A/N: A slightly awkward chapter. Please forgive me. Thank you SO MUCH for all your reviews.

Disclaimer: The day I own Sailor Moon is the day someone knocks Daniel Radcliffe out of his #1 spot on my List of Hot Guys – NEVER!

I Don't Want You To See

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear as a silver bell. Noontime found Darien Shields sitting in a stool at Motoki's counter.

"What was up with the girls yesterday?" asked Motoki, propping his elbows on the polished countertop in front of Darien. "They asked me if I'd seen Serena – "

Darien's body seemed to tense. "What did you tell them?"

"Just that I'd seen her with you earlier." Motoki handed him a frosty glass of soda.

"Did you specify when when you said earlier, or was that the exact term you used?"

"Whoah, whoah, whoah." Motoki blinked suspiciously. "Down, boy. I said earlier. Why are you so worked-up?"

"You'd be worked up too, if a witch like Rei was after you." Darien tapped his finger on the countertop. "I had no idea she could be so malicious."

Motoki looked alarmed. "Why? What happened?"

"Nothing notably significant. She was just criticizing Serena again… I had always assumed it was just the normal teasing – like I do, you know? But Rei seems to genuinely dislike Serena."

"Then why does she hang out with her?"

"That is the question I've been pondering all morning," Darien answered pensively, rubbing his jaw with the heel of his hand. "I also want to know why the Odango lets Rei walk all over her."

"Why don't you ask her?" Motoki nodded towards the doors. "Here she comes now."

Darien swiveled around in his stool to watch the blonde underclassman pick her way through the arcade to the counter. He frowned, trying to read her mood, but her tripping skip and bright smile were as cheerful as ever.

"Good morning!" she sang out, sliding into a stool beside Darien. "Motoki, may I have a chocolate-banana milkshake, please?"

"Of course, Serena-chan." Motoki beamed at her and turned to fill up a shake glass.

"You're early for a Saturday, Odango," commented Darien. "Awake before two? What's the occasion?"

"Ha ha, Darien." Serena leaned forward and snagged a straw from Motoki's apron pocket, then tapped Darien's nose with it. "That joke eventually gets old, you know."

"Yet it never fails to amuse me." Darien batted aside her straw with his own, smirking. "Are you doing anything with the girls today?"

"Me and Lita might go shopping." Serena accepted her milkshake from Motoki with a grin of thanks. "Why? You planning on stalking me?"

"Speaking of jokes that get old…" muttered Darien.

"Hey, Serena, if you do see Lita, could you give her this from me?" Motoki fished a flyer out of his pocket. "It's for a karate competition next week – I thought she or Ken might be interested in it."

Serena took the flyer gleefully. "Cool! Thanks, Motoki, I know Lita's been itching for a chance to kick some butt without getting in trouble. I'll give it to her." She pocketed the light green slip of paper.

"Giving that to you reminds me…" Motoki's brows scrunched together as he began rooting around in his pocket again. "Now, Darien, I know you're not gonna wanna read this, buddy, but just give her a chance – "

Darien's face darkened. "Another one?"

"Well – yeah." Motoki withdrew his hand from his pocket, holding a small white envelope dotted with heart stickers. "Miho Hiyoko – you know, the cheerleader who dyed her hair blonde a couple weeks ago? – she brought it in really early this morning and asked me to give it to you."

"Why did she dye her hair blonde?" piped up Serena, looking concerned by the expression on Darien's face.

"Uh – well – " Motoki cast an uncertain look at Darien, who stared back at him stonily, then stood and strode stiffly to the garbage can. "I, uh, have no idea…"

"Wait!" cried Serena suddenly. "Darien, what are you doing?"

Darien glanced back at her. "Throwing this away."

"You're – what?" Serena's blue eyes held disappointment. "You're…not even going to open it?"

"No."

"But – why not?"

"Because," answered Darien impatiently, as though this was a reasonable answer.

"She probably spent hours trying to figure out what to write in that!" said Serena, gesturing at the heart-spattered envelope. "You can't just throw away her hard work like that! Not without at least reading it!"

