All My Brothers – Part 6
By: Reba Jean, Nov. 17, 2001
E-mail: rjean@ghg.net
Rating: R (bathroom humor)
Genre: Romance/comedy
This is the last part of the beginning of this series. Let me know if
anyone thinks it is worth continuing.
Disclaimer: Characters are based on Sailor Moon copyright 1992 by Naoko
Takeuchi/Kodansha, TOEI Animation, English language adaptation copyright 1995 by DIC
Entertainment. This story is not intended for monetary gain or tangible profit, but
purely for entertainment of the readers.
Notes: This is an alternate storyline. Names are a mix of English and Japanese versions.
Theme: "I am my beloved's, and he is mine" Song of Solomon 6:3. This is for the
previous chapter as well. They got too long so I split them.
* * * * * * * * * *
Serena paused a minute and a mischievous smile lit her face, "I don't
have any formal dresses with me. I didn't bring any. You know what
that means!"
Darien moaned, "No-o-o-o-o! Oh, no. Not that! Not more . . .
shopping."
"I changed my mind, let's eat somewhere casual," he continued.
"We should just have enough time to go to Ala Moana Center, Ward Center,
Ward Warehouse, and then Aloha Tower Marketplace if they don't have a
dress I like. Of course there are lots of shops near the Waikiki beach
too, but they're mostly tourist stuff." Serena elaborated, making her
plans.
Darien visibly shuddered and groaned again. "How did you know what all
the shopping centers are?" he asked.
"I read the shopping section in your tour book," she answered.
"Is that all you read?" he questioned.
"I read the part on the beaches too. What else is there?" Serena
responded, knowing there would be some comment.
"You can find that out tomorrow. The only way I am driving around to
all those shops is if you go on a cultural or historical tour with me
tomorrow morning, with no whining or complaining," he stated his
conditions for going shopping.
"Only if you quit whining about going shopping. It's fun!" she
countered.
"Whatever, I'll do it. Let's go after we drop off our stuff at the
hotel." he capitulated.
Poor long-suffering Darien heaved a sigh of relief. Serena was finally
done shopping after going to at least half the dress and shoe stores on
the island he guessed. She ended up with a long ice pink halter-top
back-less dress, matching shawl, sandals in a darker metallic pink, and
a small pink shell covered evening bag. She looked him up and down, "I
think we should rent you a matching tux."
"No way! You wouldn't catch me dead in a stupid pink tuxedo! Get that
idea out of your mind or you're going to dinner by yourself!" he
exclaimed.
Serena laughed, "I wouldn't be by myself very long. Anyway, I was just
teasing. You would look stupid in that color outfit, maybe yellow or
baby blue?"
"Aak!"
"I still need to buy makeup and nail polish, and some other stuff," she
listed.
"Just go to the stylist at the hotel and get your nails and makeup done
too, why don't you," he came up with a practical idea that she liked for
once.
A couple of hours later, Serena joined him back at their room. Her
hair, nails, and makeup were done to perfection. She had chosen a
metallic pink polish to match her sandals. Her hair still had her usual
meatballs, but they were higher up and at the back of her head. A
twisted roll of hair was gathered on each side of her face and went back
to where the rest of her hair cascaded down out of the buns. Shiny thin
silver and pink ribbons were woven through the twists in her hair and
flowed loose down with her pigtails.
Serena found Darien sprawled on the bed still dressed in a loud tacky
Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts reading a book, "Historical Healing
Techniques of Native Hawaiian Kahunas". He had managed to sneak into a
bookstore while she was trying on shoes at the mall. A pile of other
books rested on the floor beside the bed: A History of Naval Warfare in
the Pacific - 1500 to 2000, Medical Practices of the Early Hawaiian
Missionaries, Historical Migrations of the Polynesians, etc., but not a
single manga or fashion magazine for her. "How do you manage to find
such boring books? You should be getting ready by now anyway. You were
supposed to rent a tux at the formal shop down the block," she nagged.
Not looking up from his book, he answered, "It only takes a second for
me to get dressed. Why waste the money to rent a tux when I can just
transform and be my dashing, handsome, superhero self?"
He finally looked up when the pillow she threw at him landed on his
head. His eyes widened with appreciation as he looked her over, "Very
nice. Come over here and sit down," he said as he patted the bed beside
him.
"I don't think so. I didn't spend all that time at a salon to get my
hair and makeup all messed up before we even leave the room. You're not
shielding; I can read exactly what's on your mind, even if I couldn't
tell from your expression. You need a shower anyway, go take a cold
one," she answered.
"Oh that's cruel. Don't you have any appreciation at all for my great
sacrifice of driving you all over Oahu to go shopping?" he said as he
put on a hopeful expression.
"Nope."
Darien got up and began advancing toward her. Caught between the bed
and the door to the bath, Serena backed into the bathroom. When he was
close enough, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him into the bathroom.
She turned him toward the tub, gave him a shove, and scooted out closing
the door behind her. A muffled, "That's a dirty trick," came from the
bathroom.
