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                     Sailor Moon: Guardians of the Star
                       Chapter 6: Dragon Flight

Haeth stood silently, regarding the building she was standing in front
of, carefully. It was a beautiful Monday morning, although Haeth never
noticed the lovely weather or the cheerful chirping of birds. She was
too busy fighting her fear by thinking about the fun times during the
past weekend.

The meeting they had at the shrine on Thursday had come to no solid
conclusions. They just didn't have enough information. Friday came and
went with no sign of trouble. The only interesting thing that happened
that day was when Usagi came home from her date with Mamoru. Haeth
smiled to herself. <I've never seen a human walking on air before,> she
thought, <But Usagi-chan managed it quite nicely!>

Saturday and Sunday were wonderful. Since Morgoth obliged by leaving
them alone, the Senshi had taken the Guardians on a tour of Tokyo. <Some
of the sights in this wonderful city are as amazing as anything in the
Star Kingdoms>, she thought with a sigh. Then, reality intruded. Ami had
told them that she had finished her work and that Juban University would
expect them at the school office first thing Monday morning.

Haeth sat at the table, picking at her food. Usagi, on the other hand,
was downing her breakfast so fast that Haeth was afraid she would choke
on something. Mrs. Tsukino regarded Haeth's pale face with concern.
"Haeth, child, you must eat something!" she said, worried. Haeth looked
down at her food. "I guess I'm not very hungry," she whispered, near
tears.

Mrs. Tsukino rose and moved to Haeth. She placed her arms around the
frightened girl and sighed. "Haeth, there is NOTHING to be frightened
of," she reassured her. "No one will bother you and you're such a lovely
young lady, that if someone did, I very much doubt that you will lack
for protectors!" Haeth blushed slightly and gave her a shaky smile.
"Thank you, Mrs. Tsukino!" she said, kissing Usagi's mother on the
cheek, "You're wonderful!" She smiled and waved as she turned and walked
out the door.

Usagi's mother still looked concerned as she regarded the door through
which Haeth had left. <She seems so much younger than her years,> she
thought with concern, <Like a child going to her first day at school!>
She shook her head at the impossibility of that thought and entered the
kitchen, leaving Usagi to demolish the last of the food before she left
for school.


Now Haeth stood before the entrance of Juban University, trembling. It
was early yet, so not many students were about. She had left early so
she would have a little time to work up her courage and enter the
school.  Unfortunately, there was a problem. No matter how hard she
tried, she couldn't make herself enter the imposing building.

"Hai!" called a voice from behind her. She whirled around with a gasp,
her hand over her mouth.  A tall young man with hair as white as hers
was regarding her with shocked surprise. "Hey, easy does it," he said as
he saw her fright, "I don't bite, I assure you." "I'm sorry!" Haeth
replied with a nervous laugh, "I'm new here and don't know my way
around. It's my first day." He nodded in understanding. "Aye, I remember
my first day here quite well!" he said, "But, my manners! I'm Galen
Campbell, an exchange student from Scotland.  And you?" <He's from
Scotland!> she thought, horrified, <I'll have to be careful around him!>
"I'm Haeth McTavish, also from Scotland!" she replied, forcing a smile.
"Haeth. A very Gaelic name, and a lovely one!" he smiled, "It fits your
quiet beauty well!" Haeth looked down, her cheeks flushed.  "I've been
here two years, so I know my way around," he said, still smiling, "How
about I take you to the office to register and then show you around
before classes start?"

Haeth looked up at him and as her fear evaporated, her smile became a
real one. "I'd like that, thank you," she replied happily, "If it's no
bother to you." Galen laughed heartily as he took her hand. "No bother
at all!" he grinned, "I'll be the envy of every guy in school with such
a beautiful young lady by my side!" The last of her fears melted away as
she laughed at his outrageous statement. He was a stranger, but oh so
familiar! For the first time since arriving in Tokyo, she felt
completely at ease. He put aside his curiosity on the familiarity of
this young lady and laughed with her as they entered the University.


