Title: Only 16 Part: 6 YAHOOOOOO!!!! By: Azurite Email: azurite_moon@yahoo.com Site: which one? www.geocities.com/sailor_andromida (Main) *********************************************** Notes: Boy, this is a long time coming, ne? Maybe I should write the parts, THEN the substories... but of course, just to keep you waiting, I'll post parts, subs, parts, subs... and so on. Hehehe... Anywho, this part is called "Together At Last", and all the others will be titled soon too. Dedicated to: Padme, who is super-cool when it comes to my writing (and she's great herself!!!) Lois Fogg, Jlala, Sailor Peace, Sailor Backstreet... and of course, the crew of Impossible. More notes: Testing, testing, 1...2...3... Does anyone actually read these notes? Hey!! It's my birthday, this wonderful April the 14th. YAY!! ^_^ I feel nice... cuz I'm on break! Boy, am I lazy. I wrote this so many months ago, and now, on my 2nd to last week of summer vacation, August 11th, I'm apologizing on my hands and knees and kissing the ground you wonderful people walk on for staying with me this long. God, I love you people! <3 ************************************************* "Whew." "Yeah." Darien sighed, running a hand through his thick hair. He cast a sidewards glance at his pregnant and tired girlfriend. Earlier, he had insisted to her to take it easy, to rest while he worked on moving the furniture around, but she would have none of it. Truth be told, if he hadn't had her help, he probably would have had severe arthritis or have collapsed from the pain. She helped him greatly, and then some. But Darien knew not to underestimate Serena; it was incredibly foolish to do so, and he only ended up being wrong in the end. His apartment had been rearranged for the umpteenth time that month; it was because they had to clear out his "guest" bedroom for the nursery. "You know what?" Serena started, still breathless from all the moving she had done. 'Uh-oh,' Darien thought. When Serena said 'You know what?', she usually would finish by saying 'this couch would look SOO good over there...' and she'd point to the OTHER end of the room. "What?" Darien said, looking at her nervously. He wasn't sure he (or his back for that matter) could take more moving. He just wanted to collapse onto his bed and SLEEP! "It looks great." Serena smiled and looked at him with a motherly pride in her eyes. The house looked spectacular -clean and yet still modern- and the room was cleared out for the nursery. In a few days, the girls were holding a baby shower, and Darien knew that most of the girls would be chipping in to get a gorgeous brass rocking cradle-crib. "Oh NO!" Serena smacked a hand to her sweaty brow in realization. The fear Darien had of having to move again came back tenfold. "What is it THIS time, Sere?" He did his best not to sound exasperated, but then again, if you had been in his place and had been moving green, musky furniture for the past four hours, well you too would be a little tired and exasperated... "Dare... it's nothing big, really, just..." Darien eyed his girlfriend with a hard stare. She was playing innocent again, and they both knew it. "What?" "Where am I going to sleep?" *********************************************************************** "Ohmigosh!! Look at this guys!!" Mina pointed excitedly to a display in a department store. They were all browsing for that cradle- crib that Serena hinted that she wanted so badly. They had been browsing various stores for a while, and weren't having much luck. "What, is EVERYONE pregnant these days?" Raye had said after two hours of fruitless searching. She was regarded with several "We don't know her; she followed us from the parking lot"'s from the girls, and cold stares from all the mothers and mothers-to-be in the area. Mina finally got everyone's attention and pointed at the displayed cradle. It was similar to a canopy bed, in most respects, with a white frilled canopy cover, and four brass posts connecting to the cradle itself. The legs were bent so as to let the crib rock, and were obviously detachable, from the lines visible around the legs. "Not THAT! Look!" Mina pointed to the canopy, and the girls gasped in delight. The pattern printed in light colors were the five scouts and Tuxedo Mask- albeit rather tiny and somewhat deformed looking. Little crescent moons, planetary symbols and roses patterned the white space inbetween, and the frills were made of white lace. A hanging mobile with the six famous characters hung from the top bar supporting the canopy, and played a cute song (A/N: the Sailor Moon theme). "We just HAVE to get this for Sere!" "B-But..." Amy stuttered, seeing the price tag. "Yeah, um..." Lita said, seeing the five digits and eying them warily. "GUYSSSS!!!!" Mina whined. "Mina, look at the freakin' price tag!!" Raye nearly screamed. She was red in the face and huffing from frustration and no doubt lack of break from walking from store to store... to store... "Oh." Mina said, catching the price of ? 