A Viper's Poison
.:Angelgrl185:.
Thank you all for the reviews of Chapter Six!
MysticSilverEve: Yes I read my reviews and no this is not a Serena/Seiya fic, it is definately a Darien/Serena fic.
DarkParis: The answer to your first question is in this chapter and the nuclear weapon will be revealed and explained later on in the story.
daydream24: Thank you for the compliments, Lita's part in the story may not be done yet even though she is dead.
Endymion'sGurl: Don't worry, I'm keeping Darien safe I promise!
Crystal Rein: Thank you for the encouragement, I haven't really thought about doing a sequel, but I'll keep it in mind if some new paths open up in the story.
((I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its components))
Previously on A Viper's Poison:
"No! I can't abandon it. I need to stop them before the weapon is used to hurt innocent people." Darien argued fiercely.
"I admire you Darien, but please be careful." Andrew pleaded with him.
"I will, Andrew, I will. I need to get back to work now, I'll see you Friday alright?" Darien said, getting up from the counter.
"Yeah, Friday. And, good luck Darien." Andrew added, concern in his soft brown eyes.
"Thanks Andrew." Darien waved as he headed out of the door. Andrew watched silently, worry and fear for his friend filling his heart.
Chapter Seven: The Silent One
A loud knock resounded through Serena's house and when she answered the door, a bubbly Mina greeted her.
"Hey Serena! Getting ready for our hot date tonight?" Mina asked with a wink.
"Not yet, I'm not really sure what to wear. I mean, what does one wear on a fancy dinner in which they are going to kill their date." Serena asked.
"Well I don't really think most people have death in mind when they eat, but I suggest a nice, sexy blood red dress. At least he'll die a happy man." Mina suggested with a wicked grin.
"And I suppose the color goes with the theme, right?" Serena added.
"Right." Mina grinned. "So you are going to do the dirty deed tonight? How?"
"How do Vipers normally kill their prey?" Serena quizzed.
"Poison." Mina answered, understanding dawning in her blue eyes.
"Yes, I decided to use a poison called Bacio della morte, it means kiss of death in Italian. I am going to slip it into Darien's food. It is odorless and undetectable, one of Amy's new inventions. The police will think he caught a bad case of food poisoning." Serena explained.
"Very crafty Serena. I think we should get ready now, it is almost five." Mina pointed out.
"Right, ok, blood red dress." Serena decided and began to dig through her closet.
An hour later, two of the most beautiful and deadliest women in the world waltzed out of Serena's home. A cool night breeze threatened to undo perfected hair as the pair walked down the gravel driveway to Mina's blue BMW. Serena's platinum blond hair was half up, secured with two long silver pins. Mina's golden blond hair was all the way up, surrounded by tiny braids and bobby pins and both had smooth curls framing their faces. Two sets of expensive shoes clicked against the ground in the same rhythm as they walked, one crimson red, the other royal blue. The moonlight's soft halo provided a spotlight for the goddesses of the night. Serena shivered as the breeze caressed her bare shoulders and she pulled her red silk wrap higher. Her crimson red strapless dress conformed to her body, but flared out when it reached the soft curves of her waist. It is one of Serena's favorite dresses; it felt light and breezy, the short flare twirling around her legs. Mina opened the drive side doer and slipped in, adjusting the black spaghetti straps of her dress. The tip of the dress faded from the darkest black to the lightest blue at the very end where the soft material clung just below her thighs. Serena climbed into the passenger seat and both buckled up before starting the drive to DC.
The nightlife of DC flashed by in the twinkling of an eye and before long, the girls had reached Chez Antoine. The valet took Mina's BMW off their hands and they walked up to and entered the restaurant. When they entered the wooden doors with glass panes, a young teenage man with spiky blond hair and a cute grin greeted them.
"Good evening ladies, welcome to Chez Antoine." The boy said with an exaggerated sweeping bow.
"Thank you. Are all the hosts as handsome and gentleman like as you?" Mina said, flashing him a bright smile.
"Well, I don't know about handsome, but they would be gentlemen if they were in the company of such beautiful women like I am at present." He replied. "You must be Miss Serena and Miss Mina. Am I correct?"
"Why yes." Serena answered in surprise. "How did you know who we are?"
"The men from your party have already been seated, they told me to expect two radiant looking women named Serena and Mina." He explained.
"How did you know that we were those women?" Mina inquired. The young man tilted his head and winked.
"It's not every day that two blond beauties walk into a restaurant, especially radiant goddesses like yourselves." He said with suave.
"Oh the flattery." Mina sighed, pressing her hand to her chest.
