Chapter Twelve: Rebirth
There was a storm system passing over Tokyo. Clouds of the blackest form rolled across the city and tucked it in for the coming night, though the city lit defiantly against it. Rain was already starting to pitter down across the rooftops and the wind was growing cold. It was all signs of things to come. Evil was in motion and darkness was free. An assiduous effort was being put forward for the end of the fight but an equally forceful effort was beginning to stir. It was twilight
It started with the ringing of a bell.
Usagi had been feeling uneasy all night and it showed in the pensive look on her face. Something wasn't right. It hung in the air like a shadow, this feeling of despair and chaos. She had felt it only few times before – when it was her own friends that turned against her. Her hands rolled against one another as she walked towards the door and she could feel a growing sickness inside of her; one that was only present in the presence of a certain someone. She already knew who it was before she opened the door. But she never expected what she saw.
"Y-Yamito?" she gasped.
The rain was just starting to fall heavier on him but he seemed far from it. His robes were heavy from the weight and even hung down off his bare shoulders slightly, though he didn't seem to notice or care. Heavy droplets of rain soaked his hair, weighing his entire appearance to one of a frantic struggle that was only emphasized in his fearful eyes. She had never seen such a look on his face.. "Something has happened, Usa," he said through labored breathing, as if he had run the entire way to her home, "The world is falling apart and…"
It really frightened her. Ever since she had met Yamito, he had always kept control over everything that touched him and nothing had ever scared him. He was strong and commanding and it was one of the main reasons she had been so taken with him. But now, as he stood weakly before her, his hands on his knees and his dark eyes looking up to her with no light of hope in them, he appeared a whole new creature – one that she pitied and loved more than she could admit.
With rain still falling on him, he cast his dark eyes to the side and grimaced. This world he had come to live in seemed to be spinning out of control now and even though he had an awesome power inside, he could do nothing to stop it. His voice was shaky and quiet as he nearly fell apart before her, shivering violently not because of the cold air, but because of the cold sensation running over and over in his very soul. It even caused him to fall to his knees, into a puddle that had formed outside her door that was both wide and deep. He looked very forlorn. "I can't stop it. The others have done something terrible and I don't know what to do about it. Anubis is making his move and…I can't do anything. Why can't I do anything?" he said through a choked sob. The feeling of helplessness that was taking over him was repulsive, making him hate himself all over again.
He didn't want to do it anymore. He didn't want to fight. He didn't want the power that was inside of him. He just wanted to be normal.
The rain drowned out his tears as he pinched them off tightly. The water was cold and his robes were heavily wet. If he could have, he would have also fell to pieces in that puddle – drifting away into the grass to never be cold again. Diffusion was a nice fate.
Then there was warmth. Usagi had rushed out into the rain, falling to her knees as well and embracing him tightly. She didn't know exactly what was going on or even that they would be able to do anything to stop it. But she was there – holding him in his greatest hour of need. Her fingers clenched his weather-soaked garments tightly and she pressed her head against his. She didn't care about rules or eyes at the moment. She just wanted to heal his pain and help him regain the powerful presence that thrilled her so many times before.
They spent a moment like this, as if grasping the last sane moment together before things would change. As she listened to his body movements, her relief came no closer than impossibility as his heartbeat was the footsteps of some terrible tragedy wandering close, lingering just out of sight. By now the rain soaked them both and she shivered just as he did, synchronizing their bodies as they desperately sought relief from one another.
"Rei is gone," he said abruptly and he could feel her reaction when her hand gripped his robes tighter. It made him sink even lower. "I think all of them are. They used us…our faces to do it. I feared that more than anything as we grew close," he continued, looking away as she leaned back to look at him. He couldn't take her eyes. They were too powerful to his fragmented soul.
He felt weak and exhausted and the point at which he would give up was dangerously close to him. He didn't have the right kind of power to save the world. "This is all my fault," he said bitterly.
