She knew she was completely alone. She turned around, taking in her surrounding as she stood in the middle of a desert.
The blood-red sand tickled between her fingers as she picked up a handful and let it slowly fall from her fist and be taken by the hit breeze that enveloped everything. The wind stirred the red sand just below her feet, growing stronger and making her brown hair buffet wildly against her face.
It stopped as suddenly as it had began. She saw she was no longer in the vast desert, the soft sand had been replaced by hard, solid rock, looking to the horizon she was able to see a huge cliff that extended beyond sight.
She decided to walk towards it. She suddenly found herself standing next to it, but she couldn't remember walking there. Shrugging she decided to look down the cliff and discovered it was an endless abyss. A part of her mind protested. Surely it had to have an end, it could not go on forever. But somehow, she knew it was so. The scenery changed again and she found herself walking alongside the rift to the abyss. Confused, she stopped.
She heard a growl behind her, but before she could turn completely around she was grabbed by a giant claw!
Covered by protective scales of the darkest black she'd ever seen, the claw lifted her, pressing her arms painfully to her sides, and she could tell that at the right arm was broken horribly. She could see the bone, and as much as she knew it hurt and even though she was crying she somehow felt detached from everything at the same time.
The scenery changed again. This time she was standing in front of a large cave. Most of it had been covered by falling stones. Grabbing the stones, she started pushing them out of the way and lifting them and throwing them. She increased the pace, for she knew that it was urgent to get in there. She picked another stone and threw it to the side, stopping to stare at her right arm. Wasn't it broken?
The entrance to the cave had been cleared and she could see two blood-red reptilian eyes looking at her from the darkness. Suddenly a giant jaw opened, exposing gleaming white fangs, snapping towards her. The jaws closed completely and darkness filled her vision.
Masks & Dragons
Chapter 7
Swordplay
By Wanderer D
Makoto sat up in her bed with a start, the echo of her own scream still in her ears. She was drenched in cold sweat and couldn't stop trembling for a few minutes. Shivering, she stood and looked outside the window of her room. It was raining. She heard the distant rumble of lightning and felt comfort in the strength of it's light and the all too familiar sound.
Sighing, she closed the curtain and lay down again, turning and hugging her cushion, she tried to go back to sleep.
---
Nathan walked and stumbled as he made his way through the desert, wondering at the blood-red sand and the swirling and turning clouds overhead as silver lightning streaked from one to another randomly. Suddenly he heard the sounds of a battle. Shouts, explosions, screams…
Running he somehow got to the place where he had heard the noises and stopped dead in his tracks.
The bodies of the Senshi lay in the red sand. Somehow the blood from their bodies hadn't been even absorbed and it seemed as if they were floating in a sea of blood. Tuxedo Mask had died trying to reach his beloved Usagi, judging by his position.
Suddenly he was standing next to Makoto's body. She was in her Sailor Jupiter costume and looked almost asleep with her eyes closed and her body relaxed. He bent down to wake her up when he was suddenly aware of it.
The sword had been buried to the hilt in Mako-chan's stomach, looking closely at the hilt, he grabbed it.
Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth he pulled the sword free. A katana's blade reflected his eyes and a sudden movement behind him. Quickly turning around he searched with his eyes, but he was alone in the blood-red sands of the desert.
"She didn't put much of a fight, you know." A voice said to his right.
Nathan turned around, but couldn't find the origin of the voice.
"And neither did you." The voice said again.
Nathan noticed the katana wasn't in his hands anymore, looking down to the ground to see if he had dropped it, he discovered he had it buried to the hilt in the stomach… just like Mako-chan.
---
Minako noticed the next morning as class started, that Makoto and Nathan were pale, as if they hadn't slept all night. She stole a glance around and noticed the speculating looks some of the girls and boys were giving them. By now everyone knew that the two of them had become good friends and were possibly going out. Even the Senshi had wondered about those two, as the last week they hadn't seen any sign of Makoto at all until the meeting prior to Gold's last battle.
Ami had, for once, missed school that day. She had stayed in the Shrine trying to keep Gold alive, her computer was a necessary part of his survival, the other being her mother's expertise.
Makoto was going to take whatever homework they had to her after school.
