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You ever read the headers to these emails at times? I swear the places this thing
travels on it's journey to the FFML. Anyway...
Greetings!
<Scorpion> WELCOME!
Well, here we are. At thirteen chapters, Dark Crusade is now officially the
longest arc of Ronin Summer I've ever written! And, unless I've done my math
wrong, it's also the sixtieth Ronin Summer chapter I've written in the past
two years! I'm sure nobody really cares about that, but I'M sure
impressed... ^_^
You are probably the only author I have ever seen do anything even remotely close,
and to do it as well as you have, I only WISH I had that kind of tallent.
By the way, due to my upcoming Christmas vacation (and lack of time therein,
thanks to shopping and visiting with relatives) on the fifteenth, I'm afraid
this will be the last Ronin Summer chapter until the New Year. So if you've
been holding back on sending me any C&C, now is the chance you've been
looking for! Remember, Santa always gives extra presents to boys and girls
who C&C. ^_^
I took a few pot shots at Santa last year with the ship's 50 cal so I don't think
he's going to ever be happy with me again.
I only nicked Rudolf. I swear. ^_- At least the FCs didn't give me control of their
NATO Seasparows like I wanted. Heheheheh.
Anybody who wants to check out earlier chapters of Dark Crusade, or any
other story arc of Ronin Summer, please go to my website at
http://dataraven_659.tripod.com/roninsummer.html
And remember...remove the number 5 and you have...^_-
Another good place to go is Joy Lyn's fantastic webpage, Crossover Corner,
which can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Shores/5533/index.html
There are, as I recall, like 2 websites devoted to Samurai Trooper and Sailor Moon
crossovers on Anipike. Is that one of them?
So anyway, Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad, Happy Chanukah, Joyous Kwanzah,
and just try to have a great year, gang. You all deserve it, IMHO. ^_~
Bah Humbug. ^_^
And YES, Latin D, I KNOW these notes are getting longer. Blame it on a lack
of sleep. :b
Shit, I blame just about everything on lack of sleep.
'Cept the Uber Rant. That was just a healthy dose of psychotic anger. Heheheheh.
Anyways, on with the story! ^_^
Let the slaughter begin. I'm sure they're defenses are broken by now. ^_-
_______________________________________________________
Send a cool gift with your E-Card
Why not a hot gift?
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.
*looks up from threading some fuses into his homemade dynamite and glances back
toward his wall filled with posters like "Death to Saban!", "DIC is a dick!", and
"The Cartoon Network is TOAST!"* In a short while, you won't have to worry about a
few of those companies. (I wish. heheheheheh)
RONIN SUMMER VI : DARK CRUSADE
A Sailor Moon / Yoroiden Samurai Troopers cross-over
by Morgan Hudson (dataraven_659@excite.com)
Chapter Thirteen : Curse of the Mountain Fields
Better than: "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."
Five shadowy forms moved through the still of the night,
%*In the still....of the night...%*
Jun: Would you stop that? We're trying to be mysterious here!
Storm Senshi (with stars in their eyes): Ohhhh...
Jun: And that's just freaky!
picking their way carefully through the dark and tangled forest. In
the lead, a creature walked with heavy tread, brush scrunching and
cracking under the weight of his immense form. He was nearly as broad
as he was tall, with a massive set of horns sprouting from his skull.
Puffs of steam rose from his whiskered snout as he trudged on, clearing
a path for his compatriots.
Who needs a machete, when you have a one ton lumbering mass of blind destruction to
clear a path for ya?
Following soon after was a much smaller form, a slip of shadow
hobbling along after its leader. One arm was held close against its
side, and occasionally it would stumble, hissing in pain. Carrying the
broken remains of a tree branch, the diminutive form tested the ground
ahead of it, using the stick as a crutch when necessary. A third,
Bet you wish you talked to Kaiyo-sama now, dontcha? ^_^
feminine figure drifted nimbly through the undergrowth nearby,
occasionally rubbing the back of its head and trembling for some
reason.
The last two members of the party travelled together, by
necessity. The smaller of the pair rode on the taller's shoulders,
tightly clutching the thick ponytail in her hands like a leash.
"This is fun! Whee! Giddyap, horsey!" the small woman crowed
happily, bouncing in her perch atop the other woman's shoulders.
You do realize for this particular sickeningly sweet scene, you will be banished to
the hell of Barney songs? ^_^
"I swear to all that isn't holy," the taller woman seethed,
"if you spur me ONE more time, I will buck you onto a rock." Emerald
eyes narrowed dangerously, and the woman glared at the people walking
ahead of her. "Okay, somebody wanna explain to me again why I got
stuck carrying the ditz?"
"Come on, Thunderstorm," Jun Yamano argued, stopping and
leaning on his branch as he smiled in the tall brunette's direction.
"You know I can't do it; my shoulder's pulped!" He gestured with his
Yeah, I can see that one. She'd be trying to grab OTHER things on him. ^^
head towards his left arm, which had been placed into a makeshift
sling made from a length of black satin ribbon. With an insolent
smirk, he turned to the large form lumbering in front of him. "What's
your excuse, Takenoko?"
"I had to carry that blue-haired bubblebrain once already,"
the minotaur pointed out with a snort. "I've suffered enough for one
night."
Heh, and he was used as a jungle gym.
"Fine," Thunderstorm admitted. "Maybe you two have good
excuses, but what about you, Lightstorm? You're supposed to be my
leader! Isn't it your job to look after your team when they're hurt?"
Interesting to note: The actual Senshi leader is supposed to be Minako, is it not?
You never see her exercising that post, as it seems that Sailor Moon is always there
to take command of the situation. That's something I never saw addressed in any
fanfic or even the series proper. One wonders about that.
"Probably," the blonde girl in the golden sailor fuku said
with a nod, "but it's also a leader's job to delegate authority, and
I decided that you were best suited for the job. Plus, I didn't want
to carry her."
"That's okay!" Thunderstorm's unwanted passenger chirped,
releasing the tall brunette's ponytail and enveloping her head in a
hug. "I, like, totally love spending time with my big sis!"
"Icestorm," Thunderstorm seethed calmly, "I can't see where
we're going if you don't LET GO OF MY HEAD!"
Icestorm, reacting instinctively, closed her eyes and tightened
her grip on her sister's skull, legs wrapping securely around the tall
brunette's neck. Thunderstorm choked and began weaving dangerously.
"Sometimes," Lightstorm sighed, "I think I'd do better if I
was working with trained chimps."
"LET GO!" Thunderstorm howled at the top of her lungs, trying
to shake her ersatz sister loose. Squeaking in terror, Icestorm only
tightened her grip further.
How could she scream if her windpipe was cut off like that?
"I CAN'T! I'M SCARED!"
Mommy, mommy, I'm scared! ^_^ Super Deformed Double feature ref.
"Sometimes," Lightstorm sighed, "I think I already AM working
with trained chimps." Turning, she looked at the squabbling pair and
Heheheheh
shook her head. "Icestorm," she said sweetly, "I have candy. If you
promise to sit still and be good, I'll let you have some when we get
back to the camp, okay?"
