Chapter 7
Gabriel
While the battle outside raged, the MC was now preparing to announce the winner of the contest, while the Raizen students, Kaguya, Yuzuru, Shido, Tohka, and special guest Minako all stood off to one side. One of the other schools had won third place, while Raizen won second, and Rinjou was victorious. Miku gained a truly proud smile, as the crowd cheered for her. She began to gloat about her victory as the results were about to come in, as well as her desire to have all that she wanted, when suddenly, Raizen High School was declared the winner of the contest, with even greater votes, much to her surprise, even with Hiroto making a valid point.
"Hmph… It appears that the idol has lost the bout. No matter, all will be as it was decided, once Tohka and Shido are in the Empire's hands." murmured Kurai.
Miku was furious, until Martini rested her hand on her shoulder.
"Come now, Miku. There will always be next time, and soon you will have your revenge against the world that has so wronged you. As for why Raizen is victorious, it's because you relied too much on pride and nothing else, which is why all of Shiori's other friends were there for her, much like another boy who has many more people, after he mercilessly killed both Nehelenia and Vassago. You don't need people like them, you can stay with us, and you will no longer feel loneliness ever again," she assured her.
"I agree. The only friends that I have right now are you and Boadicea, Martini. As for the worst news I have, those who challenge me, will most certainly be trampled beneath our boots, " replied Miku.
Finally, she snapped, and summoned what looked like a pipe organ. Miku called it Gabriel.
"Not good," gasped Sora.
He quickly called the Doctor on his gummi phone, and alerted him of what was going on. Luckily his Keyblade Magic, along with the connection to all of his friends and family, made him immune to the soundwaves hypnotizing spell, while everyone else was falling under it, all except Shido, who tried to convince her to snap out of it.
"Good girl, Miku. It seems that nothing matters, but revenge," said Boadicea.
"You're wrong about that. Revenge isn't Miku's weapon!" cried Shido.
"Oh, but it is, Shiori. Friendship is a curse, not a blessing. That's exactly what I believe. Everyone and everything shall obey me forever," remarked Miku.
Suddenly, several students grabbed Shido and held him tightly from behind.
"Good. Now, I believe it's time to see who you really are, Shiori Itsuka," said Martini.
She slowly walked up to him, then without a second's notice, she ripped off his wig, and the voice box.
"Behold, citizens of Tengu City. Shiori is none other than the wretched boy, Shido Itsuka, the one who disturbed Miku's solitude, and disgraced her with his presence! A blight like him has no place here, and so he will die for disguising himself as a woman!" she announced.
"What did you just say!? No, that's impossible!" gasped Miku.
"I'm afraid it is, because I can smell his disgusting stench! He came to seal your powers! However, do not be alarmed! All the people of this world are now your servants, including the RGRO, Ratatoskr, and the Empire. Hence why he will die now!" explained Boadicea.
"Wait, but how!?" Shido asked in dismay.
"There are more of those fools here, Miku, including Sora, and a handful of his other male friends at his side! The time has come for their blood to be spilled!" she called to the enslaved audience.
They slowly staggered up to Shido, like zombies bursting out of their graves.
"Such insolence! I'll make you pay for that!" howled MIku.
"Shido! Into the Tardis!" called the Doctor who stepped out of the blue police box that appeared behind him.
"Right!" replied Shido, and he raced inside.
"NO! STOP THEM!" she screamed, but it was too late.
The Tardis quickly vanished, after Sora and most of his friends were immediately picked up, one by one, and they teleported to safety.
"Damn you, Doctor! DAMN YOU! Once I find Shido Itsuka, I will have his head mounted on my wall, so that it will forever be my perfect trophy! Do you hear me!?" shouted the idol.
"What's going on, Doctor?" Shido asked, while he was aboard the Tardis with everyone else.
"Miku's taken control of the people in Ratatoskr, and she's made them her slaves, just like how the Master wanted to have everyone bend to his will. As for the others, they are all under her spell. That's basically all you need to know," explained the Doctor.
"Hunt down Shido! Hunt him down, now! Bring his skull to me so that I can make it my trophy!" raved Miku.
Heh heh heh… Oh, with unending pleasure, Miku, is what you'd like me to say to you. In time, you will soon learn the terrible truth about why I made you become the way you are now, when we see each other again," Sephiroth said from a distance.
Suddenly, sparks flew from one of the consoles, and the Tardis control room began to shudder.
"Imperials!" gasped Shido.
"Doctor, evade the enemy!" cried Kairi.
The Doctor nodded, then whooshed past Fraxinus, just as it was about to open fire on them.
"Kotori, listen to me! You're not thinking straight! Miku has control of you, but not me, Shido, or anyone else. All I ask is that you stop and think about what you're doing! You're supposed to save the spirits, not exterminate your own brother!" he said to her.
