By: SalrAnime
Like usual, all normal disclaimers apply. I'm sorry it's been taking me so long to do ANYTHING with this page, but school started. In a mater of fact, I should probably be studying for my Bio exam Monday (especially considering I've skipped like 4 lectures ) Anyway, enjoy the fic and give me feedback!
The rain fell hard in the streets of Tokyo, blinding the two men that ran too fast to be seen by human eyes. They didn't really know where they were running, or if it were already too late, but they had to try.
"Shukoroshi, where would he take her!?" Darien asked still sounding like he were in a slight panic.
"Eden Park" Shukoroshi stated.
"Eden Park? Why would he take her there?"
"Do you know why the park is named Eden?" Darien shook his head, no. Shukoroshi couldn't believe he had never heard the story of Eden Park, even if he didn't remeber it from his past.
"The man that founded the park, he had a vision when he saw it, he told his family of the vision, but they didn't believe him, they thought he was crazy...he wouldn't let it drop though, so the family, which was very rich, bought the land to shut the man up"
"What was the vision of?" Darien inquired, never hearing nof this story before.
"It was a vision of a beautiful garden, filled with red roses, and a lake filled with snow white lilies, he thought, this must be Eden, so he named the park Eden...he was right, Eden park is where the Earth Palace was located over a thousand years ago. "
"I still don't belive any of this, but you're saying he's taking her back to where he first met her, right?"
"Yes"
Serena awoke on a bed of white flowers, surrounded by clear blue sparkling water. She gasped when she noticed her usual clothing had been replaced by a pure silk white gown that hung to her every curve as if it were made special just for her. Her usual odango styled hair, had been released and spilled like liquid gold all over the white flowers below her. If she hadn't been so terrified, she may have realized that she was exceptionally beautiful in the pale moonlight that night.
"I thought this wardrobe was better fit for a princess" Serena froze at the voice she was begining to hate. Slowly, she brought her blue eyes up to meet green ones, and breathed her captures name.
"Shigo..." The man let a smile creep slowly accross his face as he began to advance twords his prize. She began to try and form an escape plan, but she knew it was hopeless. He was too fast, if she tried to run, he would catch her, that was a fact. And there was no way to fight him, or out smart him. Her only hope was to be saved. She let a single tear run down her flushed pink cheek as she thought a single name over and over again. Darien.
"You're shaking, there's no need for you to fear me, I would never hurt you...I just want to be with you...forever" He pulled her chin up and looked deep into her blue eyes. His smile suddenly turned into a scowl.
"You say nothing, but your heart still calls his name...Endymion. Endymion was a fool to fail in protecting you, he let you die! Yet you still love him! " His fist swung at an invisible enemy in an obvious rage that frightened Serena even more.
"You, you' re crazy, I don't even know anyone named Endymion " Shukoroshi let a sick sinister laugh chill Serena to the bone.
"No Endymion you say? how about...Darien. Is that the name that your mind calls for?" Serena boldly answered his question.
"Yes, it is" He began to shake with anger again, and Serena momentarily thought her life just may be over. However, he suddenly stopped moving and let a geniune smile grace his lips as he stepped to her and softly kissed her on her forehead.
"It doesn't matter, once you receive my blood, you'll forget about him." He took her by her waitst pulling her to her feat. She began to cry almost unchecked when he stepped behind her and began to to whisper in her ear, occassionally letting his lips touch the soft skin of her neck.
"Look at this place, it's beautiful...do you remember it at all?"
"It's Eden park, it's popu..."
"No, do you remeber it?" She looked puzzled for a moment. 'Should I know the place or something?' She closed her eyes when she felt his hand move her hair from her neck.
"I...don't know.... "
"It's where I first met you, over a millennium ago...you are still as beautiful now as you were then"
She couldn't undertand why she made no action to pull away from him, only that at the moment she couldn't move. She was suprised her breathe seemed to still come at a steady pace. She cried helplessly as he let his lips once again touch her neck, this time flicking his tounge quickly to gain a taste of the unwilling princess.
"Don't...please" She whispered, knowing it would change nothing.
"You'll be beautiful forever...you'll be mine forever"
The rain fell heavily blurring Darien's vision. He could sense her calling him, but he didn't know where she was.
"We have to find her now! She needs me...she's calling for me" Shukoroshi stopped running.
"You can hear her?" Darien nodded "yes"
"Darien, you can find her, just follow your instincts. You're linked to her, you have been since birth. Just go where you think she is, follow your heart. "
Darien was silent for a short moment while he let his words wash over him. He was right. Even before he was turned, he always knew if she was close, or when she was sad. If he was close to her, he could almost even sense if she was in danger. Just like when Shukoroshi first attacked her. He knew it was her. It was always her.... He let his mind search for her, allowing his senses to follow her voice, and he found her.
