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Post by Zyppora on Jun 28, 2007 4:20:54 GMT -5
Veridian scowled at Sailor Mercury, obviously not accepting no for an answer. She was beyond pissed. She had a crazy Mercurian to deal with, one that was going to flood the dry land, and schoolgirl was going to refuse helping her? If it wasn't so damn important she'd actually laugh. Sailor Earth had moved in front of her, blocking her direct way to Sailor Mercury. 'Like it matters.' She thought. 'I can get to Sailor Mercury whenever I want, whether you're between us, beside us, or on the other side of the planet.'
Veridian's mind was going a mile a minute now. The crap seemed to pile up. Now she had not one, but two drywalkers to protect. Though Sailor Mercury came at a lower priority than Sailor Earth, she was the only one who could repair her pearl. Well, there was of course one other Mercurian walking around, but she highly doubted she could get him to help her. Time was against her as well. She hadn't realized it before, but her pearl was draining her constantly. She was slowly dying. But that was unacceptable. Not while Umitaro lived. He had sent her to her death once, but now was the time for retribution.
Only the little ice witch stood between her and her current raison d'etre. So much for conquering the planet. So much for bringing drywalkers and Atlanteans alike to their knees. So be it. She had long since let those ambitions flee, while sticking to the more realistic ones. Killing Umitaro and Tarda. Keeping alive herself and her lifeline, Sailor Earth. She'd probably leave her family alone too, hardly feeling like having Illyria break down and sending her maelstrom of emotions her way. She might even consider leaving most of the drywalkers alone - although she'd be having a great time scaring the crap outta them.
All those things could become a reality, if her pearl was restored. She'd deal with Umitaro in the blink of an eye, seeing as after that humongous attack, he'd have to have been severely drained. After that, it was a carte blanche. The Senshi were hardly a threat to her, but she'd leave them alone. They'd have helped her and in return, she'd not harm them, their families and friends and perhaps even Tokyo.
But nooo. Little miss frosty had to play cool and say 'no'. Up until now, the Senshi hadn't proven very useful, but they had been allies at best. They were fighting a common enemy with a common goal. Well, one common goal at least. But now, all of that was out the window. One little word that meant the difference between a not-everything-but-mostly-what-you-wanted future and no future at all. They had just shown their true colors. They still didn't trust her a nose length. 'Would you trust a stray Atlantean?' She thought briefly. "Umitaro's still alive." She said in a threatening voice, implying the destruction he'd almost caused. She was going to call the bluenette stupid, ignorant, counter-constructive, many things, but wouldn't. They wouldn't help her case.
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Post by Sailor Mercury on Jun 28, 2007 4:30:59 GMT -5
“Tarda knows the truth about what happened in the past, to the Atlanteans, and the other people on Earth,” Sailor Venus spoke up. “She has gone to tell Umitaro the same. With any luck, he will no longer pose a threat.”
“Which means, we can’t allow you to harm him,” Mercury added from her spot behind Sailor Earth. “We want all this to stop. All the destruction, all the pain. There’s no need for it now. Absolutely no need.”
Luna could sense that this may not be enough. Taking the opportunity while the others were talking and distracted, she took off into the shadows disappearing from everyone's view, and raced in the direction Tarda had gone in. There was only one way to find out for sure if he would believe what his own wife had to say…
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Post by Zyppora on Jun 28, 2007 4:50:34 GMT -5
Veridian was glaring at Sailor Mercury again. She wasn't happy in the least. She stepped forward, carefully avoiding the larger chunks of ice, while absorbing the smaller parts. "Stop the pain?" She said softly. A corner of her mouth tugged up slightly. "You want the pain to stop? Didn't you just say 'no'?!" She took another step, then smirked. "What about MY PAIN?! Do you think I'm peachy with a broken pearl, barely able to keep myself together and getting frozen over like this?!" She was almost laughing now, ridiculing Mercury's words. "No, I think the drywalkers tainted you. You don't want 'the pain' to stop. You just want your own pain to stop. And the pain of those around you."
She was getting that sick smirk on her face again as she took yet another step. "How ... discriminate." She said softly, as if it was the most casual thing in the world. "But you're forgetting one tiny little detail." She suddenly erected herself, spreading her arms and looking down at Mercury from her astonishing five-foot-three height. "I am VERIDIAN!" She called out in a bellowing voice, as if it should be the only thing in the world that would invoke the purest of fears in everyone. It was at exactly that moment that she pushed all of her pain that the broken pearl had caused her, but also the pain of loss from when she was alive, everything she could remember, the hatred, the frustration, the depression, everything, through the connection and into Sailor Earth.
