The Hope of Revenge

Author: anja

Rated: PG13

Chapter 3

Setsujoku

The room was cold and damp and smelled of mildew. All of that he could handle; It was the fact that it was so dark and empty that made the place seem like a rotting corner of hell. Darien could do nothing, and so he paced back and forth from the little futon to the door and back again. He hated the place, loathed it with a passion, despised it with vigor; it didn't matter though, he was stuck. He'd been trapped in the room for a number of hours already, but he had long ago lost track of time. He was patient by nature, but he knew that his even his seemingly limitless patience would wear thin eventually in this tiny crevice.

It irked him that he had been so easily caught. They had all been so sure that Usagi was the target back on the earth that they didn't even consider there could be another. Granted, he was relieved that Usagi had not been the target. If they had not tried to protect her so fiercely, Beryl's men may very well have taken her, since she was the prize Beryl wanted. Still, despite everything, he couldn't wrap him mind around how the warriors had been able to get onto the Earth undetected and attack them with so little warning. It didn't make sense to him. What trickery was Beryl using?

The sound of footsteps approaching his door made Darien snap out of his thoughts and focus his attention on the thin beam of light along the bottom of the door. He could hear voices and the shuffling of feet before the door opened and he was blinded by the sudden intrusion of light. He heard the door close and the sound of someone approaching him. The footsteps didn't even have a chance to echo in the confined room. Not wanting to remain clueless about who was visiting him, Darien forced his hand down away from his eyes and squinted at the newcomer. The candle light was bright but Darien found his eyes adjusted quickly.

The man carrying the candle walked over to the table in the center of the room, the one Darien had run into at least half a dozen times, and set the light down. The man wore a shabby cloak around his shoulders with the hood drawn up over his head. His back was bent slightly and he stooped over his task, but even so Darien could tell that he was tall. His broad shoulders spoke of a well muscled, lean man, though the way the cloak hung spoke of years of hunger and lack of training.

"You need not fear me, boy," the stranger said in a raspy voice, causing Darien to jump. "I am not one of Queen Beryl's minions here to torture you." The man turned and faced Darien. The upper half his face concealed by the hood of the cloak, giving him an eerie look. In the dim light Darien could make out several scars on the man's lower face, one particularly large one running from the left cheek bone across the lips to the chin. Despite the sinister effect of the scars and shadows, the look of the face didn't tell of any anger, hate or malice.

"Who are you then?" Darien asked cautiously, noticing for the first time a basket the man had laid on the table.

"I am nothing more than a servant, and I've brought you something to eat. If you don't trust the food I've brought I'd be more than happy to leave you and go eat by myself, but I assure you, you should be grateful for every morsel you get." Darien noted that his new visitor had to swallow hard every few words, and although his voice was raspy, there was a rich tenor underlying it.

"What is your name?"

A corner of the man's mouth rose in a half grin. "Is that what it will take to make you willing to sit with me? Very well, my name is Setsujoku. Now come and eat."

Darien blinked in surprise as the man walked over to the table and opened the basket, pulling two cracked plates from the top and a few utensils. As much as he hated to admit it, Darien was hungry. Still, he hesitated.

"If Beryl wanted to kill you badly enough she would not poison your food. You'd be dead already," Setsujoku said calmly as he placed some bread and cold meat onto each of the two plates, unwrapping each piece of food from a thin cloth. "I don't want you dead since that would mean my own life would be taken. I hold no ill will towards you anyway, you have done nothing to me. Now sit and eat. I won't beg you to."

Darien came over as Setsujoku sat down on one of the three chairs. He chose the chair opposite his companion and sat down as well, glancing at the food. "Will you be always bringing food and eating with me?" he asked as he picked up the bread and tore a piece off. Setsujoku intrigued him, since he did not seem like any of the other people or creatures Beryl had.

Setsujoku swallowed the morsel he had in his mouth and slowly nodded. "Aye, I will. Unless, of course, you would prefer to starve. I'll also be coming here for various other tasks, such as emptying that bucket there in the corner and bringing you water every few days so you can clean yourself up." He paused as he took out a bottle from the basket and two old, stone goblets. He filled them with some liquid and handed one to Darien before drinking from his first. "You don't need to fear me. I am a loyal subject of my Queen, but as I said before, I am not one of her minions. I won't harm you unless you force me to, and I assure you, you will not best me with a sword. You, of course have no weapon, but I carry mine always."

Darien nodded. He felt at ease with this man, at least more at ease than with anyone else he had encountered since he abduction. He didn't trust him not to go scurrying to Beryl, though, with any information he gave him, and thus he resolved to say nothing that could prove to be of use to Queen Beryl.

"Are you planning to stare at me for the rest of the meal?" Setsujoku asked suddenly, causing Darien to once again jump a little. He hadn't even realized he had been watching Setsujoku with such intensity.

"No, I wasn't. My apologies for staring."

"If you were looking at the scars," he began in his raspy voice, "they're from beatings. If you're looking at the hood and cloak, they are not coming off. If you're staring at me for my sheer beauty and elegance, then you need your eyes gauged since they are obviously not working properly, though I am flattered by the thought." Darien couldn't help but smile. He hid his grin behind the bread, but Setsujoku was already smiling as well. "You see," the older man said, "I told you that you need not fear me."

"Thank you. I didn't think I would be smiling any time soon," Darien replied.

