The Wings of Demise
Chapter Six: Legacies.
Infant Island: Junior, Leo, and Anguirus.
The rain was slowing down now as the clouds went away, leaving the night sky to fully open up, and the half-moon to gaze down on Infant Island. It almost seemed to be quiet now, a dead silence after what had happened. Junior walked through the trees and rocky outcroppings as Anguirus walked alongside him, hearing the sound of rocks falling and something being blown apart. The spiky dinosaur had his head low to the ground, and in spite of absorbing mana and healing himself, felt nothing but the pain in his back from where Bagan had broken it. "Leo… I'm sorry…." Leo had run off after what had happened, and Junior didn't blame the larva for doing so, but all the same, both he and Anguirus decided to go and find him, while Neo, Kong, and the Shobijin stayed to try and help the other kaiju who had come with them. He was holding up fine right now…. But the loss of Mothra still stung. She had treated him so kindly in spite of her past with his father, and she had been a good friend, alongside Anguirus. It was just the four of them to begin with.
Now there was only three of them. And Junior remembered their conversation on Monster Island, and how Leo feared that she would die. He needed to be there for him. He too had lost a parent, and he could feel the pain Leo was suffering right now.
They came upon a clearing soon enough, and they could finally see the source of where the sound was coming from. Leo's entire body was surging with cosmic energy as he rose up, his chest glowing blue and it fired out a blue beam, making the entrance of a small cave wide enough for him to fit in. The beam itself was much like Mothra's, but unlike hers it seemed as if it was unfocused, like he was trying to learn how to use it as he went on. The two got closer, and it was Junior who spoke first. "Leo, what are you doing?" Leo came back down and was panting after that last beam, before he answered the son of Godzilla.
"I saw some paintings in that cave… they have my mom on them… Junior… Anguirus…... you know what this means?" The larva sounded slightly excited, his voice shaky as he hoped the two would know what he was talking about. The cave's entrance was now big enough for him to fit in now, however, he refused to go in. "She's… I can…... Maybe there's something in there that can bring her back!"
"Leo," Anguirus said, walking closer to the larva and getting his attention, "You…. want to talk about what happened?"
"No, no, not at all. Come on, follow me…. I can fix this…... She'll be okay… She'll come back to us once I take a look…. And I…. I…." Leo was looking both of them with desperation in his eyes.
"Leo… I'm sorry…" Junior started to shake as he grabbed onto the larva, stopping him from going into the cave. "You…. can't… you won't find anything in there…."
"…. Let me go…. LET ME GO DAMN IT!" Leo's scream caused Junior to let go, and he turned around and looked at both Anguirus and Junior, his eyes glowing red with fury. "SHUT UP AND LET ME TRY DAMN IT! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW I FEEL RIGHT NOW?! YOU LEFT YOUR MOTHER JUNIOR, AND SHE'S STILL ALIVE! YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOUR MOTHER ANGUIRUS, SO NO, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL! MY MOTHER IS GONE! And I…. and I…... it was all my fault…..." Leo's eyes stopped glowing red and he collapsed back down, Junior and Anguirus quickly going close to him, Junior wrapping his arms around the larva. "I should've listened to her… I caused this all of this…. He nearly killed all of you… and he took her away from me… from you Anguirus… And it should've been me…. He was going to kill me… for my mistake…" The moth's voice started to quaver more as he talked to them, Junior's arms getting tighter. "I feel useless…. I feel like shit…. I'm nothing… and now… she gave me her powers and a few of her memories…. And I'm not even ready…. I know… there's nothing in that cave… I know…... she's gone… and it's all my fault… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that to either of you…"
"Did I ever tell you the full story about how my grandfather passed?" Anguirus started to speak up first, and the larva nodded no. "I said it was a bad winter when he died, but the thing is… it was an unusual winter. There was snow everywhere… and well…. food was scarce and disappearing fast because of how long it lasted. By then, the rest of our kind had died off, either because of the winter, or just because they starved…. And it was only me and my grandpa left soon, surrounded by the bones of our dead kin. I remember that my grandpa always seemed to have a lot of food, and he kept me well fed… but I noticed he was getting thinner every day, and sicker. Thing was, he was giving me all the food that was left… and not taking any for himself. I was almost an adult… and when… when…" Anguirus's voice started to shake as well, a few tears coming out of his eyes. "When he passed…. I was alone…... and I hated myself so much for being weak…... a runt…... and that my father was right about me… and still is… Leo… you aren't alone in this… I'm sorry I couldn't save her…" Leo looked up at Anguirus, and nuzzled him slightly, his body still shaking.