When she heard the noise of the shower, she opened the door and looked
inside. She saw that he was in the shower and picked up the dirty
clothes off the floor, being careful to keep out of his reach. She
didn't trust him one bit when he was in a playful mood. Thinking about
that as she paused in doorway, Serena had to ask, "You've really changed
since we've been married. You used to be so standoffish and distant,
'not now', 'we shouldn't do this', and Mr. Self-Control and all when I
got in a mood like that. You didn't pay as much attention to me or
watch me nearly as much. Now you're all eyes and Mr. Touchy-Feely,
Grope and Grab. Why so big a change?"
Darien laughed. "I'm not different at all; I've always been this way.
I just hid it better. I'm a guy after all. You were too young and I
didn't want anything to happen. I thought we should wait. And it's
been a long two years, believe me." He looked at her slyly and
continued, "Remember, you were the one who knew what she was doing when
you got yourself in trouble, even if you blame me. I didn't start it."
Amending that last remark, "At least not consciously."
She blustered, "Did too. It was all your fault!"
He emerged dripping from the shower, smirking, "Darling, it takes two to
tango so to speak. Do please toss me a towel."
She blushed sheepishly and tossed him a pile of towels, "I hate to admit
it, but I guess you're right." She remained in place watching as he
dried off.
"Seems to me you're the one who's all eyes now," he commented.
"I won't deny it. 'You take my breath away.' She quoted.
"That's from that new song*, isn't it?" he asked.
"Yeah, you know how you sometimes can't get one out of your head. I was
thinking it could be about us," she answered.
Serena drifted toward the closet to finish getting ready to go out. She
shucked her shorts, top, and undies, pulled on a pair of shiny tights,
and slipped on her sandals. Hearing a bit of muffled sound, she looked
over at Darien, who was now completely dressed in formal attire and
combing his hair in front of the mirror. She threw her dress over her
head and started adjusting the fit. "Since you're done, you can come
over and do the back of this for me," she told him. "I need you to tie
the halter straps behind my neck and lace the ribbon through the holes
along the back. It should work like when you lace up a new pair of
shoes, otherwise it won't stay in place."
"And that's a problem?" he teased.
"You might not like it if my dress came loose on the middle of the dance
floor. You being the jealous type," she quipped back at him.
"Hmm. Good point." He mumbled with one end of the dress strap held in
his teeth as he threaded the crisscross pattern across her back. When
he finished, he twirled her around to face him and stepped back to see
the final product. "Ditto your earlier quote. You look fantastic."
"You're not too hard on the eyes yourself, love," she traded
compliments, while wrinkling her nose and giggling.
Darien handed her the shawl that matched her dress and her purse,
motioning her to proceed him out the door. "Dinner awaits, my lady.
Let us now depart," he commented theatrically.
* * * * * * * * *
The restaurant was on the top floor of their hotel with windows all
around. Most of the ceiling was glass skylight. There was a dance
floor occupying about one-fourth of the room near the bar. The kitchen
was on the floor below, with access stairs next to the elevators in the
center of the floor. The tables were about three-quarters full. Serena
and Darien were seated at a table by the window near the dance floor.
After perusing the menu, they ordered. "The lady will have the seafood
sampler and I'll try the Hawaiian beef," Darien told the waiter.
They kept the waiter busy shuttling back and forth with bowls of salad
and loaves of bread as they waited for their entrees.
They listened to the band playing as well. "That's different, they have
a Spanish name, but they've played salsa, reggae, calypso, and even some
African music. They're really good," Serena commented.
"If you remember some of the Latin dances from that class we took, we
could try dancing to it if you want," Darien said. "Or they have a rock
club in the building next door if you'd rather do that later," he added.
"I'd love to dance a little later. Here comes our dinner," Serena
noted, her gaze fixed on the serving tray covered with food. "It looks
great and I'm still starving."
"Even after two helpings of salad and three little loaves of bread?"
Darien teased. "You should be stuffed!"
"Mmm. This is good. You want to try a bite?" Darien asked Serena.
"Whoa, I said one bite, not half my dinner," as he snatched his plate
back out of her reach.
"Meanie. You can have my lobster and oyster dish, the shrimp cocktail,
and the fried fish too. I don't want them. I'll trade for some more of
yours," she bargained.
Although he really preferred his own dinner, Darien went along with her
deal. 'I'm so easy,' his thoughts leaked out.
"You sure are, now and when it comes to helping me with school, and in
the bedroom too," Serena smiled in agreement.
Serena and Darien had a chance to perfect their Latin rhythms and danced
several sets. They had quite a few people watching them it turned out.
After one particularly flamboyant dance routine, they received a
sprinkling of applause. During the band's break between sets, Darien
took a trip to the men's room leaving Serena seated at their table. He
had indulged in a couple of after dinner drinks since they did not have
to drive anywhere. Serena stayed with sparkling water of course, not
wanting to take any unnecessary risks by drinking alcohol while
pregnant.
While Darien was gone, a tall good looking guy with longish red-brown
hair and golden brown eyes walked over to their table and asked if he
could talk to Serena. He appeared to be a few years older than Darien
and was dressed in a charcoal gray Italian suit. He introduced himself
as Scott Sellmore, there for the advertising convention at the hotel
that weekend. "I couldn't help watching you and your partner while you
were dancing. That hair of yours is unique. Do you ever do any
modeling or acting?" he asked her.
