Disclaimer: For those who still need it: I...do not...own...any...characters...save...for...Serin... and two...of the...villains. Understand? Good. All is well in the land of Oz(and I don't own that either.)
Author's Notes: Well...glare even though I didn't get any more reviews for my story, I'm willing to continue writing on this story. However, I expect to see more interest! I know you're reading this, so let me know what you think, dagnabbit!:P
Chapter Thirteen
"They've begun the final descent, my emperor."
The words were spoken with a rough tone to a seated figure, who was hunched over, his fingers interlaced in front of his mouth, hiding his expression. The eyes, however, locked onto the speaker with laser sharp clarity.
"Have they? Interesting...and your spies have not been seen?"
"They have not...however, they have also not relaxed their guard." Finally, the first figure stood, and stepped into the light, revealing a gray armor clad knight, wearing a helmet that resembled the shape of a dragon's head. At his side was a red, pulsating sword with a blade that seemed to be a cross between crooked and serrated.
A soft chuckle came from the seated figure, still in the shadows. "And here I was about to give you a lecture...truly, you put me to shame."
The knight bowed slightly as he answered, "I wish only to serve, my emperor."
"So I see...at any rate, have your spies stand ready...when they have beaten their enemy, they should be weak enough that stealing the Ginzuishou will be a trivial matter."
This time, the knight hesitated, prompting the emperor to ask, "Is there a problem, Skeith?"
"...Why do you not kill them, my emperor? That should also be a trivial matter in a weakened state," he asked bluntly.
Both the knight and his ruler were silent for some time before the emperor finally answered, "I don't want to kill them just yet...it would be better to have them suffer first. The same way I've suffered for centuries. Stealing the Ginzuishou will be a part of that suffering."
Skeith bowed deeply in response. "As you wish, your highness. With your permission, I'll oversee the operation personally."
"I have a better idea, myself," a new voice interrupted. Both figures turned to see a female, clad in short red armor with matching wrist guards that had a type of techno design to them, making her seem dangerous, and yet provocative at the same time. Her black boots clomped softly on the floor as she approached, and smiled lovingly at the emperor while bowing.
"And what idea is that, Raida?" Skeith asked with a hint of annoyance. Raida spared him a distasteful glance before returning her eyes to their ruler. "I've finished production of two of my units that I was working so feverishly on. All of our combat tests show that their abilities meet or exceed those of any five youma working in concert. The only thing I require before full production can begin is raw data." A sly smirk formed on her face as she tossed her ponytail back. "With my lord's generous permission, we can use this moment to acquire that data."
"Out of the question! Your units are prototypes, nothing more! My troops are more than capable of stealing one insignificant gem from a group of tired old brats!" Skeith snarled.
"If that was all they were, the Negaverse would have defeated them long ago," Raida calmly retorted. "That being the case, we need to move beyond such tired old thinking. Besides, assuming that the senshi manage to destroy one or both of these units, how do you think they'll feel after seeing that they've killed a human?"
Raida smirked again as both men expressed interest in their own ways at that thought; Skeith arching an eyebrow, the emperor tapping a finger against his chin. Finally, the emperor spoke: "Permission...enthusiastically granted, Raida. But let's have a change in plans: .they are to attempt to steal the Ginzuishou if at all possible...but order them to retreat if one or the other suffers a serious injury or worse. We should have plenty of data at that point, and the senshi will still suffer a shock that will be to our benefit."
Raida, her cheeks flushed slightly, bowed again to her ruler. "Th, thank you...I won't let you down...Emperor Jadeite!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Dammit, how much further down?" Uranus growled as they carefully leapt, one at a time, to the next 'stepping stone'. By most estimations, they had gone down about five hundred meters, but with the lifestream pulsing endlessly around them, coupled with Mercury's absence, there was no way to confirm this.
Save for one, that is. "...Not much further now," Sephiroth answered calmly, his face completely expressionless. He stepped to the edge, gazing placidly around the area.
"...Sephiroth?" Saturn asked quietly.
The swordsman turned his head back and looked at the others, smiling slightly; a sort of subdued version of his normal smile. "I'm fine," he stated with an odd tone. "We're almost there...this will all be over soon..."
