Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Call it the Awakening ❯ Call it the Awakening 1 ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

By: JPandS

Makoto walked aimlessly through the misty night which was strange for it's time. The middle of June and the nights were plagued with an uneasy darkness while the mornings met the uncomfortable humidity with fog. Nonetheless, Makoto still found herself walking through it all despite the troubled feelings that she had ever since the odd weather showed up. It seemed that all chaos had broken loose with the weather and she couldn't help but feel that there was something…unnatural behind it all. Day after day she witnessed more and more people become hysterical and watched as crime rates rocketed in her town. It was like something big was happening right under her nose and she couldn't seem to figure it out. She did, however, notice one thing around all of this madness.

Every time something huge broke out she could feel a cold presence lurking nearby. She could feel the fear and anguish seep out of the people in a bizarre way and it seemed as if something was calling out those emotions, beckoning them to be released, provoking the person to act on those unstable feelings and to deplete all logic behind it. She could feel her hair stand on the back of neck as the temperature dropped significantly. She herself would grow anxious with anticipation for no apparent reason. Her worries of any enemy uprising came to mind and she'd always find her fists clenched tightly as ideas of her friends being wounded came into view. Then, as quickly as all those feelings had come to the picture, it all disappeared in that same instant.

She constantly riddled her mind with these questions of what it could be that was causing all of this wacky behavior but could think of nothing. Ami and Rei had logically explained that the strange behavior probably resulted from the sudden change of the temperature. Usagi had been unreachable and Minako had concluded that Makoto was just stressed and needed some time off. They were probably right.

“Hey guys,” said Minako. “I'm worried about Makoto.”

“Yeah?” asked Usagi. “Why? Has she been cooking a lot lately?”

“No, it's just that she said she had this feeling that something strange was going on. She sounded really serious,” said Minako.

“Yeah, she told me about that too,” said Rei. “What do you think about it Ami?”

Ami cleared her throat and straightened her glasses before she spoke. “Well, due to the long absence of any enemy, I think that Makoto is trying to recreate a surrounding familiar to the one she has been accustomed to for the past six years. I think that since this is the first time that nature has acted purely on instinct producing this strange weather, she has mistaken it to be the doing of a supernatural force.”

“Say that again,” said Usagi as she rubbed her head in confusion.

“In other words,” said Ami. “Makoto is most likely paranoid and is resorting to the easy assumption that the negaverse is behind the weather change.”

“Then what should we do?” Asked Rei.

“I know!” said Minako. “Maybe Makoto just needs a vacation. I'm going to England this month, maybe I can convince my parents to let Makoto come with us.”

“That's a great idea Mina!” said Usagi. Mina smiled triumphantly and spoke to her parents. To her luck they said yes and agreed to have Makoto come along. After all they had always wanted to meet one of Minako's friends face-to-face being as she always spent her time with them.

Makoto sighed and slumped forward. She reached her apartment with ease and opened the door. She stared at her luggage lying in the front room and frowned. Was she really so stressed that she would imagine these types of feelings? She shook the thought from her mind and continued to her bathroom. Her eyes were red with fatigue when she looked in the mirror. She hadn't been able to sleep well at all, especially since the time Minako had invited her to go to England. She didn't know whether she was afraid to leave home or if she was just scared of going to a different country, but whatever it was, it sure did take a lot out of her.

Makoto exhaled and started her nightly routine of brushing her teeth and so forth. She lay in bed staring at the ceiling and remained there until morning.

“Makoto!” yelled a hyper Minako. “Open up!” Within a few minutes the door opened to reveal a sluggish Makoto.

“Mako! You're supposed to be ready!” yelled Minako. Makoto just yawned and let the blond walk in and rampage through her drawers in her room.

“Here,” said Minako. “Wear this.”

Makoto blinked blankly at the clothes that were thrown at her and didn't move until she felt Minako pushing her towards the bathroom.

“Come on! There's no time to waste,” said Minako as she struggled to move Makoto. “We're already running late!”

Before long, Makoto and Minako were out the door with two suitcases.

