Betrayal and Lost Memories
After that incident, which almost cost Serena her life, the entire group had been wary. Would this new threat attack again? And if it did, how? Everyone was on alert. It was so extreme that Serena called the other Sailor Starlights, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune to help them out. Michiru and Haruka arrived at Rei's temple first and Hotaru arrived later. By the time Hotaru arrived, everyone was already gathered around the blaze of Rei's fire…waiting.
But while they waited for Rei to prepare herself the group of friends began to catch up on news. Michiru and Haruka were doing great in their college and Hotaru and her dad were doing fine. Haruka laughed as Lita told her about Mina and her new beau, Steven. The soft-spoken Michiru giggled as Mina retaliated and told Uranus and Neptune about Jupiter's amazing infatuation with Diamond. It was Lita's turn to do the blushing. Hotaru, Ami and Serena were talking to the side discussing Ami's soon departure to the medical field. They all agreed that Ami was going to leave after the new threat was eliminated.
Haruka held onto her stomach as tears came out of her eyes. Mina grinned evilly as she finished telling the story of Lita's first face to face encounter with Diamond. Haruka's short blond hair slid in front of her eyes as she peeled over in laughter. "I wish I could have been there to see it! Oh, Lita, your face must have been worth a thousand words!"
Michiru nodded giggling. But her light sea-green eyes slid to Mina as she whispered, "Yeah, but I would have liked to see Mina screaming all the way to the door and then see her face when she saw Steven!"
Haruka just laughed harder as Mina turned pink.
At that moment Rei entered the room with a sigh. And looked to the group with a smile. At that moment the door to the temple opened revealing another young woman.
Setsuna stared at her friends with a smile as her dark green hair billowed about her and her skirt twisted in the wind behind her. The rest of the scouts grinned in return and stood. "Setsuna!" they all cried after a moment of silence.
After the short reunion they all gathered around the blazing fire as Rei began the ceremony that would hopefully guide them to the new evil that had threatened the Sailor Starlights and had tried to destroy Serena. They only thing they knew for sure, was that whatever this thing was, it had no idea about the other scouts.
The power of Mars and fire began to glow around Rei as she began her chant. Everyone watched in silence as she finished saying the magic words that would guide them to the truth.
"Fire of Mars! Show us the face of this evil and what it plans to do!"
The fire crackled threateningly as it blew to the ceiling, the face of the specter revealed in the fiery depth. But it abruptly faded away and the fire gave them an image of the Sailor Starlights—all of them—strewn on the floor in pools of blood and Serena, as Queen Serenity, amidst them. The group stared in horror as the image continued of Darien running toward her, blood on his hands, and the image of Serena suddenly splitting in half. An echoing laughter billowed in the air as the fire abruptly froze. The scouts stared in horror at the frozen flame. Rei stood and approached the altar where the fire had been and suddenly was thrown across the room. The other women stood, some staring at the frozen fire in anger, the others rushing to the fallen friend. A laughing voice echoed. "See nothing more."
They all stared at the frozen flames and they all knew this was something much bigger than what they had imagined it to be.
* * *
Darien's eyes shot open in absolute terror.
He was drenched in sweat and his breathing was labored. Darien put his face in his hands, his eyes wide with the fragments of the terrible nightmare still flitting through his mind. He had thought the dream that his future self had given himself to test his love for Serena had been bad? Those dreams were nothing compared to this horror.
Darien leaned back on the couch as his hands slid from his face. He closed his eyes, trying to blot out the terrifying images, but they only became more pronounced. Serena had left for a fire reading at Rei's temple and he had taken a short nap. Obviously, it hadn't been short enough.
He opened his eyes and leaned forward again, the images from the nightmare not fading away. He had seen the bodies of the scouts all over the ground, Serena amidst them, her face contorted in pain. He had reached for her; his own hands dripping with blood and stood immobile as some unknown force tore Serena's body. In the next image he was staring down at his blood-soaked hands, Serena's heart torn and hanging from them. How he had known it was Serena's heart, he didn't know. But the scream of agony that tore from his throat before he awoke vibrated down to his very soul.
