A/N: Hadn't touched this section in nearly two months. Sorry got caught up with other fics and more things I don't wish to expand on.
What matters is you're getting an updated entry.
One that entails the former 'lost' Kuipers, Miho Nosaka and Vivian Wong, aka Sailor Makemake and Haumea, on their solo adventures prior to showing up in DoC. But, I'm skipping all the boring and mundane 'monster-of-the-week' battles that will likely take place all over the world. This Gaiden will cut straight to them, as Super-level Senshi, taking on the Weepers' headmaster, the Sandman.
There's no need for me to tell Makemake and Haumea's origin stories. Because those have been covered in Summer Diaries: Special Edition. If you wish to reference the origin stories, go have a look before reading this. I'd recommend doing so. The chapters are Miho (chap 5) and Vivian, Tristan, and Duke (chap 16). With these two chapters and this Gaiden entry, it'd be like watching only the first two and last two episodes of a 13 or 26-episode anime. Well, thankfully, I'm sparing you of that.
Yep, what I did was essentially take two inconsequential Yu-Gi-Oh characters (one a minor character in the manga and a main from Yu-Gi-Oh 0; and a filler character) and upgrade their roles. And I wanted to be creative, so instead of creating more OC's, I just took underutilized existing characters and had them fill the remaining Kuiper roles. Who knows if there'll be more classified Kuipers to create more Kuiper Senshi, but we'll see.
Anyway, this entry has been long overdue.
Enjoy!
xxxxx
Lost Kuiper Gaiden, Finale: The Sandman
xxxxx
What seemed like a long seven months, nearly all the Weeper nests have been eradicated from the world. All thanks in part to the efforts of the recently awakened 'lost' Kuiper Belt Senshi: the unlikely pairing of Miho Nosaka and Vivian Wong, two otherwise almost forgotten acquaintances of Yugi Muto; though, the latter is arguably more of a rival than anything else.
That didn't change the fact that they've been given a new lease on life thanks to Sailor Pluto finding and reawakening their unawakened Sailor Crystals. In the midst of the first major Weeper attack in Japan, Miho was saved from the jaws of death and awakened as Sailor Makemake. A month later, Miho, on her first solo duties as Makemake, struggled to defeat Weepers on her own and barely managed to survive a few encounters. It was decided she required a partner to not only assist but train and toughen her up.
Ordered to go to Hong Kong, Miho would found her partner in the form of Vivian Wong, the Asian Duelist champion, a renowned martial artist, and a famous Hong Kong actress. When Miho approached her to inform of her destiny, Vivian declined the offer. When a Weeper attacked one of her students, Vivian vowed revenge and took the monster on her own. Despite her efforts, she was quickly overpowered. With help from Tristan and Duke, Miho turned into Makemake and saved her. With desire to save her student's soul, Vivian accepted the power to save him and Pluto swiftly awakened Vivian into Sailor Haumea. After vanquishing the beast together, Vivian and Miho's chemistry would be put to the test when told to hunt Weeper nests that have settled all around the world.
With the rising dark forces that have taken root, the other Senshi were too preoccupied to deal with the Weepers, who had increased their presence. It was later confirmed the Weeper's headmaster was the Sandman, named after the mythical character of European folklore. According to these folklore, he is a bringer of good dreams and sprinkles sand into people's eyes to give them good dreams. But, in reality, the Sandman is a dream demon from the Makai that's existed as long as humans have been. To survive, he requires sustenance from the energies of his human victims, but since he cannot willfully leave his realm he created creatures to do his bidding, which came to be known as his Weepers. They collect the nourishment from humans to keep him alive.
Why just energy from humans? Because the Sandman finds human essences to rich and gives him a nourishment boost that a demon's wouldn't give him.
However, with his Weeper nests being eradicated one after another, he was getting worried. He hadn't counted on two Kuiper Senshi to be a threat. He quickly produced stronger and more sentient Weepers to deal with Makemake and Haumea. The fight against stronger and intelligent Weepers nearly got the Kuiper duo killed. However, fighting stronger enemies helped boost their own powers and they were upgraded into Super Senshi status, much like the Planetaries and Kuipers before them.
As more Weeper nests were destroyed, it was closing time on the Weeper conflict. After a much needed month's rest from activity, Pluto informed Miho and Vivian of the Sandman's location. That was March 17, 2009.
On March 18, the duo finished some training before making their leave to the Sandman's domain.
The final battle starts now.
xxxxx
Hong Kong/Wong Family Shrine/March 18, 2009/6:30 AM
Miho Nosaka and Vivian Wong walked out of the latter's family shrine carrying their belongings. They looked out at the sunrise. It was the beginning of a new day. It was also the beginning of the end of the Weeper conflict. The two ladies spent months upon months of facing different Weeper cases globally. The battles have not only toughened them up but helped strengthen their bonds.
While the other Kuipers enjoyed certain periods of rest and leisure in between their own duties, these two have dedicated to almost nothing but fighting Weepers. Vivian barely had any time to practice and polish on her dueling skills, causing her to drop out of the dueling scene until the Weeper conflict gets resolved.
"It's that time, Miho," Vivian informed her lavender-haired friend. Removing her shades, she wore a determined look. "Time we put an end to this Weeper nightmare for good."
"And then earn ourselves a much needed rest," Miho added with an equally fierce look.
"By the way, wasn't Pluto supposed to contact us yesterday to tell us what we'd need to fight the Sandman with?"
"No, I tried contacting her, but nothing."
"Crap. Well, guess we'll just have to wing it somehow. We did kick that guy's highest-ranked warriors without her guidance," the Chinese Duelist said with a smile exuding confidence. "Right? We can do this ourselves!"