54,265 (about $500) "Where are we going to get that kind of money?" Raye asked. "Well...." Mina trailed off in that 'I have an idea, but it's really crazy, so you won't like it... but it'll work' voice. "What?" Amy asked, sounding almost irritated. "Um..." "WHAT!?" Raye, Amy and Lita exclaimed, exasperated. "We could use our life savings..." Mina stated quietly, as if all the waiting was meant for a solemn moment. Lita and Raye fidgeted. *Their* life savings were their inheritances, from when their parents had died. In Raye's case, it was money her father had sent her when he couldn't make it home for her birthday, or the holidays- which was every year. "It's not like we're not well off..." Mina continued, wringing her hands. She stared at the floor, embarassed. "She's right..." Amy started, quieter than even Mina. "Ames' mom is a doctor; I have money from acting here and there; Lita and Raye have inheritances, and money from work and stuff..." Mina began again, looking up. The girls simply nodded, knowing this was the right thing to do for their best friend. ******************************************************************* "Ummm..." Darien started, stupefied. Serena looked at him expectantly. "Ummmm..." Darien glanced about, trying to think of a place where Serena could sleep. "Ummm..." His eyes fell on the couch. No, too uncomfortable. The loveseat? Too small. The recliner? No way, it needed cleaning. All the other furniture had been disposed of a while before. "Dare?" Serena questioned. He wasn't responding with anything more than "Ummm...", and that was starting to worry her. Suddenly, Serena spotted where his gaze fell. From the couch, to the loveseat, to the recliner... and then to his bedroom door. The one room they hadn't touched, as they had *both* agreed to let have some personality left in each of the rooms. A wide grin spread across Serena's face as an idea fell into place. No, not an idea, a *brilliant* plan! "Oh Darien... I'll just sleep in your room." And with that, Serena sauntered off, her bags in tow. Darien just stared agape as the words finally sank in. ********************************************************************* It was early evening later that day, and Raye was kneeling before the closet in her bedroom. She was sorting through all her old treasures, and all her secret hiding places for money that she had acquired over the years. 'Ha. From my so-called father.' Raye grimaced, the very thought of him angering her. Her father had deserted her after her mother had died, letting his political life take over all his time. He sent her money on her birthdays, money that Raye refused to spend because of where it had come from. 'The pockets of people who didn't deserve to sacrifice it. For all I know, this money belonged to another mother somewhere in Hokkaido...' But still. She had accumulated quite a sum of money... and here was a good reason to spend it -and not selfishly on herself- ... Raye pocketed the wad of bills and walked out of her room. *********************************************************************** "LITA!" Madeline yelled from the back office. The tall brunette bounced into the small managerial office behind the Emerald Cafe's kitchen. Madeline, a kindly woman in her late thirties, smiled at the young girl. "Here's this month's paycheck." She handed Lita a pink envelope and smiled. But Lita didn't seem as happy as she usually did after she got a check. "Lita, what's wrong?" For the first time in all the years Lita had part-timed at Emerald Cafe, Madeline saw her fidget. She twisted her arms behind her back and played with her fingers while rubbing her shoe against her calf. "Maddy... I mean, Ms. Brunsworth..." "Lita. You've worked here for several years and you are like a daughter to me. Madeline, or Maddy, please." Lita smiled. "I was wondering... if maybe... I could get an advance paycheck of next month too." Madeline looked at Lita quizically. Was she in financial trouble? Posh, it couldn't be. Her deceased family had left her a fortune which paid for her penthouse apartment in the middle of Tokyo... "See, my friend Serena..." "Ah, the Serena you've told me so much about. She came in about a month ago..." "She did?" Lita asked, surprised. She hadn't remembered that... "It was on your day off. She didn't know about your days off." "Oh." Was all Lita said. But a month ago? "Serena told me about her baby." Maddy stated. Lita nodded dumbly. How could Serena have not? From one woman to another, a baby was the most precious thing in the universe. Serena had been pregnant for a while now, and of course Maddy would have asked about it. 