After Death's Breath

By Great-Xscape

Disclaimer: I don't make any money off of this. Nothing below belongs to me but the story plot.

-

"Hey Serena."

Serena didn't even look up at the name. She still slept, unaware of the daggers being thrown her direction by the limber black cat. Luna jumped ontop the sleeping princess, ears pressed flat against her black fur in annoyance. Surely Serena would learn to wake up when she was suppose to, after having to wake up at the same time for over a year. Didn't it create a habit?

"Serena!"

Still no response. Luna growled something deep and threatening and pounced on Serena's back. Her claws were drawn in, of course. Luna only wanted her to wake up, not get too injured in the process. Nothing. Luna stopped short.

Nothing.

Not even breathing.

"Serena?" Luna's voice trembled just the slightest with worry. She padded up Serena's back and nipped the girl's ear gently. "Serena???" Luna swatted her nose, pressing her tattooed forehead against the girl's face and forcing Serena to turn over in her sleep.

Scars. Deep scars welted up and down the once clear face.

Her eyes rolled open, dead and revolting.

Luna did the only thing she could.

Luna screamed.

-

"What was that?" Serena's mom wondered, taking the hot plate from beside the oven and placing it down on the set table. It was stacked high with perfect pancakes. At the table, Sammy and his dad began to eat unconcernedly.

"Probably Serena," Sammy replied between bites.

His mom looked up the stairways with concern. "Do you think she's alright?"

Her husband waved her concern away with a hand, not even looking away from the paper. "Don't worry about it," he soothed, pausing to take a sip of his steaming cup of coffee. "I bet she just woke up.

Serena's mom's look of concern changed to an annoyed and somewhat bemused expression. She shook her head and went back about to the business of the household matron. "That girl," she muttered, pouring batter onto the hot oven. "Maybe now she'll start waking up earlier. Goodness, she's going to be late again!"

"I guess I need to get going," Sammy's dad sighed mournfully. He folded the paper under his arms, took one last sip of coffee, kissed his wife lovingly on the cheek and went out the door. "Watch the house for me, son," he said before stepping into the world outside.

Sammy grinned and waved. "I will, dad," he called.

"I think you better get going, too, Sammy," his mother stressed, throwing a long glance at the clock. "I don't want both of you to be late." Sammy pulled a face but got up. He gave his mom a goodbye kissed, promised to take care, and rushed outside with a feeling of peace only the home brings.

"And then there was one." The mother dutifully made her daughter's lunch, placing it in a position so Serena could grab it on her mad dash to school. She paused a moment, unnerved by the silence, but her growing concern was set aside when a neighbor rang the doorbell. She walked outside to the porch and spent the next few minutes chatting happily with her friend, exchanging the latest gossip and sighing over her daughter's erratic behavior.

"Don't worry," her neighbor assured with a knowing grin, "it's just a phase. She won't be a teenager for long. You should enjoy it while it lasts."

"Enjoy Serena failing her classes, spending her days dreaming about guys and ditching her duties for friends?" she replied, horrified. There was a moment of thought and a smile drew across her face. "I guess your right."

"After all," the neighbor warned, bringing up a shaking finger to stress her point, "sooner then you think, she'll grow up, get married and move away."

Her expression turned heartbroken and she gave her neighbor a comforting hug. "Your daughter still hasn't called, has she?"

More minutes passed and finally, the two women drew apart from the womanly comfort each gave the other and, with promises to keep in touch and to visit more often, the mother walked back inside, mood cheery once again. A friend was something not to be taken for granted.

Her daughter's lunch bag was gone. She assumed Serena must have already left without anyone noticing. A list on the fridge drew her attention and she frowned again, taking it down. Time for shopping already? Oh well, with the way Serena ate, it should be a blessing food lasted as long as it did. With a bounce in her steps and a hum in her throat, she walked outside, taking a thin blue jacket for protection against the cold.

Her morning's anticipation slid away, to be forgotten and misplaced along with her life's emotion.

-

"Serena! Serena!" Luna was hysterical, clawing at the girl's arm. Without the ugly scars on Serena's face or the new scratches on her arms, she would have looked like she was peacefully dreaming the day away. On the floor, her lunch bag was deposited messily- an effort to avoid confrontation with anyone before Luna could fix the situation.

~But you can't fix the situation~ a lofty voice called out.

Luna hissed, drawing close to the princess as a figure walked out of the shadows.

It was a boy, about Serena's age, except that he looked as innocent as the dead. Dark blue eyes shifted lazily beneath a mask of iron steel. Darker hair sprung from his head like messy weeds, long and unforgiving. He wore nothing because he wasn't really there. Instead, it was just a hazy cloud of black fog that seemed to melt away from the shadows like a virus. All Luna could see was his face.

"What are you?" Her fur stood on end. "What have you done to her!"