Uranus and Neptune both tensed slightly at the subtle changes in their comrade, and Serin gripped his sword a bit tighter as well. As soon as the swordsman turned his gaze away, everyone in the group exchanged a significant look, though with more than a bit of unease...moreso on Saturn's part.
"We'd better keep going, then," Jupiter said. "The sooner we get the Ginzuishou back, the sooner the queen will recover."
A chorus of assents were heard from everyone, and they covered the last few 'steps' with no trouble or encounters. The previous ones had given the senshi and their comrades nasty surprises, including more of those rotting dragons. The dragons were easy enough to deal with now that they knew the trick, but the towering, iron-clad behemoths were a real challenge. With their height, and the massive swords they wielded, they were daunting enough...but the difficulty came in defeating them.
Fortunately, there weren't that many of them, allowing most of the group's energy to be conserved for the upcoming battle. Finally, they began to see a larger rock platform, shaped almost like an arena. Fearlessly, Sephiroth leapt down to it, landing lightly near the edge.
Not wanting to leave him alone to face whatever might be hiding there, Saturn followed suit, along with everyone else. Though the area appeared to be deserted, no one let their guard down as they started to fan out...though Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn stayed near Sephiroth.
Hoping their journey was at an end, Uranus whispered, "Is this it?"
She had taken only a half-step forward when a 'whoosh' cut the air, and Sephiroth's Masamune blade hovered centimeters from her face. Jerking back in surprise, the wind senshi cursed and pulled her Space Sword from its dimensional pocket. "Wha...?"
For a long moment, the man didn't move, nor speak. His expression hidden from the others, he finally spoke again, with an eerie, echoing voice: "Yes...we have arrived. This is the place...where it will all end...for you!"
A glowing green circle appeared in the middle of the platform, out of which appeared the other Sephiroth. Dressed precisely the same as his alter-ego, he had a cold smirk on his face...and the ginzuishou in his right hand.
Seeing their goal in reach, Uranus cried out, "Space Sword Blaster!", sending a wave of energy at her opponent, despite Saturn and Neptune's desperate last-second attempt to stop her
The blast never ended up reaching its target anyway, being deflected away by their comrade's blade. Lowering the Masamune slightly, Sephiroth gazed coolly at the wind senshi, who returned it, though with a degree of shock. Inwardly, she was cursing at herself for forgetting the pair's link, and endangering the man her daughter loved.
Wordlessly, the first Sephiroth turned, nodded to his twin, and then raised his right hand. The clone did the same, trapping the Ginzuishou between their hands as their fingers locked. The glow from the crystal intensified, even through their skin.
A horrified gasp from Saturn preceded an event no one had expected: both Sephiroths merging with each other. Their bodies seemed to simply coalesce, as if they were ingredients being mixed together. A bright, blinding flash from the silver crystal dazzled everyone present for a moment; and when it finally cleared, Sephiroth stood there, staring at his body, flexing his hands. Looking up sharply at everyone, he grinned almost maniacally, and began to chuckle. "At last...we are one again. Now, it's time to show you the true power of the Ancients...witness the power I wield!"
Everyone, save for Saturn, took up positions to attack, though their enemy showed no hint of concern. Glancing about him, he let out a short "Hmph," and snapped his fingers, sending blasts of powerful lightning everywhere. Several of the smaller arcs struck Venus and Neptune, but did little more than stun them.
Seeing Neptune hurt sent Uranus into a rage, as she shouted out "World SHAKING!" sending another blast of magical energy at Sephiroth. This one hit dead on, resulting in a temendous explosion.
The feeling of jubilation was short-lived however, when Sephiroth was seen standing in the same place, with little to no evidence of injury. Dusting his coat off, he sneered, "Is that the best you can do? This is how it's done..."
As he gestured almost carelessly, the wind senshi suddenly found herself surrounded, and then embedded, in rock. The pain was severe, causing her to scream in pain as the rock worked its way into her body.
"URANUS!" everyone screamed.
Sephiroth laughed wickedly, as he gestured again, causing more stone to attach and embed itself to Uranus' body. "If you want her to live, you'd better kill me quickly...otherwise, the spell will become permanent," he taunted.
A rush of air was his only warning, but it served its purpose in allowing him to call his Masamune blade to his hand to meet Serin's crystal sword in mid-strike. The power from the paladin's strike was enough to push Sephiroth back a step, and drew a grunt of exertion from the crazed swordsman.
