Author's notes: My faithful readers, after a two-week hiatus, Priya

returns! (Drum roll) Just kidding, I'm not that great. Again, I do

not wish to offend anyone with the contents of the following chapter,

and I promise, no more nonsense about wine and tabasco sauce, which,

now that I think about it, might actually taste alright- jk! And no,

they probably didn't have tabasco sauce then, to answer that question

once and for all, but hey, poetic license counts for something, doesn't

it? A hearty thanks to Callista, Namiko-Daughter of Sekhmet, Silver-

chan, GlitteringFairy, Sailor-Angel (this one's nice and long, Sailor-

chan!) and all my lovely anonymous reviewers- your comments warm my

heart, folks- please keep it up, it really does help and remember,

silence is NOT golden here, praise and criticism (where they are due)

are! But enough of my silly tangents, on with the story!! Enjoy and

let me know what you think!!

* * * * *

Luna tiptoed into her mistress's bedroom, a precious bundle folded in

her arms. Upon ensuring that Serena was indeed within her bathroom,

singing loudly and contentedly as she bathed, she approached the bed

and carefully lay the soft material upon it, opening it and spreading

it affectionately, patting out the creases and folds.

Oh, how divine her Serena would look tonight! She sighed a little

wistfully, caressing the silky cloth beneath her fingers, and wishing

she had something to look forward to in the evening as well. But then,

Serena appeared, her glistening wet body wrapped in a pink towel, an

excited beam spreading on her face; she crossed to the bed to see what

it was that her dear friend was leaning over.

Luna shook away her disloyal thoughts- it was enough that this sweet

girl should revel in her own handiwork and hug her so fervently, thank

her so sincerely for creating such a "divine masterpiece."

"There, dear Serenity, it's quite all right, now let's put it on you-

time's wasting, and your father will be calling for you to leave soon,

I'm sure," she said, returning her ward's warm embrace, before pulling

away to pick up the 'masterpiece' on the bed.

She carefully slipped it over Serena's head, and it dropped of its own

accord to the girl's feet. Luna stepped back to get a better look,

and gasped; this girl who had come to be more her sister than her

mistress, this delightfully clumsy and sweet child, was a vision.

And indeed, it was not just the curly-haired young woman's bias;

Serena was indeed a transformed creature. Luna carefully started

making up her two odangos, when Serena startled her.

"Er, Luna? I was thinking, maybe it would be nice for me to leave my

hair down tonight, maybe just pin it up on the sides so it doesn't fall

into my face..."she said hesitantly.

"Certainly, dear, that's a wonderful idea. I've got just the thing,"

Luna replied, smiling. From the pocket in her apron, she produced a

pair of barrettes in the shape of crescent moons, and careful placed

them on either side of Serena's forehead, pulling the hair in front

back slightly. She carefully combed the girl's endless hair out,

curling it slightly at the ends.

Then, she brought out a long, intricate chain of carefully designed

crystal patterns that were fashioned into a beautiful necklace, one

that Lady Irene had specifically given her for her daughter's use, and

carefully put it around the girl's slender white throat, fastening it

in back.

"Oh my," Serena said, fingering the beautiful jewelry, for which there

were matching crystals in her ears, and a lovely bracelet on her hand.

But she felt that they made her look pale...too pale...

"Say, maybe I could wear a bit of rouge, Luna?" Serena asked tentatively,

wondering if maybe she was crossing the limit.

"Heavens above- of course not! You crazy girl! I don't even want to

think what your mother would say, should I allow you to paint your

face like some...some..." Luna sputtered, utterly indignant.

"Scarlet-woman?" her ward provided helpfully, grinning. Oh, what fun

to see the shock on dear Luna's face! She had indeed crossed the limit,

but it was worth it, to see Luna's wavy blue-violet hair literally rise

in her horror at Serena's suggestion.

