When Heroes Collide
Part 2 : Great Balls of Fire
By Dreamcatcher

Remember, I used this ~ to indicate a dream sequence.

It has been almost a day since the Sailor Scouts arrived in Toyoma. Since there were eight extra guests, including the cats, staying in Mia’s home, she was forced to place everyone into two separate rooms: the Ronin Warriors in one bedroom and the Sailor Scouts and Rini in another bedroom just across the hall. Rae was looking out the windowsill of the temporary bedroom, in silent thought, when Serena, Amy and Mina, followed by Rini, Luna, and Artemis, entered the room. “Hey, Rae,” Mina said, “are you all right?” Rae turned toward her friends and replied, “I’m fine, really. I just needed some time to myself, that’s all.” “Well, I hope you’re hungry,” Lita announced as she entered the room, “because lunch is ready.” “It’s about time, Lita!” Serena exclaimed. “I’m starving!” She raced out of the room, with Rini at her heels. “Well, we’d better hurry,” Luna replied to the girls, “or there will be nothing left for us!” The girls laughed as they made their way downstairs.

The four girls took their places at the table, where a plate of food was waiting for each of them. Serena was already chowing down, eating as though she hadn’t had any food in days. Rini was also eating, but not as fast as Serena was. “Mia!” Lita shouted toward the kitchen. “Don’t bother doing our dishes. I’ll wash them for you.” Mia appeared at the kitchen door, drying a plate with a small dishcloth. “Thank you, Lita,” she replied. “That’s very kind of you.” “No problem!” Lita said. As Mia headed back into the kitchen, Mina asked her, “Where are the guys?” Mia turned her head and replied, “Don’t worry about them, Mina. They’re out in the woods, but they should be back in a half of an hour.” With that, Mia went back to the kitchen.

The girls continued eating in silence. Luna broke the silence. “Girls,” she started, “did any of you happen to see some strange lights coming from the sky yesterday?” They shook their heads no. “What do you mean, Luna?” Serena asked. “Yesterday the three of us,” she started, indicating Rini, Artemis and herself, “saw some strange lights in the sky. As soon as we saw them, the lights disappeared.” “But, what could they mean?” Rae asked Luna. “I think I know.” The girls looked at Rini, who was playing with her food, lost in thought. “Do you know something that we don’t?” Serena cautiously asked Rini.

“I’m not exactly sure,” she started, “but this information is from what my mommy told me before I left Crystal Tokyo. There were rumors about these weapons that the Dark Moon people created. These weapons were called the Celestial Stones, because each stone absorbed energy from one of the five elements of nature: fire, earth, air, water, and spirit. Each stone also contained a fragment of the Dark Crystal. When the Celestial Stones gather enough energy, a powerful creature would emerge from each one. If the creatures are not destroyed, the people from the Dark Moon will take them back to Crystal Tokyo…” Rini started to cry at the thought of this. Serena got up from her seat and went to Rini’s side. “It’s okay, Rini,” she whispered as she hugged Rini...

Meanwhile, out in the woods not far from the house, the Ronin Warriors were having a private conversation. Kento was chowing down on the remaining sandwiches Mia packed for them. “Hey, Kento!” Cye shouted to his friend. “Take it easy with those sandwiches. We’re not far from the house, you know.” Ryo was leaning against a tree, lost in thought until a friend’s voice brought him back to reality. “Ryo, are you okay?” Sage asked. “Yeah, I’m fine,” Ryo replied. “We should be heading back,” Rowen mentioned as he glanced at his watch. “You guys go ahead,” Ryo told them. “I need some time alone. Come on, White Blaze!” As he got onto the tiger’s back, Rowen asked, “When will you be back?” “I’ll be back before sunset. Let’s go, White Blaze!” The two of them ran off into the woods, while the remaining four grabbed their things and headed back up to the house...

