A/n: Sorry the title sucks, but there wasn't just one thing to name the chapter except this.
The Day After
"Serena, how was the business trip?" Lita asked Tuesday after school at the Arcade.
"Oh it was awesome at least the shopping part," Serena commented as she sat down. Her math teacher had been forced by the district to have the tutoring sessions done in his classroom. She was very tired and didn't know if she really wanted to stay and give the girls their presents or go home and wait until tomorrow.
" Oh no I have swim try-outs tomorrow, I couldn't possibly find the time tomorrow." Serena thought."Stupid coach always wanting to practice early, as if it wasn't bad enough he made all eighth graders go to swim camp whether they were trying out or not."
"So where did you go this time?" Amy asked.
"Saudi Arabia."
"Oh no Serena I hope those awful religious police didn't hurt you," Amy cried.
"Religious police?" Mina asked sipping her soda. Serena promptly explained the way Saudi Arabia was run and its religious police. After informing them about her new friend Adara and her father's business.
"Which brings me to give you these, you're own personal perfume scents, smell." They all grabbed the bottle Serena had given them happily and opened them. They all sighed in delight.
"Mines is like a sweet smelling fire," Raye commented.
"Oh mines smells like cakes and pies, hmm...makes me wanna go bake something," Lita said.
"Yea, I know that's why I got it for you," Serena replied. They all laughed.
"What does your perfume smell like Amy?" Mina asked.
"Oh its a beautiful new book smell except a whole lot sweeter." They all smelled, it was true. Not many people could appreciate the smell of a new book, but now they could.
"What about you Mina?" Lita asked.
"Oh well there's no definite way to describe it except love," Mina sighed. Obviously she was smitten with her perfume. They all smelled and sighed she had.
"Oh I could smell these forever," Raye said."Thanks meatball you did good on this one."
"Just for calling me that I really shouldn't give you the other presents I got you," Serena commented.
"Oh Serena I was only playing of course I'll stop to get all my presents from you," Raye laughed. They all joined in.
"After we eat though I'm starved and I don't think I can wait until we get to Serena's house." They ordered food and soon were eating and discussing Serena's trip.
"Hey when's your party, your birthday is Friday and I haven't gotten an invitation yet, everyone is dying to go shopping so they have the perfect dress."
"I know, but Daddy says we're not doing anything for my birthday this year, it seems that the oil company is taking up a lot of his time and he had to cancel." They nodded sadly as Serena frowned too."He told me this morning and I still don't know what he had planned." Darien walked in just as they were leaving and Serena didn't even look his way as Amy was talking to her and she didn't want to give away her feelings. Darien however did look at her and almost said something until he remembered what she'd said about Amy and all that other stuff.
"Hey Andrew!" Darien called just as the door closed.
"Hey Darien, what's up?" Andrew asked."Comin' to the club tonight?"
"No, I'll be here this Saturday."
"Oh no can do, you've got have personal invitation from Tsukinos to get into here Saturday night."
"What!" Darien exclaimed not use to having to be on a guest list to get into Andrew's club."Why?"
"Duh numb skull its Serena's birthday Friday, which is strictly present day, the day after her parents give her a party. This is going to be the biggest one yet, and its at my club."
"Serena's birthday is this Friday, why didn't she tell me?"
"Maybe because she hates you."
"Well hey I'm changing, and things are different now."
"I know what you're thinking man and I say stop it before you start it. Do you wanna be on Amy Radar permanently?"
"No, and I don't intend to be on it ever," Darien stated frustrated at Andrew for bringing up Serena's age again.
"Newsflash you're already on it buddy, right now your name is clear, but pretty soon you're gonna be fucked up like the rest of the poor saps in our grade."
"Well so will you if Ms. Mizuno finds out you're fuckin' her best friend on a daily basis!" Darien whispered. Andrew growled knowing he'd taken great lengths to keep Amy from being suspicious of him and Lita.
"I swear you better not hurt her or you'll have me to deal with."
