Ah yes, the answer to your cliffhanger. I love doing that lol. No more waiting! On with the story…
My hand trembled as I clutched the white mask. The smoky blue eyes behind it had been Darien's. The look on his face was one I didn't recognize right away. It was…worry? This was the same way he looked when I had awoken only weeks before, when every one had been in my room for no apparent reason.
"Serena?" He breathed out. His eyes were searching mine again. I squeezed his hand.
Taking a deep breath I gathered myself for a moment. "I'm glad it's you." I said honestly. He smiled then. He was handsome when he smiled, and I realized why the girls would fall all over themselves as he approached.
"There's plenty more I need to tell you." He said taking my other hand. "I'm just glad you were okay with the fact that I was Tuxedo Mask."
"I think I may have been more surprised to find out it was someone else." I said before I could stop myself. I blushed at the comment, or maybe it was because he was still looking at me and grinning. I glanced around for something to take my attention off of Darien. "Um, who wrote that history? It sounded like the person had seen everything."
"This is where things get a bit more difficult." He said. He released my hands and pulled a chair over so that he and I were sitting face to face. "Serena, I want you to be completely honest with me for a moment." He raked a hand through his hair and I nodded reluctantly. "Tell me about your dreams recently."
I sat for a moment, stunned by his request. What in the world would my dreams have to do with any of this? "I don't know what you mean." I said.
"You haven't been having any weird dreams lately. Maybe one where you were Sailor Moon or anything like that?" He said leaning back in his chair.
"Oh, well I dream about that all the time." I said smiling. "That's not weird. The closest I've come to having any weird dreams is the one I keep having where I'm outside someplace. Its night time, there's music playing in the background and I'm dancing with someone, but I usually wake up before much else happens."
He sat up interested for a moment. "Tell me some more about this dream. Are there any other details?"
I thought for a moment trying to pull more of the fuzzy dream from my mind. "Not a lot. I can tell it's a full moon, or close to it, it's always very bright, but I never see it directly. Also, I know I'm wearing some gown. That part I remember. It's long and white and flows around me as I'm being whirled. My partner is someone I know; I'm very comfortable with whoever this is. I always have such a feeling of warmth and security." I tried closing my eyes to picture the scene. "It's such a wonderful dream. I always wake up very comforted."
When I opened my eyes I found Darien staring at me raptly with a secretive half smile on his face. I found it easier to be in his presence suddenly. I realized it was because we were alone and there wasn't anyone around us making us uncomfortable. Expecting us to hurl insults back and forth.
He stood suddenly and held out a hand. "I have a surprise for you. But we have to go back to your apartment for it."
"Alright." I said as I also stood and took his outstretched hand. I handed him his mask and he replaced it before striding toward the staircase.
As we emerged into the arcade from the broom closet, I realized how long we had been downstairs. The arcade was closed and silent. All the machines were black and cast dark shadows from the glow of the emergency lights. I had never seen the arcade after hours. The usual bright, happy atmosphere seemed spooky with no one around. I clenched Darien's hand a little more tightly as he led us toward the back door.
He unlocked it and we entered into the silent back alley. He removed his key ring from his pocket and secured the door behind us. Then he led me to his car and we took off into the Tokyo night.
We reached my apartment in hardly any time at all and he whisked us upstairs. We entered and I was again hit with a strange scene in my living room. This time, instead of a dark alleyway at night, it was a moonlit balcony.
I turned around to see more of this familiar image and found Darien had changed from his Tuxedo Mask costume. He wore a long dark cape secured with silver latches to a midnight blue tunic on which, across his broad chest, a riot of silver vines were sewn. Around his lean hips hung a black leather belt that a sword and scabbard swung from.
He strode towards me across the balcony and as he reached me he took one of my hands in his own. I felt a warm shiver move up my arm and I watched in amazement as my Sailor Moon costume dissolved into a flowing white gown of light gossamer silk with a high waist and a ripple of gold fabric that clung tightly to my breasts. On my feet were delicate glass slippers and I suddenly knew how Cinderella might have felt in her beautiful clothes. I turned in place and caught sight of myself in the window of one of the French doors. Though I knew there were layers upon layers of the dress, I was shocked to see the dark silhouette of my body through it. I blushed at how exposed I felt.
As I stood admiring the gown in my reflection, Darien came and stood behind me. He took one of my hands in his own again and leaned down toward my ear. "Is this familiar to you?" He said quietly. I nodded my head slowly and he turned me away from the mirror image of us.
He took my other hand and a delicate waltz floated softly through the air, as if an errant breeze were blowing the strains from a far off party. He wheeled us slowly into the beginning steps and I found how easy it was to let him lead me away.
It was a mild spring night and a chorus of frogs and insects were singing in companion to the music. As we whirled around I felt the calmness that usually accompanied my dream set in and I relaxed. I felt that a thousand years could go by and I would never tire of dancing or admiring the beautiful night.
The music changed, mellowed and slowed, and Darien gathered me close in his arms and led me in small circles. "I set this up for you, and no one but you and I ever knew about it." Darien whispered huskily into my ear. "You told me once it was your favorite memory of you and I, a night you wouldn't forget. It seems you were right." We continued to turn slowly and I watched the moons light glimmer off the pond in the nearby garden, and hundreds of stars wink and glint overhead.
As we danced, the more I looked around the more vivid little details became. Before, where I thought the marble balcony had been a smooth alabaster I found that it was engraved, all over in fact, with symbols and people. I sniffed lightly at the air and the scent of roses hung heavily on the cool breeze floating in from the garden.
I had my hands threaded behind Darien's neck, and the brush of the silky ends of his hair tickled me lightly. I reached up slowly, untangling one of my hands and ran my fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. I had done it unconsciously, just wanting to feel what his hair was like to the touch, and was shocked slightly when I heard a deep hum from where my head lay on his chest.
As I raised my eyes to his, I found him staring intently at me, a questioning gaze that burned deep into my own. He had ceased dancing and we stood saturated in the light of the moon, the music playing softly in the background. Ever so slowly he lowered his lips to mine. It was a soft, gentle caress, firm and fervent.
I closed my eyes; the passing emotions I usually felt in the dream paled to the feelings this was evoking. Awareness, comfort, warmth…love. I knew, even as his arms pressed me closer into him and his kiss deepened to something more, that my love for him was unquestionable. I felt acutely aware of everything around us suddenly, like when awakening from a dream and looking around for the first time.
He pulled back, a hair's breath from my lips, and I opened my eyes. He stood gazing at me, very intently and I knew I was missing something from this scene. Everything around me seemed more familiar now. I felt as if I should recognize what was happening and be able to remember what came next.
I stared up at him, falling into his gaze. I opened my mouth, but nothing followed. Something lingered in the back of my mind; it nagged to be put into words. It rolled for a moment begging to be said and even as the words spilled from my lips I was shocked that I had said them aloud. "I love you."
Props to me on another new chapter! Hooray! I do have another chapter that I think is about finished, but I'm still doing some tweeking on. Hope you all enjoyed. Review if you can! Shannon