i do not own sailor moon, blue seed, or any of the characters.......i hope you guys enjoy, its a long chapter soi think you will.

Serena sat on the balcony of Louis' beach house. She stared up at the moon and studied it, her enhanced vision allowing her to see it more clearly. She was able to see the deep crevices on the surface and the bright haze that was emitted from the light reflecting off of the moon from the sun. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes allowing herself to be enveloped by the sound of the waves, the light of the Moon, and the smell of fresh air.

She thought about what Lenobia had said, and it made her think of the past few months. She and Darien had a bond, a strong bond, they were tied together by a strong force. But Serena was still hesitant about Darien's commitment to her. He had lived for centuries and he had ties that ran deep between his coven and him. He doubt was always around the same situation, how much did Darien love her?

She ran her hands over her face knowing that she was being ridiculous, she knew she was important to him and him to her, after all he had helped her accept herself, and if he hadn't cared so deeply for her he could have let her go insane with self loathing and denial. But instead he had helped her.

Serena sat in the middle of the large old oak bed her legs crossed, her hands in a relaxed position, she was trying to meditate and block everything out. Ever since she had started living with Darien many of her vampire characteristics had begun to emerge. Darien had said it was because Abby was losing her power and because she was now in such close proximity to other vampires.

She inhaled a deep breath and tried to concentrate on removing all sound around her, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't. She could hear the waves outside crashing like thunder against the rocks, it was giving her a headache; she heard the beeping of horns from the traffic, the roar of cars, the blasts of jet planes, and the numerous voices, not from just the house but from the surrounding areas.

She tried to close her eyes tighter and tried to ignore the sounds, but by concentrating on one thing for too long she lost her control over her other senses. She began to smell the sweet flowers from outside and the sweetness made her sick, added with the heavy salty smell from the ocean, the fumes from the pollution of the city, the smell of blood from the vampires having their evening meal, the stench of garbage of the neighboring houses. The harsh smell of paint attacked her from all sides, and the burning chemicals from the cleansers that had been used to clean the house and the linens around her.

All of it was making her head feel like someone was constantly pounding on her forehead with a hammer. "Damn it!" she yelled out loud. But she refused to give in and continued to try and ignore everything, however it seemed the more she tried to ignore everything the louder everything got. She tensed, all the sounds assaulting her at the same time, she half expected mind and sense to explode.

Then suddenly she felt cold hands press over her eyes and it was like a blanket had covered her entire being. Everything was silent, everything was clam, she couldn't smell anything but the two burning candles in the room and the person standing behind her, she couldn't taste anything, she was completely still and ignorant to her heightened senses.

Serena took in a deep breath and leaned back into Darien, mentally thanking him for his presence. He always shielded her from her new abilities and gave her a feeling of calm when he was around her. "I see that meditation isn't helping," he whispered into her ear. She sighed in response.

"Serena you can't keep ignoring your abilities anymore, you have heightened senses from your vampiric half and you have to embrace them and learn to control them," he said.

"It's too overwhelming."

"The more you ignore them the more they will attempt to break through and gain your acceptance," he told her.

"Did you have this problem?" Serena asked.

"No I was born a vampire, this is the only world I have ever known, but for you it is all different." He paused and his hands were removed from her eyes he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "It must be hard for you," he said his words holding a deeper meaning.

"I've always been abnormal compared to normal people but this….this is so different, like there's another person inside of my fighting to come out."

"Technically there is," he said his chin was resting on her shoulder. The tenderness he displayed with her was something he would never do in front of his friend and followers.

Serena pulled away from him and stood in front of the bed, "That's the problem."

"You can't deny it Serena you are who you are."

"But that's just it isn't it Darien," she spun around and faced him. "Who am I? Am I the Slayer and the witch who has hunted and killed for sport? Or am I the warrior fighting to preserve and protect the innocents? Am the sleeper cell waiting for the call or the temptation of blood? Am I the vampire or the human? Am I a killer or am I just trying to survive? Who am I? Who am I becoming?