Nodding, Miho replied. "Yes, since we did power-up about two and half months ago, I think."
"Yeah, but Pluto did say the main Kuipers didn't take long to become Super-levels."
"I can't wait to meet Sailor Sedna and her team. Not just them, but to see Yugi, Tea, and the others again."
Vivian smirked devilishly upon hearing that certain Duelist's name. "Yugi? Ah, right. He was your friend, wasn't he?"
"Yeah, he was."
"Well, now that you've graduated college, we have more reason to go back to Japan."
Miho smiled and nodded. "Yes, I can't wait! But, as you know, we have an important job to do first." She and Vivian nodded to each other.
"Let's get this over with, Miho."
"Yes, I'm ready!"
With that, the Kuiper duo stormed out of the shrine and picked a taxi to take them to the airport. Their next stop: the Sandman's location... in one of the least suspected places in the world.
xxxxx
Craco, Italy/Abandoned Town
As they arrived in Italy, Miho and Vivian rented a hotel in Rome while spending a whole night planning their assault on the Sandman's lair. The Sandman's current location was in the abandoned ghost town called Craco, a town once inhabited by over thousands of people, was abandoned in 1963 as a result of a landslide. While it was believed to be the result of of infrastructure, sewer and water systems, some people who fled gave conflicting accounts of creatures popping out of the ground. These creatures, which Pluto confirmed to be Weepers, had since taken over the area and built an underground network for their master, the Sandman.
(Cue Silent Hill OST – Hear Nothing)
Standing on a hill facing the abandoned town, Sailor Haumea and Sailor Makemake resolved to fight and end the conflict.
"Let's get this over with. Getting scared?" Sailor Haumea asked, playfully teasing her partner.
"Hahaha, very funny. I'm not the scaredy cat like I was before we met," Sailor Makemake took a huge leap from the cliff and landed into the abandoned town.
"Whoa, wait for me!" Sailor Haumea cried out, following her Senshi colleague.
As the duo scoured around the abandoned town, they meticulously scanned the haunting vibes the ghost town seemed to give off. Haumea overheard something creak and squeaked a little, quivering and cowering behind Makemake.
Makemake noticed her partner shaking. "What's with you?"
"N-Nothing, just something moved and startled me."
"Are we being followed?" Makemake wondered, looking over her shoulder. She saw nothing in plain sight. "We would know if it's a Weeper presence because cold air could be emitting from our mouths."
"True. Maybe it's just a bug or something."
"Relax and don't worry about the little things. Now the second you breath out cold air, you know we should be alarmed."
Haumea let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, I get it. But, you can never be sure. Let's watch our steps."
"Yeah," Makemake replied, using a purple energy whip to tear down some obstructions in their way. As she pressed her heel on a pedestal, she accidentally 'triggered' a trap, causing a trap door to open up under her. "AHHH!" She screamed, falling into the pit.
"Miho!" Haumea cried out, lunging forward to catch her friend's hand. She grasped Makemake's hand tight. "I've got you!"
"Thanks for the save!"
Tugging hard, Haumea used her upper body strength to pull Makemake up effortlessly. She pulled so quick Makemake landed right on top of her.
"You're such a life saver, Haumea," Makemake smiled, hugging Haumea tight.
"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome!" Haumea blushed while being hugged tight. "Ok, you're squeezing me too hard!"
Suddenly, a second trap door opened under them both. They screamed and fell in together into a seemingly deep pit. The trap door closed up and sealed them both inside the underground network.
(End theme)
xxxxx
"Miho! Hey, Miho!" Yelled Haumea, whose voice finally reached and awakened Makemake from a brief unconscious state. "Hey, you're waking up!"
"Uh..." Makemake groaned, stirring and moving around on her own. She slipped an arm over her forehead. "Can't believe we fell for that."
"Hey, like we were supposed to expect a trap door behind us!" Haumea scoffed, punching the ground, which was covered in layers of sand. "Luckily I cushioned our fall with my sand. You passed out right in the middle of our fall." She offered a hand to Makemake. "C'mon before the Sandguy sics his cronies on us."
"He likely already knows we're here," the lavender-haired woman said, taking Haumea's hand and pulling herself up. After dusting the sand off her skirt, Makemake scoured the internal structure of the catacomb-like tunnels. "This is gonna be tough. Which tunnel should we take?"
"Why don't we split up?"
"Bad idea, Haumea. We have no idea what to expect from this place. It's best we stick together," Makemake replied, producing a ball of lavender light in her hand. "C'mon, follow me." She took Haumea's hand, leading them through tunnel with enough room for two to walk through.
(Cue Devil May Cry 3 OST – Stage Music 4 (Within Leviathan))
After what seemed to be hours of walking, the Kuiper duo stumbled into a a spacious area covered with grotesque 'webbing' attached to walls and cocoon sacs hanging from the ceiling. Clear liquid oozed and dripped from these sacs, splattering on the ground. Getting blue-faced, Haumea shuddered with disgust. Makemake tried her beast to keep calm, but was deeply sickened with the grotesque atmosphere of this hive lair.
"Have we really reached the lair?"
Makemake bit her bottom lip. "Looks to be that way."
Haumea made a gagging noise. "This place's gross."
"I agree, but we can't turn back. We didn't come this far to turn away. This is our mission, Haumea!"
Taking out her fans, Haumea glared at the sacs and gritted. "Just let me know if you want those things up there torn down?"
"No questions asked."
"All I want to hear!" Haumea winked, unlocking the blades from her fans. As she tossed her fans, the blades tore through the sacs, ripping them apart and shredding the undeveloped Weepers inside.
