DISCLAIMER: I do not own Sailor Moon.
     
     "What did you say?!" Barendieu spun Serena around to face
him.  "The black wave sir.  The one that swept over our forces at
the battle at the fort.  Only this one is bigger!" Barendieu's
eyes widened.  Then he repeated what Serena had just said.
"Everyone!  Out!  Take shelter in the trees. But watch your 
backs!  There are probably soldiers out there!" Barendieu's 
bellowing voices barely carried over the loud hum that was 
getting louder as the wave approached the fort. Everyone ran for 
the exits and Serena, having jumped down from the platform, was 
caught up in the flow of people.  She nearly fell down and almost 
got trampled when a strong hand closed around her hand.  With all 
the people that were taller than she was closed in all around 
her, she couldn't tell exactly who it was.  Suddenly they were 
out in the clear night.  She craned her neck backwards as she was 
running through he darkness with this person clasping her hand.  
The walls were crumbling and people were running from the fort as 
fast as their legs could carry them.  She and the man were 
heading for the woods, farther away from the rest of the crowd. 
They entered the forest and immediately Serena felt herself 
slowing down.  The briers and bushes were snagging her gown and 
it was then that Serena really understood why the girls wore
trousers in battle.  She was stumbling along after whom she had 
finally realized to be Darien, feeling all the while the sharp 
rocks and roots of the ground through her thin slippers.  She 
gasped when she realized she would never be able to keep up in 
her attire.  "Darien....." She gasped.  Darien turned around to 
face her, annoyance and paranoia written all over his face,
when  he looked down, he seemed to realized what the problem
was and  stopped briefly. "Take off your mantle." Not worrying
about being  embarrassed right now, she pulled off the top
layer of her many  layers of clothing.  Her mantle had been a
dark blue with gold  trim.  She tore it off hurriedly, aware of
the dangers lurking in  the woods.  What she had left after
removing the mantle, was her  white underdress and many layers of
petticoats, her girdle, and  her pathetic slippers.  She was
still going to be hampered by the  dresses swishing around her
ankles and tangling her legs, but she  had gotten rid of the
heavy covering.  Humans.  I'll never  understand why they were so
much unnecessary clothing.  This was  a brief though that flashed
cross her mind as Darien caught her  completely off guard and
jerked her forward.  She struggled to  keep up.  Wonderful.  As
if on cue, a heavy rain began to fall.  Serena was glad her hair
was in a braid, otherwise it would be  tangled around her waist
and arms and matted against her head.   Serena felt her breath
becoming short and her energy running low.  What's wrong with me? 
She thought.  I never run out of energy.  I shouldn't be tired
right now.  Darien turned around again to  check on her, and when
he saw what kind of shape she was in, he  agreed to stop and
rest.  Her shoes were in tatters by now.  She  kept them on
though.  Water dripped from her braid and down her  face. 
Then, realizing the rain made her garments stick to her,  she
puled them away from her body to shake them out.  She was 
leaning up against a tree, trying to catch her breath.  Darien 
was about five feet away, in a clearing.  She had no idea how far 
away from the fort or the camp they were, only that she was 
exhausted.  Out of nowhere, a hand clamped over her mouth and 
pushed her head back roughly against the tree.  BAM.  A loud thud 
was heard as the back of her head came into contact with the hard
wood.  A sharp pain shot through her forehead and she screamed
before the world around her started to dim.
*****************************************************************
       Darien heard her scream and jerked his head up.  A dark 
figure had a large hand over her mouth and threw her bodily into
his chest.  "Serena!" He jumped up from the stump he was sitting 
on and started to run to her.  "Oooff!" A leg came out of nowhere 
and slammed into his stomach. Darien bent over, clutching his 
abdomen.  A fist came down hard on his head.  Dazed and
disoriented, Darien stumbled and fell to the ground.  He felt a 
body on top of his back, searching for his arms.  The person
found them and brought them together in the back and began tying 
them with a coarse rope.  That was when Darien passed out.
      A raindrop tickled Darien's cheek.  He opened his eyes. 
They were in the same clearing. Then, remembering what had 
happened, he tried to get to his feet.  Then he realized he was 
already on his feet.  He was apparently tied to a tree.  He 
frantically searched for Serena.  He found her.  Almost directly
across from  the clearing, he saw her underdresses first, 
because it was the only white thing in the world right now. 
Well, with the exception of the full moon.  Her hands were tied 
behind her too, apparently.  She was still unconscious.  Her head 
lagged to one side, slightly.  Her eyes were closed.  She looked 
beautiful, but was probably going to be in extreme pain when she
awoke.  Darien spotted our two abductors leaning back to back, 
sleeping. One was a heavy man with a scraggly beard, the other a 
small one with a sharp, pointed nose. The big one had fiery red 
hair and the skinny one had black hair and a long black beard 
streaked with gray.  He realized the small one was wearing his 
cape, which was much to big for him. Darien also noticed that 
Serena's necklace she was wearing was missing, and his own purse. 
