Bands – Chapter 10

"I don't see why you're getting so mad at us, Star," Universe picked herself up off the ground, using her staff as a support. "You're the one that did it."

"You made me, you scum!" Star snarled. "Star Shower Inferno!" The attack rained down on Universe and Space both, though Star heard the distinct sound of Space erecting a shield. Yet, she wasn't worried; she was confident that her powers would break through.

Sure enough, there was a resounding crack and screams followed. Star stood motionless, her eyes cold with fury as she watched the attack unleash on her former friends. The only thoughts that were running through her head were how they had ruined her life and how they'd taken everything away from her. Vengeance seethed through her like a thick liquid.

As Space charged forward now, damage from the attack visible on her scuffed skin, Star braced herself, ready for whatever her former friend was going to throw her way. She caught the glint off of Space's dagger in the corner of her eye and her whip was suddenly in her hand as she leapt backwards out into the more open area of the street beside the building.

"Star Pain Be Gone!" The whip rocketed forward, connecting with its target perfectly and Space was sent flying backwards yet again. Star landed on the ground, her hand already glowing to unleash another attack as Space's tumbling came to a stop.

"Star! Stop this!" Sailor Moon's voice pleaded, catching the angered Senshi's attention. Sailor Moon flinched at the look in her eyes, but persisted anyway. "You're going to end up killing them too!" It was hard enough for Sailor Moon to believe that this girl had killed in the first place, but seeing her anger as she did, she was worried that it would only happen again. She couldn't bear it and more importantly, she didn't think Star could bear it.

Star did pause, watching Sailor Moon for only a brief second. It seemed that she was considering Sailor Moon's words, and that an internal battle was beginning in her again. But it was in that second that another attack was launched and Star's attention diverted.

"Universal Explosion!"

The impact of the attack sent Star flying into the wall of a building across the street. She connected hard, easily being winded and her form crumbled on the ground. For a long moment it looked like she might be unconscious as she didn't even move, but as soon as Universe took a step forward to investigate, the Senshi was pulling herself back up and glaring at Universe with those same cold eyes.

Universe actually recoiled slightly, frightened by the look she saw in her comrade's eyes. The Dark Senshi watched Star, studying this sudden intense darkness that seemed to cloud the girl's eyes. Was the plan working? Was Star becoming so stark crazy that she would return to them? Or would she be so angry with them that she would just break away entirely?

"Star," Universe finally spoke, Space standing at her side again. "Come back with us. You can forget this pain again, I promise."

"Don't listen to her lies!" Sailor Moon shouted, wanting to charge forward, but resisting. "They'll only cause you more pain!"

"She's right! The only way to deal with this is to heal!" Venus shouted, too.

Space turned towards the group of Senshi, her expression dark. "That's enough out of you! Space Black Hole Engulf!"

All the Senshi leapt out of the way, but Sailor Moon seemed glued to the spot, as if determined to face this. She raised her own weapon, preparing to call the attack, but before it got to her, she was pulled out of the way.

"Are you crazy?!" Tuxedo Mask's voice scolded once they were safely out of the way.

"I could have handled it!" Sailor Moon insisted, looking at him with determination in her eyes. She pulled herself out of his grasp slightly, wanting to show that she could be strong, too.

"No," Star called, her voice even and low. "You can't beat them. This is my battle."

They all looked to her, shocked by the statement. Spike's ears flattened against his skull in worry about what effect this was having on Essa. He didn't want her to return to the darkness. He didn't want her to kill again. And yet, his fur still stood on end.

"Protecting them to the end, are you, Star?" Universe said with a half-grin. "Protecting Serenity won't do you any good. After we get you ba-"

"You're not 'getting me back'. This battle ends now. It stops today," Star snapped. "Star Shower Inferno!"

She raised her glowing hand into the air, where the silver light dispersed in dagger-like shapes and flew towards their targets. The pair didn't move until the last moment, at which point they leapt high into the air, as if they had been on springboards that rocketed them to such heights.

"Space Black Hole Engulf!"

"Universal Explosion!"

As the attacks flew towards her, Star stood her ground, watching them carefully. Her hands glowed silver and as the attacks were inches from her, she threw her hands out in front of her and the attacks stopped dead. A gasp of shock was heard as the glow of the three attacks pressing against each other was seen on Star's face and then it became silent awe as the attacks dissipated completely.

"H-h-how…" Universe sounded genuinely confused. She didn't understand where Star had suddenly gotten this power and she didn't know how to deal with it. How were they supposed to beat her?

Star straightened, her eyes falling to her former-friends again. "I told you," Star began. "I'm putting a stop to this." Her whole form seemed to be glowing now, and yet her eyes were still dark.

"STAR! DON'T!" Spike shouted out to her, charging forward, hoping that he would get to her before her attack was launched.

"STAR SHOWER INFERNO!"

xxxxxxx

"Come on, guys! Come upstairs! I have something really cool to show you!" Michiko ushered her friends into her house and whisked them up the stairs as soon as the door was closed. Her footsteps were clearly eager as they fell in stomps as she mounted the stairs.

