Disclaimer: I don't own Sailormoon.
A/n: I want to thank personally the reviewers:
Usagi
MoonWriter
Cherished angel
Kirei*snow*tenshi
Goddess Saturn
Rini
Michiru Reann
Birdy
CelestialShadow
Elf Cowgirl
Kriziamoon
Rosealeena
Lauren
I'm Not Playing AnymoreChapter 2 Are We Still Playing That?
Serena Tsukino was now 18 years old and a senior at the school she had attended since kindergarten. She was sitting at the Crown Arcade booth with her best friends. Mina, Amy, and starting high school she met Rei and Lita.
"So who are you going to go with in the Spring Formal? It's going to be this Saturday already and there's only 5 more days to go." Mina asked enthusiastically. Serena shrugged indifferently. "I'm not going."
Mina rolled her eyes. "What do you mean your not going? It's going to be a blast!" Mina whined.
Serena sighed. "I'd love to but I can't."
"Why?" Mina persisted.
"An old friend of mine is coming here." Serena explained. "I haven't seen him for a long time."
"So? Why don't you just invite her…and…" Mina trailed off. "Did you just say him?" Mina asked loudly.
The others turned towards them interested. "Is he cute?" Mina asked interested her eyes lighting up hopefully.
"I don't know. He'd like to think so." Serena answered eyes sparkling in thought.
"Do I know this friends of yours?" Mina asked.
"It's Darien." Serena spoke grinning.
Mina groaned. "Never mind. He's not human." Mina vowed.
"Darien?" Lita echoed.
"He's handsome, rich, intelligent…and so and so, he just isn't exactly the friendliest guy in the world." Mina spoke glumly.
"He's arriving on Wednesday and leaving Sunday. I don't want to waste his time here dragging him to a silly dance." Serena spoke looking down.
"Silly dance? You were raving about the dance a month ago." Lita reminded grinning cheekily.
Serena scowled at the reminder. "Besides, I don't have a date." She spoke.
Mina rolled her eyes. "As if! There are at least a dozen of guys wanting to go with you to that dance." Mina argued.
"Well, I graciously declined all of those when I decided I'm not going. They all probably have dates now." Serena mumbled.
***
Serena was back drinking her chocolate milk shake when the door of the arcade opened and thus entered a group of hot-looking guys they haven't seen before.
Mina's cute guy radar alert was ringing and she was staring dreamily at them. Each of the girls looked up and stared at the newcomers.
"Wow." Serena thought as she eyed
"You said it." Lita muttered beneath her breath.
"Isn't that Seiya Kou?" Mina spoke excitedly. "I heard that he and his brothers stopped their career for a couple of years to resume their studies."
"Wouldn't it be cool if they took us to that dance? Everyone would be so envious!" Mina spoke dreamily.
"Yeah, I heard they were studying at that exclusive school a few hours drive away from here. Winchester or something." Amy supplied.
"Seiya Kou…" Rei spoke in a breathless whisper.
Mina nudged her. "Hey, looks like Rei have a crush on the living." Mina teased.
Serena nodded in agreement. "Yeah, You're always so picky. What's so special about him?" Lita asked grinning.
"Hey! It's not like I'm going to profess my undying love for that guy! Besides he's celebrity so he's not counted!" Rei argued defensively. "He's like my inspiration in singing."
"I wonder what they're doing here." Lita mused.
"Didn't you know? They are the one going to sing on the dance." Mina answered.
"They are?" Serena groaned. "You're making me feel worse not going!" Serena moaned. The Starlights were her favorite band and they were going to play at their school!
Mina was about to tease her when she suddenly she tensed up. "Oh! Look they're coming over here!" Mina spoke in an excited hush. True enough the guys sat on the booth near them.
All five of them were tensed and listened for whatever conversation they could hear from the booth two tables across from them.
***
"Yo! Seiya…what made you accept an offer here anyway?" Taiki asked his brother.
"Well since the Chiba Company is sponsoring us at the moment, they got to pick where we would perform." Seiya explained surveying his surroundings. A slow smile spread across his handsome face as half of the female population in the arcade had eyes on them.
"Why here in this town?" Yaten asked curious.
"I heard Darien was pretty insistent about it. Could it be that this is where his secret girl friend lives?" Seiya joked about his friend and rival.
Yaten and Taiki chuckled, well aware of the fact that Darien Chiba hardly gives a damn about the female species. "I swear that guy's not real." Seiya murmured a smile still on his face.
Serena and her friends sighed, as Seiya seemed to notice them and flashed them a big smile. Mina turned to Serena, "Hey Sere? Remember that huge favor you owe me covering up to your mom about your detention last weekend?" Mina reminded a wicked smile on her face.
"Yeah?" Serena asked slowly fearing where this is leading.
"How about returning the favor now?" Mina asked suggestively.
"Uh oh…what do you want me to do?" Serena asked with a frown.
"Nothing really, I just want you to go next booth and ask for an autograph for all 5 of us." Mina answered dismissively. "And to ask Seiya Kou to be your partner in the Spring Formal." She hid a smile as Serena exploded.0
"WHAT???!!! You're asking me to purposely humiliate myself in front of the Starlights?" Serena spoke in a hush shout.
Mina giggled. "Yup." Serena looked at the rest of her friends and found some of them hiding their amusement and casting her a challenging look. "If you wont do it, I'll tell Aunt Irene you had that detention." Mina tossed the threat.
"But what about Darien?" Serena asked trying to find a reason not to go through.
