This is a short little first season story, written
merely because my friend, Angela requested some
Darien-Angst from yours truly. So Angela-chan,
this one's for you. Consider it thanks for that
little Mamo-Usa dance scene, and other nice images
that you've planted in my head. ^_~

BTW, I'll be out of the country for the next month,
so this fic is my peace offering for those of you
who are waiting for the next chapters of "The Coldest
December." I'll be home soon! Patience!

Disclaimer: No own.

@}->--

Coffee
By Aimee

	"I'm not crazy, you know," the uncomfortable
man began, his eyes darting nervously from the
ornate wooden desk to the degree-littered wall. His
hands tugged mechanically at his tie, which had
suddenly become awkwardly tight around his neck.

	"No one is trying to say that you are," the
mild-mannered woman behind the desk replied simply,
her face reflecting off of the water glass her
fingertips traced in an absentminded pattern. It was
a good thing Dr. Mildred Woods had the patience to
match her chosen profession. It was much called for
when dealing with such a patient as the gentleman
before her.

	"Then why am I here?" he persisted,
aggravated by the woman's uncanny ability to turn
his questions around in an annoyingly undesirable
fashion.

	"Didn't we discuss this last week, Mr.
Chiba?" she inquired pleasantly, peering at the
squirming young man with an amusement that few
patients could bring about.

	"I don't need a shrink," Darien argued,
his eyes still unconsciously studying the fleets
of certificates and framed degrees that decorated
the wall of the office.

	"We're called psychologists, these days.
Unless, of course, you're referring to Dr. Clements
down the hall. In which case, I'd say 'shrink' would
readily define him," the elderly woman informed him
with a lighthearted chuckle. "My, aren't we fussy
this week? Did something happen that I should know
about?"

	"Why do you get to ask all the questions?"

	"I wouldn't have to ask so many if you would
answer them the first time around."

	Darien sighed deeply, pulling at the tie
that seemed to be bent on choking him to death. The
unendurable woman before him could try the patience
of Job. She was even worse than Serena, little
meatball headed brat that she was. But the day had
been long, and Darien wasn't feeling quite up to par.
Thus, he gave in without much of a fight. "Please
repeat the question, Dr. Woods. I seem to have
forgotten it."

	"That's hard to believe, seeing as I've
been asking you the same question since our sessions
began," she commented, removing her reading glasses
as she glanced up from her notes to regard the young
man seriously. "Are you happy, Mr. Chiba?"

	"I just..." He sighed, pushing unruly bangs
away from his eyes. "I guess I just don't understand
what kind of question that's supposed to be," he
evaded. "I mean, is anyone truly happy?"

	"I didn't asked about 'anyone.' I asked
about you."

	"I'm...I'm happy," he struggled with the
words. "Why wouldn't I be?"

	Dr. Woods replaced the reading glasses and
began taking notes once more. "What did you do today,
Darien? Start from when you woke up this morning."

	The leather chair squeaked a bit as he shifted
uncomfortably. "Why?"

	"Please. Humor me," she requested, smiling
pleasantly.

	"It was a typical day, I guess. I went for
a jog, showered, went to work, and then came here."

	"And what will you do after you leave my
office?" she inquired, leaning back in her chair,
thoughtfully studying the young man as he eluded
her continuously with his eyes.

	"I have classes at the university this
evening."

	"Ah, yes. You're quite the student, I hear.
4.0 for three years straight, is that right?"

	He nodded absentmindedly, still not bringing
his eyes to meet hers. "Mr. Chiba, do you associate
much with your peers? At school or at work?"

	His shoulders lifted momentarily with a
halfhearted shrug. "Yeah, a few of them, I guess."

	"How many is a few?"

	He looked up, annoyance flashing in his dark
eyes. "A few."

	"But do you socialize with them much aside
from the classroom or on the job? Do you ever go to
parties? The movies? Study sessions?"

	"I prefer to study by myself," he commented,
crossing his arms over his chest.

	"You prefer to do many things by yourself,
don't you?" Dr. Woods inquired, her question causing
the young man to look up suspiciously.

	"Just what are you trying to say?"

