Hey people. Wow... two updates in almost as many days. Silverlocke's freaking here, people! Muhahahaha! (glances around crazily) Actually, it's mostly because I want to get this story done. I'm a little over halfway through the night, and I want to hurry up and finish it. I've got too many stories going on as it is... and it's frying my brain. O_O
Haven't had a chance to see reviews yet, so here's a preemptive "THANK YOU!" to all my reviewers. And Tiger5913, who will most definitely be reviewing, if only to yell at me for not having any Keniko scenes :P.
So hold on to your asses, ladies and gentleman, because it's now...
"SHOWTIME!"
Chapter Five
The Burning Soul
Night sky over Tokyo. Near Mishiyama building. 12:48 a.m., Night of the Mark.
We left Long some time ago, heading north when he turns east to reach Gado's mansion. We will return to him later tonight, soon after he reaches the Mansion de Leo, but that is a part of our tale we have yet to reach. At the moment, we must catch up with a former acquaintance. As we flit through the suburbs of Tokyo, racing faster than the wind through the streets at ground level, we notice the houses gradually become fewer and fewer, then stop as great buildings of steel and glass take over. Factories, headquarters, skyscrapers... these are the rule in this part of Tokyo. Most of them are dark and silent- it is getting rather late, after all- but a few have lights on inside, where workaholics desperately work on that one last project for the boss. Ah, the joys of business.
But we have no time for these side stories, entertaining though they might be. Rather, our target lies ahead. It is a being we are familiar with, having watched it be born into this world, but not a being we want to meet. Though we know we are invulnerable to all that might happen here, still we tremble with fear. This being is so far beyond anything we've encountered so far that even the greatest of shields seems puny compared to it's might. But we must ignore our fear and plunge with courage into darkness. We fly on.
Soon, passing several large skyscrapers belonging to automotive companies, a chemical developer, and several other assorted businesses, we come to our ultimate goal. The largest skyscraper here, towering far above the others. We gaze up at it's massive steel and glass bulk, and gathering our resolve fly straight up it. In our fear, we fly far faster than normal, and the glass windows seem to blur before us as we rush up the side of the skyscraper. There are no lights inside. No one wants to stay in this building after dark, not even the janitors. None of the employees inside could tell you exactly what they feel, but there is something wrong with this place. A young woman once walked in with a cross necklace on, and as she passed the doorway it suddenly grew so hot that she had to run back out into the streets. After that, she refused to go back into the building, and moved to another city. She never told anyone about it, but later in her diary she recorded that she'd felt something tug at her, some spinning whirling garbling *thing* that seemed to reach right in to her mind... and then she'd felt some other force pushing it back. She did not know then and does not know now what had happened there, but she now refuses to buy any products of the Mishiyama Corporation.
And that is hard to do. For this company makes everything from baby powder to cereal boxes. It is almost impossible to avoid buying something of theirs, even if it's in an indirect way, like buying a telephone whose box was made by the Mishiyama Corporation. Thankfully, Mishiyama Corporation is limited to Japan only, but their influence is incredible. They are a force to be reckoned with.
As we fly up, up, to the very top of this building, we sense some of that evil. We are protected... but the thing inside is very foul. This building reeks of some nameless filth, some evil so ancient that mankind has failed to name it. It is an evil that came to this place when Mr. Mishiyama, the CEO of this corporation, bargained away his very soul so that he could become a rich man. He was poor then, living off the streets, but as soon as the bargain was struck, he bought a lottery ticket worth four million dollars. The money more than tripled on the stock market and since then has just kept going up. With it he started this company, and now Mr. Mishiyama is rich beyond his wildest dreams.
Pathetic that he would sell his soul for such a meager thing.
As we pass the last few floors, the feeling of wrongness intensifies, because in these top floors where only Mr. Mishiyama goes, there is a design on the floor. A design made to call things into being. To give unnatural terrors a way into this world...
We begin to hear chanting. It is in no language we know, and that is startling, for we have the power to understand any language, no matter how old or dead it may be, and this is no tongue we can understand. As we ascend to the top of this pit, we see the monster itself. And we tremble.
