Once again, I SUCK at writing actual romance (kissy stuff and all that -- I'm one of those chicks that likes to watch movies where stuff blows up), so I'm leaving a lot of things to the imagination here If you've read my first attempt at a Serena/Darien fic ("Just Another Birthday"), then I congratulate you on finding it, and you know the drill.

This is a spin on Serena and Darien's early relationship, during the first season. This is set before they know each other's identities, so Venus/Mina, hasn't shown up yet (hey, I'm shooting for some semblance of continuity here, hehehe). Unfortunately, continuity or not, I can never get an accurate account of exactly how old Darien's supposed to be -- so I'm going by the manga Mamoru and making him 18. And yes, I used the NA names, simply because I LIKE them. (so there :p). Oh, yeah, and if you actually get the 80s reference with Molly's little sister's name, I'm impressed NOBODY remembers the old 'My Little Pony' cartoons, these days, hehehe

As usual, I don't own Sailor Moon, so don't sue me, you wouldn't get much -- but if our beloved Naoko-sama would like to sell the rights, I think I've got about thirty bucks in my checking account ^_~

~Andromeda

Darien scowled viciously at the table top. As if to mock him, the shiny surface did nothing but glisten reassuringly, reflecting his unusually grim countenance back at him.

Needless to say, Darien Chiba was in a rotten mood. He was physically and emotionally exhausted, and the ten page psychology term paper that was due in the morning didn't help matters.

*Stupid professors,* he thought vindictively. *Don't they realize some of us have better things to do -- like save the world from indescribable horrors!?*

He sighed. It wasn't Professor Masaki's fault a youma had attacked a nearby dance club late last night. Nor was it the teacher's fault that Tuxedo Mask had to once again sweep to the Sailor Senshi's rescue, despite the fact that he had been sound asleep when Sailor Moon's transformation woke him.

*Does she HAVE to transform so loudly? I'm surprised I'm the only one who can feel it...*

Darien's thoughts were interrupted by his best friend, Andrew.

"Hey, man, what's with you? You look like you're about to mangle my nice clean countertop. What did the formica do to piss you off?"

Darien's scowl deepened. The absolute last thing he needed was Andrew's perpetual cheerfulness.

"Leave me alone, 'Drew. I'm not in a terribly good mood at the moment."

"No kidding. Here, drink some coffee, maybe it'll curb your homicidal urges."

Darien accepted the mug silently, and turned his glare away from the innocent countertop to the dark liquid before him. He could almost see it seethe from his gaze, and the thought distracted him momentarily.

Lost in dismal contemplation of how he could use this killer glare to his advantage, he was caught completely off guard when Serena Tsukino popped up beside him.

"Hiya, Andrew!"

Darien yelped softly, spilling the dark brown liquid on himself. He stared down at the dark brown stain on his polo shirt and turned to glare at the petite blond beside him.

"Thanks a lot, Meatball Head. Think you could sneak up on me again, I think I missed a spot."

Serena turned a vaguely amused look on him, her blue eyes dancing with good humor. "It's not MY fault you weren't paying attention, Darien." She sniffed derisively. "And I'll let that one slide, since I'm in such a good mood today."

"What, is the shoe store having a sale?" Darien snapped, still annoyed.

Serena arched an eyebrow at him. "No, Darien, I just had a good day. I got a C+ on my algebra test, and Ms. Haruna didn't give me detention for being late this morning."

"Oh, my, well those are accomplishments, now aren't they?" Darien's voice practically dripped sarcasm.

With a sigh, Serena shot him an irritated look. "Look, I'm not bothering you, so just leave me alone. I'm sorry about your shirt -- it'll wash out. Now if you'll excuse me, there are places I can go where people DON'T automatically treat me like dirt."

She turned on her heel and bounded out of the arcade, undaunted by Darien's attitude. He stared after her for a moment, perplexed.

Andrew tapped him on the shoulder, and Darien turned to see his best friend watching him closely.

"You should be nicer to her, y'know. She doesn't deserve to be tormented constantly."

Darien groaned. "Whatever. She's got to be the most infuriating 14-year-old I've ever met."

Andrew grinned. "Yeah, but she's cute. You've got to admit it, the place lights up when Serena's around."

Muttering incoherently into his coffee cup, Darien returned to glaring at the countertop, studiously ignoring Andrew.

With a sigh, the blond boy returned to his work, absently wondering if he'd have to patch the counter when Darien burned a hole through it with his eyes...