"Can't we get a snack first?" Kin asked following the eager girl up the stairway to her room. Her steps were slower, and obviously wanting to turn around and head for the kitchen. "I'm hungry!"

"Hungry-shmungry, this is way cooler than that!" Michiko waved them on, rolling her eyes at Kin.

"I'm kinda hungry, too," Essa put in. "Can't this wait?"

"No it can't!" Michiko snapped irritably. "Maybe I just shouldn't even show you guys. It's way too cool for you to see." When she saw the looks on her friends' faces darkened, she giggled and said, "Just kidding! But seriously. Come on!"

Without further protest, Essa and Kin followed Michiko up the rest of the carpeted stairway to her room. She pushed open the door, let her friends in, and then promptly shut it behind them. It didn't seem like this was something secretive, since she didn't lock the door. Closing the door was something she did all the time when they came over so that her mom wouldn't complain about them being too loud.

It was a pretty big room; big enough at least so that when the trio had sleepovers that there was adequate room for each of the three. There was a pair of windows, side by side just by the dresser that sat in the corner and the bed was right on the other side of the windows. A nightstand sat under the window and a beanbag chair sat just beside the foot of the bed.

Dropping her school bag by her bed, as her friends sat down on the beanbag chair, Michiko began to furiously rummage through her closet, obviously looking for something.

"It better not just be some new outfit you got, Michi," Essa leaned forward on her elbows and resting her chin on her folded hands, looking at Michiko sideways as the girl threw things out of her closet in their general direction. "That totally could have waited until after food."

"It's not a new outfit!" Michiko's muffled response came.

Essa and Kin looked at each other and shrugged, definitely curious by this point.

"Why don't you just tell us while you're looking?" Kin asked with a slight sigh as her stomach grumbled.

"Here it is!" Michiko pulled out what looked like a glossy ten-pin bowling ball.

"So you took up a new sport?" Kin took a guess, looking in the closet's direction for maybe a pair of bowling shoes that might have fallen out.

"It's not a bowling ball!" Michiko snapped and pouted slightly, as if what it was, was glaringly obvious.

"Well, what is it then?" Essa asked as she looked at it from different angles, yet staying seated.

"I found this in my room the other day. This is going to sound crazy, but I had a dream about it. Just this orb with tons of planets and stars trapped inside. When I reached out for it in my dream, it rolled away, but I chased after it. Then, when I woke up, it was sitting on the floor beside my bed," Michiko explained.

"You're right. It sounds mental," Essa sighed, her tone disbelieving, leaning back into the beanbag chair. "Let's get her a straight jacket."

"No, wait," Kin breathed out in awe, hitting her friend lightly on the arm with her waving hand. "Look, Essa."

Essa's brows furrowed as she looked at Kin, but her eyes went back to the orb. There was true wonder in her friend's eyes, so she had to see for herself what she was seeing. Her own grey eyes widened as she looked over and saw that the orb was glowing slightly, but the planets and stars that were suddenly moving about inside were still visible. She opened her mouth to comment, but nothing came out.

"Who's mental now?" Michiko grinned triumphantly. "I told you, it's awesome."

"What if it's like some radioactive thing?" Kin asked with a look of disgust on her face. "We'll all die."

"I don't think it's radioactive…" Essa finally managed to say. It was like something in her gut instinct was telling her this, because there was no way she could know just by looking at it.

The three fell silent in fear and wonder as the room grew darker around them, like all the blinds had been shut. They looked around and saw that it was still perfectly light outside, and yet none of that light was getting into the room. Not only that, but there was a sudden whisper on the air, but what the whisper was saying wasn't yet audible.

Essa felt a chill run up her spine as the three of them stared at the orb yet again. This time, their gazes didn't wander for it was like their eyes could no longer move. It was almost like someone was holding their eyes in place.

"Universe…" the voice suddenly became audible.

It was only a fraction of a second later that the glow of the orb encased Michiko's body. Before any of the girls could even protest, the glow had revealed a strange outfit that they'd only seen the likes of in video games.

"Space…" the voice whispered again and this time the glow launched itself towards Kin.

Essa, who had been sitting between where Michiko was standing and where Kin was sitting, leapt out of the way ever so slightly, wondering fleetingly why the glow had bypassed her. Her eyes were on Kin as she too was suddenly wearing an outfit like Michiko. The only difference was the design and the black band around Kin's neck.

"Star…" the voice returned and Essa looked back at the orb just before she too became encased in the glow.

What she heard at first was a horrible, loud roaring sound, like the wind of a hurricane. She felt as her school uniform was replaced by this strange clothing and though she wanted to fight off the sudden danger she felt, her mind fell to a darkness that she couldn't explain and couldn't escape. This sensation came just as she felt a band slip around her neck and then it was over. There was only darkness around her as she opened her eyes.

