There's only one sure way To bring the giant down Defunct the strings Of cemetery things With one flat foot On the Devil's wing. Rob Zombie, "Living Dead Girl" _______________________________________________________________________ Kinmokusei Story Chapter Twenty-One: Crystal Power by Kotetsu _______________________________________________________________________ Yaten sat slumped on the ground, panting, gasping for air, her silvery bangs falling in a sweaty cascade over her face. Behind her she heard - dimly - Belinda screaming. Screaming that Yaten was going to kill herself, that she was throwing her life away, that she wasn't going to survive another fiery blast from that creature's maw-- "I can't stop," Yaten whispered to herself. She wondered if Hideaki was still there, if he was still holding Belinda. All that mattered was that the youma's attention was still focused on her, that she was still blocking its advances. Now it was just standing in front of her, idly wagging its tail, watching her curiously, almost intelligently, as if trying to determine her next move. In a matter of moments, it was about to figure out that Yaten wasn't going to make a next move. The creature was opening its mouth again. Yaten squeezed her eyes shut, stealing herself. She could hear Hideaki still trying to pull Belinda away. "Come on, we need to get help!" "NO!" Belinda was injured too gravely to allow her to escape Hideaki's grip, but she still screamed, nonetheless. "SHE'S NOT GOING TO SURVIVE ANOTHER HIT!" Yaten remembered something that Mizuno Ami had once quoted to her, back in that distant past year on Earth. Something written by a physicist . . . Einstein? People only start their lives at last when they are able to live for something other than themselves. Gathering up the last of her strength, Yaten raised her voice, making sure that Belinda could hear her. "This is my mission! To protect others, even to my last dying breath!" The youma paused. It appeared startled by her sudden vocal outburst. It had thought her too weak to even speak anymore. Well, Yaten had thought herself too weak to speak anymore, too. But then she had surprised herself. Hmm, that's right, Yaten mused, detached, raising her fingers slowly and resting them on her own lips, surprised by the words that were coming from her own mouth. They were so startling, so surprising; and yet so obvious, and so *right.* Something like a hot, pulsing star began to burn inside her chest. But it wasn't painful, exactly . . . It felt nice, sort of tingly . . . In fact, she was beginning to tingle all over her body, and her skin was humming with an almost electrical energy . . . It was Reynard's horrible laughter, more than anything, that made Taiki see red. She struggled to get a grip on her senses. "You'll never have your revenge now," Reynard gloated. "I don't need to listen to you!" Taiki choked out the words, but still managed to sound contemptuous. "Why not? Aren't you angry, that I've finally won? Doesn't that make you furious? Doesn't that make you want to wring my neck? Doesn't that make you want to rip my throat out or claw my eyes out or--" "You haven't won yet," Taiki gasped, barely managing to breath now, feeling the sticky vine tightening still around her neck. "And I don't care . . . because you don't matter . . . because you're not important." Reynard's face clouded over. "What?" "You don't matter to Malathos or Delilah . . . you don't matter me . . . I could care less about you . . . you seek power in the most petty, small-minded matters . . . you subjugate others, but you don't even do it well . . . you're just a filthy little rodent scurrying around the droppings of larger, more powerful evils . . . you can't do anything right, not by yourself . . . you don't matter." "Shut up." Reynard squeezed his fist, and the vines constricted, squeezing Taiki painfully, crushing her windpipe closed. And then, Taiki grew very calm. That's right. She had to live through this, so that she could take her revenge on Reynard. Black miasma began to swim in front of Taiki's vision. This was it, then. This was the end. She was suffocating to death, and she was about to die. She was feeling cold all over. Death, she concluded ruefully, must surely be a terribly cold and lonely journey . . . Why, then, did her chest feel so warm? Not warm, no . . . hot, bright, white light, like a burning star, expanding out and beyond her chest . . . she could see light bursting across her field of vision . . . she felt the thick ropy vine around her neck dissolve into ashes . . . the web of vines entangled about her body was suddenly nothing more than ash in the wind, and she fell forward, supporting herself with her hands, gasping and panting