[Tokusatsu Themes, Corruption]
The evening sun shone down on two opposing individuals. A hero, and the one that had come before her. Justice, as well as the one that had taken it from her to try and save her from a fate of constant battle.
Araya Akane. Natura Rouge. The leader of the newly formed Natura Couleur, and the girl who had pushed four girls down a path that would lead them subservient to the Light that maintained the City of Equilibre. A redheaded girl who stood here not to fight, but to find out why the girl that had come before would do something like that.
Shima Shiro. Natura Couleur. The predecessor that had stood by Lumiere's side. And yet here she was. Watching over the city from afar. Not doing a thing to stop the carnage that had started to sink into the crevices where people lived. Not doing anything to save those that she knew needed the help...
"Why have you come?" Shiro muttered as she pulled down the cloak that kept her protected against the world around her, letting her red mane of hair flow freely in the wind, with every one of her multicolored bangs twitching as she looked at her unfortunate successor. "You know who I am. You know what I've done. So why would you approach, knowing that it could happen again?" She said, colors swirling around her barely exposed hand as a prismatic blade formed while she gripped the air itself to manifest it...
Akane shrugged her shoulders a bit as she stepped closer. "I thought you seemed sad." She was honest when she spoke, even though the one in front of her had been the one to rip out her connection to the light. The one to rip it all out and leave her to the proverbial wolves. It was only thanks to a couple unique individuals that she managed to endure... And she had to thank them for giving her the courage to stand up to this woman, especially considering the danger she still possessed.
"...Sad?" Shiro said, the blade disappearing as quickly as it had manifested. "You... What do you see in me, Natura Rouge..?" She muttered, her body trembling as she stepped backward. What was this? Sympathy? That shouldn't be possible. She wasn't supposed to be sympathized. Not after what Lumiere had done to her. Not after what she had done to cause trouble for the city that she loved...
Akane nodded, stepping closer as the former heroine tried to back away. "I see somebody who does what she thinks is right. That's what you think is Justice, right? So just like us. Except, you know, you freed us from Lumiere so we see things more clearly." She said, admitting that the heroine had done something good to her and her teammates despite the cruel way she did it. "But it's because you helped us that I can see the truth. The sadness in your eyes, Shiro. The way you've been betrayed. I want to help you. Just like you've helped me."
"You don't... You can't understand!" Shiro shouted as the blade reappeared, now with a twin in her other hand, as she started swinging both. Multicolored slices went flying through the air in response to her swings, the many different colors heading straight for the redheaded heroine who tried to approach to help.
Even as they slashed through her, even as she felt her body trembling as it was like her spirit was being sliced into, she persevered. Akane did not back down. "I don't! But that's why I'm trying! Because I don't want to see the girl that came before us, the girl who's been fighting the best she could, trying to blow me off because she thinks she has to shoulder everything herself!" She shouted, even as she felt another slice go through her.
"I have to fight by myself! Otherwise Lumiere'll try to take control! Otherwise Tenebris will try to exploit my allies!" Shiro didn't listen. She just kept swinging. This was her true self. Akane had taken a direct route to her heart. A direct route to the place she had tried to shut off. If she kept fighting like this, then there was no chance that she was going to keep standing. Not with how recklessly she spent her powers.
Akane saw another slice coming straight towards her, and her response was to split that slice in two down the middle, her flaming blades burning bright the moment they manifested, as she remained perfectly calm in the face of overwhelming danger. "Shima Shiro, no, Natura Couleur! On my honor as the Flames of Justice, Natura Rouge! I will free you from your self-inflicted prison and bring you back to the light! Not Lumiere's light, not any sort of foul replacements that try to lure you in! My light! The light of a friend!"
"NATURALIZE!"
With her heart burning with her own justice, the flames burst forth not from the dial but from her chest. They wrapped around her and consumed her in a matter of seconds as her armor manifested, Natura Rouge stepping onto the stage once again as she pointed both of her Rouge Blades towards the heroine that had come before. "Come, Natura Couleur! Face me, face me and show me what you're able to do. Even now after all that you've gone through, you must still have light and Justice inside you!"
Shiro cried out in frustrated pain as she slashed her blades against one another, causing them to shatter and the light to gather around her. "NATURALIZE!" She shouted, her cloak tearing itself apart as she revealed the multi-colored suit underneath. The red-colored torso and the extremities that were colored after the different elements that she had at her disposal. All while she trembled due to the power running through her, veins of pure light poured across her face as her eyes started lighting up. "Colorful Solitude..! Natura Couleur!" The colorful heroine cried out, ready to face her successor even if the power that Lumiere had tried to rip from her was leaking violently from her...
