Note: Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation, and DIC. Final Fantasy VII and all related characters belong to Squaresoft and Sony.
Sailor Moon: Quest for Marius
By D. Pung
Part 8: Last Action Heroes
PG-13
Serena dismounted, following Tifa's lead. She noted the wooden plank onto the deck of the once Shinra-owned submarine. Behind them, Cloud collected the chocobos, and dialed his PHS. He quickly spoke to a stable hand, who just as quickly got enroute with a buggy to collect the chocobos. Cloud hung up and faced the group. Dev had already escorted the Scouts below, and the others followed them down. A short while later, the chocobos were being taken care of, and the submarine, now called the Avenger, backed out of the rocky cove.
Inside the control room, Cloud punched the proper buttons, the noise of water rushing increased, and the Avenger became more stable as it sank into the depths. Cloud activated the screen, and the outer lights came on, allowing an impressive view of the underwater vista. Cloud slowly banked the Avenger around the promontory the cove was protected by, and the rock outcropping to their starboard gave away to a broad, underwater expanse. Cloud maneuvered the Avenger and kept the rocky wall on the sub's starboard side.
Lita relaxed. This didn't bother her, as she thought it might. In water, you can still swim, she smiled to herself, enjoying the view. She blinked. Something seemed to be approaching them.
Cloud frowned as the proximity alarms went off. "What the?" he asked in surprise, before glancing up. "Another Shinra sub! But it looks... weird."
Serena looked at the view, and gasped. A torpedo was now coming at them, leaving a trail of dark energy.
"It's Marius!" she shouted. Cloud yanked the controls hard, and the Avenger dove hard to port, yanking away from the wall, making the torpedo fired at them miss and smash into the wall. The resultant explosion shook the Avenger hard, throwing the team out of their chairs. Except Cloud. He grimly brought the Avenger to an even keel, and activated his torpedoes. He brought the sub around, facing the intruder, seeking a lock. He got it, and as the tone matched, he punched the trigger four times.
"No use takin' chances, huh?" asked Barrett, clutching the back of Cloud's seat. Cloud simply nodded. Four streaks rapidly closed the distance on the viewscreen, bubbles rising. Just before impact, a black bubble appeared above the target sub and rose to the surface.
"Marius!" snarled Luna.
The torpedoes ran true, detonating on the outer hull of the opposing sub. The sub was tougher than expected, though. With four huge holes in it, the team watched, idly wondering how long it would last, as it sank into the depths.
Finally, it imploded in a muted flash, releasing a mass of bubbles to the surface.
"Well, that was fun," said Artemis from the safety of Mina's arms.
* * * *
The Avenger floated lightly in the cove, south of the Wutai Mountain Range. They were all standing on the beach as Cloud secured the submarine's top hatch, locking it up tight. He jumped ashore.
"Well, we have a long walk ahead of us," began Cloud, gazing at the mountains. "Periodically, we will be crossing on rope bridges and walking on a prepared trail, but for the most part, it's rough going."
"What are we waiting for?" asked Raye. "Let's go!" She hiked her pack up on her shoulders, and began walking towards the first climb. Smiles followed as Cloud took the lead, Zack brought up the rear, and Yuffie began singing a hiking song, which the Scouts quickly joined in.
They had little clue of what was in store for them. They only knew the way was perilous.
It was nearing nightfall as they reached the first rope bridge. Mina gulped."We have to cross that?" she asked. Serena could understand the nervousness, as it was a long way down, and the bridge was very long.
Tifa nodded. "Don't worry, it's not that bad," she said. "You'll get used to it even before you're all the way across."
"Besides," smiled Aeris. "It's kind of thrilling."
"Indeed. I'm sure it will be thrilling all the way down," said an evil voice. The group whirled to face a pair of dark blue suited individuals. "I am General Reno, of the Negaverse. This is General Rude. And now it's time to meet your doom!" He put his hands together and blasted a wave of negative energy straight towards the group. Everyone managed to dive out of the way.
Serena regained her feet. "I'm sorry it has to come to this, but..." her hand went up in the air, an aura of white surrounding it. "MOON HEAVENLY POWER!" The white energy dropped to surround her completely. Then the energy cleared and Sailor Moon was on the job. Darien was enveloped in a swirl of rose petals and transformed into Tuxedo Mask.
"Let's do it!" shouted Lita. "JUPITER COSMIC POWER!" Lightning crackled around her, and then faded, and Sailor Jupiter was ready for a fight.
