Hi, all!
I know, this one took a bit longer than usual. I'm back in school now, and
on top of everything else I was sans Internet for about a week somewhere in
there. Not to mention that my Inbox decided to eat the last dozen or so
messages I sent before shutting down. (shrugs) Ah well, c'est la vie.
As most of you know by now, this is the place where I beg and plead for C&C.
So... (clears throat) Please send me some replies to this, okay? My muse
feeds on C&C, and I'd be ever so grateful! Even if you just wanted to say
"hi", I'd appreciate it. My address is quite prominenly displayed in several
places here (the "From:" line, the "Cc:" line, my title), and I've been told
that pressing the "Reply" button works, too!
Okay, for anybody who actually thought I'd bother with dignity instead of a
chance at replies, you're obviosusly new here. ^_^
In that case, I recommend that you check
out my earlier story arcs in Ronin Summer. They can be found at
http://dataraven_659.tripod.com/roninsummer.html
and at
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Underworld/4709/roninsummer1.html
Previous chapters of Dark Crusade are available on request, or at Joy
Lyn's fanfiction archive, at
http://www.geocities.com/animecrossovers/
Okay, that's that. Now let's get on to the story! It's mostly just action,
but I snuck in a tiny bit of plot while I was at it.
Enjoy! ^_~
_______________________________________________________
Say Bye to Slow Internet!
http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
OBLIGATORY LEGAL DISCLAIMER : Some of these guys aren't 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 VI : DARK CRUSADE
A Sailor Moon / Yoroiden Samurai Troopers cross-over
by Morgan Hudson (dataraven_659@excite.com)
Chapter Ten : Scattered Pieces
Takenoko grumbled to himself as he trudged through the
underbrush and tried not to tangle his horns in the overhanging tree
branches. Shit jobs. Why did he always get the shit jobs? Everybody
else is busy getting ready to move out, and where was he? Stuck looking
for two kids who were too damn stupid to actually stay where they'd
been put. And worst of all, they were making him do it with-
"Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" Sailor Icestorm grabbed
his horns and swung down to dangle in front of his face. The elfin
girl was ostensibly there to act as his eyes, since Takenoko had the
same poor vision that cursed his entire race.
"No," he snorted, "we're not there yet. Get back on my
shoulders, and tell me if you see anything."
"'Kay!" Icestorm chirped, and somersaulted onto the giant
youma's back. "I see something!" she reported almost immediately.
"Really?" Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. "What?"
"Trees!"
Takenoko stopped in mid-step and fought the urge to pound the
dim-witted Storm Senshi until she actually had a thought in her head.
Unfortunately, he had better things to do that year. "Do you see
anything OTHER than trees?" he asked quietly.
"Yup!" Icestorm nodded furiously. "I see bushes, and rocks,
and squirrels, and- oh! Hi, sis!"
Sailor Thunderstorm plummeted from the tree canopy and landed
gently on the ground in front of Takenoko. The tall brunette in the
emerald fuku looked almost uncomfortable. "Uh... Hi."
"Aren't you supposed to be back at camp?" Takenoko squinted at
the girl suspiciously. To be more accurate, he squinted at the blurry
green shape he ASSUMED was the girl.
"Uh... No?" Thunderstorm began playing with the long ponytail
of brown hair that hung over one shoulder. "I mean, maybe, in theory,
we were supposed to stay behind and let Icestorm head off by herself,
but, well..."
"We got lonely," Sailor Lightstorm explained as she emerged
from the underbrush and dusted a few dead pine needles off of her
golden fuku. "We're not used to being by ourselves, and we kind of
figured nobody would notice if we kept an eye on the little dullard.
I mean, she's OUR little dullard, and we don't want anything happening
to her!"
"Gee," Icestorm said, wiping her eyes on the back of her
glove, "that's, like, the nicest thing you've ever said about me!"
"Yeah, well..." Thunderstorm folded her arms across her chest
and began staring at her shoes. "Don't let it go to your head, or
nothing. I'm only here because Lightstorm made me come!"
"Gee," Lightstorm argued, "I could have sworn that someone who
looked a lot like you dragged me out here by my wrist..."
"Shut up!"
"...and was ranting and raving about POOR little Icestorm, all
alone in the dark, spooky forest without her big sisters there to take
care of her..."
"Cut it out!" Thunderstorm seethed. "You're embarrassing me in
front of the minotaur!" She was beginning to fidget, and Takenoko could
almost feel the heat of her blush from where he was standing.
"Well," he said gruffly, "you can all damn well go back to camp
now. Your little sister is-"
"Annoying?" Lightstorm suggested.
"Flaky?" Thunderstorm offered.
"I was GOING," Takenoko rumbled, "to say that she's fine. So
get the hell out of here, and back where you belong!"
