Title: Next Time Take the Elevator - A Sequel
Part: 2
Author: Alicia Blade
E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com
Webpage: First Love: A Sailormoon Story Archive
Addy: http://www.geocities.com/tokyo/spa/4410
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Rating: G - PG
"I want the thimble."
"No, I get the thimble."
"But I ALWAYS have the thimble. It's tradition!"
"Which is exactly why you should let someone else have a chance for
once!"
"But it's my piece! That's not fair, Lita!"
"Tough luck, blondie! I said that I get it this time! So ha!" Before
Mina could contradict again, Lita grabbed up the metal thimble from the box,
smiling proudly as it sat leisurely on her thumb. Grumbling to herself, Mina
claimed the car as the rest of the pieces were chosen.
"Reese's Pieces, anyone?" asked Amy, walking in cheerfully with a bowl
of colorful candies. Raye's hand shot up, a smile on her face as Amy plopped
down and passed the treats around the group.
"Alright, everyone on GO!" Rita cheered perkily, throwing the small
cowboy hat onto the beginning marker. "I get to go first 'cause I'M the
prettiest!" she laughed, reaching for the dice.
"So… what do you think Darien and Serena are doing right now?" wondered
Andrew, popping a few chocolates into his mouth.
"Practicing their vows if they know what's good for them," growled
Raye, cracking her knuckles.
"Gee Raye, you're really into this whole marriage thing. What gives?"
teased Lita.
"As the wedding coordinator, I am determined that everything goes
perfectly! And if that meatballs for brains screws up my glorious plans,
she's gonna have MUSHED meatballs for brains! This is MY day!"
Lita blinked a couple times. "Um… isn't it… Sere's day? Technically, I
mean, since she is the bride and all…"
"Hel-LO!"
The two turned to look stunned at a glaring Rita, her fists white
against the board, her auburn eyes staring evilly at Lita.
"Eh… hi?" she whimpered, shrinking backward.
"You're gonna have to put your piece down if you want to play," Rita
growled through her teeth. The tall brunette blinked a few times before
smiling sheepishly and taking the thimble from her thumb and placing it
on the first spot.
"Oh… oops?"
Humphing, Rita began counting out money for the bank.
"Well, no offense Raye, but I have money saying that all your 'glorious
plans' are gonna be ruined," said Mina seriously, organizing her money into
small color-coordinated piles.
"What?!"
"Think about it. The two of them are so obsessed with each other
they'll either completely forget about it tomorrow and… you know what
instead, or they'll elope tonight."
"Oh, they will NOT elope!" Raye screeched, clenching her fist together
as burning embers sprang into her violet eyes. "Not if I have anything to say
about it!"
"For what it's worth, I think Mina's wrong. You know how excited Serena
was for this wedding. She couldn't wait to be married," Lita contradicted.
"Which brings me back to this eloping thing."
"Ha! Ten bucks says they're at the church bright and early!"
"Fine, ten bucks says they don't show!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"JAIL!"
Slowly, they all turned to look at a madly grinning Rita as she grabbed
Andrew's piece from his fingers, throwing it on the barred square.
"Aw, hon, they wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out!" he
whined pathetically, staring at his trapped icon. In turn, Rita gasped in
disgust.
"WHAT?! Are you trying to cheat?!"
"Huh? Oh, no, no, no! Of course not, I wouldn't do that, sweetie! What
a silly idea, you know me better than that!" he laughed, his hands hanging
apologetically in the air. Rita only glared at her rambling husband.
"I cannot believe I'm married to you," she hissed.
Andrew sighed, rolling his eyes as she turned away. "It's not like we
have money on this. It isn't poker."
"Yeah, well even if it was you'd probably do something stupid! Like
betting ME as a prize or something!"
Sighing, Andrew lowered his head in shame.
The rest of the girls blinked quietly at the feuding couple.
"Oh Raye, what beautiful earrings those are!" Amy squealed loudly to
break the ice. Her comment was once again followed by a short silence before
Raye's loud voice boomed through the small room.
"You think so, Ames??" she screeched delightedly, fingering the pearl
drops and gold trim. "They're brand new, got them at Nordstrom's just last
weekend. Aren't they positively gorgeous, and they were on sale too, though
they still cost me a fortune. I wasn't sure anyone would notice!"
Gulping, Amy backed up slowly. "Eh… heh heh… I was only trying to
change the subject…" she whispered beneath her breath, luckily unnoticed by
the priestess.
"Which brings me to my next question…" growled Rita, attracting
attention to her frown yet again. "AM I THE ONLY ONE PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS
GAME?!"
The shortest recorded game in Monopoly history was played that very
evening, ladies and gentleman. Later, Andrew would say it was for fear of his
wife that he allowed her to win. Raye would claim she wanted the witch out of
her temple as fast as possible, plus, there was no candy at stake for the
winner. The other girls had seemingly decided it was better to lose than to
deal with the Wrath of Rita. Of course, Rita would claim forevermore that it
was her unbeatable playing tactics.
With everything from R&R Railroad to Boardwalk bought up, claimed, and
modeled by the redhead, the guests left the temple twenty minutes later.
***
"Honey Buns!!!!!!"
"Yes, Angel Pie?"
