New Age Death Metal IV
			      The Demon In My Head
				   By EvilGate	

	Mina sat on her bed, which was not unusual.  What was unusual, 
however, was that instead of reading a manga, sleeping or daydreaming, she 
was pondering.  Now, while Mina wasn't brilliant in the sense of Amy, she had 
astonishing insight into other people at times, and this seemed to be one of 
those times.
	She was thinking of Itna, everyone's favorite death metal witch.  She 
suspected she had a crush on him, but in the murk of her own feelings, it may 
just have been the mystique of the fortune telling and black magic.  After 
all, someone so twisted and hateful couldn't possibly earn the affection of a 
Sailor Scout, whose good and devotion was supposed to be above reproach.  
Right?  
	Mina found she was disliking the answer to that question more and 
more as she continued thinking.  He really had nothing other than an aura of 
mystery around him.  He wasn't particularly good looking, and his personality 
was far from charming.  He hadn't really expressed an interest in her, but 
she suspected he cared strongly.  The problem, she decided with a long sigh, 
was that they both had feelings for one another, but neither was sure of what 
they were, besides the small matter of him being ten years older than her. 
	She remembered his sudden flashes of insanely dark rage, and the 
horrifying snarls and chanting he uttered during combat.  She thought of the 
dark powers that leapt to his beck and call, and the omnipresent hate the 
burned within his brown eyes.  She thought of the smug, self mocking grin he 
carried, and the Marilyn Manson toboggin he always wore pulled over his eyes. 
Yet all the negativity that she put into him, she merely found herself, not 
losing the bizarre feelings she had developed for him, but feeling pity for 
him.  Of course, he was destructive and hateful and sometimes downright 
twisted, but somewhere inside, she reasoned, he must be good, because he was 
helping them.
	Then a painful thought struck her.  What if he wasn't helping them?  
What if he worked for the Negaverse, and was playing them all for fools?
	She dismissed the thought rapidly, both out of fear of where it was 
going and logical reasoning.  After all, had he desired for them to die, he 
would have left them in the Negaverse.
	But why?  What had attracted her to this bizarre death rocker?  That 
was one of the many pressing questions that pounded through her head as she 
looked out the window at the night sky and wondered how he was dealing with 
the tangle he must have been feeling.

	As a matter of fact, Itna was dealing with the problems rather poorly.  
He wasn't sure of the feelings he had for Mina, but he did care about all of 
the Scouts quite a bit.  They had demonstrated great power, and could be 
useful allies...he cut that train of thought off angrily  "Stop deluding 
yourself, Itna!" he snarled to the dank alley at large as he kicked away a 
piece of garbage.  "Why can't you admit that sometimes you care about people 
without having a use for them?"
	"Because you are twisted, a monster," whispered a mocking voice in 
the back of his head.  "Because you are what you made yourself-an outcast 
from love and humanity and compassion...and God."
	"Shut up!" he snarled to himself.  "There is no God!"  He sounded 
angry, desperate, as if he was trying to convince himself.
	"You are going to destroy them.  You're going to destroy them like 
you did Milane," whispered the voice.
	"No!  This isn't like that!"  Itna knew there was no one talking to 
him, but that comment deserved argument.  Was he going crazy?  Had that last 
trip to the Shadow Realm destroyed his mind?  Probably, he thought, but at 
this point I just don't give a damn.
	"It's just like that.  You loved her, too, didn't you?  Told yourself 
you cared for her?  Just like now!  And where is she?  WHERE IS SHE, ITNA?  
IN THE GROUND, THAT'S WHERE SHE IS!  WHERE YOU PUT HER!"  The demon's voice 
in his head grew to a shout and then trailed off into gales of mocking 
laughter.  
	"No!  It isn't true!  I wasn't trying to kill her!" said Itna feebly 
as leaned against the slimy alley wall to steady himself.  
	"You delude yourself again!" said  the hateful little voice.  "She 
outlived her usefullness, so you killed her!" 
	"NO!  YOU DELUDE ME, DEMON!" snarled Itna suddenly, lashing out 
against the trash can with his fist.  Vaguely he felt the blood as his hand 
was slashed open by the sharp metal, but somehow he didn't care.  "Well, I'll
show you!  You can't delude me if I cut you out of my head!"  So saying, Itna 
reached for his hunting knife.
	"Don't be a fool!" said the demon mockingly.  "You're bluffing.  You 
can't dig me out of here!  You'll die!"
	There was a pause as Itna held the hunting knife to his temple.  He 
thought of Mina, a gaping hole where her neck would have been, like Milane, 
and made his descision.  "I know," he said simply, and shut his eyes 
preparing to ram the knife in, the demon screaming threats and pleas 
simaltaneously in the backround.
	Then there was a zipping noise as the knife came out of his hand.  It 
hit the ground with a ping, and as Itna opened his eyes, he noticed a rose 
beside it.  "Tuxedo Mask," he said, without looking up.
	"I can't let you do that," said Tuxedo Mask.  
	"Stay out of this!" snarled Itna, diving for the knife.  Tuxedo Mask 
leapt down and grabbed him around the shoulders in a reverse bear hug and 
held him there.  Itna snarled and drove the heel of his boot into Tuxedo 
Mask's kneecap, and he gasped in pain, but held on tight.  Then he whispered 
"This is for your own good," and drove the knuckle of his right hand into 
Itna's temple.  Itna gasped in pain, and then slumped to the ground slowly.
	Darien looked down at the crumpled form before him, and wondered what 
had guided him to come after Itna.  It had been....something that just seemed 
to throb in his mind, telling him that his help was needed, the same way it 
did when the Scouts needed him.  Quietly, he gathered the hunting knife 
Itna was going to kill himself with and put it the folds of his cape, then he 
put Itna over his shoulder and began walking back.  It seemed the darkness 
was a little more omnipresent in him than ever.

