Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Earth Scout Chronicles - Season One ❯ Destiny Calls ( Chapter 3 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: jasonulloa 
The birth of the Sailor Scouts and the first battle for the Earth....
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Drama / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.18.2003 | Updated On: 09.21.2003 | Pages: 10 | Words: 6.9K | Visits: 285 | Status: Completed
The birth of the Sailor Scouts and the first battle for the Earth....
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Drama / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.18.2003 | Updated On: 09.21.2003 | Pages: 10 | Words: 6.9K | Visits: 285 | Status: Completed
Chapter 3: Destiny Calls
Serenity and Endymion watched from the balcony as the guests entered the
ballroom. As Serenity stood next to Endymion, holding onto his arm, she began to
forget the apprehensive feeling she had not too long ago, when she experienced that
foreboding premonition as she stared at the Earth. When she told her mother and
Endymion, when he arrived, they had both told her that it might have meant nothing
at all. Although she still held some apprehension over what she felt, she wasn’t as
worried over it as she was before. Just being near Endymion helped.
Earlier, Endymion had told her about what Ryoku had told him a few days
ago. The news surprised her a little bit. "Really? Ryoku told you he’s found
someone?" she said, smiling.
"Yeah, but he didn’t tell me who," Endymion said. "He said I’d find out when
everyone else did."
"I’ve always wondered why he never had a girlfriend before," Serenity mused
aloud. "He always seemed like such a nice guy to me."
More guests were starting to fill the ballroom. One quick glance over the
ballroom told her that none of her friends had arrived yet.
"I’ll bet it’s Minako," Endymion said suddenly.
"What?" Serenity asked, a little confused.
"I was talking about who Ryoku likes. I’ll bet it’s Minako."
"You think so?" Serenity asked contemplatively. Just then, Ami, Rei, Minako,
Makoto and Ryoku all entered the ballroom at the same time. "Oh, look. They’re all
here. I guess we’ll soon find out."
Serenity and Endymion left the balcony and went to join the others. Makoto
was the first to see them and waved them over. "Hi, Serenity! Hi, Endymion! So,
when’s the wedding?" she said as soon as the couple had approached.
"Hi, Makoto," Serenity said, smiling. "The wedding is going to be held in a few
weeks."
"A few weeks?" Ami asked, surprised. "That soon?"
"Well...," Endymion began.
"Aw, come on, Ami," Minako said as Endymion faltered. "I think it’s romantic.
I bet it’s going to be such a big wedding. After all, everyone in the Moon Kingdom will
be there since it’s the Moon Princess who’s getting married."
"Yeah, it’ll probably last for a few days, at least," Rei added.
"There’ll be lots of dancing," Makoto said, glancing at her brother, who gave
her a questioning look in return.
"Speaking of which," Endymion said, taking Serenity’s hand as the music
began to play, "would you care to dance?"
"I would love to," she answered and followed him onto the dance floor.
Ryoku smiled to himself as he watched them leave. Turning back to the
others, he noticed that Rei had already left and Minako was talking to some guy.
Makoto and Ami were off to one side, talking. ‘Hmm, might as well wait until she’s
done. Don’t want to interrupt.’
As Minako walked off to the dance floor with the guy she was talking with,
Makoto finished talking with Ami and walked over to where Ryoku was watching the
dancing crowd. "Something wrong, Ryoku?" she asked, "Usually you would’ve
already found a dance partner and started dancing by now."
Ryoku looked at his sister and grinned. ‘Well, I guess this is as good a time
as any.’ "Actually, I was waiting for someone."
"Oh?" Makoto asked, grinning slyly. "Who?"
"You’ll see," Ryoku said casually and walked over to where Ami was standing.
He noticed she was watching the crowd just as he was a while ago. "Hello, Ami," he
said, walking up to her.
"Hello, Ryoku. I thought you would’ve been out there already," she said,
pointing at the dance floor.
"Well, I wanted to ask you to dance sooner, but since you were talking to
Makoto at the time, I decided to wait."
"You waited just to dance with me?"
"Yes. A gentleman will always wait for a lady, especially one as beautiful as
you," Ryoku told her with a small smile.
Ami blushed a little at the compliment. "Thank you, Ryoku."
"Would you care to dance with me?" he asked, offering her his hand.
"Yes, I’d love to," she replied, following Ryoku to the dance floor.
Naru dashed through the main hallway of the Moon Palace searching for
Prince Endymion. She knew he had to be here since he hadn’t returned to Earth yet.
She could still remember every word of that message she had heard earlier. She
didn’t think she would ever be able to forget it. Just remembering it was enough to
make her rush even more. The ballroom couldn’t be far away.
As she ran through the palace, she noticed that some of the guests were
departing. ‘Oh, I hope this doesn’t mean that the ball is over already,’ she thought
worriedly, searching frantically. ‘I need to find Prince Endymion before he leaves for
Earth.’
Reaching the end of the hallway, Naru was about to turn to the left when she
ran into someone, knocking them both off their feet. "Oh, excuse me," Naru said
quickly. "I’m sorry, I didn’t see you coming."
"That’s all right," Endymion said after getting to his feet, "accidents happen.
Here, let me help you up." Kneeling, he took Naru’s hands and pulled her to her feet.
"You’re Naru, right? Are you okay?"
"Prince Endymion! Finally, I’ve found you! I have an extremely urgent Priority
One message for you from General Sakurada!" she said urgently.
"Priority One!" Endymion exclaimed, completely aghast. "That hasn’t been
used for such a long time. What could have happened to have her use such a level
of urgency?" Endymion frowned at the thought. "Whatever it is, it can’t be good.
Now, Naru, what is the message? What has happened on Earth in my absence?"
Naru quickly told Endymion everything that had happened while he was on
the Moon. "As I left, General Sakurada was preparing to send the army to stop the
invasion from reaching the palace. She’s probably holding them off now as we
speak.
"General Sakurada also wanted me to inform Queen Serenity of our
emergency as well," Naru continued. "She thinks that we may need assistance in
fighting the invading forces."
As Naru recounted the events that had taken place during the last few hours,
Endymion’s expression grew darker and darker. Cities destroyed and casualties
amassed all on the orders of someone named Queen Beryl. His planet was slowly
being taken over by this Queen Beryl and he wasn’t there to prevent it. Although he
knew that just charging off to do battle with the enemy would be both senseless and
foolhardy, that didn’t stop him from wanting to. Still, from what Naru had told him, he
needed a plan and he needed help.
"General Sakurada has the right idea," Endymion said after a long silence.
"From what you’ve told me, we may need help. Let’s go see Queen Serenity. This
news can’t wait."
"Queen Serenity, we may need assistance in fighting Queen Beryl’s forces.
We ask for you to aid us in any way you can," Endymion said.
Endymion, Naru, Queen Serenity and her cat advisors, Luna and Artemis,
were the only ones present in the throne room at the moment. Naru stood silently to
one side after delivering her message to Queen Serenity. Luna and Artemis both
stood at the queen’s side, listening silently as well. Endymion was standing in front
of the seated Queen Serenity, awaiting what she had to say in reply to his request.
"Prince Endymion, it is unfortunate that such a thing should occur, especially
being so close to your wedding day," she said sadly. "It is also sad that such a long
time of peace had to end so abruptly and in such a manner.
