Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, and all characters related to Sailor Moon (you
know which ones), belong to Naoko Takeuchi, not me. Just so we are clear on
that.

Original characters are of my design, thank you very much.

Note: The *…*'s indicate a character's thoughts.

I would also take this time to thank Kiku Ilu, Krysia, Silver Starlight
Angel, and the others who have read the fic so far, and for Magdalena who
has been very helpful in input (and fashion sense wink!) of character
development. New readers…this is my first fic, so I hope you enjoy it.

Questions? Comments? Email me at: Halreader@cs.com. Much appreciate
it, and thanks!

Enjoy Chapter 3, minna!

HAL :-)



Dragon of the Moon

Chapter 3



"Back in black,
I hit the sack
I've been too long,
I'm glad to be back!"

--------"Back in Black"
Young/Young/Johnson, AC/DC




Nightfall.
One lone figure was walking up Minato-ku, carrying a small bag of
groceries, a faraway look on his face.
Rolie was lost in thought; his experience in the Crown Game Center still
fresh in his mind half an hour later.
*I just can't figure it out,* he thought, *I have traveled the world many
times, met many people, and those who have left an impression on me I hardly
forget a face, but after today…*
He shook his head and sighed. Upon reaching his house, he heaved another
sigh.
"I don't know," he muttered, "maybe Arch can shed some light on this…and
call me a nutcase again," and he looked at the empty driveway. "If he ever
gets here," he grumbled, and walked through the door.
The lights were out, and Rolie squinted in search for the light switch,
when suddenly a cold chill raced down his spine. *I left the lights on when
I left…they SHOULDN'T be off…* He stopped, and listened intently, letting
his eyes adjust to the darkness.
*No sense turning on the lights yet, or else I'm an easy target,* he
thought as he scrunched against the wall. But then he blinked, realizing
what he had just thought.
*Wait a minute. An easy target, me? To who? Since when I've become a
target? Nobody knows who I am or where I'm at, and I'm worried of a
sniper?* He sighed and shook his head. *Jeez, I'm getting paranoid.
Archie's call rubbed off me the wrong way, and I'm jumping at shadows. I
must have really forgotten to turn on the lights…*
And he reached for the wall switch, and clicked the lights on.
CLICK.
TWANG!!
THUNK!!
"OW!!" Rolie shrieked, snapped the lights off, and dropped to the floor
with his groceries.
He rolled next to the sofa, grinding his teeth, a searing pain screaming
from his shoulder. He opened his eyes, and saw an arrow's shaft sticking
out from his left shoulder.
*Then again, I DID leave the lights on…argh, you stupid idiot* he cursed
inwardly.
He forced himself not to cry out in pain, knowing doing so would give away
his position to his attacker. His mind raced as he concentrated on his
options.
*Okay, kiddo, gotta think clear and fast. It's not a Soultaker, or else my
senses would have picked him up, so my enemy is human. There's only one
shooter…I hope. He waited for me for the lights, and the arrow,* and he
ruefully glared at his bleeding shoulder, *didn't go all the way through.
Not enough power behind the shot, which means a long distance shot, which
means…the stairs.*
He closed his eyes, mentally picturing his position, the light switch, and
the stairs. He slowly crept on the floor to the wall where the switch was,
and reached into the fallen bag of groceries. As he quietly took hold of a
plastic milk jar, he had his plan.
*Okay, Rolie-boy. Simple plan. Head down, flip the switch. Let him
shoot, spot him, chug him with the milk jug, and charge him. Simple,
right?* he thought dizzily.
He looked at his shoulder again, felt it getting numb, and he sucked in his
breath. *Better make this count,* he prayed, and keeping his head down and
looking at the darkened stairs, he flipped the switch again.
CLICK
SWISH!
Everything happened so quickly, but this time, Rolie's instincts saved him.
The instant he flipped the light switch, he was suddenly face-to-face with
his assailant, and this time wielding a sword over his head. As the
attacker swung his sword, Rolie rolled sideways a few feet, set and planted
his feet, and threw the milk jug hard at his enemy. The jug hit the
attacker on the side of the face, dazing him. Rolie took his chance and
charged at him.
Both men tangled on the floor briefly, and then they broke their holds and
stood apart from each other. Rolie had managed to knock the sword away from
the attacker, who was clad in black from head to toe, with a black
form-fitting hood over his head. Two eyes peered at Rolie, as Rolie got a
good look at his enemy.
"Oh, great," Rolie grunted, "it's only a ninja."
The ninja seemed to take offense at that, for he charged at Rolie with a
flurry of kicks and punches. But Rolie managed to block and dodge them,
except for a few that hit his injured shoulder. Rolie winced and grunted at
every jab his enemy connected there.
Rolie responded with his own counters and punches, trying to favor his
shoulder. *I better drop him fast…this arrow is making me fight
one-handed,* he thought, but something else was bothering him.
*Strange, ninjas are mainly hit-and-run types, but this one WANTS me to
fight him, like he's daring me to beat him. Why?*
The ninja did a back flip, reached into his shirt, and suddenly threw a
couple of throwing stars, which Rolie easily dodged, but smashed the vase
and mirror behind him.
Rolie now saw red. *All right, that's it! This guy's history!* and he
lunged at the ninja with a flying kick. The ninja ducked, but Rolie dropped
down, and swept his feet beneath the ninja. The ninja was caught by
surprise, and Rolie unleashed a series of kicks and punches, managing to
wear down his foe.
Rolie spotted the lone sword, and in a final thrust, kicked the ninja
against a wall. The ninja was knocked out and fell on his back.
Rolie then scurried across the room, picked up the sword, and ran back to
the fallen ninja. A few seconds later, the ninja opened his eyes and saw
the sharp end of his own sword just inches from his nose. He looked up at
Rolie, who muttered, "You surrender?"
The ninja looked at Rolie square in the eyes, and with a defiant look, he
grunted, "You're…too…slow…"
Rolie's eyes widened, and with a yell, grabbed the hilt of the sword with
both hands and thrust downward. The ninja's eyes widened as saucers.
THUNK!!!
The ninja's eyes closed as the sword came down toward him. But after a few
seconds, he opened his eyes again, and saw Rolie looking at him with a
disgusted look on his face. The ninja turned his head to the right, and saw
the sword blade imbedded in the floor, a hairbreadth away from his head.
The ninja gulped, and looked back at Rolie, who smirked, "Close enough for
you?"
Rolie then stepped away and sat down on the chair, finally beginning to
work on his injured shoulder. The ninja sat up and said, "Hey! A little
help for an old man?"
Rolie threw him an angry look, and said, "Bah! Help yourself, old-timer,"
and he groaned loudly as he pulled the arrow shaft tenderly out of his
shoulder, and started to heal it with his glowing hands. "Was this really
necessary?" he asked the ninja.
The ninja groaned as he stood up. "I was actually aiming at your head," he
said gruffly, and pulled off his hood. Rolie looked at his former opponent
dubiously.
The ninja had short salt-and-pepper hair, and the lines on his face showed
that of an older man, but his dark eyes seemed to sparkle. He grunted as he
sat down opposite Rolie.
Rolie grunted, but then he looked at the supposed spot on the staircase,
and a disturbing thought entered his mind.
*Archie had plenty of time to set up his shot, and it's about 50 feet from
the stairs to the door, and knowing Arch…* he thought.
"You must be slipping, Arch. You couldn't have missed from that distance,
even a blind man couldn't miss at that distance," Rolie said.
"Gee, thanks a lot, kid," Archie said sarcastically with a sly grin, "but
you know me. I assure you I'm not slipping. I DID have a bead on your
noggin'."
"Then why…?"
"Well, far be it from me to rob the Soultakers' opportunity to kill you,"
he smirked, "think of this as a wake-up call, hmm?"
Rolie gazed at Archie solemnly, and finally nodded. *I'm still rusty, and
I should have known better…I actually DID know, just didn't pay attention,*
he thought, *and had it been a Soultaker sniper…* and he sighed.
Archie grinned, stood up and went to the kitchen, and came back with two
water bottles. After handing one to Rolie, he sat down again and said, "Ah,
listen, kid. Sorry about the arrow, but I thought you ought to be back in
fighting form already."
Rolie winced as his glowing hand worked on his shoulder. "Already? You
got to be kidding me. Arch, when was the last time I fought a Soultaker?
It couldn't have been…" and he drifted off.
"Three years, seven months, 10 days, London docks," Archie recited, "and
you took on a small group of Soultakers on the roof of an abandoned
warehouse, while Sailor V went into the warehouse, and…"
"Stop!" Rolie interrupted loudly, "Just…stop it…"
Archie raised an eyebrow, and shook his head. "It wasn't your fault, you
know, you could not have known…"
"That's enough, Archie!" Rolie said angrily, and stood up, holding his
shoulder, and went to the patio window. The memories of that fateful night
absorbed him.
*Poor guy,* thought Archie, *he still blames himself after all this time.
But for now, I have to keep quiet, for the real truth would hurt him even
more.*
"Right," Archie said aloud, "enough has been said. Let's get down to
business, shall we?"
Rolie didn't listen. He was staring at the moonlit sky outside, lost in
thought. Memories of the chance meetings with Sailor V filled his mind,
thoughts of a young super heroine whom he thought was too young and brash
for her own good, and of the night their paths crossed for the last time,
with a deafening explosion putting in a very hard exclamation point to his
