Or, in her case, being stabbed in the side by a spear for picking a fight with a Negaverse general, one that was completely out of her league and well within his right to do so and then throwing herself off of a building to slam into the pool at a speed that could have broken her back, and followed up a youma having managed to drag her below the pool’s surface and not only content with attempting to drown her, but she was certain that it was sapping away her energy as well. And Tsui only had herself to blame.
It had been just a normal day, mere days before the summer would end and she’d be forced to go back to classes and waste most of the day cooped up indoors, sitting in a desk in the center of the classroom and staring longingly out the window, much to the dismay of her teachers and fellow students. Her after school activities would be ruined with homework and book reports, and her evenings would be the best part of the day, where she’d slip out of her disguise as a normal sixteen year old citizen of Destiny City and reveal her true identity, as Sailor Tsui, proud Senshi of Tigers and a budding warrior of the White Moon Court.
That last part was a title that Tsui had taken up fairly recently; it was a fact that she was willing to display now, especially when in the shadows of the enemy that were all around. Ever since
surviving that ambush, fighting alongside her fell members of the White Moon Court and her allies, the Knights, Tsui had a newfound purpose and a renewed interest in her role as a Senshi, and she had worn her fuku with pride. Even now, as she could feel the youma pulling at her legs, she felt proud to have been part of the White Moon Court that night, or rather, any night that she wore her uniform. Perhaps the Negaverse were right after all about
the White Moon Court, or its Queen being an evil, powerhungry monarch, and she was merely another one of her grunts out to take over the world. Yet, she was proud of her status, proud of who her allies were and where she stood between the forces of Order and Chaos.
Even now, when she figured that her death was near. Yes, it might not have been the grand death that she had planned out, but in the end, when did the grim reaper care what the mortal wanted when it came time to reap their soul? She could feel what she guessed was the last bit of her life force fading away and she could see darkness forming at the corner of her eyes. Would these be her final thoughts? She was only sixteen years old and she was going to meet her fate in the pool of some person’s backyard, her body fished out and likely dissected for science, assuming she remained in her fuku once she had died and not have reverted back to her regular summer attire. Perhaps that’d be for the best, because then at least Maddy would know that her sister had died and not have just disappeared off the face of the planet, without a trace or any real knowledge or closure as to what had happened to her reckless baby sister.
Reckless. Reckless wasn’t a big enough word to cover what Sailor Tsui was. There was likely a bigger word for reckless out there, and that would not have been even a fraction of the truth to just how reckless the Senshi of Tigers had been, and it was only now that Tsui felt that she was finally getting a grasp of just how foolish she had been to taunt the Negaverse general without really knowing what she was getting herself into.
Reckless wasn’t even the start of Tsui’s problems as a Senshi, but given that she was running on limited time, as her lungs were beginning to burn from the lack of oxygen, she figured that being considered reckless would be enough.
No, it seemed that the youma was toying with her now, as though she had not suffered enough, as it had loosened its grip and allowed her to float to the top of the pool so that she could cough and sputter and splash about. Perhaps it had heard her comments she made to Benitoite and was going to make sure she suffered for everything she said. That seemed like a logical explanation as to why it had simply let her up for some air, as no sooner did Tsui manage a few pathetic sound gasps of air did the youma wrap its slender arms around her legs and pull her under once more, this time driving needle like digits into her legs and sucking the energy out of her, causing her to yelp and suck in some water before disappearing under the water’s surface once more. Now she knew it was definitely taunting her, and that made her rather angry.
She already knew that she was going to probably die, but did she need a reminder from a damned youma as well? She didn’t have enough time to yell or scream for help, and it HAD to have known that. Perhaps it allowed her to go up for air so that it could show General Benitoite its good work, allow the general to see just how much it was going to allow this foolish, reckless Senshi of the White Moon Court suffer for every word she had uttered to him, every slight, even for her being a basic ranked Senshi even standing in the presence of a higher ranking officer. Oh, yes, the youma was her hubris after all, embodying the hurtful words that she had said.
