Beneath the Sakura Trees, (Open)

[Kamito Miyuki]

She was sort of panting, and it wasn’t from all that running. At least, she didn’t think it was. Huffing, the scout leapt across the roofs, down the balconies, and onto the ground. A glance around the region, made sure no one was around, and she darted off behind the sakura tree – the big one, where the trunk was large enough to hide an entire person.

A shine halo of blue light seemed to wreath around the area, before fading away. No one noticed. There was just something about the light that turned your attention away, and said “nothing was here”. Unless you are a scout, or a Negaverse being – then it was a whole different story altogether. Because then you would probably know exactly what the light was all about, and come over to say hello… or to attack, depending on which side you were on.

It was a totally different person who stepped out from behind that three. Gone was the blue aura that bathed the scout. The girl looked normal. Not so normal, but normal; if you count custom designed white blouse, black sweater, and black plaited skirt normal. She stepped out, high heels going tap, tap, tap on the paved stone ground.

The sakuras were in full bloom.

[Mizuki Oshiro]

Kneeling at the altar, incense lit and burning, her eyes were on the floor as she bowed three times. Mizuki stopped by the temple, before she had to head into work. She wanted to pay her respects to him properly. Today the temple. Tomorrow the grave. Her slender hands were in the process of sticking the ends of the burning incense into the long container that held thousands of other burning or burned out sticks of incense. It was hard to because the rice and ashes were packed tightly together.

But then... Something had caught her attention. Just up the little hill, her eyes saw the faint glowing blue light. It couldn't be anything else, and she couldn't be mistaken because she knew what that glowing light meant. Without looking, Mizuki quickly stabbed her incense into an open spot, getting up and taking a hand full of her light purple kimono to walk properly without tripping. Her black zori lightly tapping against the pavement, but it was a dull 'clunk' because they were made from plastic.

When she saw the person who had transformed, eyes widened slightly as she stopped in her path toward the Sakura tree. Sailor Neptune. Well now she had met Sailor Mars, Sailor Moon, and Sailor Neptune. A small smile spread upon her lips. Not that she was looking to make friends or anything, but it was kind of nice to see another scout. Mizuki was the type who worked alone, but she was grateful with the help yesterday.

Why did she transform? Mizuki looked around to see if there were any visible dangers, but nothing could be found. Except for Sailor Jupiter of course. "You should be more careful." She said, trying not to sound as if she were threatening her.

[Taranis]

So in retrospect, maybe bringing two large full-grown wolves to the park when he was supposed to be laying low was a shitty idea. Well, ya know what, that bitchy old woman deserved the scare. He was even shocked the saw them as wolves. Sure, they looked like wolves, sounded like wolves, and acted like wolves... but people rarely saw things that didn't make sense, like two full grown wolves on leashes in the park.

The Temple would be less crowded. And the boyos need a good walk. And Taranis was far too tempted by the large crowds of people. People were irritating. He let the two of their leashes and stood to stretch. They bounded, coming back to make sure he followed them, and then would bound ahead again.

The one dropped low and snarled, and the other as well. Now, they weren't the friendliest beasts, but an actual growl, that meant something big was up. Taranis felt it a second later: a releasing of power that swept over him. What was that? He narrowed his eyes and grabbed two sets of scruff. "Down boyos, heel." Laying low, he knew, meant not letting the dogs eat anyone. While the boss might not be so upset about the actual death, he really would rather not push his luck with her today.

[Kamito Miyuki]

Oh, damn. She was careless. Careless was bad.

It took a second for Miyuki to make the connection. She was tired, tired from a battle miles away in the open plains, that this was the first place close enough where she could hide, or try to hide, to turn back to civilian form. She was seen. She hadn’t been seen when henshining for years, and now all it took was a second for her to be seen and all that. Damn. If she were anyone else, she would be in a hussy swearing rage right now. But she wasn’t anyone else, so all the girl did was stiffen a bit, pull back, and nodded.

“Thank you.” Bare whispers, soft. A step back, she wanted to move away.