"Believe me Andrew I will be doing my best to make sure Serena is never hurt especially by me." Later that day when the street lights had come on and the streets were emptied of its companions Serena waited patiently in the park for Darien with her favorite puppy Kaori. She had decided that she would take him for his nightly walk seeing as she hadn't spent any time with him. She'd been showering all her love on Duchess, and Duchess had sadly departed this world. Besides Luna had ran off after their return from Saudi Arabia and Serena hadn't seen her since even after sending out workers to search for her beloved new pet.
"Nice dog," Darien commented stepping out of the shadows, he bowed and offered her a rose. She giggled and curtsied in return before accepting it.
"Thanks, he's very beautiful."
"What breed?" Darien asked inspecting him with his eyes. He wasn't very big and had probably been a live only a few months, yet very well behaved.
"He's a mixed breed actually Siberian Husky and German Shepard."
"Where'd you get him?" Darien asked amazed.
"Oh I found him and his siblings in a box this July, they were all dead except him, the man was about to bash his head in with a rock too, but I said I'd take him. Only thing I asked after that was the breed before taking the poor puppy away."
"Oh poor thing, but hey this outta brighten you up, Luna came back to the house, so I brought her with me. He opened the box she hadn't noticed him holding to reveal Luna.
"Luna!" Serena exclaimed happily."I've been worried sick about you!" Darien chuckled at the way she scolded Luna as if she were a naughty child. It made him laugh even more when Luna seemed to be listening to her. She introduced Luna to Kaori before standing up straight again with Luna in her arms and a careful hold on Kaori's leash.
"So why did we have to meet out here in a dark park?" Darien asked.
"You know why, and anyway I brought you something back from my trip." She handed him the package and smiled as his eyes went wide with disbelief.
"Oh wow I can't believe you even found this," Darien said as he looked at his new gold ipod. Serena had considered giving him the cologne, but it was reserved for his birthday and so was her favorite scent. She frowned as she thought her sixteenth birthday, and how she wasn't going to have the big party she had always dreamed of.
"Why are you frowning?" Darien asked.
"Papa canceled whatever party plans he had for my birthday, because he has to go on another stupid business trip."
"And I suppose you'll have to go," Darien replied sadly.
"No, no I'm to remain home all weekend doing absolutely nothing." She gave a fustrated sigh."I'll probably sneak out to club Arcade though, there's no way I'm staying home." Darien nodded knowing that there was indeed a party going on. Andrew had just finished discussing the theme so Darien could crash the party virtually unnoticed.
"Shame, to bad I have to work all day and half the night or I'd take you out to do something special." Serena frowned.
"Not you too," She groaned.
"What do you mean?" Darien asked.
"After the girls I left the Arcade we went to my place, and than all of a sudden after we'd made plans to celebrate each of them except Lita suddenly had something to do, that they could not miss." Darien nodded suspecting that Lita was going to be distracting Serena all of Saturday or she'd never be surprised.
"I thought Mina's birthday was Saturday," Darien replied.
"Not by law," Serena replied."Technically her birthday is Sunday, but we usually celebrate it the day after to keep the party going." Darien laughed.
"I can't believe you guys would celebrate each others birthdays early just to keep the party going."
"Yea, but do you know I booked Andrew's club for the entire afternoon and all night Sunday for her birthday party and now she won't even be here. I sent out invitations and everything not even bothering to focus on my own party that my father probably set up some little girl theme without my constent supervision, but now I don't even have that." Darien could tell she was angry and comforted her.
"There, there how about we both celebrate Mina's birthday except we'll celebrate your birthday and we'll be all alone. I'm sure Andrew won't mine as long as he's getting paid." Serena nodded loving the feel of his arms around her as he enveloped her into a hug. He kissed the top of her head and she pulled him into the shadows to share a much more passionate kiss. From a far they would look like siblings, the older one comforting the younger, but in the shadows they looked like lovers.
"Stop, I have to get back home, good night Darien." She picked up Luna who was now running after Kaori who was chasing a bug. Next Serena grabbed Kaori's leash and ran off before Darien could even speak.
"Good night my ass, " He muttered before walking off into the night back to his car. He hadn't even asked her out on the second date he knew would actually transpire.
'Damn that man he makes my blood boil with passion," Serena thought as she ran back home, before they became worried and started questioning her.
