Author’s Note: Hey, Minna-Chan! If anyone’s out there reading this story, I
would seriously LOVE and ADORE suggestions, comments, flames... anything!
E-mail me! (I know, parts one and two, at least are out the same week...
hmm) I’m trying, as always, to keep the sections about 7-8 pages long, (on
Microsoft Word) so it doesn’t get too exhausting to read! In this section, I
finish the date, and it’s not too romantic yet...(well, maybe, it depends on
how long I make the date).
Thanks again, to my friend, Sailor Starlite, who writes me every time I
write her (never miss checking my e-mail anymore!), and discusses the
philosophical parts of Sailor Moon. (translation : Just how cute IS tuxedo
mask/kamen, Mamoru/Darien, Endymion/...Darien?)  She's also the one who is
doing the HUGE favor of mailing this in for me!
Anyhow, e-mail me with ANYTHING! I thrive on mail... Now on with the
show... (standard disclaimers apply)
*********************************************
Title: Serena and Darien... together? No WAY!
Part: 3
By: Mako-Chan
E-mail: breeze13@hotmail.com
Rated: PG to soft PG13
*********************************************
        “Now close your eyes,” Nephrite seemed to soothe. Darien obeyed,
squeezing
his eyes shut tightly and biting his lip. He could feel Nephrite take his
hand that was facing palm up at him. “You are a person who hides many
things, mystery is your middle name to you. You push people away, so afraid
that you’ll lose them, like you lost your parents.” Some how, Darien managed
to close his eyes tighter. He couldn’t hear Serena.
        “You fight as well, strong and just, but with your own cause aswell. You
know yourself, but not who you really are. The fact that you push everyone
you care for away is not helping, they are driven apart, and scattering like
fish after a stone has been cast in the school. The way that you push them
away will cost you Darien, because you’ll miss the most precious thing in
the world. Love.” Darien clenched his teeth together, letting it sink in.
Love? The only person he can imagine himself doing such things to is...Serena.
        “You will learn your lesson soon, Mr. Chiba, and then you will be
free. Butonly after a long and costly battle with your worst enemy.” (AN: That’s
supposed to be himself, hehe, remember, he was taken to the dark side of the
force! Oops, wrong one, but still he WAS taken.) Darien sighed. Worst enemy?
Who would that be? Queen Beryl? The Negaverse Generals?
        He opened his eyes at Nephrite’s command, (actually his fifthcommand, he
was concentrating too hard for it to be the first) and he looked at Serena.
She had tears in her eyes.
        “Is it true, Darien?” she asked him, her eyes shining with tears.
        “Is what true?” he asked uncomfortably.
        “Did your parents die? Are you an orphan?”
        “Well... yeah,” he said softly, then his voice was liquid steel,“HOW DID
YOU KNOW?”        Nephrite just smiled and said, “Stars know everything.”
*********************************************************************
        Nephrite didn’t come back the rest of the evening, a fate thatDarien
wasn’t unhappy about. The man gave him the creeps way more than Zoicite, his
stand in, did. Although Zoicite and Nephrite worked together, they seemed to
have quarrels a lot about just WHO should be doing WHAT.
        The bickering about how big a pain Nephrite was soothed Darien alittle
bit, and it seemed to help Zoicite a lot. He came in with trays and trays of
little plates, sampling everything from egg rolls to pizza, to other dishes.
Lastly, they brought dessert, a sample of the cakes, cookies and pies that
the Moon Kingdom Cafe’ made, and many beverages. During the main meal,
Serena had simply ordered a coke, knowing what she liked.
        All together, it was a great meal that left even SERENA full in theend.
Darien was certain it had cost him a small fortune, but the satisfied look
on Serena’s face proved that a meal that was a little over $600 was well
worth it.        Serena looked around, her eyes drawing on the wardrobe cabinet
again.Getting up, she pranced over to it and began working to pry it open.
        “Serena, I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Darien warned.