Darien viciously kicked at a loose rock as he walked along. He smiled in grim satisfaction as it clattered past a nearby tree, scaring off a startled squirrel. The animal scampered up the tree and turned at a low branch, chattering indignantly at Darien.

"Buzz off," the young man muttered to the squirrel. "Last thing I need is the cute little creatures of the forest turning on me."

Though hardly a forest, the park was fairly peaceful at this time of day, a direct contrast to Darien's stormy mood. There were a few children around, playfully chasing each other and laughing infectiously. Their cheerfulness only made Darien's mood darker.

A soft yelp startled him out of his musings. Surprised, he looked down just in time to see a small hand pull itself back into the cover of the bushes he was passing, He absently noted that he had almost trod on someone's fingers before curiosity overtook him. Who would be hiding in the bushes -- and WHY?

He reached out and parted the branches of the low bush, and was startled to see Serena staring back at him, wide-eyed.

"Meatball Head!? What are you DOING?"

"Go away!" she hissed urgently. "You ruin everything--"

She was interrupted by a triumphant squeal. A small girl with red curls bounded over, wriggling past Darien's legs to point at Serena victoriously.

"Found you! You're 'it,' 'Rena!" The little girl, perhaps six years old, giggled uncontrollably at the dismayed look on Serena's face.

Another red haired girl ran up, panting. She was closer to Serena's age, and she grabbed the little girl's hand quickly. The child beamed up at her. "I found her, Molly!"

Molly smiled down at the little girl. "You almost knocked someone over, too, Megan. What do you say?"

The six year old looked up at Darien shyly, pulling herself closer to the older girl. "Sorry..." she mumbled, her eyes downcast.

Darien nodded dumbly, confused. Serena chose that moment to spring up from her hiding place.

"Darien, do you HAVE to ruin my day? I could have gotten away if you hadn't given away my hiding place!"

Darien looked down at her, bewildered. "You're playing hide-and-seek? Oh, that's mature."

Serena scowled at him, her temper rising. "Molly and I are taking care of her little sister for the afternoon. And we're having FUN. So there." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Megan got the blonde girl's attention by tugging lightly on Serena's skirt. "'Rena," she whispered loudly, "who's that?"

Startled, Serena looked down at Megan. "That, sweetheart, is Darien -- one of the most annoying guys I know."

"Does he wanna play with us?" the little girl whispered solemnly.

Serena's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to protest before she caught herself abruptly. A wicked gleam in her eyes, she turned on Darien.

"Yeah, Dare, since you got me caught, then you have to be 'it!'"

Darien sputtered indignantly. He wasn't in any mood to be chasing around after a bunch of kids, even if two of them were middle school students.

To his absolute astonishment, Megan wrapped her arms around his knee and blinked up at him tearfully. "Pleeeeeease, Darien?"

Serena stifled at giggle, and imitated the little girl's expression. "Yeah, Darien -- pleeease!?"

Darien looked helplessly from Serena's crystal blue eyes to Megan's emerald green ones, both trained on him pleadingly. Molly had a hand over her mouth, holding in a fit of giggles.

"That is so not fair," he muttered, surrenduring.

"Yay!" Megan squealed joyfully and grabbed Darien's hand. She dragged him over to a huge oak tree near the middle of the clearing, explaining as she went.

"You have to count to fifty while we hide," she informed him, "and then you have to yell 'ready or not, here I come.' Then you have to find us. If we make it back to this tree without being tagged, then we're safe and you're still 'it.' Got it?"

"Got it," he replied, slightly amused. A six-year-old was telling him how to play hide-and-seek. Oh, the irony...

He sat down underneath the tree, now on the child's level. "That doesn't sound too hard," he told her, tilting his head and feigning confusion.

Megan giggled. "I like you. You're funny." Darien barely had time to recover from the compliment before she took off running. "Close your eyes!" she shouted merrily over her shoulder.

Shaking his head, Darien sighed and closed his eyes. He began to count aloud, slowly, to give the others plenty of time to hide.

*Y'know, I never did this as a kid,* he thought somberly. *I always watched while the other children ran around and played -- not much of a childhood...*

*You were never a normal child, Darien,* his mind told him. *Maybe you should have been...*

He finally reached fifty and stood up. Dusting grass from his khaki pants, he looked around.

"Say it!" Megan's voice drifted out from his right.