---
Umitaro sighed, frustrated to an extent. Apparently he had been wrong about the drywalkers, but that still didn't make things right in his mind. How was he going to explain this to his people? How was he going to tell them that the invasion was off, that they've been wrong all this time? Everything they believed in, the foundation of their motivations to live on, had been wiped away by a single Mau. And with the invasion being off, the war being off, how was he going to explain that they weren't going to inhabit the dry land to those whose blood had strayed so much from the original Mercurian bloodlines that they couldn't filter oxygen from water anymore? Would he let them drown? That was a crime against his own nation. Would he guide them to the dry land, unprepared for not only the culture shock, but also the mercifulness, or perhaps mercilessness, of the drywalkers? He was a tactical leader, not a diplomatic one. But now he had been forced to take on that role, as a negotiator between his own people and the leaders of the dry land. And they probably wouldn't take to him kindly after the stunt he tried to pull with his whirlpools.
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Post by Sailor Mercury on Jun 28, 2007 5:03:41 GMT -5
*
At the sudden rush of emotion, Sailor Earth let out a cry and fell to her knees, her form fluctuating from Sailor Earth to Illyria with each agonising throb. “Ooh, god,” she hissed, clutching at her head.
“Stop it you psycho bitch!” Jupiter exclaimed angrily, beginning to summon her power to throw at Veridian, but Mercury stopped her.
“Veridian, stop this! Stop it right now!” she commanded. “I’m not discriminating against anyone, you understand?! The reason I won’t help you is simple. You’re trying to keep the war ongoing!” her eyes widened. “You have incredible power, yes. But you’re using it for all the wrong reasons! You want destruction of this world. But I can’t let that happen.” Her voice increased in volume. “I won’t let that happen!”
With a swift movement she pointed the Caduceus at Illyria.
And suddenly the pain stopped. Illyria looked up, and around. Then heard another cry, coming from the direction of Veridian.
*
Luna bounded towards Tarda and Umitaro, panting as she reached them. “Veridian has broken free!” she gasped.
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Post by Zyppora on Jun 28, 2007 5:20:09 GMT -5
Veridian grabbed her head as the emotions were directed towards her again. She hadn't expected it, which was why she had let out a scream at first. But after that, she recognized that they were her own and she sorted them right back where they belonged. She was simply glaring daggers again. "War?" She spoke the word as if it was the most preposterous thing she'd ever heard. "What war?" She asked the bluehaired girl. "There is no war. I don't see any armies. I only see you witches trying to stop me from getting revenge for the injustice that has been done to me so long ago." She hesitated. "And now again, you do me harm by making decisions." She was breathing heavily now. "Are you thinking I'm evil? Is that it? Am I the cause for your troubles? Wouldn't it just be better if I died?" Her gaze was still fixed on Sailor Mercury. "Would you kill me if you had the chance?"
---
Umitaro shook free of Tarda's support and glared down at the black creature. "What?!" He roared. The Aqua Mirage he had thrown should have frozen every fiber of this part of the metropolis. Since it had been contained the pressure must have caused the density of the resulting ball of ice to be monstrous. There was no way any creature, dead or alive, could have broken out, at least not without help, and even then it should have taken weeks. Veridian had certainly proven to be his masterpiece. Something he'd regard as a creation flanking perfection. What stirred inside him was the total loss of control over her. But perhaps perfection had a mind of its own, anyway. Perfection couldn't be tamed, that was for sure. It had to be destroyed, hadn't it? He agreed on that, and mainly because of the feelings that ran around inside him. Letting the murderer of his wife and child walk wasn't an option in his mind. He turned back to Luna. "Lead me to her." He simply said.
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Post by Sailor Mercury on Jun 28, 2007 5:30:20 GMT -5
*
Sailor Mercury found herself hesitating at Veridian’s words, now unsure of what to say. She kept her hold on the staff but didn’t speak.
“Are you telling us that you aren’t evil?” came the slightly weakened voice of Illyria. She had risen to her feet and was slowly making her way towards Veridian. “You wanted to cause harm to the drywalkers, but it’s not us who were to blame for what happened to Atlantis. You wanted to hurt my family. You killed an innocent child, and yes, he is innocent, I don’t give a damn in hell if he’s the son of Umitaro,” she stopped right next to her Atlantean clone, her eyes narrowed. “So, Veridian, why don’t you give us all the reasons why we shouldn’t destroy you?”
