The Sailor Scouts had been bumped, jostled, and thrown about the orb as it raced through the dimensional gaps. Finally, it had come to a stop and hovered over the ground. This momentary pause allowed everyone was able to get their balance. Serena got to her feet and made sure her friends were all right. She still couldn't figure out what the heck was going on. Was this some kind of negaverse trick? Did her friends get caught because the negaverse was after her? Serena forgot about that for the moment and focused on the situation at hand.
"I think we've finally stopped," Raye said, peering out through the walls of the orb.
"Yeah, but now what?" Lita asked.
Amy had her computer out and was typing in equations. Mina looked at her incredulously. "Amy, do you really think this is such a good time for that?!"
Amy continued her work as she said, "I'm trying to figure out where we are. After that bumpy ride, it's very doubtful that we are still anywhere near our original location."
Reenie hugged her Luna Ball worriedly. "You mean we could be in another country? Or continent?"
The computer beeped and Amy checked the readout. "What?!" she gasped as she stared at the screen in astonishment.
Serena came over. "What is it? Did you find something?"
Amy nodded. "According to this data, we're nowhere near Tokyo. In fact, we're not even in the same dimension!"
"Huh? You mean we've somehow crossed into another dimension?" Darien asked doubtfully."
"I know it sounds crazy, but that's the only thing I can conclude." Amy looked at the group with a grave expression. "We have been transported to a totally new world."
Reenie looked up at Darien fearfully. "What's going to happen to us?"
Darien glanced at Serena, who looked just as worried. Serena turned and gazed out at the alien landscape. "I don't know Reenie. I just don't know."
After an equally jarring trip, the Ronin Warriors contemplated their predicament. "Where do you think we are?" Cye asked.
"Well, we're definitely not in Kansas anymore." Kento said.
"This is serious Kento," Sage said, annoyed. "It's not a time to be joking."
Kento regarded him solemnly. "I wasn't joking."
"Actually, I'm more concerned about how we're going to get back home." Mia tried get an idea of where they were, but she couldn't see very well through the orb's wall. "At any rate, we should probably be on our guard. Here, Yuli," Mia said as she took off the Jewel of Life and placed it around Yuli's neck. "As long as we're here, you should keep this. That way you'll be safer."
Yuli looked at the jewel in surprise, than smiled at Mia. "Thanks, Mia! I can handle anything with this!"
"Guys! Look at Cye!" Everyone turned at the sound of Kento's voice.
Ryo stared at his friend in shock. "What is that?"
A soft, light blue glow surrounded Cye. A stunned expression on his face, he lifted his hands and watched the blue light shimmer around them. "What... What's happening?"
Amy was having a equally strange experience. She was shining in her own blue light. "Guys, something's wrong!"
"Amy?" Serena went to her friend. Amy started to say something, but she began to fade away. "Amy! No!" Serena desperately grabbed for Amy, but her hand went right through her. Amy looked at Serena helplessly as she disappeared until there was nothing but sparkling blue energy. The energy shrunk into a small point of light, and shot out of the orb. Serena ran to the orb's wall and beat it with her fists. "Amy! Come back!"
"Cye! Try to fight it!" Ryo shouted. To no avail, Cye vanished into blue energy. The energy turned into a point of light, then darted out of the orb. "Cye!" Ryo stopped as he felt a strange jolt of power. He began to glow in a red light.
Raye also began to glow in a fiery crimson light. She and Ryo both disappeared and turned into tiny spheres of light that escaped from the orb. Lita, Sage, Mina, Artemis, and Kento followed them. "Guys!" Serena was beside herself. She didn't know what was happening to her friends. She suddenly heard a gasp of surprise from Reenie. She turned to see Reenie and her Luna Ball fade away in a flash of pink energy and bolt out of the orb.
In the other orb, Yuli and Whiteblaze also disappeared into pink energy. "Yuli! Whiteblaze!" Mia and Rowen tried to catch the point of energy before it got away, but they weren't fast enough. Rowen fell to his knees and pounded the ground in frustration. "What the hell is going on?!" Then he started glowing.
Serena was in tears. "Reenie!" she cried out. She began sobbing. Darien came to her and held her in his arms, not knowing what to do. Luna was equally lost. She wanted to say some words of comfort but suddenly she and Serena started glowing. Darien tried to hold on to her, but she and Luna vanished as the others had and was gone. Darien was alone.
Mia could only watch as Rowen disappeared. She was now also alone. "What is going on?"
The young girl was kicking herself for being so stupid. She should have known this would happen. The magic of her world had pulled the ones she had summoned to places controlled by the elements they were in tune with. Those places were inhabited by evil forces. They would all be in incredible danger. Never mind that, she thought, I've got to get those other two here quickly. She concentrated on her orbs and called them back. Instantly, they appeared before her. Each shot out a beam of the light that formed into a person. The light faded away and Mia and Darien stood there, blinking and looking around, confused.
"Welcome." Both turned to see the little child behind them. "I apologize for what has happened to your friends, but I'm afraid that it was unavoidable."
Mia's eyes widened. "You! You were the little girl that appeared in the orb!"
"You're the reason we were brought here!" Darien stepped towards the little girl and confronted her. "Where are my friends? Where is Serena and Reenie?"
Mia quickly stepped between him and the girl. "Hold it! You can't just accuse a child like that! Calm down!"
"What business is it of yours?" Darien spoke furiously. "My friends could be in trouble! And I know she has something to do with it!"
Mia held her ground. "Look, my friends are missing too. But we need to stay calm." She glanced back at the child. "Maybe we should listen to what she has to say."
