It's hump day down here in Aussie land (which means it's mid week) and time for another update! As I write this, I'm ever reminded of my upcoming statistics exam next week, and how I should really start studying for it. Yuck! But anyway,
Thanks to: Kiwi-margarita, buttaflykissesxoxo, Jenbunny, UniversalBunny, YingYing (Yes, haha her parents should've been told. Plot hole! XD), moon86, Moon Princess Selene, deedee, Terri, Miss Katrina Malfoy, Stacey, TaliMoonAngel668, LadyPeneloSolidor, ScarletL, Usako, CharmedSerenity3, sailormoon489, life705, IsadoraKayStone, SerentiyMoodGodness and SulliMike23 for reviewing the previous chapter.
This chapter is dedicated to Fedski, fellow Aussie and long time reviewer of my earlier stories. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Title: Akai Ito
Author: Crystal Saturn
Rated: T
Chapter: 8- Innocence Again
"Do you remember when
You were way back then
You held the world inside your hands
When you told me love was the strongest stuff
Your strength was innocence"
"Serena…" Darien gently called, but to no avail. He reached over and waved a hand through her face. His cool touch earned an irritated groan from the sleepy teen. "Serena, wake up."
"What do you want, Dar? Go away, I'm sleepy." Serena swatted through Darien's arm.
"Sere, I'm bored."
"Go do something." Serena grunted, becoming slightly annoyed, and rolled over.
"But… I made you… breakfast." Darien frowned as he looked over at his paper tray
"Breakfast?" Serena jolted up out of bed at the sound of a meal and followed his gaze toward the study table. "Darien… it's all paper." A mist blurred Serena's vision and Darien braced himself for a torrent of tears and disappointment. Serena glanced down at the meal made of paper. She brought the tray over to her bed and sat silently next to Darien. The tray contained a paper plate full of strips of paper bacon, paper eggs, paper tomatoes, paper mushrooms, a paper glass of orange juice and a paper bowl of paper melons and strawberries. As she stared at the tray of inedible food, Darien sat nervously. He didn't know what had motivated him to do such a thing. It was possibly the silliest activity he had ever undergone. Maybe he was starting to go a little crazy after all.
"Look… it's toast…" Darien pointed, nervously trying to break the silence. "It was the easiest to make… because it's just a square." Serena looked up from her breakfast tray with tears in her eyes. "The fork was probably the hardest to make…" He added meekly. "I'm sorry it's all paper but-"
"No one's ever made me breakfast in bed before." Serena squealed in excitement. She threw her arms upwards and moved to hug Darien, squeezing the air around and through him.
"I-I'm glad you like it…" He smiled in relief as he watched her pick up her paper utensils and pretended to eat his home made breakfast.
"Where are you getting all of this coloured paper?" Serena mock chewed on a piece of paper bacon.
"From the kindergarten, down the road." Darien shrugged, a little embarrassed.
"Well, it's delicious!" She giggled, playing along.
"Now I know you're lying." He grinned broadly. His heart soared through the clouds at the sight of how happy she was.
"Thank you for breakfast." Serena leant over and motioned to kiss Darien on the cheek. His heart thumped wildly in his ears as he feigned a relaxed composure. "Well, it's Saturday today, and since you followed me around, and to school for much of the week, we'll do what you want to do today." Serena set aside her paper tray breakfast on her study table and began the task of picking out her outfit for the day.
"No we shouldn't. I really don't do much on my weekends. I'm quite boring, really. Why don't we just do what you usually do on your weekend?" Darien watched Serena as she picked between a pink summer dress and a blue skirt.
"Come on, Darien. What's the first thing you do on a Saturday morning?"
"Well," He began, drifting back onto the bed. "I go down to the arcade for a morning coffee, say 'hi' to Andrew and just sit around waiting until you-" Darien ceased his train of thought. His cheeks flushed a bright crimson at the sound of his own honesty. Serena too, had stopped planning out her outfit to turn and stare blankly at the semi-transparent man before her.
"So… the arcade it is!" She broke eye contact and blushed slightly filling in the blanks of his sentence in her mind. It was probably best, she thought, if she changed the topic altogether, and she whisked herself away to the bathroom before another word could be said.
