Morning dawned bright and clear on the city as the young girl slept on, oblivious.
Two people looked on as she slumbered. One a man, hovering twenty off the ground. The other a woman, crouched in a tree next to him.
"She is beautiful, as you said." The man said to the woman as he hovered outside the window, invisible to the world around them.
The woman simply said nothing, but stared at the young girl as she slept.
"You seem deep in thought" the first figure said again, sensing something from his female companion.
"It is nothing, simply a feeling."
"Feelings are not acceptable."
She said nothing, as she did when she agreed.
"You know what to do." he said after a brief pause, his gaze never faltering from the window.
"As you command" she said, disappearing with a slight bow.
I wish you well, young one the female figure thought as she ran to set up for the upcoming mission. If only we had met under different circumstances... we may have been friends
"Serena!" Serena's father called from downstairs.
Serena sat bolt upright. "Dad?"
"Come down here... now."
Frantically her mind raced as she tried to figure out what she did to anger her father, if he was angry.
"Let me get my slippers on, and I'll be right..."
"Now Serena." His voice echoed from downstairs, sending chills up her spine.
As she slipped quietly down the stairs, she stiffened for the lecture and punishment to come.
She reached the bottom of the stairs, and looked around he living room.
"In the kitchen."
His voice still showed no sign of anger, but it was direct, and that scared her more than ever.
She shuffled into the kitchen with her trying to keep her head high and tears from her eyes, still racing through her thought as to what she had done.
"Sit down." he said, pulling out a chair and standing behind it.
Serena did as she was told, waiting for the world to crumble around her as she stared at the wall, biting her lip.
"Close your eyes."
She closed her eyes, thankful. At least he won't see me cry now
"Eyes closed?" He asked in that same, straight tone.
"Yes sir." she replied, her voice shaking a bit.
"Good, now stay here... I'll be right back."
And then, silence.
Now she did cry, silently. wiping tears on her pajama collar as soon as they fell.
"Shhhh" a soothing voice said from behind her.
As she turned to see who it was, her eyes were gently covered.
"Why all the tears?"
"Darien?" She said, knowing the voice of her beloved now that she heard it clearly.
He let go and sat down beside her as she hugged him, sobbing on his shoulder suddenly.
"Hey now, what's this?"
"Oh Darien!" Serena sobbed "I think I'm in seriously major trouble, but I don't remember what I did."
Darien gently turned her face up to his.
"Calm down and tell me everything."
Serena wiped the last of the tears from her eyes with her sleeve and began to tell Darien of the morning's events.
"I see" Darien said after she had finished.
"Well I walked in and didn't see anyone, so I guess no one knows I'm here, so I have an idea."
Darien leaned over and whispered into Serena's ear. just as he finished, they heard footsteps on the stairs.
Serena looked, and not seeing Darien, quickly spun around and closed her eyes, hiding her wet sleeve under her other arm as she folded her arms on the table.
"Hold very still now." her fathers voice said as a blindfold was placed gently around her eyes.
"Am I in trouble?" Serena asked gingerly.
"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit..."
Just then, a loud sound, painful blows and Serena ended up sideways among table legs and pieces of her chair before fading into the void of unconsciousness.
"She awakens."
"Quiet." a female voice said "She needs rest."
Serena's vision blurred slowly into shapes and lights, and as she sat up slowly, she realized she was covered in only a sheet.
"Where are my clothes?" she shrieked, covering herself as best she could.
"Serena!" Darien's voice said from somewhere, though she couldn't see him.
"Darien?"
"Serena, you feeling better?"
Serena looked around, wondering where Darien was since she could hear him, but not see him... though she really wondered if he could see her. The thought made her blush slightly and cover up with more of the sheet, wrapping it around her like a huge towel.
"So Serena, are you gonna let me in, or am I gonna stand out here all day?" Darien said.
"But, where are you?" Serena said, looking around again.
The room was a beautiful silver bedroom, she lay in the huge, princess bed, complete with lace trim, silk sheets and soft white lights. The rest of the room consisted of a desk, chair, small lamp and a huge mirror of white and silver trim, which glowed softly. There were two doors, almost invisible, only the outlines of each were visible.
