Crimson
Ahknee/Kitteen
A/N: Welcome back for chapter two, everyone. I'm happy y'all enjoyed the last chapter so much! Ahaha. I'm still working on typing up and catching up on revising chapters, but never fear, with a full week of winter break left, I have plenty of time.
Stupid auto-spellcheck, underlining all the damn Japanese names in here ... adding them to the dictionary for my word program is not fun, no siree.
.:Chapter 2: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time:.
Rei opened her window without making a noise, climbing up and onto the ledge to peer down. Just like earlier on in the day, she surveyed the distance from her spot to the ground, doing some mental calculations.
She had two options: leap down and possibly break her everything or scale down the wall – the same decisions as earlier. She pressed her hand against the wall, feeling to see if she could get a proper grip on it. She couldn't and she looked around to see if there was a drain from the leaf gutter she could grab onto nearby (which there wasn't).
She sighed lightly. Sneaking out the front or back door was not an option; there were too many risks involved with those.
There was one option left, and she probably would've resorted to it anyway seeing as the possibilities she looked for earlier wouldn't have provided her with a way back into the house without more criminal means.
She went over to her backpack and unzipped the front pouch; nestled in one of the pockets was her transform rod. It still looked the same as ever, though slightly scratched and unpolished, but she knew it would work perfectly despite its imperfections.
Twirling it expertly through her fingers, she paused to buff out a slight blemish on it before doing what she hadn't done in a handful of years.
"Mars Crystal Power, Make Up." She didn't shout it out with the enthusiasm she had always done, avoiding waking the family, but a giddy tone had crept into her voice.
In a mere matter of milliseconds, standing where Rei Hino had once been, was Sailor Mars, a slight flare of heat radiating off of her from the flames that had temporarily encircled her form.
It had been a long time. She had to admit that she'd dearly missed the surge from being in this form. It felt so comfortable and familiar, like an embrace from an old friend.
... although, she realized it would take her a while to get used to the heels again.
Sighing, she climbed back onto the ledge, letting her legs dangle over the edge. With a slight push, she dropped down to the ground, easily shifting her weight out of years of habit to lessen the strain on her joints. As she stood back at attention, she flicked her hair back over her shoulders before heading for the well.
The shed's exterior looked mildly run-down, but she figured that it wasn't much of a hazard if precautions hadn't been taken to prevent entry. She stepped into the shed, letting her eyes adjust to the dark interior as she closed the door behind her. As her eyes adjusted, she noted the flight of steps before her and leapt down them with ease, landing lightly on her feet.
A well lay before her, looking older than dirt. She glared down at it, already detecting a heave in the presence of not only the Setsuna-like energy, but also in the feeling of the demonic aura, still relatively old but strong.
'Jackpot,' she grinned wryly to herself.
She reached out a gloved hand, tracing her fingers along the ledge of the well to try and pick up any other odd things radiating from it, only to find nothing. If this was indeed a time portal, how was it activated, and moreover, where did it lead? Also, how come no one in the family had yet to discover it? It was obviously active and ready to be used.
Leaning slightly over the edge, she stared down at the almost pitch-black bottom. She could feel the portal's power originating from there. Not one to hesitate, she hopped onto the ledge and continued to stare down.
Logic dictated that it would be best to call for some backup before doing what she was about to do. Logic also dictated that contacting Setsuna would be the most beneficial thing in the world; she would get right to the heart of the problem and solve it in a flash.
Unfortunately, Sailor Mars had never really been the 'look before you leap' type; and it was this that drove her to leap down and into the well, body automatically bracing itself for the landing at the bottom.
Her heeled feet never even touched the ground, and she was stunned as, right before impact, a bright light flashed and she found herself surrounded by a mass of swirling blue lights.
Same time energy, different look. She wondered if Setsuna had the ability to alter the look of time-space like this; she'd never quite figured out the mysterious woman's sense of humor.
In the blink of an eye, she felt the solidity of the earth beneath her feet. Although her current surroundings paralleled her previous ones, she noted the blatant differences with ease: the lack of a ladder leading up, instead replaced by vines, and the starry sky overhead.
Just how far back had she gone?
--
The only reason Sailor Mars knew she'd been shot back into the past was through some deductive reasoning; even her nose could detect a lack of pollution in the air, and the fact that she could see the vast amount of stars covering the sky only added to her conclusion.