I feel like there's this thing inside of me trying to claw its way out and take control trying to destroy who I really am. But the worst part of it is that I feel this thing inside of me, I feel what it is, I feel it's thirst growing and even though it should disgust me and make me hide and cringe away all I can think is how good it will be to embrace it. To allow that dark creature inside of me take control."

Serena looked at Darien and felt tears welling in her eyes. "I hate and desire it all at the same time and I don't know what to do."

Darien stood and she was in his arms in a second, she lowered herself to the ground taking him with her. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead while whispering calming words into her ear. Her tears now burst through, all the frustration, all of the pain and confusion finally overflowing. She clung to him like he was her lifeline and buried her face into his dark shirt. She felt him pick her up and carry her to the bed. He laid her down and stretched out next to her. She rolled into his arms and once against buried herself against him.

After a few while she calmed down and her tears slowed. Darien sensed her calm returning and felt that it was time for him to speak. "You are you my love, you are all of those things that you described and more. Just because you are becoming something else doesn't mean that you hve to forget everything that you were." He ran his finer through her beautiful hair and inhaled her scent.

"You are everything you were and everything you will be. You are a goddess, a warrior, a witch, a slayer, a vampire, a woman, a child, a sister, a friend, and a lover, you may be different than you used to be but you are still the same. It's like growing up Serena, you aren't the same person you were when you were ten but you are still who were. You have changed and become something different but instead of throwing away the old and erasing everything you were you simply integrated it into your entire being."

Serena's arms came up around and she grasped him to her, "I know that this is the most difficult for you because you have been taught for your entire life that we are the enemy, we vampires and creatures who mercilessly kill for pleasure, and there are some who are like that, there are some who forget the humanity that it at our core and embrace the darkness in their soul. But you know from living here that not all of us are like that, and though you will soon feel the thirst like we do it doesn't mean that you are a monster. You do not have to take anyone's life, and you can learn to control your nature."

He pulled away from her enough so that he could look at her, "You Serena, you are my mate my life, the sister of Hermione, a daughter of the slayers, and you are half vampire. You didn't chose any of it but it was the hand that fate gave you and I know that you a strong enough to embrace all sides of who you are."

He pushed a strand of hair away from her face and then leaned in and gave her a warm kiss. He pulled back and looked into her blue eyes. "Thank you Darien," she said with a smile, she leaned in and gave him another kiss then laid her head on his chest. "Will you teach me?"

"Teach you what?"

"How to be a vampire? How to embrace my nature?"

"Naturalmente il mio amore," he said speaking Italian. It was his native tongue and where he had been raised centuries ago. Though it was his native language he had no accent, he had had centuries to perfect a variety of different accents and languages. Serena loved it when he would speak to her in Italian though she had no idea what half of it meant.

Serena smiled at the memory, it had been only a few weeks after she had moved into the mansion, and one of the few times when she had shown her vulnerable side to Darien. She had done it only a few times and even though they were often butting heads and fighting, he was always there to comfort her when she felt doubt or weakness. She leaned back and stared up at the moon, "Artemis do you watch over your children of the night?"

"Artemis protects the children of Moon, not us we are products of the night, children of Nyx" said Darien from behind her. He was leaning against the doorframe staring t her.

Serena turned around to look him and gave him a half smile, "But then you do bear a striking resemblance to the Moon goddess." He took a few steps and then sat down on the chair next to her, "I was surprised when Louis said you wanted my help, especially after…." He trailed off.

"I was furious with what your mother said to Hermione and I, I could have never spoken to her again and I would have been content but, then Lenobia spoke with me and told me that I should trust you," Serena said.

"You didn't before?" he asked.

"I trusted you but…there's always been this question in the back of my mind." She paused and looked at him staring into his deep blue eyes wondering if she should speak it aloud. As she looked at him she realized that there was only one way to find out, she took a deep breath and spoke, "The question has always been 'If it came down to it would be chose his family or his mate?'"

