CHAPTER 8 - The Other Side of Things

Was this worth it? He didn't even come. He didn't save me. It's too late. I'm dead all because I risked my life just to see him. What's going to happen to me now? Is this what it's like to be dead?

How come I can still feel my heart pounding in my chest? I feel pain...so much pain.

Sailor Moon cautiously opened her eyes realizing she had been squeezing them tight. She allowed her eyes to focus and slowly, an image began to appear.

She gasped and was forced to catch her breath as she saw the bat creature was still towering over her. Its claws were only a few millimeters away from her throat and she was sure that if she moved even in the slightest manner, she would be severely cut.

For a few moments, Sailor Moon and the monstrous bat remained eye to eye, neither of them moving. Why hasn't it killed me yet? As if to answer her question, the bat's arm that was aimed at her throat fell to its side and with a loud thump, the bat dropped onto the forest floor.

She stared, wide eyed and terrified while she looked at the monster who was now clearly lifeless.

Her eyes darted from left to right seeking another figure. None appeared.

Feeling extremely lethargic and faint, her eyes closed against her will as she entered a world of blackness.


Beads of sweat began to form on his face and neck as the dream once again filled his mind. It always began sweetly, but always ended horribly wrong.

There she was, lovely as ever. From head to toe she was dressed in white with flowers delicately gracing her hair and matching the boquet that she held with both hands. Her face radiantly glowed with bliss while the blush in her cheeks complimented the twinkle in her eyes. A smile played on her lips as she said, "Finally, the two of us can live happily ever after."

If only it ended there.

His dreaming mind helplessly watched as the sweet vision quickly vanished and he was left watching her look back at him, tears cascading down her face. In his dream, he reached for her, but she only moved farther and farther away as destruction and danger surrounded her and blocked her from his sight.

He awoke with a gasp, quickly sitting up in his bed. He groaned as he lowered his head and rested it in his hand. Not again. Suddenly, he felt as if the oxygen in his bedroom had suddenly vanquished causing him difficulty in finding his breath.

He threw the covers off his legs and made his way to the balcony almost stumbling on one of his textbooks on the way. Fresh air! I need...fresh air! He hastily slammed the balcony sliding door open, nearly breaking it in the process.

Bursting out onto the balcony, he took several deep breaths willing his mind, pulse, and breathing to settle down. It took several minutes, but after a while, he felt better.

He looked down at the city while he called to mind the images of his dream. He knew it was ridiculous to believe these dreams that had been recurring for two weeks were just a coincidence. They were definitely telling him something. Telling me what? She's in danger. Serena's in danger.

He could faintly make out the sun beginning to rise as it cast its faint orange glow on the city. He decided he couldn't go back to sleep now.

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Is she in danger because of me?How can I risk not listening to those dreams? He rounded a corner and let the crisp morning air fill his lungs during this morning jog that had started earlier than usual. The streets were clear since it was fairly early and he was glad of it because he was sure he would certainly run someone down if they were in his way.

He winced as he shamefully remembered the day he had pushed her away and told her his feelings had changed. The details of that day were still vivid and very much fresh in his mind as if it had just happened today. The pain in her eyes, the quiver in her voice, the affliction on her face.

Then there was that day at the park when he had given Andrew's sister, Lizzy a ride on his motorcycle. He remembered quite clearly the image in his side view mirror as he sped away. Her pained expression, her trembling hands, her shaking shoulders as she sobbed.

He began to run faster as if to outrun his guilt and the torment from pushing her away. It's not fair! It's just not fair! Why does it have to be this way?

Memories spilled over in his mind as flashbacks of the day his memory returned came to him. That day in Ann and Alan's apartment. The Doom Tree. She stepped in front of me...to block me from taking the hit. She risked her life...for me. She...protected me.

He was astounded by her loyalty, her character, and her bravery. His head still reeled whenever he thought about how she never once did give up on him even when he lost his memory and couldn't remember her and even when he had been turned against her by Queen Beryl. She never lost hope where another would have easily forfeited.

Faster and faster he ran as he raced against his anguish and guilty conscience.

Serena, you proved that you would do anything to protect me. It's my turn to protect you now. Even if it has to come to this, I can't let anything happen to you.

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Andrew looked up as he heard the door of the Crown Arcade open. "Darien!" Andrew waved, happy to see his best friend. "Are you back for a rematch at the new racing game? I beat you fair and square!"

Darien attempted to smile back, but didn't seem to notice what Andrew had said. It was clear he wasn't in any type of good mood. He took a seat at the counter without making eye contact and ordered a milkshake.