for air. Reynard stared at her, a slow, dawning expression of fear and horror creeping across his face. "No . . . impossible . . . " "I'll ask you one more time - where are we? Where have you sent us?!" "I - I don't know!" Seiya repeated, choking back a sob. With a sneer of disgust, Malathos finally pulled his fingers out of her flesh and flung her aside, watching her limp body smash painfully into the dark nothing that passed for the ground of their strange dimension. He grimaced, wiping his bloody fingers on his robes. There hadn't been much left of her shoulders or upper body for him to hold onto anyway. Seiya laid on the ground, arms flopped uselessly at her sides, moaning softly. Her shoulders and upper chest had been torn and punctured into a bloody, pulpy mess. Her shoulder blades were splintered, cracked, and even punched through with impossible finger-sized holes. Her collar bone felt wrong, maybe it was pulling her ruined shoulder blades, maybe it was listing or twisting, she didn't know, she didn't want to know, she didn't want to think about what a horrible, ruined mess she really was. She realized slowly that in her current position, lying on her back, there was no way for her to upright herself again. Not without using her ruined upper body muscles. She felt her own blood running wetly down her breasts and sides. She shivered, and that only caused a wave of intense pain to wrack her body. "I can see that you will be of no help to me," Malathos glowered at her, towering over her inert, helpless form. "Well, no matter. Once I free myself of this prison, I can use my full powers to heal your bodily injuries, again, and thereby bind you to my will." "No . . . please don't," Seiya gasped weakly. "Please." He raised one eyebrow at her. "Resorting to begging already? How pathetic. Your tears betray you, Fighter. You've already broken your own will." With that, he swirled his robes melodramatically and turned his back to her. He stood, staring off into space, muttering under his breath softly. "Let's see . . . how shall we go about breaking this realm apart . . . ?" Seiya watched his back, listening to his mutterings, hearing herself gasping for breath. A wave of nausea passed through her. She wondered how much blood she had lost - or was still losing. She could feel tears leaking down her cheeks. She turned her eyes upward, toward the black sky? ceiling? whatever it was. She just didn't want to stare at Malathos's back anymore. "Shut up," Seiya whispered to herself. "Not now." She was too tired. She could hear Malathos speaking guttural, foreign-sounding incantations. Spellweaving? He was probably waving his arms in the air, looking like an idiot. Seiya closed her eyes, and extended her Senshi senses, searching for the edges of the strange dimension, seeing if she could find any flaws or weaknesses. She stretched, and stretched, and stretched . . . Nothing. She couldn't even *find* any edges or boundaries. Nothing but emptiness, expanding for infinity. She pulled herself back, exhausted. "Hellfire!" Malathos swore. His spells were having no effect, then, Seiya mused. She listened as he began chanting again. "There's nothing I can do," Seiya whispered under her breath. The thought came to her, so suddenly, so clearly and so loudly, that her eyes flew wide open and she gasped with shock. Who--? What--? "Oh." Seiya closed her eyes again. "It's just me." Myself. I. Talking to my own head. "I know," Seiya whispered, even more softly than she had before. "Forgotten what?" Galaxia remembered you because of your anger, because of your courage, because of your defiance. She hated you for it. On Earth, you were the only thing holding the other two together. They never told you - they were afraid to tell you - how much you meant to them. They were so scared, and so hopeless, and so lost. They would have given up, if not for you. You kept pressing onward, no matter what. You were stubborn and foolish and stupid about it, but you wouldn't give up on finding the Princess. And because of you, they were able to keep themselves going, too. That's why they were so upset, and so angry, when they thought that you were straying from your mission. Because they needed you to keep them from giving up hope. You were always the strong one. You were always the backbone of the team. Everybody always counted on you for love, for support, for strength, for leadership. Even Kakyuu, although you would never admit it. When there was an enemy to fight, you were always the one who stood your ground, who grit your teeth and balled your fists and glared defiantly at the enemy's eyes. You were always the one who fought the hardest, the fiercest, and the longest. You had your weaknesses and your