“You know Makoto, I am very disappointed in you,” she scolded. “I would expect you to pack more than just two suitcases! I mean, we're going to be in England for about a month! But that's okay; I guess we'll just have to make up for it by going shopping.” Makoto, who was lagging behind, groaned and Minako frowned. This really wasn't going as well as she thought it would.

“Hey Rei, what'd you call me over for?” asked Ami.

“There's something I want you to see,” said Rei as she walked into the kitchen of Makoto's apartment.

“Umm, Rei, I don't think we should be in here,” said Ami. “After all, this is Makoto's home and I wouldn't want to invade her privacy.”

“Ami, she asked me to house sit for her so I am. I just happened to come over something that I think you should see.” Rei then walked over to the fridge and opened the freezer.

“What's so strange about that?” asked Ami.

“This,” Rei then moved the tub of ice cream and a bag of ice to reveal something quite `strange' to say the least. Ami's eyes widened as she unconsciously took a step back.

“What is that?” she asked.

“A wolf's tongue and a lizard's tail,” replied Rei. “You wouldn't believe what else she had in here either.” she said as she pulled out a book reading Basic Immunity Potions.

Makoto ran from the plane and nearly threw up in a trashcan but managed to keep herself from doing so.

“It seems your friend doesn't like planes much,” said Minako's mother. Minako stood there laughing nervously `she's gonna kill me for making her ride on a plane,' she thought as she scratched the back of her head. `But then again, how else did she suspect that we were gonna get here?'

“Makoto, are you okay?” asked Minako as she stood a safe distance away from her tall brunette friend.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she replied. “Sorry I'm such a wimp.”

“No Makoto!” said Minako as she put a comforting arm around Makoto's shoulders. “Everyone's scared of something! You know, I was once scared of stuffed rabbits!”

Makoto laughed lightly at that and shook her head.

“You don't have to lie to me to make me feel good,” she said.

“I'm not lying!” replied Minako. “I really was afraid of stuffed rabbits! But then I met Usagi and realized how harmless they were,” she said with a smile and Makoto laughed.

“See,” said Minako. “You just need to wear a smile Makoto and I know you'll have a great time here. Trust me; you'll never get bored as long as you're with me!”

The day proved to be just as Minako said it would. They went site seeing, shopping, the circus and even managed to sneak in a movie. They laughed all the while and continued in their fun.

“You know what,” said Minako.

“What?” asked Makoto.

“We should probably start heading back to the hotel now,” said Minako.

“Why?” asked Makoto. “It's only 5 P.M.”

Minako shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah I know, but usually a bunch of weirdoes start showing up at this time and they aren't exactly the `friendly' type.”

“How so?” asked Makoto.

“Well they just don't talk much. They act as if they're from another world. I once asked one of them for change but they just looked at me as if they had never seen money before. The guy pulled some kind of bronze coin with weird carvings on it. They're a strange bunch if you ask me,” said Mina.

“I see,” said Makoto with a nod.

They started walking and talked about the day's events and what they should do tomorrow. They turned the corner into a dark street and never noticed the cloaked man until they bumped into him. Minako flew backwards and the man stumbled forward but managed to keep his feet on the ground. He was a rather large man that almost resembled a giant if Makoto had ever seen one. He towered over both Minako and Makoto and they both couldn't help but to gawk at his height.

“I'm sorry,” he said gruffly as he bent down to help Minako up. She gave out her hand and he lifted her effortlessly from the ground and placed her gently onto her feet. Minako a little overwhelmed stuttered a thank you and kept staring.

“Seems I keep gettin careless lately,” he muttered. “I hope I aven't hurt cha too much.”

“I-I'm fine, don't worry about it,” said Minako.

“Well then,” he said with a huff. “I bes' be goin'. My deepes' apologies ma'am.” He said with a nod. Minako and Makoto nodded in response and watched as he walked away. He looked back at them and his huge beard seemed to lift and they assumed that he had smiled. They smiled back and he walked on to open the door of a small misplaced shack of a place that had a dangling sign that read “The Leaky Cauldron”.

“What kind of place is that?” asked Makoto as the man disappeared into the shack.