One cocoon instinctively tore open on its own as a Weeper got loose. It sighted Haumea and Makemake. It swooped down to attack them, but Haumea recalled her fans, which tore through its back. Makemake summoned an energy whip and used it to slice apart the Weeper into tiny pieces.
"Nice!" Haumea cried out, grinning from ear to ear, relishing every second of skewering the grotesque creatures. "We're totally channeling Aliens aren't we?"
"Well, we are about to face the queen, or king in this case," Makemake plainly said.
Suddenly, this commotion alarmed the other Weepers. A couple of more Weepers popped out of tunnels and hissed loudly. The Kuiper duo stood together, turning their backs to each other while surveying the surroundings. Just then, two figures dropped in front of the Kuipers. They looked humanoid in appearance and concealed in steel armors; their masks were hidden behind iron masks. Both were equipped with spears imbued with green energy. These were the more evolved soldiers that pushed the Kuiper duo to upgrade into their Super forms.
(End theme)
"Heads up! It's more of these guys!" Haumea said, brandishing her fans. "We had trouble even beating one of them the first time around."
"But, that was then, this is now," Makemake stated, readying her energy whip.
The two Weeper soldiers charged and tossed their spears at the Kuipers. As the ladies evaded the spears, they beelined straight for the soldiers.
(Cue Devil May Cry 3 OST – Battle Music 1)
Makemake spun up into the air and produced three clones of herself. The clones got the drop on the soldier, detaining him long enough for the real Makemake to slice him apart with her whip, which by itself strong enough to cut through armor.
Haumea lunged at the other Weeper soldier and knocked the steel mask off him. She then produced a ball of sand and kicked it into the Weeper. The sand swallowed the Weeper up, draining him completely of the moisture in his body. As the sand receded from the Weeper, all that remained was a lifeless husk that withered away and armor hitting the ground.
"Next!" Haumea beckoned the other Weepers to her and Makemake.
The Weeper drones dove in mass numbers and expelled spikes from their bodies. Makemake summoned more clones to take the spikes. This allowed Makemake and Haumea to grab each other's hands. They both invoked each other's abilities, making replicates of Haumea's sand balls.
"Between my duplication powers."
"And my sand."
"Have some of this!" The Kuipers shouted defiantly as the sand balls ensnared the Weepers and sealed them in sand-like coffins.
Haumea closed her hands as these sand constructs 'crushed' the Weepers inside, causing dried black blood to pour from the ceiling. However, a few Weepers did manage to get up getting caught by the sand traps. Makemake used her remaining clones to engage and hold some Weepers at bay. Haumea used her martial arts skills as a last resort; she dazed one with a kick and took another down with a judo throw. Haumea even punched one so hard it exploded into clear, gooey slime.
"Yuck, that does it!" The Sand Senshi summoned sand spheres. Manipulating said spheres, she made spikes protrude out of them and tossed them at her Weeper opponents. These spiked balls pinned the Weepers into walls. The sand balls then covered up the creatures and drained them into husks.
The Illusion Senshi finished the remaining Weepers, casting illusions of herself to throw them off and using those distractions to slicing them apart with her whips. She snapped her fingers and made her illusion clones vanish.
(End theme)
"Ok, that takes care of these things," Makemake stated. "We better get moving or more will come!"
"Hey, remember that part about Aliens where we'll find the queen?" Haumea asked.
"Yes?"
"Look ahead," she pointed to a narrow path leading into the main central hive.
As the Kuiper duo stormed into the main hive, they stumbled into a spacious den covered in even more grotesque network of webbing covering the walls. Situated in the same room was a massive figure covered with sickly olive green chitin. Long and thing appendages seemed to jut out from the sides of this creature's body. There was no signs the creature has eyes or even signs of a facial structure. It looked to have been in a stationary state for a long time, seemingly staying in its den. The Kuiper duo's suspicions were confirmed when they saw cocooned sacs littering the floor.
Haumea tried not to vomit, but the putrid stench of the place got to her. "Ugh, as if I'd seen enough of these gross-looking things. I'll be so glad to be done with this!" She covered her nose.
Makemake shared her colleagues' sentiments, but maintained a calm and serious demeanor. She eyed the central figure sitting in the middle of its lair.
"You know we're looking at the Sandman, right?"
"That disgusting thing really is the Sandman. I kinda wish he looked like the funny-looking old guy throwing sand like in the fairy tales."
"Me, too, but this is not our children's fairy tales. This is where the root of all the Weeper activity has to be extracted and destroyed for good."
"You finally made it this far. Congratulations are in order, Sailor Senshi." A low voice suddenly emanated from the den as the source was coming directly from the stationary creature.
"Sandman, it's over!" Makemake boldly shouted, taking out another energy whip. "We're ending you here!"
The voice gave a sinister chuckle. "You're welcome to try. You two have been thorns in my side for long enough. I've ventured out of Makai to take root in your world and feed on the dreams of you humans. It's made me ever so stronger, but as long as you two keep interfering I can't gain anymore sustenance. So, I've now decided to trap you two here so you can provide me with all that sustenance I need!"
"Us provide you energy? In your dreams, and I mean that figuratively, Freddy!" Haumea retorted.
"Another movie reference, Haumea?"
"Well, this guy's a dream demon just like him!"
Makemake sighed. "Anyway, we're not letting you feed on us, Sandman! Even if you try and trap us, that just leaves you boxed in with us!"
"But, I never go in a battle alone. Look around you, Senshi."
(Cue Devil May Cry 4 OST – Appeared Echidna)
As the walls started shifting, Weeper drones stormed in for last desperation attack on the Kuiper duo. Makemake and Haumea quickly split up, intercepting the Weepers' blasts. Makemake ensnared some Weepers with her energy whip and ripped them apart with it. Haumea created sand gloves and punched back the Weepers that ganged up on her.
