Crystal Points

Crystal Points

Emania, Land of Infinite Gods

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,

And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,

And wild plum-trees in tremulous white;

Robins will wear their feathery fire

Whistling their whims on a low fence wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one

Will care when at last it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree

If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,

Would scarcely know that we were gone.

-Sara Teasdale,"There Will Come Soft Rains"

Episode 7- A Dream Deferred? Protection for the Senshi.

Up, up into the Mountains of the East, high, high into the air where our sibling sleeps, curled around the pinnacle of Emania's highest point. Here, will you find what you seek. Here, in the High Mountains....

Into the mountain range they again traveled, following the path that the two dragons lay out for them, gliding along ahead silently. As they had bid farewell to Rory and Balan, watching them float away downriver, the dragons had become strangely silent, as though contemplating the next branch of their journey. The four girls had returned to the inn, gathering up their horses and seeing that Rory's and Balan's were cared for, especially if they were unable to return for the beasts. It was strange, wandering though the city outskirts, looking for the road that would take them to the mountains. But once safely out of the city's sight, Rei urged her mount into the lead, and again they watched her open up the faerie road, the slight and subtle shifting that marked a path of the faerie. The difference was so subtle, a gentle illumination of the edges of vision, a faint glow that danced on the hems of the grasses and leaves. They had grown used to it before, passing though to Aerial, but now it again seemed fresh and new and magical. The ugliness that marred the city's magic was not yet tainting this path, and it smelled of fresh spring rain.

At the same time, it seemed frightening, wild still and uncharted. Not familiar and safe like the city's smells of spice and food and fish. But it was that bit of uncertainty that made them shiver, remembering that this was what they were there to save. To rescue. Such beauty.

So swift was their traveling on the faerie road, that they could look around them and see walls that seemed like glass, just slightly bubbled, as though the glassblower had intentionally left it to be opaque. At once point, Minako reached out and touched this substance, not expecting to feel anything. But her fingers met with a soft wall that hummed under fingertip, sending quiet ripples out from the epicenter of her nails. And though this obscure glass, daylight penetrated, but it seemed to be moving slowly. They ran parallel to the man-made trail, or perhaps the man-made trail ran parallel to theirs. Regardless, it did not matter. The richness of greenery that swallowed them upon leaving the city grew thinner as the trees gave way to rock, and a tougher kind of grass grew under horse hooves.

At last, the mortal trail swerved, taking an easier route though mountain pass.

Up, straight up, and travel swift. Too much time lost already. Over the stones, over the rocks. Even now, the ground far away is watered, and it is not with rain.

Rei and Ami were the only ones to hear this, and they exchanged worried looks, knowing too well that the feeling of infinite sadness so depressing their dragons was that of death, and what watered the ground was blood. Battle raged somewhere, and they hoped that their friends would be spared of it. And as there was nothing they could do, they decided it best to let Minako and Makoto have some slight ignorance of it. Ignorance may not be bliss, but it could, at least, keep hopes up.

They left the horses at this crux in the trailways, seeing that if they were unable to return, the creatures would be easily found by overland merchants, judging by the deep and fairly fresh wheel ruts in the ground. Too many boulders and upslopes lay ahead, too dangerous, risking broken legs. An injured animal would hinder them more than help.

So they marched.

Up, up higher, to find what you seek. Follow us. We will take you there.

Four girls from modern day Tokyo, supplies on their backs, regardless of their youth and general good health, got tired of marching for several hours on end. Soldiers they may be, but not in any army that consisted of a boot camp- unless you counted video games virtual training.

They were now fully surrounded by canyon walls, drop cliffs that were painted in earthy hues, brown and purple and yellow. Mist from fresh morning rain rose gorgeously over the high slopes, dazzled with hardy plants and mosses. Though they looked tired, and felt dirty and worn, no one complained. It didn't matter. Food was strangely available, not too much, but enough so that they weren't hungry. As they slept that second night, Ami tried an experiment. Not one of science or chemistry, but of very simple logic.

If food is left out, in a likely place, and a trap set, the hypothesis is that within a desired amount of time, something will be caught. And being the intelligent girl she is, her hypothesis was proven that next morning, leaving Makoto a rabbit to roast over a fire Rei provided.

To use their powers or either magic, intuition or logic in this way seemed odd, but strangely natural. Peaceful, even, and in the near absolute silence, they packed up again and headed up the base of the largest mountain.

Here. Here is where you will find what you seek. Look up. Look up!

Makoto looked up ahead of her, seeing Ami, and in the lead, Minako. Again they were working their way up a mountain. It wasn't too steep, but it wound in circles, broken and interrupted by the natural shifting of the land, and the rainwater that wore away stone. They were a good way up the mountain, and the air was only just becoming thin. That was marked by a slight need to draw deeper breaths. Two walls of rock stood above them, and an arch of stone covered moss bridged a gap between mountains. But that was not what made her hair suddenly stand on end. It was the fact that Rei's quiet leather boots were not making sound behind her.

So she turned to see what was holding the Soldier of Fire up. Rei stood just a few lengths behind her, and the breeze was catching at the ends of her hair as she slowly turned, eyes closed. Makoto knew that look. That was the look when Rei sensed danger, and was looking for its source. With certainty, the raven haired priestess stopped as she faced forward, eyes opening and hand going to the air.

"Mars Crystal Power! Make-up!"

It echoed. And fire scorched rings of black against the stone as Ken flapped out of the way. Ami and Minako turned, hearing the familiar cry, and within moments, three more cries joined the first.

"Mercury Crystal Power! Make-up!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power! Make-up!"

"Venus Crystal Power! Make-up!"

Arrayed in a downward row, they turned forward, seeking out whatever was to the front that Mars was searching for. A light laugh alerted them to the source, and, perched on a boulder, sat a woman with bronze skin and white hair, legs dangling off the side, crossed at the ankles. She sat at a crevice in the mountainside, and the darkness of her clothes and dress merged her with the shadows. Even as they watched, she smiled at them, setting her elbows on her knees and lacing her fingers together, sweetly placing her chin on them. Her eyes were filled with amusement, but beneath that, the senshi saw something else. And, oddly, it was fear.

"Pretty show you girls put on, you know."

The words were like silksteel.

"Who are you?" Venus demanded, stepping forward as though to approach her. She heard the other three shifting, coming closer together for a more defensive position. Many thoughts raced through their minds. She was new. Where was Caradoc? Was she alone? Or was she with him? And if so, where was he? If he was here, how did he get there? With her? A faerie road, same as them? And why was she laughing? Then again, didn't they always laugh?

"I would be Daeva," the woman replied bemusedly. She was gazing down at them from her position just above, with every appearance of enjoying herself. "And...Minako," she gestured at Venus, "Makoto...Ami," she moved her hand, pointing at each in turn, "and Rei. How nice to meet you at last. And you too, Lagu. Ken." Her smile was withering, watching the two small dragons that had set themselves on the ground, wings arched and with the appearance of readiness.

"What do you want with us?" Jupiter asked, feeling that she knew the answer already.

Daeva gave a nonchalant shrug, flicking her fingers carelessly.

It seemed that she was done talking, and would rather fight. Mars gathered a gasp, which was audible in the quiet of the mountain. That small motion was in fact an attack signal. Two dark figures slithered out of the sharp shadows, and hovered in the air on either side of the senshi.

"Jupiter! Get the Point!" Venus called as the two wraiths swept in with blinding quickness. The ones from Aerial had been swift, and these were just as fast. All four of the senshi dropped as these emitted a high keening noise, which reverberated off the bare walls of rock. They flew around again, preparing for another run. Venus, still closest to Daeva, the obvious conductor of this attack, watched her blithely stand, turning to leave. "Like hell you will!" Still on her knees, a hand went into the air, in the familiar 'I love you' in sign language. "Venus Love-me Chain!"