If you're really good Tackleberry I'll get you some guns just like this when we get
home.
"I'll be good!" Icestorm said quickly, releasing her deathgrip
and sitting placidly on Thunderstorm's shoulders. "I'll be, like, so
good you won't even believe it's me!"
Yosimite Sam: Shut up, shutting up!
"Takenoko," Jun asked, trying his very best to ignore the three
sisters travelling with him, "are you sure that this is the way back
to camp?"
"I'm pretty sure," the minotaur replied, squinting and leaning
forward slightly as he peered around. "Things here look kind of
familiar."
This from a guy who is likely more blind than myself.
"Oh." Jun said calmly, sticking his free hand in the pocket of
his jeans and flapping his sling-bound arm slightly. "Uh, I'm only
asking because we've been walking for about two hours now, and I don't
remember being that far away from camp. I mean, if they're in trouble,
wouldn't we at least be able to hear them fighting by now? Other than
Rajura, I don't remember Kayura or the Masho being very subtle when
it came to fighting."
Naa...Kayura usually did the destroy buildings thing when she fought.
Takenoko groaned and glanced in the boy's direction. "Trust
me," he growled, and continued stomping through the brush.
"Okay, but I'm just saying..."
"Trust me."
"I walked to that clearing with Hotaru, and I'm pretty sure we
didn't come this-"
"Trust me!" Takenoko bellowed, and shouldered his way through
the thick foliage. "I'm sure we came this way! It looks familiar!"
A real man never admits when he's lost. Especially when he's lost. Heh.
Jun sighed and followed, nearly running into the shaggy back
of the furry youma. Takenoko had stopped dead in his tracks, and was
staring ahead of him in stupefaction. Jun slowly edged around the
giant creature, and took a look. A vast expanse of grass stretched
before them, stirring gently in the night wind like waves at sea.
"Now," he said, unable to stop himself, "I may be wrong, but
I'm pretty sure there were trees in the forest the last time I
checked." He turned his head and looked at Takenoko, who was doing a
passable impression of someone who had been hit in the head with a
board. "Look familiar to you?"
"Glasses," Takenoko snarled softly. "I... am getting... a
damned... pair of glasses."
They say laser eye surgery has dropped dramatically in price as well. ^_^
**********
Hours later, the sun slowly crept into the sky, hiding
bashfully behind a thick veil of stormclouds to shine its feeble light
onto the statue-still form of Takenoko. The minotaur remained as he had
been, kneeling by the edge of the vast plain with his head hung low.
How could he have done it? He knew he shouldn't have taken charge: his
entire race had poor eyesight. It was almost inevitable they had become
lost, but what could they do? By this time, the empress and her Masho
could be miles away.
Or even in...a NEW DIMENSION! I'm going to another level of hell for that pun.
A peal of thunder rolled through the air like the snarl of a
menacing beast, and Jun Yamano twitched slightly. With a soft groan,
the young boy sat up and rubbed his eyes with his good hand. That done,
he blinked blearily and idly checked his hair. The usually tame mop of
black was snarled and mussed until it seemed determined to stand
completely on end, and Jun made a face as he wondered if any of the
This might be stylistic, but it seems to me the above would work better as two
seperate sentences.
Storm Senshi had a comb. The three women were still sleeping nearby,
purring contentedly as they huddled together. It was almost unbearably
Purring? Well...if the latter is any indication they were of feline decent before
their reformatting (DAMN YOU BEAST MACHINES!) Of course...that might explain certain
proclivities. I mean, cats breed at the drop of a hat, and most cat babes in anime
are notoriously amorous. Heheheheheheh.
cute, and Jun decided against waking them. They might be cranky, and
reforming didn't change the fact that all three had been designed by
Jadeite to be killing machines. Jun didn't want to make even one
killing machine cranky at him, let alone three, if he could avoid it.
If he could avoid it. Which is not very often, going by his track record. Heh.
"Oh, look," he said, leaning on Takenoko's shoulder, "it's
still a field. Well, colour me surprised. I don't suppose you got any
brilliant ideas while you were standing guard, did you?"
Takenoko: *flattens him* quiet kid.
The minotaur sighed and shook his heavy head. "Not a one."
"REALLY?" The small human grinned widely for a moment,
enthusiasm shining in his eyes. Noticing that Takenoko was turning to
NO!! DON'T BACKSLIDE NOW JUN! YOU WERE DOING SO WELL!!!
look at him, Jun quickly schooled his features into a mature,
thoughtful expression. "Well," he said, stroking his chin," it's a good
Whew. Was scared there for a second.
thing I just happen to have an idea of my own, then. A plan, you might
say..." He paused, and gave a curious glance towards the plain of
waist high blades. "Did that grass just move?"
"What grass?" Takenoko turned and watched as the field blew
left and right in the strengthening winds, rippling and swaying. "You
mean that? That's just the wind."
"Oh." Jun blinked, and pointed at the prairie. "Does the wind
always blow in formation, around these parts?"
Takenoko: Yeah, but it's usually just the Banshees and other soul sucking spirits.
I wouldn't worry too much, quite often it hurts like a mother when it happens.
Takenoko turned back towards the thick mass of shifting grass.
Sure enough, the bending stalks were forming four distinct furrows
that seemed to be curving and twining in his direction. "No." He
blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. "Maybe you oughta wake up
the womenfolk, kid. We might need some heavy artillery."
"No way!" Jun shook his head adamantly. "I'd rather- AUGH!"
In a flash of scintillating light, a large curved blade
slashed up from the meadow, sending a thick cloud of grass stalks into
the air. As the whirling cloud of grass began to settle, a shadowy
form took shape. Large, and sheathed from head to toe in ebony armour,
the figure held its scythe at the ready, glaring at the small group
with baleful eyes of solid white. A thin trickle of sooty smoke rose
lazily from a crack in his silver faceplate, and his armour was dented
This friends, is what is known in Final Fantasy, as "Surprised." They, of course,
get the first move, and you hope they miss, cause you just ran out of cures and
spells, and are in an area that is just not conducive to long life.
and scratched in several places. Jun noticed almost as an aside that
the armoured creature didn't seem to be breathing.
The grass rustled, and a second form rose, bearing a wicked
naginata. The polearm's long, curving blade gleamed softly, and Jun
shared a look with Takenoko as the youja advanced slowly.
"Stand and unfold yourself," the figure in black growled in a
sepulchral tone.
"What are you talking about? We're-"
Takenoko quickly knocked Jun out of the way and stood at his
full height, staring down at the youja as he puffed out his barrel-like
chest. "Long live Kayura!"
The black youja nodded slightly. "Kayura all hail." The scythe
lowered, and the armoured figure nodded yet again. "Your absence was
noted by the Guard, General Takenoko." The purple armoured youja inched
forward, and locked gazes with his ebony partner. "We see you have
returned the traitors. Well done."
"Traitors?" Jun asked Takenoko with a raised eyebrow. "Geez, I
just went to talk to my girlfriend..."
This kid needs to learn not to take everything personally. Though all things
considered, most things seem to rain down on him, so I probably shouldn't blame him.