"Y-yes, I mean, no... my goodness, you shouldn't even know about such

things. Off with you now, before we're both in trouble!" Luna was

scandalized. She sounded remarkably older than her charge, although

they were in fact about the same age. Serena gave her an affectionate

kiss on the cheek, before leaving the room, or rather, hopping out,

as she slipped on each of her silver sandals.

Serena turned her head, to catch a last glance of Luna shaking her head

as she cleared up, and muttering about young ladies these days and the

crazy ideas that only school could give them. She giggled, resuming

her walk towards the spiral staircase. But something she saw at the

foot of the stairs, well rather, someone, made her stop dead in her

tracks, and she could have sworn her heart did too.

There stood Darien, in an impeccable black suit, with the ruffle of

an snow white shirt peeking out, and a cape of ebony with red lining

around his neck, the same shade as his thick black hair. He had been

leaning against the railing until now with a rather bored expression

on his face, but upon her appearance, he stood straight and looked up

at her, and what he saw darkened his eyes to an even deeper, more

passionate shade of dark blue.

Normally, Serena was a sweet, pretty girl- she couldn't exactly be

called beautiful by society's standards, except for her bright blue

eyes, which were huge, limpid and always fathomless. Tonight, though,

there could be no doubt in any mind that she was a girl transformed;

her features, usually normal and nice, now seemed to be the perfect

ones of a porcelain doll, her already large, lustrous eyes were even

brighter than normal, sparkling with excitement and energy for the night

to come.

Darien's breath caught in his throat as he stared up at her; she was

breathtaking. Her long flowing white dress, with its satin folds above

an empire waist, emphasized exactly the right curves of her body,

tightened around her waist and highlighted how slender it was, and

then dropped straight down, fluttering at the ends. Her endless hair

seemed to be a fantastic swirl of gold and silver, and it took all

his oft-mentioned willpower to prevent from running up the stairs and

letting his hands luxuriate in the silkiness of those long strands.

Slowly, she stepped down the stairs toward him, unsure of what to say

to the dark-haired god before her, as he seemed to have no intentions

of speaking at the moment. Don't trip, walk slowly, she reminded

herself, you've practiced this, slow and steady, slow and-

The broken stair reared its ugly head, and she lost her balance, falling

towards the bottom. She braced herself for the painful impact with

the cold, hard floor...

And instead found herself colliding with a warm, solid mass that wrapped

its arms around her.

"Are you alright there, princess?" he asked and while her face was

buried in his cravat, she could hear the undertone of amusement. Make

that a

warm, solid, and undeniably male mass.

"Yes, I'm fine, and if it's not too much trouble..."she began talking

to his shirt buttons.

"Yes?"

"Do you think you could let go of me? I'm finding it rather difficult

to breathe," she requested.

She was quickly released, and sure enough, a pair of deep blue eyes met

her own, twinkling with amusement. She stepped back a few inches and

looked at him. My goodness, his appearance was enhanced even further

up close!

"Oh my," she said in awe, not even realizing that her thoughts were

being communicated aloud.

"Like what you seem, madam?" Darien smirked, enjoying the expression

on her beautiful face immensely.

"Oh ye- that is, I meant, for someone who finds it so hard to keep up

with the fashion, you actually look excell-acceptable," she stammered

hastily.

"Well," he said, stepping closer to her and leaning in to her ear as he

whispered, "for someone who thinks I look 'acceptable,' that furious

blush on your face is rather contradictory, hm?"

She trembled involuntarily at the warmth of his voice right next to her

ear, and pressed her hands to her cheeks, and found that they were

indeed very hot. Damn him for looking so...so....argh!

"Oh, and on another note, considering what a little hellcat you usually

are, it amazes me to see you look like such an angel tonight," he

whispered huskily.

Her eyes widened to an impossible size. Angel?

"Shall we?" he said then in a normal, neutral voice, extending his arm

out to her, as though he hadn't whispered anything suggestive just before.

She shook herself out of her trance, and her immaculate white sash

grazed his black sleeve as she took his arm.

"We shall."

