His Savior
If not assisting Sailor Soldiers...
Chikane has a duty at night.
She leaves her body, and goes out as a spirit.
She looks for beautiful dreams that needs protecting, in order to rebuild Elysion.
A world that only exists thru dreams. Beautiful dreams are basically its pillar of support and anchor to existence.
That was usually Helios' job, but...well...
...so yes, she's doing it for him on his guidance.
But out of 90% of humanity, only 10% have beautiful dreams, and only they have Dream Mirrors. That 10% was sufficient for Elysion's needs.
However, she also encounters nightmares.
Nightmares that attack owners of Mirrors.
These owners were like herself, having horrible traumas that attack them at night.
However, she was not alone tonight.
She was seen by Chibiusa in her dreams, connected to her through the Dream Carillon.
Chibiusa can only watch Chikane destroy nightmares using her flames, and rescue the mirrors.
'Somnio Kori, what are you doing?' Chibiusa asked her.
'Whoa! How'd you get here? This is the Dream Plane, the place in-between to Elysion!' Chikane squawked. 'Only I can be...oh, wait, the Carillon...' she bopped herself on the head. 'Now that you're here, stay close. Its dangerous here.'
'How bad can a dream be?' Chibiusa wondered as she ran close to be with Chikane.
'In sleep, humans are close to death. Ever heard that someone died of fright in sleep?' Chikane pointed out. 'They were too frightened and freaked out to breathe, terrorized by their worst fears they die by asphyxiation. Hence, 'die in your sleep'.' Chikane explained to the spooked pinkette. 'Nightmares are what kills people in their sleep. In the dream world, when humans remember their traumas and fears, evil energy gathers and become Nightmares...and attack the humans whose spirits end up here. Those who do often have terrible traumas, that their beautiful dreams, their hopes are what keeps them going.'
'Oh...'
'And we are approaching a terrible nightmare soon...I've been working on this for a week now.' Chikane swore. 'But its horrible. These victims have suffered heinous cruelty at the hands of evil adults. That they dream of their suffering every night. And they became hateful since, knowing only pain and hate. Nobody saved them. Instead, when they got lucky, they saved themselves. Convinced that nobody gave a damn about them so why should they care about other people?'
'H-horrible...' Chibiusa whimpered as up ahead, was a storm of darkness with purple lightning. 'I can help but...'
'Right now, you can't. Its impossible. Even you know it by instinct.' Chikane shook her head, but appreciating Chibiusa's offer nonetheless. 'Your power works in the real world as you are a being of the real world.'
Ain't that hypocritical of her, she thought. She herself is a being of the Real World. Its only thanks to Helios she can be here, doing his jobs in his stead.
'Those forms I lent you and the other senshi are effective only against the nightmares of Dead Moon...the Remless. Your current powers I lent you are useless everywhere else.'
'Remless...that's what they're called?' Chibiusa piped up.
'Yes. Now then...I better brace myself...been working on this for a week, I managed to reach its strongest heart. I am asking him for his help since he has the strongest spiritual presence. Stay here!' Chikane built a barrier around Chibiusa. 'This is where it gets tricky...remember the song I taught you, and imagine what will protect you, and believe in it and don't doubt it. When I leave you, nightmares will come and scare you until your barrier is lost...and you'll be trapped here forever.' she warned. 'I'll be back, OK? Believe in your dream, and you will be alright.'
'OK...I'll be fine!' said Chibiusa confidently as Chikane lunged into the storm of nightmares. 'She fights nightmares...all by herself...isn't that kinda lonely?'
Chibiusa can't imagine fighting alone.
Lonely.
Facing danger.
Chikane's dealing with the nightmares herself.
She wanted to be useful somehow, so she prayed hard, while finding her barrier attacked by Nightmares.
It will be OK, she thought.
Chikane's power is strong.
All she has to focus on, was assisting in her own way, using the song as a medium to deliver her wishes.
She's not good in English, so sang it in Japanese...
xxx
'You're back.' a deep, rich voice chuckled as the cracked mirror spoke, cracked from being choked by black thorns.
'I will never leave anyone alone.' said Chikane as she, on the surface may look like she's pulling the thorns out with her bare hands, when deep within the heart of it's owner, 'I won't let you be a prisoner of your nightmare forever!'
