Coming Home 
Chapter 5
By: Jessica M. Moonflower and Silvery White Roses
E-mail: salud731@earthlink.net

Website: http://www.angelfire.com/realm/moonlightroses/index.html

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies

ANs: Another new chapter as usual. As I was writing
this chapter, I hadn't thought of adding a romance
story for Rei, but I decided what the heck? So I hope 
you don't mind that I did. Remember, Serena and
Darien are still the main romantic couple in this
fic, but I'll also be doing Rei's romantic development
on the side as well. ^.^ 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

	The afternoon sun was dipping down beyond 
the countryside's horizon, casting beautiful shades of 
pink, orange, and purple across the sky. The ethereal
moon was slowly rising, and a few stars came out to 
greet the night.

	A girl with long raven hair and amethyst eyes 
studied the beautiful sky with awe and let the cool night 
air caress her face and cheeks. She ran gentle hands 
through her billowing hair as she tucked her simple 
blue skirt underneath her legs.

	She loved the rustic beauty of her home and
knew she would never grow tired of it as she got older. 
She watched as the grass and wheat fields sway gently
in the breeze in small ripples. She sighed, not wanting
to leave her special place in the fields, but knew her
brother would come out and call for her soon.

	She got off the ground and dusted her skirt to
get rid of any grass and dirt that clung to it. She placed a hand
on her neck, fingering the cool silver chain of her necklace
from underneath her fingertips. She pulled the rest of the
necklace out from under her blouse, and lying in the palm
of her hand was a silver rose ring attached to the chain.
It glinted under the moon's light as she twirled the ring
between her fingertips. She felt a strong connection to 
this ring, but didn't know why. She guessed that the 
ring must have been given to her by her real 
parents. What she didn't understand was if her 
parents loved her and her brother so much and 
had given her something so beautiful as this ring, 
why would they abandon them? 

	Did something happen to them that would 
cause them to be ripped apart from their parents? 
But they'd never know, thanks to the amnesia they 
received when they were young. It was the only 
barrier keeping them from their lost memories. 
She stared at the ring with a burning intensity as 
if the ring were the key to unlock all the answers
she needed.

	"Will we ever know what happened to us?" she 
whispered softly to the stars that watched her with a 
warm, gentle glow.

	"Rei, it's time to come inside for dinner!" a male 
voice called out into the darkness towards her.

	"Coming, Darien!"

	She tucked the necklace back underneath her 
blouse, picked up her skirts, and ran quickly inside the 
brightly lit cottage.

	She entered the warm haven of her home breathless
and slightly disheveled. Small strands of hair was sticking
up in all directions, and her clothes were a bit wrinkled 
due to her running. Darien shook his head at the sight of his 
flushed sister and closed the door.

	"Let me guess, one of your many thoughtful moments 
out in the grassy fields?" He quirked an amused eyebrow, 
watching his sister smooth out her hair and clothes to
make herself look more presentable.

	"So? I like to reflect on things. Maybe the day I've had,
dreams, and..."

	"And?" he urged, noticing the seriousness of her tone.

	"Our parents," she whispered softly, clutching her fists
close to her chest, gazing down at the wooden floor.

	"Oh, Rei." Darien walked over to hug his sister. "I know
you miss our real parents, but Mina and Andrew has treated
and loved us as if we were their own children. Aren't you 
happy that we were blessed with such kind people given 
our current situation?"

	"Of course I am, Darien. But I can't stop shaking this
feeling that we're needed somewhere else."

	"Somewhere else?" he inquired, pulling away slightly 
to look at his sister.

	"I don't know really, but I feel like if we don't go to
this certain place, this country could very well be in danger."

	Darien was about to question her further about his
sister's cryptic feelings when Andrew poked his head out
from inside the kitchen.

	"What is taking you kids so long? Aren't you hungry
at all?" His eyes glistened with merriment, and a huge smile
adorned his aging face.

	"We're coming, dad," Darien replied.

	They entered the kitchen to have their
senses assaulted with the most delicious smells
any human being can befall upon.

	The table was laid out in a red and white
checkered cloth with four place settings laid out. 
A bowl of fresh crisp salad was at the center 
of the table next to a plate of fluffy brown buttermilk 
biscuits followed by buttered corn, roasted pheasant,
and a homemade cherry pie.

	Rei and Darien's mouths watered with hunger
as both of them bolted to their seats, piling their plates
high with as much food as they could fit on it.

	Mina and Andrew laughed at the sight of their
two kids, who were busily munching away on corn
and biscuits.

