Amy, "And later she'd be cursing the whole world for this." Amy giggled, afraid to say anything. After all, she isn't called 'The Saint' for nothing. "I mean, isn't she going overboard with this? It isn't like she's going to be married to the Hunchback of Notre Dame or the likes," Raye said, tossing her hair. Serena heard it. "That's not the point, Raye. It's that somebody who doesn't even breathe anymore is taking over my life. It's Grandpa. I mean, for years he doesn't show up, doesn't communicate with us. Not even a single greeting card! And then, he shows up in a coffin, and he's blackmailing me! He's actually blackmailing me from six feet under my feet!" "Actually," Amy said, "we're in the second floor so that makes it..." "Don't bother, Amy. I'm just being metaphysical." "Metaphorical," Amy corrected. "Whatever. But people, we're losing the point here. He's forcing me to marry a stranger, or else my inheritance goes to my stupid brother. It is SO unfair. Don't you get it? Or do you just not care?" "It's not that we don't care," Amy said, "but you can't just ignore the dead's wishes. It's called disrespect, Serena. Besides, it might not be all that bad. Hey, maybe he'd even turn out to be a hunk!" "Yeah," Raye agreed, "And if he does turn out to be as such, I wouldn't mind ME marrying him instead." "Believe me, Raye, if you were in my place, you wouldn't even dare think of such things." "Believe me, Serena, if you were more optimistic about this, it wouldn't be half as difficult for you as it is for you right now." "You don't understand. I am a perfectly happy 19-year old college girl with perfectly passable but otherwise lousy grades with perfectly cool friends and a perfectly happy family. In other words, I'm perfectly happy with my perfect Serena-Tsukino life right now, and then this coffin comes along with a will stating that the eligible woman of our family, that means me, has to marry the most eligible, preferably first-born son in the... what's that family again? Whatever. What is it with that family anyway? Did they strike an agreement to ruin their descendants' lives or something?" "You're right," Raye said, nodding. "There may be something in the past with those two." "BUT, for whatever the reason, you still have to marry the guy!" Amy said brightly. Leave it to Amy to be so... whatever you call that. Serena was about to say something, but realized that it won't matter. She heaved a sigh in desperation. "Maybe I should run away..." "ABSOLUTELY NOT!" "Darien, calm down," his grandfather, Stan Chiba, said, trying to keep his voice at a reasonable volume. "Calm down?!? You're telling me to calm down? How can you tell me to calm down when my perfectly envisioned life ahead of me just crumbled into pieces?" Darien Chiba said, obviously mad. "After all, I'm just going to marry some little chit from outer space or else I'm going to lose everything I've worked hard for." "You mean, the company?" "Yes, the company. What else?" Stanford Chiba III owned Chiba & Company, one of Tokyo's biggest business enterprises, which started out as a small store. Funded by Stan but managed by Darien, it prospered until it grew to a multi-billion company which had branches all over Japan. Yet, Darien remained only as President of the business and owned not a single share of the company, except for what is in the will of his grandfather... Which is exactly the reason why Darien's face is red with anger, and has smoke coming out of his ears. "Oh, come on, Darien..." "No, you come on. I'm going to marry. I'm actually going to marry some girl who fits by YOUR standards, which probably matches some girl with eyeglasses, braces, and whose disposition is probably close to that of a librarian. Oh, what am I saying? She probably IS a librarian!" "At least she's not one of your whores!" "Whores? Those are women with attitude, old man. Those are women with life, women who actually give a damn about things other than sitting properly, remembering where the dog left the clothes, and keeping their lives oh so respectably clean, so clean that it has become actually dull, almost as if they weren't human." Stan was silent for a moment. Take a deep breath. Relax, Stan, take it easy on him. Make him see the point of this all... Stay cool, say it in a calm way... "All I'm asking you is --- " "All you're asking me is to throw away the life that I have planned because the foundation of it all is going to some stupid institution, and all because you want me to settle down. Damn you!" "What I am asking of you is the most reasonable of all alternatives to selling OUR company to those business sharks out there, who are probably waiting to devour the money out of this company WE have established. I am NOT going to die and leave the company to those people from whom I have protected this company in the first place!" "So that's it, huh? Something so selfish, you don't mind if your grandson's life is at stake, too." He leaned over to come face-to-face with his grandfather. "And you know something? I'm getting tired of this conversation that I'm going to end it. Good night, Stan." And with that, he left, leaving Stan alone. For a few minutes, Stan sat there in