Eclipse of the Moon

~*Chapter Four*~

“Mako-chan!” Usagi ran to her side. “How?”

“The moonlight-” Makoto breathed with great effort. “They still can’t exist in light. You have to go... the moon- it’ll begin to-”

“You come, Mako-chan. I‘m not leaving you here! You’re the only one left, I won’t let them take you too!”

“Usagi-chan, you don’t understand! We have only ten minutes of light until the moon goes into eclipse!” Makoto somehow made it unsteadily to her feet.

“I’m not going without you!” Usagi set her jaw and fixed her teary eyes on Makoto’s face. They turned and started off.

Makoto’s valiant effort to hid her pain was amazing. She and Usagi walked quickly through the brush, Makoto’s face twisting in pain with nearly every step. She stumbled a few times, but kept going. The soft moonlight shining through the tops of the trees upon them, dimming every moment. They glanced up almost constantly, the moon was half covered. There was another small clearing ahead, and they hurried towards it. The road was visible a mere hundred feet from the clearing.

“Hurry, Usagi-chan!” Makoto gasped and they ran forward.

“Itai!” They both cried as a tree branch shot into the air, tripping them both. Lighting struck overhead, the wind roared and rain began to fall.

“Mako-chan...” Usagi groaned. She looked up at the moon, it was nearly covered. The light was slowly being blocked. She looked back onto the ground in front of her. Her shadow, though still attached to her body, was moving of its own accord. Usagi’s eyes widened as its shadowy hand moved across the ground, and slowly swiped its index finger across its throat menacingly. It began to rain harder, though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

The shadow of the eclipse grew larger, falling completely over Makoto’s fallen body. Immediately, a thick black cloud sprang out from beneath her and took the form of Inazuma who screeched loudly, “You were supposed to die!” Her hand shot out in front of her and electrified needles of lightning sprang forth and penetrated Makoto’s body. She screamed out, white hot light running through her body, sparks flying out in every direction.

The moon went into full eclipse, and the dark shadow fell completely over Usagi. The familiar laughter rang out from the black cloud that now swirled around Usagi’s trembling body.

“We have done it!” The Princess cackled. “Inazuma, that’s enough. She’s nearly gone, and I want *her* alive." She glared at Usagi with a smile. Inazuma smiled and released Makoto, who fell sharply to the ground, barely alive, breathing in low, painful breaths, separated by dangerously large intervals.

Usagi lost it. She threw herself up off the ground and began to shriek uncontrollably, covering Makoto’s battered body and sobbing, “Stop it! Stop it now! I won’t let you take anyone else!

You’ll have to kill me first!” She sat, shielding Makoto, chest rising and falling quickly with her pants of rage, fear and utter despair. She was suddenly encircled by every one of the evil shadows, all of them starring at her with malicious amusement.

“That,” The Princess said. “can be arranged.”

She snapped yet again, and the earth began to shake, and a few feet away, near the center of the clearing, like a volcano erupting suddenly, the earth spit out every one of the others bodies. Their limp bodies laying perfectly still on the ground but a few feet behind Makoto. They were all there now. It was all in place. The Princess looked as though she would burst with evil glee.

“*NOW*” She bellowed so loudly the trees shook. Every one of the shadows sprang forward like bullets, shooting towards the lifeless bodies, the only thing between the two was Usagi, who’s expression turned to that of great, unrelenting hatred.

“*Don’t you touch them!*” She cried, screaming and holding out each sound to its full extent. Her eyes bulged, her body shaking terribly.

A faint light burst out on her chest, over her heart. It shimmered and glittered for a moment and then flew up and over the lifeless bodies of her friends. It seemed to talk in glittering sparkles, beckoning something forth. It then turned and flew back to Usagi, who held it gently in her hands. She seemed to be able to control it; to will it retain its power. The Princess cowered, but this light did not send her back to Usagi’s body. This light was not a normal light, it glowed brightly, but gave off no *real* light.

