All 
prior chapters are stored at my homepage: 
http://www.angelfire.com/anime/Slacker

And, you can also go to Tannim's site: http://tannim.anifics.com/

Disclaimer:  I own NOTHING.  No, seriously.  I'm college student.
I literally own nothing.  Among the many things I do not own are 
Ranma 1/2, which is owned by Viz, Rumiko Takahashi, and several
large corporations who could grind me under their heels.  I also do 
not even come CLOSE to owning Sailor Moon, as they're mini- skirted
likenesses are owned by Kodansha, Naoko Takeuchi, and whichever
American company has decided to buy the rights to it so they can 
slaughter the translations.  (Cousins?  *snort*)

Anyways, just read the fic.  Please? 
******************
All the Small Things--Chapter 8

A Sailor Moon/Ranma 1/2 X-over

By: Slacker (rheins@pmt.org) 
****************** 
Setsuna's house

     "HE'S WHA-MMMPHH!"  Haruka's scream was cut off by a black-
gloved hand covering her mouth.  Nemesis moved his face in close to 
Haruka's.


     "Sssshhh.  You'll wake her up."  Nemesis softly whispered,
holding an index finger over his lips.  He jerked his head towards
the hallway.  "Out."

     Haruka slowly backed into the hallway.  Michiru and Setsuna
stepped out as well.  Nemesis stepped out and softly closed the door
behind him.  He glanced at Setsuna.

     "How's she sleeping?  Any dreams?  Nightmares?"  

     Setsuna shook her head.  "No.  She sleeps like a baby.  Why?"

     Nemesis frowned and muttered.  "Her precognition has altered."

     "What?"  Haruka asked.

     "Her precognition has altered.  Every Chaos mage has some kind
of precognition.  My father knew the exact time, place, and method
of his death since the moment he was born.  I'm a psychometric.
Mara always dreamt of her next kill.  It never let her sleep well."
Nemesis explained.

     "Errr...'Mara'?"  Michiru queried.

     "Saturn."  Nemesis snapped his fingers a couple of times.  
"Hotaru.  You know, my daughter?" 

     Haruka blinked.  "Her name was Mara?"


     Nemesis grinned.  "Yeah, rolls off the tongue, don't it?"

     "This is fascinating, really it is.  However, I'm a bit more 
interested in this 'father' bit."  Michiru interjected in a calm 
voice.

     "I am her father.  She's my daughter.  It's that simple.  I'll
begin training her to use Chaos soon."  Nemesis responded calmly.

     "Like hell you will.  You'll keep your overly-violent,
psychotic, sociopathic self away from her."  Haruka hissed.

     Nemesis' eyes grew hard and his voice became flat.  "She is my 
daughter.  You will not keep me from her.  You have no idea how to 
instruct her in her magic, no idea how to deal with her if she starts
to lose control of it, and have absolutely no concept of the most 
basic aspects of Chaos magic itself!  I *will* see her and I *will*
train her.  I am your only option.  Besides, do you *really* think
you can keep me from her?  If you try, I'll show you just why the 
Queen of Saturn was so terrified of me."

     Haruka audibly gulped at the absolute seriousness of his voice.
Nemesis smiled cheerfully.

     "Well, I guess that settles that!  I'll see you later!"  He 
happily stated.  "Oh, and Uranus?  I'd go see a doctor if I were you.
You seem a bit...pale."

     As Nemesis vanished into the nearest shadow, Haruka tried to 
make her voice work again.  Finally, she succeeded.  
"Rather...intense, isn't he?"
 
     Setsuna slowly nodded.  "Yes.  It's one of his trademarks
in both the past and now.  You should never get between him and a 
goal.  Actually, he's not that bad once you get to know him.  You 
just have to get past the outer layer."

     Haruka and Michiru stared at her.  Disbelief was written across
their faces in bold lines.  Setsuna shrugged.

     "I never said it was EASY to get past his outer layer."  She 
calmly stated as she walked past them and went back into her room.
She shut her door and started to slip off her robe.  She paused,
then continued getting ready for bed.

     As she hung up the robe, she spoke.  "Are you going to stand
there all night?  Or do you have a reason for being here?"

     Nemesis chuckled a bit as he stepped out of a shadow.  "No, I'm
not going to stand here all night.  I have more important things
to do."

     "Like what?  Go threaten some kittens?  Maybe terrorize a few 
kindergarteners?  Wait, I know!  You could hunt down Hello Kitty and
hang her from the Tokyo Tower!"  Setsuna sarcastically drawled.

     "Um...you're pissed at me, aren't you."

     "Gee, smart man.  You caught onto that in a flash.  What the 
HELL do you think you were doing?"  Setsuna demanded.

     "Hey, she wants to keep me from my daughter.  At least I didn't
do anything to her.  Yet."  Nemesis said nonchalantly.  "Anyways,
there was a different reason I came back here."

     "And what would that be?"  Setsuna asked, crossing her arms over
her chest.  "And why won't you look at me?"

     Nemesis paused in his study of the walls.  "Um, you're not 
wearing any clothes.  Could you pull on a robe or something?"

     Setsuna glanced down at herself.  "I'm wearing plenty.  Besides,
you've seen me in less.  Repeatedly.  Just WHY did you feel the need
to frequently teleport me to random locations around the Palace 
without my clothes?"

     "I thought you could use some loosening up."  

     "Well, now YOU could use some."  Setsuna retorted as she 
reclined on the bed.  "So what did you want?"

     "Just came to tell you I'm gonna be gone for a bit."  Nemesis
replied.

     "Oh?  Where are you going?"  It wasn't so much a question
as a flat demand for an answer.  Setsuna had perfected that trick
years ago.

     "The Moon."  Nemesis soberly answered.

     Setsuna nodded.  "I see.  When will you be back?"

     "Won't be for a bit."  He reached up and tapped his temple.  

"Got a lot of memories to work out, you know."

     Setsuna smiled faintly as Nemesis walk into a shadow and 
disappeared.  Then she rapidly got off the bed, got dressed, and 
moved down the hall.  When she reached Haruka and Michiru's room,
she opened the door, leaned in, and spoke in a flat, commanding
voice.

     "You two.  Get dressed.  Get the other Senshi.  Rei's shrine.
Now."  She started down the hall, then paused and leaned back in.  
"And for the love of the goddess, can't you two ever keep your hands
off of each other?  Show some discipline!"

     Haruka and Michiru scrambled out of bed and raced into the hall.  

     "Setsuna, how the hell are we supposed to get the others?  It's
3 AM!  How are we supposed to explain that to their parents?"
Haruka demanded.

     Setsuna paused.  "They have communicators for a reason, you 
know.  Don't worry about Rei; I'll wake her up.  Now, get cracking.
It's going to take you a while to wake *some* of them up."  The 
emphasis in her voice left no doubt who the "some" was referring
to.  "Make sure you bring Hotaru."

     Haruka grumbled and headed back towards her room to get dressed.
Michiru went to Hotaru's room to wake her up.  Setsuna waited until
she was out of sight then teleported to Rei's shrine.  Once there,
she calmly walked into Rei's room.

     "Wake up."  Setsuna commanded, then pulled Rei's blankets
off.  Rei came up swinging wildly.  Setsuna simply moved out of the
way and let her get tangled in her sheets.  Rei hit the ground in a 
heap.

