So much time had passed since Hannah had last powered up. Much of that was unavoidable with her extended stay in the hospital due to… complications. Still, after the incident with the fun house to say she was scared to don her senshi uniform again was a vast understatement.
Yet, here she was. Once more, like times in the past where thoughts clouded her mind and questions remained unanswered, Acrucis was brought back to the very place where it all began. Standing under one of the lamps that lined the trails that winded through the vast park located near the center of Destiny City, cerulean blue eyes looked on at the swingset she had been sitting on the fated day when it all began.
“What am I doing?” She whispered to herself closing the distance between her and the empty seat.
Mid-July brought with it warm nights. A light breeze on a cloudless sky she tilted her head back causing strands of her to dance in the wind as she took in the open sky. “I don’t know what to do…”
Witherite could feel the aura, order senshi, in the park. That wasn’t necessarily uncommon, if one wanted to find a senshi the park was a pretty good place to look. The current senshi, though Wither could not see them, was in a bit of a predicament. Namely, Wither intended to present their starseed to Beni tonight. Kill a senshi, the thought was invigorating. He moved forward and spied the other sitting on the swing talking to herself.
He stepped out into the open, “it probably wouldn’t go amiss if you stood up. Doesn’t matter either way, since you won’t walk away from here tonight, but you probably don’t want to make it easy magic slinger.”
He summoned his wrench, plastic as it may be and raised an eyebrow at the senshi in question.
Lost in thought, the sound of a male’s voice so near was like the loud cracking of a whip demanding her attention. Acrucis looked at the lieutenant with a confused expression, most of what he had said fell on deaf ears save for the last two words.
Her unblinking stared narrowed as he approached. “Magic slinger?” she questioned. Unsettled by the look he gave her and the way he walked the Senshi of Prayer’s grip tightened around the thick chain links. “Says the one who just summoned a tool out of thin air.” Case and point he had magic too, but something in the way he had said those words made Acrucis think he anticipated her to start attacking him with offensive spells; something she simply could not do.
That look in his eyes was not unfamiliar, it was something she had seen before. A piercing stare that felt like it bore holes straight through her, so full of a dark intent it sent an almost violent shiver up the senshi’s spine. “What do you want?” she inquired skeptically before rising to her feet and standing behind the rubber base seat.
“Yes, magic slinger. One of you senshi types that always slinging magic at other’s. Hence the term. Who cares if I summoned a wrench … that's minimal at best. Seriously Hoodini could do that.”
He folded his arms over his chest, wrench still in hand, and shook his head, “I do believe I just told you what I wanted, but I guess I can spell it out for you. You're nice shiny starseed in the palm of my hand and your cold dead body at my feet. That doesn’t seem to much to ask for tonight. I’m sure the boss man will be quite pleased.”
He gave a laughed watching the other rise and stand behind the swing, “frightened little magic slinger … you should be …”
He stepped forward unfolding his arms and charged forward, shuffling to the side to go around the swingset least he be hit with the swing, something he was hoping to avoid.
As the lieutenant skirted around the play structure, the senshi of prayer ran between the swings while still holding on to the rubber seat which she threw behind her.
Without pausing she continued to run down the travel beaten pathway. Tree roots fractured the pavement, trip hazards that almost caused her ankle to roll more than once.
Though the senshi had never seen a starseed with her own eyes, she knew what would happen if he got what he wanted and she would be helps to stop him from taking what he so fervently desired. "What kind of monster would order you to murder someone?" Acrucis yelled despite her dry throat. All she could do was hope to distract him long enough while praying to God another order signature was close by. Please, someone help!
Witherite frowned deeply, very irritated. The damn girl, just had to run … why did they always insist on doing this the hard way. He definitely felt more confident in his effort though and his choice because the girl ran which meant she was likely a weakling. A senshi starseed was a senshi starseed, so it matter not, but at least it would be easier for Wither.
He gave chase calling after the girl, “run little senshi run, the big bad wolf is coming for you.” He laughed madly, speeding up focusing on the task at hand. He was a triathlete and ran marathons so catching a tiny little senshi would be a breeze.
“Can you outrun me little magic slinger,” he taunted, “I don’t think you can.” He was sure he was gaining on her already and he could probably keep going longer than her, assuming she wasn’t a long distance runner or something, which he doubted by the look of her.