---
After class, Makoto and Nathan walked to the latter's favorite spot on the school's rooftop.
Makoto sighed and turned to look at the friend she was starting to consider boyfriend. "Nathan, I think we should stop seeing each other." She said gloomily.
Nathan started. "What?! Why?" he asked, a little hurt and confused.
"Sapphire said that Black might go after our loved ones and anyone who might've been in contact with us..." She looked at him and hugged him. "I don't want to lose you Nathan!"
For a moment he didn't know what to do, then, he gently hugged her back resting his head on hers. "It's alright, Mako-chan. I know..." he said in a whisper.
---
He walked around Tokyo dressed completely in black; black boots, black pants, black T-shirt and a black trench coat. All of which matched perfectly with his black eyes and hair.
His skin had the peculiar tan that seemed to come from living near the sea, and his pace and pose denoted a will of iron.
As he walked, he saw, as in slow motion, mothers walking with their children, a group of girls talking and giggling, friends slapping each other's back as they shared a joke, pairs walking or talking, old men and women talking among themselves and with the youngsters.
He also saw the cars, the buildings rising up into the air, as if trying to touch the clouds.
He heard the noise of claxons, and the screeches of brakes, the sounds of a million different devices, from TV's to radios and he came to a conclusion. Humanity was a plague.
---
Makoto, Usagi and Minako walked up the stone stairs and into the Hikawa Shrine. They found Ami sleeping on a chair.
Raye looked at them as they entered. "She didn't sleep all night. Gold's stats didn't increase much, and her mother had to go back to the hospital." She said as she escorted them in.
"I'll make something to eat, if you want to. " Makoto offered. Raye eagerly nodded and walked her friend to the kitchen.
Gold was resting nearby in a make-shift bed barely big enough for him and didn't move a muscle as Usagi and Minako approached.
"Well, he doesn't look any better than yesterday..." Minako commented.
"I just hope he survives." Usagi said.
After a while they were able to smell Makoto's cooking, and both their stomachs growled in anticipation. Smiling at each other, they ran to the table to eat.
They didn't notice Gold's tail twitch.
---
"You called me, Lord Black?" Coldfire's scales glittered and reflected the distant starlight as she walked into Black's throne room.
"Yes. I have found the last of the statues in this dimension. You will retrieve it." The dragon overlord said. "After that, we can go. I will destroy this place as we leave."
"What for?" asked Sapphire as she walked, followed by Winter, to stand next to Coldfire.
"To show this human cattle who their master truly is. When I have gathered all the statues my plan will truly begin to unfold."
Sapphire started, then looked at Winter, then back to Black. "Do you mean there are more?" she asked. They already had seven so far.
Black smiled. "A few more, yes. Right now some of my agents are taking care of finding them in the land of Avalon."
---
Ami had woke up and had eaten all that was offered, which was a lot. She was telling them about Gold's condition when her mother arrived.
Between them they explained in more detail how close the dragon was to not making it.
"It's a wonder he's still alive..." Dr. Mizuno was saying when they heard someone knocking on the door.
Raye got up and after a moment came back followed by Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru.
Ami quickly got up and took Hotaru by the arm.
"What?!" Was all Michiru could say before her pupil and adopted daughter was dragged away by Ami.
"What's the matter Ami?" Hotaru asked. Then she saw where she was pulling her and gasped.
Ami stopped and turned to look at her. "Listen Hotaru... Gold's not really evil, he tried to avoid as many people he could, not like Jade, you have to help him! He might tell us what are Black's plans!"
Hotaru nodded and started working on him as the other two arrivals approached.
"So, this is what the enemy looks like, huh?" Haruka muttered. Suddenly someone gasped and dishes fell to the floor breaking.
Turning around Haruka saw a female dragon with blue scales running at them.
Swearing, she pushed Hotaru away and jumped to the side.
She was about to jump kick the dragon when it grabbed Ami by the shoulders. She stopped suddenly when she felt Usagi's hand on her shoulder.
Looking at her sternly, Usagi shook her head. "She's on our side." Was all the future queen said.
This however didn't stop Dr. Mizuno. "You monster! Get away from my daughter!!" She then slammed a dish on Sapphire's head, breaking it. Quickly Makoto and Raye grabbed her by the arms, telling her to calm down.