The winds blow fierce up here, fierce enough that were we in mortal guise, we would be picked up and tossed around like rag dolls. The clouds above this place are stormy, but not with natural lightning- this lightning is red and fierce. The clouds themselves seem swollen, somehow, as if bulging far beyond their normal limits. Across from us, black flames that give no light circle and gambole about in hellish ecstasy on the rooftop where Xion dances, performing the ritualistic chants and maneuvers that will call into being the Tabula. It is already partially formed, a massive stone disk floating in the air, chunks of it missing and coming into being out of nothingness as Xion completes the spell. A half-blurred face floats across it's brown surface, floating in and out of nothingness and giving us a bare glimpse of some strange visage that is all teeth and eyes. The few glances we get of it give us the impression of something searching. What does this hellspawn seek...?
Without warning, the clouds burst. A rain comes pouring down, so fierce and strong that every drop hits like a sledgehammer. We know. Because we feel it. The shock of being touched in this realm causes us to cry out.
The face looks at us.
Xion stops in it's dancing, staring at us with those ghastly mutated eyes. It sees a group of people, wings spread out, some looking like gargoyles while others resemble angels, all crying out as the rain pours down in a liquid sheet. The drops strike us and make us visible to all. Lightning cracks. Thunder roars.
The face opens it's mouth.
A force so strong that it shoves the water droplets aside in a gushing flurry ripples out of the mouth and dashes across the rooftop at us. We scramble to the sides, dodging it just as it strikes the concrete edge of this building. It shatters the barrier and sends chunks of rock raining down below. From this height, the chunks will have the impact of meteors. We've no time to notice or care about their impact below, however. We came here thinking we were invincible- so much for THAT idea- and are now in for the fight of our lives. Or, more correctly, the flight. We are not allowed to directly interfere here, and though if we fought we might prove stronger than the entity of the Tabula, we must leave that battle to others. We leap off the rooftop, out of the pouring rain that covers this spot and only this spot, and as the raindrops leave our skin we immediately become invisible again. The creature on the rooftop shouts something in it's foul, guttural language, and Xion cries out as well, but we are now beyond them, beyond their senses to detect and harm. We fly out a ways, past that revealing rain, and circle the building once, glaring at the monsters atop it. We will be back, soon. With friends.
Let us fly away from this place.
************************************************************************
Roads of Tokyo, heading towards Mansion de Leo. 1:00 a.m.
We fly fast, now, and pick up Long's trail on the sidewalks of Tokyo. He is running, this man, running very fast, because he senses that whatever is going to happen to his love is going to happen soon. The being that is now descending on Gado's house like some nightmare crow could attest to that. After all, she's the one who will be doing the harming here.
Long runs as fast as he can, his hair flying out behind him, his glasses barely staying atop his nose. Still shaken by our encounter with the Tabula, we keep pace with him as we ponder the events of the night. We were sent to watch and record and generally stay out of things, but we've ended up being seen and maybe interfering without meaning to. Who knows what Xion and the Tabula are doing now, having been visited by such strange and spectral guests as ourselves? Just the knowledge that beings like ourselves exist might profoundly change the course of this world. We may have just signed the death warrants of all the Zoanthropes here. Shaking our heads, we breathe a collective sigh and relegate what has happened to the back of our minds. We can do nothing about the past. If it all really begins to end, we will head back to that tower and try to fight in the rain. The rain made us vulnerable- but it also made us physical. We do have a chance to fight back, if all else fails, but to do so would be a violation of the most profound order. We must stay back and hope that we have done nothing to harm the heroes of this world.
As we follow this particular hero, we glance up into the sky and gasp. The moon is gone. Where it once was, the blackness of an enormous rain cloud reigns. In our troubles and worries, we had not noticed it getting darker. We tremble in our hearts and wonder exactly what is going on here. If the rain that the sky-covering monstrosity above us promises is the same rain that covered the rooftop of the Mishiyama Corporation, we are going to be in serious trouble. Soon, thunder cracks, and a lightning bolt splits the sky. Rain begins to pour in ever thickening sheets, and for one heart-pounding second, we wait for it to touch us... and to our relief, it passes through our skin and falls to the ground. Whew. We can continue our mission here.
Still running, our Chinese friend has taken off his glasses and placed them in a pocket in his shirt. He has no time to be distracted by water striking his lenses. That feeling of urgency, of black expectation, is growing stronger by the minute. All of his senses are on high alert. As he runs down the sidewalk, passing bystanders without a single glance at them, the rain begins to come down in almost literal sheets, in eerie mimicry of the rain above the Mishiyama Corporation. Xion is doing more than mess with the heads of the Zoanthropes here; he's screwing with the weather. Cursing the bastard, we continue flying beside Long as he makes a final turn and reaches the Mansion de Leo.
