Seiya smiled and leapt forward. She had been pulling her powers together and now she struck. She sent her anger at Gregor and Jaeoh, Hana and Shayla, her pain and more, directly into Unicorn’s glowing back. By itself her pain powers were terrible but spending time with the shadow general she learned to channel darkness and shadow. All the darkness of her soul burned through the light and worked like a combination Tazer and Flamethrower.
The blow from the Tengu before had burned through Unicorn fuku, searing her back. This wave licked all of her body and for a moment Unicorn’s bones glowed whitely through the darkness and smoke. Her scream of agony cut through the cries of dying shadows and injured warriors.
Unicorn’s sword snapped out, causing Aki to slump with a hiss. He straightened and wrapped Suteko in a blanket of shadows as her body started to fall. He then turned angry eyes to Seiya. “That was too much Pain. You should have pulled back.” He wrapped his undamaged arm around Unicorn’s form and pulled the shadows around them.
He smiled at Rage and Draco as they raced forward. “You’ve lost Kouhei. You should have joined us when offered. Now you can watch as I take away the last hope of Earth!” Aki laughed as the darkness swirled higher.
The remaining Kouhei warriors rushed forward but Aki, Seiya and Suteko were gone. As the darkness faded and the shadows departed all that was left in the room were wounded and bewildered Senshi and Kouhei. Sailor Moon pushed away Sweet waters hands as she transformed once more to Princess Serenity . She pulled off the crystal on her breast and held it up. Beams of pure moon light speared out and touched everyone in the room. Anger and sadness replaced fear and cries of pain. The defection of three warriors and the kidnap of three more was too much for even Serenity’s gifts to ease the soul injuries of some. Sweet water added her green energies to Serenity’s with a soft hand on the Princess’ arm. Slowly the rage and anger came under control and the pain from the injuries dissolved.
The Senshi and Kouhei all gathered about Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity, tears in many eyes. The Princess let the glow die and replaced her crystal. “Is everyone all right?” She looked about. Her Senshi stood and nodded, eyes fierce, calm or angry, depending on their personality. She leaned into Prince Endymion’s arms and turned her eyes to the Kouhei.
They were hers, made so in blood and pain. Warriors who had gone through much to fight the good fight. The fact that three of their own had descended to fight with the darkness hurt them. She felt for them. She held out her hand and slowly the Kouhei fell as one to their knees. “Don’t warriors. You are honorable and have lost much.”
Jaeoh’s head came up and the old anger simmered there in his eyes. Anger at this Princess faded, squashed by the new anger at the Shadow Master. “Princess we are Kouhei. We will not allow the Shadows to win. They have torn us, tricked us and stolen away our hearts but we will get them back. We will not let the Shadows keep what they have taken.” With each word his voice dropped in timber till it rumbled like a true jade Dragon speaking. At his side, Rage was visibly shaking with the need to rage out. She could see the red glow and was amazed as she watched him breath through till it faded. The other two Kouhei held tight to each other. Their eyes held the same anger and glow as the two before her.
The eight Senshi moved to circle the Kouhei. “From now on you four will always have two senshi with you. Kaneda seems focused on taking you all." She nodded to her prince. “We need to find our lost warriors, Senshi and Star Knight.” Her eyes grew misty as the last image of unicorn smoking and limp flew past her eyes. “Neptune! Your mirror, can you find them?”
The lovely green haired senshi pulled out the Deep Aqua Mirror and concentrated. Slowly images formed in the green glass, shadowy yet there. She focused harder and the crystals of Minerva, Time and Unicorn flashed in the darkness. “I can get a lock on them highness.”
“Good,” she turned fierce eyes to her people. “This time we need to plan a assault.” She stopped Rage’s interruption with one finger. “I will lose no more of you to being unprepared.” She gestured to Pluto who swirled them out to her home. It was time to plan, time to heal and time to grieve.
***
In the shadow kingdom Aki winced as he let the shadow harem tend his wounds. Unicorn’s light burned hotter than the sun. If he hadn’t started out as a human, her sword would have done more than stab and burn him.
Any moment now he expected Kaneda to storm in demanding Unicorn be placed in his shadowy hands. Too bad that wasn’t Aki’s plan. Seiya had gone overboard and needed to be punished. He had wanted Unicorn unconscious not almost dead. His minions couldn’t touch the Star Knight without pushing her past her body’s ability to heal. He smiled as he pushed away his attendants. “Time to put her in the locker.”
***
Iriko awoke with a shudder. Her bones hurt but as she checked, she found she had no injuries. She sent her mind out, searching. Within this room here was one other person, a male who was asleep. She skimmed his mind. It was Steve, Star Ocean.
Pushing her scan out further she searched for her friends. She found Hana, two doors down. She eased carefully off the bed and placed a hand on Steve’s head. She slipped into his mind and sent him into a deeper sleep. The past month she had been working on control and it worked.
She looked down and sighed, her uniform was torn and almost dingy. Something about the light here was so off. In all her years in the Negaverse her uniform had never showed this type of damage. She eased the door open and crept down the hall. This, the sneaking, was something she was good at. After all what type of spy would she have been if she couldn't blend and sneak.
