"So that's what happened," Mikoto sighed, "This was all just a big misfortune."
It was a small while later, Ryoga and Brianna had told the story of how the human population was changed and why Crystal Tokyo was in jeopardy.
"We have to tell Setsuna this," Brianna said, "So we can stop her from doing what she did to Mrs. Saotome to others!"
"She won't listen," Mikoto said, "She hasn't ever listened to anything we suggest."
"Then we'll stop her another way," Ryoga said.
"How can you stop someone who manipulates time like she does?" Mikoto asked.
"I don't know, but something has to work," Ryoga said, "After all, anything is possible."
"I just wish there was something we could do for Nodoka and the rest of them," Brianna asked.
"Usagi just used her Magick to cleanse them of anything that didn't make them human. If you could reintroduce the werecreatures abilities into them, you could awaken them. But infection won't work. My… friends have tried it."
Ryoga looked down at Nodoka for a moment.
"Then I'll have to do the same thing that Rhys did in China," Ryoga said, lifting his hand to reveal that it was glowing a pale silver color.
Ryoga's hand started to glow brighter as he suddenly shifted into hybrid form. His claws now held the majority of the glow, making them seems to be made of pearl.
With his index claw, her touched Nodoka just below the collarbone, pricking her skin slightly.
"Inheritage," He said simply.
A pulse of energy flew about him.
Nodoka's eyes shot open as she suddenly inhaled deeply. She sat up suddenly, her red fur, tail, and ears growing back almost instantly. Ryoga managed to retract his claw before it harmed her.
On Nodoka's face, there was the expression of total fear. She looked as if she had stared death in the face, watching it coming ever closer to her. It's skeletal features lusting for her life and her spirit.
It looked as such, as that was exactly what she had saw.
"So that's what happened," A red furred Nodoka said as she sipped a cup of tea, "How many people?"
"Saffron and Theo think about 5 of the entire world population," Ryoga said, "If the machine hadn't misfired, it would have been a total 100."
"And… who almost killed me?" Nodoka asked in a quiet tone.
"They're not killing people," Mikoto said, "They… the people are just in comas."
"No," Nodoka shook her head, "That was no coma. I was dead. I knew it. I could feel it. I could see death rushing towards me, but it never got to me… kami-sama… no one should go through that. And I only saw it for a few fleeting moments."
"And there are people who've been like that for almost a week," Mikoto said, staring at the ground, "And I helped them get that way. I feel so ashamed."
"You did put them that way," Ryoga said coldly, "But you can still help them. We can't just leave them that way."
"How do we do that? You might be able to dodge a Dead Scream, but with all the scouts shooting at once, you'll eventually get hit."
"We fight back," Ryoga said, "But on our own terms."
"Scouts!" Mikoto's voice rang through the communicators, "The demons we met earlier are assembling in the park! Hurry!"
Mikoto waited, standing next to the pond, not in her sailor scout uniform. She just stared across the water, watching as the orange and red leaves touched down, sending ripples throughout the mirror surface.
She heard the scouts run up behind her.
"Mikoto, where are they?" Moon yelled.
"And why aren't you ready for them?" Mars asked.
Mikoto didn't respond or turn for a moment. She sighed, steeled herself, and turned around. She just stared at them.
"What's wrong?" Moon asked.
"I…" Mikoto said, "I'm here to ask you… no, to tell you to stop purifying the werecreatures. You have no idea what you're doing to them."
"What?" Moon asked, "What do you mean?"
"They aren't demons!" Mikoto said loudly, "When you purify them, you're damning them to… to… a fate worse than death!"
"What's up with you?" Mars asked hotly, "Are you…?"
"Am I a werecreature?" Mikoto asked. She didn't continue.
All of the sailor scouts held their breath.
"No."
They all sighed in relief.
"But I can't let you hurt any more people. Even if I have to fight you."
Mars walked up to her.
"What is wrong with you?" She said angrily. Mikoto didn't physically respond, "You know that the sailor scouts are only doing what they need to for Crystal Tokyo, and Pluto said we need to do this. So we are!"
"I don't care what Setsuna said!" Mikoto said coldly, "You WILL stop this charade! Defeating Youma and saving people is one thing, damning the people we had previously saved is another!"
"I don't believe you," Mars said, "I think you were infected. You're a werewolf, aren't you?"
"No!"
"Admit it!"
"I am not a werewolf!"
"What are you?"
Mikoto growled as she suddenly stopped.
"…I… am not a werewolf…" She said coldly.
Mars heard Mercury gasp. They all turned to her.
"We're surrounded!" She said, looking into her computer like thingy, "It's a trap!"
Mars whirled around to see Mikoto's sullen face. Mars reeled back to punch her in the face.
Her fist never got there.
