A/N: Ummmmm….please don't kill me. I have an excuse for not updating, I really do! In fact, I have SEVERAL excuses! Let's make a list:
1.) laptop crashed, it's working on and off now, but I'm basically waiting for the new one my parents have promised me for my birthday….
2.) my family reunion was last weekend
3.) b/c it was my family reunion, we have had fifty BILLION people at our house, and in order to be a polite hostess, I can't exactly go off and type in my room (though I did it quite a couple of time anyways…)
4.) Someone was sleeping in the room where the computer that I use to upload fanfiction is
5.) Physics has been kicking my BUTT.
6.) I got a really bad sunburn across my shoulders, so it hurt to wear clothes, much less hunch over and type
So, um…even though you guys are probably really mad at me, I got a lot done. I know basically where the story's going now, and what's happening with the characters. This is also a pretty logn chapter, not as humorous as the last, but I think you'll like it nonetheless…for certain reasons… I'm trying to portray Dare a little differently, please tell me if you notice.
Since you're all sick of my babbling – I'm even sick of my babbling – I'll stop now. And let you, you know, read the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. But I DO own Tuxedo Mask. He's tied up in my basement.
Subject to Change
Chapter Nineteen: A Learning Experience
Monday afternoon:
The arcade doors swung open with a cheery chime. At first, Motoki did not halt in his lively chatter to the cute redhead whose sundae he was drizzling with strawberry syrup. But as the usual din of the arcade died away into silence, his eyebrows furrowed and he set down the sundae to turn around and face the door.
"What is it…EEEK!" He let out a little-girl scream as he found himself face-to-face with a very angry black-haired hottie.
"Oh…my," squeaked out Motoki. He found that his throat had suddenly gone dry so that he felt as though he were choking on sawdust. "Why, Darien – what a surprise."
A sudden explosion of pain on Motoki's toes extracted another scream from the jovial arcade-tender. It also drew his attention downwards to a blonde who was tapping her loafered feet and clearing her throat.
"Oh," Motoki managed to squeeze out. "And you two, Usa-cha – I mean, san."
"That's better," approved Serena. She crossed her arms against her chest as Darien leaned nonchalantly against the counter.
Motoki gulped. He had thought Darien was scary, but Darien and Serena together were just plain bloodcurdling. I knew I was gonna regret helping Numa…
"So, Motoki," began Serena conversationally. "This is how it's gonna go. We know that you know that we know that – " her eyebrows knit together as her voice stumbled to a halt. "Wait – I mean – " An expression of concentration creased her face, causing a yearning sigh to escape some of the video-game junkies at the He-Man game a couple meters away.
"What Odango means to say," took over Darien, throwing a glance in the gamers' direction, "is that we know you helped Asanuma with those pictures."
"Exactly what I was about to say!" Serena beamed.
Darien rolled his eyes. "Sure." He snapped a finger at Motoki, who was trying to tiptoe quickly away. "I don't think so. Get back here, Shake Boy."
"I plead the Fifth?" tried Motoki.
Serena leaned forward threateningly. "We're in Japan, Motoki." (A/N: Sound familiar, Nan-chan?)
Motoki gulped again, dropping to his knees on the floor and clasping his hands imploringly. "Please don't hurt me! I'll do anything you want! Give you free milkshakes, shien yoru shoes, do your hair, buy you a pet wombat – "
Serena abandoned her threatening look and hopped into a stool. "I'll take that milkshake! Lots of chocolate syrup, please!"
Darien groaned. "Odango! You promised you wouldn't let him bribe you!"
"…."
Some partner in crime you are." Darien folded his arms condescendingly. "I knew you couldn't handle it."
"Excuse me?" Serena jumped back down from the stool and planted her hands on her hips. "As if! I can be just as evil as you! Forget the milkshake, Motoki!" She flung out a hand to push him away.
"That's better," said Darien. "Now, Toki, the way I look at it – "
"You mean the way I look at it," interrupted Serena. She elbowed Darien none-too-gently out of the way, propping her elbows up on the countertop. It required her to stand on her tiptoes, but it made her feel more authoritative. It was good to feel as though she were in charge of something, with the rest of her life tumbling out of control the way it was.
"The way I look at it," she began again, "you've got two options. One, you stand in the way of us getting revenge on Asanuma, in which case we tell Reika that you and Numa have been going out behind her back – "
"The sad part about that is that she's actually believe us," commented Darien.
"Or," continued Serena, giving Darien the evil eye, "you help us with a little plan we've hatched…"
"Do you have to say it like that?" Darien groaned. "It makes us sound like chickens!"
"You look like a chicken!"
"You squawk like one."
"You smell like one!"
"Are you admitting that you sniff poultry on a regular basis?"
"YOU!" Serena lunged, grabbing Darien's throat in a stranglehold. Darien leapt to his feet, but the action didn't have quite the effect he had hoped. Instead, Serena's arms remained locked around his neck, and her feet dangled a foot above the floor. She squeaked and grabbed Darien's throat tighter, causing his face to go purple.
"Where's a camera when you need one?" demanded Motoki of no one in particular.
"Toki…help me…" wheezed out Darien, trying vainly with his hands to loosen Serena's death grip.
"I don't know…" Toki tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You were just threatening to tell my girlfriend I was gay…"
"Help me…or you won't have anyone to help you with your Trig homework…" gasped Darien, face mottling a deathly shade of puce.
Motoki gasped. "NOOOOO! Usa, let him go! Or – or – or he'll pass out and you'll have to give him CPR!"
"ACK!" Serena shrieked and released her chokehold on Darien. She landed in an untidy sprawl on the floor, face flushed and clothes askew. "NO WAY!"
Darien gasped for air like a drowned man, lurching against the counter.
"Why is it…" he coughed, "that I always end up humiliating myself when I'm with you, Odango?"
"You're humiliated?" Serena stood up hastily, yanking down her skirt from where it had ridden up. She was very careful not to look at the video gamers, some of whom were hyperventilating from what they'd just seen. "What about ME?"
"You know what?" said Motoki, a little TOO brightly. "I think you've both been traumatized enough for one day. Why don't you both go home and go to bed – separately, of course – teeheehee – "
"OH NO!" thundered the two high schoolers, whirling on Motoki. (As Serena's skirt flared, another gamer fainted in delight, raising the total number of unconscious nerds to fourteen.) "We haven't forgotten about you!"
"So what did you decide?" demanded Darien, splaying his hands on the counter and leaning toward Motoki, not unlike Serena had done a few moments before. Serena, not to be outdone, quickly scrambled up onto a stool to glare at Motoki also. "Help us…or have your girlfriend think you swing the other way?"
L
Several minutes later:
"Why, hey, Asanuma, my friend, my ami, my amigo!" Motoki greeted Asanuma as he sauntered into the arcade. "My tomodachi, how are you?"
"Motoki's not a very convincing actor." Serena wrinkled her nose as they watched the counter from a shadowy booth in the counter.
"Nope." Darien sipped his Mountain Dew, watching Motoki carefully. His eyes were peeled for any sign that Motoki was tipping Asanuma off to their scheme. But no, he was pulling out a shake glass, reaching behind the counter… "He's even worse at lying than you are."
"At least we're bad at something bad."
Darien snorted. "That made a lot of sense."
"It does!" said Serena defensively. "Lying is bad, right? You're not supposed to do it. And so it's not bad that I'm bad at lying. It's good. And I'm not that bad at lying…" she trailed off in a mutter.
"Maybe you don't think you are," answered Darien, hearing her last words. "But maybe people are actually just humoring you."
Serena frowned slightly as she thought about that. Could it be that her mother was just pretending to believe her all those times she said she had tripped over the stairs? Did her mother really know that all of her bruises actually came from numerous battles with lethal creatures from an evil dimension called the Dark Kingdom? And Molly – was Molly actually not as ignorant of her alter ego as she thought? Oh, God, she hoped not…
"I'd rather they didn't know," said Serena suddenly and honestly.
Darien looked at her, but she was staring unseeingly at the tabletop. He sighed and leaned back, resting an arm on the back of the booth. "That's why they pretend they don't know that you're lying." He fiddled with his straw for a moment, wondering if he should say something else, but was distracted by a sudden thud.
His head quickly whipped around to see what had made the sound, and Serena's followed suit. He grinned.
"Wow!" exclaimed Serena admiringly, fleet-footing over to where a snoring Asanuma lay prone on the checkered tile floor in front of the counter. "Those sleeping pills of yours work fast, Toki-onii-san!"
"Call me the Sandman," said Motoki, deftly removing Asanuma's half-full milkshake glass from the counter and emptying its contents in the sink. "He never knew what hit him." He frowned. "I feel kinda bad. What are you going to do with him now?"
