Hello again, minna-chan! Thank you so much to everyone who wrote me and to my wonderful editors. Here's chapter three--hope you enjoy it! @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." ~John 3:16-17 @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- The Coldest December By Aimee Chapter Three "Honestly, Serena! What on earth were you thinking? We don't even know who Tuxedo Mask is!" Luna scolded me upon our return to my bedroom. I hadn't seen her this upset in along time. "But Luna. . . he seems harmless," I argued in my Tuxie's defense while I pulled on a pair of thick pajamas. "All he's ever done is help me." "Child, whatever you may believe, that man is not our ally," she continued, pacing back and forth on my bed, her mind snared in troubled thoughts. "If he were on our side, he would make his intentions known to us." I glanced up at my kitty with tears in my eyes. "You'rebeing unfair, Luna." "I'm sorry, Serena," she answered firmly, bringing her eyes to meet my wounded gaze. "But I am your guardian, and I intend to do my job well--no matter what the cost is. Tuxedo Mask is not trustworthy, and until he makes his intentions known, I forbid you to contact him. That is final." My face fell. "But--" I whispered as a lone tearslipped down my cheek. "Serena. . . " she said warningly. I knew better than to argue with her when she got that look in her eyes, so I relented. Shaking off the threatening sting of tears, I crossed my arms over my chest and visibly pouted for a fewmoments. "I don't even understand why he's interested in me," I sulked. "He doesn't know that I'm Sailor Moon." Luna's eyes narrowed. "Really? Are you sure aboutthat?" My breath stilled, and my eyes became very wide. I hadn't considered that possibility. Good grief, how stupid could I be? The man knew my name, where I lived, where I went to school, and who knows what else. "Do you see why I'm so concerned, Serena?" Luna continued. "I'm just looking out for your safety." "H-hai. . . " I stuttered, suddenly chilled to the bone. "I'll stay away from him." She seemed satisfied with my answer, but I wasn't. Only half an hour ago, I had assured Tuxedo Mask that I trusted him. What a fool I had been to put my faith with such little reserve in acomplete stranger. Still, though I was doubting the masked man himself, his words of wisdom rang in my thoughts with startling clarity. 'No more lying,' he had told me. 'That is never the best option. It will only get you into trouble.' I had promised him that I would be honest from then on. God knows I had lied numerous times in the past few days-- to my mother and to Darien. I felt miserable for doing so. But did I really have the guts to tell them the truth? I certainly did owe them both an apology. Resolutely, I leaned over and set my alarm clock back an extra twenty minutes so that I could have a little private time with my mother before school. With that, I leaned back in bed and fell into a troubled sleep. @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- I'm in a garden, laughing happily as my playmates and I run through the beautiful rosebushes of earth. I feel so young--like a child without a single care. My hair blows softly in the breeze, and I note that the length of it barely reaches my waist. It will be long soon, though--just like Mother's beautiful silver hair. Blossoms of every color adorn the thick green bushes. Mother said that I shouldn't touch the roses, but I'm far too curious to obey. After all, there aren't such beautiful flowers where I come from. Stealing away from my guardians-- no, from my friends--I approach a large bush with the intent of taking one of the precious blossoms. There were so many-- no one would miss a single flower. I reach out an anxious hand and gently touch the silky softness that was a rose's petal. I gasp in delight, marveling over the beauty of the flower before me. Looking around carefully to make sure that I had no unwanted onlookers, I grasp the stem of the rose so that I can pluck it from thebush. "Oh!" I cry, pulling my hand abruptly from the depths of the rosebush. Upon further inspection of my hand, I realize as tears spring to my eyes that I'm bleeding--two little dots of blood stain my fingertips accusingly. "Careful," says a voice behind me. I spin around to see a young man watching me with beautiful stormy blue eyes. "Thethorns are sharp." "Thorns?" I ask in confusion, glancing once more at theredness on my fingers. The man smiles, taking out a handkerchief. I allow him to wrap it carefully around my hand, and I stare at him curiously all the while. He's quite handsome--ebony hair like silk falls over his eyes, and his skin is smooth and obviously well taken care of--like the skin of royalty. After mending my wounds, the man leans over to the rosebush and plucks a beautiful flower for me. I watch as he patiently removes something from the green stem. "Thorns," he tells me, showing them to me. "They protect the rose." I study the peculiar objects in the palm of his hand. "Why do roses need protecting?" "You're a curious little thing, aren't you?" He smiles at me warmly, and I watch as his eyes sparkle at me. A little knot of nervousness twists in my stomach--why do I feel so strange? "What's your name, child?" he asks in his gentlevoice. "Serena," I answer, curtsying exactly as Mother hastaught me to. "Princess Serena?" the man asks, realization touching his soft features. He hands me the rose, and I accept thegift shyly. I nod in response to his question, blushing slightly at his gaze. "And