Hiding a smile, Darien took an exaggerated breath. "Ready or not -- here I come..."

He went after Megan first. As he wandered in the direction from which her voice had come, he heard a high-pitched giggle behind him. He whirled around just in time to see Molly, the older girl, racing toward the tree. With a cry, he took off after her.

Despite his much longer legs, Molly had a head start on him, and she tagged the tree before he got within five feet of her. She grinned at him triumphantly in his direction, laughing.

"Jeez, you girls are fast..." he mumbled, panting.

Molly giggled. "Serena and I have to run to get to school in the morning. We've had practice."

Darien rolled his eyes and turned back to where he had been a moment ago. With a determined look on his face, he strode back over to the clump of bushes and poked around behind them.

"I know you're in here somewhere..." he called.

"Nope!" Darien looked up with a groan. Megan had used her sister's distraction to change hiding places, and was now sprinting for the tree. He launched himself back toward her, jogging to give the smaller girl a chance.

Megan tripped a few feet from the tree and rolled up to it. Shrieking happily, she scrambled on her hands and knees and managed to hug the trunk just as Darien latched onto her ankle.

"I'm safe! I'm safe!" she gasped, still giggling. "Now you have to find 'Rena!"

Darien released Megan's ankle and chewed on his lip thoughtfully. "'Rena', hmm? Let's see if I were a Meatball Head where would I hide?"

His eyes scanned his surroundings, and he stopped abruptly when he spotted an abandoned picnic table, half hidden in weeds. A mischeivious grin spread over his face as he started to walk toward it.

He dropped to his knees a one end of the table and poked at the long grass. A soft gasp echoed from underneath the table, and Serena shot out of the other end, pelting toward Molly and Megan.

"Oh no you DON'T!" Darien cried, immediately shifting to follow.

Molly and Megan cheered loudly as Serena ran, but she didn't have the same head start they had managed to seize, and Darien caught her quickly. Determined for her not to get away, he wrapped an arm around her waist, scooping her off her feet with a squeal.

Serena struggled for a moment, shocked at his arm around her waist. "Let-- let me go!" she cried.

Darien chuckled. "Not likely. You roped me into this, you're not getting off that easily." Without any further explanation, he swung her under his arm, carrying her toward the tree by the waist.

The two sisters collapsed in gales of laughter. Serena's expression was a mixture of shock, fear, and righteous indignation, and Molly and Megan gasped for breath at the sight of her. Darien stopped right in front of the tree, still holding Serena under one arm.

Serena glared at her friends. Megan giggled again and reached up to pat Serena on the head. "NOW you're 'it,' 'Rena."

With a pout, Serena craned her neck to look up at Darien. "If this monster would PUT ME DOWN!"

Darien quirked an eyebrow. "You really want me to drop you? The ground's pretty hard right here..." He trailed off, eyes glinting wickedly.

"NO! Just-- just set me down, please."

Unable to keep a straight face any longer, Darien began to chuckle. He righted Serena and set her on the ground, amused when she wobbled slightly and had to clutch at his sleeve to regain her balance. She glared at him defiantly, setting Molly and Megan off into another giggling fit.

"All right you two, that's enough. It wasn't that funny." Serena sighed, exasperated.

"Yes it was, Serena," Molly assured her. "If you could just see your face -- being carried like a sack of potatoes..." Molly dissolved into laughter again.

"Are you satisfied?" Serena turned on Darien, but the heat had gone out of her voice. Her eyes sparkled as she watched the three of them laugh, and she swatted at them playfully.

"Get out of here, you three. If I'm 'it,' you'd better start hiding."

Darien shook his head, still grinning. "Sorry, but I've got some work to finish up. I'd love to stick around, but my psychology professor might argue."

Megan jumped up to wrap her arms around Darien's leg once more. "Do you have to go?" she asked mournfully.

Darien smiled slightly and bent over in front of the little girl. "Yup, sorry, Megan. But I'll see ya later, 'kay?"

"Okay!" The child dimpled and threw her arms around Darien's neck, hugging him tightly.

Shocked, Darien's eyes met Serena's amused gaze for a brief second as he recovered from the little girl's reaction and untangled himself from her grip. He managed to grin down at Megan and ruffle her red curls. "'Bye, munchkin."

"'Bye, Darien!" she called cheerfully, before scampering back to her sister.

Darien started to leave, but Serena caught his arm.