For each step she took, the Lieutenant matched her stride for stride and then some. Bobbing and weaving through the metal poles was a fruitless endeavor; even the swing didn’t slow him down.
Panic grew within her, tightening her chest, making it just that much harder to breath. “H-help!” she tried to scream but it barely came out higher than someone hollering across the room. Times like this she wished her magic was more like Phacts friend, the one that threw static from her hands. But fate and destiny had different plans it seemed and unless someone showed up this may spell the end of her.
Not accustomed to running in heeled boots Acrucis soon found herself stumbling forward, arms flailing in an attempt to grab onto something, anything, to keep from falling to no avail eliciting a scream from her dry lips.
Terror stricken, tears stung the corners of her eyes as her palms scraped against the pavement. “Go-go away! P-please someone-”
Witherite kept up and eventually caught up to the girl in time for her to take a tumble and for him to stand over her look down with a triumphant smirk. “Sorry little magic slinger, looks like you weren’t quite fast enough and now the big bad wolf’s come a calling.”
He shook his head at the girl and her tears, reaching down and grabbing the back of her fuku to yank her off the ground and onto her feet. “Tonight you die little one … any last words before you exit this world? Maybe an attempt to beg for your life … oh spare me Witherite.”
He was mocking her, but what did it matter, she’d be dead in a matter of minutes anyway.
“Le-let me go!” Acrucis struggled against his grip. Her nails found flesh around his wrist as she tried to pull away. But he was stronger, much stronger than her despite being powered it offered her little aid.
Her foot came up then in a last ditch effort to drive her heel into his instep or knee him in the groin at the very least. Despite needing time to think she knew she shouldn’t have gone out alone let alone power up, but she did and now there was no one near to help save her.
Wither just shook his head and laughed when she demanded he let her go, but his mirthful eyes turned deadly when she managed to dig him with her nails and scratch him. He tighten his grip on her lifting her up off the ground just as she went to kick him, making her very successfully kick him very close to him family jewels and nearly drop her.
He jerked her violent around so she could see his face more properly and grinned, “shouldn’t have done that magic slinger.” He lifted his free hand and plunged it into her chest, wrapping his fingers around her precious starseed getting ready to tug it out. “You really should have begged magic slinger … you might have lived up a little while longer. Such spirit though trying to kick me, maybe I’ll keep your’s and kill another senshi for bossman. It will make a lovely snack later.”
Acrucis was no stranger to pain. Her disease saw fit to introduce her to such discomforts years ago with needles, tests, surgeries and more. An endless cycle for month. Her weakened immune system invited a plethora of complications not limited to common cold or seasonal flu.
She had body aches so bad it was difficult to stand let alone breath but all of that seemed to pale slightly when she had been kidnapped earlier this year from the Umbrae Hotel. By the time Shangri-La and Phact had found her she had suffered greatly. Broken ribs, internal bleeding, a concussion to name a few ailments but the worst had been what it had all lead to; relapse.
But none of those instances came close to compare to the pain she was in now as Acrucis’ mouth opened in a soundless scream when his grip around her starseed tightened. Two objects occupying the same space hurt in a way that could not be described; like being hit in the chest with with thousands of shards and enough force to knock the wind out of her in an unrelenting way yet somehow explicitly more.
Wither plucked the starseed out of the girls chest and let the back of her fuku go, not caring if she fell to the ground and bust her head open. She wouldn’t live much longer anyway. He turned away from her looking at the at the shiny blue starseed with much satisfaction. “Thanks magic slinger, your donation to the cause will not be in vain.
He chuckled and started to walk away, feeling like he was on top of the world for killing a senshi.
Sheena could hear the cries for help, the voice all too familiar, making her tiny heart thunder in her chest. She could hear her, Acrucis was in trouble, but the barely there signature was hard to pinpoint and Sheena could tell she was so far away. She ran as fast as her tiny paws could carry her, elated after a moment that Acrucis’ signature seemed to be headed her in direction.
“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she shouted wondering where Maia or Shang were. Was this not the park they used for training? She wished she could find them, but she didn’t have time and she supposed they weren’t there maybe not yet because she didn’t feel anyone aside from Acrucis and the negaverse signature that Sheena guessed was her senshi’s current problem.
