Author's Notes: Okie dokie, I'm back! Hey, I figured out the htm stuff!I'm a genius! (okay, so it took me long enough... and don't look at melike that, I know that I'm a little off, don't rub it in!) First thanks isto Alicia Blade. She wrote last week in to tell everyone that Starlite andI were not going to be on the ASMR site anymore because of the changed guidelines... sorry to her, because we ended up figuring it all out!Thanks anyway! Second thanks is to Sailor Starlite. We've actually SWITCHEDjobs. Before I'd send her my stories and she'd get them up, but since she is deprived of the net, I'm getting them up for her! ^_^' Sailor Starliteis the greatest friend I could ever want in there, and I owe her BIG!Third thanks is to everyone who's ever written me. I'm extremely friendly (I think) and I don't bight. Plus I adore mail. Write me! PLEASE! Even if you wrote before to me on Serena and Darien together, no way, or on three wishes (which is done now, good for me) I'd LOVE to hear fromyou! Finally, thanks TONS to Naoko for giving all the people out theresomething to write a fic about! ^_^ Where would we be without her? As usual, all disclaimers apply, and if you've made it this far, you shall berewarded with a first season romance! *folds her arms and blinks like on "Idream of Jeanie"*. --------------------------------- Title: Magic Tricks Part: 1 By: Mako-Chan E-mail: Breeze13@hotmail.com Rated: PG ---------------------------------- Have you ever just had one of those days? I have. Twice in a row. It was last Thursday when it started, and Andrew and I were talking...as usual. The fact that Andrew had a black cape, top hat, and a blackrubber stick in his hand would suggest that he had gone nutty. Maybe he had.Either way, his loony way of things seems to have rubbed off. ----------------------------------- "Presto!" Andrew said, throwing his cape behind him. Four girls cheered enthusiastically for him. I looked at the crowd of faces. Raye, who was hanging all over me was there, her black mane flowing lightly behind her. Amy with her text books in her lap was there,staring at Andrew. Lita was there with a goofy grin, leaning over the countersipping her soda. Finally, there was Meatball Head. I raised an eyebrow at the happy crowd. I'm famous for being the party pooper, so I thought 'why stop my reputation?' and ruined it forthe blonde in the apron. "Andrew!" I shouted over the cheers, "It didn'twork! The rings are still connected!" He looked down and blushed crimson as he said, "Uh, slight delay, folks." He fiddled with the rings and started cursing under his breath. Things like, "darn, I had it just a second ago!" Serena leaned over the counter, "let me try, Andrew" she said, flashing him one of her perfect smiles. I rolled my eyes. EVERYONE knew Serena had a huge crush on Andrew... all except Andrew, of course. Hewas oblivious to the blonde's antics. He sighed, "here you go, Serena, you give it a try, okay?" She nodded and began twisting and pulling the rings. I rolled my eyes. "Not that way, Serena, here's how you do it!" I grabbed the endof the other ring. She scowled, "I do NOT need your help, Darien!" We played tug o war with the rings for a second, and then they broke free and we both fell on our butts. Serena's friends all started laughing hysterically at that, and soon the Meatball Head glared at them. It was amazing what her gaze did tothem, they all dropped their grins and looked at her deadly stare. "Uh, Come on, Ames, I think that we have some studying to do," said Lita, excusing her and the other girl to leave. Amy nodded and started to go with her. When they were half way out the door, Raye said, "Hey! I sort of need help on that math homework...I gotta go!" The three giggling girls almost sprinted out the door. I heard Serena mutter, "traitors," under her breath. I laughed, "Well, Andrew, it seems like you need some work on that trick of yours." I tossed him the ring I held in my hand lightly. He nodded and sighed, "I know, and I need to get it perfected by the time Lizzie's birthday party rolls around. She liked the professional magician we saw so well that I wanted to surprise her and perform ather party." I laughed, "Well, you'd better have a better act than the linking rings trick, because you have too much trouble unlinking them!" Serena nodded, "as much as I hate to agree with him," she looked at me and made a face, "he's right. You'd better have an act worthy of her party, or else you'll just make it worse." He nodded, "I have one last trick, if you care to help me with it." Serena was quick to agree. She sat and bobbed her head up and down ecstatically and said, "ooh, sure, Andrew!" I rolled my eyes, "way to play hard to get." I muttered it so softly that Andrew didn't hear me. I was pleased when Serena glared at me and stuck out her tongue, though, proof that she heard the barb. Andrew