A Break From Reality, part one: Thursday. By Amethyst, insane webmistress at large Hi! This is Ame's little author's notes domain. Okay, first of all, I gotta say that Alicia Blade inspired the "First love" obession in me. So my story takes place right after DiC dubbed ep. "So You Want To Be A Superstar." Also, for once, the Scouts aren't fixing anyone up in this story, Molly gets in on the action. Also, to get the stories as soon as Im done and they're hot off the presses, go to MY page at http://members.tripod.com/blckmoonchik Feedback on this story is appreciated. Also, The sequel to "Unfinished Buissness" is up, it's called "Fate's A Bitch." And, no, there's no cussing in in, except for the title and one other word. Oi. I forgot, Thanks to Saint Ethyros, Celeste Goodchild, Jenny, and all of the peeps who sent feedback, the people from the RPG list, especially Sailor Galaxy and Haruka, and who could forget Darian, my oniisan, luv ya dude, and Bridgita, Caroline, and Kira, who have cheered me on even when I said "I suck at this". And Bridgita, Rubius would like to say something. R: I'm NOT a girl, or a girly man. And stop calling me Rube-cube! Ja ne! See ya at the end of the story. I don't own Sailor Moon, Andrew, Jediete , or any of the other characters. If you like, i will buy a character... i have 50 cents. I'm not making any profit off of this story, that's why I babysit... *long sigh*. Please don't sue me! Im going to the mall this weekend, i'll be broke after that! And my dad won't lend me anymore money ^.^ Here we go: @>-- Quote of the Day: "Strange girl"-Darien "Computer School Blues" "What can i say. Is it REALLY my fault that Wiseman turned into an Evil Speaking Pop-Tart? Hey, if he starts to annoy us, we'll stick him in the toaster.. hey! He's blueberry!"-Amethyst *********************************************************************** Darien Chiba.... Why did that name always sound like music to my ears to me? Why did I care so much about what he thought, why he cared? When he teased my friends about the talent show he was in, telling me that they were making "fools out of themselves", why did my heart jump? Was it anger? How can this man that I hate so much make me feel this way? Serena, you really are going insane. Love Always, Serena Tsukino ********************************************** The golden blonde girl sighed, and rolled over on her bed, sucking on a lollipop that she'd bought at the arcade. It tasted just like raspberries, Serena's favorite kind of berry. She smiled, enjoying the lazy afternoon, glad that Darien was finally off her mind. Whenever she wrote her feelings down, she'd always felt better. She smiled, wondering what Molly would say if she found out that she had a diary. "Serena Tsukino write? Willingly? When pigs fly!" Serena could hear her best friend's astonished remark. She smiled, thinking of Tuxedo Mask, who'd rescued her just in the nick of time earlier this evening at the talent show. In so many ways, he reminded her of Darien Chiba... 'Excuse me, Serena, I thought we were going to STOP thinking about that concieted jerk for a couple minutes.' Her mind reminded her heart. She yawned, and sat up, staring at Luna, who had been sleeping peacefully on the carpet. "Serena, is there anything wrong?" The girl smiled down at her talking cat. In many ways, Luna was an advisor, mother, aunt, and best friend rolled into one. Though they both would never admit it, there was a bond between the two of them, one that not even Time could break. "Not really, Luna." Unfourtunatley, Serena didn't feel that Luna would help her on this matter. Luna smiled, as much as a talking cat could smile. "Well, does it have anything to do with that date circled there on the calendar?" Serena looked over at the anime calendar hanging over her desk. "Which one? The exam, the dance, or the birthday?" All three of them were on her mind, and none in a good way. "All of them. Serena, dear, why haven't you made any plans for your birthday yet?" The cat frowned, and Serena sighed again. "Why should I celebrate? Yay, Serena, you're 15, you have no true friends, and you're single. Again. Oh, yeah, let's not forget that you're gonna fail another exam." Luna shook her head. "You do have friends, Serena. And trust me, one day you will have a boyfriend. As for the exam... only you can help that." Serena looked up, surprised that for once Luna hadn't lectured her about finding the Moon Princess. Serena smiled a secret smile. "Serena! Sweetie, dinner's ready!" Serena sighed. Food. After being frozen in an icicle, she really didn't want any food... she was just too... not hungry. Depressed, even. "I, uh, ate alot at the arcade, Mom! And I, uh, had some dinner at Molly's! I don't think I'll be eating tonight!" Serena waited for the reply, knowing her mother must be in shock. "Oh, uh, ok, sweetie! Are you ok?" "Yes, mother." "Is it that time of the month again?" "MOTHER!" "Fine, fine, I guess not. I was just making sure that you were okay." Serena heard her mother walk away from the bottom of the stairs. Only her mother would yell out something like that. Now Sammy would never let her hear the end of it. Serena sighed. 'I wanna go for a nice, long, walk.' "Then why don't you?" Serena jumped, not aware that she'd spoken out loud. Luna smiled up at her, a motherly look in her eyes. "Thanks, Luna." Serena stood up, grabbing a jacket, since it was getting cooler out. She then left the room, shutting the door. ********************************************************* Darien Chiba sighed, while sitting back in his favorite bench at the park. The bench was right off the path, under a tree, facing the lake. Darien shut his eyes. Immediatley the face of the Princess flashed by him. Her blue eyes, which were pools of tranquillity, gazed out sadly at him. Her blonde hair, tied up the same way Serena wore hers... Serena. The awakard teenager who possessed a beauty that she tried to hide, Darien could tell she was trying to hide it, was haunting his subconcious again. She didn't believe in herself, or her beauty, which caused a dark cloud to hang around the girl. She was beautiful in so many ways, though, and she couldn't hide them all. Her lovely personality was one of them, the way that she could make someone feel blessed just by talking to them. Of course, Darien very rarely got that kind of response from the teenage girl. Normally it was "OOOH! You're such a concieted jerk!" Stuff like that. Stuff that never would make you feel blessed. 'Dude! Hello in there? Please remember who you ARE thinking about, Mr. Chiba. She's a fourteen year old girl. You are twenty. There is quite an age difference there. And what about the Princess, and Sailor Moon?' Darien sighed. There were just too many women in his life, and they all had the same meatballs as Serena. He turned around, feeling a prickling in the back of his neck. Serena was near. He decided to stay sitting down, he really didn't want to get run over today. Darien was in shock when the blonde passed him. First of all, she wasn't going at her usual top speed of Mach 2. Second, the dejected look on her face made his heart shatter, but it would make anyone who'd ever met the normally peppy blonde heart's shatter, as long as they had one, at least. "Hey, there, Meatball Head." The girl's head perked up, and her eyes turned to look into his. They were souless. As dead as doorknobs. His heart, or the pieces of it, shattered again, until they were "moondust", as Sailor Moon would say. "Hello, Darien." She just stood there, looking like she was ready for the insults, and she didn't look at all like she was going to fight back at all. "Serena, is there anything wrong?" 'Serena. My real name. Not Meatball Head, Serena.' Her heart fluttered happily. She then stopped herself. 'Darien. This is Darien. Down girl.' She sighed again, and smiled sadly at him. "I'm fine. Just a little tired, I guess." The souless reply caused the worry in Darien's eyes to grow. "I'll see you tomorrow, Darien." Serena started to walk off, trying to avoid an awakard situation. Instead, a warm hand reached out and grabbed hers, pulling her towards the dark haired young man. The touch caused jolts of electricity to go travelling up her spine. The warmth flooded up her arm, and into her bleeding heart. For some strange reason, she felt warm and protected, safe from the pain and the sadness that had been haunting her lately. She then realized just how close she was to Darien. Darien jumped as his hand reached out to grab hers, an impulsive act. Her small hand was so warm and soft, like a living piece of silk. Her eyes had lit up with emotion, confusion and fear appearant in them. He unconciously pulled her close, until her skirt was touching his pant leg. "Serena, please tell me." There was a certain degree of begging in his eyes, that caused her knees to turn into jelly. How could she not tell those beautiful blue eyes that you could drown in so easily... "Darien, I'm fine, really. I'm just so tired, I had a long day today..." "Why don't you tell me what happened?" Darien was determined to see what was wrong with the beautiful angel who normally cheered everyone up. "Molly, my best friend and I are fighting, and she's using Melvin against me, my cat's being a royal pain, my mother's driving me insane and my brother's annoying the heck outta me. Plus, I have a major exam coming up and I just can't study for it, my head's too filled up with junk. I just need to get away." By this time, Serena had sat back, and shut her eyes, leaning her head back so the sun's warm rays could kiss it. Before Darien knew what he was saying, an offer flew out of his mouth. "Serena? How would you like to get away for a weekend?" Her blonde head shot up, and her blue eyes had honed in on his defined face. "How?" "Well, this weekend, Andrew and I were going to go out to the beach, and stay at a condo, but since Andrew's busy maybe you and a friend could go out there?" Serena's eyes lit up, and before either of them knew what had hit them, her small arms were around his neck. It surprised Darien how strong they felt, almost like Serena worked out. Her blonde hair smelled like lavender, and her skin smelled like vanilla, a heavenly combination. She was so close, she was touching him, her hair was tickling his lips... He smelled like fresh roses, that was the first thing she noticed. Not only his silky black hair, but his skin too. Roses were her favorite flowers... He was so warm, so close to her. She could feel his heartbeat, hear his breathing... she shut her eyes. She didn't want to move from this position for a long time. "Uh, Serena? I kinda have to go. But is that a yes?" Serena smiled. "How will I ever repay you?" "Don't worry about it." Darien smiled. 'Just seeing your smiling face is worth it, Sere.' He left the unspoken words hanging above her. Sere. He liked his little nickname for her. It was much more complementing than Meatball.She pulled away, and for a moment, their eyes were locked and their lips were almost touching. If either of them moved the wrong (or right) way, they'd kiss. Darien was tempted to pull her closer, to have his lips covering her small pink ones. But he stopped. 'For God's sake, she's fourteen! Get over it. Right now you should worry about telling Andrew that the weekend is off.' Darien got up, gently moving Serena out of the way. "I'll see you tomorrow,and you tell me which friend you're bringing, okay? Bye Meatball Head!" He walked off, and Serena sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you? My name is SERENA, not Meatball Head!" Darien laughed. She was back to normal.And the best part was that he had made her that way. "Andrew, how are you?" Darien smiled as he walked in the nearly empty arcade. Andrew sighed. When Darien got like this, it meant he wanted something. Normally something big, since Darien normally didn't ask for anything. "What's up, Darien?" Andrew sat down on one of the bar stools, and Darien sat next to him. "Remember our vacaction this weekend?" Andrew nodded. What now, was Darien's plant sick? Darien always managed to wiggle out of these things, he was afraid to leave Tokyo for just one day... Andrew wished he knew why. "Well, I saw Serena today." "You're taking her, eh? Well, you two finally got together! I've been expecting this ever since you two met!" Andrew smiled, laughing. 