A/N: Hello! I am back with another explosive chapter of this WAY TOO LONG story...but we're approaching an end point, hence the title of this chapter. Don't know what I'm talking about? I guess you'll see soon enough. I had a great deal of help with this particular chapter, so special thanks to those that contributed. You know who you are. Thank you...and don't kill me for what's coming. I hope all of you will enjoy this chapter. Thank you for reading and God bless you all!
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh (the random anime that got thrown in), or the Fate series (the other random anime madness that my friends influenced me to include.) Yep...this story is a mess, but I wouldn't have it any other way at this point.
Warnings/Announcement: A week after this chapter is uploaded, I am officially bumping up the rating to M for this story. Probably should have done it a while ago because teens should not be exposed to the madness unfolding in the latter portion of this story. This particular chapter contains mentions of more descriptive blood and gore than what is typical for this story, so reader discretion is strongly advised. That is all. Thank you!
Chapter 115
Monster: A Nightmare Ends
A breath passes through my lips like a shudder as A.A.'s revelation slams into my consciousness like a speeding freight train. Beneath the shock, volatile, poisonous emotions swim in my stomach. While most of those emotions belong to Mina, her pure, unadulterated wrath mixes well with my own.
I'm absolutely furious. A.A. was obviously playing some sick game with me at the worst time imaginable, but despite that certainty, I can't muster the energy to yell or scorch his face with a fireball.
Instead my mind pulls me back to the night of the Black Rebellion...to a confrontation with Suzaku.
He'd been sitting by Euphemia's bedside, mourning her death quietly when I arrived to pay my respects. Up until that moment, I'd never seen his face contort with so much rage before. He immediately told me I had no right to be there, since I was a member of the Black Knights at the time. I apologized. He demanded to see my face despite already knowing who I was beneath the hood of my crimson cloak.
He wondered how I could defend Zero, especially after he'd used his Geass to force Euphemia to kill the Japanese. Thinking about it now, I never asked him how he found out about the power. At the time it was more important to tell Suzaku the truth.
The tragic slaughter of thousands was the result of an accident.
Do you really expect me to believe that!? After all the lies you told? How am I supposed to trust you?"
Please, Suzaku! Just listen! I tried to warn Zero, but I didn't get to explain. I passed out long before I could. He promised me he wouldn't go to the Special Zone at all, but he lied. He ended up using his Geass on Euphie, and as a result thousands of innocent people died. It's true that a good deal of the massacre is his fault...but I'm to blame as well. I'm the one who created Geass in the first place."
"Why would you create such a despicable power?"
And that right there is the magic question. When Suzaku asked, I couldn't give an answer. Even if he asked me again today, I would be no closer to having an answer for him. Despite all the time that's passed, this all too important question remains a mystery. I want to believe it was for a good reason, but...
Geass is responsible for so much suffering. It drove Mao insane, drove Shirley into a state of misery so deep she thought she had to kill Lelouch and I to atone, twisted an innocent princess' sincere desire to help the Japanese people, and it tore two best friends apart.
Those things don't even include E.E. and the unspeakable things she's done using it.
Whatever purpose I originally designed Geass for has long since passed.
This power shouldn't exist anymore.
That fact is especially true if A.A. isn't lying like I hope he is.
Because if he isn't...then that means...
"A.A...what kind of stunt is this?"
"I'm not deceiving you if that's what you think," A.A. states softly. His eyelids flutter to showcase his exhaustion. "But I didn't expect you to believe me anyway, Sailor Mars. To be honest, I actually expected a more violent reaction."
I stiffen slightly, aware of the mania and blood-lust slowly crawling through my veins. "There's no time for this. Mina is fighting E.E. and she's slipping fast. At this rate she'll..."
"Even so," A.A. continues, interrupting my thoughts. "I've revealed this to you so you don't go in there blind. The Minako Aino you knew won't exist for much longer if my dear mother has successfully drawn out the Millennium Sword. Don't let E.E. get her hands on it if you want to continue protecting this despicable world."