"Follow me ladies." He said, turning around and leading them through the dimly lit restaurant, past the other patrons indulging in fine wine and food. When they reached the table, Darien and Andrew quickly stood up and pulled out the chairs for the women. Mina began her charming tendencies and threw Andrew a shy smile before adverting her bright blue eyes from his soft brown ones. Andrew combed his sandy blond hair with his fingers as he took in Mina's Aphrodite image and grinned in appreciation when the thought she was not looking. Mina appraised Andrew, looking up through her thick black eyelashes and poked Serena in the thigh, their age-old sign for hotty alert.
"Mina, this is Darien. I'm sure you remember seeing him in the hospital and this would be his friend-." Serena started introducing everyone.
"Andrew, the pleasure is mine Miss Mina." Andrew cut in, grabbing Mina's hand and placing an eloquent kiss on the back of it.
"Pleasure indeed." Mina said throwing him a saucy look before remembering her charade to be shy and casting her gaze downward again as a pink blush rose to her cheeks.
"Well now that we are all acquainted how about we figure out what we want to eat." Darien suggested handing each woman a menu. "Andrew and I have already looked it over, but you both just got here so we shall give you some time to decide."
"Oh Mina and I eat here all the time, we already know what we want, right Mina?" Serena said turning to her friend.
"Yes, I know what I want, let's order." Mina decided, lifting her hand up and summoning the closest waiter.
"I'm going to get a steak." Andrew informed them. "I love fresh meat." He said with a smirk, his brown eyes connecting with Mina. A petite cute waitress came and took their orders then walked away towards the kitchen, leaving the foursome in silence.
"So, how about you ladies tell us a little about yourselves." Darien suggested gesturing to Serena and Mina.
"Well, Mina and I have known each other for over ten years now and we work together, that's how we met." Serena started.
"Really, where do you two work?" Andrew asked.
"Millennium." Mina answered quickly, getting a raised eyebrow from Serena.
"Millennium, what is that?" Andrew said confused. Mina waited to answer as the waitress came back with their food.
"It's a modeling agency, we are models." Mina explained. Serena tried to muffle her laughter with a cough.
"Models, looking at you two I could believe that." Darien decided.
"Yeah, and you can come model for me anytime." Andrew added looking pointedly at Mina.
"I'm not a stripper you pervert!" Mina yelled throwing her napkin viciously at Andrew who fended off the attacking cloth with his hands.
"Aren't they a mature match." Serena whispered sarcastically to Darien's ear who laughed in response all the while watching Mina stick her tongue out at Andrew.
"Fine then, what about you two." Mina asked.
"Well Madame, I'll have you know that I am a successful business man." Andrew boasted proudly pointing to himself.
"Yeah of an arcade." Darien snickered teasing his friend.
"It is a café and an arcade Darien and I know you appreciate it so don't give me that, you eat there every day." Andrew pointed out in defense.
"I only eat there because I'm your only customer!" Darien tossed back playfully.
"That's not true and you know it!" Andrew argued. Mina and Serena just rolled their eyes at the playful banter of the two boys.
"Would you like to order some wine?" the waitress interrupted.
"Why not, give us your best." Serena decided cheerfully as Darien and Andrew gaped at her.
"Darien, your turn." Mina said when the waitress finished distributing the wine.
"Have you ever heard of Crystal Empires?" Darien asked taking a huge sip of his wine. Serena wrinkled her forehead as if trying to remember something, but her hands were moving unnoticed under the table by anyone except Mina. She pulled out a small vile that contained a clear liquid and poised it in her hands, ready to take the initiative if a time presented itself. To distract the two men, Mina piped up with an answer to Darien's question.
"Yeah I think I know what it is. Is that the huge electrical company bent on producing a new energy source that is more convenient and cheaper?" Mina asked, secretly giving Serena a nudge.
"Yeah, bravo Mina, didn't know models were up to date on the scientific world. It's top secret research so I am afraid I cannot disclose it to you all." He said seriously as he drained the rest of his wine.
"Oh come on Dare, you can't leave them hanging like that." Andrew argued.
"You mean you told Andrew and you can't tell us!" Mina said offended.
"Well, he is my best friend." Darien defended himself as the waitress filled his wine back up with Serena's insistence and Darien continued to drink.
"I can't believe you let that idiot know about top secret information!" Mina said in mock horror.
"Hey, I resent that." Andrew protested.
"Come on Darien, please tell us!" Serena insisted, pouting slightly. Darien sighed and continued.
"Crystal Empires is infamous for its work with electricity and solar power. Recently some scientists went to the moon and recovered some strange rocks there that they brought back to Crystal Empires for me to work with."
