Chapter Fifty-six: Grave for Hope
Setsuna gazed out the taxi's window, at her surroundings blurring past. "These taxis take people everywhere."
Beside Rei, Patrick smiled. "Even haunted graveyards."
Granted, Setsuna, Hotaru, Haruka, Rei, and Patrick had had to pay the taxi driver a twenty percent premium so he'd take them to the Flying Dutchman's Graveyard. Of course no one wanted to go to a ghost's graveyard. Especially one overrun by robots.
According to Patrick, the Flying Dutchman lived in the graveyard. Was he fighting the robots?
In legends, the Flying Dutchman was a haunted ship, doomed to never reach port. When Setsuna said as such, Patrick replied, "Why would the Dutchman be a ship instead of a ghost? I mean, 'man' is right in his name." He gawked. "Unless the Dutchman can transform into a ship."
Rei narrowed her eyes at the starfish. "Do you hear the words that come out of your mouth?"
Haruka nudged Rei. "We haven't stepped foot in the graveyard, and here you are, mad with Patrick."
"I try to stay patient with him." She rolled her eyes. "It doesn't always work."
Patrick pressed his face against the window. For someone who feared his own shadow, he seemed enthusiastic about visiting a graveyard and a ghost. Maybe he was friends with the Flying Dutchman. Frighteningly, no one but Patrick knew what his idea of a friend was.
As they approached the graveyard, screaming wind rocked the cab. Setsuna grabbed the door handle, ready to escape if the cab flipped over.
A fog surrounded them, and the driver muttered, "Can't see a darned thing. Hasn't this Dutchman guy heard of air fresheners?" Did the fog come from rotting smells of the dead?
Regardless, the fog did not bode well for their time in the graveyard.
Better for the group, who could fight, to endanger themselves than the innocent taxi driver.
Setsuna placed her hand on the back of the passenger's seat and leaned up. "Sir, we can get out here and make our way to the graveyard."
The driver stomped the brakes, screeching the taxi to a halt. The doors popped open. Springs burst from the seats, propelling the group out of the cab. As Setsuna tumbled on the green sand, trying to scrabble upright to retain some dignity, the cab turned and howled down the green slope.
Haruka had stood, brushing herself off. "I take it he's glad he doesn't have to visit a ghost's graveyard."
Hotaru nodded. She, too, had regained her footing quickly.
Rei lay under Patrick. "As usual, I get the brunt of the embarrassment and the pain." She pushed Patrick. "Please, have mercy and get off me."
"But you're as soft as my mattress at home."
She melted into a smile. "People don't say that about me." Strange comparison to be happy about.
Haruka raised an eyebrow. "You've been compared to a mattress before?"
"Well, no."
"You should use that analogy with your future boyfriends. They'll be thrilled to hear that you're just like a mattress."
She pushed harder. "I don't need men."
"Minako says the same thing. You two would be an item."
Crimson flooded Rei's face. "Where's Michiru-san when you need her?"
"To be fair," Hotaru said, "Minako says she doesn't need men, but she needs men."
Minako pined for a boyfriend, any man to look at her twice so she'd have an excuse to pounce on him. The way she looked at men, she was prowling for eligible suitors, even though she was sworn to protect Usagi.
The life of a Guardian was lonely, a road only ten young women in the universe traveled.
Setsuna had been a Guardian for as long as she remembered. Didn't recall her awakening. Perhaps she did have a civilian life like Usagi and the others. If Setsuna had been afforded more of an opportunity to lead a Guardian-free life, then she'd contribute more to the field of physics.
Being a Guardian wasn't entirely life-ending. She'd watched history unfold over millennia, showing her that humans made the same mistakes over and over, that many of them craved wealth, treasures, and dominion, leading to war—someone wanted to reign over others, while the others understandably didn't want to give up their freedom.
Perhaps the Flying Dutchman, being a ghost, had also witnessed what fish had done over millennia. A kindred spirit.
"What powers does the Flying Dutchman have, Patrick?" Setsuna said.
Still atop Rei, Patrick looked to the green-tinged sky that reflected the goo lakes spotting the area.
Paling, Rei huffed out breath. Could almost see her life-spirit leaving her body. "I'm dying." She choked on air. "Please, Setsuna-san, Patrick can focus on only one thing on a time. While he's thinking, he can't get off me."
"Patrick, you can get off Rei first," Setsuna said.
"So I can live…" Rei coughed.
