Greetings yet again!
^_^
Yeah, that's right, I got another chapter already. Great C&C has that effect
on me : I've been working on this thing almost since the second I sent the
last one!
Anyway, as always, any and all C&C is appreciated, anticipated, and all but
begged for! I hope you enjoy the story!
And here we go!
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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
OBLIGATORY LEGAL DISCLAIMER : None of these guys are mine. The Sailor
Senshi belong to DIC and Kodansha, while the Yoroiden are owned by
Sunrise and Graz Entertainment. Okay? So don't bother suing me. I'm a
student.
RONIN SUMMER 4 : INNER BATTLES
A Sailor Moon / Yoroiden Samurai Troopers cross-over
by Morgan Hudson (dataraven_659@excite.com)
Part 8 : THE OWL'S TALE
The sun rose on an interesting scene in the Hikawa Shrine that
morning. Passed out by the sacred fire of Kami were five men and a
tiger, each in various stages of dress and slumber. Seiji Date, by the
doorway, was curled up in a ball, his thick shag of blond hair for
once falling away from his eyes, which were squeezed shut. Ryo Sanada
lay spread-eagled in the middle of the room, his head propped on the
chest of the softly purring tiger as it lay on its back and kicked
occasionally. Shin Mouri and Shuu Rei Fuan were both sitting upright,
back to back, with their chins touching their chests. Shin smacked his
lips and rolled over, landing with a soft thump on the stone floor.
Shuu, without his friend's support, flopped over backwards on top of
the boy. He mumbled something about pancakes with blueberry syrup and
started sucking his thumb.
The fifth member of this group was NOT Touma Hashiba, as many
might have expected, but a cloaked figure known as Owl who stood
quietly in the corner, arms folded across his ribcage as his helmeted
head nodded rythmically. The soft sound of snoring echoed through the
shrine, interuppted occasionally by the muttered mention of places,
things, and once or twice a girl's name.
The sun was not alone in appreciating this scene, as Jun Yamano
entered, followed by a wizened little man dressed in the robes of a
Shinto priest.
"You see?" The priest said, waving his hand and indicating the
dozing men. "How can I, the Guji of the Hikawa Jinjai, prepare for
the great festival with so many oafs and vagrants cluttering up my
floor?"
"Don't worry," Jun assured the old man, "I've been waking these
guys up for years." With an evil smile, he lifted a large cast iron
pot and an equally large frying pan. "Cover your ears, sir... they're
going to be saying things a priest shouldn't hear."
**********
Sullenly, the four Samurai Troopers staggered out into the
hallway, shielding their eyes and groaning. Seiji had a finger in his
ear, wiggling it around and squinting.
"Is Jun still banging those damn pots? I hear a ringing..."
Shuu rubbed his stomach. "Man, I'm starving! When's breakfast?"
Shin yawned as he stretched his clasped hands high above his
head. "Probably whenever we... whenever I... make it, Shuu. What time
is it?"
Seiji checked his watch. "Six in the morning."
Ryo spoke from where he lay on the back of Byakuen, hands
clasped against his stomach and eyes still shut as his feet dragged
along the floor. "There's a six in the MORNING now, Seiji? Get out of
town! Since when?"
"Well actually," Ami Mizuno said as she walked out of an
adjoining room, "records indicate that the ancient Egyptians had
developed a twenty-four hour day as early as..."
"Please, Ami. I just got to bed twenty minutes ago. It's too
early for paleontology." Makoto Kino groaned, trying to pull her long
brown hair back into its usual ponytail. She was still wearing her
school uniform, although it was far more rumpled than the day before.
"It's anthropology, not paleontology! They're two entirely
different subjects!" The blue-haired girl sniffed imperiously and
joined the Yoroiden as they walked down the hallway.
"Hey, Seiji!" Ryo called out, "I can't see : is Ami pouting?"
The blond man turned and looked behind him. "Yeah, a little."
"Bet she's cute. What is she wearing?" Ryo grinned goofily.
"Open your eyes and see for yourself, you lazy sluggard."
Ryo considered that. "Nah... that would involve effort. You
tell me, Seiji."