"We had prepared for such an occurrence, but from what your messenger,
Naru, has told me, I fear that our preparations may not be enough to end Queen
Beryl’s threat."
"Your Majesty, I’m afraid we have no choice but to revive the Sailor Scouts,"
Luna said.
"Luna’s right," Artemis added. "We won’t have much of a chance without the
Sailor Scouts."
"The Sailor Scouts?" Naru asked. "The five female warriors who saved the
Moon Kingdom from an ancient evil being many years ago?"
"And began the Silver Millennium," Queen Serenity replied. "Yes, the same
ones. I hoped to never have to do so, but Luna and Artemis are right. We can’t take
any chances. We need to revive the Scouts.
"Prince Endymion, you must return to Earth and try to keep Queen Beryl’s
forces at bay. The Sailor Scouts will need time to learn how to use their powers.
Fortunately, that should take only one day. I believe you can hold off Queen Beryl for
that long.
"I will send as many soldiers as I can spare from the palace’s defenses. For
now, this is the best I can do. I need to work on strengthening our defenses here.
You must hurry. The Earth needs you."
"Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask. I would like Prince Ryoku to assist me in
Earth’s defense. Since I must depart for Earth immediately, could you ask him for
me?" Endymion asked.
Queen Serenity nodded. "Certainly, Endymion. I shall have him join you as
soon as possible."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Endymion said, bowing gratefully.
"Of course, Endymion. I wish you good luck. Take care of yourself." As
Endymion left, Naru turned to follow him. "Naru, could you wait a moment? I need
you to perform a task for me."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Naru said, bowing respectfully.
"Thank you, Naru. Would you please ask Ami, Rei, Minako, Makoto and
Ryoku to come here at once?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Naru replied and hurried to summon the prince and
princesses.
Ryoku could not believe his good luck. He had somehow managed to keep
Ami’s company throughout the ball. Noticing the sly look that his sister gave him
earlier, he figured that she had probably told the others and that no one was going to
interrupt his time with Ami. He gave Makoto a mental thank-you for that.
Near to the end of the ball, he decided to follow Endymion’s example and
suggested a walk through the palace’s garden. Ami agreed and followed as he led
the way. They were sitting on the benches together, talking, when Naru ran up to
them.
"Princess Ami, Prince Ryoku, Queen Serenity wants the two of you to come
to the throne room at once. Princess Rei, Princess Makoto, and Princess Minako are
already there. Please hurry," Naru said. She then turned around and went back they
way she came.
After watching Naru leave, Ryoku turned to Ami. She seemed just as
perplexed as he was. "I wonder what that was all about?" he asked her.
"I’m not sure," she said, rising from the bench, "but we should hurry. I have a
feeling it’s not good news."
Ryoku nodded his agreement. "You may be right about that, Ami. Let’s go."
When Ryoku and Ami arrived at the throne room with Naru, everyone turned
to watch them enter. Naru gave a small bow to Queen Serenity and left. The
speculative looks the other three princesses were giving Ryoku and Ami were
enough to make both of them slightly uncomfortable.
"So, what were you two doing that took you so long to get here, hmm?" Rei
asked in an insinuating tone. The knowing expression on her face was mirrored on
both Minako’s and Makoto’s faces as well.
"Um... we were just talking in the palace garden when Naru came and
informed us that Queen Serenity wanted to see us," Ryoku said quickly.
"You were just...," Makoto began, a smile growing on her face.
"...talking?" Minako continued, a similar smile growing on her face as well.
"Really?" Rei added, her smile matching the others’.
"Do you three treat Serenity and Endymion this way, too?" Ryoku muttered,
slightly annoyed.
"Just you two," Minako replied, grinning childishly.
"Yeah, you’re more fun to tease than Endymion," Makoto told her brother
teasingly.
"Gee, aren’t we lucky," Ryoku said sarcastically.
"Why have you called us here, Your Majesty?" Ami asked, changing the
subject. Ryoku gave her an appreciative grin.
"I have some terrible news to tell all of you. From what Naru has told me,
there is a grand scale invasion taking place on Earth as we speak," Queen Serenity
said gravely.
Each of the five in attendance was shocked silent. Ryoku’s hand instinctively
went to his sword and clutched it tightly in controlled anger.
"Prince Endymion has already left for Earth to try to halt it, but he needs
help," Queen Serenity continued. "Prince Ryoku, he has specifically requested your
assistance and skill."
"I would gladly help him in any way I can," Ryoku stated gravely.
"Good. I want you to take half of the palace’s defense forces down to Earth
with you. I have already sent orders for them to follow you to Earth, so you can leave
for Earth as soon as they are ready."
"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied solemnly.
"Now, as for why I have called you four here," Queen Serenity said turning to
the four princesses, "I shall let Luna and Artemis explain." As soon as the queen
was finished, the two cat advisors stepped forward.
"From the information Naru has given us, the invaders follow the orders of
someone named Queen Beryl," Artemis began. "Her forces are very strong. They
have destroyed several cities already and have turned many of the Earth’s population
to their side against their will. The reinforcements Prince Ryoku is to take to Prince
Endymion may not be enough."
"It is for this reason that the decision has been made to revive the Sailor
Scouts," Luna added. "The Sailor Scouts are the Moon Kingdom’s last line of
defense and may be needed if this invasion should spread beyond the Earth."
"I don’t understand, Luna," Minako said, confused. "What does all of this
have to do with us?"
"Each Scout is traditionally the princess of her respective planet. Ami, Rei,
Makoto, Minako, it is your destiny and your duty to become the Sailor Scouts."
"What???" the four princesses all exclaimed in unison.
Noting the stunned disbelief that was obvious on the girls’ faces, Ryoku
asked the question that he was sure was in each of their minds. "How are they
supposed to do that?"
Suddenly, Luna leaped into the air, turned a somersault in mid-leap, and
landed again. As she somersaulted in midair, four different colored pens appeared
and dropped to the floor in front of her. "This is how," she said, looking intently at
each of the four princesses.
As Ryoku glanced over each pen, he noticed that each one also had a
different symbol on it, one for each planet. The red pen had the symbol for Mars;
that was most likely for Rei. The orange pen had the symbol of Venus; that should
belong to Minako. The blue pen had the symbol of Mercury; that one must be Ami’s.
The green pen had the familiar symbol of Jupiter; that one would belong to his sister,
Makoto.
"These are your transformation pens. They will allow you to transform," Luna
said.
"So, how do these things work?" Minako asked as she and the others picked
up their own transformation pen.
"It’s actually very simple," Artemis said. "Minako, you are Sailor Venus. In
order to transform, hold up your transformation pen and shout ‘Venus power, make
up!’"
"Right. Well, here we go," Minako said, holding up her transformation pen.
"Venus power, make up!"
A yellow light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to
completely envelope Minako. Suddenly, the yellow light flashed brightly, then
disappeared, revealing Minako clothed in an orange and white uniform with blue
bows, one in front and in back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with an orange
stone in the center. "Hey, how do I look?" Sailor Venus said, playfully striking a
dramatic pose.
"Different," Ryoku said with an amused smile.
"Hey, how about me?" Makoto asked excitedly.
