AN: I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters. I acknowledge Naoko Takeuchi as its creator and its owner.

I am sorry for my long absence! I went on vacation, and will soon go on a 200km walk, so I will try to update when and where I can!

BIG thanks to LoveInTheBattleField for being my most consistent reviewer! Please keep sending them my way!

So I just wanted to thank MoonlightBushido for the review! It always compels me to keep writing. I am glad you are enjoying my story, and Usagi will not be a crybaby!

As for the rest of you *gives THE glare of death*, get reviewing yourselves! Just joking. But seriously, reviews are appreciated. And so is making my story on alert or in your favourites category. Also thanks to topdog19, JazKhanom, Rio-Vena, and dmindy87. Now then, without further ado, let us get into the nightmare known as my imagination!

The Shadow Of Darkness

Chapter 5

Usagi sat in the hospital waiting room, waiting tensely for any scrap of information regarding the fate of her brother. 'Please stay with me Shingo…you are all that I have… I just don't think that I will be able to go on without you. Our mother dying does not hold a candle to the thought of losing you' she desperately thought. While I am truthfully upset about losing her mother, it had more to do with the fact that she regretted what she what she wished she had in her family than losing the person who had abused me.

"Excuse me, Tsukino-san," the nurse called out, shaking me out my dark thoughts, "I have some news on your mother and brother."

Despite the fact I was dreading what I would hear, I desperately shot out, "How is Shingo?! Will he be okay?!"

Looking at me strangely, taking note of my apparent lack of concern for my mother; the nurse replied, "We will get the worst out of the way first. I am sorry to say your mother is dead," saying it in a way that indicated practiced ease. She paused looking at my strangely for my lack of reaction, and then continued, "Your brother is stable… but…."

Freezing up in fear, I force out the question I must ask: "What is wrong?"

Looking at my sadly, the nurse quietly replied, "He is in a coma, and we do not know if he will ever wake up, but the signs are not encouraging. I would brace myself for the worst if I was you. I am truly sorry about this, if you need to talk, please just ask."

Tears shamelessly make their way for the first time in years. Despite my promise to be strong for Shingo and protect him, I have failed. Because I failed, I might now have lost him forever. With escape from reality as the only thing on my mind, I run away from the hospital, trying to make it go away. Desperately hoping that I can wake up from the worst nightmare I have experienced in my life.

Of all the things I have ever gone through, this was by far the worst. It makes me weak and vulnerable, and I hate myself for it. The sun sets as I sit there wallowing in my feelings. 'How cruel. On the day I thought I might finally be free from this hell, this happened.' Having finally calmed, however slightly, I try to make sense of what had happened.

Whatever that thing was, it was clearly not human. Despite the fact that it seemed, absurd and nonsensical, I knew that it was the only plausible explanation. There was only other person that possessed the ability to change from human form that I was aware of: Artemis. Upon that remembrance I set out to find him. When he left the hospital, he mumbled something about going home, not that I had really paid him any heed at the time. Getting up, I ran off in the direction of his home.

Upon reaching the door of his house, I slammed my fist against it until he answered. As the door swung open, Artemis' face had a flash of recognition as he answered, "Tsukino-san,-"

As I violently grabbed the top of his shirt and pulled him towards me and ground out between clenched teeth in my rage, "What did you have to do with what happened to Shingo today? There is only one other thing that can change like that and it is you!"

Sighing, he looked at me sadly and murmured, "Back where we started, huh?"

Slapping him I shout, "Don't play games with me! You know full well what I am talking about!"

He looked at me and began, "Why would I attack you or Shingo or your mother? What could I possibly gain? You have nothing for me to want to take. It would be pointless slaughter that would really serve no purpose."

My eyes light in an even deeper rage, I fire back "Then how can you possible account for the fact that you just suddenly showed up at the end of the ordeal!"

Looking at my with a determined set of eyes,he counters "I was looking for you and Shingo so to see if you would really come, because I was frankly convinced you might not. I also wanted to ensure that you got on the right to bus so you would not end up getting lost. The real cause was the enemy I alluded to before. Somehow the seal must have been broken prematurely."

Looking at him in disbelief, I disbelievingly say, "You are going to blame this on some bogus story you offered me before?" I bitterly ask, "So what you are the good side, and they are the demons?"

Regarding me coolly, he replies, "That is precisely what I am saying. How else do you think that you were able to kill something that had superhuman capabilities? Through the amazing fighting skills blindly attacking gives you? No, you obviously are exactly the person I am looking for."

I freeze, realizing that there is some truth in what he is saying. I nervously ask, "Will they keep coming here?"

Pulling himself free from my slackened grip, he says "I am afraid so. Whatever you fought today was one of the weakest and most disposable minions they could have thrown at us."

With the image of Shingo falling to the group completely limp still fresh in my mind, I decide then and there that I would fight with everything I had against the people who had dared to hurt Shingo. I would not stop nor would I rest until I destroyed every last piece of the people who had hurt him. I would not do it for moral, the greater good or any of that crap. Only for Shingo. With a steely edge, I thought, 'Shingo, no matter what happens I will stay strong… I will never lose. But you can't either. We will make it through this. Together.'

Noticing my change in demeanor, Artemis cut through my thoughts, "Usagi, we will have to move very quickly here. I really have no idea how to fully awaken your abilities, even though your little display there clearly demonstrated the fact that you at least enjoy greater capabilities than other people. With this in mind, you will need to learn to fight. Luck might have been on your side today, but the same will not always be true."

As he says this, a thought occurs to me, "Will we really be able to get through this scot-free? I mean the body of a monster and a smashed wall is pretty suspicious no matter how it is that you choose to regard it."

"Well, to be honest, the investigations of police take at least days, and frankly, I am expecting that the enemy will be much busier than the local police could ever hope to match. So I would imagine that the enemy will eventually reveal to the world monsters can exist. In the meantime, there will just be so much for the police to investigate they simply will not be able to keep up. There was many similar raid today from what I gather, because of the sheer number of reports of dead bodies. It is just the numbers of it and lack of a scene that makes me suspect it also has something to do with the dark kingdom. For now though, why don't you go back to check on your brother? I need to look in to some different things right now."

Nodding, I say me departing words and take me leave back to the hospital, wondering how my brother is doing.

As I approach the hospital bed my brother, I see a doctor accompanied by someone else. For some reason I get the strangest feeling in my gut when I see him. Turning to me, I get a better look, as the feeling completely takes over my entire being.

Standing before me was a tall man, with charcoal hair and eyes the deepest blue I have ever seen in my life. In his eyes, I see a strange jumble of emotions similar to my own. Not liking the feeling , I turn away I focus entirely on the doctor and ask, "Any changes in him?"

"I am afraid not Tsukino-san, but I will notify right away if there is. Why don't you head on home and get some rest? I know that you have an incredibly long day."

Determined to get away from the other man, I just nod and turn on my feet, heading straight back to Artemis' wondering why it was that that man had given me such feelings.

AN: Well there it is, people. 3 guesses who the "mysterious" man might be!