	Amy stared at the pale body laying on the couch in Darien's apartment.  
Itna's substitute at school had informed them that Itna had fallen ill and 
the Scouts had decided to check on him.  Darien quietly watched for a moment 
and answered the question they all wanted to know.
	"He was talking to himself, shouting at himself.  He was accusing 
someone, a demon, of deluding him, even though there was no one there.  He 
was snarling and kicking and hitting trash cans.  He also mentioned not 
meaning to kill someone," he said softly as Mina ran a quivering hand over 
Itna's pale forehead.  "I had to knock a knife out of his hand before he 
stabbed himself to death with it.  Then I had to knock him out and bring him 
here.  I've been keeping him asleep with Seconal."
	"Could that last trip to the Negaverse have destroyed his mind?" 
asked Rei.
	Darien nodded.  "I know that's what we're all afraid of."
	"No!" sobbed Mina suddenly.  "There has to be some good in him 
somewhere!"  Crystalline tears were splashing on Itna's face, forming little 
streaks in the dried blood that still stuck there.  "We have to do 
something!"
	"What?" said Leita.  "What can we do?  If the Negaverse destroyed his 
mind, than the only thing we can grant him is...."
	"Is what?" said Serena suddenly, a gleam of insight-and fear- in her 
eyes.  Leita looked up and met her fearful gaze.  
	"A quick death," she finished.  Mina looked up at her, shocked.
	"No...." she whispered.
	"I know you don't like it, Mina, and neither do I, but his mind has 
been polluted.  It would be mercy for a soul like that," said Leita.
	"I agree," said Rei sadly.  "He's finally lost his battle with the 
darkness.  With his power, there's no tellnig who could be killed, and how 
much he would suffer before he died, stark raving mad in an alley someplace."
	"I didn't save his life so you could kill him," said Darien suddenly. 
Everyone looked down guiltly.
	"He's right," said Amy.  "We have to find a way to restore his 
mind...to push away the darkness."
	"But how?  He's not even awake?" said Rei.
	"And how can we do that anyway?" said Serena.
	"With that little bit of good left in his soul.  If we find that, 
and strengthen that, then it will push the darkness away." said Mina.
	Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden burst of insane 
screaming from Itna.  His eyes shot open and settled on the scouts.  He leapt 
up and dived forward at them, hands curled like claws.  Instantly Darien was 
up, tackling Itna and sending him, face first, into the coffee table in the 
middle of the room,  Itna snarled and thrashed around.  "No!  Milane!  Please 
don't die don't die don't die don't die don't die...."
	Darien pinned him to the ground, with the help of Leita and Rei, 
while Mina put her hand on the side of his face.  "Itna?  Please, listen to 
me!"  A single tear ran down the side of her face as his snarls grew inhuman. 
	"I'll kill you!  I'll kill you all!  I'll kill dad, I'll kill mom, 
I'll kill you, I'll kill me, I'll kill God, I'll kill Christ...."  He bucked 
furiously as Serena grabbed a length of clothesline and began tying him to 
the coffee table with it.  "I'll kill you and your whole family!  You'll all 
die and I'll sit beside you in Hell and laugh!"
	He began slamming his head into the coffee table brutally, over and 
over.  "NO!  I'll kill you, demon!  GET OUT OF MY HEAD OR I'LL KILL YOU TOO!" 
Blood began to run across the sides as his frenzied slamming continued.  
Sobbing, Mina ran and got a pillow, shoving it under Itna's head.  
	"I have to die!  God, let me die!  I don't want to hurt them 
anymore!"  His screams had changed tone, pleading instead of demanding.  "I 
don't want to turn them into monsters!  I don't want to hurt them anymore.  
Let...Me....Die....Let....me....die....please!"  Everyone was crying now as 
he begged, then demanded, then begged again.  The ropes began to cut into his 
arms, neck and legs as he rubbed himself against them trying to escape.  More 
blood splattered on the floor, and with each drop came a new threat, curse or 
plea.  Finally Darien managed to force two sleeping pills down his throat.  
The screams became weaker, the thrashing slower and it finally died away.
	Mina put her head on Itna's chest, arms folded, and began to sob over 
the blood smeared witch.  Everyone else gathered in a ring around him, 
tending to his wounds as best they could.  Everyone was awed by the pain, and 
mystified by the references to someone named Milane.  Mina was still sobbing 
when they were done, and Darien discreetly motioned the others out of the 
room.
	Mina looked up through her teary eyes, and seeing everyone gone, sat 
down on the couch beside Itna.  In the growing darkness, with the blood all 
over his body and the contorted snarl on his face, he looked insanely 
demonic, beyond all hope.  Was she lying to herself when she said that there 
was still good left in his tattered soul?
	"Itna?" she whispered, taking his hand, " I know you're hurt, and 
the darkness is going to take over, but I want you to know that, even though 
it hurts, we're going to beat it back.  We're going to beat the darkness and 
destroy your evil.  And I promise, wherever the battle goes, my love will be 
with you, always, to give you strength and courage when the darkness is 
coming closer.  Yes, Itna, I love you.  I wasn't sure before, but I know now.
I know it's impossible, and that you're older than me, but I do.  I love you, 
Itna, and I'm going to help you fight your demons."  Her tears fell thick and 
fast as she knelt beside him once more.  "I promise."
	"Milane?  Are you there?  Is there a god that loves me?" he mumbled 
as she rose to leave.  She bowed her head a little more and left.  The door 
shut, and once more Itna was alone with his darkness.

