Hey, everyone!  Well, this is it!  My newest Sailor Moon fanfic!
Okay, just to warn you ahead of time, this was SUPPOSED to be a short 
story, but somehow it managed to evolve into this monster fic that 
appears to have no ending.  My muse has been having a field day with 
this...I think I'm gonna have to shoot her if I expect to get any sleep
around here...	Anyhow, onto disclaimers.  I don't own Sailor Moon.  Never did.
Never will.  I'm just borrowing her a little (along with all the other
characters) and I promise to put them all back when I'm done with them,
okay?  ;-)	
This story is set in the first season (duh!) sometime before 
Jadeite was destroyed.  I'm not sure what the timeline is with this,but
it doesn't really follow the plot of the show/manga at all (I just 
started reading the manga!  It is superb!)  Well, as it's my story, I 
can do what I want!  =)  There is no Mina in it, again, since
she only came at the end, but there IS plenty of Molly in it.  In fact,
she's kind of a semi-important part of the story.  She never gets alot
of attention, as far as I'm concerned.
	Oh!  Guess what?  My first SM fic, "Out of the Blue" has been
nominated to be one of the top twenty-five fics of the year!  How cool is that?
	Anyway, I think I covered everything.  You can read the story now... =)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Love Waits for You" by Stormlight~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      
		~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter One~~~~~~~~~~~
	
"What am I doing here?" Darien Chiba asked himself for the 
hundredth time as he leaned casually against the wall, checking his 
watch impatiently.  He had a very important date this morning.  It 
was the same one he had every morning, actually, but today she was 
later than usual.  He had been leaning against this same wall for 
the past half hour, and people were beginning to look at him 
strangely.  He checked his watch yet again and frowned irritably.  
What was taking that girl?  **Did she already go past, and I missed 
her somehow?** he wondered, hoping that it wasn't the case.  His day 
just wouldn't be the same if he had to miss his morning run-in with...
	Wait!  What was that?  He listened carefully through the 
blood pounding in his ears, and sure enough he could hear a distinct 
wail coming his way at an alarming pace.  He peeked around the 
corner, just to make sure.  Pedestrians and vendors lining the 
sidewalks calmly stepped aside as a speeding bullet shot past, two 
streams of golden hair streaking behind her.  Ah, his Meatball Head 
had finally decided to show up.  He grinned to himself, sagging in 
relief for a moment, before he took a deep breath and stepped out 
from around the corner, bracing himself for the coming impact.
	"Aaaaahhhh I'm so laaaate!  I'll NEVER make it before-OOF!"
	The wail was suddenly cut off as its owner, one Serena 
Tsukino, ran headlong into Darien's body, but he was ready and 
immediately reached out to steady her before she hit the pavement.  
Step one completed.  Now on to step two.  He cleared his throat, 
then proclaimed, with as much indignity as he could muster, "Why 
don't you ever watch where you're going, Meatball Head?  You're 
gonna kill somebody someday!"
	Serena blinked and looked up at Darien, as though she was 
surprised to see him there (although after six months of this daily 
ritual she should not have been), who still had her arms in his 
grasp.  Her blue eyes began to spark with anger, making them light 
up oh-so-beautifully, and she opened her mouth to retort.  "DON'T 
CALL ME...ahhh, forget it!  I don't have TIME for this!"
	And, just like that, she was gone.
	Darien blinked down at the empty space where Serena had 
stood only one second before, then looked up in time to see the 
ends of her blond pigtails vanish like magic around the corner.  
He slowly closed his mouth, which had dropped open in astonishment 
at her disappearing act.  Then, once he realized that he was still 
holding onto thin air, he lowered his arms and nonchalantly 
stuffed his hands into his pockets, scowling.  He felt incredibly 
insulted by Serena's rude departure.  She didn't have TIME for him?!  
After all the trouble he took to run into her every morning (he 
didn't get up an hour earlier than he had to just for anyone, you 
know...)!  It was...unthinkable!
	Still frowning, he continued on his way to his morning 
classes at the university, thinking about Serena all the way.*	*	*	*	*
	He was still thinking about her when he arrived at the 
college.  About how her marvelous eyes would light up when she was 
happy, and how they seemed to glow with fire when she was mad, 
which she usually was when it came to him.  As he ate a quick 
breakfast in the cafeteria, he thought about how sweet her laughter 
was, not to mention her voice (when she wasn't wailing), and about 
that incredibly beautiful hair of hers.  He had always wanted to 
know if it was as soft as it looked.  He resolved to find a way to 
get his hands on it and find out as soon as possible.  
