"Love Waits for You" by Stormlight ~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter Ten ~~~~~~~~~~~ Darien felt the pull on his soul just as he was about to enter the Cherry Hill Temple. Now that everyone knew who he was, he had been allowed to join in on the meetings, after a bit of haggling with a mistrustful Luna on Serena's part. He quickened his pace, fighting the urge to transform then and there, and rushed into the temple. "Serena's in danger!" he yelled to the startled Scouts. "Calm down, Darien! What's wrong?" Raye asked, her brow furrowing. "Serena's transformed!" Darien replied urgently. "I felt it. We have to help her out." "Wait, that's impossible. I haven't picked up any readings from the fire of an enemy attack," Raye said bluntly. "Are you sure you aren't imagining things?" "I never am wrong about things like this!" Darien snapped. "It's the link! I felt her transform, so I know there's trouble!" "Wait, let me call her on the communicator," Amy said practically, pulling out a small gadget about the size of a calculator from her pocket. "Serena, are you there? Darien says he felt you transform. Are you okay?" There was nothing but static on the other end. Raye frowned and sighed. "She probably left it at home again. That girl will never learn!" she complained. "Well, Darien, are you sure you felt her transform?" "POSITIVE!" Darien was nearly frantic with worry. "We have to help her! What if she's hurt?! Are you just gonna sit there and let her get killed?!" he yelled. "OKAY! JUST SHUT UP, ALREADY!" Raye bellowed, pulling out her pen. "We'll go with you to see what the problem is! Yeesh! Have a coronary, why doncha!" They quickly transformed and the Scouts followed Tuxedo Mask as he followed the link toward Serena, bounding over high rooftops to avoid attention. They headed unerringly toward the OSAP jewelry store, pausing on the roof of the building across from it to assess the situation. "Ya know," Jupiter commented snidely, "for a huge fight going on, it sure is quiet down there." "Tux, if you dragged us all the way out here for nothing..." Mars growled, gripping his lapels threateningly. "Calm down! I know what I felt!" Tuxedo Mask snapped. He narrowed his eyes and gazed down at the store. "That...that's not where she is," he muttered, more to himself than anyone. "She's close..." His gaze traveled upwards, to the story above the store. Molly's house. Everything was calm and quiet; the apartment looked to be all in one piece. He frowned. Now, this didn't make sense. Why would Sailor Moon be...? His eyes widened as a sudden realization hit him. Serena wouldn't...she COULDN'T have... "Serena, what have you done?" he growled, and in one incredible leap had cleared the rooftop to land safely on the other side, above the store. "Hey, where's HE going?!" Jupiter protested. "Wait up!" "Wait, Jupiter. I think he's found something," Mercury said quietly. "That's Molly's home. I think maybe Serena's in there." "But why would she turn into...?" Jupiter began, then trailed off as the implications hit her. "Uh-oh. You don't think..." "She was awfully upset about Molly," Mercury said sadly. "I heard about their fight this morning, and she WAS avoiding us today. She probably felt guilty. This might be the only way she knew to save the friendship." "I'M GONNA *KILL* HER!" Mars bellowed, starting forward. "THAT MEATBALL HEAD! WHAT DOES SHE THINK SHE'S DOING!?!" "Hold on there, Pyro," Jupiter interrupted with a chuckle, grabbing the irate Scout in a headlock. "For one thing, there's no law that says she can't tell anyone. For another...you'd have to get through Tux there to get to her, and I bet he wants the first shot!" "Shouldn't we be stopping him?" Mercury asked worriedly. "I mean...he looked mad enough to kill!" "He won't hurt her. Besides, he's only Darien, and you know as well as I do that Serena can hold her own against him. She won't let him chew her out, especially in front of Molly. Not only that...but isn't HIM chewing HER out over letting loose the secret kinda like the pot calling the kettle black? I mean...HE wasn't supposed to know, either. He spied on us to find out! Sailor Moon won't let him forget that!" Jupiter grinned maliciously. "In fact...I wanna be over there! No WAY am I gonna miss out on THIS!" She released a fuming Mars and leapt over to the other roof, noticing that Tuxedo Mask had already crept down to the fire escape on the