Continuing his run, unaware of the floating being about whom storm clouds gather like the robes of a queen, Long reaches the front gate. Clearing it in a single leap, he bounds over the wall and runs up to the front door. He pounds on it three times, in his haste forgetting his dignity as a gentleman. Pausing for breath after his long run, he waits with one hand pressed against the door for someone to open it. His keen ears pick up heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, and he breathes a sigh of relief that things must still be alright, if Gado is coming in such a calm, easy manner to answer the door. Gado opens the door with a slightly bewildered look.
" Yes who is it... Long? What the hell are you doing here?" Gado's mercenary eye quickly taking in the details of Gado's clothing, he exclaims, " You ran here in the rain, didn't you? What is going on here?"
Long, waving his questions aside with his hand so he can catch his breath, says, " Hold... on. Let me... in."
Gado steps aside, and Long walks into the house, dripping water all over the marble floor. Pausing for a moment, Long says, " Is Shina... here?"
An annoyed look crosses Gado's face. " I know you have something for my daughter, but trust me, her companionship isn't *that* worthwhile. Yes, she's here. Why?"
Long shakes his head, desperately drawing in breath. " Nothing... to do... with that, sir. It's just..." Long pauses, unable to decipher his thoughts and feelings and put them into words. He finishes rather weakly, " Something's going to happen..."
" What?" Gado says, just as the ceiling explodes. Chunks of plaster rain down, and still fresh from our encounter with the Tabula, we instinctively dodge out of the way. Remembering that at the moment we are invincible, we quickly gather our wits and look upwards, to see the cause of this intrusion. She floats there, white hair plastered to her skull from the rain, her eyes dead but alive with some strange tormenting delight. She is small and slender, but the lightning crackling all around her is very much alive. This is Uranus, another of Busuzima's experiments (that man's evel reaches far beyond himself, in black ripples that upset the entire watery surface of the universe). Her origins are a mystery, even to her. Not that she cares. She cares for nothing of this world, for she lacks even the small sliver of humanity that Shenlong holds onto.
The one thing she cares about is death.
Her eyes gleam. Her lips move, in a wordless whisper.
Lightning rains down into the now open-roofed marble parlor, striking and destroying everything they touch. Beams of power stroke the ground, creating jagged trails of destruction as they travel like the searching fingers of some malevolent giant. Plaster rains everywhere, as well as pieces of marble-coated steel and chunks of floor. The air is clouded with dust.
Uranus smiles. The smile stays on even as the chunk of plaster Gado has thrown strikes her face and knocks her flight off balance. Already in beast mode, Gado roars his rage. Long, transforming as well, snarls up at the flying monster as well. They have met Uranus before, and know her tricks. Though both sense that she is far more powerful now than she has been in their last encounters... Ignoring this, Gado leaps out of the rubble filled parlor and slashes at Uranus. She nimbly dances away in the air, and as he passes her she strikes him with a vicious downwards kick. The force sends him flying downwards, and he strikes the stairs with a muffled oomph. Uranus smiles at him, summoning her lightning, but she is interrupted by a third roar. We, while watching the battle before us, had not noticed Shina running in from her bedroom on the second floor. She has transformed to beast mode, and now her leopard form screams at Uranus from the upper balcony. Uranus, as happy to kill her as she is to kill her father, redirects her lightning at Shina, smiling all the while. Shina dodges to the left, rolling behind a pillar for cover. Purple fire blasts the ground beside her.
