Chapter 21
The Terrifying Illusion: Ami All Alone
Inside her chambers, Esmeraude was now taking this time to freshen herself up for Prince Demande, in jasmine filled water. Despite this however, Hyena R. Droid chose to be respectful of her privacy when Saphir appeared.
"Esmeraude, time to get out," he said.
Enraged, Hyena lashed out at Saphir for his arrival, and held his Dark Starlight Keyblade dangerously near his throat.
"You do realize that it's rude to spy on a lady when she's trying to bathe, Saphir! I suggest that you leave her in peace before I make you an example of my wrath!" he snarled, making the darkness slowly form an aura around him.
"Come now, Hyena, there's no need to be that self-conscious of what I do," Esmeraude assured him.
"She's right, Hyena, we must complete the dark gate. I shouldn't have to remind you, we need to send the dark power of the Malefic Black Crystal into the Juban District, and destroy it. And here you are, pulling guard duty while Esmeraude bathes," scoffed Saphir.
This made the two of them laugh maniacally.
"My plan is going flawlessly, so don't tell me what I have to do," said Esmeraude.
Saphir was bewildered, until Hyena stepped towards him.
"A new dark point has been uncovered, the Juban District's Eisai Cram School where one of Sora's friends, who goes by the name of Ami Mizuno goes to will soon be engulfed in the darkness of Esmeraude's dark henge. And I'm sure that this girl will soon become the victim of doubt and mistrust amongst her peers, making her turn her back on them, so that she can plot her revenge against those who believe that she's not quite the prodigy they believe her to be. In the end, her anger and hate will lead to her heart filling with such beautiful darkness, thus calling forth the darker side of her personality, making her just as cold-hearted as Rei whenever she lashes out at poor sweet yet innocent Usagi Tsukino for no reason at all," explained Hyena.
Then, as if to prove his point, Esmeraude emerged dressed in her bathrobe and summoned the dark henge which began affecting the students in cram school.
"Come forth Droid Giwaaku!" cried Esmeraude.
The new droid soon emerged in a burst of darkness, which filled Esmeraude with wild joy.
"You see that, the dark henge is already growing with dark power. By tomorrow the dark henge will be completed. I want you to defend this point until then," she explained to Giwaaku, who bowed in response.
By morning, a number of students were surprised to see that Ami was at No. 1 yet again, which made Usagi so proud of her friend.
"I'm so impressed. Wow Ami, you're at the top of the whole class again," she said.
"You got everything right except one, you're a genius," added Naru.
"Oh, that's not really true. All the things I happened to study happened to be on the test," countered Ami.
But suddenly she heard several girls talking poorly about her, which started to make her feel sad, but made Sora clench his fist in anger.
"How rude," Naru said.
"Don't pay any attention to what those girls say, they're just jealous because you're smarter than they are," Usagi tried to assure her.
"That's right. You shouldn't listen to what they say about you, Ami. And I can give you three reasons why that's the case. 1: Nobody has the right to say terrible things about you, just because you achieve first place on almost every exam you take. 2: People who don't know you and assume things about you, will never understand why you have a kind heart. And 3: No matter what happens, you'll always have us to look towards for guidance," explained Sora.
"Thanks, you guys, I should be used to this stuff by now," replied Ami.
"Yeah, we know what you mean," sighed Sora and Usagi.
"People laugh at Usagi because of her poor grades, but that doesn't mean she can't ask you to help her out," continued Sora.
Suddenly the heard Umino revealing what was believed to be a cheat sheet under Ami's desk, and all the other students began to agree with him, growing spiteful of Ami's ability to achieve first place in every exam she took, which angered Sora, Usagi, and Naru, but made Ami even more sad. They even said hurtful things about how Ami was with Usagi, which not only shocked her, but made Sora even more angry. They soon demanded to know why Usagi was always at the lowest, while Ami was on top, until Sora stepped between her and the other students.
"That's enough! Even if Usagi's at the bottom of her class, and Ami's at the top, that doesn't mean they can still be friends! I know for a fact that you guys once respected Ami for her intelligence, but now it looks like you're all becoming jealous of her when she achieves first place in every exam she takes! So stop treating Ami like garbage, Umino Gurio! That's something Naru, Usagi and I won't tolerate whatsoever!" snapped Sora.
"Sounds to me like you've decided to take the side of a dirty cheater!" Umino snapped back, forcing Sora to summon his keyblade.
"If you don't like it, then come at me, guys! I'll take on all of you in an orderly fashion!" Sora said furiously.
"Wait a second!" called Makoto who had just arrived.
"Are you defending this cheater too!? If that's the case, I'm willing to fix it!" snapped one of the students, who grabbed at her shirt.
Enraged, Makoto grabbed him and flipped him over her, like a limp ragdoll. Then he flipped over several more and they all landed in a crumpled dog pile. While Sora leaped up and attacked the rest of them with the blunt end of his Keyblade.
"Now, who else wants some!?" shouted Sora.
"Stop it, you two, you're gonna get into trouble," pleaded Ami.
"That one boy did grab her, and the other guys were really mean," added Usagi.
"So what? At least we know who to blame for it," replied Sora.
"They were accusing you of cheating, do you want us to let them get away with that?" Makoto asked.
"It's okay, because I know I'm innocent," countered Ami.
"Yes you are, we believe you," agreed Usagi.
Naru and Sora nodded in agreement as well.
"Thank you, I appreciate it. But what really bothers me most is how I ended up getting that one question wrong, I was so close to a perfect score," said Ami.
"Oh boy," Usagi, Naru, and Sora said together.