"Fine." Seiji turned again and looked at Ami as she walked
behind him. "Uhm... pajamas. I don't know, some kind of girly blue
pajamas, okay? They've got pictures of calculators and math equations
and stuff on 'em."
"Oh, yeah," Ryo said in satisfaction, "she's cute."
The six people and their tiger began working their way outside
the shrine, waving absently to Rei Hino as she swept the stone stairs.
She was dressed in her usual robes, and leaned on the broom as she
waved back. Minako Aino was at the bottom of the stairs, tying her
sneakers. Her long golden hair was tied behind her in a ponytail and
held in place by her trademark red ribbon.
"Hi, guys!" She stood up and waved at them. "Anyone feel like
a morning jog?" She was wearing a white t-shirt and red shorts.
"Yes," said Seiji distractedly, "yes, I DO feel like a morning
jog." Throwing off his jacket and tossing it to Shuu, he rolled up
his sleeves and headed off after the girl. "So long, guys!"
Shin shook his head sadly. "Well, there he goes again..."
"There who goes again?" Everybody turned and looked at Haruka
Ten'ou and Michiru Kaioh as they and their daughter Hotaru rounded the
corner and watched Seiji scramble after Minako.
"Probably Seiji." It was Nasuti Yagyu who spoke now, as she and
Jun finally joined the group, filling them out to nearly their full
number. "He has a slight problem with women..."
"Yeah, like dogs have a slight problem with cars..." Jun
chuckled.
**********
Makoto and Shin set about making breakfast, and found to their
delight that they shared similar opinions on the serving of sukiyaki.
Within minutes, the table was laden with food, and at least seven
different kinds of breakfast, from the traditional rice, pickles, soup,
seaweed and pumpkin, to the more Western style flapjacks, waffles, and
oatmeal.
"Anybody seen Touma? The Living Computer's really gonna wish
he hadn't missed this!" Shuu said, rubbing his hands together and
licking his lips in anticipation. "Oh well, guess there's more for me!"
"Leave Touma alone!" Makoto said as she deposited another
stack of pancakes in front of Shuu and watched them evaporate. "He
was up all night, and he just got to bed!"
"Oh, we know better than to wake up Touma!" Ryo smiled and
speared some pickles with his chopsticks before Shuu could eat those,
too. "He's not exactly a morning person, or even an afternoon person."
"Up all night, again?" Nasuti looked curious as she sipped her
tea. "What was it this time? Reading? Studying? Some new video game?"
"Actually, it was me," Setsuna Meioh said as she entered the
room and gracefully plucked a piece of pumpkin off of the table. "I
brought us all some reinforcements, and some valuble information about
Jadeite's plans. Touma, Makoto and I were discussing how best to
utilize these new advantages."
Someone tapped Nasuti's shoulder. "Excuse me? I'm sorry, but
you seem very familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?" Nasuti turned,
looked at the speaker, screamed, and passed out in her soup.
Naaza snapped his fingers. "THAT'S where I know you from!
You're that Nasuti girl!" He watched as she burbled in her soup bowl
for a minute. Reaching down, he scooped her up in his arms. "Well, if
you're going to take a nap, it's rather rude not to warn me first..."
"Naaza!" Setsuna looked over at him accusingly. "Are you still
playing nice?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Naaza snickered and glanced down at the girl in
his arms. "Nasuti and I are getting along famously! I think we'll name
our first child Kojiro... the kids can call him Ko-ju..."
Owl sighed and wrapped his cape around himself. "The important
thing is that we're almost all here. I shall begin our transport to
the Dark Kingdom as soon as the Joketsuzoku warriors arrive from
China."
"The who?" Rei shrugged. "Why do we need them? Can't we just
go and take Jadeite down right now? You DID tell us he's behind all of
this..."
"He is." Owl's visor flashed breifly in the sunlight as he
turned his helmeted head to gaze at Sailor Mars. "And he ALSO has
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen prisoner, as you may recall. Our only hope
for success is to get into contact with my own rebel forces, hopefully
supported by the Joketsuzoku. Then, we can prepare to wrest the crown
from Jadeite's head!"