"Fine. You want someone to read it? Here." Darien tossed the letter to Serena, who caught it by the tips of her fingers, looking stunned. "Read it!"

Slowly, and with eyes still wide, Serena backed into her stool again. "But – "

"Read it."

With trembling fingers, Serena slit the envelope open. She cast one last pleading look at Darien – but quickly looked away when her eyes met his icy blue stare. She began to read.

Dear Darien,

You get like fifty of these a week (I know you do because I've watched all those sorry little underclassmen slip them into your locker), so you're probably pretty sick of reading them by now, but I promise to make this one worth your time.

I like you a lot. Maybe even more than like. You're gorgeous, sweet, smart, handsome, and all-around perfect. Sometimes it's all I can do to keep from throwing my arms around you and giving you a big wet one, right in the middle of Trigonometry class! The things I'd like to do to you – well, they can wait until we're married, I guess. ; )

Anyways – it would be really cool if you met me after you read this. I was thinking at the park, in front of that maze of rose bushes? And you can, you know, tell me how you feel, and then we can go to the movies and get some chow – and maybe go see the football game tonight! You'd get to see me in my cheerleading outfit… ; )

Love,

Your Secret Admirer (Miho-ko!)

A moment later, Darien saw Serena's pale throat swallow. She looked up from the piece of paper, and Darien noticed that she held it by the very edge. He smiled tightly.

"Are they…um…all like this?" Serena asked tentatively.

He nodded.

"…oh." She carefully laid the paper back down on the countertop, then folded her hands in her lap, looking down at them.

Silence reigned as Motoki pulled the letter towards him and scanned it. He looked up a moment later and announced, "Hey, this one's not that bad! Pretty full of herself, but – "

"You mean they get worse than that?" Serena's expression held incredulity and a tiny bit of disgust.

"Oh, yeah." Motoki pulled a face. "This one's pretty PG. I remember there was this one that was so explicit you wouldn't even hear those words in Health class – "

"I think that will suffice, Motoki," Darien cut in. He turned his eyes on the blonde next to him. "You understand now why I prefer to throw them away, Serena?"

"Well – but – they can't all be like that – " Serena protested in that earnest voice she had.

"Enough of them are that I don't bother with them anymore," answered Darien tightly. "So I'd appreciate it if you stopped making me feel like such a jerk."

"But – well, you at least need to go meet her at the park to tell her you're not going to go to the movies with her! The letter says she's already got tickets, you don't want her to waste them!"

"That's her own concern."

Serena's lips pursed as she stared up at him. "You know, I thought after we talked the other day…I thought you'd decided to…be nicer…"

"It's not like you've been working on your problem either, Odango," Darien shot back defensively. "Remember last night?"

Serena flinched. Darien, watching her stare suddenly at her hands again, abruptly blew out a frustrated exhalation and shoved a hand into his dark hair.

"Fine!"

"Fine what?" said a bewildered Motoki, who had tried and failed to follow the argument that had just transpired.

"Fine, I'll go to the damn park," snapped Darien. "But you're coming with me, Odango, sinceyou're the one who feels so passionately that I'm obligated to do it."

A voice called Serena's name as they passed the crowded playground. Serena spun, her streamers of blonde hair slapping Darien's neck.

"Yo, Serena!" The voice called again, and they both quickly spotted the familiar mop of shaggy brown hair.

"Hey, Chad!" called Serena happily, waving at the young man pushing the little boy on the swings.

Chad waved back. "You lookin' for Rei – oof!" His distraction had caused him to get smacked in the face by the swinging kid he had been pushing. He plowed backwards into the mulch and immediately sprang to his feet, guffawing loudly to hide the red spreading across his face. "I'm okay, I'm okay!"

Darien hid a smile. Serena looked anxious. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm cool!" Chad stood woozily. "So you're lookin for Rei?"

"Nope, just taking a walk. See ya, Chad!"

"Have fun, dudette." Chad returned to pushing the kid.

Serena threw him another wave and continued on with Darien.

