PART 5: Mystery of the Black Wings Revealed
The aged warrior was tired, but she knew that if she gave the enemy any sort of advantage she might as well send her queen to the afterlife herself. Her companion slumped forward a little but caught herself. The warrior stepped in front of her and raised her triton staff, which was already showing signs of wearing down. If she didn't destroy the enemy in the next pass, then she feared this was her last stand. But the warrior was not going to back down, not when the enemy threatened the very existence of the Moon Kingdom.
"Stand strong, Senshi Sirius. You've fought bravely thus far, the queen is proud of us both," Io replied. The fox spirit huffed and smiled reassuringly back at her partner, but her ears drooped and her tail hung lifelessly behind her.
"I...won't give up. Not as long as you are still standing." She flinched at hearing the harsh voice of the Demon Lord laughing hysterically above them.
"Fools! Neither of you stand a chance against me! It's a shame really, someone as powerful as yourself being destroyed. This is your last chance to swear allegiance to me and for-go execution."
"NEVER! Never will I surrender myself over to the likes of demons. I proudly serve my queen. And if by some chance you succeed in destroying me, she herself will deal with you," Sailor Io braced her feet and raised her staff, charging the powerful energy blast as it absorbed massive amounts of electrical energy around them. Her only chance was to gather as much energy as the staff could hold at once, something she had never done before. But she had to do it, even if it meant her body would be obliterated in the process. Beside her, Sirius charged up her own attack, ready to follow her partner in death if need be. The Demon Lord cackled and stood his ground, but rubbed his giant hands together before slowly pulling them apart. His energy impulse sent shockwaves through the vacuum of space, and threatened to shatter the protective air-barrier that was keeping the two warriors from suffocating.
"THE ALMIGHTY GODS HAVE PLACED JUDGEMENT ON THEE...THEY FIND THEE GUILTY!! EXORCISIM BEAM!!" The recoil from the explosive blast forced the warrior back several feet and broke the already disheveled staff in two, but not before sending the attack forward towards her assailant. Sailor Sirius followed closely with her own counterassault.
"HALLEY'S COMET REVOLUTION!!" The two equally powerful blasts merged into one, becoming an entirely new attack. The two warriors shouted together now...
"SUPREME SUPERNOVA OBLITERATION!!" The Demon Lord was actually caught off-guard by this new combined attack. It collided with his own and, to his shock, began to push it back.
"NOO!," he growled defiantly and tried to generate more power, but he became overwhelmed and fell backward. Io and Sirius shielded their eyes as the flashes of white blinded them. The explosion put a crack in their barrier, but it still held in the shockwave that followed. Sirius slumped down onto her knees, bleeding and exhausted. She had no more energy left. Io felt herself beginning to collapse, but cried in exasperation as she heard the familiar sound of laughing. Amongst the smoke, the Demon Lord's massive form rose, unscathed and looking just as healthy as he was before. Sirius collapsed onto her side and whimpered in pain.
"...Io..." the fox spirit huffed. Sailor Io looked down at the now useless pieces of her staff - her most powerful weapon was destroyed. She fought her own exhaustion as the Demon Lord continued to laugh at them. The warrior was left with only one other choice...It meant instantaneous death on her part, but at least she had enough power left to send her faithful partner out of harm's way and unlock her most feared abilities. Queen Serenity had forbade her from ever using such powers, but the Mystic had no options left to her. She had to sprout the Black Death Wings, becoming a demon herself, and permanently sealing the Demon Lord away with her own body.
The Mystical Senshi slowly kneeled down beside her half-dead partner and rested her index and middle fingers in the middle of the fox spirit's tiara. She smiled sadly at her long time friend and nodded.
"You've done your part, my friend. Go now, and rest your body. Maybe the Gods with send a reincarnation of myself to find you someday. In the meantime, I will take care of this demon. So long Sirius." The fox spirit's body glowed and shrank into a tiny speck, almost invisible. Io watched it zoom from the protective barrier and out of her sight before turning her attention back to the approaching Demon Lord. Her body began emanating lightening bolts and her eyes changed from violet to blood-red. Her long beautiful silver hair shimmered even as streaks of black bleed through it. The Demon Lord seemed to find this all very amusing.
"What's this? You still think you can defeat me?", he growled. Sailor Io smirked as giant jet-black wings burst from her back. They broke the barrier and fully spread, displaying jagged feathers.
"It's over for you Demon Lord! This time there will be no escape...for either of us. I'm taking you through the gates of the Underworld myself," Io growled back - even her voice had changed. She raised her arms as a hole cracked through the very fabric of space above her. Giant writhing tendrils shot out and wrapped themselves around her, while another set latched onto the Demon Lord. He fought to free himself, but not even his demonic power could release the death grip they had on him. He glared angrily at the Mystic as her body lost its physical form, transforming into colorful rays of light. They too, gripped her and the demon. Together, Senshi and Demon Lord were dragged through the gate. It sealed shut behind them and held fast, non-resistant against the Demon Lord's thrashing. Sailor Io died, but not before feeling a sense of relief that her queen, her kingdom and the rest of the galaxy was saved. She could rest in peace.