The Sandman's voice bellowed madly, a sure sign he was increasingly becoming livid. "No, this won't do! If my drones won't be enough, then I'll have to handle you humans myself!" His screams echoed as the entire hive started glowing red and pulsating, causing Makemake and Haumea to head toward the Sandman's 'body'.
"As if we'll give you that chance!" Haumea shouted, bolting ahead to intercept the Sandman's initial attack.
Makemake noted the body moving on its own. "Haumea, watch your feet!" She saw cracks splitting the ground as tendrils popped out of the ground. She dodged the tendrils that tried to ensnare her.
Haumea summoned sand walls to ward off some tendrils. "Thanks for the warning!"
The Sandman could be heard cackling in Kuipers' minds. "Can you hear my voice? I can enter my victims' minds, too. And by entering your heads, I can find your biggest fears and exploit them! Now, which mind shall I infiltrate first?"
Upon hearing this, Haumea froze and covered her faced.
"No, get out of my head!"
"Haumea... Vivian, don't listen to him!" Makemake shouted to her partner. "He can't know our fears. There's no way... he's got to be bluffing..." She flinched and witnessed the hive shifting and changing before her eyes. "Is he warping reality?" No, has he gotten to me first?!
Suddenly, Makemake dropped to both knees and breathed hard.
"Miho!" Haumea tried calling out to her, but her voice fell on Makemake's deaf ears. She watched Makemake's eyes rolling back and her face drenching with sweat. "Hey, Miho! Snap out of it!"
The Sandman's body rose over the whole hive. The top most part of his body shifted. A section of armor opened up. Emerging out of this open slot was pale-looking face with black beady eyes and a long pointed nose. A low sinister chuckle came out of the creature's mouth. Four claws popped out of his hands. He bent over, giving his whole body structure a hunchback like appearance. Tentacles popped out of the sides of his body and crawled up to Makemake's face.
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Haumea howled as she threw her fans to cut off the tendrils.
(End theme)
In response, the Sandman merely tilted his head and hit Haumea fast with a concussive blast. Haumea wailed in pain while the Sandman inflicted mental anguish on her.
"Wait your turn. After I'm done with this girl, you're next." The Weeper leader chortled darkly as he pivoted over to Makemake. He jammed two tendrils on Makemake's forehead. "Now let's see what fears you have and bring to life." While he probed and planted fake dreams in Makemake's, she fell asleep while her energy was slowly being drained out of her.
Haumea could only watch helpless while reeling from the effects of the Sandman's mental attack.
"Miho... fight him... don't... let him... drain you..." Haumea cringed as she fell facefirst, still fighting the Sandman's manipulations.
"Let's delve into that head of yours, woman. Heheheh." Snickered the Sandman, who was infiltrating deep into Makemake's mind and her memories.
xxxxx
Miho opened her eyes and found herself laying in a bed in a bedroom fitting for a child. The walls were rose-colored and covered with cute-looking animals. She turned over to her right to see stuffed animals and plush toys.
"Where... where am I?" For a moment, she was befuddled with her new surroundings. "Wait, this is my room... my room back when I was a kid!" She then realized her voice was higher pitched than usual and looked down. "What?! I am a kid again!" She saw she had been shrunk down to her 6-year-old self and wearing a cute pink pajamas. "I can't be here. I still have a mission!"
(Cue A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) OST – Prologue/Main Title)
After throwing off her covers, Miho raced over to the door and opened it. Standing and waiting for Miho was a woman with long purple hair and wearing a green dress. Miho paused as her mouth hung open.
She uttered in shock. "...mom?"
"Miho, my little angel, did you have a nightmare?"
"No, I'm not supposed to be here! My friend needs me to fight the Sandman!"
"Sandman? Dear, he's just a fairy tale character and he's a good one. He pours sand in our eyes to make us sleep and have good dreams."
"No, the Sandman is really a monster! I know, I saw what he really looks!"
The woman frowned and placed her hands on Miho's shoulders.
"Now don't say something so foolish, child. Children like you should be believing in trivial things..."
"Let me go, you're not my mom," Miho picked up on the condescending tone from this woman. "My mom never talked down to me. She was kind and always talked with gentleness!" She slapped her 'mother's' hand aside and backed off, giving her a fierce glare. "Who are you?!"
Just then, a man with short dark hair poked his head to check on the sudden commotion.
"What's going on here? Honey? Miho?"
"Your daughter being an ungrateful brat again, dear!" The woman cried to him.
Furrowing his brows, Miho's 'father' nodded his head in disapproval. "I'm ashamed in you, Miho. I thought you were our angel, but you dare talk back to your mother? The woman who gave you life?!" His face contorted as his skin slowly melted, exposing the Sandman's grotesque face.
Miho gasped and pivoted to her mother, whose body mutated and became elongated like a snake.
Cowering from these creatures, Miho readily prepared to fight them. "You're not my parents! Sandman, I know it's you!"
Miho's father's laughed as his voice cracked and converted into a deep raspy tone. His eyes, now yellow, gleamed menacingly. Throwing his hand to his right, he made blood seep out of the walls. The entire room converted into a boiler room.
Miho wasted no time and pulled out her Henshin stick. "Makemake Planet Power! Make-Up!"
Nothing happened.
Miho's face paled when her transformation was a bust. She tried again.
"Makemake Planet Power! Make-Up!"
Once again, nothing happened.
"Ooh, what's a matter, princess? Can't draw out your power?" The Sandman appeared in place of Miho's 'father'. He appeared more humanoid, but retaining his grotesque face, looking akin to a melted man. He was garbed in a green shirt, brown pants, and black shoes. He brandished his right hand, summoning out claws. He said the same with his left hand. "You're in my realm, Miho Nosaka. I dictate the rules. And as long as you're here, you can't call upon your powers! Now, come to daddy and mommy." He pointed Miho behind her as the 'mother' became a giant worm with the Sandman's terrifying visage.