side of the building and was peering in the window, which had been closed with the shade drawn down. The other Scouts landed beside her, grinning eagerly at the upcoming event. They heard Molly and Serena talking from inside, and then they heard Tuxedo Mask's cold, angry voice chiming in. "Too late..." * * * * * "I am SO dead..." Sailor Moon muttered as she discreetly attempted to hide behind Molly. Tuxedo Mask didn't look happy. In fact, one could even say he looked just a LITTLE ticked off... "I need to talk to you," he growled, and even through the mask Sailor Moon could feel his eyes burning into her. "Um...can I take a rain check?" she asked with a nervous glance toward Molly, who was staring at Tuxedo Mask with something akin to awe. "We need to talk...NOW." His tone brooked no room for argument, and the stubborn set of his jaw told her all she needed to know. Namely...that he was MAD. Hmmm...tough choice. Go with Tuxedo Mask and risk her increasingly short life, or use Molly as a human shield and plead the fifth. She chose option two. "Aarrgh! Molly, hide me!" she yelped, gripping the startled girl's skirt and holding it up to her neck like a shield...in the process giving the fuming Tuxedo Mask a first-class view of Molly's...unmentionables. "YEEK! Serena! Are you nuts?!" Molly squealed, snatching back her skirt and smoothing it down quickly, her face almost as red as Tuxedo Mask's. "I'm not nuts! I'm afraid!" Sailor Moon protested, powering down into Serena again. "This guy is scary when he's mad!" Molly looked at Tuxedo Mask doubtfully. "What's so scary about him? He looks normal enough to me," she replied. "Hmmph. Get him mad at you, and you'll be singing a different song!" Serena grumbled, keeping a wary eye on Tuxedo Mask as she attempted to sidle toward the door. "How could he get in here, anyhow? Didn't you lock the windows?!" "You said to lock the door! Nobody ever said anything about locking the windows and anyhow, I doubt a locked window would stop him," Molly replied with a sniff. Serena merely whimpered. "Oh, come off it!" Tuxedo Mask yelled, finally fed up with Serena's hysterics. "You act like I'm gonna kill you or something! I just want to talk to you! Sheesh!" Molly drew herself up and stared at him boldly. "Well, whatever you have to say to my friend, pal, you have to get through ME first!" she challenged. Tuxedo Mask stared at her, then suddenly his frown gave way into chuckles. "This is cute. You're actually defending the Champion of Justice against her own defender. I admire your loyalty, Molly, but this doesn't concern you. Stand aside." Molly glared at him. "Kiss my..." "MOLLY!" Serena stared at her in openmouthed astonishment, but Molly only looked at her innocently, completely unrepentant. "Boy, I didn't know she had such a pottymouth on her!" This statement came from a maliciously grinning Jupiter, who was proceeding to crawl through the window, followed by Mercury and a rather steamed-looking Mars, who gave Serena a withering stare. Serena gulped and once again attempted to use Molly's skirt as a shield. "STOP THAT!" Molly hollered, slapping her hand away as Mercury and Jupiter grinned. "Well, this has all been very interesting," Jupiter drawled out, "but, Tux, if you do anything to hurt my friend here, I'm gonna have to kill you. You know that, don't you?" "WHY DOES EVERYONE ASSUME I'M GONNA HURT SERENA?!?" Tuxedo Mask bellowed, glaring at them. "Maybe 'cause you look like an escaped tiger cornering its prey," Mars replied wryly, raising a delicate eyebrow. "Calm down. This can't be good for your blood pressure, you know..." "Oh, YOU'RE one to talk!" Tuxedo Mask snapped, crossing his arms. Serena and Molly watched the two of them bicker with abject fascination, before Serena suddenly shook her head and scowled. "EXCUSE ME!" she yelled. "But Molly and I just HAPPEN to be in the middle of an important conversation...AND NOBODY INVITED YOU! So would you all mind just LEAVING for awhile?!" The bickering stopped as five pairs of astonished eyes turned to stare at her. "Well, fine then!" Mars huffed indignantly, tossing her hair. "We'll leave you two alone! There's no need to be RUDE, Meatball Brains!" Serena's eyebrow started twitching and her teeth grated together. "This. Is. Really. Important," she bit out. "Leave. Now. BEFORE I MOONDUST THE WHOLE LOT OF YOU!" Apparently realizing that their beloved leader was about to lose what was left of her temper, Jupiter clapped a hand over Mars' mouth and dragged the growling Scout back out the window, chuckling all the way. Mercury did the same with a struggling Tuxedo Mask-quite a trick considering he was nearly twice her size!