"I'm bored!"
"There's a surprise."
"Ugh!" Serena grumbled, folding her hands together as she slid down the
wall to plant herself on the first stair. With nothing better to do they had
roamed to the bottom floor again, testing each door on the way. All were
locked. Darien was presently resting on the staircase, one arm over his eyes
and the other sprawled out next to him. "You're no fun!" Serena complained,
humphing her shoulders. He chuckled.
"You didn't just carry a 50 pound cake down 4 flights of stairs."
With an evil glare, Serena stuck her tongue out at him, promoting
another deep laugh. "Oh, come, come," he beckoned, holding out his arms to
her. She hesitated before sighing and tramping slowly to her fiancé, before
lying down next to him. "It's alright, my sweet Hershey's Kiss. We'll be out
of here first thing in the morning, plenty of time to get home, shower, and
be ready for the ceremony with time to spare. Don't worry, alright?"
Nodding, she managed a small smile. "I'm so lucky to have you."
He grinned, kissing the top of her forehead. "Likewise."
There was a moment of silence as they lay side by side, her head rested
against his chest, one strong arm tight around her waist.
"Hey, Cherry Cheeks?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember what we did last time… when we were in the elevator?"
"Like it was yesterday."
"It really wasn't that boring, was it?"
Darien shrugged, shifting her weight slightly. "No, not really. We were
pretty creative with what we had. The string and the rose…"
Serena laughed, poking him gently in the side. "And it took me so long
to figure out how you got that blasted rose, too, Tuxie!"
He laughed gently. "It's not like you didn't have any secrets."
Serena blinked, seeing the paper bag lying next to the cake box. "What
did they give us?"
"Hm?"
Without waiting for a response, Serena got up and crawled over to the
bag. Darien watched her momentarily to see what had caught her interest,
before letting a tiny smile creep over his lips and setting his head down
again, both arms now tucked lazily beneath his neck to act as a comfy pillow.
Opening the bag, Serena peered inside to see four colorful tubes of
frosting and an even smaller bag with two ring boxes inside. Sighing, she
pulled out the red icing, unscrewing the cap to squeeze a bit on her finger.
Taking a small nibble, she grinned at the sweet flavor. 'That cake will be
perfectly delicious!' she reasoned in her mind, taking out the other two
tubes of color. 'Red, yellow, blue, and green,' she thought, flipping them
over in her palm. Looking back at Darien, it looked as though he were
sleeping. A tempting, mischievous smile crept evilly onto her lips. 'The
devil made me do it…'
***
"Oh Raye, aren't they adorable?" I whispered to the maid of honor who
stood before me as the voice of the priest drawled on. She nodded her head
vivaciously, her hands toying with the white chiffon dress we were all
dressed alike in.
From where I stood I could see the golden curls of Serena's hair
glimmering in the sunbeams that bounced throughout the church, illuminated by
the sparkling stained glass windows. Red and white roses were strung along
the pews along vines of ivy and carnations. Friends and family filled up the
church to the back, but the room was silent save the continuing traditions.
"Oh, Butter Cup, I'm so happy…" Serena whispered, just loud enough for
her voice to carry to my ears.
"Me too, Bunny Rabbit, we've been waiting for this a long time…"
I sighed wistfully, clasping my hands in front of my chest. How
perfect it all was…
"If there is any reason why these two should not be married, please
speak now or forever hold your peace."
"MINA!" a loud voice instantly boomed through the building like
thunder. Instantly, everyone's eyes raised to the roof, expecting some
supernatural being to be casting lightning bolts around the roof.
There was no one to be seen where the voice could have echoed from, but
soon, effects began to take place. The pillars started to crumble, the pews
were lifted form the church floor. Screaming, the guest began to run for the
door. A tornado crashed through the building, taking the roses and candles
and even the poor li'l priest with it.
"What's going on?!" I screeched, falling to my knees. In front of me I
could see all the scouts begin to fly away on the wind, their multitudes of
hair whipping around them. Then, the unthinkable happened as suddenly Darien
and Serena were pulled apart before my eyes. Their hands reached out, trying
desperately to hold onto each other, to no avail.
"DARIEN!"
"SERENA!"
A flash of lightning lit the room and suddenly, all of them, my best
friends, their families, their loved ones, were gone. Only two bodies
remained floating in the air, their bodies limp… obviously dead.
"NOOOOOOO!" I screamed, reaching toward them.
"Mina!" the voice roared again. "This could be your future! This will
happen if you do not stay away from Darien and Serena! You must stay away
from both of them or the future and life on this planet will be destroyed!"
"What? You can't do that!" I screamed, clenching my fist together and
letting it fall to the ground. I growled slightly, gritting my teeth, before
forcing myself onto my feet and rising my head high to the ceiling. "Hey!" I
yelled, bringing my hand in front of my chest. "I dare you to come down here
and threaten me to my face!" There was no response. "Come on, get down here
and face me like a man!"
"Um… come again?" the voice sounded more than a tad confused.
"I said get down here you wuss! You honestly think I'm gonna be afraid
of some dimwitted voice who decides to harass me in my dreams? I don't THINK
so. Your luck ran out when you decided to mess with Mina Aino. Now you get
down here right this instant and let me give you a piece of my mind. Ooh, are
you gonna get it boy! Just you wait! You dealt with the wrong girl this time,
buddy. Now feel the wrath of Venus!"
