From: Sailor Pluto To: Cc: ; ; ; ; Subject: Molly/Nephlyte Romance CH.4 Date: Sunday, July 02, 2000 11:09 PM Disclaimer: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei, Kodansha, and anyone else I may have not listed here. This story is meant for entertainment purposes and is not meant in any way to alter the original story line. This story, it's contents, and any new characters created belong to Sailor Pluto. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ "The Stars Know Everything.." The Romance Of Molly and Nephlyte by: Sailor Pluto Chapter 4: Seeking Opportunity Rating for this chapter: G (rating may increase as story unfolds) ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Darien Shields' apartment. A Friday evening. Nephlyte decided to do Darien a favor by cooking dinner that night. Andrew would be coming over later that evening to join them, and Nephlyte felt like he owed a lot to him and darien. This was the least he could do. He sometimes felt like he was a burden on Darien. He had been staying in Darien's apartment for a little over a month now, and he still wasn't making enough money with his job at the arcade to get his own place. He wondered if Darien secretly had any resentment towards him. Darien certainly wasn't the warmest person in the world. Still, Nephlyte felt something very familiar about Darien. Darien was reading a book about astronomy while Nephlyte was cooking. Something about the night sky just seemed to enchant him, especially the Moon. Nephlyte brought in the food and looked at the cover of Darien's book. "Hey, you like astronomy too?," he asked. "Yeah, very much," Darien answered. "You do too, I'm guessing." "Yeah, it's probably my favorite field of study," Nephlyte said. "I read a lot of books about it in my youth." Darien said nothing. He decided not to ask Nephlyte about his past. Every time he asked him about it, Nephlyte's demeanor would change and he would get an ice cold look in his eyes. he would studder n his speech and shake like he was going to explode. Darien's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. It was Andrew. Darien let Andrew inside as Nephlyte brought out Andrew's food. "You're just in time," Nephlyte said. "Thanks," Andrew said with the same bright smile that he always carried with him. " It's nice of you to cook for us." "Hey, it's no problem," Nephlyte replied, giving one of his own rare smiles. "You guys have done so much for me, it's the least I can do." "Only happy to help," Andrew said. "Are you happy working at the arcade?" "Well..., yes. I like it a lot, Andrew," Nephlyte stammered. "But, I've been thinking a lot lately. The pay isn't bad, but I'm not making enough that is needed to lease an apartment. If I don't make enough money soon," *starts to giggle* "...I may still be living with Darien when I have a full head of grey hair." "I certainly hope not," Darien laughed. "I don't want to impose on you much longer, Darien," Nephlyte said, getting serious again. "I really need a job that will put me back into shape." Just then, the phone rang. "Hello," Darien answered the phone. "Um,...hi, is this the residence of Darien Shields?," said a familiar, whiny, female voice. "Meatball head?!," Darien freaked out. "Hey, watch it, buster! My name is Serena!," Serena shouted. "What do you want? How did you get my number?," Darien asked, feeling the nerves run through him. "I got it from Raye...and for your information, buddy, I'm not looking for you. I'm looking for Nephlyte!," Serena answered in an annoyed tone. "Is he there?" "Yes, he's here. Hang on," Darien said as he passed the phone to Nephlyte. Nephlyte looked at him, confused. "This is Nephlyte," he spoke into the phone. "Uh, hi Nephlyte, it's Serena!," she answered, trying to perk up. "Uh, hello Serena. It's um nice to hear from you," Nephlyte studdered. "Um...yeah...anyways, I was just thinking...there's this really cool exhibit being displayed to the public at the Tokyo Bay Observatory tomorrow. Molly told me she thought you might be interested, and i thought this might be a cool way for us all to hang out and get to know each other better." "Um, it sounds interesting, Serena," Nephlyte answered, lighting up. "Cool. Then we'll meet you guys there tomorrow at noon," Serena said. "Okay, sounds good. Can Darien and Andrew come too?," he asked with a sly look. "Um, okay sure. Just as long as you guys keep Darien from teasing me," Serena answered. "Hey, guys...how would you guys like to see a public exhibit at the Tokyo Bay Observatory tomorrow?" Nephlyte asked, turning to the guys. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Tokyo Bay Observatory. Saturday at noon. "Look, here they come," Amy announced. "This was a good idea, Serena..." "Hey thanks, Amy," Serena beamed. "...but I thought you didn't like science," Amy finished. Serena sweatdropped. "Hey! I'm willing to try something new!," Serena declared. "Besides, it's for the good of the team. If we are gonna get to know Nephlyte, this is the best way!" Serena then lowered her voice to a mutter and said,"...and I'll do anything to see Andrew." Amy and Raye sweatdropped. "I knew she had alterior motives," Raye whispered to Amy. As Nephlyte, Molly, and Darien approached the three girls, Serena looked around in a panic. "Where's Andrew?!," Serena wailed when they reached them. "He's at work," Nephlyte replied. "Somebody has to be there at the arcade to give people tokens." Serena almost fell down. She completely forgot that Nephlyte and Andrew worked at the same place and she over looked it. She felt the stone of dissapointment sink in her stomach and the flame of embarassment flare into her face. "Oh, get real, Serena!," said Raye, who watched her reaction. "We all know you set this up because you wanted