smiled, "this one takes two, Darien." I shook my head vigorously, "nuh uh, no way, Andrew. Last time you sawed me in half, and almost killed me!" He blushed, "well this one doesn't involve sharp objects," he protested, "and besides, I'll give you a free sundae." I wasn't exactly convinced, but Andrew continued to plead and I finally agreed. It wasn't like he was going to make me disappear for ayear or two! I sighed and said, "what do I have to do?" He just grinned and snapped some hand cuffs on Serena and I. No warning, NOTHING. "You just have to sit there." I sighed, "You'd better be able to get this trick right," I warned him. He smiled, "This one's easy." He pulled a black cloth over our linked hands and said, "ALACKAZAM!" I rolled my eyes. First presto now alackazam? He needed to be original. He pulled off the black sheet, "TA," he started, then he sawour wrists were still connected, "da?" I glared at him, "Andrew I have a class in fifteen minutes." He smiled nervously and nodded, "uh, yeah, um, here we are again," He put the cloth back over them and said, "TA DA!" and whipped it offagain. We were still connected. After about eight more tries, Serena was beginning to lose her optimism. "PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME BE CHAINED TOTHAT ALL DAY!" she begged. I resented it, though I was too late for my class to care one way or another about it. "Come on, Andrew," I urged him, "get it right!" He sighed, "I can't. And the set of keys cost extra, so..." I glared at him, "SO YOU CAN'T USE SOME KEYS?" Serena began wailing at that point and I thought my eardrums were going to burst open. "GET THEM, THEN!" I yelled and he went pale andbegan to jog out. He arrived a half-hour later, and told me that the storehad been robbed. Apparently, a key looks important, so they were all stolentoo. Along with the owner's car. "Then let's go back there and have the REAL magician try it." Andrew went a shade paler than he should have. I sighed, "What's the matter?" Andrew fiddled with the hem of his cape nervously, "I, uh, guess he was, uh, so upset that he, um, he just happened to go on vacation, uh,with the insurance money. The store's um, closed for the next two weeks." I was about to get REALLY mad, but Serena did that for me, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE STORE'S CLOSED?!" she looked like she was going to wringhis neck. She groaned, "Now I have to stay connected for goodness knows howlong with, with HIM!" I sighed, "what about me, Meatball Head? I have a few things that I need to do!" even though I said that much, I was still not willing toadmit I was Tux. I mean, let's face it, if I was REALLY lucky, I'd not haveto save Sailor Moon this next while. That is until we were free. We stared at each other and grinned at Andrew ferociously, "Well, Andrew," Serena and I growled, "WHAT do you have to say for yourself?!" He shrugged, "oops?"--------------------------------------------- The first thing that happened was I drug Serena to my class. She gave me an earful about how "Saturdays are not supposed to be forschool!" but I explained that college was another story. "Come ON Darien!" she whined, "you mean to tell me that I have to go to a stupid class with you? On my day off?!" I grinned and nodded at her theatrics, "yeah, but you might actually like it. We're required to have a few English credits for extras, soit's a mythology class. We're studying Greek mythology now." She nodded thoughtfully, "yeah, we touched up on that in grade school. I think I could actually tolerate it." She looked me squarelyin the eyes, "but if you have a math class and we're still connected, you'dBETTER say you're sick or something!" I laughed at her. She was one of those girls who could find a way to complain about anything! We walked into the class, late of course,(that's Serena's motto: better to be fashionably late than on time at ANYTHING)and we sat in twin seats. I mumbled something about a psychology experimentand they pretty much left me alone. "Can anyone tell me who Athena is?" asked our professor as he walked back and forth in front of the room. Everyone's hand shot upinstantly. The prof always started the day off with some ridiculously easy question. Everyone's hand shot up. Serena's was not an exception. "What are you doing," I whispered through clenched teeth. "I'm answering the question," she retorted coolly, "I actually know the answer." I shook my head, "Serena," I warned her, "don't make me look like an idiot!" She rolled her eyes continued to wave her arm around. The professor glanced around and smiled, "Yes, the young woman in the back with Mr. Chiba." She giggled, " 'Mr. Chiba,'" she repeated, "um, Athena was the goddess of wisdom, and she originally sprung forth from her father,Zeus's, skull. She is also the goddess that is foremost worshipped in the cityof Athens, the hub of Greece, and