"Can't," Lightstorm said cheerfully, wrapping one arm around
Thunderstorm's shoulders. "Our intrepid navigator was so busy worrying
about her baby sister that she forgot to keep track of where we were.
We're lost."
Icestorm hugged her arms around Takenoko's thick neck and
squeezed with all her might. "Can they come with us, Mister? Huh? Can
they, can they, can they?"
Takenoko groaned. "Sure," he finally said, surrendering. "Why
not? The more the merrier. Just remember that we're here to do a job,
okay? We're trying to find Jun Yamano and Hotaru Tomoe."
"Oh, you mean those two kids that were sleeping under the tree
a few miles back?" Thunderstorm asked innocently, batting her eyelashes
and smiling. "Do you want us to go and get them for you?"
**********
Jun Yamano yawned and tried to stretch his arms. For some
reason, his left arm seemed to be stuck. Deciding to solve that
problem later, he lifted his right and rubbed his eyes. He really
shouldn't have stood guard while everybody else was sleeping: he must
have dozed off, himself, after that big argument with...
Uh-oh. Jun looked over at the pale young girl leaning against
his side, with her head resting on his chest. Well, that explained
what his left arm was pinned under. Jun began to panic as he noticed
just how dark it was. Hotaru's parents were going to kill him.
"Hotaru?" Jun waited a second, then tried again, gently shaking
her shoulder with his free hand. "Hotaru, you gotta wake up! We fell
asleep!" Oh, man, he worried, what if everyone was already looking for
them? What if everyone had already left? He was pretty sure none of the
Masho would be willing to stand around waiting on him. "Come on,
Hotaru!"
"Hmmm?" Hotaru slowly opened her strange violet eyes and sat
up slightly, stifling a yawn as she combed her fingers through her
soft black hair. "What's going on, Jun?"
"Trouble." Jun glanced over his shoulder. There was something
undefinable about the forest that had changed while they slept. Part of
it could be that he was alone and defenceless in an alien dimension,
after dark, surrounded by things that probably wanted him for dinner.
Nah, Jun decided, and shook his head. Reaching over, he scooped up a
dead tree branch that had broken off of the trunk he and Hotaru were
leaning against. It had a good heft, and was pretty long. It would do,
until he found a better weapon. "We'd better get back to the guys," he
whispered, and Hotaru nodded.
"You're right," she whispered in response. "There's something
about this place, Jun... I don't think I can explain it, but it's
just... WRONG." Her eyes began to glow purple as she clutched her
henshin. "Saturn Planet Power..."
"No!" Jun hissed, and lunged at the girl in an attempt to swat
her henshin wand out of her hands.
"MAKE UP!"
The entire forest exploded in a brilliant purple light.
Blinded, Jun stumbled back and landed heavily on his rump as Hotaru,
glowing like a signal flare, lifted into the air and began to spin.
Oh wonderful, he thought as he rubbed his eyes, she's STROBING. Soon
enough, the transformation completed, and Sailor Saturn landed softly
next to Jun.
"What's wrong?"
Jun slowly sat up. "You Senshi aren't too big on stealth, are
you? Every living thing for about a jillion miles must have seen that!
If there wasn't anybody after us before, you can bet there is now!"
With an exasperated groan, he began looking around. "Now we REALLY
need to get out of here. Honestly, don't you have any common sense?"
"Don't talk to ME about common sense, Jun! At least I'm not
the one who keeps running off to fight battles any sane person would
realise they have no hope of winning!"
"AAAAAAGH!" Jun clutched his hair and banged his head against
the trunk of the nearest tree. "We've already HAD this argument!" he
yelled, and banged his head again. "Why can't you just stop harping on
me for five seconds? I'm sorry I got hurt, okay? Can we please just
get back to everyone else alive and argue later?"
"I'm not harping on you, Jun!" Hotaru placed her hands on her
hips and glared at the boy, who groaned and stared back with an almost
bored expression. "I'm just trying to make sure you don't get killed!"
"Nobody asked you to look after me, Hotaru!"
"SOMEBODY has to!" Hotaru tapped her foot and opened her mouth
to say something more, when the bushes exploded into a swarm of what
appeared to be some kind of praying mantis. The Senshi of Silence was
bowled over by the impact of the first two creatures, and disappeared
under a pile of black carapaces and scythe-like arms.
