Title:  Serena and Darien:  Much Ado About Nothing, Part Two B
Author:  Saritaluv
Rating:  PG
E-mail:  saritaluv@yahoo.com

	               Okie, minna-san, the second part to my 
LOOOONG story!!  Enjoy!!

                   
   Mina was literally dragging her partner towards 
Amy and Charles.
	‘Sorry!’ she thought grimly.  ‘But what needs to be 
done must be done!’
	She succeeded in getting her partner to make it 
seem as though she "accidentally" crashed into Amy.
	Amy was very nervous.  She was trembling, 
although she was trying very hard not to show it.  But she had 
never had a guy so close to her before, let alone have his 
hands around her waist!	She often wished that she was as forward and 
frank as Lita, Mina, and Raye.  They saw a guy they liked, 
they went for him.  With her, it wasn’t so easy.  She had been 
shy ever since she was born.  A born genius, she had a 
passion for books and reading, they had been her only 
friends until she came across Serena.  Devoting all of her 
time to study, she never had time to make friends, and never 
learned the proper social graces.  If she was as frank as 
them, she could probably have closed the deal with Charles by now.
	An unknown force crashed into her from behind, 
forcing her farther into Charles’s embrace.  He automatically 
tightened his arms around her, almost on instinct.  Amy’s heart 
was beating fast.  Should she move?  What would Charles 
think?  But as his arms tightened their hold on her waist, she didn’t dare move.
	"Sorry," she heard a familiar voice.  It was Mina, 
who didn’t look at all apologetic.  Her eyes were sparkling 
with mischief and she winked at Amy, which seemed as 
though it required all of her facial muscles to perform.  Amy’s 
face burned with embarrassment.	Charles saw the blush and acted as a gentleman.
	"Maybe you need some air," he said into Amy’s ear.
	She privately thanked him and nodded her 
consent, heading out the gym door with Charles.	"Yes!" Mina yelled out loud.
	"Excuse me?" her poor bewildered dance partner 
asked.  Mina turned her attention to him again, completely 
caught off guard and surprised.
	"Oh, I’m sorry!  I just had to...get some business out of the way, that’s all."
	The unfortunate boy didn’t look satisfied, but he didn’t say anything.
	Rita and Andrew were perfectly content in each 
other’s arms.  Rita leaned her head on Andrew’s chest and 
he lay his head on hers.  A soft, dreamy smile touched Rita’s 
face, mirrored by the happy look in Andrew’s eyes.  One of 
his hands was clasped around her waist, the other was laced 
through her hand.  Her hand was resting on his shoulder.  
They slowly danced, spinning in a slow circle.
	Andrew opened his eyes.  He wondered how 
things were going to with Charles.  He had gotten things 
started between them, and now it was up to Charles to finish 
the job.  Glancing towards the direction he had seen his friend 
last, Andrew saw Charles and Amy dancing, exactly six inches apart.
	‘The chaperones won’t find any fault with them!’ Andrew thought.
	Just then, a blond-haired fairy dancing with a 
vampire crashed into Amy and Charles, sending Amy smack 
into Charles’s arms.  Andrew recognized the fairy as Mina.
	‘Way to go Mina!’ Andrew thought.  He saw Amy 
blush and Charles whisper in her ear.  She nodded her head 
and started outside.  He caught Mina’s eye and smiled.  She 
smiled back knowingly and winked.  Mina and her partner resumed dancing.
	Twirling around some more, another interesting 
sight caught Andrew’s eyes.  It was so shocking that Andrew 
stopped dead in his tracks.	"Hey!" Rita protested.
	Andrew didn’t answer her and just stared at the 
unusual sight.  Rita followed his gaze and her jaw dropped open.
	Darien, in his white domino mask, was dancing 
with a blonde.  And not just ANY blonde, a meatball-headed blonde named SERENA!
	The fact that Darien was DANCING was shocking 
enough, but the fact that he was dancing with SERENA...that 
was enough to make anyone speechless.
	"Am I seeing things, Rita?" Andrew asked, rubbing his eyes and blinking.
	"I was about to ask you the same question," Rita said.	"Then I’m not dreaming?"
	"I don’t think so."	"Well, well, well," was all Andrew could say.  His 
mind was going a mile-a-minute.  What was Darien doing, 
dancing, of all things?  Did he ask Serena?  Or did she ask 
him?  Why?  How?  Who cared?  Did they like each other?
	‘Of course they do!’ Andrew thought.  ‘Why didn’t I see it before?’
	He grinned, thinking that this was food for thought.  