Of course, the large amount of greenery surrounding the clearing was also a great hint. There was no way the future was this overrun by flora (this wasn't so much of a hunch as a known fact – after all, she had taken a pit stop or two there).
Mars' attention was pulled away from figuring out where she was as her sense automatically began to go on high alert at an approaching energy. It felt vaguely familiar, but something about it was off. Her eyes narrowed as she turned to face the source.
Practically bounding into view came a mass of something dark and generally slick and disgusting. It came to a stop several yards away from her, but even from her distance, a foul odor infiltrated her senses, causing her eyes to water as she placed a hand over her nose and mouth.
Her other senses were on high alert, however. The hairs on her arms and neck rose, and something in the back of her mind screamed at her to attack this foul-smelling creature before it could get any closer to her.
It took a lot of concentration to focus her mind, trying to hone in on what this being was. The energy that radiated off the creature was quite similar to the various monsters she had faced back in her early days, back when the Dark Kingdom was still running amok and sending low-level creatures to do its bidding. However, there was something entirely unique to this energy; it felt more evil, more bloodthirsty ...
'A demon?!' These were things she'd only heard of in myths and legends, things that weren't supposed to exist. She'd been through a lot in her time as Sailor Mars, but never had she encountered a demon (in fact, if she hadn't experienced so much, she most likely would've had a near heart attack around now).
Well, there was no delaying it. She flicked her wrist, extending her hand to her side. This attack would be the only move she'd need to wipe this thing out. It felt too weak to her to even be considered a threat.
"Fire Soul!"
--
"I'm so tired," Kagome practically cried as she and the rest of the gang stumbled into the village.
"Quit whining," Inuyasha grumbled. "It's annoying."
"It's too late to be arguing, you guys," Sango moaned. "Please keep it to a minimum."
Kagome unleashed a long yawn, pausing mid-step to stretch. This appeared to help her only minimally, and she continued to trudge forwards.
"What makes these stupid demons think attacking in the middle of the night is a good idea?" she sniffed pathetically. "I'm losing out on precious sleep time ..."
"You're not the only one," Miroku grunted, leaning heavily against his staff.
As they approached Kaede's house, Kagome paused once more, perking up a little before she sagged back down.
"Oh, WHY ..." She looked closer to tears than she had before. It looked as if she'd have to go another night with no sleep.
"What?" Sango asked.
"There's something far off ... but it's a weird energy ... and I can kinda sense a shard ..."
"Where's it coming from?" Everyone suddenly looked very much awake now.
"I think ... the well ..."
In the blink of an eye, the group set off.
--
She couldn't believe it. Her head didn't want to wrap around it.
The demon had brushed off her attack like it was nothing.
What was this world coming to?
Furrowing her brow, Sailor Mars took a moment to analyze her opponent. It felt so weak, so why wasn't she able to kill it? As her eyes roved over the creature's form, they alighted upon one spot. In what she assumed to be the stomach area, an odd energy was being emitted. It also felt familiar, and this time she was able to immediately pinpoint what if felt like: the Silver Crystal. The only striking difference she could detect right now was the lack of energy she felt from it, and the slight darkness that was beginning to cloud the bright aura.
It was time to get serious. She'd just tossed out a few fireballs here and there earlier to get a grip on everything; now that she had a set target, she'd need something better.
"Mars ..." once more, she flicked her wrist out, and the symbol of her namesake glowed in her palm.
"Flame ..." She took aim. The demon charged.
"Sniper!" The burning arrow flew out at a rapid speed, the demon charging right into it. The mark was perfect; the arrow flew straight through the demon's stomach, sending a bright shard flying through the air as the arrow burned out. The demon slumped to the ground, dead, now emitting an even worse odor.
Mars pinched her nose as she walked around the body, heading for the shard that was glittering in the grass. She carefully picked it up, examining the fragment in her gloved palm: pink, semi-transparent, and obviously only a small part of some larger jewel.
She idly slipped the sharp into the sleeve of her glove as discreetly as possible, turning to face some of the mass of forest that partially surrounded the clearing.
"I know you're there," she snapped, setting her hands on her hips. There was a slight breeze, and the foliage rustled with it, but she wasn't fooled.
