Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon; no way, now how!
....I also don't own Kira-san (Sailor Star Striker) and Aoi-san (Sailor Star Keeper). They
belong to Cassandra Sisenta, who was kind enough to let me borrow them for this story. I did,
however, make up the other three new Starlights that feature in Walk A Mile; Hikaru (Sailor
Star Hunter), Josei (Sailor Star Dancer) and Amai (Sailor Star Dreamer.) If anyone likes them
enough to want to borrow them for a fic of their own, just ask and as long as I know where
they're going it's no problem. ^_^ They were just meant to be secondary character in this story,
but I think I might do another one in which they have a larger part. Does anyone think they're
worth the effort?
"STAR LOVING HARMONY!"
"Shimatta, you missed!"
"GREAT job, Dancer!"
"Like I meant to miss?"
"You still DID!"
"Bite me, Hunter!"
"Focus, guys! Now's not the time!"
A sigh. "Tell me again why we're doing this?"
Seiya shook her head at Usagi's question and turned to look at him. They, as well as the other two original Star Senshi and the senshi from Earth, were standing on the roof of a nearby building, simply watching as Sailor Stars Hunter, Dancer and Dreamer attempted to defeat the youma-of-the-moment.
It had come as somewhat of a surprise to the Earth Senshi that there WERE youma on Kinmoku. But, as Yaten had less-than-politely pointed out, why would there even be Kinmoku senshi if there were no youma?
I suppose it makes sense.
"See?" Seiya nodded toward where the newest Starlights were still battling the bird-like youma. As if on cue, the creature's feathers stood on end and it dove at Dreamer. Seiya tensed, then relaxed when Dancer jumped across the youma's path and shoved Dreamer out of the way of the attack before whirling to deliver one of her own. "Much as I hate it," Seiya told Usagi, raising her voice so the rest of the senshi could hear her; "Kira was right. We ARE training the new Starlights, and this is as good a way as any-"
"Ne, Seiya, you AGREE with KIRA?"
"Shut up Yaten."
"You guys are just like I remembered you." Makoto chuckled.
"Hai." Minako agreed with a suffering sigh. "Only more feminine." A long pause and then; "damn it! Yaten!"
"Hm?" The silver-haired Star Senshi asked sweetly from her place- still clinging to Minako's arm.
"Would you just get the hell OFF m-" the blond broke off suddenly and blinked. He looked at Yaten- who was giving him fake-innocent eyes- and then blinked again. "You know, this is very familiar somehow...."
Yaten snickered.
Rei snorted. "You think?"
"Ne, Yaten," Taiki sighed, looking at the other girl critically. "Enough is enough already."
Yaten stuck her tongue out. "All's fair in love and war, Taiki."
"What the hell is THAT supposed to mean?"
"I think she's just TRYING to be annoying."
"That's a distinct possibility."
"Guys!" Minako whined, tugging at Yaten's fingers and trying to pry her off himself; "a little help here?"
"Shh!" Seiya held a finger to her lips and glared at them in warning. Gesturing toward the street below where Hunter, Dancer and Dreamer were fighting, she raised an eyebrow. "We're supposed to be watching out for them!"
"Agreed."
The voice was familiar and had the same effect as before on Seiya, who grit her teeth and turned to face the person that had spoken, hands clenched. Kira and Aoi- or rather, Sailor Star Striker and Sailor Star Keeper- stood a few feet behind them on the roof. Striker's hands were on her hips and she was staring at them flatly; Keeper had her arms crossed and was watching the fight beyond on the street.
"Man, what do you want NOW?"
Striker leveled her gaze on Seiya. "When Kakyuu-hime charged you with training them, I think she expected you to actually TRAIN them." She sighed and rolled her eyes skyward; "or are you to busy flirting with Usagi-san to do your job? I should have known you couldn't control yourself with your 'Odango' around."
"You!" Seiya snapped; "shimatta. I'm NOT-"
"I'm fairly sure you are."
"-are you-" the black haired girl gaped at Striker. "It was YOU who was flirting!"
"Pardon me?" Striker demanded, "with WHO?"
"How did it go?" Seiya pretended to think, then; "-'you make quite the handsome man'?"
Behind her, Usagi flushed brightly. Oh no....here we go....
Striker's eyes narrowed as they had before. "What I say to others is none of your-"
"Striker!" Star Keeper's hand went to her partner's arm. "Look-"
"Huh?"
Down in the street, the battle continued to rage. But something was wrong-
-Hunter was down.
