DISCLAIMERS:
All canon characters are (C) 1992 - whatever year it is Naoko Takeuchi and all other related parties. The Shadow senshi are (C) Wild Nature 2006. This is a fanfic based upon the anime version and all written work that this consists of is (C) 2006 Wild Nature.
Things have even worsened! Even with two new members, two lives are lost and the entity of Void fully comes into form. Can Eizou and others be strong enough to fight?
Episode 14: Revealing of the True Void
"I was promised! I was sworn!" Void howled, anger vibrating through his entire being. "I won't lose! Not now, not again!" His screams of suffering echoed.
His body began to shimmer in black dust, his eyes blazing as he seemed to grow even more powerful. "More.." He hissed. "More power.. more, more, MORE!" He shrieked as his body imploded into a tornado of black nothingness.
"Void!" Shadow Venus shouted wildly. She tried to reach him but a black slash struck out, cutting her across the chest. Her fuku torn and her body beginning to bleed, she fell to her knees.
"You.. promised me.. You'd bring back my family," her voice was numb. "I just.. don't.. want to be alone anymore.." She collapsed, falling into a dead faint.
Eizou sat there, Henshou still in her lap. "Eizou! Transform!" Shadow Mars shouted.
She felt the clinks as the two pieces of the Triad Moon Piece were presented to her. "Transform," Toki said softly. "I'll stay with Henshou."
"Nepheline Shadowed Light, Make Up!" She stood up, calling out her transformation. The two items melted and delved into her being as she henshined into Shadow Moon.
"A hahaha.. haa.. ha..." The nothingness formed into a humanoid figure, faceless, and nearly featureless. It's voice was male though, the only thing to distinguish if it had a sex. "Finally.. I am.. free.."
"Void.." Shadow Moon, with Shadow Uranus, Shadow Mars, and Shadow Jupiter, stood poised to attack. "This has gone far enough!"
"Hee.. hee... my perfect little beings..." He cooed, apparently not hearing her. "My beautiful elements.. you've finally come back to me.." He raised his hands, a swirl of silvery black forming. "I will finally be.. whole.. again.."
"I don't know what you're going on about but you've gone far enough!" Shadow Jupiter shouted. "Blossom Shower!" Her hands began to spin until energy built up and it shredded into blossoms, striking out.
It struck Void, causing rifts to appear. But each one closed. "I will return the Primal form of the universe.. no more imbalance..." Void hissed.
"You'll destroy everything!" Shadow Uranus shouted.
"We will return to our original forms!" He crackled. The swirls wrapped around him, cloaking him. "I will win this time!"
"Shadowed Illumination!" Shadow Moon tried to attack but it was absorbed in the cloaked night.
"Love's Finality!" A haggard voice cried out. Shadow Venus barely stood as she thrust a single hand out. The attack hit, hard, causing Void to scream. She pressed on, her body inching forward as the attack continued head on.
"Get out of here," she wheezed. "He's going to possess this entire place!"
"But we need.."
"No! If you cared for your friends, you have to leave!"
Shadow Pluto called out. "She's right! We need to leave, NOW!"
Shadow Moon and the others pulled back as Shadow Venus continued to move forward.
"I was stupid.. thinking.. that I could bring them back.." She spoke thickly, her eyes welling and overfilling with tears. "I was always alone..." She smiled then. "But now... I'll finally be reunited. Beautiful Rhapsody Heart!" She screamed as her body lit up, shining a brilliant color of orange.
"Time to go!" Shadow Pluto shouted. And as the light filled the entire area, the girls along with Henshou teleported away. And Shadow Venus' voice echoed softly. "Sister.. forgive me.. I'm ...going.. home..."
And her body reverted to shining light, her energy collapsing as her body gave way to the intense power. And it then shredded away, ebbing into the nothingness as it overpowered the light, sucking over the entire realm of Void. The laughter was dim but there as it traversed the darken place.
Pomona and the others were still talking outside as she turned suddenly, her eyes wide. "NO! NO!" She pressed her hands to her forehead, screams forming. She fell to the floor, banging her hands to the ground. "NO! Please! Oh god... why! WHY!"
The group formed. Poor Shadow Pluto turned a dangerous pale white and fell forward on her face.
"Dear god!" Hanshou flushed. "Eizou?"
The entire group untransformed, Eizou looking up to see Duchess Nerthus. "Nerthus.. Mama..." She burst into sobs as she rushed to her mother. "Oh god! It was so frightening!"
Her mother spoke softly in her ear, brushing her hair back. Henshou shifted, moaning.
"Henshou!" Eizou pulled away. "Oh thank god..." She leaned down, her eyes bright. "Are you... all right?"
Henshou pushed himself up unsteadily. "He's.. dead... my father..." His eyes closed tightly. "Damn it all!"
"Henshou?"
"Leave me alone!" Henshou shouted, glaring at her. "I thought.. I should've... Why did..." He couldn't finish anything and he turned and left. Sora helped Toki up.
"We'll come back when we've recovered," Sora said softly to Eizou.
"Let us help," Kaiki and Kaki followed them, balancing poor Toki between the three.
"What.. happened?" Duchess Nerthus asked shakily.
"Void.. completed..." Eizou held her face in. "Shadow.. Venus.. and Henshou's father.. were destroyed..."
"My sister..." Pomona was still on the ground, her body still quaking with tears. "She.. died.."
"Like a true Shadow," Eizou's voice came out thickly. "She was just like everyone else.. she thought she had lost everything and had nothing else... she only wanted her family..."
"But I'm her SISTER!" Pomona screamed.
"Stop it!" Njord barked. He knelt down. "She was one of us but she is of Earth now. We must let her go and be happy.."
"Papa.."