vulnerabilities, but you would never show them to the enemy. You always maintained your composure. In the face of evil, you never shed a single tear. And now look at you. Look at what you've become! Not just now, in this moment, but during all of the hellish events since the youma attacks first began. First, you were hesitant in battle. Then, you were confused and lost, and even afraid to lead the other two, afraid to issue orders or commands. And then this, now. Crying and begging in front of your greatest enemy. You've cried for others, before, but never for yourself. And finally, at last, giving up hope. That was the one thing that you swore you would never do, remember? On Earth, you told the other two that you would never give up hope. But where are those brave words now? The old you isn't entirely gone. It's still very much there. Why, just moments ago - when you broke free of that monster's control and screamed your defiance at his face - it was almost just like old times again, wasn't it? The impossible odds didn't matter, the fact that you might have been about to die didn't matter. All that was important was the fact that you stood your ground, and that you held the love of your teammates and your Queen so closely within your heart. But where is all of that now? That devil-may-care attitude, that flippant defiance, that fierce, determined warrior woman who promised that she would never, ever fail her loved ones? You haven't failed, not yet. You have no excuse to give up hope. It's unacceptable. Look around you, at this realm - and at Malathos, trapped in that mortal body! That's your doing, Seiya. This is proof of your power. Now it's up to you to use that power, to take the final step. All you have to do is stop wallowing in your own misery, and remember why you chose the destiny of a Sailor Senshi in the first place. It will be painful, and it will be difficult. But it can be done. You can break free of your prison and destroy Malathos. Just remember your true self. Don't ever lose sight of your true nobility or strength. Believe in yourself . . . Seiya blinked, and slowly shook her head from side to side. "Oh, is that all?" she whispered to herself. She wanted to wipe the tears from her eyes, but she simply couldn't move her arms. Oh, well. She didn't *need* the use of her arms to save herself, did she? No, if Malathos was correct, if she had created the dimension that surrounded them with the power of her own Sailor Crystal, then surely . . . Surely she could use her Crystal to *destroy* the dimension . . . Seiya closed her eyes, and concentrated. She recalled the words that she had thought when the Crystal had first saved her from the liquid Malathos. Already, she could feel the first trickles of warm, pulsing power flooding her veins. She opened her eyes, and stared upward at the black nothingness. She sensed, more than saw, the bright light beginning to glow between her breasts. All of a sudden, Malathos was looming over her, leering at her hatefully. "What in the bloody hell do you think you're doing?!" he hissed at her, angrily. And, despite everything, Seiya smiled at him. It was not, however, a very friendly smile. "Why, I'm about to teleport myself out of here," she explained calmly. Smugly. "You can't," he gasped. "I knew that you didn't understand anything about me," Seiya grinned at him. "I very much can." Just as he had before, Malathos panicked. Seiya could see his naked fear written all over his face. "No! You will not leave me here like this! You little WRETCH! I'LL PUT YOU IN YOUR PLACE!" His hand, fingers hooking into curved claws, plunged down toward her chest-- And flew backward and up into the air, burned and repelled by a flash of golden light. "DAMN YOU!" he cursed at her as he stumbled backward. Seiya thought idly as she felt the power of her Crystal filling her as it never had before. Any moment, now . . . But despite her convictions, Sailor Kinmoku still struggled in Delilah's grasp. Delilah was giggling now, a high-pitched, unhinged giggle that reminded Kakyuu of a deranged child torturing a doll or a toy. "When you're dead, stupid, stupid Queen, there won't be anybody left to keep me from stealing your pretty crown!" "No . . . You can't kill me . . . that easily . . . " "But I already am!" Her vision was beginning to blur, to fade. With a great deal of effort, she tore her eyes away from Delilah's insane, bloodshot irises and looked over the madwoman's shoulder, toward Seiya, lying stiff, still, and lifeless beside the equally as vegetative lake-creature. Something was happening to Seiya. She was beginning to glow, oddly enough . . . she was softening, filling out, returning back to life, moving slightly, a tremble running in a wave