I Need To Be Next To You Song-fic By: Jessica M. Moonflower E-mail: salud731@earthlink.net Rated: G Timeline: First Season Romance Disclaimer: You know the drill, I never created Sailor Moon. ANs: My second song-fic and this song is sung by Lee Nash of Sixpence None the Richer and you can find this song in the soundtrack of the movie, "Bounce" with Ben Affleck and Gwenyth Paltrow. Please e-mail me to let me know what you think! "Your task is not to seek love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." *~Rumi*~ *~*~*~*~ Been running from these feelings for so long Telling my heart I didn't mean it Pretending I was better off alone But I know that it's just a lie So afraid to take a chance again So afraid of what I feel inside *~ It was a rainy summer afternoon in late July. Crystal drops of water dripped off the leaves of trees and onto the puddles on the ground, creating tiny ripples with each drop. Kids in raincoats splashed and played in the puddles while people with umbrellas rushed home to get away from the afternoon rain. Darien watched all of the outside activities from his ninth floor apartment in the Azabu district of Tokyo. Just like the weather outside, he felt depressed and melancholy. The people out on the streets seemed to be unaffected by the dismal weather and seemed to walk, play, laugh, and talk merrily without a care in the world. He turned his attention away from the window and towards his apartment. It looked lifeless and less homey except for a few vase full of red and white roses on the coffee table. He walked over to the couch and lazily plopped down on it. He sank deep into the cushions and closed his eyes. Lately, his life had been filled with many problems that seemed to have turned his life upside down. Problems with work, school, and a particular blue eyed blonde that he always bumped into the arcade by the name of Serena Tsukino. The lovely blonde has captured his attention from the first moment he bumped into her outside of the arcade that fateful day not so long ago. From then on, he couldn't stop thinking about her. She was constantly on his mind wherever he went and whatever he did that sometimes he got distracted from what he was doing to the point where he could no longer concentrate. She stirred feelings within him that he never felt before...feelings of warmth, longing, and completeness. He tried fighting these feelings before, but had no luck in doing so. He always found himself losing the battle with his heart. He sighed frustratingly, opening his eyes to stare up at the ceiling. How is it possible that the feelings he was feeling now was of love? He barely knew the girl and all of a sudden he woke up one morning feeling this need to be with her? It scared him to death that he could possibly have fallen in love with someone. *~*~*~*~ But I need to be next to you (Need to be next to you) Oh I Oh I I need to share every breath with you (Share every breath with you) Oh I Oh I I need to know I can see you smiling each morning Look into your eyes each night For the rest of my life Here with you near with you oh I I need to be next to you (Need to be next to you) *~ What was he to do? He's never been in love and he always thought he was incapable of being loved ever since his parents died. He knew they loved him when they were still around, but it seemed like a foreign emotion to him after going through his life without it. He figured it was fruitless to chase after something he could never have or experience so he never bothered. But the very idea of experiencing love again, troubled him greatly. Was he ready to give into his feelings for Serena, or would he just stamp them aside, hoping that they'd eventually fade away like a changing season? Darien got up off the couch, grabbed his jacket off the chair, and left his apartment, finding the silence too unbearable to tolerate. He didn't care if it was pouring torrents outside as long as he was out in the open where the fresh air was. As soon as he came outside, he realized that he had no umbrella, but couldn't care less if he looked like a wet sewer rat. What mattered to him was that he was left alone to his thoughts and peaceful walk. He walked around aimlessly with no particular destination to go to and his mind wandering back to Serena. What was it that drew him to Serena? Was it her smile? Her beauty? Her klutziness? He shook his head and continued to walk. Maybe it was everything he concluded. There was something about her that made her stand out from any other girl in this world--as if she were special or unique. But that's silly! Wasn't she like any normal teenage girl, talking about boys, goes to school, and hangs out with friends on weekends? He glanced up to survey his surroundings and noticed that he stumbled across Fairview Park. Why he walked here, he'll never know, but decided to rest on a bench, overlooking the lake. When he got there, all the benches were wet, but sat on one anyway since his clothes have been thoroughly soaked so it wouldn't matter if he got his