1327/Awami Shrine Peril

Awami Shrine Peril
Date of Scene:	21 March 2024
Location:	Awami Shrine
Synopsis:	White Bone Demon attacks Awami Shrine, but her evil plans are fought back by several heroes, including a last second save by Cure Wukong.
Cast of Characters:	Coco Kiumi, Yuuto Shiraishi, Cho Konishi, Amanda Faust, Kureha Senkenzan, Haruka Tenoh, Nanoha Takamachi

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Coco Kiumi has posed:
It's a bright sunny day of March, and the the Awami Shrine in Tokyo is seeing the usual comings and goings of teenagers seeking the blessing of the goddess of marriage to make their love come true. In the dim light of the room dedicated to the votive offerings, many candles burn bright, the names of many loves and their offerers hetched onto them.

The Hamasaki family, responsible for the temple's care for generations, is also the one that narrates the legend that made them build this temple a long time ago, that of a man who loved the sea, and the sea loved him back, having gained the affection of a mermaid during one of his many boat trips.

The mermaid dared not approach the man, for she knew a careless slip of the tongue caused by her love would have meant her doom, so she settled for watching him from afar during his many trips.

The days went on unchanging, until on a fateful day a storm started picking up strength, the darkened skies taking away the man's sense of orientation, and the furious waves threatening to topple his boat. All the man could do was try his best to stay alive.

The mermaid, unable to bear the sight of his love in danger, decided to reveal herself despite the risks, and gathering wood from nearby trees, she made a torch out of it, and, keeping the fire away from the fury of the sea, she revealed herself to the man and started leading him to shore with the guidance of the burning light.

The man survived and had a family, who built this shrine to honour the event, turning the mermaid into a symbol of love and the temple's protector. From then, the ritual of the candles was born, with the saying that she would use the flame to guide the lovers happily in life much as she did the man to shore.

Today, Coco is here, not to set a candle for love, but to pay respect to the mermaid that risked herself for it, one of their own from centuries ago.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
Yuuto is well-aware of this story - it was one of the many that Coco has shared with him since they began their relationship. He did not expect them to return to the shrine so soon after their last visit, but he has a feeling that the promise ring that Coco now wears has something to do with that.

Standing with the mermaid as the pair prepare to pay their respects, he reaches to give her wrist a little squeeze of reassurance, and a warm smile offered to her.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Baigujing, or the White Bone Demon as she was otherwise known, was not happy. Cure Wukong had been getting stronger, not weaker, despite her many, many efforts to dethrone the so-called new 'King of Monkeys'.

And the brat had been so promising, at first. Easily destroyed and beaten. But it was them working as a unit which proved the most damning. That mermaid, Wukong's so-called 'Tripitaka', was the child's closest ally...

And when one couldn't destroy their foe, why not undermine those they are closest to, before eliminating them entirely? Would such a thing be easy? Not at all. BUT! It might be possible.

It had taken her time to track down something connected to the mermaid, in some manner.

So, a strange woman with perfectly white, long hair walked towards the shrine. She looked... normal. For the most part. Aside from the way she moved. Slightly... strange. As if she floated more than she walked. Making her way to the shrine... Stepping into the shrine and taking one of the candles. One might think she intended to buy one...

But nothing could be further from reality.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy has been kind of reclusive for the past week. All the more reason that today she's eager for any excuse to go out! It's been too long since she hung out with Coco! Also she should get to know her good friend's boyfriend.

    Right now, though, as she learns what shrine they've come to, and the story is overheard from a visitor, employee, or Amy looking it up on her phone, her first reaction is to look to Coco and ask, "Wait, did that actually happen?" Is the mermaid the shrine is dedicated to a real historical person and not a myth, she means.

    She glances around the offering room and rubs her chin thoughtfully. "A goddess of marriage, huh?"

    She considers this for a moment.

    "I suppose I should pay my respects, as well." Amy says, and then bows her head and brings her hands together. "Thank you. Legends of beings like you have inspired many stories. Keep doin' what you're doin', I guess." And instead of a candle, she fishes a bill out of her crossover bag and leaves it weighed down by a coin, or just slips it into the offering box if there is one.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Hozan Chikafuji is a man who does his best to curry favor and earn favors. That includes making himself look like a saint where he can, and providing monetary assistance besides. Generous donations to local shrines never go awry in that respect, so after making just such a generous donation, he has sent his only daughter to show her face.