the temple dedicated to her was the acropolis." I was speechless. She knew all about Athena! I wondered what else she would know that I didn't know she did. I thought she'd say "Athenawas the goddess of wisdom." Or if I was REALLY unlucky, "Athena was thename of my neighbor's dog." She sat down. "Very good," said the prof, "excellent, in fact. Maybe she could help YOU, Mr. Chiba." He said. My face burned. I was gettinga less than spectacular grade in this class. It wasn't that it was a hard class, it was just that for some reason, I continually corrected him by these weird insistent feelings.If he would say that the moon goddess, Artemis, was the goddess of the hunt,I would say something dumb like, "Artemis was a boy CAT advisor to theQueen of the Moon! All he hunted were mice!" then, well, I would realize whatI just said and would sit down, face red, embarrassed. I didn't know WHY I would suddenly blurt out dumb answers, when all my logic told me that they were wrong. And when they talked aboutZeus... well, I just had a feeling that Zeus was the king of Jupiter who had a DAUGHTER who controlled lightning. She glanced at me, "why'd he say I should help you?" her face suddenly twisted into a smirk of understanding, "are you telling methat the great Darien Chiba is having problems with MYTHOLOGY!" she burstout giggling. "Now there was a god named Aries, who was the god of Mars. He was also the..., anyone?" Serena pushed our joined hands up. "Yes, you, miss." Said the proff. "No, not ME," she said smoothly, "HE'S the one who wanted to answer!" My face turned crimson, "What are you doing?" I muttered without moving my lips. She whispered softly in my ear, "Aries was the god of war." "Um," I said nervously, "Aries was also the god of war." "he was extremely vain," she murmured. "he was extremely vain, though," I repeated diligently. "just like me." "just like me," I said aloud. Everyone burst out laughing as realization dawned on me of what I had just said. I blushed again. Ibegan to think that this was going to be a trend for the rest of the day. "when we get out of here," I hissed, "you're going to pay for that one." She just stuck out her tongue and giggled, "serves you right for all the days of torment with that 'Meatball Head' name!" "Can anyone tell me the name of the messenger for the gods?" Serena waved her hand around and I groaned, "This one's all hers," before she could say that I was supposed to answer the question. "Hermie!" she giggled, "that was his name. He also was one of the most likable gods out there!" I smiled. Who knew Meatball Head knew so much about Greek mythology? I sighed and sank into my chair as Serena continued to mumble onrapidly about the history of each god or goddess. It may not have been such a bad idea, I found myself wondering, aboutwhat the prof said. Maybe she SHOULD help me out in this class. It's nothard, and I just need to memorize all the information that Serena would tellme. Then maybe do some kissing on the side... she looked so smart, sobeautiful all of a sudden... I shook my head. No. It wouldn't be right, and besides, this wasSERENA I was dealing with. Yeah, right, I thought. Thinking about seducing SERENA. That was the forbidden thought! I couldn't tolerate myself if I did that sort ofthing! I pushed the thought out of my mind. This was like the thoughts about seducing Sailor Moon that popped intomy head every time I saw her. Every one of the scouts thinks that I leaveso that they don't get to see my identity. Actually, it's so I don't do something I'd regret like make out with Sailor Moon as soon as thedangers over. I sighed and the professor excused the class, but told me and Serena to stop when we reached his desk. "I wanted to talk to you two about what I said earlier," he mumbled. I wasn't really paying attention, I was just thinking about howbeautiful Serena looked when she was engrossed in a conversation. "So, would you?" he asked me, snapping me from my "Serena trance". "huh?" I asked, "would I what?" He sighed, "see what I mean?" he told Serena, "never paying attention!" He turned to me, "Serena here has agreed to tutor you in Mythology. At least this section, she's quite brilliant with it." Serena flashed me a superior grin, "so we thought maybe I could work with you in this section. Then you may have a chance at passing this quarter." I sighed, "um, I don't really..." "Darien," the prof cut me off, "it would be VERY wise of you to take this opportunity to get tutored by a myth expert like Ms Tsukinohere." He gave me one of those evil teacher looks like "if you don't do this,I'll make the semester a living hell for you." "All right," I sighed, "I'll do it." --------------------------------------------------- AN: Hi, all! Do you like it? Or not? Did you even make it this far? Isure hope so! Well, I gotta be going now to turn this into htm! Ta ta!-Mako-chan