Opposing Protectors
Disclaimer: Must I really say it?
AN: It was brought to my attention that if Serena is getting weaker, wouldn't this be seen in the use of the crystal? Probably yes, but with the planet's population being threatened into doing as Akuma wishes, he would be using the Crystal less. But that wouldn't stop the ropes from draining her energy. So basically, Akuma's getting a nice large reserve of power.
Chapter 8: Lucky Breaks
Serena stirred from her unconscious state. "Hold on my love, I'm coming." she heard Darien's voice telling her. "Darien? Where are you?" she murmured as she slowly managed to lift her head. When she looked around to see where he was, she saw no one. It must have been a dream she thought to herself.
When the time came for Darien to wake Seiya up for his watch, he found that he wasn't tired in the slightest. So instead of waking him, he just let Seiya continue sleeping while he maintained his watch, keeping alert with a watchful eye to spot any danger that may be approaching.
In the early hours of the morning (ie. 2 or 3), Trista started waking up. Darien went over to check on her while helping her sit up slightly. He was relieved to see that she was well on her way to recovery from yesterday's incident.
"Oohhh...my head!" Trista raised her hand to her head to try and stop the spinning sensation that was coming from the sudden head rush she had received from sitting up too fast. "How long have I been out for?"
"A little less than a day. How are you feeling...considering the circumstances?
"Fine, I guess. A little sore, but that's to be expected. What about Rini and Hotaru, are they all right?"
"Hotaru's fine. They both got a few scrapes and bruises, but otherwise they were unharmed in the fight. But Rini..."
"But what?" Trista prodded him. "What about her? She's all right, isn't she?" she asked fearfully.
Darien gave a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure. Yesterday after the incident, she started fazing in and out of the timeline. It's happened several times since. I'm just afraid that I'm going to lose them!"
Darien's emotional barriers started to fail as a few tears began to run down his cheeks. This did not go unnoticed by Trista, despite Darien's futile attempts to hide them and the cloak of night that still surrounded them. Trista moved to put a comforting arm around his shoulder. She tried to reassure him, but it was hard for her to. She was deeply concerned about the safety and lives of her future queen and Goddaughter. She loved them both so very much and she would do anything to protect them and get them out of harm's way. And so the two of them sat in silence the rest of the night, until the sun began to rise and the time came for them to wake the others.
"We should wake the others up now and continue our search for the rest of the Senshi. I'll fill you in on what the plan is as go." Darien said as he stood up and took one last look across the way before waking the others.
Trista nodded in understanding and stood up as well. In his mind, Darien was a little worried as to whether or not Trista would be up to the trip, but he knew that she would insist upon going no matter what. She was a Senshi after all, and they all seemed to have that same stubbornness when it came to situations like this.
As they headed back over to where the others were, Darien paused a moment. Trista stopped to look back at him and see what was wrong. He just looked at her and quietly said: "Thank you." Trista smiled and continued to walk towards the others to wake them up.
Lita went over and started waking up the rest of the girls. Once they shook off their grogginess, they again started discussing their options and what course of action they should take.
"Imara, were there any streams or anything in the mountains? Anything that might indicate a source of food or water for us?" Amy asked.
"No."
"Then our best bet is to head back to the canyon and on the way, figure out how to get across it so that we can get to the forest. After all, trees and plants can't grow without water, now can they?" Lita suggested.
They discussed this option and finally agreed that it was their best one. So, they started their long trek across the empty expanse. Despite a peaceful night's sleep, they were all tired due to lack of food and water. They knew that they needed to find a source of nutrition soon or else hunger and dehydration would be the end of them. It was this knowledge that drove them to not give up and to reach that forest, no matter what.
After waking the others, the small group began to discuss the best, quickest and safest way to get to the other side of the canyon. They knew that whatever they decided, they must do it quickly, for both Serena and Rini were running out of time.
Rini, due to her unnatural exhaustion, had not really been paying attention or partaking in their conversation. Instead, she had been staring off in the distance, when suddenly she saw something that mad her think that she was hallucinating...a bushel of raspberries. She pointed them out to the others and asked if she was dreaming.
