Teck: Hey guys, here's the next chapter. I know it's been way too long.
Serena, Darien, and Gohan
Darien and Gohan needed to distance themselves from the ally they were in as soon as possible, so they flew to one of his hideouts on the out skirts of the city. The building looked like an abandoned hotel, but Darien guided Gohan to a room on the top floor that was furnished as if someone were ready to check in. Gohan laid Serena on the bed and Darien grabbed bandages and other supplies out of the bathroom.
"You're sure he can't find us here right?" Gohan asked him as Darien joined him on the other side of the bed.
"I'm pretty sure. There is a cloaking spell on this building. I've been staying here during my recovery and no one has been able to find me. My magic is weak right now, so I don't know if it will block his link with her." He explained as he was about to place the gauze on her shoulder.
"I might have to listen to you and let you help, but I do not have to let you touch her." Gohan said trying to take the clean bandage from him. "You're not the only doctor here. I'll do that."
"This isn't just any stab wound, Boy Wonder. This is a physical representation of their link. This wound keeps bleeding because of the link he formed with her. I have to check the progress of it to see how badly the damage is."
"You can do that, but you don't get to touch her." Gohan said still annoyed.
The arguing stopped as Serena stirred and opened her eyes.
"Please guys, don't fight. We don't have time for this right now." She said slowly sitting up. She flinched at the pain in her ribs. "Besides, the wound in my arm isn't the most painful. I don't know what he did to my leg, but it hurts worse than it did when I woke up in the hospital."
Darien examined the leg, and tried barely touching it. Even though she couldn't move it she whimpered at the pain.
"He shifted the bones. I need to put them back in place. It will hurt less now than when the paralysis wears off."
Gohan and Serena looked at each other. She didn't have to ask. He instinctively sat next to her and gently held her upper body, without brushing against her ribs. Darien gently took her leg and looked her in her eye as he made the first move. Serena screamed and squeezed Gohan's hand as hard as she could. He reexamined her leg and did it two more times.
"I think that will do it. At least now it will heal properly and hopefully more quickly." Darien said joining them at the top of the bed. Darien took off her old bandage, despite Gohan's death didn't want to upset Serena so he didn't say anything. He simple held her hand and gently stroked it. Her body was so cold.
"That energy blast must have slowed him down a bit. This isn't as deep as it should be, given how long he has been activating your link. You need to rest. His draining abilities aren't as strong when he is distant from you, but it will still hinder your recovery." Darien placed a new bandage on her shoulder.
"Darien, what do I have to do differently this time? Why was he able to come back?" Serena asked.
"Don't worry about that now. You need to rest. He's only become this powerful by draining your energy."
"But if he can come back, what stops the others from coming back?"
Darien sighed. He didn't want to get her worked up right now, but he knew she would just keep asking until she had some sort of answers.
"I can assure you the others aren't coming back. I have killed many of them myself, at least the ones who tried to return from the void. They never even make it this far through the negaverse. The only reason one of your biggest enemies has a chance at coming back, is if you are not at a hundred percent of your power. It's rare that you aren't since myself and the girls have given you energy to access the crystal. There are a few that you fought totally on your own. This is why you've almost died a few times. Instead of being destroyed, these enemies are vanished back beyond a void in the negaverse. They barely have an energy source. They either die out or are merely stuck. Only the strongest can escape the void. The only reason Diamond was able to come out of the void was because Raye resurrected him."
"It all started when she stabbed me?"
"Not exactly. She was always jealous that I fell in love with you and stopped sleeping with her. I never loved her I was just using her. Raye had found out about the legend of the spirit blade. It was forged from the darkest magic and will transfer power of the victim to the owner. The thing is the legend is wrong. I was there millennia ago when Diamond created the blade. The weapon will only transfer power to him. He spread that rumor when he sent assassins out on assignments, so the victims would give their power to him. She had to have done some sort of resurrection spell then he sent her the blade. When I saw it I knew what happened right away. I knew the bond was the only thing strong enough to break his link. So when I completed the first stage I knew we would be ok. After I was weakened I started searching for him, when I heard rumors of his return."
"There has to be something stronger than the bond that can cut this off." Gohan said.
"The only other option is to defeat him. That's how you fully sever his link. His connection isn't unbreakable like the bond. It's not going to be easy to overpower him, with him taking so much of your energy." Darien explained. "Right now you really don't need to be thinking about that. You need to rest."
"I'd hate to admit it Serena, but he's right. You need to rest, baby."
Serena's eyes started to swell some as she fought back a tear and Gohan wiped it away.
"I'm to scared to try and sleep and dream. These horrible memories just keep coming back to me. I can't take them replaying in my head right now."
Serena suddenly convulsed in pain and hunched over at her waist. She had one hand clenching her hair and the other near the wound on her arm.
