Title: Almost Gilligan's Island-Chapter 2 Author: SailorIllusions E-Mail: Mystikazg@aol.com Rating: PG *DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon was created by Naoko Takeuchi and is property of Kodansha, TOEI Animation, Mixxine, Bandai, and DIC Productions. "So as you can see, these islands are visited by few because we believe in preserving their natural beauty. There are many uncharted and undiscovered islands out there," Serena was explaining to her tourists. Serena laid a hand down on the railing of the ship and smiled at everyone, carefully avoiding having to look at Darien. Mr. Tsukino walked up next to Serena and put a hand on her shoulder. He looked at everyone. "Okay everyone, how about we take a ten minute break from all this and stretch and we'll continue on with our tour. What do ya say?" Mr. Tsukino asked. "Sure!" "Sounds like a superb idea." "Well, I'll take that as a yes." Mr. Tsukino leaned towards Serena and whispered quietly in her ear. "Dear, why don't you go and talk to Mr. Chiba. He seems like a well-rounded individual?" "Father, not again. You're always trying to play Cupid. Well, trust me, you try stringing that arrow, and it's going to come right back and hit you in the butt," Serena replied. And with that, she turned her eyes back to the soothing sight of the ocean. Her father sighed and walked off, deep in thought. He wanted very much for Serena to be involved in a relationship. She needed someone to love and for someone to love her back in that way. His eyes bored into Darien's figure. He had come to respect the man in the space of only an hour. But he acknowledged, perhaps by a parent's instinct, that the man was attracted to his daughter's vibrancy. Mr. Tsukino felt that this man was responsible and kind enough to take care of Serena. He wanted to make sure that Serena was in good hands when he passed away. Mr. Tsukino made up his mind to make sure these two got together before the end of the tour. "I'm surprised you haven't tripped and fallen out of the boat already," Darien said mockingly. He had wandered next to her side and his side was brushing hers. She swiveled her head and her eyes burned with anger. "Is this how you win the ladies over, Mr. Chiba?" Serena spat out. She tried hard to reign her anger in, but the smirk on his face made her itch to sock him in the face. Then a look of contritement passed Darien's face. He stared out at the ocean, sparkling as if an endless supply of gems had been threaded through the top layer. "Serena, forgive me. I didn't mean that or what I said earlier near the cafe. I never treat ladies like this. I guess it's just my alter-ego, Darien the Jerk," he muttered. And he really meant it too. He didn't know what it was, but something about her captivated him, even though he had barely spoken to her and it had only been about two hours since they'd met. Serena issued a wistful sigh and looked in his eyes steadily. To her surprise, she saw honesty in every sparkle. He really is telling me the truth, she thought. You know, maybe he's not so bad after all. Just when she was about to open her mouth to reply, the boat pitched forward violently. Serena and Darien swung their gaze around them wildly. All this time, they had never even noticed the dark and ominous looking clouds that had gathered overhead. Thunder rumbled loudly. "Dad, what's going on?!" Serena shouted. She quickly left Darien's side to rush over to her dad. High-pressure winds blasted against them as they tried to maintain their footing. "I don't know honey. The weather report didn't say anything about a storm on the loose. Drat, I hope it's nothing big or we'll be in a major brew," her father replied worriedly. (AN: LOL, get it? Major brew? HAHAHA...*Coughing*...um anyways ^_^) Suddenly, lightning flashed overhead and the thunder clapped loudly. Instinctively, Serena threw her arms around Darien and hid her face in his shirt. Darien glanced down shocked. He couldn't believe that someone as vibrant as Serena was actually afraid of a storm. He wrapped his arms around her trembling figure. "It's going to be okay Serena," he whispered softly in her ear. He stroked her hair absentmindedly. He felt as if he never wanted to let her go. She fit so well within his arms. What a strange feeling, the like of which he's never known before. Serena, as if sensing his feelings, suddenly pulled out of his arms and looked at him, a dazed looked in her eyes. Why did she feel so safe in his arms? It's like we're destined for each other or something. Yeah right! "Thank you for making me feel better Darien. I really appreciate it. But I think I'll be okay now," Serena mumbled. She then hurried over to her father's side. Darien just watched her departing figure with something almost like sadness. Why am I sad for? It's not like she's my girlfriend or anything. He went to go help take care of the panicked people on-board who weren't quite happy. That's when the rain started. Not just rain, but blinding sheets of pelting rain. "Ah, I'm getting soaked, someone help me," yelled Molly. Melvin, who had already concluded that he was in love with her ran over to her, holding a plastic tarp above her. "Are you okay, Ms. Osaka?" Melvin asked her shyly. Molly gazed at him, her head tilted to the side. No one had ever been this nice to her, like nice just because they really cared, not the artificial kind she had experienced in Hollywood. "Yes, thank you...? Call me Molly, what's your name?" Molly asked. "My name's Melvin. I help the skipper," he supplied. The two just grinned at each other. Meanwhile, the storm just kept reaching proportional heights while Mr. Tsukino had instructed everyone to help out with various things, such as securing certain parts of the ship. Serena was stuck with none other but Darien. Her father said that they would make a great team. Yeah, she thought sarcastically. But she couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort being around Darien. Just as she was about to tie down the lines of the sails more securely, the ship suddenly stopped, throwing everyone on the ship awry. Serena would've fallen flat-faced on the deck if a certain pair of arms hadn't slipped around her waist and pulled her back. She knew it had been Darien. He had pulled her close to his chest. She could feel his warm breath near her ear. "Gotcha," he whispered. His lips then trailed dangerously close to her neck until she twisted away and glanced back at him. "Ummm. Thank you again Darien. You've been such a help to us," she said quickly. "Hey, where are we?" Miraculously, the storm had stopped altogether and the sun came out once more to dry them in it's warm rays. The boat had come atop a long stretch of white beach that was quite spectacular. The blue waters lapping at the shore seemed pure and untouched. Mountains and bright, green jungle started about 20 feet away from the beach. Everyone just gawked, because by far, this island was really something, breathtaking. Mr. Tsukino couldn't recall ever having seen this island before and a knot of fear grew in his stomach. He quickly went to a chest and whipped out a map. Suddenly, his face did pale as he scanned and rescanned the map. Shaking, he stood up and faced the people. "Okay everyone. I have some bad news. I have gone over the map quite a few times and I've concluded that...well. That the island our boat decided to land on is...ummm. It'sanddiscoveredisland," he said quickly. Even though he had said it quickly, they all understood. They all glanced at each other with worry and panic in their eyes. Stuck on an undiscovered island? Geez, wonderful, could life get any worse at this point? Serena thought. She glanced at Darien to gauge his reaction and what she saw surprised her. A faint smile graced his face as he looked at her. What in the world is he so happy about? Darien on-the-other hand, was indeed happy. Wonderful, now I have who knows how long, to try and win Serena's heart. We've just met, but something, something about her, tells me that we're meant to be together. ^_^ Hehehe. Okie dokie. That's it for now. I apologize if the chapter seems incomplete somehow. I was stuck repeatedly on some areas. Thanks to SailorLuzdeLuna for sitting and talking to me while I was typing out this chapter. Hehehe. Love ya! But hope you guys like it all the same. And please e-mail me with comments. ^_^