Okay, here's part 2 I hope you guys like it!
Nathan's home was a mess. Literally.
Opened boxes laid over unopened ones, their contents in plain sight,
some boxes formed pillars that touched the ceiling, and webs could be
seen in the corners of the old bookshelf that occupied most of the wall
in the living room.
The apartment consisted basically of 5 rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, a
small living room, and two other rooms, one of which was Nathan's
'studio', he explained, and the other was where he slept.
Fortunately, the kitchen, the bath, and the living room were clean.
Nathan quite an extensive variety of food and both, Makoto and him,
started to work on some thing to eat while the others talked.
Someplace else:
The darkness parts to reveal the black-scaled covered visage of the
reptilian lord. His eyes shining red as he opens them, and the glimmer
of white fangs as he smiles.
"Jade."
----------Sailor Moon; Masks and Dragons--------
Chapter 2; Know Your Enemy
By Wanderer D
The kitchen was, in reality, part of the living room, a bar that hid four
seats underneath it was the only thing that separated them, and there
the girls sat, Nathan offered Luna and Artemis a plate with milk as the
girls talked.
"This is a nice place, Nathan," said Makoto cheerfully as she sliced a
carrot. "How long have you been here?"
"Well, about two days actually," he answered as he supervised the
other vegetables as they boiled. "It's not much, but I love it. It more
than covers my needs..."
"So, how do you like Tokyo so far?" asked Minako.
"Yeah, have you met anyone else?" said Usagi, watching him closely.
"Um... no."
"Why?"
"Well, as you can see, there's still a lot to do in here." He answered
pointing at the various pillars. "Add to it homework and you can
well imagine the situation."
Lights appeared out of nowhere as Usagi stood up on the bench.
Striking a pose, she proclaimed the following:
"THEN I, THE GREAT USAGI TSUKINO WILL HELP YOU OUT!!"
Nathan almost let the knife fall. "FURTHERMORE, I PROMISE
THAT BY TOMORROW MORNING YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GO
OUT LIKE ANY NORMAL PERSON YOUR AGE!!! WHY, I..."
Makoto shoved a carrot into Usagi's mouth. "Eat this Usagi." she
said, then turned towards Nathan, who had a HUGE sweat-drop.
"What she meant to say was that we'll help you clean up."
"Oh..." The sweat-drop didn't disappear for quite a while.
Later that day;
Usagi and the girls walk towards Hikawa Temple, Usagi with
a full stomach, Makoto with a cookbook in her arms, and Ami
with another that read; 'Legends of the World'.
Artemis was inside Minako's backpack and Luna walked on the fence.
"Wow, Nathan-kun really knows how to cook!" Usagi sighed happily.
"Yeah, not as good as you Makoto, but you gotta admit he does know
his stuff!" Minako added.
"And did you see his collection of rare and old books?" asked Ami as
they walked up the stairs of the temple.
"Girls, I think you should stop talking about Nathan-kun for now and
concentrate in what is at hand." Luna stated sternly. "I don't know why
I allowed you to go since we have more important things to do."
"Hmm! You're one to talk Luna, I didn't see YOU turn down that milk!"
Luna was fortunately spared since they had arrived at the Temple.
Jade floated high above Tokyo, he looked down at the city and frowned,
another of the pieces was under that structure the mortals below
referred to as the 'Tokyo Tower'.
His Lord and Master had told him not to call the attention of those
pesky girls, but his heart ached for revenge, he had suffered a
humiliation, and the only way to regain his honor was to kill the girl
that hurt him.
A girl!
Extending his awareness towards the tower he concentrated on finding the
statue. He was surprised to feel strong magic coming from the tower,
'Magical Knights?' he thought amused, 'I'll visit that world someday,'
he promised himself. He then found what he was looking for.
As with the last time, it was covered in an anti-magic field. He would
have to dig to get to it.
Good, he now had an excuse to get the attention of Sailor Moon.
He formed a sphere of green energy in his palm and shot it under the
tower.
The ground shook. People ran away from the tower in fear that it should
fall. Another blast cleared the remains of the pavement that had
survived the first blast.
Jade landed in the middle. As he stood still the ground began shaking,
and it cracked. Smiling at the screams from the people still inside the
tower, he prepared again another blast, when a golden beam shot his hand.
More surprised than hurt he growled at the Senshi, who stood against the
wreckage.
"You have caused pain an... HEY!!" Sailor Moon shouted as she and the
others avoided one blast. "You didn't let me finish!!"
"You!!" Jade pointed at Sailor Jupiter, ignoring Sailor Moon. "You will
pay for my humiliation!!" he shouted as he flew towards her.
Jupiter jumped to the side, avoiding most of Jade's attack. However, the
dragon was still able to graze her with his claws.
Jupiter touched the place where Jade's claw had torn the uniform, she
could see blood in her hands.
A warning cry from Mars brought her attention back to the battle, looking
up she saw Jade flying back at her.
