p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"emstrongTitle: Dark Serenity – Betrayal of the Soul/strong/em/span/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"emstrongAuthor: Queen Serenity/strong/em/span/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"emstrongFandom: Sailor Moon:/strong/em/span/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"emstrongChapter: Nine – Giving Up, Giving In/strong/em/span/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"When Serena finally woke up, it seemed that she was all alone in a dark, dark place… she was in a bright spotlight, but, all around, as far as she could see, was darkness./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"She made her way to her feet, her legs feeling weak. Looking around, but fearful to leave the spotlight shining on her, she called out, a slight tremor to her voice, "Hello? Is anyone there? Where am I?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The last thing she remembered… it was getting ready to go to a friend's house. So where was she now?/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""So you're awake…" A voice, male and a bit raspy sounding, sounded out… but she couldn't tell from what direction it was coming from… it seemed to be coming from around her./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Who's there?" She didn't like this… she really didn't like the dark…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Someone who sees you as you should be seen… Someone who sees the truth…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Serena's brows furrowed. "Sees me as I should be seen? What do you mean?" (Hehe… she rhymed…)/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I see a young woman, seemingly surrounded by loved ones… but who isn't appreciated, not truly. I see her friends looking down on her…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Serena frowned, shaking her head in denial. "No, that's not true… my friends all appreciate me. Really, they do." Even to her, the doubt was evident in her voice… she couldn't help but remember how they were the other day, and how she sometimes feared going to visit them, simply because she didn't want to hear them talking down to her about her failing a test, or doing something else wrong. As these thoughts nagged at the back of her mind, she didn't notice the shadows behind her beginning to stir, a violet light glowing in them./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I see someone unloved by the one she loves… who she gives her heart to… to keep, only to have it ripped from her chest, still beating, and crushed under a boot…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Tears welled in Serena's eyes as she thought of Darien, and she found herself falling to her knees as she felt her heart breaking yet again at just the thought of him. Her voice, when she spoke again, was a choked whisper. "It's not… Darien, he doesn't know what he's saying. I've done something wrong, something to drive him away… I'm so stupid, so weak… so useless… and he sees it…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I see a girl who is already so powerful, who is depended on by her friends, but not appreciated by them… who can be so much more powerful, if she so wished…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The crying girl looked up, confused. "Wha?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"It was that moment that the dark 'light' that had been pooling behind her pounced. It covered her body, muffling a shriek that emitted from her, and carried her up into the air, where she hovered, enveloped in a column of the dark energy./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Memories started to flash through Serena's mind, and it was as though she could hear her friends' voices all around her…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emSerena… I've already told you, more than once, that we are through!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emDon't touch me! I'm sorry, Serena, but you need to move on and stay out of my life!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emSerena! We're not talking about you, we're talking about poor Rini!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emYeah, Serena! Right now Rini's problem is a lot more important that your love life! Think about something else for a change."/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emYou need to stop being so selfish!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emTry to concentrate on Rini, the subject at hand, instead of yourself right now!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emWhy do you always have to be such a meatball head?"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emCan you ever do anything right?"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emYou need to start acting more like the princess you are!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"These, and many other past hurtful comments sounded out around her. The pain that the dark energy encasing her caused was nothing next to the mental agony that all this was putting her through…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"As the energy swirled around her, though, the voice spoke again…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""You are wrong, Serena… you are not weak, you are not stupid, you are not useless… far from it. You are the most powerful, out of all of them… as Sailor Moon, and as Serena. They neglect you, not seeing what a precious gift it is to even share your company… they are all fools… Undeserving fools."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Gradually, she could feel the sadness within her draining away, only to be replaced by anger, burning through her body along with the energy, and the energy started to swirl faster. The voice was right; they were nothing more than fools… all they ever wanted her to do was change, they never wanted her to be herself!/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"As if hearing her thoughts, the voice responded. "Why should you have to change yourself for them? In fact, are you not the leader of the Sailor Soldiers? Should it not be you telling them what to do? Should it not be you telling them what to change?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"How could she have never seen it? They didn't care about Serena… they never had. All they wanted was the princess, and even then, it was just so they could use her…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Well, no more! She was through just being there to let people do what they wanted with her! It was her turn to show them that she was not the pathetic, useless weakling they treated her like… it was time to prove that she was strong!/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Do you want the power? The power to defy them, defy what they've always expected of you, defy the pitiful impression they have of you? Do you want the power to show them the mistake they made in hurting you?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Her eyes, shining with tears of anger now instead of sadness, hardened, and she blinked, and nodded her head slightly in ascent, her voice a low whisper./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Yes."