Heyyo minna~! ^_^ I've got nothing much to say this time. Just, Thank you.
Gracias. Arigatou Gozaimasu. *insert more languages here*. to all who email
or review me. Believe it or not, those are the only essential things that
kept me going. Thank you~!! And many thanks to Silent Serenade, who did a
wonderful job in editing this chapter! *hugs* I'll usually reply to any who
signed or leave an email address in their review, just because. ^_~ Well,
with that all said. enjoy reading~!!
Standard disclaimers applied.
Ballade Pour Selenity
~Love... like music... is magic~
Ballad 3: Rendezvous. Affettuoso.
By, Fantasia (Milkybluestar@yahoo.com)
Darien released his forceful grip on her arms almost immediately, as if his hands had touched hot boiling water, when it finally registered in his mind who she actually was. Perhaps Serena had depended on his support for too long or was too dazed to balance herself properly, and when he suddenly let go of his hold on her, she found herself falling unceremoniously to the cold hospital ground. His eyes widened and he caught her almost instantly on reflex, immediately kicking himself mentally for letting go of her so suddenly.
Seconds later, again in his embrace, this time his hold was surprisingly much gentler than the last. When she had stabilized herself and was certain that her feet could hold her weight properly again, he allowed his arms to drop slightly, but not completely from her sides.
Even though the lighting was dim in the room, it was crystal clear that concern was shining through his dark sapphire eyes, questioning her silently, worried that she might be hurt. Unknowingly, her heart skipped a few beats and her face flushed from embarrassment. She thanked the lack of light, for no matter how many years had passed, she still despised allowing him to see through her weak points so easily, something which he was surprisingly good at.
Serena could only stare at the floor, not knowing what to say. Her mind was in a whirlwind of thoughts since the second recognition clicked. Her heart was involuntary beating madly because of the closeness to his large frame. Inwardly, she was startled and taken aback at how much he had grown from a young thin scrawny boy of seven.
Where else for Darien, with her so soft in his embrace and whiffing in her sweet perfume, which smelt of jasmine, he wondered this slim delicate angel was really the short plump klutzy little neighbour of his. She looked anything BUT round and plump now. His lips curved into a smile remembering her previous klutziness resembling one of a certain meatball head he knew ages ago.
The ancient rose pendent around her neck had proved to him more than anything else that this was indeed Serena Williams, the one who had left him on a concert night so many years before. There was not any other possible person on earth who could have twinkling eyes as full of life and passion as hers.
Drawn deeply into her blue orbs, he chuckled silently when he briefly noticed a graceful blush paint her face before it was gone as soon as it came. "Meatball Head." He was as surprised and mortified at himself as the girl in front of him was looking. Though there were a lot of things he wanted to say, that definitely was *not* in the list!
He watched with interest as her beautiful features first flashed with recognition, then shocked, before replaced by displeasure. She eyed him, scrutinizing. "You're *that* jerk aren't you?"
He fought down the impulse to laugh and said instead, "Well, you know, there's a name after all for 'this jerk' you're talking to here." Somewhere in the inner region of his heart pained at the thought of her remembering him just as 'the jerk'. Inwardly annoyed, he felt *way* cherished by some certain blonde.
"Darien." She started, then paused, unsure as of how to continue.
"Serena." He replied, not knowing what else to say. There seemed to be a lot of things he wanted to tell her if they meet again, but now when they really did, silence was the only thing accompanying them.
"It's been some time."
"Um. yeah." It had been fourteen long years, he wanted to scream at her. But he remained quiet and not knowing what else to say, pursed his lips together.
Serena played with her fingers, feeling nervous. Probably it was because of the fact that she *knew* him that made her uneasy, especially since he had just caught her red-handed in a place she had no right to be. She desperately wished he would not be suspicious of her presence or anything. Gulping inaudibly, she prayed he would not notice her predicament.
After a few minutes of cold silence, Darien found the situation more and more unnerving. "Well, so what brings you here.?"
So much for prayers. She inwardly snorted as she rummaged around her head trying to think up of something. She certainly could not let him know the real reason she was there. Before they get another chance to be friends again, he would probably got furious and hate her for the rest of their lives if he found out.
"Um, I was just planning to visit a friend of mine in the same hospital but those nurses must had gave me the wrong directions, therefore I ended up here." Phew! That was close. now she could only hope that Darien would fall for her little white lie.
Her prayers were answered this time, when he accepted her explanation. "Uh okay. Those flowers were yours too?" He gave a pointed glance at the huge innocent bouquet of flowers on the couch near the bed.
The flowers! She had totally forgotten about them. ".Yeah!" Desperate to change the topic, she continued. "Well, it's quite late now isn't it? I think I'd better get going soon."
Unconsciously, Darien's eyes widened immediately at the mention of her going. Without a second thought, he quickly offered. "Do you want a ride home? Well, I mean it's rather dangerous for a little girl like you to be out so late at night."
She laughed lightly, her amusement sounded like little bells causing the corners of his lips to tug upward. "Little girl? Darien, if you count the years correctly, I'm almost twenty-three now! Anyway, I think I will take up your offer for the ride home. It's after all kind of hard to get a cab at this hour. um, thanks."
It felt weird. The whole situation felt weird but she could not help but flow along with the bizarre tide.
He simply smiled graciously and both of them walked out of the room silently. "Oh yeah, don't you have to take the flowers to visit your friend in this hospital?"
Uh.Think, Serena, think. "Um, no, I just remembered that she is allergic to flowers. Furthermore, the visiting hours are almost over, and I don't feel like disturbing her sleep." She finished with a small wink, inwardly cheering herself for her quick thinking.
"If that's what you say. Let's go." Darien flashed her a small smile and led her out to his gleaming white limousine. When she noticed his vehicle, her eyes widened slightly in appreciation but did not say anything. Only then, it fully registered in her mind that the person next to her then, was not only the person she had known since she was a child, but was also one of the world's richest bachelor and most gorgeous, wonderfully handsome piano maestro
Serena caught a glimpse of a very beautiful woman with wavy flaming red hair in the. An uneasy feeling came over Serena but she shook it off just as quickly. Darien gave some quick instructions to the woman, and she nodded briefly before going out of the car through the door at the other side. She wondered briefly the relationship between Darien and the woman, then stopped. They had just met less than an hour ago and obviously felt like plain strangers with each other, she didn't feel it was right to prod into his personal life. Shaking her head, she guessed that the journalism world must have heightened her curiosity side to a dangerous level.
The ride to her apartment was mostly in silence. Occasionally she gave small directions of her home to the driver in front. All the time, there were hundreds of questions playing in her mind that she would like to ask him, but could not find the courage to break the cold barrier between them.
The ride ended too quickly and Serena bid Darien a polite goodnight when they reached her place to which he stiffly nodded back. A little disappointed at his lack of response, but decided to remain quiet.
