Ch. 4 Poison of the Soul
Lita swung at the dummy set up in front of her. Rob Zombie blared from a boombox in the corner. "Living Dead Girl" was the track set on repeat. As she attacked the pratice dummy, she thought about Kira.
Why would she just take off like that? Lita thought as she nearly ripped the dummy's arm off. She's strong, and brought out Sailor Moon's Crystal's power. So she's willing to help us but to leave us behind? Something's not right. Lita put the dummy away and turned off the boombox. But I don't know much. A lot less than the others, probably. Lita stumbled to her room in a daze. She was too lost in thought to notice the scene outside her window at first.
Kira faced Doyle, murder in her eyes. She lunged at him but he easily sidestepped her. Looking slightly disappointed, he just watched her get back up and face him.
"He was a monster but you shouldn't have killed him like that!" Kira roared, her face flushed with the rage and adrenaline coursing through her.
"It was necessary to free you from that life so you would fully accept your destiny. You, the strongest of the Zodiac. The Dragon's Heir, Kira. Your very name denotes what you are. A bringer of death," Doyle said calmly, a crystal sparkling from his neck. The image of a tiger graced its smooth surface.
"Then I shall bring your death!" Kira screamed. Lita surfaced from her revery to hear those words. Running over to the window, she saw Kira transform into her Zodiac form in front of a man. But not any man. The man who had chased Kira yesterday with blood all over himself. "Dragon's Breath, Explode!" Kira fired off those deadly flames but the man managed to dodge it in time. "Doyle! You won't get away!" She brought her arms up again only this time, she turned them until they were in opposite positions. The pathes her hands took had left a flame line in their wake. Fire leaped within the circle before her. "Dragon Art: Seeker Flames!" Balls of fire shot out of the circle, screeching towards the man Kira called Doyle. Doyle tried to avoid the fiery globes but wasn't agile enough. He slamed the ground hard before Kira's feet. "Any last words?" Lita seemed glued to the spot; her body refused any command she gave it to go help.
"Yeah. Tiger Art: Soul Poison!" Claws extended from his hand and were plunged deep into Kira's gut. Ripping them out, Kira staggered backwards in shock. She attempted to conjure up her flames but they wouldn't respond.
"What have you done to my powers?!" she screeched, livid with her condition.
"They're unuseable until the poison's run its course. And by then, you'll be most willing to join the Star Queen' force. It'll only be a matter of time before we have the Butterfly's Heir as well." He means Serena, Lita thought. Or Sailor Moon, to be exact. "However you act will be the exact opposite after the poison's worked its magic. That's how it is with poison of the soul." Doyle threw his head back and laughed. It was listening to the fiery pits of hell cackle over a saint. Lita's hair rose at the sickening sound. Spreading the same black angel wings from before, he took of into the sky and shot out for the stars, vanishing not but five seconds later. Kira fell over, still clutching her abdomen as her blood slowly drained away. Lita finally gained control of her body and rushed down to help Kira. Laying her on the couch, Lita dialed the others and made a conference chain.
"Guys, Kira was fighting with this guy in the street and she was injuried pretty badly. The guy's name is Doyle, I think, and he used something called Tiger Art. There was poison involved," Lita opened with. There was a collective gasp from the links in the chain.
"I'll ask Luna if she knows anything about it," Serena offered.
"Same for Artimis," Mina added. Serena and Mina click out.
"Lita, I'm on my way over. I want to look at her injuries," Ami commanded, clicking out as well.
"Rei?" Lita called.
"I don't like the sound of Doyle. I'll check the fire and see if I get anything." Rei hung up and Lita followed suit.
Kira, hang on, Lita thought as she waited for the others to show.
Ami arrived first, medical kit in hand. She was closely followed by Mina and Rei. Ami set right to work, extracting some of the poison from the gaping wounds.
"Where's Serena?" Rei asked quietly, afraid to disturb Ami.
"I don't know. I hope she didn't run into Doyle," Lita admitted. Just then, Serena burst in with Luna in her arms.
"Hi guys. Luna has something to tell you," Serena said, every word sing-song. Luna nodded and leapt from Serena's arms.
"The Zodiac have three kinds of attack. A normal one, a special one, and one that can kill them. A creature's 'art' is a special attack that weakens the user. If this Doyle is the Tiger Warrior, then poison is his secret art and we can't save Kira." Everyone looked over at the girl as she twisted, sweated, and bled on the couch.
"Nothing?" Lita asked. Kira's eyes shot open. Clutching at her wound, she viewed the girls with wild eyes. Horrified, she jumped out the window. Her wings extended and she took off, her blood raining crimson onto the street below.
"Nothing at all."