Long grabs a chunk of marbled steel and hurls it with deadly aim at Uranus. It strikes her back, and the grinning madwoman falters in the air for a second. It's enough time for Shina to leap and bite her shoulder, dragging her down with her. As Uranus struggles with the feline Zoanthrope determined to bite her throat out, Gado leaps up as well, grabbing Uranus' leg and giving it a fierce downward tug. Gado's strength proves too much for her, and Uranus tumbles to the ground. Shina lets go and falls to the side, but Gado isn't so nimble, and ends up underneath Uranus. When they strike the ground, Uranus is standing on top of his chest. She smiles at him and begins kicking his face in. Gado grabs her with his right claw and flings her small form away from him, tearing part of her shirt in the process. Uranus hits the wall and little chunks of plaster puff out to either side of her. She falls down and sits in a fallen position for a little while, grin still pasted to her face, atop the grand staircase that was the hallmark of this room. She rises slowly, smiling at the three Zoanthropes like some demented jester, and raises her arms. Lips moving again in that same soundless whisper, she fills the room with her energy. Lightning crackles and violet fire burns, as Uranus smiles. The power flowing from her is incredible; even we feel it, and as we look in worry about the room, we notice the three claw marks on Uranus' shoulder. We would never have seen them if Gado had not ripped her shirt there; as it is, we see it, and Uranus' newfound power suddenly makes sense. She's been to see Xion. And that bodes ill for all here. Uranus' power, a sizzling white hot force prepared to burn everything in the room to nothingness, lashes out. Gado and Long fall to their knees, bodies burning and lungs frying as electricity courses through them. We curse and almost wish the Tabula's nightmare rain would come. In it, at least, we could fight and aid them. Here, in this marble home, we can do nothing.
But we do not have to. Another force, this force a raging, burning flame, suddenly makes itself apparent. Shina, eyes closed, her leopard form tense and snarling, is still standing, and heat is rippling out from her. Uranus' smile falters for the first time, and she concentrates her power on Shina. A bolt of lightning crackles out of Uranus. It is rebuffed by a wall of heat so strong that it is melting part of the floor around Shina. Shina opens her eyes and snarls. Uranus cocks her head, wondering why her power isn't working.
Shina's Crest glows.
Shina crosses the room in a blur, leaping at Uranus. Her claws make flaming trails in the air as they swipe once, twice, three times. Shina flails her opponent, spinning and lashing and lunging, and Uranus is covered in cuts by the time Shina quits striking her and leaps into the air. But Shina is not finished yet. Shina makes an X in the air with her body, legs and arms flung outwards, and her power concentrates into one vital blow. An X of flame covers Uranus, burning her in it's flames, destroying her hold on the room. Uranus staggers backwards, still on fire, her hair curling and singeing. She flees into the night. Gado and Long, hurt and dazed but still alive, follow her with their eyes.
Above them, reverted to human form, Shina drops from the sky.
- Read and review please! And if anyone knows exactly *what* Uranus is, please tell me in your review. See you all later!
Haven't had a chance to see reviews yet, so here's a preemptive "THANK YOU!" to all my reviewers. And Tiger5913, who will most definitely be reviewing, if only to yell at me for not having any Keniko scenes :P.
So hold on to your asses, ladies and gentleman, because it's now...
"SHOWTIME!"
Chapter Five
The Burning Soul
Night sky over Tokyo. Near Mishiyama building. 12:48 a.m., Night of the Mark.
We left Long some time ago, heading north when he turns east to reach Gado's mansion. We will return to him later tonight, soon after he reaches the Mansion de Leo, but that is a part of our tale we have yet to reach. At the moment, we must catch up with a former acquaintance. As we flit through the suburbs of Tokyo, racing faster than the wind through the streets at ground level, we notice the houses gradually become fewer and fewer, then stop as great buildings of steel and glass take over. Factories, headquarters, skyscrapers... these are the rule in this part of Tokyo. Most of them are dark and silent- it is getting rather late, after all- but a few have lights on inside, where workaholics desperately work on that one last project for the boss. Ah, the joys of business.
But we have no time for these side stories, entertaining though they might be. Rather, our target lies ahead. It is a being we are familiar with, having watched it be born into this world, but not a being we want to meet. Though we know we are invulnerable to all that might happen here, still we tremble with fear. This being is so far beyond anything we've encountered so far that even the greatest of shields seems puny compared to it's might. But we must ignore our fear and plunge with courage into darkness. We fly on.
Soon, passing several large skyscrapers belonging to automotive companies, a chemical developer, and several other assorted businesses, we come to our ultimate goal. The largest skyscraper here, towering far above the others. We gaze up at it's massive steel and glass bulk, and gathering our resolve fly straight up it. In our fear, we fly far faster than normal, and the glass windows seem to blur before us as we rush up the side of the skyscraper. There are no lights inside. No one wants to stay in this building after dark, not even the janitors. None of the employees inside could tell you exactly what they feel, but there is something wrong with this place. A young woman once walked in with a cross necklace on, and as she passed the doorway it suddenly grew so hot that she had to run back out into the streets. After that, she refused to go back into the building, and moved to another city. She never told anyone about it, but later in her diary she recorded that she'd felt something tug at her, some spinning whirling garbling *thing* that seemed to reach right in to her mind... and then she'd felt some other force pushing it back. She did not know then and does not know now what had happened there, but she now refuses to buy any products of the Mishiyama Corporation.