memories.
*She was a good soldier, and brave to the end. But she didn't deserve that
fate…I should have stopped her…I should…have…*
He closed his eyes and clenched his fists.
"Rolie?"
A heavy sigh escaped Rolie.
"Ahem…Roland?"
Rolie's eyes flew open and turned to look at Archie, who had a small hint
of a grin on his face. Rolie grinned back, saying, "'Roland,' is it?
Calling by the proper name means something serious."
Archie nodded. "I'm afraid so, kiddo. And I can venture to say that, this
time around, it might be worse than Europe."
Rolie's heart sank. *WORSE than Europe? How much worse can it get?* he
thought, and said, "You think the Soultakers are going to bring their big
boys out?"
"Can't say for certain yet, but from what my sources tell me, it looks like
they might be mobilizing for their big campaign," said Archie.
"Uh huh, and I am to take this 'campaign' on by myself, right?" Rolie said
wryly.
"You are the best man for the job…but you can't do it alone, you know that.
You're going to need help." said Archie.
"Oh yeah, sure," Rolie retorted, "like last time, or did you forget, in
London? Or before that in Crete? Or even before that in Sibe-…-ria…" and
he trailed off, choking on the last word. That last one cut much deeper,
and Rolie heaved another heavy sigh.
"As you see, Arch, the record shows that any partner I get stands a very
good chance to end up dead," Rolie grumbled.
Archie sighed, stood up, and said, "Look, kid, we can argue like this till
we're blue in the face," and he gently placed his hand on Rolie's shoulder,
and continued, "but the bottom line is, if no one stands up to them, they
are going to run around rampant like termites to a tree house, and a lot of
people are going to get hurt. And we are not just talking about just a
tree, or even just a city-like scale."
Rolie looked back at Archie, and saw how serious his stare was. "The
Dragon Knight is needed again, Roland. You HAVE to make that stand, my
friend," Archie added.
Rolie broke the gaze, and looked out to the cityscape before him, and the
moon shining above.
Archie grinned, and said, "Tell you what…why don't you freshen up, and
we'll continue," and he sniffed and made a face, "besides, you stink."
Rolie finally chuckled, and said, "Yes, mom!"
Archie mocking glared at him. "Now don't you make me take you by the ear
and wash them ears for you! Now move it, buddy!"
Rolie got a laugh out of that, then quickly thought Archie just MIGHT carry
out his threat, so he hurried upstairs and showered. Fifteen minutes later,
Rolie returned sporting gym pants and a windbreaker, and he saw that Archie
had brought out two small boxes from a suitcase and had placed them on the
table.
Rolie looked at Archie quizzically, "New gear?"
Archie nodded. "Yep, some advancements since London…you gotta love
technology these days. But first," and he looked at Rolie directly, "let's
see you transform first."
Rolie looked at him skeptically, and said, "I'm playing guinea pig again,
aren't I?"
"Hey, humor an old pal, will ya?" Archie admonished, "C'mon, you can do it
in your sleep by now."
"Yeah, right," said Rolie, and he pulled out his dragon pendant.
Rolie paused, and looked down at his pendant. At two inches in length, it
was an intricate piece of work. Made of solid gold, Rolie can almost feel
it resonate with a mysterious power, which has so far escaped him.
*Well, here we go again, like it or not. But with the Soultaker presence
here, and Archie saying this is going to be a big deal…* and he looked
thoughtfully at the moon shining outside, *maybe this time I can find some
answers behind this pendant…and myself.*
He clenched his hand around the pendant, closed his eyes, and concentrated,
breathed in deeply, and softly whispered:
"Dragon…Knight…Power…Activate."
The pendant suddenly glowed in his hand, and an ethereal light blanketed
Rolie from head to toe. He felt his clothes ripple as they changed around
him. Rolie felt a surge of energy running through his entire body, for
which he at first winced, then eventually grinned, welcoming it.
*Like welcoming an old friend,* he thought for an instant. After a few
seconds, it was over.
Rolie opened his eyes, and Archie was nodding at him with a satisfied look
on his face, and he pointed to the hall closet. Rolie went to it and opened
the door, gazing at the strangely-clad man looking back at him through the
tall mirror inside.
Before the transformation, he was wearing gray gym pants and a windbreaker,
but they are now gone. He now wore a black, long-sleeved turtleneck cotton
sweater, black slacks that sported small pockets by his thighs, black
leather belt and running shoes, and finally complemented by a long, flowing
oilskin jacket, also black.
Rolie ruefully grinned at his reflection. *Heh, I look like a cartoon
character,* he thought, and looked up and down at himself, scrutinizing
himself.
"All right, all right, Mr. Model Wannabe, are you quite done?" cracked
Archie.
Breaking out of his reverie, Rolie reached into the closet's hidden nook,
brought out his katana and scabbard, and slung them around his chest and
under the jacket. He went back to the table, where Archie already had two
boxes open before him.
"What's all this, Arch?" asked Rolie as he sat down by Archie.
Archie chuckled, "A couple of things I have been working on for the past
few years. You know, you gotta admire how they make powerful things like
cameras and computers fit in the palm of your hand. Why just the other day
I read…"
"Ahem…Archie?" Rolie interrupted.
"Huh? Oh yeah, right," and he brought out the first item from a box and
placed it in front of Rolie.
Rolie's eyebrow raised, and held up the item dubiously. "A cell phone,
Arch?" he asked quizzically.
"Yes, a new one, but this baby does more than just voicemail."
"Oh, so it slices, dices, and makes Julienne fries?" Rolie playfully
scoffed.
"Hah hah, smart aleck," Archie retorted, "just listen. Besides being a
cell phone, it's also a scanner…to locate Soultakers. With this thing, you
can track down the energy signatures of the Soultakers' power crystals."
"Really?" Rolie said, intrigued, adding, "What's the range on it?"
"A 10-mile radius, with its tracking signal becoming stronger as you get
closer to them."
*Hmm, almost like Sailor Mercury's palmtop computer,* Rolie thought
immediately.
"Will it spot disguised Soultakers?" Rolie added.
"If their crystals are giving off their energy signatures, it should." said
Archie.
"Should?" asked Rolie with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't have any Soultakers volunteer for me to test it," said Archie
matter-of-factly, "and even if I did, I couldn't detect them. Only you
can," and he pointed at Rolie's pendant.
Rolie's face hardened for a second, then he sighed, "10 miles is a very
wide area to cover and spot a Soultaker."
"By itself, yes. So I also have this for you," and Archie pulled what
looked like a pair of round glasses from the second box, and handed them to
Rolie.
Rolie saw that the lenses were slightly opaque, and asked, "Shades?"
Archie nodded. "Stylish, eh? But there's a tiny, voice-activated chip
inside the left hinge that turns on the sensor film inside the lenses, so
when you look through them, you can pinpoint your target in a crowd from a
distance, or even scan for them inconspicuously while you have some
conversation or whatnot."
"Cool," Rolie said, impressed, and pressed the "ON" button on the cell.
"I have a few more things to give you, kid, so…"Archie began.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Both men started at the sound…it came from the phone. The both looked at
it, and at each other, and finally Archie grinned, and said, "Well, no
better time than the present, huh?"
Rolie put on the shades and looked at the phone, but looked at Rolie,
puzzled. "Umm, how do I work this? It's like my old one, but how…?" he
asked.
Archie sighed, "Sorry, forgot to tell ya. Hold the phone close and say
'Scan' and they will do the rest."
Rolie nodded, and holding the phone closely, said, "Scan."
The phone beeped, and Rolie did a double take. "Arch? There's some sort
of…reddish spot…inside the glasses?"
"Look at the phone. What does it say on the screen?"
"Umm…two miles, northwest," Rolie said, as he looked out the window.
"That's near…the business district. I just came from there."
"Then I suggest you hoof it, buddy boy. But I would suggest you
de-transform first, and suit up when you get there," said Archie.
"De-transform? Now? I can get there quicker powered up, Arch," argued
Rolie.
Archie crossed his arms, and said, "I wonder what the neighbors around here
would think when they see a man, all clad in black and a sword on his back,
running out of this house at full speed. Hmmm?"
Rolie winced. *I HATE it when he's right like that,* he fumed.
"Power down…now," said Archie finally.
Rolie nodded, and holding the pendant, said:
"Dragon…Knight…Power…Deactivate."
Rolie felt the surge through his body again, but the feeling he felt now,
unlike the warmth when he powered up, now was a sobering cool. He looked at
the closet mirror again, and saw he had his gym pants and windbreaker back.
The cell phone and shades stayed visible as well, but his sword and scabbard
are gone.
Archie nodded, "Good, the sword is hidden with your costume. It will come
back out once you power up. So get moving, kid!"
Rolie went to the door, but paused, looking back at his friend with a
worried look on his face. "I'm not looking forward to this, Arch," he
sighed.
Arch made a small smile, and said, "I know, pal. These are just the first
rounds, and I will help you get ready. I'll mind the store till you get
back, so go…now," and he winked at Rolie.
Rolie finally nodded and grinned slightly, and was gone.
Archie heaved out a sigh, sat back on the table and looked out to the
twinkling lights of Tokyo outside. He smiled grimly, took out his own cell
phone, and dialed a number.
"Yeah, Sets? It's me. The game is on."


