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| << SM Fanfics >> | << Main >> | << Chapter 10 of "Together Again" >> |
Sailor Moon was created by Naoko Takeuchi and Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi. Please don't sue me.
Chapter 9
The dreams came quickly for Akane, for
they started almost as soon as she fell asleep.
She found herself unable to understand
what was going on. She felt as if she was falling down, or was it
falling back? Or even up? She couldn't tell. Ghosts of images
were dancing around her, though she couldn't make heads or tails
of them.
The whirlwind of images was suddenly lost
in a bright light which seemed to come from everywhere.
It all stopped. There was only darkness
now.
And then, she woke up...
"Wake up, Prince Kanma," said a
familiar voice.
Kanma opened a sleepy eye, only to glare
at the friend and personal servant who was currently standing at
the door of his bedroom. His voice came out as a growl. "I
thought I told you I wanted to sleep in today, Dain."
Dain looked remorseful, but only for a
few moments. "But Prince Kanma," he said innocently,
"you wanted to know when your sister, the Senshi of Saturn,
would return. She has just done so."
That brought Kanma awake faster
than a pail of cold water over the head. "Rika's here?"
Dain nodded affirmatively. "Why didn't you tell me so? I'll
be over in a couple of minutes. Don't let her leave!"
Dain shook his head. "I don't think
anyone in the Palace would dare to try and stop her if she wanted
to leave. I think she sometimes only comes back to see you,
Kanma."
Kanma flashed a grin at Dain. The servant
was a dear friend to him. They had been together for a long time.
"Go tell her I'm coming," he said. "Let me get
changed and I'll be right there."
Dain nodded and left. Kanma quickly got
out of bed and dressed as fast as he could. It had been a while
since he had last seen Verika and he always relished the chance
to talk to her when she swung by.
He ran out of his room and nearly
collided with a short figure waiting just outside.
"Verika?" he spluttered, while trying to regain his
balance.
Verika, also known as the dreaded Sailor
Saturn, grinned. "Miss me?" she asked sweetly.
Kanma, a full three heads taller than
her, scooped his sister up in his arms and whirled her around.
"By the Great Rings, it's good to see you again!"
Her feet once more on the ground, Verika
smiled ruefully at her brother. "No one's done that to me in
a long while; at least not since I became Sailor Saturn..."
she trailed off, her eyes lowering to the ground.
Kanma suddenly felt sorry for his sister,
and not for the first time. Since her nomination, people tended
to shy away from her. They were afraid of what she was. He shook
his head slightly; even their parents had become scared of her.
The ones who still spoke with her without some amount of fear
could be counted on two hands. He tried to change the subject a
little. "So, to what do we owe the great honor of your
visit, Princess Verika, Honored Senshi of Saturn?" he asked
in an exaggeratedly snotty kind of voice.
Verika giggled. She loved it when her
brother acted like those stuck-up royal court types. "My, I
was merely doing a routine report, Prince Kanma, First Knight of
Saturn," she replied in the most stuck-up voice she could
come up with. Both siblings sniggered for a while, drawing a good
number of worried looks from the people walking in the corridors.
Kanma looked at his sister thoughtfully.
"It must get pretty boring out there, sometimes," he
said.
She winced slightly. "Yeah, it kind
of is."
He noticed her reaction. "What
happened?"
She looked as if she was struggling to
decide whether to answer or not. "Well..." She sighed
dejectedly. "There was a plague on one of Neptune's
colonies. Seeing as I was in the area, the Council of the Seas
asked me to come and see if I could take care of it."
Kanma's face showed puzzlement at his
sister's tone of voice. She was usually more than happy to use
her healing powers. "From the look on your face, I take it
something went wrong." At that moment, Verika buried herself
in her brother's chest. Kanma was shocked to hear her sobbing.
"Kanma, when I got there," she said, sniffling,
"over half the population refused to let me heal them! They
said they'd rather die from the plague than let the 'Senshi of
Death and Destruction' touch them!"
Kanma hugged his sister. "Oh,
Verika, I'm so sorry..." was all he could say. That kind of
public response didn't happen very often, but even once was
considered too many. He struggled to find something suitable to
console her. "Then they were jerks, sis. They couldn't even
get your title right." Not an ideal reply, but it would have
to do.
The Senshi of Silence smiled thinly at
her brother's answer, swallowing a few sniffles. "It's not
all that bad, though. Gokuu dropped by a few times."
Kanma rolled his eyes. Gokuu was a young
Jovian of Kanma's age with a rather unusual talent. He could
teleport almost anywhere he wanted. Eventually, that is, since
control was one of the things he lacked. He had come to Saturn
once to seek a mage's help with his ability. Kanma had managed to
help him gain a decent amount of control before the young jovian
had left the ringed world a few months later. Since then, he
periodically visited Kanma and Verika, but half the time, it was
accidental.
Kanma wanted to know how he did it and he
wasn't the only one. Teleportation was a technique which required
amazing amounts of energy. The Senshi, having access to a
planet's worth of Mana, could do it, and a few high-level mages
could do it on their own, but Gokuu could it without any seeming
effort at all. Kanma shook his head. "Was it on purpose or
did he lose control again?"
Verika snickered. "I was talking
with Sailor Pluto when he teleported in for the first time. I
think he actually startled her."
Kanma's eyes widened slightly. "From
what I heard about her, I would think that was impossible,"
he said.
"So I believed myself," she
said, "but when Sailor Pluto is startled, you tend to notice
it. She didn't talk about it much, but I think she simply can't
track him."
Kanma grinned. "All the more reason
for me to find out how the guy does it."
His sister shook her head. "Anyway,
the first time was probably a mistake, but he came by regularly
after that. He's a nice guy. A bit dense, sometimes, but nice,
nonetheless." Verika decided to switch the tables around.
"So, how are things on the home front?"
"Not that bad. I've been working at
the forge a little more than usual, lately. One of the minor
royalties on Terra wanted a couple of special staffs made. One
that heats things and one that freezes them. It took me two and a
half months to finish them."
She blinked. "It took you over two
months to make two staffs?"
"Not exactly," he said.
"The staff themselves were nothing. It's imbuing them with
magic that takes time. I sent them to Terra over two weeks ago. I
was planning on going there in the next few days to see if
everything's working fine."
"Why don't you just use the
ICA?" (Interplanetary Communications Array)
"If there is a problem, I
want to be there to fix it," he said nonchalantly.
"It'll also get me away from Mother and Father for a
while," he added in a lower tone of voice.
Verika looked inquisitively at her
brother. Kanma usually wasn't that much at odds with their
parents.
His expression turned sour. "Mother
and Father are getting desperate. They tried to get me married
again last week," he said, with a certain amount of disgust
in his voice. Verika burst out laughing. Kanma turned sideways
and gave her the Evil Eye. "It's not funny, Verika!"
"It is to me," she said, trying
to choke back her laughter. "So who did they throw at you
this time?" she said, amused.
Kanma grunted. "Lady Ayellin from
Neptune. She's a simpering fool, like the rest of them. It's not
fair, Verika. All I want is someone who has some spirit!
None of the girls, pardon me - ladies - our parents present to me
to have any kind of backbone. I mean, look at Sailor Mars, for
example, or Sailor Jupiter. They've got spirit. Is it too much to
ask to have a wife who won't fold to every demand?" His
sister was no help; she'd gone back to snickering. *Well, if
nothing else, at least she stopped moping,* he thought.
It was about at that time that both
siblings noticed how close they had gotten to the throne room.
Verika sobered almost instantly. She
quickly transformed into Sailor Saturn and reached out in her
pocket dimension, pulling out the Silence Glaive. "Well,
time to make my report," she said. "Then I have to go
back out-system."