Serena answered, "No, I haven't, but I've always thought that it would
be fun. Have a seat and tell me more."
Scott continued, "Well maybe you should consider it. My agency does the
advertising for Rapunzel, Ltd., the hair care products manufacturer. I
know they are always looking for new talent and looks for their magazine
ads and television commercials. If you like, I could put you in touch
with their people."
Darien returned and saw some strange man sitting in his chair, talking
to his wife, 'playing' with her hair. As he stood a couple of feet away
from them, Serena felt the temperature drop at least ten degrees and
looked up. She saw the same icy expression that had been turned on
countless youmas just before they were dusted. She gulped and cleared
her throat, "Uh, Darien this is Scott Sellmore. He was just telling me
about this company he thinks I should contact about modeling."
Scott took in Darien's menacing expression and jumped up quickly and
stepped back. "Sorry, that must be your chair."
Darien looked disgustedly at Serena, "You know that kind of story is
just about one of the oldest pick up lines in the book. The "company"
is probably him or some friend that does nude "test photo-shoots" and
posts the pictures on the net."
Scott protested, "No way. This is totally legit. I'm here for the
convention. Here's my card." He looked at Darien closely. "You look
familiar. Have you ever done any TV spots?"
Serena thought quickly, a save. Appeal to Darien's vanity and he'll
calm down. She practically gushed, "A few years back, you saw his
picture everywhere. He did runway modeling in fashion shows, ads, TV
commercials, and was the centerfold for Tightend Jeans and Stuffed
Shorts spreads in all the magazines. He even had a few covers."
Darien reddened a little. "Quit it. You're embarrassing me. You know
I don't like to be reminded of all that. I know what you're doing.
It's okay. I'm not going to do anything stupid," he told Serena. Both
Serena and Scott let out a sigh of relief.
Scott grinned, "You've just given me a couple of ideas for the new
Rapunzel campaign. The prince comes to rescue the princess in the tower
and she lets down her hair. You both would be perfect for that
commercial. Why don't I set up a meeting tomorrow with some of my
people…"
Darien held up his hand in a stop motion like a traffic cop. "Serena
and I are here on vacation. Tomorrow is our last day in Hawaii before
we fly back home. We're not here on business."
Serena broke in with a smile, "Actually we're on a belated honeymoon.
We didn't have time to get away from Tokyo when we first got married."
Scott seemed a bit surprised. "I thought maybe you were British or
Australian from your accents."
Darien smiled, "A lot of our teachers were from there. Serena's mother
is half-English. But enough business for tonight. I had planned on a
romantic evening with my lady here. Here's my card. Email me the
information on the ad campaign and the contract info and I'll have our
agency people look it over. Then your Asian office can set up a meeting
or a videocon to go over details. And Serena won't be able to do full
length work much longer anyway."
"Why not?" questioned Scott.
"She's expecting twins in November," Darien answered as he smiled and
hugged his wife.
"Well congratulations. I'll be going. Nice to meet you both. I'll be
in touch on the commercial deal," said Scott as he stood up, shook hands
with Serena and Darien, and left.
Serena squealed, "I don't believe it. I get to be a model! And you
told me that time that I couldn't do it."
"I never said you couldn't do it. I was suspicious of that photographer
and it turned out to be a Negaverse plot if you remember," Darien
answered.
They stayed up partying, dancing, and celebrating for a couple more
hours.
Serena was drifting to sleep. "Was it a romantic enough evening for
you, my little sentimental love?" Darien asked.
"Umm…" was the only reply he heard.
* * * * * * * *
"Today we play tourist. You promised yesterday when I agreed to take
you shopping." Darien reminded Serena.
"But I donwanna," she started to whine.
"You also promised no whining or complaining. You make a list of the
places you'd like to see and I'll make a list and then we'll compare.
And no malls, clothes, or jewelry stores," he added as he caught the
gleam in her eye.
Serena listed, "Art academy, museum or gallery, Iolani Palace, Waimea
Falls Park, and the beach!"
Darien compared his list, "Bishop Museum, Arizona, Aquarium, Waimea
Falls Park, and surfing. Well it looks like a few of the things are the
same."
"Why don't we get one museum over with this morning and take a picnic
lunch to the park to see the water falls, then we can go to the beach
this afternoon," Serena threw out. Having learned that if she came up
with something quickly enough, more often than not Darien would go along
with it. Thinking quickly she added, "No war stuff."
"But I was just reading all this stuff in the book I bought," he
protested. He looked at her expression and sighed, "All right, we'll
drive by there and go the museum instead."
At the end of the afternoon, Serena gratefully collapsed on the beach.
"I'll just watch while you try surfing. I don't think I should try that
now, it might be too dangerous."
Darien started to try to persuade her, then he remembered that she was
right. "I forget sometimes. You could paddle around on a boogie board
if you want."
"I'm too tired. I need to rest. In the old days, a woman in my
'delicate condition' would be waited on hand and foot," she added waving
a hand in the air to make a point.
"Yeah, right. More likely she would find a dry spot in the field, drop
the baby, and then go back to raking or hoeing or whatever farmers do,"
he razzed.