"She will be at peace now. That is the most we could want," His head fell down. "My child... we have her memory..."
"But I didn't get to know her.." Pomona tried to speak. She sounded almost like a whiny child and Njord smiled, reminded of Pomona's childish persona.
"I know but time will heal us.." He wrapped his arms around his child.
And Eizou started to move before the world turned black on her.
She awoke, Apple laying next to her on the crowded bed. He was breathing in slowly and deeply, his tail occasionally flicking unknowingly against the bed and Eizou's thigh. His nose was pressed against her armpit as she shifted, wrapping her arm to barely touch Apple's head. Her head moved down tiredly as she tried to figure out what had happened in the last few hours.
"Eizou?" A whisper echoed as Duchess Nerthus poked her head out. She wore one of Hanshou's petite dress, showing off the well developed femininity that was Nerthus. "May we talk?"
Eizou nodded as she pulled away slowly. She gently petted Apple's snout before she exited her room, closing the door around halfway with a light touch.
They walked out down the steps to the backyard where Nerthus settled on the grass as she carefully pressed her dress down. "It's not often I wear such things. I've never felt so.. free," Nerthus chuckled.
"How did you get here?" Eizou asked finally.
"By Sailor Pluto's help. She guided us here after I pleaded with her."
"Why come here? You could've called or something.." Eizou trailed off.
"I thought I would approach first..." Nerthus moved her head slightly. "Your mother is a sweet and wise woman. Your brothers are rather... interesting." Nerthus smiled wistfully. "I.. had a sister once. The most beautiful little girl, she had such violet eyes, like our mother..."
"I'm sure... wherever she is, she still loves and considers you as her sister.. if you'd let her," Eizou finished lamely, flushing.
"Shadow Venus didn't make it," Nerthus said after a small pause. "This is going to be troublesome. All Shadows must exist and now we must find the new Shadow."
"We can't just replace Kira!" Eizou protested.
"I'm afraid it's how the system goes," Nerthus sighed tiredly. "We tried to look into Shadow Venus's life here but she has no relatives save her aunt and uncle. Thus the new Shadow Venus could be anyone and we won't be able to locate them as quickly."
"Why not send Pomona?" Eizou asked quietly.
"Pomona is not in a good state. Pomona is or was Shadow Venus's older sister in Shadow Venus's past existence. And Pomona is taking her second death extremely hard."
"Oh... Are all the Shadows related to the Dead Moon people?" Eizou asked softly, carefully.
"All of them," Nerthus agreed.
"Oh... So what do we do now?"
"The two Triad Moon Pieces are existing in you now," Duchess Nerthus said finally. "Void will start to attack more fully now that he has lost complete control of himself. Chaos rules in his blood and only the balance of the elements will bring him down. We must find all the remaining Shadows and protect you at all costs."
"So what's the plan?"
"That.. was the plan, Eizou," Nerthus tilted an eyebrow as Eizou grinned sheepishly.
"Um... Henshou had a Triad Moon Piece," Eizou wiggled her toes, feeling them in her shoes and socks.
"When it broke into three pieces, it takes to the heir and the two that are most connected to her."
"I don't think we're connected anymore. I think... he blames me.."
"He blames himself. He said he didn't believe he could save his father but still, hope is something that cannot be so easily disregarded."
"I probably should find him.. So, having gotten a taste of Earth and its styles, what do you think?" Eizou asked with a wide grin.
"The food is fantastic!" Nerthus grinned just as widely. "And that instrument, the.. television? How bizarre it is! How long are the people stuck in there?"
"Uh..."
Henshou paced the steps of his single floor home, going up and down the short level until his vision blurred. "Why did I lash out at her? Why?"
He turned around, angry at himself, at the world as a whole. He stilled at the top, his eyes slowly narrowing. He turned very carefully. "Void..."
"My, my.." The whisper echoed in the dead air. "You're certainly... suitable..."
"Henshou?" Eizou called out, knocking on the door for the fifth time. "Come on! You must be home! I don't know where you work... and when you get home.. and..." She trailed off. "Henshou..." She pressed her forehead against the door with a sigh, her eyes glittering with unshed tears. "I'm sorry.. so sorry." But after no response in so long, she had to eventually give up.
She walked down the street slowly, staring at her hands in a impartial daze. She turned a corner to find herself faced with a tall, tall man with brilliant snow white hair that pillowed out from him. His face was etched delicately, his eyes a shining gold. He wore a oversized white tunic, etched in gold lining. The shirt underneath was tight along the chest, showing the well toned muscles that seemed to bulge. The sleeves eventually loosened at the elbows to billow out into a slight frill. His pants were white as well, tight against his thighs and calves, tucking in the heavy gold boots.
"Aye, my princess. I'm so glad I could have found you," His voice was raspy, warm, and soothing as well as familiar. "I had sent my familiar after you so long ago, I'm afraid he may have become confused."
"What?"
"You are affiliated with Her Lady Duchess Nerthus, am I not correct?"
"Are you from.. Who are you?" Eizou stepped back. "Leave me be! I'm not in a good mood!" She grasped her necklace as a precaution.
"Please, my Lady, my name is Jaro, I am merely a Mage of the Clan!"
"Jaro?" A familiar voice echoed in the air as Apple walked toward them, his tail slowly twitching. "My.. master?"
"You remember me now, you silly fool?" Jaro grinned, bending down to pat Apple's head. "I've been looking for you and waiting all this time for a response. You were supposed to follow Void."
"Can't exactly follow something that's been reborn," Apple said dryly.
"SHUU!" Eizou kicked Jaro's white tush, glowering at both of them. "Stop it! Apple! Come!"
Apple opened his mouth to protest. "NOW!"
"You to!" She hissed as she flipped around. "How do I get into these problems!"