As Hotaru tried vainly to heal her parent's body with her powers(and blocking any more rock from connecting with her body with her glaive), the other three nodded in concert and combined their powers into a powerful burst, catching Sephiroth from behind while Serin had him distracted. The three attacks converged and struck their target dead-center, unfortunately sending the Lunarian paladin sprawling from the shockwave. Jupiter rushed to his side desperately, hoping he was only knocked out, despite her friend's pleas.
As she approached, Serin stirred and groaned, which drew a relieved sigh out of his wife's mouth. The sigh was cut short into a strangled gasp as a vise-like grip latched onto her neck, lifting her into the air and turning her to stare into Sephiorh's rage-filled eyes.
"You BITCH! That, is going to cost you..." Cocking his sword arm back, the Masamune 'whooshed' in. The spray of blood was punctuated by the horrified screams of her friends as she dropped to the ground...followed by a loud clatter not far away.
Confused, Sephiroth looked at the object and blinked in surprise. It was a metal sword sheathe...and it was neatly sliced in two along its length.
"That...was not smart..." a strained voice spoke. Sephiroth turned in that direction to see Serin gripping his sword tightly in one hand, while the other lowered itself from throwing his scabbard.
A groan of pain came from Jupiter's prone body as Venus and Neptune pulled her away, keeping a careful eye on their enemy. Sephiroth, however, gave them no acknowledgement, instead focusing on the paladin.
"I see...so you tossed the sheath in the path of my sword, causing your wife to take only half-damage...impressive. However..." here he raised his sword level with his head, "It is nowhere near impressive enough to beat me...you, and your friends, will die where you stand."
"DEATH RIBBON REVOLUTION!!!"
The scream of anguished rage from Saturn was followed by the deadly ribbons flying forward to strike at the swordsman's back. Unlike before however, this attack connected, drawing a scream of pain from him and driving Sephiroth to his knees.
"Gah...wh, what...?"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Serin darted forward to strike, but his attack was still met with Sephiroth's own blade, despite his poor positioning. Unknown to the others, there was another battle raging...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
[How? How could I have been hurt? I am the ruler of this planet! I am a god!]
You didn't think for a second that you really had me under control, did you?
[?!? No, this isn't possible! You can't be...]
Still around? Oh, but I am...thanks to the time I spent with my friends. The time I spent laughing, eating, practicing, and protecting Crystal Tokyo with them...all of that has made me, as a whole, stronger. I've thrived on the peaceful times...while you seek nothing more than total destruction.
[Say what you will...there's nothing you can do here...and you will watch your friends die one by one...starting with HER!]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
With a roar of rage, Sephiroth twisted his sword around Serin's own blade, and slammed the hilt into his gut, driving the wind out of the paladin. Following up on his advantage, the swordsman slammed his fist down onto Serin's head, sending him crashing to the ground.
But as soon as he turned toward the senshi, Saturn attacked once more, shouting out "Death Ribbon Revolution!" Again, the ribbons connected and drew another pained scream from Sephiroth. And the inner battle shifted balance...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
[This...CAN'T BE!!! I am the ruler...]
That will be quite enough...I'm willing to accept you as a part of me...but I will not accept your megalomaniacal ways any longer...from this day forward, there will be no more deaths thanks to you.
[You don't have the power to defeat me! You have no chance to...what?!?]
Oh, I'm sorry...did you forget that since you figured out how to use the Ginzuishou, I would know how to do it as well? And guess what? I think that I'm a little better at it than you are...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"NNNGGGAAAHHH!!!" Sephiroth suddenly screamed painfully. Clutching his head and chest, he stumbled about wildly, tossing his Masamune aside as he collapsed to his knees. Everyone tensed as they watched this unexpected event, unable to shake the thought that it could be a trap, but also hoping desperately that it wasn't...
Finally, there was a bright flash of light, causing everyone to shield their eyes. Even then, the light seemed to penetrate their eyelids. Fortunately, it ended shortly thereafter. After taking a few moments to blink away the bright spots that were prevalent in everyone's vision, two wonderful sights greeted the senshi.
One, Uranus was released from the stone spell that she had been cast in. No apparent damage was visible, though when Neptune and Saturn hugged her, she winced slightly.
