Chapter V
The three of them finally decided to meet at Henrietta's, Hinckley's most famous restaurant but it offered the seclusion Jadeite needed away from prying eyes.
Jadeite stood when Serenity brought over Darien. "Hello." He held out his hand.
Darien took it with a firm grip. "It's nice to meet you sir, Serenity talks about you all the time."
Jadeite held his gaze for a long moment and satisfied Jadeite sent a glance towards Serenity. "She does, does she? Nothing I wouldn't like?"
"Nothing but praises Mr. General." The two men froze as the word settled in the air and they looked closer but then they ignored the faint warning as Serenity pried their hands apart.
"Shall we sit?" She coaxed the two men.
They both shot her a rueful smile and sat. Serenity sat between them at the small wrought iron round table. She was wearing a spegetti strapped orchrid pink dress. The top outlined her bust with frills on top. Two strips ran down from the joint between the two cups to the dip in her Basque waist skirt. The rest of the bodice was puckered. The A-line skirt flared dramatically until it reached her knees in small pleats. She brushed the skirt under her as she sat down.
"Mr. General." Again another pause and Serenity placed her hand over Darien's. He glanced at her before a smile broke across his face and he returned the grip. "Serenity has neglected to mention what it is you do for a living."
It didn't go unnoticed that they were in the best restaurant in town. Darien wasn't hard pressed for money and never would be as he continued his degree in physics.
"Please, call me Jay." The waiter came and took their drink orders and an appetizer. When he left Jadeite spoke again. "I'm a international real estate seller."
"Really? How's that working out for you?" Darien asked with at least a little interest.
"Oh great, I'm selling a castle in England right now. Have you heard of Windsor Castle?"
Darien's lips twisted, he knew he'd been had. Serenity laughed as she rubbed her eyes and shook her head. Jadeite never failed when he meant to duplicity anyone. That included her, she's lived with him almost her entire life and still he caught her off guard every once in awhile with one of his jokes.
"I see where Serenity gets her sense of humor." Darien stated dryly. "What do you really do?"
"I do work internationally, but most of my work concentrates around here. I'm a book editor."
"I see." Darien shot Serenity a look and she nodded, that's what he basically did when he felt like it. Whether he got paid for it or not she couldn't say.
"I also work on a broadcast station. I'm mainly a free-lance worker working on odd jobs here and there."
Serenity stood up. "Excuse me, I must go to the restroom."
Jadeite watched his young niece go and was hit by the realization that she looked like a ballerina. "Did you pick that dress out?" Jadeite asked the young man sitting across from him.
"No." Darien laughed. "I tried to dissuade her from getting it. It draws too much attention for my liking."
"I wish you wouldn't curtail her extremities. But I have to admit it's rather vibrant. It looks good on her though."
"It does but it makes her look young." Darien agreed; the dress was part of her personality, demure but turned heads and got tongues wagging.
"She is young."
"Not that young." Darien countered.
Jadeite looked the man over, trying to use his slight age to his advantage but all Darien probably thought was that he was eleven when Serenity was born, could either be a young uncle or a much older brother. "Too young for you, what are your reasons for dating a girl so much younger."
"It's only two years." Darien defended.
"She's not even out of high school yet, it's a huge difference in maturity. You've got that extra experiences even though it doesn't seem like much to her but she doesn't realize how much she's got to learn."
"I agree she has a lot to learn but she's the most mature senior I've ever met. She knows how to have fun but at the same time she's conscious of her actions. My intentions are no less honorable than yours are for Rei."
Jadeite was about to make a comeback when Serenity sank down into her chair again. "So, what were the two of you talking about?"
"How fitting that dress is for you." Jadeite said pointedly towards Darien.
Darien didn't reply to that, he only turned towards Serenity slightly more. "That was a short trip to the restroom, no girl goes that fast. They have to fix their make-up and hair and talk to about a hundred people on the way there and back and who knows what else takes place as girls go into that room which men never venture towards."
"I didn't actually go towards the bathroom." Serenity relented. "I had a phone call and I didn't want to take it here. It was Rei. I guess both of us forgot to tell her that we had a date tonight; she called looking to see what was up. She's in this area now, would either of you mind if she joined us?"
Both men shook their head no, they wouldn't care, but Jadeite brightened. Rei was a beauty, she had charm and sincerity. Whenever he got a chance to see her his day could never be bad. Serenity headed away again to call Rei back.