"No!" she cried, though he was too ashamed to look. She wrenched at his robes to try and revive him but he was limp, staring helplessly into the rain. Seeing him in such a state made Usagi stronger than she had ever been around him – strong enough to fight through his power and get to him. She desperately had to try. "We're in this together! You don't have to stand alone, Yamito!" she cried with such a voice that he did finally look up at her, his face pale with failure but his eyes glowing in her brightness as she continued, "We'll get Rei back. We'll get everyone back. Then we'll stop the Priests without you or anyone else dying. Then Anubis. Then you can stay here…with everyone that loves you." The last part seemed to hit him particularly hard and he whispered her name, unable to truly understand why she was so open-hearted. He had heard how she possessed the true power in the cosmos – that her abilities were unrivaled amongst the stars.
Only now he was starting to believe it.
In that, he closed his eyes and slung his head forward, feeling too pathetic to even look at her. In the face of such overwhelming light, a shadow could never survive. "Usa, this may be the end. It may also be the beginning," he said quietly, applauded by the falling rain, "There are many things I have to tell you and no time to say a word. But the one thing I will tell you, you must tell Rei after this is over…"
With an overwhelming curtain of rain settling on the park, the grassy field became a muddy pit where pain and suffering were being dealt with the greatest of cruelties and force. It made the battle even harder. Since being maneuvered into the position, the three Sailor senshi had not found any kind of rhythm in the battle against the newly released alter egos of the Scion. It had been difficult to fight because this was unlike any other fight. They fought on unequal ground. Not only were their emotions stirred because of their closeness to the three, but they were also aghast at just how much stronger they had become now that they had tapped into their touted, darker powers.
Sailor Uranus landed on her stomach and slid into a muddy puddle. By now she was bleeding and her arms showed bruises from the fight with her supercharged rival. Her white fuku stained red and black, she barely lifted her head up from the mud to glare forward at the figure glowering right above her. Her teeth clenched in anger, she found his smug expression more agitating than his new powers. She wanted to knock his head off more than ever.
Acrolyth Kage seemed greatly amused by her expression looked upon her with the gravest of eyes. "I can afford this. You and me have had quite a run, eh? But since I've tapped into my true power," Kage said wryly and crouched down right in front of her, lifting his sword between then so the rain splashing across the fierce blade dotted her dreary expression, "nothing is going to stop me. I'll settle you and me and then make sure Senso dies a horrible, horrible death." This all played out as a big game to him, with his rival nothing but a weak girl who pretended otherwise. With the advancement of his powers, he had inherited ungodly speed and agility coupled with his strength and technique. With her greatest advantage gone, Uranus found herself at the mercy of him. It was aggravating to say the least.
With a thoughtful expression, he scratched his cheek lightly with the blunt edge of his sword and gave a glance up into the rain clouds, admiring their rich black color. "I guess I could kill you, but then you wouldn't live on, waking up each day knowing that I was better than you. No, I think I'll just hurt you…badly," he sneered, showing just how serious he was in his electric eyes. It was almost surreal coming from his mouth, but she quickly accepted that her life truly was in danger. She had always taken care around him, knowing that he wouldn't pad a punch because she wasn't ready. No, he was dangerous in rain or shine – dusk and dawn. It was one of the reasons she stuck close to him.
With her strength slowly filling her limbs again, it was only a matter of time before she would have to fight to save the person she had grown fond of or use all of her strength to defeat him. The new manifestation of his powers was such a potent version of the original that she found it hard to find any real likeness. But she did still see the same dirty eyes clouded by anger and hatred.
Before she could do anything, he snapped his fingers with an idea and smiled down at her darkly, as if her whole world was about to shake. She didn't like the look in his eyes. "I got it. This is how you'll remember me," he said with a hearty chuckle and suddenly grabbed her by her fuku, then stood straight, holding her off the ground to get a good look at her. She hovered with her feet off the ground and grasped his wrist to keep from choking, though she had little strength to do anything else. Something which didn't often come over her began to build behind her eyes. The distinct fear of being maimed by this brawler made her quiver and glare but he pulled her close to him, looking her straight in her eyes in response, "In a life filled with death, mercy comes in rare doses. Goodbye, Haruka." With that said, there was a brutal pain that seized her midsection, making her groan and look to the skies. A distinctly warm feeling came over her and she starting feeling the rain less and less, even when it hit her eyes. The last thing she remembered was looking at him and being surprised that his smile was gone and there was a very strange look in his eyes. If she could have labeled it with a single word, the only one that came to mind was regret.
