Title: A Million Kisses - Chapter 5
Author: Alicia Blade
E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com
Hi there!! Nearing the end of this one, 2 more parts to boot, possibly
an epi, undecided. ^_^ Merry Christmas '99, y'all! God bless!
"So the Lord's promise came true, just as the prophet had said, 'A
virgin will have a baby boy, and he will be called Emmanuel,' which
means 'God is with us.'"
Matthew 1:22-23
Chapter 5: Parting, a Not-So-Sweet Sorrow
The sun was warm against their skin as Amy and Serena sat side by
side on the school's front steps. Touches of shade from a large cherry
tree nearby dotted their skin with laced designs. There were touches of
a breeze, but the air was warm, tenderly brushing through their hair.
Serena sighed longingly. She couldn't wait to get out of school,
and they were only half way through the day! Could this lunch period
last any longer? Her back rested against the short wall, her neck bent
slightly to avoid the metal handrail. Her eyes had been staring up at
the sapphire sky since the last bite of her sandwich had been devoured,
some while ago, or so it seemed. Amy was currently studying for
something or other, taking bites from her small Caesar salad on
occasion. Short blue locks of hair were falling over her eyelids,
ignored completely by the diligent stare.
"Are you coming to the arcade with me today?" Serena asked out of
nowhere, her voice small and dainty. Amy's eyes looked up at her for a
moment, and she slowly place a ribbon between the pages to mark her
place, and closed the book.
"I thought we were going to the hospital to see Lita."
Pursing her lips together, Serena's face scrunched up in a sour
expression momentarily. "Oh yeah… I forgot about that," she muttered,
groaning slightly and letting her head collapse to her chest.
Amy swung her feet up on the step, folding her skirt down over
her legs and lying her arms on top of her knees. A smile pulled at her
lips as she stared at her blond friend. "You were hoping to see
Darien?" A nod came in result. She closed her eyes happily, leaning her
head down on her arms. "Well, Serena, why don't you go to the arcade
then, and I'll go check up on Lita?"
Serena paused for a minute before shaking her head sadly. "No,
that's okay. Thank you, Ami, But Lita is getting released today and I
should be with her, to help her pack up and stuff. Darien can wait…
It's not like he's moving to America or anything… so I'll… just… see
him later. Lita is more important!"
"Well I would certainly hope so!" another voice said from behind
her. Amy looked up just as Serena turned to see the tall brunette
standing just at the base of the stairs. Dressed in dark blue jeans and
a black tank top showing her stomach and a barbwire tattoo around her
belly button, she looked somewhat menacing, but the crutches and broken
foot destroyed the look.
"Lita!" both of the girls screamed, jumping up immediately.
Serena flew down the steps, about ready to attack her in one of her
world famous bear hugs, when the newcomer held up her crutch, pointing
the tip at Serena's chest.
"You stay right there, girly! I don't need you breaking anything
else right now!"
Freezing on the third steps, Serena let her arms fall to the
side, before blushing slightly. Lita let the crutch down for support
and clambered slowly to the steps, helping herself down. Amy was about
to help her, but Lita shook her head.
"Thanks, but I need to learn how to get around on my own. Why
don't you guys sit down?"
They did just that, with Amy seated in the middle of the group.
Serena curled her legs beneath her, staring up happily at her friends,
her focus eventually falling on Lita.
"How did you know where to find us? I never told you which school
we went to."
"Yeah, I know. Actually, I wasn't looking for you. I came here to
get enrolled."
"Enrolled? In school? But… didn't you drop out…?"
Lita sighed, tossing the crutches on the grass at her feet.
"Yeah, but I've decided to go back. I mean, I won't get anywhere in
life if I keep hanging out in gangs… besides, now I have some real
friends I can count on!"
Serena beamed at her friend, nodding vivaciously.
~ FLASH ~
"Hey, Serena?" I asked out of nowhere, not bothering to turn my
head to the side. My eyes were busy analyzing the patterns of the tree
above me, the patches of sun filtering through thick green foliage.
"Yeah?" the calm reply came shortly afterwards.
"Did you know that you were my first true friend?" There was a
moment of silence, and then slight ruffling of clothes and vegetation
as the girl shifted to her side.
"Why do you say that?"
Letting my eyes close for a brief moment, I open them to see
friendly blue eyes staring into mine. A smile rose on my lips and I
tossed one of my hands beneath my head casually.
"Of all the people I've ever known, and even loved, no one ever
even tried to get to know the real me, they never took the time to
listen or… reach out, or even smile… But you… you are a true friend. I
just thought you might wanna know."
She smiled lovingly, tilting her head to the side. "All those
people you knew and loved… didn't know what they were missing."
~ FLASH ~
Shaking her head briefly, Lita quickly changed the subject,
leaning forward in excitement. "But on to more important things… Raye
stopped by the hospital this morning, evidently her private school was
out for the day, and told me all about your little date last night,
Serena. Now would you kindly explain to me just WHAT you thought you
were doing prancing around in a fountain in the middle of the night?!"