Mina waved her hand. "It's not as though he's going to say YES or anything and even if you're that lucky I know a little something to make Darien tag along." Mina spoke her expression triumphant.
"Oh yeah? What kind of secret is that?" Serena asked interested. Mina shook her head and pointed to the task at hand. "If you wont do it I'll tell your mother about that detention and of course you'll be grounded and you won't be able to meet with Darien." Mina added to get her going.
Serena gave a hopeless sigh. "You guys are so cruel." She mumbled as she purposely stand up and threw her pride away.
***
Serena put on a big smile to cover up her jittering nerves. "Hello." She spoke casually.
Seiya turned to the owner of the beautiful voice. "Hello." He answered giving her a charming smile.
"Would you mind signing this autographs for me and my friends?" Serena asked sweetly that Seiya and the others couldn't deny her wish.
After signing, "Umm………" Serena started unsure of how to go on.
"Is there anything else we could do for you?" Seiya asked graciously.
"Could you be my date for our Spring Formal?" Serena blurted her face warmin up as she began to redden.
Seiya was surprised but didn't show it, his smile not faltering. "As much as I would like to escort a beautiful lady such as yourself… (Serena's blush intensified) we are asked to sing for that dance and I fear I won't be much of a partner." Seiya spoke smoothly.
"Oh, that's okay." Serena answered not able to hide her relief. "Thank you for the autographs." She said brightly as she strode over back to their table.
Mina and Lita instantly tried to grab them.
"Now don't go telling my mother okay?" Serena spoke scowling.
"You'd think I'd ever rat on my best friend?" Mina asked mockingly and hugged the autograph close to her chest.
Serena groaned.
***
Walking home, Serena mentally sighed. Wondering if he was really coming or not, his e-mail had been impersonal and brief as though he had been in a hurry. Truthfully, Serena was a bit scared in meeting him again, afraid of the changes that would surely be there. "I guess I'll find out on Wednesday." Serena thought.
They last met 3 years ago and had sent each other mails, letters and talked on the phone for the remaining years but strangely this last year it had stopped. No calls, letters whatsoever. Until of course the recent one last month saying that he'd be arriving and staying for a couple of days.
"Are things going to be different Darien? I know that I had somehow changes but basically stayed the same. What about you?" The question voiced out in her thoughts. Then suddenly a determined thought entered her mind. "I don't care how many changes happened to you Dar, I wont let anything change between us. When you come, I'm going to pretend that everything is the same as it had been, as though you have been here all those years with me. Even if I have to lie in gritted teeth." Serena thought firmly.
***
Wednesday 12:00 p.m. Serena sat at the Crown Arcade getting nervous. She glanced at the watch… 5 more hours. She sat and sat and waited. She had worn her new sleeveless tank top but brought a jacket in case the night air gets too cold, her jeans was low waist and she wore a cute belt around it.
Serena leaned against the chair and placed her head unto the table atop her hands. She was dreaming about what their reunion would be like. When the door opened, she looked up instantly. Disappointment on her eyes, she gave a slight smile instead. Then she glanced at the watch again. 3:00.
"Hey Ames." Serena greeted as her friend sat beside her.
"Waiting for Darien?" Amy inquired with a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Yeah."
"You know, before he left…I always thought that you guys would become a couple first." Amy spoke knowingly.
"We did." Serena spoke dully.
"You told me the truth remember? That it was just a game so that you'd be left alone. So are you saying now that it was real?" Amy asked smiling.
"No." She answered absentmindedly glancing at the clock yet again for the hundredth time already. Amy stopped talking sensing her friend's anxiety.
The clock turned and then it the clock chimed 4. Rei, Lita and Mina also joined them. The arcade doors opened, Serena looked up and found the famous Starlights instead and a couple of their friends they brought along. Seiya's eyes surveyed the arcade and settled at her, he flashed her a smile and Serena returned it shyly.
Mina squealed Rei, Lita and Amy eyed her with a bit of jealousy while teasing her about it. The doors opened gain, this time Serena didn't look up instantly knowing that there was at least 30 minutes left before 5:00. Loud talking was heard at Seiya's table, Mina and Amy's gasp made her turn around questionably.
Serena's eyes widened. A tall good-looking man, with jet-black hair and lean build was turned away from her. She recognized him instantly.
"DARIEN!" Serena squealed running towards him.
Darien turned around irritated wondering if it were those annoying women again. When he turned, his breath got caught in his throat. She was clearly beautiful and was running towards him with poise, but what made him stare was the achingly familiar twinkle in her eyes that he had sorely missed. He racked through his mind searching for a name.
Serena wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug.
The contact sizzled him making him stiffen. Darien was flustered as the woman pressed her body close to him and he was just standing there awkwardly.
Serena broke free for a moment and looked up at him seeing the confusion in his eyes. "You don't remember me?" Serena wailed her lips in that same cute little pout.
And then it suddenly dawned on him, "Who would have such the courage to hug him Darien Chiba in a public place? And of course how could he forget those brilliant sapphire blue eyes and golden blonde hair, not to mention those cherry red lips and that recognizable pout?"
"Serena?" Darien choked, a smile appearing in his usual stoic face. He slowly hugged her as well making his companions stare.
Seiya was studying them carefully and Andrew was grinning ear-to-ear. Serena grinned as he remembered her, she let go again and studied him carefully making Darien fight a blush that would sorely damage his reputation. Serena gave him a quick peck in the lips, which left him somewhat startled.
"Welcome back Darien." Serena whispered her face lightened and she was grinning.
Author's notes: Review please! It would be greatly appreciated. Any ideas and suggestions would be welcome. ^-^