Far from Tokyo, in the harsh latitudes of the far north, lay the
shattered remains of the Dark Kingdom base, destroyed by the Sailor
Senshi over a year ago. Once deserted, it was now buzzing with activity
as the forces occupying the base worked to restore it for their own use.
And far below the main levels, in the areas known as dungeons, were
imprisoned those who had displeased Queen Beryl in times past. In one of
these prisons, in an area not yet discovered by the base's new tenants,
there was a stirring.

He shifted restlessly in the confines of his prison. Since the moment
the stasis field of his prison mysteriously failed two days ago, he'd
been quietly using his powers to weaken the walls in an attempt to break
free.  While he rested from his long struggle, he thought over the past
two days. <I'm free!> he thought wearily, <For the first time in
centuries, my mind is free of Beryl and Metallia's evil!> He knew only
one reason for this.  The Senshi must have destroyed them both.

One of the first things he did after the failure of the stasis field,
was use his powers to gather information on his surroundings. What he
learned about the base's new owners horrified him. The Senshi were his
enemies when he was dominated by Beryl. They were his enemies no longer.
They faced a threat more dangerous than Beryl and Metallia combined. He
had to take it slowly because they won't trust him at first. But they
would definitely need the information he had. First he needed to escape
this accursed prison before the base's occupiers found him. Suitably
rested, he continued his work to widen the hairline fractures in the
crystalline walls of his prison.

After classes for the day were over, Haeth was about to leave when Galen
intercepted her. "Haeth, are you doing anything tomorrow night?" he
asked taking her hand. "No, not that I know of," she replied as she
looked at him curiously. He looked into her eyes and smiled. Flustered
for some reason she didn't know, she looked down at their joined hands.
"Good!" he exclaimed, "Then how about we go out for dinner? I'll show
you the night sights!" <He's asking me for a date!> she thought,
blushing furiously, <Does that mean he likes me?> She looked up and
stared into his eyes, mesmerized. <He's got silvery gray eyes!> she
thought dazedly, <Just like me! And his hair's white too! I wonder.....>

"Well?" he prodded anxiously.  Despite her fierce blush, she smiled at
him shyly. "I'd like that," she said softly, "If you really want to." He
raised her hand to his lips and kissed it as Haeth's blush deepened.
"Believe me, there's nothing I'd enjoy more!" He returned, "I'll pick
you up at seven tomorrow evening." After Haeth's agreement, he watched
her make her way out the main doors. His eyes were filled with affection
and for a very brief moment, a silver dragon symbol flared on his
forehead before he turned and walked away.


When Haeth exited the University, she found Mamoru, the Inner Senshi and
the other four Guardians waiting for her. "Well Haeth, how did you like
your first day of school?" Usagi asked curiously as they walked home
with the others. "Oh! It was fascinating!" she gushed enthusiastically,
"The courses dealing with human behavior are very interesting!" "And
they may help you since you ARE a Soul Healer," Mamoru said with a
smile.

"Haeth, I'm having everyone over for dinner tomorrow evening," Makoto
informed her, "Would you like to come too?" Haeth looked down.
"Well...I...uh, I have a date!" she stuttered nervously. Everyone looked
at her in shocked surprise.  This was something they hadn't expected so
soon. Mamoru put a calming hand on her shoulder. "Who is he,
Haeth-chan?" Mamoru asked worriedly. "Yeah!" Makoto said firmly, "You
don't know humans that well yet! We don't want you to go around with the
wrong kind of guy!" Haeth's cheeks were flushed, not from embarrassment,
but from temper. "He's NOT the wrong kind of guy!" she replied hotly,
"His name is Galen Campbell, he's Scottish, AND he LIKES me!" Lynn
looked at Makoto and sighed. It was times like this that Haeth's extreme
youth and innocence showed clearly.