down her body-- Delilah must have sensed *something* happening, because she suddenly snapped her head around toward the lake, her face frozen in an expression of panic, her eyes wide and disbelieving. "NO!" Delilah was startled enough that her hands flew away from Sailor Kinmoku's neck as she whirled around. It was all the distraction that Sailor Kinmoku needed. "Fighter! Maker! Healer!" Her voice rose to the heavens. "LEND ME YOUR POWER!" Amazed at her own strength, Yaten held her hand to the air, feeling new words forming on her tongue. "Healer Crystal Power, MAKE UP!" Taiki, of course, didn't even bother with giving Reynard a second glance. "Maker Crystal Power, MAKE UP!" Seiya was certain, in that moment, that she would relish the almost comical look of surprised horror on Malathos's face for the rest of her life. But that didn't matter, at the moment. Her Queen, her true love, was calling her. "Fighter Crystal Power, MAKE UP!" "NOOO!" Delilah screamed, staring transfixed at the far shore of the lake. Seiya was slowly pulling herself upright, wobbling slightly, her eyes open but blank and glazed, as if she weren't entirely there yet, almost, but not quite-- The lake began to writhe and seethe. Sailor Kinmoku, startled, stepped away from it. But Delilah rushed forward. "My Master is returning!" she cried out with joy. Across the lake, Seiya slowly raised her arm. "Fighter Crystal Power, MAKE UP!" Sailor Kinmoku shaded her eyes from the brilliant, dazzling light of the henshin sequence. The lake *boiled*. It was alive then. Oh, Goddess, the water was alive. Then it must be--! "That *thing* is Malathos," Sailor Star Fighter said, suddenly beside her Queen, reaching out to grasp her hand-- Sailor Kinmoku whirled. "Fighter! You--?" Fighter winked at her. "Teleport across the lake? No problem for a Sailor Senshi." Her right hand wandered idly up to her own shoulder, touching it lightly, as if amazed that it was there at all. "Oh, wow. I almost want to think that it was just a dream, but . . . " "What was just a dream, Fighter?" "That." Fighter nodded toward Delilah, who was now kneeling beside the boiling water, prostrating herself before her Master, and begging, crying-- "Master, forgive me! Master, I never meant to let them into this realm! Master, please - grant me the power to defeat them!!" "Come on!" Sailor Kinmoku pulled Fighter forward, toward Delilah. "We have to stop her!" Healer stumbled for a moment, stunned, trying to catch her balance after the disorienting moment of the henshin transformation. She honestly couldn't tell which of them was more surprised - herself, or the youma. The youma actually stepped backward for a moment, wary, suspicious. It glared at her, trying to analyze her, wondering where its prey had suddenly found such an incredible reserve of new power-- In short, the youma hesitated. It was all the opening that Healer needed. She gathered up her strength. "ATHENUS CELESTIAL LIGHTNING!" The rippling rush of bluish-green lightning that thundered across the gymnasium almost instantly reduced the monster to nothing but a pile of ash and bone. And then Healer stood, staring at the remains of the youma, fists clenched at her sides, heart pounding in her chest, feeling her veins still throbbing, singing with power. She whirled around, searching for Hideaki and Belinda. "Are you all right--?" Hideaki stared at her with eyes as wide as dinner plates. Belinda slumped weakly against him, that gruesome white stump of bone still sticking out of her shin, her face gray, but still, strangely, smiling. "I think that you should go after Seiya now," she managed, weakly. "Don't worry about us anymore." "Right." Healer nodded, and turned away from her. "SAILOR TELEPORT!" A moment later, she was gone. Reynard stumbled away from Maker. "Impossible!" he gasped, yet again. Maker thought it wise not to reveal that Reynard wasn't the only one who was surprised. Instead she kept her face set, cold, angry. She cracked her knuckles eagerly. "Isn't it about time that you finally got what you deserved, mister Reynard?" "Fuck you," he snarled at her, throwing back her own insult, making a lightning-fast series of gestures with his hand. It was a spell, of some sort - something meant to hurt her, or immobilize her, or whatever. Maker didn't know, but she also didn't care. She merely waved her hand in front of her, feeling her Crystal flare in her chest, feeling the magical energies that Reynard wielded dissolving into the air around her. Successfully blocked. Reynard fell back a step, his eyes widening with horror. "No--!" Maker sensed that his survival instincts were finally kicking in, that he was about to run away from her. And so, she decided to stop him. "GENESIS CELESTIAL