Just as quickly as she had transformed into Lumiere did the girl dash forward, her prismatic blades shining brightly before they took on a solid blue color. "COULEURFUL SPLASH!" She shouted, her voice quaking as the pain of her soul echoed out while bringing those blades down right before she reached Rouge. As soon as the tips of her blades hit the ground, waters violently erupted and tried to engulf the red-clad heroine, while the light in the former heroine's eyes only shone brighter.
Rouge jumped back by turning her Rouge Blades into a set of flame jets, sweating a bit as she watched her enemy try to catch her off guard. She had been the one to donate her powers to the five of them. Which meant that she had access to everything that they did. That's what she should, anyway. So how could she beat one that had so much more power than her?
She'd have to find an answer quickly, because the waters that had been spouting into the air were falling back down as rain. Not just rain either, extremely scalding downpour that she could only defend against by turning up her own heat to balance out what she was being hit by.
"COULEURFUL MIRAGE!" Couleur shouted out as her blades shined bright green, causing her body to split into tens of herself. And those copies immediately went on the offensive, each of them grinding their blades against the ground as they ignored the heat from the waters falling down on them and swung towards their red-clad successor.
Rouge's response to this onslaught was simple, she turned up the heat and spread her arms to the side. "ROUGE ROUND CROSS!" She cried out as the heat poured straight off her body into the form of a beam, mowing down several of the copies in an instant. And if any of the clones thought that they could catch her from behind, she used her outstretched arms to propel herself around, spinning and melting the clones into nothing but steam in a matter of moments.
But once she came to a stop, she was surrounded by dense and thick fog. The fog that had been kicked up as a result of her defensive actions. Not only that, but despite the fact that she had dealt with all those clones, she didn't seem to have landed a single hit on the actual Couleur. This diversion was something else, Vert could stand to learn a thing or two from this kind of tactic.
"COULEURFALL!" The former heroine shouted as she suddenly fell down with the rain above, the scalding heat intensifying with the droplets practically turning into powerful beams of heat while she tried to slash the red-clad successor mid-fall. The light in her eyes had spread onto her face, forming into cracked veins that showed just how unstable her power was...
Especially as Rouge outmaneuvered her once again, managing to barely block the blow with her Rouge Blades, though the momentum caused them to shatter and forced the heroine to jump away again, her own body starting to show signs of overheating. Especially thanks to the burn marks reaching across her face in a similar way to the former heroine's own cracks.
She could tell that there was something wrong with Couleur. All this isolation hadn't been good for her. Neither had absorbing all of that Light from Lumiere. If she kept fighting, she'd end up suffering even more. Which put another noose around the heroine's neck. Not only did she need to stop her from fighting, but she still needed to overpower her massive array of abilities at the same time. Talk about having one's work cut out for her.
Couleur's body trembled a bit as any few bits of damage started to heal off her body, the white Light that powered her abilities spreading across her body. "Couleurful Aura..." She muttered, as that light grew thicker, the cracks that came with using her powers only spreading as she applied a defensive shell. "Couleurcide!" A scream then echoed as those cracks spread even harder, Darkness pouring forth as her muscle mass doubled and she immediately charged straight ahead.
Blanc's healing ability paired with Noir's muscle-enhancing berserk mindset was dangerous. Even more so now that it was paired inside a single body. But even though she was facing down an unstoppable object, Rouge stood her ground. She didn't try to dodge. Even though she knew that this would hurt. She instead just manifested a new set of Rouge Blades and tossed them both down at her feet to root her in place, and then let the flames intensify around her as more of her body was getting charred by the moment. This pain was momentary, when compared to what she would gain from winning this fight!
Couleur's shouting grew wild and reckless as she rammed straight into Rouge, dragging her along the ground as the blades in her feet were making cracks in the ground. She didn't care. She just wanted to stop this fight. And the only way to stop a deluded and reckless fool like the girl who hadn't given up on heroism... It was to beat her within an inch of her life so she could permanently take care of those powers..!
Rouge's body was screaming the longer she was being charged into. All of this hurt. It hurt beyond belief. But that pain was good. The pain was keeping her conscious. The pain was keeping her from being broken. The pain was just what she needed, as she started screaming in sync with the former heroine, grabbing hold of her shoulders as she started to push back.
The more power she put into her defiant struggle, the slower the charge became. Until Couleur slowed down more and more before it became little more than tired walking, with the girl finally stopping right before the edge. With Rouge's legs sticking out over the edge, her body staying at the same altitude thanks to her grip on the former heroine's shoulders.
"Couleur! You're better than this! The Light that you've been protecting us from is consuming you! OPEN YOUR EYES!" Rouge shouted as her feet ignited thanks to the blades still embedded in them, letting her use the propulsion to vault over her enemy and land on the roof once more. Even if her body was screaming in pain, she was still able to fight. Still able to try and change her enemy into a friend. An ally, somebody that would see past her trauma!
