Right, 13th chapter for ya. I have to say, i didn't expect to have done so much for this story :D and i hope you're happy! I spent hours pouring through books on English folklore and cook books and checking actual bottles of wine and everything! Personally i'm still not happy with this but *shrugs* it'll have to do, so sorry if this doesn't seem up to standard for ya!
My thanks to all my reviewers and to those of ya reading and not reviewing, the crazy little family i belong to on the proboards and my boyfriend, wouldn't have gotten here without ya, so, without further ado i give you this humble little piece of what i naively call 'literature'.
STAGE ON! ~Eb~
"Is it done yet?" she asked for the thousandth time.
Lita blew an irritating bang that was only slightly more annoying than the blonde out of her eye and growled low in her throat. "No, not yet, and if you ask me that again I'll blow this plan sky high."
"Ok." Serena said brightly. She returned to swinging her legs as she sat on the stainless steel table.
The tall brunette looked at her with a sort of surprised and suspicious expression in her eyes. Her princess was way too happy.
"Something good happen today?" she asked, leaning back against the stainless steel worktop where she had been working and crossing her arms over her breast. Her voice was as firm as her pose. Answers Serena; now.
The Moon Princess giggled. "You'll have to wait to find out."
Lita blew another bang out of her eye in exasperation as well as irritation. Oh yes, something very good must have happened for her princess to be in such a child-like good mood. She had been chirpy ever since she had arrived. Lita only thanked whatever higher power was watching them that she and Serena were the only ones in the kitchen; many of the other staff members were on lunch, leaving the brunette to prep tonight's 'special dinner' with only the happy-go-lucky Moon Princess of the twentieth century for company.
The fact that she was so cheerful could only mean that the morning's plan had gone very well.
Lita didn't know whether to be impressed or scared that their princess, who they always viewed as well-meaning and adorable and all but still clumsy at times, had come up with what seemed to be such a brilliant plan. She decided that a healthy dose of scared wouldn't go amiss, seeing as she had managed to trick the two genius members of their bizarre little family.
Slowly she ran one finger down the list on the worktop. Flour, eggs, sugar, milk, silver coin, vanilla essence . . .
Yes, Lita Kino, self-proclaimed hopeless romantic, lover of all things domestic, renowned fighter (amongst her friends and universal evil), once and future Princess of Jupiter and Guard of Princess Serenity was making a wishing cake at said princess's request.
"How is this supposed to help them again?" she asked as she poured the mixture into a dish ready for the oven.
Serena let out another childish giggle. "We're setting them up on a blind date, and this shall be dessert." she raised a delicate finger in the air as she made the next point. "Whichever one shall get the coin will wish for love fulfilled and presto! Instant confession."
'And I'll bet the wine won't hurt matters either.' Lita thought wryly as she glanced at the bottle. Blossom Hill White Zinfandel, one of Mina's favourite rosé wines. Though to be completely honest all the senshi liked this one.
Out loud she said, "I thought Mina was the Goddess of Love."
Yet another girly little giggle. "She is, but I am the Goddess of Moonlight, which speaks romance in itself, for there is nothing more romantic than a candlelit dinner under the bright silver moon."
Lita nearly choked on her own air. 'Oh brother.'
Mina looked at herself in the mirror one last time. Make-up; flawless. Hair; perfect. Outfit; gorgeous. Now where did that clutch purse go?
She smiled when she spotted it lying on the floor by a chair and picked it up, looking herself over in the mirror again with a critical eye.
Mina's hair was in its usual style, but she had swapped the scarlet bow for a burnt orange hair tie with a large exotic-looking and glittery orange flower attached to it, and she had brushed out her long sun-gold hair until it shone and fell down her back to her knees in a light and soft cascade of blonde tresses. She was also wearing a choker of the same colour as the flower, from which hung a shell-shaped ornament of gold-coloured glass. Mina was dressed in a summer dress, bought on the same shopping spree that had produced Serena's white and cream outfit, and this one was made of a similar floaty material, satin skirt underneath a sheer top-layer of two-toned bronze-gold shimmer that also covered the bodice of the dress. Her clutch purse was made of metallic burnt orange silk with gold decoration, the shoes bronze in colour with a moderate heel and three straps around her ankles.
