An End to it All

Serena walked into the living room wearing tight fitting black pants, a black turtle neck, and black boots. "I'm going after them." She announced and looked from one man to the next. Sapphire smiled and nodded as the other two began to protest loudly. "No, you have to understand… I must go. If I don't… look, there's no point in me staying safe if I have nothing to really live for. Seiya will kill Rini, and Darien. I can't let that happen."

"You know nothing about combat… or war!" Andrew shouted angrily. He couldn't believe the words coming out of Serena's mouth. A few hours ago she seemed happy to sit in her room but now… now she was planning on going after Darien who was highly trained?

"Andy… for years I watched Seiya… I know a thing or two about combat. I don't expect to really have to do much I just want to go… I have to go." She smiled and walked up to him. "Don't worry about me. Que Sera, sera, what will be, will be."

"Spoken like a true warrior." Sapphire smiled and handed her the gun he'd been cleaning. "I thought you might like this… it was his gun." Serena looked down at the familiar object. It was indeed the gun Seiya had favored. "I hope you end this my dear."

"Me too Sapphire. Me too." She smiled and turned towards the door. "I'll be back."

Darien didn't struggle as he was brought into the basement of the house. There was no point in it. Imit had Rini firmly in his hands and everyone else had been cuffed and were being carefully guarded. "You know Darien, I'm going to enjoy this. I will finally have done what Seiya couldn't. I'm going to torture and kill you. Then you know what I'm going to do?" Darien simply gazed at him as he shoved Rini into one of his goons' arms. "I'm going to become someone else. I'm going to go through another transformation… do you want to know who I'm going to be? Please ask!" Imit seemed to wait for a response then sighed. "Always defiant aren't you? Well, I'm going to become you."

"Excuse me?" Darien asked his enemy now disgusted. "You're going to what?"

"Oh, I have your attention now do I?" Imit laughed. "Yes, what greater challenged than to become the ever so perfect Darien Shields? A man who convinced thousands of people that he was the brother of a famous actress, a man who molded that woman to be his ideal partner, a man who was elected District Attorney then was murdered in a park by his house, a man who then came back to life and admitted the truth, a man who married his former sister and had a beautiful child… what greater challenge than to change from his enemy, to him? Yes, I'll have Serena, and she will be devoted to me, she will actually worship my every move! Then I'll have a daughter who will love me, she'll love me so much that she won't question anything that I do. Then, if I want, I can go out and have any woman I want because they all flock to you. Serena will be sad about it but she wouldn't object." Imit smiled evilly and stepped toward Darien who was now shackled in the corner holding area where Beryl's body had lay only a few days prior. "God… I'm brilliant!"

"You're sick, that's what you are." Darien growled and looked at Helios who was figiting. Helios had escaped from worse situations than this and Rini had been set down and was now standing right by him. "Do what you want to me but let them go."

Imit looked back at the group and laughed. "No, I can't let them go. Boys, take them into the back yard and execute the agents. Leave the girl and the two white heads alive. I have other plans for them… watch them carefully though." Imit commanded and waited for everyone to leave the room. "Thank God, we're finally alone." Imit seemed to relax a bit then walked over to the wall where all of the whips hung. "It's okay Darien, we're alone now so you don't have to act so tough… have you ever been whipped before? No I would think not. Your wife has though." He laughed as Darien pulled at the shackles. Darien seemed to come alive and was aggressive without anyone else around. "You're not going to get out."

Imit grabbed the nine tails whip and smirked as Darien struggled to break the shackles. The scene was empowering to say the very least. "This is probably going to sting a little bit." Imit then snapped his wrist, the whip flung through the air and snapped at Darien's side, the hook-like metal at the end of the leather straps dung into the muscular flesh of Darien's back. Imit tugged the whip away, the tails ripping open deep gashes and making Darien squeezed his eyes shut and bend forward. Imit waited, relishing in the obvious pain registering on Darien's face as his back oozed fresh blood. "You may be able to hold in your screams of pain now but you won't be able to after three more lashes.

