AN: I acknowledge Naoko Takeuchi as the owner and creator of Sailor Moon

Thanks goes to Wishfull-star, nanymilan, sailorkristina, and rootathell. Let's make this crowd bigger folks! It would mean the world to me!

Heads up folks, this one is a little darker.

The Shadow Of Darkness

Chapter 14

Wandering aimlessly back to Artemis', with Makoto in tailing me, I begin to get irritated by her persistence. At first it had been easy to ignore her, but as the day wore on, my patience grew increasingly thin until I finally reached the point that I am at right now.

"What do you want from me, Makoto?" I snap at her.

Offering a smile, she merely responds, "Nothing."

"Then why don't you just go home or something? I am sure that you have much better things to be doing with your time than following me around," I ground out.

"To be honest, I really don't have anything better to do. Besides, you don't really seem to have any particular qualms to my presence here, right?" She replied slyly.

"Look, just leave me alone, okay? I am fine on my own. I don't need anyone's help. I have managed being alone before now. So why should that have changed all of the sudden? All of your other friends obviously feel the same way as me," I bite out.

Inclining her head and smiling she answered, "Actually I asked them to give you your space. They wanted to chase after you and I knew that they would start hounding on you and that you would not like it if they did that, which is why I just told them to back off. I knew that they would be incapable of not making you feel worse right now, so I just told them to let me handle it. Believe me, if they could be here they would. While they do not entirely understand, they are much better than the majority of people, trust me Usagi-san."

With a raised I eyebrow I just mutter, "Why don't you do us a both a favour and heed your own advice and leave me alone?"

"Well I haven't hounded you at all. Every time that we have talked you have been the one that actually started the conversation."

Grumbling because I know that she is right, I turn away from her and start to ignore her once again. But part of me is still clinging on to what she had said. 'While they do not understand, they are much better than the majority of people, Usagi-san.' Though I want it to be true, I would never let myself take that chance. I don't need people. What I need is to get the people that got my brother. Then one of the worst possible things that could have happened did.

"Usagi-chan, where have you been all of this time?! I have not seen you for weeks!" An apparently worried Naru said.

Facing the direction the voice had called out from, I could in fact see that it was Naru that was approaching me. She was quite literally, the last person that I wanted to see right now. I cannot deal with her incessant nonsense nor do I have the patience to actually sit through one of her questioning sessions right now, as she is basically the only one who is unaware of what has been happening in my life as of late. Right on cue, the question session begins.

Without taking any breaks for air she says, "Where have you been this whole time? I heard you transferred schools, is it true? Who is that girl that is with you? How come you never introduced us? You still owe me that explanation from before, but I am not going to wait any longer, I want it now. What have you been doing all of this time?"

Just shaking my head I mutter, "Not right now Naru, I am really not in the mood. A lot has happened in my life recently and I just do not have the energy to deal with people. That girl is just kinda hanging around me. But I just meet her when I transferred schools because I moved." Before Naru has a chance to say anything else I add, "I need to get going Naru. I am sorry, but I am expected at home right away now. I am sort of operating under curfew."

"Hang on, you can't just give your best friend the slip! I want to know what is going with you right now! You have been acting all weird! Is it because she is your new best friend and now you want nothing to do with me? Stop running from me just talk to me!"

Getting a desperate tone I beg, "Please don't do this right now Naru, please please don't do this."

Angrily she replies, "Then stop avoiding me! Just tell me the truth!"

Then I find myself getting a face full of brown hair as Makoto step between Naru and I.

Calmly she interjects, "I think that it is for the best if you settle this once you have both calmed down a little bit. I don't know who you are, but please trust me when I say that Usagi was right when she said that this is a bad time."

Her anger lightening up somewhat she asks, "What is it that has happened Usagi?"

I just shake my head in reply and she interprets this in a way that I had not intended as she started to get angry again.

"Damn it Usagi, I just want to help you so why don't you just tell me! Stop hiding and running away. The only way that people can help is if you let them in! Unless you are actually just covering up your attempt to get away from me."

I am at it. My boiling point, and my anger starts overflowing like a volcano. "Listen to me, I owe you nothing! Not one thing! Why should I tell you what happened when you never picked up on any of the signs that something was wrong in past? Makoto here noticed right away! On the very first day that I met her, compared to how many years of knowing you? You want the truth? How laughable. You would collapse in my position so I won't burden your petty heart!"