Serena rose as she took in the beauty of the room, and walked to the door without thinking, opening the door to an awaiting Darien, dressed in silver and carrying a sword.
"Um..." Serena blushed.
"Something wrong dear?" Darien asked, looking concerned.
"I'm... not dressed."
Darien just scratched his head in confusion. "That hasn't bothered you in ages, something wrong?"
"No... I guess not." she turned and walked toward the bed again, laying down and rolling over on her side, trying to figure out what was going on.
"You rest up then dear." Darien said, kissing her softly on the cheek "I'll take care of things just fine, don't worry." And without another word, he left.
After he left, she lay on her side, wondering when she went nuts.
"THERE you are..." Darien's voice stopped suddenly.
Serena sat up and turned around to see Darien, dressed like he should be in his jogging suit, his back turned to Serena, his head toward the floor.
"What's wrong Darien?" Serena asked, glad to see him.
Darien just stared at the ceiling.
"Last I knew, you had a thing about being undressed..."
Serena giggled, blushing.
"It's OK, I'm decent at least... I'm still confused though."
"Confused?" Darien turned around, like nothing had happened. "About all this?" He gestured to their surroundings.
"Yeah"
"Simple... illusions."
Serena blinked in surprise. "Illusion?"
"Yup, what do you see?"
She looked around again. "I see a beautiful silver room, fit for a princess, with a huge mirror, and a moonlit window, this beautiful bed..."
"Your bedroom, your bed, your dresser... and it's 7:30 am" Darien replied.
"My... room?"
"How else did you know where the door was?"
Serena sat, and as she stared, the beautiful silver room smeared and fused into her old room, the silk sheets becoming her blanket, the moonlit window a beautiful sunny day.
"What's going on here?" she asked no one in particular.
"We're being tested." Darien replied, sitting next to Serena and tossing another blanket around her scared, shivering shoulders, and the two sat together and tried to think of a way out of this new adventure neither was ready for.
They sat together for nearly an hour, Serena shivering in fear and Darien seething inwardly, part of him wanting to hurt whoever was behind this for what they were doing to Serena, and the other part just wanting to know why and go home.
As he desperately thought of a way out, he noticed Serena had fallen asleep, and he couldn't help but smile.
Darien stood carefully, laying her down in the bed, her head on the pillow, and took a look around.
Now to get out of here he thought, looking around for something he could use.
Walking around the house, he checked all the doors and windows.
Unlocked? he mused, opening the front door and looking outside.
Across the street, two boys walked down the street while a third friend rode his bike along side. Down the road, two girls took turns skipping a jump rope tied to a streetlight. Turning the other way, he saw a young woman walking her dog as she listened to her headset radio, singing softly as she strolled along.
A slight touch on his shoulder brought him around with precision. He shut the door with one hand as he grabbed Serena's with the other.
She drew back, startled, but he gently released her hand, looking her over.
She was now dressed in a purple sweater and blue jeans, her hair has out of it's usual 'meatball' style, and now it was Darien's turn to be startled.
Serena smiled, noticing his glance. "You like it?"
He smiled. "Yeah, it looks nice."
She shrugged. "Well, I can't find my hairbrush to fix it, so I just left it."
"So, you feeling better now?"
Serena shrugged again, yawning. "I'm still tired..."
"Then go rest." He said, looking around the room again. "I'll get you out of this."
"What do you mean get me out of this... I don't understand."
Darien put an arm around her shoulder and led her silently into the living room.
"I'm not sure who's behind it, but my best guess is someone's testing you."
Serena sat down on the couch, leaning back and staring up at Darien in confusion.
"I mean it does make sense, your parents are off on their second honeymoon, your brother's off at his friend's house, you're alone..."
"Wait, but I saw my dad... and he was..." she bubbled, trying to make sense of what she had seen so far.
Darien walked into the kitchen and soon came back with a note, which he handed to Serena.
She read the note, written by her father "Then who was..."