Darien's gaze shifted away and he looked out at the scenery, he didn't look at her but she suddenly felt a warm sensation spreading from the bond between them. She stared at him and watched as he sat still yet embraced her completely with his love. "And then I realized the truth," she said realization dawning on her. She saw Darien still and she smiled, she stood and climbed into his lap. Serena wrapped his arms around her and her own around his neck, "You would leave them for me wouldn't you?"

Darien looked at her capturing her gaze, it told her everything she needed to know. Though he could never say it aloud he would, in an instant if it meant their future. Serena smiled brightly and leaned down and kissed him. She leaned her head against his and whispered "Thank you." She felt his arms tighten against her and she remained silent, she kissed his forehead and they stayed like that for a while.

Than Serena finally spoke, "Darien I realize now how much you mean to me, I want you to be a part of every aspect of my life, every single part, including the part that deals with Momiji." She paused and looked at him, "I know that you and I have different reasons for searching for her but I need you with me, especially now that we are going to try and find her and the people who have been training her for the past several months."

"Serena if we find Momiji I don't know what to do, she's Kusanagi's mate but she has a vendetta against all of us. Her anger is the only thing that is motivating her right now, if she is caught and brought before my mother and father for her crimes I don't know what their decision will be," he told her.

"That's why I want you to help me find her, help me convince her that we are not enemies, help me rehabilitate her in the eyes of the coven. I need her to be safe Darien."

"She attacked you, she wants to kill you il mio amore, she wants us all dead."

"I know but like you said she's motivated by anger and by her pain, if we can help her let go of those maybe we can convince her that her place is with Kusanagi," Serena said.

"She will never be accepted by our coven, her crimes are too severe."

"Then she live with Kusanagi, he's already and outcast with the majority of the family, they are perfect for each other, Darien if she's with him she would be safe and happy, she wouldn't have a reason to kill anymore, she would…"

"How do you know? How do you know that she wouldn't just keep denying that she was his mate and that she wouldn't just leave him and continue her rampage?"

Serena stared at him, "Because I know that if she embraces him Kusanagi will give her everything she could ever want. When she was with him before she was different she wasn't as angry, she wasn't like a storm anymore, she was like the ocean, restless and never still but filled with purpose."

"We have to find her before your parents send out hunters, if she is caught by one of the they will kill her."

Darien nodded, "Agreed, and though my brother is a pain most of the time I don't want him to feel the pain of losing his soul mate."

Serena was silent again but her body was tense and Darien sensed that there was something else she wanted to talk with him about. "Serena?" he prompted. 'Tell me what else weighs down on you,' he spoke through their telepathic link.

"Lenobia told me two things, to extend my hand to you and that……" she stopped and looked away from him.

"And?"

"And that my family is coming to Los Angeles."

"Your family?" Darien asked. Though he knew little about Serena's biological family he knew that it was a sore subject for her. He opened his mind to her and through their link tried to sooth her anxiety.

"She said that my mother was coming," Serena said leaning into him and allowing his aura to wash over her and take her in. "I haven't seen her in a long time, I don't know how to react."

"Do you think she has come to cause problems for you?" he asked.

"I honestly couldn't say, ironically I think you may know more of her than I do, she is a vampire after all."

"If you wish I can have Malachite search and see if we have any information on her or her whereabouts for the last several years."

"Don't bother Malachite with it, I want him to spend as much time with Mina as he can," Serena said. Though she hadn't been a friend to Mina Anica she felt for her lover, having the person you love dying in front of you must be a horrible ordeal. "Is she really going to die?"

Darien sighed and hugged her tightly, "Ami and Zoicite say that it's only a matter of time now. I saw her only a few weeks ago and it wasn't a pretty sight." Darien suddenly felt a black cut him off from Serena's mind, he jolted but kept his hold on her.

"Why did you do that?" he asked her wanted to know why she suddenly blocked him.

"It's nothing," Serena said trying to sound casual.

"You don't block me for nothing amore mio."