The line of glowing hearts sliced straight and clean though the air, stretching as Daeva was nearly out of range. She wasn't able to hit her. But the tip of the chain wrapped itself around her wrist, which was swung back in natural motion. Forced to swing around when Venus tugged, her distant eyes narrowed and her lovely face was marred with an expression of anger. Then Venus watched her turn back, and leap off the boulder, legs tucked up neatly as she soared down, arm back. There was no time to react. Venus spun as the back of Daeva's fist impacted on her left cheek, sending her reeling and the chain dissolving. She landed on her back, seeing Daeva above her, hand in the air. Just enough time to spin away, Venus heard and felt, rather than saw, the ground she had laid on burst into a cloud of rubble.

In the way it is in a hectic battle, she saw Mercury and Mars again fighting with the wraithlike things, back to back and fending them off. But the speedy demons were dodging the attacks, and the dragons were soaring about, their small wings not fast enough to compete with the ghosts. Jupiter was not there, and as Venus rolled herself to her feet, saw a greenish blur moving rapidly up the mountain, on a narrow path.

"Hurry, Mako-chan," she prayed, and then prepared herself for a fight.

Under her gloves, Sailor Jupiter felt a nail split as she pulled herself up to the next foothold in the cliff face. She winced, eyes squeezing shut as she felt a trickle of blood pool though the tip of fabric. Fukus were not designed for mountain climbing. At least her bootlike shoes were better than Mars' heels in this situation. The fastest way: straight up. She had covered quite a bit of ground in the last few minutes, trying very hard not to look down. Not because she was afraid of heights, but because she didn't want to know how bad the situation was for the others. She might be tempted to go back. No, she had to continue here. This was more important, right now. Right?

Another foothold was an outcropping of rock, and a slight depression behind it. She got her toes onto it, then slid upward. Almost there. Almost to the ledge, then a respite, since it seemed the ledge ran in a spiral up and around for several meters. Then up again. No time, no time, just hurry. Damn it for a helicopter, or a plane, an airlift, and elevator, or even just a band-aid for her stupid bleeding finger, now staining though to the palm. She already had a few other wounds scraped across exposed skin, rubbed raw.

Her hand hit flat ground. She heard herself grunt as she rolled herself up onto the horizontal ledge. Closed her eyes and breathed for two seconds, then hauled herself up. There could be more of those wraithlike dead things flying around. Or worse. She took several breaths, looking around. Sailor Jupiter then looked up, and saw something flap, just beyond the edge of the outcropping above. It brushed against some greyish shrubbery that clung to the face of it, making it shake.

Several things clicked into place.

The melee below was nothing more than a distraction, a trap. If successful, good. If not, it didn't matter. That Daeva creature had a minion already on..his? way up the mountain. Caradoc? Did she work for him? Or he for her? Jupiter edged herself backward, trying to see more of what was above her. The angle hid most of the body, but as he rounded the corner ahead of him, the long sweep of black hair and wide shoulders was familiar to her. Not one to act too impulsively, Jupiter rushed forward. She could not catch up to him on time. The rock leading to that ledge went straight up, sheared off and perfectly smooth. And this space was too narrow to fight. So she ran ahead, seeking slightly more space.

She found it, in a depression that dented the side, a few minutes later, trying to quietly keep the man in sight. She could not catch up. Being below him was her disadvantage, but she could not let him reach the top of the mountain first. Already she had passed the rocky bridge that seemed so high when the battle began. Now, rather than mist, faint clouds winged their way around the stone.

"Caradoc!"

No one had ever said Jupiter was the quiet one. Her voice vibrated off the bare rock, amplified, and he unmistakably heard it. "Coward! Bastard!" That was enough to get him to turn, peering down at his taunter. He clearly knew that she was too late, and provoking him was her only chance. So he grinned, saluted her mockingly, and began to turn away. But he was still on the edge. And he didn't know what usually happened when the antenna was out of the little green gemstone in her tiara. "Supreme...Thunder!"

The ledge exploded in a shower of electricity as she focused the blast at his feet. Not one to be forced off balance, Caradoc was able to leap lightly into the air before he found himself without anything to walk on. Falling downward, he drew his sword from its scabbard, and Jupiter lunged in even as he hit dirt. She couldn't let him use that. She needed distance for her attacks, and good hand to hand combat fighter she was, she was unarmed, and he looked like he sure as hell knew how to use that blade.

She felt pain shoot up her arm as her fist connected with his jaw. With a backhand, she knocked him down further, still trying to keep him below her. With her other arm, she pinwheeled his into hers, lashing again against his face. The stun of it was enough to loosen his grip, and she saw blood trickle out of his mouth. Jupiter pretended he was just another school bully. But bullies don't usually hold swords, and even though they may try to pummel you, they usually stop short of death.

Slipping around, she grabbed his wrist and twisted as hard as she could. The leather gauntlet on his arm kept it from snapping, but the fingers released the weapon at last. Turned in, she realized he was up, and was much larger than she. A bare moment. She ducked low enough to keep him off her neck. The jab sent with her elbow to his stomach connected, but hurt her more than him. Tears sprung to her eyes as she impacted hard leather armor.

For all her strength, she couldn't lift him, flip him over in an Akido roll. So she managed to slip out of his grip, skittering backward. Then she broke into a cold sweat.

"Kuso."

It didn't matter that he was unarmed now. Because she knew he had the same kind of weapon she did. Magic. In the form of a pair of lovely, reflective silver eyes. That, she didn't expect. "Air, Element of Breath," he began, and she charged forward blindly, knowing that she had to keep him from chanting any of those spells. Only now she was bound to the same problem. No time to summon the lightning.

He caught her fist, drawing her in close, but she spun and kicked back, aiming for a knees and missing. But she swiveled around quickly, and tripped him as his other hand slammed into her stomach, sending the air out of her lungs. Sparkles danced in her eyes.

"Oh god...." It was little more than a croak as her feet left the ground. Her charge had brought them close to the ledge. And though the blow was hard, it was not designed to beat her down. It was designed for effect, to send her flying. He knew, too, the restraint of using only magic. So he was going to hurl her into the vastness of space.

But she would be damned if she was going alone.

Her hands were free, and she brought them in close, wrapping bloody fingers around his forearm, sliding down to his wrist. Already off balance, the full weight of Sailor Jupiter tipped him over, and though he tried to throw himself backward, she was already too far. He, too, left the ground, and the slowness of the moment became a howling scream of wind.

Venus leapt up onto the boulder Daeva had been forced to abandon. Her fastest attack. "Crescent Beam!" She held it, using it to laser across the rock below where her enemy stood. Lithely, the dark woman leapt aside, fingers in the air.

Underneath her, Venus felt the rock begin to soften, and her feet grew hot. She jumped with every bit of strength she had, as the heat within the stone erupted, melting the ground she had stood on. Their battle raged on, as did that of Mercury and Mars.

The two senshi of opposing elements were still back to back, though a couple armslengths apart. Whether or not these two had learned from the earlier ones, neither knew, but their attack patterns were distinctly different, and far more erratic. They let the senshi attack, but kept in such a wild dance of flight and distance, they were unable to strike. And the sharp talons of their dragons were useless. The wraiths outflew them, and they had to dodge any attacks flung out as well. So they glided lowly, waiting. One of Mars' arrows had winged a creature, striking off its arm. But it was unfazed. And the longer they fought, Mars watched a tiny stub begin to fill the torn cloth. Then a tiny, babylike hand, which was no once again at full strength. Regeneration. Great.

