Title: A Dance to Remember - Part 5
Author: Alicia Blade
E-mail: Kammi22@sprintmail.com

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!!!!! It's DONE!!! I know I said it would be a few 
more chapters, but I had a change of plans. So sue me!!  Um... that was a 
joke. Ha ha, funny...  Please don't sue me!!! Anyway, sorry. NOW then, 
normal disclaimers, as always...

I have to thank Jennifer who pointed out to me that since Serena is in 
NINTH grade and Josh is in TENTH, this should be a high school dance, 
not middle school. And she is totally RIGHT!! Very sorry, but I meant 
for them to be in high school. See, I'm still stuck in 8th grade here... 

Another mistake: in the last chapter, at one point Josh calls Mina by 
her name and later says he can't remember it. Oops. Sorry for my air-
headedness!  ~_0

Um... Secret Admirer person, whoever you are, thanx for the rose! It was 
sweet and kept me guessing! But, I'm too busy to actually put effort 
into finding you, so I decided to thank you and leave it at that.

Another thing, I forgot to mention in Next Time Take the Stairs that 
the lullaby Serena sang was NOT written by me. It's from a Broadway 
musical called Godspell, and is a beautiful song when done correctly. 
Personally, I don't think the soundtrack does it justice, but if you 
have the time, go listen to it anyway. Oh, and while we're on the 
subject of NTTTS, YES I AM going to do a sequel!! So stop asking me 
too! I get the point! Don't hold your breath for it, but eventually, I 
will get to work on a sequel to it. Thanx to all the MILLION people who 
e-mailed me, I have never gotten a response like that to any story! You 
all made my day!! THANK YOU!!

As always, please e-mail me! Don't let my inbox go lonely. :(

Thanx a million times to Athena, Edeet, Lady Starra, Patricia Dawson, 
R-chan, Rebe-chan and Shan-chan for their incredible ideas. I am going 
to admit right now that MOST of the ideas in this chapter were NOT 
mine. They helped TONS, and I love each of them very much!!! Thanx, 
guys! Please check out Rebe-chan's site at: 
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bridge/8224/

Thanx again, please e-mail me, ya know, the works. 

	It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is 
even at the right hand of God, who also pleads our case for us.
						-Romans 8:34
	I was hoping to have this up Easter Sunday, but as I couldn't, 
Happy Easter minna-chan!!! Let's celebrate out salvation, people!!

~ A Dance to Remember ~

Part 5 - Revenge and Royalty

	Lita checked her watch. "According to my observations, she comes 
in here every 15 minutes to fix her hair and every 10 minutes to 
reapply her make-up... which means... Plan A will commence in... 45 seconds."
	"Good luck, Green Leader!" Mina whispered, pulling her feet onto 
the seat and waiting in silence...
	A few seconds later, the door to the bathroom swung open, nearly 
smacking Lita in the nose, and an angry blonde stormed into the room, 
closely followed by a heard of stick thin friends... or in other words, 
girls who would try to be exactly like her. 
	They circled around their fuming leader, crowding next to the 
sink counter and mirror. They ignored Lita. 
	"I can't believe this! First that college dork Damion or whatever 
his name was goes after that meatball-headed ditz, and now Josh is with 
that bimbo ninth grader with the out-dated hair bow!" she screeched.
	Jessica yelled in pain as she thought she felt a kick in her 
ankle. Turning, she saw nothing but an empty stall. She shrugged it off 
and turned back to her friends, staring at her with fake concern. 
	Mina, her feet settled comfortably on the toilet seat, threw her 
nose high in the air. 'Teaches her right, insulting my hair!' 
	Lita glared at the closed stall, trying to mentally communicate 
with her friend to cut it out. Plastering on a smile, she casually 
walked over to the counter and dug through her evening bag. Pulling out 
a stick of lipstick, she began to apply the pale color, always keeping 
her eye on the small clique. 
	"Yo, Jessi, calm down. You're still the cutest girl in the dance... 
much cuter than that Mina chick. OW!"	
	Lita rolled her eyes. 'I'll have to teach Mina how to keep hidden 
better.'
	"Yeah, and Damion isn't even cute! I mean... isn't he that guy in 
Samantha's English class?"
	"Not THAT guy! Serena's date! Ya know... the tall one with black 
hair and the tuxedo?"
	The girl who had spoken stared off into space for a minute. "Oh... 
THAT guy! Oh yeah, he IS hot! Talk about a great body! And those killer 
eyes and..."
	"Oh shut up!" screamed Jessica. She pushed through the small 
group to get closer to the sinks and mirrored wall. "I don't wanna hear 
another word about him. He doesn't deserve me, anyway, and neither does 
that creep, Josh. I can STILL have any guy of my choosing... I simply 
lost interest in THEM, that's all."
	"That's the spirit, Jess. Now why don't we..."
	"How many times must I tell you NOT to call me that?!" The clique 
shrunk away from her slightly. "Now, does anyone have any hairspray? 
Ew, just LOOK at this rat's nest! It's awful."
	Immediately, all hands dove into small evening bags. 
	"Here you go."
	They all turned to see the girl they had been ignoring throughout 
the time of their arrival. Lita smiled brightly, holding the small 
bottle out at arm's length toward Jessica. A silence draped itself over 
the small tiled room. Her smiled began to fall slowly. Straightening 
her shoulders, Lita tossed her hair off of her shoulder and placed on a 
faux supermodel smile instead. 
	"It's not like you need it, I mean, like, you totally have the 
most gorgeous... locks already. But, this is at the top of the sales, 
made from the same creators of... of... Evolution." Lita smiled brightly.
	The girls exchanged glances. "Evolution?" one asked. 
	Lita laughed with a laugh that made her flinch inside. "Yeah, 
like, the hottest new perfume. Haven't you heard about it yet? ALL the 
most famous models and actresses are wearing it!"
	"Like who?"
	Lita swallowed. "Why... Cameron Diaz and... Jennifer Lopez, of 
course!"
	"OH!!"
	"THAT perfume!"
	"Oh yeah, I've heard of that!"
	"I have a bottle... at home."
	"How could we forget?"
	"My Dad helped create it."
	"My Mother is on the advertising committee... she even met... Nicole 
Kidman!"
	Lita sighed with relief. 'Ditzes. They'll fall for anything.'
	After the commotion had died down, Jessica, rather skeptically 
took the bottle from Lita. She breathed an inner sigh of relief and 
returned to pretending to apply her makeup. 
	Jessica looked at the label. She held it up a foot from her hair, 
Lita's eyes watching her the whole time...
	"I wanna try it!!" screeched Tiffany, grabbing the bottle out of 
Jessica's hand. 
	"No ME!"
	"My hair needs it the most!"
	"MY Dad helped create it, remember? Shouldn't I be the first to 
use it?!"
	"I want it!"
	"No, ME!"
	"Me first!"
	Lita watched in shock as the bottle bounced from one pair of 
grabby hands to the next. 'THIS is bad.' Slowly, she edged her way to 
the door before running out into the dance. Not soon after did a 
horrifying scream echo from the closed door. One of the girls came 
running out, followed closely by her companions, each staring horrified 
at her head. Lita ducked behind the refreshment table and watched. The 
second the victim stepped into the light of a black light, everyone 
near her gasped and stopped dancing. Lita bit her lip and refrained 
from laughing at the girl with bright, glowing, neon green hair. 
Slowly, he group of friends backed away from her before deserting the 
girl on the dance floor entirely. 
	"When I find that girl I'm gonna...!!!" Lita could hear her scream 
as she ran as quickly as she could into a crowd of people.
	
	Mina and Ami slowly opened the doors to the bathroom stalls, 
stepping down onto the tile floor. "Gee, I wonder what happened..."

	Lita pulled the walkie-talkie out of her purse, breathing 
heavily. "Orange Leader, this is Green Leader. Come in Orange Leader! 
Out."
	"Green Leader?! What happened back there? Did we get her? Where 
are you? Out."
	"No, we didn't get Blondie, but we managed in damaging one of her 
companions."
	"Oh yeah... the one who can scream. Sheesh, I thought I was going 
to go deaf!"
	"Yeah, I heard her from half way across the dance floor!"
	"So what now?"
	"Plan B, now in progress. I'll meet you at the Eagle's Nest."
	"Good idea!"
	There was a click as the contact went dead. Lita was about to 
shove the speaker into her purse when she heard Mina speaking again. 
	"Um... Green Leader?"
	"Yeah?"
	"Wh... where's the Eagle's Nest?"
	