"He really is hopeless," commented Darien as the shrill laughter and shrieks of joy from the playground faded away behind them.

"Not hopeless, just hapless." Serena trailed her fingers across the leaves of the bushes lining the path's edge. "But he doesn't give up. I think that's really cool."

Darien lifted an eyebrow. "Are you sure you don't nurse some secret affection for him?"

Serena laughed. "Oh, no! Me and Chad are way too alike for that! We'd end up beating each other black and blue between both of our klutz attacks. Besides, he likes Rei, and I like someone else."

Darien watched with thinly veiled interest as Serena's blue eyes darkened. "Motoki?"

"No!" Serena exclaimed, laughing again. Her eyes had lightened once more. "Motoki's like my brother! I know too much about him to want to date him."

"So you're saying that you'd prefer to date someone you aren't very well-acquainted with?"

Serena gave him an odd look. "No, I just mean that I know enough about Motoki to know that he and I aren't very compatible as…um…more than friends."

"Ah. Good."

"Why?" Serena looked supicious now.

"Because for a minute it sounded like you only dated guys you don't know very well – which is a bad foundation for a lasting relationship."

"Uh-huh." Serena folded her arms. "And what do you know about relationships, Darien? Mr. Block of Ice who throws away girls' slaved-over love letters and has never had a girlfriend in his life?"

A sardonic smile twisted Darien's lips. "You read that letter, Serena. Those girls don't know me, but they say they love me. What kind of words did Hiyoko use to describe me? Handsome, smart, sweet? The first two describe me, certainly, but they don't prove that she knows me at all. And to say I'm sweet – would you say that I'm sweet, Serena?"

Serena, eyes wide, slowly shook her head.

Darien's smile faded into a grimace. His voice softened. "Exactly. They don't know me, so they can't love me. I'm just glad that you realize that, Odango."

They walked in silence until Serena suddenly said, "I get where you're coming from."

He glanced over at her, slightly startled. He hadn't expected her to reply.

"But," continued Serena, "there's still the fact that the reason they don't know you is because you won't give any of them the chance. And that's never going to change if you don't start talking to some of them, or at least read their letters."

"I don't want to read them. The vast majority of those letters just sound like glorified proposals for the romance novels they sell at the grocery store – you haven't read the worst of them, Serena!"

"I stick to what I said before," said Serena stubbornly. "They can't all be like that. So just start reading them, and if they start to say something you don't like, then you can throw them out. But at least give them a chance."

"Why should I?"

"Why should you?" Serena rubbed her eyes, her mouth trembling slightly. "I don't know, Darien. The only one who can answer that question is you. But I remember what you told me, you said that you don't want to just be someone, you to be someone to someone. News flash, that's NEVERgoing to happen if you keep treating people like their feelings don't exist."

Darien scowled. "Now you're making me sound like Rei."

"Yeah," murmured Serena softly. "I noticed that, too. Oh, look, we're here!"

Darien's head jerked up from where he had been half-glaring, half-squinting down at Serena's face. Sunlight spiraled into his eyes, and he lifted a hand to shield them.

At least a dozen couples milled around the huge, sprawling mass of rose bushes that composed the maze. There was only one person who stood alone, and she was near the maze's entrance, her bleached hair standing out like a sore thumb.

"Go." Serena's small hands pushed his back.

He dug his feet into the ground and twisted his head to glare down at her. "You're coming with me."

"You know what'll look like? Just go!"

"This was your idea!"

"Exactly! I did the work to come up with it, so you do the work to carry it out!" Serena shoved him again; he caught her elbow as he stumbled forward, dragging her with him.

Hiyoko's eyes landed on him before he could duck behind a tree. She let out a squeal that abruptly died on her lips as she spotted the small blonde whose arm Darien had a fierce grip on.

"Nice job, Shields!" grumbled Serena in his ear. "Now she's seen me, and this is gonna be a lot nastier!"

"If it's going to be so nasty, why don't we just leave?" Darien hissed back.

"Because she's headed right for us, and her legs are longer than mine!" Serena whispered, suddenly sounding rather frightened.