"Hey, you're in a much better mood than you were a few hours ago."

Darien grinned. "Yup. Thanks, Meatball Head."

Serena looked startled. "Thanks for what?"

"For making me laugh. I needed that." With a quick smile, Darien turned on his heel and set off for his apartment, whistling. Maybe that psychology paper wouldn't be quite so bad after all...

A few days later

* * * * *

Darien poked at his milkshake with his straw, occasionally taking a sip. He was seated at the counter of the Crown Game Center, chatting with Andrew.

"So what happened after you almost stepped on her?" Andrew prompted him.

"She called out reinforcements and ganged up on me. Have you ever had a Meatball Head and a six-year-old pout at you until you play hide-and-seek with them?"

Andrew's jaw dropped. "You DIDN'T!"

Darien winced. "Sorry to disappoint you. The kid was latched onto my leg, there was no escape. So I humored them for a while."

Andrew stared at his best friend for a moment before dissolving into peals of helpless laughter.

Amused, Darien flicked his straw at Andrew, a few stray drops of chocolate milkshake landing in the fair-haired boy's cheeks. Andrew wiped his face, still struggling to control his chuckles.

"I'm sorry, Dare -- It's just -- I can't see you playing hide-and-seek with anyone."

Darien grinned. "Me neither. Amazing, isn't it?"

Andrew sobered with some effort. "Well, at least it put you in a better mood. Hey, how did that pysch paper go?"

"Not bad, actually," Darien replied. "I got a 94 on it -- that's enough to exempt me from the final exam."

Andrew shook his head. "Man, I don't see how you do it! You're taking college classes, working, paying your own bills, and you still manage to find time to come bug me at work!"

Darien winked conspiratorially. "It's all part of my master plan to drive you insane, 'Drew. I'll break you yet, mwahaha."

Andrew threw his dishtowel at Darien, chuckling.

Serena fought back tears as she trudged out of the schoolyard. The dark clouds amassed overhead threateningly, and she quickened her step.

A rumble of distant thunder forced a sob from her throat, and she started to run. *This day can't possibly get any worse. If there is a God, He just wouldn't make it rain on top of everything else -- would He?*

Serena's hopes were dashed as large raindrops began to spatter on the pavement. Ignoring the splashes of the puddles that had started to form, Serena continued full speed toward her own home.

As she turned a corner downtown, a sudden flash of lightning startled her so badly that her foot caught on the pavement, and she skidded to a halt before tumbling head over feet.

"Owie..." Serena wimpered, clutching her knee. A small trickle of blood snaked down her shin, mixing with the accumulating rain water at her sock. Her tears were coming faster now, and the rain was pouring down in sheets.

As she struggled to pull herself to her feet, a car flew by, throwing a wall of dirty rain water over the already drenched and miserable girl.

"That's IT!" she sobbed. "I can't take this anymore! I wanna go HOME!"