Slightly shocked, the voice began to chuckle nervously. "I don't think
you quite understand…"
"Oh really? What's not to understand? You're blackmailing me! And where
I come from, that's a federal offense. I could have you arrested for this,
you know? Thrown into jail, locked behind bars. I'll be sure that the
authorities throw away the key. Oh, but you'll be lucky 'cause that way you
won't have to deal with ME. You'd better be scared! If you think for one
minute I'm gonna let you get away with this, you've got another thing coming.
Now you get down here right this instant before I come up there and get you!"
"Eh… heh heh… he… eh… What did you say your name was again? Mina? Oh,
silly me, I was looking for a… Ms… um… Lina! That' right, Lina Inverse. Gee,
I must have gotten the wrong anime, oh for goodness sakes, what a dimwit am
I. So sorry for the confusion! Won't happen again! Eh… here are you friends
back. Enjoy the party!"
In a flash of light, everything came back together, the pews being
glued to the ground and the priest placed neatly behind his podium just as
new life was breathed into Darien and Serena. Everyone looked around
curiously.
With a wide smile, I brushed some dust off my hands. "That's more like
it," I muttered proudly.
Shaking his head, the priest slowly opened the large book before him,
clearing his throat. "We are… gathered here today…"
Mina rolled over in her sleep, a tired smile on her lips. Sighing
quietly, she nuzzled her head into the pillow, curling up on her bed as her
luxurious dream continued.
***
Darien swapped lightly at the air, turning over on his side, before a
giggle and the sharp jutting of a cement stair in his back brought him into
consciousness. He gradually raised his eyelids, letting his sight adjust to
see a blond girl sitting next to him, a goofy grin on her face. After a short
moment, he allowed a tiny smile to spread over his lips.
"What are you giggling about?" he moaned, scratching at his head. She
shrugged, tossing a series of plastic tubes into a paper bag behind her.
"Nothing, I just think you're cute when you sleep…" Serena cooed,
toying with one lock of golden hair. Darien's smile grew as he sat up and
reached forward to draw a finger along her cheekbone. Her blue gaze flew up
to his and after a moment of nibbling on her lip, she looked down again,
trying desperately to keep from laughing.
Rolling his eyes, Darien drew back. "Alright, what is it? Do I have bed
hair?" he joked, rubbing down the black mop on top of his head. She
snickered, shaking her head.
"No, it's nothing, really, Snoookie Wookie, don't worry."
His gaze turned speculative, especially when she refused to meet his
gaze, but soon he shrugged it off, stretching tiredly. Pursing his lips
together, Darien paused momentarily to look at his beautiful soon-to-be-wife.
She was turned only slightly towards him, blue eyes glued to her hands
resting in her lap and innocently twiddling her thumbs. Smiling, he leaned
forward, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist before pulling her up to
sit on his lap. She squealed, her eyes wide and meeting his again.
"You looked way too adorable to be left alone," he whispered in
response to her surprised expression. Leaning forward, he kissed the tip of
her nose, drawing back to see her simper. She was a tad dazed, but in
only moments she had that same "I shouldn't laugh, but it's so darn funny"
look on her pink mug.
Groaning, Darien leaned back, sitting up against the metal railing
behind him. "What IS it? For goodness sakes, Cutie, you're looking
at me like my fly is open or something!"
It didn't take long before she had grasped onto her stomach, bending
over in bellowing laughter. All he could see for some time was the top of her
head covered in thick golden hair and her back shaking with the unceasing
giggles. Throwing his hands exasperatedly into the air, he leaned back,
waiting for her to quiet.
"Oh… my… Button Nose… that was so…" she snickered twice before bursting
out into full-fledged laughter again.
Ten seconds later, Darien groaned exasperatedly, shoving her
unceremoniously onto the next step before standing up to make a show of
trying the door again. Almost immediately, Serena grew silent, before
standing to follow him.
"Oh, Dove Bar, I'm sorry! I didn't mean… it's just… if you only knew…"
"No, I don't care," he snapped quickly, turning his head. Serena began
to chew on her lip gently, before another evil grin spread onto her lips.
"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings," she whispered in her most satin
voice, sliding close to him to wrap her arms around his waist, lying her face
down against his back. "Please forgive me?"
He was tense immediately, silent for a second, before reaching down and
taking a hold of the pair of hands tied at his stomach. "No more laughing?"
"Hm… I'll try."
"Uh-uh, promise. Or tell me what's so funny."
She almost began to giggle again, but held it in. "I promise, no more
laughing."
Darien sighed, bringing her hands up to lie tiny kisses against her
fingertips. "Good." Turning around, he had her locked in an embrace before
she could even begin to let her stern walls crumble, lying feathery kisses
along her neck.
***
His keys jingled against his belt as he strolled stealthily through the
glass doors, pausing to scour the area before turning to lock the doors
behind him. Nodding proudly, he turned once again, shoving his hands into his
pockets before beginning to stroll leisurely around the tables and counters
and displays. Bobbing his head, he began to whistle, picking up a bottle of
cologne to smell it before cringing and setting it back down on the glass
scent's counter.
