The darkened room was beginning to fill with people by nine that evening. Ian had taken a side booth where he sat nursing a beer. He had gotten there 10 minutes to the hour to gage the area, considering he'd only walked by the bar and not ever actually gone in. The crowd was made up of mostly underage students and those barely over the line of legality; from that, he figured the bouncers couldn't be too strict and probably wouldn't be bothered by a few more drunk girls. Lita had phoned him that afternoon and confirmed on behalf of the group. She'd mentioned that they were concerned about the age issue, but he had assured her a low cut top could get a woman anywhere she wanted to go, especially past a bouncer at a cheap bar.
They were now 10 minutes late… Serena's fault, one would assume. Not to worry, the night was young and the liquor cheap. Besides, this was about the most comfortable he'd felt since he'd arrived in the damn country. Just then, he saw the group come in, Lita and Dawn leading the rest past the appreciative bouncer. While most of the girls sported clothing that was a little tighter than usual, both Lita and Dawn had taken Ian's advice to the next level. Lita sported a backless hunter green halter top over the same black capris she'd worn earlier, a pair of sandals adding a few inches to her already tall frame. Dawn had forgone her usual denim for black leather pants that hung on her hips, complimented by a purple top that plunged dangerously low and bared a fair amount of her pale skin over her shoulders. The two were chatting animatedly as the others hung back and glanced around nervously. Ian threw his jacket over the booth table and went over to meet them. When he was about 5 feet away, Lita caught sight of him and waved furiously, a broad grin on her face. He returned the gesture with a simple head nod, but that seemed insufficient for her. In response, she bounded through the crowd and threw her arms about his neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He held her with his left arm and leaned in to speak in her ear, as it was too loud for anything else.
"I found a place to sit over there," he said, gesturing towards his coat "I'll get the drinks." Looking up sharply, he waited as Lita led the rest of the group towards the booth. "Dawn," he shouted, causing her to turn around at the sound of her name. "You wanna help me carry 'em?" She shrugged, which he took as a yes. Ian set off towards the bar, barging through the various groups of people with Dawn following in his wake.
"I'm still not sure about this." Rini's voice held a note of honest to goodness terror. She'd never really calmed down since the 'incident' in Dawn's apartment the day before, and she didn't trust Ian any further than she could throw him.
"Come on, now. We said we'd give him a chance, and that's just what we'll do." Raye was trying to play peacemaker, but even she couldn't hide her own doubt as her hesitant tone belied the words she'd just spoken.
"Aw guys, don't start again," Lita tried, pulling Ian's jacket off of the table. "He's fine, he just had a whole new past thrust upon him. He was all disorientated. What would you expect?"
"I had a whole new past thrust upon me, but did I go postal?" Serena screeched, for once in agreement with her future daughter. "We all did at one point or another, and we all handled it without attacking each other, didn't we?"
"But did your past life involve all that pain and suffering?" Lita's voice had adopted a bitter tone
"As a matter of fact…" Serena began haughtily.
"You don't know what he went through or what it did to him. I'm telling you, he'll be okay. He just needs to adjust." Lita cut her off, then sat back in the booth, scowling at the blonde across the table.
"I hope you're right." Amy said quietly.
Ian leaned in to the bartender to order the drinks. At least there was one thing he could do flawlessly in Japanese. "Okay, I'll take a large shot of tequila, a double vodka and Smirnoff ice, and seven cokes."
"You're kidding, right?" Dawn said to them, leaning back on her elbows and eyeing Ian. "You don't expect me to drink a soda, do you?" She sounded offended by the mere suggestion. "I'll have what you're having."
"Fine by me. Make that two double tequilas, two double vodkas and Smirnoff ices, and six cokes." He smiled down at Dawn. "Are you sure about that? Little girls shouldn't be drinking with the big boys."
Again, the saccharine-sweet smile graced her lips as Dawn gestured to her figure. "First of all, I don't think that 'little' is an adequate description, do you?" She didn't wait for the response as she lapsed into her best "forlorn Southern belle" impression, switching to English for effect. "And Ah'm sho Ah can keep up with ya, sugah, so don't you worry yo' pretty little head none 'bout me."
Ian shrugged, having expected a more heated response to his insinuation, and turned to wait for the drinks. When they arrived, Ian paid for them, and then licked the back of his hand, gesturing to Dawn to do the same.
"What in the world…" Dawn shot him a look, but followed suit anyways. The bartender quickly shook some coarse salt onto their hands and handed them a slice of lime. Ian picked up one of the shot glasses and held it out in front of him. "What are you doing?"
"Lick, shoot, bite." He smirked at the naïve inquiry.
"You mean 'lick, shoot, suck', don't you?"
"If you're more inclined to the sucking part, who am I to argue?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" With a flirtatious grin, Dawn lifted her glass as well and complied with the toast. Oh god, why did we have to start with tequila…
Ian watched as her pupils narrowed and her jaw clenched to stop it from folding in on itself. Lime wedge between her teeth, she gave him a triumphant grin. Snickering, he repositioned the glasses such that four served as a base to balance the fifth on top. Dawn struggled to lift the remaining three with her hands, trying to keep up with Ian on their way back to the booth. It would have taken her hours to find a route through the dance floor on her own; Ian, on the other hand just walked in a straight line and she followed.
When they reached the booth they distributed the drinks and sat down. "I didn't know what to get you, but if you want something a bit harder, I'll get it later." He took a massive gulp from his jazzed up drink and noticed that all the girls were looking down at the table except Dawn and Lita. He gave them a minute, then turned to Lita, disgusted. "Well, I tried, but fuck this." He grabbed his coat and stood up, ready to head out.
"No, don't leave." To everyone's surprise, Amy had spoken first. "It's just that well, we don't really know what you're going to do next. It's a little frightening, that's all." She swallowed hard, arms crossed in front of her to hide the fact that she was shaking like a leaf.
"I told Lita, I wouldn't hurt any of you." He looked pointedly at Rini, who shrank back against her seat. "No, actually, I promised her, and I am nothing if not a man of my word. You forget, I am a nobleman and therefore, honor-bound to fulfill my promises." This brought a smile from Rini who was accustomed to such a gesture of good faith. Growing up in the Moon Kingdom, she'd seen that sort of thing often and knew that noblemen were generally as good as their word. It was all honor and chivalry with that sort, and Ian wasn't any exception given his heritage. She relaxed visibly against the back of the booth, turning to the rest of the group as she placed a tentative hand on the soda in front of her. Ian glanced at Lita, who was nudging a scowling Serena.
"Okay," Serena finally relented. "We'll trust your word, just don't make us regret it." Ian returned to his seat next to Lita, reaching for his drink once more.
"So," Lita said, clearing her throat. "Let's try this 'getting to know each other' thing again. Who wants to start?"
With Lita's prodding, light conversation began. It was the usual first year university banter; what courses people were taking, how they were finding them, all the general nonsense one would expect at the end of the first week. They finally learned that Ian was studying computer programming, which surprised Dawn somewhat. She'd figured him for the slacker sort, studying abroad as a way to waste a year.
After about fifteen minutes of chatting, he suggested another drink. Under Ian's guidance, the other girls decided they would go for one of the bottled hard lemonades. "You want one as well?" Ian asked Dawn, standing up to head over to the bar once more.