Stepping out of the car, she took in deep breaths of air, her mind still full with jumbled thoughts over the events that happened that night. The limousine then sped off leaving a small trail of wind behind.
~*~*~
After taking a hot lingering aromatherapy bath that did an extremely good job in soothing her nerves and relaxing her thoughts, Serena, in a laid-back mood walked out of the bathroom in a silk robe. She flopped on the soft couch beneath her, then grabbed the remote control to blindly surf through the channels on her 29-inch television. Sadly enough, there wasn't anything which caught her attention, as she hopelessly pressed random buttons.
Finally giving up on the TV, she leaned back on the couch to stare out of the window entertaining, herself by watching droplets of water rolling down the transparent glass. She traced the drops as they glided down the glass, her thoughts drifting back to the earlier events of that night.
Darien had changed so much after over fourteen years that she found it extremely hard to believe. She knew thirteen years is indeed a very long time and most people including herself too was a different person that who she was years ago. Her heart broke slightly thinking back about how close they were when they were just children. Even though they always had to find time between his multiple practices just so that they could play together, time together with him was always fun. Now it just felt awkward and wrong.
When she was a child, she used to dream of how meeting with him again would be like. Would they be able to joke around and play like before? How old would each other be when they finally met again? Would they recognize each other when they did? How much would each other changed? However she never would have guessed they would have so little to say when they finally really met. Sure she knew things were sure to change, but can things really change so much to an extent that they couldn't find a decent topic to talk about anymore?
At least when they were younger, even with his frequent piano practices, they would still have time to ramble about anything and everything under the sun. Now she felt the longest distance in the universe was not the thousands of kilometers between the North and South Pole, nor was it the millions of light years between two galaxies. It was his ignorance of her presence in front of him which pierced her heart more than anything ever could. They were so near to each other, yet their hearts were eternities away.
He had seemed so cold and distant. It annoyed her to no end remembering the very first words he said was that much hated nickname he simply loved calling her with years ago. Yet, it had also touched her heart deeply, knowing that he still remembered such an insignificant part of her after fourteen years.
Blushing slightly, she remembered those daydreams she used to have. Of Darien finally being a pianist that he always wanted himself to be, and her, the princess whom he was playing all his sonatas, and concertos for. They would meet in one of the most beautiful opera house and she would knew that it was him from the Vivaldi's concerto he played. His favourite composer then had been Scarlatti, but his favourite concertos were of Vivaldi's. They would get married and live happily ever after.
Amused at her own wild imagination, she brushed those thoughts away. Those were after all just a child's fantasy, and she had stopped thinking about him since she was twelve. Not that she had totally forgotten about him, but she found it useless to believe in something that might never occur.
Now that the confrontation had finally taken place in an unpredictable situation, she found answers to most of her questions. If she could help it, she certainly hoped that they would meet in a neutral state, probably meeting accidentally in the café or restaurant or a museum, not at a place she was not supposed to be in. The situation became even worse when they couldn't even talk to each other properly, let alone as close as before. She understood now that Darien had recognized her because of the pendant she wore around her neck. If it were not for it, she doubted he could have any idea who she was.
Her thoughts were interrupted with a large totally unfeminine yawn. Blushing slightly, she decided that she should just leave things be and retire to bed. Glimpsing at the digital clock that read 11.30pm, she was a little astonished at herself for already feeling sleepy even though it had not reached midnight.
Surprisingly, sleep came easily enough and soon Serena was drifting in dreamland.
Unfortunately her pleasant rest was disturbed by the insistent sharp and loud knocking on her front door. Clinging hard to the pillow to cover her ears so that it might mask the terrible knocking sounds, she prayed that whoever the person was, he would just go away and disturb some other people who were NOT sleeping. Much to her discomfort, the persistent knocking continued, louder than ever.
Finally, muttering a few choices of words, she marched to the living room furiously, ready to scream at whatever idiot out there. Swinging the door open, it revealed a tall dark man who seemed to be dripping wet outside.
"Serena." His deep voice sounded croaky and so very familiar.
Her azure eyes widened like saucers and fatigue immediately evaporated.
"Darien?!"
~*~*~
When Darien met her at the hospital, his emotions were still bottled up for too long for him to be able to show any, despite the fact that he actually *wanted* to show them this time. Until his driver dropped her off at her apartment building, he still could not tell or show her how he actually felt about their sudden reunion.
Inwardly, he was battling with himself. God knows how much he wanted to have her back in his reality world after only existing in his heart for such a long time. Now that he had found her, the wall of ice around his heart was too firm and strong, for even he himself could not bring them down. He wanted to tell her that he missed her. He wanted to tell her all the things that happened in the past few years. He wanted to hold her in his arms again and make sure that she wouldn't leave him again.
He could name a hundred of things he wanted to do, but he could not find the courage and determination to really do them. Truthfully, he never realized that he was so weak.
Frustrated, Darien went back to his penthouse and took a long cold shower before escaping to bed, hoping to find refuge beneath the covers. However, the soft mattress of the king size bed provided him no comfort, instead it felt colder than ever that night. He tossed and turned around in the bed, before finally realizing that if he did not settle the matter that night itself, he could never rest.
Darien got dressed hurriedly, grabbed his car keys and rushed out of the door without another thought. They had already lost so many years to fate, now that he had met her, knew that she still existed and living in the same city, he did not want to waste any time away from her anymore.
It must be some kind of punishment for him because the sky was pouring down fat drops of water immediately when he stepped out of his penthouse building. Things got even worse when he got into his sleek black Porsche and joined the long traffic queue caused by the downpour. Muttering curses at his own luck, he sighed submissively and crawled along with the rest of the ants.
Finally after almost two hours of getting stuck in the jam, he reached Serena's apartment. The look of bewilderment on her face when she saw him dripping wet at her front door certainly made those two hours well paid off.
"Darien.?!"
Then suddenly, as if possessed, he grasped her hand and pulled her towards him in one movement. Eyes wide, she could only followed suit and gasped when he folded her in his arms in a tight embrace. He held her so tight as if she might disappear if he let go. Tears were brimming around the corners of her eyes as she clung back at him not in the least willing to let go. Now that's more like it. she chuckled to herself and her lips were tugging upward.
It amazed him for the second time that night perfectly well they fit. They broke the embrace minutes later, but it felt like seconds to both. Darien broke into an impish smile and Serena's lips curved into a delightful arc. "Hello."
"Hey..." Her grin broadened. ".For your knowledge, it's *one-thirty* in the morning. So what the heck are you doing here Darien?" Not that I mind, she finished silently.
He had the grace to blush slightly as he ran a hand through the long bangs of his. "Um, well, I just happened passed by." She raised an eyebrow at his words, as if scrutinizing them over deeply.
"Okay okay, I just needed to see you." He finished with a desperate sigh. "It's been so unbelievably long!"