Acrucis seemed to stop moving and it made Sheena’s little heart speed up even more, charging forward, cold fear descending over her. She made it just in time to see the officer drop Acrucis and rushed to make sure she didn't hit her head using her tiny body.
She hissed that the officer, “you give that back this instant or I’m going to rip you to shreds.” She already had her forehead beam ready to knock him on his a**.
The frayed edges of the Senshi’s vision began to darken at an alarming rate but not before catching the worried expression on her guardian cats face. “Shee-na” Acrucis’ voice cracked in a mix of emotion as she tried to lift her handup from where it rested on the ground.
The agent had taken something precious from her and with all of her strength. Through blurry tearful yes she witnessed the star on the mauvians head begin to glow and while she felt an amount of comfort knowing she was not alone the Senshi of Payer did not want her friend to get hurt or God forbid share the same fate.
Run She tried to warn the mauvian but the only sound to escape her was nothing more than whimper as her eyelids slid shut and breathing became more shallow with each breath she drew.
Wither turned at the tiny voice and almost missed the cat, who pinned him with a vicious glare, the star on her forehead glowing. He only managed half a thought before he was knocked off his feet by a beam of light that came out of the cat's forehead.
"What the ********," he shouted with a groan trying to scramble for the starseed he'd managed to drop. That stung quite a bit and recovering from it was taking a moment.
Sheena was dizzy, but that didn't stop her from jumping to catch Acrucis' starseed, quickly returning back to the girl and nudging her and trying to get her out of here. She felt, knew this was the right moment for Acrucis and took a moment to grab the senshi's henshin pen. She pressed her paws over it watching it glow and grinned when the new pen formed. Time for a little upgrade.
"Come on Acrucis. We have to get out of here… here, time for a little boost in strength. Just call out Acrucis, star make-up power."
Disoriented and off balance, Acrucis stumbled as she tried to stand. The pen she’d been given was held tightly in one hand yet it took a solid minute for her to register what Sheena had said.
She looked at the mauvian confused because she was already powered up, why was she being asked to say it again? For one reason or another, everything Sheena said registered backwards in her mind; say somephrase, strength- boost, get out of here… Yeah, getting out of here sounded like a really good idea, but eventually she understood what the guardian cat was asking her to do, but it took a hot minute.
“Acrucis, star make-up power!” A familiar soft yellow light enveloped her form, warm like a late spring breeze it flitted over her uniform, changing it into something more elaborate yet fit just the same.
She felt refreshed, almost anyway. “Prayer of Renew,” she placed a hand upon her chest and healed herself. Relaxing as the tension in her chest eased and the throbbing headache subsided.
“Still want to try your luck, Lieutenant?” Two on one and now she was super; the odds were not in his favor. Well, technically they probably were since she still didn’t know how to properly fight and only had healing magic, but he didn’t know that.
Wither was dragging himself to his feet as Acrucis was processing Sheena’s words. He summoned his weapon to him ready to punt the ******** cat only for the baby magic slinger to do a Hoodini presto chango and suddenly get stronger. He felt it, felt her aura increase … and then she ******** healed herself.
That's what she did because she suddenly seemed far better off than two seconds ago. Wither groaned, face tensed, looking between the senshi and the cat. He was fully not about trying to fight a senshi who could say two words and suddenly be all ******** this! Watch your back baby magic slinger. Your kitty won't always be around."
He telephoned away, the sentence barely out of his mouth.
Sheena grinned and turned to Acrucis as the lieutenant turned tail and ran. "Sorry about the confusion Acrucis, but congratulations on being a super senshi. We got to train you up though … your aura isn't always going to be a good deterrent.
“Sleep first.” Acrucis jested before powering down before her aura attracted any other unwanted visitors. “Then we can figure out training later.”
Hanna knelt down to pick Sheena up to keep her hands from shaking and to reassure herself that she wasn’t alone. Also so they could go home to get some food and much-needed rest after that traumatizing near-death ordeal.
Being a senshi wasn’t all rainbows, sunshine and fun magic to play with; tonight was a harsh reminder that there was true evil in this world and she needed to take precautions and be more careful.
Kaori_luv
Backdated to 2015 - Lost and found, google document that was never posted. Thank you for helping me find it.