"This isn't getting us anywhere, Mercury!" Mars shouted as she finished off a rapid Fire Soul. "We can't keep this up forever!"

"Venus is busy with that woman!" She paused to cry, "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Again, the creature's erratic flight pattern carried it out of the way before any more than the hem of its robe was doused. "There has to be a way to take them both out at once!"

Together.

Both senshi paused, though still alert. The same word reached their minds at the same moment, in the voice of both Lagu and Ken at once.

Together.

Again the creatures swung around for another attack run, their sunken faces clear in the sunlight. Fingers were splayed, gnarled like old oak trees.

Instead of turning to fight again, the two faced each other, eyes closed and concentrating. Right hand met right hand, then above it, left met with left in a kind of helix. Flames ran in Mars' blood, and she felt them grow hot, burning her from within. Water that usually ran deep and calm within Mercury became rapid, a torrent and a flood.

When they opened their eyes, their gazes locked.

What is the result, of two different elements, not working to fight the other, but to work together? What happens when water ceases to put out fire? And what happens when water scalds a person rather than chills them? In alignment, who knows what combined magic can do?

Blue water and red fire merged, and the result was a blossoming lavender light.

So much wind.

Jupiter didn't know that wind could hurt, screaming in her ears, pulling at her arms and body. She felt herself spinning around, and realized that in a few moments, she would be quite dead. Now she looked downward, and saw the battle below rushing up to greet her with very hard arms. Her hair had come unbound from the little ribbon holding it up, and it streamed though her vision, slapping her cheeks sharply, stinging. She could see Venus, leaping into the air as a boulder melted. And Mercury and Mars. What were they doing? Ignoring the enemy? No, they're coming to kill you...turn around, face them...there won't be a Jupiter to protect you anymore....

"I want to protect them...."

And why is it, that your final wish is to protect them?

The wind tore the words from her lips, but it seemed that it did not matter. "They're my friends...."

So?

"That is...my life...."

Do you know, girl, what it is to protect a thing? Do you know that breath is the air that animates a being? That without breath in their lungs, humans cannot live? Do you understand, girl, that the wind screams even as a person does scream? That it sighs as a person does sigh, and cries as a human does cry? People do not listen to the wind, anymore.

"Then they should...."

Light of painful brightness enveloped Jupiter, glittering lavender, alight with gleaming fireflies of silver and gold, swimming in blue fire. And wind fed the flames.

Under her body, so close now to the ground, something drew up under her belly, gently easing her into the air once more. Prickly but also soft, firm and also pliant. Strong.

Her hands wrapped around something, and as her eyes eased open, she saw feathers. Green, spring green, like brightly sunlit grass, almost yellow. As she turned her head, she felt them soar upward, and felt the streaming currents of air across the broad back of a dragon. Below, she heard a dull sound, almost a smack. "Oh god...." her eyes squeezed shut as she realized it was the sound of flesh and bone impacting very hard, very fast, against stone. She buried her face into the feathers, and felt them turn around, to land.

Where Mercury and Mars stood, hand still in hand, they hesitated, not believing the sensations that rippled in them and around them, the very air filled with illusionary currents. Slowly, their grips unlocked, and they looked at the ground around them. A circle had been blown out of the rock around them. Together, a cone of power had risen from their hands, spiraling counterclockwise in banishment from where they stood. A crater, more than ten meters in diameter. And above them, no wraiths hovered.

"Venus!" Mercury exclaimed, recovering first and leaping the short step into the crater. Mars was barely a step behind her. The blast of their power had flung both opponents from their feet. Venus was on her knees, staggering up, quickly aided by Mercury's hand, as Mars took a position before them, ready. But she need not have worried. Daeva was on her feet, but her lovely face was contorted, hideous in its fury.

A bugle blast interrupted anything that might have been said, and in the empty stone walls, it was like an earthquake. Winds of high velocity whipped around them, sending hands before faces to ward off flying dust. Another bugle sounded, and their eyes set upon a new dragon. Four giant feathered wings were spread out, and its curved, eagle-like beak was open, the source of the trumpeting. A high crest of feathers rose around his face, and dark green eyes contrasted with the light green prism of the crystal in its forehead.

Behind them, two trumpets sounded, a light soprano and a resonating baritone, the answering calls of Lagu and Ken. The senshi turned their heads to see them once again donning their full forms, wings also extended.

Daeva seemed little impressed, though the expression of rage on her face did not cease. Though the expression, she gave a short laugh. Not one of happiness, but of hatred, little more than a bark. "I was beginning to wonder, if you would kill him," she said plainly, first to the three senshi before her, then turning to momentarily look up at Jupiter, still dragonback. "He's dead?"

So emotionless.

Jupiter inclined her head downward in response. "Too bad. I was rather fond of that one." Another sharp bark of laughter was emitted from Daeva as she pulled herself tall again. Her lips twisted into a scowl, but she forced a smile though it. "I'll sound pathetic now- but you should know...this isn't over."

Mars broke out of the silence, stepping forward, prepared to fight her, to attack, bringing her hands up and around, flames stretching as she nocked an arrow. But Daeva needed to only move a hand, and then she was gone, a ripple where she had stood.

"Faerie road," Venus mumbled as she stood, taking a couple cleansing breaths. Reluctantly, she dusted herself off. "So she can use them too."

Just beyond them, the two smaller dragons moved to greet their brother, touching noses delicately. Then the newest lowered the pair of wings on one side, dipping them so Jupiter could slide off. "Minna?"

Venus began to laugh a little, harshly, but with relief filling it. Mercury's eyes filled up with tears and she placed her hands to her lips, as Mars ran forward, laughing hysterically with relief. "You're okay! Jupiter! What happened? Did you fight that Caradoc guy?"

"Yeah..." she gasped, beginning to join in the relieved, shaky laughter. "We went over the side of the cliff.... Eolh...Eolh caught me...."

"Eolh?" Mars glanced around her friend, and took in the size of the dragon. Twice the size of Lagu, half again as large as Ken. "Your dragon? Geez, I guess he's the largest now."

Actually, she is largest, Ken commented.

"Who?" Mars asked the dragon, craning her neck back to meet his eyes. They swiveled to Venus, who was beginning to approach them. Mercury walked alongside, both smiling that everything was all right.

"Are you okay, Mako-chan?" Venus asked as Eolh moved his beaky head down to give Jupiter a light shove in the back.

Jupiter, we must not wait here, now. Things move quickly. Listen.

And so she did, and felt a breeze of air across her face. It was cool, but there was a metallic twang to it. Far away and faint, she heard a scream, as though only a whispered one. "Eolh, what is that?"

That is the sound of a battle that should not be fought.

"Jupiter, what is it?" Mercury asked. She whipped out the trusty mini-computer, and began taking in information.

"Eolh says that we need to move. There's a battle going on..." a puzzled frown formed on her lips. "I don't know where...I...I can't hear it...."

"Hear it?" Venus asked, confused. "The battle's over...."

"No, a different one. Lots of people. An army. Far from here."

"There's residual energy in our area," Mercury added into the conversation. "But the faerie roads...I don't know how to explain them. I wish Pluto were here...it's not temporal, but I'm getting some bizarre readings that break into that field of physics. More like some form of pocket dimension, or a subspace field. If Daeva went to this battle you're talking about, there may not be a way to trace her."

"She said it wasn't over," Mars reminded them. "We knew about the battle, Mercury. If she went there, there isn't much she'll change-"

"You knew?" Venus interrupted, startled. "You didn't tell us there was a battle going on somewhere?"

"Mars! Mercury! Balan...and Rory-hime could be in the middle of it!"

No.