Creek…
WHOOSH!
Tom spun around, his flashlight pointing in the direction of the sound,
his black club held in his other fist. After searching the area briefly, he
grinned. Flicking off the flashlight, he brought it up to his lips and blew,
like a gun in the old western films. "Oh yeah…" he said, a goofy grin
plastered on his face. "I'm smooth, I know it."
Throwing the club into its holder at his waist, he spun on his heels,
before beginning to stroll once again through the first floor of the
department store. The soles of his leather shoes clicked lightly against the
linoleum, echoing through the dark room. Slowly, he began to hum, quietly at
first, then growing louder and louder until he was singing at the top of his
lungs, dancing through the aisles. By the time he started bellowing out the
Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" he was square dancing with the mannequins,
swinging the ballroom gowns (hangers attached), and tap-dancing on top of the
small Lego's table in the kids' section, the Barbies and G.I. Joes making for
a wonderful audience.
"Thank you! Thank you!" he bowed once the song was finished. "Be sure
not to miss my next performance where I will be dancing a duet with Jean
Butler. Again, you have been a wonderful audience! Thank y…"
And he paused, mid-bow, his head down and one hand clasped in front of
his stomach, frozen like his earlier dancing partner. Quickly, his eyes
snapped open, his ears perked. A moment of silence - then he heard it again.
Quiet shuffling from not too far away.
Furrowing his brow, he slowly straightened, his hand twitching toward
the flashlight.
Giggling.
His eyes narrowed. Silently stepping off his pedestal, Tom removed his
flashlight with his one hand. Following precise movements, he began creeping
in the direction of the sounds. Quietly turning on the light, he paused to
shortly listen.
A bit more laughing, closer this time.
He paused to stoop down, picking up a piece of dust from the ground in
between his fingers, tasting it on his lips, before spitting out like a bad
sunflower seed. Now standing again, he began to walk sideways, slowly backing
up toward the wall and flicking off his flashlight before placing it back
into his belt. He stopped at the end of the wall, just before turning into a
wide corridor. Chewing on his lip, he jumped out, holding his hands together
like a gun. "Who's there?!" he commanded.
Silence. Emptiness. He stood immobile for a moment, motionless as his
eyes searched the surroundings. He heard a moan, this one more masculine than
the laughter.
His heartbeat began to speed up. Clenching his fists, Tom took a deep
breath before tip-toeing as quickly as he could down the hallway, his hand
held in front of him like a rabbit. Reaching the end, he thrust his back up
against the wall once more. He remained in that position speechlessly,
bringing his 'hand gun' up to the other side of his head. Rolling his head
on top of his shoulders to loosen the muscles in this neck, the security guard
began to hum the Mission Impossible theme song.
Above his singing, a high pitched squeal arose, louder still now.
Gritting his teeth, he jumped into the open hallway, waving his hands
in every direction. Again, there was emptiness, though at the end of the hall
he saw a single metal door. He drew in a deep breath, reaching for the
flashlight and club, before marching toward the door, determination boiling
in his thoughts. Once at the end of the hall, he could hear the same familiar
sounds, though louder, as if on the opposite side of this wall. Gulping, he
checked the flashlight, turned it on, reached for the door handle, and
pushed…
***
"Darien, do you take Serena to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love
and cherish in sickness and in health as long as you both shall live?"
"I do."
"And do you, Serena…"
The wedding vows drawled on as I heard sniffling behind me, then quiet
whimpering, and a romantic sigh. A smile creased my lips. I knew what the
other scouts were feeling. After all this time, they were finally tying the
knot. I could still remember how they would fight like cats and dogs when
they first met, but here, 5 years later, Serena and Darien were about to
become a happily married couple. I sighed along with Lita, letting my head
drift to the side.
"I do."
Raye sniffled loudly and I could hear Mina whispering comforting words
from beside her. It was all so perfect.
"Then with the power invested in me, I now pronounce you…"
"DEAD AND DEADER!" howled a wicked voice. Instantly, all the heads in
the place turned to the center of the large church. My eyes focused on the
large… THING standing in the center of the aisle.
She, I think it was a she, was the size of a miniature elephant, and
had the form of a giant beach ball. It was covered in white, gaudy lace, with
two ears resembling upside-down champagne glasses and eyes like diamond
rings. One hand was flat and layered like a giant wedding cake, while the
other had fingers, three of which looked like miniature grooms and the other
two appearing to be small veiled brides.
"I am Bridezilla from the Negaverse! I will now suck all of the
romantic energy from you people and this place!" she screeched. As she opened
her mouth, blue, silver, and white crepe paper streamers began flying out to
wrap around the nearest guests. Immediately, those who weren't tied down
began running for their lives, pushing to get to the front door of the
church.
Stunned, I only gawked for a minute, the bouquet of pink roses slipping
from my grip to land unnoticed on the carpeted floor.
"Scouts! Transform!" I heard Lita yell. Her command was immediately
followed by the familiar chanting "Jupiter… POWER!"
I did as I was told, pulling out my pen and transforming before taking
out my computer and visor to begin scanning the beast.
