A/N: Oh my gosh, you guys! I'm so sorry! In Chapter Two, I made Serena say that she and Darien hadn't even been at the arcade the day before, but they HAD! I screwed up! I'm REALLY sorry, and I hope you don't mind too bad.
At any rate, before I start the new chapter, I think I need to straighten out something. (I think some of you are confused, cause I haven't written the story as clearly as it should have been.) Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars have already been found. They just haven't come into the story yet, because I haven't needed them to. Um, also, a lot of you guys have told me in your reviews that you prefer Serena to Serena, so I've changed the names in this chapter.
In this chapter, Ami and Rei are portrayed as sufferers of OCD and pyromania. If you take any offense at my portrayal of them, I am extremely sorry. In no way, shape, or form am I trying to insult or degrade people with pyromania or OCD.
Disclaimer: If I made a wish on the Holy Grail, would I own Sailor Moon?
Subject to Change
What if it's a youma? Darien's hands clenched as he sprinted past Serena and the principal towards the origin of the scream. I can't transform into Tuxedo Mask in front of Serena! She'll find out my secret identity!
Unbeknownst to Darien, Serena was thinking the same thing. Well…almost the same thing.
Oh my God! I can't transform in front of Darien! He'll see me NAKED!
(A/N: Strangely enough, neither of them thought to worry about the principal. I guess that's just what happens to people in the Sailor Moon universe who don't have Sailor Crystals.)
Finally, the trio rounded the corner of the office building. They were greeted by a sidewalk that was deserted except for a blue-haired girl sprawled, sobbing, across the concrete.
"Where's the youma? Where's the youma?" Darien panted, looking wildly about.
"AMI!" exclaimed Serena incredulously, ignoring the upperclassmen. She rushed to the weeping girl, grabbing her shoulders and lifting her up from the concrete. "Ami, what's wrong!"
"Oh…Serena…it's horrible," Ami hiccupped, sniffing and wiping tears from her eyes. "I…I stepped on a CRACK!" She dissolved into tears again, her shoulders heaving.
"Oh, my," sighed the principal, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Nurse!"
"Not again," muttered Darien, watching the two girls and shaking his head. "This is the fourth time this week. She's getting to be as bad as Serena!"
"Hey!" Serena's head jerked up. " I HEARD that!"
"Serena!" Ami hiccupped tearfully, peering mournfully up at her blonde friend. "Don't you CARE?" She sniffed. "Now my mom's going to break her back and be paralyzed for the rest of her life – and all you care about doing is yelling at DARIEN!"
"Miss Mizuno, you haven't taken your medication yet today, have you?" injected the nurse smoothly, arriving on the scene and leading a distressed Ami away by the elbow. "Here, you come along with me, dear, we'll clean you up – "
"But I broke my mommy's BACK!" Ami sobbed.
" – and we'll call the hospital so that you can talk to your mother and she can assure you that she's not paraplegic," finished the nurse soothingly. She threw a glance over her shoulder at Darien. "Remember, young man, wipe that hole with hydrogen peroxide every couple of hours. The bleeding should have stopped by this afternoon." She disappeared, dragging Ami behind her.
The principal massaged his sweat-sheened forehead and waved a hand at his secretary, the one who had screamed her lungs out at Serena and Darien. "Irma, could you go call my psychiatrist and tell him I'll be dropping in for an unscheduled appointment?"
Irma the pre-menstrual secretary rolled her eyes and stalked inside to make the phone call.
The principal turned his attention back to Darien and Serena. The blonde had reverted from her concerned friend mode to scared, trembling Serena rabbit mode, while the upperclassman maintained his aloof "I'm a genius, so you can't punish me" expression.
"I'm too tired to deal with the pair of you," said the poor man under the weight of Darien's superior stare. "Just – ah – a week's worth of detention. And make sure it doesn't happen again, Miss Tsukino!" he added, but was unheard above the jubilant squeal Serena let out.
