Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crystal Dreams ❯ Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Ryuhi slowly climbed to his feet, a slight smile on his face. At least the threat was gone. It was indeed a shame about the coliseum being in a shambles, but he and the Council could live with that. What mattered was that they could continue living here.

Turning his gaze over to his comrades, he speculatively regarded them as they made their way to him, the one called Sephiroth holding a makeshift pad against his thigh with one hand, while holding his sword in the other, and the Guardian Jupiter and Serin supporting each other.

'A powerful warrior, a Guardian of Crystal Tokyo, and a swordsman…with something more…' Though Ryuhi couldn't quite put his finger on it, he had the feeling that there was something more to Serin than one saw at first glance. He inwardly shrugged…time enough to find out what it is later.

When they stopped in front of him, Serin pointed his finger at Ryuhi, and with a grin on his face, said, "Ya know, you didn't have to take out the entire mountain with him. Just killing the creep himself would have been fine."

Ryuhi smirked again, then nodded. "I will keep that in mind." Turning his gaze to look over their shoulders, he abruptly frowned as he saw the Council Elders approaching with several armed guards beyond their normal complement of bodyguards.

As they approached, Japhtha, the senior member, pointed to Ryuhi's comrades. <Arrest them, and prepare them for immediate execution! > he said.

Ryuhi stepped in front of the guards, and held up a hand. Knowing his authority, they stopped uncertainly. Turning to the Council, he asked, <What the hell are you doing?! These people saved the lives of many in our clan, and yet you are calling for their heads? Why? >

Toldra, one of the other Council members, frowned. <They have doomed, not saved, us, Ryuhi. You had best remember your place. They have killed one of Neo-Queen Serenity's new warriors! If we show her their heads, perhaps she will spare us. > Gesturing the guards forward, they again moved to take custody of the outsiders.

Ryuhi snapped, <Stay where you are! > The mere authoritative tone in his voice stopped the guards, and they blinked, wavering again. Turning his attention back to the Council, he reasoned, <Elders, we know through our intelligence network that Serenity is saving the Guardians for some special purpose. Even if it is to kill them herself, do you think she will spare you for killing her on your own accord? >

The Council members turned uneasily to each other, and muttered. A sharp tap from behind him went ignored, and he stepped forward to avoid having to look at his comrades' faces. Finally, the councilmen finished their deliberations.

Japhtha nodded in agreement with Ryuhi's statement and declared, <It shall be so. The guards will take Guardian Jupiter away for transportation to Neo-Queen Serenity, while the other two will be executed. We leave their fate in your hands, Ryuhi. >

Ryuhi bowed in his most subservient manner to the Council. <I will not disappoint you, Honored Elders. >

As one, they nodded, and stepped back, while the guards resumed their binding of the outsiders, unimpeded, as well as the confiscation of their weapons. Though Serin and Sephiroth put up an initial struggle, they were far too weakened to do much more than delay the moment when they were finally handcuffed. As the binders finally snapped shut on their wrists, both men turned hate-filled gazes on their host, which he studiously showed no reaction to.

Once all preparations were complete, Ryuhi indicated for the guards to follow him, and then started walking. When he heard a scuffle behind him, the martial artist turned to look, and saw that Serin had broken free of his captors and was heading toward Jupiter. As her guards moved to intercept, Ryuhi raised a hand and shook his head, and they stood down.

Stepping up to Jupiter, Serin leaned in close, whispered something in her ear, kissed her as passionately as he could with binders on, and then turned abruptly away. Behind him, the guardian had barely controlled tears in her eyes as she called out to him, "Serin!"

The swordsman turned to face her, his expression not much better than hers, though he still carried a bit of defiance in him as the guards resumed their positions at his sides.

Showing a bit of the shyness that she hadn't felt in a long time, she whispered, "I love you, too."

Serin nodded, smiled sadly, and then was roughly escorted out of the ruined coliseum. Holding back her tears, Jupiter took heart from Serin's last expression, and stood tall and defiant as she, too, was escorted out of the ruined arena. No matter what, she swore to herself that she would, at the very least, emulate him in his last moments.

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Walking in front with the guards positioned on both sides of each prisoner, Ryuhi began giving cursory examinations of every bulkhead they passed, noting the positions of his clan's setup of security cameras and motion sensors. As they rounded one particular corner, Ryuhi suddenly stopped, and surprise registered on his face.

<What the hell do you think you're doing? > he shouted.