The carriage ride was mostly silent, as she sat next to her parents

and across from Darien, who successfully unnerved her by subjecting

her eyes, face and body to the penetrating gaze of those deep,

inscrutable eyes of his throughout the journey to King Diamond's castle.

Thankfully, her father didn't notice, for he was wont to jump to

conclusions very easily and goodness knows what he would have thought

or said, had he seen the way his daughter's 'tutor' was eyeing her.

When they reached the castle, Serena was awestruck as she stepped out

of the carriage. She had always thought her mansion, as well as those

of Mina and Ami, to be huge, but they seemed like mere cottages in

comparison to this building.

How wealthy the king must be to afford this type of splendor! Indeed,

his coffers must be overflowing, she confirmed as they entered the

massive structure, and were led by a servant down a long hallway.

Expensive, ornate paintings everywhere, vases and gleaming mahogany

furniture from the Orient, costly, thick rugs and tapestries on

every floor and wall- good heavens!

She glanced over at her companions; sure enough, her parents looked

just as amazed at the unabashed affluence displayed everywhere the

eye could see. Darien, however, was wearing a very cool expression.

He didn't seem to be the least bit fazed by the grandeur of his

surroundings; if anything, his bearing seemed rather...familiar...

s though he were accustomed to this silver-plated environment.

But that was ridiculous; he certainly wasn't rich- how could he be,

if he had been hired as her tutor, no less? It was very strange,

but all thoughts of the discrepancy between Darien's financial

situation and his current demeanor- well, actually all thoughts

of any kind- flew out of her mind as they entered the ballroom.

Gold drapes everywhere, a white floor that seemed to sparkle,

several magnificent crystal chandeliers, oh my! The enormous room

was full of people and some large round tables covered in white lace

tablecloths were scattered across the room, leaving plenty of area

in which to dance, as many couples were already doing. They all seemed

to be strangers; was there no one she knew- surely Mina wouldn't have

passed up a chance like this to show off her beauty, dancing, and

remarkable flirting abilities?

Suddenly, Serena spotted a whole array of familiar faces. Without

thinking, she grabbed Darien's hand and dragged him across the room to

where a group of young men and women were gathered around a table,

talking and laughing.

"Lita! Mina! Amy! RAYE?!" Serena shrieked enthusiastically. Darien

looked at her in askance. What had he said about that voice of hers

and lowering its magnitude?

Upon realizing to whom those shrieks belonged, Serena's friends turned

in her direction, and exclaimed, "SERENA!" each hugging her affectionately.

As they chattered about how beautiful she looked, and about who all

'their' young men were, Darien turned to the others in the group.

"Evening, fellows, how are you?"

"Hello Dare! Good to see you!" Jadeite said cheerfully.

"Darien, you know these men?" Serena said, turning to him.

"What do you mean, of cour-, well, they're acquaintances of mine," he

covered his mistake smoothly. Great going, idiot, he scolded himself.

If you're deliberately trying to make Serena suspicious, you're doing

a splendid job of it.

"Acquaintances, Darien? I thought we were closer than that," Nephrite

feigned hurt.

"Shut up, idiot, and play along," Zoicite whispered almost inaudibly

to his friend, nudging him in the side. Didn't he understand that they

had appearances to keep up, especially where these girls were concerned?

All four men looked remarkably handsome, in similar navy, gray, light

blue, and white suits.

"Don't you have any manners, Serena? Introduce us!" Raye playfully

slapped the blonde upside the head.

Serena almost stuck her tongue out at the raven-haired beauty, before

noticing Darien's warning look, and instead settled for a cute pout.

Then, with a flourish, she said, "I was just about to, Miss High-and-

Mighty-Priestess. Girls, this is Darien Shields, my new tutor."

And maybe more, she added silently, but we'll have to wait and see.

All four girls turned to Darien for the first time, and as he turned

his head to look at them, Raye gave a little cry of surprise, and her

face lost all of its lovely rosy color.

