"Each Other For The Day" Part 1 A Sailormoon Fanfic by: natia_99 Rated: PG (a few insinuations....hey, it's embarrassing to be the opposite sex for the day! ;) AN: Sigh. I notice someone beat me to this idea already--although it was a great fic! ;) Hope ya like! E-mail me and all that! Disclaimers: I'm not Naoko...but would you believe I'm a blond superhero? No huh? Darnit! No one ever believes me! Thanks: Grace McMoon my moon sister! (awwww) Silver Bunny ^_^ and all the sweet people e-mailing lately about my stories (most about "Trap for a Truce"!) Arigato minna! ;p ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serena awoke with a start and sat straight up in bed. She looked around dazedly. ~Where am I?~ The room was unfamiliar, the bed not her own. There was a wooden desk to one side and a vase of roses perched on the bedside table. The walls were painted a very boring shade of navy blue. She looked down at the matching bedspread and then to her hands. She gasped. They weren't her hands! She scrambled up and nearly fell over. Her legs were far too long to be her own and her arms..... She looked down over her body and felt herself become faint. ~This is a dream. It has to be a dream. But it feels so real. Wake up Serena! Wake up!~ She was a boy! She ran blindly through the apartment to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. The face looking back at her belonged to...... She screamed. "I'm *Darien*???" Across town in Serena's room Darien stirred. His eyes opened slowly and squinted against the harsh sun flooding in from the window. He sat up and felt dizzy. Then he looked down at the bedspread. ~Pink bunnies....what the?~ He looked down at his hands and then his pajamas and gasped, leaping out of bed and looking wildly around the very girly room. He tripped and knocked over various trinkets and toys on his way down (to the floor)--fortunately everyone in the houselhold heard the crash as part of their daily routine and never noticed. He jumped up and rushed to the mirror over her make-up table and let out a yell. "I'm....*Serena*??!!" Back at Darien's apartment Serena sat shakily drinking a cup of very sugared coffee. She was trying to collect her thoughts. ~I'm Darien? This must be his apartment. Why am I Darien? This has to be a dream! Ugh, this coffee tastes gross! More sugar....What am I going to do?~ Then another, far more terrible thought hit her. ~Wait a minute.......if I'm Darien then.....is Darien ME????!!! Oh no!~ She scrambled around trying to get ready. ~I've got to find him!~ She rummaged through his closet for clothes and tried awkwardly to dress without looking. Although she was a *little* curious..... At the Tsukino house Darien sat at Serena's dressing table breathing hard. ~I'm Serena? Why? What's going on? What do I do?~ He tried to focus and found himself looking at the contents of her table. Her brush, her brooch she always wore.... ~I guess I'd better get dressed...~. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks--off a plane. ~If I'm Serena then......is Serena ME?! Oh no!~ He jumped up. ~I've got to find her!~ He hurried about her room and found her school uniform then bolted for the bathroom. Trying to get ready was a nightmare. There was so much to do! How did girls do all this? ~No wonder she's always late~! He tried desperately to dress without looking, but it was very difficult. He kept losing his balance. He finally managed to finish and hurried back into the bedroom to the dressing table. He stopped short at the reflection. Her hair was down! ~Oh no! How does she get it up into those two odangos? I have no idea!~ He brushed her long blond hair out and then swept it up as best he could into a somewhat haphazard ponytail. Then he looked at the clock and groaned. ~I'm gonna make her late! I swear, if I ever get out of this, I'll never tease her about being late again!~ He gathered up her books and bag and bolted down the stairs, flying nervously through the kitchen past her parents and brother. "Gotta go-I'm late!" he squeaked in her voice. What he didn't know is that this was how she came through the kitchen every morning. Her parents never even looked up. Her mother held out a lunch bag while reading the paper, "Don't forget your lunch dear." "Thanks...Mom." he said and took it has he flew out the door. He ran blindly through the streets towards Crossroads Junior High until he smashed into someone and they both fell over backwards. "Sorry!" they exclaimed together and then their eyes met. They simply stared at one another for one long tense moment. It was the strangest thing, looking at themselves. "Darien?" Serena asked timidly, towering over him , her face tight with fear. "Serena?" He replied. She sighed with relief, "Oh Darien! What's