o n c e i n a b l u e m o o n

-Episode 14-

    “Sleeping pills?” echoed Mikos, her face paling.

    “Why would she have sleeping pills…?” asked Platos dumbly, even though she already knew the answer.

    “She was going to kill herself,” said Ypsos, staring at the bottle in her hands. “She said it herself; ‘the Pyramid can only exist as long as all of us exist.’ If she died, they could no longer obtain the Pyramid. She was going to trade herself in for Usagi and then…but it didn’t work. And now they have her.”

    “So? You just said it yourself,” said Mikos cheekily. “If they kill her, no more Pyramid. Now we don’t have to worry because they can’t lay a hand on her.”

    Sailor Ypsos stared at the black senshi for a full thirty seconds before bringing up one of her red-gloved hands and slapping her hard across the face. “You inconsiderate little bitch.” She seethed. “I cannot believe you.”

    Mikos touched a hand to her cheek in shock. “Ow.”

    Ypsos turned back towards where Kairos had last been, her voice choked and angry. “We’re going after her.”

    “But…the Pyramid…” muttered Mikos weakly, still rubbing her cheek. It was a bright red.

    Sailor Ypsos ignored her and stalked over to Mars. The senshi of fire was helping Usagi to her feet, who’s bright blue eyes immediately fell on Platos, trailing behind Ypsos.

    “What happened?” asked Usagi, teetering unsteadily on her feet.

    “We need to know how to get to their base,” said Ypsos promptly.

    Usagi blinked. “Why?”

    “Sailor Kairos traded herself for you, Usagi,” explained Mars, shooting a glare at the Dimension Senshi. Her demeanor quickly changed. “How dare you?” she hissed angrily, addressing Ypsos and Platos. “When it was Usagi’s life on the line, you didn’t care. But now it’s one of your own and you’re asking us for help?”

    “Yeah,” said Venus, putting her hands on her hips as she walked up. “Where do you get the nerve?”

    “Stop it,” said Usagi, warranting surprised glances from the two senshi. “Please, everyone, stop fighting. Can’t we work together?”

    “Usagi…” muttered Mars.

    “It’s not in our destiny to work together,” said Ypsos soothingly. “This is our problem, our duty. Princess, please understand; we protect the Pyramid, you protect the Ginzuishou. We have to save Kairos. Please tell us how to get there.”

    “We’ll come with you,” said Usagi with conviction.

    “No.” Ypsos shook her head. “Absolutely not. This is our battle. Please, Usagi…”

    “Teleport,” said Usagi softly after a moment’s hesitation.

    “But how?” pressed Ypsos.

    “Stand together and focus on your destination. It’ll come to you.” Usagi’s gaze stayed trained to the ground.

    “Thank you,” said Ypsos sincerely, grabbing Platos’ hand and leading her away.

    “Be careful!” cried Usagi after them.

    “Now what?” asked Mikos as the other two senshi approached her.

    “We teleport,” said Ypsos, grabbing Mikos’ left hand. “You two stand closer together. Good. Now close your eyes and focus on finding Kairos.”

    “Why are we going after her?” grumbled Mikos, albeit half-heartedly.

    “Because she’s our leader. Now concentrate.”

    Platos closed her own eyes after watching Mikos oblige and tried to train her thoughts on the strange new senshi, her hair a myriad of dark colors, like an oil slick. Bird song filled the air suddenly and Platos fancied that she saw bright sparks showering down before her eyes. Somehow the sound filled her head and thoughts and the image of Kairos sharpened in her mind. The senshi was sitting, still chained in the ebony ribbons, on a cold rock floor at the foot of a stone throne. In the throne sat Kaisha, tapping her gloved fingers and talking silently to someone.

    The image froze in her head and Platos felt the ground give way beneath her feet. Panic shot through her body but she did not open her eyes. She tightened her hold on the hands holding hers as air rushed around her. It was only a matter of seconds before her feet touched ground again and she instinctively opened her eyes.

    The first thing she saw was Kaisha’s amused face, watching them from her chair on the opposite side of the room. The room itself was spacious but not particularly large, the walls made of grey and black stone, the ceiling covered in shadows except for a jagged hole near the center of the room. Shadows lined the walls, flickering from time to time in the pale, cold light thrown off by small torches held in sconces on the walls. The thing that struck Platos as odd, however, was the absence of rubble or debris on the floor; in fact, it looked as if it had just been swept.

