Chapter 15: The Judgment Hours-- Hour III--Midori vs. Ed and Hotaru (Finally!)
(Flashback from Last Chapter)
"Okay, I think we should split up and try to find the throne room that way," Kamen said to everyone, "That's where we find the person behind this whole thing."
Double D nodded his head in agreement, "Kamen's right," he then looked at the four ways to go, "I'll go down the third one."
"I will too," Eddy said as he stepped up to him, "If Ami and Rei are in the same place, then I'll go with you. Plus I can't let ya go all alone, now can I?"
"We'll come along with you two as well," Saturn said as she and Ed came up to them.
"I guess Kamen and I will go down the second one," Moon said, "I have a feeling that's where the throne room is."
"Kevin and I will go down the fourth one there," Nazz said as she turned towards Kevin, "Right Kev?"
"Huh?!" Kevin stated with slight surprise; but quickly recovered by saying, "Uh, yeah sure!"
"I guess that leaves me and Venus, huh?" Johnny stated, "To… uh, which one again?"
"To the last one on the right," Venus said.
"Right, that one!"
Everyone nodded their heads, "Let's hurry!"
With that said, everyone darted to their locations; Kevin and Nazz going to the General's Quarters, Moon and Kamen in the second passageway, Double D, Eddy, Ed and Saturn going down the third corridor, and Johnny and Venus going down the fourth passageway…
(End Flashback from Last Chapter)
It was a quiet walk between the three Ed's and Saturn as they walked down the darkened passageway they were assigned to walk down. Double D had a worried complexion in his eyes; you could clearly tell that he was worried about Ami. Eddy had an angry expression in his face; he was going to kill Russo for all that he's done to him and Rei. Ed and Saturn both had determination in their eyes.
They soon came upon a light at the end of the tunnel. And when they stepped out of the corridor, they gasped at their surroundings. They were now out in a big, gigantic field filled with wild flowers and a few tall trees scattered about. They also noticed that it was boxed in by three other walls and a very tall ceiling.
"Whoa," Ed stated with awe in his voice, "What a huge place!"
Saturn nodded her head, "I agree, but this is the perfect kind of place to be attacked; don't let your guard down."
Double D was the one to notice the exit on the other side of the field courtyard, "There's the exit up ahead. We better hurry."
They started to walk to the middle of the field and were almost to the exit. Double D and Eddy soon made it to the exit while Ed and Saturn walked a little slower than Double D and Eddy. But before Ed and Saturn could even get to the exit, the exit magically disappeared; along with Double D and Eddy on the other side.
"Huh?" questioned both Double D and Eddy as they turned around to see that the exit that they entered was no longer behind them, "Uh, Double D; where's Ed and Saturn?"
"Oh dear; they must be trapped in there now!" Double D stated with worry, "We have to--"
"No."
"Huh?" Double D turned to Eddy with a slightly shocked face, "But Eddy; they're--"
"We have to get to Rei and Ami," Eddy interrupted him, "You know they need us."
Double D made a saddened face, "Very well."
The two remaining Ed's then dashed ahead to their pending fates.
Meanwhile, back with Ed and Saturn, they were both pounding on the wall where the exit once was, seeing if they could try to find it.
"Great, now we're stuck here," Saturn said with a sigh as the two of them met back in the middle of the fielded courtyard, "Let's just hope that nothing comes to us, right Ed?"
There was an awkward pause, "… Ed?" she questioned as she turned to her tall protector. She was now surprised to see him lying face down on the ground, "Ed!"
Saturn soon came over to Ed as she placed her hand on Ed's shoulder and gave him a little shake. "Ed…? Ed! Are you alright? Please wake up!"
She saw movement and she sighed, "Ed! Are you feeling alright? Can you stand up?"
The tall Ed slowly stood up, staggering slightly. His head was hung; he looked tired.
"Ed?" Saturn started reaching her hand out but recoiled when Ed suddenly gripped the handle of his sword. "… Ed? What is it? You think you hear something? A youma?" Saturn took out her Silent Glaive and looked around but she didn't see anything. Ed withdrew his sword and held it in a striking position.
"I don't see anything Ed," Saturn said lowering her glaive down to her side. Behind her a steel blade grew closer to her.
"…?! AHHH!!!"
Saturn fell to the ground on her side. She jumped at the last second avoiding the attack. She turned around on the ground and looked up with shocked filled eyes. Ed was lurking over her with his sword pointing toward her head.
"Ed… why did you…" That's then she noticed his eyes. They were empty; hollow and soulless. They weren't Ed's eyes; his soul was taken behind her back. But this was worse; his soul was being controlled.