The other was a scout too. Miyuki could tell. It was a gift granted to few, and Miyuki had it. A sixth sense, to be able to feel the spiritual energies of the star seeds that were in all of them. This one was a scout.

And then one that wasn’t a scout.

A hiss from her lips, almost silent. Eyes flashed as they scanned the area. There was… something. It was dark, almost. A heavier feeling that disgusted her to the pits of her guts. She knew what it was, but couldn’t pinpoint exactly where.

“Negaverse,” hisses from beneath her breath. She turned to dart away, to change back to senshi form, but a look at the other girl made her pause. “Careful.”

[Mizuki Oshiro]

Mizuki raised a brow at the girl as she hissed. Her brows lowered as her ears seemed to perk up as if she were sensing something. She had the same feeling in her stomach. Oh no... How many battles would there be in one week? She wasn't sure if she had enough energy to stay and fight, but the jolt that Sailor Moon had given her the other day kept her stable.

"I suggest we get ready." She said, moving closer to the girl. She was still by the sakura tree and right now that was the safest place to transform rather than out in the open where everyone could see you. And well, she was sure the other girl could tell she was a Sailor Scout as well, so there was no use in trying to hide it from her.

Moving to behind the huge trunk of the sakura tree, she shouted while her right hand covered the heart crystal on he rnecklace. "Crystal Venus Power, Make-up!" Once again, for a second day in a row, Mizuki transformed in the glowing light, surrounded by stars and ribbons as they took their rightful places. In an instant, Sailor Venus landed on her feet again, head turned over her shoulder, and poking out from behind the tree to see where the danger was coming from.

[Taranis]

Well shit. He hadn't intended to actually face anyone today. Well the braw boyos wanted to tangle, so who was he to deny them. Obviously, with the sudden rerelease of energy, there were senshi about. Coudln't he just go out for a walk without the bastards always around? Fuck them.

He stood up, and it only took an instant for his civilian's clothes to be replaced with something a bit more appropriate for the situation. "Get em, boys." he laughed as he came forward. The wolves darted forward, but he approached much more slowly. He dusted his hair out of his face and stood, letting the wind rustle it. "Good afternoon, ladies." he greeted with a hiss. He had his hands in his pockets, but the air crackled with his ire. God of thunder indeed.

He hadn't seen either of these two in action before, and couldn't peg them on sight alone. No matter. No doubt they'd be introducing themselves soon enough. They did that. The wolves took his either side. They would wait to attack. They liked him, but he was not their master. He wondered if they would listen to him in battle. It didn't really matter.

"Now, ladies, I don't suppose you would be so kind as to just lay down and die, yes?" He murmured. Perhaps not. He looked between them. Oh well. "Fine fine, but I did give you the chance to just forgo the suffering." He grinned suddenly and called down the lightning, striking the ground all around them. Lightning: the most unpredictable and hardest to control element. He, however, was it's god! "You have no meaning! Lay down and die!"

[Mizuki Oshiro]

Fuck them? Fuck him. He was the one causing chaos and disorder. The Sailor Scouts were only there to stop them, and besides it was kind of fun getting in their way. Sailor Venus stepped a good distance away from the sakura tree, allowing the other senshi to transform.

With the katana attached to the left side of her waist, her right hand crossed over to grip the handle as she saw the two wolves and the evil senshi. "I'm Sailor Venus, and if trouble's what you're looking for then you'll get it." Glaring at him, her hand withdrew the katana from its sheath, steadying it in position as she waited for the first strike. Was it going to be coming from the wolves or him? Probably the wolves. Too bad, because she liked wolves, second best, next to huskies and Artemis.

The lightning surprised her, but she wouldn't let it show much. Her eyes widened as she heard the crackof lightning against the ground around them, legs tensing to get ready to jump incase it were to strike her. She never did like the sound of thunder and lightning.

"I believe you have that the other way around, you pesky little vermin."

[Kamito Miyuki]

A nod. “Neptune Crystal Power!”

The blizzards and ice surrounded her. Childhood joy embraced her. For a moment, she felt safer than she ever had. It was ironic, considering that during the transformations, she had always been in danger. The other side was always around.