    “Why look, Enshoku, we have visitors,” said Kaisha, her eyes never leaving Platos’.

    Enshoku appeared from behind her, a broom in hand and looking disgruntled. “Yes, Kaisha. Just like I said; they’d come faster for their leader.”

    “I didn’t ask for your comments,” snapped Kaisha. “Keep sweeping.”

    “Why did you come?” asked Kairos, struggling to get to her feet but impeded by the ribbons.

    “To save you, idiot,” grumbled Mikos.

    “Oh, don’t waste your breath.” Kaisha gave a fake yawn. “Enshoku?”

    Enshoku muttered something under his breath, then snapped his fingers irritably. Before Platos could blink more ribbons had sprang up from the ground around their feet and sent them flying back into the wall at their backs. She groaned from the pain as ribbons entwined themselves around her limbs and neck, making it harder to breathe. Mikos and Ypsos struggled futilely on either side of her.

    “Stop struggling,” said Kaisha, waving a hand at them but not doing anything. “It’ll only take a few seconds and then you can either die or watch the show. You choose.”

    “Show?” said Ypsos, Mikos, and Enshoku simultaneously.

    “Don’t be stupid, Enshoku.” Kaisha pointed a finger towards one of the corners. “Come here, Atra.”

    A Shadow detached itself from the darkness and came forward, its one orange eye making it immediately recognizable to Platos. Atra grinned at her as she passed and then stood at attention before Kaisha.

    “Atra and I were discussing other possible plans while you were out, Enshoku,” said Kaisha slowly, as if explaining a complicated concept to a two-year-old. “She let me remember that aside from gaining eternal life, we also wanted to destroy this wretched planet.”

    There was an audible clatter as Enshoku dropped his broom in surprise. “What?”

    “You heard me.”

    “But…but destroying the Earth…where would we go?” asked Enshoku, dumbfounded. “I know you want revenge, but have you actually thought this through, Kaisha?”

    Kaisha’s glare was enough to turn water into ice out of fright. Enshoku shrank back. “How dare you question me, Enshoku. Of course I’ve thought this through. I want my revenge over the Moon Kingdom for destroying my life more than anything.”

    “We will sssummon Demenosss,” said Atra, barely able to contain her glee.

    “But Demenos is virtually uncontrollable,” said Enshoku meekly, his mouth dropping open as if he could not believe what Kaisha was proposing.

    “We have the Pyramid.” Kaisha folded her arms across her chest and stared pointedly at Enshoku. “And if you question me one more time, Enshoku…” she trailed off, letting the threat hang in the air, taking whatever form Enshoku gave it.

    She snapped her long fingers and turned her gaze back on the senshi before her. Platos shuddered as the gaze focused on her. An insane grin spread across Kaisha’s features.

    “Atra,” she said, her gaze not moving from Platos. “Get the Pyramid.”

    “Yesss, Massster,” hissed Atra, producing the blood red ruby from seemingly nowhere.

    It floated up from her translucent hands and began to pulse with a sick inner light, bathing the senshi with a red glow. From Ypsos’ account, Platos knew that she had gone through this before, but she had also been unconscious at the moment. Now she realized why.

    It started as a faint tingling at the tips of her fingers and toes and spread throughout her body in an increasing wave of what felt like a million cold needles being pressed against the underside of her skin. The feeling crescendoed until it became a sharp pain which had Platos biting her bottom lip to keep from crying out. A groan escaped from Mikos beside her. Her eyes snapped shut and she felt her head tilt back on its own accord, the pain centering itself around her chest region.

    When she was certain that she would no longer be able to stand it, though, the pain abruptly stopped. She gasped and something warm trickled up her throat and out of her mouth. Her eyes opened then and she watched in terrified awe as a white mist solidified in front of her face. It became the same clear crystal that she had held in her hands almost a week ago, at the costume party. She reached out a hand instinctively to grab it.

    Atra’s translucent hand snatched it away before she could touch it, grinning impishly as she gathered up the other three crystals. The ruby had fallen unnoticed to the floor. Platos hung limply in her binding and turned her head slowly towards the other two senshi next to her. Except, now the two were no longer senshi. With a start, Trish realized that they were back in their civilian clothing.