"I have done some thinking, but Miku's decision is final," remarked Kotori.
"Then I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," sighed the Doctor, and he shut off the transmitter.
Before Kotori could push the fire button, Mana knocked her out, and demanded to know what was going on. It turned out that she had been asleep, and didn't get affected by Miku's hypnotism. At the same time, Origami was still fighting off the imperials that were still going after Tohka. She feared that it was truly the end, when a laser blast sent them scattering in all directions. Mana had come to the rescue.
"Ah, 2nd Lieutenant Mana Takamiya. What an unexpected pleasure this is. Though I must admit, I'm a little bit surprised that someone like you would choose to betray the empire to join the RGRO. So, if you're willing to become a traitor, I will gladly see to it that you're hunted down and exterminated like the mangy little pup you truly are," smirked Nuno, who appeared on a life-fiber made stand, thanks to his bloodlink with Nui Harime.
But Mana was infuriated, and attacked Jessica Bailey, destroying her rifle, as well as her equipment. The soldiers decided to retreat for now, even as Nuno vanished into the darkness. Suddenly, the Yamai Twins attacked, and Sora quickly batted them away with his Keyblade.
"Miku, you've gone too far!" Sora called towards her.
"Wrong! It is you who has gone too far! I should've realized that you met Andrea Rohdea so that he could disguise Shido as a woman!" Miku shot back at him.
The distraction seemed to be working, giving Tohka the edge she needed, surprising the idol, but she was blasted back by her powers.
"Very impressive, Miku. Now, we end it with Tohka's capture, in the name of Niflheim, and Emperor Aldercott," said Martini.
An explosion sounded above them, and the roof was blasted apart. Down came thousands of soldiers and Heartless, all armed to the teeth.
"Jessica Bailey may have failed, but their defeat was a necessary diversion for our true target. Tohka and Shido," said Kurai, who was aboard a floating discus.
"No. Not another man!" Miku gasped in terror.
"Ah, hello, Diva, or should I say, Miku Izayoi. Still adamant on wanting all men exterminated due to their dark motivations, I see. Well, no matter. I can assure you that we'll soon be gone, after Tohka is in our custody, along with Shido," he remarked.
On his command, Ellen Mira Mathers soon engaged Tohka, but Sora quickly grabbed Shido's hand, and they flew out of Tengu Square, after attaining his Divine Equestrian Form. However, Tohka was quickly beaten, and carried away in Ellen's arms.
"No! Tohka!" cried Sora.
"It's no use, Sora. Soon she will become my apprentice, and you too will do the same, after Vanitas is set free from within you, after I break the seal that Sailor Moon has placed on your heart, keeping him from me," Sephiroth said to him.
"Not if we can help it!" came a voice from far away.
It was Yumi, who came to the rescue.
"Everyone, get into the Ark!" called Sailor Moon, and the Warriors of Light quickly got on board, and rocketed away.
Tengu City's people were now hunting down Shido on Miku's orders, thus making him become the city's most wanted. Inside an abandoned building, Shido cursed himself for his weakness.
"Pull it together, Shido! We'll find a way to save Tohka! But, we gotta have cool heads," Riku said to him.
"My sentiments exactly, Riku," came a voice from nowhere.
Out of the shadows, and through the walls, stepped Kurumi Tokisaki.
"Kurumi!" Sora snapped, readying his Keyblade.
"Calm yourself, Sora. If I came here to kill you, then everyone around Shido would already be dead, and his life force would be mine to devour in one great gulp," the nightmare spirit said.
Sora clenched his teeth, and gripped his Keyblade tightly in his hand, then made a fist over his chest.
"Sora, stop it! Some of us may be in agreement with Kurumi here, even though she's a truly dangerous spirit, but I'm afraid she makes a valid point. We all gotta put our heads together so that we can save Tohka together," Minako said.
"But, Minako, I just…" he tried to protest.
"Sora Lucis Caelum! That's enough. Look, it's best if we all just sit down and talk things out with Kurumi for now, even though Kaguya, Yuzuru, and Yoshino have all been brainwashed by Miku. Also, we were able to resist her, because we're not willing to listen to Miku, just like how you won't, because of our unbreakable bond to you, thanks to the chain of light that connects our hearts to yours," Chibiusa explained.
"Chibiusa's right, Sora. Stand down at once," added Usagi.
"I'd listen to these little girls if I were you, Sora. And yet, despite being rivals, I suppose you should know that I'm a lot smarter than Miku is, even though she has the power to control everyone and everything at will, just like a certain someone Jessica Jones hates so much," agreed Kurumi.
"Kevin Kilgrave, the Purple Man," murmured Shido.
"Looks like we're all gonna have to forge a temporary truce with Kurumi for now, guys," sighed Axel.
