Sere's A/N Sorry for the short note, but I'm trying to type this one-handed. I just want to say thank you to all of the readers of my other stories that have sent me get-well wishes. I love you guys! I'm bruised, banged, bandaged, and casted, but I'm not out of the game and I hope you enjoy this little one shot. Lots of love and hugs! And special thanks to Mina-chan for taking care of posting this for me. You're the greatest!
Mina's A/N Okay guys, Sere actually started this story back last October, but she didn't get it finished in time for Halloween. She finished it up several months ago and it has been sitting on her flash drive ever since then. But now that the Halloween season is upon us once again she figured that this was the perfect time to put it up. It's not really Halloween themed, but it does take place mostly on Halloween night and takes place in Season 1. There's a little violence involved, but nothing over the top. Happy reading!
Candy Kisses
"Stupid jerk!" sixteen-year-old Serena Tsukino hissed under her breath as she stomped down the sidewalk, looking more like an avenging angel than the fairy princess her costume was supposed to portray.
She weaved her way through the hordes of merry trick-or-treaters without paying them any mind as she continued to grumble to herself. "Rotten, lousy, no good, insensitive ass! Why does he always have to ruin everything?"
She had been looking forward to this night for weeks, and it had been going so well. The Dark Kingdom was quiet for once. There had been no youma attacks today and she had been enjoying herself with her friends Mina, Amy, Lita, and Amy at the annual Halloween party that Andrew threw at the arcade every year. It had been so much fun to relax and let the worries of the world slip away, to enjoy being a regular teenager, at least for a little while. And then HE had to show up!
Darien Freakin Shields, her worst enemy and, though she would never admit it to anyone else, her secret crush. He had come waltzing into the arcade with that arrogant attitude of his, just like he always did, and had ruined her perfectly idyllic night.
FLASHBACK
She and Mina stumbled up to the counter, red faced and out of breath from dancing. Andrew looked up at them with a grin. "Hey girls! Are you having fun?"
"We're having a blast!" Serena told him excitedly. "But all of this dancing has dried me out. A drink, dear bartender, if you please."
Andrew swished his vampire cape dramatically. "Of course, princess. What can interest you in? We have blood, blood, and blooood!"
Serena eyed the bottles of red liquid behind the counter that she knew were only fruit punch, but their deep red color actually reminded her of blood. She shivered involuntarily. "I think I'll just have a coke."
"Oh come on, Serena! Learn to live dangerously!" Mina exclaimed next to her. She was decked out in a vamp motif herself in an extremely tight fitting and very revealing black dress that left little to the imagination. "I'll take a glass of blood, Count Dracula, sir."
"Spoken like a true vampire," Andrew quipped as he set Serena's coke in front of her before turning to get Mina's. He was back in seconds with a glass full of "blood" that he presented to her with a flourish. "For the loveliest lady vamp in the place."
Serena rolled her eyes. She wondered when Mina and Andrew would quit flirting with one another and just start going out already. It had been cute in the beginning, but now it was getting to be plain nauseous to be around.
Andrew saw her look of annoyance and hastily reassured her. "Not that you're not just as stunning, Serena. You look like you stepped out of the pages of a fairy tale."
She wasn't immune to his infectious cheerfulness. "Thanks, Drew! Do you really like it?"
He gave her an exaggerated wink. "It's so you! I couldn't picture you trying to pull of being a creature of the night. This look suits you more."
"That's because Meatball Head is still such a child that she couldn't possibly comprehend any horrors in the world," a sardonic voice spoke up behind her.
Serena took a deep breath at the sound. She had never thought in a million years that Darien would show up tonight. Halloween parties didn't seem to his thing. Turning around slowly, she saw that her assumption seemed to be right.
The black haired college student hadn't bothered with putting on a costume. Instead he wore that hideous green blazer that he seemed to be so fond of over a black shirt and a pair of gray slacks that looked like they had been starched and pressed within an inch of their life.
He arched a perfect black brow at her disbelieving stare. "What's the matter, Meatball Head, is your tiara on so tight that it's interfered with your ability to even form the most basic of words?"
Her hands flew up to where the silver and rhinestone studded tiara sat perfectly between her twin buns of hair. She had picked it out because it complimented the silver embroidery on the gauzy white dress she was wearing perfectly. She had found the dress buried deep in a rack at a second hand store, and she had known from the moment she saw it that she just had to have it. She had even sewn the delicate wings to the back of it herself to complete her vision of what a fairy princess would look like.
"You jerk!" she fumed. She was proud of her costume, and she'd be damned if she let anybody, even the guy she liked, ridicule it.
"Ahh," Darien drawled in that superior way of his. "So she does speak after all. Don't get your back up, Meatball Head. Your costume is very befitting of you. I saw a five year old a few minutes ago wearing something very similar, so you're in good company."
She fought down the angry tears that sprang to her eyes. "Whatever, Darien! At least I don't wear my costume year round like you do. So what are you supposed to be, a boring college student or an obnoxious jackass? I can't tell the difference."
His dark blue eyes glittered with some emotion that she couldn't identify. His mouth quirked up on one side in that sardonic smirk that always infuriated her beyond reason. Her face turned beet red and furious blue flames began snapping in her eyes. Mina and Andrew, both familiar with the warning signs, could see that a full-blown Serena tantrum was on the way, so they quickly and effectively separated the couple.
"Come on," Mina said as she took her friend by the arm and steered her away toward the booth in the back corner where the other girls were sitting. "The costume contest will be starting soon and we don't want to miss out on that."
Serena fumed at the interruption, but dutifully let Mina lead her away. That still didn't stop her from looking over her shoulder to shoot a glare at her arch nemesis. He returned her look evenly, and then he grinned and winked at her.
That was all it took. Her temper was already bubbling under the surface, and Darien's one small show of arrogance was all it took to send it boiling over. She jerked her arm from Mina and spun around, intending to give him a chewing out that he wouldn't soon forget.
CRASH!
Serena wasn't sure how it happened, but with her luck she shouldn't be surprised. Somehow she managed to plow right into an innocent partygoer as she twirled. She vaguely registered the fact that it was a guy dressed as the Grim Reaper as she felt herself begin to fall. Things seemed to move into slow motion as she braced for the familiar impact with the floor.
She accepted it with resignation. After all, she hadn't been dubbed the Klutz Queen of Juuban for nothing. There was never a day in her life that she didn't fall down at least three times, usually by tripping over nothing but thin air, so she was used to it. She just hated that she was about to make a fool out of herself in front of Darien for the ten thousandth time. He would have a field day with this.
BANG!
Her butt stung as it connected with the hard linoleum floor. She was grateful that at least she had landed in a sitting position instead of sprawling out with her arms legs going in different directions. That would help her preserve some modesty. And then the unexpected happened.
SPLASH!
She closed her eyes in a reflexive action as something wet slapped her in the face and soaked the front of her dress. She wiped her eyes with trembling fingers before blinking them open and looking down at herself in dismay. A cry of anguish ripped from her throat as she saw what had become of her treasured costume.
The once pristine white fabric was now streaked with red that was as bright as blood. The now empty cup that had flown from her crash victim's hand lay next to her, the last few drops dribbling out to pool on the floor.
The next thing she knew she was sitting on a stool at the counter while her friends fussed over her worriedly. Mina and Lita were each rubbing a pigtail dry with a towel, while Raye attacked her face and arms and Amy dabbed at her skirt.
"This must be some strong stuff. It's already stained her skin," Raye grumbled.
Lita nodded. "Tell me about it. Her hair is turning pink before my eyes."
"It's worse than hair dye," Mina agreed. "What is in that punch, Drew?"
The sandy haired man shrugged. "I don't know. It's a mixture of a bunch of red fruits like cherry, cranberry, and pomegranate."
"I'm sure it will wash off," Amy reassured Serena, patting her knee in sympathy. "And a good dry cleaner should be able to save the dress."
"Don't worry about it," Serena mumbled dejectedly. "You guys go get ready for the costume contest.
"But what about you? Aren't you still entering?" Raye asked anxiously.
"Are you kidding? Not like this," Serena answered dully as she gestured at her red smeared dress. "You four go on without me."
Lita shook her head. "No way! It's not right. The five of us said that we were entering the contest together. If one of us sits out, then we all do."
"I think you should still enter," Mina inserted. "Your costume isn't ruined, it's just modified. Now you look like a murdered fairy princess."
Serena rolled her eyes. "That's not exactly the look I was going for tonight. Now seriously, you guys go ahead and enter the contest. Hopefully one of you can win the grand prize and score those movie passes that they're giving away so we can go catch the new Twilight movie when it comes out."
"If you're sure," Raye hedged.
"I'm positive! Now go before I drag you four over to the stage myself!" Serena threatened as she shooed them away.