"MERCURY COSMIC POWER!" Water blasted Amy as she was obscured from view. The water drained away, and Sailor Mercury stood there.
"MARS COSMIC POWER!" Fire blazed, surrounding Raye before fading and revealing Sailor Mars.
"VENUS COSMIC POWER!" Starlight shimmered, then burst, and as it passed, Mina was gone and Sailor Venus gave a V. "Let's go!"
"Remember, just wear them down! I can restore them! Be careful!" said Moon, as the Scouts spread out. Cloud and his friends also spaced themselves out.
Rude raised a hand. Bolts of energy blasted out, and Cloud was barely able to dodge them. Zack leapt forward, swinging. Reno was barely able to avoid Sonic Slasher.
"MERCURY SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" The blast of ice smashed into Rude, who was flung back into a boulder. He stood, shook his head, and noticed Venus coming at him. He dropped into a Grand Spark, but the spark was of pure black electricity. The impact knocked Venus back, and her shoe slipped on the edge of the cliff. She felt herself beginning to fall. Moon noticed and jumped at her.
"Venus!" shouted Moon as her hand made contact. "I got you!" Venus scrambled back up, and her eyes widened as she saw Reno preparing to attack Moon.
"I don't think so!" shouted Jupiter. She ran at Reno, fists cocked. Tifa got there first. She smashed into him with a tremendous punch. It knocked Reno towards Jupiter. Jupiter grinned fiercely, rearing back to punch, a grin that abruptly changed to fear as Reno dropped and swept her, sending her flying over the edge. "HELP!"
"JUPITER! NO!" screamed Moon, scrambling for the edge. Reno got to his feet and blocked her path. "Get out of my way!" Reno simply grinned, then gasped as a staff hit him in the back of the head. Aeris jumped back, and Mask came in with a swing, his cane preventing Reno's rod from hitting her. Jupiter screamed as she began falling.
"NOOO!" screamed Moon, tears streaming from her eyes. Everything stopped for a moment, and Moon's head dropped. Mask moved to her, but she leapt to her feet, her face a mask of pure rage. She whirled to face the two generals, noting that her friends were stunned. She took a step towards the Turks, willing her staff into her hands. She pointed the tip at them. "You'll pay for that!"
The two corrupted Turks sneered at her, then looked up, and their faces turned into expressions of shock as a blast of wind blew over the group, accompanied by a shout.
"JUPITER CHAIN LIGHTNING BURST!"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck, jumping between the two Turks, repeatedly blasting both of them. They both reeled, as everyone looked up to see-
Sailor Jupiter standing boldly on the deck of the Highwind. The rod on her tiara was up, and she charged again.
Reno and Rude glanced at each other, and decided to retreat, as two black ovals opened up behind them. They jumped through. As the portals closed, Jupiter shoved the rope ladder overboard, and motioned for everyone to climb. Moon was the first up the ladder.
"Lita! I thought you were a goner!" gushed Moon as she threw her arms around her friend.
She chuckled in relief, returning the hug. "Me too. I never thought I'd be glad to be on an AIRship!"
* * * *
"So what was broken this time?" asked Cloud. They were all on the bridge of the Highwind. Cid snorted.
"Nothing. I was doing some upgrading and had it in pieces. That's why I couldn't make it. Lucky for you guys, Cait Sith's signal from Reeves is quite unique. I tracked on that, and saw the falling Scout. So, I picked her up on my way to you guys. What's with those two, anyway? And where's Elena?" asked Cid, cigarette in his mouth. "I don't remember you telling me over the PHS about the Turks being involved, although you covered pretty much everything else."
The discussion was interrupted by a beep. Serena opened her communicator. "Hi, Amara! How's it going?" Cloud nodded as Serena spoke and explained things to Cid, who flicked his lighter.
"Not so well," said Amara tiredly. She flexed her arm. "Tell brainiac she was right yet again. Elena showed up here, and did a pretty good job of roughing us up. Well, me, anyway. We beat her off, but we're not exactly sure how to capture her for you. Michelle thinks that Samantha can reverse Melanie's petrification, and I'm inclined to agree, so we'll try that next meeting. After I pummel her, of course. She cost me a perfectly good bike and a race!"
Serena hid a smile. "Well, do what you've gotta do. It's been hectic here as well," she said, quickly explaining what had been happening.
Amara nodded. "I'll be in touch," she said before cutting the link. Serena looked up.
