Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction / Saint Seiya Fan Fiction ❯ The Intense Clash of the Gods ❯ Tale 43 ( Chapter 43 )

"Wow... I didn't expect your bed would be so big!" Mina said as she looked around Mizuki's bedroom, which was surprisingly spacious.

"Thanks... I try to treat myself to stuff that'll pay off in the long run. You have NO idea how many times I've slept through storms and typhoons all because of this quality bed. You'll sleep fine on it." She put her hand on Mina's shoulder and looked down, smiling.

"Well, thanks. I'll get changed then, if it's all right with you. That won't be a problem will it?"

"Nope, not at all," Mizuki answered. "I wash up in the mornings, same as my grandfather, so you've got the shower all to yourself. Since that's all..." she smiled again and began walking away. "I'll be in the guest bedroom. I'll see you in the morning."

"What?"

Mizuki turned. "Well, you're going to be staying for awhile, not just a day or two, remember? I'm a light sleeper too, so I'll let you sleep in her for a few days and get used to all the unfamiliar sounds and not have to worry about waking me up. After that, I'll come back in and it'll be my grandpa's turn to wonder what the unfamiliar sounds are."

"What I don-" Mina promptly blushed upon realizing what Mizuki meant. "MIZUKI!!!" she teased.

"I'm just saying..." Mizuki said as she walked away.

"When that time comes, you just keep that wand where I can see it."
_
8:00 PM... Tokyo airfield...

Four figures walked side by side in unison towards a small, private plane, a familiar man leaning against it. He stood up, seeing the four sacks formed by his Labyrinth Strings on their back. Good... Minos thought with a grin on his face, They'll need their armor... and with its repair, they'll have an even better chance of matching the Gold Saints. I just wish... He shook his head... no need to dwell on past decisions. His mind was made up, anyhow. "Ready?"

Cecil, Fenrir, Isaac, and Charybdis nodded. "Good. I already got clearance and everything, so get in."

Hopping into the pilot seat, Minos waited until they were also in before speaking up. "You have, at the very least, heard of Death Queen Island, right?"

Cecil spoke up first. "Yeah... even I did during my time in the wildernesses of Asgard. There is some sort of weather problem there or something... some financiers were trying to find investors for some sort of terraforming program there. Like you said before, least hospitable place on the entire planet.

"Damn straight," Minos answered as he got the plane up to an appropriate altitude and headed south. "It hits at least 200 degrees below freezing every night, and on average 100 degrees above boiling point every day. In spite of that, though... it would blow your mind to discover all the life that's there."

"You're kidding," Charybdis stated. "I can believe a few mosses, insects, stuff like that. But-"

"You ever been there?"

"No," Chary answered.

"Well then, that explains it. It would blow your mind to see how much is there... you just have to search for it. Up to it?" He flipped it on autopilot and looked back.

"It won't be a problem. I'm used to the cold," Isaac stated.

"Fourteen years of wilderness in Asgard.... more than enough prep," Fenrir added.

"I'm up for it," Cecil continued.

"I took down a perfectly evolved man," Charybdis finished up, "A month in a hellhole won't be anything."

Minos turned back and smiled.

"Good. This is going to be the toughest fight you've ever had... Death Queen Island an unrelenting enemy that you can't lay a finger on.
_
Mizuki knew she should be asleep by now. She knew it was the most logical thing in the world for her to do, since she had a test tomorrow and she, Mina, and Julien were going to visit the others in the hospital again and see if their fighting spirit was back.

But then again, that was the exact thing she was counting on, someone expecting her to be asleep.

Namely: Eurydice.

The woman would not risk coming here herself, but that didn't mean anything. This was her shot at delivering retribution on Ambrosia, Mina, and Mizuki wouldn't stand for it. She listened, focusing on Mina's breathing.

Upon hearing a few mumblings, she stood up, soundlessly slipped into her miko robe, and grabbed her wand. Her injuries from fighting Minos were far from gone, but she was out of the hospital and she still had a duty as a Corona to defend her goddess.

Creeping out into the hallway, Mizuki silently slid closer to Mina's room, hearing Mina speak out louder and louder.

"No... no, please... mother, father... this isn't necessary! I don't want to do that! That's not me! Stop! Please sto-"

Her voice suddenly cut off, and Mizuki was instantly in Mina's room, seeing two sable-haired figures, one man and one woman, standing there in black robes.

