An earthly scent filled the thick atmosphere, the indistinct smell of the fading autumn to winter. The city of Tokyo was once again about its usual bustling way of upbeat life, as the dense ominous clouds migrated west of the city. Under the growing sunshine, people baked in the humid temperature that followed the earlier downpour, as the light conquered over the dreary pall that loomed over the city. Crowds of people formed upon once empty streets, while cars zoomed back and forth on damp roads.
Among the crowd traveling through the Ginza District were two ladies, one a brunette while the other a blonde. To those watching, it was easy to tell the two were great friends as they chatted animatedly to themselves; the Brunette had an ecstatic expression on her face, while the other had a look of hesitancy.
Lita had finally convinced Serena to come out with her that afternoon to find a dress for Mina's party. The impending day was only within the next twenty-four hours and neither had any spare time for another shopping trip. Serena, feeling a bit unsure since she had only made up her mind to go just days before, allowed Lita to drag her through the many shopping areas in downtown Tokyo.
Hauling her blonde friend through the herd of people upon the sidewalk, Lita was able to maneuver them out of the maze of bodies and into a large department store at the corner of the street. She had been to the store times before but this time her sole purpose was to help Serena buy the perfect dress. Serena was not easy to shop with; she turned down every dress Lita suggested, and the brunette was getting more frustrated by the minute.
"Okay," Lita said as she held up an emerald colored dress, "How about this one?"
Serena didn't pull her gaze away from the rack of dresses as she asked, "How much is it?"
It took Lita several seconds to find the tag on the dress before replying, "It's within budget." She sighed with exasperation.
"What is the price, Lita," was Serena's clip response.
"Eleven thousand yen."
Serena looked up to analyze the dress after Lita's answer. She didn't like the daring plunge at the neck line…Oh! And the back, she thought to herself, the back was entirely too revealing!
"Emerald?" She remarked, "It's more of your color than it is mine."
"You'll look fine in it," Lita persisted.
"No I won't," she said stubbornly.
"Yes you will, come on, at least try it on!"
"I don't like it! It's ugly; do you understand now?"
Grumbling to herself, Lita roughly shoved the dress back onto the rack. The rest of the shopping trip continued in the same matter. With every dress that appealed to Lita, Serena rejected. It was either 'not her color', 'too revealing', or 'she just didn't like it'; and Lita's temper was on the verge of breaking.
"You know what, Serena?" Lita asked her as they came out of the store.
"What?"
"You're not ever gonna find a dress if you're gonna be so picky. And if you're gonna be picky, you should've started shopping a month ago. But you know what," Lita paused to glare at her blonde friend, "instead you delayed because you were acting like a brat!"
The smile that crossed Serena's lips were of regret and acceptance, "I know, I was wrong," she continued in a gruff voice, "Lets—lets just call it off then."
"No way, Serena," Lita rebuked, "I dragged you out here today to look for a dress, and that's exactly what we're gonna do!"
"No really," the blonde said, "I—I can't take any more of this; I'm just gonna go home."
Almost immediately Lita felt a pang of guilt hit her as she watched her friend let out a shaky sigh, "No, don't do that! I didn't mean to be so--"
"No," Serena persisted in a firm voice, "You're right. Thank you for enduring the hell I just put you through, Lita. I appreciate it…but I have things to do, okay?"
"I didn't mean to say—"
"The hell you didn't," Serena said with a small smile. "Look, its fine. I'll just have to see if I can go shopping later, or if I can find something to where at home."
"We can still go looking around; it's not like I had anything better to do…Hey! Where're you going? Serena! Serena, wait for me!"
Lita started at a sprint after Serena, but her petite friend was already blending into the crowd as she quickly dodged bodies to get to the other side of the street. Soon, Lita was so lost in the horde of people, she wasn't even sure if she were on the sidewalk or on the street. Like wild rapids in a wide river, she fought her way through the mass of people to get across to the sidewalk. She turned in circles, craning her neck to see over people trying to spot a patch of blonde hair but failed miserably.
As she finally made it to an open area, Lita sighed with exasperation. Something was up with Serena, that much she knew.
Sweet Dreams Bakery
Breathe. Just breathe, she told herself. Serena shook vehemently as she ran a shaky hand through her silky tendrils of golden hair. She couldn't breathe. There was a tightening in her chest, a feeling of her heart constricting, as though someone had slashed open her torso and had wrenched out her organ of love and clutched it in their hands, squeezing it in their powerful grasp as bloody droplets emitted from its contours. Her eyes stung as she fought back the tears that threatened to spill over her pale face. She sniffled lightly, leaning her weight on the pink countertop of the bakery.
She couldn't love him. It was damn near impossible to love a man like him. Darien was friendly, yes, but in all the time that she spent with him, his personality toward her was still aloof cordiality. He laughed, joked around, and listened to her with an aptness that she had always longed for a friend to do…but he never thought to look beyond her exterior persona. He remained indifferent, blind, to what really mattered to her. He didn't want to get involved, emotionally or physically. That was his motto.