'So when Serena came in, looking for me, she must have told Maddy about how she was pregnant... well, as much as she could tell someone who isn't "in" on our secret.' "And I'm sure you and your friends want to give Serena a wonderful baby shower. She definitely deserves it; that sweet girl. So, here is your advance paycheck..." Maddy scrawled out another check and handed it to Lita, who was staring openmouthed. Maddy smiled as she continued to talk. "And your raise, now that I'm promoting you to head chef." Silence. "Lita?" Silence again. "WOW. I mean, thank you. WOW... I mean, it's just..." Maddy stood and hugged the tall brunette and held her an arms distance from her. "Now get rid of that waitress uniform and put on your new uniform." Maddy pointed to a locker. Lita walked over to it and opened it. She gasped aloud. It was like her dream was coming true... The uniform was a beautiful white and green striped blouse, complete with green bow and pink rose in the top right corner. A double row of pearl white buttons made their way down the length of the blouse. A matching skirt with attached white skirt-apron hung from a hanger underneath the blouse. A small puffed hat with a green and white striped band completed the set. "It's beautiful..." "I knew your favorite colors were green and pink, and judging from the earrings you always wear, I thought your favorite flowers were roses, so..." Maddy trailed off sheepishly. Lita was like the daughter she never had, and wanted her to be treated as such. The girl had been through so much, and deserved to live a normal life compared to what she had to endure... "But... what about Darla?" Darla was the old head chef, a mysterious woman who looked about in her twenties. Lita never saw much of her, but when she did, she got a bad feeling. It was always dismissed, because there was no way a Negaverse monster would go through years without attacking people. So Darla COULDN'T be a monster. "Darla vanished a couple of days ago. I called her up; nobody answered. In the long run, we can't go much longer without a head cook. Darla is absent without leave, and no matter what happened to her, you're our new head cook!" "THANK YOU!" Lita smiled happily, hugging the older woman. Maddy smiled as she watched the girl leave the room, with some regret, but more thanks. She knew the money was being well spent. ***************************************************************** Amy nodded and smiled as the teller handed her a slip of paper. Her college funds. True, thanks to her genius and her mother's well-paid job, she really didn't have a need for college funds. Any college would pay *her* to come to their school. For Amy, world-reknowned genuis, financial aid was free, and scholarships came a dime a dozen. All the money she had saved over the years -from winning chess championships, taking standardized tests and entering swimming competitions- was for naught. She had saved it just because she felt safer that way. Besides, schools in other countries probably didn't know about her, and she would need the money to get into them, to pay for her books and travel there... "Even so..." Amy said aloud to no one, as she walked into her expensive apartment where she lived with her mother, "I can always go to Azabu Tech, or K.O. University." Darien went to Azabu Tech, and had a few classes at K.O. on the weekends in the summer. He was studying to be a doctor, and would eventually be accepted into K.O. University to get his med degree. Amy, though she hoped to be a pediatrician and not a surgeon, would like to follow in his footsteps. Amy eyed the money, a hefty sum of ? 