"Come out," she growled. "Or I will burn your cover down."
Not so hastily, a group of four emerged from the foliage. Mars scanned the group quickly, evaluating whether they were a threat or not. Her evaluation stopped short at one person.
'Oh shit.'
Said person feebly raised an arm, pointing quite rudely at Mars.
"You're one of the Sailor Soldiers!" she gasped.
"Bingo," Mars replied, already scanning the area for a good escape route.
"You know her?" the other female in the small group asked.
"She's famous," replied the first knowingly. "Y'know, beat up the bad guys, save the world, stuff like that?"
"... ?"
A sigh. "Nevermind."
Sailor Mars was taking this opportunity to start moving towards her chosen escape route.
"Stop right there!" Suddenly, a very big and sharp sword was staring her in the face.
"Inuyasha!"
"She tried to run off with the jewel shard!" the sword wielder Inuyasha, Mars presumed, snapped.
"You could be a bit less forceful about it!"
Mars was swiftly starting to move away from the group once more, only to find her other escape route blocked by the other members of the group.
"See?!" Inuyasha waved his sword at Mars. "She tried it again!"
Mars was getting fed up, and her temper was flaring into the dangerous levels. Glaring at everyone in general, she placed her fingertips together, focusing her energy.
"Burning Mandala!"
The fireballs shot out all around, effectively setting fire to the field in several areas and creating enough of a distraction that she could make a swift escape in the confusion. She took to the trees, swiftly winding her way through the foliage and out of the proximity, ignoring the shouts that were coming from the direction of the well.
--
Sailor Mars would never admit outright that she was probably just a little out of shape, but she did make note of it as she paused before a stream, out of breath, lungs and legs aching as she stopped. She bent forward, hands resting on her knees, desperately fighting to control her gasping breaths.
'That wasn't even two miles.'
As her composure slowly came back to her, she threw a glance over her shoulder before facing back in the direction she'd come from. She closed her eyes, continuing to try and calm herself as she used her senses to scan the direction she'd come from. Just barely, she could feel the faint aura of Inuyasha. If she kept moving at the pace she'd been at previously, she could easily lose him, but for now, that was near impossible for her. That mad dash had left her tired enough; any more and she'd have no energy left to fight if anything else decided to ambush her.
She turned back around, facing the river. The water would prove a hindrance to her attacks, assuming Inuyasha was smart enough to utilize it properly, but she could always find a way around any issues that sprung up.
Deftly, she leapt to the other side of the river, ignoring the protest that came from her legs as she landed. Whoever decided to equip these outfits with heels was a sadistic bastard, she decided with a light groan.
It took a few minutes, but Mars was ready for Inuyasha when he came barreling ungracefully through the trees and into view on the other side of the river. He barely looked winded.
"Running was a big mistake," he called from his side of the river, a feral grin making its way onto his face. Mars glared darkly at him, tempted to start hurling fireballs at his face.
"We'll see about that," she replied carelessly, stretching her arms out slightly as she gathered her energy. "I hope you're ready to feel the fire."
If anything, his smirk grew wider. She was almost put off by his confidence, but quickly decided not to let that deter her as she readied herself for the first move. Quickly moving, she produced an ofuda, placing it before her face, between her index fingers.
Inuyasha, from her point on the other side of the river, growled, not about to let her get the first move. First he yanked out his sword, and in a flash, it became large and deadly. He then backed up a touch, just enough to get a running jump in order to make it to the other side of the river.
He was too slow.
"Fire Soul Bird!"
The fiery rendition of a phoenix burst forth, charged by the ofuda, right towards Inuyasha, who was in midair. In response, he twisted around, oddly agile, and used his sword to slice right through the flames like it was nothing. Mars couldn't hide the shock that came onto her face.
Fine. If he wanted to play like that, she could easily match him.
She dashed back, putting distance between herself and him. Already, she was preparing for her next attack, waiting for him to land on the banks before unleashing it.
"Mars Snake Fire!"
His bare feet had barely hit the dirt before the attack came rushing at him. The flame snake's jaw was already wide open, ready to consume the target in the inferno. Inuyasha had no time to react, which was just what Mars had wanted.
The attack engulfed his form, and Mars could barely make out his shimmering form in the immense amount of flames. Just as quickly as they'd covered him, the flames died away.