Darien glanced at Serena. Serena flashed him a grin and a 'V' for victory sign. She seized the back of Asanuma's collar and dragged him across the floor and out of sight.
Darien turned back to Motoki, a positively evil grin unfurling on his face. "You'll see."
Two and a Half Hours Later:
"Man, if Asanuma doesn't wake up soon, I'm gonna have to leave before I see the show," griped Serena, looking up at the clock for what had to be the fiftieth time.
"Those sleeping pill of yours better wear off soon, Motoki," said Darien ominously, a threat hanging off the end of his words.
Motoki gulped and looked up at the clock. "He should be waking up any time now…"
Right on cue, they suddenly heard an "AAAAAAAAAARRRRGHHHHHH!" coming from the ladies' restroom.
Serena and Darien cackled gleefully. A moment later, Asanuma came zooming out of the women's bathroom, a wrinkled-up old prune of a lady hobbling quickly after him in her walker.
"WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THERE? WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE LADIES' ROOM? YOU LITTLE HENTAI, I OUGHTA CALL MY SON ON YOU!" she screeched, thwacking him with her cane.
"MOTOKIIIIIIII! SAVE MEEEEEEEEE!" Asanuma howled, ducking out from under the old woman. Motoki shrugged helplessly at his friend, pointing at Serena and Darien.
"YOU COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE…"
The sound of the old ladies' screeching faded away as she and Asanuma both rounded the corner.
"Wow…." Serena grinned broadly, leaning over and resting her chin on Darien's shoulder to watch Asanuma disappear from sight. "I never knew revenge could be so fun!"
"Almost as sweet as milkshakes, huh, Odango?" Darien grinned back down at her.
"Definitely!"
Tuesday night:
Beads of sweat trickled down Tuxedo Mask's temples as he roamed the streets Tuesday night. The air was thick as soup, and clouds rumbled overhead, threatening to burst open and pour rain down on him at any moment. The sky's menacing growling did not perturb Tuxedo Mask one whit. He was already about as wet as could be. His tuxedo clung to his body, so damp with sweat that he had decided to discard his cape, hat, and tuxedo jacket. All that remained was his pants (sorry, girls), white dress shirt, and vest – and, of course, his mask.
Sailor Moon probably wouldn't even recognize me, Tuxedo Mask realized, pausing on the roof of a random apartment high-rise to survey the deserted city streets sprawled out below him. If only she would show up so that I could test the theory…where's a youma when you need it?
For once in his life, Tuxedo Mask was not wandering the rooftops in order to find the Silver Crystal. He was not even wandering the rooftops in order to calm himself after yet another disturbing dream involving that enigmatic princess. No, this time, Tuxedo Mask's quarry was Sailor Moon – or Zoicite, though he'd rather see the former. He wanted – no, he needed to know what Zoicite had meant when she said that Sailor Moon had sold her soul.
Part of his mind still believed that he had just been hallucinating when he heard those words coming out of the Dark Kingdom general's mouth. After all, the sheer absurdity of the idea – Sailor Moon, destined for hell! It was too preposterous to be true.
But Serena had heard it, too. So he couldn't have been hallucinating. But…it made no sense! Sailor Moon couldn't be any older than he himself was. How could she have sold her soul? Even to this princess that she and the other Sailor Senshi seemed so devoted to?
And yet – Sailor Moon herself had seemed shocked by this revelation. Which either meant that there was no truth to what Zoicite had said, or that Sailor Moon wasn't quite the self-sure, all-knowing heroine he had assumed her to be. Perhaps she was, in fact, as in the dark as he was when it came to all this superhero stuff.
Tuxedo Mask clenched his gloved fists. If only he could see her! Speak to her for just one minute…gaze into her sparkling eyes, hear her teasing voice…
But no. He could write pages of poetry on the brightness of her smile, the hypnotic quality of her voice, but none of these changed that fact that he couldn't love her. That he had had a chance to prove himself worthy, at the jewelry store, and he had failed. But never again.
Tuxedo Mask felt a sudden sting on his arm. Nothing much, just a tiny twinge on his arm that he at first assumed was a mosquito. Great way for my inner declaration of love to be interrupted. He irritably slapped a palm down on his arm, crouching down on the lip of the roof and squinting down into the dark street below. He thought he had just glimpsed a flicker of light…
The twinge flared.
"Ow! God!" He hissed, slapping his smarting skin. The sudden motion unbalanced his body and sent him careening headfirst over the edge of the roof. He grimaced in midair and twisted so that he landed on the sidewalk on all fours like a cat.
The burning on his arm intensified. Damn mosquito. He gritted his teeth, then spun as something flickered in the corner of his eyes.
It was tiny and orange, sending up a curl of smoke from where it sat in the middle of a patch of grass next to the trees that had been planted at aesthetical intervals along the sidewalk. A cigarette butt? He stamped the heel of his boot down on the smoldering object, grinding it into the soil – then heard voices. He immediately ducked into a nearby alley.
Tuxedo Mask realized suddenly that the pain on his arm had vanished. However, he had no time to wonder why or how – the voices grew louder and closer. Belatedly, it dawned on him that they were headed for the alley – his alley! He looked around in a panic, praising the keen eyesight his superhero status had granted him, and scrambled up a fire escape dangling from the side of the building.
"I'm warning you – " The voices, and two dark, tall forms lurched into the alley. One had a distinctly female silhouette and was moving jerkily, as though being yanked along by the other.
Tuxedo Mask tensed, shrinking further back into the shadows so that his white shirt would not be noticed. Hopefully, this was no more than an innocent lovers' spat –
"Let me GO!" A female voice, stubborn… like Serena's. He felt a sudden flare of nausea in his gut – but no, that shadow was too far too tall to be Serena.
"No way." The female silhouette was suddenly hurled against the wall. Thunder rumbled; Tuxedo Mask leaned forward in order to catch the man's next words. "I swear, you've made an idiot outta me for the last time, you witch – "
I don't need to hear any more. This jerk's gonna eat concrete. Tuxedo Mask vaulted down from the fire escape. He landed noiselessly on the trash-strewn pavement behind the male shadow. One swift jab to the guy's pressure point crumpled him to the ground – but then something happened that Tuxedo Mask hadn't anticipated.
A fist lashed out and collided with his jaw like a brick.
"Holy – " he gasped, reeling backwards. "What the hell! Lady, I was trying to help you!"
"You sure about that?" panted the female's voice.
Tuxedo Mask squinted, feeling his jaw throb. Thunder suddenly growled, and a fork of lightning sliced the sky. In the strobe-like flash of light, Darien saw the Amazoness figure in sharper relief – she was crouched in a jujitsu stance. She had a wild mane of tangled hair and a truly nasty black eye. Then the dark swallowed the details of her appearance once more.
"I'm sure," said Tuxedo Mask honestly, a wry tone coloring his voice. "And if I wasn't before, I sure am now. That's quite a punch."
Thud.
At first, Tuxedo Mask flinched backwards, thinking that the sound was another punch making contact with his jaw, but then he realized that he didn't feel any pain. Lightning flashed again, illuminating the truth: the girl had fainted. She was now sprawled untidily on top of the man whose lights Tuxedo Mask had punched out.
"Why can't anything ever be easy?" grumbled Tuxedo Mask, leaving the girl where she was and wending his way to a pay phone across the street. He fished a quarter out of his vest pocket and dialed 911. "Hello? This is a – er – anonymous tipster. There's been a fight at, uh – " He glanced at the shop beside him and rattled off the address. "Yes, there's been injuries…you'll want to send an ambulance. Yes. Okay. Bye."
In the distance, he heard sirens beginning to blare. Throwing one last glance over his shoulder at the alley, he leapt up to the rooftops once more.
The clouds chose this auspicious moment to burst open. Tuxedo Mask nearly jumped out of his skin as a clap of thunder nearly split his eardrums. I've never noticed how much louder the thunder is up here… Rain began to lash down on his skin, soaking his hair and causing his mask to slide down on his face. He pushed it back up and doggedly continued his trek across the rooftops.
I don't even know where I'm going. Why don't I just go home? That field trip is tomorrow…I need to be ready to fight off Dark Kingdom demons for the Silver Crystal, not be falling asleep on the bus in someone's lap like Asanuma said. Although I probably wouldn't be able to sleep in all this racket, anyways…all this thunder…
Unconsciously, his thoughts went to Serena. The Odango was terrified of thunderstorms. He wondered how she was doing…? He hoped she was getting sleep. She needed it…
He felt a sudden urge to go check on her. Maybe it was the thunderstorm, or maybe it was the girl he'd just rescued – but he had a sudden urge to go and make sure she was safe.