who are you, sir?" Another smile. "I'm. . . " @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "Serena, wake up this instant!" Damn cat. I kicked Luna off the bed in retaliation for ruining such a wonderful dream and glanced at my alarm clock ruefully.Morning already? Luna was furious, and she leaped on my bed in sputtering rage. "See if I ever wake you up again!" she threatened. I threw a pillow at her and, of course, missed. "You say that every morning. Quit trying to get my hopes up." Ignoring her ranting, I stumbled sleepily into the bathroom for my morning shower. As I undressed and stepped into the shower, I recounted my dream. I marveled at how real it had felt--like it was more of a memory than anythingelse. A memory? I chuckled, recalling how I'd introduced myself as a princess. "In your dreams, Serena," I said out loud. "In your wildest dreams." Still, how familiar the strange man had seemed--I could have sworn that we'd met before. . . @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "I said I was sorry, Luna! Geez. . . " I hissed at the sulking ball of fur at the end of my bed as I pulled on my school uniform in a rush. I still hadn't talked to my mother, and I was quickly running out of time. Luna continued her quiet pouting but gave a halfhearted purr of forgiveness when I gave her a scratch behind the ear. "Thank you for waking me up, Luna. I'll see you later." "Have a nice day, Serena," she answered, watching meleave. I walked hesitantly down the hallway towards my parent's room chanting "I can't believe I'm doing this. . . I can't believe I'm doing this. . . " But I had made a promise to Tuxedo Mask to be honest, and even though my trust in him was in question, I was going to keep that promise. "Mommy?" I called quietly from the doorway to her bedroom."Can we talk?" "Of course, sweetheart." My mother smiled pleasantly at me from where she sat at her vanity. She got up and gestured that I sit down in her place. "How about I brush your hair for you while you tell me what's on your mind? It's been a long time since I've done that, hasn't it?" I smiled and nodded nervously, dreading the next few moments of honesty. This wasn't going to be easy. I sat down slowly and glanced in the mirror at my mother-- she was beautiful. Dark hair with a few distinguished hints of gray perfectly framed her face. Her dark eyes looked like Grandma's. I watched her with a smile as she pulled a few pins out of my hair, letting its full length fall to the floor. "Your hair seems to get longer everyday," she said. The sadness in her voice didn't escape me. "You know what happened, don't you, Mom?" I asked. She ran the brush through my hair a few times before she spoke with careful words. "I know that you don't get bruises like that from tripping, if that's what you mean." I swallowed hard, my gaze falling to my wrists. I pulled the sleeves down further, wishing that the bruises would just disappear. "I'm sorry I lied, Mom." Silently, she parted my hair and began to twist the strands into buns. Her hands were gentle, and the process didn't hurt one bit. She secured each bun with pins, and I glanced approvingly in the mirror. She always could do my hair better than I could. "Do you have anything else you want to tell me, angel?" she asked, calmly hinting that I reveal the rest of my secret. My lower lip trembled, and my gaze dropped to the floor. "I was attacked by a man." Tears visibly sprung to her eyes, and she touched the bruise on my cheek softly--the perfect way only mothers know how to touch. "Help came before he. . . " I paused, not able to complete the statement. "Before I washurt." "Oh Serena. . . " Her arms were around me in an instant, and we cried together until there were no more tears to be shed. I don't know why I didn't tell her what happened in the first place. I should have known that she would be there with all the comfort I would ever need. She was the best mom I could haveever hoped for. @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "Serena, do you wanna go to the mall with me? There's a sale!" a friend asked me after school. I swallowed hard. "No. . . no, I've got something I needto do." @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- The entrance to the arcade was but ten feet from where I stood. I knew Darien was in there. He was always there this time of day. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I don't know why I felt that I must come clean with him--he was my archenemy, for goodness sake! But my promise to Tuxedo Mask still stood, and I refused to backout like a coward. The bells on the door jingled as I entered, signaling to those inside of my arrival, but few looked up. He was one of those who did not look up, but I knew that he felt my presence. There he sat, in his usual corner booth, book in hand. His distinguished profile was shadowed by dark bangs, and I couldnot see his eyes. Gathering what little inner strength I had, I walked toward him and sat in his booth. He didn't look up--not even when I cleared my throat. His face was hardened and his jaw set in stone. Angry--yes, he was definitely angry. "K-Konnichiwa, Darien-san," I stuttered, trying to gather what little confidence I had. "How are you?" Silence. "That good, huh?" I laughed nervously, hoping to get a smile out of him. Still, he gave no response. This was sucha bad idea. . . "Look, Darien," I started slowly, not knowing where I got the courage to speak. "I'm sorry for what I said yesterday in the car. I don't hate you. You can be a pain sometimes, but