I'm not very good with keeping things in the same point of veiw. I've tried really hard in these shorts, but I think I might experiment with different ways of writing things and different points of veiw in the next couple chapters. I think it might help for some of the chapters as I'm imagining them. It may not show up for a while, but I may accidentally skip into a different point of veiw in any story. Please let me know if the point of veiw confuses you. I always like others helping me be understandable. Thanks for reading, and enjoy. Italics if flashback type thing in this one.

Darien shook his head, bemused. He was quite sure he had never been that crazy. These girls honestly defied any logic he could think of. Seriously, they knew about Rita and they STILL chased Andrew. At least that redhead, Molly or something, didn't try to seduce Andrew. She had some sense.

He could still grin even just thinking about Serena and her tall friend Lita...Lisa...Lila... he thought it was Lita. Pretty sure it was Lita. They had every intention of trying to get Andrew wrapped around their little fingers today at the arcade. Darien was very happy that his friend had the day off. It meant she got a chance to talk to those two first.

*****

"You do know he's got a girlfriend, right?"

"Of course. But, if we give up what does that say about us?" Gee, maybe that you aren't home wreckers? "We need to let him know how we feel. Our hearts demand it of us. How could we live with ourselves if we didn't even try to fight for what we want?"

Darien decided, wisely, not to tell them that he figured it would make them better people who put others feelings before their own. He knew that those two bubbleheads wouldn't take kindly to him giving them relationship advice. After all, 14-year-olds obviously know everything. He remembered being quite convinced of his own superiority at that age too.

"What if he's happier with Rita? Could you forgive yourselves if you broke up a good thing?" Maybe that was also the wrong tack to take. Both girls seemed quite convinced that life without them was not worth living. This called for delicacy. "Well I'm off. Don't spend too long on your schemes, they won't work."

"You jerk! Shows what you know! We don't scheme! We merely plan. Leave it to such a nasty, suspicious person as you to think we're plotting! You're leaving bad vibes in the air!"

He left with a chuckle. Definitely time to find the blue haired genius and the sensible redhead. They were the only ones who had a hope of stopping the insanity of the other two.

*****

He assumed his plan to get their friends to stop the childish duo had worked, due to the fact that Andrew still seemed blissfully unaware of their crushes on him. Darien knew his friend, and there was no way that the transparent blonde would be able to act like nothing had happened if Serena and Lita had thrown themselves at him like they were threatening. Honestly, Darien couldn't see how Andrew missed it. Although that may be due to Darien having the opportunity to watch the metamorphosis when Andrew approached.

Darien could well remember what it was like to be fourteen. He was convinced he was the cleverest and smartest of all the kids at the orphanage. He had never gotten along with the other kids well, either there or at his school. He could actually only remember one decent run in with another kid until after he had moved out on his own. And it had quite literally been a run in....

His laugh pealed from his balcony in torrents. How many blue eyed blondes with that meatball hairstyle could there be in Tokyo? This was priceless! If he remembered correctly, even then he and the fiery blonde had struck sparks off of one another. How entertaining. He hadn't thought of that little girl in a long time, but she would be the right age now and everything. What a weird coincidence.

The thought that he knew Serena for longer than he thought he had made Darien happy. Despite everything, he still had to agree with Andrew. As far as he could tell, never having had siblings of his own, Serena was just like a little sister. He loved teasing her, but also couldn't stand to see her honestly upset. He teased her mercilessly, but took great pride in the accomplishments she showed. It probably had to do with her bright grin and just how much fun it was to tease her. Only he and her brother Sammy could get under Serena's skin quite that way.

It was a good feeling, knowing that he was special to someone, even if it was in an annoying way. He was quite sure she would miss him if he wasn't around. As much as she whined, he was convinced that she enjoyed the spats as much as he does. She was even starting to pick her jaw off the ground and fight back. That was the best part. He'd seen her give Sammy a piece of her mind the other day too. Using, by the way, insults she had picked up from fighting with Darien himself. Her pride after winning that argument was almost tangible, and Darien found he really enjoyed being on the losing end of the fight later that day, just to see her developing truly original burns. He didn't think Amy's face would ever go back to being its original colour, it had turned so red.

Poor Amy. No one ever planned on embarrassing her, but it happened irregardless. Darien was very pleased that Serena had made Amy her friend. She had been on the same road as Darien himself, cutting off most contact with the outside world. Luckily for both of them the exuberant blonde whirlwind wouldn't let walls live around anyone. As soon as she saw them she had to tear them down, even if she didn't necessarily know she was doing it. Heck, she'd even managed to do it to him, a feat that his stalker club (who STILL hadn't given up, curse them) would have sold their souls to learn how to reproduce.

Andrew, Serena, Amy, even Molly to a certain extent were now his chosen family. He didn't really know Lita that well, but assumed she would be as well once she got used to him and Andrew a little more. She was still new to the group.

He could draw up their faces in his mind with ease. They were a part of him now, as hard as he'd tried to not let them be. It scared him, but thrilled him as well.

It was wonderful to have a family again.