A short while later, Usagi, Makoto, Sora, and Ami were walking down the road.
"I still can't get over the fact that those guys were bad mouthing Ami," the taller brunette said.
"Yeah, they aren't the type of students who go around doing that kind of thing," agreed Usagi.
"But we're aware they got to Eisai Cram school together," said Sora, who was still bitter about what those guys said to Ami.
"Hey, is it true that Ami gets good grades because she's a cheater?" asked Chibiusa, who showed up.
"Come on, Chibiusa, what makes you say that?" inquired Riku, who was with her.
"Because that guy with the big swirly glasses said so," replied Chibiusa.
"Why that stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking, BONEHEAD! I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" shouted Sora, unable to contain his rage.
"What!? No! You can't think like that, Sora! This isn't like you at all!" cried Chibiusa.
"I'm with Chibiusa, it's alright! At the end of the day, I know my friends will never believe that, and that's good enough for me," Ami said comfortingly.
"That's right, Sora. I know that you're angry about how those people are spreading false Rumors about Ami, but that doesn't mean you should hurt them for revenge," agreed Terra.
Usagi and Makoto weren't sure what to say, but when they saw Ami hurry down the road, they were still worried about her.
"She won't admit it, but she's taking it badly," sighed the ponytailed brunette.
"I wish there was something we could do," agreed Usagi.
Sora glanced sadly at Ami, then he walked off in the opposite direction.
"I need to find out why Ami's being accused of cheating," he said quietly to himself.
He soon broke into a run, leaving Usagi and Makoto worried. At the same time, people continued to be spiteful of Ami, which started to make her even more upset at the biting words that started to affect her, making her run into an alleyway.
"I'm innocent," she sobbed.
But she remembered how Usagi and Sora would always back her up, which made her relax a little. Suddenly she saw the cram billboard, and began to believe that Umino and the other students would always go to the same school as she did, so as to spread false rumors about her. She decided to go there to investigate, until she opened the door to the classroom and saw that it was permeated with darkness, making her shocked and feel a great heaviness weighing down upon her heart like a stone, as Giwaaku, hover just outside of the window.
"Mercury Star Power Make Up!" she called.
In a brilliant flash of blue light, Ami had now become Sailor Mercury and started her investigation of the room, just like her hero, Sherlock Holmes, which made Sora sense that there was trouble, and quickly raced to her rescue.
"Curses, that girl is Sailor Mercury, one of the five Sailor Guardians I have to dispose of," Giwaaki said darkly.
"I know you're here! And I know you work for Esmeraude! Where are you hiding!?" Sailor Mercury demanded from inside the classroom.
She soon contacted her friends and told them to head to Eisai Cram School which was permeated with darkness. Usagi, and the rest of their friends answered the call, and quickly followed after Luna, just as Giwaaku attacked her furiously. Sailor Mercury was aghast at what she saw, as the Giwaaku clones charged towards her, but she took them down with her Bubble Spray Freezing attack. More clones materialized nearby, forcing Sailor Mercury to defend herself once again, but this time she used her Double Bubble Spray Freezing attack to defeat them, only for several more to take their place, until she realized that the real Giwaaku was the one summoning them. At the same time, Giwaaku saw that Sailor Mercury was powerful, and called back her clones, so that she would take control of Sailor Mercury's mind and force her to hurt those she held most dear to her, as her antenna twitched on her head.
"Hang on, Mercury!" Sora said.
He managed to reach the cram school just as his friends and the four other Sailor Guardians arrived.
"There's darkness everywhere," warned Artemis.
"Be careful, a droid is hiding somewhere," Sailor Mercury warned as well.
"Really? What happened to this place?" asked Sailor Jupiter.
"It appears the enemy has been using the Eisai Cram School to carry out their latest plan. I'm sure that Umino and the others became so mean, because they were exposed to their dark power," replied Sailor Mercury.
"That would certainly explain it," Sailor Jupiter said.
"That witch, Esmeraude, must have been plotting this," added Sora.
"You said it, Sora!" agreed Sailor Mars.
"Looks like those pesky fools have shown up. One is missing, but I'll make sure Sailor Mercury kills the others," sneered Giwaaku.
Using her antennae, Giwaaku used her mental powers to affect Sailor Mercury, causing her friends to worry. When she turned to look at them, she saw that they were now acting cold and heartless, instead of kind and caring, which made her worried.
"Good grief, would you look at yourself? I've been meaning to tell you that wearing two shades of blue over white, washes out your skin tone," said the false Sailor Mars.
This made Sailor Mercury worried.
"Why are you criticizing me all of a sudden?" she asked.
"You've neglected to improve your wardrobe, because you're wrapped up in studying all the time," replied Sailor Jupiter.
"What, you're picking on me too?" Sailor Mercury asked in confusion.
"I'm so tired of you talking about your studying and bragging about your grades, it makes me want to throw up!" snapped Sailor Venus.
"What can I say? I know I said I like studying a lot, but I never thought about bragging about my grads. I apologize to each of you for my thoughtless behavior," countered Sailor Mercury.
"Oh, please, Miss Goody-Twoshoes, I don't believe you," barked Sailor Mars.
But what Sailor Mercury didn't know was that the droid was affecting her mind, yet she was now growing more worried about what was going on, and why she denied seeing her friends saying those horrible things.
"And to make matters worse, Sailor Mercury, you've always loved yourself," sneered Vanitas.
"I'm making you hate them, and when you've had enough, you're gonna crush them," smirked Giwaaku.