    Kureha Senkenzan is already sick and tired of being her father's way of saying 'I am paying heed to this' without actually paying any sort of attention whatsoever. She's already bitter at the man for hiding her away as an embarrassment until her 'miracle recovery'. But she doesn't exactly have much standing to refuse, at this point in time, so arrive she has, walking among the shrine-goers with Yozakura, the attendant most loyal to her father. The short young lady stands in line, waiting to make her offering and offer prayer, and almost certainly stands out due to the kimono she wears in a sea of much more modern clothing. It's not exactly cheap, either; the elegant spring design and high-end materials probably make it blindingly obvious how rich she is, if the attendant standing by her side didn't already.

    Yuuto's face is unfamiliar to her, but spotting Coco causes Kureha to very nearly double-take. She remembers Coco quite well from a certain riverside fight. Only some tremendous self-control prevents her from staring.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
Haruka Tenoh has been driving her car with the top down, wind running through her hair, on the road closest to the ocean. The drive along the road always gave her time to think - especially when she was alone. And after all, the sea and sky were so interconnected, how could it not? Much as she was interconnected with her sea siren. Everything is good and nice, until the wind changes. It's subtle - nobody else would notice it - but unnatural.

    Her peaceful face turns stern, annoyed. If only this feeling - the wind being disrupted, the hair on the back of her neck standing up - was ever false, she could probably ignore it at least for a little bit. But every time it meant something was going to happen. So she sighed, and drove on towards the place the wind's disruption was drawing her to.

    The dishwater blonde got a lot of looks when she pulled up in the Stingray, getting out in a long white dress with a brown scarf and vest, the wind catching it making it flow out dramatically.

    Slowly she made her way up the steps to the Shrine, suspicious - and trying not to look any more out of place than she was, which was very.

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi has a final exam soon. She has to do a report on one of Japan's shrines so she chooses Awami Shrine because she likes the romantic tale of a mermaid falling in love. She's gonna make it all about that! She is here to do this one last report until the term ends.

She's here looking at the candles, keeping a wide berth of them as she looks at them.

So each one is a wish for love...

"That's so romantic..." says Nanoha with wide eyes. Yuuno, on her shoulder, the ferret, rolls his eyes a little, but looks on. This world he's stuck on is so interesting sometimes though.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
Coco is silent in her prayer, thanking the mermaid goddess of marriage with hands clasped in prayer for inspiring so many with her love to this day, and that her dedication will forever be remembered. Finished her prayer, she smiles back at Yuuto, moving the hand whose wrist he squeezed to squeeze Yuuto's hand in turn.

"It actually happened", Coco confirms to Amy when the redhead asked. "She still has confirmed descendants among us, in the North Pacific, even if I think they are from a sister or a cousin, rather than directly from her."

Amidst the crowd, it is easy to miss weird phenomena, so the slightly floating woman is not given any glances, but Kureha's familiar face does catch Coco's attention, and the mermaid waves to her with a smile. "Hi, Kureha-san, how are you these days?" It has been a while.

Nanoha is similarly recognised thanks to a lucky hole in the crowd. "It is, isn't it?", Coco smiles, having apparently been close enough to overhear Nanoha. "What brings you here? Anything fun?"

Cho Konishi has posed:
"Pathetic..." the woman with long white hair said before lifting an arm up. The act, simple though it was... cast a breeze across the temple. In an instant... all of the candles were snuffed out. "So pathetic..." she said before holding up the candle to the light. "Risking her life for the protection of another, to rescue someone she dare not even let see her, lest she die? This, this is what mortals depend on? What they use to give themselves 'power'? To give themselves 'motivation'?" she asked, her voice filled with utter disdain and loathing.

"No, I think not! Arise, my upbeat! Let us erase this Hero from history!" she called. The candle was tossed into the air towards the water,before it erupted, enveloped in dark energy.

Before it hit the water, it took a strange, mermaid's form...

And then, a moment later, she rose up. A mermaid... except one with a twisted, cold look about her. She put a hand to her chest and began to sing, a very, very familiar song.

And it *hurt*. A twisted, cruel version of the Legend of Mermaid song that Yellow Pearl Voice so often sang. And the temple began to shake.