"Oh." Patrick tumbled off Rei, and she heaved in like she hadn't breathed for two days. She thanked every god under the sun.
Patrick jumped onto his feet. "He likes to scare people. He tried scaring SpongeBob, Squidward, and I a few times." He shuddered. "The scariest part was the department store."
The Guardians exchanged looks.
"I made you look at each other again. I haven't made you do that in a long time."
"What did this department store look like?" Setsuna had to entertain the possibility that anything could be terrifying in Bikini Bottom.
Patrick shrunk. "We went through the perfume section. There were humans everywhere, and they were spraying us with, with awful sweet perfume. By the time we left, we were smelling like flowers and trees. Everyone was running away from us because of our smell. What's horrifying is, I have no nose, but I could smell myself. It was so scary, I can't look at a bottle of perfume, or else I break out into hives."
The group stared at him.
"This is one of our more awkward silences." Haruka kept staring at Patrick.
"It's impolite to stare." Hotaru kept staring at Patrick.
"We should be more observant." Rei kept staring at Patrick.
"Department stores are scary for some people." Setsuna kept staring at Patrick.
"They're my worst nightmare," Rei said.
Haruka raised both eyebrows at the starfish. "Are they really?"
"Having a bunch of people pushing on you to buy worthless things… How annoying."
"You do the same thing."
Rei faltered. "My charms are not useless. I embed each of them with powers."
Patrick's eyes glowed. "What kind of powers?"
"Powers to repel evil." Her frown deepened. "I could ward off the Flying Dutchman. Maybe. I'm not sure how ghosts and evil spirits work down here. Which is why we'll need your…expertise, Patrick."
"The best way to see is to meet him." Patrick grabbed Rei's and Hotaru's arms, tugging them forward. "C'mon. I promise he's nice."
As the group ran up the sloping path, the green fog clouded their surroundings, thickening the farther they went. Setsuna's eyes watered.
Made sense that a ghost would live in whatever Bikini Bottom's version of heaven was. Perhaps the graveyard was Bikini Bottom's version of the afterlife instead of Atlantis, where their god, Neptune, sat upon his throne.
Ahead, a bell tolled, the ringing sounding from the silhouetted tower in the distance. Also in the distance pointed a cannon. Did it shoot sinks or headstones?
A rickety iron gate loomed before the group, a skull clad in a pirate's hat hanging from it to greet visitors.
Patrick grinned. "He should be coming out any—"
The goo below bubbled. The Guardians swiveled toward it, Setsuna raising her Garnet Rod.
Bursting from the goo was a green, transparent man with no legs but a wisp for his bottom, donning a pirate's suit, complete with a pirate's hat. His eyes were blank, his open maw of a mouth filled with a flashing neon light saying, "To be fed with FISH." In a small sign below was written, "and humans." Pigtails protruded from his hat. A contrast to the rest of his grim appearance, perhaps to lure children to him.
The ghost hovered above the group and howled.
"Lililili…" Patrick answered. Rei slowly turned her head to look at the starfish.
Haruka cocked her head. "I wonder, where could that Flying Dutchman be?"
The ghost opened his mouth wider, exposing a second small sign that said, "To be fed with many stupid human girls" and yet another reading, "I AM the Flying Dutchman, you fool."
"That's too much reading."
"Let me show you who I am, then." The ghost dove toward Haruka, opening his mouth wide, showing flailing fish deep inside his throat. "Does that convince you?"
She shrugged. "Eh."
A vein ruptured from the ghost's forehead, oozing green sludge. Rei tensed. Haruka yawned.
Maggots crawled out of the ruptured vein. Haruka checked a nonexistent watch.
The ghost sighed, placing a hand on his forehead, the falling goo making him look like he was crying sludge. "I've lost my touch. Darn robots distracting me."
"What did they do?" Setsuna said.
"Just look." The Flying Dutchman pointed at the cannon booming out a mini-pirate ship. Another cannon from someplace over the cliffs boomed, and a leech flew over the wall, latching onto the ship. "They've taken over my cannons. I tried my darndest to scare them away, but they laughed at me." Green lightning flashed, breaking through the haze for a split second. "No one's laughed at me before." He stroked his pigtails. "Well, at my lovely pigtails, yes, but not when I frightened them. I thought I could scare anyone, includin' robots. Not even the one and only Flying Dutchman"—he spat his name at Haruka—"could scare them. And if I can't scare them, no one can."