FIRE!" Violet flickering flames engulfed Reynard. He threw back his head and screamed, a sound full of more rage and pain and fury than Maker ever really cared to hear. Fortunately, she didn't have to listen to him for long. His clothing burst into flames, his hair burst into flames, his flesh began to ripple and run like tallow. Disgusted, Maker turned away from him. Or what was left of him. Fire was, after all, the only way to permanently destroy an undead creature. The unnatural violet fire finally faded. Nothing was left of the vampyre except a small pile of bone and ash. Maker glanced at Reynard's cremated remains, then glanced away again. "Well," she said aloud to the empty cavern, "that certainly felt good." But now it was time for her to report back to her Queen, wasn't it? Maker drew in a deep breath. "SAILOR TELEPORT!" Hideaki was shuffling down the basement hallways awkwardly, still dragging Belinda with him. "Why haven't the guards come down her yet?" he wondered aloud. Belinda shrugged. "Dark magic, perhaps? An isolation spell? Or maybe just a sense of drama?" She laughed, wanly. Her face was still very gray. Hideaki turned his head toward her, and his eyes suddenly widened with horror. "Lady Belinda, your *ears* are leaking." "Eh? What?" Belinda raised one weak, trembling hand to the side of her head. She wiped her fingertips across a thin trail of something thick and slimy that was dribbling out of her ear. She lifted her soiled fingers in front of her eyes. Whatever it was, it was cold, and brown. Nasty stuff, that. a little voice in the back of her head whispered. Belinda shuddered, shifting her weight against Hideaki's shoulder. Hideaki gulped. "What is it?" "I don't know," Belinda whispered softly, still listening to that strange little voice inside her head. "But I have a gut feeling that there are plenty of other people all around the royal palace who have brown gook leaking out of their ears right now." "Uh . . . How do you know that?" Belinda closed her eyes. "I don't know," she repeated. "Oh." They shuffled onward. Delilah never had a chance to find out if the Master was going to grant her more power or not, because at that moment, Fighter grabbed a handful of her hair in one fist, yanked backward sharply, and then brought her other fist crashing down into Delilah's startled, upturned face. The pain was worse than anything Delilah had ever felt before. She lashed out wildly with her magic, throwing an unfiltered burst of power toward her adversary. She heard Fighter cry out and stumble backward, pulling a handful of Delilah's hair with her. "Fighter!" Sailor Kinmoku dashed toward the other Senshi. ----CURSED SENSHI!!!---- Malathos howled. Delilah didn't understand how her Master had freed himself from wherever he had been trapped, but at the moment, she didn't care. She rolled away from her enemies, and stopped, leaping up into a standing position, throwing herself upward and bracing her feet, bracing her mind, preparing to attack them again-- There were two twin flashes of searingly bright light. And then there weren't just two Sailor Senshi standing in front of Delilah anymore; there were FOUR Sailor Senshi. "Fighter!" "Hey, Healer!" "Maker, you made it!" "Where have you BEEN?!" "Fighter, are you all right?!" ----REYNARD IS DEAD! THEY KILLED REYNARD!!---- the Master roared through Delilah's brain. "I'll fix them for you, Master," Delilah snarled, summoning and gathering all of her energy, whispering an incantation under her breath, preparing to unleash her deadliest spells-- And then, the Senshi must have sensed her building power level, because as one, all four heads suddenly swiveled toward her. "Watch out - she's spellcasting!" Healer warned. "Brace yourselves!" "No!" Sailor Kinmoku protested quickly. "Attack, all of you, now - combined!!" Delilah hesitated in the middle of her incantation. "But you CAN'T attack me! You're MY Senshi! DAMMIT, I'M YOUR RIGHTFUL QUEEN!" They weren't listening to her. "SAILOR SYSTEM ATTACK!" Delilah saw a burst of multi-colored light flooding her vision. It felt very hot. And then her thoughts went blank. Fighter pulled back her hand, trembling slightly. She stared at the burnt, blackened stone where Delilah had stood just a moment ago. She swallowed, and licked her lips. "Oh, wow. I didn't know that we could do something like that." ----Impressive. Most impressive.