Tete-a-Tete
Disclaimer: The characters are the creation of Naoko Takeuchi, yada, yada, yada.
Meeting the Dragon In His Lair:
The next morning, Darien went to see his friend Andrew.
"Hi, Darien, come on in. What's up?" The brown-haired young man inquired. A year older than Darien, the two had met in high school. The open and friendly manner of the older boy attracted the younger and put him at ease, while the intense brilliance and dedication of the dark-haired freshman was admired by the other. They discovered they shared the same interests and became best friends.
"Hey, Andrew, I've come by to ask your advice." Darien said, entering the apartment. It was trashed, as usual. Their different living styles were the main reason they hadn't shared a place. Turned out for the best, after all.
"You're asking me for advice? Must be girl trouble," laughed Andrew, "Are you going to break up with that goof-ball Serena again?"
"I've warned you before, Andrew, don't call her that," Darien growled.
"Whoa, take it easy, buddy. You're really serious about her, aren't you? So, what's the problem? I'll fix some tea while you tell me about it."
"I'm going to Serena's house for dinner for the first time," confessed the younger man.
"Oh, meeting the dragon in his lair, huh?"
"Yeah, you could say that," Darien grimaced, remembering the other time he had met Mr. Tsukino. "Anyway, I need to know what I should do."
"For one thing," replied Andrew, "wear something nice, but comfortable. No problem for you, you would probably be comfortable in a tux. Are you ok?"
At the last word, Darien had choked on his tea. "I'm fine," he coughed, "It just went down the wrong way."
"You really are nervous about this, aren't you? Guess I was too when I met Rita's folks, and I had my parents as backup. Sorry, Dare."
"It's all right, Andrew," Darien said quietly. He was silent for a minute, thinking about his past and then his future. Quirking a slight smile, he said lightly, "Now what else do I need to know?"
"The most important thing you will have to do, Darien, is talk about yourself," Andrew said seriously. "They don't know you and you will have to tell them enough so they will trust you."
"I understand."
"No, I don't think you do," he stated, looking his friend straight in the eye, "I know you don't like to talk about yourself. You have always been gloomy and mysterious. The best thing about Serena is that she's broken you out of that shell and gotten you to actually act human. What I don't know about you could fill a book,"
'Several' Darien thought.
"and I've known you for years," Andrew continued, "You will have to open up even if it hurts."
"But I can't tell them..."
"Everything? Don't. I know you've gotten into something deep, like what really happened to you last winter. Sometimes you get a dangerous look about you that's really scary. Then I feel sorry for the other guy."
"Don't be, they deserve it," Darien stated darkly.
"Okay, I'll trust you about that, and when you're ready, I hope you'll trust me."
"I will, Andrew. I promise."
"Now, about tonight." The two friends continued talking. -----------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Tsukino got up to answer the door. The boy is prompt, he noticed grudgingly. He opened the door and looked up at- not a boy- a young man: tall and slim, with black hair, and wearing a nice but well-worn green jacket over broad shoulders.
"Mr. Tsukino, I'm Darien Chiba," he introduced himself. The two men regarded each other warily for a moment, the younger one uncertain, yet alert and respectful.
'Dangerous', the older man thought instinctively. 'This man is seeing my little girl.'
"Oh, you must be Darien," said Mrs. Tsukino, coming to the door and breaking the impasse. "Please come in. I'm so looking forward to getting to know you better."
Darien smiled and bowed in greeting. "Thank you for inviting me. Please accept these as a token of my respect," he said, offering a bouquet to Mrs. Tsukino and a wrapped bottle to Mr. Tsukino.
"Thank you, Mr. Chiba," Mr. Tsukino said, acknowledging the gift and his appraisal of the young man so far.
"The flowers are lovely. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Excuse me while I put these in a vase." said Mrs. Tsukino, then raising her voice she called, "Serena, your young man is here."
There was a slight noise at the top of the stairs off the entryway. Darien and Mr.Tsukino waited while Serena came down at what was (for her) a sedate pace. Even so, she managed to trip near the bottom and started to fall. Darien smoothly stepped forward and steadied her with practiced ease.
'He knows her well', her father observed resentfully, then he turned and went to the living room.
"Are you ok, Serena?" Darien asked quietly.
"Yeah, sure, how about you?" she whispered back.
