STAR CROSSED
	Sailor Moon was knocked down and flung aside as the youma reared and prepared to attack a battered Venus.   Sailor Moon watched helplessly, unable to move from exhaustion, tears stinging her eyes.  Mars was unconscious after being thrown against a truck, Mercury was pinned by a pile of wood and Jupiter had hit her head on a tree and blacked out.	
"Noo!" she cried, but just as the youma was to kill Venus, a single red rose flashed through the air, wounding the youma and giving Sailor moon new hope.  
	"A terrible thing, to hit a girl while she's down!" came the now familiar voice.  "Sailor Moon!  Use your tiara now!"
	"Right!" she nodded and stood up with newfound strength.  "MOON TIARA MAGIC!"  The glowing disc sliced through the youma quickly and it melted into moon dust. 
	"Totally dusted!" she cried happily, but then everything started to spin and soon she blacked out.
	*APPROXIMATLY 5 MINUTES AWAY AND LATTER*	
	Darien de-transformed.  He hopped the scouts were ok.  They had looked pretty bad before he left, but as far as he knew, Sailor Moon would take care of them.	
He walked briskly back towards the park he had just left to make sure they were all right.  When he reached the glade, Mercury was still under the main part of a pile of logs that were being removed by a dizzy Jupiter, Mars was leaning against the truck holding her head wearily and Venus was kneeling over...Serena?  'Where's Sailor Moon?' Darien wondered.  But soon he was filled with panic.  Serena was unconscious.  "Oh my god.... Serena..." he whispered to himself, not knowing why he was so upset over her.  He ran over to her and kneeled at her side looking up at an equally anxious Venus.	"What happened?  Is she hurt?" he asked worriedly as he grabbed her limp wrist, feeling for a pulse.  His features relaxed slightly as he found one.
	"There was a battle." Venus started cautiously.  "She was attacked and lost much of her energy trying to help." She lied.	"Will she be all right? Is she hurt?  Can I do anything?" he asked Venus, not letting go of Serena's hand.  
    'Why am I so nervous? She probably just needs a nap.' He thought trying unsuccessfully to shake a nagging feeling from the back of his mind.	
"She should be fine but she needs somewhere to rest.  I don't know if anything's broken, I got here late."  She looked at Darien hopefully.  "Can you look after her?  Call one of her friends when she wakes up?"	"Of course." He replied and gently lifted the sleeping girl in his arms, leaving the scouts to rend to their wounds.  He felt odd as he carried Serena back to his apartment.  He wanted to watch over her for a long time.  Forever maybe.   Keep her from harm and make sure she was always happy.  Carrying her just felt so...right.  Like it had always been so and always would.  Serena stirred slightly in his arms.	"Must help..." she murmured.  "Never let them die... can't.... save her..."	
Darien made a soothing sound and she was silent again as he opened the door to his apartment and lay her down on the couch. 	'She'll be hungry when she wakes up...' he thought as he silently made his way into the kitchen and opened the freezer.  Something told him she would want ice cream.  'Chocolate, her favorite.'  He stopped and blinked repeatedly.  "How did I...?"  Darien shook his head and piled the ice cream into a bowl.  He carried it over to the couch and put it on the table beside it.  
	Serena shivered in her sleep.'She's cold!' he thought sharply, immediately covering her with a warm blanket.  He sat down at her head and watched her sleeping form. 'She's actually pretty cute when she's not screaming at me,' he thought to himself.  'Yes...someday she would be beautiful.' Darien shook his head.  'Stop thinking like that!  This is meatballhead! And besides, she's two years younger than you!' but even as he reprimanded himself he still found himself thinking she was beautiful.  
	Serena stirred in her sleep, rolling over onto her other side.  She was comfortable and warm. 'Mmm...this is nice....'She thought to herself.  And then she remembered.  "Jupiter!" she yelped as she sat straight up, her eyes jumping open and hair flying.  She stopped and looked around, not seeing Darien behind her.  "I've got to.... Huh?  Where am I?" she wondered aloud.	
"You're at my apartment.  Don't worry about the scouts, they looked fine when I found you." Came a familiar voice.  Serena turned around very slowly noting absently that she wasn't in her sailor fuku.  	"Darien?" she asked him. "How did you find me?  What am I doing here?  IS THAT CHOCOLATE ICECREAM!?!?!?"	"Yeah, sure.  I figured you'd be hungry when you woke up.  Feel free to dig in." he smiled as she started to drown the ice cream at an alarming rate.  Then she stopped.	"Hey, why are you being so nice to me? Aren't you supposed to hate me or something?"	Darien frowned. "I don't hate you.  You hate me!"	"No, you hate me!  That's why you call me meatballhead, ne?" 	"No, I just do that to get a reaction out of you.  You hate me!  You've said so yourself!"	
