Chapter Ten:
"Finally," Darien stumbles into the Crown Arcade after school. He claims his usual seat at the counter, and then rests his head in the crook of his arms. Andrew sees his best friend and grins at the sight of him in jeans, with tousled hair--- Mr. Well-groomed, himself, is having an off-day! "Hey man, what do you want?" Andrew asks, without even attempting to hide his amusement.
Darien grumbles in response.
"What?"
"Coffee," Darien says, louder than he might have normally.
After his late night encounter with Serena, Darien had raced home, and collapsed into bed without even turning off the light. He had woken groggy, and barely-functioning. By the time he showered, dressed, and found his car keys underneath the couch, Darien realized he didn't have time for his usual coffee fix that morning. NOT GOOD.
Darien had managed to sleep through his classes (something completely out of character for him), but he wasn't quite himself until two cups of caffeine charged his system.
Andrew hands Darien a steaming mug, and Darien mutters something like "thank you". He is obviously not in the mood to talk, but Andrew's busybody instincts press him to ask, "Girl troubles?"
Darien glares at the over-enthusiastic server, "How is it, that whenever something's up with me, you always assume that it's girl troubles?"
"Am I right?" Andrew counters
"No, you're not...." Darien's voice changes tone, "But while we're on the subject... I was talking to Serena the other day, and she mentioned you. Why did you think she would care if Rei and I were spending the day together?"
"Oh, come on Darien." Andrew stares at him incredulously.
"Come on, what? I really want to know."
"It's Serena!" Andrew exclaims, as if those two words explain everything.
"Your point?"
Andrew rolls his eyes, "Wouldn't it bother YOU if she started hanging out with some other guy?" Darien freezes.
He wants to deny it. He wants to say "absolutely not". He wants to wipe that stupid, all-knowing smirk off Andrew's face, but the word "no" won't make its way past his lips.
Darien has a sudden vision of Serena--- She appears as she had last night: beautiful blonde hair blowing in the wind; her face is so open, and honest, and bright. She's shining with a radiance that only SHE can posses... and all he wants is to be the one beside her, sharing in that happiness.
"Wait, what am I thinking?" he mutters to himself, "This isn't right. I have my princess, so why would I stop Serena from dating? I mean sure, she's funny, and selfless, and enthusiastic, but I don't like her in THAT way... Do I?"
Andrew's smile widens for each second that Darien doesn't respond. It's bordering on twelve seconds... thirteen... twenty seconds....
That is until a certain blonde "Meatball head" greets the two college students, "Hey Andrew! Hey Darien!"
Both men are startled to hear her voice. Andrew snaps out of his trance first, "Hey Serena. Your usual?"
"Yes, please."
"One triple-chocolate fudge milkshake, with extra whipped cream, coming up!"
While Andrew busies himself with the necessary ingredients, Serena turns to face Darien. However, her eyes are downcast and shy... she looks slightly embarrassed.
Darien panics--- "Oh no--- Did she hear what we were talking about?"---His face pales, and a cold sweat runs over his forehead. However, Serena's bright voice breaks into his reverie: "Are you okay, Darien? I suppose you didn't get much sleep last night."
It takes Darien a minute to process what she is saying, but when he does, he breaths a sigh of relief, "She wasn't eavesdropping; she is just worried about me."
Andrew returns with the milkshake and says, as casually as ever, "I was just going to ask him why he looks so beat."
Serena blushes. Darien ignores Andrew, "I'm fine." He coughs and adjusts his tone, "How are you so energetic this morning, Serena?" Andrew glances between them curiously.
Serena gives Darien a hesitant smile, "In my opinion, I never get enough sleep. That doesn't mean I should waste my day, when I could be sleeping in class!"
Darien grins, "I tried that today."
Serena and Andrew both look shocked. Darien ducks his head, "What? Do I always have to be the responsible one?"
"Yes," they answer in unison, before bursting into giggles. Eventually, Andrew leaves to place the remaining orders, leaving Darien and Serena in an uncomfortable silence. It's clear that she has something on her mind, but is wary to approach the subject. Finally, Darien asks, "What is it? What's wrong?"
"That obvious, huh?"
"Well, kinda."
She rushes into her next statements, "Okay, Darien, here's the deal.... I found something... interesting... at the book store, while I was looking for manga."
"And?" Darien eyebrows furrow with confusion. This was definitely NOT what he expected her to say.
"You've heard of that tabloid magazine--- 'The Gossiper'--- right?"
"Umm, sure I have," he mutters absentmindedly, wondering "Where is she going with this?"
Serena takes a deep breath, before looking into his eyes, "You and me are sorta... the subject of the cover article." She blushes a brighter shade of red.
"What?!"
She quickly rummages through her school bag, before pulling out the tabloid in question. Its front page features a picture of Tuxedo Mask during battle, with a group of Sailor Scouts clustered in the far background. Large red lettering spells out the title, "Tuxedo Mask--- The Perfect Man's Ideal Girl."
Darien's draw drops, "You've got to be kidding me." He quickly flips to the assigned page (four), and reads through the article:
"The perfect man has been described as 'tall, dark, and handsome'. Now, 'Mr. Right' has a name, or rather a title: Tuxedo Mask, the illusive superhero, perfectly fits the bill of a "knight in shining armor." However, not much can be said for his personal life. Who, exactly, is the man behind the mask? And what is the nature of his relationship with Sailor Mars?
