Pluto closed her eyes...and opened them again. Something was...
"Ahh, yes." Saturn murmured. "No, it isn't - alright..."
'Alright'? Ryouga stared. 'Uranus' was apparently trying to use a bloody Barrett Trap to blow A*0-1 away, along with pretty much all Life in the System - and something was 'Alright'?
Neptune was murmuring something faintly, with dazed eyes. Ryouga turned towards her.
"It's not, I don't think. My Sacrifice Cannons shouldn't be reacting like this if hers were 'hooked up and on-line' already..."
Ryouga's eyes nearly bugged out. Her whats?
" - And anyway..."
Uranus gave A*0-1 a gigantic shit-eating smirk.
"It isn't like it's a real Barrett Trap. It has the space-time warping shields and the "energy suck", but I have, most carefully, left the Sacrifice Cannon attachments taken off."
A*0-1 stared. Uranus gave her a look that was oddly familiar. "- Well, actually, they're de-coupled and in parts, it's not like I wanted to risk anything like massive damage to the Starseeds in the whole Solar System, after all..."
A*0-1 stared, again. What? What?
"I mean, Overkill, really. As if I'd ever risk the whole System to get lil' old you... Who the hell do you think you are, Galaxia?"
"You..." A*0-1 murmured. "You..."
Her aura was starting to crackle, some small part of A*0-1 realized, then. Somewhat worrying, that.
Uraus sneered. "It's just an old-fashioned Space-Time englobement field coupled with the 'energy suck', stupid. Since the Sacrifice Cannons are off-line, and all. All you have to do is overload the shields, and you'll be scout free. Surely you remember how to do that much?"
"Pluto?" Saturn murmured.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"Can I wack Uranus if - when she comes back?"
"Well..." Pluto sighed.
"Not with your Glaive, sweetie-pie. There wouldn't be enough left for the rest of us if you do that."
Saturn nodded at that, as if that was a totally reasonable statement. Ryouga swallowed
"Rolled up newspapers, then?"
"That'll be OK, sweetie. But don't you start till me and Neptune are ready, though."
Ryouga coughed, then. Oh, no, damnit... The last thing he wanted to do was draw their attention...
"Oh. I'm sorry - will you like to join, too?" Saturn asked, somewhat dazedly.
Uranus grinned, coldly. A*0-1 - didn't feel anything at all, for some reason.
Odd, that.
"- and I'll be with a big hunk of extra energy in storage, of course, but you wouldn't begrudge me that much, surely? To the winner the spoils, and all that!"
To the winner, the spoils.
To the winner
A*0-1 felt something break.
"Well ta da, then, Overkill - see ya later, alligator -"
Uranus - Uranus had to have a "back door", A*0-1 realized. Well, that wasn't surprising - it was her trap, after all -
A*0-1 stood tall, and called after Uranus -
"I don't belive you."
And at that moment, on Earth - a girl looked up at the sunset. And the darkening skies. And the stars.
"You - don't believe me."
Uranus murmured, and then turned back.
"And what do you not believe?"
'Sailor Overkill' is not going to lose to Kina. Or Tanzanium. Or -
"You lie."
And it was then that Uranus's aura went cold and stark.
"I do, do I. And what do you say I'm lying about, now?"
A*0-1 paused. Well of course Uranus was lying, she -
She - what?
"That this isn't a real Barrett Trap? You would have noticed the differences if you'd actually been paying attention to it, A*0-1. Just read the energy signatures."
A*0-1 hissed. Uranus was trying to confuse her, of course -
And that shouldn't be happening. She was Sailor Overkill, linked to one of the most massive black holes in the part of space, and -
This. Shouldn't. Be. Happening.
Rei, Ami, Makoto and Minako looked up at the skies at that moment.
As did Usagi and Mamoru.