"Whoever it was, it wasn't your father." Darien said, putting a hand on his shoulder and testing it. "Nothing personal against your old man Serena, but I doubt he's strong enough to knock me around like this guy did."
"So what about the room... the illusion?" Serena asked, staring at the floor taking it all in.
"Well, whatever you saw, I didn't see. After the fight in the kitchen, you fell and hit your head. This guy, whoever he is, knocked me around pretty good, but he didn't finish me off, like I wasn't important..."
"More like you weren't part of the plan." Serena said, standing suddenly, making sense of everything.
"Serena?"
"I've had enough of this, do you hear me?" Serena said, staring at the ceiling "It's over, I'm not playing your games anymore!"
Darien looked around, and then at Serena, who stood, staring slightly upward, as if listening to someone.
Serena simply stood, powerless, as this woman looked her over.
"Beautiful." she said.
She was young, and she wore robes of green, with a skull shaped clasp. She herself was a shocking contrast to her dark attire, her blonde hair poked out from the front of her hood as she took a step forward.
"And you are?" Serena asked, summoning strength from within.
"My name is Cammy, and I work for a man named Bison, and he wants to meet you.
"Why me?" She asked.
"You're powerful, and he likes power. You're beautiful, and he's a man of great taste." She dropped her hood to reveal long, blonde, braided ponytails, and a warm smile.
"Serena, don't listen." Darien's voice said from behind her. "I don't know what you're seeing, but it's not real."
Serena smiled. "That's right, you're not real, you're an illusion like all the rest of them."
"So, if I'm not real, could I do this?"
The robes came off, and Serena found herself on the floor, the side of her face stinging.
Darien saw her fall, and realized his mistake all too late as the shadow of a man appeared from the doorway.
"Cammy" the deep iron voice said from the doorway.
"Lord Bison!" She dropped into a salute as the holographic projectors faded off.
As soon as he saw the woman, Darien jumped between her and Serena.
The man in the door chuckled, his cape billowing slightly in the wind.
"You have done well Cammy, take the girl and go."
"As you command." Cammy said.
"You'll have to get through me first!" Darien said, standing up and getting into a stance.
Cammy just laughed and kicked him in the side of the face.
"Pathetic" The iron voice said over Serena's cries.
And then, darkness.
When he awoke, he saw Sailor Mercury staring at him through her glowing VR visor.
"He's waking up, he'll be OK."
"Ow" He said, sitting up slowly and rubbing his head.
"Take it easy, you got thumped pretty hard." Sailor Venus said, eyeing the side of Darien's face.
"Cammy must be losing her touch, she kicked you and your head is still attached."
The voice belonged to a massive military guy, blonde hair put straight up in a flat top.
He saw Darien's confused look, and smiled.
"Name's Guile." he said "and that guy you saw earlier is Bison."
"And that woman with him was Cammy" said another voice.
Guile turned to see four people standing behind him, and he smiled even bigger.
"This is Chun-li, from Interpol" He said, pointing to a beautiful woman in blue.
As she bowed, he pointed to a pair of men in Karate Gi, one in red, one in white.
Guile continued his introductions "The one in white there is Ryu, the one in red..."
Darien smiled now. "Ken Masters, World Karate Champion."
Ken's eyebrow rose in surprise. "Darien!"
"Long time no see buddy." Ken said, stepping forward and shaking Darien's hand.
"Yeah, we'll catch up later, They got Serena."
"She your girlfriend?" another voice said from behind Ryu.
Guile laughed.
"That's Sakura, Ryu's student."
"Something like that" Ryu said, smiling himself.
She stepped out, bowing. "Nice to meet you."
Darien stood up, but Mercury pushed him back down.
"Oh no you don't. You have a concussion, you're going to rest, let us handle this." Jupiter said, the other scouts nodding agreement.
"No." He said sternly.
The scouts gasped, stunned at his tone.
"This Bison guy, whoever he is..."
"Leader of Shadowlaw, a ruthless leader and nearly unstoppable." Chun-li put in, her voice strained as she ground out the words.
"Well, whatever" Darien continued, standing up "He's got Serena, and I WILL get her back."