	She was standing alone by the table, watching couples hatefully. 
Her pale cheeks looked even more so with the bright strobe lights 
flashing around her, and one foot tapped angrily on the floor, waiting 
eagerly for the guy she thought she KNEW was dying to ask her to dance.
	"There she is. Now, you know what to do, right?"
	"You guys, I don't think we should be doing this..."
	"Ami... I mean, Blue Leader, don't back out on us now! Do it for 
Serena!"
	"Do it for any girl who's ever been dumped for a more popular 
girl!"
	"Do it for... all the kids who have to study because their parents 
can't afford to pay their teachers off!"
	Ami's eyes opened wide before she clenched her teeth and glared 
hatefully at the blonde standing alone. "You're right! Everyone should 
have to study equally hard!"
	"That's the way to look at it Blue. Now... go get 'em, tiger!"
	Ami stood up from the crouched position beneath the stage and 
brushed her dress off. Turning, she slyly took the small vile offered 
to her by Mina, before heading in the direction of the snack table. She 
began piling small treats onto a paper plate, trying to keep her blue 
eyes glued to the girl currently caught up in ignoring her. Her left 
hand leaned on the table, inches from a punch-filled glass. Looking 
around carefully, Ami unscrewed the top of the vile, inching closer to 
the unsuspecting girl, before nonchalantly dropping a few drops into 
the glass. She exhaled a deep breath. 'Ha! It's done!' Then she 
realized that Jessica was staring at her out of the corner of her eye. 
She smiled innocently before backing away quickly. 
	On the other side of the gym, two watching friends sighed deeply. 
She'd succeeded!
	Ami reached a wall at a safe distance and fell against it. 'I 
can't believe I just DID that!' And yet... she felt strangely satisfied...
	She looked up to see Jessica still standing in the same spot, 
still glaring evilly, her hand still inches from the cup. She watched 
as a couple came up to the table, out of breath and laughing from the 
dance they'd just completed. She recognized one as Samantha, a pal of 
Jessi's. 
	Three pairs of eyes watched in fear as SAMANTHA picked up the 
glass and held it to her lips... and Jessica walked slowly away. Ami's 
jaw dropped. "No... No... Th... that's not YOUR cup... It... it's..."
	But it was too late. The girl drank down every last drop before 
turning back to her date. From where they stood, they could see the 
'potion' already having taken effect. Samantha watched in curiosity as 
her date's eyes widened and he began to walk away from her... very... 
slowly... Evidently coming up with excuses before turning and 
disappearing into the crowd. 
	But it wasn't Samantha's fault. How was she supposed to know that
her once shining white teeth had turned to a gruesome, ink-like black?
	
	"Okay, so plans A and B didn't work out too well... She's a sly 
one, that Blondie. But we can't give up hope, Leaders! We WILL make her 
pay for the devastation she has caused our closest friend! She will 
soon learn that you must pay the consequences when you harm a Scout. 
Are you with me, Leaders? Orange Leader?!"
	"I'm with you, Green Leader! Let's teach Blondie a lesson she 
won't soon forget!"
	"Blue Leader?!"
	"I can't believe I DID that..." Ami mumbled, staring past Lita.
	Lita and Mina exchanged glances. "Um... I'll take that as a yes. 
SO! Now... PLAN C!"
	"I didn't know we had a plan C..." Mina said thoughtfully, racking 
her brain for a so-called Plan C.
	Lita smiled at her knowingly. "Oh, we have a Plan C. Boy, do we 
have a Plan C!" she said secretively.

	"THIS was your Plan C?!" Mina yelled. 
	"Hush up, Orangey," Lita hissed, still crouched before the wooden 
door, furiously picking at the lock.
	"We shouldn't be doing this..."
	"Blue Leader, you can't back out on us now. We need you for 
this!"
	"But we shouldn't be doing this!"
	"Lita, I don't think getting back at Jessica is worth all this. 
Really, let's just let it go, okay?"
	Lita paused from her diligent work to look up at her friend, 
leaned up behind a group of lockers. "Getting back at Jessica's not 
worth it? Have you lost your mind? Since day one of high school she has 
tried to make our lives miserable, and you're ready to just let her 
slide? Come on, show a little dignity!" With that, she returned her 
concentration to the metal doorknob. 
	"What if we get caught? Can you just imagine what detention could 
do to my record? My reputation?"
	"Ami, let it go! NO ONE is going to see us! As soon as I get this 
lock picked, we'll be in and out of there in a jiffy! Besides, all the 
adults are chaperoning the dance!"
	As if on cue, there was a click from the door. The hallway fell 
silent. Lita stood up and leaned on the lockers across from Mina. With 
one hand, she slowly pushed the door back. 
	Mina began humming the Mission Impossible theme song, while 
thrusting her head inside the door and looking all directions. With a 
sigh of relief, she looked back at her companions. "Coast is clear."
	They filed quietly into the small classroom. Mina ducked and 
rolled to hide beneath a desk while Lita tip-toed over to the front of 
the room, before crouching behind it as if awaiting an assault. Ami 
rolled her eyes and flipped on the light switch. 
	"OW!" The hiding girls screeched, hiding their eyes. 
	"Alright, let's make this quick," said Ami, rubbing her hands 
together. She closed the door and strolled over to the counter covered 
in large bottles and vials of strangely colored materials. "Lita! Do 
you have the container?"	
	"Sure do!" She handed her the perfume bottle quietly while Mina 
came up to join them. 
	Quietly, the blonde reached out to play with a small round thing 
with a needle attached, before moving on to an old fashioned scale. 
"Hey, I never knew these science tools could be so much fun!"
	"Mina, don't touch anything! You'll break it!" Ami scolded.
	"And probably burn the school down in the process," Lita added. 
	"Oooh, take that back!" screamed Mina, picking up a large glass 
tube and beginning to chase around the taller girl. 
	Ami rolled her eyes and forgot the race behind her as she 
continued to brew up the desired perfume... Besides, she was always at 
home in a chemistry lab.

	"Are you done yet?"
	"No, Mina, now stop complaining."
	Mina sighed, lying down on the counter top. She looked over at 
her blue-haired friend, her evening gown now covered in a white apron, 
and oversized goggled rested on the bridge of her nose. 
	"Is all that science gear really necessary? I mean, you're only 
mixing up a smelly perfume."
	"Yes, it's procedure."
	Mina sighed, looking over at Lita who was busy poking a long 
needle into a jar of dead frogs before squealing and pulling back, 
giggling, then starting over again. She turned her head to the side to 
look up at Ami again.
	"Are you done yet?"
	"Mina, you're ruining my concentration."
	"I'm BORED!!"
	"Not my problem."
	With that, Ami resumed pouring a strange orange colored chemical 
into the already concocted mixture. 
	Ami slid off of the counter top before strolling lazily around 
the table, staring in awe at the different colored liquids and 
machines. A particular set caught her eye. Red, orange, blue, and 
yellow, all placed nicely together on a lower shelf. 
	'Wow, all MY colors! I wonder what would happen if...'
	With a smile, she began pouring them into a larger bottle. She 
never noticed the small sign below labeled, 'Dangerous! Don't mix!'. 

	CRASH!!!!!!!!!! BANG!!!!!!! BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!
	Every head in the dance turned to the racket coming from the 
other side of the school. From outside, somewhere in the distance, they 
could see a cloud of smoke starting to rise into the night air. 
	Slowly and cautiously, the teenagers turned back to their party.
	
	"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" 
	Three girls' screams could be heard stampeding through the 
deserted hallway. They flew out into the open air, gasping for breath. 
They each fell against the wall of the building, collapsing to the 
ground. Ami, clutching a perfume bottle, lifted her hand and roughly 
smacked Mina on the side of her head.
	"OW!"
	"What were you thinking??!! Mixing Hyfriaghstinotide Acid and 
Yuxelquiamdering* like that?!"
	Mina looked at her stunned before she was hit again, this time 
from the other side of her. 
	"LITA!"
	"What Ami said!"
	Mina rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry... I didn't know... I mean, it was 
an accident and hummmmumphuuphphmm.........hm?"
	"Shh..." said Lita, her hand clamped over Mina's mouth. A silence 
fell over the group and they could immediately hear voices from inside 
the school, just down the hall. They gasped in recognition of their 
evil principal's voice... Mr. Blankers!
	"Those meddling kids have to be around here somewhere! I'm gonna 
find them and make them PAY for blowing up our chemistry lab. That'll 
teach 'em!"
	They exchanged glances only for a second before jumping to their 
feet and scurrying around the corner, trying to get back to the dance 
as quick as possible. It seemed to be their only sanctuary. After only 
a moment, they thought they heard Mr. Blanker's voice from behind them, 
screaming, "Hey! You! Get back here!!" They picked up the pace.