""What are you so happy about?" demanded Darien. "He gave us a week of detention!"
"What's so bad about that?"
Darien shook his head and snorted. "I forgot that Odango Atamas like you are in detention everyday anyways. Oh well, that just means more time to make fun of you!"
"I think you forgot about something, Jerkwad," retorted Serena.
Darien smirked, crossing his arms over his uniform blazer. "And what would that be, Odango?"
"I'm still wearing high heels!"
STOMP!
"AAAAAARGGGHHHH!"
"Wait, so let me get this straight," said Rei incredulously, leaning across the table towards Serena. "You impaled Darien's foot with a seven-centimeter long stiletto-heeled shoe, and all you got was a week of detention?"
"Yup!" answered Serena cheerfully. She bent down and started rummaging in her bag. "Which reminds me…ah! Here they are!" She pulled out the pair of high heels in question and shoved them across the café table at Rei. "Thanks for lending them to me, Rei-chan!"
"Yeah, yeah," Rei grumbled in reply, and peered around surreptitiously before stuffing the shoes into her own schoolbag. If Luna found out that she had lent Serena Sailor Mars' high heels, she would have both of their heads.
"So, that's why Darien's not at the arcade today?" Rei asked, glancing at the empty counter at the front of the café, where Darien usually sat with his cup of highly caffeinated soda.
Serena shrugged. "How should I know anything about that egotistical cheesebrain?"
"Cheesebrain, huh? That's a new one."
Serena's face turned a furious shade of crimson as the "egotistical cheesebrain" slid into the booth beside her. Rei tilted her head, her eyes zoning in on the fiery hue, and wondered if she could make one of her Mars Fireballs turn that color. Ooh, it would be so pretty…
"Go away, jerk," Serena commanded, planting a hand on his arm and trying to shove him out of the booth. Her small hand was no match for gravity, however, and Darien just smirked at her futile attempt. Ami glanced up from her chemistry textbook .
"Be careful, Serena, you might get germs from him," she warned anxiously. "There's a new bacterial strain sweeping through suburban Tokyo, and…"
Ami babbled on, unnoticed by either Darien and Serena, who were engaging in a vicious match of thumb-war ("OUCH! Odango, you're not allowed to use your nails in a thumb-war! God, haven't you made enough holes in me for one day!") or Rei, on whose dazed face a dreamy smile was unfurling.
"Darien!" At the girls' table! Motoki nearly dropped the tray he was holding when he arrived at the girls' tables with the shakes they had ordered. "Uh…" His eyes traveled from the Serena and Darien's clasped hands, to Serena's face, to Darien's face, then back again. "Did I miss something?"
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Motoki!" Serena gasped, ripping her hand out of Darien's. "Me? With this jerk? Never!"
"You can say that again," said Darien, blowing on his injured hand. "That hurt, Odango Atama."
Serena stuck her tongue out at him.
Motoki, who had been in the process of setting a strawberry shake on the tabletop, jerked violently and turned to gape at them. Some pink ice cream slopped over the sides of the glass and landed on the table with a splat. The two enemies glanced at each other, then back at Motoki. "What?" they asked suspiciously.
"You…you just agreed on something!" Motoki exclaimed. "Oh, man, someone check the temperature down under!" He turned wildly to Ami and Rei. "Did you two just see that?"
Neither of the girls answered. Both seemed to be in a daze. Rei was staring intently at Serena – no, through Serena – and rubbing her hands together, while Ami was staring fixedly at the puddle of strawberry ice cream on the tabletop.
"Ah…" the bluenette said in a strangled voice, one cloudy blue eye twitching spasmodically. "cOuLd…sOmeBoDY…wIpE…tHAt…UP?"
"Oh!" Serena jumped up, snatching a napkin from the dispenser, and quickly did as her friend asked.
"Oh, thank you." Ami's shoulders slumped with relief. "That was driving me CRAZY!" She pulled out a disinfectant wipe and whistled as she swabbed the tabletop with it.
