A/N: Hey there guys! Long time no chapter. (Okay that's a bad joke, I'm sorry.) After several months of writer's block for this particular story, I finally had a breakthrough thanks to a touch of re-reading and an all-nighter in which I wrote, wrote, wrote! So for Christmas this year, I present to you, my faithful readers who put up with my forever whack update schedule, a new chapter for Here We Go Again with hopes to update a lot faster than in times past.

Note: This chapter features a poem I wrote for Mina's story and have decided to incorporate here as well.

Disclaimer: We have no time for this today.

Warnings: Can't think of any at this moment...though given some of the content that has been in this story and some of the stuff coming, I may need to bump up the rating of this story too, just like Golden Strands. This story overall is more tame, but Mina's metaphorical and literal madness has kinda dragged this story into a pit of intense violence along with blood and gore. I haven't decided yet, but know that it's on my mind. Anyway, let's get on to the chapter! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody!


Chapter 113

Monster Part 1

Every night when I went to sleep,
I would see a monster in my dreams.

The monster was ugly, scary, and mean.
It stalked the land whispering, "Who will my next victim be?"


"SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!"

Ice magic poured forth from my fingertips and pierced through the final phantom blocking my path. As its horrendous screech echoed through the still air, my communicator rang for what felt like the millionth time, almost prompting a sigh to slip past my lips. The ringing continued while I fought to catch my breath, and my eyes drifted down to the rapidly disappearing corpse of the phantom at my feet. A crimson splotch in the snow was all that remained after a moment. A small part of me wanted to collect a small sample of the substance before it also vanished, but the incessant ringing of my communicator made it abundantly clear that collecting any new data of the enemy would have to wait.

With a shaky hand, I quickly changed the settings on the device fixed around my wrist, allowing for a three-way call between myself, Rei, and Serena.

"Finally!" Rei called out irritably, a hint of desperation on her face within my tiny screen. "I didn't think you'd ever answer!"

"Good to see you too," I thought dryly, trying and failing to hide the tremors in my breaths. "I'm fine by the way."

"Seems like you're in good shape, Mars," Serena mumbled before fixing her attention on me. "I'm glad you finally responded, Sailor Mercury. Are you okay?"

"Yes," I answered with another short huff of breath. "I was fighting a massive horde of phantoms."

"That explains why it took so long," Rei stated, clearly in a rush. "I'm glad to see that both of you are safe and sound, but there's no time for small talk. Joey's in big trouble guys. I just saw a vision of his future, and if we don't hurry he'll die!"

"Well, that's just fantastic," Serena groaned. "I thought you told him to wait at Azabu Park. You know...outside of the danger zone."

"I did, but D.D. found him at some point," Rei explained, doing her best to be patient and not cause any unnecessary squabbles. "E.E. must have given the guy orders to kidnap him. We have to save him guys! If we don't...if we don't..."

I withdrew my handheld computer as her sentence tapered off. "Calm down. What was the content of the vision, Mars?"

"D.D. and Joey were standing near the memorial site,"she answered, her gaze drifting elsewhere as another voice filtered in from the background. "They were about to enter the underground base when D.D. took out a gun and..."

When Rei didn't say anything more, I mentally filled in the blanks and started calculating how long it would take to reach the memorial site from my current position. Once through with that, I quickly narrowed in on both Rei and Serena's positions through the link in our communicators.

"Sailor Moon, you'll be closing in on my location within the next minute," I began, still configuring the data. "After that, we should be able to reach the memorial site in roughly five minutes. Maybe less."

Serena nodded. "Okay, but what about Sailor Mars?"

I shook my head. "Sailor Mars' location is too far from our current position. It would be better for her to enter the underground base from the entryway at the cable car station. She's fairly close to it."

"Are you sure?" Rei asked, her frown deepening. "Maybe I can find a way to backtrack and help..."

"No," I interrupted, closing my computer in favor of switching my goggles on. "We can handle D.D. on our own if we catch him off guard. It's better for you to find Mina. Who knows what she's facing at this point."

"Yeah," Serena agreed, smiling softly. "The two of us will make sure Joey stays safe."