And then Sailor Neptune stepped out, eyes gleaming cold and actions pure frost. A nod to the other scout – Venus. She had never fought with Venus before… or maybe she had, as a backup, unseen. She was good at that, fighting in the backgrounds.

Lightening.

Leapt before it struck. Head whipped towards the enemy. Lightening. The most chaotic element… or one of them, anyways. Neptune was the scout of Order. Chaos… was a foresworn enemy.

“Neptune.” Her introduction. “Scout of Order and Ice.” The dagger formed in her hands. Ice formed where she walked. “Enough talk. Fight.”

[Taranis]

Taranis's face hardened as he set the hounds on them. The hounds of the boss. Alone, they could kill the best. Together, they were unstoppable. They drated forward, choosing the second to join the battle. Chill rolled off of her in waves; the hounds like that, apparently. They were from the cold, themselves, but they weren't looking to her for home or anything except the comfort of a full belly. To the other, he turned. He strode forward, spinning into an attack and used himself as the conduit for a force so great it would blind those who dared look.

"Stupid stupid senshi. You think that you are wise? You think that you fight for good? Prove to me you are good! Die like a good martyr!" he hissed. He hadn't had any personal conflicts with the senshi yet, and now he had two. But neither were the ones that were traditionally the strongest, so he wasn't too concerned. What were they? Love and justice? Ha, nothing compared to what he was. "Who is the vermin, who scatters from the thunder?" he laughed, half manic.

[Kita Atsuko]

Atsuko's head whipped around towards the noise. There was a disturbance, but when she listened she couldn't pinpoint it. Just the usual sounds of the woods, frogs and the wind moving through the sakura trees. Distantly the sound of wolves, growling and fighting. Snarls and a faint cry . . .

A what? She didn't need to transform. Atsuko came to the temple to practice some days and today had been one. Right now her senses were tingling, her blood flowing from practice and the adrenaline rush that hit her right before a good fight. Because this was going to be a good fight. She could tell. The ice shards surrounding her chain melted away and with a deft twist of the wrist the chain fell in loose coils around Sailor Jupiter's waist. She ran towards the rising sounds of battle.

And saw him. The General. Atsuko couldn't have said how she knew he was a General, but he was. It was the power, the presence. He was no minor youma. Not a chance. She released the clasp of the chain, pulled it from her waist and struck out at the nearest hound with all the force she could muster in so little time.

[Mizuki Oshiro]

Mizuki 's eyes were kept on the General, hand ready to unsheath her katana at almost lightning speed. Teeth gritted against each other as she saw him spinning into an attadck towards her. The senshi quickly jumped out of the way, whirling in the air and landing behind him and as fast as he could say, "I'm the idiot of thunder," Mizuki whipped out her katana ready to strike him whenever he turned around.

"The only one dying will be you, asshole." She hissed through her teeth, in fighting stance. She figured she needed to say something to let him know she was behind him now. She wanted a challenge, not an easy fight.

Her attention briefly left the General's, moving to the wolves who were fighting with Sailor Neptune and a new senshi, Sailor Jupiter. Now it was three against three. An even fight. She hated uneven battles - something the bad guys were accustomed to doing. Dirty, dirty fighting. But now both sides were at an even number. Well.. Not for long.

[Ratatosk]

The temple called them like it always had. Red had watched them come and go, but he wasn't sure, yet, when to approach them. He was only vaguely aware of himself, but their duties he knew well. In his rat form, he huddled near a tree, heavy with cherry blossoms, and watched them move. Venus. Neptune. Jupiter. Beautiful, deadly, and ineffectual. Until they formed into teams, they would be. But were they destined to be opposing. With Sailor Sun thrown into the mix, they were.

'It is strange that it will be this generation that is the cause of it. The schism.' he thought to himself as he saw to an itch on his hindquarter. Well, all of the kingdoms had been separate once. It was only fitting that this generation would be the ones to do it again. But not yet. No, not yet. So he watched them fight, took in everything about them, and knew. Well, two of them had already revealed themselves. No one noticed the little fancy rat sitting here. Neptune had ducked right past him to transform. And Venus, she'd come straight here as well.