happened? What's going on?!" "I don't know! Somehow...we've switched bodies! What should we do?" A bell sounded in the distance. Serena frowned, "You're going to be late....for my class!" He looked at the books she was carrying....his High School textbooks. "I have class soon too. I guess we'd better play along till afterschool when we can figure something out?" "I guess." she answered softly. She looked him over and smiled, "You didn't do my hair right." "I don't know HOW you get it up into those odangos!" he exclaimed. She laughed softly, "Here, come here and I'll fix it for you." She stood over him and did her hair up into its usual style while he wrote out his schedule and room numbers. They quickly tucked each other in as best they could-half awkwardly but determined. Then they hurried off in separate directions. "Meet me after school at the park!" "Okay! Good luck!" Darien hurried into the school and found Serena's homeroom. Miss Haruna was already taking role call and called out Serena Tsukino just as her figure burst in, "Here!" called out Darien breathlessly, taking a seat next to Serena's friend Molly. "Wow, you just made it!" Molly whispered and giggled. Darien smiled. "Is there something amusing you'd care to share with us Serena?" Cut in Miss Haruna's voice sharply. Darien froze, "N-no Ma'am." "Perhaps you think arriving late every day is funny?" "No Ma'am, I'm sorry I was late." "Obviously you take punctuality as seriously as you do studying!" There were some snickers from the other students. Darien felt his heart beat strangely. Why was the teacher being so mean? Humiliating him in front of everyone? Did she always treat Serena this way? "I'm sorry." he muttered softly. "I'll see you in detention afterschool." said Miss Haruna coldly, "Then we'll talk about how sorry you really are." Darien just looked down. "Now, today's lesson is particularly difficult so pay attention." ~Did she just look right at me?!~ Miss Haruna launched into the lesson and Darien busied himself taking notes in Serena's scribbler. He flipped back a few pages and found that she actually took pretty good notes-though she doodled a fair bit. He bit back a smile at her little sketches of Tuxedo Mask with hearts around them. Miss Haruna turned her back to write on the board and Molly leaned over and whispered, "Looks like Miss H is on your case again today Serena!" Darien sighed. ~Poor Meatball head! Things are tough on her here!~ Over at Darien's High School Serena had managed to find his Chemistry class room and was busy trying to take notes. She wrote furiously. ~I'm probably taking terrible notes! I don't know anything about Chemistry!~ She flipped back a few pages and looked at Darien's neat handwriting. ~He probably won't even be able to read my scrawl! ~ The bell rang and everyone got up to leave. "Class, I'll hand back your papers as you leave!" Serena gathered up Darien's books and headed for the front of the room. "Here you are Darien and may I say I was most impressed with your paper. Very thorough!" "Th-thank you sir." Serena stammered out nervously. "But I've come to expect nothing but the best from you. Keep it up, you're a bright boy!" Serena left the room dazedly. No one had ever spoken to her that way-least of all a teacher. Although the compliment was aimed at Darien she felt, oddly enough, that it was for her in some way. And how nice it was to receive praise! She walked though the halls carefully, trying to find her next room. She was nervous that some of his friends would recognize him and come over to chat. ~What will I say? I have no idea how he acts around anyone else but me! ~ But she began to notice that no one approached him. No one said even so much as a hello..... Back at Crossroads Junior High it was lunch and Darien found himself sitting with Molly and some kid named Melvin. But he was far too busy rooting through Serena's bag and books to be concerned about that. Miss Haruna had mentioned a homework assignment due this afternoon and glared at him-er Serena fiercely. He leafed through her papers and books desperately. ~It must be here! She must have done it! Serena please tell me you did it!~ "Serena what are you looking for?" asked Molly. "My homework assignment! It must be in here somewhere!" "You did your homework!?" Molly and Melvin choked out in surprise. Just then Darien felt his hand close over some crumpled papers at the bottom of the bag. He pulled them out carefully and smoothed them over his knee. Sure enough, one of them was the homework assignment, all done and signed.....~then why is it crumpled up?