Hi everybody! Well, due to semi popular demand (two cats and a drink
coaster), I'm getting back to my writing. Unfortunately, my files of
"Masked Dreams" has been lost in the great depths of my hard drive,
so that story is temporarily on hold. So, to keep my wonderful fans
at bay, I'm releasing an older story of mine, or at least
a few parts anyway. If you really want more, you can always write
and tell me that, HINT HINT.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Labyrinth Square
Chapter 1
By Phoenix Cubed
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Run, run, as fast as you can.
Can you catch me?
I'm no gingerbread man.
Serena ran as fast as she could. Racing it seemed, for her life. To those that
were familiar with the young blonde, it was not an unusual sight, they only
assumed that she was late, again. But if the truth were ever known, Serena was
running for a much more dire reason.
"Catch her you fools! Don't let her get away!"
"Run Serena!"
Run Serena, yes, run. That's about all she could do. Those creatures had
stolen her transformation brooch; she was defenseless. All she could do was run
blindly through the streets. Where Serena was going really didn't matter to
her, as long as she was running.
Oof! Not looking where she was running had consequences, and she had just hit
one, hard. Her rebound against what felt like a brick wall put her back a few
feet on the ground and very dazed.
"Meatball head! What are you doing?" Darien looked down at her, "don't you
ever watch where you're going?"
Darien's amused expression became suddenly worried. Serena wasn't moving. She
was still where she had landed, her body pressed against a nearby building. Her
breath came in ragged gasps, her uniform was torn and dirty, and her pale skin
marred by dark bruises.
"Serena?" He bent down to get a closer look at her. Serena seemed to have
caught her breath, but she was still gasping. With a start, he realized that
those gasps weren't due to lack of oxygen. Serena was frightened, but what
could scare her so much?
Serena was coming out of her daze finally. Her eyes blinked in rapid
succession, slowly coming to focus on the person in front of her. "D-Darien?"
"Serena! Hey, are you all right? What's going on, why are you running?"
Darien fired questions at Serena, but knew there was little hope of them being
answered.
Serena began to struggle to her feet, but didn't get very far. Exhausted from
her running she made it half way up before her strength left her. Seeing
Serena's inevitable tumble, Darien quickly stepped in to support her, catching
Serena before she fell to the pavement.
She looked up at him with an expression of fear, "Run! Gotta run!"
Darien didn't understand her meaning, "Meatball head, I think you might be
overdoing your exercise just a bit."
"NO! Need to run, need to get away. Run Darien! They'll catch you too!"
Serena began to struggle away, but it was a feeble attempt. Serena hadn't the
strength to pull away from his strong grip. A fleeting thought through her mind
told her that she really didn't want to pull away from him. She raised her eyes
to look at him, and was surprised to see concern reflecting down to her.
"Serena, calm down, tell me what's wrong. Who's after you?"
Serena's answer came out in a terrified shriek as a loud thump resounded behind
him. Swiftly turning, Darien realized why the girl was so terrified. There
before him stood two of the ugliest creatures he had ever seen. Towering above
them stood what looked like a walking Swiss army knife and radioactive oatmeal.
Darien pushed Serena safely behind him, putting himself between her and the new
arrivals. It was an action he had done so many times in the past, but with a
different person.
One of the creatures stepped forward. It was covered in shiny metal plates with
pointed spikes sticking out of its back and lower legs. Larger knives stood off
of its elbows and knees. Stopping no more than six feet away, it raised a shiny
limb to point at Darien.
"You, human. Stand aside, we come for the princess."
"Princess?" The word was out before he could think.
The oozing creature looked towards him. "The one you hide behind you. Give her
to us and you may go unharmed."
Princess? Darien could feel Serena's grip momentarily tighten on his jacket.
An almost inaudible whimper reached his ears. Darien was overtaken by a sudden
and very intense urge to protect the frightened girl behind him. This urge was
not born from his sense of duty, nor from the idea that Serena could be the one
he sought, but from a deeper feeling. A feeling he had never experienced before
and could not quite explain.
The creatures began to advance upon their prey.