"Darien here is a little genius you won't believe what he found out." Andrew butted in slapping Darien on the back.
"It's not that big of a deal Andrew and I really shouldn't talk about it." Darien spoke.
"What'd you discover Darien, I'm fascinated by Crystal Empires, I didn't know they were such an advanced organization." Serena urged him on finguring the vile.
"Alright, while I was working with the moon rocks or more technically correct, moon crystals, I discovered a raw energy power contained within the crystals that is greater than any I have ever seen before. Crystal Empires is going to take the new energy source and give it to the people of earth so we do not have to pay high electrical prices or gas prices anymore. It's truly revolutionary." Darien said proudly.
"Energy source for the world, yeah right, more like nuking the world." Andrew mumbled low under his breath, but Serena's toned hearing caught every word and she almost dropped the vile in surprise. Darien sucked in his breath and kicked Andrew under the table in the shins.
"I'm excited to see how we can harness this energy to help the world." Darien added.
"I bet I would love to see these moon crystals, I'm so fascinated by the idea." Serena said truly intrigued, but her mind was playing over what Andrew had said.
'Nuclear weapons? There is something strange going on in Crystal Empires and I'm going to find out what it is.' She thought to herself tucking the vile back into her purse as Mina threw her a questioning look. Serena shook her head discreetly and turned her attention back to Darien.
"What was that Darien, I zoned out for a second, I'm sorry." Serena apologized.
"No big deal, science is boring, but what I was saying is that I would love to give you a tour of Crystal Empires. People come in all the time to get a peak at the futuristic things we make so it wouldn't be a big deal." Darien explained again smiling at the excited look on Serena's face.
"Darien that would be amazing! I'd love too!" Serena accepted excitedly.
"Wonderful, I'll take you tomorrow. I actually have the day off so we can just tour and not do anything." Darien decided.
"Want to pick me up at three?" Serena suggested.
"Deal." Darien agreed.
"I am stuffed!" Andrew announced as he stretched out his limbs with a yawn.
"And tired apparently." Mina added watching him.
"Yup, ready for some quality bed time, want to join me?" Andrew said fluttering his eyes at Mina.
"Yeah right I wouldn't want to catch a disease." Mina said sticking her nose in the air.
"We better get out of here before those two do some serious damage to each other. Mina can be very vicious." Serena warned as Darien agreed nodding his head exasperated, his dark blue eyes watching the other pair.
"Come on Mina, stop flirting, we're leaving now." Serena said, pulling Mina away from Andrew as she tried to claw him.
"Flirting? With that thing!" Mina screeched throwing a disgusted look in Andrew's direction.
"You know you want me sugar lips." Andrew provoked her, licking his lips then smacking them together.
"I'm going to hurt you!" Mina choked out trying to get out of Serena's grasp as she was dragged away.
"Good bye Darien, I'll see you tomorrow, nice to meet you Andrew." Serena called and she dragged her friend away.
"Bye ladies." Darien replied with a wave.
"Bye Serena, bye love of my life!" Andrew yelled blowing a kiss at Mina who turned away and stomped out of the restaurant and into her waiting car with a laughing Serena following her.
"That was a lot of fun." Serena said when they were on the road.
"Yeah it was pretty fun. Darien is a really cool guy, unlike his friend." Mina said sullenly.
"Mina you know you liked him." Serena teased her. "You just mad that you let him get to you like that."
"He is really hot isn't he?" Mina replied, throwing Serena a grin.
"Yup."
"So is Darien." Mina added slyly.
"Yup. To bad he's not going to be around much for me to enjoy it."
"If you ever get around to killing him." Mina observed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Serena said sharply.
"I don't know, you tell me Serena. That is twice you have not killed your mark. That's not very like you." Mina pointed out.
"The first time we were in an accident Mina, we almost died. I couldn't help that." Serena reminded her.
"True, but what about tonight? You had the vile out I saw it plus you had ample time to slip it into his wine yet you didn't, why?" Mina questioned as Serena sighed.
"Did you hear the comment that Andrew let slip?" she asked, but Mina shook her head.
"When Darien was talking about using the energy as a source for electricity and such to improve the world, Andrew mumbled under his breath 'More like nuking the world.' It surprised me and I want to know more about this nuclear weapon and what exactly Crystal Empires is doing." Serena explained.
"Wow, so that's why you got Darien to take you inside." Mina figured out.
"Right." Serena affirmed.
"That was a nice touch, giving him wine, did you drug it?" Mina asked
"No, he just drank enough to loosen his lips." Serena smiled.