Mars looked up to see a tall furred girl with cheetah spots all over her. Her hair was in a loose ponytail, and she was wearing rather tight clothing. This cheetah girl had Mars by the wrist.
Mars, confident in her superior strength, pulled away.
She didn't even manage to make the girl lean towards her. The grip was too strong. Even for her sailor form.
"Let go of her!" Moon yelled, sending a blast of Magick at the girl. The girl let go of Mars and jumped backwards, avoiding the blast.
Mars looked at her before again looking back at Mikoto, who had stepped away from her.
"I'm sorry," Mikoto said, "But I can't allow you to hurt anyone else."
"Traitor!" Mars yelled as she lunged for her.
"NO!" A voice called. Mars looked back to see Pluto standing in the middle of the scouts. Mars smirked and ran towards them.
"I think you'll find that you're not able to teleport away from this location," A voice called.
Pluto blinked, as she realized she couldn't teleport.
A tall cheetah spotted man stepped out from behind a tree. Instead of yellow fur though, it was grayish silver. The man had glasses on and a robe to match. Beside him was another cheetah girl, this one wearing a hat and glasses. She had a mean looking gun in her hand.
The werewolf and werecheetah that they had met earlier in the Saotome house came from another direction.
Another werewolf and a purple haired werecat came from yet another.
They all glanced around, before turning back towards Mikoto and the werecheetah near her.
"Traitor!" Mars yelled again.
"How could you, Mikoto?" Moon asked.
"I… had to," Mikoto said, "I owed it to the people we purified to help them recover."
"These demons are in the way of Crystal Tokyo!" Pluto yelled.
"CRYSTAL TOKYO IS NOTHING BUT A DELUSION!" Mikoto exploded.
The scouts just stared at her.
Mikoto breathed deeply, trying to calm herself.
"Humans aren't the only things that inhabit this world and live in it peacefully," Mikoto said, "Now more than ever. If you create Crystal Tokyo, you'll be killing and ostracizing millions!"
"No!" Moon said, "Crystal Tokyo will be a paradise! No one will be killed or ostracized!"
"But how can there be a paradise when the rulers and leaders go around killing and damning half the population?" Mikoto said, "You call them Youma, monsters, and demons; BUT THEY'RE JUST NORMAL PEOPLE!"
"Like hell they are!" Mars yelled back at her.
"Rei!" Mikoto said, turning to her, "I'll have you know that you have a bit of 'demon' blood in you!"
"WHAT!" Mars yelled.
"You're great great great grandmother was a werefox," Mikoto said.
"Bull shit!" Mars yelled.
"Usagi," Mikoto said, looking at her, "The kind man from the Ice Cream Parlor. He's a half dragon."
"A half dragon?" Moon asked, "But wouldn't he…?"
"Dragons have the ability to assume a human form," Mikoto answered, before looking towards Mercury, "Ami, you're favorite teacher? He's a giant."
"Giant?" Mercury asked, "He's not THAT tall."
"Giants are not necessarily tall," The werecheetah with gray fur to the right of the group said, "I should know, my wife is a giant, and Gina here is half giant."
He motioned to the lithe werecheetah girl next to him. She smiled and waved at them.
"Can't… we fix that?" Moon asked.
Mikoto shook her head, looking downward.
"You seek to rid the planet of all that isn't normal," Mikoto said, "Only then will you be able to have your uniform, perfect society."
"If that is what must be done," Setsuna said coldly.
"Then why don't you start with me!" Mikoto yelled.
Silence.
"What?" Moon asked.
"I'm not human!" Mikoto said, "I…"
Mikoto just looked down. She went calm, as she concentrated. Winds seem to spring up around the park, swirling in towards Mikoto. She started to glow. An orb of light started to build from the winds, forming around her.
The orb hovered there for a moment, before it burst open.
Mikoto again touched down on the ground. Her skin was tanned, her eyes were a piercing golden yellow. Her hair was also a bronze color. On her hands there were claws, and from her forehead came two curving horns that went behind her ears, close to the skull.
From her back sprang two leathery wings. A tail came from her spine.
She was now wearing a green dress that sparkled along with the green jewel on her necklace.
"I'm a dragon," She said, "A bronze dragon."
There was an utter silence, even Setsuna looked shocked.
"So if you really want to get rid of everything that doesn't fit into you're perfect society," Mikoto said growing angry and loud, "Strike me down and kill me, because I will NOT be purified and robbed of my very nature and existence!"
"Mikoto…" Moon said, "What happened to you?"
"NOTHING!" Mikoto yelled, "Nothing has happened to me! You all keep thinking that anything that isn't human was MADE that way! Well I wasn't! I was born a dragon! I've always been a dragon, be as I may be Mikoto or a Sailor Scout!"
Silence.
"If you still truly want Crystal Tokyo, then…" Mikoto swallowed, "Then you'll have to kill me."
