Okay here’s the first chapter to Troubled in Tokyo!! Don’t everyone get too excited at once :) Remember diamonds aren’t a girl’s best friend, feedback is! I realize that this is probably very unrealistic in the ways Japanese culture, but I don’t care. if anyone wants to lecture me in the way this story is written, please save it. Please remember I’m ignorant when it comes to Japanese culture for the most part, so please try to overlook the obvious American edge this story will have. Thanks! Disclaimer: :singing along with her MP3 of Moon Revenge: oh wait, I don’t own Sailor Moon, but I do own at totally cute little Artemis stuffed animal, thanks to Clare-chan :) Troubled in Tokyo By Elisabeth James Part: 1/? PG. (light swearing) ~Darien~ I can’t believe I’m sitting here listening to this stuff, I thought all of this radio Shrink stuff is a bunch of bullcrap. But yet here I am sitting here doing my physics homework with it playing in the background. “And here we are listeners at the second night of our special week of orphaned children: how they cope. I’m Dr. Marcia Tilmitt broadcasting from the WGN building in the middle of downtown Tokyo. We are accepting calls now, so if you have something to say about this very important topic, feel free to give us a jingle at (847) 426-2161.” I looked over at the phone sitting a few inches away from me on my end table. Why am I so tempted to call this stupid show and tell everyone about the loneliness I had to endure? What bearing would it have on anyone’s life if I shared my sob story with the world? I have endured enough pity in my life to last me forever, why should I go and ask for more on a national radio show? I look at the phone one more time, I want to call, something inside me tells me to call. I reach for the receiver, but I hold myself back. Would it be worth it to put myself through such humiliation? I remember earlier in the Game Center my conversation with Andrew <“Well as pointless as they may be, they give people someone to turn to. They offer comfort, and advice, that may or may not be worthy, but at least they try to help people. The world would be a far better place Darien if it were filled with people like Serena rather than people like you.”> That did it, I picked up the phone and quickly dialed in the number to the radio station. I find myself not being able to breathe as it rings in my ear. I have never disclosed this information to anyone besides Andrew, and even he doesn’t know everything. This is such a big step in that direction, everyone would know after this. Serena would know, would she pity me? Would she change toward me, will the teasing stop between us? “Hello, you’ve reached Dr. Marcia Tilmitt’s radio show, please state your name and the nature of your call.” the person who picked up the phone had a high nasally voice that caused me to cringe, “Yes my name is Darien Chiba and I’m an orphaned child.” I wasn’t sure what else to say really, I was still in shock that I was even able to do this. “Okay please hold on the line, Dr. Marcia will be right with you after she’s done with this caller.” soft calming music started playing and I found myself wanting to hang up. Maybe this was too big a step for me, I should just start out telling a few select people and go from there. Maybe start off with telling Andrew everything, tell some other close friends. Wait I don’t have any other close friends besides Andr- “Okay caller you’re on the air, this is Darien right?” the voice startled me back to the phone and the radio show that was being filled with dead air. “Umm... yes this is Darien.” I said quickly, my heart was thumping in my chest, I couldn’t believe I was going to be so brave and tell everyone this at once. “So you were orphaned as a small child I take it. So how have you coped with the death of your parents?” I drew in a deep breath and began to talk. ~Serena~ “Hey Luna, turn that up would you?” I turned around to see my lazy cat curled up on top of my pillows, right in front of my radio. “Luna, please!” I shouted, waking the cat from her light doze, she grumbled something undistinguishable as she batted at the volume knob, until the sound finally got louder. “Okay caller you’re on the air, this is Darien right?” I immediately raced over to the bed and pushed Luna out of the way, “Umm... yes this is Darien.” I took a deep breath, was this the Darien I knew? The one I fought with day after day? Why would he be calling in to a radio shrink show? He didn’t seem like the type of person who would be so open with everyone by telling his story over the radio... or maybe he was. “To tell you the truth, I haven’t told really anyone about what happened to my parents, except for my friend *beep*” Damn, why did they have to beep that out, it would have at least given me some sort of clue if this was my Darien or not. “You can’t use other people's names on the show without their permission Darien, please try to keep that in mind.” “Oh okay. Well anyway, my parents died when I was six in a terrible car accident, it was my birthday and we all went out for a drive when the car... Well I was the only survivor, they told me my parents died instantly. I don’t really remember anything at all from that day or anything from before it. The doctors told me I have amnesia, that I will probably never remember anything before that day of waking up at the hospital.” the radio grew very quiet, as I sat and pondered what I had just heard, this couldn’t possibly be my Darien. Darien would have at least said something to me, wouldn’t he have? I would hope that even though we fight, that he would be able to trust me with such a thing. Tears welled