Mercury leaned up and whispered in his ear. "Shouldn't you become Tuxedo Mask then?"
"No... this is personal." he said, looking at Mercury.
"This I have to do, alone."
And out the door he walked, and down the road.
"Reminds me of you Ryu, just walking off, not knowing where to go."
"Shut up Ken, you wouldn't understand my motives." Ryu said.
"I understand his though. If It were Eliza..." Ken replied, then stopped, not needing to say more.
"Yeah." Ryu said.
Guile walked to the road. "Head north!" he yelled after Darien. "Bison's base is north of here!"
Chun-li soured. "Bison went south though."
"Yeah, if he wants to go off half-cocked and blinded by rage, then he'll just be in the way." Guile replied, cold as ice. "It's for his own good."
"Maybe." Sakura chimed in "but I think he's smarter than you all give him credit for." she said, pointing up the road to where Darien had just hopped in a cab, and it turned south.
Guile cursed and started running toward the Hum-vee they arrived in.
"Wait up, we need a plan" Mars said, looking at Mercury as she completed her VR scan on everyone.
"I've got one" Mercury said. "Here's what we do..."
Darien rode silently in the back of the cab, silently planning.
Finally the cab came to a stop outside his apartment building, and after paying the driver, he jogged up the stairs.
By the time he got into his apartment, his head was throbbing and his vision blurred.
"Hard to fight when you can't see, and if the stairs took that much out of you, you have no chance against this Bison guy."
Darien fell to his knees and tried to focus on the face of the voice he knew all too well.
"You followed me."
"No Darien." Sailor Mars said, helping Jupiter carry him to his couch. "We took a shortcut and beat you here, you're in NO condition to fight."
"But I have to save Serena..."
"Leave that to me." Ken said. "I got scores to settle with him anyway."
"Darien, can I borrow your TV?" Mercury's question broke though the jumble of voices like a blade through water.
"My TV? Sure." he said, confused, laying back on the couch. "The remote's on the table."
"I don't need it... Guile, do you have a toolkit on your hummer?"
"Yeah..."
Sakura smiled. "I got it!" she called as she ran out the door.
"All I need now is a decent receiver..." she continued, talking softly to herself.
Guile turned to Sailor Venus.
"Is she always like this?"
Sailor Venus just shrugged. "I've never seen her this bad myself."
"She feels it, as I do." Ryu said softly from the balcony.
"Feels what?" Sailor Mars said, walking out onto the terrace.
"The feeling of evil overtaking the world." He looked at her confusion. "Try this, it's the first thing my Sensei taught us."
He took his headband off and gently placed it around Mars' eyes. "Can you see?" He asked
"No." She answered.
"Try again... focus with your mind."
Mars stood quietly, concentrating.
"What do you see?"
"I see... colors... like swirling mist... It's pretty."
"That is the life force of the planet." He said. "'You must see beyond what you cannot see to truly see.' That's how my Sensei put it, now try again... look past it.. what do you see?"
Mars concentrated again, then gasped suddenly, stepping back half a step and into Ryu.
"It's dark... cold... black..."
"That's what I feel."
Mars shuddered as she took of the headband, handing it back to Ryu. "Wow, you can feel that?"
"Yes." He tied the headband on again, and looked at her. "you're gifted, I can tell."
"Gifted?"
"Mentally... you see things easier than most, some most can not see."
"She speaks to fire." Jupiter said from behind them, running her fingers through her hair.
As the newly introduced friends talked on the balcony, Mercury worked on her project, Sakura handing her tools when she asked and watching intently. Darien lay on the couch, talking to Chun-li and Guile.
Just then, the phone rang.
As Darien picked it up, everyone grew silent.
"Hello?" he asked the phone, almost knowing what to expect before he heard the voice on the other end.
"Greetings Darien... feeling a bit... under the weather are we?" Bison's laughter chilled Darien to the bone, but he didn't let it get to him.
"Where's Serena?"
"She is safe, for now... and she can't WAIT to see you again, in fact, when you see her next, you'll be dying to do so."
"If you've hurt her..."
Bison's laugh cut him short.