She was a little taken aback by the short time that had elapsed; while Ian had finished his drink, she'd only tucked away half of her lethal concoction. Still, she wasn't about to be outdone, especially not this early in the evening. Raising the glass, she slammed home the remainder of her drink and bit her tongue to keep from coughing. "Hell no," she replied, her eyes watering. "Lemme help you with those drinks, and I'll make up my mind on the way over there, 'kay?"
The night progressed in the pattern of rather excessive drinking coupled with light banter and occasional dancing on the part of the girls. After an hour or so, Mina, Raye, Lita, and Serena made their way to the dance floor. It was pretty obvious that Serena was severely lacking in the rhythm department, but the other three weren't doing too badly. It didn't take long for Lita and Mina to come back to the table to get the remaining three.
"But I can't dance," Amy protested as Mina pulled her to her feet. "I mean, that's just… " Her objections falling on deaf ears, Amy disappeared into the crowd with the enthusiastic blonde. Lita leaned on the table, regarding Rini and Dawn.
"Well? You gonna sit there and keep the seat warm or join the party? Dawn?" In response, Dawn shook her head, indicating the nearly full glass in front of her. Lita sighed and turned to Rini. "What about you? I'm sure you'd rather be out there with us than sitting here, huh?"
"But what about…" Rini trailed off, tilting her head towards Ian, who was settling back in his seat. She didn't want to leave Dawn alone with him, considering all that had transpired between the two of them. While she'd believed him when he'd given them his word, she wasn't entirely sure if Dawn had, and she worried that the slightest word or gesture would set the two of them off at each other.
"They'll be fine, geez," Lita answered, rolling her eyes. "They've behaved this long, haven't they?"
"I guess…"
"C'mon." Lita pulled Rini from her seat. "Let's just hope you didn't inherit Serena's sense of rhythm."
Dawn watched as they joined the others in the midst of the crowd, her hands around something wickedly potent that Ian had ordered for himself as well. The space between her ears buzzed, and she knew she was far from sober. She tried to figure out how much she'd had at this point. The shot to begin with, plus the first drink with the double of vodka in it, a round of shots with the girls, then another double… or was it a triple? At this point, she was amazed that she was still upright. Still, she'd kept up with Ian. It was the principle of the thing, and she wasn't about to let him think he'd won. Lifting the glass to her lips, she realized that she couldn't even taste the liquor anymore. The concept of a completely numb tongue struck her as incredibly amusing, and a silly high-pitched giggled escaped her lips. Ian turned to her with a half-grin, causing her to giggle even more. She winked at him, relaxing into the corner of the booth as he returned to watching the other people in the bar. Yup, she thought to herself, the smile never leaving her face. Drunk. Completely drunk.
Ian watched Dawn out of the corner of his eye as she grinned wildly at him over the rim of her glass. The last few rounds had kept her uncharacteristically quiet for once. While not necessarily what he'd expected, he wasn't complaining. As long as she wasn't bitching about something, it was good enough for him. Finishing his drink, he caught sight of Lita in a darker area of the bar, engaged in conversation with a guy his own age. She had a glass of something in her hand that he was certain he hadn't bought for her, and her companion had her backed up against a barstool. Ignoring Dawn, he swiftly stood up and crossed the room, the sea of people parting as he made his way to Lita. With a heavy hand, he tapped her admirer on the shoulder.
"Yeah, whaddya want?"
Ian had a couple of inches on the guy, which he used to his advantage as he leaned in close. "Just a pleasant word in our ear," he growled menacingly, putting himself between him and Lita. "You lay a finger on her, you buy her another drink, you look anywhere you shouldn't be looking, you say anything that shouldn't be said, and I will personally rip your fucking arms off and beat you to death with them. Understood?"
The other guy looked up at him with a laidback smile, seemingly unfazed. "Hey, no harm. I was just – fuck!" His wrist was caught in Ian's massive grasp, bent back at an odd and quite painful angle as his head was slammed into the wall.
"Understood?" The grip tightened. The other guy nodded, grimacing. Ian dropped the hand and spat on the guy's shoe before turning around to face Lita. "Fucking piece of shit. You get me if you have any problems, okay?"
Lita stared back at him with a mixture of horror and adoration on her face. "Yeah, sure," she managed. Ian nodded once to her, then headed back to the table where Dawn sat with an empty glass in front of her, a proud smile stretched from ear to ear.
"Finished," she chortled, showing him the glass. "Told ya I could keep up, didn't I?"
"You did," he replied. "But I'm not finished yet."
"Not finished?" She leaned forward on her elbows across the table. "There's more?" He nodded and Dawn fell back against the booth in a mock-pout. "Well, that's not very fair." She stuck her tongue out at him for effect, then smiled devilishly at him.
"What?" he demanded. In response, Dawn winked and giggled, then disappeared under the table. Immediately, Ian leaned over and checked underneath, only to come nose to nose with a giggling Yankee girl.
"I got lonely over there all by myself," she declared, climbing up on the seat next to him. "So I decided to come over and sit here with you. How about that?" she asked, entirely pleased with herself.
"Why not?" The corner of his mouth twisted up with a smile. "Under the table?"
Dawn's eyes danced with mischief as she leaned in closer to him. "You were hoping for something else, maybe? Well, that's only if you're good later," she chirped flirtatiously, placing a hand on his knee as she leaned in closer to him. "Besides," she continued, switching back to her pout. "I haven't even gotten a hug yet from you."
"And…"
"And I couldn't do anything if I hadn't gotten a hug first," she continued, batting her eyelashes. "So it's mutually benefisical, isn't it?" Dawn's grin widened as Ian made no move to fulfill her request. "Aw, c'mon," she wheedled. "Just one little hug? Pleeeeeeease? I don't have cooties, promise!"
Ian laughed in spite of himself and shifted to free his arm. "Fine, then. One hug."
"Yay!!" Brimming with alcohol-induced enthusiasm, Dawn flung her arms around Ian and kissed him on the cheek. He returned the hug, then detangled her arms from about his neck. "That was a nice hug," she declared, reducing the space between them. "You give really nice hugs. In fact," she said, looking up at him with dark chocolate brown eyes. "Why aren't you nicer to me?"
"I am nice to you," Ian answered.
"Yeah, and then you turn into a jackass," she responded quickly. "And I even thought you were cute, and that the accent was kinda sexy, and that those jeans really made your ass look nice, and…" she trailed off, her expression going blank. "And…."
"And what?" he prompted, trying desperately not to laugh.
"And I'm sooo drunk!" Dawn burst into another fit of giggles, collapsing against Ian's shoulder. "I'm fuckin' smashed next to a cute Brit on my first week in Japan! Completely fuckin' smashed!"
"Indeed." He regarded her for a moment, then motioned to her glass. "Does this mean that you're done for the evening?"
"What, that I give up? Fuck, no," she answered, almost belligerent. "I told ya, I can match you drink for drink. An' I'm doin' a damn good job of it, huh?"
Ian snickered. While he had a healthy buzz going, he was nowhere near his companion's overly-inebriated state. "Whatever you say, Dawn."
"Say that again," she said, propping her chin up in her hand as she looked up at him.
"What?"