Kanma looked at the massive weapon in
appreciation. *I wish there was some way I could analyze that
thing,* he thought. The power contained within the Glaive was
absolutely unimaginable. Legends said it was the only object
whose power could make its user on par with the legendary
Ginzuishou. What his sister had said then hit home. "Why do
you have to leave so soon?"
"A meeting with Sailor Pluto."
She snorted. "You'd think the Guardian of Time would have a
more flexible schedule..."
That said, they both walked inside the
throne room. The Hall of the Rings was an impressive room, the
ceiling reaching almost eighty feet, supported by massive columns
of coloured stone, chandeliers hanging from every possible
surface. At the far end of the room, two elegant thrones sat
there, one of which Kanma would one day inherit.
Currently sitting on that throne, were
King Koruan and Queen Lissik, the rulers of Saturn. Kanma noticed
a slight tightening of their features when they looked at his
sister.
"Welcome back, Sailor Saturn,"
said Queen Lissik. Sailor Saturn bowed. The Queen turned towards
Kanma. "Kanma, could you dress in something more
appropriate?" she said crisply. "What you wear does not
befit one of your position."
Kanma looked at what he was wearing and
sighed. In his rush, he had put on his forge-working clothes when
he had gotten out of bed. Kanma liked those clothes, but his
parents absolutely hated them. Throwing a flat look at his
parents, he held out his hand. "Mjollnir!" he said, and
a staff appeared in the offered hand.
The staff was as tall as he was, and
consisted of a metal rod with what looked like a stone hammerhead
at the top and a short spike at the bottom. The hammerhead itself
looked like it was made out of stone, and stood about one foot
long. One side was flat, while the other had a pointed,
multi-faceted edge. The sigil of Saturn was engraved on the side
of the hammerhead.
He held the staff in front of him and
whispered: "Knight Guard Power!"
An intense purple light surrounded him,
and when it faded, it left behind Kanma decked in his Saturn
Knight armour. The armor itself was simple enough. The top part
was made up of a simple half-plate armour, silver lined with
gold. He wore silver armguards that reached up to his elbows and
he wore black pants padded with silver-and-gold shinguards. The
sigil of Saturn was easily visible on the chest plate. A flowing
gray cape was attached to the shoulderguards.
Kanma looked at his mother, a sarcastic
smile on his lips: "Is this better, Mother?"
The Queen nodded stiffly. She was about
to address Sailor Saturn when King Koruan spoke up. "Kanma,
how many times have I asked you to replace that staff of yours
with something a bit more respectable?"
"Lots of times," deadpanned
Kanma. Koruan frowned. Kanma rolled his eyes. "This is a
perfectly suitable staff," he said, in tones of a
long-debated argument. "I'm a Warrior-Mage, like most of the
Saturn Knights. We all have ornamental staffs of some kind. The
designs vary individually, you know that."
"Yes I do," replied the King,
"but yours looks more like a giant hammer than a staff and
that just doesn't inspire respect. Couldn't you at least choose a
better ornamental head?"
"I like hammers," replied Kanma
defensively. *Not to mention how much I'd like to introduce
Mjollnir to you up close and personal sometimes!* he added
silently.
It looked as if a heated discussion was
under way when Queen Lissik interrupted. "I think we have
more important things to do than listen to your arguments
again," she said, looking pointedly towards Sailor Saturn.
Kanma and Koruan both grumbled, but
agreed to settle this later.
After Sailor Saturn was done with her
report, she and Kanma moved out of the throne room and went
strolling around the palace.
"I can't believe they dismissed you
like that," grumbled Kanma. "They didn't even ask how
you were feeling or anything!"
"They only see the Destroyer, not
the Healer or their daughter," replied Sailor Saturn flatly.
"You get used to it after a while."
Kanma put a gloved hand on her shoulder.
"Well, I promise I won't end up like them, no matter what
happens." When he saw her brightening, he added: "You
do get my messages when you're training out there, don't
you?"
"Yeah, I do," she answered.
"They're the only things that keep me from going crazy
sometimes."
They spent a few more moments in silence.
Sailor Saturn then announced she had to leave.
Kanma hugged her tightly. "I hope
you'll be able to come back soon, Verika. I miss you
terribly."
"I'll come back as soon as I
can," she promised.
Shortly after his sister's departure,
Kanma headed back to the throne room. He suddenly felt the need
to get away for a while, and going to Terra to check on his
things seemed like the perfect excuse. Too bad his mother
insisted on coming with him. She had insisted that she had
diplomatic business to take care of there, but Kanma didn't like
the glint she had in her eye. She was up to something and he
didn't know what.
As they reached the teleport gate, the
two High Mages standing guard started gathering their energies.
As they reached the end of the incantation (Kanma could see the
flows of power around the two mages), the Gate flared to life and
mother and son stepped through.
They came out of the gate's twin in
Terra's Royal Palace. Kanma was about to make his way out of the
palace when his mother grabbed his arm. "You could at least
greet the King and the Queen before you leave. You are
royalty, and it's basic courtesy," she said, keeping his arm
in an iron grip.
Kanma looked at her and started sweating.
She had that glint in her eyes again.
"I just want to have a look around
first, Mother" he said nervously. "I promise I'll see
them before I leave, okay? I just want to see something
first." His mother looked at him for a few more seconds
before nodding and releasing him. As she left towards the throne
room, Kanma eyed her suspiciously. He didn't really have anything
to do in the palace, but the way his mother was behaving unnerved
him. *What is she up to this time?...* he wondered.
He stopped in front of an observation
window and looked outside. The sky was different here. It was
bright blue here, whereas it was faintly purplish on Saturn.
There was also a lot more vegetation here than there was on
Saturn. Trees abounded everywhere, a lushious coat of greenery
which contrasted with the ever-present crystal spires of
Atlantis. He looked at the sky again and noticed that the Moon
was fully visible, even if it was the middle of the day. He tried
to remember the last time he'd come to Earth. He had come twice
in his life, but he had been only two years old the first time.
He'd come back when he was nine and had been introduced to
Princess Akana and Prince Endymion. He dimly remembered thinking
that Akana acted way too much like a boy. He shook his head. It
had been far too long since his last visit on Terra. Maybe his
parents were right; maybe he *was* a bit too reclusive. His
thoughts were brought to a sudden halt when he heard a loud
"WHAT!?" coming from the throne room. He frowned and
made his way there.
The guards let him enter without any
preambule. When he went inside, the first person he noticed
amidst the small crowd present was his mother, closely followed
by the two figures standing on the crystal thrones just beside
his mother. He knew them from previous diplomatic visits when
they had come to Saturn: King Endymion and Queen Layla. As he
moved closer to the throne, his gaze then slid off toward the
figures who had previously been hidden by a pillar.
His eyes widened slightly when he took
all present into account. If he remembered the color schemes
correctly, he was standing front of Sailors Terra and Venus,
Newer and Elder both present. There was also a young man, decked
in black and silver armour standing near New Terra, whom he
recognized to be Princess Akana *Okay, if anything else, she
definitely doesn't look like a boy! She's almost... cute,*
he thought. Standing tall and proud, Akana indeed looked more
attractive than she ever had.
Then again, maybe her Senshi outfit had
something to do with that.
Giving himself a mental slap for being
such a pervert, he turned to look at the young man was standing
besides her. Wearing the same kind of armour as King Endymion, he
quickly recognized him as Prince Endymion. The analytical part of
his mind quickly remembered the rather odd naming scheme the
Lunar and Terran Royal families used. On the Moon, which was a
matriarchal society, the First Daughter was always named
Serenity, while on Terra, a patriarchal society, the First Son
was always named Endymion. That particular naming scheme had been
adopted by a few other kingdoms as well. Kanma privately thought
it more confusing than anything else.
He quickly came back to the situation at
hand. Judging by her posture and attitude, which he could qualify
as looking annoyed, New Terra had probably been the one to cry
out, but why? King Endymion noticed him before he could voice his
query.