pants wetter than they already were. He sat quietly and wondered how Serena would react if he told her how he felt. Would she laugh? Would she say she was already involved with another? Or would she pity him as a poor fool who has never known what love was like and had no idea how to act towards it? He's never been so lost in his entire life and even his logical thinking couldn't help him out of this mess. He angrily took a rock that was sitting by his foot and hurled it into the lake with much force and irritation. Who knew loving someone who might not return your feelings could be such a pain? "Darien?" a soft and slightly timid voice queried, a small hand was laid gently on his wet shoulder. He grudgingly turned his head, ready to bark at the person who had disturbed him until his eyes fell upon a concerned face. "Serena?" he whispered almost disbelievingly. *~*~*~*~ Right here with you is right where I belong I lose my mind if I can't see you Without you there's nothing in this life That would make life worth living for I can't bear the thought of you not there I can't fight what I feel anymore *~ Darien was speechless. What was Serena doing out here on a dreary day like this? He watched as she bit her lower lip nervously, shifting her light blue umbrella from her right hand to her left. "Darien, what are you doing out here? And without an umbrella? You could get pneumonia if you don't go home and get out of those wet clothes." He was shocked that Serena was concerned about his well-being. It was just like her to stop and help a friend or stranger whenever they were in need of a helping hand. "I forgot my umbrella when I went for a walk. I hadn't realized that I did until I was further away from my apartment," he calmly explained, shivering a bit from the cool breeze. The breeze and cold rain would have been inviting for the normally hot July month if he hadn't so stupidly went out in the rain without an umbrella. "Well, I was on my way home from a friend's house, but I could walk with you home." He shook his head, getting up from the bench, and running his hand through his damp hair. "No, that's okay, Serena. I was just going home myself. Besides, I can't keep you from going home. Your parents would get worried." "Nonsense! Darien, I can't let you go home alone with you shivering and soaking wet like that. I'll come with you and make us two cups of hot tea since it has gotten unusually colder today, and you need the tea more than I do." Seeing that she wasn't going to back down, he silently agreed and came under the umbrella with Serena. As they started walking, Serena put her arm around Darien and held him closely to her. He was shocked by this gesture and she hurriedly explained, "It's a way of giving you some warmth." He said nothing and only came in closer, for the warmth of her body was enough to keep him from shivering. He directed her to where his apartment was and both hurriedly ran inside. Serena closed her umbrella and shook loose the excess water. They took the elevator up to his floor, both in silence throughout the entire ride. When they got to his floor, he guided her to his door and brought out his keys from his wet pockets. He unlocked the door and let her in his dark apartment. He switched on the lights and saw that Serena was staring in awe at his apartment. He smiled softly to himself as he set his keys down on the kitchen counter and shrugged out of his wet jacket. He placed it carefully on a hanger and hung it on his closet's handles for it to dry. He turned around to see that Serena wasn't in the room and started calling her name. "Serena? Serena, where are you?" "Right here," she replied, coming out of his bedroom with a small bundle in her arms. "What were you doing in my room?" "To get you some dry clothes." She held out the clothes she picked before him and Darien slowly took it from her, finding it odd that she would insist on picking out something for him to wear. As if she were reading his mind, she said, "I thought I'd save you the trouble from going into your room by getting you something dry enough to wear." "Oh, thanks...I think." "Now, you go into the bathroom and take a shower and dress while I'll go make us some tea." She pushed him towards the bathroom's entrance and left to go into the kitchen. Darien shook his head in disbelief once more and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Twenty minutes later, Darien emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed and slightly warm after his hot shower. He entered the living room and found Serena sitting comfortably on the couch, reading a magazine as she sipped her tea. She turned at the sound of light footsteps hitting the carpet and smiled. "Hey, Darien. You feel any better?" "Yeah, after that shower I had, I'm feeling pretty good." He took a seat beside Serena and watched her put the magazine back on the coffee table. She then took the mug that was next to hers and offered it to him. "Here. I also laid out some cookies just in case you were hungry," she