No reason not to. He shrugged and began towards the residential area of Juuban. It's not like I've got anything better to do. I've just got to make sure Asanuma and Motoki NEVER find out about this…
"Malachite!" Beryl's voice rang out in the stone cavern. "Why did you send this youma out without my permission?"
Malachite turned distastefully from the glass sphere in which he was watching the youma. The buxom creature was surrounded by crackling arcs of lightning and swirling clouds.
"It is a supplement of Zoicite's plan, m'Queen." His voice was sardonic. "According to the information Zoicite has dredged up, Sailor Moon's alter ego has a deathly fear of thunderstorms. It is in the best interest of Zoicite's plan for Sailor Moon ti be tired and weak tomorrow."
"Hmm." Beryl's face clouded over, her brows knitting. She spoke a moment later. "You may continue this youma's activity. But from now on, you are to inform me before releasing any other youma."
Malachite frowned. "And what of the youma currently exerting its power over the other two Senshi – Mars and Mercury? I believe that we should just kill them and be over with, Majesty."
Beryl's long tongue ran across one glistening fang, then the other. "No…no," she hissed sibilantly. "I want to watch them blunder on like this for a while longer. It is more beneficial to our cause, especially if it could drive a wedge between them. And I need them to lead me to the princess – and her crystal."
Malachite's lips compressed. "You are playing not only with fire but with ice, M'Queen."
Beryl's eyes flashed. "Are you doubting my ability to handle them, Malachite?"
Malachite bowed his head. "No, Queen."
"Good." Beryl lounged back in her chair, watching him carefully. "Tell me, Malachite. How is Zoicite's new…condition suiting you?"
Malachite stiffened. "I would by lying if I said I did not like her better before, Majesty."
"I see." Beryl's fingernails clacked unnervingly on her stone throne. She spoke her next words conversationally. "You know, Malachite – you were in love with someone else, back in the Silver Millennium."
Malachite's eyebrows lifted noncommittally. "Really."
"Yes." Beryl tapped her fingernails again. "She sacrificed…much…for you. To save you. What do you think of this?"
"I think that I should be able to remember her if she sacrificed so much for me."
"What has Zoicite sacrificed for you, Malachite?"
This question left the High General speechless.
Beryl smiled. "I thought so." She reclined. "Go and supervise your youma now. Reveal yourself to the Senshi. They will be frightened by the appearance of another general. It will throw them off."
Tuxedo Mask was only a few blocks away from the Tsukino residence when he began to see the flaring light and falling objects that looked suspiciously like hail. He picked up his pace, already having a faint idea of what – or rather, who – was causing these anomalies.
"Mars…Fire…IGNITE!" screamed a voice.
Tuxedo Mask's heart jumped into his mouth. There was a youma somewhere around here. Sailor Mars was somewhere around here. So it followed to say that…Sailor Moon was here also?
One must recall that Tuxedo Mask (a.k.a. Darien Shields) was an extremely logical young man. He based as much of his life as he could on fact rather than instinct or emotion.
His gut told him to check on Serena first. His brain told him that Serena was undoubtedly sleeping like a log, while Sailor Moon was probably in serious danger. Danger only he could save her from. So – Tuxedo Mask headed towards Sailor Mars' voice.
And imagine his disappointment when he found the origin of the flaring lights, and saw Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and a youma carrying a huge drum that spat lightning – but no Sailor Moon.
"Mars!" he yelled, whipping out a dozen roses and throwing them in the path of a fork of lightning that was arcing from the youma towards Sailor Mars. The lightning hissed angrily and consumed the roses in a shower of black ash, leaving Mars unscathed. "Where's Sailor Moon?"
Mars shot him a look, the venom of which he felt even through the pelting rain. "You know the answer to that question better than us, Cape Boy!"
Tuxedo Mask blinked. What the hell was she talking about?
"Mars!" Mercury shouted suddenly, ruining his concentration. "Aim for its drum!"
"Fine! Mars…Fire…IGNITE!" Blades of flame shot towards the youma and missed by a couple of feet. Mars cursed and pressed her fingers together again. "Mars…Fire…"
"Oh, for the love of God – " Tuxedo Mask muttered impatiently. His cane materialized in his hand, and he flipped a disguised switch on its end. A blade sprang out. Taking a split second to aim, he hurled the cane towards the youma.
It pierced not only her drum, but also her chest. The youma let out a scream, then collapsed into dust. The lightning vanished, and the clouds slowed gradually.
Tuxedo Mask caught his cane before it fell and decided to keep it handy instead of putting it back into his Sub-Space pocket. He approached Mars and Mercury, wary as a wolf.
The two girls each watched him just as closely – but for different reasons. Mars felt her fingers itching to incinerate his bow tie. Mercury's eye twitched as she glared at that same bow tie, which she had noticed was crooked and coming untied.
"Do you know where Sailor Moon is or not?" demanded Tuxedo Mask. Much to his annoyance, neither of the girls seemed to even realize had had spoken. They were staring intently at…his neck?
"Perhaps this will get their attention."
The statement came from a totally unfamiliar voice, and was accompanied by the materialization of a blonde-haired man in the air above them.
"Who the hell are you?" demanded Tuxedo Mask, cane coming up in front of him in a defensive position. The man's platinum hair hung down over a grey uniform – the uniform of a Dark Kingdom general.
"You may call me General Malachite." The man floated slowly down to the ground. He was tall, taller than Darien, even, and his skin was dark.
Mercury's attention had transferred from Darien to the general. Her other eyes was now twitching behind her visor. "yOuR rOOtS nEeD tO bE blEacHeD," she gritted out with effort. "THeY dOn'T MAtcH."
Tuxedo Mask grimaced in disgust. What was Sailor Mercury doing admonishing a brand-new Dark Kingdom general about his HAIR? What had HAPPENED to the Sailor Senshi? And why was Sailor Mars suddenly lunging towards him – "ARGH!"
Flames licked Tuxedo Mask's chin for a moment, then Mars climbed back off of Tuxedo Mask, who had been knocked to the ground. He looked down and saw a huge, smoking hole in his tuxedo. Not only was his bow tie gone, but half of his shirt and vest as well!
"They're insane, aren't they?" said General Malachite conversationally. "But I suppose you put up with them for Sailor Moon's sake – I guess I can't blame you. Her hair is quite beautiful. Like gold."
Okay, something was seriously wrong. A Dark Kingdom general – a male one, no less! – was complimenting Sailor Moon's hair, Mars had just roasted half of his clothes off, and Mercury – he didn't even want to go there. Was Tokyo water contaminated or something?
"Okay, look," said Tuxedo Mask loudly, holding up his gloved hands. "I don't know what all of your problems are. And I really don't care. What I want to know is, one," he held up a finger, "why Sailor Moon's not here, and two, what the hell all that crap Zoicite was spouting off to her at the movie theater was."
"Oh, you mean our offer to let Sailor Moon join us?" Malachite's eyes glinted.
Mars exploded. "I KNEW IT!" she screamed, launching herself at Tuxedo Mask. Her hands wrapped around his neck. "She's a TRAITOR, and YOU – you're a FILTHY BAS – " She was cut off short as Tuxedo Mask threw her off. She flew backwards and collided with Mercury, throwing them both to the ground.
"Did I reveal something I wasn't supposed to?" Malachite lifted a white eyebrow. "Oh, my, I think I'm going to sneeze – " he dematerialized, then rematerialized right above Sailor Mars and Mercury. "ACHOOO!"
Mercury went psycho. She hurled Mars away from her and whipped out a can of Lysol from thin air. She sprayed it everywhere – on her fuku, in her ears, her eyes, her mouth – then began to choke violently.
"Freak," said Mars disdainfully, folding her arms and examining her nails.
Tuxedo Mask could not believe his eyes. Surely this whole series of events was a dream. A crazy, insane, caffeine-induced hallucination.
"Idiots, aren't they?" said the general to Tuxedo Mask. "Jumping to conclusions like that. All I had to do was imply that Sailor Moon considered our offer to join the Dark Kingdom, and they believe she betrayed them."
"Why are you doing this?"
Malachite lifted an eyebrow. "That's a rather unintelligent question."
"Answer it anyways!" Tuxedo Mask snarled.
"Figure it out yourself." With that, Malachite disappeared.
Tuxedo Mask looked at Mercury and Mars. Mercury's coughing had calmed, and Mars was now stalking towards him with flames dancing on her fingers. He decided it was time to go.
All that and still no answers, he thought furiously as he leapt away. He found the building he was looking for and crouched down on the edge of its roof. And there she was.
"Odango, why are you still awake?" he muttered.
Serena was sitting on her window seat, gazing unfocusedly out into space as her arms wrapped around her knees. Her hair was down, rippling down her back and over her shoulders, almost – but no quite – hiding the sad expression on her face.