"Oh dear heaven," she whispered so softly that only Jadeite, Serena

and Darien heard her. Serena looked surprised for a moment, and then

her eyes filled with tears at the sight of her friend's pale face,

while Jadeite and Darien looked visibly confused.

Lita, immediately catching on, said, "It is our pleasure to meet you,

Darien," and Mina eagerly agreed, while Amy shyly nodded her head;

all three girls curtsied gracefully, and Darien gallantly bowed.

Serena quickly wiped her eyes, and to distract Raye, who was still

staring wide-eyed at Darien, she asked incredulously, "Raye darling,

what in the world are you doing here? You always said you wouldn't

come near one of these 'large, useless social gatherings' under pain

of death."

Raye was successfully shaken out of her trance, and she looked at

Jadeite, remembering just what it was that had induced her presence at

this silly ball.

"HE stole my incense sticks for morning prayers and waved them over

his head until I agreed to come," she raged, pointing at the grinning

blonde man next to her. "Although just why my decision to attend or

not attend the ball is any of his business, I truly don't know," she

grumbled.

Amy smiled and softly remarked, "Well, I think Jadeite does indeed

deserve adulation for his remarkable ability to pinpoint exactly the

proper incentive to absolve you of your rather antisocial inclinations,

Raye."

Judging by the looks on their faces, Amy's comment baffled everyone

except for Zoicite and Darien, who, next to her, probably had larger

vocabularies than the rest put together.

"Er, right, Amy dear. Anyhow, Raye, anyone who can make YOU show up at

an event like THIS is a friend of mine," Serena said cheerfully,

introducing herself to Jadeite, and then the other men.

"Soooooo, Kunzite, would you like to honor me with a dance?" Mina

gaily sidled up to the man with white-silver hair, who was sitting

awkwardly at the table.

"Err, I think not, Mina, I do not believe your parents would approve of

that," he replied rather stiffly, although his friends keenly perceived

the hesitation with which he declined her request, and cast sidelong

glances at one another.

"Alright then, suit yourself, but remember, you know what you're

missing," Mina smiled, completely unfazed, as she asked another

youth standing nearby, who nodded and eagerly waltzed the blonde

beauty away.

"Er, Mina, the correct expression is 'you don't know you are missing,"

Amy corrected gently, before noticing that her friend was otherwise

occupied, and completely unaware of her error.

"No, I believe she was correct the first time, Amy, I think Kunz DOES

know what he's missing, "Jadeite commented slyly, nudging his solemn

friend in the ribs, and noting the slightly wistful expression on his

face.

Then, suddenly, Kunzite rose confidently and requested to cut in,

whisking a thrilled Mina away to the rhythm of one of Chopin's "Grande

Valses."

Nephrite, Jadeite, Zoicite and Darien just stared at him, eyebrows

looking as though they'd be raised permanently. Who could have ever

dreamed that Kunzite, their Kunzite, would possess enough gumption to

cut in on a girl and her dancing partner, to exhibit initiative where

a GIRL was concerned, no less?

Soon, Zoicite gathered the courage to ask Amy out for a walk in the

castle's gardens, that they might explore the myriad flora and fauna

present in such an extensive collection of flowers and plants. She

quietly agreed, and they walked out the tall French doors.

Nephrite simply asked Lita to "cut a rag" with him, and as they danced

companionably, Jadeite started, rather unsuccessfully, trying to

tease and goad Raye into being his dancing partner.

She barely acknowledged him, giving snide, single-word responses to

everything he said, and her eyes seemed to shoot flames at him, but

he continued, completely undaunted.

Seeing Lita and Mina with sweet, content expressions on their faces as

they danced with their men, Serena sighed happily.

"That is certainly a unique pair- happy-go-lucky, Mary Sunshine Mina

with that giggle strong and silent Kunzite? But they look so happy,

even though he doesn't seem to be in the habit of smiling."

