Starlit Ruins

by Simon Woodington

  The city seemed lost and distinctly lonely below them. A dark shroud had enveloped the light mottled and remarkably inactive realm. It would seem to the five women that the population of the city had abruptly vanished, yet they all too sharply recognized the fearful silence. There was an eerie calm about the city, the armies of Tokyo beaten back by the shadowling forces, who in turn were muted by their own lack of energy. The war had reached a great pause, and for those of the Resistance and the Military that survived yet, there was a great, welcome reprieve. Time had been given for each side to lick their wounds, regroup, and for the Resistance, to fortify their barracks and holdings.

  The Neo Senshi, however, had chosen that moment to mount their attack, taking clear advantage of the vast emptiness, allowing them time to scout their remaining territory and study the vortex with deeper scrutiny. They had already been fighting for nearly ten hours, destroying the last few shadowlings the natives of Tokyo had been too weak to eliminate. Presently, they proceeded to the vortex crystal and the great winding tower of sinister energy that swirled about it.

  "Not too long ago we cowered down there with them," Masurani remarked wistfully, albeit sourly. "It must have been months… but I swear… it feels like yesterday Usagi fought Beryl."

  Their transformations had revealed outfits not too dissimilar from the style of their predecessors, aside from the addition of armlets, and white shin-plate armour, among other plainly cosmetic alterations. The Neo Senshi expected to see a bear the physical brunt of combat.

  'Usagi is very, very brave woman,' Naritha confirmed with an emotional flutter.

  Ayla nodded slowly. 'Hmm,' she agreed, the short affirmation filled with anxiety and unease.

  'What do you mean "hmm"? We still don't know very much about that bloody thing!' Haisha observed, her sharp tones masking very powerful bouts of rampaging internalized fear.

  "That bloody thing" denoted the tornado of swirling violet leeching forces which they approached with as much a sense of its power as a respect for their overall duty, had taken a firm hold on the corner of the city in which it had been planted.

  'Sailor Pheonix, don't ignore your mystic senses. They will tell you what you need to know,' Nasura advised her gently.

  'Oh, okay… I just thought that was Seraph's job.'

  Nasura refrained from sighing before she threw a hinting glance to Ayla, who bowed her head and nodded. 'Sailor Seraph, what can you tell me about the crystal?'

  Naritha took a deep breath, and opened her mind. She bowed her head, shuddering, and expelled the inhaled lungful sharply an instant later. 'It very, very grave, Ayla,' she nearly whispered, raising her tear streaked face to meet Ayla's gaze. 'Hundreds caught in. Death for many days. Much loss, pain, and fear on those threatened by it.'

  'What else? Haisha? What do you know about that area?'

  'It's urban, if that's what you mean. Lots of people are… oh hell!' she stopped as she gained a flickering sense of Naritha's explanation of the situation. 'There were! Oh Seraph… you're - oh Lord - right. It's killing the residents of the area and…' she paused to breathe, eyes wide with shock. 'Literally growing! Look at those apartment buildings!'

  Each of the four senshi trained their mystically augmented sight on the buildings, which appeared as though they had been blown or split open by some muscular giant. They shared angered, determined, or sorrowed glances as the reality struck home.

  'I don't know what to…' Ayla muttered softly as she shook her bowed head. 'Is there anything else?'

  There was a stern, unwieldy, and stark silence. It was not a concern they wished to face, but knew, that that was the very reason for their Knighthood. Such a demand could only be carried on a fellowship of shoulders.

  'There's an energy shield surrounding it,' she explained. 'Masurani?'

  'Hai?'

  'Would you hit it with one of your chi bolts?'

  Masurani glanced questioningly at Ayla, who nodded. A shrill yellow light formed about Masurani's figure as she gritted her teeth with effort, squinting fearsomely at her distant target. Then, as she shoved the ball of fire-like chi forward with her hands, she snapped of a short vocal report: 'Kei-ya!'

