Midterm 6: Decision! The Fate of the God's Cry School

Two weeks ago…

Motoko Aoyama woke up in a strange room. The last thing she could recall was her dojo being attacked, being forced to flee, and blacking out. Obviously, someone had come to her rescue, or she wouldn't have woken up.

She sat up and surveyed the room she was in. It had sliding wooden doors, no windows, and very little decoration. She had been covered in a blanket of some obscure linen, and slept on a futon. Her kendo stick lay nearby, as did a medicine kit and some bloody pieces of bandage. Someone had tended top her wounds, probably the injuries she had taken as her enemy had caught up to her fleeing.

One of the doors slid open, and the bright light of the morning made her put a hand over her eyes. Only a small object came through the door, so little of the sunlight was blocked.

An elderly woman's voice asked, "Are you feeling better?" After the woman closed the door behind herself as she entered the room, Motoko could slowly make out the figure. This old woman was really short!

"Are you the one who saved me?"

"That is correct. I am Hinata. You were fortunate I was on a visit to friends and family nearby. It appears you were attacked."

"How did we escape? Surely you can't have carried me?"

"I have my ways."

"And they must have attacked you too!"

"My, my, so full of questions! Well, don't worry about it yet. Please rest a while longer. Then, I'll ask you a few things."

Motoko shrugged, and lay back down. She must have still been exhausted, as she fell asleep almost instantly.

The next time she awoke, she explained to Hinata how her dojo had been attacked, and that her sister had been the first to be captured. This latest attack, she was surprised to find her sister as one of the enemies.

"So, that is how it is," Hinata said. "Well, I thought as much. It seems that she is back."

"Who is back?" Motoko asked curiously.

"My adopted granddaughter, Kanako. She had turned evil, so I was forced to banish her. It appears that she has allies now, and is using them to control other people, especially powerful warriors, like the students she has captured from the God's Cry School."

"How do you know of the God's Cry School? It is a martial art that is very secretive."

"I have warriors of my own, just as secretive. And allies in every martial art school."

"An old lady like you?"

"One that saved your life, remember."

"That is nice and all, but I must return to my dojo. I will defeat my sister and return her to where she belongs."

"How noble. But you are not strong enough to fight her on your own."

"And you'll stop me, is that it?"

"If I must. However, I might be able to help you. But you will have to do two things. First, learn a few of my techniques here. They will help cleanse the enemy's soul. Second, find my warriors. Some of them are at the Hinata House. They will be able to boost your fighting power. Well, the girls anyways. My grandson should be avoided if possible."

"You talk like a sensei. Very well. I accept your conditions."

"I knew you would. You are a warrior with a lot of potential."

"Thank you."

She had followed Hinata's instructions, and had indeed gained many things. But they were having little effect against her sister. Was Tsuruko really that much more powerful than her, even though consumed by darkness as Nephlitaro? Or was it just the sword Shisui that was beating her?

"I will not accept defeat!" Motoko gathered her strength, and set up a defense.

"Oh, you want me to attack?" Nephlitaro taunted. "Well then, how about I use some attacks you'll recognize. Boulder Cutting Blade!" She swung her sword straight down toward Motoko, who blocked with her own sword Kisei. Even though she wore a special armored clothing while transformed as Sailor Hina Jupiter, Motoko cringed in pain as the special attack of the sword sliced the air around her, and continued on for a while, destroying rocks and trees in the forest behind her. At least her sword didn't break, she thought.

"Impressive. You withstood my attack. I wonder, will your friends will be able to without swords?"

"Oh, no!"

Hina Moon, Mercury, and Mars had been surrounded by two dozen possessed students of the God's Cry School. The minions drew their swords and charged. The three soldiers of Hina dodged into the trees surrounding the steps where they had confronted Nephlitaro.

"I hope they aren't good at climbing trees," Naru muttered. As leader of the soldiers, she motioned to the other two, Shinobu and Mutsumi, to cross the span of trees and meet at the doorway of the dojo, which had been destroyed earlier in the battle. And their movement to escape came none too soon.

"Boulder Cutting Blade!" One of the swordsmen sliced through a tree they had just left as if it hadn't even been there. Trees behind it had also toppled, as if hit by a guillotine.

"That is the style Motoko trained in? Scary!" Shinobu cried.

"But it has a weakness!" Mutsumi pointed out. "They need swords."

"Well, it could be done barehanded, but I think disarming them is still a good plan," Naru answered.

"Leave it to us!" Shinobu said.

"Just be ready to do to them what you did to Jeditaro," Mutsumi told Naru.

"Okay!" Naru let the two girls cover her, as she closed her eyes and tried to recall the power to purify her enemies.

The minions made their way up the stairs to the entranceway of the dojo. Mutsumi led out with her Kotatsu HeatWave onto the raised swords of a group of the enemies, while Shinobu had armed herself with a number of Mercury's magical frying pans. As Hina Mars' fire spells engulfed some swords, Hina Mercury threw frying pans at the others. "Frying Pan Boomerang, Ricochet!" The projectiles bounced off the swords and continued hitting others, disarming the enemies.

The enemies continued charging, and though unarmed, surrounded the two girls, capturing them. But as they approached the last soldier, they found they were too late.

"Hina Moonlight Redemption."