Rei's eyes widened suddenly. "Where's Jupiter? I haven't tried contacting her, but given the circumstances, I'd feel better if she was with you guys."

"Oh, that's right!" I exclaimed, pivoting on my heel as the distant sound of footsteps drew closer. "Sailor Moon, what happened with Rini? I'm guessing the two of you managed to subdue her. Did Jupiter stay behind to look after her?"

Serena didn't answer immediately, which left room for Rei to start asking her own questions.

"Whoa, wait a minute! Did you guys have to fight Rini? It was those snake things wasn't it?"

I nodded in response just as Serena clicked off from the call. She emerged from the cluster of trees directly in front of me a moment later, waving and smiling like normal, but the cheerful greeting couldn't hide the anxiety in her eyes.

"Something must have gone wrong," I thought, narrowing my gaze on the future queen. "But now isn't the time to discuss it, not when Joey is in immediate danger. Besides that...someone needs to hurry up and get Mina out of E.E.'s lair. Though faint...Mina's emotions are churning inside of me. I'm sure Rei can feel it too."

Breathing out a sigh, I turned my attention to Rei's face on my screen. "Sailor Moon is here now, so the two of us need to get going, Mars. Don't worry. We'll get Joey away from D.D. We can catch each other up on everything else that's happened once all this is over. For now, you need to focus on finding Mina. If we don't pick up the pace we'll lose her for good this time. There's no room for mistakes anymore."

Rei's expression shifted into something truly solemn. "I know. I'll do the best I can. Keep Joey safe. Mina is going to need him to get through all this."

"Got it," I answered, exchanging a glance with Serena to let her know we needed to get moving. "Be careful, Rei."

"Yoo too."

Without another word, I clicked off the communicator and motioned for Serena to start following me. She fell in step behind me and kept silent as I configured the visual feed on my goggles. Her silence was extremely out of character, but mentioning it to her now would just be counterproductive. This rescue mission takes top priority, especially considering the vision prompting our presence in Narita to begin with. Even though Rei's decision making hasn't been the best lately, I trust her instincts when it comes to Joey. He's become an important part of Mina's life, and at this point, he's the only person who has any real hope of getting through to her.

"Which means..."

A notification popped up in my field of vision then, cutting off my train of thought for a brief instant as new information quickly filtered through.

"Sailor Moon. We need to pick up the pace," I told her. "I'm getting a negative energy reading similar to the data I've collected from the different phantoms we've fought. It's approaching the memorial site at an incredibly fast rate. It'll be there in less than three minutes."

"Which way?" Serena asked.

"Straight ahead through that trail of trees." I answered, pointing at the tall evergreen trees directly in front of us. As soon as the information registered in Serena's mind, she took a step forward, ready to sprint ahead, but before she could I reached out to grip her shoulder. Though her halt was immediate, she was quick to turn and glare daggers at me.

"What's wrong? You just said we needed to pick up the pace."

"I know, but we can't just rush into a fight with someone like D.D.," I told her, bringing the map back up on my visual feed. "He's not an easy opponent. Jupiter and I fought him with the outer scouts back before the Black Rebellion."

Serena's eyes clouded over with understanding. "That's right. He put you guys in the hospital."

"And with just the two of us," I continued. "We're severely outmatched unless we can manage to catch him off guard. He'll probably be distracted since he has Joey on a leash at the moment, but with how frantic Rei was about us getting to him..."

"Yes? What are you thinking, Mercury?"

"You're not going to like it, Serena," I thought, bracing myself. "I'm going to play decoy."

Serena took a step back, exasperation and worry clear in her expression. "No way! We can surprise him together..."

"And get Joey out of there fast enough so we're not pursued?" I interrupted, shaking my head. "We don't have time to argue about this, Serena. I may not be all that strong, but I've fought D.D. before. I'm better prepared to fight him and it's better that you get Joey to Mina."

"To Mina?"

This was the other part of the plan Serena definitely wasn't going to like. I didn't like it either, but if Joey really is the only one who can save Mina from herself...he needs to see exactly what she's done.

I don't see visions like Rei. My powers are fairly limited too, even among the Sailor Scouts. I can freeze opponents and run them through with icicles if needed, but more often than not I have to rely on quick thinking rather than brute force to destroy enemies. That's just the way I fight.