~ He eyed the other papers as Molly moved over beside him. "Serena, you really did do your homework? Wow! And what are all these other papers? Why Serena! These are all the homework assignments from the term! Why didn't you hand them in?" Darien stared at the papers in shock. They were all done...but crumpled....as though she'd given up.... "I guess I didn't think they were...right." he replied as he realized it. ~Oh Meatball head...but these look fine! Why don't you believe in yourself?~ He felt guilt wash over him as he thought of all the times he'd teased her about flunking tests and swore he never would again.... Back at Darien's High School........ Serena sat alone at a table in the cafeteria eating. She'd found some change in Darien's pocket and bought herself some food. She couldn't believe no one had come over. ~Maybe his friends are out sick......maybe they're away.....or maybe.....maybe he doesn't have any.....~ She felt terrible at that last thought. What if Darien didn't have any friends at school? She felt guilty over yelling at him every time she saw him. Even if he did tease her. She took a moment to flip through his books and look over his notes. To glance down at his clothes and toss his hair back out of her eyes. Then she stood with her tray determinedly. If Darien didn't have any friends, she'd just have to change that. She started towards the nearest crowded table but stopped....~Wait a minute, I can't just rearrange his life! I'm not him!~ She glanced around and noticed another boy sitting alone near the window, eating slowly as he stared absently out. She walked over, "Mind if I join you? You look like you could use some company." The boy looked up with surprise, "Sure, sure. I could. Actually, this is my first day here, I'm new." "Pleased to meet you then. I'm Ser-Darien. Darien Chiba." She offered her hand. "I'm Simon, Simon Grace." (AN: That's for you Grace! Love ya!) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ The bell rang signifying the end of classes. Miss Haruna stood, "Alright class, just leave your assignments on my desk as you go. See you next week!" Darien shuffled up last and slipped all the assignments into the pile without her noticing. Then he stood waiting expectantly, for the first detention of his life.... Miss Haruna turned from cleaning the black board and started with surprise. "Serena! What are you still doing here?" "You told me to stay after class remember? Because I was late." "Oh, that, well, it's the weekend and er, you weren't terribly late...just see that it doesn't happen again. Goodbye!" She pushed Darien out the door and shut it behind him. Molly was waiting, she giggled, "Miss Haruna must have a date tonight! I thought she seemed nicer this afternoon!" Darien raised his eyebrows with surprise but then remembered who he was. ~Serena probably already knows that.~ He did his best to imitate her and giggled in return-it felt very strange. "Yeah, for sure!" he managed and they walked out together. "Hey, wanna go to the arcade, me and Melvin and some of the other girls are going!" Darien shook his head, "Actually, I promised my parents I'd help them with some things around the house. I have to go straight home. Bummer huh?" He added that last part on and was very proud of himself indeed. "Yeah, well, maybe we'll do something over the weekend! Bye Serena!" "Bye Molly!" Then Darien bolted through the park, searching for....CRASH! He was flung over backwards as he smashed into someone. "Gomen nasai!" he exclaimed and jumped up, but then the sound of laughter caught his full attention...because it was his laughter. Serena stood over him, "Ha ha! What a nice change of pace! Now you know how it feels--Meatball head!" and she laughed harder. "Very funny!" he muttered bitterly, dusting himself off. When she calmed down they walked over to a secluded area of the park and sat down by the lake. Serena, stretching out half awkwardly and half gracefully in Darien's lean, lanky frame, felt the full weight of the situation hit her again and grew fearful. "So....what are we supposed to do? Why would this happen?" Darien stared pensively out at the lake, "I don't know....." He trailed off but then noticed tears running down---well his cheeks! "Serena, don't cry!" he exclaimed and reached up gently brushing them away. It was a strange sight to any passerby. A young girl brushing the tears away from a grown man's eyes. But perhaps grown man was too strong a term, for with Serena's spirit in his body, Darien found himself noticing how boyish he was...how young.... How often he had tried to be the picture of calm and independence. How he had rushed into growing up so that people would stop pitying him. Maybe, just maybe...he'd missed out a little.... Serena took a deep breath and shuddered a little. ~I've got to be brave.