Chapter 17: Astraphobia

"No... not again..."

Tenshi felt the tears stream down his face as he watched again and again the most painful memories that he had tucked away in the darkest corner of his heart, now being replayed before his eyes by Shiro's Mind Crush ability. The knight stood in the midst of the swarming images, each one tearing into the scars that had taken him years to heal, each one weakening the knight as he slowly sank into his sorrow.

"You are so much fun, Angel, did I ever tell you that?" Shiro asked as he materialized inside the prison of memories, smiling wide as he watched Tenshi slowly drop to his knees, his eyes blank from shock. "Oh, come now," Shiro mocked as he floated over to the knight reached down to him, tilting his chin up in order for him to see the new memory playing before them, "you can't be done yet. This is my favorite one."

"Angel..." came a female voice from the memory, causing Tenshi's eyes to snap back to life as he stared at the memory, his face twisting as he fought not to scream. "it's fine... just fine..." the voice said, weak and strained as the memory's image faded into the scene of a girl laying in a hospital bed with light brown hair and sparkling brown eyes brimming with tears.

"No..." Tenshi stuttered as more tears poured from his eyes. Slowly he began to crawl towards the image, his entire body shaking with the effort. "Anya..."

"Wide open!" Sailor Uranus shouted as she leapt at Shiro, swinging her saber at the boy's neck. The Scout gritted her teeth as the blade froze an inch from Shiro, who slowly turned his eyes to her, a very unimpressed expression on his face.

"That was rather rude of you. Are all warriors on this planet as impolite as you?"

"You think that was rude," Uranus smirked as she leapt back and gathered energy in her hand, "then wait till you meet our Guardian. That guy is as rude as they come! World Shaking!"

Shiro brushed the attack away effortlessly with the back of his hand, narrowing his eyes as Uranus charged in behind the attack, sword tip aimed at his heart.

"I have no time for this," he sighed as he snapped his fingers before turning to face the crosses.

"You're mine!" Sailor Uranus shouted as the tip of her blade screamed towards Shiro's back. In a flurry of sparks her sword was sent flying out of her hands by a silver rapier blade. "What the-" she muttered before leaping out of the range of a thrust from Tenshi as he lumbered around like a drunk, sword in hand, eyes empty of any conscious life.

"You traitor!" Uranus shouted as she launched an attack at the knight, who gracefully sidestepped the attack. "Damn you..." Uranus growled as she took a nervous step back. "I knew I couldn't trust you."

Koaru stood behind the Eradicator as it slowly slid apart, nothing more than a pile of gravel in the middle of the street.

"That's four," Koaru muttered as he shouldered Kameharu and looked back at the gravel pile, watching it slowly return to its gargantuan form. "Tsk, I guess I'll have to shatter your ass to make you stay down," Koaru said, grinning as he turned to face the giant once more, sticking his sword into the ground and clenching both fists, summoning all of his power. The Scar's marking fully covered his body, changing his skin pitch black as the black flames of the Unholy Fire roared to life across his white jacket, scorching the pavement at his feet.

"This time you will stay down!" Koaru shouted as he turned his torso to the side, the energy around him spiking as the ground beneath him shattered and crumbled as the flames formed a giant fireball over his head.

"Unholy Fire: Tera Herukaki Bakuha!"

The attack crashed into the Gaia Eradicator, the immense heat from the flames causing the creature to turn to glass instantly. Koaru seized the opportunity, pulling Kameharu free and leaping overhead of the beast, the Shadow Scar's markings receding as he channeled power into his weapon.

"Aurora Wave of Judgement!" he roared as he swung the sword, releasing dozens of rainbow colored beams of energy. As each beam struck into the giant they exploded on impact, shattering the beast into a large pile of glass shards.

Koaru stared at the glass, smiling as he sensed Shiro's powers fading from the area.

"Figured... he can't control glass like he does... rock and dirt..." he panted, now using Kameharu for support to stay on his feet, his energy exhausted from the simultaneous attacks. "I wonder how... that blonde moron is doing..." he thought aloud as he looked up to the tower. As though to answer his question a large ice scape flashed into existence, covering the section of the roof that Koaru could see, as well as extending a few hundred feet out from the roof, nearly connecting it to a neighboring skyscraper. Yet for some reason the sight of the ice sent an uneasy chill down Koaru's spine.

"Guess my rest is over," he muttered as he shouldered the Zweihander and summoned his remaining energy, "I think Tenshi is in need of some back up."

Sailor Uranus panted as she lay across the ice scape that Tenshi as launched at her.

"Damn it..." she growled as she slowly got to her feet, wiping some blood from her cheek where Tenshi had managed to cut her. "I knew that we never should have trusted you!" she screamed as she threw two attacks at Tenshi. The knight deflected the blasts with a flick of his sword, knocking them into a section of the ice scape, shattering it and raining massive chunks of ice down to the street below.

"Oh, please," Shiro said from where he stood, watching the battle, "Angel's mind is too Hell bent on revenge to ever turn against the 'good guys'."

"What the Hell does that mean?" Uranus shouted as she rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding Tenshi's newest attack.

"Simply, it means this." Shiro stated as he snapped his fingers.

Sailor Uranus stood waiting for something to happen. Nothing moved on the roof top for a few moments, causing her to shiver in anxiety.