Serena stayed silent and refused to look at him, Darien though as to what he could have said that would have made her close of her mind. Than an idea came to his head, "Amore is it because of Mina?" Serena didn't answer him. "Amore are you jealous?"

"No!" Serena snapped, as she spoke she attempted to pull out of his embrace.

He however refused to let her go. "Serena you have nothing to be jealous of, the feelings that I have for Mina are the same that I have for my sister, we have not been romantically involved for a long time."

"But you were, and you were romantically involved with many other women before me," Serena said finally breaking away from his grasp. "You forget that I too have files that we read. Files that listed many of my predecessors, the only one you were ever serious with was Mina Anica, and though you're right it was a long time ago for me, for you fifty years isn't all that long."

"Serena Mina and I never had the same type of relationship as you and I, we were never bonded and we never had the same type of connection. Our relationship was a fleeting thing that was pushed upon us by our parents."

"Fleeting? A hundred years is fleeting?" Serena asked.

"A hundred years will be fleeting to you soon enough," Darien said standing and taking her into his arms.

Serena turned around from him so that her back was to his chest, Darien leaned his chin down on her shoulder. "Amore I cannot change the past, you know that better than anyone else, and I would not change it for the purpose of all those before you was to show me how empty my life was without you," he whispered in her ear as if afraid the world would hear his confession. He gently kissed her neck, "You are my everything."

Serena closed her eyes enjoying their private moment, "Darien I want Momiji to know this, to know this with Kusanagi, it's like nothing I've ever experienced and I know that it would be the same for them." She turned around to face him, "Promise me that you will do everything in your power to help me bring her back. To gain acceptance in the coven."

"Serena I…." his face was stone now, no longer the gentle passionate lover but the stern and stone leader.

"Please," she said placing her hand on his lips. "She is my sister, she is a piece of my soul that cannot be replaced and without her I am not the same, and neither is Hermione. Please for me?"

"I cannot make that promise," he said to her, she saw his eyes soften slightly sadly.

"Please Darien."

"I can only promise to help you, nothing more."

Serena turned away from him and looked into the dark of the ocean, she inhaled deeply and then turned back to him, "I can work with that." Then she leaned in for a kiss.

Tap tap tap, tap tap tap, tap tap tap.

"Hermione will you stop that I cannot concentrate while you are distracting me," Alana said. Her back was turned and her fingers were furiously typing away at her computer. Louis, who was standing next to her a file in his hand, looked back at Hermione.

Hermione pursed her lips together, ignoring Alana's request she continued to tap her foot. She was sitting silently in a high back, plush, red velvet chair. Her arms were crossed, as were her legs, her foot was rhythmically tapping away as an attempt to try and keep her attention off of the man sitting in an identical chair next to her. She kept her, eyes straight ahead but every few seconds she could feel Daniel's eyes upon her.

She heard him sigh and noticed that he shifted in his chair. He leaned over and whispered to her. "Are you going to never speak to me again?"

Hermione refused to acknowledge his presence and remained as still as a statue. "Hermione? Will you please talk to me." She didn't once recognize him and continued to tap her foot. "Hermione."

"Give it up Daniel she won't speak until she wishes to," Alana said. "Once while we were training she was silent for three days ignoring Serena and Momiji for no reason."

"There was a reason," Hermione whispered through clenched teeth.

Daniel's head snapped and looked at her almost thinking he had imagined she had spoken until Alana addressed her, "Oh really would you like to refresh my memory I seem to have forgotten the reason." Hermione remained silent and continued to glare at the back of Alana's head. "I believe it was because we had not sunscreen and we all got sunburned…."

"You know that wasn't it," Hermione whispered again.

"Oh that's right we forgot to take matches with us."

"Alana…."

"Or was it sleeping bags?"

"It was because Serena and Momiji forgot to bring the goddamn tent!" Hermione yelled throwing her hands in the air.

They heard Alana chuckle and she saw Louis smile. "Really how do you forget a tent when you are going camping in the woods!" Hermione yelled. "Stupidest packers really."