Darien had finished with his surfing. It was fun all right, but he
wished some of his friends were there to try it too. He dribbled some
water on Serena to wake her up. "You better wake up and roll over or
you won't be baked evenly on both sides," he teased. He collapsed
beside her on the towel and was soon asleep himself.
By the time they both woke up again, the sun was setting. "Look how
pretty the clouds in the sky are, all pink and purple," said Serena as
she shook Darien to wake him up. "I'm hungry, lets go to that luau at
the Polynesian center the guy in the surf shop told us about."
"Certainly darling. You do know it's buffet style, all you can eat,"
Darien smirked.
"Of course. Why do you think I want to go there," she replied
seriously, not realizing he was trying to tease her and make her mad.
They returned to their hotel and changed. Darien put away a fair amount
of food himself, giving Serena the opportunity to tease him about eating
for a change. Serena dragged Darien out into the crowd of loudly
dressed middle-aged tourists and families for the 'hula lesson'. "I
don't care if it's touristy or silly, I want to try this."
As he watched the girl showing them the steps and Serena as she swayed
and wiggled, he grinned. "It was a pretty good idea after all."
Serena swatted him with a lei she was holding, "Hentai! I caught what
you didn't say too." Darien just laughed and picked her up and carried
her back to their car.
The next afternoon and their flight back home came all too soon. "I
really don't want to go back to school. Can't I just take another week
off 'sick'?" complained Serena.
Darien had his nose buried in one of his books and was not really
listening. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. Don't you want to take a nap or
something?" Serena smiled. Even though she knew he would drag her out
of bed and make her go to school, she still could throw his comment back
at him later.
* * * * * * * *
The morning after they arrived home, Serena woke early. I must still be
messed up changing time zones she thought, or his tossing and turning
woke me up. Darien was moving restlessly where he lay next to her. She
saw a projection beneath the sheet. I know what kind of dream he's
having she mused as she pulled back the sheet. That's too good to waste
she thought lecherously. Darien awoke to find Serena had joined him in
his nocturnal escapades. "Oh boy, do I ever like your ideas. But we
have to stop. You're bouncing on my bladder and I really, really,
really gotta go!" he whined.
Serena followed Darien to the bathroom, deciding she wanted to take a
shower. Seeing Darien standing by the toilet just staring at it for
several minutes she asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's too hard to go now," he complained. She was totally unsympathetic
because after all he was the one who cut short her fun. She remarked
sarcastically, "Well just get the pitcher of cold water out of the
fridge and dump that on it, that should solve your problem."
"Eueh, no way. Don't you want to?" he asked looking over at her.
"Uh-uh, you had your chance and turned it down," she smirked.
"I bet I can change your mind," he said as he stalked over and climbed
in the shower with her. She quickly became interested.
Looking at him questioningly, "How do I know you won't pee on me?"
He flushed, "Well you could just give me a bath instead, make sure I'm
really clean, all over." And gave her the puppy begging for scraps at
the table expression. It worked.
Serena noticed him looking and mentally measuring the distance between
the shower and the toilet. "Don't you dare," she screeched. "I'm not
cleaning that up. And I get tired of stepping in it when you don't turn
on the light in the middle of the night," she complained. He relented
and dripped over to take care of nature's other call.
Returning to the shower, he grinned and grabbed the hand-held shower
massager and attacked. "I think you need a good bath too."
* * * * * * * * *
The inners had gathered at the temple after school for the senshi
meeting. They were sitting on the low wall, except Rei who was standing
a few feet away facing them. She was teasing Serena about her
honeymoon. In a high pitched whiney voice Rei imitated Serena, "Ooh, my
darling Tuxedo Mask, do it again. This time wear your mask and cape and
hat."
Serena protested loudly, "I didn't say or even think anything about
that!" Serena saw Darien approaching them silently from the direction
behind Rei. His expression was extremely irritated. It quickly changed
to one of mischief as he thought of an idea.
He snuck up behind Rei and wrapped her in a hug. "Sorry darling, I
don't think I can fulfill your peeping telepathic fantasies, Serena
might be upset if I did," he stage whispered in Rei's ear loudly enough
for them all to hear, while winking at Serena and the other girls. As
expected, Rei flushed a bright shade of red and sputtered in
embarrassment.
Darien quickly gauged the distance between the girls and himself and the
likelihood of ending up majorly bruised. He shrugged it off; it would
be worth it. Darien slowly looked over all the girls: Serena, Ami,
Mina, Lita, and finally turning Rei around to face him and releasing
her. He gave them the most lecherous leer in his repertoire. "Of
course, as King and Queen, we could change the laws regarding marriage,
at least for the nobility. Then I could have you all. My Moonlight
Knight persona could really get into a whole harem full of pretty Sailor
senshi concubines."
He paused for effect and to gather himself for a mad dash away. Howls
and squeals of outrage greeted him. He took to his heels at top speed.
Serena was right behind him swinging her purse like a morning star on a
chain. Rei had grabbed her broom and was attempting to swat him from
behind. Lita brought up the rear with doubled fists; she really needed
nothing else to finish him off after the others brought him down. Ami
just remained seated and raised an eyebrow. Mina fell off the wall
laughing uncontrollably.
* three guesses which song. Hint: there have been recent songfics posted.