And that is hard to do. For this company makes everything from baby powder to cereal boxes. It is almost impossible to avoid buying something of theirs, even if it's in an indirect way, like buying a telephone whose box was made by the Mishiyama Corporation. Thankfully, Mishiyama Corporation is limited to Japan only, but their influence is incredible. They are a force to be reckoned with.
As we fly up, up, to the very top of this building, we sense some of that evil. We are protected... but the thing inside is very foul. This building reeks of some nameless filth, some evil so ancient that mankind has failed to name it. It is an evil that came to this place when Mr. Mishiyama, the CEO of this corporation, bargained away his very soul so that he could become a rich man. He was poor then, living off the streets, but as soon as the bargain was struck, he bought a lottery ticket worth four million dollars. The money more than tripled on the stock market and since then has just kept going up. With it he started this company, and now Mr. Mishiyama is rich beyond his wildest dreams.
Pathetic that he would sell his soul for such a meager thing.
As we pass the last few floors, the feeling of wrongness intensifies, because in these top floors where only Mr. Mishiyama goes, there is a design on the floor. A design made to call things into being. To give unnatural terrors a way into this world...
We begin to hear chanting. It is in no language we know, and that is startling, for we have the power to understand any language, no matter how old or dead it may be, and this is no tongue we can understand. As we ascend to the top of this pit, we see the monster itself. And we tremble.
The winds blow fierce up here, fierce enough that were we in mortal guise, we would be picked up and tossed around like rag dolls. The clouds above this place are stormy, but not with natural lightning- this lightning is red and fierce. The clouds themselves seem swollen, somehow, as if bulging far beyond their normal limits. Across from us, black flames that give no light circle and gambole about in hellish ecstasy on the rooftop where Xion dances, performing the ritualistic chants and maneuvers that will call into being the Tabula. It is already partially formed, a massive stone disk floating in the air, chunks of it missing and coming into being out of nothingness as Xion completes the spell. A half-blurred face floats across it's brown surface, floating in and out of nothingness and giving us a bare glimpse of some strange visage that is all teeth and eyes. The few glances we get of it give us the impression of something searching. What does this hellspawn seek...?
Without warning, the clouds burst. A rain comes pouring down, so fierce and strong that every drop hits like a sledgehammer. We know. Because we feel it. The shock of being touched in this realm causes us to cry out.
The face looks at us.
Xion stops in it's dancing, staring at us with those ghastly mutated eyes. It sees a group of people, wings spread out, some looking like gargoyles while others resemble angels, all crying out as the rain pours down in a liquid sheet. The drops strike us and make us visible to all. Lightning cracks. Thunder roars.
The face opens it's mouth.
A force so strong that it shoves the water droplets aside in a gushing flurry ripples out of the mouth and dashes across the rooftop at us. We scramble to the sides, dodging it just as it strikes the concrete edge of this building. It shatters the barrier and sends chunks of rock raining down below. From this height, the chunks will have the impact of meteors. We've no time to notice or care about their impact below, however. We came here thinking we were invincible- so much for THAT idea- and are now in for the fight of our lives. Or, more correctly, the flight. We are not allowed to directly interfere here, and though if we fought we might prove stronger than the entity of the Tabula, we must leave that battle to others. We leap off the rooftop, out of the pouring rain that covers this spot and only this spot, and as the raindrops leave our skin we immediately become invisible again. The creature on the rooftop shouts something in it's foul, guttural language, and Xion cries out as well, but we are now beyond them, beyond their senses to detect and harm. We fly out a ways, past that revealing rain, and circle the building once, glaring at the monsters atop it. We will be back, soon. With friends.
Let us fly away from this place.
************************************************************************
Roads of Tokyo, heading towards Mansion de Leo. 1:00 a.m.
We fly fast, now, and pick up Long's trail on the sidewalks of Tokyo. He is running, this man, running very fast, because he senses that whatever is going to happen to his love is going to happen soon. The being that is now descending on Gado's house like some nightmare crow could attest to that. After all, she's the one who will be doing the harming here.