"Oh, believe me, he rarely does," Darien chuckled, and then at the

bemused expression on Serena's face, he finished lamely, "at least,

in the few times I've met him."

But she was again looking at her friends. "Amy and Zoicite, Lita and

Nephrite," she said, testing the names out together on her tongue.

"Say, what if Darien thought he might like to dance with Serena?" her

handsome companion asked quietly.

"Say, since when did Darien start referring to himself and Serena in

the third person?" she replied, turning to him and giggling.



"Since Serena started asking irrelevant and silly questions. Well,

what about it?" he asked again.

She snorted. "Not if you don't want me to make a complete fool out

of us both, no."

"Well, as talented as you are, I sincerely doubt you could make

fools out of two people who already are..." he replied, grinning.

"How dare you!" she exclaimed angrily, then noting the twinkle in

his eyes, and realizing that he was insulting himself as much as

her, she began to laugh along with him.

"Come along, Serena, we practiced so many times in your father's

study. Just give it a try, if you hate it (translation: if you

step on my toes to the point of serious damage) we'll sit down, I

promise," he coaxed softly.

@

"Oh, all right, the things I do for you," she grumbled finally, taking

his hand as he led her onto the floor.



She felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her body as his right arm

wrapped around her waist, and his left hand intertwined with her right,

her left lifting the skirt of her gown off the ground.

And the dance began; he led her through the waltz, never wavering in

his sure, certain steps. She had to do next to nothing, as he very

nearly carried her around the room. In the study back at her mansion,

it had been a sight more difficult for them to do this; they had to

maneuver around furniture, and she'd stubbed her toe a good many times.

But now, on this open floor, with Darien holding her close as they

waltzed to a divine tune she could not name, she understood the

wondrous, giddy feeling in her head that Mina had whispered about

during school so many times in reference to her rendezvous with young

men.

She looked around, and over Darien's shoulder, spotting her friends

here and there. Mirabelle! Jadeite had actually managed to drag Raye

out onto the floor; now they were dancing gracefully, and Raye's sour

expression had given way to a rather... different... one.

Suddenly, she felt her face grow hot, and sure enough, when she turned

to look at Darien, she found that he was gazing straight at her with

that inexplicable light in his beautiful eyes. How was it that with

just his eyes he could create any number of delicious feelings in the

pit of her stomach? What was this power that he possessed over her?

"I must say, madam, you do waltz divinely," he murmured, sending

delightful tremors coursing through her with the velvet that was his

voice.

"Well, I have only my graceful partner to thank, I suppose," she

replied, smiling shyly but never losing eye contact. She could drown

in that sea of blue...

"Only 'suppose'? Then I shall simply have to eliminate any remaining

doubts, non?" he teased lightly, while suddenly increasing the

intensity and speed with which he spun her around the floor.

* * * * *

A silver-haired man watched the couples waltz about, heard the

laughter, the myriad conversations taking place around him. This

was turning out to be rather tedious, and if he had to smile at

another nobleman's ugly daughter he would gag. Suddenly he spotted

an indefinably beautiful young lady some distance away. She was

waltzing about with Darien- ast, could that be the girl, Serena,

he had heard so much about from the young man? What had he been

going on about? She was breathtaking, and her beauty left him

knowing only one thing for certain- he wanted her, and by the gods,

he would have her.

* * * * *

Serena felt herself growing ever dizzier, and yet somehow, she had

never felt more alive in her life. Never more alive, more protected,

more utterly secure, then when he glided about with her in his arms.

Suddenly, she felt a change in her environment, and with effort she

broke the chasm between his eyes and her own to look around. They

were outdoors now, in the gardens; how had they ever gotten out

there?

"Darien?" she asked timidly. She was about to faint, surely, but

she wouldn't allow him the satisfaction of having to revive her,

and accompany her revival with a mocking comment or two.

"Yes?"

"How about I lead for a while?"

"Are you quite certain you can handle it?" he inquired tantalizingly.