Andrew reached for the ingredients and began preparing the milkshake, not keeping his eyes off Darien for too long. "What's been keeping you down Dar? You've been down in the dumps lately."

Andrew continued to make the milkshake as he waited for Darien to reply, but when the milkshake was finally ready, Darien had remained silent. Andrew set the milkshake down in front of Darien with a thud purposely attempting to get his attention.

Darien came out of his daze hearing the sound of Andrew nearly pounding the milkshake on the counter. "Oh...sorry. What'd you say?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "You're not acting like the Darien I know. It's clear something's troubling you. What's going on?"

Darien's voice came out quiet and hoarse as he asked, "If you had to hurt someone, but it was the right thing to do, would you do it?"

Andrew lifted both eyebrows for a moment, surprised at the sudden question. "Hmmm." He said as his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "That's tough." Darien continued to await an answer from his best friend. It seemed like eternity as Andrew stood still, his eyes moving in various directions as he pondered the question.

At last, Andrew placed a hand on Darien's shoulder, looked him dead in the eye and said, "Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same."

There was silence for a while as Darien repeated Andrew's answer in his mind. Unexpectedly, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth which soon broke out into a laugh. Andrew in return laughed as well.

"Andrew, you got that from a song!" Darien pointed out, amused that his best friend could still make him laugh at at time like this.

"That was only thing I could think of!" Andrew said laughing. "If it makes you happy, I won't take the credit. You can thank The Fray." Darien shook his head as he chuckled.

"Believe me, Andrew. If I could find every answer in a song, it would make life so much easier." Darien said grateful for Andrew's ability to lift his spirits.

"Andrew, it's time to go!" Lizzy popped out from behind Andrew's back. "Hi Darien." She said cheerfully. Darien nodded politely to return the greeting.

"Andrew, you don't look like you're ready to go. We've got to get going!" Lizzy seemed eager to leave as she tugged on her brother's sleeve.

"For what Lizzy?" Andrew's sister's face fell instantly. "You...don't...remember?"

Andrew looked guilty for not remembering, but he remained quiet awaiting Lizzy's reminder. "I've got an appointment for an eye check up!" Lizzy said with annoyance. Andrew slapped his forehead. "Oh no! Lizzy, I...my shift doesn't end until six."

Lizzy threw her hands up. "Well then what am I going to do? I can't cancel now! I've already canceled the last three times. This is the fourth appointment I've made with them. If I don't come today, I'll have to find another optometrist!"

"No worries, I'll take you Lizzy." Darien said as he stood up, ready to leave. Andrew politely declined. "Dar, you already gave her a ride last time. I can't ask you to do that again."

Darien didn't take no for an answer. "Let's just consider it a thank you for your piece of advice." Andrew laughed, reluctantly agreeing. "Ok fine. You're doing us a big favor Darien. I owe you one."

As Andrew watched Darien and Lizzy exit the arcade, he silently gave his thanks to The Fray. "Hey!!" He yelled after Darien. "You didn't even touch your milkshake!!" But it was too late. Andrew shrugged as he picked it up and took a sip.

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Darien apologized to the stranger he had just bumped shoulders with. The stranger didn't reply or even acknowledge him. He decided to forget about it and continued to walk alongside Lizzy. "I have to say Lizzy, it's unique for your optometrist's office to be located on a street in the middle of all these clothing stores."

Lizzy shrugged. "I know, weird isn't it? It sticks out like a sore thumb, but hey, then again, that's what makes it so noticeable! Everyone remembers the eye clinic that's in between Kristy's Clothing Boutique and Classy & Sassy.

Lizzy quickened her steps as she looked at her watch. "I hope I'm not late." Darien hastened his walk to keep up with her.

As they walked, Darien's eyes scanned the streets ahead of him. Clothing stores seemed to stretch out for miles and miles. There was always an abundance of teenage girls in this area hoping to be the first to purchase clothing that had just come in for this season. He could tell Lizzy was itching to stop and stare at some of the window displays, but she continued her march to the eye clinic.

Her vision seemed to be directed at an upcoming window display across the street because her head faced its direction, not moving even though they were about to pass it. Darien glanced over at the clothing store thinking that it was probably the same as all the others and he wondered what made it so special.

That was when he saw her. The girl with the meatballs on top of her head across the street. He knew those meatballs anywhere because only one person wore them the way she did.

My meatball head!