"Well, all Turks accounted for," she sighed. Cid shrugged as he flew the Highwind towards Wutai.
* * * *
The Highwind swooped low, air currents from its thrusters blowing dirt up as it hovered over Yuffie's House. The ladder dropped, and Yuffie jumped overboard, running into her house. She came back out with a large sack that positively glowed with power. After all, she had been playing with each materia, and every last one of them was now mastered, at full power. She hoped everyone appreciated that! Yuffie giggled. The self-styled Materia Hunter clambered up the rope ladder, jumping on the deck. Mina was watching, and moved to help roll the ladder back up.
"Why do you keep the Materia?" asked Mina.
Yuffie smiled. "I'm not sure. I think it has something to do with everyone else choosing to get on with their lives. Ever since I was little, I've wanted to master using materia. It's something that always fascinated me. Then I could be strong, and self-reliant. I wouldn't need to depend on others. Cloud realized this, I think. But as he let me keep them, I realized something else." Yuffie's smile dropped away, and for a second, the obnoxious teenage ninja girl became totally serious.
Mina nodded. "You've realized that being powerful is lonely, so you need friends who are equally as powerful."
Yuffie nodded. "Exactly. Only those who have dealt with power can realize what it all means. So, despite what I've always wanted, I turned around and joined the team. I should be called Materia Keeper, instead of Materia Hunter. But then I'd be a huge blue bug.** Anyway, I enjoy sharing this materia with everyone. Not that I want them to know that."
"I think they already do," smiled Mina.
"Maybe," allowed Yuffie. Her seriousness suddenly evaporated. "But, hey, someone's gotta show them how to have fun!"
"Yeah," Mina chuckled. "As they say, 'All work and no play keeps the doctor away'!"
Yuffie blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
* * * *
"So, where do we begin?" asked Cait Sith. "Where should we start the search?"
Aeris answered. "I would think the best place to start would be where it was originally."
"Where was that?" asked Raye.
"The temple of the Ancients," said Red XIII. "Would the temple be back, since that's how it was originally contained?"
"Possibly," said Aeris. She stood gracefully, and turned towards the window, watching Wutai fade away beneath them. Zack watched her appraisingly, and she could only grin. "Let's find out. Cid, the location of the old Temple of Ancients, please."
"'Kay," Cid said as he moved the throttle forward. The Highwind leapt ahead.
* * * *
As the Highwind settled lightly, the Scouts gazed out of the forward windows. Lita had been with Yuffie, discussing their dislikes of flying, but Cid handled the Highwind with his usual skill and precision. They felt a gentle bump, and they were landed. Cid began shutting things off.
"Alright," said Cloud. "On deck, everybody." They all followed as he took the lead. They walked out onto the open-air deck. The hot, humid air reeked faintly of plant life. They were on an open plain, at the very edge of the jungle that led to the temple. They had seen the temple overhead before they had landed. Cloud raised his hand, taking charge.
"Okay. We've all got our weapons, materia, armor, and accessories figured out. We're as ready as we'll ever be. Remember, it's unlikely things are the same as before, so we should be prepared for a long fight. Scouts, just stay behind us, and we'll take care of it," finished Cloud.
In the past, Serena would have simply nodded and agreed. Now, however, she shook her head no. "Hm. That just doesn't seem right," she said.
Cloud blinked. "Excuse me?"
"Well, it occurs to me that Reno, Rude, and Elena are now more potent than anything you're used to. It also occurs to me that we are far from helpless. So, it occurs to me that you taking charge of us is silly and won't happen. We will assist you. It's what we're here for. But we will not take orders from you," Serena said coolly. "We will be fine."
Cloud grinned slightly, knowing the effects the local monsters could cause. "Very well," he said. "Let's go!"
"Let's!" called Serena, raising her hand. Darien was enveloped in a swirl of rose petals as he became Tuxedo Mask. She smiled as white power swirled from her fingertips. "MOON HEAVENLY POWER!"
Her transformation was echoed by the others, and Luna and Artemis watched from the deck of the Highwind as the two groups set off.
"Good luck," said Luna.
"They'll be fine," yawned Artemis. "I wonder if there's any fish on this ship?" He dodged the swipe Luna aimed at him with a grin.
Cloud, Dev, and Zack hacked casually through the vegetation. The team broke thru into a clearing, and blinked as they were suddenly surrounded by a pair of Gagighandi** and a pack of Toxic Frogs. The team was surprised by the suddenness of the attack, and before anyone could do anything, one of the Toxic Frogs used its Frog Song on Mars.