"Still grumbling about that Hermione really how long ago was it?" said Serena walking into the room, Darien following closely behind.

"Shut up you didn't get poison ivy did you Serena, no I don't think so, well I still have scars from it so shut it!" Hermione snapped.

Serena laughed as she walked over to Alan and stood on the opposite side of Louis. "Have you found anything with the information that we gave you?"

"I've been checking all the newly foreign built houses against their owners and all known alias' to see if anything comes up but so far nothing is clicking. There are a few celebrities that are under watch for black magic and drug use, but other than that there's nothing of significance here," Alana said.

"I see, have you just run background checks on the realtors someone may have purchased the house under a borrowed name," said Serena.

"I thought of that so I checked someone of the realtors but again there's nothing here," Alana said. "Lenobia said nothing else about the house, like what kind of foreign type it was?"

Serena shook her head, "No just that it didn't look like it was built by a local architect."

"Why would she say foreign though there are many European houses that are built in the same type as houses here in L.A." said Darien.

"I don't know, just that it was foreign," Serena told them.

"It has to be significantly different from the houses around here for her to think that it was foreign," said Hermione from her chair. The four of them looked over to Hermione who was still sitting in her chair, her arms uncrossed, Daniel was staring at her intently as if he was trying to telepathically communicate.

Hermione glanced at him then shook her head and stood, "The house has to be something that would look out of place, in the high upscale neighborhoods. And if you think about it it's going to most likely be secluded, for training and to meet the needs of a hunter a house needs to be somewhere private where no citizens can accidentally walk by and notice something."

"That's not necessarily true with a good cloaking spell, a hunter would be able to live in the middle of a residential area without gathering any attention," Louis said.

"Yeah but to train Momiji I'm sure that these teachers wanted somewhere private, this is a personal mission against everyone and they don't want anyone interfering so I don't think they would take a chance," Hermione said. "She said it was up high, look in the hills, a large secluded house, that's probably the design of something other than Western or mainstream European."

Alana turned around and started typing. Serena and Louis watched as Alana searched through the files trying to filter out as many as she could. Hermione saw Darien staring past her and knew that he and Daniel were having a telepathic conversation.

Suddenly Hermione's phone started beeping telling her that she had a text message. She pulled out her phone and flipped it open, she stared at a number that she didn't know and pressed the acceptance icon. It took her about ten seconds to realize who was texting her, she almost dropped her phone but caught herself at the last moment.

She glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. No one had. She looked down again and read the words.

Hermione we're back in L.A. Momiji attacked us. We want to meet. ASAP. ALONE.

Hermione took a deep breath and then texted back.

Where? When?

She sent the text and looked around once more. Darien and Daniel were still engaged except now they were standing off in a corner together conversing in hushed tones. Serena and Louis were still watching Alana, and imputing their own thoughts. Quickly Hermione turned her phone to vibrate and flipped it close.

She felt it vibrate in her hand only a few seconds later. She opened it again and read.

In an hour. Skyline.

Hermione thought for a moment and then typed back and answer.

Alright.

She flipped the phone closed and looked at Serena and Alana, she knew why Sarah had contacted her. It was because she knew Hermione out of all three of them would be the most sensible and more willing to make a deal. Hermione put her hand in her pocket and touched the keys to Serena's car.

Getting to the bar would be easy enough but she needed a way to get out without anyone following her. 'Damn it I can't just walk out,' she thought. She racked her brain then suddenly got an idea. She looked around and saw no one really paying attention to her, she smiled at her plan and hoped that it would work.

She inhaled a deep breath, "Oh yeah! Well fuck you I'm done!" she yelled as loud as she could. She spun on her heel and then stormed out of the room stomping towards the front door. She slammed it as she walked outside and ran to the parked car. "Come on, come one." She put the key in the ignition and kept the walls around her mind strong as she pulled out of the driveway and onto the main street.

She glanced back at the house as she drove away and then finally let out a breath. "Thank you fake telepathy," she said as she turned heading towards downtown.