"Ah, Prince Kanma. How nice to see
you again!" said the elder Endymion jovially.
The tone made Kanma's hackles rise almost
immediately. It was the exact same tone of voice his father used
when he was about to present him with a potential fiancee.
Despite his subconscious' warning to get as far away from here as
he could, Kanma bowed respectfully. "Warrior-Mage Kanma,
First Knight of Saturn at your service, King Endymion."
The King glanced at New Terra, who was
being subtly restrained by the Elder Terra on one side and by his
son on the other. Looking back towards Kanma, he smiled again.
"I was told you had business on Terra, Kanma. Is that
true?"
The Saturnian Prince frowned at his
mother before answering. "Yes, your Majesty, I do. I need to
go to Mount Phoenix to see if they're having any kind of trouble
with some magical items I provided them with a few weeks
ago."
"Good!" said King Endymion.
"Then you wouldn't mind accompanying my daughter there,
would you?"
Kanma blinked and stole a quick glance at
New Terra, who looked slightly angrier than before. He was
starting to get an inkling of what was going on (or so he
thought). "If I may inquire, why does your daughter need to
go there for?"
"I need to seal a diplomatic
alliance with King Szechuan. Dark times are brewing here and
despite the fact that they're one of the smallest countries on
Terra, the Mount Phoenix people possess powerful magic which
could be of aid to us. Akana, pardon me - New Terra -, is to go
there and see if there isn't any way to form an alliance between
our kingdoms. Since you're going there anyway, I thought you
might provide escort for my daughter."
Kanma blinked. "Escort, your
Majesty? Pardon my question, but what does a Sailor Senshi need
an escort for? Why don't you just teleport there?"
King Endymion's face suddenly became
serious. "Mainly because this is to be a secret mission.
There isn't anyone outside this room who is to know about this;
too many spies abound this day. There has been an increase in
youma raids, recently. Some of the filthy creatures have even
gotten as far as this palace." The King and Elder Terra
suddenly both smiled sadistically. "Those same youmas are
now extremely sorry piles of ash," said Elder Terra.
Resuming his earlier expression, the King continued:
"Normally, I would send my son on such a diplomatic mission,
but he's expected at a ball tomorrow on the Moon. If he didn't
go, it would raise too many suspicions. As for the teleport, I
could always send my daughter there, but they don't have the
means at Mount Phoenix to send people back by teleport, so she
would have to come back on her own."
Kanma thought about what the king had
said for a few moments. He was aware of the ever-increasing youma
attacks on Earth. From what he had been able to learn, there was
a renegade faction on Earth that called itself the Dark Kingdom.
They had access to a almost infinite supply of creatures commomly
called youmas. They were lead by a woman who called herself Queen
Beryl, an ex-noble. Beryl was suspected to have the backing of a
major entity, for no one knew where she had dug up all those
youmas.
Kanma shook himself out of his musings
and was about to answer King Endymion, but he was preceded by New
Terra. "I don't need protection, Father," she said in a
curt, yet strong voice. "I'm quite able to defend myself. I
can go to Mount Phoenix without the need of a..." she
glanced at Kanma "... chaperone," she finished.
The King stared at her for a few seconds,
almost scowling. Elder Terra, a woman with brown-reddish hair who
stood barely an inch taller than her younger counterpart, spoke
up. "New Terra, you need to learn that despite being a
Senshi and a princess, you're still a subject of Atlantis, just
as I am. When your King says something, you obey."
New Terra scowled, but finally nodded.
New Venus approached New Terra and whispered something in her
ear. Kanma couldn't quite make it out, but noticed that it left
the redhead blushing slightly. "Venus!" she exclaimed,
sounding scandalized.
New Venus smiled innocently. "Don't
be so quick to reject his company, Terra. Besides, who knows, you
might need his help in defending yourself if something
happens."
New Terra scowled at the young Venusian.
"Me? Need help? You seem to keep forgetting I'm a lot
stronger than you!"
New Venus lost the smile, if only for an
instant. "Only if the other Senshi are around, and you know
that as well as I do. Your powers aren't of much help when you're
alone."
New Terra looked as if she'd been
reminded of something she didn't like. "I still have the
Psi-Techs," she protested weakly.
"Which don't work quite as well when
we're not together, sister," piped in Prince Endymion.
New Terra looked around, but seeing no
support among the current crowd, folded. "All right, I'll go
with him," she said in a resigned voice.
*My, what an enthusiast! She sounds as if
she'd just heard her death sentence,* thought Kanma
sarcastically. "If his Majesty so wishes, so it shall be
done." he answered out loud, bowing. *What the hell is
Akana's problem anyway? We haven't seen each other in nearly ten
years! She can't possibly be still holding a grudge for whatever
might have happened the last time I visited... Can she?*
Soon after, Kanma and New Terra found
themselves standing in front of the teleport gate. Standing
behind them were both Endymions and Queen Lissik.
"Have a safe trip and bring me back
that alliance, okay?" said King Endymion, hugging his
daughter.
"Father, you're embarassing
me!" the redhead hissed through her teeth. Disengaging
herself, she turned to her brother.
"Come to the ball tomorrow evening
if you can. I'm sure Princess Serenity already misses you,"
said the younger Endymion.
Terra grimaced. "I hate balls and
you know that. But..." she faltered, "I guess I do
miss the Princess. It'll be nice to see her and the other Senshi
again as well."
She turned to Kanma. "Are you ready
to go?"
The Warrior-Mage nodded. *I was ready
hours ago,* he thought sarcastically, but refrained from saying
it out loud. This was the first time that Sailor Terra had
addressed him in a civilized manner since he'd arrived and he
found her more companionable that way.
Besides, she was cute when she
wasn't angry.
The two High Mages guarding the teleport
gate started to activate the portal, and soon, Kanma and Sailor
Terra were transported almost halfway across the globe in the
wink of an eye.
Both youths reappeared at the edge of a
small mountain.
Kanma nodded in satisfaction. "Yep,
that's the place all right!"
Sailor Terra looked at him sideways.
"You've been here before?"
Kanma shook his head. "Never,"
he said.
"Then how can you be sure that this
is the right place?" asked the redhead.
Kanma looked at his companion with a wry
smile. He idly noticed he stood almost a full head taller than
Sailor Terra. "When I got the contract for the staffs I made
for them, I got pictures and schematics of the place. This
mountain matches the pictures exactly."
"You're a weaponsmith?" asked
Terra, a bit surprised.
Moving towards en entrance, he answered:
"I prefer to think of myself as a blacksmith, rather than a
weaponsmith. I could make weapons all the time if I wanted to,
but I don't all that often, really. Usually, I limit myself to
magic pendants, amulets, rings, tools and such, because weapons
have a tendency to end up where they can cause a lot of
trouble." He paused. "There's is one magical
weapon I'd really like to put my hands on, if I could analyze it,
though."
"Which one?"
"The Silence Glaive."
At the mention of the weapon, Sailor
Terra's thoughtful look turned into a slight frown.
They were soon greeted by a guard, who,
upon learning their identity, led the inside the mountain. They
came to a stop in a large room where they were told to wait. They
didn't wait long as they were soon joined by Szechuan himself.
Szechuan was a very large individual who looked like a cross
between a man and a bird. His hands and feet sported bird claws
instead of fingers and he had a pair of large, golden wings
protruding from his back. His face had a distinctive avian look,
up to the two feather-like tendrils hanging from his foreahead.
It was also worth noticing that the room's temperature increased
significantly as soon as the bird-man came in.
"Ah!" said Szechuan with a
smile. "We seem to be having some important visit today!
Atlantis' Princess and Saturn's First Knight. To what do I owe
this visit?"