Darien sighed in frustration and backed off. "Fine. Let's hear it."
The little girl smiled kindly. "Despite my appearance, I am actually much older than I appear." Her smile faded and her face became serious. "Now there is much to tell you. And there isn't much time."
Cye of the Torrent was in a half conscious state. He felt aware of what was happening, but he was also felt slightly detached from his mind. He wasn't particularly worried though. He was, however, concerned about his friends. Where are they, he thought, trying to get a hold of reality. Cye was having trouble remembering things. He remembered some kind of energy bubble and he remembered a blue light..... His mind was foggy after that. What had happened?
The two blue dots of light sped across the landscape until they came to halt above a lake. The two lights expanded and Amy and Cye rematerialized. Still glowing, both of them floated in midair, in a dream state. Cye felt as though he could finally move and he opened his eyes. He blinked and his eyes widened. Amy rubbed her eyes and when they cleared, she looked around and gasped. All around them there were pools of filled with murky, green swamp water. Around the pools there was nothing but sand and bunches of rocks and scraggy trees. The sky was a dank gray. In a the distance, there was a huge volcano spewing black smoke into the sky. In another direction there were mountainous rocks with jagged edges. Cye looked at the landscape with shocked dismay. "This whole world looks dead," he whispered. Then he happened to look down and notice that he was still hovering in midair above one of those pools of water. "Whoa!"
Amy, who had been surveying the terrain and was equally saddened by the state the terrain was in, heard a gasp and suddenly realized she was not alone. She turned her head to see Cye standing next to her. "Hey! Who.....?" she started when she noticed he wasn't even listening to her, but staring down at something. Amy turned her eyes downwards and finally caught on to the fact she was levitating above a pool of water. It was at this point that gravity decided reestablished it's hold on them and both of them plunged towards the water.
Amy cried out in surprise as she started to plummet down. Cye heard a noise next to him as he fell and looked to see Amy falling with him. Whoa, better arm up! he thought. His armor crystal materialized in his hand. "Armor of Torrent!" The sign of trust flared up on his forehead and his body armor flashed and appeared on him. Seconds later he splashed and sunk into the mucky water. He waited for moment then he opened his eyes and looked around. It was hard to see anything in this water. Cye knew the girl he saw was around somewhere, but he was having a difficult locating her in this stuff. He wasn't worried about drowning. With his body armor, he could swim like a fish. He also knew he could hold his breath for a good stretch of time, but he didn't know how long the girl could. He finally spotted a dark form below him near the bottom of the pond. Not waiting, he kicked his feet and headed down.
Amy should have been able to get back up to the surface, but she had a few strikes against her. One, she was extremely disoriented and had no idea which way was up. Two, she was choking on water she had swallowed and desperately needed to get air. Third, she had gone straight to the bottom and was tangled in some kind of weeds. Amy reached down and felt around her ankle where she was snagged until she could get untied. She finally succeeded and pushed off the bottom. Suddenly, something else caught her foot. She was jerked backwards and her other leg got caught. She fought hard to get loose, her lungs screaming for air.
Cye could see her better the farther down he got. She was struggling against something. He reached the bottom and saw she was stuck in some weeds. No wait, he thought as he came closer, those aren't weeds. Weeds can't drag a person backwards. Then he noticed that this pond was occupied. Half buried in the sand, a slimy head with two huge green eyes were peeking out. The thing had the girl wrapped in it's tentacles and was pulling her into it's burrow. Cye quickly pushed off the bottom and launched himself towards it. At the last second he spun himself around in mid-flight and planted his heel on one of those huge eyes. The creature let out a agonized scream of pain, black gunk oozing from it's eyes. It released Amy and scrambled back into it's hole, screeching. Cye took this chance and grabbed the girl's wrist. He swam up as hard as he could before the thing decided to try to get them again.
Amy could vaguely see someone pulling her up and feebly kicked her legs, but she was so tired. Her vision was blurred and her body felt like it was made of lead. She struggled to hold on to the hand that was on her wrist. Cye could feel the grip on his hand weakening. She was going to die if he didn't hurry. He swam faster and finally they broke the surface.
Cye held on to the girl and pulled her to shore. He set her on the ground and plopped down on the sand, breathing hard. Amy gasped for air, exhausted and half-drowned. She started to pass out, but someone shook her, saying something she couldn't understand. Amy just wanted to rest and tried to shake the person off. She was turned over on her back and she could see a dark shadow looming over her. Then she lost consciousness.
"Come on! Wake up! Hey!" Cye shook her, but she didn't respond. She was still breathing, so Cye decided she was just worn out. "Poor kid," he said sympathetically. He gently lifted her up in his arms, and looked around for a safe place to hide. He definitely didn't want to be out in the open where they might get attacked again. He spotted a group of rocks that formed a small circle. He climbed inside and laid the girl down carefully. Then he sat down with his back against one of the rocks and closed his eyes. He needed to rest and think. What was going on? And where were his friends? His memory had come back now and he remembered what had happened, though it wasn't helping his current situation. I do know this much, he thought. I'm in big trouble.....
The first thing Raye became aware of was a roaring sound. She groggily opened her eyes and sat up, covering her ears. Where am I, she wondered, looking around. She had been with her friends when Amy vanished, then she felt that weird energy surround her. Now she was here, wherever here was. Raye could see a dark, ashen sky through an opening in the ceiling high above her. The walls around were a deep, fiery red, and there were passages and tunnels leading out of the room. It was a cavern inside a volcano. That roaring sound was coming from a huge crater near her. Raye stood up shakily, walked to the edge of the crater, and peered down. A blast of heat hit her in the face. Raye jumped back, then peeked over the edge more carefully. Down below her was a huge pit of lava, bubbling and steaming. The roaring noise was just from the heat of it.
