Okay, I know in at least one other story, Serena hits Darien
in the jaw.  I'm NOT trying to steal anyone's ideas, honest!  In this 
story she hits him under completely original circumstances (I think).
I'd sort of had this idea for awhile, and then I read in another 
fanfic somewhere that she hits him and I wasn't gonna use my idea, but 
I really needed to use it for this scene to work, so my apologies, but
I guess this just proves that identical minds think alike...
(And yes, that WAS a pun...<eg>)  Anyhow, I'm done rambling...

"Love Waits for You"  
by Stormlight

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Seven
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	Darien ran down the street in the direction Serena had 
gone, towards the park.  He called her name, knowing that she 
wouldn't answer.  It was quite dark by that time; the moon had 
risen, casting silver shadows across the ground that made the 
blackness seem even darker.  He frowned, knowing that being in 
the park at this time of night was dangerous.  "Serena, where 
are you?" he called again, and paused to listen in case she decided to answer.  
	Presently, it occurred to him that he could use their 
link to find her.  She was Sailor Moon, he was Tuxedo Mask.  
It always worked during their transformations.  So why not 
when they were normal, as well?  He concentrated, reaching 
out with his senses and his heart towards Serena, and almost 
immediately a wave of heartache that was not his own nearly 
swamped him.  He staggered with a gasp, clutching his shirt, 
feeling Serena's hurt echoing inside of him so strongly that 
he was overwhelmed.  His heartless words had caused THAT?!  
The guilt he felt multiplied tenfold, and he could have ripped 
out his own tongue then and there.
	He blindly followed the link, knowing he was close when 
the pain in his breast became stronger, and finally a soft sob 
echoed faintly to him from the direction of the lake.  He veered 
left and sprinted toward it, his eyes scanning the darkness for 
any sign of golden hair.  There...on the shore of the lake she sat, 
a pathetic, huddled mass that quivered with her soft, intense sobs.  
Darien slowed, then stopped only a few feet behind her, falling to 
his knees and gazing at her with an intensity that caused her to 
suddenly jerk around, wiping her eyes.
	Her eyes narrowed when she saw him sitting there on his 
knees, his head lowered and his hands resting on his legs, the 
very picture of humility.  "What are you doing here?" she snapped.  
"Haven't you caused enough damage for one night?  Why can't you 
just leave me alone?!"	"I'm sorry, Serena," he replied, his voice very soft.  
"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am..."
	"Empty words!" she accused harshly.  "If you were truly 
sorry, you wouldn't have said it in the first place!"
	Darien shuddered, and his head sank even lower.  "You're 
right," he whispered.  "You're right, but I AM sorry.  And to prove 
it...I want you to hit me."
	Serena blinked.  Now THIS she had not been expecting.  
"Wh-what are you talking about?" she snapped.
	His gaze met hers, his eyes filled with sorrow and 
determination.  "I mean it, Serena," he told her earnestly.  
"I deserve to be hit, and it's only fair that you do so.  Go 
ahead...right in the face.  I won't try to stop you."  He raised 
his perfectly sculpted chin and closed his eyes, waiting.
	"Y-you're insane!" she stammered, standing up quickly.  
"I'm not gonna hit you!  Y-you'll probably use it as an excuse to 
hit me back or something!"
	Darien's eyes snapped open, and they burned into hers.  
"I would NEVER hit a girl," he told her fiercely.  "Especially 
not you!  How could you even think that?"  He closed his eyes 
again.  "So go ahead.  Give it your best shot," he added, 
although, to be perfectly honest, at the same time he was 
speaking the words, a part of him (most likely his ego) didn't 
really believe that the kind-hearted Serena would EVER willingly 
strike another living soul, even if it was him.  She was too 