Unable to respond with anything but a nod, I quickly finish lifting the small door to E.E.'s inner sanctum while ignoring the dark chuckle the cannibal uttered. The mirth in it made it easy to leave him to whatever fate befell him.
However, what he said next shook me to the core.
"You'll be doing her a favor, you know. She wants to die."
Though reluctant to do so, I force myself to stand still and take a deep breath before entering the tunnels. Once I was inside, there'd be no turning back. My mind needs to be absolutely clear and focused for that.
"Good luck, Sailor Mars."
I take off into a sprint down the stairway as soon as the words leave his lips. A.A.'s information isn't something I can begin to process. Even if I had the time to do so, right now...it's far more important to just get Mina out of here.
With my new heels clacking against the stone floor of the narrow passage, I pick up the pace of my sprint until it's a full-blown run. The torches along the walls light up the path, but it's Mina's own tumultuous emotions that guide my feet in the direction they go in. All the while, I'm doing everything I can to keep my mind empty of anything that isn't intrinsically linked to the task at hand.
A part of me wonders if this is how Lelouch had to operate when he was Zero. Was he forced to compartmentalize his thoughts and emotions like this? More to the point, was hatred as strong of a guiding force for him the way it is for Mina now, or was he more driven by his love for Nunnally? I guess those are questions for the Lelouch that actually remembers everything, and not the amnesia ridden student the power of Geass turned him into.
That same power forced Euphemia to commit mass genocide. That same power ripped her out of Suzaku's life and turned him into someone I barely recognize as a friend.
That same power made Rolo, a boy Ami clearly cares deeply for, into a cold assassin who wouldn't hesitate to kill any one of us if he was given the order. It's the power E.E. has used to control Mina's mother and manipulate people like A.A. and his siblings into doing all manner of evil...even though she...
"Stop it, Rei."
But I can't stop thinking about it. Geass may even be the reason why Ami, Lita, and I can feel Mina's emotions so strongly. On top of that, Mina's Geass ability allows her to see into the past. I'm well aware of the trauma that type of power brings. Just seeing the future causes stress and turmoil on a level the others simply have no way of understanding. I wouldn't want them too. It's why I used to hide aspects of my clairvoyance from the others. Dealing with the things I saw was easier if I didn't have to share.
Mina's power, from my perspective at least, is much worse.
The things I see are things not yet decided. After all, the future is ever-changing.
"The past is set in stone."
It's as I'm thinking this that I enter a massive hall with pillars. The unfamiliar setting makes me stop for a moment as a distinct but familiar metallic stench registers.
"Blood..." Trailing off I slowly walk forward, keeping a look out for any potential enemies only to realize soon after I start moving that a battle had already been fought here. Bullet shells are scattered about here and there, a great-sword lies abandoned near one of the pillars, and...
"Oh, God..."
I nearly stepped on a splotch of inky, black blood. My eyes follow the trail of liquid to a headless corpse soon after. A little ways from that body are chunks of flesh littered about in all directions with the source of all the gore being yet another headless body. Drawing closer I notice a single stab wound through the center of the chest.
"This is..."
Turning on my heel gives me a glimpse of the last body. This one was the only one with a head attached, and a part of me wished it hadn't been. With bright, platinum colored hair and unseeing violet eyes, she stood out against the copper tones of the floor beneath her. The sides of her mouth were caked in dried blood, and so was her throat where it was clear she'd been stabbed, but the poor woman's torso sustained the most damage. She'd been stabbed so many times it looked like her whole stomach and chest had sprouted open.
Though gruesome, what's most unsettling to me is the woman's agonized expression. It wasn't the type of look born from physical pain alone, although it's obvious there'd been plenty of it.
There's no life left in her violet eyes, but it's easy to see and feel the grief she felt in her final moments.
"Mina couldn't be responsible for all this." I proclaim weakly, having read the energy of the room long before saying the words aloud. Like it or not, Mina is responsible for these deaths. Their spirits are still here, crying out to me through the sudden chill in the room. In response, I close my eyes and begin to chant a few prayers for them.
