"I'm coming, I'm coming! Enough already!" A woman shouted as she approached the wooden door while turning on the lights of her apartment. The knocking subsided after a moment and she opened the door. "Oh, my…"
Before her stood a bruised, battered and burnt Sailor Jupiter. She looked like she had been tied with a rope and dragged in the mud and she cut in different places. But what drew her attention was the much abused and blood splattered body of Nathan.
The woman didn't know what to do and stared at Nathan without saying a word. Sailor Jupiter's lips trembled and she finally cried out, falling to her knees in front of the elder woman and sobbing uncontrollably, her face buried in Nathan's shirt as she held him close.
Masks & Dragons
Chapter 8
Old Tidings
By Wanderer D
"Coldfire, I like the way you handled Gold. It was... magnificent." White congratulated her as they met in one of the halls.
The silver dragon smiled evilly. "Yes, I..."
"I heard how you handled Gold, Coldfire. I must say, it was a rather dull way of murdering a fellow warrior." Said a soft voice coming from one of the corridors. "It was also vile. Dishonorable. Hardly the kind of maneuver one of your illustrious clan would approve."
"And how would you know that?!" she growled. Her eyes glowed a soft red and she extended her claws.
"Because, I knew your father," Said the voice, as the sound of footsteps approached. "And I, knew his father and his father's father."
Winter did a small reverence as an old man in worn red clothes walked towards them.
Coldfire glared at him, but didn't speak. She nodded curtly. The old man was almost completely bald except for some white hairs that decorated his scalp, toothy grin and strange yellow and red eyes. He smiled at her as he walked past.
When he was gone she turned towards Winter. "I thought he was in Avalon..." she whispered.
"I know, I wonder what news he brings?" he whispered back.
---
The Senshi arrived at Haruka's and Michiru's place. They had changed back into their civilian clothes after Sailor Jupiter had left with Nathan's body and had decided to stop there, as it was the closest safe place.
The downcast group sat down in the living room without muttering a word.
After a few seconds Michiru stood up again and offered drinks to the others, and then went to the kitchen to bring the drinks in with Hotaru's help.
They all sat there in silence, those who had accepted drinks holding them in their hands.
Finally Haruka sighed. "I didn't think that Mask guy to be so tough." She stated.
"We told you, that guy has gone toe to toe with the dragons and has been very close to winning." Minako sighed, stroking Artemis' back.
"It's... just not so easy anymore." Usagi said.
"Usagi?" Luna said worriedly from where she sat next to her.
"It never was easy, Usagi." Raye scolded her without much energy. She knew what Usagi was talking about.
"I know. But, at least before we had a fighting chance." Ami added. "This time... we haven't been much help, have we?"
"You can't blame all on the Senshi, Ami." Michiru murmured. "This whole situation was out of hand from the beginning."
"No," Usagi stated. "It's all our fault." Tears started welling up in her eyes as she looked at the gathered girls. "We lost the gold statue, then we couldn't do anything when Jade destroyed Tokyo Tower. Or stop Gold from taking those statues. Or stop Mask and Coldfire from destroying the subway station." The tears started sliding down her cheeks to her chin as she continued. "Then, there's Mask. He isn't as strong as the dragons, yet he managed to beat the living crap out of us..."
"Hey!" Haruka interrupted, however her comment was held back by Usagi's pain-filled eyes.
"Without breaking a sweat." Usagi continued, still looking at Haruka.
"And we only lived because Nathan distracted Mask long enough for Makoto to somehow stop him! And now Nathan is dead, Makoto has disappeared, Gold is in a coma in the Shrine, AND WE CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT!!!" Usagi finally let go, breaking into tears as Mamoru held her, whispering softly in her ear as she cried.
The others said nothing.
Even Setsuna was a little subdued. For a moment everyone was quiet. Then Setsuna spoke. "About Mask…he was supposed to be our ally."
"You mean that Mask should have been on our side all this time?" Minako asked.
Setsuna nodded grimly. "He was supposed to fight on your side, even in Crystal Tokyo he was an ally that would help us at our moment of need."
---
"How did this happen?" Nathan's aunt asked as she cleaned the boy's face carefully with a moist towel. Both, she and Sailor Jupiter had carried the body inside and had been crying for hours now until they had ran out of tears.
Jupiter sighed. "He ran into the middle of a battle we had with a lunatic called Mask… Nathan… was just trying to help." She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. "He was trying to protect me."
Nathan's aunt didn't say anything, just carried on cleaning the dirt from his arms.
"I asked him to stay away…" Jupiter whispered. "I asked him not to see me anymore… I told him the dragons were dangerous…"
"Dragons?" his aunt asked as she carefully cleaned his hand, brushing away the strands of long white hair that fell over her young face.
Jupiter nodded. "But it wasn't them… it was the enemy of the dragons, a knight named Mask that did this to him. He used his katana…"
Nathan's aunt had opened the shirt and was looking at Nathan's chest. "But there are no cuts, just the blood and mud."
"We… tried to heal him… but Sailor Saturn can't bring back…" she couldn't finish.