"What's happening to her?" Gohan asked helplessly.
"He's trying to regain his strength from the blast she sent him." He took Serena's hand from her shoulder while holding the golden crystal in the other. He closed his eyes to concentrate.
Gohan wasn't sure he should object, but at this point he didn't really have a choice. Golden light surged from the crystal through Darien to Serena. It seemed to ease her pain and Gohan helped her lay all the way down on the bed. After a few minutes Darien ended the energy exchange with a gasp and laid his head down next to her. He was sweating and breathing heavily. Gohan noticed he looked a bit flushed after they had flown over to the building too. He really was weaker.
'I guess he wasn't kidding. He really is too weak to do anything.' Gohan thought as Darien continued to heave. He didn't like feeling bad for Darien but he was actually helping Serena. He got up from the bed poured a glass of water and gave it to him in silence. He even ignored the fact that Darien was still holding her hand.
Darien looked at it with hesitation and took the glass in silence. His breathing finally calmed down and he wiped the sweat from his face on a nearby towel.
"You were only able to come back, because you were linked to her at the time. Why couldn't you suck on her energy since that link was still opened?" Gohan asked.
Darien let out a deep breath and spoke as he examined the wound again.
"Technically she killed me. Our link was strong enough to keep me from the void, but the original connection became weakened and dormant. I wasn't strong enough to access it the way I once could and when enough time goes by I have to reactivate it before I can access it again, but Gohan, that's not important right now." He placed a new bandage on the wound that appeared a little smaller than before.
"You're right because I'll never let you reactivate the bond with her."
"Listen, just stop focusing on the bond for a minute and look at the woman we love. She is in the process of dying and all you can do is play 20 questions! The only thing that can heal her is my energy. It might not close the link, but it will bring her strength back so she can stop him. My magic counteracts his, that's why he is trying to get back to full power so fast. If he gets both of us out of the way, there is nothing that will stop him." Darien told him and paused for a minute. "But you can keep that from happening. You can help me Gohan. We're both Saiyains you can share your life force with me and I'll be as good as new."
"Why would I ever do that? Sure It might help get rid of one monster, but then we'll have an old monster to face. No I won't do it."
"You're going to let her die because you're scared to fight me again one day? You're going to let her suffer and possibly unleash one of the worse evils out there. You're a coward."
"You both only assume that Serena is the only one who can stop him. I'm not affected by the energy of this planet. I'm at 100% power and I can fight him and for everything this guy has done…I will win."
"You say that, but what is the price if you are wrong? This guy knows you Gohan. He's been watching your fighting styles and your everyday life through Serena's eyes. He might be a new enemy for you, but he has the advantage. Do you really want to risk him getting his hands on her again, because you want to be the hero? You're used to fighting enemies that are looking for a fight to prove their strength. The negaverse doesn't care about that. Everything is not about a battle. We are villains of strategy. He is going to lure you into whatever trap he can so that he can get her back into his possession. Out of the three of us she is his biggest threat and can be his greatest bargaining chip. If you go down in a fight, who will protect her then?"
Gohan stopped looking at Darien and looked down at his beloved. He knew there might be truth to what Darien was saying. Either way he could lose. This was a big decision he wish he didn't have to make on his own. He took her hand into both his and kissed it.
'I hope I'm about to do the right thing, baby.' He thought as he rested his forehead on the hands in a prayer like position and took a deep breath.
"Is it foolish of me to think that you would actually give us time after this guy is destroyed?" Gohan said in a whispering tone. He addressed the question to Darien, but still looked down at Serena.
Darien paused for a moment before he answered. "I'm not sure what will happen. I'm more focused on defeating him." Darien said looking at Gohan. "I would imagine that Serena would be too weak for the bond if she were able to defeat him. I still have a lot to prepare before the link is reconnected, so she would still be with you for some time."
Gohan returned her hand to her side and adjusted her covers a bit more. He kissed her forehead gently as he rose.
"This just better not be some freaky guy version of the bond. I swear if I'm linked to you there is nowhere in the universe you can hide from me."
Darien rose and grinned. " No I can assure you. The feeling is mutual. Go ahead and sit on the couch."
Gohan took a seat on the red couch across from the bed and faced Darien who sat on the coffee table in front of it. He instructed Gohan to put his palms on his knees facing up, while he took out his Golden Crystal again and held it over Gohan's hands. He closed his eyes and instructed Gohan to do the same. Gohan reluctantly did as he was told.
"Since you don't have full control over your crystal, this might take a moment. You need to concentrate on your own energy. Your crystal is hidden deep within its source. I can't tell you how to call upon it to make it appear, but you should still be able to access it and recognize it."
This reminded Gohan was he first learned about Ki and how to fly, but he could feel it..this was different. He had never noticed before, but something even more powerful was stirring inside of him. This must have been the force that made him such a protégé at an early age.