“Oh, it's just a shoe store,” said Minako. “You know, I don't understand how it's still in business. I mean the shoes in there are just so ugly,” said Mina with a look of distaste. “But I guess if that's your style then it really doesn't matter much.”

Makoto then nodded and stared for a while at the Leaky Cauldron and reluctantly followed Minako back to their hotel. She walked along side her friend who was talking about something but Makoto didn't know what because she wasn't listening. Instead, her mind drifted away. She kept thinking about that man that they had bumped into, or rather, got tackled by and couldn't help but to think of that strange feeling that she always had back home with the strange weather. Except this time, it wasn't cold. It was warmer with a sense of familiarity that made her feel like she was at home…

“Mako,” said Minako. “Mako,” she repeated again with more of a demand.

“Y-yeah?” she replied.

“Were you listening to anything I was saying?” asked Minako.

Makoto just stared at her blankly and Minako sighed.

“I was saying,” she started. “That guy back there is one of the strange ones that come out at night. I'm surprised there aren't more. Sometimes the street is filled with these weird guys in cloaks and such. They always go to that weird shoe store too. You know what? I think they're trying to start a new fashion trend.”

“Minako, didn't you start your whole Sailor V craze here in England?” asked Makoto.

“Yeah, why?” replied Minako.

“I was just wondering if those weird people were ever the cause of any mishaps that's all.”

“Nah, they were never there. As a matter of fact they don't ever cause trouble now that I think of it. They're just different that's all.” Said Minako with a shrug.

“I see,” replied Makoto.

“Why do you ask?”

“I was just wondering, it's no big deal Minako.” Mina looked at Makoto shortly and shrugged off her thoughts.

“It's nice to see you two made it back safely,” said Minako's mother as they entered the door of the hotel lobby.

“You can always count on getting back safely when Makoto's around, mom,” said Minako.

“I see,” she said with a smile. “Did you guys have a good time?” she asked.

“Yeah, we did,” said Minako with a satisfied yawn. “Boy I'm tired, I think I'll head to bed now.”

“Me too,” said Makoto she then turned on her heel and headed up to the room that she was sharing with Minako.

“Oh Minako,” said her mother and Minako stopped as Makoto disappeared around the corner. “Your friends called and want you to call them back. They said it was urgent.”

“Really? Who was it?” she asked.

“I do believe it was Rei and Ami,” her mother replied. At this Minako suddenly snapped wide awake and thanked her mom hurriedly and rushed to a corner to use her communicator.

“Hey Rei,” she whispered. “What's going on?”

“There's something we think you should know about Makoto…” she started slowly.

Makoto sprang from her bed and gripped her sheets firmly. She looked hastily to the side and saw Minako's bed untouched. She shivered as she left the warmth of her blankets and could see her breath in the air. The feeling was back…

Minako laughed in disbelief at Rei's concerned look and what she had to show that caused the message to be `urgent'. A potions book and some weird ingredients, it didn't mean that Makoto had problems. She was probably just curious about the stuff, I mean a bunch of people wonder at least once what it's like to take part in magic spells and such it's just that Makoto was one of those people that would actually try it.

“Rei, maybe I should've taken you on vacation too,” said Mina with a wave and Rei groaned. “Don't worry Rei, I've got everything under control.” Rei sighed and her face soon disappeared from the communicator.

Minako shook her head with a little laugh and suddenly shivered.

“That was weird,” she muttered to herself, soon shaking it off. She walked up the stairs and stopped at the end of the hall where the rooms her family and Makoto were vacating were located. She willed herself to move forward and felt her breath catch in her chest as the door to the room she was in was left open. She saw Makoto's blankets thrown over in a mess and noticed that Makoto's jacket was missing. Then as soon as she saw it, she sprinted to the exit.

Makoto shivered and pulled harder at her jacket for warmth. She didn't know where she was going but kept walking anyways. It was foggy now and she could barely see her hands when she put them out in front of her. It was almost as if it was a dream but she knew that dreams couldn't possibly be this intense. Her heartbeat raced as she continued forward knowing that she was getting close to something but didn't know what. She slowed her pace as if to avoid any surprise attacks and kept looking behind her just in case. As she moved forward the fog thickened and she was almost convinced to turn away but her stubborn side won over her logic. This time she was going to get to the bottom of all of this whether it meant that she was crazy and needed some help or that she was somehow right, she just had to know.