~Nothing she hasn't done to herself~ he offered with a cruel grin.

"What are you talking about?" Luna spat.

He seemed vaguely amused by her anger. ~You think I killed her?~ his voice rumbled from the fog, deep as it was shadowy.

'Killed her?' Luna collapsed. That was it. The fact that Luna couldn't accept.

Serena? Dead?
He was laughing at her. Not with gaping lips but the look in his eyes was enough that no outward show was needed. He was laughing at her, mocking the pain she felt.

~You should look closer~ he urged, that laughing expression still gleaming in his eyes. ~You might find something interesting.~

Luna didn't move from her collapsed state. The fact that…it pounded at her senses. His eyes seemed to lighten. ~Why do you care?~

'Care? Serena was my duty! My princess! I let her die-'

~Is that it?~ he sneered, seeming to draw away from the collapsed cat. ~Is that all she was to you? A job? A responsibility?~

Luna blinked. 'No. she was a friend-'

~You lie~

'Do I?'

~You only cared about her because she was forced on you by someone with a higher position. If it were up to you, you would have left her long ago. Left her when you first saw her innocence.~

Luna could remember the feeling of distaste clinging to the back of her throat when she first saw how clumsy, how naïve the newest Sailor Scout was. 'Yes. I didn't think she could make it-'

~You were hoping she'd fail, so that you could move on to a new person, someone with more power~

'No! I wanted her to become stronger! I would never have left her-'

~…~ He watched her, eyes intense and making her rethink everything.

Serena was dead, face torn apart as she slept.

And she, Luna, instead of getting help or at least contacting the others, was sitting ontop of the dead princess, talking with some sort of shadow demon…

~No~ he shook his head ~Don't call me that.~

…who could somehow hear her thoughts-

'You did this!' she hissed, drawing once more on her rage and preparing to strike, no matter how weak she was.

~I told you to look closer~ he warned.

Luna growled and stepped back.

-Only to jump forward with another hiss of pain as her foot connected with something much sharper then anything in a bed should be.

It was a knife.

Clutched in Serena's limp hand.

Bathed in her blood.

Luna's eyes went wide as the implications added together in her head. The shadowy figure stood still but again, his eyes laughed at her new discovery.

~I told you I didn't touch her~

'Shut up!'

Surprisingly, he did so.

Luna stared weakly at her beloved princess. Why?

~Suidcide?~ he shrugged ~Just an escape from things she didn't like~ That vicious grin was tugging at his lips again. ~Ironic…neither of you wanted anything to do with each other or your own repsonsibilities.~

'She always said she didn't want to fight.'

~But you never listened.~

'Never did…'

~You pushed her into fighting, forced her to.~

'I…forced her to…' Luna was obviously in some deep state of shock, only repeating whatever was said to her as she stared, dazed.

~Even now, you are relieved to be free of her and her childishness~

'I'm free?'

His face was still stone cold and the darkness still covered him. ~Perhaps you should tell the others what you made her do~

'What did I make her do?'

~Kill herself, of course.~

'Me?' Luna thoughts swirled in her head and she nodded slowly. 'Yes. It's my fault. I forced her to, never listened…'

~Tell Artemis~ he cooed.

Obediently, she walked to the communicator.

After a moment of static, Artemis's panicked voice fairly shouted through the communicator ::I've been trying to contact you! We need Sailor Moon right away. There's a demon attacking the school!::

"It's too late," she replied tonelessly, "Sailor Moon is dead."

A moment of stunned silence. ::WHAT!::

"I killed her," Luna added as an after thought. "I didn't want her around. I didn't like her. She was too weak-"

::Luna?::

"She's lying on her bed right now," the cat informed, eyes straying to stare at the still body. "If you want to make sure but I think I did it all."

There was no noise from the communicator.

~At least you confessed~ he muttered, eyes closing.

'Confessed…'

~Now you know what you did and everyone else does to.~

Luna closed her eyes, ignoring the sting coming from them. 'My fault, of course.'

~Of course~ he assured her before drifting away as quickly as he came.

Luna sat there, eyes closed with tears trickling down her feline cheeks, not even noticing the scream echoing through the house as Serena's mom entered Serena's room, bags of gifts for her daughter tumbling, forgotten to the floor.

-

~You outdid yourself this time~ a voice sulked from the darkness.

Th shadowy man didn't glance towards where the thought had voiced itself. ~Of course I did.~

~This will cause a lot of trouble~ a new thought pattern informed the first two. ~In the upper world, at least. It will echo to our world~

~How come?~ another new voice asked innocently.

~The girl had connections to the dead~ the third voice replied. ~Things can change, now~

~No matter~ came another, whose darkness blocked the first four out, seeming to suck them all together. The voices hissed in pain of even being contacted by this new, evil one. ~If something happens, it will be my concern.~

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