Disclaimer: I, Shadow, do hereby state that I do not have any privileged to Sailor Moon only the great Naoko-Sama does.
Summary: AU, Nyctophobia is fear of the dark and in post-apocalyptic Tokyo, the survivors have everything to fear from the shadows of the night as evil runs amuck in the eerie ruins of the city, hunting the humans.
Nyctophobia
By: Shadow
Chapter Three: Melanophobia
Fear of Black
Ritz's eyes were huge as he saw Serena lying on the floor, her hair spread out around her, looking like a tossed around doll. He screamed and Momo came in just as Serena sat up, shocked.
Momo started laughing as Serena caught Ritz who ran towards her "Serena! I thought you were dead!"
She looked outside then up at Momo confused. "You were sleeping when Ritz started screaming."
"I slept the entire night and not even one vampire found me?" Serena just couldn't believe that it could be true.
"Actually…" Momo looked a little frightened as she pointed to a black leather garment hanging over the busted open window.
Serena stood up and walked over. She picked up the garment and looked at it. It was a large coat. It was a man's coat. She looked at Momo shocked. "How? I would have noticed…or at least heard!"
"Charles was two buildings down and saw a large man walking around in here. He knew you were in here and came and got us as soon as he saw the man disappear. He spent the entire night with you." Momo said wrapping her arms around the young woman's shoulders, hugging her tightly.
She swallowed and hugged the coat tightly. "Why didn't he kill me?" she asked as she looked down at the dark garment.
"I do not know." Momo said shaking her head.
Serena sat down and looked through the coat. "Nothing…no clue as to why he just stood there all night, not killing me…I am deeply confused Momo."
"I understand child." Momo said looking at the black coat.
Ritz ran over to Serena and curled up against her side whimpering. "I'm scared for you Serena."
Serena smiled down at the small boy "Don't be afraid Ritz. I'm not sure as to why he would. But obviously he meant no harm."
Serena picked up Ritz and held tight onto him and the jacket and headed out into sunshine. She sighed and walked side by side with Momo. People stared at her as she walked down the street with her two companions.
"Charles told them what he saw…the bastard." Momo said crossing her arms.
Serena sighed and shook her head "its alright Momo. I had no idea that there was a vampire there."
"Which scares me more. You're more adept then anyone of these people to sensing a vampire."
"I was out. Ritz kept me up all day so I couldn't get any sleep. I was exhausted." Serena said as she rubbed her eyes at the thought of getting to go back to sleep.
"I'll watch him while you get some sleep so you can stay awake tonight and not have a vampire sneak up on you." Momo said smiling kindly up at the younger girl.
Serena nodded and set Fritz down and let him go off with Momo as she decided to go get something to eat. Scavenging again.
A woman with strawberry blonde hair approached Serena, a snide smirk on her face, her arms crossed under her ample chest. "Where did you get the coat Serena?" she asked circling the shorter blonde.
"I…I found it." Serena said watching the older girl pace her. "Noriko…why do you care where I got this from anyways?"
"Because I heard it came from a vampire…a vampire that spent the night in your building. Come Serena, show me the bites!" Noriko said laughing as she pushed the smaller girl to the ground.
"Leave me alone Noriko!" Serena said huddled in a ball on the ground. Serena didn't see herself as brave. Only a survivor and the thought of confrontation frightened her.
Noriko just laughed and pulled Serena off the ground by her hair. "Where did your undead lover bite you? I don't see any wounds on the neck…maybe your chest!" Noriko laughed as Serena pulled out of her grip, only helping Noriko pull her shirt off. Serena huddled over, shaking, covering her bare chest with the coat.
"Oh come Serena. You shouldn't be embarrassed about nudity, I mean you are a whore after all!" Noriko said as she kicked Serena in the head. Serena fell dropping the coat, baring her breasts. Noriko laughed as Serena started to cry, trying to hide herself with the coat.
"No wounds there either? Which means he probably bit lower." Noriko said approaching the small frightened girl.
The people of the ruined city of Tokyo heard a girl screaming and crying. They gathered around to see Noriko beating on the poor naked Serena who was curled in a ball.
Momo ran forward pushing her way though and saw the sight. She gasped and ran forward. "Noriko!" Momo yelled. She pulled the red headed blonde away from Serena who was still more focused on covering herself rather then caring about being beaten.
Serena looked up at Momo, her lip was puffy, blood dripping down her chin from it, her eye was already turning black and swelling, and where you could see skin you could tell she was bruising quickly. Tears ran down the pale girls cheeks as she looked around for her clothes.
"What is you problem Noriko?" Momo yelled at the smiling woman.
"She's a whore Momo! She spent the entire night with a vampire and never once did he bite her or kill her! Don't you wonder why? She's part of them, she may not be a vampire yet, but she's part of them! I know it!" Noriko screamed pointing at the shaking, crying blonde.
"Noriko! I know you lost your lover last night, but that is no reason to take it out on poor Serena." Momo scolded.
"Why did he have to die and not her? The whore of the vampires!" Noriko screamed before running away.
"Get out of here!" Momo yelled trying to shoo the people away. "Shame on you for not stopping Noriko! Serena lost her entire family to vampires just like most of you! Shoo! I am disappointed in the lot of you! We should be taking care of those that are left, not condemning them for something we have no knowledge over! Now scram!"