Looking upon past times, she realized he never was an open person. Speaking of himself was limited to the questions that she asked him, and still she felt as though he withheld some truth from her. He was a mysterious figure, and that, Serena decided, was probably why she was drawn to him like this. Though his smiles were freely given, his laughter she had won. Now she hoped his critical eyes would soften when he looked upon her, a wish she knew he would never bestow without some significant offer from her.
The frown that he wore daily brought out the harshness of his features. The rough lines of his face were greatly defined this way, and only through a smile could she see the softening of his facial appearance and the boyish countenance that he had altered to become the man he was now. She wanted so very much to be his savior, but she knew it was most impractical of her to even dream such a dream.
Nevertheless, when he held her in his arms that afternoon, she felt safe, and so very secure. It felt right for her to be held by him, the world had stopped spinning in those short minutes as though time itself had frozen. She resented the fact that he could affect her with only his presence. If she wasn't careful, he could possibly shatter her world; a world that had changed in that one moment; it had stirred something in her…and that something had been love. The blonde sighed, an action she was doing quite frequently now.
"What the hell was that all about?" Lita yelled as she burst in through the back room of Sweet Dreams Bakery with a pink apron tied around her waist.
Serena snapped out of her thoughts, "What?"
Lita shot her a deadly gaze, "The whole thing with you ditching me in the middle of the Ginza District."
"Oh," Serena said nonchalantly, "I had to get here on time; you know how I've been so late."
The look on Lita's face told that she was unconvinced, but she yielded anyways, "If you say so…"
A silence fell between them. The tension was high as both struggled to find a topic to discuss.
Finally Serena broke the eerie silence with an outraged outburst, "What the hell do you want?"
A shock expression crossed Lita's face as she heard the ringing of the bells, signaling that a customer had entered. She looked towards the door and saw a tall, handsome looking man coming in their direction. The confident swagger in his stride made him appeal very much like a rebel.
"That's no way for you to talk to a customer, Serena," Lita hissed through clenched teeth, as she faked a bright smile, "Hi, welcome to Sweet Dreams Bakery; can I help you, sir?"
"Trust me," Serena seethed back, "He's no customer. He's one of Darien's pals."
Lita tossed her a stunned look, "You mean he's rich too?"
Serena solemnly nodded.
"Can we talk Serena?" Andrew asked.
"I'm working at the moment."
"It'll only take a sec." Andrew persisted.
"No, I'm busy; but if you come back later maybe I can spare you a few minutes of my time."
Andrew looked around at the empty bakery and winced at her rejection, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."
"How many times, Andrew," Serena said haughtily, "do I have to tell you that I accept your apology?"
"I want to be friends with you again," the blonde amended.
Lita was completely lost from the beginning of the conversation, "Look," She said to Serena, "Talk with him. I can cover for you."
Serena glared at her, "You're not helping."
"Hey, he's pretty cute," Lita remarked with a playful wink directed towards Andrew who smiled appreciatively.
"Fine," Serena relented, "Five minutes," she said as she pointed to him, "You're on the clock."
"Can we be friends?"
"I don't know Andrew, will you be able to be honest with me?" Serena asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes," Andrew bit out.
"Then we can be friends," Serena said in a bored voice. "Is that all you wanted to ask me?"
"I also wanted to know when you were gonna stop being a bitch; but it seems that you are inexorable," Andrew clipped.
"Well he is right about one thing, Serena," Lita laughed, "You are acting like a bitch."
"Stay out of this, Lita," Serena said, not even giving her a glance. "I don't see why I should be giving you my respect," she said to Andrew, challenging him to make her see reason.
"You agreed to be my friend did you not?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"Then with the title of 'friends' you've also relinquished to me your respect."
"I don't think so," Serena replied with a disgusted look on her face, "You need to earn my respect."
"Didn't I say I was sorry?"
"Cut the boy some slack, Serena," Lita cut in once more.
This time Serena turned to give her an icy stare, "I don't want to hear another word come from you, is that understood?"
Lita gulped and shrank under Serena's hard eyes.
"Look, Andrew," Serena said in a frustrated tone, "I don't want to deal with you, especially now. I've already got enough problems; I don't need more to worry about."
"Let me make it up to you," Andrew said with a hopeful smile.
Amused Serena raised an eyebrow as she studied his clean-shaved face. He was very cute, of course he was nothing compared to Darien though. Darien emanated so much power, beauty, and strength that no man compared to him. Or was it just all in her love-drugged mind?
"And how will you make it up?" She jeered.
"I'll take you out to dinner."
Serena blinked, surprised at his answer, "D-dinner, you want to take me out to dinner?" She stammered in a breathless voice.
Andrew nodded, "Give me this one chance."
"I-I don't know…" she said uncertainly.
"Just say yes," Lita offered.
"I-well-I don't know…"
"Come on," Andrew said with a broad and confident grin.
For some reason it reminded her very much of Darien's smile; his cocky and all knowing smile that always made her itch to slap off his face, except Darien's grin was more boyish, and his eyes were more lively. He had a way with looking like a little schoolboy when he was so far from being one.
"Okay," she answered, her head still filled with images of a smiling Darien.