The second was that near Sephiroth's prone and motionless body was the Ginzuishou. Venus quickly raced over and snatched it up, backing away from their opponent's body. After the reunion ended, and both Serin and Jupiter were treated to the best of Saturn's ability, attention shifted back to the original reason they had come so far.
"Is he...?" Neptune asked quietly, not daring to finish the question.
"I don't know...but I'm also not sure if we want to find out, either..." Uranus replied.
Their answer came in the form of a soft groan from Sephiroth as he slowly stirred, pushing himself off of the ground. Everyone tensed, ready to renew their attack if need be. After a long moment, lots of groaning and whining, and several lengthy pauses as he attempted to get his bearings straight, the swordsman finally regained his feet. Glancing around, he looked at his hands first, then his body, and finally turned his gaze to the group. Seeing their wary stances, along with a degree of hope in Saturn's eyes, he smiled slightly. "It's okay...I'm me again," he tried to assure them.
Uranus didn't even twitch, though the others did slightly. To the wind senshi, there was a bit too much of a change in him, not the least of which was the smile. "Prove it," she said coolly.
Sephiroth's smile disappeared, and his eyes slightly narrowed. "Were you born a bitch Uranus, or do you have to work at it?"
"You son of a..." she growled.
Instantly, a smirk appeared on his face and he winked. "Looks like I hit the right nerve...or the wrong one, depending," he quipped.
Thrown off guard by the good-natured insult, a nervous laugh found its way out of Uranus' mouth, joined in short order by the others.
"I don't believe it...how did you pull it off?" Serin asked, wincing slightly from a still-sore gut shot.
"Well, I..." Sephiroth's answer was cut short by a sudden rumbling sound that echoed all around them.
Muttering a short curse, Venus said, "We can discuss it later! Let's get out of here first!"
The senshi and Serin nodded in agreement and prepared to leave. Sephiroth however, knelt and placed a hand on their platform, his eyes closed. "Sephiroth? We have to leave!" Saturn shouted to him over the increasing rumble.
A long moment passed in which the swordsman failed to respond. The group was just about to call out to him again when his eyes suddenly snapped open, his face paling slightly. Looking up as he stood, one could just detect a bit of concern and despair in his countenance. Finally, he turned to the others. "I...I can't..." he whispered.
Author's Notes: Well...glare even though I didn't get any more reviews for my story, I'm willing to continue writing on this story. However, I expect to see more interest! I know you're reading this, so let me know what you think, dagnabbit!:P
Chapter Thirteen
"They've begun the final descent, my emperor."
The words were spoken with a rough tone to a seated figure, who was hunched over, his fingers interlaced in front of his mouth, hiding his expression. The eyes, however, locked onto the speaker with laser sharp clarity.
"Have they? Interesting...and your spies have not been seen?"
"They have not...however, they have also not relaxed their guard." Finally, the first figure stood, and stepped into the light, revealing a gray armor clad knight, wearing a helmet that resembled the shape of a dragon's head. At his side was a red, pulsating sword with a blade that seemed to be a cross between crooked and serrated.
A soft chuckle came from the seated figure, still in the shadows. "And here I was about to give you a lecture...truly, you put me to shame."
The knight bowed slightly as he answered, "I wish only to serve, my emperor."
"So I see...at any rate, have your spies stand ready...when they have beaten their enemy, they should be weak enough that stealing the Ginzuishou will be a trivial matter."
This time, the knight hesitated, prompting the emperor to ask, "Is there a problem, Skeith?"
"...Why do you not kill them, my emperor? That should also be a trivial matter in a weakened state," he asked bluntly.
Both the knight and his ruler were silent for some time before the emperor finally answered, "I don't want to kill them just yet...it would be better to have them suffer first. The same way I've suffered for centuries. Stealing the Ginzuishou will be a part of that suffering."
Skeith bowed deeply in response. "As you wish, your highness. With your permission, I'll oversee the operation personally."
"I have a better idea, myself," a new voice interrupted. Both figures turned to see a female, clad in short red armor with matching wrist guards that had a type of techno design to them, making her seem dangerous, and yet provocative at the same time. Her black boots clomped softly on the floor as she approached, and smiled lovingly at the emperor while bowing.
