He moved past his daughter gently, checking her as he passed. She seemed okay, other than she was staring - slack jawed at something in the shadows of the cavern.
Puzzled, he turned his attention out there as well. Letting his eyes adjust to the shadows. Odd that there seemed to be a sound as of massive bellows...
Oh dear.
A scale was in the light framed by two rocks, aquamarine or perhaps turquoize in color, perhaps roughly the size of his head. "Oh... dear."
The bellows sound stopped, there was muffled thunder.
The shadows moved.
Soichiro Tomoe stepped out into the cavern, realizing this was a sort of landing extending out into a really big cavern.
Five claws briefly dug into the wall of the cavern as what was in the shadows shifted around. Finally a head raised into the Professor's field of vision.
As it was, the Professor found himself tuning out a lot of details that were uncomfortable. No, he was focussing in on that single eye that was now coming even with the landing. Blue, and surprisingly human looking.
So, you have arrived. What is your decision then?
Soichiro cleared his throat. "What decision would that be?"
Not you. The girl behind you is Sailor Saturn reborn. One of the guardians of the ancient kingdom which sealed me here long and long ago. Though those same guardians did betray you at last, or so it seems. Admittedly I slept through it, but that is the feel of it. You, girl.
"Me?!" squeaked Hotaru.
Yes, you. The cavern rumbled loud with a growl, and in the silence both could hear rockslides - including one up the staircase they'd just come down.
Will you seek my doom, to battle or imprison me once again? Will we battle then?
Hotaru didn't know too much of what the dragon was talking about, but she estimated it as being well over a kilometer long and a typical oriental dragon in shape. She was a little girl, and couldn't actually see HOW she was going to fight something like that - even if she were so inclined.
Soichiro Tomoe began to speak, and was interrupted by a growl and that blue eye flashing. He reconsidered.
"I don't suppose, Poppa, you've got seven golden balls in your backpack and we're going to get a wish granted?" asked Hotaru hopefully.
"No," confessed her Poppa, who could be awfully foolish about such things.
You're asking me for a wish? The dragon's mental voice sounded puzzled. That certainly wasn't expected.
Hotaru decided to put away her shyness, as she was too SCARED to be shy at the moment. "I wish we could be friends!"
You... WHAT?! If the dragon had sounded puzzled before, he was far more confused now. You know, I rehearsed this scene for thousands of years, and it NEVER went this way in any of them.
"Life's like that," said Professor Tomoe. "Throws you a curveball when you least expect it."
There was a sudden wind, a shifting in the air, and the dragon vanished. Instead, now there was a teenage boy standing on the edge of the landing.
"I suppose that we might be allies at least," allowed the boy. "If I'm right, we both suffered."
"Not friends?" asked Hotaru, a little disappointed.
"I'm not really sure what the term means," confessed the boy-dragon.
"There'll be time for that later," said Professor Tomoe. "In the meantime, can you do something about the debris in the stairwell?"
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(Posted Tue, 23 May 2006 09:29)
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