  The shimmering bolt flared away and struck the shield with no more event than a single shudder, causing Haisha to blink as her suspicion was confirmed. 'Oh geez… It did. It absorbed the energy. That complicates things.'

  'No doubt,' Masurani grunted sarcastically.

  'We can't let it grow any further… it's nearing central Tokyo!'

  'Well, I'm leaving it up to you to figure this out,' Ayla replied curtly. 'You're the tactician.'

  Haisha blinked, as if confused by the order.

  'If you won't do it, I'll find someone else!' Ayla snapped, her temper rising so quickly that Haisha was too startled to answer at first. 'He will attack soon. You made that abundantly clear. Are you going to make use of your military knowledge or would you rather join the civilians down there?!'

  'Hell no!' Haisha replied sincerely, her voice hushed by obedience. 'You just be ready to attack when we return, ne?'

  'Don't start. We'll be ready,' she snapped back.

  Nasura shook her head, and spoke: 'I swear, you two make up for the lack of any masculinity in this group. Nasura, be ready to leave in a moment. We are almost there.'

  'Hai sensei.'

  'Nasura, did you have to make them so skimpy?' Masurani complained from her own consuming thoughts, tugging at her awkwardly short skirt. Nasura arched an eyebrow with an amused expression on her face.

  'Me? What makes you think I am responsible for their appearance? It's tailored to your idealized design.'

  Ayla giggled as Masurani blushed furiously. She held her silence as they continued toward Nasura's destination.

  'Who’s a girly-girl?' Ayla prodded with a sly grin.

  'Nu-uh! I don’t wanna be flashing the world in this getup.'

  'Masu-chan,' Naritha interjected. 'Nothing wrong with being womanly. I worry for being wanton. You like my choice?'

  Masurani's regard softened. Naritha's 'choice' was indeed womanly: A sleeved body suit of silvery blue with knee high shin guarded boots, white breastplate, upper arm plates, full gauntlets, and standard white choker. Each piece of armor was also decorated by a single sapphire crystal.

  'Masurani, you can alter your costume if you are not satisfied. You know better.'

  'Yeah, well, so?' she replied with a streak of ire. 'Shardin’ idealized whatever…'

  'I think maybe you should just drop the skirt entirely, Masu-chan. Why don't you just go for full plate armour?'

  She smirked, 'It's no wonder you're the leader, Ayla-chan. I wouldn't have thought of that.'

  'What about something more like this, Masurani?' Haisha offered. Her purple, shoulderless cat suit struck both the classy and sultry chords. Masurani gave it a briefly appreciative glance.

  'I never really liked the Inner Senshi outfits,' she added.

  Nasura demanded their attention sharply. 'You had best make it quick, young one!'

  'Hai sensei!'

  Nasura merely nodded. Ayla cast a serious glance to her friend. 'Geez, she's absolutely intense.'

  'Out of the frying pan and into the fire, I think. Wait, does that mean we’re roasted? Oh, nevermind,' Masurani grumbled, cracking her knuckles loudly as the change washed over her. Her suit was replaced by light plate armour and a skin tight body suit of dark brown. The armlets, shin plates, and breastplate shone of newly polished steel, and each bore a crystal of earthen tones. Ayla gave with a start, amazed by the comparative masculinity. Masurani winked at her.

  'Didn't I say it was a little too little? That thing wasn't fit for a senshi like me. Oh,' she glanced at Haisha. 'Thanks.'

  Haisha merely nodded, seeming to - rightly - concentrate on the task ahead of them. She was remaining near Nasura, discussing the statistics and stratagem of battle. The ashen haired girl nodded deftly at Masurani. 'But Nasura said that the first outfit stemmed from you,
why…'

  'It was kinda nice, but way too impractical,' she shrugged, indifference setting upon her face. 'I'd never wear anything like that if I wanted to fight, really. Too skimpy.'

  'Compared to what, a bikini?' Ayla retorted with an arched eyebrow.