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Post by Zyppora on Jun 28, 2007 5:45:14 GMT -5
Veridian defied Sailor Earth. She wasn't scared of her. Even her words seemed to bounce right off her. "Acts of revenge make me evil? And give you the right to destroy me?" She was dead serious, her face as if carved out of stone. "Then tell me, Illyria. Would you be smiling happily at the son you never knew was Ross'? Would you be fine with finding out the hard way that the one you love had sent you off to your death and chose another as his wife? Wouldn't you want revenge?" She raised her voice now. "The only crime I've committed was murdering a mugger. Does that deserve death for a penalty?" She brought up her hand and reached out slowly, folded her fingers slightly into a cupping form as her pearl began to surface. It was cracked in multiple ways, and had lost its luster, but the thin film of water that still covered it reflected the light somewhat, trying to make up for what was lost. "Go ahead. Kill me." She said, almost daringly. It was the very first time she'd offered anyone her pearl like that. "Judge me on murdering a lowlife drywalker that was theatening to kill an Atlantean. Ignore the fact that I've saved you multiple times. Kill that cold reflection that you see when you look at me. See if Umitaro is indeed susceptible for whatever you've been trying to tell him."
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Post by Sailor Mercury on Jun 28, 2007 5:58:06 GMT -5
Illyria lowered her head. “It doesn’t have to be this way,” she replied quietly. “Revenge doesn’t solve anything. It just makes it worse. What would killing Umitaro or Tarda achieve, really? It wouldn’t change what happened. Everything would remain as it were…” she looked up into Veridian’s eyes, ignoring the pearl. “I know you went through hell when you were alive. I know you were hurt. But everyone in the world has been hurt at some point in their lives. It happens. It sucks, but it happens, and we just have to move on. And so do you.”
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Post by Zyppora on Jun 28, 2007 6:13:12 GMT -5
Veridian shook her head. She refused to believe Sailor Earth. She didn't have the luxury to believe her words. "I can't move on. It's either this or that. No compromises, no inbetweens. Your little bluehaired friend made that perfectly clear." She didn't retract the pearl thought, just held it in her hand. She stared hard into Earth's eyes. "I'm dying." She admitted after a moment of silence. She said it softly so only Earth could hear it. "I refuse to go out without a fight. So either you tell that Mercurian witch to heal me, or you kill me right now." Point made, she held out the pearl again.
Veridian suddenly liquified, and wrapped herself around Sailor Earth before freezing over, blocking Umitaro's blast. She had only seen the attack coming, and figured it was his anyway. He was the only one who could do that. The half of her that hadn't frozen over winced visibly and broke free from the frozen shield that now blocked both of them from Umitaro's view. She kneeled down, her pearl having been retracted now, looking up at Sailor Earth. "Looks like Umitaro's not being as discriminate as Mercury is." She said through gritted teeth. She knew the attack was aimed primarily at her. Sailor Earth would have been an unfortunate and unnecessary, but acceptable casualty. Besides, should Veridian have dodged, Sailor Earth would have gotten hit anyway, causing the indirect death of Veridian. Either way, she had no choice but to block. And it cost her dearly.
---
Umitaro growled as she breathed heavily. He had seen Veridian block his attack. He had attacked on sight, leaving no time for the Atlantean to prepare. He refused to believe that she was dead yet. But he barely had the strength to remain standing, let alone make a swift maneuver to catch Veridian offguard.
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Post by Sailor Mercury on Jun 28, 2007 7:28:46 GMT -5
Illyria lowered her head and closed her eyes. “Why can’t this just end…” she breathed, more to herself than anything else, but she was aware that Veridian would have heard. “Why can’t I just see my family again? Why can’t I just go home? Why can’t I just be normal… in a world that is normal…”
She hated it all, the destruction; the complete uncertainty. Who could be trusted in such a mixed up mess? What made it worse was that Veridian had just, yet again, saved her. There could have been a selfish reason, the obvious reason, that if she died, Veridian died. But if Veridian was dying already… The Atlantean may have held some small glimmer of hope that she may be healed. But if she was, what would she do? Kill Umitaro? Kill Tarda? Kill others? And what if Umitaro didn’t believe Tarda, and was going to continue on with his rampage? The only one who had proven in anyway able to hinder him so far was… Veridian.
“God, stop it…” the girl hissed, rubbing her temples. “I don’t know who or what to believe anymore.”
“Illyria!” Jupiter called out, in her hand the Earth Scythe in its miniature form. Earlier events had caused Illyria to drop it.
“I can’t do this, I can’t choose a side,” Illyria said dully, tears in her green eyes as she looked up at her fellow Senshi. “I don’t know who to trust anymore.”
“Trust us!” Jupiter called back, Mars and Venus both nodding in unison.
Sailor Mercury looked on sadly. “I’m sorry, Illyria. I know how you feel. I wish there was an ultimate solution to all of this, a solution that would make everyone happy and would save the humans from suffering as well.”