Inside his soul, she was embracing his child self protectively in a bloodied laboratory where his nightmares are spawning like crazy. Her own powers represented by white ribbons, were the ones slashing and hacking the monsters that looked like scientists and men in suits away.
'Its so warm...I waited for this.' said the child in her arms.
'Gomen ne...I can only come when you're sleeping. I can only help you through the dreamworld.' Chikane apologized sadly. 'Let's do it again...Mukuro-san.'
'Why did you come only now? You never answered that before...'
'Er, we were kinda on a run ourselves.' said Chikane sheepishly before looking grim. 'If we're caught...the last guardians of dreams...the world will be plunged into darkness by nightmares by that woman. And when we're in the clear, things got so bad in the Dream Plane too...at least we can finally do our job without her finding us.' she said sadly. 'Many of us died...all for the power of what supports the world we're in now.' the 'us' she spoke of, refers to the killed Elysion residents and speaks for them on their behalf.
'A power that supports?' Mukuro asked.
'Yes. Elysion, the land of dreams supports the real world where you live in.' said Chikane. 'Humanity lives on because of dreams. And what makes it possible is our pillar of support, the treasure that witch is after. We need good dreams to keep the real world afloat...and only 10% of humanity, yourself included has Dream Mirrors...crystallization of beautiful and powerful dreams. We protect humans with beautiful dreams to keep the two worlds stable. You once had a beautiful dream...but your suffering buried it deep in your heart yet it is still here with you. You must remember your dream, Mukuro-kun.' Chikane pleaded. 'Its the only way for your Nightmare to end. Until you wake up, I will protect you here.'
'Just like yesterday, huh?'
'Yes.'
'Too bad we can only meet in dreams...' Mukuro sulked.
'Yes, but my time as a Dream Spirit is limited...' said Chikane ruefully. 'Because I took on this job but I am like you, a human too. But hey, beggars can't be choosers as someone must still protect the plane of existence...and I was compatible by chance...I'm two years younger than you actually.'
That got Mukuro interested.
He is now fifteen years old so that makes this girl thirteen as she looks? And actually a human like himself for all the things she could do here?
'Hooo? Now that's interesting...' Mukuro smiled in intrigue. 'I will try to remember my dream but I wanna hear your tale.'
'Alright...since we are forbidden to lie...lies tend to destroy after all. Even lies to protect is still damaging...' said Chikane sadly. 'That was what my grandmothers would tell me so I swore to never ever tell a lie...a promise I kept as a child but who knows what adulthood will bring me?'
xxx
Mukuro learned a lot about Somnio Kori...no, Chikane. The girl who threw away everything out of grief for what was never her fault.
How she lived as a runaway, adopted by homeless grandmothers who each had a tale of how they wound up in the streets...it was Chikane who brings money for food since she had great luck with money from begging, so they all ate well, content in living in the dumps and abandoned buildings but she hated winter.
Her grandmothers can't survive winter she was 'orphaned' by it as a result.
However, her meeting with her great-grandfather made him know Chikane has mafia family ties through her ancestor. Poor naive girl who was just desperate for someone to care, had no clue.
Before he was thrown in prison, he had known a certain family lost all three heirs...which makes her the hidden heir as a spanner in the works.
She thought her great-grandfather cares after unsealing her gifts?
Poor girl has no idea what she's in for!
After all...there's always a catch, to good deals.
Her powers she can use until Elysion is saved? Why, be at risk every day against monsters and pressured to keep the world safe until then, assuming she lives that long!
Her great-grandfather showing her kindness and given back what was taken? Why, be in a bloody world of evil one day!
This girl who's so pure and naive-and still talks like a child for her age with good reason(she doesn't know how teenagers should act and behave), paid two huge prices and will see hell as he had one day.
Perhaps she can do him a favor...and he'll do his darndest to keep her out of it. Mafia are good in Child Exploitation and he knew it best.
'Chikane? Can you help me out with one thing?' Mukuro asked, looking up at her from his position, since she was still embracing his child form.
'Hmm?'
xxx
Chikane is now above Vendicare Prison.
'Dear me, to think he asked this of me...' Chikane shuddered as she carried Stallion Reve with her. 'Helios...should I really do this?'
'...you made a promise, Chikane.' said Helios. 'That boy is too damaged by darkness...that he chose to be evil and stained with blood to survive his past and his nightmares...but at least you rescued his Dream Mirror when he remembered his dream.' he however, wasn't happy considering what they had to do. 'But, what a price to pay.'