"The thunder's gone. The storm stopped. Go to sleep, Odango," he whispered again, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "There's no reason to be scared anymore, you scaredy-cat."
As if on cue, a distant, bloodcurdling yowl suddenly pierced the night. Both Tuxedo Mask and Serena started, one in surprise, the other in fright.
Serena wrapped her arms tighter around herself. Her eyes were more energetic now, flitting around her, to the trees, the sidewalk, the houses. Tuxedo Mask decided it was time to go, before she saw him and became even more frightened.
"Good night, Odango."
"Hey. Odango."
Serena looked up at him. He wasn't exactly surprised by the dark shadows beneath her unusually glassy eyes, but they irked him nonetheless. Damn youma.
"Oh." Serena swayed slightly as she stood on the curb, like a skyscraper in a strong wind. Although comparing Serena to a skyscraper wasn't exactly an accurate analogy. "Hi, Darien."
"You look dead, Odango." Darien leaned across the passenger seat and opened the car door. "Get in."
Something in Serena's stance relaxed. Darien had been prepared for resistance – "no, I'm okay, really," he was sure she would say – but she slid in without a word. Her head sank gratefully into the seat.
Darien pulled away from the curb. "That storm kept you up all night, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Mm." A light rain drummed the windshield, accompanying the faint hum of the air conditioner. "You want to listen to anything?"
From the corner of his eye, he saw her shrug. "It's your car."
"Is jazz okay with you?" Darien rotated the volume knob. Soft, soothing strains of jazz music began to drift out of the speakers.
"Mmm." Serena snuggled further back in the passenger seat. "It's so…nice."
"Calms you down, doesn't it?" Darien glanced from the wet road to her, smiling slightly. She looked like a little kid taking her nap. He wished he could take one…
"Yeah." Serena let out a contented little sigh and turned her head slightly to look at him. Her eyes were half-shut. "Like swimming in the ocean…wha'd you call it?"
"Jazz music." Darien pulled to a stop at a red light. "Just don't fall too deeply asleep, okay, Odango? I shudder to think what everyone would say if I carried you sleeping into class."
Serena snorted softly. "Why should you worry? I'm the one who would get jumped by jealous girls, not you."
Darien smiled, thinking of the death glares he'd get from the male population, but kept his thoughts to himself. "I have faith that you would be able to fight them all off."
"Your faith is totally misplaced. I'm a shrimp."
"Yeah, but you pack a nasty punch. And scream. And high heel."
Serena's hazy eyes drifted closed again. "Not today."
The small blonde remained quiet and motionless for the rest of the drive. Despite all that had happened last night and despite all the things had yet to accomplish today, Darien felt a comforting sensation of peace settle over him like a downy blanket. Jazz music still floated through the car, crescendoing and decrescendoing like an ocean tide, while the rain pattered steadily and softly on the roof and windshield. He felt as though he had found an oasis in the middle of the desert. All his cares had been suspended and forgotten; his only concern was making sure that he didn't brake too quickly lest Serena be jerked from her slumber.
He felt protective of her, rather like an older brother, but also jealous of her, of the fact that she was sleeping. He felt an almost irrepressible urge to recline in his own seat and stretch out for some z's; traffic and driving be damned.
He didn't, of course. That would have gotten him and Serena killed. But he wanted to.
Serena drifted back into wakefulness as the car cruised into the student parking lot. Darien didn't observe her exact moment of waking; one moment he glanced at her and her eyes were closed, the next they were open and flicking around almost curiously.
"And here we are," said Darien originally, climbing out of the car. "You ready for the field trip, 'dango?"
"I know, I know," mumbled Serena, stumbling out. "Time for Horrible Haruna…"
"Actually," said Darien, withdrawing his key from the car's lock and placing a hand in front of Serena to stop her. "I believe that we're supposed to report to the cafeteria and wait for the teachers to call us for the buses."
"Cafeteria…" Serena grimaced. "Those pictures. Maybe we shouldn't go in at the same time…?"
Darien caught a glimpse of blue hair a couple of cars away. He reached out and caught Serena by a sleeve. "What, you're embarrassed to be seen with me?" he said jokingly, trying to adopt an Asanuma-like tone. Call him paranoid, but he didn't want Serena getting too close to Ami…
Serena blinked at him. "No, I just thought – well, everyone's saying – "
"Who cares?" Darien tugged her towards the math hallway, in the opposite direction of where had seen Ami headed. "Come on, I need to get some stuff out of my locker."
"Attention! Ecoute, mes poussins!" The shouted words – or rather, gibberish, which was what it sounded like to the rowdy students lining up for the bus – failed to capture the attention of any students. "SHUT UP!"
THAT turned heads.
"No way…not her…" groaned Darien under his breath. Beside him, Serena wilted further, if that was possible.
"Ahem." Miss Lanai cleared her throat, fingering her penciled-on mustache. She glared around at all of them. "Now zat you 'ave all closed your 'uge mouthz…petits asticots…I am going to be your, euh, how do you say, chappy-rone today. As zose of you who 'ave taken mon cours magnifique know, I am un dame mechante. Je sais, je sais, I look so soft, like a rose petal, but on the inside I am hard, like a peach pit." She pounded her chest. "So do not mess wiz me, or you will find yourself – " Her eyes crossed idly over Serena and Darien, then flicked back.
"MATIIIIIIIIIN!" she shrieked like a banshee, lunging towards them. "'ot boy! 'ow did you like my surprise? Very nice, non? Now all can see ze wonderful love you 'ave for each ozzer – and no petite poulet will try to steal him from you, hmm?" She nudged a flushed Serena. "Zey know now zat 'e is your man."
"I knew it!" shouted a voice from the back of the line. "They ARE dating!"
"Darien…." muttered Serena, banging her head repeatedly on his arm. "Why US?"
"OKAY! ON ZE BUS!" bellowed Miss Lanai, beginning to shoo everyone – except Serena and Darien – onto the long yellow vehicle. "'ot Boy and Matin are 'avign a moment. We must not interrupt!"
"I want to die…." moaned Serena.
"Hey, at least you have a name. I'm just 'Hot Boy.'"
"Yeah, but who knows what Matin means? She could be calling me 'frying pan' for all I know."
"No, she's not." Darien frowned, thinking. Where had he read it…. "Matin means morning, doesn't it? And there's another meaning – "
"Since when do you know French?" Serena yawned out.
"You know Motoki's girlfriend Reika, right?"
"That cheerleader he started dating a couple months ago?"
"Yeah, her. Toki's been trying to get a date with her for years. In – oh, I think it was freshman year, he went on this French craze and started looking up all these French words and speaking them because he thought Reika might be wooed if he knew the language of love." Darien snorted. "So to practice, made me and Numa listen to him babble off all these French words."
Serena smiled. "He and Numa are so wild…I wish Ami and Rei and I did stuff like that. I used to, with Molly…"
Darien was silent, unsure of what to say. If I say she's better off without Ami and Rei, she'll just get agitated again…better to just let it slide. Then realization struck him. He snapped his fingers. "I've got it!"
"What?" she eyed him warily.
"What else Matin means. But it doesn't make any sense…" he frowned. "You're not a sailor."
Serena swayed suddenly. Darien moved forward uncertainly to help her, but she caught herself.
"You need more sleep. Come on, let's go on the bus. Maybe you can take another nap."
"Wait," said Serena hoarsely as he led her to the bus door. "Was that what else Matin means? Sailor?"
"Yeah." Darien glanced back at her. "Maybe she's referring to your uniform. It looks kind of like a sailor suit."
"Yeah, yeah, that must be it!" Serena nodded her head vigorously. "Hey, let's get on the bus before all the seats are taken!" She zoomed up the bus stairs, Darien in tow.
Serena paused for a moment at the head of the steps, searching the crowded bus for an empty seat, only to find that there were none. Except…
"Miss Lanai, could we move your bag?" Darien asked politely of the teacher sitting in the foremost seat of the bus.
Miss Lanai looked up at him as if he had gone insane. "Move mon sac? Non! It must 'ave its own seat!"
"Why?" Darien frowned thunderously.
"Because!" exclaimed Miss Lanai, jumping up and glaring at him as though daring him to lay a finger on her handbag. "Do not ask questions, 'ot Boy! " She whirled around to face the rest of the students on the bus. "Children, zere are not enough seats on ze bus for everyone. 'o volunteers to give up zeir seat and sit in someone's lap?"
"Serena does!" shouted a familiar masculine voice from the back. The shout was followed by a gale of laughter and the sound of two hands slapping five. Asanuma and Motoki, undoubtedly.
"Bien!" Miss Lanai clapped her hands together. "'ot Boy, you sit down next to me, and Matin, you sit in his lap, yes, just like in detention. Good. Okay. Bus driver, we are ready!"
