The little black cat’s eyes seemed to glow red in the dark, and it purred, landing light-footed upon the paving stones near the torii and mewed. Artemis, the white feline peered down from a nearby sakura tree, winking at his partner, and fell silent as the group of young people approached the threshold.
Tears exacted
The fuel of retribution
For crimes past
Blood will boil and hell shall perish by my rage
Fear not the ghoul wraith or golem
No, fear me
For I am your death evil doer
Sailor Mars
Azabu Park
The storm continued to rage within, my heart, a vessel about to shatter like an earthenware jug filled with molten tears would soon explode. Even the fire of grief was burning as hot coals within my eye sockets that gave up their torrent.
I am a wreck, a tinderbox about to ignite, an incendiary device without boundaries.
How many kinds of shattered can one feel, am I the equivalent of a fragile crystal vase? I ceased to care about where I was going, who I was and why the fates had delivered an unjust and cruel double entendre.
Perfect, fucking perfect, for this was how I felt on the inside; the storm within and its epicenter swirling around me like a school of fiery sharks. I, the eye of the typhoon, my conflicting emotions battering the landscape of my being; I felt love, hatred, distain, resentment, grief and regret vying for attention, the winds and thunder, all of it serving as a poultice against my deep-seated pain. These darkening skies had brought with them the moist air inevitably serving as storm-plasma under the ministration of the God of Thunder, Thor, and the Sky God hurling merciless volleys of lightning with zealous abandon towards the cowering Earth.
Rain gushed from billowing thunderheads, this onslaught crashing down upon me, heedless of my inner torment.
‘When did life ever play fair with me? These new powers, what good were they if those I care about are taken from me? I’d sooner live as a little whore and have my loved ones safe than, face this alone!’
"I am fucking angry, damn it, and I am not going to let him die in vain. Hear me!" I howled at the anvils of cloud as if they were responsible. “Something is happening to me. Shit, I am burning up!”
I took no notice of passersby on the sidewalk; they were blurs, my vision distorted by my tears. Some people looked away, popping up their umbrellas, pretending they'd not noticed, not wishing to intrude on my private moment. All I could do was run; whimper as the constant thunderclaps punctuated my emotional state.
“Gomen,” I sobbed, as a young woman and her dog-moved back to let me pass.
I found a park bench and sat under the shelter of a large Cherry Blossom tree, its foliage glittering with raindrops, occasionally highlighted by the lightning, like a kind of Xmas tree; quite pretty really. I sighed and looked away, determined to wallow in my melancholy. Wrapping my arms around my trembling body, I closed my eyes and thought about my Ojii-san. Memories of my parents when I was little visiting the shrine during the Cherry Blossom Festival were amongst the happiest I had ever experienced. Tears of sweet sadness replaced those of the rage that for the moment at least, had subsided. How happy I had been back then. We were a family, not perfect, but it was the closest to perfection I had ever known before the darkness of the Shachihoko. Now, my father killed by a supernatural entity controlled by my nemesis, Nehelenia, and my Ojii-san at death’s door. Honestly, how cruel could fate be?
I slumped lower on the bench, unable to believe that he might soon be gone, too. Despite everything my father had done, he still loved me deep down. I forgave him. He had, in the end, tried to protect me, making the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life to save mine. That final act, in my eyes, had exonerated him for all past transgressions.
“Oh no, it’s back!”
I jumped to my feet and shuddered. The flames felt as if they were licking the inside of my ribcage, scorching every cell, nerve, muscle, sinew and bone. Something major was shifting within me. I was petrified.
‘What if somebody sees me, what if I… am dangerous?’
“Kamis help me!” I cried, my footfalls challenging the tempest overhead. "What the fuck?"
I was becoming a human torch, this wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be, but it was. I could hear the crackling of the furnace inside me smashing through my denial like a battering ram. Here I am, Hino Rei, a cinder with the power of a Goddess that scorched the grass with each step she takes.
I screamed a series of blistering cusses upon the stormy air as the thunder grumbled in the distance, unaware of the people crying out in fear around me as a stream of bright blue fire left my throat. I couldn’t believe it as the superheated stream of fire rode piggyback upon my vocalization. I actually incinerated a tree, several shrubs and two parked motorbikes that burst into flame before exploding, freak’n loud, that’s for sure. The shockwave threw me into the air and I landed on my back, winded.