"Right, right jump! Jump! Jump! Shoot!"
"I can't concentrate with you yelling in my ear." Serena hissed quietly.
"You keep killing Sailor V. I'm just giving you tips." Darien hovered over the stool beside the teenage girl. "Look, see! You just killed her again. Her poor pixels never stood a chance…"
"I can do this! It's just a hard level and you keep yelling at me. It's distracting." Serena groaned, clenching her jaw in frustration.
"Let me help you." Darien stood behind Serena and leant over. He reached for Serena's hands on the controls. She shivered at his touch. It sent electrical pulses through her and manifested itself as horizontal lines of static on the game screen. "Sorry, it looks like I can't help you after all." Darien recoiled his hand swiftly.
"N-never mind." Serena hopped up quickly in an attempt to hide her nervousness at his touch. She pulled up a seat at the counter. "Andrew! May I please have one chocolate shake aaaand a long black coffee?"
"How did you know that's what I have?" Darien sat beside Serena.
"A coffee?" Andrew looked back at Serena, unsure.
"You always drink coffee." Serena turned to her invisible companion and whispered under her breath.
"Serena, who are you talking to?" Andrew raised his eyebrow in concern. "Are you feeling ok? Who's the coffee for?"
"I can't drink coffee in this state." Darien waved his hand through Serena's face.
"Coffee? Did I say coffee?" Serena giggled nervously while swatting Darien's hand away. "I'm such a ditz today! I didn't mean to ask for a coffee. I'm fine, really. Just ordered the wrong thing."
"Is this because Darien's in the hospital?" Andrew leaned against the counter. "I know it must be hard for you, but if you want, I have a break coming up soon. We can go visit him together."
"What?" Serena blushed profusely as she stared down at her hands. "Why would I… I mean…"
"Really, Sere? You know he's not around to hear you. You can be honest with me. You two thought you were so discreet with your flirting." Andrew smirked as he shook his head.
"Flirting?" Both Serena and Darien jolted up from their stools in complete embarrassment.
"It's obvious that you two have chemistry. You both care about each other very much. May I be as bold as to say that you both may even be in lov-"
"Good bye Andrew!" Serena jumped through Darien's apparition, half way across the arcade and out the sliding doors before Andrew could finish his line of thought.
"Well… how about we watch a movie?" Darien stretched his arms out behind him on the park bench.
"Umm… a movie? Just the two of us? Alone?" Serena's cheek flushed pink at the thought of being alone in a movie theatre with a boy.
"Sure. Friends do that sort of thing all the time right? Wait right here." Darien hopped up and headed over to the ticket booth of the local movie theatre.
"Right… friends. Of course." Serena failed to convince even herself with the lack of sincerity in her voice. "Is that all we are?" She asked herself and found the answer within her heart as clear as day. She relied less and less upon her memories of the Moon Kingdom, and Prince Endymion. Instead, she preferred to remember him as he was now. The man that never thought twice about teasing her hair style. The man that hurled sarcastic remarks and quips at her about her failing grades. The man that had made her a paper breakfast. The man that was currently stealing movie tickets and dancing about the park in an attempt to make it look like the wind was carrying them. Serena may have loved Prince Endymion in her past life, but she was falling in love with Darien in this one.
"Did you steal those tickets?" Serena frowned as Darien returned.
"No, I traded them in for a paper steak, an I.O.U and some monopoly money." Darien held out his hand. "A girl should never pay for her own movie ticket while on a date." He interrupted before Serena could object.
"A date? This is a date? We're… dating?" Serena reached for Darien's hand, pretending to let him help her up.
"Sure." Darien smiled warmly. "I don't see why we should let fate have all the fun."
. . .
*squee* A date! So how do you think this story is coming along? Hit that little review button and submit me your feedback. Thanks for all the reviews so far! Over 100! Yay! It makes me uber happy :)
Also, for all you eagerly awaiting the next installment of Summer Rain, it's coming. It'll be posted some time Saturday (or Friday if you're in the US). Until then, PLEASE REVIEW ^_^
Crystal Saturn
