4/27/03

Title: Chasing Love

Author: Dragonlow

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon.

This is the sequel to my very first fanfic, Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! I recommend you read that one first. Don't worry, it's very short. R&R please!

***

12:15PM Friday

Darien sat moodily at the counter of the Crown Arcade, staring absently at his coffee. He was back home in Arizona after going to Lake Tahoe for New Year's Eve. He couldn't stop thinking about that girlSerena. He didn't know what had come over him that New Year's Eve. He'd just been walking around the city, and it had started to snow. He'd heard her laughter—it sounded like silver bells. He'd talked to herand kissed her. He wasn't sure why. She was just sobeautiful. And not just on the outside. He hadn't spent more than 10 minutes with her, but he could already tell that she was kind hearted. But now she was probably back in San Francisco, not even giving another thought to him. He was being stupid. He didn't know the girl, and he was mooning over her like a love-sick puppy. How pathetic.

"Darien? Darien? Hello! Earth to Darien!"

He broke out of his reverie to see his best friend, Andrew, waving a hand frantically in front of his face. "Sorry, Andrew. Zoned out for a minute."

"More like 10 minutes. Man, what is up with you, lately? Ever since you came back from Lake Tahoe you've been moody and daydreamy."

"Daydreamy isn't a word, Andrew."

"So? That's not my point. So, what happened over there? Did you finally meet someone?" Andrew joked. It was well known that Darien Chiba never met anyone. It was unheard of.

"Actually" Darien started, unsure of how to tell his best friend.

Andrew's jaw unhinged and he stared at Darien. "Are you serious? You really met someone?" Andrew looked toward the ceiling. "What has the world come to!?"

Darien smiled and hit Andrew lightly. "Knock it off."

"So? What's her name? Where's she from? Do you have her number? Is she hot?" Andrew asked eagerly.

"Serena, San Francisco, no, and yes."

"You don't have her number?! Darien! Have I taught you nothing!?"

Darien sighed. "Look, I justtalked to her for 10 minutes. And"

"And?"

"And I kissed her."

"Score!"

"Yeah, but now I can't stop thinking about her and I have no idea where she is, Andrew!"

"That's easy. San Francisco."

"Yeah, that information helps a lot. San Francisco isn't exactly a small city."

"But it's not humongous either—why don't you go find her?"

"Are you crazy? First of all, I couldn't possibly find her in San Francisco, and second of all, I still have school.

"Darien, you and I both know that you are one of the smartest people out there. Possibly a genius. It will not hurt you if you take a semester break. I, on the other hand, am definitely not a genius, yet I'm still taking this semester off. So, if I can do it, so can you. I know you have a lot of money from that modeling job. Go to San Francisco and find her. I mean, come on. How many girls have made you act like this in your whole life? I'll tell you. Zero."

Darien laughed. "How would you know, Andrew? You've only known me since we were four. I'll have you know that I proposed to Jessica Watson when I was three."

"You knew what a proposal was when you were three? See, genius. So, go. I'm sure Jessica Watson will understand."

Darien sighed. "I don't know, Andrew. She's probably not even thinking about me"

"There's only one way to find out, right? Come on. I'll go with you. I've always wanted to see the Big Apple."

"That's New York, Andrew."

"See? I told you. Genius."

Darien looked at Andrew thoughtfully. "You really think I should go, Andrew?"

"What have I been saying for the past 15 minutes!!!!"

Darien quickly made a decision. "Okay. Let's go."

***

12:15PM Friday

Serena sighed. She was eating lunch with her best friends, but she wasn't paying attention to any of them. She was thinking about one person. Darien. And that kiss. Wow. She didn't have anything to compare it to, but she'd definitely liked it. She sighed again.

"What's up, Sere?" her cousin, Mina, asked with some concern.

"Ohnothing."

"Yeah, right. Like we're gonna believe that," Lita, one of her best friends said. "You've been acting weird since you got back from that vacation with your family. What's up, girl?"

"Well"

"OH MY GOD! She met a guy!" Raye, another best friend, shouted. Serena flushed.