Nathan's aunt nodded and looked down at the towel.
"I will kill Mask." Jupiter growled. "For taking from me someone I loved…" she stood up and used her forearm to clean her tears from her face.
Soon, she was gone, leaving the woman alone with her thoughts.
---
Dr. Mizuno arrived very early the next morning. She stopped suddenly when she saw the dragon, but after recognizing Sapphire, she walked towards her. The elder Mizuno felt as if she were in a dream ever since her daughter and her friend had shown her about their secret lives.
Sapphire greeted her with a toothy smile and Dr. Mizuno couldn't help but smile back. She was still getting used to the dragon, but Sapphire was always respectful and friendly t her and she had found herself worrying about the dragon, since Sapphire had, up until now, been going back to Black's lair to gather information for them.
"Good morning, Sapphire!" She said, bowing slightly.
"Good morning, Dr. Mizuno." The blue dragon answered, as she extended her wings completely.
Dr. Mizuno stared at the leathery wings in wonder until Sapphire gathered them back.
"It must be great to fly..." Dr. Mizuno said wistfully.
Sapphire smiled. "It's the best. Maybe I'll take you for a ride someday."
Ami's mother nodded and together they went into the Shrine.
---
Coldfire stood before Black, as the black dragon paced about the room in human form.
She still marveled at the black dragon's ability to shape-shift, for she knew that he could adopt many other forms.
Finally Black turned towards her. "It's time." he said.
Coldfire nodded. "Should I go?"
Black shook his head. "I will take you there myself, tonight. Be ready."
Coldfire nodded nervously and left the room, leaving the black dragon to himself.
She met Sapphire on the way out.
"Any news?" the blue dragon asked. "I'm getting tired of being in this plane."
"Yeah, sure." Coldfire laughed. "I guess keeping you out of action is taking a toll on you, huh? But I wonder why you don't get any missions."
"What are you saying?" Sapphire growled. "Speak directly."
"Sapphire." The silver said, stepping close to the blue dragon and stroking the side of the her face carefully with the tip of her tail. "You are too soft. That's why Black chose me to do this job, you lack the stomach." She patted Sapphire on the head playfully as the blue seethed. "Just like Gold."
While the blue dragon glared at her, the silver stepped back and continued. "In any case, Lord Black has told me that he will take ME to the place where the last statue is. Tonight." The silver laughed.
"You?" Sapphire asked, but was ignored.
Coldfire walked away. "See you in the loser corner!" She said over her shoulder before disappearing into one of the many stone passages.
Sapphire hissed and turned around, heading for her quarters.
---
Makoto found herself walking outside her school. She looked longingly at the top of the building, where she and Nathan had always talked. A tear trickled down her cheek to fall down to the pavement, unheeded.
"Are you okay, young lady?" asked a kind voice.
Turning around she saw an old man. He was almost completely bald except for some white hairs that decorated his scalp. He was dressed in old red and white robes, he had a gentle face and his smile was reflected in his eyes and mannerisms, but the most impressive thing about him were his eyes. The irises were a strange mixture of fiery red and solid yellow.
'I... I have seen those eyes before...' Makoto thought, she then snapped back into reality.
"N-no, sensei." she stammered.
"Good. A beautiful young lady like you shouldn't cry bitter tears. I was wondering if you could tell me how to find the Hikawa Shrine? I've been searching for it, but I'm not accustomed to walking around cities."
Makoto smiled at the old man. "I'll be glad to take you there, sensei. I was on my way to the Shrine." She took the old man's arm and guided him towards the Shrine.
---
Raye met them at the Shrine doors. The old man told the priestess that he had come to the Shrine for meditation. Raye smiled, albeit a little sadly at the old man and escorted him in, while Makoto went into the other room where the rest of the Senshi were.
Ami's computer started beeping as soon as she crossed the door. The Senshi looked at each other and Usagi stood up. "Let's go." She said.
The others nodded and took out their transformation pens.
---
Luna sighed as she watched Usagi from a cherry tree outside the Shrine, where she was sitting with Artemis. "I believe our Usagi is growing up." Luna said, a little proud.
Artemis nodded. "It's sad it had to be a result of all of this." he muttered.
---
Coldfire stepped out of the large portal Lord Black had created, following her master. After both dragons had stepped through, it collapsed on itself until there was no sign of it.
The silver dragon looked around the landscape that surrounded her. The rocky bottom of a large volcano occupied most of the view.
Black, still in human form, flew up and Coldfire followed him with a jump and a beat of her powerful wings. Both dragons gazed down at Mt. Fuji, as they soared over it.
Black's eyes shone with a red light as he muttered a spell. The moment he finished, the ground below started shaking and the sky became a mixture of red and black lights and shadows and clouds as the volcano erupted.
---
When the Sailor Senshi appeared at the roots of the volcano, they were a little confused at first from doing the teleport, but they quickly recovered as the situation revealed itself with a huge tremor that almost made them all fall where they stood
"Amy! What's happening?" Usagi asked, scared at the growing heat and the ash falling everywhere.