Concentrating on getting in out of the downpour, Serena stumbled blindly into the arcade, hands covering her face.

~~~

The bell over the front door rang merrily, distracting Andrew and Darien from their conversation. They were astonished at the sight that met their eyes.

"Serena!?" Andrew cried, in shock. The girl was drenched, and a glance at the window alerted them to the fact that it was raining violently. She had lost the pins that held her trademark 'meatballs' in place, and her long blonde hair hung limp and tangled down her back. Her usually cheerful face was streaked with tears, even though she was trying her best to cover her face.

Andrew darted out from his place behind the counter and rushed over to guide Serena to a stool beside Darien. She was sobbing uncontrollably, which in itself disconcerted the boys; not her customary wailing, but a soft, gut-wrenching noise.

Darien stared at her helplessly, his fists clenched. *I'll kill whoever made her cry, I'll kill them...* He caught himself abruptly and forced his fingers to uncurl. Almost absently, he reached out to place a comforting hand on Serena's shoulder.

"Hey, Meatball Head, what's wrong?"

Serena jerked back from his hand, still crying quietly. "Leave me alone, Darien, I can't deal with that stupid nickname at the moment."

Darien recoiled as if he'd been struck. "Um, okay, Serena. Why-- why are you so upset?"

Serena lifted her head to glare at him. "Because nothing is going right for me today! I was fifteen whole minutes late to school today, and Ms. Haruna blamed me for passing notes in class, so I got double detention and extra homework, even though I didn't touch that stupid note, and now it's raining and I hate thunderstorms -- I just want to go home..." She buried her face in her arms, head down on the countertop, and continued to weep. Hesitantly, Darien placed his hand back on her shoulder and shot a worried look at Andrew.

Serena's voice was muffled through her arms when she spoke again. "I'm not good enough for anyone -- I'm too clumsy and irresponsible and a cr-crybaby" Her voice broke on the last word. "Everyone's so disgusted with me, and I can't do anything about it..."

Andrew leaned over the counter, his head close to Serena's fair one. "Hey, that's not true, Serena. You're a wonderful person. We all have our faults."

Serena lifted her head to look at Andrew dully. "YOU don't Andrew. Everything's just peachy with you."

Andrew laughed in surprise. "Boy, you don't know me very well, do you, Serena? I have an awful temper. And I hold grudges."

"That's the truth," Darien agreed wryly. "You'd never believe it, Serena, for all it takes a natural disaster to make 'Drew lose his temper. But when he does -- whew, he blows his top! And he won't let you forget about it for months. It's so aggravating!"

Andrew chuckled. "And what about you, Prince Charming? You've got half the girls at school positively drooling over you, and you treat them all the same -- like a block of ice. Consider yourself lucky, Serena. If you had even once showed any interest in Mister Personality here, he might've treated you ten times worse."

"I can't imagine that," Serena muttered harshly, her tears beginning to subside.

Darien grinned cheerfully. "Oh, come on, Serena, I tease you, but I don't really try to hurt you. I'm not that bad."

Serena shot him an icy look. "Well, it hurts anyway. Do you have any idea how rotten it is for everyone to think you're total failure at life?"

Taken aback, Darien began to protest. "Hey, wait a sec -- you're not a failure. I never said that!"

"Yeah, well it sure sounded like it sometimes," Serena mumbled.

Disturbed, Darien locked eyes with Andrew over Serena's bowed head. Andrew raised an eyebrow in question and Darien shrugged helplessly. A silent, unspoken conversation lasting the space of a few seconds took place over Serena's head.

Andrew: *Go on, she cheered you up the other day, now it's your turn.*

Darien: *You're crazy. You heard her, she thinks I hate her!*

Andrew: *So show her that you DON'T.*

Darien looked doubtful, and Andrew glared at him fiercely.

With a sigh, Darien nodded slightly.

Satisfied, Andrew patted Serena delicately on the shoulder. "Hey, Serena, I gotta get back to work. I hope you feel better soon, okay?"

Serena nodded almost imperceptibly, and continued to stare at the countertop.

*Sheesh, that poor counter's taking a beating this week...* Andrew thought as he vanished into the back room.

Darien sat beside Serena in silence for a moment before clearing his throat. "I don't think you're a failure, Serena. You're just human. Just a normal teenage girl, with faults like all the rest of them."

Serena smiled bitterly. "Well, maybe I shouldn't be," she whispered. "Maybe I should be better..."

With an exasperated sigh, Darien seized her wrist and pulled her off the stool, forcing her to look at him. "Now you listen to me, Serena Tsukino. You are no more flawed than any other girl your age. Stop listening to what everyone else says, for once!"

Tears welled up in Serena's eyes again. "You don't understand, you don't even know what I go through, you couldn't possibly..." She choked off, catching herself before she said something she shouldn't.

Darien gazed at her fiercely for a moment before reaching a decision. Wrapping his fingers once more around her thin wrist, he practically dragged her out of the arcade, fishing around for his umbrella with his other hand.