"Stand aside."
"Make me."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Serena hid herself behind Darien, unsure of her next move. At the moment she
felt a certain degree of safety, Darien held about him an imperious air, at
times this made him almost impossible to be around. Now it did nothing but reassure
her. But when the creatures ordered Darien to move so they could get to her,
all feelings vanished, save fear. Would he? He had no reason to help her; she
and Darien had never really gotten along. Any thought directed at the other was
normally an insult. But Darien wouldn't hand her over to the monsters, would
he?
"Stand aside."
"Make me."
Surprise and relief ran side by side as they swept though her mind, confusion
and worry not far behind. Darien positioned himself quickly to prepare for what
might become a gruesome battle, his position keeping Serena safely behind him.
Serena found herself in an uncomfortable position. Those monsters were after
her because she was Sailor Moon. Darien hadn't any chance, it took special
abilities to fight these things. Even she had more of a chance, and she didn't
have her brooch. Serena shook her head, Darien shouldn't help her, he could get
seriously hurt . . .
Any further speculation was cut off as a knife whistled though the air.
Darien's reaction was instantaneous. He grabbed Serena and threw her to the
ground, throwing them into a roll and ducking out of the way as more knives
quickly followed the first.
"After them," hissed the acid. "We must destroy the human, he has defied us."
Darien picked Serena up out of the roll and grabbed her wrist to pull her along.
"Now we can run Meatball head."
Serena glared at him but began to run with him, their pursuers not far behind.
Serena began to silently chant. Gotta run, gotta run, gotta run, gotta -
"Whoa, stop!"
Darien skidded to a stop, causing Serena to run full force into his back. No
complaints were issued could be issued, however, for Darien was already ushering
her into a protective position behind him. Serena peered out from her place to
see what had made Darien stop. What she saw increased her fear ten fold.
There stood two more hideous creatures. One in the shape of a human- like plant,
the other incredibly wolfish. But form wasn't what had caused Serena's fear;
these were the same two monsters that the Scouts were holding off so she could
get away! What had they done to the Scouts?
"Human, we give you one more chance. Step aside or die where you stand."
Their previous pursuers had come up behind the, cutting off all escape routes.
Serena swallowed nervously, there was no reason for Darien to get killed. He
needed to get away. "Darien," Serena whispered quietly. "You should leave
while you can, there's no reason for you to get hurt because of me."
Darien risked a quick glance back to look at Serena's face, it was so sincere
and full of worry for him. His gaze turned back to the monsters but his hand
reached back to take Serena's and gave it a small squeeze. It was a reaction
that surprised them both.
"Yes there is." He whispered quietly back to her. Then his face turned hard
and his voice clear and cold. "No deal."
"So be it!"
"Mercury bubbles blast!"
Intense fog came out of nowhere, obstructing the villains' view. Four figures
landed in front of Darien, familiar faces looked at him in surprise.
"Scouts, you're all right!" Serena flew from her place behind Darien's back and
into the arms of Sailor Mars, hugging her tightly.
Sailor Mars briefly returned the hug before pushing her way and rolling her
eyes. "Of course we're all right, Meatball brains! You can't get rid of us
that easily."
"Yeah, those creepazoids ran away before we could finish them off." Sailor
Jupiter gave Darien a wry grin. "Turning tables Darien?"
Darien wanted to ask what that meant, but Sailor Venus stepped forward. "No time
to chat now, fog's lifting and you're still here." Venus shoved Serena into
Darien and gave him a very stern look. "Get her out of here Darien, as far away
and as safe as you can possibly make her. We'll cover your retreat and find you
later. Protect her with your life."
Darien nodded, a little overwhelmed. Venus looked at Serena, "stay with Darien,
we'll catch up to you."
"Can you get my brooch back? I need it Venus!"
"Yes Serena, I know! We'll get it back for you and teach these creeps a lesson.
Now hurry up or you'll never get out of here. Remember, stay with Darien."
"Easier said than done." Serena grumbled under her breath.
Darien just rolled his eyes, shoved Serena in front of him and began to run.