	"Darien, you are SO funny!" Serena giggled, kicking her feet in 
the air. Darien smiled down at the girl, still sitting on his lap. 
Anything for a smile...
	He kissed her temple, holding her tight. Slowly, her laughter 
calmed down and she looked up at him with dreamy eyes. She sighed, 
closing her eyes dreamily and inching her face closer to his.
	"Darien..." she whispered.
	"Serena..." he replied, beginning to close the gap between their 
lips quicker. 
	Two loud, swooning sighs were heard in front of them, and then, 
"Where's the popcorn when you need it?"
	Serena and Darien snapped from their trance. Darien stood, 
unceremoniously pushing Serena off his lap
	"OW!"
	Recognizing his mistake, Darien bent down to help her up. 
	"I'm so sorry! Are you okay Serena? I'm sorry, I was just taken 
by surprised and..."
	"WWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"
	Four people covered their ears to the awful wailing. Finally, 
Darien placed a hand on either side of her head and brought his lips 
down on hers. The screeches died into a muffled question, before a sigh 
of enjoyment. When he finally pulled away, relief evident on his 
features, Serena stared up at him, her eyes glazed over lovingly. He 
smiled down as the new arrivals quickly dissipated from their thoughts. 
He fell gracefully to his knees and wrapped both arms around her, 
catching her lips in another passionate kiss. In the back of his mind, 
he thought he would never tire of these kisses. And they were a 
wonderful and useful tool in getting his Meatball Head to quit wailing, 
as he'd already learned. 
	Serena giggled against his mouth, tying her arms around his neck 
as well. 'So nice...' she thought, playing with his hair as his hands 
began to wander along the back of her dress.
	"Ahem... Uh... we're still here..."
	Their lips broke apart quick as lightning, and they each turned 
to see three girls staring down at them.
	"Uh... hi guys!" Serena said nervously. 
	"What happened to you?" Darien asked with a touch of amusement. 
	The three looked down on their outfits, and at each other's 
appearances. Tangled hair and black smudges on face and clothes seemed 
to make up the disgruntled girls. 
	"Well... uh... you see..."
	"I'll get those awful girls! Where are they?! You can't get 
away!"
	"Um... HIDE US!" screamed Mina, throwing herself behind the stunned 
couple. Lita jumped into a bush and Ami ducked behind a large tree.
	"Uh..." uttered Darien, looking from Mina to Serena, both clinging 
to him desperately. Then he and Serena both looked up as a man came 
clambering through a thin hedge. His hair, now obviously proving to be 
a toupee, stood on end, twigs and leaves sticking out of it in all 
directions. His shirt was smudged with dirt and his tie had tears and 
visible mud stains. Darien and Serena stared at the man, who Serena 
noticed as the evil principal, Mr. Blankers, and he returned their 
interested gaze. 
	After an awkward moment, Mr. Blankers straightened up and fixed 
his tie, attempting to maintain an air of dignity. "Excuse me, but have 
you seen three girl running this way. Serena and Darien looked at each 
other, before simultaneously pointing down a pathway leading to the 
field. 
	"They went that way," they echoed. 
	"Oh, thank you." The man began walking in the direction, fixing 
his toupee leisurely. Mina silently scurried around them as to 
constantly keep a barrier between her and the principal. Suddenly, Mr. 
Blankers paused and turned back to Serena and Darien, their focus still 
locked on him. "Hey, what are you two doing out here, anyway?" he said, 
eyeing them closely. 
	Darien and Serena took a brief moment to look at their position, 
arms wrapped tightly around each other, sitting on their knees in the 
middle of a small courtyard. And on top of that, Darien was pretty sure 
he had Serena's lipstick on him by now.
	They looked back to Mr. Blankers nervously. 
	"Well, uh..."
	"You see, we were just..."
	"Um... kinda..."	
	"Looking for..."
	"My bow-tie! That's it, we were looking for my... bow-tie..."
	"YES! That's it!"
	"Um... you're wearing your bow-tie..."
	Serena looked at him and slapped her hand to her head. "Of 
COURSE! Wow, no wonder it wasn't out here. See, it was on your neck the 
whole time!"
	"Oh, yeah, wow... I wonder who put it there... heh heh..."	
	"Yeah... heh heh... heh heh..."
	Mr. Blankers looked at each of them strangely before slowly 
turning around and walking down the path again. "Crazy kids..." he 
mumbled. 
	After he was gone from earshot, Lita and Ami emerged from their 
hiding spots, Lita with multiple sticks and leaves clinging to her 
dress and hair. Mina breathed a sigh of relief, standing as Darien 
pulled Serena to her feet as well. 
	"Since when were you fugitives?" asked Serena speculatively. 
	"Since we blew up the chemistry lab."
	"You did WHAT?!"
	"Never mind. Hey, Ami, did you finish what you were working on?"
	"Yes, I have it right here."
	"Great! Come on girls, let's get to work! Revenge will be 
ours!!!" With Lita's laughter echoing through the courtyard, the three 
girls ran back toward the dance.
	"Those are your friends?" Darien said, looking over at Serena. 
She blushed and looked down. 
	"Would you believe me if I said I didn't know them?"

	"Where is my perfume?!" a steamed girl screamed, digging 
frustrated through her purse. "This is the worst night of my life! 
First Josh, then Damion, then the ugly tall girl tries to sabotage my 
hair, Jennifer and Samantha had to leave early... and now I can't find my 
stupid scented spray! This cannot be happening to me!!"
	Mina cowered to the side of the counter, scrubbing at the dirt 
stains on her face as the girl continued to scream at her reflection in 
the mirror. Slyly, she found the stolen perfume in her purse. Taking a 
deep breath, she gasped and dropped to her knees, reaching below the 
counter. 
	"Is THIS what you're looking for?" she asked showing the bottle 
to Jessica. At first she scrawny girl looked at her disgustedly before 
noticing the bottle in her hand. 
	"Ooh, where did you get that?! You stole it didn't you?!"
	"No, I just found it under..."	
	"Oh whatever, you need it more than I do, anyway. Did you just 
get back from a roll in the pig sty?" she asked with sourness drenching 
her voice. She grabbed the bottle from Mina's hand. 
	Mina gritted her teeth together. 'You're welcome,' she thought 
sarcastically. 
	Jessica held the bottle about an inch from her neck and was about 
to spray...	
	CRASH!
	Jessica and Mina screamed and jumped back as the bottle fell and 
broke in the sink, the guacamole green contents beginning to drain out. 
	'Oh GREAT!' thought Mina.
	"Ew! WHAT is that stench?!" shrieked Jessica, plugging her nose. 
"It's even worse than YOU!" Then she paused, looking over at Mina. 
"Wait... I already checked for my perfume under the counter... you rigged 
it, didn't you?!"
	"Now, what makes you think that, Jessica, buddy, 'ol pal?"
	"Why you little BRAT! You're with that other girl, aren't you? 
AREN'T YOU! Trying to humiliate me! I'll show you, you dim-witted 
twit!"
	Mina dodged past Jessica and flew out the door, Jessica on her 
heals, screaming through the crowd of people on the dance floors. 
Immediately, a path separated for the girls, everyone looking on in 
awe. For they had never seen the most popular girl chasing after a 
ninth grader with smudges on her face and twigs in her hair. This could 
prove to be interesting. 
	Mina screamed loudly, pushing past the blur of people. She could 
hear Jessica approaching from behind her, her angry screams echoing in 
the air. 
	'Not more running...' she thought exhaustedly. Suddenly, she felt a 
strong arm wrap around her and pluck her to the side of the pathway of 
onlookers. 
	Looking up, she saw deep brown eyes barely covered in wispy brown 
bangs staring down at her.
	"Hey, Mina, where are you going? What's wrong?"
	Ceasing the opportunity, Mina flung herself into Josh's arms. 
	"Josh, save me! She's mad, I tell you! MAD!!!"
	Slowly, Josh wrapped his arms around her. "Hey... shhh... It's okay, 
Mina, Hon. It's okay..."
	"Where is that red-bowed bimbo? Where did she..." Jessica froze 
mid-line when she saw Mina standing before her... in her old date's arms. 
Her blood boiled. 
	Mina whimpered at the cool glare, ducking behind a confused Josh 
in fear. "Josh... protect me..."
	"Uh..." he stuttered. 
	Mina screamed and jumped as a hand touched her shoulder. Turning, 
she saw Lita standing behind her. 
	"So... what happened?"
	"YOU! You're the hairspray girl!" 
	"Huh?" Lita looked past Mina and Josh to see a fuming Jessica 
surrounded by gossip-hungry teenagers. 
	"It didn't work," Mina whispered sadly. Ami stared from Lita, to 
Mina, to Jessica, before shrieking, 
	"WHAT?! What do you mean it didn't work?!"
	"Um... what's going on?" asked Josh, glancing from one girl to 
another. 
	"That's right, it didn't work! You're little PRANK didn't work!" 
	"This can't be... happening to me! I... went through SO much..." 
stuttered Ami, staring off into space, her wide eyes clouding over with 
hurt and confusion. Greg, having just pushed through the quickly 
gathering crowd, grabbed onto Ami's hand. 
	"Hey, Ami, it's okay... I don't have a clue what's going on, but 
it's okay."
	"NO IT'S NOT OKAY! Nothing's okay!!!" Ami stormed away, shoving 
people aside, Greg on her heels. After they had gotten out of the mob, 
Greg turned her to face him. 
	"Ami, Sweetie, what's wrong?"
	"Oh, Greg, it's awful! I had to pour that stuff into the cup, and 
then I sneaked into the chemistry lab, and mixed that awful formula, 
and then it blew up and I was chased by Mr. Blankers through the 
courtyard and flower gardens, and then I had to hide behind a tree and 
I stained my dress and lost a whole bunch of experiments and... and... IT 
DIDN'T WORK!!!!" Ami broke down in sobs as Greg put a confused, but 
comforting arm around her shoulder.
	"It's okay... Calm down... Now, let's go get some punch, okay? Maybe 
that'll calm you down a little, okay?"
	Ami looked up for a moment, a lightness filtering back into her 
blue eyes. Almost inaudibly, she whispered, "Yes... punch... Punch is good... 
That... That's a good idea, Greg. A very, very good idea..." Whispering to 
herself, and forgetting her date, Ami began to trail away to the 
refreshment table.