White robes appeared on the woman's body as she stepped back, out onto the beach. "Yes, destroy all signs of your legacy, erase this mockery from existence!" the demon said, laughing coldly.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
Feeling the press of Coco's hand in his own, Yuuto offers a smile of reassurance as the mermaid goes through the process of talking to people. When it comes to her, he realizes she's pratically an idol, and he's more than happy to just be near her and listen to the conversation and interpose when he can.

Not that he gets much of a chance in this case, because as the white haired woman makes her way forward and defaces the shrine and temple, Yuuto's eyes go wide, especially as the temple begins to shake, and that song, familiar, but terribly twisted begins.

His hand leaves Coco's, concern on his features, but ready to defend her as he moves to place himself between the twisted mermaid and his mermaid. As his hand moves away, he winds the watch on his list. "Steam Sentinel Propel - EVIL'S TIME IS UP!" He slams his hand down on the watch as he and Tinker henshin into his steampunkish uniform.

"I won't let her harm you!" he says to Coco, drawing both of his blamsters, opening fire upon the twisted form. "Ugh, what a terrible voice you have!"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Neither Yozakura nor Kureha notice the woman walking as if weightless. The crimson-eyed young Chikafuji scion is too focused on maintaining poise, and not letting her simmering distaste for the day's attendant come to the fore. There's at least a distraction in the form of Coco, who seems to have spotted her as well. "-ah. I have been well enough. Somewhat busy with business for my father." However, while Kureha may recognize Coco, Yozakura has never met her. The woman cants her head slightly, looking between her young charge and the girl addressing her, and then asks, "An acquaintance of yours from school, my lady?" It's probably to Kureha's credit that she answers without hesitating. "Yes. We have encountered each other on a few occasions."

    There's a look Kureha sends to Coco which seems to be a silent, 'please don't contradict any of that'.

    That's about the moment a breeze blows, candles cease to burn, and Kureha Senkenzan's instincts scream to her of danger. She immediately turns slightly, sweeping her gaze around the shrine grounds. She's already on alert when the fountain erupts with Dark Energy, and as a result, almost without thinking, she moves as if to shield Yozakura. "M-my lady?! What are you- what is that?!" Yozakura exclaims, alarmed at the sudden display. By now, Kureha has seen enough of this magical girl nonsense that she's able to quickly reply, "I don't know, but if this is a show, it's in very poor taste. We're leaving, Yozakura." She plans to disengage from the woman as soon as they pass through the crowd...

    But then the dark facsimile of the legendary mermaid starts to sing.

    Kureha staggers. So does Yozakura. But of the two, the older woman is much less hardened against this sort of thing; before long at all, she collapses to her knees, clutching her head, before losing consciousness.

    Kureha quietly grits her teeth, and reaches inside her kimono, fishing for something.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Haruka doesn't have to get too far in terms of getting closer to the inner part of the shrine before the singing starts - it seems like the twisted voice that comes from within the shrine is putting the common civilians on the floor. Well, as much as it sucks to think this, that's probably better for everyone. None of them is gonna shut the source of the awful dark music up, and they would only get in her way and make it hard for her to transform. She draws her henshin pen from within her subspace pocket. Damn, it sucks to not have regular pockets in dresses. But now isn't the time to think about that! Now is the time for action.

    "Uranus Power, MAKE UP!"

    The power of her guardian planet surges through her - and the awareness of Guardian Uranus - and now the sailor-suited Pretty Soldier is already running towards the source of the music. Normally she'd give a speech maybe, but it's not like anybody is gonna hear her, so she just bursts into the room and tries to kick the singing mermaid in the throat. She may not know what's going on, but she knows there's Dark Energy, there's evil in that song, and it needs to stop. And nobody has ever been able to accuse Sailor Uranus of being hesitant. Or patient.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy's never made an offering at a shrine before. She wasn't even patronizing the shrine, she didn't ask for anything, she just said 'thanks for inspiring humanity!' and immediately some weird lady gets mad that the shrine's goddess inspires humanity and summons a monster to stop it!

    You CAN'T make this shit up, folks!

    Amy just kind of turns and stares at Baigujing, until the Dark Mermaid starts singing. She covers her ears, and then transforms.

    The usual outfit is supplemented by pink fuzzy earmuffs. Like you'd wear at a shooting range, rather than for insulation, just, pink and fuzzy.