By: Reba Jean, Nov. 17, 2001
E-mail: rjean@ghg.net
Rating: R (bathroom humor)
Genre: Romance/comedy
This is the last part of the beginning of this series. Let me know if
anyone thinks it is worth continuing.
Disclaimer: Characters are based on Sailor Moon copyright 1992 by Naoko
Takeuchi/Kodansha, TOEI Animation, English language adaptation copyright 1995 by DIC
Entertainment. This story is not intended for monetary gain or tangible profit, but
purely for entertainment of the readers.
Notes: This is an alternate storyline. Names are a mix of English and Japanese versions.
Theme: "I am my beloved's, and he is mine" Song of Solomon 6:3. This is for the
previous chapter as well. They got too long so I split them.
* * * * * * * * * *
Serena paused a minute and a mischievous smile lit her face, "I don't
have any formal dresses with me. I didn't bring any. You know what
that means!"
Darien moaned, "No-o-o-o-o! Oh, no. Not that! Not more . . .
shopping."
"I changed my mind, let's eat somewhere casual," he continued.
"We should just have enough time to go to Ala Moana Center, Ward Center,
Ward Warehouse, and then Aloha Tower Marketplace if they don't have a
dress I like. Of course there are lots of shops near the Waikiki beach
too, but they're mostly tourist stuff." Serena elaborated, making her
plans.
Darien visibly shuddered and groaned again. "How did you know what all
the shopping centers are?" he asked.
"I read the shopping section in your tour book," she answered.
"Is that all you read?" he questioned.
"I read the part on the beaches too. What else is there?" Serena
responded, knowing there would be some comment.
"You can find that out tomorrow. The only way I am driving around to
all those shops is if you go on a cultural or historical tour with me
tomorrow morning, with no whining or complaining," he stated his
conditions for going shopping.
"Only if you quit whining about going shopping. It's fun!" she
countered.
"Whatever, I'll do it. Let's go after we drop off our stuff at the
hotel." he capitulated.
Poor long-suffering Darien heaved a sigh of relief. Serena was finally
done shopping after going to at least half the dress and shoe stores on
the island he guessed. She ended up with a long ice pink halter-top
back-less dress, matching shawl, sandals in a darker metallic pink, and
a small pink shell covered evening bag. She looked him up and down, "I
think we should rent you a matching tux."
"No way! You wouldn't catch me dead in a stupid pink tuxedo! Get that
idea out of your mind or you're going to dinner by yourself!" he
exclaimed.
Serena laughed, "I wouldn't be by myself very long. Anyway, I was just
teasing. You would look stupid in that color outfit, maybe yellow or
baby blue?"
"Aak!"
"I still need to buy makeup and nail polish, and some other stuff," she
listed.
"Just go to the stylist at the hotel and get your nails and makeup done
too, why don't you," he came up with a practical idea that she liked for
once.
A couple of hours later, Serena joined him back at their room. Her
hair, nails, and makeup were done to perfection. She had chosen a
metallic pink polish to match her sandals. Her hair still had her usual
meatballs, but they were higher up and at the back of her head. A
twisted roll of hair was gathered on each side of her face and went back
to where the rest of her hair cascaded down out of the buns. Shiny thin
silver and pink ribbons were woven through the twists in her hair and
flowed loose down with her pigtails.
Serena found Darien sprawled on the bed still dressed in a loud tacky
Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts reading a book, "Historical Healing
Techniques of Native Hawaiian Kahunas". He had managed to sneak into a
bookstore while she was trying on shoes at the mall. A pile of other
books rested on the floor beside the bed: A History of Naval Warfare in
the Pacific - 1500 to 2000, Medical Practices of the Early Hawaiian
Missionaries, Historical Migrations of the Polynesians, etc., but not a
single manga or fashion magazine for her. "How do you manage to find
such boring books? You should be getting ready by now anyway. You were
supposed to rent a tux at the formal shop down the block," she nagged.
Not looking up from his book, he answered, "It only takes a second for
me to get dressed. Why waste the money to rent a tux when I can just
transform and be my dashing, handsome, superhero self?"
He finally looked up when the pillow she threw at him landed on his
head. His eyes widened with appreciation as he looked her over, "Very
nice. Come over here and sit down," he said as he patted the bed beside
him.
"I don't think so. I didn't spend all that time at a salon to get my
hair and makeup all messed up before we even leave the room. You're not
shielding; I can read exactly what's on your mind, even if I couldn't
tell from your expression. You need a shower anyway, go take a cold
one," she answered.
"Oh that's cruel. Don't you have any appreciation at all for my great
sacrifice of driving you all over Oahu to go shopping?" he said as he
put on a hopeful expression.
"Nope."
Darien got up and began advancing toward her. Caught between the bed
and the door to the bath, Serena backed into the bathroom. When he was
close enough, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him into the bathroom.
She turned him toward the tub, gave him a shove, and scooted out closing
the door behind her. A muffled, "That's a dirty trick," came from the
bathroom.
