Title: Winning Love: Prologue Author: Alicia Blade E-Mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com HI! I'm back!! Thanx to EVERYONE who e-mailed me! Especially Jade who writes the nicest mail and inspired this. Don't ask me how, it just came to me when I was reading her e-mail. And Marie who also writes the best mail and helped by showing a lot of interest in this story. Thanx guys!!!. Also thanks to Rayea, Shannon, and Patricia who are my bestest friends and also just about as sphyched over Sailor Moon as me! And G.G. and Marsha, who are wicked cool friends, but don't quite understand all the, 'omigosh! Darien is so FINE! I want to be a cartoon! I wish I were the Moon Princess! Ugh! I can't believe I'm in love with a two-dimensional character!' bit. But, we are slowly winning them over to our side. This takes place sometime during the first season, but I'm not exactly sure when. I might bring up Lita or Mina every now and then, so don't get surprised. This will be mostly all romance. If there is any fighting, it will be VERY little! Darien and Serena don't know who each other are. I will be using the dubbed names simply because if I use the Japanese names, there's a chance I'll end up switching between the two, which could get frustrating. PLEASE E-MAIL ME!!! I don't care if you just want to say 'HI'. I need mail!!!! All the disclaimers...if you don't know who they are, go read someone else's fic. I don't feel like listing them. This will be a couple of chapters long, I have no idea how much. I'll try my best to get one to two out each week. Also, I have read a lot of fanfics in the past and got a lot of ideas from them. If I copied any lines or ideas from the stories- I'M SORRY! E-mail me if I did and I'll give you credit for your oh-so-wonderful-it-deserved-to-be-copied idea. 'AN' means author's notes. That's all... ON WITH THE SHOW! Winning Love I love her. I love her. I love her. Naw, that can't be right... can it? I had just finished talking to Andrew. Well, he was talking to me. I spaced out mostly to the very end of the conversation. And then, something he said caught my ear. I just walked into the arcade and sat down at the counter, smiling to myself. I had been talking to Meatball Head. She had stormed off after I commented a little less than friendly on her hair enough times. Now all I could see were those beautiful eyes glaring back at me, and those playful buns bobbing as she stormed away, screaming something about 'I'm always late! Raye's gonna kill me!' I laughed as I began sipping away at the coke placed in front of me. Wait a minute- I didn't order a coke. Alarmed, I snapped out of my daydream. There was Andrew, laughing his head off. "Hey, bud. I thought you looked a little thirsty. Where were you, anyways? I've been calling your name the last two minutes!" "Oh, sorry, guess I was just a little out of it. Didn't get much sleep, ya know. Up all night studying for exams." "Bummer. Hey, I saw you talking to Serena. She got mad at you again! I don't know how you can be so mean to her! She's a pretty nice girl." "Yeah, she can be really a..nnoying." I caught myself before spitting out 'adorable'. But still, the thought of her rang in my mind, and I was pulled back into my own dream world. The next thing I knew, Andrew was calling my name again. "Huh? What were you saying?" Andrew just gave me a knowing smile. Uh-oh. I hadn't been saying my dreams out loud, had I? "Okay. You are NOT yourself today. And if I know you, only one thing could make you act this wierd." I looked at him questioningly. He couldn't guess this one. Not a chance. Ha! Darien crushing on a girl!? Yeah right! But then, he was talking again. "So, who is she?" No way! How did he do that?! That's it! I have been spending too much time with him! "She? I... I don't know what you're talking about." "Sure ya don't. Fine, you don't have to tell me. I know you will eventually. But, she really must be something to get you this turned around. I swear, I never thought there would be a girl who could make the great Darien fall in love." And with that, Andrew got up and walked away. And so, here I am. Sitting all by myself on a stool at an arcade drinking a coke scrutinizing everything I have felt for the past few weeks since the day a cheerful, laughing blonde came into my life with a terrible test score. And I have finally arrived at the inevitable conclusion. I, Darien Chiba, am madly, head-over-heals in love with Serena Tsukino. Oh Andrew! Why'd you have to open your big mouth? But I suppose I would have realized it sooner or later. It can get very hard trying to ignore the way my heart thumps about in my chest like a bowling ball trying to fit into a film canister whenever I see her walking toward me. Or how my palms get all sweaty at the mention of her name. I'm surprised I ignored it for this long. And so, now that I know what I feel, what on Earth am I going to do! I can just see it now. Here she comes, walking down the sidewalk, bright and cheery for another day, and then her face falls as she sees me. Then here I come. "Hey Meatball Head! Look, I'm sorry I'm such a jerk to you and all, but, well, I've been thinking, and I love you. In fact, I think we were made for each other. How would you like to go out sometime? Or better yet, would you marry me?" Oh yeah! What a winner! Think of how ironic this is. I am actually trying to get a girl to fall in love with me! Talk about turning the tables. There's never been a girl who didn't jump at the chance to date me. Or even talk to me! Except, of course, Serena. The one girl that I actually learn to love. Oh Serena! Why do you have to be so different?! Because, that is what makes her perfect. Great, I'm answering my own questions now! Back to the matter at hand. Honestly, I don't have the slightest idea how to make a girl swoon. Yeah, that's right. Me. Tuxedo Mask. The mysterious man of the night with the romantic red roses and long, flowing cape and dreamy starry blue eyes and tousled black hair just dying to be touched, and the sexy deep voice and...(AN: sorry, got a little carried away there) has no clue how to flirt. But, I suppose I'll have to learn fast. I need Serena. To hold her and kiss her. And I really don't know if I'll be able to keep myself from doing so the next time I see her. And so, starting the next time I see that gorgeous smile headed my way, I will be mister perfect. I will have Serena love me. I have to. I don't know what I'll do if I don't. And so, here is the hardest challenge I think I will ever have to overcome. As Tuxedo Mask, or anyone else. I will win Serena's love. Stay tuned for Chapter 1: First attempts