She crept till she was outside the door where she felt Hana. Placing a hand on the door she reached again. Hana was alone and in a state between sleep and waking . Easing the door open she slipped inside.
Hana wasn’t on the bed. and Iriko had to look about. In the semi-dark room it took a bit but she found her curled up in a corner. Crouching down she reached out to rest her fingers on Hana’s face. The smaller woman’s hand lashed out, stopping her. Large black eyes blinked slowly and became clear. “Be careful Iri-chan.”
Iriko nodded and looked over her shoulder. “I can’t touch Suteko. She isn’t in this corridor.”
Hana sighed, “we need to get out of here and search but something…this place…is locking me in place. I can’t shift” Han’s voice sounded confused and panicked. Her entire life Hana had moved through time. Being locked in the present was causing her to feel out of control.
Iriko gave Hana a quick hug. For Time being stuck in place would be frightening but at the moment they needed to find a way out of this place. “Where is your guard?”
“Samuel left me right after putting me in here.” She got up slowly. “Iriko, I think he hasn’t gone over. When I woke up and reached,” she brushed a hand through her hair and grimaced. “His mind is being controlled. A part of him is trying to fight it.” She looked up. “Unlike Seiya and Steve. They are enjoying this.”
Iriko sighed, thinking furiously. “Do you think we could break the control?”
“Like you did for Mamaru? Yes, yes that could work.” Hana hid a smile. While she was not quite sure of what would happen she knew that Iriko had to come into her own. The Senshi of Secrets had been held in stasis too long. While this was horrible things would work out for Iriko now. “He,” her eyes went vague. “He is, coming down the hall. Get behind the door.”
Hana went back to the corner and curled up. Samuel was a pawn at the moment. From the time he left Limbo someone had been whispering in his mind. Iriko knew she could drown out those whispers. After all Minervans had developed the ability to break brain washing centuries ago.
Out in the hall Samuel was mumbling. A part of him was all for following orders but the suppressed part of him was not. Aki had told him he had to subdue Hana and while he
complied he was as gentle as acceptable. Little Hana was too fragile to do the things that Aki had demanded. She was more mascot than fighter and he didn’t want to harm her if possible. He had paced up and down the hall for hours, even stopping to talk to Steve.
Now there was something wrong with old buddy Steve . He had hurt the pretty purple haired girl when he didn’t need to. And Seiya, he could tell she had flipped out. The glowing girl was hurt pretty bad.
Something was telling him he had to help her. Help both of the girls but he wasn’t sure how. He needed to go talk to Hana and see if she could help him understand. He stopped by the featureless door and sighed. He hoped Hana had calmed down. He didn’t mean to scare her earlier but the part of him he didn’t have control of had taken over. Opening the door slowly he whispered. “Hana? Hana can we talk?”
As Samuel stepped into the room, Hana seemed to curl up in a tighter ball. Biting his lip he eased closer “Hana, please don’t be afraid of me. Come on we worked together for a long time.”
Iriko crept silently from behind the door, eyes darting between the stocky man and her tiny friend. When Samuel crouched down to speak gently to Hana, she slipped forward and placed her hand on his head. Faster than he could react she sent a mind blast, carefully into his mind.
Hana scrambled out of the way as Samuel fell forward. She looked at Iriko and back. “See?”
Iriko nodded and rested her hand on his temple, reaching out and grasping Hana’s fingers. Together they slipped into his stunned mind gently. Hana could once more feel the confusion and she helped guide Iriko. Together they slowly pulled free the shadow tentacles from Samuel’s mind. She found clearing the shadow taint from his mind easier and more difficult than when she helped Suteko after the Tengu attack. Samuel had less tentacles to clear but they were less defined. Unicorn’s mind didn’t hold the same darkness naturally that a Kouhei held within.
As they worked, Iriko caught flashes of Samuel’s memories. The stocky man fit his use name. Solid, loyal and slow of movement and thought most times. His temper when roused was swift and dangerous. There were glimpse of dark things done in the past, decisions he wasn’t proud of that led to bad things. But there was also shining moments when he snuck out to play with neighborhood kids, letting them use him to climb and tackle. Other times when he ended up in a local garden helping vegetables grow to feed they hungry children he played with. It took a long timeless moment for them to clear his mind. Hana smiled as they felt Samuel add his own strength to the cleansing. Finally with an audible sigh of relief he raised his shaggy head. With sad eyes, he whispered, “I’m sorry Hana. I tried not to hurt you.”
Uncharacteristically Hana wrapped her arms about Samuel. “We know teddy bear, It wasn’t you doing it.”
Iriko sat back with her own sigh and smiled. This battle was easier than the last. It was good to see something bright in this dark realm.
After Samuel and Hana spoke they turned to Iriko and started to plan a way out.