"I promised Sere that I'd give you a chance and I'll honor that promise." Jadeite straightened and held out his hand. "Let's start anew. I am Jay General, pleasure to meet you Darien Shields."
"Pleasure's all mine Jay General." Darien was secretly pleased that Rei was coming because it would take some of the edge off Jay.
A few minutes later Serenity came back with Rei in tow. Rei sat down on the other side of Jadeite and they waited for the waiter to come back again. Jadeite sent covert glances towards Rei.
She was wearing a jewel neck white top that covered everything from her primly tucked in waist to her sleeveless shoulders. Around her almost violet black hair was a red bandana which tail ends were tied behind her head and hung loose down her back with her hip length black hair. She had gold star earrings in her ears and connected to them were hoops, which encircled another star. The scarf somehow matched the flowers on their table. Her legs were tucked under her chair with a red pencil skirt covering her knees. She had white pumps on the dainty feet, which were crossed like a princess would.
As she had grown she had blossomed with beauty. She was classy, sophisticated and yet a temptress all at the same time. Jadeite hardly spoke directly to her and when he did it was because she answered a vague question he put out there or Serenity dragged them into a topic together.
Darien hung back as he rested against his chair and watched the scene, one hand was under the table and the other rolled his food onto his fork. Serenity kept sending him covert glances under her eyelashes and he'd respond with a lazy grin.
Jadeite caught the transaction and sought to bring Darien to attention. "Serenity tells me you're an orphan."
Darien's head snapped around to the man and he frowned. "She told you that?" He looked towards Serenity and she made a guilty grimace with her lips. Darien relaxed again and shrugged off Serenity's apology in her eyes. "Then the two of you must be close."
"We are." Jadeite agreed. "How do you pay for school if you don't have your parent's financial backing?"
"The government does wonders on student loans, and scholarships too when you have a sob story." Darien pulled an angel hair noodle up to his mouth and ate it.
"I see." Jadeite caught Serenity's astonished look and he inwardly groaned at his stupid-ness. Serenity was an orphan as well and it was only with his help that she didn't remain one. Then he remembered that Rei too had a hard family background. Her mother died, her father left her in her grandfather's charge as he explored the political field.
"I'm sorry Rei, I didn't mean to rehash old wounds."
"That's all right. I'm not as hard off as some people. I love my grandfather and he loves me. It's best this way, I'm stronger for it."
The meal was coming to a close and Jadeite signed the bill and added a ten percent tip. "I'll-" He was going to suggest walking Rei home when he noticed the whispers between his niece and her boyfriend but his plans changed when he felt the familiar tug return after years of disuse, it felt as if somebody was squeezing all the air out of his gut. "I have to go, I just remembered that I have one of those freelance contracts I was talking about."
"We'll be fine Ja-" Serenity bit her lip and shook her head in frustration, she was going to call him 'Jade' but that would be causing too many questions on why she added the extra 'd'. "I'll see you later."
Jadeite comprehended then why he was feeling the tug. He quickly leaned across the table and hugged her. "Remember what I said about Tuxedo Mask and the scouts." He whispered so only she could here. "See you then."
He left before anybody could say anything and he returned to the base just in time as Nephrite appeared on scene. He sent a blast hurtling towards Serenity's table. Rei and Mamoru jumped up in surprise at the new general.
"Did they figure it out?" Rei hissed to Darien.
"Couldn't have, he's new." Darien responded, together they blocked the path to Serenity.
"Then why did he attack our table?" Rei questioned.
Serenity squeaked.
They turned to see a youma behind them with Serenity wrapped in some type of gook. She was unable to move. The rest of the patrons stopped what they were doing and watched in awe as the youma started to suck her energy.
"It's not attacking anybody else." Rei stated amazed.
"They're after her!" Darien growled.
"They've never attacked an individual, specific groups yes, but nobody in particular."
"They've never sent a different general than Jadeite either." He hissed. "You attack the general, I'll go for the youma!"
Their plan however was faulted as a blast sent them careening out of the path between Serenity and Nephrite. "Come out Tuxedo Mask." Nephrite sing-songed quiet enough so if Tuxedo Mask really was in hiding he wouldn't overhear the taunt and know it was a trap.
Darien and Rei heard it however as they slipped away behind the wall to transform. As Tuxedo Mask he let out a silent frustrated yell. "They're using her to get to me. Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have let her stay in the room during the last battle."