Raye was suddenly hit by a wave of dizziness. She could feel an immense evil force in this place. It was overwhelming. She staggered forward and her foot slipped on the edge of the pit. "Look out!" Someone caught her arm and pulled her back, saving her life. They both fell backwards and she crashed on top of someone. Raye jerked her hand away and jumped up, whirling around to face the person. She found a young man with black hair and blue eyes looking back at her, still on the ground where he fell. He had on an odd outer armor that was red and white. Raye immediately sensed an intense power coming from this guy. She assumed it was the same energy she had felt before. And she had sensed it just before this guy showed up so..... Raye was on her guard and put a couple feet between herself and him, ready to kick his ass if he even blinked.
Ryo rubbed his back where he had bruised it. "Ow.... Well, that was fun."
Raye narrowed her eyes and took an attack stance. "Stay right there! You think you can fool me? I'm not dumb, you know!"
Confused, Ryo stood up carefully. This girl obviously thought he was dangerous or something. He took a step forward, trying his best not to seem threatening. "Uh, are you ok? You nearly fell in there."
That did it. Raye crouched down, than leapt into the air. It was so unexpected that Ryo just stood there with a surprised look on his face. Raye pulled out one of her anti-evil scrolls. "You're dust, buddy! Evil spirit, be gone!" With that, she came down and smacked the scroll on Ryo's forehead. Ryo reeled back from the impact and crashed on his back again. Raye landed on her feet and stood up, looking smug. "Well, that was easy. You're going to have to do better than that to beat me." She glanced back at Ryo, then gasped in shock. Ryo was sitting up and trying to pulling the scroll off his forehead. "What?!" He should be frozen in his spot, she thought. Unless..... Raye suddenly grasped what was wrong. "Oh, crap!" She rushed over to Ryo and helped him up. "I'm so sorry!"
Ryo finally managed to pry Raye's scroll off his face. "Do you, uh, want this back?"
Raye face turned red in embarrassment. "I'm sorry! I thought you were some kind of evil monster. I really didn't mean to."
Ryo got to his feet and smiled. "Well, I'd hate to be the monster that runs into you. It looks like you'd put up a pretty good fight."
Raye blushed. Is he flirting with me?! Oh wow, he's cute and...... Raye suddenly shook herself and thought, wait a minute, what am I doing? "Hold it! Even though you saved me, you still have some kind of weird power. What are you really here for?"
Ryo looked at Raye, startled. What is she talking about, he thought. She couldn't possibly know about him. Unless, maybe she was connected to the Dynasty somehow? Ryo discarded that theory. She was obvious not evil, but did she knew something about his powers. He probably shouldn't tell her too much until he found out what she knew. "Well, uh, you see...." he started to say when suddenly the ground started to shake.
"What the.....?" Raye stumbled and regained her balance. She and Ryo turned towards the crater to see huge streams of lava shooting out of the opening. The air around them began to heat up. "It's erupting!" Raye shouted.
"Come on, run!" Ryo grabbed her arm and pulled her towards one of the tunnels. They were barely through the entrance when pressure in the crater exploded, knocking Ryo and Raye off their feet. Ryo winced in pain and got to his knees, when he noticed it was getting hotter. He turned around to see lava bursting out of the hole and rushing towards them. Ryo jumped to his feet and pulled Raye up. "Move it, or we're going to get fried!" he yelled, sprinting and hauling Raye with him.
Raye was having trouble keeping up with Ryo and not tripping. "Slow down! You're going too....." Raye happened to glance over her shoulder to see a wave of lava following them. "Whoa!" She shook off Ryo's hand and began running at his pace. They came to the end of the tunnel to find a themselves trapped at dead end. There was nothing but a high ledge, and past it was a deep abyss. The two skidded to a stop, kicking rocks over the edge of the cliff. "We're trapped!"
Ryo was at a loss. The lava wouldn't even have to touch them to incinerate them. The heat alone would kill them first. He already felt like they were in a oven. Ryo searched for any kind of escape. Suddenly he spotted another ledge higher above them. "Look!" He pointed up at it. "We'll be safe if we can get to that ledge."
Raye was worried. She was a good jumper, but that was high even for her. She wasn't sure if she could make it. Raye looked back at the approaching lava, her hair starting to singe. She knew it was better to at least try. "I can probably make it," she said with grim determination. "But I'm going to need a boost."
Ryo quickly hoisted Raye onto his shoulders. Raye got ready, then leapt with all she had for that ledge. Ryo pushed up on her feet to give her extra leverage. She sprang up towards the edge and managed to grab a hold of it. She pulled herself up and looked down at Ryo. "Ok, come on! I'll help you up!"
Ryo would have laughed if he hadn't been in such a hurry. He jumped powerfully for the ledge and sailed right over Raye's head. She whirled around in astonishment to see Ryo land neatly behind her. He faced her and grinned, saying, "Thanks, but I think I'm ok."
"How did you......?" Raye was interrupted as the lava crashed through the opening where they had been and flowed over the side of the chasm, hissing and boiling as it hit the bottom.
Ryo watched with more than a little relief, then looked at Raye and said, "Man, did we get lucky. It's definitely not safe in this place. We should probably find a way out of here." He headed for a passage, but Raye hung back, still not sure about him. "Look," he said, turning back to her, "I know you don't trust me, but we need to work together." He offered his hand. "Ok?"