-and Serena and Molly were left alone once again. They stared at the window, neither one speaking for a moment. Then, finally, Molly spoke up. "You have some weird friends." "Yeah," came Serena's reply. ...... ...... ...... "So...how about them cookies now?" * * * * * Serena hummed happily as she skipped into the arcade, waving to Andrew on her way to the Sailor V game. It was Friday afternoon, three days since her revelation to Molly, and things were going great! She and Molly were closer than ever, and now she had someone else to talk to about all her fears of being Sailor Moon. Someone who actually listened, and who understood. The Scouts were great pals, of course, but she knew she could never tell Raye half the things she told Molly and not have Raye accuse her of being a baby. Amy and Lita might be slightly more understanding...but they both LIKED their jobs. They still wouldn't fully comprehend the fears she kept hidden behind her mask of carelessness. Or maybe they would...if they'd take half the time to actually LISTEN for a change! Even Luna wasn't much help in these cases. So, Molly was Serena's new sounding board, and she was taking this whole thing very well, and if she worried, she didn't show it. She'd even managed to keep Serena's secret. So, needless to say, Serena was in a pretty good mood. Not only did she get her best friend back, thus ending one of her worries, but there was no school for two whole days! This was cause for celebration! "OHHH...It's a beautiful day in the NEIGH-borhood, a beautiful day in the neighbor-YEEK!" She hadn't noticed Darien standing there... "Hey, Meatball Head! Been awhile since I've seen you. How's Molly doing?" the upperclassman asked, a slight grin twitching on his lips. "Uh...she's fine...Gotta go!" Serena beat a hasty retreat, almost running backwards out the door again with another nervous wave to Andrew, before turning tail and racing down the street again. At least...she WOULD have raced down the street, had not Darien reached out and grabbed the back of her shirt. As it was, she made about ten frantic paces before she realized that her feet weren't taking her anywhere... "Hey! Let me go!" she squealed. "HELP! POLICE! I'M BEING KIDNAPPED!" Strong hands clapped over her mouth and she was abruptly pulled back inside the arcade again. "Geez, Serena! Are ya trying to get me arrested?!" Darien growled, turning her around. "Quit that!" "Hmmph! Serves you right!" she exclaimed sulkily. "The nerve! Manhandling me like that! You ought to learn some respect for other people!" She shook a finger in his face to emphasize her point, until he relented and grinned down at her. "You're right, Meatball Head," he replied with a teasing smile. "To make it up to you...let me buy you a soda." She pretended to think it over, then shot him a cunning glance. "I don't know," she told him slyly. "I was pretty embarrassed. I think something more along the line of...say...an ice cream cone, would be a more sufficient apology..." Darien had to crack a smile at her cleverness; she was just too adorable! He reached out and affectionately ruffled his hand in her hair, calling out to Andrew, "One chocolate ice cream cone with sprinkles, bud!" "Coming right up!" Andrew replied cheerfully as Serena looked on with astonishment. **That actually WORKED?!** she thought. **Hmmm...maybe I'll have to try a guilt trip on him more often...** "So, how was your day?" Darien was asking as he pulled out a chair at a table near the window for her to sit in, before taking the other one for himself. "Have any tests lately?" She shuddered. "Please. Don't mention school on a weekend. It'll disrupt my karma," she replied with complete seriousness. Darien smothered a laugh. "Do you have any idea what you're talking about?" he asked, his voice muffled by his hand. But his eyes were sparkling with wicked humor, and they sent a little thrill of pleasure down her spine when they met her own. To cover up her sudden, strange feeling, she stuck out her tongue at him and then concentrated on licking her cone, which a waitress had just handed to her. Darien watched her eat; something that she made seem almost like a religious ceremony, so serious did she look as she struggled to catch every stray drop of the melting ice cream on her tongue. Eventually, he began to feel a little uncomfortable. **Does the child even realize how stimulating she makes the simple act of eating ice cream look?!