Three senshi straightened as the single word entered their minds. Venus scowled. "Will you let me in on the dragon-speak?"

"They all say that Balan and Rory-hime are okay," Mercury informed her.

The water along the river runs peacefully. Do not fear. They still travel my domain. But soon they will leave. Then I may not track them. But then, it is not far, and the blood enters my river north of Ken's home. Do not worry for them.

"Lagu also says that the battle is north of there." Mercury intentionally declined to say how, exactly, her dragon knew that. But it didn't matter. "We should get going. It will take awhile to cross Emania." She looked at her dragon, then turned the computer around to show them her virtual map of the land. "Lagu and I have been trying to pinpoint the next location. There are some caves far to the east. Even in the subspace dimension of the faerie road, it will take us a a couple weeks. And we still need to go back for the horses."

That is stupid.

Mars rolled her eyes and repeated Ken's newest declaration of stupidity. Mercury flushed. She wasn't used to being called stupid, for any reason.

Lagu and I are not large enough for two. Our backs are not made for it. Look at Eolh. He is much larger. He can carry the Minako one as well as Makoto. And on wing, we travel much more quickly than those stupid horses. We will take you to our sister much more quickly.

Mars repeated Ken's words, and there were nods of agreement at the idea.

"Eolh, you can carry Minako too?"

Ken is right. I am bigger than he and Lagu. There is room for your friend on my back.

Jupiter smiled. "V-chan, Eolh says he can carry you, too."

"Great. Always wanted to fly." She blinked a couple times, then stared at Jupiter. "Mako-chan, I though you were afraid to fly."

"Only in airplanes. Besides," she turned grateful eyes up to Eolh, who would have been smiling, if he could. "Eolh won't crash."

"Then let's go!" Mars laughed, turning. She touched the pin on her bow, then looked over her shoulder as the rings of fire faded away, returning her to the tunic and boots. "Between one of my faerie roads, and being on wing, who can stop us?"

There were three smiling faces, who nodded in agreement. Detransfoming, the little canyon was filled with light and magic, and then the sound of rushing wings as three dragons spread their sails, beating hard on the downstroke to raise themselves up.

"Doesn't he come with a seat belt?" Minako asked warily as winds sent her hair swirling up around her head. Instead, she grabbed onto two of the feathers before her, precariously hanging on.

"Ready?" Makoto called over her shoulder.

"Hai!" Minako screamed back over the wind.

The newest addition soared upward, joining the fire and water dragons.

Then they vanished.

Into the shadows of a rubble-strewn alleyway, a woman stepped though a tear. It was rough on the edges, as though a scythe had raggedly torn though in anger. But the figure emerging was calm, detached from the world around her. Absently, Daeva flipped a lock of white hair over her shoulder, and looked around with a kind of observant disinterest.

A man lay in a puddle of dirty water to her left, unconscious. She sniffed in disdain. With a graceful motion, she touched her hair, meaning to push the messy strands out of her eyes. No time to brush it after that last encounter. No, not to move quickly enough. But as she pushed it back, her fingertips contacted something hard. A comb, which she drew from her hair, noticing the lovely butterfly design, inlaid with pink seashell. A mother of pearl sat in its center. With a frown, she grimaced as a drop of rain fell onto it. Last thing she would need was a storm. She looked up, though the layers of hanging laundry, flapping in the breeze. But though it was cloudy, the cumulus clouds towered white, not grey. Puzzled, her eyebrows lifted, then she touched her face, feeling another raindrop. With a startled realization, she looked down again at her gift. "Tears, Caradoc? My, I did love you after all, then, didn't I? How odd." She made a small humming sound, as though considering it. With a shrug, she returned the comb to its place, sweeping back her hair neatly in the process. She didn't like to feel...unkempt. "Well, if that is true, then I suppose that I'll have to take some revenge for you. Would you like revenge, my silver eyed love?"

She spoke very softly to herself, less than a murmur. But she stepped out of the alley, around the broken stone she had left several nights before. Walking along the stream of humanity, she watched them. Men shouted and women squabbled, and a dirty child nearly ran into her in a game of tag. Such filth this place reeked of. Spoiled fish and fragrance layered too heavily. Cologne. "A proper job of it," she decided, "and continue the work."

Within a few minutes, she had turned towards Aerial's busy marketplace, the crowd of people growing thicker as did the smells and sounds. Barefoot, she nearly stepped in some animal's offal. Disgusted, she began to see why so many people here held their heads down. Too look for any filth underfoot.

She began to cross to the center of the plaza. But a roar of laughter distracted her, causing her to turn in curiosity, and hope. Laughter, true laughter, was something she wished she heard more of. But as the sound erupted again, Daeva sensed an aura of menace within it. The laughter not with a person, but at them.

"What's so funny?" She asked a pudgy woman beside her.

In reply, the woman snorted, "Some loony. Can't you hear 'im?"

Curiosity again piqued, she leaned forward, rising to her toes to see over the heads of men before her. A man stood on the streetcorner, unwashed and unshaved, railing, "It's the end! Go back to the old ways...or the demons will kill all who corrupt the world! Take it for themselves," he lowered his voice. "Could be anywhere...watching! The furies...faeries filled with anger! Vengeance!" He wheeled crazily, a bony hand accusing the crowd. Too close to Daeva's direction it landed, and she rolled back on her heels as she heard, "Nothing to save us! The Priestesses purge the dark magics, but still the demons return! You'll all die! Die!"

"Very...loony," Daeva agreed with the woman, who was giving her a disapproving frown with thin lips. Amused that she was not matching the woman's standards of 'modesty' she arched an eyebrow, laughing inwardly at her. So colorless, this woman, with washed out skin and eyes that held no color. Even her hair was a dullish shade, not brown and not grey. Forgettable, easily. Just like any middle aged woman anywhere, who had no sense of self, no life other than the day's chores. Which, for this woman, appeared to be a bushel of dirty rags for the laundry. "Why, is there something the matter?" Daeva asked perversely, just to unbalance her.

To her delight, the woman stuttered, "Just...thinking about those new styles you younger girls wear. Nothing like that in my day." Her nose went into the air. Daeva smoothed the black cloth of her dress, proudly admiring the silk of it. She spun it herself.

But to get the conversation off her, the colorless woman again referred to the ranter. "Faeries. What garbage."

"Oh?"

"Don't tell me you believe in such stupid things! Nonsense."

"I don't know...I was always taught that the world around us is important. Were you not, when you were young?"

"'Course," the sniffed, as though insulted. "But no one never seen a fairy or their kin in generations. Gran said she seen one when she was a girl, but not my ma or me. Crazy," she repeated, as though to convince Daeva as well as herself.

"So what, then? You don't need magic in your-"

Before Daeva could even finish, she was interrupted by a short, harsh laugh from the woman. "Magic? What magic? Magic's for them up on the Fire Mountain, or those witches with the funny eyes. This here," she hefted the bushel, "this is my magic. Goes in the water dirty, comes out clean. This is what we do," she said, stomping on the ground and referring to the pavement. "we make our own magic. Clear some space, get rich on the profit."

"At the expense of the faerie?"

"At the expense of- Didn't you 'ear me? Ain't no faeries. Delusions! No proof of 'em. You sound almost as crazy as that loon," she huffed, jerking her chin at the raving man. Two armed men were pushing their way though the crowd now, and taking his flailing arms. "They'll put him where loonies can't rave like that. Make life difficult for civilized folk."

"So you're civilized now, are you?"

"Better than living like animals out in the woods! Lock up the loons, let us have our peace."

"Hm," Daeva agreed, watching the crowd dissipate. "So then, civilized people need...proof? To ensure what they do not see is real?"

