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...
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...
