Christmas Stalkings

Author: crystal_rose

Rated: PG13

Rating :

Standard disclaimers/death threats apply.

Chapter 2

Chapter two

Serena inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, imagining the clean, cool air rushing into her lungs and entering her bloodstream. It was such a beautiful day; the sun was shining, the air was crisp, and the best part was that she didn't have to work today. Nope, it was Saturday, and she had the weekend off.

Ah, bliss. She was going to spend her well-deserved Saturday off doing what she loved best: drinking a chocolate shake at the arcade, followed by a visit to the manga store where she could immerse herself in the latest adventures of her favourite animated characters. Perhaps she could squeeze in a visit to Raye's shrine so she could "borrow" her manga too…

Just the thought of the Shinto priestess made her cackle. For someone who touted the virtues of Buddhist beliefs, Raye sure was stingy with her manga. Serena could just imagine Raye spending her next five or so lives as a tapeworm or a dung beetle for not adhering to her principles. Her eyes gleamed, and she felt this urge to buy a can of bug spray. Yeah…

Usagi felt her mood lightening even more. She fairly skipped her way to the arcade, humming some nameless tune she made up. Her eyes twinkled when she spotted the familiar glass doors of the arcade. I'm home, she thought happily.

She giggled with delight when the doors whooshed open a few feet before she could smash into them. They never failed to amuse her. She shook her head ruefully; she was so easily impressed.

Usagi hopped up on a barstool and rang the little bell that had Andrew rushing out of the backroom, ready to cater to her every whim. "One chocolate shake please!"

"Coming right up, Serena," Andrew replied cheerfully. He was still working behind the counter at the arcade after all these years, but now, he was actually the owner. His father had retired a couple years ago, and had given him and his sister Lizzy, complete run of the place.

He placed the tall glass in front of Usagi and watched her eyes glaze over as she dug in eagerly. Some things never change, he thought in amusement. And boy, was he ever glad they didn't. He told her he had some things to check on in the back, but that Lizzy would get her anything else she needed. He ruffled her hair good-naturedly when she cheekily asked who would get the tip.

Serena giggled fondly, watching Andrew close the door to his office. I actually had a crush on that guy, she thought in disbelief. Not that she was now embarrassed of her schoolgirl crush—Andrew was one hot guy. One whom she had come to think of as her big brother over the years. Of course, she had had no other choice since Rita had been smart enough—and lucky enough—to snap him up first.

She twirled her barstool around spontaneously, not at all embarrassed to be caught behaving like a kid at her age. Halfway through her second spin, she saw a familiar blur seated in a corner booth, trying to look inconspicuous in a black fedora, charcoal grey trenchcoat, and dark sunglasses.

Serena frowned and felt the first waves of panic washing over her. She saw that same guy across the street when she first left her house that morning; at the intersection behind her when she bent over to tie her shoelace; behind the tree when she passed through the park on her way to the arcade. And now he was in a booth a few feet away from her.

Her heart beating fast, she made a dash to the ladies' room to figure out what to do, her unfinished chocolate shake left behind on the counter.

In the booth, the man took off his sunglasses and watched Serena practically run to the ladies' room. She doesn't suspect a thing, Darien thought gleefully. He pulled out the crumpled notepad from his pocket to consult his observations of Serena that morning.

10:45 am—S leaves house Hmm, she's obviously not a morning person, he thought, although she did leave the house sooner than he expected. S is wearing a calf-length overcoat and knee-high black leather boots. Who knows what's hidden underneath?

His eyes glazed over as he pictured the goodies he might find under her wool coat. The hooker boots gave him some nice ideas… He shifted uncomfortably when the ideas got to be a little too nice.

11 am—went to the park. S literally stopped to smell the roses That left him wondering—should he get her roses? Darien shook his head and tossed that idea out. As Tuxedo Mask, he had an endless supply of roses. Dipping into his rose stash would only make him look like a cheapskate in her eyes, plus it would make her wonder why the roses never died. Which reminded him of something…

How was he going to explain his Tuxedo Mask alter ego? He didn't think Serena would appreciate knowing he had to save Sailor Moon on a near week basis. The frequency of the Negaverse attacks was almost like tuning in to watch a favourite TV show every week. It was getting so that he almost never made any plans for Wednesday afternoons from 3 to 3:30 because he knew an attack would take place at the park, or at the grocery store, or Serena's school. And he had taken to watching Serena's friend Molly as well: she was like a magnet for the Negaverse monsters. He wondered if the Scouts had noticed how predictable the Negaverse was getting.