Raye looked at him suspiciously, then reluctantly put her hand in his and shook it. "Fine. I'll believe you on this one, but I want some answers soon!"
Ryo nodded. "Deal." They released each others hand and Ryo spoke in a good-natured tone. "My name's Ryo."
Raye was taken back a bit by his friendliness. Then she finally relaxed and smiled, meeting his eyes for the first time without distrust. "I'm Raye." With that being said, the two headed towards the passage.
I did not ask for this, Sage thought, feeling rather irritated about the whole situation. He had woken up from his trance to find himself in some kind of cave. The surfaces of the walls and ceiling were smooth and reflective, like marble. The walls themselves were a dark green, but they glowed faintly every so often, filling the room with a soft emerald glow. It gave more light to the vicinity around Sage, which was bleakly lit. It he hadn't been so preoccupied, Sage would have been awed by the place.
A noise in the tunnel behind Sage made him aware that he was not alone. He whirled around, shouting, "Who's there?" He peered into the darkness of the tunnel, but couldn't find anything. But his nerves were still on edge. He'd had enough experience with the Dynasty to know when to trust his instincts and his crystal of wisdom was instantly in his hand. "Armor of Halo!" His clothes were instantly replaced with his green body armor. "Come on, I know you're there! Show yourself!" He suddenly got a response that made him wish he hadn't opened his mouth, as several pairs of red eyes flashed to life in the darkness.
Three forms stepped into the light, growling menacingly. They bared their teeth at him, looking like they hadn't had dinner for a while. Sage recognized the animals and sighed. "Great. Wolves."
They were close to wolves, anyway. Their mud colored fur was matted and tangled. They had vicious looking claws and their snouts were pushed in, giving them the slight appearance of bulldogs. Very mean, dangerous bulldogs. Dangerous or not though, Sage was going to defend himself, though he couldn't help thinking to himself, why do I always get the wolves?
One of them leapt at him, going for his throat. Sage jumped out of the way and delivered a blow with his fist at the other one that tried to attack him. The third one bite down on his ankle and with incredible strength, pulled his foot out from under him. Sage crashed on his back, the creature still holding on to his ankle. It's jaws began to sink through his body armor, and Sage winced in pain. Another wolf rushed at him. He saw it coming and struggled to shake off the one on his leg. The wolf went for his throat again, and at the last second, Sage managed to bring his foot up and lash out at the approaching beast, kicking the one on his ankle into it. It let go with a yelp of pain and both fell into a pile. Sage was on his feet in an instant, standing ready.
The two got up and the third joined them. They snarled, obviously enraged at him. Then they suddenly sat on their haunches. Each one lifted his head and began to howl, a strange echoing sound. Sage watched, startled at this. What are they doing, he thought. They began glowing with an evil red light, then they all merged together. The form grew to twice Sage's height and morphed into huge werewolf. It stood on it's hind legs, saliva dripping from it's teeth. It's claws were razor sharp and ready to shred him to pieces. Sage backed up, thinking he had gotten more than he had bargained for.
The wolf lunged at Sage. He dodged around it, only to get the back- handed by the thing. He collided into a wall and hit the ground. Dazed, Sage struggled to his feet when suddenly the wolf grabbed him by the throat and lifted him above it's head. Sage tried to pry the thing's paws off his neck, while kicking it as hard as he could, but he may as well have been kicking at a brick wall for all the good it did him. The wolf began choke him, crushing his windpipe. Sage gagged, fighting harder. No, he thought desperately, I'm not going to die like this! But the creature was too strong and Sage just couldn't get free. The wolf lifted his other paw and the claws shot out, extending to a deadly length. It brought back it's paw, ready to slash Sage. Sage started seeing red and his kicks grew weaker. He saw it was hopeless, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow. I'm sorry guys, he thought sadly, I tried, but I just wasn't strong enough.
The creature let out a victorious howl, then thrust it's claws towards Sage chest. He waited to be finished off, when he suddenly heard a loud thud, followed by several cracks. The thing shuddered, then released him. Sage collapsed to the ground. He clutched his throat and gasped for air. "What the.......?" He looked up and saw the wolf standing there. It had a shocked look on it's face, if shock was an emotion that the thing could show. Wheezing, it convulsed, and Sage noticed someone in front the thing. She had her fist shoved into the thing's gut. Sage was amazed. The girl had been able to catch the thing off guard, saving his life.
The wolf staggered back, holding it's stomach. The girl straightened up, her hand still balled into fist. "Back off, flea-bag!" She glared at the thing, her voice cold and steely. "If want to pick on someone, pick on me!" Sage saw her grimace slightly, then saw her hand was mangled. He realized that the cracks he heard were from her hand. She had punched the wolf so hard she had broken it. But otherwise, she showed no discomfort from it.
The creature had recovered from her blow and snarled furiously. Lita was undaunted, and narrowed her eyes. She was in incredible pain, but she ignored it. This thing would obviously would not give her any sympathy anyway. Lita moved in front of the young man she had saved, acting as a shield. She wasn't about to let him die while she was around. "Just stay back, okay?" she said, glancing at him over her shoulder.
Sage was astounded. She sure had a lot of guts to take that thing on. And besides, he was supposed to be the brave hero and save her! He got to his feet, rubbing his sore neck. "Wait a sec..." he began, when they were interrupted by the wolf as it leapt at them. They both jumped out of the way. Lita hit the ground, jarring her bad hand. She cried out in agony, which attracted the beast towards her. It wanted a helpless prey, but Lita was far from helpless. She gritted her teeth and stood up, determined to beat this thing. She rushed it, surprising the wolf. Using her good hand, she landed several punches in it's face. But she was like a fly trying to attack a gorilla. The creature smacked her in the face, sending her to the ground. Lita landed hard on her side, the blow leaving her dizzy from pain. She fought to regain her senses, but while she was, the wolf loomed over her. It raised it's claws, ready to kill her.