He gave her a nervous grin, "Like walking a tightrope," he replied as they followed her father. Mr. Tsukino sat in an easy chair and a sandy-haired boy sat near him on the sofa.
"Darien, this is my brother, Sammy," introduced Serena.
"Hi Sammy, pleased to meet you."
"Hi. Serena says you know karate. What rank are you?" he asked curiously, making room on the sofa for them to sit.
"I have a black belt," answered Darien, "but I haven't competed much lately."
"Why not?" the boy asked.
"I'm very busy now with classes," he replied, glancing at Serena, "and I am taking kung fu lessons instead."
"I understand you graduated high school. What was your class standing, Mr. Chiba?" Mr. Tsukino inquired.
"Darien, please," he corrected, "I was in the top ten percent of my class, sir."
"That's very good, Darien," Mrs. Tsukino said entering the room. "school, kung fu, is there anything else?"
"Yes, I have a part time job. I'm a research assistant for one of my professors."
"Meow?" Suddenly a black cat jumped up on Darien's lap and sat down, asking for attention. Carefully he started scratching her ears and petting her.
"Wow," Sammy said, "Luna never lets me pet her."
"Well, Luna and I are old friends. I even saved her life one time," Darien replied.
"Why don't you tell us about it over dinner?" Mrs. Tsukino suggested.
They all went to the dining room and sat; Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino at the ends of the table, Sammy on one side with Serena and Darien on the other.
"Dinner looks wonderful," said Darien.
"Thank you. As guest of honor, you should go first," replied Mrs. Tsukino.
"Here, Darien, try this. It's the best, I helped make it!" Serena exclaimed, passing a dish to him.
"Thanks for the warning, Sis. Better take it easy with that, Darien. -ow!" Sammy responded to a kick.
"Why don't you tell us about Luna now?" asked Mrs. Tsukino.
"It wasn't much, really. I saw Luna crossing the street and a truck came speeding right at her and I grabbed her out of the way."
"When did this happen? Did you know Serena well?" her father inquired.
"It happened last fall before we really knew each other." He smiled in remembrance.
"Well I hope she thanked you."
"Actually, she yelled at me. She usually did back then," Darien said, taking a bite.
"Darien!" Serena cried.
"Well, it's true," he said calmly.
"Well, you usually deserved it."
"That's true too," he answered with a shrug.
Her parents had watched the exchange with amusement, noting how calmly he had dealt with her outburst.
Then Sammy spoke, "Ha-ha, that's funny. Hey, Serena, how come you're not eating? Can't stand your own cooking?"
At this, everyone looked at the girl in surprise. She had hardly even touched her plate.
"What? Why is everybody looking at me?" she protested.
"Um, I think the food is delicious," Darien said, deflecting the attention away from her.
"Thank you, Darien. Tell me, what attracted you to Serena in the first place?" Mrs. Tsukino asked.
"Her hair, and" he paused, thinking, "and her compassion," he finished.
"Compassion?" That was an unusual answer.
"I...was in a bad accident last year," he said solemnly, turning pale and reaching for Serena's hand under the table. "I was a patient at the hospital where she volunteered. She and my friend Andrew were my only visitors. When I was better, she included me in her circle of friends," he finished with a tender smile at Serena.
"How come your folks didn't come visit you?"
"SAMMY!"
"It's all right, Serena. I don't have any family, Sammy. They died when I was young. I've been on my own since I was sixteen," Darien said quietly, his eyes looking old and sad.
'I know that look,' Mr. Tsukino thought, 'I have seen it on the faces of young soldiers when they come to Tokyo on leave, eyes that have seen too much pain.'
"Oh, that's too bad," said Sammy, abashed.
"I'm glad Serena has included you with her friends. Do you get along well?" Mrs. Tsukino asked kindly.
"Yes, very well. They're like my sisters now."
"Sisters? A handsome boy like you with a handful of pretty girls, and there's no jealousy?" Mr. Tsukino remarked.
"Jealousy? Nope, not a bit," Serena put in hurriedly.
"We, uh- have an understanding," Darien stammered with embarrassment.
'Understanding? Now we're getting somewhere.' thought Mr. Tsukino. 'The rest of questioning should be done in private.' He glanced at Ikuko and nodded. She understood.