Back in the house, Rini managed to calm down. “I wonder,” Amy muttered aloud, “if there’s a way we could track down these Celestial Stones before the creatures emerge from them.” “I know how we can do that!” Rini replied. “Wait here.” She got up from the table and ran upstairs. Moments later, she came back downstairs with her Luna Sphere. “LUNA SPHERE…KITTY MAGIC!” Rini cried out as she threw the Luna Sphere into the air. Instantly, an object that looked like a hand-held computer appeared and landed in Rini’s open hands. It was pink with a gold crescent moon on the lid. “This is a pocket tracer,” she said to the girls as she held the device up in the air. “It can be programmed to track down anything, including the Celestial Stones!”

She opened the tracer and began typing rapidly, while the Sailor Scouts watched in awe. Moments later, Rini said, “Done! I’ve programmed it to track down the five Celestial Stones. And look! It found one of the stones already!” The girls looked at the screen, where they could see a flashing red blip and a solid white blip. “What do those dots mean, Rini?” Rae asked her. “That red dot at the top of the screen is the Celestial Stone of Fire,” Rini explained, “and that white dot at the bottom indicates where the tracer is.” “Can we find out where the Fire Stone is?” “Of course, we can, Rae.” Rini pressed a couple of buttons, and a map appeared on the screen. “Let’s see,” Rini muttered, “the Fire Stone is located several miles south away from here.” “Yeah, but who’s going to look for it?” Serena asked.

“I’ll do it.” The other girls turned toward Rae, who continued. “That Fire Stone needs to be in a hot place in order to gather energy. Since fire is my element, it would make sense if I go retrieve the Fire Stone.” “That’s true,” Amy agreed, “but how are you going to get to the other side of Toyoma in time?” “I have an idea,” Rae said as she walked to the kitchen door. “Mia,” she called out, “can you do a favor for me?” Mia came through the door and said, “Yes, Rae. What is it?” “I need to check out something very important on the other side of Toyoma. Could you give me a ride, please?” “Of course, I will. Just let me get the car keys,” Mia said as she went back to the kitchen. “But, Rae, are you sure you want to go alone?” Lita asked her. “Don’t worry, guys,” Rae reassured them. “If worst comes to worst, I can always contact you through our wrist communicators.”

Just then, Mia came back into the dining room, keys in hand. “Are you ready, Rae?” she asked. “Yes, let’s go!” As Rae walked toward the front door, she felt a tug on her wrist. She looked down at Rini, who had both hands around her wrist. “What is it, Rini?” she asked. “Here, you might need this,” Rini said as she placed the tracer in Rae’s open hand. She smiled at the brave little girl as she stood up and headed toward the door. “Good luck, Rae!” Serena shouted. “Thanks, Serena,” Rae replied before she walked out of the door. They watched through the window as Rae and Mia got into the car and left the house...

Meanwhile, Ryo, who was in his red and white sub-armor, and White Blaze have reached their final destination. Ryo got off the tiger and looked up at the massive mountain. “Mount Fuji,” he whispered to himself, “it’s been a while since I came here.” He stood there for a moment, staring at the still-active volcano. He shook out of his trance and turned to White Blaze. “Come on, boy, let’s go!” Ryo yelled as the two of them raced toward the base of Mt. Fuji. They were completely unaware that their enemies were watching them as they headed toward the base of the volcano...

“We have a problem, Amethyst,” Topaz stated while looking at the images of Ryo and White Blaze through his crystal ball. “It appears that Ryo of Wildfire has discovered where the Fire Stone is hidden.” “We can’t allow him to get too close,” Amethyst replied. “The Fire Stone is almost fully charged. Destroy him, now!” “Right away, my lady,” he replied as he pulled a lever, revealing a wide screen and a weapons panel. The screen turned on, showing the images of Ryo and White Blaze. Topaz took a seat in front of the screen and started typing rapidly. After a few moments, he stopped typing and turned his head toward Amethyst. “We’re locked on target,” he reported. “Excellent!” she replied. “Fire!”

Topaz responded by pressing a large red button on his left. The screen showed Ryo narrowly avoiding a blast from what appeared to be a bolt of purple lightning. “You missed, brother!” an angry Amethyst yelled. “I won’t miss this time, sister,” Topaz muttered as he pressed the red button again. This time, the blast apparently found its mark, for the screen showed Ryo lying on the ground, eyes closed. “That’s one Ronin Warrior down,” he boasted to his sister. She gave an evil smile as she added, “And four more to go!”