11:07—S arrives at Crown Arcade and has a chocolate shake He glanced at the counter; said milkshake was starting to melt. He wondered what was taking so long in the ladies' room. Darien glanced at his wristwatch and noted the time.

11:12—S goes to the LR; leaves shake on counter

11:18—S still in LR Starting to get suspicious, Darien glanced surreptitiously around the arcade and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Lizzy was busy with the only other customers in the place. Quietly, he slipped out of the booth and crawled on all fours to the ladies' room to avoid getting seen. He knocked lightly on the door and entered when he heard a light squeak on the other side.

Darien threw the door open just in time to see a pair of black leather boots inching their way out the tiny upper window. He cursed to himself; the window was too small for him to fit through. He had to catch up to Serena before she got away.

In the alley behind the arcade, Serena dusted herself off and quickly searched for a place to hide. The Dumpster, with its rotting piles of garbage didn't seem too appealing; however, the mountain of boxes at the end of the alley would do. Without a moment to lose, Serena dove into the pile and observed the alley through one of the gaps between the boxes.

The alley was long and crammed with refuse from the surrounding buildings. Steam from the ventilation system from the Laundromat next to the arcade made visibility poor and the racket the stray cats were making almost made Serena miss hearing the sound of approaching footsteps.

Suddenly, she heard a menacing growl as a metal garbage can was knocked over, its feline occupants hissing in protest. Serena held her breath; her stalker was now just a few feet away, the steam and the boxes hiding her in plain sight.

Serena paused, and frowned. She was Sailor Moon, for goodness sake! What use were her powers if she couldn't even protect herself from a human nutcase? Raye and Lita were always telling her to be more assertive, after all. Without giving it further thought, she whispered her transformation phrase.

"Moon Prism Power!"

A few feet away, Darien felt a familiar sense of danger, followed by a rush of excitement and adrenaline: Sailor Moon had transformed. Not even a second later, his own transformation was triggered and he watched as his street clothes melted away to form a dapper tuxedo and cape, his black fedora replaced with a top hat, a mask replacing his sunglasses. He squinted at the slight form racing towards him through the mist and barely avoided getting kicked in the face with a red boot.

"Hey, watch it!" he exclaimed. The struggling female in his arms was putting up one hell of a fight. Her elbow had already managed to catch him in the ribs. Where was the crybaby Sailor Moon he used to know? A hard stomp on his foot had him swearing. "What's your problem?"

Sailor Moon stopped attacking when she heard his familiar voice. "Tuxedo Mask?" she asked hesitantly. What was he doing here? she wondered. Did he chase away her stalker?

"Who else?" Sailor Moon could hear the annoyance in his voice and winced. "What the hell were doing attacking me?"

Serena's mind whirled. She couldn't tell him she thought someone was following her—she might accidentally reveal her real identity to him and she couldn't have that, no matter how much she trusted him. "Uh, I was just patrolling the city from the rooftops when I thought I felt some bad vibes down here. I thought I'd check it out." She prayed he bought her story and would leave her alone.

Tuxedo Mask looked doubtful but he didn't say anything. "You were patrolling the city?" he asked skeptically.

Serena blushed and drew herself up to her full height…and managed to reach the bottom of his chin. "Yeah, I was patrolling the city. You got a problem with that?"

Darien chuckled to himself. Sailor Moon's bravado was beginning to remind him of Serena. Speaking of Serena, where did she go? He inwardly shrugged. I guess I'll have to follow her around tomorrow, he decided. He turned his attention back to Sailor Moon, whose face had turned red with indignation at being ignored while he searched for any traces of Serena in the alley.

"No, I don't have a problem with that," he replied, holding both hand ups, palms facing her in a gesture of peace. He saw that she was still pouting so he smiled. "How about we patrol together?" he suggested and had the pleasure of seeing Sailor Moon's eyes widen with surprise.

Why didn't you think of this before? Her mind berated her. You could've had Tuxedo Mask all to yourself a long time ago. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, Serena nodded. Just then, her communicator beeped. She excused herself for a moment to answer it, walking away backwards so that she could keep an eye on Tuxedo Mask.

Serena pressed the button and Raye's face immediately popped up on the tiny screen. "Where's the fire, Sailor Moon?"

"Go away," Serena hissed urgently. "It was a false alarm."

Raye's eyes narrowed into tiny little slits. "False alarm?" she repeated in an eerily quiet voice. "You dragged me out of a meditation session with Chad for a false alarm? I could kill you!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I thought it was a Negaverse monster. Turns out it was just a guy dressed up in a costume for a publicity stunt," Serena improvised. "Tell the others, okay? Gotta book it." She turned off the communicator before the fiery priestess could begin her tirade. She squared her shoulders. Now, to be alone with a certain masked hunk who bore a striking resemblance to Darien, the Cuddly Polar Bear…

"Problem?" He was standing with his arms crossed and his weight shifted on his back foot, giving Serena a sense of déjà vu. Now where had she seen that stance before?

