First Encounter

Chapter 2

By: hitomikun

Note before reading:

writing stuffare the character's thoughts, ayt?

I would like to thank all the people who have taken the time - not to mention courage - to read yet another one of Darien/Serena ficcies that people seem to go gaga over. It means a lot to this writer, trust me on this, ayt? Thanks also for the people who've reviewed...you know who you are. Arigatou!

Disclaimer:

I am NOT a fan of plagiarism, ayt? If anyone out there has a similar story with the one you're about to read…it is PURELY by coincidence, ayt? Don't sue me…I'm an awfully poor college student…

And no…I do not – I repeat, DO NOT – own Sailormoon…but not for my lack of trying, that's for sure…the only thing that I DO own is the plot of this AU fic….nobody should steal it either…stealing is very BAD…enjoy…

Previously on Chapter 1:

"Serena," he started. "I'm not telling you this because I'm your friend and I want what's best for you, ayt?" he clarified. "I'm your boss and this is a direct order…am I understood Miss Collier?"

He looked at her with a menacing gleam in his eyes as he continued, "You better take my advice before I give in to this maniacal urge I've been recently having to fire your cute little butt and send you back home to your ma."

Serena sighed dolefully. "Yes, sir…" She smiled suddenly and looked at Cedric with a gleam of humor in her ocean blue eyes. "Can I call in on you from time to time to check on how things are going while I'm gone?"

Cedric could only let out a sigh of exasperation as he rolled his eyes with smile on his face. "Go and knock yourself out, kid."

Chapter 2: Not so Ordinary

It was another ordinary day for an ordinary man.

Or so Darien had thought.

His ordinary day had ended the moment he had stepped out of his car and into the pedestrian lane…only to have a head-on collision with a woman loaded with cup of steaming hot espresso.

Glancing ruefully at the now wet part of his three piece suit, Darien muffled a silent curse while attempting to salvage what was left with a handkerchief he had tucked in his breast pocket.

:And to think today's just Monday: he thought with a grimace as he looked at the woman who bumped into him with contempt and distaste evident in his green eyes.

:What a way to start another week! I knew there was a reason Beryl wanted me to stay in bed.:

The woman he held in contempt reached out a hand to help him wipe the espresso off and stopped dead in her tracks at the cold glare Darien cruelly subjected her to.

"No, thank you," he said to her tersely. "I think you've done enough damage for one day." He turned his back on her and chose to ignore her as he continued wiping his suit.

"I am so sorry," Serena contritely told the man whom she had bumped into and clumsily spilled her espresso on. "I didn't realize where I was going," she added as an afterthought when said man turned his back on her.

"Well, you should have!" the man bit out over his shoulder. "You can't just expect people to clear the way for you when you go off daydreaming about God knows what. That's not the way the universe works, princess…" he placed a sarcastic tone on the last word to relay the fact that he thought of her as anything but.

:Some people just aren't content with a simple apology these days…:

She cringed internally at the murderous glare she received.

:I admit it was my fault but is it really necessary for him to go over board:

"…have I made myself clear, meatball head?"

"Huh?" She hadn't realized that he had spoken when she launched into another one of her internal conversations.

The guy opposite to her ground his teeth in sheer frustration and dropped his hands, abandoning the idea of resurrecting his suit. He turned around to pin Serena with his ice blue gaze. "I said, meatball head, can you possibly be kind enough to tell me where the nearest drycleaner is? I have a very important business meeting in–" he paused to look at his watch, " –15 minutes and I don't want to be late and wet."

:Meatball head Am i gearing right or did i just hear him call me meatball head:

It took Serena about 3.5 seconds before she could come up with a reply. "Who the hell are you to call me meatball head, buster!" she proclaimed indignantly, unaware of the baffled gazes passersby were casting their way.

He pointed a finger at her. "Why, you of course." He looked around him before he continued. "Who else in this planet has a pair of meatballs stacked on top of their head, huh?"

"Why I oughta– " A red flush dominated Serena's features as she fought to keep her temper in check for both of their sakes.

She narrowed her eyes on him and tightened the reigns on her impending urge to box his ears till he was bloodied and she was satisfied.

:I've got three choices…ONE: I kick Mr. Arrogant's pathetic butt and walk away, TWO: I get Mr. Conceited what he wants and THEN kick his poor excuse of a butt, THREE: I sneakily undo his pants for all the world to see and cause him total annihilation slash humiliation..:

"Let's just forget the insult tossing, ayt? I reallyneed to find a drycleaner ASAP if I want to keep my job, meatball head."