"Life if full of surprises, Prince Endymion, both good and bad." There was underlying caution in Setsujoku's words, a hidden meaning that Darien could not even begin to guess at.

"I know. I just never expected a pleasant one today," the young prince replied, grateful to have someone to talk to.

"You may encounter more surprises during your stay here. I will give you a piece of advice though. Do not provoke Beryl's wrath. If you anger her enough, she will do things that you will regret."

Darien raised an eyebrow. "What would she do?"

Setsujoku smirked. "You did not trust me enough to even eat with me," he stated. "Now you want to discuss Beryl's plans and secrets with you? Hmm?"

Darien stared at the man in stunned silence.

"Close your mouth and finish your food," Setsujoku finally ordered, taking a large bite from his bread.

Darien could do nothing but comply.

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Queen Selenity stood on her balcony, her gazed fixed on the glowing Earth. At her side, her companion stared up as well, her long dark hair swaying in the breeze.

"Tell me, Setsuna, what do you think Queen Beryl is planning?" Selenity asked.

The former Plutonian princess remained quiet for several moments. "It's difficult to say, your Majesty," she finally answered, "There are many paths she could choose to take now. The fact that she has Endymion is greatly in her favor. He will be a strong weapon for her and there are countless things she could try to do now."

"It's obvious she is going to try to use Endymion against Serenity. I just fear that any plan she has may work." The Moon Queen sighed as she spoke. She couldn't deny her anxiety over the whole situation. "Do you believe that she thinks we will give up everything for one man, even if he is the Crown Prince of the Earth and my daughter's husband?"

"Queen Beryl is smart and clever, unfortunately. I don't know what she's thinking. I don't believe that though, no. She must have some sort of larger plan, something that is not simple enough as simply demanding our surrender in exchange for Prince Endymion. She would kill him and us as soon as she had the power she wanted, and she knows we know that as well. What she really will do will be something big, though I can't even guess at what it is," Setsuna replied.

Both women were silent for some time, both lost in their own thoughts.

"You said you had something to inquire of me, your Majesty," Setsuna finally said, breaking the silence.

Selenity nodded. "It's nothing terribly important, just for my own curiosity. I hate to bring up a painful subject, but please, the information may be useful to us some day. As Pluto's princess, you are a guardian of time. What happens now that Pluto is gone?"

"My powers are mine to keep as I choose," the dark haired woman replied. "It is until such a time as I choose to relinquish them that they will stay with me. It is the same with each planet. I fear that my mother and I are the last of our kind. One needs to be born on Pluto to be given Pluto's powers. Those powers will not diminish in me though with time."

"Who will become to Keeper of Time, then, if not one of your descendants?"

Setsuna was quiet for a long time, staring up at the starry sky. Selenity could see her jaw tensing and relaxing. "I don't know," she finally replied. "I honestly don't know. Time will continue as it always has, but who will watch over it and have control of the portals...I don't know."

"I see," the Queen said softly. "The future is more and more uncertain as we go deeper into it then."

"It seems that way, your Majesty."

Selenity sighed. It was a tired, agitated sigh. She had had enough of wars, arguments, fighting, death...it was starting to wear her down. She knew that she had to remain strong for her people, for all the people going against Beryl, but it was so very hard.

"How is your mother doing?" Selenity asked, breaking the silence again.

"She's still feeling ill, but better than yesterday. She is looking forward to meeting with your Majesty tomorrow for an informal evening. I think it will do her good to get out of her room and walk around a bit," Setsuna replied. The worry for her mother's health was apparent in her voice, but mixed with that worry was hope that her mother would be fine.

Selenity nodded, feeling a sudden overpowering tiredness. "Perhaps we should retire for the night. It's been a long day and I think we both need some rest."

Setsuna bowed her head. "Yes, your Majesty," she said, then glanced up at the Moon Queen. "Sleep well. We'll figure out what to do."

Selenity smiled at the younger woman. "Thank you. I'll try and have a peaceful night."

On the other side of the palace, Usagi was having anything but a restful night. Sitting on the windowsill in her and Darien's room, she touched her fingers lightly to the glass as she stared at the stars beyond the window pane. She still couldn't come to terms with the fact that he was gone, and every second she expected him to walk through the door, take her in his arms, and reassure her that everything was all right. Of course, fate was not so kind to her, and the door didn't budge.

She sighed as she rested her forehead on her knees. She was tired, so very tired, but she couldn't fall asleep. She not slept at all the night before, and she hoped that it would not be a repeat tonight. She needed sleep desperately, but her heart was simply not allowing her rest. It was galloping a hundred miles an hour, trying to find its way to Darien, wherever he was in the universe.

Usagi felt the burn of tears in her eyes and didn't bother trying to stop the flow. The silvery streaks running down her face flowed at a steady pace as the young princess sighed bitterly. All she needed to know was that he was safe and unharmed, and that he would remain thus, before she would be able to rest in any relative peace. She blamed herself partially, since he had been trying to protect her without knowing that he was the target. Had he not been there, battling for her safety, he would not have been taken.

Letting out another sigh, Usagi looked out the window again, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. The stars continued to sparkle out in the night sky as if nothing had happened, nothing had changed.

How can the stars not know that he's gone? Usagi thought.

Of course they don't know he was gone, he's just one man...The only man I love. Usagi felt her whole body trembling again as a sob escaped from her lips. Be safe Darien. Oh gods, please be safe.