They walked straight through the door with no qualms. The girls appeared soon after they had left their chambers, Alina's face filled with mild surprise. As soon as they reached the door between the Keeper's Hall and the Gates of Hell, Sukina took the lead and stood in front of it. There was not a trace of the frivolity and triviality that had marked the girls now,. They seemed to be filled with determination.
"Open!" Sukina said, her palm outstretched towards the door. She pulled the long skirt of her black Grecian gown to one side and walked in, as though she was a mistress who was coming to investigate a displeasing racket.
Chaos was a massive understatement for what faced them within. They were standing on a sort of ledge, with a stairway each on one side leading to a pit below. Alarmingly, the Gates were opening wider, slowly, but unchecked. Beyond it everyone could see the seals starting to shimmer and lose focus, a sure sign that they were weakening.
Not many could pay attention to that, of course. In fact, many were trying to escape from the demon, which was moving around in an arc, causing havoc among the Divine Beings who were scared stiff. The demon kept changing forms, and Carmen's voice was hard as she identified it.
"That one links to what one fears," she said, her voice losing most of its usual aggressiveness. In place was steely determination.
"Heirs follow me! The rest of you, see what you can do!" Sukina said, looking down and then jumping to the Pit.
At the sound of her voice the demon turned, and roared again. It was not a pleasant sound, and neither was his breath. He saw the girls following Sukina, and immediately breather fire upon them. Carmen, mistress of Fire, stood in front of them, her aura blazing.
The fire did not touch them.
"Circle, now!" Sukina shouted, holding her hands out. They formed a circle, with Sukina and Naoko facing each other, Jenni next to Sukina against Alina, Carmen next to Naoko facing Serene.
To each her own
To others their due
We reap the seeds we've sown
And given them something to rue
Water Quenches Fire
Fire steams Water
Life comes together
Hope becomes the Binder
Blow Against the Earth, Wind
Constant against the Wind, Earth
Breathe new Life into us
And give us places to stand
Rise from the Earth, Rose,
Come against the Current
Be plucked from the Air,
Burnt by the Fire
Vibrate from Life, Rose
And reveal our HOPE to us…
Three times the girls chanted, three times the beast attacked them. Yet they emerged unscathed, and on the final chant, everything became silent. The Earth stopped turning, making the waters stop flowing and the wind blowing. For want of air the fires disappeared, and there was a sense that everything was holding its breath.
From Jenni's breasts the Crystal Rose, tiny and still closed, began to open and blossom. It burst out of the locket and shone brightly, calling to its brethren. From everywhere the Roses answered, speeding towards their True Wielders with unparalleled speed.
Instantly the girls were each engulfed by a tower of light, each corresponding to the colour of their chosen element. The demon roared at them, and attacked them, but the girls moved under his attacks freely, ignoring him. All the Divine Beings with planets left the place, and instantly aligned their chosen with the Earth, so that they were in a straight line.
Sukina stood in front, followed by Naoko, Carmen, Serene, Jenni and finally, Alina. The power released by the planets shot straight to Earth, and hit Alina, who transferred it to the person in front of her, who did the same and so forth. Sukina looked at the door as she waited for blast, knowing that the Crystal Rose would not be sufficient enough to merely close the Gates. They had to be resealed and the key thrown away. And that, demanded the Ultimate sacrifice. Their souls.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kurama was the first to note that the demon would not attack him and the others. His first thought was why, and then he noticed.
The only ones the demon did not attack was its own kind. And those were the only attacks that worked.
He shouted the information to the others, but the demon paid no attention. As if realising that the girls posed more of a threat to him, he attacked them instead. They were chanting something, but he could not hear the words.
Kazuma had been thrown back during the initial attack, so it was only the youkai who were left to fight him. Kurama summoned his strongest and thickest whip, and managed to actually slice off a finger. The demon screamed, and it was then that the light hit Alina.
The demon shrank, but the light shot through him as Hiei jumped to give the demon a killing blow, and Shuura was erecting a force field to keep the koorime safe. Yusuke was shooting his 'Rei Gun' and Mukuro was trying to find a free space to attack.
It hit the doors, and there was a blinding flash.
And then, silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Earth released her breath in shuddering relief, and things went on again. Deep past the Keeper's Hall, people were beginning to awaken after the Resealing. Only the girls' garments lay on the floor, to testify that that they were once there.