Violet eyes were closed tightly, practically straining her
unseeing gaze at the simple force she held them with. Her brow was
furrowed, almost knitting the small black eyebrows together. Beads of
sweat began to cover the rim of her hairline from the incessant heat
from the burning fire before her. Her arms, face, and chest felt vast
amounts of warmth covering them completely, while her back experienced
cold chills from a window opened just behind her. Her knees were soar,
despite the pillow beneath them used for kneeling in prayer. Her back
and neck had become stiff some time ago, and she knew it would be hard
to sleep tonight. But those thoughts were pushed to the back of her
mind as she poured her concentration into the sacred fire before her.
Slowly, frail but powerful arms began to rise before her and
perform an elaborate dance for none but the gods to see. A chanting
began to rise in her throat, a deep rumble from within her, and her
lips steadily began to part. The tight expression on her face softened
as her violet eyes opened to see nothing but sparking orange flames.
"Sacred fire, I kneel before you. Please give me the knowledge
and wisdom I seek. I crave the answer to this question… who is Serena?
Why does it feel as if I know her, as well as Amy and Lita? Who are
they? Sacred fire… who am I?"
The surging flames spat upward, a roar echoing through the temple
walls. They danced before her for a moment, before calming and twisting
into strange designs and shapes. She squinted into them, feeling the
heat begin to sting at her eyes. Then, without warning, the fire died
completely.
"Huh?" she stuttered, her stare becoming wide. She jerked back
suddenly in surprise, her jaw barely dropping. Confused, she was ready
to jump up and see what had caused the disturbance, but then a pale
light began to rise up from the pit the fire had previously been
burning on. She remained motionless as a beam rose up from the ashes
and smoking timbers. Slowly, it began to take the shape of a woman. She
was iridescent, like a ghost or spirit, with a white dress and silvery
hair falling from two buns on the side of her head down to her ankles.
Crystal blue eyes smiled down on her.
A moment of silence passed over them as Raye stared in awe at the
woman. Eventually, the stranger broke the spell. "Raye, you will know
the answers to your questions soon. Just remember that Serena is
Serena, and you are you. Please, Raye, protect our princess…" her voice
was quiet and serene, gentleness filling every word.
Her throat dry, Raye licked her lips and attempted to speak. Her
voice sounded hoarse within as she began to speak, but she minded not.
"Our princess… who is our princess?"
The woman smiled a caring smile. "You already know… somewhere
deep within…"
~ FLASH ~
"Are you sure you want to follow her to Earth, Sailor Mars? It
could be dangerous down there with Beryl and the Negaverse…"
I sighed, staring down at the marble floor. "She's going down
there either way, my queen. She feels she must… to help Prince
Endymion. And the way I see it, she can't very well go alone. It's far
too dangerous!"
"Oh, but Raye, I could send one of our guards down. I don't want
you to get hurt and…"
"Thank you, your majesty, for worrying about my health. But you
know that the scouts are far better trained in combat than any of our
guards, and frankly, I don't trust that they could defend her. If
Serena went to Earth and was hurt, I would never escape the guilt. I
know we argue a lot, Serena and I… But… she's your princess, and she's
Endymion's princess… and… she's my princess too, Serenity. I hope you
understand."
The queen's pale blue eyes turned from seriousness to love and
understanding. "She is lucky to have a friend like you, Raye. You may
accompany her to the blue planet."
~ FLASH ~
By the time Raye snapped from her reverie, the flames from the
fire were licking the ceiling again. She groaned tiredly, collapsing to
her side on the hard wooden floor and staring forward, unseeing, into
the fire.
"You're sure he hasn't been here today, Andrew?"
"Nope, sorry Serena. I haven't seen him."
She sighed, sagging her shoulders. "And you haven't talked to him
either?"
"Nuh-uh. Look, if I hear from him, I'll tell him that you were
looking for him, okay?"
"Yeah, thanks," she mumbled dejectedly.
There was a short moment of silence before Andrew leaned over the
table. "Now… do you mind telling me what happened on your date last
night?"
Serena gasped, sitting up straighter. "How did you know we went
out?"
"Aw, come on, he was sitting right there when he called you! I'M
the one who convinced him to do it, ya know. He was terrified! I highly
doubt he would have had the courage otherwise," Andrew stated proudly,
a smug grin on his face.
The blond meatball head gawked at him for a minute, before a wide
smile spread across her lips. "Really, Andrew? You did that for me?!
Thank you SO much!!" squealing with delight, she practically jumped
across the counter, wrapping her arms around his neck. He laughed
loudly, finally prying her away.
"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome. Now WHAT happened?!"
