CHAPTER TWENTY

Darien looked around desperately. He had to get out of here Serena needed him. He could taste her fear and knew he had to get to her right away. He watched cautiously as Sasha turned to him. He had wondered while she had been standing their not doing anything what she was up to. And now it seemed he was about to find out. Hold on Serena I'm going he called out silently hoping on some level she would here him.

Sasha starred at him with unmistakable malice. "Play times over human and your luck has just run out."

……….

Mars wondered briefly if it was all for nothing. She thought the others would have been here by now. Her chances of beating Sasha before had been slim at best and that was before she injured her arm. Maybe this time she was truly on her on and if that was the case this was one battle she might not walk away from. Trying to calm herself she took a long deep breath. She cleared her mind of all fears and doubts. If this was the end she wasn't about to make it easy on the enemy she planned to go down fighting "Lets get this over with" she hollered

Sasha looked down at her disdainfully "Foolish human. Don't you know when to give up? It's pointless to fight me. Surrender and I promise your death will be less painful than that of your friends. "

"What?" Mars gasped than looked on in dawning horror at what she saw in her eyes. The others? They were…? With a cry that was part rage and part anguish Mars attacked.

……….

Sailormoon moved closer to the thing that looked like Darien but wasn't.

"Closer" he said softy watching her under half closed lids

Sailormoon blinked rapidly fighting back tears. He looked so much like her Darien enough to fool anyone. Anyone but her that is. Because she could see past the surface she could feel the difference. He looked and sounded exactly like him and although she knew it wasn't him her heart still twisted every time she looked into his eyes or heard his voice. It made her ache for the real one even more.

"Please" she pleaded softly "chose another form"

"What?" he chuckled wickedly as he reached out to take her hair in his hand. "I thought this form would bring you a sense of comfort ease the ache a little bit" he stated while rubbing her silky blond strands between his fingers.

Sailormoon jerked her head back pulling her hair free from his grip. "Don't" she begged. "Just tell me how I can save my friends."

……….

Mars cried out as Sasha applied pressure with her foot to her injured shoulder. She had her pinned to the ground with no room to maneuver. She has trapped and powerless to do anything to help herself.

Sasha pressed down with her foot again smiling at Mars obvious pain. "I warned you that you didn't have a chance against me." Smirking she held her hand out and her nails extended. "It was fun playing with you but play times over."

Mars grimaced as she watched that hand arc back and then come flying towards.

Sasha laughed as she prepared to serve up the killing blow but just as she was about to strike her down she was hit from behind. The force of the energy swept her off her feet and sent her crashing head first into a tree.

Mars gasped and pushed up on her good arm. The first thing she saw was Jupiter running towards her than she turned her head to see Sasha face down on the ground.

"Mars are you alright?" Jupiter asked anxiously while gasping for breath she almost hadn't made it. One more second and Mars would have been done for.

Mars looked over at Sasha's still form again. "I'am now." She sighed and allowed Jupiter to help her to her feet. She swayed dangerously for a moment before regaining her balance. She looked around but didn't see what she was looking for. "Where are the others?"

"That's a long story" Jupiter explained "one that I gladly tell you as we get away from away from that" pointing at Sasha "as possible."

"Sasha said that they were…"she shook her head unable to finish

"That they were what?" Jupiter asked uneasily. Had something gone wrong with the plan?

"She insinuated that they were gone."

"Gone? Gone where?"

Mars looked at her mournfully "That they were dead."

………..

"I will tell you how to save your friends." he promised "but your gonna have to come a little closer."

Sailormoon squeezed her eyes shut and did as he asked. She might have to go along with this now but she didn't have to look at him. So when she felt his fingers slide down her face it came as such a shock she flinched. She heard his answering chuckle and her eyes flew open angrily. She started to pull back and his hand grabbed her by the back of her neck.

"Let go" she hissed

"I told you that I would help you didn't I?" he stated smugly and before she knew it she felt something dark and alien flowing into her.

"What are you doing" she cried fearfully

Still holding onto her he rose up on his knees and faced her. "Why I'm fulfilling my promise" he stated wickedly. He reached out and wrapped his other arm around her waist and brought her up against his chest. "Don't fight it" he whispered into her hair.