She had gone for more natural-looking make-up than she sometimes did; bronze eye shadow, neutral lipstick, a little gloss, some mascara and a dab of concealer here and there. Around her shoulders she now placed a filmy sheer wrap that she had made in one of her classes to go with this specific dress, attaching the two ends with the tiny golden clasp.
All in all, she looked good and she felt good.
With a small and blissful sigh she checked the small gold watch that Luna had bought her for her last birthday. Time to go.
She went down to the kitchen to tell her mother she was heading out when she spotted the note attached to the fridge;
Sorry sweetheart, urgent business that I have to take care of. Don't wait up for me if I'm not back when you are ok. I'm sure you look absolutely divine. I want to hear all about it when I next see you. Have fun on your date! Love, mama x x x
P.S: your father said he'll call you tomorrow. Also, I'm leaving my car keys with you since yours is 'sick' as you put it. I trust you on this so please don't destroy my other baby.
Mina's face was completely neutral as she looked at her mother's hurried writing. This wasn't the first time this had happened, not by a long shot, and she didn't think that it would be the last. By now it barely bothered her; she just took it in her stride. She did smile a little though when she reached the post script at the bottom.
Her own car, for some reason she absolutely couldn't grasp, wouldn't go, and the engine made an odd noise that she definitely knew it shouldn't be making. Amara had said she would look at it this weekend. It was because of the noise, almost like a pathetic little cough, that Mina told whoever asked that the car was 'sick'.
She picked up the car keys from the kitchen counter, scrawled a similar note of thanks and will-do's for her mother if she came back first, and walked out.
Her mother's other baby was in fact a sleek black porsche that she had scrimped and saved for; it was Annette Aino's second pride and joy, the first being her 'beautiful little girl'.
Slipping behind the wheel and turning the key, she backed carefully out of the drive and quickly took a piece of paper out of her purse before continuing on her journey. She kept the paper on the dashboard in front of her, referring every now and then to the directions at the bottom of the email she had received that morning.
Mina didn't recognise the email address, but she had been through enough blind dates – thanks to Serena – to know that she had been set up – no doubt yet again by Serena. She had shaken her head, feeling amusement and slight irritation, at coming to the realisation that her princess and best friend had not in fact given up, despite the last attempt ending with the boy storming off – arrogant sod that he was – and a very stern lecture Mina directed to a miserable and irritably not-really-listening and very stubborn Serena.
From:
To:
Subject: Dinner for two?
My beautiful Goddess Aphrodite,
I know this seems like a prank email from some random stranger, and that your first thought would be to delete this message and forget about it, but I pray that you will hear me out and perhaps decide to play along.
I also know that meaningless talk irritates you and so I shall come to the point.
I have arranged for the two of us to have dinner at a restaurant that, I have on good authority, you love. It would please me greatly, and maybe it would make you happy too, if you would join me there tonight at eight o'clock. Ask the matre'd for 'Gin'. Just follow the directions below this message, it should take you about half an hour to get there. Be as early as you like, but please don't be too late if you can help it. I'm afraid I get impatient at the best of times. : )
I will be eagerly awaiting your presence, My Goddess of Love & Beauty.
Sincerely,
Star-Light-Moon-Light
Mina had no idea why she had decided to go through with the ridiculous plan, but she had, and so here she was now, glancing at directions on a piece of paper and driving to an unknown location to have dinner with a mystery man.
Something had just whispered into her mind that she should.
It was when she pulled up in front of the restaurant that she knew that Serena had set her up. It was Le Rio De La Luna, literally; The River of the Moon. This was the restaurant where the Senshi had held a few meals on special occasions.
It was also the restaurant where Lita worked as a chef.
Mina didn't know whether to smile or to frown.
'At least I know I'll enjoy the food.' she thought, half-amused.
With a sigh and a shake of her head – 'my princess is so dead' – she gracefully exited the car and handed her keys to the valet that had opened the door for her. Her heels tap-tapped on the tarmac and the granite walk-way as she headed for the doors.
Inside it was warm and she unclasped the wrap and folded it over her arm and scanned the tables she could see from here. No one sitting alone.
"Good evening senorita, and welcome to Le Rio De La Luna. How may I help you this evening?" asked the matre-'d cheerfully.
"Um . . ." she finished scanning the heads in her line of sight and looked at him, chewing her bottom lip. "I was told to ask for Gin?" she asked, a little hopefully. She knew better than to add Mr as a prefix, because Serena had once set her up, both as a joke but also to seriously find out if it was so, with a woman.