"I'm sorry Junior, I'm sorry Anguirus…... I know I already said this, but I shouldn't have yelled at either of you like that. I don't know how to deal with this right now… I feel lost…"
"Leo…. We are here for you…... I am here for you." Junior continued to hold onto Leo as he said this. "What do you want right now?" The larva was silent for a few minutes, and he then turned to Anguirus again.
"Hey, is it okay if me and Junior spend time together in private? I feel like he wants to talk with me alone…..."
"Alright Leo…... I'll leave you two here…" Anguirus sighed and walked away, looking back at the two young kaiju, and started thinking back to the first time he and Junior had met Mothra and Leo. It seemed all so simple back then, and that he had found some new friends to be around with him, meaning that he wouldn't have been doomed to a lonely existence. But now, with Mothra's death…... Anguirus now found himself wondering if he was cursed, and how long it would take to get the peace he had felt back at the beginning.
"Junior… I feel…. empty… did you feel like this after…... your father?" Leo and Junior were sitting next to each other, looking at a big empty spot on the beach next to the cave, the moon still shining as it went on its journey across the sky. "Did you…... blame yourself?"
"It's been a while…. But for a long time… I did feel that way…. He was in so much pain when I last saw him, and… I couldn't do anything for him. After he was gone… I had nobody. I was on my own… and I blamed myself entirely. I felt like I could've done something, but the destroyer was too powerful… and he paid the price for it." Junior sighed as he looked down at Leo, watching as the larva listened to him. "And my mother… I could go back… I could see her…. But…. I'm afraid I'll hurt her or kill her if I try to see her again…. I'm too big now…. Too strong… and there's no telling what my radiation could do to the humans, and if it's safe for me to approach them. I love her too much to do that. I know I said she probably moved on… but I don't think she did…"
"… You still think of him…. Don't you?" Leo rose up, and went onto Junior's leg, looking up at him with sympathy. "And that's why you are here with me? Because you had no one to talk to?"
"Yes…. Listen to me Leo…. It's okay to feel like this…. I felt like this for a long time, but meeting all of you helped me. I am here for you Leo…... I will talk with you if you need it, and so you can help with your feelings. Anguirus will talk with you if you need it. Kong too and the Shobijin. And… I believe she really isn't gone… She's watching over us right now, with my father too. Leo…... It's not your fault." As Junior said all of this, he could feel tears falling, but he ignored them and looked down at Leo, and started to feel something odd in his chest. It was almost a warm feeling as he remembered all of he and Leo's conversations, and how he almost always seemed to feel relaxed when talking with him, and how he felt comfortable getting personal with Leo. This feeling, however, seemed to be much different and it started making him feel more and more warm as he tried to make sure that he wouldn't be alone in his grief. "… It's not your fault Leo…... It's not your fault…." Junior wrapped his arms around him, and started to hug him…... repeating all of that. The feeling grew as Leo started to finally cry, letting out all of his emotions at once. Junior's tears fell silently, and the warm feeling hit its apex as Junior finally realized what it was. "Leo…... I love you too… I am here for you always… you aren't alone… you never will be again…"
Anguirus watched the two from a distance, and he too started to cry silently, seeing how close they were. "Grandpa… if you are listening… Please watch over us, and guide us…. Lea… I'll be there for Leo…. And so will Junior… I can see the spark between them… I won't fail you… I promise that."
