Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Eternal Darkness, Episode 14; School Daze. The Witches 5 Return!
It was the day after that meeting at Makoto's house, and Usagi wasn't feeling any better then she was when she left. She was still rather shaken by that nightmare she had, not to mention it was stacked up on top of a bunch of other things going on in her life. Like Mamoru being deader then a doornail, the fact that her future-daughter might not even exist, people were dying left and right and she was currently without a useful weapon of any kind.
But today, of all days, was a day Usagi really wished that she had pretended she was sick. Right now, she just wanted to sleep, and with all of that Sailor Senshi crap today was the dreaded math test of doom. God. Why couldn't they cancel school when she had to do her Sailor Senshi stuff?!
Dragging her feet along, Usagi wasn't in any hurry to get to school today, obviously. More over, she was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, due to everything building up inside of her and the fact that she had a lot of trouble sleeping last night. Usually, Usagi was the type of person who could sleep anytime, anywhere and loved to sleep as much as she could…but, after that dream the night before, she was terrified of what lied behind her closed eyes. It wasn't a good position that she was in at this moment, and the last thing she wanted to worry about was how awful she would do on this upcoming test.
Finally, after procrastinating as much as she could with actually getting into the school, Usagi passed the front gate and began to make her way to the building. However, she stopped her movement when she saw a familiar head of royal purple hair, lingering to the sidelines.
Usagi found herself smiling a bit as she saw Ashi Hotaru standing there, changing her course and trajectory to the pale, lonesome girl. "Hey, Ashi Hotaru-chan!" Surprisingly, Usagi found her voice filled with the enthusiasm that it usually held, despite her internal feelings at the moment. Lifting her head up, Ashi looked down at Usagi. There was a puzzled look on her face; she seemed both confused with Usagi's found greeting, and also rather embarrassed about it as well. This, of course, caused a grin to form on Usagi's face.
"…Hello, Tsukino-san." Her voice was as quiet as it usually was, though still portrayed the confusion that her face showed, "Please, you don't need to call me that so fondly…"
"But…you're my friend, aren't you?" Usagi inquired with a tilt of her head.
"…We've only talked a few times…so how can we be friends?"
That phrase caused Usagi's entire stance to droop down, her head turning towards the ground and her face displaying the inner emotions she felt. "Oh." She said. Even her voice was clearly rung with depression. The only reason why she was so happy to see Ashi was because she was a new friend…but if she didn't consider her as thus, it really gave very little for Usagi to go on this day.
Seeing this reaction, Ashi found herself taken aback by how depressed Usagi suddenly became. Those deep, murky eyes of hers blinked a few times, before reaching out. Hesitating, she gently placed her hand against Usagi's shoulders in a somewhat comforting gesture, though it was a little bit on the stiff side. She just wasn't used to dealing with things like this. Usagi looked up slightly, into those cold and empty eyes of the pale girl before her.
"I…am sorry if I have offended you, Tsukino-san." That voice of Ashi's was as soft and timid as it always was, somehow devoid of all emotion. "I did not mean to hurt your feelings…"
Usagi managed to pass a weak smile and straightened up a bit. "Oh…it's not your fault! I-I guess I just jumped the gun…and…there are a lot of other things on my mind too."
"Oh…?" Ashi cocked her head to the side as she began to walk towards the school, Usagi following after her. "If you do not mind my curiosity…what is on your mind…?" Usagi's facial features twisted in odd ways, her face gaining a slight panicked look to it due to the inquiring.
Of course, she couldn't tell Ashi Hotaru what was really bothering her. She'd think Usagi was crazy! Weird dreams foretelling pending destruction, an evil woman depicted in it; the love of her life was dead; and the enemy they were facing kept on getting stronger and tougher. There wasn't a whole lot to hope on, but she had to keep going. Somehow. Cracking another forced smile, she laughed nervously and looked up at the taller girl.
"Eh…you know, we've got this huge math test today!" Usagi said with a wave of her hand, "Math is probably my worst subject! Well…along with English…and Japanese for that matter…and science…and calligraphy…and--"
For a moment, Ashi merely store down at Usagi with wide eyes, totally surprised at how much of a…well, idiot Usagi must be. Still, despite herself, she found her lungs gently chuckling, lifting a hand up to stifle the gentle laugh. It surprised her that Usagi could make her laugh like this; hardly anything could anymore. However, despite feeling the strange sensation of finding something funny, Usagi clearly didn't feel the same way.
"Hey!" She pouted loudly, "Are you making fun of me?!"