I sat up, disorientated, my head buzzing. Then I managed to stumble to my feet, shaking myself like a cat, staring at the result of my fiery invective. I winced at the stench of burning oil and metal, not to mention the grass and the trees, smoke and acrid fumes filling the air along with the scent of rain. It was all so surreal. I shook my head to clear it. Then I heard something that made me shudder with fear, it was large, evil and bearing down on me fast.
I spun around and screamed. It was hideous, a riving body of black, slimy serpentine creatures, huge yellow eyes upon several reptilian heads, tongues lashing out towards me like carnivorous vines.
The thing reared high upon its leathery snake-like coils. I stared into the collage of huge amber eyes fixed upon me, its prospective prey. The terrifying abomination resembled a contorted parody of a winged dragon crossed with the hydra of Greek myth.
I stepped back, reciting an ancient Shinto prayer under my breath, not for one second taking my eyes off the thing towering over me and steeled myself for what was to come.
Call me fool or heroine, at that stage I wasn’t debating the issue, I was just trying to survive.
“Okay lady Hydra, you took a wrong turn off at the 21st century. Time to send you back to Hades, or wherever it is you come from bitch!” I felt the chill of the wind upon my arms and legs as if thousands of tiny insects were crawling all over my body. I shivered in fear and from the chill of the lashing winds of the storm now gathering power, adding to my anxiety. Instinctively, I gripped my stomach. I braced myself for the fight. “I’ll fall over my feet fighting in these… Oh well, welcome to the klutz club,” I sighed, finding my new ‘uniform rather skimpy, but not so much as my Estella get-up in my pop diva guise. I smirked, thinking of Usagi, the bubbly young girl I sponsored along with many others. “Whatever the fuck you are, I’m not in the mood!” I shouted, another blast of electric blue fire engulfing the monstrosity.
In retaliation, the thing sent a blob of purple sticky substance towards me, the action reminding me of a group of spitting schoolboys attempting to outdo one another in a schoolyard slagging contest.
“Burning Mandala!”
The flames surging from my fiery body rushed ever outward in rings of plasma, these engulfing the riving beast as its screams echoed throughout downtown Tokyo, had certainly done their job. “Mandala Incineration!”
“Crescent Beam Smash!” a new voice chanted as the stream of force did its work. The youma sizzled and shrank under the new power of the girl wearing the same styled fuku as I was, but for its orange color scheme and the red mask.
“Hi kiddo, first youma?” she giggled, “Beats doing the paper work at Central Control does it not, ne?”
“In case you haven’t noticed Venus, that thing means to have us for dinner, I’d rather be with Luna and Artemis doing paper work, oh yeah, but let’s team up and kick this thing back to the void pronto!” I said, no longer afraid and grateful my friend was now standing by my side in battle. “Oh, no, this is my second encounter with youma, but more on that later…”
Then a group of new youma, different this time, moved upon our position. We braced ourselves for the fight.
“Hey sister of Mars, call upon your celestial power!”
“Fire-Soul!” I cried, summoning my firestone bow, then assumed a battle stance and launched my attack. “Fuck, they’re heading for the residential quarter!” I heard myself saying.
“C’mon, we got to stop them!”
“Right!” I said, as we ran after the youma herd.
Crown Fruit Parlor and Arcade
The storm had broken, the rain reducing visibility to only two meters. The downpour seemed unseasonably heavy, but the water rushing down the street outside Crown Arcade and Fruit Parlor was no aberration, it was real. I looked at Unazuki and she nodded.
“Motoki, I think now might be a good time…”
“All right everyone, Unazuki will guide you to the first floor!” I shouted, rushing out from behind the counter to lend my sister a hand.
The patrons, frightened, moved away from the panoramic windows of the arcade. Huge raindrops, like tears, pounded the glass barrier that seemed to be holding its own, at least for the moment anyway.
I cut off the power to the basement and ground floor. The thunderclaps sounding like artillery fire was making everyone cover their ears, including me. Huge hailstones struck the pavement and shook the roof.
“Let’s keep this orderly, there’s likely going to be flooding so we need to get you to higher ground fast!” Unazuki called out to the customers gathering at the base of the stairs.
“Umino, give me a hand!” I shouted and we set about shutting down all electrical systems.
I watched transfixed as several cars, tree branches and other debris were washed down the main street, the sight reminiscent of a scene out of a major disaster film, but this was all too real.
“Makoto-san!” I cried, but she ignored me.