Sora, as well as Sailor Mercury's friends tried to ask her what was wrong, but Ami was seeing that they were telling her how much they despised her. Meanwhile, Luna had managed to guide Usagi, Riku, and the other Guardians of Kingdom Hearts to the cram school, where they saw the dark henge and Giwaaku in front of it. This was the signal for Usagi to help her friends as Sailor Moon, as Riku told Chibiusa to find a safe place to hide until the battle was over.
"Go ahead, Sailor Mercury, kill those heartless people before they kill you," Giwaaki said.
"Hold it right there!" Called Sailor Moon.
"What, who the devil are you!?" demanded the Droid.
"I'm the pretty Guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon!" replied the blonde.
"So the rest of you have finally arrived," mused Giwaaki.
"You have filled this cram school with dark power, infecting the minds of students with animosity so they say spiteful things! That's something I can't forgive!" Sailor Moon said furiously.
"So guess what, Droid. You'll regret turning them against Sailor Mercury," added Riku, who summoned his Braveheart Keyblade.
The others followed suit as well, readying their weapons for battle.
"So now, on behalf of the moon, We're punishing you!" declared Sailor Moon.
But Giwaaki used her hallucinatory abilities against Sailor Moon, despite Luna's warnings, which made her begin to hear the voices of her friends saying hurtful things about her, but she snapped out of the mind control.
"Yeah, so what!? I'm a flat-chested dumb idiot who sucks at everything, WHO CARES!?" she yelled, surprising Giwaaku.
"True, Sailor Moon, but that doesn't mean we'll still be friends, no matter what," Roxas assured her, making her turn and smile at him.
"Aw, thank you, Roxas," she replied.
Now enraged beyond belief, Giwaaku summoned more clones to attack her, and sent her sprawling to the ground with a powerful kick.
"Sailor Moon!" called Riku, rushing to her side.
"You will pay, Droid. Was my friend…? No, our princess, Sailor Moon, not enough for you!? You shouldn't have hurt her!" snapped Terra, as he felt the darkness welling up within him.
Right as Giwaaku was about to strike the finishing blow, a rose suddenly stopped her, making everyone see that it was Tuxedo Mask.
"You have attacked and toyed with the innocent minds of young teenagers. By planting a dark henge in a cram school, there is no trust in place for students who prepare for the High School Entrance Exams. There's no forgiveness for droids as evil as you are!" said the caped crusader.
Giwaaku soon summoned more clones to try and catch Tuxedo Mask off guard. Even though he sent a few of them back, he was knocked down and beaten, which made Sora jump through the window and destroy the clones with his Keyblade.
"No one hurts my friends, including those that Sailor Moon loves, and gets away with it!" he said, standing defensively in front of Tuxedo Mask, making Sailor Moon smile respectfully at him.
"Be sure to watch carefully as Sailor Mercury kills off her other ex-friends," called Giwaaku.
She increased the intensity of the attack, which affected Sailor Mercury's mind even more, causing her to think that everyone was still treating her poorly, but in reality her friends were more worried about her. Crying out in fury, she attacked them, and forced them to retreat. But when Sailor Mercury saw the rest of her friends, she thought they were also hateful of her as well, which in turn made her angry.
"You heard them Sailor Mercury, kill all of those bad mouthed fools! Get rid of them so they can't call you names anymore!" Giwaaku called down to her.
Sailor Mercury soon jumped out the window, even as Giwaaku continued giving her orders.
"Oh no, what is she doing?" Sailor Mars asked nervously.
"It looks like she's going to use her Shine Aqua Illusion," gasped Sailor Venus.
"Mercury, you've gotta snap out of it," called Artemis.
"Don't buy into those hallucinations!" added Luna.
"Mercury, please stop!" cried Sailor Moon, only to get knocked down by Sailor Mercury's punch.
The others tried to convince her, but she still marched forward with an angry glare in her eyes.
"It's okay, Sailor Mercury would never harm any of us, never. I know that because I trust her," Sailor Moon said reassuringly to everyone.
They all looked nervously at Sailor Mercury as they believed that she would attack them, until Sora placed his hand upon her shoulder.
"Don't do this," he said, making her glance at the droid.
"What are you waiting for, Sailor Mercury? It's time to destroy them," Giwaaku said malevolently.
"Sailor Mercury, please," Sora said.
"You must never forgive what they said about you!" the droid said menacingly.
"You're the one, I'll never forgive!" she snapped furiously.
This immediately surprised everyone, but Giwaaki was enraged.
"You will obey me, Sailor Mercury! Destroy those you hate, and you shall be free of their pestilence forever! Refuse, and I will break them, one by one, STARTING WITH YOU!" she snapped angrily.
This time, she channeled all of her power into her antennae, then fired another burst of mental energy at Sailor Mercury to cause her to collapse from too much mental pressure.
"MERCURY!" shouted Sora, and raced up to her.
Time and space seemed to slow down around him. Then, without warning, he pushed her out of the way, and the blast struck him instead. Now the droid's influence was affecting his mind, causing him to start writhing in agony.
"Sora!" gasped Mercury, despite wanting to keep her feelings in check.
"Oh no!" cried Sailor Jupiter.
"What's wrong?" Mars asked.
Sora gave a pained scream as Giwaaku's powers were making him grasp at his head.
"Sora, what is it!?" Venus asked in a slight panic.
"Giwaaki's attacking my mind! She's going to free Vanitas from within me!" howled Sora, as he staggered about in all directions.
"Just like how she attacked Mercury's mind!" gasped Artemis.
Esmeraude watched the viewscreen, surprised to see that Sora had saved Sailor Mercury, and took her droid's mental blow that was meant for her.
