Mark Berger The Wedding Part 1: The Proposal June 30, 1996 Serena's birthday presents were strewn about her. If you didn't know she was turning eighteen, you'd have never guessed from the pile of stuffed animals at her feet. Present were all of the Sailorsoldiers, Molly, Melvin, her immediate family and, of course, Darien. Her family and friends had been more than generous with their gift-giving. Serena had recieved many great presents, including a *car* from Alex and Michelle, a shiny sports coupe. Serena's dad had worried about it ("It's too expensive, and our insurance won't cover it!") but Alex had assured him that it wasn't too expensive for her, that Serena could handle the vehicle (having learned on two other sports cars, hers and Dariens), and that insurance concerns were already taken care of. She tore open the wrapping paper on Rei's present, revealing a jewelry box containing a pair of exquisite sailboat earrings. The sailboats were backed by crescent moons, a joking point at Serena's status as Sailor Moon. Serena gasped in pleasure, carefully hooked the earrings into her earlobes, and gave her best friend a huge hug, which Rei reciprocated, saying "Happy Birthday, Serena." Now only two presents were left to be opened, both from Darien. Rei smiled with anticipation of what was to come: She had snuck one of Serena's rings from her friend's house to give to Darien so he could have a sizing ring to give to the jeweler. Serena opened the first, a huge object that turned out to be... the portrait that she and Darien had posed for, four years ago! The portrait of the Earth Prince giving the locket to the Moon Princess. She nearly squealed in delight, then, with a sudden flash of insight became very wide-eyed, luminous at the prospect of what the portrait could mean. Her suspicion was confirmed when she opened the second box. It contained a single sheet of paper, with the words "Look Up" written on it. She followed the instruction and saw Darien on one knee in front of her. Her eyes began to shimmer as she anticipated the sweetest words she would ever hear. "Serena Usagi Tsukino, I love you, always have loved you and always will love you. Will you honor me and give me the great happiness of being my bride?" Darien slipped the ring he had selected on Serena's finger: it contained a full carat's weight of diamonds set into a crescent moon, set onto a solid- gold band. It was beautiful, as was the look of pure love glowing in her eyes as Darien put it on her. Serena felt her eyes tear up, her cheeks burn and her pulse race. She wanted so badly to say the word, but a lump was in her throat. She settled for the next best thing. She knelt next to her love and kissed him with passion. When their lips parted, she said happily, "Yes, yes, a million times yes! I will accept the honor of being your wife!" Kenji looked as though he were about to say something, but Ikuko pinched his arm and pulled him out of the room. "Kenji! How dare you even THINK of disrupting our daughter's happiness like that," she stormed, "Darien has been nothing but good to her for a very long time, and I think it's high time that you realize that our daughter is grown up now!" "But he's too old!" Kenji realized that the argument was lost from the moment he opened his mouth, as he looked at his wife's determined expression and saw the great love his daughter shared with the young man, saw her friends crowd around her and Darien to congratulate the couple. *The gifts they got for her... you'd think she was some kind of queen or something, though. I mean, a CAR!! I didn't get my own first new car until I was almost twenty-five!* "But nothing! Eighteen and twenty-two is not that great an age difference, you know." Kenji sighed, resigned to the fact that he was going to have to face it: his daughter was all grown up. Later, "We'll be back, mom!" Serena was behind the wheel of the new sports car. After Darien's and Rei's gifts, it was her favorite. Long and metallic-blue in color, the same color as the skirt and neckerchief on her fuku as Sailor Moon, the car represented freedom to Serena, as well as a whole new level of responsibility. As Sailor Moon she was responsible for the fate of the entire world. As Serena in her car, she was responsible for the safety of everybody in her car, and everybody else on the road. She just hoped Alex's driving lessons had taught her enough. Ten minutes later, Leaving Tokyo, Serena got her car up to 130 km/h, exulting as she easily piloted the vehicle through light traffic and long, luxuriant pigtails blowing in the wind. Darien was in the passenger's seat, and he laughed a carefree laugh. The two had dropped Rei off at her temple (after taking a whirlwind tour of Tokyo). Looking through the two family trees earlier in the year, Serena and Rei found that their maternal grandfathers had been brothers, making them cousins in this life as well as the last. At first, Darien and Rei had been a bit apprehensive about Serena driving, after all she had only that day earned her driver's license, but the same girl who four years earlier had been hard-pressed to walk and chew gum had matured into a graceful, beautiful woman, the image of the Neo-Queen she would become. Rei's good looks had matured into a beauty on par with a supermodel's, as had Mina's. Lita was still tomboyishly pretty, and Ami's sad eyes, blue hair and stunning figure attracted the attentions of many boys. All except Ami wore her hair in the same style she always had, and Ami simply lengthened her style until it brushed the nape of her neck, curling slightly at the end. During her senior year, Serena had attracted many guys who had suddenly noticed her transformation, but her eyes were only for her Prince, and his for his Princess. Many of them, after noticing this, had redirected their attentions toward Lita, Mina, Ami, or Rei; who had transferred from T*A High School to Juuban High School after her 10th grade year and a long fight with her father, ending in "I don't care what you or anybody else thinks!! I'm going to go to school with my friends!" Serena drove well, only very occasionally missing a shift and grinding the gears, and even then only for a fraction of a second before her Sailor-trained reflexes let off on the gearshift and properly engaged the clutch. As a result of her training as Sailor Moon, as well as being corralled into martial-arts classes by Rei, Lita, and Alex, her muscles were toned and powerful, and she could now, as Lita always could, beat up a youma pretty good before becoming Sailor Moon and finishing it off. The training had also helped her balance and reflexes. When the car reached a scenic overlook, looking east over the Pacific Ocean, Serena stopped it and got out. Darien did likewise, and held her as the two young lovers watched the night gather on the horizon. "Hawaii," he mused. "Hawaii?" Serena looked into Darien's dark blue eyes, and saw mystery and romance in them, as she always did. "That's where I've arranged tickets for our honeymoon, my love." "Oh, Darien, that's sooo romantic!" She leaned up to kiss him. Next: Part 2: The Ceremony! --------------288168311300--