    “Put them underneath the hole, Atra,” ordered Kaisha, still sitting in her throne.

    Kari appeared to be unconscious beside her. Atra grabbed the last crystal from before her and made to turn towards the hole in the ceiling when she abruptly stopped. The crystals in her arms had begun to glow. She dropped them in surprise and took a few quick steps back.

    Their glow increased as the crystals began to dance around one another in midair. The tempo quickened until the crystals were a blur, spinning in and around each other. All at once there was a blinding flash of light. When Trish’s vision had cleared, the crystals were gone and in their place floated a three-sided pyramid.

    “The Pyramid,” breathed Kaisha, standing up.

    Trish’s eyes widened; the Pyramid was breathtaking. It combined a myriad of colors and shimmered in the light, golden and silver flecks shifting beneath its surface. It seemed to be perfect in its dimensions, each of its four points incredibly sharp. The Pyramid pulsed with an inner energy. Atra approached it cautiously, reaching out one dark hand.

    It moved ahead of her, evading her touch. Perturbed, Atra made to grab it. The Pyramid slipped easily away from her fingers.

    “Stop trying to touch it,” ordered Kaisha. “Just guide it.”

    Atra’s single eye twitched slightly, but she complied. Using her two hands, she gently guided it towards the patch of sunlight on the ground, the Pyramid always staying a few inches away from any sort of contact. It entered the light and settled in the middle of the patch, floating a few feet above the ground. Atra turned to Kaisha, an annoyed expression of “now what?” easily readable on her shadowy features.

    Kaisha opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted as a tremor shook the Pyramid.

    “Our calculationsss mussst have been correct,” said Atra.

    “Demenos is passing within range,” said Kaisha softly.

    “Every thousand years,” whispered Victoria. “Every thousand years the comet passes by Earth…”

    “Why the fuck couldn’t we have picked some other rock?” groaned Brekke.

    Kaisha’s icy gaze fell back on them. “Shut up.”

    Any further comment was halted by the Pyramid shaking again. This time, however, it continued to tremble, its shivers coming faster and faster until it seemed to hardly move with its motions. Trish detected a high-pitched sound on the very edge of her hearing just as the back of her head began to throb dully. Then, abruptly, the sound dropped to the other end of the spectrum, shaking the wall at their back. A light shot up from the tip of the Pyramid and steadily encompassed the entirety of the Pyramid until the whole thing was glowing black and giving off a pillar of light which went upwards and through the roof.

    “We have it!” cried Atra in triumph.

    “It is secure, then?” asked Kaisha, her eyes fixed on the pillar of light.

    “The comet isss sssecure, Massster,” said Atra, turning and bowing to the throne. “Sssoon the Pyramid ssshould be able to break through the ssseal and Demenosss will be free!”

    “This is insane!” cried Enshoku, the broom handle gripped in his hands once more. He turned imploring eyes on Kaisha. “Please, Kaisha, think! We can’t release Demenos! Don’t you see that this is what the Shadows want? It’s not for you, it’s for them! We haven’t even tried to – ”

    “Silence!” yelled Kaisha, cutting off Enshoku. She did not turn to look at him as she raised one black-gloved hand into the air and twisted it sharply. Enshoku gave a sharp gasp, bending over as his hands gripped at his chest. His face paled and his knees gave out from under him, sending him crashing to the floor. Kaisha brought her hand down.

    “I do not have to listen to you, Enshoku,” she said coldly while he curled up into the fetal position, breathing in quick gasps. “And I will not tolerate your interruptions. Either stay and do as I tell you or go and die. I do not need you.”

    “You’re awful,” said Victoria, horrified. “How can you do that to him?” Kaisha glared at the redhead but it was Enshoku who angrily muttered, “I don’t need your sympathy.”

    Trish could not see what it was that Enshoku did, but the ribbons around Victoria constricted suddenly, biting painfully into her sides. A dozen ribbons slid up and over her mouth, dampening a cry of shock. She bit down on the ribbons in her mouth and struggled ineffectively against those around her body.

    “Oh don’t worry,” said Kaisha softly, striding over to the three conscious senshi. “We won’t kill you. Yet.” She smiled and leaned in towards Trish’s face, her breath stale and with a trace of buttered popcorn. “First we’ll let you see your precious planet be destroyed.”