After that, there was only darkness.
It had been a humorless encounter. Where there had once been laughter and smiles, there was only disappointment. Although she had always been amused at his antics before this, Sailor Pluto now found Suteki to be vulgar and out of control. This showed in her frown and the fact her staff was kept between him and her body. It was a necessary precaution. "Tell me, Suteki-kun, are you even the same person under all of that darkness or is there nothing left of you?" she said firmly and warded him off with her staff a bit.
Suteki took a step back from her staff and shrugged lightly, a dark and perverse grin loaded across his face. "Oh, he's in here somewhere," he replied and ran his eyes over her. There was nothing discreet about him now and a Sailor senshi's fuku was like fuel for the fire burning lustfully in his eyes. This made her scowl which, in turn, made him laugh out at her in gleeful delight. It seemed anything she did amused him. "There's something to be said about a full grown woman in a sailor outfit. Do you do parties?" he asked with a grin.
The tasteless jokes were beginning to wear on her greatly and she nearly used a Dead Scream on him. However, she knew more about this than he did and she was determined to not hurt him needlessly. "You've only becoming more insolent with these powers. I see no greater ability than before," she hissed back.
That didn't exactly feed his sense of humor and his expression dulled slightly, but his old self shined through once more as he shrugged it off carelessly and chuckled. "Well, it can't be helped. Besides, I enjoy a challenge. I've always wondered what it would take to crack your frigid shell," he said shamelessly. There was no getting through his dense skull and she flustered at his insinuation. That was the least of her problems.
With his intentions obvious, he lunged forward quickly at her, not bothering to mask his intended targets. He wasn't even trying to harm her, but rather do something else that would injure her honor. There was only enough time to smack him away with her Garnet Rod before he got his hands on her chest, a fierce blush from anger and embarrassment running rampant across her face. But there was little safety for her. As soon as he had gotten his footing again, he suddenly darted behind her, slipping his arms under hers and pulling them up into the air. Her staff dropped to the muddy ground in soundless splendor.
With a look of despair, she growled her objection and struggled to escape, but his grip was frighteningly solid. With her in his grasp, he chuckled darkly and leaned close into her flowing green hair, feeling the wet strands against his nose and the way she struggled against him. "Have we ever told about our secret fantasy? We think you'd be sizzling in leather and a whip in hand. We can be submissive too, ya know," he said as he held her tightly, not giving her any room to get away.
But suddenly she stopped struggling, looking back at him through her soaked hair and to his vulgar grin. The suggestion was making her flush hotly but, more than anything, she was weary that she would discover something extremely unpleasant about a certain man. Yes, she had always wondered just what his reactions would be to such a situation, but no matter how he reacted, she would be hurt. In this regard, she was more worried for Suteki than herself. "Hitoshi," she said in a voice that froze him and directed his full attention to her all-knowing eyes, "I say this for your sake as much as my own. Release me and shed those thoughts forever."
Suteki felt something resonate deep within him, like something beyond sight and thought was telling him to consider her words greatly and without proud consideration. He even thought he felt the string of his life stretch a bit thinner when she looked at him that way, making his breath catch in his throat and his arms weaken enough for her to rip away and face him. Even then, he was still shaken. "That was like…too freaky even for us. We felt really weird just now. What was that?" he asked with a shiver.
With a dignified stoop, facing him with all the caution of a wounded animal, she retrieved her staff and stood tall, an ambiguous look playing her features. This was one of the best kept secrets in existence; the one that lay hidden in her heart and unspoken on her lips. She wouldn't tell him just to satisfy his curiosity. It would have to linger. "You must stop this, Suteki-kun. There is still a way to come back," she replied, waving aside his query.
It was a strange reprieve from the battle, though it only lasted moments. Soon, Suteki shook off the dread he had felt and flared his desires back up, able to look at her with lustful eyes once more, though slightly tempered this time. "Ohhhhh, you had us going there," he called with a grin and waggled a finger at her, "Slick move, Setsy, but we won't fall for that again. Maybe we just need some foreplay first. Then we can get to the fun stuff, okay?"