Long runs as fast as he can, his hair flying out behind him, his glasses barely staying atop his nose. Still shaken by our encounter with the Tabula, we keep pace with him as we ponder the events of the night. We were sent to watch and record and generally stay out of things, but we've ended up being seen and maybe interfering without meaning to. Who knows what Xion and the Tabula are doing now, having been visited by such strange and spectral guests as ourselves? Just the knowledge that beings like ourselves exist might profoundly change the course of this world. We may have just signed the death warrants of all the Zoanthropes here. Shaking our heads, we breathe a collective sigh and relegate what has happened to the back of our minds. We can do nothing about the past. If it all really begins to end, we will head back to that tower and try to fight in the rain. The rain made us vulnerable- but it also made us physical. We do have a chance to fight back, if all else fails, but to do so would be a violation of the most profound order. We must stay back and hope that we have done nothing to harm the heroes of this world.
As we follow this particular hero, we glance up into the sky and gasp. The moon is gone. Where it once was, the blackness of an enormous rain cloud reigns. In our troubles and worries, we had not noticed it getting darker. We tremble in our hearts and wonder exactly what is going on here. If the rain that the sky-covering monstrosity above us promises is the same rain that covered the rooftop of the Mishiyama Corporation, we are going to be in serious trouble. Soon, thunder cracks, and a lightning bolt splits the sky. Rain begins to pour in ever thickening sheets, and for one heart-pounding second, we wait for it to touch us... and to our relief, it passes through our skin and falls to the ground. Whew. We can continue our mission here.
Still running, our Chinese friend has taken off his glasses and placed them in a pocket in his shirt. He has no time to be distracted by water striking his lenses. That feeling of urgency, of black expectation, is growing stronger by the minute. All of his senses are on high alert. As he runs down the sidewalk, passing bystanders without a single glance at them, the rain begins to come down in almost literal sheets, in eerie mimicry of the rain above the Mishiyama Corporation. Xion is doing more than mess with the heads of the Zoanthropes here; he's screwing with the weather. Cursing the bastard, we continue flying beside Long as he makes a final turn and reaches the Mansion de Leo.
Continuing his run, unaware of the floating being about whom storm clouds gather like the robes of a queen, Long reaches the front gate. Clearing it in a single leap, he bounds over the wall and runs up to the front door. He pounds on it three times, in his haste forgetting his dignity as a gentleman. Pausing for breath after his long run, he waits with one hand pressed against the door for someone to open it. His keen ears pick up heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, and he breathes a sigh of relief that things must still be alright, if Gado is coming in such a calm, easy manner to answer the door. Gado opens the door with a slightly bewildered look.
" Yes who is it... Long? What the hell are you doing here?" Gado's mercenary eye quickly taking in the details of Gado's clothing, he exclaims, " You ran here in the rain, didn't you? What is going on here?"
Long, waving his questions aside with his hand so he can catch his breath, says, " Hold... on. Let me... in."
Gado steps aside, and Long walks into the house, dripping water all over the marble floor. Pausing for a moment, Long says, " Is Shina... here?"
An annoyed look crosses Gado's face. " I know you have something for my daughter, but trust me, her companionship isn't *that* worthwhile. Yes, she's here. Why?"
Long shakes his head, desperately drawing in breath. " Nothing... to do... with that, sir. It's just..." Long pauses, unable to decipher his thoughts and feelings and put them into words. He finishes rather weakly, " Something's going to happen..."
" What?" Gado says, just as the ceiling explodes. Chunks of plaster rain down, and still fresh from our encounter with the Tabula, we instinctively dodge out of the way. Remembering that at the moment we are invincible, we quickly gather our wits and look upwards, to see the cause of this intrusion. She floats there, white hair plastered to her skull from the rain, her eyes dead but alive with some strange tormenting delight. She is small and slender, but the lightning crackling all around her is very much alive. This is Uranus, another of Busuzima's experiments (that man's evel reaches far beyond himself, in black ripples that upset the entire watery surface of the universe). Her origins are a mystery, even to her. Not that she cares. She cares for nothing of this world, for she lacks even the small sliver of humanity that Shenlong holds onto.
The one thing she cares about is death.
Her eyes gleam. Her lips move, in a wordless whisper.