"Crazy is an understatement," muttered Darien. "Hey, what's up with your other friend, Odango? She looks like she's high!"
"Don't call me ODANGO!" hissed Serena, face flushing angrily again.
"AAAAHHHH! SO RED!" Rei jumped up and grabbed Motoki by the apron. "MOTOKI – MATCHES! WHERE MATCHES?"
Wide-eyed, Motoki fumbled frantically in his pocket and held out a book of them to Rei.
"MUST….MAKE…RED…FIRE!" Rei jumped off of Andrew and began laughing maniacally. She whipped out one match, then another, and another, until she held a whole bouquet of them in her fingers.
"Oh, my," murmured Ami. "Serena, I do believe Rei's having another of her fits again."
"Really?" Serena's teeth chattered, and definitely not from cold. She flinched as Rei leapt up and crouched on top of the table. "I couldn't tell."
"RED! RED! RED!"
Serena's eyes bulged as the chanting Rei thrust the matches and the matchbook three inches inch in front of her nose.
"RED! RED!"
Rei swiped the matches across the matchbox. They roared to life, and Serena shrieked, pressing herself back into the booth cushion until she could go no further.
"RED! RED!" Rei commanded, pushing the matches further towards Serena. Her eyebrows knit angrily. "RED! RED!"
"EEEEK!" Serena dove sideways, away from the flaming matches and the crazed Rei. She squeezed her eyes shut, burrowing into the softness of the booth cushion. "AMIIIIIIII, REI'S TRYING TO ROAST MEEEEE!"
Splash.
"It's alright, Serena, you can come out now." Ami's voice, logical and calm, spoke.
Serena cracked one eyelid open tentatively. "Are you…sure?"
"Hey, why am I all wet?" Rei asked confusedly, then gasped. "Oh my God, of all the days to wear white!"
Ami ignored Rei's panicked outburst and continued speaking. "Well, I'm sure Darien would let you stay if you really find his lap that comfortable – "
Serena shrieked and rocketed to the other side of the booth bench. Her hands covered her flaming face in mortification (which was a good thing, considering that Rei still had a few matches left in the matchbook), and she peeked through her fingers at Darien, who wore a smirk; Motoki, who couldn't have looked more shell-shocked even if he was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle; Rei, who had her arms wrapped around her chest and wore a murderous glare; and Ami, who had already gone back to reading her chemistry book.
"Oh my gosh," Serena moaned into her hands. "I did NOT just do that. That did NOT just happen to meeeee!"
"Uh, hello?" Rei's biting voice cut through Serena's wail. "You're not the one who's soaking wet and wearing a white shirt!"
"That's your own fault," Serena retorted, voice muffled by her fingers. "In case you hadn't noticed, you were trying to set my FACE on fire!"
"And your face is so red right now that it looks like her endeavor succeeded, Odango." Darien's voice joined in, dripping with amusement. "So, tell me, Odango, is my lap really that comfortable?"
"It is NOT!" Serena screeched, snatching a handful of napkins from the dispenser and flinging them at him. "Go AWAY!"
"What happened, Odango? You were so eager to be close to me a minute ago."
"It was either that or be turned into a human flambé!" Serena pounded his arm with her fists. "And If I was given the choice NOW, I'd choose the flambe!"
"Aw, you're just playing hard to get." The ebony-haired upperclassman smirked.
"Good God, would you two just get a ROOM, already?" snapped Rei. "Honestly, I don't see why I even bothered lending you those shoes, Serena. You two STILL find a way to flirt even after you've gored a hole in his foot."
"YOU gave her those weapons of mass destruction!" bellowed Darien, lunging.
Rei's eyes bulged, and she threw herself backwards, smushing against the back of the booth as her blonde friend (or victim? Or human sacrifice?) had done only moments before. Darien's outstretched hands hovered inches away from her throat. "Serena!" she yelped. "A little help here!"