And what were those words exactly? Tsui could remember them clearly. She had called youma animals, sub human, failures from a past war that deserved what they got and had blown their chance. Yes, that was the cliff note version of what she had said, and those words and the ignorance they brought with them had a funny way of sounding even more painful to her, almost as though she didn’t want to believe that she could even say something so hurtful or cruel to anyone else, even if it was a smarmy Negaverse general that had lied to her and regretted nothing. It was hypocritical of a member of the White Moon Court, the Order faction, to say and mean such things, wasn’t it? Or was she merely just that, a member of the White Moon Court that the Negaverse truly believed were the evil ones in this war and she merely playing her part in the grand scheme of things? Was there a right side, a wrong side to this war? If so, then which side was she on?
Such deep, philosophical thoughts would have been useful to Sailor Tsui, had they not been occurring mere moments before meeting her demise this evening, and she couldn’t help but feel angry that she was thinking of such things at such a late point in time. She was sixteen years old, a Senshi for probably longer than that but had remained asleep and merely waiting for the right time to awaken and do what she felt she needed to do, and that being to fight for the side of Order! She was mere weeks away from starting her Sophomore year in high school, a high school she hated with every ounce of her soul but had attended for her sister’s convenience sake, a school where the teachers judged her harshly, where other students mocked and teased her simply because she didn’t have a criminal record. Yes, because not having a criminal record beyond the occasional truancy was a crime in itself, according to the students at St. Mags. She hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to Sister Jeanne in so long; had she even gotten the chance to talk to her since becoming a Senshi? What would she have thought of her now, as she was drowning in a pool, blood of now only herself but of countless youma that were once human, like Benitoite, like Maddy, like herself? She’d likely say she was going to go straight to hell for that, and perhaps she was right. Perhaps Benitoite was right and only now did Tsui realize this.
’I’m a monster after all…’ Tsui thought bitterly, the first real coherent thought that she had, as she once again felt her life force draining away. She looked up and at the distorted skies above her, looking to the one sanctuary that she knew, the Moon, and beyond that, had she only known where to look, her home constellation of Tsui. She didn’t even know where it was in the night sky, or even when it would be present in the night sky, and that almost broke her heart. Now she knew that she was close to death, as the feeling of regret was beginning to form in her gut, starting out small and snowballing down a perilous and steep slope. Not visiting her home constellation of Tsui or even learning more about it than what she did know was only the beginning.
She had said some terrible and ignorant things at the meeting and had hurt a lot of others feelings, even without meaning to. Her comment about flaunting her feathers and power like a peacock were never meant for Princess Polaris, and yet she had taken it as an insult, and Tsui never had the chance to address this issue and apologize to her. When she powered down, was it because of her? She had started an argument with a child, with Zirconia and hadn’t felt an ounce of pity or remorse for her harsh words against her when she walked out, well, until now, as she was likely dying. Not that either of them would remember her long enough to remain angry about all of the ignorant things she had said, but that didn’t bring Tsui that much comfort in the end, now did it? She had been talking about keeping peace with the Negaverse and the Dark Mirror Court throughout the meeting, discussing the possibility of the plan to pit the two against each other if talks of peace had failed, and yet, the first thing she had done the moment they arrived? She punched the Dark Mirror Senshi of Puppetry in the face, a feat that she was unlikely to have happen again, especially now. The desire to kill had hit her like a thundering storm within her, after witnessed the death of Senshi and pages alike, and she could not deny that she didn’t care who she had hurt, so long as someone felt the same pain that she felt inside of her at the sight of that page’s death. She struck Valhalla openly and thought she had gotten over it, but his pleas for her to regain her senses echoed in her mind, even now, as the youma was dragging her deeper and deeper into the pool.
’You’re better than that!’ Valhalla had said, his voice crystal clear despite the other screaming thoughts in her head and the sound of swirling water around her. She didn’t listen to him at the time; she was in too much pain to take in his words, their meaning. All Tsui had felt then was pain, anger, despair at being so weak that she could not help a single person, nor could she hold up her talk of peace. All she wanted to do was punch, kick, even maim and kill, and only now did it truly hit her. Yes, she had been wanting to kill, but Valhalla was right. She was better than that, she didn’t need to kill her enemies. She only needed to defeat them, beat them in battle, without resorting to taking their lives. No, she was better than that. She was Sailor Tsui, Senshi of Tigers... and she was not going to allow herself to fall here, not when she could still fight for the White Moon, for the civilians of Destiny City, for her allies and friends. For their sake, and her own, she started to fight back, kicking and punching at the youma that tried to drag her down.