	"My goodness! I didn't know you two were this
hungry!" Mina exclaimed, watching as Rei and Darien's
faces turn bright red.

	"We're sorry, mom, but whenever you make good
food like this, we can't help ourselves," Rei replied, playing
with the corners of her napkin that was laid on her lap.

	"Don't you worry. You can help yourselves to anything
you'd like." Andrew chuckled, patting Rei on the shoulder to 
reassure her.

	They continued eating their meals in a comfortable
silence when Darien decided to bring up the street fair
occurring tonight. Wiping his chin with a napkin, he
cleared his throat.

	"If you don't mind, would it be all right if Rei and I
go to that street fair in the market place tonight?"

	"I don't see why not as long as you're back at
around ten thirty since we have an early start tomorrow,"
Mina reminded them.

	"Yes, I agree with your mother. We need you two 
up early in the morning so you can help us prepare for 
the huge village festival on Friday," Andrew added, taking 
a bite of some pie.

	"Sure! We won't be late!" Rei happily beamed.
She pushed her chair back, kissed her parents 
good-bye, and bounded out the door.

	"Make sure you take care of your sister, Darien."

	"I will, mom." He leaned down to kiss Mina's
cheek.

	"See you later, son!" Andrew waved good-bye.

	"Bye, dad!" He called back, closing the door
behind him.

	Andrew turned to his wife and took her hand 
gently in his from across the table. He gazed lovingly
into her eyes and leaned over to kiss her softly on the
lips.

	"We've got good kids, Mina."

	"We sure do, Andrew. We've raised them well."

	They sat at the table holding each other's hands
affectionately as they thanked God for giving them such
wonderful children.

*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`*`

	The street fair was jammed pack with people,
making it hard to move around freely without bumping
into a few people. Various stands had special sales on
pottery, silk, food, and glassware because of the fair. 
Colorful banners, streamers, and torch lights decorated the
marketplace to commemorate such a happy and festive night.

	Darien and Rei emerged from a sweet shop, 
happily munching on sweet rolls as they kept their
arms linked together. They observed shoppers 
and occasionally stopped by at a stand or two that 
caught their interest. 

	As they continued their walk, Rei noticed that
a huge crowd had gathered at the center square to
watch, what appeared to be, some kind of show. She 
dragged Darien over to the crowd, and the two slowly 
squirmed their way to the front to catch a better glimpse 
of the performance.

	"Look, Dare! Aren't they pretty?" Rei squealed in 
unconcealed excitement, watching the colorfully dressed 
performers amaze and dazzle the crowd with their skills 
in illusion, acrobatics, and fire dancing. 

	"They're not bad at all," Darien commented,
watching a woman dressed in green and gold stand
on a tiger's back as the animal moved. She did a 
handstand then flip and landed effortlessly on the 
tiger's back. 

	The audience clapped and whistled wildly,
the woman bowing down gracefully as she and 
the tiger disappeared inside a colorful tent.

	Rei had never seen such a splendid 
performance in her entire life. She was glad that she
and Darien had made it just in time to witness 
something as outstanding as this.

	Suddenly, a puff of blue smoke appeared out of 
no where, causing the audience to shrink back a bit in
alarm and curiosity. When the blue smoke dissipated,
a tall male stood before them, dressed in a royal blue
shirt that was half open to expose his muscular chest, 
puffy pants of a sheer material, and shiny black boots
on his feet.

	Rei was blown away by this mysterious man. He 
was by far the most handsome man she had ever seen 
next to Darien, of course. His long, thick brown hair was 
tied back in a satin blue ribbon, and his dark brown eyes, 
she noted, held warmth, gentleness, and strength, making 
her legs weak when she gazed into them.

	Darien turned to see his sister in a daze, a small sigh
escaping from her lips. He followed her gaze to the sturdy 
male in blue. He chuckled shaking his head in disbelief.
So his sister was quite taken by the performer, eh? It was
so unlike his sister to fall for a guy at first sight, but he figured
that this guy was an exception. Darien studied the man for
a bit, coming to a conclusion that this guy was trustworthy.

	The sound of the man's voice immediately hushed
the crowd to silence because of his gentle and commanding
tone.

	"Ladies and gentlemen, my friends and I would like to
thank you for coming to our little performance tonight. We plan
on sticking around for the remainder of the week where we
shall perform in your village festival." The audience clapped
for a brief moment before they were silenced again by the
man. "To end the performance, I'd like to do a trick that will
require one volunteer from the audience."