	During his Advanced Physics class, he thought about the way 
she walked.  When she wasn't in the midst of a klutz attack, he had 
to admit that she was one of the most graceful people he'd ever 
known.  A regal bearing seemed infused into her very being, even 
though she hid it well with her timely trips and stumbles.  But she 
wasn't fooling him one little bit.  He knew a graceful person when he saw one.
	All through History and Calculus, he was thinking about the 
love she seemed to hold in regards to everything and everyone, and 
by the time classes were over and he was on his way home again, the 
thought had evolved from how much she loved life, to how much might 
she possibly be able to love him?  In fact, once THAT idea was 
imbedded into his brain, it would not be dispelled so easily, and 
he couldn't stop thinking, as much as he tried to.  	A little obsessed was he?  
	Well, maybe.  Nobody had ever made him feel so crazy before.  
So willing to risk everything and put anything on the line just so he
could see her, talk to her (even if only to watch her get mad at him), 
maybe even touch her, if he had an excuse.  This made him mad as much 
as it filled him with a strange joy such as he had never felt before.  
He could not get the child out of his head!  There were a great many 
reasons why he should do just that though, the least of them being 
that Serena WAS a child; a good six years younger than he was, and 
he, being only twenty, was not all that old.  Still, the term 
"robbing the cradle" fit very well with the situation. 
	Besides, she wasn't even his type, he told himself fiercely.  
She was nothing but a scatter-brained teenager in high school while 
he was a serious, studious college student who had learned long ago 
how to build walls around his heart to shut people out.  Serena was 
the...the wrecking ball who would inadvertently end up knocking 
those walls clean off their supports, and not even realize that 
she'd done so, and that could be dangerous for him.  Those walls 
were his protection against the pain he'd been dealt all his life, 
ever since losing his parents...not to mention all memory of them 
and his former life...in the accident that had claimed them all 
those years ago.  No, it was definitely the right thing to do to 
set all thought of Serena Tsukino aside and just get on with life.  
Such as it was.	Darien nodded to himself firmly, that settled in his mind, 
and looked up to see if he'd reached his apartment building yet, as 
he had been only partly paying attention to where he was going.  To 
his surprise, he saw that his feet had led him, not to home, but 
rather to the Crown Center Arcade two blocks in the opposite 
direction, where his best friend, Andrew, worked.
	Where Serena and her pals usually hung out after school.
	Darien scowled at his feet.  **Traitors!** he thought, 
miffed.  Even they had turned against him!
	He sighed, defeated, and turned weary eyes to the doors, 
which opened as though to welcome him inside.  Then, with a wry 
smile, he shrugged and stepped into the cool building.  He was 
there.  He might as well talk to Andrew, and besides, he could go 
for a chocolate shake right about then...*	*	*	*	*
	"Hey, Darien!" Andrew called out cheerfully from his place 
behind the counter where he was busily taking orders from customers.  
"Have a seat.  Give me a sec, and I'll be right with you."
	"I just want the usual.  Take your time," Darien replied, 
sliding onto a stool and casually looking toward the game area.  
Sure enough, the first thing he saw was a pair of golden meatballs 
parked in front of the latest Sailor V game.  He smiled at the sight, 
then frowned when he remembered that he wasn't supposed to care.  Her 
rudeness toward him earlier that day still had him slightly miffed, 
though.  So he stood and sauntered over to her, watching her face as 
she stared intently at the screen, her slender hands frantically 
punching buttons.	"C'mon, come ON!  Beat it!" she muttered to herself, her 
face scrunching in determination, and he had to hold back a chuckle.  
She was just so darned cute when she was intent.
	"Fail any more tests in school lately?" he asked, standing 
right behind her and making her squeal in surprise and nearly leap 
out of her chair.  The computer-animated Sailor V went into death 
throes, and Game Over flashed across the screen.
	"DARIEN!  You creep!  YOU MADE ME LOSE!" Serena screeched.  
"And that would've been the best score yet!"  She turned to fix him 
with a positively evil glare.
	Darien merely smirked.  "You poor dear," he drawled, although 
he felt a little guilty about making her lose.  Not that he'd ever 
let HER know that...	Serena pouted and picked up her book bag, stomping over to 
Andrew.  "Can I have a soda?" she asked with a cheerful grin.  
"Playing games makes me thirsty."
	"No problem, Serena," Andrew replied with a friendly smile, 
filling a glass and handing it to her.  Darien nonchalantly slid 
onto a stool beside Serena, as if he made it a point to sit beside 
her every day, and Andrew handed him a chocolate milkshake, his 
eyebrow raised questioningly.  Darien wasn't inclined to answer any, 
however.  He merely gave his friend a "later" look and drank his shake.