Perhaps her struggles would only make her life force drain away faster. Perhaps there would simply be no escape from the clutches of this youma and her own hubris, but Tsui was going to fight with all of her heart and strength that she had left. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to die here, in someone else’s swimming pool, at the hands of what she felt was a lost cause that was not worthy of the honor of taking her life. She was not going to die like this... she was going to survive this, so that she could get stronger and one day, she could stand on the same ground as General Benitoite, as Eternal Sailor Remarque, as the rest of the enemies of her court... and in order to do that, she needed to defeat this youma. She needed to rise above this situation, she needed to push through.
The Tiger needed to fight back. The Senshi of Tigers, Sailor Tsui, needed to pounce.
White aura shone on her arms and fists, and the youma had pulled her too close to have noticed the turning tides, and Tsui had planted both feet into the pool floor beneath her, preparing to summon her attack and propel and the youma out of the water. All she needed to do was get herself out of the pool and onto the deck, and then she’d have a better chance at a fair fight. Oh, it hurt when she moved and the blood that seeped out of her wound didn’t offer her much hope, but what choice did Tsui really have? She opened her mouth to utter the words of her spell, hoping, almost praying that yelling the words under water would be enough to trigger the spell and save her own life.
“Tiger... Fist... STRIKE!”
And success! Tsui could feel herself pushing forward and moving with the momentum of her strike, ramming into the underbelly of the youma when it had tried to swim backwards and away from her attack but to no avail. Tsui had read somewhere that tigers could leap well over four feet from the water’s surface and onto a boat or shore, and she had proven to the youma and herself that she was worthy of the sphere of the Tiger, as she carried herself and the youma right onto the deck with a flop. The youma gave a pained squeal and gasped for air, and Sailor Tsui wasted no time in working on dusting the youma, while she still had the element of surprise and was running on pure adrenaline. She had landed on top of the youma and she began punching away at its face and throat, knowing that she had the strength within her and only needing a little more to end its life. No doubt her shout and the splashing of the pool had alerted the homeowners or the tenants of their presence, and given that the general populace believed Tsui to be a terrorist, than she had little time to dust the youma and then try to drag herself away to safety. But she had to take care of the youma first! One step at a time.
“Look... sorry... about your old life... being ruined by my Queen... but you need to die!” Tsui growled, sputtering saliva and pool water from her lips as she punched it again and again. It squealed, perhaps trying to beg for mercy, but Tsui could not give it mercy. She couldn’t. If it was not her today, it’d just be some other victim later, and Tsui couldn’t allow that. Couldn’t allow any civilians or her allies and friends to be harmed anymore... she punched, and punched, and punched, until her lungs burned and she could feel dizzyness trying to take her, but she didn’t stop until it had gave one last gutteral moan and began to fade into dust beneath her, dropping the Tiger Senshi onto the wooden deck and all strength had left her, just like that. But that was okay. She had won, hadn’t she?
Even when she could feel her consciousness leaving her, maybe even her life, she had managed to slay the youma before it could hurt anyone else, and that may have to be enough for her. She could feel darkness slipping away, her eyes drooping and staring towards the bushes of the backyard she was in, the flowers that were just out of reach. What a nice thing to look at before she fainted? A pair of yellow eyes had glistened in the darkness of the bushes, and before too long, a creature had emerged from the bushes, running on four legs but its full form obscured by the growing darkness of unconsciousness. It was a cat. That’s all Tsui had known about her mysterious visitor, as by the time the cat had made it to her, Tsui’s eyes had closed. She was simply too tired, too tired to get a good look at the cat. Was it just a regular cat, or perhaps a Guardian cat, coming to her rescue? She was simply too tired to know which...
A gentle paw had touched her cheek, right over the three markings on her left cheek, and the voice she heard was indistinguishable, but the words clear. “Sailor Senshi of the White Moon Court, what is your name? What is your sphere?”
“Sailor Tsui.” Tsui managed to mutter the words. “Senshi... of Tigers.”
Who was she talking to? She didn’t sound familiar... she could have very well have been a he, but Tsui was too tired. Too exhausted and wounded to care. That touch became warm, coaxing, and little by little, Tsui could feel something churning within her. Was it energy? Power? Or simply her pride renewed? Filling her soul and body to the brim and giving her a new lease on life? Either way, the feeling felt good, it felt right, and Tsui could not help but smile, and her mysterious visitor gave a purr, almost as though she had taken the role of the mother lioness that breathed life into her cub once more. “Then raise your hand, and proclaim ‘Super Tsui Power, Make Up.’ Loudly, and proudly.”
