"Oh, Darien, it's so long! I don't know if I'll be able to take it all!"
"Sure you can. Come on, just this afternoon you couldn't wait for this!"
"Well. . .I think I'm changing my mind."
"But it's supposed to be an unforgettable experience!"
"Yes, but. . .what if I don't like it? I don't just want to walk out!"
"You won't. . .believe me. Now, do you want to?"
She took a deep breath. "Okay. . .let's do it."
He turned to the ticket seller. "Two for 'Titanic,' please."
Her trepidation about sitting through a three-hour plus movie fell away as soon as they were in the dark. True, the music was beautiful, the storyline romantic, the scenery gorgeous. But these were just background to the main event - sitting close, very close, to the guy she loved.
She leaned her head against his shoulder. He stroked her long pigtails and rested his cheek against one of her "meatballs." It was as if there were no other people in the theater. The fussy child in the front, the elderly couple in the back who kept coughing, the group of teenage boys who chatted all the way through the movie. . .nothing could dampen her mood, nothing could distract her from the guy next to her.
How lucky I am, she thought. I've got not only Darien, but also Tuxedo Mask. Two hunks in one wonderful package! She still half-expected to wake up and find out that those last few months were all a dream, that he was still going out with Raye and treating her like dirt. But it was real, oh, so wonderfully real. . .
"You okay, Meatball Head?" he whispered.
"Mmm hmm."
"You haven't touched your popcorn at all.That's not like you."
She giggled. "You haven't touched the popcorn either."
"Hmm. . .maybe it's time I did." He took some kernels from the bucket and raised them to her lips. She opened her mouth and he fed them to her, one by one. Her breath was coming faster, and her heart was pounding. The intimacy of the gesture was flooding her with feelings, those hot,delicious feelings that at her tender age were as mysterious as they were exciting. All she knew was that she loved it.
"More," she whispered after she had swallowed the kernels. He fed her another handful, and she ate them eagerly, her blue eyes locked with his.When she had finished the last one, her little tongue flicked at his fingers, licking off the butter and salt. He let out a deep groan. "Gods,Serena. . ." He pulled her head to his, and their lips came together, hard and insistent. Nothing could have been more delicious than those popcorn-flavored kisses. When his tongue entered her mouth, she eagerly stroked it with her own. They broke for air only when they thought they were going to suffocate. She tipped her head back, and he kissed her neck, as she groaned. . .
Then, the mood was broken by an enormous CRASH.
Their eyes snapped to the screen. The ship had just hit the iceberg.
Both of them looked at each other, giggled a little, and settled back to watch the rest of the film.
Serena snuggled close to Darien, shivering, as they left the theater. Seeing a thousand-plus people go to horrible, watery deaths had shaken her,big-time. She hoped she wouldn't have nightmares.
If only we were old enough that we could live together, she thought. I'd never have a nightmare again, never be afraid of what might be in the dark, if he were with me all the time.
"We still have about an hour and a half before I have to have you home,"he said. "We could go for ice cream or pizza. We could stop in and see what Lita's doing. Or, we could go to. . my apartment."
Ordinarily, she would have opted for the snacks. But the hot kisses they'd shared were branded on her mind. She was filled with a hunger, and it wasn't for food. Her hand tightened on his. They looked in each other'seyes, and without words, they knew where they were going. And it wasn't to Baskin-Robbins.
As he drove, he kept one hand on the wheel and the other holding hers. At each stoplight, they leaned over toward each other and kissed. Oh, Gods,why wasthe distance to his place so long, so very, very long?
He fumbled with the key in the lock, and she wanted to grab it away from him and unlock the door herself. When he had the door shut behind them, he didn't even bother to turn on the lights. They were in each other's arms instantly, their mouths coming together with heat. She thought they were suspended in time, that they were the only two people in a universe all their own. They kissed and kissed until her knees began to feel weak. When their mouths broke apart, they hugged each other as hard as they could, asif they were trying to meld their flesh and become one being.
He led her to the couch, and they fell upon each other again. Feeling bold, she let a hand slip under his shirt, caressing his chest. The feel of his smooth, soft flesh over hard muscle, the woodsy, musky male scent of him, the lingering taste of his mouth on hers. . .she felt as intoxicated as if she had drunk an entire bottle of wine.
Then, her little hand grew even bolder and began traveling downward.
And that's when the passionate evening came to an abrupt end.