Previous reports have romantically linked Tuxedo Mask to his crime-fighting counterpart, Sailor Moon, and there is a lot of evidence to support their relationship. Eye-witnesses often claim that Mask's involvement in fights is limited to saving Sailor Moon, and that his presence can only be expected in battles SHE participates in.
One Tokyo resident described the couple as, "hopelessly in love. I just get this sense that they complete each-other. Just as they will not allow villains to tarnish our city, neither will they let their love go to waste."
Others claimed that the couple was on their road to marriage! One spectator professed that he saw Tuxedo Mask propose to Sailor Moon after a youma-attack at the ice-skating rink last November.
Despite many similar sentiments, 'The Gossiper' has reason to believe that Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon have split! And before girls across the country get too hopeful, he's already found 'sparks' with another girl: the Sailor Scout of fire, Sailor Mars. Security cameras perched on the Greene Mall roof, have captured these startling images of their secret rendezvous. Could this explain Moon's and Mars' famous public spats? And what does this mean for the city--- when it relies so heavily on Scout protection?
Public opinion is mixed, but one insider has this to say about the new relationship, "The whole thing was bound to happen eventually." When prompted, the insider revealed a few more romantic details, "They're both 17. I think Mars fell for him the first time she looked into his chocolate brown eyes, which was about 2 yrs. ago.... They've been through a lot together: battles, classes, nose jobs. After that, I think they're ready for anything!"
For sure, this new celebrity couple has stirred up quite a sensation! We'll keep you posted on breaking events in this developing story!
Serena is watching Darien's reactions carefully--- he mutters under his breath after every third line. Once, he spit his coffee back into his mug. In general, though, he is acting calmer than she anticipated, and his eyes flicker with some unreadable emotion.
When he finishes reading, Darien turns to face her with softness in his eyes, "I'm sorry about this, Serena."
She is completely taken aback, "Why are you sorry?"
"I was the one who wanted to meet at the mall. It's my fault that they're spreading these rumors."
Serena shakes her head, "That's no reason to apologize. You did nothing wrong.... If anything, I---"
"It's not your fault either." She pauses, accepting that, but Darien can see that something's still bothering her. He murmurs, "Don't worry Serena. Hopefully, this will blow over soon--- Do you know if the girls have seen it yet?" He indicates the article.
Serena bites her lip, "Um, I don't think so--- otherwise they would be all over us by now--- but if you're concerned about Rei---"
Darien cuts her off, chuckling, "This has nothing to do with her... This article doesn't have a lot of truth to it--- but the pictures of us together ARE authentic. The Scouts will know something's up."
"You don't think they'll believe we're dating, do you?"
"Serena, there is a PICTURE of me on the cover, but it still says my eyes are BROWN! That fact, alone, pretty much ruins their credibility."
"Good." She smiles--- a genuine one this time, but there's another unreadable emotion hiding in the depths of her crystalline-blue eyes.
"Good," Darien echoes.
Andrew returns at the end of their conversation. The three-some spend a while chatting, but Serena excuses herself after 10 minutes, "Yikes! I'm going to be late--- I was supposed to pick up Rini from swim class!" She races towards the door.
"Wait, Serena!... I can drive you, if you want."
"Really Darien!," she chirps, "That would be SO great of you."
"No problem," Darien retrieves the crumpled up tabloid, and tucks it into his jacket pocket. He then places his hand on the small of her back, and ushers her towards the exit, throwing a "Bye Andrew," over his shoulder on his way.
Just as they are about to leave, the automatic doors spring upon to reveal... Rei: "Serena, Darien, what are you doing here?"
"Oh," Serena starts, "I was just getting something to eat, when Darien offered to drive me to Rini's swim class." She turns to him, "I understand if you guys want to hang-out. I'll just go pick up Rini by myself." Her expression darkens while she says this.
"What? Serena, of course not---I'll drive you," Darien insists, and prods her outside. "See you later, Rei!"
Rei stares at their retreating figures, "What is going on here...?" But Darien and Serena have already piled into his car, and zoomed off faster than she believed possible.
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Darien opens the passenger-side door of the car for Serena, and then climbs into his own seat. He slides unto the cool leather, and tries to figure out the weird emotions rushing through him. Really, they are both being very quiet (unusual for Serena, isn't it), but he shrugs his suspicions away--- Obviously, they both have a lot to think about.
Frankly, Darien's mind is whirling--- Despite everything that's happened, Andrew's words are still ringing through his mind, "Wouldn't it bother YOU if she started hanging out with some other guy?"
And then, that tabloid article had hit him like a bucket of water dumped on his head! It's like fate is trying to push them together again, and he can't say that he would mind. He sighs.
Darien knows he has a girlfriend. He knows that Rei is his destiny. He also knows that he's confused right now. Spending time with Serena is the only way to figure out where he stands. His inner voice reasons, "It's not fair to lead Rei on if I'm not sure of my feelings for her."
In order to break the tension, Darien turns on the radio. The words from the song, "Close Your Eyes" ring through his thoughts, and also, Serena's. She glances at him, while the words echo in the background:
"I know I'm gonna see you again
But promise me that you won't forget
Cause as long as you remember,
A part of us will be together
So even when you're fast asleep
Look for me, inside your dreams
Keep believe in what we're sharing
And even when I'm not there to tell you
I'll love, love you forever!"
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Author's Notes: I can't believe it: Chapter 10! I've got to thank everyone who has encouraged me up to this point: DragonsFlame86, xo Usako ox, Ange de L'aube, Dragonwitch250, and Ashgeliton!