The Broken Senshi
The Last Protector
The ground shook violently, another explosion ripping through the earth's surface. With screams from the pain it caused them, the Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen were sent flying through the air before hitting the ground, buildings, cars and any other obstructions so hard that they found themselves nearly rendered unconscious. The group felt certain that there were broken bones and sprains among them; they were certainly already bleeding enough as it was. Breaks and sprains proved true when arms, wrists, legs, and ankles couldn't be moved while torsos were in pain from any broken ribs.
"Are you guys okay?" Sailor Moon struggled to ask and while she knew that they weren't okay, she was avoiding asking if all were alive. She leaned up against the car she'd been thrown against, breathing heavily and nursing her shoulder. She wasn't sure, having little to no knowledge of this kind of thing, but she thought it might be dislocated.
"What do you think?" Sailor Mars' voice bit back at her. The fire Senshi sat up, holding her right forearm gently, trying to figure out if it was simply a sprain or if the bone was broken.
Before anyone else could speak, they heard boot-steps approaching them. The six of them looked up, seeing the one who'd attacked them coming closer. The woman, for that's all she appeared to be, held a small grin on her face as she walked through the rubble she'd caused the street to become.
Everything about her seemed to be the epitome of innocence. Fair skin, long, lustrous hair the shade of emeralds, a slim body and eyes that at first glance looked gentle as a kitten's. Those soft brown eyes, however, bore an air of insanity when they were seen up close. She also looked to be a young woman going to a formal occasion by the way she was dressed. The shimmering blue dress she wore seemed like it would be expensive, almost like it would only be seen on the red carpet.
"Dear, dear, children," she spoke to them in a condescending tone and though she was probably only a few years their senior by appearance, she still called them children. Appearances were indeed deceiving. "What did I tell you about this fight?"
"We don't want to hear it!" Sailor Jupiter snapped, quickly regretting the shout as her chest hurt.
"And that's why you're all sitting here, injured beyond the ability to move," the woman said, crouching down by Sailor Moon. In her observance, the girl was terrified, though she was trying to keep a strong expression. "Princess, you know you don't need to suffer. Just surrender and no more pain will come upon you. I'll end it quickly!" This wasn't some false promise. She really had no need to delay their demise; getting rid of them was her goal. But as long as they resisted, she was going to have some fun.
As she reached out a hand to touch Sailor Moon's face, like one might to consol a child, she caught movement out of the corner of her brown eyes. Leaping backwards quickly, she avoided the attack coming her way.
"It seems you can move," the woman snarled with disgust as she stood a few feet away now. She looked down upon the form of Tuxedo Kamen and his extended baton with contempt. While she saw he was sporting a head wound, blood showing beneath his hairline, it seemed he still had the will to move.
She saw all of them making to rise to their feet again, helping each other to their quivering limbs, but the woman just smiled. "No, no. Stay down." The order came as she held out her right hand, emerald light shining beneath their forms before they were pulled back to the ground.
"Who the hell are you?" Sailor Mars snapped, wondering just where this woman got her power. No enemy had ever done this to them, much less to their city.
The city was in shambles around them. Buildings threatened to crumble as pieces of them occasionally fell to the ground, vehicles were overturned, the streets were ripped to shreds and all sign of life was non-existent. The question was had the woman killed the people or had they simply fled? Mars didn't care to speculate.
"Kohana," the woman replied. "Where I came from, what I want and why I'm doing this are questions that you shouldn't waste your breath asking," she informed, predicting the next course of conversation.
Mercury tapped away furiously on her computer, glancing up once in a while at Kohana as if not wanting to be caught doing something horrible. In truth, her heart was beating wildly, for who knew how this woman would take to her search for information. The water Senshi yelped in shock when the computer sparked and then crumbled in her hands and she heard the heeled boots approaching her. With her sprained ankle, she couldn't much move, but damn if she wasn't going to try.
She managed to move a foot or two before Kohana was directly in front of her, stepping on the crumbled remains of the mini-computer. Mercury's blue eyes stared up at Kohana as the woman's boots crunched the already destroyed computer and they seemed to shake.
"Saved you the trouble. It wouldn't have told you anything," Kohana insisted. She looked over the group now, standing tall and proud. "Have you made a decision?"
"Decision?" Venus asked, her voice coming out in barely a whisper. She felt woozy and the only movement she'd made was to sit up from where she'd landed on the ground to lean against the building beside her. Even that had caused a wave of light-headedness to grip her and she'd nearly fallen over again.
"Will you surrender, or will you fight redundantly?" Kohana looked to the golden haired Senshi, a grin returning to her face. This one, she felt, would not last long.