Moonlit Café
She was being fidgety, Serena told herself as she sat in her seat. At five, she had gotten off work and headed straight home to get dressed to go out for dinner with Andrew. The whole time it took her to get home she couldn't believe she had consented. A year ago she would have been overjoyed at the thought of him asking her out, but now, she could care less. Instead, she felt like staying home, tucked nicely into bed, curling herself into a tight ball as moped over her stupidity for falling in love with such a man as Darien. A man she could never have.
Finding a simple black spaghetti-strapped dress in her closet she brought it out to lie upon her bed. Shestripped herself of her street clothes, leaving them in a heap upon her bedroom floor. Humming to herself she grabbed a white towel draped over a chair in the corner of her bedroom and carefully wrapped it around herself, before leaving for the bathroom. Serena had thought taking a nice long hot shower would soothe her anxiety but it did little help. Looking at herself in the mirror after she had finished dressing, she wondered if Darien would approve of her appearance. Unconsciously she knew it was he who she was dressing for, not for Andrew, and a sensation of guilt made it even harder for her to breathe. It hurt entirely too much to be in love.
And now, as she sat across the table from Andrew in the Moonlit Café, she felt like squirming in her seat under Andrew's watchful honey brown eyes. Damn, she thought to herself, she should've just been nice and sent him on his merry way, but instead she had been mean and evil, and now she had to suffer the consequences. If she survived the night without a breakdown, she would never be mean to a single person again…of course with the exception of Reizei.
Andrew studied his frightened date. He didn't know why she was acting so fidgety. Was he coming on too strong? All he wanted to do was show her a good time. He missed talking to her, and hearing her laugh, and listening to her jokes that weren't at all funny. She was very amusing.
"Look through the menu," Andrew suggested, "Order whatever you want."
"Does that mean you're paying," Serena asked with a small smile.
"Yes, it does."
Serena threw back her head and laughed, "Well then you better have a lot of money on you, rich boy, 'cause I may just clean you out."
Andrew grinned, liking the sound of her laughter, "Oh really?"
"Yep," Serena answered playfully.
"You're so small, though," Andrew noted as he let his eyes give her body an appreciative once-over.
"Don't judge a book by its cover!" Serena exclaimed. "I have a big appetite."
A chuckle escaped Andrew's lips, "Is that so? What do you like to eat?"
"Oh, just about everything!" Serena replied.
"Good, because here comes the waiter, and you better know what you want to eat," Andrew replied, with a twinkle in his eyes.
Lita's House
"Oh my god," Lita said as she opened her door. She had gotten home at seven and had been woken from her half hour nap by the ringing of the door bell. Thinking it was Serena coming from her date, Lita had sprinted toward the door with her hair in disarray and her clothes all wrinkled, to find that it was not Serena at all who was at her door, but Chiba Mamoru Darien.
Darien smiled at Lita's breathless remark. "Can I come in?" He asked. It was cold out and he had forgotten his jacket within his car. "This'll only take a minute."
"Please," Lita said, still a bit dazed as she scooted out of the doorway to let him in.
"You're just gonna invite a complete stranger into your apartment?" Darien asked teasingly.
"I didn't invite you."
"But you're letting me," Darien stated as he stepped into the room.
"Uh huh," Lita said, failing to say anything intelligent at all.
"I'm Chiba Mamoru Darien," Darien said, turning towards her with an extended hand.
Lita took the dangerously sexy man's hand in hers; her heart was pounding entirely too loudly. "I know who you are," she stated dumbly.
"Yes, and I know who you are, Lita" Darien replied with a soft smile as he tried to pry his hand away from her death grip.
"You do, how?"
"Serena told me."
"She told you where I lived too?"
"Actually, I had to have some of my men dig up that information." He replied with a gleam in his deep ocean blue eyes.
"You have men at your beck and call?" Lita asked with mystified eyes, "Of course you do! You're rich!"
"Um…can I get straight to the point here?" Darien asked, slightly impatient as he closed the door behind him.
"Yes, Mr. Chiba, you can. Please," Lita said, "Sit down." She indicated towards the couch.
Darien complied, setting his large rectangular box beside him. Lita sat in a chair across from him so she could study his face better. She did not notice the box when he had come in but now, she wondered why he had it.
"Has Serena found a dress for Mina's party yet?" Darien asked bluntly.
Lita blinked several times, "Um…no…"
"Give her this for me then." Darien ordered more than asked as he hand her the large white box.
Speechless, Lita grabbed the box, "Sure…uh…what's inside?"
"It's a dress," Darien replied coolly.
"Oh!" Lita blushed, "Thank you, she'd be so happy. I'll tell her you bought it for her."
"No, you won't."
"What?" Lita asked, confused at his order. She tried her hardest to avoid meeting his eyes; eyes that seemed to read write through hear as though analyzing each word she uttered, and each expression that came across her face.
"Tell her that you bought it for her."
"Why? And how come you just can't give it to her?" Lita's eyes were wide with curiosity as she studied the dark haired man in front of her as he casually lifted his ankle to set upon his knee.
"She wouldn't accept it if she knew I bought it," Darien simply replied.
"And you've come to that conclusion by…," Lita asked, setting down the box. She felt like crawling under a rock under his scrutinizing gaze. He seemed too calm and too collected. And his confident air was overpowering.
The look on her face as Darien scowled at her question suggested she was ready to run for cover, "Her damn pride would never allow her to accept it."