~ They both sat silently. There were a lot of things to consider. Not the least of which was their mutual secret identities.... "What should we do in the meantime?" Asked Serena fearfully. And Darien found himself a little startled by the sound of his own voice. "I guess you'd better stay with me at my apartment till we figure this out....will your parents be okay with you staying with a friend?" "Yeah...that should be okay." "Well, let's go and get something to eat." "Alright." she said rising and they walked awkwardly away together. "So what was it like being me?" He asked her, trying to lighten the situation a bit. "Well...er...it was....uh.....that is....ohDarienI'msosorrythisissoembarassingbutIshouldtellyou!" It all came out in a rush. "Wha----t?" he managed. "Well, I....I....first I had to get dressed this morning....and I did without looking...I promise...but later...I kinda...well...I had to.....I had to go to the bathroom." She looked down shame facedly and he stared curiously at her until the realization dawned on him. "Oh..." "I suppose it was the same for you?" she asked softly "Well, kinda...but I really didn't have to look..." Now he was humiliated. This was so awkward! "I'm sorry Darien. I tried not to...but..." "Serena stop! It's okay, really." he finished weakly because it really wasn't okay, "Let's talk about something else okay?" he said quickly. They headed up the elevator to his apartment. "Wanna order pizza?" "Okay!" This was funny because it was *Serena* that asked in a serious voice and *Darien* who chirped 'okay' with enthusiasm. They laughed at their own voices. "It's strange hearing you talk with my voice." said Serena. "What do you mean?" "Well, you make me sound so serious!" She giggled. "Well, you make me sound silly!" "Hmph! At LEAST you can't call me Meatball head! If you make fun of me now, you'll be making fun of yourSELF! Ha!" "You'll always be Meatballhead to me." he muttered darkly, not enjoying being one-upped in the slightest. "What are you saying?" she asked narrowly He put on his best face--which in Serena's body was a bit bizarre. "Aieee! Guys! Major ice cream sale at the arcade! What in inCREEEEDIBLE opportunity! Let's go OOOOPS" he imitated her tripping and fell for full effect. He glared down at him, "Oh yeah? Well two can play THAT game!" "Look at me, I'm Darien....." She did her best to look cold and serious, "I know everything blah blah blah......I'm so smart and aloof blah blah blah....girls throw themselves at me all the time but I don't care...IIIII'm going to spend my adulthood torturing an innocent junior high student blah blah blah....hey Meatball head-" "Hey you do that pretty well." he said, indicating the Meatball head part. "Ohhhhh!" They each made their best (ie worst) impression of one another and made faces at each other. The elevator doors opened to reveal *Serena* with pigtails pulled, eyes crossed and tongue out, while *Darien * was contorted similarly, eyes askew, tongue out, ears pulled wide. The couple waiting for the elevator simply stared at them in disbelief. They quickly straightened and walked silently out and down the hall. They waited till the elevator doors were closed before laughing conspiratorily. "Ha ha ha! Did you see their faces!" "That was hilarious!" Serena fumbled through Darien's pockets for his keys and let them in. They walked in and Serena spoke, "You'd better call my parents and let them know I'm sleeping over. Just tell them I'm spending the night at Rei's with the girls!" "Alright." He said nervously. He dialed the number she gave him, "Hi...uh...Mom?" It was strange to say that because in his entire life he had never called anyone mother.... "I'm staying over at Rei's with the girls for a sleepover tonight okay? Hmmm? Uh, yeah, they'll lend me PJ's it's okay! Alright, I'll be home by lunch time tomorrow....yes Mom....okay...I won't...Bye!" He hung up, "How'd I do?" She nodded her approval, "Very well." she did her best to imitate him. He smiled, "Now you order pizza." She called and relayed the address and imitated him without a hitch. "You're getting pretty good." He admonished. She smiled, "You too....although...I hope that doesn't mean we'll never..." He shook his head in fear, "No no! Don't think like that! I'm sure whatever this is will wear off..." They stared at one another tensely for a moment before Serena reached over gently hugged Darien...a little awkwardly since her tall frame was really the one whose comfort she was seeking... "Go change into something more comfortable." He said softly, surprised at the soft quality of her voice over his words. "Where are you pajamas? And what will YOU wear?" He sighed and they walked into his bedroom. He rooted through his drawers and closets until he found pajama's for him and her. They looked at one another seriously, "I'll change in the bathroom, you