In his heart, Leo started to feel a little bit better. But he would never forget this day, and it would be a long time before he fully healed.
However, he then felt a presence near him, and smiled slightly inside.
She was still there, right in his heart, and in all of their hearts.
And nothing would change that.
Infant Island: Neo, Kong, Caesar and the Shobijin.
Kong sat next to Caesar, listening to the breathing of the guardian, and looked back at Neo, the space kaiju standing next to the ocean looking beyond the sea, and holding something in his hands. On Caesar's chest lay Moll and Lora, the two mini moths keeping their heads down as they mourned the death of their master and Kong buried his face in his hands, thinking about Leo and his own past. "It's happening all over again… isn't it? Mothra... I wish I could've gotten to know you better. Leo's going…. through what I did." Kong had to admit something to himself…... He had just barely gotten to know this strange little group, and he feel like he didn't really belong. There was a reason why Anguirus and Junior were with Leo now, and it was because they had known each other for so long. For now, he sat by the guardian, waiting for him to wake up. On the beach, Neo looked down at his hands, and cradled the weeping Belvera, holding her against his chest. He had been doing it for several hours by now, and listened to her as she too mourned the loss
"Neo… She's gone… I failed him… I failed him… I promised him…... I promised him…..." Neo sighed… and looked out towards the ocean once again, thinking about all that had happened. She had believed he deserved a second chance in spite of everything he had done, and for Neo, it had been the first time really anybody had shown any sort of care towards him. As far back as he knew, before he had met Biollante, he had always been alone with only one goal in his mind, to kill Godzilla because he was a threat to everything. And now here he was… still unsure of his purpose, and now started to feel even more lost after what had happened to Mothra.
"Shhh…... Bel, it's okay…. it's okay… let it all out…... I'm here for you." Neo continued to cradle her, hearing her sobs, only to then notice something out in the middle of the ocean.
"Thank you, Neo…" Belvera stood up in his hands, and looked up at him, her tiny red eyes glittering in the moonlight. "I'll go be with my sisters now… They need me… and so will Leo soon. You've been a good friend." Neo smiled slightly at this, and gently rubbed her head, before letting go of the Shobijin, and watching her fly back to where her sisters were. She was the third such being to show some sort of care towards him, and the second was now right in front of him, having stepped out of the ocean, or seeming to have.
"…...She's gone mom…... She gave me a second chance, and…... now she's gone. I did it again… I fucked up…" He put his head against her body, and felt her vines wrap around him, drawing him close. While this might have only been in his head, he didn't care, and just wanted someone to be with him. "I was too slow… I need to train myself more…"
"I saw…. I'm sorry Neo…." Biollante's voice felt warm and sympathetic, however Neo couldn't help but wonder something.
"Where were you mom? It came back, The Beast… If it hadn't then maybe I could've saved her… so, where were you?" At this he backed away, and looked at her expecting an answer. "TELL ME!" She just looked at him sadly, and then disappeared back into his mind, leaving the Space Kaiju alone once again… like he had been back when he was born. "Mom… I just… wanted an answer…." The more and more Neo thought about it… he started to wonder if it was really Biollante he had been talking to all this time, or if it was something else, someone who had been a part of him for a long time. Then suddenly he felt a hand touch his shoulder and he turned around, seeing it belonged to Kong who was looking at him with concern. "What do you want?"
"Hey…... how are you holding up Neo? What were you yelling at? You want to talk?" Neo looked at the ape and huffed, looking away from him.
"You want to know what I was yelling at? I was yelling at myself… because I DID IT AGAIN! DON'T YOU GET IT?!"
"Get what? Look I haven't been with this group for very long, but I know how much she meant to them all, and I know that right now they are hurting, and so am I. Are you hurting Neo? Why do you isolate yourself from them?"
"YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?! I DESERVE IT! ALL OF IT! I TOOK AWAY ANOTHER PARENT FROM THEIR CHILD! I KEEP TRYING TO DO BETTER, BUT NO MATTER WHAT I DO, I ALWAYS MESS SOMETHING UP!" Neo's body was surging with cosmic energy as he roared at Kong, the ape standing stoic as he took it all in.
"Mess something up huh? What? You're lonely…... aren't you? You hate yourself more than anyone don't you?"
"I… Junior…... he had a father… and I tried to kill him… BECAUSE I WAS AN IDIOT! I THOUGHT HE WAS A THREAT TO EVERYTHING, and I… hurt him… and then he died after…. It was my fault… I am a monster…... but she saw something in me… She believed in me… and then… I failed her… I got her killed because I wasn't strong enough… and now Leo is going through what I put Junior through… I shouldn't have come back…... She'd still be alive if I had stayed in space, searching for Bagan…..." Neo's hand started to tremble, and he let it while he continued to talk to Kong, his voice sounding hoarse now, the cosmic energy disappearing. "I just…... want what they have…... I don't know what my purpose is anymore…... because the one I thought I had at first was just a leftover from someone else… I was alone… so alone…... I had nobody…... Junior had father, Leo had Mothra, Anguirus had his grandfather, you had your parents…... but I had nobody…. Nobody at all…... That's why I call Junior brother so much…... Because…... I just want somebody, anybody…... And now I screwed up that chance…..." Neo stood there, his hand really trembling now as he noticed Belvera sitting on Kong's shoulder, her face filled with concern. "I… just want a family… and I don't want to let Mothra down…..." Kong then walked up to Neo, and then pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly.
"Listen to me…... It's going to be tough now, and it won't get any easier from here on out, not after we lost her…. You did some bad stuff in the past, and for that, I can understand why you think that you deserve all of this…. But you've shown that you clearly have remorse for all of the shit you did, and you aren't alone, you hear me? I don't know if Junior will forgive you, but I can tell you this, he fought to save me from becoming one of Bagan's tools, so don't think he's willing to give up on anyone. When this is all over and we go back home, talk with him some more…... you aren't alone Neo…..." Neo didn't struggle as he heard all of this, and instead listened as the ape talked to him, and noticed Belvera walking next to his neck, and then nuzzling him.
"I…...I…..." He couldn't find the words now, but his tears told him all he needed to know…... and the space monster stood there for a long time, his hand no longer trembling.
Infant Island: Ascension.
Everyone was finally sleeping now, all except for Leo who was sitting next to Junior, and thinking about what had happened. Leo sighed and looked at Junior, seeing how peaceful he looked while he was sleeping, and then noticed the sunrise in the distance, the clouds having finally disappeared from the sky. He was the new Guardian of Earth now, and the new day would mark that. Leo started to move away from Junior, going past the sleeping Anguirus and Kong and seeing Neo leaning against one of his crystals, Belvera curled up on his chest. He looked back at Junior, and then under his breath said, "I love you Junior…. I won't lose anyone else. Never again." Leo then continued to crawl as he suddenly saw Moll and Lora flying above him, the two stopping as they sat on a tree, and looked at the rising sun. This particular tree seemed larger than all the others, and Leo could hear voices whispering from it, not of the Shobijin but of someone else. "Who are you? And what do you want?" Leo started charging up his chest beam, when the voice responded.
"Are thou the New Guardian of Earth? What is thy name?" Leo looked at the tree in surprise and then powered down his beam to respond.
"I am Mothra Leo, the son of Mothra Lea. Are you Mother Earth?" Leo could feel the powers his mother had passed down to him, and yet could not access them.
"We are young one… and we are sorry for what happened to thy mother… Thou has great power within now… Does thou know how to activate it?" Leo listened as the Shobijin looked on, paying attention as he was.
"I… I… I do!" Leo could see it clearly in his mind now, and remembered all of his previous attempts to cocoon himself. She had given him the knowledge on how to do it now, and Leo rose up and went to the tree, touching it as he started to prepare. "Thank you mom… It's time now…..."