Inuyasha stood, unscathed, a smug look on his face. Mars threw a hissy fit.
"What the hell?! You're supposed to be fried!" she snapped, pointing her finger at him accusingly. "How come you're not well-done yet?!!"
"Heh, fire can't touch me," he grinned, tugging on his red robes. "Flame resistant."
For once, Sailor Mars had a supreme wish she had someone else's element to wield. Jupiter's thunder seemed like it would be wonderful right about now. Alas, she would have to improvise for the moment.
She readied a few slips of ofuda, concealing them as she waited for Inuyasha to come within her range. She was thankful he was a hard-headed idiot, as he came charging at her head-on, sword poised for the kill.
When he was just a mere yard away, she flipped over his head with ease, flinging ofuda at his quickly halting form as she twisted around to face him before landing easily on her feet a good distance away.
Inuyasha was frozen, on the ground, the large amount of ofuda having taken effect in the blink of an eye. Mars grinned triumphantly, standing and dusting off her outfit.
"Take that." She gloated only briefly, knowing that the charms would only last so long. With a farewell salute, she took off along the river, pausing for a brief moment before continuing on at full speed, fully intent on putting as much space between him and her as possible.
--
"You lost her?!" Kagome hollered at Inuyasha, who's ears flattened against his head in an attempt to dull the piercing sound of her voice.
"She hit me with those damn charms of hers!" he snapped back. Kagome didn't let up.
"I don't care! You just ruined the chance for me to meet THE Sailor Mars!" she wailed. "That's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"
"Keh, whatever," he spun away from her, folding his arms over his chest. Kagome sniffled.
"I'm too sleep-deprived for this. I'm going to bed. AND NO I DON'T CARE IF IT'S A FEW HOURS UNTIL DAYLIGHT."
She stormed off, back towards the village, fully intent on sleeping late for the day. The rest of the group stared at her as she did.
"She's overreacting," Inuyasha grumbled, holding up his hand. Between his forefinger and thumb was the shard Sailor Mars had taken. The other two members of the group laughed slightly, amused.
--
Rei had changed back to her civilian disguise a while ago, thinking it would help throw anyone off of her trail if she was still being followed. So far she hadn't detected any pursuers, so she could assume she was safe for the time being.
Then again, it was hard to presume oneself safe in a land where demons were running rampant.
Flicking her hair over her shoulder while puffing out a sigh, she slowed her pace down a notch. She didn't have a clue what time it was, but she roughly estimated that it was at least three, judging from the moon's position in the sky. It would be almost useless to find a place to sleep, seeing as she'd have to be up and about once the sun was out, lest she wanted to become something's breakfast.
Ew, Rei-pancake. That didn't sound appealing.
Of course, the human side of her was screaming to take a rest, maybe a small cat nap until she was more recharged. All of that fleeing had worn her out pretty good, and she was starting to feel the aches in her everything from all the exertion she put herself through earlier.
So far, her human side was beating her logical side up. She would need to find shelter to take a break in while she recovered. Even the great Rei Hino had limits, and she had pushed hers pretty far, especially considering how she hadn't turned into Sailor Mars for several years now.
--
"Hey, pretty lady, are you alright?"
Rei did not want to move at all, much less respond to the voice that had begun to seep into her consciousness.
"Huh, maybe she's dead ..." And suddenly, she was poked in the leg. She moaned, shifting slightly before forcing herself to fully wake up.
She did not expect to see a little girl crouching in front of her, and she nearly went screaming up the tree out of surprise.
"Who are you?!" she breathed, staring at the child before her. Said child offered a lopsided grin.
"My name's Rin!"
"... Rin."
"Yep! What's your name, pretty lady?"
"Rei."
"Hi Rei!" Rin continued to beam brightly up at her.
"Are you alone?" Rei eyed her wearily.
"Oh no!" she smiled. "I'm traveling with Lord Sesshoumaru and Jaken!"
"With a ... lord?" she breathed. Rin didn't seem like she'd be the sort of company a lord would keep; with her unkempt hair and common clothes, she seemed more like a peasant.
"Uh-huh!" Rin's head bobbed up and down enthusiastically.
"... alright." Rei decided that, by this point, she wouldn't let anything else take her by surprise.