She watched them as they left; Mina in her glamorous vampire getup, Raye was a she-devil in a red sequined mini-dress, Lita wore her karate suit, but had done her make up to make herself look like a zombie, and Amy had borrowed one of her mother's white lab coats and a stethoscope. She had teased and gelled her hair until it stuck out all over her head, giving her the look of an insane doctor.
Serena heaved a sigh of relief at escaping all of their coddling. She loved her friends dearly, but sometimes they could be a bit smothering. She glanced out of the corner of her eyes to find an intense sapphire gaze pinned on her.
"What?" she snapped irritably at Darien, who she now realized was sitting next to her. "Yes, I know! Klutzy Meatball Head had yet another embarrassing moment. I'm sure you have something to say, so why don't you go ahead and get it all out of your system now."
He shocked her by staying quiet, idly stirring the cup of coffee before him as he studied her curiously. Finally he asked softly, "Are you okay?"
That was definitely a surprise. She regarded him suspiciously as she answered. "I'm fine. My butt's a little sore, but I've had worse. You should know all about that since I run into you practically every day."
He nodded, but didn't say any more. His attitude was really creeping her out, so she scrambled to find something that would bring them back to a semblance of normal. "Besides, it was your fault that I fell anyway."
His face turned into a mask of disbelief. "My fault? How in the world did you come up with that idea? I had nothing to do with you swirling around like an out of control tornado."
"You did too!" she fired back. "You knew I was already mad, but you just had to give me that condescending look of yours. And what was that wink about?"
He turned his attention completely on his coffee cup. "I don't know what you're talking about. There's a lot of girls out there that I would wink at, Meatball Head, but sadly you are not one of them."
Ouch! That stung! Serena looked away, mortified by what she had just said. She had practically accused her worst enemy of flirting with her. If there was one thing that she was positive about, it was that Darien Shields would never stoop so low as to flirt with a high school student like her. He was a big college man that had sophisticated women throwing themselves at him on a daily basis over the past two years since she had met him. He had never taken any of them up on their offers that she knew of, but he could have his pick of any of them if he wanted to.
But still, she thought in confusion as she replayed the last few seconds before her unfortunate punch incident, she didn't imagine that sly wink. She knew she didn't. Maybe he was unaware that he'd done it, but she knew what she saw.
She chanced a quick glance at him and was surprised to see that his cheeks were mottled red under his healthy tan. His normally smooth face was twisted up into a look of intense concentration. He looked almost as if he were fighting an internal battle with himself. Serena bit back a giggle and reached for one of the miniature candy bars that were sitting the counter, preparing to sit back and watch the show.
She spotted the piece of candy she wanted and reached for it. Her fingers had just closed around the wrapper when another hand made to grab the same piece.
"Hey!" she squeaked. "This is my piece! Get your own!"
Darien blinked his eyes as if he were coming out of a daze. When he realized that his fingers were laying lightly over hers he jerked his hand back like he had been burned. Then his look turned petulant. "Come on, Meatball Head, be a good sport and let me have that one."
"No way!" she exclaimed. "I got this one fair and square. There's plenty more on the counter for you to choose from."
"But that's the last dark chocolate one and it's my favorite," he protested.
Serena's grin turned evil. "Well that's just too bad because dark chocolate happens to be my favorite too."
He blinked hard. "Really? That's…just…wow!"
"What?" she asked curiously.
He shook his head. "It's nothing. I think I was just in shock to learn that we actually have something in common."
Her smile faded a little. "Is it that hard to believe, Darien? I'm human like everyone else, even if you like to try and act like I'm an alien from another planet."
Once again that smirk was on his face. "I never thought you were from outer space, I just insinuated that perhaps you were lacking in certain mental capabilities that the majority of the population seems to be in possession of."
"Don't try pulling out your university vocabulary on me," Serena fumed. "I understood every word of what you just said. I'm not stupid! So if you think you're going to superimpose me by stringing together a bunch of fancy sounding words, think again buster! Believe it or not, I pay more attention in school than people think. And don't even dream of trying to sweet talk me into giving you this chocolate."
She ripped the wrapper off of it and held the small bar of dark chocolate up in front of him. "This is mine!"
She saw something break in his eyes. They turned so dark they were almost black. Her skin felt scorched as he ran a heated gaze over her. Alarmed, she tried to scramble off her stool, but she wasn't quick enough.
Okay, so she'd had her share of fantasies about indulging in intimate moments with the man before her, but even her wild imagination could never come up with what happened next.
Long, lean fingers locked around her wrist and tugged her gently forward. His intense eyes had bored deep into hers as his head descended, his lips slightly parted…
END FLASHBACK
"Hey! Watch out!" several voices screeched, and Serena jolted back to reality as several rambunctious trick-or-treaters flew by her, racing to see who would get to the next destination and score some free candy first.
She shook her head as she realized that she was standing still in the middle of the sidewalk. She had been so wrapped up in her memories that she hadn't even realized that she had stopped moving. A few parents hurried by her with their little ghosts and goblins, eying her warily as they passed. She was sure they probably thought she was strung out on drugs or something since she was just standing there with a blank expression her face and looking like something that had just crawled off the set of a horror movie in her now 'blood' smeared costume.
"Get a grip, Serena," she chastised herself under her breath as she once again began heading toward home. "It's not like he kissed you or anything."
'But I wanted him to,' a voice whispered in the back of her mind. In fact, when he had pulled her against him and had stared into her eyes the way he had, she had thought for sure that all of the dreams that she had been secretly harboring for so long were about to come true. Her heart had stuttered and almost come to a stop as his face had drawn closer to her. Her eyes had fluttered closed in anticipation of feeling his lips on hers.
And then the big idiot had to go and ruin everything! She rubbed the fingers of her right hand against her skirt; the tips of them still tingled where his lips had brushed them when he had stolen that damn piece of chocolate right out of her hand.
Disappointment had crashed through her when the expected kiss hadn't come. She had opened her eyes when she heard him chuckle and had been met by his triumphantly mocking expression.
Horrified that he could read clearly on her face what she had been hoping for, she had jerked away from him and fixed an angry look on her face. She delivered a typical Serena-like tirade about him stealing her candy and then fled from the arcade as fast as she could, hoping that no one would notice that the tears sparkling in her eyes were caused by hurt and not anger.
"Stupid jerk!" she muttered to herself. "I bet he's sitting back at the arcade right now laughing at me. I know he knows that I thought he was going to kiss me, but I don't care. There are other fish in the sea and it's time that stopped mooning over someone I can't have and move on. I'll show him! I'll find someone who will love and appreciate me for who I am."
Her thoughts drifted to the only other man in her life that ever occupied her mind, the mysterious masked hero that had been coming to her rescue since she had become Sailor Moon a little over a year before. He was a dashing figure in his tuxedo and long sweeping cape and he seemed to be a genuinely nice guy. Granted, she never had any long, in depth conversations with him, but the few times that they had talked after a battle had been nice. At one time she'd had a pretty heavy crush on him, but he had been unable to banish Darien from her heart.
"Maybe it's time to rethink that option," she mused. "After the next battle I'll pull him over to the side and have a real conversation with him. Perhaps if I get to know him better I'll be able to put Darien behind me once and for all. Besides, it would be nice to have someone to share my other life with besides the girls."
Her steps pepped up with a combination of renewed vigor and a little apprehension as she realized how empty the streets had become while she had been deliberating the problems of her nonexistent love life. It was starting to get late and all of the trick-or-treaters that had been out just a short time before must have gone home. Luckily her house was only a few blocks away.
She rounded a corner onto the last block of businesses before entering her neighborhood, her shoes clacking loudly on the concrete. She couldn't wait to get home and take a nice hot bath to wash away the remnants of the fruit punch. Her skin felt sticky and her hair was stiff. And maybe tomorrow she would take this damn dress to Raye's and let her use it as target practice for her fire attacks. That would be a fitting end for the garment that now held the memories of what a horrible night this had been.
She was almost to the corner and could see the lights glowing in the windows of the houses across the street. Just a few more minutes and she would be home.
She never saw what happened next coming. One second she was walking down the sidewalk, and the next her arm was grabbed in a steel tight grip and hand covered her mouth as she was dragged into a nearby alley where she was slammed roughly up against a brick wall.
She struggled against her captor, squirming and pulling against him as she tried to bite the hand over her mouth. She tried to kick, but her long skirt prevented her from being able to do any damage. And then she froze as something cold, sharp, and metallic touched her neck.
"Well you're a feisty one, aren't you?" a harsh, slurred voice grated in her ear.
She almost gagged as his alcohol soaked breath wafted across her face. She tried to twist away, one hand desperately reaching for her pocket where her transformation brooch was. Strictly speaking she wasn't supposed to use her powers against civilians or transform in front of them and expose her identity, but she had no choice. There was no way she could fight this monster off as helpless little Serena. She needed Sailor Moon.