Darien rolled his eyes. Go figure that the Odango had to lose her nerve right now, just as Hiyoko came to a stop in front of them.

"Hello, Hiyoko-san," Darien said a measured tone.

"Oh, Darien, I told you can call me Miho!" chirped Hiyoko, her eyes rather obviously fastened on Serena. She bounced forward and pinched Serena's cheeks. "Is this your little sister? She's so cuuuuuuuuuute!"

Darien laughed. Serena kicked his shin. Her fear had evaporated in the face of such indignity.

"I am not his little sister!" she exclaimed shrilly, stomping her foot. "I'm a sophomore in high school! For goodness' sake, I'm in your Home Ec class, Hiyoko-san!"

"Oh!" Hiyoko giggled. "I didn't think it made sense that you would be related – after all, you're blonde, and Darien has such nice dark hair…"

"So did you," said Serena, still somewhat stiffly. "Why did you dye your hair, Hiyoko-san? It was such a pretty coffee color."

Hiyoko blinked and glanced to Darien, who was convulsing with repressed laughter, then back at Serena, clearly not knowing whether she should receive this statement as truth or sarcasm.

"Well…I…" she said helplessly.

"I think you should let your roots grow back in," said Serena sagely, nodding her head and pointing at the dark streaks extending from Hiyoko's scalp into her bleached wavy hair. She twisted around suddenly to glare at the shaking Darien. "Stop that, someone's going to think you're having a seizure and call 911."

Serena turned back to Hiyoko. "Sorry about that. I'll leave now. Darien has something he needs to say to you."

With that, she skipped off. Darien's laughter died abruptly, and he stared after her in shock.

"ODANGO!"

The only sign she made that she had heard was a wave she threw him over her quickly receding shoulder.

"Darien…is that…is she…?" Hiyoko's contorted expression suggested that she was torn between whether she should burst into tears or punch someone. "Your girlfriend?"

Darien made a face, then pulled out the letter, which Serena had so kindly stuffed into his pocket before flouncing off. He thrust it at Hiyoko.

"I don't reciprocate your sentiments," he said, then pivoted and broke into a run after Serena. He didn't want to see Hiyoko's face when she realized that she had been rejected. It would make him feel too…cruel. Did that mean that he was making progress?

"You mean you just ran off and left her there!" shrieked Serena. "Without even a – a – without even an explanation?"

"What was there to explain?" demanded Darien. "I don't like her. End of story."

They had returned to Square One – i.e., the arcade. Motoki rolled his eyes as he stood in front of them drying milkshake glasses.

"But now she's going to think that there's something wrong with her," protested Serena. "Girls have to be told why a guy's breaking up with them, otherwise they think it's their fault – "

"I did not break up with her!" bellowed Darien. "We weren't even dating!"

Serena snorted disgustedly and returned to her milkshake. "Boys."

Darien looked appealingly at Motoki. "Are you listening to this?"

"Does it look like I have anything better to do?" Motoki gestured around him. "Of course I'm listening."

"It was a rhetorical question," retorted Darien. "Stop trying to be smart."

"Stop bullying Motoki!" Serena kicked Darien's shin for what had to be the fifth time that day.

"Stop DOING that!" Darien's abused leg shot out to return to favor to Serena, but he aimed without taking Serena's abnormally short limbs into consideration and ended up kicking too low. His foot collided with the counter instead, and he let out a sharp moan before crumpling on the counter. Serena smirked.

"Sometimes being short comes in handy," she confided smugly to Motoki, who grinned and picked up a new glass.

A/N: Short, but somewhat necessary to the storyline. As usual, I lied when I said how long the story was going to be – expect at least three more chapters, I think. Serena and Darien's relationship is oscillating rather violently – I'm hoping that this chapter at least planted the seeds of stability. We'll probably see some Moon/Mask interaction next chapter.

I know that the letter wasn't really as forward as the characters made it out to be – I was kind of banking on the fact that the Japanese are usually very controlled when it comes to their emotions, and disapprove of over-affectionate overtures such as asking someone to call you "Miho-ko" when they don't even know you very well.