"Quite certain, thank you," she replied in complete gravity, although

she laughed inwardly. What a rogue he was!

"Then, milady, be my guest," he said with a flourish, and immediately

felt as though he were going to fall, crash into something, or if he

was truly lucky, both.

She pranced about, with him holding on for dear life, and without any

clear idea of what she was doing. Mina had certainly made it seem

a great deal easier than this, to be sure!

"Er, Serena," began Darien, feeling a sense of impending disaster,

as he glanced behind her.

"Oh, hush, Darien, just be patient. I'll get the knack of this soon

enough!" she said impatiently, continuing with her attempts to lead

him.

"Serena-" he tried again.

"Darien! Be quiet and let me concentrate!!" she said, scrunching up

her face and maneuvering backward with intense scrutiny.

He grinned, and decided to simply let nature take its course.

"You knave, why are you smiling like tha-a-a-AIII!"

SPLASH!

Spluttering and soaking wet, she suddenly found herself in a large

fountain. With her legs hanging over the side, and blond hair

covering her face, she probably resembled a drowned rat.

"You could have TOLD me there was a fountain behind me, you scoundrel!"

she exclaimed angrily.

"I tried, and you know it. You CANNOT say I didn't try

to warn you," Darien replied, gazing down at her, the corners of

his lips twitching uncontrollably. He felt a bubble expanding slowly

within him...

"Oh, don't you dare, just don't you dare start-" she began furiously.

The bubble burst, and he broke down.

"Laughing," she finished, looking daggers at him. He didn't notice,

for tears of unadulterated mirth were streaming down his face.

"Oh gods, that was classic, griping at me for 'disrupting your

concentration' and then, SPLASH! Oh dear heaven above," he said

breathlessly, holding his sides for support.

She, in turn, sat there, muttering, of which a few words (which

sounded like immature, inexcusable, gentleman, and revenge) were

loud enough for Darien to hear.

"Listen...Sere...na," he tried to stop laughing and appease her, but

simply broke down again, sinking to his knees, and putting a hand to

his chest in an effort to steady his breathing.

"I don't have to take this, especially from you, of all people!"

Serena cried, flushing brighter than she already was.

She spotted a tall statue, depicting a romantic rendezvous between

two long-limbed sweethearts, beside her in the fountain. How

appropriate, she thought dryly, before beginning to climb onto it.

She couldn't very well get out of the fountain just yet, considering

that the bottom half of her dress was rather wet, so she might as

well climb to the top of the statue and wait for her gown to dry,

and for Darien to return to the world of mature adults. Honestly,

it wasn't THAT funny, she thought defensively, as she climbed into

the hollow between the bodies of the two stone lovers.

"Are you quite finished yet, Mr. Shields?" she asked haughtily,

although her face was still a bright shade of crimson. This was e

ven worse than all her conflicts with the broken stair put together!

He looked up at her from his position on the ground, and slowly

his hearty laughs subsided into quiet chuckles, and eventually he

regained his composure entirely.

"Hmph!" she tossed her head, refusing to look at the man who was

the cause of her sheer mortification- well, perhaps not, maybe

just a smidgen of it was her fault, but only a smidgen.

"Serena, I'm sorry," Darien said carefully, knowing that he was

treading on very shaky ground, as she was still steaming.

No response.

"Please, I wasn't laughing at you, I was laughing at the humor of

the situation," he tried again lamely, knowing how artificial and false

that sounded, even to his own ears.

Her head remained averted.

"Well," he sighed, "I suppose there's only one thing left to do."

SPLASH!

This caught her attention.

At the foot of the statue she saw Darien, completely sopping wet from

head to toe.

She began giggling at the sight of his initiation into her "Drowned

Rat Society." And what an initiation it was- he had gone all out,

thus rendering his entire body soaked.

He stood up in the fountain and just looked at her. What a sight!

His dripping white shirt clung to his lean and muscled frame, outlining

his rock-hard chest and sculpted body. His hair, glistening with

beads of water, shone in the moonlight and his eyes simply gleamed.