'No kidding...but at least I made him pay me in turn because I don't wanna do this again...' Chikane whimpered. 'I never dreamed I'll do a magical jailbreak and we're supposed to be the good guys!' she wailed in dismay as she shone the light of dreams on the prison to power-up Mukuro's wish to be free from prison...and certain information.
Free and their existence, as well as records erased in Vendicare and all of Mafia's history. Basically, he's a non-entity along with his chosen gang.
The catch was he was to never be 'dumb enough' to be back in jail ever again as she has no idea how long will she be a Dream Maiden to bail him out again as they were working to fight against Dead Moon's forces. That, and she will only free those who still have good in their hearts. Those truly evil, won't be saved by her. So he'll have to deal with ahem, 'less manpower'.
'I kept my promise, Mukuro-san.' said Chikane as she made them appear before her while they were near an Italian town. 'You must keep your promise to me in turn, OK?' she asked with a pout.
'Of course.' Mukuro smiled. 'Its clearly tough on you as well.' well, he asked a goody-two-shoes girl to break him out of jail her morals clearly clashed with his wishes...but alas, poor dear was bound to a promise, to never lie. Which he used to his benefit.
He'll seize what opportunity's in sight, thank you.
'M-Mukuro-san, you're talking to a ghost...' Ken stammered fearfully as he, Chikusa and MM were nervous. Lancia just took things in stride since this ghost was clearly a nice ghost. 'She's no illusion!'
'It's a long story I'm afraid.' Mukuro chuckled. 'But still, I owe you big, Somnio Kori.' Chikane nodded.
'It'll be morning soon, so bye-bye!' and she was gone.
'Mukuro-chan, a little explanation would be nice...' MM gulped. 'What's going on?!' she nearly howled in freak-out.
xxx
That afternoon after school...
Chibiusa told the older sailors her last night ordeal in the Dream World and information she got out of it.
'I see...so that's what she's doing when she's not being summoned by you.' Rei mused in a thinking pose. 'And our new upgrades only work specifically against the Dead Moon, our enemy right now and she flat-out admitted its useless everywhere else.'
'That's a bummer.' Usagi deflated, both she and Minako looking gloomy in the bargain about it.
'It cannot be helped...the power they use come from dreams.' said Ami. 'We're the good dreams, and they're the bad dreams.' she pointed out. 'Remless is literally that. When I looked it up as a word, REM is a result of our eyes moving during sleep WHEN we dream. But to those who can't dream, they're literally Remless. But what's bothering me is that 10% of humanity has Dream Mirrors sufficient enough to keep the two worlds afloat...that somehow scares me.' she fretted. 'The good thing is, once the owners of mirrors achieved their dreams, those Dream Mirrors are reborn to someone else to keep balance intact.'
'Dreams and reality...I gotta admit.' said Usagi. 'Us humans can't get to where we are if we weren't ambitious, right?'
'Technology, Medical Developments, Housing, Agriculture, Food, Business, and even Marriage Ideals...those are all results of achieved dreams.' said Makoto. 'And we get new ones every few years because of dreams their dreamers pulled off and achieved.'
'I hope we achieve ours too,' said Usagi dreamily.
'Do we even have Dream Mirrors though?' Minako piped up. 'Only those with beautiful dreams have mirrors while those who have none either have nothing to go with or not beautiful enough to crystallize into a mirror right?'
That got the Sailors thinking.
'Well...we'd know if those guys attacked us.' Usagi gulped. 'Unazuki-chan. Reika-san. Naru-chan. This kid from Chibiusa's school. Mom...who's next? They're all people close by to us while other strangers are attacked too.'
'...gulp, that sounds bad...' Minako shuddered. 'Should we ask our other friends what their dreams are and figure out which one's which?'
'That's too private!' everyone else yelled.
xxx
Summer...
'Gah! It's hooot!' Chikane complained as she magicked her aircon to perform beyond its specs with a wave of her hand while maintaining its natural form. 'Phew, much better.'
'Nobody will be out in the coming days.' said Helios.
'Yeah, Nobody comes out in summer so business is really bad.' Chikane moped. 'So I earn a lot of money in spring. Maybe I should go to the beach.'
'The beach?'