She blushed, giggling. Finally, she turned to Lita and Amy who
were sitting next to her innocently and gestured a hand at them. "Get
all the info from them. I think I'm gonna go home and… sit next to the
phone… waiting for him to call…" Sighing loudly, she picked up her
school bag and headed out the arcade, always hoping to run into a
familiar chest on the way. She never did and continued to look down
sadly, up the familiar streets. A black cat who had been ignored lately
followed behind her, quiet as passerby's walked by.
Once they had turned into Serena's residential area, Luna
clambered up a fence by means of a few trashcans, perching silently for
a moment, before jumping onto Serena's shoulder. It instantly startled
her from her daydreams and thoughts. The girl squealed loudly, before
catching her breath and glaring at the innocent-looking cat. Luna
purred, rubbing up against her hear and Serena giggled. She obliged,
scratching the cat lovingly beneath her chin for a moment, before
stroking her hair a few times and eventually letting her hand drop back
to the side.
"Oh Luna, do you think he'll call?"
"I should say so, Serena. He said he would, after all."
"Yeah, I know, but the TV says that guys NEVER call when they say
they will."
"That's only if they really don't care, or are extremely busy.
Now, it's possible that Endymion is very busy, he does attend college
and has a job, after all. But otherwise, he will call. He loves you
very much, Serena."
Blushing, the blond turned her head away, grinning happily. "Do
you really think he does?"
"Well, think about it. He was ready to marry you a thousand years
ago. He was protecting you with his life a week ago. And now… he
already asked you out on a date. I'd say he loves you very much."
"I hope so…"
"Serena, pay attention to where you're going! You almost walked
right by your house!"
"Huh?" Looking up, Serena saw that, indeed, she was already
standing outside her front driveway. She hadn't run into him. Holding
her head high, she trooped up to the front porch, walking inside
quietly. She could hear her brother playing Nintendo in the living room
and immediately headed up to her bedroom. There, she threw her bag down
on the bed, before setting Luna down on the cat's special pillow at the
foot of her bed. Sitting down at her desk, she stared into the mirror
for awhile, looking directly into her eyes, almost lost in her own
gaze. Finally, she closed her eyes, wetting her lips and imagining
herself somewhere far away… in the arms of…
"Serena! Telephone! It's a guy!"
She gasped, her eyes springing open. She… had just heard Sammy
say that… right? Luna's smile guaranteed it. Grinning widely, she swung
her door open, rushing downstairs and wishing it wasn't Andrew. Out of
breath, she yanked the receiver from Sammy's grasp as he watched her
tiredly. Taking in a deep breath, she held it to her face.
"Hello, this is Serena."
"Good afternoon, angel."
The aching smile erupted across her features and her entire
posture perked up instantly. "Darien! Hi! What's up?"
"Nothing much. I was hoping you'd like to go out with me today."
"Oh, I'd love to! Well… actually, I'm having some friends over
tonight around six…"
"No problem, I can have you home by then."
"Wonderful! Then… when would you like to go?"
"How about now?"
DING-DONG!
"Ugh! Hold on, a minute, there's someone at the door." Serena set
the phone down on a nearby table, rolling her eyes as she ran quickly
to the door. Opening it, she gasped as her eyes came in contact with
deep blue. Darien smiled down on her, holding a cell phone to his ear
with a large, secretive smile on his face. She had to force back her
delighted laughter. Holding up a finger, she managed, "One minute, I'm
on the phone." Slamming the door, she could hear Darien's laughter from
the other side. Walking back to the hallway again, she could still hear
him chuckling as she picked up the receiver. "Darien? Now would be
fine."
"Where are you taking me?" she squealed, feigning annoyance.
Darien chuckled, guiding her up the small grass hill, his hand covering
her eyes. He could feel the long eyelashes brushing up against his
palm. He helped her duck below a low hanging tree branch, holding onto
her waist to lead her to the surprise.
"You'll see. We're almost there…" he taunted her, listening to
her giggle happily and smiling along. Finally, he had her where he
wanted her and released his hand from her side. "Now, no peaking 'til I
say."
She sighed, bouncing giddily from foot to foot. Laughing, he
removed his hand from her face and quickly checked over everything.
Serena tensed in anticipation. Soon, he was at her side again,
whispering in her hair, "Alright… open."
With that cue, she let her lids lift from the blue eyes and drift
over the incredible scene. She gasped, beginning to shake to the core,
straight to her thumping heart.
A small blanket had been set out on the grass, a picnic basket,
flowers, and even a small radio set on top. The sweet two-person picnic
was set in a small alcove of trees, overlooking a tiny stream. She knew
they were in the very suburbs of Tokyo.
Gulping, she turned to face him, gazing into his stare with
watery eyes. "You… did all this?"
He grinned proudly, perfectly satisfied with her reaction. "For
you, my angel."
Lower lip quivering, she stood up happily, straightening her
shoulders for a moment, as if gathering energy, before launching
herself into his open arms. He laughed, having expected it from the
moment he saw that certain look in her eyes, and tied his arms around
her.
