The Darkness in His Heart, Part 1 - Harae
Nothing in that strangely fair day seemed out of place for the denizens of Tokyo... But only a few select knew the truth, beyond the odd days when the sky acquired what was described as a "strange reddish hue", which their minds attributed solely to the position of Planet Earth and a natural heat wave hitting the country.
But Shukichi Hino knew better. Having recently seen with his own weary eyes and felt in his tired bones the presence of demons from the Underworld, his body - already delicate by the passage of time - felt like it would crumble at any time. But the old man did not feel like neither dying anytime soon, nor standing idly around in such a time of silent crisis.
So much has happened before my sight, the old Shinto priest mused to himself as he stepped out of his house. All these old tales of yokai and of the Makai... They turned out to be so true, and just as terrifying as we all imagined it. It fills my core with such horror to know what our souls are bound to. Especially mine... Since blood of my blood is tied to it, and to the battle against it.
Clad only in his loincloth, Shukichi went to the backyard and drew a bucket from the well. After a short prayer, he slowly poured the water upon himself while chanting a special liturgy. This was the purification of the body that the Shinto precepts required. Now came the phase of soul cleansing, and for it, the old priest promptly dried himself with an old towel and put on his own robes.
Upon traversing through the torii gates of the Shrine, Shukichi entered the fire chamber and mounted a small wooden altar with incense and ofudas by its sides, which he blessed with a couple of short chants. He then lit the fireplace, picked up the gohei wand and kneeled ahead of it to start the evil-warding ritual. The longest and tensest ritual he would ever perform.
"All I can do to help you is to offer prayers that have been chanted for centuries. We never knew how effective these methods truly were when dissipating evil, for all I knew and cared, they worked... I hope this one works as well. And I'm sure I'm not the only person praying for your well-being. May the fresh spirits accompany you on this journey, Rei... All the best for all of you heroes."
(xx)
Deep inside the fiery and bloody entrails of the Underworld, the Fallen Angel received an unexpected but welcome gift that fell from the upper portals of the Malebolge. Falling squarely but softly upon an elevated platform made of rotting organic tissue, the petrified remains of the last Angel accommodated in the very same position in which he was turned by Fréamund in the surface. And Lucifer could not be more pleased as he recognized the figure that just appeared in his personal quarters, opening the most wicked smile he could form.
"Well, well, well... What do we have here?" Lucifer gloated as he checked and circled around the petrified body of Astar. "If it isn't the lowest of all whoresons, the goody-two-shoes himself, Grammaton! What a pleasant surprise to see you here... Especially in the state you are, without being able to do a damn thing against me or my domains! I oughtta reward Fréamund greatly once he steps by."
There was nothing that the Angel could do to defend himself, even to counter-argue the Lord of Light's insults. He could hear and see it all, even in the state he was in.
"What could I do to punish you for the slight of slights that you and your ilk made me go through?" the villain kept braying. "Maybe I should quarter you and spread your parts across all circles of Hell? Maybe I should sink you into the Lake of Hali for all eternity? Remember that whatever falls into it never comes back."
Lord Helios... Can you hear me? I am deep in Hell, and my body is no longer mobile... But I am still the master and controller of my mind and my soul. Please, heed to my call and send this message to the Sailor Guardians...
"For now I can't think of your punishment, I'm afraid... But this I can tell you. You and your brothel of sanctified putains have no chance of defeating my Legionnaires! My children will eat their flesh and penetrate their holes, over and over again..." Suddenly, something snapped in Lucifer's mind. "Ah yes! There is your punishment! I will drag your sweet little daughter Usagi down here, and I will fuck her in every conceivable way, before your very eyes! The knowledge of your impotence will only make my loins grow longer, stronger and spinier! Ooh, to think of all the atrocities I shall do unto her while you just stand and watch, unable to save her... It already turns me on like nothing else ever could! AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Hearing those horrible threats made Astar's heart sink further. Please... Hear me, O Lord Helios... Before it is too late for all of us...
"Lord Lucifer?" called from above the voice of Beryl, Legionnaire of Vanity. "The Demigoddesses have entered the Hades."
"Huh, really now," Lucifer answered with some disappointment to see his particular session of gloating interrupted like that. "Have some initiative for once in your miserable lives and rid yourselves of them. And make sure they suffer in body and soul!"
"At once, milord."
"Did you hear that, Grammy-boy?" the Fallen Angel turned his attentions once more to Astar. "Your little incursion into Hell has begun. All the better, because this will give us more chance to invade the surface. They already lost and they don't even know it! And you... You will see first-hand my ultimate triumph!"
Setsuna... Hotaru... Haruka... Michiru... Please be strong, and don't fall for their tricks. I trust you can do it...
(xx)
The morning in Tokyo started to break, and the first commuters were already heading to their daily destinations when the need to chase the New Kings was unleashed.
