Moriari

Chapter 4

A/N: I'm so evil, you might like Darien now, but after the next few chapters, you're going to hate his ass.

A/N: REVISED 7/2/08

Disclaimer: I don't own SM.

Rating: M

She turned in her bed, the cotton sheets tangling between her legs, rubbing sensually against the sensitive skin of her thighs. She awoke with a jolt, flying forward into a sitting position, her heart thumping painfully. In her dreams, she had felt an innate sense of fear and apprehension invade her mind and wondered what had provoked such feelings inside her. Slowly she climbed from the bed, wrapping the sheet around her body to shield herself from the cold of the early evening. She looked outside and realized that despite the time of night, the sky was still fairly bright.

From the corridor outside her bedroom, she heard many footsteps rushing toward the far end of the hallway. Quickly, she reached into the large armoire and pulled out a white linen dress and matching brown leather boots before dressing quickly and pulling her hair into a messy ponytail. As soon as she exited her bedroom she felt a hand against her shoulder. Surprised, she spun around to see Mary, the short house maiden that she disliked.

"The Master of the house requests that you remain inside your room," she said shortly, grabbing Serena by the arm and steering her back into the bedroom.

"What's going on?"

"There has been an attack."

"An attack? What do you mean? Who was attacked?"

"You ask too many questions for your own good girl."

Serena scowled at the plump woman. She wasn't a child. "Tell me what's going on," she yelled. If she had to, she would probe the stubborn woman's mind for answers.

"His Majesty will inform you when he returns from the hospital wing."

"Hospital wing?" asked Serena. "Please, Mary, tell me what happened."

"Your precious Darien is fine if that's what you're worried about!" snapped the older woman. Serena rolled her eyes. Mary was clearly jealous.

"Obviously Darien is fine," Serena replied in a similar tone. "I would know if he were hurt."

"So, you and the King are as close as people are saying."

"What are you talking about?" asked Serena, as she attempted to peek around the woman's portly frame. "And don't try to change the subject!"

"I will not speak on it," said the woman, before pushing Serena further into the room and exiting, locking the door behind her. If Serena wanted to be obstinate, she could have concentrated with her mind and blasted the door opened, but she figured that idea was ill conceived. For whatever reason, Darien wanted her to stay inside. Despite her dislike for taking orders, she sat on the bed and waited quietly for him to come to her.

It felt like hours had passed before the sounds of running feet tickled her ears. She listened with her mind, but found that she was being blocked. Sometimes she forgot that these immortals possessed immense powers as well. As her patience began to wane, the doors of her bedroom burst open, the wood exploding into small splinters as planks fell to the ground. She opened her mouth to swear when Darien rushed into her room, the cloak he was wearing sizzling and smoking as he threw it to the ground. She ran forward toward him immediately, just as Mary reappeared, pushing Serena out of the way.

"My Lord, have you been injured?" asked the older woman, touching Darien's reddening skin. Immediately from her pocket she pulled out what looked like medicinal herbs that she began running over Darien's crimson colored flesh. As Mary tended to him, Darien's eyes never left Serena. There was an acute semblance of sadness in his stance and fear and exhaustion behind his eyes. She wondered what could have happened that would plague him so thoroughly. Soon Darien raised his hand to Mary and she immediately stopped her ministrations and backed away from him.

"Leave us." His voice was faint and hoarse.

"But Darien you are still-"

"I said…leave us," he said calmly. The woman nodded her head in understanding before sweeping out of the room. Serena opened her mouth to speak just as Darien rushed toward her and enveloped her in a tight hug, his hands tangling in the longs strands of hair dangling from her ponytail. He buried his head in her shoulder as he continued to embrace her, his hold on her never loosening. She wanted so much for him to tell her what was causing him so much anguish, but for now she was content to hold him close to her and try and alleviate his pain.

He reveled in the feeling of having her so near to him and for a moment the sensations of her fingertips drawing small circles on his back soothed him and caused him to forget about the current situation. For minutes he held her quietly, her steady breathing and the beating of her pumping heart the only sound present in his ears. Serena, worried about his condition and his silence, finally began to probe him about what had happened.

"Darien?" she asked, her voice gentle. "What's wrong?"

Sensing her tension and fear he released her, his fingertips coming up and caressing her pink cheeks, the heat of her flesh warming the blood that ran through his cold body. "There was an accident," he said, looking toward the window at the recently darkened sky.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice cracking. His flesh seemed to be charred and some of the skin had peeled off completely leaving pink traces of muscle visible.

"I am… but Raye….she was….she got caught out in the sun."

"Oh god," said Serena, her legs feeling wobbly as she collapsed onto the bed. She hadn't gotten the chance to know Raye, but after their conversation, Serena knew how important Darien's only sister was to him. She was the only family he had left. "Is she…"

"No," he said, staring at the small blonde who was looking up at him with her big beautiful eyes full of worry and remorse. "But she's barely alive. I don't think she'll survive."

Serena remained silent as Darien stared outside the window, a vapid expression on his face. She couldn't die; Darien would be alone if she did. "How…I mean what happened?"