Serena shook her head. "No, there's no problem. No problem at all." She wanted to smack herself in the forehead for reverting to her junior high self. She cleared her throat and composed herself. "Shall we go?"

Tuxedo Mask nodded. "After you," he said politely.

Serena's knees almost buckled under the intensity of his gaze, but she forcibly steeled herself to his charms. She pointed to the roof. "We go that way. Think you can manage?" she added as a parting shot before launching herself vertically into a jump of superhuman proportions. She landed on the roof with a thud, but at least she was standing upright. A few seconds later, Tuxedo Mask joined her.

"So, where to?" Darien raised an eyebrow at Sailor Moon whose face turned a healthy shade of pink. "Do you even have any idea where we're going?"

Again, that stubborn chin stuck out in defiance, once again reminding Darien of Serena. "'Course I do." She turned 180 degrees and pointed at a vague direction. "That way."

"As you wish," he replied, hopping onto the next roof easily, despite the fact that it was a five-story building and that the arcade was only two. Darien was content to let Sailor Moon lead the way partly because, hey, this was her gig, and partly because he liked watching the way her ass moved in that tiny skirt of hers.

Now whose ass did Sailor Moon's remind him of?

While Darien pondered this, Serena led him on a wild goose chase around the city, using the rooftops as their own private highway. Sometimes a few sharp-eyed citizens spotted them, but by the time they got over their shock, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were gone. That day, eye doctors all over Tokyo and the surrounding regions were booked solid for the next three weeks, leading Japanese health officials to wonder at the state of their nation's optical well being.

After a while of fruitless searching, it became obvious that the Negaverse decided to lie low that afternoon. After all, it wasn't Wednesday, Darien later on reflected. Standing beside him on top of a 15-storey apartment building, he heard Sailor Moon's stomach grumble. "Hungry?" he asked.

Serena's stomach grumbled again. "Yeah," she admitted sheepishly. "I didn't get to eat anything before we went on this Nega-hunt."

Darien looked over the edge and spotted a small food stand across the street. "If it's food the lady wants, it's food the lady gets. I'll be right back," he said, and jumped over the edge before Serena could reply.

"Wait!" she shouted, leaning over the edge as far as she dared. It was too late; he had already hopped off the streetlamp and landed safely on the sidewalk in front of the food stand. The astonished man behind the counter handed him a couple of bento boxes, and Tuxedo Mask handed him a couple of bills in return and was off before the crowd forming around him got any bigger.

She sighed dreamily, watching him hop, skip, and jump his way back to her. He's very…dashing in that tuxedo, she thought, smiling foolishly at herself. I wonder if he's as dashing without it? Serena whirled around when she heard him land lightly on the roof beside her, right when she was picturing him in his skivvies. She gulped, hoping that he'd think her flushed cheeks were due to the chilly breeze, and not thoughts of a…lascivious nature.

"That was fast," she squeaked, reddening even more. She nodded towards the plastic bag that dangled from his hand. "What'd you get?"

Darien gazed questioningly at her face. Sailor Moon's cheeks were particularly red, and getting redder by the second. Must be the wind, he decided. "I'll show you but first, we've got to get out of here. It's only a matter of time before that crowd on the street figure out we're up here."

Serena nodded and took his outstretched hand. Together, they leapt from the roof's edge and landed on the next roof 30 feet away. Cheers and whistles could be heard from below, following their progress from building to building, hand in hand, for five whole blocks.

They finally settled on one of Tokyo Bay Bridge's towers; it was the only place they could go where people couldn't stop to gawk at them, and it was the only place they could be alone. Serena thought, as she tucked her legs under her demurely, that she had died and gone to superhero heaven. She knew that they should've parted ways as soon as they had determined that there were no Negaverse monsters to be found—hell, she shouldn't have pretended there were any in the first place—but frankly, they just didn't want to leave each other's company. All of Luna's British-accented warnings about Tuxedo Mask went unheeded as she smiled at and accepted the bento box from Tuxedo Mask.

Up yours, Luna, she thought, then looked around just to make sure the uptight kitty wasn't anywhere in the vicinity. Sometimes she'd swear that Luna could hear her every thought. Banishing all thoughts of Luna out of her mind, Serena closed her eyes appreciatively and sniffed the contents of the bento box.

"Yum, you got assorted tempura, my favourite!" Serena licked her lips greedily and dug in. "I love sweet potato!"