---- Maker's hands slowly rose to her ears. "Please tell me that I'm not hearing voices in my head." "You're not," Healer answered calmly. "I heard it too." Sailor Kinmoku whirled, and pointed, frantically, at the roiling black lake. "There - that's it! That's the thing called Malathos!" "Shimatta!" Fighter swore. "I don't know how he managed to follow me back here!" Sailor Kinmoku eyed Fighter quizzically. "What do you mean, 'follow you back here'?" Malathos laughed, low and rumbling, echoing through their heads. ----Look at your precious little Senshi now, Queen,---- he said, apparently addressing Sailor Kinmoku directly. ----They've managed to power themselves up a level. How dangerous are they, now? It really would be a travesty if those powerful Sailor Crystals were to fall into the wrong hands.---- "He's going to teleport to the Andromeda galaxy!" Fighter suddenly blurted out. "WHAT?!" "He's going to use US to drain the planet and pass all of its life energy on to him, and then he's going to teleport to the Andromeda galaxy, and WE'RE going to burn up and die!" Malathos's voice was low, threatening. ----Shut up, Fighter.---- Maker shook her head, incredulously. "Fighter, how do you know that?" ----Don't listen to her! She's lying!---- Malathos was growing desperate. "He told me so himself, the idiot." Fighter glared at the seething, inky water. "And now that we KNOW his dirty little secret, we'll never give in to his lies, right, guys?!" ----NO! DON'T LISTEN TO HER!---- Healer rolled her eyes. "Oh, sure, riiiiight. Like we're really going to trust your word over Fighter's word." Malathos suddenly became very, very angry. ----YOU!---- The strange mental energy of the undead creature focused squarely on Fighter. ----I'll teach you to jeopardize my plans!!---- The build-up of energy occurred so quickly that none of them even felt it coming. A hand raised out of the murky blackness - thick, goopy, dripping, black, crackling with energy, deadly and poisonous, rushing across the surface of the lake, reaching out, thrusting forward, aiming straight for Fighter, seeking to rip her brooch and the Crystal inside it right off her chest-- Fighter leapt away from it, dodging easily. She thrust her hands forward. "APOLLUS CELESTIAL RAY!" The sharp knives of brilliant blue light burst forth around the black gelatinous hand, instantly reducing it to wet, hissing shreds. Fighter stumbled backward. "The book! Who has the book?!" "I have it!" Sailor Kinmoku waved her hands and concentrated, wrinkling a little corner of space and time, the same way that she did when she wanted her wand to appear in her hand-- And, just like that, the ancient spellbook was cradled in her arms. They all could sense the wave of sudden panic from Malathos. ----That's from Turan!!!---- "Damn straight it is." Healer laughed. It was not a very nice laugh. The four of them were standing together, then, and Fighter was passing the book toward Healer. She held it, carefully, glancing up at Sailor Kinmoku. "So, am I the one that holds it and reads?" "I don't know Japanese." She shrugged. "You're the one who wanted to be a witch, after all." ----NOOO! YOU CAN'T!!!---- "Watch us," Maker said flatly. She was standing behind Healer, wrapping her arms around Healer's tiny waist. A moment later, Fighter was behind her, wrapping her arms around Maker's waist. Then Sailor Kinmoku was behind her, wrapping her arms around Fighter's waist and resting her head on Fighter's shoulder, completing the link. "Now what?" Healer gulped. "We channel energy," Sailor Kinmoku commanded. "You read." "Right." Healer closed her eyes. She could feel her breathing and her heartbeat, slowing, falling into a rhythm . . . She could feel Maker's heart, pressed against her back, beating in the same rhythm. And even further back, Fighter, and her Queen, all together, breathing as one, hearts beating as one, Crystals pulsing and throbbing with a shared crescendo of energy-- ----DAMN YOU!!!!---- Malathos howled. ----DAMN YOU ALL!!!---- Healer's eyes snapped open. She glanced down at the text, and began reading. "Dragon." She pronounced the first word, slowly, carefully, in perfect Japanese. "Flower. Root. Stem. Seed. Leaves." She could feel their energy, spinning and weaving outward, taking on shape, taking on form. Magic. Breathtaking complexity in the spell, but fascinating at the same time. Malathos writhed and roared. "Wall," Healer continued. "Stone. Mud. Earth. Sun. Sky. Below. Down. Dirt. Hole. Buried." Maker squeezed her tighter. Healer felt it, then - reality warping around them. Sinking. Hardening. The dimension was forming itself into an impenetrable seal-- ----NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!