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The energy surrounding her body constricted, and she let out a scream of pain as her entire body felt as though it was on fire. With the pain and fire came an immense rush of power throughout her body, her very veins, and she could feel her nerves tingling with it… it all combined into one huge indescribable feeling, overwhelming her…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Until all went black./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;" /p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"emstrongAuthor: Queen Serenity/strong/em/span/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"emstrongFandom: Sailor Moon:/strong/em/span/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"emstrongChapter: Nine – Giving Up, Giving In/strong/em/span/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"When Serena finally woke up, it seemed that she was all alone in a dark, dark place… she was in a bright spotlight, but, all around, as far as she could see, was darkness./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"She made her way to her feet, her legs feeling weak. Looking around, but fearful to leave the spotlight shining on her, she called out, a slight tremor to her voice, "Hello? Is anyone there? Where am I?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The last thing she remembered… it was getting ready to go to a friend's house. So where was she now?/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""So you're awake…" A voice, male and a bit raspy sounding, sounded out… but she couldn't tell from what direction it was coming from… it seemed to be coming from around her./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Who's there?" She didn't like this… she really didn't like the dark…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Someone who sees you as you should be seen… Someone who sees the truth…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Serena's brows furrowed. "Sees me as I should be seen? What do you mean?" (Hehe… she rhymed…)/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I see a young woman, seemingly surrounded by loved ones… but who isn't appreciated, not truly. I see her friends looking down on her…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Serena frowned, shaking her head in denial. "No, that's not true… my friends all appreciate me. Really, they do." Even to her, the doubt was evident in her voice… she couldn't help but remember how they were the other day, and how she sometimes feared going to visit them, simply because she didn't want to hear them talking down to her about her failing a test, or doing something else wrong. As these thoughts nagged at the back of her mind, she didn't notice the shadows behind her beginning to stir, a violet light glowing in them./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I see someone unloved by the one she loves… who she gives her heart to… to keep, only to have it ripped from her chest, still beating, and crushed under a boot…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Tears welled in Serena's eyes as she thought of Darien, and she found herself falling to her knees as she felt her heart breaking yet again at just the thought of him. Her voice, when she spoke again, was a choked whisper. "It's not… Darien, he doesn't know what he's saying. I've done something wrong, something to drive him away… I'm so stupid, so weak… so useless… and he sees it…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I see a girl who is already so powerful, who is depended on by her friends, but not appreciated by them… who can be so much more powerful, if she so wished…"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The crying girl looked up, confused. "Wha?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"It was that moment that the dark 'light' that had been pooling behind her pounced. It covered her body, muffling a shriek that emitted from her, and carried her up into the air, where she hovered, enveloped in a column of the dark energy./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Memories started to flash through Serena's mind, and it was as though she could hear her friends' voices all around her…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emSerena… I've already told you, more than once, that we are through!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emDon't touch me! I'm sorry, Serena, but you need to move on and stay out of my life!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emSerena! We're not talking about you, we're talking about poor Rini!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emYeah, Serena! Right now Rini's problem is a lot more important that your love life! Think about something else for a change."/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emYou need to stop being so selfish!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emTry to concentrate on Rini, the subject at hand, instead of yourself right now!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emWhy do you always have to be such a meatball head?"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emCan you ever do anything right?"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emYou need to start acting more like the princess you are!"/em/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"These, and many other past hurtful comments sounded out around her. The pain that the dark energy encasing her caused was nothing next to the mental agony that all this was putting her through…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"As the energy swirled around her, though, the voice spoke again…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""You are wrong, Serena… you are not weak, you are not stupid, you are not useless… far from it. You are the most powerful, out of all of them… as Sailor Moon, and as Serena. They neglect you, not seeing what a precious gift it is to even share your company… they are all fools… Undeserving fools."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Gradually, she could feel the sadness within her draining away, only to be replaced by anger, burning through her body along with the energy, and the energy started to swirl faster. The voice was right; they were nothing more than fools… all they ever wanted her to do was change, they never wanted her to be herself!/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"As if hearing her thoughts, the voice responded. "Why should you have to change yourself for them? In fact, are you not the leader of the Sailor Soldiers? Should it not be you telling them what to do? Should it not be you telling them what to change?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"How could she have never seen it? They didn't care about Serena… they never had. All they wanted was the princess, and even then, it was just so they could use her…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Well, no more! She was through just being there to let people do what they wanted with her! It was her turn to show them that she was not the pathetic, useless weakling they treated her like… it was time to prove that she was strong!/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Do you want the power? The power to defy them, defy what they've always expected of you, defy the pitiful impression they have of you? Do you want the power to show them the mistake they made in hurting you?"/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Her eyes, shining with tears of anger now instead of sadness, hardened, and she blinked, and nodded her head slightly in ascent, her voice a low whisper./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Yes."/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The energy surrounding her body constricted, and she let out a scream of pain as her entire body felt as though it was on fire. With the pain and fire came an immense rush of power throughout her body, her very veins, and she could feel her nerves tingling with it… it all combined into one huge indescribable feeling, overwhelming her…/p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Until all went black./p
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;" /p