Opposing Protectors
Disclaimer: How many times must I say it? I do NOT own Sailor Moon! There, happy? I said it. Now, on with the story!
Chapter 7: Fading Away
I hope Darien and the others are okay and that they get here soon. Otherwise, it may be too late and there'll be nothing left of me to save. Serena thought to herself. She felt so weak, almost as if she was fading away into nothingness. Her body was ready to give up, but she wouldn't let that happen, she couldn't. She had to fight, if not for herself, then for her friends and loved ones...she wouldn't allow their suffering to be in vain. "Darien, I love you." was the last thing she said before drifting back into unconsciousness.
Darien stopped dead in his tracks. He had felt a sudden chill go through his entire body and he knew something was wrong. Something was happening to Serena, he could feel their connection fading. His concern and worry heightened ten fold when he noticed that Rini was fazing in and out. Although, Rini stopped fazing a few moments later, Darien knew that they had to find Serena, and fast. He just hoped that they weren't too late!
"What was that? What just happened here?" Seiya asked slightly confused.
"Serena's dying." Darien said as calmly as he could.
"WHAT? You don't know that! You're just panicking! You have no way of knowing that!"
"No, I'm not." Darien's calmness was quickly being replaced with anger. "I know she's dying because Serena and I have a special connection. We always have. I have always known when she is in danger and right now is one of those times."
"Maybe so, but that still doesn't explain what just happened to Rini."
"She fazed in and out because she's our future daughter, or did you forget that little tid-bit of information?" Darien asked sarcastically.
"I didn't forget, I just want to know what that has to do with her fading in and out."
"Fine, I'll spell it out for you. Because she's our FUTURE daughter, if Serena were to die in this time before Rini is born, the future would change and Rini would cease to exist in this timeline. Now do you get it?" Darien spoke to him almost in the same manner in which one would speak to a child and of course it had the desired affect.
"Okay, I get it." Seiya replied, extremely annoyed at the way Darien had answered him as was evident in his voice.
Darien suggested that Hotaru (now 16 yrs old) piggy-back Rini so that she wouldn't tire or over-work herself. Hotaru readily agreed and helped a pouting Rini (who of course insisted she was fine) onto her back. Darien would've taken Rini himself, but he was still carrying an unconscious Trista. And Darien wasn't the type to just pass her like a hot potato just because something else had come up. So they quickened their pace and continued their journey.
They walked in silence as they were all really worried. But Darien looked to be especially un-nerved. True, that his wife's life was on the line, but there was something more to it. Hotaru noticed this, but thought it best not to say anything. If it was important and if they really needed to know, then Darien would tell them.
As they walked, Darien though about what had happened. Getting the un-nerving chill was normal when Serena was in danger, no matter how much or how little. But this time, there was something more. He could've sworn that he had heard Serena talking to him. This had happened before, but only under extreme circumstances. Also, when he heard her voice, it was weak and distant and he feared what that meant. On all other occasions it had been her normal voice calling out to him, but not this time. He thought about telling the others but decided against it. He didn't want to add to their worries and fears. Instead, he decided to keep it to himself. But her voice and her words kept echoing in his head: "Darien, I love you."
In a dark cave, Imara slowly sat up, rubbing her head to try and soothe the huge headache she had. She didn't know how long she'd been out, but any amount of time was too long as far as she was concerned. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed a limp figure off a short distance from where she was sitting. The figure was lying completely motionless. Aware that it might be a trap, Imara cautiously made her way over to petite figure. As she approached, the figure let out a low moan of pain. When Imara reached the figure she found out that it was not any kind of trap, but instead that it was her one true love...Michelle.
"Michelle? Michelle, wake up!"
"Imara?" Michelle said weakly as she slowly opened her eyes. "Where are we? Where are you for that matter? I can't see you."
"I'm right here beside you. We seem to be in some kind of cave, so just give your eyes a minute to adjust to the dark."
Several minutes later, Michelle told her "I still can't see you Imara, my eyes haven't adjusted." She put her hand right in front of her face to check and see if her suspicions were correct. They were. "Imara, I think I'm blind. It feels like I might have struck a nerve when we fell, which would explain my headache."