that's not an excuse for saying all the stuff I did--I didn't mean it. It's just that you just touched on a. . . difficult subject for me to talk about." His silence was really starting to hurt me. He obviously didn't want me around--perhaps he was trying to repay some of the hurt I had dealt on him yesterday. Whatever the case was, I knew I couldn't take much more of the silent treatment. "I lied to you, Darien. I was attacked by a man while I was on my way home the other night," I began in a detached voice, trying to make such a horrible incident in my life seem like it was nothing. "He was rough with me, and that is why my wrists were bruised. Help came before I was seriouslyhurt." I paused here, waiting for him to say something. . . anything. . . but he didn't. He wouldn't even look up. God, did he even care? Tears sprung to my eyes as I searched his face. "I'm sorry that I lied, Darien-san," I said, my feelings a little more than hurt. "I hope youcan forgive me." With that, I stood to leave, very close to tears. A warm hand gently grabbed my wrist before I could slip away, and I turned to face Darien once more. His dark eyes searched mine, and I wondered what he was thinking about. I felt his hand gently caressing the bruised wrist he held captive in his grasp, his thumb running over the tender skin. I immediately became very uncomfortable. What did he think he was doing? He's supposed to be my enemy, for goodness sake! Enemies don't offer comfort to one another. Enemies don't look at one another the way he's looking at me now. Still, through the uncomfortableness of the moment, I began to get a little excited. My heart somehow made its way up to my throat, and I all but forgot how to breathe. I forgot how to do everything, in fact. I could only look into those eyes. . . those deep, blue eyes. No! This isn't right! I'm not supposed to be here with him. He's my enemy. He's a conceited jerk with no feelings whatsoever. . . who just happened to be caressing my wrist verytantalizingly. "Have a nice day, Darien-san," I whispered, gently pulling my wrist from his grasp. I left the arcade, thoroughly confused, and in complete denial of what had just happened. @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- I walked down the sidewalk in a daze. Why had Darien been acting so strange lately? Each and every one of his actions were completely uncharacteristic of the cold, distant man I had grown accustomed to. The Darien I knew wouldn't explode over a few bruises, demanding to know how they had been inflicted. He would say something, of course--who wouldn't? But rather, he would analyze the situation and address the subject with me carefully, in an unattached manner. That was just the way he was. The Darien I knew would never stop me from leaving the arcade with injured feelings, caressing my bruised wrist as though he had feelings for me. He would scoff at my weakness and dismiss me for the child I was. The Darien I knew would never look at me as though my well-being was important to him, the way he had done in the car yesterday. He didn't care about me--he never had before. Why should that change now? I stopped myself in mid-thought, inwardly cursing at myself for letting the wretched man get to me in such a way. Why should I care what he thought of me? All he had ever done was harass me and remind me of all of myfaults. He hated me. Didn't he? I swallowed hard, reluctantly considering the anxiety in his eyes when we argued in his car over my bruises, hidden by the cold and demanding exterior. I thought of his concern when he offered me a ride when I was so exhausted. I thought of the soft caresses he had just given my injuries and of the intense gaze he offered as he did so. Was he perhaps trying to redeem himself in my eyes? If that was the case, I would certainly give him ample opportunity. After all, everyone deserved a second chance. My thoughts were interrupted by someone calling my name. I turned to see Amy, Lita, Mina, and Raye waving happily to me. Luna mewed from her place in Amy's arms. "Hey guys," I called to them, managing to trip (it was a graceful trip, mind you) on a sidewalk crack as Iwalked up to the group. "How have you been, Serena?" Mina asked, though her mind was obviously on other things--namely, the guy in the leather jacket by the corner drugstore. "Yes, we haven't seen you lately," added Amy as she tucked a lock of her short hair behind an ear. "Got a new boyfriend?" Lita teased, winking at me. I laughed--something I hadn't done in far too many days. It felt good. "I'm doing all right," I assured my friends, joining them as they walked down the sidewalk. "I've just been kind of busy." "I'm glad we found you," Raye said, getting down to business as usual. "Luna has called a meeting." I nodded, signaling to my friends that I understood. There was definitely a lot to discuss with the Scouts, mostly dealing with a certain mysterious man in black. "Let's go." @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "You've been in contact with who?!" Raye shrieked. I complimented myself for remembering to put my fingersin my ears. "Serena, we've been through this," Amy said in a calm,yet concerned voice. "He's not trustworthy," Mina agreed with a nod. "Evenif he is a hottie. . . " "If he hurts you. . . " Lita didn't finish her threat but rather began to growl and crack her knuckles ominously. "Serena and I have already discussed this," Luna told the Scouts. "We've agreed that Tuxedo Mask could prove to be dangerous and that Serena should keep