	Serena and Darien walked hand in hand into the gymnasium, 
immediately noticing the large crowd of people. 
	"Ooh, maybe it's a fight, or someone dancing or something!" 
Serena squealed happily, grabbing Darien's hand and dragging him toward 
the large gathering. He let himself be dragged, before taking it upon 
himself to push their way through the crowd, letting his Serena get the 
best view possible. She gasped once they reached the front. 
	"Mina? Lita? Josh?"
	"Oh, hi Serena..." said Lita, looking from Jessica to her friend. 
	Serena edged closer to her. "What's going on?" she whispered. 
	"It didn't work."
	"What didn't work?"
	"Your prank. Your stupid prank didn't work! How dare you try to 
embarrass me, you little tramp? I am the most popular girl in this 
school. Just because you can't find a date or your jealous of what I 
have and you'll NEVER have, you feel as though you have to pull these 
childish, immature games, like a TWO year old! 
"Hey, you can't talk to her like..."
Ken was cut off as Jessica began talking again, now looking past 
Lita to Serena. "And YOU, you blonde golf ball-headed twit, can't hold 
a candle to me. What?! Did you PAY that guy to be your date, because we 
all know you couldn't hold onto Josh! Speaking of Josh, by the way, 
would everyone please look at the ditz HE picked up after I ditched 
him! An unpopular NINTH grader! How pathetic is THAT?! You are all sad 
and petty geeks who don't deserve to eat off the floor I walk on. How 
do you feel now? Now that your puny PLAN has backfired. Who looks 
stupid now!?"
	The crowd filled with oohs and aahs as the interested 
watchers looked on. Mina, Josh, Lita, Ken, Serena, and Darien were all 
quite ready to jump down her throat with jabs and insults when the 
unexpected happened. 
	SPLASH!
	Silence settled over the large group. Every jaw dropped. The room 
suddenly became very still... 
An ear-piercing scream emitted from the girl standing in the 
midst of the action. Where before, a powerful, self-assured snob had 
stood, now remained a soaked, sticky snob in an almost-see-through 
skimpy dress. Slowly, everyone's eyes turned to the attacker. 
	Ami smiled in satisfaction, the large, empty punch bowl rested in 
both hands. Her breathing was ragged and her body shook with anger and 
pride. From behind her, Greg whispered, "Ya know, with all my psychic 
powers, you'd THINK I would have seen that one coming."
	After the shock had worn off, Mina slowly began to clap. She was 
followed by Lita, Josh, Serena... and soon the whole gymnasium was in an 
uproar. Ami looked around stunned as strangers slapped her on the back 
and congratulated her. Giggling slightly, she curtsied, the smile 
spreading across her lips. 
	Jessica glared at everyone around her. This wasn't right... why 
were they clapping? She didn't understand... though for the first time in 
her life, Jessica began to feel embarrassment. And she hated it. 
Turning to Ami, she screamed out obscenities that lost themselves in 
the commotion.  Gritting her teeth, she raised her hand to slap the 
girl before her... when an iron grip caught her wrist. Turning, she saw 
Mr. Blankers glaring down at her.
	"Oh! Mr. B, thank goodness you're here! See this girl! She... she... 
look what she did to my DRESS!"
	"You're in BIG trouble, young lady."
	"WHAT?! But... I didn't do anything!"
	"Right, I'm so sure. I know you and you're two friends were in 
the chemistry laboratory."
	"What are you talking about?! I've been here the whole time!"
	"Uh-huh. And why did Samantha and Jennifer leave early then, huh? 
HUH? Give it up, Jessi, I SAW you running away, you and your 
unnaturally blonde hair. Who else could it have been?! Trust me, you 
are gonna be in detention for a LONG time after the stunt you pulled 
tonight."
	"But...! BUT...! This isn't FAIR!!! It wasn't ME!"
	Mr. Blankers took a pen and notepad out of his pocket and 
scribbled something down as Jessica continued to scream at him and 
laughter and cheering spilled from everyone around. He handed her the 
paper, saying simply, "Bring this to Ms. Matsukawa on Monday." And with 
that, he turned and began shooing away the gathered teens. 
	Ami returned the bowl to the refreshment table, a bright smile on 
her face, before returning to her group of friends, gathered in a 
corner. Soon, individual cliques had been formed throughout the room, 
the music resumed, and dancers filtered onto the floor again. 
	"Ami, what on EARTH possessed you to DO that?!" screeched Serena 
with an astonished smile on her face. 
	Ami shrugged innocently. "It didn't work."
	"Huh? Seemed to work perfectly to me..."
	"Never mind, Serena, let it go. Ames, I congratulate you on a job 
well done! Attendees of Juuban High School will forever share stories 
of your triumphant outcome! You will be an idol, worshipped by all 
lower classmen and computer geeks for years to come! Ami Mizuno, we 
sing your praise! I am honored to be a humble friend to the great 
conqueror... no! Conqueress! You will be thought of for years to come 
and..."
	"I GET the point, Lita. Thank you, but it's over." Ami sighed 
proudly. "And it DID feel good, too."
	"Ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention!" boomed a loud 
voice through the gym. Everyone turned to look up on stage where Kate 
Rydell, the senior class president, stood with a microphone in hand. A 
hush fell over the students. 
	"Now that the exciting... show has ended," Kate smiled to herself, 
"the dance committee has planned something very special for this 
evening. In honor of St. Valentine's Day, the holiday of roses, cupids, 
and true love, we have created a contest. 10 nominees, 5 girls, and 5 
guys, will be chosen from the audience to be voted upon by their peers 
to be chosen as the Valentine Prince and his Princess!"
	Excited cheers rang up through the crowd. Immediately, the girls 
began straightening their dresses or fixing their hair. Men clasped 
onto their dates' hands tightly, hoping they wouldn't be separated. 
	Serena turned back to her friends. "Did any of you know about 
this?" They shook their heads and shrugged before focusing on Kate once 
more. 
	"And now, to begin with this competition, could we have five MALE 
nominees from the crowd please. Just scream out the name of the man YOU 
think is the cutest, sweetest, most romantic guy here, and I'll pull 
them up!"
	Muffled screams rang up through the crowd, each girl ready to see 
their man up in front. Serena got an evil idea. She knew she wouldn't 
be heard like this...
	Darien looked to the side when he felt Serena let go of his hand. 
He looked on confused as she climbed on top of the snack table and 
stood on top. He ran toward her. 'Is she crazy?!"
	"What are you doing?!"
	She only winked, before looking up at the stage. Cupping her 
mouth with her hands, she yelled at the top of her voice, "DARIEN! 
DARIEN!!!"	
	Kate looked around. She had pulled up 2 guys already. All she saw 
was hands, girls jumping up and down, guys attempting to hide their 
faces, and all she heard was names. 'Jeff... Brian... Kevin... Chuck... David... 
Nick..." Then she looked up and saw a girl standing on the snack table. 
She scrunched her brow... 'What's she doing?'
	Serena noticed she had caught her attention. With a bright smile, 
she turned and grabbed Darien's hand lifting it above his head. With 
her free hand, she pointed to him enthusiastically. Darien gasped, 
finally realizing what she was doing, and tried to pull away, though 
soon realized that Serena wasn't the only girl nominating him. A small 
crowd of other girls were now pointing to him and screaming things 
like, 'The college guy!' or 'The one with black hair and blue eyes!' He 
gulped. 
	'Maybe this is why I never came to these things when I was in 
school...'
	Kate smiled and pointed to the favored man. "The man in the 
back!" she screamed, before moving on. 
	Darien groaned. 'No...'
	Serena smiled and jumped down. "Come on, Muffin, that's YOU."
	He allowed himself to be dragged up on the stage, glaring at 
Serena from the corner of his eye. She smiled and giggled innocently. 
'Well, I guess it was worth hearing her give me a pet name. A tacky 
one, but cute. And besides, I'm SERENA'S Muffin. Yup, worth it.'
	He sighed and looked out at the crowd. In the corner he saw that 