'Finally he realized that he's got it bad for her!' "Andrew." Darien's blue eyes were angry. "I am not going with Serena. Listen to me. I saw Serena in the park. It turns out she's been having a really tough time lately, with her family, school, and friends. Even her cat is annoying her, now. So, I offered to let Serena and a friend go down, maybe that Molly girl." Andrew smiled. A genius plan had hatched inside the blond doctor- to-be's head. "Oh, no problem. Though, Darien..." "Yes, Andrew?" The tired, suspicious reply came back to him. "Either you really like her, or you're getting really soft." Darien rolled his eyes and got up. "Thanks for understanding." At that, the tall med student walked away, every girl in the arcade staring at him as he left. Andrew then spotted Molly sitting in the corner, talking to Melvin. Melvin got up to leave, and Andrew smiled. Molly would definitley help him, he was postive. Molly rolled her eyes as she looked up. "For the last time, Melvin, I don't want to go see Star Trek: Insurrection with you!" she groaned, wondering if she should just kill the boy and be a hero. "Sorry, I'm not Melvin." Molly looked up into the blue eyes of Andrew Furuhata, the cute arcade boy. "Oh, sorry, Andrew. What's up?" She smiled at him, though she knew Serena liked the boy. "You know Darien, right?" "Oh yeah, the boy who Serena fights with all of the time. Ya know, I think that she likes him, though she's too stubborn to admit it. Don't tell her I said so, though." Molly smiled. "Molly, what would you say if I said that I thought that Darien felt the same way, but was also being too stubborn?" Molly gasped, and her eyes widened. "REALLY?!? We should get them together! But how?" she furrowed her brow, looking pensive. "What if I told you that Darien had let Serena borrow his condo on the beach for a weekend, this one, and that he said she could bring a friend along?" Molly gasped again. "I think the friend would be you, and I want you to say no. I'm going to get Darien to take her down, and you convince Serena to go..." Andrew trailed off, an evil smile on his face. Molly smiled an equally evil smile on her face. "Operation Cupid is in effect." ********************************************************* To: GameBoyCupid@hotmail.com From: Lady.Aphrodite@yahoo.com "Princess" called me today, asking me if I could go. I told her I couldn't. I made sure that all of her other friends were 'busy' this weekend, though they don't know what exactly is going on. You start working on "Prince", okay? ~Aphrodite ^_^ Molly smiled as she hit "Send" on the screen, delivering the message to Andrew. They'd decided that email would be best for commmunication, only because Serena and Darien would notice them talking, and get suspicious. She remembered the phone call quite clearly. ** BEEEP! BEEP! The electronic ring sent Molly flying for the phone, causing the redhead to make contact with the wall. "Ow. That hurt." She picked up her sea-foam green phone. "Hello, Molly speaking." "Molly!" the cry echoed through the phone as Molly wisely held it away from her ear. 'Thank God for Caller ID.' "Oh, hi Serena." "Molly, listen, what are you doing this weekend?" "My mom's taking me to a resort up in the hills, why?" "Oh. I was going to the beach this weekend, and I was inviting you." "Sorry, I can't. What about Kim?" "You know she and Amanda are going to the festival Sunday!" Serena sniffed on the other end of the phone. "I know Beth and Jackie are all going to family reunions." Molly lied, feelinga tiny bit guilty. "But Molly! How am I going to go to the beach this weekend? I can't go ALONE, My mom would kill me!" Serena's trademark wail came through the phone, and Molly sighed. "Who's condo is this that you're staying at. I know Sammy is going on a Cub Scout trip this weekend, and your parents are going to a spa. Serena, are you hiding something from me?" Molly smiled into the phone, imagining her friend squirming uncomfortably on the other end of the line. "Well, remember Darien?" "You mean the hunk? Who could forget him! Did you two finally get together?" "What do you mean by that?" Serena asked huffily. "I guess not." Molly giggled. "But if you two aren't together, why are you staying in HIS condo this weekend?" Silence at the other end of the line. "Well, I, uh, well, you see, he saw me really depressed in the park and I guess he was high or something because he was nice to me and he just told me to borrow his condo!" Serena explained in a rush. "Oh well, since I can't go, then I guess it's off... Molly, I have to go, it's late." "Okay, bye Serena." Molly hung up, grinning like a banshee. Now it was all up to Andrew. ************************************************************************ Andrew finished reading the email and shut off the computer screen smiling. He heard the door opening to the arcade, and Andrew knew it was Darien without even looking out of the back room. 'He's the only one that can enter and get ten girls at once to sigh.' Andrew walked out of te back room, smiling at Darien. "So, Chiba, you're finally here. Did Serena tell you yet?" Darien's ice blue eyes flew open. "Tell me what?" "Well, her friend Molly was just in here, and she told me that Serena's really upset about not being able to go this weekend." Andrew took note of Darien's reaction. "Why can't she go?" he asked, his voice calm but his eyes telling the truth about his feelings. "She has no one to go with, and her mother wouldn't let her go alone! And I've already made plans with Rita to go see her dad.." Andrew frowned.Darien smiled at him, knowing just how Rita's father could be towards "the man that stole his little girl away." "So you and I couldn't go either." Darien sighed, knowing how much Serena had wanted to go on this trip. Andrew raised his eyebrows. 'I had no idea he had it so bad for her! If only he'd just realize that...' Andrew snapped his fingers, causing Darien to look back at him. "What?" Andrew smiled. "Well, I have to admit, Serena's been pretty bummed lately. If you really want her to go, Darien, why don't you take her?" Darien's eyes shot wide open. Him? Take her? "Me? Take her? She hates me, in case you haven't forgotten." Darien sighed sadly, and Andrew smiled. "Well, maybe this would be a way for her to see the real you. And, besides, I'm sure she'd do anything to go on this trip." Andrew decided not to tease Darien about Serena, that would blow the whole thing. Besides, today was Thrusday, tomorrow was Friday, when she'd leave.He didn't havemuch time. "What would her parents say." Andrew cringed. He'd forgotten about that thing. He then realized that Mrs. Tsukino would trust Andrew if he put a good word in, and she knew Darien from the time he'd saved Serena's cat. "Well, i know Mrs. Tsukino would want a responsible adult to go with Serena no matter what. And I bet she'd let you go with her in a heartbeat, she knows and trust you. Besides, I could put a good word in, my mom and her mom are good friends." Darien smiled. He had to admit, Andrew had a point. And he knew how much Serena wanted to go, and needed to get away. 'Chiba! This is your chance! Carpe Diem!' the little voice inside of him said, and Darien decided to, for once, listen to it. He needed to get away, too. "Okay, i'm gonna trust you on this." ************************************************************************ Is the Suspense just killing you? Can Amethyst not write? Please email Ame and tell Her what you thought. Remember, visit her webpage at http://members.tripod.com/blckmoonchik/ That's where all of her stories will be posted first. Also, for "A Break from Reality:Friday' to be posted, Ame's gonna have to write after school. Yep. School. Im frosh now.... *sighs* Luv ya and God Bless to all, and to all a good night. Amethyst smdiamondchik@hotmail.com A Break From Reality, Part 2 Hey hey hey! Gotta say hi to everyone I know, Darian, Bridgita, Jessie, Caroline, Zarah, and everyone that emailed me about part one of this. Thanks! Here's Ch. 2 you guys! Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Britney Spears, (gag) or the BSB. Unfoutunatley. SM beloongs to DiC, Naoko, and Toei. Please don't sue me, I'm not feeling good and I really don't need it! And yes, Bridgita, that "Crazy" song is catchy. It's not that bad of a song. But that doesn't mean I like it. Visit my webpage at http://members.tripod.com/blckmoonchik ******************************************************************** Thursday Night Ikuko Tsukino sighed. Just two hours ago, her daughter had come home from a walk in the park with a huge smile on her face. Bubbling over with exicitement, she had told her mother that a friend of hers, older, of course, had invited her to borrow his beach house for the weekend, since Serena had told him how much she had needed to get away. At first, Ikuko's first thought was something along the lines of 'Over my dead body.' Then she realized how depressed and stressed her oldest daughter had seemed lately, and she had that exam next Friday. Ikuko agreed, hoping that this could cheer her daughter up and relax her enough to study well for the exam. There had been one condition: only if one of Serena's trustworthy friends could go, then she could go. Ikuko Tsukino wasn't leaving her attractive, mischevious teenage daughter alone, unsupervised at a beach condo. Apparently, all of her friends were busy. Ikuko would go, but she and Kenji had been planning this spa trip for their annerversary, which was this weekend. The phone rang, and Serena didn't pick it up. Ikuko sighed. She had probably cried herself to sleep. She picked up the white phone that hung on the kitchen wall. "Hello, Tsukino residence, Ikuko speaking." she said, and a cheerful voice with a Brooklyn accent answered her. "Hi, Mrs. Tsukino! This is Molly." "Hi, Molly! What can I do for you? I think Serena's asleep, if you wanted to talk to her." "Actually, I wanted to talk to you." The request didn't shock Ikuko for some strange reason, and the blue-black haired lady had a hunch that it would be about the beach. "Go ahead, Molly. You can always talk to me, you know that you're like a daughter to me!" Serena's best friend of 14 years was like a daughter to her, just as Serena probably was to Mrs. Baker. "It's about the beach." Molly took Mrs. Tsukino's silence as permission to continue. "I know how much Serena wanted to go, and I really wish I could, but my mom really wanted to take me to the resort this weekend. Anyway, have you ever met Darien Chiba?" Ikuko pondered for a moment. Darien... Serena often came home complaining about some guy by that name, but she'd heard about how he rescued Luna... "I think so, why?" "Well, it's his beach condo that she's borrowing, and I told Andrew about Serena's dilemma. Well, it turns out that Andrew and Darien are best friends... do you know Andrew Furuhata?" Molly asked innocently. "Yes, I know his mother, Jami, very well, she's an old friend of mine. And Andrew's a sweet boy." "Well, Andrew told Darien, and he got Darien to offer to take Serena, since she was so depressed. What do you think, Mrs. Tsukino?" Ikuko smiled into the phone. For some strange reason, she knew she'd let Serena go with this young man. She had never met him, and yet she trusted him. But, to keep her surrogate daughter in suspense for just a little bit longer... "I'd like to meet him first, Molly." "Got that covered, Ikuko-mama." Molly called Mrs. Tsukino by her pet name for her. "He should be arriving to talk to you any moment... is Mr. Tsukino there?" Ikuko laughed. "No, he isn't, and I think that's a good thing, since you know how he is about Serena and boys." Molly giggled, and the doorbell rang in the background. "I think Darien's here, Molly, thanks for everything. Bye, sweetie!" "Bye, Ikuko-mama!" Ikuko hung up the phone, smiling. SHe then went to her front door and opened it. There stood a burly young man with tattoos and a mean smile. Ikuko knew instantly that this was most definitley not Darien... Darien sighed, and walked towards the Tsukinos' decadent house, in the richer area of Juuban. He turned up the front walk, only to see a burly man in a leather biking vest shove an older woman into the house. Two things ran through his mind that moment. 