Imara sat there speechless. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't be! It was impossible. Despite the fact that she had no control over what had happened, she partially blamed herself. She kept thinking that there was something she could have done to have prevented Michelle's injury.
"Imara, what are you thinking about?"
"It can't be true! Why did it have to be you? It should've been me! This isn't fair, if only I had caught you and broken your fall or something, anything! It's just not fair! I'm sorry Michelle."
"Imara, stop blaming yourself and acting like this is your fault, because it isn't. There's nothing you could've done to prevent this!" she practically yelled the last part. Her lash out made her fell dizzy and she grasped for Imara's arm for support.
"Michelle! What is it? What's wrong?" she asked, her voice conveying her deep concern and badly hidden panic.
"My head." Her breathing had gotten considerably heavier.
After a quick inspection, Imara found that Michelle had received a small cut and a large bump on the back of her head and indeed that it was very close to one of the nerves. She informed Michelle of her injury and they both agreed that this was the cause of her blindness. They only hoped that the damage was temporary and not permanent.
With the mystery of Michelle's condition explained, they turned their attention to other important matters, such as getting out of the caves and finding their friends. It was only now that they realized and took note of the fact that they were no longer in their Senshi forms. And just as everyone else had done, they tried to retransform and got the same results.
"Just great! Now what do we do? It's going to be hell getting out of here in our civilian forms." Imara, in her already upset state, was not handling the situation as well as she normally would.
"Well, we need to get out of here no matter what. We need to find the others so we can save the Princess before it's too late. We do have a mission after all."
"But Michelle, you shouldn't be over working yourself...not with that head injury. I don't want that injury of yours to get any worse."
"Look, I know you're worried about me and I appreciate your concern. But like I said before, we have a duty and mission to fulfil. We have to protect our Prince and Princess no matter what the cost. We can't forget that."
"But..." Imara tried to protest, but was interrupted by a reassuring kiss from Michelle. When she pulled away, Imara gave a sigh of concession and said: "You're right, as usual. But promise me that the moment you start having problems or start feeling tired, you'll tell me."
"I promise."
Imara smiled down at her love before bending over and returning her kiss. "Alright then, lets go find our friends." With that, Imara helped Michelle up to her feet and started guiding her through the caves while providing her with her shoulder for support.
Several hours later, the two women emerged from the caves to find themselves amid the seemingly endless mountains. Imara relayed the situation to Michelle and told her that she was going to climb up to a slightly higher vantage point so that they could decide which course of action to take upon her return.
"You stay here, I'll be right back. Until then, just rest and relax and try not to do too much."
"Don't worry, I know the drill. I won't move or do anything until you get back. Promise."
A short while later, Imara returned and told Michelle her findings. In three of the directions, the mountains continued on for as far as the eye could see. In the remaining direction, the mountains continued on for a mile or so before they abruptly ended in a desert-like expanse. Imara also reported that she thought she had seen something moving in the distance across the open plains.
The four girls, who made up the group of the Inner Senshi, had been running for hours, taking short breaks now and again to catch their breath and replenish their strength. It was mid-afternoon now and they'd been running since early this morning.
"Arrgggghhhh!!! This is so frustrating! We've been running for hours and yet those stupid mountains are still miles and miles away!" Mina shouted in exasperation as they stopped for another break.
"Yeah I know." Raye voiced her exasperation as well. "And how do we know if we're even going in the right direction? What if the others are on the other side of the canyon?"
"Tell me about it! I feel like we're on some kind of wild goose chase!" Lita added her opinion to the conversation. She reflected a moment before speaking again. "But then again, there was no way to get to the other side of the canyon without climbing back down and then up again. And who knows how long that would take in civilian form, to say nothing of how dangerous it would be. No, right now we're best off taking the safest road."
"Lita's right. And besides, like I said before, the mountains mat provide us with some shelter if we need it and quite possibly a source of food and/or water too." Amy said, always using her logical thinking.
"Well, I guess it's like they always say: 'No gain, no pain'."
"Mina! Could you at least try to get one of those phrases right!" Raye snapped at her.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You got it backwards Mina." Amy explained quietly.
