TWENTY:Darrien's thoughts.

Amongst the various skyscrapers that make up the city of Tokyo is an apartment complex featuring the latest designs. On the balcony of one of the apartments stood Darrien Shields. Night was falling, and a slight breeze gently pushed his hair back and forth. He took a breath, the air was clean and cool.

Nice night. He thought.

Darrien had been only a boy when the car he was riding in careened over a cliff and crashed. His parents had been killed. He had escaped with amnesia. To this day, he can't remember any of the times before the accident, or even the accident itself, only waking up in the hospital and someone saying, "Darrien."

He had been on his own from that point on with no other family to speak of. During his recovery he gradually learned who he was. Darrien Shields son of the Industrialist and high ranking poltician Arthur Shields and his wife, inheritor of a large fortune. His family had been rich and Darrien had ended up with it all. He had no idea what to do with it, and for that matter the government wouldn't let him spend it until he was eighteen. He lived in an orphanage for years, going to school and doing the best he could. He had grown impatient of waiting for his money so he attempted to earn it. He got a job modeling, but found it was hard work, and that he really didn't enjoy it. Still, the cash was good. It was in his modeling job that he met the friend he had been visiting just weeks ago. Darrien had been pursuing the friendship more until one day, his friend disapeared, he heard later that something bad had happened. He had no idea what, but he assumed the worst and that ended that. For two more years he waited, until finally he was given access to his money. He bought a luxury apartment, a sports car, a motorcyle, and then paid his way into Tokyo University. The rest of the money sits in the bank for whatever else he needs. He liked independence, but his experiences since the accident had scarred him. He became bitter and arogant. He didn't care for other's feelings. Upon encountering the bubbly school girls, Serena and Raye, he had nothing, but contempt for them. Still. Things had began to change. Raye was a looker and when they began to go out, more her doing then his, he began to see a different side to life. Furthermore, he had been changing into Tuxedo Mask and being bombarded with dreams of the moon princess. In his quest to discover what everything meant, he began to like the Sailor Scouts and began to understand his feelings better, even though he was ready to do anything to get his hands on the seven rainbow crystals. When he was critically injured fighting Zoicite, he had reached full understanding, he knew the truth, he finally knew it all. Then the negaverse turned him against the scouts. Everything was lost. Even after the scouts got him back, he didn't remember. Finally everything fell into place again, but then Rini showed up and things went downhill.

Now, he was nineteen and a sophomore in college. He didn't devote as much time to his work as he should have, but he was trying to make up for the life he had missed before. Right or wrong, that meant more to him.

As he looked out over the balcony railing he began to think, about all those people who had come into his life.

Serena, meatball head. He would never have guessed that he would ever be going out with her. The two had had a rocky start, he disliked her immaturity and absent minded clumsliness, she hated his arogance. A really healthy combination, but then...they discovered each other, she was Sailor Moon, and he was Tuxedo Mask. They were lovers by destiny. She was the one he searched for in his dreams. Now they were both charming to each other. Her clumsiness was cute and her bubbly schoolgirl mentality was fun. She had her good side, the romantic devoted side that people rarely saw. She would have done anything, and had practically done so to protect Darrien. He did the same for her. They were the perfect couple, albeit a bit unusual. It was their destiny to be toghether and he was going to do all he could to keep it that way.

Amy, the genius. Sailor Mercury. She was much more mature than her age showed. In fact at times he felt she was more mature then he was. Sure, she was still fifteen and she had her quirks, but she also was intelligent and loyal to her friends in a way Darrien didn't see often. He knew he could trust her, as her friends did. Darrien wondered though if she was too much of a workaholic. She spent a lot of time working, and while she did take her breaks with her friends, she always had her work hanging over her. Did that make her happy? Darrien wondered. Is that what she really wants to be doing? Probably, she knows her duty and she has clear goals, but is she pushing herself too hard? It's none of my business really. Only she knows for sure.

Raye, the firebrand. Sailor Mars. She has a large sensitive side and can be as romantic as anyone, but her temper is less than under control. Her tolerance for people has it's limits too. She was Serena's friend, but that was hard to believe some times the way she treated her. In trying to point out Serena's flaws all the time, Raye showed her own. Darrien knew it was ironic that Raye's one upsmanship was as immature as Serena's whining, but he wasn't going to tell her that. Still, Raye wasn't that bad. He knew she didn't really mean all she said, but that she had just had some bad habits. He hoped she'd learn to deal with them.

Lita, the tough one. What a contrast there is in her? Strong, well built on the outside with a ferocity in battle that can sometimes reach epic proportions. Yet on the inside her sympathetic side is what really drives her. Deep down she must hope that her strength on day won't be necessary and that she can settle down with someone. Of course she also has her moments of extreme bubblyness like all the girls have. That's just a fact, but with her there was a deep down longing to find the right person, after her boyfriend dumped her before. For some reason, both her and Mina had chosen to fight about some things now and then. Abruptly though they stopped around the time they found new boyfriends I hear. They must have been practicing some sort of jealously in which they were constantly worried about the other finding a love interest before they did. Lita was driven by her desire to capture what she had lost. Mina by her quest to find out what she was missing.