Her choked sob of relief as her fingers closed around the smooth metal of the brooch was short lived as her shadowy, much larger attacker used his body to pin her completely against the wall behind her and grabbed both of her wrists in one hand and pulled them above her head. The jerking motion caused her to lose her grip on the brooch and it clattered to the ground and skittered away.
Finding her mouth free, she drew in a deep breath and prepared to scream for all she was worth. But the prick of the knife at her neck had the scream dying in her throat.
The man chuckled and drew the flat side of the blade up across her cheek. "That's better. I don't mind a little fight in my girls, but if you proved too difficult I would have had to teach you a lesson. And I would sincerely hate to have to cut up that pretty face of yours. Now let's have a little fun."
She cringed as she felt him bury his face in the crook of her neck and inhale deeply. Her teary eyes looked up, scanning the rooftops for any sign of her protector. Tuxedo Mask had never let her down before, but right now she was Serena, not Sailor Moon. He had told her that he could sense her when she transformed and when she was in danger, but he wouldn't be able to sense her while she was in her civilian form.
'Somebody, please help me!' she thought desperately. Then she couldn't help but think, 'I wish I had told Darien that I love him.'
"Dude, what was that all about?" Andrew asked as he slipped back behind the counter after turning the costume contest over to his sister Lizzy.
Darien looked up sharply from his coffee cup. "What are you talking about?"
Andrew rolled his eyes. "Duh! I'm talking about that sizzling hot little scene between you and Serena a few minutes ago. There for a minute I thought you two were going to jump each other."
A red flush stole up Darien's neck and cheeks. "Yeah right, like I would jump Meatball Head. Get real, man! She's not my type. Besides, she's too young to be with a guy my age."
"Riigghhttt…" Andrew drawled. "She's not that young, ya know. She's sixteen now and not the same fourteen year old she was when you first met her. And you try to make yourself sound like you're ancient or something. You're only nineteen, so you're still technically a teenager yourself. You need to loosen up and have a little fun. Serena could be good for you. Anything's better than watching you two force yourselves to fight when anyone with eyes can see that you're in love with each other."
Darien sputtered on a sip of his now cold coffee. "Are you on drugs? I've never heard anything more absurd! Me and Meatball Head in love with each other? That'll never happen."
Andrew placed both hands flat on the counter and leaned in close to command his best friend's full attention. "Look Dare, I'm not trying to meddle in your life or anything, but I'm your friend and I'm going to be honest with you. You may think it's harsh, but I'm tired of watching you torture yourself. I know you had a shitty childhood growing up in that orphanage, but that part of your life is behind you now. You need to start living life and enjoying it as much as you can instead of hiding behind those damn walls that you've built up around yourself. Serena is a wonderful girl and you're only cheating yourself if you don't climb down off of that high horse of yours and snatch her up before some other guy does."
"Thank you, Dr. Phil," Darien snorted sarcastically.
"I'm being serious!" Andrew snarled as he banged his hands down on the counter. "You're screwing up big time, and I'm trying to help you out here before the opportunity of a lifetime passes you by."
"What do you want me to say, Drew?" Darien snapped as he glared at his friend. "Do you want me to break down and confess that I'm in love with Serena? Fine! I'm in love with Serena, damn it!"
His eyes grew wide as he heard himself speak out loud for the first time the words that he had never even admitted to himself. He ran a shaking hand through his ebony hair. "Oh my god! I'm in love with Serena!"
Andrew grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "Congratulations! That was the first step. Now you need to figure out what you need to do next."
Darien shook his head. "It doesn't matter if I love her or not. She would never be able to return my feelings, not after the way I've treated her. It's probably for the best to just leave things as they are between us."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you," Andrew said slyly. "Mina says that Serena mentions you all the time. And remember that plush doll you gave her that you won out of the crane machine?"
Darien nodded. He remembered that day well. After watching Serena struggle to win something out of that machine one afternoon, he had taken pity on her and gone over to her. He had made some smart-ass comment to her as he slid a couple of quarters into the machine and won a prize on the first try. Ironically, it was a Tuxedo Mask plushie.
"Well Mina says that she keeps that doll on her bed and sleeps with it at night," Andrew told him.
Darien felt the heat rising in his face. "She's probably just one of the thousands of fangirls out there that has a crush on Tuxedo Mask. That doesn't have anything to do with me?"
Andrew eyed him skeptically. "Doesn't it? After all, he is you."
"Shhh!" Darien shushed him frantically. "I don't need you to blow my cover, dumbass!"
Andrew just smiled. He had found out about his friend's alter ego a long time ago when Darien had been keeping him company late one night as he closed up the arcade. Back then he had been unable to control his transformations and had turned into Tuxedo Mask automatically whenever Sailor Moon transformed.
Andrew had been struck speechless when his best friend had almost collapsed and transformed into the masked hero that had been assisting the heroine, Sailor Moon, in her efforts to keep the city safe from the monsters that had been attacking recently. Darien had threatened him within an inch of his life if he told anyone about his alter ego, and he had kept his secret well.
He had been sworn to a similar secret only a week later when had rushed after Serena when she had hurried out of the arcade unexpectedly and had left her book bag behind. He had followed her when she ran into a nearby alley and been treated to the show of his life when she had transformed into Sailor Moon before his eyes.
"So how could you let her just leave out of here alone?" Andrew asked his friend innocently. "She looked like she was really upset, and you just let her walk away."
"So what else is new?" Darien snapped. "She gets mad and walks out on me a lot. That's no different than any other day."
Andrew shook his head. "Man, are you blind? There was something different about Serena when she left tonight. She seemed more sad than mad this time. What happened between you two? It looked pretty intense from where I was standing."
Darien let his head fall to the counter with a thud. "I almost kissed her, okay! I came within just a few inches of bliss and changed my mind."
Andrew eyed him incredulously. "Are you insane? What the hell is wrong with you? Serena is a very sensitive girl! I've stood over to the side and watched you two dance around each other for a long time, but enough is enough! Serena is a pure and loving soul that sees the best in everyone, and for whatever reason she sees something good in you. That's why she's so persistent and puts up with the shit that spews out of your mouth, but this has gone on long enough. Either you try to make things right with her or leave her alone! She doesn't need this kind of aggravation."
Darien jerked his head up at the censure he heard in his friend's voice. He knew that Serena deserved better, but his stubborn nature forced him to keep his distance. He had so much going on behind the scenes that he didn't want to drag her into. He had a dream princess that called out to him night after night, begging him to find the Silver Crystal so that she could be free. That was the whole point of him being Tuxedo Mask. The thought of pulling Serena into his topsy-turvy life filled him with dread. But at the same time he couldn't picture his life without her.
"I really am an idiot," he groaned, banging his head back down on the counter. "But I can't let her get dragged into the crap I have going on right now. It just wouldn't be right."
Andrew clasped hi shoulder. "Look, Dare. I think Serena is more resilient than you give her credit for. And I believe that she would be able to accept you the way you are. But you've got to stop jerking her around and treating her the way you do or you're going to drive her away. She can put up with a lot of crap, but even she has her breaking point."
"I know," Darien groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I've been a real bastard to her. I don't even know where to begin trying to make things up to her."
"You idiot!" Andrew snapped as he punched him soundly on the arm. "You can start by talking to her and telling her how sorry you are for the things you've said to her in the past. And there's no time like the present to start. If you hurry right now I bet you can catch her before she gets home."
Darien rolled his eyes. "And what do I do when I find her? She's more liable to slap me than listen to anything I have to say."
Andrew picked up a dishtowel and began whacking him over the head with it. "You moronic asshole! What you do is rush in and sweep her off her feet before she has a chance to protest. Hasn't your nighttime job prepared you enough for that?"
Darien covered his head with his arms to protect it from the unexpected attack. "It's not that easy, Drew! It's one thing to dash in at the last second and save Sailor Moon from an attack. It's a completely different story to think of trying to romance Serena."
Andrew didn't let up on his assault. He continued beating his friend harmlessly with the dishtowel; ignoring the interested looks he was getting from the partygoers, and then began herding Darien toward the door.
Once he had his prey outside on the sidewalk he finally stopped flapping his weapon and blocked the arcade door with his arms crossed. "You go after her right now! And I don't want to see you back in here until you have professed your love to Serena and have kissed her senseless! I know this is completely out of the normal realm for you, but I think you may be surprised if you just give it a shot. You say that there is a difference between dealing with Serena and dealing with Sailor Moon, but I'm telling you that there's not. And if you were smart you would get rid of that stick-up-the-ass attitude of yours and turn on a little of that charm you reserve for your alter ego."