"Oh…no! I'm sorry, Tsukino-san!" Ashi was still giggling, but she managed to calm it down a bit. "I hope no offense comes from it. I found it somehow humorous…it's been so long since I have last laughed at anything…"
Usagi quirked her head up toward Ashi Hotaru…she hardly ever laughed? That seemed very pitiful for someone who seemed to be so nice. Then again, Usagi remembered the times she had encountered Ashi before, she always seemed very silent and emotionally distant, and also very lost and alone. Maybe even terrified. Now that she was feeling better about herself, Usagi decided that maybe helping someone else out would make her feel better, and try to forget all of the nasty things that had been going on the past few weeks.
Stopping in her tracks, Usagi slid around in front of Ashi and grabbed onto her hands. In turn, Ashi looked startled by the affectionate move, her face flushing a bit as Usagi looked into her eyes; a totally serious look crossed her face.
"Ashi-chan," Usagi still addressed her in a friendly manor, since it was just her way. "I really do want to be friends with you! You seem like a nice girl and I really want to help you with your problems! I want to make sure you laugh every day! And I want to see you smile at least once! Okay?" That serious expression released itself with a broad and somewhat goofy grin. "And you don't need to address me formally. Just Usagi-chan will do! Okay?"
Again, Ashi looked very startled at how kindly Usagi was, almost in utter and complete shock. Those thin, pale lips of hers parted slightly as she store down into those beautiful blue eyes of Usagi's; intense and passionate, but also completely honest. She truly wanted to help her out, though Ashi believed she was beyond all help.
Slowly, she pried her hands from Usagi and took a few steps back away from her, much to the surprise of the other party. "I am sorry, Tsukino-san, but I do not think you should waste your time with someone like me." Then, with a soft and very polite bow, Ashi Hotaru hurried past Usagi before she could respond and quickly went into the building.
Usagi silently watched Ashi go, her head turning and then, her body following suit to watch Ashi's path away from her. Why…didn't she want any help? It puzzled Usagi as to why someone would not want to be friends with someone, why they wouldn't want to understand what it was to be a friend…or to laugh or smile. What a poor girl…but, it didn't deter Usagi's spirit. She would find a way to break through Ashi's defenses and make friends with her! She was positive of that!
However, Usagi was abruptly snapped out of her thoughts as the school bell rang, letting out a startled yelp and began to run towards the school. Oh god, she was going to be late again!
~-~-~-~
She had gone against the Master's order.
Eudial stood before four test tubes before her, occupying a large portion of her privet laboratory. Her hands flew across the keyboard before her, entering data while her red eyes scanned the screens before her, occasionally glancing up towards the tubes. They brimmed with odd colored water, bubbling about as the bodies within them breathed. The figures of four women floated peacefully amongst he bubbles and liquid, just ready to spring back to life. Just a little more… and she'd be able to restore their souls completely!
"Won't you get in trouble for this…?" Came a voice from behind her.
Gasping, she snapped around to look behind her; Eudial's eyes fell upon the figures of six female, perfect human-formed Daimons that she had created. That tense posture of hers relaxed considerably. Snorting angrily, she turned back around and returned to her work, fingers flying across the data table once again.
"And why should you care what I do?" She mumbled between clenched teeth.
"Do you not want the Master's favor?" The first one spoke again; a Daimon with tan skin, adorned in black and gold with long, blood red hair with an under layer of black. Out of the six, she was the defined leader, named Tigara. "He will be quite sour with you if you do not do what he sent you to do, instead of fooling around with previously-failed Daimons!"
"They will not fail this time." Eudial assured, feeling slightly annoyed with Tigara's attitude.
"Weren't you supposed to be gathering Hoste for him and the Dark Mistress…?" Another one, named Sodarin, with sweeping pale blue hair and adorned in white and dark blue. "She needs more if she is to awaken on schedule!"
"That is our primary function, after all." A third chimed in, with short white hair and in white and pink, called Quartrl. "Gather Hoste for the Master, and bring our dark reign over all Life in the Universe! To bring about an utter and complete Silence!"
"Fools!!" Eudial bellowed, snapping around and looking at the group with flame burning within her red hues. Those slender fingers of hers curled into tight fists, wound so tight that her knuckles began to turn white against the strain. Blood began to drip down from between her clenched fists, slipping down onto the floor and burning into the stone, as if it was liquid lava. Even Tigara backed away at this, knowing full well that Eudial was much stronger then they were.
"Do you not understand the greater purpose in this?!" She hissed, thrusting her hand to the side, "While I was able to create you from scratch, you are nothing compared to the other Witches who came before you! Just like the Master, their strength has increased ten…no…fifty times since their defeat!! With them, and only them, can I, Magus Eudial, defeat those who once scorned us! Only then can I acquire the Eternal Darkness!!" Taking a step forward, Eudial pointed towards the Daimons before her. "Do not ever question me again! I created you, and I could easily take away what I have given! Do not forget that!" Finally, she made a dismissing gesture with her hand. "Leave me."
The group of Daimon quickly left the room, leaving Eudial to her work.