Darien stared through his fingers to the floor, his breathing slowly returning to normal. He leaned back, his eyes closed as he took in deep breaths. What was he going to do? He had almost lost her about a year ago and now… this?
At that moment, Serena burst through the door of the apartment. Darien stood up as he stared at her. The flowery ribbons in her hair and the outfit to match made her look so beautiful… His fists clenched. He wasn't going to loose her!
"Darien!" Serena cried out with a gasp. She had run all the way from Rei's temple after making sure she was all right. She had to tell Darien about the fire—
Serena fell into his arms and he took a deep breath. Suddenly, something got a hold on his fear for her. His face blazed with intensity as he grasped Serena by the shoulders and shoved her away. She stared at him in stunned surprise.
Darien turned away from her, completely in the grip of the fear that held him captive. "Get out."
Serena blinked in confusion. "Darien—?"
His teeth clenched. "Get out of my home."
Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest. Was he throwing her out? No, that couldn't be. "Darien?"
His body was tensed at the point of snapping. He couldn't control the words that slipped out. His fear had mutated to something infinitely much worse. "Get the hell out of my apartment, Serena!"
Tears slid from her eyes. She just couldn't take this anymore. She knew exactly what he meant. There was no doubt. But this time, she wasn't going to ask what she had done. She had done nothing except love him. Serena turned, tears streaming down her cheeks. "As you wish, Darien."
Serena ran from the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
The tension eased out of Darien's body and he slid to the floor, weak and tired. He shook his head to clear it. What had just happened? Suddenly his eyes snapped wide open as he remembered Serena's tortured "as you wish", and his own words. What in heaven's name had he done! Darien slowly got up and turned to the door. The face of a specter glowed before him, mocking him with silent laughter. An image of Darien's recent nightmare exploded into his mind.
Serena's torn heart in his bloody hands.
His chest clenched. What have I done! Fighting off the lethargy that the specter was forcing on him, Darien ran from the apartment, desperately following the path of the broken hearted girl. "SERENA!"
Serena could hear him calling her name. She shook her head and continued to run her eyes blurry from the wind and her tears. She had been hurt by him one too many times. She was not his rag doll that he can grow tired of and then when he's bored come and pick her up again! She had a heart! And that cold man had broken it too many times. Not again! She refused to listen to the desperate cries that echoed on the wind. She refused to be hurt by him anymore.
In her pain, her eyes blurry from her tears, her lungs aching from gasping with tears and running, she didn't realize where she was going or how far she had gone. She could no longer hear the buzz of human voices or the rumble of the vehicles they rode. But she paid no attention to the fading sounds. The only sounds she heard were Darien's cold voice and the screaming of her heart. She didn't even realize when her toe hit the large rock that sent her flying down into the quarry five miles outside of town.
Serena screamed, her hands desperately trying to grab onto something as she fell onto the rocks below. Her cry was cut off when she felt the sharp pain in her head and the blessed blackness of oblivion fell about her with icy finality.
* * *
The girl slowly began to open her eyes. Dr. Takani sighed in relief. The young woman was going to be all right. The other doctors around him nodded and left the patient's room, leaving Takani and his assistant alone with the slowly awakening girl.
The bright light hurt her eyes terribly. But somehow she knew she had to open them, or she'll never see sunlight again. How she knew, she didn't know. She just knew. She had to open her eyes and see again. Even if the pounding in her head was making her ache all over.
Dr. Takani stared down into the bluest eyes he had ever seen. Her eyes began to focus and he motioned for his assistant Lily to turn down the light. She did as asked, just as the young woman's eyes focused completely. The huge eyes looked at him in puzzlement and then at Lily with the same kind of bewildered look. He grinned.
"Welcome back to the land of the living! We had thought you were a lost cause, but for such a fragile looking girl you proved to be very hardy."
The young woman stared at him in complete confusion. Girl? She tried to lift a hand but pain shot to her head. She groaned. The man above shook his head vigorously as the woman beside him injected something inside of her.
"Rest now. You've had a terrible accident. Just rest…" the rest of his words faded as she drifted back into the blessed unconsciousness.
The next time she opened her eyes, it was with considerably less pain and with the help of the nurse she was able to get the bed into an upright position. Dr. Takani smiled down at the young woman who was making a remarkable recovery.