'Serena's in danger!' 'Serena's family is in danger...' 'I think I'll leave Tuxedo Mask out of this, this wasn't a youma. No need to scare Mrs. Tsukino, either,' he quickly decided. With that, Darien crept up the walk, hiding in the shadows. He reached the window without detection. There, in the living room, Mrs. Tsukino was being bound in ropes by the man. "Who else is home with you, lady?" The woman shivered, and looked away, refusing to put her children in danger. "I SAID, who else is home?" The man went towards her, as if to slap her. Darien looked above him, and saw a balcony. 'I bet I could jump that!' he realized, and he did. Slipping upstairs, the first thing he did was silently check on Serena and her sibling. Her brother was sound asleep in front of the tv in his room, watching "Pokemon." Serena was also sound asleep, lying on top of her bed, curled in a ball, fresh tearstains on her cheeks. Darien resisted the strong urge to take her in his arms and run away with her to a safer place. He quietly shut the door and locked it before going downstairs. At the end of the stairwell, the man was standing in front of Mrs. Tsukino. He was holding a knife high in the air, prepared to slash. Darien let his instinct take over. He jumped fowards, tackling the guys with no warning, not even a yell. Karate class had really done a lot for him, he noted. He then knocked the guy out with a hit to the back of the head. The guy fell, and Mrs. Tsukino sighed as a siren sounded in the distance. At that point, Darien noticed the silent alarm button right next to the door. ***************************************************************** After the police had left, thankfully turning off their sirens so Serena and Sammy wouldn't wake up, Ikuko sighed, and turned back to the black haired man who had saved her family's life that night. "How can I ever thank you?" she asked. The young man smiled, and Ikuko noticed how handsome he was. It was a wonder that Serena didn't crush on him, or did she? It would be an explanation for the way she would rant on and on about him. She knew he was Darien, even though he hadn't told her yet. "You're Darien, aren't you, Andrew's friend. You own the condo, I heard." Darien nodded, smiling. "You must be Serena's older sister." he smiled again. Though he knew this was her mother, a little flattery never hurt. "You must be kidding! I'm Serena's mother, Ikuko. Just call me that, all of Serena's other friends do. Even Andrew does!" Darien laughed with her. "Serena's friend Molly called up and explained what was going on. At first I had my doubts, letting Serena go off with a strange boy, an older boy at that. But after tonight, and since you are Andrew's friend, I think that it would be fine!" Darien smiled again. "Thank you. I know how much this trip meant to Serena, Ikuko." she smiled at him. "Why don't we have a little fun and surprise Serena?" ****************************************************************** Serena sighed as she walked home from school, after another horrible day, She'd barely been able to avoid detention, but Mrs. Haruna kept her for lunch, anyway. Molly had left early, and Melvin had pestered her for the rest of the afternoon. Worst of all, Serena couldn't go to the beach... she sniffed, wondering how she would survive this weekend, alone at the house, with no friends. She reached her house, and gasped. In the driveway sat a sleek red sports car, a high quality, expensive looking one. 'I think Daddy's having another mid-life crisis... but.. Oh well!' Serena smiled, and stepped inside her house after admring the car. The house was dark, except for a silouette in the corner. A strong hand reached out, a rose clutched between his fingers. 'I'm having that dream again. Is Tuxedo Mask here?' Serena then noticed the green jacket sleeve. Only one person she knew had a green jacket sleeve like that and... Serena then found herself taking the rose, looking into the midnight blue eyes of Darien Chiba. 'I like this dream!' she thought with a sigh. He smiled, seeing the dreamy look on her face. 'She probably doesn't know who I am.' "Wake up, Meatball Head." the soft words caused Serena to come crashing back to Earth. Darien NEVER called her Meatball Head in her dreams... not that she had dreams about him. "Darien? Why are you in my house? Is that your car? Where are my parents? What's going on?" Serena's small face curled up into a look of confusion. "Your parents are at a spa on vacation, yes, that's my car, and I'm at your house to take you to the beach. You still do want to go, don't you?" Serena smiled at him, and for the second time in 24 hours, Darien found himself wrapped in a giant bear hug by the blonde goddess of Meatballs. Pushing her away after a moment of bliss, before he lost all control and kissed her right there and then, he smiled at her. She was giving him that dreamy smile, and Darien found his walls of control crumbling. Leaning down, he gently brushed his lips against her cheek, his lips touching smooth silk. He then straightened and gave her his infamous cocky smile. "Go get packed, Serena." Serena brushed her hand over from where he'd kissed her on her still-tingling cheek on her way upstairs. The simple kiss had caused electricity to flow through her body. His lips had been so soft, so smooth... Reaching her room, she sighed. 'Hmm. Well, I might want to bring a couple nice dresses, some bathing suits, normal beachwear... casual but sexy... Wait a sec, girl! This is the beach, not a seduction... right? Right?' She sighed. She had to admit, she liked being kissed by Darien. She couldn't wait to see what was in store for the beach. Ten long minutes later, a familiar blonde head struggled down the stairs. Darien laughed at the sight of the small girl trying to carry two large suitcases down the stairs. Girls. Andrew had warned him about it... "Can you stop laughing and gimme a hand?" Serena pouted from the stairs. Darien took a suitcase and groaned. "What did you pack in here? Your whole closet and all of your friends clothes too?" Darien stumbled a bit while taking them out to the car. "Just the essentials, Darien." Serena giggled. She had overpacked a bit, but she had to be prepared for all occasions. They both staggered out to the car, where Darien then miraculosly was able to cram her suit cases in the small trunk. Serena stood there, with a smile, and then skipped over to the passenger side door. Before she could even open it, though, there was a flash of green and black, which opened the door for you. "My lady." Darien gave a wry smile to match the teasing tone in his voice. Serena stared at him for a moment, trying to ignore those midnight blue eyes that were smiling down on her. She then slipped into the leather seat gracefully, and smiled back up at him. "Thank you, Milord." she stifled a giggle. The rest of the car ride was in silence, as Darien refused let Serena have control of the radio. He wasn't going to risk having to hear those horrible Backstreet Boys, which he had a feeling that Serena liked. Glancing over at the blonde beside him, he saw that she'd fallen asleep. Her blue eyes were hidden by slightly lavender eyelids. A small smile sat on her rosy lips, which tempted Darien. She looked so peaceful, so.. serene. 'So maybe the name does suit her on occasion.' he noted. She made a slight murmering sound in her sleep. "Tuxedo Mask.. don't go... I can't... do this without you..." Darien struggled to keep his compsure. 'Wait a second. Meatball Head is dreaming about ME?' Darien then realized that she didn't know it was him. Looking down at her, he saw that her pink lips had turned into a frown. Once again, Darien found himself admiring those curvy pink lips, and he literally had to shake his head to stop himself from kissing the frown away. 'Pay attention to the road. Now, why would Meatball Head be dreaming about Tuxedo Mask?!?' Darien knew that he had been dubbed 'the Most Romantic Guy', or at least, that's what all of the newspapers said. "The crystal! Please... Tuxedo Mask... she needs the crystal... help me find it!" Darien swerved to avoid another car. 'THE CRYSTAL?!?' His mind screamed at him. 'Why would Serena be looking for the crystal? Could the Princess have contacted her too? But why?' For a second, Darien noticed how much she looked like Sailor Moon... the "meatballs", her blue eyes, petite figure... 'But this is Serena, who can't even get a passing grade on a math test!' He told himself. 'Just concentrate on the road.' After what seemed to be eternity, Darien found himself pulling into the parking lot of the condominium complex. Smiling down at Serena, he realized that she still hadn't woken up, though she'd stopped crying out for Tuxedo Mask a long time ago. He decided to put the luggage in their rooms before waking her up. Lugging up his suitcase and her two large ones, he set them in the living room, before looking around the place. It looked almost like his apartment back in Tokyo. Impeccably neat, with a vase of roses on the table that never seemed to die. A small kitchen over there, and the two bedrooms, and the bathroom, straight ahead. Darien smiled, and decided to let Serena have the room with the balcony, though he normally used that room. Setting her two suitcases down in there, he glanced up at the painting on the wall, of a prince and a princess, with long hair wrapped up in buns, much like Serena's. He smiled, and then walked out of the room to go wake up Serena. When he reached the car again, he realized that she looked so peaceful, so happy. Leaning in closer, he saw that the peach skin under her eyes had been smudged with black. Darien was sure it wasn't make-up either. 'Why would she be so tired? Does she stay up late on the phone or something?' Before Darien knew exactly what he was doing, he picked up her small body, cradleing it so she wouldn't wake up. He then silently shut the door with one hand, and started to carry Serena up to the condominium, ignoring the thrashing in his heart, or the warmth of her body, or how he was tingling all over. The scene felt slightly... familiar to Darien, though he couldn't figure out why. She moaned in her sleep slightly, and nuzzled her head into Darien's chest. He froze, the warmth and electricity from her body seeping in to his. Shaking his head again, trying to clear away the thoughts of waking her up with a sweet kiss, tasting her for himself... and then being smacked. Serena would most likely smack him to Paris and back if he did that. 'The Princess! Concentrate on the Princess.' Darien shifted her weight in his arms, opening the door.Taking her to the bedroom, he laid her down on it, and covered her with a blanket. He then walked away before the last of his control crumbled. Serena woke up feeling warm and protected. She instantly knew she wasn't in her room, the bed wasn't as hard as hers. In fact, this one was just right. She breathed in deeply, and the scent of roses shocked her brain. It was the same smell as Darien. Serena couldn't help but smile at the thought of waking up to this smell every morning this weekend. Opening her eyes, she sat up and looked around. She was in a white bedroom, with a picture hanging on the far wall. A balcony was to her left, and a closet to her right, where both suitcases lay. 