Chapter 13: The Judgment Hours--Hour I--The ---------- of the Ones You Care For (Marked out the "Plot Word" of the Chapter… Because I'm Evil Like that!)
(Last Time, on Chapter 11…)
Soon everyone talked about what they might do today. Surprisingly, while everyone was suggesting their ideas, Eddy never mentioned anything about doing a scam of any kind. This was noticed by Double D and Ed in particular.
'Strange, he would usually have an idea by now,' Double D thought, 'I wonder why he's being so passive today?'
He then remembered what Ed whispered to him yesterday night; how Eddy was acting strange because of Rei. Double D made a smile, 'Funny; it seems that we, the Ed's, have been bitten by the little love bug.'
But little do they all know that they would be put to the test; both mentally and physically. The whole Cul-De-Sac will feel the pain as well.
It was almost time to invade and destroy.
(Now, Continue to the Unlucky Chapter 13… Muhahaha!!!)
It was now eight-thirty p.m. here in the Peach Creek Cul-De-Sac as we come upon the Lane once again. Here we see the Ed's, Ami, Rei and Hotaru; all walking through the Lane. Normally, the Ed's would be planning out a scam by now; but no, they were not doing that today.
They all decided to go to the lake called Destiny Lake (AN: Yes, I made up an imaginary lake with a… very fitting name, lol). It was located in the woods in between the trailer park and the Cul-De-Sac. It was while they were walking to Destiny Lake that they didn't notice the three pairs of eyes, watching them from the treetops above them; Weiss, Russo and Midori.
Weiss had a stern look on his face; he had to get even with Duo. Russo only had a malevolent look on his face; he was going to enjoy this 'reunion' with those two. Finally, there was Midori, who had a look of worry on her face; she didn't want to do this, but if she didn't do her job, her soul would be completely taken over by Lady Ultima, making her a soulless puppet.
When they finally arrived to the lake, the water was already glittering in the sunlight (AN: And such "romantic" details like that!). But when they entered the area around the lake, Rei came to a sudden halt.
Eddy then stopped walking to see why Rei suddenly stopped, "What's wrong?" he asked while everyone else stopped walking as well.
"… There's something coming," Rei stated with a slightly alerted voice.
"Like what?" Ed questioned.
Rei kept looking around before saying, "… I don't know; but I can feel it."
"That's right, little Mars," said a sudden voice from out of nowhere.
Suddenly, a force of some sort pushed the six preteens to different sides of the lake, putting them into three groups of two; Double D and Ami went to the left side, Eddy and Rei went to the entrance, and Ed and Hotaru went to the right side. The force also pushed them to the ground and made them skid across the grass; some of them were knocked out for a couple of seconds.
(AN: Okay, I'll start with Double D and Ami. Then it'll be Ed and Hotaru. Finally, there'll be Eddy and Rei… and a few others as well. Please remember that these are all happening at the same time, so I'll focus on one situation before going to another, because it's hard for me to switch back and forth from one place to the other… understand?)
(Currently… Double D and Ami…)
"Ouch…" Double D groaned a little as he started to get up from where he lied, adjusting his hat as he did; it had almost fell off his head, which he didn't want.
He then noticed Ami, who was right beside him, starting to get up as well, "Are you alright, Ami?" Double D asked.
"Yes, I'm okay," Ami said as she got to her feet, "What just happened?"
"I don't know," Double D replied, "It felt like some strange force--"
Suddenly, he stopped what he was saying to made a gasping pain sound. He quickly put both of his hands on the non-visible part of his forehead, as if he had a migraine.
"Double D?" questioned Ami with slight worry, "What's the matter? Did you hit your head?"
"No… It's my scar," Double D stated weakly, "I-It's starting to burn like it's…! Ahh!"
Without realizing what he was doing, Double D suddenly took off his hat to make the pain in his forehead go away. But it didn't. Double D soon heard Ami make a gasp as he then turned pale; did he just do the unthinkable?
Yep. He did.
With the three strands of black hair coming out of the back of his head, you would think the rest of his hair would be black… right? Wrong. His hair was actually slightly medium-long and mildly spiky (AN: Sort of like Axel from the Kingdom Hearts Series… I guess this can explain the shape of his hat a little bit at why the sock part of the hat sticks out like that); the color of it being yellow-gold. But that's not really caught Ami's attention. There, scared on his forehead, was the blue planet sign of Mercury; clear as day. It was pulsing dark blue.
"Ahh! Oh dear!" Double D exclaimed in a panic as he quickly put his hat back on his head covering up his blond locks and scar.
Ami looked at him with shock, "Double D?!"