To everyone's surprise, Mamoru laughed heartily. "Relax everyone!" he
advised, "If Galen-san has his eye on our little Dragonkin, she'll be in
good hands!" "Are you sure, Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked, looking worried.
"Quite sure!" he replied, nodding firmly, "Galen has a VERY good
reputation. He's a good student and considering that he helps out anyone
who needs it, he's a good person too. We have no worries on that score!"
The others didn't look entirely convinced but apparently decided not to
press the point. Mamoru kissed Usagi good-bye when they reached her
house and she and Haeth waved to the others as they continued to their
own homes.

"How was your first day at school, Haeth-chan?" Usagi's mother asked as
they came in, "It wasn't as frightening as you thought, was it?" Haeth
smiled at her. "It WAS scary, until I met another Scottish exchange
student.  He showed me around the school before classes started and he
was very nice." "Yeah!" Usagi put in gleefully, "And he asked her out
after school! What a fast worker! First day at school and she already
has a boyfriend!" Haeth blushed and looked down. "I...it's not like that
at all!" she stuttered nervously, "He's just being nice to me!" Mrs.
Tsukino smiled wryly. "You do yourself an injustice, child," she
returned, "You are an extremely lovely young lady, in personality as
well as appearance. That's a potent combination."

Mr. Tsukino looked up from his paper. <Uh oh,> Usagi thought with
trepidation, <Before he met Mamo-chan, Dad always used to look like that
when we dated!> "Haeth-chan, don't you think it would be a good idea if
we met this young man before you date him?" he questioned, "We ARE
responsible for you while you're here and we DON'T want anything to
happen to you.  What's his name?" "His name is Galen Campbell," Haeth
replied, looking at him worriedly. He looked startled. "You're going out
with Galen-san?" he exclaimed with relief, "I know him! He works
part-time at the office and has even helped me out on a few occasions.
OK, child, if it's Galen who's taking you out then I have no objections.
You'll be as safe with him as Usagi is with Mamoru."

Usagi walked to the foot of the stairs. "C'mon Haeth-chan!" she said,
"We both have homework to do. If we get it done now, we can go to the
Arcade." "Righto!" Haeth responded cheerfully as she accompanied Usagi
upstairs to her room.


"So, are Usagi and Haeth going to join us at the Arcade?" Minako asked
Ami as they walked down the street. The sun was setting and lights were
coming on all over the city as darkness began to fall. "She told me that
she wanted to get her homework done first," Ami replied approvingly, "I
imagine that Haeth will do hers at the same time.  They'll likely join
us shortly."

Screams erupted from around the corner ahead and frightened people ran
around the corner, fleeing from something unseen. "Run!" one man
screamed as he ran past the two girls, "It's a dragon!" Ami and Minako
exchanged glances, wondering if it was Haeth. They ducked into an alley.
"VENUS STAR POWER!" "MERCURY STAR POWER!" Sailor Venus and Sailor
Mercury ran from the alley and around the corner to confront the
"dragon".

Mercury activated her VR visor and studied the creature, who was
concentrating on demolishing the front of the Arcade and hadn't noticed
the two Senshi yet. Venus pressed the "All Call" button on her
communicator and turned to Mercury. The creature was blacker than the
night, but other than that difference, it was a larger image of Haeth.
Obviously Dragonkin.  "Venus, my visor confirms it's a dragon!" Mercury
reported, "It has some kind of device in its claw and the readings on it
are ominous enough that I don't think we want him activating it!"

"I'm on it!" Venus replied as she went into attack mode, "CRESCENT
BEAM!" A beam of light shot from Venus' finger and struck the dragon's
claw, the impact knocking the device from its grip. The dragon snarled
as the device struck the pavement and with a burst of sparks, shorted
out.

Now it turned to face the two Senshi, its red eyes burning with savage
fury. "Greetings, Hatchlings!" it snarled viciously, "I am Ebonar of the
Dark Kindred and you are DEAD!" Ebonar gave a coughing bark and black
lightning spewed from his open mouth and flew towards the two Senshi.
Mercury and Venus barely avoided the blast and returned with their own
attacks. "SHINING AQUA ILLUSION!" "VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!" As their
strikes flew towards their opponent, Mercury had just enough time for a
desperate plea for help over her communicator.