his chair, staring at the space Darien previously occupied. "You don't know what you're doing..." "You don't know what you're doing..." Serena stared dubiously at her friend, Raye, who was eating away at an apple which used to sit in the basket somewhere in the Tsukino kitchen. "OF COURSE, I know what I'm doing. And I'm going to run away. Somewhere far, far away from this crap about dead men and stupid wills and ugly husbands... Hey, Raye, cut that out. None of your dumb looks are gonna change my mind. I have decided that I am going to go to --- " Suddenly the kitchen door opened and Serena's mother came in. "Yes, may I ask where you're going with that overstuffed bag?" Serena dropped the bag. "Uh... well..." "Yes?" Serena racked her brains for an alibi. "Um, we're having a, uh, a sleepover. Yes, a sleepover. At Raye's. Right, Raye?" Serena looked expectantly at Raye with unusually large (larger than large!) eyes and a super bright smile, it could have been waxed. "Wha --- Yeow --- Yes, yes. Uh, a sleepover. Me, her, Amy. At our house." A similar look was pasted on Raye's face. When Mrs. Tsukino's face didn't change, she added, "In fact, we're on our way to Amy's to, uh, pick her up." "Oh, I see," Mrs. Tsukino said, nodding, but with a knowing look on her face. 'Oh, she knows, she knows...' Serena thought dreadfully. 'She's not buying it!' "Okay." 'She bought it! She actually fell for it...' "But I'll call you up now and then, just to make sure, okay?" Serena's eyes bulged, but then Raye tugged on Serena's sleeve. "Uh, okay. We're going to Amy's now. Bye, Mom." She leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek, picked up her bag, then dragged Raye out the door. "Hey, that was one heck of a fast-thinking action there. Which is rather an accomplishment for you, isn't it?" Raye smiled at her. "Shut up." Serena said. "Let's just hurry over to Amy's, okay?" "You're stuck now at my place, aren't you?" Serena shot Raye with dagger looks. "I said, shut up!" "I said shut up, Andrew," Darien snapped at his friend. "Why would I?" Andrew Furuhata replied. They sat on either side of the counter of Crown, which is now owned by Andrew, and also had branched out. They were presently in the Tokyo branch. "You're about to marry, man. Is it somebody I know?" "Perhaps not. I don't even know her." "Maybe that's because you don't want to know about her," Andrew said. That struck Darien as true. "How old is she anyway?" "I told you, I don't know anything about her." "Not even her name?" "Look, all I know was that she was from Juuban, a VERY NICE family from Juuban, Stan emphasized to me. She is also VERY NICE which probably means that she's Stan's idea of a marriageable girl, which is also possibly why he wants me to marry her in the first place." "It can't be all that bad. You haven't even met her, and you're loathing her already. Maybe you're just being judgmental, and prejudiced by Stan." "Why shouldn't I be? It's Stan Chiba we're talking about here, whose opinion about the women I date is rather sinful compared to his idea of a good woman. And he chose the girl, damn it!" "Hey, how do you even know Stan met this girl already? For all we know, all he's described is her being good and all, but never about her looks. Hey, she might even be drop-dead gorgeous!" "Yeah, right. And that reminds me, we're supposed to meet anytime next week. I don't really care... Stan's taking care of it." "Hey, man. You gotta be prepared. You're about to meet the woman you're going to marry and you just shrug it off like it's one of your secretaries scheduling an unwanted appointment for you." "Hey, it IS unwanted." "Shouldn't you even be excited?" Darien rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. I just can't wait." "Yeah, right. I just can't wait." Serena rolled her eyes. "Is that what you want me to say? Puh-lease." "Come on, Serena. You're doing it again," Raye said. She jumped down to the lower bed of the double deck, beside Serena's. "You can't possibly go on like that, you know." "Do what? Go on like what?" "You know, hate the man. You can't hate anybody forever, Serena. Nobody can. I mean, look at us. Even I used to think that I hated you, and now... We're the best of friends!" "Look, I don't hate the man..." "Then what the heck were you saying all this time? Gloating and ranting on and on about this guy you're gonna marry like you're going to marry the devil himself." "That IS a possibility." "Would you guys mind?" said Amy, who was on the upper bed of the double deck. "I'm trying to read here." Raye shrugged. "Sor-ree." Serena sighed. "There's nothing exciting about marrying some stranger, you know. I mean, it wouldn't hurt as much if it weren't, like, for good. But hey, it's a commitment that can never be broken, unless it's by death. It's scary, like moving into another universe, no guarantees whatsoever, and no turning back. I don't like feeling so unsure. All my life, it's been the same things: low grades, frequent trips to the mall with you, bickering with you... They were all constants. Now, I'm facing uncertainties, and I'm not familiar with it at all..." "Aww..." Raye crossed over and put an arm around her shoulders. "If