    Amy winces at the pain of the song all the same, but soldiers on. She walks towards the mermaid, but turns her head to call over her shoulder at the retreating ghost. "What did I just say? I can't help but take this kinda personally!"

    She turns back to the mermaid. "As for you. Stop." If the earmuffs aren't enough, she tries shutting off pain; Who knows if a song-based attack is more against her soul than her body, but it's worth a try.

    She leaps forward, and big pink bulky fuzzy kitty pawgloves appear on her hands as she tries to cover the Dark Mermaid(?)'s mouth with her left hand. The gloves might make it a bit harder to get a good angle for biting her hand. "I've never faced a voice-based monster before, but it seems like a bad choice. Not only do we have a mermaid princess here, but I can think of lots of ways to stop you from using your voice."

    It occurs to her that now that she thinks about it, they should be more careful not to let anyone get close to Yellow Pearl Voice--but the Live Stage kind of takes care of that, doesn't it?

    "So, stand down and--" oh hey, Steam Sentinel Propel has opened fire! Hopefully he's a good shot. "--or we could just start blasting! That works too!"

    Sailor Uranus going for the throat kick! "I hadn't even gotten to that one yet, but it's pretty obvious."

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi waves back at familiar friends with a smile. Nanoha Takamachi then also watches all the candles blow out and she looks up to the strange woman in white, who summons some sort of horrid Mermaid that starts singing and she covers her ears reflexively, before muttering. "Raising Heart, Set Up!" she goes.

Raising Heart turns into it's staff form, before encasing Nanoha into a white light to put her into her barrier jacket.

She then calls out. "Divine Shooter...!"

< Divine Shooter! > goes Raising Heart, as a series of barret shots form around her and start blasting at the horrible mermaid creature.

Nanoha needs to act first. She can talk while acting. Too. "Don't you dare spoil this romantic place!" she calls out, Yuuno still on her shoulder.

Cho Konishi has posed:
It was too late for Kureha's attendant, just as it was too late for many of the other civilians. They collapsed, their energy being drained, giving into the realization 'They would never know love'.

Baigujing chuckled, a dark fan appearing in her hand, which she used to fan herself as she watched the battle. She merely shrugged at Amy. The girl may take it personally, but she was merely another casaulty in this battle.

The mermaid, however, continued her dark, twisted song. As Uranus' knee came at her and the blasts from two separate sources came as well...

The song stopped and she dove under the water!

Mission accomplished.

If only. The song started again a moment later before beneath Uranus, there were bubbles! And then CORAL rose out from the water, erupting around the scout to latch on.... and then drag her back down, into the depths!

Meanwhile, the mermaid resurfaced, further out into the water. She started to sing again. However, instead of causing destruction, instead the water around her shaped itself into dolphins before a few of the dolphins went FLYING through the air at Yuuto and Nanoha!

Coco Kiumi has posed:
An understanding look is given to Kureha at her tacit requests, and Coco keeps up the ruse in front of her attendant. "Yes, that's right, I have seen her a few times here and there, so I wanted to greet here. I didn't expect we would have both been here", she tells unwaveringly. Coco has a great poker face... when it comes to lying for a friend, at least. Not so much for herself.

When the woman in white starts releasing dark waves of magical energy, Coco does finally takes notice of her presence, vaguely recalling her from the last time she had fought a Deadbeat together with Cho. She had been... really elusive. And the fact she had taken possession of a young girl did not help.

The blonde mermaid grits her teeth when she sees what Lady Bone Demon is using to create her Deadbeat. How can she disgrace her? Indignation sets in the young woman's heart at the realisation.

<PHONE> Coco Kiumi texts Cho Konishi: Cho, there is a Deadbeat here, at the Awami Shrine! And it's the White Bone Demon at it again!

Putting away her phone, Coco glares at the one responsible for all this. She is not staying back for this one. "Take care, too, Propel, I will try pushing back with my own song!"

Forcing herself through through the painful feelings the dark Legend of Mermaid is giving her, she declares at the woman in white. "How can you trample on everyone's pure feelings of love with a mermaid who was ready to give her life for it! I am the mermaid princess from the South Pacific, and you won't mock her like that!"

