Author's Notes: Um...*ahem* Hello, there, minna! *gulp* Yes, I know it's been inexcusably long since I've posted anything regarding this story. For several cliched reasons: school started and completely ran me over with testing, meetings, placements, and oh, let's not forget I'm supposed to find a way to TEACH in there somewhere...coaching the high school colorguard, taking a lead in the community theater production, and finally...I had no idea where I wanted to take this chapter. Still don't, in fact. But here it is! I wasn't ready to release it, but I feel quite shameful for having left you guys out in the cold for this many months. I hope it's at least readable...let me know how it goes, please (but no harsh flames!) coltdancer@hotmail.com ^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^- "Interval" Chapter 4 By Angela Drifting in and out of consciousness, Darien slowly became vaguely aware that he was lying down...in something...water? He managed to pull his eyes partially open to a very dim and hazy room, a soft glow coming from somewhere off to his left. He blinked once, slowly, staring ahead of him. Struggling to tilt his head away from what he could barely discern as the blurry white images of shower tiles, he could have sworn that he made out the somewhat comical vision of a meatball-headed angel asleep against a toilet before exhaustion took him again, and his eyes closed once more. Not long after, Serena stirred on the tiled floor, a cramp in her neck snapping her eyes open. "Ow, ow!" she murmured groggily, reaching up to rub her sore muscles. Her legs tingled angrily from being folded beneath her for so long. A candle set in the corner of the basin counter threw long shadows along the walls. Serena blinked, her brow furrowing in the soft light, alarmed by the silence. She quickly looked towards Darien, half expecting to hear him mumble something deliriously. But he was still. He wasn't shaking any more; there wasn't so much as a peep out of him. His breathing was heavy, but quiet. "Oh, my goodness," she gasped quietly, reaching out to brush his cheek with the back of her hand. It was still frighteningly warm, but after studying him carefully she sighed in relief. "Finally..." she whispered. "He's asleep. He's actually *asleep*." She wearily raised to her feet, rubbing at her tired eyes as she went into the dark hallway, and tried to figure out which of the shadowy bundles she made out on the floor belonged to Ami. "Ami...?" she asked softly as she stooped and gently nudged the girl's shoulder. "Ami?" "Huh? Serena? What is it?" she inquired, rubbing her eyes stumbling after Serena's silhouette into the bathroom. "Oh!" she gasped, brushing her hair behind her ears and leaning down to peer at the man sleeping in the bathtub. "This is a good sign, right?" Serena asked hopefully, biting her lip nervously as she watched Ami check him over. The blue-haired girl rose and turned towards her, doing her best to smile reassuringly in reply. "Yes, I think so." Serena frowned, noting a particular hint of concern that lingered in Ami's tone. "But you're still worried..." Ami sighed ruefully. "His fever could spike again; I am concerned about that. I've heard my mom talk about it in many of the flu patients they've seen at the hospital this year...But for now, he seems to be out of immediate danger." She glanced down at Darien with a slight frown. "What is it?" "I hate to disturb him now that he's finally resting, but we really should move him out of the water so he doesn't become chilled," she replied, leaning over Darien once more. "Drain it, and I'll go wake Lita to help us move him back to his bed." Serena nodded as Ami left the room, reaching behind the shower curtain to pull the drain-lever. satisfied she hadn't wakened Darien, she then dug into the bathroom closet for some towels to dry him with when she spotted some clean sheets folded neatly on the lower shelf. 'I should change the ones on his bed for him,' she thought to herself. 'I always felt better when mom did that for me when I was sick...' That was all the convincing she needed. She'd do anything if it even remotely helped him to feel better. Serena gathered a set of forest green sheets and pillowcases into her arms and quickly set to the task of removing and replacing the old ones while the water finished draining from the tub. Giving the mass of pillows one last fluff, she hurried back into the bathroom and was very carefully wrapping towels around Darien when Ami drug a grumbling Lita back in. Getting him *out* of the bathtub proved to be more challenging than getting him *in* it. After pulling him to a sitting position, Lita straddled the tub and hooked her arms under his while Ami and Serena took hold of his legs. They finally managed to squeeze through the door, but not without some fiercely hissed comments when Serena and Ami got wedged in the doorframe. Painstakingly maneuvering themselves into the bedroom, they lowered Darien's limp body into the sheets with only minimal, incoherant protest. "Lita, hold him up just a minute," Serena whispered once they had him to the bed, disappearing into his closet to retrieve a dry shirt. None of the girls could keep from blushing as Serena tentatively peeled the