     "Lovely night, isn't it?"  Setsuna calmly asked.  Rei groggily
got to her feet.

     "What are you doing here?"  Rei demanded as years of practice
allowed her to quickly banish the last remnants of sleep.  Setsuna
smiled widely.

     "Senshi meeting.  I need to give you lovely people some 
information!"  She cheerfully announced.  

     Rei proceeded to get very worried.

******************

     Nemesis looked around at the empty plain he was standing on.  
Above him hung the Earth.  Below him was dust.  Around him was 
nothing but the empty vista of the Sea of Serenity.  It was the last
part that was angering him.

     "This isn't right.  The spells maintaining the Palace should
have ensured that *something* would still be here."  He muttered
as he walked towards the other side of the plain.  "What the hell is
going on?"

     It took three trips across the plain before Nemesis noticed
what had been bothering him since he arrived on the Moon.

     "Wait a second."  He jumped a few feet in the air.  "Earth-
normal gravity.  The spells are still here.  That means the Palace
has to still be here.  Now, where is it?"

     Nemesis walked over to a boulder and sat down.  As he pondered,
he idly rubbed a hand over the surface of the rock.  It took a few 
seconds for what his fingers were feeling to filter in.

     "Smooth rock."  He froze.  "Smooth rock?  On the Moon?"

     He jumped to his feet and stared at the boulder.  It looked
like common moon rock, but he couldn't deny what his fingers had 
felt.  It could only mean one thing.

     "An illusion.  Of course.  I'm an idiot!"  He slammed the palm
of his hand into his forehead a few times, then paused.  "And now I'm
abusing myself.  I really *am* an idiot."
     
     He shook his head, then sat down and closed his eyes.  He let 
his breathing slow as he reached inside himself for his power.  He 
took the power and turned it *in*, then *out* in the flow pattern
that would enable him to pierce the illusion.  He opened his eyes and
his breath caught.

     "Dear Goddess.  It's a total ruin."  He slowly walked into what
had once been widely considered as the center of the Solar System,
detailing the damage as he came to it.  "Grand Pavilion, gone.  
Wishing Tower, toppled.  The Palace...crumbled.  Beryl and Metallia
were thorough, I'll give them that much.  Hmmm, the main courtyard
is still intact."

     He walked through the destruction until he reached his goal:
the Throne Room.  Or rather, what was left of it.  The destruction
was almost total.  The only thing that remained were a few of the 
pillars that once lined the walls.  Nemesis slowly made his way 
towards one that had snapped off and was resting at an angle on the
broken base.  He stopped a small distance from it.

     "Here.  Here's where she did it."  He slowly sank to the ground,
anguish in his eyes.  He reached out and ran his hand over the 
surface of the pillar.  

     "Why didn't you listen to me?"  He asked in a soft voice.  "It
would have never happened if you had.  I wouldn't have failed you."

     Nemesis sat and stared at the pillar for a while, then got back
on his feet.  "Well, I won't fail you this time.  I swear it.  No 
matter what I have to do, I will protect your daughter."

     He reached over and slowly pulled the black leather gloves off
of his hands.  He tucked them into his waistband, then slid his right
thumbnail across his left palm.  A little pressure, a little Chaos,
and a few words were all it took to create a thin crimson line on his
hand.  He held his bleeding palm over the pillar where his Queen had
died to give him and all her people another chance.

     "By my blood and power, I swear I will protect her.  I swear
it by my name and my heritage.  I will not let her come to harm.  My
blood before hers, my life before hers."  Nemesis let three drops
of blood fall onto the pristine white of the pillar.  As soon as the
third drop hit, he felt the effects as his Oath settled on him.

     Nemesis gazed at the bloodstained pillar for a few more seconds,
then pulled on his gloves, turned, and walked away.  

Behind him, a translucent female form briefly shimmered into 
existence by the pillar.  Sad blue eyes gazed at him from below a 
brow adorned with a golden crescent.  A pale hand briefly rested
over the blood, then hesitantly reached out towards Nemesis' back,
but dropped back.  

     "I'm sorry, Arin.  But it had to be this way."  Queen Serenity
whispered to the empty air as she faded away.

******************

     "Setsuna, it's three-thirty in the morning.  Why are we here?"
Makoto grumbled as she tried to get Usagi to stop sleeping on her 
shoulder.  She wasn't very successful.  Setsuna sipped at her 
ever-present cup of tea before speaking.

     "Because there's several things I need to tell you.  And I'll
tell you only once.  So sit down, shut up, and listen.  Now."  The 
tone of Setsuna's voice managed to even remove Usagi from her state
of slumber.  

     Setsuna waited until she was certain no one was going to ask any
stupid questions, then dropped her bombshell. "Nemesis wasn't fully
awake before.  Now he is.  He has all his memories, all his powers.
He's going to need a little while to adjust, but after that, he's 
going to be back completely."

     There was silence for a few seconds, then the room exploded
in a babble of voices.

     "He WHAT?"
     "What did you say?"
     "Are you joking?"
     "Damn it, Setsuna!  This isn't funny!"
     
     Setsuna held up a hand and frowned.  "I'm not done.  I also 
closed the Time Gates last night."

     "I thought they were always supposed to be closed."  Ami 
interjected.

     "No, Ami.  I mean 'closed' as in 'sealed'.  For roughly the next
thousand years, give or take a few decades.  As of right now, the 
future is closed to all of us.  I can see a little ways, but not 
far."  Setsuna said in the same voice one would use to announce
the end of the world.

     "Why?"  Ami managed to ask through her shock.

     In response, Setsuna held out her hand, palm up.  A single 
glowing strand appeared above it, parallel to the floor.  "This 
represents the time stream.  It's a single, continuous flow.  Every
so often, branches will split off."  A few glowing threads split from
the main body.  "These represent possibilities that could be.  
Usually, they either peter off or rejoin the main stream.  At certain
times, there are several equally possible futures.  For example,
your final fight with Beryl."  The strand split into several equally
bright sections, which proceeded to darken until only one was left.
"It happened at all of your major fights.  Ail and Anne, Rubius,
Wiseman, Nephrenia, Galaxia.  Each time, only a few major 
possibilities were foreseeable."

     Setsuna paused, then continued.  "And then, Nemesis awoke.  And
this happened to the stream."

     Everyone gasped.  In Setsuna's hand the strand was...ripping
itself to threads.

       Setsuna continued in a too-calm voice.  "He's introduced
thousands, even millions of equally possible paths.  All of them lead
to roughly the same destination, Crystal Tokyo, but none of them can
be predicted.  They're too wild.  The only thing Time Gate is good
for now is a few days and over a thousand years away.  My personal
precognition is better than that for the close- range predictions.
And viewing the myriad of timelines was making the Gate unstable.
As such, I sealed it until the time stream is calm again."

     The room was silent for a few seconds as the Senshi pondered
the implications.  Finally, Ami broke the silence.

     "Setsuna, this might not be the time for it, but I have to know.
I've asked this before, now I'm asking again.  Who is Ranko?"
     
     "What do you mean?"  Setsuna calmly responded, banishing
the illusion hovering in her palm.