up in my eyes, I wasn’t even quite sure why I was crying. Maybe because I suddenly realized how lucky I was to have a family. “I lived in orphanages all of my life, up until a few years ago, until I was old enough to be on my own. I live alone in a small apartment on the upper west side of Tokyo.” I leaned closer to the radio, the chances were so good, there were scary, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe that this Darien, with such a sad life, could be the same one who called me meatball head everyday after school. “That’s a very touching story Darien, it must have been very hard for you to go through as such a young boy. Do you ever wish you could remember your parents?” I listened to the deep breath being draw in, this man was so sad, his voice reeked of it. I couldn’t put the two of them together, Darien has never sounded so upset, so sad. He’s almost always in a semi-good mood, as long as I’ve known him, I have never heard him cry or anything. He seems untouchable, as unyielding to his emotions as a brick wall. Always so stolid, so stonefaced. “I think about them everyday of my life, and how things could have been so much better had they lived. How much nicer a life I could have lead with them supporting me. And I can’t even do them the justice of remembering their faces, my only momento of us ever being a real family, is a picture of all of us together. I look at it every night, and pray that one day I’ll remember them.” Oh my God, how could he deal with that everyday, I would never be able to make it without my family. The thoughts run rampant through my brain, I can no longer think straight, my mind has gone numb. And with it my heart, I wanted nothing more than to reach out to this person, whether it was my Darien or not and tell him that someone cares, I care. I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks in rivers, I would not be able to stop them even if I tried. “I’m so sorry Darien, no child, or anyone should have to go through that. It must have been tough to endure. Do you have a girlfriend, or anyone special in your life right now?” my attention snapped quickly back to the radio, that question caused fear to shudder through my heart. What if this was my Darien and he was taken by someone else, what would I do? “No, but there’s someone who I get to see everyday that brings just a little meaning to my life. Her beautiful, long, flowing, hair, her sparkling blue eyes, her kindness and compassion, her wonderful smile that has the ability to light up a room the second it crosses onto her face. I would be lost without her. She has no clue how much she means to me each day and how huge an impact meeting her has had on my life.” ~Darien~ Had I really just said that about meatball head? Did I really mean it, about her smile and her eyes and hair? I look down at the open physics book still in my lap, and I suddenly realize that I do care about Serena more than anything. More than even my dream princess, because Serena is here and there’s a chance that she loves me too. “Well Darien, it’s been a great privilege to have been able to talk to someone as brave as you tonight. I’m sure that your story has given hope to many people in the nation of Japan. May your life continue on and I hope that that girl of yours realizes how special a guy you are. You deserve someone special. Goodnight.” I hung up the phone with a soft click, still in a daze that I, Darien Chiba, the man lacking all ability to dissolve anything from my past to my best friend, could do such a thing over the radio. I push my homework off my lap and stand up slowly. I click off the radio and make my way back to my bedroom, I need sleep. ~Serena~ “Serena, why are you listening to such rubbish, those show have no real value to them.” Luna chose that time to suddenly remind me of her presence on my bed. “Shut-up Luna, what do you know?” She pounced onto my lap with an angry look upon her face, “Serena, you need to focus, at the rate you’re going Ms. Moon we will never locate the moon princess! The others are counting on you to lead them, you are supposed to guide them. Instead you do nothing but read Manga and listen to stupid pointless radio shows.” “There’s more to life then just finding that stupid princess Luna, what’s the point of life if you can’t live it!” She sniffed at me, “You call living life doing what you do? Egad child, I know frogs who’s lives have more meaning then yours. You get nothing accomplished half the time. And when you get nothing done, we get nothing done, it’s a vicious cycle you like to travel through Serena. Get your act together, before the others get it together for you.” she flicked off the radio and jumped off my bed and walked haughtily out of my bedroom. I leaned backward onto my pillow, my mind racing once again, but always my thoughts coming to rest on Darien. What if it was him? What if he had to suffer through that, how horrible a thing to have to go through in life. And why, if it was him, would he want my comfort or even my friendship. It’s obvious that he thinks nothing of me, as a human being, would me trying to be his friend change his mind in the slightest towards me? I close my eyes, I’ve done enough thinking for today, it’s time for sleep. Okay I’m done with this short chapter :) I hope everyone is liking this so far, for those of who are still clueless after reading this, my favorite movie is... Sleepless in Seattle!! :) Oh well if you got it good for you, so you have a good idea where this is going now don't you :) Special thanks to: Adrianne, Kelly, Clare-chan, Curtis, Sarah Beth, Sakura Girl, and my editor Meredith :) Until next time...