I know I don't have that many fans or followers or whatever, but for those I have, thanks for reading. This is all for you, second after myself that is. Arigatto gozaimasu.
Chapter 19
"Concentrate!" Freya yelled at Meilin. "You need to concentrate if you want to be ready for the final battle. If you concentrate your energy to where you need it, and not let energy go wild when you freeze time you won't be so exhausted. I can see where Pluto had her short comings here. Maybe you should rest for now."
"No," Meilin cried. "I can do it. I can keep going. Do not make me stop now. I can feel it-the next battle is near and I want to be ready." Freya had been sending javelin balls across the room. The exercise Meilin had to do was single out the one colored white and freeze it, then release it. The fact that the ball would be frozen for a second and released would cause it to slow down or fall to the ground. If Meilin could perfect this exercise, she could use it to negate attacks.
Yukito was off to the side watching everything. He was just practicing fighting moves since he didn't have the burden of training powers. He did a little target practice, too. Yukito never really did serious training. He acted as if it all came naturally. Sometimes, he really got on Meilin nerves that way.
"Show me, Meilin," Freya coached. "Show me that you are ready. Show me that you can take anything. Overcome your fears and fatigue, and do this."
Finally, Meilin froze the white one. It stayed in the air for a few seconds before Meilin released it and it dropped to the ground. Meilin fell to the floor after finishing the exercise. Yukito ran over to see if anything was wrong with her.
"Are you okay?" Yukito asked Meilin.
"I am fine," Meilin answered. "It was just a little too much for me at the time. I can do just fine myself."
Stop trying to act as if you are okay, Yukito said.
Stop showing off and train for once, Meilin responded. Just once I would like you to actually give it everything you have got.
We will see soon if I have just been playing around all this time are not. For now, let me just help you up.
"Thanks," Meilin said. "I guess we will just have to see how well you train, huh?"
Freya clapped her hands to get their attentions. "All right," she said. "I think each of you have finished your individual training for the day. How about a small training match against each other?"
"I guess we will see which one of us is training more a little sooner than expected," Yukito said. "This will be fun."
"Are you sure?" Meilin asked. "I mean, this is the only time you actually do something. Are you not scared you might get your clothes dirty are something?"
"Not at all, little sis," Yukito responded. "I really should not be taking advantage of you in such a weak state, but you have to learn."
"All right you two," Freya interrupted, "let's start before something really bad is said. Each of you take your position at the end of the mat." They took their positions, looking for the weakness in the other's stance.
Keep your guard up, Meilin warned, are you might just get hurt.
Just make sure you keep hitting or you might just meet the mat close up, Yukito responded.
"And go," Freya said.
Meilin and Yukito stayed suspended, sizing each other up. Then, they charged at one another, going head on toward each other. When they were only a few feet away from each other Meilin jumped into the air and braced herself on Yukito's shoulders continuing over his head and landing safely on her feet, as she sent him flying over her head and onto his face.
Low shot, Yukito complained. When did you learn that one?
Like I said, keep your guard up, Meilin replied smiling. I have got plenty of tricks up my sleeve.
Okay, if that is the way you want it, Yukito replied. He fortified himself on his hands and spun around, sending his legs up and over to knock Meilin's feet from under her, since she was too close to move and caught up in her gloating to notice such quick movements. Meilin's feet went up and over her head as she fell to the floor with a thud. Yukito lorded over Meilin with a smile on his face.
"Okay, so I had my guard down for a while," Meilin said, as she lay on the floor. She placed her hands on the floor beside her head and pushed her feet to her chest propelling upwards, sending herself to her feet. She immediately went back into her fight stance.
Yukito jumped backwards, landing in his own fighting stance. "I guess we are ready to begin."
Yukito and Meilin sized each other again, only this time Yukito was the first to strike. He rushed towards Meilin throwing a punch to put her guard off. She raised her forearm to block the punch, then she started to throw a punch towards Yukito's face. Yukito turned around quickly and caught Meilin's arm from behind as he move his head. When he had a firm grasp on her, he threw Meilin across the room. At first, Meilin was flustered, but she quickly gained her composure and rolled into a ball and flipped, landing on one knee and one arm bracing her.
"Like I said, you will be meeting the mat up close and personal," Yukito said smiling.
Taking advantage of his gloating, Meilin quickly got to her feet and rushed Yukito. Yukito tried to block her, but to no avail. Meilin punched Yukito in the stomach, sending him to the floor on his back. "Who met the floor at a more personal level?" Meilin asked, patting Yukito on the chest.
"That's it," Yukito bellowed. "No more. Let us get down to the real fighting."
Yukito charged at Meilin letting out an attack of fury, throwing punches and kicks at her. She blocked each one with timed accuracy and returned them with her own attacks. Yukito had to keep an eye on her to make sure he could block anything that came, with surprises. He studied Meilin for a weak moment, grabbed her arm mid-punch, and tripped her up. Quickly, he twisted her arm around her back and sat on her.
"Look who got pinned to the floor," Yukito whispered, leaning down into her ear. "Is it fun down here?"
"I do not know," Meilin responded. "You tell me." With that, she brought her leg behind her, kicking Yukito and rolling over on him.
"So," she whispered, into his ear mockingly and smiling, "how is it?"
"Okay," Freya said, "enough. If we're not going to be serious here maybe we should go on to something else."
"Maybe we should," Yukito said, getting up as Meilin rolled off of him. "It's not like we do not already know each other's moves inside and out."
"Yeah, this is only a waste of time," Meilin said, agreeing. Yukito helped Meilin off the floor. "We could block each other's moves and give each other false hits all day. I need to do a little target practice, anyway. Or I could be finding out more ways to get Rini off my back."
