Chapter 6
Mina sat in the window seat; peering out into a world of puffy sheer white clouds as it turned into a dark windy night. A blur of yellow lights could be seen plotted along the main four Islands of Japan. She had been on the plane for a very long time, and the anticipation to finally be able to step on Japanese soil again kept building up inside of her. She was flying in first class. The comfy leather seats stuck to the back of her legs; and time and time again, she had to slowly stand up to peel her precious behind away from the black leather.
She was wearing khakis shorts that came up a couple of inches pass mid thigh. From under her thin black jacket you could see a light orange spaghetti strapped tank top. It was unusually warm in Paris for the last couple of days; but she winced as the pilot informed them over the intercom that it was a nice cool evening at 54 degrees as the plane finally landed in Tokyo.
'Oh well,' she thought. She had planned on changing into one of her favorite sundresses after she arrived anyway.
Mina walked through the hallway that connected the plane to the airport after she grabbed Darien's present from underneath her chair. Walking out of the terminal, with her luggage in tow, she hailed for a cab. It was now 8:30, but the airport was still bustling with people walking in and out of the sliding glass doors and cabs parked along the curb, waiting for customers. She looked on into the congested streets as she slid into the seat of the taxi; the driver helping her put her bags into the trunk.
She smiled as she looked at the people's faces as they walked by; they were people that were unknown to her, yet she felt as though she knew them so well. They walked by, speaking in fluent Japanese; the language she had grown up learning. It seemed so long ago since she had heard it.
As the driver got into the cab and started to pull away, Mina rolled down her window. She stuck out her head to have the night breeze blow through her blonde hair. She smiled at the sensation, and closed her eyes; savoring the exotic smell of Japan.
"It's good to be back," She giggled as she pulled her head back in and rolled up the window.
On the way to the Aino's mansion the driver made polite conversation. Mina abided by replying to his questions with friendly enthusiasm. She looked out the window most of the time; staring at familiar streets and shops. She gasped whenever she saw a new shop she did not remember on the shopping strips. It has definitely been too long since she had gone away, for she couldn't recognize most of anything anymore.
As the cab pulled up in front of the large highly crafted mansion he beamed at her. "You live here miss?" He said as she opened the door to step out of the car. Mina nodded, and giggled at the middle aged man's shocked expression. She waited patiently as he scrambled out of the car to get her stuff out of the trunk for her.
"Thank you," she said to him as he brought her stuff right up to the door of the mansion. "How much do I owe you?" Mina asked as she reached into her Louis Vaton purse to take out her wallet.
"That'd be thirty dollars and eighty two cents miss," he told her politely.
Mina grabbed the smallest bill she could find in her wallet, "Keep the change," she smiled and handed him a fifty dollar bill. The man grinned at her before he got back into the cab and pulled out of the long driveway and out of the tall gates that fenced the mansion.
Mina took out her key and placed it into the keyhole; slowly opening the door. A man in a formal white collar shirt and black slacks walked down the hall and gawked at her. He had white hair, and large bags under his eyes; the skin around his eyes were wrinkled as he squinted to see if it really was Mina standing before him. He was a stout man on the verge of sixty, yet he was still very capable of doing his job.
"Could it be Lady Mina?" He asked her in wonderment.
"Who else would it be Aeya?" Mina asked the butler; a smile curving her lips.
"How you've grown older, Mina! It's been too long; too long I tell you!" The old man greeted her happily as he took her in a warm embrace.
Mina smiled as the man continued to squeeze her. Aeyami Saeki had worked for the Aino's since she was a baby; he was like a father to her. He watched her grow and taught her many things; in short, he was her mentor. And even though his position in the house was butler; he was treated as family.
"It's nice to see you again too, Aeya," Mina said as she stepped out of their hug to hold both of his small and wrinkled hands in hers, "I've missed you very much!"
"Mina you flatter me! Oh, your parents' will be so glad to see you; so very glad indeed, my girl," the butler continued to rant. "I must go inform them of your arrival!"
"Oh, no please! Don't; I want to surprise them," Mina said mischievously.
"You might send your mother into a faint Mina!" Aeya informed her; giving her a warning look.
"That's exactly what I want to do. Now, where are they?" She inquired as she stepped around him to look up the exquisite set of stairs leading to the floors above.
Aeya gave her a disapproving look, "If they have not moved, I believe they're still in their room."
"Thank you," she said as she ran up the stairs; stopping to turn around and face him. "Do find someone to put my luggage's in my bedroom please."
Mina could hear the man grunt at her order and she giggled. She made her way through many hallways and rooms before reaching her parents' bedroom.
She took a minute to suppress her laughter before knocking loudly and opening the door. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"My goodness, dear it's Mina!" Her mother said in a barely audible whisper before she collapsed onto the bed; her eyes had been wide; astounded by the sight of her twenty-one year old daughter.
As Mina stepped through the door she watched the exchange of emotions upon her mother's soft features. Her mother had been sitting upright in bed reading through business documents before she had entered. Her father lain in bed however; both his hands tuck beneath his head, probably listening to her mother read the papers aloud.
She watched as her father sat up to smile at her. "Why you little devil. Come here and give your father a hug," he said as he stretched out his arms.
Mina laughed and complied; walking around the large bed, across the white carpet covered floor, to the other side to give him a quick hug, as he kissed her hair. Time had made him look older; his short ebony hair now glittered with a few patches of silvery white hair, and his face had become softer, no longer taut due to the fact that his skin now drooped. Mina smiled as she watched her mother gain conscious. She spent a good ten minutes in their room before excusing herself; promising to tell them everything about school the next morning.