When she heard the noise of the shower, she opened the door and looked
inside. She saw that he was in the shower and picked up the dirty
clothes off the floor, being careful to keep out of his reach. She
didn't trust him one bit when he was in a playful mood. Thinking about
that as she paused in doorway, Serena had to ask, "You've really changed
since we've been married. You used to be so standoffish and distant,
'not now', 'we shouldn't do this', and Mr. Self-Control and all when I
got in a mood like that. You didn't pay as much attention to me or
watch me nearly as much. Now you're all eyes and Mr. Touchy-Feely,
Grope and Grab. Why so big a change?"
Darien laughed. "I'm not different at all; I've always been this way.
I just hid it better. I'm a guy after all. You were too young and I
didn't want anything to happen. I thought we should wait. And it's
been a long two years, believe me." He looked at her slyly and
continued, "Remember, you were the one who knew what she was doing when
you got yourself in trouble, even if you blame me. I didn't start it."
Amending that last remark, "At least not consciously."
She blustered, "Did too. It was all your fault!"
He emerged dripping from the shower, smirking, "Darling, it takes two to
tango so to speak. Do please toss me a towel."
She blushed sheepishly and tossed him a pile of towels, "I hate to admit
it, but I guess you're right." She remained in place watching as he
dried off.
"Seems to me you're the one who's all eyes now," he commented.
"I won't deny it. 'You take my breath away.' She quoted.
"That's from that new song*, isn't it?" he asked.
"Yeah, you know how you sometimes can't get one out of your head. I was
thinking it could be about us," she answered.
Serena drifted toward the closet to finish getting ready to go out. She
shucked her shorts, top, and undies, pulled on a pair of shiny tights,
and slipped on her sandals. Hearing a bit of muffled sound, she looked
over at Darien, who was now completely dressed in formal attire and
combing his hair in front of the mirror. She threw her dress over her
head and started adjusting the fit. "Since you're done, you can come
over and do the back of this for me," she told him. "I need you to tie
the halter straps behind my neck and lace the ribbon through the holes
along the back. It should work like when you lace up a new pair of
shoes, otherwise it won't stay in place."
"And that's a problem?" he teased.
"You might not like it if my dress came loose on the middle of the dance
floor. You being the jealous type," she quipped back at him.
"Hmm. Good point." He mumbled with one end of the dress strap held in
his teeth as he threaded the crisscross pattern across her back. When
he finished, he twirled her around to face him and stepped back to see
the final product. "Ditto your earlier quote. You look fantastic."
"You're not too hard on the eyes yourself, love," she traded
compliments, while wrinkling her nose and giggling.
Darien handed her the shawl that matched her dress and her purse,
motioning her to proceed him out the door. "Dinner awaits, my lady.
Let us now depart," he commented theatrically.
* * * * * * * * *
The restaurant was on the top floor of their hotel with windows all
around. Most of the ceiling was glass skylight. There was a dance
floor occupying about one-fourth of the room near the bar. The kitchen
was on the floor below, with access stairs next to the elevators in the
center of the floor. The tables were about three-quarters full. Serena
and Darien were seated at a table by the window near the dance floor.
After perusing the menu, they ordered. "The lady will have the seafood
sampler and I'll try the Hawaiian beef," Darien told the waiter.
They kept the waiter busy shuttling back and forth with bowls of salad
and loaves of bread as they waited for their entrees.
They listened to the band playing as well. "That's different, they have
a Spanish name, but they've played salsa, reggae, calypso, and even some
African music. They're really good," Serena commented.
"If you remember some of the Latin dances from that class we took, we
could try dancing to it if you want," Darien said. "Or they have a rock
club in the building next door if you'd rather do that later," he added.
"I'd love to dance a little later. Here comes our dinner," Serena
noted, her gaze fixed on the serving tray covered with food. "It looks
great and I'm still starving."
"Even after two helpings of salad and three little loaves of bread?"
Darien teased. "You should be stuffed!"
"Mmm. This is good. You want to try a bite?" Darien asked Serena.
"Whoa, I said one bite, not half my dinner," as he snatched his plate
back out of her reach.
"Meanie. You can have my lobster and oyster dish, the shrimp cocktail,
and the fried fish too. I don't want them. I'll trade for some more of
yours," she bargained.
Although he really preferred his own dinner, Darien went along with her
deal. 'I'm so easy,' his thoughts leaked out.
"You sure are, now and when it comes to helping me with school, and in
the bedroom too," Serena smiled in agreement.
Serena and Darien had a chance to perfect their Latin rhythms and danced
several sets. They had quite a few people watching them it turned out.
After one particularly flamboyant dance routine, they received a
sprinkling of applause. During the band's break between sets, Darien
took a trip to the men's room leaving Serena seated at their table. He
had indulged in a couple of after dinner drinks since they did not have
to drive anywhere. Serena stayed with sparkling water of course, not
wanting to take any unnecessary risks by drinking alcohol while
pregnant.
While Darien was gone, a tall good looking guy with longish red-brown
hair and golden brown eyes walked over to their table and asked if he
could talk to Serena. He appeared to be a few years older than Darien
and was dressed in a charcoal gray Italian suit. He introduced himself
as Scott Sellmore, there for the advertising convention at the hotel
that weekend. "I couldn't help watching you and your partner while you
were dancing. That hair of yours is unique. Do you ever do any
modeling or acting?" he asked her.