Darien went over to inspect the area Rini had indicated. There were indeed raspberries. Taking a chance, he decided to try one to make sure they weren't a trap or a deception and to ensure that they hadn't been poisoned. Trista wasn't happy with him for taking a chance like that, but he gave her no say in the matter. A few minutes later, when nothing had happened to him, they decided that the berries were safe to eat. So, they enjoyed a small breakfast of raspberries.
"If there's food here, maybe we'll be able to find some water too." Trista suggested.
"Possibly. We should look around and find out before we cross the canyon. Seiya, Hotaru, you two check the surrounding area for water. Just don't go too far. I want you back here in roughly two hours." Darien instructed. "Trista, Rini and I will look for more food sources and pick the remaining raspberries from the bush we already found."
"And what do you plan to put the berries in?" Seiya asked sceptically.
In response, Darien removed his green jacket and turned it into an improvised homemade basket. "This should do the trick." he said with a smirk of satisfaction on his face.
"Hmmphh! Whatever." And with that, Seiya started walking off.
"Hey Hotaru, don't put up with anything from him. If you have a problem, just holler or let me know when you get back and I'll take care of it." Darien advised her, with Trista adding in her two cents of agreement.
"Will do." she replied and then took off after Seiya.
With two of their group gone, the remaining three continued working on gathering food. After a while of searching, they managed to find some more raspberries and a few bushels of blueberries. Soon, Darien's jacket was full and Rini decided to use the scarf and bows from her school uniform as another means of storing the berries. Trista would've used the business jacket from her outfit, but that had been used for the improvised homemade bandages they placed on her more severe wounds.
Approximately two hours later, as instructed, Hotaru and Seiya came back with hopeful looks on their faces. They hadn't found a stream or anything, but they had found an area where the ground was moist and muddy, more so than any other part of the forest.
"We think there may be an underground spring or something like that." Seiya explained.
"Alright. Seiya, you and I will find some kind of stick or something to dig with and then dig up some of that earth to see if it really is a spring. Hotaru, you stay here and watch over them."
"Sure thing Darien."
"Darien, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm FINE! I'm just a little banged up, it's no biggie."
"Trista, I know that you're strong, but I also know how stubborn you are. I know that your injuries are bothering you more than you're letting on. I just don't want you over-doing it, that's all."
"Fine...for now." She finally gave in, knowing that Darien was just as stubborn as her and the rest of the Senshi and that once he had made up his mind, there was no changing it. Rini, however, had made no protest. She knew that it was useless to try and hide how weak she felt...especially after having fazed out a few times.
With the assurance that Trista was going to take it easy, the two men left with the hopes of finding some water. Hours later, as the afternoon was coming to a close and evening was getting ready to settle, the two returned with broad smiles on their faces...they had found water!
Rini, who had fallen asleep wrapped up in Trista's comforting arms, woke up to a lot of loud noise and commotion. When she learned about the discovery, she too joined in the excitement as they all got up to go and get drinks.
The six girls had been walking since sunrise and the afternoon would soon be over. They knew they only had a few hours of sunlight left. Michelle had been growing very weary and had recently blacked out in Imara's arms. She had started having problems keeping her balance a while ago, so Imara had once again started carrying her. They were all feeling the exhaustion of hunger and dehydration taking its toll on them. They started thinking about the idea that they might not make, that they would fail their Serena, their friend and Princess, but they quickly pushed those thoughts from their minds. They knew that if they kept thinking like that, it would drive them mad. Instead, they focused on reaching their destination, praying that they would survive this ordeal.
Akuma appeared in front of Serena, a smug look of victory on his face. Using his powers, he showed Serena the predicament that her friends were in and how hopeless the situation seemed.
"As you can see my dear, two of your friends are in pretty bad shape. And the child seems to be growing weaker by the hour. As for the other girls in the desert, they won't last the night. Even if the other three do survive, they'll be powerless against me. They're no match for me, especially when I have the power of your Silver Crystal. You know? I really must thank you for providing me with both it and your energy. I couldn't have done it without you."
"You bastard! My friends WILL survive and they WILL find me. We're stronger than you think. You do wrong to under-estimate your enemies. And you can be sure that when they do find me, we'll destroy you and I will reclaim what is mine. Your magic has only delayed us in our mission. But I swear this to you, in the name of the Moon, I will overcome your barriers and retake MY Crystal. You will regret ever having crossed us."