A dark cloud hung over Mina's head as she rode the bus home.
*Man, I thought I never get out of there! I mean, really, some people can
be so nosy and irritating, but those four girls…ugh!* she thought.
She heaved a heavy sigh, and stared out the bus window. Her mind began to
wander, thinking back on the day's events. First her encounter with Rolie
that morning, then barely arriving on time to school, getting excited at
Usagi's speech, drinking smoothies made by Rolie at the arcade, and getting
pelted by "Rolie-questions" for a solid hour.
*Sheesh,* she thought, *it's like they've never heard of a girl bumping
into a gorgeous guy and being saved from being wet by a nasty puddle by the
same…gorgeous…guy…* and she sighed.
"Who am I kidding?" she muttered to herself, "if it were Ami or Makochan,
or even Rei, I would have jumped on them too…just over this guy,
this…mysterious, handsome…guy."
The bus stopped and took in new passengers, but Mina was preoccupied with
her thoughts to notice, when a new voice reached her ears.
"Ahhh, Minako Aino! Heaven shines down on this pathetic transport vehicle
as you grace us with your lovely presence, my dear!" a deep voice said.
Mina blinked, for a second unsure if she had heard right. Then she felt a
chill run down her spine: she recognized the voice. She squinted.
*Oh no…not him. ANYBODY but him, please…* she thought futilely.
She turned to face the speaker with a forced smile, her suspicions
confirmed.
"Oh…hello, Mitoshi-san," she said through gritted teeth.
Kensura Mitoshi flashed a pearly-white smile at her. He stood before Mina,
almost towering over her with his 5-foot, 9-inch frame. His school uniform
was pressed neatly, and his piercing gray eyes seemed to twinkle. His long
black hair was slicked back and tied into a ponytail.
Mitoshi quickly sat down next to her, wiggling his eyebrows, and said,
"Aww, c'mon, Minachan. Call me Ken, or Ken-sempai. Everybody at school
does."
*Every one of your GIRLFRIENDS does, you mean,* she thought, but said,
"Where's Kitsune?"
His face shifted slightly. "Silly girl is stuck in detention again. I
tell you, Hiko-san better get her act together, or else I would just have to
let her go," he said wistfully.
Mina's blood began to boil. *Why you, no-good…*
"But…I will manage to survive this traumatic loss to myself, and open
myself for new candidates. And I'm VERY sure you would like to be
considered as one, Mina, hmm? I can open that position quite easily for
you, my dear Minachan," he said haughtily.
Mina's boiling became chilling upon hearing that prospect. She rolled her
eyes and scrunched closer to the window, muttering, "When cows fly."
"Hahaha!" Ken laughed aloud, "Silly Mina, it's 'when pigs fly,' now
'cows.'"
"Whatever," Mina shrugged.
"Heh heh. I like your sense of humor, Minachan," he said, and inched
closer to her, "I'm quite sure we can hit it off…"
*Yuck…I've got to get out of here* she thought desperately, *think quick,
Mina, quick!*
She didn't have to think very long. She was staring out the window when
something caught her eye.
The bus was moving through the slow traffic of the evening rush, and was on
a bridge overpass, when Mina spotted an unusual sight below her under the
bridge. Two people, a man and a woman, were running from…
*What in the…TWO demons? Here?? And they're after that couple!* she
deduced.
Mina gasped and bolted up to her feet. As she did, Ken, who had been
leaning closer to Mina, was knocked backward onto the bus floor.
"Ow!! Hey!" he shouted.
Mina's mind raced. Shocked after inadvertently knocking Ken down, she
reached for the bus's STOP cord, and pulled it.
"Oh! Oh my, Mitoshi-san, I'm so sorry!" she cried, "but I just
remembered…umm, my stop! I missed it! Driver! Stop here, please!"
The driver slowed but he didn't stop the bus, saying, "Miss, we will be
arriving at a bus stop very soon."
"No, I can't wait!" she said, and grabbing her bag, made her way to the
front of the bus. "Please, sir? I have to get out here!" she pleaded.
"But, miss…"
"PLEASE!"
"Okay, okay," the driver muttered, and slowed the bus to a stop. "Next
time, be aware of your stop, all right?" he fumed at her.
"Oh, thank you sir! I'm very sorry again! Thank you!" Mina squealed, and
just as the doors opened, she hopped out onto the sidewalk and ran back
towards the bridge overpass.
"Crazy kids," the driver muttered, shaking his head, and looked at his
rearview mirror, and called out, "Hey, you there! Get off the floor and sit
down!"
Ken, who witnessed everything from his spot on the floor, quickly jumped up
and took Mina's former seat, and gazed out the window to see Mina disappear
from sight.
"Heh, one day, Minachan," he chuckled, "one day, you will be mine!"


