*Serena paced around her apartment frantically. Tonight it was Halloween. Tonight was the night evil was at it's strongest. And tonight she was going with five boys whom she had only known for six months out to a party. She was crazy. She had to be. She still didn't know what to wear, and they would be at her door in five minutes.
She had briefly considered going as an angel, but somehow it didn't seem fair that she, a damned soul, go as one who was saved. Then she thought of going as a ghost by throwing a sheet over her head and cutting holes in it for eyes and a mouth. The problem with that was the fact that she didn't own any sheets.
Now she had arrived at one conclusion. She had two choices: go as a vampire, meaning dress in all black and let out her fangs and make them look like fakes; or go as her past self, the Princess of the Moon. Both had draw -backs and both had perks. She just wasn't sure which was better.
If she went as a vampire, she would have enhanced vision and agility, but she would also become hungrier in her heightened state of awareness. If she went as the Moon Princess, she would feel and look pretty, but also feel guilty about her past all night long. Decisions decisions.
"Sere! Are you ready? Come on!" Called Duo from outside her door. How had she gotten suckered into this again?
"Coming!" she called back. Alright. Time to choose. She vaguely remembered making the boys promise not to pretend to be vampires the night before and sighed. She couldn't ask them to do something and then go and do it herself. 'Princess Serenity it is.' She said to herself.
Closing her eyes and willing the change to occur, she opened her eyes and there she stood. Not being able to look at herself in the mirror, she assumed she looked as she had pictured herself. Grabbing the cloth bag Duo had told her she would need for candy, she walked to the door and opened it.
"Alright. I'm ready. Where did you say we were going again?" She asked them all.
"Ouch. Sere, you are way hot in that dress." Duo let out a low whistle following his comment. Serena watched as all four of the guys let their eyes roam over her body. She let them get used to the idea of her in a dress, and then, when they didn't stop staring, she smacked Duo upside the head gently.
"Watch the eyes. Hey, there are only four of you here tonight. Where's your right hand?" She asked.
"Yui went out an hour ago to get a costume and isn't back yet." Wufei told her.
"Oh, what a shame. He'll miss the party. Are you all sure I have to go?" She asked, trying to get out of this one last time.
"Positive." Said Trowa. 'Great, even the silent one is in on it too. The fun never ends with these boys.' She thought to herself.
"Fine then, let's get this show on the road." She said. She quickly looked over the rest of the boys. Duo was wearing a long black robe with a hood and carried a real metal scythe. She vaguely wondered where he had found it. Then came Trowa wearing a clown costume. He had gone all out: baggy pants, suspenders, and half a clown mask. Quatre stood next to him in a beige trench coat and hat. Under the coat he had strapped to himself a funny looking belt where a whole bunch of gadgets were stored. Wufei came last in a traditional Chinese robe and his katana gleaming in the light. Not much change there. They looked good.
"Let's go." Came a voice in the shadows. All five of them turned to see Hiiro stepping out of the shadows. Serena gasped.
"Hiiro! You're bleeding! What happened?" She asked frantically.
"Sere! Can't you tell fake blood when you see it? Damn Hiiro, that blood gets more realistic each year! Come on, let's go!" Duo cried, dragging Trowa and Quatre off by the arms with Wufei in tow. Serena stayed behind. She knew real blood when she saw it. And smelled it. At least, she had better.
"Hiiro." She quietly stopped him. "You're really bleeding, I can tell. Come on in my apartment and I'll fix it up quickly." She said.
"You'll get blood on your dress."
"I don't mind."
"Hnn." Was the only response she received. But Hiiro did allow her to lead him into her apartment and sit him down on the kitchen counter.
"What happened? It looks like someone tried to skewer you with a sword." She asked him, trying to block out the wonderful smell of fresh blood as she cleaned his wound. A sense of blood lust overwhelmed her for a moment and she stopped.
It would be so easy just to lick the blood away… and then finish the job by biting down into his soft flesh. Hiiro had the most intense aura she had ever encountered… he had such energy. His blood would taste so wonderful running down her throat and flowing through her veins…
No! She couldn't do that to him! He was her friend. He kept her company and treated her well, normal even. She wouldn't allow herself to let her thirst for blood come between them. Shaking her head, she blocked out the mental images of her taking him and focused on cleaning his wounds.
"A fight." Hiiro muttered. Her cold hands made his skin tingle, and her eyes were so hypnotic as she gazed into his wound, looking at the deep red blood that continued to well and drip from his side.