	The people stood still as the man in blue surveyed the
crowd. He would stop in front of a few people, examine them, 
and then move on when he decided that they didn't seem 
quite right for his trick. He then stopped in front of Rei and
Darien. The male performer was swept up in the beauty 
that Rei radiated. Her eyes looked up at him innocently,
her breath caught in her throat as she was now up close
and personal with this enticing stranger. They stared at
each other for a while until the man found his voice.

	"What is your name, fair lady?" He took her hand
and raised it up to his lips where he planted a soft 
kiss on it.

	"Rei Summers," she breathed out, her body tingling
from the sweet kiss he bestowed upon her hand.

	"Would you like to be my volunteer?"

	"Uh...well...I..."

	"She'd be delighted!" Darien cut in for her,
a smirk forming on his lips.

	Rei gave him a warning glance, her face
getting red with embarrassment and anger. How
dare he butt in! She could speak for herself! 

	"Who might you be?" the man asked Darien.

	"I'm her brother Darien." He extended his hand.
"Who might you be?"

	"Chad Ryer. Nice to meet you." He took the offered
hand and grasped it in a friendly shake. Turning back
to Rei, he carefully took her hand and brought her out to
the center where his fellow performers stood. Holding her 
hand gently within his own, he presented her to the crowd.

	"I have found my volunteer for my magic trick.
A trick I intend on performing will have the lovely Rei 
Summers holding a white dove in both hands, and by 
my count, she will release the dove into the air, and the 
rest you will see when I get my trick underway."

	He motioned for a woman dressed in gold
to bring over the cage that contained the dove in it to him.
Once he had the cage in his possession, he cautiously 
opened the cage door and carefully took the dove out. He
placed the dove onto Rei's awaiting arms, who was
careful not to crush the bird. He whispered a few things in 
her ear and slowly nodded her head. He turned his attention 
back to the crowd where he said in a booming voice, 
"Okay, on the count of three, Rei, release the dove! Ladies 
and gentlemen, I would like for you to give me a hand in 
counting if you don't mind. Ready, one...two...THREE!"

	Rei flung her arms up into the air and looked up at
the sky expecting to see the dove flying above her head,
instead, she saw red and white rose petals falling all 
around the market place.

	The audience was astounded by the beautiful
magic trick as some outstretched their hands to catch 
the sweet smelling petals onto their palms. Everyone
clapped as Chad and his associates took a bow.
The crowd dispersed in different directions, talking
about the wonderful show they saw. The rain of petals
lessened a bit with at least two or three petals falling
miraculously from the sky.

	Rei was still in awe at how beautiful Chad's
final act was. She sniffed the air and a hint of the
rose's perfume still lingered. How did he do that, 
she wondered.

	"Hey, Rei! You did a great job!"

	She turned at the sound of Darien's voice, her
cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment. 

	"Darien, all I did was let go of a dove. Chad did
the rest."

	"You still played a major role in my magic
trick." Chad stated as a matter-of-fact, smiling down
at her.

	"It was a pretty unique trick. How did you do it?"

	"Uh, uh. A magician never reveals his secrets."
He bowed dramatically before her.

	Rei giggled, finding him remarkably charming and
a bit eccentric at the same time.

	Darien tapped Rei on the shoulder, a look of
an apology written on his face. He knew Rei wanted to
stick around and maybe talk to Chad for a bit, but he
checked the clock and saw that it was time to go.

	"Sorry to cut this short, but Rei, we better be 
getting home."

	Rei's face fell when she took one look at the town's 
clock tower to find that Darien was right. It was ten twenty 
already and they had to be home before ten thirty. She 
sighed and smiled apologetically up at Chad.

	"I'm sorry, but my brother is right. We have to be 
getting home now. Well, it was nice meeting you, and
thank you for letting me be a part of your show's finale."

	She ruefully walked away to join her brother, when
a warm hand gently caught her wrist. She turned and was
stunned to see Chad holding her back for a moment.

	"Will I ever see you again?" he whispered, his eyes
gazing meaningfully into her own.

	"You might. Look for me in the village festival on
Friday," she whispered back, her heart feeling light and 
happy around him.

	"Until then, Rei Summers." He leaned down and
gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and then departed with
the rest of his friends.

	She turned back to face her brother, a goofy smile
plastered on her face as she walked pass him. Darien 
thought that she looked rather comical and silly. Is this
how people act when they are in love? He sighed
and ran after her so they were walking side by side. 
Wouldn't their parents love to hear about Rei's new 
love!

To be continued...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That's all! Hope you enjoyed it! I'm not sure
when Darien and Serena will meet, but they
will get their romantic spotlight soon enough!

*~Written on July 8, 2002*~