Now that he had Amy and Charles on their way, why not start Serena and Darien?
	The slow song ended and couples pulled apart.  
Serena and Darien reluctantly pulled away.  Darien bowed charmingly.
	"Thank you for this dance, mi’lady," he said.
	With a preliminary giggle, Serena answered, "No, thank YOU, my lord."
	Darien smiled his quirky grin.  The smile on 
Serena’s face disappeared and one of complete shock and 
worship replaced it.  Darien’s smile only got wider before he 
disappeared into the crowd.	Serena gazed after him.  Dark, handsome, 
charming...she sighed dreamily.	"Hey," Lita nudged her.  "Have a nice time 
dancing with Darien?"	The world crashed around Serena.
	"WHAAAAT?!" she gasped, shocked.
	"Didn’t you know who you were dancing with?" Lita asked.
	"NO!" Serena blurted out, blushing, somewhat 
embarrassed and not a little annoyed that she had not 
recognized him and thought him CUTE of all things!  And she 
swooned all over him, and she was sure her emotions were 
written clear all over her face.
	"You know," Lita said, the relentless matchmaker, 
as bad as Mina, "You two really make a cute couple."	"WE DO NOT!" Serena yelled.
	All the heads in the gym turned.  Serena blushed a 
brighter red than she already was.	"Well, are you guys an item yet?" Lita asked.
	"WHAT IS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD, LITA?!"
	Again, the heads turned, but this time, Serena 
didn’t notice them and stomped off outside.
	On the other side of the gym, Darien heard the 
ear-shattering yelling.  He smiled.  It must be Serena.  Only 
Serena could play her lungs and vocal cords to that 
magnitude.  He wondered briefly what she and her friend Lita 
were talking about.  	He sat down on the bleachers to catch his breath.  
He had been holding it ever since he had Serena in his arms. 
 Of course, not really HOLDING his breath, just, not breathing 
very deeply, kind of soft and fast and shallow, the way a 
person breathes when he or she is nervous.
	He was puzzled.  Why in the world would he be 
nervous holding Serena?  She was just old Meatball Head, 
lovable, adorable, with the distinct ability to get under a guy’s 
skin with all that lovey-dovey unconditional caring.  It drove 
him crazy because he wasn’t like that...he wished he could be 
like that.  Or if he couldn’t, he wished he could have a person 
like her around everyday, to fill in the missing holes of his soul 
that had appeared when his parents died.
	‘Maybe I’m nervous because she’s exactly like 
that.  Because I don’t know how to act around her except 
being a totally conceited jerk.  Because I regret it...’
	He needed to step outside.  Unsettling thoughts 
about Serena and himself surrounded him and he needed a breath of fresh air.
	He passed through the gym door, wondering 
briefly why the school vice-president, John Battamaki wasn’t 
there.  He had been there earlier.
	Darien walked out into the cold autumn night, 
underneath the crispest, cleanest night he had ever known.  
The air was so clean, it was as though all evil and sufferings 
were removed from it.  The cool air rushing in his lungs 
dispersed all restless thoughts and calmed him.  Ah...for nights like these...
	He walked towards the school track and football 
field.  The grass lay drenched in the silver moonlight, looking 
pale and ghostly.  The lush bushes and plants surrounding 
the track area also looked pale and sickly.  The trees looked 
like hunched old men, with cobweb-y stringy branches for 
hair.  As Darien approached closer, he made out a few 
figures on the bleachers, some making out and totally 
oblivious to others and not worried about chaperones, and 
others just sitting, lonely, upset, and disappointed.  He 
grinned ironically.  Soon, he would be joining the unhappy 
ranks of denied love.  If only he could hold Serena in his arms 
again, just once.  To be like those happy couples sitting on 
the bleachers, kissing, or in each other’s arms contentedly.
	To his surprise, he was thinking of Serena again.
	‘Don’t Chiba,’ he told himself.  ‘Don’t even go there. 
 What about the princess, or Sailor Moon?...'
	‘Yeah right,’ his heart told him bitterly.  ‘Your 
princess is but a dream, a fragment of a longing for someone, 
and Sailor Moon...who is she anyway?’
	He leaned against the tree, closing his eyes, feeling more alone than ever.
	Serena stormed out of the gym.  The nerve of Lita! 
 After all, Darien Chiba was the one man she COULD NOT stand.	Or did she?