    “No,” whispered Trish despite herself.

    “Demenos will destroy you, too!” said Brekke, her dark eyes narrowed and full of hate.

    “No, he won’t,” hissed Atra. “He will do what we tell him to. Right, Kaisssha?”

    “He?” echoed Trish.

    “Oh, so what’re you going to do? Destroy the only inhabitable planet around here and drift for the rest of your miserable lives on this damned rock?” returned Brekke darkly. “You’re kidding me, right?”

    “The planet will still be habitable,” said Kaisha firmly, but with the faintest hint of uncertainty. She pulled away from Trish’s face and glanced to Atra.

    “Of courssse.”

    Brekke barked out a laugh. “Maybe for them” she nodded towards Atra “but not for yourself. It’s just going to be one – ”

    “Liesss!” hissed Atra angrily, stepping up into Brekke’s face.

    The uncertainty that had been growing on Kaisha’s features flickered and disappeared. “We don’t need your commentary, girl. Enshoku?”

    Trish’s gaze flicked over to where the orange-haired man had somehow managed to compose himself and return to his feet. He nodded and a dozen ribbons silenced any further comment from Brekke.

    “How much longer?” asked Kaisha, forgetting the senshi and moving towards the glowing Pyramid; the pillar of light had not wavered.

    Kaisha was answered by another shock wave which went thundering through the rock. She smiled and unfolded a pair of leathery, dark brown wings from her back.

    “Sssoon,” said Atra, grinning like a kid who had just heard that Christmas was coming seven months early. “A few minutesss, perhapsss.”

    Kaisha rubbed her hands together with maniacal glee as the unconscious form of Kari behind her made the slightest of movements. Trish’s gaze flicked involuntarily towards her; Kari shuddered again and opened her eyes. They looked to Trish and widened, then over to Kaisha and finally rested on the Pyramid. She gave a barely audible groan at the sight.

    Another rumble masked any other sounds from Kari and loosened a shower of dust from the ceiling. For a moment Trish could not discern anything around her, which might have been aided by a sudden burst of light towards the center of the room. When the dust had settled she gave an audible gasp of surprise.

    Sailor Moon and her fellow senshi stood in the middle of the room, facing Kaisha, who had automatically turned around.

    “More guests?” she said, faking a yawn.

    “I’m the beautiful sailor senshi of love and justice, Sailor Moon!” cried Moon, going through her motions. “In the name of the moon, I will punish you!”

    “Really?” returned Kaisha. She looked pointedly at Enshoku. “Take care of them, will you?”

    Enshoku nodded and stepped out from around the throne, his hands held up and glowing. He smiled humorlessly as black wings sprouted from his back and spread themselves, stretching upwards towards the ceiling. Another tremor went through the ground, sending a new cloud of dust over the scene.

    “Watch out!” cried Trish as Enshoku began to move his hands around.

    The senshi did not heed her. Black ribbons flew up from the ground, entangling them. Enshoku laughed dully as they struggled, becoming only more entwined in the ribbons.

    “Ack!” cried Moon, struggling futilely. “It hurts!”

    “Sailor Moon, do something!” said Mars vehemently.

    “I can’t!”

    “That was too easy,” said Enshoku, shaking his head with amusement.

    Brekke muttered something that Trish was able to decipher as “Figures.”

    “Leave them,” ordered Kaisha without turning around. “They can watch as well.”

    “Watch what?” asked Jupiter, pausing in an attempt to chew through the ribbons binding her arms.

    “The destruction of your planet,” said Kaisha dryly.

    “What?!” cried Mars and Venus simultaneously, halting in their struggles.

    “Demenosss isss approaching!” announced Atra, peering up through the hole in the ceiling. Her single eye glittered with delight.

    As if on cue, the patch of light was eclipsed and the Pyramid’s beam of light flickered and fizzled out. There was an audible noise like glass hitting pavement as the Pyramid fell to the floor. The ground rocked beneath Trish’s feet, tremor after tremor running through the stone at her back. Shadows began to detach themselves from the corners, stepping hesitantly forward as if they were being summoned.