The bus lurched into motion. Serena reached out to brace herself against the seat in front of her, then realized – there was no seat in front of her. Ooh, Miss Lanai planned this… She scowled and thumped back against Darien's chest.
"Oof!" The air left Darien's lungs in a whoosh. "Odango, do I look like a couch?"
"Ha ha," grumbled Serena. "You're not nearly as comfy as a couch. Why does your chest have to be so hard?"
"Excuse mefor being buff."
"Buff?" Serena yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "You wish, nerd-boy. Even steroids couldn't give you a six-pack."
"That's it. See if I ever give you a ride to school again."
The two continued to bicker the whole way to the museum…which was a good half-hour away. They both knew it was all in good fun and enjoyed themselves, but everyone else on the bus was thoroughly sick of them by the time they reached their destination.
"I guess they're not going out after all," muttered a freshman to his friend. "Those two are worse than cats and dogs."
"It is time for ze groups to part ways," announced Miss Lanai as the students poured off of the bus. "'ere are your maps, and 'ere are your schedules. We are all going to meet for lunch at twelve, and zen we are going to see ze new Crystal exhibit at one. Vous comprenez?"
Serena sucked in a breath. A banner hung from the yawning entrance of the museum, proclaiming, "New Crystal Exhibit! Featuring the famed Silver Crystal!"
"Serena-chan!" A hand latched into her arm, yanking her attention from the banner. She found herself being held a couple inches off the floor, eye-to-eye with an overzealous Asanuma. She felt suspiciously like a teddy bear. "Ready for some fun?"
Darien rolled his eyes, trying to be nonchalant – though he, too, had seen the banner and was thinking feverishly of ways to get to the crystal without being noticed. "Put her down, Numa."
"Why?"
"Because."
"Aw, you're just jealous that I'm strong enough to lift Serena-chan up and you're not." Asanuma winked at Serena.
"Oh, please," said Darien, rolling his eyes. "I could lift Odango up anyday, just watch."
Before Serena or Asanuma could even register what he had just said, Darien plucked Serena up and held her in the cradled position Tuxedo Mask usually caught Sailor Moon in. "See?" He smirked at Asanuma.
"Oh, yeah? Well – can you do this?" Asanuma reached for Serena, but Darien danced backwards out of reach. "Hey, no fair!
"Uh, HELLO?" Serena slammed the heel of her hand into Darien's sternum. As he groaned and crumpled in pain, she slipped out of his arms. "Do I LOOK like a barbell?"
"Maybe you don't look like one, but your IQ's are pretty similar," Darien wheezed out, rising to his feet. He still clutched his chest.
Serena's lower lip quivered. Darien blanched.
"Look at that!" exclaimed Asanuma accusingly. "You made Serena-chan cry! What kind of monster are you?"
"Um – an attractive one?" tried Darien.
But Asanuma would have none of it. He led Serena off, an arm around her shoulders. "C'mon, Serena, we'll leave the grumpy old Dare-bear behind…"
"Oh, come on!" Darien ran after them. "Serena, you know I was just joking – " he stopped dead as Serena fell out of Asanuma's arms to the ground, her shoulders shaking. "Serena!" He dropped to his knees and grabbed her shoulders, lifting her face. "Are you cry – Odango!"
"Sorry, Darien, it was just – so funny – we tricked you – and – oh!" Serena laughed helplessly, her cheeks wet not from tears of hurt but from tears of mirth.
"Oh, forget it." Darien hauled Serena to her feet. "I want to go check out the – "
"The gift shop!" burst out Asanuma. He grabbed Serena by one hand and yanked her toward the emporium.
"No, not yet," Darien grabbed Serena's other hand and pulled her toward the exhibit. "Learning first, shopping later."
"But Darien…." Serena and Asanuma both whined.
"Stop that!" commanded the black-haired eleventh-grader exasperatedly. "Numa, what'd you do with Motoki?"
"Huh? Oh, I think the last time I saw him he was sucking face with Reika by the water fountain…"
"Aw…" squealed Serena.
"Yuck," grimaced Darien.
"Rock candy!" shouted Asanuma.
"No," said Darien.
"Please?" pleaded Serena.
"GUYS!"
The trio turned to see Motoki jogging towards them.
"Toki, make Darien let us go to the gift shop," whined Asanuma. Then his eyes sharpened. "Hey, what are those red marks all over your face?"
"Huh?' Motoki blushed fire-engine red and scrubbed frantically at his face. "I – I don't know what you're talking about. Come on, let's go!" He literally ran towards the exhibits. Darien, Asanuma, and Serena exchanged evil grins and followed him.
They saw lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of rocks.
Needless to say, this was a pretty mind-numbing experience. By ten forty-five, the four high schoolers were so bored stiff that they were in danger of becoming rocks themselves.
And what was worse was that in the hours they'd spent wandering the exhibits, neither Darien nor Serena was able to escape to find the crystal. It was not for lack of trying, though. Each tried various tactics – for example, at eight-seventeen, Serena informed the boys that she was thirsty and was going to go purchase a soda. Motoki unintentionally ruined her plan by pulling a variety of chilled drinks – cola, lemon-lime, orange, grape, even milk – out of his backpack.
As for Darien, he tried the same excuse several times – "I've got to go to the bathroom" – only to have Asanuma exclaim, "Oh, man, me too!" and tag along.
So, by the time ten forty-five rolled around…
"Can we just go eat now?" begged Asanuma. "This is so boring…"
"But it's only quarter to eleven," pointed out Darien halfheartedly, referring to his watch.
"PLEASE?" This came from Asanuma, Motoki, AND Serena.
"Fine. But no food fights this time, do you hear me, Asanuma?"
But Asanuma and Motoki had both already sprinted off to the café, leaving Serena and Darien coughing in their dust.
Darien regarded Serena with surprise. "Aren't you going to run, too?"
The blonde girl yawned, stumbling a bit. "I would….but I'm so tired. Maybe more caffeine will help."
Darien watched her worriedly through his dark bleu eyes. This wasn't Serena. And the Serena he'd seen last night on her window seat – that hadn't been Serena, either.
In truth, Serena hadn't been herself for…what, the past two weeks?
"Here," he said suddenly, moving in front of her and crouching down a little. "You can ride."
Serena blinked at the upperclassmen, then at his back. "A…ride?"
"Yeah. On my back. Like that time you jumped on me when we were racing to school. C'mon."
Tentatively, Serena leaned forward and placed her arms around his neck. Darien stood up straight, slightly startled by how light she was, and headed towards the museum café.
They stopped right before they reached it so that Serena could slide off. Both were quite sure of what Toki and Numa's reactions would be if they were to catch them, in such a position.
"We already ordered for you," Motoki informed them when they entered the marble-countered café. "I figured I had a pretty good idea since I feed you guys every day anyways. Cheeseburgers and fries for both of you, Mountain Dew for Dare, and they didn't have milkshakes, so I figured you'd want some pink lemonade, Usa. I got the diet kind – "
"Motoki!" Asanuma roared.
"What? It's what Reika always orders!"
"Are you calling Serena-chan fat?"
"No, I just – "
As the two boys continued to bicker, Darien looked over at Serena. She was twirling a golden curl about her finger and staring hazily out into space. "Shall we find a table?"
"Yup." She looked around and pointed at a dimly-lit booth in the corner. "There?"
"Suits me."
They slid into the booth. Serena on one side and Darien on the other.
"So…" began Darien as he saw Serena's eyelids beginning to droop. "You didn't sleep at all last night?"
"Oh, I slept some!" Serena sat up straight with an effort, focusing on him. "Just not, you know, a whole lot. I got a couple of hours. And the night before that, I got two hours…"
"You mean you didn't sleep Monday night either!"
"Well – "
"And you were up all night Saturday, too! But it wasn't even storming on Monday! Why were you up?"
"Who are you to be talking, Mr. Night Owl?" Serena shot back defensively. "You get rid of those bags under your eyes, and then we'll talk!"
Darien lifted a sinewy hand to his face. He hadn't realized that the evidence of his midnight sojourns showed so clearly. Time to change the subject. "Yeah, well, at least my bags aren't big enough to need their own seat on the bus," he said jokingly, referring to Miss Lanai.
Serena rolled her eyes. Darien wondered suddenly if she had deliberately picked this ill-lit booth in order to hide how bloodshot her eyes were.
"Why did she do that, anyway? Was she carrying something valuable?"
"I doubt it." Darien leaned back in the booth, knitting his fingers together behind his neck and propping his feet up on the seat next to Serena. "My theory is that she's in league with Toki and Numa."
"Now that's a scary thought." Serena shivered. "Sorry about that, by the way."
"What?"