"This way, hurry up!" He froze when he arrived at a clear blue sparkling lake, filled with white lilies...and Serena. She looked like the princess from his dreams, the only exception being her hair was falling around her like a cloak, instead of being up in it's usual odangos. She was angelic. THen he saw Shigo holding her, putting his dirty lips to her neck. He didn't understand the feeling that coursed through him at that moment. It was like being in kindergarten and some kid trying to steal your favorite toy truck from you. MINE! was the first thing to come to his mind.
"No mater what, get Serena out of here" Darien spoke to Shukoroshi, taking charge of the grave situation.
"I will, I swear it " When Shigo let his fangs descend, and began to let his fangs penetrate the young girl he held in his arms, Darien and Shukoroshi jumped into action. They couldn't let him taste her.
"Darien, I'll attack him, and I want you to get Serena out of here, ok? "
"Understood" He agreed as they both ran towards the enemy.
Shigo's arms wrapped tighter around her shacking frame. She whispered Darien's name as she felt warm breath, and a sharp pain in her neck, but he never drank from her. She fell to her knees when Shigo suddenly let her body go. He growled loudly as he felt someone grab his hair roughly from behind him.
"I didn't feel you coming" He spat through gritted teath at his only twin brother, Shukoroshi.
"It's understandable brother, you were preoccupied" He spat back equally as venemous.
Serena lay on the soft cushion of flowers shivering with the cold that was taking over her body when she felt warm arms surrounding her body. Shigo turned in anger to see the Prince that had taken his love from him before, taking her away from him again. He pulled a sharp abject from his boot, and through a golden dagger towards Darien. He smiled pleased when the dagger hit its target. Darien fell to one knee when he felt the dagger pierce his back. He turned to see Shigo pull another dagger from his boot.
"This time I won't miss your heart!"
Serena opened her eyes soon enough to see the gold dagger heading for Darien's heart. She shielded him with her own body, Darien's eyes winded when he realized the dagger was now aimed for Serena. Serena closed her eyes tightly, readying herself for the pain of the dagger. She didn't want to die, she wasn't ready to yet, but...Darien, no matter what happened to her, he had to survive... She waited for the pain, but it never came. Shukoroshi turned to Darien bleeding from a dagger wound in his stomach.
"Get her out of here now!"
Darien nodded, fought against the pain of his own wound, and rose to his feet holding Serena in his arms. He ran as fast as he could in his weakened condition, carrying Serena in his arms. His was amazed that she managed to shield him, when she couldn't even move now, she was so weak and frozen with fear, even now. Darien soon felt himself faltering. He stopped under the same tree Shukoroshi had found him at almost a week ago. He set Serena down first, then he fell against the tree himself. He was breathing heavily, and the loss of blood from his wound was making him weaker...and hungrier.
"Darien..."
Her soft vioce tore through his thoughts like a hurricane. he looked at her in shock when he saw her hand holding back her hair, and her chin tilted slightly up, revealing her already bitten neck.
"Serena I..."
"You just need blood, just enough to make it home."
"Serena, I...I could kill you"
"Darien, you won't I trust you ..."
He looked at her, and found himself once again falling into her sky blue eyes. He pulled himself away from her realizing his hunger was growing.
"Serena, about earlier today, I'm sorry ..."
"It's ok, I don't really hate you either." They sat in silence for a moment as Serena watched his blood and his energy drain slowly from his body.
"It stopped raining." He looked up at the cloudy sky with an almost content smile on his face. She was safe, and he was happy.
"Darien..." She whispered his name softly, once again offering him her own blood in order to save his life. He let a soft chuckle escape his lips.
"Serena Tsukino, since when have you been so eager to help out your arch enemy " She smiled at his attempt to lighten up the situation, but it still didn't solve the fact that he was slowly bleeding to death.
"I won't let you die..." She stooped down next to him looking deep into his midnight eyes. She reached slowly for the dagger that was still lodged in Darien's side, and in one swift painful pull, she yanked it from his body. He almost grew pale when he read her mind and knew what she was planning to do.
"Serena no, just help me up, we can get to my apartment and it'll be ok. "
"No, Darien. You're too weak to move and to heavy to carry." She brought the dagger to her wrist, but Darien grabbed her arm before she could make te first cut. She looked up at him as if he were crazy.