Sprawled on the cobblestone of the sidewalk, she clutched her arm to her chest; it was twisted at an odd angle. Broken? Possibly....Dancer and Dreamer were standing between her and the youma, poised to defend her. The youma shrieked and launched itself at Dreamer, obviously intending on going THROUGH her to Hunter....Dreamer dove to the side....Dancer grabbed the youma on the way past....
"Dreamer, go-"
"I CAN'T! Not with you there-"
"Just do it!"
"But if I attack, you'll get-"
On the nearby roof, the senshi- both of Earth and of Kinmoku- watched in alarm; they themselves had been in that very situation before. Or, most of them had. Rei for sure- he was barely managing to contain himself, reaching for his henshin pen. Flashes of fighting Nehelenia and having to nearly-shoot Neptune raged in his head.
"How the hell did that happen?" Yaten demanded; "we only looked away for a second!"
"That's all it takes." Keeper sighed, looking at Striker. "Shall we?"
"Hai."
"Well then," the blonde Star Senshi nodded to the others and then leapt forward, vanishing over the edge of the building in a blur of black leather, ponytail flying behind her as she dashed toward the training senshi.
Striker watched her go before her silver eyes landed on Seiya again. "Keeper and I will take care of this," she told her. A smirk. "So don't you strain yourself or anything. Ja!" And with that she jumped after her partner.
"Hey you-!" Seiya leaned over the edge of the roof; "you-! Argh!"
Usagi watched a vein in Seiya's head practically pop out of her skin, and wasn't surprised to hear her grumbling under her breath. She DEFINITELY didn't get along with Kira....but it wasn't the time to think about something that trivial. Even as his eyes followed Seiya's hand, the black haired girl was reaching for her Star Yell.
"Seiya! Striker said not to-"
"Striker said? I don't give a damn! Fighter Star Power! Make-Up!"
"Impulsive as always, I see."
"Stupid is more like it." Yaten snorted and released Minako for a moment to reach for her own Star Yell. Star Fighter was already jumping down to the street and heading toward the 'battlegrounds'; "Healer Star Power! Make-Up!"
There was no way to back up now....
"Maker Star Power! Make-Up!"
"Venus Crystal Power! Make-Up!"
"Mercury Crystal Power! Make-Up!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power! Make-Up!"
"Mars Crystal Power! Make-Up!"
"Moon Eternal! Make-Up!"
Flashes of light and the transformations were complete; the Earth Senshi looked down at themselves expectantly....and found their female bodies had been restored. Despite the situation, bright smiles lit their faces; everyone including the normally restrained Sailor Mercury. Star Maker would have chuckled, had she not been more concerned with Fighter and Healer, who had rushed headlong into the fight after Striker and Keeper....
"Yosh!" Venus exclaimed happily; "we're back to normal!"
Mars agreed, but wasn't as enthusiastic as her friend. "Venus, it's great but now's not the-"
"I know, I know, time is the eternal rainstorm."
"I think you mean river." Jupiter observed with a chuckle, "and that particular saying is totally out of context in this case."
"Huh." The blonde senshi crossed her arms. "Fine. Whatever. Let's go already."
"Agreed."
Below, the Star Senshi were having more trouble than they should have been....the youma that had originally looked so powerless was giving them a VERY hard time; it didn't help that Fighter and Striker couldn't get along even in a battle. Their arguing was hindering their fighting skills....Keeper was attempting to hold the youma back, with Dancer and Healer's help. Striker and Fighter were, supposedly, backing them up. Sort of. Hunter was still on the ground a few feet away and Dreamer was on her knees beside the aqua-haired Star Senshi, checking to make sure her friend was alright.
She wasn't alright, per say, but she wasn't about to die....
"They can't get along at all?" Sailor Moon asked incredulously, "even in a FIGHT?"
Maker shook her head. "They carry on like this in public all the time....in front of our Princess and the court....they're-"
"A pain in the ass?" Mars suggested.
A heavy sigh. "Hai."
"Ne...." Mercury rubbed a temple, glancing up at Maker, whom she was standing next to at the edge of the roof. The taller senshi was regarding the scene below with a mix of pity and embarrassment. "Pain or not, we should help them."
Again. "Hai."
At that point, their attention was dragged back to the battle below by Healer's shout.
"STAR SENSITIVE INFERNO!"
The attack connected squarely with the bird-youma, throwing it backward; feathers flew in all directions and she creature staggered to it's feet. Almost-electrical burs marred it's body as it shook itself to clear it's head after Healer's attack, making a handful more of it's feathers disconnect and flutter to the ground nearby.