Tsui had nodded, unable to open her eyes but mustering her arm out with renewed strength, and the feel of her henshin pin appearing in her hand was the anchor, and despite the pain, the wounds, and lingering weariness of her body and soul, Sailor Tsui did just that. She yelled out her henshin power, loudly and proudly, for all to hear. “Super Tsui Power... Make Up!”
The same power that she had felt surging within her with each and every transformation was familiar to her and a welcoming sensation, but this one was different. She felt as though there was nothing but pure, raw strength being pumped in her, starting from the henshin pin and rushing through her fingers and down her arm until her entire form was consumed in its comforting flow. The feeling of the metal bracelets on her wrists and ankles had snapped off entirely, like a beast that was once shackled breaking free of its binds, and the feel of warm fur replacing those confining metal made her finally find the strength to open her eyes and look at herself as the transformation was taking place. What was happening? Was she finally obtaining a new rank?
It would certainly seem so! Sailor Tsui, no, SUPER Sailor Tsui looked down at herself and rather liking what she had seen. Her bodice had remained the same, but over her dress as a tiger pelt, with the black stripes and tied together with a black belt, looped off on the side and revealing her striped gemstone. Her black, sheer sleeves were torn and tattered, rather fitting for the rough and tumble Senshi that she was, and instead of her tight metal bracelets, there were tiger pelt armguards, once again fastened by leather straps. When she shifted into a more comfortable position, she had heard the sound of metal scraping against the wooden dock, causing the Tiger senshi to look at her feet and the nice, strong looking boots that she now sported. Tiger pelt and leather straps over strong, black reinforced boots, matching with the rest of her attire almost perfectly. Perhaps the best part, though, was the changed tiara, as the tiara had gained silver wings, arching out at the perfect angle and looking like she was sporting metal cat ears, truly fitting for one that called herself the Senshi of Tigers!
“I... I did it... I... leveled up!” Super Sailor Tsui couldn’t help but proclaim aloud, and though her side still bleed from where Benitoite’s spear left its mark, she could not deny the excitement she felt within her, and though she didn’t have the strength to get up and flaunt her new rank, the way she kicked her feet was like that of a young child that had gotten everything she ever wanted for her birthday and then some. Her laughter may have sounded strained, even borderline crazy to those that might have heard it, but what did Tsui care what others thought of her now? She was at Super rank now! She was one step closer to reaching General Benitoite, or Eternal Sailor Remarque, or anyone else that she she felt were a threat to Destiny City! She was another step closer in being the true warrior of the White Moon Court that she felt that she needed to be! And it was all thanks to her hard work, per perseverance and risk taking, and her mysterious Guardian cat.
She looked to her left to see if she could find her, or him, but no one was there. Where had her mysterious savior gone? Who was she, or he? In the end, perhaps it was all just a random happenstance, and Tsui had managed to crawl herself towards the bushes where the cat had come from, but there was no one there. This had only taken away a fraction of her joy and excitement, however, as it merely gave Tsui another goal in her long list of goals. “Whoever you are... thank you. Thank you so much... I won’t waste your efforts. I’ll make you proud, whoever you are... I promise.”
And Tsui always, always kept her promises, no matter what they were. She could hear some activity coming from the house and the porchlight had turned on, and that was enough of a hint for Tsui to make her leave. She had felt bad for whoever would have to clean her blood from the blood and their deck, but it would clean away just fine. Her wound, however, may have needed some attention; just because she had henshined into her Super form did not mean that she was invincible, unfortunately, and Tsui had bit back the pained cry that she wanted to emit the moment she got up and tried to stumble away. Thankfully they had a wooden fence and a gate, as it made her escape fairly easy. She had survived being stabbed with a spear and throwing herself at least four stories into a pool of water with a hungry youma waiting... surely she could survive the long trek home. ’Surviving Maddy’s wrath will be a walk in the park... after what I’ve been through.’
For that she was certain. This Tiger would live to fight another day, and fight she would. She would fight the Negaverse and the Dark Mirror Court, either until they were all defeated, or she was killed. Either way, she would take the fight to them...
(Word Count: 4211)