Ritz came running over carrying Serena's clothes. "Are you alright Serena?"
She nodded and dressed quickly; stumbling to her feet she held her bruised ribs. "I'm fine Ritz. Noriko was just upset. She had no right mind about her." She smiled "You must always forgive those that wrong you Ritz, or else you are no better then the monsters who hunt us."
Serena hugged Momo gently "Thank you Momo."
"You are like my own daughter Serena. I couldn't just let that hussy hurt you like she was. Now come, lets go get you cleaned up."
Serena sat in the water, letting the cool water rinse away as much dirt as it could, rinsing the dirt and grime out of her hair. She cleaned off the blood but winced every time she touched on of the bruises. "My ribs hurt so bad Momo."
"Noriko bruised you up pretty bad Serena." Momo said sitting by the stream watching for any unwanted visitors.
Serena climbed out of the water and dried off with the rag that Momo had brought with them. She dressed in a different set of clothes and actually slipped the coat on after braiding her long blonde hair.
Momo watched Ritz for the rest of the morning as Serena slept restlessly from the pain of her wounds.
As night fell they had found a house that had an underground cellar. Serena made Ritz and Momo hide in it.
"Come down here with us Serena." Momo pleaded.
"I can't." Serena said shaking her head. Her now clean hair falling around her body like a white blonde veil. "The vampire knows my scent probably. It would be too dangerous. I'll stay one house away. Stay here. I don't want either of you dead."
With that she ran out across the alley and hid in the remains of an old store hiding amongst the ruined shelves.
As the moon slowly rose, the choir of screams rose with it. Serena fought to control herself and won, she was able to slow her body down so that you could barely hear her heart or her breathing.
The night progressed with only the shadows of vampires passing by the building. She thought she was safe.
"I see you are awake this night my blonde doll." She heard a deep voice say from feet away.
She fought to keep herself in check. As she saw the shadow come closer to you. "You have taught yourself to sound almost near death…I am impressed. It is a good survival technique." The voice said as he turned the corner and faced her.
She began crawling backwards, wanting to distance herself from the creature before her. She looked up at him.
He smiled kindly at her, which made her stop moving. "Please…if you must kill me, kill me fast."
The vampire laughed and cocked his head, his dark hair falling into his even darker eyes. "I am not here to kill you my little blonde doll." He looked her over and frowned. "I can smell the blood, see the bruises. Who hurt you?"
She shook her head "I may not like her, but I will not offer up her name."
"Why did this woman hurt you?" He crouched down next to her inspecting the bruises.
"Are you the vampire that left this coat?" She asked as leaned back away from him, trapped in a corner.
"Yes." He nodded. "You were laying cold beneath the table cloth. I thought to leave it to warm you."
"She beat me because of you…she called me your whore. That I was telling you where each of them hid." Serena said starting to cry "She hurt me because of you…because you and yours killed her lover and not me…"
Darien sighed and frowned. "I am not like the others. I do not lust the way they lust. I do not hunt the way they hunt. And I am sorry that my actions have caused you pain."
She looked seriously confused as she curled in a ball, huddled beneath the jacket that was way to big on her. "Why are you so kind? Why aren't you tearing me in half?"
"It is only when the hunger arises my little blonde doll, am I ever anything close to them." He sighed and shook his head and saw just how much pain was written across her pale face.
"It is not just your face that pains you so…" It wasn't a question.
"She kicked me…" Serena admitted as she held her pained ribs.
"I watched over you to make sure that no harm would come to you, I should have hid myself from the mortal's gaze, for my action caused you pain none the less…" he sighed and stroked Serena's hair back.
"Why would you guard me? I am your food."
He smiled, looking amused with her question. "I am new to this town. I am also so much older and more refined than these beasts haunting these streets."
"What do you mean?" Serena asked, confused that he would be so kind to her.
"I am the first, and original vampire my little blonde doll. All these creatures are descendants of my first bites. I have lived for millennia; I hunger, but not like they. They hunger for revenge for having to spend years in hiding." He shook his head. "I regret sleeping for as long as I have. I should have taught the way better then I did." He sighed, "and now you, descendants of my children, nieces and nephews are made to suffer for my sins." He stroked Serena's hair back again "I am sorry for that my little blonde doll."
"Who are you…?" Serena asked swallowing hard.
"You may just call me Darien, my little blonde doll. And what is you name?" He sat down next to her, as if there was not murdering happening outside.
"Serena. My name is Serena." She said as she looked out the window and saw the shadows move by quickly.
Darien smiled and chuckled "To think, I thought I would never know your name."
"Darien, why did you keep guard last night?"
"The same reason I will keep guard tonight." He said as he got up to watch the windows and door. "With the war, most of the beauty this earth held is gone. Forests, animals, plant life…I must protect one of the last remaining beautiful things on this earth Serena." He smiled and walked down the aisles to keep guard.
Serena just sat and watched this man, this vampire walk back and forth keeping watch over her, who he had called one of the last remaining beautiful things on earth. She blushed but continued to watch him as he went from a scary talkative creature, to a handsome silent guard.