Even if they were E.E.'s subordinates...the brutality displayed here is absolutely sickening to me.
I've revealed this to you so you don't go in there blind.
Releasing a sigh, I open my eyes and open myself up to Mina's emotions again. "The blood-lust is getting worse."
The Minako Aino you knew won't exist for much longer if my dear mother has successfully drawn out the Millennium Sword.
Chasing A.A.'s words out of my head, I follow the path of Mina's increasingly manic emotions to a partially open doorway. The lighting in this new room is brighter, but I'm instantly put on edge by a continuous clicking sound once I step inside the threshold. Eventually I see two machine guns mounted on the walls. There are rolled up tapestries hanging above both guns, so I'm guessing they were hidden until activated. Luckily for me, the guns ran out of bullets a long time ago.
There's another body a few feet away from me, but a surge of unrestrained hate knocks all the breath out of my lungs before I can even glance at it.
If you keep resisting my power you'll die before you can kill her.
A harsh gasp escapes me as I sink to my knees.
She's responsible for everything! EVERYTHING! LET ME OUT! I CAN FINISH IT! I CAN FINISH THEM ALL IN A BREATH!
Funny that horrible voice mentions breathing when I feel like I can't breathe at all right now. Mina is close. Not just in proximity but to the brink of madness. I'm not sure if she even realizes how strong her blood-lust is becoming at this point. It's like there's two different versions of Mina fighting for control right now...and the malevolent version is winning.
"No," I rasp out, shaking my head for good measure. "I can't think like that. A.A. is wrong! He has to be!"
But as I say that, memories of an alternate Mina come to mind. She was the one with crimson colored eyes...the one who told me Joey had the best shot of actually saving her.
"What if...no, no, no!" My hands fly to the sides of my head in a vain attempt to get my thoughts under control. "Stop it! You're getting distracted at the most crucial moment..."
KILL! KILL! KILL! GET UP!
"Get up!" I echo in my thoughts. With a forceful movement I stand up despite the violent tremors in my legs. "Save Mina!"
With my priorities firmly in order, I run to the next door and ram it open with the heel of my foot. The scent of smoke fills my nostrils the instant I step through the doorway.
"Feeble-minded child."
The gravely voice sounds completely foreign to my ears, but the vindictive edge to the words leaves me with only one conclusion about who the voice belongs to. A massive and bright mass of fire blazes on the other side of the room, and with the smoke as a factor, it's difficult to see exactly what's going on. I walk in slowly, trying hard to visually assess the situation without alerting the immortal demon of my presence, but it soon became apparent that one of the two silhouettes I could see was holding a sword high above their head.
"Someone should have taught you not to make promises you can't keep..."
"And someone should have taught you not to play with fire!" I shouted, quickly conjuring up some flames of my own. Holding the magic in my palms helps me to see Mina lying on the floor, which means the figure with the skeleton mask for a face has to be E.E.
Ophelia really did do a number on her, and it looks like Mina did her own fair share of work to weaken this demon. Even so...
"You're too late to save her, Sailor Mars!" E.E. growled, shifting back in Mina's direction. "I already won!"
"No! Tonight you'll finally lose, E.E."
"Say goodbye to your friend!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!
The instant Suzaku Kururugi slapped his head against fluffy white pillows and closed his eyes to go to sleep for the night, his cell phone blared to life. At first he just laid there, cursing his pitiful existence and Lelouch's Geass power for probably the hundredth time that day, but ultimately stretched out his right arm to grab the blasted device from the nightstand table.
Sighing lowly, he swiped the green answer button then pressed the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Took you long enough to answer, Kururugi."
Suzaku's eyes shot open as he immediately sat up in bed. "Lady Fennette! Where are you? How are you?"
"This isn't the time for stupid questions," the detective replied. "There's a situation in Narita, and I have important Intel on E.E. that we need to get on file immediately."