The shell locket opens as she brings her hands around it in a curved x to channel the melodious magic of the seven seas. "Yellow Pearl Voice!" she declares, the pearl in her shell locket responding to her will and starting to shine with a yellow light.

A kaleidoscope of colours covers Coco's clothes as those change into her yellow gloves and boots with flowy extensions, as well as a yellow blouse with a yellow skirt, while her pearl expands into her trusty E-Pitch microphone, its blue shape settling comfily into her hand, the jewel nestled safely in the head's center. The Live Stage gently envelopes Coco in its white light, and the sphere shines bright in the room that's now dark after the White Bone Demon snuffed out the candles.

"Legend of Mermaid: Pichi Pichi Voice, Live Start!", Coco exclaims, her purifying voice showing what the real song is like: a nostalgic melody of stars that shine like pearls, a wondrous light released from them, an adventure filled with miracles like the kind mother wishes for everyone in her heart, a love that will unfailingly be reborn after the storm.

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
When Uranus goes to flying towards the twisted mermaid, Propel halts his attack - especially when it seems that the Sailor Senshi and her flying knee has dealt the damage that was needed to take it down completely! As it disappears, the Steam Sentinel takes a step back as Coco transforms. "Got it, Yellow!" he calls out to her.

And then the ground rumbles, and his wheels move to keep him stabalized on the ground as it explodes upwards. "Not over yet!" he calls out, as he starts to prepare to fire, just as some of the coral rises up, knocking him off balance and he stumbles to the side.

Twisting around, he had just gotten settled back in when the large dolphin that Baigujing launched at him is suddenly there. No chance to get his blaster up, no chance to defend. He doesn't even get a chance to cross his arms a the attack slams into his chest, forcing the air out of his chest and he flies backwards, slamming into the ground and is out of the fight for the moment, gasping and struggling to find his breath from the heavy attack.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    The monstrous mermaid with the malicious melody falls under an almost immediate onslaught. Weaponsfire from a Steam Sentinel, a surprise kick from a Sailor Senshi, a barrage from a Device Mage, and even the countermelody from Yellow Pearl Voice. And in all that, Kureha Senkenzan is nowhere to be seen. There's a flare of flames amidst all the collapsing people, but if anyone looks up from their assault... the kimono-clad girl is just gone. As is her attendant.

    At least some of the people here, however, will know what it means when a huge dumpster goes flying out over the water at the mermaid. The tremendous metal box goes hurtling as if flung from a trebuchet, and anyone who traces its arc back to the shore will find a horned, elegant oni girl, clad in a flame-patterned kimono, giving her hair an almost contemptuous flip.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus is about to curse when she realizes she's already underwater and opening her mouth would be a bad idea. Being underwater also means... no called attacks! The coral is mostly around her legs, though, and that means she has a solution to her problem - one that doesn't require any words. She reaches out with her hand and draws her sword from its hiding spot. Coral is... well, not the toughest stuff in the world, and this is a magic sword.

    So while it's a little flaily (and slightly slowed down by the water, though less than you might expect) she starts to break free and swim upwards. While she's not the swimmer the water Senshi is, she's not inelegant in water, and once she gets her head back above water she's able to give the mermaid a peice of her mind. "Listen here y-" and she is cut off immediately by needing to dive out of the way of the flying dumpster, which may continue whether it hits the mermaid or not.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Oh. Drat. The mermaid is getting farther out into the water. Amy's not sure she technically needs to breathe, but water is still not an environment she's really good at fighting in? So much for mouth covering, or throat kicking, or anything else that requires being able to catch and touch the dark mermaid. Maybe this one is okay to blast. No one has shouted 'wait, we need to purify it, not kill it!'

    Blasting may have to wait, though. The Sailor Scout has been pulled under water! By the time Amy gets closer she's already out, though, and there's a flying dumpster! She glances back to see Onihime and gives her a thumbs-up before turning back to face the evil singer, dismissing her gloves and summoning her trusty rocket launcher, and firing at the distant mermaid!

    Explosions should still work, right?

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi watches a dolphin coalesce out of water and smack into her before she can move too far and this sends her flying backwards onto the ground being doused in cold ocean water- but she isn't gonna repent to some jerk for that! She gets up and calls out. "Flier fin..."

Small wings appear on her shoes as she takes skyward. High. Not. 'Hey everyone looks like ants' high, but high enough.