"Oh my, what an unexpected turn of events. Now I shall see Vanitas awaken from within Sora Lucis Caelum," she chuckled with pure joy, until it turned into a vicious cackle.
"Sora! You need to fight her influence, just as Mercury did! All that hatred you feel for your own father is something she'd easily exploit to free Vanitas!" called Sailor Moon.
"I don't know if I can!" he groaned.
"She's right, Sora! You have to!" countered Tuxedo Mask.
But Sora gave another pained scream, which made Chibiusa grow even more concerned as she watched the battle from a safe distance.
"Sora Lucis Caelum, what's happening to you?" she asked quietly.
All the Warriors of Light grew worried, as Sora continued to writhe and flail about. He tried to hold back the darkness, but it burst out, as he gave another howl.
"Sora! Please! You can't let her break Vanitas out of his prison! Don't let Giwaaki do that! Fight her influence! We're here for you!" Sailor Venus cried out.
"Please, listen to Venus, Sora! You warned us about him! Since Artemis said that you're never alone, we'll always be there for you!" called Sailor Mercury.
"Giwaaki's trying to control him! That's why he pushed Mercury out of the way! Now that droid's going to take control of him, so that Vanitas can finally be freed from within!" Riku explained.
"There has to be a way to help, Sora!" said Kairi.
"He's always struggled with the belief that Vanitas is within him! Ever since he told us about the times he got really mad and wanted someone dead for what they've done, that dark spirit living in his heart would grow stronger until he finally got that chance! He has to decide who's friend or foe on his own terms!" Sailor Mars said.
"I think you're right, Mars. We've gotta help him," agreed Tuxedo Mask.
She tried to console him, but saw her hand be pushed away by him.
"Sora! Listen to me! Luna told us about how you were greatly affected by how your father left you after you were born! The past is the past! Don't think of it! You are a good person!" she tried to console him.
"I cannot forgive him! He's gone because he abandoned me and Mom the day I was born!" growled Sora.
"Yes, Sora, that's the spirit! Let all that hatred you feel for King Regis give you even greater strength, so that Vanitas can break free from within your heart!" cheered Giwaaki.
But then she gained a crazy idea.
"It's time to find out how much stronger you'll get, when I give Vanitas a bit of a stronger push," she said to herself, and increased her power even further.
He grabbed at his head again, but then black lightning arced around him, as he gave out another loud roar. This was making everyone worried.
"Sora! Don't let Vanitas take over! Listen to me! I was wrong about how I wanted to do things on my own! Even though Luna and I are cats, we don't want that darkness to win, and I know that our friends would say the same thing to you!" called Artemis.
But Sora still continued to howl and scream loudly, making Chibiusa even more afraid.
"No way," she murmured.
"Do it, Sora! SET ME FREE!" shouted Vanitas.
Then came another burst of darkness, that shot up into the sky, followed by a very loud roar that sounded truly inhuman.
"Don't lose to the darkness, Sora! Don't give Vanitas that chance! You're stronger than him!" called Sailor Moon, but she was blasted back by the dark lightning, and fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.
"SAILOR MOON!" cried Chibiusa, and she ran up to her.
"Chibiusa, stop! It's too dangerous!" called Terra.
"Are you alright?" Goofy asked as he ran up to Sailor Moon and helped her to her feet.
"I'll be okay, Goofy," she assured him.
Suddenly, the whole city began to tremble, as if a massive earthquake was occurring. Everyone tried their best to tell Sora to not let Giwaaku's power affect him, but the people of Juban quickly began to take cover underneath any table that was near them, so that they wouldn't get hurt by any falling items. Finally, Sora's dark powers began shooting up even more, which made the fiery Sailor Guardian begin to tremble.
"Such a terrible power. I've never sensed one like this! It's making me afraid," she said.
Finally, as the darkness faded away, Vanitas dropped down and landed on his hands and knees, his whole body trembling.
"Sora, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Mercury asked as she reached her hand out to the masked boy.
"Hold on, Mercury!" called Sailor Jupiter, resting her hand on her shoulder.
"Arise, Vanitas, Warrior of Darkness," Giwaaki said.
"Yes, Giwaaku. Also, I'd like to offer you my most sincere thanks for giving me the perfect chance I need to break free from this cold prison that is Sora's heart. Now that he's gone, I shall do exactly as I please, and knowing Esmeraude, I'm fairly certain that she'll be most accepting of my decision, as well as my help in rewriting history for the Black Moon Clan, after Chibiusa dies," grinned Vanitas.
As he stood up, he began to laugh with evil triumph in his voice. His dark aura flared up again.
"Hello, Sailor Moon. So nice to finally meet you face to face. Or rather, face to helmet," he said to Sailor Moon.
"Y-you're Vanitas, aren't you?" Sailor Moon replied in shock.
She turned angrily towards Giwaaki.
"What have you done with Sora!?" she demanded.
"I have searched into the depths of his heart after he pushed Sailor Mercury out of the way of my attack. That's when I discovered the memory of his mother saying that King Regis abandoned him after he was born. Consider him a welcome addition to the Black Moon Clan," remarked the droid.
"You'll pay for that, you vicious devil!" snapped an angry Sailor Mars.
"It is you who will pay for not being able to save him! That's why I'm going to slaughter each and every one of you, along with the people living in this city. And I think I'll start with that stupid little girl that Sailor Moon's shielding with her being, Chibiusa. Once she's fallen, I'll rip the Silver Crystal out of Sailor Moon's cold dead hands, then crush it into dust beneath my boot, and not even the power of waking or Tuxedo Mask's love for her will bring her back from the dead," he remarked.