"And what idea is that, Raida?" Skeith asked with a hint of annoyance. Raida spared him a distasteful glance before returning her eyes to their ruler. "I've finished production of two of my units that I was working so feverishly on. All of our combat tests show that their abilities meet or exceed those of any five youma working in concert. The only thing I require before full production can begin is raw data." A sly smirk formed on her face as she tossed her ponytail back. "With my lord's generous permission, we can use this moment to acquire that data."
"Out of the question! Your units are prototypes, nothing more! My troops are more than capable of stealing one insignificant gem from a group of tired old brats!" Skeith snarled.
"If that was all they were, the Negaverse would have defeated them long ago," Raida calmly retorted. "That being the case, we need to move beyond such tired old thinking. Besides, assuming that the senshi manage to destroy one or both of these units, how do you think they'll feel after seeing that they've killed a human?"
Raida smirked again as both men expressed interest in their own ways at that thought; Skeith arching an eyebrow, the emperor tapping a finger against his chin. Finally, the emperor spoke: "Permission...enthusiastically granted, Raida. But let's have a change in plans: .they are to attempt to steal the Ginzuishou if at all possible...but order them to retreat if one or the other suffers a serious injury or worse. We should have plenty of data at that point, and the senshi will still suffer a shock that will be to our benefit."
Raida, her cheeks flushed slightly, bowed again to her ruler. "Th, thank you...I won't let you down...Emperor Jadeite!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------
"Dammit, how much further down?" Uranus growled as they carefully leapt, one at a time, to the next 'stepping stone'. By most estimations, they had gone down about five hundred meters, but with the lifestream pulsing endlessly around them, coupled with Mercury's absence, there was no way to confirm this.
Save for one, that is. "...Not much further now," Sephiroth answered calmly, his face completely expressionless. He stepped to the edge, gazing placidly around the area.
"...Sephiroth?" Saturn asked quietly.
The swordsman turned his head back and looked at the others, smiling slightly; a sort of subdued version of his normal smile. "I'm fine," he stated with an odd tone. "We're almost there...this will all be over soon..."
Uranus and Neptune both tensed slightly at the subtle changes in their comrade, and Serin gripped his sword a bit tighter as well. As soon as the swordsman turned his gaze away, everyone in the group exchanged a significant look, though with more than a bit of unease...moreso on Saturn's part.
"We'd better keep going, then," Jupiter said. "The sooner we get the Ginzuishou back, the sooner the queen will recover."
A chorus of assents were heard from everyone, and they covered the last few 'steps' with no trouble or encounters. The previous ones had given the senshi and their comrades nasty surprises, including more of those rotting dragons. The dragons were easy enough to deal with now that they knew the trick, but the towering, iron-clad behemoths were a real challenge. With their height, and the massive swords they wielded, they were daunting enough...but the difficulty came in defeating them.
Fortunately, there weren't that many of them, allowing most of the group's energy to be conserved for the upcoming battle. Finally, they began to see a larger rock platform, shaped almost like an arena. Fearlessly, Sephiroth leapt down to it, landing lightly near the edge.
Not wanting to leave him alone to face whatever might be hiding there, Saturn followed suit, along with everyone else. Though the area appeared to be deserted, no one let their guard down as they started to fan out...though Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn stayed near Sephiroth.
Hoping their journey was at an end, Uranus whispered, "Is this it?"
She had taken only a half-step forward when a 'whoosh' cut the air, and Sephiroth's Masamune blade hovered centimeters from her face. Jerking back in surprise, the wind senshi cursed and pulled her Space Sword from its dimensional pocket. "Wha...?"
For a long moment, the man didn't move, nor speak. His expression hidden from the others, he finally spoke again, with an eerie, echoing voice: "Yes...we have arrived. This is the place...where it will all end...for you!"
A glowing green circle appeared in the middle of the platform, out of which appeared the other Sephiroth. Dressed precisely the same as his alter-ego, he had a cold smirk on his face...and the ginzuishou in his right hand.
Seeing their goal in reach, Uranus cried out, "Space Sword Blaster!", sending a wave of energy at her opponent, despite Saturn and Neptune's desperate last-second attempt to stop her
The blast never ended up reaching its target anyway, being deflected away by their comrade's blade. Lowering the Masamune slightly, Sephiroth gazed coolly at the wind senshi, who returned it, though with a degree of shock. Inwardly, she was cursing at herself for forgetting the pair's link, and endangering the man her daughter loved.