"Ascend now Guardian of Earth, and become who thou were meant to be!"
As Mother Earth said this, Leo rose up, and started to fire his silk into the air, and it fell gently to the ground, starting to form around Leo like a blanket. The Shobijin, seeing this, started to sing a song they hadn't in a long time, a song that brought back memories of seeing another larva ascend into a brave Guardian of Earth.
"Mothra, oh Mothra, with the power of your ancestor grant the prayers of your followers. Arise and show your power."
The silk continued to fall around Leo, more and more of it covering him as it briefly surged with cosmic energy, to the point where he was becoming less visible now. His entire life was flashing before his eyes now, but unlike during the battle with Desghidorah, it was more inviting, soft, as if he was saying goodbye to his old life and form. The Shobijin continued to sing, and the sun continued to rise, as Caesar started to stir.
"Mothra, oh Mothra, with the power of your ancestor grant the prayers of your followers. Arise and show your power."
The cocoon was getting bigger now as Leo fired more silk into the air, seeing his mother's memory of her doing the same exact thing, and soon enough, he stopped firing as he was covered completely, the sun hitting the cocoon and the tree, illuminating both in a warm yellow glow. Caesar got up, and walked over carefully, using his staff to support himself as he saw the sight before him. The Shobijin then finished their song as the other guardian reached his hand out, and touched the cocoon, closing his eyes and learning what had happened through the emotions of the young moth, and who exactly these other kaiju were.
"Mothra, oh Mothra, with the power of your ancestor grant the prayers of your followers. Arise and show your power!"
Hokkaido Forest: After the Battle.
As the lake's waters flowed around the destroyed forest, carrying away debris and uprooted trees and extinguishing the fire completely, it seemed as if the forest was devoid of all life. And then with a splash, a massive shape suddenly stumbled around, panting as it looked back at what had happened, and then trying to get a sense of the surroundings. "I'm….. I'm alive….." As soon as Leader said this, he started coughing violently, and then vomited up a gallon of blood, which caused Nutcase to panic as he saw something else.
"Look….. He's gone….. HE FUCKING MELTED!" Leader turned around to where Nutcase was gesturing, and where he would've seen Vicious, he only saw blackened flesh that was oozing green and dripping off of a partially broken neck bone, white and jutting out. Down right next to his foot was a skull that appeared to be partially folded up, with red blood leaking out of parts of it, and it lying in a pile of warm melted flesh that was oozing green. "WE'RE FUCKING DEAD! I FEEL THE BURNING!" Leader looked around at his whole body and saw his open wounds were not healing, and more than a few of them were starting to bubble and ooze, melting right off, and Leader then realized the same thing was happening to him, as quite a few of his scales were peeling off, and oozing as well. Nutcase then started gagging and he threw up, blood and half melted entrails coming out his mouth and causing him to panic even more. "THAT STUPID BITCH! SHE FUCKED US UP! What…what are we going to do? We're dying aren't we? Should we…. talk to him again?" Leader stopped for a minute after Nutcase said this and thought about it. Go back to Bagan? Yes he could use some of his power to cure him of this poison running through him and killing him, but after his display of defiance?
"NO! I came here to do a job, and I intend to finish it…" Leader started coughing violently as a chunk of flesh and scales fell off and sizzled as they hit the ground, leaving an exposed hole in his neck. The sun was rising now, and Leader started to sniff in the air, searching for a particular scent. "And if they think they can hide…. Then they got another thing coming….. If I am going to die, then they're coming down with me!" Nutcase looked at Leader in fear, seeing the anger in his eyes, before he too started looking for the scent as well and then caught it. Desghidorah rose to the sky and flying unsteadily due to more and more of the venom running its course through his body, headed in the direction that Mothra's group took after the battle.
Bagan looked on from his personal viewing globe, a curious expression on his face as he saw Desghidorah's determination outweigh his impending doom.