     "Setsuna, I made it a policy to do a complete background
search on all new students after the Ail/Anne incident.  Ranko's
past is too perfect.  There's nothing there.  It's been created,
I can tell.  Plus, I checked on her fighting style.  Anything Goes
is only practiced by two families on the planet.  She claims that 
Genma Saotome is her father.  That makes sense, since the Saotome
family is one of those that use Anything Goes.  However, Genma 
Saotome has no daughters.  Now, the Satori clan does have a Ranko
listed in their records, but no one in the clan has ever heard of 
her.  So, Setsuna, who is she, why is she here, and why are you 
letting her lie to us?"  Ami's voice was flat.  

     Setsuna smiled slightly as she spoke.  "Good work, Ami.  Very
good work."

     "Who is she, Setsuna.  I'm not joking here.  I've been burned
too many times to let someone I don't know stay this close to us."
Ami continued in an emotionless voice.

     Setsuna smiled again.

     "She's Nemesis."  Usagi's calm voice stated.

     Everyone froze.  Setsuna sat her teacup down and slowly spoke.  

     "What makes you say that, Usagi?"  

     "It's the only thing that makes sense.  She shows up, Nemesis
shows up.  Nemesis is injured in a fight, we find her in a pool of 
blood.  You wouldn't let us take her to a hospital, she's fine the 
next morning.  And I feel like I know her.  It has to be.  She's like
the Starlights, isn't she."  Usagi's voice was filled with complete
conviction.

     Setsuna stared at Usagi for several long minutes.  "My Queen,
sometimes I wonder how I ever could have doubted you.  However,
Ranko is *not* like the Starlights."

     "Then what is she?  I'm not joking either, Setsuna.  I want to 
know everything you know about her.  Now."  Usagi said with 
unbelievable intensity.  "I care too much about all of you to risk
you being hurt just because of some secret.  Please trust us, 
Setsuna."

     For several long moments, there was utter silence in the room
as everyone tried to deal with the changes in Usagi.  She wasn't
whining, or pleading, or begging.  She was stating her reasons in a 
calm, rational manner and acting with maturity.  In short, she was 
acting like a queen.

     While the rest of the Senshi tried to wrap their brains around
the surrealness of Usagi acting like the Queen she was, Setsuna
began to hope for a miracle to get her out of having to explain
certain things.

     And then, she received one.

******************

     Nemesis smiled as the last set of doors slid open silently.
The armory had been the most heavily protected and sealed part of the
Palace.  Which was why it was still in perfect condition.  He had to
clear a rather large pile of rubble off of the secondary entrance,
but at least everything was still there.  And since everything
was still in working order, he hadn't wasted the effort.  

     Nemesis moved further into the building, past the racks of 
swords, spears, axes, shields, and other, more esoteric, weapons.
He continued until he reached his goal: a simple, gray door set into
an out-of-the-way corner.  He palmed a hidden latch, revealing
a keypad.  He tapped in an access code and the door slid open.  He 
moved into the small room beyond the door and waited until the door
had shut behind him.  A thin red beam of light emerged from a corner
and ran itself over his body, then shut off.  In the corner of the 
room, a hidden panel set into the floor opened silently.

     Nemesis walked over, reached into the opening, and depressed
a hidden switch, ignoring the fancy display panel inset in the bottom
of the hole.  A small door swung open on the wall to the left of the
one he entered by.  He counted to three and walked in, ducking under
some mono-filament wire as he came.

     "Well, nice to see Dad's security still works."  Nemesis 
commented as he surveyed the room.  It wasn't much to look at.  Just
four bare gray walls, a marble floor and ceiling, a screen of some
kind on one wall, and a chair by the screen.  Nothing that seemed
to merit any kind of security.

     Nemesis walked over to the wall with the screen and looked it.
Inset into the wall was a small plaque with the simple statement
of "Deus".  Below the plaque, someone had used red paint to scrawl
"ex Machina."  Nemesis chuckled.  


     "Still there.  Good.  How are you doing, Deus?"  Nemesis asked
conversationally.

     "I've been fine.  Bored as hell for the last few millennia,
though."  A deep, resonant voice answered.  "My only companion
was cryo-tubed.  You know how boring that conversation gets after
the first three thousand years?"

     "Cryo-tubed?  Who the hell managed to get in here?"  Nemesis
asked, looking around.

     "Your daughter's little friend.  On the chair."  Deus answered.

     "Farow's still alive?  Luna won't be pleased to hear that."
Nemesis chuckled as he moved the chair over to the screen.  He 
shifted the cryo-tube out of the chair and sat down.  "All right,
Deus.  I need a run-down of your resources."

     "Power reserves are down to 28% of normal, computing has the 
same loss.  My entire information net is down except for a terminal
in Juban and the Mercury Computer.  I'm so desperate that I've been
analyzing the data I get from the Senshi's communicators.
I've been intercepting radio and TV signals for the last several
decades and have been analyzing them, as well."  Deus reported.

     "Why the loss in computing and power?"  

     "The solar panels have been failing steadily."

     "So why didn't you fix them?"

     "I didn't have authorization to.  Remember, I can't access 
certain parts of my programming without permission.  Otherwise,
I would have rebuilt the Palace by now."  Deus said, annoyance
evident in his voice.

     "Well, fix them.  Concentrate on rebuilding your facilities
before anything else.  Your power and information gathering 
facilities should be highest priority."  Nemesis commanded.

     "Oh, thank you for instructing me on how to repair myself."
Deus sarcastically responded.  

     Nemesis lifted an eyebrow.  "Problems, Deus?"

     "No, Dave.  I can detect no problem.  It must be human error."
Deus calmly announced.  Nemesis twitched.

     "Don't do that."

     "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer true...."  Deus began to sing
in a distorted tone.

     "Damn it!  Stop that!  It's creepy!"  Nemesis yelled.  Deus 
chuckled.

     "But, Arin, I feel fine now.  Really I do."  Deus continued
his normal deep voice.  Nemesis glared at the screen.

     "You done?  I have things I need to do, you know."

     "What do you need?"  Deus asked, instantly all business.
     
     "You said you had access to the Mercury Computer?  Has it been
in its default recording mode?"  Nemesis asked as he moved the chair
closer to the screen.

     "Yes, since Mercury became active again.  She's also been 
entering regular reports.  I've analyzed all the data from it.  Would
you like me to summarize?"

     "No.  That takes too long.  I'm in a hurry.  Just pump it in."
Nemesis decided.

     "Do I need to remind you of the possible side-effects
of a direct computer to brain connection?"  Deus asked rhetorically.

     "No, you don't.  But Ice had the Mercury Computer wired straight
into her brain for three-fourths of her life with no adverse side 
effects whatsoever.  So don't try to scare me.  Just get me a neural
net, a mouth guard so I don't bite through my tongue, and the 
relevant data."  Nemesis commanded impatiently.

     "Very well."  A panel next to the screen swung down, exposing
a thin wire mesh hanging on a hook behind it.  Nemesis took the mesh
and stretched it over his head, shifting it a bit to get the proper
positioning.

     "What do you define as 'relevant'?"  Deus asked, as his screen
began to flicker.