Haruka and Michiru had huge sweat drops on their foreheads as they saw the two Senshi wrestle Ami's mother until she calmed down.
Sapphire rubbed her head where the dish had crashed as she started talking. Everyone gathered around her as she explained what was happening.
Expressions grew grim as they heard Sapphire's story. When she was finished a new voice interrupted them.
"This is worse than I thought..." Setsuna said warily, reclining against a wall.
"SETSUNA!!" it was Usagi's turn to be held back as Sailor Pluto walked towards her.
"Usagi, get a grip!" Minako urged, holding one of Usagi's arms. The princess just glared at her.
"You knew this all along, didn't you?!" She accused.
Setsuna looked levelly at her. "No."
Usagi started struggling again. "Did you all hear that! She didn't..." she stopped and looked at Sailor Pluto again. "You didn't know?"
For her credit, Setsuna managed to look a little depressed.
"No. This wasn't supposed to get this bad, you supposedly had an ally that would help you out." Setsuna said with a wary sigh, stealing a glance at one of the present girls as she said it. Only Ami seemed to notice, and wondered what that was about as Sailor Pluto continued. "Instead, for some reason he..."
Suddenly Ami's computer beeped. Opening it she looked apprehensively at the others. "There's trouble in the park..." she said.
---
As the Sailor Senshi arrived at the park, they could hear the screams of people as they ran away from there. Above their screams they were able to hear a familiar voice.
"COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!!" Mask called as he brought down a nearby tree with his katana.
"Mask!" He stopped and turned around. All the Senshi, with the exception of Pluto and Saturn, stood in a semi-circle looking at him.
Knowing by now that he wouldn't stand for speeches, Sailor Moon decided to shorten it. "This has to stop." She said.
---
"Artemis! The girls are in the park!" Luna said as they ran.
Artemis nodded in understanding. "We'll make it in time!" He said.
"STOP!" a figure said as it grabbed them by the scruff. Both cats immediately started biting and scratching like there was no tomorrow.
"HEY LUNA! ARTEMIS! STOP THAT!" the figure said shaking them so it wouldn't be that easy to bite him. Surprised they stopped and looked up at... Nathan.
"Meow?" Artemis said.
"Okay, that's it." Nathan said rolling his eyes. He glared at them. "Are they fighting?" he asked.
The cats looked at him, all innocence. "Meow?"
"Stop it guys, this is important!" Nathan groaned. "Listen, I know you can talk..." he whispered.
The cats looked at him and meowed again. Luna did glance askance at Artemis. They had to go!
"Makoto, or rather Sailor Jupiter told me." Nathan said at last.
The cat's eyes bulged out, Luna managed not to say anything.
"She What?!" Artemis bellowed.
Luna hung her head in shame.
---
"So. Who goes first?" Mask asked nonchalantly.
Uranus glared at him. "That would be me, you dimwit!"
"Uranus! Don't! He's very dangerous!" Minako warned her. "You can't take him on your own!"
"Don't be silly, Venus!" Haruka said taking out her talisman sword. "I can take care of him. Just don't interfere!" she warned.
With that she strode out of the semi-circle. The other Senshi looked at each other, unsure. And Michiru started to feel a little nervous. "Is that guy really that good?" she whispered to Makoto, who only nodded in response.
"Well then lets FIGHT!" Uranus shouted. "World Shaking!"
Sailor Uranus's attack shattered the ground as it went straight towards Mask.
The knight however jumped high and back, as the blast reached his previous position and exploded without harming him.
Uranus then slashed with her sword. Mask evaded the first swing with a quick step back, batted the second attempt with his katana and finally disarmed her as she tried to parry a quick jab.
Scowling, Uranus attacked him with her fist, Mask grabbed her extended arm and pulled, rising his knee to meet her stomach.
The air left Uranus' lungs in an instant as the knee connected. As she stumbled forward,
Mask hit the back of her head.
She fell unconscious.
"Uranus!" Neptune screamed as she ran towards Mask. "Deep Submerge!"
The other Senshi didn't wait longer and started running towards him.