"Soon, my friends…soon you shall walk again!"
~-~-~-~
Usagi groaned loudly as she sulked out of the classroom. The horrible, horrible math test was now over, and it was lunch time. Normally, she would have been ecstatic to chow down on some food and not think for a while, but right now, she was feeling down in the dumps since she knew she would do horribly on it. And probably need to retake it. Groan!
The group had decided to eat outside, since it was actually sunny out, a nice break from the horrible storms they had been having. They would meet under a large tree in a secluded area of the school yard, to talk about everything that had been going on. Hopefully they could lift her spirits up a bit.
Exiting the building, Usagi saw the group across the way and brightened up a bit. It looked like Enala and Lizzie were with them, too; it was nice to have their new friends relax around them, and offered some new insight on various things going on. Smiling, Usagi waved over to the group and jogged over to the tree, finding a nice comfy spot on the grass and plopping down, withdrawing her bentou box.
"So, how did you guys do on the test?" Makoto inquired, "I think I did pretty decent this time, thanks to Ami's advice!"
"We'll have to wait for the scores, though!" Minako giggled, though her expression quickly dropped when she realized she, too, would probably do bad on it. "I think I totally bombed it!"
"Usagi probably did, too," Commented Lizzie, taking a bite out of a ham and cheese sandwich.
"HEY!" Usagi barked, "Don't assume that I did bad just because I do bad on everything!"
"Hence why she's assuming, Odango." Haruka chuckled softly, her smirk remaining on her face as Usagi burned holes through her.
"You really should study more though, Usagi-chan." Ami said softly, "If you keep doing so badly on tests, you won't be able to get into a good University."
Usagi pouted and snorted, crossing her arms. "But studying is no fun, Ami-chan!" This caused Ami to sigh in response, though Usagi just kept on going. "Besides…with everything else going on these days…why can't we just stop going to school when a new enemy shows up?"
"People would quickly grow suspicious," Michiru explained, "If we all suddenly disappeared around the same time the Sailor Senshi appeared, people would wonder if we were really them."
"I've been finding…that there's more to life then just being a Sailor Senshi," Enala said quietly, nibbling on a nice red apple, "We should try to enjoy our normal lives as best we can now…before--" However, her voice caught in her throat before she could say anything further. Even though Enala didn't finish her sentence, everyone knew what she was going to say. Suddenly, the cheerful air about them became dark and somber, everyone staring down at their food.
Finally, after a long and uneasy silence, Minako spoke up, "C-come on, guys…lets not be so down in the dumps!" Even her voice was a bit weak, "We have to keep looking forward…right?" Everyone merely nodded their heads slowly, searching their brains to come up with a lighter tone of conversation.
The idea struck Usagi, who lifted her head up and smiled as best she could. "Say guys…do any of you know of a girl named Ashi Hotaru? She goes to this school."
"Ashi Hotaru?" Haruka blinked her eyes a few times, "Yeah, Michie and I know her. She's in our class."
"Why do you ask, Usagi-chan?" Michiru inquired.
"Well…we've run into each other a few times on the way to school," Usagi managed to say past the food she was currently stuffing into her mouth. "She seems really nice…but really isolated, too! I was wondering how she acted in your guys' class…"
"Very…distant," Michiru said with a sigh, "She hardly says anything to anyone else. She only speaks when called upon, and even then her voice is hardly audible. Many others in our class find her very strange and creepy, so no one ever talks to her, anyway." Usagi noticeably drooped down when she heard that, depressed that everyone thought Ashi was weird.
"There's more," Haruka continued, "Even though she keeps to herself…every time she looks at me, I sense a deep and unfathomed regret coming from her. A lost and sorrowful feeling…"
"Regret?" Makoto muttered, "Why would she feel regret towards you, Haruka-san?"
"I feel the same thing," Michiru said.
"Odd…" Ami delicately pressed her hand to her chin, "Do either of you know her from outside of school?"
"I would have remembered someone like her," Came Haruka's response, "Real pretty, but something just isn't quite…right about her."
"Usagi-chan, why are you so curious about her, anyway?" Minako inquired.
Sighing, Usagi glanced down towards the grass below her skirt, "Well…I really want to help her out, and that's all. The first time we met…I was still feeling a lot more down then I usually was. She…was as lost and alone as I was, but it wasn't because she had lost anyone…it was because she never had anyone. No joy, no happiness…I made her laugh today and she said it was the first time she laughed in a long while." Looking up again, she glanced at the faces of her friends, "I want to try and make her smile. If I can get her to smile, maybe I can feel a bit better about myself, too…plus…someone like that should know what it is to be happy, to be loved!"
"You pity her, don't you Usagi?" Enala said in a soft tone, looking into the eyes of her Princess. Usagi nodded her head.