Rei crossed her arms and glared at Owl. "AND rescue Sailor
Moon," she added crossly, "as well as Tuxedo Kamen."
**********
Mamoru Chiba entered the Pit and looked around. He wished he
could say he liked the place, but something about a thin bridge
stretching several hundred feet above a bottomless chasm just unnerved
him. His opponent did little to make him feel at ease.
The creature was a minotaur, which in layman's terms meant it
was about two feet taller than Mamoru, had a pair of horns stretching
from either side of its skull that were thicker than Mamoru's thigh,
and was covered in short black fur. It carried an iron ball and chain
in hands larger that Mamoru's own head, and when it snarled it showed
off more fangs than he thought any living creature deserved.
"Round One..." a voice boomed from above, "FIGHT!" The crowd
sitting in their bleachers above the Pit went wild, and bagan hurling
popcorn, meat, and drinks at the two fighters. The Pit was large enough
that few of the missiles reached their targets, but the chewing and
snarling sounds coming from the shadows beneath him made Mamoru
reconsider what exactly was waiting at the bottom of that chasm.
Mamoru's opponent bellowed and charged, swinging his iron ball
as if it was made out of plastic. The metal globe hurtled toward
Mamoru's head, and he wisely decided to duck under it. Then, before the
minotaur could recover his swing, Mamoru leapt up, soaring over its
head and somersaulting through the air. Landing in a crouch behind the
monster, he lashed out with his feet and tripped the monster up. As it
roared and regained its footing, Mamoru leapt backwards and landed
several feet away from it, raising the staff he had been provided with.
The minotaur lowered its head and pawed the loose gravel
covering the bridge, snorting steam. Mamoru tensed in preparation for
the charge. He honestly hoped this would work...
With an earth-shaking roar, the minotaur rushed forward like
a bullet train with horns. Mamoru flinched and waited. If he didn't
time this perfectly, he'd be a small stain on the masonry : One...
Two...
THREE! At the last possible second, Mamoru lunged to his left,
sailing out over the abyss, which snarled with anticipation as he
thrust his staff behind him, catching his opponent in the ribs. The
force of the minotaur's charge slammed into the staff and spun it like
a propeller, swinging Mamoru safely back onto the bridge, once again
behind the giant brute. Deftly, he twirled the staff and held it tight
against his side in a ready position, his other hand reaching into
his jacket and grasping for a certain rose...
Damn! He remembered all too late what his mysterious 'friend'
Abadon had told him : with the exception of special matches, an energy
field permeating the stadium kept magic from working. That meant no
Tuxedo Kamen, he reminded himself as he swung the bo staff in front of
him and grasped it with both hands. Maybe it's time to assess the
situation, he thought as he saw the monster rise from where it had
landed after rebounding after the far wall. He chuckled softly. I crack
me up sometimes, he thought, and charged.
A quick jab with the end of his staff caused the creature to
recoil, and grunt in pain as Mamoru spun the staff once more, cracking
it against the monster's temple. The minotaur groaned, and Mamoru
caught it behind the knees once more, sending it crashing to the
ground. He began to rise, and Mamoru's heel came in swift, violent
contact with his ribs. Features expressionless, Mamoru thrust the tip
of his staff against the minotaur's soft throat, just beneath his
jutting jaw. "Say it," the young man snarled.
"Never!" The minotaur growled, and swept up his arm, knocking
away the staff as he rolled to his feet and knocked Mamoru backwards.
In mid-air, Mamoru cursed and threw his staff like a javelin, catching
his opponent in the base of the skull. With a groan, the creature
toppled once more, and Mamoru hopped on its back.
"You're pissing me off, friend! Say it, or I'm feeding you to
whatever the hell lives down in that pit!"
The minotaur hung his head, horns dipping low. "I surrender."
**********
Jadeite scowled. Reaching out, he snapped his fingers and the
cowled form of Wiseman floated over, the crystalline globe in his lap
bathing both men in its ghastly light.