Bridezilla looked toward the sound of the voice to see a glowing green
light. In the center was the form of a girl, dancing like some ballerina. She
listed her head to the side, watching in amusement as the green form twirled
around five times, kicked her foot, then began spinning again.
"Hm… interesting…" she murmured. "Wedding bells JINGLE!"
THUMP!
Lita froze, mid-transformation, teetered on her feet for a minute,
before her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell forward onto her face,
the large bronze bell collapsing beside her.
"Mars Fire…"
"Venus Crescent Beam…"
The monster turned: the gold bands around her eyes raising momentarily.
The blond girl in the short skirt before her had one hand raised in the air,
gathering yellow light around her while she began to collected a tiny bubble
of light above her outstretched finger.
The bubble hesitated at the same time that a warm light was engulfing
the black-haired sailor scout. She had her face scrunched up, her fingers
below her chin, as her feet began to twirl beneath her, spinning around a few
times.
"Useless Gift WRAP!"
The ever-predicted attacks disappeared in the air as ornately designed
silver wrapping paper came to tie around the two sailors, tying their mouths
and arms down, with Venus still holding her one finger up in the sky as a
mumbled "What the…" escaped. They began squirming in the hold of the
aluminum-looking paper, before two large gold bows landed on their heads,
drooping down to completely cover their faces. Groaning, they each sat down
hard on the ground - pouting.
"Stop right there! I am Sailor Moon, champion of justice! On behalf of
the moon I will right wrongs and triumph over all evil! You can't just come
in here and destroy my wedding. This is my big day! I spent years planning
and dreaming about this moment. How dare you try to ruin all my hard work and
thought out plans by…"
"Expensive Florist Bouquet THROW!"
"Huh? Aiiii!" Serena screeched, covering her head as a multitude of
roses and wildflowers began to fall down upon her, scratching and bruising
her tremendously. "Hey! You can't just interrupt my speech like that, it's
not fair!"
"Dainty Garter CHOKE!"
Serena instantly silenced as a white lace ring fell down around her
neck, tying between her teeth and the back of her head.
"And to finish her off… Wedding Cake BLAST!" Lifting her right hand
over her head, Bridezilla aimed and threw the giant cake in Serena's
direction, easily knocking her over the alter behind her. I could hear her
covered squeal as she tumbled backwards, before there was no sign of the
champion of justice but two red-booted feet sticking up over the table.
I flinched, pulling backward a bit as I continued to type away on my
computer. My computer's scanner darted over the being, analyzing her from all
sides, angles, and dimensions, slowly searching for the weakness I could find
in any youma. Then, suddenly, it became beeping at me, finished with its
scan. I carefully looked over the information, then my jaw fell. "Wh… what?
That can't be! No possible weakness? But… that's never… happened before! ALL
the Negaverse monsters have weaknesses, it's their biggest downfall! I mean…
that doll thing had the ankle, and… and all the crystal carriers had the
downfall of NOT being evil. I mean… how is this… what am I going to DO?!"
Hysterical, I threw my head to my forehead, collapsing to the bench directly
behind me.
Ziiiinng!
"What have we here?" Bridezilla looked down to her feet to see the red
rose jutting out from the ground beneath her. Her eyes widened, the diamond
likeness glittering with instantly growing tears. "For… for me?" she wailed,
bending down to pick up the flower. It was instantly crushed in her grip, but
she didn't notice as she lifted it to her invisible nose, inhaling deeply as
a stream of tears fell from her closed lids. "This is… the sweetest thing…
anyone has ever done for… for… ME!" She began wailing loudly, two fountains
spurting from the closed gold bands.
My eyes raised to a stunned Tuxedo Mask. His arm was stretched out to
the side, another rose in hand, his mouth fallen open. "Um… well… uh… that
wasn't… quite what I was going for…" he stuttered, chuckling slightly as his
raised hand came back to push his hat slightly back on his forehead. "But…
er… you're welcome?"
"Th… th… THANK Y… eh… ugh…" Bridezilla grasped at her chest, choking
and breathing heavily. Her eyes opened wide, the diamonds bursting from her
rotund head as she collapsed to her knees. "That's so… >cough, cough< sweet…
and… >wheeze< romantic… >choke, gasp< Thank… you…" Her eyes rolled
upward, her body stiffened momentarily, and she collapsed motionlessly to the
ground.
There was a long silence before I whipped out my computer and began
taking inventory on the internal structure of the monster.
"Let me guess," said Tuxedo Mask, jumping down from the pillar he stood
upon. "After all the pain and hatred she was put in contact with in the
Negaverse, the act of kindness shown to her through the rose sent her heart
and emotions on haywire. Not knowing how to react, her body went into cardiac
arrest."
"Actually, it appears as though her heart arteries were clogged by
massive amounts of sugar and fattening material, causing the lack of blood
and therefore oxygen to muscle tissue and other vital organs."
"Ah…" Darien nodded his head. "That was my second guess." Sighing, he
turned to begin cleaning the chocolate mess off the face of his almost-wife.
I shrugged and turned to begin assisting Raye and Mina with their
binding paper, careful to avoid paper cuts.
Amy's fingers typed unconsciously against the bed sheets, her blue hair
scattered around her head. Pausing, she stretched her legs, pulling the
blankets up to her neck, before a light snoring echoed through the room.
