Chapter Eight: Hecate Attacks!
In this chapter, Natsumi sings a song y'all might know to help calm herself down. It's "Moon Revenge" from the R movie. How does she know it? Let's just say her mom's singing group sang it.
The next day, the Sailor Team were all so nervous in their classes that they could barely concentrate, let alone notice the fact that quite a few people were absent—more than usual for this time of year. Suzumi had trouble paying attention, which was a rarity indeed for her. Natsumi was scolded for being off-key in music class and her mother's singing voice was brought into the scolding, a comparison that was Natsumi's pet peeve. Sayaka struck out every time while playing softball during P.E. Aiko got in trouble for just gazing out of the window for an entire class period, thinking about the near future, as did Sakura. Even Reiko and Keiko were absentminded.
After school, each girl went home, did their homework, and rested up before heading out as if they were going back to school. The girls were still dressed in their school uniforms, their hands warming up from constantly touching the transformation sticks nestled deep in their skirt pockets, a gesture that reassured the girls their sticks were still there.
Suzumi was the first to arrive at The Sweet Bean because her apartment was the closest. She ordered a latte, sank into a comfortable leather couch, and sipped to try to quell her fears. The Hino twins arrived next, bought espressos, and sat down near Suzumi, though they didn't talk much, they just drank. Sayaka came in, bought a "frappe" (a mixture of ice, coffee, ice cream, and flavoring), and waved to the previous arrivals before setting up camp in a tall, bar-style stool. Aiko arrived, also bought a latte, and seated herself near the window. Sakura and Natsumi arrived last, just before 9 o'clock, each purchased frappes of different flavors, and made their way to the middle of where their friends sat.
Once the drinks were empty, Sakura spoke.
"Are we ready?" she asked, fear making her voice tremble. Her friends nodded in unison. "Aiko, do you have the key?"
"Both copies," Aiko replied.
"Great. Let's go." The group exited quietly and inconspicuously, rushing across the street and to the locked gates of Juuban Junior High as the crickets and cicadas sang their songs.
"Yatto tadoritsuita ai nigirishime, chiisana nemuri ni yasuragu hito," Natsumi sang quietly as Aiko got out one of the keys, looked around, and placed it in the padlock. She turned and the lock clicked, loosening up and opening.
"Success," Aiko whispered, gingerly pushing the gate open so it wouldn't creak loudly. The girls made their way in, just as if they were going to class.
"Tojita mabuta ni sayonara kuchizukete, toki no hanazono ni anata okizari ni shita," Natsumi continued. The girls walked through the grassy courtyard, noting just how different it looked at night. "Ai wa yume no mama de wa tsuzukanai, musaboreba utsukushii shikabane soredemo…"
"Nozomu no nara oikakete kite ano kuchizuke wa akai tattoo, sadame no yokoku kizamu tattoo," all the girls softly sang. "Watashi ni nara hitome de wakaru kuchibiru-gata ni itamu tattoo, kakusenai wa anata…It's Moon Revenge, woo…" After singing the first refrain, the girls suddenly heard a soft cackling noise coming from the asbestos building.
"Should we transform now?" Suzumi asked.
"Probably," Aiko replied. "But that'll bring the enemy over here."
"Good! That's what we want!" Sakura shouted, taking out her stick. "Comet Star Power, Make Up!" Aiko shrugged, knowing Sakura was right.
"Triton Satellite Power, Make Up!" she cried.
"Phobos and Deimos Satellite Power, Make Up!" Reiko and Keiko called out.
"Ganymede Satellite Power, Make Up!" Sayaka yelled.
"Mini Venus Power, Make Up!' Natsumi sang loudly.
"Mini Mercury Power, Make Up!" Suzumi shouted, something she rarely did.
As soon as the Sailor Team transformed, a silhouette appeared before them. Bright red eyes opened slowly within the silhouette before an arm reached out and elegantly tore away the silhouette, revealing a tall woman with dark skin and long black hair. She was wearing a different version of a senshi outfit. Hers was in two pieces, which allowed her toned belly to show. She had a red collar and button surrounded by a black bow, a long red bow flowing down the back of her legs, and a red skirt with a black hem. She also wore black high heels with straps.
"You have arrived," she said in a deep, husky voice. "Sailor Senshi."
"Who are you?" Sakura asked.
"Surprisingly enough, I am actually one of you. You may call me Hecate."
"Okay, Hecate, why are you here?" Sakura asked.
"So full of questions!" Hecate's eyes flashed. "I am here because Chaos desperately needs more strength. Let me tell you, these lovely, pure junior high students make great sources of energy for my dear Chaos to use."
"How many did you take?" Sakura asked, balling her hands into fists.
