Boring bit that no one ever reads
Sorry about the delay, I'm afraid it's the same reason a lot of writers give, life has a tendency to get in the way. I haven't abandoned the story and I'll try to keep the updates regular as best I can.
I'd like to than those people who sent me reviews. It really encourages you to keep writing if you know others are reading your work I know that I've said it before but that's because it's still true.
All the usual disclaimers apply so I'll let you read the story now.
A Second Destiny
Chapter 9: Darkness Reborn
"What the hell are you? Get away from me."
The young man stumbles backwards over the garbage landing in a heap among the trash cans. He scoots backwards with his feet pushing himself up against the wall. His glasses hang from one ear and his eyes are wide and full of terror.
"Will you stop being so tiresome." The figure in the darkness advances on the cowering young man. "You have a gift. Something I need, which you have wasted on petty games, winning worthless prizes from crane machines. It's time for me to release your true potential for my own ends." The figure's eyes take on a deep red glow and the shadows in the side ally deepen.
"What are you talking about?" The young man's voice quavers and is shrill with panic. "I don't have any gift. You've got the wrong person."
The figure chuckles softly. "You were one of the seven carriers of the rainbow crystals and were one of the great monsters of the Dark Kingdom." He pauses for a moment, standing over his target before continuing. "Unfortunately that hateful Moon Princess sealed the monster in you away, rendering it little more than a shadow. I'm going to take that sealed power and add it to my own." The figure's tone softens becoming almost sympathetic. "I'm afraid you will not survive the process, but that's life I'm afraid."
The ally is suddenly awash with dark energy. "Join with me now Geisein and be free to take your revenge on the people of Silver Millennium." There is a sudden terrible scream which is lost in the storm and then silence falls over the ally way.
"Ok let's try to put together what we know."
The girls are gathered around Serena's hospital bed. Mina is present in a wheelchair with Artemis on her lap. Ami is reading the gathered data from her computer.
The sky outside is dark and rain lashes at the windows along with frequent deafening rumbles of thunder. Even though they are indoors the girls are confident that they can talk with little chance of being overheard.
"During our last battle I kept the scanner running as long as I could. Our enemy appears to be draining huge quantities of energy simply to survive. He's putting huge amounts of energy even when he's not attacking. I've also been receiving two different energy patterns each time I've scanned him."
"So what's that mean Ami?" Rei asks.
"I can only offer a theory but I believe that we're actually dealing with two different enemies. The shadows which he uses are not generated by him so much as joined to him in a symbiotic or possibly parasitic relationship. It might explain why he needs to steal energy so frequently. If another creature is joined to him it presumably needs to feed and the only source it has is its host."
"I think it's a voluntary union though." Rei says "Every time I've seen him he's seemed in control at all times." She paces the room thinking hard. "When I consulted the Sacred Flame I got an impression that our enemy was tied into our past. That could mean it's from the Silver Millennium or it might be something more recent."
"What he is isn't important." Lita says rising to her feet. "What we need to do is find a way to beat him. We've also got to find some way to help Serena." She looks down at her friend, lying as though sleeping, but utterly unresponsive to any attempt to wake her.
"How do we stop him when our attacks can barely slow him down?" Mina asks.
"I have an idea how to stop him." Ami says. "He can block our attacks but doing so is a large drain on his powers. If we can stop him from stealing any more energy and force him to use his powers we should be able to burn him out. Anything will do, attacking him or getting him to throw attacks at us."
"Ok but that still means we need to find him." Lita says
"He came to the hospital to finish me off because he knows I'm Sailor Venus." Mina suggests "If we can convince him I'm an easy target we might be able to lure him into the open."
"By using yourself as bait!" Lita asks incredulously. "That's way too dangerous. You know that guy's not playing around, we can't risk it."
Mina sits forward in her chair, her face betraying her pain, but her eyes are sharp, determined. "It's even more dangerous for me to remain here. He could come back here were there are helpless people in the way. You know he'd use that against us. He could also figure out Serena is Sailor Moon if he thinks to access the hospital records." She looks at the others, when she next speaks it is as the leader of the Sailor Soldiers. "We can't risk the innocent people or Serena. I need someone to check me out of here so we can set a trap and bring this creep down."
"How do we check you out of the hospital?" Lita asks, "Don't your parents have some say in that?"
"If I have somewhere to stay they won't object." Mina replies, looking down at her feet as she speaks. "They'll probably be glad they don't need to be burdened with me for a few more days."
Rei sighs "Chad and Grandpa are heading up into the Mountains for a few days. I can stay behind and you can come to stay at the temple with me." She looks over at Darien. "We'll need you to stay here with Luna to keep an eye on Serena. Mina's right, that guy could figure out who she is and come after her here."
"Ok then girls, we'll give it a shot. Take care and good luck."