"Yeah, it's 'No pain, no gain'. Not the other way around." Lita corrected her.
"Oh...oops! My mistake! Hahahaha!"
After another few minutes of resting, they stood up from the ground where they had been sitting and once again started running towards the mountains.
Imara and Michelle were making slow time through the mountains. Michelle's head was beginning to bother her more and more as the hours went by. Eventually Imara just picked Michelle up and started carrying her, despite her protests. They too had also stopped for breaks every so often, but they were more for Michelle's benefit than Imara's.
Night was falling and they'd been walking since noon, or at least sometime in and around then. Finally, they made it out of the mountains and onto the open plains. After walking only a short distance, Imara saw four figures approaching them, while Michelle could only hear them. Imara put Michelle down and moved in front of her in a protective manner. She took on a fighting stance and was ready to attack anyone who would dare try and hurt Michelle. Michelle, for her part, knowing that she wouldn't be able to help Imara in her condition without getting in the way, stood silently behind her and prayed for her safety, hoping that she wouldn't get hurt.
As the figures drew closer, Imara lowered her guard as she recognized the familiar faces of her friends. She breathed a sigh of relief, told Michelle the good news and then called out to them.
"Hey girls! Good to see you!"
"Imara, Michelle!" they all chorused in unison.
The two groups exchanged stories and then debated what course of action they should take next. None of them wanted to go in the direction from which they had respectfully come from. They eventually decided to rest for the night while taking turns as guard, and they all agreed that Michelle would not take a watch...which she reluctantly agreed to, she hated feeling helpless. With that settled, they all laid down on the ground and drifted off to sleep...all but Imara who had the first watch.
Meanwhile.........
As the sun was setting, Darien and his group and his group came across a large canyon that unbeknown to them, their friends had escaped from earlier that day.
"Great! Just Great! Now what do we do oh masterful leader?" Seiya said with much sarcasm and some anger. After all, it was 'arrogant Darien' who had chosen this direction. Seiya's dislike for Darien was growing stronger by the second and the tension between the two of them was as well. It could easily be said that the air between the two of them was thick enough to cut with a knife (to coin a phrase).
Darien stood there silently and looked around as he quickly assessed the situation and tried to figure out what course of action to take. Hotaru too, had been analyzing the situation and she noticed what she thought to be a faint set of footprints. She pointed them out to Darien and asked what he made of them. He agreed that they were indeed footprints. They discussed this new angle of events and then proceeded to discuss how the should proceed. They group agreed (for the most part) that their best bet was to try and find a way across the canyon. But there was one who disagreed.
"Are you CRAZY!?" Seiya shouted angrily, still resentful and bitter that Darien was in charge due to the fact that he had the support of the others with them.
"Look, our friends may be over there and if they are, then we're going to find them! Now if you don't want to come with us, that's fine by me! You can go and do your own thing and we'll do our. We're perfectly capable of finding Serena and getting the Crystal back on our own. Then you can solve your own problems however the hell you want!" Darien's voice was filled with rage. He was sick and tired of this man. He was presumptuous, arrogant, egotistical, and a major pain in the ass! Darien was usually a very patient and tolerant man, but Seiya was really starting to get to him.
Seiya stood there in silence. He knew he wouldn't make it on his own...not without his powers, so he reluctantly gave in and muttered an apology under his breath.
Darien was reluctant to stop, but he knew that the group needed to get some rest if they were going to get across the canyon. He and Seiya worked out a watch system while Rini and Hotaru went to sleep. Darien had first watch, so Seiya joined the girls in slumber. Trista, by this point, had begun to drift in and out of consciousness. Darien just hoped that she would be all right and that her strength will have returned by tomorrow. As he sat there, he heard Rini let out a small groan of pain, so he looked over to where she was sleeping only to see her faze in and out again. Seeing this, Darien hung his head and sighed. A single tear fell to the ground before he pushed the rest of them back. He couldn't lose his family, he wouldn't!
Darien looked over towards the open plains across the way and whispered into the night air (as if in response to Serena's earlier words): "Hold on my love, I'm coming."