     "Anything having to do with the Senshi's battles.  Anything
having to do with any enemies, allies, or possible problems.  All the
data on the Senshi.  Attacks, power levels, fighting styles, the 
works.  Basically, if it relates to the Senshi in any way, it's 
relevant.  And get me all the data on the Queen and her boy- toy, 
too."  Nemesis answered as he settled himself more firmly in the 
chair.  He reached over to the open panel and removed a mouth guard.
After placing it in his mouth, he gripped the arms of the chair and
issued a simple "Hit me!"


     The raw data hit his brain like a sandblaster.  Beryl, Ail and
Anne, the Black Moon family, all of them rushed into his brain in a 
tsunami of information.  Faces, names, attacks, friends, foes, even
pets filled his minds eye.  Distantly, he was aware of a splintering
sound as his hands spasmed and destroyed the arms of the chair.

     Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the data flow stopped.
Nemesis sat in the chair, gasping for breath.

     "Okay, that was stupid."  He groaned.  He lifted his hands and
slowly picking the splinters out of his palms.

     "I warned you.  By the way, it appears as though the settings
I had for you are no longer accurate.  I had to fix them on the fly.
Sorry about the headache."  Deus apologized.

     "Headache?  What heada-YAH!"  Nemesis doubled over, gripping
his skull.  "Migraine!  Major, big time migraine!"

     "That one.  I told you not to try a direct link."  Deus gloated
in a satisfied voice.

     "Oh, shut up."  Nemesis groaned, then froze as a piece of data
floated to the top of his brain.  He growled under his breath, 
headache dismissed in an instant.  "Those...bitches!"

     "What is it?"  Deus asked worriedly.

     "Galaxia."  Nemesis snarled out as he stood, grabbing the 
cryo-tube as he went.  "Uranus and Neptune must *PAY*!"

     "Oh...dear."  Deus muttered as black energy played over Nemesis'
form and he vanished.  "That is not good."


******************

     All the Senshi whipped their heads around as a loud boom sounded
outside the temple.  Setsuna sighed softly in relief.  She knew that
sound.  Nemesis tended to be noisy when he teleported via his Senshi
powers.  Which was why he almost never did it.

     The Senshi jumped when the door was suddenly opened and a figure
stepped into the room.  Nemesis' pleasantly smiling face wasn't what
they expected to see, however.  He tossed Hotaru a canister roughly
eighteen inches long and six inches in diameter.  She caught it with
a confused look.  Nemesis grinned.

     "I figured my daughter probably missed her old playmate.
So I decided to bring him to you."  He paused, then turned to face
Haruka and Michiru.  "Uranus, Neptune.  Could I talk to you outside
for a second?  It's fairly important."

     Setsuna lifted an eyebrow as Haruka and Michiru followed Nemesis
out the door.  "That's quaint.  He's learned manners.  Wonder what
brought that on?"

     Usagi stared at the frost-rimmed canister that a bewildered
Hotaru was holding.  "What is that?"

     "Not what, who."  Luna answered in a puzzled voice.  "That's
a class four cryo-tube.  It's designed to survive anything and still
keep the inhabitant alive.  I promise you that there's someone 
intelligent and important in there.  Otherwise, that level of 
protection wouldn't have been used."

     Hotaru opened her mouth, but whatever she was going to say was
cut off by the cryo-tube beeping loudly.  She dropped it with a small
gasp of surprise and moved away from it when the beeping stopped
and it started to hiss.  The end of the tube irised open, letting
a white mist spill out.  The mist rapidly disappeared, leaving 
nothing behind.

     Luna slowly started to ease forward.  She crept closer to the 
tube, stopping about a foot away.  She paused, then sneezed.  
Repeatedly.

     Artemis started to laugh.  Luna glared at him while trying to 
restrain another sneeze.


     "What's so funny?  A-A-ACHOO!"

     Artemis grinned in that special way that only cats can manage.
That is to say, with all the arrogance in the world added to a 
healthy dose of mischievous glee.  "Think about it.  Small cryo-tube.
Obviously an intelligent being inside.  Saturn's playmate.  And 
you're sneezing.  Do that math."

     Luna twitched.  "Oh, no.  Not him.  Please not him.  Nemesis
is bad enough!  I don't need HIM, too!"

     "Who's 'him'?"  Hotaru slowly asked.  "And why did Nemesis
give that tube to me?"

     "Ill tell you later."  Setsuna calmly answered, sipping her tea.
She sat the teacup down, then spoke in a lyrical, flowing language
that seemed to tug at the Senshi's memories.  There was a pause,
then a response from the tube in the same language.  Luna groaned
when she heard the voice.  Setsuna smirked at the reply.

     "Still vain as ever, I see."  She remarked before continuing
to speak in the unknown language.  After a few minutes of 
conversation, chanting emanated from the tube.  After a few seconds,
the chanting stopped.

     "I'm not coming out."

     Everyone jumped at the new voice.  It was a light tenor, with
an undertone of humor and mischief in it.  Artemis snickered.

     "Aw, why not?"  He teasingly asked.

     "Have you *seen* what a cryo-tube does to my fur?"  The voice
demanded.

     "Hey, I had to go through it.  Live with it.  It'll settle down
soon enough.  Get your butt out here, you vain little wuss."  Artemis
commanded.

     "No.  Not a chance."

     "Saturn's out here.  Don't want to look like a wimp in front
of her, now do you?"  Artemis asked with a snicker.

     "You play dirty, you know that?"  The voice answered after a 
pause.

     "Yup!"  Artemis gloatingly replied.

     "Fine.  I'm coming out.  Laugh and die."  The voice muttered.

     Everyone looked on in curiosity as the tube rocked back and 
forth a few times.  Finally, something popped out of the end.  It was
about the size of a small dog, was a reddish-brown, and looked like
a giant puff-ball.  A pair of hazel eyes gazed out from one end.

     "It's a hairball."  Minako stated in a calm tone.

     "I am NOT a hairball!  I am a FOX!  Damn it!  I *knew* I should
have stayed in that blasted tube."   The last was muttered.

     "Um...where did you come from?"  Hotaru slowly asked, hesitantly
reaching out towards the self-proclaimed fox.  Frankly, she didn't
see the resemblance.

     "The Moon.  Duh."  The fox turned to give Hotaru a scathing
glance, then froze.  "Mara?  It's you!"

     Hotaru froze in shock as the fox jumped towards her and started
to babble happily while swarming all over her.

     "IthoughtyouwereoutpastPlutoandfiguredyouwouldn'tgetbackint
imeandsowewerescrewedsoIgotinthetube,butyou'rehere,whichmeanswemu
sthavewonandwhereArinandwhere'sSerenityandwhathaveyoubeendoingand
whyareyousoYOUNG?"  He froze in place on Hotaru's lap and stared
at the rest of the Senshi.  "Why are all of you so young?"

     "Beryl won."  Setsuna informed him calmly.  "I'll tell you all
about it later.   Now, introductions are in order.  Everyone,
the fuzzy ball of energy is Farow.  He used to be Saturn's pet and 
familiar.  He's another one of Arik's experiments.  He's a modified
fox.  Some other DNA mixed in.  We're not sure what Arik put in to 
make him so annoying, though."

     Farow grinned widely under his puffed-out fur.  "That's natural.
Like your hair."