Mask took up his katana. "Don't think for a moment that you're the only ones with special attacks!" he swung his sword in an arc. "Remember this!?"
A curved ray shot out from the katana, went right through the Deep Submerge and almost separated Neptune's head from her neck, she had managed to duck, and that had saved her life.
She looked up only to see Mask's armored fist coming straight at her.
Mask barely avoided two of Mars flame snipers, before jumping at his closest adversary: Sailor Moon.
The sword went up. "Venus love me chain!" It didn't go down. Sailor Moon jumped away as Mask turned to look at Venus. Casually swinging his sword he cut cleanly through the heart shaped links.
---
"Are you sure this will work?" Sapphire asked dubiously.
Setsuna nodded. "I believe it will. Between my time powers, Saturn's power and your magic, we should be able to create a force field strong enough to repel whatever Black sends.
"If you say so..." the dragon sighed, not really believing it possible. "How's Gold doing, Hotaru?" Sapphire asked the young girl.
As an answer, Hotaru sat back. Gold's wounds were completely healed, but he didn't seem much better.
"I healed his body, but the real damage is in his mind... he'll have to fight his way out." Hotaru answered to her unspoken question.
---
"Supreme Thunder!!" Jupiter shouted, invoking her attack.
The lightning bolt flew straight at Mask, who chuckled softly as he let go of the unconscious Venus.
Holding his katana out, he received the lighting bolt with it. The raw energy made the katana shine like a small sun. Spinning it, he pierced the earth. The electricity faded into nothing.
"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" Sailor Moon called, spinning and throwing her tiara.
The moon tiara hit Mask in the small of the back, sending him flying with a scream. He fell to the ground and slowly stood up. Looking at Sailor Moon, his eyes glowed red. "How dare you!"
Pointing his open palm at her he fired a huge fireball. Sailor Moon jumped to the side but instead of missing and carrying on, the fireball exploded sending her sprawling, she smashed against a tree with a loud thump and lost consciousness.
"You bastard!" Jupiter managed to hit Mask in the face, but without much effect. He backhanded her with enough force to send her crashing against another tree.
He then jumped away avoiding being cut by Prince Endymion's sword.
Thunder announced the arrival of rain, as the two swordsmen looked at each other, it started pouring.
"Let's see how well you handle your sword, prince." Mask called.
Endymion couldn't see his face, but he knew that Mask was smiling behind his silver mask. He risked a look around. All the Senshi were unconscious, but they all seemed to be alive.
That small moment of distraction was all Mask needed. He quickly ran towards Endymion as he turned his attention back to him. Endymion managed to block the attack, swinging his sword in a tight circle that caused a sharp ring as he hit the side of the katana.
Mask used his lame block to slide his katana down to the cross guard, and doing a small circle he managed to slip his blade between Endymion's sword and his arm. He then pulled the sword up and out. Endymion grunted in pain as the katana's bladed tip cut just bellow his arm pit.
His hold went slack and with a swing Mask unarmed him. Laughing he blasted the future king with a fireball.
---
"Did you feel that?" Hotaru asked Setsuna.
"Yes," she answered standing up. "both Mamoru and Usagi are in trouble." She said darkly.
Sapphire, who had been pacing around stopped and glanced at them from over her shoulder. "Then I suggest we help them." The dragon said.
Both Senshi nodded.
---
Nathan and the two cats looked at Mask as he started walking among the
Fallen feeling completely useless.
Finally, Mask stood before his chosen victim and he raised his sword.
"No..." quickly standing up, Nathan started running into the battle field.
"Nathan! Don't!" Luna called.
Nathan ignored her as her ran towards Mask, his dream ever present in his mind.
He saw with horror how the sword started it's descent. "No!!!"
Mask turned around surprised as Nathan threw himself at him.
Unprepared, Mask and Nathan fell in a tangle, the later wheezing as he lost his air.
Mask quickly recovered and threw Nathan away. Nathan landed in the mud and slipped to a stop next to Endymion's sword.
Making a wild grab for it, he stood up and faced Mask.
"A kid like you won't stop me." Mask stated coldly as he walked towards Nathan.
"Yeah, well, maybe you'll be surprised!" Nathan called, wiping mud from his face.