It's late at night when Ami finally gets home. She stretches and yawns, the long nights where beginning to catch up with her. She flicks on a lamp and prepares to settle down for a few hours with some light reading. As she heads to the kitchen to prepare a hot drink she notices that the message light on the answering machine is blinking. She presses the button and drops her coat in shock as a familiar voice speaks to her.
"Miss Ami this is Greg. I really wish I could have called you under better circumstances but you need to know what's going on. Your enemy is looking for the seven monsters of the Dark Kingdom. He's already found two and I'll be next on his list. You have to tell Miss Rei to keep a very close eye on her Grandfather. Your enemy already suspects that he is another of the monsters that he is searching for. I won't tell you where I am. I know you want to help me but you can only fail this time. I'll stay on the move and draw the chase out as long as possible to buy you some time. I'm sorry it has to be this way. Goodbye Ami. " There is a bleep as the message ends.
Ami seizes up the phone and tries to obtain the number of the last caller. It's a payphone somewhere in the city. She remembers the time a brainwashed Endimion had been doing the same thing, seeking the former monsters. Greg had acted the same way then too, hiding and refusing to come out and ask for help in some noble effort to protect her.
After calling then others on the communicators to inform them of this new development Ami tries to plan her next move. Greg could be anywhere in the city and it could take forever to find him especially with him constantly moving to avoid detection. She decides to ask Rei to try and locate Greg with a fire reading. In the meantime she would look into the whereabouts of the other former monsters. If Greg was right about the enemy's plans, and with his ability to see the future it was pretty likely he was, then they need to know where they could intercept him. Besides Greg there was Rei's grandfather who would be at the Hikawa Shrine. She also needs to check up on the cat Hercules who's owner lived uptown, a young man who frequented the video arcades by the name of Joe who Lita may still have some contact with, the artist Peggy Jones, the priest who she had never met and Andrew's girlfriend Rita, who had left for Africa several months ago.
She was also worried about Greg. The way he had spoken implied he had seen himself being captured. She had no idea what their enemy might have planned but it couldn't be anything good. The worst thing was the knowledge that a good friend of hers was in danger and all she could do for him was wait and pray that Rei or Lita found him first.
With a frustrated sigh, Ami switches on the computer knowing the difficulty of the task before her. Half of the people she needs to find haven't been heard from in months, the investigation would be a combination of news reports and guesswork based on their previous encounters. To add to the fun she had several hours of study to catch up with and she was scheduled to keep watch over the hospital along with Tuxedo Mask through the early hours of the morning. Resigning herself to yet another sleepless night Ami sat down to begin her search.
When Serena finally opens her eyes, her first realisation is that she is utterly alone, simply floating in space. Her transformation is gone as well as her locket and she is in fact completely naked. There is no longer any pain, the space has no heat or sound or much of anything really. Dimly she notices that she isn't breathing, but that's alright because she doesn't seem to need to. Time seems to be meaningless here with no means of distinguishing between seconds, hours or days.
"Am I dead?" she questions herself. She pinches herself in the thigh as an experiment, and yelps in pain as it hurts as much as ever.
"Greetings Serena Tsukino or rather Sailor Moon."
The unexpected voice causes her to scream and spin around bringing her arms up to covers herself as she does. Behind her stands the man from the hospital. The enemy who hurt Mina in their firs encounter and nearly killed her after first tormenting her almost beyond endurance later after learning her identity somehow. She tries to throw herself at him but is unable to move towards or away with nothing solid to push off of.
"Don't waste your time struggling." The figure says. His voice is soft, calm. "You're in a dream state that I induced. I've entered your mind so I make up the rules in here. Now that I've entered your mind, however briefly, at the hospital, I will always be able to find you, wherever you may hide. I admit my original intention was to leave you to die in a nightmare world drawn from your own subconscious mind, but an unknown energy seemed to be protecting you and you simply wouldn't die. I've realised though that there may be more use for you alive and that is why you are here."
He turns to face her. It's the first time she has seen him clearly, up close and without the distortion of a shroud of shadows. She notes that he looks a little like Darien, the same dark hair and a similar face. The eyes are wrong however, brown instead of blue, and there are a few subtle differences. When he grins it is cold and inhuman.
"What do you want from me? Why don't you just kill me? If I'm just lying unconscious somewhere and you've been able to find me it should be easy."
"As I said, I have realised that you are still of use to me alive. I have found a way to achieve a far greater power than I believed possible. I only need a few more pieces to the puzzle. Soon you will awaken and then you are going to help me become the most powerful being in this world or any other."
"I'll never help a murdering bastard like you. Why the hell should I do anything?"
The figure pauses and laughs. "Because my dear princess you won't be able to help yourself, I'm going to tell you everything."
Finally I managed to finish a chapter :D. It was a serious problem trying to find time to sit and write for any length of time so this chapter was written in about thirty instalments. I'll try to have chapter 10 up quickly. Please let me know what you think by review or E-mail. Til later then.