Mina raced down the bridge embankment towards the narrow street below,
where she had seen the chased couple and the demons in pursuit. Upon
reaching the street, they were already gone. She looked up and down the
embankment and the street, trying to figure out her next move. She was in
the midst of dimly-lit back streets, near the warehouse section of town.
*They were going away from the bridge from where I saw them from the bus,
so they must be going north of here,* she thought, and pulled out her senshi
communicator as she began to run. She pressed the 'All Call' button so that
all the senshi could hear her.
"Listen guys! I saw two demons chasing a couple up Misato Street at the
warehouse district. I'm following what I think was their last direction,
but I could use some backup!" she said.
Seconds later, Ami's face appeared on Mina's communicator. "Mina!
According to my computer, you are less than 200 yards due south of them,
moving north and closing. You should reach them shortly, but the rest of us
are farther away from your present position, so the rest of us won't reach
you for I estimate 6.75 minutes."
Mina sweatdropped. *Leave it to Ami to get it down to the millisecond,*
she thought dryly, but suddenly she heard a shrill scream from a woman not
far off, and her mind was made up.
Mina said, "I don't have 6.75 minutes, Ami, and neither do these people.
I'll engage them until you all get here. Mina out."
"Mina! Wait…" Ami began, but Mina shut off her link.
"Time to kick some monster tail," she said, and she pulled out her hen shin
wand and held it aloft.
"VENUS PLANET POWER…MAKE UP!"


"No, Mina, WAIT!" Ami cried, but her link to Mina was cut off.
"Ami? What's the matter?" spoke Rei, whose face now appeared on Ami's
computer.
"You guys! I was going to tell her that according to new readings, there
might be more than two monsters out there! She's going to be outnumbered!"
Ami declared.
"Oh no!" gasped Rei, "Why is she going it all alone like that?"
"What?" Usagi's voice exclaimed, "more than two? Where do they come…"
"Pipe down, everybody!" Makoto's voice shouted over Usagi's, "Let's all get
to Mina's location, pronto!"
"Right!" they all said in unison. Ami closed her computer, and brought out
her wand.
"MERCURY PLANET POWER…MAKE UP!"
After transforming, Sailor Mercury ran as fast as she could towards the
battle scene.


Rolie was making good time jogging through the streets, until something
flashed in his mind, causing him to stop abruptly.
"Whoa!" he cried out, "what was that?" He felt as if an electric bolt shot
through his ears, and he shook his head.
"Ughh…something is amiss, and I bet it's the Soultakers," he grunted. He
looked around and spotted a nearby alley, and ducked into it.
"Well, enough distance made between me and Hilltop Manor, so it's time to
close the gap," he said, and brought out his dragon pendant, and clutched
it.
"DRAGON KNIGHT POWER…ACTIVATE!"
Rolie's body and jogging suit shimmered briefly as he felt his
transformation take place, and now the Dragon Knight stood ready. He looked
up at the four-story walls above him, and with a great running leap, he
jumped all the way up to the rooftop. His eyes flashed behind his shades as
he scanned the area before him, grinning.
*Hmm, that felt good,* he thought to himself, and removed his shades and
folded them into his coat pocket. *I made good distance, and I can feel
them in my powered-up self. I should be there in no time,* and he pulled
his cowl mask over his face, and bounded over the rooftops on his way to
meet the Soultakers.


Eternal Sailor Moon gasped and stopped suddenly. Luna, who had been
keeping pace with her charge, was surprised at Sailor Moon's sudden halt,
and bounded back to her.
"Sailor Moon! What is it? Why have you stopped?" asked the black cat.
"I…I don't know, Luna," Sailor Moon stammered, "I…I just felt
something…going through my head…"
Artemis, who had joined Luna and Sailor Moon along the way, asked
worriedly, "Are you all right? We can't delay, Mina's going to need help!"
"Yes, I'm all right, Artemis," said Sailor Moon, "We...better go help
Sailor Venus."
Luna nodded, and said, "All right, but if you feel something again, let us
know, okay?"
"Yes, Luna," Moon sighed, and started running again with the two moon cats
at her heels.