"Wiseman... I came a rather long way to watch these fights. I
mean, I'm a busy guy. I have people to kill and places to conquer, you
know? But I put my whole day on hold, and out I came, because you told
me Tuxedo Kamen would be killed. You, in fact, SWORE to me that Tuxedo
Kamen would be killed." He pointed out of the window of his booth, to
where Mamoru Chiba was currently taking his bows. "Why, then, if I may
ask, is he not dead? He's not even mildly uncomfortable! He didn't even
chip a friggin' tooth!"
Wiseman nodded to himself as he gazed into the depths of his
crystal ball. "Hmmm... It would seem that Mamoru Chiba is a better
fighter than I had anticipated. The mere nullification of his powers
will not be enough to destroy him. A simple error..."
"You've been making an awful lot of 'simple errors' lately,
Wiseman." Jadeite raised one eyebrow as he rubbed his fingers together.
"Like, for example, what happened to my other four clones. What the
hell happened to them again?"
"I'm afraid that one of this 'Owl' person's troops must have
broken into my lair and set the explosives that destroyed them, Lord
Jadeite."
Jadeite looked skeptical. "Sure. And if you happened to have,
oh, I don't know, STOLEN my clones and used the explosion to cover your
own tracks, you'd tell me, right? Since we're all such good friends
here."
Wiseman nodded. "I assure you, if that were the case, Lord
Jadeite... you would be the first to know."
**********
Three hours later, Mamoru Chiba got to meet his opponent in a
far more comfortable and hospitable setting, which is to say he was
leaving the change room when a large hand clamped around his head and
slammed him into a convenient wall.
"Hello," he said calmly, "can I help you with something?"
"I know who you are," the minotaur snarled, his fetid breath
wafting over Mamoru as the young man squirmed around just enough to
peek between fingers like tree roots and see a familiar pair of beady
red eyes and an even more familiar set of very large and sharp teeth.
"I know WHAT you are."
"Don't know what you're talking about," Mamoru mumbled into
the creature's palm, thinking fast. "My name's... Darien. I got caught
stealing some artwork from the palace and..."
"Shut up." The minotaur shook him briefly, and Mamoru decided
to obey. "There's only one human who could ever do to a youma what
you just did to me in that ring. And it doesn't matter if you're
calling yourself Darien, or Tuxedo Kamen, or Desert Knight, you're
still YOU. And you could have killed me at any time. I wanna know why
you didn't." He raised his free hand, and roughly a dozen other youma
surrounded the two in a loose ring. "Couple of my friends want to know
too..."
"You're here because you hate Jadeite," Mamoru explained, "and
whether I'm the person you think I am or not, I see that as a sign of
good taste. I try not to kill youma with good taste : they're rare
enough as it is."
The minotaur nodded slightly, and lowered the young man to the
floor. "Come with us," he said softly, "there's a few things you ought
to know about this place..."
**********
Usagi Tsukino stared out of her window. The Dark Kingdom didn't
even look that bad, she thought, at night. It was like looking at a
country where drought and war had been taking their toll for years :
farmland, towns, villages, all were there, just... not. The farms were
barren, the villages ghost towns. She sighed and clutched her brooch
for at least the ten millionith time.
Vepres, the plant creature who served Jadeite, opened her
door with relative ease. "Princess?"
She turned, her long tails of blond hair brushing the stone
floor she had ruthlessly scoured clean. Boy, she thought idly, if Mom
could see me now, she'd think I was possessed or something. Amazing
what boredom does for your appreciation of cleaning skills. "What is
it, Vepres? Has Jadeite found something even MORE degrading for me
to do? Would he like me to expose my mind to Wiseman? Hand scrub the
latrines?"
"Nothing of the kind, my Princess." Vepres bowed deeply, and
something behind his back began squirming. "In fact, Jadeite is most
pleased with your... compliance. He has decreed you be given this as a
reward." The vines leading from Vepres' wrist lifted, and Usagi's heart
followed soon after as she saw what was wrapped in them.
"CHIBI-USA!" Tears flowing from her eyes, Usagi raced over to
the small pink-haired girl and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Oh,
Chibi-Usa! Are you okay? What have they done to you? Let me look at
you..."
