Fatal Fury Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Sailor Rifts ❯ Chapter 35: For the Interval of Uncertainty ( Chapter 35 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sailor Moon/Rifts Crossover (Revised Edition) By Simon Woodington

Chapter 35: For the Interval of Uncertainty

The city seemed lost and distinctly lonely below them. A dark shroud
had enveloped the light mottled and remarkably inactive realm. It
would seem to the five women that the population of the city had
abruptly vanished, yet they all too sharply recognized the fearful
silence. There was an errie calm about the city, the armies of Tokyo
beaten back by the shadowling forces, who in turn were muted by their
own lack of energy. The war had reached a great pause, and for those
of the Resistence and the Military that survived yet, there was a
great, welcome reprieve. Time had been given for each side to lick
their wounds, regroup, and for the Resistence, to fortify their
barracks and holdings.

For what else was there to do?

The Neo Senshi, however, had chosen that moment to mount their attack,
taking clear advantage of the vast emptiess, allowing them time to
scout their remaining territory and study the vortex with deeper
scrutiny. They had already been fighting for nearly ten hours,
destroying the last few shadowlings the natives of Tokyo had been too
weak to eliminate. Presently, they proceeded to the vortex crystal and
the great winding tower of sinister energy that swirled about it.

"Not too long ago we cowered down there with them," Masurani remarked
wistfully, albeit sourly. "It must have been months... but I swear...
it feels like yesterday Usagi fought Beryl."

Their transformations had revealed outfits not too dissimilar from the
style of their predecessors, aside from the addition of armlets, and
white shin plating armour, among other plainly cosmetic alterations.
Apparently, the Neo Senshi were expected to see a fair amount of
combat.

'Usagi is very, very brave woman,' Naritha confirmed with an emotional
flutter.

Ayla nodded slowly.

'Hmm,' she agreed, the short affirmation filled with anxiety and
unease.

'What do you mean "hmm"? We still don't know very much about that
bloody thing!' Haisha observed, her sharp tones masking very powerful
bouts of rampaging internalized fear.

"That bloody thing", denoting the tornado of swirling violet and
midnight forces which they approached with as much a sense of its
power as a respect for their overall duty, had taken a firm hold on
the corner of the city in which it had been planted.

'Sailor Pheonix, don't ignore your mystic senses. They will tell you
what you need to know,' Nasura advised her gently.

'Oh, okay... I just thought that was Seraph's job.'

Nasura refrained from sighing before she threw a hinting glance to
Ayla, who bowed her head and nodded.

'Sailor Seraph, what can you tell me about the crystal?'

Naritha took a deep breath, and opened her mind. She bowed her head,
shuddering, and expelled the inhaled lungful sharply an instant later.

'It very, very grave, Ayla,' she nearly whispered, raising her tear
streaked face to meet Ayla's gaze. 'Hundreds caught in. Death for many
days. Much loss, pain, and fear on those threatened by it.'

'What else? Haisha? What do you know about that area?'

'It's urban, if that's what you mean. Lots of people are... oh hell!'
she stopped as she gained a flickering sense of Naritha's explaination
of the situation. 'Shit. Were! Oh Seraph.... you're - oh god - right.
It's killing the residents of the area and...' she paused to breathe,
eyes wide with shock. 'Literally growing! Look at those apartment
buildings!'

Each of the four senshi trained their mystically augmented sight on
the buildings, which appeared as though they had been blown or split
open by some muscular giant. They shared angered, determined, or
sorrowed glances as the reality struck home.

'I don't know what to...' Ayla muttered softly as she shook her bowed
head. 'Is there anything else?'

There was a stern, unwieldy, and stark silence. It was not a concern
they wished to face, but knew, that that was the very reason for their
Knighthood. Such a demand could only be carried on a fellowship of
shoulders.

'There's an energy shield surrounding it,' she explained. 'Masurani?'

'Hai?'

'Would you hit it with one of your chi bolts?'

Masurani glanced questioningly at Ayla, who nodded. A shrill yellow
light formed about Masurani's figure as she gritted her teeth with
effort, squinting fearsomely at her distant target. Then, as she
shoved the ball of fire-like chi forward with her hands, she snapped
of a short vocal report:

'Kei-ya-hei-ya!'

The shimmering bolt flared away and struck the shield with no more
event than a single shudder, causing Haisha to blink as her suspicion
was confirmed.

'Oh geez... It did. It absorbed the energy. That complicates things.'

'No doubt,' Masurani grunted sarcastically.

'We can't let it grow any further... it's nearing central Tokyo!'

'Well, I'm leaving it up to you to figure this out,' Ayla replied
curtly. 'You're the tactician.'

Haisha blinked, as if confused by the order.