"Once you see it start concentrating on pushing it into my hand and crystal."
Gohan could feel a dark void pulling his energy closer. He knew this must have been Darien's and focused on slowly pressing it towards him. When he had pushed far enough he felt the void suck his energy like a black hole. He could feel his energy draining from him and wondered how much he would have to let Darien take.
"Is that enough?" He asked.
"No, I'll close the passage when it's been enough." Darien said.
"How do I know you won't take all of my energy, and just kill me?"
"I can't kill you. I still need you to protect her. Even at full power, this is going to take all of us."
Gohan's head was starting to feel light and started losing focus to keep the connection going.
"Just a little more." Darien said feeling Gohan's fatigue.
Gohan could feel the void sucking; his energy change. It became more of a presence that was growing to match his own.
'Please Cosmos…don't let me regret this later.' He prayed before darkness consumed him.
An hour later….
Serena woke up in a daze. She had to remind herself where she was and that she wasn't in danger. Well, not totally anyway. The pain in her ribs and legs were gone. She felt better than she had in days. The bandage on her arm was fresh, and the wound was slightly smaller.
"He healed me." She whispered to herself. She saw Gohan resting on the couch in front of her and starting piecing together what might have happened while she was knocked out. She noticed the balcony for the first time and knew that's where Darien would be.
'He still loves feeling like a god no matter which city he's in.' She thought as she slowly got up from the bed. She made her way to the glass door and pushed it open.
"Serena." Darien said a bit startled. "You're awake, you should be in bed."
"I'm fine." She halfway lied as she leaned against the balcony railing. "I'm sure my improvement is due to the Golden Crystal." Serena said accusingly.
"The link is draining enough of your strength. You didn't need petty mortal injuries to make you more vulnerable."
"The only way you could revive me is if you were back to full strength. Gohan's the only one who can help you do that. How did you possibly convince him to help you?" She asked still keeping her distance as he moved to the railing near her. He faced the city while she faced him.
"I'm not at my full strength, but I'm in a stronger state to do what needs to be done. So we can be together." He kept looking out at the city. "Helping me is the least he can do in this situation. Serena, you deserve someone who can really protect you. Gohan does not understand the world we fight in. He can only protect you from those meathead losers that are looking for a brawl. You put him up against someone with whit, and look at what happens."
"You can't blame this on him, and you better not have made him feel like this is his fault. Neither of us knew what was going on." She said with anger in her voice. "You're the real reason this monster is back. He's only using me to get to you. Just like…."
Serena trailed off trying to push the memories away. She didn't come out here for this. She needed to talk to Darien freely by herself. Not argue with him.
She faced the city too. If she kept looking at him she would just get upset.
"It doesn't matter whose fault this is, Darien. There's so much about this situation that isn't fair. There's so much about this that just keeps getting weirder and weirder. " She said with a sigh. She could feel his eyes on her and she shivered some.
Darien grabbed a nearby blanket from the chair he was sitting in outside. He gently wrapped it around her. His hand gently lingered as he secured the large cotton blanket around her shoulders and gently fixed her hair so it wasn't caught inside. Serena let him do it since she didn't want to start another fight and he was reminding her of the Darien she actually used to be in love with. He stood closer to her while still facing her and returned to his leaning position against the railing. She pulled the large blanket more securely around her body and noticed something about the material.
"Is this the same one from your apartment?" She asked.
"It's not the same one, but it's a replica. I knew it was one of your favorites at my apartment, so I had another one made for this place. I knew one day I would bring you here, and I wanted you to have some comforts of home. Our balcony chats have always been one of my favorite things about our relationship, and you would always get cold."
Serena thought about that statement for a moment. She looked at him when she realized where she was.
"This is where you were going to take me after I said no to your proposal."
"Yes," He answered. "Originally it wasn't going to be that night, but I knew eventually I would have to take you to the negaverse. I started preparing this hideout for that day. It would have had everything we needed for at least the first few months, so your body could get used to being around so much dark energy.
"Long enough for nine months to be exact, right?" Serena said with a hint of anger. "I still can't believe that was your back up plan."
"That pregnancy part wasn't my idea. We figured though, that it couldn't hurt to try and alter the future with all the trouble Rini had caused. If you were carrying my child instead of her, a lot of things might have been different."
"You watched every little thing I did." She closed her eyes at the thought at the memories. "You must have known how high my chances were." She took a step away from him as she spoke.
Darien griped both of her arms and spoke with a bit more urgency in his voice.
"Serena, I only knew everything about you because I loved you. Knowing so much helps me to protect you, even when you don't know what's best for you." He moved one hand to her face. "When this is over. I'm going to remind you of that."
Serena put her hand on his hand and gulped back a sob dying to be released from her throat. She looked him in the eye as she spoke.
