Once again, thanks for the reviews.
It's good to know that I was able to surprise some of my readers. I'd hate to be transparent.
jawmax: Minako will be in this chapter.
One clue to the beginning of all this is back in chapter 1. Celine missed it because she mistook Dark Celine as merely being part of her own mind. (Email me if you think you can tell me what it is...)
As far as what Dark Celine wants with Tiffany...? We'll just have to see...
And As Always, Thank You Angel Raye and Naoko Takeuchi!
Always Me
Chapter 5: Dark Venus
Celine looked on in horror as a black cloud began to form and swirl around Dark Celine.
Dark Celine looked back at her almost pityingly.
"Oh, Celine." She said. "Don't you see? I would have taken you with me! As weak as you are, we were still a team. I wasn't going to let you die in here old and forgotten. You would have joined me in immortality!
"...I guess eternity is just for one of us now...
"Good-bye, Celine." Dark Celine said as she drew up her powers and prepared to severe the link between them.
"No!" Celine screamed as Dark Celine left her amid the wreckage of her own heart.
Just outside Celine's body, the black cloud appeared into the physical world and began to take shape.
Excellent! Dark Celine thought as her new body formed. Her appearance was as it had appeared to Celine, right down to the uniform... Again the only difference being that she wore a black skirt instead of the orange one Celine had worn. She put a hand to the side of her face in satisfaction as she touched the youthful skin.
At the same time, she regarded Celine's withered body strapped to the bed. Well, it was her choice...
Dark Celine smiled as she felt the strength of her new body. Yes, this would do nicely, she thought. Her smile became a grin as she congratulated herself:
Dark Venus is born!
Celine fought to bring herself awake. Her eyes opened to see the authoress of her nightmares standing above her. She struggled against her restraints to try to do something! But there was no way she could get free and it seemed to amuse her enemy to watch her try.
"Help me! Somebody! Please help me!" She screamed.
Hearing the commotion in the room, the guard posted outside entered, only to find himself confronted with Dark Venus. She smiled. This was a simple problem that only required a small bit of hypnotic suggestion to handle.
"Close the door." She commanded.
As he obeyed her, Dark Venus smiled brightly at Celine.
"Now..." She instructed the guard. "You will wait until after I leave and then you will return to your post and forget that anything has happened ... or that you ever saw me." She could have simply destroyed the guard as soon as he entered, but that would have been messy and it was better for now that everyone would see the guard diligently at his post and all was well...
As she was about to exit the room, Dark Venus turned and smiled at Celine again. She turned to the guard and this time spoke directly into his mind.
"Remember ... you're guarding a very dangerous and deranged woman here. She'll say or do anything to get free. She's very delusional and will probably start yelling or screaming any moment now.
"You need to ignore her completely"
After she finished, she gave Celine a very satisfied wink and left the room. It was also much more fun this way... She added to herself as she went to look for Tiffany.
"All right Tiffany." Cosmic Venus said. "That was a good warm up. Are you and Minako ready to run the first exercise?"
Crystal Venus nodded her head that she was.
"How about you Minako? Her mother inquired.
"I'm ready." Elysian Venus answered.
Gloria smiled at her younger daughter. Minako had also been shaken by Celine's attempted suicide and by the letter Celine had left for her.
"I'm sorry I wasn't much of a sister..." She had written. "I shouldn't have shut you out like I always did... I resented you. I hated you for your happiness... And I hated you because I felt like you were taking mom away from me.
"If I had been a real sister, that boy would never have been in the house that night ... or at least I should have been backing you up and protecting you instead of threatening my own sister.
"I was never much of a sister, but I'm glad Tiffany has you as her Aunt."
But Minako was handling it and it had even been her suggestion that it might be good for her and Tiffany to spend a little more time together. She had suggested that extra senshi practices be scheduled for her and Tiffany. Amy thought this a very good idea and everyone decided that Gloria would run those extra sessions with Mina promising that she would join a session with them as well...
Gloria was glad that Minako was there for Tiffany. She was glad to see her family pulling together for each other.
Still, Gloria could not help but wonder at what might have been. I know mom was bound by the oath not to interfere. But what could I have done? Where did I fail you Celine...?
She pushed those thoughts from her mind.
"All right..." Cosmic Venus said. "Let's begin..."Brooke tore down the halls of the hospital as fast as she could. She only hoped she could get to Celine before it was too late. As she neared Celine's room, she sensed a tremendous evil.
She saw the guard calmly standing his post.
But as she got closer, she could plainly hear screams coming from inside the room. Why was the guard so oblivious? She wondered as she reached for the door knob.
"Help me! Please help!" Celine was screaming as she thrashed at her restraints, surging and pulling, trying desperately to get free.
"How long has she been doing this!" Brooke demanded of the guard.
"A few minutes now." He said calmly with a smile. "It's best to just ignore it."
Brooke frowned at the guard and sensed where something evil had brushed his mind. Celine was still thrashing and crying as Brooke grabbed hold of her shoulders.
"Celine! It's all right! It's me, Brooke!"
Celine stopped thrashing as she recognized Brooke, but she was crying uncontrolably.
"Celine! It's all right! I saw it Celine. In the fire. I saw it."
Celine shook her head. "It's too late." She said. "She's gone after Tiffany..."
"Don't worry... We'll stop her." Brooke said in determination. She began to release Celine's straps.
"Hey! Wait!" The guard protested. "She's dangerous! You can't do that!"
"Tell me." Brooke said without looking at him, as she continued to remove Celine's restraints. "Why is the flap on your radio pouch unsealed?"
The guard looked and noticed that; infact, that flap was open. But it was basic procedure that officers always secured both their gun holsters and radio pouches when not in use.
"I... don't know..." He said in confusion.
"Celine... You wait here."
"No." Celine said and grabbed Brooke by the arm. "Let me come with you!"
"Out of the question Celine." Brooke replied. Then more gently added: "You aren't a senshi anymore... You can't fight this battle."
"It doesn't matter Brooke. That is my daughter out there and that monster... I swear if she lays one finger on Tiffany, I'll rip her apart with my bare hands if I have to!"
Cosmic Venus smiled as Tiffany went through a series of evasive rolls and then taking advantage of a distraction attack from Minako, landed a solid spinning kick on target. The simulated youma was knocked clean off his feet and opened wide for a combined attack from both Elysian and Crystal Venus. Their attacks hit, disintegrating the youma and ending the simulation.
"Very good!" Gloria clapped as her daughter and granddaughter brushed themselves off.
They all looked up as they heard someone else clap.
"Yes, very nice." Dark Venus agreed.
"Celine?" Gloria asked in disbelief. It was; afterall, impossible! Celine was under twenty four hour guard and in restraints. Not to mention that Celine had lost her immortality... Yet she looked exactly as she did before her trial... The shock; which matched that of Tiffany and Minako, was plain in her voice.
"In a matter of speaking." Dark Venus said calmly. "I'm not that weak, pathetic child you gave birth to. She's still safely under lock and key...
"On the other hand, I'm more Celine than she ever was.
"You know..." She said. "This is almost just like old times! With all of us together like this. One happy family!
"...Except there never were any 'old times', were there?"
"What do you want?" Gloria demanded.
"Just this..." Dark Venus said calmly and raised up her hand at Gloria. "Shards of Hate!" She screamed and black energy shot out of her out-stretched palm. It slammed into Cosmic Venus and hurtled her backwards, to the ground, stunned.
"Now Tiffany..."