She walked slowly and stopped at what seemed to be the center of the mist. She looked around expectantly and saw nothing. With a sigh she dropped her head and was about to leave when the fog suddenly started to clear. She could see a figure on the ground and quickly ran to it. She couldn't quite make out a face but she could tell that they were very near to death. Her heart pounded in her chest as all resolve came rushing to her mind. She needed to get him to a hospital now.

She suddenly felt this cold gust of wind blow making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It was almost as if something was breathing on her as she squatted there in front of the body. She turned slowly and felt as if she had just walked into her worst nightmare. There in front of her, she could see the remnants of a crashed plane with flames still charring the sides as the door creaked eerily with the wind. Every tear and ounce of pain came flooding back to her and hurt just as much as the day she had witnessed it. The thought that her parents were gone forever was incomprehensible. The day she sat there and saw her parents off would stick out in her mind as if it had just happened yesterday. It was just a business trip like every other one was, but why did this one have to be different? She did all of the same things, she said the same words, she made the same gestures but they didn't come back. They changed the routine and left her alone…

She gulped as she stared and could feel her knees get weaker. The whole scene of the crash and the screams kept replaying in front of her and when she couldn't take it anymore, she fell to her knees in tears. She was hunched over and forced herself to stop sobbing but found it difficult to do. She had her hands down in front of her and watched as her tears fell to the ground.

“No,” she whispered as she closed her eyes trying to shake out all the pain and sorrow. “IT'S NOT REAL!!!” she yelled and sprang up. Her eyes suddenly caught on a group of floating black silhouettes and she tightened her grip over her transformation pen.

“IT'S NOT REAL!!!” was all Minako could hear. Her feat then sprang into an even faster pace and she soon found herself numb from any feelings as the cold air rushed by her face. She stopped when she heard a crash and looked around for the direction that it was coming from. She then saw a flash of light and could feel her heart beat even harder in her chest. She ran faster and stopped when she saw Sailor Jupiter. She was throwing lightning balls at the air!

“Venus star power!” yelled Minako and quickly transformed. By then Makoto was so deep into a fight with no apparent enemy that she didn't even notice Minako until she felt a sharp pain stab at her side forcing her to collide harshly with a nearby wall. She groaned and looked up to watch the silhouettes flee at the light and collapsed. There was a bright green light that enveloped her and left to reveal a struggling Makoto.

“Mako,” said Venus as she too was enveloped by a similar light with the exception that it was a bright yellow. She ran towards Makoto and tried to help her up.

“I'm sorry Mako, but I had to stop you before you got too out of hand,” said Minako. Makoto, however, was too upset to even listen to her.

“It was you that attacked me?” she said with a look of hurt.

“Mako I-”

“No,” said Makoto stubbornly as she looked down at the ground trying to sort out her feelings. This was her best friend and she didn't want to be mad at her, but considering the circumstances it was hard to just forgive her.

“Makoto, if I didn't step in then you could've destroyed the buildings and killed lots of lives. If anything, you should be glad that I stopped you,” said Mina as she too was getting angry.

“Glad?” said Makoto in a preposterous tone. “Glad that my best friend came and shot me down for no reason? I was in perfect control, Mina! Of all things, I would expect you to help me fight the bad guys!”

“Fight the bad guys?” asked Mina. “Mako, if you were fighting a bad guy then I'd help you out in a heartbeat, but you weren'tfighting a bad guy this time, Mako! You were fighting thin air!”

Makoto looked at her in disbelief and shook her head and turned away.

“I've heard enough, Mina,” said Makoto as she started to walk away.