'If you won't do it, I'll find someone else!' Ayla snapped, her temper
rising so quickly that Haisha was too startled to answer at first. 'He
will attack soon. You made that abundantly clear. Are you going to
make use of your military knowledge or would you rather join the
civilians down there?!'

'Hell no! I am sorry,' Haisha replied sincerely, her voice hushed by
obedience. 'You just be ready to attack when we return, ne?'

'Don't start. We'll be ready,' she snapped back.

Nasura shook her head, and spoke:

'I swear, you two make up for the lack of any masculinity in this
group. Nasura, be ready to leave in a moment. We are almost there.'

'Hai sensei.'

'Nasura, did you have to make them so skimpy?' Masurani complained
from her own consuming thoughts, tugging at her awkwardly short skirt.

Nasura arched an eyebrow with an amused expression on her face.

'Me? What makes you think I am responsible for their appearance? It's
tailored to your thoughts.'

Ayla giggled as Masurani blushed furiously. She held her silence as
they continued toward Nasura's destination.

'I think you are more feminine than you perceive yourself,' Ayla
observed aptly with a sly grin.

The sky blue haired girl threw her a cold look.

'I swear I never imagined a skirt this short! I'll be flashing guys
all over the place with this thing!'

'Masu-chan,' Naritha interjected. 'Nothing wrong with being womanly. I
worry for being wanton. You like my choice?'

Masurani's regard softened. Naritha's 'choice' was indeed womanly: A
sleeved body suit of silvery blue with knee high shin guarded boots,
white breastplate, upper arm plates, full gauntlets, and standard
white choker. Each piece of armor was also decorated by a single
sapphire crystal.

'Masurani, you can alter your costume if you are not satisfied. I
cannot have my senshi distracted by such details.'

'Good to know,' she replied with a streak of ire.

'I think maybe you should just drop the skirt entirely, Masu-chan. Why
don't you just go for full plate armour?'

She smirked, 'It's no wonder you're the leader, Ayla-chan. I wouldn't
have thought of that.'

'What about something more like this, Masurani?' Haisha offered. Her
purple, shoulderless cat suit struck both the classy and sultry
chords. Masurani gave it a briefly appreciative glance.

'I never really liked the Inner Senshi outfits,' she added.

Nasura demanded their attention sharply.

'You had best make it quick, young one!'

'Hai sensei-san!'

Nasura merely nodded. Ayla cast a serious glance to her friend.

'Geez, she's absolutely intense.'

'Out of the frying pan and into the fire, I think,' Masurani
suggested, cracking her knuckles loudly as the change washed over her.
Her suit was replaced by light plate armour and a skin tight body suit
of dark brown. The armlets, shin plates, and breastplate shone of
newly polished steel, and each bore a crystal of earthen tones.

Ayla gave with a start, amazed by the comparative masculinity.
Masurani winked at her.

'Didn't I say it was a little too little? That thing wasn't fit for a
senshi like me. Oh,' she glanced at Haisha. 'Thanks.'

Haisha merely nodded, seeming to - rightly - concentrate on the task
ahead of them. She was remaining near Nasura, discussing the
statistics and stratagem of battle. The ashen haired girl nodded
deftly at Masurani.

'But Nasura said that the first outfit stemmed from you, why...'

'It was kinda nice, but way too impractical,' she shrugged,
indifference setting upon her face. 'I'd never wear anything like that
if I wanted to fight, really. Too skimpy.'

'Compared to what, a bikini?' Ayla retorted with an arched eyebrow.

'Well, no, that's not what I mean! Too... slutty... I'm not into
flashing my thighs every time I bend over, among other things...'
Masurani's voice faded into silence as she realized that Ayla's outfit
had not changed from that standard. Her expression clouded with
discomfort. 'Sorry! You don't have to stay like that if you don't want
to...'

'Thanks,' she sighed. 'You're a real big help...'

'Halt!' Nasura called back sharply, sounding irritated.

Ayla's eyebrows knitted.

'Is there something wrong?'

'We're having company,' Nasura glared into a point in the sky just
ahead of them.

:If looks could kill; Ayla remarked to herself, :we'd be post mortem:

With a stern thought, she quickly determined a variant of her friend's
outfit over her own. She fashioned a two piece body suit of crimson,
with white plate armour and also the orange-red crystals of Masurani's
design. The upper body armour started at her neck, and stopped at the
wrist and at the bottom of her rib cage. The lower part began at her
waist and ended evenly at a pair of ankle-high boots. Masurani handed
her a sly grin, noting the alterations.

Her attention was quickly distracted as a piercing blue light opened
in the air before them. From it the angelic Makoto, and her husky,
thickly muscled soulmate appeared.

'Makoto?' Nasura squinted at the two, as if unsure of their existence.

'Hai. Nasura-san,' Makoto smiled faintly. 'Things have changed.'

Masurani drifted close to Ayla, and whispered:

'She's been working with Makoto already? Why hasn't she told us?'