While Kanma was trying to ignore the fact
that Szechuan was more than twice as tall (and massive) as he
was, Sailor Terra spoke. "King Szechuan, I am here on behalf
of my father, King Endymion, to seek an alliance with your
kingdom to help repel the increasing youma attacks."
Szechuan's hawk-like eyes narrowed
slightly. "Direct, aren't you? Yes," he said in a deep,
low voice. "I know what he means. We've been having some
attacks here as well." He grinned slightly. "They
stopped attacking us after I incinerated the first few
waves." Szechuan drew himself up. "Very well, I'll be
glad to talk with you concerning an alliance, but first," he
said, turning to Kanma, "I would like to know why you
came, Prince Kanma. Surely you didn't come here on behalf of
Atlantis?"
Kanma grinned as he shook his head.
"No, your Highness," he said. "I'm only here to
see if you've had any problems so far with the Gekkaja or the
Kinjakan."
"We haven't had any problems with
either of them. In fact, why don't you go see for yourself while
the Princess and I finish discussing the terms of our
alliance?" said Szechuan.
Kanma bowed. "I'd be glad to,"
he answered. And with that, Kanma turned around and left through
a passage which led deeper into the mountain. He eventually came
out of the tunnel into a vast cavern.
From what he'd heard, all of Szechuan's
people lived inside or around the mountain. They couldn't just
draw enough energy from the mountain itself. That was the main
reason he's been asked to build the Gekkaja and the Kinjakan (or
so he'd been told). One staff which froze anything it touched
(the Gekkaja) and another one capable of producing incredible
amounts of heat or fire (the Kinjakan). The two staffs already
possessed awesome power, but he would never see their true power
himself. The enchantment he'd cast over the staffs was a very
complicated one; he'd needed the help of two High Mages to
complete it. The purpose of the enchantment was in itself fairly
simple: if they were used properly, the Gekkaja and the Kinjakan
would keep increasing in power over time. He had made some
calculations and he estimated that they would reach their maximum
potential in about a thousand years, but he would be long dead by
then.
With the two staffs, Szechuan's people
could now regulate the temperature inside of the moutain as they
wished and thus, expand their living areas.
Kanma walked around the cave, watching
some of the installations inside the mountain being built. He saw
people scurrying about their tasks like oversized ants. He
finally arrived at a guarded room where, after a careful
verification of his identity, he was promptly admitted. Once
inside the room, he finally saw the two items he'd traveled
halfway across the system to check up on. The Kinjakan was
basically a rather short, red-gold staff topped with a large,
ornamental hoop. The Gekkaja was similar to the Kinjakan, except
the staff had a bluish white tint and it had a crescent moon
blade instead of the hoop on top.
He slowly took the Kinjakan in his hands,
letting himself feel the power contained within the staff, a
power which had taken him quite a while to create. With it,
almost anyone with the proper skills could generate almost insane
amounts of heat or flame, no magical ability needed. The reverse
was true with the Gekkaja.
He turned around when he heard someone
coming inside the room. He smiled when he saw who was there.
"Soy! I haven't seen you in a while! Has life been fair to
you lately?"
The newcomer smiled. A full head shorter
than Kanma, Soy was a small person, but his wits and intellect
more than compensated for his lack of physical height. Soy was
one of Mount Phoenix's most competent mages and a person whose
suggestions had tremendouly helped Kanma when he was building the
two staffs. He had also developed an unhealthy obsession with
Kanma's love life, or lack of one, an obsession which drove Kanma
insane at times.
"Yes, it has been fair, Kanma," he said. "Although
I can't help but wonder what you're doing here. I was minding my
own business when a guard told me you'd dropped in virtually
unannounced and in company of one of the Senshi." He
suddenly grinned: "She's a cute one isn't she?"
Kanma found himself blushing, much to his
acute embarassment. Soy's grin widened even more. "She's not
cute," he muttered, trying to save some dignity.
Soy wasn't fooled for an instant.
"Sure, Kanma, she's not cute at all. That's why your
blushing as hard as one of Lord Szechuan's fire blasts ." He
snorted good-naturedly. "Don't lie to me, boy. You've got it
bad for her; I can see it radiating all over your
face!"
Kanma shook his head violently. "No
it's not her... It's... It's her outfit! Yeah, that's it, her
outfit!" He nodded violently up and down, trying to get his
point across.
Soy shook his head in disappointment.
"You do know that you're letting a beautiful girl get
away from you, don't you?"
Kanma relaxed and waved the matter aside.
"It doesn't matter. The Sailor Senshi rarely marry anyway,
so I wouldn't get very far with her..." His eyes widened
when he realized what he'd just said. He looked at Soy, who had a
grin that threatened to tear his face in half. "No, wait! I
mean..."
"So!..." said Soy triumphantly.
"You were considering marriage , were you?"
Kanma buried his face in his hands.
Things were not going well. He had better change the subject now,
before things got worse. "Um... Soy? I didn't come here to
discuss my love life, you know."
Soy's eyes became serious, but the grin
never left his face. "Ah yes, you wanted to know if we've
had any problems with the staffs, right?"
Kanma nodded, not trusting himself to
speak, lest he put his foot in his mouth once again.
Soy shrugged. "We've started using
them to condition the temperature in the caves, but they've
worked according to specifications so far, so there's no need to
complain. Would you like a demonstration?"
"Sure! Maybe I can even give you a
few tips," said Kanma.
Soy sported an mock-offended look.
"Don't you think we know what we're doing?"
It was Kanma's turn to shrug dimissively.
"I didn't say that. But I was the one who built the
staffs, I know them better than anyone."
"Then let's test them, shall
we?" said Soy. He took the Kinjakan and tossed the Gekkaja
to Kanma. They then headed out to a large section of the cave
that was being developed where they proceeded to conduct some
tests.
Roughly half an hour later, Kanma and Soy
were walking around in Phoenix Mountain's underground network of
caves when Sailor Terra and King Szechuan met up with them.
"Are the negotiations already
finished?" asked Kanma.
Terra nodded. "We'd better go now.
If we hurry, we might be able to reach the nearest teleport gate
before sunset."
Kama turned to Soy. "Well, looks
like it's time for me to go. I hope we can meet again soon."
Soy nodded. "Same here. It was nice
to finally meet you in person instead of always using the
ICA," he grinned. "If we ever have any problems with
either of the staffs, I promise I'll let you know." He
leaned forward conspiratorially. "I'll be really
disappointed if nothing happens with her, Kanma," Soy told
the young Saturnian.
Kanma threw a panicked glance at Terra to
see if she was listening, but fortunately for him, she'd already
moved out of earshot. He turned back to Soy, who had a smartass
grin plastered all over his face again. *One day, I'm gonna get
you for this Soy...* Kanma thought. "Ha ha," said Kanma
flatly. "I don't remember you having much success at
romance either, Soy!"
The other mage was unruffled. "I got
married last month, Kanma."
Kanma was about to throw a rather pointed
comment in the fray when he realized that Szechuan was still
watching them, amused.
"Don't mind me," the bird-man
said. "I rather enjoy seeing you two argue. It's a wonderful
relief from court life."
Kanma managed not to redden in
embarassment. "Um... yes, well... I... have to go, yes!
Akana'll be waiting for me at the exit."
"Already calling her by her real
name?" Soy taunted.
"Shut up!" Kanma nearly cried
in exasperation. He took a mock-swipe with Mjollnir at a laughing
Soy, who ducked. Kanma sighed and turned to leave when Szechuan
put a massive, clawed hand over his shoulder. Kanma stopped and
looked inquisitively at the bird-man.
"I never did get the chance to thank
you properly for the two staffs you created for us. If you ever
need a favor from us, feel free to ask. My promise on that,"
said King Szechuan solemnly.
Kanma bowed deeply. "Thank you, you
Majesty." He then turned towards the caves' entrance and
quickly ran to join Sailor Terra.