"My name, silly. It sounds nicer when you say it." Her voice switched to a dreamy tone as she spoke, her other hand reaching up to trace a finger along his jaw. "I love the way you talk, really. That's not because I'm drunk or anything," she explained quickly. "I mean, I'm drunk, but that's not why I like the accent." She paused, chewing on the tip of her pinky finger. "Does that make sense?"
"Yeah."
"'Yeah' what?" she prompted, grinning.
"Yeah, Dawn," Ian answered, emphasizing the name. "And I'm gonna get another drink, Dawn." Should I make that two, Dawn?" She giggled once more and nodded in reply as he stood up, making his way over to the bar once more.
Drunk. Soooo drunk, she thought to herself, watching him walk across the dance floor. Still… nice jeans.
Lita caught up to Ian at the bar, with Serena, Mina, and Rini in tow. "Is she okay?" she asked, referring to Dawn. "She's acting really silly."
"Oh her? She tried to drink with me and couldn't stand up to the challenge. In fact, I don't know if she's even going to be able to stand when it's time to leave." Ian paid for his drinks and turned back around to face the girls. "Going home?"
"Yeah, we've all got classes tomorrow morning," Mina explained, a bit tipsy. "But this was fun, we'll have to do it again sometime."
"Indeed. You leaving as well?" he asked Lita.
"Yeah, I think so. Amy and I are gonna walk Raye to the train station. They were going to take Dawn home," she said, stifling a yawn. "Is she, um …"
"Completely and utterly pissed? Without a doubt," Ian chuckled. "How about you let me get her home, since she might be too much for the three of them to handle," he proposed.
Lita beamed. "Great idea! That's so sweet of you," she replied. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Sure, tomorrow."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It had taken Ian another twenty minutes to get Dawn out of the bar and on the way back to her apartment building. Completely trashed, she hung on his arm as they left campus and headed home. She didn't say much, but let loose a giggle every so often. After the umpteenth high-pitched outburst, Ian stopped dead in his tracks. "What's so funny?" he demanded.
Not having anticipated the sudden stop, Dawn pitched forward. Ian's other arm caught her before she hit pavement, and she held onto his jacket as she got to her feet. "'M just all happy an' stuff," she replied, still smiling. "You've been all sweet t' me the whole time, an' it's a nice change from b'fore. I was b'ginning t'think that ya didn' like me at all." She stumbled again, clutching his arm for support. "'M use'ly not this clumsy," she apologized, standing up again.
"You're drunk," he replied with a grin. "I told you, leave the drinking to the big boys."
"Ya didn' think I'd let ya win, did ya?" she replied, a bit cocky. "I got a bit of Irish in me, I can hold my own in a bar. An' I did, didn' I?" Dawn smiled up at him widely, any and all inhibition completely gone. While she was honest to a fault on a regular day, the amount of alcohol in her bloodstream had caused her tongue to loosen considerably. "Do you like me, Ian?" she asked in a softer tone.
"Enough," he shrugged. Her pupils had dilated a considerable amount, giving her an air of childlike innocence. Which meant…
"So why don' you kiss me, then?"
"'Cause you're drunk," he answered matter-of-factly. "And I told Lita I'd walk you home."
"It's always Lita with you," she pouted, turning away. "You get a whole big magic dealie with a sword and a past life, and now you're all chivrilously and stuff, always watchin' out for Lita." Dawn crossed her arms across her chest like a five year old and stomped off. "Even though you met me first," she added over her shoulder.
Ian looked after her, highly amused with her antics. She was jealous of Lita. "Yeah," Ian continued unnerved. "Just calm down."
"An' what happens?" she demanded, still ranting as he caught up with her. "You come over and blow the fuck outta my apartment with those stupid wings! An' you know what else?" Dawn whirled around, hands on her hips. "You STILL haven' apologized t' me for all that!"
"I had my reasons," he replied evenly.
"So you're not gonna say you're sorry?" she pressed, eyes narrowing. "You should always say you're sorry if you hurt someone's feelings, ya know."
Ian was getting tired of the kindergarten rhetoric. "And what if I'm not sorry for what had to be done?" His hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, Ian frowned down at his companion who scowled up at him. Just as suddenly, she beamed up at him happily.
"S'okay," she chirped, throwing her arms around him unabashedly. "You're cute, so I forgive ya." With that, she planted a noisy kiss on Ian's nose and smiled dreamily. "Do we hafta go straight home?" she asked sweetly. "We can't play together some more?"
"Well, maybe a little while longer," Ian answered. "Perhaps a walk in the park?" She giggled in reply and nodded.
"The park it is." She never noticed the evil smirk as it grew across Ian's face.
The detour to the park took about five minutes, Dawn no closer to sobriety by the time they arrived. Ian led her out to the bridge, standing in the same place he'd been days earlier with Lita. Dawn leaned over the stone rail, her hair hanging in her face as Ian stood next to her, silent. The water below rippled as bits of gravel fell from the bridge, catching the light from the waning moon in the sky. She leaned her head against her arm, gazing out on the serene landscape. The sounds of the city could barely be heard in the distance, the scene reminiscent of Dawn's hometown back in the States. If anything, she missed the greenery that surrounded Lexington. The similarity was just enough to make her a bit homesick. She sighed wistfully, eyes half-closed. "S'beautiful," she whispered. "So nice an' peaceful." Dawn let out another contented sigh, her fingers stroking the rough surface of the railing. "I really wish you'd jus' kiss me, Ian."
"You're drunk," he pointed out.
"So?"
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "How about a flower instead? Maybe one of those purple ones near the entrance?" Dawn's eyes lit up and she nodded, giggling. "Then just wait right here, okay?"
"Okay," she grinned, watching him walk off. A voice in the back of her head reminded her that she'd better tone her affectionate nature down, considering all that Ian had put her through in the past few days. Eyes closing, she rested her chin on her hands. Perhaps she should know better. Being lonely was no excuse for doing something stupid just because the guy looked nice in a pair of jeans…
The concrete beneath her feet split with a thunderous crack as an eruption of bright light flashed before her. Pieces of the railing crumbled, sending large chunks of stone falling into the water below. The blast threw her to the floor of the bridge, the steel reinforcement bared where the concrete had fallen away. Coughing violently, Dawn clung to the remaining pieces as another explosion on the bank sent rock and mud hurtling towards her. As chunks of earth rained down upon her, she lifted her head slightly to see a figure at the end of the bridge. A bright golden sphere formed at his fingertips, growing larger with each passing second. Dawn scrambled to her feet and ran unsteadily towards him, tackling him mid-attack. The glowing orb dissipated between them as she kneeled on his chest, screaming as she pulled on the collar of his black jacket.
"Why can't you people leave me the fuck alone?" A right cross connected with his jaw, followed by a left hook that was caught in a massive hand. Dawn's eyes widened as she tried to pull her hand away as he glared up at her. In an instant, both arms came up and threw her against a park bench, the wood splitting on impact. Dawn lay like a rag doll on the damp grass, blood seeping from a gash on her forehead as she lay unconscious.
Aaron stood up, wiping the bit of blood that ran from the corner of his mouth. Noiselessly, Sarah came up next to him, the stub of a candle cupped in her tiny hands. "Well done, Ayhan," she rasped, the fabric of her dress trailing behind her. "Thou hast served thy Goddess well, and thou shall be rewarded." With the slightest movement of her fingers, a milky gray shadow seeped from between her hands and darkened as it assumed the form of a grotesque horned demon. Towering over its young mistress, the shadow advanced as Dawn stirred slightly, her head reeling as she regained consciousness.