This would be interesting.
Author's Note: Hey everyone, it's me again with a brand new chapter, and this time its a much shorter affair, just taking a look at how they are dealing with the death of Mothra, along with Leo's big change, and what exactly happened to Desghidorah after the battle. And well I figured that it would also be a chapter of healing, by having quite a few characters who have had stuff on their chest finally letting it all out, and then learning from that pain. I want to make it clear that while she is gone, Mothra will still have some sort of a presence among the other Earth Defenders, no matter what happens to them. Now here is the cast list with no new additions.
Johnny Yong Bosch as Godzilla Jr (adult and teen).
Dan Southworth as Neozilla/SpaceGodzilla and the Beast.
Sumalee Montano as Mothra.
Matthew Mercer as Anguirus.
Yuri Lowenthal as Leo.
Steve Blum as Kong.
Sigourney Weaver as Biollante and the Beast.
James Sie as King Caesar.
Marc Diarson as Godzilla.
Quinton Flynn as Rodan.
David Gallagher as Battra.
Phil LaMarr as Baragurius.
Richard Epcar as Bōryu.
Travis Willingham as Kong's Father.
Laura Bailey as Kong's Mother.
Cate Blanchett as Gigamoth/Mothra Gaia.
Sean Astin as Baragon.
John Rhys-Davies as Gorosaurus.
Viggo Morteson as Gomora.
Mae Whitman as Moll.
Lara Jay Miller as Lora.
Grey Griffith as Belvera.
Greg Baldwin as Daimajin.
Fred Tatasciore as Destoroyah.
Charlie Adler as Varan.
Willem Dafoe (Leader), Dave Wittenberg (Nutcase), and Kevin Michael Richardson (Vicious) as Desghidorah.
James Woods as Dagahra.
Spike Spencer as Deutalios.
James Patrick Stuart as Gigan.
Patrick Seitz as Grand-King Ghidorah.
Tony Jay as Bagan.
James Earl Jones as Gojira (Godzilla 1954).
Angela Basset as Godzilla Earth.
Nathan Lane as Ebirah.
Tim Curry as Hedorah.
Patrick Warburton as Megalon.
Robert Englund as Gabara.
Cathy Weseluck as Godzilla Jr (child).
Stephanie Nadolny as Kong (child).
Veronica Taylor as Anguirus (child).
Jim Ward as M.O.G.U.E.R.A.
Gregg Berger as G.O.R.T.
Jeffery Dean Morgan as Gaira.
Nika Futterman as Lilith (female MUTO).
Daran Norris as Nimrod (male MUTO).
Eartha Kitt as Megagurius.
Brian Drummond as Zilla.
Dee Bradley Baker as Gezora.
Robert Axelrod as Ultraman/Kaiser Belial (Vision).
Mark Hamill as Baltan Seijin.
Kerrigan Mahan as Griffonrzer/Goldar.
Goji73 as Shadow of RED.
Kaiji Tang as Akira Yuki.
Colleen Clinkenbeard as Akane Yashiro.
Don Frye as Douglas Gordon.
Skip Stellrecht as Dan.
Carrie Kernanen as Miki Saegusa.
DC Douglas as Cameron Winter.
Charles Dance as Alan Jonah.
Next time... The Earth Defenders meet King Caesar and discover what has happened to Leo, but when a dying and insane Desghidorah arrives at Infant Island, can they really beat him in this state? Or will their hope arise from the cocoon in time? And what of the Dark World? Find out next time in the last installment of The Wings of Demise!
See you next time... and stay safe everyone. Don't be afraid to leave feedback or to review this story, or recommend it to other people who may be seeking fanfiction to read. We are almost in a New Year, and also Christmas is coming, so have a safe time celebrating.
Shadow of RED, Zenith, and all related concepts belong to Cosbydaf.
The King Caesar song and Mothra song belong to Toho Studios.
Keep Circulating the Links.