Disclaimers: I don't own the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, any legal titles to Demon Diary or any other manga/anime title mentioned in this fanfiction story.
Note: "1X5G" signifies a break or change in point of view. It's 133t for LXSG.
The League of Extra-Sexy Gentlemen
Part 4: Eclipse's Resistance
He wished he could have stayed, but Sven knew that he had a higher calling. The vision he had before they left turned the way he thought of protection completely upside down. Everything was shown in ruins, and Eve…He didn't want to relive what had happened to her in his vision.
It took Sven a moment to realize that he and his new companions Sanji and Fai had arrived at their next destination. The cloak of light around them dissolved and they were left standing in the middle of an old town. It almost could be described as "medieval", since there were wood and structures, the streets weren't paved, and the people wore robes or dresses that seemed a few thousand years out of style.
This made Sanji and Sven consider their own outfits. Both were still dressed in their suits from their own world, and it didn't take long for people to start staring at them awkwardly. Thankfully, Fai maintained his poise and managed to drag the embarrassed gentlemen into an alley between a tavern and (who would have thought?) a blacksmith shop that specialized in swords and armor.
"Why didn't you point this out before we became the village idiots?" questioned Sanji as he began to reluctantly remove his navy blue suit jacket. "I mean, you probably could fit in fine with your outfit, Fai, but how are Sven and I going to get clothes around here without getting set to the scaffolds, or the guillotine, or whatever the hell they use to kill dimension traveling nutcases here?"
Sven stood there with his khaki suit jacket and hat on his arm, dreading the thought of changing clothes. "I don't know about you, but I can't bear to strip down anymore in the middle of an ancient town with god-knows-what running around." The Sweeper swung his head around the corner to see that their spectators had gone on with their own business. "If only we could somehow blend in…"
"Uh, Sven," interrupted Fai, "I think you answered your own question!" The emerald pendant began to glow again, only this time, it exerted three short bursts of light before taking over Sven's body for only a millisecond. In less than the blink of an eye, his suit was gone, and in its place, Sven now sported a sea green set of robes lined with gold thread along with brown leather boots. His eye still remained, which no doubt meant that it wouldn't make him stand out.
Immediately after, Fai and Sanji's pendants flashed in the same manner, and before they could protest, both were garbed in new clothes. Sanji found himself in dark blue robes with silver trim while Fai was looking over his cream colored robes lined with copper. The three glanced at each other, peeked around the corner, and casually strode back into the streets as if nothing happened.
However, Sanji did halt when he noticed a red glow in the pocket of his robes. (Fortunately, any contents that were in the pockets were kept intact.) He quickly retrieved a chained star that held a ruby in the center, the gem glowing dimly. The cook began to do his 360-turn when Sven held up a hand to stop him.
"It's alright; I already know where we need to go," stated Sven, and he pointed in the direction of a stone castle that loomed over the town. "That's where the next victim is supposed to be. But we have to be careful…from what I foresaw, he's not necessarily the nicest kid on the playground."
"So…does that make him a bad guy?" asked Fai curiously.
"Not quite, but I don't think he's Mr. Sunshine either. Come on, let's get a move on!" Sven pressed ahead, thus giving Sanji and Fai no choice but to follow. Indeed, within ten minutes, Sanji observed the glow strengthening significantly. Deep down, he had a feeling that gathering the other men from here on out was going to be much more difficult than before.
v 'lX5G' v
Why him? How in Rased's name did he end up in a situation like this? It's not that he didn't despise his duty; there was just the simple fact that he had gone from a highly respected demon to the baby-sitter of a former thief who was rightfully the Demon Lord. Raenef, Demon Lord? The thought still boggled him. There were times when the lad forgot that he was a powerful figure and acted like a child, and when he did remember, it almost always resulted in making both him and his mentor look like jackasses.
What's more, Raenef had allowed a human female mercenary and a shrimp of a cleric to reside in the palace with him. Though they came in handy sometimes, Erutis and Chris weren't of much use. Having the human around; not pleasant. Having the cleric around in addition; welcome to Eclipse's personal hell.
Despite the immaturity and foolishness that was Raenef, Eclipse couldn't help but feel this boy had potential. Sure. He was still young, he would be able to learn new habits and ways of thinking, and his identity was still in transformation. Why, with the proper training, Raenef could become a very powerful figure. And maybe then the other demons would start respecting him again.
"Ha! How do you like them apples, Erutis?" Eclipse turned to see that he had been interrupted by Raenef joyously sword playing with the female knight, who was obviously going easy on him. My, my. Sometimes this job seemed pitiful, but there were also times where he felt like, oh, how would you describe it, this is the right place for him to be. Eclipse sighed and leaned against a tree, watching Chris cheer Raenef on as he and Erutis trained on the castle grounds.