He jumped away as if he'd been burned. "Don't do that!" he shouted in a voice that was not his-the way his voice sounded when he'd been possessed by Queen Beryl.
"Darien-what's wrong?" She started to cry.
"Nothing's wrong. Just go away!"
"What did I do? I would never do anything to hurt you."
"I said go away!"
Sobbing, she flew out into the night, not even bothering to take her jacket.
Raye was singing softly to herself as she carried a bundle of firewood up the temple steps. Just as she was about to mount the last step, however, something brushed against her leg. She lept and yelped, almost dropping her load all over the place.
"Luna! Don't do that-you scared me to death!"
"Sorry. I just had to get your attention. I've got something very important to talk to you about."
Raye put down her load and sat on the step next to the talking cat.
"What's up?"
"It's Serena. I'm worried sick about her. She came home from her date with Darien the other night crying her eyes out, and she shut herself up in her room. She hasn't been talking to anyone, including me. Something horriblemust have happened."
"Do you think he might have. . .tried something?"
"I don't think that would have made her this upset. She's . . .not eating, Raye. Not eating at all."
Raye exhaled a long breath. If Serena wasn't eating, this was really,*really* serious.
"You used to go out with Darien. Did you see. . .anything in his character that might lead you to believe he'd hurt Serena?"
Raye shook her head no. "He's the least likely person in the world to do something like that."
"Oh, if only I could read what is in that stubborn little head of hers. . ."
Struck by a sudden inspiration, Raye stood up and picked up the bundle of wood. "Wait here, Luna."
She went into the temple and tossed some more wood on the sacred fire. As it blazed up, she sat in front of the flame, breathing deeply,concentrating, trying to still her mind.
"He's in pain, Raye," the voice she hoped she'd hear spoke up.
"Unbelievable mental and emotional pain."
It was the voice of the god Mars, the source of Raye's power, who had chosen her back in the Silver Millenium to be his priestess, champion, and lover.
"What caused his pain?" Raye asked him. "Can someone help him?"
"The only person who can help him is his one true love."
"Serena? She can't even help herself! How is she supposed to help Darien?"
"She will receive a visit very soon from someone who will tell her what to do."
"But what if she doesn't want to do it? Serena isn't exactly what you'd call up for a challenge. . ."
"She will do it. I have confidence that she will."
"Oh, Gods, I hope so," Raye whispered. "I hope so."
Serena was lying on her bed, where she'd spent most of the past few days, much of the time in hysterical tears. How could he reject her like that-so suddenly, and so cruelly?
Although they'd kissed before, it was the first time they'd make any moves toward intimacy. She'd expected it tobe a wonderful night, a special night. . .instead, it was a disaster.
"Please, someone tell me," she sobbed, beating her fists against thepillow, "Why? Why? Why did he do this to me?"
"I can tell you, Serena. But it will not be easy for you to hear."
She whirled around at the sound of the voice and gasped at what she saw in the corner. There was a beautiful lady who seemed to glow with light. She was wearing a shimmering dress and cape that seemed made of some unearthly silver material, and even her golden hair sparkled.
"Who. . .who are you?"
"I have borne many names. The Greeks called me Selene, and the Romans gave me the name your feline guardian now bears-Luna. I was also known as Cerridwen to the Celts, Ix-Chel to the Mayan Indians, Isis to the Egyptians. . ."
"What are you doing here? What do you have to do with me?"
"I'm the Moon Goddess. You are my priestess and representative among the humans. . .Sailor Moon."
She gulped. First she found out she was Sailor Moon. . .then the Moon Princess. . .and now she was a Moon Priestess! Was there no end to the surprises people would throw at her?
"I am also the one who, long ago, created Prince Darien to be your consort throughout eternity. And it is because of his welfare that I've come to you today."
"What do you mean. . .his welfare?"
"Oh, my dear girl." The woman sat on the bed next to Serena and gathered her in a tender, motherly embrace. "The other night, he broke your heart,didn't he?"
At the memory of the painful incident, Serena burst into tears again.
"But it wasn't his fault. He's carrying around a terrible pain, Serena, an unbearable pain. And only you can heal him."
"M-me? But what can I do? How can I help him?"
"With your love, Serena."
"What is his pain? How did he get hurt?"
The Moon Goddess paused for a second. Then, she said, "I can show you-but I must warn you, Serena, it's an ugly, horrible thing."