The woman laughed at her, shaking her head. "Mayhap I call those guards back for you! Loon," she muttered as she turned away, shaking her head and vanishing into the crowd.

"Civilized people need proof. What next?" She sighed and turned, feeling the people brush past her. "Proof. Yes, I can give them proof. Lots of proof. All this civilization needs is proof that they're wrong. That they're insane. That their lives are insane...yes, proof will be very good, if the people are thinking logically. But those who are insane aren't thinking logically. No, not at all."

If anyone heard her quiet speech, they ignored her. They were used to people who talked to themselves out loud, thinking they had an audience. Or crazies like the man on the corner. One young, pretty woman would cause little stir. So no one stopped her progress to the center of the plaza, no one noticed her smile sadly as she lifted a hand into the air and began to speak. If they had, maybe someone would have recognized her words as a chant, a spell. If they were trained, maybe they would have acted to prevent it, the summoning of whatever it was she called. But no one listened. No, civilized people let the authorities take care of crazies. Get them out of sight, where no one wants to look.

But what people did notice was the blackness in the sky. They noticed, too, the ground tear up underfoot as dead things began to rise from their graves of stone and concrete. They saw each other scream and begin to run from the locus of the melee. They saw things of shadow fly, and fires flame into the daylight.

And for many hours, Aerial burned.

It was a long trip, even on wing. The day passed by with unnatural swiftness, swiftness felt oddly on the faerie road. A translucent world flew by underneath, shimmering in colors unseen by mortal eyes, shifting into the sunset's purple and red. Rei kept herself flat against Ken's scaly neck and back, fingers clinging to the armored ridges. If she turned her head to the side, she could see Makoto and Minako on Eolh to her right, the giant wings on full display. Just ahead was Lagu, wings in downbeat, then soaring again, and Ami's small body could be seen on her neck.

Clinging there, she could smell the sulfuric tang of Ken's scales, bitter but not unpleasant. She could also feel the warmth radiating from him, as though a fire burned under his skin. And, in a way, she supposed, there was one. There was one point in the day that the heat grew scalding, and she was forced to remove her cheek from his neck. But now it was quiet again, cool though still warm, and pleasant. Still, she wondered at the heat, and about the new enemy. Daeva, she called herself. Odd name. Too pretty for a demon, really. But then, Beryl, Nepherenia, Galaxia...those weren't ugly names. It didn't matter.

"Ken?" Rei whispered, tilting her head against the scales. The wind currents passing over her were strong, and it was easiest to make herself as flat as possible, sending wind flying sleekly over her. "Ken? Can you hear me this way?"

Yes.

She smiled faintly, and jerked her head slightly, whipping a strand of hair from her eyes. "That Daeva woman...what is she? I don't think she's human."

You are right. She is not human.

To this, Rei blinked a couple times, unsure what to think. "Then what is she?"

She is a fairy.

That was so blunt and unexpected, Rei froze, unthinking for a moment. "Nani? That's impossible! She can't be a fairy! That doesn't make sense!"

Why not?

She thought about that. Then finally, "Like Prilla?"

No. Not like Prilla. Prilla was very little. Barely more than a baby. Her power is not strong yet. Daeva is old. Very, very old. And very, very angry.

"About what? She's the one going around trying to kill everything!"

Ken made a mental motion much like a shrug. Yes, exactly.

"But...!" Rei was interrupted as Ken suddenly shifted direction.

Lagu says we must descend. Eolh and I follow her.

Then Rei had no time to argue, because she found herself diving downward. And she saw, after a moment, why.

A very sharp claw raked across the cheek of the fighting woman. She was not alone, but her companions were busy with their own battles. It was a shallow scratch, but brought blood to the surface. The sword swung around again, impacting on the creature's arm. Armor blocked it. She felt her cloak grabbed and pulled, tearing as her windpipe was cut by the brooch holding it together. Fighting off a gag, she ducked, hair catching, but it was enough. Her sword cut into its exposed underbelly, and the hairy creature crashed down before her, and she scrambled out of the way before too much blood or guts soaked her.

Ripping the cloak off, she was barely able to deflect the blow of a new opponent, larger and with eyes that burned. "Water, element of life...." The creature's mouth opened, and a tongue of flame slithered out, and she rolled to the side, abandoning her chant to escape. Again! "Water...!"

Light from above, blue and crystalline, descended through the treetops, and a trumpet blast that would shatter eardrums. No words. Just a sudden flood that engulfed the walking nightmare. Silver eyes looked up, watching a gilded blue dragon encompass the monster in claws bursting with its element. Any sound was the gurgle of water, of a drowned thing.

The person on the back of the dragon was not expected, though perhaps she should have expected it. "Ami?"

"Caitlyn! We're here to help!"

The sorceress' face set hard, and she wordlessly turned, running back into the fray. It was dispelling rapidly, with the aid of the dragons. Roars could be heard, though voices not human, and though voices draconic. The wings of Eolh could be seen over the trees, and char and ash were swirling hotly though the air on Eolh's winds. Lagu pivoted, leaping into the air and gliding a few feet to take them to the next person. Mercury braced herself as her dragon swiveled, tail swinging along behind her, and sending the goblin crashing into a tree, a loud snap heard as its neck broke.

The man stared up at her a moment, then grunted, turning and snatching up his dropped axe. Then, he too was gone, back into the fight. "Lagu, let's follow. There must be a center to the fighting, somewhere."

Lagu was already on her way.

Several minutes later, an exhausted group of silver eyed men and women ringed around the four Sailor Senshi and the three dragons. The silver eyed combatants were weary looking, rag tag and more than slightly battered. But they held their heads high, proudly. In the dawning darkness, the smoky winds held a red glow. Caitlyn stepped forward, glancing at the remaining debris and demon carcasses left around them. "Thanks," she said, looking first at Mercury, then the others. "I see you all met up again. We'll talk at dinner. We're moving out. This isn't a good place to rest." That was obvious, considering the remains that were around them. With that, Caitlyn turned away, walking back to her group. Over her shoulder, she called as an afterthought, "You can drop the illusion! No one here will care!"

With some final suspicious glances, the others began to follow her.

"You'd think they could show some gratitude," Rei muttered as the final ring of fire vanished into the earth. "We just saved their lives." She glanced up and saw Ken's head towering above her. He bent down, and she touched his muzzle. "We need to keep going. The sooner we find yours, Minako-chan, the better."

"No, she's right," Minako shook her head. "It's already dark. We need to get some sleep, and your dragons need some rest. And they have food. We've got what, Mako-chan?"

"Some bread. But I think the cheese is moldy."

Minako wrinkled her nose. "Yeah. Mold would be bad."

"Do you think they'll give us anything?" Makoto commented quietly, looking down. She still felt guilty over the battle in Ansur, helping to 'cleanse' the region of 'witches.' It didn't matter that she hadn't known better.

"I'm sure they will," Ami sighed, shaking her head. "Come on, minna. We have to catch up. And I don't want to stay here any longer." She began to move forward, Minako falling in step beside her.

The sorcerers made rapid progress, and the senshi had to run to keep up, knocking brambles out of their way as they tried to follow the weaving path made before them. Lagu, Ken, and Eolh had taken to wing, and though were still close, had tucked themselves away on the ledge of a nearby cliff. By the time the four senshi caught up, they found that a campsite was already nearly done, sparse though it was. A clearing, and two men were setting up a cookfire and a makeshift tripod over it. A woman was rooting around in the dirt beneath a tree, looking for tubers. After a moment, she was successful, and produced a hairy, bulbous brown root from the ground.