"She was taking goods to the mining camps. The sun rose early today. She was caught off guard and was in the forest on her way here. She rushed back as fast as she could. By the time she entered the doors, she was dying. Her two escorts did not make it back alive. They died some time ago."

Slowly she stood up and walked toward him, her eyes never leaving his. Instinctively she reached up and caressed his face, her fingers brushing against his neck and down to his chest before she grabbed his hand and locked it with hers.

"Where is she?" asked Serena.

"The infirmary."

"Take me to her."

"Why? You shouldn't have to see… she's-"

"I know," said Serena. "I…maybe I can help."

"Serena," he said warily, knowing full well what she was implying. "Every time you use your abilities you get sick. I won't risk losing you too." He squeezed her hand gently.

"And I won't let you lose your sister. Not if I can do something about it. Please, let me help her Darien," she said urgently. He sighed. Darien had wanted to be with her in his time of despair, not coerce her into feeling obligated to help his dying sister. He opened his mouth to object but Serena cut him off quickly.

"If you don't take me to where she is then I'll just go find her myself and-"

"Fine," he said, a slight smirk to his lips at her cunningness. Quickly he steered her out of the bedroom and down the dark corridors, their fingers intertwined as they rushed hurriedly to the murky room, full of the sweet and somber stench of death.

If Serena were any other woman she would have wretched at the sight of Raye's mangled body. The long, raven hair that had once sat perched atop Raye's head had been reduced to sporadic strands of hair peppered around her raw scalp. Her eyes, once fiery and dark, were dull and wet, oozing with what Serena assumed was dried blood. Her hands were distorted and frozen into a claw like position. Her skin, once porcelain and delicate lay peeling off of her bones, the dead cells falling like crimson snowflakes onto the white carpeted room. She was clothed in a white tunic but even through the clothing Serena could see the damage beneath.

Darien stared at his sister wondering whether or not Serena could reverse her condition. He looked to the blonde and saw the appalled look on her face and green tinge that was forming against her skin. "Serena, you don't have to-"

She looked at him sharply, successfully quieting him from his rant. It was true; she didn't want to touch Raye. Serena felt an intrinsic sense of guilt due to the feelings of disgust that were keeping her from immediately helping the endangered girl. For the first time in a while, Serena doubted her abilities. All through her childhood she had been known as a Good Samaritan of sorts; she healed cuts, bruises, broken legs and even brought a few animals back to life, but this was so much bigger than a dead dog. She smiled nervously at Darien before letting go of his hand and walking toward the still woman.

She kneeled beside her before slowly reaching up and touching her hand. She held back the bile in her throat as her hand squished against Raye's bloody skin. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on Raye's body, trying to decide what to heal first. Serena jerked as she became one with the girl, jolts of her agony shooting through Serena like lightning bolts. She bit back a cry of pain as she continued to hold the girls hand. In her mind, she could almost see a blueprint of what was wrong with her. Her lungs had been severely burned by the toxic heat from the sun, her bone tissue had disintegrated and she had severe burns on ninety percent of her body. The pain she was feeling was getting to the point of being unbearable and Serena began to feel as though she were burning alive. Tightening her hold on the girl, Serena concentrated on mending her body just as she had mended those of her friends so long ago.

Behind her Darien watched in shock as Raye began to visibly change before him. Her raw skin began to take on a pale tinge, reminiscent of her flesh before the accident. Before his eyes her bloody flesh became pure and white, free of any blemishes. He opened his mouth in wonderment just as Serena collapsed onto the ground, her fingers digging into Raye's hand as the agony took her over. She had to finish this, she had to heal her completely, if she didn't, Darien would have no family left and like her, would be completely alone.

Darien quickly ran forward and grabbed the hands of his sister and Serena before trying to pry them apart with no success. He tugged as hard as he could without breaking their wrists, but Serena was adamant about holding on.

"Let go! Serena stop it!" he cried, trying to break her grip on his sister. Serena jerked as a small stream of blood dripped from her mouth. "God damn it Serena, stop it!" He cried for her to cease, but despite his roaring voice in her ears, she continued. She knew what it was like to lose someone you loved and she wouldn't let that happen to Darien. She jerked again; an earth shattering scream erupted from her small frame as Raye suddenly jolted up from the bed, emitting a similar yell before looking around the room wildly. She gazed at Darien who stared at her for a moment before returning his attention to the seizing blonde.

"What happened?" cried Raye. "What's happening to her?"

"I don't know," he said, watching as Serena remained connected to Raye. "Let go of her!"

"I can't," she said, trying to pull her hands from Serena's strong grip. "I can't let go!"

"Try harder, she's dying!" cried Darien as he grabbed Serena by the shoulders and put her head in his lap as she began twitching harder, blood pouring from her red lips. Mentally he sent for Joshua, the physician of the castle and within a moment the white haired man flew into the room, surprised at Darien's mental insistence for him to come so quickly.

"What's going on?" he asked, looking at the scene before him. The blonde that the castle had been speaking of was lying on the floor, her eyes rolled into the back of her head having multiple seizures. Raye was trying to pry the girls hand off of hers and Darien was swearing and yelling at both of them.