said, pointing to the small platter on the table. He graciously took the mug from her small hands and took a sip from it. The hot liquid warmed his entire body and was so glad that Serena was here right now. Serena drank her tea in silence, occasionally glancing around the apartment here and there. Meanwhile, Darien observed her face. She had pale white skin which looked soft and smooth, eyes that were blue and sparkling, and hair as gold as the sun. He realized it was hard to say to himself that he didn't like her at all when he really did. He never met anyone as kind and beautiful as she was and he finally realized that what made her so special was her kind heart. Any man would be lucky enough to have a girl like Serena in their life. He broke away his gaze from her features as sadness washed over him. Would he be the lucky man to hold this precious girl's heart? He loved her so much that it was driving him crazy! But does he have the courage to tell her so? *~*~*~*~ But I need to be next to you (Need to be next to you) Oh I Oh I I need to share every breath with you (Share every breath with you) Oh I Oh I I need to know I can see you smiling each morning Look into your eyes each night For the rest of my life Here with you near with you oh I I need to be next to you *~ Serena noticed his troubled face and was greatly concerned as to what was bothering him. "Darien, are you okay? Is something wrong?" He looked up to look into her eyes and she was surprised to see several emotions swimming within them. Some was of confusion, fright, longing, and frustration. "Serena, is it all right if I told you something?" "Of course, Darien. What is it?" He laid his and Serena's mug on the coffee table then took both her hands into his. He never took his eyes off her as he began his revelation. "I know we haven't known each other for so long and you probably might think what I'm about to say is crazy, but if I don't tell you now, I may never get it out in the open so I'll say it while I still have the guts to do so. I love you, Serena. I think I may have loved you when I first met you, but wasn't sure at the time. You've been on my mind for so long and I'm a little scared as to what all this means for me. My parents died in a car crash when I was young and I've been left without anybody to love or care for me so loving someone is very new to me. And if you have a boyfriend already I understand since I'm a little late in telling you. I thought you'd just like to know." He let go of her hands and looked down at his lap, feeling embarrassed and slightly relieved for telling her how he felt. Although, he was feeling a bit apprehensive as to what her reaction to all this was, but couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. He suddenly felt two small hands gently lift his face to hers and saw that she was smiling at him. He wasn't sure if she was happy or found it humorous that what he said was stupid, but whatever he was planning to say flew from his mind when he heard Serena speak. "Your confession shocked me and yet has made me happier than I was before. I held feelings of love for you, too, but I thought that you'd laugh at me if I told you, or you'd say I was too young and it was just a school girl's infatuation so I kept it to myself. Then I heard you say that you loved me and I thought it was too good to be true like I was dreaming or something, and I realized that everything you've said to me right now is true and not a dream. I guess what I'm trying to say here is, I love you, Darien. And even though these feelings of love is new to you, I'll help you every step of the way and show you what an amazing emotion it can be." Darien was in pure shock himself, although, it didn't last very long since he just found out that the girl he had fallen in love with felt the same way about him. He leaned in closer to her and bestowed upon her lips a beautiful and magnificent kiss. It turned out nice and slow until it built up into a passionate one, releasing all their love and need for each other through the kiss. They broke away for a moment to get some air, but laid a few small kisses all over each other's faces. "I love you, Serena. I don't think I've wanted to be with someone as badly as I want to be with you." "I love you, too, Darien. You'll never long to be with me ever again since I'm here with you now." They snuggled up to each other, finding comfort in each other's arms as they listened to the falling rain outside. *~*~*~*~ I need to have you right next to mine For all time Hold you for all my life I need to be next to you (I need to be next to you) Oh I Oh I Need to be, need to be next to you Share every breath with you I need to feel you in my arms babe (In my arms babe) I need to be next to you *~*~*~*~*~*~ I'm so glad to finally get this story done. I think I started it a while back, but had no idea where to go with it until now. Hope you liked it and visit my web site at: http://www.angelfire.com/realm/moonlightroses/index.html Have a nice day! ^_~ Written on April 2, 2002