     Makoto stared at the hyper-active bundle of fur.  "Why did 
Hotaru have a pet fox?"

     "All magical girls should have a cute, furry, talking mascot!"
Farow proudly proclaimed.  He paused and looked around.  "Hey, 
where's Arin?"

     "He's talking to Uranus and Neptune."  Setsuna replied.

     "Oh, they must be in trouble, then.  He never does that unless
he's *really* pissed."  Farow said confidently.

     Setsuna paused in the middle of taking a drink from her tea.  
Her brow furrowed.  "Wait.  Oh, dear.  Ami, is the Mercury Computer
on?"

     Ami nodded, still staring at the fox sitting in Hotaru's lap.
He was currently cleaning himself in an attempt to smooth down his 
fur.  It wasn't working too well.  "Yes, of course."

     "How often do you turn it on?"

     "I don't think I've turned it off, actually.  Why?"

     "Nemesis had some marks across his forehead.  There's only one
thing that I know of that makes those marks.  Check to see if your
records have been accessed."  Setsuna calmly instructed.

     "How did you know I-?  Never mind.  What am I looking for?"  Ami
asked, opening the Computer.

     "Access from someone named 'Deus'.  I don't think he'll have 
bothered to hide it."

     Ami typed rapidly for a few seconds.  She finally looked up.  
"Found it.  Whoever he is, he went through everything!  How did he 
get into the Computer?"

     Setsuna nodded.  "Knew it.  Deus is the AI running the Moon's
central computer.  'Central' is one of his terminals.  Arik 
programmed him, so he has a few...quirks.  Nemesis must have visited
him to get information on what he missed.  Wait, you said ALL your
data was accessed?"

     "Yes, that's what it looks like.  All my journals, all my 
reports, looks like everything."  Ami answered in a distracted
voice, still typing on the Computer.

     Setsuna slowly, carefully, asked her next question.  "Was your
data on Galaxia accessed?"  She spoke with the voice of someone
who already knew the answer, but was hoping she was wrong.

     "Yes, of course.  I already told you that.  Everything.
Why?"  Ami responded, looking up.  "Is it important?  Setsuna?"

     Setsuna was slowly turning chalk white.  And given her tanned
complexion, that said a lot.  She dropped her teacup, leaped to her
feet, and sprinted for the door.  "He's going to kill them!"

     The Senshi stared as Setsuna ran through the door, nearly 
ripping it off its runners in the process.  There was something
inherently *wrong* about Setsuna running anywhere.  It was even more
wrong to see actual worry on her face.  The fact that there was fear
in her eyes...gave them the shivers.  Because of that, it took nearly
four seconds before anyone reacted.

     "'Kill them'?"  Ami slowly said.  Her eyes went wide.  "Oh, no.
Haruka, Michiru!  Galaxia!"

     At her words, a connection clicked.  Everyone surged to their
feet.  Not surprisingly, it was Usagi who led the dash to where 
Nemesis was 'talking' with Haruka and Michiru.  It wasn't hard to 
figure out where it was taking place.  It was the direction with the
sounds of flesh meeting flesh, flesh meeting wood, and trees swaying
as people were slammed into them.


     As they got closer to the sounds of fighting, Setsuna's voice
screamed out clearly.

     "DON'T!  SERENITY FORGAVE THEM!"

     The silence that followed her scream seemed unnaturally
loud.  The Senshi ran through the underbrush towards the source.
They emerged into a clearing to see Setsuna crouched over two still
forms.  She sat back on her heels and sighed in relief.

     As they moved towards her, Setsuna spoke.  "We need to keep 
Nemesis away from these two for a while, if at all possible.  He's
going to need some time to calm down."

     Usagi gasped when she reached Setsuna's side.  Both Haruka and
Michiru were transformed and both of them looked like they'd been put
through a meat grinder.  Haruka's nose looked to be broken and both
of them were covered in bruises.  

     "Why did he do this?"  Usagi demanded.

     "They attacked you several times, betrayed you, killed two 
members of their own team, one of whom was Nemesis' daughter,
and, to top it all off, their plan failed.  I'm surprised he didn't
kill them instantly."  Setsuna calmly replied.  "As it is, Haruka
has a broken nose, and I'm not sure of what Michiru has.  Ami, scan
them, if you would."

     Ami's fingers flew over the keyboard.  "Well, there are extreme
amounts of bruising on both of them.  Haruka has a broken nose and 
several green fractures on her ribs.  Michiru has several green 
fractures as well, along with a broken tailbone.  Other than that 
they're fine.  No permanent damage whatsoever."

     Setsuna nodded.  "It appears as though he was teaching them a 
lesson.  A very rough, very painful lesson.  Help me carry them to 
Haruka's car."

*****************

     Setsuna closed the door on Hotaru's sleeping form.  It had taken
a while, but Hotaru had finally fallen asleep with her newly-declared
"cute mascot" resting at her feet.  Both Haruka and Michiru were in 
their respective beds with herbal salves to reduce the bruising
and aches.  Their beds would probably have to be burned to get rid of
the smell, but that was no concern of hers.  Haruka's nose was back
to its normal position and Michiru had to be laid on her stomach
because of the broken tailbone.  That was going to annoy her for the
next several weeks.  Setsuna made sure both of them were still asleep
then continued down the hallway to her room.

     Setsuna shut her door behind her then flipped on her lights.
Ranma was sitting on the bed dressed only in his standard white 
muscle tee and black pants, cradling his head in his hands.  Setsuna
ignored him and slipped out of her suit and into her nightclothes.
Once that was done, she sat in the chair by the bed.  Idly, she noted
that Ranma's black and silver shirt was resting in a heap in the 
corner of the room.

     "Problems, Ranma?"

     "I'm him and he's me, but we're still *we*!"  Ranma snapped
out in a near-frenzied tone.  "I nearly killed Uranus and Neptune!
If you hadn't have stopped me, I would have!"

     Ranma lifted his face out of his hands and met Setsuna's
gaze with haunted eyes.  In a tortured voice, he whispered.  "What
have I become?"

     Setsuna watched as Ranma buried his face back in his hands.
She sighed softly, then started to speak.

     "You've just had over half a century of memories shoved into 
your brain,  on top of that your body rebuilt itself overnight,
and that's not even mentioning the fact that you've just discovered
you have a daughter.  Under those conditions, I'm surprised you're
not curled into a ball and screaming."  Setsuna calmly stated.

     Ranma groaned again.  "Thanks for reminding me.  I'm a father.
I'm not READY to be a father!"  He froze.  "Oh damn."

     "What is it?"  Setsuna asked quickly.

     "I just remembered how she was born in the Silver Millennium."
Ranma started to curse in a soft monotone.

     "And how was she born in the Silver Millennium?"  Setsuna 
casually asked.

     Ranma snorted.  "Didn't tell back then.  Not gonna tell now." 

     "So, what do you remember of the Silver Millennium?"  Setsuna
asked, as she moved out of the chair and sat next to Ranma.

     Ranma sighed and lifted his head out of his hands again.  "Bits
an' pieces.  It's all there, hoverin' just outta reach.  I can see 
portions, but if I try to bring them out...they slip away.  All I 
know is, I got this feeling that somethin' ain't right.  But I don't
know what.  It's like an itch that I can't scratch."