She launches a barrage of shot barrets, normal ones, this time, down into the fray as she frowns.

"Hey, stop this awful singing!" she commands.

Cho Konishi has posed:
It wasn't long before Coco got a text back.

<PHONE> Cho Konishi texts Coco Kiumi: We're on our way!

However, Baigujing grins when she sees Yellow Pearl Voice make an appearance. "Ahhhhh. I know exactly who she is, and why she is so important to you, Yellow Pearl Voice," the demon said, lifting the fan up to cover her mouth. "Here I'd intended to lure you out, I never would have imagined it would work so effectively. I've come to warn you. No lo--"

However, then the purifying song started and she let out a low hiss, covering her ears with her hands, shaking her head.

The other mermaid tried to sing over her, making a pouty face. "How dare you! Love is a waste! Why should I have to risk my life for someone else? It wasn't like he loved me back! I risked myself for nothing! Not this time! This time I will take it all for myself! I--"

Any more objections she might have had were lost, as the girl was dumpstered. Literally. Thanks to Cure Oni.

It hits home and the mermaid is sent flying out of the water and...

Gets rocketed. She bounces along the water a few times before kind of floating there... only for Nanoha's blasts to then pelt her, bouncing her around in the water as she ineffectually flailed. Dazed, confused, wobbling from side to side and giving a confused, disoriented croaking notes. There was no more singing coming from this mermaid.

Only for a rather sizeable wave to smack her from behind and send her toppling forward, onto land, a moment later. Either a sign of the ocean itself being annoyed... or possibly all the explosions disrupting the water.

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    Onihime does not look quietly smug at the thumbs-up from Amy. Not at all. Not in the least. Not even a little bit!

    She is content to watch and wait for her opportunity; just swimming out into the water would be a bad idea for multiple reasons. So the Youkai Musume waits, watches, and plans; any way she might get out there safely, any opportunity she might see to strike, any other nearby objects she might be able to use. But her patience proves to be the correct choice in and of itself, for the heavy firepower upon the mermaid soon brings her up and out of the water. With a slightly arched eyebrow, Kureha Senkenzan strides across the sand, geta leaving telltale impressions as she walks.

    Her steps finally come to a stop over the beached evil, at whom she stares down, almost as if curious. "Good evening. I would like to lodge a complaint regarding your singing of a harmful song among a crowd of innocents."

    Her complaint, as it turns out, involves swinging her right arm in a high, powerful overhand punch straight downward. Whether it hits the mermaid or not, there's going to be a massive plume of sand.

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanoha Takamachi is far enough away now from being hit by multiple dolphins or waves or whatever up here. She can still hear the distance speech from the White Bone Lady though. She gasps a little, flying lower, so she can be heard. "Love is not a waste. Love is what keeps everything going..." she says quietly. "Because if you don't love people... things... places..." she says. "What would even be the point of existence. Even you do this for love, even if you don't think you do..." she says quietly, holding Raising Heart close.

She raises Raising Heart again though when she turns it back on the Mermaid and---

Well there's a giant sand plume there. She doesn't know if it's safe to fire a Divine Buster into the mix. She grits her teeth a little and calls out. "Divine.... Buster!"

< Divine Buster! > goes Raising Heart as Nanoha lances out into the smoke plume, hopefully, she'll hit her intended target in the plume. She's firing blind now!

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus swims over until her feet find, thankfully, solid ground. The dumpster did hit the mermaid and did keep going - so it was probably wise that she wasn't near the mermaid. Now that her boots are on land (if not dry land) she can kind of stomp angrily in the Mermaid's direction back from the ocean. If slowly due to water resistance.

    "Yeah, Ocean likes you a lot less than me doesn't it!" she yells. "Well, Earth and Sky are not fond of you either." She adds, raising her hand up high.

    "World Shaking!" she calls out, as she generates a little orange spheroid of energy between her fingers, which turns into a much larger orange sphere, before she slams it into the ground, and the ringed sphere rips a large diviot in the ground, water, sand, and hopefully the singer.

Amanda Faust has posed:
    The monster... talks? And it's talking as if it is the mermaid from the story. Is she? How does any of this work?

    Anyway, the dark mermaid is so thoroughly pummeled that even the sea has had enough and washes her up on the beach.