"NO!" The wolf heard the voice and looked up in time to see Sage leap into the air, bringing his hands together into a fist. His anger rose and he felt power surging through him. He raised his arms above his head and brought his fists down on the wolf's head, his trademark attack. The force of it drove the thing's head into it's body, and Sage heard it's bones crunching. He landed and watched as the wolf toppled over. When he was sure it was dead, he let out a sigh of relief.
Sage suddenly heard a moan, and he turned to see the girl still laying on the ground. He rushed over, and knelt beside her. Lita's hand was badly broken, and she held onto her wrist as if it would help somehow. But her head had cleared and she could think straight. Sage lifted her into a sitting position. Lita did her best to hide her discomfort, and asked him, "Are you alright?"
Sage looked at her in surprise. "Me? What about you? That monster hit you pretty hard. And your hand looks terrible! Here, let me look at it."
Lita pulled away from him, shaking her head. "No, really, I'm fine. You don't have to....." Lita then looked at his face for the first time. She suddenly noticed how handsome he was. His wild blond hair, his startlingly indigo eyes, his concerned face. Lita turned her eyes downwards, blushing slightly and forgetting about her hand. Wow, she thought, he looks just like my old boyfriend! She nodded finally, saying, "Ok..."
Sage gently took her hand and saw that it was totally useless. She needed to see a doctor. But what were the odds they were going to find a hospital around here? Why Sage did what he did next he wasn't sure. Maybe because she was hurt, or because she had saved him, he didn't really know. He wasn't worrying about the consequences of his decision at that point. He just wanted to help her.
Sage took his other hand and placed it on hers. "Just stay still," he said, closing his eyes, "this will only take a sec." He began concentrating his power to heal her. Lita was bewildered, wondering what he was doing when she suddenly felt a current of energy flow into her hand. She stared as her hand began to glow. She could feel as the torn muscles reformed and the bones knit back together. Her hand shaped back into the normal form. When he was finished, Sage released her hand, feeling drained. It took a lot of his energy to do that, but he didn't regret it.
Lita was amazed. She carefully twisted her wrist a few ways and flexed her fingers without pain. Her hand was totally healed! She then looked at Sage, a little awed by him but full of gratitude. "Thank you," she said, a warm smile forming on her face.
Sage was weakened from the fight and from healing Lita, but he managed to stagger to his feet. He went to the wall and put his hand on it to steady himself. "Don't worry about it," he said wearily, "besides, if you hadn't attacked that thing to save me, you wouldn't have broken your hand. So I had to return the favor."
Lita was slightly dismayed at this. So, she thought, he only helped me because he felt he had to. But I won't give up! I'll just have to use my charms on him, she thought, plotting slyly, then he won't be able to resist me! Lita's daydreams were interrupted as she heard a thud. She whirled around to see Sage slumped over on the ground, exhausted. "Oh, no!" she gasped as she hurried over to him. Sage tried to get up, but he collapsed again. Lita put his arm over her shoulder and carefully stood up, supporting his weight.
Sage weakly lifted his head. "What....... What are you doing?"
Lita began to walk slowly, helping him along. "Well, you're obviously to weak to walk yourself, so I'm going to help you."
"What?" Sage shook his head, pushing Lita away and taking an unsteady step. But his strength faltered and he crashed to the ground. Lita knelt down, looking worried. "No, I don't need help," Sage protested feebly, "I can walk myself."
Lita picked him up again, looking at him rather skeptically. "Uh, yeah, you were doing real well just then until you fell on your face." She smiled kindly. "Now, are you going to cooperate, or am I going to have to carry you?" She spoke jokingly, giving Sage a wink.
He gazed at her for a moment, then finally relented and allowed himself supported by the girl. "Well, we wouldn't want that, would we?" he said, chuckling warily. "But if we get attacked again, I'm not going to be any help to you." He looked at her, confused. "Why don't you just leave me behind?"
Lita spoke firmly. "Don't even think that! I'm not about to leave you after you saved my life." She lead him to tunnel door, stopping to let Sage rest. "If we get attacked again, I'll take care of it, ok?" She then realized that she never found out this guy's name. "By the way, my name is Lita." She glanced at Sage expectantly. "And you?"
"Sage." He sighed, tired and weak. "And...... thank you."
"Don't mention it." They walked along in silence, entering the darkness and the unknown.
"Where are we?"
Mina sighed and looked at Artemis with an annoyed expression. "What makes you think I know?"
Artemis looked at her and frowned. "Actually, it was a rhetorical question, Mina."
Mina became sheepish. "Oh, right!" She scratched her head and took in the view, though it wasn't much of one. The ground was dry and dusty, and the color of clay. All around, towering mountainous rocks loomed over them. The area everywhere else was low, like a valley. It was like being inside the Grand Canyon, only the Grand Canyon was nice. These rocks were jagged and all a dank brown. The silence permeated every corner and crevice of this place and the emptiness seemed almost oppressive, pressing in from all directions. Mina hugged herself and shivered, feeling very alone. She was grateful that Artemis was here with her. "What should we do?" she said for the sake of hearing her own voice inside of listening to the eerie quiet.
Artemis jumped down from Mina's arms and pointed a paw. "Only thing we can do is look for the others. Let's go this way until we find someone or something."