"Don't even think of harming this child!" barked Sailor Jupiter, standing between them.
"Do you honestly think I care about what happens to you when you try and get in the way of Black Moon's ultimate objective, which is to turn this whole city into ashes along with the people living in it? You're all beneath me. That girl, Chibiusa, will die, and that in turn will make all of you start to hate me for the rest of your lives. However, I think Sailor Moon should try and let out all that anger and hatred that she tries to hold back, giving the shadow of envy the perfect chance it needs to take hold of her, whenever one of you is near Tuxedo Mask, the caped crusader himself. Yes, I know exactly what he knows, thanks to his bond with Sora, the Keyblade Master that Giwaaku killed off so that I could have my freedom, and that's why I'll compromise Sailor Moon's morality, so that she'll end up turning this entire world into ashes when she uses the Silver Crystal's limitless power to destroy everything she holds dear," Vanitas explained.
He summoned Void Gear and pointed it at Chibiusa who was now in his sights.
"Don't do it! NO!" howled Sailor Moon.
"DARK GIGA FLARE!" shouted the Warrior of Darkness.
A burst of black fire burst out, then began to push Sailor Moon back as she tried to defend the little girl. Unable to withstand the attack, she jumped out of the way, and the attack surged right into Chibiusa, who was picked up and taken to safety by Tuxedo Mask. it struck part of the cram school, reducing it to a large pile of burning debris. When some of the people saw the explosion in the distance, they began to panic and run for their lives, as if someone or something was attacking them. This made Sailor Mercury finally step up, so that she could make a stand against Vanitas, who stood chuckling with demented pride, while black smoke rolled up into the sky above, and the flames roared behind him and Giwaaki.
"How very interesting, Vanitas. I didn't know that someone like you had that kind of power for destruction," she said with a wicked smile.
"Are you out of your mind!? Do you really want Chibiusa killed!?" Sailor Venus demanded in shock.
Vanitas glared angrily at the self-proclaimed Goddess of Love, then gained a cruel grin. He laughed even more darkly, as he turned his Keyblade on both Tuxedo Mask and Chibiusa again.
"Tell me, Sailor Moon. Are you willing to fight against me, or are you too much of a coward to raise a finger against a true devil like me?" he asked.
Sailor Moon seemed hesitant at first, despite how Vanitas seemed to remind her of when Mamoru had been taken over by the Dark Kingdom, and was made Queen Beryl's puppet.
"It's a rather interesting opportunity. Unless of course, you'd like me to take this time to ramp up the kill count to all the people in this city," Vanitas said wickedly.
"Vanitas… Do you really mean that?" Mercury asked, despite her unease.
"I do, Mercury. However, you are too much of a coward to accept true love into your heart, which is why you've always shackled it in chains of fear," remarked Vanitas.
"Don't you dare insult my friends, Vanitas!" snapped Sailor Moon.
But Vanitas, still holding his Keyblade towards Tuxedo Mask and Chibiusa, began charging up another Dark Giga Flare, but this time it became Dark Terra Flare. He fired it right towards them, but Sailor Jupiter pushed them out of the way, and it struck the smoldering ruins again, turning them to ashes. His grin grew even more malicious.
"You are unforgivable, Giwaaku. I'll make you pay for turning my best friend, Sora, into that monster!" she said angrily, as she clenched her hands in anger.
"Give Sora back to us, or we'll make him come back!" barked Sailor Mars.
"SHUT UP!" shrieked Vanitas, blasting her to the ground.
"You stay out of my way! Chibiusa's life is mine for the taking!" he said firmly.
This only made Sailor Moon become even more angry, which in turn caused the Silver Crystal to react to her desire to protect the people she cherished.
"This has gone on long enough, Vanitas. Either leave them alone, or I'll be forced to kill you," she said firmly.
"Sailor Moon, don't! Please, you have to listen to me! I know that Sora's still alive somewhere in Vanitas. Killing him won't bring back the man I love, because that would break my heart just like what happened after Alan and Katarina said goodbye to me after we parted ways with each other," interjected Sailor Venus.
"Vanitas, you let Giwaaku take hold of Sora's heart so that she'd find a way to summon you here, so that you'd get your chance to break free from what you'd call your own prison. Tell me that it's not true. TELL ME!" she continued uninterrupted.
"Say what!?" gasped Luna.
"It's all true, Sailor Moon. The minute Sora ran to Mercury's side just as Giwaaku was about to cast a much stronger illusion upon her, Sora refused to let that happen, but instead of making a difference, she gave me exactly what I needed, a chance to attain true freedom by any means necessary. That's what I needed to gain that advantage Sora gave to me, which was my golden opportunity, just like how Prince Vegeta gave Babadi that opening he needed to take over his mind, and make him his servant," Vanitas explained.
"This was your reasoning? You'd let this heartless servant of Esmeraude's attack Sora after he saved Mercury's life to give you that freedom?" Tuxedo Mask asked in shock.
"URGH! Esmeraude's heartless servant!? What I have is my pride as a Warrior of Darkness! I don't give a damn about Black Moon's mission! That is why I'll tear Chibiusa's heart right out of her chest, here and now! Then I will pass her bones to Esmeraude so that they can be the perfect trophy for her own wall! She had no reason to have come here to ask for your help! She is nothing more than a stupid pest who would always seek to rouse Sailor Moon's envy of her! When I see that she is nothing but bones before you, she'll be consumed by anger, and the world she loves will be destroyed by her hands! Do you really believe that a devil like her can even have the courage to stand against me, Sora's darkness!? She is nothing without any of you, because you are all just dead weight to her!" he snapped furiously.