"Well, I am surprised! You really are something!"
The girl just stared at him in confusion.
"Who are you?"
The girl looked as startled by her own voice as Dr. Takani was. But he recovered much more quickly. "I am Dr. Takani. I'm the one who save your pretty hide."
She blinked at him and suddenly her eyes widened with pure horror. Takani was about to rush out of his seat. She turned her huge blue gaze on him, fear glowing in the beautiful eyes. "I don't recognize my voice. I don't know what I look like! What happened to me? Who am I!"
Takani sighed. He had prayed that it wouldn't happen, but that had been too much to hope for. He shrugged. "We don't know who you are. You had no identification when you were found or when you were brought to our hospital. You were found inside the quarry. Luckily for you, you landed on a smooth ledge. Unfortunately, you slammed your head against a sharp stone. It hit directly on your memory centered area. We were hoping that such direct damage wouldn't have any affect, but that was too much to hope for obviously."
Takani watched as the young woman slowly digested the information that he had told her. Her voice was hoarse when she finally responded. "So what you're saying is that I have amnesia."
The doctor nodded and the girl sighed, collapsing against the bed. Her hands reached to her face and he could see her distress. The poor girl didn't even know what she looked like. He turned and handed her a mirror. She stared at the face gazing back at her, the eyes wide with confusion and fear.
Blue, blue eyes. Golden blond hair plaited in a thick French braid. And a thick white bandage wrapped around her head. The girl turned from the mirror and followed the massive amount of hair in amazement. She turned to the doctor and he smiled. He shrugged.
"When they brought you in we weren't sure what color your hair was. It was drenched in blood. But we did she the mass amount of it. I insisted that they not cut it. It's length will probably be the only way anyone will recognize you."
The girl nodded slowly and put down the mirror. She turned to the doctor and she whispered, "Are you sure there was nothing to identify me with?"
The doctor nodded. He smiled as he stared into the perplexed eyes. "The only thing that was found with you was a beautifully crafted locket with a huge crystal inside of it. Since that was the only that was found with you, we here at the hospital have taken to calling you Crystal."
The girl smiled and shrugged. "May I see this locket?"
The doctor nodded and pulled out a large round object from his coat pocket. "I carried it around with me because anyone else may have tried to steal it, Crystal. It probably cost a fortune."
The girl said nothing to the name he called her. It seemed as if she accepted the temporary name as she accepted the strange locket he was handing her. She stared down at it in awe. It was made from a dark pink hard glass and it was outlined in pure gold with a star engraved in gold as well on the pink glass. In the center of the star was a gold crescent moon and the beautiful glass had several jewels imbedded into it. It glistened in the florescent light of the hospital room and the girl lightly touched the side of the locket. It opened, revealing a twisting golden ribbon and bow engraved on pure pearl. And laying in the center of the pearl and gold was a large glowing crystal. The girl seemed lost in the beauty of the object in her possession. Slowly she closed it and for the first time noticed the black thick string. She lifted a puzzled gaze to the doctor. Takani shrugged.
"I hand no idea how you were wearing it, and since you can't carry it around you loose, I added the string so you can wear it around your neck, though I wonder how you're going to be able to do that." He smiled. "With all the jewels on it, it's a wonder the locket doesn't weigh you down. I've never seen a locket or brooch like that before."
The girl's eyes glistened as she stared down at the locket. "Neither have I."
Dr. Takani shook his head and stood. "Your dinner will be at 7pm. Since you have no memory and by the looks of it will recover very soon, we've decided to let you stay in the hospital as a volunteer helper until we discover who you are. Agreed, Crystal?"
The newly dubbed Crystal lifted her gaze and smiled. "Thank you, Dr. Takani."
The doctor just nodded and left the room, catching out of the corner of his eye the young woman slipping the locket over her head and holding it close to her body.
* * *
Crystal smiled. She was fully recovered, the end of her massive braid tied to the beginning of it with a huge bow, she was wearing a nice light blue nurse's outfit and her sock clad feet was sliding gracefully across the waxed floor. She had been given the job of cheering up the other patients, a job she was good at and enjoyed a lot. It got her mind off her dilemma and the never-ending nightmares. She 'ice-skated' to room 407 and slid silently into it.