A warm wind blew across the land, fluttering the dark demon's raven black hair. Strange. This was supposed to be one of the cooler seasons. Suddenly the rigid Eclipse was starting to feel slightly insecure. The warm wind continued to blow and became stronger by the second. However, in the midst of the gust, Eclipse felt an odd tingle shoot across his cheek.
The others noticed the change in the wind as well, and all turned to the direction it blew from. It was then they beheld an unusual sight; a black haired girl in a weird white and red outfit had somehow appeared out of thin air, with a vicious look in her eyes. Eclipse would have shrugged her off, but what she held in he hands made him instantly reconsider. Each hand held several ofuda, which told him that this girl did not like demons. No, not one bit, according to the spells written on them.
Without warning, the female demon slayer made her move, so quickly than none of the four could react. They only had time to hear her shout, "Akuryou taisan! Evil spirits be gone!"
v 'lX5G' v
Sven had crossed the bridge that led to the castle and was waiting for Sanji and Fai to catch up. Looking at the sky, the sun was beginning to set, streaking the sky with deep hues. He then thought he had heard something in the distance, but he wasn't sure. Finally, the other two were standing beside Sven.
"This is not good at all," pointed out Sanji as he carefully dangled the ruby star from its chain. It was glowing brightly, but it would dim and then reignite. "I've never seen it flash like this, and what's more, it's hotter than hell!"
"Well, we know that the burning means that one of the Sailor Scouts is nearby," considered Fai, "and the glowing usually means that their next victim is around here, or…"
"Evil spirits be gone!" The voice of a girl sliced through their thoughts and made them alert.
"I think our Mr. Sunshine is in trouble," concluded Sven, whipping his head around to isolate the source of the voice. He pointed to a corridor to the side of castle. "This will take us to the garden. I think he's there, so let's move!" The three raced down the corridor, Sven leading, Sanji trying to keep the burning, flashing star from touching him as he ran, and Fai taking the rear.
They reached an open pathway covered by an awning, with open plots of grass on either side. Sven signaled the other two to join him behind a thick pillar, and they poked their heads out a bit to watch the last thing they wanted to see. There was a new Sailor Scout garbed in a red uniform, but unlike the others before her, she had already started her assault. A young boy with black hair hid up in a tree, a red-headed girl had collapsed, with burns covering her body, and a blue-haired youth lay motionless on the ground. The only one that remained standing was a tall, olive skinned man with jet black hair and cold eyes.
"Now, you sexy, sexy demon, you've seen the power of the legendary Sailor Mars," boasted the girl attacker, who then pointed to her target. "I have a proposition to make, 'Cutey Eclipsey Baby'! Come with me to the Crystal Palace, or I'll kill you!"
Eclipse calmly replied, "If it was to save my Lord Raenef, I would die a thousand times."
Sailor Mars frowned. "No, that's not what I mean! I want you to live! God, don't you people know what a rhetorical statement is? If you don't come with me, then I'll kill your little friend over there!" She blindly pointed to Erutis.
"By all means, take that dumb mortal off my hands!" shrugged the demon.
"Urg! How about I kill the boy in the tree, huh? How would you like that?"
"You flatter me, what with your offering to kill some of these idiots!"
It was clear that Sailor Mars was starting to get angry. "To hell with this!" she shouted, totally ignoring the fact that she had failed to threaten Raenef. "How about we just do it the old fashioned way and nuke it out on each other until someone wins?"
"With pleasure," retorted Eclipse, who was already calling upon his dark powers to attack. "First, let's set down some rules to- Oof!" He didn't even see Sailor Mars head-butt him in the stomach, making the mighty demon double over.
"No way!" hissed Sanji as he remained hidden with Sven and Fai. "That chick has some killer speed. It's like you can't even see when and where she's going to- Sven! What in God's name are you doing?"
Sven had snatched the ruby pendant from the cook's hands and was now making his way to the fallen Eclipse. The latter looked up and spat, "What are you doing in the Demon Lord's castle? I don't need your help, you human! I can take her on myself!" He tried to get up, supporting himself with a nearby tree.
"Listen, Eclipse, I'm here to help you, whether you like it or not," declared the Sweeper, who received a look of surprise. He then tossed the chain and pendant to Eclipse and continued, "Take this, put it on and only attack when I tell you, alright?" The reply consisted of only a grunt as the demon reluctantly slipped the chain around his neck.
"Do you think he'll be willing to cooperate, Sanji?" asked Fai as he remained hidden behind the pillar. "That Eclipse doesn't look like much of a group person."
"Well, he's going to have to become one if he wants to save the universe," reasoned Sanji. He glanced at Sven, who was now staring down Sailor Mars. "I'm more worried about whether our friend over there is going to be an idiot and get us killed."