However, thanks to this new connection Rei, Lita, and I seem to have to Mina, there's a new component to my fighting style, one directly connected to the way Mina has chosen to deal with the enemies she's faced while in the depths of E.E.'s base.

While fighting the phantoms, I saw flashes of her battles.

Darkness. Blood.

I briefly glimpsed a disembodied head rolling across the floor toward a woman with platinum blonde hair and stunning violet eyes void of sight. She held the head close to her chest, only to have it ripped from her arms by the merciless thrust of a blade.

Once the head was flung elsewhere, the woman was dragged onto her feet. Words of vitriol soared into a stream of chaos and malice in my head as Mina's rage and heartache erupted within my own heart, erasing everything else around me.

And then...I was the one standing over the woman, stabbing her through the chest over and over and over again with a sword.

By the time I was pulled back into reality, the corpse of one of the phantoms lay lifeless before me. In my hand was a thick limb from a tree, covered in crimson goo resembling blood.

I was lucky to not get any of it on my Sailor suit. Even so...

Those vicious emotions introduced new terrors and traumas...the likes of which I'll never be able to share with anyone, even if I wanted to.

And yet, it's this terror Joey and Serena need to see firsthand. In Joey's case, the reason is obvious. He might be able to shed light on the darkness consuming Mina, but he can't do so if he doesn't know how far down to reach, and right now...it's hard to say whether or not he'll want to after he knows the full extent of Mina's sins.

As for Serena...there's no shielding her from these kinds of terrors anymore. When she becomes queen in the future...there will be horrors that go beyond scenes of gruesome death.

Physical battles are inevitable in the life of a soldier, but no soldier is ever truly prepared for the war within amidst times of peace. When a person has time to contemplate the brutality of their sins, necessary or not, they're forced to confront the monster inside.

It's these wars with internal beasts that do the most damage to the heart and soul.

I understand now why Mina would want to die after a crusade of vengeance like this.

And right now, a part of me wonders if Rolo has the same kind of anguish deep down in his heart. Can the light I see in him overcome the darkness of years spent as an assassin?

I don't know the answer. I might not live long enough to find out.

Forcing myself to calm down before the intensity of my emotions mixing with Mina's could overwhelm me, I faced Serena with a grim smile. "Please, Serena. Trust me. I can fight D.D. alone. Get Joey to Mina."

"But..."

"Mina needs him," I reminded her, breaking into a run as the dot on my screen began to descend toward the memorial site. "And he needs someone to look out for him so he doesn't get killed."

Serena kept pace behind me, but I could tell she was hesitant. "Ami, I don't like this. What if you..."

"I'll be fine."

It was a lie and we both knew it. D.D. will probably rip me apart, but this sacrifice is necessary for Mina to get the help she needs. We abandoned her before because we were all too caught up in our own struggles in one way or another to do the right thing for our comrade and the people of the Tokyo Settlement. Rei, Serena, Lita, and myself...we failed Mina. We failed each other. We failed innocent people, Japanese and Britannian, alike.

We must atone for those sins no matter the cost.

And at this point...I think Serena knows that better than anyone.

"This is the only chance we have to help our friend," I tell her, picking up the pace. "Playing it safe isn't an option anymore."

Serena responds with a shaky sigh that speaks volumes to the mounting tension in the air.

"You're right. Okay. I'll do it."


Every night when I went to sleep,
I would see a monster in my dreams.

The monster was ugly, scary, and mean.
It stalked the land whispering, "Who will my next victim be?"

My heartbeat was agony as I searched for safety,
A refuge from the beast's wretched symphony.


~A little earlier~

"Sailor Moon is here now, so the two of us need to get going, Mars," Ami stated, looking somewhat distracted. "Don't worry. We'll get Joey away from D.D. We can catch each other up on everything else that's happened once all this is over. For now, you need to focus on finding Mina. If we don't pick up the pace we'll lose her for good this time. There's no room for mistakes anymore."

My heart sank to my stomach, recalling how a good portion of this mess might not have happened if I had just handled myself better at Tokyo Tower. This one mistake did so much damage and Ami voicing it in this manner hurt more than if she had been maliciously trying to make me feel worse about it. The words were just a factual statement of what was at stake, nothing more, but they cut deeper than the sharpest blade of a samurai.