	"So you never answered my question, Meatball Head," he 
finally said, in an attempt to get some sort of conversation 
going.  Andrew rolled his eyes heavenward, shaking his head and 
moving away...possibly to avoid the flames practically shooting 
from Serena's ears.	"It just so happens I got a seventy percent on my math test 
yesterday!" Serena haughtily informed Darien, turning her nose up.
	"Oh, VERY admirable," he snorted, taking a gulp of his shake.  
"So did your parents give you a medal, or what?"
	Serena shot him an angry glare.  "Who asked you, anyhow, 
creep?" she mumbled, turning quickly away from him.  He looked at 
her, astonished.  He couldn't see her expression very well, turned 
away as she was, but for a moment he could almost have sworn he'd 
seen her eyes shimmering with tears.  But that was impossible.  
This was Serena!  They were always tossing insults back and forth 
at each other!  It was...it was a game, to see who could best who.  
It wasn't meant to be serious!
	Serena, in the meantime, had finished her soda and now laid 
her money on the counter, bidding Andrew goodbye before turning to 
leave.  Darien wracked his brain, trying to quickly think up some 
way to say he was sorry without actually making it look like he was 
apologizing.  He really HADN'T meant to hurt her...  
	Suddenly Serena turned back to him, a sweet smile pasted on 
her face, and his heart leaped with hope...that was quickly crushed 
a moment later.  "Oh, and by the way, Darien, if I really DO kill 
somebody someday, I hope it's YOU!" she stated, sticking out her 
tongue at him and running out the door before he could reply.
	Darien sighed as he watched her go.  Somehow, he wasn't at 
all surprised to hear that from her.  He swore once again to stay 
away from her, before he ended up hurting them both.*	*	*	*	*
	He went back again the next day.
	Andrew waved to him from the game area, where he was helping 
a little boy get through a game.  He waved halfheartedly back before 
sliding into a booth, laying his books on the table.  He mumbled to 
the waitress who had come over to take his order, then stared off 
into space, wondering what in the world he was doing there again.  
	It was to see Andrew, he told himself.  Andrew was his best 
friend, after all, and he worked here, so it was perfectly normal to 
be here.  He most certainly was NOT there to see a certain young lady 
with blond meatballs.  Nope.  Definitely not that.
	Suddenly, he heard HER laughter bubbling as the main door 
slid opened, and his heart began to laugh at the logic his mind was 
spitting forth.  After all, Andrew was certainly not the reason his 
blood suddenly seemed too hot, or his hands suddenly felt too clammy, 
or his breathing too fast.  And if he was...well, then Darien needed 
some serious help...	"Oh, Ryan, you're so funny," Serena was cooing from behind 
him, and Darien froze in shock.	**Ryan?  Who the heck is Ryan?!**
	Slowly, he turned in his seat until he could see 
Serena...and the tall, red-haired young man she walked beside, her 
arm sliding through his and her gaze locked adoringly on his rather
handsome face.  "Ryan" seemed aloof as he gazed around, discreetly 
removing Serena's grip on his arm.  He spotted an empty booth, one 
built for two, and laid an arm around her shoulders as he moved 
toward it.  She followed him quite willingly, and they slid into 
it, smiling at each other.
	Darien saw red.  And it wasn't because he was looking at Ryan's hair.
	**Who IS this guy?!** he ranted silently.  **What's so 
special about him that he gets the privilege of sitting with MY Serena?!**
	Wait a sec... Since when was Serena *his*?
	"What's wrong, Dar?  You look like you just saw a ghost."
	Darien nearly leaped out of his skin at Andrew's quiet 
observation, and turned to face his friend, who had slipped into 
the seat across from him, setting two glasses of coke in front of 
them.  "Geez!  Ya scared me!" he grumbled, turning around fully.
	Andrew was looking from him, to Serena, and back again, 
his expression sly and pitying all at the same time.  "Anything 
wrong?" he asked.  "You can tell me, ya know."
	"Nothing's wrong," Darien replied casually.  A little TOO 
casually, Andrew noted with amusement as he took a sip of his soda.
	"That guy Serena's with is Ryan, her new boyfriend," he 
said calmly, as though discussing the weather.  
	Darien's reaction was anything but calm.  He sputtered on 
the swallow of soda he'd just taken, coughing in shock.  "Her 
BOYFRIEND?!" he croaked.  "Serena doesn't have a boyfriend!"