The bench broken, Dawn felt an icy claw close about her throat as she let loose with yet another scream. In an instant, the scream died as the bony talons tightened. Stars whirled in her field of vision as Dawn saw the creature open its mouth, the same bitterly cold gray smoke from the night in the alley pouring forth and surrounding her. Through the smoke, she could see the flame in the young girl's hand growing brighter as the fingers closed about her neck. With the last bit of energy she could muster, Dawn brought a free hand to the sky, and hoped that slurring her transformation would be enough to change her into Sailor Eos.
Lita had seen Raye off at the train station, and accompanied Amy back to her apartment. Now, she strolled in the night air past the park, decidedly content with the way that the evening had gone. Even Amy had remarked that Ian seemed like a gentleman, just a little standoffish at times. Hands behind her head, she looked up at the stars as a smile crept across her face. Finally, things were beginning to come together…
Lita stopped at the entrance to the park, the scream of a young woman evident in the usually quiet night air. Without a moment's hesitation, she sprinted towards the sound. As she neared the lake, Lita saw the bright orchid burst of Eos' transformation aura and the figures of two others near her. The light subsided, leaving the Guardian motionless on the ground as a filmy mist hung about where she lay. Lita grabbed her henshin wand, the accompanying flash of light and electricity allowing her to assume the identity of Sailor Jupiter. Wearing the uniform of the Sol Alliance, she came to a halt several meters from the lake and called to Eos' attackers.
"Back off!" she yelled, catching the attention of the young man and his companion. "Jupiter Lightning Tempest!" The fingers of her right hand pointed to the heavens as they sparked with a silver and green electric charge. She flung her arm down violently as a torrent of lightning rained down upon the pair. The massive bolt threw them to the ground, the flame extinguished as the candle fell from the girl's hands. Just as suddenly, the monster evaporated and the smoke began to clear. Jupiter raced over to where Eos laid, dropping to her knees and pulling the young woman into her lap.
"Lita?" Eos opened her eyes to see the familiar face of the brunette looking down at her with a relieved expression. "What's goin' on? My head hurts so much…" She put a hand to her forehead, feeling the warm stickiness of congealed blood on her fingertips.
Jupiter pulled Eos to her feet, an arm around the unsteady Guardian. "We gotta get you home, you're a wreck."
"He said he was going to be right back …" Eos lurched to the side as the world spun in front of her, her stomach angrily reminding her of the evening's events. She screwed her eyes shut as Jupiter held her up, the pounding in her head growing more intense by the second. "And I am never…" She paused as the world spun round once more. "Ever, drinking with him again…"
"C'mon, take it easy. Just one foot in front of the other," she coaxed. "Sooner we start moving, the sooner we'll be –" Jupiter stopped as the sound of rushing water grew nearer and nearer. Immediately, a strong arm wrapped around her torso and pulled her away from Eos, who fell to the ground with a thud. Shielded in Luciender's embrace, she watched as he raised his sword to the sky, the edge aflame with a silver aura.
"Jupiter Dragon Sentinel!" A bright streak of electricity poured forth from the sword and assumed the form of a gigantic dragon that alighted in front of the heirs of Jupiter. With an eerie roar, the beast raised its head to the heavens and spread its wings, shielding Luciender and Jupiter. The wave split around the sentinel beast, the dark surge of water washing over the body of the Guardian. As the waters ebbed, the dragon gave an unearthly shriek as it leapt into the air, the resulting burst of light returning to Luciender's sword as the emerald at the pommel pulsed. Jupiter clung to her brother as he replaced the sword across his back, looking back at the Guardian who had borne the brunt of the attack.
Eos rolled limply to her side, retching violently as the waters receded. Her wet uniform clung to her skin, and her auburn hair was matted with bits of earth and leaves. Vision blurry and every muscle in pain, she forced herself to her knees and lifted her head towards the bridge. The same young woman in black leather stood at the foot of the bridge, a second wall of water rising behind her as an aquamarine orb formed in her hands. Eos staggered to her feet, her fear replaced with anger at having to deal with a raging headache as well as the constant ass-kickings this Guardian gig entailed. Gritting her teeth, she forced the remaining energies she'd endured that evening into the space between her palms. The resulting deep lavender orb churned with a milky white mist, the surface frothing like the foam of the ocean. Barreling towards her attacker, Eos forced her hands outwards as the sphere erupted into a confused rush of water, earth, and smoke that raced towards the leather-clad woman on the bridge.
The scream never left Val's parted lips. The surge forced her into the concrete walkway of the bridge, the combined weight of water and earth causing the support to buckle. The bridge groaned as the concrete and steel gave way, plunging Val into the shallow water of the lake beneath the rubble. The mist cleared as Eos stared in shock, her body trembling as she realized just what she'd done. Bursting into tears, she sank to the ground as her uniform dissipated to reveal her torn and muddied clothing.
Aaron stopped at the edge of the park, the sounds of the bridge's collapse audible from the entrance. He glanced at Sarah, who regarded him coldly. "The dark prince did not keep his word, and thou hast lost thy companion as a result," she hissed. "He shall pay dearly for his betrayal."
Aaron merely nodded in reply, his eyes narrow slits as he looked back in the direction of the lake. First Ryan, and now Val…
"Thou shall seek thy revenge later," Sarah said in a firm tone. "This night is lost."
Dawn lay curled on the grass, sobbing loudly. Shivering in her wet clothes, she hugged her arms about her tightly and screwed her eyes shut. It can't be real. This is a horrible nightmare, and I wanna wake up. I just wanna wake up and make it all go away…
"Dawn? Dawn, stop! Please, just stop!" Lita raced towards her, Ian following at a fast walk. She bent down and patted her back gently, unsure of what else to do. "It's okay, you're gonna be fine." Her words only made Dawn cry even harder, her breathing becoming more rapid as she gulped air between her tears. She looked up helplessly at Ian, who shook his head in disgust. Swiftly, he reached down with one hand and yanked Dawn to a standing position. Lita gasped as the palm of his hand connected with Dawn's cheek, the resulting smack leaving a field of scarlet that covered the left side of her face.
"You can't do anything about it, it's done. Understand?" Dawn whimpered in reply and he shook her violently. "Understand?" he barked. Terrified, Dawn slowly nodded up at Ian, almost catatonic. "If you hadn't done it she would've killed you." As Ian relaxed his hold on her shoulder, her complexion took on a greenish cast and her head reeled. Before he could let go of her, Dawn promptly threw up the results of her evening in the bar on his shoes. She raised her head sheepishly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before speaking.
"Sorry," she whispered shakily. "I didn't mean to do that."
Ian grunted and let go of her, stepping back and wiping his sneakers on the grass. Dawn looked helplessly at Lita, her dark brown eyes threatening to spill over once more. Tucking an arm around her shoulders, the brunette brushed the wet hair away from her friend's face and began to walk to the entrance. "Let's get you home and cleaned up, all right?"
"'Kay. Lita, I'm so sorry, I…"
"She's not going to be able to walk," Ian interrupted, his sneakers somewhat clean. "She could barely get here."