        “Hey, didn’t Zoicite tell us that we were welcome to ANYTHING in the
princess suite?” she questioned. Darien didn’t argue with her, he was on her
good side, after all.
        When she had finally opened the chest of drawers, She saw dozens of
beautiful outfits and dress inside. She peered through them, and managed to
pull out several that she liked. She looked around, and spotted the private
‘princess’s’ bathroom door. She gathered the gowns and raced into the
bathroom to try them on.
        After she had tried on one, she waltzed out, giggling, to model itfor
Darien. The first was a satiny blue dress with sparkles. For added affect,
Serena had raided the jewelry boxes in the bathroom and wore a large blue
diamond necklace, (which was probably rhinestones) and white gloves. On her
head perched a tiara that didn’t look quite right with the ensemble. All and
all, she looked great, Darien couldn’t argue that, but still the dress just
wasn’t... her.
The main problem was that she was obviously not made for this dress. It was
made for someone who was a little taller than she was, not a lot, but just
enough to make a difference. Her hair didn’t look right with this dress
either. Blonde wasn’t exactly the style that went well with the dress. Maybe
dark black, or blue, even, but not blonde. He knew he wouldn’t pay whatever
the extra expense was for this dress, but it was obvious that she was intent
on buying one.She smiled, “So how do I look?”
Darien grinned, “Like a million bucks,” Serena sat up straighter,
“definitely NOT your style,” he said with a smirk.
Serena wailed a little, (more of a moan than a wail, actually) and said, “I
know, I only tried it on because my friend Amy would look fantastic in it!
Oh, too bad we can’t give it to her.”
Darien grinned. If there was one thing he wasn’t low on, it was cash. He had
well over 6,000 bucks he could blow tonight without cringing. So, why NOT
give her friends a dress? If it would make her happy...
“Why don’t we give it to her?” he suggested.
“Oh! Could we!” giggled Serena, her eyes glowing like stars.
“Absolutely, Meatball Head, I mean, I an afford it.”
“Thank you so much, Darien! It’s perfect!” she jumped forward and hugged
him, much to Darien’s delight.
‘He must think I’ve gone insane!’ Serena thought, ‘I mean, I NEVER hug him!’
still, she wished she didn’t have to let go of him. He smelled so good. Like
roses in the middle of winter, such a rare smell. She reluctantly pulled
away from him.“It was the spur of the moment, Darien,” she blushed.
‘Spur of the moment? Who cares!’ thought Darien, wanting to dance around and
sweep her into his arms. She was the only girl, who by one simple movement,
could make his heart beat loudly in his ears, his stomach feel like it’s
filled with jumping beans, and his body as a whole feel like he had just
been jogged with a thousand watts of electricity.
“Um, I’m going to go try on another dress, Darien,” she said sheepishly, “If
it’s okay with you, I kind of sort of wanted to get a dress for myself,” she
sighed.
Darien grinned, “Go ahead, Meatball Head. And while you’re at it, find gowns
for your other friends, too.”
Serena’s eyes grew large, “OOH!” she squealed, “I was hoping you’d say that!
I already DID find some dresses that I thought may look good on them, but
first I want to try them all on!”
Darien was pleased that the action of buying a few clothes could make her so
insanely happy. She even liked HIM at the moment. He watched as she bounced
to the bathroom again and heard some scuffling as she came out, dressed in a
slinky red dress.“How is it?” she asked.
Darien considered. It was a slinky, silky looking dress with spaghetti
straps. It had small, black print around it, and a low-cut, round collar. It
went all the way down to Serena’s upper-calve, and it was obvious it should
have been just above knee-length.
“How do you think this would look on Raye?” she asked him, still wearing the
tiara she had on with the other dress.
“I think that it would look a lot better on her than you,” he snorted. It
sounded like an insult, but he really was just trying to be honest. She
nodded, not taking TOO much offense, and walked into the bathroom again with
only a little slam.