Couleur grunted as the light in her eyes started to crack. "You... You're... Wrong..!" She shouted as her blades appeared once more, allowing her to dash right back at the heroine with all of the strength from her previous maneuver still intact. She hadn't taken a lick of damage. Not from the heroine in front of her. Only from her own self destructive nature.
Her blades were once again met by Rouge's Rouge Blades, their flames dwindling the longer she spent in this fight. By this point they were about the same size as Vert's daggers, but they could still stand up to the true size of those blades. Because the flame of her heart had not yet been extinguished. "OPEN YOUR EYES, COULEUR!" She shouted again, determined to break through to her no matter what was thrown at her. She would keep fighting. She would keep standing tall. As long as she had a chance to break through to the one that had tried to save them.
"AaaaAAAAAAA!" Couleur's mind was consumed by the Light inside her as she brought both blades down, shattering those flames as she started to slash wildly, more and more rainbow light being fired out by the swing of her blades. She didn't even aim for Rouge this time, she just swung wildly without a target. Her mind had dissolved into rage. All because of the Light that she had once served.
Rouge grit her teeth a bit as she felt the flames inside her heart smoldering, struggling to get back up thanks to how she had burnt away at herself. It hurt. It really hurt. But even so, she stood back up and just stared at the wild maniac in front of her. The one that had tried to save her had devolved to this point. It was just sad. Which was why she should keep pressing on, to try and save her...
"Stand down, Natura Rouge."
The Light of the City spoke through her mind, as the visage of Lumiere appeared in front of her. A somber visage, who seemed hurt by how all of this had ended up unfolding. "Let her be. It's penance for what she has done. For her betrayal against this city." Lumiere said, her voice sounding mildly hurt. As if she had already come to accept that this was the only outcome.
"I won't." Rouge replied as she took a single step forward, letting out a groan as she felt one of those slashes smash through her. Even if the former heroine was going berserk with every passing moment, that didn't mean that the red-clad successor had to step down. "It's your fault anyway. It's your Light that's causing this! Your Light that's pouring out of her!"
"Of course it is. She's the one that originally accepted my Light. It's only right that it does the deed, after she rejected me." Lumiere said, still sounding like she regretted this. But the regret sounded more venomous. Like she had been scorned. Not that she genuinely regretted having to do this. More just that the girl hadn't stayed by her side. "You should consider yourself lucky, Rouge. My Light could've done the same to you. But she freed you from that fate. Just to add insult to injury."
"Insult to injury!? You make it sound like she should've never helped you in the first place! She wanted to protect this city, and I thought that you wanted that as well! But you're just making it sound like you wanted it to be yours and yours alone! You're no better than the Darkness that you claim to fight against!" Rouge shouted, her fury ignited. The Flames of her Justic-
Her eyes widened as Light started to pour from her heart, causing her to let out a scream of pure pain. What was happening to her? She thought that she had gotten rid of that Light! Why was it still there, why was it trying to wrestle control out of her hands?!
"Ahahaha... It seems like the tiniest bit of my Light has remained inside you after all, Natura Rouge." Lumiere said, her somber expression turning bright and pleasant as she stepped closer. "That Light will do as it once did. Erase your identity and make you my loyal enforcer once again. Just like Blanc and Noir were supposed to be. But the traitor put an end to that. She harvested the Light. And that would bring upon her downfall." The Light of Equilibre laughed from the depths of her soul. "Ironic. By trying to save you, she spelled her own doom. Not realizing that by taking back the Light that had once empowered her, she would poison herself and make it impossible for her to keep living." The laughter continued, a few tears of joy running down the wicked Light's cheeks. "I should make sure to implement that next time my enforcers try to rebel. If their Light ever leaves their body, it should be incinerated from the inside out. Leave nothing behind, and let the Lights eat the traitor alive..!"
Rouge grit her teeth as she listened to all of that. She could feel the Light trying to eat away at her. But she stood tall regardless. All while she reached towards her heart. Towards the Light that was trying to burn away her identity. Trying to burn away what made her stand as her own...
And she ripped it out, leaving a wicked gash on her chest at the same time. All while Lumiere's laughter stopped, and her expression went from one of pure bliss and victory to one of incensed rage...
"What... What exactly are you doing, you traitor..?" Lumiere muttered, her veins visibly popping as she stared at the redheaded girl who had just proven herself the ultimate enemy in her eyes. Even Couleur hadn't gone this far. She had just left her side. This creature had ripped out the proof of her existence in the Light's eyes...