The Inner Scout of Fire tried to resist, but suddenly felt herself get smaller. She tried to blast the offending Toxic Frog, but all that came out was a croak. "Ribbit?" she said in confusion, glancing down at her now webbed hands and feet. She suddenly understood.
Everyone else had leapt into action. The Scouts attacked the Gagighandi, while Cloud and friends went after the Toxic Frogs. The fighting was brutal and quick. The Toxic Frogs were soon dead, and combined blasts from the Scouts easily creamed the Gagighandi.
Cloud glanced at the red frog, hopping up and down in rage.
"Ribbit ribbit! Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit!" croaked Mars the frog angrily. Cloud lost it. His laughter drew everyone else's attention, and only the Scouts were concerned.
"Well, I coulda warned you," sighed Cloud, wiping the tears of mirth from his eyes. "But you said you guys could handle yourselves. How are you gonna deal with this?"
"Cloud, that's not very nice," said Tifa.
"We are supposed to be helping each other," said Aeris.
"It's all right," said Moon. "After all, I did say that. And many people have underestimated Scouts before. MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!" Her staff pulsed with power, and a white glow encompassed Mars, returning her to her normal self. Cloud blinked. Mars glared at him.
"I oughta blast you," Mars growled.
"Now, now, Mars," smiled Moon. "You weren't in any real danger, and you did make an awfully cute little froggie!" The Scouts collectively broke into laughter, enjoying the looks from Cloud's group.
Mars whirled and glared. The Scouts were leaning against trees, clutching their sides.
"Ribbit!" giggled Venus.
"She was 'hopping mad'!" gasped Jupiter between laughs.
Mars' eyes glared at her, then switched to Moon's. She saw the laughter there, and smiled, letting it go. The situation was humorous, after all.
"I'll remember this next time you want to borrow my comics," Mars said sweetly.
"Oooh, I think that's a threat!" said Jupiter. Moon pretended dismay, and glanced back at Mars and grinned.
Mars shook her head.
"Well, meatballhead? Shall we continue? I do think it was best I was the one to get frogged. After all, no one else here would have pulled it off with such grace. Serena probably would have tried one hop and fallen on her face!" Mars said with a smirk.
"Hey!" said Moon good-naturedly. "I resemble that remark!"
They continued on their way amidst fresh laughter, unaware of the eyes that watched their every move.
* * * *
Aeris gazed at the temple entrance. It was as it was before, at least on the exterior. It sent a chill down her spine, as she knew exactly what had happened after they had recovered the Black Materia. She shuddered involuntarily, remembering the darkness.
"Are you okay?" Moon asked her quietly.
She glanced at the leader of the Scouts. "You wouldn't understand," she said softly.
"Wouldn't understand what?" asked Moon.
"Look, we all had a bad experience with this place, hers worst of all," said Cloud. "After all.."
"She died," interrupted Moon. "We know. You explained that last time we were here." She noticed Aeris' hurt expression. "Besides, we would understand. We know what it feels like, having your body smashed, feeling your lifeblood leave you, the pain, followed by the darkness that doesn't end. And I imagine your feelings regarding this place are similar to ours if we were to return to D-Point. You see, that is a location in our Prime where we faced an enemy of ours more powerful than anything we'd faced previously. An enemy that we had a thousand-year old history with." She paused for a second. "And my friends all died there, defending me so I could complete my task. I was ultimately successful, wielding my crystal in destroying that enemy. But I used my own lifeforce to do it, which killed me as well, though not before I made one last wish of my crystal. Which is why we stand here today."
"And who was that enemy?" asked Cait Sith quietly. The rest of them were simply blinking in surprise.
Moon smiled grimly. "Queen Beryl of the Negaverse, who combined with an evil entity called Metallia. We thought the Negaverse collapsed after their death. Unfortunately, we were wrong. For the enemy we are here for is none other than her daughter."
Cloud blinked in understanding. He nodded slowly. "I think I understand the situation now. And I also think-"
"That it's time for all of you to die! NEGATIVE MAG ROD!" The bushes nearby split as Reno charged out, his rod glowing with negative energy. He swung and nailed Cloud in the midsection. Cloud gritted his teeth against the powerful, draining shock. Tifa recovered first, dropping to one hand and swinging her feet into Reno's chest.
