Chapter 24: Lethal Lava Land

"This is it. I have been punished for dirtying my hands..." Madoka Hino awoke to Haruka Tenou's voice.

"What does that mean?" Madoka asked sleepily.

"Someone has sent us to Hell. But you didn't do anything wrong. Your hands are still clean," Haruka said.

"Your hands are just a little dusty because we were both laying on this weird hot rock," Madoka observed.

"I meant that figuratively. When I was Sailor Uranus, well, you heard the story that the Queen told, about how Neptune and I betrayed everyone in the battle against Galaxia."

"Oh. I just thought that Sailor Nemesis sent us to another weird dimension, like how the Magic Knights are from the world of their anime show," Madoka shrugged. She wandered off down a pathway, idly kicking a strange black ball-creature with horns aside into the lava.

"See? I knew this was Hell. There's tiny devils here," Haruka said.

"Whatever. I think this is just another dimension. We're still alive," Madoka repeated coolly.

"But it's dangerous to just wander around like that without supervision! You're just a kid!" Haruka protested.

"If it's another dimension, which I'm sure it is, if we die we'll just go back to our own world. If it's Hell, then we're already dead so does it really matter? And for Hell there's no one trying to eternally torture us," Madoka replied, still going ahead, farther and farther from Haruka.

"It's trying to lull us into a false sense of security. Get back here!" Madoka ignored Haruka and ran away from her. Haruka, being faster, caught up with the girl and grabbed her muscular arm.

"Bubble Gum Prism Power, Make Up!" Madoka suddenly called.

"Do NOT attack me!" Haruka snapped.

"I was not. You told me to be safer, and I am safer in Sailor mode," the young Senshi retorted.

"Maybe not. A devil would hate a pure Sailor Senshi more."

"That makes no sense. I have magical abilities as Sailor Bubble Gum that I do not have when I'm just Madoka Hino. That makes it better if there's something bad trying to get me, like one of the Magic Knights."

"I wasn't thinking about the Magic Knights, I was thinking about evil demons who are attracted to purity because they want to corrupt it."

"So you believe that they wouldn't attack me if I was not transformed?"

"Possibly. Most of the enemies I've faced, at least, did not attack untransformed Senshi unless they knew someone's identity."

"I don't believe you."

"Why not?! I'm an older, more experienced Sailor Senshi!" Haruka shouted. Sailor Bubble Gum decided to try ignoring her again and she wandered away some more. Before Haruka could stop her, she hopped across a field of shifting blocks. If she had made one wrong move, she would've gotten her feet in the lava. Haruka chased after her, trying the same moves. Sailor Bubble Gum ran down a wider pathway, throwing aside the horned ball creatures in her path. But when she came to a rotating platform with a flamethrower on it, she was on fire by the time she jumped to the next spot. She then was slammed from behind by a giant one of the horned ball creatures. This caused the horny monster to catch on fire too, smothering the flames on the Senshi in the process.

"World Shaking!" Sailor Bubble Gum called, throwing her pale blue energy ball at it. The monster exploded, sending the Senshi flying until she landed on a large rotating platform that encircled a small volcano. Finally Haruka caught up to her.

"Don't ever run off from me again. You could've been burned to death like Luna and Artemis were," Haruka growled sternly. Sailor Bubble Gum stared back blankly at first, then she gave the former wind Senshi a fierce, cold glare and took off again, this time leaping into the volcano. Haruka had no choice as her temporary guardian but to follow. Just as she was about to grab the disobedient Senshi again, a spurt of flame cut between them. They both watched as Hikaru Shidou arose from the lava, glowing with a hot red aura.

"I almost don't want to attack; I can see that one of you is burned already. But I have Clef's mission to carry out, and I won't desert my friends," Hikaru declared as her sword appeared in her hands.

"Your friends aren't here," Bubble Gum pointed out matter-of-factly.

"That's not true. Even when I am alone in body, Umi and Fuu's spirits will always be with me! Because Cephiro is the land of the will!" Hikaru shouted as she charged at the bulky Senshi, who countered with a punch that hit Hikaru's sword. While the Magic Knight was thrown back, it also burned the other girl's hand.

"You're not in Cephiro," Bubble Gum retorted, cringing slightly from the pain of her burns.

"Yes! This has got to be Cephiro! I am in the Shrine of Fire! This is where I found Rayearth!"

"You're delusional, the both of you! You think you can beat that girl without my help?!" Haruka challenged both youngsters.

"You don't have your powers. You gave them to me, remember."

"Don't talk back to your elders!"

"Flame Arrow!" Haruka, this time, was knocked down by Hikaru's attack.

"World Shaking!"

"Ruby Lightning!" Sailor Bubble Gum and Hikaru struck at the same time, causing an explosion that began to make the volcano shake and rumble.

"You idiots! You're going to get us all killed!" Haruka shouted.

"Duh. That's what I was trying to do. Mom's predictions are always right. I just wanted to explore first," snorted Madoka, who had detransformed and was just standing still, watching the lava bubble violently.

"That's correct. She was the only one of Sailor Moon's group to have known about the Silence..." Haruka whispered in realization.

"I'm not going to stay here and be killed. Bye bye, evil Sailor Senshi," Hikaru called over her shoulder as she raced up a pathway on the side of the volcano. Madoka suddenly started to chase after her.

"No. I'm not letting you get away," she stated firmly but calmly as she transformed for a second time. She did not look back as the lava covered Haruka, only watching ahead as she followed the red Magic Knight.

"Go away, evil Sailor Senshi! Flame Arrow!" Sailor Bubble Gum fell backwards as the flames hit her full force. Hikaru smirked to herself; surely that would've taken care of her. She then screamed when she saw that Sailor Bubble Gum was still pursuing her stoically, although her pain was more evident now.

"World Shaking!"

"Ruby Lightning!" The two attacks collided for a second time, blowing the two combattants sky high and out of the volcano. They came to a crash on the pathway where Haruka and Madoka had first started out. Hikaru stood up first, her sword appearing in her hands again. She swung it down to behead Sailor Bubble Gum, but she missed her target. Sailor Bubble Gum had rolled out of the way, and she now was attempting to stand up. Hikaru's second sword swing was blocked by a piece of the pathway that Bubble Gum had ripped out. The Fire Knight backed away slightly.

"I really am not sure I want to kill you now. You remind me of myself, somewhat," she said, in an oddly cheerful voice.

"In what way?" Bubble Gum grunted painfully as she finally got to her feet.

"Because you don't give up. And neither will I! Flame..." The attack never came, as Sailor Bubble Gum charged forward, shoving Hikaru over the edge of the pathway. Strangely enough, death by fire seemed peaceful for Hikaru and eeriely appropriate for her powers. Sailor Bubble Gum then collapsed, barely noticing the wave of lava that was spreading quickly from the volcano.

"I will find out who's right..." she whispered before she, too, disappeared from the fiery dimension, smothered by the flaming lava.