there was only something, anything, that I can do to help..." Amy, who heard it all, came up with a brilliant idea. "Hey, do you happen to know his name?" she asked, while coming down to get her laptop. "It's Dar... Dar or Der something-or-other." "Come on, Serena," Amy said, settling on Raye's bed. "Try to remember." "What are you up to?" Raye asked. "With his name and approximate birth date, we could search for his profile, or anything in the web matching his identity, or even just with his name on it," Amy said. "Can we come up with pictures of him?" Raye inquired. "It's a possibility." Raye got excited. She grabbed Serena's shoulders and shook them, saying, "Come on, Serena. Try to remember. Come on. This is SO great..." "Okay, okay... Um, It's Dar... Darma? No, that's a woman's name. Dar... Der... Dar... Darla? No, that's still a woman's name! Dar... Der... Derek? No. That's not it. Dar... Der... Derran? Close, close... Darien! That's it! Darien." Amy winced. "Okay, that's a start... Darien. Now, what's his surname?" "It starts with a C-H..." "Now try, Serena. Try," Raye said. "This is SO cool..." Serena furrowed her eyebrows. "Ch... Chang? No! Che... no, no. Chi... Chiba. That's it. It's CHIBA! Darien Chiba is his name." As Amy typed in the name, she chewed on her pencil. "That name sounds familiar somehow..." Results came in, and a picture appeared, along with a few matches. "Omigosh," they all gasped in unison. "He is so cute..." Raye sighed. "He is... old for me," Serena said, her cheeks hued a faint red. "He is... a multi-billionaire," Amy stated. "WHAT?!?" Raye and Serena exclaimed. "It says here that Darien Chiba is the grandson of Stan Chiba, owner of Chiba & Company, one of Tokyo's biggies. However, although Darien is the president of the company, he does not own any of the stocks... His grandfather owns them all, which is so unnatural..." Amy turned to the two of them. "You, Serena Tsukino, are going to marry a very wealthy, and very handsome guy... A prize catch." Serena was stunned. She could not speak. In her thoughts, 'I'm marrying that guy?...' Raye screamed. Raye giggled. Raye jumped all over the place. "I can't believe it! I can't believe it!" Amy smirked. "Seems she's doing all the celebrating for you, Rena." Serena, still dazed, said dreamily, "I can't believe this is happening to me..." 'I can't believe this is happening to me...' Darien, for the umpteenth time, checked to see if his suit was fine. 'I can't believe I'm actually nervous. I'm just meeting a girl. I've dated a hundred women before, and I'm never this nervous. What am I doing?' His contemplation (actually, it's more of a thing heading to a nervous breakdown) was interrupted by a waiter. "Sir, would you like to order anything?" "Huh? Oh, yes. Um, I am expecting someone..." "I see." Darien shrugged. "A shot of wine wouldn't hurt." "Very well. A glass of wine for Mr. Chiba." When the waiter turned away, Darien's thoughts resumed. 'Oh, God... What is it about this girl, anyway? Ah, yes. She's the girl I'm going to be bound to for all my life... And she's a stranger. Based on Stan's standards, she's probably a... A prim and proper, strict, conservative, and superstitious shrew. What have I gotten myself into?' 'What have I gotten myself into?' Serena thought. Standing at the lobby, she looked around the place, and what she saw made her knees shake. The place was first class. She felt as though she was an intruder, an outsider, a person who didn't belong. Next to those beautiful ladies --- those beautiful and GRACEFUL ladies --- she felt like a rag. Consciously, she looked down at her dress to see if there were any creases or stains or anything. She was wearing a simple gown she bought with Amy and Raye. They kept fighting over the gown... Amy insists on something that Serena personally thinks is more suitable to a funeral, while Raye keeps shoving into her hands flashy gowns, which show more flesh that Serena was willing to bare. In weariness of the play, she decided to find a gown herself. It was beautiful; it was a spaghetti-strap white dress which hugged her torso but from her waist down, it flowed into a pretty skirt that sways when she moves. Simple, yet elegant. It was perfect. After all, she doesn't want to be flashy and all that for just one date. Besides, she has absolutely no intention of impressing the guy. After all, there is no reason why. 'But why do I feel like I should have... Tried to impress... Oh! This is going to be a nightmare...' A hand gently touched her shoulder, making Serena turn around. A male voice said, "Excuse me, but are you... Serena Tsukino?" "Excuse me, but are you Serena Tsukino?" Darien repeated. When he saw the young woman near the entrance, she caught his eye. She was different from all the other ladies he had met. They were bold, elegant, she was angelic, almost like a child. Yet, immediately, he knew that it was her. It must be her. It has to be her. Please, God, let it be her... He frowned when he saw her expression. "What's the matter? Am I that ugly? Is my face horrible? Is there something caught on my head?" The angel laughed. It was a very beautiful laugh. "There was nothing. I was just... You startled me, that's all." "Oh, I'm sorry." He extended his hand. "I'm Darien Chiba." The angel smiled, and reached for his hand. "Serena Tsukino. Pleased to meet you, Mr. Chiba." "Oh, please, call me Darien. After all, we ARE going to be familiar with each other, aren't we? Please, let's take our seats. Standing any longer out here would probably make you freeze." Darien took her hand in his and led her to their table. Darien was already forming his own observations about his unwanted fianc饮 Visibly, she was beautiful and (thank God) unlike his grandfather's idea of the good girl. She dresses simply, but still attractively, and carries herself pretty good. 