"Well, what are we going to do with her then?" Lita demanded as Dawn clung to her. In response, Ian bent over slightly and slipped an arm under Dawn's knees, cradling her in his arms. Exhausted, Dawn leaned against his chest and closed her eyes.
"'M so sorry, Ian," she sobbed softly. "'M all wet an' I puked on your shoes an'…"
"I know you're sorry," he answered firmly. "Just stop crying already."
They were now 10 minutes late… Serena's fault, one would assume. Not to worry, the night was young and the liquor cheap. Besides, this was about the most comfortable he'd felt since he'd arrived in the damn country. Just then, he saw the group come in, Lita and Dawn leading the rest past the appreciative bouncer. While most of the girls sported clothing that was a little tighter than usual, both Lita and Dawn had taken Ian's advice to the next level. Lita sported a backless hunter green halter top over the same black capris she'd worn earlier, a pair of sandals adding a few inches to her already tall frame. Dawn had forgone her usual denim for black leather pants that hung on her hips, complimented by a purple top that plunged dangerously low and bared a fair amount of her pale skin over her shoulders. The two were chatting animatedly as the others hung back and glanced around nervously. Ian threw his jacket over the booth table and went over to meet them. When he was about 5 feet away, Lita caught sight of him and waved furiously, a broad grin on her face. He returned the gesture with a simple head nod, but that seemed insufficient for her. In response, she bounded through the crowd and threw her arms about his neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He held her with his left arm and leaned in to speak in her ear, as it was too loud for anything else.
"I found a place to sit over there," he said, gesturing towards his coat "I'll get the drinks." Looking up sharply, he waited as Lita led the rest of the group towards the booth. "Dawn," he shouted, causing her to turn around at the sound of her name. "You wanna help me carry 'em?" She shrugged, which he took as a yes. Ian set off towards the bar, barging through the various groups of people with Dawn following in his wake.
"I'm still not sure about this." Rini's voice held a note of honest to goodness terror. She'd never really calmed down since the 'incident' in Dawn's apartment the day before, and she didn't trust Ian any further than she could throw him.
"Come on, now. We said we'd give him a chance, and that's just what we'll do." Raye was trying to play peacemaker, but even she couldn't hide her own doubt as her hesitant tone belied the words she'd just spoken.
"Aw guys, don't start again," Lita tried, pulling Ian's jacket off of the table. "He's fine, he just had a whole new past thrust upon him. He was all disorientated. What would you expect?"
"I had a whole new past thrust upon me, but did I go postal?" Serena screeched, for once in agreement with her future daughter. "We all did at one point or another, and we all handled it without attacking each other, didn't we?"
"But did your past life involve all that pain and suffering?" Lita's voice had adopted a bitter tone
"As a matter of fact…" Serena began haughtily.
"You don't know what he went through or what it did to him. I'm telling you, he'll be okay. He just needs to adjust." Lita cut her off, then sat back in the booth, scowling at the blonde across the table.
"I hope you're right." Amy said quietly.
Ian leaned in to the bartender to order the drinks. At least there was one thing he could do flawlessly in Japanese. "Okay, I'll take a large shot of tequila, a double vodka and Smirnoff ice, and seven cokes."
"You're kidding, right?" Dawn said to them, leaning back on her elbows and eyeing Ian. "You don't expect me to drink a soda, do you?" She sounded offended by the mere suggestion. "I'll have what you're having."
"Fine by me. Make that two double tequilas, two double vodkas and Smirnoff ices, and six cokes." He smiled down at Dawn. "Are you sure about that? Little girls shouldn't be drinking with the big boys."
Again, the saccharine-sweet smile graced her lips as Dawn gestured to her figure. "First of all, I don't think that 'little' is an adequate description, do you?" She didn't wait for the response as she lapsed into her best "forlorn Southern belle" impression, switching to English for effect. "And Ah'm sho Ah can keep up with ya, sugah, so don't you worry yo' pretty little head none 'bout me."
Ian shrugged, having expected a more heated response to his insinuation, and turned to wait for the drinks. When they arrived, Ian paid for them, and then licked the back of his hand, gesturing to Dawn to do the same.
"What in the world…" Dawn shot him a look, but followed suit anyways. The bartender quickly shook some coarse salt onto their hands and handed them a slice of lime. Ian picked up one of the shot glasses and held it out in front of him. "What are you doing?"
"Lick, shoot, bite." He smirked at the naïve inquiry.
"You mean 'lick, shoot, suck', don't you?"
"If you're more inclined to the sucking part, who am I to argue?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" With a flirtatious grin, Dawn lifted her glass as well and complied with the toast. Oh god, why did we have to start with tequila…
Ian watched as her pupils narrowed and her jaw clenched to stop it from folding in on itself. Lime wedge between her teeth, she gave him a triumphant grin. Snickering, he repositioned the glasses such that four served as a base to balance the fifth on top. Dawn struggled to lift the remaining three with her hands, trying to keep up with Ian on their way back to the booth. It would have taken her hours to find a route through the dance floor on her own; Ian, on the other hand just walked in a straight line and she followed.
When they reached the booth they distributed the drinks and sat down. "I didn't know what to get you, but if you want something a bit harder, I'll get it later." He took a massive gulp from his jazzed up drink and noticed that all the girls were looking down at the table except Dawn and Lita. He gave them a minute, then turned to Lita, disgusted. "Well, I tried, but fuck this." He grabbed his coat and stood up, ready to head out.
"No, don't leave." To everyone's surprise, Amy had spoken first. "It's just that well, we don't really know what you're going to do next. It's a little frightening, that's all." She swallowed hard, arms crossed in front of her to hide the fact that she was shaking like a leaf.
"I told Lita, I wouldn't hurt any of you." He looked pointedly at Rini, who shrank back against her seat. "No, actually, I promised her, and I am nothing if not a man of my word. You forget, I am a nobleman and therefore, honor-bound to fulfill my promises." This brought a smile from Rini who was accustomed to such a gesture of good faith. Growing up in the Moon Kingdom, she'd seen that sort of thing often and knew that noblemen were generally as good as their word. It was all honor and chivalry with that sort, and Ian wasn't any exception given his heritage. She relaxed visibly against the back of the booth, turning to the rest of the group as she placed a tentative hand on the soda in front of her. Ian glanced at Lita, who was nudging a scowling Serena.
"Okay," Serena finally relented. "We'll trust your word, just don't make us regret it." Ian returned to his seat next to Lita, reaching for his drink once more.
"So," Lita said, clearing her throat. "Let's try this 'getting to know each other' thing again. Who wants to start?"
With Lita's prodding, light conversation began. It was the usual first year university banter; what courses people were taking, how they were finding them, all the general nonsense one would expect at the end of the first week. They finally learned that Ian was studying computer programming, which surprised Dawn somewhat. She'd figured him for the slacker sort, studying abroad as a way to waste a year.
After about fifteen minutes of chatting, he suggested another drink. Under Ian's guidance, the other girls decided they would go for one of the bottled hard lemonades. "You want one as well?" Ian asked Dawn, standing up to head over to the bar once more.
She was a little taken aback by the short time that had elapsed; while Ian had finished his drink, she'd only tucked away half of her lethal concoction. Still, she wasn't about to be outdone, especially not this early in the evening. Raising the glass, she slammed home the remainder of her drink and bit her tongue to keep from coughing. "Hell no," she replied, her eyes watering. "Lemme help you with those drinks, and I'll make up my mind on the way over there, 'kay?"