"You, Makoto, are Sailor Jupiter," Luna said. "All you have to do is hold up
your pen and shout ‘Jupiter power, make up!’"
Makoto grinned widely as she held her pen up. "Here goes nothing. Jupiter
power, make up!"
A green light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to
completely envelope Makoto. Suddenly, the green light flashed brightly, then
disappeared, revealing Makoto clothed in a green and white uniform with pink bows,
one in front and in back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with a green stone in
the center. "All right! This is so cool!" Sailor Jupiter said enthusiastically.
"Now, Rei, the power of Sailor Mars is yours. Hold your pen up and shout
‘Mars power, make up!’" Artemis said.
"All right, let’s do it!" Rei said holding up her transformation pen. "Mars
power, make up!"
A red light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to
completely envelope Rei. Suddenly, the red light flashed brightly, then disappeared,
revealing Rei clothed in a red and white uniform with purple bows, one in front and in
back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with a red stone in the center. "This is
incredible!" Sailor Mars exclaimed.
"Finally, Ami, hold up your pen and shout ‘Mercury power, make up!’ in order
to transform into Sailor Mercury."
"Okay," Ami said, holding up her pen. "Mercury power, make up!"
A blue light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to
completely envelope Ami. Suddenly, the blue light flashed brightly, then disappeared,
revealing Ami clothed in a blue and white uniform with light blue bows, one in front
and in back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with a blue stone in the center.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Sailor Mercury said, astounded.
Queen Serenity smiled. "Now that you four have become the Sailor Scouts,
Luna and Artemis will begin your training. It is important that you learn to use your
powers. Now, hurry. We don’t have much time."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the four Sailor Scouts replied and proceeded to follow
Luna and Artemis out of the room.
"Good luck!" Ryoku shouted after them. In reply, all four waved at him and
left.
"Queen Serenity, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to see if I can’t help the
soldiers complete their preparations a little bit faster," Ryoku said, after the girls left
the room. "I shall inform you of when we are going to leave." Ryoku bowed deeply
and turned to leave.
"Ryoku," Queen Serenity called before he could leave.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked.
"Please be careful and make sure Prince Endymion does the same. Serenity
would be heartbroken if anything should happen to him."
Ryoku nodded and smiled confidently. "Your wish is my command, Queen
Serenity."
General Sakurada lowered her binoculars. After seeing them massive army
she was about to confront, she was beginning to worry about her chances for
keeping the upcoming skirmish from becoming a rout of her troops. ‘Not very good
odds in my opinion, but until Prince Endymion arrives with reinforcements there is
no other alternative. Hopefully, I can at least slow them down.’
Sakurada looked over her surroundings. There were a few hills, like the one
she was on, but the area was mostly plains. She would be able to see the enemy
easily, but it would be the same for them as well. They had the advantage in strength
and, most likely, experience. All her army had was the determination to oppose the
ones who destroyed their homes, their friends and their loved ones. ‘If only that were
enough...,’ she thought and sighed.
Queen Beryl’s forces were about twenty minutes from reaching them.
Wearily, Sakurada placed her hand unconsciously on the sheathed sword at her
side as she descended from the hill. Her troops were waiting patiently for her; some
of them, impatiently. As soon as she reached the bottom, her subordinates
approached, ready to receive her orders.
"The enemy should arrive in approximately twenty minutes. Make sure
everyone is ready," she told them. They each wordlessly saluted and left to carry out
her order.
When the last of her subordinates returned and reported that everyone was
ready, Sakurada silently nodded and turned her gaze to the south. She could see the
first wave of invaders approaching at a run.
‘It is time,’ she thought as she drew her sword. Behind her, she could hear the
sounds of several swords being drawn. Holding her sword tightly, she raised it
straight into the air. "Ready?" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Her troops behind
her shouted a deafening affirmative. The enemy was closing in quickly. There was
only five hundred yards before they would be upon them. ‘For our peace,’ she thought
reverently as she swung her sword to where it was now pointing at the charging
horde.
"Charge!" she cried out challengingly.
Almost as one, her entire army charged to meet the enemy. Within moments
the air was filled with the sounds of clashing swords, battle cries and screams of
death.
Although her soldiers were fighting with all their heart, they were still
outmatched in skill. Only their determination and fervor kept the battle from
becoming a slaughter.
She quickly jumped backwards as her opponent’s sword came within inches
from slicing off her head. ‘That was too close. These fiends fight with incredible skill.
I only hope the Moon’s reinforcements will be enough....’ She dodged another swipe
of the enemy’s blade by jumping to the right and rolling to safety. Quickly getting to
her feet, she lunged at her foe, only to overreach and completely miss, leaving
herself open for a sword thrust through her back.
As she regained her balance, she was surprised by the fact that she wasn’t
dead. ‘That kind of mistake is usually certain death. I should’ve been dead. How...,’
she wondered as she turned to face her enemy again. The answer came to her
when she saw that her foe had been run through by one of her soldiers.
"You should be more careful, General," the soldier chided. "A mistake like
that...." He was cutoff when Sakurada shoved him aside and plunged her sword
through the chest of another enemy soldier.
"You were saying?" she asked in amusement as she removed her sword from
the lifeless body.
"No one’s perfect," he replied, as he got to his feet and shrugged. "Now, shall
we continue?"
"We might as well," Sakurada said, nodding gravely. ‘I hope the others are
faring better than I am....’
"Just my luck," General Nagashima muttered as he lowered his binoculars.
"What is it, General?" one of his subordinates asked.
"I have good news and bad news," Nagashima said. "Your choice."
"Good news first," said the same person.
"The good news is that we only have four opponents."
"I have a feeling I’m not going to like the bad news," another subordinate
muttered under her breath.
Nagashima ignored her remark. "The bad news is that these four are giant
beast-like monsters. Now doesn’t that sound like fun?"
All of his subordinates simply groaned.
"I didn’t think so. Prepare the men. They’ll be here in fifteen minutes."
As his order was carried out, he turned his gaze to the western horizon.
Already he could see the four great beasts heading this way. Each beast was easily
one and a half times the height of a man. Needless to say, these monsters were
going to be tough to beat, even though they were greatly outnumbered. ‘Many of my
men aren’t going to make it through today,’ he thought sadly. ‘I may not like it, but I
have to do it. I have to stall them.’ Just as the monstrous beasts began to close in,
Nagashima signaled his men to charge.
Several soldiers charged the lion-beast, only to miss as it leapt over most of
them and landed on two others, crushing them. It then turned and pounced on two
more, raking them over with huge razor-sharp claws. As others tried to attack the
lion-beast, it either dodged their slashing swords, or simply batted them away with its
huge paws.
The ones fight the dragon-beast weren’t doing any better. Its flaming breath
kept anyone from getting close to it and its tail took care of anyone who managed to
evade its flames.
The bull-beast’s horns were bloody after goring one soldier after another. Its
movements were deliberate, but it was still fast enough to avoid a fair amount of
attacks. The bull-beast’s thick skin was enough to make those attacks that did
succeed seem like mere scratches.
The scorpion-beast’s skin was like armor. It simply stood still as several
soldiers hacked away at it, with little result. After a short time it lashed out with its tail
and claws, making short work of its opposition.
