Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Decided Bride ❯ Mistaken Identity ( Chapter 18 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

"Rei watch it, you're going to squish them!" Lita was twitching from watching Rei carrying the box full of goodies.

Rei shot her an annoyed look. "No I'm not, I'm being careful!" she snapped. The other three girls rolled their eyes and sighed, as they walked to Motoki's tavern. Lita had baked up boxes of goodies when she had heard they were going to a party. It was something the palace cooks had been getting used to for years now, having a princess around who loved to bake.

They reached the tavern and entered the door, already hearing voices from within. As soon as they stepped in they were met with greetings, laughter, and music.

"Girls you made it!" They all turned to Motoki, who's cheerful voice was coming from the bar. They all came over and deposited their boxes on the counter. "What, did you bring food to feed the entire Moon army? I assure you, there won't be that many people here!" he exclaimed as he saw all of the food.

Lita blushed as the other girls laughed. "Here, we can put it on these tables," she said, motioning to a row of tables already bearing an impressive amount of food and beverages.

A few of the people Motoki had invited knew how to play musical instruments, so they were keeping the place upbeat. Serenity was surprised how many people there were, and all of them she knew.

Motoki led them to one of the rooms as soon as they had deposited their food on the tables so that they could put their cloaks away. There were already cloaks all over the room, but no one really seemed to care. The girls exited one by one, Serenity being the last. As she was about to walk out the door, she felt Motoki's hand clasp her arm.

He leaned close to her ear. "Don't worry, I told everyone that some people present don't know who you really are," he whispered in her ear.

She looked at him with a surprised glance. "What do you mean?" she asked, her eyes already scanning the room for a certain man she knew for sure was there now.

"He's over by the stairs," Motoki murmured in her ear.

Her eyes darted over to the stairs where she saw him talking to Sakia, one of the barmaids. He looked up to meet her eyes, as though he had felt her gaze on him. Her hands sweated as his face broke into a smile. Her face heated up as he winked. Her heart sank as he turned his attention back to the barmaid.

A sudden realizations came to her as she looked back at the face of her friend who had a very obvious smirk on his face. "Why would I care where Darien is?" She asked icily.

Motoki's smirk deepened. "Oh good, so you did know who I was talking about!" he replied cheekily, completely ignoring her question.

Serenity felt herself blush as she hit his arm hard, and walked away. She heard laughter coming form him. Ignoring it, she walked to the opposite side of the room where the girls were standing and conversing with Naru and joined in their conversation. Her eyes kept wandering back to the man at the stairs, leaning against the doorframe, joking with the pretty wench. Serenity knew her, and she was a nice enough girl, but for some reason at that moment, she had a strong dislike for her. She looked back to the girls, added a few comments to the conversation, and then let her eyes wander back to the man. Her breath caught in her throat when her eyes locked with his. She couldn't tare her eyes away, not until she noticed that god-forsaken smirk that had taken over his face. She looked away quickly, the sound of her heart beating blocking out all sound in the room.

None of the girls noticed a new visitor enter the room as Serenity walked into the kitchen. Darien did however, and motioned to him. They stood together in the corner of the room near the fire.

"What are you doing here?" Darien asked quietly, leaning over the railing which led down to the fire pit.

His visitor gently inclined his head. "We were supposed to meet tonight, remember?" he replied.

Darien ran his hand through his hair. "I thought it was tomorrow," he said with a sigh. "I apologize."

Malachite nodded. "You don't need to apologize to me," he said. Although there was no one within close enough vicinity to over hear them, the two men kept their voices low. "Have you seen her yet?" the General asked.

Darien shook his head. "No, not yet. I have met some of the Senshi and workers from the palace and stables, as well as a few people from town, but not her." Malachite nodded at the comment before Darien continued speaking. "Everyone speaks of her so differently. Overall I get two impressions, one of which shows she a child in the body of a woman."

Malachite chuckled. "I wouldn't say that. I'd say she's a fierce warrior." He thought back to the sword dance he had witnessed between her and the Master of Swords.

Darien looked at him, his eyebrows raised. "That's a new one to me. Why do you say that?" he asked, rather intrigued.

A smile formed on Malachite's lips. "I was able to watch her training at the palace," he stated simply, "she's good with the sword." He looked back at Darien. "Don't worry, she's not only a warrior. The other times I have seen her, she has been calm and serene, as her name suggests."

Darien returned his gaze to the fire as he slowly nodded his head. "That is the other story I have heard," he said, "that of a serene, gentle creature." He looked back at Malachite. "Have you heard any rumours whether or not she will accept the offer?" he asked, thinking back to what Usagi had told him.