Serena flushed. "You know – sitting on you."
"Oh. That. It's no big deal. You're not very heavy, Odango."
"What?" Serena pretended to gasp. "Can I get that in writing, so that I can show it to you the next time you call me a blimp?"
"Speaking of blimps, here comes the kings of hot air themselves." Darien sat up and let his feet fall to the floor, then waved the two boys over. Asanuma slid into the booth next to Serena, and Motoki set a laded tray down on the table, then plopped down next to Darien.
True to his arcade-upbringing, he began to pass out food. "Darien's cheeseburger, Numa's nachos, my fruit salad…"
"I wonder if there's some sort of significance in Toki eating a fruit salad," Darien muttered to Serena. They burst into laughter, causing Motoki and Asanuma to look up at them in puzzlement.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Asanuma whispered to Motoki.
Motoki frowned and shook the ketchup bottle. "That these ketchup bottle desperately need to be refilled? Yes. What kind of business do these people thinkt hey're running!" He stood up indignantly. "I'm gonna go ask for some ketchup packets."
"Yeah, yeah, you do that, Lunch Lady." Asanuma turned back to Serena and Darien. "Do either of you two want your tomatoes…what?" he demanded as they burst into hysterics again. "Why are you laughing! Is there something on my face?"
"Tomato's….a…fruit!" gasped Serena, face pink from lack of air. Her pigtails shook as she clutched her ribs. Darien was in a similar state, swiping tears from his eyes.
It didn't take Asanuma long to get the joke. He was, after, all the class clown.
"Oh, yeah, I get it," he said slowly. "Fruit. I'm fruity. Ha ha." He laughed robotically for a moment, then stopped, brows knitting. "Actually, that's not as funny as you two are making it out to be…HA! I just said you two were MAKING OUT! Now THAT'S funny!"
"Who was making out?" asked Motoki curiously, returning with an armful of ketchup packets.
"I wish I was," said Asanuma, eyes following a willowy brunette who sauntered past their table. "Hey, Serena-chan, you know your friend – aw, no, never mind."
"What, Numa?" asked Serena curiously.
He shook his head. "No, it's nothing."
Serena and Darien exchanged frowns. Both were thinking, Asanuma's never sounded that serious before…
Motoki, on the other hand, had a good idea of who Asanuma had been about to mention. He kept his mouth shut, however. Some things were best kept secret.
But the atmosphere was suddenly very heavy. To lighten it – and to distract Serena and Darien from wondering what Asanuma had been talking about – Motoki suddenly tore open a ketchup packet and squirted its contents at Asanuma.
Asanuma sputtered, his face dripping with the red condiment. "What the hell – TOKI!"
Serena and Darien laughed, watching as Asanuma snatched afat yellow bottle of mustard from a nearby table and aimed it as Motoki, hitting him square in the chest, then right in his open mouth. Motoki retaliated by grabbing his nacho cheese and pelting his chest with it.
"Serena-chan!" Asanuma howled, looking mournfully at his empty cheese container. "HELP MEEEEEE!"
Serena, giggling, scampered out of the booth and procured a ketchup bottle from the counter. She joined forces with Asanuma to hit Motoki from both sides, causing him to squeal like a pig and hop up and down, then she turned her weapon on Darien, who was calmly chowing down on French fries.
"WHAT THE – ?" thundered Darien as the first stream squirted into his ear. He leapt up and spun. "ODANGO!"
The hallways were empty. It was twelve-fifteen. The hallways of the museum were, for the most, part, deserted. All of the Azabu High School students were in the middle of eating lunch in the cafeteria – except for Darien, Motoki, and Asanuma, who had been sent to the restroom to wash the condiments from their hair and face.
Serena, too, had been sent to wash off – but the ladies' room wasn't where she was headed. No, her destination was the new crystal exhibit. To find the Silver Crystal…
She was ready. She was ready. She was SURE she was ready.
Serena took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She had to do this. Sailor Senshi or not, she was still a human being, and she had a responsibility to her fellow homo sapiens not to let the Dark Kingdom get ahold of the Silver Crystal. No matter how much she wanted to say "screw it all," and go back to squirting ketchup at Darien and Motoki. No matter how much she wanted to just lie down and go to sleep. No matter how much she wanted to forget all about the Sailor Senshi and their – well, our, I guess – stupid princess.
And that was why she was tiptoeing quietly down the deserted marble halls towards the crystal exhibit.
The thought hit her that if a straight C student like herself had guessed that the Silver Crystal would be here, then it surely would have occurred to a genius like Ami. What if they ran into each other? Would she be as murderously inclined towards Serena as Luna had been? I really hope not…
Too late to worry about it now. The banner proclaiming "SILVER CRYSTAL!" was right ahead of her, hung across two gargantuan marble columns. Beyond the pillars, Serena could see spotless glass cases of glinting stones and pedestals mounted with gleaming gems. One of them was the Silver Crystal….
She took a step forward, then hesitated. She felt as though she had forgotten something…as if she should wait for something…
"Odango!" hissed a voice suddenly.
She gasped and whirled, only to find herself face to face with none other than Darien. Go figure.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I – uh – I was looking for the bathroom," Serena fibbed glibly. "I don't think those onion rings sat so well with my stomach…"
Darien rolled his eyes. "What have I told you about lying?"
"Darn." Serena scowled to herself. Why does he have to be so nosy? "I wanted to look at that new Silver Crystal everyone's so psyched up about."
"The whole class is coming to see it after lunch. Why not wait?"
Hmm. He had her there. "Well, there were going to be so many people…and, you know, I'm so short, I didn't think I'd be able to see even if I tried standing on my tiptoes…" Ha! He can't refute that! She smirked. "Is that a logical enough explanation for you, nerd-boy?"
Darien looked actually amused for a moment. She noted as he grinned that there was still a bit of ketchup smeared on his nose. She reached up and wiped it off. Then she stood there with her arm still hanging in the air, unsure what to do with the ketchup on her fingers.
Darien's grin widened as he noticed her consternation her predicament. Fueled by his infuriating expression, Serena stuck her tongue out at him and rubbed the ketchup off on his starched white collar.
Darien's mouth dropped open. "Odango!"
"Yes, Shields-senpai?" she answered innocently.
"You…." He made a low rumbling sound in his throat and placed his hands on either side of her neck, as though he was about to strangle her. "If Waishatsu writes me up for this, I'm going to kill you."
"Why?" Serena laughed merrily. "You can just say you dribbled when you were eating lunch."
"And make him think I'm a slob like you? I don't think so – "
Tip. Tap. Pit. Pat.
They froze. Unbeknownst to each other, each had a chill running up their spines. A chill reminiscent of…the Dark Kingdom.
"Someone's coming," whispered Serena, trying to think of an excuse to get Darien out of the vicinity. "We're going to get in trouble! Maybe we're not supposed to be here without our chaperones – "
"Over there." Darien jabbed Serena in the back, pushing her behind a pillar. She pressed back against it, and Darien stood close in front of her, their uniforms brushing. He muttered something suddenly and grabbed hold of one of her pigtails and tucked it – not at all gently – behind her head. In order to do so, one of his arms almost completely encircled her, and Serena's insides abruptly twisted.Darien's arm then returned to where it was propped against the column. His back was to her once more. She breathed in an inaudible sigh of relief and rested her face against the cool marble of the pillar. From this new vantage point, she had a clear view of the hallway – and the person entering it. First came a black high-heeled pump, then a swishy skirt. Then a face came into view – and it was Zoicite's!
Serena's hand flew automatically to her brooch, but collided with something – Darien's back. He had suddenly drawn further back into their niche.
Her mind flew at 300,000 kilometers a second. She had to transform and prevent Zoicite from getting the crystal – but Darien would see her transform!
Her hand hit something in her pocket. Her fingers closed around it, recognizing it as her Luna Pen. She yanked it out and bonked Darien on the head with it.
He crumpled, and he hadn't even reached the floor before pink lights shot out in all directions.
An instant later, Sailor Moon crouched down beside him. "Sorry," she grunted out, lugging him back behind the pillar where he would be hidden from sight. She swayed slightly on her feet as she did so, limbs trembling. Transformed or not, she REALLY needed sleep…
Her boot heels clicked on the marble floor as she ran to intercept Zoicite.
"Zoicite!"
The general turned. As her jade-colored eyes swept across Sailor Moon's, then teen felt a sudden wave of …something wash over her. She stared at the general a moment, mouth dry. What did one say to someone who, during your last conversation, told you that you were headed for h, e, double hockey sticks?
"Sailor Moon." The general reached into her pocket. Sailor Moon tensed, preparing for a weapon of some sort. "Or…would you prefer that I call you Serena? Or Miss Tsukino, perhaps?"
