AN: Posting a day early guys since I'm sick and hoping for some reveiws to cheer me up
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Serena groggily opened her eyes. It took several blinks and a couple of minutes before she could see, but even when her vision cleared, she couldn't see much. It was dark. Darker than the dungeon of the Moon Kingdom had been. It almost reminded her of the time void she'd been in.
But no, it hadn't hurt this much when she'd been in the vortex, had it?
A constant dripping noise echoed around the cave-like room. Whilst it wasn't exactly loud, with it being the only source of sound there, it amplified, stirring Serena from her half-conscious state.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
As she came to, she realised how cold she was. Her body shivered, the action revealing a stiff kind of pain. She shivered uncontrollably again and she realised it was her wrists that were hurting.
She attempted to lift her head, but when that proved to be too heavy, she tried wriggling her hands instead. It was an effort, but she finally managed. Cold, metal cuffs scraped against her chafed skin, and with bone-chilling dread, Serena realised she was hanging by her wrists.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
She struggled with what was left of her energy to break free, but it proved to be futile as the chains were just too strong. The more she struggled, the faster the dripping sound got.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
Serena closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to take calming breaths. When her head cleared slightly, she felt aches all up and down her arms. Something trickled down from her left arm, making its way down her neck before dropping to the floor. With her stomach plummeting, Serena realised what was happening.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Oh god. She was going to die. She was hanging in a cave, by her wrists, and she was going to bleed to death.
xXxXx
"You need to relax," Endymion advised to his double, handing him a glass of water. "Being angry isn't going to get Serena back."
Darien clenched his jaw. Truth be told, he wasn't angry. He was furious. How could he not have noticed Serena's absence sooner? What was he, slow?
A loud clanging sound filtered through his mind, and when he brought himself back to the present, he realised he'd just kicked a suit of armour over. He quickly stumbled back, away from anything else he might destroy. Thank god it hadn't fallen on him.
Malachite watched on silently by the door as one of his Prince's tore down the weapons room. He didn't interfere; he understood that Darien was mad. But still, he stood on guard, ready to protect his charge if he got himself hurt.
Even Jadeite sat silently on the floor, forgoing all normal comments and letting Darien vent in peace. He didn't know how he'd feel if Sailor Mars had been taken from him – of course, Sailor Mars could look after herself. Serena on the other hand was completely powerless and uneducated in the scenario.
"I can't believe how stupid I was!" Darien hissed as he kicked at a barrel of spikes. He lunged for the swords and unsheathed one quickly. "Fight me," he ordered as he spun around.
His blood boiled further when no one moved. "Fight me!" he roared. In frustration, he slammed the sword down on a wooden barrel and sank to his knees. "My god, Serena. Where are you?"
xXxXx
"Your Highness, Lady Beryl is here to see you. She insists it is urgent."
"Lady Beryl? Yes, yes bring her in, quickly." When the messenger rushed off, Queen Selene turned to Luna. "Luna, can you please retrieve the Scouts and the Generals for me? Make sure Serenity and Endymion are with them too. And bring Aria if you can find her, I have an important job for her."
Luna nodded and leapt off the throne, darting for one of the many side doors before disappearing through a hidden one. Queen Selene had just enough time to compose herself before a distraught Lady Beryl entered the throne room, crying heavily in her hand.
"My Queen, my Queen! I bring you terrible news!" Her sobs echoed around the room loudly, causing Selene to wince.
"Yes, what is it?" she leaned forward in her seat.
"Princess Serenity and I were talking, out in the gardens-" she threw an arm dramatically towards the windows, "- when all of a sudden, a black mist settled over us and... and...." She shrieked, burying her face in her hands again. Serenity and the Scouts slipped in through another door, which Beryl did not notice. "And I believe I fainted then, and I heard the Princess crying and screaming as she was dragged off by... by.... oh I don't know! I am ashamed at my weakness, and have come to beg your forgiveness for allowing the Princess to be kidnapped in my company!"