"Oh," Lita uttered, stunned by the note of sincerity in his voice toward Serena.
"Well," Darien said, standing up, "I've got to go—"
"It's very nice of you, you know?" Lita said softly, her emerald eyes now staring into his blue ones, finding her courage. "To go through the trouble of finding her a dress and all."
"It's no problem," Darien said with a shrug, sitting back down onto the old moth-eaten couch.
"Serena and I were childhood friends, you know," Lita said in a voice that seemed lost to her, "And she's been tough, braving the world and holding the burden of her responsibilities on her shoulders since she was a little girl. When she started at Akita, you wouldn't believe her complaints. There were many things she didn't like about the rich…no offense."
Darien gave her a wary smile that hid his curiosity for this insight on Serena. Of the many things he knew about her, she never spoke of her past, and so he knew little—if anything—at all about her childhood. "Really, and what were her complaints?" He enquired lightly.
"Oh, they were pretty much about how she wanted to pound the living day lights out of you and your friends," Lita answered.
Lita raised a questioning eyebrow at him as she observed him throw back his head and let out a shout of laughter. Darien had a wonderful laugh, Lita thought. In the dim light of her tiny living room Darien's skin took on the appearance of sun baked bronze. His thick ebony hair shifted with his slightest movements as he continued to express his amusement. She noticed his rippling muscles beneath his white polo shirt, her eyes running over the unending knots of pure manly power. This man was a god, she thought.
As his laughter subsided Darien remarked, "What did she say?"
"Oh you don't want to know," Lita replied playfully.
"That bad, huh?" Darien questioned with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes.
"Well, it wasn't—yeah, she was down right brutal," Lita replied.
"I want to thank you for making her life at Akita so much more bearable," she continued to say after a pause. "You've started to make me jealous actually."
"Really?" Darien drawled giving her a charming smile.
"Yeah!" Lita exclaimed with sham gravity, "You've been taking up all her time. All she does is hang with you, I feel like I'm second best!"
Darien chuckled good-naturedly at her outburst, "That's because you are second best."
"You really care for Serena, don't you?" Lita stated more than asked as she related the soft expression that came to his face each time she spoke of Serena.
"She is a friend," Darien replied after a moments thought.
Lita nodded, and stood to open the door for him. "You were about to leave," she reminded him.
"Thanks," Darien said to her as he stepped out into the night.
"No problem," Lita said as she watched him turn to leave.
"I assume I'll be seeing you tomorrow night," Lita shouted at his retreating back.
She watched as Darien stopped, and then slowly turned back to smile at her, "You bet," he shouted back; and then he turned around and began walking away again.
In silence Lita watched Darien get into his car and drive off into the dark night; leaving her alone with the crickets singing in the grass that hid them from predators. Slowly she closed the door; locking it.
"Serena loves you," Lita said as she rested her forehead on the door, "more than anything."
She had known Serena for almost all her life—well since Serena had been four, and even though Serena had chosen not to tell her this fact; she knew what Serena was feeling. Too bad, she thought, Darien just couldn't see it.
Moonlit Café
Serena's concentration was rarely addressed to conversation with Andrew. His words were droned out with the many thoughts that seemed to be screaming in her head. She laughed at his jokes and smiled appreciatively at his comments, but she was only so very polite. Little did she speak, for it was getting harder for her to draw a single breath. And the extravagant café's walls seemed to be closing in on her, trapping her.
She was not at all claustrophobic; that for sure, Serena knew. And by the minute her chest seemed to be getting tighter and tighter; her heart was rapidly beating as beads of sweat appeared upon her silky skin. If this is love, Serena thought darkly, please just shoot me now and get it all over with!
Andrew carefully examined Serena's face; its creamy color drained to an alabaster white. He noticed her quick shallow breaths with concern on his brows. Her spunky personality had disappeared during their meal, and instead she had become a bit panicky. He frowned at her sudden change of mood, watching her eyes dart from one side of the room to the other. He'd thought that taking her to Tokyo's most romantic café would lighten her mood just a little bit, but it seemed he was wrong. The atmosphere was good, the food wasn't at all horrible, and he was sure he had not insulted her; and so why was she looking so forlorn?
"Are you okay?" He asked thoughtfully.
Serena nodded, "I'm fine."
"You sure?" Great concern was in his voice.
"Yeah," she answered slowly, not making eye contact with him, "I think I just ate too much, that's all."
Andrew smiled, "Tell me about it," He teased, "You had 3 appetizer dishes, thirteen sushi rolls, and then steak with stuff potatoes; not to mention the fried shrimps, soup and salad. For desert you had a piece of apple pie, a piece of chocolate cake, and you've just finished your vanilla ice cream. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the reason as to why you're looking a little sick."
Serena nervously chuckled, "I'm a growing girl!"
"You know, most 'growing girls' tend to eat less so they won't become fat," Andrew teased.
"Yeah, well I don't intend to starve myself to look nice for anyone," Serena replied, "I only need to look nice for myself…" her voice trailed, and for Darien, she added silently. Andrew didn't need to know that part.
Seeing the solemn expression coming onto her face, Andrew tried to make her laugh, "Between you and that man over there," Andrew said with a tilt of his head, "I don't know who eats the most."
