Sorry about the long wait, and i'm sorry but this isn't a new chapter, i just changed the end, because it wasn't working for me.

CHAPTER 13

She ran, quickly, as if the hounds of hell were on her heels. She didn't look back, arms frantically pushing aside bodies as she struggled through the crowd, not hearing Mina's frantic exclamations, or Darien's desperate calls. She just had to get away from the embarrassing situation, and more importantly from the mild disgust that had flitted over his face before the shock fully replaced it.

How could I have been so foolish? She asked herself, ignoring the salty wetness of her tears as she finally reached the elevator. "why didn't I … oh lord, I don't know" she muttered finger forcefully pushing the button that would take her closer to the only safe place she could think of, ironically, her and Darien's room.

Meanwhile the best friend and the crush raced after her. Only to come skidding to a halt as they waited for the elevator to return.

It was awkward.

Minako was giving Darien the evil eye, her gaze intense enough to make even the most stoic of people (i.e. Heero Yuy) shiver in fear.

Darien for his part was terrified of what she would do next. In his experience with girls, he had seen Minako's type before. The best friend chief protector, mother hen, secret Amazon warrior armed with shaming words and deadly body parts that always seemed to unerringly strike at the weakest places on a male physique. The girl before him was equivalent to a one-woman army.

They each took a deep breath as the tension built between them. Then just as Minako turned, with what Darien assumed to be scathing words on the tip of her tongue, the elevator chimed, doors magically sliding open in answer to his silent pleas.

Thank god! Open sesame really does work

They were off again, into the lift's small cavern.

One look at the accompanying blonde's face and the raven-haired man wondered at his own stupidity.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire the analogy came to mind as he realized his suicidal move from a place where he could at least run if necessary to being completely trapped.

Dear lord, please don't have a malfunction occur.

She looked at him, and smiled a slightly demonic smile.

"So, you are the infamous Darien are you?" were the first words from her mouth.

He gulped, nodding his head, as there was no chance that he would be able to form coherent words past the lump in his throat.

"I see…" she commented in reaction to his agreement, her eyes once again scanning over him as if for some apparent weakness.

"So, how do you feel about my friend?"

He gulped, mind scrambling for words on how to answer this loaded question even as his eyes flicked to the floor-indicator.

"Uhh… she's a good friend, great room mate"

Minako's eyes narrowed at his elusive response

"You do know that if you hurt my friend I'm going to have to …."

Darien laughed nervously as he stuttered, "now, now, let's not do something we'd both regret"

The blonde grinned, a decidedly superior smile, one that told him that she wouldn't be the one regretting something if anything had happened to Usagi.

"Mmm, whatever you say" she commented, just as she stepped out of the now open elevator doors, leaving an extremely nervous young man to follow in her wake.

By this time, Usagi had successfully barricaded herself in the bathroom, and was oddly enough hiding in the small space between the toilet and the bathtub with a towel over her head.

It was perhaps a cliché place to disappear to, but it was effective seeing as the bathroom door had its own lock.

Thus, both roommate and friend entered the room to find it empty, their eyes immediately and nearly simultaneously straying to the tightly shut bathroom door before straying back to each other.

It was in that instant that Minako made a decision and allowing her expression to soften pushed Darien forward saying,

"She better not run out of here in tears" before turning around to walk back into the hallway, politely closing the door behind her.

Alone, the raven-haired man let out a sigh of relief before crossing the space between the two doors.

Unsure of what else to do he rapped lightly and called,

"Usagi, are you all right in there?"

Within her towel tent, Usagi uncurled slightly, enough to let out a slightly muffled but still clear,

"Go away"

"Usagi, I'm not going anywhere. We, we need to talk about this"

A long period of silence was his only reply, as within the bathroom the huddled blonde thought seriously about what she wanted, barely hearing him as he urged

"Please, I really think we need to talk. I want to know what happened, why you ran away"

Usagi contemplated within the bathroom's safety, her mind jumping back and forth like a yo-yo from one possibility to another as she left Darien at a loss in the outer room.

What should I do? She asked herself, her heart beating painfully fast within her breast

On the other side of the door from the contemplating blonde, Darien was sitting on his bed, feeling more than a little lost.

He thought that everything was fine between them. Sure, he was shocked to find out that she was the girl he had danced with both times, but it was more of a shock to the way he had reacted. A reaction that in his mind was wrong due to the circumstances and now knowing who his mystery girl was he was focused on making things right between them and nothing more.

Just as Darien was about to speak once again the bathroom door cracked open revealing Usagi's tear-streaked face.

"You came out" he commented causing the blonde to laugh lightly, even as she moved to sit down on her bed.

"Yea, I… I figured we should talk"

Darien handed her some Kleenex waiting until she had wiped the tearstains from her cheeks

"There, is that better?" Usagi questioned, revealing her still puffy eyes, but dry face for his inspection.

"Much" he replied, allowing a moment of silence to build up before finally asking the question that had been eating at him.

"Why did you run away?"

Her mind erupted into complete chaos. His question, how did one answer something like that? It was loaded, if she told the truth he could hate her, if she lied he would know.

"Please Usagi; just, just tell me what this is all about."

She continued to gaze at him, still a little panicked as she asked, "do you hate me?"

Darien gazed at her in shock, "hate you?" he repeated bemused at her nod. "No, no Usagi, I don't hate you."

The blonde visibly relaxed before him, "good" she whispered more for herself than for him.

"Now would you please tell me what this is all about?"

Usagi didn't respond, bending her head to look at her hands, which she had placed in her lap.

"I, I…" she couldn't say it, the words they wouldn't come out

The raven-haired man sighed, asking perhaps a little too bluntly "do you like me?"

The girl cringed, as her head shot up, eyes frantically meeting his.

"Your friend, Minako… she made it seem like you might," he continued sounding a little more confident as he gazed upon her, compelling eyes demanding an answer.

Usagi licked her lips, nervously wringing her hands in her lap, as she babbled, "Please don't be mad, I'm already embarrassed about what I did... but I've kind of had a crush on you for a long time. And then when we danced at the club I knew that I liked you more than I thought, but I didn't think you'd like me back, or notice me or anything…I didn't know what else to do…"

He moved closer, until he was standing over her commenting

"Shut up Usagi" cutting off her babble, before silencing any protestations she may have made for his rudeness by gently placing his lips against hers.

Usagi melted against him, mouth opening under his assault, tongue caressing his in a play for dominance, until they finally pulled apart gasping for air.

They sat like that for some time, his thumb gently stroking the back of the hand that had somehow made it into his grasp. They didn't look at each other, Usagi not sure what was going on, as her chest heaved and her heart raced, Darien waiting until he had caught his breath before he used his free hand to lift her chin to look at him.

"Don't worry Usagi" he began with a smile, "I like you too."

Hey everyone, sorry fornot actually updating.It will come soon!

Galene