No one spoke to them, and the one person they tentatively knew was nowhere to be seen. But no one stopped them, and other than a few odd glances their way, the senshi were left alone. "Maybe we should try talking to them...." Minako began, but Makoto grabbed her before she could go introduce herself.

"Minako-chan, let's just wait for...Caitlyn-san. I mean, they may just be tolerating us...you and me, at least...."

Minako looked over at the group and received a hard look from one of the men. She smiled weakly and retreated, backing closer to the other three. "Then we might as well have that bread... Let's get our own fire going, too. Rei-chan, try not to burn the forest down."

"Hey!"

Within a few minutes, the air around them was filled with the familiar (Minako doing an admirable job of replacing Usagi) bickering that came when Rei decided to argue about something. Their small fire was crackling away into the night, smokelessly. Rei had more than mastered the 'trick' Ken had taught her, and even not powered up, was able to create a fair stream of fire from her fingertips. The bread was still good, if dried out, and as Makoto had mentioned, the cheese was bad. That got pitched into the forest. No one wanted to try going over to the other group to ask for food. They still had water enough, but there was a definite back-turning to the four girls. There was a tiny fire off to the side, where a couple of injured men lay, a petite woman tending them carefully, hands glittering as she worked healing magic.

Then, abruptly, as they munched on their bread, "Those are the Points, aren't they?"

Four heads spun around and saw Caitlyn standing above them, holding a largish, shallow bowl. "Rosalinde wanted me to bring you something to eat, too." She set the bowl down, and pushed it towards Makoto as she folded her legs and settled in. "She says you four couldn't figure your way around some roots when you're standing on them. Which you're fairly close to doing," she gestured at a shrub behind them. "Plants like that usually grow around more vegetables. Look underneath and dig them up. Guess your world doesn't have that, does it?"

"We go to the supermarket," Rei commented dryly as she took a portion from the offered bowl.

"Not even going to ask what that is," Caitlyn snorted, shrugging. "But I repeat. Those are the Points, aren't they?" She gestured up at the heights that the dragons had curled up on. The wings of Ken and Eolh could just be seen over the rise of the ledge.

"Hai," Ami agreed, biting carefully into the food. Her eyes lit up as it was sweet, and she began to chew thoughtfully. "Lagu, Ken, and Eolh."

"Hm," Caitlyn mumbled, warming her hands absently at the fire. "I wouldn't get worried then," she added, looking sharply at Makoto, then Minako. "About any of us stealing such creatures. Obviously we couldn't control them."

It was a pointed mark, and it stung. Though veiled, it did seem to represent where two of them stood with the silver eyed. They remembered Ansur.

"But still," Caitlyn continued, not missing a beat, "thanks. For today. There have been more and more of those things lately. Today was the worst, actually. We lost a good man this morning. The Seal must be degenerating further. And they're all heading west." She jerked her chin back in reference to the other silver eyed. "Eliana's sent out troops to kill off any in the region. Don't want to get attacked in our new hidey hole." She paused a moment, deliberately not saying where the 'hidey hole' was. Then, "They're coming out of nowhere. You seen anything?"

There were glances exchanged, and Caitlyn's eyebrows arched expectantly. "Well?"

"When we found Eolh," Makoto told her. "There was an attack. Led by a woman who calls herself Daeva. We killed Caradoc, but she escaped. I think she's the one behind all this."

There were nods from the other three, and Caitlyn bit her lip. "Caradoc? That's not the most common name...you couldn't mean... No, that's-"

"The Southern King," Minako affirmed, looking at her hands. "He was working with Daeva."

"And he was silver eyed," Makoto told them quietly. Mouths went agape. "I saw, when we fought. He was going to try magic, since I disarmed him."

"Huh. What do you know. Hiding it. But why work with a demon?" Caitlyn asked them, looking for an answer.

"She wasn't a demon," Ami protested. "Not like the others we've seen. She looked more like...I don't know...Kaolinite, or something. Human, but not...."

"I was talking to Ken, just before the battle," Rei mentioned, frowning as she finished the baked...whatever it was. Her fingers were sticky and she dribbled some water on them to wash it off. "He says that she's a fairy. And old one."

"A fairy?" Caitlyn asked. "You've seen them?"

Four sets of eyes turned to Caitlyn who had an unexplainable expression on her face. Not quite hope, or amazement, but a bit of both and something more. "I have," Rei told her. "A little one."

That caused Caitlyn to smile. "I haven't. A little one? Then they are still being born," she said, and her voice was bordering on a laugh. Then she placed her face in her hands and chuckled, "Thank the gods, they're still being born."

"You haven't, Caitlyn-san?" Ami asked gently, tilting her head to the side and watching her.

The sorceress shook her head as she looked up. "No. Rosalinde says she did, once. At a fairy ring. She was looking for mushrooms, and there they were. Some of us have. But when we talk to the others, they say they never have." She hesitated as though realizing something, then elaborated, "Non-silver eyed. Especially in the North or West. Haven't figured out why yet."

"Wait." Minako held up a hand. "Rei-chan, didn't you tell us that Prilla...Prilla, right?" At Rei's nod, she continued, "Was protecting that area? Is that the duty of a fairy? To protect?" There was an acknowledgment from Caitlyn, and Minako again continued, "Then why is Daeva attacking people? Shouldn't she be protecting them then?"

There was a long silence, and the popping of the fire was clearly heard amongst the mutterings of the other group. From where she sat, Ami wrapped her arms around her knees and thought about that. A rogue fairy? It sounded ridiculous. Fairies should be like the Prilla one Rei told them about. Not like Daeva. 'Fairy' didn't sound right. It brought that Disney fairy to mind: Tinkerbell, wasn't it? 'Fey' -that sounded better, or 'faerie.' Older words for the same meaning. It didn't matter. Fire rippled in her eyes as she considered the possibilities. None of the people she had met in Emania seemed to be what they initially thought. Sweet Lenora, so uncertain, issuing edicts to slaughter innocent men and women. Rory, a princess who wished to be an adventurer instead. Caitlyn, a witch on a mission.

A witch...on a mission.

Ami blinked a couple times to clear the dryness from her eyes. "Minna," she began carefully, aware all eyes were on her. "What if Daeva is like Caitlyn-san?"

Stares.

"If Rei is right and she's a fairy, she is not going to be a silver eyed," Caitlyn snapped, then seemed to catch Ami's train of thought, leaving her mouth open a moment as her mind processed the thought. "No. You mean...."

"Hai."

"Want to clue us in, geniuses?" Makoto drolled, arching her eyebrows in query.

Caitlyn and Ami turned to look at the other three. Ami then explained, "When we first met Caitlyn-san, we thought she was after Lagu and the others for herself, or for the other silver eyed. We then learned that was not quite accurate."

"Quite?" Caitlyn asked, frowning.

"You still want to use them to your advantage, to rule Emania. If not you personally, then someone among you. Though not for dark reasons, but for survival. Ne?"

The sorceress allowed this and shrugged nonchalantly.

"What if Daeva, too, is fighting for survival?"

As the other three caught on, chills caressed their spines, both from realization of the implications, and from the cool breeze stirring the leaves overhead. "I have a question then," Minako announced, waiting for them to focus on her. She was clasping the water bottle she held tightly, twisting it. "Why would she want to kill the humans? Why would she summon demons from beyond the Seal thing? And another thing," she looked puzzled, "what exactly is beyond this 'Seal' everyone is so worried about?"

Eyes switched expectantly from Caitlyn to Ami and back again.