'Sssh,' Ayla urged, trying to catch the conversation. Despite her
verbal negation, the curiosity that had been awoken within her grew.
Makoto? Was it really her? What had happened? Where had she gone?

'Carl has a small detachment of Rifts Earth Coalition Grunts to assist
you at the forefront. I know you're ill prepared.' She faced the four
star-eyed young women, awed by someone they idealized and adored even
more greatly since her unwilling departure from Earth. 'Are these your
senshi?'

Ayla bowed respectfully to Makoto. A blush warmed her cheeks faintly
as she realized how sharply attractive Hanlan was.

'Makoto-sama, I am Apollo Ayla, Sailor Sol, leader of the Neo Senshi.
This is Sarle Masurani, Sailor Titan, Mishuru Haisha, Sailor Phoenix,
and Walynn Naritha, Sailor Seraph.'

'An honor to meet you,' she bowed deeply. Each of the four instantly
replied the bow, feeling varying degrees of embarrassment and unmasked
shock at being so abruptly distinguished.

'The honor is ours!' Ayla quickly established, a wash of crimson upon
her cheeks.

'I'm sorry I cannot fight with you for very long,' Makoto apologized.
'But we are going to approach Uraki-Ayo on our own terms.'

'"We"? The Inner Senshi?' Haisha queried eagerly.

'Hai. We have been reunited,' she smiled to the young woman.

'Sailor Sol, Makoto, Sailor Phoenix and I must leave you,' Nasura
determined abruptly. 'We must locate the last of your senshi.'

'On that point,' Makoto began forebodingly, her darkening eyes locking
with Nasura's. 'I learned something you're not going to like.'

'What?' Nasura nigh pleaded, the leaden weights within her soul
seeming to increase.

'This was discovered at the murder site of Kinisou Thanus,' she
stated, handing her four small jade crystals. At the paling of
Nasura's complexion, it was plain the import of the event.

'This isn't possible!' she gasped, gazing stolidly at the shining gems
resting in her palm. 'She wouldn't have!'

'She did,' Makoto decreed. 'She left signature chi constructs
everywhere. Thanus' body was laced with them.'

The four young woman gazed at each other in certain unbelief.

'I'm sorry to have to tell you this,' Makoto sighed, as deeply wounded
as any other there. 'But Ether Xalia is a traitor and murderer.'

Dramatically, she faced the stark angel, and spoke:

'Haisha, come.'

'Hai sensei,' she replied faintly, still stunned by the facts Makoto
had presented.

'But sensei! Who is Xalia?' Ayla tossed forth, seeking an answer,
knowing the chance of receiving one was slim.

'The first Neo Senshi. Sailor Ether, who I Knighted just after the
Inner Senshi disappeared. There isn't really time to explain it!
Haisha!'

'Hai!'

'Good luck...' Ayla offered with a weak bow. Nasura bowed deeply to
Makoto, then briefly to Ayla and the remaining senshi. At a pace Ayla
could only guess was mystically augmented, they departed the scene
without another spoken syllable.

'You may lead, Sailor Sol,' Makoto offered with a wan smile. She
nodded to her mate, and they trailed only seconds behind as Ayla set
the pace towards their target.

'What the hell?' Masurani snapped. 'She killed the other squires?
She's why we're senshi?'

'I don't know,' Ayla replied. 'I thought she said the clones were
responsible.'

'Look Sol, I don't know how you expect her to know. She isn't
perfect.'

Ayla said nothing, having fallen into one of her trances of
consideration.

:How did she know?:

'I sense Nasura with much fear and tension. She not like self much
now,' Naritha elaborated, taking advantage of the silence.

'I don't think I'd be too pleased with me either if I screwed up like
this,' Masurani frowned, feeling somewhat unnerved. 'Why'd she still
go off to check out Thanus' place if there's no chance of bringing
back another senshi? And what if she does? Don't think I won't fry
this chick if I ever see her!'

Ayla snapped out of her mental pacing and spoke up:

'I'm not sure what her tactic is, but it might be more complex than it
first seems. Nasura trained her personally! In that department, she
would be well ahead of us.'

'So what? Her magic tricks won't help her out of that mess!'

Ayla regarded her friend sternly.

'You don't know that. As Sailor Ether she had ten times the chi
resources we do! Not to mention the mental disciplines... I should
hope all of that makes a difference!'

'That just makes her more dangerous,' Masurani replied with a huff. 'I
mean c'mon! Aren't you worried at all?!'

'Some of us have more faith than you do,' Ayla stated calmly. 'It all
centers around the second line of the code. Don't you remember? "Keep
the Word, with every Means at your disposal." Xalia may be protecting
us anyway...'

'You're dreamin',' Masurani scoffed, rolling her eyes. 'Faith won't
win the war.'