Slowly, a similar light began to shimmer, glow, and rise from the others bodies. They twirled through the air and rose over their heads, then merged into one large light directly above them, finally exploding into long golden streams of light that encompassed Usagi and the others in a type of barred dome.

“Don’t just stand there!” The princess shrieked. “Get through that! Get them! Get them!”

Usagi seemed even more determined to keep them back, to prevent them from fulfilling their ultimate goal, to somehow, stop them.

Strength seemed to pour from her her body, down her arms, and into her hands where the spinning, glowing, orb floated lightly. It took great energy from her.

The army of shadows sprang forth again, more wary this time.

“Don’t hold back!” Kaze silhouetted and flung herself at the barrier. As she collided with it, she screamed in pain and then was repelled with great force away from it. She shivered, and the others stopped dead. “I can’t touch *that*!” She whimpered.

“I SAID GO!” The Princess barked. They tried once more, all together. Usagi fought hard to keep them away, and they fought hard to get closer to the bodies they longed to inhabit.

“I can’t do it alone.” Usagi whispered. “I can’t do this without you all.” Tears blurred her eyes and fierce screaming plugged her ears. A blinding yellow light flashed before her and she found herself alone, floating. The others appeared around her.

“Usagi-chan, you *can* do it alone. You have to.” Makoto said quietly.

“Its the only way.” Mamoru said.

“We’re really gone this time. We are all gone. There’s no stopping it. You stand alone to fight them to the end.” Haruka said slowly. They began to glow softly with the familiar golden light.

“But, minna... you’re here! You’re here now...” Usagi began hopefully.

"Usako.” Mamoru replied. “She was right. Being outside of our bodies, free to grow and flourish, they have become unstoppable. We cannot survive this fight, but part of us will never die."

"They are no longer mere shadows. With every second that you continue to fight them, they are growing in strength. Normal light no longer effects them, but there is another light, Usagi.” Setsuna said.

“The light within your heart, Usagi-chan.” Hotaru said.

“It is something that not even they can overcome.” Rei continued.

“You watched me use my light to protect you all from the blast, Usagi-chan.” Hotaru said with a solemn smile. “You watched, also, as it left my body and disappeared into the sky. That is all that is left of us now, but it is enough. It is the most powerful entity in your body which takes full strength only in your times of greatest sacrifice- when you preform something truly selfless and of pure good. When you *allow* it to come through your desire to do good.”

“You know what you must do, Usagi-chan.” Michiru said.

“But, I don’t want to be alone...” Usagi whispered.

“You won’t be, Usagi. You never have, and you never will.” Makoto smiled.

“*Minna!*” Usagi gasped as her friends flickered, began to glow and then burst into the familiar light bubbles that flew up into the emptiness above her. She starred up longingly. “Minna...” She whispered again. The space above her was growing brighter and brighter until Usagi had to clamp her eyes shut to block it out. The horrible screaming filled her ears once more, the scintillating beams of golden light that formed the barrier between herself, the others, and the ferocious pack of ravenous shadow that was whipping around them, still unable to touch it, reappeared.

Her friends were gone. She could not save them now, but if she gave in, the world was doomed to destruction. Blinking back tears, she silently accepted her fate. A martyr for the world. If this was her destiny, she was ready to take it in.

Immense determination filled her eyes as she began to focus every bit of energy she had on her task. There was no turning back. She closed her eyes and delved deep into the fathoms of her very soul, searching. Now was not the time for fear, now was the time for bravery; to protect mankind; to sacrifice herself for what was right.

A faint sense of warmth tinged inside of her somewhere, though she was not sure where it came from. The feeling of warmth grew stronger within her, filling her with a great sense of utter contentment and joy. It felt wonderful, a feeling of complete peace.

Her hands shot above her head and the warm feeling she had became a tingling in her feet. Out of no where, a glistening sparkle of light shot out from below her, racing up the length her body from her feet, to her outstretched hands. She was engulfed in a pillar of light that almost immediately shot strait up into the night sky like a rocket. The gleaming beam continued strait up for a mere moment, then hooked sharply back down, colliding with the already existing ball of light that was currently the focal point of the light dome above them.