"Still…if Haruka and Michiru sense something is off about her…" Makoto mused, though quickly stopped her train of thought once she received a glare from Usagi. Laughing awkwardly, she reached up and scratched the back of her head. "W-well maybe it's because she's so isolated and doesn't know a lot of things other people know."
"Is she like, emotionless or something?" Asked Lizzie, tilted her head to the side.
"It certainly feels that way to me," Michiru informed, "But…it's a mixture of not having emotion and being utterly consumed by nothing but sorrow."
"The poor girl…" Minako whimpered.
Suddenly, Usagi gasped and sprung to her feet, causing everyone around her to become very startled. She placed her bentou box down and quickly scurried across the field. All eyes followed a wave of blonde pigtails across the way. Usagi had made her way towards none other then the subject of their discussion, Ashi Hotaru.
The pale girl was standing silently by the edge of the building, being totally ignored by the students. Her eyes quickly fell to Usagi, who made her way over and grabbed onto Ashi's hands, gently pulling her away from the building and back towards the group.
"T-tsukino-san?" Ashi gasped, "What are you doing?"
"Come on, Ashi-chan!" Usagi managed to smile brightly, a rare occurrence these days, still urging Ashi to follow. "I want you to meet my friends!"
"Please do not, Tsukino-san," Ashi seemed very insistent on not going, but Usagi kept her hands wrapped firmly around Ashi's, still pulling her forward. "I am fine on my own."
"No, you're not!" Usagi insisted, "You're not fine! I can tell that just by talking to you these few times! Trust me, my friends are really nice! They'll treat you right and not back away just because you're quiet!"
"I have already told you that you do not need to worry about someone like me…"
"And I'm telling you that I'm not giving up." Usagi's voice was serious as she finally finished dragging Ashi Hotaru over towards the group she had been sitting with. Turning around to face them, with one hand still holding Ashi's warm, slender one, she gestured towards her with her free hand. "Everyone, this is Ashi Hotaru-chan! Ashi-chan, these are my friends; Ami-chan, Mako-chan, Minako-chan, Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Enala-chan and Lizzie-chan!" As she said each of their names, she gestured towards each individual. "Please come and sit with us!"
For the group sitting before Usagi, they were glad to see Usagi smiling again, and being so enthusiastic about meeting new people and making new friends. It was a nice change for her over the past few months since the Zodiac first appeared. Still…there was something odd about Ashi Hotaru. As Ami studied the sheepish girl, she noted that she was incredibly uncomfortable being dragged into such a social environment. While this could be credited to her, perhaps, being an introvert by nature – or maybe even slightly social phobic – there was more to it then that. It was almost like…Ashi felt some great remorse being with them. That feeling of regret that Haruka and Michiru had described was very present as she looked down at them.
When Usagi dragged Ashi to sit down, she was pretty much stuck. It was Minako who spoke up first, also feeling that regret coming from the pale-skinned girl. "Ashi Hotaru-san," She asked, "Have we met before? I get the feeling that we have…"
In response, Ashi only turned a bit red in the face, a nice change from her unhealthily pale complexion. "N-no. I do not believe so, Minako-san."
Ami kept looking over at the pale girl. There was more to her then just that feeling of regret and self-pity. Her name, alone, was questionable; come to think of it, Ami had seen her name listed under test scores, and noted that the kanji was…unique. The word Ashi often referred to someone's leg, but the kanji that her name was made of translated into "Evil" or "Darkness." The second name she had, Hotaru, bore the same meaning that their Hotaru had, meaning firefly. But, Ashi used katakana for that portion of her name. Still, it bore the same meaning; firefly. And her surname…Rinjuu, meant "Moment of Death" with a possessive at the end of it. Evil Firefly's Moment of Death.
Who in their right mind would name their child that?
For some reason, Ami's mind began to look to Darksailorsaturn; a mirror of Saturn, the dark side of Saturn, whatever you wished to call it. An Evil Sailorsaturn. And now, they had a girl that was the dark side of Hotaru, name wise. And the feeling of regret--
But, Ami could not jump to conclusions, not just yet. More over, she could not voice this suspicion until Ashi was no longer sitting with them. However, just because her name was slightly suspicious did not mean anything in the long run. It could all just be coincidental, or maybe just a run of bad luck. But, as she found in this world, sometimes things were more connected then they appeared to be…Ami would just have to do a bit more research into this before making a final statement.
The more Ashi sat there, the more uncomfortable she was. While the others continued their mindless banter, she looked like she just wanted to leave. She wrung her skirt fabric between her hands and shifted weight between her knees, her eyes darting around, looking for an escape. No one really talked to her, just talked around her. Not that it seemed to bother Ashi. Her eyes darted up to the sky for a long moment, as if…focusing on something up there.