Disclaimer: How many times must I say it? I do NOT own Sailor Moon! There, happy? I said it. Now, on with the story!
Chapter 7: Fading Away
I hope Darien and the others are okay and that they get here soon. Otherwise, it may be too late and there'll be nothing left of me to save. Serena thought to herself. She felt so weak, almost as if she was fading away into nothingness. Her body was ready to give up, but she wouldn't let that happen, she couldn't. She had to fight, if not for herself, then for her friends and loved ones...she wouldn't allow their suffering to be in vain. "Darien, I love you." was the last thing she said before drifting back into unconsciousness.
Darien stopped dead in his tracks. He had felt a sudden chill go through his entire body and he knew something was wrong. Something was happening to Serena, he could feel their connection fading. His concern and worry heightened ten fold when he noticed that Rini was fazing in and out. Although, Rini stopped fazing a few moments later, Darien knew that they had to find Serena, and fast. He just hoped that they weren't too late!
"What was that? What just happened here?" Seiya asked slightly confused.
"Serena's dying." Darien said as calmly as he could.
"WHAT? You don't know that! You're just panicking! You have no way of knowing that!"
"No, I'm not." Darien's calmness was quickly being replaced with anger. "I know she's dying because Serena and I have a special connection. We always have. I have always known when she is in danger and right now is one of those times."
"Maybe so, but that still doesn't explain what just happened to Rini."
"She fazed in and out because she's our future daughter, or did you forget that little tid-bit of information?" Darien asked sarcastically.
"I didn't forget, I just want to know what that has to do with her fading in and out."
"Fine, I'll spell it out for you. Because she's our FUTURE daughter, if Serena were to die in this time before Rini is born, the future would change and Rini would cease to exist in this timeline. Now do you get it?" Darien spoke to him almost in the same manner in which one would speak to a child and of course it had the desired affect.
"Okay, I get it." Seiya replied, extremely annoyed at the way Darien had answered him as was evident in his voice.
Darien suggested that Hotaru (now 16 yrs old) piggy-back Rini so that she wouldn't tire or over-work herself. Hotaru readily agreed and helped a pouting Rini (who of course insisted she was fine) onto her back. Darien would've taken Rini himself, but he was still carrying an unconscious Trista. And Darien wasn't the type to just pass her like a hot potato just because something else had come up. So they quickened their pace and continued their journey.
They walked in silence as they were all really worried. But Darien looked to be especially un-nerved. True, that his wife's life was on the line, but there was something more to it. Hotaru noticed this, but thought it best not to say anything. If it was important and if they really needed to know, then Darien would tell them.
As they walked, Darien though about what had happened. Getting the un-nerving chill was normal when Serena was in danger, no matter how much or how little. But this time, there was something more. He could've sworn that he had heard Serena talking to him. This had happened before, but only under extreme circumstances. Also, when he heard her voice, it was weak and distant and he feared what that meant. On all other occasions it had been her normal voice calling out to him, but not this time. He thought about telling the others but decided against it. He didn't want to add to their worries and fears. Instead, he decided to keep it to himself. But her voice and her words kept echoing in his head: "Darien, I love you."
In a dark cave, Imara slowly sat up, rubbing her head to try and soothe the huge headache she had. She didn't know how long she'd been out, but any amount of time was too long as far as she was concerned. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed a limp figure off a short distance from where she was sitting. The figure was lying completely motionless. Aware that it might be a trap, Imara cautiously made her way over to petite figure. As she approached, the figure let out a low moan of pain. When Imara reached the figure she found out that it was not any kind of trap, but instead that it was her one true love...Michelle.
"Michelle? Michelle, wake up!"
"Imara?" Michelle said weakly as she slowly opened her eyes. "Where are we? Where are you for that matter? I can't see you."
"I'm right here beside you. We seem to be in some kind of cave, so just give your eyes a minute to adjust to the dark."
Several minutes later, Michelle told her "I still can't see you Imara, my eyes haven't adjusted." She put her hand right in front of her face to check and see if her suspicions were correct. They were. "Imara, I think I'm blind. It feels like I might have struck a nerve when we fell, which would explain my headache."