'It's better than getting down about it,' she rebuked softly with the
slight appearance of accusation. 'Don't you believe in them?'

'Sure, but I can trust the Inner Senshi. This chick though,' she
scoffed, 'No way. Not a chance.'

'Ah... if may speak mind?' Naritha interjected hesitantly. Both girls
continued to glare at each other, holding a rocky silence. The young
Chinese girl took that as an affirmative.

'If sense right, then Nasura believe same,' she observed, glancing at
the spiteful pair. 'I say give chance. May not be Xalia acting on free
will. Recall what NegaForce did to Mamoru? Could be same, now.'

A regretful look fell over their faces as Naritha's point struck home.

'I guess, but I won't trust that until I can get some proof. If not,
I'm gonna smoke this chick,' she declared assuredly, smacking one
gloved hand into the palm of the other.

'We'll just have to wait and see,' Ayla stated.

---

'What are we looking for?' Haisha questioned, examining the remains of
the slivers of couch. She picked up a two silver crossbow bolts and
scrutinized them with eye as much as mystic sense. Upon finding
nothing, she dropped them, standing to face her mentor.

'Anything. I'm hoping she left some kind of trace spell...'

'Can she do that? It doesn't look like she was here very long. Not
that I have your weaving experience.'

'Of course. She was a very talented mage. Her wind powers were only an
extension of her wind elemental abilities...'

'I knew that. How long ago was she initiated?'

'It's been a month. What I fail to comprehend is why her crystal
didn't... ah!' she exclaimed, grasping a thumb tack and holding it
with a smile. 'Here we go.'

'What? That's it?' Haisha blinked, staring curiously at the ordinary
looking object.

'Hai,' she nodded, reciting a few words, at which point the thumb tack
became a small green orb. She closed her eyes, and the orb began to
seethe light. An image of a young woman's face appeared above it, cut
off at the unclothed shoulders.

'What's with the tripped out background?' Haisha queried, giving the
cross between a football, baseball, and soccer field floating
erratically sideways a strange look as unusually large balls from each
game floated suspended in mid air across the field. Nasura's eyes
drifted open.

'There's only one method... a chancy and risky one at that, but...
this was woven on the subconscious level,' she decided seriously.
'Like a dream.'

'Okay, so I guess that explains the background... but good Goddess!
How?'

Nasura said nothing.

'I guess I misjudged her,' Haisha admonished. 'She's tough.'

'That is precisely why I chose her Haisha-chan,' Nasura elaborated
needlessly. Haisha set her with sorrowful gaze and nodded.

The image glancing about as Nasura muttered invoking tones, then
glanced towards between the two awaiting women.

'Nasura! Oh I hope it's you who found this message, and not one of
Uraki's shadowlings. Not much of a chance of that. Only the clones'
senses are fine enough to detect this. So, I've been captured, but
then, I guess that's kinda obvious now,' she laughed. Suddenly, the
jubilant expression was slain. 'I've killed. Not just Asa, Inasu and
Thanus... I'm sorry, but I know he won't make it. My power is superior
now, increased by the NegaForce like it is. He doesn't stand a chance.
None of them did. I've probably killed six or more now. I'm not
sure...' she paused and put her hands to her head as if seeking the
pressure points of a headache. 'It's getting harder to fight off the
spell. I guess I should just finish this so you can stop me. By the
time you get this, you'll have chosen your senshi because there's no
one left. Uraki-Ayo was precise in forcing the issue. Don't
underestimate him, sensei, or me. I've been given a Galleon Trident. I
know, it's pretty major stuff. Not much chance of you beating me
without killing... uh...' she gazed downwards for a moment. 'Well, I
knew what I was doing when I accepted the Knighthood. This is what
it's all about, right?'

She paused for a wistful, somewhat lost expression. Then shook her
head tiredly and resumed:

'Anyway, you should know I've only personally killed four of the
candidates. I know it's lame, but what am I supposed to say?! I lose
more of myself the longer the spell stays on me. I'm in a bloody heap
of trouble here...! oh hell. Uraki-Ayo-sama... sama? Damn! You see?
Even if you do somehow manage to save me, it might not even matter! I
guess none of this will if that happens. Okay, enough talk like that
Xalia! How about telling them how to beat us safely? Well, yeah,
right. It is possible. You see, Uraki put a collar on me to make sure
I don't turn on him. I'm nearly as strong as he is now, and could hurt
him pretty seriously. If you can shatter the collar... don't ask me
how, he said it's indestructible. Mentioned something about there
being runes on it, or something. I'm hoping you'll understand what
that means, Kei. If you can destroy that, or use a Break Spell, I
won't be a danger to you, and you can disenchant me.'

Nasura bowed her head, knowing the deadly spell might be the only way,
and not enjoying the knowledge of it a single bit.