"I've scared the robots." Haruka cracked her knuckles. "Once they see my power, they run. You're obviously weak."
The Dutchman's eyes knifed at Haruka. He opened his mouth once more, showing a sign that read, "He loves to feast on humans with brown hair and wearing sailor suits."
Haruka's brow creased. "What an oddly specific sign. Who, pray tell, is that referring to?"
Green lightning struck near Haruka, scorching the ground. The Guardian of the Skies smirked.
"Must you be so insufferable?" The Dutchman pulled his pigtails so hard that they popped off. The ghost's pupils contracted at his dead pigtails. His hands holding each one shook, and he grew more transparent—the ghost's version of paling. "Now look what you've made me do."
Haruka laced her hands behind her head. "You did that to yourself."
Hotaru rushed beside Haruka. "Um, Haruka-Papa, I don't think provoking him is a good idea. What would Michiru-Mama think?"
Haruka stiffened as a storm brewed in the Dutchman's eyes, lightning striking within. "Fair point. All right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have messed with you when your home is under attack. I can show you how to scare the robots."
"I'm the king of scaring others. I don't need no help from you." He stroked his tail. "But you're welcome to show me a trick or two. I mean, show my crewmates. They'd be happy to see. For their own future." He cleared his throat. If anything, the Dutchman's curiosity would keep the ghost from frying the group with lightning.
"We're here to defeat the robots." Setsuna turned toward the cannons, the robots shooting sofas, their fellow Chomp-Bots and Bomb-Bots, the Chomp-Bots latching onto the oncoming sofas. The Bomb-Bots exploded upon sinks, raining chunks into the goo.
"Ah, yes." The Dutchman plucked a stray maggot from his beard. "You may have insulted me repeatedly and, in normal circumstances, I would've insulted you right back, you pig-headed, stinky little girl, but I need help, and these ain't normal circumstances." A Golden Spatula materialized in his hands. "This will be your reward if you save me graveyard." He crossed his arms, shooing them away, tucking the Spatula to his side. "Off with ye. Get blown up at your own risk. I hope you have better luck than other members of me crew."
"Where are they?" Hotaru said.
"Off fightin' the robots. They've been failin' miserably, more than my attempts at using that butter churn in the nineteenth century. Them things were state o' the art back then. Too complicated for a simple man like me." His eyes grew distant. "Boy, do butter churns make smooth, velvety, creamy butter." He licked his lips. "But not as delicious as humans. If you can't win against these robots, my stomach will be your new home."
"Why not a life of eternally serving you on your ship?" Haruka must be thinking that the group would have a chance to escape from the ship. They could escape from the ghost's stomach, too, but not in a pleasant way.
"That would be more of a punishment for me than you."
Haruka had earned them a worse punishment.
Despite everything, they'd defeat the robots. Including the fifty-foot tall silhouette that had appeared. The fog cleared, revealing the robot surrounded by a black bubble.
"Why don't you start with that?" The Dutchman pointed to the robot. "Go on, show me your great scaring skills."
"No problem." Haruka ran toward the bubble wand-wielding robot.
"It likes playing with bubbles like SpongeBob." Patrick charged toward the robot, a Slick. "Maybe he's SpongeBob in disguise."
Rei charged toward Patrick. "If you don't stop and think—try to think, you'll hurt yourself."
The Slick whipped toward the group. Setsuna ran after Rei and Patrick, Hotaru on her heels.
The Slick sucked in a breath and blew a black bubble, which splashed on the ground directly in front of Haruka. The Guardian stopped inches from the oil patch and jumped to take flight, only for Patrick to bowl into her. They slammed facedown into the patch, Patrick on top of Haruka, and slid toward the robot.
The Slick crouched, held its bubble wand like a golf club, and knocked Haruka and Patrick toward the edge, where green sludge awaited them below.
Haruka struggled to turn herself upright so that she could wrap her arms around Patrick, take them both into flight.
Setsuna quickened into a sprint and then jumped, switching into flight. Blue hair popped into the corner of her eye.
PallaPalla skated on the oil patch that Haruka and Patrick had sluiced through, like the oil was ice. Black, spiky balls—Lemures—swirled around her. She threw her arm toward the three, and the Lemures gusted toward them.
Swinging to face the Lemures, Setsuna extended her Garnet Rod. Had to reach Haruka and Patrick before she could use her shield.
The two arced off the edge, toward the sludge.