"When there is evil like you around…"
Kohana's attention snapped to the voice, baffled by why Sailor Moon would even be attempting to stand as she was.
"We will always fight. We have to fight." Sailor Moon rested on hand against the car, feeling the cool metal where the glove had been torn. Even with the support of the car, and though she could also feel Tuxedo Kamen's arm around her waist, she still felt as if she was going to fall. Her next move, however, she was certain, would end all of this.
Kohana's eyes widened at the sudden glow in the center of Sailor Moon's chest, easily identifying it as the light of the Illusionary Silver Crystal. Those widened eyes relaxed as she outstretched her arm, her fingers taking a light green glow before the locket on Sailor Moon's chest took the same glow. Closing her fist, a crack could be heard and the warriors were shocked to see that the locket had snapped in half and the crystal turned to dust.
"No!" Sailor Moon cried out, her legs really trying to give way under her now, but Tuxedo Kamen held her tight, his own eyes staring in disbelief.
"There will be no using the Crystal," Kohana's grin grew. "And if how easily I just destroyed it is any indication, it would not have worked anyway."
Sailor Moon looked around in a panicked state, realizing suddenly that her fuku was gone, which made sense considering the locket had been destroyed. Yet, she couldn't believe it. Was trying to find some explanation. A dream, maybe. Nightmare, more like. Before she knew it, she had tears running down her face and she was sinking to the ground, despite being held up.
"I think," Kohana spoke as she walked to a place where she could see all the Senshi, "that it has been decided."
The woman extended her arms to her sides, the green glow returning to her fingers; her brown eyes also seemed to take on a greener tone. As she did this, the Senshi began to feel even worse than they already did. Their fuku disappeared, reverting them to their normal selves. Minako was the first to pass out from the sudden lack of energy they were all feeling and the others were beginning to follow.
As Rei struggled to stay conscious, her half-shut eyes looking to the others who lay on the ground and unconscious, she thought she heard boot-steps. Her dark eyes flew to Kohana, but the woman was motionless, even looked frightened. Rei saw as the woman lowered her arms and took a step back before stopping, as if realizing that she was backing away. The raven-headed girl tried to look to see which of them had stood, but even though she no longer felt the spell on her, she couldn't remain awake.
Kohana though, as awake as ever, could clearly see who those boot-steps belonged to.
"It can't be. You're a myth," Kohana said louder than was necessary.
"Hardly," a strong, feminine voice returned, her steel blue eyes observing the scene.
Kohana only stared as the girl, no, the Senshi, checked for vital signs of the others. The woman recognized that fuku, but would have sworn on her life that that fuku belonged only to one in myth, yet there she was. The fuku consisted of mostly black, as the boots, bows, skirt and scarf were all of a black hue. The scarf possessed a thin blue stripe near the outside edges while in the center of the bow on the front of the fuku there was a small, blue heart. This heart had a red crack that ran down the middle of it. Black boots extended to about six inches above knee level; fingerless, blue gloves reached to her elbows, cut to fit with the bend of the appendage.
The girl stood after ensuring that all were still living, brushing the strands of her shoulder-length brown hair out of her eyes. Those steel-blue eyes seemed to pierce through Kohana's form as she looked to the woman.
"How can this be?" Kohana breathed. "The Broken One…"
"As the Senshi fell, I was summoned to protect them," the Senshi explained, her eyes watching Kohana carefully.
"Who summoned you?!" Kohana demanded, outraged. "Don't tell me one of them-"
"Of course not. I was summoned by their falling, as the last protector," the Senshi shook her head.
"The last protector, how cute," Kohana tried to regain her earlier confidence, but something about this Senshi unnerved her. Probably because she well knew that the myth that spoke of the Senshi said that she was unbeatable.
"I don't know why you've chosen to attack them," the Senshi began, "but you've failed."
"Failed! Don't be absurd!" Kohana seemed to stomp one of her heel-clad feet as she spread her arms. "Look at them! They have fall-"
"They will live," the Senshi stated bluntly.
"I'm guessing that you're 'going to make sure of' that?" Kohana asked and when she saw the Senshi nod, she scoffed. "You're so certain you'll win."
"You know I will. I see it in your eyes." Despite the distance between them, the Senshi could see it in the other woman's eyes. She sensed that Kohana was apprehensive when it came to believing the myth was actually reality, but part of the woman was afraid.
Kohana stood there silently for a moment and assessed the girl. She appeared no older, maybe even a bit younger than the others. Her form was muscular enough for combat, sure, but nothing that should cause Kohana to be afraid. No. It was the legend that brought this fear upon her.