A huge sweat drop appeared on Mina's forehead. She'd heard lame plans before, but this was by far the worst. She was stressed out as it was, and this was just enough to push her over the edge. She exploded. "WHAT?????!!!!!!!!! THAT'S THE BEST YOU CAN DO????!!!!!!! WALK UNTIL WE FIND SOMETHING OR GET ATTACKED?!?! OR MAYBE WE CAN JUST TROT ALONG UNTIL WE JUST DIE FROM THIRST AND STARVATION!!!!!!" Her shouts bounced along the rocky walls and the echoes soon faded. Tiny pebbles slid off the valley's enclosures and ricocheted off the ground. This caught Mina's attention, and she paused in her tirade to look up in time to see a giant boulder slide off the side of one the rock walls and plummet down towards Artemis. "Artemis, look out!!"
To Mina, it was like someone had hit the slow motion button. Artemis raised his head to look up and his eyes widened in shock. He let out a screech of fear. In reality, it was only a few seconds later when the boulder slammed down upon Artemis. A split second before it landed, Mina thought she saw a flash of orange dart under the boulder. Then there was a tremendous booming crash and a huge cloud of dust erupted from the ground. Several other rocks freed themselves from rocky wall and plunged down. Mina shielded her eyes and struggled to hold her balance as the earth shook under her feet. The sound echoed violently all around her, then finally died away.
Mina uncovered her face and coughed, waving the dust away from her. "Artemis?" she called, looking around frantically. She got no answer. The clouds of grime were blown away as a cold wind sweep through the valley. "Artemis?!" Mina ran to where the rock had landed, searching around for a place that Artemis might have dashed to before the boulder hit. He had to have made it. Artemis couldn't be.... Mina wouldn't believe it, not after all they had been through. But she didn't see him anywhere.
"ARTEMIS!!!" she screamed his name, no longer calling for him, but giving in to reality. She sank to her knees, tears flowing freely down her face. She clenched her fists, dragging up earth in her fingers, her body trembling. Her tears stained the ground as she whispered, "Artemis.... Why? How.... Why did this have to happen?" She asked fate rather than herself, or whoever was responsible for this cruel hoax. She didn't try to hold back her sobs, in her sorrow for Artemis, her dearest friend for God knows how long, and her own loneliness. Artemis had always been her guardian, a pillar that held her up and always knew what to do. Without him, she'd never make alone.
In the midst of her misery, Mina suddenly heard a sound that leapt to her ears. She knew it well. She jumped to her feet, hardly daring to hope. "Artemis?" she called, begging for this not to be just in her mind. She heard it again! Yes, it wasn't her imagination! A cat's plaintive meow pierced through the silence.
Mina raced to the pile of rocks, pulling away chunks and pieces of the rumble, searching desperately. She heard another sound, a shifting, scraping noise. She turned to see a figure push out from under the rocks, coughing. His face was scratched up and dusty, and dirt was in his hair. He had on the strangest outfit, an orange body armor of some sort. But in his arms, shaken but otherwise unharmed, was a sooty looking white cat with a crescent moon on it's forehead.
Mina's eyes filled with tears again, but these were tears of joy. She raced over to the guy and whisked Artemis into her arms, cradling him gently. "Oh, God, Artemis! You're alive!"
Artemis began to emit a contented purr, happily nuzzling Mina's face. Meanwhile, the young man stood nearby, watching the reunion with a satisfied expression on his face. "I guess you both are okay, then."
Mina looked up and faced the young man, still holding on to Artemis. "Barely, but because of you, yes." She smiled and her eyes were filled with grateful tears. "Thank you so much." Artemis suddenly meowed insistently. Mina looked at Artemis confused, then understood and nodded. "Oh right! I almost forgot! My name is Mina." Artemis let out an annoyed meow, and Mina giggled, "And, of course, this is Artemis."
The guy grinned. "I'm Kento. Nice to meet you both." He then became serious, scrutinizing her. "But, could you explain something to me?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Mina was puzzled by his question.
"Well, like, how come that cat can talk?"
Mina almost dropped Artemis in surprise. He knew that Artemis could talk! "What... what do you mean?" she stammered, attempting to cover up her shock.
Kento's face turned a tinge red. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, uh," he said sheepishly, pointing his finger at a hollow in the valley wall. "I kind of woke of over in there and I heard you two talking. I was going to come out, but then I saw that you were talking to a cat." He shook his head in amazement. "So I sort of spied on you, until those rocks started to come down. But I managed to save your cat." Kento finished his story and asked, "So? What's with that cat? Am I going nuts or something?"
Mina was dumbfounded. She quickly fumbled for an excuse. "Uh, well, you see, uh........"
Artemis waited for her to make up something, anything at all. After a while, they were still standing there waited for Mina to explain. Artemis sighed, lowering his head. "Forget it, Mina. He already knows."
Both Mina and Kento gasped, staring at Artemis. "Artemis!" Mina hissed under her breath, "What are you doing?!"
"Well, you didn't seem to be thinking of anything."
Mina was irritated. "What am I suppose to tell him?!"
Kento watched the two argue, amused. After fighting against Talpa and the Dynasty, this wasn't exactly shocking to him. "Uh, guys?" Mina and Artemis stopped their fight long enough to glance over. "Listen, I hate to interrupt and all, but we really shouldn't stay here." Kento was in a hurry to find his friends. He didn't like to be separated from the guys, the worst stuff always seemed to happen when he was. "I need to find my friends. They could be in danger."