"Do you want to die!? What's wrong with you!!? "
"I won't drink from you Serena"
"YOU IDIOT! I can't just watch you die!"
"Then LEAVE, go back to the apartment and wait for Shukoroshi, he'll take care of you" She ignored what he said and once again brought the dagger to her wrist and made a swift cut in her wrist that was now dripping blood. His eyes went wide at the sight of her blood. He wanted to taste her more than anything in the world, but he couldn't hurt her, he just couldn't. He watched her in slow motion as she offered him her wrist; blood flowing steaidily from her wound. He wanted more than just her blood as he watched the red liquid slowly drip into the grass below. Suddenly, he wanted her, all of her. He licked his lips slowly, begining to slowly loose control, when suddenly, he was irrationally angry. How dare she serve herself up like dinner to him, he said no, and if she died, it would forever be on his conscious.
"Serena I could kill you, this isn't a romance comic, you won't come back by some twist of fate, no one will be here to save you!" He suddenly yelled at her, causeing her to pull her arm back and hold it to her chest as if injured, then out of nowhere she slapped him hard accross the face.
"Why do you assume I'm so dumb!? I know what's going on, I know what could happen, but I trust you Darien, and I want you to live!" He almost yelled at her again, but when he looked to her, tears ran like a river down her cheeks. He couldn't be upset with her. Slowly he gave in to her demands. If she trusted him so much, maybe he should trust himself.
"Serena tell me when to stop." He ordered seriously. She nodded slowly, and gasped as he began to drink slowly of her.
At first it was like drinking something too hot to gulp down, her blood seared his throat, setting it on fire, theneverythig changed, he wasn't in the field lying against a tree anymore, he was in a garden. There were yellow flowers everywhere with white marble pilliars reaching up into the night sky. He almost lost his breath when he saw a blue orb in the sky that looked suspisciously like Earth instead of the Moon. Then he saw her. She was beautiful, her long golden hair shined in the Earths light like spun gold, and her skin looked like the most delicate porcelien too delicate to touch. She had her back to him, as she hummed a slow tune to herself and picked the yellow flowers that were scattered around her. Suddenly, she spun around as if she heard something, and he saw her face for the first time. He breathed her name in confusion. Se...re...na?" She smiled and rose to her feet running towards him.
"Endymion, my love what are you doing here?" Her laugh sounded like soft bells, that soothed his mind. He looked deep into her blue orbs, and then she was gone. Suddenly in was in a large hall, there were no lights to been seen, except for a red glow emmetted from a glass orb that was only about fifty feet from him.
"Darien....Darien don't you remeber me?" Her voice frightened him, it was so full of pain and desperation. He looked down and realized he was holding her by her throat slowly strangling her, except, she wasn't Serena, she was Sailor Moon. He had heard of the heoin before, but she was just a Urban Legend, Tokyo's own little claim to fame, but she didn't exist.
"Darien, remeber me please...." She pulled a small locket from around her neck and opened it, it began to play a melody that was familiar to him. Suddenly he was once again on the Moon holding Serena in his arms.
"Serenity, I love you, you know I do" She shoock her head up and down letting silver tears sprinkle accross the ground in the proccess.
"Yes my Prince, I do, but the war....Earthlings are no longer welcome here, they won't let us be together my love." He lifted her chin to bring her eyes to his, and he pulled out a small golden locket. She smiled when he placed the trinket in her hands.
"I thought you might like it....Serenity, if you ever feel like you need me, just listen to this song, and I will come to you, I swear it." Once again she smiled, and pulled herself on her tip toes and placed a soft sweet kiss on his lips. Darien had never felt love like he had in that exact moment. He wasn't even really sure what he was seeing, but he knew he would die for the girl that he held in his arms at that moment. Then, he was back in the dark hall and Sailor Moon was holding him tightly in her arms, he was dying.
"I will find my way back to you, meatball head..." She let the tears flow unchecked. He could see she was dying inside, but there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"I love you....Darien" He wanted to tell her he loved her too, but he couldn't speak. Then he was on the Moon again with his princess, but everyting was in shambles.
"Protect the Princess!" He heard someone yell, and he immediately unsheathed his sword. Then he was somewhere else. He was walking down the sidewalk in Tokyo, when he was hit in the head by a test paper.
"Hey watch it meatball head!"
"How Dare you!" She stuck out her little pink toung at him and stommped away angrily. Then he was somewhere else.
"Tuxedo Mask! Thanks for saving me" She was beaming a huge smile at him as she wore a sailor uniform with a skirt so short that he couldn't help but sneak a peak at her soft legs.
"Darien...." Her voice sounded so close this time, but weak....