** he wondered, tugging at his turtleneck. That little pink tongue, darting in and out, her eyes taking on a dreamy, thoughtful look as she concentrated... He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, running his hands through his hair as images of Serena filled his head. He'd always had a vivid imagination... "Hey, that looks good! Mind if I have a bite?" he suddenly asked, trying to break the tension he felt. Serena glared at him, holding the cone possessively. "Get your own," she sniffed. He stifled another chuckle. Rule number one: Never try to get between Serena and her food. Then, as a wicked idea came upon him, his grin widened. "Now, considering I paid for that cone, don't you think it's only fair to give me one little bite?" he asked, and before she quite knew what he was about, he angled his head and leaned over to take a nip off the top of the cone...just as she did the same. The result of that little idea: Neither one of them actually managed to touch the cone, because their lips inadvertently ended up connecting right above it... Now...this had NOT been part of Darien's plan...but he certainly wasn't about to complain... Serena, on the other hand, froze, her eyes going wide at the unfamiliar feel of warm lips brushing her own. It took her a moment to realize that, yes, she was being kissed, and yes, it was Darien who was doing the kissing. Well...at least she thought he was... At least, she didn't THINK she was kissing him back... Although...the experience was not exactly...unpleasant... Darien closed his eyes, fighting the strong urge to turn this chaste kiss into something deeper and much more wild. Her lips were soft and cool on his, slightly sticky due to the ice cream, and he held them to his own for as long as he dared before pulling away, licking his lips carefully. He could taste the sweet chocolate on his tongue. Serena was staring at him, her eyes wide and somewhat frightened, and bright color had bloomed in her cheeks. He cleared his throat, wondering how to break the tension, then grinned and shrugged lightly. "Thanks for the bite, Serena. It was...delicious," he said softly. Serena blushed even more and turned away to stare out the window, shaking her head slightly and muttering something about being crazy...but he could see a slight smile pulling at her lips, and her eyes held a dreamy expression. She continued to eat the cone, not bothering to reply, and he smiled and sat back in his chair, now content to simply watch her. * * * * * Serena didn't go to sleep until well after midnight that night. She sat up at her window with her knees drawn under her chin, staring at the moon as she absently fingered her silver bracelet. **What a weird day,** she thought, her mind replaying the scene in the arcade, when Darien had kissed her. **What possessed him to do it?** she wondered. **It's not like him to be so...forward!** Not that she had minded it, granted. In fact, the more she remembered it, the more she realized that she had actually liked it. He had been so gentle, his kiss so soft, and not intrusive in any way, although she had been a little startled at first. She sighed, looking down at her wrist where the bracelet shone softly in the moonlight. What struck her as odd was that Darien hadn't reacted to the kiss. She'd feared that for sure he would have some snide comment about it, even though he had initiated it, if even by accident. She knew she'd had ice cream all over her mouth, but he had looked at her, and there had been such an expression in his eyes as he licked his lips...and then he had told her...that it had been delicious? In that moment...she had thought she could almost love him... "Arrrgh! This is so confusing!" she complained, thumping her head against the wall. "I'm not SUPPOSED to be in love with Darien! I'm SUPPOSED to be in love with RYAN! He's my BOYFRIEND for pity's sake!" Although...Ryan had never actually tried to kiss her like THAT before... And what about her secret admirer? She glanced at the bracelet again, fingering the moon and rose charms. Moons and roses. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. She sat up with a gasp, her eyes going wide as a realization hit her. The implications...suddenly they were so obvious! Did...did her secret admirer KNOW about her alto ego?! But...she'd been so careful, and she knew that besides the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask and Molly, nobody else could possibly know! Still... **What if...Tuxedo Mask is my secret admirer?** She blinked. Where had THAT thought come from? It was utterly ludicrous, of course. If Tuxedo Mask was her secret admirer...then that would mean DARIEN was her secret admirer, as well! She shook her head, smiling wryly. And that was nothing more than wishful thinking on her part! It was coincidence, and nothing more. **But what about RYAN?!** the annoying part of her conscience whined. She frowned, looking up at the moon again. What ABOUT Ryan? The truth was...Ryan just didn't seem so important anymore. With everything else going on-with her developing friendship with Darien-he was nothing more than...than a name. A stranger, really. How well did she know him, after all? He was never around lately, and she had not known him all that well in the first place. The truth was...she was almost tired of thinking about him. "So...that being the case...the only fair thing to do...is to break up with him..." she whispered, and waited for the pain of that realization to swamp her. She waited... And waited... Hmmm...shouldn't she be feeling a LOT more pain than this? Apparently not, because there was nothing inside her but a sense of...was it relief? She sighed and closed her eyes. Yes, it was definitely relief. Which could only mean that, as much as she didn't want to admit it, dumping Ryan would be the right thing to do. She tried to think up every good memory that they'd had together, and was slightly miffed to find that there weren't that many to recall. He'd been a boyfriend in name only, it seemed. They'd rarely gone out on any real dates, except to the arcade, and when they were together they'd ended up in arguments that ended with him insulting her in one way or another and one or both of them storming off. "I've been such a fool..." she whispered, tears leaking through her closed eyelids. "I never loved Ryan. I guess everyone was right. The only thing I loved was the fact I could say I had an older boyfriend. He's brought nothing but misery to me the whole time." And now that she knew this...she also knew that there was another man that she'd much rather be dating. One she knew she could easily fall in love with, if she hadn't already. Her and Darien's discussion about soulmates came back to her, and her smile was bitter. She'd suggested, half in jest, that maybe her soulmate lived in Australia. But now she was almost certain...he had been sitting right beside her the whole time, and she hadn't even realized it. Now she wondered how she could have possibly missed it. She smiled softly as she pictured Darien's handsome face and his beautiful blue eyes. Imagine that. Darien had ended up being the man of her dreams, after all. Whoever would have thought? "Wonder what his reaction would be if I came up to him and told him that we were destined to be together," she commented wryly. But she knew what it would be. He'd fall over laughing, and then never speak to her again. He'd offered his friendship, but if he thought he'd given her any wrong signals he'd end it in a snap, she knew. He was too honorable to lead her on, and she WAS only fourteen. She was jail bait, basically. Darien would avoid her like the plague, and that thought made her unbearably sad. No...best he never found out about her growing affection for him, not if she expected him to stick around. Serena sighed and stood, pacing over to her desk. A sheet of paper lay on top of it, and a pen lay beside it, winking up at her as though daring her to pick it up. There was an assignment due for her Literature class. She had the weekend to write a poem or short story about something that was important to her. Up 'till then she'd had no idea what to write about, being rather un-poetic by nature, but now... She gazed down at the pen, then moved her hand to answer the challenge and pick it up. She sat in her chair, feeling inspiration flowing through her, and slowly began to write. It was a very good thing, a part of her thought wryly, that Luna was out of the room. Otherwise the cat would probably keel over from the shock of seeing Serena actually doing her homework. Continued...