With the phone smashed between his ear and shoulder, Suzaku quickly threw off the covers and walked across the room to the closet where his uniform hung. "How bad is it? I can be there with a small personal force in fifteen minutes..."
"I'll happily accept the assistance of a few soldiers, but I need you to do something more administrative," Kara cut in. "Meet me in Azabu Park at midnight."
Suzaku quickly checked the watch on his phone. It was 11:01 p.m.
"You expect me to wait around for an hour in the cold without any explanation?"
A sharp groan sounded on the other end of the line. "Suzaku, pay attention! I said I had something administrative for you to do."
The Japanese teen simply rolled his eyes and sighed yet again. "I can't believe I was actually worried about this woman."
"Are you still there?"
"Yes, Lady Fennette. I'm listening."
"Good. I need a warrant to arrest Minako Aino."
Suzaku froze. "You need what!?"
"You are particularly slow tonight," Kara droned with about as much interest as someone would have watching paint dry. "A warrant. I have grounds to arrest Minako Aino for the murder of Cecelia Ashford and nine other persons here in Narita."
"Nine?"
"Nine...and it might be ten if she's able to kill E.E.," Kara continued with a hint of agitation. "Frankly, I have a lot of questions for this mysterious E.E., and I would hate for her to die before I get those questions resolved. So, if you would, be a dear and get the stupid warrant and your equally stupid butt in Azabu Park. If you aren't there by midnight, I'll have to have a discussion with the Emperor...and he really hates it when I pester him. Kay? Ta ta for now! See you in an hour!"
With that said, Kara Fennette hung up before Suzaku could even hope to get another word in. Then, after taking a deep breath, she turned to one of the other thorns in her side.
"Your Majesty. Are you absolutely certain Mina will be at Azabu Park by midnight?" she asked, narrowing her gaze on the blonde standing next to her.
"You question the knowledge of a king?"
Kara continued to study the blonde man calling himself Gilgamesh. He'd proven useful throughout the evening, and given his strange abilities, she couldn't say she was all that doubtful of the information he'd willfully given without so much as a hint of prompting.
However, this bout of generosity was irritatingly suspicious, hence her questioning.
Gilgamesh smirked, having read into the true nature of her suspicions. "A happy concubine makes for a good time."
The false priest, Kirei Kotomine, merely shook his head as he walked off into another tunnel without a care for whether either of them followed.
Kara, in quiet disbelief, could only stare into Gilgamesh's crimson-colored irises. Of course, she was also painfully aware of his gaze lingering on her lips as well as the lack of witnesses to any number of crimes she knew this man was all too willing to commit.
His eager expression also didn't help matters.
"I get the sinking suspicion my happiness isn't necessarily required in our...arrangement."
Gilgamesh took a step closer and brushed a loose strand of fiery red hair out of her face. "You assume correctly, but I am capable of mercy when it suits my interests."
"Meaning?"
His fingers lingered on her cheek as he leaned in closer, presumably for a kiss, but at the last second he paused.
And then, in a bone chilling whisper...
"I know about all your little escapade last night."
Kara's emerald irises widened considerably in genuine shock. "How could he possibly know about that?"
He chuckled, easily sensing the sudden tension in her body. "It's been a long time since a woman has defied me in such an entertaining way. Throwing yourself into another man's arms just to maintain this ludicrous idea of control shows me what kind of woman you really are, Lady Fennette."
The seductive whisper of her title made Kara's breath hitch in her throat. "R-Really?" She mentally cursed herself for stuttering. "What does it say, Your Highness?"
She didn't mean to grind out the words "Your Highness" quite so menacingly, but she was caught between wanting to kill this strange man and wishing he'd just shut up and have his way with her already.
Another chuckle slipped through his lips, but there was a lot less mirth in it than before. "You have trouble with submission. Such a trait is hardly suitable for a concubine, so it seems I will have to help you correct this flaw."
Before Kara could even attempt a rebuttal, his lips were on hers, claiming them as his.