"Prince Endymion, will you escort me to the masquerade ball?" She looked nervously down at her hands as she twisted a white silk hankerchief.
"Darien...stop, please...." What the hell was going on, he couldn't focus on anything, everything was rushing to him, but he couldn't make sense of what was happening. Then he was in Tokyo again fighting with her in the arcade.
"Darien Chiba, you are such a LAMEBRAIN!" Her cheeks were flushed with furry, and although they had faught many times, Darien couldn't remeber when they had that particular fight.
"Darien...." He could taste her blood in his mouth, and it was hot, sweet, and exotic. Then he was in an elevator with her. She looked like she was contemplating if she should do something, then said 'fuck it' in her head and through her hand up and yelled.
"Moon Prism Power!!" He gasped as he watched her body be engulfed in white light and her clothing disapear. Piece by piece it was replaced by somthing different, a ribbon, white gloves, a blue skirt. When it was all over Serena was no longer there, Sailor Moon stood in her place.
"Darien, please...." Her voice sounded weaker now, and he couldn'tunderstand why. Where was it comming from, wasn't he somewhere else a moment ago?
"Darien...please...Da..rien...Dar...." He pulled back from her suddenly, and looked around him. He was back in Tokyo, lying against the tree were he had been before, and he held Serena uncouncious in his arms.
"Serena...SERENA!!!!"
"They should be back by now" Mina impatiently looked through Dariens heavy grey curtains for the hundreth time in a row. She began to pace when she once again saw nothing but an empty Tokyo street below her.
"Mina's right, where are they!?" Lita asked joining Mina in the great pace race.
"I wish she would just tell us what's going on, that stupid meatball head! She should have told us..." Raye sat with her head in her hands too bull headed to let the other girls see her tears.
Ami said nothing, she just kept turning the pages of her boook as if she were reading it, but tthey all knew she was just as worried a the rest of them.
Thier hearts rose when they heard the door open, all praying that Serena would poke her little blond head in, and trip on a cord or someting landing flat on her face, and having one of her usual clux attacks, but it didn't happen. Instead, Shukoroshi stepped in, covering the wound in his stomach. Ami immediatly jumped into action and found some gauze in a medicine cabinet and sat Shukoroshi down, dressing his wound.
"They haven't gotten back yet?" He asked as he winced at Ami's not so gentle cleaning with the not so unpainful alcohol wipes.
"N, NO...they haven't gotten back. Shukoroshi, what happened are they ok?" Raye asked, finally lifting her head and showing her tear stained face to the whole room.
"We got into a bit of trouble, but I'm sure they're fine, Darien was hurt though, it proboly jsut slowed them down a bit"
Shukoroshi looked to the small boy that continued to flip through TV channels and marveled at just how different Serena's new life on Earth was. She had a mother, father and a little brother. She was judged and compared jut like any regular human being. Shukoroshi smiled at Sammy and rubbed his shoulder with one arm.
"Your sister is stronger than you think, she'll be fine, I promise. " Sammy smiled back up at the man's attempt to comfort him. When the door behind them suddenly slammed closed.
"Shukorohi, open my bedroom door for me. " Darien walked into the room careful carrying Serena in his arms. Shkoroshi quickly rose to his feet, and held the door open for Darien as he laid Serena into the bed, and pulled the comforter around her shoulders, tucking her still unconcious body into his large soft bed. He looked at her for a moment, once again trying to make sense of what had happened. He saw her memories....And in seeing her memories, he got a glipse of his own, well, at least that's what he thinks it was. All he knew for sure was that whatever his vision was, it was overwhelming. He watched her chest rise and fall as she took slow steady breaths, then he took her wrist in his hand and looked at the small bite mark that really was only just a scar now.
"How did she get that other bite on her wrist?" Shukoroshi asked, bringing Darien back from his thoughts.
"I..drank from her.... " He stated slowly, like a child telling their mother they ate the last five cookies right before dinner. Shukoroshi sighed a little disapointed.
"Did she offer yourself to you? " Darien said nothing in response.
"I take that as a yes. " Darien continued to watch Serena breath. She seemed so content now.
"Shukoroshi, I saw something when I drank from her....it was like watching a movie that I've seen before, but I just couldn't remeber what would happen later. I saw her.....on the Moon "
Shukoroshi said nothing, he just looked at him. Had he seen a vision of her memories? Memories that were locked away deep inside of them?