Mrs. Wash was watching the end of her favorite soap. Crystal just watched her as she waited for the show to end and for the wonderful old lady to notice her. Mrs. Wash watched the credits and knew the wonderful young woman was there. The old woman turned off the television and smiled at the girl smiling brilliantly, the strange golden crescent moon birthmark on her forehead glowing.
Crystal approached the old lady and healed the lady with her laughter, her voice and with the strange magic she had within her.
* * *
Darien stared out into the sunset, his soul aching. Where was she? Darien had followed Serena, calling out her name until he could no longer move and no longer speak. She had vanished.
It had been three months since her disappearance. Everyone knew something was wrong. Rei at first had teased saying that the Meatball-head would show up after she blew off some steam. But when Serena hadn't appeared after the first week, he knew something was dreadfully wrong.
And it was all his fault.
What had come over him? He didn't know. All he knew was that he had driven Serena away and now she was gone, probably injured or captured… or worse. He couldn't bare to think about it. All of the Starlights were combing the city inside and out. They had checked every hospital for new patients. But none had even remotely resembled Serena. Where could she possibly be?
Darien's heart ached as he watched the sun fade behind the horizon. His arms throbbed to hold her, his soul cried out for her and the pain in his chest was making life unbearable. He had to find her, save her, free her, whatever the case might be. He would not rest until he found her… He just wished the nightmares would stop.
* * *
"DARIEN!"
Crystal stared unseeingly into the darkness of the room, still in the grip of the nightmare. Dr. Takani and Lily burst into the room, turning on the lights, making a disoriented Crystal come out of the death-like trance.
"Crystal! Are you all right?" he asked. He had had amnesic patients before that had dreams about their memories, but never like Crystal. Her dreams were nightmares and terrible ones. He'll never forget what happened the first night her nightmares began…
"NOOO!!"
He had rushed down the halls of the hospital following the shrieking bellow of terror to Crystal's room. She had still been in the grip of the nightmare and he had seen the stark horror in her eyes. It had chilled his soul. What had this girl seen? But no answer came as tears streamed from her eyes, her hands reaching out to grab a person who wasn't there. When he and Lily had tried to calm her she had fought against them. She had landed some very painful blows and he realized she had had some training as a fighter. Such a fragile looking girl, but so strong and so powerful. When she finally eased from the claws of the dream, she looked as if she wanted to die for hurting them.
But the haunted look in her eyes still hadn't faded away…
Crystal shook her head; the dizziness slowly fading away as she gazed at the two people who had helped her so much. She smiled tremulously. "I'm all right Dr. Takani, Lily." Crystal sighed and wrapped her arms around herself as she laid back onto the bed.
Takani and Lily watched her with worried eyes as they left the room, slowly turning off the light and closing the door. Lily and Takani walked in silence down the halls where doctors were still running about.
Lily shivered. "I hate that haunted look she has, Takani."
He nodded. He hated it as well, but what had him worried was something else. She had cried out a name in her desperation this time.
Who was this Darien?
* * *
"SERENA!"
Darien stared into the empty room as the dream slowly faded away. His face dropped into his hands. He could have sworn he heard her scream his name in the same agony that was ripping through him. He slowly got up and walked toward the bathroom. He flicked on the light and stared at the man he hardly recognized anymore. The nightmares had robbed him of sleep and the nights alone in the huge bed that had been shared by him and Serena made his body ache for her. Darien groaned. He had fallen asleep dreaming of her, his body, heart and soul yearning for her… Then the nightmare had attacked and all he could remember from the terrible dream was Serena's voice screaming for him.
It had seemed so real.
Darien stared down at the sink and his chest contracted. He hadn't moved anything of hers. Her toothbrush was still sitting comfortably by his, waiting to be used by its owner. Her perfume and deodorant was still to the side waiting for the gentle touch of Serena…waiting to be used.
Her presence was all over his apartment. He couldn't go into his closet without his soul aching, he could still smell her scent, her perfume, her shampoo and soap; he could still see her moving about his apartment training and exercising; he could hear her laughter and her voice humming to their song. Darien closed his eyes painfully against the rushing of memories.
Serena… Where are you, my love?