Miho fell into a state of despair, helpless like the child she had become.
"Which one of us do you want to tuck you into bed?" The Sandman snickered, licking his lips like the sick demented freak he was, but exhibiting pedophile tenancies. "1... 2... the Sandman's coming for you."
Miho covered her ears and closed her eyes. "Vivian, help me... please!" She openly pleaded.
"I took your friend out, little brat. She can't save you now! You belong to me!"
"Vivian... HELP ME!" The lavender-haired girl screamed, hoping her voice reached out to one Sailor Haumea.
xxxxx
"VIVIAN!"
Sailor Haumea heard Miho's voice call out to her. She stirred, groaning and feeling light-headed. She barely raised her head and sighted Miho, now depowered out of her Sailor Makemake form, and nearly drained of her energy. She looked over to the Sandman, who was still feeding off Miho.
"Miho... I'm still here... no way I'm letting you die..." Sailor Haumea muttered, gritting her teeth hard. She pushed herself up, struggling to stand. "We've just become friends... and there ain't no way I'm letting some Freddy wannabe split us apart!"
(End theme)
xxxxx
As Miho opened her eyes, she now found herself back in another familiar setting: Domino High School. She blinked thrice and frantically looked around. She saw boys dressed in the school blue uniforms and the girls in the pink uniforms complete with blue skirts.
"I'm back in school..."
"Ribbon!" A familiar, albeit friendly voice, called to her.
Looking to her right, Miho saw Tea waving to her. Tea appeared elated to see her.
"Tea?"
"Don't forget us, Ribbon!" More familiar voices addressed her.
Miho saw Yugi, Joey, Tristan, and Bakura next to her.
"You guys... no," Miho shook her head. "I'm out of school. This is just another dream!" She pushed her chair back and stood up.
(Cue A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) OST – School Horror, Stay Awake (0:00-2:02))
"Ms. Nosaka?" The teacher noticed the lavender-haired girl disrupting class in the middle of his lecture. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, is everything ok?" Tea asked Miho worryingly.
"Who do you think you're messing with, Sandman? Trick me, the Senshi of Illusions, with tricks? Nice try!" Miho shouted to the ceiling. To the teacher and other students, they assumed she had just lost her mind.
"Ribbon, who are you talking to?" Yugi asked.
"Sandman? You mean like the one from the fairy tales?" Tristan pointed out.
Joey gawked at her. "Ya still believe in him?"
"You guys don't understand. He's bad and none of you are even real!" Miho bolted out of the classroom. As she reached for the knob, the teacher grabbed her arm. "Let go!"
"Where are you going, Ms. Nosaka? Class hasn't been dismissed!"
Miho jerked her arm back and frowned. "This isn't real! The Sandman's behind this! I know you're him!"
"What are you talking about? Ms. Nosaka, are you on meds I'm not aware of...?"
Miho grabbed the teacher's face and tore off a piece of his skin, exposing a melted face underneath. She pulled back and watched the man change into the Sandman right in front of her.
"You saw right through my illusions? Good eye, Melody, or is it Miho?!"
Shuddering with disgust, she threw the piece of skin down. The skin piece turned into a bunch of maggots.
She pointed to the Sandman. "Give it up! You can't fool one who's mastered the use of illusions!"
(End theme)
"Oh, but this is just the beginning!" The Sandman laughed as every student stood up and marched toward Miho armed with weapons – weapons varying from pencils to baseball bats to knives.
(Cue New Nightmare (1994) OST – Never Sleep Again!/Miss Me?! (1:01-1:50))
Yugi even transformed into Yami Yugi and formed a wicked grin that terrifying Miho.
"Why so scared, Ribbon?" Tea asked, her face contorting while her tongue stuck out.
Both Joey and Tristan's faces darkened. The former pulled out a pocket knife. The latter had a baseball bat.
"I'm gonna smash your face in for turning me down, bitch!" Tristan smashed his desk with the bat, causing Miho to flinch.
"How about we play a game?" Yami Yugi chuckled a fiendish snicker. He flicked a die as it pierced a hole in a wall behind Miho.
Bakura rose and turned into Yami Bakura. "No, no, you've gotten soft, Pharaoh. Why don't we dump her body into a a jar of flesh-eating worms and watch as they devour her alive?"
"I like the sound of that," the evil Yugi relished at the sickening concept. The golden Eye of Wdjat burned over his forehead, shining brilliantly. "Penalty Game for you, Nosaka!" An evil grin adorned his once kind and gentle features.
Then, Seto Kaiba, with surprisingly green hair instead of brown, appeared in his chair chuckling, making a sickening 'rape face'. "Kill the witch!"
Miho tried to transform again, but to no avail. She was cornered by her fellow students as the Sandman produced a giant jar containing flesh eating worms. Miho kicked and screamed as she was being dragged toward it.
Sandman cracked an evil grin, enjoying every minute of Miho's anguish. "The worms have been hungry for human flesh. Can't rely on those illusion clones to bail you out of this one, Ms. Nosaka! Feed her to the worms, my children! Hahaha!"
"VIVIAN! HELP!"
xxxxx
"HELP ME!"
Resolved to save Miho at any costs, Haumea picked up one fan and threw it toward the Sandman's tendrils.
(End theme)
The fan quickly cut through the tendrils, inflicting pain on the Sandman. Haumea quickly grabbed Miho and formed a sand construct over them. She encased them both.