"What?" She apparently broke out of her reverie. "I thought, the boys said, that you went out for a costume. How did you get into a fight?" What was Hiiro supposed to say to that? "No, I didn't go and get a costume, I went to blow up a rebel military base instead?" No, of course he couldn't say that.
"I went out." He grunted. God her hands… so soft… he wondered what would happen if he leaned down and… No.
"So because you went out, you got in a fight?" She stopped bandaging the cut on his arm and looked into his eyes. "I know there's more to it than that, but I'm not going to ask. When you and the others are ready, tell me. But not until then. Now, where's your costume?"
"I didn't have a chance to pick one up."
"I figured as much. Hmm. Wait here. I might have something." He sat confused for a moment. Why would she have something that a guy could wear? When she left the room, he tested out his arm. It stung, but her bandage was tight and strong. It would hold through the night until he could do it properly in the morning. When she walked back into the room, she was carrying an old suit.
"I know this doesn't look like much, but it's a vampire costume. You can wear this so your friends don't get suspicious."
"I thought you didn't want me dressing as a vampire." He smirked at the incredibly pale blush that crossed her white face.
"Well, I don't. But, you do need something to wear. Besides. If you don't wear it, We'll be really late and you won't have a costume. Desperate times call for desperate measures." She said, smiling and handing him the suit. It had been in her coffin when she had left Darien's, so she assume it was his. Well, Hiiro could wear it for just one night.
*
"There they are! Serena! Hiiro! Where've you two been?" Called out Duo as the two newcomers entered the party.
"Sorry we're so late. We had some costume problems." Serena gave as an excuse.
"No prob. I got you covered! Hey! The punch is over there, there's food next to it, and the dancing is in the middle. Oh, yeah. And Sere, if you ever decide to leave the safety of the Perfect Soldier, I'm in the make-out corner, so stop by and give me a very friendly hello! See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!" And Duo disappeared into the crowd.
"How does he have that much energy all the time?" Serena asked Hiiro.
"Sugar." Serena laughed at Hiiro's answer to her question. She felt so small and lost in the huge crowd of the rave. It was good to know some one was with her in it. She looked up and smiled at Hiiro. When he slightly smiled back, her stomach jumped into her throat. What was it about that smile of his that made her want to do back flips in mid air?
"Yui. I thought you and that woman weren't going to show. That would have been the smartest move either of you had ever made." Wufei said, stepping in front of them.
"Sorry Wufei. I'm not much of a party person, and neither is Hiiro, but we still come out of the woodwork once in a while."
"Well, what do you think?" Asked Quatre, who had just joined them with Trowa.
"Hnn." Said Hiiro. He wasn't one for these huge raves, but for some odd reason, he had let Serena drag him to this one. He subtly looked her over for the third time that night. She looked more beautiful than usual in her costume.
The long flowing white dress was spotless, and it was low cut enough to be revealing, yet high enough not to give too much away. The empire waist line made her look as though she was walking on air, and being sleeveless, it made it seem as though it was being held up against gravity. Her long golden hair was up in an unusual style, two buns a top her head with two long streamers flowing down. Her pale skin made her look like a faery, and she had a golden upturned crescent moon symbol on her forehead that gave her an angelic appearance. All in all, the total effect she created under the multicolored strobe lights and smoke was, to say the least, absolutely stunning. No wonder he had let himself be dragged here. She was too beautiful to say no to.
"It's fine so far, but there are so many people and the music is so loud!" Serena yelled.
"It's supposed to be this way! It's a rave! Just don't drink anything that's already been opened!" Shouted Trowa as the DJ cranked the volume up even louder.
"Hey, Sere, want to dance?" Asked Quatre.
"Yeah, sure!" he smiled at him and left Hiiro's side. Even though she was always icy to touch, as soon as she left Hiiro's side, he felt in immediate drop in temperature. He watched as Quatre lead her to the dance floor and placed his hands on her hips.
He watched them swaying to the music and watched as Serena began to close her eyes and just sway. He couldn't help but fell a bit jealous at his comrade, and briefly wondered what would happen if he were to cut in and ask to dance with her instead. Then he thought the better of it and decided it would be unacceptable for the Perfect Soldier to show that much emotion.
Serena was having a great time. The last time she had gone dancing, she had been kidnapped by Darien. Now, in this, 'rave' as they called it, she was having a blast. There were no important foreign dignitaries for her to kiss up to, and no sons of nobles to feel obligated to dance with. Quatre was a good dancer, and she felt almost comfortable in his arms. Almost.
