The Darkness Inside of Her
By: dragonfly-rising
Raye looked at Trista with a growing sense of dread. From the moment that the Senshi of Time had spoken she had felt a coldness settle inside of her, chilling her completely. Amara and Michele flanked Trista on both sides and she was certain from the grim looks shared by all three women that this was not a courtesy visit.
She snorted quietly. The trio in front of them never paid a courtesy visit as far as she knew. Trista looked at all of them searchingly. Raye noted that the other Inner Senshi had tensed just as she had. It was never a good thing to see Trista or any of the Outer Senshi.
"What are you doing here Trista?" Lita asked, ever the first to get to the heart of a matter and using as few words as possible to do so.
Raye easily picked up on the suspicion in her friend's voice and agreed with it silently.
"I had no choice Lita.... Where is Serena I must speak with her." Trista demanded urgently.
Raye exchanged looks with everyone in the room. No one seemed to really want to answer the question. Slowly Raye stood up, accepting that the others wanted her to speak for them, though Darien looked ready to throw the Outer Senshi from the temple.
"She just left...can we help you with anything?" She asked.
"Where did she go?" was Trista's immediate question.
"Why...what has you so upset?" Lita asked also rising.
Raye felt gratitude towards her more aggressive friend fill her. She had not been looking forward to questioning the older Senshi in the least. Trista's eyes narrowed slightly and Raye was struck by how familiar it seemed for the Inner Senshi and Outer Senshi to be at odds with one another.
"Just tell us! We have to find her and quickly!" Amara demanded from her place beside Trista.
Now Mina and Amy rose to stand with Raye and Lita, filling the room with tension. Raye, though slightly confused as to why they were so protective of Serena's whereabouts, felt a thrill of barely contained anger fly about all of them.
"We aren't going to just tell you Trista...we've gone this route before. You three needing to know where she is can't be a good thing." Mina stated.
"Why do you need to know?" Amy asked, repeating Lita's earlier question.
Raye relaxed slightly hearing the confidence in their voices; even the logical sound of Amy's voice seemed to drain some of the tension from the air. Trista did not move or speak but Raye could tell that she was noting their strength as a group. Amara and Michele crossed their arms in unison. Finally Trista looked over at Darien. With surprise Raye noticed that he had stood as well.
"Answer their questions Trista I agree with them completely. You three have only come at times when you wanted something from Serena, normally something that endangered her. This is the last thing we are willing to expose her to." Darien explained.
"It is she that endangers us." Michele spoke suddenly.
"Once again." Amara added rudely.
Raye crossed her own arms, "Not the best way to start out a conversation".
"They never were that good at interpersonal relationships." Lita added with a snort.
"Come on you guys...give them a chance. Maybe THIS time they won't be as stuck up as they were last time." Mina threw in.
Amara's eyes narrowed dangerously and Raye silently cheered the blonde's backhanded insult. Last time they had encountered the trio they had been less than forthcoming and it had led to many dangerous situations. None of them were about to be exposed to that again. Too much had happened to all of them and they had grown considerably from the uncertain teenagers that had first run into the Outer Senshi.
Trista visibly relaxed, even allowing a small smile to grace her face, "I am sorry that we have not always had the best of relationships, obviously that has taken its toll on all of us. It was never my intention to come here and quarrel with any of you. This involves us all and I should not have approached you in this manner."
Raye nodded slightly, "I hope you can understand why we reacted this way".
Trista returned the nod, "I always have Raye, and there has never been a time that the Inner Senshi did not treat any question of our leader as an implied threat".
Lita chuckled, "That sounds about right".
Trista's face darkened, "There is a problem...and Serena is at the center of it".
"I'm certain all of us guessed that Trista." Amy offered gracefully.
"There is a complication with the Time Gates..." Trista began uncertainly.
"So this is about Crystal Tokyo?" Darien asked.
"I am no longer certain that Crystal Tokyo will exist Darien. Large majorities of the timelines have ceased to exist and most of the Time Gates are no longer active. I have never encountered such an occurrence. There is only one person who could affect these things so strongly."
"Serena" supplied Luna.
"Before the Time Gates went inactive I was confronted by a warrior that I was unfamiliar with." Trista continued, a look of deep confusion crossing her face.
"A Senshi?" Amy prompted.
Trista frowned, "One as powerful as a Senshi...but her energies were unusual I could not place them".
Raye felt the blood drain from her face, "You don't know what the energies were?"
Trista placed a hand to her forehead, "There was planet power combined with the energies but I cannot say with certainty what else was inside the young woman".
"Trista...this is very important." Luna began seriously.
"Luna no!" exclaimed Lita.
For a moment the shock in the room was overwhelming and Raye refused to break eye contact with Amara whose eyes had caught and held her's. Something inside of Raye reeled with horrible connections to what had happened with Serena earlier. None of the thoughts that whirled in her mind came forth to show on her face.
"This is important Lita there is no time for games here." Luna admonished severely.
Raye imperceptibly shook her head in Amara's direction, a warning to the Senshi of Uranus that she was to be careful in her reaction.
"Serena did something today, created a new attack...it was mixed with some weird energy that she refused to let us test." Darien stated out of the blue.
Shocked Raye whipped her head around. Darien did not look at anyone else but Trista, every muscle in his body tense. She was astounded that it had been him and not Luna who uttered those damning words.
"Then I was correct in seeking her out." Trista said slowly.
Raye looked away from Darien torn between outrage that he would say it in such a way and trust that he knew what he was doing. She hated thinking that he had just betrayed Serena but could not deny the fact that he had spoken with a hint of resentment in his voice.
~ Ah Serena...where are you...what have you done to yourself ~ she thought sadly.