This is it. No more chances. No more room for error.

"I know." I replied, finally shaking away the regret and apprehension for the time being. "I'll do the best I can. Keep Joey safe. Mina is going to need him to get through all this."

"Got it. Be careful, Rei."

"You too."

The second Ami's face disappeared from the screen, CeleCele stood up from the snowy hilltop, her expression grim even though it was still carrying a hint of annoyance because of the accident with her magical flying bike...which I'd caused.

Yet another regret to add to the growing list.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Exactly what Mercury suggested I do," I answered, pointing toward the cable car station less than a mile up ahead. "There's another entryway into the tunnels up there. It shouldn't take me too long to reach it." Facing CeleCele, I added, "If you have another way of traveling fast, I'd suggest using it to help Sailor Moon and Mercury." I shuddered, thinking of my personal run-in with D.D. and how he'd nearly forced himself on me before remembering how he'd completely thrashed several of the Sailor Scouts while Serena and I were lost on Kaname Island with Lelouch, Suzaku, Euphie, and Kallen. Heh. Good times.

CeleCele frowned as she marched to my side. "Wait a moment. Don't you need backup?"

I shook my head. "I'm thankful to you for helping me get this far, but...this is something I need to do on my own."

"Are you sure, Ms. Mars? Diving into E.E.'s den alone probably isn't wise."

I immediately shifted into a defensive stance in front of CeleCele. Her eyes darted around as she tried to figure out the location of the new voice.

What was new for her was extremely familiar to me.

Standing on a snow-capped hill a few paces away wearing tattered black clothing stood the immortal cannibal himself.

On the one hand, his appearance was a good thing considering we still needed to capture him so that Kara wouldn't lock us up in a dungeon forever once she decided to contact us again. On the other...the timing couldn't be any worse.

"You've got ten seconds to get out of my way, A.A.," I snarled, quickly conjuring up a flame sniper to point directly at his smug face. "I mean it! I have no patience for any of your crap right now!"

"There's no need to act nasty, Sailor Mars,"the immortal replied, his smirk faltering slightly. "I've come to help this time."

"And why should I believe you?" I asked, narrowing my gaze on his. "After kidnapping and torturing Mina the way you did and then just disappearing the second you realized it was mommy dearest all along..."

"Mina and I patched things up," he interrupted, a sharp edge to his voice. "Turns out I'm capable of remorse after all. And that remorse compels me to offer you some assistance."

CeleCele glanced between the two of us, looking utterly confused as she muttered, "Maybe you should hear him out, Sailor Mars."

I kept silent, hesitant to do or say anything. A.A.'s overall demeanor was relaxed, with a composed expression and hands stuffed into his pockets like he was meant to be posing for a fashion magazine, but his actual physical state was horrendous. For one, his entire body was trembling from obvious strain. A small part of me wanted to write it off as him just reacting to the bitter wind howling around us, but one cursory glance was all it took to see he'd been beaten up badly. His clothing was scuffed up and torn in places, his face, though healing at a rapid rate, was covered in tiny, vein-like bruises, especially on the right side. Lastly, thick, dried clots of blood clung to the left side of his head, staining his golden strands red.

But I can't afford to underestimate him or let my guard down when he's proven how dangerous he can be, even in a severely damaged state.

However...something in his eyes...

"If you don't want my help that's fine," A.A. stated after a moment of tense silence. "I'll just be on my way..."

"Not so fast," I cut in, following his movement with my flame sniper. "You said you saw Mina down there?"

A.A. nodded. "We fought together briefly..."

"You better not be lying" I interrupted, increasing the intensity of the flames.

"I told you before that we patched things up."

"Well, where's Mina now?" CeleCele asked, finally getting her two cents in. "If you two were working together, why isn't she with you?"

"A good question," I remarked, mentally thanking the pink-haired acrobat for voicing her thoughts. "What's the real story?"

A.A.'s smug expression faltered significantly. "Mina...is fighting E.E. now. I gave her my blessing to do battle with her in my stead, since, as I'm sure you can see, I'm not feeling my best. I would have liked nothing more than to claim vengeance over that vindictive demon, but Mina's desire outweighed mine."