******
Aki debated with himself. Giving Unicorn to Kaneda would definitely rise his place in the Shadow master eyes but he too had a score to settle with the Light Bearer. Not so many years ago he had been a student, one of Suteko’s students in fact. The curvaceous raven haired Star Knight had been a good teacher, giving praise when earned and corrections when needed. Her rebukes were never as harsh as the teacher from his early training but the disappointed look tended to feel worse. When she had left the dojo on her first quest to find a long missing father Aki had begged to go with her but he was too young. And Atsuko was firm that Suteko head out alone. Once she came back and went to college, she had no time for her “star” pupil.
Aki got up and went into the special shielded room he had installed. Kaneda could not see into this space due to a very complicated spell. He smiled as he looked at Unicorn.
She was suspended off the ground by her wrists. Coils of Shadow imbued chains wrapped her forearms burning through the once white elbow gloves. Aki had had his minions string her up so her feet could not touch the floor, then gagged her so that the strange music of her voice could not harm them. Walking about her he pulled the tie from her hair, with a gesture, letting the dark mass unravel and slip down her back.
Staring at his once teacher, Aki remembered back to the day Kaneda had come. Suteko had been out of the country and due back later that week. Her once suitor was not pleased. He had destroyed the modest dojo outside Boston, killing all inside. Or almost all. He had given Aki a choice, join him or die. Aki joined him, he even led Suteko to the first confrontation up in the hills. Kaneda rewarded his treachery by making him his right hand. But the shadows offered him more. Power and ability, taught him things he never dreamed of. When Kaneda had been driven away he had loyally tended to his master. When given the chance to become more, he had agreed, only just convincing the Shadows that he should keep his human body as a better way to fight the Light.
Now he had the key to getting the Guardian to relinquish control of the gate. He just had to get the location of the Gate of Shadows and the guardian from his former sensei.
If Aki had been paying attention he would have seen that Unicorn ‘s eyes were open a slit. Gentle white light, just a sliver, was spilling free. The bindings made her bones ache with an ice cold burn like frostbite. Keeping her breathing shallow, Unicorn took stock of her situation. Her empathic sense told her that in this room the only shadow minion was Aki. Once her student, he was now the enemy. She slowly started to gather her strength. The shadow chains and the lack of real light hampered this ability but she had to try. She had two friends trapped somewhere in the darkness.
Feeling something going on with his prisoner, Aki curled his fingers in her hair and tugged her head up. Unicorn stiffened at the touch. “Playing possum won’t save you Teacher.” Still behind her he spoke right into her ear. “Tell me where the guardian is and I will let your friends go.”
She glared, pulling her Light and letting it flood from her eyes. It started to move out from her eyes as Aki leaned back. The simple cloth gagging her melted away as the glow slowly strengthened. Aki pulled his fingers free and sent a shadow bolt into the chains which then coursed over the weakened Star Knight. Her back arched as she let out a ragged scream. He let the power flow for a full minute before coming around her front. He watched her slump again and smiled.
“Did you really think I wasn’t prepared for your attempts sensei? Every time you try to access your powers my shadows will strike you again.”
Suteko groaned as the pain receded. Lifting her head slowly, she glared at Aki. “You will never get what you want.”
Low evil laughter filled the room. “Oh you will give me what I want woman. If you don’t your little friends will suffer.” He called up a black sphere and projected images of Hana and Iriko in the hands of the converted Kouhei, who were doing unspeakable things to them. Suteko clamped her mouth shut and glared. She knew that Aki was lying somehow, that her friends were not suffering but even if they were she couldn’t give him what he wanted. If the shadows controlled the Gate, everyone would suffer. She dropped her head back down, eyes closing.
“What? No words? No begging me to save them?” He moved right up to her face, lifting her chin with long back nailed fingers. “”Such loyalty. Do you think your brother would be so loyal to you?”
She whispered, trying to pull her face out of his cold grasp. “He would never give up the Gate to you.”
Aki slapped her in anger. “You value yourself too little Light Bearer. Any brother would give much to keep such a beautiful sister safe.”
Unicorn licked her split lip and slowly shook her head. “Even if I told you where he was he wouldn’t react the way you want. He doesn’t know I exist.” She focused her large green eyes on her former student. “You try and approach him and you will be a forgotten memory too Aki. Your master will not get wh
at he wants from me.”
Pure frustration made Aki send a thick wave of dark energy right into her chest, causing her to arch and scream once more. The energy crackled and twisted along the chains adding burns to her front and down the length of her arms. “I was trying to save you, sensei but you refuse to be sensible!” He ranted as he paced in front of her. “Do you want me to give you to Kaneda? Do you want to have him rape your soul like he did your body!” He once more backhanded the now limp Star Knight.
The shadow power was eating away her uniform and her skin but Unicorn slowly lifted her head and whispered again. “I am sorry Aki-chan.”
He stopped mid rant and turned slowly. “What did you say?”
Licking her lips, she whispered again. “I am sorry Aki-chan. I should have protected you from him.”
Aki was stunned and confused. “How could you have protected me?’
But he wasn’t going get an answer this time. Unicorn had lost consciousness and hung totally limp in her chains. Aki stared at her for a long moment, then turned and headed back to report to Kaneda, all the while Unicorn’s words bounced around his mind.
When Shadows Rise Page 17