With that I storm off leaving the girl standing behind me in pure shock as to what had just happened. Makoto chases after me, but I barely notice her. After walking as far away from the girl as quickly as possible I finally settle on a bench away from the crowds of people in a park. I just sit there for a while, slowly letting my nerves settle and pulling my anger back in. Calming down, I notice Makoto sitting down by a tree close to me.

Never directly interfering but still not leaving me alone. Letting me know that she is there if I need her. Though I am not entirely sure how to respond to this gesture or how to feel about it, in the very least I know that it has been helpful to me. Her intervention with Naru had proven to me that her intentions were in fact sincere. Not really sure what else to do, I just offer a small smile and say, "Domo Arigato, Makoto-san."

Smiling in turn she nods, before gazing at the sky. Eager for anything to take my mind away from my dark thoughts I look up with her, enjoying the slight soothing her presence is having on my aching soul.

Returning to the other generals, Kunzite nods in welcome to me and say, "Welcome back, Zoicite. Now that you are here shall we proceed?"

Nodding in turn I answer, "Well I have actually been studying our enemy a little bit and I found the one girl to be a little bit unpredictable. I wish to test her to see how much of a hero-complex she does or does not have."

Glancing at me again he thoughtfully says, "I am guessing that you have a plan already? Very well, just remember that under no circumstances are you to reveal yourself. Right now anonymity is our strongest asset and I wish to keep it that way."

Smiling I reply with a bit of steel in my voice, "How reckless do you think that I am? Leave such warnings for Jadeite. As I said the purpose is merely a test. Nothing more."

With that said I get up and leave the room, ready to begin my mission. With a recently acquired friend in tow. Watching and I waiting I see my oppourtunity to strike. And I take it.

I had been sitting with Usagi for quite some time when we hear a loud screech pierce through the air. Followed by more screams and the sound of people running away. I see Usagi getting up and bolting towards the source charging in without thinking. As she does, there is a flash of light and the now Sailor Moon runs ever faster towards the source. Taking off after , I also quickly change into Sailor Jupiter.

Once we make it to the scene, there is a tall and grotesque monster with a an arm that ends with a blade with a person who had been stabbed in the chest bleeding out on the on ground next to it. At the sight, I retch.

Then at this extremely inoppourtune moment once again, Naru comes running in towards the scene. This time, it is the monster that notices her first. Making a run towards her, the monster is behind her in a flash and containing her with the arm that has the blade along the edge of her neck.

Taunting us it call out, "What will you do now Sailor Senshi? You are the heros, you can't let one person get hurt, now can you? You know the cost will be her life if I see any movements I don't like."

I grit my teeth and freeze up at that, knowing that this monster would have absolutely no hesitation to do so. Next to me; however, Usagi has a very different response to what is happening. Crossing her arms and smirking she replies, "How clichéd. Do you honestly think that such threats are really going to stop me?"

Shocked I cut in, "She is your friend! How can you say that?!"

The monster, equally shocked agrees, saying "The Sailor Senshi are supposed to fight for the freedom of other people and all of that crap!"

With a ruthless look in her eyes she answers, "Let me be clear. I fight for no one other than myself. I fight for revenge. Not to save anyone or to help them."

I stood there, rooted to the spot, completely shocked at what she was saying. While I knew that she was detached I had never realized that she was that detached. I am left wondering, just how far is she willing to do to get revenge for her brother. But then an even nastier thought occurs to me. Just how much is going to have to be sacrificed in order to make through this ordeal?

The monster gathers its wits before me an then shakily says, "You are just bluffing! I don't want any sudden moves from either of you!"

Still with the smirk and cockiness, she starts moving forward and replies, "But then you lose your precious hostage, and with it your only way of leaving here alive."

With that she charges angrily towards the monster, and the monster throws away the girl. But landing next to the monster, was the girl's head. At this, I retch uncontrollably. By the time I finish I see a monster that has been beaten, limbs scattered in directions they were not meant to, bleeding and bruised.

In the centre stands and girl, covered in blood. Looking at the source, she realizes where it is from. Her response is no different than mine. When she finally looms at me the look in her eyes scare me. A truly dead look, devoid of any positive emotion. A look begging for what just happened to not be true.

AN: Well folks, leave me your thoughts please.