Well, here's the story.
Disclaimer: You know the drill. Anyway, what's mine is mine,
what's not... it's not, ok?
The wind tugged at his wings as he flew as fast as he could. The
golden scales at the base of his wings clicked as he shifted them to
gain the most from the currents. He was in his real form. The true,
awe inspiring form that had forged the legends of many cultures.
Standing on his hind legs, his size would be that of a five story
building, and his wingspan more than doubled that area.
At this rate it would only take him a few minutes to get to his
destination. He just hoped he would be strong enough, and that Earth's
warriors would last that long.
---------------------Sailor Moon; Masks & Dragons---------------------
Chapter 9; Meet the Enemy
By Wanderer D
As she fell on the senshi, Coldfire sneered. These were hardly a good
match, but so far they were the only beings capable of fighting.
There was no sign from the knight... a shame really, she would've
liked to fight him again.
Opening her jaws she expelled a cone of cold gas at the girls, looking
amused as they scrambled out of firing range.
Sailor Moon jumped clumsily to the side, she looked in surprise as
the rocks next to her were covered in scarch. That breath weapon was
as cold as Mercury's attacks... or colder.
The scouts took cover behind a large rock, as Coldfire flew past them
overhead, getting ready for another sweep.
Mars and Venus quickly got up.
"Flame Sniper!!"
"Crescent Beam Shower!!"
Both attacks sped towards the ascending dragon. Venus' beams missed
by millimeters, while Mars' own managed to hit Coldfire in the tip of
her tail.
Coldfire wailed in anger, climbing up faster, she soon disappeared
between the ash clouds overhead.
Amy did a quick scan with her computer. "There!!" she shouted pointing
up at a seemingly random point. Seconds after the place was covered in
Sailor attacks.
Roaring out of the clouds Coldfire again dived for the senshi. This
time her low sweep managed to avoid lightning bolts, flame snipers,
and rays.
She smashed into Sailor Moon, and brought her up with her. The other
senshi didn't attack her in fear of hitting Usagi.
Coldfire held Sailor Moon close ash she flew up out of range. When she
felt sure enough, she held Usagi by the throat. She balled her fist
and slammed into Usagi's stomach, the girl doubled over spitting a
little blood. Coldfire smiled savagely as she pulled her fist slowly
out.
Throwing Sailor Moon up, she quickly hit her with a combination
of punches and kicks. Turning in the air she used her tail to slam her
and sent her at an incredible speed towards the ground.
By the time she was visible, falling from the ash clouds, she had lost
consciousness.
The sailor senshi looked in terror as she fell, the jagged rocks
bellow made their interference impossible.
Uranus tore her gaze away from the falling figure and looked around
for Coldfire. She spotted her looking smugly at them.
Suddenly a powerful earthquake shook the ground. While they really had
no problem coping with the shaking ground, they were distracted long
enough for Coldfire to try another attack.
Her attack would've been devastating, had it worked. Coldfire suddenly
found herself trapped in a gigantic golden claw.
A large lake met her gaze, as the waters reflected the sky above it like
a deep blue mirror. Large pine trees decorated the forest that started
almost fifty paces from the shore of the lake. The lake. Somehow the
way it reflected the moonlight... the moon? It wasn't supposed to be
night yet... even if it were the moon shouldn't be able to shine
through... she shook her head.
Usagi looked at the landscape in surprise. She knew she wasn't supposed
to be here, she also knew there was something she should be doing right
now, but... there was something about this place... near her, she saw
a small troop of men and women serving as an escort to a large wagon.
Curious she walked towards the gathering at the side of the lake.
When she got there, the wagon revealed to hold the armored body of a
man, worn beyond his years, but with an inner strength and nobility
that made her admire him despite not knowing him when alive.
It was a different kind of respect, the kind of respect that came
from an equal. Usagi knew she would one day rule, she only hoped she
would be as loved as the former king before her.
In his chest, held with both hands rested a gold crown with embedded
jewels, and a stylized dragon.
A few knights stood next to him and a weeping woman. One of the
knights spoke, and Usagi gasped when she looked at him, his armor was
simple compared to that of the other knights, which were decorated
with emblems and such. 'Mask!' she thought at first, but then noticed
her error.
The difference was in the armor itself, it was green, with a long cape
with a hood that was pulled up over a masked face.
The knights helm was an almost exact copy of Jade's head, and the mask
was green colored too. She snapped back to what the knight was saying,
having almost missed the whole conversation.
"...will take him back to Avalon, we all know that's what he wanted."
"Have you fulfilled his other wish?"
The green knight pulled out a gleaming sword. Usagi crept closer to
look at it and stifled a surprised squeak, for, embedded into the
cross guard decorated with a half moon was the silver crystal!
She was about to try and grab it when the knight pulled back and
threw the sword into the lake. The silver crystal gleamed in the
moonlight as the sword fell down in the center of the lake, where a
woman's hand emerged from the calm waters to hold it by the hilt for a
moment then submerge with the sword in her grasp.