change in here okay?" "Okay." She nodded. He shut himself in the bathroom with the smallest pj's he could find and sighed heavily. Slowly, slowly he brought his face to the mirror. There she was, blond odangos, blue eyes and all... He took the opportunity to take a good, long look at her. This girl he teased to avoid facing the strange feelings that rushed him at their every chance encounter--which was often. There was something half familiar about her which was absurd since they'd never met. He felt bad for teasing her now...he'd never meant it anyway...but now he knew firsthand, what her life was like... He turned away and shut his eyes trying to dress and get ready for bed without looking. "Ouch!" He heard himself yell from the next room as Serena fell over. He smiled and chuckled, ~At least I'm not the only one...~ In the next room Serena struggled to pull the last of Darien's pajamas on. ~His legs are so long! How does he do this? Arrrrgh!~ Then she stepped slowly over and sat at his desk. There was nothing of particular interest on it except for the vase of roses. She fingered one of them gently. ~Roses.....I would never have pinned him for the type to like roses..~ She briefly thought of Tuxedo Mask but pushed that aside. ~NO WAY!~ She got up and passed by the mirror. She stopped quite suddenly and walked over to it. She studied Darien's face carefully, the dark hair, the blue eyes...but there was something else....something almost....familiar? She tried to shake this sensation but found she could not. The sound of the bathroom door opening broke her reverie and she quickly straightened, walking out of the room to meet Darien. The doorbell rang and they headed towards it together, "Pizza's here!" Enthused Serena in a very girly manner, causing Darien to chuckle--however it came out in more of a giggle making the whole scene pretty funny. They took the pizza and sat down to eat. Darien found himself at the mercy of Serena's unnatural appetite as he ate slice after slice. "I can't believe how much I'm enjoying this pizza!" He said between bites, still trying to adjust to Serena's small hands while he ate. Serena, on the other hand, was already using Darien's larger hands--and mouth, to full advantage, and he found himself wondering if he ate that much himself. But afterwards, a terrible silence ensued. They watched some TV but were too restless and worried to concentrate. They tried to figure out why this had all happened but couldn't. And then, they simply ran out of things to say to on another. "Wow, when we're not fighting, it's hard to come up with conversation." He observed quietly. Serena sighed, "Yeah." "So...uhhh....tell me the story of your life?" He asked uncertainly. She laughed, "The story of my life?" He smiled, "In a nutshell." "Hmmmm....Serena Tsukino, born June 30th, age 14, grade 8, hate math, love video games..." "I hate to disapoint you, but I knew all that already." He cut in dryly. She frowned at him and he started, ~Is THAT what I look like when I frown?~ "Well...." She added, "I have a younger brother named Sammy. I live with him and my Mom and Dad. Sammy's a real pain and Dad's kinda overprotective....Mom's a really great cook, she makes me a delicious lunch everyday...although Lita makes a pretty good lunch too." She looked around the apartment, "I didn't see any pictures of your parents. Where do they live? Do you have any brothers and sisters?" She didn't expect the effect that question would have on him and watched with silent horror as her own face became uncharacteristically serious. "I'm an only child." He answered quietly. She waited for the rest with an odd dread. "My parents were killed in a car accident when I was six." She moved over next to him, "I'm sorry." But there was no pity in her voice--and not because it was his either--just acknowledgement and respect. "I lived in an orphanage till I was old enough to get a job. Then I moved here." She nodded. "I can't remember the accident...or my parents at all." Now she cringed, it was an odd look to see pass over his own face, "Oh that's terrible. You can't remember them at all?" He shook his head. Suddenly a lot of things about him made sense. How he didn't ever approach her right, he didn't know how. How he hadn't any friends at school. She vowed then, never to let his front keep her back. She took his hand quietly, and squeezed it, and watched her own face rise to meet her with a smile. "That's better." She said, "I can't have you frowning, my face might get stuck like that!" He chuckled. Then she grew serious again and kept hold of his hand, eyeing him uncertainly, "Darien?" "Yeah?" "Uhhh, can we....can we be friends?" He simply stared at her, open mouthed and unblinking for some time. She grew