A sudden thought struck me. "Mina put you in this state, didn't she?"

"What? There's no way..."

The immortal cannibal shrugged then kept going as if I didn't ask the question, saying, "I don't know if she's alive or not at this point; however, I overheard your conversation with the other scouts. I can tell you now that you won't be able to cover the distance on foot fast enough to offer Mina any help, hence why I'm speaking with you."

"So then..." trailing off, I hesitantly lowered my flame sniper. "You really do want to help Mina? Seriously?"

"It's as I said before," he answered, turning around to face the cable car station. "Remorse compels me."

CeleCele stepped closer to me then, whispering, "You think he's telling the truth?"

I narrowed my gaze on A.A.'s, searching for any hint of malice or ill intent in his eyes, but the more I looked, the more clear his guilt became...to the point that it was like looking into a mirror of my own feelings.

"Yeah," I muttered finally, dispelling the flame sniper. "I do."

A.A.'s responding smile, while weak, was one reflecting an odd sort of gratitude.

"I'm in dreadful shape, so I can't assist you in battle. But..." He paused for a moment, his orange-colored irises drifting to his left hand as he shakily curled his fingers into a fist. "I have enough energy to get you to the entryway in record time. Five minutes tops."

CeleCele let out a sigh. "Well, I certainly can't help in terms of travel anymore...thanks to a certain someone."

All I could do was roll my eyes in response.

"But don't fret," she continued, turning her attention away from us and on to the destroyed bike. "You suggested I help your friends at the memorial site, and I have ways of helping that don't require my presence."

"Yeah, but..." I glanced warily at A.A. to give CeleCele the hint that I may need the back-up after all, but with her back turned, the feeble attempt at help amounted to nothing.

"Get going," she ordered, squatting down to get a better look at the damage done to her vehicle. "You're wasting time."

"But what if he has some ulterior motive I don't know about yet?' I wondered hopelessly. "I said I believed him not that I trusted him, dimwit!"

"Great we're all settled!" A.A. proclaimed, suddenly two inches away from my face. I was ready to shoot a fireball straight into his eye from the shock of the proximity I didn't want between us, but before the idea could even settle in my head he turned his back and knelt down in the snow.

"Climb on."

My brain fizzled out for a second. "On what?"

"My back."

"Why?"

He glared over his shoulder at me. "Do you want to help your friend or not?"

Biting down on my tongue I nodded.

"Then stop asking useless questions and climb on my back," A.A. replied, shaking his head.

Inhaling a deep breath, I forced myself to comply with the cannibal's demands. Regardless of how off-putting it is, I've got to set aside my misgivings for Mina's sake. Besides, A.A. may have tortured her, but I'm just as much of a factor in her downfall as he is. Uranus, possessed or not, was right to chastise me on my recent behavior. It's not enough to be sorry. I have to correct the mistakes I've made to the best of my ability.

Whether I'm forgiven or not doesn't matter anymore.

One way or another I'll make things right with Mina. I'll find a way to make things right again for the Sailor Scouts, my grandpa, Lelouch, Suzaku, Nunnally, for the student council, for the Japanese people, and for the world at large.

As grim as things seem right now, I have to hold on to hope that the future will be better...for all of us.

Once situated on A.A.'s back, he sprang to his feet. My fingernails dug into his shoulders as I fought not to lose my grip.

"Careful now," he muttered, digging his heels into the snow. "If you fall off you'll probably die...and then I'll be forced to throw your body in a ditch somewhere."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I tightened my grip around his shoulders. "Oh? You're not gonna eat me if I die, cannibal guy?"

"Is that what you cretins have been calling me?" he asked, readjusting his grip on my legs.

"Well, if the shoe fits..."

"It doesn't," A.A. interrupted with a sense of finality. "Not anymore."

I listened to him inhale a deep breath, and then, with an ear-splitting roar, A.A. burst into a sprint against the frigid air. The sheer speed of his movements forced me to hold on with a near death grip as I tried to keep myself from screaming.