By: dragonfly-rising
Raye looked at Trista with a growing sense of dread. From the moment that the Senshi of Time had spoken she had felt a coldness settle inside of her, chilling her completely. Amara and Michele flanked Trista on both sides and she was certain from the grim looks shared by all three women that this was not a courtesy visit.
She snorted quietly. The trio in front of them never paid a courtesy visit as far as she knew. Trista looked at all of them searchingly. Raye noted that the other Inner Senshi had tensed just as she had. It was never a good thing to see Trista or any of the Outer Senshi.
"What are you doing here Trista?" Lita asked, ever the first to get to the heart of a matter and using as few words as possible to do so.
Raye easily picked up on the suspicion in her friend's voice and agreed with it silently.
"I had no choice Lita.... Where is Serena I must speak with her." Trista demanded urgently.
Raye exchanged looks with everyone in the room. No one seemed to really want to answer the question. Slowly Raye stood up, accepting that the others wanted her to speak for them, though Darien looked ready to throw the Outer Senshi from the temple.
"She just left...can we help you with anything?" She asked.
"Where did she go?" was Trista's immediate question.
"Why...what has you so upset?" Lita asked also rising.
Raye felt gratitude towards her more aggressive friend fill her. She had not been looking forward to questioning the older Senshi in the least. Trista's eyes narrowed slightly and Raye was struck by how familiar it seemed for the Inner Senshi and Outer Senshi to be at odds with one another.
"Just tell us! We have to find her and quickly!" Amara demanded from her place beside Trista.
Now Mina and Amy rose to stand with Raye and Lita, filling the room with tension. Raye, though slightly confused as to why they were so protective of Serena's whereabouts, felt a thrill of barely contained anger fly about all of them.
"We aren't going to just tell you Trista...we've gone this route before. You three needing to know where she is can't be a good thing." Mina stated.
"Why do you need to know?" Amy asked, repeating Lita's earlier question.
Raye relaxed slightly hearing the confidence in their voices; even the logical sound of Amy's voice seemed to drain some of the tension from the air. Trista did not move or speak but Raye could tell that she was noting their strength as a group. Amara and Michele crossed their arms in unison. Finally Trista looked over at Darien. With surprise Raye noticed that he had stood as well.
"Answer their questions Trista I agree with them completely. You three have only come at times when you wanted something from Serena, normally something that endangered her. This is the last thing we are willing to expose her to." Darien explained.
"It is she that endangers us." Michele spoke suddenly.
"Once again." Amara added rudely.
Raye crossed her own arms, "Not the best way to start out a conversation".
"They never were that good at interpersonal relationships." Lita added with a snort.
"Come on you guys...give them a chance. Maybe THIS time they won't be as stuck up as they were last time." Mina threw in.
Amara's eyes narrowed dangerously and Raye silently cheered the blonde's backhanded insult. Last time they had encountered the trio they had been less than forthcoming and it had led to many dangerous situations. None of them were about to be exposed to that again. Too much had happened to all of them and they had grown considerably from the uncertain teenagers that had first run into the Outer Senshi.
Trista visibly relaxed, even allowing a small smile to grace her face, "I am sorry that we have not always had the best of relationships, obviously that has taken its toll on all of us. It was never my intention to come here and quarrel with any of you. This involves us all and I should not have approached you in this manner."
Raye nodded slightly, "I hope you can understand why we reacted this way".
Trista returned the nod, "I always have Raye, and there has never been a time that the Inner Senshi did not treat any question of our leader as an implied threat".
Lita chuckled, "That sounds about right".
Trista's face darkened, "There is a problem...and Serena is at the center of it".
"I'm certain all of us guessed that Trista." Amy offered gracefully.
"There is a complication with the Time Gates..." Trista began uncertainly.
"So this is about Crystal Tokyo?" Darien asked.
"I am no longer certain that Crystal Tokyo will exist Darien. Large majorities of the timelines have ceased to exist and most of the Time Gates are no longer active. I have never encountered such an occurrence. There is only one person who could affect these things so strongly."
"Serena" supplied Luna.
"Before the Time Gates went inactive I was confronted by a warrior that I was unfamiliar with." Trista continued, a look of deep confusion crossing her face.
"A Senshi?" Amy prompted.
Trista frowned, "One as powerful as a Senshi...but her energies were unusual I could not place them".
Raye felt the blood drain from her face, "You don't know what the energies were?"
Trista placed a hand to her forehead, "There was planet power combined with the energies but I cannot say with certainty what else was inside the young woman".
"Trista...this is very important." Luna began seriously.
"Luna no!" exclaimed Lita.
For a moment the shock in the room was overwhelming and Raye refused to break eye contact with Amara whose eyes had caught and held her's. Something inside of Raye reeled with horrible connections to what had happened with Serena earlier. None of the thoughts that whirled in her mind came forth to show on her face.
"This is important Lita there is no time for games here." Luna admonished severely.
Raye imperceptibly shook her head in Amara's direction, a warning to the Senshi of Uranus that she was to be careful in her reaction.
"Serena did something today, created a new attack...it was mixed with some weird energy that she refused to let us test." Darien stated out of the blue.
Shocked Raye whipped her head around. Darien did not look at anyone else but Trista, every muscle in his body tense. She was astounded that it had been him and not Luna who uttered those damning words.
"Then I was correct in seeking her out." Trista said slowly.
Raye looked away from Darien torn between outrage that he would say it in such a way and trust that he knew what he was doing. She hated thinking that he had just betrayed Serena but could not deny the fact that he had spoken with a hint of resentment in his voice.
~ Ah Serena...where are you...what have you done to yourself ~ she thought sadly.