54,265,000. True, she didn't plan on spending all of this on Serena, but it never hurt to be prepared... "Yeah, $500,000 in yen prepared..." Amy muttered as she pocketed the smaller portion of the money. *************************************************************** Mina padded carefully around her bedroom, fully aware that Artemis was watching her every movement. "Get lost Artemis, you're making me nervous!" Mina finally yelped. The cat yowled when Mina picked him up and tossed him out of her room. She made sure to lock her doors and windows, close the curtains and shades... "No one must know where I keep my secret stash of cash." Mina grinned. She walked over to her huge orange elephant sitting on her toychest. She turned it around carefully, and folded its ear over. A small orange zipper was revealed, which Mina unzipped. A wad of yen popped out from the ear. Mina repeated this process with the giraffe's belly, the gorilla's stomach, and the big happy face heart's behind. By the time she was finished, she had a sum of several thousand dollars. "Guess I'll have to convert this to yen." Mina surmised. She made sure all the zippers were closed and everything was in its rightful place before she hid the money in one place. Then, she opened all the doors and windows again. Artemis scratched at the door until Mina let him in. "Just what were you doing?" The white feline questioned suspiciously. "Particularly nothing." Mina grinned foolishly before turning out all the lights and going to sleep. ******************************************************************** After only three days, all the girls had gathered more than enough money to get Serena the cradle-crib. In fact, they had enough money to furnish an entire nursery -or four. However, they decided to be wise when spending, and only bought the one, with a small additional gift from each of them. From Mina, a small baby monitor set. From Raye, a tiny "Got Milk" babysuit. From Amy, a toy abacus with little animals decorating the bottom. And lastly, from Lita, a teething set that was shaped like various junk foods: candy bars, hamburgers and soda cans. "Aren't we being a little premature?" Amy asked the others as they made their purchases. Most of the items they were buying -save the crib- were for toddlers, not newborns or infants. "Think of it this way, Ames: Sere won't have to buy this stuff when the kid starts walking, learning numbers, teething or..." Lita had been about to say 'crying at all hours of the night,' but she withheld. Babies did that anyways. "Or?" "Never mind. All the parents I know anyway all say the kids grow up fast anyways. You know, 'Time Flies'?" Amy nodded as the girls paid for their purchases and had them gift wrapped collectively. The baby shower was to take place in one week -in the apartment where Darien and Serena now both lived. ********************************************************************* 'Ulp... what am I going to do... I can't turn her down!' Darien thought, sweat gathering uncomfortably under his collar. But Serena was already unpacking in his room. 'I suppose I could live with sleeping on the floor...' *STUPID!! She IS your girlfriend, isn't she? And isn't she pregnant with YOUR kid? Might I quote: 'The one I want to spend the rest of my life with...' Ring a bell, Cape Boy?* The taunting voice in his head was ENCOURAGING him to... to... "ARGH!!!" "Darien?" Serena poked her head out of the door, her eyebrows raised in worry and confusion. "Are you..." She eyed him up and down, just to make sure, "Okay?" Darien nodded dumbly as she slipped back into the room to finish unpacking. 'I will not sleep with her before we're married.' *What difference does it make? She's ALREADY pregnant.* 'But--but...' *What, worried about her dad shotgunning you? HELLO... he already knows!* 'That she's pregnant! But what if he doesn't know that *I'm* the father!? He'll think I...' "Dare!!! Can you PLLLEEEASSE get me some rainbow sherbet?" Before he could blink, Serena was standing in front of him, a pleading, puppy-dog expression plastering her angelic face. She clutched onto his shirt like it was a lifeline, staring into his eyes while her own sparkled stars. He groaned inwardly and smiled. Serena blushed a deep red hue; it was THAT smile that always made her weak in the knees. He gently removed her hands from his shirt and nodded slightly. Grabbing his jacket and wallet, he stepped over the few boxes they had left scattering the floor and went to the door. "Thank you honey!" Serena smiled brilliantly, and Darien rolled his eyes. What a manipulative little sweetheart she was. 'God, I sound like a grandfather already.' She blew him a sultry kiss as he closed the door, leaving her to unpack the rest of her stuff. **************************************************************** End of Part 6 Dammit, it sat on my floppy disk for so damn long, as it is right now... and I'm ending it here because I can't think of a damn better ending. I'm VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY sorry, Minna-san. Say what? I'll have the substory out in a few weeks? Nah... make that... TWO WEEKS! Gosh darnit, I'll try like hell! azurite_moon@yahoo.com http://www.geocities.com/sailor_andromida http://www.geocities.com/azurite_moon