I swear, in a few more years he's going to have Ash's seriously pissed off attitude;
you realize this. Heh.
"He means the sleeping beauties," the minotaur explained. "They
ran away from camp to follow their little sister, who was sent with me
to find you."
"Abandoning their posts during a time of war," the purple youja
said, speaking for the first time since Jun had met him. What was his
name again? Shien, Jun recalled as the creature stepped forward and
lifted his naginata again. "They must be executed."
"The Empress merely asked us to find them, Shien." The youja's
eyes narrowed into softly glowing slits. "She said nothing about
killing them."
"She said nothing about bringing them back alive, either,"
Shien pointed out with what almost sounded like a smug tone in his
deep, echoing voice. "We should save our Empress the effort of
executing them herself."
"Our Empress is merciful. We cannot be sure what her ruling
Jeez, you'd think these guys were made by Arago, or even Megatron. ^^
would be," the ebony youja argued, grabbing his comrade by the
shoulder. "Besides," he added in a stage whisper, "Commander Yoen
made me the leader of this search party, and I shall not have you
undermining my authority!"
"If our Guard had not been decimated by those monsters, you
would not be allowed to lead a parade, rookie!" Shien jabbed his fellow
youja in the chestplate. "She only created you a week ago!"
"First of all," Kokuen seethed, "YOU were only created a month
ago, yourself! And age does not matter, because I am in command. And
Heheheheeheheheheheheh, age and rank. Two entirely different things, but I've never
seen it quite this absurd. ^_^ I mean, Jun is older than both of them. ^_^
my command is that we place the Storm Senshi known as Lightstorm and
Thunderstorm under custody until they can be escorted to the Empress
for Final Judgement."
"Very well," Shien countered. "She is only going to kill them
herself, Kokuen. Her stance on traitors is well established." Whirling,
he pointed a steel-sheathed finger in Jun's direction. "You there! The
small human. What is your name?"
Jun blinked. "Jun Yamano."
Now here is where I'm almost with Latin D. I'd expect some familiarity from them, but
I also do not recall them actually KNOWING Jun's name.
Kokuen jammed the blunt end of his scythe into the earth. "Very
well then, Jun Yamano, wake them up and tie them down."
"Uhh... I can't!" Jun blurted, eyes darting back and forth as
he tried to think of a reason, any reason, to disobey that order.
Maybe he could appeal to their sense of compassion, or fair play. A
second look at the stern steel faceplates and unwavering gazes silently
convinced him not to try. "Uhm, we, uh..." Trailing off, he looked
down at his arm and then gasped, smacking himself in the forehead with
his good arm. "We DON'T HAVE ANY ROPE! Nothing they couldn't break out
of. We may as well just escort them back as they are. I'm sure they
won't run away again."
"If they do," Shien offered with a gleeful lilt in his voice,
"then I can track them down." Casting a glance at the three sleeping
sisters, his gleaming eyes changed colour from white to red. "And
unlike Kokuen, I'll only bring back enough to prove I did my job."
Your umm...do they even HAVE funerals for these guys? Or are they like programs you
can terminate and reset at your convenience, and about as much to be concerned over?
^^
Thunder cracked again, loudly, and a soft rain began to fall
on the group. Takenoko blinked and shook his head in frustration as a
thick drop splashed against his snout, and Jun shivered. Sailor
Thunderstorm made a face as another drop landed on her cheek, and sat
Well, it IS her element. ^_-
up rubbing her head. Lightstorm blinked and woke up as well, running
one hand through her recently -and forcefully- shortened hair. "Aw,
man," the blonde groaned, "it's raining. Like these damned sailor
outfits of ours are SO comfortable when they AREN'T soaked..."
It's why I've been recommending a foul weather upgrade. Or at least a decent suit of
protective gear.
"I think we should get somewhere a little drier," Jun suggested
to nobody in particular.
"The weather is neither an aid, nor a deterrent to we youja,"
Kokuen said in response. "Although," he added after a slight pause,
"Shien and I did find a suitable shelter a few metres south of this
field. We had thought it a possible place for our quarry to hide."
Two words: Reduced visability.
Jun shook his head and sighed as he looked up at the looming
black youja with the massive scythe. "Kokuen, talk normal."
Kokuen: Define 'normal'
The youja's eyes gleamed yellow for a moment, something Jun
decided must be the equivalent of a smile. "Okay," he said, "follow
me, then."
Yeah, you better be hoping it is. ^_^
"Hey!" Icestorm called out after the group as it began to get
under way. "Where's everybody going? You're not leaving me behind, are
you?" As one, the six creatures turned and looked behind them to see a
cutely dejected looking Sailor Icestorm, sitting in the mud and
Now I have an imaged of an SD Icestorm in my mind. Thanks a lot!
cradling the ankle she had injured the night before. Her lower lip was
jutting out, and her eyes seemed to tremble slightly as they filled
with held back tears. "Are you?" the blue haired girl whimpered.
Need...insulin....
"Don't ask," Thunderstorm said before anybody could so much as
open their mouths. "I'm not going to do it. Not now, not ever. I don't
care how badly her ankle is wrecked, she can damn well hop if she
wants to keep up with us."
Silence greeted the tall brunette as she crossed her arms and
began to tap one foot. "What?" she snapped. "I'm not. I don't care how
much you want me to, there's no way I'm going to carry that airhead for
ANOTHER whole night."
Yeah, the girl loves her little sister. Heheheheeheheheh.
Jun looked over at Takenoko. The huge youma shrugged his broad
shoulders and glanced at Lightstorm, who was fingering her newly
shoulder-length hair and whimpering slightly herself. Kokuen and Shien
tilted their helmeted heads to the side and watched Thunderstorm as she
fumed in utter quiet. Her foot began to tap with such force that it
was kicking up water from the newly forming puddles, and her scowl was
almost permanently etched onto her face. She placed her hands on her
hips, glared at the rest of the group, crossed her arms again, then
placed her hands back on her hips seconds later.
"Oh, FINE!" the girl screeched after a few minutes, grabbing
her long tail of brown hair and tugging it in frustration. "I'll do it,
okay? But just to shut you people up! Stop harping at me, already!"
Turning and kneeling, Thunderstorm offered her back to her sister.
"Come on, before I change my mind."
The conscious is a terrible thing sometimes. I used to have that problem before I
finally cornered the little bastard and tied him to a pole with duck tape. Ohh...the
screams were great! ^_-
Icestorm cheered merrily as she clambered onto her sister's
shoulders and wrapped her arms tightly around the other woman's neck.
"Raiu-chan," she purred, and rubbed her cheek against Thunderstorm's.
"I warned you about hugging me," Thunderstorm growled, as she
stood up, holding her sister's legs in her hands. "And stop squirming,"
she added a second later. "You're going to bump your ankle on
something, and then I'll have to put up with your wailing."