"Hotaru?" Jun barely had time to lift the branch he was
carrying, knocking aside one of the creatures as it flew at him. The
giant insect (or whatever it was) bounced off of an old elm tree and
fluttered to the ground. Four more of its companions lunged at Jun,
who barely dodged a scythe-swipe that would have parted his hair
right to his neck. Swinging the branch like a club, he swatted the
nearest of the things in its eerie, triangular head. One of its waving,
feathery antennae snapped off, and the creature's pincer-like jaws
swung open as it squealed in pain. Another of the things drove one
of its bladed arms into Jun's shoulder, and the boy dropped to his
knees, groaning in pain as he struggled to beat off the bug. Blood
began to seep through his dark sweater as he struggled to reach the
branch he had dropped. Jerking his head to the side, he was scarcely
able to avoid the snapping jaws of the thing that held him. Another
of them jumped on top of him, and he fell to the ground.
There was a sudden explosion of purple light, and the bugs
were hurled across the clearing. In mid-air, they unfolded their
gossamer wings and began to flutter back towards Jun, only to bounce
off of thin air in an explosion of sparks. Hotaru, her sailor fuku
torn and a grim expression on her face, looked over at Jun.
"Silence Wall," she explained, and Jun simply nodded, gasping
for breath. Holding his arm against his side, the dark-haired young
boy shakily rolled onto his feet and grabbed the fallen tree branch.
It had broken when he struck that one in the head, he noticed, and
felt the jagged edge of the branch. Just as well; it would be easier
to use one-handed if it was shorter.
Damn, but he wanted his sword! The insectile creatures were
pounding rhythmically on Hotaru's force field, and the raven-haired
girl was beginning to tremble with the effort of maintaining it. At
least if he had his blade, Jun thought, he could put up a better
fight. Some twisted old branch wasn't even a suitable replacement
for his bokken. First chance I get, he decided, I'm getting a decent
weapon.
The nearby scrub erupted, and a huge black form lunged into
the seething mass of insects, swinging fists larger than Jun's entire
head. Fluttering behind the minotaur like some a human pennant, Sailor
Icestorm squealed merrily and hung onto his horns for dear life.
Thrown clear of the massive youma's head when he stopped and turned
suddenly, the blue-haired girl gleefully somersaulted into the midst
of their foes. Long blades of ice formed from the palms of her hands,
and she giggled as she cut a swath through the bugs.
Lightning crackled, and five of the nearest mantis-like
creatures were incinerated. Sailor Thunderstorm leapt over towards the
Hotaru and Jun, landing in a crouch in front of them as she stared at
the enemy still racing towards her. Her hands were enveloped by
intricate webs of electricity, and she thrust them above her head. Her
large green eyes closed, then opened, lightning pouring from her pupils
as she snarled and lowered her hands again. Like a living thing, the
lightning burst out of her hands in a massive, undulating wave of
electricity, curving and swaying as it burned through the forces
before her.
Someone placed their hand on Jun's uninjured shoulder, and
he jumped, looking behind him. With a smile, Sailor Lightstorm gestured
to the forest behind them with her thumb. "You two mind getting back
to camp, already? You're sort of in the way, here."
Jun looked back and forth between Lightstorm, Hotaru, and the
battle. "B-but... What about the fight? Don't you need help?"
"Nah," Lightstorm said with a wide grin, "we've got this all
wrapped up. But thanks for caring, sweetie!" Lightstorm winked and
blew a kiss at Jun. Hotaru fought the unexpected urge to kick her in
the teeth.
"You heard her, Hotaru! Get out of here!" Jun grabbed Sailor
Saturn by the wrist and pulled her to her feet, pushing her in the
direction of their camp. Startled, Hotaru let the last shimmering
remnants of her force field dissipate, and the horde of insectoids
swarmed after them, hitting Lightstorm like a wave crashing against
the shore. With a dazzling smile, the blonde woman lifted her hands
and sent a rapid flurry of energy bolts into the midst of the throng,
sending them back.
"Really, boys," Lightstorm said mockingly, "can't you do ANY
better than that? I'm going to get bored, soo- OH!" Her eyes bulged as
one of the glossy black insects flashed past her, blades swinging.
She turned just in time to see a thick mass of golden hair swirling
away on the breeze, and reached behind her with one hand, numbly
feeling the ragged edges of her now shoulder-length hair. "Okay," she
seethed, eyes glowing red, "now I'm upset. Come here, you little
TWERP!"
**********
"Well, well, well," Vyne muttered to himself as he circled
high above the battlefield, wings spread wide. "It really is quite
fascinating the things a man can see if he stays in the air long
enough. Seems to me that Brother Tytoung's scouts have run into some
resistance. Should I tell him?" Tapping one finger against his lower
lip, the handsome young man cast his gaze to another section of the
forest, where intermittent blasts of orange and purple light cut
through the tree cover. The waterspout was particularly impressive,
too, he noted. "Hmmm... Brother seems busy." Vyne smirked, and his
emerald green eyes glowed in the darkness. "I guess he'll just have to
owe me one."