"Sailor Moon is not a devil! She's a human being, as well as a Sailor Guardian of Love and Justice! She's more than just a friend to all of us, Vanitas! She is family, and we would gladly give our lives for her! That's why we're not dead weight to her! And you're also wrong about me! I would never shackle my heart in chains of fear! I may be hesitant about accepting true love into it, but I am not a coward like you! Sora saved me because he didn't want me to be afflicted by those illusions Giwaaki cast upon my mind, just so that she could make me embrace the darkness, and become a much more cruel and contemptuous version of myself! But I didn't, because he still cares about me and everyone else in this world! Sora's not the kind of person I know that would even think of letting this devil give you the opportunity to break free from your prison, AND I BELIEVE IN HIM!" countered Sailor Mercury, who now stood firmly against him.
Suddenly, she felt a new kind of strength flowing through her, and realized that it was through the support of those around her.
(Play, 2 Nights 2 Remember by Crush 40 for this battle between Vanitas and Sailor Mercury, who is now standing firm against this dark Keyblade Wielder)
"I'll prove to you that I am strong! Because with the support of my family, and their safety in my hands, I'll always find a way to give Sailor Moon that golden opportunity to save you, after Giwaaku falls!" she proclaimed.
"You'll die trying, SAILOR WENCH!" Vanitas remarked, and the two of them charged furiously at each other.
[Verse 1]
In a city filled with fever
That runs and runs all night
I never had this feeling
Ever in my life
Every minute's torture
Can't wait to feel the light
I see your face is shining
Enough to light the night
[Pre-Chorus]
Freeze my life
Let me hold it tight
Let this feeling fly ever more
[Chorus]
I'm in love with...
Two nights to remember
Two nights, no regrets
Don't wake me up
This dream ain't over yet
Two nights to remember
Two nights, no regret
Loving every minute
Let it never end
Oh yeah!
Never!
Ever!
End!
[Verse 2]
Yeah!
Can it last forever?
I'm begging on my knees
Give me just another hour
Like a junkie
Like a tease
[Pre-Chorus]
Freeze my life
Let me hold it tight
Let this feeling fly ever more
[Chorus]
I'm in love with...
Two nights to remember
Two nights, no regrets
Don't wake me up
This dream ain't over yet
Two nights to remember
Two nights, no regret
Loving every minute
Let it never end
Oh yeah!
Never!
Ever!
End!
Oh!
[Solo]
"Watching you take this chance to break free from within Sora may be my fault, but I'll always take responsibility for my failures, even though I despise it with all my heart! This time, I'll ensure that Sailor Moon saves you," she said as the battle continued.
[Bridge]
Never... Never...
[Chorus]
I'm in love with...
(Two nights!)
Two nights to remember
Two nights, no regrets
Don't wake me up
This dream ain't over yet
Two nights to remember
Two nights, no regret
Loving every minute
Let it never end
Oh yeah!
Never!
Ever!
End!
[Outro]
(Two nights to remember)
Two nights!
(Two nights!)
To remember!
Vanitas jumped back then dropped to his knees, badly winded after the battle.
"Well, it seems that you are truly stronger than I realized. I'm actually impressed by your prowess. I don't know how someone so weak and useless would even think of accepting the whole with great power comes great responsibility philosophy would make you prove you had the guts to fight me, but I may as well give you this. I may have underestimated you by some small margin," he said.
"None of that matters anymore, Vanitas. I will always find a way to help Sailor Moon protect the people I cherish, and that includes saving you from the darkness Giwaaki made Sora unleash from within his heart so that you could have your freedom," remarked Mercury.
"I see. But tell me this, Sailor Mercury. What would you feel if I showed you my true face, before I turn all of the people you still place your false beliefs in, into ashes?" Vanitas asked, and cast aside his helmet.
Sailor Mercury, still standing firm, recoiled in shock.
No! He still intends to turn every one of the people I hold dear to my heart into dust and ashes, even though I prefer to keep my feelings in check? she asked herself.
But she shook her head and gained a truly serious expression.
"It's true that you and Sora look alike, but after what happened, I still believe that he can come back to the light, and that's what I choose to believe. I'm not gonna let you take away the people I both cherish and respect away from me," Sailor Mercury said bravely.
"Sailor Moon, we'll keep Giwaaku distracted for now. That way, you can free Sora from the darkness with the Silver Crystal in your hands," Roxas said.
"That's right. After all, you are, and always will be his best friend, no matter what. And he will always be your best friend, as well as your knight," added Xion.
Sailor Moon nodded, despite her concern, but she shook aside those feelings and slowly stepped up next to Sailor Mercury, who stepped back.
"I also admit, that I truly acknowledge your ability to prove that you don't want to be held back by people who are truly insignificant, regardless of what you believe, but you'll never be truly on par with Sailor Moon's own power despite being a Sailor Guardian who represents the world named after the God of Wisdom. But wisdom is much more useless than having power alone, which is why I have always been born from both darkness and negativity, although Chibiusa will soon understand the true meaning of being unable to find true repentance after she does something that's even more terrible like have all of you killed right in front of her. That's why, I've come up with a rather interesting theory, about what I plan to do with the Silver Crystal after I rip it out of Sailor Moon's cold dead hands. This is why I intend to have it be fused with so much negative energy, that I'll make it become part of my power, and use it to wipe out all life in the Realm of Light!" cried Vanitas.