"Ah ha! Duo finally reveals himself!" said a familiar voice from out of nowhere, "I was wondering why Duo had his hair covered up like that."
Suddenly, a white portal forms in front of them as a familiar figure from yesterday's class at school comes out of it. But the figure was dressed differently than the school day yesterday; he wore some type of uniform that was gray, wore black boots and a white cape across his broad shoulders.
"Weiss?" both Double D and Ami questioned with slight confusion and alert, "What are you doing here?" Ami asked.
"Why, I just wanted to say hello to my old rival and his princess from the first rock," Weiss said, "Is that such a crime?"
"Rival? Princess?" Double D questioned, "What are you talking about?"
Weiss looked at him with slight shock, "You still don't remember your past, do you Duo?"
Ami made a gasp; the name 'Duo' triggered something in her mind, "No…"
"Yes princess," Weiss stated, noticing her reaction to the word, "He was in front of you the whole time you were here; didn't you even notice?"
Weiss then held out his hand in a fist and opened his hand, spreading out his fingers, "But enough of revealing things now…" a mass of ice appeared in his hand. It morphed into the shape of a long sword and soon produced one; it was a long, broadsword made completely out of ice, "It's time to say goodbye to weak, little Duo!"
And before anyone could do anything, Weiss threw the sword as if it were a throwing knife, light as a feather. It was heading towards Double D. Double D tried to get out of the way, but couldn't move because of fright.
"Double D!!!"
Everything after the throw seemed to happen in slow motion. Double D closed his eyes, waiting for the tip of the sword to pierce his skin… but the pain never came to him; all he heard was a pain-filled gasp. Double D slowly opened his jade orbs to see someone standing not to far away in front of him, arms spread out wide to defend him.
It was Ami, with the ice sword impaled in her right shoulder.
"Please, Weiss… don't… do… this… t-to him."
The sword then disappeared from her chest as she collapsed straight down to the ground.
She had taken the hit for him.
"Ami!" Double D exclaimed as the fear inside him gave way while he staggered over to where she had taken the hit. He bent down on his knees to look at her. The sword wound was very severe.
He then looked at her face; her eyes were closed. There were newly formed tears now dried up on her cheeks, which were now going pale, losing their usual hue of bright pink. Her breaths were getting shorter and shorter in length.
"Ami…" Double D stuttered as she then stopped breathing altogether, "… D-Don't go…"
Weiss looked on with shock; Ami had taken the hit for Duo, "No… why did she do that?!" he exclaimed to himself. Suddenly, a thought came to him.
He rushed over quietly to Ami's side and pushed Double D out of the way, pushing him to the ground, "Out of the way, Duo! She's not going to die for you!"
Double D looked on with shock and horror as Weiss picked Ami and produced a white portal, going into it with Ami in his arms, "N-No! Stop!!!"
But it was too late; Weiss and Ami were both gone before Double D could do anything. Suddenly, that burning sensation comes back to his scar on his forehead. Double D closed his eyes in pain as memories were coming back to him; about him, his friends, Weiss, and Princess Mercury… Ami.
Double D opens his eyes, tears now coming from his jade orbs, "I remember… Ami…" he then starts to break down slowly; those past feelings were swelling up from inside of him… That is, until he head a shout for Eddy's name.
(Two Minutes Ago… Ed and Hotaru…)
"Whoa…" Ed groaned as he started to get up from where he lied.
He then noticed Hotaru, who was right beside him, starting to get up as well, "You okay?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm alright," Hotaru said as she got to her feet.
"Do you know what just happened?" Ed questioned Hotaru.
Hotaru shook her head, "No, but it felt like a force separated us…"
"For good reasons," stated a feminine voice from out of nowhere.
Suddenly, a green portal forms in front of them as a feminine figure with green hair and green eyes comes out of it. She wore some type of uniform that was gray, wore black boots and a green cape across her shoulders. Ed and Hotaru immediately put up their guard.
"I guess it's time to do my job that I hate," the girl said with a sigh at the beginning. Ed and Hotaru arched an eyebrow at the comment; she hates stealing people's souls?
"Then why are you doing it in the first place?" Ed asked as if nothing serious was happening around them. Hotaru arched and eyebrow at his behavior.
"B-Because it's my job, that's why!" she stated, "If I don't do it, Lady Ultima will--"
Suddenly, she screams in pain as you could see a dark energy surrounding her, "You dare question my superiority, Midori?" said a very malevolent female voice from out on nowhere, "I guess it's time you understand how to obey orders!"
Midori screams in more pain as something comes out of her chest; it was her soul. Her body and her soul then disappear back to wherever Lady Ultima was hiding. Ed and Hotaru both batted an eyebrow, "O… kay. What was that about?" Ed asked aloud.