"I suppose this means you like it?"
"Oh, Darien, I absolutely love it! Thank you, so much, so very,
very much…" Briefly, she cried. Moments later she was wiping her eyes
on her sleeves, sitting down casually on the blanket as they leaned up
against each other and enjoyed the picnic in casual conversation.
"So Lita's much better now, and she'll even be able to come to my
sleepover tonight and everything. I was so happy to see her during
school, you have no idea! And I can't wait until her leg heals
completely. We're going to go hiking near Mt. Fuji. Not all the way up,
that's for really skilled people, but Leets says that there's a whole
bunch of smaller trails up there. Won't that be fun?"
"Sounds like it'd be a blast," Darien agreed, his arm draped over
her shoulders as she leaned her head on his chest. "Friends are really
important to you, aren't they?"
She was quiet for a moment, before looking up into his stare, her
eyes full of seriousness. "More than anything. I love them all so much,
I really don't think I could survive without them. For… a long period
of time, I didn't have any true friends, that I knew would come through
for me and… always be there and never judge. And now… well, sometimes I
wonder why I'm so lucky to have them. I just don't know what I did to
deserve such wonderful people in my life…" She paused, looking down
momentarily before meeting his gaze again. "That… that's how I feel
about you, too."
His eyes lightened and he tilted his head to the side. "Funny… I
feel the same way. I don't deserve you, but… but here you are, and I
wouldn't give you up for the world." His solemn mug turned into a sly
smile and she let her serious pout turn up as well, just as he placed
his lips to hers. His kiss gently lingering for a moment, he pulled
away, still close enough to feel her breathing upon his face.
"How many would that be?" he whispered.
"Huh?" she replied on the same tone, still filled with warm
happiness.
"Kisses. That would be… five kisses?"
Serena furrowed her brow, slowly backing away to see him staring
at her earnestly. Her mouth opened in shock. "Darien… what are you…
talking about?"
"Well… I kissed you twice in the fountain, once on your doorstep,
here… and then there was the kiss in the hospital, so five, right?"
She blinked a few times, trying to hold her rapid heart still.
"Which would leave… nine-hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine
hundred ninety five… right?"
Her head went light and for a moment she felt like passing out.
Pushing nervous tears back, she slowly inched closer to him, staring
deep into the depths of his eyes. "Darien… do… do you remember?" she
asked nervously.
He returned the gaze, his face unreadable. Then he let his brow
crease slightly in confusion. "Remember what?"
After a long silence, Serena turned away, holding back tears of
anguish. Darien watched her as her face looked off somewhere in the
distance. Gulping, he crawled over to her, wrapping his arms around her
waist. She didn't react for a second before very slowly relaxing and
letting her head fall onto his chest.
He sighed, stroking his fingers down her side. "Serena… tell me
what it is I've forgotten, please?"
She chewed on her lip, closing her eyes. "Nothing, Darien. It was
nothing. But… how… how do you know about… the… the million kisses?"
He breathed in deeply, hugging her tighter. "The day in the
hospital… the day we met, and I thought you were an angel… I remember
you kissing me and saying something about… giving me a million kisses.
It's kind of a blur, I mean, I was pretty drugged up at the time, and
that's why it didn't occur to me that that had been YOU until last
night… after our date. I was trying to figure out why it felt so
familiar being that close to you and that's when it finally clicked
that YOU were the angel. Well, I mean, I always knew that, deep down,
but I'd never really thought about it, at least about you kissing me
and all that it meant and… You understand, right?"
Sighing deeply, Serena managed a nod. "I get it, I understand."
Darien was quiet for a moment, unconsciously swaying to his own
heartbeat. "But Serena… there's something I need to ask you."
"Hm?"
"Did we know each other before the accident?"
Serena attempted to hold back the gasp that escaped from her
lips, but failed as her body naturally tensed. "Uh… wh… what makes you
think that?"
Darien chuckled slightly uncomfortably and licked his lips in
uneasiness. "Well… why would you kiss a guy you didn't know?"
"Um… I… I thought you were handsome?"
"Serena, please tell me. Do… do I have amnesia?"
"Darien, it's getting late, maybe we should…"
"Serena, please!"
She clamped her eyelids down tightly, a small whimper coming from
her lips. Slowly, her breathing calmed down.
"I'm sorry…" Darien whispered, kissing her forehead. "I didn't
mean to yell. But… I have to know. Did… did we go out? Were we dating?"
Serena let out a deep shaky breath, pursing her lips together
tightly. Finally, she managed, "No, Darien, we weren't dating."
Darien sighed. "Then what? How did we know each other? And why
can't I remember you?"