This is a really weird turn of events, but with the stakes as high as they are, I'm grateful for any stroke of luck at this point. Whether I trust A.A. or not at this point really doesn't matter, not with Mina's life and sanity on the line. With every blindingly fast leap towards the cable car station, I feel the weight of Mina's despair more and more. While it serves as a confirmation that she's still alive, this connection with Mina's emotions is becoming increasingly unsettling, especially since Lita and Ami have been able to feel it too.

"Serena didn't though..."

The thought comes unbidden but is quickly forgotten as another wave of violent emotion smashes into my chest, robbing me of breath.

Destroy...

KILL...

END THE PAIN RIGHT NOW!

Gritting my teeth I closed my eyes. "That voice...what is that? I've felt bad vibes plenty of times before, but this is on another level. We're running out of time. Whatever this is...it's completely taking over Mina's mind. "

"What's wrong?" A.A. asked suddenly, his exhaustion plain as he pushed himself forward at an inhuman speed. "Getting scared back there or something."

He had no idea how spot on he was.


Every night when I went to sleep,
I would see a monster in my dreams.

The monster was ugly, scary, and mean,
It stalked the land whispering, "Who will my next victim be?"

My heartbeat was agony as I searched for safety,
A refuge from the beast's wretched symphony.

The monster screamed,
The monster cried,
And eventually, the monster died.


With gritted teeth, Minako Aino pushed past the imposing doorway to E.E.'s throne room with her head held high.

"About time I found you," she shouted, blinking rapidly as a means to adjust her eyes to the nonexistent lighting of the room "I was beginning to wonder how many more subordinates you would send to die before you worked up the nerve to face me, E.E."

A single snap of fingers echoed through the room. The hall Mina stood in brightened, revealing a familiar space taken straight from a dark, modern fairy-tale.

The senshi of love tainted by hatred took in the rectangular shape of the massive room and the walls of mirror on either side. The floor, while still the trademark stone common throughout the underground chamber, was in a charcoal color rather than the tan color Mina had gotten used to during her trip through the lair. A violet, shimmering carpet split the room in half through the center, and gleaming, electric chandeliers covered in an array of azure and amethyst crystals hung high above, shrouding the entire room in artificial lighting.

"Like it?"

The words prompted Mina to shift her focus from the beautiful chandeliers to an elevated platform at the end of the room. A figure wearing a black hooded robe sat in a throne made of crystals. Turquoise curtains were draped over this stage, casting another layer of shadow on the mysterious presence.

"Startled, aren't you?" The figure laughed and the raspy sound of it sent a vicious chill down Mina's spine.

"Do not fret. It is I, E.E. And you, my dear friend, have caused me a great deal of trouble."

"I know you didn't just call me your friend."

"Touched a nerve, huh?" the immortal questioned, her head still bowed toward the ground as tiny pieces of Mina's thoughts resonated within her own mind. "Perhaps I should explain my physical state."

Mina narrowed her sapphire gaze on the sword strapped to E.E.'s hip. "I don't really care about it. I'm here to kill you, not rate your appearance."

The immortal demon let out a sardonic laugh. "Oh, but you should see what your actions caused." With slow, methodical movements better suited for a theatrical production, E.E. raised her right hand to the sleeve covering the left. She paused for a few seconds, presumably for dramatic effect, then snatched the fabric away to the reveal the useless skeletal hand leftover from Ophelia's final attack.

"Surprise, surprise."

Mina merely gritted her teeth in response, shaken beyond what words could adequately express.

"Got your attention, eh," E.E. remarked, enjoying the look of shock and disgust on the teen's face. "You see, after you turned Ophelia against me, we had a bit of a drag out fight. As you know, I won the battle...but the damage I sustained was...shall I say...a cosmetic downfall.

Mina remained silent, her thoughts drifting as the immortal demon began to reach for the hood atop her head.

"I don't understand how anyone could follow orders from someone like this," the tormented teen thought, her heart beginning to race with newfound rage. "What kind of person places their trust in a maniac who psychologically manipulates and destroys every person who dares to come close at any given time? Ophelia did it out of fear. A.A. for the sake of his family...and maybe himself too...but my mother...Veronica Wong too...and...all those other subordinates who allied themselves with E.E. willingly..."