'Darien must have carried them up here. Wait, Darien must have carried ME up here!' The thought of being that close to Darien caused her heart to beat faster than it did after a normal fight with a youma. She closed her eyes, imagining herself in Darien's arms, him carrying her, then his lips moving closer to hers... A quiet knock on the door snapped Serena out of it. "Come in!" she called to it. Darien stepped inside. He smiled softly at her. "Hello, sleepy head." she looked at him, her messy buns swirling, making a flash of blonde surround her. "Hi. Thanks for carrying my suitcases up." she gave a shy smile. She took her hair down, and then started to brush it out, causing to rivers of gold to go cascading down her back, and onto the floor. He resisted the temptation to brush it for her, and watched her. She stood in front of the dresser, brushing her silky mane carefully, with a silver plated old-fashioned brush that she'd brought along. Darien walked over to her, until the fabric of his shirt was slightly brushing her back. She looked at his reflection in the air, and smiled softly at the picture they made. 'Wow. We look good together... he's so close...' she thought, while inhaling the dizzying scent of roses. She tried to ignore the timgles being sent up her back while the fabric of his white dress shirt brushed her back, sending jolts of electricity though the fabric of her school uniform. "Serena, how would you like to go to a club tonight." Darien broached the subject carefully, wondering how she'd react. There was a nice dance club near here, next to an equally extravagant restraunt. Her eyes lit up like they did when she saw a Twinkie waved in her face. "Really? You mean it?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with hope. "Sure, whatever you want to do this weekend!" He smiled down at her, and she looked up at him. Once again, Darien found himself resisting the urge to kiss her full lips. He stared into her blue eyes, two pools of tranquillity and happiness. "Er.. why don't you get ready." he whispered huskily, and she nodded, a flash of disappointment going through her eyes. She stood up shakily, her knees still half-melted from the long stare he'd given her.He walked out of the room so she could shower. Closing the door, he leaned against it and sighed. 'You've really got it bad for her.' Serena shook out her long mane, brushing the thin strands of hair out while looking at her reflection in the mirror. Her small body, wrapped in a blue, casual slip dress, seemed small and like a toy as she brushed her hair. It was an empty mirror, without Darien leaning against her like he did earlier. She closed her eyes, and remembered how the essence of roses swirled around her, how his midnight blue eyes pierced hers. For a second there, she thought he would kiss her. Oh, and how she had wanted him to kiss her. 'But,' Serena realized, 'he probably has a girlfriend alread.' Serena knew that Raye liked him, and that she'd be perfect for him. 'She's tall, dark, refined, beautiful, everything I'm not. She's gorgeous and smart and not a ditz.' Tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to spill over. 'STOP IT! You will not cry over him, you do not like him!' her mind tried to convince her breaking heart. She managed to blink back the tears as she finished putting up the last "meatball." She then proceeded to put on her blue beaded necklace that matched her earrings. She frowned, and whimpered when she found that she couldn't get it to fasten behind her neck. Finally, the little hook grasped onto the ring, and the necklace rested against her slightly tanned skin. Slipping her small feet into heeled sandals, she grabbed a small, white bottle, and spritzed the substance inside of it onto her neck. She then walked out of the bedroom, to the living room, where Darien was sitting, watching the tv. She caught his attention immediatley, when he saw the flash of blue and the scent of vanilla tickled his senses. She stood by her bedroom door, in a small, tight blue slip dress, short enough to accent her long legs. A band of blue beads sat under her throat, which made her tanned skin look tanner. Lilac coloured lips tempted his control. He smiled softly. "You look great, Meatball Head." He smiled, a soft smile, and I felt my insides melt. He was sitting on the couch in black dress slacks, and a white dress shirt, that showed off his tanned face. Blue eyes pierced her gaze, and black hair framed the face which Serena found haunting her memory. "You look great, Meatball Head." he told her, but the nickname didn't sound like a inult anymore. Instead, it sounded like a term of endearment. Serena smiled back at him. "Thanks. And let me remind you, they are not meatballs. They're buns." "Sure, Buns. What ever you say." Serena gasped, and then blushed deep red. "Buns?!?!" he laughed, and stood up, turning off the tv. "You ready to go, Serena?" She smiled, realizing that he'd just called her by name. Nodding softly, the girl stepped over to him, and he opened the door out of the apartment. Dinner had been a dream at the nearby restraunt, where they ate Italian and laughed while teasing each other. Then, they'd finished dinner, and Darien had brought her here, to this club. They walked in, as Britney Spears' "Crazy" boomed from the speakers. Serena, feeling dareful, grabbed his hand. "C'mon!" she shouted joyfully over the loud music, pulling him towards the dance floor. Young women stared enviously at the blonde, who had the privledge of dancing with him. They swayed to the music, while Serena shouted at him, trying to have a conversation. "Come here much?" "No!" he yelled back at her. "This is my first time here!" she giggled, and bounced happily in tune with the music. He smiled down at the vivacious blonde in front of him, who was attracting the attention of many men. Darien swore that if any of them came NEAR his Serena, that they'd find an iron- tipped rose sticking in their chest. The song rapidly changed, to that with slow, soft guitar acoustics. Serena looked at him nervously, biting her lip. Darien looked at her soft face, those blue eyes staring at him like that, and flung all caution to the wind. The next thing Serena knew was that he was holding her close, his arm wrapped around her waist possesivley. She leaned close, into his chest, and wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing in the intoxicating scent of roses. She felt warm, and every touch, every brush of fabric sent tingles up her spine. She sighed happily. You are, my fire My one, desire Believe, when I say That I want it that way. They swayed to the music, Darien's hands wrapped protectivley around her slender waist. She smelled of vanilla and lavender, from her shampoo. Her body was so warm, so close... But we, are two worlds apart, can't reach to your heart, when you say that I want it that way. Tell me why Ain't nothing but a heartache Tell me why Ain't nothing but a mistake Tell me why I never wanna hear you say I want it that way. Serena looked into his eyes, which were midnight blue. The sight of them sent her heart into overdrive. Am I, your fire Your one, desire Yes I know, it's too late But I want it that way Tell me why Ain't nothing but a heartache Tell me why Ain't nothing but a mistake Tell me why I never wanna hear you say I want it that way. Darien looked into her eyes, which had been staring into his for what seemed like forever. The last vestiges of his control crumbled, and his head started to lean down, getting closer and closer to hers every second. Now I can see that we're falling apart From the way that we used to be No matter the distance, I want you to know that deep down inside of me... Serena gasped as his head came closer to hers. She licked her lips, and closed her eyes... You are, my fire My one, desire You are... Someone bumped into Darien, and he opened his eyes, growling. She stumbled back, and snapped her eyes open. They stared at each other for a moment, and tried to find the words they wanted to say. Cuz I want it that way. ******************************************************************** Okay, how was that for part two? No kisses yet, my dears, I'm sorry, this must be torture. Anyway, the song you just read was "I want it that way" by the Backstreet Boys. Gotta say, Nick is a hottie. I seem to have a thing for blonds. NEway, if you value your life, you will email me at amethyst@tuxedomask.com Luv ya and God Bless Amethyst ~^_^~ Hi guys! It's me, Amethyst, your local insane fanficer/web-mistress/ future ruler of the universe. . Neway, I got tired of torturing you and Serena and Darien, so in this chapter we get a little action. Don't worry, my fic will still be PG-13. ^_^ Also, there are going to be enough songs in here to drive you insane. I just got the Jennifer Lopez cd, and you have to buy it. And, Nate, no, she's not hot. And she IS engaged to Puffy. =P Oh yeah, there's a sunscreen scene in her just like in Alicia Blade's royal flush,but... different. Sorry, Alicia, I just thought that that was the best scene and it was too tempting. Gomen. Hi to Bridgita, Oniisan, and Zarah. Bridgita, I'm making you my official muse/cheerleader. He he. I don't own Sailor Moon, or Jennifer Lopez Capeesh? PLEASE read "Secrets of the wind", okay? thanks! Luv ya! ******************************************************************** ~The Wonders of Flaming Pancakes~ Serena groaned, and opened her eyes, inhaling the scent of roses. The scent of Darien. Part of her would never get used to waking up like this, and the other part of her found it strangely familiar. She smiled slightly, and rubbed her big blue eyes. Her mind flashed back to last night, how they were so close, how his head started to sink towards hers. She cursed the man who'd bumped into her, ruining the moment. 'If that klutz had been watching where he was going, Darien would have kissed me!' She sat up, shaking her head of that thought. 'No. This is Darien. You don't want him to kiss you. Right? RIGHT?' her mind screeched at her heart. But Serena couldn't lie to herself anymore. Darien had done something to her, and she really LIKED whatever he'd done. These new, confusing feelings that swirled through her body delighted her. She could only hope Darien felt the same thing. She streched, as she stood, and grabbed a bathrobe that she'd laid on her chair. She most certainitly wasn't going out in a pair of boxer shorts and a princess tank top. She slipped out the door, looking around the condo, past the tv area, and into the kitchen area, where Darien was cooking something. He was wearing a wifebeater tank, (which, Serena noted, showed off his very nice, muscular chest, shoulders, and back) and khaki shorts, the kind that you could buy at the Gap for 32 bucks and Abercrombie and Fitch for 100. (AN: Sorry, just being a brat) He looked over at her, and Serena metally kicked herself to keep from melting. "Mornin', Sunshine. Or, should I say, Afternoon?" his teasing tone was familiar to Serena. "Ha ha ha. It's not that late, is it?" She glanced at the clock "Only 11:30? God, I'm up early today!" Darien stifled a chuckle, and concentrated on the pancakes, before looking back at Serena. A white robe, silk- like and just barely see-through covered her long legs, small, slender waist, and fragile shoulders. He could just barely see the svelte silohoutte through the material, thanks to an appropriatley placed sunbeam. A tank top, one of those kinds that girls wore to bed (read: VERY tight and *ahem* skimpy) that said "Princess" in pink writing on it. 