"Supreme Thunder!!" She shouted.
The lightning bolt hit Jade directly in the chest, sending him sprawling
away.
"Mercury?" Mars looked at her. Nodding Sailor Mercury pointed her open
palms at Jade.
"Shabon Spray Freezing!!" her attack hit Jade as he stood up again, and
froze him. When the scene cleared they could see Jade encased in a solid
block of ice.
"Mars... we have to find whatever he was looking for. My attack won't delay
him much longer."
As if to confirm Mercury's statement, the block of ice shuddered.
Using her computer, Mercury quickly found where the statue should be.
"There." She pointed. "It won't be easy, it's easily 5 meters underground.
They were suddenly showered with sharp pieces of ice as the block exploded.
Bracing themselves, they looked wearily as Jade approached them. Then he
stopped.
Jade was furious! He easily broke out of his confinement, his mind intent
on killing that girl.
[JADE!!] The sudden mental scream almost toppled him. He then remembered
what he had to do.
[YES JADE, THERE WILL BE TIME FOR PETTY VENGANCE, BUT AFTER YOU'VE
COMPLETED MY ORDERS!!!]
Jade didn't answer. To do so would only get him into more trouble.
Looking at the girls he intoned an incantation. Stretching his arms into
the air, palms upward he called his magic for help.
Mercury seeing what obviously was another blast tried to distract him.
"Shabon Spray!!" she shouted.
To someone watching it would've seem that a stream of fog shot from
Mercury's hands, advance a very short distance then curve upwards,
then backwards, then downwards, then back at the Senshi, also the watcher
would have noticed the black outline of a bubble where the spray passed.
Ignoring the gasps and continuos hitting from inside
his sphere, Jade walked to where Mercury had pointed earlier and, with his
power, began tearing huge pieces of earth from there.
Finally, he had torn-open the ground deep enough to find the piece he
seeked. He was now hovering over the hole and he landed to the side,
peering down. There, amongst rocks and debris was a small chest, he could
feel the antimagic coming from it, there, inside, was one of the statues.
He was momentarily distracted by the presence of someone he didn't expect
to see, or want to see for that matter.
Mask unsheathed his sword, the blade glistening in the remaining daylight.
Behind him, a 'safe' distance away he could see the police lines and the
people trying to get to see the battle.
He heard a soft clatter behind him as Tuxedo Mask landed. Jade flew to
another side of the hole so he could see them both. Mask signaled at Tux,
pointing towards the bubble where the senshi were trapped.
Tux nodded and went straight to it. Mask attacked with his sword.
This time, however, Jade was prepared for the sword beam and evaded it
easily, Mask, having predicted this was already in the air, his jump
taking him straight at his enemy. He swung his sword at Jade's neck, but
the dragon was faster and nimbly grabbed Mask's sword by the hilt as the
later tried to cut his head.
Tux, standing infront of the black sphere, tried to ignore the battle
behind him and find the weak point in the spell. He unconsciously placed
his palm over it's surface, but without touching it. He then walked around
the sphere until he found it, the small flaw that would enable him to free
his beloved and their friends. Changing into Endymion, he slashed at the
bubble, sparks flew and showered him, as the friction created by the spell
and the sword made his hands shake with the vibrations.
The bubble slowly started to lose consistence, then, for a moment he could
see inside. Sailor Moon looked at him hopefully, saying his name, but he
couldn't hear her. Mars quickly signaled him that they would run out of air
shortly.
Tossing away Mask's sword, Jade blasted him in the chest. The force of the
blast threw him onto the black bubble that Endymion was attacking in a
desperate frenzy.
When he hit the bubble, he was engulfed in black lightning, Mask screamed
in pain as the shock sent him to the ground.
The blade was no longer useful, it seemed that the sphere had grown in
power.
"Mask! I can't break the spell!! They'll run out of air!!"
"I can't let Jade take the statue!!"
"Forget the statue!!"
"Listen! The lives of millions, rest upon us!" he snarled getting up.
"I'll fight him! You have to get them out!!" Endymion insisted, he
could detect anger in Mask's voice as he agreed. "Remember,
the lives of millions."
Adopting a fighting stand, Endymion eyed Jade.
Mask walked to where Endymion had tried to break the bubble with his sword.
His gauntleted hands turned into claws and he sunk them into the bubble,
dark lightning immediately surrounded his arms, he snapped his head back and
let a roar escape from his confined mouth, the black lightning crawled up
his arms and started digging into the links of his armor. The lightning
finally reached his eyes and he screamed in pain, forcing his head down and
looking intently at the bubble he then started breaking the bubble in two;
the more the bubble was torn, the stronger and faster the lightning bolts
ran through his body, as the spell broke the bubble was being torn much
like chewing gum, refusing to break. The black lightningbolts were now
accompanied by red ones, a small trail of blood spilled from his masked
chin into the ground.