He turned to face her.
"Okay, seeing as you've got us all in a bind, we'll let you help us, just this once, by agreeing to your terms for an alliance. First things first, we gotta find out a bit about Miku, then we'll head to DEM headquarters and bust Tohka out of there, before Sephiroth makes her his apprentice. That's why we'll be counting on you, while Shido puts his belief in us," he said.
Kurumi found this to be rather amusing to her, but she agreed to help nonetheless, even though Sora just rolled his eyes, but reluctantly shook hands with her. Meanwhile, Tohka awoke to find herself inside what appeared to be in a chair, with a needle injected into her arm, pumping in some strange fluid-like substance into her.
"Are you awake?" Ellen asked.
"It's you," she gasped.
"Ah, so the princess speaks. However, I must ask that you don't struggle against your bonds, my dear, Tohka. The Empire, along with DEM, the AST, and several other organizations are now on the hunt for your precious Shido. In a matter of moments, he will soon become part of the now resurrected Jenova Project, because of this device that pumps Grandmother's blood into your veins, so that you will become the child of Jenova, and agree to be Sephiroth's apprentice. After all, resistance is futile, and we may have to break every bone in his body before we perform our experiments on him, once we proceed to inject him with the very blood that she has. Also note, that Commander Mather's territory is far more powerful and more accurate than even you can fathom, but first, there's someone here whom I'm sure you'd be more than happy to meet," grinned Aiden.
Tohka sat looking worried, but she hoped that Shido would come to save her, along with all of his friends, so that she wouldn't be alone. Suddenly, the door opened, and Tohka saw that instead of the one person who saved her and sealed her powers away with a kiss, it was actually Kurai, who stepped in with a proud yet cruel smile on his face.
"I think that's enough taunting and torturing Tohka for now, Aiden and Ellen. I would suggest that the two of you let us speak to each other in private. It's time she learned the whole truth about who is truly in control of everything," he said.
The two of them nodded, then slowly stepped back into the shadows, but chose to listen to the conversation in silence from outside the torture chamber.
"Kurai!" she snapped, struggling against her bonds as glared angrily at him.
She remembered that he was the one who toyed with her feelings and enveloped her in the shadow of envy, by lying about how Shido had betrayed her for Yoshino. But Kurai blasted her with Dark Lightning, and she fell forward, facing the floor, but slowly sat back up despite the pain she felt.
"Oh no, my friend. This is a mistake. A terrible mistake. They have gone too far. This is madness," Kurai replied quickly.
"I should have known that you were behind my capture, you monster," Tohka said sharply.
"This has nothing to do with me, I can assure you. I will petition with Westcott to have you returned to your companion, Shido, immediately," he remarked, in as friendly a tone he could muster, as he began pacing back and forth in a rather slow motion.
"Well I hope that you don't take too long. I still have another date with Shido," the purplelette stated firmly.
"May I ask why a spirit, whose powers were sealed, is doing here, living amongst the people of Tengu City under Miku's control?" Kurai asked curiously.
"I've been helping him out with several other friends to win a competition against Miku, so that she'd agree to have her powers sealed by him. Do you remember?" Tohka remarked, a tiny sliver of sass in her voice.
"Oh, you mean that feminazi spirit who despises every man and young boy due to her fear of them having a dark side in their own motives? I remember her quite well, but of course, despite revealing my face to her, I assured her that very soon her goal of wishing Shido was never born will become a reality, if that accursed Sailor Pluto were out of the way, yet told her that one day she would come to hate every person in every world," the Daemon Prince explained matter of factly.
This explanation made Tohka suddenly feel uncomfortable, but she still glared angrily at him.
"Well, I may dislike the fact that Shido kisses other spirits to seal their powers, but I was warned about the shadow of envy by Sora and his friends. That much I can tell you," she said, as bravely as she could.
"It's a great pity that we crossed paths with each other after our previous meeting, despite having become enemies, Tohka, when your friends saved Yoshino from being killed by my hands, giving her the opportunity to escape unhindered. My mother would have been very proud of me for capturing you, before she was killed by Sora," Kurai replied.
He then looked down at the ground, and blinked heavily. But then, he composed himself, while masking his sorrow.
"I wish she were still alive. I could use her help right now," he added quietly.
Tohka shook her head at him in a defiant manner.
"Sailor Galaxia would never agree to join your side, Kurai," she told him.
"Don't be so sure, my dear princess. You forget… that I am the son of the same Sailor Galaxia, who after meeting my father, brought me into this universe She knew all about the dark power that he wielded, but she would have never agreed to it if she hadn't allowed herself to become the vessel of the God of Discord, Chaos, who was the servant of Omega. She was aware about the Empire that my father's a part of, but she would have never agreed to join forces with Niflheim if she was actually aware of the truth behind being that weapon's true vessel, or the truth that I will tell you," Kurai explained, but his tone was more serious.