"Bitch...!" The Sandman hissed. "You won't save her!" He regenerated new tendrils in place of the old ones and used them to tear away at the sand.
"That should keep him busy," Haumea whispered, holding Miho in her arms. "Man, he did a real number on you. You're so damn cold." She leaned over to check her pulse. "C'mon stay with me! Miho!" She hugged Miho tight to keep the girl's body warm. "You're not dying on my watch. We have a mission to complete. And you want to see your friends again, right? Well, we can after we beat this freak! We're this close to ending the Weepers!"
(Cue Devil May Cry 3 OST – Agni & Rudra Battle)
Suddenly, the walls of sand slowly caved in and poured down over the Kuiper duo. Haumea covered Miho from the sand burying them.
"What do you take me for, human?! I'm the Sandman! I, too, can manipulate sand, making your powers useless against me!" The Weeper leader boasted outside of the sand construct. "I'll easily manipulate your powers and use them to kill you as well as your friend!"
"Should've seen this coming..." Haumea regretted exposing her sand powers. She held Miho close. "No way is this place gonna become our grave! Miho, I promise we'll get out of here!" She quickly clamped her hand on Miho's and channeled her own Sailor energies to help sustain her friend's life. "I'll glad sacrifice my half my power to keep you alive, sweetie." She clenched Miho's hand and focused sending more of her energies.
As more sand poured over them, Haumea put a hand on the sand wall and tried controlling her sand, but to no avail. The Sandman had full control over her own sand.
Have we really reached our limit as Senshi...? This can't be the end... Haumea thought as the sand, now manipulated by the Sandman's evil power, rose above her face, cutting off her air supply. She, too, powered down into Vivian and still holding Miho close to her, seemingly losing oxygen and near death's doorsteps.
The Sandman produced a long scythe, nearly half as long as his body, and brandished it.
(End theme)
"Time to end this!" Sandman declared, ultimately swinging the long scythe and cutting through the sand construct. He prepared to hear the sound of flesh being torn up and wails of excruciating pain becoming music to his ears.
Boom!
An explosive burst of lavender and maroon light shattered the sand construct, blowing it up. While sand rained down all over the hive, the Sandman witnessed Miho and Vivian floating side by side bathed in light. Blinded by said light, the Sandman hissed aggressively and barely made out the planetary symbols burning on their foreheads.
Miho and Vivian didn't realize it, but they had each other's hands clamped together. They both lifted their hands and launched beams of light, a coalesced mix of lavender and maroon, hitting the Sandman's chest. The demon wailed in pain as the beams tore open a hole in his chest and extracted Miho's lost energies. As her body took back her energy, Miho's eyes shot open as she became renewed. As Sailor energy filled her body, Miho turned to Vivian and smiled.
"Was that enough to wake you up, girl?" The Chinese woman winked to her friend.
Smiling genuinely, Miho nodded. "Yes, thank you."
"What are friends for?" Vivian replied with a devious smirk and grasped her friend's hand. "Glad my energy kept you from going under."
"I owe you."
"No need. These past few months have been quite the adventure and I'd like to continue!"
Miho smiled. "And I'm glad I have a friend like you."
Suddenly, their bond ignited a dramatic power flare up.
(Cue Sailor Moon – Outer Senshi Transformation Theme)
The Sandman scrambled and lunged to ensnare the two ladies with tendrils. Vivian and Miho, both charged with renewed energy, punched the Weeper leader with fistful of Sailor energy. As the Sandman was sent sailing back, Miho and Vivian watched their Henshin sticks changing shape and their tiara reforming over their foreheads. As their tiara gems shined bright flashes, an output of magical energy filled their bodies, which granted them substantial power boosts.
Recovering quickly, the Weeper leader eyed the Kuiper duo and assessed their increasing powers.
"You think simply increasing your powers can miraculously save you from eternal nightmares!"
"Ugh, you're so noisy now that you're losing," Vivian shuddered, holding out her Henshin stick. "Miho, let's send this freak packing!"
"Let's do this, Vivian!"
Vivian and Miho both thought along the same lines. Our bonds will never be severed!
Suddenly, the faint voice of Sailor Pluto reached them.
'To unlock the new powers you've achieved, Vivian, call out Haumea Eternal Power, Make-Up. Miho, you will shout Makemake Eternal Power, Make-Up. Do us proud, Sailors Makemake and Haumea.'
The Kuiper duo both gasped in unison and without questions asked followed through with Pluto's command.
"Miho, you heard that...?"
"Yes, and I'm not about to argue now after all she's done for us! We have a mission to complete!"
The Kuiper duo lifted their Henshin sticks and yelled. "Makemake/Haumea Eternal Power! Make-Up!" Their bodies lit up with immense magic energies as their sticks encapsulated in bright auras.
As the Sandman came to, he hastily summoned a fleet of Weeper soldiers and drones.
"Don't give them the chance to recover, my children! Kill them!" The Weeper leader beckoned his soldiers to intercept Miho and Vivian from completing their transformation.
However, the closer they reached the Kuipers', the mystic energies shot out of these auras and burned the Weepers into nothing. Sandman was shell-shocked by how easily his soldiers were wiped out instantly.
As they completed their transformations, Miho and Vivian emerged in their full Eternal Senshi gear. Their wardrobe consisted of the usual Eternal Senshi garb and additional accessories: white gloves & boots, elaborate looking mini skirts, orb-looking shoulder paddings (lavender for Miho; maroon for Vivian), and their usual color schemes. Vivian's hands became equipped with gloves laced with brass knuckles.
"Sailor Makemake!"
"Sailor Haumea!"
"In the name of the lost Kuiper planets, we will eradicate you!" The Kuipers announced, threatening the Weeper leader, who was scrambling all over the walls.