Following the footsteps of Miyage Shinozaki was easier said than done for Sailor Jupiter. He mingled himself among the ever-increased crowd in the shopping district of Azabu-Juban and the Guardian of Thunder lost track of him. Despite jumping across the tallest buildings so as to not draw attention from the normal citizenry, she could not see where the man she loved could have gone.
The tiredness of constant running and leaping, the sting of sweat falling on her eyelids and mixing with the sunbeams, all made Sailor Jupiter feel queasy and nervous - Made only worse when she stopped to think of why exactly she was chasing off the New King.
Shinozaki... Where have you gone? Why is this happening...?
The heroine stopped by the top of one of the district's tallest buildings to catch her breath. She closed her eyes... and appeared to see some kind of green fog forming in the corner of her sight. It didn't feel like it was the glare of the sun hitting her eyes, it really felt like something else... Like some kind of presence she could detect. When she closed her eyes once more and concentrated on that fog, Jupiter could see a green point forming and moving ever so slowly.
"This is it!" the Guardian spoke to herself with some hope. "We have a bond that shows where we are to each other... I can use it to point out where Shinozaki went!"
But before resuming her arduous journey, she activated her wristwatch communicator to advise her companions of the discovery.
"Girls, can you hear me?" Jupiter communicated, and once she got confirmation from her three allies, she continued. "Great... I think I found out how to find the guys. Close your eyes, try to calm down and concentrate on your beloved..."
After a short silence, Sailor Venus confirmed Jupiter's theory. "It's true! I can feel Daisuke's presence from afar..."
"Yes... and I can feel Ryo's," Sailor Mercury added further.
"Thank you very much for this," Sailor Mars let her gratitude be heard with a shaky voice. "Now I can finally see where Yuuichirou went to."
"Then let's not waste any more time," Sailor Jupiter finished the message with newfound vigor. "Let's save them all!"
All four Inner Guardians renewed their hopes of not only finding the New Kings, but somehow save them from Fréamund's curse. And save the future son of Usagi and Mamoru as well. All of them knew, however, that this was only the beginning of the fiercest and hardest fight they would have to engage in their sacred mission.
(xx)
The sight of a hulking, lumbering creature trodding in straight but shambling steps was enough for everyone in the Shinagawa train station to run away in fear. Even the law enforcers knew not what to do, for what they saw was no ordinary thing. It looked humanoid, but not only it was ten feet tall, but its head also appeared to be attached to the torso without a neck, and out of the back of its hands protruded scissor-like claws.
But Sailor Mercury knew all too well what it was: Bunboo, the Great Youma form of Ryo Urawa, transformed due to the diabolical effects of Fréamund's spell. She arrived just in time, as all the commuters had ran to safety and the station guards had mounted some kind of human barrier against the station's exit, arms pointed at the beast. No shots were fired, and even if they were, they would nary do a thing against that strange creature.
This is where we said goodbye to each other... Twice. I think I know why he wants to face me here.
"Leave it to me," the Guardian of Waters requested the policemen, who promptly complied and dismounted their barricade. There was still a shade of uncertainty about leaving a single girl alone to fend off the beast, but they also knew she was no ordinary girl. This was a Sailor Guardian who was about to deal with the strange apparition.
(xx)
Too nervous to use her own psychic powers, Sailor Mars only managed to track down Yuuichirou after Jupiter's message. There was so much she wanted to speak to him that it ended up taking her out of her focus during the chase. But eventually, she found him standing in front of a tall building. Imprinted on the cornice, there was a stylized logotype and the words "Kumada Technologies".
Something sparked in the mind of the Guardian of Fire when she saw the place, and when she saw Yuuichirou himself standing in front of it. She remembered Sayaka Kumada's appeal to her, as well as her visions within the New King's mind when his soul entered her own Dreamscape. He wants some kind of closure...
"Ah... So the conceited bitch is here!" Yuuichirou roared while he turned around to face the heroine.
"What in the fuck did you just call me!?" Sailor Mars shouted out.
"What you just heard!" the New King snapped back as he readied his weapon for a strike. "Feel the wrath of my bitter steel! Dark Blade Mormegil!"
The Guardian of Fire could barely evade what looked like a large blade made of pure darkness coming right at her. In fact, as Yuuichirou swung his sword wildly, more dark slashes came out after her... and one such attack hit her squarely across her chest. The sheer strength of the swing was enough to drive her down to the floor.
Yuuichirou laughed like a madman upon seeing Sailor Mars fall and trying to get up with difficulty. He went to her side, sword in hand and ready for the fatal blow...
(xx)
It didn't take very long for Sailor Jupiter to catch up to Shinozaki, who went all the way to the apartment complex where he lived with his mother Nozomu. The Guardian of Thunder appeared just as he came out of the condominium's main entryway.