Wordlessly, the first Sephiroth turned, nodded to his twin, and then raised his right hand. The clone did the same, trapping the Ginzuishou between their hands as their fingers locked. The glow from the crystal intensified, even through their skin.
A horrified gasp from Saturn preceded an event no one had expected: both Sephiroths merging with each other. Their bodies seemed to simply coalesce, as if they were ingredients being mixed together. A bright, blinding flash from the silver crystal dazzled everyone present for a moment; and when it finally cleared, Sephiroth stood there, staring at his body, flexing his hands. Looking up sharply at everyone, he grinned almost maniacally, and began to chuckle. "At last...we are one again. Now, it's time to show you the true power of the Ancients...witness the power I wield!"
Everyone, save for Saturn, took up positions to attack, though their enemy showed no hint of concern. Glancing about him, he let out a short "Hmph," and snapped his fingers, sending blasts of powerful lightning everywhere. Several of the smaller arcs struck Venus and Neptune, but did little more than stun them.
Seeing Neptune hurt sent Uranus into a rage, as she shouted out "World SHAKING!" sending another blast of magical energy at Sephiroth. This one hit dead on, resulting in a temendous explosion.
The feeling of jubilation was short-lived however, when Sephiroth was seen standing in the same place, with little to no evidence of injury. Dusting his coat off, he sneered, "Is that the best you can do? This is how it's done..."
As he gestured almost carelessly, the wind senshi suddenly found herself surrounded, and then embedded, in rock. The pain was severe, causing her to scream in pain as the rock worked its way into her body.
"URANUS!" everyone screamed.
Sephiroth laughed wickedly, as he gestured again, causing more stone to attach and embed itself to Uranus' body. "If you want her to live, you'd better kill me quickly...otherwise, the spell will become permanent," he taunted.
A rush of air was his only warning, but it served its purpose in allowing him to call his Masamune blade to his hand to meet Serin's crystal sword in mid-strike. The power from the paladin's strike was enough to push Sephiroth back a step, and drew a grunt of exertion from the crazed swordsman.
As Hotaru tried vainly to heal her parent's body with her powers(and blocking any more rock from connecting with her body with her glaive), the other three nodded in concert and combined their powers into a powerful burst, catching Sephiroth from behind while Serin had him distracted. The three attacks converged and struck their target dead-center, unfortunately sending the Lunarian paladin sprawling from the shockwave. Jupiter rushed to his side desperately, hoping he was only knocked out, despite her friend's pleas.
As she approached, Serin stirred and groaned, which drew a relieved sigh out of his wife's mouth. The sigh was cut short into a strangled gasp as a vise-like grip latched onto her neck, lifting her into the air and turning her to stare into Sephiorh's rage-filled eyes.
"You BITCH! That, is going to cost you..." Cocking his sword arm back, the Masamune 'whooshed' in. The spray of blood was punctuated by the horrified screams of her friends as she dropped to the ground...followed by a loud clatter not far away.
Confused, Sephiroth looked at the object and blinked in surprise. It was a metal sword sheathe...and it was neatly sliced in two along its length.
"That...was not smart..." a strained voice spoke. Sephiroth turned in that direction to see Serin gripping his sword tightly in one hand, while the other lowered itself from throwing his scabbard.
A groan of pain came from Jupiter's prone body as Venus and Neptune pulled her away, keeping a careful eye on their enemy. Sephiroth, however, gave them no acknowledgement, instead focusing on the paladin.
"I see...so you tossed the sheath in the path of my sword, causing your wife to take only half-damage...impressive. However..." here he raised his sword level with his head, "It is nowhere near impressive enough to beat me...you, and your friends, will die where you stand."
"DEATH RIBBON REVOLUTION!!!"
The scream of anguished rage from Saturn was followed by the deadly ribbons flying forward to strike at the swordsman's back. Unlike before however, this attack connected, drawing a scream of pain from him and driving Sephiroth to his knees.
"Gah...wh, what...?"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Serin darted forward to strike, but his attack was still met with Sephiroth's own blade, despite his poor positioning. Unknown to the others, there was another battle raging...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
[How? How could I have been hurt? I am the ruler of this planet! I am a god!]
You didn't think for a second that you really had me under control, did you?
[?!? No, this isn't possible! You can't be...]