"Indeed not, she is much too important for that... now listen closely, i will only say this once..."
Darien listened as he was told, and finally, he hung up the phone slowly, easing back into onto the couch and staring at the ceiling.
After a few brief moments, Sailor Mercury kneeled down next to Darien.
"What did he say? Is Serena OK?"
Darien said nothing, only continuing to stare at the ceiling.
Guile waited a few more minutes, and then walked over and picked Darien up by the shirt front.
"What did he say, if you want us to help you, you gotta help us."
Darien looked at Guile with his fists clenched.
"I never asked for your help, and if I remember right, YOU tried to send me the wrong way, so why should I trust you?"
"Because I'm your only hope of defeating Bison." Guile replied, dropping Darien, who landed on his feet.
"We'll see." Darien said, walking to his room. "We'll see."
A few hours later found everyone in somewhat lighter spirits, Ken and Sakura had left in the hummer to get lunch for everyone.
"Hey Ken." Sakura asked as they drove.
"Yeah kiddo?"
"What's Ryu really like... I mean he never talks about himself much, and he never stays in one place long."
Ken pulled into a take-out burger stand and parked the hummer.
"To tell the truth, I don't think even HE understands it."
As they walked into the fast food place, across the street two guys waited for instructions.
"They're inside, boss." one of them said into a transmitter in his watch "The Masters guy and some girl."
"Describe her." the voice said.
"She's about 16 or so, short brown hair, in a school uniform."
"Indeed, Sakura. Ryu's student."
"So do we take 'em out?" the second one asked, cracking his knuckles.
"Take them out if you like, I have what I want."
"You got it boss."
The two punks walked toward the restaurant, not realizing who they were up against.
"Two orders of onion rings?" Sakura razzed Ken as they walked out with food for everyone.
"Hey, I'm hungry, OK?" he replied, mocking innocence.
As they loaded the hummer and laughed, Sakura heard a crunching sound.
As she turned, she saw two street punks, one holding a steel baseball bat and one a switchblade knife, both ugly and looking for trouble.
"Aww, too bad about your tail light there, friend." the bat wielding punk said.
"Nice hummer." said the second. "I think we'll take it after we mop up the floor with you blondie."
"Unless cutie-pie here wants to tag along..."
Ken just looked at Sakura, then looked at the knife punk.
"We don't want no trouble... and the hummer's borrowed." he said, smiling.
"What's wrong ugly?" Sakura said to the bat carrying punk. "You too ugly to get a real date?"
"That's it, waste 'em!" he said, swinging his bat at Sakura, who ducked under it to punch him in the gut hard enough to drop him to his knees.
"Not only ugly, but slow too." she said, smiling and backing off to give him room to get up.
Ken in the other hand was easily dodging knife slashes as he backed toward the curb.
"You gonna keep fanning that all over? I'm getting a draft."
The punk growled and charged.
"Toro!" Ken yelled, jumping over him and kicking him in the rear, watching him stumble and roll into the wall of the restaurant.
"Olay!" he said, dusting off his hand and dropping into his Shotokan stance.
Sakura meanwhile was holding her own nicely, dodging and weaving the huge punk with the bat.
"OK, enough dancing, let's fight now, I've got lunch getting cold in the car." she said, dropping into her stance as well.
The bat punk, seemingly had enough of the girl, dropped the bat and drew a gun.
"Uh-oh." she said, breaking into a run as he started unloading.
Ken heard the gunfire and leaped at the punk's head.
"Mind if I CUT in?" His foot connecting with the side of the man's face with a crunching sound.
Sakura, now out of breath, pointed and gasped behind Ken.
"Behind you!"
Ken barely managed to dodge the knife blade, back flipping and landing on the hummer's hood. On landing, he wasted no time, kicking the knife out of the guy's hand and knocking him off the hummer with his Hurricane kick.
"Let's get outta here!" the first punk yelled, running like the coward he truly was, his friend stumbling off as fast as he could.
"You OK kid?" Ken said, helping Sakura up.
"I'm OK, I think I twisted my ankle though."
"Beats a bullet." he said, picking her up and carrying her to the hummer as the crowd clapped and cheered.
