CHAPTER NINETEEN

Damien watched and followed her but kept his distance. He didn't want to show himself just yet. He was enjoying this game of cat and mouse immensely. And when the time came for him to make his move she'd never know what hit her.

………..

Mars wiped away the last of her tears and stood up. She was wasting time She didn't have the luxury of sitting back and crying over a little pain okay maybe not so little but still she wasn't out of danger yet. Sasha was still out there hunting her she could feel it. Her shoulder wasn't good as new but it was as good as it was going to get. The pain was a deep throbbing one but it was nothing like before this pain she could handle.

Not wasting any more time she quickly tore a piece of her skirt off and made a sling for her arm wanting to rest it as much as possible. She had just finished when the cries of dozens of birds alerted her of Sasha's presence just before she attacked.

………………….

When Sailormoon arrived at Darien's apartment police cars were everywhere and she knew she was too late. She swept the area with her eyes seeing no sign of Darien or Sasha. Thinking quickly she realized that Darien must have lured Sasha away from the crowd hoping to give himself a chance to transform.

She refused to think it could be anything else. He wasn't dead she knew that with every fiber in her body. She would have felt his loss immediately so he was still alive. But his being alive didn't mean he still wasn't in tremendous danger. She looked around again wondering in which direction they had gone in. Their were so many possibilities. She thought with a trace of desperation. Desperation that she refused to give into. She couldn't fall apart now she had to find Darien.

She starred down at the Crystal. Would the crystal show her another image if she used it? She started to reach for it but then stopped. No she needed to conserve her energy for Sasha she could find him on her own. If he could find her when she needed him than she should be able to find him. Trusting her instincts she set off. She hadn't gone far when she was brought up short by a hard wind. It wasn't her imagination. She was being stalked by something or someone. And it had been following her for some time now.

Even though she was expecting an attack when it struck it was so swift it still took her by surprise. And it was over before she knew it.

………….

Venus could feel nothing beyond the pain. It was all consuming and she prayed like she never prayed before for it to stop. She could feel herself growing weaker as her energy was ripped from her body causing waves of excruciating pain. She couldn't believe that this was the end.

………….

Darien ducked and her punch went wide throwing her off balance seeing an opening he swept her legs out from under her. He didn't wait for her to hit the ground but jumped back putting some space between them. He wiped away the blood dripping from his lip. The last punch that had connected had been a doozey. Something needed to change he couldn't keep going like this. He watched her get back on her feet and sighed. It seemed his break was over.

Sasha was furious this human should have been dead at her feet by now. She couldn't understand it. What was wrong with her? Could the split be affecting her more than she realized? She was divided into three people. That had to be it. How else could he have survived this long? She was stronger and faster than him. It didn't matter she assured herself he had only managed survived this long because she wasn't a hundred percent and he was very, very lucky she had nothing to worry about and this human was about to find out that play time was over.

Darien starred at her with growing suspicion. She was just standing there. Why wasn't she attacking? He couldn't afford to wait and see what she had up her sleeve. All this time he had been on the offensive but now it seemed he would have to go on the defensive.

He was about to attack when a feeling of overwhelming fear struck him hard and from out of know where almost bringing him to his knees with it's intensity. What's going on? Where was this fear coming from? Than he knew. Serena? he cried silently. The fear was hers. She was in trouble. He looked around quickly he had to get out of here. Serena needed him.

……….

Mars managed to roll away just as Sasha's foot came crashing down right where her head had just been. And instead of her head it connected with the tree. The trunk cracked and splintered down the middle. Mars quickly got to her feet and faced her.

Sasha looked her over smugly "I see you've managed to bandaged yourself up pretty nicely it still wont matter you'd have no chance against me even with two good arms."

……….

When Sailormoon woke up she found herself on an all to familiar black bed surrounded by the dreaded dark mist.

She shook her head frantically. No this wasn't real. She couldn't be here. It wasn't real. It wasn't real.

"I've told you before that theirs no where you can go to escape me Serena."

Serena gasped and swung her head. She looked all around her trying to find the location of that voice. But all their was, was darkness just like before.

"Did you really think that you could escape me that easily?"

"What do you want from me?" she cried

"Lets not go through that again. But I have brought you here for a specific reason. It seems your friends are in trouble."

"Why are you messing with them? I thought it was just me you wanted?"

"Oh it is. But you see Sasha needs something to do and well since she isn't allowed to hunt you she's chosen to hunt down your friends instead. And she's doing a good job of it. Two of your friends are already close to the threshold of death."

"No. Sailormoon cried out in anguish "let me go I have to get to them" she cried harshly already swinging her legs off the bed.

"Don't be stupid" he growled "Don't you remember the last time you stepped off that bed? Do you want the same thing to happen again?"

"I don't care" she sobbed as she moved to stand up. But just as she got to her feet a strong wind struck her knocking back onto the bed and laying her flat on her back.

"I already have the taste of you inside me" he warned "And it's hard enough controlling my hunger for your life force as it is so don't push me to far."

"I escaped you once. I can do it again" she shouted preparing to get off the bed. She couldn't allow herself to be afraid of him or the mist. She was determined to help her friends no matter what the cost to herself. She had one leg over the side when she saw something out the corner of her eye that had her bringing her leg back up on the bed.

Darien dressed in a black tuxedo walked out of the darkness and into the light.

"Darien? No" she said a split second later shaking her head at him "your not Darien"

He smiled. "Your very perspective or is it just your connection with Darien that made you so certain I wasn't him." He shrugged his shoulders "It doesn't matter I can take any form that pleases me and right now his will do."

He was standing on the other side of the bed and then she blinked and he was propped up on the bed beside her. She rolled away from him. Moving to the far side of the bed.

He chuckled "Am I making you uncomfortable" he teased "I thought you would find this form to your liking."

"It's whose on the inside that turns my stomach"

His smile faded as he sat up. "Don't push me to far Serena. I've been very patient with you and it's getting somewhat tiresome."

"I have to help my friends."

"But you can't help all of them can you? Sasha has split herself into three different parts and each part is attacking someone you cherish. You cant save them all even now their falling one by one. Mercury and Venus are almost gone from this world and the rest is soon to follow. What can you do?"

"I'll think of something" she cried desperately "I have to."

"Their might be away."

She looked at him suspiciously. What game was he playing at now?

He looked at her invitingly with Darien's eyes "Why don't you come closer and I'll tell you how you can save your friends."

She made her way over to him cautiously knowing that for the moment she had no other choice.