This was all wrong. She was Sailor Sagittarius A*0-1, known as "Sailor Overkill", and she was the strongest. And her friends - Friends, Overkill? You have friends? had betrayed her, they all did, but she was right and they were wrong and -
And she could fix it. Just Break everything and Make it again. The right way. So the right story could go on and -
Yes she'd get it right, this time she'd -
And it was then that she felt ghostly hands close around her from behind.
Saotome Genma stopped moving for a moment, over the Shougi board.
As did his opponent.
And several people in and around the house...
She was Ha'shel, facing Lacraine - I'm the strongest I'm the best I don't need anyone they all betray me anyway, I'll kill them all and go elsewhere - They all betray me - Even you!
She was Lancran, facing Kiri - They all said I had to be the Princess, you said I had to be the Princess, I should be, I fought so hard through so much pain and tears, I should be the real Princess, I'll make it right, I'll Break all the wrong things and ReMake them the way they should be, I will, I will -
She was Silicore facing Tanzanium - Stop looking at me like that, stop laughing, stop saying you're my friend - you aren't even a real Senshi, just a tool, just a tool we created for this System, for the Princess -
She was Bennare, facing her foster brother - Sorry Kirinath, not strong enough to get rid of the Dark thing in me stop it from eating the World not strong at heart enough, so sorry
And they were more, so many more shadows of who she was once, facing shadows of who Uranus once was -
And then there was Nike, braid hanging long, facing Kina. Saying nothing.
Nothing at all.
The world was white, all white -
No she lies, Kina lies she's crazy she means to kill the Solar System to get me she lies (But she wasn't, she knew, even Kina wouldn't -)
Galaxia
Freak, freak, I'm supposed to be the strongest why why why do they look at me like that -
All lies, I didn't do anything wrong they're all out to get me, I didn't -
- Akane -
Break it ReMake it Make it Right Sang Lancran, while another Lancran shook her head in horror, and Silicore watched -
- No -
Oh just kill them all, blow the System, who cares who needs them they never really loved us serves them right whispered Ha'shel, while Benarre wordlessly shook her head.
And Nike - watched her.
- We are nothing but shadows. You must be the one who lives for yourself -
Genma with burnt fish, Ukyou-chan, Mother, Kasumi and Nabiki, Ryouga -
We could Remake you parents, you know? Won't you want a less stupid Saotome Genma? Or a Saotome Nodoka who was less of a flake?
- I -
Or 'Friends' who didn't cause you trouble and more trouble?
- Akane -
Oh, that girl? You think she really cares about you? You could fix her, too, y'know - just make a new version, less tomboy, less malleting tendencies, better cooking skills!
- Akane -
And that was when A*0-1 shook her head. That wouldn't be Akane, any more.
"Over. My. Dead. Body."
And called the Light.
A*0-1 felt her powers raising. Ahh, this was good...
Her other-selves disappeared one by one in her mindscape, with Nike giving her a gesture that she knew was the equivalent of a thumbs-up, for some reason.
But what was Kina - no, Uranus, now - still doing here?
"What, still not gone?"
Uranus looked at her, blinked, and sighed. "You were the one who started saying you didn't believe me, you know?"
A*0-1 blinked. Was that so? Ahh, whatever, whatever. It wasn't like she couldn't feel it wasn't a real Barrett Trap now that she knew what she was looking for, of course.
"Hmmm. Something seems a bit different about you... In a good way, for a change." Uranus murmured. "Decided not to blow the Solar System, I suppose?"
A*0-1 jeered. "What, just to get lil' old you? Who do you think you are, Kina - a real Major Menace or something?"
Uranus simply grinned at that.
"Well, then, I'll look forward to seeing your force-field busting skills, then?"
"What, you're not bugging out?"
"I changed my mind."
Oh, well - A*0-1 sighed. Most incarnations of "Kina" were risk-takers, from what she remembered of them.
Or maybe she'd just let the window of opportunity to use the 'back door' run out - with 'Kina', you just never knew.
"Alright, then - just get out of the damn way, you -"
And then, there was Light, expanding into the void -
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(Posted Wed, 30 Aug 2006 08:26)
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