"NOOOOOOO! Let me go!!!" screamed Mokoni Yaharishi. Her eyes wide in
terror, she struggled to pry the monster's grip from her shoulders. She
looked in equal horror at the second monster, who had a hold on her
boyfriend, Kento Musashi. The human couple had been chased into one of the
back streets away from Misato Street until the monsters finally caught up
with them. Kento was unconscious: he tried to fight off the monsters but
was thrown against the wall, knocking him out cold.
"Yarrgh…take it eassssy, Anuk," growled the first monster at his companion.
His brown scaly hands had a firm grip on a weeping Mokoni, his massive
muscular frame towering over her small form. From his horned head, his red
eyes glowed, and looked straight at Mokoni, licking his lips, and said, "A
bruisssed body meansss a bruisssed ssssoul, and I hear they don't tassste
asss well going downnnn."
Anuk, who looked just like his fellow monster in looks and dirty-looking
tunics, was holding Kento's bleeding head and snorted, "Bah, I don't care,
Anak! Thessse two victimssss…look very fresssh to meee," smiling his set of
sharp teeth. "A fresssh body, bruisssed or not, makesss for a sssatissfying
meal," he finished, and Anuk's body glowed a sickly green, with Kento's body
glowing as well.
Anak shrugged, and turned his attention back to Mokoni, who after hearing
Anuk, had fainted.
"Aww, poor thing," Anak smirked, and began his drain as well, "What'sss the
matterrr? Couldn't sssstomach Anuk'sss little speeeech? Pathetic little
weaklingssss," and it was Mokoni's turn to glow.
"Hold it right there, you creeps!" a voiced shouted.
Anuk and Anak paused, looking around them for the source of the voice.
"Right up here, boys!" the voice said again, and the monsters looked up at
the top of a nearby wall, where a golden-haired senshi in an orange fuku
stood.
"So, now there's two of you big uglies to steal the energy of couples in
love?" the girl cried, and leaped down to street level a few yards away from
them and pointed at the monsters with an angry glare. "I will not let this
deed go unpunished! For I am Sailor Venus, the Senshi of Love! In the name
of Venus, I will defeat you!"
The monsters stood blinking at the intruder's speech and posing act, and
then they began to laugh. They dismissively let go of Kento and Mokoni, who
dropped to the ground and were very still.
"Well now, Anuk, we have sssome entertainment with our mealll," chuckled
Anak.
"Yesss," hissed Anuk, "thisss ssssailor brat will be enough for the both of
ussss."
Sailor Venus became miffed, and said, "'Sailor Brat'? Let's see if you
like a taste of this! VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
A heart-shaped blast hit Anuk square in the chest and sent him flying into
an opposite wall with a hard crash. Anak, amazed at the force of Venus's
attack, nonetheless gritted his teeth and charged at the senshi.
Venus saw him coming and leaped high into the air, where she cried,
"VENUS LOVE ME CHAIN!"
A golden chain of hearts wrapped around Anak's thick neck, and Venus, upon
landing behind her pursuer, pulled the chain back towards herself, causing
Anak to fall backward with a thud.
Anak groggily stood up, but Venus was waiting for him. She pulled her
chain again, whipping the lassoed monster past her and he crashed headlong
into Anuk's form, collapsing the wall above them.
*Whew, these guys are big,* thought Venus, *but it looks like I have this
situation under control.*
She retrieved her chain, and made her way to the fallen Mokoni and Kento.
*Both of them look knocked out, but I better wait till Mercury and the rest
get here,* she decided.
She heard a muttering sound behind her and she stood up, and beheld the two
monsters rising from the crumbling brick pile. She grinned confidently and
stood in her fighting stance.
"Not enough for you? I still have plenty more," she announced. Both
monsters rubbed their heads and looked at Venus, but to Venus's surprise,
they began to chuckle again.
"Hey! What's so funny?" Venus angrily cried. Anuk answered her by
pointing at something behind Venus, and as she turned, she was greeted with
a swift kick to the gut.
"OOOF!" she grunted loudly. She doubled over, staggering backwards, and as
she began to look up , a hard punch sent her flying and she crashed into
another wall.
"Ohhh…" she groaned, and shook her head, trying painfully to get her
bearings. She was dazed, and she knew, in trouble.
"Sniper! Do you have a lock?" a third voice called out.
"I got her in my sights," a fourth voice sounded. Hearing that voice,
Venus instinctively staggered to her right.
THUNK! THUNK!
"Idiot!" the third voice yelled again, "you missed!"
"She moved, boss!" the fourth voice replied.
Venus looked back at the wall she had crashed into, and saw two arrow
shafts, but what chilled her more was that the arrows had penetrated deeply
into the wall.
*Kami sama! I could have really been nailed to the wall!* she gulped, and
winced as she tried to stand. *I'm in trouble…*
"Anuk! Anak!" the third voice called out again, and the two monsters
stood up from their spot. Their eyes flashed, their mouths opened, and
suddenly with a combined roar, they both fired energy blasts at Sailor
Venus. Venus's eyes widened and she ducked out of the way, but one blast
hit close enough to send her flying again, and she collided with another
wall.
"Ughh," she groaned again, and she turned to look at her attackers. Anuk
and Anak were standing and grinning a few yards away on her right, and to
her left, she saw the source of the third voice: another monster, though
this one was slimmer than Anuk and Anak, and had purple skin, and it bore
large leathery wings.
Venus heard another chuckling noise from above them, and made out the
silhouette of another winged demon on the rooftop, and this one carried a
long bow.
*That…must be…'Sniper,'…* she figured, and felt a big chill run down her
spine. "I'm…in REALLY big trouble," she coughed.
"Girlie?" said the third monster, the apparent leader of the group, "you
don't know even the half of it. But soon your body AND soul will be ours to
feast on!" and he flashed a fanged grin.
Venus looked around her; she was trapped and hurt, and her foes are closing
in. Her mind desperately searched for options.
*What am I going to do?* she thought, *I should have waited for the
others...where could they be?* She staggered to her feet, but with a look
of grim determination, she stood in her battle stance again…barely.
*I'm…not going to give up…gotta protect those people…* she grimly thought,
*I'll rush Mr. Motor Mouth here, wipe that smile of his face with a Venus
Beam…"
But suddenly, everything changed when small explosions were heard.
POOF!! POOF!! POOF!!
The back street quickly filled with smoke, clouding the area with amazing
speed. Everyone, from Sailor Venus to the monsters, were caught by
surprise.
"What?? What is this?" bellowed the monster leader.
"Massster…Nob…" coughed Anuk at his leader, "where…issss thissss
sssssmoke…coming from?"
Nob looked back to his companion on the roof. "Sniper! Where did…Sniper?"
he began, but he saw that Sniper didn't respond. What he did hear were loud
grunts and a metallic clash, and they were punctuated by a chilling howl of
pain.
"AAAHHHH!!!" shrieked Sniper, and before Nob's shocked eyes, Sniper fell
headlong from his rooftop perch, landing in front of Nob with a dull thud.
Nob moved back a step, and peered forward through the thickening smoke, and
what he saw shocked him more: Sniper's chest had been slashed open, almost
as if he was cut in half.
"Sniper? SNIPER!!" Nob yelled.
"He's gone, pal," anew voice uttered, and Nob looked up, and saw a dark
silhouette shadowed by the moon above, and for the first time, Nob cringed
in fear, as the stranger finished, "and you will join him soon enough."
"ANUK! ANAK! THE ROOF!" Nob immediately ordered, but the other monsters
were lost in the deep haze.
"We can't…ssssee…masssster!" yelled Anak.
Sailor Venus, still staggering on her feet, couldn't see what was going on
either, but she heard Nob call out, "Blast the Senshi brat! Now!!"
Suddenly a dark form landed in front of Venus, and Venus was yanked down to
the ground. Anuk's and Anak's blasts flew just over their heads, hitting
the bare wall harmlessly.
Venus's mind was whirling, and muttered, "What…what's going on…" but she
felt a firm gloved hand covering her mouth.
"Quiet," the new voice whispered to her, and Venus felt herself being
picked up and, to her amazement, felt she was FLYING over the smoke, until
they landed away from the smoke-covered street by a large trash dumpster,
and Venus finally saw her savior.
He was clad all in black from head to toe: dark shoes and pants, black
sweater, and a long, flowing overcoat that seemed to float like a cape.
Venus also saw something unusual: a gold pendant seemed to hang from the
stranger's neck, looking like a small dragon, and it even had a soft glow
around it. His face was hidden, however, by a black cowl, but Venus gasped
as she looked at the stranger's eyes that seemed to glow just like his
pendant.
"Who…are…" she began.
"Hush!" the stranger hissed, and shoved Venus against the corner, out of
sight of the monsters, but he drew her attention to him gently with his
hand.
"Listen to me," he whispered deeply, and counted his fingers at her, "stay
down, stay still, and stay quiet." And as an afterthought, he jerked his
thumb behind him, and said, "And stay away from him."
He was referring to a now-decaying body of Sniper ten feet behind him.
Venus clasped her mouth with her hand in horror, but nodded at the
stranger's instructions.
Satisfied, the dark-clad man returned to the smoke-filled street, while
Venus watched from her hidden spot.
Anuk and Anak were nervous. Their blasts didn't find their target, and
they were scrambling around blindly. Nob was trying to get his bearings
through the thick smoke in the air.
"Damn this fog!" he spat, "Anuk! Anak! Any sign of the intruder?"
"None, masssster," Anuk coughed loudly, "thisss ssssmokessssscreen issss
too thick."
Nob gritted his teeth and drew out his scimitar from his back scabbard, and
said, "Take heed now. Whoever this man is, he's as good as dead! Kill him
on sight!"
"Sight won't help you," Nob heard a deep voice behind him say, and Nob
whirled around and swung his sword, but found nothing.
"You and your cohorts need to use your other senses," said the voice, and a
dark shape materialized before Nob and kicked him backward.
"AHH!!" grunted Nob, and he sprung to his feet, looking wildly about him,
ready to strike.
"Because if you only rely on what you see…" said the voice, now behind Nob.