"Wai!" Venus cheered, "Healer got....it?"
Her voice trailed off when the youma smirked (and interesting thing to manage with a semi-beak) and screeched loudly. And before their eyes the feathers that had been discarded- and quickly replaced as new ones grew in to cover the creature's bare-and-charred flesh- shifted in an invisible breeze and GREW.
And grew.
And grew-
-into exact replicas of the youma they were facing already.
"Ack!" Sailor Moon took a step back, her eyes wide. "How-?"
"Doesn't matter." Jupiter cut her off, preparing to jump down and join in the now-greater battle. "Ready?"
"Yup!" Mars replied, cracking her knuckles with a grin. "It's been a while, ne?"
"Not long enough?" Maker suggested, glancing at Mercury.
The blue-haired senshi nodded. "To my way of thinking."
"Ah, but you were never all that adventurous." Venus winked at her intellectual teammate.
"Are we going?" Sailor Moon asked, glancing back down to the street.
The seven Star Senshi that were already there had their hands full; youma incarnates had them fighting desperately, practically surrounded. Dreamer was on her feet now, attempting to defend Hunter. Hunter, for her part, was doing something....setting her own arm? That was what it looked like. The situation was serious enough that even Fighter and Striker were managing to handle working together....they weren't even arguing....as much....
"Let's do this thing!"
Sailor Moon glanced toward Venus at her enthusiastic shout. "Alright." And then she walked forward from the shadows of the roof. Stepping up onto the ledge, she waited for the others to join her and then leaped down to the ground below. "Hey!" She called dramatically, catching the attention of everyone in the street, senshi and human alike. "We were just trying to enjoy a visit with our friends, and with a few TINY hitches, we were managing it! I'm not about to let you-" she pointed, a gesture that encompassed all of the youma. "-ruin it for us! Fighting for love and justice-" the normal speech began as always. "-pretty soldier in a sailor suit! Sailor Moon! And in the name of the Moon-!" Her arms crossed and she continued; "-I'll punish you!"
The youma- all of them- blinked at her blankly.
"Ne, Odango?" Fighter said from across the road where she was grappling with one of the youma- original or incarnate, they couldn't tell. "Maybe you should shorten it up a bit next time."
Sailor Moon scowled. "See if I ever-"
A shriek.
"Sailor Moon!"
"Abunai!"
"Huh?" The odango-haired senshi whirled just in time to avoid being knocked to the ground by one of the youma. "Ahh! I remember this! I DON'T LIKE THIS PART!" A wail and she scrambled out of the way as the bird-creature attacked again. "Help!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
Mars' attack struck the attacking youma and it exploded into flames, burning down to nothing but ash.
"An incarnate?" Venus asked.
"Hm." Mercury nodded, activating her visor. Next to her, Maker took up a defensive position, obviously intending to watch her back while she worked. "Yes. The original wouldn't combust in the same way....hang on and I'll try to find the real one-"
"Work fast, Mercury!" Jupiter suggested. One of the youma launched at her and she caught it before it could reach her throat. Holding it back, she struggled to keep herself from being strangled. "As fast as you can, anyway!"
"Hai!"
Where were all of them coming from? Every time one went down another appeared....
"Is it still shedding feathers?"
"I think!"
"Hunter, are you alright?"
"Argh. Yeah. Just....trying to get my elbow back....in place...."
"Thanks for the mental image, Hikaru."
"No....problem...."
"What about you, Keeper?"
"I'm doing fine. Mercury, how's it coming?"
"Working as fast as I can! I just-"
"Mercury, watch you!"
"Abunai, Ami-chan!"
"STAR GENTLE UTERUS!"
"Arigato Maker-san!"
"Keep working."
"Hai!"
They were still multiplying....how-?
Fighter and Jupiter were both still struggling with their own respective youma; Striker and Keeper were back-to-back, keeping each other safe; Dreamer continued to protect Hunter, who was still working on her own elbow; Mars was (very snidely) saving Sailor Moon from a particularly nasty-looking youma that was attempting to strike from behind; Venus, Healer and Dancer were in a semi-circle, managing to keep each other safe; Mercury continued to work with her visor and Maker defended her while she did....
Still more youma....
What are we going to do?
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Me: Okay, so I couldn't have it be complete idiocy all the time, right? ^_^ There's youma and etc. so there's going to be at least one fight. So....yeah. There goes chapter five....I'm sorry it took so long for this one to get out but I've got a bunch of stories on the go....anyway....ja? ^.^;;