"GRAND NEGA SPARK!" The shockwave of black energy smashed into Tifa, sending her flying into a nearby tree. She slumped, dazed. Rude stepped forward and assisted Reno to his feet. The two grinned evilly, then turned to face the group, now readying for combat.Reno moved first, twirling his rod before gripping it like a baseball bat and smashing it full force into Cid's chest. Cid's Venus Gospel went flying as he plunged into the undergrowth.
Rude moved after Mercury, who had her visor out by this time. He figured if he could remove the brains, the Scouts would fall easily. Mercury ducked the first blow, and kicked low. She plunged her foot straight into Rude's family jewels. Rude clutched himself in agony, but recovered quickly as Mercury moved to follow it up, hand catching her throat and lifting her off the ground. Mercury's hands went to her throat, trying to battle against the choking grasp as her vision began to dim from lack of oxygen.
Reno saw Venus attempting to come to Mercury's aid, and savagely kicked the Scout of Love in the midsection, dropping her. As he moved in for more damage, Vincent raised Death Penalty and pulled the trigger. The double shotgun blast barely fazed Vincent, who calmly absorbed the violent kick and began to reload. It did faze Reno, knocking him into a nearby tree. He staggered, barely noticing Mars.
"MARS CELESTIAL FIRE SURROUND!" The repeated blasts of flame caused Reno to twitch against the tree trunk as the blasts of fire ripped into him.
"ULTIMA!" cast Aeris, pointing her hands around her Princess Guard at Reno. The green blast of lifestream blasted the corrupted Turk senseless and destroyed the tree.Mercury was now semiconscious, and Rude noticed his friend in trouble. He hurled the Scout of Ice at the group now attacking Reno. The limp form of Mercury smashed into the group, bowling them over into one convenient pile. Rude pulled Reno to his feet, and they both turned to face the team. They both raised their hand, and tendrils of dark energy raced out. The tendrils reformed into dark chains, and soon everyone save Venus in the immediate area was bound by negative chains to individual trees. Venus shook her head, and stood. She surveyed the situation. It wasn't good. A few Crescent Beams would cut everyone free, but there was the little detail of she was by herself against two powerful negacreeps. Or was she? She saw, out of the corner of her eye, a hand snatch Venus Gospel from where it had impacted. She turned her attention back to the two Turks, now trying to flank her.
"Think, Mina," she whispered. She dodged the first blast of energy, jumping up to catch a tree limb. She swung herself away and twisted as she let go, dropping behind the Turks. She jumped at Rude. He turned in time to catch her kick square on the jaw, and staggered backwards, dazed.
Moon groaned as she looked up. The situation was grim, and the chain was draining her energy. Suddenly, she felt herself tumble to the ground, as Cid slashed with Venus Gospel. He reached his energy to the embedded Materia, selecting the glistening red orb that held the power of the underworld. He activated Hades.
Reno blinked as Venus faded from his vision. Four fires lit the blackness that surrounded him, flaring up into an immense platform with four columns, a cauldron, and an ominous-looking being. He waved his hands, and suddenly the cauldron overflowed, multicolored dark tendrils of power impacting into Reno. The blackness cleared, and Venus grinned as Reno solidified, as a sleeping, poisoned, slowed, and paralyzed frog. Venus moved towards Reno, as Rude rejoined the fight, smashing into her like a freight train.Rude glanced at Reno, but before he could take another step, a white glow caught his eye. He turned to face a grinning Cid, standing next to Sailor Moon, who now held her Imperium Staff, and channeled her power.
"MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!" A white stream of energy flowed out, surrounding Reno. The glow quickly faded, and Reno shook his head, slightly dazed. As the link between the corrupted Turk and the restored Turk was severed, so were the negative energy chains that bound the team to the trees. Reno looked around, seeing the situation for the first time. He glanced at the dark Rude.
"Rude, what's going on?" he asked.
Rude grimaced. His instructions were clear on this. Once corrupted by the Moon bitch, his queen had instructed him to kill his friend. He was fairly sure Reno had received similar instructions. He raised his hands, but something made him hesitate. Moon took advantage of that.
"MOON HEALING ACIVATION!"
* * * *
Marius frowned. That thrice damned Moon Princess! She had forced her hand. Marius reluctantly summoned Elena to her. Elena bowed obediently, and Marius quickly began the excruciatingly painful process of increasing Elena's power. It was a good question of whom it was more excruciating for...