Yomi woke up in a cold sweat, her heart pounding in her chest and breathing labored. She looked around her to see if she had woken anyone. The young Senshi sighed and leaned back on her hands. It was a dream, but everything felt so real. She could have sworn she felt the sheer power of her previous self surge through her body. She knew things she couldn't possibly know. Had this all happened for a reason? Was she reminded of her powers as a Mystic to prepare her for the approaching danger? Possibly, but the girl pushed the thought to the back of her mind. She glanced around at her fellow warriors, still sound asleep. Her companion Sirius lifted her head and stared unblinking at her. The fox spirit nodded her head.
"Do you understand now, Senshi Io? Do you see just how powerful you were, that not even you nor I stood a chance against the Demon Lord. The Black Death Wings was your last ditch defense, forbidden for the reason that it's simply too dangerous. All Senshi warriors are capable of learning the technique, but only you have the capacity to control it, however briefly." Yomi used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
"These...Black Death Wings...had she, did I ever use them before that?," Yomi wondered. Sirius thought about it for a minute.
"Only once, but only to make sure that you could control it. Afterward, Queen Serenity forbade you from ever using it. I think you scared her. She was only concerned about your safety and the safety of her kingdom." The young trainee reached under her pillow and gripped her transformation wand. She glanced down at her watch - half past four. There was no way she could sleep now.
"Sirius. I'm going to go start training, okay?" The silver fox spirit grinned and rose to her feet.
"There's one other thing, Yomi. My current form is of no use to you. And some of my power still hasn't fully recovered so..."
"So...?"
"There is a way for me to regain my previous powers. I must posses a body. Unfortunately, yours is too powerful to control, I need someone like...your sister."
"Wha...You're saying you want to posses my sister? Are you insane?!," Yomi stammered.
"It's the only way. Your sister is strong, healthy and similar enough to you for it to work. You won't be losing her, she'll become Sailor Sirius and I'll be providing her with all the knowledge of my powers. She'll be a good addition. But it's only as a last resort. I suggest that you keep her near you in case of an emergency," Sirius explained.
"But, she could get hurt. And Tessha has a bad habit of telling secrets. She could blow our cover...," Yomi ran her fingers through her hair.
"I'll explain everything to her. Trust me, the way you used to trust me. I have never once let you down. As long as you work together with the others, she will be in good hands. Of course, I'll have to run things by our Princess first, but I'm sure she'll understand." Sirius made her way towards the window and looked up at the quarter moon.
"It'll be permanent, right? Once you and my sister..."
"Yes. But it may not be necessary in the end. These demons that are coming may not be a powerful as their father was. We can only hope that you and the others can stand them off. Are you ready now, Mystical Senshi Io, to take your place among your comrades and to protect your future queen with your life?" Yomi looked over her shoulder at the snoring figure that was Usagi, smiling lightly.
"Show me what to do..."
Ami was the first to wake up, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She noticed that Yomi's futon was empty and neatly rolled up. Where did she go? The Mercury Princess stood and walked to the open window, shivering slightly at the chilly morning breeze. Her eyes widened as she caught glimpse of a girl with long silver hair standing atop a roof. In her hand she wielded a long triton staff.
"What's Yomi-san doing up there?," Ami waved for her to get down worrying that someone would see her. Then, two other figures appeared to join her. Ami recognized them immediately as Uranus and Neptune. Did they want everyone to follow them?
"Everyone, wake up!," Ami called over her shoulder. She heard a few disapproving moans at her call-to-attention.
"What's the big idea, Ami-chan? It's Saturday and it's...eight in the morning," Minako grumbled.
"Yomi's outside with Michiru-san and Haruka-san. I think they want us to come with them. Get ready..."
Yomi squeezed her staff in her fist and looked up at Haruka and Michiru. From five in the morning until just a half hour earlier, she had been in the most intensive training period. They had tested her powers to their maximum, nearly wearing the poor girl out. Every muscle in body ached, and now as part of her training, she had to spar against the others and prove her worth to the Princess. Yomi just wanted to take a nap now, but knew that was out of the question.
"You'll do fine Snowflake. They're not as strong as we are so it shouldn't take too long," Haruka replied. Snowflake? Was that some crack about her hair? Yomi sighed and shifted her weight to her other foot. She watched as, one by one, her fellow Sehshi warriors clambered onto Usagi's roof - they were all transformed and ready to go.
"Let's go," Haruka demanded and lead the way. Yep, this was definitely going to be a hard day. It would become even harder when the two demons would arrive on Earth the following day.