"You're clothes are weird," Rin commented. "Why do they look so funny?"
Rei didn't know how to respond, or more appropriately, what she was supposed to say. Setsuna never covered the finer details of time travel, especially to the past, seeing as it was never warranted before now.
"... I'm not from around here." The answer sounded safe enough, so she figured it was good enough for now.
"Where are you from?"
Well, crap.
"Far, far away – somewhere you've never heard of." It wasn't as if she was lying to the kid – after all, it was the partial truth, so her conscience wouldn't be going psychotic over the matter.
"Oh, okay."
There was a moment of silence as Rin hummed some random little tune to herself, rocking on her bare feet. She broke it quite abruptly.
"Hey, wanna play with me?" Rin tilted her head to the side, still smiling innocently. Rei didn't see any harm in accepting the offer for now.
"Sure."
"Let's go!" Rin snatched up Rei's hand, practically dragging the older female to her feet and out of the area she'd been previously sleeping in. Soon, she was dragged back to the river she'd been following during the night.
Without hesitation, Rin dashed into the shallow area of the river, sending enough water flying and making enough commotion to rival that of an elephant's entry into water. She only paused in her crazed water antics to yank up the skirt of her robes and secure them in their spot, where water would hit them the least.
"C'mon Lady Rei!"
Lady Rei. It took the priestess a moment to register that. But oh, she could definitely get used to being called that.
Hesitantly, Rei approached the riverbank, removing her shoes and dipping a foot in to test the water. As expected, it was cold and it sent shivers up her spine, but it wasn't necessarily unpleasant. She took a moment to brace herself before she stepped all the way in, getting soaked to the ankles. It was a good thing she'd worn capris before heading out of the house last night.
She kept a weary eye on Rin, lest the girl lose her footing and get carried away by the current. Rei knew how to save herself if she got caught in the river; she wasn't quite sure Rin did, which warranted the extra caution.
Really, she wasn't entirely sure why she'd even agreed to play with the kid. She was never big on children in the first place – most of them annoyed her right out of her skin. She'd been able to handle Chibiusa, just because of their common interest in bugging Usagi; Chibi Chibi hadn't been around her enough to bother her.
So why was she putting up with Rin, who was probably barely even ten? It made no sense in her mind why she was doing this and what made her want to do it. It was stupid, it was pointless, and it was extremely careless – the whole thing could've been a trap for all she knew!
But it wasn't, her mind reminded her. This was alright; it was allowed. Rin had done nothing to really annoy her so far (besides wake her up, which was more a favor, seeing as she hadn't intended to doze off so deeply in the first place), and she didn't feel any ill intention nearby, so maybe this wasn't a bad thing.
"RIIIIINNNNN!!"
At the cry of her name, the girl stopped jumping around in the water for a brief moment, grinning broadly.
"Over here Lord Jaken!" she cheered, flailing her arms madly before continuing to slosh around.
Rei briefly wondered what this Jaken was going to look like, but it was for nothing; a few moments later, the foliage that she and Rin had come from earlier rustled around quite a bit before a stout figure emerged.
Rei almost blanched at the sight. It was obviously a demon (she didn't need her senses to pick up on that), and it looked almost like a beaked toad, although it was more fitting of the description of an imp. A kappa, maybe? She wasn't about to brush off any possibilities.
"Hi Lord Jaken!" Rin waved frantically again. Jaken seemed to pay her no mind, instead turning to look at Rei.
"What's this human wench doing here?!" he snapped.
Oh, he did not just call Rei Hino a wench.
.:Fin:.
Oh gawd, my immaturity knows now bounds. Am I the only one who cracked up on the line "He yanked his sword out, and in a flash, it became large and deadly."? Aw, c'mon, YOU KNOW YOU LAUGHED.
Many thanks to the oracle, a BSSM encyclopedia that helped me remember every single one of Sailormars' attacks ;u; Yeah, I forgot them, big deal ... my brain cells aren't equipped to remember that sort of crap (even though I used to be able to list'em off the top of my head ...). And of course, I love both anime and manga Rei equally – but manga Rei exhibits a slight more mature nature than anime Rei. So, obviously, attacks of anime and manga Sailormars are combined, as are personality traits of Rei in here, especially serving for later story purposes.