Nagashima’s troops were slowly beginning to do some damage to the four
beasts, but he was losing too many men, and quickly. A sudden movement away
from the battle to the south caught his attention. Looking through his binoculars, he
could see another battle taking place only a few miles away. Also, it was slowly
coming his way. ‘That must be Sakurada’s group over there. I wonder how she’s
doing? Probably better than us.’ He could hear some of his men shouting something,
but he couldn’t make it out. ‘Where is Prince Endymion with those reinforcements?
We can’t keep this up much....’
Nagashima was interrupted mid-thought when he was suddenly tackled from
behind. He realized too late that his men were shouting a warning for him. As he felt
what must have been the lion-beast’s claws rip through his back, drawing vast
amounts of blood, his last thought was a self-reprimand chiding himself for not
paying attention to what was happening around him. A mistake that had cost him his
life.
General Akiyama almost dropped her binoculars in shock when she saw what
was heading her way. ‘Is this what has happened to the people who were taken
against their will?’ she thought as she stared in horror at the grotesquely twisted
forms that were once her people. Some were more deformed than others, ranging
from only slightly discolored to hideously warped beyond recognition.
"I hate to do this, but we must destroy them," Akiyama said sadly, lowering
her binoculars. She continued to stare to the northeast. "They are no longer human;
only monsters." Behind her, her subordinates nodded solemnly.
Fortunately, there were only a thousand of them. She had several thousand.
That should be enough to stop them. Giving the order to prepare the troops, she
drew her sword and waited. When her men were ready she gave the order to charge.
At first, it seemed as though the two sides were evenly matched.
Occasionally, a monster would be defeated, but usually at the cost of several of her
soldiers. As the battle continued, more of her men were dying than the enemy.
Akiyama suddenly found herself facing a monster on her own. It had a short
blade for a left arm, a whip for a right arm, and an evil grin on its face. Its huge
yellow eyes were staring straight at hers.
Quickly, she raised her sword to defend herself, but it used its whip-arm to
bind her hands together. As the monster advanced, raising its blade-arm to strike
her, Akiyama struggled to free herself and failed. The monster swung its blade-arm
straight for her head. She closed her eyes and readied herself for the killing blow.
The blow never came.
Opening her eyes, she saw that before the blade-arm could touch her, one of
her men had blocked it with his sword, while another stabbed it through the back, his
blade coming out the monster’s front. The soldier who had blocked the now lifeless
monster’s attack quickly severed the whip binding her hands.
"Are you all right, General?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes, thank you," she replied, relieved that she was still alive. "Now, let’s get
back to the battle."
As the day started to fade, Akiyama began to realize that her troops wouldn’t
be able to hold off the enemy for much longer. ‘Prince Endymion needs all the help
he can get to fight these evil fiends. Continuing this fight will just waste lives.’ "All
right, everyone," Akiyama began after gathering all of her remaining subordinates,
"we’ve stalled them long enough. I’m ordering a full retreat. Gather as many of the
wounded you can. Don’t try to save those that cannot be saved. Now, hurry!"
As she made a quick estimate of her army’s fighting strength, she was
disheartened to learn that almost half of her men were either dead or severely
wounded and had to be carried. The fact that close to half the enemy was also dead
was a very small consolation.
After defeating six or seven of the enemy, Sakurada had begun to think that
they weren’t as tough as she had originally thought they were. Their power only
seemed to be in numbers.
She quickly glanced around to take a rough estimate of how many of her
troops were left. There were many dead enemies, but the number of her men dead
was greater. Daunted, she turned to face her next opponent, only to realize that they
were slowly moving to the north. In the distance, she could see another battle taking
place. ‘That’s Nagashima’s army!’
Confronting and dispatching another foe, she quickly rushed to where the
other battle was taking place. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw what they
were fighting. There were four gigantic beasts attacking Nagashima’s army. Each
one was bloody, but they seemed to be only slightly injured. ‘I bet that’s human blood,’
not monster, Sakurada thought angrily.
Suddenly, the bull-beast spotted her and charged directly at her. She could
see its horns dripping blood, glistening in the fading sunlight. She held her ground,
waiting for the beast to come closer. Moments before it could impale her with its
huge horns, she leaped to one side, slashing at its legs as it passed. The attack was
enough to cripple the beast. Immediately, several soldiers fell upon the fallen beast,
stabbing and hacking away at it. It managed to injure a few soldiers before it finally
stopped moving.
‘We’ve spent enough time here today,’ Sakurada thought, searching for
Nagashima. ‘It’s time to go.’ As she began to give orders to gather her men for a
retreat, one of Nagashima’s subordinates came to her, carrying Nagashima’s body.
From the look of his torn body, he must have bled to death.
Quickly issuing orders for Nagashima’s army to gather and retreat as well,
Sakurada looked back at the chaos that was taking place behind her. "We may be
retreating for now, but this isn’t over yet," she said coldly. They may have taken
heavy losses, but at least they had bought some time for Prince Endymion to bring
help. Hopefully, it would be enough to stop these evil fiends. If not, then they were as
good as dead.
"This has only just begun."
Jadeite watched as the defending forces retreated. "Well, it seems that these
humans can put up a good fight after all," he said, amused. Looking over what
remained of his army, he estimated that about half was dead. "Well, that doesn’t
matter," he said, gathering the energy he had gained during the battle. "With this
much energy, Queen Beryl should be able to revive Queen Metallia very soon."
As soon as he had gathered all of the energy, he sent it to Queen Beryl. "If
only those foolish humans knew that their battling was only aiding their enemies in
achieving their final victory!" he said, laughing at the thought.
If only they knew....
Nephrite frowned as he saw the remains of the bull-beast. "Worthless beast,"
he muttered. "Not that I needed all four. Now to regenerate the others and collect
their gathered energy."
Slowly, the three remaining injured beasts were healed. After they were
healed, Nephrite began to drain them of the energy they gathered from the deaths of
the numerous humans that they had slain. A giant ball of energy formed between his
hands. Now to send this to Queen Beryl. The energy ball quickly disappeared.
Nephrite contemplated on whether he should revive the bull-beast. ‘There’s no
need. It did its job. If it was stupid enough to get itself killed, then it is of no further
use to me.’
So far, the plan was going according to schedule. The humans would get
their short respite. Tomorrow, they would be crushed.
Nephrite smiled in anticipation.
Zoisite and Kunzite watched as the humans retreated. "It’s a shame that
Queen Beryl wanted us to let the humans retreat. In a few more hours, they would
have all been totally destroyed," Zoisite complained.
"I agree, Zoisite, but Queen Beryl wants the humans energy more than their
destruction at the moment," Kunzite said. "The energy we’ve been gathering from the
humans has been waning. The humans need time to restore their energy. When we
face them tomorrow, we will gather the rest of their energy and crush them!"
"Hmm, yes. I’m looking forward to it," Zoisite said.
"I am, as well. Now, let’s gather the energy we’ve collected for Queen Beryl,"
Kunzite replied. A huge energy sphere appeared between Zoisite and Kunzite and
began to grow. After growing to its maximum size, it disappeared, on its way to
Queen Beryl.
"Tomorrow, humans," Kunzite said with a malicious grin on his face.
"Tomorrow, you will meet your doom!"
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs
to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC,
Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I
would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.
Thank you.
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku:
Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa.