The gathered senshi looked in awe at the gigantic golden dragon that
held Coldfire in it's grasp. It was easily five stories high, with a
wingspan that almost tripled it's size. He had come so fast, and so
unexpectedly that the smaller but quicker silver could not react.
Coldfire tried to get free. "Gold! You bastard!! Let go off me!!"
The senshi stared. "Gold?" Mercury asked. "That must be his original
form!"
The others said nothing as Gold threw Coldfire against the ground,
creating a small crater where she impacted.
Suddenly, a voice carried itself down to them.
"Gold. You are alive..."
Gold roared as he looked up. "Yes! I am alive, Black!! And I'm going
to kill you!"
"Do your best!"
Gold roared again as he launched himself up into the air, heading for
the top of mount Fuji.
Coldfire slowly crept out of the crater she had created. When she was
almost out she met the wrong end of Sailor Uranus' foot.
This time, Coldfire had no-where to go as the senshi surrounded her.
When the water stilled, the knights pushed the boat containing the
body of the king into the calm waters, and started a fire in the manner
of Viking funerals.
In her heart she heard a strong, authoritative, but compassionate voice,
a voice with no regret in it's tone, but of quiet dignity and pride.
"It was left for you... call it forth!"
Usagi watched the boat slowly float towards a small island in the lake,
as she stood surprised, when suddenly she heard a familiar voice
calling her name.
"Sailor Moon! Wake up!"
Michiru slumped against the hard rock, her sailor fuku badly damaged,
she felt Uranus' comforting arm around her shoulders as she helped her
up again.
They had suffered a lot during this battle, but, for once, they were
winning.
Coldfire already had a broken wing from a direct hit by the World
Shaking, and numerous scars and blisters from magical lightning, fire
and light.
That didn't mean the silver dragon was harmless, she was still stronger
than any of the senshi, and her claws and breath weapon made her a
formidable adversary.
Gathering courage, Sailor Neptune nodded and both women ran into battle
again.
Up in the sky, gold finally met Black in his human form.
"Will you stay that way?" Gold asked Black warily.
"Yes, for a minor skirmish I see no need to change into my real form."
In a blind rage Gold used his fiery breath, Black was completely
engulfed in flames that reached the side of the volcano, and started
melting the rocks.
The attack lasted for about 8 seconds before it was suddenly cut off.
Black had emerged from the stream of fire completely unharmed.
"You are sadly predictable, 'Gold'. I'm surprised you weren't
kicked out of the council after I left."
"I'll show you predictable!" Gold roared as he transformed into his
'in-between' form. He proceeded to attack Black with claws, wings, tail
and breath weapon, all to no effect.
Suddenly, Black backhanded him, seemingly casually, and Gold almost
crashed with the force of the blow.
The sudden sharp teeth of reality bit him, sending cold shocks through
his spine.
Black was holding back, and he had almost killed him. With a
dismissing blow.
Gritting his teeth, Gold tried to think up a good strategy.
"Back off!!" a very battered Coldfire yelled, holding Sailor Saturn in
a vice-like grip infront of her.
The senshi glared at her as she smiled. "One more attack and she
dies!"
Coldfire had moved her clawed hand to the younger senshi's neck and
passing her arm around Hotaru's waist effectively trapping her arms.
"Coldfire! Let her go! Are you such a coward that you would hide
behind a small girl?" Venus challenged.
Coldfire laughed coldly. "You are mistaking me for Gold. I have no
such weakness as a warrior's honor." She laughed at the senshi.
Saturn squirmed and tried to get free, but Coldfire's grip was too
strong.
Weakly, she concentrated, slowly summoning the Silence Glaive back as
the silver dragon bickered with the other senshi.
When it was mere centimeters away, she finally summoned it with all
it's speed.
Coldfire barely had time to react as the Silence Glaive, flew towards
her head, letting go of Saturn she dodged the weapon, but was able to
grab it before it completely got past her.
She was about to use Saturn's own weapon to kill her when...
"Silver Moonsword Ascension!" silvery winds shot past the senshi's
heads, cutting whatever stood in it's way. As the attack slammed
Coldfire, the Senshi ignored her to look at the origin of the attack.
Eternal Sailor Moon was standing on a cliff, smiling at them.
Coldfire slumped to the ground, unmoving, while the senshi looked at
their princess with tears in their eyes.
"Usagi!!?" Mars asked disbelieving.
Sailor Moon nodded as she jumped towards them.
Haruka was at a loss for words. "But how? We saw you fall to the
rocks! You were unconscious! You couldn't survive!"
Usagi pointed behind her. All the senshi smiled in comprehension as
they saw Sapphire.
When they looked at their princess, they all gasped in surprise, as
the fuku slowly melted into an armor of sorts.