Curious, Serena turned her head to stare in the direction Andrew indicated. Her gaze got lost in the many people eating together; for a fleeting second her mind registered that the lot of the people consisted of young couples who appeared to be all socialites; and then finally her eyes fell upon the man. She almost burst into fits of laughter as the image drove her previous thoughts from out of her head.
The man was huge. He had so many curves it was hard to tell where one began and where it ended; it was layer of drooping layer of skin upon each other. There was no neck; or rather, there appeared to be no neck for his round head was attached only to the bulging mass of his body. She watched in astonishment as his pudgy hands gripped his knife and fork as he delicately cut a piece of steak before him; there were already two large piles of dirty plates beside him.
Serena turned to stare at Andrew with her mouth open in amazement before bursting into uncontrollable laughter, "That is so mean!" Despite her exclamation, she still giggled. Her cheeks began to gain color; the rosy red tint helping her complexion to make her look even more delectable under Andrew's eyes.
"I didn't insult him at all," Andrew drawled with humor, "I don't know what you were thinking, though."
Serena opened her mouth and gasped, "It's what you implied! And don't make it sound like I'm the mean one here!"
The blond man chuckled lightly, "I merely said I wouldn't know which of you ate the most!"
"Exactly! Meaning that you assumed he is as large as he is because he eats a lot!" Serena shouted with a smile.
"No," Andrew contradicted, "Judging by the stack of plates he has beside him, doll. I was judging by the number of plates next to him, not his size! So you see you're the mean one!" Andrew laughed at the look of disbelief on the stunning woman's face.
"Crap," she whispered, "You've caught me."
Outside of Serena's Apartment
His unanswered knocking on Serena's apartment door irritated him to no end. Apparently no one was home; however it didn't stop him from hoping that a droopy-eyed Serena would come opening the door, yelling at him for ruining her dream of ice cream sundaes and chocolate chip cookies. In no particular hurry, Darien decided to wait patiently for Serena to get home from wherever she had gone for the moment. She shouldn't be gone long, he told himself, for where would she possibly go on a night like this?
Staring up into the dark sky above, Darien shivered. How alone he felt at that instant, as he gazed into the endless midnight blue that went on for millions, and billions of miles more. The countless balls of burning gas in the sky winked at him from distances he could hardly imagine could ever be reached.
The insignificance of his life in such an enormous world overwhelmed him. His whole life he worked to obtain greatness, to be of some importance when he would no longer be part of the living, but the very feeling of being nothing but another speck in an ocean of stars angered him. Darien sighed and dropped his head down from its upturn position towards the sky. He rubbed his weary face with his hand, where the hell was she, he thought. An hour passed as he waited patiently for the blonde woman to get home. He had a gift to give her.
As though in answer to his unspoken question a green car drove up to the apartment building. Darien raised an arm to shield his eyes from the brilliant beams of light that shot from the car, as he listened to the roaring engine of the automobile fade to nothing. Slowly he let his hand fall to his side as he squinted at the manly form who exited from the vehicle. The tall man, Darien observed, walked around the car to open the door on the other side. He sidestepped to help a lady out of the passenger seat. Darien's eyes lowered dangerously as he caught a glimpse of her face in the faint light of the streetlamp; it was Serena. And the man was none other than Andrew.
It was strange how a furry burned in him as he watched Serena smile up at his friend as she stepped out of the car. He was near mutinous as Andrew pulled her into an embrace, but was slightly pacified when Serena abruptly pushed away from him. A nervous chuckle could be heard from the girl as she spoke something unintelligible to Darien's ears due to his distance; an excuse probably, he told himself. She looked very beautiful in her simple black dress, Darien noted, however it would do her better to where a diamond around slender neck. She would look much lovelier in the gown he bought her though.
Quietly Darien watched as Andrew took Serena's hand in his. Incredibly displeased by the rapid pulse of his heartbeat, Darien frowned as Andrew brought the two of them into close proximity, lowering his head down to meet hers. Damn it, Darien thought darkly, what was wrong with him? So Serena and Andrew were going out, what was it to him anyways? Despite his protests he couldn't help but feel an anger rise in him as he watched Andrew's advances over Serena. It was as though a pang of jealousy had hit him and he felt like shouting at the two. Didn't Andrew know any better than to kiss Serena in the public; anyone could be watching! Darien's hands were clenched into fists; his knuckles turning white at the pressure he exerted on them.
And then Darien's pain was alleviated.
Serena had turn her head at the last moment before Andrew's lips could touch hers. A smile formed on Darien's lip, a cocky and arrogant grin. Oddly, he felt proud of Serena.
Andrew's lip lightly grazed her check. The blond man let his lips linger there for a moment, hurt by her rejection, before pulling away. He saw the color flooding her cheeks, and gave her a soft smile to hide his injured feelings. She wouldn't look at him.
"Too early for a kiss on the first date, huh?" he said.
Serena nodded, her head still turned.
"The second date then? Can I get my kiss then?" His voice was hopeful.
Achingly Serena turned her head; however she still refused to look at him, "Look Andrew," she said gruffly, "I just want us just to be friends—"
"No you don't," he interrupted. "You're still angry at me, that's all. But it's okay, I'll wait for you."
