Sailor Moon: The Rise of B'aal
Chapter 16
In the midst of the raging battle against the evil jinni demons, the other Sailor Senshi could only fight on bravely as the demons kept on attacking. Beads of sweat trailed down their faces, and as the sun finally did set, flashes of light appeared like lightning in the horizon as the warriors unleashed their powers to defend themselves.
After what seemed like forever, but in actuality only a few moments since Sailor Sirius and the Palestinian girl ran off at Pluto's orders, an uneasy feeling came over Sailor Star Healer as he shouted "STAR SENSITIVE, INFERNO!" to finish of a jinni that was about to pounce on him. When the demon turned to dust and blew away in the night wind, the young warrior lifted up his head and looked around. He then quickly went to where Sailors Star Maker and Star Fighter were standing back to back, after having just released their powers to destroy a group of jinni around then, and looked worriedly into their eyes.
"Something's wrong here! Where did Sirius and that girl run off to?" He looked around him again, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sirius through the battle, but didn't see her at all.
"I don't know!" shouted Star Fighter, starting to get worried himself as he balled his hands into a fist as another group of jinni appeared, fierce and growling through their razor sharp teeth. "Pluto told her to get the girl to safety, but she should have been back by now!"
"Wait a minute...where's Uranus?" Star Maker narrowed his violet eyes and saw where Neptune was fighting off a demon by herself, Saturn not too far from her. The two, along with Saturn, were rarely apart, and they always fought enemies together.
Neptune, also feeling something wrong, turned and looked for Sailor Uranus beside her, but the Senshi of the Sky wasn't there. "Uranus?" Neptune called out, concern on her face for the whereabouts of her Outer Senshi partner. Saturn, coming up beside her, also looked around in confusion for her, keeping her Silence Glaive protectively in front of her.
At that moment, a pack of the demons surrounded the two, and with narrowed eyes, Saturn raised her Glaive above her and yelled out "SILENCE GLAIVE, SURPRISE!" The enormous amount of electric light energy surrounded the Senshi of Silence's body, then traveled out to her Glaive. The energy then burst into a powerful beam and split, hitting the jinni one by one. They all disappeared in a flash of light, their ashes blown away in the wind. Neptune sighed in relief for a moment, moving closer to Saturn, then began looking around or Uranus again. No sooner had she done that, than they were again confronted by more demons, each snarling loudly with menace in their eyes. At this time, Uranus was the one to take care of things when the three of the Outer Planets were in a jam...but she was nowhere to be found.
"Something is definitely wrong here..." said Star Healer, the feeling of dread growing every second.
Right then, the green demon Legion shimmered and appeared in the air above them, smiling evilly with a malicious glint in his eye. "It's too late by now, pretty boy!" he sneered out. "While you...goody goodies were having fun with my friends, I made sure that at least one of you would never make it out alive!"
He cackled loudly, disappeared in a flash, and reappeared in front of Star Healer. He stuck his green face inches from his. "And to make it more interesting...I made sure her demise would be at the hands of one of you pathetic so-called warriors!" He disappeared again with another vicious laugh, then reappeared behind Star Maker to push him from behind to the ground. Maker gave a startled gasp as he fell, and Legion clapped his clawed hands and giggled in a almost childlike way...but instead of innocence, it was filled with insanity produced by an unstable mind. "OH! This is so fun! So fun! I like this game! So what are you going to do big boys? Save yourselves or your little friend?"
"Why you insane son of a...!" Star Maker jumped up and tried to swing at the demon, but he disappeared with another insane laugh, his mocking voice echoing in the battle-filled air as Maker punched at an empty spot. He reappeared in the air a little bit above them.
"HAHA! Like I haven't heard that before! You kill a few million people, you're worshiped as a heroic conqueror...You kill a person here and there, you're suddenly declared insane. Why don't you puny humans make up your mind!" With a screeching laugh, the mentally unstable demon disappeared again, leaving the senshi to their fate.