     Setsuna reached up and placed a supporting hand on his shoulder.
"Don't try to force them.  You'll just hurt yourself.  I've seen the
results of people trying to force mental blocks, and it's usually
not pretty.  Just let them come as they want to."

     Ranma ground out a rough laugh.  "Be a lot easier if I didn't
have this sinking feeling that I'm forgetting somethin' important.
And it's right there, on the edge of my brain.  Just barely out of 
reach.  ARGH!  I HATE that feeling!"

     Setsuna raised an eyebrow.  "Well, it's not going to come if you
try to force it.  You should get some sleep."

     Ranma stood up and started to walk towards the door.  Setsuna
narrowed her eyes then spoke.

     "Maybe we should figure out a reason for your growth spurt 
before tomorrow morning."


     "Got it covered."  Ranma said with a wave of his hand.  His form
shivered, wavered, and shrank down to his 'normal' appearance.
"Simple glamour.  But...I will need clothes."

     Setsuna stared as Ranma walked over to her closet and pulled
out several of her suits.  "What are you doing?"

     "Getting some clothes.  I have nothing to wear.  Except that 
black and silver shirt and that's a bit obvious, don't you think?
Might as well hang a sign on my back telling everyone I'm Nemesis.
So I'm borrowing some of yours."  Ranma was turned away from Setsuna,
but she could still hear the smile in his voice.  "Man, you have a 
*lot* of these suits.  Don't you ever get sick of them?"

     "I have other clothes!"  Setsuna snapped defensively.

     "Oh, yeah?  Where?"

     "Over in the- Oh, no.  I'm not going tell you.  You can wear the
suits.  You leave the rest of my clothing alone."  Setsuna instructed
in a firm voice.  

     Ranma chuckled as he walked for the door. As he opened it, 
Setsuna spoke once more.

     "Ranma.  I know you.  I knew you in the past.  I assure you, you
would not have killed Haruka and Michiru.  If you had truly wanted
to kill them, your first blow would have done it.  Now, stop beating
yourself up over it."  Setsuna's voice was low and firm.  Ranma 
blinked a few times, then spoke hesitantly.


     "Th-thanks, Setsuna.  Somehow, that makes me feel a lot better."
Ranma softly shut the door behind him and walked to his room.  
Suddenly, he smiled softly and spoke.  "I have a daughter.  I have
a daughter.  I'm a Daddy.  Wow."

     Ranma walked closed his door, changed clothing and sexes, then
laid on the bed and slept the sleep of the dead, still smiling 
happily.

******************

     Setsuna surveyed her students with a critical eye.  Amazingly,
all of them were still awake and were at least pretending to pay 
attention.  Even Usagi had managed to correctly answer several 
questions.  She nodded to herself, then spoke.

     "All right.  Class is done for today.  I've decided to forgo
your session with Ranko for today, but it will be moved to tomorrow.
So, all of you make sure to get lots of sleep tonight.  Now, shoo."
Setsuna made a shooing motion with her hand and watched with 
amusement as Usagi, Minako, and Makoto nearly teleported out of the
house.  Rei and Ami didn't move nearly as fast, but they didn't 
linger, either.  Haruka and Michiru stiffly got to their feet and 
slowly walked out of the room, followed by Hotaru, who was carrying
Farow.  The fox had draped himself around her shoulders and seemed
insanely pleased with the state of affairs.  


     Ranma waited until the room was empty, then stood and walked
over to Setsuna.  "Why'd you cancel the session?"

     "We're going shopping.  As you pointed out, you need new 
clothes."  Setsuna pointed out.

     "Oh.  Wait, 'we'?  Why can't I go by myself?  Don't you think
I can pick out clothes?"  Ranma asked indignantly.

     Setsuna eyed Ranma skeptically.  "You own how many pairs of the
exact same Chinese outfit, again?"

     Ranma was silent for a few minutes.  "Okay, you got a point.
Fine.  Let's go shopping.  But none of those girly stores, got it?"

     Setsuna nodded slightly.  "No girly stores.  However, you WILL
be getting a variety.  That is non-negotiable."

     Ranma suddenly had a sinking feeling.

******************

     "SETSUNA!  HIIII!!!"

     Ranma stiffened as the insanely happy voice cut across the noise
in the clothing store like a chain saw goes through butter.  Warm 
butter.  Warm butter that had been left outside in Georgia all day.
In late July.  "Oh, please not them."

     Ranma slowly turned to look at where Setsuna was looking at some
blouses.  Sure enough, Usagi was there, babbling like mad.  
Unsurprisingly, the rest of the Inners were with her.  Ranma 

slowly edged out of sight behind a rack of clothing.  He heard 
Setsuna saying something, then the whole mob of girls trooping
off.  He breathed a sigh of relief.  Having the Senshi meet him in 
male form wouldn't be a good thing.  Not at all.

     "I told you it was a mistake for you to immediately change into
the Chinese outfit and grab hot water.  I told them I'd meet them in
an hour at the food court."  Setsuna's amused voice drifted to him 
from the other side of the clothing rack.  Ranma silently groaned
to himself.  She was going to gloat for a long time about this.

     Ranma walked around the clothing and eyed the clothing he was 
surrounded by.  "Setsuna, I'm in the middle of the girl's clothing
section.  We've already got me clothes that'll go with girl form,
my guy form, and both.  Why are we still here?"

     Setsuna looked at him then lifted an eyebrow.  "You have no 
lingerie.  That is something we need to fix."

     Ranma blanched and started to wave his hands.  "Nuh-UH!  Not a 
chance!  No girly stuff!  No!"

     Setsuna grabbed his hand and started to drag him along, ignoring
his words.  Finally, she spoke.  "Haruka and Michiru will have 
noticed you have *no* female undergarments.  You need a sports bra,
at least.  Or do you enjoy having your breasts bounce all over the 
place during a fight?  Just think of it as an athletic support for 
your chest.  Also, as you know, panties are necessary during a 
certain part of the month.  Unless you'd rather we get tampons?"  


     Seeing Ranma's mute head-shake, Setsuna continued.  "You don't
have to *wear* them.  After all, you can prevent that from happening
by staying a guy those three days.  But we do need to get some.  It's
called-"

     "-Building your cover."  Ranma interrupted.  "Fine.  But you 
ain't gonna get no frilly stuff."

     Setsuna snorted.  "That would be almost as suspicious.
I know just the thing for you.  They have boxers that are designed
for women.  Snug in the right places, but they're still boxers.
They're a fashion statement.  I ordered some for you.  Was I correct
in presuming you'd prefer those rather than actual panties?"

     Ranma nodded enthusiastically.  Setsuna finally stopped in front
of a lingerie store.  She pushed him down on a bench and dropped
all her packages on his lap.

     "Hold those.  I'll be right back."

     Ranma groaned loudly as Setsuna walked away.  A few people 
walking by shot him amused glances.  An old man who had seen the 
whole exchange walked over and patted Ranma's shoulder.  

     "Don't worry, son.  It's worth the annoyance."  He grinned
at Ranma.  "Oh boy, is it worth the annoyance.  The right packaging
can make anybody look better.  You lucky dog, you."

