More souls stolen, more anguish amongst the scouts...what next? Thanksies, Kybele and Hoshimare for the reviews!! I am going to do a rare thing...I am actually going to rewrite the disclaimer! Yes, I know, don't fall over with shock. Here we go...Sailor Moon and Saint Seiya belong to Naoko Takeuchi and Masami Kurumada repectively. Thank you.
Minako, now outfitted as Sailor Venus, watched the trio before her with caution.
"Why have you summoned me here?" she demanded. The woman in the dancing costume narrowed her eyes. A sharp pain flooded Minako's chest, and she fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath.
"My name, child, is Gyakusetsu. Remember it well." More pain; she cried out this time as flaming knives pierced her chest.
"Why? What...what do you want with me?" she gasped. She heard Sailor Jupiter bellow an attack, but it seemed muted and far away. Minako went to turn around, but a hand had firmly grasped her chin, and was forcing her to look into a pair of silvery eyes.
"You are no longer a human girl. You are no longer a Sailor Scout." She knocked away his hand and struggled to stand.
"You are a liar! You can't control what I am!" she shrieked, summoning an attack.
"Au contraire, love." Hands closed about her throat, and Minako's arms dropped immediately as the pain suddenly became unbearable. Making a sound akin to that of a strangled kitten, she fell again, clawing at the hands gripping her neck.
"You shouldn't keep misery to that extent inside of you, love. It'll just make it worse when it all comes out."
"Wh...what?" she wheezed, straining a bit. The one who called herself Gyakusetsu approached slowly, one hand out in front of her.
"You cannot tell me that you haven't been feeling it, little one," she chastised. "You feel miserable all the time...lonely, neglected. And the reason for it rests right...here..." Minako's hand dropped to cover her heart.
"What are you talking about?!"
"Your soul, fool," The silvery man said coolly. "That is the cause of all emotion, is it not? Were you to be rid of it...why, you would never feel anything ever again."
"But...but I want to feel," she whispered, looking down.
"I am afraid that you have no choice in the matter, love," said the voice from behind her. One of the hands left her neck, and Minako immediately tried to free herself from the other one, when something cold plunged through her back.
The Avatar of Venus froze as something deep with her body was seized, and suddenly pulled out. Her fuku melted away to civilian clothing, and the other hand left her throat. She remained on her knees, one hand pressed to her chest, her mind in a viscous turmoil.
She was cold. Quite cold actually, but it wasn't very noticeable. She was able to push it back without a thought. She heard screams from far away. Slowly she turned around, and saw a group of people standing behind shimmering air, shrieking. Her eyes narrowed. Then she turned back; they were nothing to her, after all. They were just...there.
"What is my name, child?" A woman stood above her, looking down dispassionately. This she knew easily.
"You are Gyakusetsu."
"Very good. And you are Akigara of the Elite Soul Eaters. You serve the Mistress." She rose slowly, looking about her.
"I am Akigara of the Elite Soul Eaters. And I serve the Mistress." Gyakusetsu nodded.
"Kuroyuri!" She snapped. A pale girl with long black hair stepped out from behind Akigara. "Let down the shield. Akigara is receiving her first lesson now." The pale girl smirked and waved her arm. Immediately, the air stopped shimmering, and the people who had been shouting- why had they been shouting?- rushed towards them. Gyakusetsu pointed towards the silver Soul Eater.
"That is Ginnezudesu. He will show you how you take the soul." Sure enough, a tall girl with brown hair drew back her arm. "See the energy pooling there? You must learn to draw energy into a physical form as well. What is her energy forming as?"
"Oak leaves that spark with electricity," Akigara replied smoothly, eyes fixed on the rapidly closing space between Ginnezudesu and the brunette. Just as she was throwing her power at him, he plunged his hand forward and through her chest. The girl let out an ear piercing shriek, and fell to the ground in a still heap.
Akigara quickly lost interest in the unmoving form, and she focused on the green flickering form clenched in Ginnezudesu's fist. How lovely it was! All that made up that girl was held so easily in Ginnezudesu's hand.
"That is her soul. See how it flickers with vitality, and energy?" Gyakusetsu murmured. "When we return here, you will take a soul and serve the Mistress' great purpose."
"We must leave," Ginnezudesu said, appearing besides them. "They will soon loose grief to anger and when that happens we must not be present." Gyakusetsu nodded, and took Akigara's hand.
"Minako!" A raw scream caused her to turn around. A girl stared at her, blue eyes wavering with tears. Akigara felt a bit of hesitation, but before she could turn to Gyakusetsu, the image dissolved before her.