The Broken One was what legend referred to her as. This legend said that even the Guardian of Time didn't know from where she came, when she came or how she came to be, but as she stood there in front of Kohana, that was proof enough that she existed. None of the rest of it mattered. Why she was called the Broken One had been speculated over and over by the few who knew of the Senshi, but the one that struck as perhaps being the most likely was one said it was because of her powers.
A Senshi's powers, as per proof of how the other Senshi used them and what happened if they were otherwise, were supposed to be pure and good. Healing, essentially. Senshi whose powers had gone beyond or away from that generally became corrupt and it was either up to the others to heal that Senshi or they would fall out of existence.
The Broken One, however, defied this unwritten rule or standard of Senshi powers. Her powers, which were said to be of unbridled strength and ability, were purely destructive, despite that the myth or legend did refer to her as the one who would stand when the others fell. Her purpose was to act as a last protector for the girls, so it was guessed that maybe her powers were destructive because of that. The others could heal, so if they failed then maybe only destruction would succeed.
'It's all speculation, though,' Kohana told herself. 'There are none alive who have ever seen the Broken One in battle. None.'
As the Senshi took another step forward, Kohana took an unconscious step back. Her hands moved and her wrists locked into a position that would allow for her to use her powers at a moment's notice to defend herself.
"What are you called?" Kohana asked, watching her opponent very carefully, but yet she was still surprised to find the Senshi lunge towards her. She was very lucky that only her leg received any damage and even that damage was minimal as she managed to keep standing.
As the Senshi stood from where she'd crouched on the ground, a great crater now where Kohana had been standing a moment before, she replied, "I have no title or name as the others do. I am not called Sailor Broken or anything like that. I only have my titles."
In a flash, she was on the move again. A red circular-saw-like glow hovered before her right hand and she hurled herself towards Kohana. The woman was clearly shocked at this sudden movement, though she did manage to leap backwards and defend herself. The red met the emerald, forcing both back and away from their own attacks, which of course put distance between them. Kohana shook her hands slightly, trying to rid herself of the feeling that they'd been scraped or burned. There was no evidence left upon her skin, however.
The Senshi didn't bother to look at her own hands, knowing it would be better to catch the woman off guard. Pushing the sensation of pain out of her mind, she pushed off the car she'd landed near and charged again. The same attack was summoned without words as it had been the last time and she was pleased to see that she had indeed caught the woman off guard. This time, she had little time to react.
Kohana leapt backwards again, but the attack still managed to hit. She felt as it cut her leg, causing it to buckle under her from the deep wound. Down on one knee, she glanced at the wound and saw the blood streaking down her limb.
With Kohana distracted once again, the Senshi seized the opportunity to attack. A swift kick was aimed to be delivered to the woman's lower jaw, but she'd moved and so the blow hit her shoulder instead. Kohana screamed out in pain as her shoulder jerked out of place and as she fell backwards as well, landing hard on the rubble. Darkness clouded her vision for a moment and then she found herself staring up at the Senshi, another attack before the girl's hand and creating a glow over both of them.
'Damn it!' Kohana thought to herself, her eyes wide as she was suddenly panicking. An idea came to her, though, and she made quick to put it into action. 'If I can't defeat her, then I'll at least distract her long enough to kill them,' she thought silently to herself.
Kohana was amazed to see that the Senshi's head jerked in the direction of the other warriors the instant that she unleashed her attack. Kohana's powers encased them in emerald light and she was slowly beginning to suck the life from them.
Without missing a beat, the Senshi flipped backwards, managing to kick Kohana in the jaw as the woman sat up, and she landed on the ground not far from where Usagi and Mamoru lay side by side. The Senshi's eyes flickered over them before she placed her hands on the ground, a red glow hovering around them before burrowing into the ground. She saw as her attack rose from beneath the couple and their other friends, shattering through the emerald light and returning them to normal.
All this had happened in a matter of seconds, so Kohana had no time to attack from behind. As the young looking woman tried to attack from behind with the little time she had, the Senshi simply spun around, knocking her to the ground with a hit to the chest. The Senshi placed a booted foot on Kohana's stomach as she lay on the ground.
Yet, as it looked like the Broken One was about to deliver a final blow, Kohana summoned a staff and she was forced to leap away before it struck her. Kohana used the shimmering silver and emerald staff to stand and then she leaned against it for a moment. Atop the staff was a large emerald crystal, held in place as three spikes pierced through it.
"Don't think you can beat me so easily," Kohana seethed, her pure voice becoming almost gravel-like in her anger and frustration. "Emerald of Darkness, Shine!"