"Can't help sweeping a girl off her feet whenever you can I guess." Sakura giggled.
Ken put Sakura in the passenger side, and took a couple bows before jumping in the hummer and driving off.
"Now I see what Ryu meant when he calls you a 'show off'" she giggled again, and Ken laughed as well.
"Yeah, I can't help it though."
After a short drive, they arrived back at Darien's place.
"Wait here." Ken said "I'll take the food up and come back for you." he said, adding "besides, I got a bad feeling something's not right."
"OK" Sakura agreed.
As Ken got to Darien's wide open door, he saw Darien against the far wall of his apartment, a beautiful girl walked toward him as he slumped against the wall, nearly unconscious.
"Hey beautiful, no need to beat on him anymore, I'm here now." Ken chuckled, but his smile faded as she turned to look at him.
"You must be Serena." He said, dropping into his stance as he saw the look of pure evil in her eyes.
"Ken Masters!" an all too familiar voice yelled from his left.
"Bison!" He said, turning. "What have you done to her?"
That was all the time Serena needed, and she made her move without hesitation.
She leapt at Ken with a kick that caught him in the head. As he stumbled back a few steps and into the hallway, she landed blow after blow on his face and body, finally sending him flying into the opposite wall with a side kick that broke not only the wall, but probably a rib or two as well.
"Nice to meet you too." He managed through clenched teeth.
"Ken!" Sakura yelled from the end of the hallway.
"Look out, she's under Bison's control!" he yelled to Sakura as Serena charged her.
"Sonic BOOM!"
A flash of light and Serena fell backward, rubbing her eyes as Guile dropped down from above.
"She'll be blinded for a minute or two, you two OK?" he asked.
Sakura nodded, and Ken slowly walked over. "I'll live, she kicks like a mule though."
"Well well, Guile!" Bison said, floating out into the hall. "This is a surprise, I thought you were smarter than to come and stick your nose into my business."
"Bison" Guile said charging. "I'll kill you!"
Bison simply raised his hand and Guile flew backward and slid a few feet.
"Pathetic Guile, truly pathetic."
Serena stood now, turning toward Ken as he dropped into his stance, pain wracking his battered body
"Serena, don't do it!" Mercury said from the doorway, leaning against it, weak.
Serena turned toward her and Sakura leapt, grabbing her in a headlock.
"You'll pay for this buffalo boy!" Darien's voice called as he charged, sending himself and Bison through the wall Ken had weakened a minute before.
As they struggled, Guile flipped up and ran after them.
Sakura finally dropped an elbow into Serena's shoulder, dropping her to the floor in pain.
"Wait a second, that hurt her!" Ken smiled. "She's fighting the mind control!"
Just then, a huge blast of light came from the hole in the wall, and Bison hovered out, holding Darien by his hair.
"Fool!" he said, dropping Darien in front of Serena "You disgust me with your powerless attempts to beat me."
"Hey Ugly!"
Bison turned to see a man dressed in gray, smiling.
"Impossible!" Bison exclaimed. "I just defeated you."
Neirad laughed. "No, you defeated my 'better half', now the real fight begins."
"Cannon Drill" Cammy yelled, catching Neirad with a spinning power kick to the head, sending them both out of view down the hallway.
"Seems everyone is here, just as I planned." Bison said, turning around again, smiling his evil smile.
"Not quite." a soft voice replied as a black shadow descended on Bison with a loud thumping noise and leveled the leader of Shadowlaw before back flipping and tossing his cape behind him for mobility.
"Batman!" Darien said, trying to sit up.
Bison floated to his feet and roared his rage, blasting Batman through a different wall.
Ken slumped to his knees. "What next?"
Then the world around them disintegrated with a roar of flame and a deafening explosion, sending them all in different directions.
Serena awoke slowly, painfully crawling out of the wreckage of the building.
Confusing thoughts still flew like beams of light through her head, swirling, maddening pictures of things she knew nothing of.
What's happening to me? she thought to herself, not knowing if she should cry, scream, hurt someone or all of them at once.