"I don't hate you! I just don't like being called meatballhead!" she said decidedly shaking her head.	
Darien didn't know what to say.  "Um...oh.  Well Venus said you should call one of your friends when you woke up.  I would've called but I didn't know any of their numbers." He said turning away from her.  'She doesn't hate me??'	
"Good idea." Serena agreed, standing up and stretching. 'He doesn't hate me??'  "Um, Where's your phone Darien?" she asked turning towards him inquisitively.  	
"Oh, Um it's in the bedroom..." he said standing up and leading her to his room.  The room was sparsely decorated.  He had a queen sized bed next to a pair of sliding glass doors that led to the balcony, there was a table, a small bookshelf next the bed covered with a large vase of roses.  Then there was a door to the closet, and one to the bathroom.  There was a large desk in one corner covered with more roses, textbooks and a phone.	
"You like roses?" Serena asked as she sat down at the desk.	"Yeah, I think they're the most beautiful flower on the earth..." he trailed off.  Serena smiled at him and picked up the receiver and started dialing.	'RING RING RI-' "Hello?"	
"Hi, Mina?" Serena asked.	
"Serena! You're awake!  Are you at Darien's place?"	
"Yeah, I am.  Are you guy's ok?"	
"Uh-huh.  Ami patched us all up.  Nothing major.  Now tell me where you are so Darien doesn't get suspicious."	
"Right." Serena answered. "I'm at Darien's apartment in the Azabu building.  Room...." She looked at Darien.	
"1025" he whispered.	
"1025." Serena finished gratefully.  	
'How did she know where I lived?'  Serena was wondering the same thing....	
"Ok Mina, I'll see you in awhile.  "She hung up.  "I told her I could walk, but she insisted on walking me home." Serena said laughing.  Darien smiled.  "Hey, do you have any pizza? I'm starved..." she asked, then blushed as her stomach growled.  	
"Yeah actually, I do.  That is if you don't mind it being cold." He replied.	"Oh, no. Cold's fine Come on! Let's eat!" she said dragging him out of the room.  After devouring Darien's cold pizza they turned on the news for a few minutes until Mina arrived.	"Knock Knock! Anybody home?" Mina called through the door.	
"I'll be out in a minute Mina, just let me grab my bag..."replied Serena as she put her shoes on. "Hey thanks for letting me sac out here Darien. See you tomorrow!" she called happily as she and Mina left, chatting cheerfully.	
Darien closed the door and leaned against it.  What was this feeling of loneliness, emptiness now that she was gone?  After all, it was only Serena.  Meatball head.  But 'She doesn't hate me...' was the only thought that truly registered on Darien's mind...	
"So..." started Mina.  "How was it at Darien's?"	
"Pretty good, he' actually really nice once you get to know him." Serena said as she stared off into nothing.  'He doesn't hate me...' it was like a revelation, light being shed onto some unknown part of her soul.  'In fact...' she dared to continue the thought line. 'He's kinda cute.  Way too serious, but cute!  Even if he is a jerk sometimes...	"Hey Serena, you in there?  Earth to Serena! Are you ok?  Maybe you're still woozy from the fight?" Mina asked, sounding concerned. "If you are, we can stop and rest..."	
"Hmm?" asked Serena, coming out of her thoughts.  "Oh, no thanks Mina.  I was just thinking.  I'm fine, really!" she finished flashing her friend a brilliant smile.	
"Oh, alright.  But if you feel the slightest bit woozy, tell me ok?"	Serena gave her friend a big hug.  "You're great Mina, but don't worry about me, it's the rest of us you should be worried about.  How are they anyway?"	"A bit bruised and battered, but we should be fine in the morning."	
"I guess you're right.  Come on! I heard someone beat my score on Sailor V and I want to reclaim my title! She called over her shoulder as she dragged Mina towards the arcade.  	
Ring, ring, ring, ri- "Hello?"	
"Oh, hey Darien! It's Andrew!" came a familiar voice over the phone.  Darien rubbed some of the water out of his hair with a towel.  He had just gotten out of the shower. 	
"Hey Andrew, what's up?"	
"Mr.Mako called me.  He didn't have your number.  He wants you to write this article for the paper.  I've got the assignment over here at the arcade.  Can you come over to pick it up?"	
"Yeah, sure Andrew.  I'll be over in a few minutes.  See you soon."	
"Bye!"	
Click. 	
Darien dressed and left for the arcade.  He stepped up to the automatic doors and started in, but slammed into someone and fell to the ground.  He caught a whiff off flowers before he hit pavement.  	
"Oww!  Hey, why don't you watch where..." Then he looked up and saw Serena staring back at him and most of Mina trying stifle a laugh. "Oh! Hi Serena!" he said smiling.  	
