PRETTY SOLDIER SAILOR MOON: FUTURE
Chapter 56: Arsenic's Real Name
Back in the waking world, Hikaru regained consciousness and had called Haruka in the meantime. She, Michiru and Setsuna were on their way to the hospital, so Hikaru could do little else than wait anxiously. He hoped that if they hurried, he could likewise send them into Midori's dream world so they could help Chibi-Usa and Hotaru. He couldn't tell what was going on from the outside, but none of the girls were looking good. Midori especially looked pale, as if all of the blood had been drained out of her veins and arteries in an instant.
Hikaru clenched his teeth and desperately thought, If only there was some way for me to help them fight the Black Apple. I am the priest of Elysion, and yet I stand here powerless…
That was when he noticed faint glimmers shining from the girls' foreheads. The golden crescent appeared on Chibi-Usa's head, the purple Saturn sigil shone on Hotaru's, and the strange green symbol struggled to glow on Midori's. He could tell that Chibi-Usa and Hotaru had become Sailor Soldiers and were fighting, but Midori was under intense duress and couldn't transform in this state. She needed a little more persuasion to conquer Eris' darkness and become Sailor Arsenic Hyena.
Hikaru knew what he could do now. He closed his eyes and concentrated his mind upon the flickering symbol.
"Can you hear me, Midori?"
After a moment, he finally heard her voice utter, "W-Who are… you…?"
"I am Shiramura Hikaru. Do you remember me?"
"Hikaru… I think so… But I don't know for sure… Ugh! Eris is trying to force Sailor Chibi-Moon to surrender in exchange for Saturn and I's lives. But why are they trying to protect me? Why do their moves feel so familiar…?"
"Stay calm. It appears your mind has been muddled due to the conflict within your heart. You can trust those two Sailor Soldiers; they are your friends, and have delved into your dream in order to save you."
"So this is a dream… I'm the only one who hasn't realized that yet…?"
"Try to remember what happened before you fell unconscious. We were at Infinity Academy listening to your lecture."
"A lecture…" Midori murmured. "I remember that… It was me, you, and two others… I think one was called Hotaka… Or was it Hotani…? No, it was Hotaru! Hotaru and… Chibi… Chibi-something…"
"Think harder, Midori! You and her have become inseparable friends!" Hikaru urged. "Her name means 'Little Rabbit'!"
"Little Rabbit… Chibi Usagi… Chibi… Usa…gi… Chibi-Usa…"
Midori suddenly gasped as she remembered her friend's name in full.
"Chibi-Usa!"
When this happened, the green mark on Midori's forehead glowed as strong as the others' symbols. Hikaru cut the connection when he sensed her energy overwhelming his mind. He noticed that she looked a lot healthier now, and he sighed with relief that everything was going to be okay.
In the dream world, Saturn and Midori's limbs were being restrained so tightly that they thought their extremities were going to tear off. This was when Midori yelled out Chibi-Usa's name and her sigil broke out on her forehead, alarming both Chibi-Moon and Eris. The energy emanating from her conquered Eris' grip on the two warriors, and a torrent of poisonous green winds disintegrated the roots into nothing.
"GYAAAHH!" Eris shrieked in pain. Saturn gracefully flipped in the air and landed near Chibi-Moon, wheezing heavily after being able to finally breathe properly.
"Are you okay, Saturn!?" Chibi-Moon yelped.
"I'm fine. It seems Midori is breaking out of her confused state."
They stared at the blustery winds as Midori raised her hand with the apatite ring on, and she chanted in a divine voice, "Arsenic Toxicum Power, Make Up."
Her usual clothes disappeared and the winds surrounded her in an orb, so she appeared as a silhouette to them. While the Soldiers were transfixed on this sight, Eris used this opportunity to summon more deadly roots from the ground to pierce through their backs. A glint of bright light blinded the goddess for a moment however, and then something blasted through the small tornado and destroyed the roots, forcing the angered villainess to stay back. The light had turned out to be a shining silver arrow fired from Midori's bow. She had transformed into Sailor Arsenic Hyena, and she floated back to the ground as Chibi-Moon stared in mind-numbing surprise.
"So you really are Hyena!" she half-whispered, half-yelled.
"It seems my dual life has finally caught up to me," Hyena murmured coolly. "Yet, I only have myself to blame for it. Because of my blunder, I'm no longer able to protect you and your friends from the shadows."
"Why!?" Saturn demanded. "Why did you trick her for so long!? Couldn't you have trusted her from the start!?"
"All in due time," was the placid response. "We have much bigger elephants to deal with for the moment."
Hyena gestured to the Black Apple as it regained its footing and loomed over the trio.
"Kuh huh huh huh…" Eris' voice chuckled. "At last, you finally show yourself. I was hoping to shatter your façade myself, but you beat me to it. Well, no matter. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Sailor Arsenic Hyena. I heard about how much your former teammates miss you so much that they want you to become a fellow Camarilla. Such a pity that you've turned them down so many times to pursue a mission of folly."
Hyena didn't say anything. She just glared at the malevolent goddess with a curt frown.
"Midori? What is she talking about?" Chibi-Moon whimpered, but Hyena raised her arm in front of the confused girl, wordlessly commanding her to back off.