All Rights Reserved.
Serenity and Endymion watched from the balcony as the guests entered the
ballroom. As Serenity stood next to Endymion, holding onto his arm, she began to
forget the apprehensive feeling she had not too long ago, when she experienced that
foreboding premonition as she stared at the Earth. When she told her mother and
Endymion, when he arrived, they had both told her that it might have meant nothing
at all. Although she still held some apprehension over what she felt, she wasn’t as
worried over it as she was before. Just being near Endymion helped.
Earlier, Endymion had told her about what Ryoku had told him a few days
ago. The news surprised her a little bit. "Really? Ryoku told you he’s found
someone?" she said, smiling.
"Yeah, but he didn’t tell me who," Endymion said. "He said I’d find out when
everyone else did."
"I’ve always wondered why he never had a girlfriend before," Serenity mused
aloud. "He always seemed like such a nice guy to me."
More guests were starting to fill the ballroom. One quick glance over the
ballroom told her that none of her friends had arrived yet.
"I’ll bet it’s Minako," Endymion said suddenly.
"What?" Serenity asked, a little confused.
"I was talking about who Ryoku likes. I’ll bet it’s Minako."
"You think so?" Serenity asked contemplatively. Just then, Ami, Rei, Minako,
Makoto and Ryoku all entered the ballroom at the same time. "Oh, look. They’re all
here. I guess we’ll soon find out."
Serenity and Endymion left the balcony and went to join the others. Makoto
was the first to see them and waved them over. "Hi, Serenity! Hi, Endymion! So,
when’s the wedding?" she said as soon as the couple had approached.
"Hi, Makoto," Serenity said, smiling. "The wedding is going to be held in a few
weeks."
"A few weeks?" Ami asked, surprised. "That soon?"
"Well...," Endymion began.
"Aw, come on, Ami," Minako said as Endymion faltered. "I think it’s romantic.
I bet it’s going to be such a big wedding. After all, everyone in the Moon Kingdom will
be there since it’s the Moon Princess who’s getting married."
"Yeah, it’ll probably last for a few days, at least," Rei added.
"There’ll be lots of dancing," Makoto said, glancing at her brother, who gave
her a questioning look in return.
"Speaking of which," Endymion said, taking Serenity’s hand as the music
began to play, "would you care to dance?"
"I would love to," she answered and followed him onto the dance floor.
Ryoku smiled to himself as he watched them leave. Turning back to the
others, he noticed that Rei had already left and Minako was talking to some guy.
Makoto and Ami were off to one side, talking. ‘Hmm, might as well wait until she’s
done. Don’t want to interrupt.’
As Minako walked off to the dance floor with the guy she was talking with,
Makoto finished talking with Ami and walked over to where Ryoku was watching the
dancing crowd. "Something wrong, Ryoku?" she asked, "Usually you would’ve
already found a dance partner and started dancing by now."
Ryoku looked at his sister and grinned. ‘Well, I guess this is as good a time
as any.’ "Actually, I was waiting for someone."
"Oh?" Makoto asked, grinning slyly. "Who?"
"You’ll see," Ryoku said casually and walked over to where Ami was standing.
He noticed she was watching the crowd just as he was a while ago. "Hello, Ami," he
said, walking up to her.
"Hello, Ryoku. I thought you would’ve been out there already," she said,
pointing at the dance floor.
"Well, I wanted to ask you to dance sooner, but since you were talking to
Makoto at the time, I decided to wait."
"You waited just to dance with me?"
"Yes. A gentleman will always wait for a lady, especially one as beautiful as
you," Ryoku told her with a small smile.
Ami blushed a little at the compliment. "Thank you, Ryoku."
"Would you care to dance with me?" he asked, offering her his hand.
"Yes, I’d love to," she replied, following Ryoku to the dance floor.
Naru dashed through the main hallway of the Moon Palace searching for
Prince Endymion. She knew he had to be here since he hadn’t returned to Earth yet.
She could still remember every word of that message she had heard earlier. She
didn’t think she would ever be able to forget it. Just remembering it was enough to
make her rush even more. The ballroom couldn’t be far away.
As she ran through the palace, she noticed that some of the guests were
departing. ‘Oh, I hope this doesn’t mean that the ball is over already,’ she thought
worriedly, searching frantically. ‘I need to find Prince Endymion before he leaves for
Earth.’
Reaching the end of the hallway, Naru was about to turn to the left when she
ran into someone, knocking them both off their feet. "Oh, excuse me," Naru said
quickly. "I’m sorry, I didn’t see you coming."
"That’s all right," Endymion said after getting to his feet, "accidents happen.
Here, let me help you up." Kneeling, he took Naru’s hands and pulled her to her feet.
"You’re Naru, right? Are you okay?"
"Prince Endymion! Finally, I’ve found you! I have an extremely urgent Priority
One message for you from General Sakurada!" she said urgently.
"Priority One!" Endymion exclaimed, completely aghast. "That hasn’t been
used for such a long time. What could have happened to have her use such a level
of urgency?" Endymion frowned at the thought. "Whatever it is, it can’t be good.
Now, Naru, what is the message? What has happened on Earth in my absence?"
Naru quickly told Endymion everything that had happened while he was on
the Moon. "As I left, General Sakurada was preparing to send the army to stop the
invasion from reaching the palace. She’s probably holding them off now as we
speak.
"General Sakurada also wanted me to inform Queen Serenity of our
emergency as well," Naru continued. "She thinks that we may need assistance in
fighting the invading forces."
As Naru recounted the events that had taken place during the last few hours,
Endymion’s expression grew darker and darker. Cities destroyed and casualties
amassed all on the orders of someone named Queen Beryl. His planet was slowly
being taken over by this Queen Beryl and he wasn’t there to prevent it. Although he
knew that just charging off to do battle with the enemy would be both senseless and
foolhardy, that didn’t stop him from wanting to. Still, from what Naru had told him, he
needed a plan and he needed help.
"General Sakurada has the right idea," Endymion said after a long silence.
"From what you’ve told me, we may need help. Let’s go see Queen Serenity. This
news can’t wait."
"Queen Serenity, we may need assistance in fighting Queen Beryl’s forces.
We ask for you to aid us in any way you can," Endymion said.
Endymion, Naru, Queen Serenity and her cat advisors, Luna and Artemis,
were the only ones present in the throne room at the moment. Naru stood silently to
one side after delivering her message to Queen Serenity. Luna and Artemis both
stood at the queen’s side, listening silently as well. Endymion was standing in front
of the seated Queen Serenity, awaiting what she had to say in reply to his request.
"Prince Endymion, it is unfortunate that such a thing should occur, especially
being so close to your wedding day," she said sadly. "It is also sad that such a long
time of peace had to end so abruptly and in such a manner.
"We had prepared for such an occurrence, but from what your messenger,
Naru, has told me, I fear that our preparations may not be enough to end Queen
Beryl’s threat."
"Your Majesty, I’m afraid we have no choice but to revive the Sailor Scouts,"
Luna said.
"Luna’s right," Artemis added. "We won’t have much of a chance without the
Sailor Scouts."
"The Sailor Scouts?" Naru asked. "The five female warriors who saved the
Moon Kingdom from an ancient evil being many years ago?"