Caitlyn began cautiously, thinking it out even as the words passed her lips. "I can only guess. If it is the duty of a fairy to protect the land," she brought her fingers to her lips in thought, "then Daeva must see something as a threat. That means something is leading her to believe it is a threat. Something that has happened over the last few generations. What has changed?" Now she seemed to be musing aloud, more to herself than to the other four. Her eyes literally brightened when the thought struck her. "The land. The cities. The babies. Too many. The threats of war, since the North and West are burgeoning with people. The South is strong, but very old fashioned. The East has grown very poor, clinging to the old ways. No armies, nothing. Too few people to fight. That's why Boreas was always making overtures to the Eastern lands. Then the colonists along the borders. Expansion. What happens when the land gets paved over for too many people? What happens when too many people begin to fight for not enough resources? The water's barely begun to boil. But Daeva's already felt the heat, and she's acting on it. That's it. She's trying to prevent a collapse."

The other four were staring blankly.

"Huh?" -from Minako.

"Isn't it the same in your world? Don't people fight over resources in your world?"

Looks were exchanged, and the thoughts of wars over oil and land and energy. Of pollution and corruption that erupts when one country or king or dictator got too greedy. Their expressions were enough for Caitlyn. "Your faces...." she breathed nervously. "How bad, are the wars in your world?"

There were pained looks.

"Hundreds of people dead?" Caitlyn asked, feeling sorry for them.

Eyes were averted.

Startled, she tilted her head and asked nervously, "Thousands?"

When there was no response, she paled, and weakly whispered, "Millions...."

"That'll change soon!" Rei protested after a moment. "When Usagi-chan becomes the Neo-Queen!"

Caitlyn still looked ill, and commented cynically, "And what about a world with no 'Usagi-chan'?"

The sorceress watched as they suddenly found the ground at their feet very interesting. "Still..." Minako choked after a moment. "Then Daeva is trying to prevent worse wars or...collapse? Oh god. Then...then...she's trying to prevent our world from happening here."

"The cauldron has just begun to get warm," Caitlyn echoed herself quietly. "Minako, as for your earlier question. The Seal...it's a legend, same's everything else here. There is no exact definition of what is beyond it. There are many interpretations, the most popular is a place where only demons dwell."

"Hell," Rei stated bluntly, knowing very well where demons would dwell.

"Uh...minna...." Ami asked uncertainly, a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. "What happens to a fairy when it's killed?"

"They can die?"

Caitlyn snorted, "What do you think happens when you build a city over a forest?"

"Oh..." Makoto mumbled, trying to keep from squirming. She wanted to get away from this conversation. It made her uncomfortable, and she was aware that the others were feeling the same effect. No Sailor Senshi. No Sailor Moon, Princess or Neo-Queen Serenity. Who or what could cleanse the negative energy? The logical thought would be the people themselves. It almost made all they had accomplished in their time as nothing more than a 'quick fix.' Poof, one moment the world is a shambles, frozen for a millennia. Wake up, ruled by the kindhearted Neo-Queen. Just like...magic.

"Do fairies become demons?" Ami's voice was so faint they could barely hear her, even in the quiet. "Is that what happens?" She paused thoughtfully then said,

"'What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

Like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over--

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?"

"I remember that poem," Rei commented quietly. "Some American poet."

Ami just nodded in agreement, saying, "Langston Hughes."

"She's summoning the dead faerie," Caitlyn concluded. "If she is one, then they will listen to her. And the fact that they were murdered..." she looked at her own hands, as though expecting to find them red. "She'll attack again."

"But that still leaves the question: Why stop us from finding the Points? They're the Elements, right?" Rei demanded, palms up and looking from face to face. "They'll save Emania, not destroy it. That makes no sense at all! Has she cracked then?"

A deranged, sociopathic fairy. Oh goody. Caitlyn groaned as she considered that. Then she realized, "No, it does make sense. Think about it. Ami said she's like me. Any of us. We wanted the Points to use them. Control their power. Eliana sent me out to catch one of you, to lead me to them." When she got a couple sharp glares from the senshi, reminded of the day on the Fire Mountain, she ignored them and continued, "Daeva is very much under the impression you will use it to merely destroy her and what she's been doing. For your betterment, not Emania's. Even from another world, you're hardly impartial. Your wars. Your world. Your own destruction."

She looked each senshi in the eye as she said these things, and made them think of the violence and hatred that often raged across the planet. It might have seemed silly, to think about saving the world. But then, isn't that what they did all the time? "You'd side with the Priestesses, on the Fire Mountain, wouldn't you? Use the power to obliterate the demons."

"Then it's easy!" Minako exclaimed, catching the drift. "We do what Sailor Moon does! Heal them! Return the to normal!" She was bright with excitement, and the others were catching it, suddenly seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. "We use Lagu, Ken and Eolh, and whatever the Earth one's name will be. Use their power to fix everything!"

Caitlyn was smiling a small, sad smile, watching the enthusiasm between them. She didn't want to bring them down, now that they had an idea as to what to do. But every fiber of her memory told her that it would not be that easy. Nothing was that easy. Spinning around and calling out words and using magic to heal things. Nice idea, but unless the people changed their ways as well, it would just revert back to the same old thing. No lesson learned. No change in thought. No change in vision. Without that, these four girls from another world would have accomplished nothing. And if nothing changed, then it would be back to fighting tooth and nail as more silver eyed witches were born. More kidnapping out of cradles to keep them alive. More wandering and more running and more killing. She wasn't old, but she was already tired of living. It would be nice, maybe, to have a house. And a garden? Some bookshelves. Ink for her grimore. She took a sidelong glance at the backs to her, and found that her lips quirked upward when they swept over one figure. Maybe.

"It's getting late," she yawned lazily, and stretched. That was enough to catch their attention for a moment, a pause in the sudden vehement chatter. "I don't know about you girls, but I'm getting some sleep. You'll have a long trip in the morning, and so will I." She stood, in her abrupt way, and looked down at them. The despair was gone, replaced with hope. So bright, these four. If only everyone could shine like that. "Good luck, too." She added cryptically, then turned and began to walk back to her own fireside. The senshi were too busy being excited about this new development to see her make a quiet motion to one of the figures, who stood and followed her out of the fire's glow.

"I could tell you had some luck," the man stated as Caitlyn ducked under a tree branch, him a step behind. They stopped just behind the veil of leaves, where some grass grew high and bushy. There was just enough light to see by, without the light pollution of a city. The fires, and the starlight and moonlight. And the fact that their eyes glowed faintly.

"I'm leaving tonight."

To that, he stared. Then, "I'll come with you."

"I need you here, Undine. A level head. The others won't be happy. I want you to keep them out of this." She sighed and leaned up against a tree, folding her arms. "We're up against a fairy. An old one, if the fire dragon is correct."

"But that's-" He began to protest, and she shook her head, waving her hand to silence him.

"Been there. Done that. It's possible. Trust me."

Undine drew his lips thin, and ran a hand though short, blackish-blue hair. "Tell Eliana?"

"Yes. I'm betting here, but the fairy woman- name's Daeva, apparently- She'll go after the Fire Mountain. There may be a token resistance at the next Point, but-" she shrugged and trailed off.

"Only a token? Why?" Stepped closer, and she glanced up at him, shifting away slightly uncomfortable. "Cait..."

"It's what I'd do. She can't control the Points herself. She can't beat out three dragons and those girls. Next best thing is the Priestesses."

Undine sighed, looking at her. Her face was set very hard, lips drawn tightly into a near scowl. "What makes you think she can't control them?"

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, a trademark gesture from when she was younger. Undine grinned, remembering when he saw her do that the first time. He had made some stupid comment, as young boys will do. Then she had turned and huffed off, prepared to prove him wrong. It was funny. But she was speaking again, in that toneless voice she tried to use when she was distancing herself. It never did work right, really.