Serena shook her head, finally drawing up her strength to look him in the eyes, "I'm sorry, Andrew, but I'm afraid I don't like you like that."
"You're not thinking clearly, I understand how you feel," he smiled, and patted her on the head. "I'm gonna go now," he said as he turned away.
"No, Andrew, I'm serious!" Serena said firmly at his back.
The man opened the car door and turned to stare at her, "No you're not," he persisted with a goofy smile, "I'll make you see that you still care for me."
Before Serena could make a retort Andrew had already shut the door and drove off. Serena frowned into the darkness as she watched his red taillights zoom away. How silly she must have been to have thought herself in love with a man like him, she thought. Andrew was a sweet guy…though entirely too persistent, but in comparison to Darien, he was nothing to her. She stamped her foot in frustration. She didn't want to lead the poor guy on. Turning away from the street, Serena made her way up the wooden stairs with her purse in hand, careful not to miss a step or trip in her heels.
What an eventful day it had been, Serena reflected. First her little rendezvous in the rain with Darien, then her catastrophic shopping trip with Lita, and now her date with Andrew. She shook her head, when did life turn so complicated? Digging into the single pocket of her purse, Serena tried to extract her house key from within it. She groaned in frustration when they evaded her grasp.
With her head bent, looking into her purse, Serena was not likely to have seen Darien standing just behind the shadows observing her. Coming to a stop in front of the door, Serena was able to give her full attention to finding her key. After a few moments she was able to pull it out. "Ah hah," she said with glee, before sticking it into the keyhole.
"Had fun?"
Serena shouted with fright at Darien's husky voice. She turned to stare at him with horror struck eyes, and then with eyes filled with relief as she saw that it was only him, until finally turning into burning anger. Her hand shot up to place over her heart, which pounded a thousand beats per second.
"Oh shit," she breathed, "don't scare me like that!"
The little laugh that came from Darien made Serena seethe with greater fury, "It's not funny! You scared the crap out of me! I nearly peed in my underwear!" She exclaimed with dismay.
At her remark Darien's laughter only increased, "Damn you," Serena said darkly, trying to hide her reaction to him.
"Gosh," she said as his laughter subsided, "How do you always sneak up on me like that?"
"Are you seriously going to ask me that question again?" Darien said with a smile.
The petite girl chuckled, "You don't have to answer that."
"It's not as if I was going to anyways," Darien replied. "Are you going to invite me in?" He asked, eyeing the door.
Serena shook her head, "I don't think so," she replied, "my parents aren't home." She did her best to veil her trembling voice, but it seemed to her that it only made her sound frightened.
Darien's eyes looked down into hers, "What are you afraid of?"
"Nothing!" Serena quickly shouted.
At her quick response Darien frowned, "I've come to give you something." He said, changing the subject.
Nodding, Serena said, "What is it?"
"Guess," he said lightly.
Serena scowled at him, "I hate guessing!"
"Too bad," he drawled teasingly, "You have to guess or else I'm not giving it to you."
The adorable pout that crossed Serena's lips made Darien long to kiss them, but he refrained.
"Alright then," she said, "is it…a…oh come on!" she shouted, "Just give it to me!"
Serena watched as Darien shook his head at her, and reached into his pocket to withdraw a tiny rectangular box wrapped in silver wrapping paper. He held it out to her, "You shouldn't have," she said, as she extended her hand to retrieve the gift.
Darien pulled the box away from her, and smiled, "Not until you guess."
The blonde stuck out her tongue at him, "Fine then," she said, "I don't want it." And she turned to unlock the door.
Darien's eyes gleamed, "Alright then," he said, "If that's what you want." And slowly he turned to leave.
"Darien!" Serena shouted.
Smiling inwardly, Darien was outwardly composed as he turned to stare at Serena, "Yes?"
"What's inside the box?"
"Only if you guess," Darien said once again, enjoying the expression on Serena's face.
"Gr," she growled, "fine. Is it a…key to my very own foreign car?" She joked lightly.
A gust of wind blew as Darien laughed, "Nope. But that was my second option."
Serena gasped, "You're not serious are you? Cause you better not have!"
Darien shook his dark head, "I was joking. Here," he said, giving her the box, "open it."
Carefully Serena peeled off the tape, slowly unraveling the present, "Can you hurry up?" Darien said impatiently.
"No."
"It's just wrapping paper," Darien said with irritation as Serena set the box down on the ledge around the roof, to fold the wrapping paper into a neat square.
Grabbing the box in an attempt to open the package for her, Darien was thwarted when Serena launched herself at him, "Get your hands off my present!"
"I bought it!" he exclaimed.
When she had the box in her hands once more Serena glared at him, "Mine," she purred.
"Just hurry up."
With wobbly hands Serena lifted the top of the box off to reveal…, "A cell pone?"
Darien nodded, and reached into his pocket to take out his, "It's so that I can contact you."
"You really shouldn't have," Serena said shakily.
"You don't like it?" Darien asked.
"No, it's not that," Serena said abruptly, "It's just that it was probably really expensive and…well…I don't think I can afford to pay the phone bill."
"It's okay," Darien said, "I'm paying for it all. Besides, it's only so that I can call you."