A few moments after Kanma was out of
sight, Szechuan frowned slightly. "I hope they won't try to
cut across the Jusenkyou Springs," he mumbled. "I
forgot to warn them about that place."
Soy, who had heard Szechuan's remark,
waved his liege's concerns away. "Don't worry. That place
radiates enough chaos magic that Kanma will feel it before he
comes too close enough for it to matter. I'm sure he'll have
enough sense to stay away from the Springs."
When Kanma reached the entrance, he
noticed that Terra wasn't there. Looking around, he noticed she
was already far down the slope. He shook his head. *She didn't
even bother to wait for me!* He considered simply running down
the slope, but decided instead he wouldn't give Terra the
satisfaction of knowing he'd rushed after her. He concentrated
and whispered: "Aerwan Sandalphon." A light green aura
surrounded him. Satisfied that his spell was holding, he
proceeded to leisurely fly down to Terra's position.
When Kanma was but a foot or two behind
her, Terra turned around, frowning ever so slightly. "If you
can fly," she told him, "Why don't you just lift us to
the teleport gate? It'd save a lot of time, you know."
As soon as Kanma touched the ground, his
aura winked out. "I could try to fly us both
there," he shrugged, "But I'd probably drop us both
along the way. Flight spells work well enough when you're the
only one flying, but the second you add someone, the magical
requirements become almost unbelievable."
Terra eyed him for a second, then turned
back to watch the road ahead of her.
"So," said Kanma, trying to
start a conversation, "Did you reach a satisfactory
agreement with King Szechuan?"
"Yes," she answered absently.
*My, what a conversationalist,* he
thought wryly. He tried another subject. "Excuse me if I
seem to pry, but I noticed that back in the throne room, New
Venus said something about your abilities not being that great
when you were alone. I was under the impression that you were
supposed to be the strongest Senshi next to my sister."
Terra wore an unreadable face. "The
Bringer of Silence?"
Kanma frowned. "I don't like it when
people using that title. It gives a wrong impression."
Terra shook her head. "I'm sorry, I
was just thinking. I can assure you I meant nothing disparaging.
As for my powers, both you and Venus have part of the answer.
Yes, I am the strongest after your sister, but only if other
Senshi are present."
Kanma blinked. "How come?"
"My power is rather different from
the other Senshi's. I work either as a living amplifier or as a
focusing lens for the other Senshi's powers. If I'm in physical
contact with any of them, or if I'm hit with their attacks, I can
either focus or magnify the effects. With another Senshi, I
become nearly unbeatable; alone, I lose much of my fighting
potential." She paused for an instant. "I probably
wouldn't be able to survive amplifying your sister's power,
though. I'm not sure I even want to know what would happen
if I tried, either."
Kanma grunted slightly. "I guess the
results wouldn't be pretty." After a small pause, he raised
an eyebrow. "You sure have a strange power," he
commented. "What about those 'Psi-Techs' you mentioned,
then?"
Terra smiled without seeming to realize
it. "The Psi-Techs are a set of single and dual
psychokinetic techniques my brother and I made up to take
advantage of our inborn psychokinetic potential."
"You're both
psychokinetics?" Kanma said, surprised. "I thought only
the males of the Terran Line had that talent!"
She smirked. "You were wrong, then.
While it's true that all the males like my brother and my father
have a high psychokinetic potential, the talent also sometimes
emerges in the females of the line, but at a much lower degree.
The Psi-Techs are techniques that siblings of the same generation
usually develop to control their talents. My father and Aunt
Yonagi have their own set of Psi-Techs, for example."
Kanma quickly identified
"Yonagi" as Elder Terra, the sister of King Endymion.
While the Senshi all had titles, most people knew their real
identities. Except for Sailor Pluto, of course. "What kind
of techniques?" he asked, becoming more and more interested.
"Defensive and offensive techniques.
Shields, flight,illusions, pure telekinetic force blasts, other
things like that. My brother has this really weird one that
allows him to create roses at will." She shook her head.
"I still don't understand how he manages to create
flowers out of psychokinetic energy, but since he found out how,
he's been showering Princess Serenity with those roses..."
She smiled. "At least it makes her happy."
Kanma blinked. "Wait a second here.
Did you say earlier that flight was one of your powers? Why don't
you fly under your own power then?"
Terra's smile faded slightly. "Do
you remember the comment my brother made just after I
spoke?"
Kanma tried to remember. "Something
about the techniques not being as effective when you were
alone?"
"Exactly!" Terra said, sounding
like a teacher congratulating a five-year-old. "I can only
use a fraction of the techniques when I'm alone, since my psych
potential isn't that high. The same is true for my brother,
although he can use a wider variety of techniques, due to a
higher natural talent. Together, our potential is much higher. On
an hypothetical scale of fifteen, I would rate three, my brother
seven and together, we'd rate fifteen."
"How efficient are they?"
Terra smiled sadistically. "Remember
how Father mentioned youmas had gotten as far as the
palace?"
"Yes...?"
"Father and Aunt Yonagi used their
own Psi-Techs to blast them out of the sky. Together, they're
stronger than several of the Elder Senshi. The problem is that
those techniques require a lot of concentration, so they can't do
anything else when using Psi-Techs." She walked a few
seconds in silence, the spoke again. "My brother doesn't
have all the advantages in the family, though. We both
possess healing abilities like your sister's. I'm stronger than
he is at it, although I'm still a lot less powerful than your
sister. I can use my power whenever I want, but Endymion's only
seems to work when he's in great stress. She turned to Kanma.
"So what about you, mighty Warrior-Mage? What kind of
talents do you have?"
Kanma was a bit miffed at the patronizing
tone she used to answer his initial question, but answered her
anyway She'd told him a lot about her powers and basic courtesy
demanded something in return. "I'm fairly good in
hand-to-hand combat and I'm also rated as a mid-level mage. My
elemental spells aren't as powerful as a Senshi's Mana, but I
have a wider variety of spells, as they're not all made for
combat."
Terra interrupted him. "You said
you're a mid-level mage?" She shook her head. "I must
admit I've been slacking a lot in my magic studies, seeing as I
can't do any by myself. I've been wondering how you rate a mage's
ability. 'Mid-level' sounds awfully vague."
Kanma smiled. "It is. Our rating
comes from roughly how much magic energy we can pull in a single
spell. Usually, if you can pull off enough energy to perform a
teleport spell, you're considered a high-level mage. If you take
offensive and defensive spells for example, a low-level mage can
set off a fireball and create decent shields. A mid-level mage is
anyone stuck between the two," he said wryly. "Just
like me."
Terra frowned slightly. "But the
mages at the palace, there are two of them at the teleport
gate and they're supposed to be both rated as High-level. I
thought you said a single one could do teleportation
spells?"
"Protection against exhaustion and
security," answered Kanma. "If you only had one mage
standing guard, each teleport would leave him pretty exhausted.
Using two mages reduces the strain on each of them so they can
perform several teleports in a row if necessary. They usually
don't, though."
"So how strong are you?"
"Just under the limit of being able
to teleport on my own. If I really wanted to, I suppose I could
do a teleport on my own, but the strain would leave me wasted for
a day or two." He paused for a moment. "That, of
course, is assuming I'm in top shape and 'fully charged', so to
speak. If I was wounded, a teleport would kill me fairly
easily."
Terra nodded. "I see..."
Kanma didn't want to stop here. Terra had
been moderately fun to talk with and he preferred conversation,
rather than stony silence. "When you explained the
Psi-Techs, you mentioned that most of your techniques were done
together, Endymion and you. Isn't it hard to synchronize?"
"Not at all. A side-effect of the
Psi-Techs is that when we're executing one, Endymion and I can
completely read each other's mind for a very short while.