damp one from Darien's body. "Wow..." Lita whistled lowly. "He is *cut*..." Ami's indigo eyes were as wide as her gaping jaw. "Oh, for crying out loud!" Serena hissed, finally gaining the thinnest amount of composure. Her cheeks still burning, she let out a shaky breath and leaned over, gently pulling the soft garment over Darien's damp hair. After finally threading his arms through the long sleeves, she paused, frowning down at his still form. She bit her lip. "Um..." Ami and Lita blinked, suddenly realizing the dilemma as Serena stared, blushing profusely, at the pants that still clung to him. A drawn out moment of silence passed before all three burst into soft giggles and looked away with a few murmurs of, "No way," "Nah, that's all right," and "We'll just leave those." Laying him back into the pillows, Serena suppressed an embarrassed snicker as she wrapped the covers around him. She sat on the edge of the bed and used her fingers to comb his thick bangs into place, doing her best to hush his whimpers and soothe him back to sleep. Soft gray light was filtering in through the blinds of the bedroom windows, the ambient noise of chirping birds mingling with the sounds of early rush hour traffic to open another day in the city of Tokyo. Ami and Lita had long since gone back to sleep, but Serena had remained perched at Darien's bedside. She tilted her head to the side, gazing down at him, her hand closed softly around his as he breathed a final sigh and stilled, sinking further into his sleep. He looked utterly exhausted, his brow slightly creased with the effort of his feverish sleep, and so adorably vulnerable. She stared at him almost longingly for some time, watching his chest rise and lower heavily. Smiling sadly, she was thankful that he might finally find some much needed rest. Slowly lifting her hand from his, Serena eased herself off of the edge of the bed, her muscles stiff from holding her balance for so long. She carefully rearranged the blankets over him, pausing momentarily to stare at his handsome, albeit wan, features. It was so strange to see him this way, helpless and in need. Darien Chiba had never seemed to want or need anyone or anything, priding himself in the ability to survive completely independently, and resenting anyone who dared to offer him assistance. Deep down, however, she knew how false that was. And despite how tired she felt, she was glad that she had been the one to be there for him. Serena blinked slowly as she hovered over Darien's sleeping form, very gently placing a light kiss on his forehead. "You poor thing..." she sighed, reaching over to replace the washcloth from the edge of the bowl at his bedside table. A low rumble from her stomach startled her, and she glared down at it accusingly. She *was* hungry, she realized with a frown, remembering that she had not eaten dinner the night before. Slipping quietly into the living room and rooting through her bag to find the "pizza money" her father had somewhat grudgingly bequeathed to her, she exited the apartment, heading down to the lobby. She figured there had to be something nearby that she could pick up, and sure enough, as she stepped outside and headed down to the corner, she could make out the little sign over an employee-owned donut shop. "Perfect!" she thought to herself, her mouth watering as her nose detected the inviting aroma of freshly baked donuts wafting through the air. Brass bells tinkled warmly as she opened the door and stepped into the quaint little shop, complete with checkered floors, wooden booths, and the heavenly scent of coffee and pastries. Serena had to promptly remind herself not to drool. A cheerful, grandfatherly man stood behind the glass countertops, clad in a classic white apron and hat. "Good morning, little lady!" He greeted her with a friendly smile beneath his gray mustache. "What can I get for you this beautiful day?" "Oh, wow!" Serena exclaimed, leaning over to press her nose against the dome encasing dozens of tempting treats. "I don't know! They all look so good!" The man chuckled, then leaned over as he pushed his spectacles up on his nose. "Well, maybe I can help you make a decision. The missus..." he began, motioning with his head towards the kitchen doors, "Made a bit too much dough this morning, and I'm afraid I've got to get rid of some of those extra glazed donuts right over there." Serena sidestepped, following his gesture, then peered again into the shelves of pastries. The man grinned down at her gaping expression. "I can swing ya two dozen for the price of one, how's that sound?" Serena grinned, and looked up at the man with twinkling blue eyes. "I'll take it!" she squealed jubilantly. That would be plenty to share with her friends. As the man went to wrapping her order in waxed paper sheets, Serena could hardly wait as she anticipated sinking her teeth into one of those sugary fluffs of dough. "Care for anything else? Something to drink?" the clerk asked her. "Um, do you have any juice?" she asked tentatively, wrinkling her nose at the thought of coffee. "In the case, by the door," he replied, pointing in the right direction. "Great! I'll take one of those cartons, too," she grinned, handing him her bank note. "Can you manage all of this by