    Amy stops shooting and tries talking again. "Wait, are you the mermaid from the story? Do we need to turn you back? Look, one-sided love might be a waste, but that doesn't mean all love is! You could've tried to make it work... I mean, clearly they are..." She waves a hand at Coco and Yuuto. They all just kinda up and transformed openly in front of eachother just now.

    "And that's what the people who venerate you are seeking! Not to pine after someone, but hope that you'll make a change in their lives that helps them take that step! Or that you'll help them find the courage to do it themselves!"

    Amy points at her. "That's a story worth remembering! Worth telling! You're not a symbol of unrequited love, you're a symbol of helping people who are stuck find love! And maybe find themselves..."

    She sweatdrops at all the big attacks still flying around her.

Coco Kiumi has posed:
A very worried look of is given to Yuuto when the water dolphin strikes at him, and sends him flying back, her attention taken away from the dark mermaid. "Propel!" she very clearly says, interrupting her song.

"You aren't this!" Coco exclaims to the dark mermaid. "Your love hasn't been in vain: we are literally in the place it has the most meaning! You should know of this family!"

"And you are like a model for me!" Coco continues, feeling Yuuto's ring on her finger. "I too want to have a family with the one I love, just like you probably did! Return to your own true feelings!"

Then Coco resumes singing, the purification, also helping heal those who are hurt, slowly but steadily, helping them keep it up together!

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
A groan, soft and painful. Oh, that hurt. Like a sledgehammer to the chest. But, as he catches his breath and his ears stop ringing, Yuuto can hear the voices around him. Pushing himself to a knee, he sucks in a breath. Amy's words in his ears, telling him that what he and Coco has is the ideal of the shrine.

Then Coco's own words, her song interrupted to address the mermaid and him. He grits his teeth in pain, but as Coco's healing washes over him, he feels himself lost in her song once again. All he can do, all he wants to do is protect the mermaid.

Now. Tomorrow. For as long as she'll have him.

His blasters are taken up and he swings them around, blearily aiming at the mermaid. "Propel--- BLAST!" Both cannons fire, swirling together to slam into the creature, just as Yuuto collapses back down again, completely spent.

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cure Wukong came riding in on her cloud! Woo, gotta love the magic cloud, coolest way to travel and-- Holy... holy...

She arrived just in time to see the mermaid get punded into the sand, then a beam of destructive magic,an orb of other destructive magic and a propeling blast combined together onto the mermaid, sending an explosion of sand into the air that had to be at LEAST a hundred feet high. As the smoke and sand cleared, the mermaid... laid there, crumbled... Defeated.

Which, to be honest? Was PERFECT for Cure Wukong. She didn't have to do anything! Except as she landed on the shore, a quick pose and...

"72 earthly transformations purification!"

Time to kill steal, as Wukong do. Well, purify finish... Not that there was much to do that to, after that raw destruction. Pink magic washed over the Upbeat, purifying her as, slowly, the cruel features calmed and her gaze turned to Coco... Purified, her features were far softer and she gave a gentle, happy smile to the young mermaid.

"Thank you, young princess of the South Pacific Ocean. I am happy to know that my story can still inspire my fellow mermaids to follow their hearts..." she said, before she began to fade away...

Wukong, meanwhile, was running towards the White Bone Demon. Who let out a growl, before the girl separated from her host and--

Wukong caught the poor, energy drained girl before she hit the ground. Yup, she'd seen that enough times now. She then gently laid the girl down. She'd be up soon.

"Uhhhhh, thanks, everyone. For ummmm, well. Taking care of this for me. I uhhhh... wasn't... actually here. So uhhhh... Wow. Errr... T-thanks!" she said sheepishly, chuckling as she rubbed the back of her head.

Within the temple, all of the prior extinguished candles had once again become lit, a sign of the mermaid who watched over them yet again...

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    Sailor Uranus was glad she didn't have long hair like so many of the other Senshi, or she'd have to wring it out. As it was, her henshin outfit was drying off. "I like my enemies to be on land, if given the option." she says, dripping everywhere as she walks back onto shore. "But I'll kick their butt on the ocean if I gotta." She adds.

    Let's not talk about how she was almost drowned by coral. She isn't, after all. "What was all of that?" she asks, a rather open ended question, but none of her girls are here and she has no idea what's going on, except "... we fixed whatever was going wrong at least, right?"