As she closed her eyes to listen to the heavy beat o the music, new thoughts invaded her mind. Instead of picturing herself dancing with Quatre, she saw Hiiro. It was strange, and she felt guilty that while she was in Quatre's arms she was thinking of another, but she could not stop her newest train of thought. As soon as the dance was complete, she thanked Quatre and told him she was thirsty, thinking that would free her of any obligation to him without his feelings.
"Quatre, I'm a little thirsty. Would you mind if I went and got something to drink?"
"No. In fact. Why don't I go get you a cup of punch. I'll make sure it's not spiked or anything." Serena, being ignorant to the meaning of the word spiked, agreed and watched as Quatre disappeared into the heavy crowd.
"Where did he go?" Said a deep voice behind her. Turning around, her eyes met another set of deep, dark blue ones. Her stomach flipped again, and she was sure that if her heart had still beat, that it would have skipped a beat.
"He went to get me something to drink. Why? Miss him?" she tried to smirk, but his smile caught her breath away.
"No." Without more than that word, he led her back out onto the dance floor. He pulled her close and she lay her head upon his chest. The slow song was nearly half over, but it didn't make much of a difference to either of them.
Hiiro was in pure bliss. When he had seen her and Quatre separate, he had decided to screw whatever the hell his military training had taught him and go for what he wanted. Now that they were dancing together and she had laid her head upon his chest, he brought his arms up around her waist tighter and pulled her in closer to him. Yes, this was pure bliss.
Serena couldn't place it. She felt so warm and safe. Being in Hiiro's arms was a wonderful feeling. When she felt his arms tighten around her, she only became more enamored with him. He was so dark and mysterious, yet at the same time he seemed so innocent. As she closed her eyes, she began to hum to the song. She noticed how the song had changed from the slow one they had started dancing to to a faster one. Oh well. She was so comfortable. It didn't really matter.
Quatre walked back through the crowd to where he had left Serena before. As he looked around for her, Trowa came up behind him.
"She's not here anymore." He said.
"Where did she go?" Quatre asked, a little confused. It wasn't like Serena to just go off, especially in a big crowd like this.
"Hiiro asked her where you went, and then asked her to dance. They're still out there." Trowa said with a slight side smile. He pointed the couple out to Quatre and watched as the blonde's face lit up with a knowing grin.
"So how long has he liked her?" He asked.
"I don't know, I only just noticed he was acting different. But then, she acts strange around him too, so I don't think the feeling is only one sided."
"Well then, here. You can drink this. It looks like they won't be leaving each other for a very long time."
*
"I'm so tired!" Yawned Duo as the group of six walked down the street. The party had ended a little under fifteen minutes ago, and they had missed the last bus, forcing them walk home.
"That DJ played pretty good music." Said Trowa.
"I think so too." Replied Quatre. "What do you think Hiiro?" Quatre glanced at Trowa while he said this with a smug grin. He noticed Trowa giving him much the same look right back.
"Hnn." Hiiro was too busy thinking of other things to give a full response. He had Serena walking right next to him, and that was probably not the best thing for his sanity at the moment.
"I liked the music too." Serena said. For the first time in a long time, she was tired. She knew she would have to feed tomorrow night if she wanted to keep her energy level where it had been the last couple of days. She yawned, then tried to lay her head on Hiiro's shoulder while they walked. She felt his arm snake around her waist and help support her.
"Yui, where were you the last couple of hours? After you came in, I didn't see you again." Complained Wufei.
"Hiiro was busy dancing." Said Trowa with his best poker face on.
"Dancing? Hiiro, you danced? With who?" Wufei pressed him.
"He spent the entire evening dancing with Serena." Said Quatre, catching onto Trowa's plot.
"Hiiro? And Serena? There's something wrong with that. Wait, I know! Hiiro never shows emotion. How could he and Serena have danced all night together?" Duo joked.
"Yui? Yui?" Wufei asked. He turned around to see Hiiro with his arm around Serena's waist and her head resting on his shoulder. He also noticed the faint glimmer of a lost emotion plaguing the dead boy's eyes. He dropped the subject after that.
"Hold it right there pansy boys!" Came a voice from in front of them. The boys and Serena immediately became alert. Four boys a little older than themselves were standing in front of them, each holding a weapon and looking like they were not in a very good mood. *