***
"FREEZE!"
"AAAAIIIIII!"
"What the…"
Darien and Serena froze, looking up to see a blinding light and dark
shape above them. Serena screamed again, ducking behind Darien as he stared
at the tip of a short black club. Darien's eyes lifted to the form of a
large, rotund man, before glancing over the shoulder to a metal door as it
slowly, slowly began to close…
"Hold the door!" he yelled, jumping forward to leave a frightened
Serena on the stairs.
Tom's reflexes shot out, holding Darien off, just as a quiet 'click'
was heard and the door closed - innocently.
Darien stood with his arm outstretched, only inches from the knob, his
chest being held back by the brute strength of a security guard.
"You are under arrest for illegal trespassing on private property,
indecent exposure, and assault of a police officer. You have the right to
remain…"
"WWWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Serena wailed, instantly causing Tom to clasp
his hands over his ears, having only one cuff over Darien's wrist.
"What is that god-forsaken noise?!" he screeched, grimacing. Darien
lunged himself toward Serena, clasping a hand over her mouth.
"Calm down, Pooh Bear, it's okay. Just relax, alright?"
She sniffled briefly, her shoulders shaking and her wide eyes holding
onto his. Slowly, she nodded.
"Good. There is no reason to go berserk here."
Calmly, Darien stood, tucking in his shirt that had come undone…
somewhere… along the line… before turning to a hesitant Tom. They stood
silently, staring at each other, before he gritted his teeth and lunged, his
hands aiming for the neck.
"You moron!"
Tom screamed, immediately thrown against a wall by the force of the man
before him. "That was our only escape!" Darien continued through his teeth.
"Hey… but… get… OFF of me!" Tom responded, his hands clasping to the
other man's arms as his face slowly turned to a pinkish tint.
"Do you have any idea what you just did? It's all over! There is no
hope!"
"Oh… boo hoo… cry… cry…" Tom choked out. "I can't… breathe… Get this…
Tux-boy off me!"
Then Darien froze, his eyes immediately losing their fire to turn to
instant surprise. "Wha… what did you just call me?"
"Tux-boy. Ya know, Tuxedo Mask? As in, the Sailor Scouts and… Tuxedo
Mask?"
Darien blinked hard, his hands slipping from the neck. "How… did you…
know?"
"Oh, uh… Sweet Cheeks?" Serena called sweetly, digging through her
purse after throwing her hair in the buns atop her head once again, after
they had been curiously disheveled. Standing, she walked to her fiancé,
holding up a compact mirror in front of him. Darien's blue eyes glanced down
on it, before he screeched and lunged backward, grabbing onto the mirror to
bring it with him.
"What did you DO to me, woman?!"
Serena giggled slightly. "Well, I was bored, and you were asleep, and…
well… what was a girl to do?"
Darien gulped, poking at the sticky frost on his face, ornately drawn
into the shape of a yellow mask around his eyes, a blooming red and green
rose on his cheek, and a blue mini top hat on the corner of his forehead.
Rolling his eyes, he fell onto the bottom stair, taking a moment to
glare at his girlfriend who currently sat willing a white halo to appear
above her head (and not doing a bad job), to turn his attention to the chubby
man against the far wall, still rubbing at his neck. "Oh… uh… sorry about
that," Darien apologized half-heartedly, lifting his hand as he grabbed his
jacket that was hanging carelessly on the railing, as if it had been tossed
there earlier in a rush, to begin rubbing the sweet ingredients off his face.
"Yeah, no problem…" Tom sad quietly, gulping. "Though, uh… what were
you guys doing in here, anyway?"
Serena and Darien glanced at each other, before each turning bright red
and looking away. "Well… er… it's a long story."
***
"Where IS she?!" I screeched at the top of my lungs, literally pulling
my hair out from the roots. "Two hours. This thing was supposed to be started
TWO hours ago! And where is that Meatball Head? Do any of you know? Oh, and
what about the ever punctual, ever responsible Darien? Huh? HUH?! This can't
be happening to me. After all my hard work. And what do I have to show for
it? Nothing. No wedding, no happily married couple, no reception… my life,
it's ruined!"
I could see my friends looking at me as if I'd gone crazy, their eyes
full of little sympathy. Wailing, I collapsed into a chair, burying my head
in my palms. "This cannot be happening."
There was a moment of thick silence.
"What did I say?" Mina suddenly said, snapping her fingers together.
"They eloped! Ha! Told you so!!" Raising my head, I glared at the blond as
she flicked a lock of hair away from her shoulder. "You owe me 20 bucks,
Leets!"
Lita rolled her eyes, reaching into her pale green evening purse to
pull a couple bills out before shoving them into the delighted blonde's fist.
She giggled loudly, sighing as if it was some romantic ordeal.
Clenching my fists together I could feel a growl escape from my lips,
my teeth gritting together mercilessly. "Why… you… UGH!" Lunging forward, I
had her tackled on the carpeted aisle of the church as the guests watched on,
amused after their long wait. Mina screamed beneath me.
"Raye, what are you… Ow!"
She didn't need that lock of golden hair, anyway.
"Hey, that hurt! Raye!"
RIP!