yourself, little one?" he asked her, the cash register ringing open. "Oh, I think so! I don't have far to go, sir...just to the apartments down the block," Serena replied, gathering some napkins from a silver dispenser on the countertop. The man nodded, glancing out the shop window. "Yes, I get quite a few frequent visitors from that building...there's a nice young man who stops in here every day after his morning run for a cup of coffee; he lives in that building. He's usually been here by now, though..." He reached over to hand her the change, then stapled the two white bags of donuts shut. Serena bit her lip, her brow crinkling over her blue eyes. "That 'nice young man'...he wouldn't happen to be about as tall as your ceiling fan with dark hair and blue eyes, would he?" "Why, yes! Yes...I believe that sounds about right," he replied thoughtfully, handing her the bags as she hefted the juice carton in the crook of her arm. "Chiba, if I do recall correctly, is his name...I dunno. The missus is always better about rememberin' stuff like that." Serena blinked, her stomach flopping oddly at the mention of Darien's name. It also reminded her of why she was there. She cleared her throat, nodding as she took the donuts, "Chiba...That's kind of remarkable...my friends and I stayed at his apartment last night...that's why all the donuts." She shrugged and smiled wanly, suddenly anxious to return to him. "I'm afraid he's not been feeling well..." "Oh, that certainly is too bad," the man commented with a genuine frown. "I do hope he gets to feeling better soon. Such a nice kid." Serena smiled as she backed out the door, nodding her goodbye. "I'll tell him," she called. "And Thank you!" "Bye now, hon! Come back!" the owner waved after her, then picked up a cloth to wipe off his counter as she took off down the sidewalk. The entire walk back, Serena couldn't help but feel a peculiar sensation welling within her; a warm sense of 'knowing' a little piece of Darien's routine--what he did. She giggled at the thought, delighted to be privy to such trivial information. She felt closer to him, somehow, knowing that each morning Darien stopped for a simple cup of coffee at a cute little donut shop down the street. 'How nutty,' she thought to herself as she stealthily entered the still quiet apartment; but she loved it. Serena nearly shouted and fainted in surprise as Ami slipped from the hallway just as she was trying to make her way into the kitchen. "Ohmigosh, Ami," she breathed. "I could have woken everyone! Hey," she blinked, "Is everything all right?" Ami nodded sleepily, sliding onto one of the barstools against the counter. "He was restless," she answered quietly. "But don't worry," she went on, as Serena instantaneously made a move for the bedroom. "He's settled down, again." Serena nodded, her face drawn in a fretful grimace. "So, what's in the bags?" Ami asked, certain her nose was detecting something of tasty value inside, and seizing an opportunity to distract her worried friend. Serena grinned. "Breakfast!" she exclaimed triumphantly, carefully taking some mugs from the wooden mug tree underneath the cabinets. "Plenty for everyone, so dig right in." "Did someone say breakfast?" a drowsy voice asked. "Morning, guys!" Serena whispered, pushing a bag of pastries towards a mussed Mina and two other girls who had shuffled into the small kitchen. "Unbelievable," came Raye's heavy voice as she ripped into a donut. "I think Darien should be sick more often..." "Raye!" Serena gasped. "I just mean that it brings out the best in you!" the raven-haired teenager amended quickly, pouring herself some juice. "How's Darien doing?" Lita asked, rooting through an open bag. "A little better, I guess. He's kind of in and out, but Ami said he just went back to sleep before I came back." Serena answered, tearing a piece of donut off and shoving it in her already stuffed cheeks. "Hey, before we go, I can throw a few things together for him to eat...that way he can just concentrate on getting better." Lita offered with a smile. "Thanks, you guys..." Serena whispered, feeling her eyes tear up with weary emotions. "I couldn't have done this without your help. I was so scared last night--" "We were, too. But you did great, Serena." Mina reached over to pat her on the shoulder, while the others murmured in support. Serena sniffled, and rubbed at her eyes with the palms of her hands. "Well, before I totally lose it, since we're all here, why don't we go over some Scout business?" Raye clutched at her heart in mock dramatization, grasping onto Lita's shoulder for support. "Did she just say that??" They all giggled as they wandered back into the living room with the second bag of donuts and settled down in the pile of blankets and couch pillows on the floor to discuss possible strategies and the latest Negaverse motives. * * * Darien blinked his eyes open, the sunlight that peeked through his blinds forcing him to squint painfully. His brow crinkled in confusion as he finally realized he was lying in bed, but couldn't for the life of him remember *going* to bed. He thought he had heard the soft murmur of female voices and the sound of a door shutting in his sleep. He supposed that was what had rousted him. But, what was he doing sleeping at this obviously unorthodox hour? He felt strangely woozy and clammy as he pushed feebly at the blankets, reprimanding himself for sleeping so late. Bending his arm to support his weight and roll over, he stopped short as hammers smashed against the inside of his skull when he barely lifted his head from the pillow. 