Pretty Guardian Sailor Lilith #6 – « Bargaining »

Kasumi came out from the mist. The scenery was different here. Less reassuring. More chaotic. It looked like some sort of cavern. But the walls seemed alive. Like the whole structure was breathing around her. She hurried forward, trying not to let her eyes wander on the setting too much.

She soon sighted a human shape in the distance. She carefully got closer. The person didn’t seem to have noticed her presence. It enabled her to get close enough to see her. Like the three workers she had meet a while ago, she had exactly the same look as herself. But she was wearing a very peculiar outfit. She had some sort of costume, similar to a sailor suit, but much more fashionable. She was also wearing black heels, and a strange tiara, with a silvery crescent moon on it. She was standing next to a dark opening in the wall.

‘Excuse me...’

The strangely-clothed Kasumi slowly raised her face. Only then could Kasumi see her true unique feature. Her eyes were half-closed, and her look was empty. Her gestures were lazy and yielding. She seemed like she hadn’t slept in days. Her motionless expression had something frightening to it.

‘Oh,’ she said with a voice as apathetic as her look. ‘Hi. What’re ya doin’ here?’

‘You must be Dream.’

‘Yeah, I’m the one.’

As if confirming her word, she let out a loud, ungraceful yawn.

‘I heard you have something I need.’

‘Oh really?’

‘Yes. The key to Memory’s vault.’

As Dream stared blankly at her, Kasumi wondered if she hadn’t passed out.

‘The key!’ she insisted. ‘The key you used to shut away all the archives... I need it!’

‘The... key?’

Dream seemed to try very hard to make any sense out of what she was telling her.

‘I... don’t have it... here...’ she finally uttered.

‘Don’t play dumb with me!’ Kasumi warned. ‘You must know where it is!’

‘I – ah – think I’ve... lost it.’

‘Lost it?’

‘Yeah – in there.’

Dream raised a yielding hand and pointed to the dark passage behind her.

‘Well then, go and find it.’

‘It might – ah – take a while. I’m tellin’ you ‘cause... you seem in such a hurry...’

‘I got it.’

Kasumi got round her sleepy avatar and strode toward the passage’s entry.

‘I wouldn’t go in there like that... if I were ya...’ Kasumi stopped. ‘It’s a bit, uh – dangerous, out there...’

‘Dangerous? How so?’

‘There are... monsters.’

Kasumi turned back.

‘Wait... This place is supposed to represent my mind, right? So, you’re telling me that my dreams are filled with... monsters?’

‘Ya got it.’

‘You told me you’ve been inside. This means that you must know of a way to defend yourself against them.’

‘Ah... yeah – sorta... I’v got... a few powers...’

‘And I suppose you cannot lend them to me?’

‘No... but we could, uh – trade minds.’

Kasumi frowned.

‘Trade minds?’

‘Yeah... Ya know, like... ya get to use my body... so ya can take advantage... of my every powers.’

‘And meanwhile, you get to use mine. What do you plan to do?’

‘Oh... stuff, ya know... it gets pretty... lonely out there...’

‘It’s useless to go to my staff once again. They will recognize you at once.’

Dream cracked a faint smile.

‘I don’t like ‘em anyway.’

Kasumi pondered silently. Dream looked totally harmless. But that was precisely what was bothering her. She couldn’t help but think there was something fishy about her offer.

Then, she shook her head. Who cared anyway? It was not the real world. Nothing could harm her.

‘Okay,’ she finally said.

‘Cool,’ Dream exclaimed – as much as her sleepy state enabled her to exclaim ‘Let’s do that. Gimme yer hands.’

Kasumi seized her avatar’s wrists. Her skin was cold, and her limbs were flabby, thus making the touch very unpleasant.

‘What now?’

‘Ya focus on me... and yell the formula...’

‘What formula?’

‘Well... Lilith Darkspot Power, Make-Up! of course...’

Bewildered, Kasumi searched for a hint of irony in Dream’s voice, but there wasn’t any. She seemed to honestly think that this silly formula was going to do anything. The girl skeptically closed her eyes, focused, and shouted ‘Lilith Darkspot Power, Make-Up!’.

She stood there for a while, waiting for something to come. But, as she had expected, nothing happened.

‘Aw, c’mon,’ Dream said. ‘Give it a lil’ more conviction... Let’s say it together...’

Kasumi sighed and tried again. Her loud, determinate voice joined with Dream’s low, drawl one. And suddenly, she felt a surge of cold inside of her. She shivered tremendously while feeling things change in her. When she regained her whole consciousness, she noticed that Dream’s uniform was gone. She was wearing her own blouse and skirt instead. Kasumi immediately reached to her forehead. Her fingertips came in touch with cold metal. Both girls had exchanged their clothes. But, somehow, Kasumi could feel that it was nos just about clothes.

‘Ya look good in it,’ Dream said, giggling.

‘Don’t mess with my body.’

‘Don’t worry...’

‘You’ll have to say that again.’

Dream dipped the head.

‘Have fun.’

This said, her smile broadened out, letting her teeth show a little. Kasumi shivered. This look had something purely evil to it.