'It might not be as bad as I thought...' 'It might not be as bad as I thought...' Serena wanted to hit herself on the head, but in this place, it obviously would cause a stir, so she refrained herself. Instead, she lectured herself in her head. 'Get real, Serena. You've got a major crush on this guy! And why wouldn't I? He's cool, handsome, nice, a real gentleman, sophisticated... In short, everything you're not!' Serena looked at him ruefully. 'I hope I don't trip.' Darien seated her, and then took the seat across her. The waiter came and asked for their orders. Darien, sensing that Serena couldn't identify any of the dishes on the menu, ordered for them both. Darien faced her. "So, how old are you?" "I'm nineteen, turning twenty on the thirtieth." "Oh. That means I have to buy you a gift soon." Serena smiled. "You don't have to bother." "Of course I have to. I am your fianc鬠right? It would be absolutely unethical if I don't give you a present." "Thank you." Silence hung over them for a second. "So," Serena said, "I hear you're a pretty great businessman." "Well..." Darien began. "Tell me about yourself." This was a topic that Darien knows very well, and loved to talk about. "Well, I graduated summa cum laude at Tokyo University, and my course was of course, Business Administration and Accountancy, a dual course. I have acquired numerous job offers at various prestigious companies, but of course, I turned them all down. After all, it IS Darien Chiba they're talking about. I cannot waste all my talents just for working under any person. I mean, not bragging or anything..." 'Uh huh... Not bragging indeed,' Serena thought to herself. 'Is it just me or does this date suddenly suck?' "...But I AM one of the best. And so I turned down every offer I was given, and they were VERY many, just so I could manage my grandfather's business. It was a very small business at first --- " "You know what," Serena cut him off, "since I don't really know much about business, and I don't really give much about it, why don't we talk about something else... Something more lively." Darien's jaw hardened. "Are you implying that my life is not... lively?" "No, no," Serena rendered. "It's just that... I don't really care much about business... It's because I don't really understand it. I don't know --- " "So, that's it then. You're just unsure of yourself because I, your fianc鬠am a great --- " Serena did not like this. Not at all. Fumes began coming out of her ears and her cheeks were becoming red of the anger that was boiling inside of her. "Since when did you become such a know-it-all?" "And since when did you become such a proud and vain --- " "Look who's talking, you --- you conceited jerk!" "Good for nothing, insecure girl from nowhere!" "You stuck-up, arrogant moron with an ego larger than his brain!" Before Darien could utter a reply, Serena pushed back her chair and stood up. Eyes began to turn in their direction, but Serena couldn't care less. She said, "Let me tell you, Mr. Confidence, that you made a mistake by calling me insecure, of all names. You also made a mistake if you thought that any girl would enjoy being married to, much less be on a date with, as big an egomaniac as you are. I did not come here to be insulted by anybody, you the least of all people. And if you think I am supposed to marry you for anything other than the will left behind by my grandfather, then I would willingly give my share of inheritance to my brother than be stuck for life with an overly conceited man whose brain is good only for business, and nothing else. Goodbye, Mr. Chiba, and have a nice life... If you could ever have one with an attitude like yours." With that Serena left, leaving Darien with his mouth hung open, in shock of all that he has heard. However, remembering himself, he closed his mouth and began to think. 'How dare that girl say things like that! She's only a nothing from nowhere, and she dares speak to Darien Chiba like he was a person of her level. How dare she! It's Darien Chiba she humiliated in front of all people. Darien Chiba, the prestigious multi-billionaire, Darien Chiba, the man sought after by all the single women in the country. Darien Chiba was wronged, and Darien Chiba will give justice.' Darien took his glass and began to drink. 'War has officially begun...' ----------------------------------------------------------------------- So, how was it? Tell me, tell me. Comments and suggestions, even flames, are welcome at aeris_t@edsamail.com.ph. Come on, people, write! Write!