"She tried to heal my sister," he said frantically. "But now I can't get her to let go."

"It's a magical connection," said Joshua kneeling down beside them. "She cannot go until the magic is complete."

"It's killing her," Darien yelled.

"I'm fine now, why won't she let go?" asked Raye.

"Parts of you are still injured, she's completing the process."

Relinquishing the last bit of energy she had to completely repairing Raye's bone structure, Serena screeched involuntarily before she felt the agonizing pain subside. Darkness surrounded her and she fell into a murky abyss as she heard Darien and Raye cry her name.

Darien stood solemnly by the window, watching as the moonlight danced against the lake outside of Serena's bedroom. She had been comatose for the last three days, and he spent many of his waking hours quietly watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest. She never moved, never made a sound and this made Darien feel worse. Not only was he scared for her life, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. He knew that if he told her what had happened to Raye, she would feel obligated to help, but he had to see her. Although she had been with him for a little over a week, Darien felt a strange connection to her and had no idea why. He did know that he couldn't imagine his life without her in it and that thought alone terrified him.

"How's she doing?" asked Raye as she walked slowly into the room carrying a golden goblet full of a thick, red substance.

"The same," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose and sitting down in a chair next to Serena's still frame.

"Here," said Raye, handing him the cup. "You need to feed; you'll fall ill if you don't. When the sun comes up, sleep, Darien, you'll be no good to her if you're not well."

"I can't leave her," he said, looking up at his sister after taking a long sip from the cup.

"The humans will watch her during the daytime, brother," she said, watching as Darien stared at the slumbering blonde. She grimaced; she had never seen Darien look at a woman that way before. She prayed that his feelings for Serena did not go past admiration, for all their sakes. "Come on, that's not an adequate amount of blood, you need more."

Darien hesitated; he had been feeling tired from the lack of sufficient food, but he still couldn't manage to leave her side. "Okay," he said, realizing that he would only be gone for a few moments and that he was able to think straighter when he wasn't suffering from malnourishment. He walked away slowly, peeking at Serena before exiting the bedroom and closing the door behind him with a soft click.

She stirred slowly, her body aching soundly as she moved. Her eyes fluttered open to a blurry view of her room in Darien's castle. The moonlight illuminated the shadows cast by the furniture in her dark bedroom. She tried to turn to her side, but found that she was effectively pinned to the bed. Looking down, she realized that there was an arm wrapped tightly around her waist, successfully ceasing all notions of movement. Suddenly she felt herself begin to panic and wondered what predicament she had gotten herself into this time. She knew that she was in Darien's fortress and knew that this was the bedroom that she had been sleeping in, but couldn't for the life of her, imagine who was sleeping beside her.

Slowly she looked around and found herself staring at a sleeping Darien, his tousled hair falling over the pillows like midnight waves on the ocean. She wondered how long she had been asleep and how they had come to find themselves in this situation. Not that she didn't like being so near to him, but she did wonder what provoked this surprising show of vulnerability and affection on his part. As she mused to herself regarding Darien's actions, she didn't notice his eyes flutter open. He smiled wearily at the confused expression on her face. His fingers found her arm and they gently caressed the silken skin, causing Serena to shudder from shock. She opened and closed her mouth, but could find nothing to say.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, resting his head on one of his hands before yawning.

"I'm okay," she responded clearing her throat. "What happened?"

"You tried to heal Raye."

Serena's eyes grew wide. "Is she okay?"

"Yea, she's fine," he said happily, sitting up and grinning at her.

"Good," said Serena, her memories slowly returning to her. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Six days. The doctors said you were in a coma. I thought…I thought you wouldn't wake up."

"I'm okay," Serena replied, her voice small.

Darien frowned. "Don't ever do that again!" he yelled, his voice booming as he jumped out bed and began pacing the room. "It's not that I don't appreciate what you did, but this is the second time you almost died because of me! No more healing!"

"Darien-"

"No!" he replied shortly before walking to her bedside and kneeling. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? I was so scare that you might die and it would be my fault."

"It would not be your fault!" she screeched. "It was my decision to help Raye, Darien you didn't force me."

Darien sighed. "I know, but the thought of losing you…scares the crap out of me."

She smiled gently before reaching out and pinching his nose. "I'm okay though, and Raye's okay. Everything turned out fine."

"Don't scare me like that again," he said, grabbing her hand and bringing his lips to her knuckles.

"I'll try not to, but I can't make any promises," she said, watching as he planted small kisses on her hand. She struggled to control her breathing as his lips pleasantly tickled her fingers.

"I can't imagine my life without you in it. Before, everything was in shades of grey and now it seems like I can see life for what it really is. And that's all because of you," he said. "I can't lose that. I can't lose you. You're the best thing that's happened to me in such a long time."

Slowly she slid off the bed and landed on her knees in front of him before enveloping him in a tight hug, resting her head against his chest as he placed his chin on the top of her head. She sighed in contentment against him and he rejoiced over her closeness. Within the two of them, strong feelings of affection were developing for one another and neither of them knew how to feel about it. In all honesty, neither of them wanted whatever they had to end.