Still around? Oh, but I am...thanks to the time I spent with my friends. The time I spent laughing, eating, practicing, and protecting Crystal Tokyo with them...all of that has made me, as a whole, stronger. I've thrived on the peaceful times...while you seek nothing more than total destruction.
[Say what you will...there's nothing you can do here...and you will watch your friends die one by one...starting with HER!]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
With a roar of rage, Sephiroth twisted his sword around Serin's own blade, and slammed the hilt into his gut, driving the wind out of the paladin. Following up on his advantage, the swordsman slammed his fist down onto Serin's head, sending him crashing to the ground.
But as soon as he turned toward the senshi, Saturn attacked once more, shouting out "Death Ribbon Revolution!" Again, the ribbons connected and drew another pained scream from Sephiroth. And the inner battle shifted balance...
--------------------------------------------------------------------
[This...CAN'T BE!!! I am the ruler...]
That will be quite enough...I'm willing to accept you as a part of me...but I will not accept your megalomaniacal ways any longer...from this day forward, there will be no more deaths thanks to you.
[You don't have the power to defeat me! You have no chance to...what?!?]
Oh, I'm sorry...did you forget that since you figured out how to use the Ginzuishou, I would know how to do it as well? And guess what? I think that I'm a little better at it than you are...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"NNNGGGAAAHHH!!!" Sephiroth suddenly screamed painfully. Clutching his head and chest, he stumbled about wildly, tossing his Masamune aside as he collapsed to his knees. Everyone tensed as they watched this unexpected event, unable to shake the thought that it could be a trap, but also hoping desperately that it wasn't...
Finally, there was a bright flash of light, causing everyone to shield their eyes. Even then, the light seemed to penetrate their eyelids. Fortunately, it ended shortly thereafter. After taking a few moments to blink away the bright spots that were prevalent in everyone's vision, two wonderful sights greeted the senshi.
One, Uranus was released from the stone spell that she had been cast in. No apparent damage was visible, though when Neptune and Saturn hugged her, she winced slightly.
The second was that near Sephiroth's prone and motionless body was the Ginzuishou. Venus quickly raced over and snatched it up, backing away from their opponent's body. After the reunion ended, and both Serin and Jupiter were treated to the best of Saturn's ability, attention shifted back to the original reason they had come so far.
"Is he...?" Neptune asked quietly, not daring to finish the question.
"I don't know...but I'm also not sure if we want to find out, either..." Uranus replied.
Their answer came in the form of a soft groan from Sephiroth as he slowly stirred, pushing himself off of the ground. Everyone tensed, ready to renew their attack if need be. After a long moment, lots of groaning and whining, and several lengthy pauses as he attempted to get his bearings straight, the swordsman finally regained his feet. Glancing around, he looked at his hands first, then his body, and finally turned his gaze to the group. Seeing their wary stances, along with a degree of hope in Saturn's eyes, he smiled slightly. "It's okay...I'm me again," he tried to assure them.
Uranus didn't even twitch, though the others did slightly. To the wind senshi, there was a bit too much of a change in him, not the least of which was the smile. "Prove it," she said coolly.
Sephiroth's smile disappeared, and his eyes slightly narrowed. "Were you born a bitch Uranus, or do you have to work at it?"
"You son of a..." she growled.
Instantly, a smirk appeared on his face and he winked. "Looks like I hit the right nerve...or the wrong one, depending," he quipped.
Thrown off guard by the good-natured insult, a nervous laugh found its way out of Uranus' mouth, joined in short order by the others.
"I don't believe it...how did you pull it off?" Serin asked, wincing slightly from a still-sore gut shot.
"Well, I..." Sephiroth's answer was cut short by a sudden rumbling sound that echoed all around them.
Muttering a short curse, Venus said, "We can discuss it later! Let's get out of here first!"
The senshi and Serin nodded in agreement and prepared to leave. Sephiroth however, knelt and placed a hand on their platform, his eyes closed. "Sephiroth? We have to leave!" Saturn shouted to him over the increasing rumble.
A long moment passed in which the swordsman failed to respond. The group was just about to call out to him again when his eyes suddenly snapped open, his face paling slightly. Looking up as he stood, one could just detect a bit of concern and despair in his countenance. Finally, he turned to the others. "I...I can't..." he whispered.