She slinked quietly back to her room to change and prepare to leave for Darien's place. Mina knew for sure all the guys would be there; it was tradition for them to gather around Darien's house for a good hour or so before they left on their little rendezvous for his birthday. She wondered if Darien thought she had forgotten his birthday; she smiled wickedly to herself as she thought of the stunned expressions that would greet her when she appeared.
Quickly she dressed in her favorite orange sundress. The hem of the dress reached her knees; the large V in the front of the dressed exposed her cleavage, but it was not too revealing. The dress was sleeveless, yet she knew it wouldn't be too cold for her to where it out. She applied red lipstick over her lips, biting down a couple of times to make sure her lips were evenly colored. Picking up her black eyeliner, she outlined her blue eyes and then added a little bit of blush to her cheeks.
'Perfect,' she thought to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror atop her dresser. She got up and left her make up lying scattered all over the top. Picking up Darien's gift she turned off the light inside of her cream colored room and closed the mahogany door; at the same time trying to slip on her orange strapped sandals.
As she pulled up in front of the Chiba's mansion in her BMW that she had imported to her from the States, she thought of all the times she had been inside the Chiba's humble abode. The Chiba's were like a second family to her; she spent so much time at their house that she was practically living in it too. Rei was one of her best friends, and Darien was like the older brother she would never have. She loved them both very much. However, she couldn't say very much about their parent's though; out of the fifteen years she had known the Chiba's she had only met Mr. and Mrs. Chiba twenty times; usually at a very chic function that the Chiba's were throwing. It was funny how Darien could have almost everything in all of Japan, and yet she found herself pitying him as she stared at the grand alabaster white, Greek styled mansion.
Kenji opened the door to let her in, politely greeting her. "Young Master and his guests are in the second receiving room on the top floor near the second kitchen miss," he informed her formally as he let her inside the extravagant home.
Mina smiled and thanked him, "Do you know what they're planning to do for the evening, Kenji?" She asked, forming an ingenious idea.
"I do, miss," came his simple reply.
"Do tell me then Kenji," she ordered the middle aged man.
"I was just heading to tell Young Master that I have just received notice that the airports have been notified, and that they may choose to take flight in his new jet whenever they please Lady Mina," the butler answered her. "If you don't mind me leaving miss, I must go now and deliver the message," he said before walking down a long hall that Mina knew would lead to a grand staircase.
"Don't tell them I'm here," Mina called after him.
Kenji paused at the end of the hall, however he did not turn around, "If you must insist Lady Mina," he acknowledged, then without another word, he turned left and disappeared from her view.
'So Darien got a new toy from his parents…,' Mina said to herself as she exited the mansion into the night once again, and headed for the airstrip, planning her entrance.
As she neared the dark platform, she could make out a shadowy outline of an aircraft in the darkness of the night. She quickly made her way to the building where the supplies and equipment for the Chiba family's flying machines were kept. On top of the roof of the building was a helicopter, and inside the building (well, shed, actually) was two more private jets; they were both very old though.
She made her way in the dark, finding the controls to light up the airstrip outside (to her surprise the shed was unlocked. Probably one of the staff members up at the house had come down earlier to unlock it for Darien and the guys, Mina thought).
Mina left a single light shine upon the new jet. Finally seeing it in light Mina looked at it with great admiration. Darien's parents had always lavished him with expensive gifts; but she had to admit they really outdone themselves this time. The jet was sleek; its body aerodynamic and seemed to be one of the latest models. It was surely the most luxurious aircraft one may own in this day and age.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Mina saw seven shadowy figures approach the airstrip. She blinked; making sure the seventh figure in the group was actually there. The unknown figure was different from the rest, Mina noted quietly to herself. The stranger was too thin and petite to be a man, and that made Mina very suspicious. Her eyes lowered slightly as she studied the approaching group. Darien never mentioned anything about making a new friend. She quietly watched as the seven figures stopped to look at the jet. After a moment of waiting in curiosity to see who the seventh unknown figure was, she flipped on all the light switches, lighting the whole into airstrip; all the way down its runway.
She watched as they all closed their eyes at the blinding white hot lights that illuminated the entire area. She took that time to make her way outside. She examined the people in front of her and her eyes widened at the blonde female standing amongst her group of six friends. She recovered from her shock as she relished the expressions displayed on each man's face as they saw her step out of the shadow of the shed; she smiled sardonically at them.
"You guys weren't gonna leave without me, were you?" Mina asked innocently.
"Mina…you're back…" She heard Darien softly whisper as he came out of the stupor first.
"Happy pre-birthday Darien," Mina said as she walked up to him; holding out her gift.
Darien's face hardened as he took her gift. He gave her a quick hug as she leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Darien didn't understand how Mina could be there; now. He continued to look at her in the dress she wore. It made her look seductive; her sleek body was lightly outlined by the silky material of the orange dress. Her long blonde hair was slightly blowing in the breeze. She was beautiful as always; he thought, disgusted with his reaction to her. She being here should make no difference to him; she should no longer mean anything to him, Darien thought about that as he coldly retreated from her.
"So you finally decided to come back after all these years," Darien said emotionlessly as she continued to smile at him.
"Don't use that tone with me Darien," Mina chuckled, "after all, I did come all this way for you."
'Ok, that wasn't really a lie,' Mina thought to herself. She did want to see Darien, but that was only one of the reasons she came back.
Darien could see right through her lie, she didn't bother coming back once during holidays, not even for her own parent's birthdays, and now she expected him to believe she came all the way from Paris to celebrate his; why would she come two months earlier than the planned time she was really supposed to be back? He stared at the beauty that stood before him, had she always been so deceitful? Darien did not want to believe he could've been fool enough to believe every story she fed to him. His eyes turned cynical as he continued to stare at her.
"It's nice to see you again Mina," Darien said to her coolly.