"Be careful Serena, if Crystal Empires is really producing nuclear weapons, they are going to be ruthless and won't take lightly to intruders." Mina warned.
"I will, I will."
The next day, Darien picked Serena up and took her over to Crystal Empires. As they drove up to it, the massive building impressed Serena. It was twenty-five stories high, towering above the rest of the city and the outside was made completely of glass with crystal framing and silver doors. It was truly a beautiful sight.
"Impressive isn't it?" Darien whispered in her ear as she stood next to the car causing her body to tingle as his warm breath touched her ear. She nodded in response, staring at the silver words hanging on the front, Crystal Empires. She felt anger boiling in the pit of her stomach as she stared at her father's company, or what had once been her father's company.
"Let's go in, shall we?" Darien said, tugging on Serena's wrist, pulling her in the direction of the building. They walked through the silver doors, which opened automatically as they approach and stepped onto the moving floor belt, which took them to a security check.
"Good morning Mr. Shields." A tall African American security guard greeted him with a nod. "Aren't you off today?"
"Yeah, I'm just visiting." Darien replied.
"Visiting your work place on your day off, man you need to get a life." The guard joked.
"Yeah." Darien agreed sheepishly.
"I think you have a wonderful life Darien." Serena jumped in, stepping out from behind Darien as the guard's eyes widened when he took in her features.
"Way to go Darien, didn't know you had it in you." The guard congratulated him.
"Thanks. Diego, this is Serena, Serena, this is my friend Diego." Darien introduced them.
"Pleasure ma'am." Diego said tipping his hat.
"Pleased to meet you too Diego." Serena said smiling at the guard.
"Follow me now Serena." Darien said leading her away. They walked through an intricate maze of hallways before reaching a large arena filled with all sorts of technical equipment.
"This is where I work." Darien explained. "This is where Project Moon Crystal commences."
"It's amazing." Serena said in awe at all the expensive equipment.
"Come this way, there is someone I'd like you to meet." Darien said eagerly, pulling her once again. He led her down one of the ramps into the main floor of the arena, walking around various equipment and through groups of scientists in white coats. They reached a small silver door sealed with a keypad and eye scan. Darien put his blue eyes before the scan and Serena watched fascinated as a red laser came out of the box and scanned Darien's pupils before going back in the box and a voice activated, asking for a security code. Serena pretended not to watch Darien punch in the access code, but looked out of the corner of her eye and memorized the code, storing it in her memory, 775319. A suction of air was heard and the silver door unlocked enabling Darien to push it open. Serena followed Darien into the small room where a young woman was bent over a large microscope, her black hair was tied behind her neck though a few strands fell over the microscope, the light reflecting its violet tints. She looked up when she saw Darien and smiled brightly and ran over to him and gave him a hug. Serena felt a twinge of jealously but quickly waved it away as the girl turned her gaze to Serena. They stared at each other, the other girl looking extremely startled before composing herself. Darien let go of the girl and turned back towards Serena.
"Serena, I'd like you to meet my younger sister Raye, Raye this is Serena." Darien introduced them. Serena studied the girl as she reached out and shook her hand secretly relieved they were related. She stared into Raye's bright violet eyes and took in her full figure. Darien's sister was completely gorgeous, no wonder since Darien is so handsome.
"Nice to meet you Serena." Raye said softly, her voice chiming musically and Serena heard a deeper meaning in her words and was puzzled.
"Pleased to meet you as well Raye. Darien didn't tell me he had a sister, but you definitely look alike." Serena commented and Raye tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ears with a laugh.
"Darien doesn't really tell anyone about me, I think he's embarrassed that we are related." Raye said, looking at the ground sadly.
"What! Raye, that's not true!" Darien protested frantically.
"It's ok Darien. It's ok to be ashamed that your baby sister is not only smarter than you but also cooler." Raye said lifting up her face laughing at Darien's expression.
"Why you little…" Darien started letting his voice die down with the unspoken threat. Serena laughed as she watched the sibling antics.
"I think I'm going to like you Raye." Serena said brightly as she cuffed Darien in the arm who gave her an evil glare.
"Ditto." Raye said giving Serena a warm smile.
"Come on Serena, I want to show you around some more." Darien said, waving goodbye to Raye.
"Bye Serena!" Raye called as they walked out.
"Bye Raye!" Serena yelled back right before Darien dragged her out of Raye's sight. "I like your sister." Serena said honestly turning her attention to Darien.
"I'm glad, and she seems to like you too which is rare because Raye doesn't like anyone I introduce her too. You are the first." Darien admitted a little shocked at Raye's reaction to Serena.
"Well I just bring out the best in people I guess." Serena joked as they walked back through the crowded arena.