Feeling that she couldn't talk her way through to him, the ageless senshi sighed and held her Garnet Rod in a new position, showing that she wasn't going to let him get that close again. If she had to, she would use her powers to bring him back, even if she had to use drastic measures. Anything was better than finding the end to one of the longest questions in her mind; a question that was infinitely more simple that the answer – What would he do?
Things were going even worse for Sailor Neptune. When faced with such a methodic foe, she found herself reluctant to even move against him even as he stood still and watched her. His eyes were a brutal torture for her but she didn't dare move again, feeling the long cut across her arm as it bled in with the raindrops falling. It was just too big of a risk to move and she stood with her eyes shifting about, looking all around in dismay for the blur or whistle of his attack. But nothing came. She started feeling brave and shifted her feet to try another attack on him.
But it did finally rouse him from silence and his long-standing stare. "Is that wise?" he lulled in his soft voice, snaring her attention and making her freeze. "We see you understand your situation quite well. Our Triad has a very sophisticated control system, responding to certain movements and commands that we give in order to best render our opponent. For example, should you attempt to use your attack again, the next pass of our Triad would be much closer than…" he continued, then abruptly pulled his hand from his chin and flicked it carelessly through the air.
Then there was the whistling again and she barely had time to jerk her head to the side before a blur whizzed right next to her ear, making a few strands of her beautiful hair float helplessly to the muddy ground. Then, the object was gone again and she was left in the exact same position – unable to move and at the mercy of a cold, calculating shade of someone she had grown to trust.
"Well done," he said politely and returned his hand to his chin, smiling as well in a deceptive display of good humor and cheer, "We've always admired you, Michiru-san. Even as we are now, we can't help but feel sorry that you have to die. After all, there can only really be one person at the top."
"What has brought this change in you, Kurai-kun? I know your powers are dark but how can you harbor such a thing inside you?" she asked passionately and nearly took a step towards him again, though she knew that it would earn another pass from his deadly weapon.
He seemed amused at the notion and even laughed slightly, his kind voice seeming tainted by cruel intention. "If we were to explain it to you in detail, your mind could never keep pace. Yes, there are so many questions, aren't there? 'How can you be so different?' 'Why do you reference in plural?' 'What is your purpose?' However, we will give you an explanation which you can understand," he said, lowering his arms to his sides in a slight embrace to emphasize his explanations, "Kurai and I are part of the whole. We are one but not the same. I am me and he is him, yet we are both us."
Suddenly, the flying object came back in range and she became agitated, though instead of attacking her it landed harmlessly back into his palm – appearing now as mere a round disc with a glowing symbol of Mercury in the middle. There was a moment of admiration as he lifted the weapon up for study, taking his eyes from his opponent and giving the Triad a greater respect. He had crafted it with his own hands and there was nothing like it anywhere. He enjoyed that, though she could never know the pride he felt for it. "Kurai does not exist without me nor I without him. I am nothing but what he makes of me. In essence, I am a part of him, the source of his strengths and weaknesses, but also he is a part of me, the foundation and the soul. Does this make sense to your limited understanding of what we speak?" he asked and his eyes slowly focused past the disc and onto her – an alignment of things to come.
With the superiority complex he had inherited with his powers, Acrolyth Kurai seemed to eclipse Kurai's personality altogether. She had always admired his silent confidence with it came to his intellect, but now he had become estranged from everything and adopted some overbearing perception of the world. She found this to be very disheartening for their friendship. "I understand," she replied and stared at him passionately, "however, I can't believe that Kurai-kun is any part of this bitter, aristocratic person I see in front of me now. You're no longer the friend I know. Your intelligence is now merely wasted in arrogance."
The response came across him badly and his eyes narrowed at her, possibly envisioning her death at his hands. That seemed to be proof enough of the accusation. "You know nothing. For three years we endured a clandestine hell in which Kurai was forgotten. Without me, Kurai would have been a nameless casualty. How dare you sit on your timid high horse and accuse us of being wrong. As your ignorance condemns you; you will feel just how pretentious you are!" he snarled and reared back his Triad for an attack. With a hazardous routine ahead, Sailor Neptune readied herself to combat him though she knew that she had little defense against his weapon.