Serena answered, "No, I haven't, but I've always thought that it would
be fun. Have a seat and tell me more."
Scott continued, "Well maybe you should consider it. My agency does the
advertising for Rapunzel, Ltd., the hair care products manufacturer. I
know they are always looking for new talent and looks for their magazine
ads and television commercials. If you like, I could put you in touch
with their people."
Darien returned and saw some strange man sitting in his chair, talking
to his wife, 'playing' with her hair. As he stood a couple of feet away
from them, Serena felt the temperature drop at least ten degrees and
looked up. She saw the same icy expression that had been turned on
countless youmas just before they were dusted. She gulped and cleared
her throat, "Uh, Darien this is Scott Sellmore. He was just telling me
about this company he thinks I should contact about modeling."
Scott took in Darien's menacing expression and jumped up quickly and
stepped back. "Sorry, that must be your chair."
Darien looked disgustedly at Serena, "You know that kind of story is
just about one of the oldest pick up lines in the book. The "company"
is probably him or some friend that does nude "test photo-shoots" and
posts the pictures on the net."
Scott protested, "No way. This is totally legit. I'm here for the
convention. Here's my card." He looked at Darien closely. "You look
familiar. Have you ever done any TV spots?"
Serena thought quickly, a save. Appeal to Darien's vanity and he'll
calm down. She practically gushed, "A few years back, you saw his
picture everywhere. He did runway modeling in fashion shows, ads, TV
commercials, and was the centerfold for Tightend Jeans and Stuffed
Shorts spreads in all the magazines. He even had a few covers."
Darien reddened a little. "Quit it. You're embarrassing me. You know
I don't like to be reminded of all that. I know what you're doing.
It's okay. I'm not going to do anything stupid," he told Serena. Both
Serena and Scott let out a sigh of relief.
Scott grinned, "You've just given me a couple of ideas for the new
Rapunzel campaign. The prince comes to rescue the princess in the tower
and she lets down her hair. You both would be perfect for that
commercial. Why don't I set up a meeting tomorrow with some of my
people…"
Darien held up his hand in a stop motion like a traffic cop. "Serena
and I are here on vacation. Tomorrow is our last day in Hawaii before
we fly back home. We're not here on business."
Serena broke in with a smile, "Actually we're on a belated honeymoon.
We didn't have time to get away from Tokyo when we first got married."
Scott seemed a bit surprised. "I thought maybe you were British or
Australian from your accents."
Darien smiled, "A lot of our teachers were from there. Serena's mother
is half-English. But enough business for tonight. I had planned on a
romantic evening with my lady here. Here's my card. Email me the
information on the ad campaign and the contract info and I'll have our
agency people look it over. Then your Asian office can set up a meeting
or a videocon to go over details. And Serena won't be able to do full
length work much longer anyway."
"Why not?" questioned Scott.
"She's expecting twins in November," Darien answered as he smiled and
hugged his wife.
"Well congratulations. I'll be going. Nice to meet you both. I'll be
in touch on the commercial deal," said Scott as he stood up, shook hands
with Serena and Darien, and left.
Serena squealed, "I don't believe it. I get to be a model! And you
told me that time that I couldn't do it."
"I never said you couldn't do it. I was suspicious of that photographer
and it turned out to be a Negaverse plot if you remember," Darien
answered.
They stayed up partying, dancing, and celebrating for a couple more
hours.
Serena was drifting to sleep. "Was it a romantic enough evening for
you, my little sentimental love?" Darien asked.
"Umm…" was the only reply he heard.
* * * * * * * *
"Today we play tourist. You promised yesterday when I agreed to take
you shopping." Darien reminded Serena.
"But I donwanna," she started to whine.
"You also promised no whining or complaining. You make a list of the
places you'd like to see and I'll make a list and then we'll compare.
And no malls, clothes, or jewelry stores," he added as he caught the
gleam in her eye.
Serena listed, "Art academy, museum or gallery, Iolani Palace, Waimea
Falls Park, and the beach!"
Darien compared his list, "Bishop Museum, Arizona, Aquarium, Waimea
Falls Park, and surfing. Well it looks like a few of the things are the
same."
"Why don't we get one museum over with this morning and take a picnic
lunch to the park to see the water falls, then we can go to the beach
this afternoon," Serena threw out. Having learned that if she came up
with something quickly enough, more often than not Darien would go along
with it. Thinking quickly she added, "No war stuff."
"But I was just reading all this stuff in the book I bought," he
protested. He looked at her expression and sighed, "All right, we'll
drive by there and go the museum instead."
At the end of the afternoon, Serena gratefully collapsed on the beach.
"I'll just watch while you try surfing. I don't think I should try that
now, it might be too dangerous."
Darien started to try to persuade her, then he remembered that she was
right. "I forget sometimes. You could paddle around on a boogie board
if you want."
"I'm too tired. I need to rest. In the old days, a woman in my
'delicate condition' would be waited on hand and foot," she added waving
a hand in the air to make a point.
"Yeah, right. More likely she would find a dry spot in the field, drop
the baby, and then go back to raking or hoeing or whatever farmers do,"
he razzed.