uncomfortable and flustered, "I...I know I'm not...smart...or mature...or even well balanced....nothing that you probably want in a friend...but I promise I'll try...I really want us to get along better....." He kept staring and after a long silence said in complete disbelief, "You..want to be my friend?" She nodded with surprise, "Well,...yeah..." "After all I've done to you?" "You only teased me." He stared another moment and then broke out into a smile, "I'd love to be your friend!" And then he watched his own face twist into a completely Serena grin and laughed. But the ensuing Serena babble that sprung forth from his own lips was a little terrifying. "Oh I know we'll be good friends! And I want you to know you can tell me anything alright? I promise I'm trustworthy--just ask my friends. We'll do all kinds of fun stuff together and just imagine Andrew's face when we act nice to each other it'll be so funny........" She kept on and he just shook his head. ~How did I get myself into this situation?~ He didn't know what was more amazing, that Serena was talking with him this way or that he was understanding it completely. "Whoa...halt! You're gonna wear out my vocal cords!" "I'm just excersising them!" She said and stuck out her tongue. "I agree that we'll make good friends." He said smiling. She smiled. ~Now I can treat her to milkshakes when she runs out of money on the Sailor V game...and catch her when she trips on me without worrying that she'll freak....and--~ "Maybe I can help you out with school sometime!" He cringed, ~Why did I say THAT one outloud?~ He watched her expression darken a moment, "You think I'm stupid?" "I've never thought that Serena, I have a feeling you're just going about your studies the wrong way." She brightened, "Maybe you're right! Okay!" Then she leaned closer to him, "And in return I'll make sure you loosen up and have fun once and a while!" "I have fun!.....sometimes..." "Yeah, more like NEVER!" "Well I guess we're a good balance because YOU have entirely TOO MUCH fun!" He bit back and then growled as she only laughed harder. "You can never have too much fun dummy!" "Hmph!" And to prove her point she leaned over and yanked on of her own pigtails! "Hey!" He cried in protest. Then she jumped up and ran for the nearest cushion, "Pillow fight!!!!!" This proved very favorable for Serena who used Darien's lithe, lanky frame to full advantage, while Darien kept tripping over Serena's unbelievably long pigtails and falling flat on his face. "You know I think you're hair is your WHOLE problem!" He wheezed, trying to dodge another attack. "Ha ha, I NEVER trip over my hair!" Finally they stopped after jumping all over his furniture and mussing each other up considerably. But it helped ease the tension and fear they both felt. Serena looked at him and sighed, "My hair is ruined. Do you have a brush?" He nodded and went to get it. When he returned, she sat him down and brushed out all her hair, gently loosening the odangos and tumbling it to the floor. "This is a lot easier to do when I can sit behind myself!" He chuckled lightly but was rather silent after that. She smiled and leaned in closer, "Feels nice doesn't it?" He looked up surprised, "Yeah actually." He hadn't wanted to admit just HOW nice. "It's one of the big perks about being a girl. Having your hair brushed or done always feels so nice." He smiled, ~Hmmm, note to self, always offer to brush Serena's hair from now on....WAIT A SEC! WHY would I be brushing her HAIR??? What's happening to my thoughts??? Oh no, I'm being Serena-fied!~ She finished and tucked it up softly, "So it'll be easier to sleep." She murmured and he could hear her getting sleepy. "Wanna try and catch some shut-eye?" "Mmmhmmm." He walked her to the bedroom. "No no, I'll sleep on the couch--this is YOUR room!" "No way, you're my guest...besides," He winked, "It'll be like I'm sleeping on my own bed! You'll never fit on the couch at my height anyway." "Oh alright." So Serena settled into Darien's bed and drifted off slowly, feeling at least a little contented that they'd finally called a truce and would be friends. But Darien, out on the couch, tucked up cautiously in Serena's small body, lay awake for hours, worried, trying to figure it out... but finally, his eyes drifted closed and he gave in to sleep himself. But it was shortlived...for a brief time later a strange beeping woke him and her as well. He got up and shook himself, "WHAT is that noise?" He demanded, sounding simulatenously like himself and Serena in full-fledged annoyance mode--if possible! In Darien's room Serena froze....she knew that sound all too well! It was her scout communicator..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@ Gasp! WHAT will happen? Stay tuned!