Mina's good mood faded. She'd been so preoccupied, she'd forgotten about her friends. "Yeah, that's right. My friends....." She felt like such a clod. "I'm so stupid! My friends are missing too!"
Kento grinned and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "Well, then come on! We should go find them!" He turned and headed towards one end of the valley.
Mina smiled happily. "Yeah!" She took off after him.
"Hey, wait a sec!" Artemis hurried to catch up with them, upset about being left behind. "That was my idea in the first place!"
Rowen was also having a few problems of his own. For one, he was high up on a mountain, or so it seemed to be to him anyway. He was surrounded by a flock of flying creatures that resembled one-eyed birds with razor sharp claws and beaks, and to make matters worse, they could spit acid or something out of their mouths. To top it all off, he was with a girl who was losing it. She had a crazy haircut, two buns with that came out in pigtails. She had a black cat with her that had a strange mark on it's forehead. The girl was dodging the birds as they swept in from left and right, occasionally falling on her face.
"Get away from me, you weird freaks!" the girl shouted angrily as she ran. Rowen jumped out of the way of an aerial projected acid spit from one of the creatures. The birds stayed in the air above their heads unless they attacked, so there was no way to attack them. He was really sick of getting attacked like this. He thought it had ended when the Dynasty was destroyed, but no, here he was again, fighting for his life.
Rowen was bewildered at this situation. He had been with Mia, when everyone disappeared and then he had woken up here. He had found the girl and the cat near him, and managed to wake them up too. Then, before he ask who the heck she was, the these mutant birds attacked.
The cat let out a yowl as it was almost hit by a gob of acid. It ran over to the girl, who had tripped again and was on her back. It jumped on her chest and, to Rowen's amazement, yelled in her face. "Will you stop carrying on like an idiot and fight back?!" The girl glared at her cat and then leapt to her feet, sending the cat flying off of her. "I was getting to it, ok?"
The cat got up from it's tumble, dodging another bird. "Well, it's about time!"
"Luna," the girl said, annoyed, "Give it a rest, will you?"
"Just transform already!" the cat screeched angrily.
Suddenly the girl noticed Rowen, who was still listening to them. "Luna, what about....?" she started, speaking urgently.
"Never mind, Serena! There's no time to debate about it right know!"
Serena finally nodded, casting a worried glance in Rowen's direction. "Okay...." Serena grabbed her brooch and raised it into the air. "Moon Cosmic Power!"
The brooch opened and the crystal inside sparkled brightly. Serena attached the brooch to her chest as her clothes disappeared and her body became a rainbow of flowing colors. Ribbons shot out of the brooch and wrapped around her torso, her upper arms, and her legs. The ribbons flashed and turned into her sailor suit. A crescent moon shined on her forehead, extending across to make her tiara, and her earrings and neck band sparkled and formed.
"I won't stand for ugly creatures that attack innocent people!" she said with aggravation, starting off her little speech with less zeal then she usually had for this line of work.
"Uh, Sailor Moon?" Luna interjected abruptly
"I am the champion of love and justice, Sailor Moon!"
A huge sweat drop appeared on Luna's head. "Hey, hello?"
"And on behalf of the moon, I'll punish you!"
"SERENA!!!!!!" Luna shouted at the top of her lungs.
Sailor Moon looked down at Luna, annoyed. "What is it?!"
"Do you actually think those things can understand you?"
Sailor Moon started to retaliate, then realized Luna was right, which she hated. "Sorry, it was a force of habit." she said sheepishly.
Luna sighed. "Just take care of this, okay?"
Taking her tiara off, she nodded irritably. "Fine, whatever." The tiara gleamed brightly and shaped into a frisbee. "Moon Tiara Magic!" she cried, launching it into the air. The bird creatures didn't stand a catch. Each vaporized into dust as the tiara, directed by Sailor Moon's will, smashed into each of them. She didn't stop until they were all obliterated, then her tiara flew back to her hand. She coolly placed it back on her forehead, then turned her back on Luna as she grumbled, "Happy?"
Luna was slightly surprised at the number Sailor Moon had done on the birds and also at her sudden sour attitude. "Maybe more so if I didn't always have to remind you."
Sailor Moon walked over to the edge of the platform they were on, with her back still to Luna. "I'm doing the best I can, you know." she said quietly.
Luna had a skeptical expression. "Oh, yes, you were doing great being a total klutz. You know, if you put half the energy you put into tripping all the time......."
Sailor Moon suddenly whirled around and shouted furiously. Luna then saw her face was tear streaked. "What do you know, anyway?" she shouted, her voice catching in her throat. "I'm the one doing this, not you! It's so easy for you to judge and criticize when you're on the sidelines!" Both her hands were clenched into fists as she trembled. "The people I care about are in danger because of me, and all you can do is complain about the way I do this. I...I...." Sailor Moon fell silent, not able to contain her tears. All her friends, Darien, Reenie..... she could only assume that this had all happened because of her. Somehow, the enemy must have found out her identity and captured her friends to get to her. What if they were being held prisoner? What if they were being tortured? What if they were.....? Sailor Moon couldn't take this.
Luna felt guilty. She hadn't known that Serena blamed herself for what happened. She put a paw on Serena's foot, trying to think up some words of comfort. "You can't think this is your fault. How could this have anything to do with you?"
"Why else would we all be brought here for?" Sailor Moon's head was lowered in sadness.
"Well, maybe....."
"Um, excuse me?" Luna and Sailor Moon turned at Rowen's voice. He was still standing a few feet away from Sailor Moon and spoke seriously. "I don't know for sure, but I doubt we were brought here because of you."
"How do you know?" She asked miserably.