"Mount Fuji's erupted!" Ami exclaimed.
The others looked at her, a silent 'what' forming in all their mouths.
"But... isn't the area around Mt. Fuji... inhabited?" Venus asked.
"Yes, we have to find a way to help them!" Ami answered as she quickly used her computer. "I think we can stop the lava flow long enough for the people to escape. But we have to move. Now." She said.
The others nodded somberly and started following her orders.
---
The old man walked into the room where Gold rested. He walked straight to the gold dragon and looked him over.
"There's nothing left of the wound. Hmm. Ah, I see. There's no will to live." He muttered to himself.
The old man took a seat next to Gold. "You have gone too far inside Gold. I can't know if you are listening to me, but I'll tell you that I'm disappointed." the old man sighed softly, then looked at Gold's face. "You had a brilliant future kid, it's a shame that you wasted it
working for the likes of Black. I told you not to make my mistake. Oh, sure, you got what you wanted, a place in the council, but at what price, Gold? You had to watch your friends die. Your only friends besides Sapphire. Was it worth it? I doubt it. My guess is you came back to fight Black after fulfilling your debt. Honor is a hard thing to understand, kid. Where was your honor when those two died? And more importantly, are you going to let that happen again?"
The old man shifted in his seat, not noticing Gold's tail twitching.
"Maybe these girls are not your friends, but they are fighting your fight." The old man mused aloud. "They can't win. They know it. Just like you did." He shook his head. "But, unlike you, they have chosen to fight, because they have hope. And hope, Gold, is a precious thing, so precious in fact, that it's why I still live."
The old man changed his tone slightly, sounding a bit indifferent. "But I guess that's beyond you, isn't it Gold? You are sick, you are afraid and you are not the Gold dragon that came all those years ago to me in search of answers. You, however are the Gold that didn't listen, the dragon that waited too long to take action in the council. I pity you, Gold."
---
Grandfather Hino was searching for the old man that had come to the Shrine for meditation, when he heard a loud crash. Following the noise, he entered the room where golden dragon was.
There he saw the old man seating calmly as Gold glared at him. "You talk too much, old man!" The dragon growled. Gold then turned around and smashed through the wall.
The elder Hino slid down to his knees as he saw the gap in the wall.
The old man looked at him with a concerned look for a moment, then, deciding that he was alright, he walked out of the room.
---
Using all their powers combined, the Senshi had managed to dig a large trench that somewhat helped the people nearby get more time for evacuation.
"That's all we can do, Ami!" Uranus shouted.
Ami nodded somberly as her eyes wandered to the top of the volcano. "The gate opened there!" she said, pointing.
---
Coldfire shifted uncomfortably in the hot air, she could stand it, but she didn't have to like it. "Now what, Lord Black?" she asked.
Black had been looking at the flowing magma all the time, finally, he looked up at her.
"Now, I go retrieve the statue. You take care of those little pests." He replied, as he pointed towards the Senshi as they climbed the side of the volcano.
Coldfire nodded uncertainly.
Without further comment Black shifted into his half-dragon form and flew directly into the volcano.
Coldfire gasped as the molten lava enveloped him.
Muttering in surprise at such an action, but knowing that Black would be just fine, she quickly dove down towards the Senshi.
---
Sapphire woke up with a start. When she had fallen asleep, she couldn't tell, but she wouldn't have woke up for another while if she hadn't heard the knock on her door.
Stretching, she opened the heavy wooden door and looked in surprise at the old man that stood outside.
"How much did I sleep?" She asked sourly.
"Most of the day, Black cast a sleep spell in your room." the old man answered.
"That's ridiculous. Why would he do that?" she asked.
"He is very well aware of your dealings with the human girls, Sapphire." Sapphire's blood grew cold. If Black knew about the statue...
"He doesn't know the exact dealings, but he knows you're on their side." The old man reassured her.
Sapphire sighed. "So, he's already gone for the last statue on Earth."
The old man nodded. "The Senshi are already there, you'd better hurry, Sapphire."
"Ami…" Sapphire whispered, and looked at the old man. "But, if I go now, Black will..." she started to say, but the old man stopped her with a dismissing motion of his hand.
"Black already knew you were playing both sides against the middle. Why else would he cast the spell?" The old man argued. "This way at least you'll have a chance to fight back instead of being murdered in your own bed." He said.
---
Sailor Uranus looked up at the ash covered sky. She had thought she'd seen a glint somewhere near the mouth, but with all the ash she wasn't sure. Wiping the tears of her eyes, she looked up again.
"Everyone, JUMP!!" she shouted as she followed her own advise.
The Senshi scattered as a HUGE fireball exploded where they had been standing mere seconds ago.
As they landed, they looked at their enemy as she glided over to land over a spiky boulder that stood almost 15 feet above them.
"So, we meet again." Coldfire sneered. "This time, it's me against you. No knights, no gold dragons, no interruptions." She smiled and her pointed fangs gleamed red. "Let us start." she challenged as she jumped into the air. The silver dragon dived straight towards the Senshi as they prepared for the fight.
End Chapter 8