As soon as thought, the deed was done. Wings folded tight
around his body like a vampire's cape, Vyne dropped through the tree
canopy with a loud crash. Snapping his wings back out to their full
extension, the man clutched the largest youma's horns with his huge,
taloned feet. Before the minotaur even had time to do anything but
yell, Vyne had hurled him across the clearing and into a tree,
headfirst. The tree cracked in half and fell towards one of the other
enemy, a young girl in a navy blue uniform. Screeching, the small girl
jumped out of the way, and narrowly avoided being squished. Several
of Tytoung's troops were less agile, and found themselves turned into
mucilage. Vyne winced. Maybe he'd leave that part OUT of his report...
Riding the breeze, he drifted over to the girl, who was
clutching her ankle and sobbing. Well, he thought, at least something
had come out of that tactic. Reaching to his belt, he drew the short
sword that hung on his hip. He'd just finish the blue-haired little
trollop, then turn his attention back to that walking pile of
hamburger.
"Hey! Leave her alone!" Something smacked across Vyne's back,
and shattered. Shocked, the winged man nearly fell out of the sky as
he whirled to see his new opponent.
It was a boy. A young boy with dark hair and a broken stick.
Vyne began to chuckle. "Oh," he crowed, "this is rich. This is the
single most amusing thing I've seen in decades. You... hit ME... with
a STICK?" Vyne laughed until tears came to his eyes. "Oh, no," he
managed to gasp, "the little boy with the stick wants me to leave his
little friend alone! Whatever shall I do?"
"Shut up," Jun suggested, holding the broken tree limb
threateningly. "If you think I'm going to let some feathered freak
like you hurt Icestorm..."
"I think," Vyne said softly, "you just lost your entertainment
value, little boy." His sword gleamed coldly in the light of the full
moon as he raised his blade high and began floating back upwards.
"Say farewell, little boy!" Reaching the proper height, Vyne tucked his
wings in again and dove towards the dark-haired little brat, sword
whistling as it sliced through the clamour of battle.
Something very large clamped down on Vyne's left leg. Something
equally large clamped around the back of his head, and he suddenly
found himself becoming much friendlier with the ground than he had ever
intended. Crap, he thought, as he tried to breathe topsoil, forgot
about the blasted minotaur behind me. That was pretty damn stupid.
"I'm not very happy," Takenoko snorted, and placed his knee
against the small of Vyne's back. The smaller man's spine began to make
a rather unpleasant creaking sound. "I think I'm going to tie you
into a bow knot. Or possibly a sheepshank. And then, I'm going to pluck
off all your little black feathers and FEED THEM TO YOU."
Vyne found himself looking at the bottom of his own feet. It
was even more painful than he had imagined. In desperation, he lashed
out, smashing the minotaur in its face with his huge wings. Reeling
back, Takenoko shook his head and tried to grab the injured man, but
Vyne had already shot out from under the giant youma's grip like a
grape seed between pinched fingers. Clutching his sides and cursing,
the winged man spiralled up into the air, disappearing into the
shadows of the tree canopy. Several ebony feathers drifted lazily
behind him, floating back down to the ground.
On the other side of the clearing, Hotaru looked anxiously in
Jun's direction. "Jun, what's wrong with you? We're supposed to get
back to camp! We have to warn Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama! They're in
danger!"
"Right! There in a second!" Bending down, Jun draped Icestorm's
left arm around his neck and slowly lifted her, ignoring the pain
shooting through his injured shoulder. Wrapping both arms around her
waist, he began walking her towards Hotaru. "Takenoko, can you take
care of things here?"
The minotaur chortled as he swatted four of their attackers
like the bugs they resembled. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that,
kid. You just go do what you have to."
Hotaru waited nervously as Jun began heading towards her, half
running and half stumbling as he tried to support the injured Icestorm,
who was limping badly and crying out whenever she placed weight on her
left foot. They were halfway to her when a tree suddenly cracked and
fell over, toppling towards them. Jun looked up and cried out, throwing
himself backwards as the falling timber crashed to the ground in a
cloud of dirt and pine needles.
"JUN!" Hotaru took a step towards the quivering tree, clutching
the Silence Glaive. One of the mantis-like creature lunged at her, and
she halved it without even noticing. "Jun, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Hotaru!" Jun's voice floated over the thick mass
of branches and needles. "Icestorm's stuck under a branch! Go ahead
without us: we'll catch up!"
"But, I-"
"GO! You have to warn everyone else!" Jun said something more,
but the sound of cracking wood drowned our his words. Hotaru looked
up to see yet another of the giant trees plummeting towards her head.
A winged form flitted away from the toppling oak, and Sailor Saturn
leapt for safety, barely avoiding the clutching branches as the tree
crashed down behind her. With a last look in Jun's direction, Sailor
Saturn took off.