Hotaru thought about it for a moment before saying, "… She'll be a different person the next time we'll meet."
Ed looked at Hotaru with confusion, "You think so?"
"I know so."
Suddenly they hear a cry for Eddy's name…
(One Minute Ago… Eddy and Rei…)
"Oh, my aching head…" Eddy groaned as he started to get up from where he lied, bushing off some loose grass off of his clothes.
He then noticed Rei, who was right beside him, starting to get up as well, "Are you okay, Rei?" Eddy asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Rei said as she got to her feet.
"What just happened there?" Eddy questioned to Rei, figuring that she would know.
"I'm not sure," Rei started to say, "It was probably the thing I sensed when we--"
Suddenly, a big, red hand comes out of nowhere and grabs Eddy from behind, picking him up high off of the ground. Eddy yelps in shock and Rei gasps in surprise that she didn't sense it sooner.
"Eddy; No!" Rei cried out to him as another black hand came from behind Rei and grabbed her, picking her up high off of the ground as well, "N-No, let us go!!!"
"Well, well, well, what do we have here? A little Sailor Wretch, I see?" said an unfamiliar voice from out of nowhere as they look back to the ground.
A red portal forms where they were looking down at as a familiar figure from today's fire reading comes out of it; everything about the figure was the same.
"Greeting Ms. Rei," said the red haired boy as the red hand that held Rei floated down towards him, but didn't let Rei free, "The name's Russo of the Soul Busters; pleasure to see you again."
"What!?" Eddy snapped at the boy named Russo, "You're the Russo kid in--!"
"Your flashbacks, little shrimp?" replied Russo to Eddy, "You should grateful that your memories retuned to you; make you suffer even more when I kill you later."
Rei gasped when Russo said 'flashbacks'. A flashback soon came to her; the same flashback that Eddy had last night, "Prince Russo?!" she then said with a growl, "Let us go; now!"
"Ha, as if!" Russo stated, "You know; you're truly pathetic, Princess of Mars," he then made a malevolent smirk, "Let's see if you can live with yourself when I do this!" he them made a snap of his right finger.
The red hand that was holding Eddy slowly and painfully started to crush him. He gasps in pain.
"Eddy!" Rei yelled from where she was, helpless in doing anything to stop what she was seeing.
Eddy then started to lose consciousness as he looked at Rei with a weak smile, "R-Rei… I-I'm sorry it ended this way… but I-I wanted to say that I… I-I like you… a lot," he then let's out a sigh as his head soon tilts towards the side at an awkward angle.
The red hand that crushed Eddy then disappears into thin air. Eddy fell to the ground like a stone. A steam of tears escaped from his now closed, foggy orbs.
"Eddy!!!" Rei screamed at the top of her lungs in horror as he hit the ground with a big, loud thud. He landed face down… and didn't get back up, "No…" Rei then turned towards the preteen who killed him, tears streaming down her face, "I'm gonna kill you, you son of a--!!!"
"Now, now, there's no need for such language, Princess. Everyone needs to die someday," Russo said to her with a wave of his right index finger. He and Rei then disappear into a red portal that Russo created, leaving behind the motionless Eddy… Russo was laughing the whole time…
(Currently… Everyone Else…)
(AN: The "Everyone Else" is Usagi, Mamoru, Minako, Kevin, Nazz and Johnny. The others; Setsuna, Makoto, Rolf, Luna, Artemis, Plank, Jimmy and Sarah, are all back at the Cul-De-Sac, doing other things… because I can't put everyone here in the final fight! DX)
Everyone else (AN: Usagi, Mamoru, Minako, Kevin, Nazz and Johnny) decided to go to Destiny Lake. They were all unaware of the perils of the Ed's, Ami, Rei and Hotaru. Suddenly, everyone hears a yell from up ahead. Usagi, Mamoru and Minako widened their eyes.
"That sounded like Rei!" Minako said as she looked at Usagi and Mamoru, who had the same expression on their faces; worriment.
Everyone soon ran up ahead only to find Double D, Ed and Hotaru around Eddy, who was lying on the ground. Double D and Ed were crying their eyes out while Hotaru had a sad expression on her face.
"Oh my god!" Usagi exclaimed aloud as everyone came over to the four shaking preteens, "What happened here? Why is--"
"We were ambushed by three people," Hotaru explained sadly, "… Two of them took Ami and Rei."
Double D slightly winced at Ami's mentioning, 'Ami…'
"… Eddy was the one with Rei," Hotaru continued, "Though we don't know what happened, it… looks like he was… crushed like a soda can."