"Senshi… it is time… the queen's reign will end…"

xxxxxxx

Star felt her form shaking as the power ripped through her and her body jerked violently when it had stopped. The silver light hung in the air like a sparkling fog for a moment and she only stood there, breathing heavily from the shock of the attack as well as the memory that had suddenly flooded her vision. Oddly, she felt that she was not the only one having this memory and that Universe and Space had experienced the same thing.

As the light faded, the scene became visible again, but there was a difference. The Senshi were all still where they were standing, except for two, who had collapsed to the ground. While Star stood there for a brief moment, feeling an odd sensation of satisfaction, once that moment had passed, her mind flew into frantic turmoil. They hadn't collapsed from shock, or exhaustion or any such thing…

"They're dead…" she breathed out in horror. Tears were suddenly flowing freely down her cheeks and her throat closed in a sob; it was the same sensation she felt when she learned she'd killed her parents… the same sensation… she hadn't made anything better… it was ten times worse.

The Senshi hadn't heard her statement and moved forward to help the Dark Senshi and make sure they were all right. As they stepped forward, the fuku the Dark Senshi wore faded away, like water evaporating into the air. The Senshi didn't much question this, taking it only as a sign that they were beaten and that their approach would be unchallenged. Once they had all gathered around though, they came to realize what was truly before them.

"It can't be…" Jupiter uttered as she took a step away in shock. "How could this…"

"It's not true!" Sailor Moon insisted, crouching beside them and trying vainly to find some form of life within the two girls laying on the ground. Of course, she didn't know how, and Tuxedo Mask gently pulled her aside so that those who did could move in.

Mercury knelt on the ground beside the pair, trying to find a pulse as Spike approached Star where she still stood, wide-eyed with shock, grief and horror as she stared at the scene. He paused in his step a moment, assessing her and making sure that she hadn't fallen back into the darkness. The only emotion he got from her though was that she was in shock. The cat drew forward and brushed lightly against her leg to get her attention and she looked down at him.

"They're dead, Spike… I killed them… just like my family… I killed them…" Star sputtered, her own fuku disappearing now as she collapsed against the wall and tried to stop her body from shaking. It wouldn't stop and she was having trouble standing, yet she wouldn't allow herself to collapse fully.

Spike looked with terrified eyes from Essa to the group around the former Dark Senshi.

"There must be something we can do," Sailor Moon persisted, her eyes searching. Her hands suddenly flew to the locket that sat in the middle of her chest, pulling it. "I'll use the Crystal!" She stopped pulling at the locket as Tuxedo Mask's hand came to rest over her own. She looked at him with panicked, puzzled eyes, but it was Mars who spoke.

"I don't think it'll work, Sailor Moon," Mars said gently. "I don't even sense their spirits… It's like…" She paused, having trouble bringing herself to saying it. She glanced over at Essa, but she couldn't bear to look at the girl and so she looked back at Sailor Moon. "It's like they were completely destroyed."

"There must be something I can do!" Sailor Moon screamed, her voice echoing in the dead of the night. She looked with pleading, blue eyes to Tuxedo Mask. "Right? There must be something…"

He stared back at her, unsure what to say. His own shock encased him, since he'd been a strong believer that Senshi were healers, like Sailor Moon wanted to do. And yet this Senshi had taken life. She took life instead of saving it…

"I don't know…" he said honestly, his voice quiet. "I don't know if the Crystal can bring people back to life, Serena…"

Sailor Moon looked away from him, her eyes flooded with tears. If only Star hadn't made that last attack. If only Star had let her try to heal her friends with the Crystal, then there wouldn't be any of this pain… Sailor Moon wished that she'd been braver and that she'd gone to Star herself. Her powers had had a positive affect on Star before, so there was no reason they wouldn't have worked this time…

Silence fell around them, save for the sobs that each felt stirring within them. True, the Dark Senshi had been their enemies, but they didn't deserve this… no one deserved to die…

The silence was shattered by a horrible scream of anguish and their attention turned to where Essa was across the street, seeing that she'd now collapsed against the wall and slid down to the ground. She gripped at her head with her hands, leaning forward into her knees. A second scream followed, ripping through the air before subsiding into painful sobs.

It felt like someone was sitting on her chest and her whole body was shaking with terror and sorrow. A fear gripped her too, almost as tightly as the sorrow. What was going to happen to her? Would the authorities arrest her? Maybe she deserved whatever came to her though.

At this point she didn't even feel Spike rubbing his head against her arm. She didn't feel as Serena crouched beside her and tried to get her to stand up. There was an urgency in Serena's actions as she worried that the scene was going to attracted unwanted eyes, but Serena wondered that the battle hadn't already brought police to them. Had the people disappeared again?

Essa suddenly drew Spike into her arms, hugging him tightly against her, but not so tightly that she might hurt him. She buried her face into his fur, the tears making it damp, but he didn't protest. Instead, he allowed her to let out her sorrow as he tried to sort through what had happened with his own confused mind.