Imara sat there speechless. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't be! It was impossible. Despite the fact that she had no control over what had happened, she partially blamed herself. She kept thinking that there was something she could have done to have prevented Michelle's injury.
"Imara, what are you thinking about?"
"It can't be true! Why did it have to be you? It should've been me! This isn't fair, if only I had caught you and broken your fall or something, anything! It's just not fair! I'm sorry Michelle."
"Imara, stop blaming yourself and acting like this is your fault, because it isn't. There's nothing you could've done to prevent this!" she practically yelled the last part. Her lash out made her fell dizzy and she grasped for Imara's arm for support.
"Michelle! What is it? What's wrong?" she asked, her voice conveying her deep concern and badly hidden panic.
"My head." Her breathing had gotten considerably heavier.
After a quick inspection, Imara found that Michelle had received a small cut and a large bump on the back of her head and indeed that it was very close to one of the nerves. She informed Michelle of her injury and they both agreed that this was the cause of her blindness. They only hoped that the damage was temporary and not permanent.
With the mystery of Michelle's condition explained, they turned their attention to other important matters, such as getting out of the caves and finding their friends. It was only now that they realized and took note of the fact that they were no longer in their Senshi forms. And just as everyone else had done, they tried to retransform and got the same results.
"Just great! Now what do we do? It's going to be hell getting out of here in our civilian forms." Imara, in her already upset state, was not handling the situation as well as she normally would.
"Well, we need to get out of here no matter what. We need to find the others so we can save the Princess before it's too late. We do have a mission after all."
"But Michelle, you shouldn't be over working yourself...not with that head injury. I don't want that injury of yours to get any worse."
"Look, I know you're worried about me and I appreciate your concern. But like I said before, we have a duty and mission to fulfil. We have to protect our Prince and Princess no matter what the cost. We can't forget that."
"But..." Imara tried to protest, but was interrupted by a reassuring kiss from Michelle. When she pulled away, Imara gave a sigh of concession and said: "You're right, as usual. But promise me that the moment you start having problems or start feeling tired, you'll tell me."
"I promise."
Imara smiled down at her love before bending over and returning her kiss. "Alright then, lets go find our friends." With that, Imara helped Michelle up to her feet and started guiding her through the caves while providing her with her shoulder for support.
Several hours later, the two women emerged from the caves to find themselves amid the seemingly endless mountains. Imara relayed the situation to Michelle and told her that she was going to climb up to a slightly higher vantage point so that they could decide which course of action to take upon her return.
"You stay here, I'll be right back. Until then, just rest and relax and try not to do too much."
"Don't worry, I know the drill. I won't move or do anything until you get back. Promise."
A short while later, Imara returned and told Michelle her findings. In three of the directions, the mountains continued on for as far as the eye could see. In the remaining direction, the mountains continued on for a mile or so before they abruptly ended in a desert-like expanse. Imara also reported that she thought she had seen something moving in the distance across the open plains.
The four girls, who made up the group of the Inner Senshi, had been running for hours, taking short breaks now and again to catch their breath and replenish their strength. It was mid-afternoon now and they'd been running since early this morning.
"Arrgggghhhh!!! This is so frustrating! We've been running for hours and yet those stupid mountains are still miles and miles away!" Mina shouted in exasperation as they stopped for another break.
"Yeah I know." Raye voiced her exasperation as well. "And how do we know if we're even going in the right direction? What if the others are on the other side of the canyon?"
"Tell me about it! I feel like we're on some kind of wild goose chase!" Lita added her opinion to the conversation. She reflected a moment before speaking again. "But then again, there was no way to get to the other side of the canyon without climbing back down and then up again. And who knows how long that would take in civilian form, to say nothing of how dangerous it would be. No, right now we're best off taking the safest road."
"Lita's right. And besides, like I said before, the mountains mat provide us with some shelter if we need it and quite possibly a source of food and/or water too." Amy said, always using her logical thinking.
"Well, I guess it's like they always say: 'No gain, no pain'."
"Mina! Could you at least try to get one of those phrases right!" Raye snapped at her.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You got it backwards Mina." Amy explained quietly.