"What the hell was that?" asked Alana.

"I have no idea" said Serena shocked. She turned around and looked at Daniel, "What did you say to her?"

"Me? What did you say to her she wasn't talking to me" he said. "I thought that she was talking to you."

"No I wasn't with her I was trying to help Alana" Serena looked at Alana.

"Not me I was concentrated on this."

Serena looked over at Louis, he shook his head. "So you're telling me that she just freaked out on no one?"

"You didn't say anything to her at all?" Daniel asked. Serena shook her head, "And she hasn't been speaking to me so…."

Darien began to chuckle and everyone looked at him, "I believe that Hermione has just pulled a fast one on us."

Serena thought about it for a second, "Oh damn it." She threw down the file in her hands and leaned against the computer table, "It was a distraction."

Alana smiled, "Nice."

"Where would she be going?" asked Daniel.

"Perhaps it has to do with the person she was just texting" said Louis.

"She was texting someone?" said Serena.

"She received two text messages and replied to them both right before she made her exit."

"Who was texting her?" asked Serena trying to think of who would be contacting Hermione. She rubbed the back of her neck drawing a blank.

"She is blocking me" Daniel said.

"Well she's been doing that all night so it's not all that new" Alana said.

"Should I send someone out to look for her?" asked Louis.

Daniel looked like he was about to say yes when Serena interjected. "Naw Herm can take care of herself and if she went then she must trust whomever it was."

"Serena you were just attacked several days ago, perhaps sending someone out to look for her would be a good idea," Darien said.

Serena hesitated and then nodded, "Alright but just inform everyone that she's out alone, tell them to keep a watch not to try and bring her back, she may just be trying to clear her head from the fight she just had."

Darien nodded and then turned to Louis, he gave a small nod. Louis handed Serena his filed and then disappeared.

"I think I should go out and look for her" said Daniel.

"I don't think that's the best idea" Serena told him.

"You want me to sit still and wait until she comes back?"

"Yeah," said Serena "Don't try to keep her on a leash Dan, she'll just break it while she escapes. Give her her space and wait if we get a tip that there's something going on then go but I think Herm's just trying to get some peace. It's hard having someone in your head all the time."

Daniel nodded and sat back down trying to relax but in the pit of his stomach he had a bad feeling.

Momiji lay in the sand staring up at the moon, she listened to the waves crashing over the rocks around her, and inhaled the fresh air deeply. Her shoes were sitting next to her the socks neatly tucked in them. Her green shirt was laying overtop of her shoes, she was only in a black sports part and her pants. She moved her arms up and down making a pattern in the sand.

The sand was cold against her skin but it didn't matter she was always cold now. But at least it was quite, here she was able to forget all of the memories, the things she had done earlier. She inhaled the smell of the sand and the surf washing the smell of blood from her memory. "Thank you God for creating the ocean."

She pushed herself up on her elbows and looked at the dark water remembering the last time she had been to the beach during the day. It had been a few months before the incident at the restaurant. She, Serena, and Hermione were supposed to be training the new recruits but they had easily gotten bored, so they had left a couple of the older girls in charge, grabbed their suites and towels and headed for the beach.

Closing her eyes she could imagine she was there, she remember laying in the warm sand the sun beating down on her back and warming her as she lay flat on her stomach. She opened her eyes and saw Hermione sitting next to her reading her second book of the day while sipping on a mimosa. Momiji turned her head to the other side and saw Serena laying on her back snoring, she had fallen asleep almost as soon as they had gotten to the beach. Momiji smiled knowing that she was going to have to wake Serena up and tell her to turn over, otherwise she would bitch at them about an uneven burn.

Momiji flipped onto her back and looked up at the bright sun, the seagulls flying over head. She heard children laughing and playing around them, a radio somewhere in the background playing a happy sounding song. The smell of burgers being cooked, and fires being deep fried somewhere being her.

She blinked and suddenly she was back on the cold, dark beach, alone. She looked into the deep depths of the ocean and thought how easy it would be to walk right into them and submerge herself and never return.