"She's been using humans to get to them. Believe it or not, it seems that King Caradoc of the South was one of us." She didn't hesitate long enough to let him comment on that, only watching his mouth open and close in astonishment. "So it's logical to think that she cannot manipulate them herself. She needs a mortal. Why," she threw her hands up into the air, "I have no clue. One of those cosmic magical things, I guess. Maybe a human has to want to change the course of history, I don't know. So now I'm off to see Eliana. I need enough of us to..." she laughed harshly, "go protect Lenora, High Priestess of Emania."

Several thoughts passed though Undine's head at once. First, he didn't want to be left out of this. Second, though their leader would see Caitlyn's logic, too many- too damn many- of their kind would not. Too many Cleansings. Too much death. It hardens a people, and makes it difficult help one recognized as an enemy. He said as much to Caitlyn, and she just shrugged.

"Then we see how good a public speaker I am. We're strong, Undine. I'll get as many as I can. That's all." Underneath, he could tell she was uncertain about this, and though he stepped forward half a pace, she was already away from her tree, and heading to the remaining horses. They were idling just within the fire's glow, munching contentedly on the grass and roots at their feet. "Undine...." she paused, and looked back. "Stay out of it. Getting yourself killed won't make me very happy."

It was as close as an admission he had ever gotten from her.

Of course, that meant he was now required to meet up with her later, but she wouldn't know that. It would take her several hours, almost til dawn, probably, to get to camp. A few minutes with Eliane. Then another hour or two to assemble the willing sorcerers. Then more time to actually get to the Fire Mountain. "Good luck," he said to her back, which was already enveloped by the darkness.

Sleep is a wonderful thing, when tired. But there are times that no matter how exhausted your body is, your mind is alert, still questioning and querying, wondering about the events of the day, and of the day to come. It was cool, and though Minako tightened her fists into the fabric of her cloak, it seemed she could not draw it tight enough to hold in enough warmth. Their fire had dwindled for the night, dull coals rather than the bright blaze of the evening meal. When it flared up a bit, sending fireflies into the dark, she blinked a couple times, turning her head to see Ami settling herself down, folding up her legs.

"Ami-chan, couldn't sleep either?" Minako turned her head and yawned, watching the other girl shrug, dully watching the orange embers. "What's wrong?" She pushed herself up and hunkered down beside Ami, shoving a stray lock of hair out of her eyes. Irritated that she had removed the bow for the night, she twisted it quickly into a rude tail at the back of her neck. "What's wrong?" she repeated after she had tied her hair off, looking at Ami's profile.

"I don't know...just thinking about what's next. It's so strange, with Usagi-chan gone, Minako-chan."

"Ami-chan, you worry too much!" Minako giggled, shaking her head and motioning to the other two sleeping bodies nearby. Rei had an arm flung out over her head, mouth slightly open as she dreamed. Makoto was curled up into a ball, nose wrinkled and eyelids flickering. Both were shadowed by the dim firelight, illuminated more from the shine in the night sky. "We've been in worse spots than this before! Hey, no one's even tried to target us yet." Minako considered that a moment, then added, "Well, not specifically." She counted on fingers as she ticked off the various targets of their enemies. "No Pure Heart Crystals ripped out, no Dream Mirrors pulled out, no energy zapped, no one after our Star Seeds. No youma, Cardians, droids, daimon, lemures or phages. Why, this has been a brownie run!"

Ami couldn't help but groan and laugh at once, shaking her head as Minako continued to tell her about how easy it had been so far, in attempts to cheer her up. "Cake walk, Minako-chan," Ami corrected when Minako paused for breath. "Cake walk."

"Oh, well that sounds good too!" Minako decided cheerily, "I'd like some cake!"

"Minako-chan, you're so silly."

"I am?"

Ami just shook her head, smiling faintly. "We don't even know how to do what Sailor Moon does, Minako-chan..." she said after a moment, too worried to be cheered up for long. "Our powers...they've never been to cleanse out evil energy." She tilted her head back, and looked up at the moons between the trees. Thin fingers of branches scratched against each other, obscuring but also revealing the four moons, all, save one, full. Against the sky, they seemed robed and gowned in stars, faces lit. "Mako-chan was telling me a thing Balan-kun told her...about the borders between the worlds being thinner when more than one moon is in the sky. In stories, it is always when such celestial entities are in conjunction, that is the time of the greatest magic, and hence the greatest power. The last of those moons will be full in only a few more nights, Minako-chan." She paused, thinking, a hand to her lips as she considered what was soon to come. "That will be when we'll have to do it. Whatever 'it' is."

As Ami had spoken, Minako had grown very still, settling herself onto the ground as she listened. Ami always took in every option, but as she had said before, the water senshi always worried too much. Her advice was always sound and solid, but the worried expression was almost always on her face. As though incessantly considering a next move. Like chess, always thinking a few moves ahead. Minako placed her chin on her knees, tucking her legs up under her. "You know, Ami-chan," she began carefully, not really sure if this would make sense. "Back when I was just Sailor V....it was just me and Artemis. It was fun, just the two of us, kicking butt." She grinned at the memories of England, but after a moment it became bittersweet, and she shook her head to clear the memory.

"But look at all that's happened since then.... We're stronger together than alone. Oh, I know, I know," she waved her hand, cutting off Ami before she could take the conversation down another path, "It's just us four, not five or nine or ten, or even thirteen, with the Starlights.... But the Starlights aren't from our system, and the Outers have duties outside of protecting Usagi-chan. I've always wondered, like about Pluto? What would happen if she had to decide between the timestream and defending Usagi-chan? One person or all the people who have ever lived? Or will live? Protecting the Princess has been our job since the Old Silver Millennium," she motioned around the dim fire, a thin smile on her lips. "And back then, Usagi-chan...Princess Serenity...she didn't have the Silver Crystal. We protected her. It took Metallia to kill us off. What I'd kind of like to know is; how? I mean, why us? Can we do something that we don't know about? I mean, maybe we've never had to use it, with Sailor Moon around. Usually, guards are supposed to protect people who can't defend themselves, not the other way around. Look at Rory-hime, and Balan-kun. Rory-hime can fight, but...well..." she trailed off, Ami's expression obviously showing that she remembered the first time fighting Daeva's lackeys. Demons. Faeries. "This is kind of crazy, ne?"

Ami just shrugged, eyes distant since her mind was now whirling with consideration as to Minako's random musings. She sighed, looking up into the cloudless heavens sadly. "Let's wish for luck, Minako-chan. I think we're going to need it...."

With that, the two senshi closed their eyes and wished on the moons.

******************************************************************************

Well, how is it coming? A bit more action this time, as promised, ne? Daeva is still shocking me...my original plans didn't include her at all, and now she's the main 'villain'. I liked Caradoc. But he was just not manipulative enough... Anyway, for the names in this chapter! Eolh, for starters. His name is 'Protection' according to the runes...I tried to pick dragon names that would fit with their senshi... Jupiter is the 'Soldier of Protection' so, Eolh it became. Daeva is an interesting one...I was browsing for names for a villianess, and I liked it...it sounds- as well as looks- pretty....but it means 'devil.' More interestingly, if you trace the origins of the word, it traces to 'divinity' from the Indo-European word 'devi' (meaning 'goddess') or 'deva' (meaning 'god'). So, good or evil? Your choice.

The poem that Ami quotes is 'Dream Deferred' by Langston Hughes. He was a poet of the Harlem Renaissance, and that poem just came to mind as I was writing that scene...it just seemed to fit, somehow. Such a wonderful poem. So sad.

Things are going to start getting fast from here...the end is coming....It should be interesting to see how that turns out exactly. Hm...we'll see. Well, til next time.

Ja ne!

-Queen