Rouge grinned slightly, the flames of her soul pouring out and searing her gash shut. "I'm saving her." She said, punching her fist against the palm of her heart. "With the Flames of Courage pouring through every inch of my being! The Courage to stand up to injustice no matter where it comes from!" She affirmed her determination and took on a new title, just to spite the Light that had set all of this in motion. This was all of her own free will. Nothing else!
"TRAITOR! KILL YOUR KIN AND BURN IT UNTIL IT CEASES TO EXIST!" Lumiere shouted as she disappeared with a puft of light, all while the berserking Couleur came to a sudden stop. The Light that poured through her body had cracked her completely, and she made one final motion that would spell her end once the attack finished.
Couleur spread her arms. And the multicolored energy poured forth. "COULEUR CROSS!" She shouted, concentrated energies pouring forth from her cracks as white Light gave way to Red, Blue, Green, Black and White energies that all swirled into one powerful beam. It was her last resort. The resort that would break her on a fundamental level and leave her completely and utterly shattered if nobody stopped it.
Rouge... No, Akane met this attack head on by letting her flames cover her. "ROUGE REBELLION!" She shouted as she turned into a spear of pure flame, piercing straight through the beam. The Courage in her heart acted as the shield protecting her, while the flames pouring forth propelled her. With every passing moment, those combined colors were being split back into their components as she reached closer and closer...
But right as she was about to pierce through the former heroine, right before she would inflict a fatal blow that would leave her broken just like the Light of Equilibre intended for her to be... Akane disabled her transformation, and let the colors swallow her for but a moment.
Couleur's eyes widened as she thought that the deed had been done. That she had just killed the one that she had tried to save. Right up until the moment she realized somebody was hugging her. And with that hug, the cracks in her body were gradually closing. Not because they had been healed. But because they had been seared shut. By the Courage that stood up to her even when she should stand aside...
"Why..?" The former heroine muttered as the Light was concentrated to a single point on her chest, a point that Akane reached into so she could pull it all out and toss it aside. Light that no longer harmed her, because she wasn't truly powered by it any longer. "Why would you do... why would you do all of that..?" Couleur... No, Shiro couldn't believe what had happened.
Akane smiled a bit, laughing as she collapsed onto her back once she let go of the heroine that she had just saved. "Paying you back... And I just didn't want to see you beng that sad, Shiro..." The red-haired heroine said, panting as she slowly tried to get back up... Only for all the pain that she had endured to scream at her and stop her in her tracks, forcing a pained laugh from her lips instead.
Shiro looked down at her successor... No, at the girl that had proven herself a hero in her own right. And she kneeled down, pouring her healing light over her and making the damage she had accumulated vanish. "...Do I truly deserve this mercy, when you've been hurt by me just as much as she's tried to hurt you..?"
"Of course." Akane said without hesitating, letting out a relieved sigh as she felt that pain leaving her. "You're a part of this city just like the others. Light and Dark, we're all people. Something that Lumiere and Tenebris both don't understand." She chimed, sitting back up as she looked right at the redheaded girl and laughed a bit again. "And it's because that they don't understand that I'm gonna need all the help I can get. From the other Natura. And from you."
Shiro nervously grabbed her elbow, before turning away from the girl. "I... I'll have to think about it." She muttered. Even if she had left the Light's grace... Her feelings toward her were still fresh in her mind. Betrayal aside, the two had been close. She wasn't sure if she could fight against her with all of her heart.
"You can do it." Akane patted her predecessor on the back, that smile shining brightly. "Because you're no longer alone. You're part of our team. None of that Colorful Solitude. You're more like... Myriad Colors. All of our powers, with your own kind of problems on top of that." She supported the former heroine, giving her a new title in the process. A title that seemed to bring a smile to the girl's face.
Shiro closed her eyes ever slightly. "...Then, if you want that to be my title... I should concede my name, let that be our team name." Something about that title lit a light inside her heart. "I'll embody those Myriad Colors. Not as Natura Couleur. But as Natura Arc-En-Ciel." The heat of Akane's courage was enough to make her smile yet again. After she hadn't smiled in so long...
"Glad to have you, Natura Arc." Akane grinned, before collapsing against the girl. "N-Now... How about you show a bit more hospitality and help me home? Healing's nice and all, but it has a couple of side effects..." She nervously laughed, her body not quite coping with how quickly she had recovered.
Her former predecessor turned current Ally nodded a little, lifting Akane into her arms as she turned into a spout of water. All so she could traverse quicker through the city...
The final battle was fast approaching. And it was up to the combined Natura Couleur to stand up against both the Light and the Darkness of Equilibre if they wanted to put an end to everything. Rouge. Bleu. Vert. Blanc. Noir. Arc-En-Ciel. The six that had once been little more than strangers would now be united.
And together... Lumiere and Tenebris would be made to see the truth of the city they fought over.