Hey! Get ready for a few chapters getting updated at once (yes, I completely forgot to update this fic on this website, sorry). I highly suggest you check out this fic on AO3 too since it comes with fanarts I do for each chapter. You can also find the drawings I do for this fic on my socials such as Instagram (rickyriddle20), tumblr (rickyriddle), twitter (autistic_rick) or Deviantart (rickyotaku).
The first thing Mimi noticed when she woke up was that she couldn't move. The second thing was that she wasn't on the ground- she was slightly elevated in the air.
"What the…?"
Mimi then realized with terror that she was held captive and suspended mid-air by vines wrapped around her body like hungry snakes.
"Ahh… Ahhhh!"
Mimi started to frantically struggle to break free, in vain. On the contrary, it felt like she became more entangled.
"Hahaha…"
A laugh suddenly came from the shadow.
"The more you struggle, the more the vines will wrap around you- and slowly start to strangle you! Hahahaha!"
This warning did nothing to appease Mimi's terror but she nonetheless tried to stop struggling, too panicked and paralyzed by fear to move. She could already feel the vines getting tighter around her body, making it harder to breathe.
"Being trapped is a good look on you, Mimete. I can't get enough of seeing you like that."
A figure came out of the shadow, dressed in green and black. Mimi immediately recognized her.
"Teruno-san…?"
"Hm, again with that name… What are you playing at, Mimete?"
"Mi-Mimete…? I don't understand… why do you keep calling me that? My name is Hanyuu Mimi…! And how are you doing this…? P-Please, let me go…!"
"Is she still playing dumb?" a second voice asked.
Another girl came out of the shadow, one wearing blue and black.
"That's Mimete for you. Always trying to weasel her way out of trouble," Tellu sneered. "Not that it's unpleasant to see her struggle like that. Just like a bug who got caught by a carnivorous plant."
"Pathetic until the end, huh."
"How about we put her out of her misery?"
As she said that, the vines got tighter.
"Urgh… arghhh…!"
"That's a very tempting idea, but alas… Eudial said we still need her," Viluy stated.
"Indeed. We need Mimete."
A third figure came out of the shadow, this one wearing red and black- Mimete remembered her in her hospital room. She was the one controlling fire.
"Hello again, Mimete," the red woman said.
"I… you got the wrong person… P-Please, just don't hurt me-"
"If you are not Mimete, then who are you?"
"Are we really humouring her?" Tellu asked.
"I'm Hanyuu Mimi…!"
"Hanyuu Mimi… then do you know who I am?" the woman in red asked.
"I… I'm sorry, I don't know… some sort of… fire bender?"
"You claim to be Hanyuu Mimi and yet you fail to recognize me- or at the very least, my host…"
"That's because she's just messing with us!" Tellu accused.
"Is she even smart enough to pull that kind of stunt?" Viluy doubted.
The woman in red motioned them to be silent.
"I'm sorry… I don't remember anything. They told me my name was Hanyuu Mimi, but it's not like… I actually remember that…"
"Hm, is that so?" she then turned to Tellu. "Lower her."
Tellu moved her hand and like on her command, the vines started to lower Mimi until she reached the floor, while still keeping her captive.
"I am Eudial, your senpai."
"My… senpai?"
Eudial nodded.
"Were we… close?" Mimi then asked.
"We could say that… until you betrayed me!"
A restrained fury shined in Eudial's red eyes, full of resentment and bitterness that was burning in the bottom of her soul. It was so intense that Mimi felt her gaze only could burn her alive.
"I… I'm sorry!" Mimi apologized tearfully. "I wish I could remember what I've done to you… but regardless, I'm truly sorry if I ever hurt you! Please s-senpai… how can I earn your forgiveness?"
Both Viluy and Tellu scoffed at this pitiful sobbing display. Eudial simply stared at Mimi with a stoic expression before speaking.