"Yeah, it's 'No pain, no gain'. Not the other way around." Lita corrected her.
"Oh...oops! My mistake! Hahahaha!"
After another few minutes of resting, they stood up from the ground where they had been sitting and once again started running towards the mountains.
Imara and Michelle were making slow time through the mountains. Michelle's head was beginning to bother her more and more as the hours went by. Eventually Imara just picked Michelle up and started carrying her, despite her protests. They too had also stopped for breaks every so often, but they were more for Michelle's benefit than Imara's.
Night was falling and they'd been walking since noon, or at least sometime in and around then. Finally, they made it out of the mountains and onto the open plains. After walking only a short distance, Imara saw four figures approaching them, while Michelle could only hear them. Imara put Michelle down and moved in front of her in a protective manner. She took on a fighting stance and was ready to attack anyone who would dare try and hurt Michelle. Michelle, for her part, knowing that she wouldn't be able to help Imara in her condition without getting in the way, stood silently behind her and prayed for her safety, hoping that she wouldn't get hurt.
As the figures drew closer, Imara lowered her guard as she recognized the familiar faces of her friends. She breathed a sigh of relief, told Michelle the good news and then called out to them.
"Hey girls! Good to see you!"
"Imara, Michelle!" they all chorused in unison.
The two groups exchanged stories and then debated what course of action they should take next. None of them wanted to go in the direction from which they had respectfully come from. They eventually decided to rest for the night while taking turns as guard, and they all agreed that Michelle would not take a watch...which she reluctantly agreed to, she hated feeling helpless. With that settled, they all laid down on the ground and drifted off to sleep...all but Imara who had the first watch.
Meanwhile.........
As the sun was setting, Darien and his group and his group came across a large canyon that unbeknown to them, their friends had escaped from earlier that day.
"Great! Just Great! Now what do we do oh masterful leader?" Seiya said with much sarcasm and some anger. After all, it was 'arrogant Darien' who had chosen this direction. Seiya's dislike for Darien was growing stronger by the second and the tension between the two of them was as well. It could easily be said that the air between the two of them was thick enough to cut with a knife (to coin a phrase).
Darien stood there silently and looked around as he quickly assessed the situation and tried to figure out what course of action to take. Hotaru too, had been analyzing the situation and she noticed what she thought to be a faint set of footprints. She pointed them out to Darien and asked what he made of them. He agreed that they were indeed footprints. They discussed this new angle of events and then proceeded to discuss how the should proceed. They group agreed (for the most part) that their best bet was to try and find a way across the canyon. But there was one who disagreed.
"Are you CRAZY!?" Seiya shouted angrily, still resentful and bitter that Darien was in charge due to the fact that he had the support of the others with them.
"Look, our friends may be over there and if they are, then we're going to find them! Now if you don't want to come with us, that's fine by me! You can go and do your own thing and we'll do our. We're perfectly capable of finding Serena and getting the Crystal back on our own. Then you can solve your own problems however the hell you want!" Darien's voice was filled with rage. He was sick and tired of this man. He was presumptuous, arrogant, egotistical, and a major pain in the ass! Darien was usually a very patient and tolerant man, but Seiya was really starting to get to him.
Seiya stood there in silence. He knew he wouldn't make it on his own...not without his powers, so he reluctantly gave in and muttered an apology under his breath.
Darien was reluctant to stop, but he knew that the group needed to get some rest if they were going to get across the canyon. He and Seiya worked out a watch system while Rini and Hotaru went to sleep. Darien had first watch, so Seiya joined the girls in slumber. Trista, by this point, had begun to drift in and out of consciousness. Darien just hoped that she would be all right and that her strength will have returned by tomorrow. As he sat there, he heard Rini let out a small groan of pain, so he looked over to where she was sleeping only to see her faze in and out again. Seeing this, Darien hung his head and sighed. A single tear fell to the ground before he pushed the rest of them back. He couldn't lose his family, he wouldn't!
Darien looked over towards the open plains across the way and whispered into the night air (as if in response to Serena's earlier words): "Hold on my love, I'm coming."