High above her, and slightly to the left, Vyne followed.
**********
Nasuti Yagyu lay on the ground, staring up at a monster. It was
huge, looming at least seven or eight feet tall, and covered with
small, pebble-like scales. Its black colour made it all but invisible
in the darkness, while the strange mottled pattern of coral pink
swirled and almost glowed. A pair of beady eyes glared malevolently at
her, and a mouth larger than most of her body gaped open, exposing
countless sharp and curved fangs.
Tytoung licked his chops. The fear radiating from this female
would be sure to make her particularly delicious. Adrenaline was the
ultimate sauce, he reflected as he stepped closer to the frail little
creature. She looked so soft, so tender... he would make a lovely soup
out of her, or maybe a stew... Drool dripping from his open jaws,
he took another step closer - and suddenly jolted to a stop. Growling
deep in the back of his throat, the lizard turned his torso and lowered
his head, peering under his arm with one baleful eye.
Naaza grinned and gestured with his head towards the thick,
broad tail he had both of his arms wrapped around. "I'm sorry," he
said pleasantly, "is this yours?"
Tytoung snapped his tail like a whip and the armoured Masho of
Poison was sent hurtling across the battlefield like a cannonball.
Crashing into a tree, the green-haired man bounced off and flopped
onto his chest, eyes shut.
"Naaza!" Anubis ducked under the slashing scythes of the insect
he was grappling with and glanced over at the motionless Masho. Ramming
his no dachi into his opponent's abdomen, he sent it flying into a
crowd of its fellows. "Are you well?"
Naaza sat up and rubbed his head, smiling wickedly. "I think I
just made my new special friend," he said, with a strange light in
his eyes. Drawing two of the katana blades he bore, the Snake Masho
lunged back towards Tytoung, who had yet to notice his opponent's
recovery.
"I think," Tytoung drawled, "a honey glaze would suit you very
well, mortal. I've had a craving for one since I last spoke with my
dear sister." Spreading his arms wide, the monstrous creature leaned
forward and clutched the front of Nasuti's sweater in his claws.
"I LIKE you!" Naaza crowed, wrapping around Tytoung's head like
an unwanted hat. "You're sassy! Let's you and me wrassle!" Gripping
the soft underside of Tytoung's scaled jaw, Naaza began to pull the
creature's entire head back. Off-balance, Tytoung toppled, and the
Snake Masho leapt off of him at the last second. Landing in front of
the shaken Tytoung, Naaza slowly drew the other four swords he carried.
The katana began to glow as he gathered them in his hands, merging and
forming into a long whip of caustic energy. Swirling the charged whip
above his head, Naaza cracked it down at Tytoung's feet just as the
larger creature was regaining his footing. The earth exploded, and
Tytoung fell over yet again.
"Allow me to introduce you," Naaza hissed. "This is the Snake
Bite Strike." He lashed the ground again, sending up a cloud of dirt
and rock shards for emphasis. "You two are going to be GOOD friends..."
"Naaza!" Nasuti shakily rose and clutched the Masho's armoured
shoulder. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?"
"No," Naaza admitted with a grin, "but I try not to let that
slow me down too much." Tytoung sat up again, and the tip of the Snake
Bite Strike exploded against his chest. In a plume of earth, the giant
was sent skidding across the battlefield and into the same tree Naaza
had hit earlier.
"That's Tytoung!"
"Ty-who?"
"He's one of Pedri's pantheon! The god of hunger!"
Naaza blinked. "Well I'll be damned, and twice on Thursdays! A
god, is he? Never killed one of THOSE before..." He shrugged. "Guess
there's a first time for everything." Raising his voice, he taunted
Tytoung, who had finally regained his footing and was charging towards
the two with an earth-shaking roar. "Hey, Spunky! What the hell's
TAKING you so long? I'm gonna have to go play with someone else if this
is the best you can do!"
"You pathetic, simpering CRETIN!" Tytoung bellowed, throwing
himself at Naaza with claws and teeth bared. "No mere human can defeat
one of my kind!"
Naaza met Tytoung's claws with his katana and smiled, baring
fangs of his own. "And who the hell," he hissed, "said I was HUMAN?"
Glancing over his spiked epaulet, the Snake Masho called out to Nasuti.
"Run for it! That way! I'll keep the walking suitcase off your tail!"
"N-Naaza..."
"Don't worry! I'll find you later! Just run!" Turning back to
Tytoung, Naaza kicked his opponent in the crotch. As Tytoung doubled
over, the Snake Masho kicked up and caught his toe right under his
enemy's chin. Tytoung flipped onto his back like a well-turned pancake,
and Naaza cackled triumphantly. Tytoung's tail swept up and smashed
into the side of the Masho's head, knocking him to the ground as well.