Synchronizing is easy after that." She paused. "When we
first synchronized, we connected so deeply we ended up seeing
through each other's eyes, even though we still had control of
our own bodies. That was very disconcerting."
Kanma boggled. "Can you exchange
bodies?"
Terra shook her head. "No, we aren't
strong enough for that." She paused. "Not that we
actually ever tried, that is..." she added.
Kanma tried to imagine sharing his mind
with someone. He shuddered, definitely not liking the idea. He
was too much of a private person. "Does that mean that if
you and your father linked, you'd be able to read each other's
minds?" he asked in curiousity.
"Feh! I couldn't synchronize with
Father any more than my brother could with Aunt Yonagi."
"Why?"
"That's the way it works. No one's
ever really been able to find out why. We just know it can't be
done with people from different generations and it's not for lack
of trying." She paused for a few moments. "There's a
semi-permanent effect to using Psi-Techs on a regular
basis," she said at last. She looked at Kanma, as if she was
weighing the consequences of telling him. She sighed. "Oh
well, you'd find out sooner or later. My brother and I share a
mental link as a result of Psi-Tech training. So do Father and
Aunt Yonagi, for that matter. The link allows for near-constant
low-level mutual empathy and limited telepathic conversation. I
suppose that if we didn't use any Psi-Techs for a few years, the
link would fade, but right now, I can sense him in the back of my
mind. I can guess that he's at the Moon at this time. I can also
feel his stronger emotions, which right now are... impatience -
probably about seeing Princess Serenity - and..." Terra
frowned and stopped walking.
Kanma also stopped. "What's
wrong?"
Terra made a shushing gesture and
suddenly froze, glowing a faint blue. Not knowing what else to
do, Kanma waited for Terra to come out of her trance. Looking
around him, he noticed he was starting to hear the faint buzz
which indicated there was a source of magic nearby. A strong
source, according to the buzz. Turning back to Terra, he saw she
was still in her trance. He unwittingly started to stare at her,
admiring her legs, the form-hugging, short-skirted outfit and...
*What am I doing!?* he thought, shocked. *I'm thinking like a
pervert again!*. He shook his head. Sailor Terra had a wonderful
figure, true, but that damn outfit was far too distracting. He
gave a mental snort. *I bet the outfits were done that way on
purpose. Distract the enemy, then strike!* He then noticed that
Terra had stopped glowing. He forced himself to look as neutral
as he could.
"So what was that all
about?" he asked.
Terra frowned. "I'm not sure. The
distance is too great to have a clear conversation with Endymion,
but I was able to find out that he's worried the Guardians aren't
there."
Kanma tried to remember. "The
Guardians? You mean Prince Endymion's bodyguards?"
Terra nodded. "It isn't rare for
them to leave for a few days at a time, since my brother can take
care of himself nowadays, but thay've been gone for three days
now and we haven't heard a word from them. My brother was
expecting them to be at the ball on the Moon, but they aren't
there either. I think he's starting to worry, and to be truthful,
so am I. Kunzite, especially, is usually more responsible than
the others. He would have left a message by now."
Kanma shrugged. "From what I heard
about the Guardians, they seem to be able to take care of
themselves if need be." They continued walking. "Uh,
Terra?" asked the young mage after a while.
"What?"
"You said I'd find out sooner or
later that you and you brother shared a link."
"Yes," she said, annoyed.
"I said that. So?"
Kanma shook his head. "Why are you
so sure I would've found out?"
Terra stopped walking and looked at him
as if he'd just asked a very stupid question. "How
long do you think I would've been able to hold off any of what
I've been telling you for the last hour with us being engaged and
all?"
Kanma, however, hadn't stopped walking,
so the second he heard the word "engaged", the First
Knight of Saturn proceeded to perform a textbook faceplant on the
road before him. He quickly recovered, however.
"ENGAGED???" Kanma screamed in surprise. "Where in
Saturn's Great Rings did you get the idea we were engaged
of all things?!"
Terra looked at him as though he were an
idiot, then narrowed her eyes. "They told me, but
didn't tell you?" she asked in a dangerously low
voice.
"Tell me what!?"
Terra was seething now. "They told
me of the engagement today when you and your mother arrived.
Weren't you aware of that?" she asked, a peeved glint coming
into her eyes.
Kanma swore loudly. "So THAT'S what
it was all about! I was wondering why Mother was acting so weird
in court..." He trailed off, looking at Terra, who seemed
about to commit murder (being the only other person in the area,
Kanma quickly surmised he would be the target of Terra's ire). He
said the first thing that came to mind. "And I wanted a
spirited girl, too..." he trailed off, realizing that that
particular response wasn't the best one at the time.
Terra closed her fist in anger.
"It's not you I'm mad at, Kanma. It's my parents I'm
angry with." She looked at him wearily. "Do you swear
you had no idea we'd just been engaged?"
Kanma waved his hands. "I swear! I
swear!! They didn't tell me a thing!" he said in a nearly
panicked voice. Calming down, he spoke before he could think.
Again. "Not that I'd mind being engaged to you," he
said. "You're cute when you smile."
The anger drained out of Terra's features
as fast as water in a scorching desert and a faint blush crept up
her cheeks. "What did you say?" she asked softly.
Kanma froze. "Err... I mean..."
he stuttered.
"Well, well well," a deep voice
boomed. "What do we have here?"
Kanma and Terra both spun around in
surprise at the sound of the voice. Coincidentally, both were
thinking the exact same thing at that moment. *How the hell did
he get so close without me knowing?*
Terra reacted first. "Kunzite! What
are you doing here?"
*Kunzite?* Kanma thought quickly. *The
leader of Endymion's bodyguards?*
The white-haired man sat upon a rocky
outcropping, arms crossed and was looking at them with a mocking
smirk. He was wearing a grey military uniform with a flowing
cape.
Terra repeated her question. "What
are you doing here? Endymion was starting to get really worried!
He couldn't find you anywhere!"
"Don't worry, Princess," said a
man with a long, blond ponytail coming up behind Kunzite.
"He'll see us soon enough." He was also smirking.
Terra frowned. "Are you all right,
Zoisite?"
Meanwhile, subconscious alarms were
starting to blare inside Kanma's head. Terra didn't seem to care,
but Kanma was growing increasingly worried about the Guardians'
appearance. Something was.. off about them and it worried Kanma.
Sailor Terra frowned again. "Answer
my question! What are you doing here?"
"Actually, we were looking for you,
Princess Akana," said a deep voice from behind them.
Spinning around, they saw yet another Guardian.
Terra's eyes narrowed slightly. Kanma
hoped it was because she was starting to get suspicious.
"You were looking for me, Nephrite? Why?"
"We have a very special message to
deliver," said a fourth Guardian, walking beside Nephrite.
"What message, Jadeite?"
"The Queen wants you dead,"
answered Kunzite, still smirking.
*Definitely not right, something's wrong,
wrong, wrong...* thought Kanma frantically, eyes darting from
Guardian to Guardian. They were all smiling and those smiles
looked... malevolent. *Can't Terra see it?*
Terra looked at Kunzite, incredulity
painted all over her face. "The Queen?? What in the world
are you talking about, Kunzite?"
"Let me elaborate, Princess,"
said Nephrite. "What Kunzite means is that Queen Beryl wants
you dead. She considers you a very dangerous threat."
Terra visibly relaxed, although Kanma
didn't. She frowned slightly. "That was a very bad joke,
Kunzite."
Kunzite kept smiling. "It's no joke,
Sailor Terra."
Terra threw up her hands in exasperation.
"Kunzite, Beryl wants us all dead; she's been like that
since the beginning of the youma invasions. Even my brother no
longer even listens to her. I doubt she would've sent you
to relay that message."
Zoisite grinned, showing perfect teeth.
"Oh, but she did. And now, we're here to kill you."
Before Terra could react, Zoisite pointed a hand forward.