"You know what Darien? This ordeal has really opened my eyes about a lot of things. Especially when it comes to our history, after what happened last year, I couldn't believe that you ever really loved me. But then these new memories came about. Even when he was haunting me, these old emotions were stirring within me. You took such good care of me, and reminded me of all the reasons I fell in love with you. I really want to thank you for that. Things could have gotten a lot worse if you weren't there to support me. I know it surprised you, but I see the difference."
Darien slowly stroked her cheek with his thumb as she spoke and smiled softly at her. He hadn't looked at her like that in a long time.
"I know the situation now isn't easy for you, but I really appreciate you bringing Gohan here to help me. We couldn't have made it this far without you, and I want you to know that I really am grateful. We have been through so much together and you might even know more about me than I know myself."
"I do, but you never cease to surprise me or amaze me my love." He added.
"Then I need to know if there are other altered memories or incidents that can come back like Diamond has. You need to tell me now, so this doesn't happen again. You're the only one who can give me these kinds of answers."
Darien paused for a moment and looked her in the eye.
"As far as I know, this was the only time your memories were altered by someone other than me. I think you have a full scope of our history now."
Serena let out a sigh of relief. "That's a huge relief for me. Gohan and I don't need my past coming back to interrupt our lives anymore." She said putting both of her hands around the hand on her cheek. She spoke in a more serious tone with less nostalgia. Darien noticed the ring on her left hand for the first time.
"Darien, I still stand by what I told you over a year ago. I don't love you anymore. Even after all of the horrible things you've done to me and people I've cared about, I fooled myself into thinking it would be easy to get over you. But I think it's been a lot harder than I cared to admit. I'm fortunate that I have the chance to talk to you about all the abuse and pain you've put me through. Most victims never get the closure of confronting the person who attacked them. I'm not your victim anymore. I'm a survivor who is finally ready to move on." She lowered his hand from her face and put his blanket over his lingering out stretched arm. She held him by the wrists, since she wasn't sure if he would let go.
"I forgive you Darien. For betraying me, abusing me, and even for trying to kill my real friends and family, I can honestly forgive you. I know you will never apologize for anything you did, but I need this closure so I can finally move on. This is the only way Gohan and I can start a new life together and get all of this behind us. I love him and I'm going to marry him." She let go of his hands and started slowly backing away from him.
"It doesn't matter. I will never stop fighting for you. You will remember that you're mine." Darien said with a hint of anger.
"Darien, I'm hoping this will sink in for the sake of the part of you that I fell in love with when I was a teenager. That part of you deserves a chance to move on. If you really love me, you will let me go and never return." She said in a slightly pleading tone. Single tear fell down her face. She wiped the tear away and spoke in a more serious and controlled tone.
"Forgiving you is the right thing to do, but I can't let you hurt me and the people I love. I have to protect this planet and I will kill you if I ever see you again after this."
"You won't be able to, but go ahead and try. At least then you'll be close enough to catch." Darien said with a slight grin.
Before Serena could recant, she clutched her hand to the wound on her arm. It instantly started to bleed profusely. Darien caught her before she hit the floor. He managed to get her inside before she started to scream. He used magic to shut the door and seal the sound.
Gohan was awake and ran next to his beloved and enemy on the floor. Serena was on her knees keeled over in pain. Darien was kneeling next to her with his golden crystal pressed on her back and Gohan was kneeling on her right side not sure what was going on. She put her hand on Gohan's knee and he felt a current of darkness pulse through his body.
"What's happening to her?" Gohan asked concerned.
"He's trying to take over."
"Can't you stop him?"
"I'm trying, but he's gaining in power from her crystal. There's little I can do."
Gohan let out an angry sigh. The whole point of giving him energy was so he could help Serena. His anger was distracted when Serena sat straight up and stopped screaming in pain. Her eyes were completely white and her expression became stoic.
"Serena?" Gohan asked gently above a whisper.
Her expression turned slightly sinister. She closed her eyes and when she opened them this time they were a hazy blue color.
"So this is what took her body so long to inhabit." Diamond's voice said from Serena's body. "Somebody healed her." Her face smiled evilly as his voice laughed.
The guys were in too much shock to notice her hands creeping up their chest. She shot two energy blasts our of her hands, sending both of them across the room. She rose to her feet and cracked her neck on both sides.
"That was easier than I expected," Diamond said. "I'm still not sure how the new guy was able to get her out of my lab, but I knew if I bid my time, I would get her back soon. She's lucky I would rather enjoy this body from the comfort of my own, if not I would probably choose to inhabit it for much longer."
A blue portable formed in front of her as her eyes returned to its previous white state. She stepped through the portal and left the Saiyans alone in the room.
Tecklias: I know took long enough right? Hope you guys liked it!