Mina took a step back away from him, feeling him withdraw impersonally away from her. She didn't know why he was acting so steely with her. Darien never liked being caught off guard, she thought. Putting the matter out of her mind she continued to greet everyone. Once again the girl standing before the rest of the men caught her attention. Mina studied her; the girl had a very pretty face. Her hair was also very beautiful; it glint a sun gold color in the bright lights that now illuminated the airstrip.
"Hello Mina," James said as he pulled her hands and placed it on his chest as he drew her body close to his to nuzzle her neck.
Mina didn't take her gaze off Serena though; she was scrutinizing every aspect of the new girl before her. She ignored James ministrations for a minute before pushing against his chest, laughing, "You wish," she said as James smiled down at her.
"Well it's good to see you too," he said in a mock offended tone.
Serena watched as the beautiful lady continued to hug each member of the group of men as if she had known them forever. Mina; so that was her name, Serena stored it into her head for later use. She felt like she was being picked apart and analyzed under Mina's watchful gaze; she could feel Mina's eyes never come off her as she went around the circle of friends, getting reacquainted.
Andrew could see the way Mina was looking at Serena; she had found a new victim to prey upon. For some reason, Mina loved to chase away all the girls they would date. Never had any of their previous girlfriends were ever invited to such a momentous occasion as this; and he could tell Mina was very surprised to see Serena here with them. As Mina pulled away from his hug, Andrew took the liberty to introduce the two females; (actually, he was trying to make it as pleasant an introduction as ever so Mina wouldn't get bitchy with Serena). He grabbed Mina's hand as she turned to look at Serena.
"Mina, let me introduce you to Serena Tsukino," Andrew said as casual as possible. He led her over to stand in front of Serena. "Serena, she's been a long time friend to us all," he informed her; trying to ease her confused look away from her pretty face.
"Hi, I'm," Mina started to re-introduce her after an awkward silence fell amongst them, a silence so thick it could have been parted with a knife.
"Mina, I heard," Serena interrupted; she could feel the woman's stuck-up response to her presence.
"No," Mina informed the insolent girl facing her, "only close friends call me that. But you can call me Ms. Aino," she said in her most snooty tone, glaring down at the slip of a woman before her.
'Gosh, is she wearing a guy's shirt? Hold on a minute! I bought that for Darien a few years back!' Mina realized as she stared at Serena; her eyes growing with hate. Mina didn't want to believe this girl could be one of Darien's bed partners.
'Okay,' Serena thought as she held her chin high and took a step toward the bitchy blonde girl, 'maybe not all of Darien's friends were nice people,' she thought to herself.
"In that case, since we're deciding to acknowledge each other," Serena said in a defiant voice, "you may also address me as Ms. Tsukino."
Darien stared in amusement as the two females glared at each other. He could see Andrew's mouth open in shock, and from the corner of his eyes he could see James clapping and whooping at Serena's comment. Darien reminded himself not to ever get on Serena's bad side. He admired the way she didn't even try to hide her anger. He noticed the glint in her eyes as she lowered her eyelids menacingly to stare at Mina. His lips curved into a smile; Mina's face was of shock and anger. Darien knew Mina did not expect Serena to act like this.
Mina took a step closer to Serena, and Andrew followed suit. Darien couldn't hold his laughter in as Mina turned to glare at Andrew; he coughed loudly to hide his mirth as Andrew shrank back in obvious fear of Mina's viciousness when riled. And Serena just stood there, looking damned brave and innocent. She was really something else, Darien thought to himself as he watched the scene unfold before him. James moved to his side, he too was watching intently the two females.
"If we don't do something soon, there's going to be one hell of a cat fight Darien," James whispered to him, but his eyes glowed with delight.
Andrew was in complete confusion. How could he have let things get out of hand so soon, he asked to himself. "Uh…Mina, probably you shouldn't…" Andrew stopped his protest again as Mina turned her head to glare at him once more, her eyes were lowered in anger.
"Back off Andrew!" She yelled at the top of her lungs at the quivering male behind her before turning her attention on advancing towards Serena once more.
"Could you be any louder?" Serena asked, shaking her head in disapproval as she lifted her hands to cover her ears, " I think you just woke up the servants back at the house," Serena told Mina coolly, her face showed of slight irritation.
Mina fumed; her face was red with uncontrollable rage. She was ready to slap Serena. What an insolent, rude child! Serena's face was turned up towards hers; she looked calm and collected as she crossed her arms over her chest in the defensive position. Never, Mina thought, never had she met any of the guy's girlfriends who had acted as impolite as this one! And she never liked any of the other ones before either.
All the girls she had been introduced to by the guys were always such fakes. No matter how rich or how beautiful they all were, they were only out for the guys for personal gain. None of the previous girlfriends truly liked them. The women always pretended to be innocent and willing; they tried so hard to hide their evil nature behind their beautiful face and rich family but Mina always saw through the facade. And this girl, Serena, who the hell was she? Was she from a rich family, or is she only a pretty face aspiring to gain wealth by being with Darien and the guys? Either way, Mina thought, Serena was somehow different from the rest. And she, Mina Aino, would never rest in peace if a girl like Serena snagged a guy as great as Darien.
"What the fuck is your relationship with the guys?" Mina asked in a quiet and deadly voice so Serena could only hear.
"That," Serena said unperturbed, "is between me and the guys only. If you wanna know, go ask one of them, because I sure as hell am not telling you."
Darien heard that alright. And he had to bite his lips to hold back his laughter. Serena had a bite and a wit even stronger than Mina herself; and he was glad. Maybe becoming friends with her after all wasn't a mistake. He saw the rest of the guys shift uneasily towards the brewing argument between Serena and Mina.