	She didn’t really hate him.  If she was listening to 
her heart, her heart would say something quite the opposite, 
that she was attracted to him.  To the yearning, longing look in 
his eyes, to his quirky and make-you-go-weak-in-the-knees 
smile, his dark, mysterious looks...But her mind was in a 
stubborn set and firmly believed that Darien Chiba was put on 
this Earth solely for the purpose of tormenting her.
	But, what Lita had said threw feelings buried deep 
within her into the light.  Serena needed to straighten them out, 
in her head, and in her heart.  But she was afraid, afraid that 
when she did, she would find out something about her and 
Darien that she didn’t know about...that she didn’t want to 
know about.  She was so afraid of being hurt...
	A soft giggle and a deep chuckle cut through her 
thoughts.  Serena walked over to the bleachers, to the source 
of the sounds.  They came from Amy and Charles, the only 
ones that were really making any noise.  His ghost’s costume 
was taken off so that his rugged, handsome features were 
shown.  They were engaged in what seemed to be a 
pleasant conversation.  It must have been pleasing for both of 
them because Charles was holding Amy’s hand, an intimate 
gesture for one as shy as Amy, and she was blushing.
	Serena’s attention was immediately drawn.  Deep 
in the corner of her mind, she felt slightly guilty at 
eavesdropping at their conversation.  But hey, who could 
pass up a perfect opportunity to set up their best friend with 
the man she loved?  And it served to keep those forbidden 
thoughts and feelings about Darien in check.
	Serena kept close to the ground.  Sneaking 
around was not Serena’s strong point, given that she could 
have a klutz attack at any moment.  But her feet and body 
obeyed her for once and she managed to steal underneath 
Amy and Charles to listen.  The lovebirds were too deeply 
involved in each other’s eyes that they didn’t notice the 
blatantly obvious Serena beneath them.
	Amy was talking of the chemical properties of 
magnesium or something or other.  And Charles seemed 
deeply interested too!  Actually, Charles was interested in 
Amy’s eyes, which were a very dark blue, like the color of 
water.  They were as endless and crystal-clear as limpid 
pools.  He could feel himself drown in them.  Through her 
eyes, he thought he could see her soul (you know, like the 
saying, "The eyes are a window to one’s soul?").  She was 
as beautiful and ethereal as her features, shy and reluctant, 
but open and warm once you passed the barrier.
	Amy thought that Charles’s warm, puppy eyes 
were wonderful.  He was a patient listener, to whatever she 
was talking about (Amy wasn’t really paying attention).  She 
could tell that he was shy, like her, and highly intelligent also.  
Their personalities matched.	She remembered how surprised she was when 
Charles’s hand took hers and how their fingers automatically 
laced together.  But Charles carried on as if it was the most 
natural thing, so Amy tried to ignore it.  Although it was rather 
hard ignoring it when one’s heart was beating so fast and so 
loud that one’s sure the whole world can hear it!
	Darien opened his eyes to a steamed Serena.  
She was stomping out of the gym in not the most lady-like 
way.  He chuckled.  She was cute when she was angry, and 
amazingly (and luckily), he wasn’t the cause of it this time.  
	He was about to approach her when she stopped 
suddenly at the sound of a laugh.  He watched as her 
features changed to take on a mischievous and impish look.  
The smile broadened on his face.  She was so cute!  At first 
where her eyes had been blazing and narrowed, they 
widened with recognition and then her brows drew together in 
what was not unlike a mean look.  Her eyes twinkled 
knowingly and an evil grin appeared on her face.
	She crouched and tried sneaking over to the 
bleachers.  He tried not to laugh.  She wasn’t very good at it.  
Her meatballs bounced at her every step, and her hair 
streamed like ribbons behind her.  She drew her elbows in 
and for all the world looked like a little white rabbit sneaking up on a carrot.
	He was curious as to whom she was sneaking up 
on.  He walked closer to the bleachers and recognized a 
blue-haired girl in a poodle skirt.  Next to her was a sandy 
blond-haired young man.  Charles?
	"So," Darien said to himself under his breath, 
"Charles is not as shy as I thought.  Never thought he had it in him."  
	He confessed that he was also curious.  What was this new piece of business?
	He walked silently on his two feet, approaching the 
bleachers.  He was much better than Serena, in terms of 
sneaking (maybe from being Tuxedo Mask?).  He saw 
Serena underneath the couple, listening avidly to every word 
in the conversation.  Wow, he had never seen Serena so 
interested in a conversation about chemistry!
	As he neared, he saw that Serena wasn’t truly 
listening, she was watching their every move like a hawk.  
The mischievous look still remained on her face, but now her 
eyes were hopeful, hopeful that her friend would find 
happiness in someone else’s arms.  He had never known 
anyone but Serena who would be so...giving.