"ZOI!"
The blast knocked Terra backwards,
stunning her. Jadeite came up and was about to release a blast at
point-blank range when Kanma, apparently neglected by the
Guardians, swung Mjollnir in a wide arc and nailed Jadeite in the
middle of the stomach.
As soon as Jadeite collapsed in pain,
Kanma grabbed Terra and quickly ran in the forest. He heard
Kunzite's mocking voice. "You can't escape us, boy. Your
days end today!"
Kanma was trying to make headway between
the compact trees when Terra, whom he had laid down beside him,
finally regained her senses.
"Owww... What happened?" she
moaned.
"That maniac Zoisite shot you!"
Kanma said, frustrated. He gave up trying to clear the branches
ahead of him and simply pointed Mjollnir forward. "SHIRAK
TABRIS!" he yelled, and a massive shock blast cleared all
the vegetation in front of him.
Terra hesitated to her feet. "I
don't understand. What's wrong with them?" she said, clearly
confused. Kanma didn't answer. He grabbed her hand and dragged
her in the opposite direction of his blast. "Hey! Don't you
want to go the other way?!" she asked, confused.
Kanma shook his head. "No, I just
want them to think we went that way. Maybe it'll fool them
for a few minutes." Seeing a dense patch of bushes, he
nearly shoved the still dizzy Terra into them.
"Hey, watch it!" protested
Terra.
"Be quiet and keep still!"
hissed Kanma. He concentrated and whispered: "Tasaran
Ramiel". Both Kanma and Terra began glowing a soft blue.
Seemingly satisfied, Kanma turned to Terra once more. "It's
a cloak spell," he said in a low voice. "It should keep
us safe for a while." He shook his head. "Why didn't
you put up any defense? Didn't you see they weren't acting
normal?"
"That's easy for you to say,"
she hissed in a low voice. "I've grown up with these guys
since I was six years old. They're like brothers to me." Her
eyes narrowed. "They'd never attack me," she said
stubbornly, "They wouldn't."
"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but
they did." He thought for a second. "Could they have
been brainwashed? They sounded as if they were in Beryl's camp
now."
Terra's head jerked up. "I don't
think it's possible, but..." She never got the chance to
finish as Zoisite suddenly appeared in front of them.
Kanma's mind whirled in shock. *He can
teleport?! Damn!!...*
Zoisite grinned sadistically. "Nice
try, Saturnian, that little diversion actually worked for a few
seconds." He shot his hand forward, shouting
"ZOI!" at the same time as Kanma brought Mjollnir to
bear while shouting "MURITARI ZERUEL!" as fast as he
could.
The blast exploded between both parties
against a glowing shield stemming from Mjollinr's hammer head.
Zoisite blinked once and it was enough for Terra to spring into
action. Getting up in the blink of an eye, she kicked Zoisite as
hard as she could in the stomach. Kanma and Terra quickly fled
while Zoisite was groaning in pain on the ground.
"Nice to see you fighting at
last," said Kanma, while they were rushing through a deep
forest.
"Shut up!" answered an angry
Terra. "You aren't the one fighting people you've trusted
for so long!"
"Wait! Stop!" hissed Kanma,
digging his heels in the ground.
Terra nearly ran over him. "What's
wrong now!?"
Kanma was frantically looking left and
right. "It's close," he said, "Way too close for
comfort..."
"What are you talking about?"
"A really large source of magic.
Nearby. Chaotic magic," he said in an oddly distracted tone,
considering the circumstances. "We came too close! We gotta
go back!" he said and started to trace back their steps when
Nephrite and Kunzite suddenly appeared as well.
"No more running, boy!" hissed
Kunzite.
"This way!" shouted Terra,
grabbing Kanma buy the cape, pulling him in the direction they
were originally heading.
"No! Not _that" way!"
shouted Kanma. He had a fraction of a second's warning as a
glowing V-shaped blade nearly took his head off. Ducking, he
aimed Mjollnir toward the two Guardians and cut loose once more.
"SHIRAK TABRIS!" he yelled once more and a shock blast
hammered Kunzite and Nephrite into the ground. Kanma went running
after Terra, sweat glistening on his forehead. *I can't keep
tossing spells all day! I'm gonna run dry soon if this keeps on!*
he thought. He found Terra standing at the edge of a clearing.
Puzzled as to why she wasn't moving, he quickly caught up with
her.
"What is this place?" he heard
her ask incredulously.
Kanma finally saw what she was talking
about. Before them were scattered dozens, maybe even hundreds of
small, harmless-looking springs. His feeling of dread increased
when he realized that the springs were generating the chaotic
magic he was feeling. Terra shook him out of his daze.
"Come on!" she said. "We
gotta find a way to go back to Mount Phoenix! King Saffron'll
help us!"
Kanma nodded absently, still watching the
springs warily. Cutting across the field would mean coming close
to those pools.
They made their way across the field and
were nearing the springs when the four Guardians appeared around
them. The grins were gone and they were now all scowling.
"This has taken far too much time. We end this now!"
shouted Kunzite.
"Kunzite!" shouted Sailor Terra
in a pleading tone. "What about your oaths to Endymion and
my parents?"
The plea went unheeded as Kunzite and
Jadeite attacked Kanma, while Nephrite and Zoisite attacked
Sailor Terra.
She leaped out of the first strike,
landing barely a few paces from one of the springs.
"Psi-Techs!" she shouted. "Psi-Blade! Aura
Shield!" A glowing blue sword appeared in her right hand and
her body was suddenly covered with a bright blue aura. Zoisite
didn't waste time as he launched a storm of crystal shards
towards Terra. The shards never impacted as they were all stopped
short by the aura. This didn't stop Terra from wincing, though.
"Nephrite!" she yelled
desperately. "You're my best friend! Don't do
this!"
For a brief, sweet moment, Nephrite's
attack wavered, but sadly, it didn't last. She had barely had
time to recover from Zoisite's attack when Nephrite finally moved
in, shouting: "Orion's Spear!"
Terra parried the blow from the glowing
spear just in time with her sword. Three swift strikes later,
Zoisite joined the fray with a crystal blade.
Kanma wasn't having much luck either. As
soon as his two opponents fired blasts of energy towards him, he
brought his cape in frot him, while whispering: "Sokerial
Gaghiel!" The silvery gray cape... rippled... for lack of a
better term. When as the blasts touched the cape, they suddenly
vanished, only to be sent back straight at the attackers. Kunzite
dodged his own blast, although Jadeite was felled by his own.
Kunzite dashed at Kanma, a wicked-looking
energy blade forming in each of his hands. The Warrior-Mage was
hard-pressed to keep the blades at bay, parrying with Mjollnir's
shaft. He soon saw an opening and belted Kunzite a good one in
the face with Mjollnir.
Too bad it didn't have any real effect.
Kunzite's eyes glowed and Kanma was suddenly blasted backwards by
an unseen force. As he landed painfully in the ground, he got up
just in time to hear Sailor Terra trying to plead one last time
with her attackers.
"Nephrite! Zoisite! Please remember!
Don't do this! Endy..."
Kanma could only watch in horror as
Zoisite finally broke through Terra's defense and impaled her in
the gut with his blade.
"NOOOOO!!!" he howled in
despair, and he rushed to her aid. He hadn't taken two steps when
he was blasted from behind. He collapsed on the ground, his back
smoking from the massive energy blast a recovered Jadeite had
struck him with.
"This is for striking me with your
hammer," said the short-haired Guardian.
Kanma groaned as he opened his eyes. He
felt as if someone had burned and scraped the skin off his
back. Blinking, he saw Terra collapse on her knees, vomiting
blood. He could barely utter a word as he saw Nephrite take her
by the neck and drop her unceremoniously in one of the springs.
He felt someone come up behind him.