'Fitting,' he thought, and then tore his eyes away from the figure to look at the girl. Her hair was down, cascading past her feet, making her look like a Goddess. Her blue eyes were only half awake, and she still managed to look good. She crept over to the bar, and sat down on the stool, putting her head in her arms. He smiled, and watched her. He walked over to behind her, and just stood there, the front of his shrit brushing against hers. She didn't notice a thing, and Darien found himself mindlessly staring at her long hair, falling down her back like a river of gold. He had the sudden; urge to touch it, just reach out and stroke it, comb his fingers through the endless gold strands. She tensed, then realxed, when she found strong fingers combing through her hair, playing with the strands, brushing the tangles that had formed while she slept. She smiled, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks, and she found herself feeling.... safe. She felt warm and protected, and calm. Slowly, she raised her head to look at his, and found sapphire orbs staring into hers. 'Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. No, Serena, sweetie, BREATHE!' She found her mind reminding her, but the breath caught in her throat. Their heads began to come together, and Serena closed her eyes, licking her lips unconciously. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!! The shrill bell of a smoke detector broke them apart, and Serena's first thought was: 'This had better be good!' She then glanced over at the stove, where a flaming pancake burned in it's pan. "HOLY !! MY GOD, WHAT THE HAPPENED! AWW, !" Darien bolted from where he held Serena and over to the stove, grabbing a dishtowel before throwing it on the stove, over the pancake. The flame went out, and Serena, finally out of her state of shock, coughed from the smoke while running around, opening windows and screen doors. She looked over at Darien, who was shaking his head while looking at the pancake's remains. "You get that one!" she chirped. Darien sighed, and looked over at Serena, who was struggling with the beach chair and bag that she'd insisted she carried on the way to the beach. Her left foot fell in a hole that some kid had dug the night before and not re- filled well, and she tripped, landing in the sand. The black haired young man smirked, and then extended a hand to her. "Need help, Meatball Head?" She growled. "I can get up perfectly fine on my own, Darien!" She picked her small frame up out of the sand, and brushed her white button up shirt off and khaki shorts. "I just thought that here would be a good place to put our stuff!" He rolled his eyes. "Yeah right." He then looked. The spot was far enough away from the water not to get drenched at high tide, but not that far so that it was a long walk up the beach. It was only half-full today, despite the fact that the sun was shining clearly, and the water was nice and warm. "It is a good spot, though." He agreed, and Serena looked at him, shocked. "Did you just agree with me?" He glared at the blonde. "Just be quiet and help me set up the umbrella." She flopped back on the blanket, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Phew. It's so hot out. I'm definitley ready for a swim!" She bolted up in a flash, and started to unbutton her shirt. Pulling it off, she revealed a low cut pink Hawaiian print bikini top, sculpted stomach that resulted from 50 sit-ups a day (at Luna's insistence), and tanned skin that streched over slender curves. Slipping off her khakis, boy cut trunks that matched the top was revealed, along with long, tanned legs. Darien balked at the angel standing there in front of him. She bit her lip and looked nervously at him. 'Darien, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.' He tore his eyes away from her, and began to unbutton his white shirt. It was her turn to gasp. If she had thought he'd looked good in a wifebeater, then.... 'DAMN! He's got an 8 pack!' Serena found herself reminding her lungs to breathe. She stared at the musuclar older man, and he looked over at her. She snapped back to reality (not entirely willingly), and smiled weakly at him. His muscular, tanned chest shone in the sunlight, and Serena felt her knees turn to jelly. She gulped, and smiled weakly at him. "Do you have any sunscreen?" ~The joys of sunscreen~ He watched, trying not to laugh, as the petite blonde in front of him was desperately trying to reach her back and put sunscreen on it. No matter how flexible Serena was, though, she couldn't reach the part of her back that was most painful to be burned. "Here, Sere, let me help." Serena looked at him, and he realized what he'd just said. "Er, sorry, Serena." "No, no. Actually, I liked you calling me Sere. Andrew and Molly called me that when I was a kid, but then Molly switched schools for a bit and Andrew grew up..." she trailed off, realizing she was babbling. It was just too weird, though, almost like she'd heard him call her Sere before. *Flashback!* "Sere, you know I'd never let them hurt you!" The dark haired man reassured her, his blue eyes shimmering in the moonlit sky. *Flash* Darien grabbed the small pink bottle from Serena's hand, and poured a little bit of the lotion in his hand. 'Okay, Darien, remember, you and her are JUST friends. You will NOT lose control. Pretend she's.... Mimi from Drew Carey Show. She is NOT Sere.' his mind reminded him, and his strong hands tentavley touched the soft skin of her back. Her blue eyes flew wide open, and then shut, as the hands began to gently massage the oil in. She bit her lip, trying to keep the groan building up in her throat to stay there. Her skin felt like it was on fire, her heart felt like she'd just done the Mile Run for PE. 'Serena! Stay in control! You aren't going to surrender, capeesh? Sere!' Her mind screamed at her, and then realized it's mistake. It had called her Sere. Even though Serena didn't like it, she was falling hard and fast for Darien. 'Serena, Bunny, this is the guy that you love to HATE! The concited jerk? The really hot snobby college guy with sapphire eyes you could melt in and those chiseled features and....' At that point, Darien moved closer so that Serena's back was pressing against his hard stomach, and his hands moved to carress her stomach, carved and small. Serena gasped slightly, and there were no more thoughts. She couldn't quite feel her body anymore, and she felt lightheaded. His breathing had sped up a bit, and Serena imagined the lips that were hovering dangerously close to her ear kissing it, maybe even nibbling on her earlobe... She shivered at the thought, and the small movement brought the both of them to their senses. Bang. Serena was at one end of the blanket, Darien at the other. They stared at each other, until a unidentified flying object landed between them on their blanket. Serena looked at the white frisbee, and wondered where it came from. She then saw the lettering on the front, which read, 'Carpe Diem.' 'Seize the day? Oh my God... is this some sort of conspiracy?' Darien looked up at the heavens, and wondered if Sere knew what it meant. He looked at her paled face, which was staring warily at the frisbee, almost like it was going to get up and do a little dance for her. "Oh, there it is. Fiona, I found it!" A petite blonde haired girl was standing there, and Darien seemed to know her from somewhere. He shrugged it off, and picked up the frisbee. "Is this yours?" "Yeah, thanks. Sorry 'bout that. My sister can't throw for crap." The girl stuck her tounge out at a brunette, who was standing next to Fiona, a redhead. She then grabbed the frisbee, and took off, waving over her shoulder. "Aimee, throw it to Elena!" Fiona yelled, and Darien shook off the feeling of deja vu, and turned back to Serena. Aimee skipped over to the blond guy, and handed him the frisbee. "Tell me again, Andrew, why you wanted me to throw that?" she asked, batting her eyelashes innocently at the guy. Aimee had learned that to get info from people, act innocent, and flirtatious if said person happened to be a guy. The redhead next to him rolled her eyes, and in a New York accent said: "Because their meant for each other, DUH!" Aimee rolled her eyes. "Whatever." SHe stalked off, over to her sisters. ~Poker.... the other white meat~ "Hit me." "OW! Not funny, Sere!" The blonde in front of him giggled, her long hair, still damp from the day's swimming, hanging limply over her shoulders. She then passed him the two cards, and Darien looked at the cards in his hands. Hmm... "We're betting which cd gets to play next, right?" she asked, looking at the man, while chewing her lip nervously. He grinned. 'So, the little bunny has a bad hand? Well, then.' his mind grinned evilly, matching the one on his face. It was an almost predatory grin, and Serena shivered at it, just the look in his eyes making her heart speed up and her stomach go on 'spin dry'. "If you win, Sere, you can play... Jennifer Lopez." Serena smiled slightly, and Darien then caught the dangerous look in her eyes. "And if you win, you can listen to.... Silverchair." Darien raised his eyebrow. Serena hated Silverchair, she called it depressing. And that's when he realized what the look in her eyes meant. He laid down his cards, 3 Kings, 0ne Ace, and a Queen. Her delicate fingers than laid down her cards. Darien gulped. "Full house," she grinned, and indeed it was. 'Whoever knew the Meatball Head had it in her.' She skipped over to the cd player, and put on Jennifer Lopez, not noticing the "shuffle" sign blinking. And that was when "Could this be Love?" started to play. 'If you only knew What I've been going through Waiting and wanting you Could this be love?' The soft music played, and Serena nervously went back to her place next to Darien. She shuffled the cards, and then squeaked in pain. "Sere, what's wrong?' Darien asked worriedly. "Nothing, just a papercut." She extended her finger for him to see, and a small spot of blood had appeared. Before Darien even knew what he was doing, he caught her finger in his lips, his intention being to kiss the blood away. However, the meaning of this gesture suddenly blasted into his brain as Serena gasped. 'How, tell me how will I know, Will my heart make believe it so? Or can I trust the way I feel If you could read my mind You see how hard I've tried Still I can't decide.' His tounge gently carressed her finger, licking away the blood. Serena shivered in delight, electricity running up her spine. He released the finger, and they stared at each other. Darien felt his control crumbling, and threw all caution to the wind. He pulled the tiny blonde into his arms. She looked at him, and closed her eyes, lavender folds of skin covering the blue. Her pink lips were slighlty parted, and just begging to be kissed. 'If you only knew, What I've been going through, Waiting and wanting you, could this be love? Oh, tell me could this be love?' His lips caught hers, and a jolt of electricity flowed through them as the chaste kiss carried on for a couple moments. Serena felt her breathe slip away, and decided that she really didn't care. Her mind faded, her thoughts slipped away, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, noting how this felt so right. So incredibly warm. Her knees gave out, and Darien held her tighter, closer to him, their bodies fitting perfectly together. The pressure on her mouth increased, and Serena opened her mouth, letting him taste her. She tasted like peaches and cream, which, Darien decided, was now his favorite food. They stood there for a moment, kissing each other deeply, until, their need for breath was too great, and he drew away, butterfly kissing her closed eyelids. She smiled, and held him tightly as his kisses blazed a trail down her neck, buring themselves in her throat. "Sere..." He murmered before tipping her back, and Serena moaned, wondering how Darien had managed to do this to her. How he could make her feel this way. 