"You will be doing target practice," Freya said. "I will completely surround you with, let's said about 100 balls. There will be 10 red ones, and all you have to do is take out those, while hitting as few black ones as you can. It teaches you how to attack the enemy without hitting your allies, or innocents. The main thing is for you two to watch each other's back and don't get hit. Be careful, though, because all the balls will attack you at once."
"Some allies those are," Yukito said.
"Yeah," Meilin agreed, "what's the point of helping someone trying to hurt you."
"Ready?" Freya asked.
"Ready," Meilin and Yukito answered together.
The balls rose and began to make a circle around them. They stood there for a while. Then, all of a sudden they attacked.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"We'll just have to take that chance," Rei replied forcefully. "All of a sudden, I'm getting majorly bad vibes. We have to find India now before it's too late. I think the battle is happening soon-as in tonight soon. We don't have much time before the battle starts."
"That means that she has to know right this minute," Ami said, "or everything will be lost."
"What if this is a little too much for India?" Lita asked.
"Then, we just have to take that chance," Mina said. "We can't give up on her now. We have to make her see the light one way or another."
"We're sorry, Darien," Rei apologized, after looking at Darien. He wore a very sad expression on his face. "We haven't asked you what you think about this. Well, what do you think?"
"I think it's the best thing we can do for her now," Darien replied. "I'll call her house to see if she's there or where we can find her."
"Thanks, Darien," Ami said. "You're being very brave about all of this."
Darien walked over to the phone and dialed India's number. The phone rang a few times before anything happened.
"Hello," Phoebus answered.
"Where is someone who actually has hands?" Darien asked.
"They are all training, but I can go get them," Phoebus replied. "Hold on."
Darien waited awhile before he heard someone else.
"Hello," Freya answered.
"Is India there?" Darien asked.
"No," Freya answered, "but she just called and said Nanashi asked to meet her at the Twilight Tower."
"What did you just say?" Darien asked shocked.
"She went to the Twilight Tower to meet Nanashi," Freya repeated herself.
"Oh my," Darien said putting the phone to his side.
"What's wrong?" Lita asked.
Darien put the phone back to his ear.
"Darien?" Freya asked. "Darien?"
"Listen to me," Darien ordered, "send the Twins over there now. We will meet them over there."
"What's wrong?" Freya asked.
"Something really monumentally is about to happen," Darien said and hung up.
"Darien, what's wrong?" Lita asked again.
"The battle is starting now," Darien said. "It looks like India will be going in as a blind person. We need to go to Twilight Tower immediately."
"Okay. Let's go," Ami commanded.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Darien, Ami, Rei, Lita, and Mina ran down the street. They were only a few blocks away from Twilight Tower. Darien had regretted not driving his car over to Rei's temple. They were trying to get to the tower as fast as they could before Nanashi showed up.
"Hey, look," Mina pointed, "there is Meilin and Yukito."
Meilin and Yukito ran over to the others.
"What are you doing with them?" Meilin asked. "I thought they were our enemy, Father."
"It's a little more complicated than that," Darien answered. "I'll explain everything if we have the time later. That is if we live."
"Serena, Rini," Rei cried into her communicator, "come to Twilight Tower immediately. Fireworks are about to go down."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"Behold, India," Nanashi said. "This is the beginning. We are about to embark on the future of our kingdom. We have done much to get here and this is time to reap what we sow."
"But what if this is wrong?" India asked. "What if all we have to reap is nothing? This can't be right. We have to think about this."
"No, we don't," Nanashi argued. "There is nothing to talk about. These people betrayed you and don't want anything to do with you. Don't give in to the silly, little lies that they are telling you."
"But what if you're wrong?" India asked.
"I am not wrong!" Nanashi yelled. She looked into India's eyes. India's eyes went blank. "Now, I am right, no questions about it. We have a battle to win, along with a kingdom. Remember that your only allies are me, Darien, Meilin, and Yukito, but me more than anyone else."
"Yes, you are my only allies," India repeated. "We have a battle to win, along with a kingdom."
Everyone arrived at that moment. They all seemed out of breathe. Each one looked terribly horrified about what might have happened already. All they saw was India staring blankly with Nanashi talking to her. Darien, Meilin, and Yukito ran to India.
"What did you do to her?" Darien yelled at Nanashi.
"You are my only allies," India continued. "We have a battle to win, along with a kingdom."
"I only helped her calm down a little," Nanashi said innocently. "It's just like a sedative. She was getting a bit hysterical and needed to calm down is all. I mean, she couldn't possible do anything in the state she was in."
"Or maybe she was questioning you and you had to take control of her mind," Meilin said.
"Whatever now is the time," Nanashi said. "It is time for the final battle. Transform."
"I think that's an invitation to fight, Scouts," Serena said. "Moon Cosmic Power."
"Yeah, come on, let's transform," Rini shouted. "Moon Prism Power."
"Mercury Crystal Power."
"Mars Crystal Power."
"Jupiter Crystal Power."
"Venus Crystal Power."
"Neo Cosmic Power."
"Dark Moon Prism Power."
"Neo Prism Power."
Now was the final face off. Half of the people present knew what was about to happen, but no one knew for sure who would win in the end. Would India still die? This was only one question in the mind of some of them, but the main one being would Serena die? Serena was the key to everything and everyone's lives, and Nanashi would go through anyone of them to get to India and Serena. With them being on opposite sides, it would be hard to protect both of them from the creeping evil about to get them, especially since it would be hard to protect someone you were fighting. This was going to be a hard trying battle for everyone involved. Everyone just hoped there would be very few casualties or none at all.