    Trish’s eyes shut on their own and an image filled the space beneath her eyelids. She remembered standing on a marble balcony of the Moon Palace, watching with horror as a million dark figures appeared on the grounds below, their heads titled upwards as they watched something approaching in the sky. The same doomed feeling that had filled her then came back to her now.

    “Ora?” asked Kari’s voice hesitantly.

    Her eyes snapped open in time to see to violet sparks fading in the air. The mockingbird twittered angrily and alighted on Kari’s shoulder. The black ribbons holding her down loosened and fell away as she got shakily to her feet. Ora left her and darted over to the Sol Senshi, similarly releasing them from their bindings. Before Enshoku had turned around to investigate the curious noises, Ora had landed on Trish’s shoulder.

    Enshoku stepped forward, raising his hands to bring the ribbons back to life again, but Ora shot at his face, scratching and screeching. The ribbons dropped from around Trish, Brekke, and Victoria as the Sol Senshi engaged in a fight with the Shadows, which Atra had called forth as soon as she saw that they were free. And somehow, in the midst of it all, Kari had sprung forward, grabbed the Pyramid, and met up with the other three off to one side.

    “Shine aqua illusion!” cried Mercury, sending an attack out that froze one of the Shadows in place.

    “The Pyramid!” whispered Victoria, reaching a hand towards it as Kari held it out for them to see.

    “Now what?” asked Brekke, glancing around at the chaos.

    “We fight,” said Kari simply, the Pyramid floating at her fingertips.

    In one fluid motion she pressed both of her hands on one side of the Pyramid, her hair frizzing up around her face. The others followed her example and as Brekke, the last of them, made contact with the bottom of the Pyramid and her hair stood on end, the Pyramid began to pulse with energy again. Trish felt a warmth come over her and the palms of her hands felt as if soft flames were tickling them.

    Then pale orange flames were tracing their way up her arms and across her body, her starch white fuku appearing in its wake. She realized the same thing was happening to the others; dark blue water rippled across Brekke’s body, a thick red substance made its way across Victoria, and silver flame traversed Kari. She held out her hand and her staff appeared in the same manner. The Pyramid stopped glowing and disappeared, reappearing atop Kairos’ staff.

    There was a slight difference, though, in the fukus around her. Platos noticed that Mikos’ collar and skirt, normally completely black, had acquired two white stripes. The same had happened to Ypsos’ fuku, except she had three stripes. Kairos had four violet ones and Platos glanced down at her own fuku to see that she had one black one edging the bottom of her skirt and her collar.

    They exchanged silent glances and immediately threw themselves into the melee between the Sol Senshi and Shadows. Sailor Kairos swung her staff around, knocking Shadows away from Sailor Moon while Mikos dealt a serious of blows with her boots to the Shadows surrounding Mercury.

    Sailor Platos motioned to Jupiter to dive out of the way as she raised her white gloves into the air. But instead of calling out her normal attack, she found different words tumbling from her mouth.

    “Firebolt dance!” she cried, dropping her hands as lightning crackled above where Jupiter had been standing.

    The lightning followed her motions and streaked down, hitting the ground on either side of the two Shadows. A barrier of crackling energy formed between the two bolts of lightning, incinerating the Shadows trapped within. They screamed and dissipated along with the lightning.

    Sailor Platos stared in surprise at her own hands. Jupiter gave her a thumbs-up and tackled another group of Shadows who were about to take Mars down.

    “Gaia deluge!” cried Mikos. Platos glanced over at her counterpart. Sailor Mikos raised her hands upwards. The ground around Mercury’s feet shuddered and began to break apart, pieces of it flying into the air at Mikos’ urging. Mercury jumped out of the way and watched as a cloud of rocks hovered over the heads of three surprised Shadows. Mikos grinned and dropped her hands to her sides, sending the rocks down on top of the demons, who disappeared beneath a mound of rubble.

    “Venus love me chain!”

    Venus’ chain snapped around the Shadow that had been creeping up on Platos while she watched her counterpart. Sailor Venus winked at the startled Platos and jerked on her end of the chain, effectively cutting the Shadow in half. With a disparaging shriek, it dissolved.

    “What’re you guys doing here?” asked Platos conversationally as Venus came over to fight with her.

    “Helping you out!” said Venus as if it were obvious.

