Chapter 20: What is Really Bugging Me
"What's got you so shook Darien?"Andrew asked.
"I was at that VR game today." Darien said.
"How'd it go?" He asked.
"Well I met Ann and Serena there…"
"Really?" Andrew raised an eyebrow. "And how'd that go?"
"Good, I know what you mean now, that Alan guys really got it in for Serena." Darien recalled, and also remembered having been pestered by Ann. "But that's not it."
"What's it?" Andrew asked confused.
"There were some strange monsters, like a real monster in it. I had to save Serena, and her family from it…at least I tried to…but then…"
"But then what?" Andrew said, anxious to hear why Darien was stringing him on in this story.
"What do you know about Sailor Moon?" Darien asked.
Now this was the old Darien he knew. Always curious and fantasizing about Sailor Moon. "Just that she saves the world with those other Sailor Scouts, and fights against those evil monsters. Tuxedo Mask's supposed to be her ally you know." Andrew added.
"Weird, I didn't see Tuxedo Mask, just some guy in a white Arabian cape…" Darien said.
"You loosin' it Dare?" Andrew asked, questioning his friend's judgment. "You know you used to have a thing for Sailor Moon."
"I can see why. Her and her friends in those short skirts, saving the world. She is pretty cute. To be honest if it wasn't for them, we would have been bug food."
Just then the bell to the front door opened and Serena came in.
"Hey Serena, can you verify Darien's story at the virtual arcade yesterday?"
"What that nega-monster almost killing my family…sounds right." Serena said, still depressed about her tiara not working. She didn't have the crescent moon wand either. She felt doomed.
"Hey, did you get that scratch on you yesterday?" Andrew asked, noticing a scratch on her forearm.
"Must have." She said, she hadn't noticed it much, considering her head had been in other places today. She'd noticed the odd bruise on her legs from getting pushed around, having not been too successful in the fight.
"Here let me get something for it." Andrew left.
"So did you see that weird guy in the cape too?" Darien asked, curious if he'd made half of yesterday up in his head.
"The Moonlight Knight…oh yea totally." She said trying to play it off, blushing slightly.
"Where did you go during the battle anyway?" Darien asked.
"Uhm…I don't know, maybe I passed out or something?" She said.
"Yea you weren't handling those virtual monsters pretty well, not surprised you couldn't handle real ones." Darien said laughing.
That hit her hard. She could handle real ones, she could. If her tiara would work, or she could find the moon scepter! It wasn't fair. Nothing was right! She felt her eyes water up.
"Hey is something wrong?" Andrew asked coming back with a bandage.
"No…my arm just hurts." Serena lied.
"Hey Darien, can you patch it up for me, there's more customers coming in."
"I guess…" Darien said, and took the bandage, and started to wrap it around. "You know I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings you don't have to cry."
Suddenly she yelled out.
"Serena?"
"Sorry, it kind hurt this time…for real." She said, looking at her arm. She wanted more then any thing, for a moment yesterday, it felt like Darien was Tuxedo Mask, saving her from the monsters of the Nega-verse. Now he was just playing nurse, trying to get her to stop wailing.
"You know a lot actually happened yesterday. At least your family is alright Serena." He said trying to bandage it more delicately.
This made her eyes widen. He was right; at least she had a family. He'd told her about his parents car accident when he was young, the night before she lost him.
"Sorry, you told me about your parents you know…and your right. They are safe, and thanks for being so brave yesterday Darien. Bye!" She said hurrying off before he could say anything.
He looked after her dumbfounded. Had he really opened up to Meatball brain that much? Sometimes that girl really did hold a few surprises.