"And that shows me what?" she asked.

"Deep Submerge!"

Sailor Uranus turned in time to watch Sailor Neptune's attack slam into her, creating a torrential whirlpool around her body, suspending her in place as her lover's powers ravaged her body.

"What the-" Uranus managed to sputter before Tuxedo Mask's cane struck her in the gut, knocking the wind from her body as she flew out from the whirlpool. Rolling back into a crouching position, Uranus held her stomach as she watched Sailor Neptune and Tuxedo Mask approach her, each readying a new attack. "You guys... why?" she asked as a shadow fell over her from behind. On instinct Uranus dove to the side as the sound of steel striking stone echoed through the air. Once again rolling to a low crouch she saw that Sailor Saturn had just attempted to cleave her in half with her glaive.

"Do you understand now?" Shiro asked as he approached, his arms spread wide, a wicked smile in place on his face. "This is my power: I turn allies on one another. Mind's are so easy to control... normally." he said as he turned to look at Sailor Pluto. The woman was on her knees, grasping onto her staff for support as she fought against Shiro's Mind Bend. "Some have a resistance to it, such as your 'traitor', Angel."

Uranus turned her eyes to the knight, seeing that he was slowly approaching her once again, the rapier shifting back into the bastard sword again.

"This is the first time I have found a way t properly control the man," Shiro continued, smiling wider, "by crushing all resistance in him, he has no way to fight against me anymore. And now," Shiro sighed, looking back to Sailor Uranus, "it is time for you to say Good Bye."

"Isn't that interesting?"

Shiro and Sailor Uranus turned in unison as a flapping white jacket flew into sight above the battle.

Koaru stared down on the group, a wide smile on his face as he held Kameharu out in his left hand.

"In that case, I think it's time to give ol' Tenshi a wake up call!"

Tenshi sat in the darkness of his memories, his hands gripping his hair as he he fought to stop the replaying image in front of him, screaming in pain and regret as he watched again and again the weakest moment of his life. The image finished and restarted again as Tenshi dropped down, laying face first in the vast space of his memories.

"Make it end... someone please... make it stop..."

A sudden weight fell into his hand. Turning his head Tenshi saw a gold handled dagger resting in his right hand. Slowly returning to a sitting position, he stared at the dagger, its gleaming silver blade in which the image of his memory was being reflected.

"Anya..." Tenshi whispered as he raised the dagger tip to his heart, "I'm coming... my love..."

"No, don't do... that..."

Tenshi froze as the memory seemed to speak to him. Lowering the dagger slightly he watched the emory continued past where it had always been stopping. The girl spoke again, a content smile on her face as a single tear slid down her cheek.

"Don't do... that... or you'll be... neglecting your... true strength."

"Brat..." Tenshi whispered as the dagger fell from his hands and vanished, leaving him alone to face the memory. "Anya..." he spoke again as more tears slid down his face. His eyes widened as the image of the memory slowly began to change, the brown haired girl slowly shifting to that of a smiling young girl with storm blue hair and sparkling blue eyes.

"Amy..." Tenshi whispered again as he felt some strength return to his body.

"Tenshi..." he heard his name called from somewhere far away. Rising to his feet, the knight looked around.

"Tenshi." he heard the voice closer, stronger... more aggressive. The air around him suddenly rumbled, sending shivers through his body, kicking his body into combat mode as his muscles tensed and his mind became sharp, the feeling of his sword back in his hand as the darkness around him slowly began to fade.

"TENSHI! WAKE UP YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Koaru shouted as electricity crackled across Kameharu as the Guardian fell towards the roof.

"Raging Thunder Strike!"

Tenshi saw the darkness around him shatter as a bolt of silver lightning screamed straight at him. With a vicious battle cry he charged towards the lightning, his blade screaming through the air before striking the bolt of electricity, creating a blinding flash of light.

"Heh, you finally awake, dumbass?"

"I should have known that you wouldn't die so easily, you bastard."

The light faded to reveal Koaru and Tenshi face to face, their blades crossed as the two pushed against one another, trying to overpower the other, glaring at each other, yet both grinning like a fool.

"Shall we try this again some other time?" Koaru asked as he turned his eyes towards Shiro.

"Yeah, I think we'd better," Tenshi replied as he pushed Koaru away and turned, charging towards Shiro.

"Sounds good!" Koaru shouted as he charged his Crystal Fire powers before chasing after the knight, his maniacal smile in place as he leapt above the knight and launched the energy towards Shiro as Tenshi released a blast of energy from the ground.

"What?" Shiro yelled as the two attacks slammed into him, throwing him backwards across the rooftop. Skidding to a stop, his clothes smoking from the bast, the teen glared at the two warriors as they stared at him, the one in white and blade shouldering his massive weapon with a look of satisfaction.

"You two..." Shiro growled as he got to his feet, his powers increasing with his rage, "you both love the same girl... how can you stand together like that?"

"Simple!" Koaru shouted as he wiped his nose. "We've come to the conclusion that as long as you're here, we can't kill each other in peace."

"Therefore," Tenshi continued, pointing his bastard sword at Shiro, "we'll work together to take you down, then return to killing each other."

"Fools," Shiro growled, "you can both die here and now!"