She nags overly much. ^_^
**********
The rain only got worse as the group travelled on, serving to
dampen their spirits as thoroughly as their clothing. Jun's face had
twisted into a near-permanent scowl as he slogged through the deepening
Grimlock: Me *&^% dirty *&^% tired and very *&^% off! &*^% Where guide go? Paid
enough for the (*&^! Expect good service!
mud, his makeshift crutch often the only thing saving him from a nasty
fall. Takenoko's hooves had failed him more than once, and the
gargantuan youma's muscled form was splattered with muck and leaves.
It dripped from his horns, caked his fur in grime, and squelched
loudly beneath his heavy tread as he glumly followed their armoured
guides. The heavy downpour rang against the steel shells encasing the
two youja, sounding like wind chimes caught in the grip of a hurricane.
Nice imagery.
"Woah," Jun said to himself as he noted the terrain. "Looks
like somebody was having a lot of fun around here." The turf had been
churned into a frothy mud, and the brush was had been uprooted in
every direction. A tree appeared to have broken in half, and lay on its
side several feet away from the shattered remnants of its stump. Dead
leaves and dried, yellowed pine needles littered the muck, ground into
the sodden earth and laying over the torn and shredded underbrush.
That should have clued him in right there. Good thing the next thing he saw did.
Heh. Too bad the next time Naaza changes, he's going to lose it.
Something metallic gleamed damply in the mess, and Jun hobbled towards
it as the Storm Senshi followed dutifully behind him. Wiping his
dripping wet bangs out of his eyes, the young boy reached down and
pulled out the object. It was a sword, he noticed, a gleaming steel
katana.
"Hey!" Icestorm said as she peered down from her perch on her
You know, just now I almost mistook her for "Iceman." One wonders if she'd actually
try to travel like that if she found an issue of X-man. heheheheheheheh.
sister's shoulders, bracing herself on Thunderstorm's head with her
hands as she leaned forward for a better look. "I know that sword!
That's one of Snuggles' swords!"
"Yeah!" Lightstorm blinked and leaned forward over Jun's
shoulder, her breath tickling the back of his neck as she squinted
down at the blade in his hands. "It's one of his favourites! He never
goes anywhere without it!"
"He even takes it to the bath with him," Thunderstorm added
with a helpful smirk.
"How do you know that?" Jun couldn't resist asking.
One really wonders if the Masho haven't umm...succumbed to the umm...charms of these
increadibly horny ladies.
"Well, this one time we thought he might need a little help
scrubbing his back..."
Or other long appendiges.
"He sliced my snorkel," Icestorm interjected in a mournful
tone, pouting slightly. "Right in half."
He wanted your mouth for other things, lady. ^_^
"She nearly drowned until we reminded her to stand up,"
Yeah, humans have this problem with needing air. The one major weakness of a Super
Saiyan. They still need to breath. Heh.
Thunderstorm said, finishing the story and casting a disgusted glance
up at her passenger. "Dolt."
"Ah." Jun wondered whether knowing the details of that
particular tale were worth the cost of having to hear them. "I'll just
hang onto this for a while, then. I'll, uh, give it back when I see
him." Decision made, Jun slid the katana haphazardly through one of
the belt loops of his jeans. Hey, it was a step up from a stick. At
least now if he got attacked, he had an actual weapon to defend
himself with.
Until Naaza transforms again. Heh.
"Were you creatures not complaining about being wet and cold?"
Kokuen asked, the golden trim on his ebony armour glinting softly in
the heavy mist surrounding his body as rain pounded fruitlessly against
the metal shell that enveloped him. "The shelter we passed is still
a bit further along."
"How soon will we get there?" Jun asked, as Sailor Lightstorm
helped him back to his feet.
"Depends," Shien said with a shrug as he marched past with his
naginata held at the ready. "How long do you plan to stand around in
the rain talking to each other, instead of going anywhere?"
I was reading some of your earlier chapters of Ronin Summer, and I noted how much
more detail you put in this story arch than in others. It makes for a much more
engaging story overall.
Jun scowled at the armoured figure as it receded into the
distance. As though sensing the boy's gaze burning into the back of his
head, Shien turned and stared back with his blank, soulless eyes,
gleaming orbs of white embedded in a swirling abyss of shadow.
"Walk," the violet youja said in a voice that sounded as though
it were coming from the bottom of a well. "If you wish to get anywhere,
Jun Yamano, it is the only way. You can rest soon enough: we do not
have much farther to go."
Takenoko looked about in expectation. "I can't believe it," the
bovine youma muttered to himself. "To think, we may even now be walking
on the earth he once tilled, the fields he once grew..."
How does he recongnize what he sees? I mean, there should be something that sparked
his memory in specific. It seems...a bit...vauge here.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Thunderstorm asked as
she teetered past, trying to maintain her already precarious balance
in the mud as Icestorm merrily giggled and bounced about on her
shoulders.
"Nothing that would mean anything to a baby like you, little
girl," Takenoko snorted. "Ancient history." Shaking his head, he
reached out with a broad hand and gently pushed the brown-haired girl
ahead of him. "Come along, you two. Let's not get left behind."
**********
Kokuen knelt in the mud and carefully nudged a thick clump of
branches to one side, revealing a dark and cavernous mouth in what Jun
had originally taken for an ordinary hill. The opening was all but
invisible, concealed behind a thick veil of long grass, bushes, and
bracketed between two thick pines. Decades -maybe even centuries- of
neglect had only improved whatever camouflage it had originally had.
The black youja pointed to a few faint scrape marks in the
earthen floor. "Someone came here a while back," he explained in a
deep rumbled. "We thought it may have been your two companions, but
this sign is several weeks old."
Ah. Was about to wonder how they themselves spotted it.
"What is it," Jun asked, "some kind of cave?"
"It's a barrow," Takenoko said quietly as he ducked low and
crept inside. "Somebody must have dug it in the side of the hill, and
probably blocked the opening up with rocks back when it was done.
Whoever came in here before us must have removed them."
Jun stepped in out of the rain and shivered. "Man! It's
freezing in here!" His breath puffed from his mouth in a thick cloud
of fog, and he hugged his arms tight around himself in an attempt to
stay warm, wincing as he stretched his injured shoulder too far.
"This could be it," Takenoko whispered reverently. "This just
may be what I think it is. Do you have any idea where we could be,
boy?" The giant youma took a few more steps in, brushing dirt loose
from the ceiling of the tunnel.
And while it's logical to assume he might know what this is considering what he
realized before, I don't get how he realized what it was before.
"Some guy's tomb!" Jun replied as he cupped his hands together
and blew into them. "May I ask why you're going in DEEPER?"
Ever watch "The Mummy" kid? ^_^
Lightstorm entered next, shivering and hissing between her
teeth as she inched past the fall of running water that drizzled past
the opening of the sepulchre. "It's pretty dark," she noticed, and
snapped her fingers, generating a ball of softly glowing light in the
palm of her outstretched hand. "Just wish I could make it warm, too,"
she managed to chatter.
Light and heat ARE related. I mean, focus a beam of coherent Light (or a LASER if
you must be technical) onto something metallic. Or just a really concentrated ball
of light. heheh.
"Hang on," Thunderstorm said to her sister as the pair stopped
at the lip of the grave opening. "We'll never fit in like this."