Darien had finished with his surfing. It was fun all right, but he
wished some of his friends were there to try it too. He dribbled some
water on Serena to wake her up. "You better wake up and roll over or
you won't be baked evenly on both sides," he teased. He collapsed
beside her on the towel and was soon asleep himself.
By the time they both woke up again, the sun was setting. "Look how
pretty the clouds in the sky are, all pink and purple," said Serena as
she shook Darien to wake him up. "I'm hungry, lets go to that luau at
the Polynesian center the guy in the surf shop told us about."
"Certainly darling. You do know it's buffet style, all you can eat,"
Darien smirked.
"Of course. Why do you think I want to go there," she replied
seriously, not realizing he was trying to tease her and make her mad.
They returned to their hotel and changed. Darien put away a fair amount
of food himself, giving Serena the opportunity to tease him about eating
for a change. Serena dragged Darien out into the crowd of loudly
dressed middle-aged tourists and families for the 'hula lesson'. "I
don't care if it's touristy or silly, I want to try this."
As he watched the girl showing them the steps and Serena as she swayed
and wiggled, he grinned. "It was a pretty good idea after all."
Serena swatted him with a lei she was holding, "Hentai! I caught what
you didn't say too." Darien just laughed and picked her up and carried
her back to their car.
The next afternoon and their flight back home came all too soon. "I
really don't want to go back to school. Can't I just take another week
off 'sick'?" complained Serena.
Darien had his nose buried in one of his books and was not really
listening. "Yeah, sure. Whatever. Don't you want to take a nap or
something?" Serena smiled. Even though she knew he would drag her out
of bed and make her go to school, she still could throw his comment back
at him later.
* * * * * * * *
The morning after they arrived home, Serena woke early. I must still be
messed up changing time zones she thought, or his tossing and turning
woke me up. Darien was moving restlessly where he lay next to her. She
saw a projection beneath the sheet. I know what kind of dream he's
having she mused as she pulled back the sheet. That's too good to waste
she thought lecherously. Darien awoke to find Serena had joined him in
his nocturnal escapades. "Oh boy, do I ever like your ideas. But we
have to stop. You're bouncing on my bladder and I really, really,
really gotta go!" he whined.
Serena followed Darien to the bathroom, deciding she wanted to take a
shower. Seeing Darien standing by the toilet just staring at it for
several minutes she asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's too hard to go now," he complained. She was totally unsympathetic
because after all he was the one who cut short her fun. She remarked
sarcastically, "Well just get the pitcher of cold water out of the
fridge and dump that on it, that should solve your problem."
"Eueh, no way. Don't you want to?" he asked looking over at her.
"Uh-uh, you had your chance and turned it down," she smirked.
"I bet I can change your mind," he said as he stalked over and climbed
in the shower with her. She quickly became interested.
Looking at him questioningly, "How do I know you won't pee on me?"
He flushed, "Well you could just give me a bath instead, make sure I'm
really clean, all over." And gave her the puppy begging for scraps at
the table expression. It worked.
Serena noticed him looking and mentally measuring the distance between
the shower and the toilet. "Don't you dare," she screeched. "I'm not
cleaning that up. And I get tired of stepping in it when you don't turn
on the light in the middle of the night," she complained. He relented
and dripped over to take care of nature's other call.
Returning to the shower, he grinned and grabbed the hand-held shower
massager and attacked. "I think you need a good bath too."
* * * * * * * * *
The inners had gathered at the temple after school for the senshi
meeting. They were sitting on the low wall, except Rei who was standing
a few feet away facing them. She was teasing Serena about her
honeymoon. In a high pitched whiney voice Rei imitated Serena, "Ooh, my
darling Tuxedo Mask, do it again. This time wear your mask and cape and
hat."
Serena protested loudly, "I didn't say or even think anything about
that!" Serena saw Darien approaching them silently from the direction
behind Rei. His expression was extremely irritated. It quickly changed
to one of mischief as he thought of an idea.
He snuck up behind Rei and wrapped her in a hug. "Sorry darling, I
don't think I can fulfill your peeping telepathic fantasies, Serena
might be upset if I did," he stage whispered in Rei's ear loudly enough
for them all to hear, while winking at Serena and the other girls. As
expected, Rei flushed a bright shade of red and sputtered in
embarrassment.
Darien quickly gauged the distance between the girls and himself and the
likelihood of ending up majorly bruised. He shrugged it off; it would
be worth it. Darien slowly looked over all the girls: Serena, Ami,
Mina, Lita, and finally turning Rei around to face him and releasing
her. He gave them the most lecherous leer in his repertoire. "Of
course, as King and Queen, we could change the laws regarding marriage,
at least for the nobility. Then I could have you all. My Moonlight
Knight persona could really get into a whole harem full of pretty Sailor
senshi concubines."
He paused for effect and to gather himself for a mad dash away. Howls
and squeals of outrage greeted him. He took to his heels at top speed.
Serena was right behind him swinging her purse like a morning star on a
chain. Rei had grabbed her broom and was attempting to swat him from
behind. Lita brought up the rear with doubled fists; she really needed
nothing else to finish him off after the others brought him down. Ami
just remained seated and raised an eyebrow. Mina fell off the wall
laughing uncontrollably.
* three guesses which song. Hint: there have been recent songfics posted.