"Hey can you hold on a second, I see someone over there who might need my help, wait here." Darien said before jogging off to the right. Serena stood in the middle of the floor, just watching everyone walk by when someone caught her eye. A few yards in front of her, a young woman bustled busily around her work desk, picking up papers. Her long chestnut hair was pulled back into a high ponytail that curled down her back. Her bright green eyes focused on her task as her body towered over the desk.
"Lita?" Serena said softly in disbelief. She absentmindedly began walking towards the woman dazed until someone roughly grabbed her arm and yanked her to the side. Serena protested trying to get away, frantically looking for the young woman, but she was gone. Angry, Serena turned around to face the person who was handling her and was surprised when she came face to face with Michael Borlio.
"What are you doing here Serena." Michael said gruffly, bringing his face close to hers.
"My job that's what." Serena snapped in dislike wrenching her arm out of his grasp.
"Your job, please." He sneered. "Your job was supposed to be finished by now, so why do I see Darien Shields still walking around, alive?" he said emphasizing the last word.
"Some things came up that I couldn't prevent." Serena said defensively.
"We are paying you a lot of money to get rid of him Serena, I don't want you fooling around. You are supposed to be the best now act like it or else." He said coldly.
"Are you threatening me?" Serena asked, stepping closer to him, her bright aqua eyes darkening. "Do you dare to threaten me?" Serena hissed.
"Let's just say that you better do what you are being paid to or Darien won't be the only one not breathing in the end." Michael said, his cold voice freezing Serena, sending shivers down her spine.
"You can't hurt me." She growled.
"Watch me. I'm very good at what I do Serena." He answered.
"So am I."
"Not that I have seen." He sneered again. "I'm warning you Serena, kill Darien Shields before you suffer the consequences. We wouldn't anymore loved ones getting hurt now would we?" Michael said pulling her towards her, running a scarred hand through her silky hair.
"Get off of me!" she screeched, whacking away his hand. "What do you mean by that?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Until next time Miss Gracin." He whispered before releasing her and melting into the crowd. Serena stood there and leaned against the wall closing her eyes just breathing.
"Until next time Serena Gracin." Michael's voice echoed in her mind.
"How did he know?" Serena whispered pain evident in her eyes. "How did he know my real name?" Memories of her mother and father resurfaced in her mind, bright and clear. Serena shook her head trying to get the pictures out of her mind. Pictures of her mother, bloodied and lifeless and she felt a solitary tear slip down her cheek. Dark blue eyes flashed before her eyes, so cold and cruel along with the image of a man, a dark man in a black trench coat with brown hair. Serena's eyes widened as the identity of the man dawned on her.
"Michael." She whispered again, her voice shaking with emotion as she realized who had brutally murdered her mother. "Noooo!" she screamed hysterically banging her hands against the silver walls as employees of Crystal Empires turned to watch her.
"Serena!" a masculine voice cut through her memories and hands grabbed her shoulders shaking her.
"Serena, what's wrong?" Darien's face floated through her mind, the last thing she saw before she passed out.
Darien paced the floor of Serena's bedroom as he watch the woman sleeping peacefully in her bed. What ever had caused her to faint had passed and she was sleeping serenely. He walked over to her window and looked out into the sky, watching the vibrant colors filling the sky as the sun began to set over the mountains. It was truly beautiful, just like her. Darien sighed and ran his fingers through his hair frustrated. There was so much going on right now he did not know how to handle it. First, there was the strenuous amount of work he had put into the moon crystals that had drained his body and then the discovery of the nuclear weapons and finally Serena. Serena, gods she was beautiful, and witty, and interesting and amazing. Darien shook his head as he turned back towards Serena. When did it happen? He had no idea. Raye had always teased him that someday when he least expected it, some woman was going to come and steal his heart. Well, that was exactly what had happened. Darien looked up as he heard Serena rustling the covers of the bed.
She had been lying in the bed awake for a while, but unsure of what to do. Thoughts were flooding her brain and for the first time she felt, overwhelmed. The discovery of who Michael was had shocked her. Serena was mad that she had been fooled and did not recognize him right away especially since she had been looking for him so long. Then there was Darien. Since she knew what Michael could do and that he was backed by a powerful organization, Serena had no doubt that Michael could make good on his threats. She had no choice but to follow the orders and finish out her assignment even if she was unsure of Crystal Empires, she was a professional and she was going to do her job.
Darien walked over to Serena and sat on the side of the bed as she opened her eyes.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" he asked, concern riding in his voice. Serena managed a shaky smile.