"Well, actually"

"Oh my god! How come you didn't tell us, Sere?! Especially me! Your cousin!" Mina yelled.

"Lay off, girls. Let her explain," Amy, her last best friend said calmly.

"Thanks, Amy," Serena said gratefully to her bookish friend. She turned to everyone else. "Yes, I did kinda meet someone"

"Yes! I knew it!" Raye shouted triumphantly. "How did you meet? Where is he from? Are you keeping in touch? Was he hot?"

"Woah! Slow down! Let me tell you!" Serena said, exasperated. "I was walking around, wishing it would snow—"

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it," Mina said impatiently.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted," Serena continued. "I was wishing it would snow, and then, suddenly, it did! So, I was just admiring the snow, and then he came and started talking to me—"

"What did he say?" It was Lita who interrupted this time.

"He started talking to me and he said his name was Darien Chiba and he's from Arizona. He looked about 19—"

"Oh my god! An older man! So cool!" Raye said dreamily.

"Yeah, he was cool. He was really hot. We only talked for about 10 minutes before he had to go, and then"

"Then? What happened? Come on, Sere! Don't do this to us!" Mina said in agitation. Serena looked around at her friends. Even Amy was looking at her expectantly.

"Well, then he kissed me." Four screams of excitement were heard around the school grounds.

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE SO LUCKY, SERE! YOUR FIRST KISS FROM A TOTALLY GORGEOUS, COMPLETELY MYSTERIOUS STRANGER!" Mina screeched.

Serena covered her ears. "Mina, I'm right here! You don't have to scream!"

"But, Serena! This is epic! Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Lita reprimanded.

"WellI don't know."

"Okay, girls. Calm down. So, what are you going to do now, Serena?" Amy asked.

"Wellnothing. I didn't get his number or anything. I can't go to Arizona."

Her friends looked disappointed. Raye sighed. "Well, I guess that's just how it is. Wouldn't it be cool if he came to find you, though?"

Serena snorted. "Yeah, right. He's probably not even thinking about me. Remember, he was older and hot. He's probably got a million girls to kiss."

"Oh, it's okay, Sere," Mina said, putting a comforting arm around her cousin and best friend. "So, how was the kiss?"

Serena smiled. "Great."

***

10:30AM Tuesday

Darien and Andrew stepped off the plane in the San Francisco airport. They walked through the airport, got their luggage, and walked outside, instantly feeling the cool wind they were not used to in Arizona.

Darien got them both a taxi and they went to the hotel they'd be staying in indefinitely. They checked in and walked to their hotel room. The minute they got there, Andrew went to take a nice relaxing shower. Darien sat on one of the two twin beds, thinking. Was he crazy? He was going over 2 states to find a girl he didn't know. He was going to track her down in San Francisco on the chance that she'd never thought about him after their encounter in Lake Tahoe, and on the chance that he'd never find her in the fairly large city. This was stupid. This was crazy. So why did it feel like it was the right thing to do?

Darien sighed and picked up the phone. If he was going to find Serena, he'd have to start right away. He dialed 411 and asked for the number to the Tsukino residence. It was a dead end—Tsukino wasn't listed. He sighed and thought again.

Andrew came out of his shower to find his friend staring thoughtfully out the window. "What's up, Dare? How come so glum?"

"I just called information. There's no listing for Tsukino."

"Well, don't give up hope, yet. How old did you say she looked? 16? Well, we can hunt her down in all the high schools in San Francisco. We're bound to find her there."

"What if she doesn't even go to a school in San Francisco, Andrew? Then what?" Darien asked.

"We'll just have to take that chance. Don't worry, buddy. We'll find her."

***

2:50PM Tuesday

Andrew roamed the grounds of SF High, looking for someone who could help him. Darien was going crazy about this Serena girl. He'd never seen anything like it. Darien was usually so aloof, even though every girl in their small college wanted him. He just ignored them all. To see Darien so lovesick was astonishing. Andrew was determined to find this special girl and make his best friend happy. "Okay, let's see," Andrew muttered. "Who should I ask about Serena?"

"Looking for someone?"