However, she would be saved by another soul in which she had already condemned.
"Kurai!" yelled a voice that pierced the air, freezing it.
The voice was enough to stop him from unleashing his weapon and even force him to turn to the owner, his eyes wide and his hand shaking around the proud weapon. Despite having greater powers and a redefined intellect, it was obvious by his soaked features that the one thing he did remember was that there was another one of his kind that had yet to succumb to such power. "Yamito…" he said, though his voice failed him.
With Usagi standing at his side, Yamito made an ominous form even in his human state. Her proximity and support had given him the power to come and despite the fear that was breaking him, he felt strength just by having her near. Glaring with endless fields of contempt and disappointment, he was infuriated by the fact that his companions had given in to their darker sides and released their Acrolyth forms. There was no explanation that would justify it, for the memory of what had happened last time still burned the hottest inside the last lingering voice of the Scion. With no fear of the repercussions, he stepped forward and spit fire at the dark figure that was once friend, "Out of all of us, it's you that this form fouls the most. Explain yourself!"
Kurai lowered his Triad slowly and faced his leader, an ashamed expression tearing his superiority from him. Only Yamito had the power to cut through to him and make him feel the shame of what he'd done. The perspective Yamito brought tipped the scales back to Kurai's favor and weakened the dark side a bit, though the battle was far from over.
A renewed determination became fixed in his blue eyes as he looked back to Yamito, almost accusing him with his words and finding strength when there was none. "We made a conscious choice to embrace it in order to save our life. Yet you cannot lecture us about it, Yamito-sempai. We do not need to remind you who it was that caused this rift with our advanced forms, correct?" he replied candidly. Much to Usagi's surprise, Yamito winced at this. There was a blackened past which was brooding in the minds of all of the Scion, but none more than Yamito. There were too many things unsaid.
But things were just getting started. "Well, look who finally decided to show up. If it isn't the king and queen of us all," interrupted another voice that tore all eyes away. Attentions turned to Kage as he stalked his way towards Yamito, the true face of their dark powers revealed in his cocky movements and call. Seeing their leader arrive distracted him from doing cruel things to his rival, but more cruelty glimmered in his eyes as he approached. While he hadn't finished what he set out to do to Sailor Uranus, he was fresh from the joy of reveling in his dark power and felt more than justified in confronting a person in his life that was like an ember in his clothes. Gleefully, he pushed his blackened hair back from his face to reveal just how happy he was to see Yamito. "The man himself – the black angel of death. Aren't you going to try that reasoning shit with me, Yaya-chan? Don't you want to save poor Kage as well?" he asked in a sardonic voice, strutting close to both Yamito and Usagi but keeping far enough away to continue his rant.
Yamito's response was unusually hot even for Kage's benefit, "I would try if there was a point. But you love this power, don't you, Kage? You don't care who it hurts or what happens as long as you can do whatever you want."
To that, Kage roared in laughter. It was such a terrible laugh that Usagi stepped closer to Yamito as Kage circled, though she was surprised that Yamito's body was hot – very hot. As she looked up to his eyes, they appeared to be burning in his head. Yet they followed Kage in all of his movements.
"Ain't that some shit! I think we should remind him who it was that nearly killed Ryu, eh Kurai? I bet his little girlfriend there doesn't know the truth about that little story," he replied after his laughing fit and seemed fueled on by Kurai's echoing chuckles. Born into Kage was a need for conflict and his Acrolyth form amplified that tenfold, making him even eager to confront a person that he knew, without a doubt in his mind, was more powerful than he was.
Usagi blinked at that and looked to Kage for more, though Yamito didn't appreciate the topic at all and looked as if it was taking every bit of his willpower to keep from ending the conversation by force. "You're heading down a path where fire and ash will greet you, Kage. You may be the only one of us that seeks this power but I assure you," he said darkly and offered no hesitation at all for his coming threat, "mine has not faded from misuse."