There goes that big yellow bow on her dress.
"This isn't funnyyyy!!"
CRASH!
Gee, I hope that pearl necklace wasn't expensive.
"Fine, you wanna play that game?!"
In seconds we were rolling on the floor, nails out, teeth ready to
bite, with hair decorations and jewelry and shreds of cloth flying in every
direction. Above us I could hear cheers and bets being called. It only
encouraged the cat fight.
"Hey, break it up, break it up you two!" I could hear the voices of our
close friends echoing above us, multiple hands trying to grabs us away, but I
was out for blood.
Mina was on top now, and just as I felt the sting of a slap across my
face, I could feel her weight being lifted off of me. Breathing hard, I
looked up to see Lita and Amy roughly trying to hold her from me. Glaring, I
stood up, brushed off my skirt, paused… and screamed, running toward her, my
arms flailing around, just waiting to connect with something - anything.
But before I could, two strong arms wrapped around my waist, literally
lifting me off the ground as I flopped in the embrace, trying desperately to
free myself.
"Woah, Babe, take a chill pill!"
Freezing, my jaw dropped. I knew immediately who held me from
completing this duel. And he just called me BABE!
"Ew! Let go of me!" I shook around violently, feeling like some king of
beached whale, but his arms were too powerful, even for a scout. Really, I
had never before noticed how much… muscle he had… With that thought, my face
turned red as a ripe tomato and my struggle ceased. He sighed from behind me
and I could suddenly feel the carpet between my toes. One shoe had been lost
in the brawl.
Time paused as Mina and I cooled down. Looking up, I could see her hair
mussed and her face flushed. Lita finally let her go, though Amy continued
to keep a tight hold on her.
"Alright girls," Lita began in a commanding tone, her face and voice
serious. She reached out to put a hand on each of our collar bones, as if we
still needed separation. "Raye, you go to your corner, Mina, you go to yours,
and when you hear the bell…"
"Lita!" Amy screeched, her hand unconsciously tightening around Mina's
arm.
"Ow, hey, Ames, not so tight! Lay off, will ya?!"
I grinned maliciously as the blue-haired girl apologized, her grip
loosening. Lita blushed, letting her arms fall to her sides before she
stubbornly crossed them over her chest. "Now what is this all about?" She
commanded an answer, her emerald eyes glazing from one of us to the other.
Furious, I turned my head away, wishing I could fold my arms as well.
"Alright, fine! Raye you can start by telling me why you jumped at her
like that!"
The crowd gasped. That's right, I'd forgotten that we were surrounded
by close to 250 people (at 600 dollars a HEAD, might I remind you).
"What, are you saying this is MY fault?!" I yelled, turning back to
Lita. She rolled her eyes.
"Of course this is your fault! You're always the one who starts the
fights!" My jaw clenched tightly and a sudden feeling of guilt and remorse
overwhelmed my heart. With that, my shoulders sank, my head falling to my
chest.
"Oh, it's just awful!" I wailed on instinct, my eyes closing. Chad's
arms became gentle around my waist, though not letting go completely. "All
the time, all the money, all the effort! It took me so long to have this
wedding perfect. How… how could they DO this to me!?" I screeched, sniffled,
then felt a long cry flee my lips. "Mina… she jinxed it with her bet. I'm
sure she did. And now look! All these people are here to see a wedding! What
can I possibly tell them? 'Sorry, Serena and Darien are selfish and decided
to leave you all here without a wedding, but hey, there are hors d'oeuvres at
the buffet table!' AH, what am I going to DO?!" Another sniffle and wail
escaped as I felt myself being turned around and wrapped in a tight hug.
"Ah, don't cry, Raye!" the surfer-wannabe voice asked above the
sniffles of the crowd. "You're right, Babe, there should be a wedding here. I
mean, dude, we totally have the church and the priest and even the cute ice
gooses on the table!"
"Geese," Amy whispered from behind me, before being smacked by a silent
Mina. "Oh, oops, sorry."
I nodded, ignoring them as Chad unconsciously soothed my hair. "But…
but Darien and Serena aren't here…"
"But, there's like, totally you and me, babe!"
Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. "What?"
His hands clasped onto my shoulders, pushing me away so that I could
see him at arm's length.
"Marry me!" he called suddenly.
My jaw dropped. My eyes blinked rapidly in disbelief. "E… excuse me?"
Twenty minutes later…
"I take thee, Babe…"
"Raye."
"Oh, sorry 'bout that, I'm a bit nervous. Ahem… I take thee Raye…"
In the background I could hear Mina, Lita, and Amy sigh loudly as the
dolt before me tried in vain to speak the old English the priest was
spouting. Groaning, I began to wonder how on earth I get myself into these
messes.
"ACK!!" Raye screamed, launching herself full force out of the bed.
Grasping at her pajamas, she calmly waited for her heart to cease pounding.
With a loud moan, she collapsed back into the pillows. "Oh my…" she muttered,
her eyes staring unblinkingly into the dark. "Serena, Darien, you had better
show up tomorrow!"
***
"Ah…" said Tom, sitting back against the wall to scratch at his chin
thoughtfully. "So that's how you got in here."
Serena nodded, dripping some frosting onto her tongue while Darien ran
a hand through his hair.