Usagi closed her text book with satisfaction and relief. <Done!> she
thought happily, <And just in time to join Ami and Minako at the
Arcade!> She turned to Haeth and saw that she was just finishing as
well. "Was it hard for you, Haeth-chan?" she asked curiously. "Heck no!"
Haeth replied with a laugh, "When I became a Guardian, I was schooled at
the Royal Academy in Caladon! The course here is similar enough to the
course I took at the Academy that I have little trouble figuring it
out." Usagi grinned at her. "Come on! We'll go to my room cause I need
to get my communicator," she said, "Then we'll join the others at the
Arcade."

They entered Usagi's room and she went to her dresser to get the
communicator. She had just put it on went Ami's frantic plea for help
came through followed by what sounded like an explosion. Usagi and Haeth
exchanged glances and bolted from the room. They ran down the stairs,
and after making sure they weren't seen, out the back door. After a
quick look around to make sure no one was around, they transformed.
"MOON COSMIC POWER!"


Sailor Moon leaped onto Haeth's back after she assumed her Dragonkin
form and Haeth sprang aloft. She gripped the dorsal spine in front of
her tightly and looked down. The first time she flew with Haeth had been
in her mind. It had been too quick for her to enjoy the experience. She
took a moment to savor it now, enjoying the play of powerful muscles
beneath her as Haeth's wings moved slowly up and down, the cityscape
moving past, far below.  In some of the stories she had read, there had
been dragon mounted warriors. Now, here she was, a warrior mounted on a
dragon! An exultant "HAI!" burst from her lips. A rumble came from
Haeth's throat as she chuckled at Sailor Moon's exuberance. "Like
flying, hmmm?" she rumbled in amusement. Sailor Moon was about to answer
her when she noticed flashes of light several blocks away, obviously a
battle.  "Look, Haeth-chan!" Haeth changed her direction and headed
towards the flashes as fast as she could fly.

Shingo was in his room playing video games. Kenji was downstairs reading
his paper. Usagi's mother, Ikuko, was standing in her darkened bedroom
looking out the window into the backyard and enjoying the moonlight. Her
eyes widened with surprise when Usagi and Haeth burst through the back
door and ran out into the yard. Ikuko heard her daughter clearly when
she yelled, "MOON COSMIC POWER!" She gasped as they transformed and sank
to the bed, never taking her eyes from them. Her eyes followed them as
Usagi mounted and Haeth took off. <I can't believe it!> she thought,
stunned, <Usagi is Sailor Moon!! And darling lovable Haeth is a...a
dragon!!>

She just couldn't comprehend that her darling but klutzy daughter was
Sailor Moon, nor that the shy lovable child, she took in, was a creature
she knew about only through legends.  She thought she was going crazy
until she suddenly remembered something. <The stories about Sailor Moon
mention her guardian, a talking cat!> she thought, <That Usagi's cat,
Luna, has a crescent moon on her forehead is too much of a coincidence.
Here's where I find out if I'm really losing it!>

She entered Usagi's room with a firm stride and saw Luna on the
windowsill looking out into the night. "Uh, Luna, I'd be grateful for a
few words of explanation!" she said hesitantly. Luna whirled around, her
eyes wide with shock.  "Meow?" she tried. "Nice try, Luna," Ikuko
returned wryly, "But I saw Usagi and Haeth change into Sailor Moon and a
dragon. A bit of an explanation WOULD be nice. After all, after seeing
who my daughter and Haeth really are, hearing you talk isn't going to be
a big shock!" Luna sighed with resignation. "I'm not sure I know where
to begin," she said wearily.  "Why not start at the beginning?" Ikuko
replied, "I'm numb after all the shocks so far, a few more will make no
difference!" Luna nodded.  "A thousand years ago, there existed a place
known as The Moon Kingdom....."