A blonde eyebrow rose. :That's it! I go with option number three:

"This is your fault, after all," he reminded her.

"Like I care about your job!" She bit out with dripping sarcasm.

He narrowed his gaze at her and crossed his arms despite the fact of his front suit being wet. "Well, you should, meatball head, don't you have a conscience or something or is a conscience something a meatball head like you is incapable of acquiring?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" With that said, she discarded the idea of undoing his pants and stalked off in the opposite direction instead

:Undoing his pants would be a difficult feat anyways and besides, he might think I'm a perv or something…UGH:

Darien sauntered after her. "Let's see how your conscience will feel when you find out that you've cost one man his one and only job just because said man happens to run VERY late on a VERY important meeting due to some MEATBALL HEAD'S insistence on not being called such, thus leading to the heart of the matter: meatball head not giving said man directions to the nearest drycleaner."

When he finished his little number, he had to fight to keep a straight face at the sight of her blank expression. "Come again?"

Darien could only sigh. "Just take me to the nearest drycleaner around here and I'll pretend this never happened, ayt? This is your fault, or have you forgotten?"

"Hey, I said I was sorry!" she apologized again. "What more do you want?"

"If everything could me made up for with a simple apology, what good are the police going to be?" He raised his hand in the air when he saw Serena open her mouth with another comeback. "Listen, I'm freezing in this suit and I have no intentions of getting hyperthermia and putting my future at risk." He smiled when he saw her eyes look at his midsection and turn away blushing at his double entendre.

"So, are you gonna help me, or not?" he asked her for the nth time that day.

"Wait just a sec…" She looked around her and searched for a nearby drycleaner.

She couldn't find any.

Aside from the fact that she had just moved into the city 3 months ago, she hadn't spent much time exploring in the great outdoors since she was always swamped with work, which makes her apartment absolutely useless due to the fact that she spends most of her time locked up in her office – which is practically more of a home than her apartment would ever be.

It's not her fault she didn't know which way was north or south in good old Tokyo, let alone a drycleaner in the middle of nowhere. Not to mention that she absolutely flunked geography way back in high school.

:Where's a map when I need one:

Serena might not know the locality very much but she did, however, know that they were standing just a couple of meters away from the apartment she was staying with a friend.

:I'm sure Mina'd be very proud of me. It's not everyday I bring a man home with me…heck , I never bring a man home with me; even if it's to clean him up.:

Serena looked at 'espresso guy' and forced herself not to laugh at his obvious discomfort at having been dumped with what was supposed to be her early morning beverage.

"I don't know any nearby," she started apologetically. "I'm not even sure if there is one around here." She snatched the handkerchief he had been using and snuffed it in her coat pocket. She proceeded to take hold of his hand and drag him towards her apartment. "But I do live near here, so maybe we can kill two birds with one stone. You," she added as she looked at him over her shoulder, "can clean yourself while I run your suit in the washing machine."

Darien let out a sigh of exasperation as he continued to let himself be dragged by the petite blonde towards her apartment.

:Why am I even making a big deal out of having my suit cleaned? I have a bunch of new ones in my office, for Pete's sake! Why do I need to go to her apartment, of all places:

Thinking on this, he let his eyes roam appreciatively over the blonde's form.

:Not bad.: he thought with a hint of naughtiness in his eyes at the sight of her long lean legs coming out from underneath her pink mini skirt.:Not bad at all…:

He stifled a chuckle at the sight of the two buns – meatballs; he preferred to call them – on top of her head; contradicting nicely to her mature figure, giving her a hint of childishness that he found quite endearing. He gazed in amazement at how fluidly she still managed to move as if the ends of those meatballs of hers were not a problem to her at all.

:How does she do it without stepping on them and knocking herself over:

He looked up and just in time to discern the name of the hotel she was taking him to and he held back a smile.

:This is a first time, that's for sure. I'm usually the one to drag women to places like these, not the other way around.:He let his eyes roam leisurely over her frame once again. :But then again, I'm not complaining now, am I:

hitomi-kun's notes:

O.o Will this turn into a lemon? Hmm…I was giving it some thought , actually and…NO, people, this will not be a lemon…unless I feel inspired enough to write one…hell, I can't even write another decent chapter…I'm having another episode of writer block, I'm afraid…but I WILL update soon…as soon as I have my muse again, that is…again, if you have any comments to make – be they negative, positive or whatever – please don't hesitate to inform me, ayt? Tell me your thoughts – I want to know how I'm doing so far…PLEASE? . o.O