her distance fromhim." "He certainly seems interested in her," Amy said, thumbing through her Japanese Literature book thoughtfully. "First Sailor Moon and now Serena herself. Do you think it's possible he knows Sailor Moon's identity?" Luna sighed. "That's what worries me." "I wish you guys would stop talking about me like I'm not here," I snapped irritably. Raye glanced up from the red and white robe she was mending. "Gomen, Serena. . . we're just worried about you. We care a lot about you." I nodded and didn't respond, even when she leaned over and gave me an awkward hug. I knew deep down that Raye had been concerned with my happiness lately; she certainly must have had her reasons, what with my odd behavior since my attack and all. She'd been especially considerate for the past few days. It wouldn't surprise me if she knew about the man who attacked me the other night. It wasn't easy keeping secrets from a psychic friend. "Thanks, Raye," Iwhispered. "Guys," Raye said after a moment. "I don't think Tuxedo Mask is out to hurt Serena. . . or Sailor Moon." Shock was evident on all faces in the room. "But how do you know for certain?" Lita asked. "It's just a feeling I've got," she answered quietly. "The Great Fire seems to be in accord with what I'm sensing. And. . . " Here her voice trailed off. "And?" I asked. "Nothing," she said in a low voice, obviously reconsidering telling us all something. I eyed hercarefully. "You know, Raye," Amy said, glancing up from her notebook. "It seems like the Great Fire could reveal his identity to us. . . not to mention hismotives." The fiery priestess remained quiet, and her silence was an obvious answer to the question. My mouth droppedopen in shock. "Y-You know who he is?" I stammered, completely caught off guard. "Tell me! You have to!" Her fiery violet eyes met mine. "That's something you're going to have to figure out for yourself." Dear readers, I may not be the brightest child in God's wonderful earth, but there is one thing I do know for certain: if I were psychic, I certainly wouldn't keep such juicy gossip from my friends. How dare she! "Please, Raye? It's important to me," I pleaded. She ignored me and instead turned to Luna and the other Scouts. "He won't hurt her," Raye said, gathering her things, signaling to us that the meeting was over."I promise." "Still," Luna persisted. "I don't think it's wise for her to be meeting with him." Mina, Lita and Amy nodded in agreement, and Raye shrugged, indifferent to the situation. "Suit yourself," she said simply, walking away to continue her chores. We watched her exit in silence, wondering what was on the priestess' mind. @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- "He'll be waiting for me, you know," I reminded my pet as I stared at the moon from my bedroom window. "I'm sorry, Serena," Luna said, sighing quietly. "It's better this way--you'll see." "Hai," I muttered unhappily, torn over my feelings for Tuxedo Mask. Luna left the room as I continued to watch the beautiful crescent moon in the sky. How familiar it seemed at times--almost like. . . home. Home? I laughed. Where did that silly thought comefrom? Growing silent once more, I touched my fingertips to the window as I pondered my many problems in reflective silence. The glass felt icy cold to my warm fingers. Truly, it was the strangest December I'd ever encountered-- no snow, yet so very cold. Cold--like Darien. Wait a second. . . what made me think of him? I focused my eyes and glanced at the street below my window closer. "Darien?" I gasped out loud. I blinked twice, making sure my vision was behaving properly. He was standing on the street below, stopped, and staring directly at me. He was in a black turtleneck and slacks and wore a long, black overcoat which made him seem even taller and slimmer than he was. His stormy eyes were dark as he watched me. I gasped again and pulled the curtainsover the window. What the hell was he doing? Spying on me? How dare he! He was certainly going to get an earful from me. Furiously, I stormed down the stairs and out of the house, pulling on a jacket as I walked. But once I reached the street, I realized that Darien was no longer there. I looked to the left and right but saw no one on the long,abandoned street. I felt spooked as I stood alone on the empty street. It certainly was dark. I gripped the Scout communicator in my pocket, ready to call for help should something-- anything--go wrong. Wait. . . did that shadow just move? I swallowed hard, sinking down into my jacket further. Was that a footstep I heard behind me? Eeeek! I didn't need any further persuasion. I took off running as though all the fires of hell were hunting me down. It was a shame that I didn't see the lovely curve in front of my path--I tripped, of course, and fell unceremoniously on my face. "Waaaaaahhhhh!" I wailed, rubbing the nose that had hit the grassy ground. It was then that I heard the footstep again. My cries ceased immediately, and my heart rate quickened. My ears pricked up as I listened closely to the sounds of the night. I felt eyes upon me. . . someone was definitely here. It was then that I heard the voice. "You're late." @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- @--<----- Don't you just hate me for doing that? ^_~ That's it for this week! Please send me your comments! Oh, and go look at my updated homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Teahouse/4986/ Survey of the week: Which is the cuter kitty? Luna,Artemis, or Diana?Ja ne! Aimee sailor_moon89@hotmail.com