Her uniform now sported high armored boots with knee protectors and
gold trimmings, the sailor senshi design had not been abandoned,
but her fuku now seemed to be made of white studded leather, while
the miniskirt was covered in light metal. She now had solid shoulder
pads decorated with a large ruby each, a sword sheath hung from her
left side, ever ready to house the powerful sword she held in her
right hand. Eternal Sailor Moon's wings had grown into angel-like
proportions, and her tiara had grown into a battle-crown. Her silk
gloves had also been replaced by leather, with 9 small crystals in
the back of each hand.
A silvery aura enveloped her for a moment after the transformation
was complete. Absently, Sailormoon sheathed the sword, and looked at
the others curiously.
When she noticed they were looking at her, she looked down on herself.
"AHHH!!! WHATHAPPENEDTOMYSAILORFUKU!?!?"
The others face-faulted. The illusion of greatness had disappeared.
Ami typed at her computer. "Hmm. This is... not good."
"What is not good?" Uranus asked.
"Well, if my computer's readings are correct... -not to mention my
common sense- Sailor Moon's new battle armor means that this threat
is way out of our current abilities, the Queen's armor didn't even
appear when we fought Galaxia, and she was quite powerful."
"That doesn't sound good." Sapphire muttered.
"Well, now that Sailormoon has reached a new level of power, maybe
the rest..."
Mercury's words were cut short as the ground shook, the senshi tried
to maintain balance, while Sapphire and Sailormoon jumped and hovered,
their wings batting softly. Usagi seemed to have done it on instinct.
Tux and the rest of the girls had to hang on.
The clouds above started whirling, making a cloud whirlwind, in it's
center two small figures fought.
"That's Gold!" Venus cried recognizing one of the small figures.
"But who's the other one?" Tux asked.
"Black." Makoto growled.
---------------------Sailor Moon; Masks & Dragons---------------------
Black was getting bored... Gold was getting desperate.
Everything the gold scaled dragon had tried had failed, brute force
brought him no where, his fiery breath didn't even faze Black, his
usual fighting techniques did nothing short of amuse Black.
Finally Black backhanded Gold into the now active volcano.
The gold dragon fell into the lava, unable to change his course.
When he had seen his 'foe' sink out of sight, Black looked down. He
frowned when he saw Coldfire's still form lying next to earth's
warriors and Sapphire.
Hovering down to the ground, he finally stood before earth's warriors.
Sapphire felt her knees grow weak. She felt a fear the like she had
never felt before. However she stood her ground, even when every
instinct told her to run and hide.
The Sailor Senshi squared into fighting stances, Tuxedo Mask holding
his cane infront, Sailor Moon unsheathed her sword uncertainly.
Black looked at all of them contemptuously. "So, this is Terra's finest.
I must admit I'm not impressed."
He walked towards the small crater Coldfire had created from impact
and looked inside. "Hm. She's still alive." Ignoring the silver, he
turned to look at the senshi and Co.
Sailor Mars was about to snap at Black giving him a piece of her mind,
when she felt the hair in the back of her neck stand.
Turning around she gasped at the sight that met her eyes.
Jupiter was surrounded in black lightning, small lightning bolts danced
around her, her face contorted in a scowl of barely contained anger.
The black aura the senshi had witnessed before started emanating from
her, surrounding her almost menacingly.
Mars took an unconscious step back, as did the other senshi when the
aura had finally enveloped her. The now shimmering almost transparent
aura created ghostly wings on Makoto's back, while equally ephemeral
claws adorned her stretched hands. Venus could swear she saw a tail
too, but no-one else did.
Sapphire stood there gawking at Makoto. She *knew* this presence, the
aura... she turned to look fearfully at Black.
The black dragon did nothing, said nothing. He just stood there
assessing the situation.
"You die!" Makoto roared.
Everyone had seen what Makoto could do when the aura surrounded her,
Jade had received extreme damage the first time it appeared, the
second was his last day alive, Mask had fought all the senshi at the
same time and whooped their butts around. When Makoto's aura surrounded
her... he didn't stand a chance.
Now, the senshi realized that the aura had never felt this strong
before, they knew nothing would stop her now as she literally flew
towards Black, her ghostly claws extended.
Time seemed to stop. As Makoto's 'claws' were about to reach Black, he
grabbed her by he wrist with his right hand, and swung her smashing
her against the hard rock. In slow motion, Makoto stood up again and
jumped at Black again.
Black backhanded her, sending her sprawling. Time seemed to resume it's
normal course as Makoto hit the ground and the aura disappeared.
"Stupid hatchling, did you think you could outfight me?"
Makoto groaned softly.
The senshi took an involuntary step back.
"You must be Black." a voice said suddenly. The senshi recognized
the voice and were not sure if they were more hopeful or more
desperate, as Black turned around to face Mask.
End Chapter 9
----
Well I hope I do get C&C about this one.
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