"Darien, forgive us, we've been asking you so many questions, you haven't had time to eat. Kenji, dear, how was your day at the office?"
As Mrs. Tsukino redirected the conversation, Darien and Serena each gave a sigh of relief and were able to enjoy the rest of the dinner.
"I just realized Darien, I never properly thanked you for helping us last spring when the monster attacked us at that VR Arcade," Mr. Tsukino said as they were finishing.
"It was nothing, sir. The Sailor Scouts were the real heroes," Darien replied humbly, gripping Serena's hand again.
"Talking about Sailor Scouts and monsters, weren't you also in that play Serena and her friends did last spring?" Sammy asked.
"That's right, that's why your name seemed familiar. I remember reading it in the program," said Mrs. Tsukino.
"You were the Prince and Sailor Moon kissed you awake. Great plot twist," continued Sammy.
The young couple was a study of contrasts: Serena was daydreaming, smiling as if remembering something while Darien had gone pale, then red with embarrassment and was poking at the remains of his dinner.
"Yeah, I guess so, I was pretty out of it at the time," he finally answered.
"Was that when you two started going together?" asked Mr. Tsukino, taking a clue from their reactions.
"Not then. It was shortly after. Another girl who wanted my attention was jealous and tried to hurt Serena. That's when I realized my feelings for her." The two smiled fondly at each other.
"Serena, why didn't you tell us someone tried to hurt you! Who was it?" Mr. Tsukino exclaimed.
"Daddy, it's all right. We made up and anyway, she's moved away," Serena said calmly. "Darien protected me. He always does."
"Protects you! From what?"
"um.um...er."
"Hey, Darien, would you show me some karate moves?" broke in Sammy.
"Sure, Sammy, I'd be glad to, if your parents say it's ok." replied Darien, relieved for the interruption.
"We'll discuss that later, Sammy. Now I would like you and your sister to clear the table and do the dishes. Kenji, why don't you show Darien the garden?" An expert in family tactics, Ikuko Tsukino deployed her troops, insuring the final interview would be private.
AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you are so special to take the time to respond and I appreciate it very much. I'm glad you are enjoying this little story. Next time- an interview with Kenji.
Disclaimer: The characters are the creation of Naoko Takeuchi, yada, yada, yada.
Meeting the Dragon In His Lair:
The next morning, Darien went to see his friend Andrew.
"Hi, Darien, come on in. What's up?" The brown-haired young man inquired. A year older than Darien, the two had met in high school. The open and friendly manner of the older boy attracted the younger and put him at ease, while the intense brilliance and dedication of the dark-haired freshman was admired by the other. They discovered they shared the same interests and became best friends.
"Hey, Andrew, I've come by to ask your advice." Darien said, entering the apartment. It was trashed, as usual. Their different living styles were the main reason they hadn't shared a place. Turned out for the best, after all.
"You're asking me for advice? Must be girl trouble," laughed Andrew, "Are you going to break up with that goof-ball Serena again?"
"I've warned you before, Andrew, don't call her that," Darien growled.
"Whoa, take it easy, buddy. You're really serious about her, aren't you? So, what's the problem? I'll fix some tea while you tell me about it."
"I'm going to Serena's house for dinner for the first time," confessed the younger man.
"Oh, meeting the dragon in his lair, huh?"
"Yeah, you could say that," Darien grimaced, remembering the other time he had met Mr. Tsukino. "Anyway, I need to know what I should do."
"For one thing," replied Andrew, "wear something nice, but comfortable. No problem for you, you would probably be comfortable in a tux. Are you ok?"
At the last word, Darien had choked on his tea. "I'm fine," he coughed, "It just went down the wrong way."
"You really are nervous about this, aren't you? Guess I was too when I met Rita's folks, and I had my parents as backup. Sorry, Dare."
"It's all right, Andrew," Darien said quietly. He was silent for a minute, thinking about his past and then his future. Quirking a slight smile, he said lightly, "Now what else do I need to know?"
"The most important thing you will have to do, Darien, is talk about yourself," Andrew said seriously. "They don't know you and you will have to tell them enough so they will trust you."
"I understand."
"No, I don't think you do," he stated, looking his friend straight in the eye, "I know you don't like to talk about yourself. You have always been gloomy and mysterious. The best thing about Serena is that she's broken you out of that shell and gotten you to actually act human. What I don't know about you could fill a book,"
'Several' Darien thought.