"I'm ok, sorry about what happened, I was attacked by a fierce migraine." Serena lied.
"I'm just glad you are feeling better." Darien smiled softly at Serena as his coarse hand covered one of her soft ones and ran his thumb in feathery circles around her skin causing her to tingle at his touch and she felt a small shiver of pleasure run through her body. Serena pushed back the covers of her bed and got up, adjusting her light pink tank top and smoothing her blue jeans.
"Darien, thank you again for helping me, you always seem to be there when I need someone." Serena said sweetly as she walked up to him. "Do you want something to eat?"
"Yeah sure." He answered as she clasped her hand in his and led him out of the bedroom and down the stairs towards the kitchen. Serena slowly turned around and pulled him closer to her, until their bodies touched.
"I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for something sweet." Serena whispered huskily into Darien's ear, her lips brushing his lobe. Darien's deep blue eyes widened in surprise at Serena's forwardness, but he did not protest when she leaned into him and touched her lips to his. He felt like he was floating. Serena's lips were soft and full, urging him on. She wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing circles in his midnight hair with the tip of her finger. Darien was gentle, unsure of how far to push her, but Serena opened her mouth willingly and Darien slipped his tongue inside, mesmerized by the way she felt pressed up against, how sweet she tasted in his mouth, like lush ripe berries and he moaned, running his hands down her back, drawing her closer to him. Serena felt his hands on her and everywhere he touched seemed to burn like fire. She had never felt this way before in her life and it scared her, not even Seiya elicited this reaction from her the other night. He smelled heavenly, like roses and cinnamon and she could not stop running her fingers through his silky hair. Suddenly her senses caught a hold of her and she steeled her mind to the task. Before he could capture her senses again, Serena reached into her pants and slipped out a knife, concealing it in her hand. She broke their kiss, dropping her head to his neck and planting tiny kisses along his jaw, working around his neck as she walked behind him, placing one arm around the top of his shoulder and holding it firmly on his muscular chest. In a flash Serena brought up the other knife and placed it under Darien's neck at the base of his throat. Darien's eyes widened in disbelief when he felt the cold steel pressed against his skin and he felt his heart throbbing in his chest, out of fear and pain.
"Serena, what are you doing?" Darien asked frantically.
"Something I was supposed to have done a week ago Darien." Serena answered. Gone was the playful tone, instead a calculating, emotionless voice of steel rang out in his ears.
"Why?" was the only thing he could register in his mind while his heart screamed out of her betrayal.
"It is what I was hired to do Darien. Crystal Empires thinks you know too much about their new project and they hired an assassin to dispose of you, namely, me." Serena explained. "I'm truly sorry Darien." Serena spoke again, her voice softening as she steadied her grip on her knife. "I've grown attached to you, I don't want to do this." She whispered and he could hear the sincerity in her voice and a flutter of hope entered his heart.
"Then don't Serena, we could be together." Darien pleaded with her gently.
"No, I'm afraid that can't happen Darien, it needs to end now before someone I love gets hurt." Serena said the passive tone returning.
"What about me? Do you have no love for me?" Darien asked sadly. Serena's eyes widened at his words and her walls shook a little. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to block out all the emotions threatening to break free. Her hands began to shake and her arms loosened around his neck. Serena's heart and mind fought a war in her body that weakened her resolve and finally, defeated, Serena dropped her arms and let Darien go.
"What is happening to me?" she screamed sinking to her knees. Darien moved away from her quickly, but watched her tormented on the floor.
"I am a professional!" Serena yelled throwing her knife across the room where it embedded itself in the wall. Her shoulders wracked with emotion and Darien could not take watching her in pain anymore. He walked over to her, kneeled next to her and enveloped her in his arms. Serena gripped his shoulders as sobs poured out of her, her whole body shaking.
"No! You need to leave Darien. Leave now!" Serena pleaded with him, turning a tear stained face to him.
"I can't leave you like this." He argued.
"I just tried to kill you Darien do you not understand that?" she yelled pushing him away and standing up on wobbly legs.
"But you didn't." Darien said softly. Serena refused to look at him.
"Get out Darien, if I don't kill you then they will. Leave before I change my mind." She warned him harshly. When he did not move, Serena grabbed his arm and dragged him to the door with incredible force. She grabbed the brass door handle and opened the front door. Serena threw him at the door and watched him as he collected himself. Darien looked at her solemnly before coming straight back to her and pulling her into his arms, crushing her lips with his own in a passionate kiss, pouring out every emotion he felt for her in it. Abruptly, he let go and drew back, staring into her eyes, deep, soulful blue ones cutting into her cold aqua ones before exiting her home, slamming the door behind him. Serena choked a sob by covering her mouth with her hands, while trying to catch her breath. Silently she back against the wall and slid down it until she was sitting on her wooden hallway floor. Serena rested her folded arms on her knees, buried her head and cried.