'On second thought...' He uttered a drawn out groan, sinking back into the pillows; he felt absolutely horrible! That minute amount of movement had set the room spinning, and he felt what little ounce of strength he may have had ebb from his body. Despite how hot he was, he suddenly felt chills sweep over him, jarring every aching bone in his body. He bitterly bit off a desperate whimper, realizing how at moments like these, though few and far between, he hated being alone. He couldn't even think straight enough to figure out what he should do, let alone get out of bed to do it. He closed his eyes, taking a few shallow breaths to steady himself when he felt a cool hand brush against his temple, pushing a few damp strands of his hair away from his face. Opening his eyes once again, he was met with a pair of concerned blue ones peering down at him, two beautiful cerulean eyes set in the most beautiful face he could imagine. He started, a weak gasp the only sound he could muster from his parched throat. "Serena?" he croaked incredulously. Serena smiled down at him, gently caressing his cheek with her thumb. "I thought I heard you." "What...What are you doing...here?" he whispered breathlessly, shaking his head in disbelief. Serena sat once again on the edge of his bed, and he could hear the dripping of water as she wrung out another washcloth from the bowl of water on the table. "Taking care of *you*, silly," she replied with a gentle smile. "But...how...?" his question faded into a grateful exhalation of breath as she laid the new washcloth across his forehead. "Better?" she inquired. "Yeah," he breathed, swallowing dryly. "Thank you..." Serena bit her lip, her brow knitting together with sympathy. "Sure. I've got some medicine that might help, a little. Are you thirsty?" He nodded in reply. "Okay, I'll go get you something." Again she smiled, the kindness in her voice not escaping him as she paused to reach for the thermometer on his table. He watched her as she glanced at it, then shook it down with the skillful flourish only a woman has for such an act. She placed it in his mouth, the simple compassion of the action and the absolutely tender expression on her face nearly weakening him to the brink of tears. As she rose and left for the kitchen, Darien closed his eyes, allowing himself to briefly feel the emotions he wanted to. But, even befuddled in the heat of his fever, that damned logical brain of his forced him to realize, 'She's only doing this out of concern for Tuxedo Mask...not *you*, Chiba.' He felt his heart plummet into the clenched knot of his stomach, a horrid wash of bitterness flooding through him. "Here you go...can you sit up a little?" Serena asked as she returned and set the glass down. "You...don't need to stay," he whispered somewhat dejectedly as she slipped the thermometer from under his tongue and eased him to a sitting position, letting him rest against her shoulder. Serena frowned, tilting her head to the side and slightly forward to look at him. "Don't be silly, Darien. Do you have any idea how very sick you are?" she inquired, studying the silver thread of the thermometer with an even deeper frown. "You have had me absolutely scared to death all night!" "I'm sorry..." he murmured as she idly brushed the hair from his eyes. He stiffened slightly; she was so free with her caring and he did not understand why. Her touch was immediately soothing to his supine body, and it confused him and gnawed at him as he pleaded silently that she not have to leave. She had no idea how his heart ached for someone to care for him in such a manner, or that he could think of no one else he would have rather had there. But his mind was so fuzzy that he still could make no sense of why she was there, or how she came to be there with him. Hesitantly, he let his weight rest against her chest, and was suddenly struck with a sense of déjà vu as he did. He frowned, reaching up to take the pills Serena held for him. But when he reached for the juice she held just in front of him, he found he could barely close his fingers around the glass, let alone muster the strength to control it. Apparently, she had not expected him to, for her hand never left the bottom half of the glass, positioned just underneath his as she helped him guide it towards his mouth. "Unn--" Darien swallowed awkwardly to force down the medicine he held distastefully on his tongue, his brow creasing in protest as he managed to push the glass away from him. "I know you don't want it, but you really need to drink something right now, Darien. You're dehydrated," Serena prodded him gently. "I promise, you'll feel better if you do." He responded with a beleaguered grunt, but nodded slightly, realizing that she was probably right. "How did you get here?" he asked between painstaking sips of juice. "You let me in...yesterday evening," she replied carefully, never loosening her hold