Mina raised her hand threateningly as to slap the smirk off Serena's face. She stared in surprise that Serena didn't even back down; instead, she took a step closer and raised her right cheek towards her raised palm. Mina could here the guys giving protests, but she smiled. If the girl wanted a good slap in the face, Mina thought, then that's exactly what she was going to get. Mina swung her hand downwards towards Serena's face, hard.
Serena smiled all the more, she was ready to counter Mina's slap. Did this rich girl, Serena thought, think she could easily strike her without her putting up a fight? It was rather funny. Serena waited for the right moment to grab her wrist and twist it into a painful hold. 'Three, two…one!' Serena counted to herself, her hand shot out to grab the offending hand but…but….
Mina took a step back in surprise as she looked at her wrist being held in the firm grip of Darien's. She looked at him with fury. Why the hell did he stop her? He never stopped her before; not even when she slapped James, Zachary, Nathan, Andrew, and Malcom's other girlfriends. She glowered at the tight hold of his; she tried pulling her hand away but Darien's grip was of steel. She lifted her eyes up to his to look at his expression. Again, it held no emotion.
"Why the heck did you stop me?" Mina shouted at him. "She was being disrespectful towards me Darien! You heard her!" Mina fumed even louder at his cold and aloof features, "Let go of me!"
At the same time Mina tried pulling away, Darien released her. Mina flew backward onto the cold cement on the ground.
"I'd like it, if you stop acting like a whining, spoiled, little girl," Darien said in between Mina's curses and whining as she rubbed her soar behind, "Serena is a friend," Mina looked up at him as she dust off her dress, "Nothing more, and nothing less," Darien told her, his emotions still undetectable as he stared down at her.
"Oh please, she's nothing worth protecting, Darien," Mina protested, but quieted as Darien's face contorted into something that resembled great irritation.
"And I expect you think you have every right to do as you please? Serena is my friend Mina, just like you are," Darien tried to explain, "Anyways; you were the only bitch here at the moment," Darien's voice was cold and unfeeling, "Right guys?"
Mina's mouth opened in utter sock. Darien just called her a bitch, she thought to herself in mortification. Maybe she did go too far. She looked around at the rest of the guys, and they too were nodding there head in agreement at Darien's conclusion of her attitude. Mina blushed; feeling ashamed for her behavior. She tore her gaze away from the guys and looked down at the ground. She had finally worn down Darien's tolerance for her.
"You will be nice to Serena…at least try to get along for my sake," Darien told her, his voice softening.
Darien couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty; he knew Mina was on the brink of tears. For some reason, he just couldn't get her out of his system. He just felt too protective of her, and the way she was behaving now, was the direct result of his behavior. He spoiled her. He loved her too much. And even now, he felt the same.
Serena fell quiet as she watched what just happened. Did Darien just protect her, she wondered. Her heart gave a weird lurch in her chest, and she felt warmth seeping through her. That was awfully nice of him, even though she had the situation controlled. She looked at Darien's harsh features, memorizing his handsome face; he really was beautiful, she admitted. Their friendship would probably be for the best then. And Serena just couldn't help but anticipate what the future had in stored for their relationship.
A silence fell after Darien's request to Mina. His words had taken the breath out of her; his soft request was so sincere she couldn't refuse. The crickets chirped faintly in the background somewhere in the far distance, everyone watched her; waiting for her agreement. Mina looked up into the dark purple night sky lit by a sky of endless stars that was blotched by the clouds that moved endlessly throughout the night. And then the answer hit her.
"The clouds may block the stars from time to time, but with a little patience, the stars will be unclouded. I guess, I'll give it a try and see where things lead," Mina said as she looked into Darien's eyes and smiled softly.
Darien nodded his approval before turning to look at Serena. He gave her a bright smile. Her face was pale from the cold breeze, and her lips were pink and round and moist as she licked them to prevent them from drying. She looked completely innocent; as if she wasn't at all about ready to kill Mina herself a few minutes ago.
"I had the situation under control," She told him softly, as her trusting gaze locked with his.
Darien stared into the deep crystal blue depths of her large eyes framed by thick long lashes, and a new emotion erupted in him. Something that even he had never willingly given to Mina and Serena's trusting nature had enabled to give her his own trust. His eyes warmed as he stared at the soft features of her face, her lips curving into a radiant smile. He trusted her completely.
"I know you did," he said good-naturedly, "But having a death on the Chiba's lands will surely cause an uproar in the media, as the heir to the Chiba's fortune and companies, I could not allow that," Darien's eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Hhmm…good point," Serena said with equal gravity, her features serious, and Darien let out a loud deep chuckle before chucking her under the chin.
The rest of the guys closed in, restating their favorite lines from Serena, and laughing merrily amongst themselves. And Darien and Serena felt content.
"Oh sorry Mr. Chiba I apologize if I have kept you all waiting," A man who looked as though he was in his early thirties came scurrying out of the Chiba's shed of aircrafts. He was panting as though he had run a great distance, his rumpled brown hair was covered with a pilot hat and he wore a white collar shirt with a pair of tiny golden wings clipped at his chest pocket. His indigo slacks were neatly ironed and fitted his thin legs. So this must be the family pilot, Serena thought, gosh, he looks awfully young.
"No problem," Darien told the pilot formally, "Shinta please let us into the jet so we can be on our way."
The pilot named Shinta hurried forward pushing a stair forward to open the jet door, "We've already had the hand's up at the house fuel it and check the engines while we were waiting for the answer from the airport Mr. Chiba, we're good to go."
"Good," Darien replied quickly, acknowledging Shinta's good thinking.
The rest of the guys followed Darien into the jet, all eager to see if the interior was just as wonderful as the exterior. Serena felt excited too, this was her first time ever getting on an aircraft; she had never been on a plane in her life. And now, she was with new friends, doing things that were new to her; things she could only dream of. She walked forward a couple of paces before Mina stepped into her path.