Darien, Endymion and the Generals entered silently from behind the Scouts, and arrived in time to hear the tail end of Beryl's theatrics. Darien did a double take when he saw the red headed woman from last night crying in the centre of the room. "That's not Lady Beryl is it?" he whispered in disbelief to Zoisite in front of him, who nodded.
Darien clenched his jaw. The entire Palace was on lockdown, and no one inside was allowed to leave, but they let this... witch in? Darien didn't like it.
"I don't believe you!" he declared loudly, stepping forward as he did so. Queen Beryl's face whitened when her eyes landed on him, and Queen Selene stood up quickly.
"Prince Darien, that is irrelevant. The fact that Lady Beryl remains to be the only link we have to finding Princess Serena must be considered and highly valued. We should be grateful to hear from her at all. However-" She turned suspicious eyes back towards the redhead. "How come I was not informed of this last night, when the incident occurred?"
Beryl was still staring in shock at Serenity when she realised she'd been spoken to. Thinking quickly, she replied. "Well, I… Your Highness! I was distraught! I hadn't gained my bearings and I was scared. I apologise for leaving abruptly, but I feared for my life too, should the kidnapper come back!"
Queen Selene nodded, not entirely satisfied, but as she had no further proof, she had to let Beryl go. "Very well then, you may leave. Thank you for your information."
Lady Beryl was staring intently at Serenity again, noting how close she stood to Endymion.
"Did you have something to ask Princess Serenity?" Queen Selene asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Princess... Serenity? You mean the princess I was with last night was not her?"
Serenity shook her head and stepped forward, not letting go of Endymion's hand. "She is a... distant relative, Serena. I can assure you that I am alive and well."
If it was possible, Beryl's face seemed to drain even more colour. Her eyes glued to Serenity and Endymion's clasped hands, she hastily curtsied and stalked out of the room.
The minute the door slammed shut behind her, everyone turned to one another and began talking at once.
"Did you find that a little suspicious, Nephrite?"
"Was that weird or what?"
"I don't trust her either, Darien."
"Why was she staring at you? Didn't she realise she was with Serena?"
"But Aria had seen Serena, not ten minutes before we'd found out she was missing. That's a pretty small timeframe for a kidnapping."
"Aria wasn't at the party, Darien. She's too young."
"Well she could have slipped in; you know how a ball could be pretty exciting for a youngster like her."
"But Jupiter, she would have had to get in first."
"Yeah, but the maids have ways, you know that. There're nooks and crannies everywhere! A secret door for every day of the week in this castle."
"Well why don't we ask her?"
"No, she'll be scared that she's in trouble!"
"Silence!" Queen Selene demanded, raising a tired hand. The group fell into a hush immediately.
"Mother, what do we do? With all the guards protecting the palace, there's hardly anyone to look for Serena!"
Sailor Venus slipped her arm around Serenity's shoulders. "We'll find her, Sere. And when we do, someone is going to pay!"
"But what if it's someone from inside the palace?" Sailor Mercury asked fearfully.
"I am preparing for that as we speak," Queen Selene assured her.
Just then, the door opened quietly and Aria slipped in. Queen Selene smiled and beckoned the young girl towards her. Everyone watched as she almost ran to the throne and hastily curtsied.
"Aria," the beautiful queen began, before pausing. Everyone waited with baited breath. "I have a special and very important job that I need you to do."
"Me?" squeaked the girl, gulping.
Queen Selene nodded. "Yes." She paused again. "But it will be dangerous, and it's vital you don't get caught. Are you willing to do so? It is all right if you say no."
Aria's chest swelled in pride. "It would be an honour, your Majesty."
The Queen smiled softly at the tween's bravery and leant forward in her seat, speaking quickly and lowly. "I need you to be a spy on the inside of our palace walls. Find out if anybody knows anything about Serena's disappearance last night, if any of the workers are looking suspicious or nervous, anything. I am asking you because no one would suspect a small girl to be on the lookout." She smiled. "After all, children are curious, are they not?"