gentle.  It wasn't in her nature to be violent.  It wasn't-	THWACK!
	A sharp, throbbing pain suddenly blossomed in his jaw, only 
moments after Serena's fist suddenly shot out from her side in a 
clean uppercut to connect with it...hard.  His teeth met with a 
snap, his head snapped back, and he could almost swear that those 
little cartoon stars were dancing around his head.  He gasped and 
staggered back, staring at her in shock.  She had actually HIT him!  She had...
	"You...you HIT me!" he stuttered, once he got his jaw to 
work again.  Saints, but that had HURT!  "You actually SLUGGED me!"  
For some reason, it just didn't seem possible to him that his 
Meatball Head even knew what an uppercut was, much less how to 
deliver one.  Hmmm...she must've been getting some pointers from Lita...
	"Of COURSE I slugged you, you moron!  You just told me I 
could!" Serena was yelling.  "It serves you right, anyhow!"  She 
crossed her arms and turned her back to him, tossing her ponytails haughtily.
	Darien reached up to touch his face, wincing when his 
fingers touched his lip, which he'd bitten when she'd hit him.  
It felt wet, and it throbbed almost as painfully as his bruised 
jaw.  He probably was gonna have to get that looked at...on top
of the wounds Luna had inflicted.	This just hadn't been his day...
	"Well," he said, somewhat awkwardly.  "Do you feel better now, at least?"	
	Serena was silent for a long time, before she sighed and 
her shoulders drooped slightly.  "No," she finally stated, somewhat 
grumpily.  "No, I DON'T feel better!  My best friend's mad at me 
'cause I broke a promise and I can't even tell her WHY, I'm doing 
not-so-great in school and I have a test tomorrow I didn't study 
for, I just figured out that the guy of my dreams is more like the 
guy of my NIGHTMARES..."
	**Ouch!** Darien thought with a wince.  **That one hurt!**
	"...and now my HAND hurts 'cause I hit you so hard!  I 
probably broke it on your stupid rock head!"
	"Can't help that," Darien cut in wryly.
	Serena glared at him and stamped her foot.  "Quit 
interrupting while I'm ranting!" she snapped.  "It's no more 
than you deserved, and you're lucky I AM such a klutz!  I WAS 
aiming for your NOSE!"	Darien rubbed his jaw gingerly.  "Have to say, I'm glad 
you missed," he replied with his most charming smile.
	"Quit DOING that!" Serena huffed, pouting.
	He paused, looking at her cautiously.  "Quit doing what?" he questioned.
	"Quit smiling at me like that!  Y-you just make it worse!"	"Make WHAT worse?"
	"My GUILT!" she wailed.  "Now, on top of everything else, I have GUILT!"
	"Well...why?" he asked, astonished.
	"Because!" she cried.  "Because I...I HIT you!  I actually 
punched you in the jaw!  I NEVER hit anybody before, but now 
I'm...I'm a BULLY!"  And with that, she proceeded to break down and wail.
	Darien couldn't help himself.  He struggled for a few 
moments before giving it up and bursting into laughter.  Serena 
stopped crying and glared at him through watery eyes.  "What's 
so funny?" she snapped.
	He calmed himself down and sat down beside her, cautiously 
placing an arm around her shoulders.  "Serena," he began gently, 
"you aren't a bully.  I'M the bully, and what I said to 
you...everything I've EVER said to you in the past...is inexcusable.  
I've treated you horribly, and I'm sorry.  I really am.  Do you think 
you can forgive me?  I'd really like it if we could be friends.  I 
mean...if Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon can do it...why not us?"
	Serena bit her lip thoughtfully as she gazed out over the 
water, and he began to worry a little.  Finally, she stirred and 
shot him a coy glance from the corner of her eye, smiling slightly.  
"I guess that makes sense," she told him, "and since I've NEVER 
heard you apologize to me before...I guess it means you're serious.  
So..."  She took a deep breath and gave him a dazzling smile.  "I 
guess there's no harm in being friends."
	Darien nearly sagged with relief, grinning like a fool.

Continued...