Releasing her hold on Icestorm's legs, the tall brunette quickly
swung the smaller girl down from her shoulders. Tucking the blue-haired
Senshi under one arm, Thunderstorm gently lowered Icestorm to her
feet. "Just lean on me," she suggested, "and you ought to be able to
make it."
"Ooh!" Icestorm cooed as she wrapped her arms around the
taller girl's waist and hobbled over to the other member of their team.
"It's, like, totally frosty in here! I feel better already!"
One could make a splint and cast of ice if her reaction to it is thus.
"You would," Thunderstorm grumbled.
"Hey!" Lightstorm huffed, placing her fists on her hips. "All
the guys are leaving us behind again! Where the heck are they going?"
Her globe of light bobbing dutifully by her shoulder, the blonde woman
ran off after Jun and Takenoko, her high heels clicking softly on the
hard-packed dirt floor. "Hey! Wait up!"
"Come on," Thunderstorm said to Icestorm, "try to keep up, or
we'll get left behind with the tin men."
Kokuen and Shien watched calmly as the group disappeared into
the darkness of the tomb. There was no exit at the other end, so there
was no need to worry about their captives escaping. Besides, although
neither one chose to say it, there had been something about what they
saw in that chamber that had made them feel very uneasy. Like they
didn't belong. Like something had wanted them OUT.
Let the fools rush in where the Guard feared to tread. It would
probably serve them right.
Hehe, a cute play on an old saying.
**********
Jun stopped dead in his tracks, skidding in the dirt to avoid
slamming face-first into Takenoko's broad back. "You know," he said in
a peevish tone, "you really should get some brake lights, or a horn,
or something. I'm getting kind of sick of doing this." With a sigh, he
pushed his way under the minotaur's outstretched arm and squeezed past
the massive form filling the tunnel. "In fact, I think I'M going to
start leading these little- woah."
Stretched out on the floor, arms crossed across its chest, was
a corpse. It was dressed in a black jumpsuit with clawed gloves, and
a long grey cape was wrapped around it like a shroud. Frost covered
the material of the uniform in eldritch patterns, like spiderwebs made
of ice. The face was gentle and composed, a single trickle of blood
forever frozen as it trailed from the corner of his mouth and behind
one long, pointed ear, marring his snowy white skin. A thick mane of
short red hair swirled around the young man's head, brittle and coated
in ice crystals. His eyes had been closed, as if he were sleeping.
Heh, at least he wasn't a normal Youma that disappeared when he died.
Leaning heavily on his walking stick, Jun knelt down next to
the body and closely examined it. "I think we found the landlord of
this place," he whispered, and reached out to rest his hand on the
dead youth's shoulder. "Wait a minute..." Leaning a bit closer, Jun
reached down and plucked a folded piece of paper from the corpse's
frozen fingers. "He's holding something. Takenoko, think you can read
this?"
The minotaur gingerly took the note between two fingers and
held it up close to his face, squinting as the page fluttered in the
steam of his breath. "Let's see... Here lies Kirin Berylson, with the
father he adored. Beloved brother, foully murdered by a man who can
never be his equal." Lowering the page, Takenoko's eyes seemed to
Just a little bit of bitterness and self loathing there.
glaze slightly as he looked down at Jun. "Boy, do you realise what
this means? That man is dressed in the uniform of the Owl! His father
must have been..." The minotaur's jaw hung slack as he looked around
with a new appreciation. "We are standing in the tomb of the Owl
himself, boy!" Swallowing thickly, Takenoko looked down into the depths
of the sepulchre. "We have to pay our respects."
Now here is where I have to disagree with Latin D. It seems to me that Takenoko had
no IDEA what was down here other than the dead guy. I mean, for all he knew the
sword was
Jun sighed and shrugged as much as he was able with his arm in
a sling. "Why not?" he asked rhetorically as the Storm Senshi managed
to catch up to him. "I suppose it would be stupid of us to come this
far without going a little farther..." Turning to the three women, he
motioned further down the tunnel with his head. "Come on, girls. We're
going to go say hello to the master of the house."
He seems to like that phrase.
**********
The way was blocked by a crude wall of stones, roughly hewn
and placed atop each other with little more than dried mud to hold
them together. Takenoko had to do little more than place a single hand
on the obstacle and lean slightly, and the entire construction
collapsed in a clatter of loose stones and heavy boulders. Coughing
That's no way to guard something potentially dangerous. You have to booby trap it,
make it so one has to go through shear hell to get the final...ok, I'll stop now.
slightly from the thick dust raised as the wall gave way, Jun squeezed
past the hulking form of the minotaur and slipped into the room that
had been hollowed out of the hill.
It was a simple affair, a large spherical cavern, filled with
Authors in general seem to like that phrase "It was a simple affair," I use it, and
I've seen it used all over. Oh well, why fix it if it ain't broke? Heh.
a few small momentoes. A few spare uniforms, a plate of frozen fruits,
After all, even the dead need snacks on their way to the after-life.
some farm implements, and a thick wall of stone blocking off the
farthest end of the antechamber. Jun hobbled over towards the wall,
noticing as he did an inscription carved in several languages,
including Japanese and English.
"Here lies Kain," the boy read aloud, "true liege of the Dark
For no one can withstand the power of Kain...^_-
Kingdom. Slumbering for eternity, he shall forever watch his realm
with the vigilance of the Owl... Huh." Scratching the top of his head
Personally, I think it might have been cooler if the script changed to whatever
language the reader could discern rather than it being something similar to that rock
they used to translate the first Hyroglyphics.
with his good hand, Jun stared at the strange device extending from the
centre of the wall, directly below the message. It appeared to be a
You'd think they'd put a "Do not touch, we really REALLY mean it!" sign on it.
handle, or grip of some kind, carved to resemble intertwined snakes.
The end of the grip had been crafted into a demonic skull, with rubies
for eyes and wicked fangs. "It's been built into the wall for some
reason... Looks like part of a sword." Taking the grip firmly in hand,
Jun tugged experimentally. "Weird," he said, "it feels like the snakes
are actually moving in my hand. It's pretty stuck, though."
"Jun," Takenoko said slowly, as he spread his arms wide and
kept the Storm Senshi from entering the room, "that is the legendary
sword of the Owl himself. I saw it once, resting on his hip as he led
us into battle."
"Cool!" Jun said with a grin as he tugged again. "It's like the
Sword in the Stone, then?" The sword remained immobile, and Jun scowled
slightly. Bracing himself by placing one foot against the wall, Jun
gripped the sword in both hands and tugged harder.
It was far easier for our good friend Arthur to draw that sword than it is for you to
draw this one...and far less painful later. ^_^
"Jun, damn your eyes! He wasn't using it!" Takenoko took a step
forward, raising one placating hand. "We were entering into battle,
and the Owl DID NOT DRAW THAT SWORD. It's a source of unimaginable
power..."
I note he doesn't dare touch it. Heh.
"Unimaginable power?" Jun looked over his shoulder and blinked.
