A/N: Hi there! Sorry it's taken me so long to post this - uni troubles, net refusing to work, and social engagements litter the reasons why. I shan't bore you with the details.
To those of you who reviewed my first chapter - thank you! You guys really gave me incentive to post the rest of this. I shall answer some of your questions at the end of the chapter.
ahem And now, without further ado, I give you Chapter 2!
As the group entered the room, the other girls looked up, and immediately their faces showed identical terrified looks. Raye stood, and motioned Darien over to her bed, watching with the others while he gently laid her down. He moved to one side, separate from the others, while Amy scanned the injured Scout with her computer. When she was done, she understood why Darien had been so careful with her. She turned to the others. "She's a real mess, I'm afraid. There's very little that she hasn't either broken or cracked. It's just lucky that she hasn't pierced anything vital. But…" her tone was grim – "she is bleeding internally. I'm going to have to work hard, guys…" Her voice trailed off, and she looked away, gazing at Serena.
Mina placed a hand on her shoulder. "If anyone can help her, you can, Amy. We know you can do it."
Amy smiled ever so slightly. "Thanks. I only hope you're right."
They were startled suddenly by an odd sound. They looked around, trying to place it, and saw that Darien had collapsed to his knees in the corner, and was actually crying.
While Mina and Lita quietly left, and Amy started to work out what she'd need to do, Raye carefully approached Darien. Kneeling beside him, she reached out and took his hand. "She'll be alright. She always is."
Darien looked at her. "I'm not so sure this time, Raye. You… you didn't see it happen."
Raye looked puzzled. "But Sailor Moon can generally make it through anything."
"That's just it," he said softly. "She… wasn't Sailor Moon… this time. She hadn't… transformed."
Raye gasped. "You mean –"
"Yes. All that time… she was being tossed about… she was just Serena." He looked into her eyes, and suddenly she saw what he'd seen. Saw Serena – not Sailor Moon – struggling to get up. Saw her being lifted into the air.
Saw her fall.
She looked back at him, mortified. He nodded. "I was too late – again." His shoulders shook with only-barely repressed sobs. "First I was too late to stop them taking her, and then I was too late to save her."
Raye held out her arms, and Darien collapsed into them, sobbing like a lost child trapped in a nightmare. Which, technically, this was… a living nightmare.
It took quite some time for Amy to finish treating Serena. When she was finally done, she went outside to the others.
"How is she, Amy?" Luna asked anxiously.
Amy sighed. "I've done all I can," she said. "All we can really do now is wait."
Mina looked up. "Guys… how are we going to explain this to Serena's mother?"
Luna frowned. "I don't know. We don't know for sure how long we'd have to cover – it could be days, or even weeks…" She didn't voice her main fear – that Serena might never recover…
"Plus there's the matter of explaining where she's been the last few days," Lita added.
They looked at each other. That was not going to be an easy problem to solve.
Amy looked thoughtful. "Wait… Serena's parents went away a few days ago. Her brother was apparently sent to stay with a friend, but Serena had been staying with me."
Luna nodded, suddenly remembering. "Yes, of course. They're not due back for another couple of weeks, as I recall. With any luck," she added solemnly, "she'll be fine before they get home."
"Mm-hmm." The others all agreed. They headed back inside towards Raye's room, but stopped at the sound of voices inside.
They slid the door open a small way, and peeked inside.
Raye was still talking to Darien, trying to comfort him. "If you like, you can stay here," she offered. "I'm sure Grandpa won't mind, and it'll mean you can be here with her."
Darien smiled half-heartedly. "Thanks, Raye. I appreciate that."
"No problem," she replied. She stood, before helping him to his feet. "I'm going to do a fire reading. Keep an eye on her." She smiled reassuringly, before heading to the door. Seeing the others waiting outside, she waved them in. "It's ok, you can go in. I'll be back in a minute."
The group entered the room. Darien was sitting beside the bed and looked up as they entered, before returning his gaze to Serena as they gathered around him. Luna sprang lightly onto his lap, following his gaze.
For a while, no-one spoke. Then: "They knew."
The others looked at Darien in alarm as he spoke, his gaze never shifting from Serena's unconscious form. "Somehow, they knew she was Sailor Moon. That's the only reason why they would have taken her." His voice dropped to a whisper. "They didn't even let her transform."
"WHAT?" the others cried in unison.
"That's why she's in such bad shape. They attacked Serena, not Sailor Moon. She was barely able to fight back. Damn it, she didn't even have the power to pick herself up, let alone fight!" His tone held barely-suppressed anger and frustration. "And I don't even know if I really managed to take care of the monster who did this to her."
"Was it another creature?" Mina asked.
He shook his head. "No. It was one of their generals… but one we haven't encountered before. I… I attacked, but they always disappear before you can tell if you did them any real damage. And with the news he has to report, you can be sure he'll be back again, if he survived. They must have known who she was. And if they know that – and that guy survived… you can bet they know who we are."
A/N II: I hope that one isn't quite as much of a cliffhanger for you... I know I haven't exactly resolved any of the problems yet, but at least I haven't created another... this time. (jk)
And now, a few words to my reviewers:
Anime enthusiast: I know, and I fully agree - cliffies are evil. But I've found that they also invariably go hand-in-hand with angst fanfiction. So please do not glare at me... please?
GHSBandBunny: I'm glad you like it so far! Here is your update. But as for the happy ending... now, that would be telling ;)
DeathByIambicPentameter: Thank you very much! I hope this chapter (and those that follow it) fulfil your expectations!
SerenityChild: I know what you mean about the pen thing! Sometimes, the weirdest ideas just pop into my head... but sometimes that's where some of my best ideas come from. Hey, I'm writing a book which originated simply from a drawing I did while stuck inside on a rainy day...
peach-fan14: Now, don't be too hard on poor Darien, he can't be perfect all of the time... But yes, that was the general idea. The Negaverse forcefield obscured his link to her, which is why he only sensed her pain once the field went down in Chapter 1. I'm glad you like it so far; please let me know what you think of this one!
diana: Thanks to you too for the praise... but as I said to GHSBandBunny, I can't say what happens later, as that would be telling.
Moon-Daisuke: Hmm... maybe I should write this sort of 'angsty drama' more often, if this is the reaction I'll be able to get:) Hope you enjoy Chapter 2.
Next chapter: Raye tends the sacred fire, and Darien has a nightmare...
Please keep reading, everyone! I will try to update more often in future (but can't promise anything, remember).