    Sailor Platos smiled and shook her head, then ducked as a knife went shooting by. Venus twirled around and caught the perpetrator with her chain. As it dissolved another tremor shot through the ground. Ora twittered overhead, dive-bombing a Shadow that had grabbed onto Kairos’ staff.

    “What’s going on?” asked Mars, backing up to them after catching a Shadow on fire. Said demon was rushing around the room, flailing and making other Shadows burst into flame.

    “Kaisha’s released Demenos,” said Platos. “And it’s going to destroy everything.”

    “Ah,” said Mars knowingly. “I see. Burning mandala!” Another Shadow burst into flames and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

    The senshi were making good progress on the Shadows and definitely seemed to have the upper hand. Atra, who had been watching the melee the entire time, growled angrily from the sidelines.

    “Enough!” she cried, clearly realizing that they were losing.

    She held up her hands and the world went dark. Platos heard gasps of surprise around her and somebody – probably Moon – cry out as they stumbled over something. She dropped to her knees and laid her hands out on the ground, feeling another tremor shake the ground beneath her palms.

    “I can’t see!” cried someone.

    “What happened?” asked someone else.

    “Can we kill them, Massster?” asked Atra silkily, her voice now closer than before. Platos felt something brush against her hair and then cold hands grab at her throat.

    “I don’t see why not,” said Kaisha.

    “We still need the Pyramid, Kaisha!” cried Enshoku quickly.

    “Why’s that?” asked Kaisha, a hint of confusion in her voice.

    Enshoku stuttered for a moment in surprise, then forged on. “Because without it we’ll die, Kaisha! Or do you not remember that? That was the reason we were after it in the first place!”

    “Everybody diesss, Enssshoku,” hissed Atra angrily. “Don’t be ssstupid. Life isss not meant to be eternal.”

    “But…Atra…what?” Enshoku sounded both taken aback and hideously furious. “What the hell do you mean by that?! You yourself said that the abrupt change of environments and something about mortal deterioration would only give us a month to live if we didn’t obtain the Pyramid! That is why we went through all this trouble! Not to destroy the Earth!”

    “We could have helped you!” cried Moon, but was effectively ignored.

    “…and might I add that thisss rock hasss a very unssstable orbit and isss about to begin itsss last plunge into the Earth’sss atmosssphere?” said Atra mockingly.

    “Kaisha!” cried Enshoku, sounding like a child appealing to the other parent.

    “I do not remember any of this, Enshoku,” said Kaisha coldly.

    Sailor Platos could practically hear Enshoku sink to his knees in despair. “So…Atra lied?”

    “Atra does not lie,” said Kaisha. “Atra never said that.”

    “And what did Atra say just now? About this place burning up in the atmosphere?” asked Enshoku despairingly.

    “Atra said nothing of the sort.”

    “May I kill them?” asked Atra gleefully.

    “Go ahead.”

    The fingers tightened around Platos’ throat. She coughed painfully as sparks burst in front of her eyes. She blinked; sparks? Bird song filled the air as more violet sparks rained down, clearing her vision of the darkness. She found herself on her knees, staring into the one, angry orange eye of Atra.

    Sailor Platos grinned at the Shadow, whose eye widened in surprise. Then she punched her, sending the demon flying backwards. Platos jumped to her feet as the senshi around her regained their bearings.

    “We won’t let you!” said Sailor Moon, standing at the head of her group.

    “Sparkling wide pressure!” cried Jupiter, throwing her attack at the tall, orange-haired woman.

    “Don’t hurt Kaisha!” yelled Enshoku.

    He threw himself in front of the attack, taking it head on. After it fizzled out, he crumpled to the ground, his sweater partially burned away and smoking. Kaisha remained standing impassively behind him.

    “I don’t think it’s your choice,” she said calmly as a tremor shook the ground. “Enshoku?” Kaisha glanced down at the man and kicked him. “Bind them.”

    Enshoku groaned and struggled back to his feet, one hand clutching at a particularly nasty wound on his arm. The other hand came up with the fingers curving in, claw-like. Platos glanced down in time to see thin black ribbons wiggling up from the ground like worms. One made a half-hearted attempt to ensnare her boot, but she easily kicked it away.

    The next tremor knocked Enshoku back down onto his knees and caused the senshi to stumble unsteadily. It was followed by an even greater tremor which shook the ground for an entire minute. When it ended, the senshi were all on their hands and knees, glancing around in fright.