Darien stared at his friend in shock for a moment. That had been quite a serious and impassioned speech from his normally joking and fun-loving friend. Then he began to grin. "Do you know how hard it is to take relationship advice from a guy wearing a vampire costume and wielding a dishtowel?"
The corner of Andrew's mouth twitched like he was fighting to hold back a smile, but his expression remained firm as he pointed a finger down the street in the direction of Serena's house. "Go…Now!" he ordered.
"Okay, okay, I'm going," Darien grumbled. "But I'm warning you now, Furuhata, if I get injured in any way because you're making me do this, you are paying for my medical bills."
Andrew smirked evilly. "Surely the dashing, masked hero of Tokyo isn't afraid of one tiny teenage girl."
"You have no idea," Darien said to himself under his breath. He wasn't afraid of incurring any physical injuries from Serena; she was too small and delicate to even harm a fly. Plus, it wasn't in her nature to inflict bodily harm on people, no matter how angry she may get. His concern was the emotional damage he may be opening himself up for by confessing to the petite blonde. She alone would be capable of ripping his heart from his chest and tearing it to shreds if this confrontation went badly.
In fact, as he began jogging down the street toward Serena's neighborhood, he started thinking of all of the reasons why it was a very bad idea for him to tell Serena how he felt about her. What if she didn't return his feelings, or worse, laughed at him? He didn't think he would be able to take that kind of rejection and humiliation. On top of that, it would change his and Serena's relationship forever if she knew that he was in love with her. Their constant bickering and fighting was a far cry from the relationship that he wanted with her, but at least this way he got to talk to her on a daily basis.
He paused as he reached the last corner of the business district and looked across the street where the residential neighborhood started. Almost all of the houses had lights glowing in the windows. And inside those houses were families that were gathered together. He could picture it inside his head. The fathers would be cocked back in their recliners watching the evening news while the mothers checked over the trick or treat candy to make sure that it was safe for the kids to eat. Then she would bundle the kids off to take a bath before tucking them into bed for the night.
This was the world that Serena knew, the world that she belonged in. She probably had dreams of always staying in that world. When she got older she was probably hoping to find a nice, normal guy to marry, buy a house, and have a few kids of her own with. So why would she be interested in an orphaned loner like him?
'She wouldn't be,' a rational voice in the back of his mind spoke up. 'She deserves someone better than you, and you know it. The best thing you can do for both of you is just turn around now and forget about this whole idea. Andrew will get over the disappointment in a few days and everything will go back to normal.'
That was probably the best advice he had ever given himself. He would forget about talking to Serena and just go home. Tomorrow he would tell Andrew that he didn't catch up to her in time and hopefully the subject would be dropped. Then Serena would come in and he would pick on her like always. Life would continue on as normal.
But for some reason, although his brain was telling his feet to move, he remained standing there on that corner, staring at the houses across the street. Then he became aware of other emotions that were slowly trickling into him, pushing away the resignation he felt about Serena. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead as he identified them as being fear and panic, but they weren't coming from him.
There was only one person whose emotions he was able to sense, and that was Sailor Moon. But she hadn't transformed. He would have felt it if she had. So was he experiencing her emotions while she was in her civilian form? He never had before, but he supposed that anything was possible.
But if this was Sailor Moon that he was feeling, then she must be in serious trouble for him to be able to sense her like this while neither of them were transformed. What if one of the Dark Kingdom goons had found her and had her trapped where she couldn't transform?"
That scary thought forced his paralyzed muscles into action. Up until now there had been an unspoken agreement between him and the sailor scouts. They didn't snoop around trying to uncover his secret identity, and he respected their privacy as well. But if Sailor Moon was in trouble and needed help, he had to go to her. Civilian identities be damned!
He ducked just inside the closest alley and pulled his transformation rose from his pocket. As the mysterious magic that transformed him into his alter ego swept over him, the pulsing fear inside of him spiked higher. Now he could only hope that he would be able to track Sailor Moon in her civilian form like he could when she was transformed.
As soon as his transformation was complete, he latched onto her fear and waited for that magnetic pull that always led him straight to her. He felt the jerking sensation in the pit of his stomach, but instead of it leading him out across the city it seemed to be drawing him further into the alley. Confused, he followed the pull.
He had gone about ten yards when he heard a rustling sound and froze. It could have merely been a cat, but all of his instincts were on red alert and telling him that he wasn't the only person in this alley.
Then he heard a soft whimper, followed by a harsh voice growling, "Quiet, you little bitch! And stop squirming around so much! If aren't a good girl and behave I'm going to take my blade to you!"
"Please," a girl's trembling voice pleaded in a whisper. "Please, let me go. I just want to go home. I promise I won't tell anyone about this. Please!"
There was a crack that sounded like a slap, and then the obviously intoxicated man snarled. "I said shut up! I'll let you go if you please me well. That's all you stupid little sluts are good for anyway! But if you keep fighting me I promise you that you'll never make it home again. I'll kill you and leave your body here for the rats to gnaw on!"
Tuxedo Mask crept forward on silent feet and peered around a dumpster. He bit back a curse and his blood boiled at what he saw. He couldn't make out the shadowy shapes well in the dark, but he could see well enough to tell that there was a man sitting on top of a girl, pining her to the ground as she struggled against him. She was mostly blocked from view by the man's body, but he could see long hair splayed across the ground, hair that even in the darkness he could tell was pale, probably blonde. Long blonde hair that was just like Sailor Moon's…and Serena's.
Rage ripped through him at the thought of this monster harming any girl, and a razor tipped rose appeared in his hand. He was taking aim and preparing to launch the rose when something glinted dully in the man's hand, making him freeze.
The bastard had a knife.
Serena's head spun dizzily from both the slap the man had given her and from her skull bouncing off the concrete when she had been thrown to the ground. For a moment she was afraid that she was going to pass out and leave herself to the mercy of this sadistic freak, but the adrenaline pumping through her kept her lucid enough to fight back against him. Not that it was doing any good, but she wasn't about to submit weakly and let this animal rape her. She was sure that his threat to kill her was true, but if she was going down, she was going down fighting. That was the sailor scout creed.
She jerked her head to the side as her attacker's slobbery mouth tried to find hers. She had never been kissed before, and she sure as hell wasn't going to let this asshole steal her first one. Okay, so her chances were running pretty high that she wouldn't be leaving this alley alive, but she would rather die never been kissed than let those lips touch hers. The thought was vomit inducing.
The man wrapped a hand in her hair and wrenched her head around so that she couldn't move it, then he waved the knife in front of her frightened face. "Come on, now. Give me a little sugar, or I'm going to have to hurt you." Then he leaned over, his face lowering toward hers.
She ignored the stinging in her scalp as her hair pulled painfully as she twisted her head as far as she could. Then, when his lips missed their mark and landed near her ear, she turned and bit his whiskered cheek as hard as she could.
Her attacker bellowed in pain and reared back. "You disgusting little whore! You'll pay for that!" He raised the knife up, preparing to stab her.
She clenched her eyes shut tightly and quickly said mental goodbyes to her family and friends. She knew that her death would hurt them. She could only hope that they would be able to get over it in a reasonable amount of time and move on with their lives. And Darien…how would he feel when he found out she was dead? Would he be sad or indifferent? Oh well, it didn't matter anyway because she wouldn't be here to find out.
Then she heard a familiar sound that sparked a tiny amount of hope in her heart that she would live. It was a faint zing, like the quick buzz of a bee, and then she heard a dull thud followed by the clatter of the knife falling next to her.
Her eyes flew open to see the man on top of her staring at his hand as if in shock. There wasn't much light for her to see by, but she had no problem making out the shape of the rose that had speared through her attacker's hand.
There was snap and a flutter, and then someone was beside her, kicking the man off of her. He was dressed mostly in black and blended in with the shadows, but she didn't need to see him to know who he was. Someway, somehow, Tuxedo Mask had known that she was in trouble and had come to help. She didn't know how it had happened, she was just grateful that he was there.
Tuxedo Mask's blood was pounding in his ears as he glared down at the man on the ground. He had a primal urge to rip the bastard apart with his bare hands, but he appeared to be unconscious for the moment so he whirled around to check on the girl he suspected to be Sailor Moon. She had pushed herself into a sitting position and was attempting to climb to her feet.
"Here, let me help you," he told her as he held a hand out to her. "Are you okay?"
She took his hand and he pulled her gently up to stand. "I'm shaken up, but I'm fine," she whispered in a trembling voice. "You got here before he a chance to do anything more than rattle my cage a little."