"Hahahahahahaha! You fool! Don't pester me. Those are idle threats and both you and I know it! No Serena, all of your friends are going to die and you'll be left all alone here in the prison I've made for you." Then he disappeared.
"No," she said out of both fear and anger, although she was still weak, "I won't let it happen." Tears had started forming in her eyes and they began to fall as the fear was becoming the prominent emotion. "My friends, please be safe. Mother, please give me the strength I need to help my friends. Help me give them what they need to survive." She closed her eyes and concentrated on sending her friends the strength they needed to get through this challenge. As she finished, she gave one last silent plea for their safety before blacking out for the last time.
Darien's group was heading back towards the canyon when they felt a warm wave of energy pass through them. They immediately felt refreshed and invigorated. Darien, for his part, had a look of concern on his face, he knew what had just happened. He had recognized Serena's energy from their connection. The others knew from the look on his face what had happened. Then they all heard her voice calling out to them: "My friends, please be safe." A few moments later, Rini blacked out and they knew they were almost out of time.
The six girls were ready to give up. No matter how much they walked, it seemed like the canyon never got any closer. It was at the moment that they were about to give in to the exhaustion that they felt the same warm wave wash over them and they felt a new sense of hope building inside them. They also had a new burst of energy that made them feel like they could face anything. Even Michelle woke up again. As they looked at each other with a new determination on their faces, they too heard Serena's voice call out to them. It was the same message: "My friends, please be safe." Sensing that time was running out faster than it was before, they pressed on towards the canyon. A while later, their perseverance was rewarded, they had reached the canyon. As they looked over to the other side, they were relieved to see the faces of their friends (who were to busy analyzing the canyon and how to get across it to notice them). They called over to them to get their attention. The smaller co-ed group looked up, and a similar look of relief crossed their faces.
After hearing that there was food and water on the other side, the others carefully but speedily made their way to the other side. It was the middle of the night when they arrived at the top of the other side and they graciously accepted the food and water offered to them. Michelle's wounds were tended to and the group took the time they had to rest, for they knew that soon they would be facing the challenge of their lives.
Disclaimer: Must I really say it?
AN: It was brought to my attention that if Serena is getting weaker, wouldn't this be seen in the use of the crystal? Probably yes, but with the planet's population being threatened into doing as Akuma wishes, he would be using the Crystal less. But that wouldn't stop the ropes from draining her energy. So basically, Akuma's getting a nice large reserve of power.
Chapter 8: Lucky Breaks
Serena stirred from her unconscious state. "Hold on my love, I'm coming." she heard Darien's voice telling her. "Darien? Where are you?" she murmured as she slowly managed to lift her head. When she looked around to see where he was, she saw no one. It must have been a dream she thought to herself.
When the time came for Darien to wake Seiya up for his watch, he found that he wasn't tired in the slightest. So instead of waking him, he just let Seiya continue sleeping while he maintained his watch, keeping alert with a watchful eye to spot any danger that may be approaching.
In the early hours of the morning (ie. 2 or 3), Trista started waking up. Darien went over to check on her while helping her sit up slightly. He was relieved to see that she was well on her way to recovery from yesterday's incident.
"Oohhh...my head!" Trista raised her hand to her head to try and stop the spinning sensation that was coming from the sudden head rush she had received from sitting up too fast. "How long have I been out for?"
"A little less than a day. How are you feeling...considering the circumstances?
"Fine, I guess. A little sore, but that's to be expected. What about Rini and Hotaru, are they all right?"
"Hotaru's fine. They both got a few scrapes and bruises, but otherwise they were unharmed in the fight. But Rini..."
"But what?" Trista prodded him. "What about her? She's all right, isn't she?" she asked fearfully.
Darien gave a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure. Yesterday after the incident, she started fazing in and out of the timeline. It's happened several times since. I'm just afraid that I'm going to lose them!"
Darien's emotional barriers started to fail as a few tears began to run down his cheeks. This did not go unnoticed by Trista, despite Darien's futile attempts to hide them and the cloak of night that still surrounded them. Trista moved to put a comforting arm around his shoulder. She tried to reassure him, but it was hard for her to. She was deeply concerned about the safety and lives of her future queen and Goddaughter. She loved them both so very much and she would do anything to protect them and get them out of harm's way. And so the two of them sat in silence the rest of the night, until the sun began to rise and the time came for them to wake the others.