    “Demenosss!” cried Atra, raising her hands towards the roof along with the remaining scattering of Shadows.

    “It’s here?” breathed Kaisha, also looking up.

    “Kaisha…!” yelled Enshoku, regaining his footing. “Watch out!”

    Kaisha ignored him as the rock ceiling creaked ominously. Cracks spider-webbed their way through the rock from the center of the roof to the walls and downwards to the floor. Enshoku stumbled forward and then broke into a run as the ceiling groaned. Outside it sounded as if a terrible wind was attempting to break through the walls.

    “What’s happening?” asked Moon, glancing around in panic.

    “This place is falling apart,” said Ypsos, appearing on the other side of Platos.

    “We’re all going to be crushed!” cried Venus in fright, her eyes flicking from one growing crack to another.

    The roaring outside increased in volume. And then the roof blew apart. Debris went flying everywhere, but mostly outwards and into the Earth’s orbit. Somebody knocked Platos down and she heard screams around her.

    “Gaia deluge!” cried Mikos.

    Sailor Platos looked up to see her counterpart lifting up the rocks that had been about to crush her, Venus, and Ypsos. Mikos threw them into a corner of the room.

    “KAISHA!”

    All eyes focused on the orange-haired man as he dashed headlong towards Kaisha. His wings unfolded and his momentum sent him flying into the air above Kaisha, where he was knocked to the ground by a boulder that had been about to hit her. Kaisha pushed him off of her, regardless of the deep gash in his side, and stood up, her own wings unfurling and her vibrant orange eyes focused upwards.

    Platos looked up as well, her mouth dropping open at the sight. The ceiling had been completely torn away. Darkness was now their roof, a deep roaring darkness. But it was no ordinary darkness; there seemed to be a form to it, as if it were a massive Shadow. And it had eyes. Millions upon millions of tiny black eyes which surveyed the senshi below. Platos felt cold fear course through her veins.

    “Oh dear lord,” whispered Mikos, horrified.

    “Demenosss! Massster! You have returned!” cried Atra, now in the center. She seemed beyond delight.

    “Kaisha…” groaned Enshoku nearly inaudibly. Blood flowed freely down his back as he attempted to stand up.

    Kaisha ignored him. She joined Atra near the center and stared upwards as well. “Demenos! We have summoned you and now you will heed our bidding. Destroy the Earth and everyone on it!”

    The ground shook again as Demenos shifted slightly in the sky above, most of its eyes locking onto the woman. A feeling of deep hatred radiated from the monster.

    “Why are you disobeying me?” cried Kaisha angrily. “Heed me!”

    She raised her hands and a visible shudder went through the monster. The walls on the perimeter of the room began to crack.

    Atra let her single eye fall on Kaisha as her slit of a mouth pulled itself into a ghastly grin. “Demenosss will not heed you, Kaisssha. Demenosss will never lisssten to you.”

    Kaisha turned a startled gaze to the Shadow. “What do you mean? I thought you said we could control it!”

    “I can,” said Atra, her grin unwavering. Without looking up she ordered, “Demenosss! Dessstroy Kaisssha and her sssniveling Enssshoku.”

    “What?” Kaisha gaped, paling. “Atra? What the hell are you doing?”

    Trails of darkness swept towards her from the demon above as Atra stepped back and waved. “Taking over and creating a new world for the Ssshadowsss. Goodbye!”

    “Atra? Atra!” cried Kaisha, horror filling her voice as the darkness wrapped itself around her body. “Stop this right now!”

    “Kaisha!” cried Enshoku weakly, crawling towards her. “Kaisha!”

    He managed to grab her leg as the darkness lifted her up. Demenos grabbed him as well and attempted to wrench him away from Kaisha, but Enshoku’s grip only tightened. The senshi watched, horrified.

    “Enshoku,” whispered Kaisha, her entire body ensnared by the darkness. “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you.” She trembled, weakening in Demenos’ grasp, but managed to lean in closer to Enshoku.

    “That’s all right,” replied Enshoku. “I love you regardless, Kaisha.”

    And with that, they were absorbed into the giant darkness of Demenos. Atra laughed maniacally and turned towards the senshi.

    “Now dessstroy them!”

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