"I—thank you," Serena said.
"It'll come in handy when I want to talk to you late at night, you know, when I can't go to sleep," Darien said sincerely.
The tears that Serena had been withholding all day long broke the dam that she had built at that moment. In panic Darien pulled her into his arms, and ran a hand through her hair, "What's wrong? Did I make you cry?"
"No, no," Serena said, "It's just that…I'm overwhelmed. Why would you want to speak to me anyways?"
"Oh don't you know?" Darien said with a smile, "You can always make me feel better! It would be nice to hear your voice before I fall asleep."
Inundated by his unintentional sweet words Serena pushed away from him, "I—I have to go inside now." She said.
Darien only nodded at her, understanding her predicament, "Go ahead," he replied.
Serena nodded her good-bye, and then opened the door to her apartment and went inside; leaving a perplex Darien behind. After a moment Darien scratched his head then turned to leave. How very odd of her, he thought, in all the time he'd spent with her he'd never seen her shed a single tear.
Chiba's Mansion
The resounding thud of Elaine's hand coming into contact with Darien's face set a silence among the family members in the study. Darien's cheek glowed red form his mother's slap. The elder lady was breathing in shallow breaths as she glared at her son, fire dancing in her eyes of blue. Her regal features were harsh with the outrage that emanated from her.
"I've told you time and time before to avoid creating scandals! And look what I found upon arriving home today!" She shouted her voice shrill, "Two magazines with scandals created by you and your women!"
Rei's eyes watered with pain for her brother, "Mom, please—"
"I don't want to hear anything from you Rei! I'm speaking with your brother!" She turned her gaze back onto Darien; "Well!" she barked at him, "What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Father, please," Rei exclaimed, "Darien didn't do anything wrong!"
Mr. Chiba lounged upon an arm chair observing Darien's hardened face, "I wouldn't be talking if I were you, Rei," he warned not even looking at her, "a daughter who quits school is no daughter of mine."
Gasping at her father's cold set down Rei backed away from him, "I haven't quit school!"
"You two are a disgrace!" Elaine shouted, throwing her hands in the air for emphasis. "The next time you go to a hotel with this—this Reizei—be sure you're at least discreet!" she berated Darien, who only observed her with an air of indifference, "And this blonde you were found holding underneath a tree with, you should know better than to do this type of stuff in public!"
At the mention of the earlier event that day Darien's eyes flashed with concern, "That only happened this morning, how did it already get out into the papers?" His voice appeared to be cold and detached, though internally he feared that he had wronged Serena in the eyes of the public.
"Tokyo Teens called me today to see if I knew who the young lady was! Luckily I was able to bribe them from displaying such a humiliating thing on the cover of their magazine!"
Darien, relieved that nothing had been published about Serena, returned to his aloof persona, "That's good to here," he drawled.
His remark earned him another slap in the face, "I paid them off with 115,665 yen, you ungrateful child! It was hard-earned money!"
"And you, Rei!" Elaine shouted, pointing an elegant finger at her daughter, "You dropped out of school in the States without ever consulting your father or me! What were you thinking? Do you think it's just play money that we used to send you there, and to put you into a top University?"
Rei shook her head, "You better look me in the eye and answer me!" Elaine screamed.
Rei did just that, and in return her mother began to assault her; kicking her, slapping her, pulling her hair. And all the while Rei sobbed in mercy.
"Please," Rei begged, "I can explain!"
Sickened by his mother's cruelty Darien grabbed her hand before it could strike Rei once more, "You have no right to do what you are doing." He said in a low voice.
Elaine's eyes widened, "Should I have your father teach you a lesson, boy? I have every right to treat you two as so for besmirching our family name!" She swung her other hand, which had been clutching Rei's hair, at Darien, but he caught it easily.
"You dare defy me!" Elaine shouted.
"You will not touch her," Darien said with finality, letting go of his mother's hands, before dragging Rei from the room.
As he closed the door he saw the look of outrage on his father's face; a muscle moved spasmodically in the side of his cheek that burned red with his fury. Darien shook at the sight; Rei was lucky it hadn't been their father who had beaten her. Because if it was him, there was little Darien could have done to save her.
Darien held a sleeping Rei in his arms as they lay upon his bed. Every once in a while she would hiccup, a sign that she had cried herself to sleep. He looked down at her tear streaked face, and sadness washed over him. He should have protected her better, but he failed in the task. He stroked her hair soothingly, and kissed her forehead. To top it off, he almost got Serena's honor besmirched for his carelessness that afternoon. He didn't want to hurt her; the published story would have caused her family great trauma if reporters learned of their financial standings. Darien sighed and shook his head; Serena didn't need anymore problems in her life, he thought, he would do better to guard her image and his family name next time.
Picking up his cell phone, Darien looked at it for a moment, as though debating with himself to call Serena. Having her on speed-dial, Darien pressed two. At the first ring he hung up. It was late, he decided, she was probably sleeping. He resolved to go to bed.
Serena's Dream
"Go Serena," a female voice shouted, "Run away!"
The little blonde girl turned to stare at her mother, "Are you coming, Mommy?" She asked with wide eyes filled with fear.
The tall blonde shook her head, "Go now! Before the men get you! I'll try to hold them off!"