Just then, a cool front began to blow in as their sun disappeared from the skies. The wind picked up considerably as a really heavy storm front came rolling in. To this, Minako and Makoto groaned in unison.
"Just when it was looking like a nice day!" Minako whined, quickly gathering her things and getting up. A loud boom of thunder echoed in the distance, causing the other students to quickly finish up and begin heading indoors before they got caught in the storm.
"I guess we'll continue inside?" Enala sighed softly. "Well…everyone who is in my class, that is…"
"We should probably start heading back, anyway," Michiru added as they began to walk towards the building, "Lunch will be over soon regardless of the weather." To this, Usagi groaned and tucked her bentou box under her arm.
"We can continue this later, right Ashi-chan?" She inquired, finding herself smiling, glad to have a new friend. Glancing across her shoulder, Usagi looked towards the spot where Ashi had been sitting…only to discover that she wasn't there anymore. "Eh?" Blinking, she glanced around the field outside of the school, but couldn't find her pale friend anywhere. "Where did she go…?"
"Usagi-chan!" Ami urged as another clap of thunder echoed overhead. This brought Usagi's attention back to the group, gasping loudly and hurrying to catch up with them.
"H-hey, wait up!" She wailed, going as fast as her legs could carry her.
Still…I wonder where Ashi-chan went…
~-~-~-~
It had been raining ever since the end of lunch. The skies were dark and brooding, with bolts of lighting parting the heavens and giving of loud claps of thunder. The rain heavily beat down against the windows of the school, making it one very noisy storm outside. The teachers tried their best to talk above the storm, but with a bunch of worried students, it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Usagi was horribly distracted the entire time. Not like she wasn't 90% of the time she was at school, but there was a lot on her mind right now. Of course, the ongoing events concerning all of the enemies that were coming out of the woodwork, but she was also worried about Ashi, too. She was an odd girl, but horribly lost and alone in the world, and Usagi wanted to try and make her happy somehow, despite not being happy herself. More over, the strange storms had come up again, storms that seemed to never end. Sure, while it was common to have some stormy weather this time of year in Tokyo, having this much was a little odd. More then a little odd, it was downright creepy!
Just as she was lost in her thoughts, an incredibly loud crash of thunder and a huge flash of lighting occurred, and the power completely died out. All of the students gasped loudly and whined a bit.
"Settle down!" The teacher said in a calm voice, "I'm sure the power will pop up again soon."
More groaning. Of course, Usagi wasn't going to complain; if the power remained dead for a while, she'd get to go home! Just about to pray that it remained off, a feeling of intense dread and fear began to fill up within the pit of her stomach.
Something wasn't right, buried in this darkness.
The only light they had was the bright flashes of thunder, and through that darkness, Usagi slipped away from her seat and snuck into the hallway. She wasn't too surprised when Minako, Ami, and Enala quickly followed her out there, the quartet standing within the still darkness.
"You felt it too?" Minako whispered, careful to not let her voice carry into their classroom.
"Yes," Ami said softly. "Something is horribly wrong here…"
That feeling quickly manifested itself as tendrils of dark, black mist began to flow into the hallway. The quartet quickly turned around to see a figure emerging from the darkness; twisted glaive within her hand, black angelic wings behind her, eyes that reflected no light…
Usagi gasped as she saw the figure of Darksailorsaturn emerge from the shadows. The willowy figure was slowly approaching them, though made no move to attack. However, Usagi and the others knew that they couldn't transform here; it would reveal their identities to the Shadow of Silence! Usagi merely backed up as Darksaturn approached, remaining silent and trying her best to remain calm.
More over, she had managed to survive one of their attacks, yet again! A group attack with all of them there, and three Zodiac?! How could she have possibly lived…?
Finally, Darksaturn spoke; "I have no qualms with you today, Sailor Senshi." She said in her deep, echoing voice. Usagi's eyes widened in shock as Darksaturn said that. She…she knew who they were?! How? Why hadn't she done anything to dispose of their civilian forms if she knew?!
"How do you know that?!" Minako hissed, pointing towards Darksaturn.
"We all know," Darksaturn said quietly, stopping just before them, "But I do not wish to fight you today. My duty is elsewhere."
"'We all...?'" Ami inquired, narrowing her eyes at the Shadow. "Who entails this 'we?'"
"That is none of your concern." Darksaturn said, lifting her glaive up and pointing the blade at them. "Now stand aside, as I have a mission to conduct."
"We won't let you pass!" Minako shouted, uncaring if anyone else cared to hear her. "Venus Crystal--"
"We can't transform here!" Enala said in a hushed tone, "Everyone will see and hear!"
It seemed like Darksaturn hadn't taken a course in patience, as she slammed the butt of her weapon down into the tiled floor and used it like a pole, vaulting herself over the quartet's heads and began to continue to move swiftly down the hallway.