"So... what's wrong with that? If this Owl guy didn't use the sword,
why did he bother carrying it around? Was it some kind of status
symbol?"
Takenoko took another step forward. "The Owl carried that
blade because he couldn't trust it in the hands of anybody else, you
idiot! His own sons decided to bury that thing instead of taking it
with them! What does that tell you?"
Jun lowered his foot and gazed at the sword he still gripped.
The snakes engraved on the handle twisted and writhed against his hand,
and it suddenly seemed like more than just a strange sensation. "It
tells me," he said quietly, "that I don't want anything to do with
this, do I?"
Face it Jun, you're fucked already. ^_^
You know, I hate to say this, but the way you've been treating him and the things
that are happening to him and are likely GOING to happen are going to make him a
SERIOUSLY pissed off person. I mean Ash of the Evil Dead variety is going to be
envious of the attitude that Jun is likely going to have if this keeps up. Heh.
The giant minotaur released a short burst of laughter as he
took the final step and stood behind the diminutive human. "That's a
good choice," he said with a relieved sigh as he placed his hands
on Jun's shoulders. "Let's just say our peace, and-"
"AAGH!" Jun yelped as Takenoko's heavy hand clamped down on
his injured shoulder and doubled over, his face screwed in pain.
Cradling his hand to his chest, he stumbled backward and ricocheted
off of the youma's thigh, falling to the ground.
"You okay, kid?"
"Yeah," Jun groaned, sitting up. Rubbing his sore shoulder with
his good hand, he absent-mindedly sucked on his left thumb. "I just
lost my balance, I guess. Stupid sword got twisted when I tugged on
it; I must have sliced my thumb open on part of the blade..."
A soft crimson light bathed over Jun and Takenoko as an
ear-grinding sound of metal scraping against stone filled the room. As
one, the pair turned and stared at the sword. A bloody light spilled
from the eyes of the skull on the pommel, and the blade itself was
slowly drawing out of the wall, centimetre by centimetre.
"Okay," Jun said with a gulp, "I'm new here, so I might as
well check: it's BAD when something like this happens in the Dark
Kingdom, right?"
Takenoko: Naa, shit like this happens all the time. You have nothing to worry
about, and I'm told you soul even gets returned to you after a couple of thousand
years of slavery and servitude in the pits of hell.
"I think it's safe to say that something like this is bad no
matter WHERE it happens, Jun." With a gulp of his own, Takenoko began
to back away from the glowing, moving sword. Already, the hilt of the
sword had been revealed; thick panels of gold wrought to resemble two
outstretched bat wings. With a steady, monotonous grinding sound, the
sword continued to pull itself free, moving faster as it withdrew from
its stone prison.
Jun chuckled nervously as he tried to crawl away from the
glowing blade without taking his eyes off of it. "Think we could
convince it to happen somewhere a little further away from us?"
With a final lunge, the sword leapt free from the wall and
rocketed past Takenoko, a wave of crackling red and white energy
trailing in its wake. The minotaur turned his head as quickly as he
could, trying to follow the thing as it slammed into Jun's stomach,
pommel first. Jun made a sound like a deflating balloon and bent over,
folding himself around the hilt of the blade and instinctively
grasping it in his hands.
That hurt just imagining it. Though one thing...isn't one hand still in a sling?
Oh, and another thing: Later when his wounds are healed by this sword, did his
shoulder get healed too? And if so, before or after Icestorms little attack (I'd
argue it had to be before, all things considered. Likely right now as a matter of
fact).
Takenoko tried to move, to race over and tear the blade from
Jun's fingers, but his every muscle rebelled. Quivering, he watched as
the young boy allowed the glowing blade to pull him to his feet. The
Jun: I HAVE THE POWER!!!
sword had a long, straight blade, edged on both sides and surrounded
by an aura of crimson light. Bolts of white energy crackled along the
length of the sword, writhing and crawling against the cold steel of
the blade. Jun's makeshift sling shredded, tearing itself into its
component threads and drifting away on the strange breeze stirring
Ah. Here we go. But it still kind of dances around the fact his shoulder was likely
healed here.
his short dark hair. Slowly, the boy's eyes opened, his irises
devoid of pupils. As Takenoko watched, horrified, the boy's eyes slowly
changed from blue to gold, remaining blank and unfocused.
"Usurpers," he spat, with a strange echoing quality to his
voice, as though a chorus of men were all speaking at the same time.
Slowly turning on one heel, the boy faced the three Storm Senshi, a
sardonic smirk sprawling across his face. He snarled, and held his arm
straight out, gripping the sword by its blade as the energy snarled
and bit between his two hands, lashing out towards the three women
like a shockwave, tearing a trail of dust behind it as it exploded
against the far wall of the burial chamber.
Who pissed this sword off? ^_^ I get the feeling that this sword is using it's power
in the same way someone who's been asleep for awhile gets up and stretches his arms.
Not entirely...serious.
"Are you okay?" Thunderstorm asked Icestorm as she sat up and
rolled off of her sister, smoke curling from the back of her scorched
and torn uniform. The blue-haired girl smiled and nodded, and
Thunderstorm smiled briefly before hopping to her feet. "The kid's gone
nuts!" she called over to Lightstorm, who was crouching behind a small
portion of the wall that had once stood at the end of the passage.
"What do we do?"
"Get the sword!" Lightstorm guessed. "Maybe if we can get it
away from him, he'll go back to normal!" Deciding to match action to
Yeah, that's how it usually works in these stories. Heh.
words, she rolled over the small pile of rocks that had been her cover,
tumbling to her feet and running towards Jun in a zigzag pattern. The
whatever-the-hell was controlling Jun responded by spinning the blade
in his hands and holding it above his head in a ready position. The
Question: Is it using it's own training or Jun's training minus any restraint he
had. Or a bit of both?
two clashed, Lightstorm ducking under a slash that nearly beheaded
her and kicking out at Jun's ankles. Jun leapt above Lightstorm's kick,
soaring into the air and landing feet-first in the spot where her head
had been seconds before. The blonde Senshi found herself pressed on
the defensive, blocking and parrying a series of blindingly fast
strikes from the crackling sword with blasts of her own energy.
I'm getting a near mental image of the test that Trunks put Goku through...but not
near as cool. Heh.
<snip of the ages>
"Well," Takenoko said with a fang-filled grin, "that was a
little easier than things like this ever get." Raising one eyebrow,
the giant youma slowly and carefully set the completely limp boy
down, loosening his grip. "Watch out for some kind of trick-"
Get an axe. ^_-
"He's still holding the sword!" Lightstorm blurted, pointing
to the hand that still tightly clenched the handle of the glowing
blade. Jun's eyes snapped open, snarling at the girl as he reached
behind him and grabbed his captor by one horn, somehow managing to
flip the youma over his shoulder with only one hand. Takenoko landed
on top of Lightstorm with a loud grunt, dirt shaking loose from the
walls and ceiling of the room from the force of his landing and
covering everything in a layer of soil. Something flashed, unbearably
bright, and when Takenoko's vision cleared, Jun was lying flat on his
back.