“Mako,” called Mina but Makoto wouldn't turn around. Minako stood there confused at what had just happened. There was something wrong with Makoto but she couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe she was just being too hard on Makoto, but still fighting thin air was not completely normal even in the life of a Sailor scout. She stood contemplating her next move. If she followed Makoto while she was still angry then Makoto would most likely get even more upset, so she reluctantly came to conclude that she should let her clear her mind. She was about to head back to the hotel when a sparkle had caught the corner of her eye. She crouched down to get a closer look and picked up a cold silver coin that had a hexagon shaped hole punched in its center. Slowly she turned it in her hands and observed it. It was oddly familiar but she couldn't quite place why. She then looked down again to find a misshapen stick lying there with a handle on the end. Quickly she stood up as she felt as though someone was watching and stuffed the items in her pocket.

Makoto trudged along the sidewalk replaying everything that had happened in that night. Why did Minako say she couldn't see them? Why was it that when she got there those `things' had ran away? Were they from the negaverse? Did they try to set Makoto up to look like she was going crazy? If they did then that would mean that they knew their secret identities.

Makoto stopped and shook her head in frustration. Nothing was making any sense at all and now all she wanted to do was find those jerks and blow them all to pieces! Slowly she sighed and looked at the small shack with the creaking sign that read `Leaky Cauldron'. The lights seemed to shine dimly through the muggy windows and Makoto curiously walked closer to it. How on earth could this be a shoe store? Cautiously, she placed her hand on the door handle and turned it. The door creaked eerily as she pushed it open and she felt uncomfortable as eyes were now focused on her. There weren't many people in there and still she had considered if it would've been more comfortable if the place was packed instead. There was one cloaked figure that sat in a far corner table with a small mug in hand and a hunched over man leered near what seemed to be a bar. There was another man there with a cloak that was seething at her for no apparent reason and another gypsy-looking lady sat with piercing amethyst eyes.

It seemed like it took Makoto forever to finally pull up a seat at the bar and turned her back against the three strangely clad people. They certainly weren't much for a welcoming committee.

“Can I help `ur,” asked the hunched backed man.

“W-water please,” she stuttered. The man grunted as he wobbled over and she could feel her heartbeat quicken as she tried to ignore the not-so-pleasant stares she was receiving.

“Damn muggle-lovers,” muttered the man that was sneering at her as she walked in. “They're the reason we're all in this mess.”

Makoto's ears seemed to perk at the mention of the word `muggle' and wondered whether she heard right. What on earth was a muggle and why did she get the feeling that he was talking about her?

The gypsy-looking lady stared at the brunette that was seated at the bar and looked back to the cloaked figure in the back corner of the room. She then grabbed a charm from her pocket. It was a silver dragon that seemed to be protecting an emerald gem in the center of its claws. A bright green light illuminated inside her pocket and she quickly closed it and nodded back to the cloaked figure.

“Here ya go,” mumbled the man as he placed a large mug of water on the counter in front of her.

“Thanks,” she said as she sipped it slowly. The hunched-back man stood there in front of her expectantly making Makoto unsure as to what she was supposed to do. “This is good,” she said for lack of what he expected. He grunted at this and finally voiced what it was that he was waiting for.

“You gonna pay for that?” he asked. Makoto raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“A man's gotta make a livin', `specially in these times now. You don't expect me terr let everythin' free do yer?”

“Alright,” she said in defeat. She was tired enough as it was and she didn't need to get in an argument with some bartender in the middle of the night in a place with strange looking people. “How much?”

“3 Galleons, 5 sickles and 15 knuts,” he replied gruffly.

She looked at him questioningly wondering if that was some sort of code for the English currency or if she just heard him wrong.

“Can you repeat that?” she asked. He looked annoyed at this but nonetheless repeated himself.

“Are yer gonna pay or what?” he said as he watched her pull out her wallet letting bills and coins fall from it.

“Yeah, yeah, just tell me how many of these would account for 3 gals, 5 tickles and 15 whatever you call them,” she said impatiently. By then the man that was sneering at her before watched in disbelief as she billowed through her various muggle-looking currency in order to compensate for the price due. The bartender growled again.

“Yer act more like a muggle than a witch, you one of them thas tryin' to hide out from he-who-must-not-be-named?”