'Please, God, don't let this end!' she thought, afraid it was a dream, a wish, a figment of her overactive imagination. Finally, his lips moved back up to hers, and they stayed like that for awhile. ~What Dreams May Come~ They kissed most of the evening away, until they found themselves smoothing out the wrinkles in their clothes, and blushing, then scurrying off to bed. The next morning came for Serena all too quickly. She was dreaming, that she was in a gown like a princess', wearing Sailor Moon's tiara, and holding her school books. Three men stood in front of her. The first, a man in shining armour, smiled at her lovingly. "Serenity, you know you love me, your Endymion... do you remember me, love?" She nodded, and started to step torwards the prince. "Wait! Sailor Moon, what about me? The one who always saves you in the nick of time?" Tuxedo Mask stepped out of the shadows, and Serena felt her heart tugging towards him. She stepped towards him, until one more voice stopped her. "Sere, what about me?" Darien Chiba appeared, and Serena's eyes pooled with tears. Which one? How could she choose, between her prince, her savior, and Darien? How? "Serenity, Serena, Sailor Moon." A woman appeared, in a white dress with silver hair, done in "meatballs" just like Serena's. The symbol of the Moon was on her forehead, and Serena gasped. 'The queen!' "Follow your heart, and you shall find your true love." The queen then disappeared, leaving a fallen Serena, sobbing on the ground. Darien found himself having a similar dream. He was fighting alongside Sailor Moon, and he turned,thinking all was well, and leaped up to leave, when three screams pierced the air. He turned, and the youma was launching spikes at three girls, all petite blondes, with their hair done in the same style. One was wearing a long white dress, and the Moon symbol was on her forehead. "Endymion...." she whispered, terror apparent in her voice. The next girl was in a short blue sailor skirt, and a pretty pink wand was in her hand. "Tuxedo Mask!" she cried, terrified also, begging for her saviour. The last girl was in a sailor style blue uniform, and all of her energy was drained. She turned weakly to look at him, and whimpered, "Darien, don't let me die!" He could only save one. Darien woke up shivering and worried. He knew what he had to do. He had to choose. ******************************************************************** The LAST part is coming up soon, guys! yay! NEways, please send me fanfic at amethyst@tuxedomask.com Love, Chocolate, and Peace be with you Amethyst A Break from Reality Pt.4a By Amethyst amethyst@tuxedomask.com hey there! Thanks to everyone who emailed me!!!! Keep 'em coming, people! this is Part 4A of the conclusion to this mini-saga. Remember, I live for feedback. Also, please read "Secrets of the Wind" at A Sailor Moon Romance, I'd really be honoured if you did and told me what ya thought. That's all folks! Ja ne! Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. If you want to sell it to me for free, I'd be happy to buy it. ANd I don't own Savage Garden, either. ************************************************************************ Serena streched out in her bed, sighing as the sun hit her face. Her sleep that night had been filled with nightmares, covered with torturous dreams. She looked at her sleepy reflection in the mirror, inhaling Darien's scent as she climbed out of bed. She knew what choice she had to make. She knew what she had to choose. She knew that this couldn't be. She opened the door out of the bedroom, and saw Darien sitting there, on the couch, and he smiled softly at her. 'God, just for today.... let me and Darien be together. Please God, please!' she silently pleaded. He walked over to her, enveloping her mouth in a searing kiss. "Morning." he whispered huskily against her lips. She sighed. "Darien, this can't..." he silenced her with another kiss, capturing her pink lips again. "I know..." he kept kissing her, though, neither of them had the control to stop. She scared him, the power she held over him, the way she could make his body act against his mind's will. She loved him, he knew that, even though she was turning him down- the kisses told all. They were sweet kisses, that caused his stomach to twist in amazing ways. But he wasn't ready for love. It scared him, the thought of this strong emotion that tortured him. His Dream Princess was safe to love, his Serenity. She would never hurt him, as Serena would. There were so many other men who would want her, what was the chance of his lovely Serena to want him over all of them? And Sailor Moon could be his rival, his enemy, when it came to the Silver Crystal. No, she wasn't safe to love either. It was so much easier, safer to love a dream, a beautiful dream princess who he would probably never meet, but, at least then, she couldn't hurt him. 'But for today,' he decided, 'until I pull up in front of Serena's, she's mine. Just for today.' Serena purred as he kissed the skin under her earlobe. Thoughts swirled through her mind, thoughts about her choice. She'd chosen her Prince, her Endymion. He wouldn never cast her out in the cold, he would never leave her. He was safe, he didn't cause her stomach to twist and turn like this, her knees to shake and give out just with a simple touch. He would never be like Tuxedo Mask, the possible enemy that she couldn't trust, according to Luna. Her Endymion was safe to love, it was a dream, a dream that might never come true. But it was a safe dream, either way. 'But for today, I'm Darien's. Just for today.' "Just for today." Darien murmered against her lips, and she nodded slightly. "For today.... then..." she kissed her neck "we go back..." kiss "to reality...." kiss. Reality, what a blissful word. But a doubt haunted her mind. 'Could we ever go back to normal?' "And we stare each other down like victims in the grind Probing all the weakness and hurt still left behind and we cry The tears of pearls We do it. Oh we do it. Is love really the tragedy the way you might describe? Or would a thousand lovers still leave you cold inside? Make you cry... These tears of pearls All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls Stolen pearl devotions we keep locked away from all the world Your kisses are like pearls, so different and so rare But anger stole the jewels away and love has left you bare, Made you cry... These tears of pearls Well I could be the tired joker pour my heart to get you in Sacrifice my happiness just so I could win Maybe cry... These tears of pearls All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls Stolen pearls devotions we keep locked away from all the world We twist and turn where angels burn Like fallen soldiers we will learn That once forgotten, twice removed Love will be the death... The death of you All these mixed emotions we keep locked away like stolen pearls Stolen pearls devotions we keep locked away from all the world" --"Tears of Pearls" By Savage Garden ************************************************************************ Darien pulled up in front of the Tsukino's two story house. Her parents and Sammy weren't home yet, so now Serena had time to herself before they arrived. During the day, when they weren't kissing, Darien had told her about himself, about the orphanage and his parents, about how he was alone. Serena had cried then, and it amazed him how big and beautiful her heart was. She told him about her life, and he tutored her in math a bit. They went shopping and ate an early dinner before he drove them back to Tokyo.... back to reality. He looked over at the sleeping angel in the seat next to him, and he felt his heart wrentch in pain at the realization that this was their last seconds as Serena and Darien. Her pink lips were slightly parted and begging to be kissed. He leaned over and wrapped his arms possessively around her waist, before kissing her gently. "Sere..." he murmered, and she opened her eyes to see sapphire orbs gazing into her baby blue ones. "Darien..." "Ready to go back to reality?" he asked, and her eyes became sad. He wanted to kiss her again, to grab her and say that he wanted to continue seeing her forever, to ignore his mind and go with his heart's cries. She reached up and brushed a raven-black strand of hair out of his eyes. "Not quite yet," she murmered before pulling his head down to her height, and kissed him soundly, throughly, their tounges playing. After a long moment of bliss, they parted, and Serena got out of the car. "See ya around, Meatball Head." Darien said sadly, and she nodded. Her blonde head hung as she walked inside the house, and Darien stared at the closed door for a moment, touching his lips with his fingers. "Sere..." he breathed. "Why does this feel so... wrong?" Serena leaned her head against the closed door. Crystal tears flooded down her cheeks, and she felt like she'd torn part of her heart out and left it at the condo, and left the rest of it in the car with him. It wasn't right, making her choose like this. Oh God, why did he make her feel like this? Why? "Why do I feel like I made the wrong choice?" she cried brokenly to the empty house, and silence only answered. "Well don't you know I need a little indulgence? Listen to the hunter becoming hunted Every day there's a million advances Don't be too forceful, you'll ruin your chances Well don't you know that time is a broken glass That splinters against the wall? But the picture is coming back now baby, And I want to take it all Don't go making all these promises you know you cannot keep There's a time to play a king and a time to be the thief 'Cause if you're making all these promises you know you cannot keep You know time will be the thief and your fallen king will end up alone So let you're body move a little bit closer Silent like the sound proceeding a cyclone Don't you know that powerful thinking Can be a force you don't want to relinquish? Well don't you know that, They say that hanging on will justify the wait? But patience and elated wisdom don't share a common phrase Don't go making all these promises you know you cannot keep There's a time to play a king and a time to be the thief 'Cause if you're making all these promises you know you cannot keep You know time will be the thief and your fallen king will end up alone Well, I'm only hanging on for what goes down I'm floating high and my feet don't touch the ground I'd take advantage but I can't see through this charade So don't you, don't go make it harder than hell 'Cause when it comes down to the making You better be damned sure you can take it Hey baby Well dont go making all these promises you know you cannot keep There's a time to play a king and a time to be a thief 'Cause if your making all these promises you know you cannot keep You know time will be the thief and your fallen king will end up alone Time will be the thief and your fallen king will end up... A fool, a fool, a lonely sorry fool Oh baby, 'cause I told you baby" -- "Promises" by Savage Garden... yeppers I'm on an SG kick. ************************************************************************ go to pt. 4b and be ashtonished!!!!! A Break From Reality Pt. 4b By Amethyst amethyst@tuxedomask.com See Part 4a for all disclaimers and shout outs. Rated PG-13 for kissing action and language. Oh yeah, I threw Mina in here a week early. Raye has NO relationship with Darien, and never did. Zoicite has 3 crystals, Darien 2 and Serena 2. Oh yeah, and I use the term "lover" in here. THINK LITERAL! I'm 14, for Kami's sake, you hentai bakas! I don't DO that!!! Sapphire: Oh really? Ame: Shut up, you little blue haired freak, before I use the Moon Wand on you. Damn