Anger flared up inside of him and struggled against the ropes. 
*****************************************************************
      Serena coming to when she heard Darien across the clearing 
struggling with something.  She opened one eye and saw him trying 
to look around the tree at his hands.  He was obviously trying
to  get loose.  Then he let out an exasperated sigh.  He sank to
the  ground, closing his eyes.  She pulled her head up and
cracked her  neck.  She still had a dreadful pain in the back of
her head where the lout banged her up against the tree.  She
imitated  Darien and moved her hands around in the rope.  Her
skin was raw  around her wrist and it hurt when she rope rubbed
against it.  Wait a minute.  The rope was kind of lose.  Getting
excited, she  whispered Darien's name.  He jerked his head up so
fast that he  hit his head on the tree.  He bit back a curse and
looked at  Serena. She whispered, "I think I can get out of
this!" She  worked her hands up over her wrist and palm. 
Wincing slightly  when it got painfully tight, she pulled her
hands apart with a  jerk.  Her hands were free!  She began
working on her ankles.  She quietly untied the knot and began
creeping over to Darien.  She stopped in her tracks when one of
the men started.  He opened  his eyes briefly and when he was
yawning, Serena rapidly tiptoed  back to her tree, putting her
hands behind her as if she was  still tied up.  They man sit up
and grinned stupidly at her.  She  tried not to look too sick at
the sight of his pockmarked face  and knarled black teeth.  This
guy was obviously not a soldier.  He was a regular cutthroat.  He
approached her, leaving his  partner to fall into the dirt and
wake up with a start.  "How now  Scarlet!  Wha'dya think yore
doin'?" Annoyed, Scarlet turned  around and scowled at his
friend.  "Shut yer hole Willie!  Go  back t' sleep!" Scarlet
stood in front of Serena.  Close enough  that Serena nearly
gagged from his stench.  "Let's see what ye  might be worth,
lass.  I know an excellent market that buys  little tramps such
as yourself.  You'd bring a far price, eh,  Willie?" The big man
struggled to his feet, his fat hands pushing  his whale-like body
off of the ground.  "Aye." Scarlet cupped  Serena's chin
in his grimy palm.  She wrenched her chin away.  She hated when
people did that.  Anger washed over her.  Without  warning, she
swung her fist out from behind the tree and  delivered a blow so
hard to the skinny man's head he reeled  backwards, clutching the
side of his face.  When he came back to  his senses, Scarlet
screeched at her.  "Thought ye tied up,  harlot wench!  Now yore
in fer it!" Serena lunged into a fighting  position as Scarlet
rushed up to her.  He screamed as he lunged  at Serena, but at
the last second, Serena sidestepped him and let  him run into the
tree she had previously been tied to.  Scarlet  was out.  Willie
stared after his comrade for a moment before he  realized Serena
had her fists before her, looking expectantly at  him.  "So ye
want a piece o' me, do ye lass?" Serena didn't budge.  Her face
was unmoving as the big lout ambled towards her.
*****************************************************************
      Darien could strangle Serena right now.  There is no WAY
she  could fight a man five...er...six times her size!  "Serena,
you  oaf!  Are you mad?" She shot him an icy look that would've 
stopped any other man in his tracks.  "Quiet Darien," she
snapped.  Darien shut up, but not after telling Serena how stupid 
this was.  She ignored him, and this irritated him and he gave
her a you-are-the-stupidest-girl-I've-ever-met look.  But he was 
secretly yearning to tear free from his ropes and protect her. 
The big man was almost right on top of Serena before anyone
made  a move.  Willie lunged for Serena, but she moved aside and 
hammered him with a blow to the back.  Willie whirled around and 
knocked Serena down.  She groaned and that sound almost
made  Darien lose all sanity.  "Arrgh! I've had it with you, you
tiresome tub of lard!" Willie was standing before Serena, and she
took advantage of this  and kicked him where his two fat legs
met.  The giant howled in  pain and stumbled back.  Serena jumped
to her feet without using  her hands and delivered an impossibly
high kick to the giant's  chin.  His head snapped back and he
fell.  Darien breathed out  heavily and sagged with relief.  Man,
was that girl tough. Serena, wasting no time, hurried over to
Darien and began working  at the knots.  "We have to hurry. 
Scarlet could wake up any  minute!"  "But-" "No buts Darien. 
You listen to me right now." Darien was dumbfounded she was
ordering around the Dauphin of  France.  Before he knew it, he
was free from the ropes and  stumbling after Serena deeper into
the woods. 

****************Ok ok....I admit it, I LOVE cliffhangers don't
you? Though I'm kinda running out of ideas for adventures for 
these two...Any advice? I'd love to hear it! Bai-bai!  ~Jordan~