Serena had regrouped with the others, and that Mina and her were now 
attempting to get Josh up there as well. With amused interest, he 
stepped forward and tapped the girl in charge's shoulder. 
	She looked back at him, confused. They needed one more guy. 
	With a smiled, he pointed over to the corner. She looked and saw 
a fairly large group of girl pointing and pushing Josh forward. He was 
resisting to no avail. With a smile, she called out, "Josh Richardson!"
	Screams and cheers echoed from his great fan club and Mina threw 
her arms around him happily. "Ha! I have one of the cutest guys HERE!!" 
she yelled teasingly. He glared down at her before sighing and trudging 
up to take his place next to Darien. 
	"Congratulations. We both made it to the point of doing anything 
to impress our dates," Darien mused beneath his breath. Josh smiled 
ironically.
	"No kidding. Think it's worth it?"
	They looked at each other with knowing smiles. "Definitely."	
	They stood on the stage with the other three chosen men, looking 
down on the large crowd. 
	"So... I'm guessing you're over Serena?" Darien asked quietly. Josh 
looked up at him, before turning away a little embarrassed. 
	"Yeah... I mean, I still care about her... but, I talked to Mina and 
I see that she's happy with you. Besides... I've never met anyone quite 
like Mina before... she's so... different and incredible..."
	Darien laughed a little. "Sounds like how I talk about Serena."
	"I'll take that as a good sign."
	"And now, on to the girls!! Could I have 5 lucky females from the 
audience, please!!!"
	Serena's hand flew into the air. 'Me, me, me, PLEASE pick me!!'
	Two girls were picked in a matter of seconds, though Kate then 
started looking around a bit more speculatively. Darien bit his lip. 
	'Pick Serena. She's the most beautiful girl out there!'
	Mina saw her opportunity and grabbed onto Serena's wrist, 
dragging her up closer to the stage, before jumping up and down and 
waving her hands madly, attempting to catch Kate's attention. 
	Kate looked over to her right and saw Mina trying desperately to 
get her attention. She instantly recognized the girls from the argument 
with that snobbish tenth grader. Mina, was her name?
	"Mina!!" she called, pointing. Mina's jaw dropped and she started 
waving her hands 'no'.
	"Not ME!! HER!! HER!!"
	But it was too late as she was grabbed and pulled onto stage. 
Josh smiled at her as she walked up dejectedly. She smiled back before 
shrugging to Darien. "I tried."
	He simply smiled in thanks before turning back to watch the 
contestants roll on stage.
	From somewhere in the crowd, a man yelled, "The punch chick!"
	Someone nearby then added, "Yeah!! The girl with the juice!"
	Kate looked around in recognition. Mina smiled and stepped up to 
her side and pointed to Ami, still in the back corner with Lita, Greg, 
and Ken. "Her name is Ami Mizuno."
	Kate smiled and nodded. "Ami Mizuno!! The punch girl!"
	Ami looked up from her conversation with Greg in shock. Did she 
just say...
	With a bright, encouraging smile, Lita shoved her forward and she 
slowly and cautiously walked on stage. 
	"Uh... has there been a mistake...?"
	Kate ignored her. 
	Serena watched dejectedly as four girls now stood on stage and 
continuous screaming and cheering echoed around her. 'I'll never be the 
Valentine Princess. And now... what if Darien is crowned Prince, and he 
has to dance with a perfectly beautiful girl, or... or...' she felt herself 
close to tears as people all around her laughed and joked. 
	Darien saw her face fall and his heart tore in two. 'Why hasn't 
she been chosen yet? She's so beautiful and... think of all the time she 
spent getting ready. Never has she looked so incredibly stunning and 
breathtaking. Every guy in here should have noticed by now.'
	"SERENA TSUKINO!" some guy yelled. Darien looked up just behind 
her to see a guy whom he didn't know running toward her. The stranger 
lifted her hand as she stared at him in shock. 
	Darien almost felt jealousy... but then happiness filled him. This 
was their chance.
	"Yeah! Serena!" he echoed. 
	"SERENA TSUKINO!!" Mina and Ami cheered. 
	"Serena!" Josh repeated.
	Lita, Ken, and Greg ran up to her, creating a semi-circle and 
pointing, each calling her name. Another 5 girls agreed and started 
shouting her name, probably more friends from school, and Darien soon 
realized that she even had her personal fan club of secret admirers, 
now calling her name as well. 
	Serena looked around in shock. 'People are actually voting for... 
me? I mean... all these guys... I don't even know half of them!! Is this 
for real?!'
	"Alright, alright, Serena Tsukino!" said Kate. She could take a 
hint. 
	Darien smiled as Serena walked shakily onto the stage. When she 
was close enough, he whispered sarcastically, "Fancy meeting you here."
	She giggled and smiled at him shyly, shock still evident on her 
features, before taking her place beside Mina and Ami.
	Kate smiled back at the 10 hopeful contestants. Well, most of 
them were hopeful. "First, let's introduce our candidates for the 
Valentines Prince." She walked over to the right side of the stage to 
the first guy she had pulled up. "Now, this will be quick and painless. 
I'll get your name and grade and ask you one question. This goes for 
princes and princesses. Afterwards, you will be voted upon by the 
audience and whoever has the loudest applause will win." The crowd 
cheered at this.  Kate smiled to the first guy. "Hello, and what's your 
name?"
	It was a stupid question to nearly everyone. Most students 
recognized the varsity football team's lead quarterback. "Hey out 
there, I'm Aaron Daehteam and I'm a senior! YEAH!!"
	From the back of the crowd, a group of cheerleaders erupted in 
"Aaron, Aaron, he's our man! If he can't do it, no one can!"
	Kate rolled her eyes. "Aaron, if you were going to change one 
thing in this school, what would it be?"
	"I would make it so every Friday is sports only day! And I would 
spend all the money on sports equipment! And organize more teams! And 
add training facilities and workout areas, like weightlifting rooms and 
stuff like that! I'd also..."
	"That's plenty, Aaron. Thank you." The cheerleaders jumped and 
squealed from the back. "Hello, and who are you?" asked Kate to the 
next contestant. 
	"Uh... hi... I'm, like, Nick. Um... eleventh... grade... I think..." said the 
next man. His long hair was slicked back into a nice ponytail and he 
looked decent, for the formal, but most people recognized the voice 
belonging to Nick McLean, the lead singer for a garage band well known 
throughout the school. 
	"Hi Nick. Now tell me, if one music band was to take over the 
world, who do you hope it would be?"
	Nick stuck his tongue out to the side in thought. "Um... hold on, 
let me think... um... Matchbox20... naw... probably, like, The Offspring or, 
gee, I dunno... Tokyo Invasion? Backstreet Boys? No... ooh, I got it! 
Purple Spiral! Yeah, like totally!"
	Instantly, a few groups of rockers and loadies rang out their 
cheers. Nick laughed and ran a hand over his hair. "Woah, cool..."
	Kate looked at the audience almost fearfully before moving on. 
	"Oooookay... sir, what is YOUR name?"
	"Hey JuuBAN!! This is Tony Jay ALL THE WAY!" yelled the new 
contestant. 
Kate flinched, putting a hand over her ear. Shrugging it off, she 
said, nervously, "uh-huh... Um... and what grade are you in, Tony?"
"I'm in the senior class this year! YEAH!! Year 1999, rock and 
roll, BABY!"
"Uh... yeah... Tony, what is your idea of a great first date?"	
"Ah, now that's easy, PesiDENT. Ya see, I like to treat the 
ladies WELL, ya know what I'm sayin'? So I'd take her out to a nice, 
fancy restaurant, then we'd go for a moonlit stroll on the beach, 
before headin' off for some late night partyin' in DOWN town! 'Cause, 
ya know, I am a PAR-TE maCHINE! WOOHOO!"
	Kate slinked away from him as the more high-strung girls in the 
crowd broke into squeals and the men began doing this odd whooping call 
type thing with their fists. 
	Josh gulped as he waited for the crowd to quiet down. Mina perked 
up her ears. Kate began, "Hello, and who have we here?"
	"Hey everyone, My name is Josh and I'm in the tenth grade..." he 
said a bit shyly. Girls in the crowd shrieked out and began calling his 
