She opened her eyes and allowed him to help her up. "I'm fine, Night Angel." Something about the way she said it made him stop in his tracks.
"Eryx?"
Before he knew what was happening, she had hit him with a point blank "Celestial Force."
"E- Eryx?" he cried out as he tried to catch his breath. He was convinced that that was the hardest attack he had ever taken from anyone. What had happened to Sailor Eryx?
A laugh came from above him. He looked up to see Tanzanite. "So, Night Angel. What do you think of my replacement for Jian-wa?"
He glared at her and clinched his fists. "Let her go!"
"Why should I? She took away my most valuable servant. I'm only taking back what's due me."
He glanced at Sailor Eryx. This couldn't be happening! She couldn't possibly be evil! "Iie! I won't let you!"
"Child! You couldn't do anything to me if you tried. I should've known you wouldn't let your precious Neko-chan come here alone, but it's of no consequence. I suppose you brought the other scouts with you as well. It won't matter. They won't dream of hurting Sailor Eryx, but she shouldn't have the same courtesy. So you see, there's no way I can lose." She laughed again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sailor Electra ran past the car and in the direction that Eryx and Night Angel had gone. About halfway there, she lost contact with her twin altogether. *Eryx! Neko-chan!* There was no answer.
She reached the service road and wondered which way Eryx had gone. *Just have to pick one and go with it.* She ran towards the warehouse and hoped it was where Eryx was. Once inside she heard yelling, so she ran in the direction of the voices.
"�I suppose you brought the other scouts with you as well. It won't matter. They won't dream of hurting Sailor Eryx, but she shouldn't have the same courtesy. So you see, there's no way I can lose."
Electra peeked around the corner and saw a general, probably Tanzanite, floating above Night Angel. Sailor Eryx looked ok, but Electra suspected that either it was an illusion, or she was possessed by evil. She saw a rose-shaped yoma and suspected it. When Chibi had gone evil, he had been kissed by a yoma. She kept in mind that he also became stronger and that the way they had saved him was by killing the yoma. But right now she was more concerned about what Tanzanite was going to do to Night Angel.
She stepped out from behind the stack of boxes she was hiding behind and attacked. "Dazzling Bolts!"
Tanzanite hadn't seen it coming and got hit.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Night Angel knew it was dumb. He knew it was probably going to get him killed. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't let Eryx stay evil. There had to be a way to get her back.
Blocking out what was going on around him, he moved towards her and looked her straight in the eyes. They stared back at him in cold cruelty. "Koneko-chan. I know you're really good in there. Onegai, come back to me."
"Baka!" Evil Sailor Eryx responded. "Neko's a wimp. Always worrying about others and crying when she's upset or scared. Give me a break. She's spent the last few weeks confused out of her mind, and you're half the problem. You think I'm going to give up this to become her again. What, for you?"
Night Angel closed his eyes and fought back tears. As he stepped towards her again. "Koneko-chan, come back to me. Onegai. Aishiteru."
"Whatever. Celestial Force!"
Night Angel was ready to be hit this time, but he was pushed out of the way. He looked up and realized that it wasn't Sailor Electra like he'd immediately assumed. It was Jian-kun.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Rozetoge, attack her!"
"RAZOR THORNS!" Electra wasn't able to avoid the attack and was hit by a series of thorns.
She responded with an attack of her own against Rozetoge. *Eryx will return to normal if I can just kill this yoma.* She ran at it and started using her martial arts knowledge against it. But after getting a few kicks in, it slapped her with a vine that threw her practically against the room.
She looked at Eryx and Night Angel and realized that Night Angel was trying to talk Eryx out of her possession. *Poor guy! He's gonna get his heart broken.* She stood up and almost yelled at him to focus on the yoma when suddenly she saw Eryx about to attack him. She also saw Jian-kun run in and push Night Angel, receiving a majority of the attack himself.
"Jian-kun!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tanzanite watched in horror as Safiiru's son saved the Knight and took the hit for him. "Traitor!" she screamed. "Eryx, finish him off!" After all she had done for him. Raised him, kept him safe, promised him power and honor, and how did he repay her? Not only did he reject her, but now he was actually going to fight against her. How dare he?!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jian-wa stood up slowly after being struck by Eryx's attack. He wasn't a Senshi so he wasn't able to take hits like that as well, but he couldn't let Eryx hurt Night Angel. Neko-chan would never forgive herself.
He had followed Electra in after she had run past the car. He hadn't really planned on fighting, just on seeing if Tanzen-san was behind everything and whether he had any information to give the Scouts. But he had seen Night Angel talking to Eryx and knew that he would have to do something to save him.
He couldn't let them fight Eryx, possibly hurting her. Hurting Mi-chan too. But if Evil Sailor Eryx was allowed to freely attack, they'd all end up dead.
He took off his backpack and threw it to Night Angel. He looked at him and Electra. "You guys focus on Tanzen-san, I mean Tanzanite, and that yoma. I'll keep Sailor Eryx busy. Whatever you do, break the spell." They nodded. "There's some weapons - uh, shirukens, sais, things like that - in my bag. Use them if you have to. I won't on Neko-chan."