Curled in the far corner of the room was a creature unlike any
Takenoko had ever had the displeasure of seeing. In form, it vaguely
resembled a cat, if cats were the size of bears and made out of pure
light. The outline -hell, the entire body- of the creature jittered
and shook slightly, emitting a constant low-level hum. Its legs seemed
about two sizes too long for the rest of it, and a tail like a whip
snapped and lashed against the stone wall of the Owl's tomb, raising a
flurry of sparks and stone chips every time it landed. Eyes of emerald
fire narrowed, and the creature screeched through a set of crackling,
needle-like teeth.
Oh, so it's like Inouva of the Magic Knights of Rayearth?
<snip come forth!>
Shien glanced at Kokuen. "And you thought we could tie these
things up," he said wryly. "It's a good thing I'm here to talk sense
into you."
Peanut gallery. ^_^
"It's not really her fault," Lightstorm said lamely as she
joined him in retreating from where they had lain Icestorm on the
ground. "She's just so overprotective, especially of her favourite
sister. She forgot her self." With a worried glance towards the
Yeah, that was a cute pun.
creature as it stood protectively over the blue-haired Senshi,
Lightstorm raised one gloved hand to her mouth. "I just hope she
remembers it again."
The cat looked down at Icestorm, then up at Lightstorm. It
shook itself like a wet dog, sparks flying off of its body. Blinking
those strange emerald eyes it had, the creature looked back down at
Icestorm and convulsed. A moment later, it did so again, going through
some kind of seizure as a thick sheet of lightning leapt from its form
and pierced the heavens. Even in the heavy rain, a thick veil of smoke
enveloped the spot where the creature had been.
Jun opened his eyes and stared up at the sky for a few seconds.
"I'm back," he said reverently, and closed his eyes again. "Oh, I don't
know what god brought me back from that place, but I swear if I ever
find out, I'm making them my new religion!" Slowly rolling over, the
boy pushed himself up to his knees and groaned. "Is everyone okay?
That thing didn't make me hurt anybody too badly, did it?"
Wonder if we'll ever get a description of where he went?
Lightstorm smiled from where she stood and waved to Jun, so he
assumed that he hadn't done anything overly horrendous while he was -he
shuddered- away. A soft moan came from the smoking patch of grass near
the entrance to the tomb, and he glanced over in worry. There, laying
draped over an unconscious Sailor Icestorm, was an exhausted, singed,
and very naked Sailor Thunderstorm, with small trails of smoke still
^______________________^
rising lazily from her hair and skin. Blushing profusely, Jun quickly
pulled his navy blue sweater over his head and laid it over the girl,
trying not to wonder how she got that way. None of his business, he
figured, and shrugged.
^;;^ Yeah, nothing your hentai mind needs to be imagining kid. Mine on the other
hand...
**********
It had taken a fair bit of convincing, but Kokuen and Shien
eventually agreed to go down into the depths of the tomb with Takenoko
and Jun to make sure that everything was sealed back up. "There's no
point," Takenoko had argued, "leaving something like that where just
anybody could trip over it." Jun had shuddered violently and agreed so
fast the Storm Senshi thought he was choking.
You see, this sword, if anything is likely going to make any relationship he has with
Ms. Silence herself a bit more precarious than before. It'll be awhile, if ever...if
it's even possible, before he can control it (come to terms with it, whatever needs
to be done). When that happens he'll likely have undergone some serious internal
change that will alter his perception of reality forever...thus he becomes a new Jun.
That may or may not further strain such a relationship. But I guarantee, such a
thing in my experience (you know, great life changes) is never anything other than
stressful on those that you are involved with. Imagine how much more so this must
be.
Using some tree limbs that had blown free during the storm,
the two members of Kayura's Guard carefully lifted the sword from where
it lay on the ground and held it upright while Takenoko pounded it into
the floor of the burial chamber with a large rock. Jun sat as far
away from the sword as he could while staying in the same room with it,
hugging himself and rocking back and forth. He hadn't slept at all,
despite being exhausted from nearly two days without sleep. In the end,
Lightstorm and Icestorm had sat up with him to make sure he felt safe.
Thunderstorm had insisted that she was sleeping, but he had caught her
with one eye open. They were really a nice bunch of girls, he thought
as he stared at the blade. When they had been around him, it had been
easier to ignore the way that sword had been lying there, in the
dark. Waiting for him.
As a stylistic point, I'd make the last sentence it's own paragraph for extra added
emphasis.
Someone placed their hands on his shoulders, and he nearly
jumped to the ceiling. Lightstorm smiled and gently rubbed his back.
"Relax, Jun! It's just me. Icestorm was worried about you. I think
maybe Thunderstorm was too, but she was busy threatening to clobber
anybody who bugged her about wearing your sweater, so it's kind of
hard to tell."
She's going to be like that girl from Gen 13 who is ALWAYS losing pieces of her
clothing, isn't she? ^;;^
Jun sighed and let his shoulders sag slightly. "Sorry. I guess
I'm a little jumpy. Nothing like having a demon sword suck in your
soul and take over your body to mess with a guy's nerves."
Lightstorm chuckled a bit and knelt next to him, casually
placing her arm over his shoulders as she looked him in the eye. "Hey,"
she said with a chuckle, "if you think that's strange, try waking up
human. It's pretty shocking, until you get used to the idea."
"That ought to do it," Takenoko said with a smile as he
finished pounding the sword's skull-faced pommel flush with the floor.
"Now, let's pile some dirt on top of it, so nobody can get the bright
idea of pulling it out again."
Shien and Kokuen gladly joined the minotaur in shovelling dirt
over the last part of the sword above ground, patting the mound flat
until it was barely distinguishable from the rest of the floor. They
even went so far as to move the body of Kirin into the chamber and lay
it on top of where the sword had been buried, to make absolutely sure
nobody would ever suspect something of being there. Congratulating
each other on a job well done, the trio walked out into the tunnel to
finish gathering the stones and begin rebuilding the wall. Icestorm
had even agreed to lay a few feet of ice over it, to make the thing a
bit more sturdy than before.
Yeah, but sealing things up never works forever. Something ALWAYS finds the hidden
cursed treasure. Heh.
Jun looked over his shoulder at the retreating monsters. "I
guess we should get out of here," he said with a smile, "unless we want
to be stick around for a pretty long time."
Lightstorm smiled herself, and looked down at her shoes for a
moment. "You know," she said quietly, "I know it's pretty stupid, but
I miss my hair. I was kind of proud of it, you know. It was so long,
and thick, and shiny... it made me look pretty."
I wonder what promted that? Or is she just trying to make conversation?
"Don't feel bad about it!" Jun said, laying a friendly hand on
Lightstorm's shoulder. After all she'd done to help him, the least he
could do was try to make his new friend feel a little better. "You're
still really pretty."
Jun: where am I?
Ranma: You're in the hole that anime guys never realize they dig for themselves
before it's too late.
Tenchi: Yeah, and in some cases you don't realize the hole is already there before
you trip into it.
Jun: Huh?
Ranma: But the end is always the same. You're soooo dead kid. Welcome to your own
personal Hell.