"Damn," Nasuti heard Naaza mutter as she fled, "if you can hit
like that, this might actually get fun... C'mere!"
**********
"Well," Rajura said calmly as he stepped to the side and let
a flying body hurtle past him, "this is most expected." Another of the
seemingly limitless enemy lunged at him, and the Spider Masho killed
it with a single flick of his wrist, catching it by the neck and
twisting its head off before it even saw him move. "I knew we had
stayed here too long."
"Hey!" Haruka Ten'ou fell back, kicking one of the insects
off of her and slicing it from crotch to sternum with the Uranus Space
Sword. "Did it ever occur to you to actually give us a hand?" Rolling
back onto her feet, the tall blonde Senshi blocked a downward strike
with her sword and kicked the monster's feet out from under it.
"Briefly," Rajura admitted, stroking his eyepatch as he leaned
back against the trunk of the tree he stood under and crossed his arms
over his purple chestplate. "But then I decided that if you can't even
handle the cannon fodder on your own, you really aren't worth keeping
alive. Far better I find out now, than waste energy saving you and have
you disappoint me at some later date."
"When we get out of this," Haruka said grimly as she jumped on
top of Michiru Kaioh, knocking the Senshi of Neptune over as a giant
worm lanced through the air above them, "remind me to give you matching
patches." Rolling onto her back, Sailor Uranus thrust her hands in
front of her and formed a ball of orange energy. "WORLD SHAKING!" she
cried, and sent the throbbing globe tearing through the worm's side.
Gushing steaming fluid from the tunnel she had bored through its
body, the huge worm reared up and shrieked, opening and closing its
jaws spastically before somehow managing to glare at the two Outer
Senshi without having any eyes. It plunged towards them, as Michiru
rolled over and crossed her arms around Haruka's neck, clutching the
Deep Aqua Mirror. Haruka unsheathed her sword yet again, pointing it
at the striking worm's gaping tripartite jaws.
"Michi?" Haruka said simply, and Sailor Neptune smiled.
"SUBMARINE REFLECTION!"
"URANUS SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" The twin blasts merged and
swirled around each other, slamming down the attacking creature's
throat and leaving it an empty husk that broke into ash the second
it touched the Senshi. Rajura clapped.
"Haruka-papa! Michiru-mama!" Clad in the purple and white fuku
of Sailor Saturn, Hotaru burst into the clearing. Her uniform was torn,
and she was bleeding from several shallow cuts on her arms and face.
Seeing her adoptive parents, the girl began to run towards them.
"Hotaru!" Haruka called, sitting up and hurling the Space
Sword, "DUCK!"
Sailor Saturn obliged as she had been trained to do, throwing
herself to the ground as the glowing sword whirled through the air
above her and beheaded the insect that had been preparing to attack
Horaru from behind. Still spinning, the blade returned to Haruka's
hand, and the two Outer Senshi raced over to where their daughter lay.
"Are all right, honey?" Michiru asked, cradling Hotaru's face
in her hands. "Are you hurt? Let me see you..."
"I'm fine, Michiru-mama." Hotaru brushed aside Neptune's hands,
turning to the grim countenance of Sailor Uranus. "Jun, and Takenoko,
and the Storm Senshi... There were all kinds of..." She broke off,
tears welling in her violet eyes. "They said I had to come and warn
you, Haruka-papa! They said they'd catch up, but they never did!"
"It's okay, Hotaru," Haruka said softly, hugging her daughter
and pressing the girl's head against her chest. "Michi and I are going
to keep you safe, no matter what. It's going to be okay."
"I'm sure Jun is fine, honey," Michiru offered, placing her
hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "They're probably on their way here right
now."
"Hmmm," Rajura noted calmly as he removed one gauntlet and
examined his fingernails, "it would seem to me that a tactical retreat
has been in order for some time. I wonder why nobody has mentioned
that yet?" Buffing his nails on his chestplate, the Masho of Deception
looked at the three Outer Senshi from the corner of his one good eye.
"That would be me," he explained softly, "suggesting you get your
darling little daughter the hell away from here before you all get
overwhelmed and killed. By all means, feel free to ignore me, but I
think it's good advice."
Haruka stood. "Let's go, Michi, Hotaru. We're pulling out."
Michiru blinked her big blue eyes at her lover. "But what about
Empress Kayura and the Masho?"
"Screw them." Haruka held Hotaru against her side. "We're not
here to help Kayura, and we're not here to save the Dark Kingdom. We're
here to help Setsuna, and we can't do that if we get killed. I'm not
going to let you two get hurt if I can avoid it."
"A surprisingly wise decision," Rajura said approvingly. "I
suggest we make our exit to the west. I've cast an illusion to make
our enemies think we're fighting them at the east end of the clearing."