Keeping her eyes closed, Serena turned away. "We knew each other,
but not really well. We would pass on the streets a lot of times and…
get in a lot of fights. You liked to tease me, and I always insulted
you back… But… I always had a secret crush on you, really. Then the
youma attack happened and… and… when I got better I found out you'd
been hurt too, and it scared me to death that you might not be okay so
I went to see you and… that… that's when you woke up." She took in a
deep breath, a few tears escaping from her eyelids.
'Not the complete truth, but close enough. He'll remember the
rest on his own time.'
There was a long interval of silence. Finally, Darien broke it by
an astonished, "Wow…" Taking a deep breath, he managed, "Why can't I
remember you? I seem to remember everything else…"
She took a deep breath, wiping some tears away and shrugging. "I
don't know why. But… but it's kind of a blessing. I mean, now we get to
start off with a clean slate." Her voice choked on the words, wishing
that she meant even half of them. They didn't need a clean slate, she
knew. They were already in love before.
Darien nodded, looking down on her. He couldn't imagine how he
could ever feel anything but tenderness and affection for this precious
angel. Tilting her chin up, he laid a dainty kiss upon her lips and
felt her melt happily into his embrace. "999,994 to go, princess," he
joked adoringly.
Serena couldn't stop humming as Luna watched in amusement,
perched innocently on the back of the sofa. The girl was in perfect
delight. Sammy was spending the night at a friends, her parents were
visiting some relatives up north, her best friends were coming over,
and best of all, she had Darien. His heart, his attention, hopefully
his love, but either way, all the kisses from him she could possibly
ask for. Her dream was to reach way past a simple million.
Her feet danced around the coffee table as she set out a bowl of
popcorn and a tray of cookies. They'd gotten slightly burnt and she
hoped Lita would bring something delicious to make up for it. Of
course, if Lita brought anything at all, it was bound to be delicious.
For a moment, Serena wished she could whistle, that way emerge herself
in the age-old tune, "Whistle While You Work". Instead, she would sing
the first line and hum a little ditty to herself, soon remembering that
even if she could whistle, she only knew the one line in the song.
The table was set with foods and treats, the couch decked out in
pillows, and the furniture pushed back to allow plenty of room for
sleeping bags. The scouts would be here soon. Her heart sang along with
her voice. She could tell them all about her prince. Maybe she
shouldn't kiss and tell, but how much fun would that be?
"Luna, I've come to a decision," she announced suddenly with no
indication of thought before hand. Luna raised her eyebrow as Serena
stood up proudly, staring off to some imaginary point.
"Oh? And what would that be?"
"Darien and I… will be together forever!"
Luna laughed to herself, jumping down onto one of the thick
fluffy pillows. "With all you two have been through, I wouldn't be half
surprised if you were together forever."
The blonde sighed happily, collapsing into a chair with a
fanciful dreaming expression. Her hands folded together on her lap as
her head leaned back onto the neck of the chair. "Yeah…" she whispered,
mostly to herself. The cat rolled her eyes, jumping from the sofa
casually.
"When your friends get here, I'm going to go over to the arcade
to check for any news on the Negaverse. Don't you worry and have fun,
it's only for precautions."
"Alright…" came a dreamy voice, and Luna wondered if she had been
paying even the smallest amount of attention. Most likely not…
DING-DONG!
"Ooh!" Serena squealed, quickly jumping from her unconscious
state of mind and hopping to her feet. Luna followed her to the door
and waited for it to open, revealing Raye standing on the other side,
sleeping bag beneath one arm and gym bag tossed over her shoulder.
"Hey Meatball Head!" she called joyfully as Serena reached to
help her with her stuff. Luna slipped outside as the girls were
immediately launched into excited chatter and laughing.
Serena closed the door behind her, showing Raye into the living
room. "I'm so glad you could come! You make yourself comfortable, okay?
The others should be here any minute. Oh! I made some snacks for us if
you want anything…"
"Hm… not sure I trust anything from YOUR kitchen…" the raven-
haired girl teased gently, taking her seat on the large sofa and
stealing a cookie anyway from the table. It was a bit crunchy, but she
managed to shove it done without any complications. "So, what have you
been up to today? Have you seen… Darien at all?"
Serena giggled, digging her toe into the carpet and was about to
respond when the doorbell rang again and she excused herself to answer
it. On the front porch she found Lita and Amy grinning happily, both
with pillows and sleeping stuff.
"Hey girls, come on in!" she welcomed, ushering them into the
next room.
"Thanks, Sere. Oh, hiya Raye!" Lita said cheerfully, dropping her
stuff onto the floor. Raye smiled and waved at each of them as Amy sat
next to her, helping herself to a handful of popcorn. Lita turned on
her heels, only a bit clumsily with the crutch beneath one arm, to see
Serena behind her and giddily held out a tray of brownies. "Made these
this afternoon. Thought we might have a sweet tooth in the middle of
the night!"