Nob turned, and saw a more solid dark shape before him, and he swung his
sword downward at it.
"AAHHHH!! MY ARRRRM!! MY AARRMM!!"
Nob, to his utter surprise, recognized Anak's voice. Sure enough, Anak's
severed limb came to rest before Nob's feet.
"Anak!! Grr…I will get youuuu!!" screamed Anuk.
"Anuk! No! Wait…uuugh!!" Nob cried as he was hit by Anuk's blast, and Nob
was sent crashing into the wall.
Anuk recognized his master's voice too late. "Massster Nob?" he called
out, but from behind he felt a tap on his shoulder. Anuk turned, and faced
the dark-clad man, whose eyes were glowing.
"…you will end up hitting the wrong target," he finished, and leveled Anuk
with a hard kick to the head. Anuk stumbled backwards, the stranger
knocking him with a swift series of kicks and punches, until finally the
stranger sent a hard kick to Anuk's gut, sending him further backward
towards Nob's spot.
Nob, woozy from Anuk's blast, shook and cleared his head, and saw another
dark shape bearing down on him. He quickly brought his scimitar ahead of
him, and it pierced flesh. But to Nob's complete surprise, it was Anuk's
flesh.
"UURRKK!!" Anuk gagged, and saw Nob's blade stick out from his chest.
Nob, horrified he had run through Anuk, pushed his charge forward. The last
thing Anuk saw was the dark stranger whirling a katana over his head and
bringing it down with tremendous force, and a sickening cutting sound was
heard, and Anuk saw no more.
"ANUK!!" Nob cried as he staggered to his feet, his body racked in pain.
He saw Anuk's head fly off, and the now-headless body followed it to the
ground with a dull thud.
Nob was stupefied. He saw the stranger's form again, he too saw two
glowing points of light at the head, and he was scared. The stranger,
however, stood still, looking right at Nob, and to Nob's surprise, was
beckoning at him.
"Get up, Soultaker. The smoke is clearing, so you should be able to fight
me now," he said, and as he stood in a battle stance, he added, "unless your
nerve has abandoned your cowardly hide."
Nob's fear turned to anger upon hearing those words. The smoke did indeed
clear, and finally Nob could see his opponent more fully. He saw his foe
was wearing black clothes, his face was hidden by a dark mask, and he held
his sword at the ready.
"Why…you…no-good…call me a coward??? YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!!" Nob screamed
as he charged at his foe. Both opponents clashed swords, and a fierce
swordfight was underway.
Meanwhile, Anak, on his knees and without an arm, saw two figures in his
blurring vision. He was losing blood profusely, and his mind waded in and
out of consciousness.
*Gahhh…one of them…the dark man…* he thought, and noticed Nob was backing
his opponent towards him. Anak focused his mind to hit the stranger upon
getting close enough with a blast with whatever energy he had left. As they
got closer, Anak was ready.
"Arrgh…I got youuuuu!!" Anak cried hoarsely, and fired his blast at the
dark-clad man's back.
The stranger suddenly leaped skyward, and the blast hit Nob square in the
chest, and sent him back to the wall again.
"UGH!!" gasped Nob.
"No!! How could youuu…" Anak blurted.
But he never finished his outburst. The stranger corkscrewed in midair,
and brought his blade down right through Anak's chest.
"URRRK!" Anak gurgled.
After a few seconds, the stranger took out his sword, and Anak's lifeless
body slumped forward to the ground.
Nob's mind swam, trying to remain conscious. *Blasted twice by my own
men…I'm hurt, badly* he thought dimly, and saw the stranger had finished
off Anak. Nob began to crawl backwards in a slow, painful retreat, until he
stumbled on Sniper's decaying body, and spotted Sniper's bow and quiver of
arrows lying next to the body. Nob grabbed a couple of arrows and the bow,
and forced himself to stand.
Sailor Venus saw all the action from her hiding place behind the dumpster
with amazement. *It's…incredible! This guy took them out in no time
flat…so fast and agile…* she wondered silently. When the smoke cleared she
witnessed the swordfight and Anak's fate, and she gasped quietly as the
stranger ran his sword through the fallen brute. She saw her own attacker,
Nob, crawling backwards towards Sniper's bow and arrows.
*Oh no! He's got the bow!* she thought desperately, and called out, "Watch
out! He's got the bow and arrow!!"
What followed happened in a few seconds. Nob suddenly turned to his right
and spotted Sailor Venus by the dumpster. His new target acquired, he
fitted an arrow, aimed, and let fly a deadly arrow at her.
Venus clapped her hand over her mouth, realizing too late her mistake. She
turned to see Nob aim an arrow at her and saw it fly.
An instant later, she was knocked off her feet by the dark-clad man, and
both tumbled forward on the ground.
THUNK!!
"OW!!" the stranger grunted loudly, and fixed a hard stare at Venus and
shouted, "Can't you stay quiet just ONCE??"
Venus was aghast. The arrow was sticking out from the stranger's right
shoulder.
"I…I, uh," she stammered.
"Stay down!" he tersely hissed, and quick as a flash, he got up on his feet
and started running towards Nob, drawing out his sword from his back
scabbard.
Nob saw the dark-clad man charging him, but he was shaking, and losing
consciousness. His last shot had little power, but he fitted another arrow
on the bow, pulled it back and fired.
TWANG!!
To Sailor Venus, it all happened in a blur before her eyes. As if watching
a slow-motion movie, Venus saw the stranger charge at Nob as the arrow left
the bow. With deft precision, the stranger, who had his sword out, knocked
the traveling arrow from its trajectory with the hilt of his sword, and in
one motion, twirled the katana with his hand and thrust forward with all his
might. Nob, his eyes wide as saucers, could only gape as he was penetrated
by the sword and ploughed hard against the wall by the strangers flying
body.
"GAAACK!!" blurted Nob.
The stranger held up Nob against the wall, breathing hard and staring right
at Nob. Nob groaned and looked down, and saw that the sword had run though
his power crystal and chest. Gurgling, he looked at his enemy in wide-eyed
shock, and saw that his eyes were glowing. He also noticed the small
glowing dragon pendant hanging from his neck. Seeing them confirmed his
worst fears, and he has paid for it.
"Dragon…Knight…how is this…possible…supposed to be dead," he gasped.
Dragon Knight tilted his head and pulled back, bringing his katana with
him. Nob's world darkened and he fell to the ground, and a pool of black
blood formed under his lifeless body.
Sailor Venus's stomach turned, but she fought back the sensation, keeping
her eyes her mysterious rescuer.
Dragon Knight let out a heavy sigh, and redrew his sword back into the
scabbard. He looked around him, noting the four Soultaker bodies around
him, and finally looked at stunned Sailor Venus. He shook his head in
disgust.
"Well, that was really a stupid move by you," he muttered aloud.
Venus blinked, not catching what he had said.
"Wha…what?" she asked.
"I said that was stupid what you did!" he shouted.
His words finally sinking in, Venus shook her head, and said, "What are you
talking about?"
But he didn't answer. He made his way past Anuk's corpse to the
unconscious human victims, Mokoni and Kento. As he kneeled to check on
their condition, he reached up to his shoulder and snapped the arrow's shaft
from his shoulder.
"Urgh…barbed arrowhead," he grunted, tossing the shaft aside, and examined
Mokoni and Kento.
Venus finally dared to step forward from her spot, trying no to stare at
the decaying corpses, and said, "Excuse me, but what do you mean by that?
Who do you think you…"
Dragon Knight suddenly stood up and faced Venus with a hard stare. "Didn't
I tell you to stay down and keep quiet? Didn't I?" he exasperated.
"Um, well…" Venus mumbled.
"That last guy had no idea where you were, and he wouldn't have shot at
you," he continued angrily, "but no! You had to speak out loud, and make
yourself a target again! And what do I get for my troubles? I get an
arrowhead stuck in my shoulder, no thanks to you!" and he turned his back at
her.
Venus cringed, and mentally kicked herself. *He's right. He DID tell me
to shut up, but I was a fool. That arrow was meant for me, but he saved my
life, and he got shot at…*
"I'm…I'm sorry," Venus said shamefacedly, and lowered her head.
The Dragon Knight looked back at her again, and sighed to himself. *Easy
there, guy, now cool it,* he thought, *she was only warning you, no need to
bash on her for that.*
"Ah, forget it, Sailor Venus," he finally said.
Venus blinked again, and looked at him. "How…how did you know who I am? I
never saw you…" she said.
But Dragon Knight moved away to check on the Soultaker bodies, searching
gingerly through them. *Those power crystals ought to be destroyed by now,
but I better check them to be sure* he thought.
Venus was taken aback by his dismissive attitude. *What is he doing?* she
thought, *What could he be looking…wait a minute!*
"Are you looking for those crystal…things?" she asked him.
Dragon Knight nodded without looking up, adding, "Making sure they're all
gone…ah! Here's one." He pulled a damaged crystal from what was Anak's
body.
"But wait, mister," Venus interjected, "me and my friends would like to
examine one…"
"No you don't," he said curtly, and threw the crystal down to the ground
and mashed it with his foot, crushing the crystal.
Now Venus was getting angry. "Hey now!" she said, "I wanted that crystal!
Who put you in charge?"
Dragon Knight looked at Venus pointedly again. "Listen, take my word for
it. These crystals need to be smashed or destroyed, so sparing them is not
an option," he said.
"Why? Why do they have to be destroyed?" Venus asked with more courage.
"It's because…well…ah, it will take me too long to explain, and it's
complicated too."
"Well, tell Sailor Mercury when she gets here," Venus countered, "I'm sure
she can tell us…"
"Listen, Sailor Venus," Dragon Knight interrupted, "just...trust me when I
say this. These creatures are nothing you and your friends had faced
before, or would want to. They are too dangerous to mess with."
"But," she began.
"Hang on, please. These creatures, as you have seen, drain the energy from
their victims, leaving them like empty husks. And as you can attest to
yourself, they do not act alone. They are fast and powerful. They
overwhelm you, and you are a goner for sure.
Venus frowned indignantly, and challenged, "Oh, and I'm to understand YOU
can handle them all on your own? Hmm?"
Dragon Knight stared at Venus and took a step towards her, his eyes and