The night progressed in the pattern of rather excessive drinking coupled with light banter and occasional dancing on the part of the girls. After an hour or so, Mina, Raye, Lita, and Serena made their way to the dance floor. It was pretty obvious that Serena was severely lacking in the rhythm department, but the other three weren't doing too badly. It didn't take long for Lita and Mina to come back to the table to get the remaining three.
"But I can't dance," Amy protested as Mina pulled her to her feet. "I mean, that's just… " Her objections falling on deaf ears, Amy disappeared into the crowd with the enthusiastic blonde. Lita leaned on the table, regarding Rini and Dawn.
"Well? You gonna sit there and keep the seat warm or join the party? Dawn?" In response, Dawn shook her head, indicating the nearly full glass in front of her. Lita sighed and turned to Rini. "What about you? I'm sure you'd rather be out there with us than sitting here, huh?"
"But what about…" Rini trailed off, tilting her head towards Ian, who was settling back in his seat. She didn't want to leave Dawn alone with him, considering all that had transpired between the two of them. While she'd believed him when he'd given them his word, she wasn't entirely sure if Dawn had, and she worried that the slightest word or gesture would set the two of them off at each other.
"They'll be fine, geez," Lita answered, rolling her eyes. "They've behaved this long, haven't they?"
"I guess…"
"C'mon." Lita pulled Rini from her seat. "Let's just hope you didn't inherit Serena's sense of rhythm."
Dawn watched as they joined the others in the midst of the crowd, her hands around something wickedly potent that Ian had ordered for himself as well. The space between her ears buzzed, and she knew she was far from sober. She tried to figure out how much she'd had at this point. The shot to begin with, plus the first drink with the double of vodka in it, a round of shots with the girls, then another double… or was it a triple? At this point, she was amazed that she was still upright. Still, she'd kept up with Ian. It was the principle of the thing, and she wasn't about to let him think he'd won. Lifting the glass to her lips, she realized that she couldn't even taste the liquor anymore. The concept of a completely numb tongue struck her as incredibly amusing, and a silly high-pitched giggled escaped her lips. Ian turned to her with a half-grin, causing her to giggle even more. She winked at him, relaxing into the corner of the booth as he returned to watching the other people in the bar. Yup, she thought to herself, the smile never leaving her face. Drunk. Completely drunk.
Ian watched Dawn out of the corner of his eye as she grinned wildly at him over the rim of her glass. The last few rounds had kept her uncharacteristically quiet for once. While not necessarily what he'd expected, he wasn't complaining. As long as she wasn't bitching about something, it was good enough for him. Finishing his drink, he caught sight of Lita in a darker area of the bar, engaged in conversation with a guy his own age. She had a glass of something in her hand that he was certain he hadn't bought for her, and her companion had her backed up against a barstool. Ignoring Dawn, he swiftly stood up and crossed the room, the sea of people parting as he made his way to Lita. With a heavy hand, he tapped her admirer on the shoulder.
"Yeah, whaddya want?"
Ian had a couple of inches on the guy, which he used to his advantage as he leaned in close. "Just a pleasant word in our ear," he growled menacingly, putting himself between him and Lita. "You lay a finger on her, you buy her another drink, you look anywhere you shouldn't be looking, you say anything that shouldn't be said, and I will personally rip your fucking arms off and beat you to death with them. Understood?"
The other guy looked up at him with a laidback smile, seemingly unfazed. "Hey, no harm. I was just – fuck!" His wrist was caught in Ian's massive grasp, bent back at an odd and quite painful angle as his head was slammed into the wall.
"Understood?" The grip tightened. The other guy nodded, grimacing. Ian dropped the hand and spat on the guy's shoe before turning around to face Lita. "Fucking piece of shit. You get me if you have any problems, okay?"
Lita stared back at him with a mixture of horror and adoration on her face. "Yeah, sure," she managed. Ian nodded once to her, then headed back to the table where Dawn sat with an empty glass in front of her, a proud smile stretched from ear to ear.
"Finished," she chortled, showing him the glass. "Told ya I could keep up, didn't I?"
"You did," he replied. "But I'm not finished yet."
"Not finished?" She leaned forward on her elbows across the table. "There's more?" He nodded and Dawn fell back against the booth in a mock-pout. "Well, that's not very fair." She stuck her tongue out at him for effect, then smiled devilishly at him.
"What?" he demanded. In response, Dawn winked and giggled, then disappeared under the table. Immediately, Ian leaned over and checked underneath, only to come nose to nose with a giggling Yankee girl.
"I got lonely over there all by myself," she declared, climbing up on the seat next to him. "So I decided to come over and sit here with you. How about that?" she asked, entirely pleased with herself.
"Why not?" The corner of his mouth twisted up with a smile. "Under the table?"
Dawn's eyes danced with mischief as she leaned in closer to him. "You were hoping for something else, maybe? Well, that's only if you're good later," she chirped flirtatiously, placing a hand on his knee as she leaned in closer to him. "Besides," she continued, switching back to her pout. "I haven't even gotten a hug yet from you."
"And…"
"And I couldn't do anything if I hadn't gotten a hug first," she continued, batting her eyelashes. "So it's mutually benefisical, isn't it?" Dawn's grin widened as Ian made no move to fulfill her request. "Aw, c'mon," she wheedled. "Just one little hug? Pleeeeeeease? I don't have cooties, promise!"
Ian laughed in spite of himself and shifted to free his arm. "Fine, then. One hug."
"Yay!!" Brimming with alcohol-induced enthusiasm, Dawn flung her arms around Ian and kissed him on the cheek. He returned the hug, then detangled her arms from about his neck. "That was a nice hug," she declared, reducing the space between them. "You give really nice hugs. In fact," she said, looking up at him with dark chocolate brown eyes. "Why aren't you nicer to me?"
"I am nice to you," Ian answered.
"Yeah, and then you turn into a jackass," she responded quickly. "And I even thought you were cute, and that the accent was kinda sexy, and that those jeans really made your ass look nice, and…" she trailed off, her expression going blank. "And…."
"And what?" he prompted, trying desperately not to laugh.
"And I'm sooo drunk!" Dawn burst into another fit of giggles, collapsing against Ian's shoulder. "I'm fuckin' smashed next to a cute Brit on my first week in Japan! Completely fuckin' smashed!"
"Indeed." He regarded her for a moment, then motioned to her glass. "Does this mean that you're done for the evening?"
"What, that I give up? Fuck, no," she answered, almost belligerent. "I told ya, I can match you drink for drink. An' I'm doin' a damn good job of it, huh?"
Ian snickered. While he had a healthy buzz going, he was nowhere near his companion's overly-inebriated state. "Whatever you say, Dawn."
"Say that again," she said, propping her chin up in her hand as she looked up at him.
"What?"
"My name, silly. It sounds nicer when you say it." Her voice switched to a dreamy tone as she spoke, her other hand reaching up to trace a finger along his jaw. "I love the way you talk, really. That's not because I'm drunk or anything," she explained quickly. "I mean, I'm drunk, but that's not why I like the accent." She paused, chewing on the tip of her pinky finger. "Does that make sense?"
"Yeah."
"'Yeah' what?" she prompted, grinning.