Mask hesitated and Nathan took that as a sign to attack.
---
Makoto saw only darkness. Something in the back of her mind nagged at her. She tried to ignore it, too tired to do anything and only wanting to sink down again in the warm darkness.
The nagging continued, this time accompanied by indistinct sounds. She thought she heard and explosion, then the sound of steel meeting steel, then another explosion.
There had been silence then, for a moment. She had heard a familiar voice shouting. This time she felt cold, and slowly she started feeling cold water running on her face.
Opening her eyes, she regarded the clouded sky in confusion, the rain was sprinkling on her face, but she couldn't even lift her hand to clean her brow. She heard the voice again, this time she could make out the words.
"Yeah, well, maybe you'll be surprised!" the voice said.
---
With a shout, Nathan attacked Mask. The knight side stepped him and tripped him with his foot.
Nathan went face first into the mud again. Spitting some mud, he stood up again, holding the sword in what he assumed to be a defensive position. "You won't get away with this that easily!" he growled with false bravado.
Mask smirked under his mask. "Oh, please."
Screaming, Nathan threw himself into battle again. Mask easily avoided his wild swings, not even bothering to lift his sword to block. Finally he spun and hit Nathan's backside with the flat of his katana, sending him down into the mud again.
When Nathan stood up, he had a small cut in the right cheek.
"Tsk, tsk. You know kid, swords are not for the untrained, you've cut yourself!" Mask said amused.
"That," Nathan said "may be true, but I'm not the only one who's cut!"
He glanced at Mask's arm. As Mask pretended looked at his arm Nathan jumped at him, swinging the sword down.
Mask casually grabbed the sword blade with his hand. "Congratulations. You're dead." The knight said. And without further ceremony he buried his katana deep into Nathan's chest.
---
Sapphire, Sailor Saturn and Sailor Pluto stepped out of a portal right next to Luna and Artemis, who started when they saw them.
"Hey! Who's that?" Sapphire asked as Nathan swung down at Mask.
"That's Nathan!" Luna answered, worried.
The three new arrivals looked at her without speaking; it was clear they didn't know who Nathan was.
"He's Makoto's boyfriend!" she said.
"You have to help him!" Artemis urged. "He's got no powers, he has no chance!"
Hotaru, who had been watching the exchange of words between Mask and the new boy gasped in horror.
Luna turned around and looked at the battle scene. "Oh, no..." she moaned.
---
Mask freed his sword and pushed Nathan back. The boy fell backwards into the mud, like a rag doll.
An inhuman scream snapped the watchers out of it. Luna and the others saw in surprise as Jupiter bellowed a roar filled with rage and pain that no human vocal chords should be able of producing.
Her eyes literally glowed a cold blue, as she was surrounded by a black aura.
Standing there in the rain she looked into the sky roaring again, the black aura formed a winged silhouette around her as she literally flew straight at Mask.
Mask raised his sword, but Jupiter batted it away with her arm. Landing in front of him she shot a ball of black energy in to his stomach at point blank.
This time it was him that crashed into a tree. Sailor Jupiter flew from where she was in the middle of the battlefield and smashed him again and again against the felled tree.
Makoto then ripped the silver mask off of Mask's face. Since he had landed away from them, the others couldn't see anything, but Makoto stopped for a second.
Mask took the chance and kicked her back, he then rolled away and disappeared. All in one motion. The katana and the mask dissolved into the air.
Makoto, still surrounded by the black aura fell to her knees next to Nathan. The black aura slowly faded away.
---
Makoto gently cradled Nathan's head on her lap. The boy looked up at her from hazed eyes.
Makoto gently wiped his brow from the rain and the mud. He coughed blood.
Makoto was aware of Hotaru and the others running towards them. She stole a look over her shoulder and nodded, letting them know that it was okay to approach. A hand on her cheek made her look back down.
---
Sailor Pluto, Sailor Saturn and Sapphire didn't hear what Nathan said to Makoto. But just as they arrived his had fell slack.
Makoto held him as Hotaru tried to heal him, but her powers couldn't bring back the dead.
The first thing Sailor Mercury saw as she regained consciousness was Sailor Jupiter curling into a small ball, holding Nathan's body close.
End Chapter 7