It was apparently the right thing to say for the matre-'d suddenly smiled brightly at her and nodded. "Si senorita, if you would please follow me." he checked something off in the big ledger that stood on a pedestal near the entrance doors and then nodded to her to follow.
She expected him to lead her to one of the corner tables or even a table in another room – Le Rio was divided into sections with each room named after a colour; the first room was Le Amarillo or The Yellow, another was The Blue (Le Azul) and so on – but instead he led her down a narrow corridor to the back of the restaurant.
The area he had been told to take her to was known as La Terreza de Plata or The Silver Terrace. It was an outdoor eating area with few tables, by the most beautiful gardens for several blocks and lit softly by solar lights and candles placed in strategic yet artistic places. It was considered the most romantic part of Le Rio, and indeed one of the most romantic eating spots in the whole city, and was so sought after that there was a six-month waiting list!
Of course, staff got certain privileges, and this one's friend was a very well-liked member of staff and a close friend of the matre-'d, not to mention the fact that the young man she would be dining with enjoyed a certain level of renown, and so this young lady would be dining out there much sooner than would otherwise be happening.
It was into this romantic ambience that Mina stepped with a small gasp. The man leading her could barely suppress a smile. Gin was Japanese for silver, a codeword that he had been provided with by the same women that had arranged this, and was a reference both to the young man waiting for the blonde behind him and to the terrace.
He lead the young woman to what the staff called the rose arbour; a small secluded patio area surrounded on three sides by trellises of mixed roses. There were only three tables here, all but one currently unoccupied as had been the plan, and was softly lit by fairy lights threaded among the blooms and by tea-light candles on the tables.
Mina followed the man, curiosity now almost overwhelming. She had heard about this section of the restaurant from Lita and various magazines, and was fascinated to know both where and to whom she was being taken.
"You have very good and loyal friends, senorita." he said, giving her a small bow as he motioned for her to go through the only opening into the arbour. They were both standing a little away from the area, and so she couldn't see who was there.
And they couldn't see out either.
She gave a quizzical look and he only winked. "Someone shall be through to bring your meal soon." and with that he walked off to continue his night's work.
Mina watched after him for a few seconds before looking around, thinking. The senshi usually met in the white room, which was a few floors up, taking up the entirety of the top floor in fact. Just how long had this been planned? And had Serena even had a hand in this? Mina knew enough about the restaurant to know that the waiting list for this particular area was substantial.
She took a deep breath. No sense in turning back now, and she was dying to know just who her mystery date was. She took a few steps forward until she was standing in the entrance way. Her date wasn't looking at her, but rather was smelling a sweet white bloom. He felt her stare and looked towards her, only to mimic exactly her expression of shock.
There was a pause.
The, at the exact same time, both of them said two simple words:
"It's you!"
Yaten didn't know what to think as he watched the lovely blonde now seated opposite him, except that he had definitely been set up by somebody. The only culprit so far as he could see was Seiya.
The morning started out ok; Seiya had ushered a bewildered looking Taiki out of the door with no explanation, which wasn't exactly unusual but was still odd enough that Yaten had stared at the door with his head cocked to one side afterwards for several quiet minutes.
Kakyuu had been oddly silent throughout.
He had completed his morning routine – exercise, breakfast, shower, teeth, clothes – and had headed towards the front door in order to go to meeting with their manager only to find his own princess standing in front of it, effectively blocking his exit.
"Your meeting has been rescheduled for tomorrow, Yaten. Now, I want you instead to get ready for tonight. Here are your instructions. You are not to bail out of this. It is my will, and you shall do it as asked or else I shall order it of you."
Numbly he took the paper she offered and read down it.
"Remember, tell the matre-'d that you want the reserved table in La Terreza de Plata." she pronounced the Spanish delicately. "Everything has been arranged and I expect you, as a representative of Kinmoku, to be polite and well-mannered for your guest."
Yaten looked at her again. Was that mischief in her eyes? "But Pri-"
Kakyuu cut him off by laying a finger on his lips. She winked. "Have fun, my Starlight." And with that she walked into the living room where she picked up a book and began to read. He had stood there for several more minutes, staring at the sheet of paper incredulously, before shaking his head in utter confusion and heading back to his room.