Usagi was shocked at the response but Kage appeared thrilled. Wielding his sword in hand, he sliced it through the air before slinging it on his shoulder, grinning ear to ear about the idea. Even with his sword and all of his powers, he knew that he couldn't stand against Yamito's Acrolyth form. Every point in their past where he had witnessed Yamito's power told him of how futile it would be to challenge him. Yet he did it anyway. The sway from his new powers was too much for him and even though he desperately needed to seek out Senso for his revenge, playing with Yamito in front of Usagi was something that was too good to pass up. If he could knock around the bonds that had grown between them before he burned to a crisp, then that was fine by him. "Bark bark bark. I think I've let you hold that over my head long enough, Yaya-chan. Why don't you show me you got a pair and step the fuck up," he said with biting tenacity and lightning erupted over his sword to show that he was ready at anytime for the fight.
The air suddenly became increasingly volatile and there was no clear definitions of who was on who's side or who should save who. Yamito was seething where he stood, his thumb turning the ring over his finger in desperate consideration for that cause. As a Scion, it was possible he could stop Kage in his regular form, but even he didn't know Kage's true strength in Acrolyth form. The only way to out power him would be to match his form – something he refused to do again.
Yet it was Usagi that changed the mood. She was caught in the middle, but was oblivious to the sparks between the two. She was only staring at Yamito, her eyes wide with fear and her heart warning her that should she ask the question, it would be answered. That answer would devastate her. But she couldn't hold it in anymore. She had to ask. "Who nearly killed Ryu?" she piped up loudly. The question made Yamito close his eyes, but it made Kage holler in amusement and stab his electric sword into the ground for the story.
"Well, that's a very good question, meat brains," he responded, which made her glare at him angrily and object at being called such a name even in such a tense atmosphere. Kage didn't react and kept explaining as he circled the two once more, "You see, the first time we used these forms, we were a little less refined than we are now." There was much pleasure in this explanation, especially as he saw Yamito's jaw tighten with every cold, hard fact. The rain had let up to a mist but the ground was still soaked, marking Kage's footsteps with mucky clumps and spurting water
Usagi was keeping her eyes on him out of caution and that statement made her blink slightly. "Less refined?" she asked.
"Yeah, a little more rough around the edges. Now Ryu? He had it good. With the Ginzuishou, his advanced form was nice and timid and boring and he controlled it no prob. But the rest of us, well, we get a little crazy," he continued and even offered some interesting visualizations for her by waggling his fingers next to his head. She was listening to this with an open mind, which blinded her to what they had been doing to the other Sailor senshi. She was too caught up in wanting to know what happened to the Moon Scion and why Yamito seemed so affected by it.
Kage continued with a dubious grin on his face, "So Ryu was just getting ready to banish Anubis or something, when guess who stepped in to hinder that effort?"
"Yamito said you four did," she responded with a glance to Yamito.
Kage roared in laughter once more and also looked to him. He expected that but still seemed tickled by it. "Well ain't that pretty? Does that make you sleep better at night? To tuck us into that bed too?" he said, though Yamito had no answer and was deathly quiet. Usagi was still lost when Kage started walking again, talking to her once more, "Well, I guess you could say that's true, but not all the way, right, Yaya-chan?" He was enjoying the inquisition a little too much but kept casting devious glares towards his victim. There was still the possibility of retaliation, so he was keeping the antagonist of his story in clear view. "Me, Kurai and Suteki did try and stop Ryu, but that was just for stupid reasons Ryu dismissed as our new powers playing with our minds. You see, Ryu had more power than all three of us put together, but that isn't the truth for your friend there," he said and slipped up close to Usagi, whispering it as if it was a secret of time.
She felt extremely uneasy at his proximity but he was telling her things that she wanted to know, so she stood still and stared at Yamito as Kage told her the final truth, "You see, it was Yamito that almost killed Ryu. Us three tried but your boy toy there had the power to do it and boy…did he come close."