'That's all I can do. Oh, yeah, right... Watch yourself. Uraki may set
me after you. Actually, I'm quite certain he will, since the clones
aren't quite ready to take you on. I do mean you, Nasura. He figures
I'm strong enough now. As for the clones, you should warn your senshi
against them. They've been given the task of individually taking out
each Neo Senshi. They're tough enough to do it, too. Haisha will have
already been attacked by now. I hope she's okay.'

'Yeah, fan-frickin-tastic, no thanks to you,' Haisha remarked. 'Was
she responsible for the clones?'

Nasura shook her head vaguely with a slight, ill-inspired shrug.

'I don't know how he made the clones, but I've tried to send those who
won't have any advantage other than raw power. Jisuruka is getting
suspicious, so she might override my commands. If she does, there's
nothing I can do. She's closer to Uraki and even I am. She's the only
major obstacle I face. She's really creepy...

'Um, anyway, I'm running out of manna, so I have to end this spell.
All I can ask is that you do the best you can. If you have to kill me
to save the others, then... well, you know. Just do it. I'm hoping
things go right. Or, something, or whatever...

'Goodbye Nasura-san. Whatever happens, I trust you.'

The image died as she bowed her head. Nasura no longer gazed upon it,
her head similarly poised, silent tears streaming down her reddened
cheeks...

---

'Where has she gone!?' he cried. The four young women who stood before
him had each a unique reaction: The brunette flinched, wringing her
gauntleted hands, a frightened expression marking her face. The blue
haired girl snarled as her auric power peaked, causing the other girls
to step back. The remaining two, a raven haired girl - who's s arguing
with Jisuruka ceased, the last girl of a trademark infringing purple
odango atama.

'Curse that wretched girl!'

'You cannot of have honestly expected her to maintain her alliance,'
Jisuruka stated evenly.

'No. As a matter of fact, Yanei has exceeded my expectation. That is
the curse of the matter,' he snarled. The expression faded, to be
replaced by an earnest smile. 'I am proud of her. To have eluded me
portrays cunning I did not believe she had. Cunning you four,' he spat
vehemently. 'Most of all your dead sister, fail to show me. We are
very close to ending this war. Mistakes cannot be afforded!'

'What about the spooked multitude?' the blue haired girl requested.

'Slaughtering thousands of humans at once would be foolhardy. We need
their life force to survive. Killing them all would dramatically
shorten the duration of our reign,' he growled. 'Even if we had such
resources. Which we do not.'

'Panji just wants to play with the senshi,' the midnight haired girl
grinned.

'Ah, well, that is understandable. While I hardly advocate needless
torture, she has earned it. Such betrayal I cannot tolerate.' He
turned and approached the battered and bound young woman who winced
weakly at the protrusion of dark iron through her midsection.

'You see Xalia? I have kept my end of the bargain. This is the result
of your treachery. Did you honestly believe that such a simple spell
would elude me?'

She could not meet his eyes, for she could not move her face, the lips
of which were locked to Panji's. Consummate hatred glowered within her
soul.

'"Cie la vie," as the humans say,' he stated coldly, turning away from
the badly wounded young woman, in both physical and emotional terms.

'I never trusted her,' Jisuruka remarked.

'Then you believe the alliance was a mistake?'

She floundered in place, gazing about for support, and upon finding
none, lowered her eyes submissively.

'No Uraki-Ayo-sama. No. Forgive me.'

'No Jisuruka,' he said, his voice gaining an interested tone. 'Explain
to me your reasoning.'

She blinked at him, stunned, then realized she had just received an
order.

'Omae-sama, I am worried she has cost us time and energy we do not
have to spare. The Inner Senshi seem limitless!'

'A valid concern, I admit, but do not worry about that which you fail
to comphrend in its entirety. You have other matters to attend.'

'Hai. If it is your desire,' she paused, gazing on as the blue and
black haired girls had their way with the weakly struggling Xalia. 'I
understand she's strong?'

'Quite,' Uraki-Ayo agreed. 'Her strength was yours twofold. She would
be a fair challenge for you to defeat at full strength. No matter! You
may each have a turn with her. Jisuruka and I must leave to discuss
other plans.'

As they proceeded apace, the young woman's vitality was renewed by the
ignition of humiliation and sun paling agony, and the verbal
expression of it in languishing moans and pleas for mercy.

Jisuruka frowned behind the pneumatically closing door of iron and
manna.

'She's very pretty. A hyperactive, sweet girl. It's not her fault she
was chosen by the Kei.'

'On the contrary, it is very much her fault. She summoned and executed
every skill and talent in her grasp to achieve the status of Neo
Senshi. If she had not, Nasura simply would have selected another.
Nonetheless, she was the first, and is to be the last. Nasura is aware
of her subterfuge, and attempts even now to seek a method of rescuing
her. Her attitude regarding this matter puzzles me. Before long she
will be dead. I really fail to see how she might be worth the
trouble.'