'Yeah! I deserve some fun time too.' Chikane beamed. 'I wanna go there at least once. I was never there my whole life and maybe catch valuable seafood while I'm at it!' she licked her lips. 'Yummy!'
'A holiday doesn't sound too bad...let's just hope they won't show up for now.' Helios commented.
'Hope not...who wants to work in Summer?'
xxx
And so, at the beach...
Chikane rented a cabin for her own use for safekeeping of her stuff, before going out with Stallion Reve as a pendant on her neck.
'The beach...I've never been here...all my life.' she said rather somberly as she looked around while recalling her own childhood. 'But now...I'm here.' she was so determined to have fun today.
Well, she had fun trying to catch enough Uni by herself when she got called...
'Seriously?! On a holiday?!' she gasped out when she transformed but in swimsuit mode and went through her door, and came out pissed.
Proven when she conjured a hammer, bonking out Ponko hard on the head while crying, 'Let's Dream Tonight!' angrily. 'Why can't Remless give me a doggone well-deserved holiday huh?! Take that and that and that and that!' the soldiers, cats, Ami and Tuxedo Mask sweatdropped.
'Owowowowow! Stooop it!'
'Er, Sailor Moon, now?' Jupiter squeaked as Sailor Moon braced herself.
'At this rate I pity that Remless now.' said Luna wryly as Sailor Moon prepared her attack with the required stances to finish off poor Ponko.
'So uh...you're on a holiday?' Sailor Moon croaked out as instead of her nightgown, Chikane is wearing a swimsuit.
'Yeah, I've never been on a beach before!' Chikane moped. 'So much for a good impression.'
'Ahahaha...villains just don't quit!' Venus laughed nervously.
'Well, I'll go back to my vacation now...' and she went back to her door.
'She could be anywhere here or at another beach, who knows?' said Artemis.
xxx
Meanwhile...
Mukuro's gang arrived in Japan.
'Here we are.' Mukuro purred. 'We'll set up shop here, lay low and get stronger so next time, we won't be caught so easily.'
'Er, what about her?' Chikusa asked him.
'Chikane huh?' Mukuro mused. 'She can't be a Dream Spirit for long which is why we'll be training in Japan. I'll find us some experts who will train us all. Once we're good, we can strike again.' he said. 'Let's be patient...and we might have fun with the local monsters, if any. MM, Lancia, you will be staying together for the time being.'
'Ehhh?' MM squawked. 'Then what are you guys going to do?'
'I remembered my Dream thanks to her...and I have to act on it.' Mukuro smiled. 'Ken and Chikusa will come with me. If my Dream is fulfilled, my mirror will reincarnate in someone else. This way I am not risking the world's balance since I think my mirror should not stay with me for longer. Especially considering we have a tough quest ahead of us.'
'If you say so...' and they separated ways.
xxx
'Mukuro-san...your dream...what was it?' Ken asked Mukuro curiously.
'It was a dream when I was a child...during those hellish days in the lab.' said Mukuro softly. 'But I forgot about it due to all the pain and torture.' the other boys made a face. 'Even when I freed us, I couldn't remember my Dream anymore...only nightmares. But I remember. I was kidnapped from school and next thing I knew, I was in the labs with no memory of my past. Only my name and how I am a member of Estraneo as its lab rat...no doubt, you guys are the same, kidnapped and brainwashed clean like I was before we were lab rats.'
'But Chikane restored my lost memories...I remembered I had a family. I had loving parents.' said Mukuro. 'We find Chikane to restore yours in person, and we find our families.' Ken and Chikusa did a double-take, and Chikusa has his concerns about it.
'C-can we go home as we are?' Chikusa croaked out. 'I-I mean, our bodies are so altered...if we get sick and hurt. hospitals are gonna raise eyebrows for sure...'
'There's a way. Chikane knows there's one.' said Mukuro. 'We'll be free of our filthy bodies and we can go home. Finding her while she is still Somnio Kori is crucial. Our time is limited.'
'What about MM and Lancia?'
'Well...we make them forget us.' Mukuro quipped. 'Its not like we can bring them home. In order...Chikane, get purified, see if our families remembers us, then we can finally go home. I promised Chikane we won't get in trouble again.'
'Ah...so about the Mafia...we won't do this anymore?' Ken asked him.
'A promise is a promise.' said Mukuro. 'We're free. We might end up in a lab again and I don't want to risk that.'