As if in response, Sven reached for his eye patch and slowly slid it off of his right eye. What Sanji and Fai saw next was amazing yet very frightening at the same time. Rather than a normal brown eye, a piercing, yellow eye gleamed in the socket of Sven's right eye. It gave him a serious, determined look that neither one of the hiding Gentlemen had seen in the Sweeper before.
"Not all humans are the same, you know," Sven told Eclipse. "There are some of us who can use supernatural powers and manipulate events; that is, if they're strong enough. With this eye, for instance, I can see the future!" He got into an offensive stance and began to focus with all his might. The tension in the air seemed to freeze everyone and everything in that one moment, from the dumbstruck Sanji and Fai to the hissy-fitting Sailor Mars. Finally, Sven uttered only a few words; "When I give the word, attack the tree behind you."
Despite the fact that Eclipse didn't like to be told what to do, he listened anyway and began to recite an incantation. Only a few seconds later, Sailor Mars dashed in the demon's direction, summoning infernal powers of her own. "Flaming Mandala!" she shouted as she sped like a flaming blur towards Sven and Eclipse.
"Not yet, she's going to trick us," cautioned Sven. Sure enough, Sailor Mars began to zigzag in all sorts of directions, like a haywire rocket. This continued for a few minutes, and was met with precise evasion that was cued by the clairvoyant gentleman, until the two had positioned themselves in front of a fruit tree.
"Now!" signaled Sven, who along with Eclipse leapt out of the way before the Scout was within ten feet of them. In one fluid motion, the demon released a powerful burst of dark energy aimed right at the tree. A split second before contact, the unaware Sailor Mars had dashed exactly in the line of fire without knowing. The tree was spared, but the latter was not as lucky; darkness practically electrocuted throughout her body, leaving her in a heap of red, white, and violet tatters of cloth. To increase the sense of defeat, a few pieces of fruit fell squarely on the back of Sailor Mars's head. Safe behind the pillar, Sanji and Fai were flabbergasted.
"I take that 'idiot' part back," reconsidered Sanji sensibly. Quietly, the two blondes crept from their hiding place and advanced towards the Sweeper and the demon, the latter tending to the fallen blue-haired boy and lady knight. Before they could get close to the comatose Sailor Mars, though, Sven blocked them.
"She's not dead," he explained, his voice sounding weary, "but she probably won't attack us any more. Believe me, I've already seen it."
"You said you would help me defeat her!" opposed Eclipse roughly as he helped Raenef and Erutis back on their feet. Then, he walked up to Sven so they were almost in each other's faces. Even in the receding sunset, it was not hard to tell that the demon's gaze was colder than ever. "Are you saying that I used my powers, my energy, my skill, for nothing?"
Putting his hand to his right eye, Sven sighed and backed away. "No, no…not …at all…" He swaggered dangerously before his eyelids became heavy and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.
Sanji hesitated, then kneeled next to Sven's body. "Oh my God, he's dead!" panicked the cook as he slapped the Sweeper's cheek to wake him up. "Come on, come on! You can't be dead! You're too young to die! You were like a brother to me, a brother that almost tried to kill me and who was, I don't know, a decade older than me, but a brother none the less! Even though Fai and I only knew you for about…" he glanced at his watch, "an hour and forty-six minutes, we love you, man!"
"Don't be silly!" reassured Fai as he rolled Sven over on his back gingerly. "That eye of his must have consumed a lot of his energy. To be able to see into the future like he did is not an easy feat." He turned to Eclipse, who was now standing beside Raenef, Erutis, and Chris, who had finally mustered the courage to hop out of the tree. "We apologize if this seems too sudden, but could you be so kind as to spare us three beds for the night? It's almost dusk, and my companions and I need some rest before we take off again with Eclipse."
This last part was highly unexpected, causing the three youths to turn to Eclipse and give him curious looks. The latter had apparently not expected it either, and it took him a minute to find his voice and respond, "I promised Lord Raenef long ago that I would never leave his side, no matter what the cost. What makes you think that I will come along without a good reason, especially after that mortal could not help me kill the girl?"
"Ok, first off, my man, there's a difference between defeating someone and killing someone, got it?" clarified Sanji in a serious tone. "Winning does not automatically mean 'Hey, I get to kill you now!' And secondly, Sven put his life on the line to save you and your buddies from becoming demon burgers! You may not want our help, but we sure as hell are going to need yours to save the freaking universe!" He clapped a hand on Eclipse's shoulder. "Now, why don't the two boys over there stay and watch over Sailor Mars while you and the girl help us get Sven a room? I'll explain everything on the way."
v 'lX5G' v
Black. Noting but pitch black everywhere. How long this lasted he couldn't tell. No sights, no sounds, not even a thought. Suddenly, the darkness molded itself into a familiar form. He didn't want to believe it, but part of him did.