name loudly. He smiled and laughed a little, running a hand through his 
long bangs.
	"Hey there Josh. Now... if you were given a thousand dollars 
tonight, what would you do with it?"
	Josh raised an eyebrow. "That depends... DO I get a thousand 
dollars tonight?" The crowd laughed a little as Josh began to relax. 
"No, but seriously... let's see... a thousand dollars... Well, first, I'd 
have to put some in savings for college, or else my dad would jump down 
my throat... and then... well, I would take my new girl out for a nice 
date, somewhere expensive and romantic... to show her how happy I am to 
have found her..."
	Josh looked over and smiled at Mina. She felt her knees go faint 
and smiled back. Kate caught the glances and smiled whimsically. "How 
sweet. Thanks, Josh. And now, for our FINAL Prince! Hello, and what's 
your name?"
	Darien breathed in deeply. "Darien," he said simply. Kate smiled 
as nearly every girl in the crowd sighed at the sound of his deep 
voice. 
	"Hey Darien, and... what grade are you in?"
	'Great, do I HAVE to answer that?' He cleared his throat. "Uh... 
I'm in my second year of college."
	Serena smiled widely. 'Ha ha ha, take THAT girls! I'M with a 
college guy! Ha ha!!" Again, swooning sighs and flirtatious giggled 
emerged from the near silent crowd.
	"Ooh, a COLLEGE guy!" said Kate, playing up the opportunity. 
Darien forced himself not to blush. "Well, Darien, let's see if we 
can't find you a decent question to go with your status. Now then, 
could you please, for all those admirers of yours I see in the crowd," 
Darien lost control and a blush tinted his cheeks, "tell us what you 
most look for in a girl."
	Darien looked up at her. 'Serious?! Hey, I can do that! No 
problem!' He smiled. "Okay. First, she has to be optimistic. I love a 
girl who can make me smile or laugh."
	Serena thought back to dinner when he had smiled nearly the whole 
time as she'd gone on about her adventures with Tuxedo Melvin.
	"And someone who likes to learn new things."
	He had taught her to dance just past an hour ago.
	"Who won't get TOO mad when I tease her, especially if I have a 
cute pet name for her and she doesn't mind."
	Countless times he'd called her Meatball Head.
	"I like a girl who keeps on going, no matter how many times she 
gets shot down."
	Had she ever really noticed how his eyes would smile at her every 
time she stuck another quarter into the game machine, even though the 
words Game Over continued to flash at her?
	"And someone who has a heart big enough to fit the universe. Who 
loves anyone and everyone she meets. And who could even love me, though 
I know that isn't always easy to do."
	Their eyes met and she thought she could feel tears rising as she 
stared into his deep sapphire gaze. 
	"But most importantly... Serena. I REALLY love the name Serena."
	She used all of her willpower not to run across the stage and 
throw herself into his arms. Biting her lip, she smiled at him 
lovingly, and he returned the gaze.
	"Wow... well, THAT certainly narrows down the field," Kate said, 
holding back both laughter and tears. Many girls in the audience felt 
near crying, too. Later, they stated because it was such a beautifully 
romantic speech, but honestly, they were devastated that they could 
never have him.
	"Alright, let's give a nice warm hand to all our possible 
Valentine Princes!!" 
	After the ovation had died down, Kate moved onto the girls, 
announcing the start of the Valentine's Princess competition.
	"Alright, this will work just how the guys' did, and afterwards
we'll vote for out Prince and Princess. So remember who you think 
should win the part of the Prince as we move through these eligible 
princesses!"
	The first 'eligible princess' was the lead cheerleader, also 
Aaron's girlfriend. He winked to her as she stepped up to Kate, blowing 
what could easily be established as wet, sloppy kisses in her 
direction. The cheerleaders in the back sighed faintly. The rest of the 
female population cringed.
	"Hello, and what is your name?"
	"Like, Hi, I'm Brittany, and I'm in the..." she looked off to 
space, mindlessly counting off her fingers, "...eleventh grade! Yeah, 
that's right!" She giggled annoyingly, twirling a lock of hair around 
her little finger. Kate raised her eyebrows.
	"Um... that's nice. Now, Brittany, what do you think is the most 
important aspect of school?"
	Brittany looked at her blankly. "Um... like, what does aspect 
mean?"
	Kate cleared her throat, rolling her eyes. "Never mind. Let's try 
something else... uh..." Kate looked over the audience. "Uh... how about... 
who's the cutest movie star?"
	Brittany giggled. "Well, like, Brad Pitt, DUH!"
	From behind them, Aaron cleared his throat and Brittany 
continued, "But he's not as cute as YOU, Pookie!" and with that, she 
ran and threw her arms around him... and the tongue war began. 
	The crowd shielded their eyes. 
	Ami looked up at Mina and whispered, "I have both of them in my 
geometry class, don't ask me HOW they got in. They do this the WHOLE 
time!" They both cringed simultaneously.
	"NEXT contestant," said Kate, moving over to the next girl. She 
had long red hair sprinkled with rose buds and daisies. She wore a 
pink, sleeveless dress coming to her neck and flowing to her hidden 
toes, along with white evening gloves. "Hello, and who have we here?"
	"Hi... um... I... I'm Re... Rebekah..." stuttered the already blushing 
girl.
	"Yeah, that's my babe up there!" yelled a guy from the audience. 
Mina looked astonished at the man who had spoken. He had army green 
pants on that looked like a mix between cargos and slacks, a white, 
short sleeved dress up shirt with a right breast pocket, and a green 
camouflage tie to top it off. On one, evidently strong, arm was a black 
cross tattoo. His semi-long hair fell messy and uncombed over his dark 
blue eyes. Mina looked back at this innocent, shy girl on stage, now 
waving slightly to the guy. 
	"Opposites attract is an understatement for some people," she 
mused quietly. 
	"Hi, Rebekah, and what grade are you in?"
	"Uh... um... t...tenth."
	"Okay, now just answer this simple question. What do you look for 
in the opposite sex?"
	Rebekah went pale instantly as she continued to stare at the man 
in the audience. "Uh... uh... s... se... SEX?! I don't do that, I mean, I... I'm 
not LIKE that!" She began shaking, her brown eyes wide in disbelief.
	Kate took a step back. "Um... I didn't mean..."
	"That's unholy and... and... awful! I don't think like that, it's not 
ME! It's just... unthinkable and..."
	"It's alright, Baby, it's alright," said her boyfriend, walking 
onstage. He pulled her into his arms. "You did wonderful, Babe, you did 
awesome."
	"Oh, Spike, I didn't..."
	"It's okay. Let's go out for some R & R, okay?"
	Rebekah nodded her head and let herself be dragged out of the 
dance.
	Kate cleared her throat, attempting to liven the shocked 
atmosphere. "Well, ladies and gentleman, there goes Rebekah and... Spike... 
and now, on to the next princess!"
	She walked over to Mina, who immediately straightened her 
shoulders and smiled widely. 'Hey, all those months of modeling for 
Sailor V paid off!' she thought.
	"Hello, and I'm Mina Aino, grade 9!" she stated proudly. 
	"Hi Mina. Now, then, if you could do anything to remodel this 
school, what would you do?"
	"Well... other than moving the cafeteria closer to the gym so we 
don't have to walk so far to get food after burning all those calories, 
I think... I would definitely get rid of the chemistry lab. Yup, that's 
what I would do!"
	Lita spit out the juice she had been drinking. "Is she CRAZY?!"
	But the rest of the audience simply laughed it off, and she even 
provoked some cheers and calls of agreement. Mina smiled and curtsied 
slightly.
	"Thank you. Our next contestant is...?"	
	"Ami Mizuno, freshman" she said shyly, looking at the crowd and 
hoping no one took Mina's last comments seriously. 
	"Or better known as The Punch Chick, am I correct?" Immediately, 
cheers ran throughout the crowd. Ami blushed.
	"Y... yes, that would be me..."
	"That was quite a show back there. I must say that you are our 
spotlight contestant!"
	Ami smiled slightly. 
	"Anyway, as for your question, let's try THIS one again. What do 