He gazed at her as she seemed to be enjoying the sunlight, her eyes closed as she leaned back against the brick wall of the store. She appeared to be in deep thought and he wondered what it was she was thinking about.

Suddenly, the image of her teary face in his dream invaded his mind and the feeling that she was in danger punched a gaping hole in his stomach. He tore his eyes away from her and forced himself to look ahead.

"Darien? Hellooo?" Lizzy looked up at Darien who seemed distracted. "Huh? Oh. Sorry Lizzy. Say it again?" She laughed as she looked up at him. His spaced out facial expression amused her.

"I was just asking if you go to get your eyes checked 'cause Andrew says that maybe some glasses will help you improve at video games! But even then he says he'll always beat you." Lizzy giggled, finding her brother and Darien's video game rivalry to be quite funny.

Darien laughed, wanting to make Andrew eat his own words the next time they competed. "Of course I do."

Lizzy glanced up at him, waiting for him to retaliate. She was curious however, when she realized that he didn't intend to. She looked up at his face which had once again resumed its spaced out look and she couldn't help but hold in a giggle.

It took everything in Darien not to take once last glance at Serena, but the other half of him forbade it. She needs to go on without me...for her own safety. One side of him constantly reminded him of his dreams and the danger Serena was in while the other side consistently revived the memories of how he had hurt her and caused her heartache.

"We're here Darien!" Lizzy said a few blocks later skipping up the steps of the Eye Clinic. Before entering through the door, she turned around and waved. "Thanks Darien! I'll call my brother and tell him I got here safely!"

Darien sighed, knowing he couldn't go back the way he came. He continued to trudge along the pavement finding himself among seemingly endless rows of clothing stores.

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Back at his apartment, Darien sat at his desk flipping through the pages of his textbook. The only light came from the desk lamp that cast long shadows across the room. The words seemed to crowd the pages they inhabited and seemed almost as if the book had no end. Complicated vocabulary populated almost every sentence and his head was beginning to spin.

For the past couple weeks, Darien knew his studying had suffered to some extent due to his inability to concentrate. Just when he would doze off in the middle of studying, that horrid dream would jolt him from his snooze and he was forced to do anything but study to keep his mind preoccupied.

He shut his eyes for a moment to give them a quick rest. Taking a deep breath, he opened them again willing himself to focus on the paragraph where he had left off. It was as if the words didn't stay put and the lines appeared to bleed into each other. He knew there was no use in trying. He couldn't concentrate long enough to read a couple sentences and so he decided it was time to take a break.

Almost a half second later, however, he was suddenly flooded with an overwhelming storm of sensations. It's that feeling again! He held onto the edge of his desk as the room seemed to swirl and he felt that familiar and not uncommon feeling wash over him again. He knew that feeling all too well and had long ago accepted it as a sixth sense.

She's in danger! I need to go to her. Serena's in danger! He nearly staggered out of his chair toppling it over as he headed for the door. Wait! He stopped, demanding his feet to cease their movement. It was almost as if his limbs did not belong to him and possessed a mind of their own. He felt like he was fighting against himself as he put forth great effort to suppress the strong desire to run through that door to go and find her.

The two sides of him argued and debated ruthlessly tearing him in two. She needs help! If something happened to her because I didn't save her, I could never forgive myself! But the dreams...by going to her, I could actually be doing the opposite of saving her! What if I'm the one who actually causes her danger by going near her? I could never live with myself! He groaned and clutched his forehead, the internal debate bringing on a splitting headache. I don't know what to do!

His sixth sense never proved to be false as they always led him to Sailor Moon in the nick of time. Right now, those senses were beckoning him like a lighthouse leading boats to shore.

Then came the visions like they usually did. Flashes of her terrified face appeared in his mind like flashes of lightning in the sky.

Those visions were always what got to him more than anything else. He couldn't bear to turn away and completely ignore her when he saw that she needed him. How could he possibly look the other way when he saw those eyes wide with terror knowing that at any moment she could lose her life?

He swung the door open so forcefully that it almost came right off its hinges. He ran out into the hallway speeding down the flights of stairs that led to the outdoors. He learned long ago that the elevators were never reliable during these times when he was in a state of rush. Something would almost always happen that would cause a delay such as an elderly lady who needed help carrying her groceries to her suite or a new tenant moving in and needing to load the elevator with furniture.

He raced down the street, not knowing exactly where he was headed. He didn't know quite know how to explain it, but all he could say was that his ability to sense when Sailor Moon was in danger led him straight to her every time no matter where she was. He moved his legs faster breaking out into a full speed sprint. Hold on Serena! I'm coming!