"Serena why are your cheeks all red?" Sammy asked when she came in and took off her shoes. She put Luna down and took the leash of Kaori.
"I was running and it was could out fungus, so don't worry about it, where's the parentals?"
"Out to dinner as usual on a Tuesday night," Sammy said before getting back to his video games.
"Gees at fourteen you'd think you'd have out grown those things," Serena commented.
"Oh you're one to talk I know about your secret stash of Sailor V games, I'll tell mom her precious daughter is still playing them even after she told her not too."
"Do that and I'll tell Dad you've been paying off your teachers to give you good test scores."
"I'll tell dad that you were just acting dumb and that you're not just trying harder in school."
"Do that he'll find out you've never done a single piece of homework in your life Sammy."
"I swear if you tell dad you've been doing my homework for a very large price I might add, I'll tell him that every now and again you're the stripper. Usagi I believe your stage name is." Serena kept a straight face.
"Its just as bad as you getting drunk at your friends party and than having me pick you up this summer on several occasions." They glared at each other.
"We're even," Sammy said after four full minutes of this.
"Truce?" Serena asked.
"Truce." Sammy agreed and they shook on it. Serena retrieved a tray ladened with food from the kitchen.
"Maria don't forget to bring Kaori and Luna's meals up as well." Serena said when she handed the tray to Maria thinking there was no need for her to carry it up. She picked up Luna and Kaori before heading upstairs. She entered her powder blue room with white bunnies bordering the walls. She kicked her room door closed to reveal a poster of her favorite American singing group the Pussycat dolls. They had taught her all her dancing moves for when did go down to the strip club. She placed Luna in Duchess's bed and turned on the television giving Luna the remote to play around with. Eventually like Duchess she'd learn to turn the t.v. Kaori she placed in his usual spot on the bed next to her.
"Let's see study more or Sailor V games?" Serena thought. She looked at her planner.
"Well I did my homework already Kaori and there's no tests, so I say Sailor V games." Kaori barked as if to agree with her. She hooked up her Sailor V game to her big screen television in her room. She could already here Sammy going up to his room to finish his game as the servants began cleaning downstairs.
"Serena, showered, brushed her hair, and changed into pajamas before beginning her game. Stupid maid took forever with her food."
"About time Maria," Serena grumbled. As the maid set her food on the chest at the end of her bed.
"Sorry milady, but the cook didn't know if Luna wanted her food just like Duchess had it or differently. "
"Well tell cook she had better spend tomorrow figuring it out, but what Duchess had would have been fine for tonight."
"Yes ma'am I'll tell her." Serena nodded. Once Maria was gone Serena scarfed down her dinner and called Maria back up with loads of junk food. She ate that too and didn't stop playing her Sailor V games until she heard her alarm go off, alerting her to the fact her parents were home. She just hear Sammy scrambling to conceal something in his room too. Serena had no time to pretend to be asleep, so she pulled out her books on business and pretended to be studying it. She had glanced over it a long time ago when she was seven when her now dead Uncle had given it to her as a birthday present.
"Serena, dear what're you doing up so late?" Ikuko asked knocking lightly before entering. Serena yawned.
"Oh um...I was just studying that business book Uncle gave me for christmas when I was seven."
"That's my girl always studying, I'm so proud of you Serena, you've really improved."
"Yes, Serena we're very proud of you for bringing up your grades,and getting into all those advanced classes, I knew if you tried harder and studied you could do great in school," Ikuko said.
"Thanks Mama, Papa."
"Goodnight dear and I am sorry about your birthday."
"I know papa." Serena closed her book once the door had shut. She polished off the rest of her junk food and went to bed. Kaori immediately moved to the end and she clapped. The lights shut off and she went to sleep. Her body exhausted from the flight still and her long day.
"Siblings can be a pain in the ass. Its always ok and good for your well being to have dirt on them. Make sure their crimes are worth their weight in gold just like yours or when you need to use it against them, their punishment or reactions won't be as bad as what you'll receive from your parents. If push comes to shove name him/her as a partner in crime if you can make it believable, Sailor Moon Says!"