Hey everyone, I know my writing style has changed from the beginning of the story… and if you dislike it, I'm sorry. But I just can't help it. Anyways, here is a long awaited chapter, and another will follow hot on its heels as it is already half-written and will most likely be finished by the time the first of you read this.

Love you all, and thanks for your patience.

Galene

Chapter Ten

The next day, Usagi woke up to the very pleasant sight of a half-naked room mate rummaging through his dresser for a clean dress-shirt, and promptly blushed bright red before rolling over to face the wall. 

"Oh, so you're awake now" Darien commented walking towards her bed, "I was afraid I was going to have to enlist the help of a cold bucket of water"

"You wouldn't dare" Usagi hissed, eyes flashing as she met his gaze.

"Oh wouldn't I?"

"Don't even think about it"

"aw, but it's too late for that, I've already thought about it… images of you soaking wet, sheets clinging…"

"Pervert"

"Hey, I'm not the girl in a boy's school"

Usagi continued to glare at him muttering "jerk" under her breath as she stumbled into the washroom where she promptly shut the door on the sounds of her room mate's wild laughter.

She emerged fifteen minutes later, all aspects of her disguise in place, set on scolding her room mate for his immature behaviour, to find him on the phone, and looking more than a little uncomfortable.

Raising an eyebrow in inquiry Darien made a shooing motion with his hand indicating his desire for her to go to breakfast with out him.

Shrugging, she did just that, her ears perked for any clues as to who was on the other end of the line.

"What? You don't have to come for me… no, no, no, I'm not avoiding you" she heard him stutter just as she closed the door.

So, he's not always the calm cocky ladies man he makes himself out to be… the blonde thought with a secretive little smile.

Classes that day dragged on like never before. Usagi was finding it extremely difficult to concentrate as her thoughts kept turning to ideas of how to escape the ball unscathed, and her lines in the play.

Darien also felt his mind wandering, except his problems were arguably more severe. His parents had sent him another letter outlining the importance of the annual ball, and requested that he acquaint himself with some suitable young ladies.

Suitable meaning, wealthy, well connected, and if possible beautiful, as in the eyes of his parents, it was his duty to be engaged, if not married before his twenty-fourth birthday.

Then matters had gotten even worse when the heiress to the Van Horn fortune had called, the two had known one another for a long time, and had even dated. Darien knew that she liked him, a lot, and that both his, and her parents would be overjoyed at a marriage merging their family businesses. Unfortunately, the young lady in question was exceedingly proud of her wealth, and had a bad habit of treating those with less money than her like dirt, a habit that seriously rubbed Darien the wrong way.

In truth he was totally stuck, and so when he returned to his room later that night he paid his room mate no mind, opting to go straight to bed.

His unusual behaviour didn't help to ease Usagi's curiosity, instead raising more questions as to what was going on with him.

But she didn't ask, it wasn't really her place, and so instead she called up Minako to tell her about the ball in the hopes that her good friend would be able to find some-way help her out.

The day for the ball continued to approach, and as it did Darien became quieter and quieter as he retreated further within himself. Though, Usagi had to admit he was putting up as good front, he talked and joked with the other guys, but when they returned to their room she could tell that he was brooding. Questions as to what was bothering him only seemed to drive him deeper into his shell. His refusal to answer only flamed her curiosity as more and more frequently she would find him on the phone, or carefully pouring over a letter, but she still didn't receive any answers as he silence her curious glances with a penetrating look that clearly said It's none of your business

Ms. Beaufleur on the other hand was becoming increasingly eccentric. The play was all she thought about, and she would exclaim with increasing frequency how "little" time they really had left, little being all of five months before dress rehearsals became an absolute must. Though the most bizarre part of all was how frantic she was in her search for perfection. She truly was a slave driver with four-ten hour practices every-other day, and insistence that the understudies and leads practice everyday with their assigned partners. Another bizarre thing, one that Usagi was intensely grateful for was her insistence that she and Jordan not partake in any sort of intimacy. She felt it would ruin the mood as in the play they were strangers until that first night, although Jordan, who did not agree with their instructress, was becoming persistent in his advances.

"So, Brandon, are you going to the Winter Ball?" Jordan questioned rushing to catch up with her as she left the drama room.

"I wasn't planning on it" Usagi/Brandon replied subtly trying to remove her hand from his.

"Why not?" he pouted

"Well, I was going to go home early seeing as the ball is after exams and all…"

 "But... you should stay, it'll be fun… Right Darien?" Jordan gushed looking for some support. Unfortunately he picked the wrong person, as said person wasn't even paying attention and therefore just answered with a half-hearted,

"Yea…"

Jordan however leaped on his agreement, "see Darien agrees with me, you should stay!"

Usagi heaved a suffering sigh, "but I really wanted to get home early…"

"Aw, please" here Jordan tried his hand at puppy eyes,

Usagi groaned

"Come on, if you stay I'll go to the dance with you and protect you from all the big, bad girls"

"Look Jordan, I'm sorry but I can't"

"Why not" he whined

"My friend is coming to pick me up right after exams, and then I am going back to their place over break"

Sighing in disappointment Jordan let the matter drop muttering "fine" under his breath as he stalked off down the hall in the opposite direction.

As she watched him go Usagi felt a little bad, but it was true, she really couldn't go to the dance, well, at least not as a boy… as Minako was coming up so that they could go together just like she had promised.

Besides, she really didn't want to go there as a boy and risk having girls not only a) flock all over her and try to figure out what she was the heir to and b) realize that the person they thought was a he, was really a she.

(was going to end it here, but decided to add the rest as a little teaser)

School continued on as normal, with stressed teens studying for exams, and over worked drama members struggling to stay awake in early morning classes.

Things were still a little off between Usagi and Darien, as he was still hiding something from her, and she was having trouble hiding how much his unwillingness to talk to her about his problems hurt, but she had mentally decided to give him some space, after all she really didn't have any right to know seeing as they were only friends. But, the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't help realizing that she knew next to nothing about him, except that he loved drama, was wealthy, intelligent, and good looking to boot. (she also had a suspicion that many of those calls and letters had to do with his parents desire for him to marry a particular someone. Of course that was all speculation and tidbits that she'd picked up off of other friends and eaves-dropping).

Soon enough the weight of exams hit leaving the girl little time to think of anything other than the wonders of factual data required for passing her courses. She spent hours cramming as much as she could into her brain, and when she wasn't cramming, she was talking to Minako ensuring that the last few details of their plan was in place, right down to the exact spot in which she was going to wait for Usagi to emerge from the depths of the school.

"you sure you got it? Front lounge, beside the central fireplace"

"yea, usa for the thousandth time I know where I'm going"

"great, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then around 4?"

"yea, yea, now go and study you dough-brain god knows you'll need to"

"hey! I'm only hopeless in math"

"and science…"

"ergh.. bye I'll see you tomorrow"

"sure thing hun, see ya"

Winter ball and more on Darien's dilemma coming up in the next chapter. Also Usagi and Minako's adventures at the dance… aka how Darien finds out who he really is infatuated with.

(ponders) will anyone review… or was I being too long and evil with my updating :P

galene