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