muse. ************************************************************************ Three weeks had passed since that fateful weekend, three weeks of avoiding Darien like the plague, Serena realized. Three weeks of infinite torture and Hell. Every time she asw his face, and they had to act like they didn't have these feelings for each other ripped Serena's heart into tinier pieces than they were from the last time. Only one time, last week, had Serena and Darien met and not torn each other apart. That was last Thursday, when Serena, Mina, Lita, Amy, and Raye had been walking in the park. Serena had been in an extremely good mood because of her 80 (!) that she'd gotten on her math final. Serena had seen Darien stalking across the bridge, into the more secluded areas of the park, and Serena had told the girls she wanted a drink of water, and followed him while the rest of them went towards the tennis courts to watch Molly's friend, Katie, play. Serena crept over to Darien, making sure no one else was around before covering his eyes with her hands and whispering, "Guess who?" in his ear. Darien had immediatley frozen when he felt the small body press against his back, the tiny hands cover his eyes, and that little voice whisper in his ear, ticking the skin and causing his stomach to unwillingly tighten. He turned. "Serena, what are you doing here?" he asked while prying the fragile hands away from his eyes with his own. He glanced at the girl, who was wearing a pair of short jean shorts and a tank top... Darien found himself envisioning this angel back at the beach again. Serena blushed when she noticed how dark Darien's eyes had become, with that strange singlemindedness that both scared and delighted her. He hadn't let go of her hands, and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to. Her stomach was doing flip flops and electricity was roraing through her veins. He dropped one of her hands to gently rest his large one on her cheek. "Is there something going on, Sere?" she nodded, and used her free hand to reach in her pocket and bring out the exam paper. He getnly took it from her, his hand vacating her cheek, leaving it tingling and cold. "An 80?" he whispered, and Serena realized her mistake. "I know it's nothing big to you, I mean, you get 100's all the time. It was stupid of me to show it to you, actually, I'm sorry to bother you, Darien." she backed away, turning rapidly on her heel so he couldn't see the tears brimming in her eyes. A large hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, keeping her frozen in place. "Sere, I didn't mean to insult you. I'm very proud of you, in fact. Extremely proud of you." she stayed there, frozen, and, with a flick of the wrist, he spun her around so her watery blue eyes could gaze into his. She looked at the ground, and Darien sighed. "Sere, don't be like that. I really am proud." she started to look at him, blushing, and his fingers gently cupped her chin, lifting it up the rest of the way so their eyes gazed into each other. His thumb caressed her lips, and Serena gasped at the gesture. His eyes were that dark blue again, she shivered, and at that small movement, Darien's arms were possessivley wrapped around her waist, his lips ravaging hers. They stayed like that for a couple moments, passionatley kissing, until they broke away. Within seconds Darien's warmth had vanished from her body, and he was walking away. Tears were brimming in her eyes, and Serena couldn't help but ask herself a single question. 'Did I make the wrong choice?' "Oh, God, did I?" Serena asked in the present, and a low rumble of thunder answered her just as Mina and Lita walked in her room. "Did you what?" Mina chirped "Oh, uh, nothing!" Serena began to examine her white carpet, and Mina and Lita cast knowing glances at each other. When Serena had kissed Darien in the park that day, they'd been wandering around looking for her, and the two had seen it. They'd both agreed not to mention it to Serena. "She'll tell us when she'd ready," a suprisingly grown-up sounding Mina had said. "C'mon, girl, let's go!" Lita pulled Serena up off the floor, and Serena cast them a bewildered look. "Huh?" "Don't tell me you've forgotten?!? The Moon Gala! Ya know, the really fancy dance Sarah Beech's father holds every year and WE got invited to?" Mina screeched. "Oh, yeah, that." "Cheer up, girl! Maybe your dream guy, Tuxedo Mask, will be there!" Lita smiled, and Serena only pouted more. They sighed, and hauled her towards the door. "Raye and Amy are waiting, c'mon, let's GO!" ************************************************************************ Darien had no idea as to why he was here. These gala things just weren't his idea of a good time. In fact, he'd only become for three reasons. One, lots of people= youma attack. Two, it would help his medical career, since Sarah's father was the head surgeon at Tokyo Memorial Hospital. Three, Sarah and Serena were friends. He was secretly hoping for her to appear at the dance. And so far, no Serena. A song by those Savage Garden people started, "Carry On Dancing", and Darien looked at the door again, and his breath caught in his throat. Serena entered tha main ball room feeling nervous. All her friends had had dates to this, and she was stuck alone. A couple guys that she'd normally would have said yes to had asked her, but they weren't who she wanted. 'They weren't Darien.' Her dark blue gown rustled as it brushed against the floor. It was a spaghetti strap style evening gown, made of navy blue silk that shimmered when she moved. Her buns had dark blue beads wrapped around them, and dark blue silk gloved reached up her arms, until about an inch past her elbows. She looked good, she knew that much. Suddenly, she felt a pair of eyes burning into her back. She spun around, and saw Darien standing about 20 feet behind her. Their gazes met, and Darien began to step forwards. "The moonlight... Shines down interstellar beams." Darien's strong arms gently encircled her waist, his tuxedo looking so perfect on his muscular body. She gasped, and looked into his eyes as he danced with her. "And the groove tonight Is something more than you've ever seen The stars and planets taking shape A stolen kiss come too late..." She was suddenly spun out from Darien, and then pulled back in by his strong arms so her bare back was pressed against his strong stomach. She looked up at him, and saw his dark eyes with a mischevious glint in them. "Darien..." she whispered. "In the Moonlight Carry on, keep romaning carry on, carry on dancing In the Moonlight Carry on, keep romaning carry on, carry on dancing" He smiled at her, while dancing, noting that they were probably putting on quite a show. (An: Think "Mask of Zorro." ;D) 'This feels so right, so perfect, she's perfect in my arms, she's my angel, my goddess.' At that point, Darien realized that he'd made the wrong choice. "You're never safe 'till you see the dawn And if the clock strikes... past midnight the hope is gone To move under the..." Raye, Chad, Amy, and Greg were walking up in the balcony areas when Amy gasped, and looked down. There was Serena and Darien, dancing happily with each other. Raye felt like she was about to choke on her soda. "Oh my GOD!" she managed to keep her voice down. "Since when did SERENA and DARIEN dance like THAT?!?" "I have no idea." Amy replied quietly. "In the Moonlight Carry on, keep romaning carry on, carry on dancing In the Moonlight Carry on, keep romaning carry on, carry on dancing Move. Closer. Passion. Stronger." Darien suddenly tipped Serena back, so her only support was the strong arms wrapped around her waist. She clung tightly to the back of his jacket, and he gently brushed his lips with hers, for just a fleeting moment. "There's a magic only two can tell In the dark night Ultra violet is a wicked spell The stars and planets taking shape A stolen kiss has come too late... In the Moonlight Carry on, keep romaning carry on, carry on dancing In the Moonlight Carry on, keep romaning carry on, carry on dancing Moving on... moving all night." The song ended, and Darien released Serena. She was still partially in shock, and Darien took this to his advantage, that damned glint still in his mind. He drew her close and whispered in her ear like a lover would. "11 o'clock, in the rose garden, by the fountain." And then, he was gone, leaving a starstruck Serena. Watching the whole scene was Molly, Andrew, Mina, and Lita, who'd been let in on the whole plan when Lita had told Andrew about their kiss. ("It was those eyes..." she explained later to Mina about spilling the secret) The senshi of Love smiled at the two. "We're GOOD!" "Who was the one who requested "Carry On Dancing?"" Lita asked. "Okay, you're good. But we set them up." Molly shot back. "True." "Hey guys, what are we going to do about them later? I believe I heard them say something about the rose garden at 11." Andrew queried, and Mina grinned evilly. "Just leave it up to me." (Sapphire's Note: Oh, God, there goes the neighborhood. Ame: QUIET YOU! GET OUT OF HERE! *chases him away with a broom*) Darien was standing by the fountain at 11:02, and waiting. She was two minutes late. He sighed, hoping her nitwit friends hadn't seen them dancing and kept her for interrogation. Suprisingly enough, no one else was in the gardens. Suddenly, a flash of blonde came running up to him. Her dress tripped her when she stepped on it, and he leapt forwards, catching her before she could hit the ground. "Sorry. Raye and Amy saw us dancing, and, well... if Mina hadn't told them to mind their own business I'd still be in there." he smiled. "Darien, remember how I told you it couldn't ever be?" "Yes." "Well, there were two other guys who wanted me to date them." Well, techinically they did, Serena thought. "One I have a major history with, and one is always there for me. However, I don't think I made the right choice." "Who did you choose?" "The guy with the history." "Oh. Who do you think you should have chosen." "You." the soft reply came, and Serena was once again bowing her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. 'I've blown it, he'd never want me, a stupid high school girl! He's Darien Chiba, the rich boy who has pick of any girl! Why would he choose me?!?' Strong arms encircled her waist, and Serena looked up in surprise. "Sere." he breathed, and closed his eyes, leaning his head towards hers. He kissed her, powerfully, hungrily, stealing the breath from her. When they finally broke apart, he breathed a question that spun Serena out of control. "Do you love me?" She gasped. 'If I tell you the truth, you'll hate me, laugh at me, tell me how silly I am. If not, I could lose you... oh, God, what do I do?' He noted the frozen look of fear on her face, and kissed her neck tenderly, laying her down on a stone bench. "Sere, please tell me." he nipped her earlobe, and all thought flooded from her mind. "Darien, I love you..." She didn't realize that she'd spoken the words until he tensed, and froze. She was trapped, the stone bench below her, his strong body above her. She looked into his eyes, afraid of what she might see. But she had too. So she looked. They were filled with love, and passion, and lust, but mostly love. He leaned down, and seized her lips again, kissing her with a genle force that made her head spin. "Sere, I love you too." she gasped, and looked at him before kissing him. "Aww, how cute! Hand it over, Moon Girl." the wry, feminine voice broke between them. 'Zoicite.' Serena's mind registered, and she looked at the general. Darien froze and stood up, not quite understanding. "Hand what over? Serena, do you know this girl?" 'That's right,' Darien thought, 'play it dumb.' "Uh, no, no, of course not!" Serena stammered, the lie obvious. 'How does Zoicite know who I am?' she wondered fearfully, clinging onto Darien's sleeve. 