The guards raced up to see what was going on, and were also surprised…though it was mainly because there was no one in the corridor. Questions had just begun to form in their minds when the darkness suddenly reached up to pull them down.

Both Serin and Sephiroth had been planning to find a way back to Jupiter for a rescue operation, when they suddenly heard several grunts of pain from around the corner. Confusion raced through their minds as they debated going up to see what was going on, and taking advantage of this distraction. Just as they had decided on the latter, Ryuhi came back around the corner, alone, with their weapons. Propping them up against a wall, he placed one hand on each pair of cuffs, and they vaporized at his touch, though both fighters felt a tingle of energy run through their arms. Wordlessly, he then handed them their weapons, then gestured for them to follow him.

He took two steps in the indicated direction when he noticed that neither one of them was following him. Turning, Ryuhi saw Sephiroth standing in his original spot, and Serin was on his way back the way they'd come. Running up to the latter warrior, he stepped in front.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Serin simply stated, "I'm going back to get Jupiter free."

Ryuhi shook his head. "We don't have time to get her. It'll be two, three minutes tops before security teams figure out what we're up to…" At this, the martial artist let his sentence trail off for the simple reason that Serin now had his sword out and had placed the tip at his obstacle's throat.

Serin's voice was cold, and invited no debate. "I'm going back for Mako-chan. Try to stop me and I will kill you." So saying, he abruptly sheathed the sword, and resumed walking down the corridor.

Ryuhi looked at Sephiroth with pleading eyes, only to get a simple shrug.

"Sorry. I happen to agree with him. Besides, I don't much trust you after that stunt you pulled in the coliseum." And with that, the general began purposely following Serin down the corridor.

For approximately half a minute, Ryuhi looked back and forth between their possible escape route, and the way his comrades had gone. Snarling a vicious curse, he turned and headed off to see what he could do about keeping the fools alive.

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Makoto just barely managed to keep a look of despair off of her face as the guards began talking in hushed tones...most likely discussing her possible fate. For a fleeting moment, she wished that Sephiroth or even Ryuhi were here to translate. For her, not knowing what was going on was pure torture.

Thinking of Ryuhi made the pain of betrayal even more acute. 'Why?' she wondered. 'Why didn't he step in to help us?' Almost instantly, her pain transformed into determination. 'If he hurts Serin...'

Her reverie was interrupted right then, however, the guards finishing their discussion, and gesturing to some mechanics, who disappeared into a spacious hangar area, took almost all of which up by several air speeders. Though they all had the same basic body (that of a crescent moon shape), some carried rocket pods slung under the wings, while others had evidence of heavier armor, among other modifications. However, the guards kept shoving Makoto past these, toward the end of the hangar, where another, huge, bay was visible.

As she came into view, she felt her jaw drop in astonishment. The speeders these people had were something, but they paled in comparison to this...this...behemoth. The airship she was obviously being herded to seemed to be a cross between a blimp and a helicopter/plane, what with all the propellers on it. That alone would most likely deter most possible pirates, but judging from the weapons blisters on the prow, sides, and stern, the crew wasn't taking any chances.

Just as Makoto was about to step onto the ramp leading up, she heard an authoritative voice call out a command. Turning with her captors, she saw Ryuhi jogging up to their group, giving a long string of urgent commands. Whatever he said, the guards were properly motivated enough to leave her behind, and go racing out of the hangar entirely.

Bewildered by this sudden turn of events, she was just about to ask Ryuhi what was going on, when he whistled twice, and vaporized her cuffs with a mere touch. At that moment, both Serin and Sephiroth stepped out of hiding near one of the speeders and began quickly, yet stealthily making their way to the airship that their comrades were gathered near. As they came up, Ryuhi stated urgently, "We do not have much time before the security team figures out I lied." Suddenly, a mischievous grin appeared on his face. "Although, I do believe it would be funny to see the reactions on their faces when they realize that you are not, in fact, impersonating two of the Elders."

Serin and Sephiroth took a moment to absorb this thought, before they started laughing politely with the renegade martial artist. Gesturing them aboard, he took one last glance around, before ducking inside and closing the door. Turning around, he saw that the crew had eager looks on their faces, but were still awaiting his orders. Glancing around at the crowd, he picked out one face immediately, and nodded slightly.

<Captain Cid...take us out of this hole. >

Cid grinned as the others cheered in obvious approval, and immediately set about their tasks. Before long, the whine of distant engines became a steady hum throughout the entire ship, and a sudden jerk told the group that they were indeed on their way.