Darien rushed to his car and drove as fast as he could to someone he knew could help him. He ran up the walkway to the house and banged on the front door as hard as he could, waiting impatiently for the owner to answer. When he did answer, Darien did not even speak, just pushed his way into the house.
"Darien, what's wrong." The man asked.
"Someone just tried to kill me!" Darien yelled frustrated.
"Who."
"Serena! Serena just tried to kill me!" Darien spat out.
"But you are still alive, that is not possible if it was truly Serena trying to kill you." The man said bewildered. Darien stopped his raving and stared at his friend.
"What do you mean, what do you know about Serena?" Darien asked.
"You know the two girls I have working on the inside with you Darien?" the man asked. Darien nodded in response.
"They are assassins, I don't think you knew that, but they are and they are part of the deadliest group in the world, but they are also very good at intelligence operations." The man explained.
"Wonderful, but what does that have to do with Serena?" Darien asked, beginning to get angry.
"Darien my old friend, Serena is one of them, in fact, she is the natural born leader of them." Darien's face took on a look of rage.
"You hired Serena to kill me? Why would you do that! I trusted you Seiya!" Darien yelled.
"No, no! You are wrong Darien, don't jump to conclusions." Seiya said quickly, holding out his hands. "I just said that Serena is part of my organization, I did not hire her to kill you. If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you myself. I had heard that Serena had gotten a case from Crystal Empires and I had only learned last night that she was assigned to kill you. I could not reach you all day to warn you. Something must have gone wrong for you not to be dead right now. You didn't kill Serena did you?" Seiya asked horrified.
"No, of course not, I could never kill her." Darien protested.
"Then what happened?" Seiya asked.
"She just didn't do it. She had me by the neck with a knife and then she just broke down and told me to get out." Darien explained while Seiya listened confused.
"This isn't good, now Crystal Empires is going to be after both of you. We have to keep you hidden Darien, you can no longer go back to Crystal Empires." Seiya decided. "Wait, I have an idea. Serena."
"Serena? We already went over Serena." Darien asked confused.
"No not about that, I mean, I will assign Serena to be your body guard from now on. She is very good at what she does and since there seems to be something between you two which is the only logical reason as to why she wouldn't kill you, I think she'd be a good idea, plus it keeps you safe and occupied." Seiya said
"Wait, what about Raye?" Darien asked worried.
"Don't worry about your sister Darien, I'll make sure she is alright. I will keep my two informants there as well, no one knows who they are, not even you Darien so they should be safe. We are going to get to the bottom of Crystal Empires whether they like it or not."
Serena got up from her floor and walked to the bathroom. She washed the tears off her face and fixed her hair in a tight bun before grabbing her keys and leaving the house. She needed to take a walk; she had some thinking to do. Serena strolled down her neighborhood until she reached a small park not that far away from her home. She walked over to the playground, sat in one of the adult swings, and swayed back in forth.
"Why didn't I do it?" Serena asked herself repeatedly.
'Because you love him.' Her heart replied.
"No I don't!" Serena argued
'Then why didn't you kill him?' her mind asked.
"I don't know! I just don't know." Serena wailed, burying her head in her hands. Images of Darien rose to her mind. Colorful images appeared of him smiling, his deep blue eyes twinkling with mischief and his midnight hair disheveled and falling in his face. There were images of him at the dinner, looking sexy in his black suit that matched his hair and white shirt that brought out his eyes. There was the feel of him holding her when they were in his kitchen; how he smelled of roses and the way he made her feel woozy with his kisses.