"How do you know my apartment's number and how on earth did you went pass the security guard?" She was as curious as she was amused to see him there.
"Simple. Well, I don't think the guards down there ever had a world- renowned pianist stopping at an apartment building, expressing dramatically that he had to see a certain female in the building because of some serious life-and-death emergency. So, it's either that I'm an astonishing good actor or this building needs to get some better guards."
Serena's delightful laughter caused his heart to danced with its music. He continued, "If you just happen to be not really sleepy at the moment. mind to join me for a coffee at the café nearby?"
She paused to consider for a moment, comparing her soft mattress to Darien's company. "Sure, of course. After all, who could refuse a midnight rendezvous with a famous world-class pianist?" She winked, before skipping back into her apartment to have a change of clothing. "Just give me a minute to change to something decent."
Laughing in his baritone voice, he quipped, "I think your silk pajamas certainly looked decent enough."
"Shut up, you jerk!" Serena shouted from inside her bedroom. Her heart had leaped at his comment and her whole body was furiously blushing as she stared down at her 'decent' thigh-length silk nightwear, which had a few holes in some certain places. Immediately, shaking her head, she reminded herself to jot down 'BUY NEW NIGHTGOWN' in her mental to-do list.
~*~*~
Around half an hour later, a tall roguishly handsome young man was seen with a beautiful slim woman strolling hand in hand on the wet streets of Paris. The rain had pretty much stopped now and the breeze was quite cold and icy. But neither of them noticed the changes in the weather, much too absorbed in each other's company.
They went to a small bistro, which was open 24 hours a day situated near Serena's apartment and relaxed themselves as they enjoyed hot cocoa there. They talked about a whole lot of things that happened in the past fourteen years. Those long years created plenty of subject matters to talk and discuss about, but most of all, they were simply glad for each other's presence and company.
At first, Serena herself was astonished, because this was the first time ever that she had ever came out of her warm cozy apartment at two in the morning just to *talk* about nothing and everything with a friend. But Darien was right, they had lost far too much time, and now they should grasp as much time they had in their hands as possible. Who knows what might happen tomorrow? Years working in the newsroom before she became a free-lance journalist had thought her the words carpe diem. seize the day.
She was very relieved because as Darien told her about his music progression and development since she left, she could feel that he was a much more open person now than he was in the hospital. But although they could chat with each other much closer now, things would never be the same as they were when they were children. Children did not have any secrets to hide from one another. From his voice, she knew there was definitely something more than what he was willing to tell. But she refused to press the issue further, knowing she had no right to do so.
"I left Italy eight years ago to study at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music, which many claimed to be one of the best in the world. It was indeed a great place to study the many courses in music and it had helped to improve my skills a lot." He paused to take a sip from his cup of cocoa.
"Since forever, long before I attend the academy, Madame Setsuna had been there to guide me and tuned me to the fine pianist as of I am now." She snorted at the word 'fine'. she and the world knew he was unbelievable magnificent when it came to the piano, his overpowering strength. "She attuned my ears to perfection and my hands till they nearly broke with all the recitals I did. I owe her everything there is in my life."
Silence enveloped them for a long time, and Serena had been the first to break it in a whisper. "The person at the hospital. It is Madame. isn't it?" He nodded ever so slightly to her question that she nearly missed it. "What happened.?"
"She was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago. Since St. Joseph's hospital has a reputation of being the best hospital in the world, which specializes in treating cancer patients, I had her immediately sent to it here in Paris." Then he hesitated for a moment to stare out of the window at the empty streets outside. She could hardly hear the pain in his voice, but she knew it was there. Darien was never the type to display his emotions openly, not fourteen years ago, not ever.
"She had already been in the hospital for nearly a year. I'd never left France to perform in other countries ever since she was admitted. Yet her condition never improved, instead it seemed to have gotten worse than it was before. Even the most wealth in the world could not return the good health she once had."
At that time, he was gripping the table cover angrily till she could see that his knuckles were turning white. She placed her hand gently over his to ease the inferno burning inside him. It might have helped, perhaps, because she could see that his tensed muscles began to relax. Her heart ached, knowing how much he respected and loved Madame as a second mother. Sometimes, even though she was unwilling to admit it, she used to feel something akin to jealousy because of all the time he spent with the Madame, leaving her with the leftovers.
"Madame was practically the only relative that I have left." He said softly, as his soul cried aguishly over the depressing fact. Serena silently pondered over his statement but refused to question further, knowing now was neither the time nor place. So she tried to start another topic, hoping to pry him away from thinking about the issue as she could.
Trying to cram fourteen years of time into several hours was not easy, but they managed to do that quite well. A few hours later in the tiny café and drinking plenty of cocoa and coffee, both were feeling too alert and conscious to go back to bed. When Darien invited her to his penthouse, she agreed, curious as to how his place looked like.
They reached his place soon enough, and when Serena stepped through the door for the first time, she was awed by its large size. Its living room could possibly fit her whole apartment in itself. Though it practically shone with class and wealth, it was also stylishly decorated with very few things therefore making it looked more spacious than it really was.
There was only one long couch, a loveseat and a small oval-shaped coffee table in the middle of the large living room. However, the most prominent thing about that room was its huge personal stereo system, which most possibly had more than a thousand CDs in its shelves. Next to the living room there was a big space, which was just right for the grand piano positioned there, the focal point of his penthouse. It also had an exquisite view, overlooking the beautiful city of love. Serena also noticed that one of the three rooms had an electric piano in the middle.
Her small tour around his house was interrupted when Darien held an old- looking bottle of wine in front of her. "Wow, where did you get such a good old wine like this?" Even though she seldom drank, she knew quality wine when she saw one, because it simply was in her genes itself. Her father was a wine collector even before she was born, and had probably drank most of the best wines in the world.
He laughed in his deep voice, causing her heart to leap and her lips to tug at the corners. "Other than music, I do appreciate other fine things in life too you know? I'm not just all piano."
Rolling her eyes upward, she retorted. "Could have fooled me."
Serena's snigger joined his deep laughter as they made their way to the living room. After making themselves comfortable on the couch, he filled two glasses of wine for both of them before sitting back to fully appreciate the exquisite taste.
Serena swirled the glass of wine in her hands, staring into the depths of the liquid. She was leaning back onto Darien and he was stroking her arms gently, almost tenderly. It was like when they were children, but even then, they had never experienced this closeness before.
Even though it was four in the morning, the Eiffel Tower in the middle of Paris was lighted up with brilliants lights, thus standing out among all the other buildings. Both of them were awestruck by the beauty of the city in the middle of the night. The multi-coloured lights of the city were displayed like thousands of golden beads on a black silk cloth.
"Tell me about your life in Paris." He started, curious as to know more about her. Throughout their long chat in the café, Serena had always managed to get around from his questions.