Kureha Senkenzan has posed:
    There is a great deal of firepower on and around this beach. And only some of it is Kureha's. After metaphorically (and somewhat literally) burying the mermaid with a powerful downward punch, the Ogre Princess is smart enough to hop back and out of the way, and then just... watch the show, quietly. She is content to simply fold her hands, wait, and watch, although when she realizes that Cure Wukong has joined the fray, she watches the... Monkey Princess? with a curious sort of interest. "...think nothing of it. I have chosen to embrace who and what I am. And besides." A glance back towards the shrine. "She caused harm to someone I would consider to be under my protection."

    The kimono-clad magical girl turns to go, but then stops. "Ah. I had completely forgotten." Her head turns slightly, enough to look back at Cho out the corner of her eye. "This past July, shortly after my first transformation, you asked... well, it wasn't worded as a question, but in essence, a question it was." She pauses, just long enough to make it seem as if she's stopped, then continues. "Onihime. Descendant of Mount Ooe, Youkai Musume, Onihime. That is my name. Hopefully, it's enough to avoid being labelled 'Strawberry Horns'?"

Nanoha Takamachi has posed:
Nanogha Takamachi lands on the ground when the danger is gone as she frowns and drips a little from the dolphin attack still as she sneezes. Achoo! from the water, and shivers, shaking off and Yuuno also does the same, shaking like a ferret might.

"Right. What was that all about?" she asks curiously as she holds Raising Heart, looking over to the candles, and smiling a moment. They're all lit!

Amanda Faust has posed:
    Amy's not really thinking about how Coco and Yuuto feel about being singled out right now. Oops?

    The song of Yellow Pearl Voice reminds her she can stop turning off pain and dismiss the earmuffs. It feels so wonderful to hear that song again, after hearing the twisted version...

    And then Cure Wukong shows up and purifies the mermaid. "Ohhhhhh. So she's... like Wuwu, and Nene...?" As the manifestation of legend thanks Coco, Amy raises a fist in triumph, then gives a thumbs up, smiling. "Humans, too." She adds, as the legend fades.

    As introductions go around, she looks up at Sailor Uranus. "Did I actually introduce myself before? Am-- Magical Rocket Girl Red, I'm going with, I think. Good to fight with you again."

Yuuto Shiraishi has posed:
As the mermaid is vanishing, Yuuto smiles at her words of encouragement for Coco and he touches Yellow Voice's hand, reminding her that she's not alone in this. But it all seems to be getting cleaned up, and there's not much else for him to do.

"...hey," he realizes, as the Steam Sentinel glances to Yellow Voice. "...I did ask you to prom, right?"

Cho Konishi has posed:
Cure Wukong gave a nervous chuckle before glancing to Uranus. "Uhhhhh... well, yes. We won! It's a whole... Deadbeats want to destroy motivation by erasing past heroes from existence thing. They're kind of my enemies and stuff. And ummmm, Yellow Pearl Voice is my friend who's usually helping me when it happens! Also, she's a mermaid. This is important," she said quickly.

She then turned to Onihime and bowed! They.... might have met before, possibly, a second time, but honestly? Wukong met a lot of people and couldn't remember all of her interactions. That was kind of hard for her to do. Anyone, really.

"I'm Cure Wukong! I fight deadbeats and anyone else who tries to endanger our world! And that was the White Bone Demon, she's a uhhhh... evil spirit who makes the monsters like that, which I need to purify. And Onihime is fine, I will make sure to not call you Strawberry horns..." Which... admittedly, she likely would have chosen.

She then gave a wave to Amy, grinning towards her. "It's great to see you again! Thanks for the help! Really, everyone, thank you. I really should have been here sooner but ummm... I was across town. Thanks for dealing with the problem in my absence, I'll try to help you with your fights later!" she said, bowing once more in gratefulness.

Haruka Tenoh has posed:
    "Well, I'm Sailor Uranus, Guardian empowered by the planet of Uranus." she says, to reply back to both Magical Girl Rocket Red and Cure Wukong. "And it's not really a big deal to help. I don't want to see the people that others draw strength from fade out." she notes.

    "Just like none of you want to see the Senshi's enemy win, so it's nothing. We're all just fighting for a safer, better world together, right?"