to see Andrew, but you can't see him all the time!" "Stuff it, Raye! I did not!," Serena replied. "Besides, I know you're not exactly upset that Darien is here! You'll be on his arm all afternoon!" "What's that supposed to mean?!" "It's annoying!" "What's the matter? You jealous Serena?!" "I am not! "Are too!" Amy and Darien sighed a deep sigh in sync. Molly looked at Nephlyte who was just staring at Serena and Raye with a "Huh? What the heck?" type look. "Are they always like this?," Nephlyte asked. "YES," Amy and Darien moaned. Amy went over to break up the catfight between Raye and Serena. Finally, the group went to the front doors of the observatory. Amy and Darien decided to walk between Raye and Serena. The group entered the building with many posters and photography of planets and comets covering the walls. The place was packed with professors and scientists in white coats. A big crowd of people was heading towards a large room where there was going to be a film shown about the Moon and space travel. The group follwed the big crowd into the huge auditorium with a huge screen. "OOOOOh, a movie! Pass down the popcorn and soda!," Serena squealed. "Serena, this is not a movie theater, you meatball head! Sometimes you amaze me at how stupid you can be!!," Raye shouted. "That was harsh, Raye," Serena whimpered. "Why are you always yelling at me?" "Cool it you two!," Amy snapped, obviously peeved. "Um...I think maybe I'll just sit between the two of you so you don't argue during the showing," Darien muttered. "Doh! Oh great! First one pain and then another," Serena moaned. Darien said nothing, even though he was really tempted to put her down. But he knew that if he did, she would probably cry and they would be kicked out. The group quietly took their seats. A scientist went up to the front of the room to remind everyone not to eat, drink, smoke, or run electronic devices during the showing. After that, the showing began. Serena found herself not very interested in the space program, but she was entranced with the large shots of the Moon. Darien was also entranced with the Moon. They could both hear an inner haunting melody begin to play inside their heads. Serena closed her eyes and let the music play in her head, giving her beautiful visions of the Moon and the stars. She imagined a beautiful princess in white dancing with a tall, dark-haired man in a tuxedo. Then she remembered that night at Princess Diamond's party where she danced the entire night with Tuxedo Mask. She was completely entranced and began to melt. She had her eyes closed, so she didn't see herself place her head against Darien's arm. Darien was shocked, but not alarmed. The sweet music was still in his head, and he looked at the blonde girl at his arm in awe. "She looks so adorable when she sleeps," he thought. "Maybe she's not a total nuissance afterall. At least she's not screaming at the top of her lungs." Serena was awakened by a harsh whisper. "Serena! What do you think you are doing?! Get off of him!," Raye hissed. Serena realized where her head was and nearly jumped out of her seat. "Gack!," she gasped. She looked as if she were about to explode. Her face turned a bright red with embarassment. Darien's face turned a bright red as well. When she calmed down, serena thought for a moment; "He didn't shoo me off. He just let me lay there!" She sat there in shock for a moment, then almost gagged at the thought. When the film had finished, the grouped exited the room and proceeded to look at other parts of the exhibit around the Observatory. In midst of looking around, Nephlyte spotted a flyer on a bulletin board that stated: ************************************************* WANTED: JANITOR TO CLOSE AND CLEAN AFTER HOURS 10pm-Midnight or 1am Monday-Friday $8.00 per hour No qualifications or experience necessary Inquire at Main Office Front Desk ************************************************* Nephlyte thought for a minute, and saw that it did not conflict with his hours at the arcade. "Hey, Darien, come look at this," he called to Darien. When Darien saw the flyer, he said, "So you want to take this second job?" "Yes. The more money I make, the sooner you can have your apartment to yourself again," Nephlyte replied. Darien laughed at this. Nephlyte started to look for the Main Office, when he saw the dissappointment in Molly's face. "Don't worry. I'll make sure I still have time to see you," he reassured her as he brushed his hand across her left cheek. she started to light up again. They found the Main Office, and Nephlyte went inside on his own. He came out fifteen minutes later with a big smile on his face. "They said I could report here Monday evening for training," he announced. Then was heard a chorus of "Alright"s, "That's great"s, and "Congratulations" coming from the group. Molly squeezed Nephlyte's hand tenderly as they left the building. "This was a great idea, Serena," Nephlyte said. "Thanks for suggesting it." "Hey, no problem! Anytime!," Serena said, beaming. "See you guys later," Nephlyte said as he, Molly, and Darien left in the other direction. The three girls waved and walked towards the bus stop. Raye couldn't help but wonder why Serena was all of a sudden not mean to Darien. "Okay, Serena, what was that lying on my Darien all about today, huh?!," she asked. "Eww, don't even remind me! You can have him! I have absolutely no interest in that jerk!," Serena snapped. "Good," Raye replied. The bus came and the girls boarded. As Serena sat down, she began to daydream again about that night with Tuxedo Mask. "I know who I want," Serena thought. "One of these days, after we don't have to worry about the Negaverse anymore, I'll tell him how I feel about him." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com