on the glass even as it rested against his chest. "Do you remember the youma attack downtown?" He blinked, a moment of silence spanning before he answered. "Vaguely...it's all such a blur." Serena nodded. "I stopped by after that. I had a feeling something was wrong during the attack..." she trailed off, catching herself before she tactlessly spilled his less-than- stellar performance. "I was afraid you may have been hurt, so I came by just to see if you were all right. You collapsed while I was still here," she murmured softly, her voice trembling just a tad as she recalled how frightened she had actually been. Darien allowed her to coax another drink into him. "I think I remember that...but not much else," he murmured, suddenly plagued with dim memories of being drug to his bed while he gripped consciousness by a thread and drifting from nightmare to nightmare, all the while being comforted by an angel. "You...stayed with me," he whimpered, slowly closing his eyes, nearly letting his grip slide from the glass he held. "Darien?" "...s'all right...just kinda comes in waves sometimes," he assured her, but she could see that his eyes were beginning to cloud over once again. She bit her lip as the momentary relief she had gained fluttered away. A knock at the door resounded softly through the apartment, and Serena glanced down at Darien with a forced smile. "Well, that's pretty good timing. One of the girls must have left something behind...I'll go get that, and let you rest." "Thank you," he whispered as she fluffed the pillows behind him and he sank into them with a sigh. His entire body felt completely out of whack. Serena quietly pulled the door shut behind her and rushed towards the door as a slightly heavier knock sounded the second time around. She shook her head, grumbling light-heartedly at who she assumed was probably Mina or Lita on the other side. "And you guys can do nothing but razz me about always forgetting thi--oh!" Serena found herself with her mouth gaping as she opened the door to someone far removed from one of her girlfriends. "Andrew!" The blonde man standing in the hallway with his hand poised in mid-air was equally as shocked to find Serena opening Darien's door, and judging from her disheveled and rather exhausted appearance, he didn't know whether he should congratulate his friend or skin him alive. "Serena?" he gasped, his voice suffused with innate surprise. "Oh-Andrew, I’m sorry...goodness me, come in!" He eyed her suspiciously, glancing down both sides of the hallway before he stepped inside the entryway. He cleared his throat hesitantly. "I was supposed to meet Darien today for lunch...but he stood me up. I wondered if maybe he had come home and fallen asleep after class with all that midnight oil he’s been burning recently, and forgot..." "Oh!" Serena interjected with wide eyes, turning and retreating towards the dining table in the breakfast nook by the kitchen. "That reminds me," she murmured, picking up a rather thick theme book. She awkwardly handed it to Andrew, who was still curiously trying to figure out what was going on. "Um, I saw this...last night, and it certainly looked rather important..." Andrew glanced down at the cover label, his mouth tilting down in a perplexed frown as he recognized the name of the professor Darien had lamented about while slaving over the report. "This is supposed to be submitted today...Darien has been busting his hide to finish it early!" Andrew's eyes were lit with confused concern as he shook his head, stammering, "Wh-where *is* Darien?" "He’s had a horrible night. He's resting right now--" Serena stopped abruptly in mid-sentence as Andrew suddenly reached out to gently brush her chin aside with his index finger. "What happened?" he breathed, his face drawn in an incredulous expression as he reached out towards her face, having noticed the faint discoloring of an apparent bruise across her delicate features. Serena backstepped slightly, raising her own hand to the tender area over her cheek. "Oh, it's nothing, just an accident. Last night Darien was so--Andrew!" He was no longer standing in front of her. Not bothering to entertain her weary explanation, he had already snapped and was storming down the hallway to chew his friend out royally for *whatever* had happened to the sweet young girl he had so unceremoniously stumbled upon in the apartment. "Andrew, no! It's not what you think at all..." Serena shrieked softly, aghast as the usually laid-back and retrospective demeanor Andrew sported dissolved into chivalrous and self-righteous fury. "For goodness sakes, he's sick! He can't even get out of bed!" "I'll bet," he snarled, barreling through the door to the bedroom with Serena tugging at him desperately. As he strode purposefully across the carpet, his mouth open in an infuriated shout, poor Darien could do nothing but emit a tiny, startled yelp from his throat when he felt himself being jerked upwards by the collar of his shirt. ^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^- *innocent blank stare* What??? Oh, come on! I had to end it SOMEWHERE! Besides, I figured I had let you guys dangle long enough. Thanks again for being such patient readers. I hope this was enough to satisfy you momentarily!!