"Oh NO!" yelled out Star Healer, his eyes wide with dread. "He..he sent Uranus after her! That's why she isn't here!" Without another word, the silvery-haired young man turned and rushed off to the direction Sirius and the girl went.
"Healer, WAIT!" yelled out Star Fighter, but just as he was about to run after him, he and Maker were confronted with another group of jinni. With no choice, the two Starlight warriors once again called upon their powers to defend themselves along with the other Sailor Senshi, silently cursing in their minds for the fact that they were unable to help Star Healer for now.
"Sailor Moon, what are you waiting for?" yelled out Mars as she shot her arrows one after another at the demons. "We can't keep this up for long! Use the Tier!"
"I was just getting to that!" retorted Moon as she just flipped over a floating jinni and kicked it away from her. She closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate, and the staff, as beautiful as ever, appeared in her hands. "Time for this to end! SILVERMOON, CRYSTAL POWER KISS!" A bright flash of purified light erupted from the orb on top of the tier, and struck each and every one of the jinni dead on in their chest. They screamed loudly for long moments, unable to handle the intense pureness. Within seconds, they exploded together and broke apart into tiny, tiny pieces. The pieces fell to the ground and were scattered carelessly into the wind.
"WHEW!" said Sailor Moon as she fell slowly to her knees. Tuxedo Kamen walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Good job love," he said, smiling proudly. Sailor Moon looked up at the young man and smiled gratefully as she laid her hand over his on her shoulder.
A little ways off, Healer nearly smacked right into the form of one of the many demons, but he skidded to a halt just in time and narrowed his eyes dangerously. Balling his hands into a fist, Healer growled deeply in his throat with rage, then rushed forward. "Get out of my WAY!" he growled out, then shouted "Star Sensitive...INFERNO!" Fueled by his anger, his power suddenly increased twofold, and an enormous amount of star energy gathered around his body, starting at his fist, then shot forward in a massive beam of light and struck the demon dead on. The jinni never even had a chance to scream as it was immediately turned to a smoldering pile of dust.
Star Healer never bothered to look back as he rushed past the pile and headed off to help Sailor Sirius, his heart beating heavily in his chest with fear that he may be too late.
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Gasping with nearly unbearable pain, Sirius barely moved out of the way in time before Sailor Uranus's deadly Space Sword sliced easily through the pile of rocks that she was leaning against. She coughed and struggled for breath as the dust flew up all around her as she hit the ground heavily. But the dust barely cleared before the taller senshi was after her again, her eyes glowing red and intent on killing her prey.
Somehow finding the strength deep inside her, Sirius rolled away just in time as the glowing sword stabbed right into the spot where she was a second ago. Sirius looked up with pleading eyes at the advancing senshi, already feeling the signs of blacking out. "U..Uranus...Haruka onee-san. Please!" But the words seem to fall upon deaf ears as Uranus walked slowly closer and closer, her boots crunching the dust beneath her.
Kill her! the voice inside the blonde racer's head screamed, pushing out all other thoughts, Kill her now, now, now, NOW!
Not knowing what else to do, Sirius closed her eyes and waited for the final strike as Miriam sobbed and covered her eyes, hoping it would be quick and painless. If I have to die, then at least it would be by someone I admired. Goodbye everyone...Yaten.. The final blow Sirius was waiting for never came, and the sound of a body smashing into another was heard instead.
Sirius opened her eyes quickly in time to see Sailor Star Healer tackle the surprised Uranus heavily to the ground, knocking wind out of her. The Space Sword fell with a clatter a few inches away. "Uranus, stop this! This isn't you! You would never hurt Tanya! Please!" Star Healer struggled to pin down the taller senshi beneath him, but even he knew it was a losing battle.
Whatever more he was about to say was stopped as Uranus growled deep in her throat and kicked him far away from her. The young singer fell to the ground with a loud thud and groaned painfully. Healer shook his head to clear it as he stood up, then rushed over to where Sirius lay.
"Are you going to be alright?" he asked gently as he helped her stand.