"and I've known you for years," Andrew continued, "You will have to open up even if it hurts."
"But I can't tell them..."
"Everything? Don't. I know you've gotten into something deep, like what really happened to you last winter. Sometimes you get a dangerous look about you that's really scary. Then I feel sorry for the other guy."
"Don't be, they deserve it," Darien stated darkly.
"Okay, I'll trust you about that, and when you're ready, I hope you'll trust me."
"I will, Andrew. I promise."
"Now, about tonight." The two friends continued talking. -----------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Tsukino got up to answer the door. The boy is prompt, he noticed grudgingly. He opened the door and looked up at- not a boy- a young man: tall and slim, with black hair, and wearing a nice but well-worn green jacket over broad shoulders.
"Mr. Tsukino, I'm Darien Chiba," he introduced himself. The two men regarded each other warily for a moment, the younger one uncertain, yet alert and respectful.
'Dangerous', the older man thought instinctively. 'This man is seeing my little girl.'
"Oh, you must be Darien," said Mrs. Tsukino, coming to the door and breaking the impasse. "Please come in. I'm so looking forward to getting to know you better."
Darien smiled and bowed in greeting. "Thank you for inviting me. Please accept these as a token of my respect," he said, offering a bouquet to Mrs. Tsukino and a wrapped bottle to Mr. Tsukino.
"Thank you, Mr. Chiba," Mr. Tsukino said, acknowledging the gift and his appraisal of the young man so far.
"The flowers are lovely. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. Excuse me while I put these in a vase." said Mrs. Tsukino, then raising her voice she called, "Serena, your young man is here."
There was a slight noise at the top of the stairs off the entryway. Darien and Mr.Tsukino waited while Serena came down at what was (for her) a sedate pace. Even so, she managed to trip near the bottom and started to fall. Darien smoothly stepped forward and steadied her with practiced ease.
'He knows her well', her father observed resentfully, then he turned and went to the living room.
"Are you ok, Serena?" Darien asked quietly.
"Yeah, sure, how about you?" she whispered back.
He gave her a nervous grin, "Like walking a tightrope," he replied as they followed her father. Mr. Tsukino sat in an easy chair and a sandy-haired boy sat near him on the sofa.
"Darien, this is my brother, Sammy," introduced Serena.
"Hi Sammy, pleased to meet you."
"Hi. Serena says you know karate. What rank are you?" he asked curiously, making room on the sofa for them to sit.
"I have a black belt," answered Darien, "but I haven't competed much lately."
"Why not?" the boy asked.
"I'm very busy now with classes," he replied, glancing at Serena, "and I am taking kung fu lessons instead."
"I understand you graduated high school. What was your class standing, Mr. Chiba?" Mr. Tsukino inquired.
"Darien, please," he corrected, "I was in the top ten percent of my class, sir."
"That's very good, Darien," Mrs. Tsukino said entering the room. "school, kung fu, is there anything else?"
"Yes, I have a part time job. I'm a research assistant for one of my professors."
"Meow?" Suddenly a black cat jumped up on Darien's lap and sat down, asking for attention. Carefully he started scratching her ears and petting her.
"Wow," Sammy said, "Luna never lets me pet her."
"Well, Luna and I are old friends. I even saved her life one time," Darien replied.
"Why don't you tell us about it over dinner?" Mrs. Tsukino suggested.
They all went to the dining room and sat; Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino at the ends of the table, Sammy on one side with Serena and Darien on the other.
"Dinner looks wonderful," said Darien.
"Thank you. As guest of honor, you should go first," replied Mrs. Tsukino.
"Here, Darien, try this. It's the best, I helped make it!" Serena exclaimed, passing a dish to him.
"Thanks for the warning, Sis. Better take it easy with that, Darien. -ow!" Sammy responded to a kick.
"Why don't you tell us about Luna now?" asked Mrs. Tsukino.
"It wasn't much, really. I saw Luna crossing the street and a truck came speeding right at her and I grabbed her out of the way."
"When did this happen? Did you know Serena well?" her father inquired.
"It happened last fall before we really knew each other." He smiled in remembrance.
"Well I hope she thanked you."