And what about Mina? She's still a bit of an enigma. The girls know more about her than I do, but her past isn't very clear. She was obviously Sailor Venus before the other scouts met her, but who was she fighting? As for her now, she's as kind and considerate as the other scouts, I've heard of her exploits that go beyond just being nice. There's also her little tussle with Lita for a time before she found herself a boyfriend. I could be wrong and I don't talk to her much, but she still seems to be missing something. I don't know what. She has fun with the others and enjoys it, and they enjoy her company, but....I can't figure it out, maybe it's nothing.

Luna and Artemas. There is so much those cats aren't telling us I think. It's probably for our own good. The appearance of Saturn only proved we don't know everything there is to know about the silver milenium. Those two cats also work with powers beyond our own, stuff I probably wouldn't understand even if they told us. Where did they go for that time when I wasn't around? Serena told me about it? What could they have been doing?

D.V. Patterson. The maniac. Of course he's not anymore, and from what he told me, he wasn't really nuts, just easily angered. Whatever he says, he's the one with the house full of weapons.

First he was Maverick, now he's Guardian Saturn. Where did he come from? I don't remember anything about him from the past? And if some new threat shows up, how is going to work with the scouts. He's deathly afraid of girls, never mind his general nervousness in most experiences. That whole spy tape he had didn't help things, but I give him the benefit of the doubt. He's experience great pain in his life, that can cause people to do drastic things, and now we'll see how he reacts.

Those three other guys I've heard about. What are their names, Rick, Steve, and Mike. I wonder what they'd say if they knew those girls were Sailor Scouts? Ehh..they'd probably think it was cool. Somehow though, I wonder if destiny hasn't brought them to the scouts. Very few people actually get to know the scouts without being pulled into the mix at some time or another. Of course they've already gotten blasted by energy a few times, but there could be more. What the girls probably didn't notice, and what I deliberately kept from them at Luna and Artemas' urging was that while Saturn used a piece of that crystal to transform, there were three other pieces left. Now safely in the cat's care. After all, what would be Saturn, without the other three planets too. It could be those three, but then again...who really knows.

As he was continuing to stare out at the view the doorbell rang. He moved inside and answered the door. Patterson stood there nevously.

"Hello, Patterson, what brings you here?" Darrien asked.

"Well...I thought it would be necessary for us to talk seeing as how I'm you know who," Patterson said.

"Oh...right...well come in," Darrien said.

"Uh...sure...um...you know...that I spied on you as well, just not as often and I wanted to apologize."

"No problem, but I wouldn't suggest doing it again," Darrien said with a small grin.

"Don't worry, I won't," he said. Besides I know all I need too anyway. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay with all this."

"Sure...they are..and..I guess I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions when I saw you the first time as Maverick," Darrien said.

"I would have done the same thing. You couldn't take the chance. I understand. I mean...what were the chances I was on her side for all you knew. You had to be careful," Patterson said.

"I'm just sorry I had to knock you out and all."

"You didn't knock me out, I faked it, so you would go away," Patterson said.

"You did?" Darrien asked in surprise.

"Of course, one of your hits couldn't knock me out."

"Oh really?"

"Sure...I mean..if I had wanted to fight you I could have whipped your butt," Patterson said and small grin forming on his face. Darrien saw he was slightly enjoying this.

"Yeah right," Darrien said. "I would have liked to have seen that."

"You wouldn't have had the chance because I'd be kicking your butt at the time."

"Fat chance."

"Wanna go?"

"No. Not today anyway."

"Fine...one day we'll settle it."

"It's a matter of honor now. Well...I'd better be going...I've got to get home and with my bad leg it takes hours."

"Sure..thanks for coming by to work things out," Darrien said.

"Yeah...say..Darrien.......those girls...they're pretty silly aren't they?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Just a thought," Patterson said and walked out.

"Boy he's strange," Darrien said.

An hour later, as Darrien made himself a drink and was staring out over the city once again, he heard the chime of the doorbell again. He walked inside and opened the door to see Serena and her friends standing there.

"Well..hello there girls," he said.

"Hi Darrien," the five said in unison.

"Um...come in...what brings you here?"

"Don't tell me you forgot, it's our anniversary," Serena said.

"What?" Darrien said.

"You know..it was this day a year ago that you saved me for the first time," Serena said.

"I did? I hadn't kept track," Darrien said.

"Don't worry, Serena did," Lita said with a laugh.

"Let's go out and celebrate," Raye said.

"Yeah..I'm starving," Mina said.

"Okay..I'm coming," Darrien said. Why do I get the sense that they just are using this as an excuse to go out for dinner. Come to think of it. Why do I get the sense that I'll be paying? He thought worriedly. As he walked out of his apartment with the girls.

"So..Darrien..why don't you be the chivalrous gentleman that you are and....." Serena began.

I knew it. Darrien thought.

And the six of them, the originals, as they might be called walked into the night to celebrate the passing of one year, a year that had been spent fighting evil left and right, a year that had forged relationships, and destroyed them, sometimes only to forge them yet again. A year that was only the beginning for the Sailor Scouts.....

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