Everyone gasped in shock, except Kevin, who turned pale in the face; he would've never thought he'd see Dorky like this. It's true that he never liked him, but he never wanted him dead; heck, that would be inhuman to anyone.
There was a moment of silence before someone said, "… Wait a minute."
Everyone turned to Usagi to see what she had to say, "I think I can help him."
The two other Ed's, Kevin, Nazz and Johnny widened their eyes, "You can? How?" Johnny asked.
"With my Ginzuishou," Usagi said as she took out a golden, heart-shaped brooch with white, angelic wings on the sides. She opens the brooch to reveal a white, round-shaped crystal that glittered in the sunlight.
"Usagi," Mamoru started to say, "Don't you know what happens when you try to--"
"I know Mamoru," Usagi interrupted, "But I won't give him much; just enough for him to live."
Usagi then stepped up to Eddy's body and held out the crystal in the brooch; the Ginzuishou. A silver crescent moon appeared on her forehead, "Silver Eternal Moon … Power!!!" a bright light erupted from the crystal, "I beg upon the Ginzuishou to revive him at once!" even more bright light spews out from the crystal.
"Moon Healing… Activation!!!" a bright light started to pulse from the round-shaped crystal and Usagi's forehead as Eddy's body started to shine brightly, pulsing along with the crystal and the mark on Usagi's forehead. You could clearly see Eddy's body recovering from his injuries with each beating pulse of light.
Then, about ten seconds later, the light disappeared off of the crystal, Usagi's forehead, and Eddy as he then slowly started to breathe in air into his lungs.
Usagi fell to her knees at to what she had done, "Usagi!" Mamoru, Minako and Hotaru called as Mamoru was by her side, "You overdid it, didn't you?" Mamoru asked.
"J-Just a little," Usagi replied weakly, "He'll be okay now."
The others were slightly confused, "What did you do?" Nazz asked.
"She used a dose of her life energy to revive Eddy," Minako explained, "It can be dangerous for her if she overdid the transfer."
Suddenly, everyone heard a sound of a light groan as everyone turned to where Eddy was lying. He started to open his foggy, blue orbs once more. The two Ed's and the other Cul-De-Sac kids were in shock; Eddy was alive.
"Man… I'm gonna feel that one in the morning…" Eddy stated aloud weakly as he slowly started to get up and stand on his own two feet.
He then noticed all the people present around him… except for one. His eyes seemed to grow smaller. Eddy remembered the last thing he heard before going into the cold darkness; Russo's mocking laughter and Rei's cries for him.
"Rei…" he muttered as he looked around to find her, but with no success, "No… not again."
He suddenly had an image flashed in his mind; it was Rei, smiling and laughing at him, but in a good way; Eddy could feel himself smiling at the image. A feeling of warmth suddenly overwhelmed him, his heart and his mind, as he started to pulse a bright red. Everyone looked on with shock as a sign suddenly flashed upon his forehead; the sign of the planet of fire, Mars. He was now wearing something similar to what he wore in his flashback. And he had a sword on his belt.
"Whoa…" Eddy awed at himself and his change of wardrobe. He then made a serious face and turned to face everyone, "I'm going to find Russo and the Soul Busters; Rei's gotta be there."
"B-But Eddy--!"
"'But' nothing!" Eddy snapped at Double D, "I'm going to find her!" with that said, he ran off into the woods, leaving everyone behind.
"… Who else needs their powers revived?" Usagi stated as she got out her Ginzuishou once again. The crystal pulsed a bright light onto a few of the preteens as they started to glow a color. Double D; dark blue. Kevin; yellowish-gold. Nazz; aquamarine. And Johnny; bright yellow (AN: Ed already had his revived in Chapter 9, so I didn't put him here).
Soon everyone started to change their outfits. Double D, Ed, Johnny and Kevin were wearing the same thing that Eddy wore, except in the different colors that they glowed in. And Nazz was now in Sailor Neptune's getup; holding the Submarine Mirror and everything (AN: Ta-da! Nazz is the new Sailor Neptune!). The others soon transformed into their other identities; Sailor Moon, Venus, Saturn and Tuxedo Kamen (AN: Or Mask, as everyone calls him. But I call him Kamen).
"We have to follow Eddy," Saturn said, "He may lead us to whoever took Ami and Rei."
"Right!" everyone said simultaneously as they ran off after Eddy, leaving Destiny Lake behind…
Whoa... that was intense.
Let's sum up some this info; Double D had spiked, blond hair, Weiss still loves Ami and Russo is now a a psycho jerk (Like he wasn't already a jerk)... yep, I think I did this chapter well! Except at the end, where it seems to fall apart suddenly (To me, anyway).