Rowen opened his palm and his crystal of Life suddenly appeared in his hand. Ignoring Luna and Sailor Moon's gasps of shock, he raised it into the air. "Armor of Strata!" His dark blue body armor flashed and was on him in a moment. He smiled lightly at Sailor Moon's and Luna's startled faces. "I'm Rowen of the Strata." He said, introducing himself. "And I guess you're Serena, or Sailor Moon, whichever it is." Glancing down at Luna, he added, "And Luna, is it? My friends and I were transported to this place somehow, and I'm looking for them like you are." He looked up thoughtfully. "So we all must have something to do with this."
Luna stepped forward and gazed at Rowen intently. Her eyes widened. "Amazing! I can sense an impressive aura coming from him. I was to busy to notice it before." She turned to Sailor Moon with a pleased expression. "Looks like we have an ally in this place."
Sailor Moon was a little apprehensive towards Rowen. "Maybe. But where did he come from? What if he's from the Negaverse?"
"No worries about that," Luna said with a shake of her head. "There's no evil energy in him."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Sailor Moon felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She was glad that this wasn't her fault. She had an ability to get everyone in trouble at times. Suddenly she heard a screeching caw and shrieked, jumping 5 feet into the air. "Oh, no! Those awful birds are coming back!" she wailed. Rowen and Luna both sweat dropped.
"Well, at least she's back to her old self," Luna commented.
Rowen looked at Luna incredulously. "This is normal for her?"
Luna smiled weakly. "Unfortunately, but you'll get used to it. Now," she said as her tone became businesslike, "We should really get a move on before those things attack again. Let's go you two, and we can fill each other in on more details." Luna trotted off down the path. Rowen and Sailor Moon glanced at each other. They both nodded and followed Luna. Resolved, they both vowed to find their friends no matter what.
Reenie hugged her Luna Ball close to her and trembled. It was so strange here, and she was all alone. She was in a weird room with a white floor, ceiling, and walls. There were pillars that extended from the floor to the ceiling around her, and there was just darkness beyond the pillars. Reenie sniffed unhappily. She hated this. She wished Darien or one of the girls was with her. Even Serena would be alright. Reenie just didn't want to be alone and afraid.
A soft growl caught her ears. She whirled towards the blackness, scouring the area for the source of the noise. Two eyes glinted at her. Reenie froze in terror, her breathing rapid. What do I do, what do I do, she thought fearfully, someone help me! Suddenly she scolded herself. Wait a minute! I'm a Sailor Scout too! I shouldn't be scared! I'm acting like Serena! I'm no chicken, I'm a warrior of justice! I have to fight!
"Luna Ball!" Reenie cried, running in a circle while bouncing her Luna Ball. "Kitty Magic!" She gave it a hard bounce and sent it into the air. It spun and burst into a puff of smoke. When it cleared, a slingshot fell into her hand. Reenie snatched it, quickly pulling back and aiming at the two glinting eyes. She shot at her target and hit it. Several flashes of light flared in the darkness, followed by a loud roar. Reenie didn't like the sound of that. "Uh, oh..."
A large white tiger with black stripes emerged from the darkness. It bared it's teeth and growled angrily. Reenie backed up quickly, tripping and falling on her back. She scooted backwards until she bumped against the wall. The tiger still stalked towards her. "Get away!" Reenie aimed her slingshot again to fire some more rounds.
"Hey, quit that!" Reenie halted as a little boy came out of the shadows and ran in front of the tiger. "Stop hurting Whiteblaze! He didn't do anything to you!"
Reenie still held on to her slingshot uncertainly. "He's...he's not going to eat me is he?"
Yuli laughed at this. "Na, Whiteblaze is good boy, aren't you, Whiteblaze?" He petted Whiteblaze's head and the tiger nudged him affectionately. He motioned to Reenie. "Come on! It's okay, really! Whiteblaze won't hurt you."
"Uh, okay." Reenie threw her slingshot into the air and it exploded into a cloud of smoke. Her Luna Ball floated down beside her as she inched cautiously towards Whiteblaze. Her hand shook as she reached out to touch the tiger's head. Whiteblaze growled softly, causing Reenie to jerk back. She gulped and tried again. Her hand touched Whiteblaze's head and she patted him carefully. The tiger let out a gruff purr. Reenie relaxed and giggled delightedly, stroking his fur. "Wow, cool! Is this your tiger?"
Yuli suddenly became downcast. "No, he belongs to a friend. I was with him just a while ago, but we got separated." Yuli sighed dismally. "Me and Whiteblaze are all alone here."
"Yeah, I'm alone too." Then Reenie brightened. "But hey! Maybe we could stick together and find who we're looking for together!"
Yuli liked that idea. "That's great! I'm sure Whiteblaze wouldn't mind giving us both a ride." Noticing the floating Luna Ball, Yuli got a surprised expression on his face. "What's that thing?"
Reenie smiled as she held out her arms and the Luna Ball drifted to her. She held it in front of her. "This is my Luna Ball. I can have it turn into anything I want!"
"Really? That's awesome!" Yuli held out his hand. "I'm Yuli."
"My name's Reenie." She shook his hand, happy to be accepted.
Yuli hopped up on Whiteblaze's back and pulled Reenie up behind him. "Ok, Whiteblaze, let's go!" Whiteblaze sprinted off and the two new friends set off to find the others.
Hi again. This chapter took a long time, but it was fun to write. I hope it didn't seem too boring. I'll try to get better at this. This story will be pretty long, cause each pair of people will have their own chapter. Hope you'll keep reading. Bye!
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