Noticing their gazes, the Spider Masho shrugged. "Weren't you wondering
why we haven�t been attacked recently?"
"You could have done that at any time, couldn't you?" Haruka
asked, glaring suspiciously at Rajura. The Spider Masho merely nodded,
his face expressionless.
"I have already given all the explanation you are likely to
hear." The one-eyed Masho gestured behind the Outers, where Anubis,
Kayura, and Setsuna were already arriving. "I also took the liberty of
informing the rest of our little group as to our imminent departure."
Kayura looked around expectantly. "Where's Naaza? Has anyone
seen him?"
Anubis nodded as he placed one hand on the young empress'
shoulder. "Already gone," the Wolf Masho explained, "bolted into the
bushes and headed south for some reason. That huge lizard man was hot
on his heels, too."
Setsuna sighed. "Naaza, of all people, can look after himself.
Let's go." And with that, while their enemies battled phantoms, the
Outer Senshi and the Masho slipped away into the night and ran for
their lives.
Unfortunately, even the vaunted Masho of Deception couldn't
fool somebody if he didn't know they were there. So, high above it all,
a pair of emerald eyes narrowed dangerously and a pair of ebony wings
tilted, sending their owner veering off to glide leisurely after his
fleeing prey. Vyne had spent millennia working under a brother he hated
and wished to replace with every fibre of his being. Tenacity and
patience were old friends of his.
**********
The forest eventually thinned out, and Haruka gasped as she
splashed into knee-deep water. The river was frigid, and Michiru
slipped on the slick rocks, nearly falling under the surface of the
water before Haruka caught her by the wrist.
"Keep running!" Anubis' voice echoed through the night. "Head
downstream! The water will get rid of our scent!" The sound of
laborious sloshing and splashing suggested that he was practicing what
he had preached, so Haruka bit her lip and kept wading. The water got
waist deep very quickly, and somebody cursed under their breath. The
sounds of the battle were already faint, buffered by the trees and
underbrush of the forest, and drowned out by the roar of the river.
There was a muted splashing sound, and something gurgled.
Haruka paused and remembered several of the horror movies she loved
watching. Not so much because she enjoyed them, but they scared the
hell out of Michiru, and having Sailor Neptune latched onto her was
pretty much Haruka's definition of a good night. At the moment,
however, she was wishing she had paid even less attention to the damn
movies, because all she could think of were pirahna, and mutant
crocadiles, and big, slimy things with lots of tentacles...
"Uh," she said softly, "there isn't anything in this river that
might want to eat us, is there?"
"Probably," Anubis' voice responded from the inky blackness,
"but I doubt any of them are up yet. Most predators are nocturnal."
The water began to boil, and Sailor Pluto suddenly shot into
the air, wrapped in a tentacle. Clutching the garnet orb resting atop
her Time/Space key, Setsuna enveloped her body in a shining ball of
red energy, and Haruka saw exactly what was going on. It wasn't a
tentacle, it was a tongue, and six more were writhing towards Kayura
and Michiru. The very tips of the underwater predator's jaws were
poking above the water surface, and Haruka could barely make out
several rows of serrated teeth as she drew the Uranus Space Sword.
Kayura remained surprisingly calm as the prehensile tongues
lashed around her arms and waist, hauling her into the air with
Setsuna, whose Garnet Ball force field was proving rather hard to chew.
"Anubis," the young woman said passively, and the Wolf Masho snapped
to attention.
"As you command, my Empress," he said calmly, and leapt towards
her, drawing his blade in mid-air. Silently, he soared past the
writing ropes of muscle, red satin cape flapping behind him. At first,
Haruka almost thought he had missed, until the tongues suddenly split
and fell away in pieces, freeing Kayura. Landing with a loud splash,
Anubis sheathed his sword across his shoulders and turned back to
face the water beast. With a roar of pain, the monster whipped Michiru
around like a rag doll before trying to stuff her into its maw. The
Senshi of Neptune struggled, and the beast growled as it attempted
unsuccessfully to wedge her past the crackling force field that was
jamming most of its huge mouth.
Haruka tensed, crouching slightly, and then leapt into the
air. The Uranus Space Sword hummed to itself as it drew an arc of
glowing light through the air behind her, and she plummeted into the
mouth of the creature. Ricocheting off of Setsuna's field, Sailor
Uranus braced herself by driving her high heels into the soft flesh of
the monster's gums. Turning to Michiru, she smirked.
"Hey, babe. You feel like getting out of here?"
"No," Michiru replied sarcastically, "I was just beginning to
enjoy myself. Could you?"
Haruka shrugged. "Let's put it to a vote. Setsuna? You want
to get out of this thing, or are we still having fun?"