His heart jumped up into his throat at the sound of her voice. This girl did sound a lot like Sailor Moon, but she lacked that certain ring to her voice that Sailor Moon always seemed to have. Of course that wasn't a complete surprise since she was probably still scared out of her mind. She had just gone through a traumatic experience that he was sure ranked higher up on the fear factor scale than any youma the Dark Kingdom had ever sent out, so she was perfectly justified if she didn't quite feel like herself. And while the generals that they had faced had definitely had a creep factor to them, none of them had ever attempted something as vile as rape. Although he had been suspicious about some of Jadeite and Nephrite's motives when it came to girls.
As he held the girl gently by the shoulders to make sure that she was steady, he found himself wishing that he could see her better. He knew that it went against their unspoken agreement about discovering their secret identities, but in the wake of his disappointment about trying to pursue a relationship with Serena he found himself longing to put a normal everyday face together with the young heroine he had been assisting in battle for over a year now.
As if some divine being had heard his wish, the moon broke through the clouds overhead to flood the alley with soft, silvery light. Just as the girl came into focus she reached up to push her long golden hair away from her face.
"Serena!" he sputtered in involuntary shock.
No! This couldn't be right! But there was no denying that the girl in front of him wearing the red splattered white dress with the now drooping wings on the back was definitely Serena. And it wasn't that he wasn't thankful that he had saved Serena from a dangerous situation, he was. But that strange magnetic pull he'd felt was supposed to lead him to Sailor Moon. Unless she was…
He snorted mentally. Now he was just thinking crazy. There was no way that Serena was Sailor Moon. Okay, so they had some things in common. They were both petite, blond, and could get loud on occasion, but other than that they were nothing alike.
Sailor Moon hadn't been much of a fighter when he had first met her, but after fighting for so long she had come to know her way around a battlefield. Most of the time he found himself assisting her in their battles now instead of constantly having to rescue her from the path of danger. And she had definitely come a long way from the stumbling, wailing girl he had found that first night in the Osa-P Jewelry Store.
Serena, on the other hand, was like a butterfly. Cheerful and carefree, she fluttered her way through life, bringing joy and happiness to everyone around her. She was soft and delicate, except when she was dealing with him, and that was just who she was. She belonged to a world where she was surrounded by her family and friends, not in the world of darkness and monsters.
While he was thinking this, Serena's mind was busy racing as well. Tuxedo Mask had called her by her name! How had he known that? Had he somehow tracked down Sailor Moon's civilian identity? The other scouts and Luna had always been a bit leery of him since he seemed just as determined to find the Silver Crystal as they were, but she had always trusted him. He wouldn't have gone behind her back to track her down…would he?
She pulled away from his grasp and took a step back, her blue eyes narrowing suspiciously. "How do you know my name?"
He took his top hat off and ran his fingers through his jet-black hair in a nervous gesture that seemed familiar to her for some reason. Then he gave her a lopsided grin. "Let's just say that I've seen you around. I go to the Crown Arcade sometimes, and I was there at the party tonight."
"Oh," she murmured. That made sense to her. She had always figured that Tuxedo Mask was only a couple of years older than her, so there was a chance that they moved in the same circles. When she'd first met him she had looked closely at every upperclassman at her school, wondering if one of them could be her mysterious masked hero. For a time she had even entertained the idea that Andrew was Tuxedo Mask, but she had quickly squashed that thought. The scouts all had a glamour that altered their looks slightly when they were transformed, but it was very subtle. Even if Tuxedo Mask had one as well, she figured that it wasn't heavy enough to change a blonde haired boy into a black haired one. Besides, with the mask he wore, he probably didn't need a glamour anyway.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked in concern as he took a step closer to her and rested a gloved hand gently on her arm.
She nodded, fixing a bright smile on her face. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It's nothing that a hot bath and a good night's sleep won't cure." She shivered inwardly, despite her brave words. She'd probably have nightmares about this night, but that would be nothing unusual. You didn't fight youma as often as she did without suffering from the occasional nightmare.
She raked a repugnant glare over the man still lying on the ground. "So what do we do with him?"
Tuxedo Mask shrugged. "I'll probably just make an anonymous call and let the cops come pick him up. They can deal with him."
"I guess that's for the best," she sighed.
"Like hell you will!" a voice slurred, and they turned to see that the drunken man must not have been as unconscious as they had thought. He had rolled to his feet without them noticing and was crouched down like a vicious predator that was preparing to spring at his prey. His dark, beady little eyes glared at them insanely from between hanks of long, knotted, greasy brown hair that had fallen across his face.
"I ain't going back to jail," he sneered. "Especially not because of one stupid little slut and a wannabe vigilante." Then he launched himself at them.
Serena gasped as Tuxedo Mask, in a move that was faster than the blink of an eye, pushed her gently, but forcefully, away from him. She stumbled back several steps and almost fell, but she regained her balance and whipped her head around just in time to see the man plow into Tuxedo Mask.
The ground practically shook beneath their combined weight as they slammed into the concrete, and something white flew through the air. Serena watched it in a daze for a moment, wondering what it was, and as it came to rest at her feet she realized that it was her hero's mask.
As if in a dream, she raised her eyes to look at the struggling men. Her gaze was automatically pulled to the younger man in the tuxedo that was currently pinned underneath the older, slightly larger man, and she felt every bit of blood drain down to her toes as she got her first look at her protector's unmasked face. She was shocked to see that it was one that she knew very well, one that she saw everyday.
"Darien?" she barely breathed.
Although her voice was softer than a whisper, he heard her. His dark blue eyes jerked to her, even as he sent a fist plummeting into the stomach of the man on top of them, and they were pleading with her.
"Run, Serena! Get out of here!" he bit out tersely.
Part of her wanted to do just that, but she couldn't leave him like this. Her head whipped back and forth. "No, Darien. I can't…"
"Just go!" he demanded furiously. "I'll take care of this, but I need to know that you're safe."
The man, who had been bent over wheezing from the fist to the gut, recovered enough to deliver a fist of his own to Darien's jaw. "Nobody's going anywhere! I'll just have to take care of both of you. Now where's my knife?"
Serena's heart stuttered in her chest. She didn't see the knife lying around anywhere, but there was still enough shadows and scattered trash to make it hard to find anything. She knew she had to do something though. Darien looked a little out of it after that punch to the jaw, and if that monster of a man managed to find that knife…she didn't even want to think about the consequences.
She ran over to the spot where the man had originally held her against the wall and fell to her knees, her hands running over the rough ground as she searched for her brooch. If she was going to be any help to Darien she was going to need Sailor Moon's strength.
After several seconds of finding nothing but crumpled newspapers and old aluminum cans, she felt like screaming in frustration. Her brooch had to be here somewhere! It hadn't been flung away; it had only fallen from her hand. Even if it had rolled away, it wouldn't have gone far. Then, just as things were starting to seem hopeless to her, her fingers encountered that smooth, circular metal.
She clenched the brooch tightly in her hand and scrambled back to her feet. She spun around to look at the fight, and saw that Darien was still making a valiant effort to fight off his attacker, but the man had wrapped his meaty hands around his neck and was squeezing tightly.
She experienced one quick millisecond of indecision as she stood there pressing the brooch to her chest. Luna would have her ass if she ever found out that she transformed in front of others, but what choice did she really have. Besides, now that she knew that Darien had just as big of a secret as she did, she would be able to blackmail him into holding his silence. She would keep his identity secret as long as he kept hers. And nobody would believe a raving, psychopathic drunk if he tried to say a teenage girl that he had been attempting to rape had transformed into a sailor scout before his eyes. He also didn't know who she was, so her identity should be safe.
Her decision made, she held her brooch up in the air.
Tuxedo Mask sucked as much air into his lungs as he could as pushed against the heavy weight crushing his chest and fought against the black spots dancing across his vision. He felt lightheaded, but he refused to pass out. There was no way that he was going to leave Serena alone to face this guy again, and he knew that she was still there. Despite his urging to run, he'd heard her scrambling around like she was looking for something several yards away. He didn't know what she was up to, but he wished that she would take his advice and leave. It would make him feel much better if she did.
He shoved hard against the shoulders of the man on top of him, trying to break the hold he had on his throat so he could breathe. But the man was obviously high on something as well as drunk, and the adrenaline that must be surging through the guy, in addition to his heavier weight and size, made him quite the physical challenge. Despite the boost of strength Darien got by transforming into his alter ego, he was unable to budge the guy.
He saw a flutter of white out of the corner of his eye, and he turned his head slightly to see Serena standing there, one hand clenched tightly at her chest and a look of indecision on her face. He could tell by her expression that she was planning something, and he tried to warn her with his eyes not to. If he couldn't fight this man off, what hope did a slender 5'2" girl that probably didn't weigh more than 100 pounds have against him?
Then a steely look entered her eyes and her hand moved from her chest to punch up into the air as she said, "Moon Prism Power!"