She told him a lot about her life in New York City after she left Italy. She had her education in one of the high schools there and in the Yale University where she graduated with honors. Years later, she finally moved to France because she had always dreamed about living in Paris, the city of love. And she had not regret one single moment of it. But she took the extra care not to mention what she worked as, and of course nothing about her current assignment.
"Life in Paris is wonderful. Every now and then one could see couples kissing in the park or on the streets. Paris is the city where love is displayed without hesitation. The air here itself is romantic. People who live here are not afraid to love or to show they love affectionately, different from how it is in Italy, NYC or in any other places in the world. 'To loved and be loved in return' was their motto in life." She chuckled lightly before sipping her wine. "Sometimes, I'd almost admire their courage to display their emotions so openly."
He looked deeply into her azure eyes as he took hold her hands. Her eyes went wide and her heart was beating almost painfully against her chest when he came closer until their lips were very near to touching. Both breathing heavily, Darien whispered against her full lips. "It does not matter where in the world one is, all that matters is whom one is with." He brushed his cold parched lips against hers for a second before pulling away.
Surprised and confused at what had just happened, once again the atmosphere was hushed, their deep rhythmic breathing was the only thing accompanying the stillness. Serena thought that if she listened properly, she might hear a pin drop falling in the room. Snapping out of the trance she was in and refused herself to think about the meaning of his words, she decided to jump to another subject.
"Darien, how about you play something on the piano.? I do want to hear how much the prodigy had improved after all the years." She cajoled him easily, as he obediently agreed and stood up to walk to the piano, but not before flashing her a smile.
When he was seated at the small settee, he wondered what should he play for her ears. Perhaps sonatas? Concertos? Jazz? Folk songs? Pop.? After pondering for a moment, he finally settled for the piece from his heart.
Haunting melody floated in the room as the pedal echoed the notes. The beginning of the piece was legato played smoothly and at a moderate pace, setting a peaceful and tranquil air. Then it became scherzando, indicating a playful mood, and Darien's hands where dancing around the keys making the music more lively than ever. It created a jovial atmosphere. his fingers almost flirtatiously bouncing on the keys.
The spirited melody soon died off slowly, replaced by sounds of impending danger and doom. His hands stiffened automatically, his body tensed as he performed in an agitated air, pouncing on the ivory keys, powerfully yet with deliberate force. The notes were sharp and distinct, hollow but clear. Serena's body tensed at the feeling the piano was creating. The melody sounded formidable and fearsome, but slowly came to a depressing end. The music slowed to an adagio, the last few notes lingering and the poignant ambience unforgettable.
Darien stopped, then laid his hands on his lap, looking back at her, staring deep into her eyes as if searching for approval or comments.
Not knowing what to say, but understanding deeply that what she felt could not be described through words, like his music. She stood up and walked [up] to him before giving him a tender hug, not like one a mother would give to a child, but like one a couple would share with one another. His heart soared because that gesture meant more to him than a standing ovation. "You were simply brilliant, Darien. Simply brilliant." She whispered in his ears, truthful with her words because she had never heard something as heart-wrenching, as depressing. The feelings it had provoked almost equal to those of Tchaikovsky's final masterpiece, Pathétique.
"That was one of the pieces I composed some time ago." What he did not say was that he wrote that particular piece that night fourteen years ago when she told him that she was leaving.
"You know. When I listened to you play, the myth we used to hear from Mama last time flashed through my mind. You know the one about the Endymion prince and the moon princess stuff..." She drawled off, unsure of how to continue. His attention perked up, eyes encouraging her to proceed. Serena's mother was a fantastic storyteller and her favourite tale of all time had been the one on the moon princess and earth prince.
"Well, you see, the starting of the melody had been peaceful and smooth, just like the tranquility the lunarians living on the moon then. When the princess met with the prince, the mood became jovial and playful, narrating the uncountable times when Serenity escaped to Earth, disregarding the rules, just to be with her loved one. That was the bliss before the storm of course." She paused, frowning as if in deep thought. "Then the evil attacked, killing millions of innocent life forms on the Moon. Blood were shed everywhere, thousands of the moon guardians died protecting their one beloved princess and respected queen. In the end, the love story became a depressing one, one with a horrible end."
Darien began to sense the resemblance there, linking the music into the story. Often he had wondered in the past where the idea of the story had come from, now he knew. His photographic memory played the composition in his head, underlining it with the flow of the story. In the end, perfection was the word for it. He was beaming with joy of being finally able to finish the composition he had left in the dark for a long time. The composition would be a ballad or something like a melo-drama perhaps. Half melody, half drama.
"I hate it." His smile dropped when he heard what Serena said. "No, not your composition of course, I think it is really good. It's the story I despised." He suddenly remembered all those years ago, she had never like that story much, even now.
"It's a beautiful story but with a horrible ending. I know that life is not a bed of roses, but to have the whole population of the moon wiped off by evil was just too much for an ending." She pouted, fuming, remembering how her mother's eyes used to sadden every time as if thinking of a time long ago she came to the ending of the story.
Where else for Darien, he could only notice the cute sulk adorning her charming features, the way her pink lips lifted up when she pouted. Suddenly remembering the brief kiss they had shared just moments ago, he found himself automatically moving nearer to her.
Perhaps it had been the wine. Or maybe it was the somber mood the music had created. Perhaps. He leaned in and fully claimed her lips, drinking her in. At first Serena gasped quietly, then slowly started to respond back to his kiss. It had been slow at the beginning but more demanding later, his tongue assaulted her mouth as if he could not get enough of her, while his hands held her close to his lean body.
Passion swirled around them trapping them in its web. Her body felt hot and tingled with excitement as his long fingers stroked her curves. She allowed her hands to comb through his silky locks, enjoying the feel of them under her skin. He was practically messing her much-cared-after hair in his hands but she didn't care. She clung on hard to him arching her neck further to allow him greater access to her mouth, while he held her in place in case her feet are no longer supporting her. Both of them were relishing the fierce appassionato rising within them.
At that moment, Darien wouldn't give a damn if Ludwig Van Beethoven was a chopped liver or that music never existed, all he cared for was the woman he was falling in love with in his arms.
Okay. now, you have one hour's time from now to submit reviews. If you submit 0 reviews, you love life will be doomed forever. 1-5 reviews - Your crush will notice you. 6-10 reviews - You dream guy/girl will kiss you senseless. 11-15 reviews - He/she will marry you. 16-20 reviews - He/she will be your lapdog and both of you will live happily ever after.!
Gee, don't I sound like those chain-letters in mails?! Lol. I'm just kidding about the above!! It's *NOT* real! God knows how much I dislike stuff like that. -_-;
Oh yeah, in the next chapter, you guys will be seeing more outers. How can this fanfic be complete without a gifted violinist and another talented pianist? Perhaps I should include Inners too? Hmm. something worth thinking about.