Instruction number one read: Dress smartly!
Now he watched Mina as she sipped her water thoughtfully. He hadn't been too bewildered when he had arrived and there had been nobody here; he had been ten minutes early. No, the definite surprise was the revelation of who his 'guest' actually was.
'Seiya, you're in trouble, because I can't kill Kakyuu and I know you had a hand in this too!'
"So," he began as casually as possible, reaching for his own glass of water, "What brings you here?"
Mina blinked at him. "You mean you didn't arrange this?"
Yaten nearly choked, luckily he didn't and instead he offered her a wry smile. "No, I believe I've been set up by a meddling comrade."
"Oh." she hid the slight sense of disappointment she felt at that. 'So Seiya has a hand in this too?' She allowed herself a small smile and spoke again. "I think I have been as well." she admitted. "By who is quite possibly the most infuriating princess I have ever known." She removed the email from her purse had showed him.
He read through the message with a sense of foreboding and a feeling of discontentment that her confession stirred up. "You mean Serena plotted this?" He glanced up in time to see her nod and resumed scanning the note. When he finished his lips quirked into a half-amused-half-irritated smile. "That sounds like something Kakyuu would write." he told her.
Mina blinked again. "Kakyuu? You mean . . .?"
Yaten, chin resting in his hand, nodded very slowly and very clearly, now all-amused.
Mina didn't quite know what to think. She was saved from having to respond by several waiters coming over, bearing platters and a bottle.
"Your appetiser, sir, miss." the lead waiter explained. Mina instantly knew a fourth member of the team behind their blind date; she recognised the presentation. There was two small bowls of soup and fresh baked bread and a small salad – Yaten's mind harked back to instruction number three: no lunch or snacks!
A waitress was pouring wine into glasses. Mina detected a fruity scent and was instantly suspicious. "Is that Blossom Hill?"
"It is, miss. Blossom Hill White Zinfandel." she showed Mina the bottle before putting in a decorative stopper and placing it in an ice bucket to one side.
"It smells delicious." Yaten commented after the waiters had left. He reached for his glass.
"It will be." Mina said absently, selecting a bread roll. "Lita's the chef." she chuckled at the startled look he gave her. "She works here part-time. We come here for special occasions, although I've never been to this part before." she dipped some bread into her soup and nibbled – yum; Lita's crab chowder – she glanced again at Yaten and saw he was doing the same. "Have you ever been to Le Rio before?"
Yaten shook his head; he had decided that this was now one of his favourite soups and he had no idea what it was.
Mina gave him an enigmatic smile. "Then if you love the crab chowder you'll love everything else."
Serena was enjoying a quiet meal with Seiya, Blaze and Rei. Lita couldn't join them, for she was the sole chef for Mina and Yaten's dinner date. She raised a glass of wine in a salute to the other three before taking a sip. "Here's to Lita's cooking."
Blaze chuckled and raised her own. "And to friendship and fun."
Seiya raised his own glass with a teasing wink. "Here's to making sure I survive the next day."
This earned a chuckle from the three girls; Seiya had two comrades to survive and his chances looked slim, especially as one was a certified genius and the other was as persistent as a terrier.
Rei was last to raise her glass. "And here's to renewed alliances and love and laughter."
Despite the slight awkwardness at the beginning the meal had gone smoothly with laughter and smiles accompanied by sparkling conversation.
The appetiser, they had discovered it was much lighter than it had appeared, was closely followed by two more sumptuous courses; lamb chops served with seasonal vegetables and a tarragon sauce and a chocolate and orange cheesecake to finish.
Yaten had taken first a small sip and then a slightly larger one of the last of his wine. He had to admit, if this was a senshi favourite then they had decent taste; it had a fruity aroma of strawberries and the flavour upon drinking was more of watermelon. It wasn't overpowering, and while it might not necessarily go with the food that had been eaten it was still a very good wine.
"I shall have to remember to get some of the recipes from Lita." Yaten commented, watching the play of light in his wineglass. "That was delicious."
"It was, wasn't it. I told you you'd love it here." she offered him a wink and dabbed her lips with a napkin. "So, you haven't seemed too horrified by the prospect of sharing a meal with me." Mina said, smiling at him.