Setsuna quickened, trying to reach them before they drowned. The Lemures pelted her back, engulfed her, filling her vision with black. Images of the moon colliding with the earth, meteors slamming into the Moon Kingdom, Small Lady burning alive, filled her vision. She stopped, clutching her booming head. Couldn't see.
Tightening her grip on her Garnet Rod, she swung through the Lemures, only for more to replace them. She watched fire envelop the Moon Kingdom and the earth alike. Flames devoured a lush and golden Elysion, the gold buildings and skyscrapers populating it, the sun's rays being eclipsed by a bloody moon.
PallaPalla laughed. The Slick laughed. Had they teamed up?
A splash echoed from below, permeating above the screams in Setsuna's nightmares. Haruka and Patrick had fallen into the sludge.
Setsuna pointed her Garnet Rod. Wherever she aimed, she had to do something. "Dead Scream!" The green light tinged her nightmares, and the Lemures screamed, high-pitched, like children. The nightmares fell away like a collapsing skyscraper, leaving the graveyard. The Slick blew out oil from its bubble wand, Hotaru before it, using Silence Wall to shield Setsuna and Rei, the Guardian of Flames embroiled in a fight with PallaPalla. Super Sailor Mars loosed arrows, trying to pierce through PallaPalla only for the arrows to whistle past, into the sludge.
Setsuna dove toward the sludge, where the bubbles popped in one area—must be where Haruka and Patrick had fallen. Perhaps she could part it with an attack.
She aimed her Rod at the sludge. "Dead Scream." The black beam split the sludge. Waves reared up on either side, revealing bubbles filled with screaming fish pounding upon the bubbles.
"Help us."
"We're trapped."
"Save us."
"I can't stop seeing that terrible time when I was in the school play and my pants fell down."
"I can't stop seeing him with his pants off." The fish screamed louder.
The Flying Dutchman had trapped the fish into their own versions of hell, seeing the worst moments of their lives over and over again.
If Haruka and Patrick had fallen into the sludge, they had to have been trapped in their own traumatizing moments.
Patrick hollered, "My socks won't stop running away from me." He gasped. "Now they're growing wings."
Wherever Haruka had ended up, she had fallen silent. Just like Haruka, to not complain in the face of adversity.
Setsuna grit her teeth. Had to rescue not only Haruka and Patrick but also all the trapped fish.
PallaPalla bounded onto her feet, near the edge, peered below, placing a hand over her eyes like a visor. "Hmm."
A wall of flames slammed into PallaPalla's side, and the Dead Moon Circus member flew sideways, shrieking. Rei was taking care of her. Hotaru was taking care of the Slick. Leaving Setsuna to focus on Haruka and Patrick.
Aiming her Garnet Rod toward the sludge, Setsuna ran her mind across her attacks, which ones would be best, which ones wouldn't save the fish and Haruka. She had mostly beam-based attacks. She could stop time, but was the situation that dire?
No. She could figure out how to rescue everyone without stopping time. Didn't need to break the taboo a second time. Plus, there was the miniscule fact that she'd die.
Squaring herself, she dove toward the sludge to save the two.
The Flying Dutchman laughed. "Supposed to be scarin' the robots, eh? Looks like I'm doin' the scarin' here."
She took a breath and then plunged inside the sludge.
Green surrounded her. The viscosity of the sludge slowed her. What had she been thinking, that she could swim through the sludge as easily as water? But if she had used Chronos Typhoon or Dead Scream, then she might have blown up Patrick, Haruka, other fish trapped in the sludge. She was lucky she hadn't the first time.
Images of her getting kicked out of her university's physics program ailed her. Not much of a nightmare, especially since she would never be kicked out. As long as she focused on reality, as long as she kept moving, the nightmares wouldn't stop her.
Patrick's cries of, "My socks, my socks, why are you leaving me?" became louder; she was getting closer to the starfish. She swiped her Garnet Rod through the sludge.
Only to see Haruka, her arms encircling Patrick's waist, flying right toward Setsuna.
The two's heads collided. Bells rang in Setsuna's head, and she saw the Liberty Bell clanking back and forth. Haruka's curses drowned out, and the world fell away.
Setsuna, a powerful Guardian, who had defeated centuries-old, planet-destroying monsters, rendered useless by a headbutt.
She sunk. At her foolishness of thinking that Haruka couldn't save herself and Patrick. At her foolishness of diving in nightmare-inducing sludge. At her frailty.
She gurgled. So did Haruka.