Finally, with a flash of red and black lightning, the bubble broke. The
senshi were almost unconscious, they breathed deeply, happy that they had
survived. Then Mars looked at Mask and gasped. His clawed hands were
smoking, streaks of lightning still crawled his body, he was bleeding from
beneath the silver mask, and they could all see his blood injected eyes.
He swooned, then fell on his knees, hard, and finally the rest of him
followed.
The senshi ran up to him and carefully tried to turn him around. But the
black lightning prevented them.
He could barely keep his eyes open. "You...m.must...the...statue..."
The senshi nodded to him, although he was already unconscious. They turned
around to see Endymion being batted away by Jade.
"Shabon Spray Freezing!!"
Jade was encased yet again in ice. Quickly Sailor Moon jumped towards
Endymion while shouting at Minako. "Venus! Get the statue!!"
Jade broke his prison faster than the last time, just as Venus grabbed the
small chest.
The chest started to glow as soon as Venus touched it, she stared at it
curiously when she suddenly felt an electricity shock in her arms!
She let the chest fall, her arms suddenly unable to hold it. With a loud
gasp she held her burnt hands up, staring in disbelief.
Jade, chuckling, landed next to her. "I'll take that, thank you." He bent
forward to retrieve it.
Suddenly, Jupiter was infront of him, holding the chest, a ball of
concentrated lightning in her palm, as she held the ball lightning close
to the chest she glared at Jade.
"I'll be dead, and this thing destroyed before I let you have it!" she
challenged through clenched teeth.
Jade growled menacingly, but Jupiter stood her ground. The statue may
not be destroyed by her powers, but then again, it may.
Jade backed away from the two senshi, then palm upwards, he created a
red blast.
Jupiter braced herself, as did Venus. Makoto was her friend, and she
wouldn't let anything happen to her.
Jade smiled, showing rows of white fangs, and shot upwards. Suddenly,
everyone remembered that they had been fighting under Tokyo Tower, and
that people were still inside, none daring to try to get out in the mist
of battle. The blast didn't explode upon contact, going through the base
of the tower.
Jade looked back at Jupiter and the other girls that had come down with
her and Venus.
"If you don't give me the statue, all the mortals there will die. That
easy."
"We can't give him the statue!" Venus complained
"But what are we to do? We can't let those innocent people die!" Mercury
calmly retorted, although her eyes told the contrary.
"Damn!" Jupiter cursed, she looked at Mars, who just shook her head. She
didn't have the answer.
"How do we know you wont hurt those people?" asked Sailor Moon.
"You don't. But I tell you this; if you give me the statue, I wont shoot
at the tower," Jade smiled "I give you my word."
"We'll have to trust him... Jupiter?"
"Bastard..." Jupiter threw him he chest, which he caught deftly. Jade
smiled again and did a mocking bow, "Why, thank you!"
The Tower exploded.
Through the force of the explosion, and through the subsequent heat,
Sailor Moon looked at Jade. "But, you said..."
Jade laughed. A gap in reality opened behind him, and as he turned to
leave, he spoke. "I kept my promise; I didn't shoot at it... again."
Laughing all the way he got into the rift.
Usagi slowly opened the door and walked towards the stairs of her house.
Her shoulders were slump, her hair uncared for, and her demeanor
downright depressive.
She climbed up to her room, and looked vacantly at the golden dragon
statue.
Makoto arrived at her apartment, and slumped into bed, holding against
her chest a pillow, she stared at the wall.
Similar scenarios happened at Minako's, Ami's and Rai's homes, as the
weigh of a wrong decision took it's toll on them.
Somewhere else;
Jade opened the chest. Inside, among velvet cushions lay a crystal
dragon, perfect in every detail, from the eyes to the tip of the
tail.
Letting the chest fall, he reverently placed it in a larger chest,
which housed two more statues, each of them of different materials;
one made of quartz, the other of onyx.
The black dragon lord, only known as Black, waited patiently. Suddenly
he noticed that another dragon, this one white, was walking towards him.
The White dragon stopped and kneeled.
"Winter."
"Yes, Lord Black." answered the white dragon with a nod. "I bring you my
report."
Lord Black moved a little forward in his throne, "Did you find what I
asked?"
The dragon nodded again without answering.
"Good. Tell Jade where this 'Sailor Moon' girl lives. Maybe if he kills
them he'll be able to concentrate on more important things."
The white dragon stood, bowed and walked away. To one side of the
throneroom, another dragon watched, shaking her head slightly, almost
mournfully, Saphire sighed.
End Chapter 2
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Standard Disclaimer; I'm using the Sailor Moon characters with no permission
whatsoever, and therefore anyone reading this must remember it's not what
the original creators had in mind. I'm also gaining absolutely nothing
remotely similar to money and what I write is as an appreciation of this
wonderful series. The other characters however, are my creations and are
also copyrighted, anyway I know you really don't care so I wont mention
anything else.
Wanderer D