The silver-haired Starlight gave her a cat-lazy smile. "It has been surprisingly nice." he admitted. He laughed when she made an expression of mock-hurt. "You know what I mean. It makes a change; usually it's me with Taiki and Seiya, often now our princess joins us." he twirled the glass slightly. "It's been . . . nice." he finished. 'That sounded so lame!' he thought.
Mina nodded. "I know what you mean. I came here expecting another boring blind date with some arrogant sod like before."
Yaten looked from the wine to the blonde. "And it hasn't been like that?" he asked, sounding surprised.
She wasn't sure if the surprise was genuine or not. "No, it's been pleasant. Nice, as you said." a very faint blush made its way to her cheeks. "Not that you can't be, arrogant I mean." she added.
The green eyes resumed their watch on the pink-red wine. "I'm glad; for a minute there I thought someone had replaced me." He seemed to realise what he had said as she did, for his eyes widened and lost the sleepy expression as he hastily continued. "After all, I am the most arrogant person in Tokyo, as everyone tells me at some time or other." he forced a chuckle.
Mina nodded, not quite sure what to make of it. "I suppose." His arrangement of words earlier had bothered her slightly. 'Why did he say it like that?'
A waiter walked up and placed another plate on the table between them. "The chef sends her compliments to the young couple and asked me to bring out this cake for you to enjoy with your coffee."
Mina looked at it while the coffee was poured and Yaten downed the last of his wine. It wasn't big, but then after three full courses she didn't think it would be. There was a small bowl of cream lying next to the plate. She barely heard Yaten thank the waiter before he too looked at it.
"Do you want me to cut it?"
Mina, broken from her reverie, could only utter "Eh?" and instantly she cringed at how unintelligent it had sounded.
Yaten, however, seemed to find it amusing. "Here, let me." and he picked up the silver knife and stood as he cut the small cake – it really was no bigger than a tea cup – in half and placed one side on a plate for her.
"Thanks." she said, smiling at him warmly. 'Why on Earth am I so concerned with how I seem to him?' she wondered to herself. 'I almost never care what people think of me.'
She had only taken a few bites of the cake when she bit down on something hard. Mina winced and extracted the offending object from her mouth.
"Everything ok?" Yaten asked over his coffee cup, sounding concerned.
She held it up. "A coin." her eyes narrowed as she thought. "I think this might be a wishing cake."
"A what?"
Mina looked up, slightly embarrassed that she had forgotten for a moment he was there. "A wishing cake." she explained. "It's an old English custom, I remember because one of my friends' mothers made one once, when I lived in England years ago. You bake a silver coin into the cake and when the cake is cut, the one who finds the coin gets to make a wish that will come true." she made a guilty smile. "I found the coin then."
"And what did you wish for?" the cat-lazy smile was back, as was the soft, sleepy look.
Mina grimaced. "An adventure."
"And how did it turn out?"
She gave a small laugh. "I became Sailor V a couple of months later."
Yaten laughed too. "So, are you going to?" when she looked at him blankly he nodded to the coin in her hand. "Are you going to make a wish? It seems awful to waste it if it will come true."
She looked from him to the coin in her hand with startled eyes. Should she? While she hadn't regretted the decision to become a senshi, there was a darker side to the role; she had died several times and loved ones had been put in danger. 'Why on Earth would Lita bake this for me?'
"What would you wish for?" she asked finally.
The question seemed to surprise him, for he stared into his empty coffee cup for a while. When he finally looked up he wore a smirk she was more familiar with and winked at her. "That would be telling."
She laughed, and looked at the coin again. There was no way she was wishing for another adventure; once was plenty for this lifetime and she was enjoying the time of peace they had found. 'Well, near-peace.' she corrected, her thoughts turning to Darien. Yet again she wondered why he was acting the way he was. He claimed to love Serena and yet he was acting like a total jerk. She remembered all the blind dates and failed relationships over the last few years and suddenly the whispering voice was back and she knew what it was she wanted.
She closed her eyes and brought the coin to her lips, whispering to it. Then she removed a napkin from the table and plucked a rose petal from a deep red bloom nearby and placed it in the tissue paper with the coin. She placed the folded little parcel in her purse and took a sip of her coffee.
"What did you wish for?" Yaten asked curiously. He had been watching her.
Mina winked as she took another sip of her coffee. "That would be telling." she mimicked, wagging a finger at him teasingly. He couldn't help the smile that her actions brought on.