"Ten," Hecate answered. "I took more today, though, because I knew you would be coming for me and I needed more cronies." She clapped her hands twice and the ground started to bulge in ten different areas in front of her. These areas exploded and ten students, six girls and four boys, emerged, dressed in their normal uniforms but with empty-looking eyes. Hecate began to laugh again. "Get them, my cronies!" The Sailor Team braced themselves for the attack.
Sakura leapt in first, pointing at one of the cronies and watching as a sparkling beam of stars emerged from her finger, obliterating the selected crony. She did the same with another crony, reducing the total to 8 of them against 7 senshi. Aiko went next, thrusting both hands forth at another crony, which caused them to drown in a rush of water. Sayaka held her hands up as if she were going to dive, concentrating hard and blowing a collection of leaves off a nearby tree. They swirled around her and she sent them off with a devastating electrical charge, obliterating yet another crony. Suzumi reached out to touch two cronies. Loud crackling noises followed as they turned to ice. She then pushed them both lightly and watched them shatter. Natsumi grabbed a crony with her heart chain and tightened it until their head exploded. Finally, Reiko and Keiko stood next to one another. Reiko put her right hand forward, making a gun shape, and Keiko put her left hand forward, also making a gun shape. They shut their eyes and opened them again to watch a stream of fire obliterate the final two cronies.
"Impressive, very impressive," Hecate remarked, applauding. "Look at how well you work together. Are you the leader?" she asked, pointing at Sakura with the end of her hair.
"Uh, I guess. My mom was Sailor Moon," Sakura said shyly.
"I've heard many tales of Sailor Moon," Hecate said, nodding. "You're a natural born leader." She turned to the rest of the team. "Well, I hope you all are ready, because…" She snatched up Sakura with her hair and deposited her on the ground nearby. "She won't be available for this battle." Hecate pointed at Sakura, who screamed in fear and turned to stone. "If you defeat me, she comes back to life. If not, then your school has a brand-new gargoyle." Hecate cackled again.
"No! I won't allow it!" Aiko screamed, stepping forth and thrusting her hands forth again. The resulting stream of water got Hecate's hair wet, but didn't kill her.
"Please, you think that'll hurt me?" Hecate said tauntingly.
Reiko created a ball of fire in her hand and threw it at Hecate, but she countered by making a shield that caused the fireball to simply bounce off. Keiko tried again, with the same result.
"I'll do it!" Suzumi offered, running up to Hecate and attempting to touch her. Hecate, though, saw this coming and created an even larger shield around her whole body. When Suzumi touched it, she was thrown back with a large amount of force. She landed nearby with the wind knocked out of her.
"Suzumi!" the others cried.
"Don't turn your backs!" Natsumi warned. She created another chain of hearts, but Hecate grabbed the end aimed at her and forcefully took it from Natsumi, using it to bind her. Natsumi strained under the binding until she shut her eyes and concentrated on there not being a chain anymore. When she opened her eyes, she was free.
Sayaka jumped in next, specifically aiming a stream of sticks from the nearby tree at Hecate's forehead. The attack worked, and Hecate fell to the ground just as Suzumi rose to her feet.
"I have an idea," she cried. "Everyone, let's all attack at once. Maybe that will bring enough force to destroy Hecate once and for all!" The others nodded and assembled themselves beside Suzumi, readying their attacks. "On my count! One! Two! THREE!" With a ferocious war cry, the girls let their attacks fly. Suzumi produced sleet that stung Hecate's eyes and skin. Reiko and Keiko produced another stream of fire that charred her. Sayaka used rocks and pebbles to mar her. Natsumi's chain held her down so Aiko's torrent could hit her. During Suzumi's count, the girls all thought of Sakura coming back to life.
"You…you win," Hecate whispered before becoming a pile of ash that collected on the ground before completely disappearing. The girls now looked towards Sakura, whose stone surface began to crack like an egg. Within seconds, Sakura was fully released and gasping for breath.
"Sakura!" everyone cried, rushing to her side.
"Are you okay?" Aiko asked.
"I'm fine," Sakura said reassuringly, smiling widely.
"Sakura, it was so cool! We got all our attacks together and defeated Hecate," Keiko reported.
"You did? I'm sorry I missed it," Sakura said, still smiling.
"We were thinking about you," Sayaka confessed. "That helped us focus our attacks."
"Thank you, thank you all so much," Sakura said, a tear moving down her cheek. "You all care for me so much."
"We love you, Sakura!" Suzumi replied. "We're all going to be friends forever."
"How do you figure that?" Natsumi asked.
"Because our mothers were, too," Suzumi explained succinctly, pressing the button in the middle of her bow and de-transforming. The others quickly followed suit. "Now come on, let's all go home." The group walked until the area where they all split up to go to their respective homes, singing "Moon Revenge" together until they parted.