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Somehow, someway Tuxedo Mask had ended up in an unfamiliar place. How he had arrived here was a blur to him, and it was almost as if the wind had carried him here. He quickly looked around trying to orient himself, but the area just looked like a dense forest. He grimaced as those feelings once again came to him and alerted him that Sailor Moon needed help. Again, those images of her terrified face came to mind and...blood? Is she hurt?

He was brought out of his trance-like state when he heard an eerie voice snicker. He whipped his head towards the direction, but all he saw were trees. He knew that Sailor Moon was near, but he couldn't see her. Suddenly, an intelligent idea came to his attention and he acted upon it immediately.

He jumped up to a high tree branch praying that it would hold his weight. Wrapping one arm around the tree trunk and making sure that his feet were steady, he looked down from his high viewing point as he scanned the area. From high up, his viewing field was much larger. There she is! Fury filled him as he saw a creature from the enemy standing over her with its back facing him. Telling from the position of its arm, he could tell it was about to do something seriously dangerous.

Reaching into his coat, he instantaneously pulled out a rose and with extra added strength flung it at his target. Bullseye. Right in the back of the head at the base of the brain.

He slowly let out a sigh of relief as the monster toppled onto the ground. He silently cursed himself thinking that if he had debated with himself back at his apartment for a moment longer and he didn't leave when he did, he could have very well been too late. He landed on the forest floor, easily jumping off the tree branch and hastily made his way over to Sailor Moon who was sprawled out on the ground.

His heart began to race as he neared her and saw that she was not conscious. "Sailor Moon!" He yelled, attempting to rouse her as he dropped to his knees by her side. The blood soaking her uniform caught his attention as he stared in horror at the gashes across her abdomen. Infuriated, he glared at the body of the dead bat wishing he could have caused it to experience more pain before its defeat.

He was horrified at the sight of her knee that appeared to be very badly injured. "Sailor Moon!" He said, shaking her a little and praying that she would awaken.

There was no response.

He picked up her head and cradled it in his arm, never taking his eyes off her face. "I'm so sorry..." He whispered out loud, his voice breaking. "I'm so sorry Serena."

This time, he may have actually come too late.


Author's Note: First of all, I have to give credit to The Fray who sings the song All at Once. Thanks to them, Andrew was able to help out his best friend. Hehehe. As promised, you saw Darien's POV. Actually, this chapter was an abundance of Darienness so I hope you Darien/Mamoru lovers are in Darien/Mamoru heaven right now! I do have to say, that this was probably one of the more difficult chapters to write so far, especially the last half. Thesaurus dot com has proven to be my new best friend. Thanks once again for reading. Feel free to comment, good or bad because I'd like to hear it.

Here are some replies to some of the reviews from chapter 7:

Shay: Thank you so much! You flatter me! I don't like it when Darien and Serena are apart either. I remember when I first watched the episode where Darien broke up with Serena. I was only nine, but I remember taking it so hard and feeling like Darien broke up with me! I couldn't stop thinking about it at school and I was upset for the next two weeks. That's how much I love them together!

Rynn: Yeah, I feel bad for Usagi/Serena too. I think we all have the potential to think really dark thoughts sometimes, especially when something goes terribly wrong. Anyway, thanks for reading and commenting!

Emerald124: Thank you so much for your kind words! I LOVE Mamoru/Darien too! If only he were real. ( Haha, but I guess that's why we write fanfiction right? We make him in real in our minds, if that makes sense. I see that you got your wish granted. He's good here and not evil. I couldn't bear it when he was evil. At least here we know he still loves Usagi/Serena, but he's only being mean because he thinks he's protecting her.

Tori Kay: Hah! You were in for a shock there weren't you? Well, Darien did come to save her, but he could've come earlier! That would've prevented a lot of things now wouldn't it? But then again, it would change the story. You have good thinking because the forest is easy to get lost in, but fortunately Darien always finds Serena.

LilMissManda: I have to admit that at first, I wasn't too fond of Rini either. She seemed to always be getting in between Serena and Darien and I found her to be extremely rude to Serena at times. It actually wasn't until when she came back the second time to be trained as a sailor scout that I began to love her because she wasn't rude anymore and her and Serena became closer. Heheh, I love ending chapters at cliffhangers. I don't know why, I've just always written stories like that. I apologize in advance for any future cliffhangers because I can't guarantee that there won't be any more!