Anyway anyhow, this time it's genuine. *please* send some feedback!! Writing is horribly torturous if no one is there to read.
Cheerios~,
S.Fantasia ^_^
Standard disclaimers applied.
Ballade Pour Selenity
~Love... like music... is magic~
Ballad 3: Rendezvous. Affettuoso.
By, Fantasia (Milkybluestar@yahoo.com)
Darien released his forceful grip on her arms almost immediately, as if his hands had touched hot boiling water, when it finally registered in his mind who she actually was. Perhaps Serena had depended on his support for too long or was too dazed to balance herself properly, and when he suddenly let go of his hold on her, she found herself falling unceremoniously to the cold hospital ground. His eyes widened and he caught her almost instantly on reflex, immediately kicking himself mentally for letting go of her so suddenly.
Seconds later, again in his embrace, this time his hold was surprisingly much gentler than the last. When she had stabilized herself and was certain that her feet could hold her weight properly again, he allowed his arms to drop slightly, but not completely from her sides.
Even though the lighting was dim in the room, it was crystal clear that concern was shining through his dark sapphire eyes, questioning her silently, worried that she might be hurt. Unknowingly, her heart skipped a few beats and her face flushed from embarrassment. She thanked the lack of light, for no matter how many years had passed, she still despised allowing him to see through her weak points so easily, something which he was surprisingly good at.
Serena could only stare at the floor, not knowing what to say. Her mind was in a whirlwind of thoughts since the second recognition clicked. Her heart was involuntary beating madly because of the closeness to his large frame. Inwardly, she was startled and taken aback at how much he had grown from a young thin scrawny boy of seven.
Where else for Darien, with her so soft in his embrace and whiffing in her sweet perfume, which smelt of jasmine, he wondered this slim delicate angel was really the short plump klutzy little neighbour of his. She looked anything BUT round and plump now. His lips curved into a smile remembering her previous klutziness resembling one of a certain meatball head he knew ages ago.
The ancient rose pendent around her neck had proved to him more than anything else that this was indeed Serena Williams, the one who had left him on a concert night so many years before. There was not any other possible person on earth who could have twinkling eyes as full of life and passion as hers.
Drawn deeply into her blue orbs, he chuckled silently when he briefly noticed a graceful blush paint her face before it was gone as soon as it came. "Meatball Head." He was as surprised and mortified at himself as the girl in front of him was looking. Though there were a lot of things he wanted to say, that definitely was *not* in the list!
He watched with interest as her beautiful features first flashed with recognition, then shocked, before replaced by displeasure. She eyed him, scrutinizing. "You're *that* jerk aren't you?"
He fought down the impulse to laugh and said instead, "Well, you know, there's a name after all for 'this jerk' you're talking to here." Somewhere in the inner region of his heart pained at the thought of her remembering him just as 'the jerk'. Inwardly annoyed, he felt *way* cherished by some certain blonde.
"Darien." She started, then paused, unsure as of how to continue.
"Serena." He replied, not knowing what else to say. There seemed to be a lot of things he wanted to tell her if they meet again, but now when they really did, silence was the only thing accompanying them.
"It's been some time."
"Um. yeah." It had been fourteen long years, he wanted to scream at her. But he remained quiet and not knowing what else to say, pursed his lips together.
Serena played with her fingers, feeling nervous. Probably it was because of the fact that she *knew* him that made her uneasy, especially since he had just caught her red-handed in a place she had no right to be. She desperately wished he would not be suspicious of her presence or anything. Gulping inaudibly, she prayed he would not notice her predicament.
After a few minutes of cold silence, Darien found the situation more and more unnerving. "Well, so what brings you here.?"
So much for prayers. She inwardly snorted as she rummaged around her head trying to think up of something. She certainly could not let him know the real reason she was there. Before they get another chance to be friends again, he would probably got furious and hate her for the rest of their lives if he found out.
"Um, I was just planning to visit a friend of mine in the same hospital but those nurses must had gave me the wrong directions, therefore I ended up here." Phew! That was close. now she could only hope that Darien would fall for her little white lie.
Her prayers were answered this time, when he accepted her explanation. "Uh okay. Those flowers were yours too?" He gave a pointed glance at the huge innocent bouquet of flowers on the couch near the bed.
The flowers! She had totally forgotten about them. ".Yeah!" Desperate to change the topic, she continued. "Well, it's quite late now isn't it? I think I'd better get going soon."
Unconsciously, Darien's eyes widened immediately at the mention of her going. Without a second thought, he quickly offered. "Do you want a ride home? Well, I mean it's rather dangerous for a little girl like you to be out so late at night."
She laughed lightly, her amusement sounded like little bells causing the corners of his lips to tug upward. "Little girl? Darien, if you count the years correctly, I'm almost twenty-three now! Anyway, I think I will take up your offer for the ride home. It's after all kind of hard to get a cab at this hour. um, thanks."
It felt weird. The whole situation felt weird but she could not help but flow along with the bizarre tide.
He simply smiled graciously and both of them walked out of the room silently. "Oh yeah, don't you have to take the flowers to visit your friend in this hospital?"
Uh.Think, Serena, think. "Um, no, I just remembered that she is allergic to flowers. Furthermore, the visiting hours are almost over, and I don't feel like disturbing her sleep." She finished with a small wink, inwardly cheering herself for her quick thinking.
"If that's what you say. Let's go." Darien flashed her a small smile and led her out to his gleaming white limousine. When she noticed his vehicle, her eyes widened slightly in appreciation but did not say anything. Only then, it fully registered in her mind that the person next to her then, was not only the person she had known since she was a child, but was also one of the world's richest bachelor and most gorgeous, wonderfully handsome piano maestro
Serena caught a glimpse of a very beautiful woman with wavy flaming red hair in the. An uneasy feeling came over Serena but she shook it off just as quickly. Darien gave some quick instructions to the woman, and she nodded briefly before going out of the car through the door at the other side. She wondered briefly the relationship between Darien and the woman, then stopped. They had just met less than an hour ago and obviously felt like plain strangers with each other, she didn't feel it was right to prod into his personal life. Shaking her head, she guessed that the journalism world must have heightened her curiosity side to a dangerous level.
The ride to her apartment was mostly in silence. Occasionally she gave small directions of her home to the driver in front. All the time, there were hundreds of questions playing in her mind that she would like to ask him, but could not find the courage to break the cold barrier between them.
The ride ended too quickly and Serena bid Darien a polite goodnight when they reached her place to which he stiffly nodded back. A little disappointed at his lack of response, but decided to remain quiet.
Stepping out of the car, she took in deep breaths of air, her mind still full with jumbled thoughts over the events that happened that night. The limousine then sped off leaving a small trail of wind behind.