"And began the Silver Millennium," Queen Serenity replied. "Yes, the same
ones. I hoped to never have to do so, but Luna and Artemis are right. We can’t take
any chances. We need to revive the Scouts.
"Prince Endymion, you must return to Earth and try to keep Queen Beryl’s
forces at bay. The Sailor Scouts will need time to learn how to use their powers.
Fortunately, that should take only one day. I believe you can hold off Queen Beryl for
that long.
"I will send as many soldiers as I can spare from the palace’s defenses. For
now, this is the best I can do. I need to work on strengthening our defenses here.
You must hurry. The Earth needs you."
"Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask. I would like Prince Ryoku to assist me in
Earth’s defense. Since I must depart for Earth immediately, could you ask him for
me?" Endymion asked.
Queen Serenity nodded. "Certainly, Endymion. I shall have him join you as
soon as possible."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Endymion said, bowing gratefully.
"Of course, Endymion. I wish you good luck. Take care of yourself." As
Endymion left, Naru turned to follow him. "Naru, could you wait a moment? I need
you to perform a task for me."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Naru said, bowing respectfully.
"Thank you, Naru. Would you please ask Ami, Rei, Minako, Makoto and
Ryoku to come here at once?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Naru replied and hurried to summon the prince and
princesses.
Ryoku could not believe his good luck. He had somehow managed to keep
Ami’s company throughout the ball. Noticing the sly look that his sister gave him
earlier, he figured that she had probably told the others and that no one was going to
interrupt his time with Ami. He gave Makoto a mental thank-you for that.
Near to the end of the ball, he decided to follow Endymion’s example and
suggested a walk through the palace’s garden. Ami agreed and followed as he led
the way. They were sitting on the benches together, talking, when Naru ran up to
them.
"Princess Ami, Prince Ryoku, Queen Serenity wants the two of you to come
to the throne room at once. Princess Rei, Princess Makoto, and Princess Minako are
already there. Please hurry," Naru said. She then turned around and went back they
way she came.
After watching Naru leave, Ryoku turned to Ami. She seemed just as
perplexed as he was. "I wonder what that was all about?" he asked her.
"I’m not sure," she said, rising from the bench, "but we should hurry. I have a
feeling it’s not good news."
Ryoku nodded his agreement. "You may be right about that, Ami. Let’s go."
When Ryoku and Ami arrived at the throne room with Naru, everyone turned
to watch them enter. Naru gave a small bow to Queen Serenity and left. The
speculative looks the other three princesses were giving Ryoku and Ami were
enough to make both of them slightly uncomfortable.
"So, what were you two doing that took you so long to get here, hmm?" Rei
asked in an insinuating tone. The knowing expression on her face was mirrored on
both Minako’s and Makoto’s faces as well.
"Um... we were just talking in the palace garden when Naru came and
informed us that Queen Serenity wanted to see us," Ryoku said quickly.
"You were just...," Makoto began, a smile growing on her face.
"...talking?" Minako continued, a similar smile growing on her face as well.
"Really?" Rei added, her smile matching the others’.
"Do you three treat Serenity and Endymion this way, too?" Ryoku muttered,
slightly annoyed.
"Just you two," Minako replied, grinning childishly.
"Yeah, you’re more fun to tease than Endymion," Makoto told her brother
teasingly.
"Gee, aren’t we lucky," Ryoku said sarcastically.
"Why have you called us here, Your Majesty?" Ami asked, changing the
subject. Ryoku gave her an appreciative grin.
"I have some terrible news to tell all of you. From what Naru has told me,
there is a grand scale invasion taking place on Earth as we speak," Queen Serenity
said gravely.
Each of the five in attendance was shocked silent. Ryoku’s hand instinctively
went to his sword and clutched it tightly in controlled anger.
"Prince Endymion has already left for Earth to try to halt it, but he needs
help," Queen Serenity continued. "Prince Ryoku, he has specifically requested your
assistance and skill."
"I would gladly help him in any way I can," Ryoku stated gravely.
"Good. I want you to take half of the palace’s defense forces down to Earth
with you. I have already sent orders for them to follow you to Earth, so you can leave
for Earth as soon as they are ready."
"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied solemnly.
"Now, as for why I have called you four here," Queen Serenity said turning to
the four princesses, "I shall let Luna and Artemis explain." As soon as the queen
was finished, the two cat advisors stepped forward.
"From the information Naru has given us, the invaders follow the orders of
someone named Queen Beryl," Artemis began. "Her forces are very strong. They
have destroyed several cities already and have turned many of the Earth’s population
to their side against their will. The reinforcements Prince Ryoku is to take to Prince
Endymion may not be enough."
"It is for this reason that the decision has been made to revive the Sailor
Scouts," Luna added. "The Sailor Scouts are the Moon Kingdom’s last line of
defense and may be needed if this invasion should spread beyond the Earth."
"I don’t understand, Luna," Minako said, confused. "What does all of this
have to do with us?"
"Each Scout is traditionally the princess of her respective planet. Ami, Rei,
Makoto, Minako, it is your destiny and your duty to become the Sailor Scouts."
"What???" the four princesses all exclaimed in unison.
Noting the stunned disbelief that was obvious on the girls’ faces, Ryoku
asked the question that he was sure was in each of their minds. "How are they
supposed to do that?"
Suddenly, Luna leaped into the air, turned a somersault in mid-leap, and
landed again. As she somersaulted in midair, four different colored pens appeared
and dropped to the floor in front of her. "This is how," she said, looking intently at
each of the four princesses.
As Ryoku glanced over each pen, he noticed that each one also had a
different symbol on it, one for each planet. The red pen had the symbol for Mars;
that was most likely for Rei. The orange pen had the symbol of Venus; that should
belong to Minako. The blue pen had the symbol of Mercury; that one must be Ami’s.
The green pen had the familiar symbol of Jupiter; that one would belong to his sister,
Makoto.
"These are your transformation pens. They will allow you to transform," Luna
said.
"So, how do these things work?" Minako asked as she and the others picked
up their own transformation pen.
"It’s actually very simple," Artemis said. "Minako, you are Sailor Venus. In
order to transform, hold up your transformation pen and shout ‘Venus power, make
up!’"
"Right. Well, here we go," Minako said, holding up her transformation pen.
"Venus power, make up!"
A yellow light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to
completely envelope Minako. Suddenly, the yellow light flashed brightly, then
disappeared, revealing Minako clothed in an orange and white uniform with blue
bows, one in front and in back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with an orange
stone in the center. "Hey, how do I look?" Sailor Venus said, playfully striking a
dramatic pose.
"Different," Ryoku said with an amused smile.
"Hey, how about me?" Makoto asked excitedly.
"You, Makoto, are Sailor Jupiter," Luna said. "All you have to do is hold up
your pen and shout ‘Jupiter power, make up!’"
Makoto grinned widely as she held her pen up. "Here goes nothing. Jupiter
power, make up!"
A green light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to
completely envelope Makoto. Suddenly, the green light flashed brightly, then
disappeared, revealing Makoto clothed in a green and white uniform with pink bows,
one in front and in back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with a green stone in
the center. "All right! This is so cool!" Sailor Jupiter said enthusiastically.
"Now, Rei, the power of Sailor Mars is yours. Hold your pen up and shout
‘Mars power, make up!’" Artemis said.