	Voices.  He was aware of the voices, but he wasn't sure what they 
were saying.  He had to kill.  He knew he had to kill.  The Demon wanted him 
to kill.  He was whispering "Kill them, Kill them..." but Itna was ignoring 
him.  Then another voice came clear over the others.  Milane!  It was Milane, 
smiling and laughing and breathing, like she did before he killed her.  
	A vision swam by, of fire and blood, and screams floated across the 
surface of his conciousness.  Then there was Milane, blond hair matted with 
dried blood, a gaping mouth open for a final scream, blank eyes staring at a 
sky still filled with fire.  He shut his eyes against the vision, but there 
was no tuning out the crackling of flames and screams of hate.
	"There he is!  He killed her!" came the shouts.  A stone cut his face 
as he turned toward the voices.  Then the hail continued as the night opened 
it's gaping maw and swallowed him.
	Then there were others, beautiful girls and one handsome man that he 
felt he should know.  One of them especially, a girl with straight blonde 
hair with a red bow, seemed to be particularly important?  But why?
	"Because you have to kill them." whispered the demonic voice.  
	"Why?" whispered Itna back, even as he complied.
	"Do it!  Kill them all because they are good!"  The people were 
shouting but he didn't understand what they were saying.  Then they were on 
top of him, pinning him down and tying him up while the demon screamed 
hateful things in his ears.  Then there was a warm fuzzy feeling and the 
darkness filled his mind once more.  "Kill them all," the demon hissed.  
"They're nothing but believers."

	Mina came out of the room with tears still running down her cheeks.  
No one mentioned anything, nor said goodbye as they left Darien's apartment, 
each attempting to be alone with her own dark thoughts.  Mina sat on a park 
bench, attempting to gain some control over her wracking sobs as Serena came 
up beside her.
	"Are you okay, Mina?" said Serena.  She put an arm around her.  
"Listen, I know it hurts.  I know, really I do!  But it's going to get better, 
I can feel it!  We can beat the darkness!  We beat the darkness all the 
time!"
	They sat in silence for a minute, then Mina answered with a soul 
wracking sob.  "But it never hurt like this before."  Then she buried her 
head in Serena's shoulder and cried, unendingly, painfully, hot tears soon 
soaking the side of Serena's outfit.  Serena, for her part, remained silent, 
stroking Mina's hair and rocking her back and forth until the storm had 
passed.  Mina stood up again, sniffling.  
	"Thanks, Serena.  I think I needed that most of all," she said 
gratefully. 
	"You're welcome Mina.  It will be okay, I promise.  And I'll always 
be here if you need a shoulder to cry on."  Mina hugged her and turned to 
walk away.  But as Serena looked over toward Darien's apartment, she wondered 
if Mina had any tears left to cry.

	And somewhere in the depths of madness, there was mocking laughter.