'Why do you want to die Momiji?' said a gentle voice on the wind.

Without realizing it she answered, "So I can forget. The blood and the pain. So I can forget their faces, the faces of all those I've killed. So I stop feeling like I'm empty and hallow. So this anger inside of me will stop eating away at my soul." She paused and took a deep breath, "I hate this, I hate this power I've been given, it's like a black hole inside of me, so powerful that it sucks away all the rest of me." She leaned forward and hugged her legs. "I hate being cold all the time."

Warm arms encircled her from behind. She inhaled a sharp breath as she was suddenly assaulted with his presence, he buried his face in her hair and kissed her neck. And though she knew that she should be pulling away from him she didn't, her body refused to move.

"I can feel you," he said his voice deep and thick with pain.

"I didn't feel you," she whispered.

"Your own pain is dulling everything else, you can't sense anything."

She knew she should pull away from him, but his body was warming her skin, and his presence was touching and warming her inside as well. She turned her head and leaned her cheek on his chest, "Kusanagi" she whispered.

He didn't speak, but she felt his lips on her shoulder. Momiji tilted her neck allowing him access to her neck, she felt tears gathering in her eyes. His lips traced over her pulse and then back to her shoulder. "Momiji…"

She put her hands on top of his and moved them to her hips, he began to rub her sides up and down. She felt the heat from his touch and it intoxicated her. He moved his hands and ran them over her flat stomach, "You're freezing."

She turned around and faced him, as soon as she stared into his eyes she felt the tears fall down her face. "Tell me this isn't a dream. Make this real. God please make him real."

"It's real Momiji," he told her. He pulled her into his lap and hugged her body to him. "I'm here with you."

"I shouldn't be letting myself indulge in this, I should wake myself up, but I can't," she whispered. She pulled back and looked at him through her tears. "I dream of you all the time, every time I don't mothers medicine I dream of you."

"Momiji why do you take medicine to make you stop dreaming?" he asked.

"Cause if I don't it huts too much in the morning, like a knife in my soul. And even though I dream of you most of the time, I dream of them as well, their faces haunt me." She looked away from him and into the distance as if she saw something beyond the darkness. "I see them Kusanagi, I see them watching me with hatred in their eyes."

"Momiji…" he stared at her realizing that she was far worse than he had thought. "I'm going to take you home Momiji, I'm going to take you away from here." He stood up and tried to pull her up with him but she just remained sitting in the sand.

"I can't go even if I wanted to," she whispered. "Kusanagi just stay here with me until I wake up." She held his hand and pulled him back down to her.

"Please stay with me."

"Momiji this isn't good for you, your mind isn't right, come home with me baby let me get you help," Kusanagi said pushing hair away from her face.

She smiled up at him tears still running down her face. "I cant leave them, not now, not after…."

"Not after what Momiji?"

"There's still work to be done……it's not over….." she said laying her head on his chest her eyes drooping.

"Momiji what's not over?" he held her face in his hands shaking trying to wake her up. "Momiji?"

"MOMIJI!"

She woke with a start, shooting up and looking around she saw that she was still on the beach. She lay back down, putting her hand to her forehead she felt beads of sweat collecting there. "A dream," she said. She felt something wet on her face, she touched her cheeks and felt tears, "Damn dreams" she muttered.

She pushed herself up and grabbed her shirt, she pulled it over her head and slipped her socks and shoes back on. She finished tying her shoe and then looked at the ocean again. She took a deep breath and shook her head then took off running back towards her house.

Kusanagi crouched into the shadows of the tree branches hiding himself from anyone looking up. He watched Momiji run, his eyes narrowed as he followed her in the darkness. He made a leaping jump and landed silently into another tree closer to her. He had made up his mind he was going to follow her despite the danger. He needed to know who she was with and who was destroying her.

'She said mother's medicine' he thought. 'I wonder….' He thought as he jumped into another tree and continued his pursuit.