Darien groaned inwardly, his eyes locked on the lips that her tongue just licked. Did she know how utterly sexy that was? It was a good thing that Sailor Moon liked tempura; he didn't know what to get so he relied upon Serena's favourite food. To take his mind off sexy thoughts, he opened up his own box and savoured the smell of chicken teriyaki on rice. Mmm, rice…

He caught Sailor Moon staring oddly at him and he realized that he had been stroking his box in a rather embarrassingly loving manner. He pulled his hand away as if the bento box had burned it, and broke his chopsticks apart. "So," he drawled, trying to find a subject to draw her attention away from his near-molestation of the bento box. "Why did you think there was a Negaverse monster today? Don't you about Wednesdays?"

Serena mentally tugged on her collar. I can't tell him the truth! she thought frantically, searching for a reasonable explanation as to why she transformed without giving too much of her other identity away. "Well, vigilance against evil is half the battle," she replied lamely.

Darien raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Obviously, she was hiding something, but if she didn't want to confide in him, he couldn't blame her. After all, what did she know about him anyway? They ate in awkward silence, both keeping their eyes on the traffic and water below.

Darien fumbled with a piece of chicken dangerously held between his wooden chopsticks. "Crap!" he exclaimed when it fell and landed on his lapel. He just hoped there was a drying cleaning service wherever it was that the tuxedo disappeared to at the end of every battle. He was about to wipe off the unsightly stain with his gloved hand when Sailor Moon yanked his wrist back.

"Don't—you'll just set the stain even deeper." She reached into her glove—no room for pockets in he costume—and pulled out a dainty handkerchief edged with lace. "Use this."

Darien protested but she was already dabbing at the stain. "Let me take that," he said, pulling the handkerchief out of her hand gently. "I'll wash that and get it back to you at the next battle." Sailor Moon nodded, her cheeks flushed and smiled.

"Next battle, then."

"Just out of curiosity," Serena began. "What do you think the Negaverse does for Christmas?"

Darien's lips quirked; he liked this question. What did Queen Beryl and Co. do for Christmas? Did they even have Christmas in the Negaverse? "Wouldn't it be funny if they gathered around a huge table with Beryl carving the turkey?"

Serena laughed, picturing the scene. "And instead of grey uniforms, Beryl makes her generals wear red and green elf costumes—kinda like the ones you see in the malls at the Santa house." She shuddered remembering her own elf suit. For once, the generals had her sympathies.

"Think Santa makes a detour in the Negaverse?" They looked at each other.

"Nah," they said simultaneously, before bursting into uncontrolled laughter.

The wind turned chilly, and Serena shivered in her skimpy costume. "Cold?" Darien asked needlessly. She's shivering you idiot, he berated himself. Of course she's cold! Resisting the temptation to smack himself on the forehead, Darien drew his cape around him and smiled shyly at Sailor Moon. "Come closer."

Serena's heart beat faster as she scooted over to his side. She thought she was going to die of happiness when Tuxedo Mask wrapped his cape around her, leaving his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. Little by little, Serena allowed her muscles to relax until she was actually leaning against him. He smells familiar, she thought dreamily. Like Darien's cologne.

Darien couldn't believe his good luck. Here he was on top of a bridge, of all places, with Sailor Moon. His heart jumped in his throat when she rested her cheek against his shoulder. But as good as he felt, he couldn't get rid of the gnawing feeling in his gut reminding him about Serena. The best times of your life were spent with Serena, his mind reminded him. You don't even know who Sailor Moon is.

I know, his heart replied, but wouldn't it be great if they were both the same person? If only... Darien sighed; it was late afternoon already and he hadn't had much luck in finding out what to get Serena for Christmas. Only four more shopping days left, he thought.

Serena couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Here she was, having what was supposed to be a romantic lunch with her superhero colleague whom she had lusted after ever since junior high, and she couldn't get her mind off Darien! Why can't he leave me alone, she screamed internally. It isn't fair that she was the only one to suffer unrequited...what? Like? Love?

Serena straightened, breaking out of Tuxedo Mask's hold so abruptly that she almost hit his chin with the top of her head—not that she noticed. She was in love with Darien. Imagine that. Serena didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and decided on stunned silence. After all these years, her mind finally caught up to what her heart had been saying all along: she was in love with her arch nemesis, Darien Shields.

And all of a sudden, being on top of a bridge with the hunkiest superhero in the world didn't appeal to her as much as it did earlier. Right now, she just wanted to be with Darien. Then she really did want to weep. Other than making fun of her, Darien wanted nothing to do with her.