"All right, let’s do it!" Rei said holding up her transformation pen. "Mars
power, make up!"
A red light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to
completely envelope Rei. Suddenly, the red light flashed brightly, then disappeared,
revealing Rei clothed in a red and white uniform with purple bows, one in front and in
back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with a red stone in the center. "This is
incredible!" Sailor Mars exclaimed.
"Finally, Ami, hold up your pen and shout ‘Mercury power, make up!’ in order
to transform into Sailor Mercury."
"Okay," Ami said, holding up her pen. "Mercury power, make up!"
A blue light started glowing from the pen in her hand. It then began to
completely envelope Ami. Suddenly, the blue light flashed brightly, then disappeared,
revealing Ami clothed in a blue and white uniform with light blue bows, one in front
and in back. On her forehead was a golden tiara with a blue stone in the center.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Sailor Mercury said, astounded.
Queen Serenity smiled. "Now that you four have become the Sailor Scouts,
Luna and Artemis will begin your training. It is important that you learn to use your
powers. Now, hurry. We don’t have much time."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the four Sailor Scouts replied and proceeded to follow
Luna and Artemis out of the room.
"Good luck!" Ryoku shouted after them. In reply, all four waved at him and
left.
"Queen Serenity, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to see if I can’t help the
soldiers complete their preparations a little bit faster," Ryoku said, after the girls left
the room. "I shall inform you of when we are going to leave." Ryoku bowed deeply
and turned to leave.
"Ryoku," Queen Serenity called before he could leave.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" he asked.
"Please be careful and make sure Prince Endymion does the same. Serenity
would be heartbroken if anything should happen to him."
Ryoku nodded and smiled confidently. "Your wish is my command, Queen
Serenity."
General Sakurada lowered her binoculars. After seeing them massive army
she was about to confront, she was beginning to worry about her chances for
keeping the upcoming skirmish from becoming a rout of her troops. ‘Not very good
odds in my opinion, but until Prince Endymion arrives with reinforcements there is
no other alternative. Hopefully, I can at least slow them down.’
Sakurada looked over her surroundings. There were a few hills, like the one
she was on, but the area was mostly plains. She would be able to see the enemy
easily, but it would be the same for them as well. They had the advantage in strength
and, most likely, experience. All her army had was the determination to oppose the
ones who destroyed their homes, their friends and their loved ones. ‘If only that were
enough...,’ she thought and sighed.
Queen Beryl’s forces were about twenty minutes from reaching them.
Wearily, Sakurada placed her hand unconsciously on the sheathed sword at her
side as she descended from the hill. Her troops were waiting patiently for her; some
of them, impatiently. As soon as she reached the bottom, her subordinates
approached, ready to receive her orders.
"The enemy should arrive in approximately twenty minutes. Make sure
everyone is ready," she told them. They each wordlessly saluted and left to carry out
her order.
When the last of her subordinates returned and reported that everyone was
ready, Sakurada silently nodded and turned her gaze to the south. She could see the
first wave of invaders approaching at a run.
‘It is time,’ she thought as she drew her sword. Behind her, she could hear the
sounds of several swords being drawn. Holding her sword tightly, she raised it
straight into the air. "Ready?" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Her troops behind
her shouted a deafening affirmative. The enemy was closing in quickly. There was
only five hundred yards before they would be upon them. ‘For our peace,’ she thought
reverently as she swung her sword to where it was now pointing at the charging
horde.
"Charge!" she cried out challengingly.
Almost as one, her entire army charged to meet the enemy. Within moments
the air was filled with the sounds of clashing swords, battle cries and screams of
death.
Although her soldiers were fighting with all their heart, they were still
outmatched in skill. Only their determination and fervor kept the battle from
becoming a slaughter.
She quickly jumped backwards as her opponent’s sword came within inches
from slicing off her head. ‘That was too close. These fiends fight with incredible skill.
I only hope the Moon’s reinforcements will be enough....’ She dodged another swipe
of the enemy’s blade by jumping to the right and rolling to safety. Quickly getting to
her feet, she lunged at her foe, only to overreach and completely miss, leaving
herself open for a sword thrust through her back.
As she regained her balance, she was surprised by the fact that she wasn’t
dead. ‘That kind of mistake is usually certain death. I should’ve been dead. How...,’
she wondered as she turned to face her enemy again. The answer came to her
when she saw that her foe had been run through by one of her soldiers.
"You should be more careful, General," the soldier chided. "A mistake like
that...." He was cutoff when Sakurada shoved him aside and plunged her sword
through the chest of another enemy soldier.
"You were saying?" she asked in amusement as she removed her sword from
the lifeless body.
"No one’s perfect," he replied, as he got to his feet and shrugged. "Now, shall
we continue?"
"We might as well," Sakurada said, nodding gravely. ‘I hope the others are
faring better than I am....’
"Just my luck," General Nagashima muttered as he lowered his binoculars.
"What is it, General?" one of his subordinates asked.
"I have good news and bad news," Nagashima said. "Your choice."
"Good news first," said the same person.
"The good news is that we only have four opponents."
"I have a feeling I’m not going to like the bad news," another subordinate
muttered under her breath.
Nagashima ignored her remark. "The bad news is that these four are giant
beast-like monsters. Now doesn’t that sound like fun?"
All of his subordinates simply groaned.
"I didn’t think so. Prepare the men. They’ll be here in fifteen minutes."
As his order was carried out, he turned his gaze to the western horizon.
Already he could see the four great beasts heading this way. Each beast was easily
one and a half times the height of a man. Needless to say, these monsters were
going to be tough to beat, even though they were greatly outnumbered. ‘Many of my
men aren’t going to make it through today,’ he thought sadly. ‘I may not like it, but I
have to do it. I have to stall them.’ Just as the monstrous beasts began to close in,
Nagashima signaled his men to charge.
Several soldiers charged the lion-beast, only to miss as it leapt over most of
them and landed on two others, crushing them. It then turned and pounced on two
more, raking them over with huge razor-sharp claws. As others tried to attack the
lion-beast, it either dodged their slashing swords, or simply batted them away with its
huge paws.
The ones fight the dragon-beast weren’t doing any better. Its flaming breath
kept anyone from getting close to it and its tail took care of anyone who managed to
evade its flames.
The bull-beast’s horns were bloody after goring one soldier after another. Its
movements were deliberate, but it was still fast enough to avoid a fair amount of
attacks. The bull-beast’s thick skin was enough to make those attacks that did
succeed seem like mere scratches.
The scorpion-beast’s skin was like armor. It simply stood still as several
soldiers hacked away at it, with little result. After a short time it lashed out with its tail
and claws, making short work of its opposition.
Nagashima’s troops were slowly beginning to do some damage to the four
beasts, but he was losing too many men, and quickly. A sudden movement away
from the battle to the south caught his attention. Looking through his binoculars, he
could see another battle taking place only a few miles away. Also, it was slowly
coming his way. ‘That must be Sakurada’s group over there. I wonder how she’s
doing? Probably better than us.’ He could hear some of his men shouting something,
but he couldn’t make it out. ‘Where is Prince Endymion with those reinforcements?
We can’t keep this up much....’
