Of Vengeance and Beauty
Chapter Thirteen
By: Sailor Raspberry
Disclaimer: Standard stuff; don't own Sailor Moon or its characters (Serena, Darien, Lita, Raye, ect. ect.) But, I do own the plot + storyline.
Author's Note: Any mistakes in the text please let me know. I did my best to edit it, but it can be quite the grueling task.
Serena's footsteps echoed around her, each breath puffing out and lifting off toward the ceiling. The lanterns cast looming, jagged shadows all about her, and she began to jump at the sound of her own heart. In a shallow corner of her mind, she wondered when the insistent pounding had climbed to a lion's roar.
"Just stay calm, Serena," she whispered, glancing around at the tight walls. "Focus on where you're going." She repeated the dull, monotonous thought again and again, desperately pleading with herself to stop trembling. "Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm..."
She swiped a hand across her dampened forehead, before lowering it to join the other, where is clutched the thick layers of her dress.
A banging noise came from behind her, and she came to an awkward halt. Slowly, she turned to glance over her shoulder, nerves sensitive against the air. The hallway loomed out behind her, and all she could see was darkness. The frantic, intense knocking boomed within the pale shell of her ear, and it was all she could do not to raise trembling fingers to ease the sound.
The torch to her left extinguished, and she jumped, heart picking up to a full gallop and a clammy hand rising to settle against her collar bone. She felt an oncoming scream, but swallowed it with a quenched throat, and darted ahead, thumping footsteps jumping back up toward her pounding ears.
The walls twisted and turned, like a dark maze, refusing to relent for anybody. One by one, the torches let out, their delicate breath the only thing that she left behind. Her calves ached with an immense vengeance, throat throbbing against the air.
Yet she didn't slow until her legs turned to a hot liquid, and her heart pounded painfully beneath her ribcage. She found it difficult to breathe.
The air was growing thicker, the walls narrowing, and she told herself, continuously, not to fall into a frenzied panic. The hallway stretched out, and she could barely make out the faint light at its very end. And though she warned herself not to fall for such an easy escape, she couldn't help the slight sense of excitement that ran through her.
Pushing a loose tendril of hair behind her ear, she sidled to a stop, fingers searching the wall for a comfortable grip. An intense heat met her face and neck, eyelashes fluttering beneath the pressure.
Her fingers trailed along the rough surface of the bricks, feet heavy on the ground as she focused ahead, eyes trained on nothing but the space before her. She trembled, though she desperately wished she wasn't, and felt the walls fall away from her touch.
With a gasp, she drew her hand to her chest, cradling the tingling fingertips. With wide eyes, she glanced around, and found that she was no longer within the school.
She was no longer anywhere, as far as she could tell.
Nothing but black spread out before her, save for that same glow that rested miles away, twinkling at her, becoming her with lazy swirling wisps of light. Serena closed her eyes, counted to ten, and told herself silently that she was just hallucinating.
When she finally peeled her eyes back open, she felt her stomach drop down into the nothingness beneath her. With quivering legs, she gave a weak attempt at stepping forward.
A door, bright and warm and enticing, glowed silently before her, sparking up blinding dark spots behind her irises, causing her skin to prick eagerly.
Chewing on her bottom lip, she shot a quick glance behind her, eyebrows drawn taut, before she slid her hand forward.
Her fingers submerged within the door, an unknown warmth spreading up her arm and wafting across her face. Slowly, she pushed her way through its smooth surface, eyes squeezed shut as the glow swallowed her completely.
She was inundated within a tingly essence, little crawling sensations creeping up and across the delicate expanse of her body. Serena held her breath and clawed at the air. Waddling her legs, she found herself floating forward, almost as if she was completely surrounded by water, hair and limbs drifting weightlessly.
Outstretched palms rested upon a rough, scratchy exterior. Biting down on the inside of her cheek, Serena pulled open her eyes, and found herself face to face with an old, rotten door. Her eyes narrowed on a large, rusted door knocker that sat patiently in the center.
Her lips parted in surprise, a welcoming warmth starting in her lower abdomen. With only the slightest hesitation, she wrapped slim fingers around the large knocker, and allowed it to fall heavily against the wood.
Serena put a good meter's distance between her and the door, waiting silently for some sort of a response.
Seconds, minutes, what seemed like eternity trickled past, and she slowly twisted around to search for another direction, but a sound, silent and quick, sliced through the air. She froze, muscles pulled taut as she swiveled back around, a cold sweep of air greeting her sweat-laced face.