Jun: What the hell?
Tenchi: See, even now he doesn't get it...but he will.
"You think so?"
"Sure! In fact," he added, thinking of Hotaru, "I think girls
with shorter hair are even prettier." Getting to his feet, Jun looked
down to make sure Naaza's katana was still sitting safely in the belt
loop of his jeans. When he looked back up, Lightstorm kissed him.
An important thing to note about circumstances like this. They only exist in anime.
I mean, in anime you have about a dozen girls...damn good looking ones and quite
interesting ones I might add, chasing what quite often amounts to a near loser guy
(Jun is an exception to the loser catagory I might add...probably the only guy I'd
sympathize with) for some weird reason. Many times because he pays her a compliment
in passing or something equally innocuous then BOOM! Instantly stalked by a
psychotic girl or ten.
Which leads one to wonder: What sort of OTHER types of men are there in anime? Are
they fucking abusive or something? And their upbringing...dear God, don't they have
any self respect?
Course, this has been a discussion many places.
It actually took a few seconds for Jun's brain to register what
At least he got to enjoy it. Heheheheheh
was happening to him. Up to that exact moment in his life, the only
people who had ever kissed him had been his mother and Nasuti, who was
doing her best to fill in for his mother. They didn't count. This was
a real, live, honest-to-goodness girl, and her lips were on his.
A few seconds after he realised what was happening, he felt the
urge to scream at the top of his lungs. He was SO dead. Hotaru was
going to kill him, and probably nuke the whole planet while she was at
it, just to make damn sure he was finished off. A chorus line of
Sailor Saturns danced through his head, swinging their Silence Glaives
and chanting "Death Reborn Revolution! Death Reborn Revolution!" in
their adorable little voices.
I said it before, and I'll say it again...THAT WAS SOOO WRONG MAN!!! ^_^ ROFL!
Sailor Lightstorm leaned back and gently patted him on the
cheek. "I'm glad you're you again, Jun Yamano. You're a pretty special
guy." Turning, she walked away like she was heading down a runway,
swaying her hips just a bit more than necessary.
"I kind of wish I was still possessed," Jun groaned, and
followed after her, rubbing his head and trudging down the tunnel like
a man on his way to the electric chair.
Yep, the good lord thinks he's going to get them out of this...but he's pretty sure
you're fucked. ^_^ BWAHAHAAHAHAHAH!!!
**********
"Okay," Thunderstorm said with a scowl as she sat in the damp
grass and tried to pull Jun's woollen sweater over her knees in an
attempt to stretch it to a decent length, "so we put the big bad sword
So you can see her...her...oh my...^;;^
back where it belongs. Now what? Anybody got ANY idea where to go, or
are we as lost now as we were before any of this happened?"
Takenoko looked over at Kokuen and Shien, who shrugged.
"Ideally," Kokuen said calmly, "we would seek to return to our Empress,
but there is no way for us to know for certain where she might be. Our
best choice would seem to be simply to look for her. For that, any
direction is as good a choice as another."
That's pretty logical actually. About as logical as Grimlock's statement to Daniel
on going with a stranger in a strange land. Heh.
"I have a better idea," Jun said quietly, and everyone turned
to look at him. "Actually, it was an idea I had yesterday, back when
we were lost by that field. I started thinking about it, and... well,
what difference can we really make, even if we get back together with
Kayura and the Masho? Sure, those guys are tough, and powerful, but it
seems to me that these new guys are pretty mean themselves. Not to
mention they have an army, and we don't."
Yeah...you need to get a Broli or a Dark Schneider or something equally nasty on your
side. Heheheheheheehhe.
"So what's the idea, Jun?" Lightstorm asked, sitting next to
Icestorm and looking at the boy with interest.
Jun cleared his throat. "I say we get one. An army, I mean.
None of the bad guys are looking for us right now: they're all busy
going after Kayura, and the Masho, and the Outer Senshi. Maybe we
could slip by their troops and make it to the outside, warn some people
about what's going on. Let's call in the damned cavalry!" Turning, he
Yeah, like Omega Supreme or Metroplex or Rodimus Prime or even Fortress Maximus. ^_^
How to intimidate your Decepticon Opponent #5: Juggle Galvatron's head in front of
them.
pointed to the large black minotaur. "Takenoko, you've lived here all
your life, right? And you must know a lot of people who used to be in
The resistance. ^_^
the military. You could talk some of the youma into joining us! Kokuen,
Shien, if we walked up to a bunch of youja soldiers, and two of
Kayura's own Guard told them she was in trouble, they'd all come
running, right?"
The youja nodded. "Or we would know the reason why," Shien
added coldly, brandishing his naginata.
"I suppose I could track down a few old friends," Takenoko
murmured into the palm of his hand as he rubbed his mouth thoughtfully.
"Most of the boys kept in touch..."
"So?" Jun asked, turning to the large black youja with the
scythe. "Technically, you're still in charge here, Kokuen. What do you
think?"
Ratchet: You're in charge Prowl. What do we do?
Kokuen tilted his head to one side and stroked his chin. "I
think," he said, after a moment's pause, "that we should be searching
for our Empress. And any direction is as good as another for that. I
also think that the nearest troop deployment of Dynasty Soldiers is
nearly four hundred miles west of here."
"Four hundred miles of prime farmland!" Takenoko crowed. "And
with some prime farmers to go with it!"
Sounds like that's just Prime. ^_^
"Well," Jun suggested with a wicked grin, "maybe we should go
search for Kayura to the west, then. Since any direction is as good as
another, and all. And, along the way, we can pick up one or two more
people... you know, to help us look."
"Cool!" Icestorm said perkily. "We're going on a road trip!"
I just hope they can get the tape before Hotaru sees it. ^_-
**********
The burial chamber of Kain, last true king of the Dark Kingdom,
fell silent once more. Deep in the ground, a sword glowed red, and
spoke to itself.
*You cannot be taken from me, Jun Yamano. Our blood pact is
not so easily broken.* Strobing with crimson light, the blade slowly
pulled itself up out of the hard earth into which it had been hidden,
phasing through the body of Kirin Berylson as though it was no more
than mist. Floating idly in the still air of the tomb, the blade hummed
and began to glow a little brighter. *We are one now, Jun Yamano. You
That could be a very interesting story arch on it's own. Heheheheheeh
will have need of me, and I shall be there. And if you lack the
strength to master me, then it shall be I who masters YOU...* Glowing
ever brighter, the blade vanished in a flash of crimson light, leaving
no sign that it had ever been there.
So it needs a will and a body to use it? What does it need from a weilder? That
might be interesting to get into.
Overall, I liked this a lot. This is not a cheap power up...though I think it might
have been funnier if he DID find a Guyver unit. ^_- And this is going to make things
a lot worse in the short term for him and Hotaru, to be honest...especially if it
tries to kill her too. I don't even want to THINK about that...though that would be
one of those cliche, yet cool, things if he masters it...uh hemm...never mind that.
Heh.
Anyway good job! I like this a lot! I can't wait to see the next chapter.
Hoped this helped!
K'thardin