That they faced a general concerned him. They weren't ready for this, and weren't those... oh crap. The hounds alone would see them dead. 'Well I guess this means I know more than they do. They don't seem to know anything about who they're up against.' he thought. If he'd been in human form, he would have drum his fingers against the tree trunk. As it was, he just perched here. He was burning to talk to them, but he doubted they'd notice him. With all the magic flying around, he was comparably a unremarkable creature. So he'd wait.

[Taranis]

If she thought he didn't know she was behind him, she was stupider than she looked. He was daring her to strike. Didn't she realize that metal + lightning = fried senshi. Seriously, how stupid was she? He glanced over his shoulder and grinned wickedly. "Whatsamatter? Your honor too big to strike me while I'm not looking, senshi-girl? Funny." He bought a hand up, crackling with it's own life. Mark him, she might, but she'd feel it as well. He lunged for her, one hand going for her sword, the other for her throat.

She insulted him by breathing. And the boss wouldn't be too mad if he killed one. She went shopping, for gods sakes. She'd be in a better mood when she got back. Pinky always made sure of that. So the boss would he happy, and this chick would be charred remains ala senshi.

Grinning, he unleashed another attack of lightning, but this one a pulse wave around him, spreading in all directions. The hounds were unaffected, as if he could actually hurt creatures like those ones, but the senshi would all feel it. Well, he hoped they would.

[Kamito Miyuki]

Jupiter was here now, going after one of the beasts. Neptune looked, nodded, acknowledged, and took the other. No time to think, to consider why another scout was here, now. It happened sometimes, and you’d just have to accept it, and be grateful for the backup. Venus will have the General. A difficult battle, but not nigh impossible.

Neptune had never been one of the traditionally strongest, but neither could Neptune be called weak. Perhaps it was their tasks, the fact that they were Outers and Protectors of the Solar System; their attacks were more devastating, less choosy of targets, created to take out a platoon. They were all the colder for it, too.

The dagger/harp hybrid of a talisman materialized in her hands, and she took an experimental swipe at the beast, before leaping away. The beast howled and came after her.

Lightening waves. She was on the fringes of it. On the other side was the beast. Avoid one, and be hit with the other. The scout gritted her teeth, encased herself in a thin layer of ice, and rode out the waves, taking minor damage. Ice cracked upon contact, the beast came from above. She flung herself onto the ground, rolled, and halted on her feet, snarling. The dagger turned into a harp.

“Ice Spiral Ambuscade!”

Jagged spirals of man-sized icicles sprung from the ground, in no pattern man could discern, each rushing around the beasties. If this doesn’t catch it, freeze it, trap it; at least it would alter the playing field a bit. The beasties wouldn’t find the icy ground easy to play around in.

[Zeke Kaleb]

He could feel it, Zeke wasn't quite sure what it was but he could feel almost massive amounts of energy somewhere close by him. The worse part was the pain, he could feel someones pain and fear and that he couldn't understand, it wasn't something he was usually able to feel and it led him to believe that perhaps it was other senshi.

Deciding that he couldn't just walk by and not doing anything, Zeke cursed silently to himself before running towards where he felt the energies coming from while he held his silver ring close against his chest. Once, it wouldn't hurt to help out once considering that there were people suffering.

"Pluto Silent Awakening"

As he ran, slowly his armour began to replace the clothes that he was wearing and the long Time Orb staff appeared within his grasp. He continued to run until he came across a strange sight in front of him, there were two Sailor Senshi fighting off strange hounds and a third fighting a strong man that he had never seen before. Clenching his teeth together he knew he had no choice.

"Pluto Barrier of Time"

He didn't like using one of his strongest powers first but he had no choice, the man who seemed to be the enemy was letting out a blast of lightning that didn't look like it would be pleasent to be on the recieving end of so altering the stream of time around the sailor senshi closest to him and himself as he tried to protect them from the lightning blasts. The attack itself stopped time around the senshi while the rest of time continued, most attacks were unable to enter stopped time though to the senshi themselves it appeared as though there was a large barriar surrounding them, unable to actually see or feel the difference of the stopped time.