Andrew turned around to find a short, brown-haired girl. She looked to be about 15 or 16. 'Perfect,' Andrew thought. She was about Serena's supposed age. He smiled at her, and she smiled back flirtatiously, happy to have gotten the attention of a cute older guy.

"Actually, yeah. I was looking for a Serena Tsukino. Do you know her?" Andrew asked hopefully.

The girl's smile disappeared. She sighed. "Yeah, I know her. Everyone in San Francisco knows her. She goes to Crossroads High."

"Thanks." Andrew started to turn away, then turned back. "Wait, how does everyone know her?"
"Well, she's always helping people, and every guy wants her to be her boyfriend. She turns them all down. She's really known for being the nicest person in San Francisco."

"Oh, I see. Well, thanks for your help. You really saved me and my friend a lot of trouble." He grinned, making her blush.

"Sure, no problem."

***

3:30PM Tuesday

Darien raced to Crossroads High School. Andrew clutched his seat fearfully as he took a sharp turn.

"Darien! Slow down!"

"What if we miss her, Andrew?"
"Then we miss her! There's always tomorrow! On the other hand, if you keep driving like a maniac, there won't be a tomorrow!"

Darien slowed the car and ran a hand through his hair. "What the hell is wrong with me, Andrew? I'm definitely going crazy. This isn't like me!" he cried frustratingly.

"Look, Darien, I've never seen you like this, but you obviously like this girl. Possibly even love her," Andrew said gently. "We'll find her. Don't worry. Just calm down. You can't keep acting like such a maniac. You won't survive."

"You're right, Andrew. I need to think rationally. Okay. We're here," he said nervously.

"Let's go," Andrew said. There were still a lot of kids coming out of the building. It looked like school had just let out.

Darien approached a dark haired boy. "Excuse me, do you know Serena Tsukino?"

The guy eyed him suspiciously. "Yeah. What do you want with her?"

"I'm looking for her."

"Well, she just drove off. You missed her, dude."

Darien sighed in defeat. "Okay, I'll come back tomorrow."

"Hey, if you plan on asking her out, it's no use. She hasn't dated a guy ever. My girlfriend is best friends with her and she told me that she just wants to find the perfect person. She hasn't even kissed anyone yet."

Darien's eyes widened. He'd given her her first kiss? Damn it all to hell! She must not think very much of him. He had to find her and set things straight. "Do you know where she lives?" he asked.

The boy shook his head. "No, but my girlfriend does. There she is now." He pointed at a tall, amazon-like girl with brown hair wrapped in a high ponytail. To Darien she seemed to be walking incredibly slowly. "Hey, babe," he said to her when she finally reached them.

"Hey," she said, giving him a kiss. She looked at Darien. "What's up?"

"This guy here wants to ask Serena out. He wants her address."
She looked at Darien with raised eyebrows. "Are you some kind of stalker or something?"

"No, no," Darien said hurriedly. "I met her at Lake Tahoe and I'm trying to find her—"

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE DARIEN!" the girl said excitedly. "OH MY GOD! YOU ACTUALLY CAME TO FIND HER! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" She saw another girl with long dark hair and exotic eyes. "RAYE! RAYE! This is Darien!"

The girl named Raye stopped and stared at him. "Are you serious, Lita?!" She turned to Darien. "You came to find her! Oh my god! I knew it! Oh, you just missed her!" she said, looking crushed at not being able to witness a love scene.

"Yeah, I've heard," Darien said, bewildered. "Um, how do you know me?"

"Oh, Serena's told us all about you," Lita said nonchalantly. "She's been thinking about you a lot, you know."

Darien was ecstatic. She'd thought about him? And talked about him? He grinned such a big grin that Andrew, who had been standing beside him silently, unnoticed, thought that his face would crack. "What's her address?" Darien asked hurriedly.

"2218 15th Avenue," Raye said automatically. "Hurry! Go find her!"

Darien didn't need any more prompting. He hurried to his car, Andrew right behind him. He turned around and waved to the two girls and boy. "Thanks!"