Usagi's eyes shot wide with the confession. That truth was something she could not bring herself to believe, but somehow it held a resounding sincerity. She didn't want to believe that he could ever do such a thing to someone he loved but the lingering sadness always apparent in him convinced her of the truth. With the cruel words falling from Kage's forked tongue, she looked to Yamito for some kind of denial. Kage was devouring the broken-hearted expression on her face and stood straight to watch. Yamito stared into the ground before him, unable to speak or even look up.
Usagi was just tumbling inside and called out in a weak, powerless voice, "Y-Yamito?"
There would be no answer to her pleas as there was no time. Events that would lead to the destruction of a race were already in motion and the climax was just on the horizon – ready to break like the dawn. Though Usagi stared longingly at Yamito, seeking doctrine that would repent for the accusation, she was left dry. As much as she wanted to go to him and demand the answers, fear kept her feet planted and she was uncertain she could even get to him anymore.
In the moment she accepted that he was not like her, the last shard of the world fell to the ground, breaking into slivers of what it once was.
"What an interesting gathering of Scion and senshi," a new voice said and grabbed everyone's attention from the past, throwing it to a group of shadows which had slipped onto the scene. Kiga's eyes were complacent with triumph and even the sight of Yamito didn't bring him down. The rest of the Priests were standing behind him in a concealing circle, hiding that which they had taken by means of love. "I really wish I would have heard what makes the Moon Princess so upset, but it seems my timing is a little off," he continued while assessing the situation.
Sailor Pluto and her opponent were nearby but neither were fighting any longer as they too had been trapped by the fit between Kage and Yamito. Sailor Neptune was currently cradling an unconscious Sailor Uranus in her arms, fiercely protecting and adamantly listening. The battle between the Scion and the Sailor senshi had ended with casualties and losses ranking high in the night. Yet, it had stalled for the moment. That was one thing that made the Priest frown. "I'm disappointed, Scion. I expected you to kill these three Sailor senshi in no time. And you, Yamito, I had hoped to see our great power in your eyes again. Don't you think this world deserves the spiritual cleansing that you preached so many times as your true self?" Kiga crooned with a bastard voice that waited for a reply.
Yamito's eyes were buried under his hair but his lips were turning down in a fierce grimace. He had been pressed to a point by Kage, brought to wrath by the truths that existed in his past. So he stood, brooding in his own failures and sins, but also losing the fight that was raging within him. He could still feel Usagi's eyes on him and that hurt the worst.
He knew this would be another sin on him.
After time passed between them all, he finally spoke with a voice that shook the heavens and swelled the flames of hell themselves, making even the proud Kage step back and look in awe, "I never asked for this. My life was born in flames and I've always walked alone. Even love cannot withstand the scars I must bear. But there is one thing that I know I must do before Mars recalls my soul to sit in judgment of my crimes." Slowly the air began to heat. A hot breeze controlled the trees of the park and sweltering against the skin of everyone who watched. A few knew what was happening, but only one feared it so.
Power began to swell around Yamito and his body was a flurry of movement though he stood perfectly still. He had to do it, even if she was still looking at him so.
"Yamito?" Usagi whispered and stepped back as an overwhelming sickness began to pull at her stomach. Deep down, she knew something was happening and that she had to try anything in order to stop it. A part of her wanted to defy logic and run to him, dismissing the searing heat that was coming from him and embrace the jaded figure despite the terrible things he had done. It was within her power to forgive him. If it would soothe his heart and free him from his suffering, she would have burned to death while trying to touch his raging heart.
But she stalled out of fear.
Kiga and the other Priests became more uneasy as they watched the final soldier reaching into the place where they were born. They all knew that this was the final element of the plan, though the most lethal one as well.
With a red aura around his right hand, Yamito slowly looked up to Kiga with unholy eyes, his voice resonating from some other place. "With your death, I am free. For this, I will sacrifice all that's left of my soul. Only in darkness will I find my end. Since everyone is so eager for me to release my darker half," he hissed while staring at Kiga. His aura began to obscure any light in the park and cast a red glow across the city. All things began to bleed light as Mars shined down on its dying soldier. Just before the release of the power, Yamito's eyes closed from an overwhelming fear pounding in his chest. His voice hissed out three biting tones, "So be it."
And two great wings of fire opened across the dark, moonlight park.