"We need to do something…" Usagi said softly, "I can't…I can't let any more people die!!"
"Let's follow her and find someplace safe to transform," Ami instructed, and began to dash off, with the others close behind her. They were soon joined in by Makoto and Lizzie as they rushed down the hallways, finding the Shadow of Silence disappearing into a classroom.
Screams soon followed.
With the screams echoing from the rooms, the group could safely transform without any problems. In a flurry of prism-colored energy, the door to the classroom flew open as the group of pretty suited Sailor Soldiers ran in.
The students began to flood out of the room as they observed the damage. There was a massive clearing within the desks, the desks having been flung to the sides with ease. One of them pinned another limp, lifeless body against the ground, a smear of blood painted across the wall from where his head made contact with the wall. The teacher was backed up against the wall, her desk buried against it. In the very center of the room stood the shadowy figure of the Angel of Death, Darksailorsaturn, her glaive butt buried deep within the breast of a young female student.
Sailorlibra gasped when she saw the face of the girl on the floor. "Hey, I know her!" She exclaimed, "She transferred in the same day Enala and I did! An exchange student from America…" It was true that the girl was American, due to her facial structure. A pair of thin, oval glasses rested on her nose, her pale blue eyes slowly beginning to turn pure white as her soul was extracted. Her hair was a light brown color and slightly wavy, ending just past her shoulders.
"I…I won't allow this!!" Sailormoon shouted, causing Darksaturn to look up from her pray and withdraw her glaive from the poor girl's chest. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"
Just like before, the beams from the spear that once belonged to Scorpio were much weaker then if it was done with her tier. The golden light shot towards the Shadow of Slience, who lifted her glaive and batted the beams aside, knocking them towards a nearby wall and creating a small explosion. The girls in the classroom screamed, still trying to squeeze their way out of the room.
"As I have said, I do not wish to fight you today, Sailor Senshi." Darksailorsaturn said softly, leaping backwards.
"Well, do you just expect us to sit here and do nothing?!" Sailorjupiter shouted, lifting her arms above her head. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!"
The Shadow of Silence clearly wasn't intent on doing any serious damage, or she would have done so already. Raising her glaive up, she bared it towards the combined attacks and smacked them back towards Venus and Jupiter. Thankfully, their nimble bodies were able to dive out of the way as their attacks crashed where they stood, creating an explosion of green and golden energy.
During the mayhem of dodging the attack, they failed to notice Darksaturn making her exit. She leapt backwards, through the windows, and shattered the glass behind her. Her large wings beat against the air and slowed her decent down towards the ground.
"Come on!" Sailorlibra shouted, dashing and jumping out of the window after Darksaturn, followed by the others. "I won't let Jenna die in vain!" She shouted as she fell down towards her enemy, baring her sword down to the giant glaive. There was a loud clang of two sheets of metal clashing together, Libra gritting her teeth and using all of her strength to bare down on Darksailorsaturn. "Give her soul back!"
Expressionless as ever, Darksaturn shoved Libra's sword back and jumped backwards, pointing her weapon towards them. "Silence Buster." A wave of black lighting shot from her Dark Glaive and hit Sailorlibra square in the chest, causing the lithe Soldier to scream in pain and shooting her body back towards the school, sending her crashing into a wall.
"Libra!" Cancer shouted over her shoulder, and then aimed her sphere towards Darksaturn. "Cancer Crushing Force!!"
She was joined by the familiar voices of Sailoruranus and Sailorneptune; "World Shaking!"
"Deep Submerge!"
Swirling vortexes of energy came towards Darksailorsaturn, who used her wings to her advantage. Leaping off of the ground, she soared into the air, causing the trinity of attacks to combine and create a large explosion where she once stood. For once, her expression changed to that of a sneer, pointing her glaive down towards the ground again.
"I don't have time for this, not today!" Darksailorsaturn's usually emotionless voice was bitter and angered as she shouted this. Black lighting coiled around her weapon as she twisted it above her head and in one mighty swoop, thrust it down towards the ground. "Everlasting Darkness!!" She screamed, releasing a huge bolt of black energy down towards them.
They braced themselves as the bolt hit the ground, creating a massive dome of negative energy, reaching out past where they stood and towards the school. The dome suddenly contracted and created a massive explosion that could only be considered utterly and completely devastating.
Her ultimate attack.
And it worked.
~-~-~-~
The light that filled the room from the entrance way suddenly became blocked. Eudail's head twitched when she felt that shadow fall upon her form, though she did not look back. She wasn't too happy to be interrupted again, so she merely gritted her teeth and hissed out a response.
"What is it now?"
Behind her, Darksailorsaturn went down onto one knee and bowed her head towards the woman she feared. Lifting her hands up, she called forth the glistening soul she had just collected from Juuban Senior High School, the spherical entity floating above her hands.