Pink light erupted all around her as pink ribbons burst from something that she held in her hand to wrap around her body. He felt the familiar burst of heat explode in his chest that he always felt whenever Sailor Moon transformed, alerting him to the arrival of the super heroine even as he watched the blue skirted fuku materialize around Serena's body.
'I don't believe it! Serena really is Sailor Moon!' he couldn't help but think in awe. Even though he had tried to rationalize the ludicrous thought out of his mind, he couldn't argue with the proof that was right before him. The girl that he was in love with and the sailor scout that he had teamed up with against the Dark Kingdom were one and the same.
Then he realized that he could breathe a little easier. The man on top of him had loosened his grip slightly as he too had become entranced with the light show that they were being treated to.
He tensed his body, preparing to jackknife and see if he could throw the man off of him. But before he could the pink light faded as abruptly as it had appeared. Then there was a blur of red, white, blue, and gold as a tiny body rammed into the guy with the force of a speeding freight train, knocking him to the ground several feet away.
Sailor Moon stood above him, furious tears pouring down her cheeks while her clenched fists trembled at her side. Her tiara began glowing on her forehead as she raked the would be rapist with a look of loathing so hot it was amazing that the man didn't spontaneously burst into flames.
"You bastard!" she spat hatefully. "Do you think it's fun to get your sick kicks out of attacking young girls? Well this girl comes with a punch, bucko! I oughta dust your sorry ass right now!"
Tuxedo Mask shot to his feet in one fluid movement and rushed to her side in time to grab her hand as it reached for the glowing tiara.
"Hey!" he cautioned her gently. "I know you're upset, but don't do something that you may regret later. He may be worse than youma scum, but he is a human being, as pathetic as he is. Let's let the cops handle him."
Right on cue, they heard sirens approaching in the distance as a voice yelled down the alley, "I don't know what's going on down there, but I've called the police!"
Tuxedo Mask kept a firm grip on her hand as he pulled her away from the groaning, writhing man on the ground. He stopped just long enough to pick up his hat, mask, the rose that the man must have ripped free from his hand, and the tiara that had fallen off of Serena's head during the attack, before sweeping her up in his arms and jumping up to a nearby roof. He set her back on her feet and they both looked over the edge just as several police officers swarmed into the alley. In just a matter of minutes they had handcuffed the guy and led him away.
After all of the activity was over, a heavy silence fell between the two eavesdropping super heroes. Sailor Moon scuffed her red, high-heeled boots nervously before glancing up shyly at him.
"So you're Tuxedo Mask, huh?" she murmured softly.
He couldn't help but grin at the obvious statement. "And you're Sailor Moon."
She heaved a huge sigh. "I guess the truth was bound to come out sooner or later. I'm surprised that we've been able to keep our identities a secret as long as we have. But never in a million years would I have thought that you would end up being Tuxedo Mask!"
He felt a little hurt at her statement. "Is it really that hard to believe?"
She folded her arms across her chest. "Yes. You have to admit that we don't get along, Darien. But Tuxedo Mask…he and I clicked from the first night. We've worked together for a long time now, and we've become a good team. It's nothing against the other scouts, but Venus and Jupiter always seem to pair off, and so do Mars and Mercury. But Tuxedo Mask was my partner! Now it's all ruined!"
He copied her stance, folding his own arms across his chest as he grumbled, "It doesn't have to be ruined."
She stared at him in disbelief. "Of course it's ruined! Nothing will ever be the same again! Do you honestly think we can go back to the way things were now that we know who each other are? I'm sorry, but I can't go back to arguing with you in the arcade everyday and putting up with your picking on me and then pretend at every youma battle that it wasn't you. That's not the way my mind works."
"Well mine doesn't work that way either!" he snapped back, arching a dark brow at her in a classic Darien-look. "Believe me, I never thought that you would end up being Sailor Moon. You two are nothing alike!"
Now it was her turn to look taken aback. "What do you mean? We are the same person."
He shook his head. "Not exactly. It's almost like you're two parts of the same person. You're both spunky and caring, but Sailor Moon carries the weight of the world on her shoulders while Serena breezes happily through life."
She shrugged. "I try to keep my personal and my professional life separate from each other as much as possible. The problem with the Dark Kingdom is always in the back of my mind, but I would go batty if I dwelled on it all of the time. Besides, I could say the same thing about you. Darien Shields…rude, obnoxious jackass by day…suave, smooth-talking hero by night. You've divided yourself into two separate people as much as I have. Your civilian self doesn't have much in common with your alter ego either. But now that I know who you are the line between my two lives has blurred."
He regarded her silently for a moment before he said quietly, "Have you ever thought about what it would be like if we didn't fight all of the time?"
"What do you mean?" she asked cautiously.
He leaned casually against the building ledge. "Well it's obvious that our alter egos can get along. So why can't we try being friends in our everyday life?"
She rolled her eyes. "And how long do you think that would last? Geez, Darien! You can't spend five minutes around me without trying to come up with something to tease me about or trying to humiliate me somehow. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what your motive was tonight. You can deny it all you want, but I know you winked at me. And then that deal with the candy…"
His look turned smug as he watched a blush bloom on her cheeks. "You thought I was going to kiss you, didn't you?"
She stomped her foot angrily. "No I didn't! I just can't believe that you would stoop so low as to steal candy right out of someone's hand like that!" Her fingers tingled where his lips had brushed them earlier and she twined them tightly in her fuku skirt.
He closed his eyes for a moment as a voice that sounded a lot like Andrew's began clamoring away inside his head, urging him to confess to her. He drew in a deep breath to fortify himself. What the hell? Things were already deteriorating between them anyway. He may as well put the icing on the cake.
His eyes opened and locked on her as he admitted softly, "I was going to kiss you."
Her eyes widened like a deer in the headlights. "What did you say?"
His shoulders hunched dejectedly. "I started to kiss you, but I chickened out at the last second. I just used the candy as a cover up."
She went limp as she slouched against the ledge as well. After several long, quiet seconds she asked, "Why would you even want to kiss me? You don't even like me."
He shoved away from the ledge and began pacing agitatedly. He was muttering under his breath, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. Finally, he spun around, his sapphire eyes boring into hers. "I've already started this, so I may as well get all of the humiliation out in the open. I'm in love with you, Serena. I think I have been since that first day when you hit me in the head with that test paper. But I'm not the type of person to show my feelings, so I went into denial. I told myself to stay away from you, but I couldn't. The only reason why I pick on you is so that I can have an excuse to talk to you."
She slid down to sit on the roof, shaking her head sadly. "You're just saying that because I'm Sailor Moon."
Quick as a wink, he was on his knees in front of her, gripping both of her hands in his. "Serena, my feelings for you have nothing to do with you being Sailor Moon. I have been a stupid ass, but I know now that I have loved you for a long time. And I love you for who you are, not because of who your alter ego is. In fact, I kind of wish you weren't Sailor Moon so I won't have to worry about you getting hurt in a fight. I know it's too much to hope that you could have any feelings for me, but I just felt the need to get this off of my chest."
She lifted her head to glare at him. "How typically male!" she hissed as she shoved him back so she could scramble to her feet. She stalked a few feet away, heels clicking sharply, before wheeling around to face him once more. "Raye and Lita were right! Men can't see the obvious, even when it's shoved right under their noses! Do you think I come crawling back to you everyday because I enjoy the constant barrage of insults you throw at me? I may be considered a feather brained blonde, but I'm not masochistic! The only reason why I put myself through the daily torture of putting up with your picking is so that I can spend a few minutes with you. I rush to the arcade as soon as I can everyday, praying that you'll be there just so I can see you."
He climbed to his feet; hope beginning to burn in his eyes as he approached her slowly. He came to a stop in front of her and reached out to place his fingers under her chin to lift her face up to look at him. "What are you trying to say, Serena?" he asked in a husky tone.
She stared at him for a moment before she burst out, "I love you too, you big dummy!" and threw herself into his arms.
He hugged her tightly as she squeezed him around the waist and burrowed her face into his chest. He felt wetness seeping through the thin material of his tuxedo shirt and chided gently, "Hey! You're not crying, are you?"
She pulled back slightly and dashed a few tears from her cheeks with a gloved hand. "Just a little bit. It's been a crazy night."
All of his earlier concerns for her came flooding back. "Are you really okay? That bastard didn't hurt you, did he?" He ran his hands up and down her arms like he was searching for broken bones.
She sniffled a giggle. "I'm really okay, Darien. I was more scared than I was anything. I'm just glad that you got there when you did." She paused for a moment and then looked at him quizzically. "How did you find me anyway?"