"Yeah, Dawn," Ian answered, emphasizing the name. "And I'm gonna get another drink, Dawn." Should I make that two, Dawn?" She giggled once more and nodded in reply as he stood up, making his way over to the bar once more.
Drunk. Soooo drunk, she thought to herself, watching him walk across the dance floor. Still… nice jeans.
Lita caught up to Ian at the bar, with Serena, Mina, and Rini in tow. "Is she okay?" she asked, referring to Dawn. "She's acting really silly."
"Oh her? She tried to drink with me and couldn't stand up to the challenge. In fact, I don't know if she's even going to be able to stand when it's time to leave." Ian paid for his drinks and turned back around to face the girls. "Going home?"
"Yeah, we've all got classes tomorrow morning," Mina explained, a bit tipsy. "But this was fun, we'll have to do it again sometime."
"Indeed. You leaving as well?" he asked Lita.
"Yeah, I think so. Amy and I are gonna walk Raye to the train station. They were going to take Dawn home," she said, stifling a yawn. "Is she, um …"
"Completely and utterly pissed? Without a doubt," Ian chuckled. "How about you let me get her home, since she might be too much for the three of them to handle," he proposed.
Lita beamed. "Great idea! That's so sweet of you," she replied. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Sure, tomorrow."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It had taken Ian another twenty minutes to get Dawn out of the bar and on the way back to her apartment building. Completely trashed, she hung on his arm as they left campus and headed home. She didn't say much, but let loose a giggle every so often. After the umpteenth high-pitched outburst, Ian stopped dead in his tracks. "What's so funny?" he demanded.
Not having anticipated the sudden stop, Dawn pitched forward. Ian's other arm caught her before she hit pavement, and she held onto his jacket as she got to her feet. "'M just all happy an' stuff," she replied, still smiling. "You've been all sweet t' me the whole time, an' it's a nice change from b'fore. I was b'ginning t'think that ya didn' like me at all." She stumbled again, clutching his arm for support. "'M use'ly not this clumsy," she apologized, standing up again.
"You're drunk," he replied with a grin. "I told you, leave the drinking to the big boys."
"Ya didn' think I'd let ya win, did ya?" she replied, a bit cocky. "I got a bit of Irish in me, I can hold my own in a bar. An' I did, didn' I?" Dawn smiled up at him widely, any and all inhibition completely gone. While she was honest to a fault on a regular day, the amount of alcohol in her bloodstream had caused her tongue to loosen considerably. "Do you like me, Ian?" she asked in a softer tone.
"Enough," he shrugged. Her pupils had dilated a considerable amount, giving her an air of childlike innocence. Which meant…
"So why don' you kiss me, then?"
"'Cause you're drunk," he answered matter-of-factly. "And I told Lita I'd walk you home."
"It's always Lita with you," she pouted, turning away. "You get a whole big magic dealie with a sword and a past life, and now you're all chivrilously and stuff, always watchin' out for Lita." Dawn crossed her arms across her chest like a five year old and stomped off. "Even though you met me first," she added over her shoulder.
Ian looked after her, highly amused with her antics. She was jealous of Lita. "Yeah," Ian continued unnerved. "Just calm down."
"An' what happens?" she demanded, still ranting as he caught up with her. "You come over and blow the fuck outta my apartment with those stupid wings! An' you know what else?" Dawn whirled around, hands on her hips. "You STILL haven' apologized t' me for all that!"
"I had my reasons," he replied evenly.
"So you're not gonna say you're sorry?" she pressed, eyes narrowing. "You should always say you're sorry if you hurt someone's feelings, ya know."
Ian was getting tired of the kindergarten rhetoric. "And what if I'm not sorry for what had to be done?" His hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, Ian frowned down at his companion who scowled up at him. Just as suddenly, she beamed up at him happily.
"S'okay," she chirped, throwing her arms around him unabashedly. "You're cute, so I forgive ya." With that, she planted a noisy kiss on Ian's nose and smiled dreamily. "Do we hafta go straight home?" she asked sweetly. "We can't play together some more?"
"Well, maybe a little while longer," Ian answered. "Perhaps a walk in the park?" She giggled in reply and nodded.
"The park it is." She never noticed the evil smirk as it grew across Ian's face.
The detour to the park took about five minutes, Dawn no closer to sobriety by the time they arrived. Ian led her out to the bridge, standing in the same place he'd been days earlier with Lita. Dawn leaned over the stone rail, her hair hanging in her face as Ian stood next to her, silent. The water below rippled as bits of gravel fell from the bridge, catching the light from the waning moon in the sky. She leaned her head against her arm, gazing out on the serene landscape. The sounds of the city could barely be heard in the distance, the scene reminiscent of Dawn's hometown back in the States. If anything, she missed the greenery that surrounded Lexington. The similarity was just enough to make her a bit homesick. She sighed wistfully, eyes half-closed. "S'beautiful," she whispered. "So nice an' peaceful." Dawn let out another contented sigh, her fingers stroking the rough surface of the railing. "I really wish you'd jus' kiss me, Ian."
"You're drunk," he pointed out.
"So?"
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "How about a flower instead? Maybe one of those purple ones near the entrance?" Dawn's eyes lit up and she nodded, giggling. "Then just wait right here, okay?"
"Okay," she grinned, watching him walk off. A voice in the back of her head reminded her that she'd better tone her affectionate nature down, considering all that Ian had put her through in the past few days. Eyes closing, she rested her chin on her hands. Perhaps she should know better. Being lonely was no excuse for doing something stupid just because the guy looked nice in a pair of jeans…
The concrete beneath her feet split with a thunderous crack as an eruption of bright light flashed before her. Pieces of the railing crumbled, sending large chunks of stone falling into the water below. The blast threw her to the floor of the bridge, the steel reinforcement bared where the concrete had fallen away. Coughing violently, Dawn clung to the remaining pieces as another explosion on the bank sent rock and mud hurtling towards her. As chunks of earth rained down upon her, she lifted her head slightly to see a figure at the end of the bridge. A bright golden sphere formed at his fingertips, growing larger with each passing second. Dawn scrambled to her feet and ran unsteadily towards him, tackling him mid-attack. The glowing orb dissipated between them as she kneeled on his chest, screaming as she pulled on the collar of his black jacket.
"Why can't you people leave me the fuck alone?" A right cross connected with his jaw, followed by a left hook that was caught in a massive hand. Dawn's eyes widened as she tried to pull her hand away as he glared up at her. In an instant, both arms came up and threw her against a park bench, the wood splitting on impact. Dawn lay like a rag doll on the damp grass, blood seeping from a gash on her forehead as she lay unconscious.
Aaron stood up, wiping the bit of blood that ran from the corner of his mouth. Noiselessly, Sarah came up next to him, the stub of a candle cupped in her tiny hands. "Well done, Ayhan," she rasped, the fabric of her dress trailing behind her. "Thou hast served thy Goddess well, and thou shall be rewarded." With the slightest movement of her fingers, a milky gray shadow seeped from between her hands and darkened as it assumed the form of a grotesque horned demon. Towering over its young mistress, the shadow advanced as Dawn stirred slightly, her head reeling as she regained consciousness.