"Yup, that's basically the whole story. Up until you came in here with
that blasted flashlight of yours."
Sighing, Tom fingered the flashlight at his side, flicking it on and
off. "Sorry about that. I honestly thought you were some sort of burglars or
something. This is my first night working here, you see, and… I just don't
want to make any mistakes."
"Looks like it's a little late for that already," Darien mumbled
beneath his breath.
"I'm hungry!" squealed Serena, lapping at her lips as she squeezed the
last drops of icing onto her finger, before throwing the rolled up bottle up
the stairs somewhere. Darien sighed, scooting close to her to rest an arm
over her shoulder.
"Sorry, Toots, you'll have to wait until tomorrow. The only thing we
have in here to eat is that cake."
"And Raye would murder me if I touched it," Serena muttered, folding
her arms.
"That's another thing," continued Tom. "I'm really sorry for letting
the door close. I had no idea…"
"It's alright," reprimanded Darien, holding up a hand to shush him.
"What's done is done. Now… it would really help if you happened to, say, have
a Twinkie on hand? Or anything to hold my fiancé over, really."
Tom reached into his pockets, fiddling around for a minute, before
pulling out his hands, empty. "Sorry. I've actually been trying to cut back
on the sweets. You know, this job requires that a person stay in tip-top
condition. In case we have to chase down some burglars." He nodded proudly,
his chin high in the air. Darien only raised an eyebrow, his azure gaze
traveling over the new officer briefly.
"Uh-huh, I'm sure you do."
"Hello, no one has solved MY dilemma yet! I said I'm hungry! For
goodness sakes, are you listening to me, Darien?!"
Darien began to turn to his wife to offer comfort, then stopped and
froze, his eyes wide open as they slowly, slowly looked down on her. A
cricket was heard somewhere off in the corridor as his jaw dropped
hesitantly.
"You… you… just called me… D… Darien…" he stuttered, blinking a few
times.
Over her shoulder, Serena could see the shocked look on his face. Her
resolute hands placed proudly on her hips faltered. She hesitated, gulped,
then tilted her head to the side with a small smile. "Oh, I'm sorry, Pookie.
I was just trying to get your attention. Now, now, don't cry."
"But… you haven't called me…"
"I know, it was a mistake. It just slipped out. I didn't mean anything
by it. I'm so sorry, Sweet Stuff…" Cooing continuously, Serena tied her arms
around his neck, shushing him soundly. "It's alright, Dare-Bear. I won't do
it again, okay?"
Whimpering, Darien let his head collapse to her shoulder. "Did I do
something wrong? Do you hate me? Is our relationship turning sour already?"
"No, no, I just wanted to get your attention, I swear! I'm so sorry,
Bumble Bee."
"Are you… sure, Twinkle Toes?"
"Of course, Cinnamon Buns. Of course."
Darien sighed, nuzzling his head into the folds of her blouse. "Oh
good. P…please don't ever do that again. You scared me."
"I won't, Fufu. I won't ever again."
Tom blinked a few times, watching as they cuddled together shamelessly
on the stair in front of him. Gulping, he turned away, running his hand
through his hair. "Yeah… so… as I was saying… I'm getting kind of hungry
myself, there's gotta be something to eat around here. What were you two
saying about a cake?" Turning back, his jaw fell open from the previous
sentence at the sight of two people kissing adoringly - openly - before him.
A blush covered his cheeks as he silently turned away again. "Well, um… er… I
think I'll find that cake myself. Eh… thanks for the help."
Standing from his place against the wall, Tom walked over to the purse,
paper bag, and large pink box snuggled in a dark corner. Turning, he saw the
two still making out on the stairs, oblivious to him completely, before he
spun around again to catch a sneak peak into the box. Lifting the lid, his
mouth dropped, watering instantly at the sight of a white and pink frosted
cake, covered in sugared roses. Written neatly on the top were the simple
words 'Forever Love' and miniature pink bunny figure.
He blinked a couple times, shaking his head to rid himself of the
temptation, before swirling around. "You guys are getting MARRIED?!" he
screeched, clasping his hands together in front of his chest.
Instantly, Darien and Serena pulled apart, gasping to stare at the
large man before them. His cheeks were flushed, his hands held tightly before
him, and his large starry eyes glazed over as he raised his stare to the
ceiling.
"I had no idea! That's so romantic…" His voice breaking into a whisper
as collapsed to his knees a foot away from Serena and taking her hand off of
Darien's shoulder into his own palms. "Congratulations! I am so thrilled for
the both of you! I'm sure that you will live happily ever after and that your
children will grow up to be just as happy and beautiful as the both of you!
Oh, and to think that I get to witness the affection between such a couple.
Congratulations, congratulations! I don't know you, but I'm sure that of all
the people in the world, you two are the most deserving of such happiness!"
With that, he clamped his mouth shut, sniffled a couple times, then grinned
lopsidedly at both of them. "I'm just… so… happy!" His shoulders shook, his
lower lip trembled, and soon he was hunched over with his head in Serena's
lap, bawling large tears of happiness.
Serena turned to Darien, her mouth wide, only to see him shrug in
confusion. Sighing, she began to pet Tom's head carefully.
"There, there…"
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