Mina's thoughts continued on this cycle for a long moment. Deep down she knew the reasons. Her Geass revealed the reasons. None of them had mattered in the end.

"Hello? Minako? Are you still in there, doll?"

Though Mina heard the taunt, it didn't truly register. All she could see were images of the past. Each moment captured in her mind's eye showed fragments of the lives E.E.'s subordinates had lived before their deaths at her hands. Most of them, like her, had families they loved and wanted to take care of, even if it meant staining their hands with blood. The rest were either forced or tricked into servitude like Ophelia, A.A., and A1.

E.E. saw the range of Mina's thoughts using her own Geass. As far as Mina knew, the immortal demon was standing before her, dramatically reaching to withdraw her hood from her head.

In reality, E.E. had barely moved an inch since Mina's arrival. She was simply manifesting an illusion for the teen, essentially creating a mental scenario of conflict rather than a physical one to buy herself a little more time to prepare the next step of her war against the Sailor Scouts.

The opening moves of their showdown, whether Mina was aware of it or not, had been set in motion. So far, the immortal demon was weaving this chess game flawlessly with the use of taunts and effective illusions, which continued on for several minutes. The ribbon-wearing blonde was breaking down without the immortal having to lift a finger. E.E. delighted in watching Mina's face contort with pain with every imaginary blow dealt to her body within the confines of her feeble mind, but while the mind game was fun, E.E. quickly grew tired of it.

And so, after another minute or so, E.E. smacked Mina out of the illusion and back to reality with an invisible pulse of energy. The sheer force of the energy sent Mina sailing across the room until she hit the floor with a loud smack.

Breathing roughly, the teen blinked a couple of times as she sat up, then frantically stared down at her hands for gashes that weren't there. With another harsh exhale she peered at the walls of mirror surrounding them, surprise clear in her gaze when she realized not a single one was broken even though she'd been thrown into them...of course, the ribbon wearing blonde quickly realized none of it had been real.

E.E. in response to Mina's confusion, couldn't help but congratulate herself on a job well done, but now it was time to end things.

"Another push is all I need to draw it out," the immortal thought, slowly rising from her throne. "I never told you to bottle up your feelings. I didn't force you to pretend you were happy when you were wasting away inside."

The Millennium Ring around Mina's neck began to pulse. Voices were ringing in her head, distracting her, eroding her sanity to a point of no return. E.E. heard the mangled tones of the monster hidden within Mina's mind.

"Good. Just a bit more. Stage one of the plan is finally nearing it's completion after all this time, K3."

"Where's the paperwork, E.E.?"

The immortal demon pretended not to hear, instead saying, "You decided to bury your emotions. You decided to cast off your friends. You decided to kill nine people to get to me. And..."

The monster's voice burst forth from Mina's mind in a torrent of rage.

Don't let her say it. Don't let her say it. Don't you dare let her say it!

Destroy...

KILL...

END THE PAIN RIGHT NOW!

E.E.'s own heart was racing, but not from fear.

"Where. Is. My father's. Paperwork?" With each muttered word, Mina shakily staggered to her feet. "If the next words out of your mouth aren't what I want to hear..."

"Oh what can you do?" E.E. interrupted, laughing maniacally in a sudden burst of elation as she slowly strode down the stairs in front of her throne. "You already know you can't beat me. You can't even touch me. I don't have to lift a single finger to do away with you. All it takes is a little probing of the mind."

As excited as she was to finally move into this particular phase of the plan, E.E.'s flesh hand shook slightly. This scheme was a risky, last resort maneuver she had been forced to take due to past failures and the unexpected demise of K3 at the hands of Sailor Mars.

"I'll avenge you, K3," E.E. thought to herself, her hand steadying. "And I will fulfill the duty you've entrusted to me. I will not die tonight. This I swear."

With this resolve in mind, the immortal demon began her final bout of taunting.

"I'm just trying to enlighten you about yourself," she stated, playing up the bravado. "Honestly, those deplorable Sailor Scouts are a thorn in my side..."

"Shut up...please..."

"...But to their credit, at least they don't lie to themselves or to the world the way you do."

The violent cries of the monster erupted from Mina's mind once more.