  'Well, no, that's not what I mean! Too… teasing… just, not classy,' Masurani's voice faded into silence as she noticed that Ayla's outfit had not changed from that standard. Her expression clouded with discomfort. 'Ah, cram it, I’m sorry.'

  'No, you made a damn good point.'

  'Halt!' Nasura called back sharply, sounding irritated.

  Ayla's eyebrows knitted. 'Is there something wrong?'

  'We're having company,' Nasura glared into a point in the sky just ahead of them.

  If looks could kill, Ayla remarked to herself, we'd be postmortem.

  Alya quickly willed a variant of her friend's outfit over her own. She fashioned a two piece body suit of crimson, with white plate armour and also the orange-red crystals of Masurani's design. The upper body armour started at her neck, and stopped at the wrist and at the bottom of her rib cage. The lower part began at her waist and ended evenly at a pair of ankle-high boots. Masurani handed her a sly grin, noting the alterations. Her attention was quickly distracted as a piercing blue light opened in the air before them. From it the angelic Makoto, and her husky, thickly muscled soulmate appeared.

  'Makoto?' Nasura squinted at the two, as if unsure of their existence.

  'Hai. Nasura-san,' Makoto smiled faintly. 'Things have changed.'

  Masurani drifted close to Ayla, and whispered: 'She's been working with Makoto already? Why hasn't she told us?'

  'Sssh,' Ayla urged, trying to catch the conversation. Makoto? Was it really her? What had happened? Where had she gone?

  'Carl has a small detachment of Rifts Earth Coalition Grunts to assist you at the forefront. I know you're ill prepared.' She faced the four star-eyed young women, awed by someone they idolized adored even more greatly since her unwilling departure from Earth. 'Are these your senshi?'

  Ayla bowed respectfully to Makoto. A blush warmed her cheeks gradually she noticed how attractive Hanlan was.

  'Makoto-sama, I am Apollo Ayla, Sailor Sol, leader of the Neo Senshi. This is Sarle Masurani, Sailor Titan, Mishuru Haisha, Sailor Phoenix, and Walynn Naritha, Sailor Seraph.'

  'An honour to meet you,' she bowed deeply. Each of the four instantly replied the bow, feeling varying degrees of embarrassment and unmasked shock at being so abruptly distinguished.

  'The honour is ours!' Ayla quickly established, a wash of crimson upon her cheeks.

  'I'm sorry I cannot fight with you for very long,' Makoto apologized. 'But we are going to approach Uraki-Ayo on our own terms.'

  ' "We"? The Inner Senshi?' Haisha queried eagerly.

  'Hai. We have been reunited,' she smiled to the young woman.

  'Sailor Sol, Makoto, Sailor Phoenix and I must leave you,' Nasura determined abruptly. 'We must locate the last of your senshi.'

  'On that point,' Makoto began forebodingly, her darkening eyes locking with Nasura's. 'I learned something you're not going to like.'

  'What?' Nasura nigh pleaded, the leaden weights within her soul seeming to increase.

  'This was discovered at the murder site of Kinisou Thanus,' she stated, handing her four small jade crystals. At the paling of Nasura's complexion, it was plain the import of the event.

  'This isn't possible!' she gasped, gazing stolidly at the shining gems resting in her palm. 'She wouldn't have!'

  'She did,' Makoto decreed. 'She left signature chi constructs everywhere. Thanus' body was laced with them.'

  The four young woman gazed at each other in certain unbelief.

  'I'm sorry to have to tell you this,' Makoto sighed, as deeply wounded as any other there. 'But Ether Xalia is a traitor and murderer.'

  Dramatically, she faced the stark angel, and spoke: 'Haisha, come.'

  'Hai sensei,' she replied faintly, still stunned by the facts Makoto had presented.

  'But sensei! Who is Xalia?' Ayla demanded.

  'The first Neo Senshi. Sailor Ether, who I Knighted just after the Inner Senshi disappeared. There isn't really time to explain it, I regret to say. Haisha!'

  'Hai!'