Malachite shook his head gently.

"No. Not directly anyway. Her mother seems to approve of the match strongly though." He remembered the conversation he had with the Queen.

Malachite looked back at Darien. The young man seemed to be lost in thought, mesmerized by the dancing flames.

"It's hard to say which description pictures her," he finally said.

Malachite joined his gaze upon the flames. "I think the truth lies in the middle. She is still young, trying to mature. From what I can tell, she is not a bad person. A little unsure of herself socially, but strong when it comes to areas where she is comfortable," Malachite concluded. Darien nodded.

……………………&# 8230;………..

Motoki watched the two men from across the room, where he was talking to the Senshi. Serenity was still in the kitchen. He knew that the man had visited Darien a few times, but he didn't know anything about him. They both had their backs to him, looking into the flames, glancing at one another every so often. He frowned. Each time the man came Darien and him would go and talk together quietly, and afterward Darien would always seem to be lost in deep thought. He sighed, hoping that Darien wouldn't go quiet over the evening. He turned his attention back to the girls who were all laughing.

He felt his cheeks go warm. "What? What did I miss?" he asked defensively.

"You didn't hear a thing we said, did you?" Lita asked, followed by a spasm of giggling.

Motoki bowed his head a little. "No, sorry, I was thinking about something," he replied. He looked back up to where Darien and the man were talking. "Do any of you girls know who that man is over there with Darien?" he asked, hoping that perhaps one of them could shed some light on the mysterious stranger.

The girls looked over.

"I don't know," Mina said.

Ami shook her head. "I'm not sure either. I would need to see his face."

Lita shrugged her shoulders. "He looks a little familiar," she said.

Only Rei remained silent, staring intently at him. "I know him, but I can't say where from," she murmured quietly. The girls shrugged their shoulders as they turned to Motoki.

Serenity chose that moment to return.


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Malachite straitened up.

"I'll send a messenger tomorrow to Earth," he said, then paused as a mischievous grin spread across his face. "So, do you think Endymion will want to accept her?" he asked.

Darien looked at him and shrugged, the same smile creeping across his face. "I don't know. He's going to have to meet her first."

Malachite chucked as he turned around. He stopped. "What is she doing here?" Darien heard him hiss.

"Who?" he asked, not taking his eyes away from the flames.

"Serenity."


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"So what have I missed?" Serenity asked as she approached the group.

Rei jerked her head in the direction of Darien and the man across the crowded room. "Motoki wants to know who that man talking to Darien is. None of us can figure it out."

Serenity let her eyes shift over to the two. She let out a light gasp as she saw him turn to face her. "Th-that's General Malachite!" she gasped out. All girls and Motoki looked over to him, and Serenity saw a streak of recognition run across Malachite's face. She quickly whirled around, looking for a place to escape.


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"What did you say?" Darien asked, his back suddenly stiffening.

Malachite looked at Darien. "If you want to see her, here's your chance. Serenity is here. The blond looking at us with the Senshi," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. He didn’t once take his eyes off the young man as Darien turned around quickly, his eyes locking with the Senshi.


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Serenity was already heading to the back door, and didn't see Darien whirl around. The other Senshi did, still dumbfounded, not being able to take their eyes from the two men.


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Darien stared at the girls, not knowing what to do or say. He saw the blue haired Ami, the brown haired Lita, the raven haired Rei…..and the blonde haired Mina. The conversation he had with Motoki days before flashed through his mind.

"She is. That girl has a heart of gold. She and Usa-uh-the Princess are very close. They're cousin," he said with a grin, and he noted a sparkle of interest enter Darien's eyes.

"Really? How close?" he asked.

Motoki shrugged. "The Queen's brother is Mina's father. I do know that the two girls are quite similar though."


Darien felt his face warm up. He saw Mina blanch as she rushed in the direction of the door, the one that Serenity had used for her exit only moments before when he had not been looking. Was it possible that Mina was Serenity? It didn't make sense, since even Motoki had confirmed that Mina was the princess of Venus. Was it possible that The girl before him was not the real Mina, but Serenity trying to hide her identity?

"That's her?" he asked. Malachite turned just as Mina shut the door behind her.

"She's gone now," he said.

Darien nodded. "I know. She just went through the door," he said. "The blonde….are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive, I spoke with her myslef," was all Malachite replied.

Darien let out a low sigh. So, he thought to himself, you're Princess Serenity.

I do not own the rights to Sailormoon or any of the characters. That honour belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, and I am simply a lowly author who can use her characters for my plots.