* * * *
Reno frowned. He glanced at the entrance to the temple. "So, Elena's still under this bitch's control?"
Mercury nodded, rubbing her throat. It already felt better. There were certain advantages to being a Scout! "It is most likely that since Sailor Moon has healed the two of you, she will be brought back to slow us down."
Aeris smiled grimly. "What Marius doesn't realize is there's no way she can acquire the Black Materia without a sacrifice. You see, the temple is the Black Materia. Someone has to be inside, and solve a puzzle, after which they will perish as the temple resizes."
"Will she send Elena to do that task?" asked Reno after sharing a glance with Rude.
"Maybe," answered Moon. "But it's always been our experience that the Negaverse will part with the lesser negacreeps, called youmas, before wasting someone with power."
"Well, what we waitin' for?" asked Barret. "Let's go!"
* * * *
The keystone was normally needed to enter, but as her powers as an Ancient had increased, Aeris was able to allow entry. The moved through the maze, once again past the rolling boulders, once again into the time room. They ended at the door maze. They were greeted by an evil, energy supercharged Elena. There was little to no hesitation this time. After all, they outnumbered her nineteen to one. It was a rapidfire beatdown of the worst order, bringing her easily to her knees, and Moon once again activated her powers, restoring Elena. A quick briefing later, and Elena rejoined their team. Now twenty strong, they entered the final room. Mercury held back a second, reaching into her pocketspace and activating her planar phaser.
They walked in, and there were more than a few gasps at the murals all over the wall, portraying Meteor. The placed reeked of ancientness, even though the temple was brand new. Dust layered the floors.
"Well, someone has a touch of the dramatic," murmured Mars.
Jupiter frowned. "What's that?" She pointed to a small model of the temple, on a pedestal with the letters B-L-A-C-K-M-A-T-E-R-I-A around it.
"That's the puzzle," said Aeris. "That's-"
"Mine," hissed a lethal voice. The team whirled to face Marius. "You've all been so troublesome," she raged, glaring at Sailor Moon.
"Jupe, Mars, blast her! Distract her!" hissed Mercury as she readied her planar phaser. She received two nods in reply.
Marius continued. "So, I've decided to enlist the help of another friend. You know it as the Demon Gate. I've brought it back, and sort of... tweaked it. So, without further ado.."
"JUPITER OAK EVOULTION!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
The combined blasts reeled Marius. Mercury stepped forward and raised her arm, pressing the fire button. Marius glanced up, saw Mercury fire, and immediately detected the nature of the blast. She threw herself aside. The beam barely missed.
"Not this time!" she taunted as she glowed white, becoming incorporeal.
"NO!" cursed a frustrated Mercury. "Damnit!" Marius disappeared in a white flash. Mercury noted Dev had his own computer out, and then they were too busy to talk, as Demon Gate attacked once again. Its first hit nearly killed Cloud.
He reeled, anger bursting in him. He felt the magic of a Fullcure, courtesy of Yuffie, and leapt forward with a snarl.
"OMNISLASH!"
The following frenzy of sword strikes ripped Demon Gate practically apart. Moon leveled her staff as Cloud dropped back from the final hit. She noticed Aeris also level hers.
"MOON GORGEOUS MEDITATION!"
"ULTIMATE END!"
Their energies swirled together, in a furious mixture of power. The attack finally started, except this time the knights that smashed the enemy were Scouts wielding weapons. And the final blow wasn't dealt by the mythical Arthur, but by Sailor Moon.
Demon Gate was instantly disintegrated.
"Moondusted!"
* * * *
"Well, maybe we'll meet again," said Serena. Smiles greeted her statement. They stood before the glowing node, back at Cosmo Canyon. She turned to face Dev. "So, where are we going?"
"B-21," he answered.
"Wait a minute.." murmured Darien. "We were there before."
"Oh yeah," said Lita. "We helped kill a dragon there."
"Great," muttered Mina. "Out of the frying pan and into the beach, dear friends."
"That's 'into the fire', and 'Once more unto the breach, dear friends'," corrected Amy.
"Whatever," said Mina with a shrug and a smile. She turned, and the Scouts leapt into the whiteness with Darien and their cats. The world flashed white, and then they appeared, startling a kobold. He fell back and landed in a barrel of apples, before sheepishly grinning at them in recognition...
TO BE CONTINUED...
** Another in joke for FF7 players. Gagighandi are giant lizards that petrify. Hope everyone likes the story so far!
GO TO PART NINE