Serena gasped in surprise as he hauled her back out into the storm. Her eyes widened at a flash of lightning, but Darien refused to let go of her wrist.

"Wh--what are you doing? Let go!"

Darien flicked his umbrella open and raised it above the two of them. "You are not gonna sit around moping all evening, Meatball Head. I won't let you."

Too startled and frightened to reply, Serena offered no response as he led her blindly out into the storm.

Darien ducked through the large doorway, still gripping Serena's wrist. He pulled her in after him, closing the umbrella swiftly. Then he turned his attention to the girl beside him.

Serena was shivering. Her clothing had already mostly dried, but the look of terror on her face suggested that the chill was not bothering her nearly as much as the storm itself.

Puzzled, Darien slipped a concerned arm around her waist. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay, Darien. I-- I hate storms, why did you have to drag me through it? Is this supposed to make me stronger or something?"

Darien sighed. "No, Serena. I just didn't want you sitting in the arcade acting depressed for the next four hours."

She shrugged out of his grasp coolly. "Well you shouldn't have bothered. I wanna go home."

"Oh, no, not yet, you don't. You're gonna have fun if it kills you."

"What are you talking about, jerk?"

"THIS is what I'm talking about, your high-and-mightiness." Darien swept his arm out in a grand gesture, and for the first time, their surroundings registered on Serena's tired mind.

They were inside a large warehouse, long since abandoned from commercial use. There were people everywhere, milling around in groups and pairs, and Serena struggled to focus on why there were so many people packed into one place.

"The annual street carnival," Darien murmured in her ear, causing her to flinch slightly. "The moved it in here because of the rain."

Serena looked around, dumbfounded. She finally noticed the booths; craft tables, games of chance, fortune tellers, and tons of food vendors...

Chuckling, Darien took her hand and pulled her toward a nearby booth. Before she could regain her composure, he presented her with a large hot dog and a bag of cotton candy.

"There. If food doesn't cheer you up, I don't know what else will."

Serena accepted them automatically, still somewhat bewildered. She stared around her, eyes wide in disbelief, before turning her astonished gaze to Darien.

He grinned nervously. "I've got thirty bucks. Do whatever you want for as long as that lasts." He spread his hands in warning. "Mind you, once that's gone, I'll be broke, and there goes any chance of eating for the next month..."

Serena snorted and rolled her eyes. She started to smile shyly, recovering from her shock. "Why are you being so nice to me, Darien?"

Darien shrugged noncommitally. "I dunno. But you're not supposed to be depressed, Serena. Of all the people I've ever met in my life, you're the only one that I honestly believe was never meant to cry like you did when you came into the arcade. It just felt -- wrong."

She gazed at him in disbelief. "So you took it upon yourself to force me into being happy?"

"Well, Andrew was busy at the moment," he laughed. "So you'll just have to settle for me."

Serena blushed at this comment. She'd had a crush on Andrew for as long as she could remember, but she didn't think it was that obvious. *Still, Darien's awfully cute when he's being human for a change...*

Darien chuckled again at her flushed face. "C'mon, Meatball Head. What do you want to do first?"

Serena squealed as her last ball flipped over the rim of the wicker basket and slipped through. The young man behind the counter smiled brightly at her and handed her a wad of tickets.

"Since when were you so good at this stuff, Meatball Head?" Darien questioned, surprised.

Serena sniffed. "You'd be surprised. I'm very good at throwing things. My aim is lethal." She grinned quickly, breaking her serious tone. "Just ask my little brother. He gets hit with a stuffed rabbit when he tries to wake me up on the weekends. Right between the eyes."

Darien smiled and eyed the handful of tickets she clutched in both hands. "Whew, you've got enough of those to buy the whole building. You ready to trade 'em in?"

Wrinkling her nose in thought, Serena squinted at the tickets she held, mentally calculating. Darien had to stifle a laugh; she looked just like a little rabbit, with her hair safely back in its pigtails and her nose all scrunched up like that.

"Yup, I'm ready!" she announced after a moment's comtemplation. "I bet I even have enough tickets for that Tuxedo Mask doll we saw the first time around!"

Shaking his head, Darien followed her as she wove through the crowds and made a beeline for the prize booth. She dumped her tickets into a large plastic basket and waited patiently while the attendant checked the scale for a number. When she announced it, Serena squealed with delight and immediately pointed to the large stuffed Tux doll that hung on the wall behind the woman. With a congratulatory smile, the woman removed the doll from it's place and handed it to Serena. Elated, the small blonde bounced back over toward Darien.

A much taller figure stepped between them, however, and Serena's face fell.

"M-Ms. Haruna? What are you doing here?"