He heard the shuffling again, and she soon waltzed out in a pretty forest
green dress. It was long, and made of velvet. It had one slit on the side
that was so long, it ran all the way up to show a white lacy slip that
Serena had worn. On it was a strange neckline, it was like a dip, rounded
with a diamond (which was an obvious fake) hung in the middle of it. She
still wore the silver tiara with pearls, (she had become very fond of it, he
guessed) and it seemed to accent, though not quite work, with the outfit.
“Do you know Lita?” she asked Darien. He only nodded. Yes, this gown would
look great on Lita. He smiled. He was having fun, watching her prance around
in fancy dresses. He only hoped that he could continue buying them. It sure
seemed to make her happy.
“Well, that’s kind of all the friends I have,” she said sheepishly, “well
all the GOOD friends, anyways.”
Darien smiled, “Get another one for you, and another one for a friend, too,”
he grinned, “you may need it.”
She giggled and returned to her small fortress in the bathroom. She came out
again, this time in an orange dress. It was orange with a slightly gold hue,
and it looked good on her. Extremely good, in fact, he figured. She had the
tiara on, an accent piece she refused to give up, and it seemed to distort
the whole picture. And her hair was all too wrong for the gown, he knew. She
needed a style that would fall around her shoulders in a soft wave, not hang
down in two meatballs and pigtails.
“Keep that one, it looks nice, but save it for a friend,” he said, smiling
softly. She nodded, and said, “only two more dresses in here.” ‘I hope I
pick the best one!’
Then next dress was black, and short. This bugged Darien because it was
completely wrong for Serena. She was a vibrant, happy girl, and as well-cut
the dress was (it was short-cut, and the perfect size for Serena), it looked
like she was going to a funeral. He gave her a quick “thumbs down” guesture,
and she waltzed down to her bathroom and quickly came out in a pretty white
dress. Darien’s breath caught as he looked at her.
The dress was white, and had a straight neckline that was low cut, and
puffed out in pretty, yet crinkled, white sleeves. The tiara looked natural
with this gown, and it accented the light silvers in her hair, little pearls
in front of either meatball. The dress didn’t really have a waist, more like
billowing layers of fabric that reached the floor, the ‘waist’ right below
the bust. Along the neckline, a beautiful golden trim had been added in
little circled designs, accenting her skin-tone perfectly. She looked like a
princess.“Serena,” he managed to murmur.“Well?” she asked hopefully.
“Get that one.”
She beamed and hugged him again. As she did, he heard the faint jingle of a
bracelet. It was yellow pearls, on either wrist. He decided that she had to
keep them.
She wore the dress the rest of the evening, the other five dresses safely
boxed away, her arms and legs tingled from the silk of the fabric.
“You look beautiful,” said Darien, completely honest.
“Thank you,” she said with a blush.
********************************************************************
        Darien had led Serena to the ball room, and the crowd seemed awed by
Serena’s beauty as well. They were still having a theme party in the ball
room, so each guy was given a mask, then the girls had to dance with whoever
asked her. They all took roles, some women queens, some ladies, duchesses,
princess, and so on. The men didn’t need roles, they just had to remember to
call the lady by her staged name. For example, you could call a lady, “lady
Cassidy”, or just “my lady”.
        Darien felt all-too-familiar in his white mask, falling over his
face like
a second skin. Serena, he knew, would be asked by many men, but only he knew
what role she would pick for sure, and if you guessed wrong, the lady could
be “insulted” and refuse. That was the rules of the game. If you guessed
right, however, they could not refuse. You had one guess per woman.
        Serena waited by the doorway, and many men walked up to her (one at
a time,if they were refused, then all the other men would be able to ask her by
process of elimination if not.) and asked for her hand.
        “My Lady Serena,” asked a young man with blonde hair, “May I havethis
dance?”