---- Malathos screamed in her head, so loud, attempting to drown out her thoughts. But Healer grit her teeth and stared resolutely at the page, refusing to let herself become distracted. Almost finished-- "Stone," she repeated. "Stone, crust, molten, sealed. Stone. Dirt. Stone!" Her energy - THEIR energy - was being pulled outward by the complex tapestry of the spell, being pulled and woven like thread, and she was beginning to feel herself weaken, feel herself tire-- But she could do it. She could finish reading. The others were still with her, holding her up, supporting her. "Stone!" she managed, somehow, again, repeating the word. And then, the last line of the spell, the most important incantation-- "Stone and mud and earth and dirt, roots to hold and sky to seal, gone and buried FOREVER!" Like a slow, languorous nightmare, the dimension began to fold inward on itself. ----AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrghurgh--- Malathos's cries grew fainter, fainter still. Healer felt the stone beneath her feet slipping away from her. Maker squeezed her tightly, refusing to let her go. Gratefully, Healer closed her eyes. The way the world was spinning was beginning to make her sick, after all. But then a wind was rushing toward her, and SHE was spinning, caught in a whirlwind vortex of warping space and time and spinning, madly, sickeningly, round and round and round, nothing beneath her feet now, no more solid ground, no more reality, no more existence, everything sealed, cut off, null, void, nil-- And then, grass underneath her booted feet, and bright sun in the sky. Miraculously, the four of them were still standing, still holding each other. Only now they were standing in the middle of the palace gardens. Healer dropped the book from her trembling hands. It fell to the ground and laid there, unnoticed. "He's gone," she croaked. Slowly, the other three pulled away from each other, unwrapping and untangling their arms. The sun was very bright, especially after the darkness in the former realm of Malathos . . . Healer squinted her eyes, adjusting to the light. Fighter looked around, slowly, turning her head. "Did we do it? Did we win?" She closed her eyes. "I can't . . . I can't feel that *other* place . . . not any more." "That's because it's gone." Maker dusted off her hands, as if sealing away the matter forever. "We buried that monster so deeply beneath layers of twisted time and space that it will take millions of years for him to work himself free again. He's sealed away, as best as a monster like that *can* be sealed away." "We couldn't kill him." Sailor Kinmoku raised her face to the sky. "But Melinda and Adella said that we could never hope to completely destroy an incorporeal undead creature, right?" Fighter clasped her Queen's hand in her own. "Hey, we did our best." She was grinning, joyously. "And we won! We saved this entire planet, and heck, even the entire Andromeda galaxy! Don't you guys get it?! We actually *won*!" Despite herself, Healer felt Fighter's grin being reflected on her own face. "Hey, Fighter - you know what?" "No, what?" But Healer never had the chance to finish that particular thought, because at that moment, the captain of the palace guards came dashing across the flower gardens toward them. "My Queen! My Queen!" he cried out hoarsely. "The security cameras were enchanted! The guards were asleep in their barracks when we realized - there'a was a powerful dark magic at work in the palace!" He finally halted before Sailor Kinmoku and Fighter, and bowed low, a thin thread of brown liquid trickling out from his ear. "My Queen, can you ever forgive us--?" "Forgive you . . . ?" Sailor Kinmoku blinked. "For what?" But then there were more people, suddenly, rushing toward them from all sides. Guards. Knights. Melinda, pushing Fighter aside, grasping her Queen's hand. Reporters. Civilians. The gardens were being flooded by bodies. Cameras began flashing, and the reporters began shouting questions. Fighter, Healer, and Maker stood in the center of it all, confused, blinking, blinded by the flashbulbs. Fighter gulped. "Um . . . We just defeated Malathos. Um, yeah." This only caused the reporters to scream and shout even more questions. Healer crossed her arms in front of her face. "They can't take my picture while I look like this!" she wailed. "After that youma fight, my hair is a MESS!" Maker giggled at her comment. "It's not funny! I'm serious!" Healer snapped at her. But Fighter, too, began to giggle. It was just too funny, too deliciously comical, and besides . . . She suddenly felt so happy, so cheerful, so GOOD, that she simply couldn't resist laughing along with Maker. And a moment later, the mood became infectious. The anger faded from Healer's face, and she laughed, lightly and cheerfully, finally letting waves of long-awaited relief wash over her. Ignoring the persistent reporters, ignoring Melinda and Sailor Kinmoku giving a haphazard joint press conference beside them, the three Starlights laughed together, joyous and carefree, in the midst of the crowded gardens. - end part twenty-one -