The woman looked down at Serena, surprised. Her eyes narrowed. "Serena! Why aren't you at home! It's not safe for a young girl like you to be out by herself."

Serena flushed. "I'm not by myself, I'm with a frie--"

Patricia Haruna cut her off with a shake of her head. "Your little group of girl friends is not what I mean, Serena. You've got that extra assignment I gave you today, and you should really be studying for that test you have in math tomorrow. You're grades are perfectly awful -- you do know you're in danger of failing for the year, don't you?"

Tears started to form in Serena's brilliant blue eyes, and Darien stepped forward angrily. *I did NOT go to all the trouble of bringing her out her just for someone to make her cry again,* he thought darkly.

In three strides, he had stepped around Ms. Haruna and slipped a protective arm around Serena's waist. With a dazzling smile, he stuck his hand out at Serena's teacher.

"Hello, you must be Ms. Haruna, Serena's teacher. Nice to meet you."

Ms. Haruna stared at him, speechless. Her eyes were glued to him as she struggled to regain her composure.

"You-- you would be -- Serena's brother?"

Darien laughed, his deep voice rumbling slightly. "Her brother? Oh no, I'm Darien Chiba. I'm a friend of Serena's." A malicious thought crept into his mind, daring him to tell the starry-eyed woman in front of him that he was Serena's boyfriend, but he caught himself before he acted on the impulse.

Serena blinked up at him in confusion, then looked at Ms. Haruna. Her teacher was still staring at Darien with an open mouth, her eyes glazed over and admiring. It suddenly dawned on Serena, and she clapped a flabbergasted hand over her mouth. Gleefully, she stood up a bit straighter, drawing closer to Darien in the process.

"Oh really?" Ms. Haruna asked weakly.

"Yes, Serena's been kinda swamped lately, what with schoolwork and all of her friends pulling her in different directions, so I decided to haul her out of her shell tonight. She didn't really want to come -- I think she mentioned that extra assignment -- but I dragged her over here anyway." Darien flashed another heart-stopping smile at the older woman, crossing his fingers that this worked.

"Oh well -- I didn't realize Serena was working so hard. Perhaps she doesn't need the extra work tonight?"

Serena's ears perked up in disbelief. *He didn't! Did he actually get Ms. H to recall that extra work!?*

Darien poked Serena in the ribs, tickling her slightly. "There, you see? I told you she would be understanding about it. From what you've told me, she certainly seemed reasonable to me." He was laying it on a bit thick, but Ms. Haruna didn't seem to notice. She was finally starting to recover when Darien looked back up and confronted her with yet another devestating smile.

"It was nice to meet you, Ms. Haruna," he said, bowing slightly.

Without another word, he took Serena's elbow and steered her away, not pausing until they reached a less crowded area of the building.

Serena whooped and threw her arms around his neck, laughing gleefully. "I can't believe you did that to my teacher! Ohhh, that was so awesome, Darien! Did you see the look on her FACE!?"

Darien chuckled. "That was the point, Meatball Head. You didn't really want extra homework tonight, did you?"

Serena's eyes sparkled as she shook her head vigorously, still hugging him tightly.

She pulled back suddenly to stare up at him. "Hey, d'you wanna come to school with me tomorrow? I've got this math test, see, and I'm sure Ms. H would be very understanding about it"

He laughed and tugged one of her pigtails playfully. "Don't push it, Meatball Head."

"Rats," she muttered, pouting slightly. She grinned suddenly. "But I bet all I have to do is mention your name and I'll get out of detention! Do you do that to girls often?"

"Not purposely," he replied, embarrassed. "Andrew says I have a talent for it, though."

Serena scrutinized him closely, causing him to flush with embarrassment. "Hmmm... I can see what he means," she murmured mischieviously.

Darien cleared his throat nervously. He was decidedly uncomfortable with Serena staring at him like that. Not that it really bothered him -- he was just fairly sure that he shouldn't enjoy her admiring gaze quite so much. "Um, I think it's stopped raining. We should probably go."

"Okay." Serena bounced to her feet, dragging him with her, the Tux doll still clutched tightly in her arms.

With a sigh, Darien allowed himself to be pulled along by the exuberent girl, hiding an indulgent smile.

They paused outside the arcade, Serena still giggling quietly at the scene with Ms. Haruna. Her eyes lit up as she spotted Lita, Amy, and Raye inside the arcade.

"Ooh, the girls are here! I bet they've been looking for me!"

Darien smiled. "Wouldn't doubt it. It's getting late, and you're normally not that hard to find."

Serena swatted at him playfully. "Humph. That predictable, am I?"

Darien gave her a look of mock injury. "Did I say that?"

"Yes," she tittered.

He grinned, and she smiled back shyly.

"Ummm... thanks, Darien. For cheering me up. I still don't know why you did it -- but thanks anyway."

She quickly reached up and gave him a fierce hug and a light kiss on the cheek before whirling to dash into the arcade. Darien was left by himself, pleasantly surprised.

He smiled softly before turning to leave. "Just returning the favor, Serena."