"Oh no." Serena whispered, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm falling in love with him." She closed her eyes and let the realization sink in and she smiled, feeling a warm tingling feeling run throughout her body. She was beginning to love Darien. Serena got up from the swing, her mood lighter and started to walk back to her house. As she wandered along, she heard a sharp crack of a twig snapping behind her and she paused slightly in her walk before continuing, keep an ear out for more sounds. Again Serena heard twigs cracking and the slight crunching of leaves, there was more then one person and looking back discreetly, she saw a sizable group of men behind her. Serena did the only thing she could and ran down the path through the park as fast as she could. She was not very well equipped to take on such a large group, she only had a few knives. She could hear the heavy pounding of feet behind her and she knew that Crystal Empires had come to collect on their warning. Serena ran as fast as her long legs would go, trying to push herself to the limit in hopes of out running them, but to no avail, they were very fast. Serena felt a hand grabbing at her shoulder and she knew that it was a lost hope. She stopped suddenly, grabbed the hand that was trying to catch her and ducked down pulling the arm with her as the man kept going because of the force of inertia. He tripped over her back and fell forward, his arm snapping in several places as Serena held onto it, pulling it towards her while his body fell in the other direction. He screamed in pain and rolled away from Serena when she finally let go of his arm, cradling it in his unwounded hand. Serena stood up as shadows began to surround her, other men drawing in towards her. She quickly counted them in her head and came up with nine left. Serena flipped down her arms and two knives unsheathed at her wrists and one fell into each hand. With a flick of her wrists, Serena sent the silver blades coursing through the air and nailed two of the men, embedding the knives into the thick of their throat. Blood sprayed out as the two men collapsed and fell on the floor dead. The other men growled in annoyance that Serena had killed their companions and the closest one lunged at her, coming with a swinging fist. Serena dodged the attack and grabbed his other arm, twisting it around as she lifted her leg and kicked him in the back, knocking him away from her. She jump in the air and did a backwards summersault to narrowly avoid another man jumping her from behind. As she was in the air, Serena pulled another knife this time from her panty line and landed behind him, stabbing the knife into the back of his throat. The man gurgled and fell onto the ground dead.
"Four down, six to go." Serena said to herself, her face set in grim determination as she rolled on the ground to the right to avoid another attack. She ran swiftly towards one of the men who were standing behind the last man she killed and when she was close enough, she jumped in the air over his head and landed next to the dead man. Serena slid on the grass and pulled out her knife as she skidded by the dead man before whirling around and embedding it into the neck of the man she flew over. One man came up behind her and grabbed her beneath her arms, holding her locked against him as two other men advanced on her front.
"You're not going to get away from us pretty lady." The man's voice whispered in her ear, the vile stench of his breath making her gag. She did not warrant him a response, but waited patiently as the two men drew near. When they were within leg distance, Serena leaned back hard against her captor and lifted her legs in the air, spread eagle, one foot on the side of each head. She then brought her feet together crashing their heads against each other with such power they were knocked unconscious. The man holding her loosened his hold in shock and Serena took advantage of that, bending forward and flipping him over her shoulders. His head hit a rock lying on the ground with a sickening crack. Serena paused to catch her breath, her chest heaving heavily as she scanned the area. There were only two left. Another man came flying at her, but Serena unsheathed her last knife from her boot and launched it at him, hitting dead straight in his throat and he fell to the ground with a thud. Serena started to get to her knees, but she was kicked to the ground by a hard muddy boot. Serena's face smashed into the hard earth and she felt blood begin to trickle from a cut. The boot pressed hard into her back, grinding her ribs into the ground and she gasped, trying to suck in air and ignore the pain.
"Thought you could get away did you little girl? This is a big man's game, you don't belong in it, aren't strong enough." A masculine voice spoke.
"Not strong enough? Look at your nine dead friends." Serena spat out angrily through gritted teeth.
"Well aren't we a feisty one, pretty too." The man said with a cold smile as he sat down and straddled Serena's back. He ran a hand down the back of her head, feeling her hair and he sighed. He reached out, grabbed the knife in the dead man next to him, and pointed the tip hard against the back of her neck. Serena winced as the sharp point dug into her soft flesh. She squirmed trying to get loose, trying to get some kind of position where she could throw him off, but he was strong and pressing hard against her back. Hopeless, Serena did not know what to do, she could only sit and wait for him to kill her. Suddenly, a sharp whistling of the wind flashed by Serena's ear and then she heard the man choke, his hands releasing the knife and pressure on her to grab at his throat. A nasty gurgling sound emitting from his throat and he rolled off her back dead. Serena scrambled to her feet and turned around to look at what killed the man. A long wooded arrow shaft was sticking out the pack of his neck, the razor sharp arrowhead poking through the front. Serena admired the handiwork before looking for the person who had killed him. She was greeted only the by the shadows of the night.
"Do I not get to know who my rescuer is?" Serena called out boldly to the night. She heard a faint rustling and then a form appeared in the shadows yet Serena could not make out the sex or identity of the unknown.
"Who are you?" She demanded, reaching out to collect her knives, preparing herself for another challenge. The figure finally stepped out of the shadows and Serena's aqua eyes widened.
"I am the silent one."
There you go, Chapter Seven, I hope you like it! It's my favorite chapter so far! I hope a lot of your questions were answered too. This is definitely a Darien and Serena fic, I just like putting in a little chaos and confusion with Seiya. Thanks for the support!
.:Angelgrl185:.