For two and a half seconds, the detective didn't mind it in the slightest.
By second three she'd gone completely rigid out of anger only to find herself slipping right back into ecstasy as he deepened the kiss. Though it was with a little more force than what was actually necessary, Kara all but melted into it. A moment later, without any reservation whatsoever, the detective roughly tugged on the bottom of his shirt to pull him closer. Gilgamesh swatted her hands away almost immediately but was quick to place one of his hands comfortably on her waist while the other wove itself into her hair.
A minute of pure bliss went by, and Kara started questioning why she didn't want him to do this earlier.
She remembered the second she felt him smile against her lips.
"Why...that cocky pervert!"
Having regained full control of her mind, Kara made herself break away, but if possible Gilgamesh's smile widened even more, and Lord help her it was beautiful.
With a traitorous blush on her face she glared at him. "Are you done? Can I get my personal space back?"
"Are you sure want it back, concubine?"
"No...Yes..." she let out a fierce groan of rage and inwardly cursed her hormones. "Yes, I am sure."
Gilgamesh, much to Kara's surprise, released her from his grip. "Very well. I shall bestow my mercy upon you again. I hope you feel grateful, mongrel."
"I feel tortured is more like it," the irritable detective thought, trying in vain to regain her fractured sense of composure. "Ugh, I'm going back to the homeland the instant Minako is in custody..."
"Bleh!"
Kara and Gilgamesh both paused having heard the distant sound of vomiting. Firmly back in business mode, the detective nodded for the blonde to catch up with Kotomine then began to make her approach towards the sound with her gun in hand. For a few seconds, Gilgamesh stayed where he was as he could feel a powerful presence nearby, but eventually spun on his heel while stuffing his hands into his pockets. He could sense where the priest was, but he wasn't ready to catch up with him just yet.
The King of Heroes had his own business to attend to.
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
I knew before the attack left my fingertips that it wasn't fast enough to stop the path of E.E.'s sword. Thankfully, Mina rolled onto her side at the last second. E.E.'s attack missed, and by putting all her focus on Mina, she didn't have any time to save herself from my own onslaught.
The Flame Sniper did its job and knocked E.E. away from Mina, but I didn't anticipate her landing in the fire engulfing the elevated stage at the back of the room.
"GWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Now's my chance to get Mina out of here," I thought, racing to her side as the immortal demon's howls echo throughout the room. At some point Mina rolled back onto her stomach and now she was struggling to get her wrists free. Once by her side, I immediately got to work on loosening the red ribbon binding her hands while ignoring the fresh blood coating them.
"Mina, are you okay? Talk to me."
A soft groan was the only answer the blonde provided, which I could barely hear over E.E.'s continuous cries of agony. Getting burnt to a crisp will keep the demon still for a minute or two at best. I'm sure Mina would probably like to keep fighting too, but her strained breathing makes it clear she'll die if she tries to do much more
As much as I'd love to take E.E. down now while she's weak, it's more important to save Mina's life, which means we need to get moving fast.
After another quick glance at the immortal demon recovering from her preview of Hell, I gently raise Mina so she'll be resting on her knees rather than on her stomach. She lets out a low hiss at the movement and it's followed by a low shaky breath that does nothing to ease my worries about her physical state. I wish Ami was here, she's a lot better at examining injuries like this. From what I can tell, there's a pretty bad slash wound on her back, someone cut her face, and the way she's struggling to draw breath even now means she either has cracked or broken ribs.
On top of all that, she looks like she straight up took a bath in blood.
"Mina, you're gonna be okay now," I proclaim, trying to convince myself of that more than her. "I promise, I'll keep you safe."
Her response is a visceral, hacking cough. Blood came out.
"She could have a punctured lung at this point." Clenching my fists, I shift my attention to E.E. Bent at the waist with her arms dangling by her sides, sparks of red electricity dance around her frame. Her immortal Code is doing its best to keep her together, and while it isn't doing anything to fix her appearance, by slow increments her body is straightening up. She'll be ready to fight again soon. Too soon.