Serena's blue eyes widened along with her mouth and she grabbed
the plate from the tall girl. "I think I have a sweet tooth now!" she
laughed, tearing off the plastic wrap and tossing one in her mouth
before skipping to the center of the room and setting it on the coffee
table with the rest of the goodies.
DING-DONG!
"Hey, that must be Mina!" Stating the obvious, Serena jogged back
to the foyer, pulling the door open happily. "Mina!" she shrieked
happily as the other blonde strolled into the house, grabbing her in a
friendly hug.
"Hey Serena! Oh, you will never believe what happened to me
today! This must be the best day of my life!"
"Yeah? What's that? Oh, wait, don't tell me just yet, I have to
introduce you to everyone first, okay?" Taking one of Mina's bags into
her arms, Serena led her into the next room where she saw two girls
sitting side by side on the couch and another munching away on a cookie
while she looked through some games beneath the television set. "Okay,
Mina, this is Ami, Raye, and Lita. Everyone, this is Mina!"
They waved and shook hands, everyone becoming comfortable around
the table as if they had been best friends for years. After all
introductions, Serena turned to the model beside her.
"So, why are you having such a good day?"
Mina smiled instantly, sitting up straighter and inhaling a deep
breath. "Well, first off, this morning I met this really CUTE guy named
Adonis, and get this! He's going to be starring in a major film this
summer as Action Ace, you know, the only other comic book character to
match up with Sailor V. Then after lunch I was walking to my photo
shoot and this cute little white cat started following me. Oh, he's
just adorable. Hey, he actually looks like your cat, Serena, the one
with the crescent moon. He has one too, only, well… he's white. But
anyway, my parents said that I could ACTUALLY keep him! They HATE
animals! And then at the photo shoot, my agent told me that the movie I
was going to be acting in is going to be shot here in Tokyo instead of
the United States like we originally thought, so I won't have to leave!
And lastly, I get to come here and hang out with all you guys! I'm just
so happy, I know this is the best day in my life!" Finally taking in
another deep breath, Mina let herself relax, peacefully closing her
eyes for a moment.
"Oh, that's wonderful Mina! All of it, I'm so happy for you!"
exclaimed Serena joyfully, clasping her hands in front of her chest.
"Yeah, me too. It all sounds great!" added Lita.
"Wow, looks like this week has just been wonderful for everyone,"
said Raye cheerfully. "Did you guys hear?"
"Hear what?"
"Grandpa woke up this afternoon!"
"Really?"
"You're kidding!"
"That's great!"
Mina looked between them confusedly, bubbling inside from the
obviously wonderful news but not really sure what to make of it. Raye
laughed slightly at her confused stare. "My grandpa had been in a coma
for about two weeks."
"Oh, I see. Wow, that's wonderful then!"
"Thanks." All grins, Raye turned to Serena, busy smiling at her
new friends in mute happiness. "And then SERENA over there… how has
YOUR day been, huh?" she prodded, urging a giggle and blush from the
meatball head.
Serena leaned back, placing her hands comfortably behind her
head. After waiting a moment for suspense, she grinned secretively and
whispered, "I saw Darien."
Immediately, all the girls perked up, leaning forward excitedly,
except for Mina who only raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And… whose Darien?"
Eyeing her from the side, Amy, Raye, and Lita finally turned to
Serena, grinning deviously.
"Yes Serena, why don't you tell us all about dear Darien…?"
"And so… I think… we're really serious, guys." Serena concluded,
tiny hearts gleaming in her eyes. All the girls sighed, sprawled out
across the furniture.
"Wow… he sounds so romantic…" Mina whispered happily. Serena
giggled, nodding her head vivaciously.
"And he's VERY handsome," added Raye intelligently.
They all sighed again, simultaneously.
A long period of silence was pierced by a loud yawn from Lita.
"Uh-oh, ya guys, I'm already getting tired! Gossip wears you out more
than I thought it would."
"Lita's right, it is kinda late. Probably about midnight or so,
right?"
Serena leaned back over the arm of the couch to glance at the
clock hanging in the kitchen. She gasped. "No way! It's nearly three in
the morning!"
"What?! You're kidding!"
"We've been up that long!"
"Geez, no wonder we're exhausted."
"Well, I guess maybe it's time we got ready for bed then, huh?"
said Raye, almost disappointedly, though she couldn't stifle a
following yawn.
Immediately, they all slipped to their feet, beginning to
straighten their sleeping bags across the floor. Lita grabbed the
couch, claiming she needed it to prop her leg up on the arm. No one
could very well argue with that, and so the other four willingly set
out their stuff across the carpet.
"Meow?"
"Hm?" Serena glanced down to see Luna sitting beside her ankles,
bright red eyes staring up at her innocently, and yet with a stern
urgency beneath the auburn depths. 'When did she get back?'
"Eh… I'll be right back, you guys. Gotta feed the cat before we
crash!" Serena giggled, sweeping Luna into her arms before stampeding
off toward the kitchen. The cat rolled her eyes. The girl never could
lie very well.