"I believe you," Eudial finally said. "Mimete- or even the Hanyuu Mimi I knew- would have never apologized so truthfully to me."
Eudial then sighed and shrugged.
"Still, how ironic is that? You, who don't even remember me, what you did, or even who you are, apologized to me more genuinely than Mimete could ever do. I cannot doubt you when you say you have no memory."
Mimi sighed, but the relief was brief. The vine around her neck suddenly became tighter, threatening to strangle her.
"Ack!"
"Memory or not, Mimi or Mimete, she still only means trouble for us!" Tellu declared. "Better get rid of her when we can!"
"We will do no such a thing, Tellu," Eudial said. "I already said we need her. Release her."
""But-"
"I said release her!" Eudial retorted, her fist catching fire. "Don't forget who brought you back, Tellu."
Tellu looked like she wanted to argue for a moment but held her tongue. She waved her hand and suddenly, the vines let go of Mimi, who collapsed to the floor. She was left shivering and softly sobbing.
"Have it your way," Tellu muttered before walking away. Viluy scoffed.
"Tellu is so simple-minded. She can't see the big picture. Her petty feelings regarding Mimete are nothing in the grand scheme of things. But I'm sure you more than anyone else know that. Right, Eudial?"
Eudial grinned.
"Vengeance can always wait. It just makes it way more cathartic if you have patience and wait for the right time."
"Glad we can agree on that. I shall go back to my work. I'll let you handle 'Mimi'- you've always been better with emotional manipulation."
Eudial nodded as Viluy also left the area.
"Oh, you have no idea, Viluy…"
She then turned to Mimi, who was still shivering and sobbing on the floor. A pleasant sight, but not as enjoyable as if it was the actual Mimete.
"Mimi," Eudial softly called.
Mimi raised her head, her eyes full of tears. Eudial did her best to give her her warmest smile.
"There's no need to cry anymore. Everything is going to be alright."
"S-senpai…?"
Eudial offered her a hand, helping Mimi to get up.
"My poor kouhai. You have been fed lies by those people. But I know who you truly were, and I can help you recover your memory- if you ever want to truly want to earn my forgiveness. It's hard to apologize for something you can't remember."
Mimi frantically nodded.
"Y-yes! I'd do anything! Please, help me gain back my memory!"
Eudial had to force herself not to grin with malevolence and satisfaction. Everything was going according to plan more smoothly than expected.
Makoto hit the wall.
"They played us like fiddles!" she exclaimed. "And now, we lost Teruno-san and Hanyuu-san!"
After the attack at the hospital, all the senshi had regrouped at the Tsukino's residence.
"It's all my fault," Usagi said. "If only I had purified her when I had the chance, Teruno-san wouldn't have turned back into Tellu…"
"It wasn't your fault, I'm the one who wanted to make some analysis to be sure first," Ami replied.
"Trying to look for a culprit among us won't bring us anywhere," Michiru said. "There's only one person you should blame, and it's Eudial."
"And Viluy for deceiving us," Rei.
"Speaking of her, how could she be back?" Haruka suddenly questioned. "We all saw her getting dissolved, right? There shouldn't be anything left of her body!"
"I guess Eudial found a way to bring her back somehow," Ami speculated. "Maybe by inverting the process of her nanomachines… or using her pure heart crystal she recovered. Regardless, it doesn't change the fact that she's back-"
"And so is Tellu," Setsuna added with a gloomy expression.
Makoto clenched her fist.
"Teruno-san… isn't gone. We can still save her!" Mako exclaimed.
"What about Hanyuu-san? Why did Eudial kidnap her?" Minako asked.
"Her daimon egg died and Sailor Moon turned her back to human already, so it's not like she can revert back to being Mimete… right?" Rei said.
"She shouldn't, I think," Ami replied.
"Eudial is a vindictive person, she probably still hasn't given up on her revenge against Mimete," Michiru said.