Nothing in his demeanor denoted any belligerent intention. In fact, he looked calm and even happy to see her once more.
"Shinozaki..."
"Well, I'm glad you tracked me down," the New King said with a smile. "I came here to say my last goodbyes to my mother, you see... She didn't take it too well, so I had to sedate her."
The Guardian kept herself silent, feeling a tingle run down her spine as Shinozaki kept talking.
"I have no intention to hurt the girl I love, but the situation requires my Shadow Gem to cure the future Prince and guarantee the best outcome for the Universe at large. So please, go ahead and kill me."
"What!?" Jupiter finally snapped. "How... How can you say that?"
"Oh come on, Mako, you know what must be done." He then opened his arms. "I am ready to die once and for all. Go ahead, draw forth your weapons and be done with it."
Sailor Jupiter shook her head in denial and fought back her stubborn tears. "I can't... I can't, and I won't! There is another way to solve all of this without you dying, I'm sure of it! Please, Shinozaki... Don't make me do this... I lost you once already, I don't want to lose you ever again!"
"You leave me no other choice, then." Having said this, Shinozaki clenched his fists and acquired a focused pose. He growled as loudly as he could, and a purple-ish aura covered his entire body, with a red glow on his eyes that seeped upwards through his furrowed brow. Sailor Jupiter trembled in fear and anxiety at the sight of her beloved launching himself towards her...
(xx)
It took a longer while for Sailor Venus to find Daisuke, since he constantly ran towards the edge of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. But eventually, she finally found him teetering on the edge of a cliff by the sea that overlooked the Tokyo Bay and the Chiba prefecture to the other side. He was clad in his Phantom Ace garments, except he wore no mask. On his face, shades of tears ran down his cheeks, with visible moisture still lingering on his eyes.
A flurry of emotions ran down all over the Guardian of Love upon seeing the man she loved safe and sound. "Loverboy... Daisuke..."
But Daisuke himself did not appear to retribute his own beloved's affections when she came running and embraced him mightly. "Mina... I..."
It was Venus' time to shed tears of her own upon wrapping her arms around Daisuke. "I've missed you so much!"
"No, stay the hell away from me!" he suddenly shouted as he shoved the Guardian away from him.
"What!? But... but why?"
"I... I do not deserve to be with you," he painfully answered. "Not after what I've done to you..."
Sailor Venus's mind was filled with dread. She knew well what Daisuke meant, due to the memories they shared not long ago, from which she regained her strength and gained her sacred weapons. Her lips and throat failed to answer to that request the way she wanted to.
(xx)
Not much had changed between the last time Chibiusa had been on Tokyo in the 20th Century and the current year she went to... Except for herself, who grew and matured to be physically at 18 years old - Around the same age her future mother and friends were at that point in time. How she wanted to see them all again, to enjoy the simple pleasures of life before the rise of Crystal Tokyo as she did when she was little.
Alas, it was not to happen. She came back to the year 1998 with a mortal mission, and the thought of was was going on and what was yet to come burdened her conscience-laden head further. And seeing her younger brother in the state he was only added further to her inner agony... which is why she chose not to appear to Usagi and Mamoru.
At the very least she would not be alone in her journey. Three unlikely allies came to her aid, all covered in masks and not showing any body feature other than their long locks of hair, offering themselves to return in time alongside her. Chibiusa couldn't tell why they would be so eager to come with her, but in her situation, she felt like gathering any help and advantage she could have.
"Did you see how the Young Lord is doing?" the black-haired one asked.
"I was able to peek through Mamoru's window," she answered. "He can barely walk... Mother and father are by his side all the time, sharing their life force with him..."
"At least he is still alive, right?" the brown-haired one tried to comfort the young Guardian. "There is still hope. Do not lose your nerve like this, Small Lady."
"That's right," finished the third one, with silver hair. "You're strong to a fault, we all know it. You already faced all kinds of earth-shattering danger and lived to tell the tale."
"Yes... You're all right. Thank you, everyone..." Chibiusa timidly showed her gratitude. "If it weren't for you..."
A sudden rumble on the ground interrupted their pepping chat, which was felt by all the passers-by.
"What was that?" the black-haired ally promptly queried.
"The invasion is about to begin," Chibiusa answered, knowing well what was about to take place. "Girls, to arms!"
Hi there! Any of you still following? I sure hope so, because I'm feeling the spark of creativity more often to update this fic and bring the closure it needs.
Once more, my eternal gratitude to all of you who pass by to read and especially to my dear friend litakino1987 for her comments. Muchas gracias!
Next chapter: Sailor Mercury vs. Ryo Urawa, and an update on how the Outer Guardians are marching through Hell.
Greetings from the Hospitaller Knight.