pendant aglow again. Venus took one step back, but refused to back down or
break her gaze on his eyes. For a moment, the air was tense.
"Perhaps I can," he answered, "but…then again, I'm not sure myself," and he
turned away and his eyes and pendant lost their glow.
*Who is he…WHAT is he?* Venus thought to herself. She had surprised
herself standing up to him, but wondered why she felt this strongly for this
mysterious swordsman. *Or…IS he a stranger? That dragon pendant…something
about it.*
She was about to ask for his name, but he interrupted again, "Your mind is
full of questions, Sailor Venus. As are mine. But for now, these people
need help, and I have a shoulder to tend to," as he motioned to Mokoni's and
Kento's forms.
"Oh…yes, you're right. I'm...sorry about earlier, me and my big mouth.
Maybe we can help you with your wound," she said.
"No, it's all right, I can take care of it myself," he said, and heard
approaching footsteps closing towards them. "Your friends can take it from
here, but do me a favor, if you please?"
"What? What is it?" she asked.
"Don't fight them alone again. You and your fellow senshi's powers are
good enough to take these big bruisers," and he motioned to Anuk's and
Anak's remains, "but as for these winged ones, leave them to me."
"But why?"
"Remember what I have said, Sailor Venus. I'll be watching," and he bowed,
reached into his coat pocket, took out a tiny ball and threw it to ground
hard between them.
POOF!!
Sailor Venus winced at the flash, and coughed as smoke filled the back
street again. *That...cough cough...smoke…it was him…* she choked.
"Sailor Venus! Sailor Venus! Where are you?" called out a multitude of
voices.
"Over here…guys," she called back, and made her way to the voices of her
friends. Sailor Jupiter reached to her first.
"Venus! Thank Kami you're all right!" Jupiter exclaimed.
"Are you okay? Are you injured?" asked Sailor Mercury.
"Yeah…I'm…all right," Venus said breathlessly.
Sailor Mars looked at her skeptically, and said, "You sure? You look like
you've been in a fight."
Jupiter furrowed her eyebrows. "Why those no-good monsters! I'll tear
them apart!" she cried, and charged into the back street.
"Jupiter, wait! Oh, that girl!" muttered Mars, and went in after her.
Sailor Moon approached Venus and took her hand, while Mercury brought out
her computer to scan Venus. Tuxedo Kamen and the moon cats stood watching
the entrance of the back street and looking over at Venus.
"V-babe? Are you all right?" asked Moon.
"I…it's a long story," Venus murmured.
"Well, I did a quick scan on you, Sailor Venus, and also judging from the
scuff marks on your fuku and face, you took on those monsters by yourself,
didn't you?" remarked Mercury.
Venus could only nod.
"Oh, Venus!" cried Moon, "why didn't you wait for us? You could have been
seriously hurt…"
"…Or killed," finished Artemis, who was clearly disappointed with Venus.
"You were even more reckless than Jupiter, Sailor Venus, very foolhardy," he
admonished her.
Moon looked at Artemis with pleading eyes, and said, "Oh Artemis, don't be
mad at her. She was obviously trying to save that couple, weren't you?"
"They're safe," Venus nodded again.
"You mean to tell us you beat those monsters by yourself?" asked Luna
incredulously.
"Wow! How awesome! Way to go, Venus!" cheered Moon.
"Well," Venus began.
"Hey guys!" called out Jupiter, "you better get in here and look at this!"
Sailors Moon and Mercury, the moon cats and Tuxedo Kamen looked at each
other questioningly and then at Venus, who remained silent, her eyes closed.
"Let's all go see," Tuxedo Kamen said finally.
The smoke from Dragon Knight's smoke bomb had cleared. Jupiter was trying
not to stare at a decomposing pile of a Soultaker, looking very green and
shaking. Mars was checking on the human victims who remained unconscious.
But there was no sign of the Dragon Knight.
"Mercury? Over here," asked Mars.
Mercury nodded and joined Mars, while Jupiter, Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, and the
cats looked around them in wonder and apprehension. Venus leaned against
the wall, silent.
Luna and Artemis were shocked at the carnage around them. Moon clung to
Tuxedo Kamen's arm, trembling slightly. Tuxedo Kamen patted her hand, but
he to was surprised at the sights around him.
*This is…incredible…and sickening,* he thought.
Jupiter, finally in control of herself, turned to Venus and said, "Wow,
V-babe, remind me to be on your good side, okay?"
But Venus shook her head.
"You mean…you didn't do this?" asked Jupiter.
"She couldn't have, Jupiter," said Mars, who had rejoined the group, "that
one over there looked like he was beheaded, and that one is missing a limb."
"Mars…please," moaned Sailor Moon, and Tuxedo Kamen gave her a reproachful
look.
"Oh, sorry," she apologized, and continued, "but in a nutshell, these
monsters were dispatched by a swordsman. And as far as we know, Venus
doesn't carry a sword."
Venus nodded, "I didn't kill them. He saved me from them, and finished
them off."
"'He?' Who is 'he,' Venus?" asked Luna.
"I…I don't know…" she muttered.
Artemis raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What do you mean, you don't know?"
"I said I DON'T KNOW!" she yelled, "I was knocked around good, but before
they could finished me off, he came in, from the roof, throwing his smoke
bombs and waving his sword, he was slashing them up, killing them easily
like a hot spoon through butter, and…and…"
"Um, that's 'a hot knife through butter,' Venus," corrected Artemis.
"WHATEVER!!" Venus bellowed, "I almost got him killed because I was so
stupid in warning him, I could have been shot by the arrow, but he saved me
again, he took the arrow meant for me, and he kills the other guy, he…he…"
and Venus sank to her knees, weeping.
Sailor Moon rushed to her and hugged her tightly, and Venus wept on Moon's
shoulder. Moon stroked her friend's hair, trying to calm her down.
"There, there, shhh," Moon cooed softly, "you had a rough day today, Venus.
We're here for you…it's all right."
Luna batted Artemis's ear. "Nice work, baka cat," she said sarcastically.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly.
"So who did all this?" asked Tuxedo Kamen.
"My guess," replied Mars, "our friend from Fujiyoshida Park a couple of
days ago," and she kneeled by Venus and held her shoulder gently, getting
her attention, and said, "…the same one who dispatched that other demon we
didn't get. Wouldn't you think so, Venus?"
Venus looked at Mars, then at Moon, and nodded, "He…smashed the crystals."
"Crystals?" said Artemis and Mercury, who had rejoined the others after
examining the human couple.
"One of them had a crystal around its neck…that one," she pointed at Anak's
remains, "and he took the crystal and crushed it on the ground."
Questioning looks flew between the senshi, Tuxedo Kamen, and the moon cats.
"Why would he destroy them?" asked Jupiter?
"Does he know something he doesn't want us to know?" queried Mercury.
"Sounds suspicious, if you ask me, like he's trying to cover up something,"
said mars.
"Guys? Guys?" interrupted Venus, "maybe we ought to get that couple to the
hospital, don't you think?"
"Sailor Venus is right," concurred Tuxedo Kamen, and turned to Mercury and
asked her, "How are they?"
"Like the other couple we saved a few days before: drained of energy,"
Mercury assessed, "the young man has a cut on his head, but could have
suffered a concussion. We should do what Venus has said."
They all nodded, and Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Jupiter went and picked up
Kento and Mokoni and carried them off to the hospital. The others remained
behind, pondering what to do next.
Finally Luna spoke, "Well, it seems there's nothing we can do here for now,
and nothing to recover for analysis, so we might as well head home and
regroup tomorrow at the shrine for another meeting."
"I second that motion," said Mars.
Moon looked at Venus, who was staring at the entrance of the back street,
lost in thought, and asked, "Venus? Do you want us to help you home?"
Venus thought it over, and remembered Dragon Knight's words: *Don't fight
them alone again.*
"I would like that, Sailor Moon," she said.
"Great! Let's go then!" she squealed happily, and managed a grin out of
Venus.
Artemis, however, was also staring at the quiet back street, and just
before they left, he called out, "Sailor Venus? One last thing…did he
mention his name to you?"
Everyone blinked, and Luna and the senshi looked at Venus.
Venus tried to think. *Did he ever tell me his name? I asked him a couple
of times, I think, but he never answered back to me…ooohh…*
"No…I don't think he…wait a minute! One of them, the leader, I think it
was, just before he…ummm, he died…he said…err…Oh, something about him,"
Venus stammered.
"Anything about his looks? Face? Clothing?" pressed Artemis.
"Artemis, is this really necessary?" reproached Luna.
"Yeah, Artemis, can't it wait?" said Jupiter.
"No, I think we have to know now with her memory still fresh. I'm sorry,
but I think it will help us," said Artemis firmly.
Venus racked her brain. All the events of the past day flashed before her:
the puddle incident with Rolie, the Crown Game Center, her bus ride with
Kensura, the monsters, the Dragon Knight…
"His clothes were all dark: black shoes, pants, sweater, overcoat, even
his mask. Because of that thing, I couldn't see his face except his…his
eyes…they glowed…so did a…dragon pendant he wore…" Venus said.
Artemis's hackles lifted, and asked, "What else?"
"The leader said…'Dra-'…'Dragon Knight'…"
"'Dragon Knight'?" exclaimed Artemis.
"Yes…that's it…that dragon pendant…that's his name, the Dragon Knight…but
what kind of name is that?" Venus questioned.
The other senshi shrugged, but Luna was observing Artemis, who had a hard
frown on his face. She felt Artemis tense up upon hearing the name, but
Artemis maintained his composure.
"Does the name mean something, Artemis?" asked Luna.
Artemis looked again at the back street, and paused. He finally shook his
head, and said, "No…no Luna. I thought that name clicked, but then again…"
Luna remained skeptical, but said nothing.
"Artemis? Can we go now?" asked Mercury.
Artemis nodded, and hopped ahead of the group. "All right, like Luna said,
let's call it a night, regroup at the shrine and compare notes, okay?" he
said.
The senshi nodded, and they left the back street. But Sailor Venus made
one last look before being pulled away by Sailor Moon.
*Who are you?* she thought wistfully, *where do you go? Or come from? He
said he will be watching…watching over us…or over me?* She sighed as she
turned away.


