DISCLAIMERS:
All canon characters are (C) 1992 - whatever year it is Naoko Takeuchi and all other related parties. The Shadow senshi are (C) Wild Nature 2006 - 2007. This is a fanfic based upon the anime version and all written work that this consists of is (C) 2006 - 2007 Wild Nature.

Chapter Four: Trials of the Earth and Decay

“I.. can’t.. breathe..” Haimutsu struggled in vain in the swarm of foliage claiming her limbs. “I’m stuck!”

“So are the rest of us..” Kakure grumbled, blood rushing to her head as she was trapped feet upward in the air, her hair blowing in the wind not unlike a doll troll.

“Man, this stinks!” Haimutsu wheezed. “Where’s Makoto?”

“Right here,” Sailor Jupiter offered, standing underneath them, utterly free of the foliage.

“Oh sure, you don’t get stuck!” Haimutsu sighed. “Please help, Makoto-san?”

“All right,” She pulled at a root near Haimutsu’s arm and it was freed. “Get yourself out, I’ll help Kakure.”

“I..can’t... breathe..” Kakure was turning blue. “I don’t like... upside down.. can’t.. see straight..”

Sailor Jupiter had to climb a bit upward the vines to grasp the offending piece trapping Kakure. She screamed as she fell in a heap.

“Oh shit! I’m sorry!” Sailor Jupiter flushed with embarrassment.

“ ’sa right...” She staggered to her feet, brushing her hair away from her face. “Aye.. where are we?”

“It looks to be a jungle,” Haimutsu offered. “But then, it could just be extreme wild.”

“Eh, let’s get moving to sunlight. This shade is getting cold..” Kakure began to move.

“I think we should climb a tree,” Sailor Jupiter suggested, standing still. She hadn’t moved as she gestured up. “We can get a scope on where we are. If we just move around, we’ll just get more lost.”

“Well, all right. Who climbs?”

“You do!” All three of them pointed at one in a circle, none of them too keen on going up themselves.

Sailor Jupiter sighed noisily. “Fine, fine. I’ll go since I’m more experienced.”

“Good luck!” Kakure gave her a thumbs up as Haimutsu rolled her eyes.

Sailor Jupiter disappeared in moments and silence dragged on.

“Umm... Makoto?” Kakure called out after too much time passed. “Makoto!”

“We need to get up there!” Haimutsu shouted. They began to climb rapidly, ignoring their pumping hearts and nearly frozen feet.

“Makoto! Makoto!” The two cried out, heads popping out into blinding light.

It was a sea of treetops, as far as the eye could distinguish. “Where.. where is she!?” Haimutsu sobbed. “Oh god, I should’ve gone up!”

“Oh dear god!” Kakure screamed as two eagles, as big as caravans swooped down and plucked them helplessly into the air.

“Help!” Haimutsu cried out.

“Oh, who is going to save us?” Kakure glared.

There was a moment of silence as they watched everything breeze by, melting into a sea of molten hues of green. “Makoto..” Kakure sniffled.

“Where are you taking us!?” Haimutsu wiggled in the clasped toes. “HEY! I have much respect for animals but this is a joke! I mean, come on! We didn’t do anything!”

She screamed as she felt empty air around her and she plummeted to the ground. “Kakure!”

“Haimutsu!”

Kakure screamed even louder as she too was let go. “HELP!”

They landed on a surprisingly soft area, the oversized leaves creating a cushioning net. “Oh.. we’re.. not dead..”

“No, we’re not,” The two spun around with grins. “MAKOTO!”

She sighed, rubbing her eyes. “They were trying to help us, those birds..” Sailor Jupiter waved her hands. “I don’t know why. We need to be figuring out things.”

“So..” Haimutsu and Kakure looked around, studying the place. One side was stone, nearly hidden by the vines. “What is that place?” Kakure asked.

“A temple,” Sailor Jupiter smiled. “We can go in after we talk.”

They sat in a triangle, Kakure looking up momentarily. “I hope he’s okay..”

“Who’s he?” Haimutsu asked.

“Oh...” Kakure flushed. “Hee hee...”

Sailor Jupiter knew that look. “You have a boyfriend! Oh my god! It’s not that Dan guy, is it?”

“And what if it is?” Kakure harrumphed. “He’s very sweet! Not to mention completely adorable!”

“Don’t forget clueless!” Haimutsu offered.