They met with a deafening crash. Sparks of light flew in every directing, creating a solid, impenetrable barrier between the shadows, and the bodies they intended to abscond with. The sparks of light landed all over the shadows, who, when touched by them, began to writhe on the ground and moan in pain. The light burned them like acid on flesh.

Some familiar words flashed through Usagi’s head, “After all, what is a shadow but the darkest part of your existence. A part of your being that can never be touched by light. It hides behind your body when faced with light and truth.” So filled with evil and darkness, these shadows could not even be in the presence of something so good and pure. It was like poison to them.

The Princess was beside herself. Screaming loudly she lunged at Usagi who lay unprotected by the barrier. Her great, claw like hands swiped at Usagi’s face again and again. Usagi dodged feircly, eventually falling to the ground gasping.

“Do you think you have won!?” The Princess thundered. All nine of her minions lay stiff on the ground, melting slowly into a thick black sludge, the fate, it is supposed, of all dead shadows, touched by the light of truth. “They may be gone, but *I* remain! It is I who will become the dark lord of this world! I do not need them! The only thing I need.” Her voice lowered to a dangerous growl. “Is for you to *die*!”

Usagi felt no fear. It was now or never. No good would come from crying, pleading, or wishing that somehow, this was all just a dream.

“I won’t let that happen.” Usagi said firmly. “With every last ounce of strength in my body, I will fight you.”

“It will do no good.” The princess replied. "You have already ridden your body of the one thing that can hold me back. Nothing can stop me!” She leapt at Usagi, and pinned her to the ground. Usagi threw her off, but the Princess grabbed hold of her and they rolled closer to the luminous dome of light. The Princess’ eyes flashed with fear for a moment.

This was it, the moment of truth. Though her strength was quickly fading, Usagi heaved her arms above herself, trying with all her might to force the evil life form into the dome’s glowing light. Just a foot away... so very close.

Her eyes blurred, her head pounded. There wasn’t much time. The Princess must be destroyed now. Everything seemed to being moving in slow motion. She could see the princess above her, her black fogginess clouding her eyes. She glimpsed the moon, still in full eclipse strait above her head. Her eyes went completely foggy. She was lost in a sea of blackness as thick as smoke. She heard terrible screaming, though she didn’t know who it was coming from. Her head was pounding, and her body felt as though it were being torn apart from the inside. A bright flash of light illuminated the insides of her eyes lids. More terrible screaming followed.

Suddenly, everything became clear. The dome of light was gone, but she knew everything would be ok. Contentment filled her to the brim. A sense of reassurance flooded her being. She knew she was lying, safely on the forest floor. It was as though she could see herself. Nothing could hurt her now. She had fulfilled her fate. Everything was alright.

She was filled with the same warmth. A bubbling light seamed to be entering into her. Eyes closed, she was floating softly, drifting lightly. She glimpsed the moon, coming out of eclipse; its silvery light spreading over the world. She gave in to the warm light, drifting out of consciousness. Upward, forever upward.

* * * * * *

Usagi slowly opened her eyes and tried to figure out what had happened. A faint gleam of early morning sunlight was streaming through the trees. She put her hand to her head and tried to stand up. She had never felt quite like this before in her life.

It was a strange sensation. Her arms and legs were stiff and heavy, and it took her a moment to balance herself. This would take some adjusting to. She took a few feeble steps and smiled at her accomplishment. How glorious it felt! Her movement was more restricted than it had been before, and yet she had never felt a stronger sense of complete freedom. She surveyed the scene before her. All nine other bodies lay strewn about on the ground. All were motionless. All cold with death.

“How sad.” She said with a maniac gleam in her eye. She turned and began to walk out of the woods into the sunlight, gaining more steadiness with every step she took.

The sunlight hit her face and she closed her eyes, lost in a state of euphoria. She breathed in deep, and felt the warm air fill her lungs and rejuvenate her body. *Her* body. It was the most magnificent thought that had ever crossed her mind. She opened her eyes slowly and started down the path. A shadowless figure, alone on a misty road.

~* OWARI *~

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