“Look, I don't even know what you're talking about. All I want to do is pay you and get out of here, okay?” she said. She had wanted to comment on the place and the dirt that had chosen to house itself inside, but had refrained from doing so due to previous experiences.

The man looked at the coins and growled. “Yer best empty out more-a-that bag if yer want ter pay ferr yerr drink.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “That's about 10 bucks right there, don't tell me a mug of water is more than that.”

“Yer bes' believe,” he said with a snarl. She looked at him ridiculously cursing mentally at ever coming in there. She should've just left when she had the chance.

“I'm not paying that much for a mug of water, besides I've got nothing left in my wallet to give. All my money is at the hotel.”

He snarled at this and was about to pull something from his side when he was stopped by a sudden streak of light that rendered him with nothing in his grip. Makoto had hardly seen it but turned to see who had done it. The tall black-cloaked figure had their arm outstretched with a stick protruding from his long sleeve.

“Here,” they said putting down 3 gold coins, 5 silver ones and 15 bronze ones. The bartender snatched them up angered at the stranger's motions and huffed before leaving to tend to other things.

“Thanks,” said Makoto as she turned to collect the change that still lingered on the counter. The cloaked figure nodded in response and led her towards the door. She followed cautiously and watched as he waited for her to catch up to him.

“Are you a muggle-born witch?” they asked. At this question, Makoto raised her eyebrow. What on earth was a muggle? Was it some popular English term or something? She nodded her head in response although she really had no idea what the question was asking. She just wanted to answer and get on her merry way. It was true that this person had helped her but whether or not they were trustworthy was a whole other ordeal.

“Hmm,” he responded and turned away walking slowly to acknowledge that he had wanted her walking beside him. “You must move quicker, the world's not safe in the dark especially in this time.”

She followed him despite the fact that her head was telling her not to, but there was something pulling her to follow him as if he had an answer that she had been waiting on her whole life.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“The gate-keeper, she's been expecting a witch like you to come.”

“What do you mean a witch like me?” asked Makoto suddenly getting sick about the trouble that she was going into now. She stopped.

“Come,” he said beckoning her impatiently. “We haven't much time. If He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named finds you then- well lets just not let that happen…” he trailed off.

“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on,” she said sternly with her hands on her hips.

“Do you not understand?” he said. “We are going to search those answers from the gate-keeper. Follow me, it may mean your life.” He had not stayed long enough to watch her reaction, but instead walked quickly away from her. She beat herself mentally as she too felt her feet follow him excitedly. Maybe he'd show her the proof she needed to convince her friends that she wasn't crazy. Or maybe this was all just a dream and she was running after something that really didn't exist…

He abruptly came to a stop and looked to his sides for any onlookers. He then took out that same stick of which he used against the bartender and tapped a sequence of bricks before him all the while whispering some kind of incantation. Makoto raised an eyebrow as she watched this and jumped when the bricks suddenly came to life. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and watched as the wall spread to show an alley.

`Diagon Alley' was what the sign said. She followed curiously and observed every window, light, lamppost and building with interest and awe. It was like a secret civilization finally being revealed to her long searching eyes. The streets were deserted and barren, in a sort of cold and desolate way. They passed a series of buildings that were empty and lifeless as if the owners had just picked up and left. Or perhaps they were abandoned long before she had even arrived.

“Here it is,” he said stopping in an abandoned subway.

“Here what is?” she asked as she stared down the stairs into pitch black.

He ignored her question and placed his hood on before trailing down the stairway.

“Hey!” called Makoto after him. “You don't expect me to follow you into that, do you?” Still he continued on and she reluctantly followed. `What am I doing?'

She gripped tightly to the railing cringing as she felt small rodents scurrying across her feet. She would've screamed or yelped but fear of waking something even nastier had kept her quiet. About midway there was a stench that reeked of something old and rotten. She held her breath as she continued down and stopped as she hit the back of whom she assumed to be the man from the bar.

“Why are we stopping?” she whispered.

Again, he stood silent and she straightened herself up behind him.

“Who enters?” rang a booming voice making Makoto jump.