	She smiled, the lines in her aged face
creasing gently. "You're such a bright young man.
You have so much to give, so much talent, so much
love. No, don't look at me like that. You would have
love if you would let it show. Yet you persistently
hide yourself away from people. Haven't you ever
desired to share part of yourself with another
person? To let them inside?"

	"No."

	She shook her head. "You're not being honest.
With me or with yourself."

	"Loneliness suits me, Dr. Woods," Darien
commented darkly, sinking down into the chair with
a sullen expression marring his face. "I've been
alone my entire life."

	"That's not true. Your parents must have
loved and cared for you dearly when they were alive."

	Cold, blue eyes flashed at her. "Well,
they're not here anymore, are they?"

	"No, they're not," she answered honestly.
"But there are over 5 billion people in the world
that are here." His eyes closed in displeasure,
opening again only to stare off in the distance.
"No one can replace what you've lost, and what
you've lost is great. But there are a certain few
who can make it easier...who will love you if you'd
let them."

	He shook his head unhappily. "Loneliness
suits m--"

	"No, it doesn't, Mr. Chiba," she cut him
off. "It doesn't suit anyone. It never has. Your
loneliness is the reason you show up here week after
week, trying to fill that void that's inside of you."
Darien shifted uncomfortably, placing his head in
his palms, but Dr. Woods continued regardless. "You
try to fill that void with scholastics and your job,
but it's not enough. Is it, Mr. Chiba?"

	He didn't respond, shifting once more.

	"Mr. Chiba...Darien..." she began, leaning
forward, eyes serious. "Tell me honestly. Are you
happy?"

	His eyes fell to his lap, where they studied
the white, clenched knuckles that lay there. He bit
his lip, forehead creasing. "No," he whispered softly.

	"Darien?"

	"No," he repeated with more volume. "I'm
not happy."

	"Why?"

	His lower lip quivered a bit, eyes still
affixed to his lap. "It's just like you said. I'm
lonely."

	The elderly doctor capped her pen and set
it down on the desk. "You're right, Darien. You are."

	He blinked, glancing up in confusion. "That's
it? That's all you have to say?"

	"What more would you like me to say?" she
inquired, leaning back into her chair.

	He faltered momentarily. "Well, what can I
do? How do I get over this?"

	She smiled. "I think you know, Darien. I
think you know very well. The rest, however, is up
to you."

	Eyes falling from her face in silence, Darien
glanced wearily into his cup of coffee, which sat
before him on Dr. Wood's desk, untouched.

@}->--

	Serena skipped happily between the rain
puddles, bunny umbrella in tow as she hummed a song
under her breath. The rain wasn't so bad when it
wasn't thundering, she decided as she contently
sipped on a cup of steaming hot chocolate,
compliments of Andrew at the Crown Arcade.

	But then again, nothing could have put her
in a bad mood that day. Not even a little thunder.
Not even Darien and his annoying "Meatball Head"
comments. It was Friday, the best day of the week.
It meant no more school for two whole days. Thus,
the tune she hummed under her breath was a happy
one, filled with thoughts of sleeping in late and
spending her newly awarded weekend allowance with
blissful glee.

	But as she skipped up one side of the pond's
wooden bridge, the song she hummed ended abruptly.
A familiar young man stood in the center of the
overpass, leaning against the railing. Gasping faintly
in apprehension as she recognized her archenemy's
dark, albeit handsome profile, she momentarily
considered turning on her heels and finding another
route home...fast. But another tentative and curious
glance at his stationary, brooding form only brought
her closer to where he stood as her brow creased in
concern. She studied him with confusion and--though
she didn't want to admit it--worry.

	Darien stood in perfect silence, his body
unshielded from the afternoon shower as he watched
the rain droplets splash into the pond below. His
head was downcast as he stared, and little beads
of rain trickled from his hair and down his serious
face. He didn't seem to notice...or care.

	Serena blanched in confusion, bringing a
finger to her mouth to chew on it in uncertainty.
What was wrong with him? He looked almost physically
ill. His face was pale, and his features bleak. But
something inside of her told her that it wasn't a
physical sickness that the man was plagued with. She
knew dejection when she saw it.

	But what better to cheer her archenemy up
than a fight with his favorite Meatball Head? It was
the least she could do...

	"Darien! You baka!" she accused, making a
big dramatization of holding her bunny umbrella over
his head. "It's pouring! Don't you have enough sense
to get in out of the rain?"

