Insecurity
by Phantasy Star
--------------------

Chapter Two


"Thanks for all your help," Mercury said politely.

"No, thank you for risking your lives to save my daughter," King
Endymion said, "I hope the new powers I've given you will be of great
use."

The scouts nodded.

"Tuxedo Mask," the King said, "I must speak to you in private. It
will be only for a short while, and won't interfere with the time
travel sequence."

Darien nodded and followed the floating King Endymion to a crystal
chamber.

"It's strange yet comforting to speak to my old self," the King said,
"You seem like a different person, though our minds and our essenses
are fundamentally the same."

He looked at Darien and sighed.

"Even though I try to believe that I've gotten wiser over time, I
still make many mistakes... Tuxedo Mask, I must confess something to
you."

He took a deep breath with a sort of solemnity.

"I lied to you about the dreams."

Endymion closed his eyes, but Darien didn't say anything.

"I didn't send them to you to test you," the King continued, "I sent
them because Wiseman got to me. He had me convinced that Serenity
didn't truly love me."

Darien looked down on the floor and clenched his fist.

"I got scared again," Endymion said quietly, "So I wanted you to break
up with Serenity, in the past, before I could get hurt."

"What about now?" Darien said expectantly.

The King shook his head, "All I can tell you is, Wiseman is the enemy,
but he doesn't simply conceive stories. He feeds on the darkest,
most horrible fears in our minds..."

"So..." Darien said quietly, "You're still worried about Serenity's
love for you."

King Endymion looked ashamed, then shook his head, "No, not anymore."

"You know that she loves you? Or us...?" Darien asked.

Endymion shook his head again, "I cannot tell you. Love is something
you must discover for yourself."

Then he looked at Darien sadly.

"I wish for you to deal with the matter in a better fashion than I
did. Perhaps this is the only way you can secure the future with
Serenity. The reason my daughter was kidnapped was because you and
Serena have a weakened relationship right now, all Wiseman's doing.
You must fix it, Tuxedo Mask. Do you understand?"

Darien nodded, "I'll try."

"Wiseman has a way of bringing out the worst in everybody," King
Endymion said, "Remember that."

* * *

"So... we're back," Mina said.

"The *air* feels different," Serena said as she took a deep breath.

She glanced around. They were home all right. The city never looked
more beautiful. The trees moved gently with the wind. A gentle
breeze lifted Serena's hair up slightly above her forehead.

"Now... to find Rini," she said.

"But where do we start?" Raye wondered aloud.

"Um, I sort of have a hunch of where she might be," Lita spoke up.

The others looked at her, "Where?"

Lita turned and pointed at a huge black crystal filled with cackling
dark energy, only a few streets away.

"There?" she suggested.

"Hmm... You may be on to something..." Raye said thoughtfully.

"Cut the sarcasm, Raye," Mina said, "Let's go kick some nega-butt!"

* * *

"Doom Phantom!"

"Yes, Master?"

"You have done surprisingly well, better than we had expected. You've
weakened the strongest bond in the galaxy, the love between the
Princess and the Prince of the Earth."

"Thank you, Master."

"I've decided to give you the ultimate power. Galaxia is not worthy
of it. You'll be in charge of taking the galaxy instead. First, you
will destroy the Princess.

"I am honoured, great Master, that you have- Arruughhh!"

Black energy coursed through his body. The dark figure cried out in
pure agony, before the power grew inside, and true evil and darkness
took over.

In a few minutes, the crackling dark energy had disappeared, all
inside of the body now. The skull flashed red, and the eyes glowed
ever brighter than before.

A second later... Wiseman was dead.

"Chaos will reign," the figure whispered in a new voice.

* * *

Raye cried out and dropped to the ground.

"What's wrong?" Serena exclaimed, rushing to her.

Raye closed her eyes and trembled, "I... I just felt something.
Something... truly evil... Something new..."

Then, she cried out as images flashed through her mind.

The city destroyed, people injured, buildings collapsed. Then, fear
and pain gripped her as she saw Amy's battered body. Then Lita's...

"No!" she screamed, clutching her head.

The others gathered around her and watched worriedly.

"Terrible..." she moaned, "Ter... Terrible things are... they're about
to happen..."

She gasped one more time before she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Raye!"

* * *

A moment later, they were back at the familiar Cherry Hill temple.
Raye laid on her bed, still shivering and breathing in pain. She
kept whispering words that the Scouts could barely make out. They
could only catch fragments - words like "darkness" and "death."