Meanwhile, back at Mia’s house, the girls were sitting in the living room, waiting for any word from Rae. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Serena ran to the door, checked the peephole, and opened the door. “Hi, guys!” she greeted cheerfully to the four guys standing there. “Hey, Serena,” Rowen replied as he and the other three entered the house. “Where’s Ryo and White Blaze?” Amy asked. “Ryo said he needed some time to himself,” Cye answered, “so don’t worry about him. He should be back before sunset.” The four guys took their seats on the floor. There were a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. Kento got up and said, “I wonder if Mia has any food out for us.” As he headed toward the kitchen, he heard Mina say, “Kento, Mia’s not here.” “Then where is she?” Sage asked. “She left with Rae half an hour ago,” Lita told him. “Rae had to check out something very important.” “And what is that?” Rowen asked them. “Well,” Serena said, “Rini can explain it better than we can.” The four boys looked at Rini, who took a deep breathe and repeated what she just said to the Sailor Scouts...

In the meantime, on the other side of Toyoma, Rae was looking at the tracer’s screen, while Mia drove by Rae’s directions. “Wait! Stop here, Mia,” Rae exclaimed. Mia brought the car to a halt and asked, “What’s wrong, Rae?” “The Fire Stone is nearby,” Rae replied, while pointing at a mountain. “It’s in there. I can sense it. You should head back to the house. I’ll be fine.” “Well, okay,” Mia said uncertainly as Rae got out of the car, “but if you’re going to explore around Mt. Fuji, please be careful. It’s an active volcano.” With that, Mia turned the car around and left Rae at the end of the dirt road.

Rae started heading toward the base of Mt. Fuji, with several thoughts racing in her head. “That was pretty clever of them,” she thought, “placing the Fire Stone inside an active volcano.” As she got closer to the base of Mt. Fuji, Rae heard a deep roar from her left. “That sounded like White Blaze. Oh, I hope nothing happened to Ryo,” she thought as she raced toward the direction of the sound. She looked around a large boulder and discovered that she was wrong. There was Ryo in his sub-armor, lying on the ground unconscious. White Blaze was standing next to him, with his head bowed down. The tiger looked up when Rae showed up and growled a warning. “Take it easy, White Blaze,” she whispered calmly to the tiger. “I’m going to help Ryo.” White Blaze seemed to understand her and stepped back.

After doing a quick check, Rae was relieved to know that Ryo was still alive. Suddenly, Ryo started to slowly, but surely, open his eyes. He was surprised to see Rae standing next to him. “Rae,” he muttered as he started to get up. “What’s going on?” “I was about to ask you the same thing,” Rae replied. “This is how I found you, lying on the ground unconscious.” Ryo sat there for a moment, holding his hand against his forehead. “I remember. I was heading up to Mt. Fuji,” he recalled, pointing to the volcano as he spoke, “and this blast of purple lightning nearly zapped me. The next thing I know, you’re here trying to wake me up.” The two of them stood up and looked in the direction of Mt. Fuji.

“Why were you going to go inside an active volcano?” Rae asked. “I go in there,” Ryo started, “to meditate and to help clear my head. Now it’s my turn. What are you doing here?” “I’m looking for the Fire Stone, and I have a feeling it’s inside there,” Rae replied, pointing at Mt. Fuji. “What’s the Fire Stone?” “Let’s just say it’s something that the brother-sister team from the Dark Moon made, and you know that’s not good. We have to get that stone out there before the creature inside it is fully charged.” She started running toward the mountain until Ryo shouted, “Wait!”