With tears gathering in her eyes, Sirius nodded, then looked up at her love. "H..hai. But...it's Haruka-san. I..I don't know what happened..."
She couldn't say anymore as Uranus roared loudly in frustration, her sword grasped in her hand, and rushed toward them. "You should never have interfered!" she screamed out. Healer moved out of the way of the sword before it could cut him in half, and before he could recover from that, Uranus kicked out and smashed her foot into his chest, knocking him down heavily to the ground a couple of inches away. The Starlight warrior screamed loudly in pain from the kick and the impact, his voice carrying far and wide. When he got up shakily on his feet again, his green eyes widen as the taller senshi roared loudly again and rushed forward, the sword shining bright and headed straight for his heart.
"SAILOR URANUS, NO!! YAMATEEEEEEEE!" Sirius screamed out. Dread filled her heart at the thought of losing another person she loved more than anything in this world. There was no way this was happening to her again. No way!
Uranus was just about to reach Healer when a shout filled the early night air, "VENUS, LOVE ME CHAIN!" A bright flash of gold appeared, followed by a long string of golden hearts connected together. The chain rushed forward out of the shadows and wrapped itself tightly around Sailor Uranus, causing her to be immobile as she fell helplessly to the ground.
The rest of the senshi, led by Sailor Venus, ran up quickly to them, their faces weary and worn out from the battle they quickly ran from to help their friends. Neptune was the first to try and rush up to Uranus, her eyes wide with disbelief and concern for her senshi partner.
"Uranus! What's going on? Are you okay?" she shouted, but Tuxedo Kamen quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her, preventing her and Saturn from going any further.
"No, stay back! She's under some sort of spell or mind control! That's not the Uranus we know now!"
"But how can we help her?" said Saturn desperately as she watched Uranus's eyes glow red. She shivered slightly and stepped back.
"Sailor Moon! I know this may be hard on you now, but you have to use your Ginzuishou to help purify Uranus's mind before those things regroup!" said Pluto breathlessly. She brushed her damp bang off her sweaty face and nodded her head in assurance. "Quickly, before she's lost to us forever!"
"Right, anything for Haruka!" Although she was so tired after going through a battle most ordinary humans wouldn't have been able to handle, Sailor Moon closed her eyes and concentrated on the ancient jewel from the Silver Millennium. In a beautiful display of soft light, the crystal appeared a few inches away from her chest, glowing bright and strong with pure light. The blonde senshi then held it gently in her hands and walked up to the struggling Sailor Uranus.
"Get back!" the Sky Senshi snarled. But the former Moon Princess paid no heed, and holding the crystal before her, allowed the light to bath Sailor Uranus in its soft glow. Please Ginzuishou! Please heal my friend Haruka and bring her back to us! Moon prayed silently. It wasn't a moment before Uranus screamed along with the voice in her head, then...a black shadowy form rose out of Uranus's body as the pure, healing light clashed with and shoved out the evil within her. The shadowy form shaped itself into a hideous face for a second, then screamed and disappeared in small wisps of smoke.
When it was done, Uranus became quiet, and after moment, slowly opened her eyes and moaned. The golden chains around her dissipated at Sailor Venus's silent command, and she sat up groggily.
"Uranus!" shouted Neptune and Saturn. The two rushed forward and helped her to stand, then gave her comforting hugs, followed by Pluto.
"You'll be okay now," Neptune gently said, smiling with relief. Sailor Jupiter, one of the biggest admirers of the blonde racer, wiped away a stray tear and smiled along with Neptune.
"My God...it...it was like I was in some sort of dream! I had no control over what I was doing," Uranus whispered out. She turned to Sirius standing beside Healer, and walked slowly up to her.
Sirius gasped and stepped back ever so slightly, the fear she was trying so hard to fight suddenly rising. But Uranus caught the movement, and a pained expression crossed over her face. "Sirius...I...My God..I'm so sorry! I never imagined I would hurt anyone of my friends, especially you! You know I wouldn't have done this if...if... Oh please, don't be afraid of me!"