He turned to Giwaaki, who began using more of her own mental powers to make Vanitas believe that everything was truly evil, which he fully accepted. Then without warning, his dark aura suddenly shot up once more, and he unleashed an even more dangerous roar, which began to slowly sound more demonic, as if he had been transformed into a rabid animal.
"What terrible darkness! Sora, don't let Vanitas destroy the real you, please! Don't even think of compromising Sailor Moon's own morality!" called Sailor Mars, but both she and everyone else were blasted back by the darkness, and lay in a crumpled heap near Sailor Mercury.
"It's time you understood this, Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Mask, and all you stupid Warriors of Light. All you foolish people, are no match for the amount of darkness that I now possess," he sneered in a more demonic sounding voice.
"That's really sad of you. Letting Sora fade away from all of existence so that you are the only one who's standing," remarked Sailor Jupiter who recovered from the blast.
"Your pleas fall on deaf ears, Jupiter. It doesn't matter how strong or brave you are, once I've helped Black Moon turn this world into a giant dust bowl," scoffed Vanitas.
"So you really think that turning this world to dust will be the only way to stop us forever? That's truly barbaric of you, you coward!" Kairi argued.
"Oh, it's not cowardice, Kairi. I'm fully aware that Sailor Moon's friends and family are both her strength and weakness. Giwaaki was right to prove that little theory with Mercury, and then with Sora. But that was exactly what Esmeraude wanted this whole time. So permit me to give you a brief explanation. As you know, I am known as the last of the willful darknesses, so when the Master of Masters died, along with all of his apprentices, the Lost Masters, I knew that as long as I lingered on within Sora, after he absorbed the full power of the true Seven Deadly Sins, I know now that I seek out a being that will make me close to that of a true god, so that both it and I can share our disdain of all mortals and false gods that you would believe in. That's why, when Mercury's despair at the supposed sight of all of us saying that she didn't deserve to be with us, made me feel even more alive than I had in a long time. Thus I will have all the power to rival that of any star, any universe. But there are some entities that I may not be able to surpass. So, can you take a wild guess as to what they are?" he explained.
"Oh no. You can't mean…" gasped Sailor Mercury.
"Oh yes, Sailor Mercury. Sailor Moon's Silver Crystal. A source of limitless energy, created by Selene and the many gods that chose to help her when they infused some of their power into it. A gemstone that is powerful like the Master Emerald. No matter how much power I have, I will never truly have unlimited power. But neither it nor that other gemstone will be the two greatest lights for long, along with Kingdom Hearts. Therefore, if you wish to know, the Silver Crystal can be destroyed, while the Master Emerald cannot, except be split apart into smaller fragments. And so I decided that after ending this world, as well as Sonic the Hedgehog's, by detonating the hearts of those two worlds, the resulting explosion would then shatter it into thousands of shards, which will disperse across the Realm of Light with all of their power. And since it can't be reformed again, there will be nothing left for anyone to surpass. Never again will I be damned into this foolish prison by those stupid rocks, and soon Kingdom Hearts will be turned to ashes, thus fulfilling my ultimate ambition!" snarled Vanitas.
"So your whole plan is to not just have Chibiusa killed for Black Moon's sake, but to ensure that everyone has a future that's pitch black, after turning the realm of light into another realm of darkness!? NOT A CHANCE!" barked Sailor Moon.
Vanitas sighed in disgust.
"Sailor Mars was always right about you, Sailor Moon. All you are is a stubborn annoyance, you idiotic bunhead. This is my destiny, and you will not avert it, no matter how much you refuse to give up! So, it's time to test out another theory I have for your belief in defying destiny. Let's find out how much power your Silver Crystal has to stop MY KILLING BLOW!" he replied, as he gained a truly demonic grin.
"Even though I may call Sailor Moon those things, that does not give you the right to call her those heartless names, like idiot, bunhead, witch, or devil! We may have our differences, but in the end our friendship is a thousand times stronger than mistrust and hatred! So I too will help her, in ensuring you're exorcized from him by my light, and her light!" declared Sailor Mars.
Without warning, he turned into his Dark Equestrian form, then soared up into the sky above with a mighty flap of his blackened wings. Sailor Mars, remembering what she had studied in her own school as Rei Hino, was warned about fallen angels, and could see that Vanitas truly looked very much like one.
"Sora, my very best friend, it's time for you to face the light!" she declared, then used her Silver Crystal to bring back her friend and knight.
A brilliant flash of white light erupted from her brooch as she held it over her head, and it caught Vanitas off guard, causing him to cry out in shock.
"No, how could I let this happen? Sailor Moon, everyone, I'm sorry," Sora said within his darkened subconscious.
He fell onto an invisible floor, and lay motionless.
"Sora… Sora…! Sora! SORA!" a voice called to him.
Sora's eyes snapped open, and there was Sailor Moon standing before him.
"Sora, you have to come back to the light! Even though Sailor Mercury fought you, I know that you still have your heart! As Artemis once said to you before our clash with Fiore, you are not alone at all! That's why Minako's not the only one who can help you stay true to the light! We are also willing to help you too! That's why, when Sailor Mercury said that she and everyone else would gladly give their lives for me, they meant it as their way of saying that they'd fight, not just for my honor, but for their own honor, and yours! And so, as my knight, I ask you to come back to your senses, by taking my hand," she said.
Slowly, Sora took hold of Sailor Moon's hand. As he did, the light faded away, and there was Sora, back to his old self, as he landed slowly on the ground, but on his own two feet. Without any hesitation, Sailor Mercury ran up to him, wrapped her arms around him, and hugged him.