"She going to be okay?" Mina asked.

"Should be," Amy said worriedly, "Just went into shock."

Lita looked down on the floor, as she leaned against the open doorway.

"Hope it wasn't some sort of premonition," she said quietly.

The others looked at her, but no one said anything.

"Either way," Serena said, "We have to go. We've got to save Rini."

The girls nodded.

"We'll have to leave Raye here," Amy said, "She's in no condition to
fight."

Serena looked at the dark-haired priestess, "Right."

"I'm going to go first," Darien spoke up abruptly.

"What?" Serena said softly.

"I'll check out the dark crystal palace and come back to tell you guys
whether it's safe or not."

"No," Serena said, "We go together. It's too dangerous!"

"It's always been dangerous," Darien said, "Wait a couple of hours.
If I don't come back, you guys launch an attack."

Serena was about to protest, but Darien had already turned to leave.

* * *

"Wait, Darien," Serena called out as she ran down the temple steps
to catch up with him.

He looked at her but didn't say anything.

"Darien, I don't want it to end like this..." she said.

Her voice broke as tears began to form, "What if... what if I don't
see you again?"

She threw herself against him and cried into his shirt.

"Serena..." he said as he touched her hair gently, "I'm sorry..."

"Then don't do this..." she said softly through her wet eyes, "What
happened? Why... why are you acting this way?"

He looked away but didn't push her away from him.

"I'm sorry, Serena..." he said again. It was all he could offer her.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "Please just talk to me!
Something must have happened..."

He closed his eyes.

"Serena," he said, "I have to defeat Wiseman alone. He's put
something into my mind that I need to get rid of."

"What?" Serena breathed, "Things about us?"

Darien didn't answer.

Serena shook her head, "Don't listen to him!"

Darien frowned, "You don't understand. I know that... if I destroy
Wiseman myself, I can conquer my own fears. My own doubts..."

Serena pulled away and let the tears fall.

"What if I don't see you again?" she whispered.

He looked at her grimly, "Then know that you're in my heart."

She could only stare deeply into his blue eyes. Lingering... Wanting
to make it last...

But in a moment, he had stepped back, and was turning to walk away.

Away from her.

* * *

Tuxedo Mask ran through the dark hallways of the crystal palace.

"Wiseman!" he shouted, "Show yourself!"

Immediately, several bolts of dark energy came down towards him from
the high ceiling.

Darien took out his cane and deflected it.

"No tricks, Wiseman," Darien said angrily, "I'm ready for you, so come
on out!"

He took a step back in and narrowed his eyes as a hooded figure
descended in front of him.

"Wiseman is no more," the voice whispered, "I... am... *Chaos*."

"Chaos..." Darien echoed, feeling the dark power of the name itself
resonate on his tongue.

"You will join us," the voice said, "You will help us defeat the
Princess..."

"Another Beryl reincarnation?" Darien said and rushed towards the
figure with his cane extended, "Take this!"

To his surprise, he went right through the dark shape.

Then suddenly...

"Arrughh!" Darien cried out as he felt a splitting pain in his head.

"What's... happening...?" he stuttered.

He opened his eyes and saw Prince Darien and Princess Serena on the
balcony, dancing under the moonlight.

"Serenity loves Prince Darien," the dark voice whispered, "But Prince
Darien died that day on the moon."

"*I'm* Prince Darien," Tuxedo Mask said, "... of the present."

"Ah," the voice said, "But you're not... You're Darien Chiba, a boy
born on Earth. A boy who grew up without parents, who never learned
how to love."

"I... love... Serena..." Darien whispered hoarsely, trying to focus.

"She's beautiful and full of love. She can't be with you. She needs
someone who's as beautiful as she is, as loving as she is..."

"I... can... love..." Darien said weakly, "No, stop it!"

He cried out and tried to reach for his cane - which he had dropped
involuntarily on the floor.

"She wants the old Prince Darien back..." the voice persisted, "Not
an immature 19-year-old who doesn't know what he's doing... Who would
never be able to take care of her... who doesn't deserve her..."

"Serena!" Darien cried out one last time before he dropped to the
ground, shaking.

Then, dark energy ran through his body, and then drifted slowly but
forcefully into his mind.

"Serena..." he whispered, "I'm... sorry..."

His eyes flashed red.

"I'm so sorry..."