Serena had to hide the look of surprise that was trying to cross her face.  That smile had totally transformed his face!  'Whoa... total hunk alert!' 
"Oh, hi Darien! What are you doing here?" She asked trying not to sound flustered.	
"I got a new assignment from work to pick up.  Andrew has it."	"Yeah?" she asked, trying to find a reason to keep talking to him, maybe get him to smile again and make sure she hadn't been dreaming. "Where do you work?"	
"I work at the Crystal Times, I'm a writer there to help pay for my apartment." He said standing up and helping Serena to her feet. 	"You mean you're the Darien Chiba!? Wow!  You write front page stuff all the time!" 	
"Yeah, uh thanks." He said blushing slightly.  	
"Um, Serena?" Mina ventured into the conversation.  "If we don't book it right now, we're gonna be grounded for a week!" she said trying not to sound too anxious.  Serena looked at her watch incredulously. 	
 "OH MY GAWD!  I'M SO LATEEEEEE!!!!!!! Bye Darien!" She screeched as the two blondes took off down the street.	
'She's really something...' Darien thought chuckling to himself. 'Yes indeed...'	
"Young Lady you had us worried sick!  Now march yourself right upstairs and do your algebra homework!" 
	"Yes mom."  Serena replied meekly as she slunk up the stairs.  Once out of sight she stood up straight, smiled and plopped down on her bed.  "Hiya Luna!" 
	"Don't think I didn't hear that Serena.  Your mother said to do your algebra homework and you're going to do it!"  Luna said in her scolding voice.
	"Awww, come on Luna!  I'll give you some of mom's chewy chocolate-chocolate chip muffins!" she said waving the dish tantalizingly under the felines already twitching nose.
	Luna turned her back on the girl.  "No more bribery Serena!  Now, GET TO WORK!!"
	"Fine.  Be that way." Said Serena with a huff, but she sat down and started her work anyway, humming a haunting melody.
	"What song is that Serena?"  Luna finally asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
	"It's a very old song about two lovers."  Serena said dreamily as her pencil scratched the paper.
	"Yes?  Where did you hear it?"   Luna continued.  'Something familiar about that tune...' she thought to herself.
	"It's the song from the locket Tuxedo Mask gave me...' she replied dazedly. 
	Luna hopped up on the desk and looked in shock at the paper in front of her.  It was almost all done, and looked right!
	"Serena!" she whispered in shock.
	"Mmmmm, mmm, mmm, mmm..." was all Serena would give as an answer.  
	Latter that evening Serena sat staring out her window at the stars and the crescent moon. She was thinking very hard actually.  In the stars she saw three men.  Andrew, Tuxedo Mask and -of all people - Darien.  'Wouldn't it be cool if Andrew were Tuxedo Mask?'  She mused to herself.  She squinted so that the form of Andrew melded with that of Tuxedo Mask.  Close, but it didn't look quite right. 'Doesn't Tuxedo Mask have dark hair?  Yes, that's right...' She tried melding the form of Darien with that of Tuxedo Mask.  That looked much better but was absolutely ridiculous!  Cranky old Darien the daring and romantic Tuxedo Mask?  'No that's just silly.' she thought and turned away from the window and went to sleep again.
	Darien pulled on a tank top and boxers and slipped into bed, pulling the covers over himself.  There was a cool breeze coming in off the balcony and he fell easily into a dream filled sleep.
	There was the princess.  She was always there.  The feeling of familiarity hung strongly in the air as the mist surrounding the balcony parted.
	"Tuxedo Massssssk..." came the haunting call.
	"Who are you?!" he cried out.
	"The time is nearing Tuxedo Mask, You must find the Imperial Silver Crystal.  Listen to your heart..." she whispered.
	"Show me your face!" he cried to her, but the dream was already fading.  Soon he sat straight up in bed clutching the sheets to his chest and wrapped in a cold sweat.  "Gotta get some air..." he muttered, throwing the sheets aside and stepping onto the balcony, breathing hard.  
	'The time to set me free is nearing Tuxedo Mask...Listen with your heart...' echoed the sweet voice through his mind.  
	"What's happening?" he asked the silent city below.  The air seemed to be charged with electricity, just waiting to run wild. "Listen with your heart..." he echoed to himself. 

	To be continued in part2 of STAR CROSSED : friendship

Well , do you think I should write another part?  Send comments, suggestions , flames etc to moonklutz@yahoo.com
This will be a long fic , (I have it handwritten , I just have to type it up and it takes awhile with homework and all) with a second 'season' called STAR CROSSED MEMORIES , and an epilogue or two , but I'll only post it on STAR if no one here thinks it's good.  (That and onn my page that is...)  Annyways , the addy to my site is:  www.geocitiess.com/Tokyo/Bay/8614/MoonWorld.html
Jaa!