She stopped and turned around. “Why? What’s the problem?” she asked him. “The heat inside Mt. Fuji is intense. We should suit up first.” “Right!” Rae took out her transformation wand and yelled, “Mars Star Power!” She was instantly transformed into Sailor Mars. “Very nice,” Ryo said, giving her a light applause. “Thank you,” Sailor Mars said. “Now, it’s your turn.” “Right! Armor of Wildfire! DAO JIN!” He soon emerged from the light that engulfed him, wearing the Wildfire armor. “Are you ready?” Sailor Mars asked. “You bet I am!” he exclaimed. “Great, let’s go!” she shouted. Ryo, White Blaze and Sailor Mars continued running to the base of Mt. Fuji.

When they reached the base, Sailor Mars looked up at the opening at the top of the volcano. “It’s too steep for us to climb,” she said to Ryo. “Do you know a faster way to get up there?” “You bet I do,” he responded. Ryo walked over to White Blaze and got on his back as though he was riding a horse. “Hurry, get on,” Ryo said to Sailor Mars, indicating for her to sit on White Blaze. “But, can White Blaze support our combined weight?” Sailor Mars asked. “Of course, he can,” Ryo replied. “Once, he carried both Rowen and I, and we were both in our full armor. If White Blaze can carry Rowen and I, he should have no problem carrying the two of us to the top of Mt. Fuji.” Now convinced, Sailor Mars got on White Blaze, right behind Ryo. “Hang on,” he told her. She held onto Ryo’s waist as White Blaze started to run up the face of Mt. Fuji...

Meanwhile, up in the spacecraft where the Dark Moon people dwell, Topaz was watching the image of White Blaze carrying Ryo and Sailor Mars up the face of Mt. Fuji. “He’s still alive, isn’t he?” Topaz turned around and saw his sister standing there. “Unfortunately, yes, my lady,” he replied. “Ryo of Wildfire is still alive and continuing his way to the volcano. There’s more. Sailor Mars is with him.” “It doesn’t matter if they try to stop us now,” Amethyst replied. “By the time they reach the Fire Stone, it will be too late for them to stop the creature from emerging. They will both perish!” She gave out an evil chuckle as she watched the threesome through her brother’s crystal ball...

White Blaze finally reached the top of Mt. Fuji, and his two riders got off. Sailor Mars walked to the edge of the volcano and looked around the scorching pit of lava inside. “Look, Ryo. There it is!” she exclaimed. “The Fire Stone!” Ryo looked in the direction Sailor Mars was pointing and saw it: a large red orb resting on top of a rock jutting out of the center of the lava pit, which was glowing with a mysterious red light. The two jumped into the volcano and landed safely on a rocky ledge. There were several other crags protruding out of the molten rock. “Wait here,” Ryo told Sailor Mars before he leapt to the nearest rock. “Be careful,” she said as she watched Ryo make his way to the Fire Stone.

Leaping from stepping-stone to stepping-stone, Ryo never kept his eyes off the Fire Stone. He finally reached the center stone where the red orb laid. He picked it up and was on his way back when, suddenly, the ground started to shake vigorously. Ryo lost his balance and fell into the pool of molten lava. “RYO!!!” Sailor Mars screamed. She felt it was too late to save him. Suddenly, she heard a noise that caused her to look toward the spot where Ryo fell in. All of a sudden, Ryo emerged from the lava pool and landed right next to Sailor Mars. Trying to keep back the tears that were already starting to brim up in her eyes, Sailor Mars asked, “Ryo, are you all right?” Ryo turned toward her, and she saw, for the first time, the white mask that covered his face. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I’m just fine.” “Are you sure?” Sailor Mars asked as the mask covering Ryo’s face disappeared into his helmet. “I mean, you just fell into a lava pit!” “I’m okay, Sailor Mars,” he replied. “My armor protects me from heat, so I didn’t feel a thing.” “Yeah, but how did you...?” she started to ask him.

Before Sailor Mars could finish her question, a steady blast of lava exploded from the volcano. “Oh, no! We’re too late to stop it!” she cried out. “Stop what?” Ryo asked her. Before she could respond, a creature emerged from the molten blast of lava. She had burning red eyes that glowed like red-hot coals, and red and orange hair that stood up like a flame of a candle. She was wearing a sleeveless red dress with a slit down the right side of the skirt and red boots. On her forehead, she bore the symbol of the Dark Moon family. She looked toward the Ronin Warrior and Sailor Scout and said, “I am Flarea, servant to the Dark Moon Kingdom, and the one who will destroy you both!”