His expression turned sheepish and he rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. "Well, after you left the arcade Andrew jumped me pretty good. He's always been amazingly perceptive when it comes to reading people, and after he witnessed the almost kiss between us earlier he kicked me out of the arcade and told me not to come back until I had confessed my true feelings to you. I was going to try to catch up to you before you made it home, but I started to chicken out again. I was standing on the corner when I started to feel funny. You know how I told you once about how I can feel Sailor Moon when she's in trouble?"
He waited for her to nod before he continued. "Well it kind of felt like that, only not as strong because we weren't transformed. So I ducked into the alley to transform and the feeling got stronger. I followed it, and it led me to you."
Her eyes were round with wonder. "Wow! That's a handy trick to have. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't come along." She shivered violently.
He pulled her close once again and murmured into her hair. "Let's not talk about that. You're here and you're safe. That's all that matters to me."
She twisted her head so that she could look up at him and found him staring down at her with the same intense expression that had been on his face in the moments before he had stolen the piece of chocolate from her earlier. But this time, as his face lowered toward hers, she ran her hands up his chest and over his shoulders to lock behind his neck as she rose on her tiptoes to meet him.
Their lips brushed hesitantly at first, as if testing the waters between them. But after a few seconds Darien pressed his mouth more firmly against hers, opening his lips to lick at hers with his tongue.
Serena's parted as well as she gasped at the contact. And then his tongue was in her mouth, rubbing gently against hers. After a moment's surprise, she began responding shyly, twirling her tongue around his in a kind of dance.
They finally parted when they both grew lightheaded from the lack of oxygen, but they remained locked in an embrace as they pressed their foreheads against each other's.
"I love you, Darien," she whispered softly.
"I love you too, Serena," he responded just as softly. Then he chuckled. "We sure have wasted a lot of time that we could have been together, haven't we?"
She giggled quietly. "Maybe so, but we have plenty of time ahead of us to make up for it. In fact, you can start by walking me home. I don't want to walk alone."
"And I don't want you walking alone," he agreed. "And I'm sure you still want to take that hot bath and get that good night's sleep you mentioned earlier, so let's get you home."
Together, they dropped down near the entrance to the alley and let their transformations fade. Then, hand in hand, they headed down the sidewalk towards Serena's house.
"Hey, Serena," Darien asked after a minute of companionable silence. "Would you go out with me tomorrow? I was thinking that we could grab lunch and then catch a movie. If you want to, that is."
She squeezed his hand softly and smiled. "I'd love to. How about we meet at the arcade around noon."
He grinned widely. "That sounds good. That way I can prove to Andrew that I did what he wanted me to do."
A tiny frown of concentration appeared on Serena's face before she asked, "Does Drew know about your secret super hero life?"
He lifted a shoulder nonchalantly. "Yeah. He's known almost from the very beginning. It was completely by accident though. I couldn't control my transformations in the beginning, and I sort of turned into Tuxedo Mask in front of him."
"That dirty little sneak!" Serena hissed. "I should have known he'd pull something like this! He's probably been just sitting back waiting this whole time for the perfect opportunity to set us up! I guess he figured that since the tabloids are always linking Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask together romantically that we should hook up for real."
"Whoa! Wait a minute!" Darien exclaimed. "Are you saying that he knew who you are too?"
She nodded emphatically. "He's known forever. He busted me transforming in the alley behind the arcade like the third time I ever turned into Sailor Moon. I can't believe this! I thought Mina was a big matchmaker, but he's ten times worse."
"We'll come up with some way to get him back," he told her as they came to a stop in front of her house. Then he pulled her into his arms for one last goodnight kiss.
Serena giggled as their lips parted. "You know, you're the first person to ever kiss me."
Surprise registered on his face. "I am?"
"Mm hmm…" she confirmed. "While that guy had me in that alley he kept trying to kiss me, but I wouldn't let him. I knew who I wanted to be my first kiss. I was waiting for you."
Darien felt a rush of pleasure at her words and planted a tiny butterfly kiss at the corner of her mouth as he admitted, "You were my first kiss too."
She jerked in shock. "No way! Not Mr. Smooth Big Man On Campus! You've got all of those college girls throwing themselves at you and you've never even kissed one of them?"
He wrinkled his nose slightly. "They aren't my type. All those girls are after is for me to do their homework for them or a one night stand, and that's definitely not my thing. Besides, I was waiting for you too. Now get inside the house. I want to see you go in and lock the door behind you before I leave."
"Wow, pushy much?" Serena grumbled sourly. "Don't think that just because you told me that you loved me that it means you can start ordering me around."
He tapped the tip of her nose with a finger. "I'm just looking out for you. I think tonight shook us both up, and I'll feel better once I know you're safely inside."
She flung his arms around his neck for a final hug. "Okay! I'll see you tomorrow then."
"If a youma doesn't attack first," he muttered.
She slapped him lightly on the arm. "Hey! Don't jinx us!" Then she hurried up the path toward her front door.
"How are you going to explain what happened to your dress to your parents?" he called after her.
The dress, stained, ripped, and dirty as it was, flared around her gracefully as she whirled to give him a bright smile. "Sweetie, I'm the Klutz Queen of Juuban, remember? My family is used to me coming home looking like a war refugee. They won't think anything of it." Then she was slipping through the door.
He stood and waited until he heard the faint click of the deadbolt being turned. Then the curtains over the window by the door parted and Serena's tiny pale hand waved goodbye to him. He shoved his hands in his pockets as he turned in the direction of his apartment and began walking home, his mind whirling in anticipation of his date the next day.
The Next Day
"Sooo…" Andrew drawled as he set a cup of coffee in front of his best friend.
Darien looked up with a faintly bored expression. "So what?"
Andrew planted his hands on the counter and leaned forward. "You know what! Don't leave me in suspense like this. What happened between you and Serena last night? You did catch up with her, didn't you?"
"Yes," Darien replied simply before taking a sip of his coffee, and he left it at that.
Andrew gaped for a moment, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't he demanded, "Well?"
Darien set his cup down carefully. "Mine and Serena's personal life is really none of your business, Drew. You're my best friend, and I know that you were just trying to help, but you really shouldn't mess around with other people's relationships."
"Uh oh! That doesn't sound good," Andrew muttered as his eyes fell downcast and he began wiping the already spotless counter. "Sorry, Dare. I just thought that if you and Serena would just get your feelings out in the open and quit beating around the bush that something would spark between you guys. I really think you would be good together."
Darien chuckled. "Anyway, how can I take relationship advice from a guy that lets the girl that he likes come in here day in and day out and never ask her out."
Andrew's startled eyes flew up to meet his. "What are you talking about?"
Darien nodded toward the booth in the back where Serena's four best friends were having lunch. "You've spent the past year flirting with Mina on a daily basis, but you have yet to ask her on a date."
Andrew started scrubbing the counter with renewed vigor. "So what! A guy can flirt, can't he?"
Darien smirked evilly. "You're not letting the fact that she's Sailor Venus deter you from asking her out, are you?"
"H…H…How do you know that?" Andrew sputtered in shock.
Darien leaned back and crossed his arms smugly. Once he'd found out that Serena was Sailor Moon, it had taken him less than five seconds to figure out who the other scouts were. Serena was with her friends all of the time, and there were five of them and five scouts. It didn't take a genius to solve that puzzle.
"Serena and I talked last night," he admitted. "And we found out all sorts of interesting things."
"So what is the status of you guys' relationship?" Andrew insisted. "I hate to seem like I keep butting in, but the suspense is killing me."
Darien turned to the door with a grin. "I guess you're about to find out. Watch and learn, Furuhata."
The arcade doors slid open and Serena walked in. She was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a sweater and her face was smooth and serene as she walked to the counter and took a seat on the stool next to Darien.
"Hey, Drew! How's it going?" she asked in a bright, cheerful tone.
"Um, everything's good, Serena. How are you today?" Andrew answered her cautiously.
"That's good! I'm fine!" she chirped as she fished in her pocket for something. A few seconds later she pulled out a miniature, dark chocolate candy bar and turned to glare at Darien. "This one is mine, Shields! So don't think you can go stealing it from me like the one you took last night."
Darien held his hands up innocently. "I wouldn't dream of it, Meatball Head."
Serena popped the candy into her mouth and closed her eyes as the velvety sweetness melted on her tongue.
Darien watched her, entranced for several seconds, before he reached over and plucked her off of her seat to practically pull her into his lap. When her eyes flew open he growled, "I'll just take the leftovers."
Then he proceeded to give the blonde a kiss that was just short of being indecent in public.
Four thunks came from the booth in the back as Mina, Raye, Lita, and Amy's jaws fell open in shock and their chins hit the table.
The counter shook as Andrew slammed his hands down on it and shrieked, "Okay! Just what the hell happened between you two last night?"
The kissing couple ignored him for several long moments, and when they finally parted Darien asked Serena, "Are you ready for our date?" She squealed and nodded as she slid from his lap.