     Ranma stared in bewilderment at the back of the old man as he 
walked away.  "Wha?"

     Ranma puzzled for a few seconds about the man's words, then 
shrugged and decided to ignore them.  He started to mentally review
katas in his head to pass the time.  He was up to his fifty-second
kata when a feeling washed over him.  It felt like a red-hot nail had
been dragged across his nerve endings.

     "Oh, crap."  He whispered, then stood up.  He strode towards
the lingerie store, juggling the packages to a better position
as he did.  He walked through the door of the shop, paused for a few
seconds, then turned and walked straight for the dressing rooms.

     "Excuse me, sir?  Sir?  Sir!  You can't go back there!"  A 
saleswoman grabbed his arm.  It didn't slow him down, but it did get
several odd looks.  Ranma stopped and shrugged her off.

     "My wife's back there.  Out of my way."  Ranma curtly declared,
then walked on.  He reached his destination, pulled open one of the
doors, and stepped in.  A half-naked Setsuna stared at him in 
disbelief.

     "We need to talk."  Ranma announced in a flat voice.

     "It could have waited until I was finished!"  Setsuna hotly 
announced.

     "No, it couldn't have.  Someone just used Chaos to teleport.
It felt like transportation, not a personal jump.  There were several
of them.  Call the Senshi.  Tell the Outers to have Saturn heal them.
Have them all meet me on the roof in ten minutes.  We've got some ass
to kick, would be my educated guess."  Ranma finished in a nearly
gleeful note.

     Setsuna nodded.  "What about my packages?"

     Ranma sighed, then bent over and shoved the packages into the 
shadows under the bench.  "There.  They're all in your closet."

     Setsuna nodded and rapidly got dressed.  "Any idea who or what
we'll be fighting?"

     Ranma shook his head as his form rippled and changed into 
Nemesis.  "Not a clue.  Just that who ever 'ported them in did it 
fast and hard.  Otherwise, I never would have felt them.  The roof.
Ten minutes."

     Setsuna watched as Nemesis sank into her shadow, then pulled
out her communicator.  "Ami?  You're not going to enjoy this...."

******************

     "I can't believe they'd attack on the one day Setsuna let us out
early."  Sailor Moon groused from her position on the edge of the 
roof.  She had been most upset with that fact, and had grumbled
about it for the last seven minutes.  The rest of the Senshi were 
just waiting for the rest of the Outers to show up.  Pluto was 
standing by one corner of the building surveying the surrounding
area.  At the sound of feet climbing the fire escape, everyone's
eyes shot towards the top of the fire escape ladder.

     Uranus climbed over the edge of the roof, then turned to help
Neptune and Saturn.  Saturn looked a little winded from the climb
and the healing she did to Uranus and Neptune, but she was regaining
her wind.  Uranus surveyed the group once everyone was on the roof.
She smirked a little.  "So...why are we here again?"  

     "I told Pluto to call you.  We've got guests.  Several of them."
Nemesis announced from the roof of the stairwell.  Several of the 
Senshi jumped at the sound of his voice, the notable exceptions
being Saturn and Pluto.  Nemesis jumped off the roof and looked 
around.  "Where's pretty boy and the fox?"

     "Mamo-chan's in Hokkaido on a school trip."  Sailor Moon 
answered quickly.

     "Farow stayed at home.  Said he was worthless in a fight, 
anyways."  Saturn chimed in.

     Nemesis nodded, then commanded.  "Be quiet, all of you.  
Listen."

     The Senshi all listened for a few seconds.  Nemesis lifted a 
hand and dropped it.  

     "There.  Did you hear it?"

     Mercury blinked.  "It sounded like...a roar of some kind?"

     Nemesis nodded.  "That's the hunting roar of a Nemesian Cat.  
One of the top three on the food chain of Nemesis.  Don't know how 
they got here, but they're very nasty.  Now listen carefully.
Those things are big, mean, and ugly.  On top of that, they're 
totally invulnerable to Chaos magic.  However, I can get them to 
chase me pretty easily.  So, get to the nearest park.  I'll piss them
off and lead them straight to you.  After that, all you have to do is
shoot straight."  He clapped his hands together and grinned.  "Should
be a fun fight!"

     "I think your definition of 'fun' doesn't match ours."  Mars 
dryly remarked.

     "That's because I'm insane."  Nemesis gleefully announced.
He shot a glance towards Uranus and Neptune.  "Now, take care of my 
daughter while I'm busy, okay?  Don't try to kill her *this* time,
got it?"

     Mercury blinked.  "Daughter?  What daughter?"

     Nemesis just laughed and jumped off the roof of the building.
The Inner Senshi and Saturn turned to look at Pluto.  She looked
back calmly.

     "Not now.  We have other things to deal with.  I'll tell you 
later.  Now, we have a park to get to."

     The Senshi nodded, unable to argue her point.

******************

     Pluto stood patiently in the middle of the park.  Nemesis had 
been baiting the Cats for the last ten minutes.  He'd stopped 
broadcasting his progress after the second one started following
him.  Suddenly, her waiting was broken by Nemesis' voice over her 
communicator.

     "Pluto.  Situation report.  They're all following me.  I've 
removed one of them from the picture.  However, there are eight left.
And they've been altered.  Larger and faster than I remember.
They don't seem as smart, though.  Or as tough.  I'm coming down the
street to the east of your current location.  Get ready.  They're
right on my tail."

     Pluto snapped into motion as soon as Nemesis' voice faded away.
She whirled around and started to snap orders.  "He's coming and 
they're right behind him!  Get ready!  He'll be coming down that 
street!  Mercury, as soon as he's clear of the targets, throw a 
Shabon Spray.  After that, everyone pick a target.  You should be 
able to figure it out from there.  Just keep hitting them until they
die.  There are only eight of them, so double up when possible.
Let's *go*, people!"

     Mercury paused for a few seconds to ask a question.  "What do 
these things look like?"

     Pluto shrugged.  "I've never seen one.  However, from the little
bit Arin talked about them, I believe they're fairly large.  About
the size of a Saber-Tooth Tiger."

     Mercury nodded.  "Okay, that won't be too hard to deal with."

     With the ease born of long experience, the Senshi moved into 
positions and waited.  Within minutes, they heard screaming,
crashes, and the sounds of general mayhem coming their way.  Everyone
tensed.  Seconds later, Nemesis sprinted around the corner at an 
insane speed.  He jumped and ran along the wall of the building
for a few seconds when he couldn't make the turn.  As soon as he hit
the ground, he sped up again.

     "THEY'RE ON THE WAY AND THEY ARE *PISSED*!"  Nemesis bellowed
at the top of his lungs.  Seconds later, he hit the ground in a slide
and went through their line.  The Senshi all started to gather their
powers in preparation.  Then what was chasing Nemesis came into view
and all thoughts fled their minds.

     "Oh, holy kamis...."  Mars whispered.

     They were cats.  Sort of.  They resembled your common big cat 
like a child's toy tank resembled a M1-A1 Abrams.  That is to say,
they made them look small, weak, and pitiful.  All of the cats were
colored the same jet black.  Each of them had a mouth full of 
needle-sharp teeth.  All had the same insane gleam in their red eyes.
The six legs each possessed ended in long, wickedly jagged claws.
And every last one of them was at least twelve feet tall at the 
shoulder.  And they all looked very, *very*, *VERY* angry.