you think is the most important aspect of school?"
	Ami looked up and smiled. Straightening her shoulders, she began 
to speak. "A good education is necessary to lead us down the road of a 
successful career. Future generations will depend on our efforts to 
better ourselves and strive to attain our maximum knowledge level, as 
well as gaining financial security in a fastened working environment to 
produce a stable growing and learning experience for our future 
descendants. In establishing this, we will accomplish goals and dreams 
and satisfy our natural human curiosity through cultivation and 
tutelage."
	Silence sank into the crowded gymnasium as all eyes were glued to 
the blue-haired girl with the big words.
	"And... we all get... to see... our friends?"
	Roaring applause commenced. Ami breathed a sigh of relief and 
stepped back into the line of contestants.
	"And our last possible princess of the evening! Please introduce 
yourself!"
	Serena cleared her throat and took a deep breath. Glancing once 
at Darien, who smiled encouragingly, she proceeded, "Hey there, I'm 
Serena Tsukino, also grade 9."
	Serena stared in surprise as enormous cheering and applauding 
erupted, and most from GUYS!
	"Hi Serena..." Kate looked from Serena, over to Darien, and back. 
"Excuse my nosiness... but I'm guessing he's your date?"
	Serena blushed slightly, smiling over at Darien. "Yeah..."
	Kate smiled widely at the intimate gazes between the two. For 
some reason, she REALLY hoped they would be the Prince and Princess.
	"Alright, well... it's obvious you both have a lot of admirers out 
there, so why don't you tell us what makes Darien so different from the 
rest of the male species?"
	Darien raised an interested eyebrow as Serena suddenly turned 
very pale, before a light pink stained her cheeks. She looked back at 
him nervously. He simply smiled and shrugged. 
	"Well... uh..."
	'What am I supposed to say? We hated each other up until 8 hours 
ago! We've never gotten along, never been able to be near each other 
for more than 10 minutes, and now...'
	'Tell the truth,' said another voice in the back of her head. 
Serena stood still for a moment, looking down slightly at the floor. 
Then, with a small grin, she looked up to the audience, and then at 
Darien.
	"We used to hate each other. Actually, until today, we couldn't 
stand to be in the same room for more than 5 minutes. In all honesty, I 
thought his whole purpose in this lifetime was to torture me. But then... 
after he asked me to the dance, and I spent time with him... I actually 
started to see something that I'd always wanted to see in him from the 
moment we met. Somewhere deep inside, I'd always wondered what he was 
like on the other side of the teases and insults. And when I found it... 
it was... more beautiful than I'd ever imagined it would be. He has this 
great personality, and this sense around him that makes me feel that no 
matter what happens, or what goes wrong, I can always count on him. 
Even before we were... together... I used to always go to Crown Center 
Arcade every day at the same time... because I knew he would be there. 
And even though I knew I was only setting myself up to be teased some 
more, it didn't matter, because I knew I had a constant, something in 
this life that would never change. And now... I feel safe when I'm near 
him. And protected. And I've never met anyone who could make me feel 
so... wanted. And honestly, I don't think I've ever WANTED someone so 
much in all my life. And I never imagined it would be him. But I am SO 
glad it is." Serena looked up at the audience with a small smile, 
before glancing back at Darien. "And besides, he's got killer eyes."
	Darien smiled surprised as the audience cracked into laughter and 
applause. Serena was guided back into the line of princesses from where 
they would be voted on.
	Kate was half frightened to break the incredibly tense, romantic 
aura Serena had created, but soon, she began to speak again. 
	"Thank you to all of our contestants, and to the audience for 
making this such a fun evening. And now, to choose this years Valentine 
Prince and Princess of Juuban High School! We'll go down the line from 
beginning to end and I want you to clap the loudest for whoever you 
think deserves to be crowned YOUR royalty the most! Are you ready?!"
	Shrill screams and 'Yes's' replied.
	"Good luck to everyone, you all did a great job! NOW, all those 
for Aaron Daehteam!!"
	Again, the cheerleaders started in on a chorus of "Aaron, Aaron, 
he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can!!" But other than that, 
there was only scattered clapping.
	"How about Nick!?!" 
	A much louder ovation, mostly from rockers and loadies.
	"Uh-huh. Tony Jay!!" 	
	High pitched squeals and screams blasted out as Tony threw his 
hands into a winning position. 
	"Josh Richardson!!"
	There was thunderous clapping as Josh's many friends and adorers 
showed their praise.
	"Darien, the college guy!"	
	Darien's jaw fell open as nearly every girl in the gym began 
jumping up and howling his name. 'You've gotta be kidding me!'
	Josh nudged him in the side. "You're stealing my thunder."
	Darien looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Serena had 
BETTER win!"
	Josh smiled. "It's a toss up between her and Mina. But honestly, 
I think ya stand a good chance."
	He smiled back. "Thanks."
	"It looks like we have a winner!! Now, onto the ladies!! Let's 
see just who will have the lucky opportunity of being this fine man's 
princess!" 
	Brittany squealed with delight, crossing her fingers. She then 
returned to a calm position and looked at the floor from the looks 
Aaron was giving her.
	"Who's for Brittany?!"
	Just like her boyfriend, Brittany's applause came from mostly 
just the cheerleaders and a couple pity votes. She looked away 
dejectedly, before running to Aaron and falling into another make out 
session. Darien sighed in relief. 
	'No matter what now, at least I'll be with either Serena or one 
of her friends. I can stand them.'
	"Mina Aino!!"
	Loud praise and cheers followed, mostly from guys, but the whole 
gym was in applause. 
	"How about Ami Mizuno?!!"
	Again, vigorous applause filled the room, though her biggest 
supporters tended to be either immensely smart or just people who 
totally disliked Jessica.
	Serena took a deep breath. 'PLEASE let me be his princess! I 
wanna be his princess, now and always!!!'
	"And our last possible Valentine Princess, Serena Tsukino!"
	For the third time, Serena was shocked as the room exploded in 
cheers and support of friends, admirers, complete strangers, even upper 
classmen!
	Kate smiled inwardly. 'Who called it?'
	The rest of the contestants filed offstage as Serena and Darien 
were brought to the front. 
	"And now, I am honored to present the Valentine Prince and his 
Valentine Princess of Juuban High School, 1999. Darien..." she turned to 
him and whispered, "What's your last name?"
	"Chiba."
	"Darien Chiba and Serena Tsukino!!"
	Serena giggled in awe and amazement as two members of the student 
leadership stepped forward and presented them with silver beaded crowns 
with glistening red, heart shaped jewels. 
	"And now, your Prince and Princess will share a slow dance..." Kate 
drifted off mysteriously as slow music drifted through the speakers 
once again. 
	Serena looked nervously over at Darien. He smiled and offered his 
hand. "Shall we?"
	With a delighted giggle, she placed her hand into his. "Of 
course, my prince."
	Slowly, they made their way hand in hand onto the dance floor. 
The crowd separated before them, unconsciously creating a circle to 
encompass the couple. 
	Darien put one hand on her waist and was about to begin dancing, 
when she looked up into his eyes frightened.
	"Darien..." she whispered.
	"What is it?"
	"I... I think I forgot what you showed me at the park. I'm so 
nervous..."
	He smiled down on her. Releasing her hand, he placed both hands 
on her back, pulling her toward him. "Then let's just do this. It's 
much easier, anyway."
	Serena smiled and blushed. "Thank you."
	He held her closer as her head fell onto his chest and her arms 
wrapped around his neck. Closing his eyes, he rested his head on top of 
hers, turning around in slow circles to the encompassing music.