"The truth?" Tohka asked in confusion.
"The truth. What if I told you that Kingdom Hearts would soon be in the hands of the one who was meant to be king, instead of my traitorous Uncle Somnus?" the Chancellor's son asked.
"That I don't know, but I feel like Shido and Sora would become aware of it," Tohka remarked.
"The real power of darkness has all but clouded their judgment, my dear friend. Soon, many more organizations and worlds will be under the direct control of the Real King called Ardyn Lucis Caelum," Kurai said firmly.
"I don't believe you," she protested, even as she felt her heart suddenly skip a beat.
"Isaac Westcott of this organization was once in league with this Ardyn Lucis Caelum, but he was betrayed, ten years ago, by the True King, following that disastrous spatial quake that leveled Eurasia in the past three decades. He came to me for help. He told me everything. You must join me, Tohka Yatogami. And together, we will destroy the darkness!" he explained, sounding like a recruitment officer of a military force.
But Tokha turned away from him, not even daring to look into her eyes.
"I will never join you, Kurai," she said firmly.
This only made Kurai grow disappointed. He turned away slowly and walked towards the door of Tohka's prison cell, then knocked on it, signaling a security officer to open it, with a push of the button. However, he stopped and turned to face Tohka one last time, as he was now partially shrouded in shadow.
"It may be difficult to secure your freedom, now that you are a part of Jenova Project T, Tohka. However, Origami will soon learn of her involvement with this resurrected project that Aiden's true grandfather, Hojo, unleashed under Gast's supervision," Kurai replied, then he walked out the door, until the shadows engulfed him, making Tohka believe that he vanished into the dark corridor.
Poor Tohka became distraught and she hung her head, but still held on to a tiny glimmer of hope that Shido would save her, along with his other companions. Meanwhile, the estranged group of Warriors of Light set off on what they could call an important infiltration mission.
"First things first, Shido. We need to find out exactly why Miku's become spiteful of guys like us, which in turn made her become a bloodthirsty feminazi, and gained bodyguards like Martini and Boadicea. The first plan is to infiltrate Izayoi Manor, which is her personal residence. Once that's done, we'll begin a rescue mission to bust Tohka out and get her to safety, before Sephiroth uses her naivety to his advantage, thus making her his official apprentice," Kenton explained.
The others had to agree, until they entered the manor bedroom.
"Alright, search for clues that can help us understand why Miku's the way she is now. That way, we can find out how we'll learn more about her past, and even sympathize with her, even if she doesn't want to accept it," Sora said to his companions.
Everyone nodded, and the search was on, although Kurumi would sometimes get distracted, leading to Yang judo chopping her.
"You know, you're really starting to irritate me, Yang. Judo chop me one more time, and I will surely devour you in just one great gulp," she quipped.
"That is enough!" barked Weiss, pointing Myrtenaster MK II at the crazed spirit.
This made her jump back in surprise, and stumbled into Shido. They both tumbled to the ground, but the crazed spirit assured him that she was alright, until she saw a bruise on his cheek.
"Better hold off for now, Kurumi. I think we might've found something that could help us with Miku," Kiba said to her.
There on the ground was a cd with the name Tsukino Yoimachi on it. Shido was surprised, until Kurumi picked up both the CD and a picture.
"Kiba may be right. Let's see if these clues will prove useful for Miku," she said in agreement.
"Look, do whatever you can. Maybe one of your bullets can give you that information," remarked Ruby.
Using Zaphkiel, she called forth Yod, then used it to gain the knowledge from the clues of what Miku was before she chose to be resentful of every man in existence, which would give them the edge they needed to learn about her past. Meanwhile, Miku called forth some of her brainwashed allies to her side, only to receive bad news about their search for Shido. This only made her angry.
"Fools! Shido Itsuka, the boy who crossdressed to get close to Miku, must be found. Double the hunt, or there will be even more blood on your conscience," barked Martini.
"Calm yourself, Martini. It's better if we are patient until Shido and his cohorts are found. However, if there's another man, well, I believe Boadicea should have the honors of ripping and tearing him to pieces, with my permission of course," soothed Miku.
"Actually, I have some good news. You see, Shido and his companions have returned," Boadicea replied.
And she was right. Shido did return, but this time with Kurumi and all of his other friends at his side. This did put her at ease for the moment, so that she would have her revenge, although the yandere spirit warned him not to exert himself too much. When Miku expressed her relief as well as her disdain that Shido did arrive of his own accord, everyone knew that it would be very difficult to convince her to change her heart, while also planning to recover Tohka as well, who was still in the custody of the Empire.