"Sora, I'm so glad you're alright, and I'm so sorry you let Vanitas escape because of me," she said, as Sora hugged her back.
"Mercury, it's okay. I'm just glad you finally found the strength to help Sailor Moon have a perfect opportunity to pull my heart out of the darkness. Also, the main reason why I didn't want that droid of Esmeraude's attack you again, was because I didn't want you to be tormented by more lies that you'd believe to be true, which would awaken a darker version of yourself," Sora replied.
"Hey guys! Are we interrupting!?" called Sailor Jupiter, as she and everyone else fought against Giwaaku.
Sailor Mercury stepped back, then cast her Shine Aqua Illusion upon the droid, breaking her antennae into thousands of ice shards, with Sora following it up with Firaza.
"Why weren't you fooled by my hallucinations!? How did you resist my dark power!?" demanded the droid.
"Your dark power can never deceive us! Our hearts are connected by trust in one another! However, what you did to Sora, so that Vanitas would break out of his prison, has truly made us hate the Black Moon Clan even more!" retorted Sailor Mercury.
"You know, you've got a lot in common with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness. You'll both do anything to control people. Make them your puppets. You will hijack other people's hearts and turn them into pawns you want to sacrifice. That will, to control. That will, to sever bonds. It's extraordinary, and it makes some people think, because you know what? If all I have to do to keep the connection strong is to cherish my friends, what's stopping me? Well, let me make this clear to you. You're a pawn of the darkness. That's what your masters think of you. They view you as a pawn that they can sacrifice for their own benefit, even after you make us try and hate each other through your lies and deceit. But the way I see it, I believe that having some friends by my side is better than having no friends at all. You turned those people on Sailor Mercury. Made them spread wild rumors about how she's always studying to get to High School, so that when she graduates she'll become her own kind of doctor who can help people out, and maybe one day have the chance to find someone who truly loves her for her, so that her legacy can continue on through her own future descendants. You violated something more important than anything else, even through the fabric of time and space. You've spread your bull crap all over this world, Giwaaki. So, I am setting things straight. HERE! NOW! THIS IS WHERE YOUR STORY ENDS!" added Sora.
"She is a cheater and a liar!" protested Giwaaki.
"It is you who is the cheater, and the liar. That's exactly what you are, Giwaaki. You tried to turn Ami against us. You made her classmates at both schools say those horrible things. So now, it makes perfect sense to all of us at this very moment! And I think that you just don't care! And I don't know why you've come here to make Ami be viewed as the villain in this story, but it doesn't really matter to me now! You're the monster! That is the role you seem determined to play, so it seems that Sailor Moon and I must play ours! The ones that stop the monsters! We're sending you straight to your own demise! Who knows? When Esmeraude finds out what happened here, and if she does, she'll remember this! You are not welcome here! This world is protected! I am Sora! Knight of the light! Friend of Sailor Mercury! And you wanna know what else? There's no point in forgiving Esmeraude for what she made you do, so that Sailor Mercury would be tricked into having our blood stain her hands! That's why we name her, the Lost Cause!" countered Sora.
Then he and Sailor Moon readied their weapons, and pointed them at the droid, who recoiled in shock.
"AND WE NAME YOU, THE BRAINLESS!" they cried out together.
Then with the combined power of Moon Princess Halation and Ultima Beam, Giwaaki was reduced to dust and ash, and the dark henge was destroyed.
"Good work, you successfully stopped another enemy plan," Tuxedo Mask said as he recovered.
"What'd you expect?" grinend Sora.
"As always the strength of your bond is nothing short of impressive," replied Tuxedo Mask.
Then he and Sora shook hands with each other, and parted ways. At the same time, an enraged Esmeraude was shocked to learn that her droid had failed.
"I told you that lazing around in the bath wasn't the best way to get the job done," said Saphir.
"Don't worry, I'll find a new negative point soon," she remarked with a crazed cackle.
"Now, for both our sake, leave Esmeraude in peace. However, I believe that Prince Demande could use a new knight like Vanitas to serve his will, after he successfully goads Sora into giving in to darkness," added Hyena.
They both laughed cruelly as the holographic projection faded away, but Esmeraude swore that she'd still wipe them out. Meanwhile, everyone thanked Ami for believing in them, as well as not being deceived by the lies that affected them.
"No worries, I felt that all of you truly believed that I would never cheat. Am I right?" she said.
Sora, Usagi and their friends nodded slowly, but the spiky-haired brunette turned sadly away.
"I'm sorry," he said somberly, only for Ami to hug him.
"You don't need to apologize because of your kind yet caring nature, Sora. I saw it when you saved me from being attacked by that droid's attack, but that difference you made caused Vanitas to break out again. However, I still had some form of hope in my heart, that Sailor Moon would return you to normal. Even though most of you have your doubts, we're bound by trust and that's all that matters," she assured him.
"That's right," agreed Sora and Usagi.
But the moment didn't last long when Umino and several other students arrived, and began asking her for help on future tests, but Ami kindly told them to do their best by learning through the material. Luckily though, Usagi was told that Esmeraude was the one behind the false rumors, and that she should only focus her anger on them, but she quickly darted away when Umino asked her to be part of the study session.
"Maybe some other time, Umino. Besides, I think Usagi deserves a little break from studying for a while," Sora told him.
"I agree. I'll just head home for a bit and rest my brain for a while. That way, Chibiusa can take Mamo on a little shopping adventure by tomorrow," agreed Usagi, and they walked off into the city, so that they would be far away from the reconstruction, of the cram school.