PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE
Chapter 32: Same Self, Different World
The possessed Sailor Uranus bore down on Sailor Neptune, throwing another World Shaking in the hopes of destroying the one she called her soul mate. Likewise, Neptune would not be deterred from fighting her partner if it was to protect the princess. Although Neptune would do her best to not kill Uranus, nothing said she wasn't able to employ brute force to calm her down.
"Neptune Resounding Echo!" she called out, holding the Deep Aqua Mirror as it created an imaginary version of its looking glass with a large aqua-colored Neptune sigil and expanded to resemble a tennis racket. She swung the mirror just as she would when practicing the sport with Haruka, and the magical 'glass' bounced the World Shaking right back at Uranus. The brainwashed Soldier fell victim to her own attack, flying uncontrollably and slamming against the dumbfounded Erisian, knocking them both to the ground. It all happened just in time too because the monster would have crushed Chibi-Moon and Pluto to death with its punch.
"You two!" Neptune called out, running to their sides when she saw how badly hurt they were. "Are you doing all right here?"
"We attempted to purify it once, but it seems Small Lady and I will not be enough for both the Erisian and Uranus," Pluto said.
"Then we better do this before they recover."
The three Sailor Soldiers stood together, with Chibi-Moon leading the trio as she raised the Pink Lady's Regalia high above her head. Neptune and Pluto likewise followed with their talismans.
"Sweet Cupid Timeless Dolphin Wave!"
Neptune performed the motions for Submarine Reflection while Pluto performed Chronos Typhoon, but the Regalia's energy combined with the Deep Aqua Mirror and Time Staff to make them glow a mixture of pastel rainbow colors. Chronos Typhoon transformed into a torrent of holy energy resembling rippling tropic water, preventing the possessed Uranus or the Erisian from getting any closer. Then from Submarine Reflection, a pod of multicolored ethereal dolphins spawned out of the mirror and swam in a flurry. Uranus attempted to punch one of the ghostly creatures, but it ducked out of the way and rejoined its brethren, circling around and melding into a singular diving light that engulfed the pair.
It all happened so fast that the usually agile Soldier couldn't react quickly enough, and she screamed bloody murder. As the Erisian was being destroyed, the Black Apple attached to Uranus' soul could be seen being forcefully ejected out of her chest and disintegrating. She returned to normal and collapsed upon the ground.
The intense colorful light died down, leaving no trace that it had ever happened except for the unconscious Soldier. The three warriors panted, definitely relieved that the worst of it was over. However, Chibi-Moon looked around and exclaimed, "Where's Hyena!?"
"She should be dealing with that Camarilla woman…" Neptune said.
"KYAHHH!"
"What the-!?" Chibi-Moon, Pluto and Neptune whirled around to see where the scream came from. They found a very serious and embittered Hyena poised with her bow after having fired an arrow that dug into Naja's shoulder! The shocked Camarilla stumbled back and struggled to pull the sharp projectile out of her skin.
"You better not do that," Hyena warned tersely. "You should know that my arrows are fitted with barbs that will tear you apart if you try to pull them out."
"Hyena!" Chibi-Moon rejoined her comrade. "Are you okay!?"
"I have never felt better."
It was true; she had vented all of her frustration, anxiety and doubts into that shot so that her former friend could experience her full bitterness. Pluto and Neptune stood in front of the pair as Naja raged, "You fool! There's no point in siding with them anymore! Your mission is over!"
Hyena's ugly glare spoke for itself, but she still remarked, "You're making more noise than my delicate ears can handle. I have little patience for lunatics who suffer from verbal diarrhea."
"Y-You're… making a big mistake, Sailor Arsenic Hyena."
She shot a second arrow, this time into the thick of Naja's upper leg. Chibi-Moon pleaded, "Please stop it! She's hurt enough!"
"She's nowhere near as wounded as my soul is from her venomous words, and I intend to give those words back to her… with interest," the angry girl calmly spat.
Chibi-Moon was horrified by the savage look in Hyena's eyes – vividly reminding her of the possessed Haruka's anger - and she timidly stepped aside lest she become a human pincushion herself. Naja got back to her feet and huffed, "If that's what you want… then know that… you're now an enemy… of the Animus Syndicate…"
"How redundant. You're only stating what we've known all along."
Pluto said, "So we can finally call you an ally, Hyena."