        She snorted, “No, young man, you may not! I am NO lady,” she pushedhim
aside.        “Sweet Queen Serena,” started another man, “would you dance with
me?”        She blushed, “I am flattered you think of me as a queen, but I am
afraid Iam not. Please be gone,” she smiled.
        A man with black hair and a white mask arrived. Serena’s heartpounded
faster. ‘It’s Darien!’ she realized, ‘oh please guess right!’.
        He held a gloved hand out to her, “Princess, May I have this dance?”he
asked. She nodded shyly, and Darien felt his spirit soar.
        As they whirled around the ball room, Darien noticed Serena hadbegun to
lay her head on his chest.
        Serena looked up, her cheeks red, “ Thanks, Darien.” He seemed to
sag witha sigh, and they danced some more.
        When they had finished dancing, Kunzite greeted them and asked howtheir
stay was. They were, after all, the most expensive couple here. Everyone
else just ordered regular dining rooms.
        “Have you found everything satisfactory?” he asked the two.
        Serena bobbed her head quickly up and down, “Ooh! This is the BEST
restaurant ever! And the dresses, and the table, and the service... OOH, and
the food, the best part!” as Serena chattered away, Darien walked to the
garden gate and plucked a red rose. He smelled it quickly, and put it in the
button of his tuxedo. He removed his mask and slipped it into his pocket,
Staring at Serena talking to Kunzite.
        “I’m glad you’re enjoying things here, and might I add, you look thebest
in that dress... at least the greatest I’ve ever seen anyone in it,”
finished Kunzite. At his remark, Darien felt a pang of jealousy. Was Serena
attracted to him? Darien didn’t think so, but if Kunzite was after his
girl... WAIT! Since when was Serena “his girl”? He shook his head, trying to
think straight.
        “Want to go to the gardens, Serena?” he suggested with a smile. She
noddedenthusiastically, and ran beside him, looping her arm in with his. She
shrugged.
        “I thought we may as well look the part of a happy couple. Besides,I
figure that we can be friends now, I mean,” she paused, collecting her
thoughts, “the worst thing you’ve done to me all night is call me meatball
head, other than that you’ve been a perfect gentleman, so...” her voicecaught.
        “So we’re friends?” he asked.        “Uh huh,” she nodded.
        “I like that,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling in the glow of the
streetlights. They roamed the garden for a while, and Serena felt her
spirits soar each time she saw Darien. He would stop and stare at the roses,
seemingly basking in their glow.
        They walked around the gardens until they came upon a beautifulwhite
fountain of a woman, her hair down, wearing a crown with a moon on it. There
was a stone bench there, and it was cool to sit on. There they sat, simply
enjoying, and secretly admiring, each other’s company, until Serena looked
down at Darien’s watch and gasped. It was almost ten o’clock!
        “Darien,” she whispered reluctantly, “I need to go soon.”
        Darien almost cursed time itself, and then managed to pull himself
off the
bench, and help Serena up as well. She looked so pretty, in her new gown. He
would have to remember to ask her to wear it again.
        The two walked slowly into the mansion, went to the princess suitand
gathered their things. Serena waited quietly when Darien paid the (huge)
bill. Then the couple walked slowly out the door. Serena was reluctant to
admit to herself that she was wrong about Darien’s personality.
        He was obviously still hurt about his parents, which explained whyhe
pushed everyone who wanted to be his friend away... wait a minute. Since
when did she want to be his friend?  She mentally smacked herself. Since
always, her heart screamed. She was still deep in thought when Darien called
for the valet. She headed across the street, where the car was waiting (they
didn’t want to block the entranceway too much) and sighed. Darien lagged
behind, and she stared at the ground.
        Serena heard the squeal of tires, and a small cry from Darien, thenshe
realized that there was a car headed right for her...
*********************************************************************
Ha-ha! Cliffhanger! I figure I may as well annoy you while I’m an author!
Don’t worry, the next part will come soon... I know what’s going to happen,
anyways, so it’s not too hard. E-mail me, k?Mako-chan.