A sudden thought struck Illyria and she looked over at Mercury. “Maybe there is. Maybe it’s what you’re holding right there, in your hands. If the Caduceus can be used to heal wounds on a physical level, can it be used to heal emotional scarring?”
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Post by Zyppora on Jun 28, 2007 7:56:23 GMT -5
Veridian blinked at Illyria, surprised at her last question. "Heal emotional scarring?" She shook her head, slowly at first, then more violently. "I -refuse- to run from my problems." She said decidedly. She'd rather just kill herself right there and then. But perhaps there was room for acceptance, if there was time. She sighed a little, coming to a decision. "Perhaps if I was given time, I could learn to deal with them in less violent manners ... " She looked down at the ground in thought. Forgiving was not the reason she had been resurrected. But she could live with it. Or at least she should be able to. Whatever her ways were after this whole predicament was over, she'd figure it out then. Live a life that was deemed acceptable by both drywalker and Atlantean. She could be good. She could refrain from killing, hurting and even taunting.
---
Umitaro was eyeing the ice shield warily, as he started to move aside, taking a large path around it to see the faith of Veridian. She had been hiding far too long behind it, something must have happened to her. Perhaps she was dead after all. He wasn't sure anymore, and his fatigue was giving him images he could hardly separate from reality. 'Stop assuming things.' He told himself. He should be focusing. If this wasn't over, he would finish it.
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Post by Sailor Mercury on Jun 28, 2007 8:18:09 GMT -5
*
Illyria looked at Veridian, their connection still strong, despite how weak the Atlantean was. Through this Illyria could sense that her clone was actually speaking some truth. Could it be possible, then… to reform and rehabilitate the vengeance seeking Atlantean after all, using, not Sailor Moon, but Sailor Mercury?
And in doing this, could Mercury also heal Umitaro in the same manner, and make him see the truth that Luna had spoken?
She looked over at the other Senshi. They looked somewhat confused, and unsure of what to do. Mercury looked deep in thought, as though she was contemplating Illyria’s theory.
“Mercury, your heart is pure…” Luna said quietly, leaping up onto the girl’s shoulder. “I believe that as the true holder of the Caduceus you can make this happen…”
Sailor Mercury nodded, and the cat leapt down again. Mercury let out a soft sigh and held up the staff. “I will heal you both, at the same time, and make you both understand the pain and suffering you have caused one another…” she was surprised to feel her lips turn up in a small smile. “And give you the understanding and love of forgiveness…”
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Post by Zyppora on Jun 28, 2007 8:58:05 GMT -5
Veridian watched as Sailor Mercury aimed at her with the Caduceus. She could feel its magic instantly welling up inside her. Her pearl was enveloped by its glow. It began to become whole again. She dropped to her knees and cried out in agony as the cracks slowly began to heal. Her mind became instantly clear. She could see everything again. All the memories of when she was alive, all that had happened in Illyria's life, everything that she'd been through since her resurrection, it flashed by her like she was watching some sort of sick movie in fast-forward mode. But she was watching it like it was someone else's life, someone else's memories. She didn't feel them at all. She held no grudges, no hatred, no frustration, no sadness. She could only watch as the emotions were decoupled from the memories. Again.
After what seemed like an eternity of excruciating pain, it ended. The memories she had held a soft, warm feeling to them. Like they weren't real. She knew that they were though, and she could also remember the emotions that went with them, but they just simply weren't there anymore. She felt at peace. She was laying on the ground, looking up at Sailor Earth, tears staining her face. "Water." She said simply with a hoarse voice. Not only had she lost quite some water in protecting the Earth Senshi, and then writhing in agony causing her to lose her concentration on the mass around her pearl, but she was also immensely thirsty, oddly enough.
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Post by Sailor Mercury on Jun 28, 2007 9:09:11 GMT -5
Illyria looked down at her ‘clone’, ‘twin’, in curiosity. “Right, uh…” she bit her lip, wondering just where she was going to get this water, seeing as all the ice had now melted away and had since become nothing but a wet shine on the concrete surrounding them.
She turned her head and spotted a broken tap within the rubble of a fallen building, spraying water into the air and onto the ground. She leant down and held out her hand to Veridian in an offer to help her up and over to the tap.
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Post by Zyppora on Jun 29, 2007 2:31:35 GMT -5
Veridian lifted her arm to take the hand, grabbing it firmly and pulling herself up. As she did so, much of her back and shoulders had slipped away from her already, like it had been cleanly cut off. She stood unsteadily and leaned on Illyria for support as they made their way over to the tap. She noticed that even though she was still a creation, she felt things. Emotions. She felt safe with Illyria for some reason. Like she could trust her. Their connection had been left intact during the healing apparently, or perhaps that was something the Caduceus couldn't heal. It would make sense though, considering it was her thread of life.
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