Mina lifts her hand, then points to the left. "Sword."
My eyes follow the path of her index finger to a golden katana lying on the floor.
There's something eerily familiar about the weapon.
"Is that...the sword A.A. was talking about?"
Confused about what to do, I quickly shift my gaze back to Mina. It only takes a second to see what she wants. She couldn't finish this, but someone has to.
And if this is the Millennium Sword E.E. wanted then...it might be the key to ending this nightmare.
"It's worth a try."
Having made a decision, I give a quick nod to Mina and rise to my feet. "Don't worry." With a final glance at E.E., I make a beeline for the abandoned weapon on the floor.
"I'll finish this!"
With a guttural scream, the immortal demon springs from the flames with her sword ready just as I grasp the sword's hilt. An immediate surge of dark power shakes through my body from the soles of my feet to the tips of my fingers. However, as intense as the energy output is, the actual feel of it is more neutral. My own power over Geass feels similar to this, but what's emanating from this sword is still different somehow.
Everything about it is foreign, yet familiar.
Jumping out of E.E.'s initial strike, I wait for her to charge at me again. Most of her clothes have melted into her skin. What little remains is barely keeping her covered at all. When she lunges at me with her sword again, the movement is shaky and desperate. She's afraid.
A vision...no...a memory flashes before my eyes briefly. In this memory E.E. has the short blonde hair and leaf-green eyes I'm used to seeing, but she's wearing a black cloak over a simple, beige dress.
She's afraid in my memory too, for in it, I'm about to slay her and she knows it.
This was the weapon I used destroy E.E. in the Silver Millennium.
"I remember," I told her with a laugh as our blades came together. The burnt skeletal mask serving as her face should have scared me, but nothing about her seems threatening anymore. "I remember killing you with this sword, E.E. Your end is at hand."
E.E. didn't say anything, probably couldn't say anything. The fire had consumed her whole body and her Immortal Code couldn't fix her up fast enough. She's nothing but a pesky gremlin now.
Kicking her against the stomach to put some distance between us, I shout, "In the name of Mars, you'll pay for all the harm you've caused!"
A powerful force enters my mind. It's E.E.
"Sailor Mars, I won't let you defeat me again! I've fought too hard and sacrificed too much to get here! No matter what, I will fulfill my promise!"
"Get over yourself," I bite back, gripping the hilt of the Millennium Sword with both hands, before spinning into a low attack. E.E. was slightly out of reach, but the force of the attack sent her staggering backward. Taking advantage of this, I charge forward with roar full of all the anguish, despair, and misery she brought straight to Mina and my friends.
"Geass is a curse you unleashed..."
"Yeah, I'm aware," I cut in, lunging forward in a stabbing motion. E.E. sidesteps away and makes her own attempt to stab me, but the attack is easy to parry away. She goes for a high attack next. I block it. She follows up with a low. I jump to avoid it then immediately retaliate with a fierce kick to the center of E.E.'s skeletal face. Thin cracks spring up upon impact. The demon hisses lowly.
"Everything is your fault!"
Smirking, I watch electricity crackle from the sword in E.E.'s hand. Flinging herself in the air, she performs triple layout flip she believes is too fast for me to react too.
"I know."
Once the demon is close enough, I perform a single, one-handed back-hand spring to escape the path of the slashing attack she hoped would chop my head off. With the flick of a wrist once upright, E.E.'s sword flies into the air.
I'm in the perfect position to strike now. The Millennium Sword glows in my hand.
"This is it! With this last attack..."
"Sailor Mars..."
"I'll erase the evils of Geass from this world."
A/N: And that's the end of this chapter. The first section of this chapter took a good amount of time for me to get a feel for a pen down, but a little help and time spent watching competitive Tekken 7 matches helped me get a stronger sense of where I wanted this chapter to go. Writing fight scenes still aren't my strong suit, but I hope the small back and forth between Rei and E.E. here was satisfying. Thank you all for reading! I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for the next one! God bless you all!