Less than a second later, Mizuki's wand had impaled the man's head, the woman turning and looking at shock at Mizuki.

"Juste..." she said before clenching her fists and charging Mizuki. The woman grabbed her, struggling and ended up flying through a window to hit a rooftop below. Mizuki winced in pain... her injuries definitely weren't done healing yet...

Mizuki rolled to her feet, getting a good look at her opponent at long last. The woman was already on the verge of tears, growling at Mizuki before pointing an accusatory finger at her.

"You killed the man I loved!" the woman shouted.

"You were going to kill the woman I love!" Mizuki shouted back.

At the shout, the woman suddenly regained much of her composure, although tears were beginning to fall down her cheeks. "Ah... my mistake for not silencing you first... Juste paid the price for that... I suppose..."

"Who are you?" Mizuki said, confused as to all of this.

The woman shrugged. "My name is Maxime Kishe... the man you killed was my husband, Juste Kishe. And for that... you will suffer. Eurydice gave me explicit orders... all you Coronas will pay for backing out. I'll make sure of it."

"You work for Eurydice?" Mizuki said, confused. "She's just using you!"

Maxime shook her head. "Oh, no no no... quite the contrary. She's shown me and poor Juste the light four years ago. We were here on a honeymoon along with our newborn son, Nathaniel..."

Tears were streaming down Maxime's face, yet her tone of voice betrayed no sorrow.

"We came just before the terrible Kira Yanosuke incident... and Nathaniel paid the price for our mistake! Imagine... dying just because you saw someone's face!"

"I'm aware of the Yanosuke killings," Mizuki answered, "Anyone that saw his face, touched him, or even said his name while he was still alive died instantly of a heart attack. But what's this got to do with anything?"

"IT HAS EVERYTHING!" Maxime shouted as she charged. Her moves were fast, fluid, and powerful. Mizuki found herself on the defensive almost immediately, and less than two seconds later was blasted into a wall. "Happiness and joy are nothing but fleeting and pathetic emotions that things are good. Anger and hate are even worse; believing one can actually change the world, even if for selfish reasons! People have always been rotten, always have been and always will be... but at least there was once a world we could be rotten in! This atrocious, twisted world we are in now..." She pointed to Mizuki, "Triste."

A bolt of energy shot from her finger, hitting Mizuki right above the heart.

"The atrocious, twisted love you have for your goddess..." Maxime continued, "It must all go... Eurydice will find a way to make that come into being! But first the traitors, the Coronas of Ambrosia, must be dealt with! We were going to have Ambrosia commit suicide... but your intervention changed all that. Perhaps if she did see your fat, bloated corpse... she might return to the light and be the good little apocalyptic goddess we want her to be. And as a goddess does, so do her Coronas. We'll be sure not to blow things with Poseidon, however. Anyways..." she again pointed to Mizuki. "Triste."

The miko's attention snapped at the last possible second, her elbows smashing into the wall as she flipped up, the attack missing her before launching straight at Maxime.

"YOU WILL NOT LAY A FINGER ON MINA!" Mizuki screamed, smashing her fist into Maxime's face and knocking her back. The older woman slid back, wiping the blood from her face.

"Triste."

"MAKAI TEMPEST!"

Mizuki's gravity-defying attack smashed into Maxime's piercing blast, both canceling out. Maxime snarled at the turn of events, surprised at Mizuki's energy for being nearly killed just yesterday.

"MAS TRISTE!"

A barrage of the bolts was fired at Mizuki, who decided to try something rather different than before.

Maxime blinked in shock as suddenly a multitude of hands reached up and dragged Mizuki under the ground, only for the girl to shoot down at her from above. Mizuki hammered the woman as hard as she could, ending her attack sequence by springing in the air and slamming her foot into Maxime's head. The woman staggered back, preparing another attack, but Mizuki was already prepared.

"SETSUNA!" Maxime shouted, a large sphere of energy, glowing blood red, on her finger just as a small electric shock coursed through her. It really didn't do anything, and she promptly pointed her arm at Mizuki and fired the attack...

Only for it to shoot back at her.

...

All that was left of Maxime after that was a splatter of blood.

"I rewired the nerves on your finger... you were pointing to yourself," Mizuki said as she walked away.

 

A/N: Maxime and Juste were cooked up mainly to explain where Mina's “voices” were coming from… although they also serve well to show Mizuki is starting to distance herself from her Samurai Showdown II incarnation… All thanks to Minos's school of hard knocks. ^_^