Lightning rains down into the now open-roofed marble parlor, striking and destroying everything they touch. Beams of power stroke the ground, creating jagged trails of destruction as they travel like the searching fingers of some malevolent giant. Plaster rains everywhere, as well as pieces of marble-coated steel and chunks of floor. The air is clouded with dust.
Uranus smiles. The smile stays on even as the chunk of plaster Gado has thrown strikes her face and knocks her flight off balance. Already in beast mode, Gado roars his rage. Long, transforming as well, snarls up at the flying monster as well. They have met Uranus before, and know her tricks. Though both sense that she is far more powerful now than she has been in their last encounters... Ignoring this, Gado leaps out of the rubble filled parlor and slashes at Uranus. She nimbly dances away in the air, and as he passes her she strikes him with a vicious downwards kick. The force sends him flying downwards, and he strikes the stairs with a muffled oomph. Uranus smiles at him, summoning her lightning, but she is interrupted by a third roar. We, while watching the battle before us, had not noticed Shina running in from her bedroom on the second floor. She has transformed to beast mode, and now her leopard form screams at Uranus from the upper balcony. Uranus, as happy to kill her as she is to kill her father, redirects her lightning at Shina, smiling all the while. Shina dodges to the left, rolling behind a pillar for cover. Purple fire blasts the ground beside her.
Long grabs a chunk of marbled steel and hurls it with deadly aim at Uranus. It strikes her back, and the grinning madwoman falters in the air for a second. It's enough time for Shina to leap and bite her shoulder, dragging her down with her. As Uranus struggles with the feline Zoanthrope determined to bite her throat out, Gado leaps up as well, grabbing Uranus' leg and giving it a fierce downward tug. Gado's strength proves too much for her, and Uranus tumbles to the ground. Shina lets go and falls to the side, but Gado isn't so nimble, and ends up underneath Uranus. When they strike the ground, Uranus is standing on top of his chest. She smiles at him and begins kicking his face in. Gado grabs her with his right claw and flings her small form away from him, tearing part of her shirt in the process. Uranus hits the wall and little chunks of plaster puff out to either side of her. She falls down and sits in a fallen position for a little while, grin still pasted to her face, atop the grand staircase that was the hallmark of this room. She rises slowly, smiling at the three Zoanthropes like some demented jester, and raises her arms. Lips moving again in that same soundless whisper, she fills the room with her energy. Lightning crackles and violet fire burns, as Uranus smiles. The power flowing from her is incredible; even we feel it, and as we look in worry about the room, we notice the three claw marks on Uranus' shoulder. We would never have seen them if Gado had not ripped her shirt there; as it is, we see it, and Uranus' newfound power suddenly makes sense. She's been to see Xion. And that bodes ill for all here. Uranus' power, a sizzling white hot force prepared to burn everything in the room to nothingness, lashes out. Gado and Long fall to their knees, bodies burning and lungs frying as electricity courses through them. We curse and almost wish the Tabula's nightmare rain would come. In it, at least, we could fight and aid them. Here, in this marble home, we can do nothing.
But we do not have to. Another force, this force a raging, burning flame, suddenly makes itself apparent. Shina, eyes closed, her leopard form tense and snarling, is still standing, and heat is rippling out from her. Uranus' smile falters for the first time, and she concentrates her power on Shina. A bolt of lightning crackles out of Uranus. It is rebuffed by a wall of heat so strong that it is melting part of the floor around Shina. Shina opens her eyes and snarls. Uranus cocks her head, wondering why her power isn't working.
Shina's Crest glows.
Shina crosses the room in a blur, leaping at Uranus. Her claws make flaming trails in the air as they swipe once, twice, three times. Shina flails her opponent, spinning and lashing and lunging, and Uranus is covered in cuts by the time Shina quits striking her and leaps into the air. But Shina is not finished yet. Shina makes an X in the air with her body, legs and arms flung outwards, and her power concentrates into one vital blow. An X of flame covers Uranus, burning her in it's flames, destroying her hold on the room. Uranus staggers backwards, still on fire, her hair curling and singeing. She flees into the night. Gado and Long, hurt and dazed but still alive, follow her with their eyes.
Above them, reverted to human form, Shina drops from the sky.
- Read and review please! And if anyone knows exactly *what* Uranus is, please tell me in your review. See you all later!