A woman, plump and tiny and jovial, stood beyond the door, bangles jangling as she lifting a hand to push a thin gray strand of hair behind her ear.
Serena licked her lips, ignored the spicy sting that creased through the dry cracks that were there. "Hello."
Her words bubbled up, forming crystalline spheres, as pure and white as a pearl. She saw the woman smile, and the bubbles popped, echoing out the clear sound of wind chimes. She blinked, eyelashes fluttering as she felt herself moving forward. The woman drew closer, her kind, wrinkled face and cherry eyes beckoning her further wordlessly.
Serena lifted a delicate hand and extended it to the open doorway, the woman's own reaching forward as well.
Their palms met, and Serena eyes snapped closed, head lurching backwards as she was suddenly pulled forward, breaking through an invisible shield and stumbling toward a wooden floor. Her sore palms met the hard ground, and she bit back a groan.
But the woman was at her side, a finger to her lips, eyes suddenly emotionless and hard. Serena stood up, and watched as the strange woman bustled toward a billowing curtain.
Unsure of whether to follow, Serena fiddled with the ends of her hair, glancing around the dark, silent room.
Another bout of wind chimes ricocheted back at her, and her curiosity peaked. Slowly, she maneuvered toward the same curtain as the woman had exited, and peeled it back just enough so she could peer out.
The woman was conversing with someone, but the lack of light wouldn't allow her to see who it was. After a minute or two, she watched as she disappeared behind another curtain. The man hesitated, and Serena eyes strained against the darkness. His head looked around, shaggy pale hair swinging across his eyes. Through the darkness, amethyst eyes gazed out, and Serena's hand found its way over her mouth, forcing back an alarmed gasp.
But then he was gone, disappeared behind a bundle of flowing curtains.
Her heart pounded painfully against her temples, and she bit her tongue until she tasted the metallic tang of blood. She slowly stood to her full height, skin tingling in a completely different way from before.
Despite the pings of worry that rang throughout her mind, she slipped through the curtain and drifted on quiet feet toward the one she saw Diamond walk through.
The sharp accent of the woman cut through the thick air, and Serena used a single finger to pull back the fabric.
Diamond's back was to her, and the woman glanced up. Her eyes skittered over to Serena, a look of confusion darting across her face. But as quickly as it appeared, it became a moment in the past, and her eyes refocused on the man before her.
"I would like to appear to her in all ways. I want to penetrate into her dreams, I want to see her, and for to see me, without anyone knowing of my existence."
Serena swallowed back a tight lump that had grown in her throat, and listened as she gave him specific instructions.
"There is one condition though, Master Maddox."
Diamond's shoulders slumped noticeably, and Serena squinted to read the woman's face. "You cannot touch her."
Her stomach plummeted, eyes wide as memories of Diamond's intimate assaults flew before her eyes. She shook her head with vigor to remove the thoughts, and when her gaze had refocused, she saw that the woman had disappeared, and Diamond was making a move to leave.
Quickly, she dove behind the nearest stature, drawing slender legs to her shuddering chest, eye centering ahead.
The curtain fluttered, and Diamond's shuffling feet moved forward. Serena glanced up in time to catch a glint in his eye, before he was gone, wind chimes striking to announce his leave.
Her breath came out quick, and she moved to crawl out, but the sound of another, familiar, voice glued her back down.
"You've done a fabulous job, Madam."
Serena recognized Sapphire's voice, and she peered out, catching the two exchanging a silver coin.
The woman responded with a curtsy, and then, he was gone. She turned shining eyes toward where Serena sat, and with only a little difficulty, she submissively crawled out.
"Ah, Lady Serena."
Serena chewed the sensitive flesh of her lip, gripped little pieces of skirt up into her nervous palms. When she didn't respond, the woman gave a warm smile, and snapped her fingers. The room was flooded with light.
Serena squinted against the bright, flickering candles, and opened her mouth to speak. When nothing came, she swallowed, and tried again. "Madam," she recited from what Sapphire had called her. "What's going on?"
"Oh please, darling, call me Luna. Madam Kookay is merely a stage name." She gave another smile and gestured toward a pot of tea, of which had miraculously appeared. "Would you like a cup of tea? Today I have raspberry flavor."
Serena declined with a small shake of the head and took a slight step forward. "Please, Luna, tell me what's going on."