As they stood to leave, Darien leaned across the counter to whisper to Andrew, "I will say something about kissing a sailor scout, there's nothing like it in the world."
Serena giggled and slid a second tiny candy bar across the counter. "Here you go, Drew. I find that dark chocolate works best. And Mina absolutely adores it." Then she waved to her still dumbfounded friends and pulled Darien behind her toward the exit.
Before they had even passed through the doors they heard Andrew run across the arcade. A quick glance back showed them that he had gone down on his knees beside the girls' booth next to Mina as he asked her enthusiastically, "Mina, would you go out with me tonight?"
Serena muffled her laughter in Darien's shoulder as they stepped out into the cool fall day.
"I still don't see why we set Drew up with Mina," Darien complained. "I thought we were supposed to be paying him back for meddling in our lives."
Serena stood on her tiptoes to place a smacking kiss on his cheek. "Don't be such a grouch! He may have meddled in our lives, but in the end he did us a favor. And don't worry, the revenge is coming."
He saw the mischievous twinkle in her eyes and actually felt worried for his friend. "Uh oh! What do you have planned, Serena?"
She batted her lashes at him. "I don't have anything planned. I'm just waiting to see how Drew reacts when he finds out how much time Mina can spend at the mall. I bet he'll be catatonic within a week."
Darien chuckled at the thought. "You can be plumb evil sometimes. Did you know that?"
She gave him a wink and a saucy smile. "Yes. But that's why you love me."
He hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "So do you have any evil secrets of your own that I need to be aware of coming into this relationship?"
Her pink tongue darted out to lick her full lips. "Only that I turn into a raving lunatic when I don't get fed. And I missed breakfast this morning because I was talking to you on the phone trying to plan this out, so I'm feeling pretty hungry right now. All that candy bar did was stir up my appetite."
Darien dipped his head down to whisper against her lips. "It tasted good, though. In fact, I think I want seconds." And then he kissed her deeply, getting another taste of the sinfully sweet chocolate.
A banging sound had them breaking apart as they looked up to find Andrew, Mina, Raye, Lita, and Amy all watching them through one of the arcade's large, plate glass windows. All together, the five friends yelled at them, "Get a room!"
One Week Later
Darien stepped out of his kitchen and smiled at the sight of his girlfriend sprawled on his couch with her head hanging off the side and her yards of golden hair trailing across his floor.
"You're going to get a headache if you stay like that," he cautioned her wisely.
She grinned and bounced up onto the couch with an expectant look on her face. "I was just waiting for you, sweetie, so we can start the movie. Did you get us lots of snacks?"
"Yes I did, Miss Piggy," he teased her fondly as he set the popcorn, chips, dip, and Chex Mix that he had piled in his arms on the coffee table before her. Two two-liter bottles of soda, Mountain Dew for him and Cherry Coke for her, were already on the table along with two glasses of ice.
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully before she started ravishing the food with her eyes. Then a tiny frown began to tug at her lips. "Hey! Where's the chocolate?"
Darien sighed and pulled one lone miniature dark chocolate candy bar from the breast pocket of his t-shirt. "This is the last of my stash. I'll have to go buy some more tomorrow. Since you've been coming over every night this week to study we've gone through it all."
He mentally rolled his eyes at that statement. He had studied. Serena, on the other hand, would give up after about a half hour and start reading manga. After that she would move on to the TV where she laughed like a hyena while she watched a succession of mindless animes. So she got very little studying done. It was a good thing that she had study hall the last period of the day, or she would never get any of her homework done.
The other girls had also insisted that she devote at least one hour each afternoon to their study group/scout meeting, which worked out great since his last afternoon class didn't end until four, so she was usually able to finish up what assignments she had by the time he arrived at the arcade. Then he would visit with Andrew over a cup of coffee while she finished up with the girls, and then they would retreat to his apartment until it was time for her to go home for dinner. Secretly, he was glad that Ilene Tsukino had an early curfew for her children on school nights, that way he was able to get his studying done.
All in all, they had already settled down into a comfortable routine. The Dark Kingdom had remained quiet, and none of them were sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he and Serena had already informed the other girls of his alter ego, and they had seemed relieved to know that Tuxedo Mask was definitely their ally and not a possible Dark Kingdom spy. So for now things were good. Except for the fact that his girlfriend was glaring at him with furiously sparkling blue eyes.
"What?" he exclaimed in alarm.
"Da-ri-en Shields!" she enunciated very carefully, separating his name into biting syllables. "I know that you weren't planning on keeping that candy all to yourself!" Her lower lip actually began trembling at the thought.
He was on the couch beside her in a flash. "Of course not, sweetheart! I'm crushed! Do you really think I'm cruel enough to flaunt the last piece of candy in front of you and not give you any? I thought we could share it."
Her expression changed from upset to happy just like someone had thrown a switch. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have doubted you. It's just that this past week has been too perfect to be true. I keep thinking that it's all a dream and that I'm going to wake up to find that none of it ever happened and that you're still a jerk."
He laughed and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "It has been a good week, hasn't it? The best part, other than being with you, was finding out that the asshole that attacked you got what was coming to him."
Serena shivered at the dark memory. An article had appeared in the paper the day after her attack saying that the man that had been arrested in the alley that night had been a known drug dealer and a suspected serial rapist. Several women had come forward and filed charges against him, so he wouldn't be walking free any time soon. In fact, he had been placed in a mental ward for examination because he kept insisting to police that he had been attacked in that alley by a vampire and a witch. But his blood alcohol content had been so high and he'd had so many drugs in his system at the time that nobody believed him. So neither Sailor Moon nor Tuxedo Mask's name had been tied to the incident.
Darien nudged her shoulder gently. "Okay! That's enough brooding. Now are you going to help me eat this chocolate or not?" He unwrapped the piece and placed it between his teeth.
She smiled impishly and leaned forward. "Oh, I think I can definitely help you out with that problem." Then she placed her mouth over his, her teeth scraping his as she bit off half of the chocolate.
She started to pull away, but Darien wrapped his arm tightly around her and held her close to him as he opened his mouth to pull her into a proper kiss. It was slightly sticky and definitely messy, but neither of them seemed to mind. Darien had just settled back in a reclining position with Serena draped over him when a beeping sound filled the air.
"Damn it! What rotten timing!" Serena cursed as she rolled off of him and reached into her jeans pocket for her communicator. She pulled it out and pressed the flashing button. "What?"
Amy's face filled the screen. A few seconds later the screen split three more times as Mina, Raye, and Lita appeared as well.
"I'm sorry everyone," the blue haired girl apologized profusely. "I know we all had plans for tonight, but my computer is picking up some definite youma activity."
"That's just great!" Lita groaned. "Ken and I were just about to go into a movie!"
"I know," Amy sighed. "I'm going to have to break my date with Greg too."
"This isn't fair!" Mina screeched.
"Well duty calls, Barbie!" Raye fired off testily. "So you're just going to have to drag yourself away from your precious Andrew for a little while."
"You're one to talk!" Mina raged. "I bet my Louis Vuitton handbag that you and Chad were probably getting hot and heavy right before this call came."
"That's enough!" Serena broke in, a ring of authority in her voice. "Amy, where is the attack at?"
Amy rolled her blue eyes. "At the park. Where else do they attack?"
Serena sighed. "Fine. Darien and I will be there as quick as we can. See you there."
Amy, Mina, and Lita disappeared from the screen, but a smirking Raye remained.
"What is it, Pyro?" Serena demanded.
"Oh, nothing much," the raven-haired girl drawled slyly. "But you might want to wash the chocolate off of your face before you come to the fight. You look like you've been eating mud pies." Then she vanished.
Serena wiped her mouth with her hand and it came away sticky and streaked with brown. A squeal of outrage tore from her throat as she jumped from the couch to dash to the kitchen where she turned on the sink faucet to splash water over her burning face.
Darien joined her a second later to do the same. After they had assured each other that all of the chocolate was gone, they ran from the kitchen, transforming together as they crossed the living room to the balcony doors, and then jumped up onto the railing.
Before they took that first leap to the rooftops, Tuxedo Mask took Sailor Moon's gloved hand in his and squeezed it. "You be careful out there."
Her fingers tightened around his. "You too. Hopefully this won't take too long. And since we're out and about anyway, maybe we can stop on the way back and pick up some more chocolate."
He chuckled deeply. "You are incorrigible."
She smiled and leaned over to kiss away one tiny spot of chocolate from his cheek that had been missed. "Only with you, my masked protector. Now let's go kick some Dark Kingdom ass."
Hand in hand they jumped away into the night.
~FIN~
Thank you for reading. Reviews are very much appreciated, so please feel free to leave one with your thoughts. (puppy dog eyes) Please!