“Of cour.. HEY!” Kakure glared. “Look, I like him and that’s all that matters!”

“Good for you,” Sailor Jupiter stretched. “I haven’t anyone at the moment but I hope that’ll change. I mean, not like I’m in a hurry or anything.”

“Don’t you fall for every cute guy?” Haimutsu pointed out.

‘That’s not the point!”

“I suppose you have someone?” Kakure asked Haimutsu dryly.

“No, I haven’t and I’m not looking. I’m far too busy!”

“Sounds like Minako,” Sailor Jupiter smiled. “She’s a goofball but inside, she’s a great and wonderful leader. She takes everything more serious than we know.”

Haimutsu blinked. “I’m not quite like that. I don’t take things seriously.”

“What about senshi business?” Kakure asked.

Haimutsu shrugged. “I felt that in the long run, I would be needed. I mean, a soldier of decay, what good is that for?”

“Hard to say,” Sailor Jupiter’s eyes darkened. “The soldier of Saturn was to only be awakened to bring the end of the world. But look at her now, living in peace with the rest of us. Sometimes, what we have in store for us is a surprise. I like that, really. I want to do this because it gives me a purpose, a reason. And I’ve learned many lessons. Working together, being whole, fighting for all that you’ve got and knowing it’s to something vital. That and Usagi needs me!” Sailor Jupiter laughed, her hand placed behind her hand in a comic fashion. “I mean, she’s a bit of a ditz and she relies on all of us. So we stand by her as friends and her senshi.”

“Do we have a leader?” Haimutsu asked suddenly to Kakure.

“I always assumed it was Eizou. I mean, she’s the first one discovered.”

“But what if there was another reason? The Triad Moon piece, it belongs to the Heir.”

“But what if she’s just to protect it?” Kakure shook her head. “We won’t know until Eizou knows.”

“Fine, fine..” The three sat in silence.

“I knew this would happen.. I mean, it was a feeling but it’s enough. I wanted this to happen, actually. It was wonderful, being a Shadow. I mean, we’re not evil or anything, we’re just like you. We can stand for truth and justice,” Kakure said seriously.

“All senshi should stand for that,” Sailor Jupiter agreed.

Kakure reached into her pocket, the green gem glittering, frozen in her hands. “But I’m sad now. I mean, we couldn’t even save Henshou. What if we cannot save whoever else is going to in trouble?”

Her fingers gripped. “But I want to save them! Isn’t that what we’re destined for? Not for some greatness but hidden saviors from those of darkness?”

She was thinking on those she’d like to protect. Dan, her father, all those that she had been friends with in the last few months, those who just finally made her see life in a new light.

“We are the Shadows..” Kakure said slowly, proudly. “I believe in us! I believe in myself and you know what!” She stood up with a grin. “I’m not going to fail because I’ll give my all!”

Her hand shot up as light filling her palm and words filled the air. “Nepheline Holy Earth, Make Up!”

She felt the energy blossom within her. Her fuku formed, distinctly different. Her tiara, and shoes were the same but her choker was double black threads, a round green orb in its center, the sign of Jupiter attached at the bottom. Her collar was grene outlined in yellow on its back edge. Her bodice was the same but her brooch was a round green orb, a set of four arrow pointed crystals on each side, a set of four small points jutting out from in between each larger point. The top edge of the bodice was lined in a yellow metal bar that curled in at the meeting between the point of where the black piece would tie together.

She had a thin yellow metal band wrapped around the tops of her gloves, much like an outlined armband. Her gloves were light green and meshed fabric, a green orb still on the backs of her hands. Her shirt was double layered, the top being green and the bottom transparent light green mesh. Her waistband was the same save that the yellow strap was metal and the midsection connected with four looped beads. The slender tails trailed down to the backs of her knees.

“Wow..” She closed her eyes with relish. “This is so great!”

“Um.. those aren’t coming to help us, are they?” Haimutsu asked weakly.

Shadow Jupiter felt wind pick up behind her as a screech echoed. “Oh.. shoot..”

“Vine Earthquake!” She shouted, vines streaking out of the ground swallow the attacking bird. “Quickly!”

The three took off, over jutted rocks and just a few feet from a gap in the wall. “We need..”

Shadow Jupiter felt the earth underneath her shake. She nearly lost her balance as a similar attack like her own launched itself against her.

“NO!” Haimutsu watched the other girl be swallowed up, screaming. “She’s trapped!”