Kohana pointed the staff forward, the emerald glowing a murky colour before the power launched itself towards the Broken Senshi. Kohana's lips curled into a cruel grin as the Senshi remained immobile and she attributed this to fear, but that grin fell as she saw the look in the girl's eyes.
The steel blue eyes became hard and the Senshi threw out her hands and a red vortex formed before her. This red vortex much resembled her regular attack, and once Kohana's attack had been absorbed, it really took on the form of her regular attack and she flung it forward. It spun through the air, and though Kohana jumped out of the way, it followed her before connecting with her staff.
The woman panicked as the attack was dangerously close to the emerald at the top, so it was no wonder that she was horrified when the attack shattered the staff and the emerald alike. The shards of the weapon sprinkled to the ground as the Senshi lunged forward, another attack already summoned and being let fly.
The Broken Senshi landed with a slight skid on the ground and she turned away as Kohana's screams were heard ripping through the air. The Senshi seemed none too concerned that she'd just killed her, even though she knew well that Kohana had been at one point a regular human. The evil of that emerald had corrupted her to the point where returning to being a normal human would be nearly impossible.
The Senshi walked to where Usagi laid, the sparkling dust that was once the crystal before her. Crouching, her hand hovered over these miniscule shards until they gained a light, red glow and rose into the air. One by one, at lightning speed, they began to piece back together, once again forming the Illusionary Silver Crystal, but the reformation wasn't complete. The locket that would encase and protect the crystal reformed as well and the Senshi took it in both her hands, looking at it a moment.
"Let's hope this is that last time this has to be done," the Senshi commented with a slight smile in her voice. She had faith in this girl, the Moon Princess, but against an enemy like Kohana there was very little chance. As much as she hoped another enemy like Kohana didn't come along, she knew too that if one did and the guardians fell, that she would be summoned again.
Placing the locket in the unconscious blonde's hand, she stood straight, looking over the girls and waving her hand in a slow motion. Each of them glowed red, like the shards of the crystal, but the Senshi abruptly closed her hand into a fist, feeling within her own form as their pain became worse. With a sigh, she lowered her hand.
"Should have known that it still wouldn't work," she murmured. She'd thought that since the crystal was able to repair that she might be able to heal their wounds as well, however, the destructiveness of her powers were brought forth as always.
Even as she rose her hands into the air and the city began to repair around them, she couldn't explain it. Why did her powers work to repair the destruction on objects, but not on people? A light breeze blew around her as the reparation completed itself and there was an eerie silence in the empty street under the afternoon sun, which now shone brightly down on them.
The Senshi turned as she heard the others stirring, watching them with her steel blue eyes.
"Minako-chan!" Makoto declared, making her way slowly to the blonde who still remained unconscious. Makoto listened for breathing and a heartbeat, and was clearly relieved to find both.
"My locket…" Usagi said in awe, leaning against Mamoru as the pair sat up. "I though it was broken…"
"It was, I saw it with my own eyes," Mamoru confirmed, his brow furrowed. "Are you all right?"
"I'll be all right," Usagi nodded with a slight grin through her grimace. "Where did that woman go?"
"I don't know," Mamoru replied, his eyes moving from the locket now to around them, and yet he saw no one. "I don't see her anywhere."
"I wonder what could have happened…" Usagi mused, clutching the locket to her chest. "Is everyone else okay?"
"Rei-chan is still waking up," Ami commented, looking over as the raven-head began to stir at last. "And Minako-chan is unconscious, but we'll all live. Are you two all right?"
Rei heard their exchange as if she was behind a wall or something that made everything sound funny and muffled. Bringing a hand to her head, she felt for any bumps, but there were none. Her head just hurt, probably from hitting the ground. She pushed herself up, her vision blurry, but she became more alert as she thought she saw someone standing a couple hundred feet away from them. Yet, this figure turned and vanished.
"Did you guys see that?" Rei questioned, her voice groggy and she swayed slightly as she sat up further.
"See what, Rei-chan?" Usagi asked, looking off in the same direction Rei was, but seeing nothing. "Rei-chan, there's nothing there."
"I could have sworn…" Rei trailed off, shaking her head. There was only an empty street there now, except for some cars, but just seconds ago… had she only imagined it?
"Come on," Makoto said, giving Minako a piggyback, despite any pain she felt because of it. "We should try to get to a hospital…"
The group of guardians rose to their feet, supporting one another as they headed off down the vacant road to get to help. As they did, people began to emerge and reappear. It seemed that Kohana hadn't killed them after all; maybe she was going to after she defeated the Senshi.
Whatever the case, everything seemed back to normal, though the Senshi couldn't explain how. They could only wonder what or who had saved them.
END