Uraki-Ayo neared a redwood throne and carefully placed himself upon
it.

'I think it is due to her loyalty. Such allies are worth preserving,
if one has the resources. Uraki-san, I offer, in that light, that she
may make a useful pawn. Another lever with which to tip the scales?'

'As I have repeatedly stated, we may not have the resources to ensue
such a ploy, but time will tell. If you deem it of strategic value, I
will keep her. Keep in mind that your senshi will pay the cost should
it not prove wise. You know as well as I the chances of defeat are
equal on each side of the confrontations yet to occur.'

'Of course Uraki-sama,' Jisuruka bowed respectively.

'Even this unexpected variable does not alter the odds. The Bishojo
Sailor Senshi's advancement has upset the balance too greatly.'

'Omae-sama?' Jisuruka puzzled, approaching the ages old leader and
sitting upon his lap.

'They are angels now, Jisu-chan,' he explained gently, resting his
hand upon her naked thigh and caressing it softly. 'They are holy
beings, with power enough to annihilate any total force I can send at
once, given our limited resources. Even the clones are not so
powerful. I could not have prepared for this!' he snarled, smacking
his fist on Jisuruka's thigh, who uttered out faintly as the bone
under her flesh cracked.

'Forgive me Jisu-chan,' he whispered, chastising himself internally as
he took several calming breaths. He began caressing her thigh again,
but with greater effort, letting a spell heal the damage done by his
rampant temper. 'You have not been unkind to me. This was not
warranted.'

She bit her lip, and bowed her head.

'It is my fault. If I had known, you would not have become angry.'

She pushed a hand under his cloak, and reached to push his hood away.

'Listen child! Do you not hear me? This is pure foolishness,' he
growled faintly, removing her hand from his hood. 'You do not deserve
the brunt of my temper. Moreover you know better. There is no source
in this realm which could have informed you before I had.' :Mostly
because I have seen your spies slain, and you know it: 'Forget the
womanly nonsense in your head and listen to my words.'

Jisuruka did not seem fazed as she retreated her hands, clasping them
in her lap.

'I have decided that you are to pose as a Neo Senshi, and undermine
them. Though it is clear Nasura is aware of the situation, I believe
she will not be able to refuse you.'

'Omae-sama, I fail to understand,' Jisuruka blinked.

'You must assume the appearance of a defector. Nasura will offer you
asylum, even though she is well aware of your past deeds. It is not in
their manner to refuse the needy. Do you understand?'

'Hai Uraki-Ayo,' Jisuruka nodded, hiding her nervousness. It would
have to be a fairly dire situation for her to betray the NegaForce.
She knew she would have to suffer near deathly wounding to gain
Nasura's sympathy. Hardly a mollifying thought.

'Also, I would appreciate it if you could locate and terminate Yanei.'

Jisuruka nodded simply, straining to contain her reservations.

'And the odds?'

Uraki-Ayo smirked self-applaudingly.

'Yanei poses absolutely no threat. I simply abhor loose ends. As for
the young senshi, I can make you the match of any one of them. That
will come later. For now, you may let that womanly nature of yours do
as it will.'

A smile met her lips as she slipped his hood away and slid open his
cloak, laying a generous kiss upon his crackled and worn lips...

---

'What happened to Makoto?' Masurani demanded.

'I wish I knew... she's so...'

'Glorious?' Naritha suggested, coining the point precisely.

'Hai. Glorious,' Ayla agreed.

:Makoto?:

Stifling the tired look on her face, she turned to Hanlan, who
regarded her with a concerned expression.

:Uhm, yeah...?:

He frowned.

:You're dead tired babe. No foolin' me: She looked away from him. He
was right. Sleep had eluded her for a near fortnight.

:What can we do, Han? I can't just let them fight this alone. They
need the morale boost:

:Yeah, but you can't push yourself, either. I'm not just gonna watch
ya fall apart; his thick hand touched her shoulder. :Even if y' are
immortal now... Even angels have limits:

:Unfortunately:

:Listen darlin', you know what matters? Just you and me. I married you
because I couldn't give a damn about anything else but you. The
Coalition, the D-Bees, the slums, the slaver witch and that silly
dragon...:

:They're nothing:

:That's right babe. Zip. Zilch. Nada. So quit thinkin' and let's find
our happy ending... okay?:

She shook her head in an attempt to stay the fatigue gripping at her.
Silence lent Hanlan another unusually sensitive thought:

:Just take it easy, okay? Just let me do most of the fighting:

Her eyes met his.

:Yeah, right; she replied sarcastically.

:You know what I mean, sexy:

Slowly, she nodded, finding it hard to relent.

'Makoto! You ready?' Ayla called back.