Little did she know, as she stared appreciatively at his godlike

form that his thoughts, too, were taking a rather scandalous route.

He gazed up at her shining gold-spun hair, the white dress that now

embraced her slim and beautifully shaped legs, and noted the pale,

translucent curves of her neck, the healthy pink that stained her

cheeks and lips as she laughed. Indeed an angel, he thought, nothing

but an angel.

"I hope you do not take my laughter to mean that I've forgiven you,"

she pouted, shivering slightly as the cold air seeped through her

wet dress.

"Serena, I'm sorry, I really am," an equally wet Darien repeated, as

he began climbing up the statue to where she was perched.

He carefully made his way to where she sat and braced himself with his

feet in two small crevices between the stone youth and maiden (AN:

this is a little awkward, try and use your imagination if it confuses

you. The basic point is- she is sitting, and he is standing in front of

her with his feet shoulder-length apart, hooked on two opposite structures).

"Serena, please accept my apology, it is truly sincere, I promise,"

Darien said softly.

"You devil! I can't remain properly angry with you when you look like

that," she said exasperatedly, as she lightly punched him in the shoulder.

As she withdrew her hand after the playful gesture, her intricate crystal

bracelet caught on a thread of his suit.

"Oh!" she said, frowning, as she leaned forward to yank it off, but

found that the thread was wrapped around her bracelet. Darien didn't

speak.

She creased her brow in concentration and leaned in even closer as she

worked to undo the knot, and was startled to feel Darien's warm breath

on her face. She hadn't quite realized just how close they were.

Suddenly she looked up at him, and almost fell out of the statue from

shock at the closeness of his face. His eyes seemed to burn with

something akin to passion, deep fiery passion...

He murmured something very quietly, and then at an infinitesimally slow

rate, his lips came closer, closer...

Her eyes went wide for a moment at the first touch, and then fluttered

shut, as small, sweet brushes gave way to a kiss that blotted out

every memory, every thought she'd ever had. All she knew were his

lips on hers, and the sensations she was swimming in. Flames of

ecstasy and warmth licked her heart as his tongue gently ran over

her swollen lips. The taste of dark chocolate flooded her, as he

tilted her head to increase the ardor of his skillful touch. She let

his tongue plunge deep within the warm, sweet recesses of her mouth

and one arm went tightly around her waist, holding her as if to never

let go, while his other hand softly caressed her satin cheek, and traced

golden waves through her hair.

When had she ever felt like this? When had anyone or anything had

this indefinable power that Darien had, to make her body go flaming

hot and then icy cold, to make her dizzy with sheer delight? True,

she'd never been kissed before this glorious night, but she felt that

she was somewhat knowledgeable about these things, from the scores of

times Mina had talked about them. And their sweet, heavenly embrace

went on.

* * * * *

A few meters away...

"No, I must disagree, the chrysanthemums are infinitely more pleasing.

Their name in itself belies their majesty and perfection," stated a

petite, dainty girl with short blue hair.

"Yet I still remain true to my conviction that carnations are by far

the most beautiful of the blossoms; why, they are-ar-o-oh, well, will

you look at that?" Her companion, who sported blonde hair tied back

in a queue, was all set to make his counterargument, when something

over the young lady's shoulder caught his attention rather abruptly,

and he left off what he was saying with an expression of pure wonder.

Amy turned around, and the sight that met her eyes sent her falling

back into Zoicite's arms.

"Dear heavens above!" she exclaimed softly. Then her pale face

lighted up, and she gleefully exclaimed, "Oh, I must find the other

girls! They will surely murder me in my bed if they find that I let

them miss this!" and she skittered back into the ballroom.

Zoicite simply stood there. As if the sight on the other side of

the garden hadn't shocked him enough, the uncanny, almost mischievous

expression on Amy's face as she left him was simply baffling.