"We should wake the others up now and continue our search for the rest of the Senshi. I'll fill you in on what the plan is as go." Darien said as he stood up and took one last look across the way before waking the others.
Trista nodded in understanding and stood up as well. In his mind, Darien was a little worried as to whether or not Trista would be up to the trip, but he knew that she would insist upon going no matter what. She was a Senshi after all, and they all seemed to have that same stubbornness when it came to situations like this.
As they headed back over to where the others were, Darien paused a moment. Trista stopped to look back at him and see what was wrong. He just looked at her and quietly said: "Thank you." Trista smiled and continued to walk towards the others to wake them up.
Lita went over and started waking up the rest of the girls. Once they shook off their grogginess, they again started discussing their options and what course of action they should take.
"Imara, were there any streams or anything in the mountains? Anything that might indicate a source of food or water for us?" Amy asked.
"No."
"Then our best bet is to head back to the canyon and on the way, figure out how to get across it so that we can get to the forest. After all, trees and plants can't grow without water, now can they?" Lita suggested.
They discussed this option and finally agreed that it was their best one. So, they started their long trek across the empty expanse. Despite a peaceful night's sleep, they were all tired due to lack of food and water. They knew that they needed to find a source of nutrition soon or else hunger and dehydration would be the end of them. It was this knowledge that drove them to not give up and to reach that forest, no matter what.
After waking the others, the small group began to discuss the best, quickest and safest way to get to the other side of the canyon. They knew that whatever they decided, they must do it quickly, for both Serena and Rini were running out of time.
Rini, due to her unnatural exhaustion, had not really been paying attention or partaking in their conversation. Instead, she had been staring off in the distance, when suddenly she saw something that mad her think that she was hallucinating...a bushel of raspberries. She pointed them out to the others and asked if she was dreaming.
Darien went over to inspect the area Rini had indicated. There were indeed raspberries. Taking a chance, he decided to try one to make sure they weren't a trap or a deception and to ensure that they hadn't been poisoned. Trista wasn't happy with him for taking a chance like that, but he gave her no say in the matter. A few minutes later, when nothing had happened to him, they decided that the berries were safe to eat. So, they enjoyed a small breakfast of raspberries.
"If there's food here, maybe we'll be able to find some water too." Trista suggested.
"Possibly. We should look around and find out before we cross the canyon. Seiya, Hotaru, you two check the surrounding area for water. Just don't go too far. I want you back here in roughly two hours." Darien instructed. "Trista, Rini and I will look for more food sources and pick the remaining raspberries from the bush we already found."
"And what do you plan to put the berries in?" Seiya asked sceptically.
In response, Darien removed his green jacket and turned it into an improvised homemade basket. "This should do the trick." he said with a smirk of satisfaction on his face.
"Hmmphh! Whatever." And with that, Seiya started walking off.
"Hey Hotaru, don't put up with anything from him. If you have a problem, just holler or let me know when you get back and I'll take care of it." Darien advised her, with Trista adding in her two cents of agreement.
"Will do." she replied and then took off after Seiya.
With two of their group gone, the remaining three continued working on gathering food. After a while of searching, they managed to find some more raspberries and a few bushels of blueberries. Soon, Darien's jacket was full and Rini decided to use the scarf and bows from her school uniform as another means of storing the berries. Trista would've used the business jacket from her outfit, but that had been used for the improvised homemade bandages they placed on her more severe wounds.
Approximately two hours later, as instructed, Hotaru and Seiya came back with hopeful looks on their faces. They hadn't found a stream or anything, but they had found an area where the ground was moist and muddy, more so than any other part of the forest.
"We think there may be an underground spring or something like that." Seiya explained.
"Alright. Seiya, you and I will find some kind of stick or something to dig with and then dig up some of that earth to see if it really is a spring. Hotaru, you stay here and watch over them."
"Sure thing Darien."
"Darien, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm FINE! I'm just a little banged up, it's no biggie."
"Trista, I know that you're strong, but I also know how stubborn you are. I know that your injuries are bothering you more than you're letting on. I just don't want you over-doing it, that's all."