"You, Darien, have a bond with her that no other human will ever have. You two are destined to be together, there is nothing that can keep you away from each other. That is why you can see her heart. You can see what she herself is blind to...and I envy you for it.... " Shukoroshi sadly left his bedroom and walked into the hall to let all the others know Serena was going to be ok, she would live she just needed to rest, alone for awhile. They all beamed with happeniss, and got started on seperate tasks. Lita began to prepare a huge feast while Sammy tested her cooking, Ami set out all of Serena's late homework on a table, Mina found different things around Darien's apartment to make the situation a bonified sleepover, and Raye slipped away alone to have a fire reading. Darien stayed in the room with Serena, simply watching her breath, waiting for her to open her eyes.
Serena awoke to the night sky, a headache like no other, dizzines, and a furball that sat on her stomach starring at her.
"Hey Luna, were you worried too" She scratched the back of the cats ear, and smiled as she began to purr. Luna played the role of the ordinary house cat again, not sure if now was the time to give Serena back her memories, she needed Artemis' oppinion before she did anything. It's just that, she was so tired and sad when she was Sailor Moon, and even though she was tired and sad now, when it was all over, she would still be the normal girl she had always wanted to be, instead of having to go on living as Sailor Moon. Anyways, they had help! Whoever this Shukoroshi charecter was, he was deffinately on their side. Speaking od Darien, he seemed like he was in a trance. Even if Serena couldn't see him, Luna's kitty eyes easily picked him out hidding in the corner of the room, just watching her. With a small meow, Luna jumped down and walked over to Darien rubbing up against his legs, before he came out of hidding, and stooped down to pick up Luna.
"Oh, I didn't see you over there..." Darien sat on the edge of the bed next to Serena while setting Luna back down in her lap.
"I, I didn't know if you wanted me here, after what had happened. " She looked confused for a second, then surprised Darien by letting her lips softly brush a kiss against his cheek.
"I'm fine Darien, and so are you, I'd say everything worked out just the way it was suppossed to." His skin burned where she had kissed him, and in the first moments after she had spoken, when she flashed him her perfect smile, and tucked a long strand of her unbound golden hair behind her ear, he saw his princess once again. He wanted to kiss her at that moment more than he had ever wanted to do anything. She was what his body burned for, what he lost controll over, but he still didn't quite understand his feelings. Was it lust? Or was it his vampiric urges taking over...was it an emotion that he felt now only becuse he wasn't human? What was it....When he came back from his thoughts, he realized he had uncounsciously moved even closer to Serena, and was no only inches from her lips. A kiss that he knew would be her first, he would be her first.....
She didn't understand what was happenening, at first they were talking, then he just stared at her. He didn't move or talk or anything, he just sat there looking at her like he was thinking or contemplating something, then he reached his hand out to her and softly stroked her cheek, but he still didn't say anything. When she looked up into his eyes again, he was two inches away from kissing her...her first kiss. Her eyes slowly clossed in anticipation, but the moment was cut short when there was a nock on the door.
"Serena, are you awake? We heard talking" Ami asked softly, destroying the moment between Darien and Serena. He cleared his throat nervously, as he rose to his feet, and like lightning was on the other side of the room. opening the door, and letting Sammy and all four of Serena's friends spill into the room.
"Yes everyone she is finally awake, but she's still a little groggy so keep it down" Darien stated in a grand fashion making everyone laugh at his out of character drama. He stepped out the doorway, and watched as everyone ran into the room and began asking Serena question after question while giving her hugs and kisses. She pulled her brother into her lap, knowing the little boy probobly had the worste with worry, and secretly using him as a human shield against her other friends. Then she smelled it. FOOD!
"Lita, did you cook something?" Lita looked puzzled for a moment, then answered.
"Yeah, I cooked a few things, it's all in the kitch..." Before she could get her full sentence from her mouth, Serena was already on her feet and in the kitchen dishing up some food....a lot of food. Raye just sighed quietly.
"Yup, meatball heads a hundered and ten percent for sure" They all laughed as Serena gulped down muffin after muffin, occasionally taking a sip of her milk. Luna smiled to herself as she watched Serena getting back to her oldself, before she left to go find Artemis, and ask him just what she should do. Bring back the Scouts, or let them have a normal life. She took one last look before she left at the whole scene. Serena was stuffing her mouth while Sammy called her vacum. Lita served up the rest of the feast to the other girls before taking a seat herself, and Darien and the man Shukoroshi, stood almost out of sight in oppisite corners of the room, watching....Serena. Both men looked at her longingly as she once again showed her fun, silly personality that could warm the coldest hearts. Luna's brow furowed in thought, were the two men possibly...in love? Luna pondered her thoguhts for a second longer, before she slipped out of the apartment, and out to the streets to find Artemis.