"This could be a long day."
coaster), I'm getting back to my writing. Unfortunately, my files of
"Masked Dreams" has been lost in the great depths of my hard drive,
so that story is temporarily on hold. So, to keep my wonderful fans
at bay, I'm releasing an older story of mine, or at least
a few parts anyway. If you really want more, you can always write
and tell me that, HINT HINT.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Labyrinth Square
Chapter 1
By Phoenix Cubed
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Run, run, as fast as you can.
Can you catch me?
I'm no gingerbread man.
Serena ran as fast as she could. Racing it seemed, for her life. To those that
were familiar with the young blonde, it was not an unusual sight, they only
assumed that she was late, again. But if the truth were ever known, Serena was
running for a much more dire reason.
"Catch her you fools! Don't let her get away!"
"Run Serena!"
Run Serena, yes, run. That's about all she could do. Those creatures had
stolen her transformation brooch; she was defenseless. All she could do was run
blindly through the streets. Where Serena was going really didn't matter to
her, as long as she was running.
Oof! Not looking where she was running had consequences, and she had just hit
one, hard. Her rebound against what felt like a brick wall put her back a few
feet on the ground and very dazed.
"Meatball head! What are you doing?" Darien looked down at her, "don't you
ever watch where you're going?"
Darien's amused expression became suddenly worried. Serena wasn't moving. She
was still where she had landed, her body pressed against a nearby building. Her
breath came in ragged gasps, her uniform was torn and dirty, and her pale skin
marred by dark bruises.
"Serena?" He bent down to get a closer look at her. Serena seemed to have
caught her breath, but she was still gasping. With a start, he realized that
those gasps weren't due to lack of oxygen. Serena was frightened, but what
could scare her so much?
Serena was coming out of her daze finally. Her eyes blinked in rapid
succession, slowly coming to focus on the person in front of her. "D-Darien?"
"Serena! Hey, are you all right? What's going on, why are you running?"
Darien fired questions at Serena, but knew there was little hope of them being
answered.
Serena began to struggle to her feet, but didn't get very far. Exhausted from
her running she made it half way up before her strength left her. Seeing
Serena's inevitable tumble, Darien quickly stepped in to support her, catching
Serena before she fell to the pavement.
She looked up at him with an expression of fear, "Run! Gotta run!"
Darien didn't understand her meaning, "Meatball head, I think you might be
overdoing your exercise just a bit."
"NO! Need to run, need to get away. Run Darien! They'll catch you too!"
Serena began to struggle away, but it was a feeble attempt. Serena hadn't the
strength to pull away from his strong grip. A fleeting thought through her mind
told her that she really didn't want to pull away from him. She raised her eyes
to look at him, and was surprised to see concern reflecting down to her.
"Serena, calm down, tell me what's wrong. Who's after you?"
Serena's answer came out in a terrified shriek as a loud thump resounded behind
him. Swiftly turning, Darien realized why the girl was so terrified. There
before him stood two of the ugliest creatures he had ever seen. Towering above
them stood what looked like a walking Swiss army knife and radioactive oatmeal.
Darien pushed Serena safely behind him, putting himself between her and the new
arrivals. It was an action he had done so many times in the past, but with a
different person.
One of the creatures stepped forward. It was covered in shiny metal plates with
pointed spikes sticking out of its back and lower legs. Larger knives stood off
of its elbows and knees. Stopping no more than six feet away, it raised a shiny
limb to point at Darien.
"You, human. Stand aside, we come for the princess."
"Princess?" The word was out before he could think.
The oozing creature looked towards him. "The one you hide behind you. Give her
to us and you may go unharmed."
Princess? Darien could feel Serena's grip momentarily tighten on his jacket.
An almost inaudible whimper reached his ears. Darien was overtaken by a sudden
and very intense urge to protect the frightened girl behind him. This urge was
not born from his sense of duty, nor from the idea that Serena could be the one
he sought, but from a deeper feeling. A feeling he had never experienced before
and could not quite explain.
The creatures began to advance upon their prey.
"Stand aside."