"Yes. This blasphemous woman tried to coax me into becoming one of their own. If she utters even a breath further about this matter, I will personally tear out her larynx."
With that, the four Sailor Soldiers stood at the ready as Naja somehow managed to pull out the arrows, despite Hyena's warning, and breathed with intense malice. Then, with a seething rattle escaping her lips, she raised her arms and summoned a series of freezing cold, ultramarine water pillars resembling snakes that engulfed her opponents and continued to rage in columns. The water had ensnared them before they even knew what happened, trapping them in such deadly cold water that if they didn't get out in time, they could either drown or die from hypothermia. Naja approached the shocked Sailor Chibi-Moon with a strangely calm smile as she prepared to rip the brooch containing half of the Silver Crystal off the younger girl.
"Uranus World Attack!"
A wave of vicious golden energy rocketed toward Naja from behind. The weakened Camarilla couldn't react in time before the energy rocked her body about and sent her crashing against a wall, cratering it so hard that it would have to be fully replaced. The pillars of icy water diminished, freeing the trapped warriors.
"Here's my thanks for screwing with my head," Uranus cracked her knuckles. She had recovered enough of her strength during the conversation to deliver her violent parting gift to Naja. The villainess gasped so hard that every bit of oxygen escaped her lungs, and she slumped to the ground unable to move anymore. While recovering from the frigid shock, Hyena stared at her former comrade with a sullen glint in her eyes, but she didn't want to show mercy to her opponent and suppressed her disappointment with anger.
"Haruka!" Neptune rushed to her partner. "Are you all right!?"
"Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. Sorry for hitting you earlier."
"Don't worry about it. I knew something wasn't right with you. You should apologize to Chibi-Usa and Midori as well. I'm sure they'll understand if we explain everything."
"I definitely will, once we take care of business here."
Uranus and Neptune rejoined the others as they surrounded the injured Naja. Chibi-Moon asked, "What are we going to do with her?"
Pluto replied, "We'll have to take her prisoner and make her cooperate with us."
Hyena said nothing to agree with or refute the matter. She attempted to approach the Camarilla to apprehend her, but then she felt someone's hand grip her upper arm and pull her back. It was Uranus, who shouted out of nowhere, "Watch out!"
Uranus wound up saving Hyena's life from a series of violet lances shooting from above and piercing the ground where the Sailor Soldiers stood. Everyone had dodged out of the way in time, but only just barely. They whirled back to find Varan, the purple-garbed Camarilla who always masked her face, standing atop a statuette right as she performed a spectacular leap above the group and landed in front of Naja to protect her from the Soldiers.
"Another one!?" Pluto remarked.
"Perfect," Uranus smirked. "I'm ready for a good fight."
Varan didn't reply to the challenge. She wordlessly summoned more lances and hurled them at the team with a swift gesture, forcing them back even further. From the bored look in her eyes, she didn't appear interested in fighting today. As her spears kept the warriors at bay, Varan carried Naja in her arms princess-style and asked in a very concerned tone, "Are you well, my friend?"
"Varan… Sorry about this…" Naja huffed. "Looks like… I'll have more bad news… for Upala…"
"You leave that contemptible fille de joie to me. You concern yourself with getting ample rest. I assume that Hyena was the one who caused these grievous wounds."
Naja nodded weakly and closed her eyes, nuzzling her cheek against Varan's chest plate. She floated off the ground and recalled her spears, satisfied that she would escape safely. She declared, "Princess of Crystal Tokyo, guardians of the external solar system, and traitor to Alkima! From now on, we shall show no mercy! All of you on Earth will know the full horror that befell Alkima, and experience the same despair that sent us to Hell! And you, Hyena-!"
The purple-garbed woman especially glared at the stoic girl and continued, "I shall make you suffer tenfold for what you've done to Naja!"
With that threat permeating the atmosphere, Varan disappeared in a shimmer of lavender light. With the battle over, Pluto kneeled next to Chibi-Moon and made sure she was okay, while Uranus and Neptune embraced each other. Hyena stared at the couple and thought about what Varan just said. Bit by bit, things that she couldn't comprehend before now started to piece themselves together like a complex puzzle.