She launched a blast of hot lava straight at them, but Ryo managed to push Sailor Mars out of the way in time. When the smoke cleared Ryo and Sailor Mars were nowhere to be seen. Flarea looked around, but she couldn’t seem to find them. In the meantime, the two young heroes were hiding behind a huge boulder. Ryo carefully watched Flarea while Sailor Mars tried to contact the Sailor Scouts with her wrist communicator. “Any luck, yet?” Ryo whispered to her. “It’s no use,” she whispered back to him. “The heat from the volcano must be jamming the signal.” “I have an idea,” he whispered, motioning for White Blaze to come to him. “The guys should be back at the house by now,” Ryo explained. “If we send White Blaze to the house, the guys will know that I’m in trouble, and they’ll come to help us.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Sailor Mars whispered, “but just wait a second.” Ryo and White Blaze watched as she took off her wrist communicator. “If White Blaze takes this with him,” she said while holding the communicator in her hand, “the girls will know that I’m with you.” “Okay,” Ryo whispered. “I’ll distract Flarea, so White Blaze can get out of here undetected. Once he’s out, you’ll join me.” “Right,” Sailor Mars agreed with him. As Ryo emerged from the boulder, with both katanas drawn, to face Flarea, Sailor Mars watched as White Blaze ran up toward the top of Mt. Fuji, carrying her communicator in his mouth. When he reached the top, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Way to go, White Blaze,” she thought to herself. “It’s up to you, now.” With that, Sailor Mars left the safety of the boulder to help out Ryo...

Meanwhile, back at Mia’s house, while the girls were helping Mia prepare dinner (well, except for Serena), the guys were waiting in the living room. Rowen was looking out the window at the sun, which was starting to go down. “You guys,” he finally said, “I’m concerned about Ryo. He should have been back by now.” The others nodded in agreement. Just then, a loud scratching noise came from the front door. “That’s White Blaze,” Sage replied as Kento made his way to the door. “Why would he scratch at the door like that?” “Perhaps Ryo is injured,” Cye said slowly as Kento opened the door and let the tiger inside. “Well, whatever he is,” Kento said as he looked outside, “he’s not here.”

“What’s this?” Rowen asked as he pointed at something dangling from White Blaze’s mouth. He approached the tiger and removed the item from his mouth so everyone could see. It was a watch or at least it looked like one, with white wrist straps and a red lid, with a gold symbol on top of the lid. Rowen took a closer look at the symbol and realized that it was the symbol of Mars. “It must belong to Rae,” he thought to himself. “I better confirm this before I say anything.” He approached the kitchen door and said, “Excuse me, girls, could you step out for a minute? It’s important.”

The four girls emerged from the kitchen into the living room. “What’s wrong, Rowen?” Amy asked. “Do you recognize this?” he asked them, holding up the device. The girls gasped when they saw what Rowen was holding up. “That’s Rae’s communicator!” Serena exclaimed. “I had a feeling it belonged to your friend,” Rowen responded. “She must be with Ryo, otherwise White Blaze wouldn’t have brought her communicator to us.” “Do you know where Ryo would be?” Lita asked the guys. “He usually goes up to Mt. Fuji to clear his mind,” Sage replied. “I’ll bet that they’re both inside.” “Inside a mountain?” Mina asked. “How is that possible?” “Mt. Fuji is not a mountain,” Kento retorted. “It’s a volcano!”

“If Rae’s inside the volcano, then the Fire Stone must be inside as well.” Everyone turned toward Rini, who was standing in front of the kitchen doors. “If that’s true,” Sage said, “then Ryo and Rae need our help. Mia!” he yelled. Mia came into the living room. “Yes, what is it, Sage?” she asked. “We need to go to Mt. Fuji immediately,” he told her. “I need the keys to the jeep.” Mia fished through her pockets, pulled out the car keys and handed them to Sage. He thanked her as he and the others made their way out the front door. “You stay here with Mia,” Serena instructed Rini before she left. Mia and Rini watched as Sage, Cye, and the girls piled into the red jeep and left, followed by Rowen and Kento on White Blaze...