"What do you – "
Zoicite held up something white and red. Sailor Moon's mind flashed back to the battle at the movie theater –
"Does it look familiar?" She tossed the crumpled piece of cloth to Sailor Moon. "My Queen thought that you might want it back."
The superheroine caught it robotically. She held it for a moment, then, seeing no other way to keep hold of the incriminating clue to her identity, stuffed it down the front of her fuku.
This action seemed to amuse Zoicite. "Yes, I suppose you could use some padding down there, couldn't you? You can't hold a candle to My Queen."
Sailor Moon blinked. This was a REALLY bizarre conversation. And she couldn't help but feel slightly offended. She was a nice healthy B, after all…
"Wait, I thought you were a girl, Zoicite!"
Zoicite arched an eyebrow. "And your point is?"
"Um….nothing." Sailor Moon shook her head to clear it. She glanced behind her, over her shoulder, and saw It.
It was a monster of a thing, had to at least twenty karats. It sat on a huge bed of blood-red velvet in the center of the room, and seemed to wink slyly at her. A sign stood in front of it that read simply, "Silver Crystal."
"You're not getting it," Sailor Moon said, turning back to glare at Zoicite.
"Is that so?"
Sailor Moon gulped and squared her shoulders. "Yes."
"That's quite a bold statement, considering that I know who you are." Zoicite took a step closer, lips curving. "I could reveal your civilian identity to the media, blow up your school, have your family killed – "
Sailor Moon's knees buckled. "No – "
"Yes," confirmed Zoicite, stepping closer yet. "Where's your boyfriend? Tuxedo Mask. I've been wanting to have a chat with him…"
"Likewise." A lean figure swathed in black dropped down on the other side of the room. Blue eyes glinted out from his mask. "It's high time we had a heart to heart, Zoicite."
"Unfortunately, our tete-a-tete shall have to wait for another day," replied Zoicite casually. "A cold day in hell, perhaps, when Sailor Moon can join us as well."
Sailor Moon sucked in a breath.
Zoicite cast her a feral grin, the general lunged forward, hands opening to grab the crystal – but a black cane knocked her fingers aside. Zoicite let out a grunt and froze, moving one hand back to hover above the Silver Crystal.
The other hand lifted and pointed palm-out towards a deathly pale Sailor Moon. A crystal shard, huge, sharp, and deadly, shimmered into existence.
"You want it?" Zoicite hissed. "It's yours. But I'll kill her."
Tuxedo Mask froze. His dark eyes darted to Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon twitched, just a minute distance, and Zoicite's crystal shard followed her. The blonde stilled like a frightened rabbit, eyes wide. Her shoulders slumped; it was clear to all parties involved that she was expecting to die. And it was clear to Tuxedo Mask why she had such expectations, after what he'd done at the jewelry store.
There was the Silver Crystal. It could unlock his past.
But there was Sailor Moon. And he wanted her to be his future.
Tuxedo Mask didn't think anything else after that. He leapt for Sailor Moon, shielding her with his cape and blindly hurling a barrage of roses towards Zoicite. He heard her shriek – and then there was a deafening BOOOM!
Tuxedo Mask cautiously lowered a corner of his cape with one hand. The other remained locked around Sailor Moon's waist.
"YOU!" shrieked Zoicite in rage. She stood in the middle of a blackened circle, uniform scorched and charred, hair smoking. She looked like Satan himself…but with, you know, those body parts that filled a bra. "You weren't supposed to choose HER!"
Tuxedo Mask, much to his own dismay, had no idea what she was talking about. He could only curse as Zoicite sent a fresh blizzard of crystal shards hurtling towards them and disappeared.
One-handed, he spun his cane around so swiftly that it blurred. It deflected most of the shards; a couple made it past his vigilant defenses and nicked him, but the important thing – in his eyes – was that none of them reached Sailor Moon.
Eventually, the shards ran out. Tuxedo Mask rocked back on his heels, panting. He felt something move at his side, and cool air rushed in against his skin as Sailor Moon crawled away from him. He looked over at her, biting back the words that wanted to tumble out.
She looked so much more exhausted now, now that he knew what to look for, now that he knew she wasn't the carefree sweetheart he'd taken her to be. He saw the dark smudges beneath her eyes, caught the way her limbs trembled, noted the translucence of her skin. She was no invulnerable angel. She was mortal. She was a mere human being, just like him. And that just made him lo – like her more.
"Why'd you do that?"
He shook himself out of his tangled thoughts. "What?"
"You saved me. Why? I thought you were our enemy?"
His mouth tasted sour. "No – "
"You gave up the Crystal for me."
He mustered a smile. "You're more important to me than a hunk of compressed carbon any day."
"But…you helped me." Sailor Moon seemed to be in shock, her blue eyes wide and wondering. "You're not our enemy?"
Thinking of the Sailor Senshi's behavior last night, Tuxedo Mask wasn't so sure he could honestly promise this.
"I'll never hurt you," he settled for instead. "If nothing else, you can believe that will never change, Sailor Moon."
Tears sparkled in the corners of her eyes. The next thing he knew, she had thrown her arms around his neck and squeezed him. Hard. He hugged her back just as tight, thinking that there was far more to this young superheroine than he knew. And instead of basking in the sensation of her silken hair and warm arms, he was worrying that she might not last the next couple of battles, much less until he mustered up enough courage to tell her…how he felt…which would be when hell froze over…and there was that place popping up again…he had to know…
"Sailor Moon…"
She pulled back, hands slipping back down to her lap. "Sorry," she whispered shamefacedly. "I didn't mean to – throw myself at you like that – " Her eyes, in their attempt to look at anything but him, landed on the charred circle in the middle of the room. She gasped.
"The crystal's gone!"
At first, panic flooded Tuxedo Mask's veins. He spun to scour the room with his eyes, for any sign of the crystal, then realized that Zoicite had been far too incensed for her to have gotten away with the crystal. And since it was no longer in the room….it must be gone. Destroyed. No longer in existence.
Which meant that the dreams would stop. The princess would disappear, and he wouldn't have to worry about competing with both the Senshi and the Dark Kingdom for a hunk of rock.
Relief washed over him. A pervading, bone-deep, grin-inducing sensation of….freedom.
He looked at Sailor Moon, grinning. Was it just him, or could he see a slight curve of her lips as she realized the same thing he did? It seemed as though her eyes were sparkling brighter, her face had more color.
"It's…gone," she breathed, staring up at him. Oh, she felt so light! As though she could fly! If the crystal was gone… "For good?"
"It seems like it – "
"Over here, Luna!" A new voice rang out in the echoing marble hallway. A blue-haired, blue fuku-clad girl skidded into the room. "The spike of dark energy originated somewhere in this vicinity!"
A black cat sprang in after Sailor Mercury. Tuxedo Mask eyed it suspiciously. Wasn't that –
"You!" The cat hissed suddenly, slitted eyes landing on Sailor Moon. Her fur stood up on end, and her tail pointed straight up like a spear. So the cat talked. Great. Could his life GET any more whacked-out?
Tuxedo Mask winced. What a situation for Sailor Mercury to catch them in. She would think that Zoicite's dark blast had been generated by him. Not the best thing for his already less than golden record.
"Where's the crystal? You gave it to them, didn't you? Let your little boyfriend have it?"
Sailor Moon shrank back from the spitting cat. Watching through narrowed eyes, Tuxedo Mask couldn't help but think that this feline reminded him of Rei. That thought alone, as he remembered how terrified and wretched Serena had looked at the temple the other day, caused him to intervene, putting a hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder. He knew it would enrage the cat and Mercury and also encourage their belief of Sailor Moon as a traitor, but he didn't care.
She flinched away from him at first, glancing skittishly up with frightened eyes, then relaxed slightly, leaning towards him tiredly.
"Luna, the crystal's gone," she said, voice a little stronger, "It was here, and Zoicite was about to take it, then Tuxedo Mask stopped her." She stopped and took a deep breath. "Then…she gave him a choice between the crystal and me, and…Tuxedo Mask saved me. Then Zoicite got really mad and disappeared. There was an explosion, and the crystal wasn't here anymore – but Zoicite didn't take it, we know she didn't – "
"The Silver Crystal wasn't here," interrupted Sailor Mercury suddenly. She clacked crazily away at her computer. "My PC has been programmed to recognize the Crystal's puissance, and and it wasn't here at all. There was definitely a blast of dark energy, though."
"The – the crystal isn't gone?" Sailor Moon faltered. No. No. "No!"
Everyone's eyes swiveled toward the small blonde.
"It has to be gone…" she whispered, lifting pained eyes to Mercury. "Please, Mercury – you're just making a mistake, right? Or – you're trying to trick Zoicite in case she's still watching?"