"Actually, she yelled at me. She usually did back then," Darien said, taking a bite.
"Darien!" Serena cried.
"Well, it's true," he said calmly.
"Well, you usually deserved it."
"That's true too," he answered with a shrug.
Her parents had watched the exchange with amusement, noting how calmly he had dealt with her outburst.
Then Sammy spoke, "Ha-ha, that's funny. Hey, Serena, how come you're not eating? Can't stand your own cooking?"
At this, everyone looked at the girl in surprise. She had hardly even touched her plate.
"What? Why is everybody looking at me?" she protested.
"Um, I think the food is delicious," Darien said, deflecting the attention away from her.
"Thank you, Darien. Tell me, what attracted you to Serena in the first place?" Mrs. Tsukino asked.
"Her hair, and" he paused, thinking, "and her compassion," he finished.
"Compassion?" That was an unusual answer.
"I...was in a bad accident last year," he said solemnly, turning pale and reaching for Serena's hand under the table. "I was a patient at the hospital where she volunteered. She and my friend Andrew were my only visitors. When I was better, she included me in her circle of friends," he finished with a tender smile at Serena.
"How come your folks didn't come visit you?"
"SAMMY!"
"It's all right, Serena. I don't have any family, Sammy. They died when I was young. I've been on my own since I was sixteen," Darien said quietly, his eyes looking old and sad.
'I know that look,' Mr. Tsukino thought, 'I have seen it on the faces of young soldiers when they come to Tokyo on leave, eyes that have seen too much pain.'
"Oh, that's too bad," said Sammy, abashed.
"I'm glad Serena has included you with her friends. Do you get along well?" Mrs. Tsukino asked kindly.
"Yes, very well. They're like my sisters now."
"Sisters? A handsome boy like you with a handful of pretty girls, and there's no jealousy?" Mr. Tsukino remarked.
"Jealousy? Nope, not a bit," Serena put in hurriedly.
"We, uh- have an understanding," Darien stammered with embarrassment.
'Understanding? Now we're getting somewhere.' thought Mr. Tsukino. 'The rest of questioning should be done in private.' He glanced at Ikuko and nodded. She understood.
"Darien, forgive us, we've been asking you so many questions, you haven't had time to eat. Kenji, dear, how was your day at the office?"
As Mrs. Tsukino redirected the conversation, Darien and Serena each gave a sigh of relief and were able to enjoy the rest of the dinner.
"I just realized Darien, I never properly thanked you for helping us last spring when the monster attacked us at that VR Arcade," Mr. Tsukino said as they were finishing.
"It was nothing, sir. The Sailor Scouts were the real heroes," Darien replied humbly, gripping Serena's hand again.
"Talking about Sailor Scouts and monsters, weren't you also in that play Serena and her friends did last spring?" Sammy asked.
"That's right, that's why your name seemed familiar. I remember reading it in the program," said Mrs. Tsukino.
"You were the Prince and Sailor Moon kissed you awake. Great plot twist," continued Sammy.
The young couple was a study of contrasts: Serena was daydreaming, smiling as if remembering something while Darien had gone pale, then red with embarrassment and was poking at the remains of his dinner.
"Yeah, I guess so, I was pretty out of it at the time," he finally answered.
"Was that when you two started going together?" asked Mr. Tsukino, taking a clue from their reactions.
"Not then. It was shortly after. Another girl who wanted my attention was jealous and tried to hurt Serena. That's when I realized my feelings for her." The two smiled fondly at each other.
"Serena, why didn't you tell us someone tried to hurt you! Who was it?" Mr. Tsukino exclaimed.
"Daddy, it's all right. We made up and anyway, she's moved away," Serena said calmly. "Darien protected me. He always does."
"Protects you! From what?"
"um.um...er."
"Hey, Darien, would you show me some karate moves?" broke in Sammy.
"Sure, Sammy, I'd be glad to, if your parents say it's ok." replied Darien, relieved for the interruption.
"We'll discuss that later, Sammy. Now I would like you and your sister to clear the table and do the dishes. Kenji, why don't you show Darien the garden?" An expert in family tactics, Ikuko Tsukino deployed her troops, insuring the final interview would be private.
AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you are so special to take the time to respond and I appreciate it very much. I'm glad you are enjoying this little story. Next time- an interview with Kenji.