Meanwhile, back inside Mt. Fuji, Ryo and Sailor Mars were still fighting against Flarea, who seemed to be getting stronger with every blow. “MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!” Sailor Mars yelled as the rings of fire repeatedly struck the creature. “Pathetic!” Flarea sneered. Ryo took this opportunity to strike her from behind. He brought his katanas together and yelled “FLARE UP NOW!” as he brought them down through Flarea. For a moment, it appeared that Ryo was the victor, since Flarea collapsed to the ground. “Is it over?” Sailor Mars asked him. Before Ryo could respond, they heard an evil chuckle from behind them. They turned around and there was Flarea, breathing heavily with fire burning brightly in her eyes. “When will you two learn that your attacks won’t work on me?” she asked sarcastically.

“Aww, man,” Ryo replied. “She’s tough. How are we ever going to destroy this thing?” “I have an idea, Ryo,” Sailor Mars said. “What is it, and make it quick.” “Attacking her by ourselves isn’t working. I know it’s a long shot, but if we combine our attacks, it might be enough to take out Flarea.” “It’s worth a shot.” They looked up at Flarea, who looked ready to fight them both. Ryo brought his katanas together and raised them above his head. “FLARE UP NOW!” “MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!” The combined attacks hit Flarea head-on. She let out a hideous scream, as her body became a pile of gray ashes. “All right, we smoked her,” Ryo cheered. Suddenly, the earth started to shake violently. Sailor Mars was knocked down to the ground. “What’s going on?” she asked with fear in her voice. “The volcano, it’s going to erupt!” Ryo cried out. “We got to get out of here, now!” He quickly pulled Sailor Mars up to her feet and they ran as fast as they could to the mouth of the volcano...

In the meantime, just outside Mt. Fuji, Mia’s red jeep stopped at the base of the volcano. The doors opened, and Sage and Cye came out in their sub-armor, followed by Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus. White Blaze stopped next to the jeep, letting off Rowen and Kento, who were also in their sub-armor. Suddenly, they heard a loud rumbling from Mt. Fuji. “What…was…that?” Sailor Moon slowly asked. Before anyone could answer, an incredible explosion of smoke and ashes erupted from the volcano. The eight heroes went behind the jeep to shield themselves from the blast.

A few minutes later, which felt more like a few hours to the four Sailor Scouts and the four Ronin Warriors, the eruption stopped. Ashes fell down heavily and smoke blanketed the immediate area like a thick fog. The eight heroes stepped out from behind the jeep and cautiously walked toward the base of the volcano. “I wonder,” Cye thought aloud, “if Ryo and Rae are all right.” “I’ll see if I can find them,” Sailor Mercury replied as she touched her earring and her visor appeared. “Any sign of them, Sailor Mercury?” Rowen asked as she looked toward Mt. Fuji. “There’s no trace of them in the volcano at all,” she answered. “I think we might be...No, wait a minute!” She pointed toward the smoke in front of her. “There they are, coming straight toward us!” she cried. “Ryo! Rae!” Sage yelled through cupped hands. “Can you hear me?”

“You don’t need to yell, Sage!” Ryo shouted. “We heard you!” The eight heroes sighed with relief as they watched Ryo and Sailor Mars emerge from the smoke screen surrounding them. “Are you all right, guys?” Sailor Moon asked with concern in her voice. “We’re just fine, Sailor Moon,” Sailor Mars retorted. “Come on, let’s go back to Mia’s,” Ryo said. “We both could use some rest.” As they prepared to leave Mt. Fuji, the ten heroes didn’t notice Topaz appear above the mouth of the volcano. He stretched out his hand above the bubbling pool of lava. Suddenly, a spurt of lava burst, and the Fire Stone rose out of the lava pool and landed in Topaz’s open hand. He gave out a sinister laugh as he disappeared with the Fire Stone in his hand...