     "HIT THEM!"  Nemesis screamed from behind them.  They rapidly
recovered and started with the plan.  Mercury covered the area with
her fog and all the Cats were hit in the Senshi's initial energy
barrage, knocking them to the ground.  The lead Cat received several
hits, in fact.  The Senshi prepared for another round as Mercury's
fog dissipated.  Then...they were met with an unpleasant sight.

     The Cats were getting up.  And the only change the assault
seemed to have caused was they looked even angrier, if possible.
Nemesis swore loudly.

     "They're resistant to Order, too.  Saturn!  Wall!  Now!"  
Nemesis ground out.  Saturn rapidly obeyed before the Cats came any
closer.  The sight of the Cats clawing and snarling at the invisible
barrier in their way did nothing to reassure the Senshi.  Nemesis
growled.

     "This...sucks."  He stated flatly.  "We have to go hand 
to...paw, I guess.  And you're not ready.  If you have weapons,
use them.  If you don't have weapons, try to hit them in the joints.
Those are about the only things you can hurt from the outside with
your hands or feet.  Your magic will only piss them off.  Use it to 
keep them off balance while you fight.  Use the fastest attacks
you have.  Try to cripple them so the weapon users can finish them
off.  Never stay still.  Saturn, as soon as you drop the 
wall...Silence Glaive Surprise them.  We can always hope.  You won't
get a second shot, so make sure the first one hits."

     Nemesis paused and turned to Venus.  "Oh, yeah.  I got something
for you."

     Venus looked startled.  "For me?"

     Nemesis nodded and reached behind him.  Slowly, he drew out a 
large crystal broadsword.  "Found this on the Moon.  Figured you'd
want it back."

     Venus caught the sword when he tossed it to her and held it 
reverently.  "My sword....  Thank you."


     Nemesis nodded slightly.  "It belongs to you.  I can't think
of a better time to present it.  Now, let's do this.  Saturn...drop
the Wall."

     The Wall dropped, the Cats charged, and the battle was joined.
Saturn threw a Silence Glaive Surprise and caught the lead Cat 
straight on with it, causing it to more or less vaporize.  Then the
Cats were on them, and there was no more time for plans.

     By unspoken consent, Nemesis, Saturn and Pluto all took a single
Cat, allowing the other Senshi to team up on the rest.  Mars and 
Mercury danced around one, slashing at it with ice and fire and flesh
when the opportunity presented itself.  On another, Jupiter and Venus
moved in a whirlwind of striking hands and feet, and the flashing
of a crystalline blade.  At the third, Neptune fought with a lethal
grace that belied her appearance.  And at the fourth, Uranus used her
sword and fought at Moon's side with a savage intensity.  Moon was 
using her Scepter to great advantage, darting in to strike at the 
Cat's knees, then darting back out.  The clumsiness that was nearly
her trademark was conspicuously absent from her movement.

     Meanwhile, the last three Cats were being entertained by 
Nemesis, Saturn, and Pluto.  Saturn was strangely elegant as she 
worked on literally slicing her opponent to ribbons with the blade
of her Glaive.  Pluto was systematically crushing the bones of any 
part that came within reach of her Staff.  And Nemesis...was
going insane.  Unable to use a weapon, unable to hurt the Cat with
his magic, and already tired from killing one Cat earlier in the 
evening, he had fallen back to a tried and true strategy:  Hoping
his Chaos would keep him alive long enough to kill his enemy.  His 
shirt was well and truly ruined, mostly due to it no longer being
there.

     Distantly, he heard a Cat's death roar, coupled with the sound
of a uniquely-shaped pole arm blade sliding home.  He grinned,
slapped a paw to the side, accepted a swipe from another, and drove
his fist into the knee of the first paw.  A satisfying *CRACK-CRUNCH*
emitted.  The Cat screamed in pain and slammed a paw into the side
of his skull.  The blow threw him a few feet, where he skipped,
rolled, and bounced back to his feet.  He jerked his head to either
side rapidly, popping his neck loudly then rushed back into the 
fight.  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Saturn heading over to 
assist Neptune with her foe.

     And then, it happened.  All it took was a single wet leaf on the
freshly-watered lawn.  Then a single boot-heel carrying the entire
weight of a Sailor Suited Warrior for Love and Justice landed on it.
And the leaf slid, dropping Sailor Moon to the ground like a sack of
bricks.

     Jupiter reacted with the speed, devotion, and utter disregard
for her personal safety that had earned her Princess' utter trust
in times past.  She dove for Moon and shoved her out of the way.  
Just in time to have her back laid open by four razor-sharp
claws, instead of Moon's chest.  At her scream of pain, all motion
on the field seemed to freeze for one, fatal second.

     And Nemesis screwed up.  He turned to look at where the scream
had come from.  And then realized just how stupid that was when a 
razor-tipped paw slammed him into the ground and pinned him there
with bone crushing force.  Lying there, he had a perfect view as the
Cat standing over Jupiter started to rear a paw back to strike Moon,
who was staring at the massively wounded Jupiter in shock and horror.

     And he realized:  he couldn't stop it.  He couldn't even slow
it down.  The screams of the other Senshi were whispers on the wind
as he accepted the only way he could fulfill his oaths to his Queen.
In the fractions of seconds available to him, he reached deep inside
himself, past all his skills, all his knowledge, all his techniques.
He reached deep into the dark portion of his mind that was no longer
his.  The mentally blocked and walled part of his brain that held his
greatest fear.  The part he had reinforced with his magic as soon as
he had remembered how.  And with a mental twist, he broke the locks,
and ripped down the walls.  And the Neko-ken came howling out, 
screaming to kill, rend, and destroy.

     And everything went...crimson.

To be continued...... 
****************** 
Author's Notes:

     Sometimes, I even hate myself for writing cliffhangers.  

     Then I realize:  I *LIKE* cliffhangers.  And instantly,
I feel better.  Of course, I usually receive a wide (and rather 
inventive) series of death threats after one, but that's pretty cool,
really.

     Anyhoo, my writing time hasn't improved much, as you can tell.
I don't really have anyone to blame.  Except my evil professors.
Or something.  It certainly wouldn't have ANYTHING to due with the 
Voiders.  Of course not.

     BTW, Mage?  You realize this means you owe me a certain fic 
about a certain Dream, right?  I'm looking at my Inbox now.  Heh. 

     Thanks go out to all the people who gave me ideas to use in 
AtST.  Included in that blanket statement are Kenko, MageOhki,
Brian Randall, ALL the Void regulars, my pre-readers, and many, many
people I have undoubtedly forgotten.  Sorry 'bout that.  My memory
sucks.

     Well, I guess now people can start nagging me about Chapter
9.  *sob*  Does it NEVER end?!  Wait, why am I asking you guys that?
Bah, never mind me.  It's too late for me to make sense.

     Oh, just one last thing.  While I know it's pretty egotistical
of me to hope for fanart, I just can't help myself.  On the off 
chance someone is bored enough to waste their time on fanart for 
AtST, I'd love to see it.  (Because my ego could always use extra
armor.)

Ja Ne! Slacker Alpha draft 11/06/2001