Eve. As plain as day she stood before him, looking out into black space. She then turned her head and gave him a smile that would have made his knees buckle with longing. However, another shape was forming behind her, and this one was not human.
He tried to call out, but he couldn't speak. He tried to do anything at all to warn Eve, but it was too late. As much as he wanted to turn away, he stood paralyzed in his spot. All he could do was watch as a deadly scythe swung down and sliced at its target.
This was one of the visions he had before. This was too much. He could have saved Eve, but instead he watched her fall into a pool of her own blood.
"Stop it, please, stop!" he tried to yell. But the scythe swung again, this time from above, and landed with a sickening thud. Eve was being butchered in front of him, but there was nothing he could do; the binds on him grew tighter.
"No, no…" he thought, feeling his sanity slipping away with every swing of the blade. "Eve…This can't be real…Get me out! Get me out of here!" He couldn't bear it any longer. "No…Please God, no…EVE!
"NOOOOOOO!" Sven bolted upright, awakened by the sound of his own cry. He glanced around; he found himself in a comfy down-feather bed, wearing nothing except his boxers, ("Thank God," Sven muttered), and the room had almost a gothic cathedral feel. He looked out the high window, and judging by the grey in the sky, the sun had at least one more hour until rising.
Sven remembered where he was. He had traveled with Sanji and Fai to this place, and he had used his Vision Eye to help defeat Sailor Mars. After that, he must have passed out. It was then that reality hit; Sven was miles, no, worlds, away from home, away from Eve. How he missed her. With the assurance that he was alone, Sven buried his head in his hands and began to weep harder than he ever had in a long time.
v 'lX5G' v
"Wakey wakey, Sanji-kun!" The sun was up, and Fai was already dressed, thus he took it upon himself to poke his friend awake. Last night, it turned out that Eclipse had only two rooms to offer, so out of courtesy, the two blondes had let Sven have his own private room while they shared the other. Fai had slept on the bed while Sanji curled up on a big squishy easy chair on the other side of the room. Now, Sanji groaned, turned over, and tried to cover himself with his blanket, grunting something to the effect of "I don't wanna…" Of course, being the cheery person that he was, Fai continued poking until Sanji gave in and told him to stop.
There was a knock at the door, so Fai skipped over to answer it while Sanji made his way to the adjoining bathroom to dress. Outside was Eclipse, arms folded and eyes stone hard. At that moment, another latch had clicked open in the hallway, and Sven arrived as well. Fai couldn't help but notice that the Sweeper's visible eye seemed a bit swollen, and that there were some dried up lines on his cheeks.
"Are you ready?" Fai asked without trying to sound suspicious.
"I'm as ready as I'm going to be," responded Eclipse indifferently. "Leaving those three behind, though, is the tough part. This morning, Master Raenef told me that the girl had disappeared on Chris's shift. That good-for-nothing cleric…" He turned and pointed accusingly at Sven. "But then afterwards, that cursed necklace that you gave me started to burn, and I found myself having despicable hallucinations! Hallucinations that our world was destroyed and that the Demon Lord ceased to exist! Is this your devilish way of trying to convince me to come along with you or are you truly a demon and there is something you are not telling me?"
Sven was at a loss for words. "I'm not a demon…and none of us here ever asked to be chosen to save existence from oblivion, but believe me when I tell you; you won't be the only one to lose everything if we don't fight." He turned away ruefully, trying not to reflect on his haunting nightmare. Fai saw his disappointment and gestured for him and Eclipse to come in the room.
Sanji was dressed in his robes and ready to go, and with a nod to Fai, he approached the demon. "Alright, before we leave, let's lay down a few guidelines. First and foremost, if you don't get pissed off at Sven, then I won't get pissed off with you. To me, you are considered equal to the rest of us, and as long as you respect us and our cause, we'll respect you just the same." Wow, thought Sanji, this is the first time I've really been a leader around here! I guess I have Yuko to thank for the confidence boost. "Come on now, you know the words to say," he concluded. Eclipse gave Sanji a chilly glare before reciting the newly acquired oath.
"Protector of All That Is Charming, hear my plea. I, Eclipse, bearer of the Ruby Star, accept my position as member of the League of Extra-Sexy Gentlemen, and I will dedicate myself to fight against those that selfishly want to use the handsome looks of me or my comrades for evil." Red, green, blue, and translucent gleams reflected off the walls and ceilings, lighting the room festively. "Now, with the power of the Time Space Witch, grant us passage to the world of the Sha Gojyo!"
"Wait, did you tell that blue-haired dude you were leaving?" questioned Sanji, but the four vanished as the light closed in on them.