When the waiters came to clear the table a few minutes later Mina placed a hand on one girl's arm. "Please tell Lita that she has outdone herself this evening, and give her my thanks?" she asked, plucking a light pink rose and handing it to her. The girl smiled and nodded.
She winked again at Yaten's puzzled expression. "Come on, this will have all been paid for beforehand." They walked slowly through the restaurant back towards the front door, chatting as they went.
They failed to notice the group of four in the yellow room that hid themselves hastily behind menus when they passed.
"Did you come here by taxi?" Yaten asked, slightly hopeful.
Mina paused in placing her wrap back around her shoulders. "No, I didn't." she said. Did he detect disappointment in her voice? "My mother lent me her car for the evening; mine's sick."
"Sick?" he asked, confused.
"Yes, it coughs." she laughed. "Kind of pathetic really. Amara's going to check it out this weekend."
Yaten shrugged. He was disappointed that she had her own ride but he supposed it couldn't be helped, aside from which he was still trying to figure out how a car could cough.
They handed their tickets to a couple of valets and a few minutes later the black porsche rolled to a gentle stop, followed by a dark green lamborguine. Both accepted their keys and the valets returned to their post.
"Well, I suppose this is it." Yaten said, moving to the driver's side of Mina's car and opening the door for her. The action earned a small giggle from her and she went and sat gracefully in the car seat.
"Thank you kind sir." she teased with a wink. He blushed. The reaction caused her playful smile to fade a little.
"You know," he said, now the picture of seriousness, "You looked beautiful tonight."
Now it was Mina's turn to blush. "Thanks." That little whisper was back, telling her not to move and not to say anything. She still didn't know if the little whisper was her conscience, her inner voice or what, but by now she had decided to trust it; it had told her to go through with the date and she had had a lovely evening.
"No, thank you, Mina, for staying and for keeping me company tonight." his voice sounded strange, even to him, and he knew she heard it too because of her expression. But something was telling him that whatever he was going to do had better be done now. Another time might be too late.
She watched him quietly, her eyes big and blue and innocent. He seemed to be fighting some inner battle with himself. And he was hiding something behind his back and she wanted to know what it was, so she tried to look around him.
Yaten smiled a secret smile and turned slightly, effectively preventing her from looking at what he held. "You asked me a question earlier and I didn't really answer you. Do you want to know the truth?"
She nodded, still not saying anything. There was a faint flush on her cheeks and her blue eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, and the way the moonlight shone on what it could of her hair and skin seemed to make her glow.
"You asked me what I would have wished for, right?" he asked again, leaning in a little closer, speaking just a little lower.
Mina nodded, still unable to say anything. His voice was low and sultry, dripping through her like honey. She felt strange, almost out of breath, and her whole body seemed to tingle and she was suddenly hyper-aware of his every movement.
He removed his hand – the hidden one – from behind his back and threaded the white rose into her hair behind her ear. Then, while her eyes were on that hand and not on him, he leant in even closer and closed the space that had been between them.
Mina's eyes opened wide from the sudden, tingly shock of his lips on hers. She wasn't sure what she had expected, and the rose hadn't been anything she had expected from him. This was even more unexpected! Then she closed her eyes and she couldn't think at all.
He pulled away slightly and she made an odd little sound that seemed to suggest that he had ended the kiss too soon for her liking. Her face was now slightly more flushed than before, and her eyes had become a dusky blue. She looked bewildered and adorable.
Yaten chuckled softly. "I would have wished for you, Mina." he told her. Then he moved a hand to lift her own, kissed it, and let it go again with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, querida."
He moved away and a few minutes later she heard the soft purr of his car's engine. The lambourgini drew level with her car for a minute, and they watched each other for a few seconds before he nodded and drove away, acting much calmer than he really felt.
The last coherent thought that ran through her head all that night was that wishes did come true after all.
The others had watched that little scene from the window they were seated by with dreamy smiles and happy expressions.
"Well?"
They all turned to the source of the voice in time to see Lita pull up a spare chair. "Did it work?" she asked. "One of the waitresses said we'd been found out." she lifted a hand to display the pink rose.
Seiya shrugged, completely content with how today had gone. Rei sighed, still staring off into blissful space. Kakyuu sighed with her.
Serena walked around and drew her into a tight embrace, laughing and crying out happily "Yes!"