  'Good luck…' Ayla offered with a weak bow. Nasura bowed deeply to Makoto, then briefly to Ayla and the remaining senshi. At a pace Ayla could only guess was mystically augmented, they departed the scene without another spoken syllable.

  'You may lead, Sailor Sol,' Makoto offered with a wan smile. She nodded to Hanlan, and they trailed only seconds behind as Ayla set the pace towards their target.

  'What the hell?' Masurani snapped. 'She killed the other squires? She's why we're senshi?'

  'I don't know,' Ayla replied. 'I thought she said the clones were responsible.'

  'Look Sol, I don't know how you expect her to know. She isn't perfect.'

  Ayla said nothing, having fallen into one of her trances of consideration. How did she know?

  'I sense Nasura with much fear and tension. She not like self much now,' Naritha elaborated, taking advantage of the silence.

  'I don't think I'd be too pleased with me either if I screwed up like this,' Masurani frowned, feeling somewhat unnerved. 'Why'd she still go off to check out Thanus' place if there's no chance of bringing back another senshi? And what if she does? Don't think I won't fry this chick if I ever see her!'

  Ayla snapped out of her mental pacing and spoke up: 'I think it’s personal. We have to trust her.'

  'Trust her to what?’ Haisha asked with a caustic tone.

  Ayla regarded her, stock, unreadable, 'We’ve trusted her up ‘til now, haven’t we?'

  ‘Guess so.’

  'It all centers around the second line of the code,' Ayla stated calmly. 'Don't you remember? "Keep the Word, with every Means at your disposal."'

  'You're dreamin',' Masurani scoffed, rolling her eyes. 'Faith won't win the war.'

  'It's better than getting down about it,' she rebuked softly with the slight appearance of accusation. 'Don't you believe in them?'

  'Sure, but I know the Inner Senshi. This chick though,' she scoffed, 'No way. Not a chance.'

  'Ah… if may speak mind?' Naritha interjected hesitantly. Both girls continued to glare at each other, holding a rocky silence. The young Chinese girl took that as an affirmative.

  'If sense right, then Nasura believe same,' she observed, glancing at the spiteful pair. 'I say give chance. May not be Xalia acting on free will. Recall what NegaForce did to Mamoru? Could be same, now.'

  A regretful look fell over their faces as Naritha's point struck home. 'I guess, but I won't trust that until I can get some proof. If not, I'm gonna smoke this chick,' she declared assuredly, smacking one gloved hand into the palm of the other.

  'You may have to get in line,' Ayla suggested, and Masurani shrugged. ‘Whatever.’

  'What are we looking for?' Haisha questioned, examining the remains of the slivers of couch. She picked up a two silver crossbow bolts and scrutinized them with eye as much as mystic sense. Upon finding nothing, she dropped them, standing to face her mentor.

  'Anything. I'm hoping she left some kind of trace spell…'

  'Can she do that? It doesn't look like she was here very long. Not that I have your weaving experience.'

  'Of course. She was a very talented mage. Her wind powers were only an extension of her innate wind elemental abilities…'

  'I knew that. How long ago was she initiated?'

  'It's been a month. What I fail to comprehend is why her crystal didn't… ah!' she exclaimed, grasping a thumb tack and holding it with a smile. 'Here we go.'

  'What? That's what?' Haisha blinked, staring curiously at the ordinary looking object.

  'Hai,' she nodded, reciting a few words, at which point the thumb tack became a small green orb. She closed her eyes, and the orb began to seethe light. An image of a young woman's face appeared above it, cut off at the un
clothed shoulders.

  'What's with the tripped out background?' Haisha queried, giving the cross between a football, baseball, and soccer field floating erratically sideways a strange look as unusually large balls from each game floated suspended in mid air across the field.

  'There's only one method… a chancy and risky one at that, but… this was woven on the subconscious level,' she decided seriously. 'Like a dream.'

  'Okay, so I guess that explains the background… but good gravy! How?'

  ‘I do not know,’ Naritha demurred.