	His stormy eyes met with the two orbs of
clear blue that peered at him intently. He simply
stared at the girl for a moment or two before turning
away, his attention falling once again to the water
below. Inwardly, he felt his heart twist painfully
in guilt, thinking that perhaps he could have been
her friend once upon a time, if he hadn't shut her
out of his heart so many times.

	"Hey Serena," he offered hesitantly as he
glanced into the cup of coffee he forgot he was
holding.

	Surprised that her nemesis had actually
vocalized her name correctly, the golden child
stopped all movement mid-swallow into her hot
chocolate. Her actions served to choke the poor
girl, sending her into a coughing fit.

	Darien grimaced guiltily, and his eyes
briefly met with the heavens in exasperation. He
couldn't even be nice to her without failing. What
was the use of trying? Patting the recovering girl
on the back in an attempt to help her through the
brief oxygen crisis, he inquired, "Serena? Are you
okay?"

	The sputtering blond squinted up at him,
eyes filled with pained tears from her coughing fit.
"I should be asking YOU that, Darien. You actually
addressed me without an insult. *Twice*," she
breathed, amazement painted across her features.

	Darien blinked in astonishment. Incredible.
Serena hadn't yelled at him. No fit had been thrown.
And her hot chocolate hadn't been dumped unceremoniously
on his head. Funny how being nice to someone could
bring about such an unexpected response...

	"Yeah?" he responded to the gaping girl.
"Well, Serena is your name, isn't it?" He took a
sip of his coffee, which had grown cold in his
hands.

	She smiled at his light teasing, which
somehow didn't seem as cutting as it usually did.
His entire demeanor seemed to have changed, in fact.
His eyes weren't as piercing, and she couldn't help
but notice that they had grown somewhat dull and
lifeless. But she'd noticed the slight sparkle in
them at the sight of her smile. Timidly, she leaned
in closer, chiding him carefully, easing him out of
his shell into something comfortable.

	"Baka-san," she teased, peering with a silly
smile at the cup he was sipping. "Your coffee has
rainwater in it. Don't drink that..."

	He shrugged indifferently, and Serena
replaced the teasing smile she wore with a grimace
of concern. Placing a hand on the sleeve of his
jacket, she tugged on it lightly. "You're really
upset, aren't you? Darien...what happened? I've
never seen you like this. It worries me."

	His head shook, beads of water dripping from
his wet bangs. "It's nothing."

	"But I'll still listen, even if it's nothing,"
she persisted, smiling at him shyly. "After all,
what are friends for?"

	He offered a weak smile in return, but his
dark eyes were hesitant to meet hers. He studied her
face momentarily, seeing things he'd never seen
before in her eyes. They offered him an invitation.
She wanted him to open up to her. To let her inside
of his confused head. A little warning signal went
off within him, and he looked away quickly in
confusion and unease.

	Serena tugged on his arm lightly, dragging
him from his fleeting thoughts. "Come on, Darien.
I'll buy you some fresh coffee. And you can tell me
what's on your mind. Please? It'll make you feel
better. I promise."

	Wearily, he glanced briefly at the small,
pale hand that gripped his sleeve, feeling uncertain
and frightened inside. Just what was he agreeing to?
Why did she even care?

	The words of Dr. Woods ran through his mind.
"No one can replace what you've lost, and what you've
lost is great. But there are a certain few who can
make it easier...who will love you if you'd let them."

	'If I let her...' Darien realized silently,
turning uncertain eyes towards the small girl that
tugged on his sleeve.

	As though reading his thoughts, Serena
smiled playfully, her eyes lighting up in stark
contrast to the bleary weather around them. Stringing
her arm through his, she repeated, "Come on."

	Swallowing his fear, Darien abandoned the
half empty cup of coffee.

	He followed her.

@}->--

And the rest is up to your imagination. ^_~

All right, I guess I should explain why this story
is named "Coffee," ne? I suppose I've always
associated coffee with "works," so to speak. In
other words, things we do, things we strive for,
such as work and school. Get it? If you don't,
well...think about it a bit. ^_~

Write me!

Love,
Aimee-chan

sailor_moon89@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/moonlit_eclipse/