"Is there something wrong?" Tuxedo Mask asked, watching the play of emotions on her face. Sailor Moon went from serene, to shock, to extreme joy, and extreme despair. If anything could be said about Sailor Moon, he thought, it was that she wore her heart on her sleeve. Just like a certain Meatball Head he knew.

The thought of Serena somewhere in the busy city sobered Darien. Where was she? What was she doing? Suddenly, he just wanted to get off that bridge and find her, if only to see that she was okay. But how could he just leave Sailor Moon when they were getting along so well?

Serena drew in a shaky breath. "Oh, it's nothing," she replied, hoping she sounded casual enough. "Why don't we go somewhere else? It's really cold up here."

"Sure," Darien replied half-heartedly. He took her hand—another thing to feel guilty about—and together, they hopped/ran/jumped their way down the bridge and made their way to a deserted section of the park that Darien knew was near Serena's old school. They stood in front of the lake, not knowing what to say, their minds somewhere else.

They watched as the wind scattered fallen leaves across the glassy surface of the water, the nearly bare branches stretching upwards in a futile attempt to touch the overcast sky. The distinct honking of birds could be heard, but the creatures themselves couldn't be seen; they were probably in flight already. Eventually, the sun began its descent, taking what little warmth it had offered that day with it.

How long have we been standing here? Serena wondered. It felt like forever and one instant at the same time. She turned to Tuxedo Mask and studied his profile as he in turn studied the setting sun. What was he thinking about?

"It's getting late," he said, finally turning around to look at her. "We should be going our separate ways."

Serena nodded; at last, she could finally find Darien and... Well, she hadn't thought that far in advance yet. Just finding Darien was enough for now. "I had a great time, Tuxedo Mask."

"As did I." Darien stared at the ground and shifted his weight to his other foot. "Well, I'll see you, most likely next Wednesday."

Serena chuckled. "Yeah, Queen Beryl and her lackeys aren't very creative, are they? I mean, how many years have they been attacking that park without any success. They're getting so predictable that the other Scouts and I have been taking turns watching Molly whose energy they love to drain so much." They shared a laugh, easing the previous tension.

They heard the approaching sounds of children's laughter and knew that it was finally time to part. Serena gave a little wave before moving past Tuxedo Mask—only to trip on an exposed tree root and landing heavily into his arms, the force of the impact knocking him against the tree. Just like old times, she thought.

"Just like old times, eh, Sailor Moon?" Serena raised her eyebrows, surprised that he echoed her thoughts. Tuxedo Mask set her on her feet, and brushed himself off. "I'll just take off before those kids get here." He tossed back a wave, and disappeared behind some trees.

Just as Serena was about to detransform and leave, her boot came into contact with something on the ground, and an eerily-familiar tune started to play. She looked down, and saw a star-shaped locket lying open on the ground.

It must be Tuxedo Mask's, she thought, and bent down to pick it up. The locket fit into the palm of her hand perfectly, the gold feeling cool in her hand. It was beautiful, and obviously very valuable; a crescent moon on the inside of the locket slowly rotated in time to the tinkly music as tiny gems sparkled with an internal glow. She had never seen this locket before, so why did it seem so familiar to her?

She had to get it back to Tuxedo Mask. The problem was, where did he go? Serena closed the lid and followed him carefully—she didn't want him to think she was stalking him.

Serena saw a flash of the red lining of his cape, and knew she was on the right track. Encouraged, she quickened her steps to catch up to him—he was standing in a clearing just ahead of her. "Tuxedo—" Serena's heart stopped as she watched Tuxedo Mask detransform. Finally, she was going to know his identity.

Serena hid behind a tree and shut her eyes. Did she really want to see this? Did she want to destroy the mystique behind Tuxedo Mask by finding out his identity without his knowing? That didn't seem fair—to Tuxedo Mask, and to herself—so she walked back the way she came, detransforming along the way.

She heard footsteps behind her and knew that it was the now detransformed Tuxedo Mask. If she didn't want him finding out that she came very close to finding out his identity, she would have to hide. Again.

Serena dove behind a bush just as a figure emerged from the copse of trees. Again, she shut her eyes, determined to preserve her ignorance of his identity.

"Damn," she heard a familiar voice mutter. Her heart stopped beating and ice formed in the pit of her stomach. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and turned her head towards the figure standing in the shadows before her. "Where did it go? Don't tell me I lost that locket."

Serena's jaw dropped, and she resisted the overwhelming urge to cry out of disbelief. It can't be true, she thought. Oh, but it is, her mind replied.

I should be happy about this.

I got my wish.

Tuxedo Mask and Darien are…

The same person.

Tuxedo Mask is Darien.

Darien…is Tuxedo Mask.