(End theme)
(Cue Devil May Cry 3 OST – Beowulf Battle)
Sandman launched expelled mouth blasts to take Makemake and Haumea out. However, the Kuipers jumped into the air, making evasive counters through the attacks. Sandman shot out spiked projectiles from his back. Haumea was more than ready and used lightning fast reflexes, and her brass knuckled fists, to crack the spikes into pieces. Makemake casted illusions to confuse the Sandman, who was hitting all the illusions but couldn't keep up with the real Makemake.
"Sandman, I'll never forgive you for toying with my head! Using my family and friends' images to keep me sealed in your world is unforgivable!" Makemake came up behind the Weeper and used her whip to tear off his appendages.
"AUGH!" The Sandman wailed painfully as Makemake disarmed him violently. He turned only to get kicked hard in the face by Eternal Sailor Makemake.
"Haumea, your turn!" Makemake called out.
"Your ass is mine!" Intensely howled Haumea.
Quickly brandishing her fans, Eternal Sailor Haumea flew up and unleashed repeated fan slashes all over Sandman's armored body. Sandman witnessed his own body being carved up and hacked into pieces. The shell was ultimately broken in half, revealing a humanoid covered in slime and exoskeleton.
Amassing and drawing sand to him, the Sandman covered himself in a layer of sand and transformed into a giant beetle-like creature. The Sandman veered over to the Eternal Kuipers and screeched loudly, causing the hive to shudder from the reverberating screams. He lunged and tried grabbing the Kuipers, but they kept evading him. Together, the Kuipers unleashed blasts that burned his sand armored body. As his beetle body was destroyed, the Sandman's true vulnerable body was exposed once again.
"I can't be beaten... not by you... but if I must fall, I'll take you two with me!" Sandman declared as an influx of unstable energy resonated within him. He shot up toward Haumea and Makemake, doubling his body like an explosive. "We'll perish together!"
"He's taking the easy way out!" Haumea scowled. "Makemake!" She reached out for her.
As the women grabbed each other's hands, they put out their other hands. From out of Makemake's hand came whips that binded the Sandman. Haumea formed a column of sand to trap and seal the Sandman. Upon sealing up the Sandman in the sand prison, this helped contain the explosion while the Sandman blew himself into oblivion.
Ba-Boom!
The sand construct exploded while sand and dried blood fell all over the hive. Haumea and Makemake wasted no time blasting the remaining hives, eradicating the Weeper pestilence. Their attacks discharged explosive blasts that wiped the hives, leaving nothing in their wake. They flew through the remnants of the hive and headed up the ceiling which they came. A final explosion erupted, causing the abandoned town to collapse. The shockwaves caused by the explosion shook the whole vicinity.
(End theme)
Makemake and Haumea crash landed several kilometers off from the former ghost town. Both hit the ground hard and powered down to their Miho and Vivian again. Both lifted their heads and eyed the remnants of the old town buried several hundred feet under by debris.
"Yes, we did," Miho smiled exuberantly, still holding Vivian's hand.
Vivian noticed her hand still gripping Miho. She chuckled. "We sure did, Miho. That's all she wrote for those Weeper freaks."
"Now I'm really ready to see my friends again."
"And we will. Man, I can't believe we did it."
The lavender-haired girl lightly pulled her hand away and lied back, breathing hard. "I know... I thought we were goners back there. I almost lost hope when that freak trapped me in nightmares."
"Did you want to talk about it? Just to get it off your mind? I'm here whenever you want to talk."
Miho smiled and nodded dismissively. "No, I'm fine. As long as this is behind us... what matters to me we have new powers... say, you heard Pluto, didn't you?"
"It wasn't just you, huh?"
Miho mulled. "I wonder if she knew we'd be in trouble and intervened to give us that push we needed?"
"Maybe, but I wonder where she could be?"
"Who knows. C'mon, let's head back to Rome. After this, we'll need to rest and recover before we head back home," Miho turned to Vivian and nodded. "Ready to go, partner?" She extended a hand to Vivian, who took it.
"Let's get the heck out of here."
xxxxx
Rome, Italy/Hotel/9:00 PM
Once they returned to their hotel, they went to their room to heal their wounds and refresh themselves. After she finished showering, Miho brought medicine to treat their cuts and bruises. While rubbing alcohol over a battle scar, Vivian stood for a long time in the shower mulling over today's events. She splashed water over her face and opened the door, wrapping a towel around her body.
"Any word from Pluto?" The Chinese woman asked, opening the bathroom door and walking out to open a wine bottle.
"No, still nothing."
"Then, you know what that means, sweetie?" Vivian poured herself a glass and sipped it. "After some R&R here, it's off to Japan for us. To Domino we go." She discerned her friend's enthused look. "Bet you're excited?"
"I am. To see my real friends this time and not illusions..."
"So, what really happened when that freak entered your mind? You talk like he showed your friends or something."
"And my family. That's all I ever want to talk about ever again, Vivian."
Vivian sat beside Miho and handed her a wine glass. "He's gone now, Miho. He can't bring you harm again. I'm here and your friends are here whenever you need us. It'll feel good to be home for you. I'll be around as long as you want." She put an arm over Miho. "And to further celebrate our victory over those Weepers, I've found us a karaoke place we can sing to our heart's content!"
(Cue Sailor Moon – Tuxedo Mirage ~Karaoke)
Miho gave an awkward look. "Uh, really? I'm not really a good singer."
"We won't know until you tried."
"Well ok, I guess."
"We're gonna have a rocking night, Ribbon sweetie! Here's a toast to us, the Senshi of Makemake and Haumea!" Vivian toasted Miho's glass and quickly downed her whole wine.
xxxxx
Karaoke Bar/10:30 PM
Miho stepped on stage wearing a short-sleeved purple shirt and a lavender dress. She had prettied herself up for tonight's performance. She saw several people in attendance, including Vivian, who was still garbed in a dark red Chinese-styled dress.