The bench broken, Dawn felt an icy claw close about her throat as she let loose with yet another scream. In an instant, the scream died as the bony talons tightened. Stars whirled in her field of vision as Dawn saw the creature open its mouth, the same bitterly cold gray smoke from the night in the alley pouring forth and surrounding her. Through the smoke, she could see the flame in the young girl's hand growing brighter as the fingers closed about her neck. With the last bit of energy she could muster, Dawn brought a free hand to the sky, and hoped that slurring her transformation would be enough to change her into Sailor Eos.
Lita had seen Raye off at the train station, and accompanied Amy back to her apartment. Now, she strolled in the night air past the park, decidedly content with the way that the evening had gone. Even Amy had remarked that Ian seemed like a gentleman, just a little standoffish at times. Hands behind her head, she looked up at the stars as a smile crept across her face. Finally, things were beginning to come together…
Lita stopped at the entrance to the park, the scream of a young woman evident in the usually quiet night air. Without a moment's hesitation, she sprinted towards the sound. As she neared the lake, Lita saw the bright orchid burst of Eos' transformation aura and the figures of two others near her. The light subsided, leaving the Guardian motionless on the ground as a filmy mist hung about where she lay. Lita grabbed her henshin wand, the accompanying flash of light and electricity allowing her to assume the identity of Sailor Jupiter. Wearing the uniform of the Sol Alliance, she came to a halt several meters from the lake and called to Eos' attackers.
"Back off!" she yelled, catching the attention of the young man and his companion. "Jupiter Lightning Tempest!" The fingers of her right hand pointed to the heavens as they sparked with a silver and green electric charge. She flung her arm down violently as a torrent of lightning rained down upon the pair. The massive bolt threw them to the ground, the flame extinguished as the candle fell from the girl's hands. Just as suddenly, the monster evaporated and the smoke began to clear. Jupiter raced over to where Eos laid, dropping to her knees and pulling the young woman into her lap.
"Lita?" Eos opened her eyes to see the familiar face of the brunette looking down at her with a relieved expression. "What's goin' on? My head hurts so much…" She put a hand to her forehead, feeling the warm stickiness of congealed blood on her fingertips.
Jupiter pulled Eos to her feet, an arm around the unsteady Guardian. "We gotta get you home, you're a wreck."
"He said he was going to be right back …" Eos lurched to the side as the world spun in front of her, her stomach angrily reminding her of the evening's events. She screwed her eyes shut as Jupiter held her up, the pounding in her head growing more intense by the second. "And I am never…" She paused as the world spun round once more. "Ever, drinking with him again…"
"C'mon, take it easy. Just one foot in front of the other," she coaxed. "Sooner we start moving, the sooner we'll be –" Jupiter stopped as the sound of rushing water grew nearer and nearer. Immediately, a strong arm wrapped around her torso and pulled her away from Eos, who fell to the ground with a thud. Shielded in Luciender's embrace, she watched as he raised his sword to the sky, the edge aflame with a silver aura.
"Jupiter Dragon Sentinel!" A bright streak of electricity poured forth from the sword and assumed the form of a gigantic dragon that alighted in front of the heirs of Jupiter. With an eerie roar, the beast raised its head to the heavens and spread its wings, shielding Luciender and Jupiter. The wave split around the sentinel beast, the dark surge of water washing over the body of the Guardian. As the waters ebbed, the dragon gave an unearthly shriek as it leapt into the air, the resulting burst of light returning to Luciender's sword as the emerald at the pommel pulsed. Jupiter clung to her brother as he replaced the sword across his back, looking back at the Guardian who had borne the brunt of the attack.
Eos rolled limply to her side, retching violently as the waters receded. Her wet uniform clung to her skin, and her auburn hair was matted with bits of earth and leaves. Vision blurry and every muscle in pain, she forced herself to her knees and lifted her head towards the bridge. The same young woman in black leather stood at the foot of the bridge, a second wall of water rising behind her as an aquamarine orb formed in her hands. Eos staggered to her feet, her fear replaced with anger at having to deal with a raging headache as well as the constant ass-kickings this Guardian gig entailed. Gritting her teeth, she forced the remaining energies she'd endured that evening into the space between her palms. The resulting deep lavender orb churned with a milky white mist, the surface frothing like the foam of the ocean. Barreling towards her attacker, Eos forced her hands outwards as the sphere erupted into a confused rush of water, earth, and smoke that raced towards the leather-clad woman on the bridge.
The scream never left Val's parted lips. The surge forced her into the concrete walkway of the bridge, the combined weight of water and earth causing the support to buckle. The bridge groaned as the concrete and steel gave way, plunging Val into the shallow water of the lake beneath the rubble. The mist cleared as Eos stared in shock, her body trembling as she realized just what she'd done. Bursting into tears, she sank to the ground as her uniform dissipated to reveal her torn and muddied clothing.
Aaron stopped at the edge of the park, the sounds of the bridge's collapse audible from the entrance. He glanced at Sarah, who regarded him coldly. "The dark prince did not keep his word, and thou hast lost thy companion as a result," she hissed. "He shall pay dearly for his betrayal."
Aaron merely nodded in reply, his eyes narrow slits as he looked back in the direction of the lake. First Ryan, and now Val…
"Thou shall seek thy revenge later," Sarah said in a firm tone. "This night is lost."
Dawn lay curled on the grass, sobbing loudly. Shivering in her wet clothes, she hugged her arms about her tightly and screwed her eyes shut. It can't be real. This is a horrible nightmare, and I wanna wake up. I just wanna wake up and make it all go away…
"Dawn? Dawn, stop! Please, just stop!" Lita raced towards her, Ian following at a fast walk. She bent down and patted her back gently, unsure of what else to do. "It's okay, you're gonna be fine." Her words only made Dawn cry even harder, her breathing becoming more rapid as she gulped air between her tears. She looked up helplessly at Ian, who shook his head in disgust. Swiftly, he reached down with one hand and yanked Dawn to a standing position. Lita gasped as the palm of his hand connected with Dawn's cheek, the resulting smack leaving a field of scarlet that covered the left side of her face.
"You can't do anything about it, it's done. Understand?" Dawn whimpered in reply and he shook her violently. "Understand?" he barked. Terrified, Dawn slowly nodded up at Ian, almost catatonic. "If you hadn't done it she would've killed you." As Ian relaxed his hold on her shoulder, her complexion took on a greenish cast and her head reeled. Before he could let go of her, Dawn promptly threw up the results of her evening in the bar on his shoes. She raised her head sheepishly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand before speaking.
"Sorry," she whispered shakily. "I didn't mean to do that."
Ian grunted and let go of her, stepping back and wiping his sneakers on the grass. Dawn looked helplessly at Lita, her dark brown eyes threatening to spill over once more. Tucking an arm around her shoulders, the brunette brushed the wet hair away from her friend's face and began to walk to the entrance. "Let's get you home and cleaned up, all right?"
"'Kay. Lita, I'm so sorry, I…"
"She's not going to be able to walk," Ian interrupted, his sneakers somewhat clean. "She could barely get here."
"Well, what are we going to do with her then?" Lita demanded as Dawn clung to her. In response, Ian bent over slightly and slipped an arm under Dawn's knees, cradling her in his arms. Exhausted, Dawn leaned against his chest and closed her eyes.
"'M so sorry, Ian," she sobbed softly. "'M all wet an' I puked on your shoes an'…"
"I know you're sorry," he answered firmly. "Just stop crying already."