Sailor Moon looked down anxiously, hoping to see Mercury. She had been
unable to raise her on the communicator and was frantic as a result.
When they arrived above the site of the battle, Sailor Moon gasped.
Venus was down, Mercury was helpless and preparing to kill Venus was a
DRAGONKIN! At sight of Ebonar, Haeth felt her draconian nature beginning
to take over. <It's one of the Dark Kindred!> she thought dimly, <AND
HE'S ABOUT TO KILL ONE OF MY FRIENDS!!> "Sailor Moon!" she snarled as
her people's instinctive hatred for Dark Kindred began to take over.
"When I strike that obscene creature below, jump off and look after
Venus!" Then her nature took over and with the fierce battle cry of her
kind, she went into a steep power dive.

Mercury climbed back to her feet wearily after barely dodging another
attack.  Ebonar's energy seemed inexhaustible while both she and Venus
were absolutely exhausted. Ebonar had countered every one of their
attacks while they had barely managed to dodge his. They were both
bruised and bleeding from many near misses. Venus readied herself for
her last attack when Ebonar lashed out with his tail knocking Venus into
a brick wall. The shattering impact knocked her senseless and she lay on
the ground unmoving. While Mercury watched helplessly, he prepared to
finish her off when... a screaming silver berserk fury descended on his
back from above.

Haeth struck Ebonar's back with a terrific impact, digging all four of
her claws viciously into his back. With a snarl, she sank her teeth into
the base of his neck. Venus forgotten, he screamed in pain and rage as
he tried to shake her off.

Sailor Moon leapt from Haeth's back and hit the ground running, her
concern for her friend preventing the usual klutz attack. As she knelt
by Venus' side, she was joined by an exhausted Mercury and they watched
as the two dragons fought furiously. Ebonar was weary from battling the
two Senshi, while Haeth was fresh. But Haeth was much smaller than her
dark cousin, so the fight was even. Mars and Jupiter arrived as Venus
regained consciousness. They all watched in shock the savage fury
displayed before them. Ebonar had finally succeeded in getting Haeth
dislodged but the bleeding gashes on his back and neck showed he had not
escaped unscathed. Using claw and fang, the two dragons tried to rend
each other to pieces. Haeth's claws burst through Ebonar's defenses to
rake across his face leaving five deep gashes scored across his snout.
He shrieked in pain and rage. With a move that caught the inexperienced
Haeth by surprise, he lashed out with his tail. It struck her right wing
with stunning impact, shattering the wing joint. She cried out as her
wing crumpled and she collapsed, writhing in agony as waves of searing
pain from her shattered wing overwhelmed her.

At Haeth's agonized cry, Mars saw red. "Jupiter, Moon, Mercury, stay
with Venus!" she commanded, "This creature belongs to ME!!" As Ebonar
lunged to finish Haeth off, Mars held up her hands about a foot apart.
"MARS!" Her hands glowed red. "FIRE!" A ball of flame formed between her
hands.  "STORM!" Intense heat began to radiate from the fireball as it
turned incandescent.  "ERUPT!!" She thrust her hands forward and the
fireball flew towards Ebonar.  It struck the ground at his feet and
shattered. A solid wall of intense flame shot up and engulfed Ebonar in
its hot embrace. He shrieked in agony as the flame burned through his
scales.  "You haven't heard the last of me, Hatchlings!" he screamed as
he teleported away. Mars let the flames die away as he fled.

The Senshi rushed to Haeth. Before she lost consciousness, she managed
to change to her Guardian form and they could see that her arm was
broken in several places. "Damn!" Sailor Moon whispered fearfully, "We
need Saturn! Mercury?" "No luck contacting any of the Outer Senshi!"
Mercury answered wearily. "The other Guardians are out exploring again",
Mars put in, "They can't help. We MUST get them communicators!" Mercury
activated her VR Visor and studied Haeth's wounds carefully. "She has
multiple fractures to her right arm and at least one of them is
compound!" she reported softly, "I can detect various other injuries
caused by claw and fang. She needs medical attention fast because she's
going into shock!" "What do we do?" Sailor Moon asked worriedly. "Go to
that phone booth," Mars suggested, pointing to a nearby phone, "Call
Mamoru. Since you were never in danger, he likely doesn't know what
happened. He can drive us when we figure out where we can take Haeth.
Call your parents to tell them that you may be late."