"Ms. Aino, I don't want to cause any trouble," Serena said coldly as she looked at Mina.
"Me neither," Mina agreed, her features now sincere, "Look, maybe I was too quick to judge you. Darien was right; maybe I should at least try to be nice right?"
"Please what exactly is your point?" Serena asked uncertainly as she stared at Mina.
"Alright, you know you're just like Darien, you want things right down to the point; you want things bluntly put. Can't you two just be patient? No wonder why you're friends…"
"Mina, you're digressing."
"Oops, sorry," Mina blushed, "Okay girly, here's the deal," Mina's voice took on a hard edge again, "One mistake from you Ms. Tsukino, and I will make sure your life is a living hell, you got that?"
"What? And you think I'm just going to let you make my life a living hell? Think again Ms. Aino," Serena said haughtily.
And Mina did another thing that confused Serena. She smiled. "No, I don't think you're just going to sit back and watch me. Actually, I expect a pretty good fight from you Ms. Tsukino."
Serena was at a lost of words. Did she just compliment me, Serena thought to herself. "First off, don't expect me to make a mistake, and secondly, I don't plan on just putting up a good fight; no, I'm going to win. Do you get that?" Serena finally said when she found her voice.
Mina smiled, "We'll have to wait and see now won't we Ms. Tsukino?"
"Don't sound too confident, and lastly, don't underestimate me," Serena warned her.
"If you say so Ms. Tsukino," Mina continued to say light-heartedly.
"What's holding you two up?"
Mina and Serena looked up at the sound of Darien's voice at the door of the jet. His lean strong body framed the entrance as his eyes scanned the two females for any sign of a dispute, but quickly rested on the small smile on Serena's serene features.
"We were just having a…word…" Serena said mischievously.
"Yeah Darien, don't need to worry so much. I won't hurt a hair on her head…yet," Mina added, with laughter in her voice.
"Well then can you to finish having your 'word' inside, because we're ready to go," Darien said in a tone of annoyance before disappearing into the jet.
Mina laughed, her laughter was loud and melodic, and Serena just found it contagious. After a few seconds, their laughter finally subsided.
Mina's eyes glowed with warmth now as she looked at Serena, "Never, never ever, ever, keep Darien waiting."
And with that, the two women raced up the stairs into the jet giggling like two little girls.
"Okay, you know what? Maybe I did misjudge you," Mina said as they sat beside one another in two big fat armchairs as they watched the guys play a round of pool in the center of the playroom in the jet.
The jet had five rooms; the front of the jet was the cockpit, the second room was the lounge room; it had shelves of books, a desk, and a coffee table, with a sofa and couch; it wasn't very big, it was probably the size of her bedroom. The third room was the play room, located in the center of the jet. It had soda machines and snack machines at each of the four corners of the room; scattered across the room were assortments of table games such as pool, foosball, pinball, and arcade games. In the fourth room, which was known as the TV room, it could have passed as a mini private theater; it had hundreds of movies, Japanese movies and foreign movies, everything. The fifth room held the kitchen and restroom in the back of the jet. The whole jet was carpeted with a dark blue carpet, the walls were painted a tan-ish color, and the furniture was of mahogany. The jet was surely the most luxurious automotive transport Serena had ever been on.
Serena turned her head to look at Mina. "You and I are starting over. Yes, that is what we shall do," Mina said enthusiastically regardless of Serena's blank expression.
"My name is Aino Minako," Mina said amiably as she stuck out her right hand to Serena. Serena's eyebrows drew together in confusion as she stared at Mina's proffered hand.
"Awww, come on, don't leave me hanging like this," Mina pouted, "Shake my hand and reintroduce yourself," she coached.
"Uh, um…Hi Ms. Aino, my names Tsukino Serena," Serena said uncertainly as she clasped Mina's hand in hers.
"It's nice to meet you, but you can call me Minako for now."
Serena smiled. So Mina's trying to start over from the beginning on friendlier terms, she realized, "In that case, you can also call me Serena."
"So tell me about yourself, Serena," Mina asked with a thoughtful grin. "Is there more to your tough girl exterior than what it seems?" She winked as Serena blushed.
A pretty pink color tinted her smooth cream colored cheeks. And under the soft yellow circular light from above them, her hair gleamed gold. Serena thought for a minute, she drew her jean-clad knees up to her chest on the chair and hugged them. Her head lightly rest atop as she stared at the guys laughing and cursing in the center of the room.
Mina watched as an expression of deep contemplation came over Serena's soft features. "Tough question?" She asked as a minute passed and Serena's eyes still appeared clouded and mystified.
"Hhmm," Serena smiled as she tilted her head to look at Mina, "I'm still thinking." Mina was being very nice, Serena thought as she watched Mina chuckle, would her attitude change if she learned that she came from low society? It had only been a quarter hour since the jet had took flight, but Serena could already tell that having Mina as a friend would mean she would gain a great ally. But what did she care if Mina liked her or not, Serena reminded herself. To lie would be even worse; as a girl, she learned to be true to herself, and that, is exactly what she was gonna do.
"Well," ("Oh finally, I should have started with an easier question," Mina laughed) "I come from low society. My family, you see, is kinda broke. We were doing fine with bills and everything at our one story house in the Juuban district, but we had to sell the house after my parents enrolled me into Akita. I was at work when they did it, they used up every penny they had to do it too, and you can imagine how I felt when I came home hungry and tiered, to find a moving van with all of my belongings in it, in front of the house," Serena watched as Mina's eyes widened in shock at her confession.
"Is something wrong?" Serena asked. From her tone of voice Mina could tell she was challenging her to make a comment about her financial standings. Slowly Mina realized that Serena had already anticipated her reaction to her confession. This made Mina feel guilty because she really did feel appalled, but she also felt even more inclined to listen to what Serena had to say.