Nagashima was interrupted mid-thought when he was suddenly tackled from
behind. He realized too late that his men were shouting a warning for him. As he felt
what must have been the lion-beast’s claws rip through his back, drawing vast
amounts of blood, his last thought was a self-reprimand chiding himself for not
paying attention to what was happening around him. A mistake that had cost him his
life.
General Akiyama almost dropped her binoculars in shock when she saw what
was heading her way. ‘Is this what has happened to the people who were taken
against their will?’ she thought as she stared in horror at the grotesquely twisted
forms that were once her people. Some were more deformed than others, ranging
from only slightly discolored to hideously warped beyond recognition.
"I hate to do this, but we must destroy them," Akiyama said sadly, lowering
her binoculars. She continued to stare to the northeast. "They are no longer human;
only monsters." Behind her, her subordinates nodded solemnly.
Fortunately, there were only a thousand of them. She had several thousand.
That should be enough to stop them. Giving the order to prepare the troops, she
drew her sword and waited. When her men were ready she gave the order to charge.
At first, it seemed as though the two sides were evenly matched.
Occasionally, a monster would be defeated, but usually at the cost of several of her
soldiers. As the battle continued, more of her men were dying than the enemy.
Akiyama suddenly found herself facing a monster on her own. It had a short
blade for a left arm, a whip for a right arm, and an evil grin on its face. Its huge
yellow eyes were staring straight at hers.
Quickly, she raised her sword to defend herself, but it used its whip-arm to
bind her hands together. As the monster advanced, raising its blade-arm to strike
her, Akiyama struggled to free herself and failed. The monster swung its blade-arm
straight for her head. She closed her eyes and readied herself for the killing blow.
The blow never came.
Opening her eyes, she saw that before the blade-arm could touch her, one of
her men had blocked it with his sword, while another stabbed it through the back, his
blade coming out the monster’s front. The soldier who had blocked the now lifeless
monster’s attack quickly severed the whip binding her hands.
"Are you all right, General?" he asked, concerned.
"Yes, thank you," she replied, relieved that she was still alive. "Now, let’s get
back to the battle."
As the day started to fade, Akiyama began to realize that her troops wouldn’t
be able to hold off the enemy for much longer. ‘Prince Endymion needs all the help
he can get to fight these evil fiends. Continuing this fight will just waste lives.’ "All
right, everyone," Akiyama began after gathering all of her remaining subordinates,
"we’ve stalled them long enough. I’m ordering a full retreat. Gather as many of the
wounded you can. Don’t try to save those that cannot be saved. Now, hurry!"
As she made a quick estimate of her army’s fighting strength, she was
disheartened to learn that almost half of her men were either dead or severely
wounded and had to be carried. The fact that close to half the enemy was also dead
was a very small consolation.
After defeating six or seven of the enemy, Sakurada had begun to think that
they weren’t as tough as she had originally thought they were. Their power only
seemed to be in numbers.
She quickly glanced around to take a rough estimate of how many of her
troops were left. There were many dead enemies, but the number of her men dead
was greater. Daunted, she turned to face her next opponent, only to realize that they
were slowly moving to the north. In the distance, she could see another battle taking
place. ‘That’s Nagashima’s army!’
Confronting and dispatching another foe, she quickly rushed to where the
other battle was taking place. She came to an abrupt halt when she saw what they
were fighting. There were four gigantic beasts attacking Nagashima’s army. Each
one was bloody, but they seemed to be only slightly injured. ‘I bet that’s human blood,’
not monster, Sakurada thought angrily.
Suddenly, the bull-beast spotted her and charged directly at her. She could
see its horns dripping blood, glistening in the fading sunlight. She held her ground,
waiting for the beast to come closer. Moments before it could impale her with its
huge horns, she leaped to one side, slashing at its legs as it passed. The attack was
enough to cripple the beast. Immediately, several soldiers fell upon the fallen beast,
stabbing and hacking away at it. It managed to injure a few soldiers before it finally
stopped moving.
‘We’ve spent enough time here today,’ Sakurada thought, searching for
Nagashima. ‘It’s time to go.’ As she began to give orders to gather her men for a
retreat, one of Nagashima’s subordinates came to her, carrying Nagashima’s body.
From the look of his torn body, he must have bled to death.
Quickly issuing orders for Nagashima’s army to gather and retreat as well,
Sakurada looked back at the chaos that was taking place behind her. "We may be
retreating for now, but this isn’t over yet," she said coldly. They may have taken
heavy losses, but at least they had bought some time for Prince Endymion to bring
help. Hopefully, it would be enough to stop these evil fiends. If not, then they were as
good as dead.
"This has only just begun."
Jadeite watched as the defending forces retreated. "Well, it seems that these
humans can put up a good fight after all," he said, amused. Looking over what
remained of his army, he estimated that about half was dead. "Well, that doesn’t
matter," he said, gathering the energy he had gained during the battle. "With this
much energy, Queen Beryl should be able to revive Queen Metallia very soon."
As soon as he had gathered all of the energy, he sent it to Queen Beryl. "If
only those foolish humans knew that their battling was only aiding their enemies in
achieving their final victory!" he said, laughing at the thought.
If only they knew....
Nephrite frowned as he saw the remains of the bull-beast. "Worthless beast,"
he muttered. "Not that I needed all four. Now to regenerate the others and collect
their gathered energy."
Slowly, the three remaining injured beasts were healed. After they were
healed, Nephrite began to drain them of the energy they gathered from the deaths of
the numerous humans that they had slain. A giant ball of energy formed between his
hands. Now to send this to Queen Beryl. The energy ball quickly disappeared.
Nephrite contemplated on whether he should revive the bull-beast. ‘There’s no
need. It did its job. If it was stupid enough to get itself killed, then it is of no further
use to me.’
So far, the plan was going according to schedule. The humans would get
their short respite. Tomorrow, they would be crushed.
Nephrite smiled in anticipation.
Zoisite and Kunzite watched as the humans retreated. "It’s a shame that
Queen Beryl wanted us to let the humans retreat. In a few more hours, they would
have all been totally destroyed," Zoisite complained.
"I agree, Zoisite, but Queen Beryl wants the humans energy more than their
destruction at the moment," Kunzite said. "The energy we’ve been gathering from the
humans has been waning. The humans need time to restore their energy. When we
face them tomorrow, we will gather the rest of their energy and crush them!"
"Hmm, yes. I’m looking forward to it," Zoisite said.
"I am, as well. Now, let’s gather the energy we’ve collected for Queen Beryl,"
Kunzite replied. A huge energy sphere appeared between Zoisite and Kunzite and
began to grow. After growing to its maximum size, it disappeared, on its way to
Queen Beryl.
"Tomorrow, humans," Kunzite said with a malicious grin on his face.
"Tomorrow, you will meet your doom!"
Disclaimer: All original materials belong to their respective owners. Sailor Moon belongs
to Naoko Takeuchi and is also Copyright © Kodansha, Toei Animation, TV Asahi, Bandai, DIC,
Cloverway, Pioneer, etc. No copyright infringement is intended. This story belongs me, so I
would appreciate it very much if you would ask for permission before posting it anywhere else.
Thank you.
Earth Scout Chronicles, Kino Ryoku:
Copyright © 1999-2003 Jason C. Ulloa.
All Rights Reserved.