	He sneaked up behind her and then bent his head 
so that his mouth hovered by her dainty ear.  He placed his 
hands on her shoulders.	"Have you heard of anything called, privacy?" he 
whispered.	Serena jumped and was about to scream, but he 
quickly grabbed her waist, and threw a hand over her mouth.  
Her scream was muffled.  She looked up at the one who was holding her captive.
	It was the same guy she had danced with earlier, 
dark, handsome...She swooned briefly before a little piece of 
information that Lita had told her earlier came to mind.  This 
was Darien!  Yes, the dark hair did look like his...silky, soft, so 
tempting to run her hands through...
	She kicked herself mentally.  The man grinned his 
quirky-make-your-heart-stop smile.  Serena felt her body go 
limp, melting like a puddle in this man’s presence.  At the 
moment the smile appeared, two dark, enticingly blue eyes appeared...
	"We don’t want to interrupt our two lovebirds, now 
do we?" he murmured, tilting his head towards Amy and 
Charles above them.  She was about to glare at him, when 
she realized that she had the upper hand.  He didn’t know that 
she knew who he was.  An evil idea touched her mind (cue 
evil laughter here...).  This was a perfect opportunity to get back at him!
	"Oh hello, sir," she smiled coyly, fluttering her 
eyelashes outrageously.  "I didn’t know it was you!"
	Darien tried to keep the laughter inside.  She 
looked so silly!  But in a cute way, it was very amusing.  But all 
thought was stopped when Serena suddenly launched herself into his arms.
	It was a jolt to his sensibilities.  There she was, the 
giving angel, in his arms, smiling at him.  Was he dreaming?  
Was he having a hallucination?
	Serena tried to keep the evil smile from her lips.  
The expression on his face was exactly the reaction she 
wanted.  He was surprised, definitely.  His mouth fell open 
slightly.  His arms wrapped around her waist, as if on instinct.  
He was completely hers.	With her hands playfully playing with his vest and 
shirt, she looked at his eyes and smiled.
	"Did I tell that I think you’re very handsome?" she asked flirtatiously.
	"I...uh..."	A blush tinted his cheeks.  He was at a loss for 
words.  Serena couldn’t keep the giggle from escaping.  This 
was so fun!  She was making Darien uncomfortable for once.  
Not to mention he looked really cute when he blushed.  
Added to the fact that blushing was something she had not 
known Darien Chiba was capable of doing.
	"You are," she said, reaching up to twirl a lock of 
hair in her fingers.  His hair was as soft as it looked, even 
through her evening gloves.
	"Well I...uh..." Darien stuttered.  Deciding to play 
the gentleman (after all, that what he came as), he returned the favor.
	"Well, mi’lady," he said, "I think you’re beautiful too."
	Serena was taken aback.	"Th...Thank you," she said, blushing gracefully.  
They stared into each other’s eyes.
	‘Does Darien really think I’m beautiful?’ she 
thought.  Gazing into his eyes, they looked sincere without 
any trace of mockery.  Her heart raced and her breathing 
quickened.  Her palms began to get sweaty, as though her 
body and her heart was anticipating something her mind was not.
	Staring into those bright blue eyes, Darien felt as 
though he was drawn into them.  As if to prove his thought, his 
head moved closer to hers, an invisible string pulling them 
closer together.  Those lips, the fiery passion, the vision when 
they were dancing...they were all coming true...
	Serena almost gasped as she felt his breath 
tickling her lips.  Something akin to an electric jolt ran up and 
down her spine before exploding at the base of her brain into 
a thousand golden sparks, tickling every ounce of her body 
and soul.  All emotions, thoughts, and feelings were 
heightened.  He loomed larger in her vision, consuming all 
thought.  Those eyes, they grew bigger and more passionate 
with every passing moment...	All Darien could think of was Serena’s eyes.  They 
were so beautiful, so expressive, so crystal-clear...They grew 
larger with every passing moment...
	Their noses brushed, but still Darien did not stop 
his advance.  His eyes were slowly closing...hers too...He 
tilted his head, bringing his hands up to the sides of her 
delicate face, her hands playing with his hair...their lips brushing so close...

	Ooh!  Cliffhanger!  Are they going to kiss?  Will they admit their
feelings for each other?  (Yeah right, knowing how stubborn they are!) 
Will Charles and Amy get together?  Or will the sinister John Battamaki
get in their way?  Stay tuned for the next chapter!	
	Oh, and one more thing.  E-MAIL ME!