She answered an affirmative in reply. Internally, she prayed that she
was as her body failed to answer the conviction of her will. Before
them lay a twisting tower of colour, shaping the sky as if wrought by
the hands of a drug infused surrealist artist. The five senshi reeled
from the potency of the dark essence leaking through the portal.

'This is it, right? When does the party start...?'

Ayla shook her head uselessly.

There was a sudden wash of cold like the onset of a wall of winter
clouds, bringing with it an abrupt temprature drop of nearly ten
degrees. All eyes centered on the black eye of the swirling mass of
dark energy.

'I guess that's our cue!' Masurani cried as a swarm of shadow-like
creatures descend abruptly upon them. The searingly low hallowing war
cry of the shadowlings was accompanied by the already bloodied edges
of claws and other weapons as the first strike fell.

Ayla estimated a rough fifty or so, and was hard pressed to determine
if they were overpowered. There was no telling the degree of their own
comparative strength, and that of Makoto and her love. She found
herself dodging frantically the strike of many a demon, and not all of
them successfully. Masurani's design proved to field most of the
damage, but failed to take into account the more tender parts of the
anatomy. She made a note to herself - if she lived through the battle
- to add padding.

Makoto responded like lightning, her rune sword swiftly dismembering
the nearest enemy. Masurani followed suit, drawing her own iridescent
Bo into existence and delivering some impressive damage. Hanlan,
albeit with a fair degree of comparative sluggishness, brought his
club into action, crushing several of the creatures with his initial
attack. The pressed-into-combat Naritha seemed to manage with her
gauntleted fists alone, even though she simply and aptly avoided a
half dozen unorganized strikes.

"You weren't kidding, were you Sailor Titan?" Ayla called, ducking a
deftly delivered clawed strike. She forgot the awkwardness of using
the unfamiliar Neo Senshi name, favoring the privacy of the reference.

'Ki-HA!' Masurani cried, pushing her hands forward to release a burst
of fire-like energy. 'Me? Kid you? Heck no,' she replied with steep
inwardly drawn breath and curt glance at her friend. 'Sailor Seraph is
one tough gal!'

As the horizon of the battle lit the edge of each senshi's mind, it
rather appeared that they would be able to hold the unending stream of
demons. Until, they realized, that even as the creatures were
defeated, the number was replenished, and after several minutes,
increased.

'This isn't exactly working out the way I planned it!' Ayla declared
over the sounds of battle. 'Not that I actually had time to...'

'Hai, Sailor Sol!' Makoto agreed. She lowered her head and sword,
pointing it towards twenty or so approaching demons. A red light
gathered at the red-grey razor edging of the blade, and then focused
forward in a simple beam, incinerating everything in the path it
constructed through the wall of shadowy beasts. Masurani and Ayla both
seemed stunned. Han, on the other hand, bellowed a very male cheer.

'Now is not the time for admiration!' Makoto called, curtailing their
distraction. In response, Sailor Titan merely smirked. She applied her
fist to one of the demons, adding a pair of words to her strike:

'Stone Fist!'

The creature suddenly became a statue of incredible detail before
falling several hundred feet to shatter on the street below.
Impressed, she continued with that approach, sans attack phrase.

'Light Spire!' Ayla hollered, gesturing towards the nearest demon,
which screamed inhumanly as it was consumed by a pillar of blinding
luminescence. Naritha gripped an iridescent shield, and stepped up her
mode of combat by disabling the occasional opponent with carefully
discerned attacks.

'Sailor Titan! Cover Sailor Seraph!' Ayla ordered. It instantly
occurred to her that the level of war had been temporarily brought to
an even state. Their battle status was relinquished to a mere
temporary condition due to the further increase of shadowlings, which
seemed to double. The combat wore on, and Ayla noted an untimely
weakness constraining Makoto, who had demonstrated the greatest
prowess in this small war. Consumed by her own unceasing opponents,
she lacked the ability to offer assistance. Separated from the others,
Makoto's fatigue finally overtook her, and her strength waned.

:Makoto! Flee!; Ellison warned. Unfortunately, one of the creatures
removed the sword from her slackened grasp with a solid blow. A pair
of demons took her arms, holding her, as a third struck at her
stomach.

Masurani's anger spiked as she watched Makoto's restraint. She
attempted to carve a path through the unyielding creatures with
several bolts of focused chi. Yet, they replaced those vaporized in
such a manner that seemed to indicate they were aware of her targets.
There was a blur of light, and the shadowling holding Makoto's right
arm washed away as it absorbed the creature. With an easy throw,
Makoto propelled the second some distance away, her strength fueled by
unconcealed rage.

'Sensei!' Masurani gasped.

A tall, thickly muscled man adorned in an orange gi smiled towards her
darkly - yet warmly, his thick black eyebrows set to match the stern
expression of his face.