"My, such a foul expression from one so fair. Have I done anything to displease you, my little hyena? Or perhaps I should say…"
Eris' expression turned even more sinister (as if it were possible) as she widened her eyes and sneered a precious name that had been long hidden behind the pseudonym 'Sailor Arsenic Hyena' to protect her home world:
"Sailor Zarnik."
It was out. If the Soldier wasn't angry before, she was positively fuming now. She managed to keep it hidden behind her stoic glare, but everyone knew that a catastrophic battle within this horrible nightmare was imminent. Chibi-Moon knew from that sharp glare in her eyes that if Eris didn't die in this battle, she would at least come to regret having angered her.
"So… Now that you know who I am, I have even more reason to annihilate you from the annals of history," Hyena – or rather, Sailor Zarnik – coldly remarked. She then asked her comrades, "Sailor Chibi-Moon… Sailor Saturn… Will you lend me your power?"
The fury was incredibly obvious in her broken voice.
"Will you help me utterly obliterate this worthless pile of excrement?"
Without responding, the other Soldiers became determined and got into their battle stances with Zarnik.
"Come! I will show you what real hell is like!" Eris raged and spread her branched arms apart. All at once, an onslaught of roots, branches and razor leaves barraged at the trio. Saturn charged in to slice up the roots, Chibi-Moon used Pink Lady's Heart Barrage to deflect the branches, and Zarnik fired a volley of Random Flurrys to counter the leaves. Viscous black blood spurted everywhere, and yet Eris continued her merciless assault. A pair of roots that had slithered underground broke through and wrapped around Chibi-Moon's legs, then flung her upside-down.
"Aaah!" she yelped.
"Press Crusher!" Saturn yelled, jumping after her friend and summoning a bright crescent of light from the Silence Glaive that shot at the thick roots, shredding them into bits and freeing Chibi-Moon.
While Eris was preoccupied with them, she noticed Zarnik running with all her might toward her tree trunk, then dashing up the side with intense fervor. The goddess realized that her opponent was trying to get in close and assassinate her, so she sent a violent shower of sharp dead leaves at her. Zarnik jumped in time and chanted, "Dew of Death," and shot a single arrow at Eris' face. She dodged her head aside just in time to avoid being pierced through, though only by millimeters.
"You little wench!" she screamed and blew a torrent of ferocious wind out of her mouth at Zarnik. The Soldier tumbled about helplessly as she plummeted straight for the village's fountain. She did use this chance to snap her fingers and cause the arrow next to Eris' head to explode before she painfully splashed into the water, thereby making it a mutual strike.
"Sailor Zarnik!" Chibi-Moon gasped in horror. She grew increasingly angry and glared at Eris as she howled in pain. The smoke cleared, showing the goddess' face being scarred so badly that parts of her skull and teeth could be seen.
This is my chance!
Chibi-Moon raised her hands over her brooch and opened it to reveal the Pink Moon Crystal – her half of the legendary Silver Crystal – shining brilliant colors within.
"Oooh… That contemptible piece of rock!" Eris growled. "The same one Selene used to banish me from this world!"
Saturn screamed, "Chibi-Moon! Don't use the Silver Crystal! It could kill you!"
As Zarnik was getting out of the fountain, she heard Saturn's warning and widened her eyes.
It'll… kill her?
Up until this point, she had no idea about how deadly the legendary stone was. All she knew was that it was a crystal possessing ultimate light that could make anything possible. Originally, all of her hopes rested on her asking the Royal Family to use the Silver Crystal to destroy Eris and save Alkima. With her mission gone, she still thought that the queen and princess could use it to stop Eris here. Now having learned that it could kill her best friend from Earth, Zarnik suddenly began to have doubts.
But Eris is so powerful, she would have no choice but to use it, which may be exactly what Eris wants… But wait… The other Toxicum Soldiers are after it too! If they used it, would it kill them too!?
Eris cackled, "Oh, by all means, go ahead and use it! Even if you destroy me with it, I'll be dragging you to hell with me! You can suffer and toil with Selene forevermore, and Selene's daughter will wail in endless despair from failing to protect her own family! Who knows? She might even commit suicide the same way she lost her lover during the Silver Millennium's fall! Wouldn't that be fun to watch!"
"I won't lose to you!" Chibi-Moon declared boldly. "I'll protect everyone from your madness!"
"Chibi-Moon!" Saturn yelled angrily while grabbing her shoulder. "This is Midori's dream world! If you use it to destroy the Black Apple, you might accidentally kill her too!"
"Ah-!" the pink-haired Soldier gasped. She almost forgot where the battle was taking place. If she tried to cleanse Eris' evil aura out of Midori's soul without discretion, she could inadvertently purify the darkness that Midori was born with and thus end her life.
"See? I knew you couldn't do it, princess," Eris chuckled, her grotesque visage matching the pure hatred she possessed. "Now be good girls and let me make you suffer!"
She raised her arms up again, then plunged them into the ground. A reversed pentagram appeared beneath the three Soldiers' feet, then an intense pressure overwhelmed and engulfed them in malefic electricity. Translucent ghouls – most likely Erisians without their Golden Apple bodies - floated around them as they shrieked in agony. Eris increased the pressure, which caused sores and welts to open up on the girls' skin.