Later that night, back at Hilltop Manor, Rolie Drake finished taking his
shower, and slipped on his bathrobe. AS he watched the moonlit cityscape
from his window, he pondered on the day's past events. He then sat down
at his desk in his barely-furnished bedroom, took out his journal, and
began to write.
"Well, this has been quite a day, Diary. Frankly, I don't know where to
begin…except from the top."
"First off, the house…mansion, bungalow, whatever. This is all impressive,
but I think Arch was out of his gourd when he got this place. I mean, an
apartment would do, but sheesh!"
"Anyways, it even has a name: 'Hilltop Manor.' A cute name, given by an
equally cute person: Minako Aino. A very sweet and lovely girl I met…check
that, COLLIDED with, this morning. Saving her from a watery fate, at the
expense of the dashing hero, who took the dunking," and he chuckled in spite
of himself at the memory.
"Well, that's only the beginning, Diary. After my exercises, I strode out
to check out the neighborhood, to get a feel of my way around, and I could
have sworn I was being followed. But not by another person, nor even a
Soultaker, but rather an animal…a cat, I think. I saw a fuzzy blur out from
the corner of my eye as I approached the business district, but when I
turned to look, he was gone. Heh, well, cats are a curious lot, hope it's
curiosity doesn't get him killed."
"Anyways, I went to the business district, made a few rounds, and I found
myself at the Crown Game Center, where I met Motoki Furuhata, the son of an
old friend, Yoshiro Furuhata."
He paused, musing at the memory, and continued, "Yoshiro was a savvy
businessman, and quite a musician to boot. One could say he was ahead of
his time, for his guitar work was first-rate. He even taught me a few
things, and I could swear if he continued that route, he would have made a
bigger name of himself, but he chose not to. He would rather work behind
the scenes, nurture talent, give advice. All in all, he was a great man."
"It's a shame he passed away. According to his son, his chain of music
store were taken over by corporate buyers. Heh, a sign of the times, I
guess. When you lose your heart and soul, everything falls to pieces. The
only things salvageable were the Crown Game Center and the original music
store, where Motoki tells me Yoshiro's brother Hiro, who didn't have the
flair of his older brother, still controls to keep the family business
alive. Motoki runs the Game Center, and he seems to have a good handle of
it, like his father. Well, guess it runs in the family."
"Anyway, Diary, I met Motoki and showed him how to make my specialty
strawberry smoothies, since he was stuck in the midst of a chocolate
shortage. And who do I meet at the Center? Minachan again! And her
friends were there…let's see: Makoto, Ami, Rei, Usagi, and Mamoru. But
I'll tell you, Diary, that when I first met Minako on the street earlier
today, I had a strange…feeling…that I've met her before. And not just her,
but the rest of her friends too, but more so with Minako…and Usagi. I can't
put my finger on it: what is it about them, this feeling of déjà vu, but I
know I haven't met them before…or have I? Ugh, this is frustrating!"
Rolie sighed deeply, and continued, "Well, to top that off, Diary, my first
patrol as the Dragon Knight began tonight, and it has left me with mixed
feelings. First, after Archie ambushed me---can you believe this old coot?
Shot me with an arrow! The utter nerve!---he gave me new gear to help me
track down Soultakers. That's the good part. The bad part was, well,
two-faced: being a Dragon Knight again reminded me of the seriousness of
the job, and the other were the antics of Sailor Venus."
Shaking his head, Rolie continued, "In my previous entry, I had written
down that Sailor Venus was very conscious of her surroundings, that she
acted as if she was a seasoned fighter. Well, I guess it WAS an act; I
can't believe her performance tonight! Taking on FOUR Soultakers on her
own? ON HER OWN?? And what's even crazier, after saving her from the
Soultaker squad leader and telling her to keep down, she makes herself a
target again by calling out to me, right in the Soultaker's sights! When I
saw her do that, I froze for just a second, and then tackled her out of the
way. Any longer, and she would have been dead."
Rolie paused and rubbed his right shoulder, continuing, "Saving her again,
at the expense of my shoulder--been doing a lot of 'saving' today. First
Minako and the puddle, then Motoki and the smoothies, now this with Sailor
Venus…twice! And I get shot at with arrows, and they hit the same shoulder!
Man, Archie laughed so hard after I told him where I was hit, he proposed
I carry a sign that says: HIT THE SHOULDER! GUARANTEED! Ha, ha, that wise
guy," and he chuckled in spite of himself.
He wrote, "Anyways, I took care of that Soultaker squad. Made sure all
their power crystals were destroyed, though one survived a little longer
than the others. Sailor Venus tried to stop me from crushing it, claiming
she needed it for study. But after her stunt today, I'm very wary to give
them one, or even explain to them what they are."
He sighed, and wrote again, "Well, that's not being fair. The senshi have
no idea who they are up against, that these are just the first of many
encounters with Soultaker troops. But can they handle the less dangerous
big brutes? My guess is yes; it's the sneakier, more dangerous winged ones
that pose a bigger problem, so I will handle them myself. Maybe after a
while, I'll cue them in on what the mission is. The have plenty of
potential and some hidden power within them, but I hope they are better from
what I have seen from Sailor Venus. I came down on her hard over her
goof-ups, but she had to know that she can't make mistakes like that."
"I hope she learned her lesson. I'll be watching them, searching for other
Soultakers…this game has just begun," he concluded, and set the journal back
in his desk.
Rolie went outside his bedroom and peeked onto the living room on the first
floor below. Archie was sound asleep on the sofa, among boxes and suitcases
he had brought along with him. Rolie grinned. He was comforted Archie was
here.
*Arch can be a pain in the butt, but he's a good man to count on down the
stretch. I will be needing help on this mission, and not just from the
senshi, but from him as well,* Rolie thought, and he went back into his
room, lied down on his bed, and was soon asleep.



END CHAPTER 3
9/28/02


Again, comments and questions, email me at Halreader@cs.com! Thank you for reading!