"No… it can't be," Saturn said weakly.
"Oh, but it is!" said a somewhat familiar voice from out of nowhere as a green portal appeared behind and a few feet above Ed's head. It was the girl from before, Midori; her eyes were just as soulless as Ed's, "Thought you would you would never see me again, did you not?"
Saturn glared at the green haired girl, "What did you do to him?!" she asked angrily as she got up from where she fell, Ed's sword was now back in an attack position, away from her head.
"Why, I took his soul, little Saturn," Midori said, a wicked chuckle escaped from her mouth. She had a bright, purple-tinted light in her right hand; it was Ed's soul, "But this is enough chit-chatting," she continue to say as a malevolent smirk came across her face, "Finish her off."
Without another word, Ed lifted his sword, ready to give Saturn a fatal blow, but the young female wouldn't move. The blade then comes hurling down.
A spilt second passed. A hand came shooting out. Saturn grabbed Ed's wrist; stopping his sword less then an inch from her head. Saturn held back Ed's raw power.
"… Ed… can you hear me in there?" she said; her voice was growing weaker and weaker by the second. She was using all of her strength to hold Ed off, "… You don't want to do this… you would never do this."
Ed's face remained void of that goofy lovable boy Saturn was calling out too. His sword inched closer to her chest but she continued to struggle; she was now losing her strength from trying to hold off the sword, "The Ed I know would never do this! You'd never do this to Double D or Eddy! You would never do this… to me…" tears appeared as they streamed down her face, her hand began to quiver.
Saturn's grip was slipping. The radiant blade started to break free. But still she held onto Ed's hand; her strength quickly escaping from her. Her tears dripped onto the grassy ground.
"… I… I-I love you, Ed…"
Those words escaped her lips just as her hand let go for Ed's wrist. Her body finally gave out as Ed's blade came into her left shoulder, missing its original target; her chest. He then extracted the sword from her shoulder.
Meanwhile, back with Midori, the soul she held in her hand started to disappear, "What?" she questioned as she then sees the soul go back into its owner's body.
"…"
Ed's eyes blinked rapidly. His body felt numb and empty for just a moment before he regained his full senses. Ed's hands were still on his sword's handle.
"… Get away from us!!!"
Ed screamed as he turned around and flung his sword up in the air, up into Midori. Its blade buried itself into Midori's chest. She yells out in pain as she disappeared into a green portal, running away; Ed's sword impaled itself into the ground. Ed fell to his knees, looking down at the girl he almost killed.
It all happened so fast; like a late miracle. Ed's body was his own again just as he extracted the sword out of her shoulder.
"… Hotaru?" his hands were shaky as he placed them on the young girl's back. He gently picked her up and rested her head on in his hand. Her face stained with tears; the wound in her shoulder looked bad and looked to be getting worse. The most frightening thought crossed Ed's mind.
"… Hotaru…? Wake up… wake up," his body started to shake, "Wake up!"
She wouldn't answer.
"… No… don't do this…" Ed held her in a tight embrace, "… I'm sorry… I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it!!!"
"… I… know you didn't…"
Ed's eyes perked up. He looked to see Saturn's eyes gazing up at his; her shoulder looked like it was healing up by itself, "… I know you didn't mean it…" she was smiling.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Ed repeated with tears going down his face. He held her close. "I didn't mean to hurt you! It's all my fault!"
"Don't say that…" Saturn said. "… I… knew your soul would hear me…" she then slightly blushed, "And I meant that last part too…"
Ed's face went a little red but he was smiling. "… You really like me like that?"
Saturn nodded her head, "What about you?" Saturn asked.
"… I like you too…" he answered with a smile as Saturn chuckled.
This tender moment was suddenly broken by an erupting quake that shook the entire area, "Pesky brats."
And before they could do anything, they were separated by a force. They then saw that they were both being surrounded closely by black glass around them. They both then blacked out as they were enclosed in their own black crystal and soon disappeared from the fielded courtyard…
Okay, I'm back from a hitaus! To the people who want to know what happens to Johnny, Venus, Nazz and Kevin, you'll have to wait until the story is over. That's when I'll probably write two special "lost" chapters of what happens to them and their encounters with the other generals.
The only reason why I'll do them when the story is over is because it took me forever to try and plot out a battle for those two groups. So, I just decided to skip them and go onto what I had planned for the Ed's and Saturn (and later, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen). But if you guys want me to, I'll still try to type the battle chapters for the other two groups.