Serena wiped her eyes and said in a small voice, "If I'm going to help him, I have to know."
"All right." The woman lifted Serena to her feet. "Do you remember when Darien was taken over by the Negaverse? When Queen Beryl controlled him?"
Serena shuddered. "Y-yes."
"She didn't just want him as a slave, Serena. And when she broke his spirit to control him. . ." The woman swept her cape over Serena. When she took it away, Serena's bedroom had disappeared, and in its place was a dark, dank, ugly cave.
"What is this place?"
"The torture chamber in Queen Beryl's palace. It's only an illusion, the shadows of the past. Over there. . ."
Serena saw a male figure lying in something that looked like a glass coffin. She gasped. "Darien!!!" She took off and started to run to him.
The goddess held her back. "I told you-it's only an illusion."
As Serena watched in horror, Queen Beryl came in with two of her henchmen.One of them was carrying a large, black bag. The evil queen opened the case her victim was in, and smiled a horrible grin.
"And how are we today, my precious prince?"
He barely stirred and groaned.
"Still having flashbacks of your lovely little princess? Well, it's about time I made you forget her." The queen undid her gown, and it fell to the floor. "Look at me, Darien. Aren't I more appealing than that sailor brat? I'm a woman, not a child like her." She grasped his hand and started running it over her body. Serena, watching, thought she was going to be sick.
"Not responding? Not standing at attention? Well, maybe THIS will help you. . ." She opened her black bag and took out some kind of horrible looking clamp. Serena turned her head so she didn't have to see it being applied to his most private place-but his scream of anguish lacerated her heart.
Beryl's voice came again, cackling, horrible. "Well, my dearie, if you don't want to be the man around here-I WILL!" Serena turned and looked, saw the horrible device being taken out of the case by the henchmen and strapped around Beryl's hips, saw them grab Darien and flip him over, saw her prodding the tip of that thing between his buttocks. . .His scream of agony mixed with Serena's. She buried her face in the goddess' dress, her whole body convulsing with sobs. "Get me out of here! I can't stand this anymore! Oh, why, why would anybody do something so horrible to someone as sweet as him?"
The goddess held her, rocked her, and soothed her until she got control of herself. When Serena raised her head, she was back in her room.
Finally able to speak again, she said, "I'm so glad that we destroyed her. I can't believe that anyone would be that evil."
"Beryl is dead. . .but the damage she did lives on inside Darien."
"But why is he still carrying those memories? I healed him and broke the spell!"
"You healed only the spell itself. Now you have to cure him of the ill effects-so he will be able to live and love as a man. But it will take all of your courage, your power, and your love."
Serena didn't even pause for a moment. "Tell me what to do."
Holding her moon wand in front on her like a totem against evil, Sailor Moon knocked on the door of Darien's apartment. She tried to concentrate,knowing the first step was the most crucial. Don't get scared, Serena, she said to herself. Darien's sanity may depend on it. . .
When he opened the door, she immediately raised the wand so that she was looking into his eyes through the crystal. Focusing her power, she said, "Darien, your mind is still. You are calm and relaxed. No fear may enter while love is around."
She saw him start to droop as his muscles relaxed, his eyelids start to flutter. The hypnotism was working. When she was sure that he was entranced, she lowered the wand and led him over to the couch, where she sat him down and knelt in front of him.
Taking up the wand again, she pointed it at him and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "Moon. . .healing. . .glow!" A warm yellow light began beaming from the crystal and enveloping him. She leaned the wand up against the nearby coffee table-she'd need both her hands for what came next.
"Kiss him," the goddess had said. "Caress him. Pleasure him. Make him feel good while he's under the trance and the healing spell."
The problem was, Serena was almost a complete innocent. What little she knew of sex came from peeking at late night cable and sneaking looks into the spicy bestsellers her mother left lying around the house. A man's body was as mysterious to her as a car engine. There was so much at stake-how could she just "wing it?"
Then, instinct took over. She leaned over and her lips touched his. To her delight, she felt him respond. She deepened the kiss, making it soft, hot and wet. As if something was guiding her, her gloved hands moved down to his chest, unbuttoning his shirt slowly. Her own desire was rising in her, pleasant sensations running all over her body.
She broke the kiss. "Darien, I love you," she whispered. "I know what happened to you. I won't let anyone do anything bad like that to you ever again."