"She is to stay with you, from now on. Lord Jadeite is not
an inconsiderate man." Vepres bowed again, and left.
Usagi sniffed a little, and kissed Chibi-Usa on top of the
head. "Oh, I was so worried about you... are you sure you're alright?"
Chibi-Usa was stunned. Usagi was actually acting like she was
her mother, for once. She felt a sudden urge to say something mean and
insulting, just to get the old 'Sagi back. Then again... she returned
the hug. This Usagi wasn't exactly so bad, either. "I'm okay, Usagi.
Me and Mamoru were keeping each other company, and nobody's been
hurting us. Some of the youma are even kind of nice," she added,
thinking of that Abadon guy.
"Oh, thank the Kamis," Usagi sniffled, and completely forgot
about the ginzuisho she was wearing for once. She KNEW she had been
doing the right thing, she had just KNOWN it! Now she had Chibi-Usa
back, and as long as she just kept playing along, everything was going
to be okay...
**********
"You see," the minotaur explained as he and his small group
led Mamoru to a convenient corner, "we youma got long memories, longer
than you humans. Most of us are tellin' you this shit from personal
experience, so pay attention."
"I assure you, I am." Mamoru glanced around to make sure
nobody was listening. "So, what's your story, Takenoko?"
"One thousand, two hundred, and..." Takenoko looked over his
shoulder. "Is it sixty, or seventy years, now?"
"Sixty-nine," one of the other youma answered.
"Fine... One thousand, two hundred, and sixty-nine years ago,
the Dark Kingdom was actually a rather peaceful place. There was no
war with the Dynasty, no suicidal battles against the Sailor Senshi...
we just lived free, like creatures in dimensions everywhere."
"Takenoko was a farmer," the same youma interrupted.
"Shut up, boy!" Takenoko bellowed, and the creature ducked.
"Yeah, I was a farmer, and I will be again, if the Owl gets his way!"
"Owl?" Mamoru's eyes narrowed. "Who's the Owl?"
"A legend. Just some crazy youma who's been dead for nearly one
thousand years." A youma in the crowd snorted, and Takenoko growled.
"I'M telling this story! Anyway, back then, our ruler was a
youma named Kain. Wise man, but tough, too, the kind of guy who could
have stayed on the throne forever... if he hadn't screwed up."
"Screwed up?" Mamoru raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
Takenoko sighed, his horns scraping on the ground. "Dumb
bastard got cheated out of it all by Metallia. She approached him
first, you know... he turned her down. So she went and found someone
more willing - Beryl. Kain was off the throne in less than a week.
Dead, far as anyone knows.
"Anyway, Beryl takes the throne, and next thing we know we're
all drafted. She's taking every youma living in the whole dimension,
and turning them into some kind of invasion force. Three years after
she says she's gonna take over Pluto, Owl shows up. He's the hereditary
protector of the Dark Kingdom's throne. Scared the hell out of us, let
me tell you! There we were, expecting a nice, easy takeover, and Sailor
Pluto had the fucking OWL on HER side! Screw their army : those two
alone were cutting us to shreds! If it hadn't been for the Shadow
Warriors, we would have all been killed, and even then they had to wipe
out all life on the planet to finish it."
"The Shadow Warriors?" Mamoru scratched his head. "So then,
this must have been before Queen Serenity trapped them in the
ginzuisho."
Takeneko smiled. "You know a lot about the Moon Kingdom for
someone who isn't who I think he is... Darien. But, back to the
story : Owl fought us every step of the way, leading shock troops on
Uranus, on Neptune, on Saturn, on Jupiter... every planet we invaded,
and something weird started happening. Little by little, Beryl's whole
damn army started joining the Owl's troops. I mean, hell, it's better
than dying, right? Soon, he had an outright revolt going on, and we
were tearing down the doors of Beryl's castle!"
"So, what happened? I assume you lost."