The area lit up in a half-sphere of white light. The two other scouts were freed from the enemies grasps as the darkness possessing them was dissipated. The students fell to the ground, unconscious.

Hina Moon appeared as if she would also faint, so the other two soldiers ran to each side of her and braced her.

"We did it!" Shinobu said.

"Yeah." Naru still looked worried. "Now it is up to Motoko."

The duel between Motoko and Nephlitaro was distracted by the burst of light coming from the distance.

"That light!" Motoko felt a surge of confidence. Pure light like that could only mean that her new allies had won. Now she'd have to find some way to do the same.

Nephlitaro noticed the change in Motoko's mood. "If you think that is an omen, don't. I still have the stars on my side. Dark Star Bolts!"

The blasts of energy flew at Hina Jupiter, who didn't move. "Cutting Evil Slash!" Nephlitaro watched in shock as her attacks were cut through and destroyed.

"And now it's your turn!" Motoko jumped overhead, and brought Kisei down at her sister, who blocked with Shisui.

"That is the best you've got?" Nephlitaro held back the attack as Motoko pushed the sword, the blades still locked.

"No, but it is enough! Evil Sealing Sword!" Motoko's blade lit up with white light, and the two blades became covered. Nephlitaro was held in place as ribbons of light from the two swords surrounded her. She screamed as the light fully enshrouded her, and she dropped Shisui, which was still glowing with positive energy. Nephlitaro fell to the ground, and soon reverted to the defeated sister, Tsuruko.

"Dear sister, Shisui is a powerful sword, it is true. But it is a sword drawn to light. I was able to use it against you because of that. I doubt I could have defeated you if you hadn't been possessed by evil.

Tsuruko was barely able to speak, still weakened by the fight. "Sister… thank you."

Motoko untransformed and tended to Tsuruko's wounds as her allies arrived, drawn to the area by the same type of light as they had used earlier.

"My sister has agreed to not tell anyone about our secret identities, if we do not tell anyone about the God's Cry School," Motoko told her new friends the next day. She was visiting them in the living room of Hinata House, but looked melancholy. Keitaro and Kitsune were nowhere to be found.

"That's good, but why so glum?" Naru asked. "We were able to save your sister and the other students of the dojo."

"But not the dojo itself. Remember my attack destroyed it. Now, the school will have to be rebuilt, and I have to be punished."

Shinobu imagined some sort of punishment involving the Boulder Cutting Blade. "Oh, no!"

Motoko chuckled wryly. "Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong. They are merely going to expel me from the school, never to return. Although I'm sure Tsuruko will come and visit."

"That's awful!" Mutsumi said. "How will you train?"

"I suppose I will just train in my new arts, being a soldier of Hinata. They still have an open room here, if I recall what the manager said."

"I'm sure we can persuade that lunatic to let another of our friends live here."

"Although it's starting to turn into an all-girl's dormitory run by a boy!" Mutsumi remarked. They all laughed.

Keitaro Urashima, the landlord of the Hinata House, was out shopping. Kitsune Konno had tagged along, using as her excuse the need to do odd jobs to pay her rent, but then somehow Keitaro had ended up lugging all of the grocery bags.

"Hey, Keitaro, what do you think those girls are doing? I'm always getting left out now."

"You could have went with them, but you said you were too tired."

"You think that new girl, Motoko, will rent a room? It seems all of Naru's friends are."

Keitaro laughed. "I guess I wouldn't be surprised. Hinata House is becoming quite popular."

"Hmph. Maybe too popular."

"Well, as long as I don't run out of rooms, I can't complain. I still have a few to let."

"Now you're on my wavelength, money man."

"I do it for the family, not selfishly."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding."

When they returned, the other tenants were waiting for them, along with Motoko. To Keitaro's slight surprise and Kitsune's annoyance, Motoko asked for a room, explaining that she had been kicked out of her house. Keitaro didn't ask for an explanation.

The dark queen Kanako was angry. Two of her generals, defeated in a matter of days! She wouldn't stand for it.

"Zoicitaro, Malachitaro!" Two dark figures appeared and knelt before her.

"Your orders are to destroy the soldiers of Hinata. They have beaten my other two generals. I don't care is you have to split them up, take hostages, or double team them. Just get the job done."

"It shall be as you wish, Kanako-sama," the taller guy, Malachitaro replied. To his side, Zoicitaro, a woman with a short haircut, held his hand.

"Yeah, we can take care of some immature girls." Zoicitaro chuckled.

"That overconfidence is what has caused the loss of Jeditaro and Nephlitaro," Kanako pointed out.

"But they had no sense of teamwork."

"And we are unstoppable as a team," Malachitaro said.

"Then go. Don't waste any more time." The two generals left.

"Damn you, Hinata. Soon, I shall return and defeat you once and for all!"

Hinata sipped a cup of tea at her cabin high in the mountains.

"One more soldier, and they shall all be assembled. Then, the war will truly begin."

Extra Credit Preview! We've reached the halfway point in the series! Who is the final soldier of Hina? It's a rambunctious girl who likes arcade games? Well, Hina Venus is definitely full of energy. And energy is something the other sailors will need when they find themselves being attacked by two of Kanako's generals! And what about the two minor characters, Kitsune and Keitaro? Well, they'll have plenty to do in the next chapter, hopefully! Stay tuned!

End Midterm 6