~*~*~
After taking a hot lingering aromatherapy bath that did an extremely good job in soothing her nerves and relaxing her thoughts, Serena, in a laid-back mood walked out of the bathroom in a silk robe. She flopped on the soft couch beneath her, then grabbed the remote control to blindly surf through the channels on her 29-inch television. Sadly enough, there wasn't anything which caught her attention, as she hopelessly pressed random buttons.
Finally giving up on the TV, she leaned back on the couch to stare out of the window entertaining, herself by watching droplets of water rolling down the transparent glass. She traced the drops as they glided down the glass, her thoughts drifting back to the earlier events of that night.
Darien had changed so much after over fourteen years that she found it extremely hard to believe. She knew thirteen years is indeed a very long time and most people including herself too was a different person that who she was years ago. Her heart broke slightly thinking back about how close they were when they were just children. Even though they always had to find time between his multiple practices just so that they could play together, time together with him was always fun. Now it just felt awkward and wrong.
When she was a child, she used to dream of how meeting with him again would be like. Would they be able to joke around and play like before? How old would each other be when they finally met again? Would they recognize each other when they did? How much would each other changed? However she never would have guessed they would have so little to say when they finally really met. Sure she knew things were sure to change, but can things really change so much to an extent that they couldn't find a decent topic to talk about anymore?
At least when they were younger, even with his frequent piano practices, they would still have time to ramble about anything and everything under the sun. Now she felt the longest distance in the universe was not the thousands of kilometers between the North and South Pole, nor was it the millions of light years between two galaxies. It was his ignorance of her presence in front of him which pierced her heart more than anything ever could. They were so near to each other, yet their hearts were eternities away.
He had seemed so cold and distant. It annoyed her to no end remembering the very first words he said was that much hated nickname he simply loved calling her with years ago. Yet, it had also touched her heart deeply, knowing that he still remembered such an insignificant part of her after fourteen years.
Blushing slightly, she remembered those daydreams she used to have. Of Darien finally being a pianist that he always wanted himself to be, and her, the princess whom he was playing all his sonatas, and concertos for. They would meet in one of the most beautiful opera house and she would knew that it was him from the Vivaldi's concerto he played. His favourite composer then had been Scarlatti, but his favourite concertos were of Vivaldi's. They would get married and live happily ever after.
Amused at her own wild imagination, she brushed those thoughts away. Those were after all just a child's fantasy, and she had stopped thinking about him since she was twelve. Not that she had totally forgotten about him, but she found it useless to believe in something that might never occur.
Now that the confrontation had finally taken place in an unpredictable situation, she found answers to most of her questions. If she could help it, she certainly hoped that they would meet in a neutral state, probably meeting accidentally in the café or restaurant or a museum, not at a place she was not supposed to be in. The situation became even worse when they couldn't even talk to each other properly, let alone as close as before. She understood now that Darien had recognized her because of the pendant she wore around her neck. If it were not for it, she doubted he could have any idea who she was.
Her thoughts were interrupted with a large totally unfeminine yawn. Blushing slightly, she decided that she should just leave things be and retire to bed. Glimpsing at the digital clock that read 11.30pm, she was a little astonished at herself for already feeling sleepy even though it had not reached midnight.
Surprisingly, sleep came easily enough and soon Serena was drifting in dreamland.
Unfortunately her pleasant rest was disturbed by the insistent sharp and loud knocking on her front door. Clinging hard to the pillow to cover her ears so that it might mask the terrible knocking sounds, she prayed that whoever the person was, he would just go away and disturb some other people who were NOT sleeping. Much to her discomfort, the persistent knocking continued, louder than ever.
Finally, muttering a few choices of words, she marched to the living room furiously, ready to scream at whatever idiot out there. Swinging the door open, it revealed a tall dark man who seemed to be dripping wet outside.
"Serena." His deep voice sounded croaky and so very familiar.
Her azure eyes widened like saucers and fatigue immediately evaporated.
"Darien?!"
~*~*~
When Darien met her at the hospital, his emotions were still bottled up for too long for him to be able to show any, despite the fact that he actually *wanted* to show them this time. Until his driver dropped her off at her apartment building, he still could not tell or show her how he actually felt about their sudden reunion.
Inwardly, he was battling with himself. God knows how much he wanted to have her back in his reality world after only existing in his heart for such a long time. Now that he had found her, the wall of ice around his heart was too firm and strong, for even he himself could not bring them down. He wanted to tell her that he missed her. He wanted to tell her all the things that happened in the past few years. He wanted to hold her in his arms again and make sure that she wouldn't leave him again.
He could name a hundred of things he wanted to do, but he could not find the courage and determination to really do them. Truthfully, he never realized that he was so weak.
Frustrated, Darien went back to his penthouse and took a long cold shower before escaping to bed, hoping to find refuge beneath the covers. However, the soft mattress of the king size bed provided him no comfort, instead it felt colder than ever that night. He tossed and turned around in the bed, before finally realizing that if he did not settle the matter that night itself, he could never rest.
Darien got dressed hurriedly, grabbed his car keys and rushed out of the door without another thought. They had already lost so many years to fate, now that he had met her, knew that she still existed and living in the same city, he did not want to waste any time away from her anymore.
It must be some kind of punishment for him because the sky was pouring down fat drops of water immediately when he stepped out of his penthouse building. Things got even worse when he got into his sleek black Porsche and joined the long traffic queue caused by the downpour. Muttering curses at his own luck, he sighed submissively and crawled along with the rest of the ants.
Finally after almost two hours of getting stuck in the jam, he reached Serena's apartment. The look of bewilderment on her face when she saw him dripping wet at her front door certainly made those two hours well paid off.
"Darien.?!"
Then suddenly, as if possessed, he grasped her hand and pulled her towards him in one movement. Eyes wide, she could only followed suit and gasped when he folded her in his arms in a tight embrace. He held her so tight as if she might disappear if he let go. Tears were brimming around the corners of her eyes as she clung back at him not in the least willing to let go. Now that's more like it. she chuckled to herself and her lips were tugging upward.
It amazed him for the second time that night perfectly well they fit. They broke the embrace minutes later, but it felt like seconds to both. Darien broke into an impish smile and Serena's lips curved into a delightful arc. "Hello."
"Hey..." Her grin broadened. ".For your knowledge, it's *one-thirty* in the morning. So what the heck are you doing here Darien?" Not that I mind, she finished silently.
He had the grace to blush slightly as he ran a hand through the long bangs of his. "Um, well, I just happened passed by." She raised an eyebrow at his words, as if scrutinizing them over deeply.
"Okay okay, I just needed to see you." He finished with a desperate sigh. "It's been so unbelievably long!"
"How do you know my apartment's number and how on earth did you went pass the security guard?" She was as curious as she was amused to see him there.
