Here I am, writing an A/U Sailormoon fic...who'da thunk? The story takes place in America, so therefore, I'm using the American names. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Sailor Moon purist, I just thought I'd try something new.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own anything. Maybe the plot. :-P

Benefits

Chapter One: Not Like I Faint Everytime We Touch

I walked to my next class, my head in the clouds as usual. Normally, I'd walk with my friend Mina (who was also in my 4th period theater class), but she was caught up with her flavor of the week boyfriend, so today I was a loner. I wondered about the oddest things on those walks across our open-campus high school, and today was no different. Why was a peanut butter and pickle sandwich so appealing to my friend Molly?

"Bunny..."

I didn't hear the voice behind me as I wondered about this trivial thing.

"Bunny..."

Was it combonation of bittersweet peanut butter and sour pickles?

"BUNNY!"

I jumped a good foot in the air and nearly fell down. Strong arms steadied me, then caught me up into a hug. I looked up to see Darien Shields over me. "Darien!" I said, mildly surprised. He didn't usually walk with me to class, although he had it this period, too. The handsome senior grinned at me. "Hey there Space Case," he teased me. I laughed. "What?! I'm always lost in thought!" He chuckled, and we walked to class together, chatting idly about our class's play.

When I walked in, my friend Raye suddenly tackled me, hugging me tightly. "Hi Bun!" she said cheerfully. Raye was obviously having a good day, she didn't always hug me when I came in the classroom. She wasn't in our class, but had 4th period lunch, and ate in the theater. I hugged the junior back. "Hi Raye!" She then hugged Darien (we theater people are a very...huggy bunch.), and retreated to the costume room to work.

The bell rang, and we took our seats at the long table in the theater classroom. Auditions for our class play, "Moon Story" were today, and many of us were looking over our scripts before actually going into the theater and doing the scenes we'd prepared. I looked over at Darien, my partner for the scene, and smiled. He was incredibly handsome, but he thought otherwise. A bit of a rocker, he wore a tight black t-shirt, ripped jeans, and black Converse high tops. His hair shone a natural black, and was shaggy and unkempt in a "I-just-had-sex" way. His eyes were a bright blue, bringing Elijah Wood to mind. I won't lie; this guy had been the focus of my fantasies for awhile now.

His girlfriend, Hina, is a very lucky girl. As in, so lucky several girls would kill to be her, me being one of them.

But Darien and I have our own relationship...

After school that day, I showed up to the theater to work on tech, as preparations for our fall show were well underway. I ran smack into Brandon entering, though. "OW!" I said. Brandon's very...solidly built. After we got untangled from my waist-length, silvery blonde hair, he hugged me tightly. "I was looking everywhere for you!" he said, sounding like a lost child. "The buttons on my vest came off!" I sighed. Brandon was a senior actor, but incapable of doing anything for himself, so I was made his personal assistant. "Give me your vest, sweetie, and I'll sew it up." He did so, thanking me the whole time. Being the only freshman in theater this year, I was sorta made everyone's lackey.

I began sewing, but my hair (streaming from twin buns on my head) kept getting caught in my sewing. "ARGH!" I said in frustration. I set down my sewing, pulled out a couple of rubber bands, and swiftly braided my hair. Robby poked his head into the costume workshop. "Something wrong, Serena?" he asked, using my given name. I shook my head. "I'm fine, don't worry," I explained. "My hair was just getting in the way." He nodded, and closed the door. I was left alone in the room again, with only my sewing and thoughts.

Suddenly, two hands closed over my eyes. "Guess who?" a smooth male voice asked me. I set my sewing blindly on the table, and felt the hands on my eyes. They were hands too beautiful to belong to any other man. Long fingers, perfect nails, finely boned. I grinned. "Darien," I said. He removed his hands, placing them on my shoulders. I looked up at him, still smiling, and he gave me a seductive smirk that would've made me melt, if I had been standing. He bent over me, and rewarded me with a kiss. "Yup," he said, just before his lips met mine.

Darien and I were...friends with benefits. I was nuts about the guy, but he had a girlfriend who was already in college so...hands off, unless he initiated it. He preceded to pull me up into his arms, kissing me deeper, and I gladly returned his kiss. I know it's sort of a cheap thrill, but for these few moments, I can pretend that I'm actually a desirable woman. Tongues intertwined, and hands roamed. Then we pulled away, knowing that at any moment, someone could walk in. He granted me a kiss on the tip of the nose, and a quick squeeze of my derriere. "See ya later, gorgeous," he said huskily. I smiled. "Hasta," I said. He exited, blowing me a kiss.

I finished up my sewing, then took a look at myself in the mirror. Blonde hair, with long-ish, parted bangs...not to mention that rather odd hairstyle I wore. I loved it though, it was half-inspired by the two buns Chinese warrior girls wore in anime, and the other half was just me showing off (and loving) my long hair. A tight black Happy Bunny t-shirt (Darien bought it for me on a random shopping trip, saying the "Cute but psycho" bunny fit me so well.), jeans that were a bit too long for me and were ripped around the edges. Strawberry-red Converse high tops (I love Converse. I have three other pairs!), and random bracelets. I was kinda cute...if you liked the innocent, childlike cute. My blue eyes turned away from the mirror, and on the vest. Now to find Brandon...

Chapter One--End

There it was! Intrigued? Of course you are! C'mon, review, you know you want to...