  ‘It is a soul-threaded shard. A gem with a link to her heart,’ explained a familiar voice. The group turned toward it and saw Nasura standing behind them.

  'I guess I misjudged her,' Haisha admonished. 'She's tough.'

  'That is precisely why I chose her Haisha-chan,' Nasura elaborated needlessly. ‘Hand me the gem.’

  Naritha place it in her palm. Haisha set her with sorrowful gaze and nodded. The image glancing about as Nasura muttered invoking tones, then glanced towards between the two awaiting women.

  'Nasura! Oh I hope it's you who found this message, and not one of Uraki's shadowlings. Not much of a chance of that. Only the clones' senses are fine enough to detect this. So, I've been captured, but then, I guess that's kinda obvious now,' she laughed. Suddenly, the jubilant expression was slain. 'I've killed. Not just Asa, Inasu and Thanus… I'm sorry, but I know he won't make it. My power is superior now, increased by the NegaForce like it is. He doesn't stand a chance. None of them did. I've probably killed six or more now. I'm not sure…' she paused and put her hands to her head as if seeking the pressure points of a headache. 'It's getting harder to fight off the spell. I guess I should just finish this so you can stop me. By the time you get this, you'll have chosen your senshi because there's no one left. Uraki-Ayo was precise in forcing the issue. Don't underestimate him, sensei, or me. I've been given a Galleon Trident. I know, it's pretty major stuff. Not much chance of you beating me without killing… uh…' she paused with eyes downcast. 'Well, I knew what I was doing when I accepted the Knighthood. This is what it's all about, right?'

  She paused for a wistful, somewhat lost expression. Then shook her head tiredly and resumed:

  'Anyway, you should know I've only personally killed four of the candidates. I know it's lame, but what am I supposed to say?! I lose more of myself the longer the spell stays on me. I'm in a bloody heap of trouble here…! Oh hell. Uraki-Ayo-sama… sama? Damn! You see? Even if you do somehow manage to save me, it might not even matter! I guess none of this will if that happens. Okay, enough talk like that Xalia! How about telling them how to beat us safely? Well, yeah, right. It is possible. You see, Uraki put a collar on me to make sure I don't turn on him. I'm nearly as strong as he is now, and could hurt him pretty seriously. If you can shatter the collar… don't ask me how, he said it's indestructible. Mentioned something about there being runes on it, or something. I'm hoping you'll understand what that means, Kei. If you can destroy that, or use a Break Spell, I won't be a danger to you, and you can disenchant me.'

  Nasura bowed her head, knowing the deadly spell might be the only way, and not enjoying the knowledge of it a single bit.

  'That's all I can do. Oh, yeah, right… Watch yourself. Uraki may set me after you. Actually, I'm quite certain he will, since the clones aren't quite ready to take you on. I do mean you, Nasura. He figures I'm strong enough now. As for the clones, you should warn your senshi against them. They've been given the task of individually taking out each Neo Senshi. They're tough enough to do it, too. Haisha will have already been attacked by now. I hope she's okay.'

  'Yeah, fan-truckin-tastic, no thanks to you,' Haisha remarked. 'Was she responsible for the clones?'

  Nasura shook her head vaguely with a slight, ill-inspired shrug. Xalia, coincidentally, seemed to answer, sort of: 'I don't know how he made the clones, but I've tried to send those who won't have any advantage other than raw power. Jisuruka is getting suspicious, so she might override my commands. If she does, there's nothing I can do. She's closer to Uraki and even I am. She's the only major obstacle I face. She's really creepy…

  'Um, anyway, I'm running out of manna, so I have to end this spell. All I can ask is that you do the best you can. If you have to kill me to save the others, then… well, you know. Just do it. I'm hoping things go right. Or, something, or whatever… Goodbye Nasura-san. Whatever happens, I trust you.'

  The image died as she bowed her head. Nasura no longer gazed upon it, her head similarly poised, silent tears streaming down her reddened cheeks.

  Chapter 38

  Mean Time