"Go, Ribbon! This is your night, sweetie!" Vivian clapped her Japanese friend. She rallied the other audience members to clap and cheer Miho on.
Hearing the cheers from the audience helped alleviate her stage fright. She gripped the microphone in her hand and looked up facing the audience with a resolved look.
Ok, Miho! You can do this! Miho thought, opening her eyes and preparing to give the best performance she can provide.
xxxxx
Domino City District/Domino International Airport/March 28, 2009/3:25 PM
"What a long trip. I could use a nap..." Miho sighed, pivoting over to the more energetic Vivian. "...yeah, I know. We didn't come here just to visit our friends either."
"You know what she told us, Miho," the Chinese woman said, patting the short girl on the back. "If anything should happen to her and we don't get contact, we come here. That was part of the arrangement. Besides, we also came here for that other arrangement," Her smile faded and replaced with a serious frown. "We're supposed to meet them. And you know which group I'm referring to."
Nodding, the purple-haired girl replied as she picked up her purse. "Oh, if only we can see Tristan, Duke, and the others. The last time we've seen them was back... last summer..."
"I want to see them, too. I mean, I want to see my cousins Henry, Jaarin, and Suzie, but family and friends must come later. We have business to conduct first."
Miho lifted her head, putting on a determined glare. "Yeah, you're right, Vivian. After that arduous experience we went through, I think we're ready for anything."
"What awaits us is an bigger battle. We must be up to the task and take out those who attempt to stop us. No mercy, Miho."
"Yeah, I'm grasping that whole merciless concept myself, especially after the hell we went through."
Vivian smiled. "Atta girl. Now, did you send an e-mail for our prearranged meeting with our anonymous friend?"
"I did. He said he'll bring the item we require for our needs."
"Great!" Vivian chirped, grinning from ear to ear as she grabbed her bag and threw it over her right shoulder. "Then, after that's done, why don't we move into our new apartment and relax!" She grabbed her friend's left arm and dragged on ahead through the crowd. "Isn't it good to be home, Miho?"
Frantically trying to wiggle her arm out of Vivian's grasp, Miho flailed around. "Whoa! Let's not get too hasty! He said he'd meet us in Azabu-Juuban! We'll have to go there first!"
"Yeah, yeah, we'll get there in no time! Duke, Tristan, we're home!"
As Vivian and Miho passed on through, they collected their luggage and arrived at a shuttle car spot. After paying for a shuttle, they were driven across Domino City as Miho reminisced seeing familiar sightings. The shuttle went past the Domino City prefecture and headed past Shibuya.
Kicking back in her seat, Vivian let out a deep, relaxed sigh. "It must feel great to be home, doesn't it, Miho?"
"It does. I'll be seeing my old friends again and you'll get more chances of seeing your family."
"Say, Miho..."
The lavender-haired girl responded. "Yeah?"
"You think they'll be surprised to see us?"
"Them?" Miho paused as she remembered who Vivian alluded to. She firmly nodded. "They might. Just wait until we tell them what we've been through."
"Our training's finally paid off, Miho. It's a whole new ball game from here on out." Deep in thought, Miho looked out the window, getting a close and passing view of the Shibuya streets. A smile adorned her face, which brought a certain degree of comfort. "You and me both, Vivian."
From then on, the Kuiper duo went to meet with Okami and Aoshi. During a downtime interval in the seven day conflict, they received their Valkyrie Senshi powers through the Moon Heart Crystal. Their existence was kept low profile for Sedna and the other Kuiper Senshi. From then on, they got involved in the Dawn of Chaos events; in addition to see Yugi and the others, they'd meet the main Kuiper Senshi team.
The 'lost' Kuipers were no longer that. They became additional members of Japan's growing hero roster in the fight against the evil forces.
(End theme)
xxxxx
Craco, Italy/Abandoned Town Ruins
Amidst the ruins of the former Weeper hive, the atmosphere was quiet. The supernatural presence had since diminished after the Kuiper duo vanquished the last Weeper location. It appeared the evil pestilence was put to rest for good.
A clawed hand slowly popped out from the debris absorbing the cool air on the surface. Then, it plopped on the ground motionless.
Or, has it?
xxxxx
A/N: Long overdue gaiden finished. Glad to have it behind me.
Yeah, originally this was meant to be two parts. I opted to condense what would be two final episodes of Haumea and Makemake's solo adventures into one chapter. All wrapped up nicely in one package.
Lots of nods (or references) to A Nightmare on Elm Street. Yes, even down to the Sandman being voiced by Robert Englund himself (the one and only Freddy to me). I was able to fit in a nod to Yu-Gi-Oh! 0 - including crazy Yami Yugi, GreenHair!Kaiba cameo, and the Penalty game; the punishment being a jar full of flesh-eating worms, yum. And Miho's supposed dub name, Melody, gets a mention. ;)
There were plenty of other crazy ideas I wanted to do, but scrapped to not drag this out further.
And this chapter pretty much shows how the duo gained their Eternal forms. The ending does segue way for their entrance into Dawn of Chaos (look up chapter 32; they're presented as they are in the opening scene).
And just like any good horror movie; does the villain actually survive in that final scene? Heh, who's to say it's the Sandman? Could be just a survivor Weeper. Whose to say that one Weeper didn't just die? I'll leave that up to your own interpretations if the Weepers went extinct or not.
All right, that's it for this gaiden. More entries yet to come! Don't know when the next one will come out, but be on the look out.
Until then, send a review and see you soon!