"Damn right, we lost. Owl made it into Beryl's own chamber, and
faced her down. Problem is, A Certain Someone You Aren't was also
leading an attack against Beryl, and she had managed to turn his
generals to her side. Owl couldn't beat all four, not by himself, and
with this Certain Someone's army reinforcing hers, we were all either
drafted, killed... or thrown down here and forgotten about. That
Certain Someone ran back to the Moon Kingdom with his tail between his
legs, and Owl got hung out to dry. Nobody ever saw him again, and we
all figured he died."
"He DID die!" One of the youma yelled. "You're just some senile
old fart who's willing to listen to a bug that was half crazed!"
"THE BUG TOLD THE TRUTH! THE OWL IS BACK!" Takenoko roared, and
the ceiling tiles began to rain plaster on everybody. "I HAVE PROOF!"
Mamoru did a quick scan of the audience, and noticed that there were
more heads nodding than shaking.
"Okay, so this Owl guy is back. Why are his loyal troops still
down here? And where's your proof?" Mamoru asked, leaning back against
the wall and resting his head on his hands.
Takenoko drew a small and heavily folded piece of paper out of
his belt. "This," he panted, "is a note I found in my meal last week.
It's in a code only the Owl and his generals knew, and it's addressed
to me using a name I hadn't heard in one thousand, two hundred years.
It says that we're nearly ready for another shot at the throne, and
he needs all of us in the Pit to be on his side when he makes a move.
I need to know you're with us, or we'll have to make sure you don't
interfere when the time comes."
Mamoru considered it, and nodded. "Fine, Takeneko. I'm yours,
on one condition : I get Jadeite. We have a few old scores of our own
to settle."
**********
The ragged figure of Abadon had deliberately set up a habit of
wandering the hallways of Jadeite's labrynthine castle, to the point
where even the most alert of sentries barely even registered his
presence. Although outwardly, the shadowy being was as quiet and
stealthy as ever, inwardly he was practically shooting steam out of his
ears.
Stupid damn Rajura, he thought to himself, if you were going to
show me up by bombing Wiseman's lair first you could have at least
WARNED me! Oooh, when I get my claws in you I'll teach you a brand new
meaning for the words 'Oh Kami, It Hurts'! You're going to WISH I
would just kill you! You KNOW how much I hate getting blown up!
His inward rant was interrupted as a cloaked and cowled figure
dropped out of the rafters and dragged him into an adjacent room before
anyone could notice. The man in question stood a few inches shorter
than Abadon, with a slim build and a black and silver jumpsuit over
which had been thrown a grey cloak and a helmet crafted in the shape of
an owl's head.
"Anubis, of the Dynasty... how fares the battle?" Owl asked.
'Abadon' rose to his full height and tore off his burlap cowl,
slamming the rebel leader against a convenient wall. "Did you blow me
up? You KNOW I hate getting blown up! Here I go and arrange for Mamoru
Chiba to get put in the Pit for you, and you thank me by BLOWING ME UP!
Or was it Rajura? Hmmm? It was that damn spider, wasn't it?"
Owl gurgled unintelligably, and Anubis realised his claws were
pinning the man to the wall rather forcibly in the neck area. "Oh!
Sorry about that : I have a bit of a temper when it comes to getting
exploded. I don't deal well with it."
Owl clutched his throat and kneeled on the floor, gasping
for air. "No problem," he explained, as he regained his feet, "I can
understand. As far as I can tell, none of my troops planted those
explosives, and I haven't heard from Rajura since the two of you
approached me with your offer of help."
"Well, if it wasn't you, and it wasn't him, then who-" Anubis
growled, and clenched his fists. "Wiseman. That crooked old wizard
thinks he can steal the clones and play ME a fool, does he? I think it
high time someone reminded him why people are afraid of the dark..."
"His time will come, Anubis," Owl reassured the Masho. "Soon
enough, the entire Dark Kingdom shall face a reckoning, and we shall
place the TRUE ruler on his throne!"
"And you shall have your revenge, young king. How very
convenient for us all."
Owl nodded amiably. "Yes, I shall have my revenge. And, with
the help of my counterpart on Earth, the Sailor Senshi and Samurai
Troopers shall assist me!"
To Be Continued...