"No, nothings wrong; continue," Mina said brightly at a stunned Serena.
"Alright," Serena said, "My parents had jipped me off. I soon learned that they too, had used my savings to throw me into high society without my consent. I was raging at them; you couldn't possibly imagine how angry I was. My mom lost her job as a seamstress a year ago and now she's currently a housewife; my dad, well, he's hanging onto his job as a construction worker by a thread. Neither, as you can see, will not be able to support all three of us. Anyways, I demanded them to get their money back and take me out of Akita. My parents instead retaliated by sending me on the guilt trip," Mina laughed at Serena's forlorn expression, "They told me 'we are doing no such thing, think Serena, either you go to the university, or you don't have to go', I thought they were actually giving me an option, you know? Turned out that if I didn't go, they didn't plan on withdrawing the money for my classes there, so in the end we would lose the money anyway."
"Your parents sure seem like nice people," Mina said sarcastically.
"Ha, they are. You see, they just want me to have a better life than what they can provide me. I don't think that placing me in Akita will do any good but I know my parents secretly hope for me to find a rich husband there. And that is why I'm still very mad at them."
Mina's eyes lowered into slits at Serena's comment, "So, is that why you're here? To fulfill your parent's dream of marrying a rich guy?" Mina's voice was cold and harsh.
"Actually, I dragged her with me against her will."
Mina and Serena turned to look a Darien standing before them; he was leaning on his pool stick casually as he looked at the two. He had heard Serena's story and found it quite reasonable to the way she acts toward the people of higher society than she. Her cold exterior towards them (Nathan, James, Malcom, Zachary, Andrew, and Himself) was because she didn't like the way they were bullying students to the point where they dropped out of school. It all made sense to him now. Serena not only didn't think what they were doing was right, but she also knew that if she were to become the victim, she couldn't drop out like the others, she would have to endure the pain and humiliation they would have subjected her to. Serena was a very complex person, Darien decided.
"What?" Mina's eyes showed of confusion.
"I kidnapped her," Darien said, his eyes twinkling with delight as he winked at Serena.
"Damn right you did, you rich snob!" Serena shouted at him.
Darien chuckled at the way Serena jumped to his bait, "Oh come on, you know you wanted to come, it would have taken me just a little more time to have persuade you, that's all."
"Actually, you would have had one hell of a time trying to persuade me if I walked away, you asshole," Serena fumed at his arrogance.
"Would you two care to explain?" Mina inquired, completely lost at this point.
"I just got off work when this…this man came and," Serena began to tell.
"I kidnapped her after work, so what? Nothing else to it Mina," Darien drawled as he watched Serena turn red again.
"You refused to tell me where we were going, and you got my clothes drenched!" Serena shouted at him.
"What?" Mina and Andrew asked at the same time.
Andrew too had come to stand beside Darien. "Care to explain?" Andrew asked coolly as he stared at Serena, whose expression darkened at his presence.
"What do you think Serena? Should we tell them?" Darien asked Serena with a conspirator-y glint in his eyes as he stared at her.
Serena smiled knowingly before shaking her head, "I think that we should just let them wonder. I mean, what happened was personal right?" She asked innocently as Darien laughed.
This made Andrew feel uncomfortable. Friends, Andrew thought, they can't be just friends. He stared from Serena to Darien, if they were more than friends they sure don't act like it, he thought. With a sudden relief at his realization he decided not to think of it. But what did those two do, he couldn't help but wonder.
"Huuuh…"Mina gasped, "Are you keeping a secret from me?" She asked Darien.
"It's Ok for me to keep secrets from you," Darien said coldly, his expression aloof again, "it's not like we're going out anymore."
"What?" Serena said; shocked at what she just heard. Mina…and Darien?
"But we're friends!" Mina shouted
"Andrew is also my friend," Darien pointed out, feeling a little joy in frustrating Mina.
"But I'm your bestest best friend Darien!" Mina whined.
"Hey, just because you two went out doesn't make you're his only friend Mina," Malcom said as he and the rest of the guys closed in around Serena and Mina's plush armchairs, drawing up folding chairs to sit on.
"Shut it, Malcom," Mina hissed at him.
"Looks like you two are getting along now," James noted.
"Of course, two girls like us, with a pack of men like you? We've got to stick together, right Serena," Mina said and winked at her.
Serena laughed, "Sure, right," she said.
"She didn't sound convincing Mina, what did you do? Coerce her into agreeing?" Zachary chided playfully, "Did you threaten to set Darien loose on her while she's sleeping," Blank stares closed on him, "Come on," Zachary asked looking around at everyone's confused expression, "We all know Darien must suck in bed, why else would Mina dump him-OUCH!" Zachary shouted as Darien's fist connected with his arm.
Everyone laughed as Zachary rubbed his soon-to-be bruised arm. "That wasn't funny," he drawled darkly.
"And neither was your comment," Darien reminded him.
"Hey! I was only joking," Zachary defended.
"Attention all: If you all would like a beautiful view of the Tokyo skyline, please look through the windows to the left," Shinta, the pilot's voice said over the intercom.
Serena turned in her chair to look out at the window behind her. Her breath was caught in her throat. She didn't know anything could be this beautiful. The night outside was pitch black, but the lights from the city shined radiantly. The skyscrapers looked like crystal towers the way its lights twinkled; the city was a beautiful light show. The moving lights of cars, bustling down freeways and the young people walking across the streets club-hopping, the glow from street lamps and home windows looked magical from the sky. Everything was small, and looked so perfect. The pulling of the waves in and out of the shores reflected a full moon. Its silvery beam of light cascading down upon the heavenly city had a spontaneous effect. Crystal Tokyo, Serena thought as she looked down upon the seemingly lively city.