Sailor Pluto's crimson eyes narrowed. "This is hardly the time
to be making jokes, Sailor Uranus. I vote we leave."
"Well, then, let's go!" Haruka lifted her sword above her
head, summoning her last ergs of energy. "URANUS SPACE SWORD BLASTER!"
The pulpy head, which was nearly all the creature had, exploded in a
gory rain of blood and flesh. With a sheepish grin, Sailor Uranus
sheathed her gleaming sword.
"Hey," she said weakly, "at least we don't have to go far to
wash off, right?" Rubbing her head, Haruka's gaze roamed around the
area. "Wait a minute," she said warily, "what happened to Hotaru?"
**********
Vyne soared through the air like an arrow from a bow, arcing
across the night sky with only an occasional, powerful flap from his
gigantic wings to keep him propelled. The air currents were doing most
of his work: he preferred to save his energy by gliding.
Clutched firmly in his talons, the young raven-haired girl
struggled fruitlessly in an attempt to escape his grasp. Vyne allowed
himself a triumphant smirk as he stared down at her with his faintly
glowing green eyes.
"Don't worry," he said in as civil a tone as he could muster.
"I'll let you go soon enough." Turning his face forward, Vyne watched
as the cliff edge drifted closer. "In fact," he added, "I think I'll
just let you go right now." Swinging his legs in front of him, he
released the girl and watched as she flew, shrieking, into the cold
night air. Arms and legs flailing, she hurtled over the cliff edge like
a well-hit baseball, plummeting into the darkness. With the satisfied
smile of a man whose job had been well done, Vyne swung back around
and headed back towards the others he had been following. After all,
he reasoned, Pedri only said he wanted the Masho alive. It was only
prudent to take care of their lackeys first.
**********
The wind tore at Hotaru like a wild beast, clawing at her face
and tugging on the bows of her uniform as her pleated skirt flapped
around her legs. Her mouth hung open in a silent scream, the breath
long since taken from her as she plunged down the face of the cliff.
In the faint light of the full moon, she could actually make out
individual rocks and twigs and they flashed past her. It was almost
as if she were staying still, and the world was rushing up to meet her.
She tried to close her eyes, but the roaring wind ripped them open
again, screaming angrily as it continued to pull and drag on her body.
A pair of arms wrapped around her waist, and Hotaru reacted
instinctively, striking out at her attacker and smacking at its face
and shoulders. As they fell together, she dimly became aware that her
hands were bouncing off of armour, and that the monster in question
was glaring angrily at her with its one eye.
"Do you mind?" Rajura hissed. "I find that most upsetting."
"What are you doing?" Hotaru asked, terrified. Was he trying
to kill himself? It was only then that she noticed the dimly glowing
blue strand trailing from the Spider Masho's ankles, whipping and
curling behind him as they fell. Clenching her teeth, Saturn wrapped
her arms around the larger man's torso. This was going to hurt...
With a resounding twang, the webbing reached the end of its
length and stopped both Rajura and Hotaru dead in mid-air. Startled by
the sudden and violent jolt, both lost their grip on each other, and
Hotaru tumbled free again. Moving quickly, Rajura snatched her wrist
in a bone-crushing grip.
Hotaru looked up at the one-eyed Masho of Deception, the purple
sigil of Saturn shining brightly from her forehead. "Please," she
whispered, "don't drop me..."
"Why, Hotaru," Rajura said calmly as the steel grate covering
his face cracked down the middle and retracted back into this helm,
"haven't you heard? I never let anything out of my grasp. Not while I
still have a use for it." There was an ominous creak, and Rajura looked
up over his shoulder. "Can you swim?" he asked softly.
"No," Hotaru admitted, "not very well."
"You're about to learn," the Spider Masho said brusquely, and
twisted his entire body, swinging Hotaru out into space once more.
The branch to which his webbing had been attached creaked again,
and then snapped, sending them both plunging into the darkness
together. Hotaru clutched for Rajura's arm, only to have him kick her
in the stomach. Shocked, she flew away from him, and slapped against
the freezing water of the river, sinking beneath the surface and
cracking her head against the rocky bottom. Floating to the top,
Hotaru rolled onto her back and began drifting downstream, stopping
only when her body washed against a particularly large boulder. Blood
smeared over her forehead, and her eyes were closed.
Vyne flew down and circled the area. The girl looked dead to
him, and her would-be saviour had fared much worse. Clad in purple
armour, the man with the eyepatch was lying where he had fallen, well
clear of the river. Draped over a large rock, his arms and legs splayed
at awkward angles as his head slowly lolled to one side. With the
satisfied smile of a man whose job had been well done, Vyne swung back
around and headed back towards the others he had been following. Two
down, he thought to himself, and chuckled as he soared away.
**********
To Be Continued...