Luna glanced up from where she was serving herself, and fingered the colorful sash that hung around her shoulder. "Alright then, but it's quite a lengthy story, so make yourself comfortable." With the steaming tea in her hand, she began with a small sigh, "Sapphire came to me many years ago, when he was just a boy, desperate for some comfort. He came with many stories, ones about a selfish mother, and an arrogant brother. A father who never understood."
She took a seat in the plush chair in the corner of the room. Serena gathered herself on the carpet before her, folding her legs beneath her as she sat down.
"He was so fragile, as delicate as a flower, and I felt so much for him. So I gave him the comfort he sought so badly, taught him how to use a little bit of magic. I guess he assumed he could use it for his own benefit." She gave a sad smile, sipping her tea adroitly. "He caused a lot of trouble, convincing people to bend to his wishes. And when his father, the alpha, discovered this, everything took a turn for the worst. Sapphire became hated; his only comfort from the old lady who owned the fortune teller's shop. When his father died, mysteriously, Diamond was deemed alpha, over him, and he became vengeful."
Serena's eyes grew wide, and she folded her nervous palms into her lap. "So he told Diamond lies to try and get him to throw his position as the alpha male?"
Luna nodded, "He came to me one day and asked for quite the powerful trinket, so Diamond could wallow, quite mercilessly, within his own desires. He wanted his brother gone, so he could claim the pack that was rightfully his. What could I do, Lady? I couldn't turn the boy down. He's gone through so much."
Serena's throat constricted, and her mind whorled. "I never would have guessed that. Sapphire seemed so..."
At her own loss for words, Luna spoke for her, "Innocent, to say the least. Like he would never commit such horrid things."
She shook her head in mute agreement, "And what of the saying, 'in the light of the moon you strike the wolves', was that you?"
Luna gave a tight smile. "Don't mistake Sapphire's past for Diamond's problems. Diamond was just as bad, taking his position as the new alpha for granted. Using mortal woman for his own raging desires, putting his whole pack at jeopardy; he wasn't much of a leader." She paused and shook her head. "I don't blame Sapphire for despising his brother."
Serena bit her tongue, felt herself become heated at Luna's words. She felt, to some degree, like a piece of worthless meat. "So you sent me that message..." She trailed off, looking silently for an answer.
"The message proclaimed every wolf's secret. The moon may be a wolf's strongest ally, but it can also be his worst. Like Diamond, because the moon is always so potent, he was blinded by its strength, as well as his own mind. That's why you were so easily capable of stalling him." Luna set her half empty cup aside, and pushed herself up. "I'm afraid you're time here is up, Lady Serena."
Serena stood as well, confusion evident in her voice, "Stalling? But I thought Diamond would be dead after I-"
"Stabbed him? Darling, the knife, the door, this very moment, it's all a vision." Luna smiled whimsically, a few strands of hair falling in front of her eyes. "Now come, I don't want to ruin the time warp."
"Time warp? Luna, what are you talking about? How could it be that-"
Luna shushed her and swung her arm toward a curtain. It fluttered, and then turned into a beautiful, silver-lined gate. "Please, Lady, don't wait any longer. I'd hate for you to be late."
Serena frowned hard, but stumbled forward anyway, movements awkward as she approached the door. With a determined nod, she glanced back at the woman, "Thank you for your help."
She gave another smile, "Do not grace this old Italian woman with your kind words. After all, I'm merely a fortune teller, and people like me, well, we're never around to receive things like that." She gave a sly wink. "Now off with you. I believe you have some matters to attend to."
With her accent-laced voice hanging in the air, the door swung upon, and Serena staggered inside.
A cough sputtered up from deep in her throat, and she gagged, choking on the thick, crisp air. Another cough tore through her, and she found that it hurt, like a razor, and her hand fluttered to it. She moistened her cracked lips, bit back another cough, and stood to her knees.
She was surprised that, after her surroundings sharpened, the fire was still raging, soot slipping from the ceiling above, only to fall silently to the floor. Her eyelids burned, muscles stiff, but she pushed up from the ground anyway, legs uncertain as she struggled to gain her balance.
Serena tottered forward uneasily, and suddenly felt a tug in her stomach. Wildly, she glanced around, remembering Luna's words, but not really understanding them. And yet, she knew exactly what the old woman meant. Despite herself, she coughed into her hand, the sour aftertaste of bile clinging to her tongue.
A dull panic roused, but she fought it back and turned to spit on the ground, though it did nothing to help the taste in her mouth. Sweat trickled down her neck, and she tried desperately to straighten things out in her mind.