“Jupiter Oak Evolution!” Sailor Jupiter shouted but it didn’t cut deep enough. She attempted again but with the same results.

“She’ll suffocate!” Haimutsu reached out and began to tug. “Kakure! Kakure!” She could hear muffled cries.

“KAKURE!” Haimutsu hit the vines in frustration.

‘I believe in us.. we’re the Shadows..’ She could hear Kakure’s voice, the confidence and warmth, that told her that Kakure’s faith was unwavering.

“Me too..” Haimutsu knelt against the ground. “I believe.. I believe in all of us.. we’re the Shadows and I won’t give up without a fight!”

She grasped the vines with energy and it shot out, her body feeling heat as the vines began to turn to dust. Shadow Jupiter coughed, gasping in air.

“Hurry, henshin!” Sailor Jupiter shouted.

“Nepheline Holy Decay, Make Up!”

She felt the energy boil fill her. Her fuku formed, distinctly different. Her tiara, and shoes were the same but her choker was double black threads, a round magenta orb in its center, the sign of Saturn attached at the bottom. Her collar was magenta outlined in yellow on its back edge. Her bodice was the same but her brooch was a round magenta orb, a set of four arrow pointed crystals on each side, a set of four small points jutting out from in between each larger point. the top edge of the bodice was lined in a yellow metal bar that curled in at the meeting between the point of where the black piece would tie together.

She had a thin yellow metal band wrapped around the tops of her gloves, much like an outlined armband. Her gloves were raspberry and meshed fabric, a magenta orb still on the backs of her hands. Her shirt was double layered, the top being magenta and the bottom transparent raspberry mesh. Her waistband was the same save that the yellow strap was metal and the midsection connected with four looped beads. The slender tails trailed down to the backs of her knees.

“Quickly, inside!” Sailor Jupiter directed as the three dove in. They ran down a winding, dust filled hall before coming to a door. It opened upon a bare touch and a lone pedestal stood rigid.

“Three handprints?” Shadow Saturn blinked. “Eh?”

Sailor Jupiter placed her hand in the middle, the other two getting to opposite sides. “Ready!”

The pedestal lit up as a crystal pink rose erupted from Sailor Jupiter. The elements of earth and decay swirled around it, decay nearly winning before earth blossomed into an similar rose and blended into the rose crystal.

“Jupiter Elemental Merge, Make Up!” Sailor Jupiter shouted, the crystal blossoming back into her body as she became alit and swarmed in vines.

Her head was adorned in a partial ring of leaves, wrapped around from the side to the back to the other side. Her sigma blazed upon her brow as she blinked. She had her classical rose earrings and her choker was a vine of small green leaves, a pink rose in its center, the sign of Jupiter over it. Her collar was green with fringed jade green leaves and her brooch was a pink rose, with four jade green petals, two on each side. Her bodice was white at the top half but had jade green leaves jutting out at the shoulders. The waist was a bit like a corset, green with a pink mesh center, the pink mesh outlined on the sides in swirls. Her arms were wrapped with pink transparent fabric that ended tied at her wrists, additional jade green petals jutting out towards her hand. Her waistband was a loop of jade green petals, the center front view having a pink rose in front. Her skirt was sections of petals, top level being green and bottom one jade green.

Her back bow was four jade green petals, two pointed out at each side with two slender tails from each side as well. Her boots were the same green kind only that the top center had pink roses.

The ground shook as the bird managed to squeeze in. It flew over them, circling before commencing with a head dive. The three split as Shadow Saturn shouted.

“Swirling Deathnote!” She whistled, notes appearing before shooting out to enlarge and cut at the beast.

“Vine Earthquake!” Shadow Jupiter shouted. The vines snaked out and slammed down the bird by its legs. It screamed in rage, fire sprouting from its nostrils.

“Sailor Jupiter!” The two turned as Sailor Jupiter moved for the finishing blow.

“Elemental Foliage Flourish!” She struck out her hands, the green petals around her wrists shooting out to multiply and engulf the beast, shocking it into dust.

“We did it..” Shadow Saturn smiled happily. “I knew we could..”

The world swirled momentarily to right itself back from where they began. Duchess Nerthus’s voice came out from in front of them, as they focused. “Please stay where you are. The trials are almost done.”

They looked over and Sailor Jupiter took note of Sailor Mercury and Mars in their new outfits and she grinned at them.