“My gosh, who the hell…”

“This is Midnight Wanderer baring hidden treasure for the captain's profit.” Answered the man from the bar. The voice then groaned and suddenly a sliver of light appeared in front of them.

“Enter,” it boomed. Obediently, the two walked forward into the sliver and Makoto watched as it closed behind them. Her mind raced with questions but she held them in trying hard not to give the impression that she was a naïve tourist ready to be taken advantage of.

“Milligan, who is this that you have brought to us?” asked a voice that seemed to belong to a woman. Makoto turned at the sound and stepped back as her eyes rested on the row of black-cloaked figures that seemed to stand ten feet over them.

“I've brought someone of value,” he said slowly. “She is only to speak with the gate-keeper, I do not wish for her to meet with anyone else.”

“And what makes you think that you have the authority to make that call?” came a lower more reprimanding voice. Makoto, all the while, stood watching them preparing for any surprises. Just who exactly did these people think they were?

Milligan, so he was called, paused for a moment. “I must see the gate-keeper.”

“The gate-keeper hasn't the time for the likes of you. Claim your companions standing and prove their liability.”

“Only the gate-keeper shall prove that,” said Milligan. The elder sounding man growled at this and pulled out a stick similar to the one that Makoto had seen Milligan pull out in the bar.

“Don't be foolish boy,” said the man. “I could take your-”

“Kleuger,” came a calmer but strong voice. “I would hope that your spite would be used against other more deserving parties other than our own.” He looked back in shock to see a tall figure standing behind them.

“Gate-keeper, I had only been looking out for your-“

“Do not worry for my safety when those who we are to protect are left defenseless. I am nothing but an advocate of rebellion to this returning evil. I have no need to be protected so rest assured that I'd be fine on my own. I do believe I had made that clear in our last duel,” she said pointing to his left arm. For the first time, Makoto noticed how much shorter it was compared to his other arm and cringed as she saw the veins protruding from what should've been skin but was what she assumed to be the layer beneath it.

His head dropped slightly grunting. “But the boy wanted to bring this to you,” he said referring to Makoto.

The figure looked to Milligan then to the person behind him and seemed to linger on her for some time.

“Very well,” she said waving her hand. “Come forward.”

All of the cloaked figures looked in shock after the gatekeeper and Milligan only smiled. Makoto again followed him into the room that the gatekeeper had led them to.

“Milligan,” she said and he answered with a quick yes. “Where did you find this girl?”

“The Leaky Cauldron.”

“What made you think to bring her here?” she asked.

“Tava had sensed she was the witch.”

“What witch?” asked the gatekeeper.

“The witch of the dragon,” he said quietly with a deep respect that stunned even Makoto. The gatekeeper's head shot quickly towards him as if to watch for any false leads in his features and froze when she realized his sincerity.

“The amulet had called,” said the gatekeeper. Milligan only nodded in response. The gatekeeper sighed deeply contemplating what to do next. “Leave us alone, Milligan. I should like to speak with this witch in private.”

He nodded and exited the room quickly. Makoto shifted on her feet nervously ready for anything that might come her way.

“Please sit,” said the gatekeeper.

“No thank you, I'd rather stand,” replied Makoto. The gatekeeper looked at her and then turned around.

“Makoto,” said the gatekeeper and Makoto instantly froze. How did they know her name?

“Who are you?” she asked instinctively.

The figure stayed silent and slowly pulled her hood off. A wave of deep green hair cascaded down from its hold falling gently over the shoulders of the cloaked woman. Half of her hair pulled into a bun and the other half hung to her mid-back. Makoto took a step back.

“Pluto?”

“It seems you indeed are the witch of the dragon,” she said slightly turning to her. “The prophecy had said that it would be someone close to me.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Makoto. Pluto laughed softly and turned completely to look Makoto in the eye.

“You'll find out soon enough.”

Alright, alright, that's just a rough draft and I wanted to post it to hopefully get some feedback that way I can revise it and maybe repost it here and on fanfiction.net. anyways, I hope it was at least somewhat enjoyable and not completely rushed. If it's corny, let me know and please give me some suggestions if you have any. Thanks a lot and I hope all is well.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Harry Potter.