As they watched him drive away, Raye and Lita sighed dreamily. "Wow, that was so cool," Raye said.

"Tell me about it. I wish a hot guy would go after me like that," Lita said dreamily.

"HEY!"

"Oops, sorry, sweetie, I didn't mean it like that"

***

4:10PM Tuesday

Darien tried to drive slowly to her house, but he wasn't doing a very good job of it. He was excited. He was going to find her, and she'd been thinking about him! He grimaced as a red light lasted 30 seconds. These damn lights were interminable! He and Andrew drove in silence.

They finally reached the old building that was Serena's house. Andrew waited in the car while Darien nervously went to the door. He hesitated only a moment before ringing the doorbell. The door was opened by a man with large glasses and short brown hair.

"Umis Serena home?"

The man looked at him suspiciously. "What do you want with her? Are you here to take her out? Too bad! She's not here! And even if she was here, you wouldn't be able to see her! Ha!" Darien looked at the man as if he were crazy. Which he was. Suddenly the man was jerked back by a blue-haired woman. She smiled at Darien.

"I'm so sorry for my husband's antics. Serena's not here right now, she went to the mall with her cousin, Mina. She should be back by 6, but I'm afraid that she can't have visitors after dinner, and we have dinner around that time. I'm sorry. I'll tell her you stopped by, and you can try to come tomorrow." She smiled kindly.

"Thank you. UmWhat mall did she go to?" Darien asked.

"Well, you certainly are persistent. She went to Stonestown," Mrs. Tsukino replied.

"Thank you. I'm Darien, by the way. I met Serena at Lake Tahoe."

"How nice. I hope you find her." At this Mr. Tsukino made a noise of protest. "But, Ilene! He's a boy! By the looks of him, older, too!"

"He seems like a fine young man, Ken," Mrs. Tsukino said sternly. She turned back to Darien. "It was nice to meet you, Darien."

"Thank you Mrs. Tsukino." Darien turned back to the car Andrew waited in.

***

4:34PM Tuesday

"Okay, so where do I go next?" Darien asked Andrew, who was looking at a map.

"Umleft."

"Left?"

"Right."

Darien turned left, and Andrew looked at him strangely. "Why did you turn left?"

"Because you told me to!"

"No, I said right. At first I thought it was left, but then it was actually right."

"I thought you meant right as in that's right, go left!"

"No, I meant right as in go right!"

"ANDREW!"

***

4:51PM Tuesday

After getting lost several times Darien finally found the Stonestown Mall. He and Andrew searched everywhere they could, going into every single store. They couldn't find her anywhere. Exhausted, Andrew put a hand on Darien's arm. "Dare, can we rest awhile? We can go to the food court. I haven't had anything to eat since we left Arizona, and you might find her there."

"Sorry, Andrew. Sure, let's go to the food court," Darien said, looking for Serena all the while. He looked at his watch. 5:02. Damnit, where was she? Darien was getting frustrated. He kept missing her!

They headed to the food court, but all the tables were taken. "Maybe we can find someone who will let us share their table." They looked around until they spotted a long-haired blonde. Darien's heart skipped a beat before he realized that it wasn't Serena, though she looked amazingly like her. They approached her. "Excuse us, can we share a table with you?" Andrew asked.

The girl looked up, surprised. Her eyes widened when she saw the two hot college boys standing in front of her. She grinned. "Sure. Take a seat."

Andrew clapped Darien on his shoulder. "Take a seat, buddy. Look around for her. I'll be back with some food." He walked off.

Darien sighed and sat down. The girl looked at him curiously. "Who are you looking for?" When Darien looked at her, she blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

Darien just looked at her. Suddenly he got a feeling that he should ask her if she knew Serena. "It's okay," he said. "I'm looking for this girl I met over my winter vacation. She said she lived here. I've spent the entire day looking for her, but I keep missing her."

"Oh? What's her name? Maybe I can help. San Francisco is a pretty big city, but I know a lot of people."

"Her name is Serena Tsukino."

Her eyes widened and Darien looked at her hopefully. "Do you know her?"