"Fine...for now." She finally gave in, knowing that Darien was just as stubborn as her and the rest of the Senshi and that once he had made up his mind, there was no changing it. Rini, however, had made no protest. She knew that it was useless to try and hide how weak she felt...especially after having fazed out a few times.
With the assurance that Trista was going to take it easy, the two men left with the hopes of finding some water. Hours later, as the afternoon was coming to a close and evening was getting ready to settle, the two returned with broad smiles on their faces...they had found water!
Rini, who had fallen asleep wrapped up in Trista's comforting arms, woke up to a lot of loud noise and commotion. When she learned about the discovery, she too joined in the excitement as they all got up to go and get drinks.
The six girls had been walking since sunrise and the afternoon would soon be over. They knew they only had a few hours of sunlight left. Michelle had been growing very weary and had recently blacked out in Imara's arms. She had started having problems keeping her balance a while ago, so Imara had once again started carrying her. They were all feeling the exhaustion of hunger and dehydration taking its toll on them. They started thinking about the idea that they might not make, that they would fail their Serena, their friend and Princess, but they quickly pushed those thoughts from their minds. They knew that if they kept thinking like that, it would drive them mad. Instead, they focused on reaching their destination, praying that they would survive this ordeal.
Akuma appeared in front of Serena, a smug look of victory on his face. Using his powers, he showed Serena the predicament that her friends were in and how hopeless the situation seemed.
"As you can see my dear, two of your friends are in pretty bad shape. And the child seems to be growing weaker by the hour. As for the other girls in the desert, they won't last the night. Even if the other three do survive, they'll be powerless against me. They're no match for me, especially when I have the power of your Silver Crystal. You know? I really must thank you for providing me with both it and your energy. I couldn't have done it without you."
"You bastard! My friends WILL survive and they WILL find me. We're stronger than you think. You do wrong to under-estimate your enemies. And you can be sure that when they do find me, we'll destroy you and I will reclaim what is mine. Your magic has only delayed us in our mission. But I swear this to you, in the name of the Moon, I will overcome your barriers and retake MY Crystal. You will regret ever having crossed us."
"Hahahahahahaha! You fool! Don't pester me. Those are idle threats and both you and I know it! No Serena, all of your friends are going to die and you'll be left all alone here in the prison I've made for you." Then he disappeared.
"No," she said out of both fear and anger, although she was still weak, "I won't let it happen." Tears had started forming in her eyes and they began to fall as the fear was becoming the prominent emotion. "My friends, please be safe. Mother, please give me the strength I need to help my friends. Help me give them what they need to survive." She closed her eyes and concentrated on sending her friends the strength they needed to get through this challenge. As she finished, she gave one last silent plea for their safety before blacking out for the last time.
Darien's group was heading back towards the canyon when they felt a warm wave of energy pass through them. They immediately felt refreshed and invigorated. Darien, for his part, had a look of concern on his face, he knew what had just happened. He had recognized Serena's energy from their connection. The others knew from the look on his face what had happened. Then they all heard her voice calling out to them: "My friends, please be safe." A few moments later, Rini blacked out and they knew they were almost out of time.
The six girls were ready to give up. No matter how much they walked, it seemed like the canyon never got any closer. It was at the moment that they were about to give in to the exhaustion that they felt the same warm wave wash over them and they felt a new sense of hope building inside them. They also had a new burst of energy that made them feel like they could face anything. Even Michelle woke up again. As they looked at each other with a new determination on their faces, they too heard Serena's voice call out to them. It was the same message: "My friends, please be safe." Sensing that time was running out faster than it was before, they pressed on towards the canyon. A while later, their perseverance was rewarded, they had reached the canyon. As they looked over to the other side, they were relieved to see the faces of their friends (who were to busy analyzing the canyon and how to get across it to notice them). They called over to them to get their attention. The smaller co-ed group looked up, and a similar look of relief crossed their faces.
After hearing that there was food and water on the other side, the others carefully but speedily made their way to the other side. It was the middle of the night when they arrived at the top of the other side and they graciously accepted the food and water offered to them. Michelle's wounds were tended to and the group took the time they had to rest, for they knew that soon they would be facing the challenge of their lives.