Mercury shook her head, watching her former leader almost suspiciously.
"WITCH! TRAITOR!" Luna screamed suddenly. "If it came down to a choice between your life and the crystal, you should have picked the crystal! You'll never have half the power it has! You should have picked the crystal, DO YOU HEAR ME!" Her voice was growing hoarse, and spittle flew from her mouth to land on her quivering whiskers. Her eyes were rolling crazily around; she almost looked to be going into a seizure. "THE PRINCESS'S CRYSTAL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU! THE PRINCESS WILL ALWAYS BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU! THE PRINCESS IS YOUR LIFE! DO YOU HEAR ME? DO YOU HEAR ME!"
"That's ENOUGH!" snarled Tuxedo Mask. One arm snaked around Sailor Moon's waist; the other gripped his cane tightly and took a swipe at Luna. It cracked against her ribcage and threw her against the wall.
The cat, eyes focusing a little more after the impact, staggered back to her feet, then bounded towards Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon, howling incomprehensible words.
Tuxedo Mask leapt up, taking Sailor Moon with him, and grabbed hold of some of the ornate filigree encircling its top. "Hold on," he told Sailor Moon, freeing one hand from the grip it had around her waist to throw down a hail of roses.
His aim was perfect. They dug into the soft marble surrounding Luna and caged her in, preventing her from following Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon. He re-knotted his arms around Sailor Moon and dropped back to the ground, breaking into a run and not stopping until they reached a deserted patch of shadows. One rose took care of a security camera. And for once, he didn't even feel guilty about damaging private property.
"Are you okay?" he asked her, brushing some hair back from her face. "She's a psycho!"
Sailor Mon sniffled turning her face away from him, and he looked away to give her a moment to wipe the evidence of her tears.
"She…wasn't always like this," she said finally. "It was only a few weeks ago…she started going crazy…got this crazy idea that I was working with the Dark Kingdom…she and Mars and Mercury already thought that you were helping the generals, and when I tried to tell them you were on our side…" she sniffed again. "They got kinda mad." She mustered a weak smile.
"So you're not working with them anymore?"
Sailor Moon shook her head sadly, her bangs brushing his. "I guess not. They don't trust me. Mercury won't talk to me, and…well, you saw Luna." Her voice lowered, barely even a whisper. "She wants to kill me."
"WHAT?" His head jerked up. Well, c'mon, Dare it shouldn't be that big a surprise, you saw how that thing was foaming back there. And after Mars last night – He grabbed Sailor Moon's shoulders. "Sailor Moon, answer me! If you're in danger, I need to know!"
Her head lifted slightly. "Why?" she asked blankly. Her eyes were hazy. "You're not my bodyguard…or my boyfriend…you don't even know me."
He pulled her hair back from her eyes with his thumbs and tilted her face up so he could see her. "You think any of that's going to stop me from trying to protect you?" He laughed, somewhat self-deprecatingly. "Even if I didn't want to, I don't have a choice. Every time you transform, I feel it, Sailor Moon. And I have to transform and find you. So answer my question."
"Stop being so bossy," she whispered suddenly, pulling back. His eyes were somewhat clearer. "Would everyone stop being so bossy to me? I'm not some little idiot! I'm a person! Stop trying to make me do things! Stop!"
"Whoah, whoah." He held out his hands. "Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it to sound like that."
Sailor Moon shook her head, fingers coming up to her temples. "I know…I know." She let out a sigh. "It's just…a lot of stuff. I'm sorry. I shouldn't take it out on you like that."
I wish you would, thought Tuxedo Mask. I'd like us to be friends. And maybe more…no, stop it, Shields…
"It's fine," he said instead. "But I really wish that you would tell me what's going on. I feel like I'm in the dark."
Sailor Moon started to giggle.
"What?"
"Nothing…" she giggled, somewhat hysterically. He wondered cryptically if he needed to take her to the hospital. "You just said that you were in the dark…and you're wearing all black…it's funny!"
Tuxedo Mask blinked. It didn't seem all that funny to him…But maybe it was. Did it really matter if it was funny or not? It would be nice to be able to laugh under these circumstances. That was how people survived life, after all. By finding ways to laugh. Just look at Serena. She found things to appreciate and laugh at every day, and look what a strong and fulfilled person she was. Yes, it was sort of funny how he was wearing all black and he was in the dark…
He let out a little laugh, too.
"I…I have to go," gasped Sailor Moon, when their laughter had died away.
He sobered suddenly. "But – I want to know what Zoicite meant when she told you – "
But Sailor Moon was already gone.
"Darien!" Serena didn't have to fake the panic in her voice. After all, she had returned to the pillar and found Darien gone – her mind had conjured up gruesome images, quickly dispelling any warmth Tuxedo Mask's laughter had inspired in her heart. "You disappeared! I – you fainted, and I ran to get help, and then there was this explosion, and – "
"Would you calm down, please?" Darien asked absently, gingerly fingering the knob on the back of his head. That had not been a simple fainting spell. He was just lucky that his psychometry had roused him so quickly, or Sailor Moon might have been a goner… He brought his hand in front of his face to check for blood from his head and noticed that myriad cuts slashed his skin – souvenirs from Zoicite's crystal shards. He quickly jammed his hands in his pockets before Serena could see. "Where is everyone?"
"They're still at lunch…" said Serena, then clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing her mistake. But Darien didn't seem to notice her slip-up. He strode forward. She stayed where she was.
He paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Are you coming?"
Serena tripped forwards, yawning. "Hold your horses…"
"What are we going to tell them?" Darien muttered to himself as the tenth-grader fell into step beside him.
"MATIIIIIIIIIIIN!" Miss Lanai's distinctive voice rang out in the echoing hallway.
The teacher threw herself into Serena, flinging her arms around her. "Are you alright, dahrling? We 'eard ze 'uge boom! You look faint, do you need food? Some sugar? Soda? Water? You are not 'urt, are you? Are you?"
Several men and women in uniforms came barreling in. Miss Lanai's grip tightened painfully around Serena's shoulders.
"My pupil 'as been injured!" she barked at the museum employees. "Where is your security around 'ere? My students 'ave been traumatized!" She drew Serena closer. "'Ope zat we do not sue your derrieres off! My school will be leaving maintenant!"
Thrusting her nose in the air, Miss Lanai grabbed Darien by the scruff of his collar and marched them both out of the room, all the way out to the parking lot.
Once there, she let go of Darien and cupped Serena's face in her hands. Itw as the second time in twenty minutes that someone had held Serena's face in their hands, and Serena felt a strange tingle along the skin there, rather like a weak electric shock.
"Are you sure you are alright, Matin?" she asked seriously, eyes searching from behind her glasses. "You are not 'urt?"
"I'm fine," Serena insisted, vaguely discomfited. "We don't have to leave, really – "
"Pfft. Stay here. I must go and speak wiz ze administration." Miss Lanai let go of Serena and looked at Darien sternly. "Take care of Matin."
"I don't want everyone else to miss out on the field trip because of me," murmured Serena as Miss Lanai left and she followed Darien onto one of the waiting school buses.
"Stop worrying about it, Odango. We'd have to leave anyways, after what happened." Darien stopped in front of a seat right beneath the air conditioner and flashed her a grin. "Besides, this means that we get our own seats this time."
When a rowdy and disappointed group of high schoolers tramped onto the bus fifteen minutes later, they found an unexpected sight.
A sudden hush fell over the bus, followed by the metallic plunks of several jaws hitting the floor.
"I've GOT to be dreaming," muttered Motoki, scrubbing his eyeballs with his fists.
"So those pictures were real," murmured a freshman somewhere in the back of the bus. "Shields and Serena are really a couple?"
"Of COURSE they are!" shouted Asanuma unabashedly, spinning around in his seat to address the whole bus. "The real question we should be asking ourselves is – who has a camera?"
A mad scramble ensued as everyone rummaged around or their digital cameras or camera phones.
The sound, though loud, failed to rouse Serena or Darien from the exhausted slumber they had fallen into. Neither did any of the numerous speed bumps and pot holes the bus encountered while driving the teenagers back to school.
Instead, Serena's head rested beneath Darien's chin the whole way home.
A/N: Awww….
Yeah, Luna's weird in this chapter. I know she is. But I DO have a reason for it. In fact, there's very little in this chapter that has not been carefully pondered and analyzed. (Blech.) Um…please review, even if you're mad at me, lest I wither away into moondust…tell me if I need to make Darien tougher, or more nerdy, or if I should just stick with him as the uptight guy…
By the way, asticots means "maggots" in French. And poulet is slang for "hooker." Do you guys think I should start adding, like, a list of French to English words at the end of the chapter?
Remember: I LOVE to hear what you liked; I NEED to hear what you didn't like!