I couldn’t stop her, she moved much too fast. I had to wonder if the girl was mad. The storm was at its peak, and getting worse by the second.
---
Motoki was freaking out, staring at me as I stood atop a van as the floodwaters failed to claim. I knew what I had to do.
“Furuhata-san! Please… seek shelter inside the arcade; your place is there. It’s far too dangerous if you remain out in the open!”
Several tendrils of fork lightning rippled across the sky and struck my open palms, a ring of electric blue was weaving itself into a shield about my body, the roof of the van sparking with electricity.
Motoki ran back into the arcade, Yuuichirou pulling him up the stairs as the glass windows shattered, and the water poured into the interior, I only hoped nobody found themselves trapped, but I had to go. Jumping from car to truck to rooftop, making my way toward Azabu Park at speed, a cartwheel of blinding electric blue lightning whirling around me like a spinning wheel propelled me at unearthly speed towards my destination in a matter of seconds.
“Wow!” I paused, dripping wet, but in my element, literally and this made me smile before my senshi instincts kicked in and I shouted my incantation, “Jupiter, Lord of Thunder and Lightning, hear me… take me to the field of battle!” With a mighty crack of thunder, I was teleported to the park.
---
The cockroach-like youma, were trundling down the flooded streets of Tokyo, I and two other female warriors like myself standing calf-high in water the only thing in their way.
“Thor Lightning Hammer Smash!” I roared, and the creatures found themselves encased within a net of violet and gold lightning as electric-blue hammers struck the youma.
“Celestial Fire… Ignite!”
“Venus Love Me Chain!”
The masked blonde roped the largest of the creatures and jumped upon its riving back, and hummed, the tone like a lullaby on the beast. Then we saw another warrior and wasted no time seeking her assistance. “Mercury! We need firmer footing, can you… um, freeze the water?” Mars cried, summoning more power into her hands.
“I’m on it,” she said, calling upon her own power, “Glacial Cascade!”
The water had become solid ice and now the tables were turned on the youma struggling to pull free. One of the leviathans breathed fire, this freeing the creatures and they continued their attack with added fury.
“Venus! Be careful!” Mars cried, lifting her crossbow toward what I presumed to be the alpha of the group.
“Venus is hypnotizing them and herding them together. We need to combine our attacks. Mars call upon your ancient memories; it’s all there, and trust me!” Mercury cried.
Venus, like a faery, leapt off the neck of the creature, still singing her haunting vocalization and landed light-footed beside me and the girls. “That should keep him passive, or her, ah, maybe…it?” she shrugged and grinned. “Let’s do this, ladies!” she commanded and the attack began.
“Senshi Planetary Wave!” we chanted as one.
The monsters roared in fear, dissolving in a blast of prismatic color. It looked to my eyes like faery dust, as it landed on the grass and sizzled before winking out and vanishing under the ministrations of the rain. Only then had we noticed the build-up of military hardware on the perimeter of the park. Huge floodlights mounted atop several vehicles were sending streams of glittering light over the scene.
“Halt!” An army commander barked from his open gun turret. The tank, having led several others into position had their cannons trained upon us as Black Hawk helicopters flew overhead.
“Sorry guys, but you’re a little late for the party. It’s all over!” I shouted, and bowed as the incredulous soldier lifted his hat off his head. He shook himself like a cat upstaged by its prey.
“Um, ladies. Huh? Who are you and-“
“I am Sailor Venus, this is Mars, Mercury and Jupiter, have you not been told of the senshi of old as a child? As you can see, we are not folkloric figures, subject of manga and Anime or gaming parlors. We are the real deal!”
“Be that as it may, noble senshi, I’m afraid I am under executive orders from the Empress Aiko to ask you to come with us for questioning,” the decorated officer said, as an armored carrier pulled up. “I am the commander of the Japanese 5th division, and I will be more than happy to escort you…”
“Thank you, but sorry… Not tonight gentlemen, I mean, sirs. We are done here, but you will hear from us. Oh, and tell the empress we would be honored to meet her, please ask her to expect a visit soon.”
“But ladies, please,” he whined, and this made Venus giggle.
“A simple thank you for clearing Juuban Prefecture of its monster problem would be nice,” Venus, said - her stern look making the commander falter as a bright aura engulfed us all.
“T-thank you, I will pass on your message to Lady Aiko!” he bowed, and the soldiers followed suit and we were teleported back to the Jinja.