"Make me."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
Serena hid herself behind Darien, unsure of her next move. At the moment she
felt a certain degree of safety, Darien held about him an imperious air, at
times this made him almost impossible to be around. Now it did nothing but reassure
her. But when the creatures ordered Darien to move so they could get to her,
all feelings vanished, save fear. Would he? He had no reason to help her; she
and Darien had never really gotten along. Any thought directed at the other was
normally an insult. But Darien wouldn't hand her over to the monsters, would
he?
"Stand aside."
"Make me."
Surprise and relief ran side by side as they swept though her mind, confusion
and worry not far behind. Darien positioned himself quickly to prepare for what
might become a gruesome battle, his position keeping Serena safely behind him.
Serena found herself in an uncomfortable position. Those monsters were after
her because she was Sailor Moon. Darien hadn't any chance, it took special
abilities to fight these things. Even she had more of a chance, and she didn't
have her brooch. Serena shook her head, Darien shouldn't help her, he could get
seriously hurt . . .
Any further speculation was cut off as a knife whistled though the air.
Darien's reaction was instantaneous. He grabbed Serena and threw her to the
ground, throwing them into a roll and ducking out of the way as more knives
quickly followed the first.
"After them," hissed the acid. "We must destroy the human, he has defied us."
Darien picked Serena up out of the roll and grabbed her wrist to pull her along.
"Now we can run Meatball head."
Serena glared at him but began to run with him, their pursuers not far behind.
Serena began to silently chant. Gotta run, gotta run, gotta run, gotta -
"Whoa, stop!"
Darien skidded to a stop, causing Serena to run full force into his back. No
complaints were issued could be issued, however, for Darien was already ushering
her into a protective position behind him. Serena peered out from her place to
see what had made Darien stop. What she saw increased her fear ten fold.
There stood two more hideous creatures. One in the shape of a human- like plant,
the other incredibly wolfish. But form wasn't what had caused Serena's fear;
these were the same two monsters that the Scouts were holding off so she could
get away! What had they done to the Scouts?
"Human, we give you one more chance. Step aside or die where you stand."
Their previous pursuers had come up behind the, cutting off all escape routes.
Serena swallowed nervously, there was no reason for Darien to get killed. He
needed to get away. "Darien," Serena whispered quietly. "You should leave
while you can, there's no reason for you to get hurt because of me."
Darien risked a quick glance back to look at Serena's face, it was so sincere
and full of worry for him. His gaze turned back to the monsters but his hand
reached back to take Serena's and gave it a small squeeze. It was a reaction
that surprised them both.
"Yes there is." He whispered quietly back to her. Then his face turned hard
and his voice clear and cold. "No deal."
"So be it!"
"Mercury bubbles blast!"
Intense fog came out of nowhere, obstructing the villains' view. Four figures
landed in front of Darien, familiar faces looked at him in surprise.
"Scouts, you're all right!" Serena flew from her place behind Darien's back and
into the arms of Sailor Mars, hugging her tightly.
Sailor Mars briefly returned the hug before pushing her way and rolling her
eyes. "Of course we're all right, Meatball brains! You can't get rid of us
that easily."
"Yeah, those creepazoids ran away before we could finish them off." Sailor
Jupiter gave Darien a wry grin. "Turning tables Darien?"
Darien wanted to ask what that meant, but Sailor Venus stepped forward. "No time
to chat now, fog's lifting and you're still here." Venus shoved Serena into
Darien and gave him a very stern look. "Get her out of here Darien, as far away
and as safe as you can possibly make her. We'll cover your retreat and find you
later. Protect her with your life."
Darien nodded, a little overwhelmed. Venus looked at Serena, "stay with Darien,
we'll catch up to you."
"Can you get my brooch back? I need it Venus!"
"Yes Serena, I know! We'll get it back for you and teach these creeps a lesson.
Now hurry up or you'll never get out of here. Remember, stay with Darien."
"Easier said than done." Serena grumbled under her breath.
Darien just rolled his eyes, shoved Serena in front of him and began to run.
"This could be a long day."