It had only been two months, but he had never, ever seen her look

anything but perfectly placid and calm, occasionally allowing a

smile to grace her countenance.

Then, he realized Amy had the right idea, and rushed off to find

Kunzite, Jadeite and Nephrite.

* * * * *

"How is she able to breathe with his tongue down in her throat like

that?" whispered a voice from behind the bushes.

"Lita!!!" another distinctly female voice gasped softly, scandalized.

"Whaaaaat? It's a reasonable question, you know. I was just wondering,"

the tall, pretty girl with a brown ponytail protested.

"Jadeite, I am requesting you for the last time to KEEP YOUR HANDS TO

YOURSELF!" came an especially furious whisper from a girl with a

gorgeous cascade of jet black hair.

"But what am I supposed to hold on to for balance, then?" her

tormentor's devilish voice attempted innocence.

"Both of you, be quiet! They're going to hear you!" warned a blonde

girl who looked remarkably like Serena. The serious man beside her

nodded fervently in agreement. Those fools! All four men

sympathized with Raye; they knew from previous instances that

Jadeite simply had no control over his wandering hands, although

Raye was the first to ever complain.

They all grew quiet again, and only an occasional sigh or giggle

broke the silence as they took in the view before them, of Darien

and Serena, both soaking wet, wrapped in a passionate embrace atop

the tall statue in the middle of a fountain.

* * * * *

He ceased his sweet torture of her lips for a moment, her head

leaning against his chest as they caught their breath, sighing into

the silence.

But suddenly, there was a faint rustling noise.

"Did you hear something?" she asked softly.

He didn't reply immediately, straining his ears to locate the source

of the sound.

Another similar noise, this time accompanied by a slight movement

that only his sharp eyes could detect.

"I don't think we're the only ones enjoying each other's, er,

company," he said, frowning slightly.

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering her, he carefully climbed down and helped her

off the statue. She was slightly disappointed; given the choice,

she could quite easily have spent the night tasting and being tasted.

At this thought she blushed. My, she sounded like a- like a

scarlet-woman, almost, and here she giggled nervously.

Taking her hand, he led her across the garden, and she followed

quietly; she felt that she could follow him anywhere, across a

garden, or across the earth.

"What I mean is, we have an audience," Darien said in a normal

voice, and at this, she jumped, for there were a series of "Oof!"s,

"Watch where you put your arm!"s, and "You clod, you stepped on

my foot!"s from behind a large bush.

She stepped around to the other side, and to her utter horror, 8

varicolored bodies fell on top of one another right at her feet.

Her mouth dropped open, and Darien raised an eyebrow in a mixture

of annoyance and amusement.

"Uh oh," came a rather regretful voice from somewhere in the pile of

limbs.

* * * * *

She sighed dreamily as she took off her dress and hung it in the

bathroom to finish drying. What a night! After untangling themselves,

the girls had eagerly tackled her with questions about how exactly

she and Darien had ended up in that "passionate embrace."

Her face turned crimson for what must have been the fiftieth time

that evening. She had been made to repeat every word, every gesture,

every tiny detail, but these girls were her sisters, so she supposed

it wasn't too bad. But really, was nothing sacred? She and Darien

had avoided eye contact after that, for they knew that nothing was

what it had been before.

Her parents had looked at her rather skeptically upon seeing the

slight wetness of her dress, and she simply said that she had tripped

and fallen into the fountain, and Darien had helped her out, and

thus gotten rather wet too. It was mostly the truth, after all, with

just the events between her accident and his coming to her aid

omitted- more specifically, that kiss...

She still tingled when she thought of it, and this was a full two

hours later, nearly midnight. Where would they go from here, now

that their purely tutor-pupil relationship was in shreds? What

were they to each other now? she wondered as she pulled on her pink

satin nightgown and settled into bed.

Normally, she looked forward to sleep and the beautiful dreams that

accompanied it, but now as she drifted off, she thought- no dream

could be so beautiful as to match the splendid, thrilling reality

she now knew...