Aria nodded, her dark hair bouncing in the light. Queen Selene leaned back in her chair, relieved. "Thank you, my dear. You will report to me any suspicious behaviour you find at once. If you cannot reach me directly, pass the information on to Luna or Artemis and they will give it to me."
Aria nodded again, her head reminding Darien of those bopping head dolls. "Very well," Queen Selene smiled warmly. "You are free to go. And thank you, once again."
Aria left quickly, dashing out of the room and Darien asked the one question on everyone's mind.
"So what do we do now?"
"Now we wait," Queen Selene sighed, resting in her throne.
xXxXx
"Do you think she's okay?" Serenity asked as Sailor Venus brushed out one of her buns.
"Of course she is, Serenity. You mustn't think anything bad has happened or you'll just get yourself in an unnecessary worry!"
"I can't help it," Serenity frowned. "She's probably only out there because she was mistaken for me. Did you hear what Lady Beryl said? She thought she was talking to Princess Serenity, which means whoever took her almost certainly did too!"
"Breathe," Sailor Mercury said.
"I can't believe we have to sit around here waiting for some sort of ransom note or news, when we could be out there helping find her!" Sailor Mars said, crossing her legs on Serenity's four poster bed.
"Well we certainly can't leave Serenity here on her own," Sailor Jupiter disagreed. "Not when there are creeps running around trying to kidnap her. She's just as unsafe in here as she is out there, only with a little more comfort."
"And if we went out to look for Serena, who would protect Serenity?" Sailor Mercury agreed.
"You guys seem to keep forgetting that Serena and I are the same person. Why should you care more about me than her? Because you've grown up with me? Because you've sworn to protect me? My life is worth no more than hers. She's me! She shouldn't even be in this mess." Serenity covered her eyes. "By growing up with me, you've grown up with her too, just a long time ago. By swearing to protect me, you've sworn to protect me in all forms, including past, present and future selves."
"Well we can't help both of you," Sailor Jupiter said sadly. "So right now, our main priority is keeping you safe. When we get wind of Serena, then we can worry about her, all right?"
"Fine," Serenity heaved, realising her argument was over. "At least I can have some comfort in knowing that Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus are out there searching for her too..."
xXxXx
"Why couldn't the future Endymion just look after her in the first place?" Sailor Uranus snapped, kicking a twig lying on the path. "Is it that hard to keep an eye on such a little person?" She turned to Sailor Neptune, who was carefully searching the path for any clues. "She'll be all right though, won't she?"
Sailor Neptune smiled at the caring tone. "She'll be all right. She's Serenity, isn't she? One tough, tiny monster with a strong will."
Uranus started for a glint of light, then realised it was only the sun hitting a drop of water on a rose. "Yeah, you're right... I'll bet she's giving her captors hell right now, hey?"
xXxXx
Serena opened her eyes as much as she could, but her limited strength meant she was only treated to a small sliver of view. There was a little more light now, but she was too out of it to recall any shapes or figures.
Drip.
She had lost so much blood as it was, hanging by her wrists with long cuts down her arms. Whilst the infuriating sound of the dripping blood had slowed to a dull background noise, Serena also knew that meant she didn't have much time left; she barely had any energy.
She wished she'd eaten something yesterday – or however long ago it was. It was so hard to tell how long she'd been unconscious for.
Sharp clicking from down a long corridor pierced her ears, breaking the silence of her mind. Serena blinked, but when she opened her eyes again, time seemed to have passed.
Through the haze, Serena could see a bright colour directly in front of her. Lots of it – although she was too out of it to recognise which one.
She felt a searing pain across her forehead as long, sharp nails raked across her skin. Serena didn't have the energy to scream, or even to move, so she hung limply, silently in pain as the clawing continued.
"So you're not the one I want," a familiar voice hissed. With renewed vigour, Serena tried again to see past the fog of her mind and focus on her captor. Her vision cleared slightly and she was able to see long, white teeth leering at her hatefully.
"But not to worry," the voice continued. "I'll give you your due, anyway."