"I have found a pure Hoste for you, Mistress." To this, Eudail turned around and looked at the crouched Sailor Senshi before her feet. A thin eyebrow slowly arched itself upwards, above where the other one rested.
"And you are not giving it to the Master?" She inquired with curiosity within her voice. Darksaturn shook her head.
"I fear you far more then him." She admitted. This only caused Eudail to smirk down at her charge, reaching her hands out and accepting the gift of a pure and powerful Hoste to give to her little…experimentation.
This would be just the boost that they would need! The experimentations needed only a little bit more in order to awaken, and Darksaturn had gone out and found some for her! Eudail couldn't help the devious smirk that formed across her lips as she gazed at the glistening soul within her fingers. Briefly, she lifted her eyes up from the orb of energy within her hands to gaze at the crouched warrior before her.
"Well done." She said in a cold and stark tone, "For once, you haven't failed me, Takulira. You may leave." With a bow of her head, the Shadow of Silence rose from the ground and turned on her heel, exiting the lab. Eudial's gaze returned to the Hoste within her hands, her smirk returning to her sadistic face.
Turning back around, Eudial lifted her hands up once again, directed towards the four tubes that rested before her. The dangerous smirk upon her lips only grew in size as the soul split into four pieces, wisps of glowing energy from the soul trailing out from her hand and towards each of the four tubes. The energy wrapped around each of the four figures encased within the tubes, sleeping until they could be fully restored once again.
As soon as the energy from the Hoste became absorbed within the four bodies, the entire lab began to quake violently, pieces of the stone ceiling falling down and smashing into the lab equipment below. Bubbles began to from, flowing from the mouths and noses of the four women encased within their tubes. The shaking became so much more violent, spreading further into the citadel, thick fissures spearing through the floor of the lab. It was evident that whomever Eudail was waking up, they were quite powerful indeed.
Slowly, cracks began to form within each of the tubes. Micro-fissures spread out like a delicate spider web across the glossy surface of the tubes; on the verge of shattering completely. It didn't take long for the cracks to fully spread across the tubes, Eudail's eyes going wide and manic as she held her hands to the sides, cackling like a complete madwomen at the destruction and the awakening of her little pet-project.
Suddenly, four pairs of multi-colored eyes snapped open, glowing fiercely with their individual colors, and at that very moment the tubes completely shattered, spraying sharp glass shrapnel everywhere; the orange-colored liquid burst from their tubes and flooded to the cracked floor. Slowly, the figures of the four women lowered down to the bottom of their tubes, the Deathbuster Star burned upon each of their foreheads.
"Finally!" Eudail exclaimed, "The Witches 5 have returned!"
~-~-~-~
"Mm…"
Slowly, Sailormoon's vision began to regain its focus, the darkness lifting from her sight. The sky was still dark and gloomy overhead, though the rain was no longer falling. Or, at least, it didn't feel like it was.
Wait…she wasn't dead?
Sailormoon abruptly sat straight up from where she was resting, finding herself nestled comfortably on the lawn of her school. Just beyond her was the smoldering crater created by Darksailorsaturn, and it ate a good chunk out of the grounds and a portion of the school. Oh god, what if the students didn't get out in time?!
"Are you alright?" Came a soft voice from behind Sailormoon, drawing her attention back that way. Sitting behind her was a fair-skinned Sailor Senshi with beautiful long, white hair that fell down around the ground where she knelt. She wore a white solid-piece fuku with a long, frilly skirt that almost went to her knees with intense darts running up the sides and with lacy layers underneath. She wore a blue sash around her waist that tied in a large bow, spilling down towards the ground with white lacey designs towards the bottom. Her collar was blue with an overlay of white lace, and she had a blue bandana tied around her forehead with white lace over it. Blue gloves rested on her hands with several silver bracelets on each, with ribbon criss-crossing up her arms and up her legs. She was fairly pretty as well, with a pair of deep blue eyes gazing out from beyond a pair of glasses. Sailormoon recognized that mane of white hair from the other day.
"You…you were the one at the fair, weren't you?" She inquired, receiving a gentle nod in response. Slowly, the others around here began to wake up as well, stirring from their unconscious state. Somehow, they were all alright, despite the fact that they probably should have been dead. "Who are you?"
The Sailor Senshi smiled as Sailorcancer sat up and looked at her. She gasped. "Sailoraquarius?!"
"Yes."
"But…your hair! How did…?" Cancer gasped, her eyes wide with shock.
"Our Princesses are linked directly to our own Sailor Crystals," Sailoraquarius said in a soft tone, pulling her hands in towards her heart as she spoke, "When their forms have evolved, we, too, will undergo our first and only evolution. Sometimes our appearances will alter."