She remembered Naja and Varan, as Sailors Cyanide Cobra and Manganese Dragon back on Alkima, occasionally whispering into each other's ears and holding each other in a way that they never did with the other three. Hyena wasn't entirely sure, but there might have been one time where Dragon removed the mask she dared not remove and kissed Cobra's lips. That sight was being replicated before her eyes with Uranus and Neptune hugging each other in relief.
As someone who operated almost entirely on logic, Cobra and Dragon's relationship didn't make much sense to Hyena back in those days. Even when she tried to ask Sailors Cinnabar Vulture and Cadmium Bee (now Gyps and Apis) what was going on, they either tried to avoid the issue or answered vaguely. As if that wasn't enough, Hyena noticed that Vulture and Bee ribbed on each other in such a way that it seemed more friendly than antagonistic, even though Hyena always expected them to break out into a vicious fight.
Now I'm starting to see what kind of relationships they all had… And why Varan was so upset just now…
Hyena frowned and added, If that's what it was like between them, I'll have to expect a full-on assault for the next battle.
She didn't like the prospect one bit. Either as Varan or Dragon, the purple-armored Sailor Soldier was no joke on the battlefield. Gyps was easy to anger into a frenzy, Apis would no doubt rely on her gadgets to do the fighting, and Naja tended to rely on her heart too much, but Varan was on par with Hyena when it came to focusing on combat. She could use her spear either for close range combat or for long distance javelin throwing. As an archer, Hyena didn't have that kind of advantage.
I will have to formulate a strategy depending on who will be around to help me fight her. Having someone who is proficient with melee combat will allow me to concentrate on my shots without distraction, although there is the issue of Varan also summoning an Erisian…
The other Soldiers noticed her distant gaze, as if her body was on Earth but her mind was in an entirely different universe. Sailor Neptune approached the archer and said, "I must thank you for your cooperation in this battle."
"I was only doing my job," the green-haired warrior murmured in a blasé tone.
Then, apropos of nothing, Neptune asked her, "Why did Naja know you so well?"
Hyena frowned hard. She knew that question would be inevitably asked. "I suppose it would be a lie to say it doesn't concern you."
"You're right about that."
"Hm… Imagine, if you will, that one day, you discovered that everything you knew up to this point was instantly turned on its head, as if you stepped into a parallel world with only yourself remaining the same. What would you do?"
"I'm not sure I understand."
"Explain yourself more clearly," Uranus demanded, boldly folding her arms.
"I'm not sure if I can," Hyena admitted dourly. "I can say for certain that Naja and I have some history. As for the specifics… I'm willing to divulge them to you both, but I wish for Chibi-Moon not to hear this. I don't feel confident in her understanding the truth just yet. I'm afraid it will break her heart and affect her performance as a Sailor Soldier, as she holds friendships very high on her priority list."
"So you're saying that you and Naja were once friends, but are now enemies. She tried to convince you to join the Animus Syndicate, hoping that your past relationship with her could be used as leverage."
"More or less."
Uranus inhaled deeply, then relaxed and said, "We'll meet when the Little Lady isn't around, and you can tell us everything then."
"Meaning you trust me to appear before you again?" Hyena asked, willing to play as the devil's advocate for a moment.
Neptune said, "We pushed back Naja's assault together. Thanks to that, I can be by Uranus' side once again. I would be glad to listen to your tale, as long as it is true and heartfelt. You know that I'm able to tell if you're lying."
"You have nothing to worry about. I am a poor liar." How ironic, considering that Hyena was notorious among the Toxicum Soldiers for saying total falsities with a straight face. Now though, she had no reason to deceive anyone.
The aqua-haired woman placed a hand over her brooch, repressing her sudden worry for the stoic Soldier. If only Hyena's soul wasn't so stained with darkness, she could use the Deep Aqua Mirror to see into her heart and discern what was wrong. Even after all of this, Neptune still couldn't figure out what this darkness was supposed to be. Fortunately, she never sensed it stirring, even while Hyena was livid with Naja's presumptuous offer. It was like a blemish – something ugly that everyone could see, and which served no apparent purpose except to detract from that person's character.
With everything settled for tonight, Hyena whispered, "If you'll excuse me," then deftly leapt up the stairs and retreated to the back chambers. Chibi-Moon tried to stop her, but she was well out of earshot by the time she could utter anything. With no one around to witness her, Hyena morphed back into Midori and waited inside the room she was in earlier.