"Se...rena..." Darien's voice was faintly audible among the sound of the voices in her head.
"Darien?"
"Your turn to... save me..."
She saw his hand poking out of two huge concrete slabs.
"I... don't know..." she replied, holding her head with her hands, trying to silence the voices in her head.
"Use... crystal..." his voice was fading now, and the voices rose to a such a level she could barely think.
Now she did scream, long and loud, breaking down after her voice failed her and sobbing.
On the other side of what was left of the building, Mercury, Sakura and Neirad sat in a circle, binding wounds and thinking of where to start, when they heard Serena's scream.
Deep under a pile of rubble, Ken lay unconscious, a strange twist of fate had put Cammy here as well, also unconscious in a heap nearby.
Ken awoke to the scream, and though he didn't know who's it was, or where, he saw Cammy, and knew what he must do.
Guile woke up in the parking lot, and as he was jogging back toward the pile of rubble, he heard the scream and began to sprint, Ryu falling into step with him.
Meanwhile, Batman bent over the infamous leader of Shadowlaw, Bison, as he lay still, seriously hurt after the blast.
The Sailor Scouts, minus Mercury were behind him, looking over the rubble of the building, when a scream pierced the silence.
Serena tried desperately to soothe the voices in her head, and soon, after much effort, she quieted them to a dull roar.
As everyone else started to show up around her, she pulled out the Silver Crystal, staring into it depths for a long time.
As Mercury went to try to check on Serena, Neirad, Batman and Guile began trying to dig Darien out of the concrete slabs.
As everyone started working together, Serena's crystal began to glow, and she slowly rose to her feet.
"Moon Crystal Healing..." she began, holding the crystal toward her beloved Darien.
"Psycho Crusher!"
A streak of blue fire shot from the clearing, striking Serena and sending her flying into a tree.
"OK, I've seen enough!" Neirad screamed, pressing a button on his wrist and tossing a small box to the ground.
The instant it hit the ground, a portal opened and two men walked through it, looking around.
"Neirad?" the first one said, looking around.
"Over here Goku." he said, pointing to Bison.
"He's powerful, way beyond my strength."
Vegeta laughed. "Power? Ha, he knows nothing of power."
"What do you think, you want this one Vegeta?" Goku asked.
"Indeed, It's been so long since I fought one worthy of me Kakkarot."
"Fool!" Bison roared, floating into the air. "You are nothing against my 'Psycho Power'!"
Vegeta floated level with the much larger man. "And you are no match against the power of a Sayajin!"
"Such insolence in such a small package."
"Big Bang Attack!"
The sky lit up in a flash and a blue glow as Vegeta blasted Bison with a huge ball of force. Bison retaliated with his Psycho Power, reflecting the rest of Vegeta's attack back at him.
Serena awoke just in time to see one of Vegeta's blue fireballs coming right for her...
And then, she simply held up the crystal.
"Moon Crystal Healing, Activation!"
In a sudden instant, everything and everyone stopped, as if the world itself stopped turning for one brief moment in time.
In that same instant, everyone was healed, even Darien, who woke up and looked around as color filled the air.
Even Cammy, down in the hole with Ken, was healed of the brainwashing Bison had done, and she sobbed on ken's shoulder as she remembered all the people she had hurt.
Bison slowly lowered to earth, weakening in this overwhelming goodness around him, and he disappeared without a trace.
Two days later, Darien lay on the couch with Serena at her house, and though everyone had gone their separate ways, Serena had still not become her old self.
'It may take a while for the brainwashing she endured to totally wear off, but it will in time.' Chun-li had said.
"Darien." she said, looking at him as he quietly lay with her.
"Yeah?"
"There's one thing I still don't get..."
"It'll take time Serena." Darien said, smiling. "I'll be here as long as it takes."
"No... something I keep seeing..."
"Tell me about it."
"A darkness... with eyes..." she shivered and he tossed a blanket over the two of them.
"It's watching me..." she almost breathed the last, her voice failing her. "HE'S watching me."
Darien just silenced her with a kiss on the forehead.
"Like I said, I'll be here as long as it takes..."