The Makaiju Arc
Chapter 11 – Darkness
By Lebnaniya
Disclaimer
I do not claim any rights to the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon series in the animated format or the manga books. All copyrighted materials belong to their respectable owners. The following story is entirely fictional and pays tribute to the amazing characters developed by said owners. As a fan, I am writing this out of respect to the owners as well as to elaborate on this couple because I don't think the series gave Ail and En enough attention.
Commentary
I'm excited about this story but I will admit…I'm a little nervous because I don't know many people who are fans of this couple. Take note, that this site lists them as "Ali and An" but if you watch the subtitled anime, the actual spelling is "Ail and En" – the creators did this as a play on the world "Alien," so I'm going to follow their example. I know some of you have been waiting a long time for me to update this story and I am sincerely sorry. But, I am pleased to say that I am finally in the process of finishing up this story. To those of you who have followed, reviewed, and encouraged me to continue, I thank you very much for your support.
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Dread. The moment it had crossed through the waterfall, penetrating the barrier without any resistance, both Ail and En grabbed each other's hand. They could feel it. The uncertainty of survival.
It was far worse now when compared to their encounters back on their home planet.
The creature reared back, sizing up the tree before it suddenly stopped and snapped its mandibles in the direction of Ail and En. It could smell them.
"Quickly!" Ail said, as he moved further behind the tree and maneuvered his hands, creating a bubble. Ail swung his hand upward and their sphere propelled them up towards the Makaiju.
If they could hide in the canopies up above, maybe, just maybe, they stood a chance.
No sooner had Ail started their trajectory up when the creature latched onto their light shield and pulled with all its weight.
The beast had lurched from its spot and managed to grab their bubble just as it was making its way up. Struggling with the weight of the creature, Ail could feel the pressure building in his mind. Several drops of sweat trickled down his forehead as he concentrated on making their way up against the pull of the creature.
En felt utterly helpless. For a moment, while Ail wasn't looking, she extended her hand out, summoning the Cardians but to her dismay, they did not appear. Was she still that fatigued that she could not summon them? She knew she could probably summon one or two individually, but they needed reinforcement. They needed ALL of the Cardians and that, she knew in the bottom of her heart, was not possible.
Guilt. Shame. Anger. Frustration. Helplessness. These feelings began to creep into her being as she held onto Ail while watching the creature tug and pull at their bubble. Her eyes darted to the Makaiju.
She could feel something powerful within her heart. It was a heaviness she was unfamiliar with. What is this? En wondered, her eyes settling on Ail before turning to the creature. Then, just then, she recognized it. She had felt this way towards the adults so many times but pushed those feelings away. She had seen it in Fiore. She had seen it in Hiba and Ail as well. She had learned to recognize her hatred.
En watched Ail momentarily. She could see him mentally cursing their existence.
Does this darkness have a name? This cruelty? This hatred? En wondered. She was no longer fighting her hatred.She allowed it to flow freely.
"Damnit!" Ail yelled, they were now back on the ground still encased in their sphere. He was able to just barely keep their barrier up. But now they were back on the ground and the creature was no longer pulling – instead, it had now shifted its weight to crushing their light shield. En tightened her grip on Ail.
"NO!" Ail yelled, seeing the cracks dance all across their bubble and feeling the last remnants of his sphere shatter and give way.
It was like the shattering of a glass and everything thereafter was instinctual.
En grabbed Ail and swung him behind her as she raised her hands up mimicking the arches she had seen Ail do before when trying to create their shield.
Firey, glittering red engulfed En and surrounded both of them in a fireball. The pressure of her hatred erupted, sending the creature backwards. Ail was momentarily stunned, his eyes registering what happened.
En's glowing red eyes turned to the Makaiju. She could feel it. Raw energy. Raw power. Raw hatred.
"Take its life force and drain all its energy." En commanded, never taking her eyes of the Makaiju.
And to Ail's astonishment, the Makaiju responded.
Several vines shot out towards the creature just as it got back up and snapped its mandibles and pincers. It tore at the first few vines that tried to envelope it, but there were too many to account for and before it knew what happened, it was surrounded, enveloped, and torn apart on the spot. Of course, not before the Makaiju had sucked the life energy out of it.
En's rage and hatred slowly diminished and as the Makaiju started to radiate power and energy, En's firey energy subsided.
Momentarily dizzy, En swayed on her feet before falling over. Ail caught her.
He was amazed at her raw power but just as fascinated by the power of the Makaiju and the apparent ability that they could control and command the Makaiju tree.
"I'm ok." En protested, though she still felt dizzy. She was trying to get back up.
Ail looked her in the eyes before smirking at her. "Liar."
En frowned. She didn't want him to worry.
Ail's smirk soon softened and turned into a gentle smile. He ruffled her hair playfully before hugging her again.
He looked around. They were safe. They had a source of energy. And a source of protection. It was amazing that all along, had they known that they could command and use the Makaiju for life and for protection, they probably would never have left the tree in the first place when they first encountered it with Zahi and Hiba. But he brushed those thoughts aside. What might have been and what could have been were irrelevant.
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That night, Ail and En rested in the safety up in the canopies of the Makaiju. The pain they had endured and the struggle to survive had led them to this moment. They were both lying on their backs, En's right hand brushing slightly against Ail's left hand. They stared up at the void of the dimension they were in before Ail moved to sit up.
En followed suit, sitting up and watching Ail.
He extended his hand and an all too familiar orb shimmered in front of him. Ail wrapped his hands around his flute and brought the instrument to his lips.
En scooted closer and leaned against Ail, resting her head on his shoulder.
The music flowed from his lips. Soft. Simple. Serene.
As Ail played his flute, both kids came to the realization that they would be forced to travel the universe in search of life energy so that they could live. Once they were done with this planet, they would have to move onto another one. And another one after that. Whatever it took to sustain the Makaiju tree and in extension, themselves.
We will live, Ail resolved. His sole purpose in life now was to live. He would live for En. He would life for Zahi, Hiba, and Fiore. He would not let their deaths be in vain. As he finished the tune, Ail smiled in triumph. He had asked for the Makaiju to show them the stars. And in their dimension, the roof transformed to showcase the beauty of near and distant stars.
Ail lowered the flute and stared at the object in his hands. Stay put for now until I call you…and I will call you. Ail thought, as the flute slowly disappeared.
Life had been merciless towards them and now to ensure their survival, they too would have to be merciless. Ruthless. But more importantly, strong.
Staring at the stars above, both Ail and En felt something very profound. The realization that hope was stronger than fear. That would be the story of their struggle.
Wherever they would go, they knew they would find hardship. Whomever they encountered, they would not be able to show any mercy. Life had already destroyed their innocence. It was time they accepted that purity, friendship, and love were fleeting at best. Quickly extinguished by the cruelties of life. The cynicism within them had finally taken root and would grow until their chance encounter with a planet called Earth.
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Additional Notes
There you have it. The past is complete. What did you guys think? Did you like the history I gave to explain why these two became the way they were in the series? The next chapter deals with Earth and their interactions with the Sailor Senshi. It won't be that long but the chapter after that will be devoted to the finale of the Makaiju Arc in the anime series. As always, don't forget to leave me a review and thanks for reading.