"Wait." Mars put her hand on Mask's sleeve. "They don't know if that was a one-off or not. You take care of Nephrite, and I'll help Serenity."
"With pleasure." Tuxedo Mask cracked his knuckles.
Mars winced. "You and Jupiter." She complained. Mars contacted the other two senshi and together they left the room.
Sailor Mars sent a flame arrow towards the youma as she forged a sword out of fire and cut loose Serenity's bonds. "Run." She told her and Serenity didn't argue as she slipped away. Tuxedo Mask was fighting with the new general in hand-to-hand combat after sending a rose into his shoulder.
Serenity disappeared into the restrooms and seeing that it was cleared transported herself away to her home grounds. She felt better, not great, about leaving the two alone this time because there were two of them. She dialed the number for the local TV station and told them what was going on. That done she turned on the TV and waited for any news about her friend and boyfriend.
Three minutes after she called the TV cut out from it's daytime soap opera and turned to the latest fight. Three more sailors arrived and Serenity knew them better as Ami, Mina and Lita. She watched the battle through the eyes of the lens and eventually the man that attacked her grinned at the newscaster and it felt like he was looking directly at her and gave a haughty bow before he fizzled into the air around him.
Serenity watched with avid fascination as the senshi all turned their sights onto the youma. They each unleashed one attack before it crumpled into dust. Serenity took that as her cue and she reappeared into a bathroom stall. She listened with avid ears as the commotion died down and she reentered the dining room.
The senshi were gone and Rei and Darien were coming back around from the wall they had hidden behind earlier to transform. Darien saw her first and instantly pulled her into a bone-crunching hug. Rei slipped her way through the crowd and joined in, hugging Serenity fiercely. "Kami Serena, that was terrible."
Rei had slipped into Japanese, her native language and while Serenity didn't understand the exact words she understood enough.
Serenity opened her arms and included both of them in the hug instead of just her receiving it. Jadeite returned a few minutes later as they were trying to find a safe way out, sailor battles always ended up with the place being a wreak.
"I heard the news, are you all right?" He looked over Serenity carefully as he pulled up her hair and any visual damages.
"I'm fine, fine. Really Jay." She slapped his hands away, pleased of his caring.
Except for a green slime, she was all right. He turned his distressed gaze towards Rei. "How about you?"
"I'm ok as well." She gained a scratch on her back from when she fell into Darien at Nephrite's blast. "I just wish I knew who this new general was."
"You got a good look at him?" Jadeite hadn't seen her on the screen as he watched from base in Beryl's crystal, neither had he seen Darien after the two got pushed to the side.
"Not really, I was hiding underneath a table so I wouldn't get hurt." She lied, she noticed that Jadeite was about to say something to Darien so she covered for him as well. "I wouldn't let Darien go find Serena, I was sure she was fine, the senshi came in and took care of it like always."
"Ah yes, the senshi." He'd seen that pest Sailor Mars use her fire attacks on Nephrite's youma and between pretending to be angry at Beryl's plans being faulted, and internally flinching at the use of fire he was glad that she saved Serenity. "Nymph, are you ready to go home?"
She glanced up from where she was talking silently with Darien, he could only guess what and nothing good from the way Darien was soothing her. "Yes." She was a little tight lipped when she answered.
Together they walked out of the restaurant and towards the hillside where they disappeared into the shadows.
Rei and Darien remained where they stood. "That's a strange relationship." Darien commented.
"It's a fine relationship." Rei countered but secretly she wished it wasn't so secretive.
"Come, the girls wanted to talk about this attack when we were sure Serenity was all right. Luna knows about her knowing and we had the meeting with her already scheduled for today so it can add even more worry onto her milk dish."
Darien cracked a smile at Rei's joke and he slid an arm around her shoulders. "Good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor."
"Good to see you've gained one." They walked down the street to Rei's shrine. They met through their private school despite having two years between them. They both originated from the area and had met a year before the others came into the picture, six years ago.
Serenity however wasn't too pleased with her uncle when they returned home. "Was that what you called being nice to my boyfriend?" She demanded in that soft but firm voice of hers.
"I never promised to be nice. I promised to give him a chance. Do you want to know what I thought of him?"
"What?" Serenity didn't really want to know.
"I liked him." Serenity gapped. "What? He put up with my BS well."