Sailor Moon ran to the booth while the Senshi searched for something to
use as a temporary splint. Since most of the people fled when Ebonar
showed up, they weren't disturbed. She dialed Mamoru's number and waited
impatiently for him to answer. When she heard his voice, she sobbed out
his name.  "Usako!" he cried urgently, "What's wrong?!" "We f-fought an
evil Dragonkin by t-the arcade!" she sobbed, "W-we beat him b-but Haeth
is hurt b-bad!" "Stay right there and call your parents!" he commanded,
"I'm on my way!"

Sailor Moon took a few deep breaths and called her parents. She almost
started crying again when her mother answered but managed not to with a
supreme effort. "Hi Mom," she said with false cheer, "I may be home a
little late tonight. I hope you don't mind." Her voice was thick with
tears and her mother noticed at once. "Usagi, what's wrong?" she asked
in almost the same tone as Mamoru had, "Why are you crying?!" "Oh Mom!"
Sailor Moon choked out, "I wish you could help but you can't!"

"Usagi, your father and I know that you're Sailor Moon and that Haeth's
a Dragonkin," her mother explained urgently, "Never mind how we found
out, but Luna told us the whole story.  Now tell me what's wrong!" She
was stunned that her parents knew everything but put it out of her mind
at once. She needed comforting and her parents were now able to provide
it.  "Oh Mom! W-we fought an evil D-Dragonkin and Haeth attacked him to
save Venus," she explained, crying openly now, "Mars toasted him before
he could kill Haeth, but Haeth's hurt badly! We're trying to find Sailor
Saturn so she can use her healing powers, but we don't know where to
take Haeth. We can't leave her here!" "Bring her home at once!" her
mother ordered firmly, "We know who the other Senshi are as well. It
wasn't hard to figure out once we knew who you were! Once she's safe
here, you and the others can find Saturn. Don't worry about Shingo. Your
father took him to a friend's place where he'll be staying for a few
days. Now get off the phone and bring her here!"

Sailor Moon reached the others just as Mamoru pulled up in a borrowed
van.  Haeth's arm was crudely splinted, but it was enough to hold the
bones in place.  Mamoru jumped from the van and Sailor Moon rushed into
his arms, weeping.  Jupiter picked Haeth up and while Mars held open the
side door, she placed her on the seat and sat on one side of her while
Mars took the other side.  Sirens were finally sounding as emergency
vehicles headed for the battleground. The other Senshi piled into the
van with Sailor Moon taking the front seat next to Mamoru. He put the
van into gear and drove off. "Where do you want to go?" he asked. "My
house," Sailor Moon answered firmly. "What?! Are you nuts, Usagi?" Mars
retorted incredulously, "You want to answer the questions your parents
will ask if we show up like this?!" Sailor Moon sighed wearily. "My
parents already know EVERYTHING!" she explained, still shocked over THAT
bit of news, "I don't know how they found out, but Luna explained the
whole story to them." Mars frowned thoughtfully. "Hmmm," she mused, "You
know, that COULD be convenient. If we find ourselves in a situation like
this again, now we have somewhere to go." Mamoru nodded in relief and
drove in the direction of the Tsukino home.

With a splintering explosion, the crystal shattered and he was free. He
extended all his senses to see if the noise had been detected. Sensing
no one, he went to the door and looked out carefully. The hall was
deserted but showed signs of recent passage. He grinned. <Now to find
the Senshi!> he thought exultantly. He pictured the house one of his
companions had owned in Tokyo, and with a flicker, he was gone, leaving
his shattered crystal prison behind.

End of Chapter 6

NEXT: Chapter 7: Dragonkin of the Moon Kingdom

The search for Saturn, disappearance of the Outer Senshi, unexpected
aid! BE THERE!