"And this," snarled Jadeite,
"Is for injuring me with my own blast!" He lifted Kanma
by the front of his armor and gut-punched him, releasing another
massive blast, this time in Kanma's chest.
Kanma was in a world of pain as he was
dropped on the ground. He had never known he could hurt so bad.
He nevertheless managed to hear Kunzite approach his position.
"It's over. He's as good as dead,
Jadeite, so stop playing with him," said the leader of the
Guardians.
"We have to go now. Queen Beryl is
waiting for us to begin the invasion on the Moon Kingdom,"
said another Guardian.
A third one laughed. Kanma recognized him
as Zoisite. He had the most annoying laugh. "The Prince will
be so happy to see us again!"
Kanma heard the soft sound of
teleportation as the four Guardians vanished.
He tried to rise, but the darkness
claimed him.
Kanma woke up again, still in pain. *How
long was I out?* he wondered. He then remembered what the
Guardians had said just before they had left. *There's going to
be an invasion. I have to warn them!*
He thought for a moment. Terra was most
likely dead and he was in no condition to go anywhere. Kunzite
had been right. He would die before he could even go back to
Mount Phoenix. The only reason he was still alive was probably
his superior constitution. Working in a forge had had some
benefits.
He took a deep breath, which he
immediately regretted, the pain in hs chest flaring up. *Probably
broken ribs* he thought.
He finally realized he had only one
possibility left. Concentrating despite the pain, he recited a
spell, athough it came out as a croak: "Larion Quorilath
Armisael" he said. His body suddenly flared up in a blinding
white light and all his pain vanished. Kanma blinked twice,
thinking about what he had just done. His teacher in magic had
warned him countless times about that spell. It would
_temporarily_ heal any wound and make anyone over twenty times as
strong as they usually were, but it came at a very expensive
price. Every minute the spell was used shaved 15 years off the
caster's life span.
Kanma quickly got up and looked at
himself. The front of his armor had been melted and he was
bleeding from several deep gashes in his chest. He was disgusted
when he saw some of his ribs sticking out of his chest. It was
even more disturbing to realize that it didn't hurt, at least for
now.
Remebering about Terra, he looked inside
the spring where he remembered Nephrite dropping her and saw that
the pool was now a dark red. Steeling himself, he closed his eyes
and plunged his hand in the pool. After a few seconds of
flailing, he pulled Terra's body out of the pool. Finally opening
his eyes, Kanma confirmed what he had been dreading. Terra was
well and truly dead. *King Endymion's gonna kill me,* he thought
numbly.
He looked around him. Already, he could
feel the sacrifice spell running its course. He would die in less
than four minutes if he didn't shut off the spell and he wouldn't
live much longer if he tried to go anywhere without it. He
sighed. *What a lousy way to die...* he tought bleakly. He
absently noticed that the arm he had used to pull Terra out of
the spring was seriously starting to itch. He scratched it,
puzzled. *The sacrifice spell should have suppressed any form of
physical disomfort...*
Kanma quickly shook himself out of his
musings. He had more urgent things to do than wonder why his arm
was itching. He had to warn someone about the oncoming
invasion, if it was the last thing he would ever do (and it
probably would be). He took Mjollnir in his hands and started
chanting the teleportation gate spell he had heard somany High
Mages say. In ordinary circumstances, as he had told Terra, the
spell would threaten his very life or kill him outright. It
didn't matter anymore. The sacrifice spell was giving him the
energy he needed to open a teleport gate.
Nothing else mattered.
However, no matter how much energy the
sacrifice spell gave him, he wouldn't be able to reach Saturn.
He'd have to settle for the Moon instead. Prince Endymion and the
other Senshi were supposed to be there. More importantly, they
could call his sister. "Sinuralan Tasarak Krinawi
Leliel," he chanted, and he felt the power draining from
him.
Kanma collapsed on his knees as the gate
opened in front of him. He could feel the sacrifice spell taking
its toll. He had to find someone before the spell took his life.
Staggering through the portal, he looked at the sight in front of
him.
Destruction was everywhere. He could see
the Moon Palace in flames, youmas running everywhere and a great
black cloud hovering over everything.
"I'm too late," he whispered.
He barely felt the final step of the
sacrifice spell taking hold.
Closing his eyes, he never noticed the
blast of silvery light that took his soul. Unbeknownst to the
late Warrior-Mage, part of the blast had time to travel through
Kanma's teleport gate before it collapsed. The reincarnation wave
washed over Terra's recently deceased body as well as over the
pool which would be known from this day forth as the Nyannichuan.
Akane woke up with a start. Wildly, she
looked around, half-expecting to see men in gray rushing at her,
weapons in hand. The only thing she saw was Ranma lying on his
futon besides her, sleeping soundly. She took several deep
breaths to calm herself.
*Get a grip on yourself,* she thought.
*It was just a dream.* But as seconds became minutes, she found
out she could easily remember most of her "dream". *Why
did it feel so real?*
She tried to remember what had happened
before she had gone to sleep. She remembered Rei offering to jar
some memories. The images that had followed.
The same images as in the dream.
*Does that mean that the dream was... a
memory?* thought Akane, confused. She forced herself to breathe
clamly again. *What did Rei do to me?* she thought. *It felt so
much like I was there, in person.* She shook her head. She'd been
a guy in the dream. That just wasn't possible. She looked
at the sleeping Ranma and revised her opinion. She wasn't sure
what to think anymore.
A few minutes later, she considered
waking Ranma, but decided she might be fretting over nothing. She
finally decided it had all been only a dream brought on by stress
of the wedding, the move to Juuban and the start of university.
Yes, it had been a dream. After
all, why else would she have dreamt of Hotaru, Ranma's female
form, Jusenkyo, a Saffron look-alike and mysterious gray men in
such a extravagant setting?
As she laid down once again to try and
fall back asleep, something disturbing came back to her. If it
had been a dream, why had she not awakened earlier? She clearly
remembered the part when she had been hunted by the... the
Guardians.
She remembered... Jadeite's final blast.
She... he... she had hurt. There
had been blood everywhere. She... he... had fainted from shock.
And woken up again.
In the dream.
*What kind of dream is it when you don't
wake up even if you're in pain?* she wondered. Troubled, she fell
back asleep, promising herself to have a talk with Rei in the
morning.
Author's notes
- So, did everyone catch the Evangelion references? ;)
- Nephrite's attack: Orion's Spear. I didn't invent that
particular attack. I read it somewhere before, but I don't
remember where, sorry. I've never seen the anime, so I don't have
any idea how Nephrite usually attacks. I know he does it with the
help of stars, constellations and such, but I don't know the
*exact* attacks.
- About the Four Guardians. I used the manga history for this.
For those who don't understand, in the manga, Endymion had four
bodyguards: Kunzite, Zoisite, Nephrite and Jadeite. The same four
who were portrayed as the Dark Generals in the anime. In the
manga, they were converted to evil against their will by Beryl
and Metallia in the past, but were "freed" in the
present (their souls were freed, at least). To this day, Mamoru
still has four stones representing his four guardians. He even
talked to them through the stones once (this is in the manga
again).
- Yes, the Guardians could have killed Terra and Kanma much more
quickly, especially the four of them together. Heck, Kunzite
nearly killed the Senshi by himself in the anime, I've heard. So
what happened? Let's just say they were freshly converted, so
they weren't "putting their hearts into it," as it
were. There were still some shreds of resistance left.
- For those who don't know, Beryl was a noble who had a crush on
Prince Endymion, who paid her no attention. Basically, what
happened is that she was so jealous of Serenity, she somehow
formed an alliance with Metallia, who gave her all the youmas she
needed. They attacked in one final strike, which kinda backfired
due to the fact that Queen Serenity used the Ginzuishou to seal
Metallia and Beryl away. At least that's how it happened in my
universe...
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