Thoughts raced and sizzled, and she pushed her matted bangs away from her forehead. Slowly, she maneuvered forward, using the hot material of the wall to keep her balance.
Then, through the smoke, the fire, through her own muddled thoughts, Serena heard the faint, choked sound of a cough.
Her head whipped around, temples pounding angrily in protest. But her eyes narrowed, and she saw a still figure, slumped against a wall. Something stained his face.
With wide eyes, she took a small step, and her previous panic stirred dangerously. His name crawled loudly up her throat. "Dar-"
Her shout was cut off as something linked across her neck. With force, she was pulled back, a gag racking the sore confines of her throat. An arm slinked around her waist, lips pressed to her shoulder bone. "Long time no see, Lady Serena."
She gasped, twisted around frantically, but her breathing constricted, and she forced herself to stop.
He chuckled, thumb brushing across her quivering stomach. "Now, now, just take a deep breath." He paused, pulled the chain a little tighter, and waited until she did as he said.
Serena lifted a hand and gave a weak tug at the linked chains, eyes welling as he pressed another kiss to her neck. "Why don't you come with me, I know something that will relax you a bit."
And with that lingering in the air, he pulled her backward, laughing as she stumbled over her own feet, until the smoky haze of the stairwell swallowed their existence.
Sapphire walked calmly through the house, arms knotted behind his back. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
He allowed his eyes a moment to soak up his surroundings, and he did not like what he saw.
As a werewolf, he naturally had the senses and mind to recognize an uncomfortable, wrong situation, and at that moment, he was beginning to feel a bit uneasy. Floorboards creaked beneath his feet as he maneuvered himself around a collapsed table, the walls narrowing dangerously, toying with his mind.
Taking a sharp turn, he pushed through a barrage of thick smoke, arms dropping to his sides as he faltered, ever so slightly, in his movements.
Before him stood a woman, smiling and eyes shining, even through the thick layers of smoke and intense heat of the fire.
His jaw went slack, and he rubbed a sweaty palm over his face. When his eyesight straightened out again, she remained before him, plump face positively delighted.
"Hello, Sapphire. It's been quite some time, now, hasn't it?"
Sapphire's eyes blurred a quick moment, but with a shake of the head, he was back to normal. "Madam, what... What are you doing here?"
Her tinkling, calming laughter cut through the hissing of the fire, and he found himself smiling despite himself. "Wouldn't you love to know, hm? Tell me, Sapphire, what new troubles have you caused lately?"
He blushed, forgetting about all of her teasing comments in past time, and shook his head sardonically. "Nothing's really changed, Madam, I just..." He paused and contemplated his next words. "I've been chasing my dreams, just like you said I should, all those years ago."
She laughed again, but it was hasher, sharper. "Sapphire, you know I love you dearly, but please, how many more lives do you have tinker with before you're satisfied?"
His eyebrows arched in surprise, and his jaw worked to come up with an answer.
A pudgy, pale hand stopped his excuses cold, and Luna peered at him through skeptical eyes. Then, expectantly, the floorboards groaned beneath unfamiliar weight, and Sapphire spun around, teeth glinting against the light.
Before him stood a tall, brusque man, chiseled features drawn taut as he eyed Sapphire, his own canines barred. But by the time he looked back, Luna had disappeared.
Darien progressed forward, startlingly fresh blood streaking down his face. "Who are you?"
Sapphire arced a single brow, and retied his arms behind his back. "Do not waste your breath, Darien. I know what you want."
Darien stretched his fingers, but stayed put, licking across his teeth. "Tell me where she is."
Sapphire eyed the man, examined his face with a careful eye. Then, he smiled. "I'm not entirely sure," when Darien made a move forward, he held up his hands. "But I think I can help."
Serena struggled against Diamond, kicking and thrashing and pounding her trembling fists at anything she could reach. And all the man did was laugh, pulling her along like an old, ragged teddy bear. But she didn't dare speak, would never give him that satisfaction of hearing her distraught voice.
He had brought her out into the forest, allowed her to lash in his grip. It didn't matter to him. He wasn't going to let her get away again. The moon's beams filtered through the thick leaves, casting jagged shadows across the ground.
"I have somewhere we can go and be together, for all eternity." He stroked the underside of her chin with his thumb. "We can make sweet love, and have a beautiful little child."
She whimpered, gave another attempt at the chain. He merely smiled.