	"She does now," Andrew replied.  "He just asked her out 
last week, apparently.  Haven't you wondered why she hasn't been 
at the arcade as much as usual?"
	Darien HAD noticed that Serena was missing several times, 
truth be told.  She used to come in every afternoon, but she had 
missed two days this week alone, which was highly unusual.
	"Well," Andrew continued, "she hasn't been in because she's 
been with him.  Actually, she didn't even TELL me she had a boyfriend. 
I had to hear it from her friend Molly.  I was a little surprised 
that she didn't let me know.  She used to tell me all this stuff."  
His tone was hurt as he gazed over to where Serena and Ryan were 
talking quietly.	"But...but she's too YOUNG to be going out on dates!" Darien 
protested, which immediately sent Andrew into roars of laughter.
	"Too young?!  Darien, how old were YOU when you first 
started dating?  And what are you, anyhow?  Her father?" he gasped, 
wiping his eyes.  At Darien's glare, he calmed down a little and 
smiled at him apologetically.  "What your problem REALLY is, is 
that you can't stand the thought of anyone dating Serena...except for you."
	"And how do you know that?" Darien grumbled.  "Are you psychic or something?"
	"No, I'm your best friend, and best friends know these 
kinds of things," Andrew replied wisely.  "You've been sprung on 
that girl for months, and figured you were safe enough to ignore 
your feelings when she was still single...but now that she has a 
boyfriend, are you gonna sit there and let her walk away from you?"  
	He stood and slid out of the booth before Darien could think 
up a suitable reply, clapping his shoulder fondly.  "Serena's a 
wonderful girl, Dar, despite her faults.  I think she'd do you a 
world of good, if you'd just let her into your life, if even as a 
friend.  I promise she won't bite."  With that, he was gone, 
leaving Darien to ponder this somewhat alarming new development in 
the game of Darien VS Serena...round a hundred and fifty eight.  
Or was it nine?  He'd lost count...	"Hi, Darien!"
	He looked up to see Lita, Raye and Amy standing before him,
returning their greeting half-heartedly.  "Have you seen Serena?"
Lita asked.  "We were supposed to meet after school, but she hasn't shown up."
	"She's over there," Darien replied gloomily, "with HIM."
	The girls looked toward the bench where Serena and Ryan 
were sitting close together, talking.  Darien watched as her face 
lit up with laughter at something Ryan said, and his heart twisted.  
Why couldn't she ever laugh at any of HIS jokes?
	"Oh, it's HIM," Lita was saying, as though talking about 
something disgusting one might find stuck to the bottom of their 
shoe.  Darien, upon hearing the tone, immediately perked up.
	"What, you don't like that guy?" he asked curiously.
	"Oh, he's OKAY, I guess, but..."
	"He isn't exactly Serena's type," Amy finished for her, 
wrinkling her nose.  "He just transferred two weeks ago, and he's 
a senior, but already there have been wild stories about him all 
over school.  He's supposedly part of some gang in the city, who 
gets into a lot of trouble with the police."  Then, upon noticing 
the incredulous stares directed at her from the other three, she 
added hastily, "NOT that I actually BELIEVE these rumors or 
anything!  They probably aren't true."  
	"So, Ames, you aren't immune to gossip, after all," Raye teased.
	"Well, how can I be when it's all anyone ever talks about 
anymore?" she replied defensively. 
	"So," Darien cut in, more than a little interested in 
Serena's new guy, "what you're saying is that this guy is a 
troublemaker then?  What's Serena doing with someone like that?  
She...doesn't seem like the type to be interested in guys like that."
	"That's what WE can't figure out," Lita replied gloomily.  
"He started charming her from day one, and she fell for it hook, 
line and sinker!  I always thought she'd be smarter than that."
	Darien frowned, glancing over at Ryan again.  He didn't 
have that gang look about him.  Of course, he WAS in a school 
uniform, but he looked like a nice enough guy.  Still...looks 
were deceiving.  His frown deepened.  And if Serena's best friends 
didn't like him, well, that said enough.  They weren't the kind 
to judge anyone by appearances alone, especially Amy.  If SHE 
didn't like the guy, then there had to be something about him.  
He resolved to find out, as soon as possible, what it was.
	Lita had stepped over to Serena's booth and was quietly 
talking to her.  Serena's eyes suddenly widened, and her hand flew 
to her mouth.  She turned to Ryan, looking apologetic, and said 
something.  His face immediately darkened, and he looked at Lita 
and said something to her in return.  Whatever it was, it was 
enough to make Serena gasp and Lita straighten up abruptly, her 
fist clenching at her side.  Darien watched Serena closely as she 
slid out of the booth, her hands resting on her hips as she spoke 
to Ryan, who merely rolled his eyes.  But when Serena grabbed her 
bag and started to march away, he reached out and snatched her wrist, scowling.