'Good evening Masurani!" he responded affectionately as he relaxed
into an offensive stance. "What's going on?' His voice betrayed his
intense look by portraying the stark calmness and pleasantry of his
disposition.

'It's a long story, I'm just glad you're here!' Masurani stated
openly, taking advantage of the demons' pause. Her Bo segmented the
six before her by the time they realized that the stranger was not on
their side.

'Well, maybe you'll find some time to tell me about it.' He pressed
his hands together, palms faced towards a target, which he vaporized
in short order with an energy bolt, along with the dozen others within
its path. 'I guess I didn't make it back.'

She looked puzzled.

'What? What do you mean?'

'Home,' he said plainly. His body became a tornado of fists and feet
as he proceeded to level the opposing army. Over eighty shadowlings
fell, dropping like ill-trained white belts. After the passage of mere
seconds, he halted, and said; 'Your training was finished so I tried
to get home, but I guess I didn't make it...'

Masurani nodded seriously.

'Gomen nasai, sensei.'

'That's okay,' he shrugged, zen-style. 'I would have helped anyway.'

They gathered about the stranger.

'Masu-chan! You mean you know this...' Ayla's voice faded as she gazed
at him. She blushed harshly. 'Gomen!'

He shrugged, pleasant smile warming his face.

'That's okay. Uh, I suppose you're Masurani's friends?'

'Hai,' she nodded. 'Since we were very young. She - um - never told me
you were so...' she cleared her throat, eyes wide. 'Um, I mean...
about you.'

She giggled nervously. It was Masurani's turn to blush.

'Well, um... Okay, everyone, this is Goku. Goku, this is Kino Makoto.'

'Ireson Kino Makoto,' she corrected pointedly.

'Oh!' Masurani gasped with a blink and a smile. 'Gomen nasai
Makoto-san.'

'Nevermind,' she replied.

'Good evening,' Goku bowed. She bowed at the waist in reply.

'Um, that's... um...'

"Uh, Hanlan Ireson," Han supplied with a slightly irritated
expression. "If ya dig I'm not Japanese, eh?"

'Sure,' Goku bowed, looking vaguely puzzled, then sighed indifference.

'Hai. Then there's Naritha,' who bowed as Goku did. She blushed, and
giggled anxiously. Goku merely smiled.

'So what's going on here? What's with all the demons?'

'Invasion,' Makoto supplied frankly. 'By the way... um, Goku-san,
thank you for helping me.'

He squinted at her for a moment, then spoke in gauged, serious tones.

'Are you an angel?'

"Like frickin' lightning, ain't ya?" Hanlan muttered. "Too bad yer
brain ain't as fast as yer fist!"

:Hanlan, he means well:

:I knew that Mako-babe, but how can a guy be so flippin' strong and so
flippin' stupid?:

:Does it bother you that you see yourself in him that much?; she
inquired, though not unkindly.

:Uh... what'ya mean, babe?:

:You want to know why I fell for you, buster?:

:Sure. I told you. Looks, brains, and kick-ass fightin' skill:

:Because you treated me with respect. Even when you refused the idea
that I could defend myself:

:What, it's that damned simple? You ain't kiddin'?:

Makoto merely glanced at him for a solitary instant, lending Hanlan a
reassurance he had not previously been privvy to. By the love of his
life, he had been told that even in his worst days, he had offered a
very rare, and honorable thing. It was to him a very worthy treasure.
So, even as Makoto broke their short lived conversation to answer
Goku's smoldering question, Hanlan drifted over to her and wrapped an
arm about her waist, smiling without restraint.

'Hai.'

'Why are you here?'

In a world separate from the war, the mindless violence, the
threatening evil, Makoto answered his question with a peace of soul
that stilled all onlookers.

'I am here to defend all that I have loved, and to protect the future
of this world. I know you have done no less in all you have come
through.'

He blinked slowly, as if in reply. Han wafted over to him. The two
made for an impressive comparison: Hanlan, a tough looking thug of
unmistakable physical prowess, standing over the more attractive Goku
who represented the shorter, faster, while still remarkably muscled
fighter.

'So just who are you anyway,' Hanlan demanded, not bothering to bear
kid gloves. 'How'd you truss up those shadowthings so damned fast
anyway?'

'That's another thing!' Ayla agreed.

Goku did not seem at all intimidated by Hanlan's greater stature. He
pressed a hand to the back of his head with a well mannered smile and
laughed, 'Can I help it if I'm strong?'

'Strong!?'

Masurani laughed along with him.

'Nasura should be back soon,' Ayla offered. 'When she gets back, we
can talk.'

'That's fine. It will be a while before the next wave arrives,' Makoto
explained.

'How long?' Ayla questioned tensely.

'Ten to twelve hours. Maybe longer.'

'Oh, okay,' Goku replied, relaxing. 'Can I get some food then? I'm
starving!'