LET ME RIP HER APART! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? STOP FIGHTING AGAINST ME!

"The paperwork, E.E." Mina whispered, her voice disturbingly calm in her own ears. "I have to save him."

"Oh yes, I know how desperate you are to save your darling daddy from his pesky tumor problem," the immortal droned, false delight dripping from her voice. "Yes, Mr. Toshido Aino, yet another former contractor of mine."

The instant the words were spoken, all color and sound in the room seemed to drain from Mina's consciousness, leaving her in a monochrome space with a debilitating silence.

"What did you just say?"

Mina felt her mouth move, but she didn't hear herself ask the question.

E.E.'s response was immediate. "Yes, that's right. Your precious daddy used to work for me too. Has a Geass power and everything. In fact, his Geass is why he has the tumor in the first place."

"Though I'd hope to put a stop to it, Cecelia's insubordination forced my hand," E.E. mused with an inward sigh. "I even allied myself with the spirit of that infernal ring to avoid this course of action, but I see now that it's the only feasible way to ensure the destruction of Geass and the ones who set it loose to begin with. Sailor Mars and the rest of the Sailor Scouts will pay retribution for what they've done, starting here and now!"

"So you see, Mina. You can cast blame on me if you want to, but the reality is this." With an elegant flourish, the immortal demon pointed her index finger at the former senshi of love. "Both of your parents chose to ally themselves with me, chose to accept the Geass contracts I gave them, and chose to betray me...thus the reason you ended up in this little predicament."

Mina was too shaken by E.E.s words and her own thoughts to respond, so the immortal simply kept going.

"Your parents made their choices and have each suffered the consequences," she proclaimed. "Whatever their reasons, they chose a path just as you have. The only difference is how you classify your sinful deeds."

"No." Mina shook her head violently, trying her best to keep herself afloat with lies. "I know that I have to bear the consequences of my actions. I killed my mother. That was a choice I made to save Joey..."

"Still using the poor boy as an excuse are we?"

Snapping her gaze up to meet the vacant gaze of the demon, Mina immediately protested.

"Joey is not an excuse. My mother was going to kill him...I..."

"What? You had no choice?"

Mina couldn't answer. There was nothing she could say.

And then, before E.E could truly register the change, Mina started shaking violently. With each second that passed the shaking intensified until a crimson aura took hold of the Millennium Ring and Mina's body along with it. A loud, piercing cry erupted from the teen's throat as the color of her eyes slowly transformed from blue to red.


Every night when I went to sleep,
I would see a monster in my dreams.

The monster was ugly, scary, and mean,
It stalked the land whispering, "Who will my next victim be?"

My heartbeat was agony as I searched for safety,
A refuge from the beast's wretched symphony.

The monster screamed,
The monster cried,
And eventually, the monster died.

Each day I woke with relief inside.

But one day I awoke and found despair.

Beneath my feet...&% ^^loved$&17

&&&*444444b333333l22o222o2222d2

...s...

...c...r...

...e...a...m...e...d

Transmission Interrupted...

Data Encryption Detected...

Virus Detected...

Running Scan for Data Recovery...

System Shutdown Recommended...

Commence System Shutdown?

Letting out a sigh of exasperation, Detective Kara Fennette quickly clicked YES.

SYSTEM SHUTDOWN & REBOOT COMMENCING...

SYSTEM SHUTDOWN COMPLETE.

INITIATING SYSTEM REBOOT.


A/N: Whew! Finally! After all this time...this chapter is done! It took a very long time to figure out how I wanted this one to go, but I'm thrilled with how it turned out and I'm excited to get started on the next chapter, which may or may not conclude this madness involving Mina. I'm not sure yet, but I do know that the next chapter will probably be a long one...a really long one. XD Haha! Anyway, thank you all for reading! Thank you all for patiently putting up with my whack update schedule. I really hope this chapter was able to entertain you guys. It's been a tough year, and the stuff going on in this story and Golden Strands is extremely dark stuff...which may not be the best thing right now considering all the craziness that's gone on with the pandemic this year, but for those of you who have been waiting for me to update, I hope this chapter brightened your day and I hope all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year once 2021 arrives. I'm certain it'll be a good one. God bless you all! Thank you so much for reading.