"Simple. Well, I don't think the guards down there ever had a world- renowned pianist stopping at an apartment building, expressing dramatically that he had to see a certain female in the building because of some serious life-and-death emergency. So, it's either that I'm an astonishing good actor or this building needs to get some better guards."
Serena's delightful laughter caused his heart to danced with its music. He continued, "If you just happen to be not really sleepy at the moment. mind to join me for a coffee at the café nearby?"
She paused to consider for a moment, comparing her soft mattress to Darien's company. "Sure, of course. After all, who could refuse a midnight rendezvous with a famous world-class pianist?" She winked, before skipping back into her apartment to have a change of clothing. "Just give me a minute to change to something decent."
Laughing in his baritone voice, he quipped, "I think your silk pajamas certainly looked decent enough."
"Shut up, you jerk!" Serena shouted from inside her bedroom. Her heart had leaped at his comment and her whole body was furiously blushing as she stared down at her 'decent' thigh-length silk nightwear, which had a few holes in some certain places. Immediately, shaking her head, she reminded herself to jot down 'BUY NEW NIGHTGOWN' in her mental to-do list.
~*~*~
Around half an hour later, a tall roguishly handsome young man was seen with a beautiful slim woman strolling hand in hand on the wet streets of Paris. The rain had pretty much stopped now and the breeze was quite cold and icy. But neither of them noticed the changes in the weather, much too absorbed in each other's company.
They went to a small bistro, which was open 24 hours a day situated near Serena's apartment and relaxed themselves as they enjoyed hot cocoa there. They talked about a whole lot of things that happened in the past fourteen years. Those long years created plenty of subject matters to talk and discuss about, but most of all, they were simply glad for each other's presence and company.
At first, Serena herself was astonished, because this was the first time ever that she had ever came out of her warm cozy apartment at two in the morning just to *talk* about nothing and everything with a friend. But Darien was right, they had lost far too much time, and now they should grasp as much time they had in their hands as possible. Who knows what might happen tomorrow? Years working in the newsroom before she became a free-lance journalist had thought her the words carpe diem. seize the day.
She was very relieved because as Darien told her about his music progression and development since she left, she could feel that he was a much more open person now than he was in the hospital. But although they could chat with each other much closer now, things would never be the same as they were when they were children. Children did not have any secrets to hide from one another. From his voice, she knew there was definitely something more than what he was willing to tell. But she refused to press the issue further, knowing she had no right to do so.
"I left Italy eight years ago to study at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music, which many claimed to be one of the best in the world. It was indeed a great place to study the many courses in music and it had helped to improve my skills a lot." He paused to take a sip from his cup of cocoa.
"Since forever, long before I attend the academy, Madame Setsuna had been there to guide me and tuned me to the fine pianist as of I am now." She snorted at the word 'fine'. she and the world knew he was unbelievable magnificent when it came to the piano, his overpowering strength. "She attuned my ears to perfection and my hands till they nearly broke with all the recitals I did. I owe her everything there is in my life."
Silence enveloped them for a long time, and Serena had been the first to break it in a whisper. "The person at the hospital. It is Madame. isn't it?" He nodded ever so slightly to her question that she nearly missed it. "What happened.?"
"She was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago. Since St. Joseph's hospital has a reputation of being the best hospital in the world, which specializes in treating cancer patients, I had her immediately sent to it here in Paris." Then he hesitated for a moment to stare out of the window at the empty streets outside. She could hardly hear the pain in his voice, but she knew it was there. Darien was never the type to display his emotions openly, not fourteen years ago, not ever.
"She had already been in the hospital for nearly a year. I'd never left France to perform in other countries ever since she was admitted. Yet her condition never improved, instead it seemed to have gotten worse than it was before. Even the most wealth in the world could not return the good health she once had."
At that time, he was gripping the table cover angrily till she could see that his knuckles were turning white. She placed her hand gently over his to ease the inferno burning inside him. It might have helped, perhaps, because she could see that his tensed muscles began to relax. Her heart ached, knowing how much he respected and loved Madame as a second mother. Sometimes, even though she was unwilling to admit it, she used to feel something akin to jealousy because of all the time he spent with the Madame, leaving her with the leftovers.
"Madame was practically the only relative that I have left." He said softly, as his soul cried aguishly over the depressing fact. Serena silently pondered over his statement but refused to question further, knowing now was neither the time nor place. So she tried to start another topic, hoping to pry him away from thinking about the issue as she could.
Trying to cram fourteen years of time into several hours was not easy, but they managed to do that quite well. A few hours later in the tiny café and drinking plenty of cocoa and coffee, both were feeling too alert and conscious to go back to bed. When Darien invited her to his penthouse, she agreed, curious as to how his place looked like.
They reached his place soon enough, and when Serena stepped through the door for the first time, she was awed by its large size. Its living room could possibly fit her whole apartment in itself. Though it practically shone with class and wealth, it was also stylishly decorated with very few things therefore making it looked more spacious than it really was.
There was only one long couch, a loveseat and a small oval-shaped coffee table in the middle of the large living room. However, the most prominent thing about that room was its huge personal stereo system, which most possibly had more than a thousand CDs in its shelves. Next to the living room there was a big space, which was just right for the grand piano positioned there, the focal point of his penthouse. It also had an exquisite view, overlooking the beautiful city of love. Serena also noticed that one of the three rooms had an electric piano in the middle.
Her small tour around his house was interrupted when Darien held an old- looking bottle of wine in front of her. "Wow, where did you get such a good old wine like this?" Even though she seldom drank, she knew quality wine when she saw one, because it simply was in her genes itself. Her father was a wine collector even before she was born, and had probably drank most of the best wines in the world.
He laughed in his deep voice, causing her heart to leap and her lips to tug at the corners. "Other than music, I do appreciate other fine things in life too you know? I'm not just all piano."
Rolling her eyes upward, she retorted. "Could have fooled me."
Serena's snigger joined his deep laughter as they made their way to the living room. After making themselves comfortable on the couch, he filled two glasses of wine for both of them before sitting back to fully appreciate the exquisite taste.
Serena swirled the glass of wine in her hands, staring into the depths of the liquid. She was leaning back onto Darien and he was stroking her arms gently, almost tenderly. It was like when they were children, but even then, they had never experienced this closeness before.
Even though it was four in the morning, the Eiffel Tower in the middle of Paris was lighted up with brilliants lights, thus standing out among all the other buildings. Both of them were awestruck by the beauty of the city in the middle of the night. The multi-coloured lights of the city were displayed like thousands of golden beads on a black silk cloth.
"Tell me about your life in Paris." He started, curious as to know more about her. Throughout their long chat in the café, Serena had always managed to get around from his questions.
She told him a lot about her life in New York City after she left Italy. She had her education in one of the high schools there and in the Yale University where she graduated with honors. Years later, she finally moved to France because she had always dreamed about living in Paris, the city of love. And she had not regret one single moment of it. But she took the extra care not to mention what she worked as, and of course nothing about her current assignment.