Reaching the kitchen, Serena glanced over her shoulder to make
sure none of the girls were close by. Satisfied when she heard them
start up a new conversation on music and movies, she turned to the calm
feline, setting her down on the counter.
"What is it Luna?"
And immediately, the innocent glazed over stare fell to
seriousness, and Luna raised herself to a standing position, on all
fours that is, and looked the blond straight in the eye. "Serena, we
have an emergency! Our sources and evidence tell us that Beryl is
planning a new, much stronger attach against the earth! If she
succeeds, the entire human race will be wiped out completely!"
Serena stared down at the cat, blinking a couple times, before
smiling widely. "Gee, Luna, don't be so over-dramatic! I'm sure that
your 'sources' are wrong! I mean, I totally wiped out all of the
generals, there's no way Beryl could have a completely new army
already! For goodness sakes, you make it sounds like this is actually
gonna affect us!" She giggled to herself, turning to head back into the
living room.
"Stop right there, young lady!"
"Huh?" She froze, not turning around.
"Listen to me! Our sources are not mistaken! There will be an
attack tomorrow morning. More like this morning, now! Think Serena, you
are the only person who can save this planet, along with the people and
animals living here." She paused, sitting down yet again. "That
includes the girls… and Darien."
She could see Serena's backs straighten, her head raise slightly,
and then her hands began to shake at her sides, before clenching into
fists. The girls pursed her lips together momentarily, turning to her
cat. They stared at each other for a long time, the noises from the
next room drifting slowly into silence.
Blinking back tears, she managed a nod. "If you're sure about
this Luna… then there's no other choice. I'll go tonight. Sailor Moon
will go tonight."
Turning on her heels, she pasted a fake smile on and walked into
the other room.
Already the lights were off, though she could see the faint
outlines of her friends as they lay cuddled in their sleeping bags.
"Hey, are you guys asleep already?" she whispered, receiving
three 'no's' and an 'almost'. She hesitated a moment. "Can I say one
thing before we all go to bed?"
"Sure," Mina yawned.
"You see… it's just that… you guys… are… the best friends I've
ever had. I just want to tell you… how much I love you."
There was a long silence, and she finally began crawling into her
own bag, not planning on sleeping that night.
"We love you too, Serena." Ami's whisper was barely audible, but
it was clear enough to bring a silent tear down Serena's cheek as her
head collapsed onto the pillow.
When heavy breathing danced across the moonbeams filtering
through the open curtains, Serena wondered if that was the last she
would ever hear from her best friends.
He sighed in his sleep, his lips parting unconsciously. Later he
wouldn't remember what he dreamt of, though the tingling of warm lips
on his own was present when he was startled awake by a cool breeze
sending goose bumps across his bare chest. Slowly, long eyelashes,
drifted open, first seeing a fluttering white curtain as moon light
glittered down upon his carpet. As his mind lit to awareness, he began
to sit up, stretching his legs. Had he left the window open? He
couldn't remember.
But as he swung his legs over the bed, feeling the rug slip
between his toes, he saw someone move, into the light surprisingly. He
paused, staring at the shape. Short, petite, slim, curved… two golden
waterfalls on either side.
"Huh? Serena, is that you?"
The figure stopped, before inching forward into the light
carefully. She watched his eyes widen in surprise, drifting over her
figure, and she blushed, becoming grateful for the shadowed room.
"And so my angel returns, this time in a play boy sailor suit,"
he chuckled, quickly figuring that this was a dream. In the morning he
would find her once again in that cute little school outfit, much less
revealing than the one she wore in this new fantasy. Then his eyes
widened drastically, a small, goofy grin tugging at his lips. "Is… is
this one of THOSE dreams?" he asked, too hopefully as Serena would
later recall.
But for the moment, she was motionless, in thought and body. Why
had she come here? It would be so very hard to leave for her mission
after looking upon his face. Though she knew she couldn't have left
without saying goodbye first. Without telling him…
After a long silence, with him still staring at her with a silly
smile, her mind finally registered what he had asked her, and her
cheeks were stained yet again. After a moment of flustered coughing,
she decided to dwell on the meaning behind that statement at a later,
less urgent time.
"Eh… no, Darien, this isn't… one of… those dreams. In fact, it's
not a dream at all."
He tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow in obvious
disbelief. "Right… then what is my princess doing dressed up like a
catholic school girl from Penthouse?"
She blushed again, wrapping her arms around her self-consciously.
'Goodness, he's kinda strange when he firsts wakes up. I'll have to
remember this…'
"Look, you don't have to believe me, but… listen, okay?"