"I love you, Serena. I'll treat you like the royalty you truly are." He inhaled the lingering strawberry scent of her hair, and sighed. "Can you imagine us together, little puppet? Forever?"
Serena's eyes welled with hot tears, her throat tight. But still, she didn't say anything.
Diamond wiped at the fresh streaks on her cheek, but only succeeded in smudging the soot that was there. "Oh, you poor thing. You're filthy. When we're alone, you and I can take a long, soothing bath together." He placed a kiss to her temple, held her closer to his body, let her feel his arousal.
Her eyes grew wide as he pressed intimately against her, and looked frantically about. All she could see was darkness.
Then, his hand found its way to the swells of her chest, and she screamed.
The moonbeams quivered in her eyesight as she slipped beneath the chain, catching him off guard, and darted from his reach. Panic bulged precariously beneath her skin, pounding against her temples. The chain glittered in his clenched fingers.
Serena caught a look of surprise as he stared at her, but it just as quickly toggled to anger. "Don't push my temper, Lady." He took a hazardous step towards her, eyes wild in the dimmed light.
She stepped away, fingers tightened into little trembling fists. She eyed him, allowed herself a moment to examine his body.
His fingers clenched and unclenched around the chain, knuckles white. "Don't do this to yourself." His voice reached her ears slowly, crawling in and circling her brain. "Don't make a stupid mistake."
Serena remained frozen, leveling her eyes with his, shining orbs pinning him down. Silence stretched out around them. Luna's words filtered through her mind.
Suddenly, it all seemed like a game.
Lita paced, running agitated fingers through her hair. "We have to do something."
Nephlyte reached for her again, but she shook free of his grasp. He sighed. "Lita, darling, don't make it harder than it is."
She spun around to face him, fingers pulled into fists. "Don't even try that on me, Nephlyte. You must think me crazy to ever believe that they're... they're..." she cut off her sentence, ears perking and nose flaring. "Do you smell that?"
Around her, everyone froze, glancing around into the darkness. Using the slim streams of light, they each paused, and looked over toward a gap in the forest.
A twig snapped, and the world froze around them.
Darien stumbled out into the clearing, hair matted to his forehead and eyes feral. But they slipped into a look of confusion as he glanced at the group, brow crinkling.
"Jadeite? Nephlyte? Lita?" His voice was incredulous. "What are you doing here?"
He smelled of sweat and burnt wood, and Lita began to run to him, but stopped short. "What happened to your face?" She glanced around, eyebrows drawn. "Where's Serena?"
His dark eyes looked at her for a moment, and she took a step away, watching as his lips pulled downward. "He took her."
Amy gasped, arms constricting painfully around her daughter's waist. "But... But you were supposed to go in there and get her! Everything was supposed to be-"
Darien growled, a deep, intimidating sound that had them all cringing. "I shouldn't be talking to you. Time doesn't wait forever. I've got to go."
Jadeite stepped up. "We'll come with you then. As backup."
He shook his head, pressed a frustrated finger to his temple. "This is personal. Very personal. And for all I know, right now, he's taking Serena farther away. The longer I wait-"
In one swift moment, Lita pulled him sharply down, angry eyes glaring into his own. Her voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "Serena is our friend, too, in case you haven't quite noticed. If you think for one moment that I'm going to sit back while you go off and try to defend your dignity," she paused, searching his eyes quickly. "You've got one hell of another thing coming."
He peeled her fingers off his shirt and held her wrist tightly. His voice was ice. "Let me get something straight, Mrs. Maughan. This has nothing, whatsoever, to do with my dignity. That man, Diamond," he spat the name as if he took a spoonful of sour medicine, "took Serena away from me. Stole her. And for you to imply that she's merely a trophy to put on my bookshelf is appalling."
"Darien," Nephlyte stepped forward, movements defensive. "She never meant it like that. All she was trying to say-"
He silenced him with a look, allowed her hand to slip from his grasp, and she drew it to her chest, eyes wide. He shook his head, "I love her. Contrary to what your beliefs may be, I have the capability to love. And right now, she's stuck with that man, doing who knows what, and I'm not going to waste another moment talking nonsense." The cobalt color of his eyes shone in the darkness. "You're desire to help can wait." His words hung heavily in the air, weaving through the tree's branches to touch the moon. "And I can't, I won't, let anything happen to her."
With one last piercing glance around the group, he darted off, padded footsteps greeting their ears just a moment before it disappeared.
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