Gently, she slipped the shirt off his shoulders, and at the sight of his bare arms and chest, for a second she lost control. She embraced him, moaning, straddling his hips, rubbing her womanhood against his crotch.Then, she remembered that she was supposed to be taking it as slowly as possible.
She kissed his lips again, then moved slowly down his neck to his chest.Her hands rubbed and caressed the flat planes, and when she came to a nipple, she ran her tongue over it and drew it into her mouth. She was delighted when he stirred and moaned.
Downward again she moved, her hands moving from his stomach to his clothed thighs. She rubbed and massaged them, noticing that the more she stroked his inner thighs, the bigger the bulge in his pants became. Now it was time for the moment of truth.
She undid his belt buckle, unsnapped and unzipped his jeans. How am I going to get them down with him sitting there? she thought. She pulled him to his feet and the pants fell, the buckle hitting the floor with a clank.She tugged at his underwear and watched it fall as well before letting him drop back to the couch.
Then, for the first time in her life, she saw a naked, erect penis in front of her. Fear gripped her, fear and a curious mix of other feelings-not the least of which was a shuddering warmth that passed over her body. She passed a hand over her own breasts; the nipples were standing out like little rocks.
She knelt again and pulled the long glove from her right hand. She touched the head of his manhood for a second, then pulled her hand back, like a child touching a hot radiator. Then she placed the palm of her hand on the shaft. Tentatively, she began to stroke it. How strange it felt, rock-hard and hot-how strange, and how exciting! Her hand moved, faster and faster,and it was she who was the first to moan.
"Don't let him come," the goddess had said. "When you know he's feeling pleasure, release the hypnotism and the healing glow and transform back into your normal self. And be prepared for what happens next."
She reluctantly let go of him, took a deep breath, and raised the wand again.
Darien felt like he was waking up from a dream, a beautiful dream, the kind of sweet dream he hadn't had since. . .
He saw the girl kneeling in front of him. "Serena?"
"Hi, babe. How do you feel?"
"Oh, baby. . ." He grabbed her in his arms, and the fierceness of his kiss startled her. He jumped up and carried her into his bedroom.
He deposited her on the bed as gently as a china doll and began unwrapping her like a Christmas present. Her blouse landed on the floor, followed by her skirt. As he pulled off the flowered cotton bra, he groaned. "God, Serena, you're even more perfect than I dreamed. . ." As his lips touched her nipple for the very first time, it was as if an electric current were passing through her. She found herself taking the other breast in her hand, offering it to him. As he sucked it, his fingers probed between her thighs.She let out a high little cry, her hips rising to meet the hand that was finding and stroking the hot center of her being.
He raised his mouth from her breast to whisper, "Gods, how wet you are. How wet and how hot. My darling Serena. . ."
"Darien. . ."
He pulled away from her, but only long enough to go into the drawer of his night table, where a package of condoms had sat unopened and unused for months. They'd sure as hell be used now.
When he was ready, he returned to her, stretching her out on her back and kneeling between her spread legs. Oh my Gods, she thought, it's really going to happen. I'm going to lose my virginity to the only man I've ever loved, the only man I will ever love. A very brief, faint image formed in her head of a similar event in another time, another place, so long, long ago. . .
Then, she felt the first, tearing thrust, and she cried out from the pain. "Serena!" he said, "Oh, Serena." He drew her head to his chest. "If ithurts you, we won't do it. It shouldn't hurt. It should never hurt."
She swallowed the lump in her throat, recalling the images of how Beryl had hurt him. She slowly raised her head and looked in his eyes. "I love you," she said. "I want to keep going."
"I love you too, baby," he whispered, as he started to thrust again,slowly and gently at first, then getting faster and faster. She gasped-this felt so, so, SOOOO good! Without thinking of what she was doing, she let her hands grasp his buttocks-the area of him that Beryl had so horribly abused. But he didn't flinch, gave no sign of pain or discomfort-just moaned his pleasure and continued to drive into her. Serena was going wild now, her hands clutching and pulling him into her, her hips rising off the bed. The dam within her burst, and she was flooded with so much pleasure and heat she thought that she'd explode. She felt and heard him achieve his own paradise just moments later.
No words were necessary afterward. Softly, they kissed, their lips speaking volumes to each other without a sound. Then they snuggled up and went to sleep.
She was awakened several hours later by his lips nuzzling her neck. "Hey,"she whispered.