"But she isn't Mimete anymore- she isn't even the Hanyuu-san she used to know! She doesn't have any memory!" Minako exclaimed.
"Do you think she cares? When one is obsessed with revenge, nothing else matters. She will always find a reason to justify herself," Haruka replied.
"Hm, I wonder…" Usagi pondered.
"Usagi-chan?" Ami questioned.
"Ah, it's nothing! It's just that… Eudial already had the chance to kill Hanyuu-san, but decided not to. It almost felt like… she hesitated, I might be too optimistic, but I think that regaining her pure heart crystal brought back some of her humanity… so I'm not sure if her only motivation is getting revenge."
"You can never know what darkness dwell in someone's heart," Haruka said.
"Hm, I wonder…" Michiru suddenly said.
"What is it, Michiru-san?" Minako asked.
"Maybe it isn't revenge she's looking for, at least for now. Perhaps she needs Hanyuu-san for whatever goal she has."
"A goal?" Mako asked.
"Yes. She wouldn't have bothered to bring back both Viluy and Tellu if she didnMt have some sort of objective," Michiru added.
"You're right. Perhaps she does have a bigger goal, something that requires all Witches 5, hence why she kidnapped Hanyuu-san," Ami said.
"That does make sense… but whatever she intend to do, will it work if Hanyuu-san is no longer a daimon?" Minako asked.
"I don't know. But she will definitely try anyway, or worst… try to turn her back into one," Michiru suggested.
"That's terrible! We can't let her do that!" Usagi exclaimed.
"Even as Mimete, Hanyuu-san chose our side! Eudial can't convince her to join her!" Minako argued.
"That's only if she actually need Hanyuu-san to cooperate," Michiru said. "She could very well force her to do whatever she needs her for."
"More reason to find her and stop her!" Haruka declared.
"Yes, before she manages to bring back even more of her fallen comrades," Rei added.
"And let's save Hanyuu-san and Teruno-san too!" Usagi said. "I can probably purify them all!"
"If they had regained their pure heart crystal, yes," Ami concurred.
"Still, this attack Viluy used, I don't recall her being able to use that… did they become stronger now that they gain back their heart crystal?" Rei pondered.
"It's possible, since it provides them with a large source of energy and life force," Ami said. "That and now having access to a witch staff."
"Eudial was also able to cast fire attacks after getting one," Rei commented.
"I can't imagine how much stronger Tellu got now then," Setsuna added.
"There's no time to lose then," Haruka said. "Let's look for clues!"
The others nodded.
Eudial suddenly stopped walking. She wasn't oblivious to the presence creeping out in the shadows, stalking her. She was tempted to ignore her at first but she decided it was wiser not to.
"How long are you going to play hide and seek, Tellu?"
The flower witch came out from the shadow.
"Forgive me if I'm starting to have doubts regarding your intention, senpai," Tellu said. "I'm afraid you might have gotten soft."
Eudial scoffed at that.
"Me, soft? Don't make me laugh!"
Her fists instantly ignited.
"Just because I'm not letting my emotions get the best of me doesn't mean I got soft. I just know what my priorities are and can be patient."
"I just fail to understand what usefulness you find to the likes of Mimete," Tellu retorted. "Especially after what she did to you! She's not one to take any risk with! I understand the desire to mess with her, but she's not worth it! It's best to get rid of her while she's still harmless!"
"I told you I need her- or rather, I plan to use her. I don't intend to ally myself with Mimete. Only a fool would do so after getting backstabbed by her."
"Still-"
Eudial silenced her with a hand motion. She knew she could probably intimidate and threatened Tellu for a while. After all, flowers didn't tend to be fond of fire… but Eudial didn't believe that fear was a good incentive. If anything, it was a good motivation to betray. There were better ways to earn someone's trust and loyalty.
"Here, let me show you," Eudial said, gesturing Tellu to follow her.