He stared at her silently, before shrugging. "Okay…"
She took a deep breath, beginning to walk over to the bed with
every intention of sitting down, before deciding against that idea and
starting to pace back and forth in front of him. "Alright. Listen
carefully, because I don't have a lot of time and have to tell you a
lot of things." She hesitated, looking up to see him staring at her
curiously. Gulping, she tugged at her skirt nervously, before
continuing her promenade in the center of his bedroom. "Okay, from the
top. I'm Sailor Moon. I doubt you know who that is, since you don't
remember anything from before the accident, but basically, I'm a
superhero who fights evil for love and justice. The fate of the world
depends on me, the lives of many rest on my shoulders. Oh, just so you
know, I'm quoting from what Luna told me when I first got roped into
the job, I'm not really very good with speeches like this. Anyway, you
used to be a superhero too, Tuxedo Mask. But we were attacked and you
died. But then I used the Silver Imperium Crystal to bring you back to
life. Er… I'll explain to you about the crystal some other time, it's a
long story. So… you were revived, but lost all your memories of me and
being Tuxedo Mask and of all the scouts… Oh, you don't know about the
other scouts, do you? Oh well, I'll have to fill you in about that
later too, I guess. But you see… well… we also knew each other in a
past life. When I was princess of the moon, and you were prince of the
Earth. We were engaged then, but Beryl destroyed our kingdoms and
killed both of us, until we were reborn here and now, to fight back at
her, and this time, hopefully we'll win. Which brings me to now. Beryl
is attacking again, and since you and the scouts don't know how to
fight yet, I have to go face her on my own. But don't worry about me,
alright? I'll be fine, really, a total cinch! I mean, really, how tough
could this witch possibly be, after all? I'm Sailor Moon, for goodness
sakes, and I will overcome all evil. Trust me on that one, haven't lost
a battle yet! So you have no reason to be scared about me, that's all.
I'll come back without so much as a scratch, you'll se…" Serena turned
on her heels for the fiftieth time, and froze, her jaw hanging open
with the last word. Her eyes drifted up his bare chest to see cool blue
eyes looking down on her with unreadable emotions. She gulped.
For a long time he stared at her, just like that. Not moving,
hardly even breathing. She could feel tears rise to the surface and
blinked them back as much as she could. A startled squeal erupted from
her lips as suddenly, strong arms were around her, pulling her to his
warm body. She froze, feeling his arms caress her back gently, his head
rest upon her hair. So slowly, her eyes closed and tears slid past the
barriers.
Darien held her tightly, combing his fingers through her hair,
kissing the top of her head tenderly. He hadn't understood one word she
had just said to him. Not one, and he still had his doubts that this
was real. But either way, dream or no dream, his angel was scared,
nervous, in pain. And it tore at his heart mercilessly. He shushed her
whimpering, letting butterfly kisses drift over her forehead and
temples. After a long silence, she began to cease shaking, gasping for
hair.
His skin felt so warm to her, so smooth and soft. And he still
smelled of roses… always…
Clenching her teeth, she pried herself away enough to look up at
him. Continuously, he stared down on her, confused and innocent. She
couldn't help but smile through the glossy stare she held, sniffling a
few times. He grinned crookedly back at her.
"Darien… I have to go. I can't stay here too much longer… I hope
you understand."
He was silent for a long time, before nodding slightly, bringing
up a finger to trace down the salt trail on her flushed cheek. He
nodded. Placing both his hands between her jaw and neck, he moved his
face to hers, brushing their lips together. She shuddered,
instinctively moving forward.
"Be careful…" He didn't know quite why he said that, and yet it
seemed like the right thing to tell her at that moment. For some
reason, the words scared him. Why… why would she need to be careful?
The words seemed to have shocked her as much as they had him, and
her crystalline eyes stared widely up at him. Eventually, they softened
though, and she tilted her head up in a half nod. Gulping once, she
slipped herself out of his arms, walking shakily to the open sliding
glass door she had come through. With her hand on the frame, she
stopped, hesitated, and turned to him. He was watching her patiently.
"Darien… there's one more thing… I have to tell you before I go…"
He didn't reply, still staring back in silent confusion.
"In case I never get the chance to tell you this again… I… love
you. I always have, Darien… and no matter what happens, I always will."
Her voice cracked at the end of her declaration, and with tears boiling
to the surface again, she turned and fled from the window, running
across roofs and through alleys as quick as she could.
Darien was rooted to the spot as he stared out the door, the
white draperies continually flapping with the chilled wind. He felt as
though there was something he should be doing…
Shaking his head, he returned to the only logical explanation. It
was a dream. Slumping into bed, he pulled the covers up to his chin,
never bothering to close the window. A faint yellow light was already
glowing at the horizon, and he let the image cover him as his eyes
closed tiredly.
In the back of his mind, he heard her words, and smiled.
"I love you too, Meatball Head…"
No one would ever know he spoke those words that night, not even
himself, for his mind fell into unconsciousness the second they escaped
him.
Tell me what you're thinking!
Luv ya!
<3 Ali-chan
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