"Hey there, Meatball Head. Sleep well?"
"Better than I ever have in my life. How about you?"
"Oh, Serena, you can't imagine how well. It's so good to be free of those nightmares." He cupped her face in his hand and turned her to face him. "You sacrified your innocence to save me."
She smiled. "It wasn't a sacrifice. I did it because I love you so much."
"Not as much as I love you." He kissed her. "How did you know?"
"About what happened to you? I was told by. . .a friend."
"Which friend?"
She covered his mouth with hers, silencing any further questions with the sensual pressure of her lips and tongue. When they came out of the kiss, he was hardening again.
"I think," he said, "I'm going to reward you for your good deed, Serena."
"Ooh, reward? What kind of reward?"
"The best. Now just close your eyes, relax, and lie still."
She did as she was told, and soon, she felt something soft and lovely stroking along her legs. It moved up to her stomach, and then teasingly bypassed her breasts entirely, sliding up her neck to her face. When she felt the velvety softness touch her lips, she caught a strong, beautiful aroma, and knew what the thing was-one of his enchanted roses.
"This rose reminds me of you, Serena," he whispered. "Every part of you is like a rosebud-beautiful, soft to the touch, sweet-smelling."
The rose was moving back down her neck, and she arched her chest forward,trying to encourage him. He needed little encouragement. The velvety petals stroked the hardened tips of her breasts, followed by his tongue. He drew one nipple into his mouth and suckled while stroking the rose over the other.
He placed the rose on the pillow next to her so she could inhale its perfume during what was to follow. He opened her legs wide and moved down the bed so his face was between her thighs. Gently, he opened her petals with his fingers.
"This," he whispered while stroking her womanhood, "is the most beautiful,fragrant rose of them all." And he buried his face in her, his lips and tongue seeking out all the places that would make her move and moan and cry out. Serena shrieked, her hands clutching at the blankets. Everything he did to her felt better than the thing before. He was running his tongue up and down her labia. . .gently sucking on and nipping her passion-swollen jewel. . . alternating putting his tongue and fingers inside her. When he began rubbing his tongue faster and faster over her nub, it sent her over the edge. Her hands grabbed his black hair and tangled in it, trying to hold him down there forever, as she came, crying his name out.
He came back up to her. "You are *so* delicious. I think all that candy and ice cream you eat goes straight down there and makes you extra sweet."
As he kissed her, she felt something against her thigh. "Oh!"
He looked down and saw his full erection. "Mmmm. What are we going to do about this? Serena, would you mind if I came in for a little visit?"
"You can come in and stay as long as you like."
He made the necessary pit stop at the night stand, then sat up with his back against the headboard. Lifting her by the waist, he lowered her onto his cock. He guided her in a rhythm at first, then she took over and started thrusting hard against him, leaning back as yet another orgasm overtook her. He yelled and shuddered at the same time.
They rolled over together so they were lying side by side, her head on his chest, their arms around each other. Before long, they had drifted into a blessed, peaceful sleep.
"James Bond? Who wants to see James Bond?" she said.
"I do. Don't you like those movies?"
"It's all things blowing up and women in skimpy bikinis. Can't we go see'Anastasia' instead?"
"You're kidding me," he said. "That's a kids' movie!"
"It's not a *kids' movie*. It's *animation*."
"Okay, what about 'Amistad'?"
"Booooring!"
The people behind them, who had initially been admiring, with a touch ofenvy, the beautiful, very-much-in-love young couple, were starting to get annoyed with them. Their bickering was holding up the entire box office line.
Darien pulled Serena aside. "Look. If we want to sit in the dark for two hours, I've got a better idea. We can go back to my place, make some snacks and put on the TV. There's something *very* interesting on cable tonight."
"What?"
"A 'Red Shoe Diaries' marathon."
"Oooohhh." She turned to the other people in line, gave a smile and salute, and said, "Seeya!" And they all watched as he picked her up and carried her out to his car.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, I know that all the Scouts and Darien had their memories erased after the defeat of Queen Beryl, and that such an erasure probably would have eliminated the kind of trauma that Darien suffers here.For dramatic purposes, I have taken liberties with the Sailor Moon universeand set this tale in an "alternate universe" where they were all allowed to retain their memories-both good and bad - and powers between the first season and the "Doom Tree" episodes.
Sailor Mac
AmberSesht@aol.com