Sailormoon had no choice but to lean into him as she grew dizzy and weak. Before she slid into unconsciousness she realized that she had felt this way before.

…….

Darien bit back a curse. He didn't have time for this. He thought he had been stalling her until the scouts could bet here to help him out but they were no where in sight and Serena was in trouble. Although he no longer felt her fear he knew that she was still in danger.

"You've been lucky so far human but now it's time to turn things up a little."

Darien watched her warily

"Its time for you to see me in my true form"

………

"Dead?" Jupiter echoed disbelievingly "that cant be"

Than where are they Mars cried fighting back angry tears. If the others were gone than she and Jupiter were all that was left. And that meant that they failed.

We had to separate Jupiter answered absentmindedly Sasha divided herself into three parts attacking you, Mina and Darien. Mercury went to help mina I came here and Sailormoon went to help Darien."

"Than it's possible that she's telling the truth."

Jupiter shook her head in denial. "No it cant be we would have known we would have felt it."

Mars looked at her with a spark of hope. "Your right we should have felt something at their passing right especially Sailormoon's."

"Lets go" Jupiter announced "Sailormoon wants us to meet up so that we can fight Sasha together and use planet power."

"That meatball head actually had an idea?"

Jupiter looked at her caught her grin and returned it. Yeah they were alive they would have known if it had been otherwise.

"We should get going before she wakes up?"

"Actually" Jupiter drawled "the plan was to get her to follow us."

Mars looked at Jupiter with a smirk "Oh I'm sure she'll follow us as soon as she wakes up. She'll want to thank you personally for that headache I'm sure she's going to have."

They both laughed and took off.

……..

When Sailormoon woke up she was lying back against the bed.

"I see your awake."

She jerked up in the bed and turned her head to look at him. He was lying on his side with his head propped up on his hand watching her.

Rubbing the back of her neck she asked anxiously "What did you do to me?"

"You humans think your so evolved from that of your ancestors but the truth is your just as primitive giving the right circumstances. I just helped you get in touch with that part of you that's all."

"What are you talking about?"

"Can't you feel it?"

She started to shake her head than stopped she was feeling something. And the hairs on the back of her neck were standing straight up. She sensed danger it was coming from all around her. It must be the mist she was sensing. She could actually feel it. It was out their somewhere watching waiting hungry for her life force.

"Did you heighten my senses again?"

He laughed "I've done much more than that. I've released the real you. The side you've kept hidden from the world. Hidden from yourself." he stoked her cheek with his finger "everyone has a dark side Serena even you."

"No I don't." she cried pulling away from his touch, she could actually feel the heat from his fingers tips.

He raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Oh you've never felt anger or jealousy or even envy?"

"Those aren't dark emotions it's perfectly normal to feel that way sometimes." she cried getting frustrated by all his nonsense. Why couldn't he just give her a straight answer for once she was so tired of his games.

"To a certain degree" he agreed "but once you take away reason and commonsense theirs nothing left to temper those emotions and they start to fester until finally you can't take it anymore and you strike out."

Sailormoon gave a frustrated scream and leaped on him knocking him back against the bed. She held his arms back over his head and leaned down close. "I've had enough of this. Now tell me what you did to me" she growled

He raised his head off the bed. "I've already told you and you just proved my point." he broke her hold and quickly before she could respond grabbed her around the waist and flipped her onto her back and rolled on top of her. Trapping her with his body.

She struggled furiously but it was no use he was too strong. He smiled down at her very pleased. "Don't let anyone tell you differently Serena anger is a weapon. It gives you incredible strength if you know how to control it. Right now your friends Sailor mercury and Sailor Venus are near the point of death." his smile widened at her murderous glare as her protective instincts flared to life. "It wont be long before the rest follow. Even now Sasha is tracking Jupiter and Mars and feeling quite murderous" he trailed a finger down her check. "now the question is what are you going to do about it?"

Sailormoon felt something give inside her and for the first time in her life she felt the urge to kill another being.