"But Mommy," the tiny girl shouted, "I want you to come with me!"
"No, Serena, you must run!"
"Why are they in our house?" Serena began to sob
"Because they're bad men who wants to take our money. Will you be a good girl?" The lady asked.
Serena nodded, "Yes mommy."
"Then do as I say, and leave through the secret passage way!"
A loud boom was heard from somewhere within the mansion. The tiny girl flinched, "Will you be okay?" She directed her question to her mother.
"Yes," she replied, before kissing the child on her forehead and directing her to the passageway that was hidden underneath the floorboards, "Here Serena," she said, stopping the girl, "Take this necklace," her mother removed the jewlery that hung from her neck and placed it around the neck of her daughter's. "Don't loose it, now." She cautioned.
Serena nodded, "How old are you now, child?" Her mother asked.
"I'm four."
"I'll find you again, darling! I swear I'll find you before your twenty-first birthday! Now go, and remember that I love you, Serena! I love you!"
Darkness devoured the little girl's vision as her mother swung the floorboards over the opening passageway. She stopped momentarily on her journey down the dark stairs as she heard a loud boom from up above.
"It's over Serenity," a hideous male voice said.
And then she heard her mother's scream of agony. Silence only ensued.
Serena woke with a start. She was drenched in cold sweat; her breathing labored. What was it that she had dreamed about? It was the same dream she had been having for a long while now. But it was different somehow. There had been much more details than just the frantic voices of her younger self and that lady who she had called Mother. It was all preposterous though, she reasoned. Her mother and father were in their own beds at the moment.
What was the name of her Mother in the dream? In her previous visions, she had never learnt the name of the women. But the dream had become much more detailed, it revealed of a plot that explained the conflict within it. Men had broken into the house to try to take something of great value. Money, the woman had said, Serena remember. The men had wanted to take their money. She frowned, what did it all mean?
Turning in her bed Serena's gaze fell upon her gift on the nightstand. With trembling hands she grabbed it. She stayed like that for a minute or so with her cell phone clutched in her hand, debating on whether she should call Darien. It was already one in the morning, Serena noted, as she looked at the time. It was too late to call him, she decided, before placing her cell phone back onto the nightstand.
She fell asleep thinking of Darien's sweet words. He wanted her to be the last person he spoke to before he fell asleep; too bad he just didn't understand how touching his words had been to her.
"I got it!" Serena shouted as she walked out of the bathroom with her toothbrush in hand. She had woken up at nine that morning to make breakfast, and now she had just finished brushing her teeth before she would wake up her parents to come and eat the morning meal. As she passed her parent's bedroom, Serena heard the snoring of her father and the grumbling of her mother, and smiled.
"Who is it?" Serena called to the other side of the door.
"It's me!" Lita shouted.
Surprised, Serena quickly unlocked the door and opened it. "What are you doing here at ten in the morning? We haven't even eaten breakfast yet!"
The brunette laughed, "Unlike you and your family, the rest of the world dines before ten."
"Har, har," Serena said, sidestepping to allow her friend entry into the apartment. "So," she said, observing the package Lita held in her hands, "What are you doing here?"
"What?" Lita asked, "Can't a friend just come over to help a friend get ready for a party tonight?"
Serena grunted, "Um the party begins at six Lita."
"Believe me, sister, you've got to get ready hours in advance for these types of things."
A small smile appeared on Serena's lips, "Yeah, since I've got to find something nice to wear too." Lita followed her friend into her bedroom.
"No worries, Serena," Lita said with a bright smile, "Your friend's got your back! Look at what I've brought for you!" She handed Serena Darien's gift.
"Oh no Lita, you didn't have to!" She protested.
"It was no problem really," Lita said.
Serena sighed, "First a gift from Darien and then a gift from you. Did someone change my birthday?"
Astonished by Serena's admission, Lita asked, "D-Darien b-bought you something too?" She stuttered terribly, "What did he get you?"
"Look on my nightstand," Serena answered.
Confused, Lita did as she was told; she looked at the disarray of papers, the stacks of novels, and the extra change that littered the top of Serena's nightstand. "I don't see anything."
"It's right here," Serena said as she pulled it from underneath a sheet of paper that had moved to cover the phone.
With wide eyes, Lita took the gift in her hands, "He got you a cell phone too?"
"No, just a cell phone. What else could he possibly have given me?" Serena laughed.
Lita paled, and then chucked to conceal her mistake, "Heh, yeah. You know what I mean. Open the gift!" She averted the conversation.
"Okay, okay," Serena said with a happy smile.
Slowly Serena began to lift the top off the box, and began to remove the dress from the white tissue paper.
"I hope you like it," Lita said, even though she had never seen the dress herself.
"So do I," Serena replied; Lita slapped her over the head playfully.
"You better like it!" Lita shouted with mock anger.
Serena was speechless as she looked at the beautiful dress that she beheld in her hands, "How much did you pay for this?"
Lita heard the rage in her voice, "Only 17,349 yen! It…was on, uh, sale! Yeah, it was on sale!"
The blonde's eyes lowered with suspicion. Finally after a moment, she looked at the dress again. "Thank you," she whispered, "I love it!"