Darien slightly smiled at Serena's in drawn breath as she stared out of the window. She seemed like a little girl, pure of heart, as she stared into a candy shop. Serena was a work of art, and hopefully, she would never change. Innocent and pure, she was not at all like the women these day and ages. Although she wasn't much of a looker, Darien thought, her true beauty is in her personality. And that intrigued him.
Serena turned around to find all seven pairs of eyes on her. She blushed, "My first time on an aircraft," she admitted, a nervous laugh spilling from her lips.
Darien chuckled, "Tell us something we don't know."
"Gee, was I that obvious?"
"Yep"
"Yeah"
"Pretty much," Seven different answers answered her. Serena glowered at them.
"I wasn't asking," She told them.
The outing continued on for hours. Darien had a large chocolate cake that was brought out of the kitchen at eleven. The guys brought out sake, and everyone sang and had cake. Serena really enjoyed herself, and was rather disappointed when they had landed once again in front of the Chiba's shed on the airstrip. Never in her life had Serena imagined she could gain so many friends in one day. And most certainly since they were all rich.
Finding herself walking towards the Chiba's mansion, reality finally sank in to her.
"Oh my gosh! What time is it?" Serena shouted, looking at one member of the group to the other.
"It's two in the morning, why?" Darien asked as he lowered his wrist with his watch on it.
Serena looked into the dark shadows of his face in the night. "My parents! I forgot to call them," She told him.
"We're going on ahead you two," Mina said as she grabbed Malcom's hand and dragged him towards the Mansion.
"Hey!" Malcom shouted at Mina, the rest of the guys followed.
"Here," Darien said as he took out his cell phone and handed it to her, "Call them."
"I'm not even sure if they're awake Darien," Serena said, shaking her head to decline his offer.
Darien reached out and grabbed her hand, shoving his phone into it, "It's late, you're tired, I'm tired, and there is no way in hell I'm going to let you walk home at this time of the morning," Darien told her firmly, "So call and leave a message or something and tell them where your at, at least."
Serena nodded and smiled at Darien. He really was a good person, she thought as she dialed home. She watched as Darien patiently waited, watching her. By the third ring there was an answer.
"Hello?" She said into the phone.
"Who the hell is this? It's two in the morning!" Ilene Tsukino shouted from the other end of the receiver.
"Mom, it's me," Serena said quietly, embarrassed as Darien raised an eyebrow at her. He heard, alright.
"Serena? Where have you been? You were supposed to be back eight hours ago! You missed dinner girl, when you come home I won't be making you any, you hear? I said, do you hear me?" Ilene shouted, and Serena couldn't help but blush even more. Darien was trying so very, very hard not to laugh at her.
"Mom…Mom…MOM!" Serena shouted in between her mother's rantings to get her attention.
"You don't need to yell dear, I can hear perfectly fine," Ilene assured her daughter. (Yeah right, thought Serena)
"Look, I was out with some friends tonight mom. A birthday celebration, and we just got back to the house. Um, I won't be back 'til morning OK? So don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Serena informed her mother who was still mumbling under her breath.
"If you woke me up to tell me that, I'm going to smack you when you get home Serena!" Ilene shouted. (Darien smiled now.)
"What, huh?" Serena asked, confused.
"My dumb child," Ilene said in a sympathetic voice, "Of course I knew you were probably out getting a life! It's about time too, but you aren't coming home? Your father won't like that. But if you called at two in the morning just to tell me something as unimportant as that I gonna skin you…" Ilene's voice was cut off as Serena hit the 'end' button.
She let out a relieved sigh. Darien's laughter made her head jerk up to stare at him. She glared at his shaking form.
"That was not in the least bit funny," She hissed at him, handing him his cell phone back. (Darien laughed even harder.)
"Shut up! It's not as if your parent's never been like that to you," Serena grumbled.
Darien stopped laughing at her remark. A serious expression was almost visible oh his face to Serena in the dark of the morning. "No, actually, they've never been like that to me." Darien confessed to her.
"O-oh," Serena said uncertainly. Then something just struck her, "Where are your parents' anyway?"
"Abroad," his answer was simple, straight to the point; his tone a cutting edge of finality.
"Oh," Serena said again, awkwardly.
Darien and Serena began to walk back quietly towards the house. Both in deep thinking, the companionable silence comforted them, though both did not speak.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't even give you a gift," Serena realized.
"It's alright," Darien reassured her, s soft smile tugging at his lips.
"It is not alright! Today, well yesterday, you took me to the beach, let me borrow some of your clothes, took me on your new jet, and let me freeload from you! I've got to give you at least something!" Serena insisted.
Darien laughed a rich warm sound that warmed Serena, "No it's Ok, you don't have to give me anything. I enjoyed your company."
"Ha! More like you were forced to enjoy my company. I mean once we were flying you couldn't have chucked me out of the door," Serena muttered.
This made Darien laughed even more. After a few minutes, his laughter subsided and he stopped walking to smile down at Serena.
"You've already given me the greatest gift of all," He said sincerely to her.
"Oh yeah, and what was that?" Serena said sarcastically, giving him a challenging look as she too, stopped walking.
"Laughter," Darien said.
"Huh?"
"You make me laugh," Darien noticed the frown that formed on her face, "that's a good thing. I haven't had a good laugh in a long time."
The two started walking again. Serena contemplated what Darien had just told her. Laughter, she thought. He was glad that she gave him laughter. It was very strange, she thought, how he just got a jet for a birthday present but valued her gift more. He said that her gift of laughter was the greatest of all. She didn't understand Darien.
"I insist upon giving you something, please," Serena said genuinely, "If not as a birthday gift; then accept a present as a thank you for one of the best nights of my life."