If I could stay in your arms like this, 
Die happy?
I would never.
Without the promise of being here again,
I could never leave you.

Would we meet again?
Another life, a thousand years later?
Would you hold me like this again?
Would I live like this forever?

I could not leave you,
Need your arms around me,
Want this forever.
In this life, 
And the next, 
Stay here, like this, tonight.

But would we meet again?
A dream life, a thousand years later?
Would you hold me like this again?
Forever and ever and ever...
Could we live like this together?
Dreaming of you forever.

	She listened to his heartbeat, thumping lightly in tune with her 
own. At that moment, she felt perfect. Everything around her seemed... 
right. His hands were tracing the material against her skin, holding 
her so closely, overwhelming the nerves in her body. Though she didn't 
feel lost, and she didn't feel confused. Instead, it was like she 
tingled with the ecstasy surrounding her. As if she was drinking off 
the flames of a fire, the warmth encompassed her, without burning. The 
outside world melted away as thoughts dissipated from her mind. She 
could have stayed like that forever...
	He held her as close to him as he could, diving into the emotions 
headfirst. He wasn't sure what would happen tomorrow, or even in ten 
minutes. But he knew that as long as they were dancing, and as long as 
she was in his arms, nothing could ever be wrong. With eyes barely 
open, he looked down on two long golden streams floating gingerly 
around them, holding them in an almost protective atmosphere. Her eyes 
were closed peacefully and a small pink etched smiled curved on her 
lips. He could feel her arms holding onto him loosely, her hands toying 
mindlessly with his hair. It tickled somewhat, and secretly he smiled. 
He thought that by now he would have waken up, this obviously couldn't 
be real. Nothing this wonderful ever happened to him... and yet... it 
tickled. And his heartbeat hadn't yet jumped a beat, sending him to his 
lonely apartment, awaking to another lonely day. She was still in his 
arms, safe and content and perfect... He wished she could have stayed 
like that forever.
	After the song had ended, another soft melody resumed, and people 
slowly scattered from their wishful circle around Serena and Darien to 
search out their own dancing partners. Soon, the room was filled with 
couples moving in tantalizingly slow circles, holding each other close. 
Among them, Mina and Josh, Ami and Greg, and Lita and Ken, each took to 
their own dance, disappearing to worlds where only they existed.

I've never felt so perfect,
As if I really did belong,
But now I know what I've been missing,
As I'm held safely in your arms.

The mistakes I've made have been repented,
The things I've learned are clear.
And I know just what I've needed:
For you to hold me near.

In a world where only we exist,
In a blink of blinding light,
The stillness came with only you,
And turned all the wrongs to right.

I realize now, the pain was for something, 
The loneliness kept my heart in stone,
But then you came and tore down the walls,
And I don't feel so alone.

In the world where only we exist.
In a blink of blinding light,
The stillness came with only you,
And turned all the wrongs to right.

	She sighed, closing her eyes and burying herself deeper beneath 
his arm. Darien looked down at her, resting to his side so innocently, 
and smiled. Inhaling slowly, he turned his head farther to look back at 
her house. No lights were on, though he suspected her parents would 
still be awake, waiting for her to return home safely. He tightened his 
arm around her waist. 
	He was glad he'd decided to walk her home instead of taking the 
car. The school was only a few blocks away. He could walk easily. And 
this was worth walking a mile. Just sitting here on the curb outside 
her house, imagining the dark building was not attempting to take her
away from him. He didn't want her to leave... not yet. He closed his eyes 
and rested his head on hers, still nestled comfortably in the crook of 
his shoulder.
	She yawned. "I guess I should go inside."
	"Yeah... I guess so."
	Silence overtook them again as neither dared move a muscle. Soon, 
Darien thought he could hear her whispering something. Looking down on 
her, he saw her blue eyes, shining brilliantly in the orange street 
light, looking up at the sky. Her lips mouthed word after word he 
couldn't quite make out. Numbers?
	"What are you doing?"
	"Counting stars."
	He smiled. "Why?"
	She shrugged, continuing to count. "It wastes time. Eleven, 
twelve, thirteen..."
He looked up to the sky, his eyes glazing over the diamond-
studded evening. The moon was balancing on the horizon again, this time 
preparing to dip beneath the blanket of night. Slowly, he began to 
count the stars as well.
"One, two, three, four..."
	"Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen..."
	"Five, six, seven..."
	"Nineteen, twenty..."
	"Eight, nine, ten..."
	This continued for a few moments before suddenly, silence dropped 
over the two.
	"I lost count."
	"Yeah, me too."
	Darien smiled, leaning his head down on hers again. "That's okay. 
Some time we'll go to the beach at night where you can see all the 
stars really clear... then we'll count them, okay?"
	She nodded. "But what do we do now? I don't want to leave..."
	He sighed. "I don't want to either. Tonight has been... perfect."
	She giggled, snuggling deeper into his embrace. "In every way."
	They remained like that for a few minutes, each content with the 
other, lovingly dreaming of the past evening. Serena felt warm, despite 
the cool night air trying to engulf her. 
	Sighing, Darien turned, and wrapped his free arm around her 
possessively, kissing her temple before standing and pulling her 
gracefully to her feet. She sighed, facing the inevitable. With a mute 
understanding, they walked up to her door, their fingers laced 
unconsciously together. Once there, Serena turned to him, smiling 
slightly. 
	"Thank you for an unforgettable evening, my Prince."
	He smiled, bringing her hand to his lips. "And thank you, my 
Princess, for letting me show you one."
	She giggled, once again looking out to the moon, hovering 
nervously at the edge of protection. Darien kissed her cheek tenderly 
and she turned to face him smiling. 
	"I'll see you at the arcade tomorrow?"
	"Like always."
	With a daring kiss on her lips, only allowing his tongue to taste 
her teasingly before pulling away, Darien smiled down on her. She 
whimpered quietly.
	"I'm afraid you're dad will come out here," he replied. She 
blushed, looking up at him with large, loving eyes. "Good night," he 
whispered. He squeezed her hand briefly before turning and venturing 
down the dark pathway. Serena sighed dreamily before disappearing into 
her small, dark home. 
	She danced up the stairs, humming to herself. Passing her 
parents' bedroom, she poked her head in to see her mother sleeping, her 
father watching TV in the dark. She waved and whispered him good night, 
before leaving into her own bedroom. 
	Closing the door and flipping on the lights, she made her way 
over to the small dresser and began unfastening her earrings, a 
lingering smile on her face. In the mirror she saw Luna asleep on her 
bed, purring in the midst of a lovely dream. After removing her binding 
jewelry, and freeing her hair from the buns to fall loosely down her 
shoulders and back, she looked in the glass to see her reflection 
smiling back at her. Her cheeks were rosy from the cool night air, her 
lips were still visibly stained in pale pink, and her eyes shone dark 
blue with exhaustion.
	Sighing, she glanced down at her dresser. The first thing that 
caught her eye was a shining, golden locket. With slow movements, she 
picked it up, fiddling with the lid, tracing along the silver moon 
pendant on top. This was the one thing she had as a clue to Tuxedo 
Mask. The man who had captured her heart and turned every emotion 
upside down. Who had elated and excited her, as much as he had pained 
her. A man she once had thought she was in love with.
	With a quick movement, she opened the middle drawer of her desk 
where she kept everything from leftover change to old, unfinished 
homework assignments, and without thinking twice, tossed the locket in. 
With a smile, she closed the drawer, before changing into her pajamas.
	
	On the sidewalk, a block away, Darien froze. Somewhere deep 
inside of him, he thought he could feel something die... something lost... 
and yet, a feeling of complete trust, love, and devotion filled the 
void, overflowing inside of him. Turning, he stared down the sidewalk 
to the only house with light shining through a single window. He tilted 
his head to the side.
	"Sweet dreams, Princess."
	
	
Fin

So... how'd I do? TELL ME!!!
God bless y'all!
<3 Alicia

*These don't exist, at least, I HIGHLY doubt it. I don't know what is 
red, yellow, orange, or blue and blows up when put together, so I made 
something up. ~_0