'What is SHE doing, mixing with Zoicite?' "Whatever you say, Sailor Moon." Darien gasped, and Serena blushed. "Just give me the locket and I'll be gone." "No!" Serena shot back. "Give me the damned locket, you little freak!" Serena reached inside her dress, and pulled it out, like she was considering it. "Hmm...." "Serena, NO!" Darien managed to cry out. He didn't notice the angry glint in her eyes. "Oh, I'll give you the locket..." "Really?!?" Zoicite was shocked. 'God, without her Scouts around her, she really is a wuss.' Zoi grinned evilly. "Yeah.... Over my dead body. MOON PRISM POWER!!!!" she screamed, and a flash of light erupted. The next thing Darien saw was her *nude* sillohette in the air, ribbons dancing around her curves. He tried not to stare, he tried to keep his control, but, let's face it, people, no matter how gentlemanly he was, nothing would stop him from looking at her. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS, ZOICITE!" she grabbed her tiara, and it shimmered. "Moon Tiara MAGIC!" Zoicite smirked, and just dodged the weapon. "I'm not afraid of your little frisbee, Sailor Moon." "Well, maybe you should be afraid of this." Darien cut in, and heaved a steel-tipped rose at her. It sliced her cheek, and Zoicite screamed in pain and anger. "You'll pay for that, Cape Boy!" Serena turned 'That rose...' she thought, and she suddenly saw Tuxedo Mask standing in Darien's place. 'Darien's Tuxedo Mask?!?' Suddenly, something glimmered, and Serena saw Zoicite heave a ice crystal at Tuxedo Mask. "NOO! DARIEN!!" she screamed, and did what instinct, combined with her heart, told her to do. It hurt like Hell when the crystal slammed into her shoulder, tearing through her skin before a bone stopped it from going any further. She screamed in pain, and fell back into Tuxedo Mask's arms. "Darien." she whispered, feeling the pain tear through her. "Hand over the locket, Sailor Moon, before I do the same thing to Lover Boy over there!" "No, I won't let her give it to you, Zoicite!" Tuxedo Mask snarled from where he cradled her limp body. "It's your funeral." Zoicite said, before crying out "ZOI!" Two dark bolts of energy flew towards them, and Tuxedo Mask covered Sailor Moon's bleeding body with his own. 'At least I get to die with Serena next to me.' he noted while inhaling her sweet, vanilla-like scent. He leaned over, and kissed her as the bolts hit. But the pain never came. Darien broke the kiss reluctantly to see a bright pink light surrounding them. "Where is this energy coming from?!?" he asked, and then he saw the mark on Sailor Moon's forehead where her tiara normally was. It was a yellow cresent moon that shone with energy. White beads appeared in her hair, and Darien felt the fabric of her sailor suit change into a long, silky white dress. "Serenity." he breathed, and she opened her eyes, smiling at him. ************************************************************************ Go to Part five to read the conclusion of "A Break from Reality"! amethyst@tuxedomask.com AIM: TuxedoAme007 Okay, this part is entirely in first person. Standard disclaimers apply. This is the mushiest chapter around, no angst, just "smootchies" as Willow from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" would call it. All other author's notes are at the bottom! ************************************************************************ When Tuxedo Mask had kissed me before the bolts of energy hit, I'd felt no more pain, no more sadness. Only love, only this power riding through me. I remembered a quote from the Bible, and it rang through my mind. "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." (Revelations 21:4). I hoped that God would protect him from the pain, that he wouldn't have to suffer like I was. And I thanked Him, for giving me Darien. Wait, was I just going to give up like this? Was I just going to let him die? No! I was Sailor Moon! But how could I stop this? I felt something rise up in me, a strange power, strong and pure. I felt it envelope us just before the bolts hit. It protected us, my forehead felt warm, it tingled with energy. I heard Darien say something about the energy, and I smiled softly. My Scout uniform vanished, only to be replaced by a long, silken white dress. I felt something warm in my hand, between mine and Darien's. "Serenity." he breathed, his breath warm on my skin. I looked up at him. The mask and top hat was gone, in fact, his Tuxedo Mask outfit was gone. It had been replaced by black armour with gold coloured designs on it. "Endymion!" I sighed happily. @>--- "Endymion!" she sighed, and I looked at my uniform. It was black armour, and something from the past invaded my mind. Memories of my life on Earth, of a great war between us and the Dark Kingdom- and of a princess named Serenity, my Serenity. Something warm was between our hands, and I reluctantly unlaced my fingers from hers. There was a glowing sphere there, and a crystal shell, like something was suppossed to go in there. I felt the rainbow crystals in my pocket rise up, and fly into the shell. Three more followed it, from Zoicite's direction. The final two rainbow crystals appeared from Serenity, and the combined crystals glowed pink for a moment, and then hardened. A silvery crystal was in it's place, and the object registered in my mind. "Silver Crystal, lend me your strength to defeat Zoicite.... MOON PRISM POWER!" Serenity yelled, and a blast of energy hit Zoicite. She screamed, and retreated, but not before yelling back at them, "I'll get you, Serenity, and your precious crystal, too!" I felt Serenity tremble from where she was lying in my lap. "Serenity, are you all right?!?" I asked. She nodded, and I then looked at the bloody wound on her shoulder. I gently touched the surrounding skin, and my princess yelped in pain. "I'm sorry." I crooned, while my hand stroked her cheek, the other one still entwined with hers. "No, it's okay.... it just hurt." I realized that as Darien, I'd kissed Serena, and as Tuxedo Mask, I'd kissed Sailor Moon, but I hadn't kissed Serenity for a thousand years. I leaned down, and kissed her soundly, hungrily, pouring into the kiss all the yearning I held for Princess Serenity, all the passion I held for Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon, and all the love I held for Serena Usagi Tsukino. @>----- He was kissing me so soundly, so deeply, so hungrily, all the pain from my shoulder had faded like a bitter memory, the loss of energy I'd suffered from forming the crystal replaced by the roaring electricity in my veins. I couldn't feel anything but his lips ravaging, taste anything but chocolate (which is what his kisses taste like), smell anything but his scent of roses and something else, something spicy (and very sexy... ) and hear only my heart thumping rapidly. I was in heaven. "SERENITY!" the very loud voice jolted us out of the heaven, and we fell back to Earth. There were four Scouts and two cats staring at me and Endymion like we were aliens from outer space. "What?!? Luna, for God's Sake, can't you see I'm busy?!?" I asked, and Sailor Mars giggled. "Oh, we could tell just how busy you were." I blushed, and Endymion smiled. "Serena?!?" Venus asked, and I smiled softly. "How did you know?" "Your looks, your voice, the way you- DARIEN?!?!" Venus made the connection between Endymion and Darien. "Hi." he waved sheepishly, and I smiled. "Could you guys.... leave us alone for a little bit?!?" "But you're hurt!" Luna protested. I looked at my shoulder, and felt the pain come blasting at me, full force. "So I am." I murmered weakly before passing out in Endymion's arms. @>------ I woke up three days later in a dark room. Nurses strolled by the room and the only light was from the dim hall. I sat up in the stiff hospital, and my bandaged shoulder protested to the movement. "Ow." I muttered, and heard a small snort. Looking over, I saw a chair sitting next to my bed. In the chair was Darien, still in his tuxedo from the gala. He looked like a little boy as he slept, except, a little boy with a five o'clock shadow on his face. I smiled, and covered him in a blanket, the pain finally fading from my shoulder. He immediatley opened his eyes, and his sapphire orbs homed in on me. "Serena, you're awake!" he cried quietly, and I nodded. "I didn't mean to wake you up." "No, no, you didn't, I was just... dozing off." I smiled at his lame excuse to try to make me feel better. I then realized from his rumpled tuxedo, his messy hair... "Darien, you've been here since I passed out?" He nodded, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks. "That's so... sweet. Thanks, Dare." I smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek, however, (and I should have suspected this when I saw that mischievious glint in his eyes), he turned his head so I caught his lips. We stayed there, tenderly kissing each other, until he leaned me back. "You should rest," he murmered while gently running his hands down my cheek. He kissed my neck, once, twice, and I smiled. Now how did he expect me to sleep when he's doing THAT?!? He then stopped, as if reading my mind, and lay down on top of the covers beside me, pulling me close, stroking my hair, which was down. I felt my eyelids becoming heavier by the second, and found myself drifting off to sleep. "Go to sleep, Sere." he murmered throatily just before I did. @>------- I smiled at my sleeping princess, who lay beside me. It never ceased to amaze me how perfectly our bodies fit together, our hands held each other, how it seemed like we were made for each other. Reflecting on the past three weeks while absentmindedly stroking her silky golden strands, I realized that ever since I'd been hit in the head with a test paper belonging to Serena Tsukino, I'd loved her. Her beauty had stuck me like a bullet, her cheerful attitude captured me. At first I'd felt like an opossum crossing the road in the middle of the night, and Serena was the headlights of the oncoming car, which i was caught in, frozen. At first, I'd tried to push her away, to run. Now, I'm perfectly ready to be run over by my Serena. I knew our battles with the Negaverse weren't over yet. Perhaps they never would be. But as long as we had each other, we would survive. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FIN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ******************************@>-----------**************************** Okay, it's finally over and done with. *Long sigh* First, I'd like to thank everyone who emailed me when I was posting it chapter by chapter on "First Love". For all you people at ASMR, you're just getting it because I was too lazy to do the HTML work. *sweatdrops*. Anyways, a special thanks to Zoomy and especially Sailor Starlite!!! Starlite gave *me* an award for this fic, so I have to thank her repeatedly!!! DOMO ARIGATO!!! *applause*. I'd also like to thank my dad, who has been encouraging me to keep writing my stories. And as usual, Oniisan, who (tries) to keep me out of trouble and Bridgita, my personal muse and best buddy gets a shout out and thanks. Keep the emails coming, people!!! I <3 feedback! I'm planning to put out "Fiery Depths", the second Guardians fic on my site. I've also been alerted that the link to the first story, "Secrets of the Wind", isn't working on ASMR, so until that is fixed, just email me and I'll send ya the fic. Keep an eye out for a Sailormoon R season fic of when Alan and Ann were hitting the scene, based around the VR episode. Oooh! Ohh! I'm also trying to get a story punched out based on Bunny and Darien's thoughts during the manga #12 when Bunny starts to fade away while talking about Darien and Rini. However, right now my webpage is undergoing MAJOR reconstruction, so I'm concentrating on that, then the Guardians fic, then the other two. Thanks for you patience! Amethyst amethyst@tuxedomask.com