"After that comment you just made about getting a room?" Serena snorted and thrust her nose in the air, folding her arms across her chest. "Dream on, Pyro."
"Really, you guys, this is getting out of hand," sighed Motoki as he watched Darien's attempt to choke Rei across the table, while Serena cheered both of them on. He had never known the blonde could be so sadistic. "Ami, can't you do anything about them?"
The blue-haired genius shot him a skeptical look. "The odds of my succeeding in breaking up a fight between Serena and Darien are precisely three billion, two hundred seventy-three million, four hundred and sixty five."
"So…I'm guessing that's a no, then?"
"It's a no," confirmed Ami. She regarded her vanilla milkshake for a moment. "Hey, Motoki, you guys do pressure-wash these shake glasses, right?"
Four hours later:
"Hey, watch it, Odango Atama!" Darien dodged an ice cube and shot her a venomous scowl.
"Sorry," Serena gasped out, giggling. She darted behind Motoki with a squeal as Darien picked up Motoki's broom and spun it around expertly. "I was aiming for Rei, promise!"
Darien rolled his eyes. "Yeah, just like you didn't mean to step on my foot, you just tripped!" He lunged with the broom.
Serena squealed and hid her face in the back of Motoki's shirt. Darien fell face-first on the tile as he tripped over the foot Ami had innocently stuck out. Rei shrieked triumphantly, slapping Ami five. Ami promptly whipped out another disinfectant wipe and scrubbed her palm with it.
"Eat linoleum, Jerkwad!" Serena cheered into Motoki's shirt.
"Uh…Usa?" Motoki twisted around to look down at the blonde head pressed into his back and shaking with smothered laughter. "It's getting dark outside…aren't your parents going to be worried?"
"Dark?" Serena's head popped up, and she leaned past Andrew to peer out the café window at the darkening street. "Oh my god! It IS! And I didn't get any of my homework doooooooone – "
Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeep.
Serena's face drained of color, and Rei froze where she had been about to pour a package of creamer on the head of an unsuspecting Darien. Both their heads swiveled towards the bluenette in the booth. "Ami?"
"Motoki-san is absolutely correct," Ami said, rising stiffly to her feet. Her blue eyes flicked towards Serena's. "Serena, Luna will be very angry if we don't go now."
"Why would the Odango's cat be angry with her?" inquired Darien with a hint of sarcasm, quirking an eyebrow.
"She doesn't like it when I don't feed her on time, duh," said Serena, rolling her eyes. Ah, good save. She mentally patted herself on the back."Get a brain, moron." She turned and jerked her head at her friends. "C'mon, you guys."
Darien and Motoki blinked as the three girls blurred out of the arcade, leaving several windblown patrons gaping in their wake.
"Y'know," remarked Motoki thoughtfully, retreating back behind his counter, "if I didn't know better, I'd think those girls have medical conditions."
A/N: Eh. I didn't really like that chapter. Not only did I write it in fragments between classes (so it felt disjointed), but I'm afraid my OCD/Pyromaniac portrayals may be off. I've never met a real sufferer of pyromania or obsessive-compulsive disorder before, so I was mostly going on what I've read in books. I don't know. If any of you know people who have OCD or are pyros, tell me in your review what they're like. I need definitive advice.
However, other than that…I've got big plans for this, um, series (if you could call it that.) I have a bunch of interesting plot twists all planned out already! squeals excitedly I'm planning lots of romance, too…this'll be my first experience writing actual romance and character chemistry, too, since in all my other fics, I've cut off the story before it could get mushy. But not this time!
Um…this is a really long A/N, I'm sorry, but…if you've got the time, check out my fic The Scythe Reaps What Is Sown. I've got a lot of it planned out, and I've posted two chapters, but I've only gotten one review (thank you, Meg-san!). I'm going to post another chapter, and if I don't get a lot of reviews after that, I think I'll take the story off. So…um…please check it out and tell me if you think it's worth continuing or not.
Domo arigatou, minna-chan!
EightofSwords