"Why are you doing this? You're not Seiya…" Darien struggled to breath as he spoke the words. The pain was excruciating but he wouldn't give Imit the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain.

"Why? Because I like it, that's why!" Imit let the nine tails fly through the air again and connect with the other side of Darien's back. Again and again he whipped the man until he was bloody and could hardly hold himself up any more. "Do you want to know the secret to becoming someone else Darien? What you need to possess?" Imit set down the whip and grabbed a sharp scalpel from a drawer. He the stepped over to his victim and grabbed Darien's chin. "You have to have their eyes."

"Get away from him!" A shrill scream pierced the air as six gunshots rang through the house.

The guard who was watching Helios turned towards the house as the shots echoed. Helios slipped from his cuffs and grabbed the gun from the man. "Rini cover your ears!" He shouted and shot the man in the head before shooting five other men around him including the one who was watching Peruru. Helios quickly grabbed another clip and fired shots at the remaining men and rushed to his brother to un-cuff him. "I think Imit shot Darien." He whispered and looked towards the house as Peruru paled and began to free the men that Sapphire had sent. Imit's guards had been lazy and hadn't yet executed the men, luckily. "Everyone in the house now! Peruru, stay with Rini!" Helios ran inside and down the stairs to the basement bunker where Serena was desperately freeing a very bloody Darien. "My God…" Helios breathed and looked at what used to be Imit. Serena was clearly a good shot, each one had hit the man's head, consequently taking piece after piece with it. What was left was a nearly headless man in a pool of blood. Helios went to Serena and helped her release Darien.

"Hey… Dare?" She pressed her hands to his cheeks delicately. "Look at me?" Darien's deep blue eyes slowly fluttered open and looked up at her. A smile played upon his lips as he slowly raised a hand to her face. "Looks like I saved you for once huh?" She smiled weakly and avoided letting her eyes wander over the rest of him. "You're going to be okay."

"Serena… d… don't… be… so… sure." He chocked and rubbed his thumb along her cheek thus smearing blood across it. "I love you… so… very… much…" Darien removed his hand from her face and smiled as he closed his eyes.

"Darien! Oh God… Helios!" Helios nodded and motioned for the men to load Darien into the van so they could get him to the hospital. Everyone loaded into the van and Helios took off for the hospital. "Someone call Sapphire for clean up." Serena said softly as she held her husband's hand and looked into his pain ridden face. "Hold on Dare… you're not leaving me again."

Serena sat in the waiting room at the hospital with a blank stare and Rini in her lap. The petite girl was peacefully sleeping against her mother's bosom, completely unaware of the danger her father was in. Helios, Peruru, and Derrick sat opposite her, each in various states of exhaustion. All together they had been at the hospital for eight hours and Darien was still in the OR.

Doctor Amy Anderson emerged from the OR wing and tiredly walked up to the waiting group. They all looked so very tired. "He made it through the surgery fairly well but he's going to be here in ICU for a while." Amy paused and looked at Serena with a hesitant smile. "Serena… there is a chance he might not make it. He's in a very critical state right now. You have to know that… this may be all the time you have with him."

"With my luck… it probably will be." Despite her strong will a single tear escaped the corner of her eye as she thought about her life without Darien. It wasn't long ago she thought he was dead but now… now that she had lived a fairy tail life with him… she couldn't lose him. "No… I can't think like that. Darien's stronger than that… he's… invincible."

Amy sighed and looked at the three men who had come with Serena. "Clearly not Serena." Amy then turned away from the woman and paused. "You may go in and see him, though I suggest that only you go."

Serena nodded and looked at Helios to take Rini from her. The tall man smiled and delicately made the transfer. Serena then followed Amy into the ICU and to Darien's room. It was a truly surreal experience for the blonde. She had never seen Darien in a hospital bed and it disturbed her to see it now. There were so many machines around him, beeping and buzzing their purposes. "You knew this was going to happen didn't you? That's why you said good bye to me…" Serena began to cry as she held his hand in hers. "If you want to leave then go ahead, just know that I'll be right behind you." With that she sat in the chair by the bed and sighed. All she could do now was wait and see what path he would choose.