~Never before had Uranus been in such a position again where any of the people she loved and cared about would be in danger by her own hands...not since the incident with Galaxia taking over her mind by those golden bracelets and causing her to nearly kill her princess...Sailor Moon. She had sworn then that she would try more than ever to protect her friends...and now, this! It was almost too much for the Uranus to bear, and she fell down on her knees with a sob.
"Uranus..." Sirius whispered. Then, to the surprise of the others, she rushed forward with tears in her eyes and hugged Uranus close to her. On her knees, Uranus was just about Sirius's height, so there was no need for Sirius to kneel too. For long moments, the two just held each other, Uranus's arms around Sirius's waist and her blonde head resting on the shorter girl's chest. Their closeness grew stronger than ever that night, and it would be a night they would never forget. No words were needed then as Sirius knew in her heart that Uranus would never try to hurt her again and would sooner die than see danger come to her and the other Sailor Senshi.
Suddenly, just remembering, Sirius gasped and leaned back, looking around wildly. "Oh my gosh, I almost forgot Miriam!" She rushed off to where the young Arab girl was huddled behind a small bush, her hands still over her eyes. "Miriam! I'm sorry! Are you going to be okay?" Sirius asked as she touched her shoulder and helped her stand up.
The shaking girl slowly took her hands away from her eyes and looked to Sirius. Her eyes widened, and she gave a joyful cry. "Praise Allah! Sailor Sirius, you're alright!" She threw her arms around the shorter, dark skinned girl, then watched Sailor Uranus warily as she rejoined the Outer Senshi.
"No, it's alright now Miriam, don't be afraid! It wasn't her fault, she was being controlled." Sirius tried to explain, knowing that the girl would not have understood what she and the others were saying about what happened with Uranus. "She's our friend now, she won't hurt you or anyone else, trust me..."
Miriam looked at Uranus warily again for a moment, still not sure that such a caring warrior women with a gentle, sad look on her face was the same that tried kill Sailor Sirius just moments ago. She sighed after a second, then nodded as she looked into Sirius's eyes. "Alright then, if it is as you say. I'm just glad you're not too badly hurt. Or worse."
Sailor Pluto walked up to them, her eyes filled with anxiety about the upcoming battle she knew that she and the other senshi will have to go through. "Miriam, we need you to help us get to the spot where you said you saw something strange, the smoke you said was rising in the sky. It's very important that we go there so no one else will get hurt. With you guiding us, we'll get there much quicker than walking blind in the dark."
The girl was silent for a moment as she considered Sailor Pluto's words. She knew her mother must be very worried about her now, and she should head back to the camp as evening had just set in. But she also knew that she couldn't abandon her new found friends. She may not be a warrior like them, but she still had to help in any way she could. This was her chance to work with the world famous Sailor Senshi!
The Palestinian girl straightened up to her full height and nodded her head. "Yes, I will help you. Come, we must go that way!" She pointed to the right, and with a nod, the rest of the team hurried along with her. Apprehension like no other filled their hearts and they resumed their journey with Miriam's help, knowing that they had to do their very best and come out of this alive, or else all they knew about their home will be lost forever.
But unknown to the group as they walked off, a shadowy form appeared with a shimmer, and slowly began to take a more solid form to become the green demon Legion. He slowly floated down to the dusty desert ground and narrowed his malicious, glowing eyes. "You may have won this little round, little humans...but it'll just a matter of time before you all will die an insufferable death. I will be the one to personally rip your insides out and feed it to you, I swear!" He laughed long and loudly, his voice sounding sweet to his own ears. "Go, go to the Gates of Hell itself! We have a big surprise for you!" With that, the High Level demon laughed out insanely again, and disappeared in a bright flash, leaving behind the desert night animals to scatter and hide.
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-note: ~ This scene Uranus is thinking about is relating to the Sailor Stars season MANGA of Sailor Moon, not anime, in which all of the Sailor Senshi were taken over by Sailor Galaxia and tried to kill Eternal Sailor Moon.
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To Be Continued...