She nodded. "She's my cousin. I'm Mina. She left10 minutes before you guys came. Are youDarien?"

He smiled wryly at her. "Yeah, that's me. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her. I finally just decided to come here to look for her. But I keep missing her"

"Well, she went to the park."

"What park?"

"Golden Gate. You better hurry, though. She has to leave before 6 so she can get home."

"Thank you so much, Mina. Tell Andrew—my friend—that I had to go. I'll meet him at the hotel." With that, Darien ran off.

***

5:58PM Tuesday

Darien drove like a madman. Stupid traffic! She was probably gone by now! He'd have to wait till tomorrow to see her. Maybe he should just forget this whole escapade. 'No,' he thought grimly. 'I'm not going to give up this easily. I have to find her.'

He reached Golden Gate Park at 6:02PM. Damnit! She was probably gone! He looked around the park frantically. He ran everywhere, looking for a blonde head. There was none to be seen. 'No!' he thought. He stopped to catch his breath. Why was he so intent on finding her today? There was always tomorrow; he wasn't going anywhere. He started to walk back just as rain started to fall. If he wasn't going anywhere, why was he so depressed that he hadn't found her? It didn't make sense. The rain poured over him, sticking his hair to his head. Rain fell on his face and rolled off his jacket. He headed back towards his car. How come it was so imperitive that he find her now? He sighed, then looked up to find his car. That's when he saw it.

Blonde hair.

Her blonde hair.

How did he know? He didn't, really. Which is why he ran after it to see if it was her.

When he was close enough, he yelled, "SERENA!"

The blonde hair stopped and turned around to reveal her face. Her mouth dropped open in astonishment as he caught up to her.

"D-Darien?"

He smiled weakly, still catching his breath. "Hi," he said softly.

"What? How?" Serena asked in confusion.

His smile grew bigger. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Do you know how hard it is to track down one person in San Francisco?"

She was still staring at him in shock. "How did you—what are you doing here?" she finally stuttered.

"I came to find you. I—I haven't been able to stop thinking about you, Serena," Darien replied, eyes shining. "My friend, Andrew, convinced me to find you. We've been looking everywhere for you. Your school, your house—"

"You went to my house?" Serena asked, shocked. "First of all, how did you find my house, it's not listed, and second of all, how did you survive my dad?"

He chuckled, and brought a hand to cup her cheek. "Your friends helped me with your house, and your mom helped me with your dad."

She leaned into his hand. "How did you find me here?"

"We went to the mall and met your cousin, Mina. She told me you were here. I thought I'd missed you. Your mom said you had to be home by 6."

"I—I lost track of time."

He smiled tenderly. "I'm glad you did."

"Why are you here, Darien?"

He looked at her, slightly hurt. "I told you, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I know we spent all of 10 minutes together, butI thinkI think I'm in love with you."

Serena's eyes widened. "What?"

He smiled. "Crazy, huh? But I have never felt this way about any girl in my entire life. I've definitely never gone on a wild goose chase to find a girl. Aren't you happy I'm here? Maybe I was wrong." He took his hand away from her face. "I—I shouldn't have come. I'm sorry, Serena. I shouldn't have disrupted your life like this."

He started to turn away when she caught his arm. "DarienI am happy to see you. I was just so surprised. I've thought a lot about you, too." She laughed weakly. "It sounds silly, huh? Like you said, we barely talked to each other. I don't even know you. ButI think I'm in love with you, too."

He cupped her cheek with his hand again. "We can get to know each other. I'm taking a break from college this semester. I don't have to spend it in Arizona."

"Really? You would do that for me?"

"Serena, I don't know how or why, but I'd do anything for you." With that, Darien gave Serena a kiss that made the first one seem like a peck on the forehead. This time she got to feel his warm lips on hers and his tongue dancing with her own. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her waist. She'd been cold before—she wasn't anymore. He'd warmed her up just as he had at Lake Tahoe. When they broke their kiss, she grinned at him. "I'm glad you came to find me." And they shared another warm kiss.

****

Okay, that's my sequel to Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! I hope you liked it! It was pretty long, huh?