The two witches headed for a room with an altar. On it were four fragments of what appeared to be once a crystal.
"What… what is that?" Tellu asked.
"What's left of our sacred stone, the Taioron Cystal."
"The Taioron Crystal!?"
Eudial nodded.
"After the defeat of Master Pharaoh 90, the crystal was shattered. For a while, the fragments were powerless and useless, but… I found a way to use them. As well as a way to bring back the Taioron Crystal to its former glory!"
"How…?"
Eudial suddenly pulled out a red stone that shone brightly- it looked like the fragments, although more round and polished, as well as filled with magic.
"This is my sorceress stone- my own personal amulet," Eudial began. "It used to be a simple fragment of the Taioron Crystal, until I reignited it with my own magic…"
"How!?"
"The Witches 5 are the key. Each one of us can re-awaken one fragment. And once it's done, we will be able to rebuild our sacred crystal. And then, we shall get our well-deserved revenge against those who wronged us- the Sailor Senshi!"
If Tellu wasn't already thrilled when she heard that there was a way to bring back the Taioron Crystal, she was absolutely galvanized when she heard that last sentence.
"Now I get it. You only need Mimete in order to restore our sacred stone. Your true goal is getting your revenge on those pesky senshi!"
"Our revenge," Eudial corrected. "They wronged us all- and together, we shall make them pay!"
Tellu grinned.
"I understand what you mean by having your priority straight and showing patience. Mimete is insignificant after all- our real enemies are those sailor senshi!"
"You got it," Eudial said. "We will deal with Mimete once we won't need her anymore. For me who was backstabbed by this brat, there's nothing more satisfying than gaining her trust just to use her and get rid of her once I no longer need her. There won't be any more fulfilling revenge than that!"
"I see I was wrong about you. You haven't gone soft- quite the contrary, in fact. This is some devious and nasty revenge you got planned there, while still prioritizing dealing with our true enemies. I must admit, I'm impressed."
"No, I'm the one who's impressed by you, Tellu."
"Hm?"
"I heard what you did during my… forced absence. You managed to trap Mimete in my device. You actually took advantage of the major flaw in my machine to get rid of this nuisance and didn't let her make you meet the same fate as me. And for that, you have my respect."
Tellu seemed surprised by the sudden compliment.
"I assume you didn't know what Mimete had planned to do with my car," Eudial suddenly added.
"Of course not! I wouldn't have let her! Who would want to end up with her as our leader?"
"Right…"
Eudial handed her one fragment of the Taioron Crystal.
"This shall be yours," Eudial began. "Your own sorceress stone. Reignite this fragment, and it shall become your amulet. It will be connected to your energy and life force, thus providing you with a new source of magic."
Eudial closed Tellu's hand onto the fragment and put hers on her shoulder.
"When I was still the Witches 5 leader, you were the only one I felt like I could trust," Eudial declared. "And with what happened with Mimete, I see I was right. I expect great things from you, Tellu. I'm sure with this fragment, your powers will bloom beautifully, just like your flowers."
"I will. You won't be disappointed."
Eudial nodded.
"I don't think I ever thanked you- for bringing me back. I'm truly grateful to you… and sorry. For doubting your intentions. I'm fully on board to make those loathing senshi pay! Mimete can wait."
"There's no need to thank me. All I need is your full support for what's coming next."
Tellu put a hand on her heart and bowed.
"I, Tellu, will give you my full support to restore our sacred Taioron Crystal and get revenge on the Sailor Senshi!"
Eudial grinned to herself.
"Oh, don't you think I'll spare you from my revenge, Tellu," she thought. "I haven't forgotten how you spoke behind my back- how you all did, you double-face lying hypocrites! If you think what I planned for Mimete is nasty, just you wait to see what I've in store for you…"
Chapter heavily centered on the witches. Seems like Eudial's vengeance expand to more than just the Sailor Senshi and Mimete. No one shall be spared by her fiery wrath.