They had just reached the long porch at the front of the mansion; they were standing between two tall white shafts. Darien stared down into Serena's face. Her skin was white in the silvery light from the moon. Her upturn face was looking up into his, and her eyes were wide, waiting for him to say something. He stared into the crystal depths of her eyes, they were mesmerizing; like magnets, he was drawn to them. Falling into warm and trusting sensations that surrounded him was how he felt as he stared into her eyes. On impulse his hands raised to her cheeks, cupping them as he caressed her lips with his thumbs, tenderly stroking them.
Her lips were pink and round, inviting and warm. And instincts took over.
"You really want to give me a gift?" He asked her as he stared into her eyes.
She nodded, slowly licking her lips that had dried from the chilling breeze, her tongue lightly brushing his thumbs.
Darien was enraptured with her mouth. "A kiss. Will you give me that?" He asked her.
"I, uh, sure," Serena said hesitantly. "But I'm not too good, I must tell you," she warned him as she stared into his eyes, but his beautiful face was already descending down toward hers.
Feeling panic rise in her she took a step back, and Darien chuckled softly, "Stay still," he advised.
Serena closed her eyes and stood rigid with her hands clenched into fists at her sides. At the first brush of Darien's soft lips against hers Serena thought it felt as though someone was caressing her lips with a feather, for that was how Darien was kissing her. He was placing soft, feather like kisses on her mouth.
"Relax," he said, the movement of his lips brushed against hers.
She was trying to relax, she really was, but Darien's close proximity to hers was drugging. She could feel the warmth of his body just inches away; she could smell the sweet and musky scent of his skin, and the way his hot breath stroked her lips was making her knees go weak. Serena never knew anyone would make her feel this way. Deciding that since it was her gift to give and not his, she would be the one to give the kiss.
Serena stepped forward, bringing her body into closer contact with Darien's, and lifted her chin upward to connect their mouths. Lightly she moved her lips gently over his, making sure she wasn't putting too much pressure. His lips were soft against hers. And too her surprise Darien laughed. He laughed at her! Serena pulled back to stare at him. It was her first kiss and he laughed! Serena scowled at him, what a jerk, she thought.
"You call that a kiss?" Darien mocked, his eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Are you making fun of me?" Serena challenged.
"That was not a kiss, Serena."
"That most certainly was, you…you snob!" Serena was immediately crushed to Darien's hard body. In an instant Serena's mind went blank; Darien's lips had conquered hers. The sensual movements and the slight pressure of his mouth were gentle yet firm. Serena's body turned to mush against his; she could feel his strong chest press to hers, and his hands cupping her face. And in seconds, the kiss changed.
Darien's mouth slanted possessively over hers, he had made sure to be gentle first, giving her time to pull away; but she didn't. She was so soft, so warm, and giving in his arms. He could feel her honesty in the kiss; her lips trembled under his assault, but soon she grew bolder and began to respond enthusiastically. She was slowly driving Darien's senses crazy. His hands moved in her hair, the silky strands gliding through his fingers, he then found himself pushing her head back to gain better access to her mouth. Serena's mouth immediately molded with his. His lips began his battles of winning the entry into her mouth, gently nudging her lips to part. Slowly he let his tongue run over her lips, licking and suckling at her bottom one. She tasted like strawberries, sweet and salty-sour.
Serena gasped, her mind going haywire as her hands moved upward to clutch onto his shirt. Darien took full advantage of the situation, and his tongue swept into her mouth. His tongue touched hers, caressing, rubbing, and dancing with her inexperienced one. She did try to pull away then, but stopped and returned to kissing him whole heartedly. Darien could feel her hands slide up his chest and grasp him around the shoulders. She sure isn't acting shy now, Darien thought as Serena began her own assault on his mouth.
Abruptly Darien pulled away. He couldn't tell if it was he who groaned or she who whimpered at the lost of the connection. What was he thinking, he thought to himself. Darien looked down at Serena; she had the most confused expression on her face. Her lips looked swollen, and her face was flushed. Darien wanted to kiss her again but thought better of it. He took a step away from her; she was going to be his friend and nothing more that was what he had decided. But the way she had just kissed him right now had the strangest affect on him. He realized he was fully aroused.
"That, Serena," Darien said, his voice coolly detached, "was a kiss."
Serena stared at him. That was the most wonderful kiss she had ever gotten, actually, it was the only kiss she had every gotten from someone outside of her family. And it was wonderful. Darien would prove to be a most passionate lover, she thought. But that thought was quickly stomped upon.
'What are you thinking, stupid,' Serena mentally berated herself, 'You can't get involved with someone like Darien, and he isn't your type,' she continued to reason.
Serena smiled, "You have now given me a gift instead of I, you."
"Think nothing of it," Darien said coolly before retreating to the double doors. "It wasn't anything, Serena, just a kiss."
Serena knew what he meant, he didn't want her to think that the kiss meant more than it seemed. He didn't want their relationship to be anything more than what it already was. And Serena understood. She too, didn't want to get involved with him. The media followed his every move, his every sexual exploit was made known and well, she didn't want to be on the cover of all of Tokyo's magazines. Plus, she didn't want a man to complicate her life.
"You don't have to put me down or anything Darien, I feel the same way," She said.
Darien stopped as he was about to step through the doors. He turned to smile at her, "Good, it seems that you and I have an understanding. Oh and Serena," Darien said the second part in a teasing tone, "You were wrong."
"Wrong about what?"
"You can kiss pretty well to me," Darien said as he disappeared behind the door.
Serena blushed a deep crimson before walking into the mansion after him. Never, she decided, is she ever going to let Darien kiss her like that again. He was too handsome for his own good. No wonder why women flock to him. But she wasn't going to be like that. No, she didn't want anything else from him other than his friendship.