	"Let her go!"  Lita's voice had risen, and was now loud 
enough to be heard clear to the other side of the room.  Darien 
stood abruptly, sensing an impending argument as he and the other 
two girls hurried over to the booth.
	"What's going on here?" Darien demanded before anyone else 
had a chance to speak.  He shot a glance at Ryan's tight grip on
Serena's wrist, then let his icy gaze travel up to Ryan's arrogant 
stare.  "Do you always manhandle little girls like that?" he asked coldly.
	"And who're you?  Her daddy?" Ryan sneered.  "This doesn't 
concern you, so back off, got it?"
	"Well, it concerns US!" Raye cut in, glaring at Ryan.  "Let 
Serena go, before I'm forced to do something you'll regret."
	"Raye, it's okay," Serena said nervously, trying to break 
free from Ryan's tight grasp on her arm.  "Just let it go, all 
right?"  She gave one final tug, and Ryan released her arm, looking 
at her sulkily.  "Look, Ryan, I'm sorry, but I have to go.  I 
promised the girls we'd study at the temple tonight."
	He smirked.  "Like you'd actually study," he laughed.  
"C'mon!  Can't you just forget it for one night?  I'm your guy, 
ain't I?  Aren't we supposed to do things together?"
	Serena looked guilty.  "Well, yeah, but...I mean..."  
She paused, then brightened.  "Well, why don't you come with us 
then?" she suggested.  "I mean, I'm sure you could study, too, and 
it's more fun with a bunch of people than just alone!"
	Ryan sneered.  "Oh, THAT sounds like fun.  Sorry, I got 
better things to do than paint my toenails and stuff."  He slid 
out of the booth, then noticed the dejected look Serena was giving 
him.  He sighed, then leaned down to kiss her cheek.  "Look, go to 
your little study session or whatever, okay?  I'll see ya tomorrow."  
He stroked her cheek and gave her a charming grin, which nearly made 
her melt.  Then he picked up a black leather jacket, which had been 
laying on the bench beside him, and tossed it over his shoulder, 
heading out the door.	Serena sighed, then smiled brightly and turned to her 
friends, who were watching her with unreadable expressions on 
their faces.  "What?" she asked.  "Quit looking at me like that!  
What's your problem?"  She seemed irritated.
	"What are you doing hooked up with a guy like him?"  Darien 
was the first to speak, much to everyone's (including his own) 
surprise.  At Serena's glare, he added, "I mean...he doesn't really 
seem like...your type..."	"And what IS my type, Darien?" Serena snapped.  "Some 
brainless twit who can't tie his own shoes, like me?  Is that what 
you think?  That someone as cute and smart as Ryan wouldn't fall 
for a scatter-brained airhead like me?  Well, you're WRONG!  Just 
because YOU have to act like a conceited jerk towards me all the 
time, doesn't mean anyone ELSE does!  You're the one with the 
problem, not me, so just BUTT OUT!" 
	Darien nearly staggered back at the force of her words, his 
heart twisting like she'd driven a knife into it.  "No, that's not what..."
	But Serena wasn't staying around to listen.  She had picked 
up her bag was already marching out of the arcade.  "You guys coming 
or what?" she called over her shoulder.
	The girls were staring at her in astonishment.  They had 
NEVER seen Serena behave like that before!  Even to Darien!
	"I REALLY don't like that guy," Lita growled, slapping her 
fist into her palm and stalking after Serena.  Raye followed her, 
shaking her head.	Amy looked at Darien, who was still watching Serena's form 
pacing outside the door, waiting for her friends to follow her.  
"Are you okay?" she asked.  
	Darien blinked, smiling sheepishly.  "Yeah, I'm fine," he 
replied.  "I just...didn't expect that, is all.  She sure learned 
to bite back fast, didn't she?"
	Amy sighed.  "Ryan's a bad influence.  I think she's only 
acting like that because he's been telling her that she needs to 
show more guts.  You know how she is.  She always wants to please, 
even if it goes against her nature to do so.  I wish she'd wake up 
and see the light, but I'm afraid to say anything to her in case 
she gets mad at me, too.  I don't want to ruin our friendship over this."
	She sighed, then smiled at Darien and bid him good day, 
following Raye out the door.  Darien watched them leave, his frown 
lingering, before he, too, left the arcade.  He had a bad feeling 
about this.  A very bad feeling...

Continued...