"Sailoraquarius…" Sailoruranus breathed, looking over at the fair-skinned and fair-haired Senshi that sat before them. She gazed at the beautiful figure, remembering that soft and gentle voice that spoke to her during the time when she was…well, dead. Now Aquarius sat before Uranus, and she found herself smiling at her. "Now I can put a face to that voice." Aquarius' head turned to her Princess and, instead of smiling, her face became stricken with worry. She pressed her hand to her lips.
"Princess…please forgive me for awakening your power before you were ready," She whispered, her voice barely audible, "It was the only thing I could do to save your life." She bowed slightly at the waist, as best she could while sitting down, in response.
Sailoruranus found herself chucking at this, giving a gentle shake of her head. "There's nothing to forgive." She said simply, looking over at Aquarius. Somehow, Uranus couldn't help but to keep herself from smiling. "You saved me then, and you saved us now…didn't you?"
"Mm." Aquarius gave a soft nod of her head, a look of relief washed over her face. "When my full potential was unlocked by awakening you, I was given the ability to protect those dear to my heart. I sensed that you were in danger, Princess, so I acted quickly to save your lives."
Sailormoon gasped suddenly, "But what about the students--??" She felt her stomach twist in tight knots when she saw the pain-filled expression that crossed Sailoraquarius' face. The fair-haired Senshi of Life averted her gaze from Sailormoon's, as if looking into her deep, blue eyes would cause her to fall apart at any moment.
"I…I did not have the time nor the energy to save them. Please forgive me, Princess Serenity--"
For a moment, it seemed as if time stood still. All sound that surrounded them; the ambient noise of the city, the sound of sirens wailing, drawing closer and closer…even the words that continued out of Aquarius' mouth didn't reach Sailormoon's ears. All she heard was the sound of her own heart, leaping into her throat, and her suddenly rapid breathing. At once, she could almost hear the screams of those poor, innocent students getting caught in Darksailorsaturn's attack, feeling their life-force fade away and their cries of anguish silencing abruptly.
Her panic-stricken blue eyes snapped back towards the school, seeing the huge and smoldering crater resting there. It had ripped through a good thirty feet of the school, as well as a large portion of school grounds as well. In her mind, Sailormoon could see the classrooms laid out, the students minding their own business within the darkness; and then suddenly, each and every one of their lives were snuffed out swiftly and silently.
Oh god.
She knew some of the students in those rooms!
Everything sped up again as Sailormoon staggered to her feet, slowly making her way towards the school. "I-I have to help them. I have to save them!!"
"Princess, there's nothing that we can do!" Sailorcancer shouted, leaping to her feet and grasping Sailormoon's arm. Her Princess shook her off and continued to wobble towards the destruction before her. "They're gone!! Aquarius did everything in her power to save them! But she can only save those her heart is close to!"
"I don't care!!" Sailormoon shrieked, finding that she had not the strength to walk, falling back down onto her knees, "I have to…I have to…" She muttered, collapsing fully to the ground as her body began to visibly shake. Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto the rain-drenched grass, her fists curling up into the grass below. White gloves became stained with the earth between her fingers, turning brown and green within her despair.
"Serenity…" Aquarius whispered, "It is not your fault. If only my powers were strong enough, I could have protected them. But…what's done is done. There is little we can do at this point…but move forward."
"Wake up!" Sailoruranus shouted, placing a hand firmly on Sailormoon's shoulder and bringing her up from the soaked grass. She held both of Sailormoon's shoulders and looked her square in the eyes, "We've lost a lot of people, yes! But moping around isn't going to help! So you're going to have to suck it in and move forward, instead of wallowing in self-doubt and pity!! It's the only way we can defeat the enemy. And damnit, we need you!"
Sailormoon hiccupped and tried to look away from Uranus' fierce gaze. But her eyes held with the Senshi of Wind's, finding herself unable to tear her sorrowful gaze away from the commanding one. As much as it caused her heart to want to shatter, Sailormoon had to be strong. She had learned as much from Sailorcancer before. But with her friends dying left and right, how could she ever--
"The awakening is drawing near." Sailoraquarius said, drawing Sailormoon's gaze away from Sailoruranus. Aquarius' usually calm and pleasant face and voice had shifted; her gaze dark, her tone solemn. "Even I cannot say what will happen…but we must be cautious. If the awakening comes, darkness will soon follow…and our battle will become twice as difficult as it is now." Slowly, she shifted her gaze towards the churning skies, her blue eyes closing. "But we must not give up our light, or hope. For if we always remember the light within our hearts, the darkness cannot harm is…for it is the darkness we must fear, not those who harness its powers…"
"What do you mean by that…?" Sailorvenus asked, looking at Aquarius with curiosity.
Slowly, Aquarius opened her eyes; her eyes of glass spheres, murky and distant.
"…We have a right to fear the darkness…for I have seen what it truly hides…"