"Life in Paris is wonderful. Every now and then one could see couples kissing in the park or on the streets. Paris is the city where love is displayed without hesitation. The air here itself is romantic. People who live here are not afraid to love or to show they love affectionately, different from how it is in Italy, NYC or in any other places in the world. 'To loved and be loved in return' was their motto in life." She chuckled lightly before sipping her wine. "Sometimes, I'd almost admire their courage to display their emotions so openly."
He looked deeply into her azure eyes as he took hold her hands. Her eyes went wide and her heart was beating almost painfully against her chest when he came closer until their lips were very near to touching. Both breathing heavily, Darien whispered against her full lips. "It does not matter where in the world one is, all that matters is whom one is with." He brushed his cold parched lips against hers for a second before pulling away.
Surprised and confused at what had just happened, once again the atmosphere was hushed, their deep rhythmic breathing was the only thing accompanying the stillness. Serena thought that if she listened properly, she might hear a pin drop falling in the room. Snapping out of the trance she was in and refused herself to think about the meaning of his words, she decided to jump to another subject.
"Darien, how about you play something on the piano.? I do want to hear how much the prodigy had improved after all the years." She cajoled him easily, as he obediently agreed and stood up to walk to the piano, but not before flashing her a smile.
When he was seated at the small settee, he wondered what should he play for her ears. Perhaps sonatas? Concertos? Jazz? Folk songs? Pop.? After pondering for a moment, he finally settled for the piece from his heart.
Haunting melody floated in the room as the pedal echoed the notes. The beginning of the piece was legato played smoothly and at a moderate pace, setting a peaceful and tranquil air. Then it became scherzando, indicating a playful mood, and Darien's hands where dancing around the keys making the music more lively than ever. It created a jovial atmosphere. his fingers almost flirtatiously bouncing on the keys.
The spirited melody soon died off slowly, replaced by sounds of impending danger and doom. His hands stiffened automatically, his body tensed as he performed in an agitated air, pouncing on the ivory keys, powerfully yet with deliberate force. The notes were sharp and distinct, hollow but clear. Serena's body tensed at the feeling the piano was creating. The melody sounded formidable and fearsome, but slowly came to a depressing end. The music slowed to an adagio, the last few notes lingering and the poignant ambience unforgettable.
Darien stopped, then laid his hands on his lap, looking back at her, staring deep into her eyes as if searching for approval or comments.
Not knowing what to say, but understanding deeply that what she felt could not be described through words, like his music. She stood up and walked [up] to him before giving him a tender hug, not like one a mother would give to a child, but like one a couple would share with one another. His heart soared because that gesture meant more to him than a standing ovation. "You were simply brilliant, Darien. Simply brilliant." She whispered in his ears, truthful with her words because she had never heard something as heart-wrenching, as depressing. The feelings it had provoked almost equal to those of Tchaikovsky's final masterpiece, Pathétique.
"That was one of the pieces I composed some time ago." What he did not say was that he wrote that particular piece that night fourteen years ago when she told him that she was leaving.
"You know. When I listened to you play, the myth we used to hear from Mama last time flashed through my mind. You know the one about the Endymion prince and the moon princess stuff..." She drawled off, unsure of how to continue. His attention perked up, eyes encouraging her to proceed. Serena's mother was a fantastic storyteller and her favourite tale of all time had been the one on the moon princess and earth prince.
"Well, you see, the starting of the melody had been peaceful and smooth, just like the tranquility the lunarians living on the moon then. When the princess met with the prince, the mood became jovial and playful, narrating the uncountable times when Serenity escaped to Earth, disregarding the rules, just to be with her loved one. That was the bliss before the storm of course." She paused, frowning as if in deep thought. "Then the evil attacked, killing millions of innocent life forms on the Moon. Blood were shed everywhere, thousands of the moon guardians died protecting their one beloved princess and respected queen. In the end, the love story became a depressing one, one with a horrible end."
Darien began to sense the resemblance there, linking the music into the story. Often he had wondered in the past where the idea of the story had come from, now he knew. His photographic memory played the composition in his head, underlining it with the flow of the story. In the end, perfection was the word for it. He was beaming with joy of being finally able to finish the composition he had left in the dark for a long time. The composition would be a ballad or something like a melo-drama perhaps. Half melody, half drama.
"I hate it." His smile dropped when he heard what Serena said. "No, not your composition of course, I think it is really good. It's the story I despised." He suddenly remembered all those years ago, she had never like that story much, even now.
"It's a beautiful story but with a horrible ending. I know that life is not a bed of roses, but to have the whole population of the moon wiped off by evil was just too much for an ending." She pouted, fuming, remembering how her mother's eyes used to sadden every time as if thinking of a time long ago she came to the ending of the story.
Where else for Darien, he could only notice the cute sulk adorning her charming features, the way her pink lips lifted up when she pouted. Suddenly remembering the brief kiss they had shared just moments ago, he found himself automatically moving nearer to her.
Perhaps it had been the wine. Or maybe it was the somber mood the music had created. Perhaps. He leaned in and fully claimed her lips, drinking her in. At first Serena gasped quietly, then slowly started to respond back to his kiss. It had been slow at the beginning but more demanding later, his tongue assaulted her mouth as if he could not get enough of her, while his hands held her close to his lean body.
Passion swirled around them trapping them in its web. Her body felt hot and tingled with excitement as his long fingers stroked her curves. She allowed her hands to comb through his silky locks, enjoying the feel of them under her skin. He was practically messing her much-cared-after hair in his hands but she didn't care. She clung on hard to him arching her neck further to allow him greater access to her mouth, while he held her in place in case her feet are no longer supporting her. Both of them were relishing the fierce appassionato rising within them.
At that moment, Darien wouldn't give a damn if Ludwig Van Beethoven was a chopped liver or that music never existed, all he cared for was the woman he was falling in love with in his arms.
Okay. now, you have one hour's time from now to submit reviews. If you submit 0 reviews, you love life will be doomed forever. 1-5 reviews - Your crush will notice you. 6-10 reviews - You dream guy/girl will kiss you senseless. 11-15 reviews - He/she will marry you. 16-20 reviews - He/she will be your lapdog and both of you will live happily ever after.!
Gee, don't I sound like those chain-letters in mails?! Lol. I'm just kidding about the above!! It's *NOT* real! God knows how much I dislike stuff like that. -_-;
Oh yeah, in the next chapter, you guys will be seeing more outers. How can this fanfic be complete without a gifted violinist and another talented pianist? Perhaps I should include Inners too? Hmm. something worth thinking about.
Anyway anyhow, this time it's genuine. *please* send some feedback!! Writing is horribly torturous if no one is there to read.
Cheerios~,
S.Fantasia ^_^